《Heaven's Greatest Professor》


 Chapter 1: Life, Death, and Other Unusual Magic

    <h4>Chapter 1: Life, Death, and Other Unusual Magic</h4>


    He awoke wet and disoriented, his face down in the mud with a hole in his head. Thankfully, the hole was more metaphorical than literal. Still, death wasn''t supposed to feel this bad.


    The man had the figure of a warrior with jagged muscles and a lithe athletic build, yet his body felt tired beyond measure as he rolled himself over to sit up. Squinting his eyes, he assessed his situation. There was an abnormal sense of calmness in his movements, even though pain warred to consume his mind.


    He was under the naked sky, the scorching sun hovering in mid-sky as a breeze swayed the leaves of the surrounding towering trees and tall hedges. There was dampness in the air, and water flowed constantly in the stream.


    Then his eyes turned to his figure, and all the calmness puffed off. He was in some kind of specialised attire, wet and heavy. His cloak and light armour seemed waterproof. However, the rest of his clothing and undergarments were drenched in water.


    <i>I was in the stream?</i> he mumbled, leaping to his feet to face the water. He found a sheathed sword strapped to his back, and unsheathed it to discover a real de.


    Why did he possess a sword? He did not know, but it felt right to have one. If he didn''t know better, he would have swung it to test his skills, but his current condition brought only a deep sense of urgency.


    What the hell is going on? But more important, who am I?!


    As if to answer his question, something appeared before his eyes. A disembodied holographic screen floated in mid-air. Unwittingly, he reached out to touch it but found his finger phasing through the hologram.


    <strong>[Interference detected! The system is unable to detect the user''s all attributes and features.] [Restrictions have been detected! Unable to determine the full stats. . . .]</strong>


    He looked around in suspicion as the message blinked out of existence. <i>Is this a prank or what? Or am I going nuts?</i>


    His eyes transferred to his palm, revealing a dark and eerie ck circle mark. Another floating window appeared before him.


    <strong>__________________________</strong>


    <strong>[Warden]</strong>


    <strong>Race: Human* (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 27%)</strong>


    <strong>Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]</strong>


    <strong>Attributes</strong>


    <strong>Strength: configuring...</strong>


    <strong>Mind: configuring...</strong>


    <strong>Soul: configuring...</strong>


    <strong>Recovery: configuring...</strong>


    <strong>...</strong>


    <strong>Abilities: </strong>


    <strong>configuring...</strong>


    <strong>____________________________</strong>


    "Warden?" he mumbled.<i> Is that me?</i>


    The more he thought about the name, the more natural it felt in his mind. Warden. At least he had a name totch onto, though it sounded a bit weird.


    As for the other information in the window, most of it seemed unfamiliar. He had an obnoxious feeling that he should know it all, but the words didn''t spark any memories.


    Warden didn''t know a single thing about himself. What kind of amnesia did he have?


    As though trying to remember more, he clutched the sword to see his reflection. His eyes were ck as they should be, but his hair was strikingly grey. It wasn''t dyed or coloured due to old age, but naturally grey.


    "That isn''t right, is it!" Warden did not have any memories to ept or deny his features.


    Quickly, he moved to the stream to see the full reflection of his face. He was fair-skinned with unkempt hair. He looked somewhat brutish and sick, but no medicine could change in the short term.


    Even the choice of freaking out was taken from him when a loud howl reverberated in his ears. He spotted arge dire wolf on the other side of the stream, eyeing him.


    "Oh, a wolf?" he said unconsciously. <i>Hmm, I recognise a wolf. Maybe my mind isn''t that bad?</i>


    <i>By the way, are wolves supposed to be this huge?</i> He pped himself mid-thought, realising it wasn''t the time to think. Dire wolves were feral and most didn''t survive an encounter. Not to mention this one was his waist high, and Warden was a tall man.


    <i>I need to flee.</i>


    The dire wolf leapt onto the stream before he took the first step and was swimming fast to reach him. He doubted its intentions were the least bit friendly. Even without his memory, he could conclude that.


    Warden clutched the de''s hilt with both palms and bolted into the woods. He thought his wet, heavy clothing would slow him down, but the run was effortless. Besides, his speed was higher than most normal people should have, though he was unsure how long he could keep up with the unfathomable sense of tiredness.


    Unfortunately, the dire wolf was faster than your average wolf as well. It covered the distance Warden managed to reach with the head start in no time, ready to pounce on him.


    Desperation wed at his heart as he ran with everything he had, his lungs burning in indignation. The dire wolf howled hungrily after him.


    "This is a nightmare," Warden screamed.


    <i>Hold on, if I have a real de, then shouldn''t I...shouldn''t I have some skill in it?</i>


    <i>Who knows maybe I''m a swordmaster?</i>


    His eyes brightened at the realisation as he jolted to a stop. He spun on his heels and faced the beast, the unsheathed de in his arm. Contrary to his expectation, the dire wolf halted as well, a tinge of intelligence and hesitation in its eyes. However, that didn''t stop it from baring its savage maw, and disying jagged teeth.


    An unspoken agreement was acknowledged between them as they sized each other up. A manic grin spreading across his face, Warden charged at the beast. The wolf responded with just the same amount of zeal, as it was a contest between peers.


    It pounced on him, and Warden met with the same passion, swinging his de like a true swordsman.


    There was nothing clumsy about Warden''s swing, but his sword fell short by a considerable margin, even though his eyes managed to follow theplete trajectory of the beast''s movement. Perhaps it was the exhaustion.


    The massive wolf mmed into him, its horrifying maw opened to take a bite of his arm.


    "GHHUUAAAAA!"


    It was not a contest of peers at all.


    A bone-piercing pain assaulted his senses, wrenching a raw primal scream out of him. <i>Am I going to die?</i>


    <i>No, not yet. Not until I ...</i>


    Something moved inside of him, resonating with the ungodly amount of pain and fear. It surged through his veins, a chilly obnoxious sensation before it poured out in an outburst of smoky dark-purple tendrils.


    In pain, Warden lost full control of the purple energy, not that he had any control to begin with. Thankfully, the sheer force of the outburst flung the animal into the air, relieving the weight of him.


    <strong>[Congrattions! You have unsealed a hidden aperture.]</strong>


    <strong>[Void Prison Realm is essing the hidden aperture. Warden''s capacity is under 5%, unable to integrate Void Prison Realmpletely.]</strong>


    <strong>[Ability assigned: Left Hand of Cmity.]</strong>


    A sudden chill ran through his left palm as though a venomous snake bit him. The chill spread throughout his body, sending shivers down his spine. Warden''s pain hadn''t subsided. Crimson blood gushed out through his clothes where the wolf had bitten him as he barely managed to get a hold of himself. ck and purple tendrils surrounded his form, apanied by a chilly sensation.


    "Owwlll!" the wolf howled, returning his attention to it. Warden stood back again, clutching the sword tight, even though pain consumed his right arm. Magical power, huh? Thankfully, he knew how the magic worked just like how he knew how to swing a de. At least, he had some idea of it, as if the lesson were engraved into his bones.


    Speaking of which, amnesia wasn''t supposed to make you forgetpletely everything. Like you''d never forget how to swim or ride a horse if you once knew.


    It was all visualisation and imagination, he hoped. A terrible pull yanked at the back of his mind, but the energy did form into a protective armour around him.


    All he needed was his imagination. Instinct guiding him, Warden knew exactly what to imagine, where to draw the energy. He visualised the purple energy into the sword, imbuing it...


    The whole de turned pitch dark, as purple smoky tendrils swayed along. Wielding it, Warden shot a menacing re at the beast, who for a second didn''t charge outright. Witless and feral, it might have been, it had sensed the danger oozing out of him.


    "It was wrong of me to think of us as peers," he said. "There are no equals in the jungle."


    Warden held his ground, his eyes narrowing at the beast. His sword was ready, pointing towards the sky at a right angle. It was weird how right it felt, even though he didn''t remember learning the stance.


    The savage wolf seemed scared to shit as it took a step back, unaware of the human it targeted to possess such strength. Even its feral instincts couldn''t drive it to pounce with the dark energy pulsating all over him. In the end, it was intelligent enough to make the right decision. Or perhaps it was rather instinctual fear towards the dark power.


    Warden didn''t expect the beast to actually draw the tail between its legs and flee.


    "Where are you going, motherfucka?" he screamed, almost losing his stance to chase after the running beast, forgetting how helpless he was under its clutches a moment ago.


    "I''ll make you pay for biting me."


    The dire wolf was faster than Warden, yet when he leapt, he didn''t expect tond on its back, covering the long distance within a blink of an eye. Much less the beast, even Warden himself hadn''t expected the exponential increase in his power.


    The dark purple tendrils swirled around him. Despite the unexpected power, Warden didn''t fall back once he was over the creature. He swung his de, aiming to plunge into the neck of the beast.


    This time he made no mistake and made sure the de connected where he intended. The wolf bared its teeth, lunging, but Warden''s eyes tracked its every movement, his de plunging into the beast''s neck in one clean swing.


    Blood sprayed in the air, and onest howl echoed, as the beast dropped dead instantly.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.7 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[Configuration Completed.]</strong>


    <strong>[Unable to determine full specification. System ess (Category-4) is limited.]</strong>


    <strong>_____________</strong>


    <strong>[Warden] </strong>


    <strong> Race: Human (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 27%) </strong>


    <strong> Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]</strong>


    <strong>Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm] </strong>


    <strong> Disposition: Chaotic </strong>


    <strong> Rank: [Broken Cmity] </strong>


    <strong> Attributes: </strong>


    <strong> [Strength: 18.7] </strong>


    <strong> [Mind: 12] </strong>


    <strong> [Spirit: 74] </strong>


    <strong> [Recovery: 99] </strong>


    <strong>Abilities: </strong>


    <strong>[Left Hand of Cmity]</strong>


    ________________


    Revised and edited on 19/02/2024

 Chapter 2: The Divider

    <h4>Chapter 2: The Divider</h4>


    A warm surge of energy flowed within him, fighting back the exhaustion, though his tiredness was far from normal. It only rose the more he clung to the power.


    It barely took a minute to y the wolf, yet it almost made him cough up blood. His heart wrenched inside his chest, feeling like a suffocating death. His energy didn''t run out, but he simply overdrew too much of it.


    How could he have forgotten the cost of overdrawing more power than he could handle? Well, considering how he forgot almost everything, that simple fact felt rather insignificant in the grand scheme of his amnesia. Besides, with his mind deranged and the rush of power, he was a little too excited to care about drawbacks.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t aplete waste¡ªwith the overdraft of power, he was able to open an aperture.


    "Hmm, aperture," he said. "I know what they are."


    At least he wasn''tpletely clueless, though he figured he was missing a lot of information about them.


    The one aperture he opened was in the middle of his left palm. The dark spiral mark seemed alive now, still stinging slightly with an icy sensation. As he stared at it longer, more information about the aperture came into view via a system notification.


    <strong>[Opened Aperture: The Pce of Toil Integrated </strong>


    <strong>Fatelock: Void Prison Realm. </strong>


    <strong>Integrated ability: Left Hand of Cmity.]</strong>


    <strong>[Left Hand of Cmity: </strong>


    <strong>As an ability stemmed from the Void Prison Realm, it gives the user ess to void energy and the capability to manipte it. </strong>


    <strong>Note: Your spiritual capacity is under 5%. The optimal spiritual capacity required to wield Void energy freely is 50%.]</strong>


    That wasn''t all. He learned a skill as well.


    <strong> [Congrattions! You have learned Imbuing.] </strong>


    <strong>[Imbuing: Normal - 1% </strong>


    <strong>Imbuing spiritual energy can magnify the effect of any weapon or tool. The magnification of power is not limited to sharpness, toughness, mass, or magical power.]</strong>


    Apertures apparently make it easier for a user to wield their power more efficiently. There were twelve in total. The more you unlock, the easier it is to manipte energy. Needless to say, the easier you can manipte energy, the morepetent you are.


    Warden dismissed the system notification and scanned his surroundings.


    Where the hell was he? The question came to mind once again. He seemed to be deep in the wilderness, far away from civilization. He wouldn''t know for sure, but the surrounding area gave him a good idea of where this ce was likely to be.


    After searching the woods for a few minutes, he secluded himself in a rtively safe spot under a huge tree. He barely seated himself before restless thoughts wandered into his mind, overwhelming him with the aftershock of the power.


    Warden pped his face to stop his mind from wandering. His body was exhausted. Even wielding the de efficiently would be tough unless his Physical attribute¡ªwhich seemed to be Strength¡ªgrew exponentially.


    ying beasts seemed to be one way to do it. Warden would check that out after taking care of some things.


    After removing his wet cloak and clothes, he began meditating. Of course, he didn''t close his eyes and lose himself in meditation. The threat lurking in the woods was too terrifying to let his guard down.


    The leather jerkin would dry up in no time, while the rest of his inner clothing would take hours. Then again, he wasn''t in a rush¡ªit would take more than a couple of hours for him to reach optimal condition.


    The bite mark on his biceps didn''t look as bad as he''d imagined. Thankfully, spiritual energy had the power to disinfect most bodily wounds, and his recovery was slowly healing the wound too. Warden thought it would make things easier if he swirled the energy around the wound. It drew up more blood as an impaling pain apanied the dark energy''s effect.


    The power felt terrifying. Just as it could devastate others, he could easily be consumed by its enticing allure. Again, his thoughts wandered to events beyond his control. He shoved aside all unwanted and unwarranted concerns, focusing on the things important to his survival.


    He needed to get out of this wilderness and find civilization. But before that, he needed to familiarize himself with the sword and spiritual energy. He felt oddly familiar with them, but his condition didn''t seem ideal.


    The sun moved through the cloudless sky as Warden recovered quite easily. It didn''t even take half an hour. He leapt to his feet to practice swinging the sword. Within half an hour, his body was covered in sweat as he thoroughly practiced¡ªenough to avoid identally hurting himself. It happens more often than you''d think, especially with newbies who are unaware or unwilling to give the practice the proper attention it requires.


    The practice also familiarized him with his new body''s superhuman strength. Satisfied, Warden proceeded to practice [Imbuing]. Darkness formed around the sword''s de as smoky tendrils of dark energy swayed along it. Warden spun on his heels to swing his sword at the trunk of the huge tree.


    Obviously, he had no expectation of cutting the huge tree apart¡ª that was literally impossible for an Initiate. However, his power did exceed his expectations. Warden expected the de to dig at least two inches into the trunk. Instead, he found the sword plunging through, cutting twice as deep as he thought possible.


    "Perhaps I underestimated myself too much," Warden whistled, turning his attention to the sword. He''d actually forgotten to check the weapon''s specifications with everything going on.


    Well, he wouldn''t expect some random person to secretly have a legendary de.


    Unsure, Warden narrowed his eyes at the de, willing the system to bring up information on the weapon. Soon, the disembodied system prompt appeared before his eyes.


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (Growth: 65%)</strong>


    <strong> Created out of a broken fate lock, The Divider lost some of its properties. However, it is still a growth item that can reach Unique rank in time. This sword adapts to the wielder''s ability, molded by their very soul.</strong>


    <strong>Merits: </strong>


    <strong>+10% Strength and Spirit</strong>


    <strong> +40% Reinforcement </strong>


    <strong>+40% Amplification </strong>


    <strong>Soulsucker: Absorbs deceased creatures'' soul energy to strengthen the de. PS: The sword is bonded to the user. Its destruction will cause severe soul trauma to the wielder.]</strong>


    "Wow, certainly didn''t expect this." Warden couldn''t help but say. "Wait, doesn''t that mean this sword was specifically built for me?"


    Knowing he wouldn''t get answers to any of his questions, he shrugged and dismissed the prompt. He started swinging again, this time channeling power through his opened aperture. Warden plunged [The Divider] into the tree, further amplified by the void energy. Before he realized it, the de was halfway through the trunk. At this rate, it would copse any moment.


    "Shit!" he cursed, lunging to his right.


    A rattling echoed as the gigantic tree copsed with a thunderous boom, brushing past him by mere inches. Oddly, he felt more excited than terrified. What the hell is wrong with me?


    The answer was simple: Power was just too enticing.


    Warden''s thoughts screeched to a halt as something flew from the wreckage, shooting toward him at tremendous speed.


    A giant beetle? His mind barely registered as his arms instinctively swung the de. The sword sliced through the giant beetle in one full arc. Dark purple blood sprayed through the air as the bisected insect crashed to the ground.


    "Well, that was easier than I expected," he mumbled, a warm feeling spreading through him... until most of it was absorbed by his core.


    <strong>[Copper grade Energy harvested!] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.4 Strength]</strong>


    Warden wiped his de clean on the grass and sheathed it. Suddenly, dozens of giant beetles swarmed his position, buzzing angrily around the copsed tree.


    He drew his sword and braced himself.

 Chapter 3: Little Bunny

    <h4>Chapter 3: Little Bunny</h4>


    Darkness fell in the woods as the buzzing of insects grew. Obviously, none of the giant bugs that attacked him still lived.


    <strong>[Congrattions! Strength has reached the 25-point mark. You''re now near impervious to normal physical attacks.] </strong>


    Warden let out a breath and opened the system page to check on the increase.


    <strong>___________</strong>


    <strong>[Warden]</strong>


    <strong>Race: Human (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 27%)</strong>


    <strong>Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]</strong>


    <strong>Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]</strong>


    <strong>Disposition: Chaotic</strong>


    <strong>Rank: [Broken Cmity]</strong>


    <strong>Attributes: </strong>


    <strong>[Strength: 26.4]</strong>


    <strong>[Mind: 12.3]</strong>


    <strong>[Spirit: 74]</strong>


    <strong>[Recovery: 99] </strong>


    <strong>Skills/Abilities: </strong>


    <strong>[Imbuing: Normal - 38%] [Left Hand of Cmity: < 5%]</strong>


    <strong>_____________</strong>


    The status page still confused him mostly, and no matter what he tried, he couldn''t get any more information out of it. In the end, he could only put it away.


    His Strength got the most benefit from killing those beetles, and he did find some improvement in Mind. His body seemed to be slowly recovering from the obnoxious tiredness as well.


    <i>The 99 points in Recovery working their charm,</i> he supposed.


    Other than swordsmanship, what else was he capable of?


    Warden couldn''t even try other things in the wilderness to know if he had some mastery in some other skill as well.


    From the look of things, it appeared he had to spend the rest of the night here in the woods. Looks like he wouldn''t get to sleep tonight, as the wilderness seemed far from being safe.


    A growl resounded, and Warden realised it was not a wild animal, but his stomach rumbling in hunger. He was starving. When was thest time he had eaten something? He did not know.


    The beetle didn''t look edible to him, far from appetizing. Well, the woods seem to be full of life. He would definitely get something to eat. Wild berries, or some small animals, perhaps.


    Warden embarked on the path, creeping along the bank of the stream toe across anything worthwhile.


    The loss of his memory still bugged at the back of his mind, but he bottled those worries up and fixated on his survival. He didn''t know why he had no fear of being alone in the wilderness. Perhaps he had simr experiences before and his instincts are still sharp enough, or perhaps you are simply mistaken. Only time will tell.


    By the time darkness enveloped thendpletely, Warden barely managed to satiate his thirst. He did kill a couple of wild animals the likes of a wild Fox and a Bear, which brought him a little more esence, but nothing else changed.


    And now he faced with another ordeal. Warden was unable to make a fire yet.


    "This is supposed to be easy," he groaned.


    He tried it with stones, dry wood, and almost everything he could get his hands on. Even still, after a quarter of an hour, he only had some smoke for a result. Frustrated, he brought out his sword from the sheath and grazing it against the stone. The de was too good of quality to be damaged with just some friction.


    Sparks of light appeared rather easily as within two minutes he managed to light up a me. Warden''s mood brightened, as the fire slowly drove away the biting chillness of the night.


    Now he had to decide which one of the beasts to roast: The fox or the bear. Honestly, Warden didn''t like either of the options. He would have liked some wild rabbit, deer, or even a boar. But he had to do with what he had.


    While butchering the fox, Warden found a small gem-like thing in its head. Some idea of what it was came to his head; however, it was the system that rified his confusion about what exactly it was.


    <strong>[Lesser Beast Core: Copper</strong>


    <strong>The beast core contains all the energy the wild fox has ever umted,bined with the remnant of its life essence. Absorbing this beast core may alter your attributes drastically. Fatebearers are advised not to absorb any unpurified beast core.] </strong>


    "Okay," he mumbled, peering at the small red gem in his palm. "What do I do with it then?"


    He found another Lesser beast core in the bear, a little bigger, pulsating with thick energy, but the system notification told the same thing. He shouldn''t absorb these cores before knowing anything better.


    "Well, I only need food," he mumbled. "My energy recovers pretty fast. No need for these now."


    As Warden put the meat to roast on the fire, a thought urred in his mind. If the beasts have an energy core within themselves, shouldn''t he have one as well?


    Warden sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and looked within himself. A mental image of his channels appeared in his mind''s eye. They were like roots of a massive tree, thick and small branches spreading throughout his body. But he wasn''t imagining them for the roots, but the core.


    He held onto one of the twelve channels and led his way to finally find the source of the magical energy. There was a core alright, but it seemed different from the beast cores.


    In his abdomen, the Warden found a dark sphere pulsating with thick energy. Somehow, it appeared vast, even though it was within himself. He was just about to look deeper into the dark core when the howl of a wild beast woke him up.


    Warden leapt up to his feet and peered towards where the howl came from. A dire wolf again, but this time it was a couple of feet bigger counterpart than the one that attacked him before. Moreover, it seemed to be after something.


    <i>A bunny?</i> Warden''s eyes lit up as he charged at them, sword ready in his arms.


    The dire wolf was just about to bite the head of the small bunny when his movement shed and he swung his sword, which plunged into the beast''s head. The void energy surged through the open aperture, digging through the wound.


    Blood smeared onto the grass and onto the white fur of the bunny, which was already bloody to begin with. The dire wolf wasn''t dead, it was stronger than the one he killed before and seemed more intelligent as well. It growled at him for once and shot the direction it came from, its speed far higher than what Warden could match.


    The rabbit stopped running, its small heart pounding like drums. Even he could hear it. Covered in blood, it eyed its saviour, squeaking a little.


    Warden returned to the bunny, resting on the grass pitifully.


    "Aren''t you looking tasty," Warden mumbled, stooping down to check on the bunny to see if it would survive or not. Surprisingly, there wasn''t any threatening physical wound on its body. It was a near miracle that it survived a predator many times its size.


    "Now what am I to do with you?" he said, nuzzling the little beast. "Eat you?"


    Somehow, the small bunny had the wit to look horrified. It gave a pitiable look at its saviour, ying all the cuteness it could muster.


    Warden''s heart melted easily as he picked up the injured bunny. "Well, I got plenty of food."


    He carried the bunny near the fire and cleaned its wound, which seemed to be already healing. Of course, it was a magical beast, or how else it would survive the wolf?


    Done with cleaning and finding nothing else to help it with, the Warden left it near the fire. His dinner was ready, although they didn''t look all that appetizing. Well, the roasted meat had to do it for now.


    Chewing his first bite, he turned to the resting bunny again. Is it hungry? He wondered and held out the meat towards it. Wait, wasn''t a rabbit supposed to be a herbivore?


    Warden wasn''t so sure of himself, yet to his surprise, the bunny actually took a small bite of the meat, after smelling it. It ate showing no reservation.


    "A carnivore bunny?" he raised an eyebrow towards it.


    In response, the rabbit squeaked timidly, its crimson eyes watching pityingly.


    Eventually, the Warden shrugged as if it was only natural. He gave the small creature more meat, and it turned out just as ravenous as him, almost contending with him to finish the meal.


    The following day, the little bunny hadn''t left after recovering miraculously from its injuries. It rested on hisp, taking his body temperature after the fire winked out.


    "What I''m to do with you?"

 Chapter 4: Deceiveing Looks

    <h4>Chapter 4: Deceiveing Looks</h4>


    Liam was particrly annoyed today. Ignoring the youngdy he had to babysit in the mission, the backwater vige at the very fringe of the empire was already bothersome enough.


    However, the most infuriating of them all, he had to search for the missing pet spirit beast of the youngdy.


    <i>Just kill me already,</i> he thought and bit his tongue. He had to be careful about what he wished for. The simple mission already turned out to be quite difficult. If it were to take a bad turn, nobody would know he died here.


    <i>Probably not,</i> he supposed. Considering how youngdy Kiara came from a prominent house if she were to fall here, some investigation would be made.


    "Liam," called Youngdy Kiara, a tinge of worry in her tone, "did you find Little Cupcake?"


    <i>Well, there she was.</i> Liam groaned inwardly and looked up at the young girl of herte teens. She was a fair girl with a picturesque oval face and blonde hair¡ªthe very type of girl youngds would fight for. Unfortunately, her personality was shitty.


    "Liam?" Kiara asked again, a little irritated that he didn''t answer promptly.


    "Apologies," he said, "I didn''t even find the trails of where the little bunny ran off to."


    Kiara''s face darkened immediately. "My poor Cupcake," she cried out, clutching her chest. "She spent the entire night alone. I can''t imagine how scared she is."


    "I can," Liam mumbled, too low for her to hear. <i>It is probably in the belly of some wild beasts. </i>


    Of course, he couldn''t admit that to her. Not yet. He needed to spend a few more days in the vige, solving their problems, and only then could he break the news to the dispirited youngdy. Until then, he would act like he was concerned for that bunny and search for her, even if it was dead and digested already.


    <i>If this wasn''t babysitting, what was?</i>


    It took some effort for him to lift the youngdy''s spirit, as they crept back to the vige they were to protect. <i>And we''re doing so fucking fine a job of it! Only half a dozen people died just yet.</i>


    Before they even reached the vicinity of the vige, he found a few worried nces their way. Among them was the youngd of the vige chief, and a couple of others who awakened sses rted tobat. Of course, they would be only a little better than a disaster if they faced the threat of tainted beasts.


    They came flocking towards them as they entered the vige. Thed gave Kiara a good, appreciating look¡ªas her figure was a sight for sore eyes¡ªand turned towards Liam.


    "Master Adventurer," the youngd of no more than fifteen asked, "what did you find about the beast tide?"


    <i>Of course, they think we''re working out their problem,</i> Liam thought, <i>not looking for a stupid rabbit. </i>


    Liam should be ashamed of himself. Maybe a couple of years ago, but not anymore.


    "I did find a couple of dire wolves not far from here," Liam said, "I did end them, however, I also found a pack of them deeper that I didn''t engage."


    "Why?" It was Kiara who asked.


    Liam wanted to re at her, but he stopped himself. The mission was already proving tough; antagonising her would only make it difficult for him and these poor vigers.


    "You cannot find Little Cupcake," Kiara said, ring up at him. "Nor you can do what we came here to do. I don''t know why Professor June paired me with you."


    Liam gritted his teeth. He was prepared to give a sharp retort, but he controlled himself, dragging himself far away from her.


    The vigers came after him, led by the vige chief''s son, as they already knew better than to provoke the youngdy. While Liam looked like just the person you could trouble with everything.


    "Master Adventurer?"


    Liam stopped and red at the boy. Thed didn''t deserve it, but Liam just had it for the day. He hadn''t slept more than four hours for thest two weeks, always on the move, alert, and working. "What is it?"


    "W-what are we to do?" thed stuttered, unable to meet his eyes even though he was barely three or four years older than the boy. "I mean, how should we prepare?"


    Liam didn''t answer immediately. He eyed Kiaraing from behind and met thed''s gaze. "The tainted creatures attack mostly at nighttime. Keep on watch in the surroundings non-stop. No cking, put more men on it if you can. I''ll join after getting my fill. As for themon vigers, I think your father knows how to deal with them better than I do."


    With that, he dismissed them and crept towards his humble lodging. Kiara joined shortly, her look pensive, throwing nces in his direction frequently, as if she wanted something.


    Liam didn''t bother with her until his stomach was full of whatever the vigers made for him. When he was done, he found the youngdy at the table, still ying with her food, in no mood to eat. <i>She really must love that stupid bunny. </i>


    But if she loved it so much, why didn''t she bother bonding it? Then they wouldn''t have to face this problem today.


    "UMM, Miss Kiara," he called after standing before her for a couple of seconds. He let out heavy breaths through his nostrils and said the words that needed to be said, even though he didn''t like expressing them. "I know you''d like someone more reliable to be paired up with you, but that ship had sailed long ago. At least, not until the academy sent more rankers if they even sent any. But until then, we''re all this vige has. How about we work through our differences and settle the mission. We can also search for your spirit beast together in the meantime?"


    Well, what else did you expect? Liam berating her? No, there was no way in hell that would work out. At least, not between amon fellow, and a youngdy of a renowned noble house. All he could manage was negotiating with her, putting his everything and hope.


    Kiara said nothing for a long while. Atst, when she spoke, she almost tore up. "She''s noting back, is she?"


    "It hasn''t been a full day," Liam said, not looking at her face. "There''s still a chance¡ª"


    "Do you think I''m stupid?" she whimpered, clutching her palms to her face. "Of course, you think I''m stupid. A pampered girl who knew nothing about the world. Perhaps you''re right. Cupcake, I should have bonded you when I had the chance. I''m sorry, I''m so sorry."


    "Why didn''t you?" Liam asked. "If you don''t mind me asking."


    But the girl was already not hearing him, bursting into tearspletely before the vigers.


    "I''m sorry," she cried, "I didn''t mean what I said. I know it''s my blunder that Cupcake is lost."


    <i>Well, what do you know, even a pompous noble could surprise you at times. </i>


    ***


    Warden''s eyes narrowed, palms sped in the hilt of [The Divider], his eyes boring into the dire wolf, as the thick dark purple power oozed into his de.


    However, he didn''t even have to lift his weapon, as an animal several times smaller than the wolf crashed into the predator, hurtling it backwards. The little bunny didn''t let go after that, it chased after the wolf and rammed its whole body into its head, ripping out the painful groan of the bigger animal. Blood already oozing out of the poor dire wolf.


    "Alright, you have done enough," Warden told the bunny. "Don''t get any more bloody, or I won''t let you stay near me."


    The rabbit stopped and looked at him, tilting its head intelligently. It gave the pitiful creature onest look and leapt off from on top of it.


    <strong>[Inferior Grade energy harvested.]</strong>


    Warden had seen too much of the bunny''s swagger to be surprised by its behaviour. He let out a breath and plunged his de into the head of the wolf. It died rtively easily after the bunny wrecked it.


    He cut open its head to bring out the small gem, only to find the glutton bunny lunging up in the air, discovering the beast''s core.


    "Here you go." he tossed the small gem as the bunny gulped it, leaping in the air.


    It had already eaten the other beast cores he had with him. Warden was unaware if it were natural for spirit beasts to be this greedy after beast cores, but since he wasn''t losing much he didn''t bother educating it.


    The little bunny was all he had close to apanion in thisnd.

 Chapter 5: Beast Tide (1)

    <h4>Chapter 5: Beast Tide (1)</h4>


    The more Warden trained, the easier and effortless fighting became. As if it was only natural for him to be a warrior.


    Obviously, growing the numbers in attributes became harder as well. Warden had yed twice as many beasts of copper rank in the meantime, but his attribute received only a minimal increase.


    <strong>___________</strong>


    <strong>[Warden]</strong>


    <strong>Race: Human (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 27%)</strong>


    <strong>Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]</strong>


    <strong>Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]</strong>


    <strong>Disposition: Chaotic</strong>


    <strong>Rank: [Broken Cmity]</strong>


    <strong>Attributes: </strong>


    <strong>[Strength: 29.8]</strong>


    <strong>[Mind: 12.7]</strong>


    <strong>[Spirit: 74]</strong>


    <strong>[Recovery: 99] </strong>


    <strong>Abilities: </strong>


    <strong>[Imbuing: Normal - 81%] [Left Hand of Cmity: > 5%]</strong>


    <strong>_____________</strong>


    Throughout the day, he moved along the stream and covered more than ten miles, and still, there was no sign of men.


    By the time the sun hovered on the horizon, the little bunny seemed to have its fill and wasn''t bothering any wild animal for its beast core.


    The rabbit was just as vicious as it was cute. Of course, it wasn''t a predator and could hardly deal with most creatures in the wilderness. Thankfully, it was fast and used that attribute well in the hunt.


    "Come on, boy," Warden called after the small animal as it crept around as if searching for something. "The sun would go down soon. I have to prepare dinner and a ce to spend the night."


    The bunny looked at him, tilting its head, unmoved by his words. Warden stooped down and picked it up, caressing its white fur slowly.


    The rabbit protested a little at the beginning, but then it purred at the caress.


    "Maybe I was an animal lover as well," Warden mumbled and plodded away.


    ***


    Liam shot one arrow after another at the howling beasts charging towards the vige. The moonlight was barely enough for him to see clearly, but his [Hawk Eyes] were helping as much as they could.


    There were others assisting him in controlling the beast attacks; however, they were barely any help. The Vige chief''s son, Xiv, had some skill in archery. Unfortunately, his ss was [Spearman], which didn''t give any boost to his archery skills. Even if his arrows were hitting the mark, they barely managed to slow down the dire wolves,cking the prating power to make a deadly blow.


    Liam had already killed over half a dozen wolves, sadly only a couple of them were copper-ranked. Once a spirit beast advanced to copper, their body became far more agile and sturdier than it would be unscathed under any normal attack. Then there was the addition of intelligence¡ªwithout it, they probably wouldn''t even dodge arrows.


    "Master adventurer," Xiv screamed in rm. "They were already breaking through the barrier."


    "I can see that," Liam growled. Those fences could hardly be called barriers. Of course, awakened spirit beasts would have no problem breaking through them.


    What''s more concerning was that not all the beasts had pounced on them¡ªthe defenders who stood to protect the vigers. Most of the beasts rushed into the vige for weaker prey, while some pounced on the very ones that attacked them, unable to stop their hunger.


    In the end, hunger was all a tainted beast knew. They only knew to kill and harvest the radiating energy that wafted off from the dead.


    Liam found only five more arrows in his quiver as he withdrew. "Where''s that damned girl now?" he screamed, only to see the surroundings brighten up for a second.


    Red-hot fire shed from behind him in a glorious ball of me as it crashed into one of the copper wolves, hurtling it down a couple of meters and lighting it aze. The dire wolf wriggled on the ground, howling in burning agony as the fire zed throughout its whole body.


    The fire couldn''t manage to reduce the beast to ashes, but it seeded in killing it, charring its body to bones.


    "Miss Kiara," Liam shouted after, shooting an arrow, which found its mark in the eye of a wolf that almost managed toe a dozen paces closer to him. "You need to preserve energy."


    However, the pampered youngdy didn''t seem to hear him, shooting [Fireballs] of the same intensity one after another. Liam was aware her energy reserve was far higher than his, probably double or more; however, these spells took more energy as well. His arrows barely needed a little [Imbuing] to work. Of course, they were not nearly as destructive as the [Fireball] spell, but they were far more efficient.


    Liam kept a remaining arrow for an emergency and shot the rest, killing any wolves that came close to killing any of thebatants. So far, no one has died yet.


    Only then did he hear a yelp. Before his eyes could even find the location of the call, the wolf''s maw had ripped through the man''s windpipe.


    "Jam, no!" Xiv screamed, shooting towards the dead man instinctively. His path was obstructed, however. Two wolves higher than his waist stood in his way, their hungry eyes glowing in the darkness.


    Liam''s mind rushed as he set thest remaining arrow and released the string. The arrow barely gleamed in blue imbuing, as he didn''t have time to imbue properly in rm. Still, it whispered through the air and plunged itself into the neck of the pouncing beast, saving Xiv from a deadly blow.


    The wounded wolf still crashed into thed, as it had too much momentum to be stopped by an arrow, while the other one reached him as well.


    Liam found no arrow in the quiver as he ran forward, his palm bringing out a hidden de from within the folds of his attire. The predator and its prey, Xiv, were in close proximity, but Liam didn''t stop himself or second-guess from shooting the knife. The boy would die if he didn''t shoot, anyway.


    Thankfully, Liam didn''t make a mistake. Even with all the wariness he umted, his knife found its mark, digging into the head of the tainted creature.


    Liam exhaled audibly and reached to help the boy up, as well as refill his quiver with the remaining arrows the boy had. They would be more useful in his hand, so he didn''t even bother asking before reaching out.


    Xiv was too dumbstruck to even make a response. Liam saw his expression in the burst of sparks Kiara created non-stop. It was the sight of someone who saw Death himself.


    But soon the boy screamed, his voice splitting in rm. "B-behind you!"


    ***


    In the middle of the night, when the howling began, Warden was done with most of the stuff and was resting with the fluffy bunny on hisp.


    By the mour of the howling, it appeared there was more than just a pack of them,ing from his north, the other direction he was moving forward to.


    The little bunny jumped to wakefulness and turned to face north. It squeaked in fear and vexation and finally turned to him.


    Warden was awake the whole time. The howling only rose as he stood up, his hand resting on the pommel of the sword.


    "Should we check it out?"


    The rabbit squeaked, lunging up.


    "Come on, lead the way."


    __________


    Okay, only the beginning now. It would take a couple dozen or so chapters for him to reach the academy and be a professor.

 Chapter 6: Beast Tide (2)

    <h4>Chapter 6: Beast Tide (2)</h4>


    "Behind you!"


    Liam spun, dropping the arrows to clutch for a hidden knife when he saw the menacing predator, lunging at him. He didn''t even have time to react.


    A burst of molten me crashed into the creature in mid-air, sending it flying. If the previous attacks were some fireballs, this was simply a beam of fire, fast and devastating. It even managed to hurtle him to fall back next to Xiv.


    Liam found the slender figure still standing in the same spot she was before, thick signs of distress and beads of sweat on her face. She sent a smaller version of the devastating fireball towards the nearest creature as all the colour washed away from her face.


    Kiara had run out of energy.


    Thankfully, she was more prepared than Liam gave her credit for. Fishing a hand into her attire, she brought out a small vial of potion and gulped down without a second thought.


    But a recovery potion takes some time to take effect. <i>I need to protect her in the meantime,</i> Liam thought as he stood back up. He pulled Xiv up from his revere and ran towards the girl. In his surroundings, a couple more of the fighters died, their sacrifice merely bringing a few measly moments.


    The thoughts of running away wed at his heart as he positioned himself next to Kiara, long daggers in hand. He could easily flee alone if he wanted, but leaving the girl here would only shame his name to the point that it would be unredeemable, with the courtesy of her being a nobledy of a renowned house.


    "Miss Kiara, we need to withdraw," he shouted, bracing himself for the close-quarterbat.


    Three wolves came their way, two copper ranked, the remaining a lesser one, though it didn''t look far from attaining copper rank. Liam shot a knife to the one in the middle and intercepted the closest. Battle fatigue gnawing at his muscles, as he barely fended off its advances.


    Kiara killed off the other wolf with a fireball, as her legs grew weak. Even standing became challenging, but she followed through, barely managing.


    "Miss, we need to withdraw," Liam said, finally getting a hold of arrows from Xiv.


    "Where?" she asked.


    Liam didn''t have the correct answer. "Into the vige," he said.


    There were a few morebatants in the vige¡ªthe second line of defence. The wolves that got through them were their responsibility. By the way this night had gone so far, they should have failed in their responsibility by now.


    "But," Kiara retorted, "more of them areing."


    Liam eyed the direction she was looking and found another pack of dozen-odd dire wolves, led by a humongous creature that stood almost to his shoulder. Its glowing icy blue eyes red at them, surging a primal fear within them.


    "That''s. . . That''s a fully cursed creature," Kiara gasped.


    "Run!" Liam screamed, shooting the arrow. He didn''t look back to find if it hit the mark, already on the move because a cursed creature was equal to an Iron rank, which none of them had attained. Kiara and Xiv, and a couple of the remaining fighters jolted awake at the blood-cuddling howl of the cursed creature and dashed.


    "How much energy have you restored?" Liam asked on the run.


    "Not enough," Kiara answered from his right. "I would need at least two minutes to pose any threat to that creature."


    Liam grunted, fishing another arrow. These arrows were ordinary as well¡ªno runesmithing was involved in their making. His [Imbuing] would hardly cut in for two minutes.


    He was a fourth-year student of the prestigious Third Arcane Academy,pared to Kiara''s third. He was also a copper ranker, reaching thete phase. However, it was Kiara who had the raw power to even pose a threat to the cursed creature, even though she had been a copper ranker for less than a year. Lineage and ss do matter.


    Compared to his normal and auxiliary [Archer] ss, Kiara possessed a rare [Fire Mage] ss. Liam might have stood a chance if he had all his first-ss arrows and not consumed by battle fatigue. But now even keeping the cursed monster at bay for two minutes would be a huge challenge.


    And even that wouldn''t guarantee victory, but just a chance of heavily injuring the cursed creature.


    The vigers seemed to have set a couple of houses on fire, either in their panic or to ward off the tainted creature. While the fire did its charm, it needed to be of high intensity¡ªLike Kiara''s spell. These beasts were intelligent enough to avoid the burning houses, but they weren''t fleeing in fear as much as the vigers hoped them to.


    "Xiv, go help the vigers with the rest of the wolf," Liammanded. "I''ll keep the cursed creature at bay for a while."


    The local fighters exchanged nces with one another and hurried away, leaving him and Kiara.


    "Kiara, you go with them as well, but don''t exert any energy," Liam said, turning back to meet the creatures. "You''ll need them soon enough."


    Kiara''s eyes darted between the iing dire wolves and running Xiv and co. She withdrew, her pace was a lot slower, however.


    Liam sighed in relief. With her gone, he wouldn''t have to worry about her safety while engaging the cursed wolf.


    <i>Two minutes, huh? I think I can make it.</i> Liam shot the arrow and started running to his left.


    ***


    Kiara''s body was weak from overexerting herself. She should have been more tactful with her spells, she knew it very well, but it still got out of her hand when it mattered the most.


    About a minute passed since she drank the potion, and only a fifth of her energy had been restored. By another minute, she would have a third. Hopefully, Liam would be able to fend it off in the meantime. Despite his looks and dull personality, the guy was somewhat reliable, not to mention he was ridiculously practical. She feared that was one of the reasons Professor June paired her with him.


    The bone-chilling howl resounded again, causing her goosebumps. She turned to find the huge cursed wolf on the tail of Liam, who was running with everything he had while also shooting his arrows. He didn''t run in a straight line, but zigzagged through, the few trees in the surroundings helping his cause.


    Just then an unprecedented amount of force rammed onto her from her back, forcing her down on the ground, as the perpetrator of the act bit into her shoulders. Kiara screamed, dread crawling up her spine.


    In panic, she drew in whatever power she could get her hold on and thrust them into the beast. Not a fire spell, but amon shield utilized umonly in a thrust of force. Thankfully, her spirit wasmendable enough that the unstructured spell made in panic had the exact desirable effect.


    It sent the wolf flying, even though it hadn''t managed to kill the beast.


    Red-hot blood gushed out from her shoulder, as a mind-breaking agony assaulted her. She clutched her palm over the bleeding shoulder and sat up. By the time she stood up, the wolf was already standing, baring its teeth again in her direction.


    Giving her no time to reprieve, it charged at her. Unaided and alone, Kiara could only call upon her spiritual energy and set it aze.


    Kiara barely had time to breathe when she found Liam running towards her, the monster on his trail.


    "KIARA NOW!" he screamed, blood gushing out from his face and upper body.


    Kiara panicked for a second, took two seconds to get her bearing, and another second to draw upon her reserves, which were barely enough to make one [Ember me]. With Liam running right at her, Kiara forced herself toplete the casting in time, as they came almost within a dozen paces.


    A sizeable circr ball of me formed before her, ready to fire onmand. And Liammanded right away.


    "Now!"


    "But¡ª" she was about to say, <i>You''re on the way</i>, but Liam cut her off.


    "DO IT!"


    She did, closing her eyes, pulling every ounce of her will into it as molten liquid me hurled through the air. Liam lurched to his right when he shouted, but even then he had to endure some effect of the fire. However, the beast wasn''t as lucky as he was.


    The whole fire spell crashed into its head, sparking the surrounding in a sh. There was nowhere the creature could run to, it howled in agony, rolling on the ground to put off the burning.


    Kiara finally opened her eyes as her legs gave away. All the will she mustered puffed out like a breeze as she fell, powerless andpletely vulnerable. Her consciousness wavered when she heard Liam, and dread crawled back up in her skin again.


    "It''s not dead." Liam was clutching his de, his mind torn between running off and making a dash towards the injured beast. He nced at the face of the pitiable girl and gritted his teeth.


    He stood back up on his feet and crept in the middle between the wretched beast and the powerless girl. Liam was mostly sure both of them would die here, and the world would go on as it always had been. If he had to die, perhaps he would die with a little of his honour intact.


    "Liam, don''t," Kiara barely managed, burning through her spirit to muster something.


    The burned face of the cursed dire wolf appeared far more menacing, as she could see the bones and ck tar-like blood oozing out. It approached, yellow eyes boring at her for the agony she had caused it. It eyes werepletely on her, intelligence enough to bear grievances.


    Liam made ast dash with his knife, even though he set himself for death. The beast growled, a step away from tearing him offpletely.


    It was then a figure came flying, dark cloak whipping in the air, white hair swaying in the wind. His cold eyes shone purple, even as a darker purple aura oozed out of his form. He was as if the Death incarnate.


    "Why do I feel like I saw you before?" Death said, not to her, but to the dire wolf.


    It was only then she noticed the stupid bunny over his shoulder.


    <i>Cupcake?</i>

 Chapter 7: Rescue (1)

    <h4>Chapter 7: Rescue (1)</h4>


    Warden found civilization. Atst, after running for over half an hour, he found a vige. Unfortunately, it was on fire. More than half a dozen houses were burning with smouldering me, driving away the surrounding darkness of the night.


    Sadly, fire wasn''t their most prominent problem, as it appeared the vige was being seized by packs of dire wolves.


    The Little Bunny squeaked urgently, stopping before the broken fences of the vige. Warden didn''t answer its call as his eyes fixated on the wolves, devouring the mangled corpses of men. There were dozens or so corpses of dire wolves and half a dozen men, their blood, and gore smearing all around, giving a disconcerting feeling of the ce.


    A deep seethed bitterness surged through his heart. He drew closer, drawing his sword. The beast sensed his presence, lifted its head, and charged at him.


    The little bunny crept behind him as he held the de up, pointing it forward. He didn''t move and let the beaste at him. No inferior feelings such as fear or uncertainty consumed him, only an icy rage at the mindless animals for destroying the vige.


    The dire wolf leapt at him, hungry maw opening to devour him. Warden drilled his de through its head in one clean sweep, killing it instantly.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.5 Strength]</strong>


    Killing one of theirpanions seemed to have alerted the other wolves, as more than half a dozen of them joined up to charge at him. Warden began moving as well, pulling the little bunny over his shoulder. He stormed to the prey closest to him and beheaded it in one clean sweep.


    Imbuing his sword with the dark purple energy, he received no resistance. Moreover, his power seemed to be rising the more he killed these wretched creatures.


    He leapt over a wolf, running his de over its head, barely missing a few inches to seal its life. Two more wolves pounced at him from two different directions. Warden chose to deal with the one at his left, his sword meeting its ravenous maw in full determination.


    Finally securing its demise, he turned to his right to find the bunny had leapt up from his shoulder and was now in a tussle with a wolf far higher of its station. It was barely fending off the wolf''s advances, but determined to prove its usefulness.


    Unfortunately, a little bunny was far from being an opponent of a feral wolf as high as Warden''s waist. Just when the wolf was about to dig its w into the wless white bunny, he came to the bunny''s rescue, kicking away the beast''s ws.


    A sharp purple energy shed from his leg at the very moment of contact. The wolf''s w burst out into blood as Warden drew the bunny up with his free arm. His body was sore, but once again began to reach the exhaustion phase the more he fought. However, Warden didn''t stop. He killed the ravenous beast as cleanly and efficiently as possible.


    Each one took a couple or three blows before they died. Thankfully, the warmth oozing off the dead creatures kept his exhaustion at bay.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.3 Strength.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.5 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Mind]</strong>


    <strong>[...] </strong>


    <strong>[+1.2 Strength.] </strong>


    <strong>[...]</strong>


    Warden cleaned his de and face, not giving a second look at the system notification. More howls and people''s screams wereing from the vige, the more time he took, the dire the situation would be for him.


    He dashed into the vige, each foot taking more than just a couple of metres as the purple energy helped him to reach higher and higher. Of course, using the purple energy would exhaust him faster, but Warden decided he would rest all he wanted after he saw through the people''s survival.


    If he could save even one more person, it would all be worth it.


    Inside the vige, people were already fending off the beasts. He saw more than a dozen deaths already, their mangled corpses being devoured by the beast. Something about the gore wed at his heart, as Warden released thest of the reservation.


    The little bunny squeaked at his shoulder at the first notice of a huge predator, inching closer to devour a man. Another figure was on the ground, behind the standing wounded man, blood on her face and upper body. She seemed to have given up already, but the man met the wolf''s advances, even though he barely had any strength totch onto. He seemed to be gruesomely wounded, with w marks all over his figure.


    Warden leapt from his track and almost flew a few metres tond in their vicinity, drawing the huge predator''s attention from them.


    The dire wolf was his chest high, or even higher, its face mangled with skull and bones sticking out, yet he felt an odd familiarity from it.


    "Why do I feel like I have seen you before?" he muttered as the bunny leapt up from his shoulder towards the two wounded warriors who fought for the vige.


    "Aren''t you the wolf that was after the bunny?" he said, as the beast howled horrifyingly in return. The straight scar he inflicted on its face was barely visible with its face burned, but Warden could feel his remnant of energy. There was a certain sensation to it that he wouldn''t mistake.


    "How did you get so much fatter in just one day?"


    Not just fat, the dire wolf seemed to have gone through a metamorphosis, already a foot taller and a fewrger. Its ws and fangs were far more predatory, eyes glowing more menacingly. With most of the skin in its head gone, it looked far more disconcerting.


    "Come on," Warden braced himself, "I''m not going to let you run this time."


    With that, he charged at the beast, his speed hardly slowed even though he stopped. In one moment he was a dozen paces away from the monster, the next he was swinging his sword into its body.


    Sadly, the wolf had grown agiler in the meantime as well, leaping up to meet his challenge. The beast was far higher than him in physicality, but it didn''t have a man''s intelligence or way regarding energy maniption.


    In any other instances, the beast would have managed to pounce on him despite his charge, but Warden already saw through its change. So when the beast tried to pounce at him with superior speed, he feinted his attack and leapt on top of it, his sword grazing along on top of it.


    Dark blood oozed where the sword connected, unfortunately, the wound was too shallow to be effective.


    <i>This is going to be a bit tougher than I imagined,</i> he thought.

 Chapter 8: Rescue (2)

    <h4>Chapter 8: Rescue (2)</h4>


    Kiara watched Little Cupcake creep to her side as the man fought the cursed beast. Liam had fallen a few paces away, his eyes drawn to their fight as well.


    Kiara was just too helpless and consumed by pain and blood loss to pay any attention, not to mention the man and the cursed beast were moving so fast that her eyes were unable to follow.


    Regardless, Kiara was content to have Cupcake back. She was fine letting the foreign man do their work.


    The little bunny licked her face as she glowed in a white light. A slow, nourishing power coursed through her from Little Cupcake, healing her wound and driving away the deep sense of exhaustion. In no time, she was able to stand up again, though she was still far from drawing any energy. Casting any spell would revert her situation back to where she was a moment ago.


    Kiara was about to caress the little bunny and burst into tears, but soon the man who was fighting the beast was sent flying in their direction. He was easily a head taller than Liam, who was already taller than most people, but more importantly, now he was about to crash into her.


    Surprisingly, he did not. The man flipped his body over in mid-air andnded just before her, his eyes still glowing in the menacing purple light, though fainter than before.


    The man didn''t even give them a look and spat blood. He stood straighter, like a spear, and was about to charge back into the fight when Liam opened his mouth.


    "Are you sent from the academy?" the worn-out archer asked. "Are the backup on the way? Can you¡ª"


    Liam stopped, noticing the man was already gone, barely giving him a nce.


    ***


    Warden didn''t have time to ponder whatever the guy had asked. His body was growing fatigued, literally contorting with the sheer amount of force he applied and used in blocking.


    The wolf wasn''t scared away as easily as before. He still had no clue how it had grown so much bigger and stronger in just a day, but that was not important anymore.


    He somewhat understood that his physical and spiritual attributes were unbnced, one being about threefold the other. The only reason his body continued to function was because of the 99 points of Recovery¡ªit implied not only the recovery speed of energy but also the recovery of stamina and most physical attributes.


    Only his low Strength was holding him back. So far, he hadn''t managed to deal a critical blow to the huge dire wolf. True, he hadn''t received any serious blows either, but at the rate it was going, he didn''t see a good end to it.


    The devastating power of his purple energy was top-notch; it was just that he failed to grasp itpletely. It was as if something inside him was preventing him from unleashing all his power. The ck spiral mark on his left palm burned with an icy sting the more he used the power. It seemed to be only releasing a small quantity of the power¡ªlest he was unable to handle it.


    But Warden was already losing his patience. He couldn''t just overlook it when people were dying around him.


    There were more wolves, wreaking havoc, killing innocent people. The vige was obviously still standing because they managed to stop this abomination. However, if more people were to die in the meantime, he dealt with this monster... just killing it wouldn''t be worth it.


    He sped his left palm tightly into a fist, the hilt of [The Divider] still tight in his arms, as he attacked the lower body of the creature. He pulled as much power as he could and changed his game n to slow it down as much as possible.


    The huge beast not only had tremendous physical prowess, easily over the three-digit mark, but it was also terribly agile¡ªa walking terror among its regr counterparts. The only saving grace was that it was unable to heal the wounds he inflicted upon it easily. Its burned skin grew back within a couple of minutes, but all the cuts he inflicted hadn''t closedpletely.


    Something about the purple energy infested the wounds, rendering its regenerative power futile.


    If he managed to severely injure its legs, then he would have no problem dealing with it in a drawn-out fight.


    A n soon formed in his mind as he eyed the vige.


    It was simple: diminish the pack leader''s mobility so that it wouldn''t be able to hinder him when he eliminated the rest of the wolves. Finally, when he had ensured the vigers'' safety, he could deal with the pack leader before it could harm the vige anymore.


    With that, Warden proceeded with his new game n. He avoided as much contact with the beast as possible, as his body would be unable to handle them with the terrible stress he was under. However, he couldn''t avoid some blows, as he needed to be close to the beast to injure its leg.


    So when its w dug into his light armour, Warden managed to plunge his sword into its foot, rendering one of its legs almost useless. The beast howled horrifyingly as he ducked below it, running his sword into its knee.


    The wolf fell to the ground, causing Warden to draw upon all the energy he could and plunge his sword through one of its back feet.


    With that, his first objective was clear. Still, the beast was far from being incapacitated. It would still take a good amount of time if he were to deal with it without getting seriously injured. But that wasn''t his n.


    Warden drew the wolf into the vige and found the smaller counterparts of the pack leader rtively easily. A couple of archers and a dozen vigers were already keeping a pack at bay. There were eight of the wolves, and over twenty people. Sadly, the vigers were clearly untrained orcked the mindset to deal with the wolves. A few of them had already died, and many were critically injured.


    Warden shot at them with the pack leader in pursuit. He picked up a wooden spear with an iron head with his feet and threw it towards a wolf in the back just in case it identally hurt any of the vigers. Before throwing, he had no idea if he had any talent or skills in throwing javelins, so it was better to be cautious.


    However, seeing how the imbued spearhead dug through the wolf''s neck, his worries were unfounded. Perhaps he should have more confidence in himself.


    Warden threw himself into the fray, keeping a close eye on the bigger trouble at his back. For reasons unknown, he didn''t feel much pressure under their attack, just worried that he might cause some vigers to be killed. He didn''t let that thought consume him, as there was hardly time for second guesses.


    Warden attacked with full force, his imbued sword ignited in a dark purple smoke. The smaller wolves barely stood a chance against his fury.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested!] </strong>


    <strong>[+1.2 Strength] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Spirit] </strong>


    <strong>[+1.4 Strength] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.7 Strength] </strong>


    <strong>[...]</strong>


    <strong>[Congrattions! Imbuing has reached normal proficiency: 100%.]</strong>

 Chapter 9: Skill

    <h4>Chapter 9: Skill</h4>


    The increase in numbers hardly itched the fire burned within him. He needed more. He wanted more.


    Warden didn''t avoid the scratches the w got in him. His light armour saved him from any sinister wounds, as he kept on killing the beasts efficiently. However, after he was done with his fifth prey, the huge dire wolf seemed to run out of its patience and howled at the top of its lunges.


    Its howl seemed to have some psychological effect on others'' minds as every one of the vigers as well as the other wolves stopped what they were doing and gave the menacing pack leader a horrified look.


    Warden was unfazed, however. Whatever it was, the howl had no effect on his mind. But his mind swirled in panic when he found the huge wolf attacking the vigers.


    Warden spun on his heels, leaping up on instinct toe between the viger and the beast. He blocked its pouncing w with his sword, but the wolf hurtled him onto the ground with its superior physical power.


    He channelled the void energy through the Pce of Toil, and imbued everything into the sword. The de glowed in a menacing purple light, as it bit through the beast''s ws.


    Warden''s body had already gone through a lot, along with the terrible exhaustion that ran deep. He couldn''t leap up from the disadvantageous position, only roll under the huge creature before it could bite its maw into him.


    Its w found purchase in his light armour more than a couple of times as he withdrew, but the armour held still. Warden had even forgotten to consider that it might be another artifact like the sword. For that matter, his cloak was undamaged as well.


    He really must be some important fellow to own all those.


    Five minutes into the fight, Warden''s body was feeling terribly lethargic. The only reason he was to keep going was the increase in Strength after killing the smaller wolves. Unfortunately, the few that remained were dealt with by the vigers, a few even had run away, leaving only their pack leader.


    Warden had bloodied the beast in multiple ces, his void energy restricting its self-healing process, causing the beast to grow mad. It was oozing out dark terrible power as well, but they weren''t the same as the void energy that ran through his veins.


    He still targeted its lower body. With both their agility restricted through exhaustion and injuries, their situation almost reverted to the original state. Well, obviously, the advantage tilted in his direction as he could finally put all his attention on the beast.


    With the vigers saved, they became appalled with the man in the dark clock fighting their arch-enemy. They forget to put off the fire and watch them battle. But not all of them were clueless or appalled to losing their mind, a boy, no older than fifteen, seemed to have regained his wits before anyone else and shot arrows at the beast.


    Tears and sweat streamed down the boy''s face, as he probably had lost family precious to him. His aim ran true, finding purchase in the beast''s body.


    Sadly, even in its mad exhausted form, the beast''s defence was higher than the boy imagined. The arrow couldn''t even leave a mark in its body, but it provided Warden with a chance to deal a critical blow.


    When the wolf''s eyes turned to find sources of a new threat, Warden lunged forward, his sword sweeping true.


    The Divider divided one of its back legs entirely, as dark blood gushed out in a fountain. Imbnced and in pain, the beast fell, howling maddeningly.


    Warden didn''t let go of this chance. He withdrew his de and plunged it into its neck. He pierced deeper putting his everything into it.


    The beast didn''t cease its howl as the blood bubbled up from the wound. It struggled running its ws wildly, some finding purchase. Warden endured them all, drilling his de deeper to make sure of its demise.


    His heart wretched loudly in his chest at an inhuman speed, even still each moment felt slow as he saw the light growing dimmer in the cursed creature''s eyes.


    Soon it stopped struggling, as the de pierced right through its neck, proving its demise.


    <strong>[Iron Grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    A high amount of warm energy gushed into his body, running through his channels and whole body to be swallowed by the core. It almost washed away the terrible exhaustion, but Warden had a feeling the exhaustion wouldn''t go away just by killing a wolf leader.


    There was a dy in the increase of attributes, but after discovering the boost, he couldn''tin at all.


    <strong>[+4.5 Strength] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.4 Spirit] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Mi</strong><strong>nd] </strong>


    Among the appalled gazes of the crowd, Warden was breathless to say anything. He came down from the beast, cleaning his de with its fur and sheathed it.


    The gazes of people unnerved him, there were many questions in their looks. He didn''t know the answer to any of them. Sadly for them, they had a more prominent problem than him.


    "Well, now shouldn''t we do something about the fire?" Warden said, his voice was slow and clear, but it rang like an rm through the crowds as they broke out of their stupor and started running towards the wells.


    Through fatigued, Warden was about to go and help them when a small white furry animal leapt at him out of nowhere. He caught the bunny as it glowed in silvery light.


    It seemed to transfer heat from its body to him, as the healing power cleared his fatigue to some degree.


    "I guess you do have some uses other than being cute and fluffy," Warden told, caressing the bunny.


    He finally noticed a couple of figures standing before him, unsure how to approach them. It was the two that faced the pack leader before he came along. The rabbit had healed them pretty well as well, though their faces were pale, bodynguage rough.


    "Help yourself," he said, "I''ll see what I can do about the fire."


    With that, he joined the vigers in putting off the fire.

 Chapter 10: Aftermath

    <h4>Chapter 10: Aftermath</h4>


    Liam observed the small bunny that appeared to be guarding the massive corpse of the cursed wolf. The rabbit''s size hadn''t changed much since thest time he saw it; however, the aura it radiated seemed to have transformed.


    It was much more concentrated than changed, to be fair. Previously, it seemed like a normal rabbit, but there was no mistaking it now¡ªit exuded the presence of a spirit beast. More importantly, it possessed healing powers, an umon trait among spirit beasts.


    The fire took some time to extinguish, even with most people working on it. The difficulty arose from the challenge of transportingrge quantities of water from the wells. Ultimately, a vige girl yed a crucial role by utilizing water from the wells through casting.


    She wasn''t proficient inbat, having awakened her ss only a couple of weeks prior. Yet Her control over water was remarkable. Kiara also contributed with her me-controlling abilities, although her condition was far from optimal for heavy lifting.


    Last but not least, the man dubbed the "wolf yer" by the vigers assisted by carrying water from the well, even though hecked the magical power typically required for such tasks. His contribution ranked only second to the girl with water power.


    "Now that the fire is extinguished, I feel like taking a dip in the river," he mumbled upon his return. His cloak remained pure ck and undamaged, with noyer of dust covering his clothes or sshes of blood. Liam had witnessed him engaging with everything with wild abandon.


    Contrary to his equipment, his face appeared rougher, with grey beards and long hair, almost bordering on sickly. Liam couldn''t fathom how a man who could vanquish a cursed beast that terrorized most iron rankers could look so unwell.


    The little bunny leapt from the top of the corpse into the arms of the white-haired man. It squeaked urgently, as if conveying something to him. Kiara, who had been next to the bunny a moment ago, found herself at a loss for words.


    "Got it, got it," the man sighed as he approached the corpse. "You''re hungry. As a matter of fact, I am as well."


    Under the watchful gazes of others, he drew his sword and plunged it into the beast''s head. After a few deft manoeuvres, he extracted a core the size of a big peanut from the beast and handed it to the little bunny.


    "Cupcake, no!" Kiara began to protest, but the bunny had already gulped down the beast core, much to its owner''s distress.


    "Cupcake?" The white-haired man raised an eyebrow, facing the girl. The bunny squeaked cheerfully within his arms as its body started to glow dimly, warming up.


    "What''s happening?" Kiara drew closer in rm, ready to take the bunny away from the man. Surprisingly, the man drew back, still carrying the bunny.


    "What is wrong with you?" Kiara shouted. "Why did you feed her with a cursed rank creature''s beast core? Do you know what it can do to little Cupcake?"


    The man frowned, directing his purple eyes to the little bunny. He didn''t retort to being used and even seemed a little guilty as he checked on the creature in his arms. "I think it''s in a digestion process. While I have never seen him... her glowing, I often find her warming up and sleeping after eating beast cores. Besides, she''s more intelligent than you give her credit for. She wouldn''t have eaten it if she couldn''t handle it."


    As the man said this, the bunny fell asleep easily in his arms as he nuzzled its white fur.


    Kiara still looked offended, though her outburst seemed to calm down. She finally couldn''t stop herself from taking the little bunny from the man, giving him a re as he didn''t give in initially.


    "Is the bunny yours, miss...?" the white-haired man asked, sounding somewhat awkward. Only then did Liam notice something odd about his speech pattern. He still couldn''t put a finger on it, but it wasn''t natural.


    "Yes," Kiara answered, louder than she expected, as if worried the man would take away her pet.


    "And Cupcake is her name?"


    "Do you have a problem with it?" Kiara challenged. Liam didn''t understand why she was taking this tone with the man who had literally saved their lives as well as her precious little bunny. Women, he would never understand them.


    "No, not at all," he said. "It is a better name than anything I could give her."


    "Why would you give her a name?" Kiara said, an edge to her voice, "Cupcake is mine."


    Liam felt like pping the girl in the face. Couldn''t she be even a little diplomatic? In the end, it was he who had to take the lead in the conversation, as the man seemed to lose the stomach for a chat.


    "Greetings, Sir," Liam said, bowing deeply. "I''m Liam Wanley, and this is Kiara Ward of House Ward. I deeply thank you for saving our lives as well as the vigers that we failed to protect."


    "No need to be courteous to me," the man said, nodding. "Call me Warden. You two didn''t seem to be of the vige, though."


    "Well, yes," Liam answered. "We are students from the Third Arcane Academy, currently on a mission of scouting for the beast tide that has been growing in this area."


    "Arcane academy, hmm." Warden seemed like he wanted to say more but controlled himself. "Looks like they made a great miscalction, only sending the two of you."


    "That they did," Liam agreed, "though our task was merely scouting in the beginning."


    Warden nodded, disinclined to say anything else.


    "Sir Warden," Liam asked again, "what do you intend to do with the corpse? As you yed the crucial role in defeating the pack, you have the im over the loot."


    "Well, I haven''t given it much thought, as I don''t have any needs other than food," Warden said. "I guess I''ll leave the rest to the vige to deal with."


    "But the loot, it''s worth more than a single vige."


    Warden perked an eyebrow at hisment, clearly not buying it. "That is certainly not true. If it were, you guys wouldn''t put your lives on the line for a single vige."


    _____________


    Read the author''s note below...

 Chapter 11: Settling in

    <h4>Chapter 11: Settling in</h4>


    Warden indeed left everything to the vigers and went for a swim in the river in the middle of the night.


    "Really? Who leaves their loot to take a dip in the river?" Kiara mumbled after the man left.


    "A good-natured man," Liam answered her.


    Kiara snorted, sitting down with the sleeping bunny in herp.


    "Miss Kiara," Liam addressed her, unsure of how to be polite in what he was about to say. "I know you''re on edge with the fight and everything else, but I must advise you to think carefully before running your mouth wild."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "That man saved our lives, the lives of the entire vige, including your pet," Liam said, "and asked for nothing in return. The least you can do is to be courteous to him, but you haven''t even thanked him once."


    "I..." Kiara was lost for words, looking guilty. "I know you''re worried about the bunny," Liam sighed. "Just apologize to him as soon as you can."


    Liam crept around the vige to find Xiv, who should be the new vige chief with his father dead in the attack. The boy seemed to be holding up better than Liam imagined. He was talking with the girl with water power, both of them sitting outside a broken house, not so much talking but rather keeping each otherpany in silence.


    "Xiv," Liam called. "Good, you''re not seriously injured. The man that saved the vige has left the loot for you to deal with."


    "He left?" Xiv perked an eyebrow.


    "Only to bathe in the river," Liam continued. "Anyway, organize the people to take care of the loot. The blood and heart of awakened beasts are some of the key ingredients for potions. Even if you don''t have any alchemists in the vige, they can be used to mend wounds and other needs. I see a lot of injured people; you can use those on them. Other than that, the fur and other organs are useful and can be exchanged for a hefty sum as well."


    Xiv seemed momentarily stupefied to answer.


    "The vige lost a lot of people; make sure they didn''t lose more without treatment," Liam finished, sping thed''s shoulder.


    Xiv nodded slowly. "I''ll see what I can do." He was about to run to make arrangements, but Liam called after him.


    "Also, Sir Warden¡ªthe man who saved the vige¡ªwille back soon; arrange someone to attend to him."


    ***


    Warden had devoured food for a dozen men and still had space for more. He didn''t know where his hunger came from, but he couldn''t help but devour the food the vigers had prepared.


    Most of the meat came from the awakened beasts that attacked. Interestingly, they first offered him the uncooked heart of the huge wolf to eat, as it was only natural that the yer of the beast get the privilege of eating the heart. Supposedly, other than making a potion out of the heart, eating it raw was the only way to receive the most benefit from it.


    Of course, amon person might get sick, but that wasn''t the case for him. The main benefit didn''t include just a little stat boost, but rather the heart seemed to increase one''s metabolism, natural healing, and, most importantly, the speed at which one umtes energy for a certain time.


    Although from their expression, it felt natural to eat it raw, Warden felt it was wrong to eat something like a heart raw. He wasn''t an uncivilized barbarian and just couldn''t bring himself to do it. Perhaps his culture was different from theirs.


    In the end, he asked them to cook it for him if they wanted him to eat it. After he saved the vige, his treatment was at the top of the world. The only thing that unnerved him was how they called him Wolf yer.


    A warm flow washed over his whole being as Warden finished eating. His body began to heat up much like the little bunny, but thankfully, he didn''t glow like her. The hot flow wasn''t simply raw energy, so it wasn''t swallowed directly into his core. It cleared most of his recent exhaustion away easily and left a hunger for more. "Maybe if I eat a dozen of these, I won''t feel so terrible anymore."


    "It''s exhrating, right?" Liam said, tinkering with his arrows, which he managed to pick up from the aftermath of the fight.


    "The lower ranks weren''t," Warden said, "but this one certainly fixes some problems with my body."


    "Haha, the Tainted ones are enough for our rank," Liamughed. "For Sir, I believe nothing below the Cursed creature will suffice."


    "If you keep calling them tainted and cursed, I don''t feel like eating them."


    Like, who in their right mind would eat something that''s literally called a cursed creature?


    "Good thing they don''t really have any residual taint or anything; it makes me want to question the person with the bright idea to call them cursed creatures."


    "Well, you''ve got a point," Liam chuckled. "But I don''t believe someone specifically named them that. It was probably a name people came up with collectively after the havoc they wrought in the world."


    Obviously, they didn''t know these creatures would be delicacies and have such benefits.


    "Regardless of how tasty they are after being cooked," Warden asked, "these creatures are a tremendous problem for small viges like these. Has it always been like this?"


    "Not always," Liam said. "But it''s the case around the beast tides. There hasn''t been one for over a decade. I guess that made the Rangers morex."


    Warden had so many questions in his mind, but he didn''t feel it appropriate to ask most of them. Although he didn''t have any issue interacting with people, he felt a trace of unfamiliarity within himself to share things about himself. The fact that he didn''t remember a single thing about himself made it even worse. In the end, he decided to y along with them as they believed him to be a homeless vagrant out on an adventure.


    He didn''t say anything about himself being that, but he seemed to be giving off that vibe. Perhaps he really was a homeless vagrant.


    Warden sighed and was ready to rise up when a small, white, furry ball jumped into hisp, snuggling in deeply.


    "Lil Cake woke up." He nuzzled the bunny and found the owner standing not far from him. He came a step forward, eyes resolute in the determination of a soldier. "Mister Warden, I think I owe you an apology."

 Chapter 12: A Vision

    <h4>Chapter 12: A Vision</h4>


    "I think I owe you an apology?"


    Warden looked up at the ravishing blonde girl, unsure how she made it sound like a question. He couldn''t help but rub his chin and brood, but unfortunately, he couldn''t make any sense of it, so he yed the oblivious role.


    "You do?"


    The girl gave Liam a quick nce and turned to him again. "Yes," she said with great distress, as if she couldn''t believe herself. "I''m sorry. I acted harshly when you just wanted to help. I also thank you for saving our lives. If you evere to our state, I promise to treat you well."


    With that, she quickly left. No, she actually ran. Sadly, she was still weak fromst night''s fight and fell headfirst on an uneven bump on the ground.


    "I''m fine," she said, rising before anyone could even ask anything. Even though she said that, she certainly didn''t look fine with blooding down her nose.


    Warden didn''t know if he shouldugh or cry at her antics, but he felt none of them would be appropriate at this moment. So he came to help her.


    "If you''re not in a hurry," he said softly, "don''t run around randomly."


    The girl didn''t know what to say and nodded her head heavily. Only then did Warden remember he didn''t remember her name, or if she even introduced herself. He couldn''t bring himself to ask, as it would be awkward, and she was literally making a mess of her face, trying to wipe the blood.


    Ultimately, he caught her arm and helped her, wiping away her nosebleed with his sleeves. For some reason, her face grew a pale shade of pink as she looked up at him.


    "Well, apologizing is hard," he said. If you didn''t think that was true, take a reality check just now and count how many times you have really apologized. Bet, you could count on your fingers. "With how embarrassed you were, I figure you probably never had to do it before today."


    The girl shook her head in agreement.


    "That means you don''t make mistakes," he said, rubbing her head. "Well, apology epted, and thanks for trying to save the vigers."


    She nodded slowly, flustered. "Your eyes," she said finally, "look kinder up close."


    Abruptly, a blurry image of someone else shed into his mind, strikingly blonde hair as if they were glowing, the face of a young girl, younger than the nosebleeding girl. She said words very simr to what the girl said and then disappeared from his head.


    Warden grunted, clutching his head as a sharp pain assaulted his brain. Before he knew anything, he discovered he couldn''t remember the face anymore, only the glowing blonde hair. Who was that?


    Warden stood up, his brows tied in a knit. "Hey Liam, how long are you guys staying in the vige?"


    "I was just thinking of bringing up this topic." Thed had been watching him for some time, but the question seemed to surprise him. "As I already told you, our mission was merely scouting. However, after we discovered higher numbers of tainted beasts rising in these areas, we informed the Academy five days ago. With that, our job is done, and officially, we have nothing to do in the vige."


    "So you''d want to leave the vige as soon as you can?"


    Liam nodded. "We were merely waiting for the reinforcement to arrive to do their job, and then Miss Kiara''s bunny went missing. In the end, we decided to fight for the safety of the vige. But with you here, we can finally leave with relieved hearts."


    Warden frowned. "Is this the condition of most viges around here?"


    "The ones closest to towns are in better shape," he said. "But not those that were too much on the fringe. The arrival of the tainted was just unexpected."


    Warden was in a dilemma, as he was unsure what to do from now on. Although they have defended the city from the wolf pack, another disaster could arise at any time. He couldn''t just leave them right after saving them.


    "The reinforcements you mentioned," he asked, "when are theying?"


    Liam gave a look that told him he was unsure. "It''s about a week''s journey from the academy, and the message will need another two days to reach."


    "Curious. How did you send the message?"


    "Of course, through a carrier bird," Liam said, as if it was only natural.


    "A bird?" Warden''s face grew hard. "Is it strong enough to protect itself from other aerial predators?"


    Liam and Kiara looked bewildered, as they were hearing this type of question for the first time.


    "You don''t worry, Sir Warden," Liam said. "There''s a good chance the message reached the academy. There are others who were sent on these scouting missions other than us, from the other academy as well."


    Warden nodded, though it didn''t put his mindpletely at ease. Even if all the messages reached the academy, it would take another week for reinforcements to arrive. Meantime, all the vigers would suffer.


    Honestly, Warden was nning to leave with these two. Whatever his condition was, he needed medical attention. Someone with high expertise in Mind, and those specialist healers could only be found in the cities. Not to mention, he could just search for clues himself.


    But now hearing about the other viges made his mood sour. He really shouldn''t have beid back after barely saving a vige. The situation was always more dire than it seemed.


    "Looks like I have to stay for a week at the very least," he told him, which seemed to put their minds at ease. But obviously not his. Thest fight hadn''t been effortless, far from it. While he fought, many people died. What happens when more powerful monsters arrive?


    "Of course, the chances of another strong cursed creature appearing are low, but with Sir Warden around, the vige had nothing to worry about."


    "I''m no sir," Warden said, letting out a breath. "Just call me Warden."


    <i>A week''s time,</i> he thought as he crept toward his lodging for his equipment. Perhaps I''ll be able to clear some of the fatigue and my unbnced attributes in time.

 Chapter 13: Drive

    <h4>Chapter 13: Drive</h4>


    Warden''s lodging was in the middle of the vige¡ªthe vige head''s house, to be specific. Unfortunately, the vige head had died in the attack, leaving his young son, who always seemed to be busy with one thing or another. Currently, thed was sharpening his many tools, from daggers, machetes, swords to arrowheads, stroking them on a whetstone.


    Warden didn''t alert him and went into the house. A few minutester, he was back in his attire, the sword strapped to his back, the undamaged light armour hidden beneath the cloak. With everything in order, he forgot to check their specs. In the beginning, he didn''t even consider them to be magical items, but it was only right to think of them as artifacts, given that they didn''t catch a single dent in the fight.


    <strong>---</strong>


    <strong>[Name: Maya''s Protection</strong>


    <strong>Rank: Legendary</strong>


    <strong>Type: Light Armor</strong>


    <strong>Description: The armor is created with ethereal celestial fabric woven with light essence, granting it extraordinary durability and flexibility. The exceptional materials provide damage-proof, shock absorption, and defense against most magical and physical attacks.</strong>


    <strong>- Enchantments:</strong>


    <strong> - Light of Dawn: Grants the wearer increased evasion and agility, shimmering with a faint celestial glow when activated, enhancing dodging capabilities. + 100% Agility</strong>


    <strong> - Light Resilience: Absorbs and mitigates a percentage of iing magical damage, providing additional defense against spells and enchantments. +100% Defense</strong>


    <strong> - Radiant Empowerment: Amplifies the user''s innate abilities, offering a boost to attributes that align with the light element. +50% Light Element.</strong>


    <strong> - Celestial Wings: Cannot be executed with the user''s current capabilities. Requires Cloak of Void Radiance and Maya''s Protection together.</strong>


    <strong>Note: Maya''s Protection is soul-bound to the user; unnecessary tampering or destruction of it may cause permanent soul trauma.]</strong>


    <strong> </strong>


    <strong>[Name: Cloak of Void Radiance</strong>


    <strong>Rank: Legendary</strong>


    <strong>Item: Cloak, Magical</strong>


    <strong>Description: The Cloak of Void Radiancees with Maya''s Protection and is simrly built with celestial thread and feathers. Other than being damage-proof and shock-proof, the cloak makes the wearer look better.</strong>


    <strong>Enchantment:</strong>


    <strong>- Ethereal Veil: Allows the wearer to change the build of the cloak, which is limited to color, shape, length, and physical manifestation.</strong>


    <strong>- Void Shroud: Creates a dark shroud of void energy around the wearer, using the aperture of Toil. </strong>


    <strong>- Mystic Ward: Casts a protective barrier that absorbs iing magical attacks, and replenish the wearer''s energy by 10% of the absorbed damage.</strong>


    <strong> - Celestial Wings: Cannot execute with the user''s current capabilities. Requires Cloak of Void Radiance and Maya''s Protection together. </strong>


    <strong>Cloak of Resistance: +50% Physical Resistance. +50% Arcane Resistance. +100% Spirit Resistance. +50% Misfortune Resistance. The resistance is only active to the fullest with the other enchantments.</strong>


    <strong>Note: Cloak of Void Radiance is soul-bound to the user, unnecessarily tampering or destruction of it may cause permanent soul trauma.] </strong>


    <strong>____________</strong>


    "Holy hell!" Warden was stunned. The light armor and cloak were actually way greater than the sword and were simrly made for him. In all honesty, the sword felt like a far cry, but then again, it was a Growth item; at its peak, The Divider would match the light armor and cloak. However, what irked him was he didn''t know how to use all the features of these items. Maybe I need to put more thought into their abilities.


    As he waited for Xiv to finish his work, Warden managed to change the color of his cloak into different colors, though none of them fitted him as well as the dark. In the end, he changed it to white, matching his hair. The change made him stick out in the crowd, but he felt with the white cloak he was more approachable now.


    "Sir," Xiv called after finishing sharpening. He had been looking at him when Warden was shifting the look of the cloak wantonly, but fearful to ask. "Do you need anything?"


    "Hmm, walk with me," he said, turning toward the way out of the vige. He thought for a moment to add, "Take your preferred weapons and follow me." Xiv was startled for a moment but didn''t waste a moment to follow his instructions. The boy was barely fifteen years old, not even the first sign of facial hair was apparent on his face, yet he was stout as a soldier.


    "You can rx a little," Warden said, feeling pity for the orphaned boy. "We are just going to scout a little."


    "Yes, Sir."


    "And don''t call me sir. Warden is fine, or cut it to War¡ªhmm, War certainly had a certain ring to it. But Warden is better."


    Warden was in the wilderness again, the youngd in tow, equipped with a spear, bow, and quiver. Even with that, he didn''t cut much of a threatening figure in contrast to Warden, who was easily over a head taller.


    "Um, s-sir. I mean, Warden," Xiv asked after half an hour of walking into the wilderness. "How did you be so strong?"


    "Strong?" Warden sighed. "I honestly don''t feel strong." In retrospect, he felt weak, sick, and lost. He knew most of the feeling stemmed from the loss of his memory, the loss of who he was.


    "What, I mean¡ª"


    "I know what you mean," Warden said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I guess the most important thing is a drive; no amount of monster hunting or training can enable you to have that. Find something that drives you to be stronger, then it all depends on other elements like hard work, talent, training, luck, etc."


    "Drive?" Xiv mumbled. "If it isn''t too presumptuous to ask, but what is your drive? Sir?"


    Warden red up at him.


    "Sorry, Warden."


    "My drive?" Warden stopped in his tracks. "Hell if I have a clue what it is. I just feel wrong being weak."


    Xiv frowned.


    "No, it''s notplicated," Warden said. "It is as simple as it sounds. Anger can be a driving force, and so can loss, helplessness, or the drive to prove yourself to others."


    Xiv nodded, understandinging to the teenager.


    "For how long have you been training?"


    "A few years, though not seriously," Xiv replied. "Father taught me spearmanship, but I didn''t take it seriously until he injured himself a few months ago. Then a couple of weeks ago, I awakened my ss, just in time to save my life."


    "ss?" Warden perked his eyebrows.


    "Yes, I received amon Spearman ss on awakening."


    "What does it do?" Warden frowned.


    Xiv joined in frowning. "I''m not so certain," he said. "Now killing monsters makes me stronger, I guess. I don''t have magic like others, but my body is tougher. Oh, I have the spear mastery skill."


    Warden couldn''t gauge how deep this Spear mastery would be, but he figured it wouldn''t be too bad if he received a ss on it.


    "I guess I can check on your skills soon," Warden said, gesturing towards the east. "Some low-ranked wolves areing from this way. Can you deal with them?"


    Before Warden could even finish, the creatures were on them, growling fiercely. There were six of them, only one bigger than the others, equivalent to a copper ranker.


    Warden took a step back instinctively. "You said it''s just scouting."


    "It is, but you gotta be prepared for a fight. Always."

 Chapter 14: Information

    <h4>Chapter 14: Information</h4>


    Xiv was scared shitless at the beginning of the fight, but finding Warden blocking the way for most of the wolves, his confidence rose exponentially. Only one wolf, as high as his waist, obstructed his path, the rest of the pack being held by Warden.


    Xiv fended it off, swinging his spear at its pouncing ws. Keeping a safe distance away, he shed his spear to pierce it towards its neck. He missed by some margin, barely grazing its skin.


    "Hurry up, kid," Warden urged him. "If it''s one versus more, you''d be dead already."


    Xiv gritted his teeth, advancing. He let the beaste at him, calming his breath. With a narrowed gaze, Xiv met its challenge, his spear shing to pin into its head. His strength barely let him end its life, as another managed to break through from Warden toe at him.


    Warden watched the boy fight, keeping the wolves busy. From the look of it, Xiv had the basics correct, though his coordination needed some work.


    He was a lot on the defensive, but that could be everything he could muster from his father''s teaching. Injuries were nothing to scoff at, especially in amon backwater vige like theirs, so possibly they inherited a defensive style ofbat.


    Xiv tussled with to end the wolf as a frown crawled up on Warden''s brows. He let go of another wolf as it charged forward to assault the kid.


    Now it was two versus one.


    Xiv didn''t seem to notice the approach of the second beast. Warden had to alert him, or the boy would have already fallen. With two wolves ganging up on him, he became more passive again, fending off their advances, not taking any chances in case one of them injured him while he dealt with the other one.


    Xiv''s inexperience in fighting became clear to Warden. The boy needed undivided attention to deal with a wolf, but the equation became a lot more disadvantageous to him when there was more than one opponent.


    Unlike himself, Liam, or Kiara, Xiv possessed no magical energy, so he needed to put everything into attacking. While even a little graze from Warden''s de could kill these tainted beasts.


    Is spiritual energy umon to have? Warden couldn''t help but wonder. Only one of the vigers seemed to possess it¡ªrted to water power¡ªwhich she used to put off the fire.


    Kiara''s energy was fire elemental, while Liam''s was more like kic force. Warden possessed Void energy on the benefit of opening the hidden aperture in his body. Last but not least, the little bunny''s energy was rted to healing. There were so many variations.


    Exhaustion was taking a toll on Xiv''s body, as he had managed toe out victorious against one of the wolves. He seemed like he would be unable if another one joined against him.


    Atst, taking pity on the boy, Warden decided it was about time to end the wolves. It barely took a few swings and shes to deal with them. Only one of them required his attention. Killing them barely increased his attributes, as they were all low-ranked.


    "You have a lot of ces to improve," Warden said to the panting boy. He could tell exactly where Xiv needed to improve, but just telling him wouldn''t help at all, as the boy had no idea how to work on them. Wait, how to work on them?


    Sparring with others would help in deepening the basics, though Warden wasn''t sure if Xiv could find any good sparring partner in the vige. The other problems were mostly rted to him being inexperienced, which couldn''t be solved easily either. However, the issue of inexperience could be mitigated to some degree with high attribute points.


    "Xiv, how many points do you have in Strength?"


    "17.7." Xiv thought for a moment to add, "I think I can reach 18 after killing a few more beasts."


    That was just about the same number Warden had in Strength when he woke up. Of course, his Spirit and Recovery were way higher, which helped greatly in a fight. But the kid didn''t have that option.


    "How many points in other attributes?" Warden asked again, busy in recovering the beast cores from the wolf corpses.


    "Other attributes?" Xiv said. "I only have Strength."


    Warden stopped at his work. "You don''t have Mind, Spirit, any of these attributes?"


    Xiv shook his head, and then his eyes widened. "Sir, you have all three main attributes?"


    Warden felt like he was missing something. So everyone didn''t possess the four attributes; it was different for each person. From the look of Xiv''s expression, it seemed to be a big deal to have three attributes. What about Recovery then?


    Finding him not replying, Xiv felt he asked something he shouldn''t have. "Please forgive me, Sir," he was quick to apologize. "I didn''t know what got into me. I forgot my ce."


    "Xiv," Warden scoffed. "What did I ask you to call me again?"


    The vige boy''s eyes widened. "That means you aren''t mad that I asked those questions?"


    Warden shrugged. "I would be mad if you call me Sir again," he muttered. "And as for your question, I do have those attributes, though some of them were terribly low."


    Xiv gasped.


    Warden felt like he was missing some knowledge regarding all this, and this kid might not be able to answer them all. Still, he didn''t feel it right to ask Liam or Kiara, even though they seemed like good people.


    It was not that something was wrong with them. The problem was something was wrong with him, and Warden felt sensitive in exchanging this information with others at this moment.


    If he told others of his predicament, he would be way easier to fool. So far, people were treating him fairly, as someone of power, but that might not be the same if they learned of his predicament.


    "Don''t worry, Warden," Xiv said, finding him deep in thought. "I won''t tell anyone about anything."


    Warden didn''t give any expression that told if he was relieved or offended. He was perfectly neutral when he met the boy''s gaze.


    "Xiv, I have some stupid questions," he asked. "I hope you can answer some of them truthfully."


    Warden possessed no knowledge of how anything worked. Although Xiv might be a clueless kid of some vige, he knew more than him. It was about time Warden filled some of those holes.

 Chapter 15: Oath

    <h4>Chapter 15: Oath</h4>


    Warden already knew Xiv didn''t have answers to all of his questions, but even getting answers to a few of his questions left much for him to think about.


    He didn''t ask anything rted to the world yet. For one reason, Xiv was only a vige boy. The farthest he went was to the nearest town. Although he might know more than Warden was giving credit for, the world was not his most imminent concern.


    Magic was the biggest thing Warden was curious about. How the system works, why killing monsters makes you stronger, and more importantly, how strong one could be.


    Obviously, Xiv wasn''t able to answer most of his questions. So Warden changed his tactic and asked him to exin his experience, which started with the Awakening.


    Apparently, people randomly awaken their ss in their teens. The age may vary from early teens tote teens, but nobody had awakened before they were thirteen or after they were twenty. Awakening wasn''t umon either, as the little vige had over a couple of dozen people with a ss.


    What surprised Warden more was how Xiv awakened his ss [Spearman].


    "I was scared out of my mind," he exined, showing a month-old scar on his calves. "The wolf had already taken a bite off my leg, and all I could do was struggle. It was then it happened. Somehow I barely managed to wound the wolf a little with my quarterstaff when a warm light pulsated within me. Before I knew it, my injuries were healed, and I heard the voice of the god."


    "God?" Warden raised his eyebrows. He didn''t know why his expression became... Well, it wasn''t irritated, more like amused.


    "Yes," Xiv nodded reverently. "Among the three deities, Kandrashi is responsible for taking care of the world. It is his given duty to protect us from the cmities."


    "So this Kandrashi gave you the ss, and you managed to ovee the wolf," Warden nodded.


    Xiv nodded.


    "Do you need to awaken a ss to gain strength from the in creatures?" Warden asked because he was given no ss yet was able to harvest energy from the creatures he killed.


    "Yes," Xiv said, sounding certain. "Many of us from the vige hunted beasts before awakening a ss. Most of them didn''t see a chance."


    "Most, not all?"


    "Some died, a couple awakened their ss under the pressure," Xiv said, letting out a sigh.


    Warden refrained from asking the questions that would give away too much about himself. He wanted to know if everyone awakened possessed a ss, but that seemed rather self-exnatory from what he could tell from Xiv.


    As far as Xiv was concerned, the ss was the only way to harvest energy from the in creature. As for how it happened, he wasn''t sure, other than Kandrashi allocating the deserved benefit to the ss holder.


    "About the ranks," Warden mumbled. "It''s Copper, Iron, and then the next are Silver and Gold?"


    He was merely guessing, but seeing the nod from the boy, he couldn''t help but wonder if the knowledge about awakening sparked his forgotten knowledge, or if it was merely a guess.


    The spark of realization was quite hard to understand. Warden didn''t feel like new information came to his head; he just knew what it was.


    More importantly, he was neither Copper, Iron, Silver, or Gold. In the status window, his rank was termed as [Broken Cmity]. He had no clue what its deal was. Still, it felt like something he shouldn''t reveal easily.


    "What is the rank after Gold?"


    "God?" Xiv tried, uncertain. "I don''t think anyone has imed a higher rank than Gold in the whole world."


    Warden asked him if he knew anything about the hidden aperture on the way back. Xiv''s answers were vague, nothing conclusive for him to consider anything. The Hidden Aperture seemed an even more important thing.


    "Oh, Onia awakened something like that," Xiv said, hitting his palm. "She mentioned something about a focal point in her navel."


    "Onia?" Warden frowned. "The girl with the water power?"


    "Yes," Xiv said. "She almost went down in the river before she awakened her ss."


    It feels like trauma was necessary for the awakening process.


    If he wasn''t wrong, awakening an aperture was the only way one would be able to use the energy, be it through a spell, natural control, or imbuing.


    There were twelve of them. Warden was certain of that, but he was uncertain what the rest of them do.


    Xiv had no answer to different kinds of energy. The boy was even uninformed that energy could be different.


    "If you don''t mind me asking," Xiv finally asked as they reached the periphery of the vige. "Why are you asking such questions of me? I''m sure you know better than a vige boy like myself."


    "I wished," Warden sighed and decided it was better to express some of the truth, at least not all of it. "I think I hit my head badly somewhere, and my mind became jumbled. I don''t remember even most of themon things."


    "What!?"


    "Fightinges naturally to me," Warden said. "So is whatever else I learned before, but I don''t know even the simple things, such as if we trade in coins, cash, beast cores, or some other credits."


    "But Warden, you¡ª"


    "Don''t ask any questions, because I won''t be able to answer you," he said. "Also, keep the knowledge a secret from others as well."


    Even though Warden said it casually, his voice had an extra edge to it, which seemed to alert the boy a great deal.


    Xiv stood up on the path, his hand clutched to his chest. "In the name of the great System, I swear not to reveal Sir Warden''s secrets to anyone without his permission."


    "Xiv what are you..." Warden paused midway as a heavy feeling pressed into his chest. "...doing?"


    <strong>[User Xiv has taken a soul oath to protect your secrets.]</strong>


    Then the feeling was gone, leaving a perplexed Warden. The idea of soul oaths and binding came to him, and unknowingly he was aware of what the boy had done.

 Chapter 16: Training

    <h4>Chapter 16: Training</h4>


    Warden could sense the binding ced on his soul and how terribly it restricted Xiv, who had taken the oath without even a stutter.


    Even if Xiv mistakenly let out his secret, he would suffer a terrible curse. All his awakened power would be stripped away from him, and he might as well die if Warden didn''t unbind the other end of the binding.


    The boy had yed it heavy-handedly, though this could be how the world worked. The weaker ones follow the whims of the strong. Still, it gave some ideas on how to use it to his benefit.


    "First lesson," Warden sighed, pping the boy on the shoulder. "Think through everything before you take a soul oath. Twice, thrice, no matter how many times it needed you to be certain, don''t take these oaths lightly." Embarrassed, Xiv could only nod.


    "Also, a heads-up on what you are up to next time will be preferable."


    "Sorry," Xiv said. "I just... You saved the vige putting your life on the line. I just wanted to be a little helpful."


    "You are," Warden said, turning towards the vige. "But I''ll make you more than just a little helpful."


    "Warden, you mean?"


    "Xiv, are you curious about the world, these powers, and everything?" Warden asked. He didn''t wait for an answer because everyone was curious about magic. "How about I help you train for the rest of the time I''m here?"


    "Really?" Xiv''s eyes almost glowed earnestly.


    "Yeah," Warden said. "I already nned on giving you some tips after you answered my questions, but now I have something else in mind. Nothing less than my full attention in your training would be enough for your training."


    Xiv almost became teary, clutching his spear tightly.


    "Don''t cry now," Wardenughed. "You''ll have all the time to cry after training."


    Also, Warden wanted to use the boy to ask all the stupid questions he had for the two academy students. They would be leaving in a couple of days. He nned on making the most of their answers now.


    They barely reached the vige, and Warden already found the white bunny lunging towards them cheerfully. Cupcake seemed to have woken up by the time they were away after digesting the beast core. Warden found no change in her outward appearance, though her aura felt much more condensed.


    The little bunny leapt into his arms without warning, squeaking happily.


    "Ahh, Cupcake, are you waiting for me?" Warden asked, caressing the little beast. "Or did you smell the beast cores on me?"


    The bunny squeaked in response.


    Wardenughed, bringing out the beast cores to feed the bunny. A few meters away, he found the blonde maiden staring at them suspiciously. After a little consideration, she made up her mind and came towards them. Unlike the other time, she didn''t outright try to pull away the bunny but instead drew her palms, her cheeks turning a shade of pink in embarrassment. Warden understood why she acted like this. She was probably worried he would take Cupcake from her.


    Sighing, Warden returned the bunny to the owner. "You know I won''t take her away from you." That seemed to embarrass Kiara even more. "I know," she said meekly, even though Warden didn''t believe her. "I''m just embarrassed that you have to feed Little Cupcake even though it is my responsibility."


    "Well, the way I see it, merely one person wouldn''t be enough to feed this little gluttonous bunny." Warden patted her head. "Just ept my help to ease your responsibility."


    For unknown reasons, Kiara red up at him with red cheeks and ran away with Cupcake, leaving a dumbfounded Warden.


    Warden blinked at her and eventually turned towards Xiv. "Did I say something wrong?"


    Xiv seemed unsure of what to reply. "I think you are a little too forward to her with your behavior," he said, "...and proposal."


    Warden shrugged. "I don''t think I said anything serious, not at least for her to act this way."


    Xiv''s training started right after he had some rest. Warden hadn''t thought much yet about how to train him, so in the beginning, he was simply sparring.


    "I don''t think you''re getting it," Warden said after making Xiv fall to the ground. "Your whole mindset is wrong. Your basics won''t improve if you''re scared when you fight."


    He gave Xiv tips whenever he saw a fault in his movement, though carrying out those tips into action wasn''t so easy. It needed constant repeated actions until they would be carved into muscle memory.


    "I... can''t help it," thed said, standing back again. "Just your presence frightens me as much as those feral beasts do."


    "Fear is alright to some degree, but don''t be led by it." Warden took position again, gesturing for Xiv to do the same. "What are you even afraid of? Getting hurt?"


    Xiv didn''t answer as they began again.


    "Using the longer reach of the spear is good," Warden said, deflecting Xiv''s attack. "But not that way. The spear is more of a defensive weapon than a sword. You have to use it more aggressively to make the most out of it."


    "I''m trying," Xiv heaved. His leg came forward, the spear swinging in an upward thrust.


    Warden dodged it easily by stepping back. Xiv came again, thrusting forward.


    "Any other attack would have been more effective there," Warden said, blocking the spear to his right. After a couple more exchanges, Warden sent him to the ground again.


    "Take a break for ten minutes," Warden said and finally turned to Liam, who was standing silently a few meters away. "Care to join?"


    "I didn''t know you''re knowledgeable about using a spear as well," Liam said, rising up to the challenge.


    Warden frowned. "Isn''t it elementary to know about the weapons you''ll face?" Warden paused, his eyes drawn to the long spear in Xiv''s possession. Can it be? Maybe?


    "Warden?"


    "Xiv, throw me your spear," Warden asked.


    Unsure, the boy followed the order. Warden caught the spear easily out of the air, and something clicked inside him, as if a switch was turned on.


    Literal chills pulsated in his veins as he swung the spear in shadow practice.


    There was no mistaking it, Warden thought. This feeling... It was far greater than what he felt with the sword.

 Chapter 17: Spearmaster

    <h4>Chapter 17: Spearmaster</h4>


    The spear moved on its own in his arms as his legs started to move. His movements were surreal, ethereal, yet swift, dancing with the spear as if it were his beloved woman. Each of his movements felt choreographed to be the finest. There was no w, no unwanted movement, only the spear and Warden against the world. Warden didn''t know how long itsted, but by the time he finished, he was already breathless. The familiar depravity wed at his heart, yet his lips curved in a delighted smile.


    "Wow," Xiv said, wordless,pletely amazed. Even Liam, who had a broader prospect of the world, wore a stunned expression as well. "I was about to join," he said, sighing. "But I''m afraid I won''tst more than a couple of your moves." He gestured towards Xiv, "Both of us will look like amateurs in front of a Master such as you."


    Warden himself was surprised to the core. The spear certainly gave him a far more intense familiarity than a sword, making him question why he possessed a sword instead of a spear. Perhaps he wanted to be familiar with the sword as well before his memory failed him.


    "Anyway, the reason I came to seek you out," Liam said. "Warden, we nned on departing tomorrow. Whether my message reached the academy or not, I believe we stand a higher chance of helping against the beast tide after reaching the nearest town."


    Warden nodded, even though he would have liked them to stay until the reinforcements arrived.


    "Did you do anything suspicious on your scouting?" Liam asked, curious.


    "Nothing out of the ordinary." He shrugged. "Only a bunch of dire wolves."


    "Hmm, perhaps the source is in some obscure ce hidden from our eyes," Liam said, causing Warden to raise an eyebrow. "The source, isn''t that what you went looking for?"


    Warden nodded after a little consideration, having a little idea of what he was talking about.


    "Lower-ranked dungeons aren''t usually this hard to find," Liamined. "Following the dire wolves won''t help either, as dungeon-born creatures don''t tend to return to the dungeon once they are out."


    Dungeon. Warden immediately knew what they were. An enclosed private realm that fostered monsters and demonic creatures.


    "D-dungeon," Xiv stuttered. "What? How!? Aren''t the demonic creatures supposed to stay inside the dungeon?"


    "That is true." Finding Warden not answering, Liam said again, "However, if any dungeon is left for a long amount of time, it tends to be unstable and throw you its creatures and the vtile energy, which is harmful to normal people and animals."


    That was a big problem, but shouldn''t people be able to sense the foulness in the air if a dungeon was nearby? Warden wanted to let Xiv ask the question, but the teen wasn''t thinking straight toe up with a question like that.


    "Hopefully, the dungeon isn''t too unstable that it would overflowpletely before the reinforcements arrive."


    ***


    Late at night, Warden couldn''t sleep as thoughts of the dungeon revtion yed in his mind. Supposedly, people and animals living near a dungeon would be sick already if the dungeon was unstable enough to burst. Even though that was relieving, Warden couldn''t help but wander out of his chamber in the middle of the night.


    The vigey inplete silence, with a few howls of foxes and wolvesing from the wilderness. Even though there weren''t any full moons, the sky was lit with four sickle-shaped moons, enlightening the night enough for Warden to make out his surroundings.


    Wandering aimlessly for a few minutes, he picked up some disturbance ahead. No normal disturbance, but rather a stir in the air, as if someone was using magical power to manipte elements. He didn''t know if it was natural to feel such things, but that didn''t stop him from following his senses towards the disturbance.


    He found the culprits of the disturbance out in the open in the centre of the vige, near the well. It was two women and a bunny. Well, rather two girls, too young to be women. Warden recognized both of them, Kiara and Onia. It looked like the fire mage was trying to help the girl with water power in wielding magic, but from outside, it didn''t look like she was doing that great of a job.


    As Warden didn''t intend to hide his movements, both of them noticed him immediately, their expressions changing to something odd as they exchanged nces wordlessly. The bunny, however, wasn''t so silent. Cupcake squeaked and came leaping into his arms in delight.


    "Don''t worry about me," he said, trying to ease them off. "Do what you were doing."


    Warden was about to leave, but Kiara called after him.


    "Ahh!" Well, it was more like an ecstatic squeak than a call, but it managed to make him turn back to them.


    Warden looked at her wide eyes, unsure what she was trying to say. Kiara had pursed his lips immediately, looking down.


    Warden''s eyes turned to the bunny in his arm, "Right, Cupcake." he downed the bunny on the ground and pushed her towards the owner. "Come on."


    The bunny was more intelligent than any of the creatures Warden met in this ce. She leapt with the same enthusiasm into the arms of her owner and nestled in herp.


    "Umm!" Warden was ready to leave, but Kiara called him again. "Can you help her?"


    She pointed towards thess¡ªa year younger than Xiv¡ªand the youngest member of the vige who awakened a ss.


    "She needs some advice in her casting," Kiara continued, getting his attention, "which I''m unable to provide."


    Warden raised his eyebrows, unsure how he could help them. "I have seen you manipting water brilliantly to put off the fire."


    "But they aren''t helpful in a fight," Onia said, sping her palm into a fist.


    "Water isn''t the best element forbat, is it?" Warden''s words seemed to darken her expression even more. In the end, he could only oblige, even though he didn''t know if he could help. "Cast your most powerful spell for me to see first."

 Chapter 18: Late Night Lessons

    <h4>Chapter 18: Late Night Lessons</h4>


    Onia epted and began casting, palms sped together in a praying manner. Under hermand, sparkling blue light shed in front of her, and soon molecules of water began to form, condensing together to create a ball of water.


    "Shoot!" Warden urged her.


    Prepared, Onia fired the swirling mass of water forward, unaware in her concentration that Warden came forward to stand in front of her.


    Warden drew his cloak forward as the cannon of water plunged into him. He didn''t even have to take a step back, nor use energy to enforce his defence. Water sshed away from the legendary-grade cloak, leaving him mostly dry. Some of the ssh returned to the caster of the spell as well as Kiara and Cupcake, but they were mostly fine as well.


    "As I had thought," Warden said. "Water is not your go-to element to do damage."


    The littless was already tired of all the casting she did, but a new sense of frustration grew in her after another failed casting.


    "But it isn''t a lost cause," Warden said. "Not entirely."


    "You mean?" Kiara asked.


    "Pressure is the answer," Warden said.


    "Pressure?"


    "Yes." He thought for a moment about how to give an example that wouldn''t be too oundish for a vige girl to understand. It appeared he took too much time in contemtion, as when he opened his lips again, their patience already wore thin. "You know when you cook something... For example, when you cook rice, you put a lid over the pot, right?"


    The city girl seemedpletely oblivious to what he was talking about, but the littless understood him, much to his relief.


    "Yes," Onia said. "Doing so makes the cooking faster."


    "Do you ever wonder why is it so?"


    Onia thought hard over the question. After her mother''s death, she had done most of the housework even though she was merely fourteen years old. However, even though she learned those things about cooking, she never questioned her mother. But now it seemed relevant.


    "It''s not that profound of an answer. Just say what came to your mind."


    After a long process of hard thinking, Onia said, "Because the lid traps the heat?"


    "Not as precise, but you''re right," Warden said. "Also, the lid traps the steam from evaporatingpletely, and the heated steam helps to rise the pressure inside the pot for even cooking. You see, it takes less time to cook, all because the pressure rises within the pot."


    Onia nodded in understanding, though some of her confusion still remained. Warden could have answered all her questions without all the guesses from her, but it was important to keep one engaged while teaching something.


    "But what does it have to do with spell casting?" Onia asked.


    "Because,ss, spell casting is like cooking," Warden said sagely.


    "Hmm," Kiara hummed, as if she understood something profound. "Is this why there are more female mages than males? But I was never taught to cook."


    Perhaps that''s why you suck at casting, Warden wanted to say, but refrained from blurting more than necessary. He could easily see the blonde girl storming off¡ªperhaps even crying if he had made thatment.


    Regardless, he just drew a connection between the two, not an irondw of casting.


    "Hmm, let''s consider a spell as a dish," Warden said and questioned Onia again. "What is required to make a dish?"


    "Um, ingredients, fire, and some..."


    "Cooking appliances," Wardenpleted her sentence. "Three things basically. So what is the ingredient for a spell?"


    Warden eyed the blonde girl.


    "Energy," Kiara said, feeling very urate in her answer.


    "Yes," Warden said. "As for the cooking appliance, it''s more like a medium for spell casting. Do you know what is the medium for the spell casting?"


    "Umm, ourselves?" Kiara was not so sure this time, but her answer was correct.


    "Yes, the caster is the medium for the spell," Warden said. "Lastly, but most importantly, the fire. It is the will of the caster. The intent. While more energy is always better, it is the strength and precision of the will that determines the power of a spell."


    Both of the girls nodded as realization dawned on them. Even Warden was surprised himself. Although he hadn''t done any casting himself, using the spiritual energy was basically the same in a more unstructured way.


    He had been doing everything instinctively, but now, after he put everything into words, everything became much clearer to him.


    "So what do you do when you cast the spell?" Warden asked. "Tell me step by step and as precisely as you can make it out."


    "I draw in energy from the Gate of Spirit," Onia said, her palm reaching for her navel where the aperture, The Gate of Spirit, is located. "Imagine them flowing through me like water streaming down a river as the energy listens to my will. They condense into water wherever I wanted around me and shot the spell."


    "You are not so precise at the end," Warden remarked and turned towards Kiara. "Is your casting process about the same as well?"


    Kiara nodded. "It is fire instead of water for me. Also, the source aperture is the Spiritual Tower for me, which is located in my shoulder de." She paused for a moment, face down, as if feeling something inferior. "Obviously, The Spiritual Tower isn''t as strong as any of the two Gates of Spirit, but I''ll be able to open another aperture soon."


    Kiara clutched Cupcake tightly.


    "Good luck," Warden said, frowning. Even though the topic of apertures interested him, he returned to the topic of spells. "Now how pressurees into y in casting. The thing is, the harder you condense your energy into the same spell without extending the effect area, the higher the impact will be. Will is very important in the whole condensation process.


    "You know what? Call it coerce, as that feels like a better term for it. Anyway, the more pressure you create in your casting, the more unstable it bes. If your will is not strong enough..."


    Warden stopped for either of the two toplete his sentence. Onia was still digesting the information she received, while the blonde girl came to a conclusion on her own.


    "The spell could burst prematurely," she said. "Which can cause injuries."


    "Yes. You had to be extra careful even before considering it."

 Chapter 19: Departing

    <h4>Chapter 19: Departing</h4>


    Kiara gave a lecture about why young mages were advised never to try Coercion without appropriate training. She had barely started training in coercion this year and still had a long way to go herself. Warden left the blonde girl to instruct how to proceed with the training regime. Although he didn''t remember the correct way, his guesses seemed to align well with Kiara''s experience.


    Basically, it was willpower training through casting, starting with a small, powerless spell that couldn''t hurt you too badly, even if it burst prematurely. Casters were to hold on to them for an impossible amount of time as their willpower grew thin. With this constant strain on their spirit, their willpower would grow astronomically, as well as their control over the energy.


    "Another aspect to consider is thinking about the things you''re envisioning while drawing energy," Warden said. "Try imagining something far more devastating. Instead of a slow stream, picture a great waterfall, for example."


    Warden was pretty sure he was missing a crucial part, perhaps more than just one part, but he didn''t have a clue what they could be. He would need some hints on that memoryne for sure.


    "But I have never seen a waterfall," Onia said.


    Warden almost facepalmed but controlled himself in time. "I guess you have to leave it to your imagination."


    Of course, there was another way. Onia could envision her experience of drawing to have a stronger feel of water, but he couldn''t be merciless to the little girl.


    Warden directed her in casting for a few minutes as Onia manipted the water into a different shape. The condensation didn''te easily, as the theory went. It needed months of training and perseverance, and the girl was already exhausted.


    They were just about to call it a day when Xiv came along. From the way he dressed up, it didn''t seem like he had been sleeping but on the watch for a potential attack on the vige. He seemed even aware that the two girls were practising out in the open in the middle of the night.


    "You guys done for the night?" Xiv asked, easily finding signs of exhaustion from the girl.


    "It''s well over midnight," Warden said. "Were you on watch the whole time?"


    Xiv shook his head. "My shift started at midnight. I slept for a few hours before that."


    "You should all rest now," Warden said. "Kiara has a long journey ahead of herself back to the academy, and Xiv needs to wake up early for training. As for you, little girl, you cane as well to practise. Although I won''t be much of a help, it''s better to practise together than being alone."


    "But the night watch?"


    "I''ll take care of it," Warden said. "I don''t need to catch sleep like you all."


    ***


    Only an hour had passed since sunrise, and most of the vigers had already woken up. Kiara and Liam were in a hurry after waking up, as they needed to reach the nearest town before dark. With their two stallions in prime form, they would probably make it before nightfall if no obstructions came into their path, though Liam doubted it. Still, most of the bandits wouldn''t try to do anything funny, seeing the crest of the Arcane Academy, but the same didn''t go for mindless beasts.


    Kiara took more time than Liam to prepare, benefitting from being a woman. After acquiring a couple of lunch boxes and water from Onia, she sneaked around as if looking for something.


    "If you''re looking for Sir Warden, he''s out in the wild again," Liam called to her from behind, ready with his ck stallion, a clear contrast to Kiara''s pristine white one standing next to him. "He''s out with Xiv after their morning drills."


    Kiara skidded up as if someone caught her red-handed stealing a cookie. "I don''t..." she tried, and then her eyes found her bunny. "Little Cupcake wants to say goodbye to him."


    Liam gave her an odd look and shook his head. "I don''t think they''ll being back soon," he said. "Little Cupcake will have to wait for our next meeting. But for now, Sir Warden left half a dozen beast cores for the bunny."


    With that, Liam handed her a small pouch with the beast cores. "He said this will keep her fed for the journey. He hunted them on the watch."


    Kiara frowned but took the pouch as many thoughts came to her mind. Liam climbed up on his horse and urged her toe along.


    "Give me a couple of minutes," she said and went to Onia, one of the dozen who came to watch them leave. She caught the young girl''s hand. "Have you thought about what I told youst night?"


    What Kiara had told herst night was mostly rted to spellcasting and adventurers, but she also mentioned the Arcane Academies and how Onia could admit to one. Even though Water didn''t have much prospect as a battle mage, she could easily join the academy for the auxiliary sses with one of the main apertures unlocked.


    "I..." Onia clearly didn''t have words for what to say. "I was fast asleepst night and forgot to think about it."


    Kiara''s lips parted into a smile. "Well, even if you said yes, it would have been tough to bring you along this time," she said, patting the girl''s shoulder. "Perhaps we''ll be back in some time, or you have to wait for any recruiters from the academy toe along. I''ll leave a word to the Ninth Academy of your talent. Perhaps they''d be interested."


    Like before, Onia had no idea what to say to that. In the end, she offered a "Thank you."


    "I should be the one to say thank you," Kiara said with a sigh. They had been here for about a week, and Onia was the only one she talked to for almost everything. If not for the young girl, her livelihood in the vige would have been horrendous.


    "Miss Kiara," Liam yelled after her, getting impatient.


    "Perhaps we meet again, perhaps never." Kiara hugged her lightly. "Whatever you decide, I hope you live well."


    With that, Kiara left the vige, riding on horseback towards the nearest town eastwards.

 Chapter 20: Dungeon

    <h4>Chapter 20: Dungeon</h4>


    Warden ended thest of the dire wolves with Xiv on his shoulders. A couple of the wolves managed to flee, as he was unable to give them a chance, but the rest weren''t so lucky after encountering the duo.


    Most of the wolves were equivalent to copper ranks, so they were a no-go for Xiv to deal with. If push came to shove, the boy might be able to handle one of them, but that was after taking severe damage.


    Even though Warden had killed over a dozen wolves since the morning, his attributes didn''t grow as much as they did in the beginning. That told him growing the attributes would be even harder the higher the number reached.


    With a mentalmand, he summoned the status page to check on the improvement.


    ___________


    [Warden]


    Race: Human (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 27%)


    Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]


    Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]


    Disposition: Chaotic


    Rank: [Broken Cmity]


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 37.3]


    [Mind: 13.2]


    [Spirit: 74.9]


    [Recovery: 99]


    Abilities:


    [Imbuing: Copper- 17%] [Left Hand of Cmity: > 5%]


    _____________


    Only his strength was improving swiftly through harvesting energy from ying creatures; the rest of his attributes remained pretty stagnant. Warden didn''t have the whole story, but it was probably rted to the essence he received from the harvested energy. So far, he hadn''t seen a trickle of improvement in Recovery, which was worrying. Perhaps low-grade energy wasn''t enough for higher attributes to grow; that seemed more likely. Warden had to test this theory further; unfortunately, he had not encountered even a single Iron-rank creature after the one that wreaked havoc in the vige.


    Warden collected the beast cores, even though Little Cupcake should have been gone by the time they reached the vige to consume them. Meanwhile, Xiv collected the hearts, which would provide profound nutrients to anyone who consumed them. Actually, for the duration of Warden''s stay in the vige, he had been eating just that. Of course, he was among the few who ate them cooked; the rest, including Xiv, had devoured them raw, no matter how unptable they tasted.


    "Should we go back now?" Xiv asked, finishing his task. He had sustained slight w wounds from the battle, but they were far from life-threatening.


    Warden shook his head. He hadn''t nned on returning so soon. Although hunting would have been more productive if he were alone, he was also training Xiv through the experience. Whatever the boy gleaned from observing their battles was on him; that was something that couldn''t be taught by anyone.


    "Let''s go a few more kilometers," Warden said, turning towards the familiar path he hade from. The ce where Warden had awoken was about thirty kilometers from the vige, and they were more than halfway there. For one, Warden wanted to search the area for any clues about himself. Although he had been there for over a day and found nothing, he needed to be sure.


    "Xiv, do you know what lies beyond the wilderness?"


    "The Southern wilderness expands all over the south as far as we know," Xiv said. "Much of it remains unexplored. Even high-ranking adventurers aren''t keen on venturing there with the elves¡ª"


    "Elves?" Warden''s eyes widened.


    "Hmm, they''re human-like but tall, with pointy ears and¡ª"


    "I know what an elf is," Warden snorted. "I was just surprised to hear about elves. So, you were saying there are elves somewhere in this wilderness?"


    "Maybe," Xiv replied, less certain in his answer. "Deep in the wilderness, probably."


    "What else? What other creatures are there?" Warden inquired. "Orcs? Goblins? Fairies? Draconians?"


    Xiv expressed ack of knowledge with a shake of his head. "In old tales, there used to be giants and their archrivals, Vimads... But those were stories of forgotten times. Nobody has seen them for hundreds of years."


    So far, with the help of Liam and Xiv, Warden managed to piece together a brief outline of the world. The maind was mostly ruled by humans, with prominent powers including the Sivian Empire, Kingdom of Tul, and Republic of Imar. However, the ten Arcane Academies yed a major role in politics and social welfare. If a nation sought to interfere with another, it had to contend with the academies first, or there would be no interference. This system nearly abolished direct war between nations, though it didn''t prevent ndestine schemes.


    Warden had little interest in these political matters for now. His immediate concern was addressing the issue in the vige. After that, his sole focus would be on resolving the mysteries in his own mind.


    "So, Xiv," Warden asked, "have you nned what you''ll do once the problem is solved?"


    Xiv shook his head, as if the thought hadn''t crossed his mind. His family was no longer in the vige, but leaving seemed uncertain for him.


    "I suppose with my ss, I could make a decent living in any town or city," he muttered. "But I don''t know if I''ll ever leave. Or if I can leave."


    For a young boy who had lost his family, determining his ce in the world was undoubtedly challenging. Xiv didn''t appear to have ovee the loss yet.


    "How was your family?" Warden asked, as the sun hung overhead.


    "They were good people," Xiv said after a long pause. "Far from perfect, but everything a son could ask for. Mom was stern, always telling me it was because Dad was too lenient with me. Someone had to rein me in. She didn''t like me ying with weapons, but Father still taught me how to shoot an arrow, how to hold a spear..."


    As Warden listened to Xiv, a deep sense of loss welled up within him. It wasn''t because Xiv''s story resonated with him, but because Warden couldn''t know the state of his own family. His appearance could suggest he was in his twenties or over fifty, considering the magical enhancement of lifespan and youth he had learned about. Warden wished it were the former, as that would leave some chance of his family being alive and well.


    Warden was just about to call it a day after meandering for hours, but suddenly a peculiar tingling sensation held him in ce.


    His left palm, where the dark spiral marks were carved, itched in intensity. More importantly, the void energy in the Pce of Toil stirred in the presence of something familiar in the surroundings.


    "Warden?"


    "Hmm, maybe I''ll find something worthwhile after all." Warden picked up pace. "Stay close to me and don''t leave my shadow."


    The more Warden moved, the sensation intensified, and within a couple of minutes, he found the source of it all.


    "What is it?" Xiv asked, wheezing, breathless.


    "Xiv my boy, I think I found the Dungeon."

 Chapter 21: [Void Shroud]

    <h4>Chapter 21: [Void Shroud]</h4>


    Warden hadn''t seen the dungeon yet, but he could feel its pulsation in his nerves. His left palm twitched hard with the energy inside the aperture stirring up in the presence of chaotic energy in proximity.


    He forcefully calmed the wild energy, taking a step forward towards the cavern from where the pulse was emanating.


    "Dungeon?" Xiv stuttered, goosebumps crawling up his skin. "Is it here?"


    "Where else? Can''t you feel the stir in the air?"


    Xiv shook his head and watched him move into the cavern. "Um, Warden," he called, hurrying after him. "Do you think it''s a good idea to enter the dungeon now?"


    "Well, I don''t n on entering just yet," he said. For the moment, he had to lead Xiv back to the vige before taking on something like a dungeon. The boy alone might make it back to the vige, but it was better not to take chances. "I merely wanted to check it first."


    After some consideration, Warden decided against entering the cavern just yet. The energy signs were chaotic, giving him some indication of the danger. It was better he waited until he was alone, as it would be quite a tiring job while he had to protect Xiv.


    They were about to leave when the very fabric of the reality of the surrounding quaked in unrest. Even Xiv, whose spiritual sense was dull, could feel the disturbance.


    "What was that?" Xiv squeaked, almost falling to the ground.


    "Xiv, go hide somewhere quickly." Warden didn''t have the correct answer, but he felt it was necessary at this moment. The boy seemed transfixed by the shift in the air and didn''t seem to hear him. "Xiv, now!"


    Thed scrambled away quickly to hide inside a tall hedge, while Warden drew his weapon, charging void energy to turn back the cloak to a darker color. Not only that, for the first time in battle, he used the cloak''s ability [Void Shroud].


    [Void Shroud] seemed to change the very nature of the cloak, as an ethereal dark cloth covered him from head to toe, intensifying his defense, but more importantly, stealth. The only problem was that it was putting a lot of strain on the Pce of Toil.


    Soon, mors of howls reverberated from the cavern, catching his attention as he took a stance. In no time, dire wolves emerged from the cavern hole in numbers, each one of them as high as his waist or higher, heralded by the tallest one that reached his chest easily.


    A cursed creature and over a dozen copper counterparts.


    "This isn''t going to be easy," Warden thought, especially if I want it to be quick.


    Determined, Warden didn''t give the dire wolves time to surround him or evene at him. He shot at them, and his de, which was emitting dark purple tendrils of smoke, plunged into the head of a copper-ranked wolf, killing it instantly.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Strength.]</strong>


    Another copper-ranked creature crashed into him in a mad dash, but something unnatural urred when it made contact with the [Void Shroud]. The ethereal cloth contorted for a moment, and then, in the next instant, it propelled the creature just as forcefully as it had collided with him.


    Well, Warden was surprised, but he expected no less from the sheer amount of void energy he was burning. Now, with the [Void Shroud]pletely surrounding him, he could defend himself from all directions as long as he had enough energy.


    Feeling a sense of invincibility, Warden charged after the wolves more aggressively, flipping over two of them. His de found the next target, beheading another of the creatures. He shoved aside one behind him using the [Void Shroud] while facing the other one head-on. He plunged the de into its paws, eliciting a horrendous scream. Twisting his de just enough for the other end to reach its neck, Warden finished it as well.


    <strong>[Copper-grade energy harvested.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.3 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.3 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.1 Strength.]</strong>


    Then something humongous crashed into him. His [Void Shroud] contorted, drawing more energy to withstand the attack. Warden found the Cursed wolf attempting to bite through his defense, but finding no purchase, although it managed to push him backward.


    However, Warden wasn''t in the mood for taking a loss. He pulled more energy and enforced the shroud forward, even clearing everything from behind. He thrusted all that energy forward as if breaking through a bulwark.


    The cursed creature was nothing short of a bulwark, as even when the void energy rammed into its head, it only managed to lift the front two legs of the creature. Fortunately, Warden wasn''t aiming to send it flying. Void energy wasn''t something you defended with your body, as its nature was to break through defense from the inside.


    The huge dire wolf''s head became bloodied with just one thrust, dark blood smearing as it descended. Warden didn''t even have time to adjust his defense as he plunged his sword into its head before its regeneration ability could take effect.


    The de pierced through its eye, pushing deeper upwards toward its brain. The wolf thrashed its ws at him in agony. Warden didn''t have the [Void Shroud] fully intact, so its ws managed to find purchase in his body. Thankfully, the other legendary artifact was there to save his skin.


    Although [Maya''s Protection] didn''t seem to work as well as the cloak with void energy, it didn''t take any damage from the w. Although Warden did feel like he was getting beaten like drums.


    But he would be a fool to let go of this chance to rein in the biggest threat. Ignoring the damage it was causing him, he pushed with everything he had, pouring in more void energy to muddle its headpletely.


    <strong>[Iron grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+2.2 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.4 Spirit.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Mind.] </strong>


    Finally, the humongous beast rested its head down, unable to struggle anymore.


    With that, he only had a few counterparts to deal with.

 Chapter 22: Overflow

    <h4>Chapter 22: Overflow</h4>


    <strong>[Spirit has reached the 75-point mark. Spirit has touched Iron grade.]</strong>


    The exhaustion Warden always felt washed up somewhat as he put his mind to the rest of the beasts. A couple of the wolves were already escaping, finding their pack leader''s demise. Thankfully, none of them were going where Xiv hid.


    Warden leapt from his spot and reached for one of the escaping wolves. Unaware of his advances, it couldn''t muster any line of defence against his attack. The de imed its life, still emitting smoky dark tendrils, sucking in the blood and essence of the yed creature.


    <strong>[+0.2 Strength.] </strong>


    He rested [Void Shroud] as there was no reason to keep the high energy burning ability against the minions. His speed dropped by a considerate level, and so did the defence, but the remaining wolves couldn''t even put a w mark on him until he imed all their lives.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.1 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.1 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.1 Strength.]</strong>


    After making sure none of the wolves stood their ground, Warden finally called the boy. "Xiv, you cane out now."


    Giving him time to recover from what he witnessed, Warden began collecting loot from the cursed creature. The core was something valuable, but what interested Warden more was the heart, which seemed to drive away his exhaustion for some time after ingestion.


    He peeled the fur of only the pack leader and left the rest as it was.


    "Xiv, you don''t need to collect all the hearts," Warden urged the boy. "The overflow might spawn more wolves soon. It''s better you go back to the vige by then."


    "Warden, you mean?"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll see you safe first."


    The boy sighed in relief audibly. "What is happening with the dungeon?"


    "The dungeon is unstable," Warden said, proving his guess. "It will continue to spawn creatures out of it until it reaches a stability point."


    <i>Or unless someone enters the dungeon and clears it. </i>


    "Come on, boy. We have no time."


    They sprinted their way back. Xiv was, of course, breathless halfway through. Thankfully, he had many of the hearts to drive away his exhaustion. Although eating the hearts of tainted creatures frequently might cause side effects to low-ranked rankers, Warden didn''t stop him.


    Xiv was getting closer to copper rank. The minor hup might just be a stepping stone for his advancement.


    They reached the rtively safe barracks of the vige within an hour. Hopefully, the dungeon hadn''t spawned more creatures in the meantime. Getting them in one ce was very convenient for Warden, being a one-man warrior for the vige.


    "Warden, you''re noting?" Xiv asked.


    He shook his head. "The best course of action currently will be to dispose of all the creatures that spawned outside," he said. "When that is done, I''ll enter the dungeon."


    "You alone?" Xiv sucked in a deep breath.


    "That seems to be the n." Warden shrugged. "With no one with me, I won''t be worried about other''s safety. I can only fight freely then."


    "But it''s a dungeon," Xiv said aloud. "Adventurers don''t enter the dungeon alone."


    Warden tilted his head. "Good thing I''m not an adventurer then, ye?"


    Actually, Warden didn''t have a clue what he was other than a warrior.


    Regardless, it became pretty clear to Xiv that he couldn''t stop the nomadic warrior from entering the dungeon.


    "Don''t worry, I''m barely getting a hold of my powers," Warden said, handing over the loot to the boy. "This isn''t even the full scope of my power."


    "Keep the heart," Xiv said, only taking the fur. "And we don''t know what to do about the beast cores. Liam mentioned a Cursed beast core is more valuable than a small vige like ours, you shouldn''t give away stuff like that."


    Warden raised an eyebrow. "You have a point, though you''re wrong about its values."


    Xiv gave an inquisitive gaze, but Warden didn''t borate.


    It is for you to understand the price of lives on your own, Xiv, Warden thought. His eyes lingered on Xiv''s spear, but he dismissed the thought of asking for it. For one, the body of the spear was made of wood. It wouldn''tst infusion of his void energy. Taking the spear would only be disarming the boy, not arming himself.


    Warden figured he got himself covered with two legendary artifacts and a sword that grew with each kill.


    He dashed back towards the wilderness, The wind rising, howling, pping his face. Warden still hadn''t had time to shave his beard. He guessed he''d say goodbye to it after he took care of the dungeon.


    Within a quarter of an hour, Warden crossed half of the path. He was in no mood to stop until he got there, but he had to stop, as howls of dozens of wolves red into his ears from ahead.


    Although not in his best condition, Warden braced himself for the fight. There was no humongous pack leader leading this time, nor was there anyone he needed to care about.


    He was alone in an expanse of the woods with the wolves.


    Warden was free to do anything.

 Chapter 23: Reinforcement

    <h4>Chapter 23: Reinforcement</h4>


    The town''s name was Triu, rtivelyrger than most towns, however, it wasn''t as developed as any town near the central region.


    Buildings were scattered over thend in a disoriented manner, as if there was no town nning during Triu''s development. The town guards were no stoic sorts either, merely a mismatched batch of ex-soldiers and young blood who had awakened sses with somebat attributes.


    Since they had already crossed the town once, it didn''t take much to prove their identity. As a matter of fact, it didn''t take anything, as one guard among them recognized their faces, particrly Kiara''s features, which were not easily forgotten, especially with themon-looking bunny fast asleep in her arms.


    Darkness fell over thend for some time, but their journey waspleted with rtive ease. However, the horses were tired, barely getting any rest throughout the day.


    They would have their much-earned rest soon after they reached the mayor''s house. If it were any other time, they would have looked for a local inn to settle in for the night, but with the beast attacks going on in the rural areas, Liam found it prudent to ensure their message reached the academy. Hopefully, the mayor would have a longread to send direct messages back to the academy.


    They had no problem locating the mayor''s estate among the mess of mismatched buildings. It was easily the most majestic ce the town could offer, spanning over a few acres ofnd, with a well-cultivated garden before the old-looking mansion. A couple of guards stood before the gate, doing a more convincing job than the rest they had encountered at the town gate.


    Obviously, they obstructed their path, cing their spears on the ground. "HOLD!" yelled the taller one on the right. "What is your purpose foring here?"


    Kiara left everything to Liam, as she mostly did for this mission.


    "We are assigned from the Third Arcane Academy," Liam said, dismounting from his horse. He brought out his badge to show it to the guards for authenticity. "We need to send an emergency message back to the academy as soon as possible. We are hoping to use the mayor''s Longread, as there are no others in this region."


    The two guards exchanged nces before the taller one spoke again. "Wait here," he said, disappearing inside.


    A couple of minutester, he returned, apanied by a younger man about their age.


    "Young master, they are asking to use the longread," the guard pointed at them for the young man.


    The youth inspected them for an extended moment with a t look, but unexpectedly, his face broke into a cordial expression as he came forward. "So you''re from the Third Academy," he said. "That makes us peers, then. . . I''m Yacob, a Fifth year Mentee at the Fifth Academy. Come on, get in, leave your rides for the guards to take care of them."


    "Much appreciated." Liam bowed as he beckoned Kiara to follow as well. "I''m Liam Wanley, fourth year. She''s Kiara, Third Year, but already is a Mentee."


    Mentee was a prestigious post among the students. It meant you had been recognised and held the potential to be trained directly by a mentor. Nobody makes it in their first couple of years, unless you awakened a rare ss like Kiara, or have a wealthy family with big connections.


    Kiara had both of them, talent and backing, so it wasn''t particrly surprising that she received offers of mentorship right from her first year. However, most of these offers were merely self-serving, prompting her to wait another year until she caught the attention of one of the academy''s pirs. Yacob raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, seemingly recognizing Kiara''s high pedigree from her appearance alone, his expression growing even more amiable. Kiara, however, remained oblivious to his recognition, as she often was with such matters.


    "Thank you," they both said as Yacob ushered them into the mansion. "Regarding the urgent matter?"


    "Ah, yes," Yacob replied, considering their request. "Shall I prepare for your rest and refreshment, or¡ª"


    "The message is of utmost urgency," Kiara interjected.


    "Very well, I''ll lead you to it then," Yacob said, his smile never faltering. Liam couldn''t discern whether it was genuine affability or just a well-rehearsed act. If it was thetter, then Yacob was indeed a skilled actor. "The Longread is situated in Father''s Office. He''s presently unavable, but I believe I can grant you ess in times of urgent need."


    They exited the mansion once more, making their way south toward the office building. Throughout the journey, Yacob maintained a steady stream of small talk, inquiring about various aspects of the academy and their mission. It became apparent that he was currently on a break afterpleting his own mission and was unaware of the recent developments in the region.


    "So, you both intend to alert the academy about this?" Yacob reasoned, a furrow forming on his brow.


    Liam nodded, sensing that Kiara wasn''t in the mood to respond. "Indeed," he confirmed. "We''ve already dispatched a messenger bird. However, we deemed it necessary to ensure the message''s receipt. Lives are at stake here."


    "In that case, you can rest assured," Yacob reassured them. "Your message has reached the academy, and they''ve dispatched a team to address the situation. They''re presently resting at our mansion."


    "What?" Kiara and Liam eximed simultaneously.


    Yacob reiterated the information, but Liam interrupted him, as both of them had heard him clearly the first time.


    "When did they arrive?" Liam inquired. "And how many are there?"


    "A group of ten," Yacob replied. "They arrived yesterday at noon."


    "Yesterday at noon," Kiara repeated, straightening up, the sleeping bunny still cradled in her arms. "Why haven''t theymenced their task yet?"


    Yacob hesitated, avoiding a direct answer. "I suppose they''re still making preparations," he finally offered.


    Liam couldn''t help but groan inwardly. He knew all too well the kind of preparations they were likely making¡ªthe same kind of dy that had urred when they had arrived a weekte to save his hometown.

 Chapter 24: Canibalism

    <h4>Chapter 24: Canibalism</h4>


    The chaotic energy pulsated with the same fervour as when Warden reached the dungeon. As the sun kissed the horizon, it bathed the surroundings in a warm glow. Warden had dedicated some time to confirm the absence of any wolves in the nearby areas, determined to prevent any tragedies from befalling the vige during his absence.


    With everything in order, he ventured into the cavern, heading towards the source of the chaotic energy. Darkness engulfed the interior, pierced only by an eerie silence. Life seemed absent; no insects buzzed, no signs of life appeared, no matter how deep he ventured. Minutes into his exploration, Warden encountered the dungeon core¡ªa massive, pulsating energy mass, throbbing unevenly like a restless heart. Its colours shifted between ck, red, and azure, with darkness prevailing.


    Approaching with caution, Warden extended his palm towards the sphere, almostrge enough to encase an elephant. Yet, the space within held much more than it appeared, concealing an entire subspace with an environment unlike the forest outside.


    Without hesitation, Warden touched the dungeon sphere. A chill cascaded down his spine, prompting an instinctual withdrawal. However, before he could react, his surroundings morphed into something entirely new.


    <strong>[You have entered a Grade-8 Dungeon: Wolf''s Nest]</strong>


    He found himself not in a cavern, nor underground, but beneath an open, star-filled sky. The absence of a sun did not dim the countless stars twinkling in the vast expanse above.


    The energy flow around him stilled. Void energy pulsated nearby, seemingly trying tomunicate, yet its message was lost in its wild, rapid movement, far surpassing any normal condition.


    A cold wind reminded Warden of his mission. He stood on rocky terrain, surrounded by enormous trees that demanded he tilt his head back to see their tops reaching for the sky, as if he had stepped into a giant''s world.


    [The Divider] at the ready, Warden moved stealthily along the rugged path, vignt for dire wolves. Given that the dungeon had only produced dire wolves thus far, he had no reason to expect other threats. Yet, the possibility of their presence lingered, albeit less menacing than the wolves.


    At that very instance, a mour of howls reverberated ahead of him as more than a dozen glowing azure eyes turned their attention to him. At the very moment of noticing him, they dashed toward him, outrunning one another to take a bite of him. There was a hunger in them, an unquenchable one.


    Just looking at their ferocity, he could imagine they wouldn''t stop until they were fed full, or to their demise. Putting the little things into perspective, Warden took a stance, bracing himself for thetter.


    Warden flew¡ªonly for a couple of seconds¡ªbut that was enough to break through the iing assault of the wolf pack. The ferocious beast lunged at him, but he reacted timely, as if he saw through their attack in slow motion. His sword shed, emitting dark purple tendrils.


    One move after another found purchase in the tainted creatures, sometimes beheading them, sometimes screwing through their skulls, other times simply puckering their windpipe.


    These lots didn''t possess the super-regenerative abilities of the Cursed ranked humongous wolf, so they would be dead before they could heal the wound in their windpipe.


    The familiar system notifications came, but Warden put no mind to them, running on the rugged terrain skilfully as he battled.


    <strong>[Copper grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+ 0.1 Strength] </strong>


    <strong>[+ 0.08 Strength] </strong>


    <strong>. . .</strong>


    <strong>[+ 0.04 Strength]</strong>


    <strong>[+ 0.09 Strength]</strong>


    As his numbers grew, the benefit he was getting from the ying of low-ranked creatures reduced as well. Only by ying iron-grade creatures would he be able to solve the imbnce in his attributes. He still had no answer for Mind, but Warden didn''t feel particrly stupid or anything other than his amnesia, so he could wait on that.


    His n was the same for the humongous pack leaders. The dungeon was a vast expanse, he couldn''t even glimpse the full scope of it. He could wait for them to turn up on their time.


    The battle continued for about two minutes, and with that, he confirmed the demise of thirteen copper-rank dire wolves.


    As he would be in the dungeon for some hours, Warden didn''t be impatient with collecting loots. They could wait until he took care of the big guns. It wasn''t like there was someone else to steal his rewards.


    However, Warden soon found out he should be wary of others taking his rewards in his next battle. There was, of course, no second person in the dungeon, but it was the dire wolves he should be wary of.


    As Warden left tens of tainted wolves dead on the ground in his wake on his way to im more, he found a Cursed Wolf devouring through the mass of corpses he left behind in great pleasure. It was especially aimed for the beast cores and the tainted hearts¡ªthe two of the most precious parts.


    "Cannibalism?" Warden mumbled as he approached. "Why am I not even surprised?"


    Humans couldn''t grow stronger devouring beast cores, but that didn''t mean cursed creatures could not. Even a Little Cupcake could do it.


    The cursed creature already devoured half a dozen wolves by the time Warden found it pulsating with dark, vtile power. Its eyes glowed in icy glee. Madness had taken it over, as the wolf continued to devour its kin, uncaring of his presence.


    "Oi," Warden shouted, feeling a sense of battle thrill and annoyance. "Those aren''t yours."


    Then he flew towards the beast, sword rising in a high arch to end it.

 Chapter 25: Longread

    <h4>Chapter 25: Longread</h4>


    The wolf reacted just as fast, as though its heavyweight had no effect on its agility. It leapt to meet his attack, pouncing with its ws.


    With his attributes growing, Warden didn''t have much of a difference between their physical attributes. Even still, the cursed dire wolf was stronger than him in sheer physical presence. He had to abandon the notion of confronting it head-on, as there could be more prey lurking in the dark.


    Warden manoeuvred himself over the back of the beast and plunged his sword in for a grip. The beast lunged in madness, struggling in pain and trying to swing him off its back.


    But his grip was strong, the de digging deeper into its body. The only regret was that he hadn''t pierced a more critical spot that would weaken the beast.


    Warden clutched the hilt with his left arm while infusing void energy into his right arm. Without further notice, he punched the neck of the beast with his full force. The void energy flung away from his palm and impacted on the beast''s skin, leaving behind scarred and torn skin.


    The wolf howled as Warden persisted on its back, mming his fist onto its neck unrelentingly. Filthy blood poured out more and more with his fist tearing into the same spot.


    Void energy had a terrible effect on its super regenerative ability. With the energy stagnating, its defence forms as well as the regenerative ability were diminished, leaving Warden with hardly any challenge.


    After a while, he literally tore through its windpipe, iming its life.


    [Iron Grade Energy harvested.]


    [+1.9 Strength.]


    [+0.3 Spirit.]


    Warden wiped the palm from the blood, only to find it wasn''t only smeared in the wolf''s blood. There was a fair share of his own blood.


    Cleaning his palm on the wolf''s fur, he found his palm was pretty torn up, skin split open and oozing out blood. He hadn''t even noticed it before.


    "Hmm, why don''t I feel much pain?" he thought aloud, and only then a slight tinge of pain registered in his mind.


    After he redacted the void energy, the wound closed pretty soon, leaving lightning-like split scars. Thinking it was all normal, Warden didn''t think much of it.


    ***


    Kiara was growing pretty irritated with the malfunction of the Longread device. They had been in the Transmission Chamber for half an hour, yet it seemed the young Artificer apprentice was still unable to locate the problem.


    Yacob''s face was red from embarrassment as he tinkered with lots of wires andplicated circuits. Kiaracked even the basic knowledge toprehend what the issue was. For once, Liam seemed to hold the same expression. This stuff about artificing and scripts were just tooplicated for rankers of other paths.


    "Sorry," Yacob said finally, lifting his head from the huge device nted in the chamber. "This model is just too old. There''s an issue in the script, which I''m afraid to tinker with. As you can imagine, a device like this didn''te cheap, even the ancient-looking one. I''m afraid to tinker it beyond repair."


    "Is there no one who can have a look at it?" Liam asked.


    "I''m afraid not," Yacob said. "I guess you guys have no other choice but to use the old way."


    "The old way?" Liam arched an eyebrow.


    "The receiver is faulty, but not the transmitter," Yacob exined. "We may not be able to receive a voice transmission, but we can send one."


    "Really?" Kiara''s expression brightened. "Then what are we waiting for?"


    "Well, nothing," Yacob said, gesturing with his palm as he got up. "Help yourself."


    He departed, leaving them exchanging nces with one another.


    "What?" Liam asked, finding her not making the call.


    "I don''t know how to make a connection on this kind of Longread," Kiara said, a little flustered. The ones she had at home were way smaller, with already registered connections to everyone she ever needed to call. Where this one looked like old junk, she had no clue how to even turn it on.


    Liam let out a breath and got near the seat of the board. "At least you have Professor June''s Connector Card?" he asked. "Or should I just connect to the mission hall?"


    "I have it," Kiara said curtly. She fumbled into her bag and brought out a sleek metal card. She handed it over without even giving it a look. Professor June had given it to her after she became her mentee, but even after almost a year, she never got to use it.


    Liam took the card and stuffed it into a slot under the reader. He pressed more than a handful of buttons, as the device came to life like a dying beast stirring up before eternal slumber.


    "It connected," Liam said, reading the glittering text in the reader. "Should I leave the message or..."


    "I''ll do it," Kiara said, determined.


    Liam gestured at the seat and stood up to stand behind her.


    "Professor June, it''s me, Kiara," she began immediately, taking the transmitter in her palm. "I don''t know if you received news of us, but I almost died."


    There was no answer from the other end, so she had to continue. Kiara expressed almost all her experiences, none of them chronologically. Even Liam, who had been with her for a time, had trouble understanding how she could make a mess of simple events. Perhaps that was how women talked among themselves, so he didn''t bother any more. After all, Kiara mentioned almost everything.


    From how Little Cupcake was lost, and then rescued by someone else, who even saved their lives, to how the beast attacked and how many people died.


    "I thought I would never see Cupcake again," Kiara said, leaving no semnce ofposure. "So I identally offended the man when he brought back Little Cupcake. Warden¡ªthat''s his name, apparently. I always thought it to be funny, don''t you think so? Thankfully, he didn''t take offence and continued to help the vige. Oh right, we left the vige this morning. He''s still there, making sure of their survival.


    "We are in Triu now, still a few days away from the academy. Hmm, I forgot to mention, there''s apparently some reinforcement arrived in the town, but they aren''t even taking it seriously. Liam had gone to ask why, but they just dismissed him, giving no answer."


    "Torin Walt," Liam said from behind. "That''s his name, a junior Instructor from the academy."


    "Walt?" Kiara perked her eyebrows. "Is he from the Walt family?"


    Liam shrugged and didn''t bother to give an answer. Well, there was no need for it, and with that, they reported this Torin Walt. If he didn''t do his work, Professor June would see to his abdication.


    "I''ll try to call again when we reach the next town and get a better Longread. Thank you. Your mentee, Kiara Ward."

 Chapter 26: Growth

    <h4>Chapter 26: Growth</h4>


    A couple of hours passed inside the dungeon, just like that. Warden had spent half of the time inbat, and the other half in recuperating. He needed time to recover his stamina and lost energy, after all.


    With little to no light present in the dungeon, he found hiding was pretty effortless with the help of his cloak. The maddening beasts were incapable of finding him from what he had found so far. Not to mention, they were probably busy with the heaps of corpses he left behind for them to consume.


    In the meantime, Warden had collected four iron-grade hearts, including the one he hunted outside the dungeon. As for beast cores, he had no specific number. They might as well have reached over a hundred by now. Most of them were obviously copper-ranked, with five of them being iron-grade.


    Currently, he was in the process of seeing if he could feed the cores to the de to empower it. Although [The Divider] was a growth item, the rate at which it was growing was super slow.


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (71%)]</strong>


    Warden understood the sword required soul energy, but the problem was that he was absorbing the lion''s share of the soul energy from the ying beasts to increase his attributes. The sword was barely getting any.


    Warden reckoned if the de absorbed all the energy instead of him, it would have already advanced to the next rank. But he couldn''t seem to find a way of stopping his absorption of energy, not that he would like to. Although his condition had grown better, he was still halfway from reaching a standard.


    That was why he would like to see if he could make the de grow without sacrificing his own growth.


    The little bunny grew stronger, ingesting the beast cores. He couldn''t see why the de couldn''t grow from beast cores. The cores were, after all, the energy pool of the beasts and the link between their physical body and spirit. There was bound to be some residual soul energy in them.


    If the cores didn''t work, he had nothing to lose. He could gain the beast cores pretty easily by hunting the endless number of beasts that festered in the dungeon.


    Warden infused energy into the de, enabling the [Soulsucker] ability, while in the other palm, he crushed one copper-ranked beast core.


    Bits of spark shed in the air above the de. The dark tendrils reacted to the disembodied energy and sucked them all in. In no time, all the smoky remnants from the core vanished.


    Warden found crushed fragments in his fingers which hadn''t transformed to energy and turned to the de.


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (71%)]</strong>


    Nothing changed, but he was sure the de absorbed the core''s energy. Perhaps he would have to repeat the process to get a result.


    Warden crushed one beast core after another, applying his void energy to it so that he could crush the core into fine bits. There was a fine skill in crushing the cores evenly. Warden had to apply his energy evenly in all directions with the same amount of pressure, and break it without putting any physical pressure.


    It was way harder than simply crushing it with his fingers, and why wouldn''t it be? Warden wasn''t simply crushing it, but transforming its form from solid to gaseous. He had to work for a quarter of an hour to have some sess in the correct way of applying void energy.


    Through this way, he was killing two birds with one stone. Warden found a surprising amount of improvement in his Imbuing skill after finding some sess.


    The de absorbed all energy slowly. And only after the eighth core, he discovered he wasn''t mistaken.


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (72%)]</strong>


    "Yes!" Without further notice, Warden proceeded to increase the de''s quality as much as possible.


    For each percentage of improvement, the de was taking more beast cores than the previous number. When [The Divider] reached 80%, it actually took sixteen beast cores for just 1%. And with that, Warden had run out of copper-ranked beast cores.


    Warden fidgeted with the five iron-ranked beast cores. He only thought for a second before beginning to crush them as well.


    With just the first core, the de jumped by two percentage points to his delight. The next one improved by another two percentage points. And by the end of all the beast cores, the percentage stood at 87%.


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (87%)]</strong>


    It looked like the sword would reach the next rank pretty soon, Warden thought. Unless there were some other criteria for the end jump.


    The dire wolves should be getting worked up with the amount of corpses he left behind in heaps. They should have gathered together by now, which was exactly what Warden aimed for. Why would he waste his time traveling the unknownnd and hunting, instead of letting the wolvese to him?


    With that, he stood up, after checking his own specs on the system page. There were improvements, but he felt he could do better.


    <strong>___________</strong>


    <strong>[Warden]</strong>


    <strong>Race: Human (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 27%)</strong>


    <strong>Title: [Redacted] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]</strong>


    <strong>Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]</strong>


    <strong>Disposition: Chaotic</strong>


    <strong>Rank: [Broken Cmity]</strong>


    <strong>Attributes:</strong>


    <strong>[Strength: 49.8]</strong>


    <strong>[Mind: 13.3]</strong>


    <strong>[Spirit: 75.7]</strong>


    <strong>[Recovery: 99]</strong>


    <strong>Abilities:</strong>


    <strong>[Imbuing: Copper- 41%] [Left Hand of Cmity: > 5%]</strong>


    <strong>_____________</strong>


    The improvement was mostly apparent in Strength and Imbuing. The void energy''s capacity was still under 5%, and even still it tore his skin when he directly used it through his body. He wondered how devastating it would be after it reached higher numbers.


    Warden finally turned in the direction of the howling beasts. Creeping in the dark, he found silhouettes of dozens of tainted creatures, dwarfed by not one or two, but six humongous cursed wolves.


    Warden would definitely die of energy deprivation if he fought them head-to-head. Thankfully, the beasts were dumb to put together any strategy for what he had in mind.


    It was about time he got serious.


    _______________


    If you like the book so far, consider leaving a review, or donating Golden tickets, and help it grow more...

 Chapter 27: Ghost Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 27: Ghost Wolf</h4>


    A humongous dire wolf drove away its smaller counterparts as it feasted on the corpses of its kin, unaware that whoever left its meal was lurking in the shadows. Its maw tore through the flesh savagely as a shadow shed over it.


    Before the creature could even move a muscle, a de plunged into its neck, ending the horrifying howl before it even began. Filthy blood sttered as Warden pried open the wound, the cloak''s veil slipping. But the job was already done, and the dire wolves feasted blissfully, taking no notice.


    <strong>[Iron Grade Energy harvested.]</strong>


    <strong>[+2.2 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.2 Spirit.]</strong>


    The cursed creature dropped onto the heap of mangled corpses, blood still sttering from the wound he inflicted. Warden enabled the veiling ability of the cloak yet again, as his silhouette became near-transparent in the dark.


    Collecting the iron-grade beast core and heart, he withdrew into the shadows yet again.


    It wasn''t until a few minutester that the smaller counterparts noticed the demise of the Cursed dire wolf. However, instead of looking for the yer of their pack leader, they began feasting on its corpse.


    Warden, aware of it all, put his attention on his next target. Another iron-grade dire wolf. After his sessful sneak attack on one, there were still five more left, apanied by eighty-odd tainted dire wolves. He decided he would take care of the threats first and then deal with the counterparts that couldn''t even put up a fight against him.


    There seemed to be some rule within the cursed-ranked beasts, as none of them feasted together. Each one of them on one of the heaps, leisurely devouring their kin with nothing but unrelenting hunger in their minds. That made it easier for Warden to deal with.


    He approached his second target in a simr fashion. This one was a headrger than the usual target, but its mind was still feeble. The only thought that remained in its head was for the filling of its stomach.


    Warden concealed himself for some time to wait for the right moment and buried the de into its head, right through its eyes. This one managed to let out a low growl, but he managed to stop it with the Void Shroud. Surprisingly, the beast didn''t just die right after.


    Warden had to force his void shroud to put it into its ce before jamming his de into its feeble brain. Its dying growl was muffled in the ethereal shroud as Warden began collecting his loot.


    <strong>[Iron Grade Energy harvested.]</strong>


    <strong>[+3.2 Strength.]</strong>


    That left four more, Warden thought, creeping towards his third target. After ying two cursed creatures with rtive ease one after another, he was brimming with confidence. These cursed creatures might have resilient physical bodies, but if caught off guard, they could barely put up any resistance.


    The third''s demise came just as effortlessly as the smaller counterparts finally seemed to notice something eerie in their presence. Of course, with the delicacies present in the surroundings, their dull minds didn''t bother with anything.


    It wasn''t until his fourth target that Warden finally came across resistance. He was sneaking on the target just like before, ready to plunge his de into its neck, when a loud growl boomed, sending a shiver down his spine.


    Warden acted immediately, spinning on his heels to flip and withdraw. The humongous shadow shifting in the background didn''t go unnoticed by his eyes.


    <strong>[You have been inflicted with Ghost Wolf''s tainted aura.]</strong>


    <strong>[You have resisted Ghost King''s tainted aura.]</strong>


    Warden might have resisted the tainted aura, but he was unable to escape the notice of the horrifying creature. Just as he could feel the unnatural aura move along with its shifting form, it could feel his disconcerting presence among its kin.


    The ghost wolf came into the middle, still howling, even though it did not affect him. A momentter, Warden noticed the tainted aura-infused howls weren''t just for him. The dire wolves that were feasting on the corpses, including the cursed-rank ones, stopped devouring as their attention shifted to the leader.


    The ghost wolf was asrge as thergest cursed wolf, but its presence was something else. Its whole presence was shrouded in a dark, smoky aura, much like Warden''s, though less condensed. Its eyes glowed, spilling out deep azure light. In contrast to the other wolves, its body seemed furless, jagged muscle shown proudly over glistening tar-like skin. But most horrifyingly, it had its eyes on Warden.


    Warden could feel this one was the big bad wolf of the dungeon, and killing it would very much settle the entire dungeon diving business. Sadly, he didn''t feel like he could take on the beast when it had three other cursed-rank creatures along with tens of dire wolves under its wing. Not to mention, more were approaching, hearing its howl.


    "Oh boy, if it ain''t a pickle," Warden muttered. His fourth target growled at him menacingly, as if waiting for themand from the Ghost wolf.


    Warden made his first move before any of the wolves moved. He drew in all the void energy with the 5% output, enabling both [Ethereal Veil] and [Void Shroud] for maximum potency.


    [Maya''s Protection] was more of a Radiance element artifact than a void element one. He was unable to execute any of its enchantments. His left palm tinged in irritation as he shot towards the fourth target, the de ready for a swing.


    The wolves howled all around him, making a cacophony which could be more than the little vige''s worst nightmare. But Warden was unwavering in his approach and met the beast head-on. His de shed, digging through the cursed creature''s ws to burrow into its neck. More wolves surrounded him, dashing towards him in a frenzy.


    Warden didn''t bother ending the wolf, as withdrawing took precedence over killing a single, cursed-ranked wolf. He twisted over its side and shot over the epassing mass of wolves, de shing to kill the weaker counterparts.


    However, the presence of the ghost wolf told him it would be a big hurdle before he could withdraw from the encirclement.

 Chapter 28: Upgrade

    <h4>Chapter 28: Upgrade</h4>


    Warden was exhausted beyond measure. It was worse than when he woke up near the stream. His insides were burning with an icy chill. Although he didn''t bear any serious injuries, thanks to the benefit of the legendary cloak and armour, his body was battered after tussling with the wretched wolves.


    With no other options in hand, Warden brought out the raw hearts he harvested from the cursed creatures and stuffed one of them into his mouth. It felt like he was eating a lump of squashy flesh, disgusting to the end. Worse, he had to chew it well to crush it into fine mush for ideal digestion.


    However, the worst possible realisation was that simply one raw heart wouldn''t be enough to bring back his vigor.


    Gritting his teeth, Warden stuffed another one into his mouth, leaning against the boulder as the cacophony of howls rang in his ears.


    The cloak''s [Ethereal Veil] was still active to the fullest, as even though he managed to escape the chase of the damned wolves, they could actually sniff their way to him. The veil camouged his aura and odor enough that even the wretched Ghost Wolf hadn''t managed to find him yet.


    Warden had to take the lesson the hard way to understand. Even the lowliest of the wolves here were predators by nature. They could easily find something after they had its scent. Thankfully, the cloak''s veiling ability not only countered against that, but even against divination and simr magic. Whoever made the cloak and armor for him seemed to have great insight.


    A fiery anguish erupted within him as the mushed heart settled in his stomach. His metabolism was of superhuman level, so he could put his mind at ease on the matter and work on the de.


    As intended, Warden brought out the cores and fed them to [The Divider]. He only had three iron-grade cores, so the progression barely reached the 92% mark.


    Sighing, he meditated for about half an hour. The hearts seemed to have done their work, as Warden was once again in his peak form after ending his meditation. All his energy had recovered, and the fiery anguish had almost driven away.


    In one sentence, Warden was ready for another round of tussle with the wretched wolves.


    He crept from his spot to hunt wolves again. Not much of his initial n had changed, even with all the dungeon creatures searching for him. He still sneaked onto the dire wolves and imed their lives and cores. Of course, he simply didn''t sneak on cursed-rank creatures, but rather whenever he found wolves in low numbers.


    With the wolves on high alert, sneaking on the cursed-rank creatures would be hard, so he had to improvise a little, which meant being a lot more cautious. The Ghost Wolf alone wasn''t enough to make him cautious on its own. Although it had remarkable instinct and agility with that weird shadow power, and high attributes, Warden was certain he could deal with it if it came alone, albeit after taking some blows.


    Of course, the equation might lean more towards him if he managed to upgrade his de before the battle.


    Warden reckoned its strength to be the very peak of the Iron rank, while its Spirit was in the early stage like his. While his Strength was still a few points away from making it to the Iron rank, his void energy and artifacts made up for the difference between their stats.


    He nned to deal with the mobs first and then begin the true hunt after his Strength and the de leapt another step forward.


    Unfortunately, the mobs weren''t doing it for him anymore.


    [Copper Grade Energy harvested.]


    [+ 0.1 Strength]


    [+ 0.09 Strength]


    [+ 0.08 Strength]


    ...


    [+ 0.04 Strength]


    [+ 0.09 Strength]


    He reckoned it would take over 30 copper-rank cores for 1% of improvement in the sword as well. Meaning, he wouldn''t be able to upgrade the de unless he targeted the iron-grade wolves as well.


    There were already three, but the Ghost Wolf called upon more. There were at least eight or nine lurking in the dungeon, searching for him at this moment.


    Warden searched too for his fourth target that he left wounded. It would be the easiest to deal with it.


    It appeared the Ghost Wolf''s reign wasn''t irond, as Warden did find a bunch of wolves getting back to the blissful devouring of their dead kin. The Ghost Wolf ruled over the rest of the minions, and the cursed creatures were through its kingly aura. However, on the benefit of not being anywhere near, itsmanding aura''s effect wore off, as the wolves returned to their feeble greedy mindset.


    Warden couldn''t help but chuckle inwardly as he approached a dozen wolves, which included an injured cursed one as well. This certainly was a weing surprise.


    Warden simply couldn''t silence all their howls. That was why he targeted the cursed-ranked one first. While the minions howled and fled away, he made sure its demise was literally beheading it in one clean sweep.


    This was the first time he had managed this feat with the iron-grade equivalent foe, although much of the credit went to it being already wounded and feeble, with the void energy feasting on its recovery ability.


    [Iron Grade Energy harvested.]


    [+ 1.7 Strength.]


    [+ 0.2 Spirit.]


    He only collected the beast core and enabled the veil to fade into the darkness.


    The cacophony the rest of the minions created called another pack of wolves, led by another cursed wolf.


    Warden''s lips split into a menacing smile as he jumped into the battle before the creatures could even expect it.


    [Iron Grade Energy harvested.]


    [+ 1.9 Strength.]


    The third time was the charm, but it was very much a recipe for disaster after cashing in the prize twice. So Warden departed from there to hunt wolves from other regions.


    He didn''t take any chances, always wary of the Ghost Wolf''s location while hunting. With most of his abilities on disy during the fight, Warden exhausted himself yet again within an hour.


    Thankfully, he not only just managed to hunt down two or three cursed wolves, but four, along with tens of tainted ones. The de already clicked at 93% after absorbing the remnants of energy from the yed beasts, but with the cores, Warden might just make it.

 Chapter 29: Reaper’s Edge

    <h4>Chapter 29: Reaper''s Edge</h4>


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (Growth: 99%)]</strong>


    Even with all the cores he collected, Warden fell short by a little. All the copper-ranked cores only increased the percentage by one digit. While the rest of the growth was on the benefit of the five iron-ranked cores. Sadly, it appeared he needed one more.


    Devouring another heart of the cursed creature, Warden moved through the darkness. His work throughout the hours should have spread the dire wolves thin, yet somehow their intensity didn''t seem to be diminishing.


    As his power recovered, Warden stalked a pack of wolves, led by another cursed wolf. They had been running amok aimlessly in order to locate him, the impact of the Ghost Wolf''s aura almost reducing to nothing, as the pack leader was already showing signs of resistance.


    Warden decided he had watched everything from the shadows. It was time to act. Without a second consideration, he lunged at the beast; the cloak transforming around him in a cascade of darkness as he swung his de.


    The Divider whispered through the air and connected to the neck of the beast, almost dividing itpletely with the sheer amount of spirit and strength Warden put into it. However, the iron-rank beasts were a resilient bunch. Warden only had sess once with all the attempts he had.


    Still, it had done the deed, even though his strength and precision weren''t exactly precise.


    <strong>[Iron Rank Energy harvested.]</strong>


    <strong>[+ 1.6 Strength.]</strong>


    Finding their pack leader dead in a stter of filthy blood, the minions howled, a few of them fled, while the rest charged at him in wild abandon.


    The copper-ranked wolves had no interest in his eyes as his attribute rose. Warden proceeded to the more important task at hand, which was to collect the beast''s core. He braced [Void Shroud] to fling away a couple of the wolves and obstructed attacks of a few until he tore through the dead creature''s head to pry open a dimly lit core.


    "With this, I''m another step closer to killing that damn ghost," Warden thought, the core in hand.


    Just then, a ghostly howl resounded above him, as he found an eerie figure pouncing on him.


    "Motherfu¡ª" Warden didn''t even have time toplete his cursing. He used [Void Shroud] to obstruct its advances, putting all his will into it.


    The Ghost Wolf was a slippery foe. No matter how much attack he had inflicted, it slipped through most of them unscathed. Only after a few interactions with it did Warden find the Ghost Wolf had the power to negate most physical damage.


    In any normal condition, all adventurers who came across a foe like this would have to fall prey to its unique abilities in the end. But not Warden. His [Cloak of Void Radiance] had just the counter against its unique ability.


    The Ghost Wolf couldn''t negate or escape the effect of [Void Shroud], like not at all. Even the normal cursed wolves could push against the shroud, making Warden waste more energy, but the Ghost Wolf couldn''t seem to even push forward. It was as if it had no physical presence.


    Of course, that wasn''t the truth. Warden had seen before that¡ª


    The Ghost Wolf howled as its aura permeated throughout the surroundings. Soon more wolves began to turn up on its summon. Warden didn''t withdraw this time, but watched. He watched the Ghost Wolf disappearing into thin air as more of its minions came to surround him.


    "Fuck, it has been some time since I''ve been here," Warden cursed. "Let''s get this over with now."


    With that, he infused void energy into the core and crushed it into its essence energy and let it all be devoured by the sword.


    <strong>[The Divider: Umon (Growth: 100%)]</strong>


    <strong>[Upgrade condition met...]</strong>


    <strong>[Unlocking The Divider''s potential...]</strong>


    The de stirred in his palm as the dark void energy condensed within its form. A dark purple glow spilt out from the sword. Warden held it up and let it tear through the sky in its brilliance.


    That was certainly a brilliant spectacle, as it seemed to work as a beacon to call upon all the wolves in the surrounding areas.


    <strong>[Upgradeplete...]</strong>


    <strong>[Congrattions! The Divider has reached Rare Grade.]</strong>


    <strong>[The Divider has a new unlocked enchantment: Reaper''s Edge.]</strong>


    <strong>[The Divider: Rare (Growth: 0%, Condition: 0/10)</strong>


    <strong>Created out of a broken fate lock, The Divider lost some of its properties, however, it is still a growth item that can reach Unique rank in time. The sword is created to amodate the wielder''s ability and mold by their soul.</strong>


    <strong>Enchantments:</strong>


    <strong>+20% Efficiency Strength and Spirit.</strong>


    <strong>+80% Reinforcement.</strong>


    <strong>+80% Amplification.</strong>


    <strong>Soulsucker: Absorbs decreased creature''s soul energy to strengthen the de.</strong>


    <strong>Reaper''s Edge: Uses the invested energy to extend the sword''s reach. Current extension: 8 Meters.]</strong>


    <strong>PS: The sword is bonded to the user. The destruction of the de will cause severe soul trauma to the wielder.]</strong>


    Warden couldn''t help but check the sword''s specs as he felt a sharp spike in its capabilities. Looking at the upgraded info, Warden was more than ted. Especially with the newfound ability, Reaper''s Edge. It would solve the issue with too much close-quarterbat for him.


    With a grin on his lips, Warden abandoned the [Void Shroud] and triggered [Reaper''s Edge]. The wolves had surrounded him from all directions. Their legion consisted of over a hundred copper-ranked equivalent minions, seven pack leaders, and one Ghost Wolf, which seemed to be currently tussling with one of its own kin.


    The Ghost Wolf forced its way into one of the pack leaders, half of its form already vanished into the cursed creature''s body, as it fought to have total control over the new body. It clicked in Warden''s head as he watched the Ghost Wolfbine with another iron-ranked equivalent creature to regain the form he had seen before.


    "So that''s how it is," Warden mumbled, taking his stance, his de extended over three meters already, hidden within the smoky tendrils. Surprisingly, there was not much change in its mass. "Makes no difference to me. Come on!"


    Warden charged, sweeping the long de at the howling beasts.

 Chapter 30: Divided

    <h4>Chapter 30: Divided</h4>


    A dozen wolves dropped dead in a stter of gore and blood, heads severed, limbs cut off, mangled. Worse of it all, they were yed in one swing, a full arc swing.


    [Reaper''s Edge]''s reach was beyond reproach.


    <strong>[Copper Grade Energy harvested.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.05 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.03 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>...</strong>


    <strong>[+0.08 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.02 Strength.]</strong>


    [Congrattions! Strength has reached the 75-point mark.]


    [Strength has touched Iron Grade. Energy below Iron Grade will not benefit your Strength]


    Warmth blossomed within Warden, driving away more of the inherited despondency and exhaustion. The very muscles in his body twisted in an agonizing effect, but Warden gritted his teeth and endured it all, knowing it was beneficial to him.


    He grew even an inch or two taller as well, his form bing more... condensed, he guessed. He didn''t have the right words to describe this metamorphic transformation. He figured it wouldn''t be wrong to say he was bing more divine because in no possible way would a human-sized body¡ªalbeit taller than most¡ªhave such meteoric strength.


    Moreover, he could feel it was merely the beginning. Some of the invisible weights were put down from his back, still far from reaching his peak, but he was a lot freer than before.


    The Ghost Wolf hadpleted its fusing with the cursed wolf. It charged at him, minions in tow, determined to sink their teeth into this interloper.


    Warden found the extended Divider wasn''t so good for quick swings. It had to return to the original form for him to showcase traditional sword moves. Of course, Warden abandoned that notion, awakening [Void Shroud]. Even if one or two wolves managed to sneak in between his sword moves, he would deal with them with the shroud.


    Determined, he leapt into the air, sword moving left and right in a full circle with a radius of over three meters. With double efficiency in handling energy as well as amplification, Warden was having an easier time severing heads.


    Within seconds, he killed over a couple of dozen wolves and understood [Reaper''s Edge] wasn''t for simple swordsmanship but for a massacre. On the ground, he would definitely have trouble fighting a seasoned sword master with the sheer length of the sword, but the wolves were feeble in mind, and nor was he on the ground.


    He extended the sword''s length to the highest of 8 meters, as it drilled through the neck of an iron-ranked wolf. It barely growled once when Warden swung it to his right, the corpse flinging away from the sword''s tip.


    The Ghost Wolf had trouble going through his [Void Shroud], but even with its now superior power, it was unable to make contact with him. It was swift, which was a nuisance for him.


    Warden didn''t seem to be trained in how to use the eight-meter-long de most efficiently, as the dungeon boss seemed to be getting away from his attacks with rtive ease as well.


    So far, Warden left it to do as it pleased while he thinned out its minions. Once his strength reached the Iron Grade, it seemed to increase exponentially. The copper-ranked equivalent wolves were mere cabbages to the Divider. As for the iron-ranked...


    Warden plunged onto the back of a Cursed Wolf, his [Void Shroud] keeping it in ce as the de tore through the semi-transparent and semi-corporeal shroud to pierce into its head.


    Warden retracted [Reaper''s Edge] to withdraw from the dead beast and extended the de towards the Ghost Wolf that lunged at him from behind, its huge maw opening to take a bite of his head. He let ite, but the very moment it was about to pounce on him, the de extended its edge, burrowing deep into its maw.


    The dungeon boss tried to escape, but Warden limited its path, crushing the full force of the shroud over it, freezing it in its ce, not even letting it struggle.


    These tainted creatures feel fear, Warden had seen it the very morning he came across one near the stream. And he also saw it now in the eyes of the wolf he was about to kill.


    Another cursed-ranked wolf came from behind and crashed into Warden, sending him tumbling to the ground. He had to extend [Void Shroud] tond on his feet, but the sword was still plunged into the mouth of the boss somehow, even though he wasn''t towering over it.


    Warden could actually move in the direction where the sword tip moved. It wasn''t as flexible as a whip, but it could bend in the direction of the wolf''s brain.


    With a sharp gasp, Warden drew more energy into the de and extended it to pierce through the dungeon boss''s head. The tip of the de tore through the head of the beast in a smear of blood as Warden intended, the excitement of the breakthrough finally growing thin within him.


    <strong>[Iron Grade Energy harvested.]</strong>


    <strong>[+1.5 Strength.]</strong>


    <strong>[+0.9 Spirit.]</strong>


    With that, the dungeon boss was dead. It seemed to have arge chunk in Spirit, as he received the most points in Spirit ever.


    The rest of the creatures finally came out of their trance, though with their dull brains, they could either flee or fight to theirst breath. Warden liked if they chose thetter, as it would be a bother to chase after them.


    Only three of the cursed wolves remained, one injured, another one on its way to flee, and the remaining one on its way to pounce on him. He weed it with open arms, of course, after gutting the tip of the sword into its skull.


    With not much difference between their physical strength anymore, Warden didn''t find the feat that hard, though he did crush its brain, providing a sufficient amount of void energy.


    Warden barely had a tenth of his energy left. He wouldn''t even recover much from ingesting another heart, as he had already done it thrice. He would have to deal with the rest more in physical terms while waiting for his energy to recover on its own.


    Good thing the winner of the battle was already decided.

 Chapter 31: Dungeon Core

    <h4>Chapter 31: Dungeon Core</h4>


    Warden sighed in relief. Theplete silence in the surroundings was more than weing, considering he had been inside the dungeon for half a day.


    He didn''t know the amount of time he took to clear it was slow or efficient. He was certain a group of well-based team of adventures would do a great job of it, but he wasn''t so sure about the lone warrior.


    Well, considering his current attributes and upgraded weapon, he was pretty sure he couldplete the dungeon within a couple of hours if he was desperate enough. His strength almost doubled in thest few hours, which was great, even though he couldn''t say this was a healthy exercise.


    He figured the only reason he grew so much was because he could hunt creatures stronger than him. But now with his Strength reaching iron grade, it would be a lot more difficult. He would have to hunt Silver-rank creatures to get simr benefits as far as he was concerned, which would be quite tough even with two legendary and rare equipment.


    Ignoring the disparity of stats, Warden hadn''t be a true Iron rank in spirit. Well, his Spirit was always on the periphery of Iron rank the moment he woke up near the stream, but attribute points weren''t everything. It matters more how you use it.


    And only opening more hidden apertures would let him do that. It was the only possible way to use the untapped power of his attributes. With one aperture opened, void energy''s capacity would remain below 5%. Of course, it was still devastating to a fault, tearing even his own body.


    So far what he fought was only a mindless beast that couldn''t even put a defence against the void energy, but the equation would be different if he was up against a true elite warrior.


    Warden put those thoughts away and looked around. He had collected most of what precious things he could extract from the beast, which were mostly limited to beast cores and their heart.


    "Now it''s time to get out," he muttered, unsure how to go about that. If he wasn''t wrong, he would have to find the gate through which he entered. But killing all the dire wolves inside only stabilised the monster spawn, it didn''t seem to clear out the criteria for why the dungeon was formed.


    In time, the monster would spawn again and again, would attack the nearby viges in their hunger. Adventures would always have to dungeon dive once in a while to keep the viges safe.


    "Not unless I destroy the dungeon core," Warden thought aloud.


    His distracted mind seemed to give one sneaky little ghost the bright idea that he would be vulnerable to its attack.


    A semi-corporeal wolf sneaked on him from behind and was just about to pounce on him, unaware Warden was conscious of such an attack the very moment he killed the Dungeon boss.


    Before the ghostly invisible spirit could even make contact with him, his clock shed in dark purple, pinning it down on the ground.


    "I knew something was fishy when I managed to kill you before so easily," he said, leaning to make eye contact.


    It was, of course, the ghost wolf in its spirit form. It hadn''t died when Warden had killed the cursed wolf it fused with, however, it did seem to have weakened by a fair margin. Against the power of [Void Shroud], it had no power to contend with.


    In the end, it seemed to resign to its fate and acted docile, giving kind puppy eyes.


    "Now who''s a good boy?" Warden asked, as the ghost wolf woofed. "Who''s a good boy?"


    "Woof!"


    "Well, definitely not you," Warden snorted. He masked his palm with the void aura and pushed through the head of the beast. It felt like pushing against a tangible element which was registering your touch. The beast understood exactly what Warden was aiming for, as its entire demeanour changed into scared shitless.


    It howled onest time in struggle, but Warden found its unique core pretty easily and forked it out, tearing through the spirit form of the creature.


    Its actual death wasn''t as swift and deserving, as what it went through now, as its whole form disintegrated into nothing. Warden felt bad killing it slowly like that, but he had no other way. Well, other than crushing the unique core, which he figured should be studied.


    <strong>[Iron grade energy harvested.] </strong>


    <strong>[+1.2 Spirit.]</strong>


    With that, Warden searched around to find the dungeon core. His loss of memory didn''t provide any hints of where it could be, but once he calmed down from all the battle frenzy, he managed to track down the pulsation of void energy along with some other nearing the other part of the ragged terrain.


    Warden found a cave, smaller than the one in the real world. Within it, he found the dungeon heart. It was simr to the gate, only that far more condensed and as big as a human head, thousands of strands of the weave of energy lines spilt from it, tangible and intangible to form the dungeon subspace.


    Other than void energy, there was dimension force, gravity, and probably matter, and antimatter.


    Warden wasn''t sure if he should cut down the link first or simply destroy the core safely. Take note of the word safely, as a heavy hand experiment might lead to the dungeon imploding or exploding. Warden didn''t know which it was, but he surely wouldn''t survive an implosion.


    He tried to cut the connection to the subspace first, but all his efforts turned useless as the core re-established the connection in mere seconds. There seemed to be a mechanism in it.


    <i>Perhaps I should leave it behind,</i> he thought as an idea grew in his mind. O<i>r perhaps. . . </i>


    Warden acted on his gut feeling and touched the football-sized dungeon core, wondering if he could manipte it somehow. If he could somehow draw in the void energy and time the explosion right, then possibly. . .


    <strong>[Void Prison Realm is trying to ess Grade-8 dungeon subspace: Wolf''s Next.]</strong>

 Chapter 32: Dungeon Eater

    <h4>Chapter 32: Dungeon Eater</h4>


    A chill ran down his spine as the cold energy flowed within him. essing the void energy turned out to be easier than he thought. Even the tyrannical Dimension force became somewhat docile under his control. A weird yet familiar sensation ran through him, as if he hade across something like this before.


    His mind warned him of the wisdom in tinkering with power he barely understood. Yet, his power stirred within him, urging him to im the untapped potential.


    <strong>[Void Prison Realm is trying to ess Grade-8 dungeon subspace: Wolf''s Nest.]</strong>


    "Huh? This again?"


    <strong>[Connectionplete.]</strong>


    <strong>[Void Prison Realm sessfully essed Grade-8 Dungeon Subspace: Wolf''s Nest. Ready for Assimtion.]</strong>


    <strong>[Please confirm: ept | Decline]</strong>


    Warden stared at the notification for a while suspiciously. He wasn''t exactly sure what this Void Prison Realm was, but he knew he was connected to it somehow. All his power stemmed from it.


    The Void energy that made his job so much easier was a gift from the Void Prison Realm. He figured assimting would only make it stronger. Also, it was asking his permission, not outright beginning whatever process there was to be.


    "I guess why not?" Warden muttered. "Sure."


    <strong>[Confirmation epted!]</strong>


    <strong>[Preparing Assimtion...]</strong>


    <strong>[Advising the user to cease all hyperactive functions during the process. Please be calm, it might take a while.]</strong>


    Warden wasn''t sure when or how it happened, but the next thing he knew he was inside an extremely peculiar space¡ªa subspace of a sort, but far more chaotic than the dungeon. Around him was only darkness, with energy pulsations in their ever-changing state. Purple, ck, red, azure, emerald; they were changing colours that would put a chameleon to shame.


    However, Warden didn''t have time to appreciate the horrific beauty of this state of energy, as it seemed like they were all gunning for him. In a blink of an eye, time seemed blurred, and he found the energy suffocating him, suppressing him under their ungodly force.


    He couldn''t even let out a groan, let alone muster a counter against it. He remembered the system asking him to stay calm through the process, but he wasn''t sure if he would be able to manage that.


    Warden already noticed a few times he didn''t feelmon pain as he should have, however, he felt whatever the energy was doing to him. It was an ungodly amount of pain. If pain alone could kill him, he shouldn''t have any right to stay alive, yet alive he was in some ethereal spiritual state.


    The changes were happening simultaneously to his physical and spiritual form, only his mind was getting the full brunt of the alteration.


    <strong>[Void Prison realm essing the hidden $%^&%$%%&%^]</strong>


    <strong>[Installing Dungeon &<i>^&</i>$%$%% Error!]</strong>


    <strong>[Error#0! Foundation Lacking!!!!]</strong>


    <strong>[&$#$%@@%^ Vessel rank Insufficient!!!!]</strong>


    <strong>[Rewriting Corruption status... 27%... 28%... 29% ERROR!!!]</strong>


    A soul-wrenching pain assaulted him the very moment the messages beganing. Warden hardly heard anything correctly, but it appeared the Void Prison Realm found him insufficient and was drastically trying to alter something about his very being.


    It was rising fast, and Warden could only slow it down through sheer will, unsure what more corruption would entail for him.


    Then it all stopped and came into a deep, bitter voice.


    <strong>[Not Again!]</strong> It wasn''t themon monotonic system voice. It was a feminine voice alright, but it bore emotions. Emotions of the extreme kinds. <strong>[I won''t let it destroy our only chance! Not again!]</strong>


    Who? Warden wanted to ask, but he couldn''t even master his will, just react within his mind, though the owner of the voice seemed to understand him, not that she or whatever they were bothered to answer him.


    <strong>[Not even a week, and already a disaster... I''m afraid you have to hurry, my Dear <i>redacted</i>]</strong>


    The pain assaulted his mind again, not even letting him understand what she was saying.


    <strong>[I''ll help,]</strong> the voice said again, though the emotion it radiated feltpletely different from before. <strong>[I''ll try, but you know it is.]</strong>


    A deep sense of sadness grew in his heart. Warden struggled to break free from his confines, but to no avail.


    No, I don''t know. He wanted to shout, but no voice came. Please tell me who are you? Who am I? What happened to me? Please, I don''t think I¡ª


    There were countless questions he could ask, in the hope of getting even a hint of an answer. But his consciousness faded to nothingness soon enough. Warden was bitter, almost giving up when the voice transferred again.


    <strong>[Find the Oracle...]</strong> The voice was faint, almost making him question if he had even received an answer at all.


    Then all the wrongness with the system returned to how it was before, as Warden went unconscious.


    <strong>[Interference detected!]</strong>


    <strong>[Unable to determine interference!]</strong>


    <strong>[Void Prison Realm sessfully essed Hidden Aperture(Wrist): The Gate of Spirit.]</strong>


    <strong>[Assimting unique Fatelock ability: Void Space.]</strong>


    <strong>[Achievement Unlocked! Dungeon Eater.]</strong>

 Chapter 33: Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 33: Trouble</h4>


    Xiv waited at the gate of the vige since the morning, waiting for Warden to return. He waited tilltest night as well, but there was no sign of their savior since he left for the dungeon.


    Many of the vigers seemed to grow discontent with his absence and even med him for letting Warden go, as if Xiv had any power to stop thenky man who could take on packs of wolves on his own effortlessly.


    He told them multiple times that Warden had gone to the dungeon to take care of their problem, which was his duty. Half of the vige was already certain Warden was dead in the dungeon and would never being back.


    Many families left for the nearest town, Triu, in groups over a couple of days. They knew their life in town wouldn''t be any morefortable, but to them, living was all that mattered. Xiv couldn''t stop them even if he wanted to. Even if the vige was rtively safer now, they had all experienced the disaster and loss.


    The little vige meant nothing to them if they could keep on living safely somewhere else. Xiv''s own thoughts wereplicated on the matter. Although he had gone to the town a few times with his Dad, the vige was all he knew. But now, with his family gone, he guessed it would be better if he left as well, though he wasn''t sure where.


    "Xiv, you''re here," Onia yelled, running in.


    Onia was only a year younger than him, and like him, had lost everything in the beast tide. They had literally been neighbors and friends since childhood. Well, considering the vige was small, most youths could be considered his friends since childhood, though none of them were as close to him as she was.


    "What are you doing here alone all day?" She said, gasping. "You haven''t had anything to eat yet. Come back with me."


    "Onia, I''m not really hungry at the moment," Xiv lied.


    "Then apany me and watch me eat," she said,tching his arm with hers. She began pulling, not in the mood to listen to anything he had to say.


    "Onia, just listen to me for once," Xiv grumbled, breaking his arm free from her clutch. With his improved Strength, it was as easy as eating a pie. "I''m not in the mood right now. I promise I''ll eat with you at dinner."


    Xiv turned his head back on the lookout again. Then a ssh of water hit him on the head.


    "Why did you do that for?" He turned, screaming.


    Onia cast another ball of water and sshed it on his face without warning, and proceeded to st the water at him continuously. The spell was never threatening, but it was irritating to no end, especially when Xiv was in such a state.


    "Would you stop already?" he shouted, his voice losing in the ssh of water. "Onia, I said..." the impact of water rose. "Fine, you win. Let''s go eat together."


    Onia finally stopped, a victorious smile on her lips. "So you finallye to your senses," she said.


    "I had to," Xiv grumbled, wiping his face clean with his sleeves. "Not having magic is truly a disadvantage."


    "Xiv," ¡ªOnia caught his arm¡ª "You are not responsible for the whole vige. Not even your father, who was the vige head, was responsible for the entire vige. So stop putting all the weights on your shoulders and look¡ª"


    A whistle cut Onia''s speech as both of them turned to find a person sitting on the fences without their notice. A moment ago there was no one there, but now a thin man with a rough beard was looking at them.


    "Sorry to interrupt you two lovebirds," said the man with an impish grin, "but is this the vige attacked by wolves a couple of days ago?"


    Xiv exchanged a look with Onia as he came in front of her. He wasn''t sure where to begin, but the outlook the man was giving didn''t bode well for him. There was no joviality in his smile.


    "Are you deaf, boy?" the man asked, brows creasing together.


    "Um, no," Xiv answered. "I was a bit surprised to find you there. Sir?"


    "Sir, eh?" the manughed again. "I guess I''m Sir to you. Now answer my question."


    "Yes, we were attacked by packs of dire wolves for thest couple of weeks," Xiv answered. "There were attacks before but never constant or frequent."


    "And you have hunted down these wolves?" the man asked again.


    "Um, there were adventurers from the academy who came to our rescue," Xiv said. "Without them, it would have been impossible for us to survive."


    "But they have left, haven''t they?" the man asked. He didn''t seem to need acknowledgement on that as he continued, "Pompous nobles from the academies, they called it a job done after they killed a few wolves and left all of you to die in the next attack."


    Xiv was growing more and more worried as he listened to him. He was pretty sure this man was no noble adventurer like the three their vige had seen in recent times. They were more like¡ª


    "Go carry out our orders," the man croaked, jumping from the fence to stand before him. "Call all the vigers in one ce and wait for our arrival. It will be beneficial for both of our sake."


    "But, sir, who are you?" Onia asked from behind Xiv. "Why do you want everyone together?"


    The man gave her a look and licked his lips, grinning ear to ear. "You don''t know, Little Girl?" heughed, bringing out a handy dagger. "I thought it was pretty self-exnatory. I am what you call a bandit. And our whole band ising to this little vige."


    Both of their expressions were ashen, as Xiv clutched his spear tighter.


    "Now, contrary to what you know about bandits, we are a more civil bunch." The man took a step forward. "If you are civil with our needs, we can all get this over with without any bloodshed. Won''t you say that''s for the best?"

 Chapter 34: System Update

    <h4>Chapter 34: System Update</h4>


    Warden awoke feeling sore all over. It was still dark all around him, but he wasn''t in a dungeon any more. He peeked around to find he was inside a cavern, the one where the dungeon should have been.


    "What happened to the dungeon gate?" he mumbled as system notifications shed over his peripheral vision.


    <strong>[Void Prison Realm sessfully essed Hidden Aperture (Wrist, Heart Vein): The Gate of Spirit.] </strong>


    <strong>[Congrattions! You have unsealed hidden Aperture (Wrist, Heart Vein): The Gate of Spirit.] </strong>


    <strong>[Left Hand of Cmity capacity rises to 10%.]</strong>


    <strong>[Assimting unique Fatelock ability: Void Space.]</strong>


    <strong>[Spirit Space Formation Report:</strong>


    <strong>Formation: Iplete. </strong>


    <strong>Grade: 9</strong>


    <strong>Energy Density: Stable</strong>


    <strong>Elemental Stability: 6.9 </strong>


    <strong>Link to Void Prison Realm: Iplete.</strong>


    <strong>Spirit Assimtion: Iplete.]</strong>


    <strong>[Achievement Unlocked! Dungeon Eater.]</strong>


    <strong>[Dungeon Eater: You have assimted a dungeon into your Spirit and made it your own. Not many have achieved such feats. You are one step closer to regaining your lost visage.]</strong>


    <strong> +40% Spirit Efficiency]</strong>


    <strong>[Updating system. . .]</strong>


    Warden read almost twice after listening to the monotonic system voice uttering them. Now he had a pretty good idea what happened to the dungeon, though he wasn''t sure if it was a good thing or not.


    Well, it was good for the vigers, as they wouldn''t have to worry about dire wolves any more. But what about him? The dungeon was literally inside of him¡ªhe wasn''t sure how that was possible¡ªwould the creatures still spawn within him?


    Warden lifted his left palm to find the ck spiral mark all over his palm, reaching his wrist to form a new swirling circle that seemed to revolve just with a stir. The newly opened aperture.


    Warden was prepared to check how to ess the dungeon, but considering his state and ce, he only satisfied himself with a quick check of a mental image of his apertures.


    He saw two thick roots following and connected to the core in his centre. Even though he was sure, he felt a sheer spike in his strength. He hadn''t tested yet, but he figured he had at least quadrupled his strength from this disaster,e fortune.


    Fortune. Warden''s mind stirred as he remembered the voice and what she told him. Somehow, he was unable to remember it all, but the voice did leave a strong impression in his mind.


    <i>Find the Oracle. . . </i>


    Warden sped his fist and came out of the cavern. It was bright sunlight outside, an hour into the noon. As always, he found his cloak pristinely clean as he turned it back to white and hit the road towards the vige.


    There was dirt and blood on his body, his stomach growling in both thirst and hunger. The hearts he ate barely did anything to quench his hunger, to be honest.


    With a thought, he summoned the system to have a quick look at the changes. However, he certainly hadn''t expected so much more in it.


    <strong>___________</strong>


    <strong>[Warden]</strong>


    <strong>Race: Human/Celestial (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 31%)</strong>


    <strong>Title: [Dungeon Eater] [Redacted] ... [Redacted]</strong>


    <strong>Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm] </strong>


    <strong>Unlocked Aperture: [The Pce of Toil, (Left Palm)], [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)]</strong>


    <strong>Bonded Artifact: [Cloak of Void Radiance (Legendary)], [Maya''s Protection (Legendary)] [The Divider (Rare, Growth: 0%)</strong>


    <strong>Disposition: Chaotic</strong>


    <strong>Rank: [Broken Cmity (Iron)]</strong>


    <strong>[Core: Unique, Void Element. Unable to determine further.]</strong>


    <strong>Attributes: </strong>


    <strong>[Strength: 79.8] | Efficiency: +40%</strong>


    <strong>[Dexterity: 75] | Efficiency: +20%</strong>


    <strong>[Mind: 14.9] | Efficiency: ¡ª</strong>


    <strong>[Spirit: 78.7] | Efficiency: +80%</strong>


    <strong>[Recovery: 99] | Efficiency: +62%</strong>


    <strong>Abilities: </strong>


    <strong>[Imbuing: Copper- 64%] [Regeneration: Iron - ??%]</strong>


    <strong>[Left Hand of Cmity: > 10%] [Void Space: Grade-9]</strong>


    <strong>_____________</strong>


    Warden barely got any information on the very first time he woke up near the stream. However, after opening an aperture, he received a better view of his status. But by opening the second aperture, the system quantified his status much more clearly. There was even a new attribute. Dexterity, marked at 75 points.


    Did that mean there would be more information the more aperture he unlocked?


    Dismissing the thought, Warden checked his status. The first thing he noticed was the Celestial tag in his Race along with the corruption percentage rising to 31%. That was much to think about, but not at this moment.


    The rank added (Iron) as well, which probably entailed his current capabilities with two apertures unlocked. Warden hadn''t failed to notice how the system termed that he unsealed the hidden aperture, not unlocked it. Perhaps that needed some consideration forter as well.


    Just assimting with the Dungeon didn''t entail all the increases. Opening the Gate of Spirit, perhaps? The system didn''t specifically mention it, but then again, the system wasn''t omniscient, nor did it show all it knew.


    The Efficiency part was interesting as well, though he had no clue how the calction was made. [The Divider] added 20% present to Strength and Spirit, and the [Dungeon Eater] achievement added 40% as well, but the rest of the numbers eluded him.


    There was a new [Regeneration] ability, which he figured was always there, but the system didn''t show it or was unable to determine it before.


    His strength really more than quadrupled, even though there wasn''t much boost to his Strength or Mind, or Spirit. The Efficiency made the attributes all the more efficient; he guessed.


    For example, with 40% efficiency in Strength, he would have as much as 40% more strength than someone else with the same number in Strength.


    However, the greatest achievement of them all was boosting void energy capacity to 10%. Warden couldn''t imagine what he could aplish with that. There was the new ability too, that he couldn''t wait to check, but he would go to the vige first.


    Atst, he couldfort thempletely. Their problem of dire wolves was solved. They could finally leave in peace, which puts his mind at ease when he leaves the vige.


    Moreover, Warden had a lead to his past as well.


    <i>Find the Oracle. . . </i>


    <i></i>As far as he was concerned, an Oracle can see the future, present, and sometimes even the past. The voice said the oracle, instead of an oracle, which meant there was a good chance the Oracle was someone from his past.


    ________________


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 Chapter 35: Return

    <h4>Chapter 35: Return</h4>


    There were nine men and two women among the bandits, all of whom were copper-ranked. Theirbined power was more than enough to overpower a small vige that had already lost most of itsbatants in the wolf attacks.


    About four hundred vigers gathered in the center of the vige, without making any fuss about being called on such short notice. Not after witnessing what the bandits had done to those few who resisted.


    "What I want is simple," said the leader of the bandits¡ªa fat man over six feet tall, hisrge belly protruding enough that he would need to make an effort to see his feet. He juggled a couple of beast cores in his hand, spinning slowly to meet the gaze of the crowds in every direction. "Everything. Everything valuable."


    "Now, what is valuable to you might not be valuable to us," said the man who had questioned Xiv before. "Give us all the loot the adventurers left behind¡ªbeast cores, wolf hide, fangs. Don''t hoard your riches either. But don''t worry, our chief is feeling kinder today with all the beast cores you have. Just 5 silver bits per head will do."


    "Haha, as Tifan said," the leader repeated. "Give us what we demanded, and we won''t sack your vige, kill indiscriminately, or harm your women. We can all end it civilly."


    "But boss," cut in a snake-looking fellow from behind¡ªone who had mercilessly beaten Xiv, breaking his bones and crippling him. "This vige has one or two beauties, and you know we''ve been hungry for a while..."


    The chief looked at where the snake fellow was gesturing and sighed. Xiv gritted his teeth as all the bandits'' eyes turned to Onia and midwife Kelsa, who were tending their wounds. Kelsa, in her thirties, had awakened her Apothecary ss two decades ago. Although the ss didn''t let her heal directly, she could procure medicine, which had almost the same effect.


    "You guys," the leaderughed. "How many times have I told you to keep your pricks in your pants while we do business?"


    The bandits snickered as if it were a great joke among themselves. However, all that only aggravated the vigers more. The crowd couldn''t be silenced after what the bandits demanded. The loot from the wolves might be the most valuable possessions they had, but most of the vige could survive without them. However, they wouldn''t survive if they had to pool together all their savings to save their lives.


    "The heavens won''t stand for this, you hear me!" shouted an old man as he stepped forward. He was the local Smith, another awakened individual, and a close friend of Xiv''s father. Although his ss was only entitled to smithing, he couldn''t ignore the overbearing nature of the bandits.


    Xiv cursed where hey in his battered form, alongside a few other awakened men. The bandits made sure to spare lives, as death always seemed toplicate things. Moreover, they wouldn''t receive any energy from ying a human, only incurring the ire of the great system.


    "The guilds and academics won''t tolerate you¡ª"


    Before the old smith could finish, the sneaky man, Tifan, appeared before him. Without warning or reasoning, he kicked the old man, sending him sprawling to the ground. Anyone else would have died from the blow, but the old smith only coughed hysterically, blood streaming down his lips.


    "Anything else you''d like to add?" the sneaky man asked, still with an impish grin.


    "YOU!" the old smith roared, still coughing. "You all will die. You''ll die. Die of your sins. Of your greed. Of your¡ª"


    The bandit mmed his foot on the old man''s head, impacting on the ground, blood gushing out, enough to make all the nearby spectators flinch. Not the bandits, however.


    "Anyone else who''d like to speak their mind?" Tifan said. His voice was the same as before, but it flowed through the crowd like the roar of a cursed dire wolf, inducing fear for their lives and worse. "Nobody? Good. Now get going with your task."


    "Remember, all the loot, and 5 silver bits per head," the chief reminded.


    The crowds dispersed at once, returning to their homes to gather all their savings to save their lives. Xiv was pretty sure half the vige didn''t have what the bandits demanded, but he was in no position to question them. He was barely remaining conscious.


    "Aunt Kelsa," he croaked, clutching the apothecary''s arm. "I''m alright. Onia can take care of the rest. Please check on Grandpa Smith."


    The woman frowned and nodded as she got up to go where the old many. However, before she could have gone halfway, an arm clutched her from behind.


    "What''s the hurry?" snickered the snake-like face. "Leave the old man for now. How about you check on me first?"


    Kelsa''s expression grew ugly as she struggled to break free. With no Strength attribute, she found the task impossibly difficult.


    "Oi, Hisam," Tifan yelled from behind. "Didn''t you hear the boss? Keep it in your pants until we''re done here."


    "Fuck off!" Hisam''s other arm wandered over Kelsa''s swaying body. "I know you like the young one. Go mind your own thing, you sick bastard."


    Tifan''s eyes narrowed dangerously. He turned to the boss, who seemed more amused than anything.


    The boss sighed. "Just take her somewhere discreet," he said.


    "Chief?" Tifan shouted.


    "You know Hisam," the chiefughed, "he doesn''tst long. He''ll be back before we begin the collection"


    That brought another round of chuckles from the bandits, even the two womenughed, only Tifan didn''t join.


    "You guys," Hisam shouted, face red with anger. "Just watch me, and I''ll¡ª"


    Kelsa screamed, putting her everything on the line to flee, but the bastard clutched to her like a snake.


    "Don''t struggle, wench," said the short female bandit. "You won''t feel a thing. As the chief said, he doesn''tst long."


    The bandits were about tough at their cruelty once again, but a cold voice stopped them with a start.


    "I fear none of you willst long for what I''m about to do to you," Warden said,nding before Hisam and Kelsa, removing his veil. "Though I''ll make sure you''ll feel everything bit of it."


    _______________


    Okay, the introductory arc will being to an end soon. Warden will finally go to the academy in about 10 chapters.

 Chapter 36 Slaughter

    Chapter 36 ughter


    "I fear none of you willst long for what I''m about to do to you," Warden said,nding before Hisam and Kelsa, removing his veil. "Though I''ll make sure you feel every bit of it."


    "Huh?" Hisam yelled. "And who the hell do you think you¡ª"


    Warden didn''t let him finish. He clutched the arm that was groping the woman and set her free. Kelsa ran away, tears streaming down her eyes.


    "Let go, you sick bastard," Hisam, the bandit, screamed.


    Warden''s eyes narrowed at him, and a malevolent purple glow spilled out of his eyes, scaring the bandit, who couldn''t move a muscle.


    "I''m your end," he said.


    The next moment, Hisam''s skin began to tear apart, starting from his wrist where Warden clutched to his fingers, shoulders, chest, lower body, legs, and face, all torn up as if unable to contain the pressure within itself. The bandit screamed, but even that was put to rest as his tongue exploded unexpectedly.


    It didn''t even take a second before his veins split apart, his heart failed, and he dropped dead, blood gorging all over his body. Warden let go, a little startled by the effect of void energy.


    "You were right," Warden said, turning to the bandits. "He didn''tst long."


    [Copper-ranked energy harvested.\] n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The harvested energy only recovered the energy he had wasted so far but didn''t increase any of his attributes, even though Mind was still below 20.


    "Warden," Xiv shouted, a bit of livelinessing back to his face. "These bandits... They..."


    "Sorry, I took a while," Warden said, sighing. "You''re safe now."


    Warden''s cloak was still pristine white, none of it stained with blood. Coupled with the disy of how he killed the fellow, the rest of the bandits were already ncing at each other, unsure of what to do. ording to their information, the adventurers had already left.


    "Sir?" the bandit chief asked, "Who are you?"


    "Didn''t you hear?" Warden said. "Your end."


    "Sir, please," the chief tried. The gesture he made with his palms didn''t go unnoticed by Warden''s eyes. "Can we talk first? I''m sure we cane to a resolution through¡ª"


    Warden didn''t wait ceremoniously at the bandit''s empty words. His figure blurred as he dashed towards the two bandits on the way to capture Xiv and others as hostages. Obviously, Warden''s speed was easily beyond their imagination when heshed energy against the earth.


    He didn''t give them a chance to exin or withdraw. He swung his fist, infusing an appropriate amount of void energy. The first connected as the head exploded in a stter of blood and gore. The woman didn''t even have time to be terrified, as the next swing came for her, putting a hole through her chest.


    [Copper ranked energy harvested.]


    The spectators gasped, taking a step back involuntarily. Obviously, they figured they wouldn''t get out of this conflict in one piece. So, they drew their weapons¡ªswords, daggers, maces, axes¡ªeveryone ready with their instruments.


    "Don''t make me draw my de," Warden said.


    The fat bandit leader charged at him, a huge axe in hand. He wasn''t fast, but he wasn''t merely a useless weight on the earth either. With each step, the ground trembled, the impact leaving a deep print on the ground.


    He swung the axe at him at full power, but Warden simply took a step back. The axe impacted on the ground, splitting the earth in arge tear. A couple of knives stuck in his armour, but the defence of the legendary-grade armour was beyond reproach. The dagger dropped to the ground, not even leaving a dent.


    Warden deduced that the chief was easily iron-ranked and had some ability to increase his weight. The bandit continued to swing as Warden dodged effortlessly, his eyes moving towards the others, who seemed to forget their boss and fled.


    Warden snorted. As if he would let them. For the first time after awakening, someone had angered him. The very act they were ready to engage in sickened him. Anything less than their death would be unjust.


    Without further ado, he drew [The Divider]. The fat bandit''s speed and intensity seemed to be rising with each swing, with some berserk power, but before it could reach a level where he could challenge Warden, he took care of it.


    Once the axended on the ground, Warden stood atop it. His de shed to behead the man in one clean sweep. The fat bandit had power, but no finesse.


    [Iron Grade energy harvested.]


    [0.4 Strength.]


    He shot from there towards the bandits that were fleeing. [Reaper''s Edge] increased the reach of the de as he reached the proximity of thest running members. They didn''t even see iting as the de divided them, one after another.


    To Xiv and others, all of it happened in a blur. One moment they were at a severe disadvantage, the next Warden came in and began ughtering the bandits. He had brought down their numbers to barely four. Not that they would be a challenge after the death of their chief.


    "Someone save me!" a woman screamed, causing Warden to shift his eyes from the bandit he killed to where it came from.


    It was the woman he rescued just a moment ago, but now another man caught her, a knife drawn to her neck. It was the bandit called Tifan, the same one who sneaked up on Xiv. "Don''t take a step forward," Tifan screamed, sweat dripping down his face. "If you do, I''ll--" "Yeah, I know what you''re capable of," Warden said. The other bandit that was running, stopped, and was still within his reach, so Warden didn''t let go of his chance. He increased the reach of the de and beheaded him as well. "Goddamn it," Tifan screamed, almost losing his mind. The dagger drew a line of blood from Kelsa''s neck, though that was Tifan''s arm working involuntarily. "Curse you, bastard." "You said not to take a step," Warden said, narrowing his eyes. "I didn''t."

 Chapter 37 Soul Oath

    Chapter 37 Soul Oath


    Tifan was under pressure, even though he held the dagger to the throat. He couldn''t help it, considering he was up against a devil in human skin who had just killed ten odd people without batting an eye.


    Everything was going so well. They had cornered the vige, beaten up the few that resisted, and would have gotten away with the loot as well without any bloodshed, but this bastard changed the whole scope of the game.


    "So," Warden said. "I feel like you''re not very experienced in this taking hostage situation. Aren''t you supposed to speak about your demands now?"


    Tifan gritted his teeth, pulling the woman to take a couple of steps back. "Take a soul oath," he said, his voice shaking a little. "That you''ll not harm me, and I''ll let the woman go."


    The man was just as unfazed as he was a moment ago, the purple glow receding somewhat from his eyes.


    "That seems a reasonable demand for a bandit to have in this predicament," Warden said, nodding. "But no, I won''t take a soul oath, and you''d let go of that woman."


    "Bastard, I''ll kill her, you hear me," Tifan screamed, taking another step back with Kelsa.


    "I think you have made that clear," Warden said. "On that note, you''re already hurting her. It''d be wise if you put more attention on your weapon when it is held to someone''s neck, especially that someone is your only lifeline out of here."


    In fact, Tifan had noticed the blood, but his mind registered it as a nuisancepared to the devil, who needed his full attention. He feared a moment ofpse, and the man would appear behind him to behead him. He finally retracted the dagger a little, letting Kelsa breathe properly. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She screamed in plea immediately, "Please..."


    "Warden," Xiv spoke his worry. "He''s going to kill her."


    "No, he won''t," Warden said, narrowing his eyes at the bandit. The malevolent purple light spilled out from his eyes again. "Because he knows if he lets go of her, he''s dead. If he kills her, he''s dead."


    Motherfuck, he doesn''t care about a bystander at all, Tifan thought in urgency. He should have taken the boy hostage instead, which might have had a better chance of getting a soul oath. He was dead either way if he didn''t get a soul oath from the demon.


    "So we''re in a stalemate here," Warden said again. "Thankfully, I have a perfect solution for this conundrum."


    Tifan narrowed his eyes, pretty sure nothing good woulde from his mouth. He feared the bastard would just ask him to die for nothing.


    "How about you take the soul oath instead?" Warden said.


    Tifan shot an incredulous look. He might just kill this woman in spite of himself, even though he didn''t like to shed blood if it can be avoided.


    "Listen to me, I''ll make sense," Warden said. "Suppose I took the oath of leaving you unharmed, but are you sure you''d be safe from me? I can simply appoint someone to hunt you down."


    "Take an oath mentioning you won''t harm me directly or indirectly," Tifan spat. Surely, he hadn''t expected this line of argument.


    "That won''t be enough either," Warden said. He was just making conjecture, but he supposed all that made sense as he spoke out loud. Weirdly, he was calm during such a situation. What did he really use to do before? "Suppose I train a bunch of kids from this vige, who had some grievances over the way some bandits acted. How long do you think it would take them to gain the strength to hunt you down? Again, this is just conjecture, but very much possible. So in all these scenarios, you won''t be safe even with getting out of here, unless you know your game really well.


    "That leaves us with the solution I mentioned. Set the woman free and take an oath that you''d turn over a new leaf and leave the banditry behind. Then I won''t see to your death."


    Tifan crackled. "What makes me believe that you''d let me go after I take an oath?"


    "Good, you''re considering it." Warden paused, nodding. "I''ll give you my word."


    "So I have to believe nothing but your word?" Bandit threw a re.


    "I take my words more seriously than my oaths."


    Tifan bit his lips, his hands straining, clutching the weapon for so long even though his Strength was well over 50 points. He couldn''t say he hade across such a nerve-wracking situation before.


    There were two choices before him, and the bastard taking the oath and letting him go wasn''t among them. Each one was worse than the other. First, he kills the woman and the man kills him. In the other, he believed him, let go of the woman and took the oath. The demon might kill him even after that. It was simply his words against a bandit.


    Two equally disadvantageous options: in one, two people die, and in the other, only he dies. Death of one is better than the death of two, he guessed, unsure why the suicidal thought crossed his mind.


    "I know nobody wants to be a bandit when they grow up," the guy said, still holding the long de that seemed to emit smoke endlessly. "I''m giving you a second chance at life. It won''t be easy, for sure. Nobody in this vige will forget you were a bandit, you came to pige their vige, beat their elderly, and molest their women. But¡ª"


    "I never molest a woman," Tifan screamed, gritting his teeth at the usation as if it was unjust.


    Warden raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you do have a redeeming quality," he said. "But then again, I wonder if it''s better or worse to threaten an innocent woman than molestation. What do you think?" Tifan unclenched his jaw and let out a deep breath. I''m probably going to regret this, but fuck. . . "Fine," he said, throwing away the dagger.

 Chapter 38 Repent

    Chapter 38 Repent


    Warden hadn''t believed his eyes when the bandit threw away the knife. He was already halfway in the path of making it, [The Divider] extended to almost reach the neck of the bandit, but he only strayed at thest moment, finding the bandit actually listened to him.


    What were the odds?


    Tifan set Kelsa free from his clutches as the woman stammered onto the ground, too mentally and physically drained to even walk.


    "Are you going to kill me now?" the bandit asked, his voice shaking, deep gasps swaying the smoke the de was emitting. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he closed his eyes, setting his fate in stone.


    "Sorry," Warden said, not retracting his de just yet. "My body acted on impulse when you moved abruptly. Never thought you''d go through such demands."


    "Then why ask?" Tifan said.


    "Mostly to make you more focused on me and less on the hostage," Warden said. "I almost got the opportunity as well, but then. . ." I saw something.


    "So you won''t kill me?" Tifan asked, hope brewing into his tone.


    "Take the oath," Warden demanded, still at de point. He didn''t see much point in keeping the threat, but men''s resolve is fickle. Tifan might regret his decision at this very moment and act.


    "Um, of course," Tifan agreed, his eyes back on the weapon at his neck. "I, Tifan, take a soul oath, binding my ss and abilities that I''ll leave behind banditry and turn over a new leaf."


    "And you''ll also pay back the vige for the terror you wrought," Warden added. "I guess a couple of years of indentured service to the vige might be good enough."


    "You can''t be serious," Tifan shouted, almost regretting his decision. "What if they ask me to kill myself, or better yet, poison me to death?"


    "Humans aren''t born for violence." Warden shook his head. "Their circumstances let them be violent. The vigers merely want to survive and live their life like normal. They''ll find your service quite handy to be wasted."


    Tifan couldn''t help but re at him. He felt like he was being cheated. The bastard was aiming for this all along.


    In honesty, Warden hadn''t been aiming for it. It just clicked at the moment. He would be leaving the vige very soon, so the presence of a seasoned fighter, who could scout for potential dangers, would be beneficial for the vige.


    "Even if you leave banditry, what will you do?" he said. "You have harmed people. You have to repent somehow."


    Tifan thought for a good minute, his eyes darting towards all the vigers he had beaten up as well as the rest that were sneaking on them for a while but dreaded toe along after the bloodshed.


    "Fine," he said. "I take a soul oath that I''d work for the vige for a couple of years as long as the work is not threatening my life, but won''t take any orders unless ites from the boy called Xiv."


    "Me?" Xiv croaked, puzzled.


    "Is that fine?" Tifan asked Warden.


    "I guess, but why Xiv?"


    "He''s kind," Tifan said. "Now, will you please retract your de? I won''t be able to control my dder any longer."


    Warden retracted [Reaper''s Edge] and sheathed the de. He made his way to the kid, who still had a puzzled look on his face.


    "Well, I guess congrattions are in order," Warden said, looking over the boy''s wound. "You got yourself a sneaky bodyguard."


    "Warden, I don''t know. . ." The look in his eyes wasn''t the same. Before, Xiv looked at him with a level of reverence, but now a good amount of dread had joined after the ughter of the bandits.


    Honestly, Warden couldn''t me the kid. If he were in Xiv''s situation, he would likely feel much the same. Fear the bandits thate to threaten your vige, but also fear the saviour that killed the bandits without even batting an eye.


    "How''s your wound?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "It''s better than it looks," Xiv said with a sigh. "A broken leg and dislocated shoulder, but no damage to critical organs."


    "Your nose is broken," Warden joked, trying to ease the kid. "You won''t get a beautiful wife anymore."


    "That is the least of my worries," Xiv sighed, throwing Onia a look, who was just as appalled by everything that unfolded before her eyes. From Xiv and others getting beaten to Warden killing all but one bandit. Sight such as this will keep her awake at night.


    "Definitely, not least," Warden smiled. "What do you say, Onia, will you marry a guy with a disfigured nose?"


    "I. . ." the girl was easy to fluster, not to mention the dread that gnawed at her heart. Before, she had only seen men killing wolves, or wolves killing men, but not men killing men. The same was true for Xiv, but he knew Warden a little better, which made it a lot easier.


    Warden took a mental note to keep such a sight of violence behind young people''s eyes. Honestly, in this situation, it was unavoidable, though if Xiv had more courage, he would have asked if it was a necessity to kill them all.


    Perhaps, perhaps not. We''ll never know, he mused. "Well, fear not," Warden said. "We''ll find a healer to fix Xiv''s nose. Better yet, if he can advance to iron, it will fix on its own." "Iron rank, that''s still hard, even for all my life." "Nah," Warden said. "Even that fat bandit chief made it, and you saw you awful he was. Xiv, you can do a lot better. A lot of good."


    He unfastened the pouch that had the hearts and cores he collected from the dungeon and handed it to Onia. "Some leftovers from the dungeon," he said. "The hearts will be beneficial to healing. Take as many as you need." "But..." "Don''t worry, I had the lion''s share," Wardenughed. "But Warden, these loots are exactly what brought these bandits to the vige," Xiv said. "I don''t think we should keep treasure that we can''t guard." "Wise words," Warden nodded. "Still, use whatever you please to heal and return the rest to meter. You need rest." He got up and turned his head towards Tifan. "Come on, Mr Bodyguard. We have some corpse to dispose of."

 Chapter 39 The Promised Reinforcements

    Chapter 39 The Promised Reinforcements


    Warden got the entire story from Tifan as they proceeded to bury the dead. Apparently, some vigers stole a beast core and decided to leave the vige in the hope of renewing their life somewhere better. Unfortunately for them, they came across the bandits halfway and spilled the beans.


    The bandit crew really tried to avoid bloodshed if it could be avoided. The system didn''t look warmly towards heedless killing. From the vigers, they learned some adventurers hunted the monster and left a good share of the loot for all the things they lost in the attack.


    With that, the bandits quickly decided it was a chance they shouldn''t miss and came to the vige as soon as they could. The rest was bloody clear to Warden.


    Still, it was nice to learn the system didn''t tolerate heedless killing. Thankfully, Warden hadn''t noticed any ramifications of his actions. Perhaps the system stood right by his act.


    Tifan dropped thest beheaded corpse on the heap after stripping away all the valuables. A few meters away, Warden almost finished digging their grave. He borrowed a shovel from the vige and went a good distance to bury the bandits.


    "What do I do with all their stuff?" Tifan asked, the battleaxe of the chief in his hands. "I fear you won''t let me keep them."


    "Hmm, that looks like it would fetch good money," Warden considered. "I thought about leaving them with the vigers for them to deal with any problem that might ur, but from how it turned out with beast cores, it wouldn''t be wise to leave anything valuable that might catch others'' greedy eyes."


    "So?"


    "I''ll take them," Warden said from the burrow he created. There was only one big hole, no individual grave for the bandits. They simply didn''t deserve for him to care.


    Tifan clicked his tongue but didn''tin.


    With a leap, Warden climbed back next to the heap of corpses. "Now let''s finish this. I''m so freaking hungry."


    They began dropping the corpses and the heads one by one into the pit as if disposing of rubbish. They almost finished with only one severed head and the corpse with a hole in the chest left when a voice boomed from behind.


    "Hold!"


    Warden turned to find a group of adults and teenagersing their way, led by the man that asked them to hold. All of them were armed with some weapons or sort, swathed in fine cloaks and attire. Half of the dozen men looked to be the same as a group as Kiara and Liam, while the other half were the experienced bunch.


    Could these be the reinforcements Liam and Kiara promised, finallying after he dealt with all the problems?


    He considered the situation from their perspective: a couple of men disposing of a corpse in broad daylight¡ªundeniably suspicious no matter how one looked at it.


    "What are you doing with the dead bodies?" the leading man asked again.


    "Umm, disposing of them," Warden said. Finding many frowns directed at him, he decided to exin, of course, after dropping the corpse into the pit. "You see, these were bandits who came to loot the vige. Now, how could I let them pige the vige and harm the innocent?"


    "So you killed them?" asked a teenage girl with chestnut hair, gasping.


    Warden shrugged. The leading man came to look into the pit as his expression changed, observing the number of dead bodies and severed heads.


    "All of them are bandits?" he asked, suspicion growing in his eyes.


    Warden nodded. "There were rapists among them too, and perhaps some other criminals as well, but they didn''t give me time to ask."


    Many others approached the pit to check as well, their expressions simultaneously hardening.


    "Why should I believe you?" the leading man asked. "Do you have anything to authenticate your im?"


    Warden frowned.


    "What guild do youe from?" another adventurer asked. "Show us your Arcane Society badge?"


    "That I don''t have," Warden said slowly, watching a few of them clutching their weapons in rm. "But for evidence, you can ask the vigers. I''m sure many of them will testify."


    "Professor Walt, should we..." the chestnut-haired girl began.


    The leading man, or rather Professor Walt, snorted. "From how I see it, you two could be the bandits who killed the vigers and are now here to dispose of the evidence. Without the legal badge, how can I believe anythinging out of your mouth?"


    "Yes, that guy certainly had the look of a bandit in him," added a guy, gesturing at Tifan. "I''m certain you don''t have a badge either?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Tifan was speechless and could only turn to Warden.


    "You won''t consider the words of hundreds of vigers just because I don''t have some stupid badge?" Warden asked, narrowing his eyes.


    "I don''t like the look in your eyes." Professor Walt met his gaze as well.


    "How can he not show even a semnce of respect towards someone of Professor Walt''s esteem?" one of the teenagers admonished. The others began gossiping among themselves as well.


    Walt raised an arm to silence them. "For all I know, you could have threatened the vigers to testify for you. It has happened before. I don''t see why it can''t now."


    Warden could only sigh. "So, how are you going to go with this?"


    "Naturally," another man spoke. "We''ll take you two captive until we get evidence with or against you. If It''s against, you can already guess what the result will be, but you have nothing to fear if what you said is the truth." "But you won''t take the words of the vigers as evidence," Warden protested. "That depends," the other man said again, in ce of the professor. "If we can make sure they are speaking the truth, not spitting lies in fear of you." "And how''ll you make sure of that?" "Of course, taking you into custody," Professor Walt said, bringing out thick-framed handcuffs. "After the vigers see how powerless you are to harm them, they wouldn''t bother to hide anything from us."

 Chapter 40 Professor Walt

    Chapter 40 Professor Walt


    Warden stared at the thick, metal-braced handcuffs, uncertain how to deal with this predicament.


    "You can''t be serious," Tifan shouted. "You want us to give ourselves up? We''d literally be powerless to the whims of some nobles if we let you cuff us."


    Warden raised an eyebrow. He did notice something odd about the cuffs but didn''t know they could be used to suppress spirit power. Could they restrict raw physical power, though? Whatever it was, Warden didn''t want to take chances.


    "Finally showing your true colors, eh?" shouted Walt, who seemed convinced they were the bandits. Technically, only one of them was a bandit, but that was past tense now. This guy had no right to convict them.


    Tifan didn''t bother with the noble bunch and turned to Warden, as if he needed a reminder. "Warden, listen to me," he said. "These people are not going to listen to anything you have to say. With the amount of noble blood stuck up their ass, they probably consider us inferior beings. This is nothing but a game to them."


    Warden got that the former bandit was warning him, but still, it all felt a little too unreal.


    "How dare you say the job of keeping the peace in the realm is nothing but a game?" shouted the chestnut-haired girl, hiding behind others. "It is you who takes it as a game and makes it difficult for us to govern order over the realm. How sickening."


    Even the professor looked offended, his lips splitting into a scowl. "Even if you''re not a bandit," he said, "you''ll rot in prison for making such ims." He handed the cuffs to another man and drew his sword from the scabbard¡ªa fine de, sleek and over a meter long. "Looks like we have to settle this in the old way. Kevin, take care of the students. Make sure none of them gets hurt. It''d be a pain to exin to the academy if anything goes wrong with them."


    "As you say, Professor," Kevin responded, positioning himself before the teens.


    Walt released his aura, and the air vibrated under his pressure. Tifan was already taking a step back, not bothering to remain for a fair fight.


    As Warden considered the professor, he was unsure how it had escted to violence so quickly. Men are like rabid dogs when you hurt their pride. The pressure and aura Walt was radiating were stronger than anything he had faced so far. It easily dwarfed the power of any wolf, perhaps bordering Silver rank.


    Well, he was a professor at the prestigious Arcane Academy. He was bound to have some ability, even if he had obtained the position through nepotism and connections.


    "Now, Mongrel," Walt addressed him. "Are you all talk, or can you fight?"


    Warden sighed but drew his de, even if it probably wasn''t the right decision at this moment. Giving reason and mercy to the stuck-up noble at this moment would lead him to believe that Warden was a coward. The fastest way for him to dispel that notion would be nothing less than a crushing defeat.


    "Let''s dance," Warden said, prepared, unsheathing [The Divider]. In a way, it would be good practice for him to gauge his strength after the breakthrough. He still didn''t know how far he could go with 10% capacity. The bandits were never a challenge to begin with. Let''s see what this professor has in store for him.


    Walt came at him, his de spilling out golden light of righteous glory in contrast to the murky, dark smoke of Warden''s. Both swords shed with a ng as light and darkness churned into existence in thin air. The impact of the crash discharged conflicting elements on both sides.


    The professor came heavier, his sword moving in perfect arcs as his stance was almost impable. Warden had to push his reflexes to the limit to fend off the attack, still deliberating if he should use all his power. He was only running on 5% capacity, with only one aperture free. He still hadn''t fully grasped what he was capable of. He wouldn''t want to identally kill the guy, which might really pull him into big trouble.


    "You''re not half bad," Walt said, grinning, "for a bandit."


    "You''re merely so-so," Warden replied, "for someone who teaches others. You''re not even a true swordsman."


    Thatment probably stung more than Warden imagined. Walt''s attacks became more ferocious. Now it wasn''t just about capturing bandits but teaching the arrogant ass who offended him. He would cripple the bastard if he had to, and¡ª


    A dark de shed to his side, and even though he dodged, the de struck his underarms, breaking through his defense and armor to draw blood. Walt was sure he dodged and made it, but the de still stuck.


    ***


    June peered downward from her bonded beast, Sylvie, a Starfire Crane. The wilderness below thinned somewhat after she crossed Triu. Her mentee had already left from there, met with others from the academy, and was safely on her way back to the academy. She wouldn''t have to worry about that. One less weight off her shoulders.


    The only remaining concern was the problem with constant beast attacks. It wasn''t only the one her mentee reported; all the other viges around this region were getting attacked at night. The signs weren''t good. They had already found three dungeons, one Grade 7 and two Grade 8. Adventurers were deployed to take care of them, so they wouldn''t be an issue anymore.


    The problem would be the ones that hadn''t been found yet. June''s duty wasn''t to clear the dungeons but to find them and report back to the academy. Her fighting skills were adequate, but they valued her other capabilities more.


    "If only I could find Professor Walt on this track," she sighed. The guy was capable, but he came with students with barely any experience in the field. He wouldn''t be able to deal with the issue when he had to worry about them. There was still the thing she heard from her student.


    She hoped it was a misunderstanding, and Walt would be a better man and know what''s really important here. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 41 Strength

    Chapter 41 Strength


    Gritting his teeth, Walt withdrew a step as the deviant half-breed took offense, targeting his wounded side. The wound still stung like cold iron drilled into his skin, burning away his energy.


    The mongrel clearly didn''t possess two-thirds of his strength or agility. His dark power was something to be avoided, but Walt shouldn''t have any problem dealing with him. Yet, he found himself defending now.


    The foul-mouthed bastard''s sword seemed to have a nasty enchantment that broke through the defense and impaired him. He was breaking his imbuing over his body with the first attack and attacking the same spot again. This made his attack more predictable, but the bastard was intelligent enough to target other spots throughout.


    Within a few minutes of the fight, Walt''s leather armor was soiled with blood. His own blood. He didn''t expect this before starting the battle. He thought he would show off in front of the students and the few guilds'' men, who clearly seemed to have some delusion about his abilities. That he didn''t get his post rightly and whatnot.


    It was a brilliant position to disy his might and show them their ces. Even if there was some nepotism in y in his appointment as a Junior Instructor at the academy, he''d show them he deserved it. He would get their respect and reverence, either through his act or through sheer fear. It didn''t matter which one it was.


    The de ran over his cheek, drawing a sleek trail of blood. It showed how the white-haired deviant withheld his de so as not to end his life.


    "Are you satisfied now?" the bandit asked, his purple eyes ring at him.


    No, he couldn''t end it this way. The others were watching. He would be aughingstock if he let the bastard get away with this.


    Then he finally noticed the signs of exhaustion on his opponent''s form. Of course, how did he forget that? The guy clearly had lower attributespared to him. The deviant should be using some high-cost ability to contend with him but would be unable to keep it up for a longer time.


    "You''re not even a true swordsman," the words rang in his mind like a curse. Bastard, I''ll make you pay for this.


    Walt released all his reserved power, boosting his agility and spirit power to reverse the situation. He took offense as his foe seamlessly changed his y into defending. With each move, Walt made the bastard take a step back, clearly at a disadvantage under his relentless assault.


    "Good, if I keep on going like this," Walt thought, "I''ll have thestugh."


    He came in heavier, his de radiating fierce golden light. Althoughcking finesse, it was terrible and sharp. Any direct blow would cut through his armor like a piece of cake.


    Just because he had a good sword, didn''t mean he could defeat me. His victory was already decided.


    Then the white-haired swordsman''s cloak turned ethereal and swathed him in the same murky, dark energy field, protecting him from all directions. His sword couldn''t find purchase even when he managed to get a strike. Bastard, where did he get such equipment?


    It wasn''t just that the equipment was great; itplemented his abilities perfectly, as if they were made for him, and a part of him. Even the deviant looked surprised at how it turned out.


    ***


    [The Cloak of Void Radiance] was a totally different beast with the full power of two opened apertures. The defense and flexibility [Void Shroud] provided him were immacte. He could literally float around in the air, using it. With a swoosh, Warden thrust the shroud on the ground to lurch up in the air. It felt like flying, albeit only for a moment. As he came down again, he had to manipte [Void Shroud] again to avoid falling on his butt.


    Walt lunged at him, but with Warden being ten feet in the air, the battle was already decided, no matter what Walt came up with.


    "It''s over, Walt," Warden said, grinning. "I have the higher ground!"


    A prickling sensation crawled up in his mind, but he ignored it, knowing he could endure it.


    "No," Walt screamed, losing theposed self he showed in the beginning. "Mongrel, I won''t lose to the likes of you."


    "You''ve already lost," Wardenughed and finally smashed the noble to the ground. Walt thoroughly saw the deing, but he couldn''t manage to draw his de to block it. Blood gushed out from the straight, deep cut, even though his armor took the most brunt of the blow. But at thest moment, Warden withheld again, deciding the deep wound would be quite enough to shut him up.


    "Murder!" Walt screamed. "Murder! Murder! Kill him!"


    Warden clicked his tongue and let him squirm on the ground. He turned to find Tifan locked in battle, though mostly the former bandit was running around, waiting for him to finish his battle. Finding the professor dealt with, Tifan crept fast towards him, with two of the other men following.


    "I''m surprised you managed to keep them at bay for so long," Warden said with approval.


    "Long?" Tifan sighed in relief. "Not even five minutes have passed since you started battling." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Five minutes is quite a long time for a battle," Warden muttered. "Well, I was worried about identally killing him, so I restrained a lot in the beginning."


    Walt coughed out blood upon hearing him. Warden turned towards the two men who faltered on their chase. Uncertainty wed their movement, as they had no clue if they should keep on attacking or begin negotiating. "It won''t end well for you if you take it too far," Kevin said. "You can''t just thrash someone from the Arcane Society, and call it off. Let us pass through now, and we''ll..." Warden snorted. "I would have let you do your business freely before," he said. "But now..." "What are you nning?" Warden smiled. "How many of those domination handcuffs do you guys have?"

 Chaptter 42 Exotic Animal

    Chapter 42 Exotic Animal


    "Professor Walt''s trail ends here," June mumbled, standing before the gate of a vige. The majestic Starfire Crane stood next to her, tired from all the flying it did while carrying her. She had traveled over a thousand miles in a span of a day. June was bound to give Sylvie some rewards for her hard work. But for now, she couldn''t rx yet.


    "Sylvie, fly around to see if there''s anything amiss in the surroundings," June said. "I''ll be in the vige."


    Sylvie clunked, rubbing her head against June.


    "I''ll be fine," June reassured the bird. "I''ll have something for you to eat by the time you''re back."


    With that, she entered the vige, though her eyes darted to where Sylvie flew off to. The sunset was on the horizon, and it would be dark in no time. June nned on finishing her first task by then. She hoped the instructor had been amodating to the vigers'' problem.


    Two minutes into her walk, June finally found the first sign of a human, a young girl probably no older than fifteen, simply dressed and taking care of leather left in the sun.


    "Umm, hello," June called, startling the girl, who spun on her heels to meet her gaze.


    "An elf," the girl said, stunned, looking at June''s sharp, long ears. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Yes," June said softly. "Can you¡ª"


    "I''m sorry," the girl shouted. She tossed off the leather she was carrying and sprinted back deep into the vige.


    June tilted her head. Did they hate elves that much? But she didn''t find hate in the girl''s expression; it was more like apprehension and fear.


    Should I wait here or go after her? June considered. It didn''t take her long to get bored standing, so she crept into the path the girl ran off to. Midway on her path, she finally saw more people, and she found the girl who seemed to bring in a tall, stalwart man with white hair.


    "You''re right, Onia," the man said, taking a bite of the roasted meat stick in his hand. "There really is an elf."


    June frowned at hisment and his behaviour. He glided towards her without any greeting, still eating his food, and began studying her as if she were some exotic animal. While June was not surprised to see such looks, the man''s behavior certainly was weirder than what she used to encounter.


    "Ohh, where are my manners?" The man broke out of his stupor. "Please excuse my rudeness. It''s my first time meeting an elf. Do you want a kebab?"


    It took a moment for her to register that he was talking about the roasted meat he was eating. "No, thank you," she said, even though she felt quite hungry after the long journey.


    "So Miss Elf," the guy asked. "Do you happen to have a name?" June set her jaw in disapproval. "I do," she said, sighing. "I''m Professor Jane from the Third Arcane Academy."


    "Another professor?" the man raised an eyebrow, getting a little serious. "Don''t tell me you came for that guy?"


    "Another professor?" June inquired. "You mean Professor Walt?"


    The man tilted his head in deep thought. "Don''t know anyone by that name, but if you''re looking for Professor Noble-Pain-In-The-Ass, then we might have one in store."


    "What?" Something about what he said didn''t feel right to her. She was just about to ask him to rify when a few people ran in to surround her.


    "You''re a professor from the Academy, right?" said a guy. "Pleasee with us."


    June found a couple of teens in the attire of their academy. She didn''t waste time and followed after them.


    June and Professor Walt weren''t friends, even though they worked at the same academy. There were over two hundred professors, after all, and it wasn''t possible for her to know them all personally. However, she did recognize his face, though the face she saw now was pale, losing a lot of blood. A bandage was tiedpletely on his upper body, a broken arm hanging over his chest. Next to him were a few fellows in Domination cuffs, sitting idly, eating.


    "What happened to him?" June asked.


    "Face-pping," a voice said from behind. June turned to find the tall, stalwart man with white hair appearing behind her, now with two stick-kebabs in his hand. He was munching them delightfully, still studying her as if he took her for an exotic animal.


    "I''m sorry?" June raised an eyebrow.


    "You know how it is," the guy said, as if it wasmon sense. "You gain some power at an early age and begin throwing your weight around everywhere you go. Does that sound familiar?"


    June nodded just to engage him. She hadn''t been like that, of course, but there were plenty of examples of such behaviours. The Elven ways were not so barbaric.


    "That''s a problem most young men have," he continued. "But it bes a disaster if you''re struck by that mindset even when you be a man, and a man of influential position, no less."


    "What are you saying?"


    "Nothing important. Professor Noble-Pain-In-The-Ass was just at the right ce to do the wrong thing and ended up like that."


    "You made him like that?" June''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    "Bingo," the infuriating man said, as if he was ying a quiz with her. "Now please, for the love of God, don''t say you have to avenge him or uphold thew. I really hate beating girls. Funny coincidence how I just found that out."


    "You''re saying you look down on girls?"


    "Girl, you have a listening disability or something?" the tall guy came forward, his head towering over her. June was tall, over six feet with her Elven lineage, but still, the guy was a head taller than her. "When did I say that?" "You didn''t say it, but you clearly look down on girls." June red up at him, ring a little of her aura.


    "No, I didn''t say that." The man met her re in full stride. "It is you who interpreted that. Well, fine by me. If it all takes me to beat you to change your impression of me, I''d dly do it."

 Chapter 43 Youre Him?

    Chapter 43 You''re Him?


    June had to give the man credit for meeting the gaze of a Silver Ranker with Iron Rank power. Most people would''ve stammered under the pressure of the aura she radiated or begun apologizing, but the man only straightened up. Such willpower couldn''t be cultivated in days.


    But why does he have to be so damn infuriating? June thought. Why is it so hard for a capable man to be normal?


    "So, are we gonna do it?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her as he munched on the kebab. "Let me finish my kebab first."


    He really has a punchable face, June thought darkly. She already noticed that the guys standing around them had withdrawn and were maintaining a fair distance, while the cuffed men and the injured professor were groaning under their pressure.


    June sent a curt re at the man and withdrew her aura. "I would have entertained you for what you''re worth if it were any other time," she said, "but at this moment, other matters take priority."


    She turned to the wounded professor and was just about to ask him, only to remember that even his mouth was closed with a bandage.


    "He was very loud," the man said.


    June didn''t entertain him with any words, lest he make her infuriated again. She turned to the cuffed men. "How did ite to this?"


    Kevin was the one to speak. "It was all a misunderstanding. . . ." Throughout his exnation, he sneaked nces in the white-haired man''s direction, probably afraid to offend him more than her.


    By the end of the tale, June couldn''t help but shake her head. Obviously, it was men and their inted egos. The problem could''ve been avoided so easily if they just talked it out.


    "So, has he given proof that the corpses were really bandits?" June asked.


    "Y-yes," Kevin answered.


    Walt looked like he had something to say, letting out a muffled scream with the bandage stuck to his mouth.


    "Unwrap the clothes from his mouth," June ordered.


    "I wouldn''t really advise that," the man said.


    June turned to see if he was going to stop her, but the man was giving all his attention to the kebab he was eating. She finally saw the supplier of the kebab, who kept giving the sticks to him. A thin rogue-type ss man, who she hadn''t noticed before. He clearly didn''t look like a resident of the vige, like the man.


    On noticing her gaze on him, he bowed and excused himself.


    "DON''T LISTEN TO ANYTHING HE SAYS," Walt screamed, the moment the bandage was unwrapped. "HE''S DEVIANT, A KILLER, HE HAD ALL THE VILLAGERS UNDER HIS SPELL AND. . . QUICKLY CAPTURED HIM, HE NEEDS TO BE CUFFED AND PUT TO PRISON. . . ." Well, that was some scream. June really regretted her decision now. The professor was clearly not in his right mind and wouldn''t listen to reason. She wondered what kind of "Face-pping" the man executed to make him like this. Did he literally p him silly?


    June turned towards the man, who clearly had the look that said, "I told you so."


    After instructing them to cover Walt''s mouth again, who was far from cooperating, she questioned Kevin for a more relevant issue. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "About the tainted beasts?" she inquired. "How far have you proceeded to clean them off? Did you find the dungeon yet?"


    "Um," Kevin looked embarrassed for a man of his age. "We just got here today and met him right after. We didn''t have time to check out anything."


    Jane''s expression soured instantly. "You were deported eleven days ago," she questioned. "Why did you just get here today?"


    There was an edge to her voice. And even though Kevin had excuses ready, he reconsidered his answer, as this could be messy very quickly.


    "Professor, you need to consider we were not alone on our journey," he said hesitantly, drawing a quick nce towards Walt. "There were several students, which made us even slower. On top of that... Our horses..."


    "What happened to the horses?" June asked. Her expression wasn''t growing any better.


    "We couldn''t count on them halfway," Kevin said, sweating profusely. "Which dyed the journey for a couple more days, and¡ª"


    "Enough," June scoffed. "I''ve heard enough excuses. I''ll have a full ounting of the events after we take care of the vigers'' needs."


    She turned to face the infuriating man, only to notice he wasn''t there anymore. "Where did he go?"


    The rogue-ssed man, who was loitering, pointed in a direction. June stormed in that direction to find bonfires in the open. They were roasting kebabs in the fire, as half a dozen people sat surrounding it.


    "Oh, this way, Miss Elf," the guy called, gesturing with his food. "Want a kebab? Wait, don''t tell me elves are vegetarian or vegan?"


    "We don''t like to waste natural resources," June said.


    "Then I see no point for you to refuse our hospitality," he said, handing the young girl a te. She came in June''s direction to serve. "Come on, sit down. You came from a long way. Rx a little."


    "Please," the girl called Onia said, holding the te before her.


    "Thank you." She relented in the end, taking one of the stick-kebabs. She needed an answer from them; no point in rejecting their hospitality. "I want to ask about the wolf attack."


    "Then ask," the man said with the same shit-eating grin. June chewed the meat hard. "What happened?" "Everything''s dealt with. How''s the food?"


    "Edible," June answered curtly. Actually, it was better than anything she had after she began the journey, but she would chew away the stick before she would give the guy apliment. The grin from his lips fell a little, as he really seemed to be waiting for praise. "Perhaps elves have different taste buds," his mumble didn''t go unnoticed by her ears, but she decided to get back to the topic. "So about the wolves?" "There hasn''t been an attack for thest couple of days," it was another youth who answered. He seemed to be pretty badly banged up, with an arm and leg bandaged. He continued guesting towards the white-haired man, "Warden dealt with the attacks and even¡ª"


    "Wait," June cut in, recognising the name she heard from her mentee. "You''re him?"

 Chapter 44 It Went Poofed

    Chapter 44 It Went Poofed


    "You''re him?" the elf girl asked expectantly.


    "Everyone thinks they are Him?" Warden said. "I am no exception. You have to be specific about the Him you''re looking for."


    June groaned, facing towards Onia. "Is he always this insufferable to talk to?"


    "No," Onia said. "He''s very affable throughout and went to great lengths to save our vige. Without his help, we wouldn''t have survived."


    The elf looked like she had eaten something sour. Perhaps he should stop amusing himself at her expense. Warden couldn''t believe himself. This was really a 100% authentic elf. He wasn''t sure if he had seen elves before, but it felt like the first time he was meeting one. And all his expectations were met. June was probably the tallest woman he met so far, standing close to six feet with a lithe athletic form. He could imagine her beauty being pretty high in elven standard.


    Her hair was silver, not a drab monotonic grey like his, but brim and vibrant. Though they were cut only to reach her shoulders, they matched her young face remarkably with the pointy ears. A tight light blue coat hugged her form firmly, with a grey cloak on top of it. She didn''t look old enough to be a professor, but she was an elf, after all. Even with that look, she could be over a hundred years old.


    Her behavior didn''t suggest that, though, Warden thought. At least if she was that old and wise, it wouldn''t be so easy to poke fun at her.


    "I assume you met my students already," the elf said. "Kiara and Liam, they sent a message to me a couple of days ago, saying someone called Warden saved their lives."


    Everyone''s expression brightened at the mention, which included Warden as well. "Those two are your students? You should''ve said so earlier. They are goodd andss, far better than the lots that stinky professor brought."


    "Yes, Elder sister Kiara helped me a lot in spell casting," Onia added.


    "Both of them saved the vige," Xiv said. "We owe them a great debt for everything they did."


    Warden was about toment, but his attention moved skywards, finding something flying towards them at a tremendous pace. He jumped to his feet. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Don''t be stupid," June said, "that''s my spirit beast."


    The bird curled down, slowing down its pace a lot, andnded right next to the elf. Even still, the bonfire flickered into only red burning woods with the wind its massive wings created.


    It was a white majestic crane with its wings expanded over a dozen feet. While its whole form looked thinner inparison, the crane could easily rival the biggest cursed wolf he had killed so far. Moreover, Warden was reading a far stronger aura from the bird.


    "Calm down, everyone," June said softly, rubbing the bird. "Sylvie won''t hurt anyone."


    The bird clucked in agreement, and then its beak moved towards the kebab in his hand. "She''s hungry," Warden said, easily giving up his food for the bird. Sylvie nuzzled her head around the meat for a second before taking the roasted kebab into its beak. To make sure, she didn''t gulp down all of it, Warden pulled the stick and let all the meat fall into her long beak. Sylvie clucked in a low squeal. She likes it, definitely more than her owner. "Do you want more?" Warden asked. Of course, she wants more. The crane would have space left in her tummy even after she ate all the kebabs left. Even without getting an answer, he brought a few more of the roasted meat and let the bird eat them.


    He noticed the elf girl looking at him with a conflicted scowl. Was the master-student duo the same, feared that he would take away their bonded beast? "Thank you for feeding her," June said atst, "I''ll make sure to pay¡ª" "No need," Warden waved her off. "We have more meat, though mostly raw. Does she eat raw? Roasting them will take some time." "Sylvie can eat raw, though she likes roasted better," June answered. "Oh, does she eat beat core like Cupcake?" June frowned, probably hearing the revtion for the first time. "No. The little spirit rabbit can digest beast cores?" "It can more than just digest," Warden said, guesting to Tifan to bring in more meat. "Thank you for the food," June said, as the bird squealed. "Sylvie, did you find any signs of a dungeon nearby?" The bird clunked. "No?" June frowned. "Perhaps it is deeper into the wilderness." "It was actually," Warden cut in. "But you don''t need to worry about it anymore." "What do you mean, I don''t have to worry about it?" June asked. "It is my job to be worried about dungeons." "Well, that''s the issue," Warden hesitated, "there''s no more dungeon any more." "Exin clearly," the elf said, and then realisation dawned on her as her expression grew dark. "No, the overflow didn''t happen," Warden calmed her down. "At least not entirely. I took care of all the wolves it spawned, as for the dungeon, I cleared it too." "You alone?" June frowned, incredulous. "Yep, do you have a problem with that?" "I suppose if it is a grade 9 or Grade 8, trained warriors could solo clear it." "It was a Grade 8." Warden understood the lower the number, the higher the rank of the dungeon was. Grade eight was merely the 2nd weakest rank. "And what did you mean by there is no dungeon any more?" "Because there isn''t," Warden said. He mimicked an explosion with his palms. "It went poofed after I cleared the dungeon." "What!" June frowned. "Are you sure that happened? There''s a very low chance you''d still be standing right now if a dungeon exploded with you inside it." "I don''t know exactly what happened," Warden was technically not lying. "It went all dark and I fell unconscious. The next time I woke up it was midday and outside on the world." June''s frown only deepened. While she was busy with her thoughts, he fed her bird. There was a certain relief in feeding others, especially when the food was made by you. Warden had learned that recently.

 Chapter 45 Fatemark

    Chapter 45 Fatemark


    "You''re going to lead me to where the dungeon was," June said, as if it was a matter of fact.


    "Um, sure," Warden agreed. "How about tomorrow morning?"


    "No, we''re going now."


    Warden shook his head. "Like I said, it had been dealt with. You don''t have to worry about anyone getting hurt."


    The people around them began to move away, worried that the sh of their aura might hit them again. June noticed that and made sure not to release her aura, while Warden was ever carefree, not letting out even a wisp of his aura. He was unaware if it was his cloak that hid his aura, or if he was naturally good at controlling it, but a spike of emotions didn''t seem to affect his aura as much as it did others.


    Even when he was furious before he began ughtering the bandits, his aura was condensed in a cold fury, not in an outward show of might.


    The elf still looked stuck up aboutpleting her task as soon as possible.


    "Don''t be such a killjoy," Warden told her. "These vigers had a tough day today. You never know, our absence might bring in another trouble they didn''t need to bother with."


    June thought hard. It could be seen through her expression, and finally sighed. "Fine," she said. "But the first thing you''ll do is lead me there."


    "Sure?" Warden drew his palm. "Shake to agree?"


    June lifted an eyebrow at his oily hand from holding too many kebabs and cooking.


    "This one is clean," heughed, drawing his left arm. He was a little embarrassed but didn''t show it on his face with the number of people watching. He might just dump on tomorrow morning''s agreement with the elf if she refused to shake hands.


    Warden could deal with tens of cursed creatures, but not the awkwardness a refusal to shake hands brought.


    Sadly, the elf didn''t seem interested, but then her eyes narrowed at the eerie-looking spiral mark on his palm. "These are..." her eyes literally glowed with interest and some magical ability, perhaps. "Fatemarks!"


    Warden frowned and drew his palm back.


    "Wait, let me see them." Now she had an almost fanatic look in her eyes. Her emotion changes far too quickly, like a woman inbor.


    "You saw them," Warden returned, unperturbed.


    "Let me study them," she demanded.


    Man, these city folks seem to have a lot of demands. Warden was growing more impatient with her. Even her beautiful face might not be enough for him to keep entertaining her requests any more. Although Fatemarks felt like some familiar term that he would like to know more about, he saw no reason to keep excusing her behavior.


    Thankfully, June seemed to notice the change in his demeanor and in her behavior, and was quick to apologize.


    "I apologize, Sir Warden," she said, bowing deeply. "Fatelocks are an extremely fascinating subject. I just couldn''t contain my enthusiasm after finding such a peculiar one in a low ranker."


    Warden snorted.


    "I mean, iron ranker," she exined. "Rankers rarely have the fate to possess fatemarks in all their life, but those that I''ve seen having one are all high-ranked individuals."


    "How high?" Warden asked, curious.


    "All Diamond rankers I know seem to have one," she said. "There are theories that a ranker needs to have fatemarks and master its power to transcend Gold rank. But I have seen them in Iron and Silver before as well, though they were not asplicated and hard to inspect as those of Diamond ranks."


    "You''re saying fatemarks be more profound as one ranks up?" It was only a hypothesis, but how his spiral marks got more prominent after the opening of a second aperture seemed to hint at that. Warden hadn''t even considered there was a meaning behind the words; they just looked obnoxious to him.


    "Something like that," June said.


    "I didn''t even notice anything profound on the mark in your palm in the beginning. I thought they were some normal tattoos."


    "Why do you think they are not?"


    "Because they are not," she said, incapable of exining. "Ahh, I can''t exin it to you if you haven''t seen their intricacies. And even though they manifested on your arms, I can see them more clearly than you can, I think."


    Warden had another thing to think about. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "If you like, I can show you the intricacies," June tried, her voice almost pleading to know more about the marks. "I have this ability where I can transfer visual and verbal data into others'' heads. So what do you say? Will you let me take a look?"


    "Maybe." Warden was still not convinced by everything she shared. It made him more zealous to keep his secret hidden.


    "I can provide you with something of equal value in return," June continued. "Potion, weapon, rare treasures, knowledge..."


    Warden frowned, considering. Although all of that interested him, something else was more important to him at that moment. "Do you know any great healer?"


    June wasn''t quick to answer, her mind calcting. "I do," she said atst. "Why, are you in need of one?"


    "Something like that," Warden didn''t exin clearly now as there were many prying eyes and ears in the surroundings. "We''ll talk more about this tomorrow."


    "Um, sure."


    "Warden, are you nning on leaving tomorrow?" It was Xiv, who asked.


    "Yeah," he said. "Sorry, I couldn''t teach you more at this moment." Xiv''s injuries would take a month at the very least to heal, and even then, Warden wasn''t sure if he could push the boy through hard training. While getting more attributes might help, it wasn''t enough for someone below copper rank.


    "Don''t worry, I''lle back to check on you," he said. "As for the training, I guess you can ask your bodyguard in my absence."


    Xiv nodded after hesitating for a while. He probably wanted him to stay or ask to go with him, but he knew it wouldn''t be fair. In the end, he resigned to the great system''s design.


    "I''ll be a lot stronger the next time we meet."


    "I''d be looking forward to it."

 Chapter 46 Departure (1)

    Chapter 46 Departure (1)


    "Are you sure this is the ce?" June asked a moment after Warden led her into the cavern. A slick and t brick-like metal device on her arm flickered into bars of light, indicating whatever she was trying to read with it.


    "Like I said, it vanished," Warden said.


    "The radar is detecting nothing too extreme, with a dungeon gate being here just a day before," she sighed. "The radiation is only above normal. It takes about a month for radiation toe down from a grade-8 dungeon." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He shrugged.


    "Let''s search around to see if there''s any sign of another dungeon spawning here," June said as they came out of the cavern. The white crane waiting outside clucked as they got onto its back. Soon, Sylvie took flight, taking the two of them into the air.


    The white crane was big enough to carry two people easily, though her speed decreased a lot. June sat in the front, while Warden made himselffortable keeping a few inches'' distance from her back.


    Now, flying was something Warden wouldn''t get any time soon, or ever. The feeling of the fresh wind caressing and even pping him with Sylvie''s increasing speed was something only mortals dreamed of. There was freedom in the flight, even though he was riding Sylvie. It was a feeling, a need, that Warden didn''t know was there orcking until he flew on her.


    What surprised him was how amodating June had been as she let him ride her bonded spirit creature. Then again, she had been impatient with all the dungeon business. She woke him up early and demanded that he follow through on the agreement.


    They were almost done with that, though she wanted to make sure there were no other dungeons in the vicinity. So they flew purposefully over the wilderness for about a couple of hours, June with her device reading the radiation that every dungeon radiates in the surroundings. She wasn''t much for talking when she was working, it seemed.


    Warden didn''tin, even though there was nothing for him to do. He simply focused on the calmness he was riding in and meditated.


    Eventually, June did find a couple of dungeons, only Grade-9¡ªthe lowest-ranked ones. They were too deep in the wilderness to be a threat to the vige.


    Still, Warden offered, "Should we clear them?"


    "We won''t be able to enter any Grade-9 dungeon," she said. "Technically, we can barge our way in, but that''ll be inadvisable. Our presence will make the fabric of the low-rank dungeon stressed, and it might even copse on us."


    That was all new to him, but from the look in her eyes, it seemed to bemon knowledge.


    "Don''t stress out. We already have a team to take care of them," June said. "I''ll leave them the directions on our way back, making sure they don''t jerk around with this job."


    He exhaled deeply. "Thank you."


    "It''s my duty," June said curtly.


    "Well, it was the job of that other bunch as well, but look at them," Warden said. "Besides, nobody said you can''t take gratitude for doing your duty."


    June lifted her brows, as if seeing him in a new light, and nodded.


    "So, about the other thing," Warden said, lifting his left palm to indicate the fatemarks. "Can you help me get a good healer, especially a healer of the mind?"


    "Mind?" June sped her palms together. "I knew it. There''s something wrong with your head, or how can you have such contrasting personalities at times?"


    Warden clicked his tongue at her joke. "You''re not really good at it, you know," he said. "Anyway, can you do it?"


    "Well, I do know a few excellent healers, and even a good mind mage, but I don''t know if they would be helpful to your problem without knowing what it is."


    "Suppose someone bangs their head real bad," Warden said, hesitating no more, "and had trouble remembering their past. Can a healer help in remembering stuff?"


    Warden had to let out the secret of the bag sometime, so he decided why not now. If he were to take her help in getting a healer, there was a very good chance she would know it eventually. Besides, he wasn''t more vulnerable than he was feeling before. His problem wouldn''t give others a leeway over him.


    June''s expression changed instantly as she studied his face. "How bad is it?"


    "Pretty bad," he said. "I only got one small sh of a vision of my past, but I seem to remember things if something leads me in that direction. Like I can do many things that I don''t have a memory of, like cooking andbat. And then there are moments where I kind of know who I was."


    "Do you have any other problems, save for the memory?"


    "I don''t think so," Warden lied. The other big thing would be the loss of his power. But Warden only thinks he lost it. There was no concrete proof other than the hints on his status page and the extreme tiredness.


    "Well, I don''t think it''ll be hard for you to find your past," she said. "Your abilities are unique, considering you beat Professor Walt without even disadvantageous attributes. Even your aura had a certain authoritative feel to it. Clearly, you were trained by expert masters. There are only a few people in the world that can train in it. They are probably looking for you right at this moment.


    "As for your memory, though, I can''t say much. My ideas on something like that are vague, and could give you a false promise."


    "Thank you," he said. "That settles the deal, then?"


    "Sure." June drew her palm to shake her hand this time. "Shake to agree?"


    Warden sped her palm and found them soft for a silver ranker. She was perhaps a mage-type?


    "By the way, will you give me a ride to the city?"


    ording to her students, it takes at least a week conventionally, but with Sylvie, he was pretty sure the time could be alleviated greatly.

 Chapter 47 Departure (2)

    Chapter 47 Departure (2)


    "By the way, will you give me a ride to the city?"


    "I see no other choice," June agreed, "considering you don''t know your way and would probably get into trouble with your personality."


    "What is that supposed to mean?"


    Juneughed. "I''d say you won''t be in one piece for long with that personality unless you have the strength and backers to back you up."


    "It''s not that bad."


    "I didn''t say it was bad," June added. "But you beat the crap out of an Arcane Academy official."


    "That guy kind of deserved it," Warden snorted.


    "Maybe, but the exchange between you two gave him an opportunity to make a court case out of this. I don''t know if you''re aware that House Walt is quite influential."


    Warden groaned. "So the guy would go crying to his daddy to have me put into prison, or will it be worse than that?"


    June shrugged, the smile still lingering on her lips. "You have humiliated him in front of students and a few guild members. After experiencing his outburst the other day, I don''t think he''ll go silently."


    "But he''ll surely go," Warden mumbled. "I''ll make sure of it if hees at me again."


    "Of course, I''ll make sure he gets his punishment in due time," June added. "However, I don''t think it will be anything more than disciplinary service for a few months. Humans tend to look at someone''s whole family background before disciplining them."


    So he would be free of any counterattack from the Professor Noble-Ass for a few months. And oh yeah, Warden had shortened his nickname, as the other one was quite a mouthful. Still, this one suited him just as well. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Also, you saved the lives of many vigers as well as Liam and Kiara, who is almost my mentee," June said. "I''m treating you like this on ount of all that."


    "And here I thought you have fallen for my dashing looks," Warden chuckled.


    "Literally, half of the elves look better than you," June snorted.


    "At least it ispared to elves," Warden muttered. "I found nothing upsetting about that. Besides, I have a beard, which gives me some extra points."


    "Yeah, like a homeless bum," June retorted.


    Warden couldn''t deny that, not with how his beard looked at the moment. He needed a trim or shave, but unfortunately, more important matters always prevailed over grooming himself.


    They returned to the vige with the news of the dungeon. The guild men had no problem implementing June''s order, but the professor only glowered at Warden as he stood next to the impressive Elven woman.


    Thankfully, he didn''t shout at him maniacally like thest time, though the anger had only taken root in his heart. Even with supernatural powers, Walt''s injuries were far from healing. Void energy tends to have such effects.


    "Professor June, will it be possible for you to give me a lift back to the academy?" Walt asked atst. "As you can see, I''m in need of medical care. My family will owe you one if you can¡ª"


    "Sorry," June said without even letting him finish. "I have to inspect a few more regions on the way back, and Sir Warden will be going with me. So there isn''t space for another person. But don''t worry, I''ve sent word of your deeds back to the academy. They''ll be sending rankers. Hopefully, they won''t take a fortnight like you."


    June''s voice was soft, but the words were far from it. Walt knew he had messed up real bad that someone of June''s character would never want to involve herself with him again.


    With June turning away, he persisted in glowering at Warden venomously again.


    Warden didn''t give him any attention and went to bid goodbyes to the kids. Warden didn''t think it would take much time, but he was mistaken, as there were plenty of others to show their gratitude. Onia had prepared lunch for them, and it was a lot, considering Warden eats equal to a dozen people.


    Kelsa, the local apothecary, gave a few of her brewed medicines and alcohol, which Warden greatly appreciated as she thanked him for saving her.


    Last but not least, Xiv stood with the leftover loot the vigers didn''t think they should take. It was most of it, discarding only wolf furs and hearts.


    "How am I going to take all this stuff?" Wardenughed, looking at the handfuls of weapons the bandits left behind. Of course, he could use his second aperture ability and see if he could throw this stuff into the subspace.


    Thankfully, June came to the rescue before he even had to try. "I have a spatial cube, leave them to me. I''ll return them to you after we reach our destination."


    With that, she brought out a cube from her robe. It expanded to many times its size, astonishing all the vigers.


    "Throw stuff in one by one," shemanded.


    "Oi, leave the spear," Warden said, taking the spear in hand. It was a fine spear, standing over five feet, full metal build, with some basic enchantments like rust-proof and empower.


    "This is for you, Xiv." Warden handed it to the boy. "Though nothing special, it still has some uses left in it."


    "Warden, I can''t--" Xiv began, but Warden cut him off.


    "Why? Because this is a dull looking, bad parting gift?"


    "No, no, this is not mine. I can''t take something like this. It''s clearly an artifact."


    "It''s a sorry excuse for an artifact," Warden snorted. "I''m sure you''ll get use out of it by copper rank."


    June closed the spatial cube and collected it, so there was no way for Xiv to return it anymore.


    "Thank you," Xiv said, red-faced.


    "I wish I could teach you some spear moves," Warden said, ruffling his hair. "But I guess we have to wait for some time."


    Finally, with a cheerful smile on his lips, Warden departed, flying away on the Starfire Crane along with June.

 Chapter 48 Rune

    Chapter 48 Rune


    The inn was of moderate quality, even with the immacte name like Dragon''s Talon. Still, it was the best the little town of Triu could offer, not that they had a problem as they would only be staying the night.


    The only reason they stopped for the town was that Sylvie wouldn''t be able to fly with them non-stop. The white crane had been exhausted carrying them for almost the whole day. She deserved rest and good sustenance.


    June discussed with the innkeeper to take care of that, while Warden went to check the bath. He had finally made use of his time and shaved off the thick beard that had been growing on his face. He even trimmed his long hair a little, though he was afraid of messing it up. His hair still reached his shoulders even after he finished. He would need a barber to do anything better.


    Done with grooming himself, Warden returned to his quarters, putting on his light armour and cloak.


    June knocked on his door about an hourter. Warden weed her into the small room, which had an old oak bed, a small study table and a chair.


    "Are you going to sleep wearing armour?" June joked.


    Warden shrugged, as that was kind of his n. The ce was new, and it worked up his paranoia to some degree. "I don''t have anything else."


    "You should have bought something on the way," she said. "Anyway, are you prepared to show me your fatemarks?"


    "Now?"


    "The night is long, and I have nothing to do," June said as she rested her bottom on the chair after dragging it before where he sat.


    "Well, now is as good a time as any," Warden agreed. "How are you going to check, though? Do you have some device or something?"


    "My eyes are better than what any device can find," June said as her pupils glowed white, literally spilling light. "Your palm."


    Warden gave his left palm. June clutched it in her palms and drew her eyes closer to perceive deeper into it. He didn''t know what profound truth she might be looking for or how she was even detecting them, but heplied with her request.


    "Do you want to see what I see?" she asked.


    "Sure."


    "Okay, close your eyes and stay calm," June said, taking a deep breath, her face brimming with concentration. "I''ll send the data slowly. Tell me if your mind is unable to handle it."


    Warden closed his eyes as something soft pricked against the barrier of his mind.


    "A cognitive defence?" June perked her eyebrows, surprised. "Didn''t expect that. ept the transfer."


    Right at this moment, Warden had no clue he had something like a cognitive defence, but as she termed it, the theory behind such a defence became clear to him. Apparently, the imaginary line of defence of the mind defends against any empathic interference. Is this how he was unaffected by the Ghost Wolf''s howl? It seemed most likely.


    "Don''t tell me you had the defence on, and you didn''t know about it?" June said, reading his expression.


    "We learn new things about ourselves every day," he shrugged.


    After Warden consciously affirmed her interference, June transferred the data her special eyes received from interpreting the fate marks in his palm.


    A chaotic darkness appeared in Warden''s mind''s eye, pulsating with purple energy flow. He was familiar with the energy, so he didn''t think anything special about it.


    "This is merely what everyone sees if they were to inspect the fate marks, perhaps even less," June said. "Now this is what I see."


    The vision in his mind''s eye seemed to zoom in and took him deeper into the molecr formation of the energy. Perhaps even deeper. And what he knew, it wasn''t chaotic at all. There were chains of formation that made the whole energy flow. June transferred the vision of one such chain in detail.


    Each of the links of the chain yed its part perfectly. If even one of them broke apart, the flow would lose a lot of its effect and would be chaotic. However, there was no disturbance in the chains. They were sucking in all the chaotic energy and imposing order over it.


    I knew this. Warden felt the vision surreally familiar.


    "This is not darkness," June said thoughtfully. "Even though they act simrly."


    "Can you zoom in on the intricacies of the chain?" Warden asked.


    "I can, probably," she said. "But it''ll be difficult for both of us, though."


    "Do it."


    June clutched his palm tighter, her eyes glowing more intently as sweat beads formed on her forehead. A stabbing pain pricked the back of his mind the very moment she transferred the new data. But Warden held on.


    As he had imagined, the chains were made ofplicated intricate runes, duplicate runes spinning and interlocking together to make aplex system that was just too much for their minds to handle.


    June gasped, her eye ability getting a drawback.


    "Deeper," Warden grunted, as the pain in his mind intensified. It was almost unbearable, as if something was pinning a cold nail into his head. "I need to see one elementary form of the rune."


    "Brace yourself," June said, gritting her teeth. "I can only manage one look before one of us passes out."


    The obscure rune marks flowing with energy, no they were literally made of energy. As the vision went deeper, Warden didn''t just find some ancient intelligiblenguage, but geometric forms as well. Mostly octagons and hexagons, each oneyered with the runes in symmetric form.


    "I can''t anymore," June said, gasping for breath.


    The vision ended as soon as it began, but Warden felt like he spent an abnormal amount of time in it. Even though the vision ended, his mind still hadn''t woken up, locked inside, still interpreting the meaning of the runes.


    [+2.0 Mind.] [+1.5 Mind.]


    [+1.0 Mind.]


    ... n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [+3.6 Mind.]


    Then it all stopped and Warden opened his eyes to find June staring at him, blood dripping down from her eyes.


    "Are you alright?"

 Chapter 49 Backlash

    Chapter 49 Bacsh


    "Are you alright?" Warden asked.


    June''s body was perfectly fine; it seemed her mindcked the rity tomand the body. She almost fell forward from the chair even with her bottom resting on it until Warden caught her. Her eyes wandered into nothingness for an uncertain amount of time as she finally blinked.


    She let out a shriek, shuddering in his arms. Even Warden''s form was tumbling, but he did his best to pull her into his arms andid her on the bed as she finally calmed down. Warden had only seen the vision, but June had interpreted it from the fate marks and even transferred it to him. He didn''t think there would be such a bacsh, but apparently, he was wrong. Even he was rattled, though not as badly as her. Although his eyes didn''t bleed, his blood came down from his nose and ears.


    "At least it was not for nothing," he mumbled, wiping his blood with a napkin. He helped himself with water, gulping down the entirety of it in one attempt.


    June came to her senses sooner than he imagined, but then again, she was a silver ranker of Elven origin. She groaned, sitting right up from the bed.


    "Are you alright?" he asked again.


    "I''ll be," she said. "I have a headache and can''t see clearly at this moment." She tried to wipe the blood that dripped on her cheeks, only making a mess of it. "Let me," Warden came to help, resting her back on the bedhead. He washed the napkin clean with water and wiped off the red blood from her cheek. There was still ayer of it in her eyes, but he was unable to do anything about it with her blinking rapidly. "Do you want water?"


    "Yes," she said. Warden handed her a ss of water. She drank the water and asked for another ss. She used it to ssh her eyes, strength returning to her mind and body.


    "This is not the first time something like this has happened," June said. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll be at my full capacity in the morning."


    "That''s a relief." "You''re right about the opportunity not being a waste," she continued, thoughtfully. "It was fascinating as always. I had a lot of insights, though I''d still like to interpret more of the runes someday. But I fear I won''t learn much without advancing another rank."


    "Thankfully, I learned something more about myself," Warden said. "With your help, of course."


    "What?"


    Warden smiled. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "What?" June reiterated. "Is it about the runes?"


    "It is better if I show it to you," Warden said. "Tell me when you can see clearly, and I need to meditate on the things I re-learned as well."


    "Is it about the runes?" June asked again with the enthusiasm of a child. "My eyes are fine; show me now."


    Wardenughed. "You know, with you behaving like this, I have a hard time believing you to be an ageless, patient elf."


    "I''ve barely lived fifty years of my life, half of those in the prison of my mind," June snorted. "Those wisdoms don''te as early. At least I need to go through three cycles for that."


    "I have no clue what you''re saying, but as a fifty-year-old woman, you''re basically a granny."


    "I''ll still be the same in hundreds of years toe," June snorted, "while you''d have withered or be old and wrinkled."


    Warden''s teasing seemed to have the effect he wanted, as the elf girl snorted at him. She was nothing like a granny, to be honest. June wasposed most of the time, unless it was something of great interest, like fate marks; then, she became impatient like a teenager.


    "Still, you''re almost double my age," Warden teased further.


    "How do you know?" the elf countered. "Even if you look in your mid-twenties after shaving, you could also be twice or thrice that age. Magic keeps everything fresh."


    "Well, that could be a possibility, but with my personality and rash behaviour, I don''t believe I''m that old."


    "What do you mean ''that old''?" June scowled. "I''ve seen many people in their 50s or 60s acting rash. That''s pretty normal, with an average ranker living close to two hundred years."


    "How long do elves live?" Warden asked.


    "We are immortal," June said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, you changed the subject. Tell me what you learned from the runes."


    "Well, I learned that I''m something of a Scriber," Warden said, and received no reaction from June.


    "What does that mean? Is it a ss?" she questioned. "Are you someone who interprets these runes?"


    "Like I said, it will be better to show you," Warden sighed. "Then show me," she urged him.


    "Can you even see properly?"


    "Fine, let me drink a potion first." She brought out her cube and let it spew out a small vial of potion and another medicine that seemed to be some kind of eye drops. She drank the potion on her own and handed the eye drops to him. "Help me, no more than one drop per eye."


    "What is this?" he asked, inspecting the smaller vial. "Diluted moon water. Pretty precious, don''t waste it."


    Wardenplied and drew closer to her. Again, hervender perfume assaulted his nostrils; her slow breathing was like a rhythm to his ears as she opened her eyes wide. He hesitated to touch her cheek, holding the eye drop over her eyes.


    "Get on with it," she croaked, getting impatient. Warden hesitated no more. His palm supported her head as he dropped one small drop of the moon water into her right eye. June closed that eye and opened the other wide. Warden transferred his palms to her other cheek and wetted the other eye as well, as she remained closed-eyed for about a minute.


    Warden seated himself in the chair and waited. "Do I look more handsome now?" he asked after she opened her eyes.


    "I see what you''re trying to do," June said, inhaling sharply, "but trust me, it will never work between us."


    "What won''t work between us?" "You know what I''m talking about." She shot a curt re.

 Chapter 50 Calamity

    Chapter 50 Cmity


    "I see what you''re trying to do," June said, inhaling sharply, "but trust me, it will never work between us."


    "What won''t work?" Warden asked, feigning stupidity.


    "Don''t act dumb," June snorted at him. "All that flirtation will get you nowhere."


    "Flirtation?" Warden''s eyes widened with mocked surprise. "But I haven''t even begun flirting with you."


    June shot him a re.


    "I like yourvender body odour," Warden said softly, drawing an inch closer subtly to sniff. His movement was just right so that he wouldn''t look like a creep. Even though the elven woman said it wouldn''t work, her cheeks heated up as she red up at him fervently. "Now, that would be flirtation, but I''m sure that won''t work on you."


    He met her re with a smile, returning to his seat.


    "Can''t you just act normal?" she asked, infuriated and flustered at the same time.


    "Normal like the first time we met?"


    "That''s not normal."


    "I feel like that''s very normal for me."


    "You don''t even know yourself," June shouted. She breathed in and out to calm herself.


    Warden could only shrug. "Fine, I won''t make you ufortable."


    "You better," June said in herposed tone. "Now show me the thing."


    "Give me a moment." Warden calmed his breathing and concentrated on the craft he was about to show her. He drew one finger in the air, his un-attuned energy emitting from the finger as he drew in empty air. "Can you see it?"


    "I can feel the energy," June answered as he drew an octagon with fresh energy. "Why isn''t the energy dispersing?"


    Warden smiled and began to draw the runes now. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "It''s runes." June felt dumb; the answer was so obvious.


    "Power is chaos," Warden said, "and runes are the way to govern order over the chaos."


    With eight identical symmetrical runes sized up in the octagon, the elementary script wasplete.


    "This is not exactly like the runes in the fatemark," June mumbled, studying.


    "Those are rather advanced," Warden agreed. "This is merely an elementary counterpart. A different type at that."


    June gasped, drawing closer with her studying gaze.


    [You have learned Runeforging (Elementary).]


    [Runeforging: Elementary


    Runeforging is the way of the ancients. Through runes, a scriber can manipte energy to different effects. In ancient times, mages are taught to incorporate runes in their spellcraft, however, the path of runes being extremely hard to master, the old ways had been given up by the system.]


    Warden wasn''t surprised at the notification, though he was aware Elementary was far too low for what he should be capable of.


    "Now let me show you what it can do," Warden said and took the empty bottle of vial from her. Under her studying gaze, Warden tossed the bottle over the script.


    The bottle couldn''t even reach the script, but instead, a repel force sent it flying as it crashed into the roof. Thankfully, the ss was made of sturdier material, as it didn''t break in the crash.


    "What happened?" June asked.


    "This script''s function is repelling whatever you throw at them," Warden said.


    "It''s like antigravity," June said, bringing her palm over the script to check the repelling force.


    Warden snorted. "Maic force will be more urate, perhaps."


    The woman clearly wasn''t listening to him; her eyes were studying the dispersing runes fervently.


    "I think I can make them as well," June said after the script dispersedpletely, losing its power.


    "Be my guest," Warden said.


    Obviously, June was a capable ranker to have memorized all parts of the scripts. It was honestly easy for someone like her. However, as she began to draw the script in the air, she found it was more difficult than it looked. She was always failing to intricate the runes inside the octagon.


    Warden didn''t say anything as June was already finding the answer on her own. Honestly, watching someone learn a new thing was a delight. Of course, it was only delightful when they were learning it as fast as her. June tweaked the script with every new piece of information and finally managed to draw the full script on her neenth attempt.


    "The system says I learned Runeforging," June said, gasping. "It''s only an elementary level, yet why is it so tedious?"


    "Symmetry of energy is quite hard to aplish," he replied. "Let''s check the effect then."


    Warden tossed the vial. It shot up like thest time; however, the repelling force wasn''t enough to make it crash into the roof.


    "Looks like you need some practice to reach perfect symmetry," Warden said.


    June nodded, and soon a frown perked up in her brows. "How much of your knowledge did you recover in Runeforging?"


    "I don''t know," Warden shrugged. To know how much, he needed to have an idea of how far he knew. "But I guess with some practice, I can apply them to make enchanted items, artifacts, and even use them during a fight."


    "Artifacts," June said, rmed. "You can make them?"


    "Maybe," Warden said. "Simple elementary-grade scripts won''t be enough for artificing; I need to practice Runeforging thoroughly to know what I''m really capable of."


    June stared at him unconsciously, deep in thought. "This is a very serious matter," she said. "If you can really make artifacts..."


    "Mind you, I haven''t recovered all my knowledge of artificing," Warden said, though he was almost sure he would get them back once he practised artificing. "There are other aspects to Runesmithing when ites to artificing; I''m not sure if I know them all."


    "Still, this is great," June said. "There are, of course, people who can create artifacts, but only a few can make high-grade ones. But as far as I''m aware, their ways of artificing didn''t involve runes. If you can truly create high-grade artifacts, then we''ll have another weapon to fight off the cmity."


    "Cmity?" Warden raised an eyebrow, hearing a familiar word.


    "Highest rank of the tainted creatures, or rather the source of all taint in the world," June said. "Even the strongest of our rankers can''t contend with them alone."

 Chapter 51 Instructor Recruitement

    Chapter 51 Instructor Recruitement


    Warden was in the Sivian Empire now, specifically in Navin City. Although it was within the empire''s jurisdiction, the city served as a neutral zone allocated to the Arcane Society. June had left him here at noon, mentioning that she needed toplete some other tasks. The previous night, an unspoken understanding had developed between them after Warden''s disy of Runeforging. The matter might be more important than Warden initially thought, as the girl had offered to sponsor him in his endeavors if he chose to experiment with artificing and more.


    Obviously, Warden hadn''t agreed to anything without aplete idea of his talents and knowledge. Currently, he was on his way to buy somefortable clothes. Legendary equipment was good and all, but it wasn''t alwaysfortable to wear.


    Warden had some gold and silver coins from the bandits, so he wasn''t worried about the price. After all, he was looking for normal clothes.


    There were plenty of people on both sides of the road in the evening, but there weren''t many vendors, as unauthorized business was probably restricted in the great city. It didn''t take him more than a quarter of an hour to find a clothing shop, but the problem was the shop was filled with people in groups or pairs, shopping for the best goods the city could offer.


    Warden stared at them in contemtion for a while before deciding to enter. He wasn''t going to waste any more time buying just a few simple clothes.


    As he entered, a young assistant shopkeeper immediately greeted him. "Good evening, sir," he said with a cheerful smile that didn''t reach his eyes. "How can I help you?"


    "I need some clothes," Warden said. "Normal ones. Tunic, coat, robes, innerwear, and underwear."


    "Of course,e this way," the youth said, leading him into the shop. He asked about color, type, and the kind of silk or cotton, as Warden answered them all. Finally, he showed a collection of fine tunics in a monotone style¡ªwhich was exactly what Warden preferred.


    Warden''s entire wealth was about twelve gold coins and ny-seven silver, along with some iron and copper coins, so he inquired about the prices.


    "Each of them is priced at 12 iron chips," the keeper said, with a smile that suggested he wasn''t trying to rip him off. Warden didn''t fully believe it, but he didn''t bother to negotiate. "Pack me half a dozen of them," he said.


    The keeper was delighted to work with someone who didn''t haggle too much. He proceeded to show everything Warden wanted. The coats were the most expensive items he bought¡ªthe priciest one costing him 3 silver and 15 iron chips¡ªbut considering they were for outdoor use, he didn''t mind spending his wealth.


    Well, it wasn''t really his wealth, but he didn''t hear the banditsining.


    On the way to check out, Warden overheard an interesting conversation that caught his attention. A woman was arguing with the shopkeeper,ining about why her tailored suit hadn''t been delivered yet.


    "I can''t believe this," she said. "I specifically mentioned that I needed the suit by today for my interview at the academy. I even paid in advance. Why isn''t it made yet?"


    "Like I said, ma''am," the keeper said slowly, knowing it was their fault. "There has been a mix-up, and your order was dyed by a week."


    The woman with dark hair literally fumed in her spot. "Will the academic administrators be jumping in delight if I say that to them?" she yelled, making a scene that was already catching many eyes. "Why do I have to pay for your screw-up?"


    "Haha, Aurel," a guy came in,ughing. "This is probably a sign from Kandrashi that you won''t get the job at the academy."


    The woman''s expression changed into an ugly scowl. "What do you want, Jason?" "I don''t want you to waste your time with the academy," Jason said. "The pay is lousy, on top of always babysitting pompous kids into the dungeon. If any of the noble kids get even a scratch, it is on your head. Why do you want to take such a position?"


    "Instead, I should join your guild?" Aurel asked.


    "Precisely," Jason said. "You know I''m fair, and we''ve known each other for years. I won''t rip you off for what we make."


    "I''m not joining your stupid guild," Aurel retorted before Jason could pitch further. "Even if you change the dumb name."


    "It''s not dumb," Jason gritted his teeth.


    "Ask anyone in the crowd; they''d say it''s dumb."


    Infuriated, Jason looked around and seemed to find Warden staring at the exchange with an amused look. "My good sir," Jason called him. "What do you think of the name Silent Watcher? Doesn''t it evoke a mysterious guardian type of vibe? I''m sure this will give great relief to all the people who''d hire us."


    Like Aurel, Jason was young, in his early twenties, and seemed to bepletely certain of what he decided. "It''s dumb, right?" Aurel argued, ring up at Warden as if wanting him to say nothing more, nothing less than what she thought of the name.


    "It''s not dumb per se," Warden said without much thought. The guy was just about to burst with joy, but Warden broke his heart with his next words. "It sounds more creepy to me. It gives the vibe of a creepy stalker, not a silent guardian."


    Jason was thunderstruck, while Aurel burst intoughter, momentarily forgetting about her suit. "Anyway, what is this interview you guys are talking about?" Warden asked, interested.


    "You don''t know?" Aurel answered. "The new academic year is starting, and that means the Arcane Academy will be refilling the posts of instructors. Mostlybat instructors, as those tend to have the highest mortality rate. Some leave the jobs as well, unable to bear it."


    "That''s why I''m asking her not to join," Jason cut in. "The pay is lousy and--" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Yeah, yeah, I heard you already," Aurel cut him off. "Thebat instructor job is quite tedious, considering they really have to babysit teenagers. But it isn''t because of the pay I wanted to join, but the perks thate with it."

 Chapter 52 Jason Forger

    Chapter 52 Jason Forger


    "What kinds of perks?" Warden asked.


    "Are you dumb or something?" Aurel asked, incredulous. "Surely, you''ve been through the arcane academy after awakening; how can you not know the perks that only the academy has?"


    "Humour me once," Warden requested.


    "Well, obviously, it is the advanced training facilities of all different fields that only Diamond rank guilds and organisations can afford," Aurel said. "There''s also the Arcane Archive, for those thirsty for knowledge. Besides that, you can attend lectures of Gold rankers and even half-yearly seminars of Diamond rankers. There are also many other minor confluences, like the city, atmosphere, peers¡ªall make it an ideal job for promising rankers.


    "It is why students apply for the junior instructor post right after their graduation."


    "What kind of training facilities are there?" Warden asked, interested. The archive interested him too, but he had an idea what it would be like, but not the training facility.


    "All sorts of stuff from gravity chamber, Specific Elemental chamber, mock dungeon," Aurel continued. "Like if you have a unique ability and don''t know how to train it? The academy has an answer for that. But most importantly, they have ess to the paths; you know what that is, right?"


    She showed an expression that told it would bepletely bogus if he didn''t know what that was. Warden just nodded along. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Anyway, why are you asking me this?" Aurel raised an eyebrow. "Are you interested in joining?"


    "Maybe," Warden said, truthfully. "What are the requirements?"


    "Well, your rank will cut it," Aurel said. "But you''d need a rmendationter from a full-time professor for the interview, unless you''re a healer. From the look of you, you aren''t one."


    "No," Warden said, considering if June could get him a rmendation letter if he asked her.


    "It''s a bummer. It took me two years to get the rmendation letter, which is quite early unless you''re a favourite of some professor."


    Does beating a professor consider as qualified in other professors'' eyes? Warden considered and shook his head. Mentioning how he had beaten Walt would only get him into trouble as far as he was concerned.


    "By the way, why does the academy take low iron grade rankers as instructors?" Warden asked. "As prestigious as the academies sounded, I''m sure they can get all the cream of the crops if they wanted."


    "It''s obviously to babysit the students inside the dungeon," Jason said as if it was obvious.


    Warden nodded as that made sense, considering the grade of the dungeon was restricted to the ranks. So the Academy would always need low rankers to train young aspiring rankers and make sure of their safety inside a dungeon.


    With Warden''s inquiries finished, Aurel turned to the shopkeeper to argue again. After a lot of arguing, she agreed that she would take thepensation they were giving in the form of another suit, which wasn''t exactly the customised suit she wanted but does the job.


    "By the way, Aurel," Jason said. "If you don''t get the job, you''ll join my guild, right?" "Fuck off, Jason," Aurel cursed at the guy and carried herself out of the shop with a scowl on her face. Warden went to check out. With all the articles of clothing he bought, the full amount had reached 27 silver and 14 iron. Considering how 1 gold makes 20 silver, it wasn''t much. After checking out, Warden got out of the shop with huge bags, only to find Jason was following after him. "Do you need something?"


    "Brother," Jason said, "can I help you carry your bags?"


    "Be my guest," Wardenughed, handing him two of therger bags while having only one for himself. Well, the guy asked himself, after all. "So we haven''t introduced ourselves," Jason said. "Let me go first. I''m Jason Forger, born and brought up here. My deeds of honesty and courage are well-known throughout the city. As Jason stared at him waitingly, Warden could only follow up with his introduction. "Warden," he said, wondering if having no surname ismon or not. "My deeds of courage is known only to a small vige in the middle of nowhere." "Brother, you joke well," Jasonughed. He continued, studying his outlook. "So, Warden, you''re not from around here, are you?" "Probably not," Warden said. He hadn''t seen any grey-haired person, nor someone as tall as him so far in the city. Of course, it hadn''t been longer than four hours, but he did see a lot of people. There was no shortage of blondes, browns, ormon ck-haired, and even a few asional gingers and redheads, but none even having a resemnce to his hair.


    Only June seemed to have met his stature, and her hair was silver, which came as close to grey as ginger to a redhead. But she was an elf, while Warden was...plicated.


    Human/Celestial (Prime, corrupted (31%); that was what the status page showed. Warden couldn''t say much about it, other than his origin beingplicated.


    "So if you''re not going back," Jason continued with his pitch. "Will you mind listening to me about the guild?"


    "You want me to join your guild?" Warden asked, stunned. "You don''t even know me."


    "Fair, but my gut says you''re the right person for me to consider," Jason said. "You have this air about yourself. I can''t put a finger on it, but my gut is never wrong."


    "Perhaps you should listen to your brain more than your gut," Wardenughed. "Mine only growls when I''m hungry. And I''m hungry now."


    "Great, I know the best ce for that."


    "You''re treating?" Warden pushed.


    Jason was unfazed. He didn''t fear paying after the prime candidate told him to fuck off. "As long as you listen to my pitch," he said.


    "Truth be told, I might even consider your offer if your guild didn''t have that creepy name," Warden said.


    "The name is changeable," Jason said. "Fuck, I never really considered it to sound creepy, to be honest."


    "Well, I don''t mind listening to you ramble," Warden said as they walked. "Ickmon knowledge of this ce, so anything can be news to me. Besides, Ickpany until my ride arrives."

 Chapter 53 Academic Criteria

    Chapter 53 Academic Criteria


    Even though Jason had the enthusiasm of a teenager when he talked about his guild, he hadn''t actually made one yet. Apparently, you need at least four members of the iron rank to form a guild. There is also the matter of a three-star Arcane Society badge, but that didn''t seem to be the problem. The guy didn''t even have a single member guaranteed to join his guild yet, but he looked as confident as ever. Well, Jason Forger seemed to be a confident fellow, looking exactly like what he was¡ªyoung, boastful, and equally talkative.


    Warden listened to him as he ate the food, which was better than anything he had eaten before. More importantly, he didn''t buy this food; it was all on Jason''s pocket. "So, what do you say, Warden?" Jason asked. "Will you join my guild?" "Doesn''t seem too bad," he replied, chewing on the meat. "If my other things don''t work out, then sure." "That''s great!" Jason was stunned. He definitely wasn''t expecting such a reply. "Where are you residing? How can I contact you?" "Velvet Kiss," Warden said, naming the ce where he was residing at the time, "although I''m not sure for how long I''d be there." "There you are," a feminine voice said from behind him, as Warden turned to find June standing there. "Oh, hi, June," he greeted. "I have bought some clothes." "I can see." "Wait, how did you find me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I left a mark on you," she said, as if it didn''t mean anything. "Other than the mark you left in my heart?" he threw her a beaming smile. She disyed an expression as if she was cringing. "Hey, that was good," Warden said. "Too cheesy," June replied. "I like cheese," Warden said, and introduced Jason. "Meet Jason." "Professor," Jason said, standing up in greeting. Apparently, those two knew each other from before. "I didn''t know you knew Warden." "No need for formalities," June said. She nced at the food they were having. "Are you done eating?" "I''m just getting started," Wardenughed. "Come on, sit. How did your job go?" "Mostly taken care of," she said, taking an empty seat at their table. "So, how are you two doing together? Oh right, good seeing you, Jason. What are you up to these days?" "Good seeing you too, Professor," Jason said. His tone was prim and proper now. "I had some good experiences in thest two days and decided a guild would be the best oue for me."


    "A guild, huh?" June raised an eyebrow, a smile ying on her lips. "Who would have guessed that? So, which one are you nning on joining?"


    "Silent Stalker," Warden answered for him. "Or was it Silent Watcher? Well, makes no difference to me."


    Jason looked down in shame. "I nned to create one myself."


    "Without your father''s help?" June asked, curious.


    "That''s the n," Jason said. "Though I''m having a hard time getting people to join. Oh right, I met Warden just some time ago and was discussing my guild with him."


    "Which you apparently don''t have," Wardenughed, "yet." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Well, that might not be a bad idea," June said, narrowing her eyes. "But I fear your guild won''tst long if you two troublemakers work together."


    "So, how are you doing, Jason?" Warden asked. "From the academy, I presume?"


    "Yes, Jason was one of the few who stood up," June said. "He graduated two years ago, which was also the year I joined."


    "I seem to have some interest in the academy," Warden said. "What are the odds, do you think, that I can get in as a professor?"


    June looked at him suspiciously. "A professor needs to have mastery over at least one art," she said slowly. "What are you a master of?"


    "What about that Walt fellow?" Warden asked. "He was terrible when he challenged me."


    "Professor Torin Walt is a master swordsman," June said with an even tone.


    "Like hell he is," Warden snorted. "I defeated him in a sword fight, and I''m far from being a master of the sword."


    June narrowed her eyes at him, unsure how to reply.


    "It''smon knowledge Torin Walt got the job through his family," Jason added, shrugging his shoulders. "Though there have been rumors that he was a true Swordmaster."


    "Didn''t feel like one," Warden said. "Anyway, I''m better with a spear. Might even be a master in it."


    Both of them gave him weird gazes, as if they couldn''t believe him.


    "Don''t look at me like that; it''s your student who said that," Warden said.


    "Kiara?" June asked.


    "Liam," Warden corrected. "Goodd. Have they reached the academy yet?"


    "Probably," June said, unsure. "Regardless of whether you''re a spear master or not, what are you going to teach the students with your condition being... you know?"


    She didn''t mention his amnesia in front of Jason, as Warden had requested earlier.


    "You''re also an early Iron rank," June said. "You need at least the strength of a Silver ranker, with three attributes awakened, one of them being Spirit."


    "What about the Walt fellow?"


    "Walt had backing," June said. "But you don''t."


    "Okay," Warden said. "What about the recruitment that has been going on currently?"


    "You mean the yearly recruitment forbat instructors and healers?" June raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can see you more as a Combat Instructor than as a professor, to be honest. Why are you interested?"


    "I heard great things about these academies from Jason''s friend," Warden said. "Of course, I wanted to see it for myself."


    "The job of abat instructor is quite demanding, though," June said. "Not just your strength, you need to havemand over the students, which is quite difficult as half of theme from noble houses."


    "I can always beat them up if they misbehave," Warden said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Receiving the same look from them again, he asked, "What, aren''t they adults? I mean, your two students were."


    June shook her head in disapproval.

 Chapter 54 Arcane Society Badge

    Chapter 54 Arcane Society Badge


    "Of course, I''m merely joking," Wardenughed, but June didn''t share in his amusement. "While fear does bring obedience, respect is far more effective."


    "Are you truly serious about this?" June gave him a level look.


    "Yes," Warden replied.


    "And you''re telling me all this because you need a letter of rmendation from me?" June asked, understanding the situation.


    "You''ve read my mind," he affirmed.


    June narrowed her eyes, deep in thought for a moment. "I''m probably going to regret this," she mumbled, retrieving paper and pen from her spatial cube. She began drafting the letter of rmendation right there. "My reputation is at stake; don''t embarrass me too much."


    "Are you for real?" Warden couldn''t believe it would be this simple.


    "I believe this is for the best," she said, "as long as you maintain a professional demeanour while on duty."


    "Thank you," Warden managed to say, suppressing his usual sarcastic response.


    "You''ll also need an Arcane Society badge," June mentioned. "I would have taken you to the Administrator''s office myself if I weren''t otherwise upied."


    "I can assist with that," Jason interjected.


    "That would be perfect," June agreed, turning to him again. "You appear to have recently advanced to iron rank, so the absence of a badge shouldn''t be an issue for you. Just take the test since you don''t have a provisional badge."


    "Hey, can I ess the records to find anything about my... old record?" Warden inquired.


    "The records are not avable tomon rankers," June exined. "Besides, you need the badge by tomorrow. They don''t typically issue badges at such short notice, but I think Jason can assist you with that, right?"


    They looked to Jason.


    "It won''t be a problem," he assured.


    "That settles it," June dered. "However, if, by some misfortune, you don''t acquire the badge by tomorrow, you can still attend the interview."


    With that, she handed him the letter and stood to leave. She paused momentarily, as if to remind him, "You have my contact card. Don''t lose it and only contact me when absolutely necessary."


    Warden watched as she disappeared from view.


    "Brother, are you secretly an heir to some great house?" Jason asked.


    Warden shrugged. "Why do you ask?"


    "Professor June is notoriously reserved; her world revolves around her work," he said. "She seldom offers anyone as much attention as she has given you. You must be a lucky fellow."


    Warden shrugged again. "Perhaps I''ve made an impression on her."


    Jason gave him a knowing look.


    "I''m aware she''s out of my league," Warden admitted, "but my mother always told me to aim for the stars."


    A look of distress crossed Warden''s face as he was suddenly reminded of his past. He scowled, frustrated. Despite his efforts, he could recall nothing more about his mother.


    "Warden, are you alright?"


    "Yes," he replied, standing. "Let''s head to the administrator''s office."


    *** Warden would have had to wait in a queue for hours if not for Jason, who somehow used his brilliant and youthful face to bypass that. Warden simply thought Jason to be some normal noble with a heroplex, but it turned out his background was more grandiose than he had imagined. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked the young noble.


    "My father holds a high position here," Jason replied, skirting around the real answer.


    Warden didn''t press further, as it was clear Jason was ufortable with divulging more.


    "Come on, let''s head in for your test," Jason said, leading him into the inner facility.


    On the way there, Jason exined the test. It was primarily a measure of the strength and potential of the ranker. The result of the test would determine the rank of his badge. Being of iron rank, Warden would receive an iron badge, but there were two additional distinctions: stars and grade. Stars were awarded based on the ranker''s reputation, while the grade¡ªranging from F to S¡ªindicated potential. Naturally, higher stars and grades offered some perks, which Jason didn''t fail to mention, encouraging Warden to give his best.


    Given that Warden had no reputation, he wouldn''t receive any stars. Therefore, he aimed to achieve the highest possible grade.


    "What grade is your badge?" Warden asked.


    "Mine is three stars and a B grade," Jason replied with pride. "Of course, I haven''t checked in for months, so it might be upgraded."


    The inner facility was a vast hall, where a few individuals were already undergoing their tests. The tests varied, including assessments of raw power, speed, dexterity, weapon mastery, and other skills necessary for bing a ranker. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "First up is the raw strength," Jason announced as a woman in a pristine suit approached them.


    She adjusted her sses and led them to a massive barrier on the wall. A young girl wielding a machete was already taking the test. She lunged at the metal barrier and swung her de, emitting a bright yellow light.


    Protective and measurement spells activated on the barrier instantly, absorbing her attack without leaving a mark.


    A holographic disy appeared in front of her, showing only a single letter. [D-].


    "Che," the girl spat on the ground as the woman sent her to the next test. She turned to Warden and said. "Give it your best shot." Warden drew his de and opened the pce of toil. Void energy churned through his channel as inky dark purple smoke misted out of the de, which made the two spectators frown up. Without further ado, he swung the de on the barrier. More protective script lightened up as the de connected. It was more than doublepared to the girl, even though Warden hadn''t used his all. A momentter, the result came in. [C]


    Warden scowled. Looks like these tests were harder than he imagined. "C?" Jason said. "That''s pretty good. If you do well in the next tests, you might get a Grade-B badge." They were ready to leave for the next test, but Warden didn''t move. "Can I take another shot?"


    ________________

 Chapter 55 Transcendental Damage

    Chapter 55 Transcendental Damage


    "May I have another go?" Warden inquired.


    The woman narrowed her eyes. "If you are one of those individuals who seek to improve their score at the expense of their well-being, I would advise against it," she stated.


    "It''s eptable if it doesn''t harm my body, correct?" Warden negotiated.


    "I''m not sure if you''re aware, but rankers who act recklessly tend to receive a lower grade on their badge," she added, adjusting her sses on the bridge of her nose.


    "Then it appears I must give it my all," Warden remarked, considering himself somewhat reckless. He would prefer to describe himself as spontaneous, but facts were facts.


    "Be my guest, then," the woman replied, her voice tinged with disapproval.


    Warden nodded and faced the barrier once more. This time, he utilized both of his apertures to their fullest capacity. Power surged through him unchecked as the natural dynamics of everyone in the room altered. Many attendees turned their attention towards them, eyeing the eerie-looking de with concern.


    Warden assumed a stance. Hecked knowledge of any borate sword techniques, but his fundamentals were impably honed. Standing approximately two meters from the barrier, he advanced, executing a full-arc swing with his de.


    The protective scripts glimmered in a golden hue even before the de made contact with the metal. However, the void energy managed to prate the initialyers of scripts, prompting anotheryer to emerge and counter the unstable energy. The energy obliterated the script as the de finally embedded itself into the metal.


    Warden observed that the de had merely dented the metal board. He was uncertain of the material, but he was convinced his strike could have decapitated most iron-ranked entities.


    "That''s..." The woman was at a loss for words.


    Jason turned to Warden. "Are you okay?"


    Warden nodded. "Why hasn''t the result appeared yet?"


    "It''s still calcting," the woman responded. "This might be considered Transcendental damage."


    "What constitutes transcendental damage?" Warden queried.


    "An assault capable of injuring someone of a superior rank," Jason exined. "Of course, surprise attacks are excluded. At full strength, oveing someone of a higher rank is nearly impossible."


    The calction was brief, and soon the golden illumination transformed into a letter.


    [A-]


    "It falls short of transcendental damage," the womanmented, her tone imbued with a hint of confusion. "I was almost convinced you would achieve it after leaving a mark on the board."


    "So, is Grade S indicative of transcendental damage?" Warden inquired.


    Jason nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "Truthfully, even grade A could pose a significant challenge, but S is the definitive benchmark for transcendental damage."


    "You might reach it once you attain the pinnacle of Iron rank," the woman said, her demeanor now more upbeat.


    "Is it that rare to get grade-S?" Warden asked, intrigued.


    "For an Iron ranker?" The woman said. "Yes. Pretty much nobody makes it in Iron, unless you have an epic rank ss and have honed your skills for over a decade. There are handfuls who make it in silver and gold ranks."


    "I see," Warden nodded. "So I''m not really amon ranker, huh."


    What a surprise. Warden hadn''t seen iting, even while he was equipped with two legendary-grade artifacts.


    "Let''s get to the next test."


    All the tests depended on the ranker''s ss. As Warden was primarily a closebatant, the next test challenged his speed and movements. However, what intrigued him more was that the test took ce in a virtual realm. He had to put a helmet on his head and enter a small, sealed cell, which seemed to have just enough space for one person.


    "We''re starting," the woman said. "If you feel any difort, yell out ''Eject.'' The device operates on voicemand."


    As her voice faded, Warden''s consciousness shifted to a different ne of existence. There was a sudden pull in his mind, and then he found himself in a rugged outfield, with a vast expanse of mountains and open sky before him.


    [Speed test], a notification announced. [On your mark. Get set. Go.]


    A meter began counting as Warden burst into motion. He had no idea if he had any parkour training, but he managed well in the hilly outfield. The teststed longer than he had anticipated, and soon he wondered whether maintaining his stamina at a slower speed would be a wiser choice.


    The test only concluded after Warden''s legs were exhausted. He had been running for over half an hour, using energy to increase his speed.


    "This definitely deserves an S-grade," Warden winced, gasping for breath while lying t on the ground.


    Unfortunately, he was only to be disappointed when the result was a moderate [B].


    The run had taken more time than the single attack that had earned him an [A-], but it was what it was. Warden knew he was somewhatcking in speed. It was something to work on.


    [Combat test in 15 minutes.]


    Warden sat up immediately and began meditating to recover his lost stamina and energy. Fifteen minutes should give him enough time to recover half of it.


    ***


    On the other end of the test, Jason was eagerly waiting for Warden when the woman announced the result.


    "He received a B in speed," she said.


    Jason narrowed his eyes, looking at the image of Warden meditating on the screen.


    "With all due respect, Young Master Jason," she asked, "where did you meet this fellow?"


    "In a clothing store," Jason mused. "And don''t call me that; I hate it."


    "As you wish, Young Master," the woman said, amused.


    Jason scowled. "What do you think he''ll score in thebat test, Jess?"


    "He''ll do well," Jess said, narrowing her eyes. "A B will be easy, but getting an A will be difficult for him."


    "Why?"


    "He possesses power," Jess continued, "a great deal of power, to be fair. But I feel hecks the finesse to use it effectively. I reckon he''s new to such destructive power and hasn''t yet mastered it."


    "Hmm," Jason mused. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "The potential is immense," she added. "If he can have the best trainers, I don''t see why he cannot be the next Agnes Araneid or Ss Moon."

 Chapter 56 Hes Not Stopping

    Chapter 56 He''s Not Stopping


    "If he can have the best trainers, I don''t see why he can''t be the next Agnes Araneid or Ss Moon."


    "Those are big names," Jason mumbled.


    "Indeed," Jess agreed. "A couple more potential rankers seem to have appeared in the academies who could give them a run for their money in a few years."


    "Unfortunately, Warden wants to join as abat instructor at the academy," Jason said.


    "That''s actually not a bad option," Jess said, narrowing her eyes. "If onecks funds and backing, the academies are where you get the most benefit."


    Jason scowled at her, then turned his eyes back to the screen. He sighed in resignation. "He probably will get in after what he showed," he said. "Even if he can''t teach much, the academy would like to have capable people who can keep the students safe in the dungeons."


    Not to mention, he seemed to have some rtionship with Professor June. Although the Elven woman didn''t have much sway in the Third Academy beyond her position, she was a respected figure. If she wanted, Warden would get the job, either way.


    "Let''s see how he does in thebat test."


    On the screen, the surroundings changed again as darkness fell over the region. Warden stood up as howls from wild animals echoed from all directions. He didn''t waste a moment, drawing his de and waiting for the beasts to attack him.


    Amon iron-ranked wolf lunged at him, even though dozens of them howled from the darkness. Warden''s de shed, blood sprayed in the air, and the beheaded corpse fell to the ground.


    This time, two wolves came, but the results were the same, even though they tried to gang up on him.


    Warden waited as four approached this time, and now he had to move his body. With each wolf he killed, their numbers doubled in the next round, and the difficulty rose exponentially.


    "How far do you think he''ll go?" Jason asked.


    "He''ll probably fall when the number rises to thirty-two," Tess said. "His weakness is his low stat. Even if he can kill the wolves, he''ll be exhausted and run out of energy."


    Warden had to sprint around when the number rose to eight, while also making sure he wasn''t depleting too much of his energy. His recovery rate was high, which was a relief, but he wasn''t sure how long he could keep up with the number of foes doubling each time.


    Warden finally suffered a scratch in the next round when there were sixteen iron-ranked wolves. These wolves were simr to the cursed ones Warden had killed but had higher attribute points and regenerative abilities. His entire face was covered in blood as he made sure to behead the wolves, since anything less seemed to regenerate within seconds. This strategy significantly depleted his energy reserves, leaving him with barely a fifth of it. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "He hasn''t taken a serious injury yet," Tess said, sounding surprised. "His leg movements are honed, far better than his swordsmanship."


    "He mentioned he prefers a spear over a sword," Jason muttered next to her. In his test, Warden had managed to defeat the sixteen wolves and fell in the round with thirty-two foes, earning him a Grade-B. If he tried now, he would probably make it, though the fight would be exhausting.


    As the battle progressed, more w marks appeared on Warden''s leg. Although his light armor looked sleek and provided decent protection, it managed to save him from all critical damage to his chest, while Warden was capable enough to protect his head.


    His de seemed to have lengthened quite a bit throughout the fight. Jason couldn''t tell if it was the sword or if the energy was making it possible, as observed on the screen.


    Finally, he defeated thest of the sixteen wolves, his body filthy with stters of blood and gore, surrounded by beheaded wolf corpses and severed limbs.


    Like before, the test didn''t give him time to recover his energy, as more wolves came in knocking. This time there were thirty-two of them. However, instead of facing them, Warden began running in the other direction.


    "What is he doing?" the young girl with the machete asked after finishing her test.


    Warden''s test seemed to have attracted most of the people present in the facility to watch, as it was not every day someone achieved high results. Not to mention, Jason himself brought him here, which already made more people take notice.


    "Probably taking his time to recover some energy," Jess said, shaking her head. "It''s futile. He won''t be able to recover one-tenth of his energy this way, but even if he had all his energy, thirty-two wolves were no joke."


    Warden hadn''t made any indecisive moves in the battle. He only swung his de twice, and both times he slew two wolves. For the rest of the time, he simply ran around, dodging attacks.


    He kept going like this until he killed six more wolves and finally decided to change his gear. His movements changed abruptly as he broke through the packs of wolves, his de''s length rising to an unprecedented level. It was over eight feet now, and with one swing, he killed off four opponents.


    "What the hell?!" Jason stepped forward towards the screen. He had never seen a sword like that.


    "What kind of attack was that?" the spectators discussed.


    "The guy clearly wasn''t a swordsman," Tess said. "But it seems just bing a swordsman wouldn''t be enough with a weapon like that."


    Warden''s pace didn''t stop. He moved with utter dominance, the wolves barely standing a chance against the full scope of his power. It happened within a dozen or so seconds, but those dozen or so seconds were utterly terrifying and glorious to watch.


    Warden had killed sixteen wolves in those dozen seconds.


    But that seemed to have taken everything out of him, as his movements became sluggish. The de emitted dark purple smoke no more.


    "H-he ran out of energy," Jason sighed.


    "But he''s not stopping."

 Chapter 57: Indomitable

    Warden confronted the monster, devoid of any ounce of energy within him. Thankfully, his de retained its sharpness, allowing him to cut through the adversary. However,cking void energy, the de lost much of its power to cleanly behead the creature.


    The regenerative abilities of the wolves added to the challenge. Warden grappled with each one before sessfully driving his sword deep into a wolf''s head.


    25 down. 7 more to go.


    Exhaustion weighed heavily on his body, making the remaining seven a formidable task, unlike the previous rounds. A wolf managed to bite into his leg, sending a sharp pain that assaulted his mind. Warden responded by gritting his teeth and stomping his knee onto its neck, nearly immobilizing it to thrust his de through. Warm, hot blood gushed out, spraying onto his lower body.


    Six more to go.


    While he focused on killing one wolf, the rest didn''t stand idly by. They lunged at him from all directions, attempting to take a bite. They managed to bite into his limbs at multiple ces, but Warden was too preupied to count.


    He swung his de to injure and fend off their biting maw. More blood flowed, but not all of it came from the wolves. Warden managed to stand up, his awareness keeping up with their tracks.


    He hadn''t used [Void Shroud] even once in this battle, as it burned a lot of energy. Now, he sorely missed that ability; with [Void Shroud], his defence would have been beyond reproach.


    But it was what it was.


    [The Divider] pierced through the paw of a wolf, plunging into its head. Warden hadn''t yet managed to kill it when two other wolves thrust into him. He had to abandon this one and dodge their attack.


    With their regenerative powers doing wonders and Warden''s exhaustion running deep, the battle continued for a prolonged time.


    On the other side, nobody had left their tasks, wholly engrossed in the desperate battle progression on the screen.


    "This guy is insane," the young girl eximed.


    The others agreed, acknowledging that most people would give up upon realizing the wolves were regenerating the wounds left by their weapons. However, Warden humbled himself to rely solely on his movements and swordsmanship to persist.


    He finally managed to kill another wolf a quarter of an hourter with the little amount of energy he had recovered during the battle.


    Five more to go.


    "The next two kills will be crucial," Jess said. "If he can manage that without getting injured or exhausted to death, he''ll make it."


    With two more wolves defeated, only three remained, alleviating most of the pressure.


    Throughout the fight, Warden still appeared as someone capable of taking on two foes even without the aid of his energy.


    Jason bit his lips as he observed. While he might give this fellow a run for his skill in a confrontation, hecked the drive to persist. He wondered about the point of it all when he could retake the test after training and strategizing.


    However, Warden seemed to live for the battle as he killed another of his prey. Even outnumbered, he yed the role of the predator.


    Jason couldn''t imagine that the rough-looking guy he met in a clothing store would leave such a deep impression on him. Although he recognized Warden as an elite through his aura, something like this was unprecedented.


    As Jess had mentioned, with each in enemy, the pressure on him was reduced. Despite his sluggish movements after fighting for so long, he fought like someone with years of experience in this kind of battle. Soon, it became one against two, and a delightful grin spread across Warden''s bloody face.


    He kicked the wolf in front and faced the one to his side. Letting it pounce on him, the beast was unaware that the man was far from powerless. Before it could bite into him, his de gouged its head, digging through its eye socket to kill it.


    One more to go


    Warden stood up slowly, leaning on his de. The lone wolf howled at him defiantly as it charged. With a smile on his lips, Warden held his de and swung it in a full arc, putting his everything into it. The de bit through the neck,cking only about a quarter more strength to behead itpletely. But the wolf was already on the ground, and Warden was on top of it.


    He twisted his de to ensure the job was done and withdrew it.


    Warden panted with all his might.


    And then the next round began.


    ***


    He woke up from the virtual reality with a scream, the jolting pain of death still sharp in his mind, even though he hardly managed to see what had challenged him. Jason handed him a bottle of water as he got out of the capsule.


    "It was fun," he said, gulping down the water, "until the death."


    No joke, Warden still had goosebumps on his arms.


    "The augmented virtual world needs to have a deep connection to showcase rankers'' powers," Jess exined. "Although its safety mechanism does not leave any trauma, the pain of death is always a price."


    Warden nodded. "So, how did I do?"


    "Look at it yourself."


    Warden turned to the screen and found a golden [A] in it.


    "Just for the record, this doesn''t mean you can take on hundreds of iron-rank creatures on your own," Jess reminded, as most people needed a reminder. There was a fair share of rankers who''d challenge their next dungeon without any preparation after bing contented with their result.


    "My performance will be a lot better in the real world," Warden returned.


    He wasn''t simply joking there. The beast he yed in the virtual realm didn''t give him any benefit, much less how he could recover his energy by eating the heart of cursed rank creatures.


    "If it was real world, I probably would have made it to the next round," Warden muttered. Besides, he probably would have gained, 10 odd attribute points out of it.


    Still, it wasn''t all lost because:


    [Congrattions! You have unlocked the title, Indomitable.]


    _______


    Donate a golden ticket, or review if you want this book to reach arger audience.

 Chapter 58: Warp Gate

    The paperwork waspleted without any disturbances. Warden was asked a few questions, such as whether he had any other expertise he would like to be tested on, including artificing, smithing, or potion making. Although Runesmithing might have been a possibility, Warden declined to test anything further. He had decided to keep it under wraps until he had tested it for himself.


    "For the reputation," Jess inquired, "do you have anything you''d like to add?"


    Warden considered for a moment before responding, "I helped a small vige by clearing out a Grade-8 dungeon in their vicinity just a couple of days ago."


    Jess narrowed her eyes. "That might be worth half a star, but I can''t issue one without verification," she said. "And it would take at least a week for verification."


    Warden shrugged.


    A few minutester, he was given the badge and asked to register his aura in the directory. They seemed to have a device for everything. Warden''s badge was just as he had anticipated: zero stars and Grade A for potential.


    "Just between you and me," the woman told him as he was preparing to leave, "there are 23 Grade-A prospects just within this city."


    Of course, Navin was a great city that hosted the Third Arcane Academy; other cities might not even have half the number of such prospects, but she didn''t mention anything about that.


    Warden nodded, reassessing the magnitude of rankers'' power. "How about Grade S?" he asked, curious.


    "Confidential," Jess replied, dismissing the question.


    Warden left the office with Jason, his mind filled with thoughts.


    "So, what kind of benefits will this badge get me?" he asked.


    "You know how society values great prospects," Jason exined. "They show it by offering various discounts on their facilities. Even outsider organizations offer more benefits to someone of greater potential or a respected figure. Oh, with Grade A, you can get ess to items restricted to the public in all auction houses."


    Warden nodded. "Anyway, thanks for helping me with all this," he said. "If I didn''t get the job, let''s just start a guild."


    "That''s great," Jason wasn''t as enthusiastic as before. He probably was sure that Warden would get the job of abat instructor. "Well, if you get the job and don''t like what it offers, feel free to drop out and join my guild."


    They bothughed as they parted ways. Jason went to attend to his usual business, while Warden returned to Velvet Kiss.


    ***


    It was nighttime, and Warden had taken care of most things. Finally, he had a chance to examine the new ability that came with the newly opened aperture.


    Stirring the Gate of Spirit, he triggered the new ability [Void Space]. A chilling pull jerked himpletely, and Warden found himself in a different realm of existence. It was as dark as the dungeon, with twinkling stars overhead. As Warden thought, he had partially be a dungeon. Or rather, the dungeon had partially be him.


    The dungeon was more barrennd than it used to be. It was still rugged, rocky terrain, but all the trees had withered in thest two days. There were still corpses of dozens of dire wolves lying around, already in the process of dposing.


    Warden didn''t know if this Void Space was within him or if he had somehow gained ess to it. But whatever it was, he didn''t see what use it had other than storing stuff. He was instinctively aware that the space would not spawn tainted creatures anymore, or any type of creatures. Nor was it a livable ce.


    "So, this is just a glorified dimension cube?" Warden muttered.


    Of course, the scope of space it possessed was immacte. Warden could store a lot of things in it. Not to mention, it was merely a Grade-9 subspace, the lowest grade. The potential for its growth was immacte, though thoughts of absorbing other dungeons wed at his mind.


    Warden wore white on his way to ace the Combat Instructor recruitment test. It didn''t matter that he had no clue what the test would be about, but he was sure to ace it. He used a ride to the academy because, of course, he didn''t know the direction.


    The carriage could only take him to the conference point of the Warp gate. Although the academy was within the academy, it had its own region, which was restricted to most people.


    The warp gate would directly transport him to the academy once he verified his identity and stated his intention. However, he didn''t think he would need to spend a couple of gold coins for the teleportation. The cost wasn''t reduced even when they added more people to the teleportation array.


    Warden was studying everythingyered in the warded room. This was some kind of rune magic, alright, though the specifics were hidden behind dozens ofyers of wards for him to take note of anything. The ward lit up as they readied for the transmission when a voice came in rm along with a woman running towards the room.


    "Stop! Stop! Stop! Wait a second!" the woman said.


    As she came closer, Warden recognised the woman to be Aurel, one of Jason''s friends, who was also applying for the same job as him. Meaning hispetition.


    The man in charge did stop for her as transporting a single person was never worth the cost.


    "Sorry, sorry," Aurel apologised to the people as she entered the chamber.


    Although herbat suit wasn''t readied in time, she was dropped on fine attire, which looked elegant and battle-ready at the same time. Warden didn''t know what her ss was, but he was pretty sure it was a closebatant type with her toned muscles and athletic shape.


    She was only shy shorter than June, with short chestnut hair and a toned oval face. After she entered, the person in charge warned about the teleportation as the wards lit up.


    The light became blinding, and they vanished from the chamber.


    ____________


    Leave a review if you liked so far.

 Chapter 59: Gene De Rossi

    The warp gate teleportation felt different from the dungeon teleportation. It seemed more forceful, even though they weren''t traversing to a different dimension. Warden guessed that teleportation within the same realm was more challenging. Despite his high attributes, Warden experienced a moment of lightheadedness as the teleportationpleted.


    His eyes widened as he discovered tall, majestic buildings all around him. Warden had expected to be intercepted in a simr warp chamber, but it seemed teleportation worked differently than he thought.


    "You!" a loud voice boomed from behind him.


    Warden turned to find Aurel, staring at him in disbelief. "Me?" he responded with a baffled look.


    "What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding suspicious. "No, don''t tell me you got a rmendation letter?"


    Warden brought out the letter from his inner pocket and showed it to her. Her expression changed to a scowl.


    "How did you get it?" she asked. "Just yesterday, you were asking me all about it like a buffoon."


    "I have my ways," Wardenughed.


    Aurel snorted. "Noble ass," she muttered under her breath, probably thinking he got his rmendation letter through his connections.


    This girl really didn''t seem to have a filter on her mouth, and she was so presumptuous. But then again, she had to work two years to get her break, while Warden did get his letter through a connection. So, he didn''t berate her, only smiled, which seemed to make her even more infuriated.


    "You have a problem with nobles?" a new voice interjected.


    Warden turned to find a few eyes on them, mostly the people who came with the teleportation. He hadn''t considered there would be other people with them who wereing to take the test as well, which was an oversight. The warp gate was the only way for people from Navin toe to the academy. Of course, there would be rankers arriving at the same time as them.


    The guy who asked the question really had the face of a noble. His blond hair was slicked to his scalp, giving him a handsome schr-boy look. With an expensive-looking mage''s robe draped on his body, along with various rings and enchanted items on his person, it was easy to consider him a noble.


    "What do you want?" Aurel asked.


    "Nothing," the schrly youth said. "You seem like someone who looks down on nobles?"


    "Oh, no, no," Aurel said. "I think it''s the other way around. I just hate how they get away with things with the power of their daddies."


    "What''s wrong with that?" the guy said in a dismissive tone. "Without your parents, you wouldn''t even be here. Thest thing you''d want to do is be ungrateful for the things they''ve done for you."


    Aurel had a quizzical expression. "Can you believe this guy?"


    "Yeah, yeah, you tell her, noble guy in a fancy suit," Warden cheered from the side. "Tell her how she''s disappointing her parents."


    Both of their eyes turned to him, the schrly fellow with a perplexed look, and Aurel with her usual scowl.


    "You''re having too much fun, it seems," she said.


    "At least I''m not disappointing my parents," Warden replied, shing his white teeth, which made her groan.


    "My parents are damn proud of me!" Aurel shouted.


    "Then why are you making such a fuss about it?" the schrly guy asked, seemingly unaware of the dynamics at y. He was a youth, no older than twenty, who likely had a sheltered upbringing to be this naive.


    Aurel shot him an incredulous look as if she were arguing with someone utterly clueless.


    "Don''t worry about her," Warden said to the guy. "It''s probably that time of the month for her."


    "What?" the youth asked, confused.


    "You know?"


    "I don''t," the guy admitted, genuinely clueless.


    "Really?" Warden was baffled when the guy shook his head. He turned towards Aurel. "Can you believe this guy?"


    "I can''t believe you," Aurel yelled at him and stormed into the academy.


    "What''s her problem?" the guy asked, puzzled.


    Warden was about to answer, then thought better of it. This guy really seemed tockmon sense. Even Warden, who had lost all his memories, hadn''t lost hismon sense. But it appeared this dude was truly clueless.


    "By the way, I''m Gene De Rossi," the young mage introduced himself. "My ss is Elementalist."


    "Cool," Warden replied, shaking hands with him. "I''m Warden, and that''s just my name. I''m like a warrior."


    "I can tell," Gene said, pointing at the sword Warden wore at his hip, its length reduced by a third.


    Perhaps these guys had somemon sense, albeit at a toddler''s level.


    "Isn''t your sword a bit short?" Gene asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.


    "It''s like that when unawakened," Warden exined. "The size grows when it''s charged with energy."


    "Really? How long can you make it? Can you make it thicker as well?"


    "Not as much as I''d like, but it serves its purpose well."


    "Wow! Can I see it?"


    "Now, in public?" Warden asked, hesitant. "Wouldn''t I get into trouble for that?"


    "Unless you hurt someone with it."


    "What are you two talking about?" a familiar feminine voice interjected as a new figure approached them.


    "Oh, June," Warden greeted her.


    The expression on her face was priceless. He was pretty sure she had overheard most of their conversation and was questioning her decision to rmend him to the academy.


    "An elf!" Gene eximed, his enthusiasm taking a new level. "Wow, I have only seen pictures of them before, but even up close, she''s so beautiful. Ethereal!"


    "Keep it in your pants, Gene," Warden said. "The garden already has a goat."


    Gene''s expression was that asking to look again. Everything went over his head, however, June was far from being dull to not understand hisment.


    "Stop making fun of him and prepare for your test," she said. Her expression betrayed nothing about what she thought of hisment. June was more strict inside the academy.


    "I''m not making fun of him," Warden said. "I''m making fun with him. There''s a huge difference."

 Chapter 60: Interview

    "So, Professor June, may I show it to him in public?" Warden asked, slightly amused. "In case you''re wondering, I''m referring to my sword."


    "You''ll have plenty of time to mess around after you''vepleted the test," June admonished him. "Now, please go inside."


    Of course, she escorted him inside while Warden engaged in small talk to gain a better understanding of the test.


    "The first part will be an interview," June exined. "Given your condition, I''m sure it''ll be a disaster for you... the same goes for the teachingponent. Your only real chance of getting in will be through thebat test."


    "How many have applied for the position?" Warden inquired.


    "For our academy alone, over two hundred qualified," June detailed. "They will be tested throughout the week, and only twenty-fourbat instructors and six healers will be appointed."


    "That''s quite good odds," Warden remarked, somewhat relieved. He had assumed that only a fewbat instructors would be appointed, but twenty-four was a significant number.


    "Every year, over ten thousand awakened individuals join the academy," June borated. "Although most of them don''t graduate, we always need instructors to help them master their powers."


    June led him to a waiting room where over a dozen individuals were already waiting, including Gene and Aurel, all vying for thebat instructor position.


    "By the way, did you get your badge?" June asked before leaving.


    "Of course," Warden showed it to her. "I received an A for potential. Impressed?"


    June raised an eyebrow and examined the badge to ensure he wasn''t making it up. She was somewhat surprised to see it was true, but considering this man had defeated a professor in a fair fight, it wasn''t entirely unexpected.


    "I''m slightly impressed," June conceded.


    "Professor June," Aurel approached to greet. "Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity."


    June nodded. "You seem a bit nervous," she observed. "There''s no need to be. I rmended you because I believe you''re qualified for the job."


    "Thank you," Aurel said, bowing deeply to show her respect.


    "I must go now," June announced. "If possible, keep an eye on this man and ensure he doesn''t cause any trouble."


    Aurel immediately shot Warden a scowl, but June had more to add.


    "Try to keep quiet for most of your stay here if you''re serious about this position," June advised him as she made her way out. She paused just before exiting the room. "Also, the garden is surrounded by high fences."


    Warden couldn''t help butugh heartily as June''s slender figure disappeared from the room.


    "How do you know Professor June?" Aurel asked as soon as June had left.


    "By coincidence," Warden replied as he took a seat, though Aurel''s questioning was far from over.


    "You? Why would she rmend someone like you?"


    "Perhaps she was charmed by my dashing heroics."


    Aurel snorted, clearly disbelieving every word out of his mouth. "She''s right; you do have a problem with running your mouth unnecessarily."


    "I see it as a quirk, not a problem," Warden replied and turned to find the schrly mage. "Hey, Gene. Good luck on your test."


    Gene nodded on his way to the interview. The boy emerged five minutester, looking exhausted, as if he had soloed a dungeon on his own. The interviews didn''t take long for each participant, but since Warden was one of thest applicants, he had to wait over an hour for his turn.


    Aurel had gone before him and emerged with a calm expression on her face that betrayed nothing about the interview.


    As his name was announced, Warden entered the room after ensuring his clothes and hair were prim and proper. Inside was a wide hall with five people sitting around, surrounded by many empty seats. Uncertain whether he was supposed to sit, Warden stood there waiting for an indication.


    "Greetings, esteemed Elders of the Third Arcane Academy," he greeted, bowing properly. Who said he didn''t know etiquette? Clearly, they didn''t know him at all. In times of importance, Warden could perform with just as much ease.


    "Warden," an elderly woman asked, reading the papers on her table. She wore thick-framed sses on her nose, though they hung clumsily, as if she were seeing half the world without them. "Tell us, where are you from?"


    So, they decided to start with the hard questions, Warden thought. "I''m from a farawaynd," he said vaguely. "On the other side of the southernnds."


    "There are only ruins on the other side of the southernnds," a middle-aged man retorted.


    Warden could only shrug. He had woken up in the southern wilderness, so he simply guessed he must be from around there.


    "Does your home have a name?" the elderly woman asked.


    "Of course, it''s called home," Warden responded as if it were only natural. June was right to think his interview would be a disaster. Unfortunately, Warden couldn''t do anything to prove her wrong. He could tell them he had lost all his memories, but that would make him an even less appealing prospect for the job.


    At least this way, he left them with the impression that he preferred not to disclose it.


    The other woman snorted. She appeared far younger, in her early thirties, dangerously beautiful with her raven hair, perfect face, and a sharp nose. There was also an aura about her that seemed to warp others'' opinions of her. Unconsciously, Warden heightened his mental defences lest he fall prey to her passive maniption.


    "So you don''t want to tell us your origin," she said. "Why do you think we''ll allow someone of unknown origin to stay in our academy?"


    "Because you''ll find me better than any other candidate," Warden said tly. This was a little arrogant, but he reasoned it to be necessary.


    "The arrogance," the man in the middle, who was silent the whole time, yelled.


    "It''s just confidence," Warden corrected.


    "The report says you received Grade-A for your potential," the elderly woman said, causing others to perk their eyes at their papers. "I guess some of it was confidence."

 Chapter 61: Hypothetical Dungeon Criss

    "What special skills and experience do you possess that make you ideal for this job?" the elderly woman asked, leading the interview.


    "I consider myself a seasoned warrior who knows how to handle pressure," Warden replied. "My skills are suitable for my rank, though I admit they arecking in some key areas."


    "And which areas are those?"


    "Movement, predominantly," Warden answered promptly. "While my coordination ismendable, Ick movement abilities, making me slower on my feet."


    "Wouldn''t you consider that a vulnerability against someone with superior speed?" the woman probed, focusing on his admitted weakness.


    "I wouldn''t ssify it as a vulnerability," Warden rified. "It certainly puts me at a disadvantage if my opponent knows how to leverage their speed. Even if I''m stronger, should they choose to flee, catching them might prove challenging. However, the role is to protect the young prospects, not to chase down formidable criminals."


    The examiners shared a nce.


    "Imagine you''re in a dark dungeon with twenty students, a healer, and anotherbat instructor," the middle-aged man proposed, "and you find yourselves surrounded by a pack of shadow stalkers. What would you do?"


    "What exactly are shadow stalkers?" Warden inquired.


    "You''re not familiar with them?" the man frowned. "How do you intend to perform your duties if you''re unaware of notorious creatures like shadow stalkers?"


    "I would, of course, inquire about potential threats before entering a dungeon," Warden exined. "I''d also do my research. If something were still unclear, I''d consult the other instructor present."


    "Shadow stalkers are humanoid creatures with elongated limbs and ws," the charming woman elucidated. "They possess the ability to meld into shadows, making them invisible to most rankers. They tend to stalk their prey for a considerable period before attacking. Each year, young rankers fall victim to them more than to other creatures."


    "I understand," Warden mused. "How many are we talking about?"


    "The exact number is unknown," the man replied. "It could be ten, twenty, or even fifty."


    "What abilities does the other instructor possess?"


    "Let''s say they''re a strength-based swordsman," the man said with a smirk. "So, what''s your n?"


    "I would first identify students with fire and light abilities, asking them to illuminate the area so we can see our adversaries," Warden said. "Additionally, we''d arrange all avable fire torches andmps around the students to enhance visibility."


    The elderly woman nodded in approval, but the man who had posed the question still seemed unsatisfied.


    "Still, two instructors might not suffice to protect all the students if there are over a dozen Shadow Stalkers," the charming woman interjected.


    "We''ll arrange for all the students to form a circle, with the most capable fighters among them positioned on the outer edges," Warden borated. "The healer will be in the centre to attend to anyone in need of healing. We''ll move in this formation, with the other instructor leading the way at the front while I cover the rear."


    "Given that you admitted your agility iscking for your rank, how will you protect them if multiple stalkersunch an attack?" the man challenged.


    "My agility is not subpar," Warden rified. "I stated it''s not up to my own standards, which is different. Moreover, I possess abilities that extend my reach in attacks to easily over half a dozen meters. My power is significantly destructive; it typically takes me no more than a couple of moves to dispatch mostmon iron-rank creatures I''ve encountered.


    "The characteristics you provided for Shadow Stalkers suggest they are more intelligent than the average dungeon creature. They stalk their prey for extended periods, indicating they wait for an opportune moment to attack. Therefore, I would employ all my capabilities to create an initial overwhelming presence, denying them the opportunity they seek."


    They continued to pose hypothetical dungeon scenario questions, the kind most would not delve deeper into. Warden avoided such oversights, seeking details about each scenario and proposing the most rational solutions.


    When facing aerial adversaries, his strategy involved moving to denser parts of the forest to restrict their flight advantage. Inpletely open terrains, his n was to utilize all avable resources and attempt an escape if necessary.


    As the interview continued, Warden estimated he had been there for roughly fifteen minutes, significantly longer than other candidates. He wondered if this extended duration was due to the gaps in his background or possibly the others'' ineptitude in providing satisfactory responses. Regardless, he answered each question to the best of his ability.


    After four or five more scenarios like this, Warden couldn''t help but say, "With all due respect, if all dungeon situations are as perilous as these for the students, I''m quite certain nobat instructor could ensure theirplete safety."


    "These scenarios represent only unforeseen situations," the elderly woman exined kindly. "For the initial years, we predominantly utilize tamed dungeons for the students'' training."


    "From all your responses, it''s fairly evident," the elderly man spoke up for the first time, "that your knowledge of dungeon creatures is somewhat limited, yet you im to be a seasoned fighter. This discrepancy is puzzling."


    "I suppose I haven''t been formally educated like most students at your academy," Warden conceded. "However, I''mmitted to learning what I''m currentlycking, regardless of whether I secure this job."


    "That''smendable," the charming woman said. "With an astute mind like yours, I believe you could be a valuable asset to our academy in just half a year."


    "I believe we''ve covered everything," the elderly woman announced. "Do you have any questions for us?"


    Seizing the opportunity, Warden asked, "Do you have any reservations regarding my qualifications?"


    Since the question was directed at the elderly woman, she replied, "While yourck of a verifiable background is a concern, conducting a background check is not beyond our capabilities. Our primary concern lies with your capabilities. If you are aspetent as you im and show a willingness to learn, then we see no issue."


    "The position is akin to an internship," the charming woman added, "where many do not make it through, but those who do often emerge as strong candidates for the field they choose to pursue. It''s not umon for some to eventually secure full-time professorships at the academy."

 Chapter 62: Combat Test

    After the conclusion of the rounds of interviews, they ushered all the candidates through a portal into a vast, emptynd. It was, of course, a dungeon, but it was mostly devoid of monsters. The academy had tamed the dungeon and constructed various buildings and facilities within it for training purposes. Thebat test would take ce in this subspace.


    Apart from the twenty-odd candidates, all five examiners and various other individuals were present to observe the test. Surprisingly, June was among them. Warden noticed her presence with a wave of his hand, but she dismissed it with a slight twitch of her eyebrow.


    "We''ll conduct thisbat test in three parts," said the nitpicky man, one of the elder examiners. "First, you''ll face cursed creatures in the untamed section of this dungeon. We''ll divide all twenty of you into five groups, with each elder leading a group. Professors and instructors will also apany each group. Please step forward when your name is announced."


    To his relief, the nitpicky elder didn''t call his name for her chosen four. Instead, the charming woman, who looked too young to be an elder, selected him. She also chose Gene De Rossi, another spell-sword, and a shield warrior who was most likely the tallest woman Warden had everid eyes upon. Even with the memories he lost, he didn''t think he had seen a woman taller than him.


    Two other professors or instructors joined as helpers. Warden found June had joined the elderly woman as a helper. With the party of seven ready, a portal manifested before them.


    "The professors first," the charming elder ordered, "then the contestants."


    Warden noticed Gene''s expression, a mix of overwhelming curiosity and apprehension. Anyone could tell hecked experience. He now wielded a two-foot-long staff with an emerald gem glowing at its head.


    "Come on, mate," Warden nudged him before they received a reminder to step in. The other two contestants had already entered. Gene nodded as he jumped into the portal, followed by Warden.


    The new environment wasn''t a vast expanse of nothingness but rather a thick wilderness with an acidic scent in the wind. There wasn''t any light other than what they had brought with them. Surrounded by thick-rooted trees that were wider than they were tall, the environment had a nasty edge to it.


    "You guys have two hours to impress me," the charming elder said, pulling a chair from her spatial cube to sit down. "You can choose to team up or go alone; all I want is results."


    "But, Elder Vess," interrupted the female professor, "you''re supposed to take them with you, and¡ª"


    "And here I am," Elder Vess smiled primly. "I''m here to test the candidates, not to babysit them." She turned to the four of them. "Decide among yourselves how you''ll progress on this test. Just for your information, there are only two professors with you, so if you decide to divide into more than two groups, it will be impossible for them to do their job properly."


    "How are you going to calcte contributions?" the spell-sword, a handsome youth in his early twenties with trimmed blond hair, asked.


    "Results, like I said," Elder Vess replied.


    "So if I were to hunt down the most creatures on my own, I''d get the best result?" the blond guy asked.


    In response, Elder Vess smiled. Her smile was enigmatic, which could mean anything. Unfortunately, the blond youth failed to see that.


    "I''ve decided to go solo," he dered to them and turned towards the two professors. "I don''t mind if you decide to follow the other three."


    The female professor frowned and turned to the other three. "What about you lot?" she asked, her tone carrying a challenge that suggested she expected obedience despite asking for their opinions. "Does anyone else want to go solo?"


    "I''m a defensive warrior," stated the only woman of the four, an impressive figure standing taller than anyone else. She wielded a huge shield in one hand and an armoured gauntlet in the other. Standing close to seven feet tall, she gave the impression of possessing some rich giant blood in her veins. She was already taller than Warden by a few inches, while little Gene barely reached her bosom.


    "Going solo would be ying to my disadvantage," she exined and then turned to the two. Even though she stated this, it was clear she would manage fine either way if they decided not to group up.


    "I feel the purpose of this test isn''t just to show ourbat power," Warden added. "I have no problem with teaming up."


    The two turned to Gene for his decision.


    "Um, let''s go together," Gene said timidly.


    "Great," the professor responded. "Devlin, follow that brat; don''t let him get killed early. I''ll take care of the rest."


    As the two parties separated, the professor introduced herself. "I''m Professor Man, of the mage ss, silver rank," she announced. "Since Elder Vess decided to give you free rein in the test, I won''t impose any unnecessary guidance. I''ll merely apany you and offer assistance where needed."


    "We''re under your care, Professor Man," the tall woman, addressing the group, said. "I''m Jez''arin, my ss is [Shield Maiden]. I can defend against blows from any Iron rankers."


    "Warden," he introduced himself simply. "A warrior with destructive power. I believe I can eliminate any iron-rank creatures."


    "Um, I''m an [Elementalist]," Gene said hesitantly. "I don''t have muchbat experience, but everyone says I''m strong. Oh, you can call me Gene."


    Warden had no doubts about that. They all introduced themselves and shared information about their strengths as they moved into the wilderness toplete the test.


    It appeared they didn''t have to move long to encounter their first prey. Their movement seemed to have alerted the creatures in their slumber as soon over a dozen stone golem-like creatures crawled up from the ground.


    "Form up," Warden shouted, likely the quickest to notice the change after the professor.

 Chapter 63: Stone Golem

    The stone monsters arrived like an earthquake, tearing through the earth like crawlers, showing no regard for the environment.


    "Form up," Warden shouted as he leapt to his feet. "Gene, stick close to Jez. She''ll keep you safe."


    At least, that was the n, but Warden thought it needed a reminder, especially for the boy. Each of the stone golems was over twelve feet long, with a literal boulder-like build. Their heads only had sockets glowing with deep red light. Despite Warden leaping at the first sign of movement, he couldn''t reach safety in time. The golem''s stone fist thrust at him from below.


    He could only channel void energy through his leg to parry the attack.


    Using the stone fist as a pivotal point, he leapt up from the creature, finallynding on the terrain. The divider was ready on his arms, its length rising as Warden forced energy into it.


    In his peripheral vision, he saw Jez stop a full strike from the stone golem with her shield. The sh echoed a loud boom, causing Gene to skid on his feet. However, the towering form of the woman didn''t budge an inch. Shepletely intercepted the attack.


    Relieved that they could take care of themselves, Warden focused on his strengths. He swung the lengthened de, cutting through the stone limbs of the creature. The obstruction was tougher than the wolves he had faced, but Warden simply needed to exert more energy.


    Mounds of stone fell as Warden made his moves. However, the golems were relentless. No matter how much mass they lost, they attacked with the same intensity.


    "Attack their head," Gene shouted in a panicked tone. "Or their chest, where their core is."


    Warden took his words to heart. Instead of cutting through the fist that came at him, he leapt on top of it and ran through its head, his de rising high to make a full swing. The golem tossed him up, but Warden had already made his move. His de plunged into its head, severing it into two. It even reached a few feet into its body.


    The socket, no longer glowing red, indicated that the huge golem had fallen, immobilised. To Warden''s surprise, he didn''t receive any notification of a boost, which meant it wasn''t dead yet.


    However, it wasn''t moving, and there were still seven of them remaining. Warden couldn''t dwell on his thoughts for long, as two golems rushed at him in a mad dash. He blocked one''s attack and was about to intercept the other when lightning crackled out of nowhere and crashed into the socket of the creature.


    The stone golem fell instantly, its head nonexistent. Warden took care of it, destroying its head, and then turned toward the young Elementalist. Thed was in a cold sweat, but he had a triumphant look on his face as he took on his second golem.


    "I guess he wasn''t here for nothing," Warden thought.


    With the number of stone golems decreasing, they felt no pressure in dispatching them all. Even Jez''arim broke through one of them directly with her raw power.


    "These stone bastards are tougher than your usual iron-rank monsters," Jez said with a grunt.


    "Yet you hold your own," Warden replied, sounding impressed. "By the way, they didn''t give any attribute boost, that means¡ª"


    "They aren''t dead," Gene interjected, wiping his face. "We have to destroy their cores to truly kill them."


    "Then let''s do it," Warden said, turning towards the boulders and splinters of stones.


    "No, no, no," Gene objected. "They are more valuable intact."


    "The boy is right," Professor Man said. "Each of these cores is worth five times more than any normal core of the same rank. Your time is running out; collect them quickly."


    The cores were in the centre of the golem''s chest, so Warden had to extract the cores one after another and leave them all in the care of the professor.


    "By the way, do we get to keep these cores, or are they the school''s property?" he asked.


    "The academy owns everything," the professor replied. "But they willpensate you for your time, even if you do not make it in the end."


    They went deeper to hunt more monsters. Although seven seemed eptable for an individual, collectively they were too few, even if the test had a different purpose. They mostly encountered stone golems on the way. Warden yed the part of scouting, which mostly involved stomping on the ground as much as he could, while the others waited in the background.


    Jez''arim offered to do the scouting herself, but Warden insisted he was right for the job.


    So, at the end of the two-hour run, nothing of note happened. They hunted as many creatures as they could, but could only manage to defeat twenty-seven stone golems and a few lower-ranked creatures.


    "Anyway, does anyone remember the way out?" Gene asked.


    The professor didn''t provide any guidance, leaving everything for them to figure out. Thankfully, Warden kept track of his surroundings. Jez, too, didn''t see it as a problem as they retraced their steps.


    "So, it is time for the reveal," Elder Vess said after everyone was back.


    The blond guy seemed exhausted from all the fights he had to endure. His clothing was stained with blood, but it seemed his solo efforts bore fruit. He brought out a pouch from his waist and handed it to the elder to check. "There are twenty-five iron rank cores and seven copper ranks."


    "A hefty sum, indeed," Elder Vess nodded. "Whatever others say, you don''t disappoint, young Walt."


    Walt? now that''s a name Warden remembered.


    The elder turned to their group. "What about you three?"


    "We hunted twenty-seven iron rank cores together," Warden said and found the blond Walt visibly relieved.


    "Together?" Elder Vess raised an eyebrow. "You didn''t count how many of them each one of you hunted?"


    Warden simply shrugged as if it wasn''t important.


    "I slew nine of them," Young Gene was quick to answer.

 Chapter 64: Karz Walt

    "I hunted nine of them," Gene announced proudly.


    "Of course, you did," Vess smiled at the boy. "What about the rest?"


    Gene looked between Jez and Warden. "Most of them were taken care of by Warden. His sword is really magical; you know, he can make it as long as one of those giant stone golems at will," he said. Then he remembered he was forgetting something. "Um, Miss Jez''arim killed four or five of them."


    "Four," Jez confirmed.


    "But she yed a vital role in keeping me safe," Gene added, surprising everyone. "Both of them did, but Miss Jez''arim stood like an imprable wall, which left me free to cast my spells."


    "It''s hard to calcte contribution in a group fight," Warden said. "If it isn''t a problem, let''s leave the numbers as our collective feats."


    "Well, I see no problem if you three don''t find any issue," Elder Vess responded, clicking her fingers and opening the portal for them to go back to the tamed part of the dungeon.


    It didn''t take long for all the other parties to arrive as well. It turns out the young Walt''s impressive record of twenty-five beast cores was untouched. Most of the groups yed it safe, staying in a group or in pairs. However, only one group among them managed to beat them. Of course, it was the group that the elderly woman went with, which included the haughty girl Aurel.


    "For the next round, it is apetition between the candidates," the older man announced. "Stay in your group of four; each elder will decide who''ll fight next." He turned to choose the four participants. "Kevin, you go first."


    A tall man with a mace came forward in the middle. His mace still had some blood on it, making others believe he wasn''t that good at cleaning his mess.


    "Anyone of you want to fight?" Elder Jess asked.


    Warden wasn''t eager to fight, but someone in their group was.


    "Elder, let me fight," the youth with the Walt surname called out.


    "Okay," Elder Vess responded asid back as she sounded. "What is your name again, Young Walt?"


    "Karz," the youth said.


    "Okay," Vess said. "Go on, Karz Walt. Have fun."


    Karz Walt swaggered forward, unsheathing his de as he stood before the warrior with the mace.


    "Begin," the elder announced.


    The warrior with the mace advanced, swinging his weapon, but Karz simply blocked it with his sword and sent him flying with a kick. The warrior was handed a defeat in one move but stood up to fight again.


    "I won''t withhold my de in my next move," Karz said.


    "He''s the serious type," Elder Jess clicked her tongue.


    While Kevin looked at the elders, their faces didn''t give away anything, but the pressure was palpable on his shoulders. He disregarded the warning and rushed to fight again. This time, Karz drew his de true and, before Kevin could even lift his mace, delivered a sharp vertical cut that sliced through Kevin''s armour as if it were nothing, though the cut itself was shallow.


    Karz had withheld the blow.


    "I admit my defeat," Kevin said as one of the professors came to heal him. Karz stood there in silence, as if waiting for another fight.


    "You still want to fight?" Elder Jess asked. Karz nodded.


    "Well, does anyone want to challenge?" one of the other elders asked the entire group. It seemed they weren''t simply judging their fighting capabilities, but also their temperament and courage.


    "I will," Aurel said as she stepped forward with her de.


    "A contest between two swordsmen," Elder Jessmented. "This might be fun."


    "I won''t be as easy as your other opponent," Aurel warned as she drew her de, taking her stance.


    Karz nodded, meeting her gaze. He took his stance as well, and they remained in silence for a long while.


    "What are they doing?" Young Gene asked,pletely oblivious to why they were wasting their and everyone''s time.


    "Fighting," Warden exined.


    Soon, their swords made shes too fast for the eyes to follow. There was a sharp ng and a twist of spiritual energy in the air with each move. Aurel withdrew a step, a sharp cut appearing on her shoulder. They exchanged blows like that for some time, and Aurel managed to give Karz a run for his money, drawing his blood twice. But in the end, it was her defeat.


    She exited the area with a sour look in her eyes, while Karz stood still, waiting for another fight.


    He fought another couple of people and defeated them with rtive ease before finally leaving thebat area.


    "The guy really wants this job," Warden thought and decided he should show something as well. He asked for the elder''s permission and went to the stage as well. He fought four opponents, just like the Walt kid did, with an equally ster record of victories. Of course, he didn''t use his void energy, as it was merely a showcase of skills.


    Everyone fought once or twice, except for Gene, whom the elder seemed topletely forget about.


    "Um, Elder," the youth asked. "Shouldn''t I also fight in this?"


    "Why, of course," Elder Vess said. "Let me choose your opponent for you. How about you fight Professor June?"


    "But she''s a professor, a silver ranker--"


    "Of course, Professor June''s control is top-notch," Elder Jess cut him short. "I don''t believe anyone of the contestants can match you in magical power, Young Gene. That''s why I decided to have Professor June as your opponent. Of course, for the third and final round of thebat test, all of you have to face a professor in directbat."


    Warden was ecstatic. Finally, he would get to experience silver-rank power. Although it would merely be another showcase, it would give him ideas to think more about his path.


    "Go on, Young Gene," Elder Jess said. "Don''t embarrass your mother."


    "You know my mother?" Gene asked.


    "She''s quite famous, you know," Elder Jess said. "Now go on, or I''ll disqualify you."


    Although Gene had many questions, he went to the stage where the elf already waiting for a fight.

 Chapter 65: Warden Vs June

    The contest between mages was a different sort of showcase. Much like how two swordsmen gave respect in their fight, June and Gene stood twenty paces away from each other. Their faces were solemn, at least Gene''s was, as the elf gave him the choice to attack first.


    This was mighty arrogant to let a mage give the charge first, as mages were known for their destructive forces. Although Gene imed to be an Elementalist, his power of lightning was pretty great.


    "Don''t hold back, boy," Elder Vess told the kid. "You too, June. Show him what hecks."


    Gene licked his lips, his staff glowing in a deeper shimmer, while June simply nodded. She had no wand, staff, or other magical items on her person, perhaps only the earrings and her enchanted robe, but she looked solemnly confident.


    Gene began his casting as lightning crackled around his staff. He held the magical staff up, pouring in all his magical power to overcharge it. The buzzing of lightning grew, as the lightningbined to take the form of a great serpent bolting towards June.


    The attack happened in less than the blink of an eye; even Warden wasn''t sure if he would be able to dodge or block the lightning, but June looked as if she was prepared for it before Gene even began casting.


    A wall of translucent energy manifested before her, stopping the lightning from moving even an inch further. She flicked her finger, and then the lightning dispersed into thin air.


    Gene swallowed his breath, brows wrinkled together, sweat dripping from his forehead even though it was rather cold in the dungeon.


    "My turn," June said. "I''ll return the exact spell to you; try to defend."


    June lifted her hand as lightning and wind danced on it. She paid more attention to the lightning as it soared into the sky. Compared to Gene''s blue lightning, June''s was transparent and whitish.


    "Ready?" the elf asked.


    Gene nodded, manifesting his best defense with pure energy. He had charged multipleyers of ward before him and was even preparing more. But when the lightning struck, his grasp over all his wards fumbled as they shattered like clear ss, sending him hurtling down to the ground.


    Gene closed his eyes, fearing the lightning would strike him and im his life, but none of that sort happened. June had pulled, had dispersed her spell before it could hurt the boy. Even still, the dispersed energy was strong enough to fling him away.


    "Stand up, boy," Elder Vess ordered.


    With his expensive clothing disheveled, Gene stood up at once.


    "Do you know why you lost?" the elder asked again.


    "Um, my spells arecking," Gene said, biting his lips.


    "Even a blind man can tell that," Elder Vess snorted. "Your grasp over your Lightning spell was better than anyone at your rank."


    Gene was easily flustered by her praise.


    "But your wards are shit," Elder Vess spat. "Didn''t that old witch teach you any better?"


    Gene''s cheek became red as he looked down.


    "You''re dismissed." Under Elder Vess''s order, Gene went back to his spot next to Warden.


    "Now, the next candidate..."


    "With all the elders'' permission," June cut in, "I''d like to propose something."


    "Professor June, you should be aware, there''s a protocol to the test," the stuck-up elderly man said. "We can''t just change something on a whim."


    "I''m aware, but thank you for your reminder," June was unfazed. "I''m merely proposing that you let me test one of my rmended candidates for this test."


    "Interesting," Elder Vess said. "If I''m not wrong, you rmended two candidates, both performed well in thebat test so far. Whom are you asking to test?"


    "Him," June said, eyeing Warden.


    Soon everyone''s eyes moved to him as well. Warden was a little startled, but he met her challenge in full stride. He might give the wrong idea that he looked down on women forbat; perhaps this would be a good chance to rectify that.


    "Professor June," the elder argued. "Don''t you think it would be unfair to let you test the candidate you rmended?"


    "You can be rest assured, Elder Pavlov," the elf said respectfully. "I''ll not go easy on him just because I rmended him. And if you are still unconvinced after my performance, you can test him however you want."


    "I see no problem with it," the elderly woman said.


    "Much appreciated, Elder Allen."


    "I agree as well," Elder Vess narrowed her eyes. "This will be interesting."


    One by one, the others agreed as well, as June turned her attention to Warden again.


    "Before youe on, you should know I''ll push you to your limit," June told him. "If you''re not interested, you can give up now."


    Warden smiled slightly. "What can I say, I''m intrigued by the attention you have given me, Professor June," he said as he came forward. "One thing you should know about me: I don''t stand back from a challenge."


    "Like before, I''ll suppress my power within the Iron rank," June said. "Don''t hold back, or you won''t know how you lost."


    He stood a dozen or so paces away from her, sword drawn and extended to over one and a half meters. Now, Warden didn''t have any misconception that he would be able to deal a blow before she would bombard him with spells. More importantly, how should he deal with that lightning spell?


    Dodging was out of the question. Warden could only try blocking with [Void Shroud].


    "Begin."


    Warden shot forward, void energy surging through him and the de. But before he could even cross half the distance, lightning crackled and bolted towards him with the same intensity as she forced Gene to defeat.


    There was absolutely no way for Warden to dodge. He wasn''t nearly fast enough. He was pretty sure even most Gold rankers would be unable to dodge lightning.


    So he had to go back to his one line of defence, enabling [Void Shroud] of his legendary grade cloak.


    The lightning struck the shroud, hammering it, hurtling Warden backwards, but it was unable to prate Void Shroud.

 Chapter 66: Soul Relic?

    Warden controlled hisnding as the shroud sucked in all dispersing energy from the lightning. June''s spell demanded that he use both [Void Shroud] and [Mystic Ward] simultaneously, as it was that destructive. Still, the 10% return on energy absorbed was enough to surge his channels with more power.


    If this attack were to be measured, it would easily get an [A-] rank, and she was merely beginning. Was she really holding back her power? If so, how much?


    Warden didn''t have time to muse on all those questions as June sent a barrage of lightning spells at him. This time more lightning dispersed than in a single serpentine form. Warden''s legs moved as he Willed to parry her attack away.


    Warden moved fast, pushing his apertures to the limit. Lightning hammered into his shroud of void energy, biting into the ethereal obstruction from all sides. It was under the highest amount of stress Warden had ever experienced, but it would hold until his energy ran dry.


    He was barely a few steps away from the elf, his de bare, ready to draw blood. But before he could take another step, multiple semi-corporeal wards thrust into him, shoving him aside.


    Warden''s de shed, cutting through the wards. The destructive power of void energy eclipsed that of manifested lightning. Warden had no trouble breaking through her defenses, even though he had to endure the bombardment of lightning. But just as he was about to swing his de, brilliant white me gushed out of June like she was a goddess of fire.


    She withdrew, maintaining the distance once again. The fire was pure white, yet the temperature was beyond endurance. It was consumed through the void shroud, and Warden had to channel [Mystic Ward] to the fullest to consume it back.


    His channels were reaching their full capacity of the consumed energy as June seemed to be in no mood to stop her fire.


    Warden bolted away, and June had to follow up with the lightning again. Although her fire was most destructive, it wasn''t nearly as fast as the lightning.


    If not for his Legendary rank cloak, Warden would have been already defeated twice over. Hisck of abilities in his reservoirs was openly apparent. It wasn''t his fault that he didn''t have a ss andcked those important ss abilities.


    All he had was the destructive force of Void, which can break through anything. Unfortunately, he couldn''t go near her.


    [Maya''s Protection] provided great defense; unfortunately, he was unable to use any of its abilities because hecked light elemental powers. He would have been much faster if he could just¡ª


    No point reminiscing on that, he decided. Warden only had to hope that June didn''t have that energy in reserve, and these spells cost a lot of energy. Only that way would he be able to defeat her. Consuming her attacks, Warden was already at 100%, and exhaustion was far from taking a toll on him.


    So it became a contest of endurance rather than destructive force, even though both of them seemed to be experts in that.


    ***


    Among the spectators, most candidates were in awe of their power. The elders had already cast a barrier around the fighters, so they could watch without the fear of getting identally hurt by the attacks.


    "What do you see, Young Gene?" Elder Vess asked the young mage. "Do you think you can match them?"


    "At my current state, I fear not," Gene answered truthfully.


    "At least you have the eye," Vess smiled and looked at the other two.


    "What about you two?" she inquired.


    "I can defend against Professor June''s attack," Jez''arin said, eyes still drawn to the spellwork. Even though the dungeon was cold, it was now over the normal temperature of any desert, thanks to June''s fire spell. "But I don''t think I''llst as long as he did."


    Elder Vess''s eyes were on Karz Walt, but the young man only watched, pursing his lips.


    "What about you, Young Karz?" she had to ask again. "How will you fare against someone like her?"


    "Not well," Karz said.


    "Care to borate?"


    Karz sighed. "My way is offense," he offered. "If I don''t catch her off guard, which is nearly impossible in a sh like this, I''d be defeated in the very first spell, unless I have something like the cloak he has."


    "Well, you guys can be rest assured," Elder Vess smiled. "Professor June is among the very best of the mages, and not just among humans."


    The battle went on for minutes, and it became quite boring with the same thing happening. June attacked with her spells, and Warden defended with his weird cloak.


    "I must say the cloak is wondrous," Elder Pavlov said. "Without it, the boy would have been defeated long ago."


    "Indeed," others agreed in unison, discounting Warden''s ability.


    "It is unique," Elder Vess said, unsure why she hadn''t picked it up when she first saw him. Or eventer. "It''s almost like a degraded version of a domain ability."


    "Only rankers above Gold have a domain ability," one of the elders, Ryen, scoffed.


    "That''s why I said degraded," Elder Vess rified.


    "Whatever it is, it must cost a lot of energy," Elder Pavlov added. "The boy has a lot of energy to spare."


    "Perhaps not," Vess added, unsure. "Although it was the cloak that transformed, itpletely invested in the boy''s energy. The synergy is just so right that you''d be unable to tell if it was an artifact if you hadn''t seen it before."


    "A soul relic?" Elder Pavlov sounded intrigued.


    Even all the other candidates gasped upon hearing him. Soul relics were national treasures, no more than a dozen intact ones remained on the maind. Soul relics were the type of item that couldpletely adapt to one''s soul and function like an extension of the ranker''s body. It was like having an extra ability which waspletely yours.


    "The boy''s background must be more mysterious than we believed," Pavlov said and turned to the healer. "Elder Allen, did Professor June express anything more to you about the boy?"


    "Nothing more than what she reported," Elder Allen said.

 Chapter 67: Secret Weapon

    Finding Wardening closer to her, she adjusted the lightning and shot a beam of white me. Her star fire ability was an extension of the Starfire Crane, yet it remained the most devastating power in her arsenal, even when Sylvie wasn''t with her.


    Yet Warden''s defence held true just like before. Yes, she did keep her power within the realm of Iron grade, to the very limit at times, which should have melted through the weird force field around Warden. However, she only managed to fling him a few times.


    Although he mentioned that he received an impressive Grade A in potential, she couldn''t fathom him having such defensive capabilities as well. From the very beginning, the cloak seemed nothing special, but now that Juneid her silver eyes on it, she learned it was far from being anything ordinary.


    For one thing, all of its specialities were hidden from her prying eyes, which spoke volumes about the magnitude of its realm. She would have to study it very closely to get anything out of it.


    Truly, the wielded human she found in some unknown vige was giving her one surprise after another.


    June withdrew and maintained distance, keeping the impasse for a little longer. Warden''s disy so far should have impressed the Elders enough to consider him truly as an aspect for the academy. After all, she was genuinely impressed, and her scale was already quite high.


    The battle was finally taking a toll on his body. Although his channels were full of energy, it burned through him to implement them. He had been at full capacity for over a quarter of an hour. The diabolical energy already began to tear through his skin.


    Another mystery was the power. It wasn''t simply darkness, as darknesscks the destructive force of the dark purple energy. June had her suspicions. But with no evidence, she would rather not draw conclusions.


    June could still y with the same intensity for half an hour more, but she was unsure where his limity. She was prepared to end the confrontation, but at thest moment, she held her move, finding him doing something suspicious.


    "Are those runes?" June''s [Silver Eyes of Dawn] peered into the motes of energy Warden left on the scorched ground. He tried his best to keep them hidden and even managed to do so without most people''s notice. Perhaps even her eyes wouldn''t have picked up if he hadn''t shown and taught her runesmithing.


    June was intrigued. The idea of ending the match vanished from her mind as she let himy those runes, or rather those scripts, on the ground. She didn''t know his mastery in Runesmithing had already reached such a quality.


    But then again, he didn''t need to learn it from scratch. The mastery was there; Warden simply forgot the way to implement them, if that made sense.


    Intrigued, June decided she would let him show his secret weapon.


    "You weren''t joking when you said the garden has high fences protecting it," he taunted, flinging his body above a Lightning Serpent.


    June''s eyes narrowed, and she didn''t bother to reply to him. The human was enduring, even though June showed no sign of weakness. While her star fire began to eat through his force field, Warden scribed those scripts on the ground under his foot. His Will and Intent were sharp and without hesitation.


    "But have you ever seen a goat caring about how high fences are?" Wardenughed, blooding down from his nostrils. His arms and body were already seething with blood, but his smile was brilliant, as if he felt no pain.


    June didn''t know if the insufferable man simply wanted to taunt her into making a mistake or was serious about courting her. Whatever it was, it was a fool''s errand. There was no way she would fall for¡ª


    A sharp force thrust into her body, ignoring all the wards she implemented. She was flung away backwards, but then another simr force equal in magnitude plunged from her back and contested with the other force. Not just from the back, it was from omni-direction. Warden had mapped the whole field and riddled them with scripts.


    Gravity?


    June was immobilized in the middle of all the scripts. Her [Silver Eyes of the Dawn] glowed in silver light, but she was still unable to figure out how the rune magic couldpletely ignore her wards and attack her.


    From the expression Warden held, it seemed to be news to him as well. But there was a sign of relief as well.


    He approached her, wasting no time, as he wasn''t aware of how long his script could hold against her.


    June found her Will could contest with the script, while her eyes looked for the weakness. Unfortunately, she simply couldn''t study those scripts in the middle of a fight, not when Warden was barking through her wards like they were mere scrapes.


    June sighed; thankfully, none of the elders seemed to have noticed the intricacies of the runes. It was as good a time as any to end the fight.


    "I''m really sorry for this," she told him and attacked.


    ***


    Victory was within his grasp and Warden couldn''t believe it. He hadn''t thought his array would be this effective, much less against an opponent like June.


    Warden broke through heryers of ward one after another, each step bringing him closer to her immobilized form. Then a sensation pped in the back of his mind.


    "I''m really sorry for this," she said telepathically.


    Warden didn''t even give her permission to create a link, yet she managed to transmit her voice. Dread crawled in his mind, as he hurried to her, extending his sword to the limit tond a blow.


    But all turned futile as a devastating force thrust into his mind, breaking through his defences as easily as he did with her wards.


    He lost his grasp over [Void Shroud], and all his scripts as he fell to his knees. The de fell from his palm and soon darkness imed him.

 Chapter 68: Mind Mage

    June adjusted her bearing as she approached the fallen figure of Warden. The elders dismissed the wards they had erected around the field for the safety of the candidates as the fight concluded.


    A few candidates were still discussing what happened in the end. In one moment, Warden was about to reach her, and in the next, his figure fell to the ground with no visible sign of attack.


    Although June revelled in being a Mind Mage, most people didn''t know her ss. She had simply used her expertise; she had thumped his mind with a powerful mind wave, powerful enough to knock out any Iron Rankers.


    She came forward and crouched down to him, wiping his face clean with a handkerchief. He seemed so joyous in his scripts working in immobilizing her that June felt bad about knocking him out.


    "Elder Allen, if you will," she asked the healer among them.


    Elder Allen was over 200 years old and had already mastered many forms of healing. Although the mind was a delicate aspect, June had not dealt any critical blows to him for the healer to be worried. She simply wanted the elder to heal the wounds of his own making. That destructive force Warden wielded was the reason behind it all.


    "sted boy," Elder Allen hummed as she drew her palm. Gentle white light streamed down from her palm, and all of them vanished into Warden''s body crystal. His torn-up skin joined together and healed in minutes, not even leaving a scratch. However, he was still unconscious.


    "He will stay like that for about an hour or so," June told them, as other elders came to check.


    Elder Pavlov, who was so detached from the Mundane World, looked at the unconscious figure with interest. His eyes were especially looking at the cloak, sword, and light armor. He looked like he would start studying him right away, stripping him of all his possessions.


    But June yed her role first, not even giving him a chance to open his mouth. After making sure the healing was perfect, she scooped up the unconscious body and stood up. Warden was heavier than she assumed, far heavier, to be honest. He was easily over 300 pounds. June was a mage, but her Elven constitution gave her enough blessings to carry him at will.


    She also had magic at her disposal to make her job easier.


    "Elders, if you excuse me for some time," she said. "He will take a while to wake up again. You can all continue with the rest of the test. I''m sure the power he showed was enough to qualify for the next round. But if you want to test hisbat power more, then we''d have to wait an hour or two."


    June was sure Warden would wake up within half an hour, and be insufferable as to say she had cheated in the fight, but the elders didn''t need to know that. His disy was plenty enough for the task of a merebat instructor.


    "Go on, dear," Elder Vess said. "We will take care of the rest. Your rmendation has proven enough for the next test tomorrow. Am I right, Elders?"


    Pavlov narrowed his eyes, but didn''t express anything.


    "He did have some holes in his background, but he proved to be a sensible man," Alistair said. "I hope he can prove himself moreter."


    The other elders expressed simr words as June dismissed herself, taking Warden along with her. Unfortunately for her, he still didn''t wake up after a couple of hours when all thebat tests werepleted.


    He was probably sleeping soundly with all the stress he had been through. After some consideration, Juneid him in a room and let him sleep on the bed. Her mind brought up thoughts.


    ****


    Warden woke up to find his body sticky with mmy sweat. He blinked his eyes blearily and found the ceiling to be unfamiliar. With a little effort, he sat upright, his back cracking with the released gas.


    [+1.0. Mind]


    [+2.7 Mind]


    [Congrattions, the mind has reached the 25-point mark. You have reached the threshold of the copper realm in mind.]


    Warden rubbed his forehead, unsure how getting knocked out helped him increase his lowest attribute at such a rate. In his experience, the mind had been the hardest to grow, barely showing any improvement while he quadrupled his strength.


    If it''s really true that getting knocked out helped grow my mind, then Warden would not mind getting knocked out a few more times.


    "You are awake," June asked, and only then did Warden turn to find the elven woman sitting in a chair across from the bed, holding a book. She wasn''t in her expensive mage attire, but only a simple gown that held her slender form clumsily. She looked just as beautiful as ever, perhaps more.


    Or perhaps getting knocked out made him appreciate her beauty more.


    The light constructs were turned on, indicating it was already nighttime, and he had been unconscious for some time.


    "How long was I passed out?" he asked.


    "About half, about 8 hours," she answered, studying his face. "How are you feeling? I didn''t think you would stay unconscious for long. Did I give you too much of a shock?"


    "What was that attack?" Warden asked, referring to the sharp assault on his mind that left no room for him to defend against.


    "Do not be rmed at that," she said. "I used an element of surprise to knock you out in one shot. While you were busy defending and keeping the scripts intact, you left your mind vulnerable against a strong mind mage like me."


    Realization dawned on Warden as he finally understood how her abilities varied so much. Mind mages were rare, it was something one was born with and thenter cultivated into something more.


    "So the mind match you offered was you?" he asked.


    June nodded, smiling softly.


    "So, how did the test go? Did I qualify?" he asked.


    "You did adequate to qualify for tomorrow''s test," June said. "Just don''t do anything that they reject you."

 Chapter 69: Celestials

    June told him to bathe as she prepared some food for him. Already feeling the need for a bath, Warden jumped at her advice and refreshed himself, taking his time in the washroom.


    After moisturizing his hair and body with June''s soap and cleansers, he somewhat smelled like her. He did feel a bit weird smelling himself and wiped.


    He draped on a newfortable tunic, leaving all his battle gear and dirty clothing in the subspace. June''s quarter was quiterge, enough for a family to livefortably. However, the elf lived there alone, without even a servant or maid, which was odd.


    Getting out of the washroom, he didn''t find her in the living room or the kitchen. However, the soft voicesing from ahead told him her location. Warden crept withoutbing his hair. A familiar squeak sounded soon, and before he could say anything, a little bunny jumped on him.


    "Cupcake?" Warden caught the rabbit, turning to find the two women looking at him. June was still in her casual clothing with an apron on, while her mentee Kiara stood in a soft blue gown, looking more surprised than him to find him here. "Ah, Kiara, I hope your journey back has been without a hitch."


    "Sir Warden," Kiara said, unsure what more to say.


    "How''s Liam?" he asked.


    "He''s back at the academy as well," she said, unsure about the specifics to say anything more.


    "Um, Sir Warden," Kiara said. "How are you here? I thought you''d stay in the vige for some time until reinforcement arrives and--"


    "All that is taken care of," Warden said.


    June took a moment to exin how he turned up here. "...So if everything turns out well, he will be helping in your dungeon dives."


    The blonde girl quirked her brows, hearing her.


    "Anyway, do you have any idea for how long you''d be out?" June asked her.


    "A couple of weeks, at the very least," Kiara said. "Father was very worried after hearing the full ounts of my experience. He was prepared for me to withdraw from the academypletely, but I managed to talk him out of it."


    "I guess that is the perk and problem of being the only daughter of a powerful man," June said. "Rest up well in these two weeks, but don''t forget to train either. We will talk more about the bonding ritual after you are up to advance to iron."


    "Good night, Professor June," Kiara said finally, turning to Warden. "You too. Good night, Cupcake. Come along. You wouldn''t want to annoy Sir."


    With a bow of her head, Kiara took her spirit and hurried away.


    Warden hummed. "She acts moredylike now."


    "She is always like this," June said as they entered the kitchen.


    Although taking his time, Warden finished his bath rather quickly, not giving enough time for June to prepare the food. Kiara''s appearance slowed her down even further.


    Wait, sometime, I''ll be finished quickly. June went cooking.


    Warden did not wait, as she asked him, but joined her in helping with the cooking. "I''m pretty good at it," he said when she gave him a questioning look.


    June was making a vegetable curry, giving off a vibe of rich spirituality. She probably put in spirit herbs and spirit-cultivated vegetables in it. While dealing with that, Warden busied himself preparing pancakes.


    She shot him nces every once in a while, worried that he would mess things up. She sighed in relief, finding him handling everything meticulously.


    "Don''t worry; cooking is one of my four talents," he said, a conflicted look appearing on his face.


    June paused. "You have no idea what the other three are, do you?"


    "Well, fighting might be one," he sighed. "Most probably with a spear."


    "You know, I wonder," June said after a while. "How are you so carefree at times while having no idea of your past?"


    Warden thought deeply on it, then shrugged. "I guess it''s because I remember nothing to be serious about."


    "I forgot to mention," June said. "I checked the academy''s registry; there were records of a couple of Wardens, but none were you."


    Warden nodded; strangely, he didn''t feel that wrong about it. Although he had been here for only a few days, he didn''t feel at home. Everything felt new and unconvincing in his eyes.


    "Well, there are nine other academies to check," June said. "My authority didn''t sway there as much as it did here."


    "Tell me about the other academies," Warden said. "Are they the same?"


    "Pretty much, though they have some specialities. For example, The First Academy is mostly for elves. As we age slowly and our affinity and way of spirit are different, it''s impossible to train humans and elves with the same ns. The second academy is for mixed races, such as Merfolks, shifters, beastfolks, celestials, or whatever is left of them."


    "Celestials?" Warden perked his eyebrows, remembering he was part celestial.


    "A humanoid race," June said. "They looked mostly human with an ethereal mour, but they have wings like angels of stories. Simrly, like elves, their power system is different, and can''t grow stronger just by killing monsters like humans. However, they had the highest radiant power, easily held more talent and potentialpared to most other races."


    Warden didn''t think he had wings, but then again, he wasn''t a pure celestial, either. "What happened to them?"


    "Nobody knows," June said. "Legends say they fled their world after being defeated by an ancient foe thousands of years ago. Although Celestials have a simr lifespan as long as Elves, even the oldest of them probably didn''t know the full story of what happened."


    A slight prickling sensation jabbed his mind, reminding him that he would have a headache if he dug deeper into his mind.


    "Where is the second academy?" Warden asked, pretty sure his past was connected with the celestials in more ways than he knew.


    "In a different continent," June said. "On the other side of the Republic of Imar."


    Warden didn''t mention anything about his link to celestials and let June exin more of the arcane academies.


    "You know, the third academy," she said. "The fourth and fifth academies are for auxiliary sses like crafters, artificers, stonemasons, builders, painters, and sorts. One is in the Sivian empire and the other is in the Republic.


    "The least can be said about the sixth and seventh, the better. They were one academy, but conflict divided them for thest few hundred years. Even now they conflict with each other on a daily basis for the stupidest reason possible."


    "What is it?" Warden asked, curious.


    "The Sixth Academy is ruled by Women," June exined. "While the seventh by men. Both are located in the kingdom of Tul, which is quite tribal. They are constantly in conflict with how they view one another. The women live in a matriarchal society led by their tribal queen, while the other party is more like a traditional society led by patriarchy."


    "Interesting," Warden said.


    "The Eighth is the only remaining proper academy, which is in the wastnd," June said. "Thest two were in the wastnd as well, but they were newly established andcked all the history and infrastructure. They don''t have a good system and work more like military academies."


    "And who looks after all the academies?" Warden asked. "It clearly didn''t seem to be all the political powers."


    "Not quite, but they do have a sway in their respective academies," June exined. "The arcane society is above all else, and Eight elders from all the races are in the highest seats of power."


    "And they are all transcendent rank?"


    "Yes."


    "How many of them are there, transcended beings, I mean?"


    "Thirteen, that we know," June said.


    "Hmm," he hummed as they almost finished cooking. As they worked in perfect synergy, Warden couldn''t help but say, "Don''t you think we work well together, like a couple?"


    June let out an exasperated sigh. "Warden, I think we need to talk about this," she said.


    "Of course," Warden agreed. "Let''s talk it over dinner."


    As the food was served, both of them sat at the table across from one another, Warden waiting, while June collected her thoughts to let out all of them.


    "It will never work between us," she said.


    "Not if we don''t try." Warden shrugged. "I was just putting it out there. You can ignore it all you like, and even ask me to shut up, I''ll do it."


    June gave him a silent stare as they ate. After a long while, Warden opened his mouth to ask again.


    "Curious, is it because of the gap between our lifespan?"


    "That and¡ª"


    "Wait, let''s clear that up first," he said, cutting her off. "What is the age of the longest-living elf?"


    June narrowed her eyes, looking conflicted.


    "Just tell me."


    "That is over three thousand years," she said.


    "Now, tell me how long do a Gold Ranker live?" he asked.


    "Five hundred to a thousand years, depending on the power they cultivate."


    Warden raised an eyebrow. "What about those diamond rankers?" he asked.


    "I know what you''re getting at," she said. "But it isn''t that easy to advance to diamond. Most don''t make it, and even those that do were over hundreds of years of age."


    "But it''s not impossible," Warden said. "I woke up with a hole in my mind with barely any power in my body. That was about a week ago, and now I''m Iron ranked, opening two apertures, without the slightest idea how I did it."


    How difficult would it be for him with all the resources he would get from the academy? Of course, he believed he was fast in ranking up because he was regaining his strength, not cultivating it from scratch. But that didn''t mean, his potential wasn''t great. Warden had some hints of how strong he was, and all his mind was telling him he wasn''t weaker than any gold ranker.


    "Just don''t discount all possibilities with excuses like those."

 Chapter 70: Casual

    "Just don''t discount all possibilities with excuses like those." June heard him say and sighed. "Just say you don''t like me, which I would understand."


    "It''s not excuses," she replied.


    "So you do like me?" Warden grinned at her and all the seriousness was gone.


    "Do you recognize how insufferable you can be at times?" she said, shaking her head.


    "I take it as my charm," he said, still grinning. "Don''t worry, it''ll rub off on you."


    June snorted. "I''m not someone who''s looking for a casual rtionship."


    "What a surprise, that''s exactly my mindset," Warden said. "I don''t do flimsy casual rtionships either. I''m in for the full emotions-imbued, responsibility-induced rtionship."


    June spared him a look.


    "What, you don''t believe me?" he looked bbergasted at that notion.


    "I can''t tell when you''re serious and when you''re not," June said, focusing on her food.


    "Do you think I''m someone who''ll jump after every lovely girl he sees?" he asked, shaking his head.


    "That''s the problem, Warden," June said. "I don''t know you, and you don''t know me."


    They had known each other for less than four days. Although their initial encounter had been somewhat rough and weird, they had grown on each other, discovering how each of them considered the importance of life. But it simply wasn''t enough to start a rtionship. Not for June; she wanted more.


    "Just because I talk casually doesn''t mean I''m not serious," he said while chewing food, making it even more difficult to believe he was serious. "Besides, are you not a mind mage? Don''t you have some empathic power or something to tell if I''m serious or flimsy?"


    June bit her lip in a grimace. "I don''t read others'' emotions or minds," she said matter-of-factly.


    "You should do it now," Warden said. "You''ll know how serious I am."


    "No," June replied with an edge to her voice that made it clear she wouldn''t.


    Warden sighed and focused on his food. He praised the cooking and asked about the ingredients a couple of times, not pushing the matter of their rtionship further, for which June was grateful.


    June was simply too young to think about all these matters seriously.


    Warden finished filling his stomach, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Thank you for the food and all the hospitality," as he turned to leave. Halfway out of the room, he paused, a contemtive look in his eyes.


    "Hey, June, if I ever make you ufortable in a way you didn''t like, or didn''t..." he sighed, lips curved in a weak smile. "Just tell me about it, I''ll never do it again."


    His voice was soft, but June found him to be most serious as far as she knew him. He had been serious during their battle, but there was a mad intensity back then. Although his eyescked that now, she was certain he''d do what he said. She didn''t need to unseal her empathic power to know it.


    June was contemting in her seat for some time and found him returning with an awkward smile on his lips.


    "Where is this ce exactly?" he asked. "How do I get out of here?"


    "You don''t have to leave," June told him. "You can stay the night in the guest room. Your mock ss is early tomorrow."


    He seemed to think deeply about it and nodded. "Okay," he said. "Do you need any help in cleaning?"


    Even though he asked, he joined to work with her to clean the table and wash the dishes.


    ***


    Tam had enrolled in the Third Arcane Academy for about a week, and so far, he had only been disappointed. True, the new academic year had just begun, and there was much more to explore. Of course, he wasn''t really in for the lectures or the instructions all that much¡ªthankfully, most of them weren''tpulsory.


    Tam was looking forward to using all those training facilities he had heard so much about. That reminded him of the Virtual World battles; those had been fun. With a sigh, he brought out his Provisional Ranker badge and checked the Arcane credits.


    His expression soured as he found only 27 points left. He couldn''t even spend two hours in the virtual world with this many credits, and the Virtual World was one of the cheapest facilities.


    "Why are you sulking so early in the morning?" a feminine voice asked from behind.


    Tam turned to find Ars and a couple of others from his ss in the form-fitting uniform of the academy, probably on their way to some ss he had no idea about. He returned his attention to the girl. Ars was fifteen, half a head shorter than him, which was quite tall for girls.


    She was thin with a sharp look; unfortunately, she wasn''t well-endowed in the parts he would consider as a prime prospect.


    Still, personality-wise, she was better than most he''d met aftering to the academy.


    "Where are you all going?" he asked. "I don''t remember having any ss today."


    "Do you even check the noticeboard?" Ars snorted. "Don''t you know about thebat sses with the newly interned instructors?"


    Tam shrugged. It was the first time he was hearing about it. "If it''s not apulsory ss, I ain''t going," he said. Althoughbat sses were something he was looking forward to, some intern instructors didn''t interest him.


    For one thing, they were merely Iron rankers, barely a few years older than them to have imparted anything. Not to mention, their main duty was to help the students in dungeon diving. Tam didn''t think he would be losing anything by missing a ss.


    "Well, it''s your loss," Ars said. "I heard everyone will get 10 credits just for attending the sses, but I guess you don''t need it."


    "Just for attending?" Tam''s back straightened. Though 10 credits weren''t that much, it was a substantial amount for just a ss thatsted for an hour or so.


    "Apparently, the academy needed to make sure the intern instructors at least have some students to teach," Ars said. "Through these sses, the elders and professors will decide whether the interns deserve the job ofbat instructor or not."

 Chapter 71: Tam

    Tam frowned, somewhat intrigued by the notion. In the end, he decided to join the ss. Although an hour could be quite insufferable, he would get 10 credits just for attending, which was better than nothing. Not to mention the free entertainment he would get out of it.


    Some guy with zero experience in teaching would being to instruct dozens of brats in the ways ofbat. Tam could already imagine the chaos those noble brats on their high horses would create. Ars told him it was kind of like a ritual for the noble brats to embarrass the new instructors.


    He felt a bit of pity for the poor souls who would be dealing with the brats, but that was all there was to it. Only pity. So far, from what he experienced, just having more experience as a Ranker wouldn''t make you better. Most of the people he met were simply far too arrogant for their own good just because they were stronger than you, benefiting from awakening their system years earlier.


    It hadn''t even been a year for Tam since he awakened his system and learnedbat, and he could already give the other copper rankers a run for their money. His most significant challenge came in learning thenguage, however. He had to put in just as much effort, if not more, learning themon tongue; thankfully, it didn''t have the threat of his life.


    Thebat sses were held in the open, where over a couple of hundred students were already making a ruckus in the absence of any instructor or staff from the academy.


    "The ss is supposed to begin in 5 minutes," Ars informed him.


    Tam, from his experience, had learned that Ars was a good encyclopaedia for learning new things he wasn''t aware of. Her knowledge seemed to include all the tidbit nuances to theplicated theories of magic and spells. But more importantly, Ars never backed down to prove how well-informed she was in all sorts of things.


    Well, good for him, as he didn''t have to ask her about every little thing and prove hisck of knowledge.


    Creeping along at his own pace with many thoughts in mind, Tam didn''t notice when he bumped into a pir. Wait, a pir in the middle of the path?


    He perked his eyes up to notice a towering figure, and a woman at that, standing over or close to seven feet tall, a huge shield fitting of her station equipped on her back.


    "Holy mother of Jesus, who gave birth to you!" His mouth blurted out to his own chagrin.


    The woman''s stare turned icy instantly as she studied him. A shiver ran down Tam''s spine as he saw the shadow of the hulking woman over him. Could she be one of thosebat instructors? His mind wondered.


    "Excuse him, Senior," Ars apologized in his ce. "He''s new here and doesn''t know any better."


    Tam swallowed a sharp breath, biting back some retort to apologize as well. "Sorry, it won''t happen again."


    Although on the academic grounds, they wouldn''t be able to do anything more than give him some punishment, it was better to apologize, as his remark was quite stinging.


    The giant woman''s eyes had already moved to Ars. "You''re excused," she said, then helped herself to her spot.


    "Who was that?" Tam couldn''t help but ask. The woman was probably Iron rank, but Tam could only imagine how much strength she possessed in those strong and robust limbs of hers.


    "She probably has some giant blood in her," Ars added to her credit. "Come on, this way."


    As there wasn''t much time left for the sses to begin, morebat instructors wereing along, other full-time professors in tow to see how they measured up handling the students.


    "An Elf!" Tam eximed abruptly, his heart pounding in his chest as his eyesid on arguably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.


    "First time seeing one?" Ars asked.


    Tam''s mouth remained open, too mesmerised by her beauty to answer. She was in a pristine white magic gown, which looked all tooplicated forbat. Her white hair wasid free on her shoulders, which glowed passionately in the sun, stealing the hearts of--he didn''t know how many of the students present there.


    Now, Tam might have some views of the world, but he never had any crushes on any of his teachers, but this elven woman--her well-endowed shapes were just too perfect for his sore eyes.


    "That is Professor June," Ars said, ying her role as an encyclopaedia. "She specializes in Theoretical magic and spell casting."


    "Is she taken?" Tam heard his treacherous mouth ask.


    Ars spared him an odd look andughed, contempt clear in herugh. Well, for once Tam didn''t me her because the woman''s beauty was way above his league.


    "I don''t know anything specific," she said. "But Professor June has the image of an aloof ranker. You don''t usually see her in social circles. People say she''s married to her work. She has already rejected countless young men who wanted to court her, so don''t even think for a second that you, as amon student, will ever get anywhere with her."


    Hearing her say that seemed to only make him more serious about the woman. Although his age might be a concern, but elves do seem to live long lives ording to folklore. Perhaps there was still a chance? Besides, he had already heard of students getting into bed with their professors more than a couple of times. He had to try and--


    "Who''s that person with her?" he asked, finding a tall man with shoulder-length grey hair with her.


    "That''s," Ars considered, "probably one of the interned instructors."


    The opening words from the guy proved Ars to be right. "Alright students," the grey-haired guy said, "those of you in the physicalbat ss stay for the ss, as for the remainder, Professor June will help you get to a more magicalbat instructor."


    "You all don''t know me, so let''s start with the introduction," the guy continued, taking the stage. "The name''s Warden, and for the next hour, you all will be under my care."

 Chapter 72: Combat Class

    It took about a couple of minutes for the instructor to divide the students, leaving Warden with twenty-three students. Although closebatants were high in numbers among the studentspared to any other ss. After all, there were also plenty ofbat instructors in closebatant sses.


    "Now you''ll form a pair and spar together," Warden announced. "You have sixty seconds to make your pairs."


    Warden was delighted to have eleven pairs of boys and girls and a lone guy by the end of sixty seconds.


    "You,e here," Warden called the blonde lone guy. "You''ll spar with me. What is your name?"


    "Dirk," the youth with blond hair and a handsome face said proudly, "Dirk Archer."


    "Alright," Warden said. "Everyone will spar three times with their pair. Dirk, take notice of who performs well."


    "Instructor," Dirk perked his eyebrows. "Aren''t we supposed to spar?"


    "Yes," Warden told the boy dismissively and turned to the eleven pairs of boys and girls. "And I forgot to mention, none of you are allowed to imbue your weapons with energy, but you are allowed to cheat as long as you keep all the injury within your vessels."


    A thin girl with a sleek sword raised her hand.


    "Yes?"


    "Ars Quin," She introduced, bowing slightly. "Instructor, you''re allowing us to imbue energy in our bodies, is that correct?"


    "As long as it stays in your body," Warden confirmed. "Begin."


    Rows of students positioned themselves at equidistant intervals and began sparring with various weapons. Warden found that most students chose someone of a simr ss like a swordsman who went for a swordsman, spearman with a spearman, or heavy weapons with heavy weapons.


    Only Dirk waited with an annoyed look in his eyes, while the rest of the ss began sparring. Warden watched them all with a studying gaze. It didn''t take long for him to notice more than a few of them were simply not putting in any effort at all. A few of them weren''t even acting to show that they were sparring.


    It looked like nothing more than they were ying with one another, only making slight contact with their weapons.


    Warden noted their faces with a cold smile and turned towards those who were performing well. The girl who asked the question, Ars Quin, stood out among the group. Although shecked raw power, she was quick on her feet, and used her imbuing almost better than anyone else. She let out no spark of energy from her body.


    Even still, she was losing in the spar, her opponent was a young boy with a bored look in his eyes. His imbuing skill was among the worst, but with high attribute points, he wasn''t having any tough time dealing with her swift attacks. The boy probably had double of her attribute points, and was probably among the top of the ss.


    The sparring ended pretty quickly, barely taking over five minutes. "Alright," Warden called. "I see three among you managed toe out undefeated in the spar. Congrattions to you." Then he turned his attention back to the pairs who did nothing but a mockery of the ss. "However, I find some of you verycking."


    Warden pointed at the three pairs. "You six, go run tenps of the ground before the ss ends," Warden said.


    "Why, instructor?" A guy of the six asked, his voice clearly mocking. "We sparred as you asked, why are we being punished?"


    "As I mentioned, you all areckingpared to the rest of them," Warden said.


    "As if," A girl with a pigtail said. "I can easily take on any one of them."


    "Shut up, and do as I asked," Wardenmanded. A couple of them flinched at his forceful words, but the front two, the girl and the boy, didn''t even show an ounce of fear or respect.


    "Instructor, it is merely the first day," the guy said again.


    "Fifteenps," Warden said. "I''ll increase onep with every second you waste."


    "What if we don''t want to?" the guy began. "What if we--"


    Warden red his aura and coerced it to assault the private space of all six of them, especially the leading boy.


    "You!" the guy''s face paled along with the rest of them. "You don''t know who my father is."


    "Twentyps," Warden said chillingly, making a little void energy spark his eyes in purple.


    "I''m going," one of them said, swallowing a breath and began running. The rest of them followed, excluding the leading guy.


    "You''re not going to get away with this," the leading guy said. "My father can--"


    "I have heard enough from you," Warden said. "Fortyps for you."


    His aura now only took hold of the lone guy. Warden didn''t forget to imbue the deadly intent into it, making the boy feel he was under the gaze of a predator.


    His face was already wet with sweat, legs shaking to stand straight. Warden withheld just in time for the guy to not wet his pants as soon as his legs gave way.


    "Fortyps," he said. "Make sure I see your face after you finish."


    It was almost impossible for the guy to run fortyps in the remainder of the ss unless his attributes were close to the Iron rank threshold, which he clearly did not. Warden inspected it was around forty for his physical powers, which would barely be enough toplete the fortyps without having a rest. The ground was prettyrge, onep was already close to eight kilometres.


    The boy scrambled quickly as Warden instructed someone in the ss to keep track of the number ofps they ran.


    "Now for the rest of the pairs," Warden said. "Now you''ll spar together against one another. I''ll give you two minutes to rest and prepare."


    His voice seemed to call them out of their stupor as Warden turned his attention to the lone boy.


    "Now let''s finish measuring you up as well," Warden said. "Come at me, don''t hold back at all."


    Dirk Archer swallowed a breath and nodded, unsheathing his de.

 Chapter 73: Terrible at Control

    "That''s pretty cool," Tam mumbled, observing the boy scramble to run. "Hey, S, how did he do it?"


    Ars shot him a disapproving gaze. "Don''t call me by my nickname," she said.


    "Why? It sounds nice," Tam said. "Not to mention, I''m the closest friend you have."


    "I don''t even know anything about you," Ars snorted.


    Tam shrugged. "Anyway, what kind of skill was that?"


    "I''m not sure," Ars said. "It''s some kind of aura control. It is the type of skill that the system didn''t count in your status page."


    "Why?" Tam frowned.


    "I don''t know." Tam didn''t hear that from Ars that often. "It''s likely because the system is unable to divide them into ranks, if they are even possible."


    "How do we learn it?" Tam asked. Shutting up snotty kids without even lifting his hand was something he would like to have.


    "Don''t waste time; the two minutes are almost up."


    Tam stood up and turned his attention to where Dirk Archer was fighting the grey-haired instructor. Both of them were swordsmen, and from the outside, it looked like they were using identical sword arts.


    The chance of the two of them learning the same sword art was pretty small, which could only mean that--


    "How do you know our family''s Untamed Wind Sword art?" Dirk asked, his voice usatory.


    "Is that the name of it?" The instructor raised an eyebrow and attacked simrly with the flow of the Untamed Wind Sword stance.


    "How?" Dirk asked, parrying the attack.


    "What do you mean ''how''? You taught me this move," the instructor said. "I must say, though, it''s quitecking. I haven''t seen the sword art at its fullest form, but from what you showed me, it''s clear you haven''t practised well."


    Dirk Archer''s face turned red. "What do you mean? Everyone says I''m a genius," Dirk said. "I learned all six stances at the age of fourteen."


    "As you say, boy," the tall instructor had a smile on his lips, which was quite annoying even to Tam, who wasn''t facing him. "But you haven''t mastered them. From the looks of it, it appears--"


    Warden shed forward using the third stance, his de shing toward the kid''s shoulder. However, when the boy was about to block the move, the de feinted, aiming for his calves and hurling him to the ground.


    "--you have inherited ws from the one who taught you as well," Warden finished, the boy still ring at him usingly, as if he had defied their ancestor''s tomb. "Get up."


    "What is happening?" Tam whispered to Ars. Although his stats were higher than anyone in the ss, there was a gap in knowledge preventing him from understanding it clearly.


    Ars kept her eyes on them but didn''t offer any exnation.


    "Why are you all still resting?" the instructor barked at them. "Begin sparring."


    "Are all interned instructors like this?" Tam whispered to Ars again, taking a position against the pair they were up against.


    "No," Ars said. "Even most of the professors aren''t as strict."


    "You two want to join the others in the run?" The instructor snapped at them, causing them to skid on their feet.


    "No, sir," Tam and Ars shouted at once.


    "Then begin practising."


    Tam sucked in a breath. "I''ll take the offence; you assist me," he said and jumped at the opponents. They were heavy weapon wielders, one with an axe and the other with a mace, but Tam wouldn''t have to worry, as their attribute points were much lower than his.


    He was probably twice as strong as them, even though both of them dwarfed him in height and muscle. Bless the system for that.


    Tam could have taken both of them on his own, albeit with a couple of blows, but with Ars assisting him, he defeated them rather easily.


    The results weren''t any different in the next two turns either, though it became somewhat difficult for him as the pair of heavy weapon wielders began to take notice of his power and closed in without leaving him with space.


    "Exchange partners with the other pair," the instructormanded, "and begin sparring. You have two minutes."


    Ars went along with the axe warrior, who was slightly better than the mace wielder, as they began sparring against each other.


    In the first turn, Ars defeated the mace wielder quickly, and with her partner, ganged up on him. Tam gritted his teeth as blood oozed out from the blows Ars inflicted on him. He mostly parried the axes, as it would be too troublesome to heal.


    He surged his energy to enhance his physical capabilities to the limit, unable to handle the two of them in his easygoing mode. He finally managed to im victory, albeit after getting a few more cuts.


    Tam hadn''t thought it would be this difficult. In the next round, he went after Ars first, as she yed the crucial role in the previous round. She knew she couldn''t defeat him on her own, so she did her best to waste time until the axe wielder defeated his old partner.


    That he managed, causing Tam to curse under his breath. It would be difficult again.


    Tam winced heavily, barely managing to defeat them in a two-against-one. His channels were quite strained with all the effort he put in. He would probably be unable to remain undefeated in the next round.


    "You," the instructor called.


    "He''s calling you," Ars said, nudging him.


    Tam lifted his head immediately. "Me?"


    The instructor nodded. "Come here," he said. "Rest up for two minutes. You''ll fight Dirk next."


    Tam quickly sat down to calm the wild energy within him. Two minutes were barely enough to recover his lost energy or heal the wounds, but it was enough for him to fight someone in a one-on-onebat.


    "Come on, genius," Tam said to Dirk Archer, leaping to his feet. "We haven''t got all day."


    Dirk Archer took a stance, but then the instructor''s words broke in.


    "Both of you are terrible at control," the instructor said, pared with the attribute points you have. But you two are terrible at different things, try to learn something out of the spar."

 Chapter 74: Selection (1)

    "What do you think of your rmendations, June?" Elder Vess asked her as they surveyed the field littered with students. Only a few of the potentialbat instructors managed to keep the students from running wild as they pleased.


    "Aurel is still young," June said, turning towards the young woman who seemed to be having the worst day of her life. "She''s easy to anger and doesn''t know how to channel the anger. The potential is there, of course. I wholeheartedly believe she could be a professor someday."


    "That''s high praise," Elder Vess said, not as appreciative, "considering how badly she did in today''s ss. I''d even say she''s not much of a teacher material."


    June didn''t say anything, only watching Aurel argue with her students loudly. She couldn''t help but shake her head.


    "Thankfully, thebat instructor''s main task is in the dungeon, not in the ssroom," Elder Vess said. "Young and inexperienced, but she''s a good fighter. I only found four more with better potential than hers."


    "You''re selecting her, then?" June asked for confirmation. She wasn''t really surprised. Abat instructor''s job was heavily specific that it eliminated most people before they even applied. In most years, they specifically took half of their recently graduated students for the job. Of course, the students were promising, and had no huge backing anywhere.


    "She''ll do good for a couple of years," Elder Vess confirmed.


    It was a highly stressful job, many ended up with career-ending injuries or death, and two years were about average for mostbat instructors.


    "What about your other rmendation?" Vess asked.


    June turned towards her left, where Warden was instructing his batch of students. He had dealt with a heavy hand, giving the students no chance of rebelling. June knew a few professors had simr styles in teaching, those tended to be loved and hated by the students.


    Moreover, Warden seemed extremely serious throughout the whole hour, making her believe she was looking at a different person. No, not different. It was the same intensity. He was just showing a different side of him.


    "June?" Elder Vess called out again.


    "He did well, better than I hoped," she said truthfully.


    "Which makes me curious," Elder Vess said. "Where did you find him?"


    "It was my mentee who told me about him first, that someone saved her life on her mission," June said. "She didn''t mention he''d be... like that... Nor had I hoped."


    "Like that?" Elder Vess picked her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Well, for one thing, he seems to view everyone the same," June said. "And very tyrannical in his belief, even if he doesn''t recognize that himself. I heard from the vigers, he batted no eye when killing ten bandits in a matter of seconds."


    "That sounds rather rash," Elder Vess said.


    "He''s not--" June stopped herself, recognizing she was defending him for no reason. And June didn''t know why.


    Elder Vess smiled like an old fox. "You''re very protective of him," she said, not a question, a statement. "Even yesterday."


    "I''m protective of all promising rankers who are good-hearted," June said, cursing Elder Vess inwardly for ying her like that.


    "That is true," Vess agreed. "Just make sure that you don''t protect him so hard that you''re the only one who''s hurting him."


    "What do you mean?" June raised her eyebrows.


    "When a woman acts differently towards a specific someone, it bears a special kind of expectation in the man''s heart," Elder Vess exined, smiling. "I don''t know about elves, but it''smon in us humans. We don''t live as long as elves. Perhaps that''s why even some small gestures can create a huge expectation in our hearts.


    Of course, it was especially true when ites from a beautiful maiden like yourself."


    "That''s not true." June held herself back from getting flustered.


    "Tell me, how many people have you invited to your quarters since you joined the academy?" Elder Vess was still smiling.


    June didn''t open her lips, but the answer was pretty clear. She had only brought her mentee Kiara into her quarters. Even more than that, she had never let anyone ride Sylvie. Of course, back then, she was running out of time with too many tasks. June was sure she didn''t mean anything else through those gestures, except for a friendly vibe, maybe.


    Could they be why he came at me like that? She wondered. June couldn''t imagine herself giving mixed signals to someone. I have to clear things upter.


    "The hour is over," Elder Vess said. "It''s time for the selection. Let''s go give them the good news."


    First, they went to Karz Walt, who had finished his ss pretty early with his straightforward approach to thebat ss. He simply fought against a couple of dozens of students, knocking them out one after another.


    They didn''t know if he managed to teach anyone anything, but he sure did draw a line between themselves.


    "Elder," Karz Walt greeted, bowing at Elder Vess. His eyes found June and lingered on her slightly longer as he nodded to her and returned to the elder again.


    "Congrattions, Young Walt," Elder Vess said. "You have been selected. We expect great things from you. Hope you make your house proud."


    Karz nodded as if it was only natural. He bowed as they departed to the next candidate.


    "What do you think of him?" Elder Vess asked again.


    "Young, confident, and prideful," June said precisely.


    "I guess that describes him well," Vess said, "and so many other rankers."


    The next candidate was a tall woman with a huge shield, who did pretty well in all her tests. She spoke less, but her abilities spoke for themselves.


    "Jez''arin," Elder Vess called. "Congrattions! You make your tribe proud. You have been selected. May you shine brighter and the whole maind recognize your fame."


    Various emotions welled up on the tall woman''s face from surprise and confusion to joy and tears. She bowed deeply, thanking them wholeheartedly.


    Finally, they went to a candidate whose ss was nothing less than a clusterfuck.


    "Gene De Rossi," Elder Vess said. "What do you think of him?"

 Chapter 75: Selection (2)

    "Gene De Rossi," Elder Vess said. "What do you think of him?"


    June narrowed her eyes, unsure why she was asking all this. "How old is he?" she asked instead.


    "His bio says twenty," Elder Vess smiled. "But I''d say he''s a couple of years younger than that."


    "His voice didn''t entail he hadn''t gone through puberty yet," June added.


    "Poor boy," Elder Vessughed. "The idea of changing his voice didn''te to his mind when he disguised himself to look older."


    "He''s disguised?" June drew her eyes as they glowed in silver light, looking at the boy, who was standing alone among the students who were doing their own thing.


    She finally picked up on the disguise, it was unique. She couldn''t tell how he aplished it without studying further. Gene looked like an older version of himself, which seemed to contrast with the face she saw with her Eyes, but it was his face alright. Or rather, it would be.


    "Uncanny," Elder Vess said. "Unless you''re experienced in this line of magic, you wouldn''t pick up on it so easily."


    "You mean..."


    Elder Vess nodded. "You''re curious about why I asked for your assistance and asking your opinion on everything."


    "Yes."


    Elder Vess turned her attention to Gene. "I''m thinking of taking him as my disciple," she said, surprising June. "Not like how professors take mentees. I''m prepared to teach him all, which will limit the time I need to invest in the academy. Hence, you. I''ll use you as my hand to do most of my work unless you decline my offer."


    "Why me?" June asked, not sure what to feel about the offer.


    "I found none more qualified than you," Vess said.


    "There are over a dozen gold-ranked professors in the academy," June added.


    "Those are mostly self-centered or busy with other business," Vess said. "So, what do you say?"


    "I need to think about it," June admitted.


    Elder Vess nodded and called Gene over. "Come on, the ss is over. You''re all dismissed."


    "Elder, and Professor," Gene greeted, nervousness evident on his face.


    "Walk with us," Elder Vess instructed as they went towards Aurel''s ss.


    The girl had spent a third of her time arguing with some noble kids, and finally decided to disregard them. She put her effort into instructing the ones that listened to her, but when those noble kids continued bitching, she couldn''t handle them well anymore. In the end, she dismissed them out of her ss.


    Unfortunately for her, she didn''t see iting when more joined with the noble bunch to bunk her ss.


    She was fuming by the end of it.


    "Aurel Crete," Elder Vess called. "How do you feel?"


    Aurel greeted them, dismissing the leftovers of the students. "I''m disappointed with myself," she said, resigned. "I never thought they would be this..."


    "Annoying, irritating?" Elder Vess smiled. "Do you remember when you were a student and attended this kind of ss?"


    "I do," Aurel said, shame came to her face, remembering she hadn''t acted like an obedient student either. "However, I wasn''t like them either. I did bunk sses, and even disregarded the instructor''s instructions a few times, but I never had the gall to look down upon and belittle my teachers."


    "You didn''t have any safety, did you?" Elder Vess told her. "Unlike you, if they fail in the academy, their family has enough wealth to build their career."


    "I just... can''t believe how infuriating they were," Aurel fumed again.


    "Do you feel bad for your teachers now?" The elder asked.


    Aurel nodded. "I never considered it would be this hard."


    "Good, you''re selected," she announced.


    "Really?" Aurel couldn''t believe she had heard right.


    "Of course. Hopefully, you''ll learn more and will be able to teach better."


    "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Aurel burst into glee, getting down on her knees on the ground. She leapt up and embraced June. "Thank you for believing in me."


    "You have earned this. You don''t have to thank me," June said.


    "No, nobody would have rmended me," Aurel said, wrapping her arms around June tightly. "If not for you, I wouldn''t even try."


    "Congrattions, now if you excuse us, we have more work toplete."


    They found Gene looking at them hopefully, but didn''t dare to ask.


    Warden was still instructing the students, even though most of them were tired to the limits, sparring the whole time with only little time to rest up. He was currently dividing them into two groups. As they came near, they heard him ask the students:


    "Who can tell me the difference between the two groups?"


    He hadn''t divided them on the benefit of their winning in the spar, though one group had more winners than the other.


    "Is it based on stat points?" A thin girl answered.


    "No," Warden said and divided another group, taking a couple of guys from the thin girl''s group. "Can you guess why now, Ars?"


    Ars frowned at the two who were separated from the two bigger batches. She didn''t remember their names, but she recognized that none of the two won even once in the spars. But they...


    "Is it based on spirit energy?" she asked.


    "Yes, keep going."


    "Um, those two don''t have any," Ars said. "I mean, they hadn''t opened their aperture. However, the rest of us did, so why divide us?"


    "Remember when I instructed, I asked you to not let any bit of energy out of your body?" Warden said. "One of the two groups managed that, while the other failed."


    "I kept it all within my skin," Ars said, gasping to look at students in her group.


    "Now that you have sparred over fifteen times," Warden continued. "It''s apparent that those that are better at controlling their energy had better results in thest quarter of the ss, while the rest became weary, spending their energy.


    "Tam, and Dirk both have higher attributes than the rest of the group, so their results might vary," Warden continued. "However, if they were as good at controlling their energy like you, Ars, each one of them can beat the rest of you on their own."

 Chapter 76: Rebellion Phase

    "Imbuing burns a very little amount of energy," Warden continued. "Tam and Dirk couldst twice as long if they fixed their imbuing skill. Especially you, Tam, your control is abysmal. The sheer amount of energy you wasted is twice as much as you used."


    The boy was dumbfounded and somewhat sceptical. Nobody would like to hear they were bad at something.


    "The basic idea of imbuing is to cycle the energy throughout your body at an even rate," Warden said. "Yes, it bes harder to do it under stress, or whilst doing anything else, but that is exactly what you''re here to learn. Those cursed creatures wouldn''t give up--"


    "Instructor Warden," Elder Vess called before he could finish. "Perhaps you''d leave the rest of the lecture in your next ss."


    Warden turned to find the elder, June standing behind him, apanied by a very awkward Gene.


    "The ss is dismissed," Warden announced as many of the students'' shoulders slumped in exhaustion and resignation.


    "So how did your first ss go, Instructor?" Elder Vess asked.


    "Just like I hoped," Warden answered impassively. "I didn''t know students would be thisx in their behaviour. I guess, they are freshmen, so it makes sense."


    "That''s good to hear," Elder Vess smiled. "Wouldn''t you say you went a little hard on them, on your very first day?"


    "Perhaps," Warden said, turning towards the resting students on the ground. "But we''ll be sending them to fight cursed creatures, not to a dance show. Being hard on them is a mercy for what they''ll have to face."


    "A fair assessment," Elder Vess nodded. "Though it might make some students reluctant toe to your sses." She gestured towards the few of the students whom Warden asked to run around the ground. "How''ll you deal with that?"


    Warden thought for a second to answer, "First of all, I don''t know how far I can go with the students, or how the academy works. Can I give them merit, or fail them on their performance?"


    "You can give them merit in the form of Academic credits, which would be allocated to you," Elder Vess exined. "However, as only abat instructor, you don''t qualify to pass or fail someone."


    A scowl appeared on Warden''s face.


    "But you can punish them for their shorings," she added. "Other than thepulsory sses, the students were mostly left to self-study and practise. Combat instructors were only given charge of the sses because they need to be familiarised with the students they''ll be helping in the dungeon."


    "So if you''re telling me all this because I got the job?" Warden asked.


    "The sses can be called a formality," Elder Vess said, nodding. "Though it helps us judge the instructor''s grip on the students."


    Warden nodded, feeling a slight weight off his shoulders.


    "Um, Elder," Gene called at that time, mustering all his courage.


    "Yes, young Gene?" Elder Vess turned towards the young man, the charming smile lingering on her lips.


    "Um, what about me?" he asked timidly and hopefully. "Did I pass?"


    "What do you think?"


    "No?" he asked, his expression twisting into a sorrowful look.


    "Although your spells are admirable, you''re stillcking to be responsible for others," Elder Vess broke the news.


    Gene''s shoulders slumped in resignation.


    "Perhaps you''ll get a better result next year," Elder Vess said, smiling. "Yes, I''ll make sure of that."


    "Um, Elder?"


    "You came from a long way, didn''t you, Gene?" Elder Vess said. "Although that warp gate makes the journey easy, it isn''t easy toe straight from the Republic to the empire''snd. Especially when you ran from home. Isn''t that right, Gene?"


    A shudder went through Gene''s spine as he visibly looked around for help. Unfortunately, no help came from any one of them.


    "H-how did you know?" he asked, stuttering.


    "Well, your mother informed me," she said, bringing out a letter from her spatial device. "She asked me to take good care of her baby boy."


    Gene tried to take the letter, but Elder Vess snatched it back.


    "She asked me to send you back as soon as possible," Elder Vess continued. "You wouldn''t be happy with that arrangement, would you, Young Gene?"


    Gene gritted his teeth and shook his head slowly. "I don''t want to go back."


    "Good." Elder Vess smiled brightly, touching the young boy''s shoulder, making him blush furiously. "I told your mother, she had toe here personally if she wanted to take you back. Unfortunately, as you know, the councillor-woman has a lot of things on her hands toe personally to retrieve her son. Not only that, being a political figure in the Republic, she couldn''t just walk into the empire.


    She''ll need a safe permit, which will take months to arrange.


    "So let''s say for about half a year, you''re free to do anything you''d like. Of course, you have to stay under my guidance. I promised your mother of your safety, after all."


    "But I didn''t get the job," Gene said.


    "Bah! You''ll get it next year," Elder Vess said, pping him on his shoulder. "I''ll make sure of that. Now go call those lost sheep back here."


    Gene dashed immediately to those students Warden sent for punishment.


    "The boy is in his rebelling phase, much like the rest of the students," Elder Vess exined to June. "He wouldn''t listen to me if I directly asked him to learn from me, considering how he was under his mother''s tutge for his whole life. Force doesn''t work nearly as well as diplomacy does once you know how."


    Even though she said it to June, her words were directed at him as well. She was asking him to consider diplomacy more than just punishment. Warden decided he would think about it, though his way would probably be different.


    Diplomacy didn''t work always, especially for rankers who had all the power they needed in their grasp.


    "Um, Instructor," A student came in after the rest of the group departed.


    "What is it, Dirk?" Warden lifted an eyebrow.


    "About the sword art," Dirk asked, hesitantly. "How did you... learn it?"

 Chapter 77: Renumeration

    Warden tilted his neck. "I just copied your movements, that''s all," he said.


    "But--"


    "I don''t know if it''s anything special that anyone can''t learn just by studying the moves," Warden cut him off. "How did you learn it, Dirk?"


    "T-the elders of my house instructed me," he said.


    "Did they show you the stances, correct you when you made mistakes?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, there you go," Warden said. "I just didn''t need anyone to correct my mistakes."


    "But it took me months just to get the katas and--"


    Warden shook his head. "Once you be adept at some form of swordsmanship, you can do it with other sword arts too. But first, you must train in the sword art you know. As I mentioned earlier, you have developed ws from the elder that taught you, you need to rectify that."


    "What do you mean by that?" Dirk asked hesitantly.


    "Hmm," Warden hummed. "You know Ars of your ss; she practises some form of sword art too. Itcks in damage but rectifies that with its swift pace. If you were to learn the technique, what do you think would happen?"


    "It wouldn''t suit me greatly," Dirk said immediately.


    "But if you were to learn it from Ars, do you think the same style would work for you?" Warden asked. "Even the same sword arts be somewhat different when performed by different people; it is the nature of things. The elder you learned your sword art from cultivated his stances to something he was very intimate with.


    They were something that worked for him the best; they might not work for you the same. Think deeply on that."


    "I will," Dirk nodded heavily. "Thank you, Sir."


    Warden nodded and dismissed him. He turned to the two women. "Is it rare to learn sword arts like this?"


    "Extremely," Elder Vess answered with her signature smile, that told she knew something you didn''t. "Only Masters of the weapon can do such a feat, and even among them, it was fairly rare."


    "Well, I just copied his movements," Warden shrugged. "There''s still something more with how he moves energy inside the channels. I cannot do that just by watching once or twice."


    "It''s better you don''t do it even if you can until you reach a higher rank," June advised him. "Most martial families didn''t look well on those who use their techniques without being a member."


    "Well, lesson taken," Warden said.


    Gene finally came back, bringing in three of the students who hadn''tpleted theirps yet.


    "How manyps did you guysplete?" Warden asked, curious.


    "Twenty-seven," the girl croaked.


    "Twenty-nine," the prime offender said.


    "Twenty-four," added thest one of them.


    "You reallyck in physical stamina," Warden said, feeling rather disappointed with themselves. Theycked in both manners and other abilities. "Do you all think the numbers in your status page are everything?"


    They remained silent. The prime offender whom Warden didn''t even know the name of managed to grit his teeth.


    "What are your names again?" he asked, but before they could even begin speaking, he cut it off. "You know what, let''s reset it. I''ll only learn your names when you prove something in my eyes."


    "You!" the prime offender managed to croak out, wheezing heavily.


    Warden clicked his tongue and left them to the Elders.


    "You three," Elder Vess addressed them. "You should be aware the way you carry yourselves in the academy reflects on your family just as much as it did on the academy. It reflects on your report cards as well, as these types of acts were heavily ill-advised if you want to graduate from here."


    The three looked down in unison.


    "Keep all that in mind; you''re all dismissed." She let out a sigh as the students left. "Well, that ends my role here. Come now, Gene, I have to prepare for your stay as well."


    The elder and Gene left, leaving the two of them there. Gene stopped after a couple of steps and congratted him brightly.


    "He''s a good kid," Warden said. "He kind of reminds me of someone, but I can''t remember who."


    June stared at him for one long moment and watched them leave.


    "So," he said, feeling a little heavy with the two of them there. "Hopefully, I didn''t make you regret your decision."


    "No," June shook her head. "You proved that you can act like a man when needed."


    "What does that supposed to mean?" Warden asked.


    "Most of my interactions with you had been you acting like a man-child."


    "Maybe that''s because you''re so old," Warden said with a grin.


    "I''m not old," June said through gritted teeth. "In fact, I''m barely old enough to be an adult."


    Warden picked an eyebrow, asking for an exnation, but she didn''t offer any. It''s likely some elf thing.


    "By the way, I forgot to ask what kind of remuneration I''ll get from this job," Warden asked. "Do I get a quarter like you, or do I have to look for an apartment?"


    "You''ll get a quarter," she said, much to his relief. "But it won''t be like my quarters."


    "As long as it has a washroom, kitchen, a bedroom, and a living room," Warden hoped.


    June smiled, which didn''t say anything.


    "What?"


    "You''ll probably have to crash in with another instructor," June said, causing him to groan.


    "Maybe I need to look for an apartment," Warden sighed.


    "Everything you see is within the parameters of the academy," June reminded. "They own the apartments too, if you can pay for a higher price, you may look for them. Although you can try for a promotion to get a better apartment."


    "That''s what I''m hoping for," Warden said. "But if the roommate turns out to be some jerk, I might just live outside."


    "Other than the apartment," June continued, "eachbat instructor gets two hundred gold crowns and one thousand academy credits a month. You also get 200 extra credits for meriting students. Of course, you can get bonus credits by working extra hard, like running more dungeons, taking students on excursions and sorts."


    "I have no clue if they would be worth the trouble I have to go through with this job."


    "The remuneration is fairly eptable," June said.


    "Really?" Warden raised an eyebrow. "How much does a good student get a month?"


    "I don''t know the specifics, but for freshmen, two hundred is probably the limit they can get a month."


    "What about someone like Liam and Kiara?"


    "Five hundred."


    Both of them went silent. June smiled awkwardly on her way to leave. She turned midway to say:


    "Wee to the Third Arcane Academy, I suppose."


    ___________________


    The next chapter is the end of the first arc. The next arc will be twice as longer, or perhaps more...

 Chapter 78: The Oracle (1)

    Ai awoke early, even though she went to sleep prettytest night. Advancing to the Silver rank really did quell the need for sleep by a great degree. Her mind was sharper than it had ever been, her body brimming with strength after a few hours of sleep.


    Yet she couldn''t tell how long it remained for the sun to rise. It was one of those days again. Unfortunately, Ai had over-exhausted her quota of fortune yesterday, so for most of today, she had to spend it in her blind clumsiness.


    ''Bad luck'' might be too broad a term to describe her horoscope for today, but she certainly wasn''t looking forward toing across any debacle.


    After refreshing herself, Ai extended her spirit awareness out of the room and came out. Unfortunately for her, it didn''t even take two minutes for her toe across the first debacle of the day.


    "Can I help you get anywhere, Wise Woman?" said the debacle in the form of a young man named Emren.


    Her spirit awareness picked up his dress, just like always. Wolf fur clothes with his chest open, showing off all his masculine properties. Thankfully, Ai was blind to be pleased or disgusted with such an open exhibition.


    "No," she said curtly. "I was on my way to the garden. It''s a familiar path; I don''t need any help."


    "What a surprise. I''m on my way to the garden as well," Emren said with augh. "Come, let''s get there together."


    Of course, Ai cursed inwardly. Besides her decorum, she had to worry about how she acted around people, especially Emren, him being the son of the Queen and also a Scarred Hunter of their tribe. Emren seemed to take pride in thetter more than the former.


    Of course, why wouldn''t he? This was Iman of all ces, where women ruled, and a Scarred Hunter almost had the same magnitude as a princess. Many women were waiting to take him as their husband. Unfortunately, the Scarred Hunter had his eyes set on her of all people.


    A blind, joke of an oracle, who couldn''t even manage one job she was set toplete.


    "The seat is this way," Emren said, clutching her palm to take her there.


    "I know," Ai said with gritted teeth, showing her displeasure. Thankfully, Iman''s culture revolved around women, and men had the least say about taking a wife if a woman disagreed with him. Emren let her go as she sat on the stone bench. The world was dark as Ai remembered it. She could make out only outlines of everything around her with her spirit awareness.


    "Wise Woman," Emren said hesitantly. "You still haven''t agreed to divine my fate. If there is something you want, tell me. I''ll be sure to do my best and get it as soon as possible."


    Ai couldn''t help but sigh.


    In Iman, it was women who chose their husbands, and some chose more than once. The queen was a prime example of it, having five consorts to her alone. It was pretty much the opposite of the culture she was brought up with, though she couldn''t say she disliked it that much. Not that she wanted to take any one of them as her husband.


    The one I had chosen... is no more, and it was my fault that caused it.


    Ai got why Emren and so many other young hunters were after her, asking to take them as her husbands. Ai was an oracle, or rather an apprentice, thest time she checked with her Master. However, she had a different name in Iman: Wise Woman.


    It was pretty much simr to oracles, those that had the power of divination. Wise Women were highly respected, and their rank didn''t lose out to the Queen, though only in name. After finding out that Ai was a wise woman, they had given her everything shecked, only asking for some divination in return.


    She supposed the post was fairlyfortable as she waited for contacts to reach her, or she found them first. The only problem was that she would have to oblige in this weird form of courting from a dozen or so men.


    She kind of got what they were after, but that didn''t mean she liked it.


    They were simply looking at her as the prospect of having babies who would have a simr power of divination as hers. Obviously, there was a high chance of that. Her talents were highly hereditary. Even if her child didn''t have the talent, the next generation probably would.


    All this made Ai feel like she was an object, her purpose only to do what others asked of her. Ai hated that. Thankfully, they respected her just as much as they wanted her to bear their babies. It hadn''t made her feel all disgusted and stuffy yet.


    "She''ll be here soon," she muttered, thinking about the divination she hadpleted yesterday.


    "Who?" Emren asked.


    "My friend."


    Emren tilted his head into thinking, remembering there had been only one person with whom Ai had any greater contact. "That Dai''hakar?"


    Hakar meant assassin in theirnguage, while Dai was for female.


    "Yes," she said. "She''s probably here. If you excuse us, then it would be great."


    "Where?"


    "She''s hiding," Ai said. Even though she wasn''t certain, she made sure her tone implied she was sure. Thankfully, she had a good precision in it, being an oracle and all. "She''s very shy to show her face to foreign men."


    Emren was probably looking at her incredulously.


    "If you will," Ai said. "I''ll try to divine your fate next week."


    "Really?" Emren stood up. Getting her nod, he bowed. "With the Wise Woman''s wishes."


    He departed, and Ai let out a huge sigh. She waited for a few minutes, but her contact didn''t show up.


    "Are you there, Twilight?" Ai called. "Or would you prefer a different name this time?"


    A presence appeared ten paces behind her, out of thin air that only her spiritual awareness could pick up on.


    "Took you some time," the oracle expressed.


    "I was here the whole time," transmitted the assassin.

 Chapter 79: The Oracle (2)

    Even if Ai wasn''t blind, she didn''t think she could perceive Twilight standing behind her with her eyes. It was only through special spiritual awareness, like hers, that one would be able to discover her if she did not want to be seen.


    In her spiritual awareness, Ai found the outline of a disconcerting presence whose very reality seemed to warp around her, making it difficult to maintain an awareness of her for long. She was like a ghost, and she did possess some ghostly abilities, like phasing through matter.


    Twilight was tall, taller than her by half a head, with her whole body covered in tight attire and an obnoxious mask on her face. Her eyes emitted a light that Ai inferred as a fearful purple. Her figure was lean and athletic, always ready for swift movement at a moment''s notice.


    Twilight''s way of spirit arts was more unique than most people Ai had seen, and she had encountered at least four people with unique systems that stood above the norm in her travels. However, the assassin''s gifts were essentially too good for the job she had been sent for.


    "So, how have you been?" Ai asked.


    "Well," the assassin answered curtly, reminding her again that Twilight wasn''t in the mood for conversation. Their mutual friend described Twilight with a unique term from hisnguage, which theirmon tongue seemed tock. He called it "autistic," though Ai wasn''t sure if he was joking or serious. Dealing with him was always that difficult.


    Ai had found herself in this foreign realm two years ago and only managed to get in contact with Twilight half a year ago. She hadn''t found any of her other friends or the people who should havee here with her. Even with her divination power, she was unable to get any conclusive answers about this fiasco. Well, divination was always like that.


    Ai had a vague sense of when or where she might find them, though the answers were ambiguous and difficult.


    "So, did you get any news about what we are looking for?" she asked ambiguously, unaware if anyone was listening to her. She was in a pce, after all, where countless people with countless objectives and schemes resided. There was no shortage of people who might take an interest in her.


    "Yes," Twilight said and took a couple of steps to stand near her. "There has been news of a petite girl with golden hair and a huge white wolf on the ind on the other side of the Republic."


    "That''s half a world away, as far as I''m aware," Ai replied, a frown appearing on her brows.


    "More than that," Twilight expressed. "Those isles are untamed. It''s difficult to get there; you need to know the right people at the right time."


    "Then how did you get news of her?"


    "I have my ways," Twilight said, not revealing anything more. It was so like her.


    Ai contemted the information for a few seconds. The journey to those untamed, uncharted inds would be challenging. It probably would take more than just a few months, but it was still one of the conclusive pieces of evidence they had received about one of theirpanions¡ªtwo, actually, if you count the spirit beast.


    "Before you decide to leave for the unchartednds to look for her," she said, "I want you to do something for me."


    Twilight remained silent for a while, her expression unreadable. Then, remembering Ai was blind, she asked, "What?"


    "I want you to make a quick trip to the empire."


    "The Empire is leagues away from Iman," Twilight said with a certain hardness in her tone. "It wouldn''t be a quick trip, if I have to go through without proper lines."


    "Listen to me," Ai sighed. "Finally, I have managed to divine something concrete. It might be what we are looking for."


    "I know what I was looking for," Twilight said, her tone resolute. "And they were thepanions of my employer. But what if he''s still there alone? He needs your help, our help."


    A silence descended between them as Twilight took a moment to say, "He is dead."


    There was a finality to her tone as if she had already resigned to what she had heard or seen that day.


    "Did you forget the divination?" Ai pressed with a pained voice, her heart twisting inside her chest. She spoke after a silent moment:


    "Twice he is born, twice he will die.


    Once the Untamed Storm, all remembrance lost,


    Twice the Brightest Star, for all the fates he bears."


    Ai still couldn''t interpret these linespletely correctly. That was her being a novice at this oracle business. Still, she couldn''t help but bear a tiny hope in her heart. At least not all the divination hade to fruition. No, not yet.


    "My employer asked me to look after hispanions until I pay what I owe him," Twilight said. Her voice was t like always, making it so hard to understand what she felt when she said that.


    "It is bigger than what your employer asked of you. Have you considered what else might have happened when they ripped apart the subspace?" She calmed herself and thought more diplomatically. "Look, I know what he asked of you is important. But so is finding out the truth of the matter. The archipgoes are uncharted and nearly impossible to get to, but the Empire is not."


    "I''m fairly certain we would get something big there. And I am hardly wrong most of the time," she said ruefully. "What is there to lose? It''ll take a couple of months at worst. Perhaps in that time, I might be able to find a way for you to navigate those untamed inds."


    Twilight stayed silent for a long time, as if reserving her thoughts. If Ai did not feel her presence in her spiritual awareness, she might have thought Twilight had already left. But that wasn''t the case, just like her. Twilight was lost in this foreign realm, where they had no other connection orpanions.


    "Where do I have to get to?" she asked atst.


    Ai sucked in a deep breath. "To the southernnds, closer to the wastnd."


    _____________


    End of Volume One: Once The Untamed Storm


    Next: Volume Two: All Remembrance Lost

 Chapter 80: The Healer

    June finally brought him to meet the healer to fulfil her promise of showing him the fate marks. It had been a couple of days since Warden got the job of abat instructor at the third arcane academy, and it was finally time to get his head checked.


    He was not joking; there was something really crazy going on with his mind. Essentially, it was hard to grow the mind attribute, but it was not supposed to remain below average for so long, like him. June, who was also a mind mage with Mind being her leading attribute, told him that the mind was the second hardest attribute to grow after the spirit, but that hadn''t been the case for Warden.


    Mind had been the hardest attribute for him to grow.


    The only time he had seen a stiff rise in the mind was when he was attacked telepathically by June. Or while absorbing the essence of the dungeon which challenged all his limits. There was probably something more going on, perhaps some weird injury or something.


    June said she would look into it after a check-up if the master healer didn''t see anything. It turns out that both of them knew the master healer. It was none other than the elderly woman, Elder Allen, one of the pirs of the academy.


    June had paid whatever remuneration needed for her time and even managed to get a promise that she would keep all within themselves.


    They had picked an open garden for the session where the three of them sat, having aromatic tea, but still far from getting into the main business.


    "June has told me about you," Elder Allen said, "about your unique circumstances. Can you really not remember anything?"


    "I have these shes of insight into things I knew every once in a while," Warden said, "where I gain some knowledge, small or big. I don''t know. But if I try to dig more into them at the moment of epiphany, I feel a terrible stab of agony in my head."


    "I don''t know if you''re aware, but when someone loses their memory, it tends to be about a specific period of time," Elder Allen said. "In most cases, it is true. But when spiritual energy is concerned, it''s pretty hard to judge anything. Regardless, the memories you lost tend to be the matters you are emotionally invested in.


    Like you did not lose much of your swordsmanship, even though you cannot remember anything about your past."


    "I am aware," Warden said.


    "Now, it''s for you to check what is wrong with his mind and if it can be healed," June cut in.


    "Well, you can do more of the check-up part, June, being a mind mage, and everything else," Elder Allen said, sipping on hot tea, almost done with it.


    "I will try, if your check-up didn''t bear any fruit, though my methods are more psychological than physical," June said truthfully. "It is better to check the physical part first, which I barely have any expertise in."


    Elder Allen nodded, and instructed Warden, "Meditate to calm your mind and body and let me finish my tea."


    Warden nodded and slipped into a meditative state almost immediately.


    "The matters of the mind are alwaysplicated," Elden said. "You can never fix them like you fix a heart puncture. But I do have some experience dealing with the mind."


    She finally finished her tea and stood up to cradle Warden''s head in her palms.


    "There tend to be various reactions from the patient while I do this," she said. "Try not to make it difficult for me. And also, if you have some difort, tell me about it. Iron isn''t nearly advanced enough that you would survive brain damage."


    Warden was still in his meditative state, but he kept a part of his mind awake to interpret her words. As soon as the elder finished, Warden discovered tiny tendrils of spiritual energy invading his mind. They were gentle, like the surface of a river, mildly swaying in the breeze.


    However, even still, it was highly inadvisable to do something like this, even if his head was as sturdy as a hundred-year-old ironwood.


    Warden felt himself grow stiff as his void energy wandered on instinct to suck on the tiny tendrils of energy from the healer who stuck.


    "Oh, did not expect that," the elder said. "Whatever you did, try not to do it again. I need to check your mind, at least."


    Warden had to grit his teeth to remain vulnerable to her studying. Well, this was how it works, as far as he was concerned. The patient has to remain vulnerable in front of the healer or doctor. Most of the time.


    "I found nothing out of the ordinary," Elder Allen said, her brows knitting together as her spiritual sense scanned his brain. "There is too little mark on the brain, as if akin to a new brain. How old are you,d?"


    "Ah, don''t know," Warden said, shrugging his shoulders. "Probably the age I look."


    Elder Allen sighed. "I am almost sure you have no other memories than the ones you possess," she said after a quarter of an hour of scanning. "Your brain is developed just like that of an adult man. However, I couldn''t find the marks that memories leave behind. It is pretty weird, as I say, but it feels like your memories were wiped clean through some supernatural process. It barely left any evidence."


    Warden pondered, unsure how to think of all this.


    "Did you feel any difort while I checked?"


    "Only a slight tingling," Warden replied.


    "The check-up is done,d; unfortunately, I have nothing to heal," she said, much to his disappointment. "You have apletely healthy brain, a new one at that."


    "New as in?" June cut in. "Could it be like some kind of transcended level Regeneration power that regenerated his brain from nothing? Or perhaps a transcendent level healing spell that did it?"


    Elder Allen shook her head. "It could be any of those two or thousand other things. However, if they were done perfectly, he wouldn''t have his amnesia."

 Chapter 81: Dissonance

    They stayed for about an hour, even after the checkup was done, mostly discussing matters rted to body, mind, and spirit. However, although the conversation was worthwhile, it only seemed to make Warden more depressed about his condition.


    Apparently, whatever had happened to him shouldn''t have wiped his memory if it had worked the way it was supposed to. But from her checkup, Elder Allen found that he was specifically made to have his memories wiped in such a way that even his spirit was somewhat disconnected from his mind. This was probably why the mind attribute was so challenging to improve.


    Despite not being a sage on the subject, she found a dissonance in the synergy of his physique, mind, and Spirit.


    His mind was somewhat synced with his physique, but it wasn''t with his spirit. Spirit is not just an attribute that represents the core magical value of his being; it is the psyche. Whatever he aplishes in his life leaves a mark on his spirit. Unfortunately, something was restricting him from connecting those two things.


    "Do you want me to check on you today?" June asked hesitantly. "You might not be aware, but my methods are quite mentally straining."


    "You don''t say," Warden sighed. "Let''s do it, though. I don''t have my hopes up for anything."


    June looked like she wanted to say something but was afraid to give him hope and then disappointment. "Let''s go to my quarter," she said.


    As soon as she mentioned it, Warden realised his quarters were not his own alone. It was better to do this kind of thing somewhere more private. Her ce was just right up the alley for this.


    "Just so you know, my methods aren''t like scanning your brain or digging into it," she said. "It''s more like tapping into your subconsciousness and letting you experience it yourself. It can be hard, you know. For some people, they create their own stories to use them as a shield against the world while keeping their deepest and darkest insecurities, pain, horror hidden deep inside."


    Warden did not have his memories, but he kind of understood what she was talking about. "Would I even have something to hide in my subconsciousness if I don''t have any memories?" he wondered.


    "We never know," June said. "You never know what you hide inside after you bottle it up. Actually, that was the point of it. You hide things in order to forget them."


    So, June exined what he had to do, and it was pretty simple to understand, though she had suspicions about it working with someone like him. Apparently, Warden had to sleep and leave his mind free for her to tap into his subconsciousness.


    "For a more private person like yourself, it would be hard not to block my invasion of your privacy," June exined. "Your subconscious will be fighting against me to block my invasion. If you can perhaps affect your subconsciousness, help me to reach there deeper."


    Thus, Wardeny t on the bed and tried to sleep. He didn''t force himself to sleep, as June had advised him to have a natural sleep just so that there would be less resistance.


    But with all those thoughts clouding his mind, it would take hours before he would be asleep. What if he could never manage to recover his memory? What would he do then? What if his host''s suspicionse true, and he wasn''t really who he thought he was? What if whoever did this to him got wind of him and came to finish the job?


    Warden personally did not see any reason to wipe someone''s memory so thoroughly.


    "Have you ever wondered, June?" he asked softly. "What makes you, you? Is it not the memory?"


    "That is a rather philosophical question," June said. "Everyone can have their interpretation of it, but I guess nobody would get the right or wrong answer."


    "What is your answer?" he asked. "Would you be a different person without your memories, or would you be the same person?"


    "I would be June," she answered softly, "though a different version of myself. It is undeniable that our experience makes up everything about ourselves. People change, sometimes for worse, sometimes for better. It is always our decision to choose which one to pick, even if we have no memory of the person we were once."


    Warden opened his eyes to look at her with a woeful expression. Her words had a deep meaning in them, even if they were said softly. It did manage to quell some of his difort, though only a little.


    "Thanks," Warden said, and finally turned to sleep.


    Warden didn''t turn to his internal clock to know how long it had taken for him to sleep. However, it felt like an instant. He was instantly awake the moment June tried to invade his subconsciousness.


    He was jerked awake from his sleep, his back rising chaotically, almost crashing into June, who sat next to him with her palm over his head.


    "Calm yourself," June said, even though her voice was shaking. Tiny bits of sweat trickled down on her brows, which stopped.


    He felt like a current in his brain, surging back and forth with a torrential pain.


    "What happened?" He rasped.


    "Your unconsciousness," June gasped. "It was too powerful, almost impossible for someone below the gold rank to have. I found no purchase. It felt like hitting against an impregnable wall. But most of all, your spirit restricted my intrusion as well. If not for that, I could have barged my way in, though full."


    "Are you feeling alright?" Warden asked.


    "I am fine," June said, though she did not look fine. Although it didn''t look that bad, like her eyes bleeding from that night, she did not look all that right to him, perhaps somewhat shaken. Warden didn''t know if it was normal to be like this.


    "I am alright," she informed. "It is not every day I invade someone''s mind like this. Actually, I don''t have much experience in it, even though I spent a rather staggering amount of time in my own subconsciousness."


    "So what to do now?" he asked.


    "Let''s try again."


    _____________


    Mass release 2/5


    The rest areing after I have my sleep.

 Chapter 82: First Class (1)

    Warden awoke ratherte in the morning with all the stressful interventions on his mind. A slight prickling sensation crossed his mind as he found himself in the guest room bed of June''s quarters.


    He recalled how many times they had engaged in picking on his mind and had failed. In the end, he was spent to no end and slept on the bed. June was kind enough to let him stay, it seems. Of course, he hadn''t been mistaken in recognising her character. She was just as kind as she looked aloof. She was also strict with herself and had values and ideals she would rather not bend.


    Warden sighed, remembering all of their failings. Even when putting in almost everything they could, they hadn''t managed to prate his subconsciousness, leading him to realise that he might be hiding something¡ªsomething weak but significant.


    What surprised him was how he could feel his spirit standing defiantly as the guardian to protect his subconsciousness. Warden, perhaps, could have subdued his spirit when he was awake, but June refused to intrude into his mind, concerned about leaving permanent traumas in his soul and mind. That was one of her rules she was disinterested in breaking or even bending.


    Honestly, Warden was at a loss. He did not consider himself to have a poor spirit or willpower to be traumatised by just some intrusion, though perhaps there was merit to her words. Nevertheless, he had to respect her ideals, if not anything else.


    "You will bete for your first ss," June said as he emerged from the room. "I have prepared breakfast. Go refresh yourself quickly. You cannot set a poor example for the students to follow."


    Warden obeyed and did as she asked, having the same thing in mind. Warden had already recognised both of them had a simr mindset, even though they were very different types of people. To his rash personality, June was always so collected. But to her aloof and serious personality, Warden was freer and morefortable.


    There were more resemnces and contrasts in their nature. Unfortunately, he was running out of time to contemte that.


    Thebat ss was held in the gymnasium. Hurrying, Warden managed to arrive just in time with all the students present by then.


    "Good morning, instructor," the students greeted him the moment he entered the ssroom.


    It wasn''t unanimous, and not everyone greeted him¡ªperhaps only a third of them did. Considering most of the students came from noble families who were taught to look down on some lowlybat instructor like him, it was rather a high number.


    There were over 40 students, including the lot he had instructed in the mock ss for his final test. Some of them didn''t look pleased to see him. Warden smiled coldly to himself.


    "Wait, I forgot to ask if I need to take attendance or not," Warden muttered and turned to face the students. "Is anyone missing?"


    The students looked at each other as half of them began gossiping.


    "That''s enough. I''d be gratified if you all remain silent for the rest of the ss," Warden said. "I see there are quite a lot of you for me to instruct individually. Raise your hand if you are a closebatant."


    Over half of the ss raised their hands, and Warden counted to find there were 27 of them.


    "How many are on the path of a mage or of a simr kind?" he asked again.


    Four hands were raised¡ªthree girls and a boy.


    "How many archers?"


    Seven hands went up.


    "Is there anyone left?"


    Seven more students raised their hands. It turned out three of them were healers, two were scouts, and the others possessed unique abilities that led to their admission to the academy.


    "You might be wondering what a general warrior-type individual like me is to do with those on the path of a mage or healer," Warden raised the question.


    He allowed them to gossip among themselves for a few seconds.


    "The thing is, everyone needs to learn at least the basic form ofbat and physical conditioning if they want to graduate from the academy," Warden broke the news as he observed the faces of those non-closebatants, like magicians and healers, twisting into ugly expressions. "I think most of you would want to graduate without any inconvenience. So let us begin.


    "I would be dividing you into a few smaller groups ording to your stat points, needs, and mastery. But we will start by dividing by attribute points first. Those that are below 30 points in their strength, dexterity, or other physical attributes stand on the left in the gymnasium court."


    Over two dozen or so students moved to the left, causing Warden to frown.


    "I forgot to add, if I were to find you lying about your stats to make it easier for yourself, I would give you the same treatment as I did to the six of them in the mock ss a couple of days earlier." Warden gestured to the six, who were standing closer together.


    Everyone''s eyes led to them. Those who didn''t know about the event soon heard what it was all about and reconsidered their approach.


    Five students crept out of the group and gave some ambiguous excuses to Warden. One said he only made it to 30 points in strength a couple of days ago, while another imed to have over 30 points in strength but dexterity below 20, and so on.


    A couple of students even joined the lower-ranked students with embarrassed looks on their faces. Warden clicked his tongue and turned to the rest of the group.


    "Those that are below 50 points in physical attributes go to the right."


    Twenty students were left, and sixteen of them joined to go on the right. Three of the four that remained were familiar faces¡ªArs, Dirk, and Tam¡ªalong with another guy whom Warden didn''t recognise. To his surprise, all six students he punished the other day were in the middle group.


    ***


    Mass Release 3/5

 Chapter 83: First Class (2)

    For the group on the left, Warden called out as all of them stood straighter. "All of you will begin with physical conditioning," he said. "Since it is the first day, you will all run 10ps of the ground."


    "But, instructor," one of the mage candidates, a girl barely 15 years old, called out, "I only have 13 points in strength. It would be impossible for me toplete the task."


    As herints were raised openly, a few more joined, giving simr excuses, or rather admitting their weaknesses. Tenps would be over sixty miles, an impossible number formon people. But these weren''tmon people.


    Warden considered that for amon human, strength was about three to five points. Thirteen was almost thrice the number of an adult male''s capabilities. It wasn''t impossible for her toplete theps, though he was afraid she wouldn''t be able to make it in due time.


    "Tenps," Warden stated. "If you can''tplete them, I will add those ipleteps to the next day."


    "So if I can only manage 5ps, I have to run 15ps tomorrow?" The girl looked horrified.


    "Yes, unless I add moreps to the exercise regimen," Warden smiled, his curly smile giving shivers to the young boys and girls.


    "This is impossible." Many of them tried toin, but Warden silenced them, raising his hand.


    "Strength is the easiest attribute to raise, and this exercise would only stimte your potential to raise the attribute. With each point raised in strength, you will find the tasks to be easier." Warden''s announcement seemed to have quelled some of their worries, though they still looked at each other with worried nces. "Now go, the ss is only for two hours."


    The students began to leave, albeit reluctantly.


    "Oh, right, I forgot to add, for those that manage toplete 10ps within an hour, I will give them 2 points of credit." That seemed to stir some of their enthusiasm, though most that had no way of aplishing the task looked gloomy. "What? You think 2 points are too low for such a task?


    Then I must break it to you that you''re the lowest of the dregs to think you need more rewards just forpleting ten simpleps. You have no hope of graduating from the academy."


    As the bitter but truthful words crashed upon them, they exited the gymnasium immediately, leaving Warden with a cold smile.


    Warden was pretty sure only a couple of them, mostly those with their dexterity awakened, would manage that feat. He nned to make them do other drills after they came back.


    Next, Warden turned his attention to the 30 to 50 attribute points group. "You guys will begin with simple callisthenics, weightlifting, sparring, and finally, a run. Your run would be more difficult than theirs. Each of you will wear half the number of kilograms of your points in strength and run 10ps after you are finished with the initial drills."


    Now, these groups were well-versed in their strength, so they raised their voices higher than the group that left toplete their run.


    "Silence," Warden snarled, shing his aura to make them remember who was in charge. "You''re all here to be rankers, not some stage performers. Start to act like one."


    Leaving the two groups to do the exercise, Warden met with the remaining four. "Give me a gist of your strengths and weaknesses," Warden asked each of them.


    First was Ars. The strength attribute was her weakness, barely having 35 points. However, her dexterity had reached over 50, being her prime attribute, while spiritcked behind them all, being the hardest attribute to raise. However, her control of energy raised her to be one of the best in the ss as well as in the first years.


    She did not have any other attributes. It wasn''t really a surprise, as Warden had already found out it was already umon for any of them to have three attributes in the copper rank. Most people tended to have only two.


    Surprisingly, Tam had four. His strength was high, almost as high as Warden himself, a staggering 70 points, but hecked in other attributes. Other than strength, dexterity, and spirit, he also had perception, which was a minor attribute rted to the mind.


    Dirk had the same three as Ars, and his attributes were more rounded. As for thest guy, Tim, he only had strength and spirit. These four were really the cream of the crop, even if the reason behind their higher attributes was that they had awakened before anyone else.


    "Now you four will begin with sparring, testing each other''s abilities in different forms. After a few rounds, change your partners," Warden instructed. "And by the end of it, you will join the other group with those exercises."


    "Instructor, you mentioned our weakness is energy control the other day," Kirk asked. "I thought we''d be learning that first."


    "Honestly, it was something you should learn from the professors," Warden said, "but I do n on getting you all to do some exercisester. Just not today."


    They all began practising as Warden began to scribble whatever he picked up about their strengths and weaknesses in a notebook. Not knowing everyone''s name made it difficult for him to remember everything, but he managed to ess all their serial numbers, paired with the authority enabled in his Arcane society badge.


    The instructor''s job was mostly to instruct on things, not teach them, though Warden still corrected some of their forms and taught them the right ones if he saw them making a mistake. Warden also began practising with them, as there was still benefit to have from exercises, not to mention he had to skip his training session for sleeping too long.


    Warden had only begun for two days and already missed a day. That''s not a good track record. The least he could do was rectify that as much by putting his body through some stressful exercises after putting on some weight bags.

 Chapter 84: Difference

    Warden put on eight weight bags on his limbs, each weighing 10kgs, and sparred with the students. With all the restrictions on, Warden almost made the spars fun. Unfortunately, the students paid more attention to the numbers of their attributes than their actual abilities to give him any challenge when they were alone.


    So soon it became Warden versus the four students with the highest attribute. They finally managed to push him after sparring a couple of times and understanding his abilities.


    The ss came to an end, and with all the students weak on their feet, their butts rested on the ground. Warden only had to give 2 points to one student with an archer ss who managed toplete the challenge.


    "I''m disappointed," Warden said coldly. "This is the third arcane academy. I thought their standards would be higher. But look at the sorry faces of your lots. Do you think you''ll graduate at this rate? Even if some of you do, you''ll be second and third rate at best."


    Even though he had practised with them, he wasn''t feeling that tired, probably because of his high points in recovery. None of them seemed to have that attribute. Then again, he still felt he would do better than any of them if he did not have the attribute, just because his mindset was well above theirs.


    The students were only beginning toe to terms with the superior qualities, not to mention they were unable to use the full potential of their attributes. Well, with all things considered, this was rather a good beginning. These were merely kids after all.


    "The ss is dismissed," Warden said, though none of them stood up to leave. They''d want to, butcked the will and strength to do it.


    Although all of his attribute points are almost actualized, Warden felt the need to push them to the very limit. He had raised his strength quickly, a process that tends to leave dormant power for most rankers. For example, if one raised their strength by 10 points in a day, they wouldn''t be able to exert all of that power soon.


    The book suggested that the most promising candidates would manage 5,6 points, while the rest of the groups would stay at around two points.


    To actualize all those 10 stat points, a ranker needs to push their body to the limits through exercise, exhaustion, rinse, and repeat. A week though such rituals were enough to actualize that, though it tends to be harder the higher your attribute went.


    Although gaining attributes was easy, just by killing beasts, the form still boils down to hard work. Talent is good and all, but the one who puts in the most effort will get the highest benefit.


    Warden didn''t fear work; he feared the absence of it. He had already figured out that once he had been at a higher rank, perhaps gold or close to it. But whatever happened almost ripped out all the essences from his body, leaving him only in the copper rank. Even his title seemed to be ripped from his being. His memories wiped, and left in the foreignnd to wander on with only one hint of his past.


    The best he could do was to advance his strength first with all the resources avable to him.


    "I would remain in the gymnasium for some more time to train," Warden told the students, "The ss is dismissed, but you are open to training as well."


    Of course, most of the students were exhausted beyond measure. They had barely started their academic year, and nobody had pushed them so hard. Warden found a couple of them with better health who might stay for another session. Dirk and Ars were in that group, while the rest of the ss was ready to run out of the gymnasium the moment they stopped feeling lethargic.


    Warden couldn''t help butugh as they left. Havingpleted tenps with the students, he decided to go for some mixed exercise. Sparring with the students wouldn''t bring in any rewards for him to enhance his fighting capabilities.


    I needed to look for a better sparring partner. Perhaps he should ask his roommate; the guy seemed thirsty for a fight all the time.


    To his surprise, none of the students stayed. Perhaps they have other things on their te or with weaker mindset being kids and all.


    Did I like them before when I was young? Warden couldn''t help but wonder. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to know.


    The unknown scars he found on his body proved he was forged throughbat and hardship. Maybe he was like them once, but that guy was gone now, and he wouldn''t find him anymore.


    Wardeny on the ground of the Gymnasium after finishing his training session. He still hadn''t checked any of the fancy chambers and equipment the Academy offered. But he would soon.


    With everything going on, he opened his status window to check:


    ___________


    [Warden]


    Race: Human/Celestial (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 31%)


    Title: [Dungeon Eater] [Indomitable] ¡­ [Redacted]


    Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]


    Unlocked Aperture: [The Pce of Toil, (Left Palm)], [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)]


    Bonded Artifact: [Cloak of Void Radiance (Legendary)], [Maya''s Protection (Legendary)] [The Divider (Rare, Growth: 3%)


    Disposition: Chaotic


    Rank: [Broken Cmity (Iron)]


    [Core: Unique, Void Element. Unable to determine further.]


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 82.7] | Efficiency: +45%


    [Dexterity: 75] | Efficiency: +25%


    [Mind: 25.4] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Spirit: 79.4] | Efficiency: +85%


    [Recovery: 100] | Efficiency: +90%


    Abilities:


    [Imbuing: Iron 13%] [Regeneration: Iron - ??%] [Indomitable Will: Spacial]


    [Left Hand of Cmity: > 10%] [Void Space: Grade-9]


    _____________


    The attributes were low as he remembered, barely putting him in the league him as an Iron ranker. Only the destructive power of void energy and the benefit of efficiency percentage put him in high order.


    The newly credited title [Idomitable] gave him 5% efficiency in all the attributes and a passive skill [Idomitable Will], which couldn''t seem to be levelled up or upgraded. Still, it was great to have it.


    Perhaps I should do some dungeon dive, Warden thought on feeling down. He considered the reason for his depression was probably rted to getting nowhere with the healer. Jason might be able to help me with that.


    Apprently, there was no rule saying abat instructor couldn''t be a guildman, though the priority should always be the academy.


    ___________


    Mass Release 5/5


    Finally...

 Chapter 85: DragonForge

    Unfortunately, Warden didn''t know how to contact Jason. Perhaps he could get some news through the administrator''s office, but he had another better idea in mind, which might save him some time. After all, one of Jason''s friends was actually a colleague of his now.


    Aurel''s quarter was in the same building as his, and they hade face to face a couple of times, though there wasn''t much talk other than simple greetings. So the next time he met her on his way back to the quarters, he didn''t waste any time to ask about Jason.


    "Do you have Jason''s contact?" he asked as they approached their quarters.


    "No," she gave him a piercing look as though why should she have Jason''s contact.


    "I thought you two were friends," Warden muttered, to which she didn''t reply. Fast on her feet, she moved up. A frown crept onto Warden''s brow as he hurried after. "Do you know how I can contact him?"


    "Hezes around the Ranker''s Market areas and the hunting grounds pretty often. Go check those areas, you might find him," she said as she entered her quarter, leaving a dumbfounded Warden.


    "So easy for you to say," he muttered, "while I have no idea where those areas are."


    In the end, he used the warp gate to go back into the city in the afternoon. With a little asking around he managed to get the location of the hunting ground. The hunting ground turned out to be some secure locations on the outskirts of the city, where multiple dungeons had spawned. Fairly far out, and with the enforced wall around the city, the city was pretty secure from any dungeon break.


    Warden didn''t have time for dancing around today, as he had ss tomorrow. He just needed to find Jason to get more information and a connection to get into that, and perhaps buy a few essentials. The hunting ground was for most rankers above copper. However, there were many politics and other things in y that he would rather not involve himself with.


    It was afternoon with the sun setting in the Eastern Horizon when Warden got to the administrator''s office. It took him a quarter of an hour to meet the woman named Jess, who seemed to know Jason better.


    "Sir, came for another test of your potential?" the woman asked with a smile ying on her lips.


    "No, I''m actually here to find Jason," Warden said awkwardly, as this wasn''t really how it was supposed to go. "He said his father worked here, and that is the only... I didn''t receive his contact the other time and didn''t know how to find him other than through you."


    "Well, I wouldn''t say you are just in the right ce to meet young Master Jason," Jess said. "But I can help you with that."


    "Much appreciated." Even though he thanked her, he found himself frowning when she referred to Jason as a young master.


    Jess asked him to wait in one of the waiting rooms as she contacted Jason toe.


    "You''re in luck," Jess said. "The young master isn''t in the hunting grounds or any other job. He will be here in some time."


    That "some time" turned out to be about half an hour, though Warden wasn''t annoyed, just bored. After all, he was the one who needed him, not the other way around.


    "Hey, Warden," Jason Forger said aloud on the very sight of him. "You finally decided to join my guild. Ha?"


    "Something like that," Warden smiled. "Do you have your guild formed yet?"


    Jason''s eyes widened in surprise. He had simply asked as a joke, but he didn''t think he would get that answer. "Are you for real?"


    "Of course, if you''ll have me," Warden said.


    "But didn''t you pass the test and be an instructor in the academy?"


    "Yeah," Warden said, "but that did not stop me from joining a guild. The Guild work must be part-time, while the academy''s work presides over everything. Although June also said I could get some holidays if I informed the academy early and have a ster record."


    "Part-time," Jason muttered.


    "About the guild, how far have you reached, Jason?"


    Jason''s embarrassment was already an amusing answer. "As I mentioned, it needs at least 4 iron rankers with a good reputation to form a guild."


    "So how many did you find?"


    Jason looked at him awkwardly. "Let''s just say we need two more people."


    Warden shook his head. "Anyway, the reason I wanted to contact you, even if you did not form the guild anytime soon, would you mind going hunting sometimes with me?"


    "You mean into the dungeons?" Warden nodded.


    "I, of course, could go alone, but I don''t know the rules and cultures here, which might create some problems."


    "Well, it is not a problem to go with. I''d be delighted actually," Jason said. "When can you find your time?"


    They talked more about the dungeons and hunting ground to organize a few things. They decided their first dungeon dive would be next week when Warden has a two-day break.


    "By the way, I was on my way to Dragonforge," Jason said. "Want toe with me?"


    "Dragonforge?" Warden raised an eyebrow.


    "The biggest ranker''s equipment and artifact dealers of the world," Jason said grandly.


    Warden didn''t have to think and agreed to join. "You know I was thinking of getting a spear myself."


    "Do you want to buy or specifically forge one?" Jason asked. "You can get something good ready-made, but to get something to your taste, and specific to your power set, forging might be better."


    "I know, but forging might take too much time and money, of which I don''t have arge quantity," Warden said. "So I intend on buying a sturdy spear for the time being that would serve for some time before I get my hands on wealth and other things."


    "Seems reasonable." Jason raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right, I thought you were a swordsman."


    Warden shrugged and didn''t say anything.


    "Well, then, let us get you a spear and me an armour."

 Chapter 86: Professor Noble Ass

    "Forget to mention," Warden said before Jason could get on his high horse. "All I have with me are a few gold crowns and some beast cores."


    "Beast cores? Of what rank?"


    "A few iron and dozens of copper."


    Jason thought for a second. "That''ll do for your need, I guess. Let us go."


    Warden moved along with Jason as they walked for a quarter of an hour to get to a weapon shop. The building was just asrge and daunting-looking as the administrator''s office, with a huge sign titled "DragonForge Emporium" hanging over its head.


    They had to verify their identity with the Arcane Society badge before entering, as allings and goings were recorded.


    "Dragonforge is the biggest weapon and other equipment-selling business empire in the world," Jason exined. "They have businesses all over the world, but only three ces have such a majestic founding as Navin City."


    They got into the building and were just about to head to the business section when Warden''s legs faltered, finding someone familiar face to face.


    "You!" The familiar-faced man shouted at him. "Bandit! Criminal, it seems fate has favoured me once again for me toe across you just when I entered the city. This is fine, this is good. Today, justice will prevail."


    Warden finally recognized the guy. After all, how could he forget the self-righteous voice of this guy? It was the junior professor he had beaten up. His surname was Walt, though Warden only remembered the name he had given him, Professor Nobleass.


    Yeah, Warden remembered the guy now. It was the very guy who used him of being a bandit and was ready to take him captive without listening to anyone. Unfortunately for him, when Professor Noble Ass went to beat him, his power fell shortpared to Warden''s, leaving him powerless and scarred.


    "How are your wounds?" Warden said.


    "I will pay for all the humiliation you have caused me," Walt shouted in fury, causing many people to turn towards them. "Come now, criminal, I''ll serve justice today in the name of--"


    "No, thanks," Warden shrugged. He found a couple of guards walking towards them. Both of them were settled and well-cultivated in the iron rank, their aura calm and ready for action.


    Before Walt did anything stupid, one of them shouted, "Fights are not wee within the grounds of Dragonforge. You will be banned permanently from entering this establishment if we find you creating chaos."


    Walt gritted his teeth and calmed himself, though his face was still brimming with fury. "Excuse me, I am Torin Walt," the guy said, almost calmly. "I didn''t mean to cause any ruckus in your establishment, but as a righteous protector of the realm, I couldn''t just stand by when I found a guilty killer walking among us."


    Warden tilted his head. He wasn''t sure if the injuries caused this guy some mental damage or something. Did he think this farce would get him anywhere with Warden?


    "Is this the guy you beat?" Jason asked a little louder than usual so that everyone could hear. "I heard you beat some stuck-up noble on your way, but I didn''t actually think it would be someone of the House Walt. Such a small world, isn''t it?"


    "You!" Walt turned to meet Jason and finally recognizing the face. "Young Master Forger, you''ll take the side of this criminal?"


    "I see no criminal here," Jason snorted. "All I know is someone got heavy-handed and humiliated for acting arrogantly in front of their students and some guildsmen."


    Warden could see that Jason was trying to help him by informing everyone what really happened, and there was no killer or guilty person among them. If there was any, it would be Walt who misused his power to harass Warden.


    "Whatever the issue is," a new voice said as another person entered. It was a woman of striking looks with locks of red hair cascading over her shoulder. "This is not the ce to solve it. You either get out of here, or you will be thrown out of here."


    "Hear me first, Miss Arden," Walt tried, but the woman cut him off.


    "The warning is for all of you, especially you, young master Walt." She turned to Jason. "Don''t think you''ll get an easier time just because your father owns some stake in the establishment, young master Forger, and you..." Her eyes wandered toward Warden as she said that.


    "I did not even raise my voice," Warden shrugged. "I''m just here to buy a spear."


    The woman narrowed her eyes, but her look told nothing as everyone waited in an impasse.


    "I will deal with youter," the professor spat at Warden. "Don''t think this is over!"


    With that, Torin Walt left along with a couple of hispanions.


    "How charming," Warden clicked his tongue and turned to Jason. "Let''s go then?"


    Jason nodded as they walked into the huge emporium whose walls were littered with various types of weapons on disy. Warden found a few long spears as well and sized them up. They looked pretty well-forged, and any one of them would work with what he had in mind.


    "Miss Arden," Jason greeted the redheaded woman. "Would you be kind enough to give us a tour?"


    The redhead, Miss Arden, raised an eyebrow, sizing them up. She seemed to have already had some exchange with Jason, though she did not agree immediately.


    "That would depend on what you''re here to look for," she said. "If it''s somemonmodities, then I fear the people in charge will be more helpful than I."


    "Haha," Jasonughed. "My friend Warden here wants a spear. However, I n on custom forging heavy armour for myself, which shouldst me for at least in the silver rank."


    The woman narrowed her eyes in calction, seeming to measure the worth of her time against the amount she would make from Jason. Finally, profit won over, as she said, "Follow me."

 Chapter 87: Reinforced Steel

    Here is the text with copyediting and proofreading:


    Miss Arden took them to the upper floors of the Dragonforge Emporium and finally asked what kind of weapon and equipment they would like to have made or buy.


    Jason gestured to Warden to speak his demands first.


    "I need a sturdy spear, a long one that can withstand my destructive power," Warden said. He didn''t know if he looked weird when he said "destructive power," but the woman still gave him a head-to-toe studying gaze upon hearing it. Yeah, it was weird and childish.


    "At the early iron rank, how much destructive force can you even exert?" she asked.


    "Haha, you would be surprised, Miss Arden," Jason said. "My brother got an A- in his attack power."


    Miss Arden raised an eyebrow.


    "My energies are extremely vtile," Warden exined. "They damage even the weapon I imbue to empower it. A normal sword or spear would not evenst a day of practice so far, from what I have tried."


    "I guess you have to choose after some experiments to see which one would be better for you," Miss Arden called up a servant and asked him to bring a few different kinds of spears. Then they went to the testing room to determine which spear would be better for him.


    "Lest you damage the product," Jason cut in, "it is better to test them in the virtual realm."


    There were dozens of virtual utility pods in the testing room, though there was still plenty of space left for traditional testing. Considering how you can fight any monster you like in the virtual world and have an almost realistic, if not entirely realistic experience, most people tended to test in the virtual realm. Considering his situation, Warden was no exception.


    With everything prepared, Warden entered the virtual pod. His surroundings shifted to a grass field-like environment. Soon, half a dozen spears appeared next to him, each one different in shape and quality.


    "If you are ready, we can send the monsters," Miss Arden''s voice rang in his head as soon as he clutched a spear.


    He gave them a thumbs-up to send whatever monster they could.


    A huge demonic spider, over 8 feet tall and with eight jagged appendages, manifested before him. Its sharp appendages were like des, enough to cut anymon ranker to death. Needless to say, it charged at him at a moment''s notice.


    Warden enforced his spear with void energy as tendrils of purple smoke emitted out of the weapon. He blocked the de-like appendage of the monster with the body of the spear and then smacked its head into its body. The spider lost a couple of its footings, but with so many legs, it managed to stay standing.


    Not for long, as Warden swung his spear in masterful arcs, plunging it into its head, and right through.


    "That one won''tst for more than a few days," Miss Arden''s voice rang in his head again. "The integrity of the shell is already below 80%. You weren''t lying when you said your energy was vtile. Ignore the rest and choose the ck one."


    The spider monster disappeared, and Warden moved to take the ck spear, which was about a foot or two taller than the rest of them. Honestly, the size was ideal for him, though he wasn''t sure how long it wouldst.


    The material appeared to be cold iron and other metals refined and forged together to form a reinforced alloy. Just using all his force, Warden was unable to bend it.


    Another monster manifested before him. It was a huge gori this time, towering over 12 feet, with dirty brown fur, jacked muscles, and a far more savage nature than the spider.


    It roared at him, beating its chest, and bolted toward him. Warden dodged its fist using the spear to flip over it. This ape was stronger than the spider. As Warden was about to take advantage from behind, it actually managed to turn in time and swung its fist.


    Warden blocked with the spear a couple of times and finally managed to find purchase into its eye. The void energy burst forth from the spear''s tip and dug through its skull, killing it almost instantly.


    "The shell integrity is 98%," Miss Arden''s voice came again. "The Tier-4 reinforced steel seems to be holding better than the previous one as well. Keep at it for some time, and we will see."


    More of those goris appeared as Warden fought for over five minutes, finally stopped by Miss Arden.


    "The shell integrity came down to 80% again," she said, and somehow her voice felt somewhat aggravated. "Your energy isn''t just vtile; it''s eating through the formation shells."


    Warden could only shrug.


    "Wait a second, I will send something better."


    Warden only had to wait a few seconds as another ck spear appeared before him. This one was much bulkier and fancier-looking, shaped like a dragon for no particr reason.


    "Tier 7 reinforced steel," Miss Arden informed him. "With the restoration shell installed. Practice with it with your heart''s content."


    The spear was somewhat bulkier than what Warden would have liked, but he didn''tin and fought with the monsters that appeared for about half an hour. Although he hadn''t received the report from Miss Arden, he found the spear was holding all right.


    "Shell integrity 93%," Miss Arden informed in a resigned tone.


    "I guess this one will do," Warden said. His main criteria for using the spear was to practice with it for now, not go hunting. He had [The Divider] for that, which would be of better use with all its capabilities.


    "The script shells won''tst you more than a couple of months even if the reinforced steel does, if you were to use it like that regrly," Miss Arden said as he came out of the pod. "Of course, the restoration shell will help keep the areas intact for some time if you get help, but you need to get it fixed every week by some adept runesmith."


    "That would not be a problem," Warden said. "I am somewhat of a runesmith myself."

 Chapter 88: Runesmith

    "I''m somewhat of a runesmith myself."


    "You are joking," Miss Arden said, clearly not believing the words.


    Warden smiled and took the real spear from her hand. He infused some amount of energy into it and checked. Although the scripts were hidden from prying eyes, he could somewhat detect them through the benefits they provided.


    "There are four-by-six empowering scripts, two-by-four amplification scripts, and the restoration shell is barely one-by-six. Unfortunately, the spear could have used more shells to be of better benefit. I guess the one who made this was somewhat new to runesmithing," Warden said, and found Miss Arden''s face turning red. "Other than that, there were some enchantments on the spear.


    I guess that is through the special forging process and the fire used to forge it."


    Miss Arden''s eyes widened sharply, and the same calcted look appeared in her eyes.


    "Did I make any wrong assumptions?" Warden smiled. "It has been some time since I had done any real runesmithing, so my hands are quite clumsy, I guess."


    "Other than the terms you use, you are mostly right," Miss Arden said grudgingly. "We call the four-by-six shell a tier-4 shell."


    "I guess I am not from around here," Warden said and shrugged. "Regardless, this spear would do for now. What is the price of it?"


    "360 iron-grade essence gems," the redheaded woman announced, causing Warden to frown.


    Essence gems were basically purified and refined beast cores assembled into small gem-like shapes, which could be used to recover one''s energy and stamina, as well as to power all sorts of array formations. Essence gems were the prime article for rankers to do business.


    For example, 100 gold equaled one iron-grade essence gem. So, the 360 iron-grade essence gems were like 18 months of his remuneration from the academy. Warden couldn''t help but sigh. He hadn''t even gotten the first month''s remuneration yet. No wonder Jason said the pay was shit.


    "Miss Arden, 360 is quite a steep number, considering you said the spear wouldst Warden a couple of months," Jason tried to negotiate.


    "That''s his problem, not the spear''s," Miss Arden said. "Tier 7 reinforced steel is an alloy thatsts years, even in a silver ranker''s hands. It wasn''t our fault that he has mastered the art of destroying his weapon along with the monster."


    Warden thought for a moment. The alloy was by no means anything bad. Though it was mostly cold iron with Aethyl and Tentium and other first-ss metals, the synergy between them made the reinforced steel truly desirable. Warden did not know how they did it, but it was by no means a simple process. They probably had a special fire and refining process for the alloy alone.


    With all the beast cores and money Warden had in his pocket, it wouldn''t go over 30 iron-rank essence gems. But even if he had those 360 odd essence gems, it would be a waste of money to buy that spear. Warden genuinely believed he could make one better than that.


    "I''m not going to buy a spear with some half-baked scripts," he said, which seemed to aggravate the woman. "However, the alloy is really something. How much do those reinforced steels cost?"


    "Unfortunately, sir, we don''t sell our alloy to unaffiliated rankers," Miss Arden said with a bright smile, her eyes cold with calction.


    Warden turned to Jason. "Can I buy those alloys somewhere else?"


    Even though he asked Jason, it was the redhead who answered. "Reinforced steel is patented by Dragonforge Emporium alone. You cannot get it anywhere else. Most people tend to melt the equipment they bought to get the alloy."


    I guess I''ll never escape capitalism, he groaned.


    "Warden, you can get another version of reinforced steel from elsewhere, though none as good as the dragon-forged ones," Jason informed. "This alloy is one of the big reasons Dragonforge became the sole empire in the weapon and equipment business. You won''t get any materials from them without signing a deal."


    Warden narrowed his eyes. "Fine, let us sign a deal, then."


    Both Miss Arden and Jason looked dumbfounded. To them, it did not feel as simple as that.


    "What? We''re in," he asked. "As I mentioned, I have some expertise in runesmithing. I am ready to exchange my expertise to get some alloys. Or you don''t take just anyone for a deal?"


    "Our organization is always in demand for apetent runesmith," Miss Arden said. "We would be delighted to have you in our ranks, though some processes are in ce for acquisition. What tier runesmith are you?"


    Warden shrugged again. He didn''t even test that. "I know I can do better than the scripts on that spear."


    "Impossible!" Miss Arden seemed needlessly aggressive when she said that.


    "How about I show you proof?"


    The redheaded woman agreed. "Let''s go to the forging room, then."


    "No need, I can show you here," Warden said, prepared to draw the empowering script in the air. "I hope you know your thing and can judge it."


    The scripts on the spears were mostly elementary, joined together to make a somewhatplicated shell. The four-by-six shell meant there were threeyers and six rows of the same script in ce, meaning twenty-four in total. Warden could do double that if needed, but there was no need for a show-off.


    He crafted threeyers of perfectly symmetrical empowering scripts one by one, under the dumbfounded gazes of Jason and Miss Arden. Jason, of course, didn''t know anything better, only impressed by the reaction the redhead was giving.


    The woman already had her eyes transfixed on the semi-corporeal scripts in mid-air, as Warden finished the craft within a few minutes.


    "You are a master?" Miss Arden said. "Why haven''t you told us that before? There wouldn''t have been any need for all this farce if you had just said so."


    Warden smiled, unsure of what would term someone as a master. Internally, he felt like he could draw dozens ofyers, though his low attributes might restrict him.


    "So, about those alloys?"

 Chapter 89: Contract

    Apparently, a master runesmith is someone who can draw perfectyers of script shells in thin air using only their willpower and energy. Obviously, Warden''s disy wasn''t enough tobel him a master. However, with how easily he managed to create thoseyers of shells without even breaking a sweat, Miss Arden decided to call him a master.


    "So, about those deals?" Warden asked.


    Miss Arden took a deep breath. "How far can your runesmithing go?"


    "Obviously, more than this," Warden said.


    "A Tier 5 Runesmith is called a master," Miss Arden said with narrowed eyes. "If you can manage that, you''ll get the most benefit from our organisation. I will give you a contract right at this moment."


    "Tier 5 means fiveyers, and how many rows?" Warden inquired, though he had some hints of how many there would be.


    "A true Tier 5 runesmith could draw shells up to 5yers and 32 rows, 160 scripts in total," Miss Arden said. With eachyer and row adding more difficulty for the runesmith, master runesmiths were high in demand even for a sole empire in the business. "I will give you the contract if you manage half of that."


    She was probably thinking along the lines of Warden''s potential. If he could manage half of the shells, there was a high chance he would be a master runesmith in a few more years.


    Warden thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Do you want to see more proof?"


    Miss Arden gasped. "If you could show it here, do it. Or we can go to the forging room to give you the help of those equipments."


    "No need. I can manage here," Warden said and began to draw again.


    He chose the empowering rune, as other runes like the gravity rune seemed to be a rarity here. To be honest, more like extinct or a highly kept secret, as he hadn''t seen anything like that, and June''s reaction was evident enough of that. Warden had only found four types ofmon runes, while he seemed to know more than that.


    The empowering script needs a square instead of an octagon. Warden created a perfect square for making the script, which was a lot easier to dopared with an octagon.


    As he went on, adding more and moreyers and squares into the mix, he finally felt a pull on the back of his mind. His low mind attribute was restricting him again, but Warden pushed forward, exerting his willpower. He could feel [Indomitable Will] making it possible for him to stay in the zone for a longer period.


    Within a quarter of an hour, Warden was bathed in sweat with the two-third shell nearly done. He had made four, but the final one took away all his reserved willpower and mental energy when hepleted it.


    Miss Arden stared in fascination. Her eyes glowed brightly like a child getting their favourite toy. Her interest and fascination showed she was a runesmith herself, though not as skilled as him. While Jason, who didn''t know much, was impressed with the sheer level of control needed for this disy.


    Thestyer took another 15 minutes, and Warden waspletely drained by then. His legs were horribly powerless, unable even to keep himself standing.


    Warden found a steep increase in his Imbuing, taking it over Iron - 20% as he stopped.


    "I guess this is good enough," he said in a raspy tone and gave her a look.


    Miss Arden came out of her fascination and nodded heavily. "Yeah, this is enough. Wait a second, I''ll get you a recovery potion so that we can talk about the contract," she said, seeing colour drain from his face.


    "No need." Warden willed for all theyers of scripts to absorb into his body, right into his core. They did not just disappear but stayed in their form when they were absorbed, twisting into more unsightly forms though still symmetrical, empowering him to an even stronger state.


    "What just happened?" the redhead asked, bewildered. She didn''t know runes could be used like that as well.


    "Nothing," Warden said and felt the strength returning to his body. He could exert a lot more physical strength now, perhaps double his initial capabilities. But he didn''t use it because that would leave him even more drained and exhausted. To his memory, he had not used an empowering script on his body yet. But instinctively, he was aware of what might happen if he misused it.


    Why is my instinct so sharp on these things? Yet, I cannot remember a person from my past, he thought with a sigh and let the empowerment absorb into his body and core slowly. It would not solve his exhaustionpletely, but he would find it a lot more invigorating in time.


    The two of them gave him a suspicious gaze, unaware of what he had done. But it did look suspicious to them.


    "So, the contract?" Warden coughed.


    "Come to my office, I need to make a call," Miss Arden led them to the office to have a seat. Then she infused her energy into a device to talk with some of the elders of the organisation.


    "Can I see the thing?" Warden asked as she was just about to store away the palm-sized device after being done with it. Miss Arden raised an eyebrow and tossed it to him.


    "I have talked with my elders and can give you an initial offer."


    "Mmm," he hummed, his focus fixated on the device. Of course, with the secrets hidden withyers of confining scripts, it was nigh impossible for him to see through their work without breaking it. Yet, Warden could not help but marvel at their creation. It was a lot moreplicated than that, and something more than runesmithing was at work.


    "This is genius," he said. "How far is this scope?"


    "Not far, but it can function within the parameters of the building."


    "Thought so," Warden nodded. "So, the offer?"


    "As a certified Tier-5 Runesmith, I can offer you the same benefits our other master runesmiths enjoy," she said. "Now there are different versions of this contract depending on how much one will be willing to invest themselves in DragonForge.


    For example, if you want a t rate, you will receive a t rate of 1000 essence gems for Tier-5 Shells in a piece of equipment, 200 for Tier 4, and 50 for Tier 3. As per your preference, you can gain credits from our credit system as well.


    "Any kind of purchase of the likes of rare metals, alloys, ores, beast cores, we facilitate these transactions through our credit system. I estimate that 4 or 5 Tier 5 equipment could provide you with the amount of alloy you need."


    The redheaded woman was seemingly pleased with her offer and was sure Warden would agree with it, today or after a week; it was only a matter of time.


    "Oh, I forgot to mention," Warden said. "I might be skilled at scribbling the scripts, but I am not as proficient at forging them into an object."


    "That is fine. Many of our runesmiths have faced the same challenge. We have a sufficient number of forgers and artificers of our own."

 Chapter 90: Promise

    "You won''t encounter any issues working with them."


    Warden nodded, somewhat relieved, though he didn''t mind learning. It would just take more of his precious time.


    "If you sign the contract, you can begin as soon as possible," she reminded, handing him a ready-made contract which had over fifty pages.


    Warden smiled. Although his memories were gone, he wasn''t dumb enough to sign the contract right at this moment.


    "I am not so eager to rush into a contract," he said. "Let me just read through them ande back at ater date."


    Miss Arden gave him a look and nodded, as if it were natural to have the same reaction. "The offer is more than fair. Being a Tier 5 runesmith, or perhaps even higher, you might get more essence stones from other corporations, though I doubt it. However, there you won''t be able to obtain the alloy you need. We are the biggest for a reason."


    The way she used ''we'' made him feel that the Dragonforge was her family''s corporation. Warden made a mental note to check more about themter. Of course, by check, he meant asking June about it. It would give him another excuse to talk with her, and June was more than happy to exin important stuff to the clueless fool.


    "That is good, but I need some time to think about a few things. After all, I am working in the academy," Warden added, "I need to schedule how I use my free time."


    "You worked as abat instructor being a Tier 5 runesmith?" Miss Arden judged with all the informationid before her eyes. Finding her suspicion right, her expression shifted to disbelief.


    "Is there a problem with that?"


    "You know, if you can earn a hundred times more being a master Runesmith? Hell, perhaps you can even be a professor at the 4th or 5th academy if you tried."


    Warden was taken aback; this seemed like news to him. Honestly, he liked teaching students as long as they were ready to learn from him. He hated the snobby few he got thus far, but the rest were a pretty good bunch.


    Thebat instructor''s job wasn''t so much about teaching but more about preparing students through discipline. He was like a military instructor who pushed them to do their exercises, which they should already be doing in their time.


    While it was good and all, Warden wanted more out of it. He desired to teach people, but unfortunately, the hole in his mind caused some confusion about his qualifications for the job. He needed to recalibrate his brain to attempt that.


    Besides, runesmithing was not everything he had to offer. A lot of the students could benefit from just some basic training. "For now, my time belongs to training myself and instructing students, and then it other works like artificing."


    "How much time can you give it to runesmithing?" the woman asked.


    "With everything going on, I feel like I can manage one or two equipment a week."


    "If you like teaching so much, you can instruct some of our young prospects about scripts," Miss Arden suggested. "Of course, we are one of the main sponsors of the 5th academy. With your qualifications and our help, you can work as a professor there and have a lot of your time free for smithing."


    She did not explicitly state that Warden needed to sign the contract to be eligible for this kind of offer. Unfortunately, he was not that interested in switching yet. His main goal currently was to get to stability and advance.


    "I am happy where I am right now," he said.


    He stored the contract to read itter and study. Having already skimmed through a couple of pages, he found thenguage unnecessarilyplex. So, he preferred to get help from another person before signing anything that would bind his soul. Soul binding is always a serious matter.


    "I''ll give you an answer within this week," Warden said.


    "I hope youe with good news," Miss Arden said, almost believing she had the fish in the. "Oh, you need a spear for training. You can borrow that one for now."


    Initially, Warden wanted to decline the gesture, as he wasn''t one to take advantage of others. However, he remembered how it felt to hold a spear again and decided to ept it. Dragonforge was a huge empire, as they said, and they would not care about a hastily-made spear.


    "So about my armour," Jason cut in, looking at them.


    "I almost forgot about that," Miss Arden said. "You want a custom forged heavy armour, right? Let''s talk about that right now."


    Warden was also interested in hearing about how these fancy armours and couldpare them to [Maya''s Protection], so he remained for the reminder.


    "First, let us talk about your budget," Miss Arden said with her bright smile, "so that I can judge what you can afford. Well, I guess with your father''s wealth, I would not be surprised if you¡ª"


    "It''s all my wealth," Jason said, cutting her off. "I have 3000 iron-grade essence gems and some material from the hunt, which is like another 1000 iron-grade gems."


    "I must say, young master Forger, that is quite a hefty sum for an iron Ranker," Miss Arden said, still in her merry mood, thinking all that money would go into her pocket. "It must have taken you some time to gather all that."


    "Almost a year of my loot," Jason said.


    "Funny how your father earns more than that in just a week," the redhead womanughed. "With that amount, you will get true tier-4 defence, shock absorption script primarily with tier-two amplification and restoration shell. As for the metal, it would be tier 6, seven and tier 8 for various parts and some other different material to give you flexibility?"


    Jason looked unwilling, considering he had earned all the wealth himself. It was quite hard to let go of it for an armour. Looks like the guy was trying to be self-established and came out of his father''s shadow, Warden could acknowledge that. He hadn''t picked the guy wrongly.


    Looking at Jason like that, Warden couldn''t help but cut in. "Jason, would you mind letting me make the armour for you?"


    "You would? You can?" Jason asked.


    "Of course, you have bought me food. It''s the least I can do for you."


    Miss Arden watched the interaction silently and did not intervene, calcting in her mind. She seemed more like a businesswoman than a forger from the heart.


    "Of course, I can''t do the forging justice, but I can draw scripts for you. I can give you tier-5 runes. But I fear I wouldn''t be avable to deliver as fast as Miss Arden."


    "Haha. You would be surprised there," Jason said with heartyughter. "With all the orders they get, it probably would have taken Dragonforge a couple of months to deliver my armour."


    "We can do it within a month, just for you, Young Master Forger," Miss Arden said, smirking, though she knew she wouldn''t get the most benefit out of it with Warden''s intervention.


    ___________


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 Chapter 91: Scheduled Class

    "We can do it within a month, just for you, Young Master Forger."


    "But you didn''t get me to tier 5, would you?" Jason snorted and turned to Warden. "Brother, you would do it for me. I am so¡ª"


    "No need to be sentimental. We are, after all, supposed to make a guild together. Can''t let the Guild Master have anything less than the best, can we?"


    With a little more talk, they came out of the building. Thankfully, the annoying Walt guy wasn''t there to irritate them anymore.


    "By the way, why is everyone calling you Young Master and such?" Warden asked out of his curiosity. "Are you from secretly some heir to some noble house?"


    "Something like that," Jason said, clenching his jaw. "It''s not really a secret, though I don''t want people to like me just o suck up to my father."


    "Who is your father?"


    "You don''t know?" Jason asked.


    "You forget I''m not from around here," Warden said. "Regardless, if you don''t want to exin, there was no need for that."


    "Nah, it''s alright," Jason said. "My father is actually the Governor of this City, his position is only lower than the Emperor, perhaps."


    Warden raised an eyebrow, didn''t even think it would be this big even though he guessed Jason to have some influential father. The guy certainly didn''t give the vibe of a rich andvish upbringing. "I guess they have a reason to call you young master."


    "For the love of gods, please don''t call me that," Jason said, almost begging. "I really hate when people look at me as just a means to get to my father. Thankfully, you''re not like that."


    "How do you know?" Warden smiled. "What if I secretly know all this and made this friendship with you to get to your father?"


    "That''s impossi--" The words remained hung on his lips as he studied him. "Warden, are you?"


    "Why else did you think I agreed to make you an armour?" Warden smiled.


    Jason''s face turned ugly immediately, and he looked like he was about to shout.


    "I''m joking," Wardenughed before Jason could make a scene.


    "Are you really..."


    "I just want to see what kind of reaction you have," Warden said. "Honestly, I took you for some young ranker with prominent backing in the beginning, but didn''t expect it to be as big as that. And if I had any need for your father, I''d go directly to him."


    "You gave me a scare just now," Jason said sighing in relief. "I almost thought that you''re like other people."


    Warden smiled. "Still, I believe you shouldn''t be dissuaded by your identity. Self-independent is great, but it is more than foolish if it was just because of some stupid fight with your father."


    Jason hesitated for a few moments and in the end didn''t say anything. Warden didn''t press.


    "Anyway, you prepare the ingredients and forge the armour. I''ll be avable in a few weeks."


    ***


    Warden was only given one ss a day, mostly instructing students in exercises to build up their stamina and willpower. With it being the same group of students, he had already be familiar with them, and almost remembered half of their names.


    Although the drills remained consistent, he asionally adjusted them, incorporating more exercises orps for the students to run. Someined, but Warden paid no attention to the ckers. He considered these drills a mercy, preparing them to face tainted and cursed creaturester.


    Like the other day, he joined in the training after giving instructions. He couldn''t allow himself to be immersed in the training, as he had to supervise the students. Fortunately, he had already marked the earnest ones and the cheater bunch of the ss, which helped keep track of their drills.


    He also pondered creating a rivalry among them to keep them on track. A small tournament might help with that. A thought forter.


    "Alright, the ss is dismissed," Arden said. "As always, they were wee to train more."


    And as always none of the students remained after recovering from sore muscles and exhaustion.


    I need to make them more interested in the training, he thought as he exercised with the eight-weight bags. While credit points might encourage them, he had to use the carrot method meticulously to get the best results.


    After training alone in the gymnasium, Warden sprinted on the ground while still wearing the weight bags. A few students from upper sses were there, some sparring, and some exercising, but it was mostly empty. They used more of the indoor facilities. Warden decided he would check them today.


    There were still a couple of hours before sundown, and he was mostly free through the night ¡ª the perfect time to check on what the academy had to offer.


    As he ran on the tracks, a familiar figure came to his side. June, with her ethereal beauty, her bright silver hairying on her shoulders, literally glowing in the sun.


    Warden didn''t think he had seen a woman more beautiful than her, but then again, he only had memories of less than a couple of weeks. Still, that didn''t take away anything from her face. Of course, Elder Vess might possess a different kind of charm, but that was something else that didn''t attract him all that much, to be honest.


    It appears she was waiting there for him. As when he rounded the corner, she called, "Can you give me some of your time?"


    Warden had only run sixps so far, his clothes wet and heavy from all the exercises and weights on his person. Yet, he stopped. "Anything for you, mydy," he said with extra formality, almost bowing, "though I think it''s something we better discuss after I refresh myself."


    "It will only take a couple of minutes," she said, ignoring his attempt at flirtation. "It is about the dungeon diving that''sing up in a week."


    "I am all ears," Warden said, standing a few paces across from her.

 Chapter 92: Sparring Partner

    "I won''t lie," Warden said. "The students did not look prepared to be put into a dungeon, so far from what I had seen. Only a couple of them seem prepared to face tainted creatures."


    "I wasn''t talking about the first years. They still have three months before they are put into a dungeon," June exined. "It is about older students. As it is your first time, there will be experiencedbat instructors apanying you and the students into the dungeon. It was mostly to train and familiarise the fresh instructor with the job."


    "Got it," Warden nodded. It made sense as she said it. It was the question of the safety of the students, after all.


    "As you are my rmendation, you will be with my ss," June continued. "I have already exchanged one of your sses with them to familiarise you with the students first. Of course, you won''t be alone; one of the otherbat instructors will be with you in the ss.


    "Your other rmendation? She would be there as well, I guess. Warden asked, to which she nodded. "So what kind of ss are we to take together?"


    "That is for you to decide," June said. "Just simple sparring would do, but you are open to trying anything."


    Warden nodded. "Oh, right, I heard your advice about something I n with the students," he said. "How do you use the credit points to award them? Just reward them for aplishing specific tasks? Or is there some specific criteria?"


    "It mostly depends on the instructor, to be honest," June said. She grudgingly added, "Some instructors and professors don''t even award the points and keep them for themselves."


    The disgusted look she showed rified she did not encourage that behaviour. Well, with her personality, Warden expected nothing less.


    "They can do that?" Warden asked incredulously. "The academy did not take any steps toward those professors and instructors?"


    June sighed. "The renumeration is already humble. If someone uses them of wasting points on themselves, they would just say none of the students deserved it or showed any potential. It is as simple as that to them."


    "Lacks regtion," Warden said and sighed. "Can I open a short tournament in my ss and give points as rewards to encourage them to train more?"


    "I cannot see why not," June said. "Though, if you want something more than regr sparring, I would suggest applying for a healer to be present during your tournament. Or perhaps you can even use the Virtual world for the test, which would need an application as well."


    "Virtual world sounds good," Warden agreed. "So, where do I apply?"


    June shot him a look and said, "Just tell me the date. I will apply for you."


    Warden was relieved. Paperwork was one of his greatest enemies he detested the most. "Thanks, June. Where would I be without you?"


    June sighed. "The ss is scheduled in two days, on the 3rd bell. Don''t bete."


    She was ready to leave after exining all that when Warden shouted after her, stalling her for a moment.


    "I forgot to mention I would need your help with another matter," he said.


    "About the healer?" June frowned. With Elder Allen not helping much, she had promised she would look for someone with higher capabilities, perhaps someone of Elven origin who had vast knowledge and expertise in the field.


    "No, not about that," Warden said. "You know, I went to the DragonForge the other day, and one thing led to another. They offered me a contract to make artifacts for them."


    "Already?" June narrowed her eyes.


    "I have qualified as a Tier 5 Runesmith master," Warden said, unsure if that was enough to impress her. Even if she was impressed, she did not show it to her face. "Anyway, the contract they offered me seems to have a lot of convoluted terms that I would need someone experienced to look into. Can you help? Or do you know someone?"


    "I can take a look," June said, "but I think Elder Vess might have more to say about it. She manages all the contracts and everything about the academy. The contact you signed for the Combat instructor is made by her as well."


    "But would she be willing to look into the matters of a punybat instructor like me?"


    June sighed again. "Come look for meter when we are done with all this. I will see what I can do."


    "Thanks," Warden said. She was about to leave again, but he couldn''t help but add, "You know, you can decline me sometimes, if you don''t like it. I will understand. After all, it was I who was relying on you too much."


    June shot him aplicated look. "It''s nothing much, a simple matter. Besides, I would like to help a promising ranker be a pir of our academy, as well as society. The fight against the cmity needs people like you."


    Leaving those words hanging, June went back to her job.


    Warden watched him go for an extended moment and continued on his run.


    After finishing his exercise, he decided to head back to his quarters. Unfortunately, it appeared the washroom was already in use. So he had to wait until his roommate finished up with whatever he was doing inside.


    Unlike him, the guy didn''t take long in the washroom. So, within a couple of minutes, the figure of Karz Walt emerged with only a towel hanging on his waist. They exchanged only a nod as Warden entered the washroom.


    Although they had been living under the same roof for a few days now, their interactions were mostly like that. They hadn''t set up any rules or boundaries for what was allowed and what was not. However, they were yet toe into a fight.


    It was mostly Warden who woke up sooner and did his morning ritual in the bathroom, followed by young Walt, who did not take too long. Although the guy had an arrogant face and seemed prideful, he was hardworking, almost to the point of admirable. Warden couldn''t say the same for the other Walt.


    Coming out of the washroom refreshed after taking a dip, Warden found Curse White ready to leave, fully clothed in his usualbat attire, with the sword hanging low on his back.


    "You know, I have been meaning to ask," Warden said, remembering, "Do you want to spar sometimes?"

 Chapter 93: Sparring Partner (2)

    Karz Walt narrowed his eyes at the scar on his body. Warden had already noticed how obnoxious the scar could be. It went from his midriff, curling to below his waist¡ªa thick one with a deep mark, leaving him to wonder what could be the cause of it. There were two other peculiar scars on his back. Warden hadn''t had time to ponder on them.


    Although the scars were obnoxious, his roommate''s eyes shone with approval. He guessed this was the very kind of reaction he would get from someone like him, who gave off the vibe of a warmonger.


    "Bring out your soul relics, and we can fight now," Karz Walt said, his eyes showing fervour as if he were waiting for a fight.


    "Soul relic?" Warden raised an eyebrow.


    "Your cloak, which you can turn into a force field of defence," Karz Walt said. He waited for a couple of seconds to add, "Are you open now, or should I go to the virtual world to train?"


    "Wait a couple of minutes. I will join you."


    Warden draped on the legendary Cloak of Void Radiance as his sparring partner had requested above his usual training attire and went on with it.


    "Do you want to do this in the virtual realm?" Karz asked. "Or somewhere else, like the Gravity Chamber or other training facilities?"


    Warden thought for a second and decided it would be the gravity chamber for now. Apparently, it costs 20 credits for an hour no matter which level you use. Since the two of them would be using it, they split the cost between them and set the gravity to ten times that of the normal gravity force and began practising.


    Warden felt a terrible force over his being. It was simr to the weight, but different in a way. The weight on him waspletely even this way, causing his blood to surge up to adjust to it. Sparring here would give twice the benefit of outside, with the gravity pushing them hard.


    ...


    An hourter, Warden and the blond-haired youthy on the ground of the gravity chamber,pletely drained of their energy and stamina.


    Warden had a face of fulfilment after finally disying his spearmanship against the fellow. He had to offer nothing but his best to beat the guy.


    Throughout the hour, they fought over a dozen times, and Karz only managed to defeat him twice, though the victories never came easily for him, on the benefit of Karz''s swift movement skill, which even under so much stress he could pull off effortlessly. It was almost impossible for someone with the same skill set to fight him on equal terms.


    Thankfully, the more Warden fought, the better he became with the spear. The funny thing was how he didn''t even need to use his legendary equipment to defeat him.


    The guy was so prideful in the beginning, asking him to turn it on immediately. Unfortunately, after an initial fight with the [Void shroud] on, Warden found the guy to be no contest. So after that, they simply fought with their weapons.


    "Why were you hiding your spear mastery for so long?" Karz asked after they were done with the sparring. "I feel like you''re one step away from awakening Spear Intent."


    "Nah, I just did not have a good sphere with me," Warden said. "Anyway, our time is up now."


    "There are special facilities to train your intent on," Karz said. "you might want to check that."


    "Next time," Warde said as he was about to leave to meet with June.


    As he was about to leave, he heard the guy say, "Tomorrow, same time again?"


    "Sure," Warden said. "Just don''t hold back too much, and we''ll be good."


    He had to bathe again to meet up with June, a minor inconvenience since he wanted to feel the cold water on him once more with all the stress his body was put through. Warden wished there was an old-style stone bath here for him to immerse himselfpletely to rx. The shower was good and all, but sometimes he longed to lie freely in the water.


    Changing into amon tunic and something more elegant, he set out towards June''s quarters. It was already evening, and she had finished most of her school-rted business. When he knocked on her door, she opened it quickly, as if expecting him.


    "Thanks again," Warden said as she weed him in.


    "Did you bring the contract with you?" she asked suspiciously, noting he carried nothing.


    "Of course," Warden said, steering his second aperture to ess the subspace. In his mind, images of various things inside appeared as he intended to retrieve the contract. A ck hole appeared above his palm, as he pulled the exact thing he wanted with his mind. Soon, the contract fell into his palm as he held it to her. "Here you go."


    June raised an eyebrow, observing him use such an ability for the first time. "That wasn''t a dimension cube, was it?"


    "My second aperture ability," Warden said. "So far, it''s just a glorified version of a dimension cube."


    "You''ve already integrated an ability into your second aperture?" June said, her voice tinged with surprise, as she didn''t think he''d have the time or resources to do that so quickly. "I was thinking when you''d ask me to help you with that."


    Warden shrugged. "It happened immediately when I opened the second aperture," Warden said. "Even the fate marks extended on my palms with the integrated ability."


    June looked at him suspiciously. "You''re probably the luckiest man alive to not go through all the mess you have to pull to integrate an ability into your aperture. Besides, you did it in what Copper and Iron rank?"


    "What kind of mess?" Warden asked curiously.


    "There are various types of rituals, requiring particr essences for it to be sessful. Not to mention, it was terminally painful and could even cause death or crippling."


    "Oh, it was painful," Warden said, remembering how he acquired the ability.


    "Most rankers wait for Gold ranker to even try," June added, which was another news to him.

 Chapter 94: Contract (1)

    "Hmm, is that why other iron rankers are so weaker inparison?" Warden couldn''t help but ask.


    "Yes and no," June said. "You''re just abnormal."


    "I would term that as my charm," Warden smiled. "And I believe you''re the same. You have a fatemark too, right?"


    June shot him a nce and smiled, which was an answer enough. She wears formal and full-sleeved clothing all the time and Warden failed to even guess that. But considering her powerful set of abilities, she was bound to have fatemark abilities.


    "By the way, June, do you know what a Fatelock is?"


    June narrowed her eyes, deep in thought. "Where have you heard of that term?"


    "In my Status page, where else?"


    "I don''t know all the specifics," June said, "as it was a broad topic. I believe there are more detailed records on it, but my rank is too low to get ess to them. Just know that Fatelocks are something rted to the Fate domains. Getting ess to one such domain will lock your fate with it and give you great benefits in abilities. It even marks your body with fate marks..."


    June paused as her eyes went to the marks on his left palm.


    "What domain does your fate belong to?" she asked, biting her lips. Warden was about to answer, but she added, "You know what, don''t tell me. Let''s go meet up with the Elder. She''s free now."


    Warden''s guesses were simr to what she said, and he was willing to tell her more about it for all the help she got him. But from the look of it, it wasn''t the time for it.


    ***


    The elder''s residence was another notch morevishpared to June''s, with more rooms and ornate decorations. It was a separate building, seemingly allocated only to her, with a sizeable herb garden in the front.


    The individual who opened the elder Vess'' door was obviously Gene De Rossi. Although his face looked somewhat younger, with his height a couple of inches lower, Warden made no mistake in recognising the aura. Gene appeared no older than Liam or Kiara, with the young naivety more prominent on his face.


    "By the gods, Gene, what happened to you?" Warden asked.


    Gene''s cheek became red at the tant piercing look he was getting. "This is my original look," he said. "Before, it was all a disguise."


    Warden continued to study his face as if wanting to see through whatever it was all about.


    Gene brought them inside and safely withdrew himself. "The elder is waiting for you."


    Their meeting was arranged in the drawing room, as June had already exined the matters to her. So Elder Vess didn''t waste a moment to take the contract for a check.


    A servant came up to give them tea and other beverages they needed as the elder quickly read the pages of the contract.


    "This is the standard contract I would expect from Dragonforge," the elder said. "It isn''t the best, but it is very close to it. They must really want you in their organisation."


    Warden shrugged. "Can you tell me all the liabilities and responsibilities would be on my shoulders if I sign this contract?"


    "Well, this isn''t a loose contract," Elder Vess said. "I do not know if you have read it, but it will bind you to Dragonforge for 20 years, with them having a use to sign you for longer, of course then you can negotiate a better deal. The problem is that you won''t be able to contract with any of theirpeting organisations."


    Warden frowned upon hearing thest part. He had already read about the 20-year mark, but he had missed the other part, which he thought was quite unnecessary. 20 years was already a long time. People''s minds changed, and significant changes happened in the world, the sole empire of Dragonforge might even fall in that time.


    He wasn''t ready tomit 20 years of his life, not to mention he needed the job as a part-timer.


    "The fees and benefits are great, to be honest," Elder Vess continued. "Most people would agree to it immediately. You won''t get anything better than this anywhere."


    "Does the contract restrict me from forging weapons for myself or my friends and family?" Warden asked.


    "That is left rather open to the question. I believe they won''t mind if you do not sell your equipment inrge numbers," Elder Vess replied.


    "Anything else I need to be aware of?" Warden asked.


    "There are a couple of small matters, such as thepany setting the prices for equipment and the type and tier of scripts and the like, but nothing too overwhelming," Elder Bess exined. "The other organisation would want the same. With everything, I would say this is a good package. if you don''t like the longmitment, you can ask them for a shortened period."


    "Nah, I won''t sign it," Warden said. "I would like to stay as a free agent and do my own thing. If they want my work, they need to negotiate with me."


    "They do take a free runesmith, as far as I know," Elderly said. "Though the benefits they getckpared to what you are offered. Themission would be almost simr or lower and you won''t get other benefits, such as their secret facilities, ess to their resources as heavily as the exclusive contract."


    "Thankfully, I don''t need them at this moment," Warden said.


    "This is a good approach," the elder said. "Young people always tend to make rash decisions when they are offered great benefits. As your mastery of the art would only rises, you don''t have to be worried about those benefits at all. They will offer them to you for free once you be a Tier-7 master."


    Warden nodded.


    "I must say, though, I didn''t expect a Tier-5 runesmith to apply for the job of abat instructor," the elder said. "Were you too enamoured by June''s beauty that you could not help but agree to join?"

 Chapter 95: Contract (2)

    The elf looked away, keeping her face straight as if the words did not affect her at all. Well, Mind mages were known for perfectmand over their emotions after all. She wouldn''t let out anything if she didn''t want to.


    "It is actually me who asked for it," Warden said.


    "So you were enamoured," Elder Vessughed, at their expenses.


    "Elder Vess, I believe this topic is inappropriate at this moment," June added curtly.


    "Of course," Elder Vess said, still with a smile, and turned to Warden again. "Since you are a tier 5 Runesmith, would you want to take some sses on artificing and runesmithing? You won''t be working for nothing, obviously. You would be fairly rpensed with arcane credits. How about... 200 points for a ss?"


    Just a moment ago, she praised him for not making a rash decision, so Warden didn''t ede immediately, even though he wanted to teach others. Instead, he asked, "Does the academy have an artificer department? I thought that is the speciality of the 4th and 5th academies."


    "4th and 5th arcane academies specialise in artificers, builders and all the auxiliary sses, but that doesn''t mean the others don''t have departments for it. We are just known less for it," Elder Vess said. "Do you think the needs for equipment and other articles could be met with just two academies?"


    "There is also the problem of location," June added helpfully.


    "So what do you say?" Elder Vess asked.


    "What''s the usual rate for a teacher of runesmithing?" Warden asked.


    "We have two senior professors of Runesmithing and forging and half a dozen junior professors," she exined. "While your expertise stands higher than the junior professors, it does not quite touch the senior professor yet."


    "What do the junior professors get?"


    "10,000 credits per month as a t total with extra benefits, ording to their work," it was June who answered.


    "And how many sses do each of them take a month?"


    "It depends," June answered again. "Twenty ispulsory, though most of them do extra work."


    "So, 500 credits for a single ss," Warden remarked, giving the elder a smile. "I think it is better. I won''t make any rash decisions now."


    Elder Vess smiled like an old fox. "Looks like I have to fire a junior professor to get you," she said with a sigh.


    Warden frowned. "No, I don''t want someone to lose their job just because I want fair benefits for myself."


    The elder clicked her tongue. "You are straightforward and humble for your own good," she said. "Perhaps that''s why Professor June finds you so charming."


    June snorted.


    "Do you know how arrogant and frightful these artificers are?" Elder Vess continued. "I would have excused such behaviour if their capabilities speak for their arrogance. But I dare say half of the junior professors can''t do a tier-4 script and with no hope of ever reaching a master grade.


    But they were the bunch we got, as Artificers tend to be aloof and arrogant to be attracted by the benefit we offer."


    "Most capable ones tend to go to the fourth and fifth academy as they are built upon a foundation that all forgers would desire," June added. "Though I reckon there are plenty of master crafters in the first and second academy as well."


    "It is one of the reasons Dragonforge thrived in the empire," Elder Vess said.


    "Still, it doesn''t make me feel good that someone would be fired for my sake," Warden said. "And you haven''t even seen me to judge."


    Elder Vess scoffed. "Please, this contract was enough for me to judge. Dragonforce did not just give such benefits to any young runesmith, but we can talk about firing a junior professorter. I''ll perhaps give them some time to prove themselves."


    Even if they did not meet the criteria, they already earned more than any regr ranker with their work. Just getting fired from the academy would be nothing more than a minor setback.


    After a little more talk, Warden finally agreed to take some initial sses. Warden could only agree to a few sses with everything going on. Elder Vess would just limit the number of extra sses the junior professor could take and pull all the credit to remunerate Warden.


    So with that settled, Warden would amass another 5,000 credits just by taking 10 more sses, which he reckoned wouldn''t be difficult with his schedule. That felt like arge sum. Where should he use them? He wondered.


    "If you want, I can make a contract for you to offer to Dragonforge," Elder Vess said as they agreed. "I would just customise this one to amodate your needs."


    "That... sounds great," Warden said.


    So, for the next half an hour or so, Warden discussed what he would need to take out and what to add to the contract. Mostly, he asked her to cut out all the exclusivity and add in more freedom on his end. He kept some of his work the same while deleting other benefits, such as the auction house forge and other facilities.


    Most importantly, he said he would be free to work with anyone he likes, while he would give Dragonforge priority being with a contract with them, that was. Of course, he would also be free to purchase raw materials from the Dragonforge for his personal needs.


    "Do you think they would agree with this?" Warden asked.


    "Your asking is not overbearing," Elder Vess said. "As long as you did not want their Dragonsteel and Dragonfire, I don''t see why they won''t want you. They are always in need of gifted runesmiths for the number of orders they get. I am mostly sure they would take it, though they would want to negotiate more. I would advise you to stick with it."


    With thatpleted, the elder turned to the Elven woman. "So June, did you think about my offer?"


    "I have," June said meeting her gaze, sitting straighter. "Unfortunately, I would have to decline. I would not mind doing a few things here and there for you if there is no other option, but I cannot give my all for it."

 Chapter 96: Classes

    Elder Vessel nodded. "Can I ask for your reason?"


    June sucked in a deep breath to collect her thoughts. Although Elder Vess asked her about the matter in an offhanded manner, she recognised what it meant. The offer could be termed as a way to prepare for a sessor for the post of an elder in the future. Unfortunately, June was an elf, which wouldplicate the matter if she had the desire for the role.


    "Ignoring everything else, I am a ranker," June said. "I do enjoy teaching, but currently, all my focus needs to be on myself. There are still too many things for me to learn, too many paths for me to walk on."


    "Fair," Elder Vess said. "Looks like I need to take a secretary or assistant like those businessmen."


    With everything done, they talked a little about things in their lives before saying goodbye. After they came out of the house, he asked June what was all that about, even though he understood the gist of it.


    "Elder Vess asked me to work as her hand in dealing with mostly all the business she has to do in the academy, as she would be busy teaching young Gene," she exined. "Unfortunately, I couldn''t agree, as I have my own training and life outside the academy as well."


    "You do?" Warden hummed. "I thought you would agree since all I have seen you do is work."


    June shot him a displeased look.


    "Oh then, tell me what you do for fun?" Warden asked.


    "I read a book," she said. "And training is fun."


    Warden''s smile reached his ears, as the elf red at him.


    "I would have given you a point if you said cooking," he told her. "Especially cooking it for others and seeing their face when they eat it."


    "I don''t even cook most days for myself," June said. "But I guess I do it now and then for fun. doing it every day will make it a chore."


    Warden couldn''t fight that logic with June''s life scheduled for most efficiency.


    "Oh, I haven''t seen any elves around the academy or the city," Warden asked. "Is that a rarity here?"


    "There are a few half-elf students," June said. "And you haven''t seen much of the city. But yes, it is a rarity in the maind."


    "Is there a reason you did not join the first academy to teach your kin?" Warden asked as they went back towards her quarter.


    "I do not meet their criteria to teach others," June said curtly. "The elves see age as a mark of wisdom, just like the humans do, perhaps even more."


    There seems to be more to it, but considering it might be a touchy topic, Warden did not press further.


    "So, you declined Elder Vess'' offer to train yourself," Warden said. "Will you mind training and sparring with me sometimes? It is pretty boring to do it alone. I can teach you a few fun things in return."


    June looked at him suspiciously as Warden gave her the most genuine look he could master. "Well, I do not see a problem, as long as all we do is train and spar," she said. "That reminds me, I would still like to study the fate marks., and you haven''t exined more about those runemagic."


    The "runemagic" seemed like something most people aren''t versed in. Although they used the same runes to build equipment, they did not, or could not use them as a spell. Well, he had seen June sessfully making a gravity script to almost twenty percent efficiency. He wondered what was that about.


    "Remember how your eyes bled from getting more into the fate marks," Warden said. "Don''t you fear the same thing happening again?"


    "I am tenacious," June said curtly. "I grow resistant the more I do the same thing."


    "Fine. Then let us do it now," Warden agreed, as he too had his suspicions and curiosity about the fate marks. "I''m also curious about some matter."


    As they got into her quarter, she quickly brought him into the drawing room. With him having tea just some time ago, he asked her not to serve anything more.


    "Before we begin, I would like to learn more about these sses," Warden said. "What exactly is it? Why isn''t everyone given one? who the system judges worthy to be assigned a ss?"


    These questions were probably elementary knowledge for most people. But Wardend didn''t want the proimed truth, but the real story, as much as he could get one. After all, he did not have a ss.


    "sses are like a path to power, divided into smaller steps so that even people with less talent can handle them more easily," June exined. "As for the matter of assignment of a ss, it mostly rted to one''s inborn talent and awakening. The talent is gic, as anyone ranked higher than iron has a good chance of giving birth to another ranker.


    That is why the houses and ns of the maind are so pressed on the matter of bloodline and marriages."


    "Curious," Warden said, "does one being a higher ranker make their offspring have more talent."


    "Likely," June said. "As far as I know, the transcendent ranker could even somewhat influence their offspring''s talent to some degree."


    Warden nodded. "Is sses are the only to get power?"


    "No not at all," June exined. "ss only makes it easier to cultivate the primal power of the universe. For example, elves don''t get sses, but we do have our paths of power, which are long and strenuous. It makes sense with our long life."


    "Do you not have a ss either?" Warden asked.


    June frowned. "What do you mean by ''either''?"


    "Well, it seems I do not have a ss either," Warden said, shrugging. It had been a long timeing, so Warden didn''t bother to keep his secret with her. After all, she knew more deeper secrets about him than the ss.


    June studied his face for an extended moment. "Do you have a path?"

 Chapter 97: Weird Sex Magic?

    "Do you have a path of power?"


    "There is no term suggesting a path on my status page," Warden said. "Anyway, I''m part Celestial. Can that be the reason?"


    June''s eyes widened in stunned surprise. "Of course! Why didn''t I think of that?!" she said, studying his face obtrusively. "Tall regal figure, White hair, a peculiar set of powers, with fast regeneration. It''s so apparent."


    June sounded more disappointed in herself for not finding it on her own to figure it out.


    "I guess the absence of wings didn''t help in the case."


    "Wings?" Warden asked.


    "Did you forget Celestials have angelic wings?" she exined.


    "Like birds?" Warden asked wide eyes. "I''m something like a bird?"


    June didn''t bother to quench his unfounded worry as there probably was no sane person who wouldpare celestials to birds. They are closer to angelic beings than birds, but Warden was weirder than your usual Joe to have his unusual worry.


    "You seem tock their mour as well," June said, frowning.


    "What''s mour?" Warden asked, suspicious. "Is it some weird sex magic thing?"


    June did not why she was still surprised with everything his mind cooked up. "mour is like the ethereal beauty unique to some races that can enamour others," she exined after shooting a look of disapproval. "Subi, Spirit races like fae possess it too."


    "So it is a sex magic thing," Warden said, sounding wholly convinced.


    "It''s not like that, at least for most races they cannot control it," June said. "It is kind of like a passive skill."


    "Do elves have it as well?" Warden couldn''t help but ask. "And if so, what are the chances I was seduced by your passive mour?"


    June red at him. "We don''t have it," she said strongly.


    "And from the look of it, I don''t have it either," Warden said under his breath, "or I would have seduced you by now."


    "It doesn''t work like that," June said, clearly hearing his whisper.


    "How do you know you''re not already being seduced by me?" Warden asked with a bright smile.


    "I already said," June exined slowly for onest time, "it doesn''t work like that."


    "Oh June, you''re already over fifty years old and yet so naive and pure," Warden said, biting his lips.


    June snorted. "My mental abilities are so high you need to have two ranks higher than me to even affect me."


    He smiled. "Jokes aside, I guess I do not have it because I am not full Celestial?" Warden said. "I believe my human part is more prominent."


    He didn''t mention the percentage with the corruption mark on his status page, as that might be something else to be divulged so easily. He was not ready to disclose those details, considering the consequences might be greater than he believed.


    Honestly, Warden did not feel any different, even after the number rose by 4%. Like nothing was controlling his mind or corrupting him to make him... murdery? The corruption might be something else altogether.


    "Alright, you mentioned Celestial''s radiance power," Warden said, "but I don''t have that either."


    Radiance power would be more helpful than he realized, with both of his legendary equipment needing it to showcase their full power. He finally realized that whoever made them for him didn''t make a mistake in putting all those enchantments of the light attribute. He just hoped there would be a problem between Void and light attribute.


    "Perhaps you haven''t awakened your radiance power yet," June said hesitantly, unsure. "Like elves, Celestials'' path to power is different. While humans can choose various sses numbering over thousands, elves get a dozen paths each one intertwined with the other, but Celestials only get one, as far as I know.


    "Their radiance power and regeneration make them almost immortal, and impossible to kill. They are fast too, with wings and all. Howver to gain all those powers they go through a trial to awaken their powers. I believe you haven''t gone through your first trial yet. As for the wings, I don''t have enough knowledge in the subject to guess if you''ll ever have them."


    Warden frowned. This subject was so nerve-wracking. He couldn''t piece together anything with the hole in his mind. He remembered the two symmetrical scars on his back just below the shoulders. Now, considering he had wings, they should probably be around those scars. A chilling premonition came to his mind, as he gritted his teeth.


    "I am really surprised," June said. "The possibilities to conceive a half-human, half-celestial being is less than one in a million. Perhaps even higher. At least the one who conceived you must need to be a transcendent rank to have a chance."


    Warden only harrumphed and couldn''t manage to say anything.


    "Perhaps what you''re seeking is in the forbidden realms of the Celestials," she said and sighed. "Also, I must add, like the elves, the Celestials do not encourage crossbreeding."


    Warden understood what was underlined in her words. He needed to tread carefully and cautiously when it rted to celestial business. In the end, it all came down to personal power. If he could be powerful enough, he would get all the answers. In his current state, he might just be a matter of pity.


    Warden shook off the depressing thoughts forcing himself and came back to his cheery self. "Well, I don''t have any more questions currently," he said and held his left arm. "Thank you for your patience."


    June took his palm as her eyes glowed in silver light. She immediately made contact with his mind as it instinctively closed in on it. After a moment, he let her show what she was examining in the thin lines of fatemarks, as the chains ofplicated script appeared in his mind again.


    "These runes are never really like themon ones," June said in his mind. "This looks far more ancient, powerful, andplex. I could not fathom who even created such monstrosities; there seems to be no end to it."


    "Are the runes in your fate mark simr?" Wardon asked.

 Chapter 98: Oathbound

    "Are the scripts in your fatemarks the same?"


    "They are simr, but not the same, like a different set of it," June said. "They are not endless like this, but they growrger andrger as time progresses."


    "Does your fatemarks give you empathic abilities?" Wardon asked. After thinking for a moment, he added, "You don''t have to answer me if it''s a touchy subject."


    "You know, we should make an oath to each other," June said, remembering. "Through coincidences, I already know about some of your secrets, that anyone would be willing to mention to others. Not to mention anything rted to fatemarks is highly confidential to exchange." She added, "And no, my empathetic abilities are something of my path; I was born with them.


    "Oaths, huh," Warden sighed. "Fine. Let''s just not make itplicated, like only exchanging and keeping everything between ourselves. Among the few instincts I have, I seem to take oaths very seriously,


    "As you should too," June said. "An oath is a weight on the soul. If you can''t bear it, it will crush your soul. I just want to reassure you with all the confidence shown in me. Of course, on the asion, you weren''t aware those needed to be kept as a secret."


    "Weird how I came to trust you so easily," Warden mused. "I guess I''m pretty good at judging character. I guess most of ites from reading aura."


    "You can see the aura in others?" June said hesitantly. "Of course, you can. Why am I even surprised now, with everything you mentioned today?"


    "Why is it so unnatural?"


    "It is more than you can believe. No low rankers could, and I barely manage with my eye ability," June said. "Even with that, I cannot judge character through their aura. Only their intention and emotions of rtive present. Judging someone''s character is near impossible. You probably just took a gamble on me."


    "Maybe, maybe not," Warden replied. "I have not made a mistake once in judging someone''s character."


    For example, Jason acted like an ass in his first meeting, but he could tell he was not a bad fellow. And he could tell his rtionship with Aurel went deeper with their aura mingling more than usual people.


    June stopped her studying of the fate marks and opened her eyes to stare at him. There was only a dozen or so inches of distance between them. It appears the topic of aura interested her now more than the fate marks.


    They talked more about the colours of auras and what each of them could define. Of course, there was no iron-d rule on the unspecific colours, but something strong, deep and sinister tended to have brighter colours, like red, but that didn''t necessarily mean it was bad always.


    Also, people who are great at controlling their emotions seem to have better control of their aura as well. One could simply hide their auras to y nice. It isn''t a perfect system, though it helped Wardon recognize good from the rotten in the lower ranks. It helped him a lot in sorting out the students.


    "Of all the people I have seen," Warden said, "I believe Elder Vess has the best control. While her new student Gene was like an open book¡ªa good-hearted and genuine person as he presented himself. I hope the Elder did not obliterate that through her teaching."


    "What do you see on my aura?" June asked, sounding curious.


    "You are weird," Warden said with a smile. "Sometimes I could not figure out anything. Yet, sometimes there is a halo of silver and gold around you that makes you feel dependable, self-independent, and prideful."


    "Why do I feel like you''re just saying nonsense?" June said.


    "It is not."


    June stared at him for a moment and noted he wasn''t just blindly praising her. "And if we talk about weird, you are the weirder one. I cannot see much of your aura, even though you act carefree and wear your emotions on your face most of the time."


    "It is probably my cloak. It has strong wards in them that protect from all kinds of things, like curses, divinations, mysticism, arcane, magic, and probably aura reading too," Warden exined with augh.


    "Is it still in effect when you are not wearing it?"


    "I guess it is legendary rank for a reason," Warden said, chuckling. "My roommate called the cloak a soul relic. Do you know what that''s about? Like, is it rted because it is bound to my soul?"


    As June knew of his condition, she exined it to him, not showing any bit of annoyance. Warden guessed her job as a professor made her resistant to that.


    "Soul relics are something left behind when a transcendent ranker dies," June said, giving him a suspicious look. "It''s naturally in the legendary rank and rted to some of dead transcendent ranker''s power. It is also seen as an inheritance of that fallen ranker''s power, as whoever gets that sole relic could cultivate that power to reach the transcendent rank.


    "At least that''s whatmon rankers believe. The truth is that a soul relic makes it more difficult for one to be a transcendent ranker, as the prior transcendent rankers live on in the relic. However, to those that are close to reaching the rank, it is a gift of heaven."


    Warden processed all the information into his memories and couldn''t help but ask, "My cloak''s description did not have any mention of a soul relic, though."


    June shrugged, unable to offer any reply to that. "I have never inspected the description of a soul relic to have a say in this matter."


    "Would you like to?" Warden asked.


    "I would like to study them at some time," June said. "But I feel the system inspection won''t give me any information with it being warded as you said."


    Warden thought for a second and nodded.


    "Also, it is better if you keep the knowledge of it being a soul relic or legendary-grade equipment to yourself. Don''t even show their unique powers if you can," she said.

 Chapter 99: Oathbound (2)

    "There are no more than a couple dozen or so of such items on the maind. Great wars had been fought with thousands of rankers dead whenever a sole relic appeared in the world," June said with a deep voice. "Even the Emperor managed to establish the Sivian empire because he had theplete inheritance of a soul relic set.


    Powerful people wouldn''t like seeing somemon-looking iron ranker having one of them."


    Well, I have two of them, Warden added mentally.


    June looked at him suspiciously and shook her head, probably guessing what he was thinking, which made her bring up the soul oaths again. "Are you prepared for it?"


    "Well, one question," Jaron asked. "I don''t have a ss. So what should I be taking the oath on?"


    "Just repeat after me," June said and took a deep breath. "I took an oath on my name and my soul, to never divulge any confidential information about Warden without his explicit permission."


    Warden repeated her words with his version and finally couldn''t help but ask, "Sensitive information is, I guess, open to each other''s interpretation?"


    "Yes," June said. "That''s why we need to be more clear about which information should be sensitive."


    "Well, I feel like my fatemarks and the gravity script and the other stuff I will be teaching you, will be somewhat sensitive," Warden said easily. "And the celestials part too."


    "You forget about the soul relic, which might be the biggest thing that would get you into trouble the fastest," June added.


    "And that." Warden nodded.


    "I won''t tell a soul about them," June said.


    Warden could feel the weight of the oath on his soul and her as he fixed her with an intense gaze. "That won''t do," he said.


    June frowned.


    "You know so many of my mysteries, almost figuring me out," Warden grumbled. "At least you''ve got to tell me one about yourself. It is only natural."


    June shook her head disapprovingly.


    "It doesn''t have to be anything noteworthy," Warden said, "but it would be great if you could share any embarrassing memories."


    "I''m not going to tell you about any of my embarrassing memories," June replied. "Because I don''t have them."


    "You''re lying," Warden said. "Everyone has embarrassing memories, and you''ve lived for so long."


    "I have not," June said through gritted teeth. "Fine. Let me see if there are any."


    It took her a couple of minutes toe up with something that might be somewhat embarrassing.


    "It happened when I was very young," June said. "My father took me¡ª"


    "Young? How many years were you then?" Warden interrupted.


    "I was about 20," June stated.


    Warden gave an incredulous look. "I guess you can call 20 young. Just cut out the ''very'' part."


    "Elves age differently," June exined for thest time and continued with her story. "So my father brought me into the Great Wilderness in the southernnds for me to bond with a spirit beast. Of course, he had everything prepared, and the ritual for the bonding would have gone without a hitch.


    Unfortunately, he thought it would be a great idea to leave me to meet a spirit beast with Godbeast Bloodlines alone."


    "What happened?"


    "I was to go alone to the Starfire crane''s nest to find Sylvie," the elf said. "Unfortunately, I found her mother, who was hundreds of timesrger than me, nestled with her eggs in her nest. She shrieked at the very sight of me, causing my heart to lurch inside my chest. And I fell backwards, thinking the bird would eat me alive." June sounded abnormally nostalgic recalling those memories.


    "Only when I burst into tears and called for my father did he arrive."


    "That was not embarrassing," Wardenmented. "So that''s how you found Sylvie?"


    "Sylvie was only an egg back then," June exined. "Her mother inspected me for more than a week and checked the match between us after Sylvie hatched to let me bond with her. Although the bloodlines have thinned out, she was, after all, a descendant of a godbeast, it was very hard to get her approval.


    "I guess it was all worth it, and I''m not just saying that because the bond with a beast of a primordial bloodline gave me fatemarks. Sylvie has been my best friend since the day I bonded with her."


    "That is a little lonely," Warden said with a smile. "Anyway, where is your best friend?"


    "She''s out hunting," June said.


    "I didn''t know bonding with a spirit beast could give one a fatemark," Warden added.


    "It depends on the pedigree of the spirit beast as well as the degree of the bond," June exined. "Not everyone can get a spirit beast with primordial bloodline, no matter how thin it was."


    "About cupcake," Warden cut in hesitantly. "Is she..."


    "It is not confirmed, but Cupcake is unique," June said. "I shouldn''t be saying this to you, but I guess you have already figured it out, even with your condition."


    "I knew that little bunny is notmon," Warden said. "Still, it is hard to guess with Cupcake looking so small and cute that she came from a god beast."


    "I didn''t know at the beginning as well," June admitted. "Like myself, it was her family who found Cupcake for her. I''m pretty sure they didn''t know it before, either. I believe Kiara would get one when she bonds with Cupcake, though she would have to wait sometime."


    "I wonder what power will she get from the fatemarks? Warden said. "Considering yours likely to be the Starfire and lightning, your mentee might be a glutton in no time."


    "Oh, you can consider me having a fatemark from Sylvia as a secret," June said with a radiant smile. "Only a few people know that."


    "Can I see it?" Warden asked immediately.


    "What? the fate mark?"


    Warden nodded.


    "Not... today," June said and changed the topic quickly to rune spells.


    _____________


    It has been dialogue-heavy chapters for a while... Some fight/battle will being up soon...

 Chapter 100: Runespell

    "Hey, why do you think others'' runes don''t work like spells like ours?" Warden asked, as June ended her training in elementary runes. "I think it''s because they don''t have a fatemark or a fate domain to draw power from."


    It probably wasn''t drawing raw power, but some special kind of connection that made it possible to have such results.


    "It could be," June said, though she wasn''t sure. "Or it could be because of our lineage. Those are the only things we have inmon or unique. Honestly, I have never seen anyone using runes like you did. But my experience of the world is not vast enough to conclude anything."


    "Think about it," Warden said, "considering the runese from the fatelocks, it seems highly likely to be the case."


    "It''s a fascinating topic, but we''d need more experiments and contemtion to conclude for sure," June noted. she was in a bright mood after sessfully learning the 4 elementary runes which seemed to be the foundation of runesmithing here.


    Honestly, Warden only needed to nudge her in the right direction after showing her the script formation, and she would get it on her own. She was brilliant like that. Her formidable mind power made it easier for her to grasp it than most people.


    Warden himself did not know how long it would have taken him to learn all this, but one thing was sure ¨C it hadn''t been as quick as her, considering his mental stats. He figured his willpower and indomitable spirit were letting him draw tier-four and tier-five shells. Without them, it was impossible with his impotent mental stat.


    On that note, June was the perfect candidate to learn the scripts.


    "You learned it quickly," Warden said. "Perhaps it''s because of the great teacher you have."


    June was in too bright a mood to disagree or retort. "I feel like I am getting more benefit from our cooperation," June said, wiping the sweat from her face.


    "Call it friendship. Cooperation makes it sound more like business."


    "So we''re friends now?" June didn''t feel bad about making friends, considering she didn''t have many, or any, if she excluded her colleagues and Sylvie.


    "On second thought, I do not think I can be your friend," Warden said with a sigh, looking into her eyes.


    June''s shoulders visibly sagged. "Why?"


    Warden raised his palms slowly to touch her cheek, nestling his hand in her bright silver hair. For a moment, June was too transfixed to even see what he was doing, but soon her face turned bright red as Warden drew his palm back.


    "Because I have something more in my mind," he said, standing up. "I guess this is enough for today. I''ll call you if I need anything, and you can do the same."


    Leaving her fixed in her spot, Warden left her quarters. Even after a couple of seconds of him leaving, June found her heart racing. She touched where his palms moved and felt the heat rising.


    June knew exactly what he meant but "something more", and somehow, she didn''t feel all that adverse about that idea. Even though they were...


    She sighed and didn''t want to think more about it, deciding to check on the tasks she had at hand.


    ***


    A week had passed since Warden joined the academy as abat instructor, and yet he still hadn''t managed to figure out the whole academic system. Even the various facilities and their location eluded him.


    The whole academy ground was no smaller than a cosmopolitan city, though the number of people staying was remarkably lower. Apparently, Various guild has their headquarters around the areas, as the location made it enticing to do so.


    Today, Warden had to get to June''s ss and the blind gods help him get there as he had no idea of the ce.


    "I don''t know why I can''t find a map of this ce," he muttered as he strolled out of his quarters. After hesitantly moving for a few minutes, he finally found a figure who might just know where he would have to get to, considering her destination should be the same.


    "Aurel," Warden called, finding the youngdy moving hastily garbed in her usual battle attire. She wears those even during ss hours, it appears.


    Hearing his call, she stopped haltingly and threw a distressing look in his direction. Her eyes showed displeasure, though she remained to hear him out.


    "Are you going to June''s ss, right?" Warden said. "Let''s get there together."


    "It''s Professor June," Aurel said. "Don''t act like that impudently in front of the students."


    With that, she crept away. Warden didn''t remain there, either, followed her, acting as if he knew the exact direction.


    "By the way, Jason is still looking for people to join our guild," Warden said hesitantly.


    Aurel didn''t even give a curious nce, but Warden found the colour of her aura changing into a deeper shade. "I don''t have time to y with him," she said.


    June was in charge of a third-year ss, though there were plenty of students joining from the 5th and 4th years with their education being iplete, though there might just be a few boys to invest in her beauty to tag along. Warden wouldn''t be surprised by that.


    The 6th year had already spent most of their time training on their own in preparation for their graduation exam, as well as the inter-academy tournament. It was only the rest that needed to be coddled.


    Obviously, June wasn''t going to give a lecture today. She had her two rmendedbat instructors who would take the ss in ce of her, but she still decided to remain in the sidelines to watch.


    "As you are all old students," June said to her ss, "I''ll not exin more and leave it all to thebat instructor."


    She moved a few paces away, as Warden was the first between the two to address the students.


    "Alright, ss," Wardens said in a loud voice, "let''s do something fun today. We have a little less than an hour. Does anyone have anything more to suggest?"


    ___________


    100 chapter, YEHHHH!


    Mini celebrations, a bonus chapterter tonight!

 Chapter 101: Easy

    The fun idea was, of course, turning out to be an hour-long sparring session between the students and thebat instructor.


    This batch of students was much more seasoned than the first years, they wouldst an hour of sparring. Hopefully.


    Among the students, Warden found a familiar face. Liam sat in one corner, his face twisting in surprise upon seeing him as he nodded at Warden. Unlike Kiara, who was probably on leave, this was the first time Liam was seeing him since they left the vige. And, of course, he was wondering how it all turned out like this.


    As everything was prepared, Warden said, "Only sparring might get a little boring after a while. How about this: If any of you manage tond a scratch on me, I will reward them with 100 credit points."


    Gossip broke out immediately in the ss as they heard him. One hundred credit points was quite a sum to give away, even for older students like them. Only a three-star and above mission would earn a simr amount of credits, and they were never easy.


    Needless to say, many of them were excited about the offer. After all, there were fair numbers of iron rankers among them. They had a fair chance of winning the points. Even if Warden had years on them, they could at least manage to scratch him once or twice, perhaps even more.


    Warden smiled, savouring the thought of seeing their disgruntled looks after the sparring session. Of course, he was not just doing it for fun. In about a week, he would take these boys and girls into dungeons. If they harboured any false belief of superiority that they knew better than abat instructor, they were bound to make a mistake.


    Mistakes in dungeons only led to tragedy on most times.


    His job was to ensure that did not happen, and what better ce to do it than in a spar in the virtual realm, where he could test them without any qualms?


    The upper ssroom had five virtual capsules installed directly in the room, and students were given free rein to use them for an hour. After that, they would have to use their credits, and it ain''t cheap. As far as Warden found, it was 20 credits and 50 credits, respectively, for copper and iron rankers for an hour in the virtual realm.


    Warden didn''t know the mechanics, but he was sure these credits gave the academy nothing other than the students seasoned through mock battles in the virtual realm.


    Warden was the first one to enter the virtual realm, and this time, he had his spear with him. Another student in an iron rank appeared in no time. Simrly, a spear in hand, his face twisted in an arrogant smirk, possibly thinking the 100 points would be his.


    "What is your name?" Warden asked the arrogant guy.


    "Stain," the student answered. "Albert Stain. Remember the name."


    "Not going to lie," Warden said as they took stances in the vast grasnd. "My memory is pretty weak. I can''t seem to remember forgettable faces and names."


    As the countdown went down to zero, Albert shot forth,


    "I will make sure to make it memorable for you," Albert said, his spear crackling with lightning as he danced into the air, hurling it towards Warden.


    Warden was surprised at first, but blocked the guy''s movement with the blunt end of the spear.


    Albert surged with more power, his yellow lightning bursting forth towards Warden, who decided it was the best time to end the match, as the lighting was quite formidable without his [Void Shroud] turned on.


    There would be many more chances for him to y with his spear, not to mention he needed to keep his stamina and energy in check, as there would be a lot of studentsing to get the 100 points from him.


    The spear beamed with void energy, emitting tendrils of ckened purple smoke. Since this was a virtual realm, he did not have to care about damaging loaned property. He surged void energy with wild abandon, reaching closer to the 10% capacity.


    He blocked another of Albert''s attacks, then drilled the spear into his head. The guy had absolute terror in his face when the spearhead dug into his face. He hadn''t seen iting, as the trajectory lookedpletely impossible.


    That was the dividing line between a novice and an experienced fighter.


    "I am not sure I will remember this," Warden muttered as the figure of Albert Stain disappeared from the grasnd.


    Next came a female mage, one in copper rank. But unlike Kiara, she was an ice-power wielder. Warden could see she had already drawn energy before the match had started and was constructing her spells.


    Warden chuckled. This was a little cute. He let the girl construct all the spells she could, as it would be more fun crashing all of them into her face.


    As the match began, she shot five ice spears towards Warden, one after another. The positions were directed so perfectly that he wouldn''t be unable to destroy all of them or dodge from all of them.


    Warden had something different in his mind. He ruined two of the ice spears by swinging his spear. When the next two were about to crush him, he enabled the void shroud for a millisecond to defend against the ice constructs. For thest one, he caught it in mid-air, twisted his body, and threw it in the girl''s direction.


    Honestly, the girl would have liked to surrender if her n did not work. However, before she could do so, the spear drilled into her chest, and she squeaked in pain, dying in the virtual realm. Shested just about as much as Albert Stain, and Warden did not even know her name.


    The next couple of matches went on like that, and finally, Liam came out with a bow and arrows. Of course, he hade prepared. Soon the outfield changed into a thick forest with towering trees to hide himself.


    "You didn''t mention he couldn''t change the outfield," Liam said.

 Chapter 102: Four Against One

    "Nobody mentioned, I could not change the outfield."


    "Good thinking," Warden approved.


    As the countdown began, Liam was already on the move, zigzagging through the trees. Warden did not move but kept his eyes on the guy. Although Liam was copper-ranked, Liam had a good chance of putting a scratch on him if Warden didn''t use the Void shroud for the entirety of the match.


    As soon as the match started, Liam shot arrows at Warden, who did not stand his ground to make it easier for the boy. Warden was on the move as well. His figure blurred through the trees as the first arrow missed him by feet. Liam was moving in the obscurity of the trees as well, as his location was very apparent with the arrow''s trajectory.


    He knew Liam''s attunement of energy was like kic power, which could be used for empowerment, so he couldn''t gamble on blocking the arrows with his spear. They were faster than what a regr copper ranker could master.


    Thankfully, as much as the thick forest favoured Liam for hiding, it took away the chances of straight aiming as well. Warden himself could hide in the forest to make it difficult for Liam.


    "I see why you chose this outfield," Warden said. Liam honestly had no chance of getting a scratch on Warden if it were the regr grass field, however, this forest gave him an edge, a slight chance to continue longer in the contest. Perhaps an opportunity would reveal itself in dew time and his arrow would find purchase.


    Soon, the fight became a contest of patience, as both of them were ready to y the long game.


    The impasse, however, didn''tst for long as Liam ran out of arrows to shoot. And in closebat, he was no match for Warden.


    "I admit defeat," he said when Warden finally found him up in a tree.


    As Liam ejected from the virtual world, Warden decided to make it even more entertaining.


    "This is not that much fun anymore," Warden said. "You guys cane in numbers now. You know what, I''ll do you one better. If you can manage to survive for a quarter of an hour, I''ll consider it as your win."


    Although Liam admitted defeat, he wasted about ten minutes, meaning the remaining time wasn''t nearly enough for Warden to spar with the rest of the students.


    Now, 4 against 1, it was a little challenging, considering it would be Warden''s defeat if he got a scratch.


    Thus, the next match started after a couple of minutes as the students joined after making abat strategy for their fight beforeing. There were five virtual capsules, so there could only be four against him, as he was using one. Of course that was considering Aurel wasn''t fighting another student in the meantime.


    Warden only found the silhouettes of two students materialising as the forest shifted to nighttime. Both of the students were someone, Warden already faced, a young girl with a sword and Albert Stain with his lightning spear.


    "This time it won''t be easy, like the other," Albert Stain said with a coldugh.


    "Who are you again?" Warden said it with a smirk, even though he remembered the face and the name.


    Of course, Warden was not stupid enough to assume there were only two of them. With the nighttime in the forest, it would be easier to hide whoever other students had joined with the two.


    As soon as the match began, the two of them, the swordsman and the spearman, bolted at him. Warden weed them, bursting with Void Energy. He would end them as quickly as thest time.


    Unfortunately, it seemed they were not that foolish to fight him directly even when two against one. Albert Stain and the sword girl did note at him, instead, they changed their direction to left and right and ran.


    "So you wanted to win through the time limits, huh?" Wardenughed. "Unfortunately for you, a quarter of an hour is quite long."


    Warden ran after Albert Stain first, as his lightning powers were quite destructive, although itcked somewhat in direction and concentrationpared to June''s. He was about to catch up to Albert Stain when a huge ice spear hurtled towards him from behind.


    Warden lurched away from the space, the ice spear missing him only by a couple of feet. He got his third opponent. Now, for thest one.


    The ice mage continued to shoot ice projectiles, this time in smaller shapes. Warden was sure they would never be able to cause wounds with his defence and recovery, but he awoke [Void Shroud] to defend them all as he changed direction to run after her.


    The swordsman appeared before the ice mage just as Warden was about to get to her, hurling her sword towards his shoulders. Warden blocked easily, his mind ringing in rm, sensing a terrible charge of energy from above.


    They decided to pit all against him simultaneously to break through his defences.


    Warden heard lightning crackling and immediately covered his back with a thicker shroud to defend himself. Albert Stain was an iron ranker, and his power was nothing to scoff at if he could put all of it into it.


    All the lightning hurled into the Shroud, making it quiver in the maddening power of lightning. But Warden''s defence held as he twisted his spear skilfully to pierce into the side of the neck of the sword girl. She was also an iron ranker, and it wasn''t enough to kill her.


    Wounded, the sword girl gambled on in ast try, forcing out all her energy through her sword and piercing into the weakened void shroud. The sword bit through the force field quicker than Warden had assumed, but it wasn''t quick enough to deal a blow to him.


    Then the fourth student yed his part as an arrow flew out of nowhere to strike the force field where it was the weakest.

 Chapter 103: Villian Monologue

    Warden was just about to end the sword girl''s participation when an arrow pierced through the hole the lighting created. His lips twisted into a cold smile. The arrow gutted into his force field, almost making it into his body if he did not move out of the way.


    Of course, they have an archer on their side. Thankfully, Warden had been prepared for it.


    Lightning still burst from behind, as Warden leapt to his feet, leaving the sword girl to her take care of the mage, who was the weakest in close range. In her panic, she shot ice spears, one after another, whatever she could muster, but it was all in vain.


    Warden broke through her flimsy ward and gutted the spear into her heart. She disappeared from the virtual realm with a scream, and although it was not the pain of death, it was quite agonizing.


    As the arrows and lightning kept oning, Warden had to pour more power into the force field to keep it intact against the simultaneous onught.


    Their attack so far had taken away a third of his energy, but Warden didn''t need to enable the Mystic Ward, which let him absorb power from the attacks to sustain his defence. The students were already in a weakened state for him to expect anything more from them.


    Warden turned and found Albert Stain and the sword girl had already run away from his view, while the archer made it easier for them to withdraw.


    The familiar energy in the arrows told it was none other than Liam, and this time, he was using more of his power, probably pulling more than necessary. It would have injured him if it was done in the outside world, but thankfully, this is the virtual realm. They could do anything in it and only have to deal with the pain. The consequences were tens of times lower.


    Liam was quick on the move as well, only a little slower than Albert Stain, who was mostly drained from deploying all the lightning. But Liam''s archer ss came with a stealth ability that let him use obscurity to hide himself. With the darkness in the fold, it would be difficult to find him with the two other iron rankers on his trail.


    So, Warden went after Albert Stain as he left quite a trail for Warden to follow. They already found it impossible to break through Warden''s defences for another time. They had almost managed it with the four of them working together, but with most of their firepower gone, it was a fool''s dream. The only way they could win was through enduring until the quarter of an hour.


    Warden must admit it was almost impossible for them. He easily sensed Albert Stain''s energy trail and ended him by shooting his spear from a few dozen meters away.


    The sword girl was better at control since she had less energy. She did not leave much of a trail forward to follow, but she was already injured. Without health potions or a recovery or regeneration ability, she would die within a few minutes. This left Warden only to find Liam, who had already managed to stay alive for 10 minutes thest time.


    He wasn''t even shooting arrows anymore,pletely satisfied with staying hidden in the area.


    Warden knew it would be a bother when he gave them the time limit.


    Warden searched through the thick forest, jumping from one tree to another. Liam was only a copper ranker, eighteen or neen years old, and had only trained for like three or four years. He couldn''t be that good at hiding. Could he?


    In about a couple of minutes, Warden found a figure in the shadows of a tree. Unfortunately, it was the girl. Warden sighed and eliminated her.


    A few minutes were remaining, and Warden feared Liam might just seed in hiding for the remainder of the time.


    So he decided to trash talk. Of course, he couldn''t just berate a student, a junior of his for others to see, so he decided to tell a story... About what happened to the vige after they left. He stopped narrating when the bandits came... hoping Liam would give away some of his aura after getting distressed.


    But that did not happen. Liam remained hidden as the quarter of an hour passed.


    "Looks like it is your win," Warden said as he came out of the capsule. "As a joint endeavour, I''ll divide 25 points for you each."


    Warden was ready for them to burst intoint, but all he found was a smile on their lips. Even June was smiling looking at him. Finally, Aurel burst intoughter, causing more of the students tough at him as well.


    Warden tilted his head and turned to meet June''s eyes, as if asking if he had missed some joke or something.


    Then finally, it came to him. "You were never there, were you?" Warden said, raising an using finger towards Liam.


    "I left after you eliminated Audrey," Liam acknowledged.


    "So I was telling all that story to ghosts?" Warden grumbled.


    "So, what happened to the vige?" Liam couldn''t help but ask. "You''re here so I''m assuming everything went well?"


    Warden noticed the quiver in his voice. "No, the bandits sacked the vige and even imprisoned me," he said. "It was until June... I mean, Professor June came along and freed me from them."


    Liam''s face soured for a moment, but then he shook his head. The very idea felt absurd. "There is no way you''d lose to some random bandits after what you showed here."


    "They are fine," Warden said with a sigh. "So whose bright idea is that? I can tell you''re not disrespectful enough toe up with it.


    "Mine," Aurel said, still with a glimmer of augh on her lips. "The idea was for me to enter and give the students a hand, but you went on and on like a viin monologuing. It was just funny to watch and so we decided to keep you at it."

 Chapter 104: Another Weapon to his Arsenal

    At the end of the ss, nobody managed to win the hundred credits, much to the students'' disgruntlement. Obviously, the warden went a bit extra hard after they made fun of him. He was a little vicious, like that.


    "Was it really like a viin monologue?" Warden asked June at the end of the ss after all the students had dispersed from the ssroom.


    June only smiled as a reply.


    "Professor," Aurel called in a tone as though she was asking for June''s approval, "what did you think of the ss today?"


    "You two dealt with the students as good as I hoped," June said. "Although I would have liked the students winning in the challenge once or twice."


    "It is only natural the student won''t be able to do anything to him if he was like a walking fortress," Aurel snorted. She too fought Warden at the end, and the result only brought a deep sense of frustration in her.


    "I might have gone a little harder than it was necessary," Warden admitted.


    "A little?" Aurel clicked her tongue in distaste and turned to the elf. "By the way, Professor, do you have some ns at this moment?"


    "Yes," June said and gestured to Warden. "We have something nned for the remainder of today."


    Warden lifted an eyebrow, unsure when they had nned something together, though he wasn''tining.


    Aurel seemed somewhat peeved, hearing that. She bowed her head and disappeared, leaving the two of them there.


    "So what have you nned?" Warden asked, smiling.


    "I told you to be more secretive in using your Legendary grade equipment," June said with a sigh. "Did you forget about our talk about Soul Relic already?"


    "I didn''t," Warden said. "And I didn''t use [Void Shroud] all that much either. Besides, these are just students, they can''t recognise shit from gold."


    June clearly had a look of displeasure written on her face as she just stared at him in thought.


    "Sorry," Warden said. "I did make it look like a ward though, a very powerful one at that."


    "I guess the students did not think much of it," June said. "Anyway, let''s go. You''d need another weapon in your arsenal to not use [Void Shroud] all the time."


    On the way, Warden asked where she was taking him, but she only answered by saying he''d know once he gets there. Unsatisfied and bored with all the walks, he asked different questions.


    At the end of the ss, he could not help but wonder: how difficult was it to cultivate all the attributes? The students had an average of three or four years of their awakening, but many of them had been cultivating with sword, spear and other weapons and even thier bodies since childhood. They seemed well enough in thetter, but their attributes seemed low for the years they had been awakened.


    Their Three years seemed like a lot of time to be in the rank of copper.


    Questioning June, he received a brief answer to that question. Although gaining essence from ying wights was an easy thing, it was a lot harder to digest the essence and integrate it into your body.


    "Strength is the easiest attribute to cultivate," she said, "even still, it takes a genius a week to integrate one point into themselves. The numbers became even harder with the other attributes, Spirit being the highest to cultivate.


    "Although the ss boosted the speed of the digestion process, it naturally slowed down as one reached the saturation point of the ss."


    For three years the peak of copper, or early iron was a good enough indication of a potential genius.


    Warden couldn''t help but wonder, why it was so easy for him. And he did not even have a ss. Perhaps it was because he was regaining his strength instead of cultivating it? Perhaps his fate lock was helping somehow.


    As if guess what he was wondering, June continued as they walked out towards a training facility: "The Fatemarks do help I believe. Although it wasn''t mentioned through system prompt, I found it twice as easier to cultivate Spirit after I received my Fatemark."


    "What about the other attributes?"


    "Not as fast as Spirit, but there is an increase," June said. "Considering your origin, it will not be wrong to say that you have some boost in cultivating all your attributes, especially recovery."


    "I barely gain anything in a recovery," he said. But then again, it is the only attribute in three digits.


    It appeared they have arrived at the secret training facility, which was out in the open after they entered through variousyers and types of Ward. It looked like another Warp gate, though this one was more ancient-looking.


    "You seem to be only a couple of steps away from awakening Spear Intent," June said. "I''m taking you somewhere that would help in that regard."


    "There is something like that?" Warden eyes shone in delight.


    Although he could manifest bits of the intent ever so often when he really gets into a fight, it was never conclusive. The most probable reason he came up with was that the void energy took over the budding intent, devouring it to nonexistence. The Void has an intent of it as well, it is mostly destructive and devouring.


    "It will be difficult, though," June said, "there are chances of getting heavily injured and even death."


    Warden was mostly unfazed. "That seems to be the path of the rankers."


    An old man with grey whiskers sat amidst various books and paraphernalia in a corner of the warp gate. He was probably the caretaker of this facility.


    "You have experienced the virtual realm, but inside, it''s different altogether," June exined.


    "How much does it cost?" Warden asked.


    "A day costs 1000 credits, irrespective of rank," June said, causing him to let out a groan. "Naturally, your expenses for healing potions would be higher than the thousand credits."


    "I guess it is goodbye to all my credits then."

 Chapter 105: Phantom Accursed Valley

    A thousand credits for a day seemed astronomically expensive for anymonbat instructor, whose entire monthly remuneration would only allow them to stay for two days. It seemed.


    "It is more than fair," June said. "You''d know why once you get there."


    Trusting her words, Warden didn''t hesitate to pay up, but when he was about to, June halted him.


    "No need. Considering you have limited credits," she said, "I''ll y for this time."


    "Well, I have most of my credits," he argued, unprepared to let her pay. "And it''s not like it would take me that long to go get the credits."


    A few runesmithing sses would keep his pocket flowing with credits, after all.


    "You have already instructed me personally more than once in runes," June said. "It''s the least I can do for you. Besides, I have a lot of leftover credits which I hadn''t used for thest two months."


    "Phantom ursed Valley," June instructed, handing over her badge to the old man to pay the bills.


    Done with the payment, they entered the warpgate. The arrays of formation lit up immediately, As they stood closer. Soon before Warden could even check his surroundings, he found himself in a new location with dimming light and rocky terrain. It was a world much more like a virtual one, but far more real. There was a distinction to it.


    Warden found goosebumps crawling up his skin as he appeared in the darkenednd.


    He could easily tell the difference between Virtual Realm and the real world, but this ce gives a different vibe altogether. It was like inside a dungeon, yet all the bnce of elements and affinity wasn''t tipping wrong.


    "Wee to the spirit realm," June said with a smile. "The high ridge ahead is the Phantom ursed Valley, your training ground."


    The very air of the atmosphere was fuzzy and condensed with a deep aura of death and malevolence, emanating out from the valley ahead. As they entered, the malevolent air rose to another level, causing his energy to twist inside in a slow surge.


    June handed him a dozen of vials of potions. "The blue ones are for healing," she said as they came into the ckened valley. "Red if you get hungry."


    Warden opened his subspace and stored them all to question: "You''re giving me all these as if it will take me--"


    "Prepare yourself," June said immediately. "It''s rather dangerous here, not to mention you''re in your physical form."


    "What?" Warden asked though he did not need to hear her, feeling the malevolent air burning with malevolence. It gnawed at his heart as he found ghostly figures drifting about.


    Their presence seemed to be unwee here, as the very sight of them, those ghostly figures shot at them. manifesting various types of weapons like des, spears, axes and hammers. They came in swiftly, flying through the air to attack them, exuding a mixture of violence and evil intent.


    "Echoes of the dead," June said, forming wards around her to defend. "Although most people call them evil spirits. The speciality of these two is that many of them were high rankers in their prime and had enlightened with their Intent, which still remained in this form."


    Warden was already engaged in fighting with the echoes. His spear swung at their vicious attacks. Although they looked semi-corporeal and ghostly, with their will and intent they felt solid and real to them. It was definitely not the most frightening thing Warden faced, but without using his void energy, it would be difficult to im victory against them.


    "They are ancient warriors," June said, "even before the times of the system. Before mastery over their restible weapon took residence over the attributes which are so easier to umte now."


    "How did they turn out like this?" Warden croaked, as a de with a sharp sword intent dug towards his sr plexus. he enabled Void Shroud just in time to restrict its path and swung his spear through the ghostly echo. Of course, it wasn''t so easy to kill them, but the void energy in his spear did weaken them.


    "Some unique circumstances in their time had them turn into malevolent spirits, but the echoes of their intent, their remnants of their soul and Will remain in this form."


    "So, you want me to learn from them?" Warden asked even though it wasn''t a time for questioning. There were eight echoes: three with spears, four with swords, and one with an axe. All of them had an intent of their own, some strong, some weak, but all malevolent as if it was Warden who killed them and turned them into maddening ghosts.


    Somehow, they seemed to be avoiding June. After a couple of attempts at destorying her wards, none of the echoes even got closer to her.


    "Naturally," June said, "only through enduring a weapon intent will you manifest your own. Just do not be hell-bent on defeating them; instead, try to observe and learn from them. I''ll be going now, I''lle to check in now and then."


    Void energy seemed to be the bane of most things, and even these ghosts were no different, though they were more difficult than a physical individual. Without void energy, it would be tremendously difficult for him to fend off all their advances.


    "Oh, I forgot to add, the time is dted here," June said as transportation runes manifested under her feet. "It''s more or less 12 days here,pared to one day outside. So you''ll have sufficient training time."


    With that, her figure vanished from the darkened valley as the eerie figures of the echoes surrounded Warden from all directions.


    "Time dtion," Warden muttered. He would have thought it was cool if he wasn''t so pressed under the threat of their intent at this moment. "Fine let''s get this over with."


    Warden released all his defence and his hold of void energy. He focusedpletely on the spear in hand and shot at the ghosts.

 Chapter 106: Spear Intent

    There was no daytime or nighttime in the Phantom ursed Valley. It was always the dimming light that sometimes brimmed a little brighter or darkened into intangible darkness.


    With the amount of time Warden fought with the images, he forgot how long he had been here. He had already drunk a healing potion even with his high recovery attribute to help with all the wounds he received.


    Thankfully, there were ces for him to hide and contemte over his gains from the fight. His predecessors who came to train their intent have left many a ce to rest up.


    Throughout the fights, Warden had managed to manifest bits of his intent on more than two asions as he put his spearmanship on the line without using void energy.


    The echoes were a mysterious, unique existence. Although Warden managed to defeat them, as they disappeared in time, thinning out in their mellow ghostly forms, he was sure they would manifest again in due time. Perhaps it would take months or even years, but they surely would appear again. The valley itself was ursed. He guessed how it got the name of it.


    The batches of malevolent spirits were only the lowest of what the valley had to offer, yet they put him under terrible stress with dozens of cuts into his body. Only with his regeneration ability and the potion did he manage to endure the fight for hours.


    But it was still not enough. He needs to test his spear more and put himself under a lot of stress so that he would have no other option other than a breakthrough. Thankfully, he knew exactly what he needed to do.


    As he came out of his meditation, he found June''s figure standing a few paces away with a contemtive look in her eyes.


    "How long has it been?" Warden asked.


    "It has been about three hours for me," June said. "So about a day and a half for you. You seem to be enduring well."


    Wardenid out a sigh and nodded.


    "Although the potion would have kept you fed for the time," June said as she brought out her dimension cube, "I prepared some food for you."


    She brought out half a dozen lunch boxes as she was familiar with his ravenous hunger. Not to mention the exhaustive state he would be in, he would need various essence-heavy diets for the days.


    Warden opened a lunch box and a delightful expression appeared across his face as the tantalizing aroma entered his nostrils. They looked mouthwatering.


    "I hope they willst you a couple of days," June said.


    Warden did not waste a moment to devour the food. He gobbled them quickly, chewing through them like a ravenous animal.


    June watched him finish from the sidelines for a moment and then disappear from the spirit realm.


    "Thanks, June," Warden said, but his words went unheard as her figure had already disappeared.


    With his stomach filled with food, it was about time he ventured deeper into the valley to fight against more formidable intent. Warden decided not to betray the trust she had put in him. He decided he would manifest his intent before the next time she came.


    Of course, before that, he needed to take care of his articles. Warden immediately stripped down his legendary articles and shoved them inside along with his meals.


    The two legendary pieces of equipment helped a lot in his defence. When Warden could not endure it anymore, they stood as the wall between the evil spirits to protect him. He hated to admit it, but those moments came more asionally than he had even imagined whenever there were more than a few evil spirits.


    However, having those two legendary articles left him with a lot of leeway. He was unable to really test himself against the true intents of ancient warriors. Even in their remnant forms, their will and intent twisted into evil power, they showed mastery over the weapons Warden had seen very rarely.


    A spear advances through obstacles. Warden needed to put himself under the obstacles ande out without breaking.


    The echoes deeper into the valley had unique intent in them through they were less in numbers. They had somehow managed to incorporate something else into their intent, like ughter, nightmares, blood, yin ice, anything negative.


    Warden moved through stealthily even though he did not find any ghost nearby. To be honest, they appear out of nowhere, Warden wouldn''t like to test his regenerative powers getting callous.


    Finally, he came across two echos of powerful intent who were shing with one another. But as Warden appeared in the vicinity they joined hands to fight him. Unfortunately for Warden, both of them were swordsmen. Although all intent follows simr criteria to manifest, he would have liked to face some ancient spear master with horrific intent.


    Warden fought them for a few minutes as cuts began to appear on his body, his fine tunic tearing up easily. Of course, the echoes had weakened as well in the fight, as Warden was getting more and more confident in manifesting his intent.


    Then it appeared. Before this, all echos only passed like wind, but this one crackled like in low-pitch screech


    It was huge and could be called the boss among the bunch, standing over 10 meters tall, holding a simrlyrge spear in its hands. Its form is more materialistic than most other echoes as well, as it screeched in his direction.


    Warden felt a chill in his spine, but he did not back down. Wasn''t this exactly what he was looking for? Why would he run out from it?


    Since he would be fighting this one alone, he could put all his attention into it. The boss''s echo shot at him, brimming with intent which incorporated with icy energy.


    Without his void energy, Warden wasn''t sure how long he wouldst against such an adversary. Within a couple of minutes, he was under the siege of the terrible icy intent of the spear. The remnants spear style was almost most intact in this form and not just some mumbo-jumbo chaotic moves.


    This echo knew how to block.

 Chapter 107: Junes Food Delivery Service

    Day 5


    It was evening in the outside world, and June had prepared another round of meals for Warden. When she got to the spirit world warp gate, the elderly man was still there, reading the old leather-bound books in peace.


    As she appeared before him, the man lifted his eyes from the book. "He is still inside," the man said. "It''s already the fifth day. Do you think is it wise to leave an iron ranker in there alone?"


    "Well," June chose her words wisely, "he is special."


    "I hope so," the old man said with a crooked tongue. "You didn''t tell him that even to a silver rank, the valley is daunting. As for the restricted area... well, the less can be said about it, the better."


    June simply smiled and entered.


    She again found herself in the Phantom ursed Valley, inside a lone cave where only leftovers such as lunch boxes and rugged clothes remained. But Warden''s figure wasn''t there like thest time. June extended her awareness outward to find his figure.


    This ce made it harder to use her psychic abilities. But sensing the intents shing in the northernnd, it was easier to find Warden.


    After putting a veil on herself, she ventured out in the direction. She received hints of an intense Intent nearby. After walking for a few minutes, June found Warden fighting a lone, monstrous echo. Moreover, he was fighting without his legendary armour and cloak. With only the spear in hand, he was contesting against the 10-foot-tall monstrosity in a pure contest of spearmanship.


    No matter what move he made, the echo had an answer for it. If Warden feinted, the echo would move in its ghostly form to block. Yeah, block. It was the first time she found an echo blocking instead of just attacking. If Warden were in a defensive move, it would be more ferocious, causing him only to step backwards more.


    So far, it was probably the toughest opponent Warden had faced.


    And it was finally showing what Wardencked to take the one final step.


    The atmosphere was icy and chilling, and the wounds in his body weren''t making it any easier. Covered in blood and hundreds of cuts, without the legendary equipment, he was no match for this. Yet, he persisted with all his willpower and regeneration abilities.


    June was in awe at the disy.


    To her surprise, he had already manifested the spear intent and was still learning, trying to extract more from his opponent. At each moment, their figures blurred with multiple arcs of spear movements. June found their spearmanship simr, though Warden was unable to move like a ghost with the echo''s unique form.


    The battle frenzy came quick as Warden hadn''t realized he was moving instinctively. His spear moved with the flow, cutting through the tangible darkness towards the opponent''s spear. Bits of Intent washed over the weapon, as Warden slowly tried to incorporate them, ignoring the wounds he was taking in this form.


    The echo was relentless, fearless, aplete manifestation of maddening spear intent. A twisting grin revealed on Warden''s lips. He was getting the full fun out of it, finally glimpsing this destination.


    The echo''s spear collided with him just right as Warden focused on not simply learning the intent, but devouring the technique the echo was using.


    Then for one instance of a moment, everything came together, his spear vibrated in the air with unequalled power, as it ssed against the ghost spearman. A thunderous roar of intent echoed instantly, followed by a silence.


    A sigh escaped his lips as he finally got what he wanted, although it was only the beginning. Unfortunately, he could not endure it any longer for now. His legs were unable to move again, his body exhausted beyond measure. Although he was full of spirit energy¡ªas he had not used it much during the fight or until now¡ªhe had no mental fortitude to continue it any longer.


    Without wasting much time, Warden drew his void energy into the spear. As he had imagined, the void energy fought with his spear intent, finally reaching 10% capacity of the void energy over the spear intent as he attacked the ghost Spearmaster.


    Warden could destroy the boss echo with his void energy if he wanted, but he could still receive more from it. So he only drilled the spear once through its chest to weaken its state and fled from the spot to incorporate his gains again.


    June watched it all with her veil on as the bloodied man withdrew back to the cavern again.


    As far as training went, Warden had been thoroughly productive. Not to mention the results were something unheard of. He downed a healing potion immediately and sat cross-legged to meditate on his gains as well as to rest.


    With Warden fully engrossed in his training, she thought her presence would only distract him from what was important. Thus, she brought out her dimension cube and left a few boxes of a meal near where he sat. She was sure he hadn''t noticed anything, being fully engrossed in the meditation.


    June thought about leaving a message, then found it was unnecessary. Warden wasn''t a boy who needed to be pampered for hardship. Although he did not look like it most times when he stayed idle, now in his fight, he had shown exactly what tenacity really was.


    Day 7


    [Intent Mastery: 8%]


    "Still not enough," Warden muttered. He drew in tendrils of his void energy and imbued them into the spear, trying to incorporate the intent and the energy into one. Unfortunately, he hadn''t found the enlightenment in that yet.


    Letting out a sigh, he swung the spear and dispersed the ghostly figure, sending it far away as it did note back after weakening. Warden wiped his face off the blood. There were countless cut marks on him, though the wounds had already closed. Only then did he notice the lunch boxes nearby and look around for June.


    Obviously, in his exhausted state, he was unable to catch even a hint of her presence, even though she stood just a couple of paces away from the meals.


    "Thanks, June," he mumbled as he came closer to collect the food.


    June''s lips crooked in a smile as she flew out of there.

 Chapter 108: Soul scar

    Day 8


    The next time she appeared, she found Warden meditating with a thousand cuts in his body, yet his back was straight like a spear, intent, invisible and sharp, flying around his being. With a thought, he could cut someone with the Intent now.


    Warden had finally realized himself as a True Spearmaster.


    June decided not to distract him again and left, leaving the meals. Considering he probably had no more potions, she left a dozen more of them near the box as well.


    Day 9


    June again found him fighting. His Intent was more condensed now, though he struggled to incorporate them with his void energy. He let out a groan in frustration, ending the five echoes he was fighting a moment ago in quick session.


    "Just almost there," he mumbled. His clothes were already tattered, his upper bodypletely bare-chested with marks of wounds. "And then looks like I have to repair the spear again."


    About to sit down right there to work on restoring the shell of the spear, he found his meals appearing magically like the other times.


    "June," he mumbled, though he did not look anywhere to find her. "I knew she was a keeper."


    A tinge of redness appeared on June''s cheek as she heard him, finding him looking like a silly fellow. She disappeared again.


    Day 10


    "29% now," Warden rasped, downing a healing portion along with the substitute food potion. He has finished all the food she had left for him. It seems June was somewhatte this time, mostly because she was preparing more food after noting his needs.


    Of course, she could have hired someone to make the food or even bought it from some restaurants, but she had been mostly free and decided to put her culinary abilities to the test. She does feel good about feeding him, which was one of the biggest factors.


    June was finally understanding what Warden meant when he said about liking to feed others.


    After finishing the potions, Warden draped in his legendary pieces of equipment, as it seemed his masochist training regimen finally came to an end. She hoped.


    With his intent covering the spear, Warden flew deeper into Valley, looking for new ways to sharpen his intent. He almost reached the periphery of the restricted area, thankfully, June didn''t have to remind him of what was important here. He seemed to have already found a direction where he could fight against the scariest of ghost warriors.


    Warren began to fight through the encirclement of the echo of the dead. June watched for a few minutes and departed, leaving all the food she cooked behind.


    Day 11, 6 hours before the timeout.


    For thest meal, June decided to make something special. Considering Warden''s condition, he would need a lot of spirit-invested, nutritious food for the next few days for his body toe back to normalcy.


    Thus, she had ordered the meat of a gold-rank savage boar and cooked it with various highly spiritual herbs and natural spices. She had to push her control of energy to the limit to cook it to the fullest, even with a couple of helpers she hired. It had taken over two hours of intense work, and by the end of it, June had a newfound appreciation for all the chefs and kitchen workers.


    Although it was difficult, it would all be worth it.


    Warden was fighting again when June appeared in the ckened valley. This time again with a singr foe, over a dozen feet long, with its figure brimming with death energy. More importantly, he was in his rock-tattered clothing again, storing away his legendary artifacts.


    Possibly, he might have put on a tunic, but too little of it remained for her to question. Thankfully, he was not getting that many wounds, like thest time she had seen him.


    In the meantime when he wore his cloak and armour, most of his wounds had healed, leaving behind only faint marks, other than the deep lines of old scars, which even his regeneration power was unable to heal.


    June observed Warden''s battle against the demonic echo, which nearly matched the prowess of a peak Iron Ranker. Her eyes followed the deep scar that went from his upper body to deep below his waist like a dividing line. The scar wasn''t a straight one, so likely it wasn''t from a weapon like a sword or spear.


    The other time she was here, Warden had been drenched in so much blood and wounds that June couldn''t discern the terrifying scar. However, she made no mistake in recognising it this time. If a scar couldn''t be healed through regeneration power, that could only mean one thing: Soul Trauma.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t the only one on his body. Apart from small tear marks that would heal over time, there were two symmetric scars on his back. They resembled more wounds inflicted with a de than the result of spiritual trauma, though they still left marks on his soul.


    What kind of life must he have lived to bear such soul scars? Low-rankers didn''t live through the experience to bear soul scars. It consumes them in no time, leading to death. Perhaps there are still many mysteries left to unfold, mysteries even he may not be aware of.


    Once again, Warden attempted to reinforce a connection between his void energy and his intent. June could detect their sh. The void energy was too dominating against the newly awakened intent, although she couldn''t deny it hardly resembled a recently awakened intent.


    As Warden had mentioned before, he was likely relearning the same steps. The steps came more effortlessly to him than anyone she had seen. For instance, it takes a decade for a genius swordsman to awaken their intent, but Warden achieved it in a few days after acquiring his spear.


    There was no way that was possible unless he had cultivated it before, but those powers were ripped away from his being. That could possibly be the reason behind those soul scars.

 Chapter 109: Meal

    It appeared not only had his spear mastery and intent improved, but even his steps and movements became more direct and faster. He moved closer, like a ghost, although hecked their ethereal constitution to fully implement such movements. That was why he took a more direct route, prioritising speed as his most necessary element.


    He matched the echo''s speed, his movements and spear operating in their own in perfect synergy. With thebination of battle lust and frenzy, he drove the monstrous echo to the back foot.


    And finally, June witnessed something odd. The malevolent spirituality of the surroundings churned around Warden just as they did around the ghostly echo. She did not know if he realized it or if he was still fighting on instinct, but the more he fought, the more the malevolent energy swirled around him, being absorbed into his body.


    This might create a block in his path of advancement, June thought. She was ready to stop him from doing whatever he was doing when something even more peculiar happened.


    Warden''s fear spear swiftly flung into the echo, driving it into the ground as he stood atop it. Somehow, the echo couldn''t respond as void energy surged through the spear. The echo''s form began to convulse around the spear. The intent and the void energy worked together and devoured the malevolent energy from the echo.


    June was dumbstruck as she saw him doing as he pleased, driving the spear further to devour more of its malevolent nature. He seemed to have finallye back to reality as the wild battle frenzy calmed around him, his eyes returning to normal. Almost.


    "Warden," June called. It did not seem like he heard her, so she called again, moving forward. "What in¡ª?"


    Warden lunged up from his stance, swinging his spear in her direction. It drove towards her neck, but just at the very glimpse of her, his spear stopped a few inches away from her neck, though the air ruffled her hair, her eyes wide in rm. The attack carried the malevolent nature of the valley, as well as a hint of his intent and void energy.


    "June," he mumbled and rested his spear. Then he fell on his back.


    Warden hadn''t gone unconscious, though he felt a terrible pull of exhaustion from all the fighting and the strain he put himself under. He did find a way to reinforce his energy and intent together, but it had taken almost everything out of him.


    "So, you are not going to y ghost this time?" he asked with a thin smile on his lips. "How many days has it been?"


    June came down and sat next to him, casting a ward around them so that evil spirits wandering about wouldn''t find them. "Only a few hours remaining."


    "Ah," Warden groaned audibly. "Let me just rest for the remainder of the time."


    With that, he closed his eyes and slept.


    ***


    Warden awoke a few hourster, and June was still there. She had arranged food over a table, which she carved through on the stone. A delectable fragrance came out of the meal, enough for Warden''s mouth to water in hunger.


    He found himselfid with his body mostly clean of all the dirt and blood he had stained it with, covered by a thin nket.


    "You''re awake," June said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"


    "Other than the fatigue, I am mostly alright."


    "You''ll feel better after you have a meal," June said as he stood up. She looked away, unprepared to look at him when he was almost naked. "Don''t forget to put on something. If you need water, ask me; I can conjure something with a spell."


    "Water would be good," he said. Although he had mostly cleaned, he felt a need for it, anticipating dining with the fairdy. Warden nodded and brought out a new tunic and pants to drape on.


    June didn''t look at him as she manifested water for his needs. It cascaded down like a shower as Warden let himself bepletely bathed in it, wiping away all the crumbs of blood from himself. The tears and scars were open to disy, but he did not mind, as she had seen it already.


    After refreshing himself and putting on civilised clothes, Warden sat next to her, finding her cheeks a tad redder than usual. She blush just with this?


    "How''s your gain?" she asked, quickly changing the mood.


    "I managed fine, but there are still ways to go," Warden said, summoning his system to note that his intent was at 37%. "It will take more training, and I can already see a path for myself. Thanks for bringing me here and also for the food."


    He thought the simple thanks wouldn''t be enough for what she did for him, but that was all he could muster at this moment.


    June studied his face and nodded. "What did you do at the very end? Did it have any drastic effects on your body?"


    "Well, my void energies seem to be making it very difficult for me to use my intent together with it," Warden said. "So I thought I needed another tyrannical power to keep it in check. After more testing and experimenting with it, I finally found I can draw the cursed power of the valley, and even devour the evil spirit into my intent."


    June stared at him in disbelief. She didn''t think such matters were possible, unless... "So you know what you are doing?"


    Wardenughed. "I mostly knew what I was doing, but I did recognise the consequences of failing. I deemed it would not be that consequential, and the gain would outweigh the loss. It did not take me long to make the decision."


    June seemed to easily see through his face and learned that he had taken the decision rashly. "It seems I havecked foresight yet again," she let out a sigh. "I shouldn''t have left you alone here."

 Chapter 110: Im Someone

    "To be honest," Warden exined more with a sigh, "these days fighting alone like a vagabond had some effect on my mind and body, which I''m not aware of or in control of. They have adapted well, though I fear I ran things mostly on intuition rather than through calctions. I guess that''s what happens when you live under the edge of a sword."


    "And it has nothing to do with the frustration growing within yourself?" June asked, regretting the decision to leave him here. "I really should have waited a few months longer, and taken note of your mental state more than just--"


    "Hey, it all worked out to my benefit," Warden said. "Even I managed to add a couple of points to my spirit. Do you know how difficult that has been for me? Besides, you trusted me, and saying all that makes me feel like I aplished nothing."


    "Do you even realise what you did?" June shook her head, finding him lookingpletely oblivious. "It takes years, even sometimes decades, for someone to master their Intent, much less reinforce the intent with their art and energy. And you did it in just twelve days."


    "I haven''t mastered it," Warden said. "Also, those are numbers ofmon rankers. I do not really fall among them."


    "My point is you have aplished enough within just twelve days," June said. "Just don''t put yourself under such terrible stress just by being haughty or frustrated."


    Warden was about to say something, but his mouth remained hung open for a moment as he blinked at her. "That sounded like you''re worried about me."


    "Of course I am," June said. "Someone had to if you keep on being so rash yourself."


    "I was not entirely rash," Warden said with a sigh. He drew his palm to tough her palms tightly. "June, I really needed it. I did not realise it before. More than anything, more than the intent, I needed the fight. I needed to hear the loud beat of my heart lurching in my chest to remind me I was alive.


    Only in fights, in brutal challenges like these, I seem to remember who am I, who I used to be. Because only all that is left of me... I don''t know who I am.When I fight, I''m someone. I''m a warrior."


    As the wordsid bare out of his chest, Warden found himself a lot lighter. He was about to withdraw his palm from her, but she drew her other arms to cup them together.


    "Perhaps rather than looking for what you were," she said softly, "you should look forward to what you can be."


    Warden looked at her in awe, as if the thought never crossed his mind. "I''ll try," he said. "I''ll try."


    June nodded, finally noticing she was sping their palms together. She let it go. "Anyway, you should eat the meal now."


    Warden nodded and finally turned his attention to the food.. He took a big chunk of meat and gobbled it into his mouth instantly. A warm, fuzzy energy surged through him.


    [+0.3 recovery.]


    "What is this stuff?" Warden asked. "My recovery just rose."


    June raised an eyebrow. "For most people, it is either strength or other physical attributes, but with your unique constitution, I guessed it would have happened."


    As Warden ate more, he received little points of improvement in his recovery. Sweat formed and wet his tunic as he gobbled them all up soon. Unfortunately, the gain stopped after four solid points. Still, it was a gain like none other.


    June exined, "It''s a natural urrence, with the body''s search getting saturated with the type of food you''ve eaten."


    "This was delicious," Warden said. "Maybe we can make something like this again together and have dinner. Of course, in a much better ce than this god-forsaken valley."


    "Maybe we will, though it''s hard to get the ingredients."


    "Well, we can always hunt it ourselves," Warden said.


    "Did you receive any prominent side effects from absorbing the cursed energy?" June asked.


    "Other than taking more time than usual in digesting, I found none," he said.


    "There could be some hidden infliction that you''re not aware of currently," June reminded. "Be sure to check it up, or tell me if you discover anything."


    "I''m sure I''ll be fine," Warden said."How much time remains?"


    "About an hour or so," June said, "perhaps less."


    "Oh shit," he cursed. "I seem to have forgotten about the ss I have with the freshman. I''ll bete at this rate."


    The students were likely cking without his presence.


    "Let us leave now," June said. "You''ll be able to catch up, consideringbat training runs for two hours."


    Warden''s tunic was already ruined, so he bought out another to change into, along with a coat and formal pants to drape on. June weaved a spell to let them fly up from the valley and into the teleportation formation.


    "Ready?"


    He nodded as June tinkered with her batch to let them transport out of there.


    They came out of the spiritual warp gate and found the old man still standing there, apanied by another person. A tall man in a regal robe, but what interested Warden more was the pointy ears like June''s, indicating he was of Elven origin.


    "June," the neer said. "I have been waiting for you for so long."


    "Andryl," June sighed. "What are you doing here?"


    "I was obviously looking for you," Andryl said with a smile.


    With the handsome face and light blond hair, he looked no less than a prince charming who could charm the heart of a maiden''s heart just with a smile. Thankfully, June''s mental fortitude was an iron wall to fall for this prick, much to Warden''s relief.Wait, why am I being so worried? They could just be friends, or even biologically rted, like cousins or something.


    "The elders had been worried sick about you after your departure. It is time youe back home."

 Chapter 111: Announcement (1)

    As Warden entered the gymnasium, he found that most of the students were cking, much to their credit. Some even bunked the training entirely, as the number of students didn''t meet the usual sums. Only a few among the group were spar, while the rest engaged in conversation among themselves.


    "Attention, ss," Warden said as he entered. His voice was cold and raspy, snapping at the cking students with tangible pressure. "Join your usual groups and proceed with the usual drills. I have some announcements to make at the very end of it."


    In panic, the students jumped up from their spots, hurrying into their designated groups and positions.


    "Sorry for the dy," he continued, still not sounding apologetic, only colder. "But I thought you people are responsible enough to do the drills. Looks like the students are more immature than I thought. I have beenx with you for a few days"


    Some disgruntled faces avoided meeting his eyes, but soon, with his instructions, they burst into activities. Warden watched them all without joining today. Although the exercises and drills had their benefits, Warden believed all his attributes were calibrated to the limit to get anything out of them.


    The 12 days of deadly training and fights had already done much good to his body. He needed some time of rxation to be back in the game again. Of course, the day of dungeon diving was approaching, and it was about time he reached a three-figure mark in most of his attributes. He''d change their drills to something tougher soon.


    As he watched, his mind couldn''t help but return to June and that elf. The guy hade to take her back into the Elven Kingdom, thinking her job as a professor here was nothing but a joke. With him beingte for the ss, June had sent him away before he could hear more of their conversation.


    He didn''tin, considering it wasn''t his business to butt in, but he couldn''t say he was fine with it.


    Warden let out a sigh. He had no say in what she wanted to do with her life. But he hoped it was she who made the decision, choosing to stay and not getting pressured into leaving her job. June was a self-established woman. He doubted anyone could pressure her into anything. But it seemed to be a call from some old elders, possibly the deciding factors of all Elven people.


    "Kane," he shouted at a student. "Stop cking. Don''t think I don''t see you. Correct your form."


    The boy stiffened immediately and hurried to correct his form. Even those who weren''t working diligently perfected their form in their drills.


    "The instructor is in an icy mood today," Tam said to Ars, assuming Warden couldn''t hear him.


    "You Idiot," Ars cursed. "He can hear you, you know."


    Tam snorted as he spar with her, sparing a nce towards the instructor to find him staring at him coldly. His heart chilled. Then, a duelling cane smacked into his side.


    "I told you so," Ars giggled.


    Tam acted as if it did not matter to him at all as he focused on the spar.. After gaining the upper hand, he pushed further to im victory over her. Now it was two minutes of rest.


    "I am right, though," he said. "He looked fierce; even the colour of his skin turned red. What could have happened to cause such events?"


    "He could just be in a dungeon fight, Tam," Ars said, though she did not sound convinced herself. Warden''s skin looked swelled like he had a good bath in magma.


    "Hey," Tam said, "Could those Noble ass bitchesin to the administrators and get him fired from the job? As far as I know, thebat instructor is more like a part-time job."


    Ars frowned. "It has happened before," she said after thinking for a while. "Though I don''t think the academy would wrongly fire someone if there is no harm. Instructor Warden has been fair so far, though highly cruel in training us. I hear there''s already someints from some students, especially from Kassie and his group, but I hear they weren''t getting anything out of it."


    "Well, Kassie had a bone to pick with the instructor from the very first day," Dirk snorted after finishing his spar. "He didn''t even see iting that the Instructor won''t give a damn about all the nonsense he had to say."


    "They were trying to band up with other students after the administration didn''t listen to theirints," Ars said. "Alice, Kassie''s girlfriend, came asking me through some convoluted ways, but I told them I''m not joining their fool''s crusade."


    "One of his minions dide to me," Dirk nodded after remembering. "I didn''t even listen to him and said I''m on a tight schedule."


    "Nobody came to me," Tam said.


    The two of them gave him a look that said it was only natural.


    "You know, I think the instructor''s ways are working for me fine," Tam said. "There was so much potential in me that I didn''t even think was possible.I used to need a lot of power to beat you, but now I can, I take 20 to 30% less."


    Ars scowled at him. "You just want to gloat, don''t you?"


    Tam snickered.


    "I think the instruction during the spars is invaluable," Dirk said, "Even though mostly he asked us to do was hard exercise and endurance training through sprints. I must say the Instructor has a way about himself. I heard from my brother from the upper ss that he had beaten up a bunch of students after giving them hope of earning 100 credits if they managed to put a scratch on him."


    "Did they manage?" Tam raised an eyebrow.


    "Even in four against one, all of them failed," Dirk added after a silence. "And they had Albert Stain in their ss. You know who that is, right?"


    Tam shrugged, not having a clue.


    Dirk was about to exin, but Ars dismissed him with a shook of her head. Telling him now would make no difference.

 Chapter 112: Announcement (2)

    "Regardless, what you said is right. All these improvements are just through exercises and some pointers, which is nuts," Tam said. "considering all the theoretical sses on attributes and energy maniption had not been that fruitful. I almost slept through most of the ss, even with my high attributes. Other than this training session with Instructor Warden, I am most disappointed in this goal.


    Like who wants to hear a theory about how dungeons are formed when all you can do is kill monsters?"


    "There are plenty of people."


    "We are only the freshmen. The first half of the year was mostly spent on teaching us the basics," Ars said in her stoic voice, as if she had an answer to any question. "Just wait until thepetitions begin with other sses."


    After a quarter of a year spent in training and learning, the thousands of freshmen divided into dozens of sses wouldpete with each other to get more benefits in various forms like academic credits, rare weapons or potions, and even valuable instruction from the professors.


    There are variouspetitions, like traditional war games, martialpetitions, an endurance test, mobility, and all sorts of things. The monthly and yearly rankings depend highly on thesepetitions.


    "I am waiting for just¡ª"


    "Your two minutes of rest are up," they heard the instructor say coldly. "Change your opponent and begin sparring."


    They stood back up into action immediately lest they irritate the instructor even more.


    * * *


    Soon the ss came to an end, and Warden finally decided it was time for the announcement. With all the students resting on their butts¡ªsome on their backs¡ªWarden opened his mouth.


    "As many of you know,bat instructors are given 200 points a month to distribute to the students who perform the best in training," Warden said. As the talk of credits came to surface, the students'' mood lit up, and thinking Warden might be giving them those credit points now. "I did a little check on how many credits the freshmen get from the school.


    On average, a student who performs ording to the school''s regtions gets between 200 and 400 points, which is honestly not that much."


    Many of the students nodded in agreement. Everything in the school needs credits, from the food in the restaurant to hiring someone to do yourundry. Mostmon students save those points and use them in various training facilities to train, but even still the points were always less than what they required.


    "Now by the end of this month, I''m going to give all of you a chance of earning some points. Our training has been going peacefully, rather too peacefully," Warden said. "It is time to introduce some attraction to it. There will be apetition held in our ss at the end of the month. Those who perform well will receive bonus credits as rewards.


    "The academy gave me 200 points to distribute among you, but there''s still too little, considering there are so many of you. So, I will match that amount with apound prize pool of 400 or more for our littlepetitions."


    Gossip broke among the students as many of their eyes brightened at the thought of getting more credit points, though many of their shoulders slumped, thinking only the cream of the crops would take away all the points.


    "Might be fun," Tam said. "Unfortunately, I cannot say there are many students who can challenge me."


    "That is not all," Warden''s voice pierced through the gossip to silence them again. "I would also personally give special training to a selected few on anything of their choosing if they like. Remember, to perform well in training, as any of you can gain bonus credits."


    With many questions in her mind, Ars was the first among the students to raise her arm.


    "Yes," Warden acknowledged her.


    "Instructor," she asked, "what kind ofpetition will there be? Will it be like sparring?"


    "I hadn''t thought about it yet," Warden said, "but it won''t just be sparring. I think I will put all your abilities, physical, mental, or spiritual, to the test."


    "Will we announce the format of thesepetitions after deciding?" she asked again.


    "Maybe, maybe not," Warden said with a smile. Leaving a mystery will only make them to try harder. "Though I reckon most of it will be rted to the drills, you perform during the ss. I would also add some energy maniption and endurance training in theing days. So look forward to that."


    A few other students raised their hands and askedmon questions like if anyone could earn or how many of them could win. As Warden hadn''t decided on everything, he silenced them all, saying they would know more on the day of the tournament.


    With this, the ss was dismissed.


    ***


    A couple of days passed since Warden''s training in the Phantom ursed Valley, and he had only grown stronger since then. He had ns of dungeon diving with Jason tomorrow, so he decided to contact June for their training and confirm some of his suspicions. Obviously, he wanted to know more about what was going on with her life as well.


    He had only seen her a couple of times in thest two days and hadn''t exchanged much talk between them. There seemed to be a gloomy air around her.


    Reaching her apartment, he found its door unlocked. Without bothering to call her up, he weed himself. He hadn''t reached the drawing room as a deep, emotion-invested argument came to his ears.


    "What have you even aplished with these squabbling humans?" A male voice said, which Warden discerned to be of Andryl''s. "I''m telling you again they are not worth your time."


    "And you''re worth of my time?" June said. "Aren''t I merely a prospect with a broken path to you and all the elders? What can I even be of use to them?"


    "It''s not a broken path," Andryl argued. "With the menders and treasures, you can return to your previous self."


    "And what price do I have to pay for it?" June said. Getting no answer for a while, she added, "I don''t want to hear more about it."


    Then she saw Warden standing at the door.

 Chapter 113: June

    Since June had already located him, he entered the room to join them in the drawing room.


    "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.


    "No," June said.


    At the same time, the other person responded, "Yes." Andryl wore an annoyed expression, studying Warden as if questioning who this guy was. Finding Warden to be nothing to be worried about, he turned to June.


    "We are finished here, Andryl," June stated as she stood up. "Now if you leave to my appointment now."


    "You are not making the right call," the elf guy said as he stood up reluctantly. "I will talk to youter."


    Warden watched him leave and turned to her. "What''s his deal?"


    June shook her head, offering no exnation. "Sit down. I will make some tea."


    "I don''t need anything," Warden said.


    "But I do," she replied and hurried to the kitchen. Perhaps she thought he might ask ufortable questions, so she quickly excused herself. Warden sighed and waited for her to return. He was curious with a burning question about what it was all about, but he did not press when she returned with the beverage.


    He sipped his tea, silently studying her face. "Are you leaving?" he asked.


    "No," June said firmly and instantly. "I''m not going anywhere."


    "That''s a relief," Warden said as he slumped back on the couch, visibly relieved.


    June gave him a look but remained silent for a while, not even asking why he was here.


    Obviously, Warden came with the excuse of instructing her on Runesmithing, but before he could even get to that, she opened her mouth to say:


    "I''m not in the mood for more training today."


    "That''s fine," Warden said. "You haven''t had dinner yet, right? Just rx here a bit, I''ll make you something nice."


    "No, there''s no need," June tried to argue, attempting to stand up, but Warden held her shoulder and pushed her back onto the couch.


    "I''ve got this," he reassured her. "Just give me some time."


    Warden quickly surveyed the kitchen, searching for the remaining ingredients. Considering she had cooked non-stop for him a couple of days ago with various nutritious and spiritually rich dishes, there wasn''t much left. There were only leftovers, like red potatoes, cabbage, and other vegetable, along with eggs. Of course, he found flour and rice too.


    After a few seconds of deliberation, he settled on vegetable fried rice.


    A couple of minutester, June entered the kitchen, bored being alone in the drawing room. By the time, he had cut all the vegetables into small pieces, so he asked her to just watch from the background. Warden moved around the kitchen with finesse and an unknown familiarity.


    It did not even take half an hour when the fragrance of the vegetable fried rice wafted out all around the kitchen. June helped set up the dining area, not that it was anything significant.


    "You know," June said after a while, "you don''t give the vibe of a ruthless barbarian in the kitchen."


    "Is that what I look like outside?" Warden asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Kind of," June said. "With your no-nonsense temperament and cold personality with the students, that''s pretty much how they were describing you.


    Warden groaned audbily.


    "You''re bing more and more popr in the Academy," Juneughed, "though infamous might be the right word for it."


    "I don''t give the vibe of a well-read person, do I?" Even though he felt like an intellectually well-educated person inside.


    June''s smile was an answer enough.


    "I still think you guys give too much leeway to the students," Warden said. "Anyway, enough about that. I am going on a dungeon dive with Jason tomorrow. It will probably take a whole day more to get back."


    "Already," June sighed. "I thought you were going to take a break for the time being."


    "I ampletely fine," Warden said. "The healer healed whatever was wrong, and I don''t feel anything wrong within myself. Besides, I feel my attributes are the lowest among thebat instructors; it is about time I rectified that."


    Obviously, he was nning on using the newfound power he mastered and bing tuned with that as well.


    "I guess it''s alright, but I hope you go there prepared."


    Warden nodded, though he would leave all the preparation to Jason. After all, it was Jason''s dream to make a guild leader and im honour and everything else. He should be ready to take those responsibilities in full stride.


    But before that... Warden studied June. There seemed to be an invisible weight on her shoulder, dragging her proud figure down since that elf guy came.


    "Hey June, I know I am not the most brilliant person to take advice from, or if I can even give any useful advice, but you know you can talk to me, right?" Warden said softly. "Sometimes I think all you need is your voice heard."


    They ate in awkward silence, askingmon questions about the academy and students. But even after they had finished the meal, they had their bottom remained arrested on the seat. Finally, it was June who decided to open her lips.


    "There was a big ident when I was young," she said. "It had killed a lot of our kins, and severely injured me."


    Warden listened to her because it was all that needed.


    "Back then, I was very new to my empathic power, and something happened that overloaded my mind with¡­"


    "Trauma," Warden said, trying to help as she looked horrendously out of ce during her narration.


    "Something like that," she sighed. "That event scarred my psyche, and almost broke my mind, leaving meatose for years. I somehow was awake in my mind the whole time, though. perhaps, it was one of the quirks of being a mind mage.On our side world, it was about 15 years, but it felt far longer considering time flows differently in our consciousness.


    "Anyway, in that ident, I took some drastic steps to train my mind to heal my mind and my psyche. I was very young and probably didn''t know what I was doing. When I came out of myatose, I found most of my empathic power was gone, mostly rted to emotions... Thankfully, I had my emotions... though I feared I could barely be called a mind mage with my path broken."


    Warden nodded slowly, taking her palms into his. He sped them softly, as if trying to reassure her, or simply giving the warmth of another person she could talk to. He finally understood why she didn''t use her empathic power at all, other than formon telepathic messages and mind attacks.


    Honestly, it should be impossible to do just that, as empathic powers tend to epass everything while performing a single task. It takes serious self-regtion at the very minute to have this kind of effect. She probably had worked really hard in heratose state, even though her trauma was far from being healed.


    From what she said, it looks like she might have blocked it all, instead of reflecting on it...


    "Since then, I was deviating from my actual path of a mind mage," June said. "After waking up from myatose stage, I spent a year or two in the Elven Academy as well as the kingdom and finally decided to see the world for myself. The elders and others did not bother me all that much since then, thinking I was only a disappointment in my family''s name.


    It just irritates me how they cane back now and tell me they can fix it."


    "What about your family?" Warden asked. "Your father?"


    "He went missing during the incident," she said, biting her lips. "The elders have already announced his death andpleted his cremation even without his body."


    "The ident that did all this," Warden asked hesitantly. "What..."


    "I don''t know what happened," June said. After closing her eyes for a while, she added hesitantly, "I fear I might have sealed those memories from my consciousness. All I learned was that it was a Cmity that attacked."


    Warden sucked in a deep breath. he had learned tidbits about what these cmities were. Apparently, they were the greatest threat to this realm, all the taint, the cursed creatures, the fiends, they were the source of it. In ancient records, there were four of them, but only four of them lived now.


    They say if the four of them worked together; they were enough to level the entire realm, and nobody strong enough would be there to stop them.


    "They want to fix you?" Warden said. At the same time, he felt how wrong that sounded, as if she had anything wrong to be fixed. And as if trauma could just be fixed with treasures.


    June smiled ruefully.


    It was tragically funny how he was deprived of all his memories, and there she was, having sealed a part of her memories, most probably the life-changing memories of her life. Obviously, Warden could not judge her for not oveing trauma. He had no ce to say anything about that, and neither did the elf elders, nor Andryl.


    "On second thought, perhaps I can use some brain-racking runesmithing to calibrate my mind off things," June said after they cleaned the kitchen and the dishes.


    "Fine by me," Warden said. "Perhaps I''ll show you something new today."


    "You know I''m not a baby that you need to coddle up," she said as they returned to the drawing room.


    "Of course not, you''re a big girl," Wardenughed, "ready to be the mother of a baby herself."


    Their runesmithing session went on for a long time, but nobodyined has hours passed by in minutes. In the end, Warden simply stayed the night at her quarters again.


    ____________


    Happy New Year!!!!


    Read the note below for info on updated privilege chapters and bonus chapter...

 Chapter 114: Hunting Ground

    Jason had asked two experienced adventurers to join them in the dungeon dive. By "asked," Warden meant paid money to offer their expertise to apany them into the dungeon.


    The first was a middle-aged man with ck hair and a likeable face along with a prominent nose. He wore a grey robe and held various articles rted to some unknown gods. Zim was the healer who would apany them into the dungeon, whose main task would be to heal their wounds so they could hunt cursed beasts non-stop.


    Alongside him was a huntress in her mid-20s, possessing an enticing figure hidden behind her hunter attire. Her task was a little peculiar, as nobody, possibly nobody, had hired an experienced hunter just to protect a healer.


    Thatwas likely the reason she wore a scowl on her face.


    "Jason does not know how to talk to girls, Warden thought and sighed. The fellow had gone to take care of the paperwork and legality thates with going into a registered dungeon in the Hunting Ground, which was more like a business corporation than Warden would like.


    Although the Arcane Society held the rein, it was mostly run by business conglomerates, as no organisation, even if they were the strongest, could run without a fund.


    And of course, where''s wealth to be made, there were all sorts of legalites. Like the authority absolutely needed a legal binding to put the me on others if something went wrong in the other side of the dungeon.


    Warden supposed it was fine by him, considering it mostly depended on their expertise unless there had been some wild shenanigans going on inside.


    Jason came back with a scroll of signed paperwork in hand, his face showing relief that the paperwork was done.


    "Unfortunately, I would not get the easier essence farming dungeon," Jason said. "But then again, Drakes give many more essences, even though they are harder to kill by a long margin."


    "Drakes?" the huntress asked. If Warden was not wrong, her name is Nina. "Fucking Drakes? Do you have any idea how tiresome even hunting a dozen of them can be? I fear you lot will only get your bodies battered with wounds and injuries with all the money you spend to book the dungeon and us the helpers."


    "Good thing we hired a healer," Jason said with a smile, not taking offence at her words. "Besides, I think it''ll all be worth it with the loot."


    Nina still did not look convinced, but Jason had already paid half of her fee in essence gems for her to argue. Essentially, this was better for her as her task was limited to protecting the healer, not fighting Drakes.


    The dungeon was Grade 7, meaning only iron-grade rankers and below could enter it. Apparently, there were great mathematical calctions on how much of a load a dungeon could hold. Perhaps this one could hold a silver ranker, but that would copse the bnce of the spatialw inside, and the dungeon would overflow in no time, spawning the cursed creatures out to set the bnce.


    Thus, the Archein Society paid great attention to organizing their dungeons and establishing their rules, even if the hunting ground had be more businesslike over the years.


    The hunting ground had one of the biggest dungeon-spawning rates in the empire. Perhaps only the wastnd couldpare with it. There are various legends and myths about how it formed; the most oundish among them was that a god and a cmity fought here and put a curse on thisnd for eternity toe.


    But looking at the property of business here, it didn''t feel like a curse.


    While the scientific reasoning was that the specialw in the hunting ground was sufficiently weaker for dungeons to spawn there.


    "Oh, I forgot to mention that the time ratio inside is 4:1 in favour of the dungeon," Jason said. "Although isn''t the best rate, I guess we could get four days of good training and hunting in that time. I''m nning on getting back a third of my wealth that I invested to make myself a gear."


    Honestly, Warden had almost forgotten that the time ratio could be different in a dungeon. Apparently, it depends on the grade of the dungeon. The higher the grade, the more dted time could be inside. Also, it could be the opposite, though that was far rarer. For example, in some dungeons, you could spend just a couple of days while months would pass in the real world.


    "Let''s enter," Jason said as he touched the pulsating ball of energy. The dungeon gate flickered, and his figure vanished instantly. Warden followed up soon with the other two.


    As his figure materialized in a different realm of existence, Warden found the temperature of this location to be higher than what it was outside. It was easily over 60 degrees, and it would probably be more as they ventured deeper into it. Volcanic peaks surrounded them from all directions, dwarfed by a lonesome peak at the very epicentre of it.


    While most of the volcanoes were dormant, the air suggested that volcanic explosions here were quite normal.


    "I guess this is the perfect ce for fire-attributed creatures to spawn," Warden thought as his eyes searched for drakes.


    "As most of you might be aware, but I will still exin," Jason cut in. "Drakes are not the fastest of creatures, but they are extremely hard to kill, mostly because theye from a dragon bloodline and have tough scales, which they can further empower, expanding their energy. They like to stay in hot ces, so we might have to venture into more difficult ces.


    As for the outskirts like this, we may encounter other lizard-like creatures."


    "The drakes, can they breathe fire?" the healer, Zim, could not help but ask. "It''s my first time facing a drake."


    "Most of the iron ranks cannot," Jason said, "but there are a few exceptional ones who could. As drakes have thinned bloodlines from the dragons, they ran on a matriarchy as well. Only the Drake matriarch could breathe fire. You can mostly tell them apart by the distribution of their mass. The fire-breathing ones are usually heavier, built like a boulder."


    "Like that one?"

 Chapter 115: Drakes

    "Like that one?" Warden asked, pointing with his finger.


    Jason lurched on his feet, his eyes darting where Warden pointed. "Fuck!" He cursed under his breath. There really was a huge boulder-like creature resting no more than 20 meters away. Its limbs and head were coiled together in such a way that it perfectly resembled a boulder, with rugged brown scales and a heavy build.


    "That''s probably a matriarch," Jason said, his voiceing in a whisper as he unsheathed his sword. Warden had learned from the guy that his ss is [Knight], and somehow he did look like a one even with his ragtag armour. The sword was a fine one, which was something. "There could be other tricks around her."


    "Let''s not wait any more," Warden said. "Let''s wake her up and go about our business." Which was, of course, to y these creatures to gain essence.


    He too brought out his sword, [The divider] and pushed his energy to trigger [Reaper''s Edge]. The de lengthened to double its size on both ends as Warden ran at the boulder-like creature.


    However, before he was halfway there, countless smaller drakes came to the surface from under the matriach, they were not even a fifth the size of the matriarch, though still as huge as a champion stellion, more lizard-like with jagged scales which looked tough to prate. Worse, more wereing hearing their screeches from the near vicinity.


    The drake matriarch stood up and was growling in their direction. She wasn''t fast, but her offspring were terribly quick on their feet as they shot towards Warden and the others.


    A light came from behind and absorbed into his body, empowering him almost instantly.


    [You have received the intermediate Blessing of Kraskabar. For the next ten minutes, you''ll get the benefit: + 20% strength, +20% stamina, +20% recovery power, +50% Curse Resistance.]


    Warden thanked the healer inwardly as his sword shed to cut off the limp of a creature. Hot red blood sprayed in the air along the de. With the returning arc, he plunged the sword into the creature''s head.


    [You have in an iron-grade Drake (Iron).]


    [+1.3 strength]


    [+0.2 Dexterity.]


    Okay, they are definitely tougher than those cursed wolves, but not by a long margin,Warden thought. Of course, in the split second, he hadn''t considered how much stronger he himself had grown.


    "Remember your instructions," Jason screamed as he entered the fray. "Nina, your duty is only to protect the healer. Do note to help us even if it looks like we are in need of it."


    The woman grunted but did as she was asked. After all, she was paid for only that thing. She had been almost at the peak of iron for a while, killing a few drakes would do nothing to her attributes. She only wanted to get some of the loot for herself, that was all. As tough as drakes were to kill, they reallypensated with the loot.


    She came across and stood before the healer. "Stay behind me," she instructed.


    "I''m not really that vulnerable, you know," Zim said, casting wards of shield around him. Even a couple of drakes would not have an easier time breaking through them. Jason had asked for the best healers, after all. Only those with experience who had been through dozens of dungeons in recent times.


    Nina raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. She guessed this made the job easier for her. She turned to her employer. She thought the kid from the Forger family would do good, considering his lineage and upbringing. Even if Jason acted like a punk, he was trained by the best instructors money could afford. She was sure it would be a sight to behold.


    But it was the grey-haired man who stole the show, who she thought to be just as reckless as Jason, if not more.


    Jason was using more brute force in shing with the drakes; his swordsmanship was surely a sight for sore eyes as he fended off the attacks of not one or two, but three drakes. Meanwhile, the grey-haired man used his sword peculiarly. The length of it didn''t really make it look like a sword anymore, and even the way he was using it made her believe he was using a spear instead of a sword.


    Of course, there was some awkwardness in his movement at the beginning, but as the fight went on, his moves became far more shy and deadly. There was an intentced with the weapon, which got through the jagged defence of the drakes like cutting through butter. Well, probably not butter, but it sure looked like he was facing normal creatures.


    He was just about to finish his fourth target when a breath of fire was shot at him. Warden lurched on his feet, jumping up to dodge as the fire crashed into one of the matriarch''s offspring. It squeezed in agony, though not dead.


    Warden ended it immediately, shing his long de into its charred head.


    Soon, a dark force-filled defence materialized surrounding him as he faced the lone drake in wild abandon. He shot towards the matriarch who had been firing fire at them non-stop while sticking to her spot. On his move, the drake matriarch finally moved from her spot.


    Her huge feet thumped on the ground, making a mour of a quake palpable enough to notice but not strong enough to disbnce his footing. The matriarch''s defences were far harder to prate. He had to channel his energy to the limit and provide sharp follow-up intent to even scar her.


    Thankfully, her movements were not fast enough, like the lesser drakes, and she could only shoot fire and empower her defence. Multiple cuts began to appear on her huge form, as she called her offspring to protect herself.


    The drake matriarch was definitely intelligent enoughpared to her minions, though there was no rescue from what shed with her.


    In her eyes, she could clearly see her fall on those terrible des that emitted twisting ckened smoke.

 Chapter 116: Drake Matriarch

    A couple of the minion drakes came to obstruct Warden in his actions. They were fast, and fiery with their sharp ws and maws. He put his best defence to deal with them as fast as he could.


    A dozen Lesser Drakes were remaining, and with the matriarch''s call, most of them focused on Warden. Even the ones that had been hindering the healer''s work shot back to protect their mother. Warden had killed eight of them, while Jason might not even make it to half that number yet.


    It did not mean Jason was inept; his ss simply was not efficient in killing, as its function seemed to revolve around protection. He was your typical knight in shining armour, though he had a broke-ass ragtag for now.


    As the empowerment of essences was still taking its effect within his body, he was able to rejuvenate his energy in no time, not to mention he was able to gain lost spiritual energy from absorbing the fire breath with [Mystic Ward]. Honestly, the fiery power was superior to June''s Starfire, though that was because the drake''s mes were twisted through the corrupted taint.


    The fire matriarch was a strong iron rank creature, with attributes probably over 100 marks, but the number did not do justice. Essentially, it was way more considering attribute points did not work linearly. It was more exponential with each round of figures of 10, 50, and 100, adding more power to the attributes.


    A 10-point difference already makes one almost twice as strong in attribute, but here the drake had about 20 points on Warden, though it likely did not have all the attributes he had ess to.


    Warden had high efficiency in his attributes, and his destructive power was like no other. He attacked at the same spot again and again whenever he got a chance. Drakes were dying around them in quick session. The lower the number had gone, the easier it had be to kill them.


    Even the fire-breathing matriarch was unable to shoot fire without restraint. It had to take some cooldown time in between, and in those times, Warden capitalized.


    He had already gained over 15 points in strength and dexterity, his power rising ferociously as he left the leftover drakes to Jason and focused only on the matriarch.


    He jumped on top of her back as the matriarch began to wiggle. Unfortunately, itsggard agility made it almost impossible for it to protect itself.


    With almost no resistance, Warden plunged his sword into the long neck of the drake before she could turn her head towards him to shoot fire. He pushed both his void energy and the semi-mastered intent. As they were not working in perfect synchronization, he divided them into two sides of the de and drilled it in.


    The de dug out from the other side of its neck as Warden twisted it. The Drake matriarch was not dead yet, the wound was already healing, as Warden withdrew the de. He made sure to pry the wound open while withdrawing. It squeezed horrifyingly in protest, but Warden only used energy to restrict what he was hearing and pulled the de and plunged it again.


    A fiery, hot blood flooded out from the wound. Her defence weakened further, but he still had to nt his sword multiple times to finally create a deep hole in its neck to kill it.


    [You have in a Cursed Drake Matriarch (Iron)]


    [+1.7 Spirit.]


    [+1.3 Strength.]


    For most people, a single point in spirit is considered more valuable than a dozen points in strength. This was mostly because not all creatures give spirit essence, and those that do were vastly harder to kill. Take this matriarch, for example. Although it was slow, it had dozens of offspring to protect itself from possible dangers and attacks.


    "I don''t know what kind of dungeon you thought would be ideal," Warden said, letting out a breath, "but this is working fine for me."


    Although the short fight had needed him to use all his power, he had gained over 10 points in Strength, 5 in Dexterity, and finally Spirit.


    Jason winced, wiping the blood from his face. It was not his blood, obviously. "Then you would be delighted to know what we can get out of these corpses," Jason said.


    "Hey, I know I have already signed the contract," Nina said hesitantly, "and you have paid half of my pay. But can I still exchange some of the hearts of these drakes for my money?"


    Jason frowned. "Would the regr ones do, or do you want the heart of the matriarch?" he asked. Before she could answer, he continued, "We would be hunting drakes for the remainder of the next four days. I am sure there will be hundreds of hearts from regr drakes. I have no problem with exchanging them. But it is a different story if you want the Matriarch''s heart.


    We''d be lucky if we get half a dozen of them."


    As Warden was mostly unaware of what was so different about the Matriarch''s heart, Jason exined to him that it was one of the main ingredients to make a potion that could boost the spirit attribute by 4 whole points.


    Of course, other potions could be made, such as those boosting fire elemental energy, but those were not highly in need, considering fire-attributed rankers are low in quantitypared to rankers who need more points in spirit.


    "Can I take these potions more than once?" Warden asked as he calcted how much he could gain from this. The raw number was looking staggering like he would reach the peak of iron in no time. But, of course, it was not that easy.


    "As the Drake Matriarch was iron rank, only iron rankers would get the most benefit out of it," Jason exined. "But you can take them more than once, though the boost in spirit would decrease with each ingestion."


    ________


    Read 15 chapters ahead through buying privilege.


    Bonus chapter goal, below:

 Chapter 117: Tiny Spark of Malevolence

    Jason added, "I fear most people will not get anything after the 6th potion, and it is a loss to waste these precious potions after the 4th. So about 10 points is about the average limit for a ranker."


    Warden nodded as he became even more interested in ying these drakes. They are really ideal for growing attributes even if they were harder to kill than your regr wolves.


    "The only problem we have now is storing all this loot," Jason said. "My dimension cube is only big enough to store the essentials like the cores and hearts."


    "The Drake meat is pretty awful to the human tongue," he continued. "But their scales could be used in various artifacts, and so can the meat be cycled in potion making or cultivating peculiar herbs."


    Like there was a kind of mushroom that eats meat to grow.


    "If it''s about storing the load, it''s not a problem at all," Warden said. Concentrating on his will, he summoned a portal into his subspace, in the form of a bigger hole than usual. It materialised in front of him, ominous with swirling dark and forceful energies. Most importantly, they couldn''t see through what was inside.


    "What is that?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Just a glorified storage," Warden answered and shrugged. He pulled one of the lesser drakes in his arm and threw it into the dark portal. "It has a lot of space."


    "You alwayse up with useful abilities at times like it''s nothing," Jason said, but did not question him further. He too joined and threw in more drake remains into the portal.


    After they were done with the minions, they finally came across the problem of the day¡ªthe cursed drake matriarch--it was simply too huge to be thrown into the portal. From the look of it, Warden was unable to erge the size of the gate to more than 36 square feet.


    The size of the gap was big enough for a human to pass easily, not that he would let anyone inside, fearing the consequences they might face.


    Where was The drake matriarch was already asrge as 50 feet in length, and weighed a bazillion kilograms.


    "There is no other way," Jason said, "we have to cut it through."


    "Do you even realize how stupid that sounds?" Nina said. "Although it''s dead, it''ll take hours to cut into small pieces to throw into whatever that ck hole is. And in that time, who knows how many more predatorse along."


    "It won''t take that long," Warden said as he brought out his sword again.


    Under their gazes, he increased only the size of the de, lengthening it over two metres. It was still not enough to match the breadth of the Drake matriarch, not even half, but it did not matter.


    Void energy has destructive power, but that is not the same as sharpening, or cutting power. For example, a hammer could be destructive but could not cut as well as a sword. So here, intent came into y. Intent was very versatile; it could be anything he cultivated. But since he cultivated it through a spear, it had gained more piercing power.


    Of course, piercing power was not the same as shing, but there was more inmon between them than the potent force of destruction.


    He infused his full intentpletely on the de, taking his stance. Finally, his intent came to materialization with tiny sparks of malevolence. It was something he picked up from the ursed valley, though nothing substantial yet. He synchronized acute tendrils of void energy into it, trying to boost the destructive power.


    It was almost impossible to reinforce the two together at short notice, but with the Drake dead, he had all the time he needed.


    Breathing slowly and evenly, Warden prepared taking about half a minute. Then he shed at the upper midsection of the dead drake matriarch in one clean, full arc. The de plunged into its tough scales, breaking through to descend into its inside to meet the bones. Finally, the intent weakened, as he had to leave it all to the energy, which to failed to sever itpletely.


    Unfortunately, even with all the empowerment, it was unable to cut through the bones. The de jammed halfway into the huge creature''s gut.


    "Still not there," Warden muttered as he yanked back the de. "Still a long road ahead."


    "This is insane," Jason said with a gasp. "Warden, I can''t be sure, but you are probably very close to that S-grade now."


    Warden simply nodded as he returned to cutting the beast into pieces. He would probably be able to properly savour the creature when he finally would be able to reinforce his intent and energy in perfect synergy.


    The looting did not take an hour like Nina said, but it did take a lot of Warden''s energy as synchronizing the two powers together was quite tough on his body, not to mention he had to expend all his abilities in the fight before.


    With a thought, he summoned his status page to check. Possibly to set a goal for himself in theing four days.


    ___________


    [Warden]


    Race: Human/Celestial (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 31%)


    Title: [Dungeon Eater] [Indomitable] ¡­ [Redacted]


    Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]


    Unlocked Aperture: [The Pce of Toil, (Left Palm)], [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)]


    Bonded Artifact: [Cloak of Void Radiance (Legendary)], [Maya''s Protection (Legendary)] [The Divider (Rare, Growth: 7%)


    Disposition: Chaotic


    Rank: [Broken Cmity (Iron)]


    [Core: Unique, Void Element. Unable to determine further.]


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 95.4] | Efficiency: +45%


    [Dexterity: 84.3] | Efficiency: +25%


    [Mind: 25.4] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Spirit: 84.4] | Efficiency: +85%


    [Recovery: 104] | Efficiency: +90%


    Abilities:


    [Imbuing: Iron 89%] [Regeneration: Iron - 99%] [Indomitable Will: Spacial]


    [Left Hand of Cmity: > 10%] [Void Space: Grade-9]


    [Runesmithing: Tier-5] [Intent: 43% (Spear type/Malevolment Attunement)]


    _____________


    Still, he had managed to recover a third of his energy with the superior recovery power. With the 90% efficiency in recovery, the 104 points worked more like close to 200 points. Well, probably less considering the exponential growth of point units instead of linear.


    Still, it was a good experience considering he managed to increase his intent by another percent, standing right at 43 now.

 Chapter 118: Punishment

    The moment June entered the elder''s office, she knew what it was all about even though they only requested her presence without giving a reason. The smug look on the face of the junior professor, Torin Walt, was evident enough for her to guess.


    So, he''s finally back, she thought, and decided to create trouble for the Warden.


    Other than the junior professor, two elders held the seat: Elder Pavlov, the oldest among all the elders, was in charge of discipline, and Elder Medwin, who looked even older, though he was a century younger than Elder Pavlov. He was in charge of public rtions.


    Elder Vess, responsible for the Treasury and Acquisition, already had too much on her te to be informed about this. Elder Allen, in a simr case, was dealing with administration. Lastly, there was the enigmatic Elder Hiroko, who mostly detached from everything. June had been in this academy for a couple of years, and she could count on her fingers how many times she had seen him talk.


    "Wee, Professor June," Elder Pavlov said. "Please take a seat. This might take a while."


    She narrowed her eyes but epted the offer, taking a seat across from the table while Torin Walt stood on the side.


    "There has been aint about your oversight," Elder Pavlov said. "Professor Walt ims he was wrongfully subjugated on duty by a highly suspicious and deadly individual. Instead of helping the professor, you decided to band together with the suspicious individual and even led him to our academy, offering him a post for abat instructor. Is that correct?"


    "I merely rmended him," June said in a tight voice. "The end decision is on the academy board. As for Professor Walt''s im, I would suggest the elders make a thorough investigation before deciding anything."


    "We have made all the investigations we need," Elder Pavlov imed. "Although Professor Walt might have acted a little out of ce, considering his state of being with young students, he deemed it necessary to subjugate the suspicious person before he could decide any better."


    "That reminds me, where is that person?" Elder Medwin said. "The newbat instructor, what is his name again? I am sure he was also summoned to turn up into this meeting as well."


    "He is not in the academy at this moment," June said. "He will probably be back tomorrow."


    Walt clicked his tongue in distaste, while the elder of the disciplinary narrowed his eyes. "For rmending an uwful person to our prestigious academy," he said, "we can cancel your privilege of takingbat instructors under you from next year, you know."


    June didn''t necessarily need such privilege, but she would still like to rmend good seeds into the academy. Moreover, how the elder was deciding everything without hearing her pissed her already.


    "Elder Pavlov, please enlighten me on what you deem as uwful," she asked.


    "You need to ask that question?" Torin Walt cut in. "I literally saw him bury a dozen corpses in broad daylight. And when I asked him for his arcane society badge, he said he did not have one. Do you want to hear more? How about when I asked him to surrender himself, he attacked me in front of my students, and the guildsmen. All of them can testify in my case."


    "Thebat instructor really has a suspicious background," Elder Medwinmented. "We should have checked thoroughly before deciding to select such a person."


    "Warden was in a unique situation back then," June said, choosing each word carefully. "He had fought a whole dungeon by himself that day to save a vige. And when he came back, he found bandits sacking the vige. He decided to do what was best at the moment, which was essentially not even his job."


    She eyed the junior professor with a tangible weight in her voice. "It was your job to protect the vige and take care of the beast surge that has been going on. Where were you at that time? You were supposed to be there a week ago. But instead, you finally show yourself when everything is taken care of, and now you want justice? For what exactly?


    That someone did your job for you while you were messing around the whole time?"


    "I have already written a letter of reparation for my dy with the reasons," Torin Walt said, gritting his teeth. "I don''t have to exin anything to you."


    June had filed aint about the conduct of this junior professor to the disciplinary. That was more than 10 days ago, when she just came back to the academy from the expedition. However, she hadn''t heard anything from it, as the Disciplinary Board seemed to be investigating the matter deeply.


    But from the look of it, it appeared the Disciplinary chose to forgive Torin Walt, just because his family was one of the big fish in the Empire.


    "Professor June, I advise you not to raise your voice or use an aura to intimidate in our presence," Elder Pavlov said, his voice heard, hard, andced with a clear warning.


    June was speechless. She did raise her voice, but it was only a little. As for her aura, when had she used it to intimidate?


    "And you too, Professor Walt," the disciplinary elder said. "Do not open your mouth unless we ask you a question."


    Torin Walt nodded heavily and sealed his lips. While June''s face had turned into a scowl.


    "We have heard yourint, Professor June, about Professor Walt''s callous behaviour at work," Elder Pavlov said. "We have already taken steps to discipline Professor Walt. He will not receive any payment for his job in the next three months, and he will have to do more academic work as we devise for that amount of time."


    From the look on his face, it appeared Torin was hearing this at the moment as well. He opened his mouth toin but decided to close it again, finding the elder looking at him. He swallowed the words ofint and looked away.


    "However, this does not end here," the elder of disciplinary continued. "Combat Instructor Warden acted heavy-handedly and attacked awful prosecutor of Arcane society in front of students and guildmen alike. If we do not take any step to discipline him, it will only tarnish our image."


    "What have you decided, Elder Pavlov?" Elder Medwin asked. "I say rusticating him from the academy won''t be going too far."


    "Perhaps," Elder Pavlov said with a cold glint in his eyes. "But since he acted in good faith and saved a vige, I''ll look kindly in this case. He''ll not be rusticated, but--"


    "Hold on," June said. "Are you going to decide his punishment without him being here? At least give him a chance to justify himself."


    Elder Pavlov considered for a moment. "Your appeal is heard," he said. "We will decide the punishment at the fourth bell tomorrow. We won''t be waiting anymore if he decides not to show himself at that time. You''re all dismissed."


    June came out of the office and found Torin Walt following her. she turned to give him a stink eye. "You want something?"


    "Just you wait," Torin Walt sneered. "I''ll make sure he pays tenfold of humiliation for what he did to me."

 Chapter 119: Elusive Wealth

    Night fell quickly inside the dungeon. When they arrived, it was barely early morning, yet within 8 hours, the surroundings were filled with darkness. Time flowed differently inside a dungeon, and so did the ratio of day and night.


    They rushed themselves to the back of a mountain after hours of hunting hundreds of lizards and drakes, exhausted and worn out.


    Honestly, Warden could go around for more rounds hunting drakes. Unfortunately, hispanions did not have the same resilience, not to mention the increasing number ofsers as they ventured deeper into the rocky terrain. It simply was not a dungeon for one person to clear.


    Now, Warden was fully aware of what June mentioned about preparation.


    Jason had these little stones with rune script carved in them, calling them something like ward stones. After cing them around their resting ce, the stones created a barrier, connecting together with one another. It was mostly stealth, with some rm and defensive script in ce, which might not withstand a full-power attack from a pack of drakes but could alert them in time.


    Overall, the wardstones proved to be very useful on asions such as this. Warden wondered if he could make them or how long it would take for him to make one. Jason mentioned that a set of 12 wardstones of iron grade, which provided barely enough space for a couple of persons to stay, would cost around 100 iron-grade essence gems.


    So, they decided to rest for 4 hours and continue with their business. With a bunch of drake cores in hisp, Warden cracked them one by one and let all the leftover essence be devoured into his sword. He had only used cores from the lesser drakes or the other lizard-type creatures, as the matriarchs'' properties would be a waste if he considered only the amount of essence.


    These cores could be used to make various fire-attributed artifacts, bringing in a lot more essence gems.


    After feeding a dozen beast cores, Warden checked the progress bar:


    [The divider: Rare (Progress 5%) | 0/10 Unique Beast Cores]


    He probably won''t be able to advance it to the next rank with the loot from this dungeon, considering that raising the progress bes exceedingly hard as the numbers go up. Initially, it only took him to a couple of iron-grade cores for a percent. Then it jumped to double. Without the help of silver-grade cores, he did not see a possible way for The Divider to reach the next rank.


    "That is a nice sword you have there," Nina said as she came from behind to sit next to him. She had got out of her thick battle attire to refresh herself, now in loose clothing, showing a bit of her skin.


    The fire burning before had almost warmed up and roasted their food.


    "Honestly, it is better than just nice," Warden said.


    "Probably cost you a Mountain''s worth of money to get it,"she said,ughing slightly. "But I guess it is the sort of money rich folk can afford."


    "My whole wealth now amounts to about 200 gold coins and whatever we looted from this dungeon," Wardenughed. "That''s not really rich."


    "The loot surely is enough to leave you rich for a certain amount of time," Nina said.


    "Not if I feed them all to my sword in no time.," Warden said. "While the Hearts will go into making potions for ourselves, which I will be using on myself. That''s already the lion''s share of the loot. As for the leftover, the potion maker will probably take more than what''s left to make the potion for us. If I calcte all that, then I''ve already gone bankrupt."


    Saying that, Wardon brought out the bags of beast cores from his portion of the loot and began crushing them to fine bits to be all devoured into the sword.


    Nina watched it all with wide eyes. The sheer speed at which he was burning through them was enough for most people to go crazy over. For example, these lesser Drake beast cores could cost up to 10 essence gems for each. She had already seen him burning through dozens of them. And he was not slowing down, bringing out more and more.


    "Good thing I did not have a weapon like that," she said. "I would really go bankrupt from day one."


    "Well, it is only one that I can use," Warden said. His void energy would damage any weapon he used unless they were of the legendary rank. Even this sword, which was obnoxiously good for its rank, was damaged a few times. Thankfully, its soul-sucker ability restored it to its previous form.


    After spending a numerous amount of beast cores, easily over 100, Warden checked the progress bar again:


    [The divider: Rare (Progress 17%) | 0/10 Unique Beast Cores]


    Warden let out a sigh. "Hey, do you know what could be considered a unique core?" He asked, remembering there was another criterion to raise the divider to the next rank. He would need 10 unique types of beast cores along with what it takes to get it to 99%. "Could the matriarch''s core be considered a unique-based core?"


    "I mean, why not?" Nina said, though she sounded a bit unsure. "As far as I know, if it has an element attuned to it, it can be considered a unique core. It is pretty hard to get them at lower ranks like copper and iron."


    "Hey, Jason," Warden called up after some thought. "Do you mind if I use a core from the Drake matriarch?"


    Jason rose from his resting position. "Well, more than is your loot load," he said, "but considering we only have three beast cores from the matriarch, just think about it before feeding it to your sword."


    "I will need 10 unique cores anyway," Warden said. "Guess I will just use the one."


    The beast core from the Drake matriarch was a littlerger and simrly red in colour, though it held more essence and fire attribute essence inside. It was the size of a marble and simrly harder to crush as well.


    Everyone perked up as Warden wrestled with it to crush it to find in just. The sword surged with dark and ominous smoke as it devoured all the essence and soul energy immediately.


    [The divider: Rare (Progress 19%) | 1/10 Unique Beast Cores]


    "Now I wonder," Warden thought out loud, "if the same type of unique cores will be counted more than once."


    They looked at him as if he was a maniac. Jason seemed like he wanted toin, but considering Warden has the highest contribution in hunting the matriarch he did not raise his voice.


    Warden couldn''t help butugh. "Chill out, I am not wasting any more precious cores until we hunt more fire-breathing drakes."


    "I mean if you want to--" Jason stopped whatever he was saying immediately, as the rm scripts in the wardstones red to catch every one of their attention. "Everyone, be prepared."


    Warden jumped to his feet, the sword in his hand. The Ward did not break, however, in the darkness, he saw the outline of a figure. A lone figure?

 Chapter 120: Elusive Woman

    Warden shot at the elusive figure in the dark, breaking through the ward. His sword raised in a swing, but before he could bring it down, the figure vanished from his side as if it were merely a ghost.


    "Warden," Jason called. "What was it?"


    Although Jason didn''t see anything, he saw Warden swinging his de.


    His senses picked up a presence not far away, moving further away. "I don''t know," Warden said, "but I''m going after it."


    "Hey, wouldn''t it be a better idea to stay together?" Nina''s voice came, but Warden was already on the move, his figure vanishing in the darkness.


    Warden was keenly aware of the elusive figure running ahead of him. It seemed human, at least in appearance, but the way it moved was nearly impossible for a human of flesh and blood. Considering it was a dungeon, Warden took a moment to cautiously bring out his best defence with Void shroud.


    "Stop," a voice came, soft and feminine. "I meant no offence. It was merely an honest mistake, and I''m no threat to you, Great Warrior."


    Is it a human? Warden considered, though he did not stop. "Show yourself; I will judge if you made offence or not."


    "I would rather not," the voice said from behind him, where Warden had least expected it.


    There was already a figure running ahead. How could she speak something from behind? Warden turned to find a simr figure behind him. In the dark, he could not see her face, but he noticed a smirk on her lips with white teeth.


    "I am not there either," the woman purred, from his right.


    Warden turned to find another identical figure on his right, still with that smirk.


    "I''m here too," another voice heard from his left. Warden turned in time to find another identical figure of the woman. They allughed in unison, as if ying a great joke on him.


    "You know what you said about not being a threat," Warden said. "This demonstration did not really put my mind at ease."


    "I apologise," said the woman on the right, as her figure vanished into the darkness.


    "But to be honest," the one ahead opened her mouth to say, "you are the one who wanted to see us."


    Her figure, too, vanished into thin air.


    "So we decided," the one on the left said as she or it came forward towards him, "to show ourselves."


    Her figure vanished too, halfway towards Warden.


    "Did you like our show?" her voice whispered into his ears, as hot breath fell on his ears.


    Warden spun to find thest of her figure standing barely any distance away. He winced. How she had got so close to him without his notice eluded himpletely.


    "You look impressed," she said softly, yfully. She was smiling. Although with the darkness, he could not make out herplexion clearly, he deemed her to be gorgeous, standing close to six feet with brim golden hair.


    "What are you?" saying that, he stuck the hilt of his sword into her stomach.


    "You don''t know how to talk to a woman, do you?" she said with a great sigh.


    The sword hilt was still sticking into her stomach, though there was no visible impression on her face. As Warden thought, it was another illusion.


    Warden turned around to search around, reinforcing his defence. He could only sense a thin breeze that had been going on forever.


    "You''re not looking in the right direction," the illusionary figure whispered into his ears yet again. Warden withdrew a step to stay clear of her reach. The nameless womanughed softly. "Rx, I''m harmless in this form."


    Even though she said that, and Warden could feel that she was nothing but an extraordinary illusion, he could not help but stay alert.


    "Fine, I apologise for putting you ill at ease," the woman said, bowing deeply.


    "If you''re really sorry, then show your true form," Warden said. "For all I know, you could just be a fiend, a monster with illusion power,ing up with a beautiful woman to put me at ease."


    The strange woman''s lips curved upwards, hearing his unperturbed words, or perhaps she liked being called beautiful. Warden didn''t really know how a woman''s mind worked, but this one eluded him more than the others.


    "I cannot," she said, "without my illusion powers, I''m basically vulnerable. Besides, you have a big sword, and you seem to like to stick women with it very much. I''d rather not be another victim."


    There was some innuendo in her tone, but Warden would be a fool to let his guard down just yet.


    "Who are you?" Warden asked again.


    "I''m many things," she said softly, "but mostly a small woman with small power."


    "What were you doing near our camp?"


    "Just checking," she said. "After finding it was merely rankers, I decided to withdraw, but then you found me."


    "I wouldn''t have if you hadn''t made such a show for yourself," Warden said. "Why did you show yourself? Or better yet, why didn''t you stay put to rify if it was merely a misunderstanding?"


    "Didn''t I say already I''m a small woman?" she said, "and there were four of you. I''d be ill at ease against all of you. As you know what they say about dungeons, there are monsters and there are monsters in human form. For a small woman like me, I have to stay clear of them all."


    Warden snorted, not believing her.


    "Anyway, we have a fun talk," she said, "but I must depart now."


    "Hold on," Warden said. "What are you doing alone in a dungeon if you¡ª"


    The woman''s figure already vanished, though her voice came for onest time: "Perhaps we''ll meet again and I hope you won''t stick your big sword in me then, but until then I''ll be on your mind."


    Warden looked in his surroundings for an extended period of time, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The woman was really like a ghost, though she had a way with words.


    Then he heard screeches of drakes, from their camp...

 Chapter 121: Boon

    Thankfully, the problem with the Drakes was something Warden was fully capable of dealing with. After all, these cursed creatures were straight with their needs, unlike the elusive woman, who talked round and round and left.


    After chasing the ghost in the night, he shot back to their camp, only to find no sign of it was left behind, stomped by dozens of lizards nonstop.


    His three teammates were enclosed by a pack of drakes. They were experienced in dungeon delving and it would take them a lot more than some pack of lizards for them to fall. They hadn''t received any critical injuries in the meantime he was away, though it did not look positive on their faces.


    Nina''s job was to protect the healer, but now she found herself struggling to protect herself in the mix of dozens of drakes. She brought out her heavy bow and fired nonstop at the lizards until they closed the distance and pounced on her. The healer forced barriers on Ward to help the huntress, as Jason barely got there in time to save the healer.


    Jason carried the healer to his back and dashed, choosing a direction. He was not faster than the lesser drakes by any means with his heavy armour, not to mention the load on his back, making it more difficult. Still, he managed to buy his time, using his sword with one hand to fend off the attacks.


    Warden jumped into the fray, his sword erging to 2 metres, emitting a dark, ominous aura of energy and intent alike. The de shed, cutting off the head of a lesser drake. The head didn''t fall to the ground as blood sprayed in the air. Warden leapt at his next target, swinging the de.


    The de pierced through its head, killing it instantly. Another opponent came from behind. Warden sent it flying by unting the [Void shroud] in its direction. He swung his de in wild abandon, eyes sparkling dark purple as he found his rhythm with every move.


    [You have in lesser Drakes (iron), 5x]


    [+2.3 strength]


    [+1.2 dexterity]


    As he gained more advantage from ying the drakes, the boost naturally became lower and lower. Still, it was worthwhile.


    [Your strength has reached the hundred-point mark.]


    [Prepare yourself for your First Boon.]


    A current surged through him, but Warden had no time to pay attention to what kind of benefit he received. There were too many of these lesser drakes, and from the look of it, he did not find any matriarch within the vicinity yet.


    A slow, blood-rending pain surged through his body. He hadn''t thought that reaching the hundred-point mark would be cathartic or metamorphic, but he could not stop now. Besides, his pain tolerance was higher than themon rankers. He could endure it.


    Blood sprayed on him like a fountain with each sh of his de. With him joining the fray, the others finally had a moment to recollect themselves and take up their positions. The healer, Zim, supported them with his Buffs, as Nina covered the distance between them for her designated job.


    Jason delivered the healer to her and joined Warden to ward off the lizards.


    "About time you came back," she said. Her tone had a hardness, but with how pressured she was, she couldn''tin about his conduct now.


    Warden acted like he didn''t hear. He had something more on his te to worry about. He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth to continue. His body grew sluggish with the surging pain. It became more unendurable to fight in such a state. Agony swelled through his skin, muscles, and his core the more he fought.


    There are still dozens of these lizards, and more of them wereing, but so far none of the Drake matriarchs had shown themselves, though Warden would be a fool not to consider their participation in this attack.


    "We need to get out of here," the healer said. "There are just too many of them."


    "I agree," Jason said. "Their numbers are only rising."


    They have not taken any critical blows, but they''re already on theirst breath. Warden too agreed. He needed to get out of here and find out what it was all about.


    "I will open a path," Warden said, as none of them had the capability of doing it alone. Although he was benefiting from killing these cursed creatures, the merciless pain was making it difficult for him to see reasons, as if he was even capable of such deeds at this moment. However, he had to, as only the intoxicating feeling from the boosted attribute soothed the pain.


    Warden braced himself, surging with more power. Void energy churned through his core and into the divider. He bolted onwards, triggering Reaper''s edge to alter the form of the sword, closer to a spear.


    Warden entered the thoughtless mode, spear in hand. He pierced through the hard Drake''s skin one after another, taking only one move or two to y a beast.


    Bodies fell around him, as Warden stopped moving. He let the lizardse to him as the others darted to safety.


    [You have in lesser Cursed Drakes (Iron), 9x]


    [+2.7 strength]


    "Everybody, go go go!" He heard Jason scream, as he cleared the path for them. The drakes too focused more on him, as he was the main offender, decreasing their numbers.


    Warden devised the void shroud around him to make himselfpletely immune to their attacks. He led them toe to him as he swung the de in full arcs, slicing through their tough scales like a hot knife through butter.


    Void energy burned through his skin, as well as whatever the heck was happening with him, attaining a hundred points in strength. There was a hunger in him now as his skin devoured all the more essence he could find by killing these monsters.


    [If you are on the precipice of attaining your first Boon of the body.]


    [Please choose one between these options: might | heaviness | invulnerability]

 Chapter 122: Invulnerability

    [Please choose one of these boons: Might | Heaviness | Invulnerability]


    "What the hell is this?!" He cursed. Thinking quickly, he chose invulnerability.


    [Altering your physique for the Boon of Invulnerability]


    "What the heck do you mean by altering?" Warden didn''t wait for an answer as an overwhelming pain assaulted him instantly. He let out a scream, as though his body was breaking through from the inside. His heart pounded as the altering process went on. Even moving a muscle became an impossibly difficult task.


    The lizards pounced on him, as he couldn''t even bring himself to swing the weapon at them. Even if he managed to kill one, there were plenty more. Warden focused his Will on the Void Shroud, as only the defence it provided could save him now.


    Perhaps choosing the option of invulnerability was not the right decision.


    On top of everything, there are still dozens of these lizards on him, punching him, though the shroud obstructed their invasion. Unfortunately, Warden didn''t have an endless source of energy. He would run out of energy soon enough with how relentless the drakes were to break through the force-field.


    Gritting his teeth, Warden opened the gate to his subspace in front of him asrge as he could. More than half a dozen creatures that were on him entered it instantly. Considering that Drakes were a cursed creature, they would probably survive inside the subspace, but it also relieved the pressure from him.


    The gate to his subspace closed after a certain number of dungeon creatures entered. If he was in his right mind, he would have guessed the space had met the highest number it could contain for the time being. It probably runs on the principle of how a dungeon works, so putting more creatures than it could handle would only unstable it built. Who knew what would happen if the subspace exploded?


    Warden would only remain as the sap of mushed blood and flesh, as his body would likely implode, unable to handle the tearing.


    "Warden!" he heard the scream of Jason, though he could not see him, with too many of the Drakes on him. "What are you doing? You cannot win this."


    "I am trying," Warden muttered with gritted teeth.


    [The void prison realm is altering the Warden''s Boon of Physique.]


    [Error! Insufficient energy! Please provide rich sourced energy to...]


    [The Void Prison Realm sourcing the energies of the subspace to channel in the Warden''s Physique. The process might decrease the shell integrity below optimal. The Warden is warned.]


    A soul-tearing pain soared through his left palm and spread throughout his body. His core, which was revolving, now expanded within him, flowing its branches throughout his body as the void energy surged through him like a flood.


    An utterly scary amount of void energy burst out of him, hurtling down all the creatures on him, trying to bite through his void shroud. Warden was finally free from the grasp of the Drakes, but he was powerless to even move an inch. The process was still ongoing within his body, rendering all his muscles as though they were made out of liquid.


    Warden fought with all his might to keep his consciousness in check. Then a light shed in his consciousness, providing the only constion against the all-consuming agony.


    Warden coughed out blood as the power of Radiance began to quell the wave of will going through him. It was just too much for the little far of the Radiance toe down. However, it did manage to provide the break Warden so needed.


    Then he heard the ground quake on the arrival of a huge boulders-like figure. Not one, two, but four ... thankfully, only one of them looked like the Drake matriarch, not that the other three did not look terrifying enough. They were all heavily built to dash at them. They crept into the party after dozens of their offspring paid the price of facing them


    He sat upright, wiping the blood from his face. Warden was thoroughly powerless to face this.


    The drake matriarch opened its mouth, and raw energy twisted around as fire sparked into manifestation...


    Warden groaned, trying to ess the subspace to open another portal to save himself from this atrocity. The void energy blinked in front of him. But instead of a portal, it surrounded around him in a vortex of energy.


    Thankfully, Jason was there. Jason fought with the oing drakes, no further than 2 meters away. He dealt with them quickly and came to Warden''s rescue after taking care of the other two. Nina had already run off, the healer on hismand.


    He dropped just before the fire breath could hit Warden. A white shield manifested in his arm as he took on the full brunt of the blow effortlessly. He not only took the blow, but it appeared his ability let him reflect the attack to the owner as soon as the me burst towards the matriarch and her superior minions, buying them some time.


    "Warden, are you alright?'''' He called, pulling Warden up. "Why does this feel like you are dying? Wait, are you going through your first alteration now?''''


    "Can''t talk now," Warden rasped, his voice soft yet husky. "Let us get out of here."


    Warden could barely walk straight as Jason had to carry him, just like he did with the healer at the time. But as they went back, he threw a few beads into the air, which burst to release an imprable fog of ck smoke that obscured the vision of all the lizards in the vicinity.


    Jason did not stop his run; he did not know where the other two had gone but only stopped after carrying Warden for half an hour.


    In the meantime, Warden already settled his mind into meditation, channelling the chaos that had been reigning within him to subside. Thankfully, it subsided as Jason brought him to safety.


    [Congrattions! You have attained the Void Vanquishing Physique.]


    [You have received...]


    There was more information, but Warden barely managed to read that before he fell unconscious.

 Chapter 123: Total Invulnerability

    When Warden woke up, he immediately felt something different about himself. They were in some cave far away from the mountains, or so it appeared. A pitch-ck darkness enveloped the surroundings as Warden groaned while attempting to sit upright.


    He found his clothes in disarray¡ªdried blood, sweat, and all sorts of disgusting things filled his armour and equipment. Warden felt repulsed by the terrible stench emanating from his body. Was that why there was nobody around him? Did they fear the stench more than the Drakes?


    It seemed so.


    Warden chuckled and decided to focus on finding out what had happened with all the cathartic experience. He summoned his system to review the notifications he hadn''t had time for.


    ___________


    [Warden]


    Race: Human/Celestial (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 30%)


    Title: [Dungeon Eater] [Indomitable] ¡­ [Redacted]


    Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]


    Unlocked Aperture: [The Pce of Toil, (Left Palm)], [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)]


    Bonded Artifact: [Cloak of Void Radiance (Legendary)], [Maya''s Protection (Legendary)] [The Divider (Rare, Growth: 18%)


    Disposition: Chaotic


    Rank: [Broken Cmity (Iron)]


    [Core: Unique, Void Element. Unable to determine further.]


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 115.4] | Efficiency: +95%


    [Dexterity: 100.3] | Efficiency: +75%


    [Mind: 25.4] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Spirit: 89.4] | Efficiency: +85%


    [Recovery: 104] | Efficiency: +90%


    Abilities:


    [Imbuing: Iron 99%] [Regeneration: Iron - 99%] [Indomitable Will: Spacial]


    [Left Hand of Cmity: > 15%] [Void Space: Grade-?/Unstable]


    [Runesmithing: Tier-5] [Intent: 45% (Spear type/Malevolment Attunement)]


    Boon:


    [Void Vanquishing Physique: Unique | Progress: 1%]


    _____________


    He had a new tab for boon now.


    [Void Vanquishing Physique: Unique | Progress: 1%


    The Void Vanquishing Physique grants invulnerability to poison, curses, or tainted energy. With this physique, you can even survive in space. Your entire structure of physique has been altered to something superior to operate with more power, energy, and aura. At full attainment of the Void Vanquishing Physique, your body will be superior to any gold rankers.


    Total Invulnerability: For 6 seconds, you can be invulnerable to any attack.


    +50% Efficiency to Strength and Dexterity.]


    "Only for 6 seconds," Warden muttered. And then finally, his eyes fell on the whole thing. Wait for any attack? Even an attack from a transcendental Ranker?


    The 50% increase in strength and dexterity was more than wee. With this, he was exactly 50% stronger now in them. Well, the exact math could be more or less, but he was too delighted to think about all that. Honestly, anyone would behave disappointed if they did not receive such benefits after that cathartic experience.


    And with all the benefits Warden received, he was more than willing to go through it again. The weakness that always lingered in his core finally subsided by arge degree by this breakthrough.


    Still, being invulnerable to poison and tainted energy alone was already a significant benefit that most people would kill for, but Warden got so much more out of it. And that was not all.


    [The Void Energy capacity has been raised to 15%. Your body has been forged to handle void energy better.]


    Warden couldn''t wait to have a fight with those darn lizards again. He would fuck them up real well this time. To be honest, he wouldn''t have had to run away before if there was no metamorphic experience. It sure would have been difficult, but Warden was sure he could deal with them taking his time.


    He stood up, only to find that his body was heavier than usual. It didn''t make it difficult for him to carry himself, but he somehow felt more substantial than before. With 100 points in strength, he wouldn''t have much difficulty carrying, even if he weighed twice as much. But that was a different kind of weight on him now. He was like more... divine?


    Oh right, I forgot about the radiance power that helped me through the whole altering process, Warden thought. When he checked his status page there was no mentioned of it, although everything about him seemed to have improved to some degree.


    Warden was sure he hadn''t been mistaken about the radiant power, which was like the unique power of the Celestial.Perhaps it was a safety mechanism of the body?


    Warden would need to talk to June to find out more.


    Warden found a whole barrel of water waiting for him as he walked around a bit to find others. Honestly, Warden didn''t think the water was enough to clean himself properly, but he did as much as he could, using all the water he had. This dungeon was not a ce to have a lot of water, so Warden was delighted that they bear to give away a whole barrel of it.


    Finished cleaning up and back into his attire, Warden crept a little further as the smell of roasting meat came to his nose, almost forgetting about the reek. He was diabolically hungry, and could eat more than what they had roasting in the fire. Looks like my appetite hasn''t changed much.


    The stench he was oozing out seemed to catch their attention, as all of them turned towards him.


    "Took some time for you to wake up," Jason said. "But then again, I was asleep the whole day too, after receiving my first boon."


    "I was asleep the whole day?" Warden asked, stunned to think it would take so much time. Then again, the stress he went through was unlike anything before. Even the experience in the Phantom uirsed Valley could notpare to it. It paled inparison.


    All his muscles had undergone breakdown and reformed once again in a superior form. Even his channels for supplying void energy had changed to endure the 15% capacity limit, not to mention the boon he received.


    "A few hours less than that," Jason said, "though I thought you would take a couple of days, considering you went through that while fighting with the Drakes. Good thing you are not injured."


    Warden nodded as he crouched down near the fire. "So everyone receives these boons when their strength reaches 100 points?" Warden asked, though it seemed self-exnatory. "Why did no one tell me this?"

 Chapter 124: Boons

    "Why did no one tell me this?"


    "You did not know about this?" Nina asked incredulously, finding the whole thing preposterous, as it wasmon knowledge among the rankers.


    "I thought you knew," Jason said, looking a little guilty, though it wasn''t really his fault. "Besides, you said your strength was in the low 90s. It would have taken weeks of hunting to get there."


    Of course, Warden''s constitution was different from others. Unlike those who cultivated attributes from the beginning, he was regaining his strength. The depth in him was far higher than anyone else, and he gained attributes at a faster speed than others.


    For example, amon ranker would stop gaining anything in a day after reaching 4/5 points in iron rank, not to mention their speed at receiving the essence would be slower. Warden hadn''t experienced such a block, considering he had gained over 20 points in a day. Of course, his celestial origin might also y a role, so he didn''t say anything to make them feel dejected.


    "I am more interested in what kind of boon you got," Nina said. "With such a cathartic experience, I am sure it should be something significant."


    "What options did you get?" Jason asked. "You don''t have to say if you want to keep it a secret, although I can help you understand what each of the options might give you. Not that you can redo the whole thing again. Still, I think you will like more exnations on it."


    Warden nodded. "Well, I had three options. I think they were Might, Heaviness, and Invulnerability."


    "Nice," Jason said. "I had Might and Heaviness in my options as well, with an addition of Iron."


    "What did you choose? Wait, let me guess, is it Might?"


    Jason nodded with a smile. "The heaviness would basically make me a heavy warrior, which I am reluctant to be. As for the Iron, it would have given me some tough defensive ability with less offensive scope. But I found Might to be just right for me. It gave 20% efficiency in strength and Dexterity, with the ability to go a notch higher in my physical capabilities while expanding energy."


    "My options are different, but they''re good ones," Nina said, feeling left out. "I got Acrobatic, Resilient, and Keen. Resilient was my obvious choice. It gave me all sorts of resistance, tolerance, and immunity to most things. Like most iron-grademon poison won''t work on me, simply I''m quite tolerant of all elemental attacks."


    "That sounds good," Jason added as he nodded.


    "Yeah, but I do think I missed out on some, and only Gods and the Great system know when I will receive my second boon in physique."


    "Well, for me, I don''t have a boon in physique, as I''m not a physical ranker," the healer said glumly.


    After a little inquiry, Warden found that everyone received three boons when their main attribute reached 100, 500, and 1000 points mark. There were also criteria for rank: Iron, Gold, and Transcendent, respectively. Also, a person could get more boons, like in mind and spirit as well, at the same criteria.


    "So I have to go through a simr experience when I reach 100 marks in mind and spirit as well," Warden said with a groan, though he couldn''t help but feel a bit of anticipation growing.


    "Well, it depends," Jason said. "Although I have not gone through any other than in my physique, I heard in spirit was the most difficult. But that too depends on the type of gift you received."


    "I have received the gift of spirit," the healer, Zim, chimed in. "It wasn''t that bad. With my boon, I can live 2,3 times longer than your usual Iron Ranker with the option of upgrading it again at the 500 mark."


    "Good luck reaching there," Jason said. "With your augment lifespan, you''ll have a better chance than most."


    "That is the exact thought I had when I decided on my boon," Zim nodded.


    "Which reminds me, you haven''t mentioned what you''ve got," Nina said, her eyes beaming. "It had to be something really good, considering you look kind of different now."


    "Different how?" Warden asked. Even though he could detect some differences, he wanted to hear what others found in him now.


    "You look solid," Jason said. "You are more toned, and your face is more... symmetrical."


    "More handsome," Nina said with a smirk. "And your eye colour has changed permanently to purple now."


    Warden blinked. He knew his eyes turned to a purplish hue when he used void energy, but while his eyes were initially grey, like his hair, it looked like the boon had altered them too.


    "It does not look bad," Nina smiled coyly, with some indication. "A little ferocious, inhuman, and mysterious."


    "Well, it''s not just my eyes," Warden said with augh, deciding not to think about it. "I am basically invulnerable to poison or tainted things now and also received a 50% efficiency in strength and Dexterity."


    He didn''t mention the total invulnerability. It would only work for six seconds, best to keep it under wraps. He could have told Jason, but he didn''t know the other two that well.


    "Neat," Jason said, gasping. Although he was ready for it, he looked winded.


    "Just neat?" Nina snorted. "I don''t think I''ve heard anyone receiving such benefits in their first boon."


    "Well, I did," Jason said. "And you probably do too. Did you forget Ss Moon and his Immortal Physique? Or Agnes'' and whatever the hell type of boon she had¡­"


    "But they are notmon ranker and¡­" she swallowed and stopped herself from continuing, studying Warden again from head to toe.


    Warden did not look like amon ranker either, other than his easy-going personality.


    "Well, Other than that, my body is also restructured slightly or altered to better channel my energy," Warden added. "I think I am a lot stronger than before."


    Now, Warden could not help but contemte what was his limit. Every time he pushed himself harder, he came out even stronger than before, paying only pain as a price. It couldn''t be all this smooth sailing, could it?

 Chapter 125: Grinding Begins

    Warden had already got more than benefits from this delving than he imagined, but it hadn''t ended yet.


    They have wasted one precious day inside the dungeon with Warden''s breakthrough on receiving the boon. Jason had paid Four hundred iron-grade essence stones to book it for a standard system daytime, and Warden had wasted a fourth of it while sleeping.


    There was also payment to the two helpers, which was another two hundred essence gems in total. Jason already paid half of it, which already emptied his pocket. For the rest, he meant to use the loot to repay them.


    And of course, the payment to the Hunting Grounds organisation didn''t end with just the essence stones, as they would have dibs on a part of the materials Warden and co looted from the dungeon. Of course, there were not overly tyrannical about it and there were ways to trick them, either through your backing or your wit.


    They had already nned to do it through Warden''s Subspace. Nobody would even have a clue that Warden himself was in a walking dungeon. They would simply smuggle the best of the loot while only showing their puny exploits to cheat the administration. People with backing always do it, so Jason had no qualms about doing it too.


    Not to mention his pocket had been emptier since he left his father''s shadow.


    So, now here was the problem. Warden or rather his Void Prison realm, kind of used up all that stored inside the sub space during his receiving the boon. he remembered getting a system notice on the Fatelock sourcing the subspace to handle the boon better. The Fatelock probably altered his boon to give him more benefits as well. So Warden couldn''t be piss on about it, either.


    Still, not all the loots were his... In the end, he decided toe reveal it all to Jason. Keeping too many secrets could be confining sometimes, and Jason and he had been bros...


    "What do you want to talk about?" Jason said after Warden brought him some ce private to talk secretly.


    "You remember all the loot we had?" Warden said hesitantly, sounding more awkward than he should have.


    "The loot we poured into the weird portal you created?" Jason nodded. "What about it?"


    "They are gone."


    Jason blinked in disbelief. "I''m sorry, can you repeat?"


    "All the loots are gone," Warden said. "There''s not even a scrape bone left of the Drake corpses."


    "How?!"


    "Well, how do I exin this¡­" Warden said. He just checked inside his subspace to study the level of instability, only to find all the loot they stored inside had gone. They were unable to collect the loot from the other drakes they killed in order to flee as well. That was another substantial loot, considering the number of drakes they killed was close to a hundred.


    "I think I might have used up all in my boon."


    "Are you being serious?"


    Warden sighed. "Don''t worry, I''ll fully rpense you¡­ There are still two days left and¡ª"


    "No, no," Jason said, shaking his head. "It''s not about rpense¡­ I can tell you did no mean to do it, or did it on greed¡­ I''m just bbergasted that you said you used up all."


    The expression he showed exined it wentpletely over his head. Well, considering there were hundreds of corpses of drakes along with their cores and hearts inside, Warden could understand. Still, he was delighted that Jason didn''t use of him of anything. He was right in assessing his character.


    "It will be so easy if I can show you," Warden said. But he could not take chances of taking someone into the subspace yet. Although Iron rankers were far superior to ordinary humans, they still breathed air, and the subspace was devoid of it. "Anyway, let me exin this quickly. Oh, before that, make sure not to tell this to anyone, as I only told this to another person.


    I n on keeping it a secret for now."


    Jason frowned and nodded slowly. He had seen much of Warden''s oddity, and knew they weren''t natural, not to mention at the speed he was growing stronger was unnatural.


    "First of all, I didn''t mention the whole thing about my boon," Warden said. "It gave a physique."


    "Really?" Jason''s eyes widened. He sucked in a deep breath and said, "I must say wasting all the loot for a good physique is more than worth it, not to mention the added benefit. Most people don''t even tend to get one during their second boon in gold rank."


    Warden didn''t think it was that rare. "It''s called the Void Vanquishing Physique, and you already know that I''m invulnerable to poison, tainted energy and such¡­"


    Jason nodded. "I think your physique is at the same calibre of Ss Moon''s Immortal Body," he said. "Well, yours is more defensive and invulnerable, but the Immortal Body edges out in regeneration power¡­ But I don''t think he has as much as 50% efficiency in Strength and physique, so it''s hard to guess which one is better."


    Considering Warden already has a regeneration power, he believed his physiqueplimented him perfectly, as the void energy he had to dabble in regrly was quite stressful to his physique.


    "Well, I also gave this power called Total Invenerability which kind of makes me invulnerable to anything for about six seconds," Warden said with a smile.


    "Only six seconds what about after..." Then it finally clicked in him. "What do you mean by Anything? Can you withstand attack from a transcendent as well?"


    "I haven''t tested it, so can''t tell," Warden said.


    There was some confusion about the cool-down time of the ability. If he could use it multiple times, it would be aplete cheat. But he guessed he would have to use it to find out about its fault. The system was far from being omniscient to know it all, after all.


    "You mentioned this Ss guy before along with another person," Warden said. "Who are they exactly?"


    "Demonic geniuses," Jason said. "They have be famous for their academy years¡­ Hmm, I was actually in the same batch as Agness, though a different school, but I fought her at the inter-academypetition."


    "What happened?" Warden asked.


    "Well, let''s just say I was unable to even scratch her," Jason said. "Her power is peculiar, most attacks don''t have any effect on her. For a mage, it was impossible to fight her. Hmm, now that I think about it, her power is more like that defensive force-fiend of yours, though a mature form in a dark domain which sucks in all power."


    "Sounds powerful," Warden said approvingly. "What about the other guy?"


    "Well, he had formed his own guild after terrorising everyone in the academy," Jason said. "He''s already a silver ranker, and pretty much immortal. Unlike Agnes, you cannd blows on him, but I don''t think it will hurt him."


    Warden narrowed his eyes. "Anyway, I was talking about my secret," he said. "So you may have already noticed some peculiarities in how I behave, which I justified by saying I''m not around here. That is kind of the truth, but the whole truth is that I have amnesia."


    "Amnesia, wow," Jason said slowly, studying his face. "That''s not reallymon, especially with ranker''s biology. How bad is it?"


    "Pretty bad, I pretty much retained all the things I learned, though I can''t remember what I exactly I learned," he said. "Only in a burst of insight, I managed to make the impression of things¡­ Regardless, that was not all." Warden sucked in a deep breath. "I''m, or rather I was possibly a high ranker."


    "How high?"


    "Gold, and possibly higher," Warden said with a sigh. "I don''t know what happened, but a few weeks ago, I found myself devoid of all my memories near a stream."


    "Woh, this is a lot to take in," Jason said, sucking in a deep breath. "So you were saying I''m friends with a transcendent ranker?"


    "I''m saying I might have been one," Warden said with a sigh. "Though it''s most likely Gold, considering from what I''ve heard, most Transcendent rank of this world is old as fuck. While I don''t look or feel old."


    "Certainly," Jason said. "Still, gold is high. Even my father is a peak Gold ranker and he''s the governor of one of the most important cities of the world. It is not a power that people discount easily, considering there''s only a few thousand gold rankers in the world."


    "Well, I''m reaching for it slowly as well," Warden smiled.


    "Is that why you''re so fast in growing your attributes?"


    "June and I reasoned it was likely the case," Warden said. "And other than you, she''s the only person who knows about my condition."


    "I''ll be sure to keep my lips tightly clipped," Jason said.


    There were still some more that Warden didn''t mention. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust the guy, it was simply because he didn''t want to worry him. Not that Warden was wholly sure about his paranoia.


    "Alright, now that is over with," Warden said. "It is time we get back to our business and reim all our losses. There are still two days left right, let''s just grind the darkness nonstop."


    "Non-stop?"


    "Nonstop," Warden smiled. "Well, perhaps you guys can take a rest, but I think I can keep on with my new physique."


    Warden was full of energy now.


    "You realise there are two whole days left, and even with your cheat and powerful body, it is impossible?"


    "I guess there''s only one way to find out."

 Chapter 126: Final Boss?

    Warden was the force of nature. With power coursing through him in wild abandon he left the remains of his dead drakes in his wake. The Drake matriarch attempted to unleash fire upon him, but he effortlessly dodged by sidestepping. His movements possessed a visceral, ghostly nature as his figure blurred while approaching the matriarch.


    The two elite drakes remaining shot at him with their huge figure. They weren''t as fast as the lesser drakes with their huge hulking figures, but the strength they possessed was something to reckon with. Their massive bodies resembled more of a dragon,cking only scaled wings.


    Warden concentrated on his defence, activating the void shroud to envelop him entirely. With his power increasing, the shroud''s capability had risen another notch, not that it was ever weak. he also learned the main reason he was unable to use the full capacity of his power was because of his weak body, which he somewhat satisfied after receiving the boon.


    Of course, there probably was a criteria for Mind and Spirit as well. Warden hoped he would get at least another 5% increase after he received the boon in his Spirit. The day was not that far, perhaps he''d managed with the loot of this dungeon alone.It was already closing towards the 90s. A few points more and he could leave the rest to the potions.


    He had no idea what to do about Mind. training with June might help, but to what extent? He didn''t think he could simply grow his Mind infinitely being under the seize of her mental power.


    One of the elite drakes lunged at him, but he skillfully flipped over it,pelling the shroud onto its back and immobilising it. Before the other one could react, he drove the de into its hide, dispatching it swiftly.


    Another burst of fire was directed at him at close range. upied with the elite drake, he could only defend himself with the void shroud. He also activated the Mystic Ward from Maya''s Protection toplement the shroud as thin tendrils of energy joined his channels from the attack.


    With half of his energy already, which was sufficient to deal with the remaining lizards, but it didn''t hurt to have more. With a mighty lunge, he propelled himself atop the Drake, taking advantage of the fact that it couldn''t fire at him for about five more seconds.


    Warden thrust his de into the Drake matriarch''s neck. As it howled, more of the remaining lizards, as well as the elite ones, shot at him, sensing their mother in distress.


    Jason stood firm on the ground, conjuring his magical knight shield to fend off all the attacks directed at Warden. Even Nina wasn''t merely protecting the healer. They upied a higher vantage point, rtively safe. Shooting arrows from there posed no problem for her. Mostly free, her aim was top-notch, though she couldn''t kill a drake without hitting their head or eye with their tough scale.


    But her arrows slowed them down, and Jason had no difficulty dealing with them.


    The five seconds had passed, and he hadn''t managed to kill the Drake matriarch yet. This creature proved stronger than any they had faced so far, likely at the very peak of the iron grade. Its scales were significantly tougher with its body reinforcement skill. He focused his intent on re-establishing the void shroud to shield himself from the firepower.


    The fire plunged into the force-field, falling more onto the drake itself than Warden. He hold on for a time, drilling the de further, pushing forth the void energy and his intent.


    [You have in the Cursed Drake Matriarch (Iron)]


    [You have in the Cursed Elite Drake (Iron), 3x]


    You have inCursed lesser drakes (Iron), 27X.]


    [+1.3 spirit, 2.9 strength, 1.7 dexterity]


    It was the fifth time of the day they were hunting a pack of drakes, and so far they had only been sessful, though it hadn''t been easy trekking the mountain terrain with bursting volcanos and such.


    Their gain on attributes was a lot lower, and it had been regressing more and more as the hunt went on. Still, Warden was delighted that he was actually getting something out of it.Of course, the naturalw of the system did not impose on him like it did on others, still, it was impossible to firm the same racial creature all the time. At some point, he would probably would get nothing out of it.


    The variety in essence matters as well.


    The other three had already stopped gaining anything from the fight other than the loot they would be obtaining. From the look of it, they needed another round of rest.


    "I guess only the main boss remained," Warden muttered as he came down from the Matriarch''s corpse. After it died, the few remaining minions fled as quickly and ferociously as they had attacked upon noticing them.


    "Phew," Jason sighed, wiping the blood from his face. He looked worn out and had been going at it quite mercilessly. Unlike the other two, he had participated in all five turns of the fight. Although there were breaks in between, Jason didn''t have the Recovery attribute to be as resilient as Warden.


    Still, Jason was a cut above an elite adventurer like Nina. Warden guessed that he had not wasted all the resources he had been privileged to before he forsake it all. Perhaps he could help the guy more, but that had to wait for now.


    "You guys all rx," he said as the healer and the huntress joined them. "I will collect all of it on my own."


    Thankfully, with the rise of his void energy capacity, he could open arger gate to his subspace now. Still, he needed to bisect the corpse of the mountainous matriarch to store it in. It wasn''t a monumental task anymore, as Warden had got quite adept at doing it repetitively.


    "What is this guy even made of?" Nina said. "If you hadn''t said anything, I might have assumed him to have some secret identity like some heir of some ancient house or something."


    "Haha," Jasonughed, though it had urred to him as well before. "Warden is just built differently."


    "Well, he was already a force to be reckoned with before," she said. "But now, with the boon, I have nothing else topare him with. I guess only Silver ranker can work with such efficiency."


    "Not even yourmon silver ranker," the healer added. "I guess, with all the efficiency in his boon, his stats are about the same as an early silver ranker."


    Of course, there is more to a silver rank than just that stat. They do not know it all yet, as all of them were iron rank, and the society tends to keep the knowledge of higher ranks as secret as possible. They could only guess or get the full story by buying or befriending a higher rank, which isn''t easily done.


    "Done," Warden said. He turned to face them, considering. "How many hours remain till we have to exit the dungeon?"


    Jason said, calcting, "Four hours less than a day, I guess."


    There is no way they could clear the whole dungeon in that time. Honestly, even another week won''t be enough, as the dungeon was huge, littered with mountain terrains and pathways that were difficult to move on, not to mention the sheer amount of drakes.


    This type of dungeon was for a specialised team of rankers. Their exploits so far were already surprising enough, though he has tested still unable to test the full capacity of his physique and how to improve it. It still remains at that one percent progress, even with all the fights.


    It''s about time I looked for the main boss. Talking with the others, he found there was arge chance that the main boss would be a silver ranker. Most grade seven dungeons could hold only a silver ranker, and considering the sheer size of it, there is a high chance there would be one.


    Warden could not help but wonder, How would he fare against a silver ranker. The Drake Matriarch was surely powerful, but it was slow as hell. Without its minions, he believed he would have no trouble dealing with it.


    But what if the silver-rank matriarch was a cut above the rest with high agility? It might give him a run for his money. A deep surge of battle lust grew within him that he rarely felt. Thest time had been in the Phantom ursed Valley, not too long ago, though his memory of the ce was surreal as the 12 days merged together to create a blurry memory in his mind.


    "What are you thinking so deeply about?" Jason asked.


    "I''m feeling a little hungry," Warden said. His ''little'' was actually a lot to them, as all of them smiled warily. "You guys, why don''t you rest a bit and prepare our food while I go scouting for our next target?"


    "Seems like a n," Jason said. "Though the loop from the loop you are giving, I think you n on facing it without us."


    Warden smiled. "That would honestly depend on what I have to fight against," he said. "Don''t get worried, though. I know when to retreat."


    Jason nodded, realising he was far from adequate to lecture Warden onbat. The man was a hardened and experienced fighter, easily reaching the aura of some of the best fighters Jason had seen, even surpassing some old rankers who had worked under his father.

 Chapter 127: Egg

    "Good hunting," Nina chimed as Warden''s figure shed towards thergest and lonesome peak in the dungeon that dwarfed all the others in its singrity.


    Even a child could guess that this was probably their of the final boss of the dungeon. The others probably had the same thought, though none had voiced it or offered ideas. Honestly, Warden wanted just to take a glimpse of the final boss first. The iron rank matriarch was already huge, but the silver should dwarf all the others like the mountain did.


    It''s not like he was a maniac who only knew how to fight. He would simply take a look ande back.


    Five minutes into his scouting, Warden activated the void shroud with limited efficiency, which barely provided a thinyer of obstruction around his form. This would help him move unobstructed through the volcanic terrain, and save him from all the corrosive ash that was flying around. It was like a minefield, as any missteps or wrong cements could cause magma to spurt out and engulf him whole.


    The path to the highest peak was more treacherous than he had believed. Thankfully, his prior mistakes hadn''t cost him much, as with quick reaction, he managed to pull up the legendary cloak of void resistance to obstruct the spurts of liquid fire.


    Not that he thought he would die. With high attributes and his new physique, he could withstand the fire with some burns that would need serious healing. But with his regenerative ability, it would be a minor problem. Not that he was sadistic enough to test that.


    Weirdly, he found no drakes in the vicinity. There were other lesser creatures around, but those were weak opponents at the copper rank and only a few at iron. Hunting copper and early iron creatures at his level would be a waste of his time. Even the others didn''t dirty their hands with their taint.


    After moving around and searching for half an hour, he found an opening to the terrible volcanic peak. It wasn''t the opening of a ckened crater; instead, he could feel the aura of terrible heat emanating from within.


    Warden changed his approach and channelled more energy into the cloak to solidify the shroud. He moved in more stealthily, sword in hand, ready for anything to jump at him.


    After walking for a few minutes in the fiery heart of the terrain, the temperature seemed to only rise as he pressed onward. He finally found what he was looking for, though it surprised him greatly.


    Inside, it was a stream ofva where dozens of huge boulder-like drakesy dormant. From the aura they were radiating, Warden could easily guess none of them were below in powerpared to those peak elite drakes. And there were¡ªWarden counted them roughly¡ªtwenty-two of them. Their scales were so tough that the temperature of the moltenva had barely any effect on their bodies.


    Moreover, from the look of it, they seemed to be thriving in it, somehow managing to absorb the elemental power sported within theva to increase their prowess. But where was the final boss?


    Warden searched every nook and cranny of theva stream and couldn''t find the matriarch. Then his eyes wandered into the center of the stream, which was empty with all the rest of the elite drakes dozing around.


    Could it be? He wondered. Was it deep within theva?


    Then suddenly he had an urge to check it out. But to swim in the stream of molten me?


    Why not? He thought. After all, his Void Vanquishing Physique could survive the space, and this was merelyva where creatures he could easily kill were napping.


    Without making the slightest noise, Warden slipped into theva stream. The slothful Drakes noticed nothing as Warden emitted a slight flow of energy through his legs to slowly move into the center of the stream.


    Even there, he found nothing. And the moltenva was too thick for his eyes to make out anything other than the outlines of the closest drake. Warden could feel the heat which was being filtered through his defence. If he wanted he could obstruct it all, simply running the shroud at full capacity. But there was hardly a need for it.


    With a thought, he let his spiritual awareness slip deep into the moltenva.


    It was something June had taught him. ording to her, spiritual awareness was a natural ability of a silver-rank Ranker, but she deemed his spirit was strong enough to learn it. She had imparted the basics to him within a couple of days, as the familiarity of the skill made him aware that he probably learned it before his amnesia as well.


    Still, he was far from being a master in it. Just so that even the system had not acknowledged him having the skill. A high mental stat was highly required for this ability, and with his impaired mind attribute barely standing stagnated at 25 points, he could barely use the ability.


    Now Warden could only make out an obstruction in his path. There was no way for him to make out the outline, much less visualize what it was with his low mental stat. But through perseverance, he held on. After swimming down a dozen or so metres into the depths, his free awareness finally picked out something unnatural.


    There was something deep in the pool that was circting the elemental power of the fire around itself at a vastly superior rate. Warden grew another dozen metres closer to it and stopped to study its form. He could make out a round, boulder-like existence. This could forcibly be the Drake Matriarch, the silver-rank existence of this dungeon, though he found no limbs or a long neck around it.


    Warden moved a little more as finally, he could make out what it exactly was: an egg.


    A humongous egg, rightly so in shape, like a boulder. Without these tight swirls of fiery energy around it, Warden could have mistaken it for a huge boulder.


    Warden wondered whether this was really the final boss or her offspring. He had no way of knowing, even after searching around a bit. Then another thought crossed his mind. He wondered if the omelette would taste good if he could fry the boulder-sized egg.


    That was a funny line of thought. Warden could imagine the look on June''s face when he presented it to her to make an omelette with it. That would be epic, he thought.


    And with that came the urge to take it away with him. The Drakes in the vicinity were slothful, enthralled in absorbing the fiery energy in their sleep. Warden had just the weapon to im the prize without any of them noticing. After all, he would not have to carry it around like an obtuse thief or robber.


    Warden visualised the gate to his subspace opening, positioned just below the shaped egg, as a thin smile curved on his lips. He moved closer to the egg, when the gate opened, and pushed it into the subspace. The boldness-shaped egg was just slightly smaller than what could be pushed down into the subspace, though a lot of moltenva got inside along with it.


    Thankfully, that did not create much disturbance inside the stream for the inert drake protectors to notice.


    With his job done, Warden slowly came out of theva stream. He gave the sleeping drakes a nce before exiting the finalyer of the dungeon. He guessed there was no need to hurry up in the dungeon.


    "Well, you''re in a happy mood now?" Jason said the moment Warden came back to their camp. They had prepared the food in the meantime. It was the same monotonous roasted weave and meat, and some vegetables. "Did you find our next target? Wait, did you take care of it on your own?"


    "Something like that," Warden said with a smile. "Let us just rest for now. You guys have worked really hard. I will stay awake to watch for any more attacks during the night."


    Though they all agreed, most of them stayed with him after they finished their meal.


    ***


    "Are you looking for something?" Jason asked after Warden came back from his third round of scouting.


    Warden had been vignt for any iing attacks throughout the night, sadly the slothful drakes failed to deliver any righteous rage from missing their matriarch.


    "I thought there would be an attack, but it looks like without their matriarch, the Drakes are rather foolish and dull."


    He had been prepared to fight the elite drakes on his own if they woke up from their slumber, even if they didn''t contribute much to improving his attributes unlike the drake matriarchs. But so far, he had been disappointed.


    "Maybe I should go back and wake them up from their sleep," Warden said.


    Jason frowned. "What are you talking about?"


    Warden turned to face him again. "I''ll tell youter after I deal with this."


    With that, Warden left again on his way to theva stream.


    ***


    There was a huge volcanic eruption from the lonesome peak a few minutes after Warden''s departure. The sheer disturbance of it woke up the two helpers from their sleep. They lurched to their feet ready for a battle, but that didn''t happen. Well, not immediately.


    A couple of minutester, Warden came in running at his top speed. "You need to get out of here..."


    "What, what happened?" Nina asked bbergasted.


    "No questions," Warden said. "Run back to the gate... or you might not get the chance for it."


    ____

 Chapter 128: Urgency

    "Warden, what have you done?" Jason said through gritted teeth.


    "Now is not the time to answer," Warden said, his voice infused with aura. "Get out now..."


    They heard the terrible screams of Drakes from all around and finally understood the gravity of the situation. Exchanging nces, they began to withdraw towards the dungeon gate.


    Jason stopped after a few steps. He turned to find Warden rooted to the spot. "You''re not leaving?"


    Warden shook his head. "This is a mess of my own making. I''ll join you shortly after I take care of it."


    Jason paused.


    "Go on," Warden urged, seeing his hesitation. "You won''t be able to harvest any essence here, nor will this fight hone your skills...though I admit it would be a bloody experience if you stayed."


    Warden could see the temptation warring on Jason''s face. He couldn''t help but smile.


    "You''re not prepared for this fight. It is not your path," Warden said. "Go on, I''ll return swiftly."


    Jason gritted his teeth, watching Warden dash towards the chaos. Jason yearned to follow, having always longed for dependablerades to fight alongside,rades he could trustpletely. But as the chaos grew, he realized how ill-equipped he was for this kind of battle.


    He wasn''t green by any margin, but this was something else altogether. There were hundreds of iron-grade drakes quaking all over the ce for whatever reason.


    With a deep sigh, he turned and darted toward the exit, hoping Warden knew what he was doing.


    ***


    Torin Walt woke up with righteous vindication that morning. Today was the day he would wipe off the stains of humiliation from his skin. Today was the day he would make that bastard pay for the humiliation he caused him. Today was the day he would prove to that elf how alone she was.


    Because Torin had advanced to silver.


    Nobody could utter a single word of disrespect to him anymore. They couldn''t me him behind his back for gaining the position of a junior professor through his family background. Perhaps that had been the case in the beginning, but family is a strength of its own. Not to mention, he had made the position his through his power.


    "You''re up early today," said the lowborn cur as he came into the garden of his housing. This lowborn cur had been following him for thest few days after the knowledge of his humiliation finally got to the ears of his Father, the n head. He specially provided this fellow to follow him around all the time to make sure of his safety.


    His safety... Torin gritted his teeth at the reminder. He could take care of himself. He''d make sure of that today...


    "Young Lord?" said again the lowborn ranker, finding him not answering. "Oh is it the day, huh? Were you looking forward to this?"


    Torin spared him a nce. There seemed to be much amusement in this lowborn nameless ghost''s eyes, amusement at his own expense, which always caused Torin to regard him darkly.


    The ghost was barely five feet and a few inches tall, his figure thin and brittle, and cut quite a creepy vibe with how he eyed everything. Still, the ghost possesses some uncanny abilities and was quite useful for the n for all the years he had served. That seemed to have given him all this gall that he could talk to him, Torin Walt, the true heir of the great House Walt, as if they were equal.


    "I don''t like that smile on your face," he said, ring.


    The lips on the Ghost''s lips grew wider. "Perhaps, you''d like to wipe it off me?" he sounded more hopeful than amused.


    Sadist bastard! Walt cursed inwardly. "I think I will," he said and drew his sword.


    The main event waste afternoon, at the fourth bell, Torin had to spend all the energy he had on something in the meantime. So why not deal with this creepy bastard?


    The Ghost had sworn his life to his n, but it seemed that hadn''t instilled the respect in him. Torin Walt would get the respect where it''s due.


    Thus he shed first.


    ***


    Thirty minutes had passed since Jason escaped the dungeon. That meant Warden had been inside for about two hours now.


    The dungeon gate still pulsated with dark energy as Jason''s eyes were continually drawn back to it, hoping to see Warden emerge. Truthfully, Jason wasn''t worried. In the four days since they''d met, he''d seen Warden''s monstrous strength. The man had yet to suffer a single injury. Though partly due to his unique force-field ability, it spoke to Warden''s overall power.


    Jason thought, If he can maintain that force field in battle, I''m sure he has nothing to worry about.


    "What''s that?" Zim said, pointing upward. "A bird?"


    "It''sing right for us," Nina said, drawing back her bow.


    "Wait!" Jason shouted, springing to his feet. His eyes found the bird - no, calling it a bird was an understatement. It was a magnificent, huge white crane...and from its aura, it seemed to be Silver-rank. "It looks familiar..."


    The crane descended toward them, chilling their blood. Thankfully, it did not attack. Towering over them, it let out a croak at Jason.


    His power surged instinctively as realization dawned on him. Peering up at the mighty beast, Jason was awed despite himself. Though most beasts posed little threat to humans, this crane was of a higher pedigree.


    Quelling his nerves, Jason asked, "Are you Professor June''s contracted beast?"


    Jason was almost certain he had seen a simr pristine, noble crane with Professor June back at the academy. Of course, then it had been just a couple of metres tall, not like now...


    The crane screeched softly, which Jason digested as affirmation. The crane looked around them as if looking for something, and then its eyes moved to the dungeon gate. It screeched again, but it wasn''t something as simple as affirmation for him to understand. Only the bonder would be able to understand that.


    Jason found his two helpers had withdrawn half a dozen steps as he tried to understand the crane. Even with no sign of violence from the great beast, they stood cautious, ready to attack... or most probably flee.


    As if they could flee an aerial beast such as this, Jason mused. The only possible way would be the dungeon as the silver-ranked creature would be unable to enter it. But that thought didn''t ur to their head when they withdrew.


    The bird continued to screech, and Jason could only shake his head in disgruntlement.


    "I''m sorry, I cannot understand you," he said. "I got that you look for Warden, probably? but he''s insi--"


    Just then the pulsating lights in the dungeon gate flickered and came out a figure, seeping with thick blood and a dark aura, chilling all their forms once again.


    "Sorry about that," the guy said, and did something as all the blood on his person disintegrated to nothing to make a face. "Neat trick, right?"


    Warden had a weary expression on his face, but his eyes beamed when he found the white crane.


    "Sylvie?" He calleding close to the bird. "What are you doing here?"


    The crane, Sylvie, croaked softly as Warden came to caress its neck.


    "June''s calling me?" he muttered with a raised eyebrow.


    The crane croaked again, gesturing with its neck to its back.


    "You want me to ride you?" Warden said. "And talk to June? How?"


    Warden looked puzzled as everyone else felt, but then he found a crystal device strapped on the back of Sylvie. He unstrapped it, examining it.


    "That''s a portable Communication crystal," Jason said sharply. "We don''t see those these days."


    Warden knew what that was. Something different than your regr Longread. Themunications crystals were something more ancient, and they could transfer both the image and sound through the connection in between.


    Knowing all this, Warden didn''t waste any moment to infuse energy to connect to the other side of the crystal.


    Soon an image surfaced in his mind''s eye, twisting and coalescing together to form a 3rd figure of June, sitting in her usual office, a frown creased on her brows.


    "You need to return to the academy right at this moment," June said.


    "What happened?" Warden asked immediately, finding the seriousness and finality in her tone.


    "It''s Torin Walt," she said. "It will be toote to exin all things,e back to the academy as soon as possible. Sylvie will be able to help cut time."


    With that, she cut the connection as Warden''s mind returned to reality.


    "Looks like I have to leave urgently," Warden said to Jason. He had been nning on going to DragonForge to finalize his deal, but that would have to wait. "I''ll contact you as soon as I can, but till then the loot will be with me." He paused for a second to add, "Oh, you might want to hire somebourers to clean out the rest of the loot I didn''t bother to take. I think they will be worth it."


    Leaving those words, He descended onto Sylvie''s back. The white Starfire Crane screeched and spread her wings and flew up. Within mere seconds their figure vanished into the open sky, untethered towards the Warpgate.


    "He can talk to spirit beast as well?" Nina muttered in incredulity.


    Jason had no answer for that. He was about to prepare for departure when Nina asked again.


    "Hey, wanna see what he fought after sending us out?"


    Jason blinked. That might not be a bad choice either.

 Chapter 129: Staged?

    About thirty minutes passed since the fourth bell, and everyone was present in the office except Warden¡ªthe suspected convict for all Torin Walt''sints. And she feared they had gone through the proceeding without Warden being present.


    Of course, they threw an olive branch at her as she was allowed to testify on Warden''s behalf. So far, she had managed to put most of the usation in fairness, though she couldn''t do anything about the fight. It was a punishable crime among rankers to attack an officer in charge.


    June did her best to shout multiple times; it was Torin Walt who started it, but the noble prick had brought multiple witnesses in the form of students and guildsmen who testified against Warden. On top of that, Warden did not possess a badge at that time, and June wasn''t present during the fight. She could only forfeit that.


    Through her bond with Sylvie, she could feel them approaching. It would only take a few minutes for them to use the Warp Gate, and they would be here.


    "For all your talk, Professor June," Torin Walt said with a smirk, "yourbat instructor isn''t even here. How long do we have to wait?"


    The other people included in the room had a simr impression of annoyance, as most of them were not used to waiting. Well, other than Elder Vess, who had a thoughtful smile on her lips on most asions, and her new apprentice, who wasn''t sure why he was here.


    June was about to retort to Torin Walt''sment, when, for a split second, the bond between her and Sylvie weakened, but a couple of secondster it became normal. June knew exactly what that meant. They just phased through the teleportation.


    "He''ll be here in a moment," she said, feeling a slight pressure she didn''t think was there lifted off from her shoulder. June frowned, unsure since when she began caring for him.


    Well, we are friends, she thought. Under all the insufferable smugness and fa?ade that he put on at times... June paused... She didn''t them all that insufferable anymore, perhaps more childish. Yeah, definitely childish. It''s almost impossible to imagine he was a high ranker who stood over the masses on their first meeting, and perhaps even now.


    He''s more humane, she thought,


    And then he entered with a deep aura of malevolent and blood.


    "Sorry for beingte," Warden said, entering the room. "But to be honest, nobody bothered to inform me if it''s a huge issue."


    June frowned at him. Although she heard him, her eyes were on him. He seemed somewhat different. With a thought, she enabled [The Eye of the Dawn], as silver light shimmered around her pupil to let her see more. Definitely, the aura around him was unstable, thicker, far more than natural, and he wasn''t using his cloak to hide it.


    Is this a n of some sort, like intimidating Torin Walt? June could only shake her head on that line of thought. Knowing him, he probably forgot about it after all the stress he was under in the dungeon. There was something more as well... though she couldn''t put her finger on it. It would need a more thorough examination for her to figure out, though Warden might just tell her if she ask him.


    She let the light waver from her eyes as he came to stand next to him. A frown appeared on his brows immediately, as he considered her form, from head to toe.


    "You look shorter," he mumbled, standing a head taller than her, with his muscr form.


    June blinked. Now that he was closer to her, she thought so too, though it was the other way around. It wasn''t she who became shorter, but he became taller...


    The realisation seemed to dawn on him immediately as a smile quirked up on his lips. The implication of all the change came to her mind, though she was unable to mull over them, as the elders began their proceeding immediately.


    "Combat Instructor Warden," Elder Pavlov of the Disciplinary said sharply, a tangible pressure in his voice. "Are you aware of your crime?"


    Warden blinked at the wizened man, and then his eyes darted to Torin Walt and his entourage.


    He was probably thinking this was all a farce, June mused.


    "Yes," Warden said with a sigh. "I was unable to beat some sense into an arrogant prick. For that, I''ll take full responsibility for my weakness, even though it was his parents'' err to begin with."


    "The audacity!" Torin Walt shouted, unable to confirm the truth. Even now he stood with that false sense of superiority, which had formed a wall of disability around him. It was amon folly, honestly, as June had seen the same disability in many people, who failed to see fault in their actions.


    The few people Torin Walt brought for testimony became stiff as well, though she saw a twisted smile on one of the demure figures. A short, frail man, who looked insignificant to anyone. He erased the smile from his lips instantly, as their eyes met for once. His face was nk again.


    June frowned. Something''s wrong with this fellow...


    "Silence!" Elder Pavlov ordered. "This is not a clubhouse where you make a ruckus."


    Although the words were meant for both parties, the elder''s eyes were on Warden.


    "It is unbing for a teacher to have this type of disrespect for the establishment," Elder Pavlov said harshly. "Don''t let me reassess our decision of appointing you."


    Warden shrugged one shoulder.


    June could easily tell he was antagonising Torin Walt with a n, but this... the way he chose to do it antagonised the elders as well. Nothing good woulde out of it.


    Is he thinking straight? She thought, looking at him with concern. Worried, that the harsh battle of the dungeon made him callous for this instance.


    "With all due respect, elder," Warden opened his mouth, "you seemed to already deem me guilty for me to respect this... court thing going on here."


    "Silence!" Elder Medwin ordered with Will this time. "Don''t disrespect your elders, boy."


    Warden spared him a nce and said nothing. June could feel the tangible pressure on Warden from Elder Medwin, though he hadn''t even shown any sign of difort. Although this wasn''t the full pressure of Will of a Peak Gold ranker, it was still too much for an Iron ranker.


    However, Warden didn''t even break a sweat. That angered the elder even more, as more force bore on Warden, as the tension in the air was palpable.


    Elder Vess lifted an eyebrow. "Perhaps that isn''t the best of things to do to receive respect from another, Elder Medwin."


    Elder Medwin of Public Rtions narrowed his eyes and let the pressure disperse. He spat at Warden, "As the elders of the 3rd Arcane Academy, as well as the High members of the Arcane Society, we have full jurisdiction over punishing crimes. Your disrespect for our seat will only make us harsher for your folly."


    "Perhaps you let me deal with this, Elder Medwin?" Elder Pavlov said in a clear tone. "For it is my duty to discipline petnt children."


    "Of course," Medwin said brightly, "I was only unable to bear the disrespect, that is all. It is your call, Elder Pavlov."


    The Elder of Disciplinary turned to Warden again. "As you have failed to turn up on both asions, we have carried on with the proceeding."


    Warden only gave a look that asked if this was how things happened on here.


    "But don''t think we are unfair to you just because you failed to turn up," the elder continued. "Professor June, who rmended you to the Academy, is an exemry figure of honesty and fairness. And she also witnessed some part of the happening. She had acted on your behalf to plea of your innocence.


    Unless you are against her acting on your behalf, or anything more to add, we''ll proceed to your punishment."


    Warden narrowed his eyes and turned to June, who bit her lips.


    ''I tried my best to put everything fairly,'' she said to him telepathically, ''unfortunately, I fear it will go against you.''


    ''No shit,'' Warden replied to her. ''They seem ready to butcher me. How will be the punishment do you think?''


    ''Hard to judge,'' she said. ''It can be unpaid work in the academy for a few months with a formal apology to--"


    ''I''m not apologising to that shitstain,'' Warden cut in. Honestly, he didn''t mind working as long as he could get this over with, though from the way June mentioned, that seemed like the light punishment. ''''Hey, can they fire me from the job ofbat instructor?''


    June exchanged a look with him to say, ''Yes.''


    "Instructor Warden, your crimes are unjustified violence against several people, insufficient justification of butter of a dozen rankers, unjustifiably attacking a Justicar in charge of his duty, halting the procession of--"


    "Wait a second," Warden said with a frown, his face twisting into disgust. "What are you basing all this on? I get that this prick''s daddy has a big dick that you have to suck on, but those people I killed are there to sack a vige, and rape women, I got them what they deserved when your so-called Justicar in Charge was on a vacation. As for my action against this prick--"


    "Insolence!" Elder Pavlov shouted, standing up, his voice bore the pressure that managed to unnerve everyone in the room. While Warden had to grit his teeth to bear the most of the brunt of the blow. He flinched, as his tall figure slumped under the palpable pressure.


    ''June,'' Warden shouted into her mind through the telepathic link she shared with him. ''Something... someone is tampering with my emotions.''

 Chapter 130: Punishment

    June was aware that the power to tamper with someone''s emotions is possible. There was probably no better than her to know it. She was a mind mage. Emotion maniptions,pulsion, mind reading all these were her powers, not that she had used any of them in thest twenty years on anyone else but herself.


    Yet, when Warden told her that someone was tampering with his emotions, she could only blurt out, "What?"


    Warden did not reply, as even standing straight became a challenge under the pressure. While June''s eyes moved towards the unfamiliar people in the room, she could not help but turn to the demure, frail figure behind Torin Walt.


    Is he the culprit? She questioned and let her mental awareness flow in the room.


    Immediately, she caught on to something a wisp of mental energy, the primal kind that used to riot: rage, fury, and all raw emotions. It was so thin that it disappeared into that demure figure before she could eventch on to it.


    June proceeded to think quickly about what to do about this Ranker. She considered jamming his mind with a sharp mental attack, giving him an experience of the same medicine. He was a silver ranker too, so she wouldn''t have to worry about impairing his mental faculties all too much.


    However, before she could even master her attack, she found Warden''s figure flying out to crash into the walls. The defensive formations of the wall, lit in golden shimmer immediately, protecting the wall from its destruction. But it provided no protection to the guy who crashed into it.


    "I have allowed you to exin yourself," Elder Pavlov said. "However, I failed to assume people like you''d appreciate such favour. You might have the gift, potential to be something great, but you are nothing but a rabid beast imprisoned by its own hunger for violence. Do you think every problem needs to be solved with violence? No. I won''t give you another chance to exin yourself."


    Warden looked like he wanted to say something, gritting his jaws with everything as his eyes fired purple shimmering light. However, under the full pressure of a peak gold ranker, he was unable to move away even an inch, much less talk.


    "Elder," June said urgently. "This is not right. There is tampering with¡ª"


    "Silence!" Elder Pavlov spat at her, freezing her in her spot. "We have been kind to you for our noble background, but you cannot force our hand after this. I have given you a fair chance. You can''t ask for anything more after the sheer disrespect to the authority."


    June bit her lips. She looked around the office, trying to make a connection with the only person who might be able to save them from this disastrous staged court. To her surprise, Elder Vess let her make the telepathic link while showing no surprise on her face.


    "Elder Vess," she said through the telepathic link. "That short guy behind Torin Walt incited Warden''s emotions for him to be disrespectful. In all fairness, we cannot¡ª"


    Elder Vess sighed. "Are you sure of that?" Saying that, her eyes wandered up to the demure figure, studying him perceptibly. "Oh, yes," June said.


    "Unfortunately, you can do nothing to prove that," Elder Vess said. "The House Walt is vicious against any kind of foe. Idiots, they havee prepared, I assumed. Coupled with the fact that they have some standing with our academy, I fear I cannot help much with this open court, but¡ª"


    "If Warden kept his mouth shut, I would be able to make sure Elder Pavlov did not be strict with his punishment. But now, poor Warden has to face the self-centred, righteous vindication of the authority."


    "As the head disciplinary of the academy," Elder Pablo judged, staring daggers at Warden. "I deem you guilty of all the charges. I judge you with 6 months of indentured work in the war efforts in the frontlines. You will have to pay 10,000 arcane credits to Torin Walt as an act of apology. But most of all, you will receive 20shes for all the disrespect you showed to the authority.


    "The Academy Committee will also judge your term as an instructor, as we cannot let someone of your behaviour influence the young prospects of our academy."


    "Elder Pavlov," Elder Vess cut in. "I believe your punishment is harsh, considering Instructor Warden is clearly not in his right mind. You can also see the shift in his aura. I believe he went through a physical transformation recently and fought tirelessly to have the right faculty of his mind to act straight. Perhaps you might want to¡ª"


    "That does not disapprove my point, Elder Vess," Elder Pavlov said, cutting her off. "He''s an animal if he cannot even control his urges. Talent, potential, and power don''t mean anything; all he can do is bite like a rabid beast. I hope the punishment will put some sense into him, if not, I have no hopes for his future."


    Elder Vess narrowed her eyes. "As I feared, Elder Pavlov won''t budge from it," she expressed to June. "I hope he survives the war on the frontline and proves everyone wrong. Even though Elder Pavlov said all that, all that matters in the world is power. Make sure he understands that."


    June bit her lips hard enough that blood began toe out. She looked at Warden, who still sat with clenched teeth, defiance in his eyes. Looking at those eyes, June could not help but think that she had failed him. If only I wasn''t broken...


    "Elder Vess, can you at least make Elder Pavlov exempt from theshing?" June begged telepathically. Knowing Warden, she was sure he would want to fight double the amount of time on the frontline than endure theshing. "He''ll have no respect, nothing in the academy if theysh him in front of everyone¡­ please, I beg you."


    Elder Vess only gave a pitying gaze towards Warden. "I''ll see what I can do, no promises."


    "You''ll receive the punishment ofshing tomorrow at sunrise," Elder Pavlov continued. "But you''re allowed a year to pay the ten thousand credits to Professor Walt. Lastly, you''ll be on the frontline in a week. You''re not allowed to take any sses during that time, as the Academy Committee decides on your term as Combat Instructor. You''re all dismissed."


    The elders stayed in the office to discuss more, while June took Warden to leave. The whole party of Torin Walt followed, sniggering in.


    "I truly pity a lowborn cur like you," Torin Walt said, looking at the disgruntled look of Warden after they moved up some distance. "Did you think you''ll get away with all the humiliation you caused me, do¡ª"


    Torin Walt flinched as Warden red at him, his aura infused with his gaze, enough to cause the newly advanced silver ranker to shiver.


    The frail figure of the man touched Torin on the back, helping him from the aura attack. "Poor young master," he said. "Why do you have to run your mouth always and humiliate the name of your house?"


    "YOU!" Torin Walt threw off the arm, lookingpletely unaware of who saved him from Warden''s baleful aura.


    "June," Warden opened his mouth for the first time. "Can you lend me some credits?"


    "Yes," she said immediately. She brought out her badge, knowing Warden wanted to pay the ten thousand credits to Torin Walt.


    "Take your credits," Warden said, as June went on to ask for Torin Walt''s badge to transfer the credit.


    "I''ll take that," the frail man said, bringing out an arcane society badge. "I promise I''ll keep the young master on his best behaviour from now on. You don''t have to worry about anything."


    Warden narrowed his eyes at the frail-looking man. "What is your name?"


    The frail man tossed the badge after taking the ten thousand credits. "Name? I don''t have one," he said with a sadisticugh. "Though they tend to call me Ghost."


    Warden nodded slowly. "I''ll take your word for it, Ghost," he said. "Because I''ll kill you and your noble ass young master, consequences be damned. I promise you that"


    "Scary," Ghost said, visibly shuddering and swallowing his breath. He seemed to be taking pleasure in the tant threat for a moment, not even thinking about his young master. But then, in the next moment, his posture became all serious as he turned to Torin Walt. "Come on, Young Master. I cannot let you die of your foolishness now."


    "Shut up, what do you think you are? I''ll¡ª" Torin Walt burst into an uproar, but Ghost put only a hand on his shoulder to silence him. He literally pulled Torin Walt with him, who did his best to struggle but to no avail.


    Warden watched them go, the rage still present in his eyes.


    "I''m sorry," June said, biting her lips.


    "It''s not your fault," Warden''s face softened somewhat as his gaze lingered on the blood on her lips.


    "Still, I''m a mind mage, if I could have just¡ª"


    Warden shook his head. "You''re fair, June. Just. Too pure to understand what kind of schemes peoplee up with in their darkened heart."


    June closed her eyes, wondering why she had to be consoled by the fellow who had been wronged. It should have been her to give him that. But she failed. She just¡ª


    "Hey, June, can you help me with something?"


    She opened her eyes and nodded.


    "I''ll need some more credits and your help to prepare tomorrow."

 Chapter 131: Lashing

    They led him onto the stage for his punishment before her eyes, and June could do nothing about it but watch.


    "Kneel!" ordered the punisher with a metalsh in his arm.


    "I''d much prefer to stand," Warden said, not giving the punisher a gaze.


    "It seems you do not know how it happens," the punisher continued,shing the metal whip on the ground with its terrible swishing sound. "You''re not here to¡ª"


    "Let him stand," Elder Vess said.


    The punisher still didn''t look convinced. Only gazing at Elder Pavlov and his serene face did he continue with the proceeding.


    "You''ll be on the floor anyway after two whips," he muttered and ordered again, "Take off your tunic."


    Warden gave him a look, his eyes exceptionally serene as it followed the metal whip. He nodded and removed his tunic; it would be ruined anyway if he kept it on. Warden was already running low on them.


    All the terrible scars of trauma and battle won disyed before the crowds of a hundred. Unknowingly, June found her fingers sped in a fist. This was her fault¡­


    Even with all the pleas to Elder Vess, she only managed to make sure, the proceeding of theshing would not be a public event open to students and outsiders.


    Only the officials of the academy were informed, but among the hundreds of them, only about a hundred turned up. Even still, that number wouldn''t have turned up so early on such short notice unless Torin Walt acted on making sure people were there to see it. He certainly had the gall to turn up with his entourage of a dozen people.


    Karz Walt, who was likely Torin Walt''s half-brother, came as well. Apparently, he was Warden''s roommate, and even spent time together sparring. There seemed to be some sh between the two half-siblings, as Karz Walt wasn''t in Torin''s camp of close confidants.


    Along with him stood Aurel, who looked unsure if she should be here, Jez''arin with her solemn look, and Gene De Rossi. Elder Vess had given the free time, and this is how he decided to spend it. However, he looked more nervous than the person standing on the stage ready to be whipped in front of his colleagues, and professors.


    "You have been termed with twentyshings," the punisher announced. "You are not allowed to use your magical energy or any abilities to defend against it. If you chose to do so, you''ll be shackled with suppression chains, and I assure you it would be quite ugly scene to see."


    That wasn''t all, the whip used in the punishment was a special kind since any normal whip wouldn''t have the desired effect with high attributes. It was artificed especially so that the pain would be every bit more real than normal. It actually targets a ranker''s psyche, distressing the three forms of body, soul and mind.


    "Barbaric," Jez''arin mumbled, spitting on the floor, though her eyes did not waver.


    June had the same sentiment. This was nothing but a barbaric practice in the name of punishment. Even though she did not have themon prejudice like many of her kin against humans, they were making it much easier for her to believe the Elven ways were better.


    "Be prepared!" the punisher announced.


    Warden nodded and stood straighter. Like a spear. His eyes met hers for a split second as he nodded slightly to her.


    June essed Warden''s mind as he asked her to. His request was clear, only to dull the pain receptors if it looked like he could not hold on on his own. He would not give the pleasure of seeing him squirm in pain.


    The first whip followed mercilessly on Warden''s back in a thunderous spark. He shook a little, but he did not even let out a whimper. Back to his serene self again, reaching for the thoughtless mind, which was hard to possess under such terrible stress on the psyche.


    Thesh was on the very same spot on his back, leaving a close red mark crossing the soul scars on his back. Warden did not even move.


    Two more followed right after in quick session, shaking Warden a little. But he was a speer, unbroken against the tyranny of the world.


    On the sixth time, Warden let out a big exhale, a sign of distress appearing on his face. He closed his eyes as the whips continued to fall on his back.


    This is all my fault, June thought, feeling the quake of distress pounding on her chest. Her heart throbbed, as she carried on to dull Warden''s pain receptors. Even though it was Warden who asked of her this, she found a profound resistance as she tried to ess his nerves. I''m sorry, I should have¡ª


    No, Warden expressed through their link. His tone was husky, through the pain. Let this be a lesson of my folly. My mistake of acting rashly. Do not dull my nerves!


    Warden, June cried as Warden began to fight her to keep his mind awake to experience all the pain. Red, bloody whip marks appeared on his body one after another, but he stood defiantly.


    Please, June begged him. But even with his low attribute in mind, Warden cut her ess from his mind as he closed his eyes again.


    June shook as she stood and watched all the whips fall on him. She hadn''t remembered how many times it had fallen, but it should have ended by now. Please, let this end this already¡­ please¡­


    "Professor," a voice called from her side. Aurel stared at her with deep concern. "You are¡­ crying."


    Only then did June notice hot tears bobbling down her cheek.


    ***


    An image surfaced in his mind, as Warden felt the scaring pain of the ninthsh. The obnoxious pain surged through his core, as he found himself in some underground settling. There he found himself chained again as a tall bare-chested man whipped on his back mercilessly. His fault, he did not make the number of ores he would have to mine that day. Or yesterday.


    Every day he failed, theshing increased.


    Many others lined up on the stage simrly whipped for the inability to mine ores.


    There was a pain in the memory, pain in being nothing more than a ve who''d been whipped on a regr basis just for not making it in mining. Warden had to grit his teeth at all the unfairness of the situation came to him. How he survived those dark days when he had nothing to cling to?


    Warden hadn''t been the terrible wielder of Void energy back then. No, there wasn''t even a little wisp of power in his body. He was mortal as the mostmon men could be, though still tall, young in histe teens, and surprisingly, his hair was ck.


    Theshes seemed bleakpared to the suffering of those days. How had he survived knowing many had died to these whips?


    The image distorted soon and no matter how much Warden wanted to learn of his past, they vanished and he was back into reality again.


    A terrible agony scourged through his mind immediately, and Warden did not think it came from the whipping.


    [+24 Min4¡­ error!]


    [Dele^*I&*(& djhdsj Error!]


    [-20 Mind.]


    [Error! Please contajghfko$%^%*&^..]


    [+4.7 Mind.]


    [+2.1 Mind]


    [+0.2 Mind.]


    Warden opened his bloodshot eyes and felt the turmoil in his stomach from all the alteration that happened. He wanted to puke out, but he held on. Not in front of them. HE. COULD. NOT.


    WOULD. NOT. SHOW. WEAKNESS.


    The [Indomitable Will] triggered on its own with his willpower rising to endure all the suffering they can cause him.


    The punisher was whipping on his chest, finding no avail on his back. There were dozens of terribly bloodied marks already, which meant it was about toe to an end.


    He held onto the vomit that wanted to break free from his mouth.


    Then he saw June, tears dripping from her eyes as she stared at¡­ his feet. She couldn''t watch him.


    Warden''s heart broke. He turned his eyes to the culprit who caused this. Torin Walt''s eyes were glowing in pleasure as he watched Warden. The Ghost, who caused his emotions to rage, was on his side; he looked rtively bored, though he hid behind Torin Walt when he found Warden ring.


    Torin Walt snickered.


    "That''s enough," Elder Pavlov called. "The twentyshing has ended."


    Even still, the twenty-firstshing fell on his chest, sizzling over the already numbing pain. Warden did not wait for the crowd to disperse; he drew in his energy, which felt rather hard with all the damage theshing caused to his psyche, and leapt from the stage to leave first.


    The pain, the rage still surging through his skin, his core, his throbbing heart as he vomited out everything after covering a few hundred metres of distance.


    He checked his status page to find Mind was at 29.7 points now. The whole thing with the increase and decrease in Mind felt odd, as if something was restricting him from raising his mind attribute. But Warden was not in the mood to mull over that.


    He needed to do something to disperse the rage that was flowing through him.


    "Warden," June''s voice came shortly as she came flying after him. She had wiped the tears from her eyes, but looking at her mellow expression, Warden just could not give in to the rage. Worry written in her eyes, but she was unable to express anything in words.


    "I''m alright," he said, "turns out I''m quite used to this."

 Chapter 132: Venting

    June observed him as he donned a tunic, then adorned himself with his legendary ranked light armour and cloak. She had insisted that he tend to his wounds, toe with her to a healer, but he paid no heeds.


    June had never beenshed with those whipped, but she knew the pain of damaging your psyche. Any kind of act, even as small as walking felt arduously difficult and painful in such a state.


    Somehow Warden had managed to numb himself from the pain. He was not a mind mage, but an epiphany during theshing probably recovered some of his memories along with the delicate process of shutting off your receptors.


    "I''ll be gone for a while," he informed.


    His expressions remained silent and serene, yet June sensed the underlying rage. He harboured a desire to destroy something, and that''s why he chose to depart alone. Without uttering a word, he drew in all his power and sprinted inwards to the academy, leaving June with no opportunity to pose questions.


    Ufortable with the idea of leaving him alone in his vtile mood, she decided to follow suit.


    Within two minutes, she discerned his destination. He headed towards the gate to the spirit realm, where he deposited the credits he had acquired from her to get into the Phantom ursed Valley again. He hadn''t noticed her, but the elder present gave her a look as Warden''s figure vanished through the warped gate.


    "You want to go as well?" the old man asked, raising an eyebrow.


    June nodded, and the old man gestured for her to ascend the warped gate stage as he used his power to reopen the way. Unlike before, he didn''t ask for any credits from her.


    June found herself back in the Phantom ursed Valley. Moving up the cliff, she discovered Warden''s figure advancing towards the spectral ghost warriors of the past down below.


    A spear materialised in his hands as he lunged at the most formidable echo warrior, a demonic figure standing three meters tall, surrounded by a maddeningly gleeful cursed power.


    Warden confronted it head-on, shing his spear into its mace. The sh of intents was palpable in the air. A loud scream echoed as the demonic figure was shoved several metres aside. Warden''s eyes emitted dark purple light as his spear worked with power, eating through the cursed energy of the phantom.


    He didn''t allow the phantom to rise and attack again; instead, he charged at its fallen form, smashing the spear into its head. The cries of the phantom,ced with demonic intent, reverberated, warping the cursed energy of the valley.


    Warden twisted his spear, breaking open its warped form and striking fiercely again. The onught repeated dozens of times. Relentless and unstoppable.


    In a normal scenario, a ranker of the same power would have died to the blows multiple times. However, Warden''s attacks only weakened the ghost phantom as the power seeped from its body and into Warden''s body. He devoured the baleful, warped energy, killing it for once and for all.


    June watched everything with concern. She wanted to intervene, but was unsure of the potential consequences he might face from the autonomous devouring of malevolent energy. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to stop it.


    Using force was an option, but Warden was not one to yield easily. She was currently thest person he would want to fight.


    His first target destroyed, Warden swiftly entered deeper into the Phantom ursed Valley. Ignoring the smaller echoes, he sought out deadlier opponents. His spear shed his aura and intent like a beacon, challenging all the powerful phantoms to confront him.


    Three formidable figures emerged, as savage and audacious as the first. Their towering forms sizzled with cursed power as they descended upon Warden.


    He didn''t bother putting up a void shroud for defence; the cloak and light armour provided enough protection for him to go berserk. Still, wounds began to appear on his body as he battled the three demonic phantoms.


    Exhaustion took its toll on his body, evident in his skin turning rosy red from the exertion. The damage to his psyche would linger for a couple of days, at least, before he could perform optimally. However, that didn''t matter to Warden. If he wanted to kill, he would do it through sheer grit.


    Warden was the spear demon. Even in his diminutive form against the gigantic ghostly figures, he thrived, forcing out more and more intent and void energy.


    Undergoing body rebirth upon receiving his first boon seemed to have elevated his physicality to a new realm. His existence had be more solid. With each step, natural curse energy swirled around him. Even his void energy capacity rose as he fought more ferociously.


    Another demonic phantom fell.


    As the fight reached its climax, June descended close to him. Warden was nearing the point of venting out all his rage, facing thest of the phantoms in his worn and torn state.


    The final adversary presented the most formidable, a great spearman with a troublesome blend of movement and skill.


    Warden used his body as bait.


    June couldn''t permit the madness to persist. Employing a spell around the fight, she disabled the remaining echoes, preventing any disruption of the intents and power they were generating to go out.


    The phantom''s spear pierced Warden''s side. Unlike a physical assault, the malevolent aura permeated through the armour. He hadn''t activated any defences in his rage. But Warden did not care.


    Seizing the opportunity, he thrust the spear into the chest of the ghostly figure. Power surged from its body through the spear and into Warden''s form.


    Warden''s figure copsed just as hepleted absorbing the plentiful energy into his form. Conscious, but his expression split into an ugly rage and helplessness. Hey there.


    June approached and stood beside him. Their eyes locked, and Warden managed a helpless smile. He didn''t utter a word, but June required no further exnation. She stepped down and began removing his cloak and light armour to heal him.


    __________


    Warning... The next chapter is corny...

 Chapter 133: Kiss

    "Let me," June asked softly, "the least I can do is to td to his wounds."


    Without his const, she couldn''t strip him of the legdary items. But she was the only person he trusted, and Ward was a mess.


    While not tirely her fault, June took it as a personal failure that she was unable to see through a mtal maniption in her hindsight to punish Ward. He let her take care of him.


    Ward watched slowly as June tded his wounds. She seemed naturally deft in it, ev though healing wasn''t her calling. With a steady and soft hand, she rubbed a dark gre sap into his back after feeding him a potion.


    The dark power he devoured still raged inside his body. His core seemingly takes care of it on its own, but Ward would need further work on making the malevolt power his own.


    For now, all his focus was on June''s picturesque face as she worked on him. None of them had uttered a word yet, but Ward could she was taking it as a failure from her d after being unable to stop a mtal maniption in front of her eyes.


    Theshing still burned in his skin, as using ergy to soothe the pain seemed to be only making it difficult for him. June had exined the magic behind it yesterday after his punishmt was announced. Ward hadn''t thought much of it back th, other than the sheer disrespect he''d have to go through.


    But now, the pain makes him feel more¡­


    Appartly, the damage to the psyche made it difficult for the Body, mind and soul to work in synergy. Theshing had created a glitch in his system, where the expditure of all forms of action would be tremdously difficult. Drawing power was abnormally hard and agonising, to say the least.


    And yet, healing the psyche would only hast if he took action. So it was pain after all.


    This was a rather vicious form of punishmt than he thought. Ward shed his palms into fist.


    June''s soft palms sped on his shoulder, telling him she was there. That she would not let this happ again.


    She came before him after taking care of the scars on his back. She began tding the wounds on the chest. There were fewer in the front, and Ward could have tak care of it on his own if he wanted.


    But her palms felt¡­ nice to his skin. He felt like he was cared for. The world wasn''ting to an d just because he fell into a scheme. No, there was someone who knew him and took care of him.


    "I don''t deserve you," Ward said, letting out a deep sigh.


    June quirked her eyebrows to spare him a nce. "Did one misstep burn away your confidce, which I believed to be infinitely abundant?" she asked.


    Ward met her gaze straight and chuckled. "I''m only speaking the truth," he said. Though he was unable to tell if there was any man who could deserve someone like her.


    "This is not very like you," she said, dropping her gaze back to thesh marks. "Are you giving up on courting me, th? I guess I''d have only less thing to worry about th."


    He figured she was trying her best to light the mood. Ward snorted, looking at her. A beautiful thing she is. And more.


    "I was a ve," Ward said softly and found her palms stopped working. She raised her gaze to look at him again, many questions appearing in her eyes. "Day in, day out, I was to mine rare fire ores, which td to burst into molt mes if they wer''t handled cautiously. There are a few days I wasn''t burnt, and if it wasn''t the burning, th it''s theshing.


    "They were merciless, unlike the academy. They did not stop ev while you were dying. I have se many falling to those punishmts¡­ I saw a frid die¡­ His name was¡ª"


    A face surfaced in his mind''s eye, a man in his early thirties, pale yet smiling as if he knew something the next person did not. His heart shook as he was unable to remember the name.


    He found June still staring at him, biting her lips. Ward shrugged. "I guess I only recovered this much."


    She stared at him unblinkingly for several seconds and th leaned in to kiss on his lips.


    Ward waspletely caught off guard. Before he knew better, he felt her soft, sweet lips on his, and all the darkness in his heart drove aside.


    The kiss ded quickly, but Ward was utterly transfixed, so thoroughly, that he was unable to say any words. His mouth hung op, wordless.


    "Don''t fret too much about what you were; look forward to what you can be."


    All the courage June mustered seemed to vanish from her being after she had done the deed. She bowed her head, unable to meet his gaze, her cheeks turning red. Ev her ears tingled in embarrassmt.


    "So, my dless aura of vulnerability worked?" Ward asked with augh, words finallying to his lips as he licked them together to savour her taste.


    June groaned. "Don''t ruin the momt," she said, gritting her teeth.


    "So, it''s a yes, th?" Ward asked, a fire burning in his chest. It wasn''t the fire of rage that was once prest a few minutes ago, but of a differt sort, of a beautiful sort. Something that can make the world a better ce.


    June did not answer, dropping her head ev below.


    "June?"


    "Hmm," she hummed softly, but Ward took that as an agreemt.


    He didn''t wait for another momt, sped his palm over her shoulder and pulled her up. He met her gaze, which was wavering in embarrassmt. Ward smiled and leaned to kiss her.


    June''s kiss was rather soft, merely a peck on the lips. But now, he drew their lips into a proper kiss. A real kiss. Sweetness blossomed like a spring morning as heat grew betwe them. June let out a whimper, her palms clutched on his arm tightly.


    The pain of his being vanished, and only the rush of passion remained.

 Chapter 134: Frontlines

    Ward woke up early in the morning, unsure how to go about the day. His job as abat instructor was suspded for the time being, until they decided what to do about him.


    They are unlikely to keep me in the post, he thought with a sigh. Not overthinking stuff, he called Jason and asked him toe to the academy to take care of all the loot stocked in his subspace.


    He found June meditating on the floor of drawing room after he came refreshed from the washroom. He couldn''t help but stare at her sere form, as her chest heaved slowly in an inhale, and deted with an exhtion.


    Nothing happed after their kiss in the Phantom ursed Valley. Well, they talked a little about how they wanted to go about it in their rtionship. June was particrly shy about the whole thing, so it was decided that they would take things slow.


    ''Spding the night at her quarters on the very day, I don''t know how slow that is,'' Ward mused. Of course, nothing more intimate happed betwe them. June wt straight to train after leaving him to recuperate. He couldn''t help that she was avoiding him. She probably had no idea how to treat him now, considering it was her first time going forward in a rtionship of this sort.


    Thinking about how to deviate that, Ward decided to make breakfast for them.


    By the time she finished her meditation, the breakfast was ready to be served. June quirked her nose as she turned towards the kitch across from the drawing room.


    "You have school, right?" Ward said.


    June nodded, unsure how to respond.


    "Well, we have a lot of time, let''s have breakfast and we can talk after," he said and began serving. He worked fast with finesse, knowing where all the stuff and articles were stored as if it was his own home.


    June watched him with a raised brow from where she stood near the door. She had invited him yesterday as he was injured, but she hadn''t thought living together might feel like this. Well, Ward hadn''t acted strange, rather it was his usual strangess where he acted with strange familiarity and fridliness. It was she who was acting strange.


    "Dig in," Ward said after they seated themselves at the table.


    They ate in silce, after exchanging little words on appreciating the food and stealing nces at one another while thinking the other one wasn''t looking.


    "You know I don''t mind being the good housewife in the rtionship," Ward chuckled, preparing to wash the dishes.


    June coughed, ring at him strangely as if it was his fault.


    Ward smiled. "You know you can act as you normally do, right?" he said. "Nothing''s changed betwe us. We''re the same person. Only the distance betwe us has closed by a lot."


    June spt a few momts in deep thinking and let out a sigh. "Sorry," she apologised. "It''s all new and I don''t know how to act."


    "No need to apologise," Ward said. "I just hope this will make the distance betwe us ev closer, and we''d be our best supporter."


    June nodded slowly. "I''ll try."


    "You were already my best supporter," Wardughed. "Just talk to me if it feels like a weight on your shoulders. I know I''m moody at times, and definitely not the best of people to respect another''s¡­ privacy."


    Finished cleaning, they were back in the drawing room again, peeking gaze at one another in silce.


    There was still a lot of time before June had to leave for the academy to take her ss, and they couldn''t talk all about their budding rtionship for the remainder of the topic. So, Ward decided to learn something worthwhile that he barely had any idea of.


    "Tell me about the frontlines," he asked. After all, he would have to spd six months on the frontlines fighting the invaders for his punishmts, he couldn''t just jump into it straight without knowing anything.


    June collected her thoughts to answer, "To know about the frontlines, you have to understand where is it first. The frontline is a rift space betwe the physical realm and the spirit realm. It is kind of like a bridge betwe two nes of existce, situated in-betwe spaces of the wastnd and the republic. It might feel like a high-grade dungeon, but it is vaster than that."


    Ward nodded. Although that brought more questions to his mind, he carried on to his next question. "Who are we fighting?"


    "We were fighting the cmities, but now it was the other forsak races like Giants, Orges, Trolls, goblins, gnolls," June said. "By forsak, I meant they were forsak by the System, they have no ss system, attributes or anything, though that did not stop them from gaining more power, or vying for them."


    Ward frowned. "You meant Elves do not follow the ss system either."


    June nodded. "Yes, but that doesn''t mean we are a forsak race. It''s just that the system is less helpful in our casepared to a human or other demi-human races."


    "Got it." Ward didn''t have to think about the next question. "How about the military system, how is it maintained?"


    "As there is more than one nation in fights with the forsak races, obviously it was the Arcane Society who stood at the top of the charges," June said, recalling all the rudimtary knowledge she read. "As I hav''t be drafted or gone to the frontlines, I cannot give you a proper ount of it, but I know for sure it isn''t a ce for untrained youths."


    "War never is," Ward said.


    "The elves do not take part in this war as seriously as the human empire and kingdoms do. There were merely a few doz elvese to the frontlines to educate and temper themselves, same with everyone else other than humans, considering the forsak races were vying for theirnd."


    "So, I''ll have to spd six months in this war," Ward muttered. He didn''t fear it, though he disliked the idea of war. Honestly, he had no qualms about demonic beasts, or ev killing criminals, but a full-fledged war, that is¡­brutal.


    "It has be going on for decades," June said, understanding his dilemma. "It was hardly ever the full-fledged, though it was tireless skirmishes every once in a while. Still, do not take it lightly. Iron rank is merely the foot soldier in the war. Although forsak, the races bear formidable powers and gifts.


    "For example, the orcs were the most warlike creatures you''ll ever face in the face of the frontline. They are two metres tall, muscr, and had poor magical capabilities, but their bodies were formed like boulders, and they can negate magical power. Trolls simrly have tremdous physical power, but it was their terrifying regeration you need to be worried about.


    The giants are another disaster, thank the pantheons that their numbers are low, or else they would have destroyed all the local power from the face of Ezim long ago."


    June looked like she meant it wh she introduced giants. There was an instinctual fear about giants it seemed.


    "I''ll be careful," Ward said. Still, it felt awful to be leaving for six months, wh they just began their rtionship. Th something clicked inside his head. "You said the rifts are like dungeons, and it is in the spiritual realm, does that mean the time dtion of those ces are greater than the physical realm?"


    "Of course," she said. "The dtion is about the same as Phantom ursed valley, :, though there are ces with far higher numbers."


    "So will my six months be counted on which time rate?" Ward asked, worried that it might be physical time rate, which would mean he would have to spd 6 years in the frontlines.


    June paused, as the idea seemed to have never crossed her mind as well. "I think it is the time spt in the frontline," she said, unsure. "I''ll ask the elders for confirmation."


    "It would be a sick joke if it really meant six years," Ward said. He would feel the words spok would be fully justified for this kind of punishmt. Someone really from the Walt family tiffed off the elders to punish him.


    "The joke is that most human iron rankers are obligated to spd six years in the frontline," June said with a smirk. "They force youths into wars after barely educating them."


    June was clearly looking down on such a terrible decision, but she forgot one thing about Ward.


    "Technically, I''m not fully human," he said. "So, you can only me half of my race for their foolish deavour."


    They talked more about the frontlines, and what Ward wt through in the dungeon. He learned full details about the boons. It turned out it was somewhat differt for Ward.


    "The only thing that can make sse with what you wt through is your fatelock," June said. "Still, on most cases, they td to leave such a boon at least on the second threshold."


    "Oh, I also seemed to have improved my Void Vanquishing Physique by 4% through the fight in the Phantom ursed valley," Ward added, after checking his status page. He hadn''t expected that at all. His eyes gleamed, thinking that only killing a handful of phantoms improved his physique by 4%, how much would it be if he began practising there regrly?


    "No," June said, cutting him from his thoughts.


    "No?"


    "I know what you''re thinking," June said grudgingly. "But I won''t let you fight like that ever."


    "I''ll be careful," Ward said.


    She shook her head. "I won''t list to any word of it before you have your body recuperate and think straight."


    Ward met her gaze. There seemed to be no change in negotiating with her on this.


    "I guess I''ll be a good housewife till th," Ward smirked, causing her to shy up. He took delight in that.


    ____________

 Chapter 135: Master Alchemist

    Jason came in the afternoon as Ward called him to settle the loot stored in his subspace. The problem was that¡ªev after the Void Prison Realm used up a good part of the loot in altering his psyche¡ªthere was just too much stuff to be transported easily.


    In the d, they decided Ward would deliver them to a storehouse in Jason''s name from where Jason would take care of them. But before that, they needed to take care of the esstials like beast cores and hearts. Ev for that, they couldn''t do it in some normal ce like in their rooms.


    However, before all that, Ward needed to show something.


    "This is¡­" Jason''s eyes wided like saucers as heid eyes upon the boulder-sized egg. A dangerous aura of power radiated from the egg, insisting on a cautionary approach to deal with this.


    "Probably the dungeon boss, or her offspring," Ward said.


    "Is this the thing that caused the chaos inside the dungeon?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Probably," Wardughed, "though I did have to poke my de into a few of them to wake them up from their slumber."


    Jason showed an expression that said he didn''t know what to say.


    "Regardless, I n on making an omelette with this, unless you have something better in mind."


    Jason rubbed his forehead. "Ward, this is an embryo form of a silver-ranked fire-attribute creature, which is only below a full-fledged fire dragon. Do you know how valuable this is?"


    Ward shrugged. "How much is it worth in essce gems do you think?"


    "That''s very hard to judge," Jason said. "But I reckoned it wouldn''t be below a thousand essce gems."


    Ward didn''t look impressed.


    "Of silver grade," Jason reminded. "You cannot imagine how much befit a fire-attribute ranker will receive if they refine a potion. It can raise their raw power, as well as their affinity to fire elemts. A piece like this goes to big auction houses."


    "Well,  of us has fire-attuned ergy," Ward said. "I thought of surprising June with this, though I''m unsure if she''d need it. Her fire elemt is something special."


    Well, June''s fire-attuned ergy came from bonding with Sylvie. Perhaps this could help the Starfire Crane.


    "Well, let me just store it for now," Ward said. "Let''s take care of the rest."


    They had sevte Drake Matriarch Hearts with them, which were easily the most expsive items after the fire-attuned beast cores. As for the normal beast cores, each one of them was worth about a doz essce gems. The drake''s scales and bones were another expsive material in their fields, though not as muchpared to hearts and beast cores.


    "By the way, do you have any idea how we divide the loot?" Ward asked. "As you know about the issue with my memory, I have no clue what''s fair or convtional. Also, since you''re to be the guild master, I reckon I leave you to take care of them as well?"


    Jason looked troubled for a second and th nodded. "Well, I hav''t done it before, and the loot is of a considerable amount for me to have a headache," he said with a sigh. "Let''s talk more about what''s esstial for now. Since you''re a runesmith, I think we should keep most of the beast cores. We can also exchange the bones and scales to either get rare material or Essce gems.


    The rest of the materials are best to sell as soon as possible. Keeping them will only waste the limited space in your¡­ weird spatial storage."


    Ward had no problem with that, as his main interest had be to raise his attributes. Which reminded him of the potions which could increase spirit attributes. There were sevte of the drake matriarch hearts. Ward was sure to get the most befit out of it.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t so easy to get their hands on a rowned potion maker.


    "I hate to admit it, but without my father, I have no connection with any rowned potion maker," he said. "Not to mtion, this type of potion is something only a Master Alchemist can brew."


    There was also the issue of paying the alchemist, as the ingredits were merely a part of it.


    "Can the people of Dragonforge find us an alchemist if I signed with them?" Ward asked. His circle of recognition was very narrow, though not without quality.


    "They could, considering they have alchemists in their numbers," Jason said, contemting. "Still, A master Alchemist is not something you can get your hands on easily. Well, you''ll probably have to wait months. Any other source Ie up with will take ev longer."


    Ward groaned. Perhaps he should check out Alchemy to see if he had any expertise in it as well. Well, considering how foreign he felt, ev in mtioning terms of alchemy, he didn''t think that was the case.


    "The fastest way is still possible, selling half of these hearts into an auction," Jason said, "and asking for the buyers to look for an alchemist."


    "Something like can work?" Ward felt it was farfetched.


    "It''s hard, but I have se it working, considering many of the buyers of such items were alchemists themselves," Jason said. Th something clicked in him as he remembered something. "I forgot to add Professor June might have some expertise in Alchemy. I don''t think she''s a master alchemist, though¡­"


    Ward raised an eyebrow, the first time hearing about this. He remembered all the potions she fed him in the phantom ursed valley, they were likely made by her. Well, he could just ask her.


    With that thought, he brought out the Communication Orb and called her. June had left him with this, considering he would leave for the front lines in a few days, and only through this they could talk.


    Unfortunately, as Jason said, June wasn''t a Master Alchemist. She only took it as a hobby. Well, considering she was at Adept level already while taking it as a hobby, many aspiring alchemists might cough blood hearing about it.

 Chapter 136: Mandatory Service

    "There''s a huge gap betwe an adept and a master," June said. "What you''re asking is beyond me. Ev among master alchemists, making a potion that can improve attribute points is very hard to find."


    "Do you know somebody?"


    "Well, Elder Vess is a grandmaster at Alchemy," she said. "I don''t know if she''s free for it, though. I''ll ask her about it."


    "Thanks, June," Ward said, smiling at her illusionary figure in his mind''s eye. "Are you done with the sses?"


    She nodded. "Almost. I have some other tasks left, however. Also, I learned about the indtured services for the six months."


    "Tell me it''s not in local time, please," Ward said.


    "It is in time of the Frontline," she said, as Ward sighed in relief. "So, you''ll only have to work unpaid for a couple of weeks to a month. However, considering you have not had your obligatory service of six years in the front lines, they might rope you in for that much time."


    Ward groaned.


    "Well, considering your job at the academy, they''ll let you take vacations," June mtioned. "Not to mtion, the six years'' service is not continuous. Like Aurel only did two and a half years with a six-month gap betwe. She''d have to go back toplete her termster.


    Considering how the time dtion ratio is :, it wouldn''t be a problem to take a month''s break from the academy toplete a year of service."


    "I get it," Ward said. "So about my post as abat instructor, did they decide anything on that?"


    "I fear not," she said. "From what I heard, you''re likely to be suspded till the d of your service in the front lines. I''ll talk to youter about thister wh Ie back."


    "Over dinner th?" He asked.


    June nodded slowly as the connection discontinued shortly.


    Ward didn''t keep Jason waiting for long. He exined, and they decided to keep the hearts with him for the time being.


    "Now that only leaves the matter with your armour," Ward said. "Considering I''ll have to leave within in a few days, I n on working on it in the next couple of days."


    Jason was delighted to know his armour would be done very quickly, though he didn''t know where Ward would be leaving for.


    "Front lines," Ward said with a sigh. "That reminds me, June mtioned it is mandatory for all Iron Rankers to be drafted for six years in the frontline. Did youplete your terms already?"


    That was probably not the case, as Jason looked no older than twty years of age. Well, high attribute points slow down the natural progression of age, but Ward didn''t think Jasonpleted his terms. His embarrassed smile was evidce ough.


    "I was on the frontline for about eight months," Jason said. "My Father pulled some strings to get me out of it, providing my expertise is esstial in other business."


    Ward arched an eyebrow. Well, a governor of a big city like Navin seemed like the right type of person who could pull such strings for his son.


    "Um, I''llplete my terms though," Jason added awkwardly, as though thinking Ward was looking down on him for that.


    "Well, doesn''t matter," Ward said. "Do what you think worthwhile, if you don''t like it you may as well get out of the trouble."


    Jason didn''t reply to that. "So why do you have to go to the frontline? The obligatory term?"


    "That, and it''s a big mess," Ward said with an exhale. He exined briefly what happed with Torin Walt, and Jason''s response was what Ward imagined.


    "Fuck!" he cursed. "They can''t do that. Indtured service in the front lines is the ce for the criminals and the worst sort of them. Fuck!"


    Ward sighed. "Comining will only make it harder for me," he said. Considering everything of it was staged.


    "Still, they cannot just put you with convicted criminals wh it wasn''t ev your fault," Jason shouted. "You know, this is why I hate politics, why I left home. All these big talks about honour and pride, and th how they used people of lower standing to their gain... I hate them with zeal."


    "Well, th how far have theye in forging your armour?" Ward changed the topic. "I cannot do anything about it if they hav''t worked on it yet."


    Well, Jason would have to wait a month at best if that was the case. It would only be six months for Ward, after all.


    "I''ll ask Miss Ard about that," Jason said. After mulling over something for a minute, Jason added, "Hey, Ward, I might not be able to help you with the injustice the Walt family has done to you, but I might be able to help you not be drafted with the convicted and se as one."


    Ward narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to ask your father?"


    Jason shook his head. "I have another line other than my father," he said. "I took your advice on clearing my quarrel with my family, but I feel it''s only worth it after I make something of myself. My father won''t respect my choices if I cannot show it to him."


    "Th how are you going to help me?"


    "I have my ways," Jason smiled.


    ***


    After reaching his apartmt in the city, the first thing Jason did was call his elder sister for the favour through a longread. He feared the call wouldn''t connect, or she wouldn''t be prest to answer his call, and he would have to sd a letter to the front lines.


    Jason was delighted to be mistak.


    "Hey, Sis," Jason called. Ev though his rtionship with his family was rather iffy, his elder sister was someone he could turn to anytime. She was, after all, his idol for going into a quarrel with his father. "How are you feeling today?"


    "Bored and lethargic," she said. "I''m actually on a task of transporting a batch of weaponry into the front lines, you know how boring they can be."


    Jason did not, but heughed. "List, I have a favour to ask."


    There was a silce for a while, and th she said, "I''m listing."

 Chapter 137: Knights Mantle

    A couple of days passed with nothing to note happening. This morning, Jason reminded him that the forging of his Knight armour wasplete and Warden only needed to carve the runes in them toplete them.


    With nothing to do other than train and experiment with his cooking, he left for Dragonforge early in the morning after June left for the academy. Jason was already waiting there for him with Miss Arden in the forging room.


    "Finally, you find time for some actual runesmithing, huh," said the redhead beauty with a smirk. "Did you decide anything about the contract I gave you?"


    "Actually, yes," Warden said and brought out the new contract Elder Vess made for him from the subspace. After taking a good look at it, he handed it to her.


    "This is not the contract I gave you," Miss Arden said, narrowing her eyes.


    Warden nodded. "Your contract was generous," he said politely. "But it wasn''t doing it for me, so I made a new one with some help. Care to take a look and tell me if it works?"


    Miss Arden''s eyes lingered on the papers for a few moments as a frown quirked up on her brows. She only read that much to say, "I''ll have to discuss this with an Elder to decide anything."


    "Well," Warden studied the forged parts of the knight armour, "it will take me hours to finish scribing. Should that be enough to make a decision?"


    Miss Arden didn''t give a definitive answer and left the room for them to use.


    Warden prepared himself for the hours of tiring yet enjoyable work. Before starting, he shot Jason a look. "It''ll take hours to finish up. Perhaps you leave to do something more productive."


    "I''d like to watch if you don''t mind," Jason said, situating himself behind him.


    "I don''t mind, but are you sure? Runesmithing is profoundly boring to look at for most people."


    Jason nodded and did not see himself out of the room.


    Warden ignored the chair andid all the instruments and carving styluses on the floor. Jason was standing idle, so Warden asked him to hand him over the breastte from the stone table. If he was going to just watch, it was better if he made him useful.


    There were styluses of various nanometres. Considering that he was nning on making his best work, he chose the narrowest stylus. Its nib was even smaller than a needle. Well, it was the right instrument to draw master-level runes, after all.


    Parameter was an important aspect while carving runes into an item. A stylus with a big-ass nib would be made it harder for you to carve higher-level runes, while the needle-sized ones needed more expertise from the carver''s end.


    Warden filled the stylus with pure spirit energy essence and imbued his energy. He began carving the empowering runes at the beginning. It was the easiest rune, but since he would have to draw fiveyers of shell, it would be the most tiresome part of the job.


    His carving was so thin, it was almost impossible to see through naked eyes. Warden began fast, but as time progressed and hepletedyer afteryer of carving, the shell became stressful to carve at his best pace. He slowed down, but not stopping to take a rest even after an hour of relentless carving.


    Afterpleting the Empowering script, Warden moved to the Consumption script. In another Tier-5 script, the sheer number of runes in them was merely half of the empower rune.


    ***


    On the other side of her office, Miss Arden discussed the contract with her grand Uncle who was the head of this branch of the Dragonforge.


    "Master Runesmiths are hard to get," the elder said, his expression even as he read through the contract. "That is why our business n is to rope them in with lucrative offers for as many years as possible."


    Arden could only give a helpless sigh.


    "This is exactly the type of loose contracts we rather not encourage in our establishment," her grand uncle continued.


    "But this is a Master Runesmith," Arden said. "I''ve confirmed it with my eyes. He''s very close to making it into Tier-6 runesmith."


    The elder narrowed his eyes. He thought for a few moments to say, "He''s working in the forge now, right? Let me judge his work, then."


    With that decided, Arden could only lead the elder towards the forge. Warden was fully immersed in carving the runes into the parts of the armour. Currently, he is doing Amplification runes, Another Tier-5 one. Deep beads of sweat formed on his forehead, while his tunic was already soiled with sweat.


    A frown appeared on the elder''s face as he watched without making any move. He watched for half an hour straight in silence.


    "This is enough, let''s go," he said as Warden moved on to the next shell of scripts. Exiting the chamber, the elder opened his lips again, "At least, he has expertise to back him up. The contract he set is¡­ fair for someone like him."


    "But?" There was always a but.


    "Try if you can sign an exclusive."


    "I don''t think he''d agree with that," she said.


    "Have some confidence. We''re biggest in the business for a reason," her granduncle said. "Offer him 25%, no 35% more benefit¡­ Use your womanly charm if you have to, at least they''ll be put to use."


    "Grand Uncle!"


    "What?" the elderughed. "It is how we used to do things in our time. If you cannot bind someone with a contract, bind them with matrimony."


    Arden red up at him.


    "You cannot deny, it worked," her granduncleughed on his way to leave. "Thed has a bright future ahead of him in runesmithing. Our business needs more people like him to stand tall against the test of time."


    With that, the branch manager was off to do his own thing. Arden couldn''t help but let out a sigh.


    ***


    It was evening when Warden finished and that was only after he took half an hour break in the middle. It was two four-hour-long sessions ofborious rune smithing.


    Even Jason, with all his fervour for getting new armour, was bored out of his mind. He left and came up a couple of times.


    "It''spleted right?" Jason asked with a child''s glee.


    "It still needed to be polished, but yeah, I''m finished," Warden said, wiping clean the sweat from his face. He''d still need a bath. "Let''s inspect it to see."


    [Knight''s Levity: Rare


    A heavy armour made from the bestmon alloy avable. Afterying various script formations in it, the armour gained various magical capabilities. Other than rustproof, shockproof, the armour has the following capabilities:


    -Amplification: All magical capabilities are raised by 50%. Strength is raised by 25%.


    - Resistance: 40% impact absorption. Can decrease magic damage by at least 40%. +40% to Fire resistance, Wind Resistance, Curse Resistance, Water Resistance, Arcane Resistance.


    - Weightless: Although made from heavy metals, sparing a little energy, you can make it as light as a feather.


    - Restoration: With proper care, the armour can restore itself on its own, providing enough energy and raw essence.


    "It''s pretty good," Warden said. "I managed to get the Weightless enchantment in."


    Weightless was something not in the original blueprint. However, considering the heavy armour would weigh a lot, Warden carved twoyers of anti-gravity runes to give it that quality. Now, it was not just an armour for a tank.


    "This is¡­ perfect!" Jason shouted immediately as he read. "I can fight without care without care wearing this. It won''t hamper my agility at all."


    Warden smiled. It appeared Jason''s realm of perfection was far from his. Perhaps Warden should let him see the specification of his cloak or light armour. Definitely not now, though. It only disappoints the guy if hepares it with legendary items.


    "I think you can still get a couple of other abilities by having some good enchanter enchant it," Warden said. Unfortunately, the raw materials of the armour had no other quality than its toughness to be made into a higher grade.


    Well, considering Jason''s energy is empowering based like that of Liam''s, the armour would serve him well for the remainder of Iron rank.


    "I''ll try, though I probably won''t find any," Jason said, already draping on the arm guards.


    "It''s not polished yet," Warden reminded. "You might damage the shell using it right now."


    "Ohh," Jason smiled, embarrassed.


    "Now, if you''re done with all the work, should we talk about the contract?" Miss Arden said,ing into the chamber.


    Warden is not really in the mood of going into long, meandering talk that went nowhere after his exhausting work on the armour. But he was prepared to hear the gist of it. "So, what do you think?"


    "The elder has agreed with the terms in the contract," the redhead said, causing Warden to sigh in relief. "But he also said if you sign the exclusive contract, you''ll receive 35% more benefit, ess to rare ingredients and more..."


    Warden rubbed his forehead as if he was in deep thought. In truth, his mind wasn''t protesting to even think aboutplicated business such as the contract after the stressful work.


    "Well, let''s sign my free contract now," he said. "It will leave me open if I want to sign your exclusive contractter."


    "Are you sure, you know--"


    Warden let out an exaggerated groan, stopping her from enticing him more with the benefit. "Sorry, I think I need a rest."


    "Of course," she said, sighing.


    "Oh, I forgot to add, I broke the spear you lent me. So it will be better if I can get your secret alloy as quickly as possible."

 Chapter 138: The Night Before Departure

    It took another hour to set in the deal, and since Warden would be leaving for the front lines soon where he would have extra time to work on, he took on a bunch ofmissions for weapons and armour. Of course, he didn''t forget to take advance payments in the form of essence gems and Tier-9 alloy.


    It was only natural for a Master Runesmith like himself to get what he deserved.


    Now, Warden could be called kind of rich for an Iron-ranker. He had on him 75 Silver grade essence gems, which depending on the market could be worth between three to five thousand iron grade gems. The alloy with him was another type of wealth, although they didn''t put a price on it, Warden determined, they would be priced at around a dozen silver-grade essence gems.


    It was expensive, considering it was only an alloy.


    He''d need to find a good cksmith to smith the alloy into a spear, but that was a problem forter. Well, he could try it himself, smithing wasn''t that hard to learnpared with Rune smithing, after all.


    Of course, Miss Arden desired to assist in smithing, but as always their service was slow. Even with putting their worker on the task, who probably wasn''t free, it wouldn''t beplete before Warden had to leave. Besides, he''d need a master cksmith, even if it was easier to be master at smithing, they were rare in the business.


    The night had fallen when Warden came back to June''s quarter. He weed himself in with the spare keys she had given him as soon as the smell of delicious food wafted into his nostrils.


    He crept into the kitchen to find June stirring thedle in the soup. Her ears perked up at his approach.


    "You''re back?" she said, not turning her head. "Took you long enough. Did everything go well?"


    "Hmm," Warden hummed, smiling. Creeping closer to her form, he hugged her from behind.


    June''s whole figure froze, and goosebumps crawled up her skin when Warden kissed her on the back of her neck, his arms wrung around her belly.


    "Ahhh Mhhh~" she let out a slow whimper, finally trying to struggle from his clutch. "What are you doing?"


    "Taking away all your energy," Warden said, snuggling in deeper, pressing against her tighter.


    "You stink," she said, shoving her elbow into his stomach, as Warden finally let go.


    "Fair, fair," heughed, finding her ears tinged with redness.


    "Go take a bath, I am almost done with the meal."


    "I''ll go, but before that¡­" Warden clutched her shoulder and turned her over to face him. errBlood surged into her check, painting a flushed crimson, as she red up at him.


    "What?"


    "I haven''t kissed you since the time in the phantom ursed valley," he said, holding her waist slowly.


    June glowered, though it only made her look cute as she was blushing from ear to ear.


    "So, can I?"


    June said nothing, only looked down. Taking that as consent, Warden lifted her chin and sealed her lips with his. June''s whole form went mellow immediately as she fell into his embrace. Warden didn''t try anything more intimate, just held her tight, tasting her lips sensually. He cupped her back slowly, leaning in. The sweet vour of the kiss made them forget the moment.


    Warden ended the kiss at the right moment, as June literally fell into his embrace, forgetting about the soup.


    "I''m fully charged now," Wardenughed, as the elf quickly spun to stir the soup again.


    Smiling broadly, Warden went to bath.


    One kiss was enough to make June all flustered again, as they spent the dinner in almost silence. Warden had to spread his extrovert aura around the room to finally converse with her normally. Yet he couldn''t help but wonder if elves were more shy thanmon people.


    Soon Warden instructed her on practising Rune spells, which she was already pretty good at.


    "Hey, do you think I can augment mymon spells with the runes?" June said. Considering most of the rune spells tend to work on physical and energy flow enhancement, it was a valid reason to try to make it work.


    "The only way to know is through trying," Warden said. "The control needed to do something like on a vtile spell should be astronomical, maybe you should try with a simpler form of spell with an Amplification rune."


    June nodded and began working forming a little ball of light. She began incorporating only a single amplification rune on it, putting all her mind into it, even though it was hardly required for such a measly task.


    Yet the ball of light burst like a bubble the moment the amplification rune waspleted.


    "There was a spark of light when it burst," June observed and began testing it again.


    The light spell burst on multiple asions as she continued trying. However, it wasn''t aplete loss, since the sh of light continued to be brighter and brighter.


    "This is possible," Warden said. "I think you''re missing something. Perhaps try to incorporate the runes into the spell?"


    "And how do I do it?" she said. Getting no definitive answer from him, she tried on her own. On this asion, the spell didn''t even form correctly. But June was unperturbed.


    After dozens of tries, June finally presented him with a ball of light, which flickered with shes of stark shimmer.


    "I seeded!" June cheered.


    Warden smiled and congratted her, even though he noticed the inefficiency in the spell.He was sure June did too.


    "I probably need to practise it thousands of times for it to be worthwhile," she said.


    "That''s the way of runes and many other things, repetitions make you a master." Leaving her with thest advice, Warden straightened and stood up. It was time for him to leave. Although he spent a couple of nights in her guest room, June still wasn''t assured of the idea of them living together, even if not in the same room.


    "You''re leaving already?" she said, perking her brows.


    "Unless you want me to stay?"

 Chapter 139: The Night Before Departure (2)

    June did want him to stay. Even though she was shy to voice it out, she nodded. So, they practised the rune spells for a while, and unknowingly it was midnight and they found themselves wrestling against each other on the couch.


    Warden pressed his lips against her for one more time, her chest heaving up and down in desperate need. He stung his tongue into her lips and met her delicious sweet tongue, ying with one another. June''s tongue recoiled as her eyes widened at the strange yet intimate y.


    Never in her life, she had thought exchanging saliva with another person would be this invigorating. She was breathless in no time while Warden pressed more, his body pressed into her, not letting her escape. The temperature of the room increased by a few degrees as their lips parted after minutes of exchanging intimacy.


    "Are you ready for more?" Warden asked after ending the kiss and looking at her blushed face.


    "More?" June gasped. "I said I want to go slow."


    "Trust me," Warden purred into her ears. His arms coiled around her waist, as he pulled her atop him to rest his back on the couch. "This is slow."


    "How can I believe the words of a man who doesn''t know anything?" she snorted, but didn''t push him away.


    "I know more about it than you," Warden''s palm slowly approached towards her rear. "It''s a cultivated skill, really."


    "I didn''t know you were a womaniser before choosing you," June said.


    "Toote for regret now," Warden answered and groped her squishy hips with his palm, causing her to let out a whimper.


    "Stop it," she pleaded, stirring within his arms. She didn''t seem to have that much force on her words, but Warden stopped his palms from wandering wildly.


    "Okay," he said, bringing his palm over to caress her beautiful face.


    June whimpered a little, closing her eyes to his touch.


    "Can I stay like this for some time?" Warden said, feeling the warmth of her body. "I promised I won''t try anything."


    "Not anything?"


    "Other than asking to sleep together."


    June punched him in the chest. Of course, it was without any strength.


    "I mean, we''ll sleep together, snuggling close and nothing else."


    "Nothing else," June repeated.


    "Why, are you disappointed?" Warden found her blushing harder as he picked her up in his arms.


    She weighed barely anything with his high attributes as he moved towards the bedroom. June did not struggle, snuggling her face into his chest like a kitten.


    "Fine," she said atst, "but you aren''t allowed to do anything without permission."


    Warden smiled and took her into the bed.


    "Is it necessary to carry me like this?" June asked.


    "Why, don''t you like being pampered?"


    June didn''t reply for a long time. "No, it''s felt like it''s always me who''s getting pampered."


    "Well, you can always pamper me," Warden said. "Just to be sure, carrying me won''t do it."


    ????¦®???§Á


    "Then what?"


    "For starters, let me lean on you."


    Warden ced her softly on therge bed. With the lights already turned off, he didn''t have to worry about anything and slid next to her.


    "Come here," Warden said, widening his arms after resting his body on the bed.


    "Um, Warden, aren''t we supposed to change into nightgown or pyjamas for the night?"


    "Fair point," Wardenughed silly and stood up. "I''ll leave you some privacy."


    Warden left the room for her. As he was already in an easy tunic after bathing, he didn''t need to change into anything.


    "I''m done," June said after a couple of minutes.


    Warden came in to find her standing in a loose nightgown, probably missing her inner wears. Although she wasn''t naked to his eyes, he could glimpse at her fine form. The generous bosoms pressed to the satin gown, her waist followed by the swaying hips as he moved onto the bed. Warden swallowed a breath.


    Finding Warden frozen in the moment, she looked up at him. Her rosy cheeks heated up at the looks he was giving her.


    Warden breathed in and out slowly and joined her into the bed. Maybe this might be a bad idea, he said inwardly. Considering, he reassured her that he wouldn''t try anything.


    Now, he was feeling like a wolf presented with amb he couldn''t touch.


    "Why are you so stiff?" June said, as she came closer, pulling his arms under her neck.


    Warden shot her a wolfish look, almost undressing her with his eyes. Heat rose to his body, as he rubbed her body with his palms. He had to draw his willpower not to let his palms wander on her squishy rear again.


    "You said you won''t try anything," June admonished, and turned herself with her back pressed to him.


    She thinks this is a punishment, Warden growled inwardly as her meaty back squished into hisher region. Warden began chanting a nursery rhyme to no avail. His member stood erect, pressing against her hips.


    "Warden?" June called. "What''s that?"


    "Nothing," Warden croaked and tried his absolute best to change the topic. "Anyway, I know this is your first rtionship."


    "What gave away?" She snorted, snuggling her back to get morefortable, unaware of how much harder that made Warden to control himself.


    "Well, with how inexperienced you seemed, even though you''re..." he said slowly, shifting on the back.


    "Old?" she snapped. "I swear, Warden, if you say anything about my age, I''ll--"


    "I mean..." Warden didn''t know what to say, though his mission of subverting the topic was aplished. "Sorry..."


    "Elves be adults in their fifth decade, which makes me even barely adult," she said, huffing. She shifted back to her position, turning. "And stop trying to grope my--"


    While saying that she stuck her palm to snatch his palm which she thought was wrung against her hips. She caught the hot thing in her palm, unaware of what she gripped in her palm.


    "It''s not an arm!"


    ______________


    Thank you for all the golden tickets. We have reached 100 golden tickets. 1 bonus chapter ising right up in a few hours...

 Chapter 140: Interlewd

    The council wants you to skip this chapter... Thank you.


    ______


    "It''s all your fault," Warden was quick to me her. "If you wiggle your ass there, of course, there will be¡­ that¡­ I''m not a saint."


    "It''s my fault?" June gritted her teeth. Unknowingly, she squeezed her palms tight as the heat from the shaft warmed her palms. Blushing furiously, she let go of that thing and shifted to give Warden her back again.


    She was about to move away, but Warden clutched her tight, his palms coiling around her stomach.


    "You!"


    "June," Warden husked, "Can I do something to you?"


    The elf''s soft figure grew stiff in his arms. "I can''t believe you," she said through gritted teeth, the hot member still pressing against her butt cheeks. "Set aside that¡­ thing from my rear first."


    "What thing?" Warden smiled.


    "Don''t make me regret my decision now."


    "Sorry," he said, leaning closer to the back of her neck. "I don''t think my thing will calm down any time soon. Do you know how hard I''m tried?"


    "I¡­ we cannot do it," June said, wigging around to make a distance between them. "Not before the ceremony."


    Warden swallowed hard. "I know," he purred into her ears, kissing slightly on her shoulder de. He didn''t know what ceremony she was talking about, but that''s not important now with the wildfire rising in hisher region.


    Contrary to what he was feeling, Warden didn''t try anything for the moment, only squeezing her ever so slightly, easing her up.


    "So, you never had a rtionship before," he whispered.


    She didn''t answer.


    "June?" he touched her long ears with his cheek.


    "No," she mumbled, feeling goosebumps. She snorted, "And from how you experience you seem in kissing, you sure had a bunch of them before you lost your memory, huh."


    Wardenughed warily, but did notment on that.


    "Why is that thing still hard now?" she asked after a while.


    "You," Warden chuckled. "You''re the reason."


    It was her turn to remain silent for now.


    "I won''t be able to sleep tonight with this," Warden said, his palms rubbing her t stomach over the satin nightgown.


    She asked timidly, "It will remain like that for the rest of the night?"


    For all her maturity and age, June sounded too young and inexperienced when she asked that.


    "It will," Warden said with a sigh, "unless I go into the bathroom to take care of it, or you help me take care of it."


    June became silent again.


    "It''s too cold, I don''t want to go," Warden said. He slid in one palm into her nightgown and touched her bare belly.


    "Mmh!" June shivered.


    "Just this once," Warden coaxed, knowing that a shy woman like her would never take the initiative.


    "You cannot¡­" June said shakily as her heartbeat rose along with Warden''s palm over her bare skin. "Not before the ceremony¡­"


    Warden rested the palm just below her bosom. "We won''t take the final step, or the step before that. Please¡­ if you don''t like it, just say no and I''ll stop, no question asked."


    June remained silent; her heartbeat calmed a little after Warden stopped moving his palm. Although it still rested below her chest. "Promise?"


    "Promise," he husked, his palms rising again."If it doesn''t make you feel good, just tell me¡­"


    With that, Warden left all reservations and pulled his palm over her generous breasts. The nipples already stood erect, as his palms rubbed them. His member rubbed on her rear hard. June out a squeak. Truly inexperienced.


    "It''s alright, right?" Warden whispered to her and kissed her on the neck. Her chest rose and fell as his palm groped them in wanton need.


    "Warden¡­" June moaned his name. "This is¡­ this is too much¡­"


    "Should I stop?" The gown already slid off from her shoulder, presenting a huge cleavage for his eyes to feast on. She didn''t wear anything inside. At least, not on her upper body.


    He nted more kisses on her cleavage, licking and leaving a long trail of saliva.


    "Gods¡­" she whimpered, her palms squeezing his head, caressing through his grey hair. "No¡­"


    Warden sighed in relief inwardly that he wasn''t forcing it on her. He found her lips again, rising over her. He began kissing her furiously, no sensuality left in his form. Both of his palms were over her well-endowed breasts, groping them in different shapes.


    "Slow down!" she said between the kisses.


    "Easy for you say," he let out, and dropped his lips to her breasts. He sucked on one of them, snuggling his full face into it.


    "Oh¡­ Warden~" she called his name again, his tongue rolling around the erect buds. Hot air escaped from his nostrils as June''s back arched, feeling her private parts licked for the first time.


    She gasped madly under him, rubbing his hair crazily as Warden finally shifted to the other breast. June could only moan and struggle under the plethora of pleasure running through her core.


    Warden kept his palms busy, moving them downwards to her abdomen and then to her forbidden realm. He was just about to find her clit when her lips squeezed tight, obstructing his entry. Warden didn''t mind. He moved on to sp her meaty hips.


    "Hey," he said through gasps, leaving her sweet bosoms. "Give me your palm."


    June only whimpered with his palms working on her rear. She probably did not even hear him clearly, but Warden was already at his limit. He clutched her palm and moved it to hisher region.


    "What? Why?!" she said with a whimper.


    "Help me!" Warden pleaded and already moved her palm into his pants, over the hot shaft, squeezing in.


    June froze, barely fathoming the sheer size of it in her palm. "It''s so hot..." she gasped. "Is this natural?"


    Warden grunted. he didn''t bother to answer and began squeezing his erect prick up and down with her palm. He rested on the side, just to be in afortable position, working on her palms. She resisted a little in the beginning, but with the repeated task of moving up and down, she became familiar with it in no time.


    "Continue, just like that," Warden mumbled and let go of her palm. He moved both of his palms over her butt cheeks, while his mouth found her breast and erect buds to suck onto.


    "Yesss," he croaked, sucking through her teat. "Just like that..."


    June continued, the heat from the thing was like a hot fever, transferring onto her n immediately, and yet didn''t reach equilibrium at all.


    "Faster..." Wardenmanded after a couple of minutes, as saps of glistening liquid already began toe out. Some of it fell to her palm, making a patchy sound as she squeezed tight in the back-and-forth movement.


    "Faster," Warden said, biting into her breast.


    June moaned as Warden freed one palm to hold the palm that was squeezing his member. He forced her to move faster and faster...


    Until the orgasm came, and Warden loaded all his seeds...


    "Ahh..." he moaned, letting go of her palm as his back slumped into the bed.


    "Warden... this is..." she didn''t know what to say with the load of hot smic seeds on her palm gown.


    "Thank you..."


    She sniffed the pungent, bitter-sweet smell in the air. She felt her cheeks grow crimson and hot. Well, as if it could be redder than it already was. "So it is over?"


    "Yes," Warden said, "thank you."


    June sighed in relief. Then she found the member radiating heat close to her palm. "Then why does it still look so angry?"

 Chapter 141: Morning

    Warden woke upte to find June snuggled into his arms, her nightgown barely hanging on her shoulders with patches of kiss marks all over her rosy fair skin. She was sleeping soundly, but even the shot movements he made seemed to alert her. Her long ears perked up, brows wrinkled, as she slowly opened her eyes.


    "Morning, Beautiful," he said, and kissed her lips softly.


    June blinked a couple of times and rubbed her forehead. "You''re a bad man," she said, gritting her teeth.


    "What?" Warden shot her an incredulous look.


    "You said you won''t try anything," she said, heaving. "Then you said I need to help you once... how many times was it again? My arms went stiff with that thing in my palms¡­"


    Warden could onlyugh awkwardly.


    June snorted and rose from the bed.


    "Well, sorry to impose on you," he said, rubbing his nose. "As an apology, I can help you with my hands, or better yet¡ª"


    "No," June said sharply, cutting him off. She straightened her gown and then her eyes found the marks left behind by all the fluid in her gown, bedsheet and nket. The strong smell still remained somewhat, reddening her cheeks. As if to rectify her blush, she red up at Warden. "Get up, I need to wash the bedsheet and nket."


    "Let me do it," Warden insisted. "Since it was me who imposed on you, let me do the cleaning. You go take a bath first."


    June stared for a good couple of seconds, looking suspicious. In response, Warden shot her his ideal innocent look.


    "Fine," she said. "And from now on I''ll think thrice before letting you do as you please."


    Warden smiled. "You say that, but¡ª"


    He stopped finding her ring at him. He coughed slightly as she hurried to the washroom. Warden smiled to himself and turned to face the soiled nket and bedsheet. Even in his tunic and pants¡­


    He wrapped the bedsheet and nket quickly and shoved them into his subspace, thinking of washing themter. Perhaps framing them might even be right for a memento as proof of their first intimacy, but June would be unlikely to agree to that. Knowing her, she might set them on fire.


    Chuckling to himself, heid a new bedsheet and nket, no signs of their heated passion ofst night remaining anymore. Heh, Juen might not even see that one of her bedsheets and nkets went missing.


    Stretching his limbs, he set himself to do some light exercise and prepare tea as he waited for June to finish up in the washroom.


    At that very time, the calling bell chimed. Thinking June would still take a while, he scurried to wee the guest.


    Opening the door, he found Kiara with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail, with the little bunny in her arms. She looked just as surprised as him to find him here.


    "Sir Warden," she blurted, "what are you doing in Professor June''s quarter?"


    He opened his mouth to answer, but they remained hung open till the Little Cupcake jumped from her arms to him.


    At least one of them is happy finding me here, he thought, caressing the bunny''s pristine fur.


    "Come in," he coughed, weing them into the drawing room. "June''s in the washroom, she''ll be done in a minute."


    ?§à?¦Ô§Ô-§ã@§ß¦Á&¦Ñ¦Ó§Ö§ñ-?%¦Ò#¦Ô§Ô??--


    Kiara narrowed her eyes, studying him perceptively. The suspicious look didn''t change, though she didn''t ask any more questions.


    "You''re growing stronger, Lil''Cake," Warden said, holding the bunny aloft.


    Cupcake squeaked in delight. Warden couldn''t help but bring out a beast core from his recent dungeon dive and feed it to her.


    "Sir Warden, you don''t need to feed her," Kiara argued. "I already¡ª"


    "Oh shoot! I was brewing tea!" Without letting herplete her sentence, he scurried to the kitchen. Thankfully, the beverage wasn''t ruined.


    Warden served the tea in three cups after finishing. A thought crossed his mind as he looked at the bunny. "Do you want tea, Cupcake?"


    The bunny squeaked.


    "No?"


    This time, the bunny literally shook her head. She was growing more intelligent with time.


    Warden smiled and came back into the drawing room with the tea in a te. He served the tea to June''s blonde mentee, as the suspicions in her eyes only grew. Now she had an icy re in her look, probably thinking he was taking away her beloved mentor from her.


    Warden cracked his lips into a slightugh, as finally the mentor joined. She was in a new dress, but hadn''t done her hair yet, whichy wet on her shoulders. Warden might have wanted to help her with that if there was no one else present with them, and June might even let him.


    "Kiara, you''re finally back," she said cheerily, and shot him a look. "I hope your father''s mind is at ease after taking care of you over the week."


    Warden served her the tea. "Extra sweet for you," he smiled.


    June raised an eyebrow and slurped the tea, resting on the cough across Kiara.


    "Professor June," Kiara greeted, standing up and bowing, which she clearly didn''t do for him. Maybe because June was her mentor and their rtionship was deep. And she didn''t respect him. Well, definitely not after finding him here so early in the morning, even with all the goodwill he maintained by saving her life.


    Yeah, she''s definitely a brat, Warden thought.


    "Unfortunately, Father is only at ease after sending a bodyguard to protect me," Kiara said with a sigh.


    "A bodyguard?" June raised an eyebrow, sipping in the aromatic tea. "The academy allow this?"


    "Unfortunately," the mentee said. "He has been on my tail throughout the way since father appointed him. I only managed toe here alone, saying Professor June did not alloy unfamiliar people, especially men loitering around her quarters."


    She shot him a re while saying that.


    "Well, she did not," Wardenughed. "I''m merely a servant, she pitied."


    This time, both of the women red up at him.


    "It''s a joke," he coughed. "Why are you women stuck up so early in the morning?"

 Chapter 142: Weakness

    Warden made himself almost invisible leaning into the cough, as the mentor and mentee talk among themselves. It wasn''t particrly difficult, for him. All he had to do was withdraw his aurapletely and think of himself as something mundane, like a pillow.


    In time, their subconscious would forget about his presence, but in their mind, they would remember him. This was a simple trick to put the people at ease¡­ Warden was bing better and better at these things, as his attributes were growing.


    "Hmm, there really is someone standing outside the building," June said, spreading her spiritual awareness around. "A blond-haired guy in a suit?"


    Kiara nodded, not surprized at June''s exceptional skill at sensing things in the vicinity. Warden might not know anything, but he did not think this was natural. Even for Gold rankers.


    "He looked more like a businessman than a bodyguard," June muttered. "Where did your father even find him?"


    "He''s probably in the security team of my father," Kiara answered, unsure. "That''s why the look. Regardless, I want to get my freedom back as soon as possible, and father will only agree if I show him, I''m strong on my own."


    "So that''s why you''re here?" June''s voice was even, yet there seemed to beced with amusement and condescension. Well, it was in her aura.


    Kiara was flustered, but that was not enough to stop herself. "Yes," she said. She swallowed her tea fast. "Professor, I''m almost ready to advance to Iron."


    No, you''re not, Warden said inwardly.


    June put that in better words that would make the rebellious girl in question reconsider. "If all you want to be free of the bodyguard, your father glued to you, you should not advance."


    Warden nodded inwardly in approval. Although Kiara''s foundation seemed deep, there was still space left for her to grow. She might be called a genius in the circle, but with lower attributes point than her Warden had danced on the floor with cursed creatures, while only one of them was enough to kill her.


    Of course, Warden was a terrible example, but that didn''t make it any less true. Kiara''s attributes and ss might be impressive, but not her experience or mastery.


    "Not just that," Kiara said, notpletely convinced. "I also want to bond with Cupcake, and it''s impossible without opening another aperture."


    "That is a valid reason," June said. She then blinked and finally found the bunny resting silently on Warden''sp after eating the beast core. She frowned at hisid-back form, though he figured it was because she noticed his maniption.


    "Bonding with Cupcake will give you a part of her abilities," June said. "Both the healing and essence digestion power will be invaluable for your future prospect along with your raw fire affinity."


    "Then what?"


    "You don''t understand how the bonding process works," June said. "If there''s even a littleplication, it will leave terrible consequences to not only your foundation but also in Cupcake. This is not a decision you take lightly."


    Kiara bit her lower lip and turned to Cupcake, as Warden handed over the beast.


    "I''d advise you to train for a year¡­ no, half a year is enough," June said. "Use dungeons if you have to, but use all your time to rectify your weakness. The interschool tournament ising along in a few months as well. Train like you aim to take the first spot in the copper ranker draft."


    "If you don''t mind me asking, Professor," she said, swallowing a breath. "Where do you think my current abilities rank in the interschool tournament?"


    June narrowed her eyes and answered truthfully, "As you''re now, it will be hard for you to enter the top 32 spot."


    Kiara gritted her teeth and then found Warden smiling. She glowered at him, as if her inability was his fault.


    Warden shrugged. Comin to June. It was your mentor who said that.


    "Do you know what your strength is?" June asked.


    "Umm, my spells?" Kiara answered.


    June nodded. "The raw power you can manifest in your spell, which is a threat to even the mostmon iron-ranked creatures."


    Kiara seemed a little smug at hearing that.


    "Now, your weakness. Do you know what they are?"


    Kiara looked oblivious, so Warden helped her by announcing, "Let me make a guess," he said and began counting his fingers. "Control. Inexperience. No diversity in spells. Low Willpower. Lacking in Utility abilities.


    Energy regeneration. Hmm, you don''t have any other abilities other than the fire spells either."


    Warden ignored her re and thought more about her apparent weakness.


    "Lacking in mindset too, and did I mention control?"


    She threw a pillow at him, which Warden caught before it could hit him. Kiara''s cheeks were bright red in anger and embracement.


    I know truth hurts, Warden chuckled inwardly. However, epting the truth is the first step towards improvement.


    "Well, Warden is not wrong," June said. "Through he phrased them crudely."


    "Thank you," Warden said, bowing slightly. "No need to thank or praise me."


    "Nobody is praising you," June snorted and turned to Kiara. "Take more time on training your control. Always try to do more with less energy. Continue with the mental exercises I taught, master them and I''ll add a couple more."


    Kiara sucked in a deep breath, but June wasn''t finished yet.


    "Higher control will naturally make you better at wards, which are the most essential spell inbat, not to mention its utility. Also, add in some physical exercise as well."


    "Physical exercise?" Kiara sounded as if she had heard wrong. "Why?"


    "You cannot have a strong mind without a strong body," Warden said and threw back the pillow to her face. Even though he sent it at a normal pace, Kiara was unable to stop it from striking her face.


    "Ouch!"


    Wardenughed. "Add Pillows just below Control as her weakness."


    Kiara looked like she wanted to curse at him, but not in the presence of her mentor.


    "Warden, do you know why people find you insufferable at times?" June said, smiling sweetly at him. "This is one of the reasons."

 Chapter 143: Weapon Master

    Kiara left after getting more advice from her mentor. While Warden had been tantly hurtful with his truths, June managed to make her understand the essence behind everything.


    "We make a good team of good cop and bad cop," Warden said after June closed to door, saying goodbye to her mentee.


    "What''s a cop?" she asked. reading-here-on-MVLeMpYr


    "Huh?" Warden frowned, wondering about the word. "It''s like aw enforcer, I guess, but different. I don''t think we have those here."


    He blinked a couple of times and did not think too much about it. "So, you got school?" Warden asked.


    She nodded. "And you need to leave for the front lines soon."


    "I won''t be able to see you for six months, huh," Warden sighed and wrapped his arms around her. June protested a little in the beginning, but then let her form embrace him softly.


    "Hmm, it''s only about a couple of weeks for me," she said.


    "I''ll call you if I manage to get out of the rift," he said, nuzzling her head, his chin over her shoulder.


    "Don''t act too rashly when you''re there," June said. "The rift is ancient, littered with forbidden ces, which can even cause deaths of gold rankers."


    "I''ll be careful," He brushed her hair. "Now, before you leave, how about a goodbye kiss?"


    "So, you are only waiting for that, huh?" June snorted, but she returned the kiss when Warden leaned forward.


    Warden only ended the kiss when she was breathless, wondering how much he''d miss kissing her in the time of his service on the front lines.


    ***


    With June in the academy, there was no one sending him off when he entered the warp gate. The ancient teleportation formation lit instantly and sent Warden to an unfamiliar ce with a broken sky.


    This wasn''t the rift, just the outer fringe of it. Even still, the broken sky withyers of thick storm clouds was enough to send a chill down one''s spine. There was a heaviness in the air as well, the natural light being somewhat shallow with the broken sky.


    As Warden was checking out his surroundings, someone nudged him hard on the back. Of course, it was more like a push, but with his Void Vanquishing Physique, the person barely managed to nudge him.


    "Go register yourself in the administration," the person growled.


    Warden gave the fellow¡ªa middle-aged man in military uniform¡ªa look andplied, moving towards the office building. The facilities around here were all built for efficiency, not for luxury, probably because they have to move around the ce a lot.


    "Name?" repeated the woman at the table of registration when it was Warden''s turn.


    "Warden."


    "Full name," this time the woman asked harder, though still didn''t lift her head from the stacks of paper and notebooks.


    "Warden," he repeated.


    The woman lifted her head and shot a narrowed look as if that told them he needed to think twice before messing around. Warden returned her gaze with a level look, saying he wasn''t messing around.


    She muttered some curse under her breath and continued with the proceedings. "ss?"


    Warden thought for a second to add, "Weapon Master."


    The woman lifted her head again. "Your ss is Weapon Master?" she sounded incredulous. "Master ss in Iron rank, who are you fooling, boy?"


    Perhaps I really shouldn''t be ying around, he thought. But he couldn''t say he didn''t have a ss either. It wasn''t about it being a secret, but more about her not believing him. So, the only choice was to double down on his choice. After all, he knows how to use at least two weapons, and a master in one.


    He could even create weapons.


    Warden raised his index finger and materialised his intent on it. The woman at the table still didn''t seem to see it. He sighed and sent that intent hurtling towards the wall behind her. It left a gaping hole in it, causing the woman to spin immediately.


    "What the fuck was that?!" she growled.


    "Well, you seemed like someone who''d like a demonstration," he said, smiling half-heartedly.


    "Ask before you make a hole in the building," she admonished. "Rank is Iron, Affiliation?"


    "Hmm, The Third Arcane Academy. Dragonforge," Warden added. He wanted to name Jason''s guild, which they were nning to make together, but he couldn''t remember the horrible name Jason came up with.


    She asked a few more questions about the affiliation, and anything else he would like to add, when he didn''t, she began her work.


    "Wait a couple of minutes," she said and checked with her instruments and notebooks to finally hand him a token. A crystallised thick badge-like token. "You''re drafted to the Sixteenth Infantry Division. Meet up with the officer in charge there and they will appoint you to your team."


    Warden nodded. "Umm, what is this?" he lifted the crystal token she had given him.


    "That is to calcte your military exploits; it has all your details registered," she said. "Off you go now, Weapon Master."


    ***


    June came back home early after finishing her job at the academy. Of course, Warden had already left, so she could only spend the time doing her own thing. Cooking didn''t take long, nor did eating. The food was great, but it felt mellow eating alone.


    She trained her abilities a little and finally decided to clean up her apartment.


    Which was where she finally came across a problem. She was unable to find the bedsheet and nket Warden promised to wash anywhere in her quarters. Even after searching all over her wardrobes, every nook and cranny of her apartment, she couldn''t find them.


    "I swear if he has some funny ideas with them," she grunted, "I will..."


    Worse, her panty¡ªthe very one she worest night during their intimacy, the one she soiled under Warden''s relentless work on her¡ªjoined the list of missing articles.


    June gritted her teeth, her cheeks painted in a faint blush.


    "Just you wait," she muttered. "This is not over."


    -------------

 Chapter 144: First Day on the Frontline

    If the atmosphere was heavy outside of the rift, it was a hundred times heavier inside the rift. The sky was broken red shifting colours¡­ there was a sun, but it moved fast through the horizon. There was no change in the time ratio of day and night either, just the light wasn''t bright enough for civilization to develop here.


    Warden didn''t think normal people could live here for long in this atmosphere. The same goes for copper ranker, considering the heaviness only grows more as one moves deeper into the rift.


    The first thing Warden noticed after being drafted into the 16th infantry was that their array formation that warded the heaviness and baleful aura was faulty. It was unable to restrict even half of it.


    Well, there were less than a hundred drafted to the 16th infantry, which was nothingpared to other infantry or the other division. That was probably why the formation wasn''t repaired yet.


    There was, of course, another reason.


    As Warden sat at the table out in the open, a group of soldiers in mismatched attires came up.


    "New blood, ye," the leader of the bunch said. He was a heavy man, his stomach protruding a few inches before the other part of his body, as he dragged his fat ass with him to stand before Warden. "So, what are you in for?"


    Warden raised an eyebrow, considering the man. He hadn''t forgotten that the 16th infantry was a ce for the convicted to get pardoned for their mistakes. Some of them were murders, rapists, or worst¡­


    Well, I too am a murderer, he thought with a sigh. I shouldn''t look down on them just because of the fact.


    Of course, his acts of murder were always done in the act of consideration over the weight of life. Warden would like to think he knew what he was doing with he killed those bandits¡­ there might have been better solutions, as not every one of them was irredeemable shits¡­ but that was the past¡­ and at that time killing them seemed like a mercy.


    He sighed. "Just fought a noble son."


    The leader snickered. "That''s not very rare," he said. "Kevin, here killed a minor noble''s son¡­" he pointed towards a scrawny-looking man. "He says totally not his fault. He''s been here... for two years already?


    Well, far from regaining his freedom."


    "Motherfucker will die in a ditch before gaining his freedom," Another fe said, pping the scrawny guy, Kevin, on the shoulder.


    "You think I don''t know that?" Kevin sneered, shoving aside the arm. "I''ve already given up my dream of gaining a pardon. All I wanted is to live my best life in the worst environment possible."


    "Which is spending all your coins on whores," snickered the guy who pped him.


    Kevin looked unphased as he turned to Warden. "New guy, a word of advice. Don''t try to cheat the system and give up hope of getting out as soon as possible¡­ They''ll rope you in for one thing or another. They are always short on soldiers, the more the better."


    "Come on, Kev'' don''t dampen the mood with your pessimism," the leader said. "And new guy, don''t let the guy borrow any of your coins or contributions."


    "Umm, thanks for the tip," he said. "The name''s Warden."


    "Luis," the leader said. "For how long you are drafted?"


    "Six months."


    "That''s the lowest, lucky," snickered another among the group.


    "Well, perhaps you might see the light of the day outside if you survive and act ording," Luis said and turned to his group. "I have no hope for this bunch."


    "Well, thanks," Warden said awkwardly. "Honestly, I thought you guys wereing on here to put me in ce¡­ you know how it is¡­"


    "Haha," Luisughed, crooking his nose. "You''re not wrong."


    The othersughed along, their demeanours shifting.


    "You know, Warden," Luis continued, "some of us are here for over a decade. Me for example, in my fourteenth year, I probably survived the longest in this hellish ce under our circumstances. I have been countless rankers die in my time here¡­ some even in their very first week."


    Well, Luis was a Silver Ranker, and a Warden was getting a dangerous aura from him. To say the least, he survived that long wasn''t merely through luck.


    "Life is very dull on top of the constant threat we have to deal with," Luis said. "Thus, we have prepared a few rules among ourselves¡­"


    "What kind of rules?" Warden narrowed his eyes.


    "There are only a few," Kevin said, "but you need to only know the first for now."


    "The first rule is that the neer has to pay for one night''s drink for everyone in the infantry," Luis said. "You might feel it wrong to pressure the neer, but it''s very much required. You know, to keep the atmosphere light.


    Warden expected nothing less than that.


    "Of course, you don''t have to pay right up, as you might not have anything with you," Luis said, easing up the unfair rule they made up to bully all the neers. "But you don''t get a freebie after your first pay."


    Warden nodded in understanding. "I thought we were indentured here for our crimes¡­" he asked, "we still get paid?"


    As far as Warden knew, they were only above ves, as they weren''t chained, but there was no other difference. But it seemed they paid some remuneration to the indentured soldiers to keep them satiated.


    "Only a small part of it," Luis sighed. "Only the fifth. The rest goes to the pockets of the people who convicted us."


    A few of them cursed as one came along to p Warden on the shoulder. "Haha, no need to worry about that for tonight," he said. "And Luis forget to add, since it is your first day, you get a freebie from us. Whatever you want to do, drink, eat, fuck bitches, it''s on us. So, enjoy tonight at your heart''s content, because you might not survive tomorrow... This is the excitement of--"


    The siren red instantly, stiffening each of their postures.


    "--living in the edge."


    "Fuck! Another attack!"

 Chapter 145: Orcs

    The crowd dispersed in preparation for the fight immediately as the siren red constantly.


    "The boss is on vacation, so it''s on us,ds," Luis said, his tone shifting to amanding one. "Assemble in five minutes."


    The group cursed and grunted, but they had no other choice but toply.


    "The same goes for you two, new guy," Luis told him as he brought out a longread tomunicate with another infantry.


    "I''m mostly prepared," Warden insisted. He brought out [The Divider] from his subspace and draped it on his waist. "Nowpletely."


    With his legendary light armour and cloak, Warden was in his A-game.


    Luis shot him a gaze, but as the call connected, he didn''t bother with him. He moved on,municating to know more about the attacks.


    The infantry took exactly five minutes to prepare. They were still in their mismatched outfits, along with the armour and jerkin they draped on. However, they were much better formed, assembled like soldiers ready to be deployed.


    A shout from Luis ¡ª who was probably the officer in charge in the absence of the boss ¡ª reminded Warden that he had to join them in the march.


    "We''re fighting orcs and trolls today," Luis informed as the infantry of five dozen convicted marched on, even though they let out a growl hearing about trolls and orcs. Their bodynguage told them that the fight wouldn''t be easy.


    novel-hosted-MvLeMpYr


    As they marched on, Luis exined what he had received through the longread. The closest mining zone, Audime Valley, was attacked by a horde of orcs and trolls. A few groups of infantries were already present there to smooth the process of transferring the ores.


    They were expecting an attack in a couple of days when they were supposed to transfer the monthly mined ores; however, the forsaken races beat them to the punch by assaulting them a couple of days earlier.


    "I''m going to die today, ain''t I?" a soured-looking fe, no older than Warden himself, said from beside him. Warden could feel how pressured the fe felt through his aura, which seemed to have lost all its colour under the red sky.


    Their marching speed was quite high, with most of them being Iron rankers, and only a few having the aura of a silver ranker, along with Luis. Nobody bothered to spare a few words for the poor guy who felt his life was forfeited. Or perhaps everyone else felt the same pressure.


    "Where''s she?" the guy cried. "The boss is supposed to protect us in times like this¡­ how are we¡ª"


    One soldier from behind struck the butt end of his spear in the back of the guy. "Don''t lose faith before the fight even begins," he shouted, more annoyed than anything else. "And also, yourck of preparedness may consume your whole team in the fight."


    He shot Warden a pitying gaze as they marched on. Audime Valley was a much darker space, with the pressure in the air thicker than usual. Of course, the disturbance of the fight on the other side added to the tension.


    "Form," Luismanded, and the groups ahead of him formed into a group of six in a formation. Warden imitated their position and formed with his group. "Advance!"


    Luis led on towards the fight, and within a couple of minutes, Warden got a look at the enemies. As he had expected, the orcs were ugly creatures, painted in pale green skin with jagged muscr bodies. Their figures were humanoid, though a head taller than your average human. Other than the two tusks and a more demonic look, they were not much differentpared to a human.


    Their arms were jagged, possessing battle axes or war hammers. They fought zealously, roaring and screeching in battle lust, while the soldiers fighting them were barely holding on.


    "Advance," Luis shouted. "From the south¡­ on me!"


    Warden already had his weapon unsheathed, brimming with void energy.


    "Don''t die on me, new guy," the spearman, who was marching behind him, said as he took charge of their group.


    They attacked the orcs from behind, taking advantage of the chaos. They put down a few opponents quickly, but within a couple of minutes, they understood it wasn''t going to be any easier. The number of orcs present was simr to the number of soldiers, perhaps fewer, with the addition of the 16th infantry.


    However, your average orc was far better than your average soldier, making it very difficult for humans to make any progress without suffering terrible losses.


    Their numbers were already dwindling. Warden felt sick finding over a couple of dozen corpses of soldiers lying in the wake of the battle. He forced more energy into his de and met the attack of a furious orc.


    "Come on, you limp-dick humans," the orc roared, gutting his battle axe into a soldier nearby as Warden leapt at him. "I''ll cut your heads and hang your limp¡ª"


    Warden''s de cut through the orc''s battle axe and ploughed into his chest. The orc wasn''t even sure the de had struck him until he saw the head of his axe falling.


    "¡ªdick! AHHHHH! Human, you!"


    Warden didn''t even bother to listen to the orc and severed his head with another swing of his de.


    "Nice going, newbie," the spearman said as he fought with another orc. He was holding himself well against the jagged orc, which was double in muscle mass. "But don''t break the formation."


    Warden narrowed his eyes at the others in his group. None of them were as good as the spearman. Two barely holding on, one already on the back foot, for the guy who lost all his faith even before the fight began tumbled into the ground, blood dripping from the helmet he wore. An orc stood tall in front of him, prepared to strike his war hammer into the poor guy''s face¡­


    Warden intervened. He struck from behind, cutting off one of the limbs that held the war hammer. Before the orc could spin, he pierced [The Divider] into his head.


    "I''m alive!" the poor guy screamed. "Oh, by the gods, I''m alive."


    Warden leapt to his next opponent.

 Chapter 146: Wildcard

    "Oh, Kanshi! I''m alive," Pino cried, as hot tears and blood welled up from his eyes and the wound inflicted by the orc. For the moment, the fact that he was saved was enough to forget the terrible pain in his head.


    He stared at the corpse of his assant and sucked in a deep breath. He couldn''t just remain on the ground with the corpses, ying dead. Many have tried such tactics over the years, and the results have not been kind to them.


    Pino stood up, clutching the hilt of his sword tightly. However, none of the orcs came to assault him, much to his relief. He saw others fighting around him in wild fervour or desperation, too busy to help anyone else. But Pino was free. Wait, why was he free?


    Pino finallyid his eyes on the reason. The white-cloaked figure, the new guy, who had saved his life, was charging towards the battle, leaving corpses of orcs in his wake. Contrary to his saviour''s white cloak and armour, which looked holy, the long de was anything but holy. Energy sparked out of it in dark tendrils as he cut through the limbs of the forsaken like they were mere vegetables.


    He beheaded a female orc, which had taken him the longest time, and by longest, Pino was sure it was no more than half a dozen swings of the de.


    The new guy''s aggression in the battle seemed to have drawn the ire of the orcs, as many of them stopped attacking theirrades to focus their battle lust on the cloaked saviour.


    "Oh, Kanshi!" Pino prayed for the new guy''s safety as more and more orcs surrounded him. He found his limbs frozen in the assaults, eyes glued to the war god-like figure fighting against the seven orcs.


    "Don''t break formation!" Loam, the leader of their group, shouted, finishing his target. He turned to the new guy fighting and groaned. "What have you got yourself into, new guy?"


    Loam shot to help him, ring at the rest of them. "Stop standing like virgin-ass bitches seeing a naked girl for the first time and help."


    Pino came out of his stupor and took a step forward, gritting his teeth. He didn''t know how much help he could be with pain consuming his rationality, but he went on to help.


    The new guy was growing swifter in his attack, his de growing ferocious against the assaults of six orcs. He had already killed one of them.


    "I appreciate you all," he croaked through the battle, "but I''d prefer you all don''t interfere in my battle."


    The presence around the new guy grew thicker as his twisted dark energy enveloped himpletely. His fighting style changed to that of the orcs, though he remained vastly urate even in his berserk-like state.


    He really did not need their help in fighting off the assaults of half a dozen orcs. The new guy leapt into the air, his de seeming to erge along with his fervour, drawing blood from the orcs. He swung in a full arc, hurtling down the orcs that were about to assault him. One of them even died with his head split open, blood spraying like a fountain.


    Watching him fight like that reminded Pino of someone¡­ someone equally devastating, if not more, though through a different approach. The boss had more finesse in what she did with her prey; she wouldn''t even let any of her orcs have a chance of assaulting her. While the new guy was a wild card, he was a frightful figure, nheless.


    Pino could feel it in his blood, and he was sure the orcs were feeling more of it, as the remaining ones abandoned the notion of hunting the human and withdrew.


    But the new guy would not let them leave without paying a price. He shot forward toward the closest one and pinned his sword to the back of the orc''s head. An arrow shot from behind plunged into the back of the new guy. His figure shook and tumbled forward a little, as the arrow fell to the ground, finding no purchase.


    The new guy turned, eyeing towards the unseen archers up in the cliffs. He didn''t bother with them and fought with enemies at hand.


    "Come on, don''t stand frozen like blood fools," Loam shouted. "And make it easier for the archers to snipe at us."


    Clearly, the new guy didn''t need their help, but that didn''t mean the others did not. With the new guy making a big difference in relieving the pressure off their shoulders, they charged to help theirrades.


    [You have in Orc Warriors (Iron), 9x]


    [+3.2 Strength.]


    [1.2 Dexterity.]


    [You have in Orc Warriors (Iron), 4x]


    [+1.2 Strength.] content-hosted-on-MVLeMpYr


    [0.4 Dexterity.]


    [You have in Orc Warriors (Iron), 6x]


    [+2.3 ¡­]


    Warden split a part of his focus to read the notification after he finished thest of the assants. The gains had been pretty good, considering the numbers he had in were less than a couple of dozens. Unfortunately, he received no improvement in any of the attributes of Mind, Spirit, or Recovery¡­


    After his disy of power, no more orcs wereing at him. On top of that, they withdraw when Warden approaches them. The archers seemed to be only focusing on him, even though their assault had been ineffective. Well, they did better than the orc warriors, at least, keeping him busy and slowing him. Not to mention, it required him to deploy more of his energy in the [Void Shroud].


    With a second thought, Warden shot for the upper region to take care of archers. While taking care of the enemies on the ground was imminent, killing the archers would win them the skirmish.


    However, before Warden could even cover half the distance, he found the ground tumbling as a dozen humongous trolls as tall as three feet charged into the battle.


    The upper hand tilted more towards the forsaken instantly, as Warden had to change his target...

 Chapter 147: Trolls

    The intensity of the battle slowed down, but they were still engaged against the overwhelming force of the forsaken. The handfuls of trolls seemed to have overturned the situation for them, as the stalemate tilted back on the forsaken again. Without the reinforcements, the human party wouldn''t have much sway against the numbers...


    Warden dodged the club of the troll, shing his sword at its knee. Purple blood smeared on the rugged terrain for a moment, but the wounds instantly closed with renewed skin. Unlike the orcs which Warden had heard possessed energy negation ability, the regeneration power of these trolls was far superior.


    After all, the orcs were unable to negate his void energy, but the trolls were regenerating the wounds before his eyes. Warden would have to sever thempletely and only then would they lose their regenerative powers. Unfortunately, with their massive form, severing even their limbs was a tremendously difficult task.


    Of course, it wasn''t all a mistake either. Trolls were uglier than your average orcs. They have power, overwhelmingly so, but they were far from being agile, nor do they have the best techniques like the orcs. They were naked, ugly things that fought mostly on instinct.


    The trolls he fought hadn''t managed tond a single blow on him yet; while although Warden had been sessful in all his attacks, none were critical enough that the trolls were unable to regenerate.


    These fuckers could even regenerate their eyes. Warden was hurtled into the air after he sliced the eyes of one. Sadly that n went down the gutter as well.


    Without fighting in his full intensity, Warden would be unable to finish them off. However, he had already exhausted half of his energy. The arrows shooting at him cost him most of his energy as he had to maintain [Void Shroud] at its peak at all times. On top of that, he couldn''t absorb attacks to recover his energy at all.


    Splitting his focus, Warden brought out one of thest remaining recovery potions and gulped it down.


    He saw Luis fighting with a silver-ranked Orc Chief. Both parties seemed content with ying it out with their underlings, neither prepared to end the battle swiftly, not that they could.


    Warden''s energy recovered swiftly as he threw himself at the trolls with new fervour. He rammed his knee into the gut of one of the trolls, causing it to wince thunderously. The void energy thumped against its gut, breaking it from the inside.


    Now let me see how well you recover from that, he thought.


    The troll tried to throw Warden off, but he was already on the move, twisting over the giant troll''s body onto its shoulder. He hurtled another kick into the back of its neck, almost shattering it. Still, the troll fell to the ground.


    Warden was sure it would recover from the shock quickly. But only if it got the chance. [The Divider] free in his arms so far, finally found its chance as Warden pinned it into the back of the head of the troll.


    The de met a terrible obstruction in its path, as more arrows crashed into Warden''s defence, shaking the integrity of the shroud. He felt another trolling from behind, two from the front...


    Warden''s lips curved up in a cruel smile. He drove the de further into the skull of the naked, ugly thing, pushing more and more energy. Although everyone seemed to be working on dying the assault for reinforcement, Warden went for the kill.


    The troll screeched horrifyingly under his de, shaking with all its might. Warden pressed his void shroud on its back, keeping it still for the time needed.


    The Divider came out from the other side, through its bloody eye, and yet the monster screamed. A club came hammering from his back. Warden was prepared for it as his awareness was always looking out for threats. He swung his leg to stop its course. However, even with that, he was unable to stop it. The sheer force behind the club was just...


    Warden was flung away a few metres, his shroud shaking like scraps of paper against stormy winds. He winced, colliding against an orc.


    story-at-MvLeMpYr


    [You have in a Troll (Iron).]


    [+1.1 Regeneration.]


    So the trolls could not regenerate their brains.


    "Ahaha," Wardenughed as he stood up again. "I know it now."


    One down, seven more to go.


    Warden didn''t have to aim for the trolls, as with the death of their kinsman, all the avable trolls charged at him in devilish madness. He had to adopt a defensive stance again, though he still had to use all his athleticism against the onught of seven trolls.


    Even with the recovery potion, Warden found his energy dwindling with each moment of battle. So he called upon his secret weapon - his budding baleful intent.


    He had barely tested it with a sword, but without a good spear at hand, he would have to make do with the Divider.


    His intent only made it easier to cut things¡ªwhich was honestly great for a weapon like a sword or spear¡ªhowever, up against regenerative monsters like these trolls, the intent made only a little difference,pared with his void energy.


    Warden almost sliced through the arm of a troll, only to see it being reattached in seconds as the wounds closed up, covered with new red skin.


    How many points do these trolls have in recovery? Warden couldn''t help but wonder. He had a hundred points and a regeneration ability, but he didn''t think he could reattach his arms that quickly. Hell, it will take hours to reattach, not to mention it would hardly be usable for weeks after that.


    To what extent do their regenerative powers run?


    Of course, This line of thought wasn''t right. Other than their massive form, which came with equal strength, trolls only have their regenerative power. Of course, they would be overpowered in that aspect.


    "I guess the challenge will only make the rewards much sweeter," Warden muttered, erging his de to two metres.

 Chapter 148: Casuality

    The reinforcement came half an hourter. Over a thousand infantry marched on, each of the soldiers stepped forward with purpose, their uniforms and armour indicating they were well-trained for this exact job.


    Unfortunately, the orcs were already moving to leave by that point. The trolls had brought them the advantage to withdraw, dealing all the damage they came to do. They had looted part of the ores, and killed and heavily injured over a few hundred human rankers.


    Of course, they took damage as well, heavy damage, considering only about half of their numbers managed to withdraw while the rest were in on the ground.


    Themander in charge of the troops was a mage, and as soon as he arrived, he began shooting sharp projectiles of ice at the remaining few forsaken.


    A swift attack came out of nowhere and beheaded the troll Warden was almost finished with, stealing his kill.


    [You have in Trolls (Iron), 5x]


    [+4.7 Recovery.]


    Warden spat on the ground and sat down. His whole face was covered in troll blood, exhaustion burning through his muscles and channels. The surge of power from the essence harvested did drive away some of the exhaustion, but it was far from what he required to feel free.


    Gasping heavily for a few minutes, he wiped the blood from his face. With how many times he had to cut the trolls, he was literally bathing in their disgusting blood. Nothing less than a proper bath would solve this, not that he thought he would be freed from duty any time soon.


    A few of the sixteenth infantry came to join him, all of them simrly exhausted with several cuts, though they weren''t bathing in blood like him.


    "New guy, you''re alive," said the spearman. He did not sound surprised, probably having seen him fight. "Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky."


    Warden sighed. "How many?"


    "Well, among our numbers, I saw two dying," the spearman said, resting across from Warden, his spear still sped tight. "Over a dozen are seriously injured, the healers will take care of them. Dozens died before we came, and more died after too... for what it''s worth your maniac assault alone on the enemy managed to save the lives of these lots."


    "Call me Warden," he husked, looking around with searching eyes at the dead.


    "Caleb," the spearman gave his name. "Healers will be here, but at the very end after they take care of the regr soldiers, if that''s what you''re wondering."


    Warden raised an eyebrow and nodded. In the hierarchy of the army, they fell right at the bottom, just above ves in chains. Of course, they would be taken care ofst. Well, Warden wasn''t really injured, his natural regeneration power had already healed the few wounds he had taken. But it was the exhaustion he had to deal with. A healer might boost his recovery a lot quicker.


    "Is it always like this?" Warden asked.


    "Yeah," Caleb said leaning against the corpse behind him. "But you came on a bad day. Attacks like this near our camp rarely happen. It''s almost a suicide mission for the forsaken, they only managed to save their numbers because the attack was unexpected and they came in force."


    Warden nodded in understanding. The blood was drying on his skin, making him feel ufortable. "How are the usual days for us soldiers?"


    Caleb shot him a look. "Other than these skirmishes, not that bad. A lot of guarding, day or night, and mostly exploration... We only lose our numbers in direct confrontations like this. The general is going to be royally pissed about this loss."


    Warden saw Luis talking with the mage, probably themander of the reinforcements. Well, by talking, he meant Luis was getting all the rebukes silently, even though none of it was his fault.


    A healer came half an hourter, a young woman with a mask on. Probably couldn''t handle gore all that much. She literally cringed, finding them sitting with corpses covered in blood all over their bodies.


    "Show your wounds quickly, I have ces to be," she said, her tone haughty.


    As Warden''s need was minusculepared to the few heavily injured, he remained silent while the healer took care of them. There were literally a couple of them with their severed limbs in hand, waiting to be reattached by the healer, their expressions imminent and tense.


    Thankfully, the healer was masterful in her job. She worked quickly to take care of them one by one until she turned to Warden.


    "Just throw me a rejuvenation spell," Warden requested.


    The healer woman shot him a piercing gaze, as though checking for wounds. Sweat trickled down her forehead. This job wasn''t easy on her either. "I don''t have energy to spare for such spells."


    With that, she turned and left, leaving a dumbfounded Warden.


    "What the actual fuck!" he cursed.


    Caleb shook his head as if it was only natural. "I''ll ask Luis to spare you one rejuvenation potion."


    "Thanks." Warden scratched his skin, wiping away theyers of blood stered to his arm. "I think I need a bath more than a rejuvenation potion."


    "Unfortunately, you have to make it do with a Cleansing Crystal," Caleb said, causing Warden to wince.


    He wasn''t unfamiliar with Cleansing crystals, as he had used them once during his time in the dungeon with Jason and others. Honestly, it wasn''t any better than bathing. It saves time, but the detriment was that it did not give any refreshed feeling either.


    Well, since he wasn''t stained with disgusting murk that came out of his body when he went through the body transformation, the cleansing crystal could clean him up.


    "120 contribution points," Caleb muttered with the army token in hand. He shot Warden a look. "How much did you get?"


    Warden drew his badge and infused his energy, as soon a number lit up in the air.


    [820]


    Caleb whistled as many of the others looked with envy as well. Most of their contribution didn''t wasn''t higher than 50 points.

 Chapter 149: Casuality (2)

    As Warden remained in the aftermath of the skirmish, only bad news came his way.


    First of all, he would only receive a fifth of the 820 contribution points he earned in the fight. So, 164 points. As for the benefit these points present, well, they have the same value as Arcane Credits, and could be used to get anything from the arcane society with them.


    However, the War contribution points could be used to receive resources¡ªwhich were expensive elsewhere¡ªdirectly from the front lines as well.


    Caleb told him to check the Emporium for what he would like to exchange those points for. He was told that many points would earn him a couple of intermediate Strength Elixirs, which could increase anyone''s strength below 300 by 2 points.


    Strength was the easiest attribute to grow for Warden, so that elixir didn''t hold any sway in his mind, but he was looking forward to getting an elixir to improve his Spirit. After all, he was only 8 points away from achieving the 100-point mark. He wondered what kind of choices he would have.


    Hmm, I should have asked June more about these when I had the time, he sighed in regret. Of course, she did mention listening to one''s gut feeling on those choices was always the right decision. Still, it would have been better to learn more about them.


    Next, Luis came back with more bad news. He was actually the sergeant of the sixteenth infantry, even though his deep silver rank power was enough tond him a captain''s position if he were in any other circumstances.


    Anyway, on to the bad news. While they were fighting, there was another party of goblins looting the ores the miners had piled up. They hadn''t managed to loot it all, but it was a substantial amount for the Colonel to fuss over, as he was getting rebuked for the loss of men and resources.


    On that note, 147 rankers died in total, a number that included the nonbatant miners as well. This was war, after all. The enemy didn''t discriminate on sses, only on race.


    Warden sighed. The numbers of heavily injured was over a couple hundreds, and many of them had been sent back, as they would probably never recover their full strength.


    Thest bit of bad news was that the 16th infantry would have to guard the ores as they would be deployed back to the main camp. The chances of another attack on the way were low, so it was merely a nuisance, considering most of them were still recovering from their exhaustion.


    "I just want to have a bath," Warden cried with a whimper.


    "Well, you can have that in the main camp," Luis said with a smile. There was a sharp cut on his cheek from the battle, which hadn''t healed yet, though the wound had closed. "There are facilities for that there. Even better, a stream snakes by the main camp."


    Atst, some good news.


    "We have to postpone the celebration for another date," Caleb said, pping him on the shoulder as he stood up. They would have to prepare to leave with the load soon enough.


    ***


    The way back was uneventful, other than a few packs of cursed creatures, which they dealt with swiftly. Most ran away, finding their ranks, however.


    Even with the steamed carriage running at a rtively faster pace of twenty miles per hour, it took them about six hours for the journey. Warden meditated on his Intent for the most of it.


    Darkness enveloped the humongous rift space, which was like another world in its eerie presence. The sky didn''t seem broken in the darkness. There were no moons, but overhead Warden found countless twinkling stars. The view was unnatural and unreal... it made him feel how tiny their ce in the universe was, no matter how much he grew his attributes or how far he advanced.


    "Ahem!" Luis coughed deliberately, catching everyone''s attention. "Our task is mostly over, but we were asked to remain here as the captain will arrive at the main camp shortly."


    "Didn''t she take leave for a whole week, it''s only been five days," someone in thepany said.


    "We all are not free in thepany, after all," Luis said. "Even with all her formidable strength and presence, the captain had to dance to the higher rank officers'' orders."


    "Even when it''s a holiday she paid for," Caleb added.


    Warden gave him a look, asking what was about.


    "The sixteenth infantry, along with the rest of the convicted sent to the frontlines aren''t given any holidays," Luis exined. "The only way to earn a break is to pay with contribution points."


    Warden cursed audibly. This seemed like very, with a few extra steps to give these people hope for the future.


    "Hahaha, they say we can buy back our freedom as well," Kevin added. He survived too and looked rtively uninjuredpared to the rest. "Some work till their bones crack and their soul withered away in the hope of getting their freedom back."


    "It isn''t unheard of that someone regained their freedom," Luis smiled. "It mostly depends on the type of crime you''re convicted for, and there are otherplications, but yeah, I have seen a few gaining their freedom in my time."


    Warden nodded. He turned to finally see the stream snaking its way beside the main camp, which stood like the only establishment in this awful ce.


    "Sergeant," Warden called. "Since our work is done, can I take my leave for now?"


    "Where would you be?" Luis asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "In the stream, rxing," Warden said. I''d only take a couple of hours. Hedidn''t add this part, however.


    "I guess you have earned this," Luis nodded. He was kinder than Warden gave him credit for. "You''re dismissed for the night, report early on the sunrise."


    With that, Warden literally shot towards the steam from the steam carriage.


    ____________


    There will be a bonus chapterter today... as the book received 5 reviews...

 Chapter 150: Contemplation

    Warden hadid in the cool water and almost forgot about time, closing his eyes.


    June was probably still in her ss, he thought, considering the time discrepancy between regr time and frontline time. Not even a couple of hours passed for her.


    The atmosphere here was serene with only the sound of the slow stream running over his form. Warden floated endlessly in rxation for some time, after wiping away all the blood stains.


    He had to spend six months on the front lines. Of course, others had mentioned not every day was about fighting for their lives. Still, Warden couldn''t help but remember why he was here. He hadn''t chosen this. He was wrongly used and schemed against to receive this as punishment.


    Warden didn''t fear fighting, nor did he hate it. But he hated the people who wrongly signed him over here without even properly checking everything.


    The only justice in this world is power, he remembered something, though he didn''t know who said it to him, or if he just made it up right now. But that didn''t take away from the truth, sadly.


    Sighing, he came out of the water and draped on an easy-going tunic and pants. His weapons and armoury on the banks.


    Now much of the night was remaining, and Warden was free for all of it. So, what could he do to pass the time? He knew he wouldn''t catch any sleep in an unfamiliar ce. Every new ce he went, Warden remembered how unfamiliar and strange he felt. It was as if he was not from this world at all.


    Taking his stuff, Warden crept into the main camp after deciding he would be rune smithing for the remainder of the night. He had taken a bunch ofmissions and arge advance; he nned onpleting all of them during his stay on the frontline.


    He tried to look at the front lines as an opportunity, even if he was wrongly punished to be sent here. After all, what better ce could there be to refine his intent than a battlefield?


    Well, definitely the Phantom ursed Valley, but he wasn''tining.


    "This ce will be my money-making start," he muttered.


    Perhaps he could even advance to Silver here. It takes decades formon rankers to move from Iron to Silver, but Warden had already taken the step. True, he did not remember any of it, but his path so far had been smooth sailing...


    Well, other than the moment I ate a dungeon, Warden mused. He was pretty sure someone intervened in his case... someone probably higher up in the system? They helped in turning the vast subspace inside of him. Even if it was vtile in nature, Warden wasn''t sure if he would survive the transition if he was on his own.


    They also mentioned for him to find the Oracle, Warden remembered, sping his palms into fists. He hadn''t travelled much and was mostly busy doing various things to look for oracles. From June, he heard there was an oracle in the Elven kingdom, though Warden doubted the wizened Elven woman June was referring to would be someone rted to him.


    If they are an oracle, shouldn''t they already know about me? Warden couldn''t help but wonder. They were supposed to know the future, even if it was vague... Hmm, perhaps they are looking for me right at this moment... Perhaps I do not have to do all the searching...


    Perhaps I''m not such a bad person that nobody would even look for me if I went missing.


    The thoughts were optimistic. Warden smiled as he walked into the main camp.


    "Find me quicker," Warden said and hoped. "While I regain my strength..."


    Warden found most of the 16th infantry in a temporary camp, resting or ying cards. The heavy smell of alcohol brimmed the room as Warden walked in. The injured ones wereid in rows of humble beddings, already in deep sleep, while likes of Caleb, Kevin, and Pino were ying cards with food and alcohol.


    His first thought entering the camp was that: I cannot rune smith in this ce...


    "You took some time," Caleb said. "We were already meaning to send someone to look for you."


    "What did you do with your armour and weapon," Pino asked. Finding Warden gaping at him, he couldn''t help but add, "Sir."


    "I have stored them in a dimension storage," Warden said, not adding he himself was the dimension storage. June reminded him abilities such as that were rarely evermon, and it would only be beneficial for him if he kept it under wraps. Warden already received the firsthand benefit from the Drake dungeon.


    "I already figured you''re some notable figure from the way you fought," Caleb said with augh. "Are you disinterested in mingling withmoner convicts like us?"


    Warden thought deeply about that. He really had qualms about mingling with people with no scruples, but these were simply people who already paid more for the wrongs they had done. He had fought with them. Although he didn''t know them for long, looking at their faces, he didn''t think they did any unforgivable crimes.


    He already heard a little bit on the way back. Kevin had killed a nobleman, though it was an ident, Kevin mentioned that the noble ass he killed really deserved killing. He couldn''t just stand there when a bunch of nobles came along and wanted to have fun with his sister. Caleb hadn''t mentioned his past, but Pino was the scapegoat for some renowned figure he didn''t want to mention.


    "Looks like it''s a very hard decision for you," Caleb said, gulping a mouthful of drink.


    Warden snorted, taking away the bottle of alcohol from the spearman.


    "Hey!" heined.


    Warden poured the remaining alcohol into his mouth as he sat next to them. "Terrible rum," he muttered.


    "I have thousand-year-old wine stored under the bed for your highness," Caleb snorted, taking back the empty bottle.


    "I thought drinks were free for me tonight," Wardenughed.


    "You can have this, Sir," Pino said, raising his bottle towards Warde.


    "You don''t have to call me sir," Warden burped. "Anyway, whatcha ying?"


    ___________


    The character arts are out. you can check them on the app. Honestly, I''m not wholly satisfied with a few of them. Warden is more buffed...

 Chapter 151: Accident in the Night

    After ying cards and drinking till most of them went back to sleep, Warden looked for a spot to practise his rune smithing. The main camp was littered with people even during the night, many on patrol, many training or just ying around.


    With a thought, Warden decided to go back near the banks of the stream. That was probably the soundest ce in the front lines to practise the runes as far as he was concerned.


    A slow cold wind blew, chillier than usual, kissing his cheeks as he settled down under a ridge, the unreal sight before his eyes. He brought out a light construct along with his instruments. And finally, a shield made out of Tier-9 alloy and other expensive material¡ªwhich he was to carve the scripts on.


    Warden withdrew the paper glued to the unadorned shield to read what kind of runes weremissioned for? He had an idea, but after reading the necessary details, he was sure he could finish this up within four hours.


    As always, he began with the tier-5 empower script,ying the foundation for five shells. Within half an hour after nning out the rest of the shells, Warden entered the flow state, his fingers working perfectly with over a hundred dexterity points. The surroundings became dull as his mind hovered only in the carving of the geometric shapes and runes.


    Runesmithing was creative in the beginning of nning on how to carve the highest numbers of runes, but after that, it was mostly a repeated task of carving out the same runes in chains again and again.


    That didn''t mean it was easy, however. The sheer amount of control and perseverance needed toplete a single shell without even resting a moment was something mostmon rankers were unable to perform.


    The flow made it easier, obviously. Only when Warden had a spear or a carving stylus in his hand did he enter the flow state. The world bes so much brighter and real during this state... Even his energy recovers so quickly...


    This was a phenomenon only a master of the work was privileged to experience. Only a master could absorb the ambient energy of nature into their being. In this state, running out of energy was nearly impossible if the ambient energy was heavy in the environment.


    Warden continued on his work. He thought it would take four hours, but looking at the pace he was going, he would be done in three hours. He alreadypleted two-thirds of it in a couple of hours,pletely forgetting anything else other than the runes.


    Warden didn''t even notice when someone jumped from atop the ridge and into the water. When he finished carving, however, he finally noticed a person floating in the water as if they were dead.


    A further scrutiny told him the person wasn''t dead, and it was a woman. And the woman waspletely naked, floating on the surface of the river before his eyes.


    Warden opened his mouth to say something, but his mouth remained hung open as his eyes glued to her figure. "Umm..."


    The woman floating on the water was simr to Warden''s posture when he bathed, but her posture showed as if she didn''t care much at all. However, that changed when her sixth sense picked up someone gaping at her from the bank.


    Darkness oozed out from the woman''s body and enveloped herpletely. Only her head was open. "You!"


    Then she attacked.


    By the time, Warden had alreadye out of his stupor and was feeling much of the exhaustion borne out of intense rune smithing. He considered fleeing right away from the spot, but on second thought, he remained. Fleeing would only prove that he was in the wrong, which clearly wasn''t the case, since he came here first.


    Yet Warden hadn''t considered when the woman''s threat attack of condensed darkness at him in the form of des. He leapt to his feet immediately, forcing a ward to protect himself. The dark de crashed into the ward at the moment of its manifestation and shattered it. Thankfully, it put off the dark de with it as well.


    His training with June hadn''t gone to waste, after all.


    For the whole time, Warden''s eyes were glued to the expression on the woman''s face. She wore the expression of worry at the beginning, probably attacking him on instinct and worried he wouldn''t be able to deal with it. But finding him dealing with her attack naturally, her expression turned to that unsightly look again.


    "Before you throw another attack," Warden opened his mouth, "it isn''t my fault."


    The woman gritted her teeth. Thankfully, she did not attack, though did note out of the water either, the nket of darkness covering her shape and form.


    "Then is it my fault?" she asked, her cheeks turning red in anger and embarrassment.


    Warden thought for a moment and nodded. "This is an open stream, after all. If you''re going to swim naked, then the bystanders are obviously going to look."


    The naked woman''s anger red and she threw another attack. This time far more vicious. Of course, Warden had already preparedyers of wards right after her first attack. It was always wise to be careful around women who think they were wronged, even when it was their damn fault.


    The woman red up at him.


    "If drawing my blood will quench your anger," Warden said with a sigh, "then do it... Just don''t be too vicious. It''s my first day in the army."


    read-more-at-MvLeMpYr


    Warden dismissed the wards and raised his arms in surrender. Although identally, he did wrong her... not to mention any flesh wound would be healed in the blink of an eye with his superior regenerative abilities. Not that he thought the woman would really attack.


    Her first attack was on instinct, thinking of him as some wild beast, or some unscrupulous pervert... The next attack was also in anger, though calcted considering how he dealt with her first attack.


    As Warden thought she did not attack.


    ____________


    This chapter is brought to you by the nice readers who left reviews...

 Chapter 152: The Captain

    He really didn''t mistake in recognising people. The woman''s aura was colourless and private, but nothing insidious. She might not be naturally good at controlling her aura, but she did not give away much about herself through her aura.


    Her aura was mostly retracted within her body as if she didn''t want others to see her true self. That did not make her nefarious, only more self-conscious. After all, Warden himself had a simr practice of aura.


    "You," she opened her mouth again, "don''t let me find you again... I might take you on that offer..."


    Leaving those empty threats, she shot out of the water and flew away, the darkness covering herplete form.


    Warden watched her leave and couldn''t help but mutter, "Why do I feel like I''ll meet her again?"


    Clicking his tongue, he sat down and went back to work again.


    By the time the sun rose in the broken sky, Warden had finished uppleting carving runes on a gauntlet. So far, the night had been thoroughly productive, other than the little hitch with that obtusely stunning woman with the darkness element.


    After meditating for some time, he was mildly refreshed from the exhaustion of the tireless work. He stood up, stretched and exercised a little before going back to the camp. He was told to be present on sunrise, and he was alreadyte by a few minutes. Not that he thought anyone would hold that against him.


    Unsurprisingly, there weren''t that hard on rules, considering it was the day after the skirmish.


    "You''re back," Caleb said with the brush in his mouth.


    Only then Warden was aware he didn''t pack his brush or other essentials with him when he departed. Well, he could get those essentials, by asking around.


    "The sergeant was looking for you," Caleb said, spatting.


    "Me, for what?" Warden raised an eyebrow.


    "Probably wanted to introduce you to the captain," Caleb said, shrugging. "You have caught some attention during the fight at the valley, after all."


    "So, is this good or bad?"


    "Depends, honestly. If you''re aid-back person, it will be bad since all this will get you is more work with some recognition... But you definitely didn''t seem like azy ass, so it might be good for you. The captain can even help you in training..."


    "Training what exactly?" Warden asked. The rank of captain tends to be given to silver rankers who were a master at something. While Warden was a master spearman, he hadn''t mastered the form of Intent yet... Maybe the captain has some insight in intent...


    "Well, mostly rted to energy maniptions and refining oneself," Caleb said. "Just don''t be an ass in front of her."


    Hearing that, Warden was mildly disappointed. Well, his hope was a long shot, after all. "You seem to respect the captain a lot?"


    Caleb shrugged.


    "Is she like... us? Convicted for some reason?" Warden asked.


    Caleb nodded and did not exin anything else.


    A few minutester, Luis really called him up and guided him to meet with this reverent captain of theirs.


    "This is Warden, the person I told you about," Luis introduced the moment they entered the room. "He''s proficient in fighting and a very promising candidate. Warden, tell us again how many points did you earn in the skirmish yesterday?"


    Warden didn''t have a mouth to answer the moment heid eyes upon the captain. She was tall, brimming with the spring of youthfulness, probably the youngest of the bunch in the 16th infantry, along with the likes of Pino. Butpared with that former auxiliary ss, this woman was the captain.


    She had an oval-shaped countenance with a lovely figure, and long ck hair bound in a braid. She had a frosty look in her sapphire blue eyes when she lifted her head from the papers to look at him.


    Shit! Warden cursed inwardly. This woman was exactly the one he had troubled withst morning. The one he gazed upon when she was bathing in open water nonchntly.


    "Warden, huh?" she said coldly.


    "Yes," he said. Ignoring everything of the past, he immediately saluted.


    The captain raised an eyebrow, cold light glowing in her eyes, as though she was considering how she''d handle him. "So, what are you charged for?"


    "It''splicated, ma''am," he said, keeping his stance even. "The gist is that I had beaten up a noble when he tried to capture me with an alleged crime."


    "Hmm," the captain lifted her papers and handed them to Warden. "Here it says more, though. Care to exin them?"


    Warden skimmed through the report to find, it was on him, about what he was convicted for. Naturally, what was written was the thorough report they had convicted him for.


    "So, you just didn''t beat up a noble, did you?"


    Warden shrugged. Did he read this woman wrong before? Whatever it was, he didn''t really feel like exining himself. Ultimately, it would be his words against the report.


    Warden returned the report to her, still standing awkwardly, waiting to what they do with him. Whatever it was, he would be stuck here for six months, he couldn''t change that.


    "So how many points did you earn again?" the captain asked.


    "164," he added.


    "After the cut?"


    He nodded. Only then did he remember this woman was only at Iron rank, perhaps at the cusp of it. How could she be the captain? He turned to Luis, wondering if they were ying any tricks on him. Luis did not give away anything, but through his aura, Warden could glimpse upon the deep-rooted feeling he had for this young woman, who looked to be only in her early twenties.


    "Hmm," the captain considered for a moment and turned to her sergeant. "How''s in charge of the cleaning this month, Luis?"


    Something twisted inside Warden''s gut as he could foresee where this was going.


    "Pine and Pino."


    "Give them rest for this month," she said, smiling brightly. There was no malevolence in her mind as she spoke her decision. "Warden here will handle them for now."


    Warden sighed. He had already seen iting when she asked about cleaning duty. This new captain of his might not be vicious as he had thought, but she definitely was petty.


    Now, he only hoped the cleaning wouldn''t take too long.


    "Lady Agnes, are you sure?" Sergeant Luis said. "I thought of bringing him here so that you consider him as an asset for our ranks... He single handedly took care of a pack of trolls in the fight and¡ª"


    Captain Agnes raised her hand to silence the Sergeant. "You doubt me?"


    Luis shot him a look and then shook his head. experience-NovelFire


    Well, that was a quick turn of opinion, sergeant, Warden mused.


    "Good, you''re dismissed."


    Warden thought of giving a sharp retort before withdrawing, but he bit it back, considering it was his mouth which had brought him to this punishment in the first ce. Although that weird mind mage was at fault for rioting his emotions. But the words were his.


    "Do you have aint?" the captain asked. Her eyes narrowed, finding him still standing.


    "No, not at all," he said brightly. "I love cleaning."

 Chapter 153: Void Janitor

    A few days passed just like that, while Warden mostly spent it on thebour of cleaning duty and guarding¡­ After the recent attack on the mines, the higher-ups had been quite tight with their security.


    So, by the morning, Warden would clean toilets and camp, and after that throughout the day, he''d stand guard around mines. Other than a few cursed creatures, there had been no attack.


    Thankfully, the boring task provided him with the serene environment he needed to work on his rune smithing. So, after working every night carving the runes, Warden was almost two-thirds done with the orders. He certainly hadn''t thought he would be this free¡­


    "Ahaha, void energy destroys 99.9% germs with just one ssh," Wardenughed, pouring a half bucket full of void energy-infused cleanser into the toilet.


    As the water was sshed away, what was left was pristine white tiles with no sign of abhorrent crap.


    "With this, I might be eligible to unlock the Void Janitor ss," he thought out loud. He turned his head to find Pino standing behind him with his ever-present anxious look.


    "Um, sir," he called, probably wondering if it was a bad time, "the captain wants to see you."


    "Now?" Warden raised an eyebrow.


    Pino nodded.


    Of course, his dream of being a Void Janitor had to end. Jokes aside, he hoped she had her fun and was ready to relieve him of the duty.


    With that, Warden collected his bucket and broomstick and was ready to go to the captain.


    "Umm, sir¡­"


    "Don''t call me sir," Warden said, mildly annoyed.


    "Umm, are you going to go like that?"


    "Yeah," he said. "What''s wrong with it?"


    The wrong was that he had been cleaning toilets since waking up, wearing dirty attire, and moving with broom and bucket in hand.


    A menacing smile crept onto his lips as he thought of presenting himself in this look. She certainly would like it¡­


    Listening to nothing of what Pino had to say, Warden knocked on the door.


    "Warden here," he said in some ent he didn''t know where he learned from, but it did sound obtusely ssy. "May Ie in Madame Captain?"


    "You may," the voice came instantly as Warden walked in.


    Other than the captain in her uniform, there was every trustworthy and dependable sergeant Luis present. He was sitting in a chair before the table, while Madame Captain standing across from the table looking over arge map. She didn''t even give him a look at the beginning, but Luis'' eyes widened like saucers when he saw Warden.


    "You!" he almost cursed. "Why are you here with that getup? Go wash yourself and change first beforeing back?"


    The words brought the captain back to the neer as she lifted her head from the map to gape at him, irritation growing on her face looking at him.


    Ahh, this is what life is, Warden mused. "If Madame Captain desires, then this poor Janitor will take his leave ande back after cleaning¡­"


    Of course, he still kept the silly ent.


    "No need," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I''ll only take a little of your time."


    "No, no, if Madame Captain can take as much of my time," he said. "This poor janitor only desires to serve Madame Captain."


    If Warden had any annoyance in his heart, he didn''t show it in his face. Thest thing he would give this petty woman was the satisfaction of tormenting him with cleaning toilets.


    "Is that so?" Rather than being annoyed, she was more amused with whatever Warden was ying it. Honestly, Luis looked angrier than her.


    Hmph, I''ll see how long you can be amused with this, Warden thought.


    "Of course, Madame Captain!" Saying that, he came closer to the chair near her. "Can I sit?"


    "It will only¡­"


    read-first-at-NovelFire


    Before she could finish, Warden was already sitting on the nice, cushiony chair. "Thank you, Madame Captain."


    Lady Agnes clicked her tongue but didn''t hold that against him.


    "This map looks old and grimy. Should I clean it, Madame Captain?"


    "Alright, Warden, this is going out of hand," Luis said, raising his voice.


    "But my hand is clean," Warden said, raising both of his hands to show it to the sergeant.


    Luis snorted, but the captain raised her hand to stop him from whatever he was about to spout.


    "I''d like to see how long he can keep up this fa?ade," she said with a cold smile. "How are you finding your life on the front lines?"


    "Dirty, Madame Captain," he answered. "Nobody cares about hygiene in this day and age, they shit all over¡­ Hmm, would you like to see, Madame Captain? Hmm, where I left my broomstick¡­ I just cleaned shit with it¡­"


    Warden got up to show her the broom, but she turned immediately and pushed him back on the chair.


    "No need," she said, ring up at him. "Your Madame Captain knows how dirty humans are. Thankfully, this Janitor Warden seems adequately aplished in cleaning shits."


    "You''re praising this Janitor too much, Madame Captain."


    "No, not at all. I have reports that thetrines are as clean as polished marbles."


    "If so, will the Madame Captain be kind enough to give me permission to clean he owntrine as well?" Warden asked. "Of course, I don''t dare imply Madame Captain is dirty like these grimy soldiers¡­ I''m sure hertrine is ssy and stunning like herself."


    The smile she had already strained away long ago. She was about to curse at him, but that would mean she lost the fight, and in no way in hell she would admit that. She was morepetitive than she let on.


    "Enough abouttrines and shits," she husked. "I called you to inform you¡­ we have been drafted for a mission deeper into the rift, and you''re in."


    "Truly?" Warden said. "I hope I can assist in cleaning all of Madame Captain''s crap throughout the way. I assure you nobody is as aplished as this Janitor."


    ______


    If anyone wondering what ent Warden was speaking... Imagine him as a brit butler...

 Chapter 154: Trash Sweeping Stance

    It was only a scouting mission. The smaller number of people they took, the better. Still, considering they were to scout into the rift where trained creatures and forsaken festered, Lady Agnes selected a team of six for this job.


    Her second inmand, Luis, was very keen on going on this expedition with her, knowing full well the importance of this job. However, Agnes needed a dependable man in charge of the camp, and there were no better than Luis himself. With his Silver rank power, he outranked her even though she had a higher military rank.


    Moreover, Luis had more experience in this field than her, as he spent thrice of her time on the front lines.


    She couldn''t ask for a better man to leave everything.


    Which left her choice of other candidates of iron ranks. First was Caleb, a dependable spearman who had reached the mastery of his form a few months back. Kevin, who grumbles a lot, but he was surprisingly efficient in sneaking around, was an excellent addition to the team. Then there was a brother-sister duo of Milton and Milia.


    The less could be said about their personality, the better, but their expertise was undeniable.


    Lastly, other than herself, she chose the newly drafted Warden, who seemed to be greatly amused with his role as a Janitor since he was here.


    Not only had he found a janitor''s uniform from somewhere and wore it, he actually moving around with the broomstick strapped on his back like an ordained weapon.


    As much as it was amusing to look at, Agnes knew he was being insufferable because of the punishment she had given him. Still, Luis seemed thoroughly appreciative of his talent. But Agnes would test it out to see if he could back it up before ying around as a janitor.


    "Hey, new guy," she called.


    Warden turned to look at her. "Are you calling this poor Janitor, Madame Captain?" he asked with that pretensions ent, even though it was quite clear she asked for him.


    "Is there anyone other than you who''s new other than you?" she said, narrowing her eyes. Perhaps she should instil some form of fear in him lest he be more confident with his y.


    "That''s a wrong question to ask to a new guy, is it not?" The pretensions janitor stood up before Agnes could throw an attack on him. "So, what does Madame Captain require of this poor Janitor?"


    "Let''s spar," she said, guesting towards the deste field on her side. "I want to see how well you''ll fare in this job."


    "Tell me if I''m wrong, Madame Captain, but isn''t it better to have done that before choosing this poor Janitor for the expedition?" Warden asked. He was the type of guy who knew he was being insufferable to others. "Now even if this poor janitor fails to meet Madame Captain''s standard, you all will be stuck with this Janitor. I feel bad for my fellow soldiers."


    The brother-sister duo of Milton and Milia snickered in amusement, but the others seemed already fed up with this.


    Agnes gritted her teeth. "Shut up ande, fight."


    "As you wish, Madame Captain." He crept into the empty field and stood ten paces away from her.


    "This might be fun," Kevin said as they all turned their head at the demonstration. "I still remembered how she whipped my ass on my joining."


    "You liked that, didn''t you, sadistic bitch?" Milton sneered in his otherwise handsome, smiling face.


    "Fuck you, siscon!"


    Milia blushed at that.


    "Shut up, you two," Caleb raised his volume. "Watch."


    Agnes brought out her sleek sword, which was entirely made out of dark metal. "Draw your weapon."


    Warden did, unstrapping the broom from his back.


    "I won''t go easy on you¡­" she said with a growl. This guy really needed a beating. "Draw your real weapon."


    Warden spun the broom in his hand like it was a treasured spear, his lips curved into a shit-eating grin. "What is a better weapon to a Janitor, if it is not a broom, Madame Captain?"


    "Don''t me me, then," Agnes spat and charged. She had heard enough of this guy. The only way she could educate him was through a beating.


    She swung her de, darkness following the arc of her attack as she aimed for the insufferable guy''s head. He held up the broomstick for the defence which she thoroughly wanted to destroy. However, when the two-weapon met, Agnes met with a terrible obstruction.


    The broomstick didn''t break against her sword, it held up, not even giving her any space to move forward. For a split second, her eyes met with Warden, and she could see him grinning.


    Fuck! Agnes cursed inwardly and withdrew as his attack fell on empty air. She narrowed her eyes.


    "Madame Captain is so fast! I almost thought I had you, but of course, the Madame Captain is beyond this poor Janitor. I apud your skills."


    Ignoring his trash talk, She studied the broom. It looked exactly like amon broom, and her thorough examination didn''t prove otherwise¡­ however, Agnes found the magic in it.


    This guy is full of shit! Agnes cursed, finding the whole broom imbued with an Intent.


    Obviously, the lie he told at administration about his ss had some truth to it, as only a Master could have such a manifestation of an Intent. Agnes remembered he could use wards when they first met; what other spells could he have? He was also some kind of artificer, as the report says he always worked on weapons in his free time.


    Although this guy is full of shit in his mouth, he has some capabilities to back it up. Agnes didn''t need to hold back too much.


    Pure darkness manifested around her like wildfire and coalesced in her form, forming an ethereal armour. She could do more than that, but that would be overkill on just a spar. However, finding the guy pping to her transformed armour, she did feel like bringing out her everything to crush him on the spot.


    source-at-NovelFire


    "As I heard, Madame Captain is brilliant," Warden said. "Fine then, take this Janitor''s first move: Trash Sweeping Stance."


    _____________


    Discord: .gg/QrWFAKgv9V

 Chapter 155: Glee

    "Trash Sweeping Stance!"


    This fucker! Agnes screamed inwardly, hearing him utter the name of his made-up skill. Yet his move had the raw power in it,ced with the ruinous baleful aura of his Intent. He leapt at her, sweeping the broom unrelentingly.


    Now, Agnes'' own path didn''t develop under a ss system. She had no ss, nor did she receive much benefit from the system in her path. Her raw physical power was the weakest of her attributes, yet she still could overpower most human rankers of the iron rank.


    Yet against this fucked-up Janitor she felt like hitting against an unavoidable bulwark. He wasn''t using his energy, however. Coupled with the poor choice of weapon and the handicap he put himself in, it was easy for her to deal with his moves.


    But Agnes would not have the same satisfaction if she used her dark energy to crush this guy. After all, he gave himself a handicap or not using his energy. If she defeats him like that, he would have reason to believe he''d something on her. No, Agnes would make him use his energy and crush him thoroughly. She would make him cry¡­


    Thus, Agnes summoned her own Intent, as a dark aura vibrated around her sword. It hadn''t been long since she had awakened her Intent, and she had already managed to incorporate the intent into her Darkness element. The two powers were basically made for each other. If used in synergy, she could leave this pretensions fe dry of energy in seconds. But that would be too easy¡­


    Her de met the broom, as the vibration of her Intent began to bite through his baleful intent. A look of stunned surprise appeared in the fe''s eyes, but soon that look changed into eptance.


    "Truly, as expected from Madame Captain," Warden said, reinforcing his intent to strengthen the broom. "Fine then, take my next move: Cleansing Spree."


    Warden''s body twisted in swift motion as he attacked her side. His moved in berserker speed, the broom moving in wild arcs. His speed was superior to hers, without using energy to empower their moves, but her perception was high enough to see the attacking and block it.


    This time, the battle between the two intents was more bnced. While her Intent began to devour, his intent tries to overwhelm and break her intent into pieces. Both of them had to power more and more into, as their intent beginning to erode away at a simr rate.


    Although not contradictory, both intents were of the tyrannical type. One wanted to devour, the other wanted to break and erode. What were the chances that they would meet each other with simr mastery in their intent?


    Which meant the victory would depend on the mastery of their weapon.


    Soon, they began exchanging moves in sprees. There was no metal nging sound in their air with their weapons shing, but there sure were sparks of remanent intent there.


    A gleeful smile spread across the face of the new recruit, as he fought more frantically. Unlike before, his smile wasn''t pretentious. At the spree of battle, he let out his true self out. He''s someone with deep battle lust, far more than her. Agnes could judge that easily, staring at his focused eyes. But that didn''t mean she would lose.


    She simply didn''t have that drive ofbat, but that didn''t make her skills obsolete against his charge. At the end of the day, she was the captain, although there wereplications with that, there was a reason she received the role above Luis, who was a silver.


    While Warden''s moves were more crazed and frantic, Agnes was more collected. Ironically, it was she, whom others called the crazy bitch, but in the fight, she was decisive as ever. The years of training had imbedded into her muscles, into her bones. Even at the mere sight of a small opening in his move, she thrust her sword towards his thigh.


    Red hot blood oozed out from the wound she inflicted on him, yet there was no apparent sign of pain or anything on his face. He became sharper, not making the same mistakes again. However, though masterful as he was with his broom, it wasn''t his ideal weapon. Hell, it wasn''t weapon at all.


    Agnes found more and more ws in his posture, as her de continued to draw more blood from him. And yet, she was on the defensive, parrying away a dozen of his onught moves.


    The recruit wasn''t bad enough that he made a terrible mistake for her to deal a critical blow; he was sufficiently good enough to keep his critical organs in check from her de. Yet Agnes humbled him, cutting his limbs dozens of times. Her devouring intent invaded his system, disabling his natural healing process. Well, it should have if this guy was your average human in her camp.


    the-ce-NovelFire


    No, he was a monster with regenerative abilities as well. In mere seconds, she found all his wounds closing up, not even leaving a scar behind. He was so used up with this regeneration, that he could disregard all these wounds¡­ but what about the pain¡­ after all, the devouring power of her intent was something insidious in wounds, when it draws in raw energy and essence, it causes terrible pain.


    The guy disregarded it like was nothing. True, he regenerated those wounds in seconds. Still¡­


    He feinted an attack and finally managed to deal a blow. His broomstick smacked on her shoulder, hard as the intent leapt from the broom to into her. It eroded away the blue colour of her enchanted uniform. Agnes immediately incorporates her Intent to intercept the foreign intent and devoured it till nothing was left.


    "You''re some kind of monster, aren''t you?" she couldn''t help but say between their sh.


    Warden didn''t bother to answer.


    "That''s alright," Agnes smiled coldly. "I''m a monster myself."


    A couple of minutester, Warden was on the ground with no visible wounds on his person other than his torn janitor uniform and pants. He shook his head, taking the two broken pieces of the broom.


    "This was my favourite broom," he mumbled, wiping fake tears. Then he threw them away like they were nothing and looked up at her, his eyes gleaming. "That was fun, Madame Captain, but I fear I disappointed you with my poor showcase of skills."


    Agnes red up at him. She snorted and walked away towards the others. "We''re on the move again," she dered. "Kevin, keep an eye out for a better ce to spend the night."


    ***


    Eventually, they camped near the top of a high ridge. As Warden was still in his Janitor uniform, everyone seemed to be content in giving him all the auxiliary tasks of setting up the tents, ward stones, and cooking the food.


    "Hmm, a delicious smell is wafting off," Milia said as she came out of the tent, which was for her and her brother. She came and sat near the bonfire, sniffing at the curry he made.


    A few secondster, her brother Milton came out of the tent as well and sat next to her, his shoulders glued to her, as they locked arms with one another. Honestly, this was probably the first time Warden had noticed them not glued to one another like they were some young couple¡­ Their aura was very intimate, easily giving evidence of what Kevin had been shouting since the beginning.


    Milton seemed to whisper some joke into his sister''s ears as she giggled out, leaning into his body.


    Warden shot them a look and then turned his head. Fuck, whatever they were, he wasn''t going to get his nose into it.


    "You''re still continuing with that farce?" Caleb said as soon as he joined them in the camp from the lookout. He had been out with the captain and Kevin on something the captain didn''t bother to share.


    Warden looked at his ragtag janitor uniform, which he sewed back and shrugged. Honestly, he was already running out on the tunic and shirts he bought. While it was proper to wear his light armour and cloak, Warden thought about giving it a rest, as they provided too big of a difference in his ability to test his raw abilities.


    Besides, the legendary equipment''s abilities were very eye-catching. June had already warned him about unwanted people taking interest in them. Why Warden failed toply with that most of the time, he figured he''d keep them inside his subspace until he was in some big fight.


    The only problem in his way was the limited supply of his clothing. Perhaps I should train my warding skills better¡­. can''t just always get my shirt destroyed in battle, can I?


    "I warn you, don''t pester the captain too much with this farce," Caleb said. "I''m telling this for your own good, if she ever gets her screw loose with your pestering¡­ even with all your abilities you won''t be able to save yourself."


    Warden raised an eyebrow at that. "That sounds scary."


    "She is scary¡­ if you awaken her ire.."


    "Hmm," Warden mumbled. "But she''s only Iron ranker."


    "And yet she''s a captain," Caleb said gravely. "And listen to me when I say this... she had not used any of her background to get to this rank. She killed her way through in the battlefield... countless silver-ranked creatures had fallen to her de."


    Warden thought deeply on that, remembering the moments of his battle. The fight had genuinely been fun, and Warden was looking forward to fighting her more.

 Chapter 156: Repair

    She was probably the first person in the same rank who managed to give him the run for the money... Well, he did y a farce with the broom and hadn''t used any void energy lest it destroyed the broom. But she simrly suppressed him through sheer skills, without using her energy.


    "Good thing you hadn''t drawn your energy against her," Caleb said. "If you did, your defeat would have been totally unsightly."


    Warden raised an eyebrow, asking what was that about.


    "Her power makes any kind of attack of energy obsolete," Milia said from the embrace of her brother. "Most people cannot evennd a blow on the captain. You can be proud of your aplishment."


    Then he recalled something he was meaning to ask, but forgot about it. She was probably the Agnes he had heard from Jason, considering their description of power was simr.


    "Your Captain... I mean Captain Agnes," Warden said, clearing his thoughts. "How old is she?"


    Caleb frowned at him.


    "I mean," Warden coughed before they thought he was some kind of pervert. "From a friend, I heard about someone like her¡­ wondering if they are the same person¡­"


    Warden didn''t know what else to say. The reverence and loyalty they had for the captain was deep, he didn''t want them to have the wrong impression.


    "Maybe," Milia answered. "Captain Agnes is somewhat famous. She won the Interschool tournament in her years after all."


    "Hmm," Warden hummed, considering. If that made sense, then Jason and Anges should be about the same age.


    Unfortunately, it was incredibly hard to discern one''s age through their exterior¡­ Still, considering the time dtion of this ce, she could be anywhere between twenty to three years of age¡­ she could be more, though Warden believed she should have advanced to Silver if she had that much of time.


    Now, Warden couldn''t help but wonder what kind of crime she could have caused to be drafted to the 16th infantry¡­ Just the 6 years of mandatory service wouldn''tnd her as captain of the convicted infantry as far as he was concerned.


    His contemtion went nowhere, so he discards it. And neither did he ask anything more¡­ not that he wasn''t curious¡­ just the he felt it was wrong to ask these behind someone''s back.


    After done with all the menialbour, Warden sat in sce in one spot and brought out his instruments and a breastte to work on his rune smithing¡­


    That caught everyone''s attention. They had seen him work before, but in most of the times, they weren''t resting like this¡­ Most time, when Warden runsmith, he seeks an empty spot of watching gaze and work on sce. So far none had bothered him during those sessions¡­ but this time it seemed they couldn''t help themselves when he was just beginning to work.


    "So, you''re an aplished Runesmith?" Caleb asked.


    "Depends on what you call aplish," Warden muttered, letting out a sigh.


    "Can you repair my spear?" Caleb didn''t waste much time to get to the topic.


    Warden shot the weapon a look. It looks fine from afar, but he would need to look deeper into the scripts to know what''s wrong with it. Still, it didn''t feel like a problem he couldn''t solve.


    "Maybe," he said. "I need to see for myself."


    Caleb wasted no time to walk up to him and handed him the spear. "It''s an old one, had been with me for about eight years now," he said with a sigh. "I think the Tier-4 Empower rune is damaged from how it doesn''t augment my energy all that much."


    "You''re right," Warden said, pouring his awareness into the weapon. The spiritual awareness made it so easier to check the essence of things. "But it has another fault¡­ the amplification rune is faulty as well¡­ and from the look of it, it had been faulty for years. Why haven''t you repaired it yet?"


    Caleb shrugged. "Didn''t feel like a need for it."


    Warden frowned. Caleb didn''t give much vibe of spirituality¡­ if he wasn''t wrong then perhaps Caleb''s Spirit attribute didn''t even reach double digits, which made it almost impossible for the fellow to ever advance higher than Iron. His control didn''t feel bad¡­ on the contrary with the little amount of energy he had he was masterful with them.


    "So can you repair it?" Caleb asked.


    "I can," Warden said. "And it probably wouldn''t even take a quarter of an hour."


    Caleb raised an eyebrow. "I''ll give one hundred¡­ no two hundred contribution points for that."


    Warden shook his head.


    "You want more¡­" Caleb shot a resigned look, wondering if repairing the spear would be worth it, considering he always had little energy to spare.


    "No¡­ you don''t have to give me the credits," Warden said. "You''re a Spear Master, correct? You can repay me just by sparring."


    Caleb narrowed his eyes.


    "Perhaps you have already seen, it hasn''t awakened my Intent for long¡­ there''s still many things for me to learn."


    "And you want to learn through sparring?" Caleb asked.


    "Isn''t that the way of the spear?" Warden gleamed.


    Caleb met his eyes andughed out loud. "Deal."


    "Okay, give me some time, I''ll fix your spear."


    Warden got to work, uying all the scripts presented in Caleb''s spear. he began connecting the eroded runes to the shell formation. The work wasn''t much, considering only a few eroded runes could make the faulty formation faulty. But considering, Caleb had used this pear without repairing it for years, there were hundreds of faulty and eroded runes.


    Warden wiped them and drew new ones. to work on tier-4 runes wasn''t stressful and even less so when repairing. He was done in just ten minutes.


    "Done," he said, handing the spear to Caleb. By the time, the captain and Kevin were back.


    Surprisingly, they have surrounded him with their weapons in hand, as if waiting for him to repair their weapons.


    "Can you look at my armour and see what''s wrong with it?" Find your next read on m,vlemp _yr.

 Chapter 157: Underwear

    "Do you need my meagre help as well, Madame Captain?" Warden said, after fixing up all the tools hispanions handed him. In total it had taken two hours¡­ as some needed extensive studying and repair.


    However, only Captain Agnes among them didn''t voice out any need for his expertise.


    "No need, you cannot repair what I have," she said, dismissing him.


    "Of course, how could have I assumed I could help Madame Captain, who''s the brightest star of¡ª"


    "Shut your trap," Agnes red up at him. Without saying much, she unstrapped her breastte, which was only a few pieces of her iplete armoury, and tossed it to him. "See what you can do."


    Saying that, she sat on the log and began fixing her braid.


    Perhaps I should not antagonise her too much, he considered, staring at her. The captain certainly had an awe-inspiring,manding vibe about her. Sighing, he put his attention into the breastte.


    The first thing he noticed was that the material of the breastte was something of superior quality. Not some random alloy, but mostly made out of refined bones of some creature along with superior ores. The ley lines for energy to prosper through the breastte were truly unique¡ªeasily a master''s work, as for the scripts and runes themselves.


    The very first thing Warden found was a Tier-5 Absorption Script. A type of script made out of runes which were used to gather ambient energy. However, in this instance, it could absorb any kind of energy.


    Absorption Script was something lesser used scripts in armour and weapons, not to mention it required an octagonal geometric form like the Anti-gravity script, the most difficult form of the scripts. The captain probably thought he couldn''t repair it, but thankfully, Warden had learned this script as well. discover stories mv-l,e-mp _yr


    "Holy mother of Jesus!" yet he cursed as he checked more of the scripts. "Half of the formation has eroded¡­ even the frame of the breastte began to erode¡­"


    What kind of power did she wield to have such an effect, even just by wearing it? And that too, at only iron rank. Well, his void energy has a simr effect, but it breaks materials from the inside,pared to the erosion effect.


    Agnes lifted her head, flung the fixed-up braid on her back, and shot him a gaze, clearly saying: I told you so.


    "But of course, I can fix it," he smiled at her. "This poor Janitor is not aplete waste, Madame Captain."


    Captain Agnes grunted softly.


    "However, I don''t think repairing it will fix all the problems," he continued. "I need to form the shells for the absorption runes from zero."


    "Then what''s the problem?" Agnes asked, narrowing her eyes. "I can give you whatever rate you work at."


    "It will take a few hours and will leave me drained all morning," Warden informed. "I don''t think it''s a great idea for me to be tired on the move."


    The captain shook her head. "That''s not a problem," she said. "We''re still far from the deeper region of the rift¡­ but even if there''s a horde of cursed creatures, I can deal with most of the attack alone."


    Warden considered that for a second and nodded. "Your wish is mymand, Madame Captain."


    He even saluted, but finding her scowling at him, he didn''t think it was the right sort of reply.


    "You''re still going to act like an ass, huh?" she said, gritting her teeth.


    For a second, Warden didn''t know how to answer her. He didn''t think ying the oblivious card was right here, considering he had been an ass to her¡­


    So far from what he had noticed, the captain was easy to anger, and she showed it to her face and actions. She was the type of woman who wore her emotions on her face and didn''t bother with any facades. That was probably the thing that got her into the 16th infantry.


    Again, Warden didn''t like specting on other''s business, so he cut that line of thought. He was not perfect, far from it, but there were things he tried to be and things he didn''t want to be.


    Agnes snorted, finding him not reying. She stood up and crept into her tent.


    "Women," Warden muttered and began working. Thankfully, his June wasn''t like that. A smile crept to his brows as he thought of her. He missed her so much. Thinking about it, he brought out the nket he had stolen from her bedroom.


    He wrapped it around him, as warmth grew in him. It had her smell and¡­ "Hmm. what is this?"


    There was something wrong inside the poorly wrapped nket. Bringing it out, he found it to be¡­ an underwear¡­


    Warden blinked, holding it in front of his eyes. June''s underwear.


    Immediately, he looked around. Thankfully, no one was around. The siblings had entered their tent after their meal long ago. Caleb and Kevin were on the watch, and he just saw the captain leaving.


    Quickly, before anyone could question his character, he stored away the treasure. The silly smile lingered on his lips. This was an unexpected... small fortune?


    I have another thing to remember her by, Warden thought. Although he didn''t think she''d think kind of him if she knew.


    ***


    The next morning, Agnes found the pretentious Janitor where she had left himst night, sleeping, wrapped in a nket. She was already up a long time, as she was among thest pair of watch duty. She had seen him working on her breastte... from the look of it, he seemed to have--


    "Ohh, Mada- I mean Captain," he said, waking up from her stare. Well, he was probably meditating. "I have fixed your breastte."


    Agnes narrowed her eyes, taking the breastte to check if he was spitting bulls like always. However, the guy did have some redeeming qualities... her breastte was back to its former capabilities... though with her power, she didn''t know for how long she could keep it like that.


    "Now about the pay," Warden said with a gleam in his eyes. "The others hadn''t woken up. How about we get started with it?"

 Chapter 158: Darkness Vs Void

    "Starts with what?" Agnes asked, her expression wasn''t kind.


    "Well, sparring," Warden said, leaping to his feet. "That''s what I''m taking as payment, didn''t you hearst night."


    Agnes narrowed her eyes, considering him. She wondered if it was another of his games to amuse himself and make fun of her¡­ Thinking that, she replied, "I''d rather pay with essence gems or contribution points."


    The guy gave her a pouting look. "Come on, don''t say that," he said. "Do you know how is it to find a sparring partner who can match you?"


    Weirdly, Agnes kind of did. For all her time in the academy and in the army, the people who could sh with her shoulder to shoulder could be counted in a single palm. The numbers became even smaller as she umted more power in her path.


    However, here was a weird guy, who didn''t seem to have the same drive as her, yet his battle lust overwhelmed her. Sparring with him might be worth her time, but only if he takes it seriously.


    "I have no interest in ying around with a broom," she said.


    "How about a sword then?" Warden said and brought out [The Divider]. "I would have liked to work more on my spearmanship first. Sadly, I broke my spear¡­ Then again, I think I can learn much about sword from youpared to spear."


    Agnes shot his weapon a look. There seemed to be an intrinsic bond between the de and Warden as if it was a part of him. Her attainment in seeing through this connection wasn''t good enough for her to recognise what kind of weapon it was¡­ but if a weapon lets you bind with your soul is definitely rted to a soul relic.


    Though the aura it radiated isn''t condensed enough to be aplete one¡­ Hmm¡­


    Agnes unsheathed her de, [Twisted Fang], an iplete soul de, which was still at a higher calibre than his sword.


    Warden smiled, purple gleam appearing in his eyes, as a predatory grin spreading across his lips. This certainly didn''t look like he was going to y around¡­


    "I have heard so much about your power from the others," Warden said. Dark purple energy wisped out of his form and his weapon, causing her to raise her eyebrow. "Let me experience it."


    Agnes raised her sword as darkness coalesced around her form, forming her lesser defence which aplished rankers of the same rank were unable to prate.


    For the first attack, Agnes let him deal a blow, to make him see what he was dealing with. His de crashed into her dark armour, making her take a step back with the sheer physical force behind it. As for the energy that stuck from his de¡­ all of it was absorbed through her dark Armor. Her power [Darkness Taketh All] lets her consume all energy and transform it into darkness.


    And yet¡­ A bone-chilling shiver ran down her spine when she found she was unable to transform the purple misty energy into darkness¡­ Well, notpletely. Moreover, when the raw energy of the de drew into her channels, it burned through her in a cold indignation.


    Agnes eyes turned dark and she rejected all the foreign energy immediately. "Void energy," she mumbled, still feeling the shiver in her back. She looked up at her sparring partner. "You have a path?"


    Warden just shrugged and charged at her. His expression told less taking more fighting.


    Agnes resolved her inner turmoil andplied with simr enthusiasm.


    While with a broom, Warden was obnoxious and masterful, with his energy and the de was a different beast altogether. There was so much more raw power, the devastating force was unrelenting and only advanced.


    Agnes took a defensive stance, relying more on her foundations as she tried to read through his fighting style. There was finesse alright, but it was rawer and more instinctual, fairly opposite of her style, which relies more on finesse and umtion of experience.


    She surged forth after finding she would never gain an advantage on the back foot. Warden was the type of opponent who relied on overwhelming strength and didn''t leave his enemy any room for counterattacking.


    She released another of her cards.Darkness formed around her in a shadowy silhouette and her movement received a boost. She moved in shadowy forms leaving a mirage of herself. To a lesser opponent, this trick would have gotten her victory, but Warden didn''t make any mistake even once on recognising her from the mirage.


    But that was alright, all she needed was the boosted speed. And of course, her intent. Together with her energy, it did a lot better in absorbing the void energy. Of course, she wasn''t deranged or high-ranked enough to channel the absorbed energy into her body. She discarded them as quickly as she absorbed them¡­ It was a taxing job, considering the destructive power of void energy.


    However, using her intent semi-perfect synergy with her dark energy, she managed to get the upper hand. Her de cut his thick skin, yet before the blood could bobble out the wounds closed. His defence was tough enough that she was unable to get anything more than a shallow cut on most times.


    Still, Agnes was delighted to destroy his janitor uniform, that thing had been an eyesore for her for some time. Well, honestly, the wearer of the uniform was the eyesore. Hopefully, he''d stop acting in the role of a janitor with this.


    The advantage was tilted towards her for the rest of the match, as for some unknown reason her opponent didn''t bother to bring out his intent. She forced on him more, driving his sword into his body countless times, yet the fe had the body of a monster. His self-healing power seemed only lesserpared to the trolls.


    Ultimately, even with her advantage, she could only bring the spar to a standstill after about a whole hour ofbat.


    Warden heaved, wiping the sweat from his face. "That was delightful."


    Agnes scowled at him. "Why haven''t you used your intent in the fight?"


    "Don''t get me wrong," Warden said, crooking his nose. "My energy destabilises everything. So mixing intent would barely do any help other than burn my mental energy in a long spar like this."


    Agnes stared at him for an extended moment and then nodded, finding it to be the truth.


    "But don''t you worry, I n on working on reinforcing them together," he said. "Though I n on mastering the intent first, it''s been close to 50% for a few days."


    Agnes noted that number. Her mastery was at 65%, so she still had an edge on him in mastery of intent. However, that brought her back to the real question.


    Agnes looked around to find the others had woken up and gone on with their morning ritual.


    "So, you have a void path?" she asked the obvious question.


    Warden tilted his head, perhaps considering if he should tell the truth. Did he think it was not apparent yet?


    "Well, kind of," Warden said.


    Agnes narrowed her eyes, studying him again to see if she had missed anything.


    "What?" Warden asked, finding her gaze somewhat ufortable.


    "Just wondering," she said, exhaling. With the sweat marring herplete form, she would like a bath, though in this mission she would have to be satisfied with her energy. "As far as I can remember void rted sses are all restricted through the system."


    Warden gave an oblivious look as if he was hearing it for the first time. Then he saw how she was sucking in all the sweat from her body and clothes through her darkness power. His eyes lit up. "That''s a neat trick, can you do it for me?"


    Agnes was right about him, he was odd. He just found out his path might be restricted in the system, and yet he asked him about cleaning his sweat. Hmm, maybe he''s good at acting.


    Well, she couldn''t glimpse at his aura to determine anything. There was a heavy ward on ce, kind of like ''him''. Agnes shook her head and ignored that line of thought.


    Warden seemed to take her shake of the head as a refusal of his request, but he onlyined with a deep exhale. "So, you were talking about a restricted path?"


    "I''m surprised you did not know anything about this?"


    Warden scratched his chin. "I''m not really around here."


    "Nor am I," Agnes snorted at his obvious excuse. "Restricted path is as it sounds¡­ they are restricted. I don''t know the details, and most of what I learned is spection but the system will not let anyone with a restricted path reach the Peak."


    "Hmm," Warden hummed deep in thought and then shrugged. "Well, nobody came to stop me from advancing and¡ª" he suddenly stopped as if remembering something. His eyes turned sharp. "Can you tell me more about this?"


    "I mean, my knowledge is iplete and whatever I learned seemed like spection," she said. "Still, I can give a full ount of what I remember, considering your help in repairing my breastte. It''s just¡ª"


    Caleb walked in with his spear in hand, looking ready for a spar.


    "I''m here to pay for the bill," he said to Warden, whose attention was still on her.


    "We''ll discuss thister," Agnes said and departed, feeling talking about a restricted topic like this in the open wasn''t right, even if her soldiers were trustworthy.


    "Seems like you two worked on your differences," Caleb said as he positioned himself for the spar. he looked at his nonexistent uniform and smiled. "Told you, a good beating gives you prospective on things." mvle,mp|y|r hosted

 Chapter 159: Fiends

    The deeper they went into the rift, the higher and heavier the weight of the suppression got. Warden could feel it pricking against his skin, prying into his energy and continuing to suppress it.


    As far as he was concerned, the suppression in the camps was below 1% barely anything to affect a ranker. However, here it clocked closer to 10%, more than enough to feel regr rankers tried.


    Even with his tough form, Warden was having such an effect. The suppression would be tougher for a mage ss ranker, considering it would be equally hard if not more to form spells in this environment.


    On top of that, they finally came across another obstacle in their path. Monsters.


    Warden''s eyes could find over a hundred of them as he stared at the vast deste expanse before him. The only time he had seen so many monsters at the same ce was inside a dungeon.


    What was worse was that the suppression did not affect these creatures as much as it did to rankers. Well, it affected regr rankers, as for Warden¡­


    After checking out his surroundings, he sat down and channelled the baleful particles present in the air. A far deeper cold prickling sensation jabbed through his channels the more he channelled the baleful energy.


    He didn''t know if it was thatmon of an urrence, or because of his special physique. But it improved his Void Vanquishing Physique whenever he channelled these baleful particles through his body. Of course, the improvement was subtle, and Warden hadn''t even seen 1% of improvement, but he could feel it in his gut.


    Perhaps I can train my Physique with this, he thought. Sadly, channelling the baleful particles did not make the suppression avoidable. Well, he was intrinsically aware, that the suppression was the unique circumstance for him to improve his physique.


    Warden turned to the captain, who had been frowning at the hundreds of beasts from time to time. Considering it was only a scouting mission, she would want to avoid any confrontation with the creatures. Which reminded Warden, he actually did not know what they were scouting for.


    Another resource-rich spot to excavate ores? Or perhaps Beast Surge? Probably the former.


    "There are over thousands of them," Kevin said as soon as his figure manifested from the shadows. He had been sent away half an hour ago for scouting ahead. His Rogue ss made it easier for him to skulk around unnoticed. "Mostly Tainted and Cursed, and then there were the asional Fiend ranks¡ªI have counted at least eight of them and I didn''t venture deep."


    Caleb whistled. Even if they were to face just the cursed creatures, they wouldn''tst against the onught of a thousand of them, much less the Fiends whose power stood between Silver and Gold rank.


    your m,vle mpyr source


    The tainted creatures did not follow the same system of ranking as rankers. First was the Tainted rank, which equals to Copper rank strength, perhaps a little weaker than abat-oriented copper rank ss. However, not much of the weakness was left in the Cursed rank.


    Even though cursed creatures weren''t profoundly talented in manipting their energy, they had inborn abilities such as Superior regeneration, magic resistance, stealth, poison etc.


    Then there were the Fiends, whose physical power didn''t lose out to a Gold ranker¡­ Their weakness in spirit and mind was still there, but not as much as it would render them useless in energy maniptions. Well, it mostly rted to the species of the creature, but there were ounts of fiends possessing enough intelligence that they were capable ofmunicating with humans.


    "So, what is your call, captain?" Kevin asked. The demonic creatures weren''t going anywhere, it was they who''d have to make their decision.


    As far as Warden could see it, there were a couple of ways they could go from here, depending they were on a tight schedule. First was someone ying bait and taking the aggression of the beast, while the other crossed to the next fold. Obviously, it would put a great burden on the person baiting as he would have to survive the onught of hundreds of creatures.


    While the other way was to use stealth...


    Agnes shot the demonic creatures below another nce and sucked in a deep breath. Warden didn''t know if she did it naturally or if it took practice, but the ambient energy of the surrounding sucked into her form. Of course, that included the baleful particles as well.


    Her expression remained peaceful, with no subtle change if she felt pain, pointed out that he didn''t need to be worried about her falling ill. Well, considering she had been on the front lines for years, she probably knew what she was doing.


    However, what surprised Warden was how she was breathing the ambient energy as if it were only natural. He could also do that, though only in that ethereal flow state. The others did not seem to notice the peculiarity of their strange and revered captain.


    Is it an intrinsic ability of the darkness element, which engulfs everything in its path? June might have an answer to that.


    "We wait for the nightfall," the captain announced. "Then we advance to traverse to the next fold of the rift. Everyone rest up. It''s unlikely we''ll be able to avoid a fight."


    The sun was already on the dying horizon. In about an hour or two, a thick nket of darkness covered the deste expanse of the front lines. However, they still waited for a couple more hours for the demonic creatures to settle down.


    The captain stood up, battle-ready. "It''s time," she said and began discussing their n.


    She didn''t say much if Warden had to put in one sentence, it would go something like this: Avoid the creatures and advance toward the warped way.


    Then they moved into lying monsters. A tangible nket of Darkness flew out of the captain''s body and covered them all. Her darkness became one with the darkness of thend, hiding all their forms.


    They began moving in a slow, steady creep.

 Chapter 160: Absolute Invulnerability

    Warped Ways were somewhat of a natural manifestation, though it was only possible of spatial tears. It was just a very unstable version of Warp Gate, which formed under some unfortunate and unexpected circumstances.


    There were dozens of them in the rift, which made it quite hard for one to judge how huge the whole ce was, as there could be more of those warped ways undiscovered in the destend.


    The main camp was actually founded surrounding one such warped way. After spending a great deal of resources, the arcane society managed to keep it under control. However, the one they were creeping towards was far from being under control. Experience the best from m-vl _emp _yr.


    Hundreds of demonic creatures littered the space surroundings the warped ways, and probably more on the other side of it. The army had tried to domesticate this one to their benefit a few times previously, but that didn''t bore fruits.


    For one thing, this warped way was smaller in size and deeper into the destends, for another no matter how many soldiers they spared they could never get rid of the demonic beasts from spawning here.


    So, they mostly used this as a vantage point, or rather a shortcut if they had to traverse to the next fold into the rift.


    "Crap," Caleb cursed the very moment they heard hundreds of creatures roaring after a few of them sensed their presence. Agnes''s cover of darkness served them well throughout the way; however, the integrity of Stealth skill didn''t fare well under the influence of warped space.


    "Milia, stay close to brother," Milton urged his sister. "I''ll protect you."


    "Oh brother!" the girl was already struck by him, locking their arms, but somehow, she still managed to cuddle deeper into him. Weirdly, that didn''t trouble their movement at all.


    "Onwards," Agnes demanded. "Don''t fucking slow down."


    Even though she said that, she was the one who slowed down. The darkness had already unfolded from their form and surrounded her in her Dark armour.


    The brother-sister duo, Caleb hurried towards the Warped Way ahead of them, while Kevin had already disappeared somewhere. He was probably using his stealth to hide into the night, leaving the rest of them to deal with the creatures. Well, that was how rogue right?


    Agnes was already in confrontation with the creatures, giving them some extra moments to jump into the warped way.


    Warden slowed down. Thinking of helping her, he charged with [The Divider]. He shed the elongated de and cut through a creature when he heard the woman cursing.


    "For god''s sake, why can''t you take orders?" she screamed at him. Dozens of demonic creatures already surrounded her. "This is not a fucking fight, fucking jump into the warped gate."


    Warden gave her order a second thought and found it to be sound. As the one in charge of the mission, it was her duty to make sure of their security. Unfortunately, his instinct just didn''t want to leave someone alone to face thousands of enemies.


    "Fucking go, damnit!"


    Warden narrowed his eyes and turned. There were no creatures on the way towards the Warped Way before, as the spatial pressure was quite terrible to rest there. However, with their appearance, there were already dozens of creatures prepared to intercept them.


    The Warped way was like a glitch in reality, a hole made of dark pulsating light. It was always open like a dungeon gate, though wide like a gate to a giant''s court.


    The others were already contesting with the beasts on the way as they approached. Warden shot for them, his weapon shing to get rid of the obstacle in the path.


    Caleb was the slowest of them all and pressed with four creatures. Warden sent one shing just byunching himself against it. For another, he plunged his de. When he was to take care of the third, Caleb had already dealt with the other one.


    "Move!"


    The spatial pressure was palpable in the air, but they had to force their way in against the few demonic creatures. Thankfully, there was no Fiends out for their blood¡ª


    "OHHEEHHHHHHHHH"


    A huge bull-like creature, which looked more like a cross between a wolf and a bull shot forward, a dangerous aura radiating from its form.


    "Fuck!" cursed the brother-sister duo in unison.


    "Get on," Warden said. "I''ll take care of it."


    While inwardly, he med himself for not wearing his legendary cloak. Well, no time to regret it now. Besides, he would only have to stop it for a few seconds, and Warden had exactly the right ability for that.


    He bolted and positioned himself between himself and the siblings. The wolf-bull creature didn''t stop, hot air rushing out of its nostrils. Warden did not move out of the way either. He had the de in his arm, but he didn''t raise it. He channelled the power of his physique.


    "Warden!" Caleb screamed, running ahead of him. "Get out of the fucking way!"


    "God, I knew this guy had some problem in his mind," Kevin saiding out of his shadows, though he had no way of helping Warden.


    Warden ignored their worry and concentrated on his boon. He activated Absolute invulnerability.


    Right at the moment, the Wolf-bull rammed into his form.


    Warden did not even move an inch.


    He felt like an immortal mountain, eternal in the passage of time. No matter how much force the fiend crashed into him, it couldn''t even budge an inch.


    Strangely, Warden too felt the heaviness. He couldn''t lift his arm. No, even with all his power, he could only twitch some muscles. But he was invulnerable, if only for six immortal seconds.


    Thankfully, that was enough time for them to traverse the dozens of metres of distance.


    "Go fucking Jump!" Agnes shouted, finding others transfixed at Warden. She probably has noticed the impossible powers at work on here.


    Everyone but Warden and Agnes were secured before his immortal six seconds expired.


    He plunged the de instantly into the head of the fiend the moment he got back his freedom of movement.

 Chapter 161: Catacomb

    The immortal six seconds passed, and Warden plunged his de into the skull of the hybrid wolf-bull. Void energy charged out of the sword a micro-secondter, but the fiend was already overpowering him.


    However, before he could have a real contest with his first fiend-rank monster, Agnes came flying. Large ck wings spread on her back,pletely made out of the essence of darkness. Her speed rose to an unprecedented level, as in a matter of no time, she swooped down on them.


    Her legs hurtled dozen on the back of the fiend, stunning it for an instance of a moment. But that instance was enough for her to swing her arm as a thick rope of darkness wrung around Warden and she took flight again.


    Paying the creatures chasing after her no mind, she carried him into the warped way.


    Instantly, they were in a new environment. It seemed like an ancient catb with dark spatial waves tittering all around. The suppression on them doubled just as immediately as they came down. it was closing in towards the 20% now.


    Agnes spat blood on the ground, though there was no sign of weakness. She resigned her dark wings and turned to him.


    "What kind of fucked up shit were you trying to pull?" she asked. "I thought you''d be grazed-- Shit! Shit! Where the fuck are the others?"


    Warden looked around and found no sign of theirpanions. The atmosphere and natural swirl in the catb were simply chaotic enough that no residual aura a person leaves behind would survive there.


    "My shitty luck!" the captain cursed again, but then her expression calms down. Finding him oblivious look, she exined, "They probably fell into a different part in this catb. It happens with these types of chaotic warped ways under some peculiarities."


    "Does this happen often?" Warden couldn''t help but ask.


    Agnes nodded. "It''s moremon when there''s no correct designated teleportation point. If there''s a time gap between the people entering along with some other- well, don''t worry about them, the catb is not dangerous, and they are resourceful people."


    Warden could only agree to her. Under her lead, they began moving. Her familiarity in moving showed she had been here or ce like this before.


    "Your darkness power," Warden said after moving around silently for a few minutes, trying to strike a small talk. "It has more utility than I thought."


    Agnes replied with a solitary nod.


    Failing to strike a conversation, Warden put his attention on the chaotic swirls of spatial waves. He pushed his awareness on them and found it dissolving in mere seconds before he could read anything in the current.


    "We can actually find our way back to the warped gate, reading the spatial current," Agnes said as the passed a turn. "There''s a pattern in things, even if this ce was destroyed thousands of years ago."


    Warden perked an eyebrow. Seems like Agnes was just as knowledgeable about stuff as June in these types of matters. Well, her perception and insight probably couldn''tpare to his favourite elf. Honestly, very few couldpare. Besides, Agnes''s depth of power wasbat-based.


    "What?" she asked, finding him staring nkly.


    Warden shook his head. "Just thinking about how brilliant Madame Captain is," he said, shooting a winning smile.


    Agnes snorted and crept forward.


    Soon they came to a crossroads which went five different ways. Agnes chose the one with the least spatial current. She seemed convinced that the path out of the catb should have the least spatial tear.


    "It might be a littlete to ask," Warden said, as they moved through the rtively dark pathways and the swirling mass of energy. "But what are we scouting for?"


    "Did I not mention that to everyone already?" she said.


    Warden shrugged.


    "The highmands received some signs of a spirit essence vein in this part of the rift¡­ we are the only ones they could spare scouting for it."


    Warden frowned. "As far as I can tell, essence vein should be something precious for anyone. After all, the vein can give a ranker a shit ton of essence without hunting demonic beasts. You''re telling me they could not spare more men for something like that?"


    A hint of a cold smile appeared on the corner of her lips. "They probably will if they received any confirmation. Currently, no one wants to lose their precious underlings in the dangers of the rift¡­"


    "So, it fell naturally to the 16th infantry," Warden said, realization dawning on him. But then his thoughts swirled. "wouldn''t sending a gold ranker to be more productive for the search? Considering it is the case for an essence vein, I think they''ll interested in it too. Or maybe it isn''t worth their time?"


    "Naturally, an essence vein is worthwhile even to a Dimond ranker," Agnes said.


    "This doesn''t make any sense then," Warden said. "Unless the tip of essence vein is too untrustworthy."


    "The tip came from a resourceful source, but many things are at y here," Agnes exined. "Even with all that, don''t you feel the suppression in the air, it only rises as we go deeper, not to mention the suppression is far higher for higher rankers."


    Warden thought deeply on that point. He could feel the suppression prickling at his skin, gnawing at his heart, but he didn''t think it was dependent on a ranker''s personal power.


    "We''re still far from reaching the designated spot," Agnes said with a smile. "Honestly, even I''m not aware how terrible the suppression is. Those old fogies at highmands lived a long life, they''d rather throw away a bunch of insignificant lives for more information than walk into a ce with a slim chance of their demise."


    Warden swallowed the information, this mission turned out to be moreplicated than expected. Of course, it was still about scouting, but the thing they were looking for was an Essence vein. An Iron grade one was enough to cause most rankers'' greed to overflow, who knew what grade this one was?


    "Honestly, I don''t n on doing much work that''ll endanger my team," Agnes said with a snort. "It is a scouting mission, after all, I can just¡ª"


    Agnes faltered on her path, her eyebrows quirking. She raised a hand to silence him. A tangible cover of darkness manifested out of her and covered both of them as she shifted, gesturing him to keep his silence. She led him to one dark corner as he stayedpletely still, leaning on the wall. Warden knew how stealth works, so he didn''t mess up in anything.


    Her cover of darkness did hamper some of his senses, sight mostly, but he did hear sounds of feet moving towards them. Agnes'' eyes glowed in cold red light, as though she pierced right through the cover of darkness.


    Warden''s senses didn''t pick up that much of a threat. Whatever that moving around wasn''t dangerous, a couple of smaller humanoids¡ªtheir shape indicated goblins, at the early stage of iron rank. They came their way, and without giving any look in their direction they went their way.


    Agnes dropped her stealth a minute after, a contemting look in her eyes.


    "From your expression, I can guess goblins are notmon in this part of the region," he said, and was about to ask the question, but she raised a hand to silence him, deep in thought.


    After a few seconds, she let out a sigh and brought out a handy longread. She fidgeted a bit, but finding no connection, stowed it away.


    The connection to outside of the rift was impossible for a longread, considering the glitch in the timeline, but it was somewhat possible to use themunication device inside the rift, However, it was never easy tomunicate long distance with such suppression in natural energy and strong spatial currents.


    "Probably won''t connect unless we get back to the first fold of the rift," she muttered. But she didn''t seem to mind that all that much, though her expression barely returned to normal. "Looks like we have something to worry about now. Goblins rarely move in small numbers."


    "Did they get the winds of the essence vein somehow and came with the task of scouting as well?"


    Agnes did not dislodge that idea, as the same thing had been ying in her mind after she sensed the goblin pair.


    "Let''s stalk after them," Warden said and brought his legendary cloak out of his subspace and draped it on. "My equipment has some stealth abilities."


    He even turned on the ability and almost disappeared into the shadow to shoot it to her.


    enjoy on m|v|l|e-m|p|y|r


    The captain shot him an incredulous look. "If you had such an item, why have to stored it away? You didn''t think it would be useful in this mission?"


    Warden smiled awkwardly. "I''m too dependent on them."


    Agnes gave him a look as if she didn''t understand him. "I can glimpse there''s a very deep connection between you and the cloak. They are not your regr artifact. It is bound to your soul, which is literally a part of you¡­"


    In a way she was saying depending on them was nothing wrong.


    Warden shrugged, not giving her more exnation. "So, we go after them?"


    Agnes thought for a second and nodded. She used her stealth ability as the two of them moved in the direction the goblins moved.


    About a minute had passed since the goblins moved on, and the spatial current had dissolved the aura from the atmosphere. Thankfully, goblins were rarely your silent type on their move.

 Chapter 162: Goblins

    They found a group of goblins creating a ruckus as their way came to a dead end, blocked by a thick stone wall.


    Two of the smaller green humanoid goblins were hammering their pick axe on the wall with all their strength, yet barely getting anywhere. There wasn''t any protective formation ced on the wall. The stone wall was remarkably hard and the goblins were simply that weak.


    "Grrrrr! Stop you teatless bitches," roared the hobgoblin, who seemed to be the leader of the crew. The hobgoblin was a head or two taller than the goblin minions, his body fatter, but the physical force it carried was undeniable. The aura it was radiating was lowerpared to the bull-wolf chimaera, but definitely in the silver rank.


    After the goblin minion rested work, another goblin minion came from behind the hobgoblin with a pulsating bead. Everyone crackled at the sight of the bead, as they took a step back. The goblin set the bead at the centre of the wall and activated it.


    He came back scurrying instantly.


    "Back off," the hobgoblin roared. The underlings did back off,ing to stand behind the hobgoblin, their eyes glowing as they eyed the wall.


    The bead released a series of serious undtions of energy and then it burst open, ripping apart the thick wall in a spray of stone shards and splinters. What followed was dust and debris, as all the goblins began roaring cheers.


    Before the dust cleared they moved into the hole created by the peculiar energy bomb.


    "Goblin tinkering," Agnes said. "They aren''t the brightest, far from it, but they do know how to make a ruckus."


    They followed after from the shadows. Unfortunately, the goblins'' path came across another dead-end shortly.


    "You pathless mothafucker!" the hobgoblin roared, hurtling a devastating kick to a lesser goblin, who was most likely the failed navigator.


    The parchment map he was holding fell as the navigator crashed into the wall, they were to break apart again.


    "Chief, calm your heart," the underlings tried to quench the tangible violone bearing on the hobgoblin. "That poor, luckless bastard did not deserve your wrath."


    "Ohh?" the fiery glint of violence didn''t wear off from his person. He hammered his fist into the face of the goblin that tried to intervene, sending him flying to join the navigator. "You deserve my wrath, then?"


    He shot his res at the other, as the underlings took a step back.


    "Grrrr! Why do I bother with you sons of bitches?" the hobgoblin chief screamed. "Your ipetency has no bounds that we still have to suck dicks of the orcs."


    Warden couldn''t help but smile, looking at them. It was amusing, kind of.


    "My liege, what to do with the wall?" the bomb guy goblin asked. His hand was inside the leather satchel, where the energy bombs were stored. Interestingly, even though his voice was calm, his facial expression hid a deranged self, who''d likely throw the bomb at his liege, if the hobgoblin came to attack him.


    Well, perhaps Warden was reading more into it. He couldn''t tell with the twitch in the goblin''s ugly exterior, but the defiant and fearful aura around him was palpable. People do wild shit when they are afraid, and these were the creatures of chaos. Warden wouldn''t be surprised if they began killing one another from right here.


    "What to do with the wall?!" the hobgoblin repeated the phrase, violence splitting out of his words. "Do you have to ask? Fucking st it apart, sted shit!!"


    Another booming followed soon after along with the cheers of the goblins, as though they were celebrating fireworks in some cultural festivals. However, this time they were not all quick to follow inside through the hole they created.


    "Do I need to be sent invitations to you, fatherless saps?" the chief roared. "Rashe''ivek, that bastard is already warming up the lord''s loins, and I''m stuck with you lots."


    "Don''t worry chief, Rashe''ivek did not have the guts or talent to be chosen by the Lord," said the goblin relieved of the fist in the face trying to appease the goblin chief a few moments ago. "Only your greatness, my liege, can warm his Lord''s majestic groin¡­"


    A silence beheld the goblins, as the hobgoblin looked at the audacity of his minion to talk to him like that.


    "You!" the goblin chief roared. He picked a huge stone shard and threw it into the face of the underling, sending him flying to crash into the other side of the wall. Thankfully, he was not dead yet, though severely injured, his nose fractured, head splitting up in multiple ces to ooze out greenish purple blood.


    The goblin chief turned to the navigator. "If you mistake another time, or Iete to his Lord''s descent, this will be you," he said. "And I''ll be through with it. Not got back to work,zy-ass bitches."


    The goblin moved up fast lest they make their chief furious again.


    This time Agnes stopped him from following. "We''ll most likely lose our way if we keep following them."


    Warden couldn''t argue with that. "Well, you have the map with you, and I don''t think any of us can be as bad as that goblin navigator," he replied, crooking his nose. "But aren''t you interested in what they are after? They are talking about the descent of their lord or some bullshit. It should be some interesting to watch out for, no?"


    Agnes was about to reply, but then paused, studying his face. "You can understand theirnguage?"


    A frown quirked up his brows, and he couldn''t understand what was surprising. "They were so loudly screaming everything, but thenguage, is it not the same as whatever we''re speaking?" he paused as he considered the case.


    He reyed the whole thing and all the phrases the goblins shared in his mind. If he didn''tprehend them, and just tried topare them with the usual dialect¡­ there was a difference. A huge difference at that.


    "You have talent in odd things," Agnes said.


    "I''m gifted like that," he said. Although he felt something odd about this natural trantion gift. It wasn''t even shown on the status page. Well, there were many other things that weren''t mentioned or quantified by the system, however, this lingual trantion ability seemed like something important to be added to the system page.


    "So, what did you decide?" he asked.


    "Tell me clearly what they said," Agnes requested.


    Wardenplied, exchanging the goblin''s conversation word by word. "There''s no embellishment in my trantion," he added after finishing.


    "I can see that," Agnes snorted. She thought for a moment to add, "So they were moving towards some lord¡­ the goblin chief is already equal to a Silver Ranker. The lord is possibly at least equal or superior to the gold ranker."


    Warden sucked in a deep breath. The only time he felt a gold ranker power was when the head of disciplinary pressured him with his aura. That had been some experience.


    "Of course, their power will be suppressed in here," Agnes continued. "Still, do you think you can hide under the presence of a Gold ranker?"


    Warden didn''t think to look to answer. "Well, if the lord is dumb like these buggers, I don''t see why we cannot?"


    Agnes shot him a look and nodded. "Let''s go then."


    "Hmm, are you sure?"


    "What, are you feeling under the weather?" there was a challenge in her voice, her lips curling up in a sardonic grin.


    Warden snorted. "Lead on, Madame Captain."


    Tracking down the goblins didn''t turn out to be a problem with them creating ruckus everywhere they went. The only problem was that they were terrible at tracking, circling the same ce, and sting through walls with their goblin bombs.


    They were so ipetent in tracking that, Captain Agnes gritted her teeth to utter, "I''m contemting murdering these goblins if they waste my time anymore. Gods, even I can do better navigating than them and that too without a map."


    Warden just smiled at her frustration.


    Thankfully, they wouldn''t have to circle around for longer. Although the goblin was unable to navigate through the catb, another group of orcs found them. There were more of them, over a dozen of them, and surprisingly two of them had power equal to a silver rank.


    "I was wondering who could be creating such destruction in the ruins for no reason," the lead orc said, a pale red-skinned orc,pared to the usual green-skinned ones. Other than the skin colour and different tattoos on the skin there were no differences between them. "Of course, it is you, Hamim of the Skaa''m goblin ns. Nobody is as dull and pathless as you."


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    "Rashe''Ivek, you look as filthy as always," the goblin Chief Hamim of the Skaa''m tribe roared.


    "Thating from a goblin?" Rashe''Ivek sneered. "Perhaps I should gift you a mirror, but s! I''m afraid there''s no mirror that can do justice to your ugly exterior. ''tis probably the reason your father gave you up on your birth."


    "Rashe''Ivek, do you want to die so bad?" the hobgoblin roared, bringing out his massive club.


    "Do you think I''m afraid of you, Hamim?" Rashe''Ivek was prepared, equipping his battle axe when the other silver-rank orc came from behind and stopped him. It was actually a female orc.


    "Now is not the time to fight among ourselves," the red-skinned orc woman said, charging her huge wooden wand with power. "Especially when we have a couple of guests among ourselves."


    Without further ado, she shot lightning bolts right where Warden and Agnes were hiding.

 Chapter 163: Clash

    "Shit, that''s an orc shaman," Agnes eximed, just as the female orc shot a bolt of lightning in their direction. She dispelled her stealth and cast a thick nket of darkness to intercept the lightning.


    Despite the immense power behind the attack, Agnes was merely pushed a step back, showing no signs of weakness or wounds in her person. She had absorbed the bolt of lightning.


    "Humans," Rashe''Ivek screamed, turning to the goblins. "Of course, you senseless goblins had no idea that a couple of humans were trailing after you. I don''t know why the Lord is even bothering with your ugly asses."


    "Rashe''Ivek, don''t you dare!"


    "Will it not be better if you people quarrel after we take care of these two humans?" the orc shaman said, preparing another bolt of lightning to shoot at them.


    "You are right," the Orc Lord said. "They are merely iron rankers; let''s sacrifice their heads to his Lord''s descent."


    The orc then charged at them, swinging his hugeass axe. He was about to confront Agnes, but Warden shot at him, bringing out the divider.


    "Haha. Ha ha, puny human, I will kill you in one swing," the orc said. "Then I''m going to breed your woman."


    "Fuck off!" Warden blocked the axe and swung downwards. Unfortunately, his de was unable to make even a shallow wound on the orc''s body.


    The orc shaman continued to shoot lightning at them, while the goblins surrounded Agnes. She did not seem to be having much trouble dealing with them. However, with their numbers, they would only be at a disadvantage the more they fought.


    "What''s the n, captain?" Warden shouted. "This ugly orc here wants to breed you. Should I take care of it, or would you like to do it?"


    "Limp-dick human, you are going to pay for not focusing on me," the Orc Lord said, bringing down his battle axe at a tremendous pace.


    Warden dodged the blow, stepping sideways as the battle axe created arge crack in the ground. The orcs are bad at energy maniption. Yet the earth-splitting attack waspletely through its physical power. Why the hell would they need spirit energy when they can do this just with physical power?


    Warden reassessed the Orc Lord. While they did not go through the same power systems as humans, they were much closer to dungeon creatures. The orc was more like a fiend, possessing terrible physical power with little to nothing in the spiritual aspect.


    Still, it did not look like something he could easily take on, not to mention there were still dozens of its minions standing behind, watching without wanting to inconvenience their chief in his fun.


    "We withdraw," Agnes decided in a split second. Since the main objective of the mission was to scout for further treasure, there was no need to force everything against a superior opponent. On top of that, they were missing the others in the group; it wasn''t the time for swinging their des recklessly.


    "I will make a way," she dered. "Run as soon as you can."  special


    Warden was mostly dodging the attacks as the orc Lord grew more and more ferocious. The orc had even awakened a nascent intent on his weapon. Without using his full defence, Warden did not think he wouldst long against this opponent.


    After making her call, Agnes red with overwhelming power. She covered the whole area in tangible darkness, blinding all their senses for a split second. In the next moment, when the covering darkness disappeared, Warden found most of the forsaken fighting on the ground with piercing wounds on their bodies.


    Even the silver-ranked Orc Lord and the goblin chief were not exceptions, though the damage to them was minuscule. Not only that, her attack had stunned most of them on the spot, giving them the spur of the moment to withdraw.


    "Come on," Agnes called as she ran.


    "Humans, if I cannot behead you, then my name is not Rashe''Ivek," the Orc Lord shouted at the top of his lungs.


    "Take a new name then," Warden shouted back. He was already on the move and caught up with her in no time. "That one sounds so bad."


    "I''m going to cut off your limp dick!"


    "I knew something was wrong with you," Warden retorted. "You like dicks too much."


    "Human, you''re infuriating," Rashe''Ivek shouted, charging after them. "I''m going to¡ª"


    "Keep it in your pants, buddy."


    "Stop shouting at that bull-headed orc and run," the captain rebuked, so Warden had to stop bantering.


    The goblins and orcs didn''t take much longer to charge after them. Agnes shot projectiles of condensed darkness to slow them down. Even still, the forsaken followed them in mad glee, as though they couldn''t endure the presence of humans.


    Thankfully, with the catb being carved like a maze covered in darkness, Agnes had no trouble fooling the mentally impaired forsaken from withdrawing. Well, in the end, only the Orc Lord chased after them, unable to get over everything Warden said to him.


    It took some time¡ªabout half an hour¡ªbut they finally escaped the chase.


    "That was a little close," Agnes said. "Who knew you''re gifted in infuriating dull-headed creatures as well?"


    Warden grinned. He studied her form. Other than her chest rising in a slow gasp, he didn''t find anything wrong with her. She had used her darkness power a lot in the escape. Now, Warden didn''t know how deep her well of power went, but the sheer amount she forced out was enough to make most Iron rankers feel somewhat weaker.


    "Are you alright?" he asked.


    Agnes clicked her tongue, not appreciating his goodwill talk. "I''m not bragging when I say I could have killed that orc if I was alone."


    "Then why didn''t you?"


    "Cause I had to make sure of your safety," she said, picking her eyebrows. "And the others. Overtaxing my power to kill a Fiend will leave me weakened for some time¡­ I deemed it unnecessary at that time. But by gods, that orc was so annoying, especially when you kept tranting to me what it was saying."


    "I''m proud that I can be of some help, Madame Captain," Warden said with his signature grin.

 Chapter 164: Peculiar Thing

    It took another couple of hours for them to navigate their way out of the catb. The outside was a deep valley which looked more like an ancient heritage spot, not that it took away anything from the murky darkness of the ce. On top of that, there was mist in the air, hampering their sight and other senses, providing evidence that this wasn''t any heritage spot at all.


    Moreover, the mist wasn''t natural. Perhaps some old security hack or the power of the rift mutated the natural manifestation of mist.


    Other than getting out of the catb, there was another good news. After tinkering with the longread for some time, Agnes managed to get in contact with the others. Thankfully, they all were together and safe. After telling them about the goblins and orcs, she asked them to not be hasty in joining up. To take their survival as the utmost priority.


    The two of them were on the correct path, anyway. She told them they would wait for their arrival near andmark.


    Warden was roasting the meat when he found Agnesing back after the call. She looked much more relieved now.


    "We''re resting two hours here," she said. Warden nodded. After thinking a while, she asked, "You''ll be well-rested in two hours?"


    He nodded again. Agnes sat on the opposite side of the fire, watching the slow me roast their meal.


    "It will only take a few more minutes," he said. "Are you hungry?"


    "Well, yeah," she said with a sigh. "Did you have to roast so much, though? This is like enough for our entire team¡­"


    "I have an appetite unusualpared to most people," Warden added.


    "Of course," she said.


    After spending some minutes inplete silence, Warden began to serve the food, cutting out from the roasted deer over the fire.


    "So, let''s do some bonding over the meal," Warden smiled, handing her the food.


    "No thank you," Agness declined without thinking. "I have no intention of bonding with you."


    "That''s cold," Warden said with a mock hurtful expression. "I thought the madame captain takes care of everyone in charge¡­ my fragile heart cannot take this much coldness."


    She snorted. "Has everyone ever told you it is very hard to judge which one is the real you?"


    Warden raised an eyebrow.


    "There''s the one who''s petty, acts rashly, who makes fun of their superior officer for the smallest reason," Agnes continued. "There''s one who repairs theirpanions'' tools and weapons for the simple promise of training. And then there''s you, who bes like a single-minded monstrous force in a fight¡­"


    "I think you''re not thinking it right," Warden said after some thought. "They all are me. Just different shades."


    Discover content at NovelFire|em|p|yr.


    Agnes perked at him, munching the meat.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll get used to it," Wardenughed. "Anyway, how''s the meal?"


    "Decent enough," she said.


    "Only decent? Looks like I have to up my cooking skills."


    "No, this is pretty good," she said. "It''s hard to get even decent quality on a mission¡­ Not to mention nothingsts in the front lines for long."


    "Ahh," Warden ate slower than usual, even though it would take him some time to finish up. "So, what you used to do before bing the most revered captain of the 16th infantry?"


    Agnes didn''t say anything for some time, concentrating on her food.


    "I¡­ I guess I adventured, though that didn''tst long," she said with a sigh. "I used to take open contracts and take care of people''s problems for a few months¡­ thennd myself a spot in the 16th infantry. That was like¡­ five years ago? Time doesn''t really make sense with the dtion, sigh!"


    "What did you do to get here?" Warden said, lifting his head to look at her. She didn''t meet his gaze. "You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to."


    Agnes helped herself with some water, satiating her sore throat. "I killed a person."


    "Did they deserve it?" Warden said. "I mean, you have some¡ª"


    "No, he was innocent," Agnes said, her faceced with deep regret. "It was an ident."


    Agnes didn''t exin more, and Warden didn''t ask either. This seemed like a sensitive topic to be pried over on just a meal. Still, she opened her mouth after a while.


    "I used to beat myself in my early days," she said. "Used to have nightmares of the ident¡­ but now not so much¡­ I guess time had healed it. Or perhaps I ovee that with darker, nastier nightmares from spending my time in the front lines."


    "Hey, look at you now, you''re a captain, and at iron rank at that," Warden said, unsure if he was any good at consoling anyone. "I don''t know how many can manage such a feat, but you surely are one of the best."


    Agnes snorted. "Do I look like someone who needs consoling?" she said. "I know what I am."


    "And that is?" Warden perked up.


    "A genius," Agnes said, grinning. "More than that. There''s no one who canpare to me¡­ Nobody brilliant enough to deserve me."


    Warden looked at her bbergasted. At first, he thought she was joking, but looking at her impression, it was clear she meant every word of it. And somehow, it didn''t sound wrong with the sheer level of confidence she was radiating.


    "Well, there are better traits than narcissism," Warden said, meeting her grin with his own. "But it does look good on you."


    "It''s nothing but the truth," she snorted. Finishing up her meal, she cleaned up the te with her darkness power and settled it next to him. "I''m going to take a quick nap. Don''t ogle at me when I sleep, or my impression of you will revert to day-one."


    Saying that, she moved a few steps away from the fire and wrapped herself in a nket to rest. In no time, she was asleep.


    Warden stared at her with an odd smile.


    "Hey, I''m watching you," she said in her sleep, eyes still shut. "I''ll give you another week of cleaning of toilets if you don''t look away."


    Captain Agnes was surely a peculiar thing.

 Chapter 165: Change

    Their rest was short-lived as a group of goblins tracked them down in the darkness. Well, considering their terrible weakness of navigation skills, it was a big enough achievement that they managed to find them. Well, it was really because of the fire and the goblins were in the vicinity. They weren''t really the group they came across inside the catb.


    "What''s your call, captain?" Warden asked as Agnes woke up from her nap.


    "I''m pissed," she said, finding six odd goblins surrounding them. "You should have dealt with them silently when I was asleep. Well, I can forgive such ipetency. Anyway, I''m tired of withdrawing. Let''s just take care of them. There wasn''t even a fiend among them."


    With that, she leapt up to her feet when a goblin was about to smash his club onto her head. She didn''t even bring out her weapon, as she kicked the one on her rear to send it flying a dozen metres. She wasn''t even a little merciful in her attack. Next, she shot sharp arrows of condensed darkness to wound them easily.


    The goblins weren''t dead, but their movement was impaired with just a single attack. On top of that, the superiority they felt with their high number was no more in their form either, as they began to flee without sparing another nce at their assant.


    "My dear Janitor," she saidzily. "Would you mind finishing them up? The essence they''ll drop isn''t really anything to my current self."


    Agnes had been easing up somewhat since their group was divided. At the beginning, she was all a stuck-up military officer who only knew how to work¡­ but now she was somewhat fun. Warden didn''t hate it.


    He brought out his weapon and said, "I''ll be back in a moment."


    Warden carried himself over in arge stride to finish up the one trailing at the rear. He had no trouble closing the distance, even the goblins were moving at their most desperate speed. But didn''t feel any thrill either. It was more like him executing them, their power unable to stir up anything within them. The captain''s attack made sure of that.


    Still, he had to dodge a few times at the bombs they threw at him. He took care of the bomb guy, severing his head. He took away the satchel that held the leftover of the goblin bombs. Without taking a look, he took care of the rest, which turned out to be no problem at all.


    [You have in goblin warrior (Iron), 6x]


    [1.2 Strength.]


    "Well, notpletely a waste." Clicking his tongue, he came back, holding a goblin bomb in hand. He studied it to find there were noplicated runes at work, justmon ones that separated two types ofbust elements. However, if he introduces a little bit of energy into the bomb, the separation wouldn''tst anymore and the two elements wouldbine to create the explosion.


    The scripts or runes were not anything special, butbust elements inside. It seemed like something borne out of alchemic. The effect was quite useful, as the explosion could kill copper rankers and heavily injure normal Iron rankers. He wondered if they have a greater version of these.


    "Let''s get out of here," Agnes said as soon as he returned. "I''m in mind toplete the mission as soon as we can and get back."


    That earned noint from him.


    ***


    Luis was doing some paperwork when the man from the administration came into the office with their demand.


    It was actually someone Luis was familiar with. Kession Dime came from a minor noble finally with minimal talent inbat, but quite good at knowing what he needed to do to survive.


    Kession was like a lower-middle officer who took care of a lot of the official exchange between the different charges of the army. Looking at the folded paper in his hand, he came with an official vendetta as well.


    "So, what do I owe the pleasure?" Luis asked, gesturing for the man to take a seat.


    Kession did not. "Where''s your superior officer?"


    "On a mission," Luis said without any re. "You can talk any matter of business about the infantry with me."


    Kession mulled over it for a moment and nodded. He handed over the folded official document to Luis to say, "You have a newly drafted recruit in your ranks, someone called Warden, right? He''s to transfer from the 16th Infantry to the 3rd Infantry under the lead of Lady Jessica. The ount isplete as I delivered the word and official document of the transfer."


    Luis frowned and checked the papers. It said the exact words with some embellishments in the papers with the signature of the 2ndmander. Luis whistled.


    "Didn''t know thed has such connection to make this happen¡­" he muttered and looked up at the official man. "As far as I know, it is very difficult for convicted to get transferred into a regr squadron. What changed?"


    "Lady Jessica took interest in this Warden as far as I know," Kession said. "And his offence was not bad, either. She said his gift of runesmithing will be highly valuable in her crew."


    Luis cocked his eyebrow at that, hearing about it for the first time.


    "Of course, his privilege will remain the same as the 16th infantry until the remainder of his time," Kession said. "Just that he won''t have to remain with the¡­ convicted."


    "The man in question, Warden, is currently on a mission along with the captain." Luis snorted.


    "Your captain took a runesmith onto the mission in the front lines?" Kession looked scandalised. "Lady Jessica won''t be happy to hear about it. She--"


    Luis showed a hand to silence the guy. "Warden will be alerted of this¡­ change as soon as hees back. If there''s nothing else, you can leave."


    Kession nodded, and without even bothering to salute, he departed as soon as he came.


    Stay updated with m-vl _emp _yr.


    "Lady Jessica, huh," Luis mumbled, looking over the paper. "The captain won''t be happy with this." Even if she left the guy to the general janitor business for the time being.


    ****


    The sunrise in the second fold was much simr to the first fold, though it seemed somewhat closer to the sun, rising from the barren hills on the west side. The sky was the same broken crimson with thick clouds swirling around.


    They had been moving for a few hours and came across only a few cursed creatures. The valley was barren of wildlife as well, with the thickness in the suppression element growling further as they walked deeper.


    "Ever thought about what you''ll do after you finish your service in the frontline?" Warden asked.


    "Nope," Agnes said. "There''s still like over six years of service left for me to be free¡­ I''m not going to mope over what I can do in six years¡­ who knows? I may not even live that long."


    "Well, that''s not very outlook for your life," Warden said. "Then again, I''m not the best of people to talk about it."


    "Hmm, you look like someone who has something to look forward to after youplete your service," Agnes said on a spur of a rare curiosity.


    "Well, kind off," Warden said. He closed his eyes to remember all the important things he needed to do. "I''m looking forward to setting myself better¡­"


    "Well, that''ll probably work out if you just work on making weapons diligently," Agnes said. "Hell, you can repair my armour, you''ll never be free of work if you like."


    "Well, is that apliment, Madame Captain?"


    "Sure," she said easily.


    "Well, I''m also looking forward to¡­" Warden paused for a second, unsure how to say it.


    "What is it?" Agnes turned to shoot him a look. "Girl issue?"


    "Something like that," Warden said. "It mostly worked out; I just wonder what her family will be like. You know, we don''t look verypatible with one another."


    "I can see that," Agnes said, nodding heavily. "You as an ugly sod, while she''s probably beautiful, and out of your league?"


    "Hey, I''m not ugly," Warden crackled.


    "You''re not handsome either, friend."


    Warden made a noise, but didn''t bother toment on that. "I feel like you''re bncing out that rarepliment with more insults."


    "Well, everyone needs some bnce in their life, more for someone like you."


    They walked for a few more minutes in silence.


    "So, who''s unlucky enough to have you as their partner?" Agnes asked with mild curiosity.


    "You won''t believe me if I say it," Warden said with a smile. "Hell, even I don''t believe it sometimes."


    The captain quirked her brows. "Looking at you, you probably like some demure, pure-looking girl, don''t you?"


    "So, you''re a master in this thing now?" Warden snorted.


    Agnes seemed like she wanted to say something, but then stopped. Her face tensed up as she looked around in alert.


    "It''s me, captain," a voice said, as the figure of Kevin in dark clothing manifested a safe distance away. He would think twice before sneaking up on the captain. His earlier memory of sneaking up on her hadn''t gone without drawing his blood.


    "Kevin, is everyone safe?" the captain asked.


    The rogue nodded. "They are waiting for you in the clearing a few miles away," he said. "More importantly, we think the issue with the Essence Vein may not just be false."


    Agnes frowned. "Did you find anything?"


    "Nothing concrete, but we did find some signs that evidenced of a source of high spiritual power around here."

 Chapter 166: High Energy-concentrated Zone

    The group joined up together with everyone in rtively healthy form. He did find some wound in Caleb, but the older spearman was up and kicking ready toplete their mission.


    The siblings were close as ever, sticking to one another, and protecting one another from the cold weather and heaviness. But who was going to save them from themselves?


    "So, tell me about what you found?" Agnes asked, after finding everyone alright. "Did you meet any forsaken races?"


    "Nope," Caleb said. "There were a few cursed creatures, mostly chimaeras here and there until we found a ce with high spiritual energy concentration. It is like ten times than natural and we haven''t ventured deeper in fear of wild beasts slumbering in the high-energy environment."


    "Ten times than natural is a clear sign of Essence vein, maybe a lower grade one," Agnes thought out loud. "There can be a couple of other things, but essence vein seems most likely. Anything else did you find?"


    "The highly concentrated energy seemed to create a closed space on there," Caleb continued. "There were plenty of wild beasts and tainted creatures. We found a few silver-ranked creatures and we didn''t move deeper into the space. Perhaps there are even Gold-rank creatures here."


    "Gold rank creatures were rather rare in the Second fold of the rift, but not unheard of," Agnes said. She discussed deeper on the movement and the task to finally say, "We''ll make a final venture into that space to confirm. In the meantime, have some rest. We need to be at our very best for this.


    Although you haven''te across the forsaken, they are here¡­ it is unlikely they came for something else."


    Even if they did, an essence vein was something of everyone''s interest.


    In about a couple of hours of preparation and rest, the group was on the move again in the familiar formation. Kevin scouting ahead, while the captain leading the crew.


    Thankfully, the suppression hadn''t gone over 25%, by the time they saw the first sign of spiritual energy concentrating in a specific area. That was mostly the reason there were so few wild animals in the areas, most of them were slumbering in the high-energy concentrated area to grow stronger.


    The essence vein was something that can give a boost to all the attributes. Well, more or less, there was clearly a division on the type. The one they encountered seemed to be pure energy, which meant it is beneficial to all rankers.


    The group slowed down at the first sight of demonic beasts. Here only the strongest ones remained, as they had either devoured or chased away all the weaker beast that came to benefit from the high energy concentration.


    "At this concentration, I think I can grow a point each day for about a couple of weeks," the captain said, frowning. Thankfully, most of the beasts were busy benefiting from the highly concentrated energy to inspect for a few humans skulking around. "Let''s go a little deeper."


    With she covered everyone but Kevin with her stealth power as they crept forward, taking the long way into a high-energy concentrated zone avoiding all the wild beasts.


    ''We only moved this far,'' Caleb mentioned through signnguage when they came across a massive serpent slumbering, coiled up inside the ground.


    They rounded the serpent without waking it up. Warden could feel his body rejuvenating with each step he took¡ªthis could only bepared to a few special chambers in the academy that took a lot of credits. powered by NovelFire-mp|y|r


    Skills grow at a higher speed in this environment as well.


    After skulking around in the zone for some time, they came to a rtively safer spot high in a barren ridge, where they could talk more freely.


    "I''m positive with your assessment," Agnes said to the others. "This is likely the side-effect of the essence vein leaking out and creating this zone of high energy concentration."


    "Wouldn''t the energy simply disperse in a lower concentrated area?" Warden asked. "I mean, that is what general physics says."


    The others seemed oblivious to what he was implying, but the captain got what he was meant to tell. "You''re not wrong," she said. "But that is under normal circumstances. I shouldn''t have to tell you that this is not a normal situation."


    Warden nodded. "Well, there is this suppression, which should keep the leaked energy grounded," he said, "but that shouldn''t be enough to create a natural energy array like this. It''s almost like the energy were circling some unseen attraction force."


    Agnes blinked. "you''re right." Then she went on to contemte more. "If there really is an attraction force¡ªit should be the location of the essence vein."


    Everyone perked up at that.


    "Which is probably at the core of the zone," Warden said, scanning his surroundings. "If we can make an urate map out of the structure of this zone, I think I can locate the focal point."


    Agnes shook her head. "The zone is too big with dangerous creatures roaming around¡­ we cannot in good faith make an urate map with just this much manpower."


    Warden shrugged. He simply suggested, not that he thought it was anything special. Making the map urate would be the difficult part.


    "Anyway," Milia said, "doesn''t this prove our mission is over?"


    The others wanted to know as well, as they turned to their captain, waiting for the answer.


    "Pretty much," she said, standing up. "Stay here for an hour¡­ I''ll round the ce a little more."


    "Alone?" Warden asked.


    Agnes nodded. "Taking someone else will only hinder my pace," she said, as dark wings spread on her back, wide enough to cover them all. She pped the wings of darkness and flew up in the air. In no time, she disappeared from their sight.


    Warden could only look at her vanish in the sky enviously. When the hell will he manage to get his radiance power to activate [Wings of Radiance]?


    ****


    Twilight processed through the administrative work in rtive silence like she liked it to be. There were many questions the scribbler asked and many he would have liked to ask, but her unresponsive mood to most of his quarries stopped him from going deeper into them.


    The scribbler was a boy of around her age, perhaps a couple of years younger, but more nervous than her when she was not in her dark assassin costume.


    Well, considering he was asking questions to a figure fully covered in a dark and purple robe glued to her form with an eerie-looking mask over the face with two eye sockets glowing in purple light, it wasn''t his fault that he was nervous.


    Moreover, whenever she talked in this form, the air vibrated with echoes of spirituality, which was quite disconcerting to most people so far from what she had seen.


    Twilight could stop that echo if she concentrated, but she deemed it was necessary if she didn''t want to waste time in here.


    "Alright, umm Miss Twilight, here''s your paper," the young scribbler said, returning her arcane society badge. "You''re officially a free agent for the Republic. I''m sure you''re aware of the benefits of this position. Basically, you will have the freedom to choose the types of contracts you take."


    Twilight nodded, scanning the paper once.


    "As you have asked for the entry into the frontlines," he continued, checking with other papers lying on his table. "There are three contracts open for people of your¡­ talent."


    Twilight just stood there, which was enough for the guy to continue.


    "First is of course, um assassination mission."


    Twilight shook her head once.


    "Then there''s those contracted soldiers and other specialist positions. There''s a slot open for a bodyguarding mission of a young¡ª"


    Twilight shook her head again.


    "Alright, thest is a scouting mission," the scribbler had already lost his confidence in getting her a mission. "It is a long mission, where you have to travel far into the rift, closer to the empire''s side, I reckon."


    Twilight perked up, considering she would have to move into thends of the empire, this mission seemed to be the right excuse for her task.


    Seeing her interest, the scribbler continued, "Oh there''s still a few spots open, considering most people didn''t want to move so much. If you want to take this mission¡­ meet up with Colonel Damon, he''s in charge of this."


    Twilight nodded. After a second thought, she bowed slightly and disappeared from his view.


    She heard him sighing in relief as she walked away in stealth. A smileced up in the corner of her lips, as she lifted the paper.


    Now she could finally move into the frontlines, which was also the fastest way to move into the empire toplete the task the oracle gave her. It had been some time since then. Took her a week to move around through teleportation to into the Republic sight. After that, she had to prove her skills through some tests and missions to finally cash in this certificate.


    For most people, she had done it super-fast¡­ but not enough considering her schedule.


    I''m still not doing the job I was hired for, Twilight thought as she moved into, the main camp to meet with this Colonel Damon. Well, Ai had asked her for this, and the blind woman even promised she would help find a rtively safer way into the forbidden inds. Blind she may be, but Ai was not without resources. She was one of the mostpenent women, she knew.


    Still, Twilight couldn''t just leave everything to the girl. Ai had trouble of her own, and unlike her, she couldn''t hide behind a mask and pretend she was someone else.


    At least, what I left behind should be enough to protect her from any harm, Twilight sighed.

 Chapter 167: Song of Suffering

    They took the long route on the way back to the main camp after Captain Agnes captured all the evidence required to finish this mission.


    Without using the direct Warped Waygate, they used to get into the second fold. It would take them at least five days to reach another one. Thankfully, demonic beasts didn''t run foul on that one. An established base was formed on the way gate there. With that, they would neither have to worry about the demonic creatures, nor the forsaken that littered the catb.


    Currently, they were sitting around the bonfire, doing their usual things. The siblings sticking together indecently like always, Kevin on the watch, the captain resting in meditation, and Caleb trying to y the flute. As for Warden himself, he was, of course, roasting their meal.


    "I think this is broken," Caleb said, after many failed attempts to create any rhythm with the flute.


    "Are you sure it is the flute that has a problem, not you?" Warden couldn''t help but said.


    "See for yourself," He snorted, turning to Warden. He handed the metal flute to him. "Like my weapon, this one is a scripted item as well, though it can only be used for entertainment."


    Warden checked the item, quickly studying it with his nascent awareness, which made his job a lot easier for him to check.


    "Can you fix this?"


    "Easily," Warden said after checking once. The flute was a simple tool. As Caleb mentioned, it was only for the purpose of music, although it uses both spiritual energy and air, creating anotheryer of difficulty for the musician to y it.


    There were only a few dozen or so Tier-2 runes in ce, with the connection between them lost. Warden grabbed this thinnest carving stylus from his subspace and fix it in a matter of minutes.


    "Done," Warden said, returned the flute to its rightful owner. "Now you cannot me the tool for your poor skills."


    Caleb snorted and began ying. After a few seconds, he didn''t really sound bad. There were runes in the flute which could boost the sound it releases, but Caleb didn''t use them. He yed a sad tune in solitude as their meal almost finished.


    The captain perked up at hearing the flute. She sat across from Warden and listened to the tune silently.


    "You''re not half bad," Wardenplimented after Caleb finished. "What, are you flustered now?"


    "It has been many years since I yed," he said. "I didn''t think I remember how to y, but it came back to me the more I got deeper into it."


    "Well, how about you teach me how to y the flute as payment for repairing it?" Warden said, but then a frown curled up on his brows. It felt like he knew how to y the flute¡­


    "You sure? It''s a very different skill setpared to swinging a spear," Caleb said, much of his chagrin returning.


    "Give it to me," Warden said. Gaining the flute, he didn''t ask for any advice. Instead, he closed his eyes, holding the flute in his lips. He traced back the feeling that returned when began to blow air into the flute. However, this instrument didn''t just run on air. He supplied energy too, augmenting the richness of the tuneing out of the flute.


    "Thed can y, huh," Caleb muttered, but Warden didn''t hear him. He had his entire attention focused on the flute and the tune returning to its rightful ce.


    The tune he yed wasn''t like the slow and sensual feeling of solitude like Caleb''s was. No, Warden''s flute had more high and low notes, it was a fierce disy of skills and theplicities of the rhythm. There was a story about the song, but he was afraid. He hadn''t managed to grasp the essence of it.


    Moreover, the rhythm wasn''t actually an original for flute. It was meant to y on a grand piano and a skilful orchestra supplying a chorus with various instruments.


    A hot bead of tears dripped down from his eyes as he finished ying. He yed for about eight whole minutes to finally set aside the feeling that gnawed at his heart. His cheeks had grown a bit reddish, and it was not just simply blowing air.


    [1.3 Mind.]


    Warden wiped away the tears, setting aside the flute. He showed no form of embarrassment as they stared at him in stunned silence.


    "Well, didn''t hear this one before," Caleb said. "Is it something new?"


    Warden shook his head. "This is a rhythm of another time, of another ce."


    "What is it called?" the captain asked.


    "The song of suffering," Warden said with a smile. "I think I barely stretched the essence of the creator''s emotion through this."


    "That is a great song," Milia said, snuggling closer to her brother. She addressed him coltishly, "Brother, can you learn to y music like that, and y for Little Milia?"


    "Anything for you, sweet pie, anything," Milton said without even a waver in his words. "I''ll learn immediately and dedicate my songs to you only."


    Like Warden, everyone else had grown amodated to their behaviour long along and knew to ignore it.


    "Well, well, well, colour me surprise," Caleb said with a humorousugh. "So you are not only a Master Spearman, a master Runesmith, but you''re a great songster as well. How can this Oldmanpared to such talent in young blood, at least leave something for me to brag about?"


    "Hey, don''t forget my great sense of humour," Warden said with a grin. "And my cooking skill too."


    "But the question is, how did you manage to learn all these at such an early age?"


    Warden could just say his unparalleled talent arrogantly, much like their prideful captain, but that wasn''t him.


    "Perhaps I''m not as young as I look," he supplied.


    "What is with you in keeping up the mystery?" Agnes snorted. "You know, you''re being melodramatic, and not even in a good way?"


    Warden could only smile at her.

 Chapter 168: Base

    Every morning, they would wake up at sunrise and spar with one another. Well, in most mornings, Warden simply didn''t sleep. A couple of hours of meditation were enough to keep him rejuvenated for the most part. That was, unless he were topleteyingyers afteryers of runes into a weapon.


    "You don''t tire, do you?" the captain asked after they finished their round of sparring, whichsted over an hour.


    "Recovery doese in handy in almost everything," Warden grinned.


    "Recover, huh?" Agnes scowled, feeling the rush ofpetitiveness, which was a rare sight for her, to be honest. "I don''t have that attribute."


    Others only could manage a few minutes to a quarter of an hour in their spar, worse for Caleb with his rtively small source of spiritual energy. Regardless, it was only Captain Agnes who could meet with his intensity in the spar. While they didn''t go all out with their power, it was still a high-intensity spar where they put everything out of their body and the master of their weapon.


    Only most sparring, they would simply spar with their weapons, which on most asions came to a standstill. However, if Agnes was to use her spells¡­ it would be him at her mercy.


    The girl was at the very precipice of silver rank. Warden didn''t know what she was waiting for to not advance yet. All her attributes had reached the bottleneck, along with high efficiency. Unless she hunts down some dragon, there was no way she''d grow more staying in the same rank.


    "So why haven''t you advanced yet?" Without bothering with making blind conjectures, he asked her directly. Perhaps he could gain some insight from her thought process as well.


    "It''s a littleplicated," she said. "As you know, I don''t follow the natural ss process like most people. Advancing is a little tough for me."


    "Is that a damp in confidence, I hear? Madame Captain?" Warden joked. With the bantering growing between them, he didn''t have to worry about offending him. "Aren''t you supposed to be the single most unique individual in the world?"


    She snorted. "If I wanted to advance, I could have advanced a couple of years ago, but of course, that would have left some crack in my foundation."


    "What stopped you?"


    Agnes didn''t answer immediately. She thought about the topic and seemed to wrack her brain toe up with a solid answer. Even still, it sounded like an excuse for her real reason. "The path I walk is unique. It is the path of darkness. Any single mistake can magnify into a terror in my heart.


    I may fall into the darkness of my own creation¡­ so I must tread carefully and cautiously."


    "Hmm," Warden hummed. He didn''t hold on to the question, even though he felt she wasn''t telling the full story. "Silver rank advance, I wonder what it''s like? Is it like the same as Iron?"


    "Almost, just more painful from what I hear," Agnes said. "I reckon it will be different for you and I, and you know why."


    Both of them didn''t go through the ss system. While Agnes had her Darkness path herself to advance, Warden had the [Void Prison Realm], whatever that thing meant to be. The Fate domain didn''t stand for any kind of mediocrity, and Warden barely had itched its power.


    "Well, my iron rank advancement had been smooth¡ª" Warden stopped, remembering the weird event where he absorbed a dungeon within himself. He was simply a glorified subspace now with that¡­ he wondered what would happen in the next turn.


    "Anyway," Agness said, changing the topic. "I maybe cracked some of the repairs you made in my breastte in the fight the other day. Can you fix them?"


    Even though she said that, she unequipped her equipment to hand him the breastte. And the armguards, too. She was just as good as him at damaging her equipment. Unfortunately for her, she didn''t have a couple of legendary-grade items or self-repaying one lying around. Other than her sword, perhaps.


    Warden clicked his tongue but epted the request. She wasn''t simply paying him with sparring, either. She had given genuine contribution points almost equal worth of his work and time.


    At first, he thought bad about taking it, considering she only received a fifth of her direct contribution with the condemned debuff¡ªyeah, Warden was calling the cut that¡ªnot to mention, the charges of an aplished runesmith were already high.


    She had given him Sixteen hundred contribution points for repairing her breastte once. Multiplied by five, that was eight thousand credits for any regr soldier. To earn this number of points, she would need to kill at least four hundred orcs in the iron rank on her own. Perhaps more, considering an iron-grade orc gave points between ten to twenty-five points.


    "Don''t worry, I''m loaded," she had said it when he mentioned giving her a "Madame Captain only discount". In the end, he had to take her word for it.


    "We''ll be reaching the base by the evening," Kevin said, aftering back from his scouting. He was a different person on the mission,pared to the sloppy alcoholic guy whom Warden wasn''t familiar with.


    Thest four days hadn''t beenpletely like a holiday, considering they couldn''t be spending time in the 2nd fold of the rift holidaying. However, the captain hadn''t been in any rush to go back at all. She mentioned she was paying back for wasting her paid holiday with this.


    Thankfully, the captain seemed to be fed up with this barrennd, as she didn''t slow them down anymore. Warden was really missing out on having a good bath, and many of them would agree with that sentiment.


    Sadly, they couldn''t just go back to the main camp through the warped way gate. When they finally returned to the base in the evening, they were asked to wait, until a superior officer came to verify their findings. It was an Essence vein they were talking about, of course, they want to verify.


    Other than Warden, none of them can leave for the time being. As for the exception for him... well, there seemed to be a situation where he needed to change the infantry for another one.

 Chapter 169: Bath

    With the official call, Warden was to move into the 3rd infantry as soon as possible. But he wasn''t really that interested anymore, considering how hispanions had been warming up to him.


    Even the stone-faced captain who had been so cold at him at the beginning was somewhat of a friend of his. He had improved a lot through sparring with her.


    He got that it was probably Jason paying him back with this. Unfortunately, Warden saw no benefit in changing the crew. Most of the condemns were in the 16th infantry for minor offences, or mistakes of the past. The real criminals did not really have any aspect of subordination.


    Unfortunately, Warden had no say in the matter. It had already been decided. And Jason''s sister must have to call some favour to make it happen.


    Still, he had the night to himself, and what better way to spend it than rxing in a bath for hours?


    Warden didn''t know if it was the same river, but a simr stream snaked its way near the second Fold base. In the middle of the night, after they were done with the report, he sneaked out to bathe.


    However, there seemed to be a catch. The water in the river was far from being pure. There seemed to be some spiritual element present, or perhaps the very source of the water had been twisted under the continuous pressure of the suppression. Whatever it was, submerging in the water wasn''t as rxing as he had thought. He reckoned it wasn''t healthy either.


    Warden was frustrated at the beginning, but as he resisted in the biting water, an idea dawned on him. He was a Master runesmith, goddamn it. It was about time those skills woulde in handy.


    With that thought in mind, heid an istion formation to separate a small portion of five cubic metres of water from the river. That was the hard which required a tier-3 istion formation¡ªwell, not hard for him. It barely took him a few minutes. The easier part was to form the Tier-2 Purifying formation, which took about five minutes to clean all the water from the biting aura.


    Tier one could have done the work too, but it would have taken a lot more time.


    "Ahh, now this is better," he muttered, rxing on the purified water. On that note, he could actually do a lot more with formation, and have a five-star bathing experience, if he took his time with all sorts of features.


    But considering his time was limited, he didn''t bother with them. However, the seed of the idea took shape in his mind to experimentter in his leisure.


    As it turned out, he wasn''t the only one with the same idea. Not even a quarter of an hour, Warden found the woman in the sky with her dark wings spread on her back. As she swooped down near the bank, he could clearly tell her interesty simr to his.


    The captain seemed to prefer to submerge into open water as well. Thankfully, Warden was clever enough to not repeat the same scandal.


    "Madame Captain," Warden said, "if you want to preserve your privacy, you may have to go elsewhere to bathe."


    Agnes said nothing at the beginning. She was looking at the formation he hadid on the water with interest. "That is why I''m here," she said with a sigh. "The base only has mixed baths."


    "If I hadn''tid all this formation already, I would have given you this ce," Warden said. Of course, it would barely take him a quarter of an hour to redo the work, but he wasn''t really intending to go elsewhere. Besides, the captain can fly. Moving was a lot easier for her.


    "No need," she said, flying over him to drip into the biting water a dozen metres behind him. "I have been in the front lines for over five years¡­ I hardly had the opportunity to bathe in leisure. There has even been a time when I had the displeasure of bathing with men."


    Warden didn''t actually think she would ignore him and began bathing. Of course, she hadid a barrier of darkness to make sure none could prate to see her lovely figure. That reminded him of the other time he saw her. It was mostly dark, and he couldn''t see clearly, but his imagination was enough to fill in the nk.


    A warmth grew in hisher region. Soon Warden pped himself softly on the face,ing back to his senses. What would June think of him if she learned of this? It was better if he fantasised about her instead¡­ her supply and sultry Elven form, the sweet taste of her tongue, her pillowy bosoms¡ª


    "By the way, the others were looking for you," Agnes'' voice brought him back from his idle fantasy. "Since you''d be leaving tomorrow, they were nning to throw your weing party tonight with only the six of us."


    "Party? Do they have drinks and food for it in here?" Warden asked.


    "They didn''t, but I offered what I had in my dimension cube," Agnes said. With the silence reigning, there was no trouble for her soft voice to carry to him. "As for the food, I''m sure you can cook up something great."


    "Well, I have no problem with that," Warden said. "So, we party tonight."


    "Might want to turn up soon¡­ I give no guarantee that they won''t finish up the drinks on their own," Agnes said, "and leave you with cheap rum."


    Warden could clearly see them doing that. These condemned soldiers could be many things, but alcohol was one thing that binds them together.


    Still, Warden would like to rx some more in the water. Not to mention he intended to have some talk with the captain. "Will you be there, captain?"


    "Of course, wouldn''t miss it for anything," Agnes said. "But before that, I need to ask you about-- You know what lets postpone that for tonight."

 Chapter 170: Fate

    As the words escaped her lips, Agnes knew she shouldn''t have said them. Although she didn''t know this guy, she was pretty sure he was the type of man who wouldn''t rest if his curiosity was piqued.


    "What is it?" he asked immediately, even though she asked to postpone it for now.


    "I''ll tell you some other day when it''s more relevant," Agnes said, floating over the waterzily.


    "If you''re sure about it," he returned with a dismissive tone. "Anyway, I have been meaning to ask, you mentioned the Void path is restrictive by the system¡­ and people tend to go mad if they are involved regrly with void energy¡­"


    Agnes had told him most of what she knew¡ªwhich wasn''t really much, but still something, considering this fe was mostly clueless about the power he was wielding.


    "Is that a roundabout way of telling me you''re growing mad?" she said as a joke. However, he didn''t expect him to be silent for an extended moment. Was he really growing mad?


    "I was just wondering what about void energy would make one mad?" he said after a while.


    "Hell, if I know," Agnes said. Her knowledge was limited. The information didn''te easily on the topics of paths and fate marks, especially for lower rankers like themselves. She only learned this much because she had ess to aplete path.


    "The only conjecture I can make is that is about the nature of the energy. For example, my Darkness power makes¡­" she searched for the right word for it, and couldn''t. So supplied the one that came to her mind. "¡­ hungry. It''s not just for some spiritual aura, energy or sustenance¡­ it has a huge impact on my emotions. I cannot exin it in words¡­ it''s kind of like more resonate with strong emotions¡­"


    It doesn''t reduce emotions, but amplifies them. The stronger the emotions, the higher the amplification. Agnes didn''t add that part. Ironically, it was this thing about her power which bought her here in the first ce. She smiled ruefully, remembering Dave¡­ the boy she wasted, surging with overwhelming raw emotions.


    She was very young at that time, only a couple of years and sometime into her power¡­ even less with her [Stillborn Phoenix] path. Unable to control the raw emotions that surged to her core, Agnes''s power had run rampant and somehow caused Dave''s mind to twist¡­


    She didn''t kill him¡­ however, what she did ruined his life. Dave hadmitted suicide within a couple of weeks of the event.


    And here she was¡­


    Where she would be if she hadn''t made that ident? Where she would be if she hadn''t run from Iman?Even now she didn''t have a full grasp over her emotions while wielding the power. It was so tyrannical at times. She cut that line of thought as Warden asked her again.


    "This is something I haven''t thought about," Warden said deeply. She knew this voice though only heard it a few times. She could see him frowning in all seriousness, even though a wall of darkness blocked her view. "I know the theory¡­ like one''s emotions and psyche shaping their power or the other way around if the person isn''t strong enough and lets the power twist his psyche.


    Hmm, I think I have seen some signs of that in a few of my students already."


    "How does the void energy impact your emotions?" Agnes asked.


    "That''s the catch, it doesn''t," Warden said. "I mean, I''m rash at times, but I think that''s me problem, not led by the power I''m wielding."


    It was weird to find someone who was aware of their fault and still not working on improving it. Then again, how do you work on not being rash, other than making stupid mistakes and reflecting on it?


    Well, it was not like Agnes could judge. She had made decisions she wasn''t proud of and most of them came out of rashness.


    "What do you feel when you wield the power?" she asked.


    "Nothing."


    "Nothing?" she frowned.


    "Yup, nothing, an absence of all emotions¡­ a void, I must add," he said. "There''s only a certain coldness, but that''s it¡­ No rumbling of madness or being high on power." After a thought, he added, "Although I do have this urge of bing stronger¡­ but I think that''s very individualistic as well."


    "That''s the thing with paths," she said. "My mast¡ª, a person I know once said¡­ Those with a path cannot help but advance forward as if lead by some unseen force¡­ or an ancient will."


    "Others call it fate, isn''t it?" Wardenughed.


    "I don''t believe in fate," she said impatiently. "Or predestined destiny or whatever it is called."


    "I acknowledge its presence, but I don''t really think about it," he said. "Perhaps that is what I''m doing wrong?" She heard him clicking his tongue. "Just think of it as the collective sum of all your actions leading to an oue... nothing is predetermined... People just hyped it up as something grand for no reason."


    A sum of all your actions leading to an oue? Agnes frowned. Isn''t it basically saying you reap what you sow?


    Still, it sounded better to her earspared to when others use fate as an excuse for all the cruel things they do.


    "I need to discuss this with June," Warden mumbled to himself. June was probably the girl he liked. "She''s far more knowledgeable than me and better at reasoning." he cleared his throat. "Anyway, captain, thank you for all the information. I''ll try to repair your equipment before I have to leave."


    "Don''t worry about it," she said, even though she would need them on the next mission. Something tells her it would still be rted to that essence vein, and it would be very soon.


    "Don''t be shy to ask anything of me," he said as he began to get off the water. "We are friends, aren''t we?"


    Agnes straightened on that notion. "Sure," she said, keeping her voice steady. "I might find you for a spar the next time I''m back in the main camp."

 Chapter 171: Twilight

    It has been four days since Twilight was moving with this stoic group of soldiers in the unimednd of the biggest rift in this world. While smaller in size, this world seemed to have its own unique things¡­ The dungeon was one thing, but half a world-sized rift dividing thend of Ezim was something else altogether.


    The sheer impact it had on everything in this world was staggering. Yet instead of taking care of this problem, the people of this world seemed to hell bent on taking all the advantages first. Well, she could understand people''s greed¡ªthe people of her own world were no different, but leaving a problem like this, maybe it could even destroy their entire world.


    Well, what does she know¡­ Twilight had been in this world for only a year and a half. Perhaps they really want to take care of the rift, but are unable to.


    Twilight had only spent four days in the Third Fold of the rift, and it had challenged her. Considering there were six more folds, her worry wasn''t unfounded.


    Stifling a soundless sigh, she turned to her temporarypanions. There were six of them, all silver rankers. Other than her and the young Elven Woman, the other four seemed to have worked together before. The captain was a dependable man, who looked to be in his early thirties, but perhaps older. He was at the peak of Silver rank, his ss [Surge Knight] seemed to be famous among the soldiers.


    Thankfully, he was a stoic and pragmatic man and didn''t ask anything more from her other than doing her job, which was mostly scouting ahead and helping during battles with demonic beasts.


    Now, Twilight wasn''t at the peak of her power, as she had to leave an avatar of her to protect Ai in the royal ce of Iman without her notice. Even still, there were no better individuals for the job of scouting. Her battle prowess might have hampered missing a part of herself, but it didn''t have any effect on her skills.


    Through her scouting skill alone, she had helped him avoid most of the horde of demonic beasts.


    Twilight could venture most of the ce unnoticed. Perhaps only a keen Gold ranker and some weird fellows like Ai and Gale would be able to sense her. Thankfully, she didn''t have the fortune or misfortune of meeting another one like them.


    On some nights when she was alone with herself with no task in hand, Twilight wondered how far she hade¡­ From the unremarkable small town to the Sect, she was banished from¡­ and now in apletely different world¡­ Very few couldpare to such experiences.


    "We have to move through another Warped Waygate again," the captain said, referring to the map he held.


    Warped Waygate was another unique thing of this world, perhaps. She hadn''t experienced anything like that beforeing to this world, nor know the science behind it. But if she had to term it, she''d say it was a weird blob of spatial magic.


    "Are we transferring to the fourth fold?" the Elven woman said with a glint in her eyes. Her name was Aurie, just stunning to look at, but her skills at archery and spell casting were undeniable.


    Like Twilight, she kept to herself throughout the journey, although unlike her, it was probably the Elven arrogance to mix up withmon humans. Aurie was too prideful to show it tantly, but even someone like her could pick up on that arrogance. It wasn''tpletely bad per se, merely a product of her Elven upbringing.


    "The second, actually," the captain said with a smile. "Well, we have to move through three in total to get to our destination, but yeah¡­" he turned to her.


    Twilight knew her job. She nodded and was ready to do the necessary scouting, considering demonic beasts tend to lurk around those spatial waves.


    "Miss Twilight¡­" the captain called as she halted in her ce. Looking up at her obnoxious mask, he added awkwardly, "Be careful out there¡­ Your reports have been through so far¡­ but there''s no need to put yourself in too much danger. Just a spective number of opponents and danger will be enough."


    The purple light in her mask''s eye sockets flickered. So far on her report, she had counted the exact numbers of fiends or what kind of danger may lurk in the dark¡­ It wasn''t challenging for her, just boring scouting work where she just needed it. Years of honed skills made herpletely invisible to other''s senses. She could literally move two paces away from a fiend and it wouldn''t notice her.


    The issue was that why was the captain being¡­ kind? Is that it? Twilight was unsure.


    "You''re worried for no reason, Captain," said the buxom woman with a crackle ofughter. "She can disappear from our sight and senses without any problem. Thess knows what she''s doing¡­"


    A silence dawned among them, as every one of them looked at her, not directly, but covertly.


    Twilight hadn''t noticed this problem in the beginning, but on the third day she noticed the others weren''t simply wary of their mission, but a part of them was wary of her. The thing was that they didn''t understand her¡­ or her power. She had been remarkably useful to them, but instead of putting them at ease, it made them wary of her.


    Even the Elven woman, Aurie, who was prideful with remarkable capabilities, had a look in her eyes whenever she turned to her.


    Inept inmunicating with people, Twilight did not know how to ease their worry. Hell, she merely noticed on the third day after identally eavesdropping on their talk about her. Her almost nk background and history only added to their worries. Not to mention her assassin costume¡ªwhich many hadmented on being incongruously eerie.


    Honestly, Twilight couldn''t wait to finish this mission and ditch them for her original task. She worked best alone, and that''s why she chose this job after all.


    Leaving them to their unwarranted worries, Twilight rounded a ridge to use her stealth skill, lest she spook them too much. Silver rankers or not, nobody likes when someone just appears and disappears close distance from them. Previously, she used this way to her benefit, but the people of this world were a little too rash and had attacked her.


    Not that it ever went easy for them. Still, Twilight learned things...


    Stealth, showing, assassination--all this was as easy as breathing to her¡­ like a second nature¡­ but notmunicating with others.


    ***


    They partied all night until the drinks were wasted, and foods were consumed. Well, the captain left after a couple of hours, and so did the incestuous siblings, although unlike Agnes who could take a few drinks without any problem, the two of them were wasted only after a few sses.


    They began touching one another in front of them, showing too much of their incestuous intimacy. Ultimately, Agnes helped them to their rest, but even she was unable to separate them from being glued to one another. Warden was pretty sure they continued with their passion after leaving¡­


    Weirdly, Warden could honestly not judge them after hearing the gist of their backstory from the others. The siblings were connected to one another¡­ they share one heart and one life¡­ Even their emotions were a reflection of one another. Warden didn''t know how that worked out, but he got that it was impossible to separate them.


    While their birth had been auspicious; they weren''t this way in the beginning. Someone high up experimented on their bond and twisted them in the false im of taking them under their wings. Thankfully, their bondes with a perk as well.


    Since they share one life, their growth speed was twice as fast as anyone else¡­ somehow they managed to hide the fact and killed the experimenter to save themselves.


    Unfortunately, in the eyes of thew and the Arcane Society, they hadmitted capital by killing their master. Offences such as this only end with the death penalty. But the judge wasn''tpletely blind to see the torment they were through and sent them off to the 16th infantry.


    Caleb''s story was also sorrowful. He actuallyes from a good standing¡­ He wasn''t a noble, but his family used to run a silver-grade Guild. Life had been good, Caleb had been newly named the guild master, but within a few months of his lead, the disaster struck.


    It wasn''t his fault, nor his guild''s.


    "My son, Aemon was a goodd, far more talented than me," Caleb expressed, letting out a tired hup. "He wasn''t a monster like you or the captain, but he can easilypare to the firstborn son of many noble houses. He''s only sixteen, merely a year, and a few months into his power when theye to strike him. His fault: he fell in love with someone he shouldn''t have."


    Caleb continued, wiping his snot. "The girl was at fault, too. She had a fiance, yet she gave my fool boy hope that he could win him over. Heh, maybe Aemon could have if they had yed fair... The girl''s financees from a high-ranking family. It was no problem for him to make Aemon''s life hell in the academy.


    "Ultimately, all it came down to a life and death duel. I cannot, in good faith, let my son fight, knowing full well they were bent on killing him or crippling him. I fought in his stead, and I lost."

 Chapter 172: Jessica Forger

    The steward of the third infantry brought him to his new workstation--a warehouse full of stored weaponry and tools. More than half of them would need repairing, and from how the steward addressed him, it appeared his task to do so.


    Warden couldn''t help but let out a sigh. "I cannot work in here."


    The steward, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, frowned. "What do you mean you cannot work here?" he said. "I thought you were in the front lines for about a couple of weeks, you should know the penalty of disobedience."


    Warden clicked his tongue. "I mean I cannot work in this dark and gloomy warehouse."


    "There''s light contrast in ce," the steward said, and even activating one to give a better view of the wide warehouse. Warden didn''t think it was only the goods of the third infantry stored here.


    "A little better, but no," Warden shook his head and turned. "Just give me an open space to work with. . . Just looking at all this clutter and scrap junk will make my head spin."


    The steward snorted, but didn''t insist upon him staying in here to work. "How about the forging work? You can''t just do them anywhere?"


    "Yeah, I''m not doing that," he snorted. "Nor am I any good in it."


    Of course, Warden had hardly practiced to know if he was any good in it. It was just the vibe he got. He wasn''t as acimed in it as in runes.


    "Let''s just focus on repairing these scrapes," he said. "There''s a shit ton of them. . . which reminds me, don''t you guys have some resident runesmith who could repair weaponry?"


    He figured it was necessary to have runemsiths in every infantry to make the army function. Of course, the case for the 16th infantry waspletely different. They were only given a pittance for all the work they did, much less having a runesmith in their rank who could fix their weapon for free.


    That remained him, the contribution points he''d get from repairing the weapons of the soldiers were quite a sum, even when considering he''d only get a fifth of it. He could make just as much if not more fixing weapons as he made out on the front lines risking his life against forsaken.


    This wasn''t really fair to the poor soldiers who had to risk their lives, but then again, is there anythingpletely fair in the world?


    "We do have a couple of them," Steward said. "They weren''t free to repair weapons most of the time."


    "That''s how all this clutter was made in the first ce, huh?"


    "Usually, the damaged weapons were sent to either the secondary unit who are in charge of repair, or a contracted third-party association like the Dragonforge. The repairing unit is in decline since its origin, as you can imagine nobody wants to live on the frontline, scraping junks when they can make banks elsewhere."


    Warden does understand that, He was with the same mind as well. Just looking at the clutter of junk here made his skin crawl. He knew most of them were fixable, though he was unsure how much of it would be worth it."


    Letting out a sigh, Warden addressed the steward, "I''d be on the barren field you excused as garden, working." he pulled a couple of weapons out of the rabble. "You can arrange for someone to deliver the junk. Of course, if you don''t have a man to spare, I can only put my limbs to work.


    "Good day working with you."


    Without giving the steward much to say, Warden departed. He knew he was being an extra bit antsy, but he deserved to be. He was getting a pittance for his work, even putting aside the punishment. Not to mention, after hearing about the backstory of the people from the sixteenth infantry, his impression of this whole military and arcane society only diminished.


    Still, there were five months and two weeks to go. I wonder if I can take a break to get out of the rift, Warden thought. It''s probably been a little over a day for June, but it has been a long time since he had seen her.


    ****


    Jessica rocked back and forth in her seat, absent-mindedly listening to the words of the steward. It wouldn''t matter even if she didn''t listen. Aerel, her second inmand seated opposite to her, was more than enough to take care of these mundane tasks. Sadly, the girl grumbles too much if she leaves everything to her.


    "The Major Colonel has called for a meeting in the evening at the sixth bell," John, the steward of the 3rd infantry, continued. "Every captain under him to be present in the meeting."


    Jessica perked up on that. "What is this urgency about?"


    "We are not given any specifics," the steward said, presenting her with a note. "It said to be rted to some inheritance ruin."


    "If he''s calling all 16 captains, it must be something of importance," Aerel added.


    Jessica''s eyes skimmed once on the note and handed it to Aerel. "It has been some time since we found anything good in any of the ruins," she said, not getting her hopes up. "I don''t expect much from the second fold."


    "Still, you can just send me to the meeting as your stand-in," Aerel added with a hardness in her tone.


    Jessica hadn''t really been thinking about sending Aerel in her ce like most of the time, but the plump woman wasn''t wrong in thinking she would like to send her.


    "Nah, for this time I won''t want to miss it," she said, showing a bit of her interest. "It has been some while since I met all the captains."


    Aerel rxed a little, visibly slumping her shoulders. She had been a lot more stress than Jessica seemed to have known. "What about the Major General?" her second inmand asked softly. "Do you think he''ll¡ª"


    "Terel is not a man who''s used to hearing no," Jessica answered with a sigh. "But I''m a woman of my word, thest thing I''ll give him is satisfaction and an affirmation to woo me."


    Aerel shook her head and shot her a gaze, her eyes were exceptionally tender. "Have you ever wondered, that you''ve gone too far?" she asked. She threw the steward a gaze, but knowing he waspletely loyal to Jessica, she continued, "He''s not really that bad of a man, you know?


    You thought he was after your father''s wealth, but his affection for you didn''t change even after you have cut your ties with your family. He even keep up with all your tantrums."


    Jessica snorted. "My poor Aerel, you still don''t know how ck the hearts of men like Terel Walt''s are. It''s not just a matter of winning my father''s wealth for him anymore. No, it was more about pride. I admit he is a good officer, hell, better than myself for where it didn''t matter and where it did, but to him, I''m simply a tool, a thing to be conquered."


    Aerel still didn''t look convinced. She had been down on confidence for a time. "Still, don''t you think you have gone too far?" she repeated her question.


    "With him, no, not at all," she said and then sighed. "But perhaps I have gone a bit extra hard with my family. I''m not worried about my mother, and father is too busy to listen to his children''s tantrums."


    "Then what?"


    "I cannot help but worry that I''ve set a bad example for my brother," Jessica said ruefully, yet she couldn''t help but feel a tiny bit of pride seeping into her. He too had set aside with their parents and was forming a guild on his own. Well, she knew her little brother always had a goal of bing a hero and saving people. . .


    She remembered when they were children, Jason had always caused a big tantrum if he didn''t be the hero.


    They had lost contact with each other for thest few years. . . well, only months for her brother. The issue with their parents and the istion of the rift only made it harder.


    However, only recently, Jason had contacted her and asked for something from her. After so many years. . .


    "You seem overly proud of that fact?" Aerel said. Of course, Jessica couldn''t hide her expression from this woman.


    "I''m always proud of my brother," she said matter-of-factly.


    "And of herself as well," Aerel snorted.


    Jessica grinned impishly, she couldn''t disagree with that either. She turned to the steward, who hadn''t left, so there should be something more. "Is there anything else, John?"


    "The guy you asked to transfer from the 16th infantry," John said. "He joined today. There''s no issue, just that you asked me to let you know once it has been taken care of."


    Ahh, the condemned guy her brother asked to help, transferring from the sixteenth infantry.


    "How''s he?" she asked. Perhaps she should have some time to meet him, he was after all her brother''s friend. Maybe she had lost contact with her brother, but she was sure of one thing, that her brother was not big on making friends.


    "He''s alright," John said. "Has an attitude, but that''smon for the artisan of his profession to have. Thankfully, he has the credibility to match that. Has been working for hours in the topical garden without many breaks."


    "Why at the garden?" Aerel asked, frowning.


    "Apparently, the repository or workstation is not work-friendly to him."


    "Nothing is really too friendly here in the front lines," Jessica said. "Regardless, treat him well. Like you do to a good soldier."

 Chapter 173: Inheritance Ground

    The meeting went on for a couple of hours. Jessica was intrigued at the beginning by their finding of an essence vein and an ancient inheritance ruin. However, the intriguing part ended pretty early as they began discussing how to proceed to get the inheritance.


    Higher rankers were reluctant to get into it after they studied the entrance. Apparently, the suppression present inside the ruin should be strong enough to put all higher rankers vulnerable to even iron rankers. Most gold rankers wouldn''t want to put themselves under such disadvantaged circumstances.


    Jessica wasn''t particrly surprised by that. What surprised her was how the imperial family and many noble houses took an interest in it. The discovery was made only a couple of days earlier, verified yesterday, and yet they already got wind of the news.


    They would be sending their younger generation as a training drill into this ruin. It wasn''t the first time they were doing it, actually; they took part regrly, using the resources from the military to get the riches. Jessica hated this kind of practice, as all it did was undermine themon soldier''s effort who risked their life on the frontline.


    "Hopefully, they wouldn''t send me to babysit a bunch of noble kids," she had groaned inwardly, wishing for the discussion to be ended. Whom she was kidding, they would really ask them to make sure of the safety of their pissant younger generation, who''d also take their service for granted. This was exactly what noble snobby kinds were like.


    She hated to admit it, but she had been exactly like them when she was younger. Well, somewhat.


    The discussion finally came to an end. Jess would have dly departed with fifteen other captains. Unfortunately for her, the Major General wanted to get into her pants. He stopped her and began discussing mundane things as if they had been a couple, only divided by their work and ranks. The guy couldn''t even read the room.


    That she didn''t want anywhere near him. But he was the Major General, two ranks higher than her; she couldn''t just disrespect him tantly. Even so, she did throw a few venom-induced words to tire him out. She had been getting better at it, and she only had Terel Walt to thank.


    The nerve-wracking talk ended after about half an hour. Aerel had departed when she got the chance, so it was only her to tread the path alone.


    Stifling a sigh, Jess moved into the part of the camp she was in charge of. Sometimes she just wanted nothing but to ignore all this tiring business andy down. She probably could have if she wanted. She had amassed enough reputation and wealth to do it. But then what? Be an adventurer and move around from ce to ce.


    There was a certain charm to it, but Jessica wasn''t a creature of solitude. She could not deal with everything on her own; being alone bored her as much as it unnerved her. I wonder if Aerel will join me if I ask her.


    The answer would probably be an affirmation, but the position of sergeant was something big for Aerel. She had put a decade into it and had a good chance of bing a captain¡ªjust needed a post to open for her.


    Before moving into her quarters, her eyes darted to the badly woven tropical garden. The garden had withered into something barren, with merely a sign of a garden, with nobody having enough time or resources to take care of it. She found a couple of figures there. With a light construct dazzling the surroundings and the garden, she had no problem making out someone working on repairing tools.


    "Oh, Jason''s friend," she remembered. The guy seemed older than Jason, at least by half a decade. While it was hard for one to judge one''s age with the essence of power slowing down one''s ageing process, Jessica had the knack for judging one''s age through their expression, demeanour, and the intensity of their aura.


    This man was closer to her age than her brother, and the age difference between the two siblings had only grown since she joined the military and posted on the front lines.


    Jessica thought of making an acquaintance with her brother''s friend; she remembered him having a weird name that sounded like a ss title. Warden-, no surname too.


    She only took a step as her eyes moved to the other figure, recognizing who it was. Agnes Triani, the captain of the 16th infantry. The frosty beauty took over the condemned of the 16th infantry and gave them structure in the army.


    Before her, they were merely some loose forces at the disposal of other captains. Well, it was still true, but the frosty girl had straightened the condemned a lot and almost made them into a respectable bunch. Of course, the 16th infantry could neverpare to any other squadrons, as all of them had ten times the resources and soldierspared to them.


    Still, Jessica couldn''t help but admire what the girl had aplished with the tools she had.


    Now the question was what she was doing in the camps of the 3rd infantry. Although Agnes was a fellow captain like her, Jessica''s interaction with her had been minimal, perhaps crossing paths and conversing a couple of times. Agnes had a free spirit about her, but the front line had crushed the spirit within months of her joining.


    She had be more frosty and practical over time, never involving herself with anyone.


    There had been countless young men, qualified men, who wanted to court her. Condemned as she might have been, the girl was gorgeous, aplished, and her figure. . . Jessica licked her lips. It has been so long ¡ª


    Jess took in a deep breath and didn''t let her deviant nature get the better of her. She had grown, damn it.


    Agnes was actually the one who discovered the inheritance ground, which had earned her some more recognition in getting the chance ofpleting her service early. She hadn''t shown much expression, much less happiness during the discussion. Yet here she was, in the cover of night, came to visit a young man. And she was smiling. . .


    Is this budding love or what? Jessica''s romantic heart thrilled, and she didn''t think twice before eavesdropping on them.

 Chapter 174: Former and Current Captains

    Warden was staring at the mutated mango tree when Agnes came to his new outdoor workstation.


    "I didn''t think I''d find you so quickly," Agnes said, d in the standard blue military uniform. The dressplemented her tall stature pretty well, coupled with the rich aura of authority she possessed.


    "Ahh, Captain," Warden greeted. "I didn''t think you''d be back to take your equipment."


    "I''m not your captain anymore," she said, letting out a deep exhale. Even though their mission ended, she looked tired of everything.


    "Well, I''m done repairing your breastte," Warden said, gesturing her towards his workstation¡ªwhich was nothing but tools and instrumentsid on a mat, almost making a clutter. "Just give me a few minutes, I''ll be done with your armguard as well."


    "It''s not really anything urgent," she said. "But I''ll wait."


    Resting his butt on the ground, Warden picked up the armguard and began working on repairing its script. It was the equipment piece that came with the breastte, though somewhatcking in quality. With only one tier-4 script in ce and smaller, he could have done with it in a quarter of an hour.


    "Make yourselffortable," he said, finding her standing opposite him. "I don''t really have a chair..."


    "I''mfortable standing," she said nonchntly, watching his dexterous fingers at work.


    "So how''s everyone?"


    "The usual," she said. "They are still at the second fold base... while I was here for a meeting."


    Warden nodded twice, or rather it looked like he was rocking his whole upper body along with working on the piece. "I''m mostly bored here," he said. "Spent two whole days repairing tools and weapons... and it''s never-ending work..."


    "I thought you liked runesmithing," she said, raising an eyebrow.


    "I do, but even the most brilliant mind cannot help but grow dull with thisborious work."


    "Well, looking at the clutter of stuff here, you surely outdone yourself."


    Wardenughed. "Don''t tell the others, but I actually took a lot more rest than necessary and even worked on some of my own projects."


    "I expect nothing less from you," Agnes said with pure sarcasm.


    "The funny thing was that the steward was still stunned by my work rate," Wardenughed. "He didn''t say it, of course, lest I bezy with my work. But after a little research, I''ve found that I aplished twice as muchpared to the runesmith they have."


    "Surely, they are ipetent at their work."


    Warden lifted his head to snort at her. "So instead ofplimenting my ability, you thought badmouthing others is better?"


    Agnes crooked her nose. "I was under the impression that you didn''t need praises to stroke your ego..."


    "Everyone likes something or someone to stroke their ego," Warden said. "Surely, for the work I''ve done, I deserve some praise."


    "Fine, fine," Agnes said, adopting a reluctant tone, "you''re the best."


    "That didn''t sound like it had any spirit, but thank you, Captain..." Warden said,ughing heartily. "Now, if you can make it sound sexier, I''ll give you a big discount."


    "You wish," she snorted. "I just hope you''re aplished enough to repair my equipment while also talking."


    "Don''t you worry, Captain, I take my reputation very seriously. And your arm guard isn''t damaged enough that it needs my undivided attention."


    "You know, if others know all it took a few minutes and a little attention from you, they won''t pay a high sum of wealth for repairing their equipment."


    "That''s just petty thinking," Warden snorted. "A tree doesn''t bear fruit just the day after it''s nted... who knows how many years a runesmith had to work tirelessly before they could scribe without paying much attention?


    "Besides, with the sheer amount of work I do here, I''ll be d if they don''te to me."


    "Well, you sound delightful as always," Agnes said. "I just cannot fathom how you aplish all these things yet sound so reluctant and negative all the time."


    "Practice, I guess."


    "Yeah, many will agree with you," she was about to continue, but she turned as her eyes darted to a figure.


    Warden lifted his head to see what it was and found a woman walking towards them.


    "Captain," Agnes greeted, saluting.


    The other woman was tall like her, d in a blue uniform worn morefortably. Her blue eyes flickered between them as she nodded at Agnes.


    "Forgive his tardiness," Agnes said, gesturing towards him. "He has a track record of being disrespectful to hismanding officer. It isn''t just you; he likes to be disrespectful to everyone."


    The other captain, who probably was his current captain, quirked her brows as she studied him. Only then did Warden recall he should have saluted as well.


    Keeping the armguard he was working on in hand, he stood up to do a salute. "Apologies, Captain. New here."


    ***


    Jessica stared at the guy saluting. He had no poise or spirit in the greeting, as though he was doing the bare minimum not to offend her. Still, Jessica wasn''t a stuck-up officer, nor in the mood to make a scene here.


    Not to mention, how she eavesdropped into that conversation (which hadn''t gone as well as she thought, with Agnes finding her quickly), she could forgive him for this minor offence.


    "At ease," she said. "If you''re new here, learn the way as soon as you can... tant disrespectful conduct is punishable, you should know."


    "He knows that, clearly," the frosty beauty Agnes said, though her tone was cheerier than cold. "I had him clean toilets for a week, though I don''t think that changed anything."


    "I wasn''t disrespectful to you," Warden said. "It was you who acted petty to get your revenge for that incident in the--"


    "You," Agnes said, cutting him off, her face gaining a slight tinge of redness, "had an attitude problem."


    Warden snorted. "That''sing from the woman who believed herself to be the unique most individual in the world."


    Jessica raised an eyebrow. She hadn''t missed the tinge of embarrassment from Agnes. It seemed there was some truth in her being petty.

 Chapter 175: Miss me

    June watched the students leave, maintaining her expression t, even though inside she was urging them to leave as soon as possible. Worse, a group of students even came to ask for advice on energy maniptions before they left.


    While June would have liked to give them her utmost attention, the question they asked was something she had covered a couple of times already in the ss. Telling them she would exin these inter sses, she took a seat.


    Finally, after all the students left, she brought out themunication crystal and called. Within a couple of seconds, themunication connected, and an illusionary figure of Warden formed in her mind''s eye. He was, of course, grinning at her with that goofy smile.


    "Hey, June, did you miss me?" his voice rang in her mind almost instantly.


    "It hasn''t even been three days," she whispered. Yet she didn''t know why her expression grew wistful as she stared at him. She had been so urging them to call back when he tried to connect to her in the middle of the ss. Sadly, she had to maintain the bearing of a teacher at least.


    "Well, it''s about a month for me," he said, raising his hand towards her as though trying to touch her. However, like her, he was also seeing an illusionary figure on her face. He couldn''t touch her. "I have missed you. Missed you so much."


    "Me too," she said softly.


    He smiled. "Did I call you in the middle of a ss?"


    "You did."


    "Sorry about that," he said, "I called you right the moment I got out of the rift and its istion."


    June''s heart thrummed inside her chest.


    "You know, sometimes in the night," he said wistfully, "when I''m alone I thought if this time dtion creates a barrier between us, perhaps end our rtionship before it can begin properly... But with how much I longed to hear your voice... touch your skin¡ª Well, the wait, the longing has taught me how much I appreciate you... and that my feelings about you didn''t change."


    Why was he being so sweet? June''s stomach fluttered in an unknown feeling of happiness. She simply stared at him, wordless, unable to put her feelings into words.


    "The wait only endeared my feeling of you," he said. "So thank you. Thank you for your poor decision of choosing me."


    The man can be charming when he likes, June relished the smile. "Just don''t make me regret my decision then," she said, unable to keep her cheek from turning red. "So how''s your days like on the front lines, is it tough?"


    "It''s mostly boring," Warden said. "The captain, who''s actually Jason''s elder sister, has decided the best use of my talent is on repairing equipment for the soldiers. Well, I have been on a mission in the first week and fought once in a skirmish, but for the rest of the time, I''ve beenbouring away."


    "Why do you sound like you''re dissatisfied with it?" she asked.


    "Because I am."


    "I thought you liked runesmithing."


    "I do, but there''s a limit to the enjoyment," he said grumbling, "while I have to carve the same mundane runes every day. I''m beginning to understand why so many runesmiths seem to grow an attitude over the years; it''s actually a boring,borious job."


    "At least it pays well," she said.


    "If I wanted to make money, I would have just joined Dragonforge and made artifacts all day," he said with a sigh. "Anyway, I don''t want to spend the rest of my monthly break grumbling about my work. How''s your day?"


    "The usual," June said. "It has only been a couple of days, nothing really changed."


    "Oh~"


    June studied his face for an extended moment. "You said your captain is Jason''s elder sister, so can''t you just ask her to let you do what you want to do?"


    "I don''t think she can help me with the only thing I want to do right," he let out a deep exhale.


    "What do you want to do?"


    "I want to hug you tight and cuddle you all day."


    June blinked, her cheek turning a deeper shade of red. As it was all his fault, she red at him.


    "You look so cute when you do that," he said.


    They talked for over half an hour, about all kinds of mundane matters of what their life has been like in the absence of others. June didn''t have much to exchange, so she listened in and gave her input. A part of her could not help but want to experience all this with him.


    "Oh, about the essence vein that we scouted on my first mission," Warden said with greater enthusiasm. "Apparently, it was inside some inheritance ground¡ªwhose subspace has cracked open to create a halo of highly concentrated energy zones. There have been multiple groups of teams on expeditions there... I wonder what''s inside that space like."


    It was pretty easy for her to guess he wanted to go there, at least as a break from hisborious work of runesmithing.


    "If you want to go, talk to your captain and see if she can do anything about it."


    "I''ll try," Warden said. "Yeah. But before that, I want to make the spear."


    "Did you find a good cksmith?"


    "No, but I''m going to ask Dragonforge to send me," he said. "I have alreadypleted a bunch ofmissions I took before my departure. I''m going to cash in all my contribution points to get a master smith. Besides, I do have some expertise in it. It''s not hard, just that my element isn''t the best of elements for smithing."


    "Hmm, there are some great smiths who can actually give an attribute to the metal," June said. "Since your void energy is very vtile and destructive,municate well for the attribute you want. I don''t think anyone but you can help in making a void-attributed weapon, but the best you can have is probably a self-repairing attribute to the metal."


    "Noted, thanks, June," he said. "I actually thought of that, but from my research, all I found is that only grandmasters and very few master cksmiths are capable of giving an attribute. But I''ll see what Dragonforge can give me."


    "You know your worth, don''t settle for anything less than you deserve."


    Warden smiled. "Thanks for the advice, as always..."


    June nodded. Looking at his expression, June could tell he was running out of topics to talk about, not to mention that his break was only for two hours¡ªwhich was a day in the front lines.


    "Oh, did I mention I actually made some friends?" Then he began talking about his new friends. There were a few of them, and all of them seemed to be in the condemned unit.


    June wasn''t really surprised. Warden was someone who could somehow make friends just over a single meeting. Just one impression was enough for him to charm a person or infuriate them. The problem was that most of the time he didn''t know if he was being charming or insufferable.


    Eventually, their call ended. "I''ll call you back in a month, which is like less than three days for you, hmm, unless I can sneak out of the camp to call you. But no promises, it''s too hard with the time dtion in ce... Until then, you''ll be in my heart."


    His illusionary figure disappeared as the call disconnected. June wondered how he had grown to talk like that in the meantime he was away... Well, until the next time.


    ***


    A day passed by the time Warden came back into the rift after calling June and the representative from Dragonforge, Miss Arden, who mentioned that someone would being to take the finished product as well as deliver new unfinished equipment for him to work on.


    As for the matter of a cksmith, what Warden asked was difficult but definitely not beyond the scope of Dragonforge, which was undoubtedly the biggest enterprise in weapon manufacture. It was only a matter of scheduling.


    Hispletedmissions in a short time did put out a good message, she mentioned. Now it all depended on the schedule.


    On his way back, Warden''s eyes darted to the War-effort Emporium, the establishment where you can turn in your contribution points to exchange valuable things.


    Warden picked up his badge to check the number of contribution points he amassed. It was a sizeable sum of 4850 points¡ªa good third of it came from Agnes for repairing her armour. However, if he were to get the real sum for hisbour, the number would be at least four times higher.


    Still, 4850 was a sizeable sum for an Iron ranker. For anymon soldier, they would have to be fighting regrly to gain so much.


    Considering he was running low on alcohol and spices, Warden strode onto the emporium. The inside wasn''t really like a supermarket as he thought, though there were plenty of people to help him figure out how to progress with it.


    "Good evening, sir," a plump woman in fitting clothing simr to other workers greeted him. "It seems like you''re not very familiar with the emporium. Can I help you with your purchase?"


    Warden nodded as she led him towards a big screen, where various items were listed.


    "Sir, what do you want to buy?"


    Warden''s eyes lingered on the names of items which were listed as popr this week. Unsurprisingly, alcohol was at the top of the list.


    Warden wasn''t really big on being a drunkard, so he began with the essentials. "Let''s begin with cooking articles."

 Chapter 176: Elixirs

    Inferior Mind Elixir - 200 Contribution points.


    Inferior Spirit Elixir - 200 Contribution Points.


    Inferior Perception Elixir - 100 Contribution Points.


    Inferior Strength Elixir - 25 Contribution Points.


    Inferior Dexterity Elixir - 25 Contribution Points.


    Inferior Charisma Elixir - 200 Contribution Points (Only 4 Remaining.)


    Warden''s eyes lingered on the elixir panel for an extended moment before he asked, "Where are the intermediate variants of these elixirs?"


    "Unfortunately, sir," the female attendant said in apology, "only with the rank of sergeant can you ess the elixirs of intermediate quality of these variants."


    This meant there were other quality items that could only be essed through high military rank.


    "What you see here is a lot cheaper than what can be found outside," the plump attendant exined. "It is one of the reasons elixirs like these are smuggled out by the soldiers for their families and loved ones. Some even just want to make a profit selling them at higher prices. Thankfully, the military can spare the inferior grades in bulk to never run out of stock.


    Unfortunately, it isn''t the same for the intermediate and advanced articles."


    Warden nodded in understanding. Still, he wondered if he could ask Agnes to smuggle out a few of these elixirs using her rank as a captain.


    "These inferior-grade attribute-boosting elixirs work best when the attribute is under 100 points," the attendant exined. "Although you still can receive the benefit if your attribute is under 150."


    This was, of course, the threshold of Iron rank. She was indirectly saying the inferior grades were enough for his Iron rank.


    Warden couldn''t help but smile. "How many of them can I take before they lose potency?"


    "For the first three ingestions, each elixir will give 2 points to the said attribute, and for the next three, it is 1 point each," she said with a smile. "9 points in total. After that, for some, ingesting two or three vials can give a point, but it''s mostly minimal."


    "I see." Warden thought deeply about what to do with the little over three thousand points remaining. Should he save the points for an Attribute Awakening Gem?


    His eyes moved to the block where the top items were listed.


    His eyes moved to the block where the top items were listed.


    Attribute Awakening Gem - Perception - 25000 Contribution Points.


    Attribute Awakening Gem - Charisma - 25000 Contribution Points.


    Attribute Awakening Gem - Spirit - 10000 Contribution Points.


    . . .


    Ability Gem - Stone Skin (Iron) - 10000 Contribution Points.


    Ability Gem - Commanding Aura (Silver) - 10000 Contribution Points.


    Aperture Opening Elixir - Mind Pce - 50000 Contribution Points.


    Lineage Awakening Elixir - 25000 Contribution Points.


    Diamond Reinforced Energy Vessels - 100000 Contribution Points.


    Yeah, with the condemned debuff, where he lost most of his earned contribution points, Warden didn''t see himself earning anything more than twenty thousand points even withboring all the remaining five months in repairing tools and weapons.


    Honestly, Warden was at a loss. He really wanted some of these items. Hell, even the aura ability would be useful. If he only didn''t have the condemned debuff, he would have bagged a number of these items.


    On top of that, most of these top-quality items were low in supply. Only grandmasters and Transcendent rankers could create items like these. And who knew how many of these types of top-quality items were hidden frommon soldiers'' eyes?


    The only reason they had shown all these was to give the soldiers hope that even the mostmon soldier ofmon birth could rise to be a dragon among men if he worked hard enough. Perhaps there had beenmon rankers persisting and growing into something greater. Warden wouldn''t be surprised by that.


    That Lineage Awakening Elixir, perhaps, could stir his dormant celestial powers into manifesting. Honestly, it was more valuable to him than an aperture-opening elixir, which was a must to rank up.


    "Umm, sir?"


    Warden sighed. "Buy me the Mind and Spirit elixirs, six each."


    There went 2400 contribution points. Still, Warden had a little over twelve hundred points remaining. And he had no interest in any strength or dexterity-enhancing potions¡ªthey were rising as fast as possible. Unfortunately, there was nothing rted to Recovery as an attribute. Perhaps only the Celestial has secrets to the Recovery Attribute.


    The attendant fidgeted with the controls of the formations. After a couple of minutes, another worker came to deliver the items to him.


    "Do you have books?" Warden asked.


    "Books? Of what kind?" she asked, already moving into the tabs of books.


    "Anything, from steamy romance to fundamentals of magic," Warden said without a stutter in his voice.


    "Unfortunately, sir, we don''t have fiction," she added regretfully. "But we do have arge collection of books on the theory of magic and rankers."


    Warden clicked his tongue. There were whorehouses in the frontline, but not a steamy romance book. The injustice to those loyal men... and women.


    "Show me books rted to Wards," he said. June had taught him some fundamentals of wards, and he had learned well, but not as much as he was afforded to with the limited time he had.


    After shuffling through the list of books, Warden bought a couple of them; one was written by an Elven Gold ranker, and the other was actually someone Warden knew, Elder Vess from the academy. The two purchases cost 220 points.


    "Do you have books on the history and geography of the world?"


    The attendant smiled, opening a huge list for him to choose from. Thankfully, these mundane books were a lot cheaperpared to anything rted to magic. Spending a hundred credits, Warden bought a couple dozen of them.


    "Now for the rest of my contribution points, I want a swing, alcohol, a barbecue grill, hmm." Warden paused to remember what he was missing. "Hey, do you sell janitor''s equipment?"


    ***


    Warden was back in the withering garden. Without paying for his workstation and the clutter he created, he brought out the elixirs he bought. Twelve of them. If everything went well, he would receive a boost of 18 points in total.


    But before that... Warden summoned his Status page to check...

 Chapter 177: System Overwrite

    ___________


    [Warden]


    Race: Human/Celestial (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 31%)


    Title: [Dungeon Eater] [Indomitable] ¡­ [Redacted]


    Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm]


    Unlocked Aperture: [The Pce of Toil, (Left Palm)], [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)]


    Bonded Artifact: [Cloak of Void Radiance (Legendary)], [Maya''s Protection (Legendary)] [The Divider (Rare, Growth: 23%)


    Disposition: Chaotic


    Rank: [Broken Cmity (Iron)]


    [Core: Unique, Void Element. Unable to determine further.]


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 134.4] | Efficiency: +95%


    [Dexterity: 123.3] | Efficiency: +75%


    [Mind: 29.4] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Spirit: 92.4] | Efficiency: +85%


    [Recovery: 112] | Efficiency: +90%


    Abilities:


    [Imbuing: Silver 12%] [Regeneration: Iron - 99%] [Indomitable Will: Spacial]


    [Left Hand of Cmity: > 15%] [Void Space: Grade-9]


    [Runesmithing: Tier-5] [Ward: Tier-2]


    [Intent: 49% (Spear type/Malevolent Attunement)]


    Boon:


    [Void Vanquishing Physique: 4% Attunement.]


    _____________


    His attributes had been quite stagnant since he had been only working on runes for the month. But with these elixirs in hand, he might just receive his Boon of Spirit.


    At the attainment of 100 points in Spirit, he would get to choose a type of boon to strengthen himself. The boon for the Physique had been quite catastrophic considering he had toplete the transformation while inbat. So for the boon of spirit, Warden wanted toplete indoor, though he still wasn''t sure if there would be any interference.


    For most people, the experiencests only a few minutes to a couple of hours and they receive the boon. However, Warden wasn''t like most people. He wasn''t sure if Void Prison Realm would overwrite the system protocol again to give another benefit. Of course, all those benefits came hand in hand with danger. . .


    On attaining his Void Vanquishing Physique, his Void Space had destabilised. He didn''t know how to fix it, nor was he sure if the next boon would destabilise it further or not. There were still loads of corpses, cores and other expensive stuff in his subspace¡ªperhaps the new boon would feed them all into his spirit. . .


    if that happens Warden could only apologise to Jason again, not that he thought that would happen again.


    Well, there was only one way to find out.


    Warden drank the Inferior Mind Elixir first, as a wild swirl of energy surged through his body. Blood rushed to his mind as an old familiar chilliness spread at the back of his mind. . .


    [+1 Spirit.]


    "What the fuck?" Warden cursed aloud. He didn''t think he had drunk the wrong elixir, nor did the sales attendant deliver the wrong item. It was obviously his Mind attribute and whatever was wrong with it was fucking with the benefit of the elixir.


    After he drank the next Mind elixir, he was certain of it.


    [+1 Spirit.]


    [+0.2 Mind.]


    Is it somehow possible to convert the essence of one attribute to another? He wondered, letting out a deep exhale.


    Drinking four more Inferior Mind Elixir brought him about 3 more points in Spirit and a grand total of 0.3 points in Mind.


    "Well, it''s not aplete waste," Warden said. He brought out the green vial now. There were six of them. With his Spirit already standing at over 97 points, there was no uncertainty that he wouldn''t get to the mark.


    [+1.7 Spirit.]


    Warden felt goosebumps as the number reached 99. He opened the cork of another vial and poured it into his mouth.


    [+1.5 Spirit.]


    A heart-crushing fire surged within him, causing him to stand straighter. He let out a gurgle, waiting for more notifications toe up.


    [Congrattions! Your spirit has reached the First threshold of 100 points.]


    [Please choose one of the three options as your Boon of Spirit: Twin Soul | Void Heart ¡ª]


    [Interference Detected!]


    [Overwriting General system protocol. . .]


    [Congrattions! You have been given a new option to choose your Boon of Spirit.]


    [Boon of Spirit option: Neophyte Spirit Domain]


    "What in the actual fuck?!" Although Warden was prepared for another surprise, he wasn''t ready for that. With this interference, the other two options Twin Soul and Void Heart were gone.


    Although it was too hard to guess what the real benefit of these boons would be, both the option Twin Soul and Void Heart sounded a lot better than this Neophyte Spirit Domain. But obviously, that wasn''t the truth. Probably.


    The next notification evidenced that exactly.


    [The Spirit in your soul has detected insufficient soul energy to transform your spirit into a Neophyte Spirit Domain. Please provide a high source of soul energy to receive your boon.]


    [Postponing the Boon of Spirit. . .]


    "Um, for how long is the postponing will be in effect?" Warden asked.


    Unfortunately, only a silence answered him. Now, he wasn''t even aware of what kind of source he needed to look for. The system mentioned a high source of soul energy. . .


    Well, that didn''t sound expensive at all, Warden thought sarcastically. "I need to talk to June."


    While Agnes did seem knowledgeable in various topics, June was far more studious. Not to mention, he wasn''t prepared to disclose all these secrets to Agnes.


    Regardless, this Neophyte Spirit Domain was possibly a domain ability. But only the Transcendental rank powerhouse had domain ability... Well, that was why it was Neophyte.


    Exhaling, he calmed the adrenaline rushing through his system. With little excitement, he drank the rest of the elixir without noting how much benefit each of them was bringing him.


    Ultimately, his Spirit attribute stood at 104.7 points.


    Well, this was some boost to his abilities, yet there was so much left to do.


    Warden stretched and surged his energy for a few minutes to get used to the boost. He was ready to move on to his work, when Steward John presented himself.


    "Before youin about my work, it was my monthly holiday yesterday, so obviously, I''m not done with repairing."


    While Warden''s efficiency remained at the top, he had dropped his productivity by a third, putting his time on other things like tending the withered garden, or simply fooling around with mundane matters. Hell, he even sparred with Agnes in the morning when she was in the main camp.


    Obviously, the steward wasn''t happy with it.


    "Lady Jessica is calling you," John said, shooting a disapproving look. Finding Warden not moving, he added, "Now!"

 Chapter 178: Elder Ming

    "It hase to my notice that you''re quite proficient in artificing?" Jessica said without hesitation after Warden entered her office.


    "My skills are adequate for crafting tools for iron and silver rankers," Warden truthfully replied. "Unfortunately, my worksck some character to be fancied by gold rankers."


    Jessica snorted and gestured towards the elderly man standing by her side. "This is Elder Ming," she introduced. "He oversees the Military''s Artificer department. Also, he''s a gold ranker, and he appears to appreciate your work."


    The elderly runesmith in the room twitched upon hearing her words. Warden studied the old man for the second time. The aura the old man emitted spoke of power, mostly retracted but unmistakable. Most Runesmiths had superior control over their abilitiespared to regr rankers; this old man was undoubtedly a master runesmith.


    "Where does your skill at runesmithing stand?" he inquired.


    "Tier-5," Warden replied.


    "Tier-5 in what kind of runes?"


    "All of them," Warden said, attempting to keep any smugness or pride from his tone.


    The elder runesmith exchanged a look with Jessica, whose eyes revealed nothing. Not all runes were equal; for instance, a Tier-4 Restoration Rune was more challenging to create than most Tier-5 runes.


    "Why have they sent you here like you''re amon soldier if they knew you possess such quality?" the elder grumbled. "Such a waste..."


    "Tell me about it," Warden sighed. After receiving permission to sit, he settled into the chair across from the captain. "Well, it''s mostly my fault; not many knew I''m a skilled artificer."


    It came as a surprise even to him.


    "Are you affiliated with any organization?" the elder asked. A master artificer was quite rare, and given his age, he had likely encountered or known of most of them.


    "I''ve signed a contract with Dragonforge just before joining the front line," Warden disclosed. The elder''s frown deepened immediately. "Of course, that didn''t stop me from creating weapons for other parties."


    The elder''s expression brightened somewhat. Warden could already surmise that they wanted him to craft weapons for them; it was quite apparent. Creating new artifacts was far more appealing than repairing old tools. However, Warden wouldn''t agree at the first chance of their offer.


    "That''s good," Elder Ming said. "The reason we called you here is that we''d like to put your expertise to better use."


    "Before we delve into crafting weapons for the army," Warden interjected, "I must add that I have no interest in investing all my effort and dedication into work when I barely receive a fifth of my pay."


    Elder Ming furrowed his brows and turned to Captain Jessica.


    "Oh, I forgot to mention, he''s a condemned soldier," she said.


    "His offence?" he asked.


    Warden didn''t bother to open his mouth, as the question was directed to his superior officer, who shuffled through stacks of papers to bring out one about him.


    "Looks like it''s some minor issue," she said, as though she was reading it for the first time. "Most of it is unproven too. He''s charged with six months of service as a Condemned on the frontline. His main offence is attacking a Justiciar Acolyte on duty and cursing at a Judge when he was proven guilty."


    "By attack, it was mostly meant defeating that Justiciar Acolyte and making a fool of him in front of guild men and students," Warden added, much to his amusement. "As for the cursing, well, they didn''t really care about the truth."


    Both of them stared at him for an extended moment.


    "You''re lucky it''s only an Acolyte," Jessica said. "Even if you have a good reason, attacking a true Justiciar can only end one way, and you won''t like the sound of it."


    "On top of that, you cursed at the Judge?" the elder said. "Lad, you either have the courage of a lion or are truly foolish..."


    "Well, probably both," Warden sighed. "Although it''s not entirely my fault; my oversight has caused most of it."


    "Whom did you offend?"


    Warden blinked. "I actually forgot the name, but it''s some young master with the surname, Walt."


    "Truly?" Jessica asked, her eyes gleaming. "A Justiciar Acolyte, so it''s probably Torin Walt."


    "The Major General''s brother?" Elder Ming scowled.


    While Jessica justughed. "Why didn''t Jason tell me this before," she chuckled. "This is truly great. I must invite you to a drink just for that."


    "Don''t encourage him," Elder Ming admonished.


    Jessica smiled. "I don''t think Terel Walt is aware of his brother getting beaten by a soldier in his troops," she said. "He wouldn''t have let you be just like this, and neither would I have gotten the chance to transfer you from the 16th infantry."


    Warden groaned inwardly. Of course, that Walt family had a stake in the military as well. Just incredibly convenient.


    Elder Ming shook his head. "It is very unbing of a captain to talk behind their superior''s back."


    Jessica met his admonishing words with a smile of her own. "Anyway, Elder, what do you want to do about him?" she said. "You can put the words into the Major General''s ears and forcefully transfer him into the Artificer Department to get what you want¡ª"


    Warden sat straighter in his chair as they discussed turning to serious business. After all, they were talking about himboring away a good part of his remaining five months making artifacts and formations, at least not with that meager pay.


    "--or you can pay some favors and discuss with him what it will take for him to work with you."


    "You think very little of me if you believe I''ll simply snitch on a talented fellow artificer just to gain some benefits," Elder Ming snorted. "You''re even more mistaken if you think I need to inform the Major General to transfer him to the Artificer Department. My own rank did not lose out to that of a general, even if it is just in name."


    "Elder, it is very unbing of you to badmouth the Major General," Jessica smirked, and then both of them burst intoughter.


    Warden sighed in relief. Although the situation wasn''t perfect, it didn''t seem like he would have to be at the mercy of the Major General, who was probably the same petty, snobbish young master kind as his brother.


    "So what did you decide, Elder?" Jessica asked.


    "I haven''t decided yet," Elder Ming shook his head. "While I can y some cards to get his condemned identity pardoned, I''ll be giving up some big favor just to get him to work five months."


    "I can make at least a hundred artifacts with Tier-5 runes," Warden added.


    The head of the Artificer Department shot him an incredulous look. "You''re boasting, boy."


    "I havepleted sixteenmissions from Dragonforge this month," Warden smirked. "Before any of youin, all of it was done in my free time."


    Well, mostly. Nobody should begrudge him for working in guard duty, after all. However, the elder still didn''t seem to believe him.


    Finding the elder contemting, Jessica cut in, "That reminds me, what have you done to the topical garden?"


    "Just some minor work," Warden said. "Iid just some istion barrier around it, which wouldn''t let the barren environment affect the garden."


    "But wouldn''t that also cut away the source of ambient energy as well?"


    "It should have, but I''ve added a filter to the barrier that will channel purified ambient energy into the garden," Warden exined. "If everything works out, we''ll get to eat the mangoes in just a couple of months."


    "Truly? I must thank you for your hard work."


    "It''s hardly hard work. It took some time to n out, but most of the work was finished in a total of eight or nine hours."


    The real reason for him to fix the garden was that Warden wanted to breathe fresh air and ambient energy when he was working. Rejuvenating the withered garden was just a plus, which heter improvised into an array of formations.


    "How about this," Elder Ming said, finallying to a decision. "The formation on the west side of the main camp is damaged. You fix this, and we''ll talk about your pardon."


    Warden wasn''t easy to agree with. "How damaging is it?"


    "There''s a big hole in it," Jessica said before the elder could open her mouth.


    "Well, the primary shell is damaged by about 70%," Elder Ming said, ring at the captain. "I''ll send you a team to help you with it. If you can fix it within a week, we''ll talk about your pardon."


    With that, the elder left, even before hearing him out.


    "So haughty at this age," Warden muttered. Other than that, he found the arrangement to be pretty good. With this, he might have a chance at getting the top stuff in the emporium.


    "While the elder is a bit of a cheapskate, he''s mostly fair," the captain said. "You won''t lose out much, of course. That is, if you can finish the work he has given you. While I don''t doubt your words, I must mention if you have even boasted a little of your capabilities to the elder...e clear as soon as you can. He''s very uptight."


    Warden nodded. "How aplished is he in this work?"


    "Well, he''s a master runesmith and probably can craft some Tier-6 runes," Jessica said. "You don''t look impressed? Other than being a runesmith, Elder Ming is also an adept Alchemist and a Grand Master cksmith¡ªthe empire only has like eight of themst I checked."


    A Grand Master cksmith! Warden sucked in his breath. Wouldn''t that solve his problem of finding someone to make him the spear?

 Chapter 179: Resources

    A day passed, and Warden whollymitted himself to repairing the barrier on the west side of the camp. As the Elder mentioned, the main shell had been damaged over 70%. However, he had failed to mention that it would be better to build the shell from scratch instead of repairing it.


    Moreover, it was the main shell through which the other shells were powered. So when Warden began removing the scripts from the main shell, the other shells were deactivated. Dozens of people came toin about it. Their worry was not unfounded; what if a horde of demonic beasts attacked the main camp when the barrier was down? It had surely happened before and could happen again.


    Unfortunately, they had failed to notice that the barrier had been barely intact and hardly capable of withstanding a proper attack from a horde of demonic beasts.


    Exining all that to the first dozen people had wasted more of Warden''s brain cells than his actual work. Ultimately, he put his two new assistants in to exin to the crowd. At least they would be of some use.


    The team of assistants Elder Ming had offered wasn''t much of a team at all, nor much assistance either. There were only two of them, barely adept-ranked runesmiths who could barely craft tier-3 runes of a few kinds. Certainly, he could put them to use when it was time for theborious task of repeating the same runes again and again, but that still needed to wait another day.


    Before establishing the final array of scripts, Warden needed to make sure the connection between all the other shells would be top-notch.


    On the second day, the elder sent a couple more assistants, much to his relief. Although their expertise wasn''t higher than the present adepts, they could reduce a lot of stress from him as they began theborious task of crafting the array.


    They would need to carve runes into three huge-sized steles; each one would bear 64,000 runes on them. An impossibly arduous task toplete in a week. Not to mention the most difficult part where he would have to join the three of them into one shell.


    As more than two-thirds were merely Tier-3 runes, Warden was certain ofpleting about ten to twelve thousand of them a day. He was fairly certain ofpleting a stele of 64,000 runes on his own, but the dull faces of his four assistants didn''t inspire any sess. Each of them was barely capable of crafting a couple of thousand runes¡ªperhaps a thousand more if they stoppedining.


    But that would be barely enough toplete another stele.


    Warden would need four more adepts toplete the task within this week.


    Unfortunately, his problems didn''t end there. There weren''t enough resources to reconstruct the barrier. The bone dust and blood essence of demonic beasts were easy to obtain, but the issuey with essence gems. Hecked a couple of hundred gold-grade and a few thousand silver-grade essence gems to finish the work.


    The sheer wealth at y here was staggering, but considering it was the main shell of one side, Warden wasn''t really surprised.


    With his shoulders slumped in exhaustion, Warden carried himself to Elder Ming''s office to inform him of the problem he was facing.


    "So, how''s the work going?" Elder Ming asked as Warden entered his office. "Are you positive aboutpleting the task within this week?"


    "Not with the resources I have," Warden said with a sigh. "Elder Ming, I''m fairly dissatisfied with the assistance you provided."


    Elder Ming furrowed his brows. "How many more days do you need?" he asked. "You should be aware that a full infantry had to be deployed to guard the west side as you work."


    "Well, I do n on finishing the shell this week, which is why I came," Warden said. He brought out stacks of paper that held the blueprint for his improvised shell and handed them to the elder to see. "I''d need more adepts and resources."


    Elder Ming said nothing for several moments. "You have more than doubled the number of runes in the shell," he said with a twitch in his voice. "You even n on implementing Tier-4 restoration runes instead of Tier-3."


    Warden nodded. "I want the barrier to stand for a decade or two, at least."


    "With what I''m seeing in the blueprints, it seems to be a foolproof n that the barrier will withstand a century."


    "Only if the shells aren''t damaged, or there''s no noteworthy attack on the barrier," Warden said.


    Elder Ming contemted that for a moment. Warden thought he mightin about his improvising on the main shell too much¡ªit certainly had stressed the amount of resources he was afforded to implement in this endeavour.


    "I''m actually a little surprised when I checked the shells of the barriers," Warden said. "They aren''t too low-levelled, but they certainly didn''t inspire confidence in the safety of the camp. For how long have they stood?"


    "Around thirty-nine years," Elder Ming said. "Of course, back then, it was barely tier-1 and 2 runes. We have improved it over the years. Thest work was eight years ago when we had shifted all the runes to at least tier 3. Runesmithing has been the greatest discovery of thest century, and we have improved greatly in thest couple of decades."


    Unfortunately, Warden didn''t think so. "Has there been any attack led by Fiends, equaling the strength of peak gold rankers?"


    "There were a couple of times. Why do you ask?"


    "How did the barrier withstand the attack?"


    "It did not," Elder Ming sighed.


    Warden nodded, expecting exactly that answer. "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but as I see it, the barrier could not withstand the full force of a gold-rank powerhouse. Hell, even a horde of low-ranked fiends could eat their way up through the barrier. As it stands now, the barriers are merely a glorified blob of magic to give the soldiers and staff a sense of safety from the demonic beasts."

 Chapter 180: Adepts

    Elder Ming couldn''t dispute his sentiment; Warden was right. The barrier, as it stood, would shatter likemon ss against the power of a single peak-ranked fiend. Against fiends equal to Silver-ranked forces, it might take only a few minutes before they could create holes to infiltrate the main camp.


    "The main camp is closest to our world," Elder Ming broke the silence after pondering the implications of Warden''s words. "So there has never been a need for superior defences, considering many of our powerhouses reside here."


    "So should I scrap my n and revert to the old circuit?" Warden asked.


    Elder Ming met his eyes. "What are you proposing?"


    "Four more adepts, at least, toplete it within a week," Warden said. He could have asked for more, but the artificer department seemed already stretched thin to him. "Of course, we can do it for three or four days, and I can handle the remaining work. However, I cannot proceed without the resources needed for the actual drawing. Your adepts weren''t efficient in carving either.


    Each one of them wastes about 30 to 50% more essence during carving."


    Elder Ming snorted. "How much do you need?"


    Warden stated the amount of essence gems he needed as another silence settled in the office. It wasn''t really too much in the grand scheme of things, but Warden was asking for the exact amount of essence gems he had been supplied to repair the shell.


    "Do you know our monthly allowance from the Artificer department?" Finding Warden shaking his head, the elder asked him to guess.


    "Well, I don''t have the full scope of the military, about how many bases there are and how important they are," Warden said. "But if I had to guess based solely on this main camp, I would say it''s several thousand gold-grade essence gems. The number could possibly be close to ten thousand. Wait, that''s a guess based on the actual needs of the main camp.


    If it is the actual allotment, then it''s probably close to half of that number."


    "Still not close. The actual number is close to three thousand if we only count this camp," Elder Ming said. "But you''re right about ten thousand being the camp''s need. Unfortunately, the higher-ups did not deem such waste necessary. To them, even the thousand silver-grade essence gems the barrier wastes a day were unnecessary, since there hasn''t been a real attack in real times."


    Warden frowned. "Elder, have you ever considered using ambient energy to power the barrier?"


    "Of course, I have,d," the elder sighed. "But the initial cost is too much for the higher-ups to bear. Coupled with the fact that the warped energy of the frontline isn''t easy to source, they have discarded the idea every time I brought it up."


    "Well, we can implement Purification runes to purify the warped energy."


    "Listen to yourself, boy," the head of the artificer department said. "Ignoring the fact it is one of the hardest runes to master, the sheer amount of essence gems needed to power the Purification array and how easily the runes are damaged, purifying the tyrannical warped energy of the rift¡ªdo you think it is a viable option?"


    Warden felt like he could argue more, but it wasn''t a lost argument as he saw it. He could perhaps create a purification array that wouldn''t be damaged easily, but that was it...


    "Regardless, what do I do with the shell?" Warden asked. "Should I scrap it? I haven''t begun the actual work, so pretty much most of it is redeemable."


    "No, keep working on it," Elder Ming said, giving another gaze at the blueprint. "I can help with the manpower; as for the essence gems, I''ll see what I can do."


    Warden nodded. "The resources we have willst a couple of days," he added before departing.


    The moment Warden got back to work, an immediate scowl crawled up on his face. The four adepts he had left behind to work were currently resting in a corner; a couple of them eveny on the ground as if they were here for holidays.


    "Get back to work; yourziness won''t pay for your keep," Warden shouted at them.


    "Please spare us, oh great master Runesmith," cried Aki, the scrawny one of the bunch, "you have stressed us too thin... my mind is numb, eyes bleary... I cannot even stand on my feet."


    As if to show it, he tried to stand back, yet before he could do so, he tumbled onto the ground. Warden studied his aura to see if he was really acting¡ªas they had been acting exhausted from day one¡ªhowever, this time it looked real. The same exhaustion ovepped on his fragile being to have this effect.


    Even the others joined in protesting the work. Seeing them like this, Warden could only sigh.


    "Have you drunk any rejuvenation potion today?"


    All the adepts'' faces twitched in unison on hearing the question.


    "Master, I drank four yesterday," Jenni said, the only female in the group. She was the most efficient in the group, but unfortunately also the most devious to skip work. "My poor body cannot bear any more without having an arduous effect on my foundation. If that happens, I''ll never be a Master Runesmith like yourself, great master.


    Then Papa will force me to take over his position in the Craftsman guild. I''ll have to marry some fat old man and have to mother half a dozen children... My poor body cannot bear it."


    "Please spare me from this torture, Great Master Warden. I don''t want to marry an old man and have a dozen kids..."


    Jenni''s eyes became teary, even though she exaggerated a lot in her story.


    Warden sighed. "Take a break for a couple of hours." The adepts visibly rxed, somewhat. Jenni cried harder as she tooy back on the ground. "But remember, I expect all of you to do your part, even if you have to put in extra hours."


    They groaned in unison.

 Chapter 181: Opportunity

    After reaching an agreement with Elder Ming, Warden''s work on finishing the main shell of the west front had been progressing well. On the fifth day, they had almostpleted carving runes on all three steles.


    Of course, it wouldn''t have been possible without the help of Elder Ming. Instead of the four additional adepts that Warden had requested, the elder presented himself and single-handedlypleted a stele on his own, matching his own aplishments. However, the speed at which the elder worked was far spectacr, taking only two days to finish the humongous 64,000 runes.


    Honestly, Warden didn''t think he''d lose out much inparison to the elder in the skill of Runesmithing. It was simply a y of rank. Elder Ming was a gold ranker; his rank was multiple times higher than Warden''s. Of course, he''d have some advantages over him, not to mention that the elderly man was full of experience in this sort of job.


    It was evening, and Warden had almost finished his part of the carving on his stele. He hoped to finish it before nightfall. Currently, he was hanging on the top of the huge stele,pleting thest touch-up. His four assistants were probably sprawled on the ground somewhere, burning with exhaustion.


    Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Wardenpleted thestyers of the few Tier-5 runes remaining. Now, the only thing left was to check if there were any faulty runes mixed in the array of scripts.


    Warden jumped down from the twenty-odd meters tall stele without any fear, hisnding barely creating an impact on the ground. For the past month, he had been experimenting with his runes and found that Anti-gravity runes were particrly good for this sort of task. Merely a dozen simple Tier-1 Anti-gravity runes could save him from creating arge hole in the ground.


    Of course, he could also implement his energy to do the job, but that wouldn''t be very efficient.


    Runes were a remarkable aspect of magic. Warden was pretty sure he would be able to fly using the Anti-gravity runes. Well, the runes could let him fly now, but it was more like falling in the opposite direction than flying. To remedy that, he needed to do a little more experimenting.


    Anyway, back to work, Warden put his arms against the stele and was just about to infuse his energy into it to inspect when a voice called from behind him.


    "Well, you seem busy."


    Warden turned to find Agnes, looking refreshed with wet locks of hair on her shoulders. She probably had a dip in the steam on the west side beforeing here.


    "Evening, Captain," Warden greeted. "When did youe back?"


    "Yesterday," Agnes said. It had been a couple of weeks since he had seen her. She went on the expedition to secure the essence vein they found, along with whatever riches they could find from the inheritance ground.


    "I actually came looking for you in the morning for a spar and to have my equipment repaired. I couldn''t find you, obviously; heard you''re busy¡­" she gestured towards the stele, "with this?"


    "You mean this magnificent erection?" Warden grinned. "Which I only managed to mount after putting all my lifeblood and energy into it for thest five days."


    "Please, you can do better with your innuendo," she snorted in displeasure.


    "Bah!" Warden chuckled. "I got this opportunity to lose my condemned title in exchange for repairing the damaged barrier. I have nothing better to do, so I took it."


    "What a surprise, I got something simr just this morning as well," Agnesughed. "If I hadn''t known better, I wouldn''t even question this generosity."


    "You got a chance to cut your years of service as well?" Warden asked, recalling Agnes had about six years of service left toplete before she''d be freed from the front lines. "That''s great news, you know¡ª"


    "Hold your horses, bud," Agnes sighed. "It isn''t as simple as just running some errands."


    Then she exined what kind of opportunity she got. After listening to her, Warden found it was something far moreplicated than fixing the barrier of the main camp. She was to apany a team of elite rankers into the inheritance ground and secure the riches, which were not simply limited to the essence vein, to get her pardon.


    There were still many strings attached, like ensuring the safety of the elite team and whatnot.


    "So tough, huh?"


    "Especially so, after I came back from that subspace," she said, letting out an exhtion. "But it isn''t an expedition I can decline."


    Warden frowned. "Are theypelling you?"


    "I was, after all, condemned," she nodded. "Not to mention the treasures and opportunities present in the subspace are not something the higher-ups can overlook, even with what they lost in this expedition. They are probably going all out with this... I even heard some fancy-pants prince of the Empire will be joining the expedition; I just hope he won''t be some arrogant prick that I have to babysit."


    This was more serious than Warden had initially thought.


    "What kind of treasures will be there that even a prince ising along?" Warden muttered. "I mean, I don''t know how the imperial family is... but they should be rich enough to continue for several generations, right?"


    "That''s the lure of treasures; you simply can''t have enough of them," Agnes said, gazing up at the horizon where countless stars were twinkling. "As for the kind of treasures, you can guess what it will take to even tempt an imperial prince."


    "Something like a soul relic?" Warden said the first idea that came to his mind.


    Agnes smiled, but didn''t provide any confirmation. As if he needed any more confirmation.


    Warden sucked in a deep breath. A low-iron-grade essence vein is good and all, but a Soul relic was something that could give a ranker a chance to transcend gold rank and advance to the ruling force of the world.


    "It will only get crazier from here..."

 Chapter 182: Friends

    Apparently, not everything about the inheritance ground was good news. Although, with this short expedition, they had brought back some treasures in the form of Ability gems, ss Advancement Gem, rare herbs, or ingredients, they had also lost many good soldiers.


    Obviously, an expedition in the ruins of the lost age was always a risky endeavour. The rankers who went into it knew the danger, but that didn''t stop them. Only with their deaths did the higher-ups take this far more seriously. The treasures they brought back had been an eye-opener and did most of the convincing.


    But it couldn''t be overlooked that more than a dozen rankers had died, and several went missing, including a couple of Captains and a few sergeant-ranked soldiers.


    "The ruin hasn''t been kind to anyone higher than Iron rank," Agnes exined. "While everyone''s rank was suppressed in the realm of Iron Rank, they thought Silver rankers would get the job done easily. As you can imagine, the suppression is only in the output of their power, but not in their mastery. But unfortunately, that truth is more convoluted.


    "Only one silver ranker came out of the ruins."


    "What happened?" Warden asked, bing more and more intrigued with this ruin.


    "The ruin isn''t just some broken-down infrastructure," she said. "It is like a testing ground. There are multiple tests and trials where the rankers had to take part in teams or alone to move forward. The tests aren''t particrly vicious, but if you bite off more than you can chew, it is easier to fall into traps. Many of the silver rankers hadn''t returned after overestimating their capabilities."


    "Thankfully, the danger is not without its rewards." Saying that, she brought out a small crystal bead and tossed it to Warden.


    "What is this?" Warden asked, inspecting the item. A notification window popped up shortly under his inspection.


    [Ability Gem: Iron grade


    me Control: On absorbing the gem, the user receives an intimate connection with the fire element.]


    "A reward from the expedition," she said. "I received a few more simr items. Sadly, I only get to keep a couple of them."


    "An Ability gem of iron grade, hmm," Warden considered. "An item like this can go for at least ten thousand contribution points in the emporium."


    "More, as it''s an elemental control-based skill," Agnes argued. "If it were simply a skill like Fireball, it wouldn''t cost more than five thousand points, but this one is easily worth a few times more."


    "I see," Warden said, tossing it back to her.


    Agnes shook her head and passed it to him again. "This is your payment," she said. "I''ll be needing your expertise in fixing my equipment-, or rather crafting a new armour for me... I think the old one is beyond repair."


    "Still, this is too much," Warden muttered, examining the peculiar red gem again.


    "I''m aware of its value," she said, waving off her palms. "Just take it as an advance for all the repairs you''d do for me in the future. I don''t know if you have noticed, but I''m pretty good at wrecking my equipment."


    "That is something we have inmon," Warden muttered, although he had a few good pieces of equipment that didn''t break from the harassment of his diabolical void energy.


    "I have no need for a fire element; it will do more harm than good to my path," she said. "I fear you don''t either, but you can sell it. Or better, you can exchange it for something you actually require."


    Warden''s expression brightened at that prospect. He remembered the elixirs he saw in the emporium, especially the one that could help in awakening racial powers. Perhaps he could exchange it for this ability gem.


    "Looks like our deal is settled," Agnes smiled. "Now all I require is for you to use that big head of yours and craft me some fine armour. After all, I have my freedom to earn back."


    Warden always liked how straightforward she was when she talked. "My cksmithing skills are pretty subpar; you''d need to find someone better if you don''t want to end up with oversized armour."


    "I can do that," she said with a sigh. "Just don''t know how fast they can work... the higher-ups are moving fast in assembling teams for the next expedition."


    "How quickly do you require them?" he asked.


    "A couple of weeks at the very least," she said. "I think they will do some team organising drills after the teams are assembled before jumping into the ruins."


    "So, this time they will only be sending elite Iron rankers?" Warden asked, knitting his brows.


    "I think so," she said, meeting his gaze, easily understanding what he was thinking. "You''re thinking of joining the expedition?"


    "Can I?" Warden asked. "Can you help me with this?"


    "Probably," she said. "Considering what I know of your powers, your addition will be wee."


    "Well, if you can help me get a spot, it will be my honour in getting you back your freedom."


    "It''s not a big deal. They will probably put up a notice to recruit people soon. But, of course, through them, you have to meet some certain criteria, which you won''t have any problem oveing if you keep your mouth shut."


    "Sounds good," Warden said. "That reminds me, you still haven''t mentioned the thing you said you''d talk aboutter."


    "What are you talking about?" Agnes frowned, not remembering any of it.


    "You don''t remember? The night of my departure from the 16th infantry... you mentioned you have something to talk to me about."


    "That..." she sighed and bit her lips. "It is on my mind, but I don''t remember saying anything about it."


    She didn''t say anything about it, other than mentioning she''d talk about itter. "So what is it?"


    "That... I don''t know if it''s right for me to ask..."


    "Just out with it; aren''t we friends?"


    Agnes met his gaze for an extended amount of time, and finally, her shoulders slumped.


    "I was going to ask you for a favour," she said, sounding embarrassed.


    Probably, this was the most embarrassing he had seen her being.


    "Agnes," Warden shook his head, "I can''t believe you''re embarrassed just asking for help from a friend. I mean, isn''t that what friends are for?"

 Chapter 183: Philosophy

    "I..." Agnes showed an expression that indicated she never thought it would be easy to ask for help from a friend.


    "I mean, if I were in the same predicament and asked for your help, wouldn''t you help me?" he asked, trying to ease her worry.


    "If it is within my power," she answered after a second thought. "But what I''m asking isn''t so simple."


    "That''s the point, though," Warden cut in. "You haven''t asked and decided on your own."


    Agnes didn''t refute his words. "It''s not easy for me to ask something of you," she said after a while. "Ignoring the fact that I barely know you for like a month, I''m just notfortable being ountable for others."


    "I don''t know how you lead an infantry with that mindset," Warden smirked. She was the captain of the 16th infantry, who was ountable¡ªat least somewhat¡ªfor all the soldiers under her.


    "That''s different," she said, shaking her head. "Most of the condemned were desperate when I took over the role of their captain. They didn''t have some great aspiration; the condemned just wanted to survive, that''s all. I didn''t think anyone other than me could do a better job of it. So I took the role."


    "And I''m not as desperate as them, huh?" he said.


    She nodded. "You''re a talented ranker¡ªI mean, there are talented rankers among the 16th infantry, but their prospects aren''t as bright as yours, being condemned for decades toe. What I was asking could have cost you your life. You have a bright future ahead of you, a home to get back to, a woman who loves you awaiting you."


    "That''s why it is hard for you to ask for my assistance," Warden nodded. Ultimately, he couldn''t hold it against her. "You know what your greatest trait is, Captain?"


    She frowned.


    "Self-reliance," Warden answered for her. "You may think it''s different, but I think it''s self-reliance that brought you where you stand now. I really respect that about you."


    Agnes gave him a look as if wondering if there was more, but Warden shook his head.


    "You might be wondering if I''d say cheesy lines like, it is alright to rely on others sometimes, and it probably is," Warden smiled. "But I won''t say that to you."


    It is a lesson she would have to learn on her own.


    "Also, this doesn''t mean I won''t ask anything of you," Warden grinned cheekily. "If I''m in a pickle and cannot solve it on my own, you''ll be among the first few people I''ll call."


    "I don''t have much talent in anything butbat," Agnes said with a snort. "Hopefully, you won''t get caught up in something too wild."


    "Anyway, wanna experience something spectacr?" Before she could affirm or decline, Warden continued, gesturing towards the Grand Stele before them. "Have you ever been part of something grand like this? Well, this hardly can be called Grand, but at Iron rank like us, I think it will be worth it."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "It will spoil the fun if I tell you now," Warden said, and pushed her towards the Grand Stele. "Here, put your palms against it and imbue as much energy as you can. I guarantee it will be worth it."


    Agnes shot him a look, but did as asked. She touched the cold metallic te at the bottom of the stele and imbued her energy into it. Instantly, electricity rushed through her mind as a terrible stretch of a pull drew in her energy reserves.


    "This is..." she croaked. The energy continued moving through her to the great stele. "Overwhelming."


    "Try to interpret how the energy is moving," Warden said.


    Although the grand stele was taking away her energy, it was her energy, and Agnes had an intimate connection with it. As she put her mind to it, she could visualise her energy moving through micro pathways arrayed like chains of geometric shapes. There seemed to be no end to the locks of the chain. After she filled in one lock with her energy, the next one began devouring.


    There were tens of them, hundreds... when she reached the thousand number, her energy reserve began to grow thin.


    "These are..." she husked, opening her eyes to find the stele lit up in runic scripts. She barely managed to light up two meters of the stele. She drew more energy, pushing more energy into the stele. "Runes? How many of them are there?"


    Her energy moved through the formation of the runes, feeling overwhelmed at the sheer size of it. Agnes was surely awed by the intricacy at y here... This was undoubtedly a noteworthy experience. Although she couldn''t fill even a tenth of the stele, she could move her energy up to feel its sheer shape and size.


    "There''s a little over sixty-four thousand runes," Warden said. "That''s about thirty times more runespared to your armour, but this stele is made to handle high energy intensity, so it''s close to a hundred times more... Expansive."


    Agnes gasped. "I might have a headache if I keep on continuing with this for a few more minutes."


    "Well, you can let go now," Warden smiled. She did, as Warden posed his question. "How did it make you feel?"


    "Small," she said, wiping the sweat beads from her forehead. "I was overwhelmed... I feel like a small thing in the grand scheme of things of the greater universe. This... yeah... Thanks for letting me experience it."


    Warden was somewhat disappointed with what she said. But perhaps it was because she was so stressed with everything that she hadn''t managed to find the essence of what he was trying to convey. Then again, it was very difficult for people like her to understand the feeling.


    "Your feeling is different from mine," Warden said, putting his palm against the stele. He pushed his energy as the runic pattern lit up. Within a minute, Warden reached her height, yet it kept on climbing. In a few minutes, it reached over a dozen meters, dwarfing Agnes'' aplishment.


    She scowled, looking at the difference.


    "Don''t take it to heart," Wardenughed. "I formed this whole formation, of course, I''d know all of its mysteries and intricacies." But that wasn''t what she should be paying attention to. "You feel small and overwhelmed against the formation... as for me, I feel empowered being a part of this formation."


    A deep frown crept up her brows, her eyes gaping at the brilliant runic patterns.


    "Perhaps it is the difference in our perspective," Warden continued. "For you, this formation is something foreign, but for me, it is something I created myself, something I have a deep connection with. I may be small against the grand scheme of the greater universe, yet I can create a greater construct like this... Which perhaps makes me feel a little bigger, huh.


    I guess these are twopletely different perspectives, and I hadn''t thought we two differed too much in our thinking."


    Agnes thought deeply about what she heard, taking a full view of the stele. She let out a deep exhtion.


    "You know, when you mentioned you teach at the academy, I prayed for the students you taught," she said. "But perhaps you''re not that wrong in choosing your profession."


    A smile perked up on his lips. "I don''t really think I''m that good at teaching. What I do believe is nudging the students in the right direction, letting them learn on their own... In this way, it will stick longer."


    "I wish I had someone to nudge me in the right direction when I was in the academy," Agnes said. "No time to regret now. I should leave you to your work now... Let''s spar in the morning?"


    "Sure," Warden saluted. It wasn''t a salute mocking her or making fun of her like he did after she put him through cleaning duties. It was a proper salute. "Oh, I forgot to mention, I''m throwing a barbecue party after thepletion of this shell; you''re invited. I''ll invite a few from the 16th infantry too, so don''t be a stranger to the eve."


    "I don''t say no to free food," she said, turning her head. She waved off, her form vanished into the darkness.


    ****


    Agnes trained all night, ignoring the exhaustion building up in her body. Her path, the [Stillborn Phoenix], did have its perk in giving her more stamina and resilience, but it was only by pushing herself harder that she managed toe this far in this broken path.


    Agnes wasn''t anything spectacr by birth, nor did she have the overwhelming ounce of confidence that she showed outwardly to others. She was not like Warden, who was great at all sorts of things.


    Agnes only knew one thing, and that was to fight. Her whole life had been one fight to another, an unrelenting grind against destiny itself.


    Her path, [Stillborn Phoenix] as the name suggested, was far from ideal. She wasn''t some heavenly phoenix reborn from the ashes. No, she was just a mediocre talent who persevered through deaths and darkness to be part of something greater.


    And my path is far from finished.


    Agnes trained until her muscles swelled, skin tearing up to ooze out blood. Finally, she came back to her quarters andy on the bed, eyes still open, not a speck of sleepiness in her mind.


    She brought out a small piece of paper from her suit and held it up for her eyes to read. She had read it before, but reading it again and again kept her on track.


    The message read: ''Enter the Ancient ruin and win the Regalia for me withoutpromising any of our my priorities. Do not implicate in anything with the imperial family or the other noble houses who''d be there. I have a reward ready for you if you can deliver the regalia to me.


    -- D.''


    Her palms sped tighter, crumbling the corner of the paper.

 Chapter 184: Sadist Bastard

    "Jenni, stop crying; our torment is over!" Aki eximed, patting his friend on the shoulder. "We can finally go home."


    Even though he said that, his own eyes were bloodshot, with tears streaming down from all his exhaustion and aplishment. They all had to forgo sleep for thest two days toplete their carving finally.


    "My head hurts," Jenni mumbled. She peered up at the towering stele with bleary tear-filled eyes andughed sillily. "I did not think I could do it, but I did it. I don''t have to marry an old man. Father, I have not disappointed you..."


    One of them, Darren, was already resting with his eyes closed, while thest one was drinking some diluted high spiritual juice, which wouldn''t have a strong demerit to his constitution as the rejuvenation potion did.


    "Give me that," Jenni said and seized the ss of juice from Dawg, who grumbled. Jenni didn''t care about hygiene and drank the cold juice that her colleague drank. Some of the drink spilt over her mouth as her palms shook with exhaustion, but when she finally downed the ss, she found a figureing down from the sky tond before them.


    A chill spread down her spine as Jenni stared at the tall figure, the setting sun and broken sky behind him. His clothes were seething with sweat from overworking all day, yet the man had the gall to look gant and dominating. Heaven was really unfair.


    "Umm, Master Warden, your lowly ves havepleted our tasks," Jenni said demurely. Master Warden was worse than the worst ve trainer to Jenni. Even the drill sergeant didn''t push the young soldiers this hard as he had done to them.


    Thankfully, it was only a week, and it was over. Yes, we have earned our keep; you cannot torment us anymore, or I might really consider marrying an old man.


    "So... It''s over... right?"


    The man didn''t say anything, just stared at her with an amused smile, which, goddammit, annoyed her more than it should.


    "I came back after inspecting all our work," Warden said. "There were dozens of faulty runes in the formation-"


    Jenni groaned, a low squeak escaping her lips, while Aki justy down on the ground.


    "-other than that, it''s good work."


    "About the faulty runes?" Dawg asked, weariness and dread evident in his tone. "Do we fix them now?"


    What do you mean, ''we'', you dumb fuck? Jenni cursed inwardly. I have made sure not to make any mistakes. Obviously, it was all you dumb fucks who made the mistakes.


    Even as her thoughts ran defiantly, she stared fearfully at the merciless Master Warden.


    "Nah, I''ve already fixed them," Warden chuckled.


    Bastard, couldn''t you have mentioned that earlier, before giving us a heart attack, Jenni swore. Sometimes Jenni wondered if this vicious Master Warden truly enjoyed seeing the sheer look of horror in their eyes. Yeah, he''s a sadistic bastard, I''m sure of it.


    And he was a masochist too, or why else would he work all day without taking even a moment for rest? Jenni remembered the look of delight on his face when the stunning captain from the 16th infantry had thoroughly defeated him in a spar just this morning.


    "Sir, our job is done," Aki asked hesitantly, "so can we leave?"


    Warden shook his head. "The job is not over until we erect the barrier. We will do that in a few hours... but yeah, you''re all dismissed until then. Be sure to be present at sundown. You wouldn''t want to miss your great aplishment."


    Honestly, Jenni only wanted to lie on herfy bed and sleep all day, but looking at the serious faces of the vicious master, she nodded slowly. With that, Master Warden left to attend to something else. Their shoulders slumped as they visibly rxed upon his departure.


    After about half an hour, Jenni stood up and made her way back to the Artificer department where her quarters were located. She went straight to the washroom, filled her bathtub with water, and herbs extracts, and rested in it. She fell asleep in the bathtub within a few minutes.


    Thankfully, she had an alert rune installed in the tub because sleeping in the bathtub was an unhealthy habit of hers. Two hourster, the rm red, waking her up.


    Snuggling into a pair offortable clothes, Jenni leapt into her bed to sleep,pletely forgetting about Master Warden''s assignment to show up at sundown. Well, even if she remembered it, she would just say: "Go fuck yourself" to his face if he disturbed her rest.


    Yet within a couple of hours of her sleep, she awoke again, disturbed by countless calls at the door.


    "God damn it!" she swore and jumped out of bed. "I swear if this is about-"


    It wasn''t Master Warden or her colleagues at the door, but the smiling face of Elder Ming.


    "Kept your old man waiting for some time, Little Jen," Elder Ming, her father, said, inviting himself in.


    "What are you doing here?" Jenni asked, and to infuse a bite into her phrase, she added, "Elder Ming?"


    "You wound me, daughter," her father chuckled. "Can''t an old mane to check on his daughter?"


    "Cut the crap ande with the truth, or I''ll shove your old ass out."


    Ming scowled at her, but Jenni met his gaze with a challenge, as though asking him to berate her for using ng in front of her. Unfortunately, the old man didn''t take the bait.


    "Congrattions onpleting the project," he said.


    "So, you''re going around to the quarters of all the adepts who worked on the project to congratte them?"


    Ming sighed. "I came to check on you and ask you a few questions."


    "As my ipetent father or a superior officer?"


    He didn''t answer the question. "You look tired, so let''s just not get into an argument now?"


    Jenni studied his face and snorted. "You speak reason every once in a while, old man," she said. "But you still haven''t told me, why did youe?"

 Chapter 185: Barbecue

    "Well, I was invited by Warden to be present during the instation of the barrier," he said. "I was just going on my own, but then decided it is better to go along with you since you have been a part of the project."


    Jenni grumbled a little but did prepare to leave, draping on a more presentable shirt and pants. Her father looked hurt just seeing her wearing men''s shirt and pants, but Jenni couldn''t give a fuck about it.


    They went out silently, but Jenni was sure the old man wouldn''t let it remain for longer.


    "So how do you find Master Runesmith Warden?" Elder Ming asked his daughter.


    "He''s a sadistic bastard," Jenni answered, unhinged. "Sometimes it is hard to believe him to be human, with how unrelenting he is. Hopefully, I won''t ever have to work under him after this."


    Her father smiled at that.


    "I know that smile, old man. What you''re not telling me?"


    "Well, the fact is, Warden will be joining our department shortly. I even thought of putting him in charge of your group..."


    "Motherfuck¡ª"


    "Hey, at least keep it down when we''re in public."


    "What? It''s analogous to father," Jenni rasped.


    Her father literally cringed. "Jenni," he said, a vein popping up on her temple. "What am I to do with you?"


    "Obviously to get rid of me," she said, fighting to keep the venom from her tongue. "Or why else would you set my marriage to the first person who came to you asking about me?"


    "Nae Herne is a good man."


    "And he''s also an old man, infamous for swooning over women who should be his daughter."


    "The man didn''t look a day older than thirty," Elder Ming said. "I have personally trained him when I was a captain... I promise he''ll be good for you."


    "You were a captain a hundred years ago," Jenni said, clenching her jaws. "Anyway, we''re here. I hope you won''t embarrass yourself and me in front of my friends."


    With that, she ran towards where her colleagues were. She found Dawg eating a sausage, chatting along with Aki and Darren. Instantly, her stomach growled, remembering she hadn''t eaten anything.


    "Don''t take my food," Dawg said immediately, noticing her salivating at his sausage.


    Good, that sounded so wrong, and was she salivating?


    "Master Warden is throwing a barbecue, so it''s free food, go take whatever you like."


    Jenni turned to where Dawg pointed and found a barbecue stand with a couple of figures working on it.


    "The food is great," Aki added, munching on his roasted leg piece. "Top-quality cuisine."


    "It will cost you contribution points to eat elsewhere," Darren nodded in approval.


    Is it a trap? Her mind wondered, though she already took a step towards it. Why was he being generous after all the torment he put them through? Did he feel bad for them?


    Jenni shook her head immediately. As if the merciless, vicious Master Warden would take pity for poor sods like them. There was probably some string attached.


    But she was ravenous, and it didn''t hurt to check it out.


    With steady steps, Jenni approached the stand to find Master Warden in a cute apron, though he hardly looked cute at all with his hard figure. However, the woman who was helping him serve was just stunning. The captain of the 16th Infantry was the type of woman Jenni ever wanted to be¡ªstrong, direct, and respected.


    "Ahh, Jenni," Master Warden said, noticing her approach. "I was just waiting for you. With you here, we can finally begin."


    "Begin what?" Jenni decided she would spit in his face if he asked her to rune smith right now. Thankfully, even the hellish tormentor had a conscience.


    "Of course, to erect the barrier," heughed. "But before that, you should eat something. God, you look famished."


    He began making a te of serving for her, while the captain of the 16th infantry helped him. God, just by the delicious smell it was oozing out, made her stomach churn in hunger.


    Finally, the captain handed her the te. Jenni was dying to eat, but shemanded herself just in case.


    "Just to be sure," she opened her mouth to say, "this is all free of cost, right? Like you won''t ask me to do any more work after this?"


    Warden looked like he was thinking hard about what he should make her do, while the woman chuckled.


    "By the gods, Warden, what have you put them through for every one of them to ask this?" Agnes asked, though the question was rhetorical. She tapped Jenni on the shoulder. "Don''t worry about it. He feels bad about overworking; take this as an apology."


    Jenni frowned, exchanging looks between Warden, Agnes, and the te of hot, delicious food in her arms. "Are you sure about that?" she asked. "He had the look that he''s just going to ask something from me."


    "You bet," Agnes said, before the vicious man could utter a word. "He was probably going to joke at your expense... But don''t you worry, I''ll run my de through his gut if he tries it."


    Master Warden muttered something under his breath, which she couldn''t manage to catch, but he did relent in the presence of Agnes. Somewhat satisfied, Jenni put her undivided attention into the meal. She devoured it in seconds, with hot sauce running down her cheeks. By the gods, the sadist bastard can cook a meal.


    "It is one of his redeeming qualities." Agnes chuckled and handed her a frozen dessert. "There are other vours, but this Mint Choco-chip is by far the best."


    Jenni didn''t know if the dessert was made by the vicious master or not. But she devoured through thest bit of it.


    "Ohh, this is... Heavenly," Jenni cried. The ice cream was just the icing after the cake, which in this case was the hot roasted barbecue. "I want another... Can I get another?"


    Agnes handed her two different vours while eating one of her own.


    "This is so good," Jenni said. She might have eaten more delicious food than the barbecue, but no dessert couldpare to these frozen desserts.


    Everything was going well, and then her father came along.

 Chapter 186: A Man Must Stand by His Words

    "It''s like a pic here," Elder Ming said as Agnes handed him a te of serving.


    "Sort of," Warden admitted. "I had invited a few more people, but it looks like some of them are busy..."


    "You know how hard it is to get a rest for the 16th infantry," Agnes said. "But Caleb and others did say they would being after their guard duty is over. You just have to keep the food and booze ready for them."


    Warden nodded. Other than his friends from the 16th infantry, hismanding officer, Captain Jessica and her sergeant, hadn''t joined either.


    "Regardless," Warden said, releasing a deep exhtion. "This is enough to give me a pardon, right?"


    Elder Ming lifted his head from the food to meet his gaze. He didn''t answer, probably contemting what more he could gain from this debacle.


    "Pardon for what?" Jenni asked, the first time hearing about it. Then it clicked as realisation dawned on her face. Why else would Warden be friends with the captain of the condemned unless he was a part of them? "What did you do?"


    Yet before Warden could provide her with an answer, she began talking again...


    "Wait, don''t tell me, I can pretty much guess what you did," she said.


    Whatever the girl was wondering, Warden did not like the expression on her face. Her eyes had the look of trepidation and... excitement? Really, what the hell was this girl wondering?


    "A pardon is not so easily released," Elder Ming said, clearing his throat. He turned his eyes from Jenni to Warden to continue. "A condemned needs to meet certain criteria and aplish a great deal of achievement which helps the cause¡ª"


    "Elder Ming, I thought we had an agreement," Warden butted in before the elder could finish. "You say all that, but my offence isn''t anything big either."


    "Unfortunately for you,d, you''re under Major General Terel Walt," Elder Ming replied. "If I had to go to him to talk about your pardon, he''d definitely find out about... aplishment."


    Warden scowled. Honestly, he didn''t want to give a damn about the Major General; unfortunately, the other party was a Gold ranker. There was very little Warden could do against that power.


    But that didn''t mean he would simply let it go and be a good soldier. With a sigh, he turned towards the adept.


    "Jenni, can you tell me how much you''re paid for this work?" he asked.


    Jenni, already on her fourth ice cream, answered, "A thousand contribution points per day, but since you overworked us to death, we''d be appealing for a bonus." She put her attention back to her dessert again.


    "Okay, let''s just take a thousand points at face value," Warden said, turning towards the elder. "So an adept earns at least seven thousand credits for this project. There were four of them, so twenty-eight thousand in total, ignoring the bonus which they might or might not get."


    "What are you getting at?" Elder Ming inquired.


    "The four adeptspleted a Stele," Warden said. "While I on my ownpleted a Stele. Not only that, I did all the tier-4 and Tier-5 Binding runes for all three Steles. I worked hours to improve the blueprint of the shell, and expunged all the unnecessary and faulty runes."


    As he counted all his work, Warden couldn''t help but be surprised at how much he achieved in just a span of a week. Well, he hadn''t slept more than five or six hours in total this week. The only time he rested from his work was during the few times he sparred with Agnes. It had been a relentless grind for the most part, as he even forgot about time at some point.


    "All I''m asking you is, how much do you think mybour is worth?"


    Elder Ming furrowed his brows. For a Gold ranker and Master Runesmith like him, it was pretty easy for him toe up with a rough number. Yet, he didn''t utter a word, looking for excuses to undery all his efforts.


    In the end, this was the face of authority. People with power aren''t necessarily evil, but they all y to keep the status quo in check. Warden didn''t know why he¡ª


    "Fifty thousand contribution points at the very least," Jenni answered, licking her ice cream, dark chocte smeared on her cheeks. "But if we are to count all, perhaps the fair worth will be twenty to thirty percent more."


    She smiled brilliantly, turning towards Elder Ming, who scowled back at her. "Then again, the Artificer department is stingy. Hmm, I wonder why I still work here when I can have a morefortable life elsewhere?"


    "Jenni, don''t butt in when your superiors are talking," Elder Ming said tly.


    The young adept looked at the elder defiantly for a moment but gave in to the elder''s unrelenting gaze. "Of course, I''m terribly sorry; please excuse my offence, Elder Ming."


    With that, she withdrew back to her seat with a scowl on her face. Perhaps even the frozen dessert which she was so delightfully savouring wouldn''t be able to lighten her mood.


    "Elder Ming," Warden said, keeping his voice calm. "I did not know whatplications are there that will stop you from giving me a pardon. If this is how the military... the empire treats people... I have nothing to say. But you have given me your word...


    A man must stand by his word. If you fail toply with your promise... I guess it''s better we part here. I don''t want to work under someone I do not respect."


    The elder looked like he wanted to refute, but Warden didn''t give him his chance.


    "Adept," he shouted at Jenni.


    The girl jumped up from the seat; the nightmarish torment of thest seven days instilled fear and something else in her bones that she couldn''t help but abide by themanding voice. "Yes, Master Warden."


    "Go call the others and join me," Wardenmanded. "We''re going to erect the barrier now."

 Chapter 187: Unprecedented

    Elder Ming sat with a conflicted expression on his face, while the others moved up to erect the barrier. There were many soldiers guarding in the vicinity. Most of their job would end with thepletion of the barrier, but they had an aura of excitement as they watched the runesmith working to make it happen.


    It was weird that every one of the soldiers could manipte energy, and possess supernatural powers of their own, yet they gaped at the glittering runes in the stele as if they were witnessing something magical for the first time. Well, wasn''t it for this very reason that he put down his sword and picked up a rune stylus?


    Elder Ming stirred in his spot, his old bones weighing more than usual. His eyes were on his daughter¡ªalthough sheined a lot, she did as Warden asked her toplete the project. The others supported her in thest few preparations to join the shell with the main framework.


    "I told you we''rete," a new voice said.


    Elder Ming didn''t have to turn to find it was Captain Jessica of the 3rd Infantry. He had been friends with the girl''s father for a century. Jarek Forger was a brilliant man, one of the very few who came from a noble family. Unfortunately, just like him, Jarek had screwed up his rtionship with his daughter.


    Elder Ming couldn''t help but wonder what they were doing wrong. True, in his case, his better half died in war, and he couldn''t take care of Jenni as much as a mother could. But that wasn''t the case with Jarek...


    "The age is changing," he thought, "and I''m just as unprepared for it as I was when I was recruited to the army."


    "Hey look, they are formting the barrier," Sergeant Aerel said. "It looks brilliant."


    "You can go experience that up close," Jessica said. "I''m famished. Let''s see if they have any leftovers."


    There was still meat roasting on the grill, so Jessica didn''t have to look for leftovers. She helped herself with a te, finally greeting him. "Elder Ming, I didn''t think you''d find time to be here."


    He sighed. "I shouldn''t be," he said. "But I''m in a dilemma about getting Warden a pardon and wanted to talk to him about it."


    "Ooh, he probably didn''t like the sound of that."


    "He did not," Elder Ming scratched his long grey beard. "These youngsters, they have no respect for their superiors."


    On top of that, the guy got into trouble because he was disrespectful to a Judge.


    "I was under the impression that respect is earned, not given," Jessica said, stuffing the roasted meat into her mouth. "Regardless, what did he do?"


    Elder Ming opened his mouth to say, then closed it again. That''s the thing, Ming thought the youngster would listen to him just because he was his superior, just because he was a gold ranker. Honestly, that was how things had happened for decades. He himself had toply with his superiors'' orders with his head bowed when he wasn''t the head of the artificer department.


    He remembered how unfair a few of his superiors were. And how unfair many of them still were.


    "Do you know what it takes to get a pardon?" Elder Ming asked.


    "I''m not aware of the specifics," Jessica said, pausing her chewing, "but it''s mostly dependent on the offence and the contribution to war efforts, right?"


    "It is, but you cannot imagine theplications there."


    Jessica nodded. "So the contribution of repairing the main shell of the west front isn''t enough to gain the pardon, huh?"


    "It should''ve been enough," Elder Ming said. "Unfortunately, it isn''t. Even if I put all my effort, I can only clear out some of his restrictions without ticking off the Major General. His punishment came from a high judge, and I can only imagine Terel Walt making it harder for someone who went against his House."


    "In the end, it''s a game of who you risk offending and who you keep in your pocket, right?" Jessica said, her gaze towards the flickering light of the stele and the people working on it.


    Elder Ming hated to admit it, but the young Forger girl hit the mark with her remark.


    She stuffed a piece of a roughly prepared sandwich into her mouth and chewed. "Elder Ming, how many Runesmiths do you know who can finish this project within the time limit you have given?"


    Elder Ming frowned, wondering what she was getting at, but he did provide her with an answer. "Many," he said. "I can name at least a dozen."


    If the girl thought this kind of aplishment was something rare for a master runesmith, she was sorely mistaken.


    "And how many of them are his age?" Jessica asked. "And rank?"


    Elder Ming frowned. He hadpletely forgotten how unprecedented it was to have a Master Runesmith at the Iron rank.


    "Your expression tells me there aren''t many," Jessica smirked with a winning smile.


    "Not many, girl; I can''t name anyone," Elder Ming said inwardly. Perhaps only the most talented youth from elven origin... or better yet, those mysterious Celestials¡ªwho gave away the knowledge of the runes to the world¡ªare capable of such feats.


    "While his skill at runes is undoubtedly impressive," she continued, unaware of his inner turmoil, "what impressed me more is how he handles people. Of course, I don''t know everything, butpleting such a massive project with only four adepts who were prone to grumbling¡ª


    "Hell, even I have to put my everything to bring out thatmanding tone." Jessica pointed where Warden left the four adepts to do the honour of putting the final puzzle into the framework which would erect the barrier. "Look at now, he prepared food for them with his hand. How he''s given them the honour, it might look something small to us...


    to them, who worked tirelessly for a whole week, it''s something huge."


    Elder Ming stared at his daughter, who had a rare smile on her lips. The smile wasn''t in mockery, contempt, or just out of sarcasm, but at her aplishment... The smile only broadened while she yed her final part.


    The translucent barrier materialized in thin air as all of the people present cheered. Jenniughed, wiping a hot bead of tears from her eyes.


    "He''s the type of person who''d make others follow him, even if he didn''t do it consciously."


    Elder Ming stood up, and so did Jessica, but only the girl moved towards the jeering crowd around the barrier.


    "You should discuss what you can do with him," Jessica said. "I don''t think he''ll be unreasonable. Besides, I think you''d like to learn some of his insights into runes."


    It took a moment for him to register what the forger girl told him, and he wondered whether he heard wrong. He had practised runes for over one hundred and forty years, and he''d like to learn some insights from youths not even a fifth of his age?


    Youngsters these days, they don''t know how to show respect to the elders, he repeated inwardly.


    Yet Jessica gave a mysterious smile and walked away as if she knew a secret he didn''t.

 Chapter 188: Compettion

    "Now that the barrier is standing, we should put it to the test," Warden announced. "Let''s see how it holds under physical attack. Who wants to go first?"


    The adepts looked eager to test out the fruit of theirbour, yet none of them approached the shimmering barrier, knowing physical strength alone could hardly deal any damage to it. The soldiers present were familiar with the barrier as well, but that didn''t stop them from mming their fists into it. All of them were Iron rankers, and they could barely put a dent on it.


    Even if they managed to leave a mark, the barrier would restore itself in mere seconds.


    "Ah, Captain, wanna try throwing a couple of punches?" Warden asked, finding Agnes staring at the barrier with an amused smile.


    "Can I use my energy?" she smirked.


    "Sure, everyone try with all your might," Warden said, not thinking too hard about it. The barrier was erected to withstand the full power of Silver-ranked powerhouses. He turned to everyone and announced, "How about we make apetition out of this?"


    Warden only took a moment to think before continuing, "How about this, if any of you seed in making a hole in the barrier, I''ll repair one piece of equipment of your choice. And if you manage to traverse to the other side of the barrier, you can ask me to make you a piece of equipment."


    All the soldiers, and even the adepts, brightened with the announcement. Some of them began mming their weapons against the barrier, channelling all their spiritual power. This time, they left more than a dent, as the energy in the barrier began to undte at a higher pace, repairing the damage instantly.


    "Stop, you hapless suckers," Jenni shouted at them. "Do you think it''s a teampetition? Not that I ever think you all can impregnate this thing together, but have some balls."


    Thankfully, the soldiers had enough shame to reorganise in a line, approaching the barrier one by one.


    Warden smiled at Jenni and said to Agnes, "She''s a kindred spirit, isn''t she?"


    "I like her," Agnes answered. She raised her eyebrow inquiringly, "Are you sure about the rewards? I don''t know if the news gets out, more soldiers will begin to join."


    "Oh, I forgot to add the contest is only valid below gold rank," Warden shouted at the lined contestants.


    Agnes shot him a look of disapproval.


    "Can we get more than one chance?" one of the soldiers shouted.


    "Umm, you get three chances," Warden wanted to say as many times as you liked, but the formation was burning essence gems to restore all the damage inflicted on the barrier. While it was hardly anything with one person, with the cumtive exploits of dozens of soldiers, it would have been a hefty expense.


    "Aren''t you going to try?" Warden asked the raven-haired woman next to him.


    "Let them y out now," she said. "I just hope you don''t regret your decisionter."


    "Madame Captain, the barrier is built to withstand Silver-grade damage," Warden said. "Even still, I think only a very few elite Silver rankers will find it possible to traverse through the barrier."


    "Is that so?" Agnes mumbled with a mysterious smile.


    "Do you have some trick, Madame Captain?" A smile crept onto his face as he asked her.


    "Maybe, maybe not," she said mysteriously. "Hey, look, you have your first winner."


    A horn was blown immediately as the first sign of real damage appeared on the barrier. Sergeant Aerel stood before the barrier, her arm pierced through it, high intensity of spiritual essence ring where she created the hole. Yet she found it hard to force it more. Unable to traverse the wall, she finally gave in.


    "Someone disable the rm real quick, or we might have soldiers lining up for emergency shortly," Jenni shouted.


    "On it," Aki barked as he rushed towards the Stele to disable the rm.


    While many of the soldiers congratted the sour-faced Aerel, she was still ring at the barrier, which restored itself after she ceased her attack.


    "Congrats on being the first winner, Sergeant," Warden said.


    She scowled at him, and then a smile appeared on her lips. "I still have two more chances," she said. "Prepare to make new equipment for me."


    "As long as you can traverse the barrier," Wardenughed.


    Even though she said that she withdrew for now from the barrier and moved to join her Captain, who seemed to be having a great meal. She probably didn''t want to showcase her full power in front of everyone or wanted to take a tactical break to prepare her game n with her captain. Whatever it was, it was fine by him.


    "Hey, you guys can try as well," Warden said to the adepts.


    "Are you sure, Master Warden?" Aki asked. "It didn''t seem fair that¡ª"


    "Shut up, Aki," Jenni shouted at her friend and jumped at the chance. "I''m not going to miss my chance."


    Saying that, she bossed around the soldiers to take their spot. She didn''t attack as many had hoped; instead, she brought out a stylus and began scribbling runes right on the barrier.


    "Interesting," Warden''s smile broadened.


    "So she has a chance?" Agnes asked.


    "More than you, actually," Warden said.


    "So you''re looking down on me now?"


    Warden shook his head. "Although both of you are Iron rank, and you have more raw power," he exined, "she has the full knowledge of what the barrier is made of. It is possible for her to find a way to seed¡­ Only time will tell."


    And from the look of it, it would take her some time. Possibly half an hour.


    "You all can continue. Just don''t disturb her."


    The line of soldiers moved a few paces away from where Jenni was working and continued.


    "Looks like it will take some time," Agnes said.


    Warden nodded. "Hopefully, Caleb and others will be here by the time this ends."


    Time passed as the soldiers continued attacking the barrier taking their turn. About a quarter of an hourter, someone else shouted.


    "Hey, look, I seeded," barked a soldier. "I made a hole."

 Chapter 189: First Winner

    "My sword tip was in the hole."


    "Then show it to me, bud?" asked another.


    "Look at the tip of my sword," the soldier said, his face turning red from exerting all his power. "It clearly made a hole."


    "Sorry, friend, but I see no hole."


    "You guys, it was clearly there."


    "Yeah, I saw it," another fellow took the side of the soldier. "I saw it; only the tip was in. The flicker of sparking energy made it hard to see."


    Aki, who was standing nearby, didn''t let the discussion go any further. "If you had managed to hamper the integrity of the shell, the rm would have red," he said. "There was no rm, which means your damage is minuscule to call it a sess."


    "B-but you muted the rm," the soldiersined.


    "I did not," Aki shook his head, "I only turned down the volume of the rm by 90%, thinking we needed at least an alert to call the winners. Do you think the Master Runesmith has the time to examine all your turns?"


    Warden coughed. He really hadn''t thought about how long he would have to wait if he really was to stand and examine everyone''s turn. Thankfully, Aki was more mindful than him.


    Sadly, the soldier looked as if he was being wronged. A young fellow, in his early twenties with the strength of Iron rank. His aura spoke volumes of his solid foundation; perhaps his tip did prate the barrier.


    "You still got two more turns, right?" Warden said.


    The young fellow suppressed a sigh and withdrew for the next soldier to take his turn.


    Looking at their expressions, Warden could tell it wasn''t just about gaining a new chance to repair their equipment anymore. All the soldiers could get their service weapons repaired at no cost in the army; it was only for their own equipment that they needed to pay a runesmith to repair it. Even then, they received different discounts.


    No, thispetition had awakened thepetitive spirit within the young soldiers. And, of course, it was fun.


    "Well, this is good as well," Warden mumbled, smiling. That reminds me, Ipletely forgot about thepetition I announced in my ss. Shit! I won''t be there at the end of the month.


    Hell, even his job as abat instructor wasn''t confirmed with his suspension.


    The horn red again, with Aki''s tinkering at a very low volume, but it managed to bring his attention to the winner.


    "Ahahaha," Jenniughed childishly, jumping in and out through the hole she created in the barrier. It was more of a temporary gate, which suspended the runes of the shell for her to iste a small opening. She continued tough for a full minute, jumping in and out at her aplishment. "Watch me, suckers!"


    "Damn, she actually did it," Dawg, a fellow adept, said, sounding surprised.


    "The question should be how she did it, no?" Darren said, approaching the gate Jenni created to shed some light on the mystery.


    Unfortunately for him, the scripts Jenni made weren''t able to maintain their integrity for long. They dissolved into thin air, as the barrier recovered within a blink of an eye.


    "Hahaa, wanna know my secret?" the girl was still brimming with glee. "Lick my feet, suckers, and I might tell you."


    "Do you think it is that hard for us to find out?" Darren snorted. "You likely isted theRestoration runes, so the barrier cannot restore itself as you cut the power supply into that opening you created."


    "You got it," Jenni smirked. "But it is all theory. Can you utilise it in practice?"


    What she said was quite correct, though any prepared adept could do it if they had mastered those runes.


    "This arrogant girl," Darren said, clenching his jaw. "Fine, let me just show you how your big brother works."


    "I don''t have time to watch you fail," Jenni said, and withdrew towards Warden. "Now it is time for me to cash in my reward."


    Warden watched as she came before him, sweat trickling down her forehead. It hadn''t been easy for her to carve runes into the barrier, working against the ceaseless force of the barrier for close to half an hour.


    "That was quite a brilliant disy," Warden praised.


    "That''s just elementary," Jenni snorted, waving off.


    "I don''t know much about runesmithing, but that was impressive," Agnes said.


    And this time a smile broke into Jenni''s lips from the captain''s praise. "Thank you."


    "So do you want me to make some weapon for you, or other tools?" Warden began, but she stopped him by waving her hand.


    "God, no." Jenni licked lips to continue, "What I want is five years, no ten years supply of those ice deserts."


    Warden blinked in a moment of stunned silence and then smiled. "I''m surprised you didn''t ask for a lifetime''s supply."


    Jenni looked flustered for the first time, but she waved it off as if it was nothing but her exhaustion. "I... so it''s a deal, right? If you want, I can pay..."


    "Do you think I make ice cream all day?"


    A perplexed look manifested in her expression. "Then, no ice cream?"


    Jenni looked as if he asked her to overwork on runes, pulling another all-nighter again.


    Warden scratched his bushy beard, considering her request. "While I do not make them every day, I think we can negotiate to an end. But are you sure about your decision?" Warden asked. "You know you can ask me to mentor you on runesmithing for some time?"


    "No," Jenni said, her voice rising unusually. A look of horror spread on her expression. "No, I mean, no disrespect to you, Master Runesmith, but I want to start my everyday life exhausted to the bones."


    "Come on, I didn''t work you that hard."


    "I cried myself to sleep," Jenni said, clenching her jaw. Veins popped up on her forehead. "Then you woke me in two hours, handed me a rejuvenation potion, and sent me back to work."


    Warden scratched his head at her re. "Um, is it toote to say sorry?"


    Jenni snorted. "I don''t want another master who always grumbles at my ipetency," she said, which rified why she wasn''t tempted to get a Master Runesmith as her mentor. "Besides, surely, your skill of making dessert outweighs your skills as a master runesmith."


    "You think so?" Warden''s expression brightened.


    "Cleary, she meant it as a joke," Agnes said. "But why do you look so happy hearing that?"


    "Because I like what I made," Warden said. He didn''t mention it the desserts were something he recently recovered to his memory. None of them knew of his peculiar amnesia. "And I don''t think she meant it as a joke."


    "It wasn''t a joke," Jenni admitted. "Well, notpletely... It''s just that I never had something like that, so..."


    "I can''t believe you," Agnes said with a sigh. "Certainly, they were good, but to put them above the masterful skill of runesmithing which can do so many magical things..."


    "They are heavenly," Jenni said, and turned to Warden. "Hmm, I might try a couple more."


    "Go, leave some for the few of my friendsing in at night," Wardenughed, his mood couldn''t be better. "Also, do not open the separate box, it''s for someone else."


    ____________


    Almost 200 chapters...


    Let''s have a poprity context. Details below.

 Chapter 190: Negotiation

    Warden left the crowd of soldiers to join Elder Ming, who had requested some of his time to discuss their previous conversation. Additionally, he needed to prepare more food for the soldiers from the 16th Infantry.


    "Well, you certainly know how to throw something fun," Captain Jessica remarked. "The news of this littlepetition of yours has already spread through the camp, and more soldiers areing. I hope some of our captains aren''t shameless enough to join the soldiers just to get free equipment done."


    "It''s not about shamelessness," Warden replied.


    "Right," Aerel added, seated beside Jessica. "I keep telling her to take part, but she insists it wouldn''t be fair."


    "I mean, he''s my brother''s friend," Jessica exined, reclining in her seat. She nced at the elder out of the corner of her eyes to continue. "¡­ If I take part and win, I would feel like I swindled the prize from him.


    Oh, I didn''t mean anything bad about your work¡­ Actually, Jason kept on telling me about the armour you made for him¡­ He couldn''t stop talking about the Weightlessness feature you put into it."


    "Weightlessness feature?" Elder Ming perked up from his seat, having been silently mulling over his promise. "How did you manage that?"


    Warden scratched his chin. "With runes, obviously." He dismissed the question from his mind and turned to Jessica. "You don''t have to feel bad about participating¡­ When I made the challenge, I was aware of what I was promising."


    "Are you sure?" Jessica raised an eyebrow. "If I participate, I''m nearly certain many of the other captains would shamelessly join their juniors to win it. While I''m not sure if every one of them could make it, I''m certain more than half of them could¡­ and I haven''t counted the sergeants and lieutenants¡­ The sheer amount of work you''d have would reach a staggering number."


    Warden thought for a moment and nodded. "I cannot go back on my word."


    Besides, it wouldn''t be for nothing. Even if they wouldn''t pay for his work, they would still harbour goodwill toward him. Certainly, the goodwill of some elite captains and sergeants was nothing to scoff at, either.


    Jessica grinned. "You''re a lot like my brother, but you have a lot more conviction," she said. "And way more prideful. Well, fine by me, I''ll join. Maybe you can look into my staff to see if you can fix it."


    "You''re talking as if you''ve already won," Wardenughed.


    "Just watch me," she said. "Oh, right, the food is great. I couldn''t help myself on my own. Anyway, you should discuss your deal with Elder Ming¡­ can''t keep the old man waiting for long, can we? Who knows, his bottom might already be numb."


    Jenni snickered from the back, near the runic refrigerator. She had already loaded up on the dessert, devouring them with a scoop in hand.


    "You, girl," Elder Ming said. "If someone talked to a high ranker like that in my time, they would call for a duel¡­"


    "Sorry, I forgot people of your age can''t take a joke," Jessica apologised. "I''m terribly sorry. Now, if you want your duel, I''ll have to reluctantly agree."


    Elder Ming clicked his tongue and turned to Warden. "We should talk about what I can do for you." Warden nodded as the old man continued, "I''ll speak truthfully.


    Clearing your punishment is more trouble than it''s worth, that is to say, I don''t think it is possible for anyone to reverse the decision of a high judge, save for a few influential people like the duke, emperor, and obviously the transcendental rankers.


    "While the weight of my voice cannot sway any transcendental rankers¡­ I can talk to some of my influential friends, even if I don''t think most of them will feel good about offending a high judge¡­ But I''d do it if that''s what you want."


    Warden frowned. So, it was a matter of pride now? He sighed. "If you cannot clear my punishment, what else can you do?"


    "I can take you into the Artificer Department, where you can earn a fair living for your work," Elder said. "Ahem! Of course, your contribution to establishing the main shell of the west front had to go as a valiant achievement. But you''ll get all the points of your worth after this if you join, I promise you."


    Warden fought to keep his expression cool. This was more than enough for him to earn a few good things from the emporium. He might even agree to this if the Elder came with it without making a scene in the beginning¡­ But now, Warden wanted something more out of it¡­


    And it turned out the elder had just the skill for what he wanted.


    "This is like a partial pardon," Elder Ming continued, getting his attention. "While you''d still be forced to work on the front lines for the remainder of your tenure, the Artificer Department acknowledges your contribution to the war efforts and deems you worthy of a special pardon."


    "Will I receive fair pay when I work in the field, fighting in skirmishes?" Warden asked, as it felt like he wouldn''t.


    "Why would you be fighting skirmishes?" Elder Ming frowned. "As a beholden to the Artificer Department, your task will be rted to runesmithing and making artifacts¡­ You can earn ten times more than a captain if you work wholeheartedly."


    Warden shook his head. "Elder Ming, I don''t think you got me," he said. "All this runesmithing, artificing is my side job, a hobby, something I do for fun."


    Elder Ming furrowed his brow.


    "While I do take it seriously andmit my everything when I''m at it, I have another calling," Warden said. "For example, I''d like to join the expedition to the ruins that ising up."


    "So you cannot fullymit to the Artificer Department?"


    "I mean, I''ll do my part if I join," Warden said. He turned to Jenni, who was eating dessert in one mind. "Hey, Jenni, as part of the Artificer Department, what are your duties?"


    "Umm, just the usual, unless I have to join some crazy project like this one."


    "What is the usual?"


    Jenni continued as if she didn''t hear him. "But, of course, not all superiors are crazy sadi- Ahem! I mean, crazy workaholics like you. So the usual is mostly about making subpar weapons for the soldiers, repairing damaged goods¡­ There''s also a monthly inspection on shells and formations¡­ And sometimes we do have to go to ruins, even if most runesmiths don''t like to join."


    "Hmm, I think I can manage all that," Warden said. "Are the working hours simr tomon soldiers?"


    "Depending on your mileage," Jenni said, putting a scoop of ice cream into her mouth. "Darren there usually cannot work more than 4 hours a day if he has to put his best effort into runesmithing. Oh crap, I''m out of ice cream!"


    Warden''s expression only brightened. "Elder Ming, I think we cane to an agreement," he said, "How about I put eight of my good hours into working for the Artificer Department? As per my mileage, I think I can make an artifact each day, unless it''s a full-te armour."


    The elder''s face wasn''t looking good, hearing all that. But he nodded slowly¡­


    "But of course, there''s an issue¡­"


    "If it''s about you joining the expedition, I cannot stop with how things are going," Elder Ming said. "And you won''t get your fair pay anywhere else but with us. It''s the best I can do without offending anyone."


    "That''s alright; what I''m asking is something different," Warden said. A smile crept to his lips. "It''s only a minor thing¡­ I''m sure a man of your station can easily achieve it."


    "Just get it over with; I''ve other ces to be," the elder said with a scowl.


    "Elder Ming, I heard your skills at cksmithing are already at a Grandmaster level," Warden said, beaming with a hopeful smile, "All you have to do is make¡ª" Warden stopped midway, his eyes darting towards the refrigerator. "Jenni, I told you that is not for you. Put that back down right now."


    "Hey, I''m only taking a look." The girl in question had already opened the box Warden especially left to deliver to June. "It''s not like I''ll damage the runes in it or going to eat everything¡­ Oh my god, they look so delicious."


    Warden jumped from his spot tond behind her. He seized the box from her. Thankfully, she hadn''t managed to put her greedy hands into the special dessert yet.


    "Hey," she cried, as though she had been wronged.


    "I said it is not for you," Warden said with a sigh as he closed the box and reattached the runes to lock it.


    "There''s like two other vours in there," she grumbled, "that I hadn''t tried."


    She gave him the puppy eyes, which were too hard to resist, but Warden channelled his energy as he became one with the void. The void didn''t care about the cute puppy faces of girls.


    "Cheh!" she spat, and was about to grumble more, but Elder Ming stopped her.


    "Jenni, don''t act presumptuous!"


    "Fine," spitting that she went back to join her friends.


    Warden shook his head, letting the void go. Perhaps he shouldn''t have acted like that¡­ but these special vours needed a lot more care and time to prepare¡­ and he wanted June to have them first.


    "Looks like we''rete to the party," said a new voice. Warden turned to find Kevin, still in his rogue getup.


    "Nah, look at all these people," Caleb said. "We''re just in the right time. Oh, the captain is here too¡­


    Sergeant Luis turned to greet Warden. "Is it true that you''re distributing free equipment?"


    What?

 Chapter 191: Marcus Valerius

    It wasn''t the first time on the front lines for Marcus Valerius of House Valerius, though it would be wrong to say he wasn''t awestruck like the first time he was in this unique environment. The feeling was still there, though perhaps somewhat dulled this second time; the long, boring, and tedious journey only intensified it.


    It would have taken a few minutes for him to travel all this distance if he only used the warp gate for a couple of teleportations, but his mother insisted that he travel a third of the empire with his retainers, building their team and wasting time instead of joining right before the time.


    Surprisingly enough, they were a week early, but that would only provide more time for him and his team to familiarise themselves with the daunting environment of the rift. Unfortunately, not everyone on his team shared his enthusiasm.


    "I don''t like this ce," May said. Herplicated elven origin and her ss made her particrly attuned to the ambient energy. "Makes my skin itch the moment I enter the rift."


    "First time on the front lines?" asked Pierce.


    May nodded. "The aura of this ce... It''s like..." She stopped, unable to describe the feeling. "An animal stripped of its skin..."


    Marcus didn''t know if it was May''s poor grasp of themon tongue, but theparison simply didn''t make sense.


    "I''m going to check out our quarters," Cole said, already moving. The other two followed.


    "We''re supposed to meet with Major General Walt," Pierce said.


    "That can wait for tomorrow morning," Marcus said. "Let''s first get something to eat, I''m famished."


    His expression stiffened at that reminder. The food served on the front lines was notoriously subpar. Still, he would have to make do with what he had.


    All that was all right. However, he hadn''t expected toe across a few familiar faces among the stalwart figures of themon soldiers.


    "I thought we were the first batch to arrive," Pierce said, rubbing his nose. "Looks like she beat us to it."


    "Why do you sound like you knew she would be here?" Marcus frowned, his eyes darting to the woman in question.


    She seemed to notice their arrival as well, as her lips curled up in a seductive smile, which always put him on edge.


    "Ah, young Lord Valerius," she said in greeting, her gaze now epassing their group of three. "I hadn''t expected you to have the foresight toe early. Did your mommy put you up to this?"


    "I like how she smells," May muttered from his left.


    Marcus wished he shared the same aspect as the half-elf, so he could breathe in more of the unique woman''s odour. The woman, Cassandra, possessed an ungodly amount of charm and knew how to wield it. Coupled with her lovely, plump figure and downright gorgeous exterior, she stirred emotions in him that very few women could. Definitely not a girl of their age, and it wasn''t just about lust.


    After all, beauty and alluring figures were bing moremon with each advancement in society.


    "This girl," Marcus thought, setting his jaw. How much more prominent will her presence be when she advances to Gold? She''s already unbearable to look at... It wasn''t just his own sentiment; themon soldiers were shooting admiring gazes her way.


    "My lord, you''re drooling," May said, pping her foot on his leg.


    "I''m not," he replied, though he cleared his throat and licked his lips just in case. He turned to Cassandra, maintaining hisposure. "Well met, Lady Cassandra."


    "I wish I could say the same." Although she said that, she blessed him with a smile, bowing slightly and raising her hand. Her sharp tongue almost made him infatuated, but Marcus had to keep his bearing, even if he had to fight it.


    Marcus struggled to maintain hisposure, giving only a peck of a kiss on her palm. Her palm was cool, but her fragrance and perfume made up for it. All of Cassandra''s retainers were women, each possessing a beautiful exterior and alluring figure. Marcus noticed they were giving him stink eyes.


    "You must have had a tough journey to get here, huh?" she said.


    "Nah, it has been... an eye-opener," he muttered. Noting the soldiers'' presence, he couldn''t help but ask, "Is it your first time on the front lines? Do you need help with something?"


    "Not particrly," she waved her palm. "I simply overheard something interesting these good soldiers were discussing and couldn''t resist. Did you know there''s an openpetition on the west front, and the reward is equipment from a Master Runesmith?"


    "Truly?" Marcus said. There were only about a couple dozen Master Runesmiths in the empire, so the demand for high-runic equipment had always been sky-high. "But surely, high runic equipment is not enough to pique the interest of a woman of your station?"


    "You praise me too highly, Young Lord Marcus," Cassandra said, sping her palm into the long sleeves of her traditional dress. "The second-best equipment I have is merely Tier-4... I don''t think the young lord can understand the plight of usmon folk."


    "As ifmon folk can afford Tier-4 equipment," May snorted from his left, her nose crooked, either due to the aura of this ce or her pure detest for Cassandra.


    "It''s never a bad idea to make a connection with an influential figure," Pierce repeated his mother''s teaching.


    Marcus winced. He possessed three high-runic pieces of equipment, but it never hurt to have more. Of course, he didn''t need it. But that didn''t mean none of his teammates couldn''t use one. While all of them had equipmentplementing their ss and power, it couldn''tpare to any of his three pieces.


    Perhaps I can win the equipment from the Master Runesmith and give it to them, Marcus mused. Although his feelings towards his team were more of friendship than retainers, it didn''t change the fact that he was responsible for them, just as they were responsible for keeping him safe.


    Or, maybe I can win it for Lady Cassandra...

 Chapter 192: Lady Cassandra

    Hmm, maybe I can win it for Lady Cassandra, his thoughts whirled as warmth rose in his chest. Perhaps she would give me the chance to court her if I seed, and we can be a couple.


    Then reality washed over him.


    Mother would not like it. He sighed.


    "Besides," Cassandra continued, "I''m interested in thepetition, even if I''m unable to participate."


    "And it will give her a good opportunity to scout helpers for our job," Pierce transmitted into his mind, using his ability. "Come on, let''s go join her. I think it will be worthwhile." Pierce didn''t have to tell him that because he was intent on joining, even if the Master Runesmith didn''t let them participate.


    Cassandra asked the soldiers to lead the way, and how could they deny her? While it wasn''t difficult for Marcus to figure out the way, as it wasn''t the first time he was there, he let the woman take the lead, watching her move with her entourage of lovely women.


    It didn''t take long to reach the destination, and as they had assumed, there was already a crowd of people mouring. Unfortunately, there didn''t seem to be much organization to the whole thing. Other than the participants standing stoically in a row, the rest were mouring as if they were on an outing.


    Some of the fellows really did look like they were on an outing, chilling and dining with all the stuff they brought in. The aromatic fragranceing from their meal reminded Marcus of his hunger.


    "As I mentioned, anyone below Gold rank is wee to participate," said the soldier who introduced himself as Bern. He had tried to show off to Lady Cassandra, mentioning how he almost made it, but sadly, only getting the tip of his sword wasn''t enough. He had to make enough damage that the rm ring.


    He tried twice, and failed both times, and Marcus was sure they weren''t as glorious as Bern made it sound. But Marcus was thankful to him for exining the rules of the game... It was surprisingly simple for the grand prize of High-runic equipment.


    What delighted him more was that there wasn''t a limit to the number of high-runic equipment. Anyone can get it as long as they make it.


    "But just in case," the soldier said, "I think we should ask one of the adepts for confirmation."


    Saying that, he called up a sour-looking woman in her early twenties. Well, she was probably older, considering it takes over a decade even for a gifted ranker to reach Adept rank in runesmithing.


    "Do all of you want to participate?" she asked, her eyes lingering a moment longer on Cassandra. Lady Cassandra nodded softly. "If it''s all right with the Master Runesmith, we don''t want to be presumptuous in our behaviour and¡ª"


    "Bah!" the adept runesmith woman waved off her palm to silence Cassandra. "He doesn''t deserve your consideration. Just don''t make a fuss and stand in line. Or just smile a little at these hapless fools, and they would dly give you their spot."


    "Is it really, right?" Marcus asked. As far as he could tell, the task was to impair the barrier. The woman shrugged. "Seven people already won the high prize, and he didn''t seem to care. Besides, most of the winners are Silver rankers. From what I''m seeing, all of you are Iron rank, elite you may be, the best you get is the low prize."


    "Which is to get your best equipment repaired by the Master Runesmith," soldier Bern added.


    "He can do that while taking a piss," snorted the Adept Runesmith woman and walked away.


    "Her view of the Master Runesmith doesn''t seem that great," May observed. Lady Cassandra seemed to agree as she turned towards Bern for him to shed some light on the matter.


    "Um, that was Lady Jenni," Bern said, swallowing a breath. "She''s the first winner of the high prize, but she got into a fight with the Master Runesmith over her prize... I''m not sure."


    "He didn''t ept her request?" Marcus asked. If so, perhaps it would be better if they didn''t participate.


    "No, the reward she asked for isn''t equipment," Bern said with a weird look. "Um, Lady Jenni is very... willful at times."


    "Well, even if we can''t get a high runic equipment, I can''t wait to see you try, Young Lord Valerius," Cassandra said, beaming a winning smile at him.


    Marcus''s throat dried up. "Just to be clear, all we have to do is damage the barrier and force our way to the other side, for the high prize right?"


    With the confirmation, she joined the fray. Unlike how Adept Jenni mentioned a smile from her would pave the way for her to participate, Cassandra actually crept towards where the sour-looking Jenni stood with the others. Now, the Adept runesmith had a skewer in hand and was devouring the roasted meat without batting an eye at the gorgeous woman who came to stand next to her.


    "You want some?" she asked. Cassandra shook her head.


    "Good," she said with a burp, "he''s very stinky with the meal."


    "Um, can I get something?" Marcus asked, swallowing a breath. He couldn''t tell why, but this woman overwhelmed him, and not in a good way. Adept Jenni shot him a look, gazing up and down as he stood straighter. "No." Marcus gritted his teeth but said nothing.


    "Don''t worry, the rejection of the girls will only make you more resistant to it," May offered, sping his shoulder. "I promise it won''t hurt after a dozen more times."


    "Darren is still at it, huh?" Jenni snickered in amusement, leaning on the broad man next to him, who simply forced her back.


    "Well, he says four hours is his limit, but for today perhaps he''ll put some more effort," said the other man, who was probably a runesmith like her.


    "This is what a poor foundation does to a mother¡ª gyukkk! I need a drink." Adept Jenni blew air and spit from her mouth without a care in the world. She turned to the stand where people were eating and drinking. "Aki, be a good friend and get a bottle of wine."


    "No, I''ll be a good friend and stop you from doing anything more stupid today," Aki snorted. As Jenni leaned on him again, he pushed her back.


    "Are all runesmiths like this?" Marcus muttered.


    ''Pretty much,'' Pierce said in their telepathic link. ''They are either the polite Stoic like this Aki and our Cole, orid back and careless like this woman.''


    "Hey, look, we''re about to get our eighth winner!" someone shouted as everyone''s eyes moved towards the front barrier, and the runic pattern lit up in deep blue, as a woman sted a huge deluge of ice attack to make a deep hole in them.


    "She seems familiar," Marcus muttered, unable to call up from his memory. But looking at her proud and domineering figure as she cast a deluge of ice spells, he was sure she was a prominent figure.


    He turned to Pierce for the answer.


    "That is the elder daughter of Lord Forger, Jessica Forger," Pierce said. "I didn''t think she would be participating in it as well."

 Chapter 193: Embrassment

    Cassandra swallowed a breath, watching the sheer force the Silver Rank woman forced through her ice spells. She didn''t rest after her first round of attack failed to clear the way. Instead, she concentrated on her spells even more. After a strenuous round of stress on the barrier, it finally began to lose its integrity.


    The rm red amidst the cheers of the people, but it wasn''t over yet. Jessica Forger threw three isting wards into the hole, preventing the barrier from restoring itself. Her wards held it back as she rushed through the opening to the other side. She backed in as well, just before her wards copsed against the torrential force of the barrier.


    "It is more work than I''d initially thought," she said, letting out an exhtion. Unlike Jenni, who used her mastery over Runes to create a safe way in and out, Jessica simply bombarded it with overwhelming force. "How long did it take?"


    "One minute and thirty-eight seconds," Adept Aki answered, as nobody else seemed to be counting.


    "So barely enough time to call for reinforcement if someone forces their way in," Jessica muttered. "Better than the rest of the formation, I suppose. They won''t be able to withstand even a couple of my full-power attacks."


    "Congrattions, Captain," Sergeant Aerel said, as many others congratted her. "You''re the fourth captain to win it, and the second fastest among them, if you care about statistics."


    "Doesn''t matter," Jessica said. "I already spent a long time here; it is time for us to depart. Also, I don''t have any need for new equipment at this moment. How about you, Aerel, wouldn''t you like to get a better sword?"


    "I do," Aerel said. "But I still have one more chance left... I think I have a 50-50 chance of making it¡­"


    "No need. You can take my reward," Jessica said.


    Aerel narrowed her eyes at her captain. "Are you sure?"


    Jessica nodded as they departed from the scene. Thepetition continued with full fervour, with all the soldiers attacking where Captain Jessica had created a hole a moment ago. However, unlike the captain, their attacks were unable to find purchase in the barrier.


    "These suckers," Adept Jenni snickered. "They think attacking the same spot will leave it weakened for at least one of them to win."


    "Technically, their n is sound," Adept Aki said. "Unfortunately for them, the Restoration scripts are just too impressive. Can''t believe wepleted this within a week."


    "We only did like 10% of the job, maybe 12%," Jenni said with another burp.


    Aki looked like he wanted to refute, but he couldn''t bring himself to do it because he knew it was the truth. "How do you think he gained such stamina and resilience?"


    "Practice, the guy said when Dawg asked him," Jenni swore. "I''m certain that''s absolute crap... Anyway, are you going to bring me the bottle of wine or what?"


    "I have some good-quality wine with me," Cassandra cut in with a smile. "If you like, I can¡ª"


    "Thanks, yeah, I''ll dly take it," Jenni said before Cassandra could even offer. "See, Aki, this is how you win people..."


    Cassandra gestured to one of the women in her entourage as she brought out the storage cube to retrieve a couple of bottles of wine.


    "Master Warden fed you free food, wine, and the dessert you''re so enamoured with," Aki snorted. "He couldn''t win you over."


    "Gah!" Jenni made a weird drunkard noise and came closer to Cassandra. She wiggled one of her arms around Cassandra''s waist as if they were familiar. "How can Ipare such a vicious sadist to a lovely woman like¡­" She let out a hup, meeting Cassandra''s eyes. "What did you say your name was again?"


    "I didn''t mention it," she sounded a little ufortable, getting so close to the drunkard adept. "But it''s Cassandra."


    "See, even the name is better," Adept Jenni said, almost embracing her. "Even the name has more weight... while Warden... It sounds like a fake name, to be honest. Hell, I wouldn''t even be surprised if he tells me he''s actually a Warden, because the way he treats us is no better than how they treat criminals in prison. I swear if he didn''t¡ª"


    Jenni''s eyes darted to the bottles of wine as she seized them immediately. The cork flew out instantly as she poured the wine into her mouth in wild abandon.


    Cassandra was probably regretting her decision to give this woman alcohol, but it was toote to regret it now.


    "Man, she''s wasted," a new voice said. Everyone turned to find a raven-haired woman walking along with the party who had been camping just a few meters away.


    "Jenni," the elder among them grunted, his face twisting into a scowl. Cassandra observed, as goosebumps crawled up her arms, finding this Oldman to be a Gold Ranker. And not just anymon ranker, either. He''s possibly the Master Runesmith who threw thepetition.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t too happy seeing the adept wasted like this.


    "Watch yourself when you''re in public," the elder shouted. "Your absence of decorum is staining my name as well as the Artificer Department. If I cannot even discipline my own¡ª"


    "Oh, if it isn''t Elder Ming," Jenni said, stepping forward to the group. With another hup, she continued, "What a surprise! I''m terribly sorry for staining your name. Give me an opportunity to make it up to you."


    Cassandra wanted to take a step back. She only tried to befriend this woman because her personality seemed like she didn''t care about their background, but looking at her defiance now, Jenni didn''t give a fuck to a Gold Ranker, either.


    Cassandra made a great miscalction this time. If her act of giving alcohol to Jenni offended the elder, then perhaps she would have to apologize. Well, she would have to apologize either way. However, she hadn''t expected what happened next.


    "Daughter," the elder said, his voice growing softer.


    Cassandra didn''t expect that. Hell, even the people who the elder was with so far seemed surprised at the revtion.


    "Perhaps it is my fault for giving you too much freedom," the elder said as he came closer to Jenni. "If I had known you''d act in such a way¡­"


    "Then what?" Jenni challenged her father. "You''d have put me in a cage?"


    The aura around the elder changed as he was about to give the girl a piece of his mind.


    "Perhaps it will be better for you to leave her be for now, Elder Ming," said the tallest man in the group. He nudged the raven-haired woman who came to help Adept Jenni. He turned to the Half-elf woman in Marcus''s retinue and asked, "You''re a healer, correct? Help her regain herposure."


    "No need," Jenni said, struggling out from the grasp of the Raven-haired woman who came to help her. "I can do it on my own. It''s not like I drank a lot; I''m just a little tipsy. That''s all. Besides, Elder Ming''s face is enough of a medicine for me."


    Jenni did regain all her mental faculties as she surged her power to digest all the effects the alcohol had on her mind.


    "See?" she said, meeting her father''s eyes.


    "This is not over," Elder Ming said. "We''ll talk about this tomorrow."


    "Oh, we can¡ª" Jenni was about to say when the other woman who stood by her side stopped her.


    The elder didn''t bother with any of them and flew out of their sight instantly.

 Chapter 194: Enigmatic

    "Girl, this is not how you win a war," the raven-haired woman said. "You''re only making it harder for yourself."


    "This is the only way I know," Jenni said, her defiant attitude turning into a look of helplessness¡ªsomething Cassandra was very familiar with, be it in herself or the woman in her retinue.


    "Let''s not talk about that now. Hey, do you want some ice cream?" Before Jenni could answer, she brought out a runic box from her storage device. "I stowed this away at the very beginning."


    Jenni''s expression split into childish glee as she embraced the woman. "I love you so much, Captain Agnes."


    The captain smiled and looked at the tall man in the corner of his eyes, who shrugged warily.


    "Well, now that''s out of the way," another man said, bringing out his spear. "Let''s continue this game¡­"


    "Do we really have to y too?" a roguish figure among the group said, sounding reluctant.


    "You''re saying that because you have no chance of making it."


    "True," the rogue agreed and pointed at the tall figure. "But we also can get him to repair our tools for free. Why bother with this y?"


    "Where''s your spirit andpetitiveness, Kevin? Captain, how about youmand us all to participate, and whoever performs the worst has to clean the toilet for a week?"


    "I approve this," the tall figure said, nodding sagely.


    Kevin scowled. "Fine, let''s do it, old man." Saying that, he moved to the barrier even though soldiers were participating on another side. He didn''t bother with them, brought out his dagger, and attacked. After getting a feel of the barrier, he plunged his dagger into it.


    The formation of the barrier stirred, but that was all. Kevin scowled. He tried again and managed a little better, but in the end, he failed. He returned with an ugly expression.


    "Don''t take it to heart, Kevin," said a man of sergeant rank. "Your power lies in camouge, misdirection, and stealth, not in raw power."


    Kevin nodded and stood at the back, his expression only getting a little better.


    "Oh, this littlepetition has brought so many people," the tall man said, turning to their group. "You guys didn''t seem to be a part of the camp¡­"


    "We''re not," Marcus answered casually. "But I do hold a position of Lieutenant."


    "Nonmissioned," Captain Agnes muttered; she didn''t seem to like such possessions.


    Cassandra could understand why. After all, while they served on the frontline all year without rest, these nonmissioned ranked officers came from time to time, either for some army drill or to make a name for themselves. Although they were called up this time, Cassandra knew what kind of deals were involved under the table for them to be called up here.


    "Well, you''re all open to try," the tall man said with a shrug. He turned to Marcus''s healer again. "Can you throw me a rejuvenation spell? I can pay for it¡­"


    May quirked her brows and prepared to cast the spell. "No need¡­"


    The white light of the spell plunged into the chest of the tall man, and his eyes brightened for a moment. Other than that, he didn''t look rejuvenated at all. Only then did Cassandra notice, she received no feel for the man. Absolutely none at all. She couldn''t even see his aura.


    Well, that didn''t happen often... Hell, it only happened a couple of times when she came across some high-rankers who dwarfed her in power. She could even glimpse a feel about the elderly gold ranker master runesmith who left a moment ago. But not this man.


    Cassandra deemed him to be a part of them as well, perhaps another adept of higher standing with how the other adepts were treating him. Jenni didn''t even acknowledge his presence, but that was to be expected with her tant disregard for everything. But Aki seemed to hold a deep respect and revere for this man.


    A man who''s a rank below him. Certainly an enigmatic figure.


    "Thanks, I needed that," said the tall man. "I''d have offered you all food and beverages, but all we have left are some drinks. Help yourself if you like." They did not, but the guy didn''t seem to mind. He turned to the adept. "How many winners do we have, Aki?"


    "Eight of us managed to force our way through the barrier," Adept Aki answered. "And twenty-three managed to make damage it enough to make the rm re."


    "Hmm, not bad, but I expected more. What are their ranks?"


    "Well, among the first eight, four were captains. After Jenni and I seeded, two other adepts from the department got the news and joined. They were older adepts, so it didn''t take them long to seed."


    "What about Dawg and Darren?"


    "They managed the lower prize, along with most of the adepts that came after getting the next," Aki answered. "Among the 23, I think eight of them are runesmiths."


    "Many of the captains not avable in the camp," Agnes added.


    "Well, that''s unfortunate, I''d have liked to get the taste of the power," he said, scratching his head. Only then did he give some form of exhaustion that required a rejuvenation spell.


    Perhaps he was good at concealment, Cassandra mused. Like my power revolves around divination, perhaps his was exactly the opposite?


    "So among all the winners, only one of them is an Iron ranker?"


    "Well, Jenni was the only Iron ranked in the first group," Aki said, while everyone else''s eyes moved to the woman who was eating dessert nonchntly. "However, there were two other Iron rankers who managed to damage the barrier."


    "I guess themon soldiers are somewhatcking in this respect," the tall man said and turned to Agnes. "So captain, is it fair to assume you''ll give us a surprise?"


    Captain Agnes smiled. "Why are you asking me, only? After all, we have a batch of elite Iron rankers here; let''s see how they fare. Not to mention, you haven''t tried it yourself."


    "Nah, it''ll be an easy win for me," the tall adept said. "Besides, I have no incentive to participate."

 Chapter 195: A Touch of Darkness

    "Young Lord Valerius," Cassandra said with a sweet smile, "how about you show us how it''s done?"


    Marcus narrowed his eyes. "If Lady Cassandra asks, how can I ignore..."


    Saying that, he crept towards the barrier, unsheathing his sword on the way. Fire alighted in his weapon as the noble son braced himself for the attack. He built up the power, taking several seconds, sword intent rising to the surface, causing several people to raise their eyebrows.


    "Ember sword, Second form: Endearing Heart."


    Crimson fiery mes aze the sword as Marcus struck the barrier. His firepower weakened the barrier, while Sword intent did the rest in clearing a small hole into the formation.


    "You know, it always rubs me the wrong way when someone shouts the name of their moves," Warden mumbled.


    "Good stance," Caleb praised, while Agnes watched with mild interest. The rm red, but the guy wasn''t done yet. He forced out more firepower and his piercing intent, but the formation reinforced its restoration as well. Marcus tried to force his way for two full minutes; unfortunately, he didn''t evene close.


    Still, Warden would rank his power to be at least A-grade.


    "Looks like I fell short," Marcus said as he came back, his expression turning weary and ugly. Well, with his handsome appearance, it was really impossible for him to look ugly. He was arguably the second most handsome fe Warden had encountered, the first being June''s elven cousin, whose name Warden already forgotten.


    "A valiant disy, youngd," Caleb said as he moved forward, his spear in tow.


    Now Caleb did not have such firepower as Marcus. Hell, his power fell short of most Iron rankers. However, Caleb had mastered his Intentpletely, and through that fact only, he plunged his spear and created a hole. He tried to force his way easily; unfortunately, the restoration runes didn''t let him.


    "Hmm, the formation is particrly weak against intent," Warden mumbled.


    "It is only natural," Aki said. "Other than the few runesmiths and spell casters, most who made it had some grasp in Intent."


    "Looks like I won''t be cleaning toilets, after all," Caleb returned with a smile. He honestly hadn''t expected anything more than this.


    "Pierce, won''t you try?" Marcus asked.


    "I probably would have," the man in question answered, "but now I don''t want to embarrass myself."


    "Come on, don''t undery yourself," Marcus snorted. "I wish Cole were here; his runesmithing skills might have helped him gain something out of this."


    "Oh, I already called him," Pierce said as he moved up for his turn. "Don''t know if he''ll be here though."


    He didn''t wait ceremoniously, preparing for his attack like Marcus did. He cast strong spells of kic energy and plunged them into the wall.


    The first did nothing but light up the formation in a brighter colour. His next few attacks did the same until finally, the horn red, even though he did not manage to make a hole in it. The damage he had done was good enough to put the barrier under stress.


    "I guess this is satisfactory enough," Pierce said, his voice somewhat hard. Marcus pped him on the shoulder and turned to the group of women.


    "It appears we have failed to im the grand prize," he said. "How about you, Lady Cassandra? Won''t you give it a try?"


    "If young Lord Valerius fails in iming the grand prize, how can this poor woman im to do any better?" she said. "Still, since we came here, it will be a loss if I do not participate."


    A woman in her group helped her out of her velvet coat as she approached under the gaze of everyone. A few whistles were blown in her direction, but Cassandra was unfazed. She was ready to attack but stopped midway and turned to everyone.


    "I think you all should close your ears with your energy." Her group of women was already doing it, but Warden did not think it was necessary since the attack on the barrier. Besides, someone needed to hear the rm if she managed to¡ª


    "AHHHHHHH!" A supersonic wave crashed into the barrier as the woman shrieked. Warden winced, using a slight energy close to his eardrums to resist her obstruction. Her shriek onlysted for a few seconds, and when she was done, finally the rm could be heard. Compared to her cry, it was minuscule.


    "Looks like I embarrassed myself," Cassandra said, bowing. "Apologies if I inconvenienced anyone." There were more than a dozen soldiers and young men who congratted her on this small victory. Honestly, her attack was nothing to scoff at; it was just that it wasn''t concentratedpletely on the wall. If she managed that, perhaps she could even... but it was probably difficult with a sound wave.


    "A siren," Agnes whispered to him. "I think I have heard of her. And let me tell you, this is not her actual power at all."


    Warden narrowed his eyes at her words but didn''t think too much of it. The women from Cassandra''s group joined the fray. She had a swordmaster in her group who managed to perform as well as Caleb, but other than her, none found purchase in the challenge. There were two archers who seemed to fail tremendously.


    "We are delighted to be a part of thispetition," Cassandra said towards their group as she and her retinue bowed with respect. She turned to Jenni for a moment and thought better of it, finding Aki. "Please carry our message to the Master Runesmith that we do not require any prize for our selfish participation."


    "You can tell that to his face," Jenni snorted. It seemed they had failed to notice that Warden was the Master Runesmith. Well, it wasmon sense, really; with his Iron rank, it was even hard for others to imagine him to be Adept rank, much less a Master. Moreover, Elder Ming''s presence only deepened their impression. Cassandra was unfazed with her temperament.


    "However, we do have a couple of pieces of equipment that would need tending. We''ll pay a fair price to repair them." The adepts and even Agnes shot him a weird gaze, waiting for him to reply. But he simply waved his palm.


    "As far as I know, the Artificer department is fair with their pricing; you can get your equipment repaired without a hitch," he said. Warden thought they would leave after this, but instead, they waited for thest few participants to join the fray.


    "Luis, are you going to join?" Agnes asked her sergeant. Luis shook his head. "I''m a defensive warrior, Captain." She nodded. "I guess I should get this over with now."


    She moved to the spot and raised her palm against the barrier, instead of using her sword. Darkness crawled out of her palm like liquid ck water as it resonated with the power of the barrier. The tangible darkness enveloped more space in the barrier, and Agnes began devouring the power. The horn rang almost instantly.


    "Oh, Agnes... Agnes... how could I have forgotten," Marcus muttered from his spot. "She''s that Agnes."


    Cassandra raised an eyebrow. A couple of women in her group muttered the name, Agnes Arnaid, the woman who made a name for herself after winning the Inter-academy tournament.


    "Oh, I forgot how famous she is," Warden mumbled.


    Agnes was unperturbed by the attention she was getting. She poured in her intent, reinforcing her essence of darkness. Within a minute or two, it began to eat through the barrier, while she cast wards to iste the restoration runes from reinforcing the shell''s integrity.


    A frown crept up on Warden''s brow. So this was the reason behind her confidence. Warden felt stupid not to have noticed before. Of course, her power ate through the runes of her equipment; this was to be expected of her. Warden was just so tired that the thought hadn''t dawned on him, even if it was in in sight.


    Minutes passed as cheers rang through the crowd. Agnes disappeared into the darkness and reappeared on the other side of the barrier. With a mesmerising smile on her lips, she shot him a sardonic look and came back.


    "There we have the ninth person who manages to cross the barrier," Aki announced.


    "I expect nothing less in front of the Captain," Caleb said.


    "Well done!" the others cheered.


    Agnes came back to stand next to him, still grinning. "I could have done it with just one finger, but I decided to give you some face."


    Both of them knew it took her more than just a palm, yet Warden chuckled at her yful arrogance.


    "Well, with that skill gem you gave me already worth enough to hire a master runesmith a few times," Warden said. "I don''t think you need more than that. How about you ask for something else instead?"


    "Something like?"


    "I don''t know," Warden shrugged. He whispered only to her, "Maybe help for some secret job that you''ve been working hard on."


    Agnes''s eyes narrowed in a cold light.


    "Anyway, you''re asking for me to participate, right?" Warden walked forward towards the barrier. "Watching you seed seems to have convinced me. Just watch me¡­"


    "Are you going to use runes?" Jenni booed from behind. "That''s cheating¡­"


    "Nah, I don''t know Warden for too long," Agnes said. "But one thing I''m sure of: he likes to make a spectacle of himself."


    Warden bringing out his sword only proved her words right.


    "Is he serious?" Jenni snickered. "Man, it''ll be tragic if he sucks hard¡­"


    "Nah, I''d win."

 Chapter 196: Shell Damage

    Warden''s full-power attack earned him an A-grade when he just advanced to Iron rank. Although not much time had passed, his power had greatly increased, and it wasn''t simply in attribute points. His Void energy capacity had been raised to 15%, and he had awakened his Intent.


    With everything considered, it wouldn''t be wrong to say he was more than twice as strong, with more cards in his hands to y.


    As he worked on the barrier himself, Warden knew exactly what he was dealing with. It wasn''t his best work, but it was certainly the grandest. It would have been too easy if he were to use runes to dismantle the barrier. Instead, he put his void energy and intent to use.


    Finding harmony within the two powers didn''te easily; Warden was far from gainingplete mastery over it. However, he could showcase their brilliance together if he had a few seconds to prepare himself.


    "Is he going to stand in that pose all night?" Jenni yelled.


    "Yeah, get it over with," Caleb said.


    Warden ignored their voices; his concentration was absolute. Dark tendrils of power swirled around the de as he made contact with the barrier. He didn''t need any shy sword moves or to yell out the technique name. His move was simply a basic sh polished to mastery.


    The dark power plunged into the barrier and broke through the three intricate shells one after another, with only the final shell posing a little obstruction in his path. The void energy destroyed the formation from within, and the intent only made it easier, until an eight-foot-tall cut appeared on the barrier.


    Cool wind blew from the crack he created as the chilling void energy still bit through the crack to make itrger. Warden didn''t move into the crack he created but instead turned to the crowd.


    Some of the soldiers gasped as they watched the crack appear, unable to believe their eyes, while the elite Iron rankers were still gawking at the crack, as if trying to interpret the mystery of the attack.


    "You were saying something?" Warden grinned at Jenni.


    The girl had her mouth hanging open. She wanted to reply, but no words escaped her lips.


    "Was that your full power?" Agnes said. "If so, you''re stillcking..."


    "To you?" Warden snorted but agreed. Agnes possibly didn''t have a stronger attack, but her darkness power had progressed far ahead. She might not win in attack power, but her power didn''t lose out in intensity or control. "This is about 60, 70% of my power, perhaps."


    Cassandra congratted him for winning the prize he himself was giving and departed after giving a studying gaze. The other group also left with them, looking far less eager than when they came.


    "You two make my aplishment look so ordinary," Jenni said with a sigh.


    "Um, sir," another hesitant voice came from behind. "The crack hasn''t closed yet."


    Warden and all the adepts turned to peer into the attack Warden left behind. He almost facepalmed, studying the damage he caused in the formation.


    "No!" Jenni eximed, evident disbelief in her voice. "NO, you didn''t just damage the original shell with that attack... because that would be..."


    Warden sighed. "That looks to be the case."


    "But that''s impossible. Aki, did you see him y some tricks with the shell when he attacked?"


    Warden ignored her disbelief and walked to the Stele to better assess the damage he caused. Looks like the full 15% capacity of void energy was too much for a Grand Tier-3 formation, no matter how intensive it was.


    Thankfully, only a few dozen or so runes were damaged; unfortunately, many of them were restoration runes. Warden needed to fix them manually.


    "Looks like you got yourself more work," Agnes said.


    "It''ll only take about half an hour," Warden said. "Probably should get to it before I leave."


    "You know, I can do the work for you," Jenni tried, smiling with some ulterior motive. "If only you can spare some of those sweet, sweet desserts..."


    Warden shook his head, wondering how she became so enamored with them.


    Agnes hit softly on the silly girl''s head. "Give up, girl, those are going to his girlfriend."


    "Are you serious?" Jenni gave a look as if she couldn''t believe it. "How the hell did hend a girl? Considering it is him, I bet it''s some gold digger who''s only there for all the wealth..."


    Warden rubbed his forehead, ring at Jenni.


    "What? Did I hit a nerve?"


    Warden shook his head. "You couldn''t be more wrong than that."


    "Wait, don''t tell me you''ve enchanted some innocent girl with those delicious desserts?" Jenni raised her voice. "Hmm, I don''t know if it''s better or worse. On one side, she would get to eat those desserts daily, on the other side, she would have to deal with you."


    Jenni shuddered for dramatic effect.


    Warden groaned inwardly, wondering how she could get under his skin, unlike anyone he had ever encountered. Perhaps because both of them were somewhat alike in their personalities. Thankfully, he didn''t show it on his expression, because she''d be even more insufferable if she knew it bothered him.


    After all, he would do the same.


    "I can''t wait to see the look on your face when you finally meet her," Warden said.


    "You''re raising the bar too high," Agnes said. "Now even I''m intrigued."


    "Hmm, after all this is over, maybe we should go out for dinner together," Warden suggested to his former captain. "I think she''d like you very much."


    "Everyone likes me," Agnes said, blowing air out of her lips to wave her hair.


    "If I can get those desserts, I''m in for the dinner," Jenni said, licking her lips.


    "Who invited you?" Warden chuckled.


    She red at him.


    "On an interesting note," Warden said. "What''s your deal with Elder Ming? I learned he''s your father... but..."


    "It''splicated," she said and didn''t exin any further.


    Warden didn''t push her. "I think there''s some leftover dessert in the second container, you can take them before--"


    Before he finished, Jenni shot towards the runic container.

 Chapter 197: Rune Painting

    Warden''s days didn''t get any easier after he moved into the Artificer department. Actually, it got even more hectic. Thankfully, it wasn''t boring anymore, where he would have to repair subpar tools for a pittance of contribution points.


    The winners of his little contest showed up the very next day with their various desires for weapons. Ignoring a couple of captains and the runesmiths, most demanded to finalise what kind of grand work Warden could do for them.


    He told them straight he couldn''t be their cksmith, nor provide material for their weapon. He''d only carve the runes. Warden thought he was pretty clear when he announced thepetition, but he didn''t know how they got it into their heads that he was distributing free runic equipment.


    Ultimately, they had toply ande back together with a master cksmith to n out their weapon.


    Warden gave them a full hour of his time to finalise everything. He made sure to tell them they shouldn''t expect their equipment the next day, or next week. He promised they would get them before he left the front line, however.


    Most of them were happy toply, even if they grumbled a little. Like the officers, the adept runesmiths hade in a group as well, led by Aki. The only winner missing among them was Jenni. Their request was even more interesting. Unlike the captains, they didn''t need him to make any tools for them.


    All they wanted from him was some mentorship when he was free. Actually, they didn''t think Warden would agree to their request, considering most runesmiths took their secrets to the grave. So, Warden spent his afternoon getting bowed to by half of thepetent adepts of the artificer department.


    "I don''t know if you''re aware," Warden told them. "I''m very strict with my work. While you might think this is the best oue for you, it can be your worst nightmare. Ask Aki if you have any confusion, because I''ll put all your ability to the test and wrench out all the potential you lots have wasted. And I''m going to love every moment of it."


    Warden let a little of his energy shimmer his eyes in malevolent purple light, causing many of the adepts to shudder. After dismissing them, Warden went to meet with Elder Ming, who had a small quarter, though the ce was far more desirable than anywhere else in the rift. The master runesmith definitely used his expertise to carve every part of the building and garden for it to have such a look.


    Warden hoped some servant would wee him in to meet with the elder. But that didn''t happen. Other than a person in the small but beautiful garden protected by istion runes, there was no one else present in the vicinity.


    Thankfully, he knew the person in the garden.


    "Jenni?" Warden had to call half a dozen times before she finally lifted her head from the scrape of script paper.


    She red up at him. "Why are you here?"


    "I had asked for an audience with Elder Ming."


    She raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because he clearly seemed to forget about it."


    Warden invited himself in, dismantling the protective runes around the house. Thankfully, he used runes to do it, as the formation repaired itself after he entered. Jenni watched him dismantling. At first, she seemed like she''din, but kept her silence, watching him with narrowed eyes.


    "What are you doing here?" Warden asked, his eyes peering at the script paper she was scribbling with. However, unlike any runes, she was actually drawing an image with the stylus.


    "Are you blind?" She shot him a look as if she were questioning his intelligence.


    "Well, I can see you''re scribbling a scene with runes," Warden said. "And you don''t seem to be any good at it."


    She scowled at him. Warden shrugged. If she was going to talk to him like that, he would hurt her with blunt honesty. But in truth, Jenni wasn''t really hurt by hisment. She was only ying a role; his aura reading gave evidence of that.


    "Thankfully, this will be enough to quell Father''s anger," she said, showing him the obnoxious painting of one or dozen chimeric creatures she had drawn on the script paper. There were hundreds of Tier-1 and Tier-2 runes in the drawing making the obnoxious thing deadlier to look at.


    "You''re degrading your mastery of runes to draw it?" Warden arched an eyebrow. "Why?"


    Jenni frowned, meeting his gaze. "What gave that feeling? This is drawn with my best effort. It is only bad because I hate doing it so much."


    "You'' can be many things, Jenni. But a good liar is not one of them." Warden snorted. "You were fully enamoured when I came. I literally had to call you half a dozen times before you heard my voice."


    "That doesn''t say anything," she said, bringing a new script paper to draw on them. "I''m only doing this because it is my punishment. I have to draw every day for the whole month for misbehaving in public."


    Warden blinked, and then realisation dawned on him. "So you somehow managed to give the idea that you hate drawing with runes. And your father bought it. So whenever he thinks he''s punishing you, he''s giving the incentive to do something you love... this is brilliant."


    Jenni lifted her head and scowled at him. This time not ying around. "You know it will be so easy if I can just blindly hate you."


    Warden didn''t know how to answer that.


    She sighed. "You''re right. I do not hate rune painting. I loved it from the day Father handed me his old stylus... hmm, that was like fifteen years ago. He didn''t hit me or berate me for any mistakes I made, but instead asked me to draw with runes, which is actually harder than usual rune work."


    "How did you give him the idea that you hate it?"


    "I didn''t," she said, curving a line on the paper. "I think he got the idea from himself. Because he hates doing it, he thinks I hate it too."

 Chapter 198: Favour

    Warden was halfway through his Rune painting when the elder joined him. His proficiency in drawing indicated that he was not unfamiliar with this practice, even though he had chosen something easier to draw. Rune painting was a more artistic processpared to most runesmithing, which was why most runesmiths asionally dabbled in it to synchronise their creative and logical faculties.


    The image of the little ravenous bunny was forming clearly on the script paper, but Warden decided to set it aside for now. He couldn''t keep the elder waiting, could he?


    "I see you are quite skilled at painting as well," Elder Ming remarked as he joined Warden in his seat.


    "Me?" Warden waved it off. "I''m absolutely abhorrent at it. Drawing in geometrical figures? How can anyone love this kind of torturous process?"


    He nced at Jenni in the corner of his eyes, but her expression and aura didn''t give away anything.


    "Since you called for this audience," Elder Ming said, redirecting his gaze from his daughter''s obedient figure to Warden, "I assume you''re prepared to take on high runesmithing jobs."


    "That," Warden nodded, "and to confirm what you promised me."


    Saying that, Warden brought out a few Tier-9 reinforced steel ingots and a few other expensive metals and ores, cing them on the table, even catching the attention of the obedient Jenni.


    "That''s some excellent resources for high runic equipment," Elder Ming remarked, narrowing his eyes. "Has someone else already asked you to make their equipment?"


    "These are for me," Warden rified. "If you don''t remember, one of my conditions for joining the Artificer department was for you to use your cksmithing expertise to make me a spear."


    "Mhm? Are you sure?" Elder Ming arched his eyebrow. "I don''t remember making any promises on that."


    "Perhaps old age got to you," Warden snorted. "You clearly mentioned we could discuss this matterter."


    "I did? Then let''s discuss." Elder Ming settledfortably into his seat, one leg above the other, studying the drawing his daughter was making. "You mentioned you can pay... Tell me, what can you afford to give away?"


    "Essence gems, beast cores, arcane credits, or contribution points," Warden stated.


    "Those work," the elder nodded. "Leave an advance and a note detailing the requirements for the weapon, and I''ll put you in the queue."


    "Queue?" Warden scratched his bushy chin. "How long is that going to take?"


    "Months," Elder Ming said, picking up one of his daughter''s paintings. "Years. I don''t even know how many works I promised to all the people."


    Warden groaned. "Elder Ming, is there any way for you to finish my work urgently?"


    "I usually don''t do that, and definitely not without any favour."


    Warden didn''t waste any moment. "What kind of favour do you need?" The way the elder pointed it out was clear; he wanted something. Warden just did not like to beat around the bush like the elderly. "I can do runesmithing work."


    "You''ll do that anyway in our department," Elder Ming said.


    Warden narrowed his eyes. "Other than runesmithing, my other talents only amount tobat and cooking."


    "You missed one great capability," the elder said, putting back the painting to continue. "The way you handled the adepts, making them work extra hard for the job, toplete the project in a week, has been quite brilliant. Your ability tomand others has greatly impressed me."


    "Well, thank you, I guess," Warden said stoically.


    "How do you manage that without the adepts hating you for overworking them?"


    "Oh, I do think they hate me for what I put them through," Warden admitted. His gaze turned to the girl. "Right, Jenni?"


    "Yes, I hate you dearly," the girl answered without lifting her head.


    "See?" Warden chuckled. "I think other than the raw hate, the adepts possess a deep level of respect for my work ethic and expertise in the business. For most of them, the respect outweighs the hatred, so they listen to me."


    "And you have managed to gain more of their respect by throwing a party in their name, letting them win prizes in thepetition."


    "I just wanted to throw a barbecue," Warden said. "And they deserve some partying after the week of exhausting work."


    "Whatever your reason, it doesn''t matter; what matters is that it works," Elder Ming said. "Which brings me back to the adepts. You have met them; what do you think of them?"


    "Good folks," Warden said, scratching his hair, still unsure where the elder was getting at. "Most of them arecking in their skills, some even are subpar for an adept rank runesmith. I don''t know how their life has been, but it''s likely thebined effect of theircency and sloth."


    Jenni snorted. "Easy for you to say, Mr. Master Runesmith."


    "Little Jen," Elder Ming scowled, "what did I say about disrespecting people higher than your station?"


    "I should think twice about its implication and question if it''s worth it, and stop myself most times," she said in a robotic voice. She turned to Warden. "I apologize, Mr. Master Runesmith. My skills areckingpared to the efficient ves you want."


    In contrast to the scowl of Elder Ming, Warden had a smile on his lips. There was a certain charm to a woman''s voice when she talked freely without caring about propriety and whatnot.


    "What am I to do with you?" Elder Ming said. "Seeing you act like you please... I don''t know how I can answer to your mother when I fail to raise you."


    "She''s dead; you don''t have to answer to her."


    "Jenni..."


    "Here," the girl handed him all the drawings she made. "Can I leave now?"


    "You remember your punishment?" Elder Ming suppressed his feelings to ask.


    "That I''m not allowed to move out of the Artificer department or make a scene anywhere," she said, standing up. "Can I leave now?"


    "Before you leave, you should know I''m putting you under Master Warden. You''re to help him in whatever he asks of you."

 Chapter 199: Insightful

    "Before you leave, you should know I''m putting you under Master Warden. You''re to help him in whatever he asks of you," Elder Ming said, causing Jenni to groan. "I hope you can impress him with your work ethic and creativity."


    Jenni clenched her jaw, her eyes moving from her father to Warden as she slowly nodded "Am I to relieve in bed too if he asks me?"


    Elder Ming red at her.


    "I mean, you said whatever he asked of me," she pointed out.


    "You damn know what I meant," the elder barked.


    "Of course, as you order, Elder Ming," she bowed and walked away.


    On her way out, she mumbled, "Maybe I should find someone to sleep with tonight."


    "Jenni!" Elder Ming lunged up from his seat.


    "I''m, of course, joking," she yelled and shook out of the perimeter of the house.


    Elder Ming kept on growling, his eyes where Jenni vanished into, his aura zing furiously. Warden could easily tell how much affection the elder held for his disobedient daughter, even if he failed to show it to her directly.


    He stood there for over a minute and finally came back to his seat. He red at Warden, wiping the smile off his face immediately.


    "The joke wasn''t funny alone," Warden said awkwardly, "your reaction made it."


    "I assume you have no kids of your own," Elder Ming said. "So you don''t understand."


    "Maybe," Warden said, notpletely agreeing.


    Elder Ming could tell that as well, as he put no effort into hiding it. "You think it''s all my fault, that I failed to raise her?"


    "What I think really doesn''t matter, does it?" Warden said. "What matters is that you believe you failed to raise her."


    Elder Ming narrowed his eyes but said nothing.


    Warden took it as affirmation and continued, "Elder Ming, how old is Jenni?"


    "Why are you asking?"


    "Just answer the question, please."


    "It''s hard to calcte time when you''re in and out of the rift." The elder mulled over it for a moment. "Jenni is in her early twenties, she hasn''t gone over 25."


    Warden nodded. "And how old are you? Just give me a rough number."


    "I''m close to two hundred fifty years," Elder Ming sighed. "Spent most of my time on the front line and in work; can''t believe so much time has passed."


    "Elder Ming, I must apologize for what I''m going to say here," he said. "I believe it is because for so long you lived, time doesn''t have the same effect on you. You believe your daughter to be only a child and don''t see the fine woman she became. You interfere in her life too much." By this point, the elder''s face already twisted into an ugly scowl, but Warden continued.


    "I just think you''re being too hard on her. But she''s an adult. Let her live the life she wants to live."


    Warden absolutely thought the elder would shout and throw him out of hispound for a moment. But he reined that anger in, taking a slow inhale.


    "Also, I believe you failed to change with time," Warden continued. "I don''t know what society was like two hundred years ago, but I''m sure it is very different now. Women do not just want to marry someone and raise a bunch of kids; they want to have a future of their own, have a career and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their better half.


    "You have raised a daughter who is very true to her character, a creative adept runesmith before she even turned twenty-five. You have shown her a higher horizon, imbued her with a thirst for life and power; do you think she''ll just rein that in to be the little girl you raised?"


    Elder Ming remained silent for a while, mulling over the words he heard, his aura turning and twisting into an unreadable mess.


    "You are very insightful in this than you look," the elder said and sighed.


    I''m surprised too, Warden thought.


    "Perhaps you''re right in your thinking," he said, his voice turning surprisingly slow and soft. "I have lived over two hundred years, married a few times, and had over a dozen kids. Many of them died over the years. I hadn''t been there for most of them. However, when Saline, Jenni''s mother, died, it hit me the hardest. She was the most brilliant I had known.


    I''m sure she would have done a far greater job in raising her, while I just tried to be better than my own parents who lived an unremarkable life in poverty."


    "Elder Ming, I do not think you failed to raise her."


    The elder shook his head. "Some of my offspring hold very desirable positions in their work. Some are talented in various fields, but none canpare to Jenni. Her talent and potential outweighs my own. I should have known she won''t be satisfied with everything before I promised to give her hand in marriage."


    Ah, so that was the main reason for the debate between the father and daughter, not that they engaged in a debate at all. If they had, their problem would have been solved ages ago.


    "The groom in question is a man of honour, a good match for Jenni. He''s a guild leader of a silver rank guild and all. But most importantly, I gave my word," the elder said with an exhtion. "And as you mentioned, a man must carry out what he promised."


    Warden breathed sharply. "While it is a man''s honour to carry out what he promises, it is prudent to know if he''s making a mistake."


    The elder frowned. "What would you do if you were in my ce?"


    "That''s irrelevant."


    "Just tell me. I know you don''t want to sway my decision too much, but your thinking has affected me too much already."


    Warden drew in a slow breath. "I''ll think about it very hard. First of all, I''ll determine which is more important to me, my daughter or my pride, my honour. I honestly believe it will be the former for me. So the first thing I''d do is talk to my daughter, and try to work out our differences.


    I''ll put her decision above mine and would only provide my support and counsel in what I think is right for her.


    "Of course, it might be more naivety on my part, as I''m not of the same station as you, nor have I raised any kids to my knowledge."


    Elder Ming moved into another round of contemtion. After a while, he opened his mouth again. "I wanted to talk to her about this arranged marriage that I set up before she was even born," he said. "But whenever I brought the topic, she bes like that, and doesn''t listen to me at all."


    "Maybe you should start by giving her some credits for everything, or better..."


    "What?"


    "Canceling the marriage might solve the problem between you two, but it might cause another problem as well. Before you do anything drastic, it will be better if you discuss this will all the parties. Like I don''t think Jenni will be that happy knowing her father was dishonoured because of her."


    ____________


    Almost 200 chapters...


    Let''s have a character poprity context. Details below.

 Chapter 200: Covert Agent

    Warden felt a headacheing on as he surveyed the multitude of tasks piled up in his new workshop. It wasn''t just work from the artificer department; an envoy from Dragonforge had arrived to deliver his second round of orders, along with his wages from the previous batch of work.


    Rubbing his forehead in mild irritation, he acknowledged that a single night''s sleep hadn''t been sufficient to shake off the exhaustion coursing through him.


    "How many tasks are there?" Warden inquired of Jenni.


    "I can''t speak for your own endeavours, but there are about two hundred from the department," replied his new assistant sweetly. "Only 62 of them require Tier-5 shells."


    Fortunately, themissions from Dragonforge were limited to a couple of dozen, though they still added to his workload. Additionally, he hadmitted topleting artifacts for several other individuals.


    "This is what they call taking a flying arrow in your buttocks," Jenni remarked.


    Warden raised an eyebrow. "You mean shooting yourself in the foot?"


    "No, this will cause pain to your ass," she chuckled.


    Warden had expected Jenni to grumble after being forced to assist by Elder Ming, but she seemed to be taking it well, maintaining her usual demeanour¡ªperhaps finding amusement in his misfortune.


    "This is like months of work," he sighed. "I don''t know if I canplete it all before my period of service ends."


    "You only have yourself to me," Jenni pointed out.


    "Well, the good thing is I don''t have toplete them all."


    "But think about all the contribution points you can amass if you manage toplete them all." She checked a few papers and added, "It''s close to half a million contribution points in total."


    Warden took in a deep breath. He already had some items in mind to purchase from the emporium. Before joining the Artificer department, he hadn''t thought it possible to buy even one of them with the condemned debuff. Now, perhaps he could bag more than a few of them.


    Hell, even with the Ability Gem, Agnes had given him as advanced payment could buy him something precious. It might not be enough for the Racial power awakening elixir, but with some contribution points along with it, who could say...


    "I didn''t think you cared much about it," Jenni remarked, narrowing her eyes.


    "Only those with wealth do not care about it," Warden exined, blowing air from his mouth. "While I only have debts in my name."


    "Well, you do act like you''re loaded as heck," Jenni observed.


    "I borrow all that from my future self," he chuckled. "Anyway, I cannot work freely in a closed chamber like this. Have someone deliver them to the little garden of the 3rd infantry."


    With that, Warden selected a few tools that he could finish carving by tonight and prepared to leave.


    "You''re not going to work me to the bone like before?" Jenni remarked.


    Warden turned to meet her gaze. "The previous project required urgent attention, which is why I required everyone to work overtime," he exined. "As for these... well, there''s no immediate urgency. Unless your father insists on a tight schedule, I see no reason to pressure you into overwork."


    Jenni visibly rxed at his words.


    "But that doesn''t mean you should leave everything to me. Work at your own pace," Warden continued.


    Jenni narrowed her eyes, studying his expression.


    "What?" he inquired.


    "Nothing," she replied. "I thought my father ordered me to work under you as a punishment. I was certain you''d push me to the brink of giving up on life."


    "He did ask me to keep an eye on you," Warden admitted, causing her to groan. "Well, not in those exact words... but he did request that I ensure you stay on track, like an obedient little soldier."


    Jenni snorted, as if the idea wereughable. "But you don''t intend to?"


    Warden shook his head. "You''re doing fine as you are," he said. For a moment, he thought he saw the girl''s cheeks flush, but then she red up at him. "Well, except for perhaps needing to build up your stamina and avoiding fixating on one thing."


    "I do notck stamina," she protested loudly, "you''re the one who''s abnormal."


    "Perhaps, but that should only motivate you to work harder instead of making excuses."


    Her re remained intense. "I think you''d make a far worse father than my own."


    Warden clicked his tongue and turned to leave. "Make sure to deliver the items."


    "Hey, wait, where''s my prize from thepetition... I want a dozen of those desserts today..." Jenni called after him.


    "Eating too many of those desserts will make you gain weight; even the groom your father intends for you wouldn''t approve," Warden retorted.


    "That''s not a problem at all," Jenni shot back. "Just give me my prize. How about six, no four of them?"


    "How about you just do your job?"


    "Promise me one every day, and I''ll be the best assistant you never deserved."


    "Even a cripple who''s missing a leg and a terrible crackhead can do what I ask of you."


    "But I won it. You promised."


    Warden paid no mind to her argument and left.


    ***


    By the afternoon, Warden hadpleted one task when Agnes approached him for a light sparring session. Unfortunately, it seemed the boss of the 16th infantry had her mind elsewhere, as she was unable to fully concentrate on the spar.


    "You''re being sloppy today," Warden remarked,nding another strike to her ribs.


    Agnes gathered herself, the darkness enveloping her figure as she raised her sword, ready for another round.


    Warden shook his head, sheathing his sword into the void space. "What''s bothering you?" he inquired.


    "Nothing," she replied, her tone carrying a subtle hardness.


    "That doesn''t sound like nothing," Warden remarked.


    She gazed up at him for a prolonged moment. "Have you finished the design for my armor?"


    "Ipleted itst night."


    "Good," she sighed in relief. "I thought you''d keep me waiting for weeks. Give it to me; I''ll return in a couple of days with the product for you to carve."


    Warden frowned, still not producing the design. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked. "Is the expedition ready? They haven''t even announced recruitment from themon soldiers."


    "Didn''t you see the notice they posted?" Now it was her turn to frown. "The try-outs for recruitment start tomorrow."


    "Did they really?" Warden admitted to not paying much attention to the notice board. He had assumed the announcement would reach him eventually, but it seemed not, likely because he had been indoors for the past couple of days.


    "They are set to leave at the end of the week," she exined. "Many young lords anddies from noble houses have already joined and will participate in the recruitment."


    "Hmm, do I need to prepare anything for it?" Warden inquired.


    "You should be fine unless you provoke some petty young lord ordy."


    Warden nodded. "You still haven''t told me what''s bothering you. Is it about the expedition?"


    Agnes stared at him for several seconds and then nodded.


    "And you can''t tell me about it?"


    She remained silent, neither shaking nor nodding her head.


    "Nor can you ask for help?" Warden sighed. "I mean, I''ll join whether you like it or not... If I see you in some trouble, I''d probablye to help you, whether you like it or not."


    Agnes met his gaze, then red at him. "Why are you so stubborn?" she sighed. "Fine, let''s sit down... I''ll tell you what I can... and no, you cannot ask any questions."


    "Madame Captain, you''re acting a little entitled now," Warden said with a smile.


    "It''s you who asked for it."


    "But you can act a little grateful, you know," Warden said. "After all, I might be giving up my single chance of bing a dictator in this."


    "Don''t worry, you''ll make a terribly dictator," she said and invited him to sit down.


    They sat in the corner of his open workshop, but Agnes didn''t immediately delve into what was bothering her. Instead, she drew upon her power, creating a dark force field that enveloped them in a cocoon of a silent room. Warden noticed the barrier only kept prying eyes and ears at bay, ensuring their conversation remained private. But to take such purview for just for a conversation...


    "I don''t want to take chances, as this could very well cost us our lives," she began. "But before I exin, I have a question for you."


    "Ask away."


    "Imagine you have the opportunity to acquire a powerful weapon that could change your entire life, something far more potent than your broken sword," she suggested.


    "I didn''t discern a question in your statement."


    Agnes remained undeterred. "Can you give that up for a friend?"


    "Um, sure," Warden responded. "While you haven''t provided the full context, as long as the other person is a good friend who would reciprocate when I ask, I don''t have any problem sacrificing something for them."


    Agnes stared at him for several seconds, speechless. "You''re speaking the truth."


    "I usually do."


    "Gods!" She stood up, letting out a scream.


    Evidently, she hadn''t expected it to be this straightforward.


    "Okay," she said after calming down. "Here''s what you can do for me: choose a different team than mine, perhaps one of those noble teams... and during the expedition, act as if you barely know me."


    "So, I''d be working undercover?" Warden''s eyes gleamed with interest.


    Agnes ignored his sudden eagerness and continued, "Whatever you do, don''t drop any hints that you''re working with me or anyone else. I''m going to attempt something very dangerous there."

 Chapter 201: Bane of the Calamity

    When Agnes mentioned that noble lords anddies would participate in the recruitment, he assumed they would also undergo tests and be selected by high-ranking officers in the army. Unfortunately, Warden was greatly mistaken.


    While there were some high-ranking officers present in the camp, they seemed to delegate most of the recruitment responsibilities to the noble lords anddies. The elite noble rankers weren''t participating in the recruitment; instead, they were the ones recruiting the soldiers.


    "This is wrong on so many points," he mumbled, yet moved to join a line without taking note of where it would lead him.


    Had Agnes not exined it to him, he might have turned his back and headed for the inheritance ground on his own. However, the military had sealed all found entrances, driving away fiends and cursed creatures. It was nearly impossible to enter the restricted zone without being noticed.


    Ultimately, this was the quickest way to ess it. Warden was, after all, awful member of the military, even if he had been convicted for some reason.


    He stood in line, adapting to the new role he was going to y in both the recruitment process and the inheritance ground. Hopefully, it would be enjoyable.


    The line was quite long, but thankfully, the nobles determining the candidates didn''t like to waste time either. They were swiftly sending away soldiers within seconds of their tests. Still, it took about an hour, and finally, it was Warden''s turn¡ªalong with five others, as they were being tested in groups to save time.


    By the time Warden had already checked out the examiners, to his surprise, it was a group he was familiar with. Among the six standing in the recruitment stand with disinterested looks on their faces, Warden knew three of them. Two had participated in thepetition he hosted the other evening, while the third had freely cast a rejuvenation spell.


    It seemed like he was in goodpany, as long as they took him under their wing.


    Warden didn''t know if the leader of the group had provided his full name, but he remembered him as Young Lord Valerius¡ªlikely from some prominent noble house.


    "Your test will be very simple," said Young Lord Valerius, standing heroically in his ted armour. He didn''t recognise Warden.


    Well, they had barely met him once, and it was dark. Not to mention, he was in disguise, with his aura retracted and camouged to appear as someonemon. His face was unremarkable too, not that he did anything to it. It was odd how little most people noticed even when it was shown in in sight.


    Most people who barely had any interaction with him couldn''t even put the two in two together to tell he was the master runesmith now. It was just that odd topare amon shit-cleaning janitor to a master runesmith. the difference between them was heaven and earth.


    "Fight me, and I''ll determine if you''re worthy to join me in the expedition," thed dered, raising his sword.


    "Are we all fighting you together, sir?" a fool in their group asked.


    "Don''t worry. If all of you together can hurt me, I''d dly take every one of you in my team."


    A brave one stepped forward to meet the young lord''s gaze, battleaxe ready to sh with the sword. As he took the initiative, the others joined as well, leaving Warden disgruntled, who had just brought out his new weapon.


    Oh, it wasn''t [The Divider] or any spear, but histest invention with runes and his subpar cksmithing skill. Even with that, Warden managed to elevate the item to an immacte level with his runesmithing skills. There were not one, but four types of Tier-5 runes in ce.


    He called it [Bane of the Cmity]. After all, an immacte item needed an immacte name.


    Also, it was a broom.


    Young Valerius had thrown off the first two assants when Warden joined the fray, sweeping the broom with a precarious intent that created a thick spray of dust surrounding their battle.


    "What in the world!"


    Warden leapt, thrusting the butt end of the battle broom into the stomach of the young lord, who barely managed to twist in time and block the assault. Although Warden had failed in his attempt, it caught him off guard.


    Thinking to impress the guy, Warden moved in a spree of attacks, his broom moving in familiar and masterful arcs like a spear.


    "You!" the young lord eximed. "What kind of weapon is this?"


    Even though his voice was incredulous, he couldn''t dismiss the attack like he did with the first two assants. Warden pressed hard; perhaps he would have even dealt a serious blow to the guy if his attack had any venom.


    Taking advantage of the moment, two other participants assaulted the young blonde guy. Pressed under the duress of three opponents, he was unable to handle it just with his mastery of the sword. Young Valerius surged with new power, shoving aside Warden''s broom and ending the participation for one, drawing arge spray of blood from his chest.


    Warden wasn''t sure if his disy had been enough to secure him a spot. Although he had revealed a part of his Intent, he needed to make the young lord take him seriously. Should he go further?


    Well, it wouldn''t hurt, but perhaps he shouldn''t press the guy too much.


    Acting on that, Warden stood atop the broom as it flew up. He brought out another broom; this one wasn''t as immacte as the one he was riding. It was the failed product, created before Warden crafted [Bane of the Cmity].


    Still, the [Failure of the Cmity] was a valuable tool, appealing to all janitor-ss rankers. Moreover, it had a de embedded in it, which could be triggered at any time.


    Warden flew at the guy, swinging the failed broom. Young Valerius seriously questioned the incredulity of the situation, finding it hard to believe when he saw a janitor flying on a broom. His look soon turned into one of stunned surprise as the broom transformed into something like a quarterstaff, with a long de embedded into it.


    He had no choice but toply with the janitor. However, whenever he seemed to overwhelm him, the janitor flew away, disying top-notch bnce on the flying broom even under the assault.


    "Marcus, aren''t you having too much fun?" the half-elfpanion snickered.


    The peculiar exchange between them had already attracted prying eyes; even Marcus''s ownpanion found amusement in the situation. Feeling a little shame, Young Valerius became relentless in his assault.


    Finally, the janitor gave in to the assault. He surrendered before the attack couldnd.


    Marcus stayed the blow, the fire calming down from his de. He didn''t know why, but he felt a deep sense of regret for not delivering the blow.


    "As I imagined, this poor Janitor still has a ways to go," Warden admitted, bowing in defeat. "So, young lord, do you have any other tests? Although this poor janitor failed inbat, he has many other useful skills."


    Marcus was about to wave off his arm, but the half-elf seized the opportunity. "What skills do you have? And what is the title of your ss, if you don''t mind me asking?"


    "My skills are mostly rted to cleaning out the trash, but other than that, I do possess good hands in cooking and handling a group of people on an expedition," Warden lied, although most of it was true. "I''m what you call a Battle Janitor."


    "You have an Intent," Marcus stated more than asked.


    "Barely," Warden replied, adopting an ent. "I had the good fortune of developing an intent to cleanse while I was cleaning shit. Unfortunately, it was still too fragile."


    "If only everyone has a shit luck as you."


    Marcus didn''t seem eager to involve himself with Warden. Perhaps Warden had leaned too heavily into the role. If Marcus rejected him, Warden would have no choice but to return and change his appearance to join another group. Unfortunately, he had no other disguise. He would have to present himself as Warden.


    "How good is your cooking skill?" the half-elf asked.


    "Satisfactory," Warden replied, adding with a touch of pride, "I''ve had the misfortune of charming a great beauty with my cooking skills to the point where she would nag me day and night to make her desserts."


    She snorted, clearly unconvinced by thetter part. "I''ll give you ten minutes. Cook something edible for me, and you''ll be hired."


    "May, you''re not taking this seriously," Marcus interjected.


    "Just let him cook," May dismissed even the leader of the crew. "Aren''t you tired of eating the terrible camp food as well?"


    Marcus didn''t seem inclined to argue with that. He returned to testing more candidates while Warden prepared to make a couple of sandwiches for the healer girl. Thankfully, he had the ingredients with him, and it took barely any time to make the sandwiches.


    Within a couple of minutes, he finished the sandwiches. The young elf healer watched him silently, with a furrowed brow. Warden didn''t think she found anything odd in his disguise, perhaps only checking what he was making.


    "Here you go," he handed her one of the sandwiches.


    She took it, studied it for a moment, and then stuffed it into her mouth. "This is actually good," she said, sounding surprised. "Alright, you''re hired. Marcus, he''s hired."


    "What?!" Marcus shouted back from the battle he was engaged in with another group.


    "He makes good sandwiches," May replied.


    Warden silently ate the other sandwiches, relieved that he didn''t have to waste his time standing in another line.

 Chapter 202: Azalea Garden

    By the end of the recruitment, they had enlisted eighteen new rankers into their ranks for the expedition. Warden thought the day would end there, but no, the nobles decided it would be good to subject the recruits to drills.


    Thankfully, Warden was spared from the drills¡ªnot that they were particrly challenging for him but rather tedious. Instead, he was tasked with cooking food for everyone, and he was happy toply.


    He was nearly finished with that when the healer elf approached him and asked him to cook more, as a few more people were going to join.


    Warden stared at her for several seconds, saying nothing.


    "Don''t me me; it''s Marcus who couldn''t control his libido and invited a group of girls," she exined.


    Unlike June and her ethereal beauty, the half-elf healer possessed a more homely charm. With her pointed ears delicately peeking through a cascade of chestnut curls, she stood at a mere five feet tall. Now, Warden knew elves aged slower, as pure-born elves only reached adulthood in their fifth decade, but it seemed to be different for half-elves.


    Warden hadn''t asked her, but May''s emerald green eyes, which sparkled with a curious and mischievous glint every now and then, were answer enough.


    "Yes, thank you for giving me someone else to me for it," Warden said tly, then moved to prepare more food.


    "I don''t know what your problem is," the half-elf shrugged. "Didn''t you say you drove a lovely girl crazy by giving her some dessert? Perhaps you''ll be lucky today and get to bed with one of those great beauties tonight..."


    Sheughed, gesturing with her eyes toward where Young Marcus was conversing with another familiar group. And of course, needless to say, she was merely joking...


    Besides, if he really wanted to sleep with someone, he would have easier alternatives. Honestly, he didn''t think it would be hard to charm some female soldiers into bed for the night. After all, brothels and whorehouses were a thing.


    But Warden wasn''t the type to waste his time solely on fleshly desires without any emotional involvement. He didn''t care for those one-time flings either, not that he had ever sought one after waking up in the mud a couple of months ago.


    Could it be that I''m an ever-virtuous great wizard? Warden considered, then shook his head immediately. No, he was more like a sage who had tasted the forbidden fruit and only had desires for women he loved.


    Wait, women? Plural? Huh, what am I thinking? As if I''m so lucky...


    "Stop looking at them with your mouth hanging open like a fool," May chuckled. "Those are high-ssdies... You need to have some aplishments behind you even to court them... And even if you manage to win their hearts, you have to marry into their house... The Azalea Garden has strict rules for these women."


    "Who are they?" Warden asked, bing quite curious about this whole organization.


    "Are you deaf? Didn''t I just say they are from Azalea Garden?" May shot him an incredulous look. "Don''t tell me you''ve never heard of them. Huh, as if¡ª" She stopped to study the oblivious look on his face. "You don''t know about Azalea Garden?"


    "I''m merely a janitor," Warden yed his card shamelessly.


    "Are you serious? Evenmon vigers from another country know about Azalea Garden."


    "Umm, what can I say... I had a very sheltered childhood."


    May snorted, clearly not believing him. In the end, Warden had to urge her and bribe her with a stuffed steamed bun to get the answer. "Azalea Garden is a Diamond Rank guild, though they operate differentlypared to most guilds. Other than being whollyposed of women, they function more like a Great House than a n. Oh, there is no trial or test to join Azalea Garden.


    As far as I know, most women were adopted in their childhood, before they even came into their power."


    Warden nodded in understanding. "Do they adopt the girls out of goodwill, or is there some catch... I mean, you know."


    "You''re asking if the girls were subjected to terrible things against their will?" May quirked her eyebrows. "Why? So what if they were put through terrible practices, are you going to save them, Mr Janitor?"


    Warden''s lips curled up as he swung his broom once to shove it back into the sheath again. "Maybe I will."


    "Thankfully, those women do not need your savings," May snorted. She had finished the bun by this point, and now her eyes were wandering from where Warden brought it out.


    Honestly, Warden did not know what the deal was with these women. Who keeps them unfed? It''s not like they have their figure to maintain. With the primal energy and putting themselves through training, they could remain in shape forever.


    "Azalea Garden has great influence throughout the known world, not to mention their own power," May exined. She stopped, her eyes glued to where Warden kept the steamed bun. He gave her another, and only then did she begin talking. "While it''s true that the women of Azalea Garden have to undergo very difficult training from the time they are adopted, it''s nothing of our concern.


    Most ns and guilds subject their members to tough training.


    "As for your concerns about those women... I find them mostly unnecessary. Although there were some rumours that Azalea Garden only breeds these beautiful women to entertain high rankers, it''s amonly known deceit. You know, a few decades ago, some young masters of House Menmar captured a few of Azalea Garden''s young women and did terrible things to them...


    Now, have you heard the name of House Menmar?"


    Warden shook his head, hearing it for the first time.


    "Of course, you haven''t. Most people haven''t heard of them," May chuckled, probably having a great time telling the story. "Because House Menmar doesn''t exist anymore. The event brought the head of Azalea Garden from her secret abode. Within a day, she not only killed those who captured her girls but even wiped out the entire House Menmar when it escted. And by the whole house, I mean it...


    Perhaps the children were left alone, but all their gold rankers, silver rankers, even a possible Transcendent ranker lost their lives for the mistake of a few young fools."


    Warden didn''t know what to say after she finished. But as he opened his mouth, a new voice interrupted them.


    "I hope I''m not interrupting anything." Warden turned to find the leader of the women from Azalea standing behind them with interest in their eyes.


    "No, not at all," May said, greeting in a slight bow. "Lady Cassandra, we were just talking about..."


    "Yes, I heard," she said as her eyes moved to his figure, gleaming with curiosity.


    Misunderstanding, Warden asked, "Do you want to eat something?"


    Well, after all, that seemed to be most people''s concern with him in this new role.


    "Umm, yes," she said softly. "Thank you."


    Warden prepared her a te of steamed bun and soup, while May pestered her with questions.


    "Lady Cassandra, is the whole thing with House Menmar true?"


    Cassandra was a head taller than the half-elf, with long and silky dark purple hair cascading over her shoulder. Her beauty was more ethereal as well, but unlike something pure, there was an edge to her beauty. A danger, as if the more you appreciated her, the harder it would be for you to stop.


    She looked as if she was prepared to give the answer. "While I have not lived that long and cannot provide evidence of the event," Cassandra said softly. "I can safely say it has transpired, and Mistress Azalea had every reason to act in such a cold manner with House Menmar."


    "No, no, from what I heard, they deserve nothing better than what they got," May said brightly, not even thinking too much about the genocide where probably more than a thousand people died.


    Cassandra nodded slightly. "Thankfully, this event has led people to think twice about acting against a woman of Azalea Garden, as to this day, many fear that if they hurt one of my sisters, Mistress Scarlett Azalea will descend on them to ze their bodies afire in righteous rage."


    She chuckled softly, as though her whole personality was carved through a thick runic stylus. Truly, Warden found nothing wrong with her beauty or presence, but her personality seemed very overt, like she would have to appear as a properdy all the time. Well, Warden hadn''t been in her presence for long, but still, the poise and calmness she carried with herself were not natural.


    There was no fault in them at any point.


    Warden handed her the te as she sat down on the seat on the barren ground with a verydylike poise. Before eating anything, she turned to the half-elf. "Miss May, will you please ensure that at least no one will bother me when I eat? You know how it is for women like us... I haven''t eaten anything today."


    "Of course, Lady Cassandra, you can be at ease. I wouldn''t even let Marcuse near you."


    Cassandra gave her a relieved smile as May walked away.


    Warden stared at her curiously, as she still didn''t begin eating.


    "Well, I hadn''t thought I''d see you here again, and definitely not as a chef... Mr. Warden." She stared curiously at him as a frown appeared on his brows. But before he could question her, she opened her lips again, "Did I state your name wrong? Please forgive me if I did..."

 Chapter 203: Divination

    "Did I state your name wrong? Please forgive me if I did..."


    "No," Warden said slowly, scrutinising the woman for a second time. How did she see through his disguise? True, he hadn''t applied makeup to his face, but such details are easily detectable with the heightened senses of a ranker. Warden hadn''t bothered with them; instead, he opted for an aura disguise, wearing a janitor''s suit.


    His control of aura made him less conspicuous, and even if someone managed to see his face, they would likely dismiss him as just another face in the crowd.


    Warden had tested this with Agnes herself, and it took several seconds of conversation before she saw through his disguise. However, this person was different. Was she exceptionally skilled in aura control, or did she possess something unique? Either way, he needed to handle it delicately.


    Not that he had done anything wrong, but if others found out about his disguise, he could feign ignorance, iming they weren''t paying attention.


    "No, you haven''t mistaken," Warden affirmed.


    Cassandra stifled a relieved sigh. "Good, because if I called you by the wrong name, it would have been really embarrassing."


    "Good thing you didn''t, then," he replied.


    "Well, it never really happens to me, being unsure, I mean," she said hesitantly. "I didn''t notice you at first, probably because of the clothes you wore, but then I overheard you guys talking about Azalea Garden, and I took a deeper look. But even still, I was notpletely sure, because I remember you being an Adept Runesmith, on top of having tyrannicalbat power."


    Warden took note of what she said. Firstly, she still wasn''t aware of his Master Runesmith status ¨C that''s for the best for now. Perhaps he could use it to maintain his disguise. Secondly, she had heard them talking about her organisation from over a couple of hundred meters away ¨C not a natural feat for anymon lower ranker.


    Even Silver rankers had to spread their awareness to eavesdrop on someone else, and if you''re not a mind mage like June, it was tremendously difficult for someone to spread their awareness for over a hundred of metres in one direction. Her elemental power seemed to involve supersonic voices; maybe she was highly sensitive to the vibrations created by sound.


    Warden wanted to test this at that very moment but suppressed his urge, considering it wouldn''t be polite.


    "Please, you overpraise my aplishment," Warden said reverently, pretending to be genuinely captivated by her looks and ethereal presence. However, he couldn''t reveal being entirely enamored, as that would betray a weak will. This woman did not seem to tolerate weakness, and, truthfully, people, in general, did not either. "All that was only a hobby of mine...


    But my real talent is, of course, cooking. Oh, your soup was getting cold."


    Cassandra nodded, turning her attention to the te. "So, artificing is a side business, while your main job is janitoring and cooking food for adventurers?"


    "You got it correct," Warden beamed.


    Cassandra snorted, expressing disbelief in such an idea. "I''m actually surprised Young Lord Marcus let you do all this, knowing of your talent in artificing."


    "That''s the trick, miss," Wardenughed. "He doesn''t know... I mean, he probably doesn''t recognize a poor janitor like myself."


    "Are you sure?" Cassandra frowned. "I know he''s self-absorbed like many youths of his age, but not to the extent that he won''t even recognize you."


    Warden shook his head. "For starters, we don''t know each other. Besides, I''m in disguise."


    Cassandra shot him an incredulous gaze, faltering in her chewing.


    "Oh..." Warden donned his cap and smiled at her. "How about now?"


    She blinked. "Whaaa... Where did Mr. Warden go?" she said sarcastically. "A moment ago, he was here, but now... Who are you, Mr.


    Janitor?"


    Warden chuckled as he removed the cap. "It works..."


    Cassandra threw him a sardonic smile. "I do not know what you''re trying to aplish, but you should be aware of the consequences if something happens to thepany you''ll keep."


    Warden didn''t reply. Fortunately, he didn''t have to keep herpany much longer, as Marcus arrived with a few of his recruited fighters.


    "Ahh, Lady Cassandra," Marcus said, acting as if he wasn''t looking for her and had just stumbled upon her on the way. "I see you''ve met thest of my recruits."


    "I have," Cassandra said, presenting him with her mesmerizing smile, tinged with sarcasm when she realized Marcus had no idea about Warden''s true identity. "I see you have found yourself a great cook."


    She shot Warden a look as their eyes met for an extended moment, conveying a secret message of sorts. Isn''t it fun to know a secret that others don''t, as if Warden said to her?


    "Unlike Lady Cassandra, who has the fortune of the heavens, we merely took our chances and acquired him, even though I did not like the way he fought," Marcus said. "So what if I use a slot for helpers for a cook? It''s not as if my sess¡ª"


    "You would have sent him away; don''t take credit for my find," May chimed in, also attempting to impress the striking woman with purple hair.


    "Well, great find, Miss May," she said. "Perhaps you have recruited the most promising prospect for Young Lord Marcus on this expedition."


    Cassandra had already finished her meal at this point, and herpanions had returned along with the helpers she recruited.


    "Well, not everyone can have divination power like yours," May said, smiling crookedly. "Unlike you, who can recruit all 18 of your dependable helpers just by looking at their faces... I could only verify Mr. Janitor''s im before taking him."


    "You overpraise me too much, Miss May."


    "Divination?" Warden perked up from his spot, his eyes wholly focused on the purple-haired woman. "Like foretelling the future, like an oracle?"


    "Please, it''s more predicting than foretelling," Cassandra said, waving off her palm, seemingly unsure why he had taken an interest in that. "And my luck in Divination is merely fifty-fifty and cannot im anything more."


    A frown crept to his brows, as he was about to question her more, but Marcus beat him to it.


    "Miss Cassandra, have you heard the twenty-fourth prince will be joining the expedition...

 Chapter 204: Invited Thief

    Jenni arrived early in the morning to report to her job in Warden''s quarter, only to notice a distinct change in the atmosphere. Given that the guy was a Master Runesmith, her father had assigned him one of the better quarters to allow him to work freely, even from home, despite Warden''s inclination towards outdoor work.


    The house spanned over two hundred square meters, and not much had changed in its appearance, except for a swing hanging from the branch of a tree in the small garden. What truly surprised her was how fresh the ambient energy had be around the house... Had Warden changed the array formations overnight?


    Jenni had been here every day for thest few days, and just yesterday, the ce had felt vacant and ghostly... like nobody lived there. Well, that was true. Nobody lived there a week ago. Even after he was assigned the house, the guy was hell-bent on staying outdoor for the most part.


    "Looks like he pulled another all-nighter," she mumbled. Well, she expected nothing less from someone of his caliber, a person who seemed to derive pleasure from both inflicting and enduring pain.


    After scrutinizing the new and revised scripts that Warden had left exposed for several minutes, she let herself in with the spare script key he had provided her.


    Jenni found him in the drawing room, dozing off on a couch with various materials for runesmithing scattered around. He had probably nodded off while working... and judging by the ted armor he hadpleted, it seemed he had finished it.


    By the gods, this man! Jenni swore silently as her eyes fell upon his tall figure resting on the couch like a contented house cat, with a dirty white nket draped over him. Just yesterday morning, she had seen him nning out the designs for the ted armor, and now it was done... Not to mention, he had also renovated the house''s array formation point as well.


    Obviously, Warden couldn''tpare to her father in terms of work rate. But her father was a gold ranker, and this guy was merely an Iron ranker¡ªsurely stronger than her, but still just an Iron ranker.


    Although Iron rankers didn''t need to take care of their health as much as Copper rankers, they still needed regr sleep, at least four hours, especially for a runesmith, given that heavy rune work took a great toll on the mind.


    "I''ve said it many times, this guy is not human," Jenni muttered, inspecting a piece of the armour, "but nobody believes me..."


    Then she remembered those desserts as her eyes darted around the room in search of them. She put aside the piece of armor she had taken to check and focused entirely on searching for those tasty, tasty ice desserts. Warden was probably hiding them somewhere deep, perhaps inside his dimension cube... she just needed to find it.


    Jenni wouldn''t get such an opportunity any other time, considering the guy rarely sleeps. She didn''t see it as reasonable to draw out her neophyte spiritual awareness to spread around the room by another, specifically not directing it towards the sleeping Warden in case it alerted him to wake up.


    She was sure he had some form of awareness ability awakened before reaching Silver rank because it waspletely impossible to reach Adept rank, much less Master, without one.


    Jenni felt like a thief as she scoured through the whole quarter, only finding work-rted items, kitchen appliances, and nearly consumed ingredients, but no ice cream.


    "Now where could the guy keep his dimension cube?" Jenni thought out loud as the answer became evident in her mind.


    She returned to the drawing room and peered at Warden, silently moving closer to him. She was sure he was keeping the dimension cube on his person, considering how irresponsible he was in taking care of himself while he worked; it was probably in his pocket.


    Sucking in a slow inhale, Jenni caught one end of the nket and slowly pulled it off from him. Instantly, her pupils widened to find the manid half-naked. Well, he had his shorts on, but the upper body was bare, with toned, jagged muscles, a sheen of mostly dried sweat, and bulging veins all over.


    Jenni froze for a moment and inhaled a sharp breath. Her cheeks turned bright red. Stupid girl, why are you blushing? Did you forget how merciless this guy is?


    After chiding herself, her eyes looked for the item she was looking for. There seemed to be something pressed under him... Jenni pushed her palm over to take it out, but just then her world tilted.


    Just when her palm made contact with his skin, Jenni found herself tossed in the air and shoved onto the couch, a tough arm choking her neck with a strong boulder-like body pressed onto her.


    "Gyahhh ahh!" she groaned, barely managing to see the arm with dark tattoos before the palm stopped choking her. She coughed and finally saw the guy looking at her with an oblivious awkward look.


    "Jenni, you, I thought¡ª"


    "What?" she husked, finding her throat sore. The guy hadn''t shown any mercy, not even on instinct. "That someone broke through the protective barrier youid around the house and came to assassinate you?"


    Warden had the audacity to look embarrassed.


    "I can''t believe you," she said, still panting. The quick turn of events had surely caused great turmoil in her. "And get off me. Gods, you''re so heavy."


    "Sorry," he said.


    Jenni sat upright, breathing in and out. Her eyes darted to the tattooed arm that she hadn''t seen gloveless before. There seemed to be some intricate runic work in the tattoo, but she was too out of her ce to consider that... Her mind only fixated on the terrible and brittle feeling the arm had caused her.


    "I''m really sorry," Warden said. "It''s been a bad habit of mine, but you shouldn''t have to sneak up on me like that¡­"


    She snorted and stood up.


    Warden let out a yawn, feeling the tension release from her body.


    "When did you sleep?"


    "Hmm, I don''t know, probably a couple of hours ago," he said, checking the clock. "Anyway, you''re free for an hour, right? I need your help with some shopping."


    "I must remind you, I''m only to take care of matters rted to runes and¡ª"


    "Do I smell bad?" he asked, then sniffed his underarms, letting out another yawn. Gross!


    Jenni wrinkled her nose. "I''m out. If you need anything about runesmithing business, call me¡­"


    "Wait, I really need you," Warden shouted, but Jenni didn''t give him an ear. "Just wait, I''ll give you those desserts you desire so much."


    Jenni faltered in her spot. "How many of them?" she asked, turning her head.


    "Two, not four," Warden said, still standing tall with his physique on disy.


    For once, Jenni paid no mind to his physique, no matter how impressive it looked. "Ten," she said.


    "That''s too much," Wardenined. "I can almost finishying runes on equipment in that time. How about six?"


    "Fifteen," she said.


    "Hey, that''s not how negotiations work," Warden shouted.


    "Twenty," she said again.


    "Fine, fine, ten it is," Warden sighed. "Happy?"

 Chapter 205: Talent

    Jenni sat with a victorious smile on her lips. Although she couldn''t find the dimension cube, he promised her that he would make ten of those desserts before he left for the expedition. All she had to do was help him with some shopping, which would take a couple of hours at most.


    She rested on the couch with a silly grin as Warden went to refresh himself in the washroom. He asked her to wait for a few minutes, but, gods, this man took his time in the washroom like a woman. Thankfully, he came out after half an hour, fully clothed in an easy tunic and leather pants.


    "I''m famished," he muttered. "Let me cook something real quick." Jenni was about to argue that her time was limited, even if it wasn''t, but his next words stole the argument from her lips. "Did you have breakfast yet?"


    "I... ate some leftovers," she said. "Well, wait a few minutes, I''ll make us something fresh." With that, he got to the kitchen and began cutting herbs and vegetables, while igniting a stove to steam rice. He worked with perfect efficiency, which spoke volumes of his control. Well, cooking is nothing specialpared to what it takes toy runes on something. But still, Jenni didn''t know how to cook.


    Well, she could do simple stuff like tea, rice, toasting an egg, and such, but nothing like what this man does even with ordinary ingredients. "How have you mastered so many arts?" she couldn''t help but ask.


    "Many?" Warden said, not lifting his head from the vegetables. "I''m only good at four things, which can hardly be called many."


    "Four things?" Jenni perked her eyebrow. "One is Runes, second is cooking, what are the other two?"


    "Spear," Warden said. "But you use a sword?" Jenni argued. "Well, that''s why I needed your father''s help to smith me a spear," Warden said. "I broke my spear." Jenni was unsure what to say. "And what is the other thing?"


    Warden smiled softly. "I need to find that out..." Jenni snorted. "If you don''t want to say it, just say it; do you think I''ll be jealous of you?"


    Warden finally lifted his head to shoot her a look. "Well, I''m a little jealous of how easily you can cook and make those heavenly desserts, but only a tiny bit," she admitted. Wardenughed. "Huh, I thought you''d be more jealous of my runesmithing skills."


    "As if, I just need time to reach Master rank in runesmithing; why would I be jealous of that?"


    "You know cooking is far easier than runesmithing, right?" Warden said.


    Jenni could only agree to that. She knew it was easier, but whenever she cooked something, it felt like she wasbouring.


    "I don''t like how the job of cooking fell onto women," she said, letting hot air out of her nostrils. "That''s why I specifically didn''t put my mind into learning it."


    "A childish reason," Warden said.


    Jenni looked like she was about to argue; unfortunately, she couldn''t find good reasoning to win the argument. Why was it so hard to win against him?


    "But it''s your life," Warden continued, "you can do whatever the hell you want." And why the hell is he so sensible too? Jenni swore. If only the guy wasn''t a sadist and then, perhaps. . . Forget it!


    What the hell am I thinking? There''s no way. . .


    "My reasons for learning cooking are simple," Warden said. "I just wanted to eat delicious food, and of course, to feed it to my loved ones as well." Jenni looked at his merry expression as he cooked and had nothing more to say.


    "You know I may have considered opening a diner," he said with a ridiculedugh. "But there are many things left for me to do."


    "And what are they?" Jenni found herself asking. No, she wasn''t curious about him. Since he was talking and acting so nicely, she was just trying to keep the conversation going. She bet his goal was generic like many elite rankers. . .


    to achieve greater heights on the path, perhaps be transcendent. . .


    Well, there was no fault in those dreams; her own dream was simr to that, after all. Yet Warden became contemtive when she asked him the question, and his palms stopped working.


    "I guess it''s to find my way back home," he mumbled and got back to work.


    "Home?" Jenni repeated. "You''re not from the empire?" The master runesmith and chef shook his head.


    "Really?" Curiosity grew in her without her knowing. "How did you end up here?"


    "Circumstances, I guess," he answered vaguely. It didn''t take a genius to know he didn''t want to talk about it, but Jenni felt like pushing more on the topic.


    "I thought you''re some noble lord. . . umm. . ."


    "Really?" Warden asked, lifting his head to meet her gaze, a sardonic smile on his lips. "What gives that impression? Is it how I act?"


    "I mean your white hair, and eyes," she said, studying his figure. "Your figure, and the aura you radiate when you''re on duty¡­"


    "My hair is grey, not white," Warden said, shaking his head. "My eyes too. And I don''t think it''s natural; it mutated with my power. As for my stature, there were countlessmon fellows¡­ Hell, even those savage orcs have a simr stature. As for the aura, it can be cultivated."


    Jenni picked up on the vagueness but didn''t question it. "When you exined them, it makes sense, but for any outsider, you do look like someone of upper standing, like you know of your standing and how to act like it."


    Warden grinned. "I''ll take that as apliment."


    "You still haven''t mentioned how you mastered all that so early?"


    "I may not be as young as I look," Warden said mysteriously.


    "Even considering that your age will at most be forty," she said, doing a quick calction in her mind.


    "That''s quite a time, don''t you think, to master Runes," Warden said. "And getting into some other hobby?"

 Chapter 206: Childish

    "My father started learning runes when he was in his forties," Jenni said, sucking in a deep breath. "It took him over eighty years to be a Master Runesmith. Granted, being amon-born, he didn''t have resources¡­ And the aplishments in runes were quite backwards back then¡­"


    Like the number of Master Runesmiths could be counted with one arm. Of course, there were some ancient runesmiths among the elves and the legendary Celestial, who brought this art to this world, but that hardly proved anything to her point.


    "It''s still quite backward, even now, I think," Wardenmented offhandedly as he began frying the rice. "I have been instructing some adepts from the department and learned why they were so inefficient.


    Honestly, only a couple of them will cut it as an Adept, and one of them is very old with over a hundred years of experience¡­ Which brings me to question that he probably took all that time to be efficient."


    "What about the other person?"


    "Well, the other person is Aki," Warden said. "His base is solid. Although hecked talent, he clenched his jaw through his way into Adept ranks."


    "Wait, hold on a second," Jenni said, sounding incredulous. "Did you just say Akicks talent?"


    Warden just shrugged in response.


    "My gods, if other adepts hear you, they will drown themselves in the tainted water."


    "I said what is the truth? And I think Aki himself is aware of it. He has a good head, and his hard work never failed him. In often cases, it does not¡­"


    "I can''t believe you," Jenni was still incredulous, not epting his words at all.


    "You seem to have a wrong idea about talents; even though you''re full of it," Warden said. "What do you think lets you excel in runespared to your peers of the same age?"


    "My hard work, my father''s teaching, and all those resources," Jenni didn''t think to answer.


    Warden nodded sagely. "I''m not denying all that, but do you think there''s only you who has ess to resources? Did your father only instruct one disciple? Or did none else but you work hard?"


    Jenni was speechless. It was true her father had many disciples over his long life, even Aki had the fortune to be instructed by him for some time... but how many of them made it to Master Runesmith? None... though there were many Adept runesmith...


    But Warden said the adepts weren''t up to his standard. Wait, was she up to his standard?


    Jenni blew away the foolish notion of her head instantly. Even if she couldn''tpare to his aplishment as a Master runesmith, he couldn''tment on her skills as an adept. She''d bite his head off if he did.


    "Just a moment ago, you acted as if bing a Master Runesmith was no big deal; you only needed time to achieve it," Warden continued. "Of course, you''re right. Bing a master at runes is no big deal to you, but do you know what it is to Aki?"


    Jenni bit her lips; she had the answer on her lips, but she didn''t want to say it.


    "A lifelong dream," Warden said. "A dream he isn''t certain if he can achieve."


    "Talent, huh," she muttered atst. "I never thought about it. I just thought everyone didn''t work as hard as me. . . but now hearing you, I feel like my aplishment is far below what Aki achieved."


    "Perhaps it is," Warden actually agreed.


    Jenni gritted her teeth.


    "But you wouldn''t have achieved a single percent of it if you hadn''t put countless hours of hard work into it," Warden said. "Don''t get me wrong, talent is important. But hard work and perseverance beat talent in most cases."


    Jenni could only nod, even though she felt like she had underachieved under his intense gaze.


    "Never leave everything to talent," Warden said as he finished his cooking. "Though I shouldn''t need to say that to you. Keep an open mind and work hard. Anyway, I''m done. . .


    mixed vegetable fried rice with egg fry."


    Warden began serving the food, but Jenni still contemted thementary on the talent she just heard. It seemed foolish that she never considered it, but knowing that it was natural for her to be good at runesmithing hit her wrong somewhat.


    It felt like something predestined, like how her father arranged her marriage before she was even born. It rubbed her the wrong way.


    But then she smelled the delectable odour of the meal, and the thoughts puffed off from her mind. Well, it did manage to take a deep root in her mind, but she didn''t want to contemte it at this moment.


    *****


    After finishing breakfast, Jenni and Warden made their way to the Emporium.


    "So what do you want to buy?" Jenni asked.


    "A lot of stuff," Warden replied. He checked his badge to see the number of contribution points he amassed working day and night for thest week.


    27800 Points. It was still a little low, but Warden had the Fire Ability gem Agnes had given him, which would be worth somewhere between twenty and thirty thousand contribution points.


    Jenni wrinkled her nose at the holographic number of points. It was totally criminal how much lower anyone below Master rank was paid. Well, her pay was still more than anymon sergeant, and she didn''t even have to work that hard. . . so she couldn''t hold a grudge.


    Not to mention, this guy was unrelenting in his work.


    "Are you nning on spending all your earnings?" she asked.


    Warden nodded. "Other than the ingredients for cooking and your desserts, I need to prepare for the expedition. So I''ll need a batch of healing potions, rejuvenation potions. . . And I have my eye set on an expensive item."


    "I get all that, but what do you need my help with?"


    "I''m not very familiar with many of the items on disy," Warden said without any hesitation. "Your task is to inform me of their uses and if they''re worth it. Besides, with my new position in the Artificer Department, I can ess more of the secret products. . . I thought it would be better not to stare at them cluelessly."


    "Well, the attendants do answer truthfully," Jenni agreed, "though they never say an item is terrible even if it is."


    "I thought of asking Agnes for this, but I couldn''t get a hold of her for thest few days."


    "I''m very delighted to know I''m your second choice," Jenni snorted.


    "Of course, with Agnes, I do not have to bribe her with desserts," Warden said. "And she also does not throw a tantrum."


    Jenni red up at him. "And I almost thought you were warming up to me."


    "I speak nothing but the truth," Wardenughed. "But yes, I do not hate your childish act. . . I find it endearing, to be honest. I wish everyone would be a part of it."


    Jenni red harder at him. It was as if he was treating her like a child. And if she argued, it would only prove his point.


    But Jenni settled in her mind, that she would prove him wrong, in one way or another.

 Chapter 207: Quintessence

    "What can I do for you today, good sir?" an attendant greeted them as they entered the emporium. "Ma''am."


    "Here to buy some specific things," Warden replied, nodding. "But before that, I intend on exchanging an item for contribution points. Now, what do you think this Ability gem would go for?"


    Warden brought out the Iron-grade Fire Control Ability gem from his pocket and showed it to the attendant. Jenni had already given him a rough price to expect, mentioning that they would have to haggle somewhat to get a fair price, as the selling price and buying price were never the same.


    The attendant examined the gem very carefully. Jenni had mentioned that most attendants present had great appraisal skills, which allowed them to assess the price of an item rather easily. Even so, the attendant looked to be sure.


    "It is rare to find an element-based control skill at the Iron grade; most tend to be either Silver or Gold," she said, finishing her appraisal. "For this, you can get fifteen thousand contribution points."


    Warden shot her a look and shook his head. He wouldn''t settle for anything below twenty thousand points, which both Jenni and Agnes assessed as a fair price.


    "Fifteen thousand is low for an ability of this calibre," Warden insisted.


    "Moreover, it''s not a single skill-based ability," Jenni chimed in. She gestured towards the screen, manipting it to show the top products of the emporium. "Fireball is already priced at fifteen thousand points, and it''s inferiorpared to Fire Control, which allows a ranker to manipte the fire elemental more intimately."


    Ability Gem - Blight Touch (Iron) - 10,000 Contribution Points.


    Ability Gem - Lightning Bolt (Iron) - 20,000 Contribution Points.


    Ability Gem - Fireball (Iron) - 15,000 Contribution Points.


    The attendant narrowed her eyes, but it seemed she was prepared for such an argument.


    "The Fireball ability will let a ranker use Fireball almost instantly after absorbing the gem," she said. "But it isn''t the same for a Control-based ability. A ranker needs to train and cultivate its power for months if not years to get used to it before his power canpare to an ability like Fireball."


    She made a good argument, but unfortunately, Jenni wasn''t born yesterday.


    "Is that why most elemental control-based abilities are sold from the emporium immediately?" Jenni snorted. "On my fifteenth birthday, father bought me a Metal-based ability gem of Iron Grade. . . Do you know how much it cost him?"


    The attendant didn''t provide an answer, knowing the question was rhetorical.


    "It cost him twenty-four thousand," Jenni replied. "But he gets a twenty percent discount with his post as the head of the Artificer department."


    The attendant''s expression changed, especially upon hearing thetter part of the phrase. Obviously, there were plenty of customers who came and went to the emporium every day, so it was impossible to know all of their identities just by their faces.


    "Please forgive my earlier conduct," the attendant said. "If you excuse me, I''ll discuss this issue with a superior and can give you a better price for the ability gem."


    "You''re excused," Jenni said like a haughty youngdy, blowing air from her nostrils. As the attendant exited, she turned to Warden. "Give me your badge."


    Warden did so, and after scanning it in the rune formation, Jenni essed some of the restricted emporium.


    "God damn, they are so expensive," she eximed.


    - Ability Gem - Warded Mind (Silver) - 40,000 Contribution Points.


    - Ability Gem - Blessing of Amamir (Silver) - 40,000 Contribution Points.


    - Ability Gem - Spear of Light (Silver) - 45,000 Contribution Points.


    ...


    - Ability Gem - Gilded Physique (Gold) - 150,000 Contribution Points.


    - Ability Gem - Healing Wave (Silver) - 130,000 Contribution Points.


    - Aperture Opening Elixir - Mind Pce - 50,000 Contribution Points.


    - Aperture Opening Elixir - The Gate of Spirit - 75,000 Contribution Points.


    ...


    - Lineage Awakening Elixir - 25,000 Contribution Points.


    - Diamond Reinforced Energy Vessels - 120,000 Contribution Points.


    - Aura-based Ability Advancement Gem (Silver) - 50,000 Contribution Points.


    - Ability Advancement Gem (Silver) - 75,000 Contribution Points.


    - Ability Advancement Gem (Gold) - 250,000 Contribution Points.


    Warden whistled. The prices for Silver and Gold ranked items were just staggering, too much for anyone below the rank. Perhaps even too much for the captains and sergeants.


    He surfed through the items to find one of the elixirs he had his eyes on.


    - Intermediate Strength Elixir - 300 Contribution Points.


    - Intermediate Dexterity Elixir - 300 Contribution Points.


    - Intermediate Spirit Elixir - 1,000 Contribution Points.


    - Intermediate Perception Elixir - 500 Contribution Points.


    - Intermediate Mind Elixir - 1,000 Contribution Points.


    - Advanced Strength Elixir - 1,000 Contribution Points.


    - Advanced Dexterity Elixir - 1,000 Contribution Points.


    - Advanced Spirit Elixir - 5,000 Contribution Points.


    - Advanced Perception Elixir - 2,000 Contribution Points.


    - Advanced Mind Elixir - 10,000 Contribution Points.


    After hesitating for a little, Warden left the Advanced ones for now. He found a set of six for Mind and Spirit, even though the Lesser Mind Elixir had beencklustre. That already cost him a total of twelve thousand points. Unfortunately, his rank didn''te with any discount.


    "Those are good purchases," Jenni approved. "Even if you do not drink them now, they would be useful at some point."


    Warden nodded. Sadly, with this purchase, his pocket had already plummeted to half, ignoring the ability gem.


    "I thought for sure you''d go for something like an aperture awakening elixir," Jennimented. Her eyes lingered on the price tag. "Well, they are costly, but perhaps you can make it by putting together all your things."


    Warden shook his head. "I''m still a little away from reaching the peak of Iron, so I have no need for them at this moment." And besides, opening an aperture wasn''t difficult for him so far; perhaps it wouldn''t be for the third either.


    "What about you?" he asked. "Aren''t you excited to advance to Silver?"


    "I have already bought one a couple of weeks ago," Jenni said. "Just waiting for the right moment."


    Warden didn''t have much idea about what advancement was like for other people, so he couldn''t really say much.


    "Okay, now it is time to put your knowledge into use," Warden said, sucking in a deep breath. "Tell me what you know about Lineage Awakening Elixir."


    Jenni narrowed her eyes. "It''s something only Grandmaster alchemists create," she said. "But even for them, it is quite hard, probably because the ingredient for this elixir is hard toe by. If you have a bonded spirit beast as yourpanion, this elixir can help them awaken their inherited power. But I don''t remember you having a beastpanion. .


    . Are you perhaps thinking of getting one?"


    Warden''s expression soured when she was halfway through her point. "So humans can''t drink it?"


    "Well, they sure can, though I don''t think it will help them much. It''s made specifically to awaken¡ª" she stopped midway as realization dawned on her. She studied Warden from head to toe, a knit on her brows, excited for some unknown reason. "Don''t tell me you''re a spirit beast. Well, a transformed spirit beast that took human shape. .


    . Yeah, that would make so much sense. . . I was right, hahaha, I was so damn right."


    Warden had to tap her on the shoulder for her to make conjectures on her own. "I''m not a spirit beast, Jenni."


    The adept runesmith scowled at him. "Then why do you need this?"


    "Well," Warden paused, wondering how to say it. "You know how many humans possess ancient bloodline power; I thought this elixir could help with that."


    "So you possess an ancient bloodline?" she asked and then frowned. "I was right, you are a noble then. . ."


    Warden shook his head, wondering why she jumped to a judgment so easily. Well, technically, her reasoning sounded fine. After all, although most nobles do not possess a strong bloodline, all who have an ancient strong bloodline are nobles of some sort.


    "It''splicated," he said. Celestials were humanoid, but they weren''t human, so technically, he wasn''t a noble. Well, he didn''t have a clue about it. He was a warrior. A runesmith. A chef.


    . . what else was he missing?


    "I do not know the specifics, but this elixir can help you, somewhat," Jenni said, after calming down her excitement. "I mean, it helps beast-humans of Iman awaken some of their racial power, though the sess rates are low."


    "I''m a beast-human," Warden muttered. Well, perhaps technically, he was, if Celestial could be considered some bird people. . . But how could hepare the angelic race to some birds? They were an ancient race, prouder than even the elves.


    Even if Warden wasn''t a pureblood celestial. . .


    "Well, there are other ways to awaken one''s bloodline potential," Jenni said. "Both my parents weremon-born, so I can''t tell you the specific way. . . but it''s likely through stimting the dormant power. For example, if your bloodline power is rted to fire.


    . . Stimting your spirit and body with some quintessence of fire might do the trick. . . Oh, the process is very dangerous, though."


    That gave him some perspective. Quintessence was a purer form of essence. Though they have simr effects as essence gems, their best uses were in purifying one''s elemental power.


    "There are various quintessences avable to buy," Jenni said, scrolling through the screen to bring out the section of elemental quintessence. "What is your dormant power rted to?"


    "Light," Warden muttered, his eyes reading the different kinds of quintessence avable as well. He was relieved to find the price was within his limit. Unfortunately, light attributes seemed rare even among quintessence.


    "Found it," Jenni mumbled. "But it''s gold ranked."


    - Quintessence of Light (Gold) - 250 contribution points per gram.

 Chapter 208: Poor Once Again

    As it turned out, Warden was right about bringing along Jenni for his shopping spree. He would have spent a big chunk of his allowance on buying some stuff he had his eyes on. But with her help, he was saved from wasting wealth on unnecessary items¡ªall at the cost of ten pieces of desserts.


    "Looks like it''s rare for the Light attribute to form quintessence in the Iron rank," Jenni muttered. "You should ask the attendant to alert you when ites in stock."


    "Nah, I''m buying this," Warden said, sucking in a deep breath. "How much do you think people need?"


    Jenni looked at him as if she was staring down a fool. "You''ll die if you absorb the gold-ranked essence, you hear me?"


    Warden clicked his tongue, clearly not seeing her argument. "Don''t worry, I''m pretty resilient. Besides, I know a few runes that can make it less intense if I need to."


    "Do you think I''m worried about you, poor fool?" she snorted, her expression mocking. "Even if you have ways to use them. . . I won''t let you use them until you give me my desserts."


    "At least you got your priorities straight," Warden chuckled. "So how many grams?"


    "Hell if I know," she said.


    The attendant returned right about the time, with her sweet smile stered on her lips. "Thank you for waiting, Sir, Ma''am. I have talked to my superior, and we have agreed to buy the fire-based ability gem for the price of twenty-seven contribution points."


    Warden was about to agree, but Jenni took the floor once again.


    "Make it thirty thousand, and you have a deal," she said.


    "Ma''am, twenty-seven thousand is already more than a fair price, and¡ª"


    "Thirty thousand," Jenni repeated, "and we''re going to expend all of that credit today. You won''t lose much with the doublemission you''ll get."


    The attendant swallowed a breath. "Twenty-eight thousand and five hundred."


    "How about a thousand more?"


    This girl could really negotiate, and it didn''t look like she was haggling at all. Unlike before when she didn''t decrease the number of desserts in their negotiation, she buttered up the attendant well to get him more than a fair price of 29,500. With that, Warden bought a hundred grams of Light Quintessence before going into shopping for rations and ingredients for those desserts.


    It took about another hour, and by the end of it, he was poor once again.


    "I hope I came to some use," Jenni said, sounding more mirthful than she ever was, at least to him.


    "You did. I don''t think Agnes could have been as useful as you as a shopping partner."


    "How about you thank me with a few more extra of those desserts, then?" Jenni gave him puppy eyes, trying to look cute. Well, she certainly could make a face. Her disinterest in such matters didn''t hold her back at all.


    Warden smiled.


    "So is that a yes?"


    Warden crept ahead of her, not answering.


    "Come on, give me an answer; I even made those embarrassing faces. . ."


    ---


    Jenni made sure not to leave him alone until he gave her what she desired. He didn''t listen to any of his words, not even when he promised to deliver her the desserts early in the morning. In the end, he could onlyply and asked her to help out in the making.


    She was far more enthusiastic than usual, perhaps only equal to when she was doing rune work.


    "So is it done now?" she asked for the fifth time within thest half an hour after Warden left the desserts to be frozen.


    "It will take a few more hours," he repeated his answer. "Oh, you can take them with you if you like. . . Just don''t eat them before it''s done; they won''t taste as good."


    Jenni mulled over her options, and then a wicked smile appeared on her lips. She sped the runic refrigerator in her arms. "Haha, there are over a dozen of them here," sheughed as she shot out with the box. "I''m not giving it back to you."


    "Silly girl," Warden chuckled and got back to his work.


    After a few hours, he was rxing after finishing some runework when the doorbell rang. Warden opened it to find Elder Ming with a very serious look on his face.


    Warden weed him in, had him sit in the drawing room, gave him some beverages, but the old man didn''t open his mouth.


    "Elder Ming, what''s it about?"


    "I have talked to the old friend I promised to marry Jenni with," Elder Ming said.


    "It didn''t go as you nned?"


    "No," the elder shook his head. "Surprisingly, the talk went without a hitch. Orim, he''s very understanding of my dilemma."


    "Then why that expression on your face?" Warden arched an eyebrow.


    "It''s just that. . . it was me who initiated the proposal after Orim saved my life in the frontline a century ago," he said with a sigh. "He''s an honorable man. .


    . He hasn''t ever pursued any other women because he had to uphold his honor. . . I think I have done a disservice to both Jenni and Orim."


    Warden didn''t bother to coddle up the old man with some kind words because he hardly needed it. "So what now?"


    "Well, Orim intends to meet with Jenni at least once to break it off officially; I have agreed to it," he said. "Though I somewhat hoped the girl would change her mind, but knowing Jenni, I think she''d just show up to insult him." Sighing, he continued, "At least, Jenni will be happily learning about the news, though I do not want to make it so easier for her."


    "Elder Ming, what do you intend to do?" Warden frowned.


    "The girl is more willful than a butterfly," Elder Ming said. "While I love how she''s so carefree about everything, the way she acts sometimes. . . It is not right. Perhaps she thinks with me behind her she can deal with everything."


    "Elder Ming, I don''t think Jenni ever goes overboard with¡ª"


    "But she can go overboard, and I''ll hate it to see her bing like one of those pompous nobles too invested in their own grandeur that they can''t see others. Jenni already has a very narrow view of the world. . ."


    "What do you intend to do?"


    "Something simple," Elder Ming said with a rare smile. "It''s very melodramatic, like in those stories. . . I''m going to make her a challenge. And I need your help with it.


    This is the favour that I ask. In exchange, I''ll make you the best spear you ever wielded. No, I''ll make a full set of equipment if you want."


    For anyone else, hearing such a deration would make them lose their mind, but Warden only thought of Jenni. He wondered if Elder Ming would do something very stupid again and that the rtionship between the father and daughter would deteriorate even more.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t covet a fine spear that wouldn''t break under his power...


    Elder Ming exined his n, and Warden only knitted his brow deep in thinking.


    "You know, this can actually work," Warden said. "Knowing how headstrong she is, she''ll easily fall for it."

 Chapter 209: The Night before

    "The space has changed a lot, huh," Warden mumbled as they reached the high-energy concentrated zone. There weren''t any hordes of monsters lying around anymore; instead, the area was filled with a clutter of military tents, wardstone barriers for protection, and stoic soldiers on guard duty.


    This ce wasn''t as safe as the main camp, nor like the second fold base either. Skirmishes with demonic creatures were a regr urrence after they had overthrown the order of demonic beasts that infested the area.


    Marcus guided their team into their tent after themanding officer who brought them over had finished his speech. The man had been a gold ranker, one of the reserved forces, not anyone rted to the Walt Family. Hopefully, Warden would be able to maintain his autonomy until the end of his service.


    Night came early, considering the distribution of the day and night ratio at the front lines. Wardenpleted the task he was recruited for in Marcus''s team and slipped away on his own before anyone noticed his presence.


    With his camouge intact, he had no problem moving around in the temporary camp to find his way to Agnes. She was busy, as he thought, but instead of finding her giving orders, he found a regal-looking young man doing it instead.


    "So, this is the prince, huh?" Warden mused, mopping his broom on the side of a wooden bridge that connected the two ridges in the shattered ins. Warden found a few other familiar faces from the 16th infantry, but none of them recognised him, not that anyone even bothered to look at his face when they passed him by.


    He didn''t me them. It only proved that his camouge was nearly perfect.


    After half an hour or so, the woman finally was relieved of her duties. She crept her way out of the camp. She passed through the bridge, simrly not giving him any nce. Warden didn''t know if she was doing it purposefully or hadn''t noticed him.


    She should be aware of his new persona as a janitor, but considering how stressed she looked, Warden wouldn''t be surprised if that thought slipped her mind. After whistling for a few minutes, he followed her as they came to an isted space up on a high ridge.


    "You look troubled, Captain," Warden said from behind her.


    Agnes turned her head and sighed, "You''re still in this getup. Didn''t I tell you to lose the attire and the brooms?"


    Warden grinned at her. "Sadly, I invested too much in it. Can''t go back before I get my investment''s worth."


    "Whatever," she said. "We''ll be entering the subspace tomorrow morning, which is only about nine hours away. Are you prepared?"


    "I wish I had my spear ready for this," Warden said. "But looks like I have to make do with my [Bane of the Cmity] for now."


    "Please don''t take it casually," Agnes said, her voice more emotional than he had ever heard.


    "I''m not," Warden said, letting out a soft cough. "Well, I won''t be, after we enter the space."


    She met his gaze and nodded. "Go rest now; you reek of exhaustion."


    "I can say the same about you, Captain."


    They didn''t spend too much time there. Agnes exined a few more things about the space to him repeatedly to make sure it got into his head before saying goodbye. Warden stayed outside for a while before going back to the tent. He really should rest now, but he still had some work left to do.


    He needed toe up with the script formation that would let him absorb the gold-rank quintessence of light without making it too difficult for him. It was already a work in progress, but considering he would be entering the subspace and would be in no position to awaken his dormant celestial power, he left it as it was. For now.


    He promised himself it would be the first thing he would make progress on after he came out of the subspace. He left the intermediate attribute-enhancing elixirs as well. Although the power boost would be wee, Warden didn''t want to stir anything inside him before he received his Boon of Spirit.


    The system asked for a significant amount of essence power to power the process. Warden hoped the essence vein inside the subspace would solve the problem. Hopefully, it wouldn''t be anything anticlimactic like before.


    ****


    The task Twilight was hired for wasplete. The team of six silver rankers proceeded through the treacherousnds of the front lines and managed to find what they were looking for.


    Apparently, there were some signs of disturbance in the wall that separated one fold from another. Their study says if this continued there would be some drastic shift in the rift which nobody was prepared for.


    Their first thought was that the empire was responsible for something on their end of the rift, but so far, they haven''t found the source, even though they located the danger.


    If she had time on her hands, Twilight would have stayed with the group to find out more. However, she was working under constraints; she couldn''t waste time, even if she was a master of multitasking.


    Without even collecting her rewards for the job well done, the assassin set her eyes towards the second fold base of the empire. Well, she could probably collect the reward on her way back, on her career, she never missed collecting her bounty even once. Twilight intended to keep the record straight for as long as she could.


    But her main task precedence over that.


    She needed to use their teleportation formation to make her way. Without that, it might take her months to navigate her way out. While the higher time dtion in the rift made it easier for her not to waste time, she was not in the mood to scour the barrennd like a nomad.


    No, it was time for her to use all her time to let loose a little and take a more drastic step.

 Chapter 210: Entering the Inheritance Ground

    More than two hundred candidates gathered in thepound before the first ray of the sun filtered through the broken skies'' folded clouds. The high-ranking superior officer kept them waiting for some time. Considering the ambient energy was high in this area, most people began meditating by the time he appeared.


    Warden, however, had been sleeping for most of the time. Despite intending to rest up the previous night, he spent the majority of his time sorting out problems for his future. Still, he managed to sleep for more than five hours, and with his physique, that was more than enough to be energetic.


    He joined midway through the superior officer''s speech, not really listening to whatever he was talking about. It wasn''t that he was disobedient or arrogant; Agnes had already informed him more about the subspace than the superior officer seemed to be aware of. Unfortunately, he couldn''t please everyone.


    "Where were you?" Marcus whispered. "If you were a few minutester, we would''ve left without you."


    "Good thing I''m here, no?" Warden grinned.


    Marcus red at him.


    "Well, we wouldn''t have left," May said, ring as well, though not with the same intensity as Marcus. "But it would have dyed us. Perhaps we would be thest among the crew to enter. Everyone else would have a head start on us."


    Her concern was valid, but the subspace wasn''t a ce where a slight head start would cause any disadvantage. However, there was another reason why everyone else was so tense. The gold-ranked superior officer had just informed them that many silver rankers had lost their lives in this subspace, some facing a fate worse than death.


    Certainly, a way to dampen everyone''s mood. The natural suppression of the second fold wasn''t making things any easier either. Supposedly, it would only get harder from here.


    "Rx, as far as I know, the only reason silver rankers lost their lives or went missing is that the inheritance ground is specifically for iron rankers and lower," Warden whispered.


    "How do you know that?" Pierce, Marcus''s right-hand man, asked. "We were told the suppression was higher for those with higher ranks, but¡­"


    Everyone was now looking at him questioningly. Warden thought it wasmon knowledge and he was merely reminding them, but it seemed like it wasn''t somon after all. The military wasn''t spoon-feeding every detail to the noble sons and daughters.


    "Well, I might have been in the crew that found the location of the inheritance ground," Warden said, scratching his rough hair, which appeared dirty brown to others, even if it was strikingly grey. "I haven''t entered, but I heard some news from those that did."


    "What?" Marcus said, his voice a tad louder, enough for the gold ranker to turn in their direction and re. Before the gold-ranked aura could bear down on them, Marcus shouted, "Apologies, Sir. It won''t happen again."


    "I''ll hold onto that, Young Lord Valerius," said Chainbreaker, the gold-ranked officer. After that, Marcus or anyone in their group didn''t even utter a word, keeping their spines straight,pletely focused on what the officer was saying.


    Warden shrugged and gazed around. He found Agnes standing with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes and found him looking. She didn''t even acknowledge the gaze, ying her role. Next to her was the twenty-fourth prince of the Sivian Empire, standing with regal armour, a stoic look on his face. A striking woman who resembled the prince stood on his right, d in white clergy attire.


    Lady Cassandra and all the women from Azalea Garden stood to their right, their poise cool and respectful; with matching clothes, they looked more like high-ss attendants than fighters. One figure stood among them other than Lady Cassandra.


    Jenni, Warden thought. What the hell is she doing here? Please don''t tell me Elder Ming messed up his n in challenging her and created so much distance between them that she ran away to join the expedition.


    Jenni wasn''t as cool and respectful as the other women in the Azalea group. It wasn''t really in her nature. She gazed around as if trying to find some familiar figure. Her eyes met with Agnes for a moment as both women acknowledged with a slight nod.


    Well, it''s better not to involve myself with her when I''m inside, Warden thought. Considering the role he would have to y, it''s better if he didn''t implicate anyone else.


    "For onest note before you enter," the gold ranker said. "The teleportation gate we have unearthed is not the usual one... While the teleported people were transported in the same space, the location is random... You will likely separate in the first round of the test. But remember your purpose.


    While we do not disapprove of the contesting among the younger generation, remember your purpose for this expedition. There will be a hard reckoning for those who acted upon their greed and put others'' lives in danger."


    With that, the long speech ended, and the gold ranker put his words into action. He tore a hole in the smic barrier above the altar where he stood, under everyone''s eyes.


    "Even with my power, I can only keep it open for about eight minutes," he said. "Enter!"


    Obviously, everyone gave the first opportunity to the imperial prince, who entered without even shooting nces at anyone else. He seemed headstrong and not too talkative. Agnes joined them afterwards.


    "Good luck, Captain Agnes," Jenni shouted among the stoic crowd. When everyone shot her nces, she just shrugged. "What?"


    "Lady Cassandra, I don''t remember you taking an Adept Runesmith on your team," Pierce said, narrowing his eyes.


    Cassandra smiled. "I didn''t intend on taking Lady Jenni... it''s just circumstances that led us together. At the precipice of the moment, one of our candidates had an emergency and had to drop out... Good thing Lady Jenni presented herself at the right moment, or we would have had to enter with one woman less."


    It wasn''t just Warden, but it sounded too convenient to everyone present there.

 Chapter 211: Moonspawn

    Please tell me you didn''t have any hand in that candidate''s supposed emergency, Jenni, Warden almost swore. Because it was the kind of thing he would do if he was under simr duress. And their thinking was very much alike.


    Thankfully, Jenni wouldn''t stoop low to give a low blow to some unfortunate iron ranker. Perhaps she bought the spot with credits or equipment.


    "I just thought this opportunity was too enticing to be missed before I advance to Silver," Jenni said, shing her pretty smile.


    Many of the young men present coughed.


    "Of course, the heaven-blessed Lady Jenni with talent that she made it to Adept in merely Iron rank. Your participation is most wee¡­"


    "An Adept in Iron rank," Cole, the resident Runesmith of Marcus''s crew, spoke up to May, his eyes glinting with interest. "Is this the woman you spoke of?"


    "Yeah," May said. "Why are you interested, Cole? I''m giving a warning, though. She''s the type of woman who''d chew you up even without noticing herself, so tread carefully."


    Cole snorted. "My interest isn''t in the body."


    "I meant what I said."


    The Azalea group entered first, followed by theirs. Some even tried to mitigate the teleportation issue by joining their hands together, linking their energy. Their group attempted that in a team of six as well. All interlocked in physical touch and energy. Unfortunately, the link between their energies was so shallow that it was broken by the immacte pressure of the pulsating teleporting force.


    Warden felt the current passing through him for a moment, and then he was elsewhere. None of hispanions were close.


    The first thing he noticed was how cold it was here. There wasn''t any snow or ice, but the natural temperature was definitely below the freezing point. Towering trees stood all around him, each one seeming to touch the reced sky of the subspace. He couldn''t see much with the dimming light, but it sure wasn''t a rxing ce.


    Thankfully, he had worn [Maya''s Protection] under his Janitor clothing. While he was missing the [Cloak of Void Radiance] now, he didn''t know if it was necessary for the current situation.


    The space had a simr vibe to a dungeon, but it was much more stable. The natural aura of the ce wasn''t chaotic either; it was filled with thick ambient energy. Perhaps that was the reason why the trees grew so high.


    With caution on his mind, Warden crept, choosing a direction. Within a couple of minutes, he figured out the cold wasn''t anything but normal. It seemed to be mutated like the ambient energy of the front lines. It bit into his system, suppressing more of his power.


    But Warden had the [Void Vanquishing Physique], which could technically withstand the tear of the void; thick, biting cold could only scratch his surface.


    "I guess this is going to be a good ce to train my physique," Warden thought out loud. "It has been standing at 7% for a while. If only he could find some creature to fight, that would be¡­"


    A loud screech echoed throughout the space, shaking it somewhat. Warden perked up, a grin spreading across his lips. Just what he needed. Even the aura of the creature seemed familiar.


    His legs moved as he shot through the thick forest towards the centre of all the disturbance. He employed Anti Gravity scripts to lift him higher as he literally flew there. The aura of the creature only grew as Warden moved. It was a sickening aura of power, too much of it, so that whatever the creature was, it was unable to control itself.


    And it was huge. It broke through huge trunks of the trees, shoving aside the humans who fought against it. It was a massive wolf-like hound, standing over half a dozen meters tall, ck tar-like energy oozing out of its being. Its eyes glowed red as it howled.


    "Just run!" A familiar voice shouted, flying atop the creature. "You''re only making it difficult for me."


    Warden found the familiar figure of Agnes. ck wings spread behind her like a dark phoenix, as she rose in the air, obstructing the path of the hound. She could barely contended against its superior force. But Captain Agnes wasn''t short on her tenacity, nor in control of her essence power. She created a thick wall of wards and thrust it in the path of the creature.


    It broke through them with no problem, but it did give them a split second to recover themself.


    "I can''t find Waoren!" shouted back an unfamiliar voice.


    "He''s probably dead, RUN!"


    The dark hound twisted its neck to take a bite at Agnes. She tried to fly away, but its overwhelming aura froze her in ce for a split second. Other than its massive body, it was agile as well. It sank its teeth into her tangible wings made of pure darkness essence and tore them apart. The captain''s face soured, but she manifested another pair of wings, saving herself from a certain crash.


    But the dark hound was onto her, ready to pounce and devour her whole.


    Wardennded on top of the rampaging beast, focusing all his power to stop its advance. The beast let out a low wail. Warden lifted the [Bane of the Cmity] from his back and grinned at Agnes as she flew up.


    "It must be fate, Captain, to meet you so early in the game."


    "I thought you didn''t believe in fate," she replied, but then her expression turned grim. "Quick, dodge¡­"


    Warden was thoroughly prepared for his expedition. He released a tier-3 antigravity rune script, which he had prepared the previous night. His figure flew straight up at the speed of an aerial predator. The dark ws of the beast missed their mark as Warden manipted the runes to make his way to Agnes.


    She didn''t have time to study his new magic, as her focus was on the people who were fleeing on their feet.


    "I didn''t know you''re the type of person who''d stir up trouble so early," Warden said offhandedly, not pointing a finger at her, at all. "Its barely been a few minutes."


    "The time dtion is shrewd here if you have forgotten. Sometimes it''s less, sometimes it''s more," her voice came hard. "Anyway, it wasn''t me."


    Warden narrowed his eyes, focusing back to the howling creature. "What is this thing?" he asked. "It''s not like any corrupted creatures I''ve fought, nor like fiends either, even though it is weaker than some powerful fiends."


    "Moon spawn," Agnes said, flying before the beast to form a wall of obstruction before it could catch the rankers fleeing ahead. It collided against the wall of darkness, sundering through it like it was mere scraps of paper.


    Agnes formed arge spear of darkness and shot it towards its eyes. She seeded in her aim. The dark spear burst through its eyes like an arrow prating through an apple, barely meeting any obstruction.


    Warden thought this was the endgame for the creature. But a couple of secondster, its eyes grew back, its regeneration speed far beyond even that of a Troll.


    "Mere logic is not enough to describe it," Agnes said, flying back, drawing its aggression away from the fleeing men. "After all, it''s the splintered manifestation of the Cmity known as the Traitor Wolf."

 Chapter 212: Outerlayer

    The hound''s howl failed to evoke any dreamlike sensations, let alone paralyze him as he thrust the gilded edge of the [Bane of the Cmity] into its head. ck tar-like blood, or rather a liquid essence, oozed from the inflicted wound.


    Warden narrowed his eyes; this creature''s existence seemed more unnatural than those found in dungeons. It was brimming with essence, perhaps more than it could handle. Killing it could potentially yield higher rewards than anything Warden had encountered before.


    "Don''t engage in directbat!" Agnes shouted, flying with her dark wings spread on her back, obstructing its advance. "You cannot kill it..."


    "Is that a challenge, captain?" Warden shouted back. The liquid essence drew into him, rushing in a chilly sensation across his body, causing him to shudder. It didn''t necessarily increase his attributes, but Warden deemed it was improving his physique. However, cultivating the [Void Vanquishing Physique] wasn''t advisable, putting his body under nearly unbearable stress while fighting the Moonspawn.


    "I''m being serious," Agnes said, thrusting her wards as Warden flung himself up from its back. "We may manage to kill it bybining all our power, and the rewards might even be worth it, at least for me. But it will leave us both vulnerable for another fight. You don''t know how tenacious a moonspawn is..."


    "What do you advise, then?"


    "We retreat. Just distract it for some time... I''ll take care of your retreat."


    "As you wish," Warden agreed. He didn''t want to waste stamina just to enter the inheritance ground. There were still ces to explore, and secrets to unearth, not to mention the exhaustion it would bring to his prepared runes.


    Warden ceased intensebat, flying around the beast to aggravate it further. It had already ttened a good part of the forest. He shoved a thick tree trunk, uprooted with its maddening dash, at the moonspawn, but the creature didn''t budge. He continued throwing trees at it from all directions.


    The Tier-3 Anti-gravity runes made it easier for him to carry the heavy trunk, as Warden gained insights on how to improve it.


    Then abruptly, Agnes shot her spear of darkness into its eyes and intercepted Warden. She caught his arms as the wings of darkness folded around them, cocooning thempletely as they were concealed in the darkness.


    The moonspawn regained its sightless eyes, but it couldn''t locate them anymore. It continued rampaging, unfazed by the absence of the ranker who had aggravated it.


    "Let''s go," Agnes said as they flew away. It felt as if she were literally carrying him, but Warden didn''tin. After covering a considerable distance from the disturbance, Agnes released his hand andnded.


    "So..." Warden began, unsure of what to say. "You mentioned we shouldn''t be seen together on this expedition."


    "Nobody saw you," she replied. "Those soldiers were too desperate to save their lives to watch you fight."


    "I see," Warden said, feeling an awkward tension. "So... should we keep our distance now?"


    Agnes pondered this for about a minute and then shook her head. "There''s no point now... the outeryer of the space isrger than the rest, and there''s a good chance we won''t encounter people easily," she said. "Besides, you are in disguise..."


    "Makes sense."


    Without saying much, she began walking, and Warden followed, attempting to break the silence. "So, how do you like your new armour?"


    "It fits me well," she replied, tracing a careless finger on her ck breastte. "It''s better than my old one, though not much of an improvement. Hopefully, it willst longer."


    Warden hadpleted it on a deadline to gain more points from the department. Although he had worked carefully on it, Tier-5 runes were his limit. He had embedded a stronger shell of Restoration runes, intending to mitigate the duress Agnes put on her equipment.


    Unfortunately for him, Elder Ming hadn''t even begun making the spear for him to carve runes into. Given what he had asked of him, the least he could do was give the old man some time. Until then, he would have to make do with his brooms.


    "Although this is the outermostyer of the inheritance ground, it is not without its rewards," Agnes said after several minutes of silent walking. "We''d need to move for at least a week to get into the nextyer. It is better if you take whatever benefits you can, but beware; most of the Silver rankers died in thisyer."


    "What are the dangers here other than the moonspawn?"


    "The moonspawn isn''t enough for you?" Agnes quirked her eyebrows. "Just one of these is enough to put you under stress; think what a pack of them could do to you."


    Warden pondered deeply on that; indeed, such encounters would be better avoided for now.


    "But apart from spawns, there are Shadow Stalkers and various other dangerous creatures, though none canpare to the moon spawns."


    "And these benefits you mentioned," Warden said, "are they rted to the moonspawn?"


    "It is," she faltered in her pacing and met his gaze. "As you have already noticed its existence, a moonspawn''s core and heart are greatly beneficial to one''s physical body. It doesn''t necessarily just increase attribute points, but it advances the body to a qualitative prospect. There were actually cults who hunted down moonspawn and other spawn of defeated Cmities to get benefits from them."


    "I see," Warden said.


    "But, as you have noticed, it is very difficult to kill them with how aggressive they are, not to mention their regenerative power."


    "You don''t have any ns?"


    "I was hoping you''de up with something," she grinned and then brought out a bow and a quiver full of arrows. "This might be of some help... but my path shes greatly with it."


    She handed it to Warden for inspection. The bow appeared to be of high elven build, though made of metal instead of wood. However, what interested him were the arrows. There were twelve of them, each identical and seemed to be consumable items.


    [Aurora Bolts: Heroic/Consumable items


    Aurora bolts emit a tangible and dazzling light upon release, which is the bane of all darkness. They deal greater damage to cursed existence. The pure essence of Radiance was used in the creation of the arrows and can only be wielded to their best by those with light or fire attributes.]


    "There was an idiot who thought he could defeat me with these arrows," Agnes said with a sigh. "Although he had greatly overestimated his capabilities, I cannot overlook how sublime these arrows were. Unfortunately, we need to find someone with a Light attribute to use them... I was hoping for the Princess; it might be better to find someone of less prominent standing."


    Warden could only nod to her. He could have helped if he had managed to awaken his Radiance power, but that would have to wait for now.


    "That reminds me," Warden said. "What about the Imperial Prince and your team? Aren''t you supposed to join them as soon as possible?"


    Agnes didn''t answer for several minutes. Warden could tell she didn''t enjoy being on this expedition, and more so, she disliked whatever mission she was given. However, she had to do it if she wanted to regain her freedom, a deal the military had imposed on her.


    "I..." She let out a deep exhtion. "I want to y at least one moonspawn before I have to join them. Its core will help me boost my power without advancing to the silver rank."


    "Did nobody hunt any the previous time you were here?" Warden couldn''t help but ask.


    "The silver rankers managed to defeat one, but it cost them a lot," she said, her eyes gleaming with coldness. "I had participated in the battle, but with my condemned nature, it wasn''t a hard decision for them to overlook my contribution."


    "If you give me some time, I think I can prepare some scripts that will give us some advantages against the creature," Warden suggested. Hell, if he put all his scripts into use, perhaps he could even defeat one on his own. However, that would possibly leave him drained. Using the rune spells took a heavy toll on the body. "As for the arrows... I''ll see if I can use them after all."


    They moved for about a couple of hours, meeting no creatures dangerous enough to threaten their lives. Finally, they decided it was time to take refuge in... Agnes prepared the tents, setting up the ward stones. While Warden prepared food. None of the two had breakfast, after all.


    "Fuck, this cold is getting on my nerves," Warden muttered. "Even the fire doing a little to relieve it."


    Agnes narrowed her eyes, sitting on the other of the fire. She was still in her armour, but from the look of it, wasn''t feeling any bit of the cold.


    Well, Warden could have ignored it too, if he put on his legendary cloak, and turned on its ward.


    "I can help with that," Agnes said. She stood up and walked to sit next to him. She raised her arm, and she touched his bare skin. Her skin was unnaturally cold, even with the chilly environment.


    The essence of her power enveloped his body... it was unsettling for a bit, but it didn''t do anything to him. Instead, the thinyer of darkness began devouring the biting coldness that was finding its way into his system.


    "Thank you," Warden said.


    "The cold yed a role in weakening our forces the first time," Agnes said. "Feel free tomunicate with me if you feel unwell anytime."


    Warden nodded and brought out his scribing tools to work on his new project.

 Chapter 213: Awakening (1)

    "How certain are you of doing this?" Agnes asked, brows furrowed.


    "Hmm, about fifty-fifty," Warden answered, holding the container of Quintessence of Light. "Pretty good odds, wouldn''t you say?"


    "I still think that it''s a terrible idea," she said, studying the arrayyered on the barrel-shaped construct Wardenpletedst night to help him awaken his lineage power. Ignoring its misshapen shape, the array was one of the toughest stuff he had built.


    The captain certainly didn''t understand the art that went behind for it toe to fruition. "Void and Light attributes don''t mix well together."


    Warden knew that. His void energy would likely swallow down the light whole, but he had a sinking feeling that there was more to it than just that. The light-attributed power of the celestial was something special. It wasn''t simply light, but the Light of life, of creation. It was radiance.


    While void might seem opposite at first nce, it wasn''t directly sopared with Darkness and Death. If he could make his Radiance power as strong as the void energy capacity, he felt there wouldn''t be a problem wielding both powers.


    "I never heard of people awakening contrasting power," she muttered. "Even if they had, they didn''t survive to tell the tale."


    Honestly, Warden was a little iffy about using the quintessence of light inside the subspace. However, considering it would take at least a week to advance to the nextyer, he thought they could afford to spend a couple of days on this. Besides, his radiant power would aid in hunting the moon spawns.


    "Well, it''s not like you are going to die or get yourself crippled," Agnes said.


    Warden was not so sure of that at first. That''s why the array. It had taken a lot of his creative brainpower toe up with it and a lot more effort to carve it into the huge barrel, which he would use to channel the quintessence of the light.


    "OK, let''s begin," he said and poured exactly two grams of the quintessence into the array. As for the intensity, he thought for a moment and set it at 10%.


    Ten percent of a gold rank quintessence was something only silver rankers could endure. But considering Warden was more resilient than your usual ranker, on top of having the Void vanquishing physique, he deemed 10% would not be a problem for him.


    Agnes frowned at him without replying, calm disapproval evident in her gaze, but she wouldn''t stop it even if it was stupid.


    Warden removed his janitor''s attire, afraid it would be destroyed. He didn''t have the same fear for [Maya''s Protection]. With everything set, he entered the barrel. Agnes stood outside in case anything went wrong or something attacked; she could deal with it with ease.


    He turned on the array, and immediately, blinding golden light crashed into his eyes. It was was an intense fiery sensation that spread throughout his being. It felt like his whole body was set aze. An overwhelming sense of danger flowed through him.


    The ordealsted about a couple of seconds. His void energy moved on its own, coursing through his body, and swallowed up the light, as Agnes had feared. What surprised him was how Maya''s protection reacted to the light; it too absorbed it, making it easy for Warden to withstand the intensity.


    The two grams of quintessencested for about a quarter of an hour at 10% intensity. By the time it finished, Warden found his void essence had weakened in some form. He would certainly regain it; it would just take some time.


    Surprisingly, the quintessence of light had transformed a small part of the power into thin wisps of light-attributed energy. The change was so minuscule that it couldn''t even light a candle.


    But a smile crept up on his lips as he considered.


    "It''s working," Warden said as he emerged from the array. The pallor of his skin had already recovered; now only a hint of sweat remained with a reddish glow.


    "I don''t believe you," said the captain.


    Warden grinned. He raised his index finger and channelled the newly transformed energy. A twinkling little light appeared above his index finger, causing Agnes to frown in surprise.


    "Is this a trick or something?" She asked. "Even for people with no attribute, it is terribly harder to acquire, and you did it in just like 10 minutes?"


    "Perhaps, Captain, we both have underestimated my light affinity."


    Well, he certainly did underestimate that. Even with all his hopes and wishes, Warden did not think it would work on the first try. He was prepared to go the long way if his first few attempts failed, but it appeared all he needed was more intensity of light.


    "Are you going to get into that again?"


    "Obviously," Warden said as he began removing his light armour. "The armour is light-attributed. It was absorbing much of the intensity before it could stimte me."


    Agnes nodded as he entered the array again, this time bare-chested. The intensity is set at 20% on this asion, with five grams of the quintessence.


    Warden triggered the formation, and it was an even more intense feeling than before. It was akin to being burned in a master cksmith''s forge. Light crashed into his eyes, blinding him; it surged through his skin and into his system. Void energy came to battle against the invading force, both equally impressive.


    But it was the home turf for void energy. Although Warden restricted some capacity of his energies just so that the quintessence could stimte him further, void energy imed victory in about a quarter of an hour, though it had ravaged his skin and muscles swelled up, his channels ravaged with burning intensity. It would take at least an hour to heal thempletely.


    This time, a whole lot of his power had weakened, and reced by light-attributed energy, which wasn''t necessarily strong enough to be threatening to a person, but at least could illuminate the dark.


    Hopefully, he could grow more. There are still 93 grams of the quintessence left for him to use.

 Chapter 214: Awakening (2)

    Agnes watched as Warden came out of the array, his whole upper body swollen with angry red patches of blood. It had oozed out all over his body; his eyes were red-shot, looking like a maniac.


    "Are you alright?" she asked hesitantly, even though he did not appear to be.


    But she had seen signs of Warden''s resilient physique; this much should not be enough to stop him. She could not sense what was going through him internally.


    Warden waved his arm to dismiss her concern, though his movement didn''t have the ease at which he acted. He looked haggard, out of ce, and probably couldn''t see clearly with the intense light ying its trick on him.


    He sat on the ground and began meditating. He stayed there for about 15 minutes, eyes tightly shut as all the swelling on his body healed, even if it left a trail of blood on his skin.


    He stood up and poured ten grams of the quintessence into the array and increased the intensity to 30%. Agnes did not know if she should stop him, but he did not look like he would listen to her.


    Warden entered, while she waited outside, with a disturbed frown wrinkling her forehead.


    About half an hourter, Warden came back, his figure even more emaciated than the previous time. This time, he did not go straight to meditation. He held a deep breath and put his new power to the test.


    Flickers of bright golden light shed from his palms. He poured more energy, as the light only rose in intensity. On the verge of his limit, he thrust the light into the ground, scorching the grass and creating a small hole there.


    He had a frown on his brow now, his eagerness diminishing a bit. Probably not satisfied with his disy, unaware it was nearly impossible for anyone else to repeat this feat.


    "Still not enough," he muttered and looked at her blearily. His eyes weren''t working perfectly after the intense stimtion of the quintessence of light.


    "I think you should sit and think it over a bit," Agnes advised.


    Warden did sit down, though moved onto meditation to heal his wounds. Half an hourter, he shot up and entered the array, this time increasing the intensity by another 10 percent.


    Agnes heard a few moans and groansing from the barrel, but Warden didn''t make any attempt to leave, nor did he ask for help. All she could do was wait for him to finish up. . . 40% intensity was something only a few peak silver rankers could handle.


    Perhaps her power would allow her to do it in iron rank, but she was sure it would be a damnable battle, one that would''ve left her stressed out and weakened. Well, that certainly brought back memories, as goosebumps crawled through her skin.


    She hadn''t awakened her power through this way, but certainly, she was forced through a simr process to purify her essence of darkness. It certainly hadn''t left any good memories, not to mention she was forced through the process over months, against her will.


    "Perhaps Warden would say it was worth it," she thought out loud. "Considering he was going through a simr experience willingly."


    The runic res of the barrel calmed down, and Warden came out, looking beyond exhausted. His haggard body fell to the ground, smearing the grass with his goldish-red blood. . . It was glowing slightly.


    Was his blood always had that golden sheen to it? Agnes didn''t have the time to consider as she came to help him up. Although his body wasn''t working as he willed, he was still conscious.


    "Warden," she called, hesitating a moment before holding him tightly.


    "Agnes," his voice was raspy as his palms clutched her arm, his hold wasn''t weakened at all. And from the looks of it, he didn''t realise he was clutching her arm with force. "I can''t see. . ."


    "Calm your nerves, I''m sure it''s temporary," she said, stating the obvious.


    His intense regeneration power had already begun to patch up his wounds, though it would take some time to regain the lost sensation, especially for the eyes.


    "Forty percent is too much," he said. "But it did improve my regeneration power. . . and my Physique. .


    . It''s at 14% now. . . Never had such a spike of improvement in such a short time."


    His voice came out in a wheeze, but the excitement was all too clear as he spoke.


    "Still no notification from the system, though."


    Agnes sighed. "You''re trying too hard," she said. "Even if your affinity to light attribute is high. . . The process is to stimte the body slowly and evolve it over time.


    . . Your approach is more like forcing it. While it may seem like it''s working, it will leave a terrible residue of impairment."


    She would know it, after all, she had gone through something simr. Even known, her body could barely sense temperature or other sensations. The darkness had evolved... mutated it so that she could use it without holding back. There is always a price for strength... most people regret it after paying...


    Warden didn''t say anything for a while. Agnes thought he would disagree, considering how headstrong he was. But surprisingly, he chuckled. "I think I got it wrong. . .


    Radiance. . . light shouldn''t be about harming others. . ."


    He sat upright with the epiphany and began meditating. He visualised the wisps of golden light flowing through his wounds, leaving a warm, soothing feeling behind. . .


    "I recognise this feeling," he mumbled, a knit appearing on his brows.


    Under Agnes''s gaze, his body glowed in a golden shimmer like a weak light bulb. All the swelling, torn skin, and spasmed muscles healed within only two minutes. His skin was replenished with new fair skin as the dirty blood was cleaned into nothing.


    This kind of regeneration power was something differentpared to essence healing or anything simr to the healing process of trolls or Moonspawns. . . It''s more like. . .


    The answer came to her without even thinking about it.


    "You are. . ." she blurted out without thinking. "You''re a celestial?"


    Warden opened his eyes and didn''t answer her. Instead, he checked his body, his bare chest literally glowing weakly with smooth skin that seemed like it had gone through a beauty care routine. None of his wounds remained on his exterior, though there was still some difort in his channels.


    Finally, he met her gaze. "To answer your question," he said with a sigh. "I do have some Celestial blood in me; don''t tell anyone, though."


    The guy had the audacity to wink at her after saying that.


    "What do you mean by some?" she questioned.


    "As it sounded, I''m notpletely celestial. Half of me is human..."


    "What, that''s not possible!" Agnes said, her excitement mounting. "There have been no records of a half-breed celestial. They are ipatible with all humanoid races to give birth to a half-breed. . . Oh.


    . . apologies if my words hurt you. . . I didn''t mean it like that, you know, it''s¡ª"


    "It''s fine," Warden said, shrugging. "Honestly, there''s a huge mystery in my origin. I''m as surprised as you are when I found it out."


    _______________


    Thanks for the golden tickets, Reviews, Power stones... and especially for buying the chapters... Without your support, it is impossible to bring the book to a fruition.


    A 5 chapter mass releaseing in the third week of this month. Thank you!

 Chapter 215: Crash Course

    Jenni retched, her stomach contorting as it attempted to expel the disgusting mushroom she had just eaten. It had appeared as a normal mushroom, smelling like one too. She found nothing wrong with it when she boiled it or even when she consumed it. However, it started acting strangely once inside her stomach.


    Before the superior digestion process of her Iron Ranker body couldmence, the mushrooms acted up, burning her intestines in fiery anguish. It left her questioning her decision to embark on this expedition.


    In the end, Jenni had only herself to me. Her participation in this journey to the Inheritance Ground was ast-minute decision. She had prepared nothing other than taking her Dimension Cube, assuming it would have everything she needed. Moreover, she had joined the Azalea Garden team, and those women were nothing if not trained for the worst.


    She had thought she was in goodpany, but that was a couple of days ago. Jenni found herself teleported to the middle of nowhere, with a thick forest and vast expanse before her eyes. The absence of light made it far from ideal for habitation. There was no sun or source of light, and the atmosphere was gloomy and chilling.


    As for her Dimension Cube... well, the only useful things she found within it were a couple of weapons and a winter dress. There were some food and leftovers of desserts she had stolen from Warden, but they were all gone. She devoured them all on the very first day, thinking she would meet someone else or a woman from the Azalea Garden.


    It wasn''t like she had never been to a subspace before; the moment would pass, and she would have her adventure and a carefree time away from her father''s nagging.


    Apparently, she was supposed to meet her supposed fianc¨¦, who was more than five times her age. There was no way Jenni would even consider that, much less agree to the meeting.


    The guy had already waited a hundred years; he could wait a bit longer, she had thought as she ran out of her house. She actually found Lady Cassandra Azalea outside, who hade to repair some of their equipment.


    After Jenni requested this opportunity, Lady Cassandra only needed a moment to arrange everything. Cassandrapensated the person with a one-year VIP pass to Velvet Kiss, a foundation owned by Azalea Garden. This was more than enough to secure a spot.


    Technically, it wouldn''t even matter if Cassandra didn''t acknowledge the person they left out, but she was very kind and professional in her approach.


    "And verydylike too," Jenni snorted. While she had no intention of ever acting in such a courtly manner, she couldn''t help but admire the impossible poise Cassandra carried herself with.


    Well, Jenni could be charming if she wanted, but what she desired was the confidence andpetence to not give a damn about anything. Just like Captain Agnes.


    If she had nned all this out, she would likely have joined Captain Agnes''s team. However, she hadn''t done so, and the captain would likely deny her. Besides, from what she had heard from the women of Azalea Garden, the twenty-fourth prince had taken over Agnes''s team.


    It''s hard for Agnes as well, Jenni sighed and cast her gaze towards the endless expanse of darkness. It certainly had an ominous presence here, as if alive. More evident when she lit up a light construct. The darkness would always curl around the light, as if avoiding it.


    Jenni didn''t know the full story of it; perhaps none of the participants did, but one thing was certain¡ªit ran deeper than her imagination could fathom. It wasn''t some simple Intent.


    Ravenous, she crept from her safe spot to find something better to eat than these burning acidic mushrooms. Hell, she wouldn''t even mind if it were some cursed creature. Certainly, she could use some purifying construct to cleanse the taint, but with her condition, she was prepared to eat it raw if her situation escted further.


    "Well, I certainly see myself doing it if I''m in this state for over a week," she mumbled. Unfortunately, Jenni found no sign of any demonic creature since she was dropped here. There were some mutated bugs on the trees, but they looked far more disgusting than those mushrooms.


    "Come on, someone found me already," Jenniined, looking up at the cascading canopies that hid the twinkling stars. "My luck can''t be that bad."


    Abruptly, a loud screech echoed throughout the dark forest, chilling her spine. Jenni froze in her spot, goosebumps crawling up her skin. Even without catching a glimpse of the creature, Jenni acknowledged that whatever it was, it was out of her league to deal with.


    Looking right, left, up, and down, she quickly crept away from the spot, clutching her cape to activate its concealment scripts. Jenni had made it herself, one of her finest aplishments that she couldn''t bear to sell. And from the look of it, the cape would save her life right now.


    After cautiously creeping for a couple of minutes, she finally discovered the creature that instilled dread in her heart just from its screech. It was a massive wolf-like creature, standing over five meters high. It had three eyes, glowing red like a cksmith''s forge. Its body was jet ck, with tar-like liquid dark essence oozing out of it.


    Against its massive form were a dozen monstrous figures of trolls, assisted by another group of orcs and goblins, attacking the creature from a long distance. The ambient darkness resonated with its roar, curling around its form. The monstrous wolf fought the epassment of three forsaken races on its own and was actually winning.


    Jenni sucked in a deep breath, taking shelter behind a tree, even though her concealment was intact. She didn''t know which side to take; both choices seemed like a bitter pill to swallow.


    On one side, the forsaken¡ªtrolls, orcs, and goblins, each one worse than the other. If they win and Jenni falls into their hands, her fate would be worse than death. Goblins were best known for tormenting their captives, and as for orcs, they would deflower her to her death. Trolls were much more tamepared to them because they were a stupid bunch; they would probably eat her.


    Jenni felt a chill running in her blood as she turned to the beast. It could affect the ambient energy, and only very few human rankers¡ªthe master-ranked personnel¡ªcould achieve that. Yet, this creature was doing it without even trying.


    "I need to get out of here, no matter who wins," Jenni thought and put her feet to use once again.


    Their battle had already uprooted dozens of trees, going at it without caring about the environment. The light of the countless twinkling stars finally found a way to filter through the broken canopy, but Jenni was in no mood to appreciate the star-filled skies.


    She ran as trees and branches began to tear behind her. Her father wouldn''t even find her bones to marry to the old man if she fell here. Jenni didn''t find any of the options cordial.


    Then suddenly, a huge log crashed onto her from her back, flinging her away. Jenni cried; a couple of bones on her back might have fractured, but she could live with that. She just needed to make sure to keep the concealment intact.


    Clenching her jaw and biting through the pain, she forced her awareness into the cape, using her runic smithing expertise to repair the shroud of darkness in real time. She was still flying... how much force was behind that trunk to send her flinging so far?


    She opened her eyes to see... she blinked...


    Jenni wasn''t flying. No, she was falling from a cliff...


    "Goddammit!" she screamed. "Motherfu¡ª"


    Her curses were muted as she fell into the water. Yeah, she could live through that. It''s water, after all. It''s not like she couldn''t swim, and...


    An icy burning invaded her system, freezing all her energy instantly. Jenni couldn''t even curse. It wasn''t simply water.


    ---


    They were on a slow walk through the destend of the outeryer. As Agnes had mentioned, there were hardly any creatures in this region, the reason being, it was the territory of a moonspawn. Other creatures didn''t tend to survive around a moonspawn for long. Its tyrannical aura was already hard to bear, not to mention its murderous nature.


    But considering they were on a mission to hunt a moonspawn, it was the right direction to take.


    "So let me get this straight," Agnes said, sucking in a deep breath. "You''re saying you have no clue about your past... The only memory you have is of the past couple of months?"


    "Pretty much," Warden said. "Though I do have some ideas about my past... I got some visions a few times, though they are somewhat contrasting to what I am now."


    "What are you now?" Agnes asked, furrowing her brows.


    "A dashingly heroic adventurer," Warden winked at her, "a teacher, runesmith, and a chef."


    She snorted to humour him. "Have you ever felt like you never belong, that you''re better off¡ª"


    She stopped midway, feeling signs of disturbance from their rear.


    "Ayee, was thinking who could be gossiping out in the open; turns out it''s two humans," said a crackling voice, as many others joined in theughter, their weapons raised. "Go capture them... Don''t kill them, especially not the female... I had been some time I have personally tormented a human female."


    Warden spun on his heels, his expression shifting to alert. But then, he rxed, finding it was only goblins.


    _______________


    Poor Jenni... Send your well wishes...

 Chapter 216: Compettion

    "Don''t kill them, especially not the female... It had been some time since I personally tormented a human female."


    Warden furrowed his brows and turned to Agnes. "Hey, Captain, do we somehow give off the vibe of weaklings?" he asked. "Even goblins are looking down on us."


    Agnes narrowed her eyes. After a brief inspection of their assants, much of the tension disappeared from her shoulders.


    "I forgot how you can understand what they say," she said, watching the goblins surrounding them in her peripheral vision. "What were they saying? I assume it''s nothing good from their ugly expressions."


    Warden chuckled. "Apparently, they have the hots for you."


    Agnes''s eyes glowed with malevolence. "Do they now," she said, as wisps of darkness condensed around her. "Let''s see if they can handle me."


    With that, she shot forward, the darkness forming a protective barrier around her form. Her sword pierced the head of the brave goblin warrior who couldn''t stop itself from attacking her first. She killed it instantly, exuding an aura of darkness and doom.


    The instant death of theirpanion stopped the other goblins in their tracks as they turned to look at their leader. The hobgoblin began spouting curses, screaming at them.


    Agnes was unfazed by all this. Taking advantage of their stunned surprise, she began to cut through them as if they were mere vegetables. It was noteworthy that all the goblin minions presented exuded the aura of an Iron ranker, the hobgoblin being closer to Silver. Perhaps it was Silver, but the suppression of the subspace had limited him to the peak of Iron grade.


    Regardless, Agnes didn''t give even the slightest respect their Iron ranks demanded of her. She killed them all, barely taking a couple of moves for each one.


    Warden watched idly as she hadn''t left anything for him to work with. He set his eyes on the hobgoblin, whose ugly scowl had shifted to even uglier as though he had eaten a rotten lemon. Finding all of its minions'' demise, it cast its sight in the direction it came from and took the first step.


    Warden used the Anti-gravity scripts he had already recovered to fly up. The goblin hadn''t even moved a few paces when he came down to deliver a flying kick to its face. Deep green blood oozed from its face, as the kick sent it flying for several metres. Yet, before it could evennd, Warden flew back to send it up with another kick.


    "Hey, captain, do you want to try this?" Warden shouted, turning to the woman who had already calmed down from her killing spree. Surprisingly, there wasn''t even a speck of blood on her person. Her darkness power had soaked up all of it that fell on her.


    "Not gonna lie," she said. "That looks surprisingly fun."


    Large wings of darkness unfurled behind her back as she flew up to where Warden had sent the hobgoblin. Agnes, too, obliged the goblin chief with an unceremonious kick, sending it soaring upwards.


    "How about we y a game?" Agnes said.


    "I''m listening," Warden replied, sending the makeshift punching bag back to her.


    "Whoever can send this green pest higher in the sky wins," she exined the rules.


    "Fine by me," Warden grinned, confident it would be an easy win for him. "But what will be the reward? There should be something to motivate us to work harder."


    Agnes hadn''t thought that far ahead. After propelling the goblin into the sky with a merciless kick into its chest, she cast her gaze on him. "How about the winner gets to ask something from the loser," she continued, finding him agreeable. "It can''t be something unreasonable. For example, if you win, you could ask for arger share of our loot from our next hunts and such."


    "That seems pretty unreasonable, to speak honestly," Wardenmented, especially since both of them would have put all their effort into the hunt.


    "I don''t really care," she said. She used her darkness essence in her next kick, making the goblin feel as if it were a bird. Her kick easily sent it atop the towering trees, which were over two hundred metres high. "As long as you don''t ask to get into my pants, I''m alright."


    "Pity," Warden snorted. "I was hoping to make the cool and authoritative Captain Agnes embarrassed, at least a little, with my request."


    "Don''t act as if you''ve already won." She narrowed her eyes at the bloody figure of the goblin returning.


    Honestly, they shouldn''t have acted in such an abusive manner. Their justification was that their goblin chief would have been treated far worse if it had captured them. Besides, it was merely a beating. What''s wrong with having a little fun with it? After all, the killing business was never fun to begin with.


    "Oh, you''re so wrong, Captain," Warden chuckled. "You forgot my upation. It was my win the moment you suggested thispetition."


    Warden took his position, calcting the trajectory of the goblin''s fall. It was already bloody from the dozen kicks both of them had inflicted. Under her watchful gaze, Warden conjured the Anti-gravity scripts.


    Heyered them on his feet and readied for a devastating kick, relying just on physical power, lest he kill the creature. His void energy took a heavy toll on physical matter.


    "I''m going to kill your mother!" the goblin screamed as it descended. It never possessed the bearing of a respectable Silver ranker, but now, in its full enraged state, it resembled more a berserk monster devoid of intelligence.


    Warden paid no mind to its words and flipped over to deliver the kick. The anti-gravity scripts exerted force on the goblin, amplifying the power of the kick.


    It was propelled upwards at a tremendous speed, breaking through the canopy of the trees while still elerating. There was no need for either of them to verify how high it went to determine the winner. The oue was clear.


    It was Warden, winning by more than double the margin.


    "This is cheating," Agnesined.


    "Is it, though?" Warden grinned. "I mean, you were the one who set the rules... You should have considered my anti-gravity skills. I''ve been using them regrly these days, even in our spars."


    Agnes scowled, disliking the loss. "Fine, you win," she conceded. "What do you want?"


    Warden chuckled and shook his head. "For starters, I would like you to dance," he said. "But I don''t think you''ll agree."


    She narrowed her eyes. "What do you take me for?" she red.


    "Like I said, you wouldn''t have to¡ª"


    "No," she interjected. "You take me for some uncultured, savage woman who only fights and kills, isn''t that right?"


    Warden froze. "I mean, of course, you''re more than that," he said. "I thought..."


    "You thought the act of dancing would make me embarrassed," she snorted, her tension easing. "Don''t try to deny it."


    Warden did not. He was nothing if not brave. "It wouldn''t embarrass you then?"


    She met his gaze with a challenge.


    "Fine then, I request you to dance," Warden said, a hint of anticipation in his heart. He was about to specify the type of dance he had in mind, considering something like a money dance might embarrass the cool Captain. But before he could borate, the hobgoblin plummeted to the ground in a burst of blood and gore.


    Both of their expressions shifted at the sight of the hobgoblin chief''s hardly recognisable figure. Regrettably, some of its gore sttered on them.


    Agnes''s darkness power consumed the gore, leaving her in pristine condition. She made no effort to assist Warden, although she had done so in the past couple of days. Clearly, he could make the request, but that would be letting her off too easily.


    "It was a better death than it deserved," the captain dered.


    Warden used his newly awakened light energy to clean himself up, but it was clear that his control and power over the energy had not yet reached a level where he could rival the captain. Eventually, he resorted to pulling out a napkin to clean himself.


    "So, about the dance?" Warden began.


    "What kind of man asks for a woman to dance in such an environment?" she retorted. "Invite me to a ball or something... I''ll surely show you what I''m capable of."


    "Have you ever taken a dance lesson?" Warden snorted.


    "I can''t say I''ve had the opportunity, but how hard can it be? Certainly not harder than ingraining sword stances into my muscle memory."


    She had a point. And just like that, the opportunity to see the ever-confident and poised woman embarrassed slipped away.


    "Why do you want me to be embarrassed, anyway?" she queried. "Are you upset with me for some reason?"


    "No, no, no!" Warden shook his head vigorously. "I don''t want to embarrass you... I''m just curious to see you embarrassed... I can''t help but wonder how you look when you''re embarrassed."


    She frowned, evidently not understanding his rationale. "But you have already seen me embarrassed," she said. "The first time you saw me on the steam, I was¡ª"


    Her expression shifted, and Warden, too, became speechless. She shot him a curt re, remembering the embarrassing event, her cheeks turning a shade of pale pink. She turned away.


    "There might be another goblin or forsaken creature nearby," she said, hurrying on her feet. "I''m going to take a look."


    Warden blinked. "So this is how you look when you''re embarrassed, Captain. Can''t say I''m disappointed¡ª"


    "I''m going to kill you if you continue to speak nonsense about this matter."


    Ah, how could I have forgotten? Captain Agnes bes quite murderous when she''s embarrassed.


    ***

 Chapter 217: Orcs

    It turned out there really were other forsaken running wild in the outeryer. And it wasn''t just goblins; orcs seemed to havee inrge numbers as well. They encountered a group barely a few minutes away. Apparently, the orcs were running towards them after picking up on the disturbance. Unfortunately for them, they were unaware that their fate wouldn''t be any different from the goblins''.


    Agnes was certainly in the mood today. She mercilessly ughtered through their ranks, leaving Warden to mostly watch her lithe form breaking through them.


    "Keep a couple of them alive," Warden said, getting his hands dirty in the ughter as well. "We might want to know how they entered the space."


    Agnes agreed, even though she showed no sign of agreement. She kept the orc chief and another underling alive when she was done with it. She was still pristinely clean even with all the bloody work; one simply couldn''t help but be envious of such power.


    Warden gained some good points in his Strength and Dexterity by killing a few of the orcs, but the aspect of cleaning himself of the filthy blood irritated him once again. He really should wear the Cloak of Void Radiance. He could even change its appearance from the imperious white to something ordinary.


    Regardless, I need to take care of the orcs first, Warden thought and advanced towards the remaining two. Although the captain left them alive, one was bleeding perilously, while the other had most of his energy sucked out of him.


    Warden stooped down before the chief orc, meeting his eyes with a sardonic smile. Without wasting ceremonious words, he got to the point.


    "Do you want to live or die?" Warden asked. A sudden look of surprise shed in the green-skinned orc''s expression, but soon the look turned into defiance, as he was about to spit blood into Warden''s face.


    Thankfully, his superhuman reaction came in time as he lurched from the spot. He had just cleaned himself; in no way would he let this orc stain him again.


    "I''ll take that as a no, then," he muttered. He walked to stand tall above the orc, and sped his palm over its head. Purple void energy sparked into existence and surged into the orc''s brain. Before it could even let out a scream, its eyes turned vacant. Warden pulled his palm back as ity down, lifeless.


    [Silver grade energy harvested.]


    [+1.3 Spirit.]


    [+2.3 Strength.]


    Warden turned to the other orc, who had a befuddled look in its eyes. Allowing some of the baleful power of the void to spark his eye into a dangerous glint of purple, he arrived in front of the orc and smiled. It was enough to make it shiver in fear.


    "How have you entered the subspace?"


    The orc shuddered, wordless to answer. Weakened from blood loss, it was no more capable of defence against his attack than its chief had been.


    "I won''t ask another time," Warden raised a hand, on which wisps of purple energy danced on his fingers.


    "I''ll answer, human, don''t kill me," the orc screamed. "We entered through a spatial tear."


    "How many of you entered the subspace, and how long ago?"


    "There are hundreds of us, more if you count the goblins and trolls..."


    "So, there were trolls too, huh?" Warden mused aloud. It had been some time since he had any reason to focus on Recovery, and the presence of trolls only spurred him further on that note. "And how long ago did you enter?"


    "It has been more than two weeks," the orc replied.


    Warden''s gaze shifted to Agnes, who furrowed her brows in confusion. It took her a moment to catch on; Warden''s look was loaded with implication.


    "What?" she asked, puzzled. "It''s weird, I understand what you''re saying, but whatever came out of the orc''s mouth sounds like gibberish."


    Warden tilted his head, nodding in understanding. "Actually, I don''t think I know theirnguage. It is likely I have some trantion power."


    Agnes''s eyes lit up. "Freaky Celestials and their freaky secret powers."


    "Regardless, this one''s saying there were hundreds of orcs, goblins, and trolls that entered the subspace through another entry the military failed to notice. And that was a couple of weeks ago. They already had a head start on us."


    Agnes''s expression shifted instantly. "Thisplicates everything. Ask what their objectives are."


    When Warden pressed the orc further, it hesitated, its eyes filled with fear. Clearly, it was withholding information.


    "What are your objectives?" Warden repeated sternly. "Do you want me to ask another time?"


    "I don''t know! I don''t know, I swear!" the orc pleaded, its head bowed. "We do as the chiefmands; we know nothing."


    "You''re lying."


    "No, no, I swear I don''t know anything!"


    "Then what''s your use to us?"


    The orc stopped begging, its eyes turning bloodshot. "I beg of you, I know nothing. The lord wanted us to hunt moonspawn... we''re only on a scouting mission."


    "Moonspawn, huh," Warden nodded. "Anything more you''d like to add?"


    "I don''t know anything! Please, I beg of you... you promised..."


    "..."Warden shook his head and turned to Agnes. "Looks like he can''t give us all the answers."


    Agnesunched a de of darkness to behead the orc. Warden felt a twinge of pity but pushed those feelings aside. This was the front lines, after all. Sentiments would onlyplicate matters.


    Even though the orc was nothing but a minion following orders, those orders were to harm them. "Looks like our objectives align for now," Warden told her. "The orcs are after the moonspawn as well."


    Agnes sighed. "Hopefully, they focused all their attention on the moonspawn and didn''t go after the teams."


    While a group of goblins and orcs was nothing to the two of them, it was a different story for others. Agnes and Warden were peak existences among the iron ranks. While other elites might contend with an orc chief on their own, they were outnumbered by at least five to one. The odds did not look good in their favour.


    "Let''s go, there''s no time to be patient."


    ---

 Chapter 218: Dark Essence Stream

    Warden and Agnes used their respective abilities to fly above the canopies of the towering trees, searching for moonspawns.


    If the forsakens were indeed looking to hunt even one of them, the battle wouldn''t go unnoticed, considering how cmitous a moonspawn was. Besides, Agnes had been in the inheritance ground before; she knew the general locations of the moonspawns.


    The ambient aura of the ce shifted to a shadier vibe as they moved. The murky thickness of the suppression grew as well, which only implied they were heading in the right direction.


    After moving about thirty miles eastward, they finally came across wreckage that spanned over a couple of square miles. Trees were uprooted and scattered around, the natural aura twisted into something murkier. There were footprints of different sizes and shapes. They both came down to check and deemed there were signs of humans, orcs, goblins, trolls, and an enraged moonspawn.


    However, from the look of things, it appeared the battle had ended a few hours ago. Finding no signs of dead forsaken, they could only assume the forsaken came out victorious and withdrew, taking all their dead and the loot from the moonspawn with them.


    "With everything the battle took from them, they shouldn''t be able to move fast," Agnesmented. "Not to mention they would have to carry the huge body of the moonspawn."


    Warden narrowed his eyes as she met his gaze. "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" he asked.


    "Depends on what you are thinking," she snorted. "But if it''s anything rted to finding the forsaken and beating them in their weakened state to rob them of their loot... I''d say you''re a very screwed person."


    "No, not at all," Warden returned. "I was thinking of taking a bath. Didn''t you see the river down the cliff when we were flying?"


    "If you like to bathe in chilly, heavy water with high darkness concentration that will impair your energy base, then be my guest. Go ahead and jump off the cliff; I won''t stop you."


    "Come on, it didn''t feel that bad," Warden said, narrowing his eyes. He really needed a bath, what with all the blood smeared on his body.


    "It''s every bit as self-contained, but that''s the nature of darkness essence," she said, as her wings of darkness unfurled behind her again. "I''d say you''ll survive with your tough skin and high regeneration power, but most iron rankers wouldn''t. If they were unable toe out within a quarter of an hour, it is safe to assume they are dead."


    "You seem very knowledgeable about the stream..."


    "That''s because I dived into it before," she took flight. "It was a very exhrating feeling, if you ask me. Whatever created the stream, it is likely rted to the moonspawn and the traitor god."


    Warden followed. "Sounds very interesting..."


    "Let''s take care of the forsaken first, then you can court death as much as you wish."


    They followed the trail the forsaken left behind. Though they might have staggering numbers and forsaken power to defeat a moonspawn together, one thing was certain: they weren''t any bit good at keeping their tracks hidden. From the look of it, they didn''t seem to care about keeping themselves hidden at all.


    Well, Warden wasn''tining. After all, this yed in their favor.


    Agnes was right in assuming the forsakens wouldn''t be able to move very far. Even with all the head start, within half an hour, they found them moving on the rugged path. Surprisingly, they had kept the moonspawn alive. It was chained all over its huge jagged form, put to rest as dozens of trolls carried it on a simrly huge makeshift trolley.


    "Why would they keep it alive?" Warden wondered aloud.


    "The same reason most traitor god cultists try to catch moonspawn alive," Agnes answered as they descended. She enhanced their concealment as they slowly followed the forsakens. "A corpse of a moonspawn is a big fortune... but a living one represents boundless wealth."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I don''t know the specifics, but with resources from a dead moonspawn, one could only strengthen oneself to a certain limit. However, with the living ones, it''s different. They are likely nning to use it in some kind of sacrificial offering. Let''s stop them before they have the chance."


    "What''s the n?" Warden asked, sizing up their opponents. There were easily hundreds of them, mostly orcs and goblins. Among them were several chief-ranked forsakens, but the most formidable were the sixteen trolls.


    "Kill the forsaken, then flee with their loot," she said straightforwardly.


    "Hmm, perhaps I can do better than that," he said, taking out the bow and arrow she had given him.


    They stood on a higher cliff, within range of their target. Considering the huge form of the monstrous creature, Warden was unlikely to miss his shot.


    Warden drew his light-attributed energy and imbued it into the arrow, aiming at the unconscious moonspawn.


    "You won''t be able to kill it with one shot," Agnes remarked with a frown.


    "That''s the point, captain," Warden smiled, his eyes fixed on the creature. "I did not intend to kill it, only awaken it."


    He shot, the arrow released in a streak of golden light. It shed through the space and stuck into the lock of the chain that held the creature captive. The Arrow pierced through the lock and bit into the moonspwan''s skin, waking it up.


    The trolls halted in their movement, and then the creature unleashed it most horrifying uproar.


    With one lurched it moved away from the trolley, almost managing to chains. Unfortunately, there were three more locks in the chain. It needed to break through one more to even stand a chance of gaining its freedom.


    Warden wasn''t going to help anymore.


    Some of the orcs looked around in search to look for the culprit that shot the arrow. Unfortunately, they didn''t have men to spare as the moon spawn tumbled into its wreckage dance once more.


    "You know, this is kinda evil right?"

 Chapter 219: No Evil Deeds go Unrewarded

    Warden had to agree; this was really somewhat evil. However, it was nothing worse than what the Forsaken had done against the humans.


    The Moonspawn rampaged through the ranks of the Forsaken. Even though it was unable to break free from the chains, it wreaked havoc like an unstoppable force. With a crash, it left more than a few goblins and orcs crushed in its wake, while the trolls and the orc chiefs were the only Forsaken who came close to finding purchase against the monstrous creature.


    However, considering they had once captured the Moonspawn, albeit losing many in their rank, the Forsaken would likely be able to capture it again. Warden saw nothing wrong with it. After all, it would leave them terribly strained from battle fatigue, making it way easier to deal with them.


    So, they waited as the battle unfolded before them. Unfortunately for the Forsaken, it seemed they were unable to entrap the Moonspawn again, as they had no way to fix the lock. In order to save their lives, they had no choice but to go for the kill.


    The trolls roared, their great wooden clubs with spiked edges thrummed against the massive creature mercilessly. Orcs too joined in and attacked the vulnerable spot where they had already left it wounded.


    "Moonspawn gave a lot of boost to the killer on the death," Agnes said, narrowing her eyes. "You cannot let them kill it."


    Warden found it a waste too. Thus, he brought another arrow from his quiver and shot. The giant hound had already slowed down under the pressure from the Forsaken, so Warden''s arrow found no trouble in plunging into its red, bleeding eyes.


    The streaks of light from the arrow burst open against the dark power of the monstrous creature, prying it open in a spatter of blood and gore.


    Warden and Agnes came out of the shadows and joined the fray.


    "You deal with the Moonspawn, I''ll take care of the Forsaken," Agnes said.


    Warden nodded and shot another arrow to impair its other eye. While the Moonspawn had far greater regeneration powerpared to even the likes of trolls, they were unable to regenerate eyeballs quickly as the contrasting force of light invaded its system.


    Warden didn''t waste any more of the consumable arrows, even though he felt like he could recreate them given the resources. Unfortunately, he had no way of getting the resources within the subspace, so it was better to leave the useful items forter trouble.


    Instead, he brought out his de and cloak, which seemed to have a mind of its own, wrapping itself around Warden when he triggered [Void Shroud].


    Ignoring the orcs that came to block his path, he surged forward to the demonic hound, plunging his sword deep into the wound left behind by the light-attributed arrows. Warden didn''t have much experience using light attributes; he didn''t take chances and drew upon his ever-trustworthy and destructive void energy. It did not disappoint.


    The Moonspawn howled in agony, its blindness finally invoking fear into the creature''s twisted soul.


    Warden''s void energy disrupted the construct of its void essence, finding the process rather easier. From a technical point of view, the manifestation of a Moonspawn wasn''t natural. It was bits of the dead spirit of a traitor wolf taken in this form. Other than having an overwhelming amount of dark essence, its existence wasn''t as solid as other creatures.


    When Warden exerted his Intent, it felt like a hot knife through butter. Warden had a sudden epiphany about the direction he wanted his Intent to take. It wasn''t a solid insight, so he didn''t push himself into reckless abandon and let the void energy and the Intent do their job, all while he activated [Reaper''s Edge].


    The goblinsunched their bombs at him, which didn''t have the effect they had hoped for. The [Void Shroud] could likely defend against anything, as long as he provided enough void energy. With his power growing, the force from the bombardment was nearly nullified after filtering through the shroud.


    The de extended its length, digging deeper into the head of the massive creature. Warden twisted it, stabilising his movement as much as he could with [Void Shroud].


    He sensed danger from behind; two trolls were approaching, swinging their clubs. But he wasn''t worried as the figure of the captain flew in to his rescue. Sleek des of darkness shot out from her wings, assaulting the trolls, digging deep into their limbs, and hindering their advance.


    Warden focused on the Moonspawn, with dark blood oozing out of its head like a fountain. Thankfully, he was wearing the [Cloak of Void Radiance] correctly, and with [Void Shroud] activated, none of the filth found purchase on him.


    "Just die, already!" Warden roared, twisting his sword in an arc to behead the creature.


    Warden beheaded the creature, and yet the headless body writhed, its dark blood showering like torrential rain. There were signs of its head healing... But even with all its power, the Moonspawn was a false existence. Warden''s attack had broken through its essence construction; it would never be able to heal its wound.


    Still, it took a good couple of minutes to fully stop struggling and die. The captain had mostly dealt with the situation by then, as Warden joined her to help with the trolls.


    [High grade energy harvested.]


    [You have in a shred of divinity. . .]


    [Your aura has been slightly straightened.]


    Warden felt a terrible pull against his spirit, as the dark murky power trying to find purchase in his soul. His Void core acted up and swallowed all the energy before Warden could think of what to even do about it.


    [+7.3 Strength.]


    [+3.5 Dexterity.]


    [3.4 Spirit.]


    [+5.6 Recovery.]


    Now, this was some growth. Indeed, no Evil deeds go unrewarded...


    If he hunted down a couple more Moonspawn, he was pretty sure he would reach the peak of Iron rank. And from the look of it, it would be worth it.

 Chapter 220: Life-Saving Mushrooms

    "As per our earlier agreement, I im the heart and core of the Moonspawn," Agnes said, her darkness power twirling around her slender frame, swallowing all the blood on her person. "Of course, as long as you don''t¡ª"


    "Nah, it''s good," Warden interrupted, cutting her short. "I already got more benefits than I deserved. You can take it all, without feeling bad."


    Besides, the dark essence would be of little benefit to him, but for Captain Agnes, whose path was based on this very power, it would be immense.


    She drew her sword, which had soaked up all the blood she reaped from the Forsaken, and advanced towards the headless corpse of the Moonspawn. Her de sliced through the dead flesh without much problem. More and more dark blood, full of essence, bubbled up as she pried it open to collect the heart of the creature.


    The heart was as big as a human head, pulsating with dark essence. Agnes smiled a little as she stored it within her Dimension Cube. Next, she moved to the head and fished out a marble-shaped dark core.


    She held it before her eyes and cast a look at him. "You have no idea what you''re giving up, do you?"


    "Well, my amnesia makes it difficult to disagree, but I''m aware of what those two things can do to a ranker," he said. Not only would the essence power strengthen the captain''s Darkness essence, but her aura would be strengthened as well. It would have gained a part of the domineering aura of the Moonspawn, though the quality would be dependent on the captain''s ability to digest it.


    Honestly, Warden had no trouble imagining her absorbing all of it within a couple of days.


    "You won''t stand a chance against me when I''m done absorbing the heart and the core," she said.


    "I wish you luck," Warden grinned. He had his own path as well; jealousy didn''te easily to him. The only power he was jealous of her was how easily she could devour all the filth from her body, while it would take him many a minute. "That reminds me, are you going to directly eat the heart and absorb the core''s essence?"


    She narrowed her eyes, examining the jet-ck core. "I would have liked to find a great alchemist to help me cleanse the residual intent of the traitor god''s spirit, but considering the circumstances, I have to do it the hard way."


    "It''s cleansing, right? I think I can help with that," Warden said, rubbing his chin.


    "With your light attribute?" A knit appeared on her brows as she mulled over his chances. "Can you do it without weakening the dark essence?"


    "I''d have to see," Warden said, casting his gaze at the humongous corpse of the Moonspawn as well as the other Forsaken. "You said all parts of the body of the Moonspawn are treasure, right?"


    "Yes, but unfortunately, we cannot take away everything from it¡ª"


    Before she could finish, a gate to Warden''s [Void Space] manifested under the huge head and stowed it away.


    Agnes shot him a look. Warden winked at her.


    "You have too many secrets," she muttered, allowing him to proceed as he wished.


    Warden cut the massive form of the Moonspawn into four pieces and stored them all, one by one, into his subspace. He did the same for the Forsaken as well. At least those could be used as fertilisers.


    "How big is the subspace... thing you have," she said. Warden parted his lips to answer, but she waved off. "Never mind, don''t answer that. I still have a hard time believing your story."


    Warden followed her wish. "I can give you your share when you need them."


    "No, keep them. I have no interest in corpses."


    "So, what now?" Warden asked. "We have hunted a Moonspawn, and it hadn''t even taken much effort from our end... Are you going back now?"


    "The Forsaken could be hunting more of them," Agnes said. "But before that, I want to at least absorb the heart."


    Warden nodded as they crept away from the crime scene. They didn''t camp far from there; with the Moonspawn dead, there was nothing in the territory to hinder them while resting.


    As always, Warden took charge of the food while the captain handed him the heart of the Moonspawn to cleanse with his light attribute.


    "I''m going out for a bit," she said as she flew away. "Use the cleansing crystal to refresh yourself; you have umted quite some filth."


    "Are you going to take a dip in that stream?"


    "No," she said curtly. "Just going to scout for more Forsaken and use a crystal to bathe as well. The steam gives off the vibe that I''m training. For now, I want to rx before I absorb the heart."


    ***


    Jenni was alive, though she wasn''t sure for how long she could keep herself that way. Her whole body was shivering as she crawled her way out of the tainted stream. The dark essence of the water had invaded her system, freezing her energy usagepletely.


    Without her energy, Jenni had no way to defend against the horrifying chill that brought her to the verge of losing herself.


    No, not now. I still have a few hours in me. I won''t fall so easily... I will make it... Jenni scrammed those positive words into her mind to keep herself motivated against the terrible power ravaging through her.


    Thankfully, she hadn''t lost her dimension cube when she fell into the water. She rummaged through her wet clothing, wrestling to fish out the cube. Now, she just needed a trickle of her energy to open it... Inside, there should be some rune construct to help her condition. Hell, even amon heat construct could dy the deterioration of her condition.


    Cursing herself and her foolishness, Jenni searched for unity, summoning her energy. The darkness and chill seeped through her channels at once, making her feel that death would be a better option. But she couldn''t stop now. Even in terrible pain, she couldn''t give up.


    She didn''t know how long it took her, but each second stretched into a minute as she finally managed to get hold of a trickle of her energy. She immediately drew it into the dimension cube. Various shapes of items resurfaced in her mind''s eye...


    Jenni had lost the capacity to recognise what they were; she simply set her awareness around them all and pulled. Whatever came out, there should be something of use...


    But what she found first was something squishy. Jenni didn''t have to see to know what it was.


    It was those disgusting mushrooms that burned within her with fiery intensity when she had eaten them.


    Fiery intensity, huh? Jenni mulled over those words and didn''t waste any more moments before gobbling them up.


    At least they could be of some use. Hell, these disgusting mushrooms might just save her life.


    The fiery intensity that began burning in her stomach gave evidence to that.


    ____________


    Comment down your favourite character so far into the story... Gonna announce the result on the 15th. The mass release will be that day as well.

 Chapter 221: Dark Essence

    Agnespleted washing up rather quickly using the Cleansing Crystal. Well, she was mostly clean; her power allowed her to devour and disintegrate all the blood and grime that fell on her person¡ªthis was actually something Warden was so envious of.


    There were multiple times she thought he was checking her out, but on all those asions, his gaze was envious of how efficiently her power worked to keep herself pristinely clean. However, there was one thing the master runesmith wasn''t aware of: although her darkness kept her clean, it couldn''t stop her from feeling disgusted.


    On that note, devouring that filthy blood only increased her inner disgust, which she could only alleviate by washing up. Of course, she was never going to mention that to him. Let the guy be envious.


    She was near the stream but decided against dipping into the corrupt water for the same reason she had given Warden. However, before she was going to leave, she noticed something noteworthy: a couple of figures moving on the other side of the stream suspiciously.


    She narrowed her eyes and flew to make their acquaintance. Even if she didn''t recognise the soldiers personally, she could alert them about the problems with the forsaken.


    But as she drew closer, Agnes lost all her goodwill towards the fellows. One of the fellows was actually carrying an unconscious girl, whose clothes were all wet and torn, her appearance haggard, hair dishevelled over her face.


    Increasing her speed, shended before them as panic ensued between the two soldiers.


    "What are you doing with the girl?" she asked, and then her eyes lingered on the girl''s slender form. The girl wasn''t very tall, half a head shorter than her, with ck hair and rosy fair skin, but more importantly, she recognised the girl. It was Jenni, one of the Adepts, and Warden''s temporary assistant.


    "Um, we found her near the river, contorting in pain, asking for help," the free man said, hesitating. "It might look like something else, but... as fellow humans, we only tried to help her."


    Agnes didn''t remain to argue with him, as Jenni''s condition looked extremely serious. She pushed her way to seize the girl from the suspicious-looking soldier.


    "Hey, we were just going to help her," the carrierined.


    Agnes shot him a sharp look.


    "Shut it, dock, this is Captain Agnes, act within your station," the other man reminded his friend, recognising her.


    Before they could embark on a spree of apologies, Agnes asked, "What are your names and posts? Better yet, show me your badges¡­"


    She couldn''t leave a couple of potential offenders unpunished.


    Both fellows exchanged nces, swallowing hard.


    "If you''re only here to help Jenni, there will be no consequences," Agnes told them, her eyes shining with a cold glow. "Now, your badges?"


    They reluctantly drew their badges and handed them to her to note down. Both men were from the tenth infantry: one a sergeant with a rather ster record, and the other a newly joined private. Still, that didn''t say anything about whether they were intending to take advantage of Jenni''s situation.


    Unfortunately, given the poor girl''s condition, Agnes couldn''t get to the bottom of the incident.


    "Captain Agnes, we really didn''t mean any harm," the sergeant said. "She''s a runesmith, right? I recognised her from the barrier-breaking event that happened a couple of weeks ago on the western front. We simply wanted to help. We even gave her a healing potion, but her state hasn''t improved much."


    Agnes narrowed her eyes, weighing his words, which felt genuinely sincere. "We''ll put this matter aside for now, Barn," she said, calling out his name to let him know he would be on her mind. "Jenni needs immediate care... I''m taking her with me."


    She didn''t give the two soldiers a moment toin. Dark wings unfurled behind her as she took flight, carrying Jenni with her.


    She had already noted that the girl''s channels were wracked with twisted dark essence. Something like this could only have happened if she hade into direct contact with the twisted dark essence. Looking at her state, it was clear Jenni had been submerged in the stream for a good while, leaving her in such a haggard state.


    Thankfully, dark essence was something with which Agnes was familiar. She could safely drain it from Jenni''s system and save her from the twisting corrupt power. It would leave the adept in a weakened state for some time, and might even diminish her potential, but those problems were inconsequentialpared to losing her life or her condition worsening.


    Agnes flew back to their camp at top speed. She had already begun to stabilise the dark essence, preventing it from harming Jenni any more than it already had.


    She didn''t bother to disable the wardstones as she entered, breaking through them. Warden, who had been ying with runes, leaped to his feet, ready for a fight. But his expression softened upon seeing it was her. His gaze then shifted to the woman she carried, and he knitted his brows.


    "It''s an emergency," she said, positioning Jenni''s slender figure near the fire. "She fell into the corrupt stream... Don''t ask any questions; help me. I need to drain all the dark essence from her."


    "What do you need me to do?" Warden asked, crouching near.


    "The way I''ll drain the dark essence from her system will be rather visceral," Agnes exined, cing her palm on Jenni''s abdomen. "She''ll feel a great deal of pain and might struggle. Hold her in ce."


    Warden nodded. "I can help with cleansing runes," he offered. "I''ve been experimenting with them by supplying radiance energy. The results have been promising... but it''s experimental, slow, and I''m uncertain of the effects it might have on her condition."


    Agnes frowned. "We can try your way after she''s out of danger," she said. "Now, hold her firmly."


    Agnes channelled her power into Jenni''s channels. She connected to the twisted essence and used her devouring power. The dark essence writhed, tearing its way out as she extracted it.


    Jenni''s back arched as she surged forward, letting out a scream. But Warden was already prepared. He secured her by cing his strong arms under hers, holding her firmly in ce.


    "How long are you going to take?" Warden asked, his voice gentle, his eyes soft as he looked at the girl.


    Jenni struggled in her unconscious state, but against Warden''s physical strength, her efforts were futile. The screams, however, were beyond his control.


    "A few minutes to get her out of danger," she replied. "As for the rest, I''m not sure how long it will take."


    "You do your thing," Warden nodded. His palm glowed with golden streaks of light as he infused them into Jenni. The darkness within her began to thrash wildly, agitated by the light. Warden was prepared to cease his intervention if necessary.


    "Don''t stop," Agnes urged him. "Your light attribute can drive away the dark essence; it can even cleanse, if only it wasn''t too weak. Regardless, continue what you''re doing, push the dark essence out of her channels... it will make my job easier, and her pain less severe."


    Warden nodded. With thebined effect of light and dark power, they began to cleanse Jenni of the twisted essence. Agnes absorbed the essence within her, her expression tight with concentration. She wasn''t concerned about digesting it right then, as her entire focus was on aiding Jenni.


    Warden''s radiance power significantly calmed her struggle. She wailed in pain, tears streaming down her closed eyes. She even coughed up dark blood a few times, her skin turning pale and pink.


    After Jenni was out of danger, the process became easier. Warden no longer had to hold her tightly. He supported her gently as she wailed and moaned, subconsciously surrendering to the process.


    After about half an hour, with sweat on her forehead, Agnes lifted her palm from Jenni''s abdomen. The skin there was already an angry red, all swollen.


    "Is it over?" he asked.


    "From my end, at least," she replied, the sweat disappearing from her body automatically. "I have drained at least 70% of the dark essence, but the rest has already intermingled with her essence. A good healer can take care of it in due time. Maybe you can too... though it will take longer."


    Warden nodded. He took out a handkerchief to clean the blood from Jenni''s lips and face. He hesitated to do more and looked up at her. It didn''t set right to him to help when Agnes was there.


    "Change her clothing and clean her," he said, standing up.


    Agnes nodded. "You''re actually more tender than you appear, huh..."


    Warden didn''t respond.


    "She''ll be fine," Agnes reassured him. "I mean, it will take her some time to regain her strength and lost potential... She has lost a significant amount from her attributes, I reckon. Such things are never easy..."


    But considering Jenni''s father was a master runesmith and a Grandmaster cksmith, any resource needed to improve his daughter''s condition would be inconsequential. He would likely call all his favours and get the best healer to heal her. Unfortunately, Jenni was inside a subspace where her father had no knowledge of what went through her.


    Hopefully, Agnes would find someone trustworthy from the 16th infantry to help Jenni out of the subspace, because both her and Warden would be upied with other things.


    "I know," he said and sighed. "I''ll be outside."


    She stared at the girl''s face. SHe wouldn''t have a nice sleep, but it should be nicer than before.

 Chapter 222: Waking Up

    Jenni awoke to the sound of her own groans. Without noticing anything in her surroundings, she jerked upright and vomited whatever was brewing inside her stomach. A foul, acidic stench filled her taste buds as she coughed multiple times.


    "Those wretched mushrooms," she muttered. Her entire body groaned with impaling anguish, even under the duress of minute movements like that. Cautiously, shey down again, clenching her teeth.


    At least she wasn''t cold anymore, and even the bed was softer, cushioned, and... it appeared she was in a small tent.


    "Those two imbeciles aren''t that bad, then," she thought out loud to her misery.


    To be honest, she couldn''t even recognise those two fellows, but she remembered them bickering about her dimension cube, even when she was sprawled on the cold earth, literally half dead. Well, it was to be expected; a dimension cube was essentially worth the entire fortune of dozens ofmon soldiers like them. Not everyone could have a Master Runesmith for a father, or be an Adept on their own.


    Shemented on that thought, her weakness imbuing her with a sick feeling.


    Then the p of the tent flipped open, and in came a familiar face. "Good, you''re awake." Even in the dim light of the bonfire outside, she hadn''t mistaken Captain Agnes''s face. "You had us worried for some time. It has been over half a day since I found you."


    "Captain Agnes," Jenni could only say, unsure how to greet the woman. She then noticed another person peeking from behind. She couldn''t recognise him in the dim light, but he looked like a robust figure of a man. "What happened?"


    "You know, I should be asking you that question," Agnes said. She entered the small tent and sat to her left, where she had vomited not long ago. Jenni jerked to tell her, but Agnes shushed her. "Don''t move..." A dark, chilling energy rose from Captain Agnes''s body and disintegrated the disgusting vomit into nothing. "So, how are you feeling?"


    "Cold and feeble," she paused, noticing the other man entering the tent as well. She tried to narrow her eyes at his face, which seemed obnoxiously hard to discern in the dimming light. But she thought he resembled a figure she knew. "Warden?"


    The man said nothing and ced his palm over her forehead. It was warm, the touch soft, but Jenni wasn''t about to let some foreign man touch her like that.


    "Hey," she beganining, but then a soothing golden light flowed from the man''s palm and spread throughout her whole body, driving away the icy burning feeling in her channels. A healer? So, not the young sadistic Master Runesmith then.


    "How did you fall into that stream? I reckon it wasn''t out of curiosity?"


    Jenni was still assessing the foreign man when she heard the question. "I fell off the cliff," she said. The warm power still surged within her, making her all sweaty, yet it had a reassuring feeling against the chilling cold. "There was a fight, with trolls, goblins, orcs, and a huge wolfish creature.


    I hid for the most part, but when I decided to run, a monstrous tree was shot at my back and threw me off the cliff. Well, that''s how I remember it.


    "I thought I was going to die when the dark, chilling water gripped me. I did my best to swim my way out. But by then, the cold essence had infected my systempletely... Thank the silent gods that I somehow managed to open my dimension cube and brought out a nasty fire-attributed mushroom... wait do you have my dimension cube?


    I mean all my wealth was inside, not to mention the cube itself worth a small fortune. Thank god, you found me."


    Without waiting for an answer, she continued, knowing she was a problem of going into a spiral when she talked at length. "Regardless, the mushrooms, disgusting and inedible may they be, probably dyed my downfall to some degree. I wasn''t conscious for a long while, mostly in and out... But I do remember seeing the silhouette of a couple of fellows... What happened after?"


    "She found them carrying you, and brought you here, and we did the best treatment we could," the man said. "Your luck wasn''t half bad that she found you. Nobody else than her would have had a good time draining those dark essences out of your system."


    "If my luck wasn''t bad, I wouldn''t have fallen into the stream," Jenni muttered.


    "As long as you''re alive," the man said, smiling as he retracted his palm from her forehead. "Don''t worry about losing some attribute points; you can regain them in due time... Now try to rx and rest, you''ll be alri¡ª"


    "Losing some attribute points?" Jenni reiterated. Instantly, she summoned her status page, and her eyes widened and became bloodshot.


    ___________


    [Savant Scriber]


    Race: Human


    Title: Spirited.


    Unlocked Aperture: [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)] [The Mind Pce (Back of the head)]


    Bonded Artifact: Runic Pen of Oscition (Epic)


    Disposition: Lawful, Good.


    Rank: Iron


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 84.4] | Efficiency: +25%


    [Dexterity: 91.3] | Efficiency: +25%


    [Perception: 119.4] | Efficiency: +50%


    [Spirit: 82.2] | Efficiency: +50%


    Abilities: [5/6]


    [Imbuing: Iron 99%] [Spiritual Perception: Iron 99%] [Metallurgy: Iron 65%] [Enchanting: Iron 52%] [Runesmithing: Tier-3]


    Boon:


    . . .


    _________


    "Nooooo!" Jenni screamed and then let out a pained groan. All of her attributes had been close to the peak of the Iron grade, 150 points, yet now, she had lost so many points. "Spirit is like half of what it was before... It will take me years to gain them back..."


    She wailed, and both people in the tent looked awkward about how to encourage her. "At least, you haven''t lost a rank," the man said, trying to help. "Happens to the best of us."


    Jenni red at him. She knew her anger was unfounded; the unknown man had helped in her healing. But she couldn''t help it, not after her years of aplishment and hard work were written off just like that.

 Chapter 223: Wiping off Evidence

    Jenni had awakened at fifteen, advanced to Copper just a yearter, and became an Iron ranker before twenty. The speed, while admirable, was nothing extraordinary. Her main focus had been on building a solid foundation from which she could ascend higher into the path. But this foolish incident not only put cracks in her foundation but also drained her of the essence.


    About half of her essence had been ripped out of her by that dark power that clutched at her being. Well, she was alive, as the man said, she could gain them. But what would her father say if he saw her like this?


    To him, getting rid of such a daughter in marriage would be the best oue. Now, what about the challenge? How could she meet with that centurion fiance of her and rub it in his face in her feeble state? It will take her years to gain back what she lost.


    "Don''t be too hard on yourself," Agnes said, rubbing her cheeks softly.


    "Yeah, you can regain what you lost," the man added. "It won''t even take as long as before, speaking from personal experience."


    "You had a case like this too?" Agnes asked the man, a frown appearing on her brows.


    "Oh, I hadn''t mentioned that yet, had I?" he smiled ruefully. "Well, my condition is moreplicated, not that I can say much about it."


    "Ahh, I forgot about your condition..."


    After talking among themselves a little more, they left her to rest in the tent, reassuring her that nothing of the sort she experienced would befall her again. Jenni believed them.


    Her frustration at losing her power and potential hadn''t eased up at all, but under the exhaustion and feeble state she was in, Jenni found herself sumbing to drowsiness sooner rather thanter. For the time being, she didn''t fuss over how she''d be a master Runesmith.


    She slept for a long time and was eventually awakened by a nightmare. She jerked awake and was relieved that she wasn''t drowning in that deep, murky water. Panting heavily, she found her clothes wet, even the nket over her had got wet. And it wasn''t simply her sweat.


    "How much of a fucked up state I am in to wet myself in my sleep?" she cursed and then sped her mouth, lest others be alerted ande to check. She would never let anyone see her in such an embarrassing state, Captain Agnes might be alright, but not in front of the healer.


    It seemed they had checked on her internally, as there was a dim light construct near her feet. Moreover, her body had healed more; the cold feeling was still there in a weaker state, but moving her body didn''t hurt as much. At least some relief to her problem. Now, all she needed to do was to make all the evidence of her embarrassment disappear.


    Jenni didn''t need to ponder deeply on how to do it; a simple Tier-1 cleansing script would suffice. But before she could begin runesmithing, she heard a muffled moan. A woman''s moan? In pain? Captain Agnes?


    "Perhaps you should rest a little," a man''s voice said, just from the side of her tent. "No need to be impulsive."


    Jenni blinked, a frown appearing on her brows. The moans gave way to wailing; it was soft, yet in the silence of the night, it carried into her ears. Could it be? The imperious Captain Agnes, with that man? Jenni couldn''t help but think. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.


    But why did it feel like a wailing of pain, instead of pleasure? Are they...


    "No!" Captain Agnes wailed. "I have handled worse than this... I did not stop you in your turn... don''t try to stop me now."


    Jenni felt silly, but she drew closer to open the tent just a little to check. It could be many things... she just needed to make sure it wasn''t what she thought it was.


    Opening the tent slightly, Jenni peeked out. She looked around and found the two of them ahead. And no, they weren''t involved in any intimacy, as she had thought. Captain Agnes was seated cross-legged, her face pale and bloodless, with wisps of dark power swirling fanatically around her. Meanwhile, the healer continued casting golden healing spells.


    Of course, she was training, Jenni mused. What was I thinking?


    With her idle curiosity satisfied, Jenni drew on her own power. Instantly, a ripping sensation surged through her channels. She guessed she wasn''tpletely healed, but she didn''t stop either.


    Hopefully, the pain she was in wasn''t like what the captain was enduring. After five minutes of wrestling and tugging with her energy, Jennipleted the Tier-1 Cleansing script, which usually took her only a few seconds. She applied the script all over her wet clothing and nket, allowing it to consume the moisture.


    Now, it was only wet, like water; there was no stench. Thankfully, she found a waterskin and emptied it without a second thought. While her throat was certainly sore, she could use the excuse that she spilt the water all over herself while trying to drink.


    Jenni let out a triumphant sound. Now, she was ready toe out of the tent and check on the captain. Maybe even ask for her dimension cube to change into new clothing.


    "You seem to have regained some of your colour," the man said, turning his head in her direction as she came out. She nodded, her eyes lingering on the captain''s troubled form. "What''s happening to her?"


    "She''s absorbing dark essence greater than what infested your system." Jenni was dumbfounded. She could finally take a good look at the man; he wasmon-looking, wearing janitorial clothing over his armour, oddly enough.


    "Don''t worry, she seems to have absorbed most of it already," he said. "Give her some time to finish. In the meantime, are you feeling unwell?"


    His eyes lingered on her wet clothing, as Jenni unwittingly made herself scarce, wrapping her arms around the wet gown.

 Chapter 224: Making Mind

    "What are you watching?" Jenni red.


    The man only deepened his gaze and then looked away. He focused his mind on the healing spell; the radiant golden light swirled around Agnes''s figure.


    "Why are all the lights in the shapes of runes?" Jenni couldn''t help but mumble, as her eyes pierced the mysticism of the spell. It was a rune she knew, something she had just used to destroy the evidence of her embarrassment. A cleansing spell... but somehow the man was weaving it as a healing spell, infusing it with a light element. "How do you do that?"


    The man gave her a look. "Practice, I guess."


    Jenni snorted. "Well, you certainly haven''t practised much because the runes were burning out so quickly."


    He simply smiled at her as if he knew something she did not, which was kind of the truth, because this was the first time she was seeing a rune used like that. It made her a great deal frustrated too... But she couldn''t begrudge the ordinary-looking man... Other than the intriguing runes he wielded, the man seemed to have no other quality as she peered into him.


    He had dull brown hair, amon-looking face that wasn''t too handsome or too rugged; he appeared to be her age, standing close to two metres tall, which was another above-ordinary thing about him. He was buff too, for being a healer. Perhaps a little health-conscious. What was weirder was the janitor''s clothing.


    She could understand the gloved hands, but why wear a janitor''s attire even inside an inheritance ground?


    Agnes finished her task in a few minutes as she copsed on the ground, still conscious, with her chest rising and falling heavily. Her face turned pale white, losing all colour, but her eyes werepletely dark and distant. She coughed painfully a couple of times as the healer presented her with a waterskin.


    "Thank you," she said, and poured all the water into her mouth and on her head. "I feel ready for a fight... y along with me."


    "Maybeter," the man said and shot in her direction. "Let''s excavate; we have been here long enough."


    Jenni realised it was because of her that they had to stay so long. She had no idea how long she had slept either.


    "Fine," Agnes said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "I probably should be looking for my team as well."


    "Captain Agnes, do you have my dimension cube?" Jenni asked. "It was on my person when I fell unconscious, but I don''t have it with me."


    Agnes frowned, and immediately Jenni was aware she wouldn''t be getting her dimension cube anytime soon, if ever. Her father had gifted her that when she advanced to Iron about five years ago.


    "I did not find any dimension cube on you when I changed you," Agnes said. "I was too worried about your condition to look or ask for anything else."


    "Maybe the two soldiers who first found me took it," she said, gritting her teeth. "I don''t remember much, so my memory couldn''t be trusted, but Captain, do you recognise them?"


    "Better," Agnes said with a triumphant smile, showing her badge. "I recorded their general data. They are from the Tenth Infantry, one named Sergeant Barn, and the other Dock Hammock. You''ll find them again."


    Jenni sighed in relief, and then she heard the man.


    "Unless the Forsaken found them first, or the moonspawn."


    "Then I guess we have to get to them before that," Agnes said, all the sweat and signs of her distress had long ago disappeared from her body. "They are likely moving to the nextyer; we can catch up to them. But before that, Jenni, you need to consider something."


    The mood settled on a serious tone as for an extended moment, none of them opened their mouths.


    "You need to consider a way out of the inheritance ground," Agnes said. "With your condition and regressed stats, I can confidently say you''ll gain nothing from here without paying a price."


    Jenni sucked in a breath. Of course, she had forgotten to consider this. Captain Agnes or the healer wouldn''t be there to babysit her; after all, they had greater things to worry about. Still, Jenni felt dissatisfied with her situation.


    All she got from this inheritance ground was pain and cracks in her foundation. If she left like this right now, of course, it would leave a foul taste in her mouth. But she couldn''t selfishly ask them to babysit her until she got better. They had already done so much, saved her life and all.


    "I thought about sending you out with a couple of my soldiers on my team," Agnes continued. "I can tell you are not satisfied with your situation... but unfortunately, various matters bind my hands, preventing me from taking care of anyone else."


    "I understand..." was all she said.


    "Captain, about the Essence vein," the healer cut into the conversation. "Where is that exactly?"


    "It''s in the inneryers; so far, the only way we found to get there was through passing trials," Agnes said, as a frown crept onto her brows. "Why do you ask?"


    "Well, for one thing, Ick some meagre essence for my own need," he said and turned towards Jenni. "And I feel like ess to an Essence vein will be able to solve a lot of her problems."


    A tinge of hope brewed in Jenni''s heart as she turned to the captain.


    "You''re suggesting something very dangerous," Agnes said.


    "Are the trialsbat-based only?"


    "There are various types of tests, but most of them arebat-based," Agnes thought for a moment before answering. "At least those that are rewarded with limited entry into the Essence vein are mostly rted tobat."


    "Are they life-threatening?" Jenni found herself asking.


    "They can be," Agnes said. "Though it isn''t without ways. For one thing, everyone can take up to three trials, either solo or in groups. If you want to seed in abat-based trial, you''ll likely have to join as a team. Unfortunately, I cannot take you. I have already used two of my three chances..."


    Jenni had joined the Azalea Garden. She would likely be taken back even with her regressed power. Hell, most of the teams would likely take her based on what the tests entailed, though that wouldn''t raise confidence in their victory or sess.


    Not to mention the final trial where everyone could participate as a full regiment, Agnes had partaken in the trial before with the rest of the crew, however, they had failed. It was impossible to pass the final trial just on personal power. Thest time they failed was because they didn''t have enough people with them. But this time, it would be different. Hopefully.


    Because without passing the final trial nobody could enter the thirdyer.


    "For one thing, failing the trials does not mean your life will be severed," Agnes said. "While it is still dangerous... Perhaps you can decide after you have a good look at them."


    Jenni clenched her fists. Hopefully, by the time her condition would get better, and it won''t hurt her to wield power. She couldn''t help but wish and set her eyes on the healer.


    Jenni set it in her mind that she wouldn''t antagonise the healer, as it wouldn''t be wrong to say he had the ticket to her being healthy.

 Chapter 225: Parting

    As they approached the secondyer, Warden parted ways with Agnes and Jenni, maintaining his role. On theirst day of travel together, they encountered quite a few people, leading him to conclude that being seen with Agnes could jeopardise their n.


    He made sure nothing nasty was left inside Jenni''s channels that would hamper her anymore before departing. The girl had been strangely quiet thest couple of days after her injury. While she sparkled with her bright personality every now and then, she seemed to have made up her mind about bingpliant and docile while interacting.


    Honestly, Warden liked her more when she was more wilful and talked her mind. She probably felt indebted to him for healing her. She even bowed deeply on his departure. Perhaps not opening up to her about his identity was a good choice. Warden deliberated over before departing, but decided against it, thinking she might be confused about how to act with him.


    Warden would rather see her acting as she normally does. Let her be indebted to some imaginary character that I took on to amuse myself... It is likely, that this character will not see the light of day after Ie out of subspace.


    Warden held the broom in hand and muttered. "I''m going to miss you, [Bane of the Cmity], but before I resign, I must find a good candidate to hand over the mantle."


    Moreover, he needed to reunite with his own team, uncertain of how many nights they had endured in the sunless subspace on an empty stomach.


    During his journey, he was unfortunate not to encounter another moonspawn, but he dide across more forsaken. Hisck of moonspawn sightings was likely due to the forsaken, who gathered the moonspawns for some malevolent purpose.


    Regrettably, he lost the chance to further sabotage their ns but continued to eliminate them, nheless. The trolls contributed valuable points to his Recovery, a seemingly divine attribute to possess.


    By the third day of his departure, Warden realised he was somewhat lost. He soared above the tree canopy to ensure no deceit was afoot, eventually stumbling upon a few members of his crew. Not his crew. Marcus''s crew.


    May, the half-elf healer, and Cole, the runesmith of their group, were besieged by gigantic centipede-like creatures, each towering over a metre tall and capable of growing up to a dozen metres. Fortunately, several soldiers were with them, sparing them from facing the demonic beasts with their limitedbat skills.


    Warden acknowledged the healer''s proficiency; she adeptly cast barriers and wards to contain the monsters, while Cole demonstrated his mastery of several spells, aiding the soldiers inbating the centipedes. Unfortunately, his spells weren''t potent enough or else they wouldn''t be in this predicament in the first ce.


    Still, they might have managed to fend off these creatures on their own, though not without sustaining injuries. Warden wouldn''t have been surprised if some had lost limbs. The centipede monsters, with their numerous appendages for swift movement and tough exoskeletons, were formidable adversaries that no ordinary mage could despatch with just a few spells.


    One of the warriors wielded fire-based powers, yet his mes struggled to make an impact on the segmented insectoids.


    Without hesitation, Warden dived directly onto a centipede as it gnawed through May''s ward. His heavyweight made the huge monster mp on the ground as it let out arge squeak. Warden silenced it by shoving his broom to pierce the weak points between the segments of the creature. He pushed for his intent and pierced the creature in half.


    Dark blood spattered in spray as he flew off before any of it could stain him.


    "Good evening, fe," he said. "Did you miss me?"


    May shot him a look, taking more than a few seconds to recognise him. It wasn''t her fault; Warden had be quite forgettable.


    "You!" May eximed, her memory momentarily failing her. "Janitor, where did youe from?"


    "Let''s talk after we finish this," Cole shouted, overwhelmed by two centipedes.


    "Okay, give me a moment," Warden replied, brandishing two brooms. "I need to bring out my A-game."


    Both brooms had transformed, their ends extending into des, now resembling a quarterstaff more than anything. Warden unleashed his full potential, skewering the creatures at their segments or eyes. Relying on his physical prowess and augmenting his movements with Anti-gravity runes, he kept multiple foes at bay.


    His arrival was a relief to the crew of four, who, bolstered by his presence, dispatched the horde of centipedes in under five minutes.


    [Essence Harvested!]


    [+2.3 Dexterity]


    [+1.2 Strength]


    [+0.3 Spirit.]


    "These monsters yielded more essence than most dungeon creatures I''ve encountered," Warden mused, purifying the fifth from his body with his Light power. It had slightly weakened throughout the times he used it on himself and Jenni to heal her wounds. He hadn''t had the opportunity to use the quintessence of light again. Nevertheless, his regeneration and recovery abilities remained potent.


    "I don''t recall you possessing a light element," May observed, her gaze sharp.


    "It''s this janitor''s fortune that you remember me at all, Lady May," Warden greeted her.


    May snorted as she attended to herpanions'' wounds. They were minor fleshly wounds. She only needed to throw a few spells to heal.


    Once done, she faced him again. "So, aside from being a mysterious fighter and a cook, you''re a healer too, huh?"


    "Barely," Warden admitted. "I''ve learned that one needs powerful cleansing abilities to eradicate the filth from existence. I still have a long way to go, as my power is, but a tricklepared to the brilliance of Lady May."


    "Okay, this is getting a bit cringeworthy," May said with a re. "Speak normally."


    "This is normal, Mydy," Warden said. "Anyway, I have a few questions regarding healing, I hope mydy can enlighten this poor Janitor."


    May narrowed her eyes,looking at him suspiciously. "Did you acquire the light attribute after entering the subspace?"


    "You can say that. While there''s no fortune without embracing the misfortunes, I can safely say the fortune outweighs the great power of light that I wield."


    Honestly, Warden naturally changed the way he spoke when he descended on the battle. he wasn''t like that with Agnes, which was mostly because she knew his real identity. Well, considering he was in a role, he didn''t correct himself. Besides, he thought the ent and the way of his speech were required for his role to work.


    "So mydy, will you help this poor janitor in rifying some mysteries of the art of healing?" Warden said. "The subject is so fascinating andplicated that I cannot fathom how to advance in this path without your help."


    Warden genuinely required some rification on how to use the healing on another person. While his instinct did let him do some of his power on others, it wasn''t by any means as intimate as hisbat powers. Which could only mean that his mysterious fourth power wasn''t healing.


    May snorted. "Make me something great to eat and I''ll think about it."


    Warden smiled. It was as they say the door to one''s heart was through their stomach.


    "The poor janitor is at your service..."

 Chapter 226: Terrible Odds

    "Are you crying?" the janitor-cum-chef asked.


    "I''m not," May said, putting her effort into swallowing the hot soup; her eyes were almost on the verge of tearing up.


    The soup wasn''t chilly or anything; it had simply been quite some time since she had eaten edible food. Hell, she had been fighting on an empty stomach, and the terrible ambience of the subspace hadn''t been any kinder to her.


    May''s affinity toward life attributes was higher than most healers'', which made her more intimate with life itself. However, since she entered this subspace, the same ability that made her one of the best healers there was made her a worse candidate for this ce.


    Death and darkness sang the song of decay; even the stillness of the air prickled on her skin, dulling her affinity and intimacy toward life. She had vomited multiple times the first couple of days she was here in the subspace. Thankfully, it didn''t go worse than that. While her healing and energy regeneration did suffer, May found ways to seal most of her supernatural senses to progress further.


    Meeting with the others only eased her situation. However, May hadn''t found any peace, as all the stuff she ate had the reek of death and decay in it.


    But that wasn''t the case with whatever she was eating now. May had no clue how the mysterious janitor guy cooked or what kind of secret he mixed in, but even after staring at his cooking for half an hour, May hadn''t managed to glimpse anything out of the ordinary in it.


    In the end, she simply asked, and the reply was another cringeworthy line. The janitor said that he merely poured his heart into it.


    Hmph, as if no one else poured their heart into it, she snorted.


    "Do you want some more?" the guy asked.


    May simply push her bowl forward. A momentter, the janitor handed her back the bowl, now full of soup. She was about to take a sip when a voice resounded.


    "Iing..." said Tom. He was on the lookout when they were resting.


    The janitor stood up, his broom ready in his hand. May turned her head to find it wasn''t another group of demonic creatures, much to her relief.


    It was a group of humans instead, led by a young man she actually knew. By knew, she meant she was aware of his station and the family he represented. Tayl Alebson had a heroic figure simr to Marcus''s, though far prouder, with jet-ck hair and dark eyes. He stood tall, a simr long spear as tall as him strapped on his back, as his underlings and the regr soldiers all stood in line.


    Tayl Alebson''s eyes darted and examined their camp until he finally found her figure, and his eyes lit up. May didn''t have a good feeling about this.


    "You, half-elf," the noble son and inheritor of House Alebson said, pointing at her. "I recognize you. You were with Valerius."


    "And?" May said, standing up to meet Tayl''s eyes, the bowl still in her hand.


    Tayl probably would have liked more respect and reverence from her, but this was the best May managed. She didn''t even like the person, but it wasn''t in her nature to be outright hostile.


    "We have a couple of wounded people with us," the young lord Tayl ordered. "Treat them."


    Four people emerged from behind the group, carrying two people on a stretcher. Both were unconscious, bloodied, and battered, barely clinging to life. One was even missing an arm, the only reason he was still alive being the superior constitution of an Iron ranker.


    The uniform he wore indicated he was a superior officer, holding the rank of a sergeant,pared to the other man''s Two-star Soldier rank.


    A frown crept into her brows as May recognized the armless sergeant. If she wasn''t mistaken, his name was Barn, the young soldier whom Lady Cassandra had roped into her team. It was Barn who had introduced them to the smallpetition held by the Master Runesmith.


    Immediately, May handed the bowl of soup back to the janitor, who in turn caught Cole and handed it to him. The Janitor joined her as she approached the wounded men.


    May cast a disinfection spell first on both of the wounded before inspecting the wounds of the one-armed Barn.


    "Do you have the lost arm with you?" she asked, lifting her head toward Tayl Alebson. She could not regrow an arm with her current capabilities, but considering the wounds were recent and hadn''t closed yet, she could attach the arm back.


    "We found them running in this condition," a man behind Tayl answered for his lord. "He was carrying no arm."


    May clicked her tongue. "Looks like he will have to spend a lot of wealth to get his arm back," she muttered and helped close the wound of the severed arm. It would probably take him a couple of years of his earnings to hire a gold rank healer to make a new arm for him.


    Under her life energy, new skin grew over the elbow, making it impossible to attach the lost severed arm anymore. Well, all hope was not lost as long as he still lived...


    The other man''s condition wasn''t as dire; he was unconscious from blood loss and drawing too much energy from his core. The healing potions they had fed him before taking him here had done most of the work; May just made sure to close the wounds where the healing from the potion did not reach.


    One would be surprised how incapable a healing potion was when the person was unable to direct its potency to the wounds.


    May had already lost two-thirds of her reserves of life energy when she finished with them. Unfortunately, her job wasn''t done yet, as a handful of people under Tayl Alebson presented themselves for her to heal.


    "We''ll pay you fairly for your service," the young lord said.


    "I don''t need your payment!" May red at him, which made the guy frown. Then he shook his head as if it was beneath him to argue with someone like her.


    May gritted her teeth and healed everyone, one by one. The janitor actually helped. His light attribute possessed natural healing power, which aided a couple of guys, though he was terribly slow. By the time he dealt with the two, May was done with everyone else.


    Now, she barely had a trickle of life attribute left, and it would be a pain in the ass for her to regain it, as the ce she was in did not inspire any confidence in raising her life attribute.


    She turned to find Cole, standing silently with a hot bowl of soup in his hand. Well, it had probably grown cold by now. Sighing, she got back to what she was doing before.


    She sat down and drank the soup. The group did not disappear by the time she finished, however. They seemed to find the spot of their camp rather lovely, as they too began to rest their tired butts. A couple of tents already stood across from her.


    May remained silent throughout. It wasn''t like arguing with them would do any good, nor could they fight with them. Besides, it was simply a spot. In case the new group created a ruckus and called more of those centipedes, all they could do was withdraw and choose another spot.


    "It looks like those two fell into the hands of the forsaken," the Janitor said as he came to sit next to her. He had been conversing with Young Lord Tayl''s minions to know their story. "The others could not tell me the whole picture... we can only wait for one of the two to wake up to exin. However, from what I''ve heard, it doesn''t sound all that good to me."


    Unlike the natural amusement the Janitor usually carried himself with, his face now carried a scowl as he seriously considered things. The Janitor was ordinary-looking, but the serious look made him a little more captivating.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "The forsaken, there are hundreds if not thousands of them," he said, not looking at her face.


    "You learned that from them?"


    The Janitor shook his head. "The forsaken had entered the space before us and already took control of the gate to the secondyer. They aren''t letting the humans enter. Worse, I think the orders are to kill on sight."


    May felt a chill in her blood. She made a quick calction in her mind. Two hundred and fifty-six candidates had entered the Subspace, but if there were even a thousand forsaken, they were outnumbered four to one. Terrible odds.


    "From what I interpret from their conversation and asking stupid questions, it appeared Lord Tayl is preparing to attack the forsaken," the Janitor said.


    "With these few men?" May frowned. They were only about a couple dozen people; even if all of them were elites, they wouldn''t stand a chance against the forsaken if they really were up against hundreds of them.


    "His advisers are against this attack," he continued. "Even the soldiers and his crew are unwilling to fight against such terrible odds..."


    "But?" May could imagine what he was going to say.


    The Janitor did not disappoint. "But none could shake the young lord''s mind. He probably would try to rope us all into his foolish attack as well."


    May felt a headache growing. "We need to find Marcus. As soon as possible."

 Chapter 227: Scouting

    There was more than one entrance to the Second Layer, and from what Warden observed, the forsaken had taken control of them all. He embarked on a scouting trip of his own when most people were asleep or resting. Utilising his anti-gravity scripts, the journey barely took a couple of hours, although he found signs of goblins and orcs within half an hour.


    They were organised in small teams, on the lookout to hunt for any humans they could find. Warden himself encountered five such teams, despite not seeking them out. The security at the entrance they had established was on another level. Hundreds of them, goblins, orcs, and trolls alike, lined up around the small warp gate.


    Other than over a hundred goblins and orcs in simr numbers, what made Warden''s skin crawl were the dozens of trolls. More could be hiding somewhere else. And in the secondyer.


    Clearly, they were taking this very seriously.


    What could be so enticing that they spared no resources to eliminatepetition? The essence vein? It could well be, but the Essence Vein was of greater importance to lower rankers, mostly those below the silver ranks. There was likely something far more valuable they were aiming for.


    An answer immediately came to his mind: the thing Agnes aimed for. A soul relic.


    After taking a good observation of the security and their numbers, Warden turned back and flew to the camp.


    He was uncertain how much Young Lord Tayl was aware of the situation, or where his confidence stemmed from. If they charged the warp gate with the few men under hismand, ughter was the only thing awaiting them. Apparently, that wasn''t enough to stop the Lord Tayl.


    Thankfully, they had not set off or prepared to by the time he returned. It appeared another group had joined them, managing to quench some of Young Lord Tayl''s eagerness.


    And it was a group Warden recognised.


    Hended a couple of hundred metres away from any prying eyes of the people on the lookout and returned surreptitiously. A couple of soldiers intercepted him before he could enter the proximity of the camp.


    "Halt! Where do youe from?"


    Warden scratched his forehead. "Just taking a piss..."


    However, the soldiers did not wee him in. They failed to recognise him, it seemed. One disadvantage of wearing a forgettable mask.


    Warden sighed. "Look, I was part of the camp. You guys remember the guy in the janitor suit, don''t you?" he said, presenting himself clearly. "Look at me... I''m that guy."


    The two soldiers exchanged looks, still barring his entry. Eventually, one of them went inside and brought another person with them. It was the half-elf, mirroring his own annoyed expression. Her exhaustion had reached new heights as more people began to join the camp, and May was the only capable healer. On top of that, she would have to deal with the annoying young lord.


    "Yes, he''s in our crew," she informed the soldiers, and finally, Warden was granted permission to enter.


    The number of people had almost doubled overnight, though this did not raise any more confidence. Warden immediately found the new group, as his gaze fell onto the leader.


    The woman was conversing with Tayl Alebson, but her senses perked up and she turned to look at him. Recognition shed in her eyes instantly as she scrutinised him.


    "Ahh, Mister Wa¡ª,'' Lady Cassandra faltered, ''Mister Janitor."


    Warden arched an eyebrow. For the record, he hadn''t asked her to keep his identity secret, though she didn''t know the full story. The woman was intelligent, and an unspoken agreement had been reached between them.


    However, even with just her acknowledgement, multiple eyes darted in his direction. Young Lord Tayl examined him for the second time, an irritable look on his face. He wasn''t pleased about not receiving Cassandra''s undivided attention, it seemed.


    "Oh, if it isn''t Lady Cassandra," Warden attempted to downy the situation. "It is my great fortune that someone of your station and pedigree recognises this humble janitor."


    Lady Cassandra understood his game, so she didn''t give him more attention than necessary. In turn, everyone else soon forgot about him too, except for the half-elf. She tugged at his uniform and led him to their section of the camp.


    "Where have you been?" she inquired. It had taken Warden at least four hours for this whole trip, which was more than enough for her to see he wasn''t in his designated ce. "You missed what the wounded had to say. Well, you haven''t missed much, to be honest. It''s as bad as you described."


    "Thankfully, I put my time to good use," he replied and sat down. "I went on a scouting mission to see what we''re up against."


    "You scouted the forsaken¡­" May lowered her voice, realising she was almost shouting. "Alone? What if they had found you?"


    "Good thing they didn''t," Warden smiled and raised his broom. "Besides, should they find me, I have my trusty broom with me."


    May gave the broom a look. She had to admit, the broom was quite a tool. It allowed the user to fly, which alone was enough to pique the interest of most rankers. Even the half-elf herself wouldn''t mind a ride, if only they weren''t in such a grim ce.


    "So what did you find?" May asked, her skin paling noticeably from overexerting her healing abilities. "Is it as bad as I''ve heard?"


    "Worse," Warden replied. "Wait a few minutes. I''ll exin more."


    "Why wait?"


    "Another person will be joining us; I''d rather not repeat myself."


    "Who?"


    Warden didn''t answer and started replenishing the anti-gravity runes on his boots. Technically, he could have inscribed them on his body, but he hadn''t yet found the ideal way to utilise them in that manner. Even for a Master Runesmith like him, it was nearly impossible.


    He didn''t have to wait long, as within a quarter of an hour, the person he was waiting for arrived.


    "I hope I''m not interrupting anything," Lady Cassandra said, not disappointing in her poise.


    ____________


    5 chapters mass release tomorrow... Yay!

 Chapter 228: Mysterious Plan

    Cassandra was exactly the person Warden was waiting for. He already had a n on what she could do for him.


    "No, no, You''re right on time," Warden told the gorgeous-looking woman, setting aside his boots.


    "Believe it or not, we''re just waiting for you..." May said as she gave the woman a seat in the log."I hope your journey has been smooth sailing throughout, Lady Cassandra."


    "It wasn''t smooth, per se," she said, "but we are luckier than most."


    "Unfortunately, from here on out, nothing will be even faintly close to smooth," Warden said.


    Cassandra nodded, agreeing. "I''d be lying if I said we hadn''t considered withdrawing from the subspace. But we''ve got this chance under great pressure; not everyone is willing to leave empty-handed. So, here we are..."


    "Have you found every one of your team?" Warden asked. Jenni from the Azalea team was still with Agnes. Considering the current situation, getting Jenni anywhere near the warp gate would be a disaster for her. Warden was confident that the captain would keep the girl out of danger. He could focus on his own part without worrying about that.


    "Sadly, no," Cassandra said ruefully. "I''m still missing a couple of my sisters and nine of the people we took from the military. I hope they are all well."


    "Oh, right, have you gone to see Barn?" May cut in. "He was on your team, correct?"


    "He is," Lady Azalea said. "I just came from checking on his condition. Your healing has taken care of most of the trouble. I think he''ll wake up soon. I have to thank you for that, Miss May."


    The half-elf actually blushed under Lady Azalea''s intense gaze and gratitude.


    "It was nothing too hard," replied the pale-faced half-elf. "Anyway, aren''t you supposed to exin more about what you found? You''ve left me in suspense since you came back."


    "I''ll quench your curiosity soon enough..." Warden said, and brought out a couple of sandwiches from his subspace. "Want a sandwich?"


    Before May could utter the words, her arms already snatched one of them. "Yes, thank you!"


    "And you, Lady Cassandra?"


    "I''m good, thank you."


    Warden nodded and ate the sandwich first. "From what I have gathered, there are approximately three hundred forsaken guarding the gate nearest to us."


    "You went to scout there?" The raven-haired woman raised her eyebrows. "That''s risky."


    "That''s what I was telling him!" May said while chewing on the sandwich. She stuffed it all into her mouth.


    "Ignoring the hundred plus Goblins and Orcs, there were over forty Trolls guarding the gate."


    Lady Cassandra gasped as her thoughts whirled.


    "This would have already been tough if we had all our numbers together," May said.


    "That''s not all," Warden said. "There were multiple teams of forsaken, mostly orcs and goblins, creeping around to hunt humans."


    "Good thing I stopped Tayl Alebson from charging down with his team," Lady Cassandra said, letting out a deep breath. "I don''t know how long he''ll listen to me. The man is headstrong as a mule; reasons don''t enter his thick skull."


    "Right?" May was happy with someone understanding her dilemma.


    "I think the best way to go from here on out is to n with everyone together," Warden said. "And obviously, to look for more people. A few elite teams could deal with the forsaken running wild, but for the ones guarding the gate... we''ll need something heavier."


    Cassandra nodded. "Do you have something in mind?"


    Warden was still formting a n and wasn''t sure if it would work. "I was wondering, how good is the eyesight of the forsaken?"


    "The goblins can see clearly at night," May answered. "While the orcs are as good as any rankers... The trolls, however, are somewhat weaker in this respect."


    Hmm, considering the main problem would be the trolls, this n might work, Warden mused. He hadn''t tested it in an actual experiment, but he had high hopes for moonspawn blood.


    "What are you intending?" Cassandra asked, arching her brow.


    "Something to blind the forsaken where they stand," Warden said.


    "Oh, is it like the moment when you act mysteriously cool and send everyone to fight without exining anything?" May asked.


    Wardenughed, wondering who had treated her like that. He could imagine her crew leader Marcus, pulling this kind of stunt.


    "May, go ask Cole if he''s capable of an Istion script," Warden said. "If he is, ask what tier and how fast he can work."


    "I don''t have to ask him; he can make Istion scripts, he used them throughout our journey," she said.


    "And what tier is that?"


    May didn''t have an answer. "I mean, he''s an Adept Runesmith. Well, almost. So probably an adept tier?"


    "This isn''t how it works," Warden said. From what he had gathered, the Arcane Society acknowledged any runesmiths who could create three Tier-3 runes. While Istion Runes are not the mostplicated¡ªnot like anti-gravity¡ªthere was a fair share of a learning curve and difficulty in mastering it.


    Most adepts in the Artificer Department couldn''t manage it, so Warden could only hope.


    "Go call him," Warden said. "Wait, don''t call him."


    For a moment, Warden forgot his role and began issuing orders.


    "Ask him, and tell me or Lady Cassandra about it." Warden gave her another sandwich as a reward, which she gleefully epted.


    May departed to do her task, while Cassandra stared at him unblinkingly, suspicion evident in her eyes.


    "What?" Warden inquired.


    "Why do I feel like you''re going to throw all the job of arranging your n to me?" she hit right at the mark with that one.


    "Because you''re very intelligent," Warden grinned. That was indeed what he had been thinking the moment he devised the n. Of course, in his original n, he considered May to be the sacrificialmb¡ªwait, that''s a bad term for it. "Candidate"would have sufficed better.


    However, Lady Azalea''s appearance only presented Warden with a person with the right set of skills for his n to work perfectly.


    Lady Azalea wasn''t amused with his praise, however. "While I do acknowledge your expertise in stuff like Runesmith. . . I will not advance with your n without hearing about it. As May already pointed out, it was foolish to dash towards disaster just on some mysterious n."


    It was evident she did not hold the same confidence in him as someone like Agnes did, though Agnes, too, would have asked for details for throwing herself in something like this.


    Good thing, he didn''t have a Chunni heroplex. Warden could discuss it all with her, and even hear her suggestion if there was a need. And there certainly would be a need, considering one mind could onlye up with so much.


    However, before he was to exin his not-so-brilliant n, Cassandra opened her mouth, realizing he agreed to exin his n.


    "Are you n on keeping this foolish disguise even now?" she asked, her piercing purple eyes boring into him.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    That answered the question for her. "So you''re going to keep being the janitor, huh," she said. "I hope you''re not foolish enough to be like that when all our lives are at stake."

 Chapter 229: Transformation

    "Quit cking off, Motherf**ker!" shouted Winsha, delivering a kick to the back of a rotund orc who was downing alcohol.


    The bottle of alcohol flew off into the air, spilling its contents. The orc fell on his face, screaming curses at their leader, which earned him another kick.


    "The goblins reported an anomaly," the chief orc announced. "They say there''s a monster with purple eyes, draped in night clothing. Ites down from the sky, ravages their numbers, and doesn''t even leave a corpse behind."


    "Ahh, boss, those limp-dick goblins are just saying that so they can ck off," said an orc warrior from behind him. "Don''t take them seriously..."


    "There are already three teams of goblins that went missing, and motherf**ker, you''re telling me not to take it seriously?" the orc child growled.


    "It''s just goblins," said the rotund orc from the ground. Instead of getting up, he was checking if there was any more alcohol left in the bottle."


    "Yeah, they were probably cking somewhere, or better yet, screwing some human women. You know how they are, even the Lord''smand they wouldn''t be able to stop their twisted nature, shitty limp dicks."


    "They''re saying it''sing from the sky? Is it a bird then? I don''t see how a bird, no matter how powerful, can fly without making a ruckus in this thick forest."


    "Haha,"ughed the drunk one, tilting the empty bottle to even get the drips. "Are you afraid of a bird, boss?"


    "Do you need another beating, motherf**ker?" the chief growled.


    "Let ite," the drunk orc said, standing up. "I''ll set it on fire before it could even¡ª"


    "Will you?" a new voice said, a whisper from behind. But before the drunk could even turn, a de slit his throat. He didn''t even have time to let out a squeak.


    His body fell cold on the ground, as the four other orcs stared.


    "Who?" the leader screamed. "Who''s there? Show yourself, motherf**ker."


    A wind blew from his right and when his eyes finally found the anomaly, he saw the orc to his right flying into the air, carried by a dark-cloaked figure, its de zing with intense purple dark smoke.


    The purple-eyed fiend crashed the poor orc into a humongous tree, running its de through the guy and prying open the orc''s chest as it retracted the de.


    A human? Winsha concluded, brandishing his spear. He was prepared for the high speed of the ck-cloaked human, but sadly, he wasn''t its target.


    The human targeted the orc at his rear, who was about to fire the emergency signal to call up more of their numbers. A rush of force emitted from the dark figure, immobilising the orc in his ce. No matter how much the orc struggled, he couldn''t move an inch. When he finally could, the force had already retracted, with the cold blood of the fiend sticking into the orc''s skull.


    "Three down," whispered the purple-eyed fiend, taking the signal construct in his hand, which then disappeared from his palm. Some kind of strange dimension storage device? Winsha didn''t have time to consider, as the fiend set his eyes in his direction. "Two more to go."


    "Motherfucker, do you think you can stand against me if my power wasn''t suppressed?" Winsha roared, charging towards the assant.


    The human didn''t answer. He too charged at him, ready to intercept his spear. However, midway, a terribly strong force thrust into Winsha''s body directly. Winsha had been prepared for such foul y, but even with his preparation, he failed to consider the sheer magnitude of the force. The force disabled his movement before he lost his footing and tumbled backwards.


    The human didn''te for him; instead, he targeted thest one of them. The orc seemed to have already soiled itself; the human slit its throat within a couple of moves. Ignoring the force at which the human worked, the skill level could not be underestimated. Moreover, the de in his hand was something special.


    It changed shape, appearing asrge as a great sword. Regardless, Winsha roared, raising his aura, which had a tinge of silver rank in it. Even if the subspace suppresses power, he could bring it out, expending his life essence.


    "Intrigued," the human said, its eyes glowing with a malevolent purple shimmer. "Don''t disappoint me."


    The forcefield-like defence around the human disappeared, and he didn''t look as ominous anymore. Had he run out of juice? Either way, it would y to Winsha''s advantage.


    He engaged the human in close-ranged battle, swinging his spear in wild arcs, bing more and more ferocious as he gained an inch of advantage over the human, who withdrew half a step with every move.


    Winsha grinned, his spear found purchase into the dark cloak. He wanted to rip it apart, but instantly, the cloak turned illusionary as his spearhead only met air.


    Winsha was bbergasted, then light sparked into his eyes, and he was blinded for a second.


    "I haven''t tried this before," said the human. "Let''s see how this goes."


    The cloak transformed. It materialised again, now zing whitish-gold, as itbined with the white armour the human wore. Within seconds, the human had a pair of wide wings unfurled behind his back. His entire figure was glowing in whitish-golden light¡ªa stark contrast to the ominous sight he presented at first.


    "Now, where can you even run?" the human asked, grinning.


    Winsha sneered, but then the human took a step. The wings pped once. The next moment, a de was plunged into his chest.


    Winsha screamed and then lost his voice.


    _____________


    Mass Release update: I have a cold and a terrible headache. Already taken meds, and its getting better. I''m not cancelling the mass, or dying it to ater date. (Well, technically, most of the chapters will be dropped on the 16th ording to WN time, so a little dy.)


    Writing engaging fight scenes is always difficult, but I see what I can do...


    SO this is, Bonus 1/5...

 Chapter 230: Reckoning

    "Well, that was easy," Warden sighed as he withdrew the de. The deceased figure of the orc lord still wore a dumbfounded expression as his corpse joined his fourpatriots.


    [Higher grade essence harvested.]


    [+1.2 Strength.]


    [+1.5 Spirit.]


    Warden''s attention turned to his celestial wings, or rather the [Wings of Radiance]. True to its name, it exuded pure brilliance. They might not be real wings, but they were one hundred percent awesome. Warden hadn''t even taken flight yet, but he could already tell.


    Man, he could not wait to fly... Unfortunately, that would have to wait. When his cloak and armour transformed into the [Wings of Radiance], it caused quite a spectacle with sparkling light glowing luminously. Well, he was still glowing, and it had attracted another group of forsaken.


    Fortunately, they were only goblins. Orcs were more difficult to kill, and they didn''t carry anything of value. However, goblins were a weaker and more resourceful bunch. Warden had appropriated a great deal of their bombs and raw materials, but the most desirable of all was actually a skill crystal. Of course, the skill was nothing too enticing for him, but he could sell it in the emporium.


    It was already good fortune to get something of such value out of the firstyer.


    Warden retracted his celestial wings. It was consuming a lot of his light energy. Considering the sheer mobility and fluidity it enabled him, he believed it would be worth it. It was just that his radiance power was weak. So for now, he had to rely more on Anti-gravity scripts.


    I need to find some time to use the rest of the quintessence, Warden thought. Unfortunately, given his tight schedule, it appeared almost impossible. Not until he entered the secondyer. There were just too many things he needed to do, so it wouldn''t just be a ughter against the forsaken.


    "The purple-eyed fiend!" screamed a goblin as it locked eyes with Warden. "It''s the purple-eyed fiend, run!"


    "But chief, he was glowing white and gold a moment ago," argued another.


    "Dumbf**ks, look at the corpses at his feet," said the first goblin, already on the move. "Do you think you can do better than that bullheaded orc?"


    Warden sighed as he watched the goblins run, throwing smoke bombs and whatnot. This was the worst part of the job. He preferred an opponent like the orc chief¡ªsomeone who could give him a fight. He simply felt bad about chasing them. It felt as if he was bullying them with strength. Unfortunately, he couldn''t leave them alone, knowing what they were capable of.


    The goblins were more the crafty, and cowardly bunch. Worse yet, they took prisoners alive. He had alreadye across a few corpses of soldiers, men and women alike, mangled so badly that it was unrecognisable which part belonged to whom.


    This is reckoning, Warden told himself. He flew to intercept them.


    The goblins didn''t want to engage in a fight, knowing they stood no chance. Warden beheaded the chief with the first swing of his de, turning [The Divider]rger in length. The rest of them were in close proximity and posed no difficulty at all. Their bombs might have caused some damage, but he had already activated [Void Shroud].


    After killing five of them, Warden found one on the ground among its fallen brethren, pretending to be dead. It had already lost an arm, with a sharp cut across its eyes.


    Warden did not pursue it. He began to collect the corpses into his subspace, after checking what valuables they had on them. The poor goblin realised its luck wasn''t as good as it had thought.


    It jumped to its feet, screaming.


    Warden smiled. "Run."


    The goblinplied, and Warden did not chase. This would y into his next step of the n.


    [Essence harvested.]


    [+1 Strength.]


    [+1.5 Dexterity.]


    This was already the fifth group of goblins Warden had encountered since he began it all a few hours ago. He could have left the job of dealing with the smaller groups of forsaken to others, but they would just take more time, and some of them might even get seriously wounded.


    While the goblin bombs were nothing fanciful to the eyes of a master runesmith, they could do serious damage to iron rankers in close proximity.


    Besides, Warden needed to induce some fear and anger into the minds of the forsaken for his n to work. A team doing the same work as his would not have the same effect.


    That was why he left the lone goblin alive. It would carry the message of the deeds of the Purple Fiend back to their camp. They surely would be ecstatic to hear about him.


    After cleaning up, Warden dealt with a couple more groups of orcs and goblins before he returned to their camp. It had been over six hours since he left after giving some instructions to Lady Cassandra¡ªshe probably had half the men from Tayl''s camp under hermand by now.


    Obviously for nothing too explicit, but they would listen to her as long as her words carried reasons and didn''t threaten their lives.


    Most of the campy in silence, though the first thing Warden noticed was Tayl thrashing four guys with his spear. It might appear as abusive behaviour to an outsider''s eye, but it was only a bit more intense than sparring. At least the noble son wasn''t all talk.


    Still, Warden wanted to avoid conversation with the guy. Also, he hadn''t made the same mistake of going through the same entrance as before upon entering the camp. The guards would have probably mistaken him again. Instead, he had his stealth activated andnded directly in a more tranquil part of the camp, nearby to Lady Cassandra''s tent.


    Warden deactivated his stealth and made sure to adjust his cloak to take on a more ordinary appearance.


    Then he walked into the tent of the girl in the middle of the night.


    ___________


    Mass Release 2/5

 Chapter 231: Late Night Discussion

    Cassandra had finished discussing matters with her sister a few minutes ago and had just dived into meditation to dispel the chilly ambient energy that had found its way into her channels. The chilliness was insidious. Most people could detect it outside, but they didn''t realize how it infected them until it was toote.


    The worst thing about it was that the more one replenished their energy with the ambient energy of this ce, the higher the chances of infection. The only way to dissolve the chilliness before it froze one''s channels and ate away their power was to circte the energy throughout their body, always keeping it flowing within. This process would dissolve the foreign mark of the chilliness.


    Cassandra had already advised her sisters, and even the other soldiers in the camp, about the insidious effect of the ambient energy. Many of them recognized the dilemma, though it did not make it any easier. The situation could be alleviated with a few good healers who could cast cleansing spells en masse. Sadly, they were only graced with May and one of her sisters, Masima.


    She was barely a quarter of an hour into her meditation when she heard a weird whistle near her tent. Through her control over sound waves, Cassandra knew it came from Adept Warden, who was likely whistling to summon her. There was nothing to knock on, after all.


    The guy could just ask for entry instead of whistling awkwardly, Cassandra mused. It wasn''t as though she was some rare exotic bird he was calling.


    He was most likely here to listen to the reports on how far she had progressed with the ns he had outlined. And more likely to give her more tasks to organize. Cassandra swore that the man didn''t give any credit for how difficult it was for her to maintain her poise in this hellish environment, much less her pristine womanly appearance.


    At least he could appreciate it a little, but most of their encounters had been about serious matters.


    Like thest time he asked if she was an oracle or how extensive her divination skill was. Unfortunately, Cassandra was at a loss when she dealt with this mysterious figure. She could not discern anything about him.


    Calming her demeanour and checking her appearance, she called him in. "Ahem! You can enter."


    Adept Warden didn''t wait ceremoniously. He entered the camp at once, shot her a gaze, and stood awkwardly in one corner.


    I wonder how much of it is simply an act? Cassandra hid her smirk and gestured for him to sit across from her. Although she wasn''t tracking his movements, she had asked her sister to keep an eye on him. As far as that went, the ''janitor'' or rather the fake janitor had been gone for several hours. But now, looking at the bits of bloodstains on his uniform, she could easily guess what he had been doing.


    I wonder what your game is, Mister Warden, Cassandra thought. You couldn''t be someone the higher-ups sent to keep everyone safe.


    "So," the fake janitor broke the silence. "How is it going?"


    Cassandra decided to keep the conversation strictly professional. "It is on track. The formation you asked Cole to work on is the only thing that''s slow."


    Warden frowned, and then his expression eased. "It''s already too much to ask of the guy. I would have been surprised if he couldplete it by tomorrow."


    "Yeah, that''s not going to happen," she replied. "ording to thest report, he''s about twelve percent done. I think he''s having a little trouble understanding the shell design you gave him through me."


    In their first conversation, the man had been surprised to learn she recognised the runesmithing terms. Being the young sessor of Azalea Garden, she had dabbled in many areas. Unfortunately, her talent in scripts was nothing to boast about.


    "Only 12%," he muttered, the frown returning to his brows. "It would have been a lot easier if Jenni was here... but it looks like I''ll have to lend a hand in it before the moment passes."


    Cassandra wasn''t sure why he was so obsessed with getting everything prepared by tomorrow. She understood the importance of timeliness, but he made it seem like anypse might cause their entire n to fall apart.


    To be honest, she was still conflicted about the likelihood of sess of this n. While Warden emphasized that it wasn''t suicidal, at least for most of them, the chances of sess were still quite slim. Much depended on the shoulders of the mysterious runesmith and his formation.


    She didn''t know why she had even agreed to it. True, there were chances of withdrawing if the n fell apart, but given the low probability of sess, she wondered if she should have invested her time elsewhere.


    And yet, here she was, discussing the matter of the n alone with its mastermind.


    She swore the man possessed some kind of ethereal aura that made people believe in him. Belief didn''te easy in a world of power.


    But sometimes, his words carried so much force... Moreover, he was fine with her taking all the credit if the n seeded. Clearly, something other than recognition was driving the man.


    They discussed more intricacies of the n. Cassandramitted each of his words to memory, ensuring she understood his intentions and looking out for any potential traps. She had to admit, sometimes he shared many of his thoughts offhandedly, as though they were unimportant.


    Within about a quarter of an hour, she had mostly finished reporting everything and receiving further instructions. He turned to leave, but she saved one piece of information for thest moment.


    "Oh, I forgot to add," she said. "It has been quite a hassle to keep Tayl Alebson quiet about his foolish n. In the end, I had to make a short concession."


    "What is it?" he asked without turning.


    "We have decided to hunt down the scouting teams of the forsaken to reduce their numbers."


    ____________


    Mass release 3/5

 Chapter 232: Loss

    Warden turned, opened his mouth, but said nothing. He paused for a few seconds. "Don''t let him run wild... but don''t make him unsatisfied, either. Hell, I don''t need to tell you all this. You know what you''re doing.


    This may y into what we nned on¡ª"


    We? Cassandra pondered how much she was included in that "We". It was mostly his n; she was merely the organiser, while the mysterious Janitor was busy with his other tasks.


    "¡ªI have already been addressing some problems on the outskirts. But if you manage to move all the pieces yourself at the right time, we''ll be able to strike the forsaken where it hurts the most."


    Warden took a step to leave but stopped midway. He turned and met her gaze. Something about his look disconcerted her.


    "Is there something you¡ª"


    "I came across the remains of one of your sisters," he said.


    Cassandra opened her mouth and then fell silent, a realization dawning on her. A sharp pain struck her heart as he continued.


    "I did not recognise her, but her dress code is the same," his voice was barely louder than a whisper.


    "I understand," was all she managed. "I understand..."


    "I''m sorry for your loss. If I had been an hour or two earlier, perhaps¡ª"


    "No, I mean... don''t me yourself," she interrupted, her voice trembling. "We came here knowing the dangers this ce holds. Each one of us acknowledged our lives were at stake..."


    Suddenly, Cassandra felt all too cold, her back shivering. Yes, they were prepared for the dangers, but that didn''t make it easier to mourn her sister''s loss. They might not have been rted by blood, but they were bound by the rules and ethics of Azalea Garden. They had grown up together, and theirpany was the only family they had ever had.


    What was worse, Cassandra did not know which of her sisters had fallen. Not all had joined this camp.


    "T-thank you," she said, her voice quivering. Her palms clenched into fists. "Thank you for telling me. If it''s not too much to ask, could you lead me to her remains? This hellish realm is no ce for her to rest."


    Warden stared at her for several seconds. He nodded and exited her tent.


    ***


    Warden headed straight to his tent after delivering the heavy news. God, it was so terrible that he hadn''t even recognised the woman as part of the Azalea group until he saw Lady Cassandra''s attire.


    His fatigue contributed, butrgely, it was the horrendous sight that made it difficult. Warden felt an ancient rage boiling in his blood towards the forsaken.


    He had the corpse with him, along with another one he had found. However, he thought it inappropriate to show her directly. He would deliver the remains tomorrow in a casket.


    "Where have you been?" a voice asked as Warden entered his tent. May was sitting in the middle, her brows furrowed and her nose wrinkling. "You reek of blood."


    Warden blinked, surprised she could tell. He sighed and replied, "Thankfully, most of it isn''t mine."


    "So you went out to scout again?" she red at him. "Alone."


    "It was more hunting than scouting, but yes, it did involve a lot of searching around."


    May''s nostrils red. She took deep breaths to calm herself.


    "Do you want a cookie?" Warden offered with a smile, holding out a jar full of cookies.


    "NO, I mean, yes," she stumbled over her words, ring at him as if it was his fault. "I''ll take more than one, actually."


    Warden sat down next to her, cing the jar in herp. "Help yourself."


    "If you think this bribe is enough to quiet me," she mumbled, then opened the jar to sniff the cookies and momentarily lost her train of thought.


    "Hmm, were you saying something?" Warden teased.


    May sighed, setting aside the jar of cookies. "I was waiting here for you. I knew you were off on some dangerous stunt alone."


    "And you''re here to stop me?"


    "To warn you," she nodded. "But considering everything... I seem to have overestimated myself. Why would you even listen to the words of a half-breed healer?"


    She stood up, prepared to leave with those words, but Warden couldn''t let her go like that.


    He caught her hand and met her gaze. "Sit down."


    May frowned.


    "Sit down, and I''ll listen to what you have to say."


    Warden thought they had somewhat bonded; the least he could do was to hear her out.


    "I don''t want you going on missions alone and risking your life," she said without hesitation. "I acknowledge your skills, even if you try to hide them under that facade. But you can''t handle everything alone. Look at your eye bags, man. You''re exhausted. The only reason you keep going is because you''re built like a great tree, full of life energy."


    Warden nodded. How could he not have seen it? This girl was just as pure-hearted as June.


    "Anything more you''d like to add?"


    May stared at him. "Are you actually going to listen to my words?"


    Warden shook his head, and the re returned to her eyes.


    "The forsaken are breathing down our necks, relentless in killing and tormenting people," he said. "May, I cannot stop just yet."


    "We can always withdraw..."


    Warden shook his head again. "Even with all this stress, I don''t believe half of us would choose to withdraw from this space."


    May frowned. "This is foolishness."


    Warden agreed. "They are soldiers; even if they fall, they will fall fighting."


    "That''s a very cold thing to say," May whispered. Warden found himself at a loss for words. "If they are soldiers, then what are you? A soldier too?"


    Warden let out a breath. "I''m trying to figure that out," he admitted. "Anyway, I won''t bore you with any more details. Just remember, if you ever feel offended by my behaviour in any way, tell me."


    "It''s not you," she sighed. "I... I may have overreacted with everything that''s been going on and how the rest of the people have been treating me."


    "Did something happen?"


    She remained silent.


    "Did someone insult you?"


    ________________


    Mass release 4/5


    You have to wait a few hours for thest one... I really need to sleep now... Lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter... : )

 Chapter 233: Last Minute Preparation

    Warden was quite irritated just imagining someone insulting May. They had to deal with so much trouble on top of the forsaken breathing down their necks.


    "It''s not their fault," she said after a while. "My healing power is dwindling the more time I spend within this space. Your food actually helps in recovering that, in that regard, just so you know. Anyway, they are scared, just like I am... So when I cannot heal them properly, some frustration gets the better of them."


    Warden sped her shoulder. Some people in the camp had used derogatory terms about her race. As if she didn''t get enough trouble from elves, that she would have to listen to them too.


    It takes a good man to understand theirpses in judgement, and an even greater person to forgive them for suchpses.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t a problem he could simply solve by beating a bunch of people.


    "Don''t be too hard on yourself, you''re doing great," he said, pinching her cheek. May was really cute, like a little sister. He wondered if he had any siblings...


    "I know," she shook his palm away. "And don''t treat me like I''m a child..."


    "What, are you like other elves, who look young on the outside, but are an old granny inside?"


    "You have to ruin the moment, huh?" she red, though it had lost all its intensity. "You know, I should be the one in charge of you in the absence of Marcus."


    "Really? I thought you''re in charge even when Marcus was present. After all, you went above him to select me for your team."


    May smiled.


    "Hopefully, you don''t have to regret your decision."


    She stood up and left along with the full jar of cookies as Warden brought out scribing instruments. He stretched his limbs and spine and began working.


    Hopefully, he would be done with everything by tomorrow.


    ***


    It was also May who turned up in his tent after having her rest. She was probably going to ask him to cook something. Thankfully, he had already prepared some easy-to-make meals for them all after being halfway done with his runes.


    "You didn''t sleep at all, did you?" she said, her eyes darting at everything scattered around.


    "Usually, I don''t catch much sleep in unfamiliar ces," he said. "Anyway, everything is prepared for the camp to work... I''m going to go out for a while."


    "Where?" she asked, and then bit her lower lip, knowing the answer.


    "Also, I need you to do something for me," Warden said and pointed her towards a makeshift casket. "Deliver that to Lady Cassandra..."


    "What''s in tha¡ª" May stopped herself, again understanding dawning on her. "Why don''t you deliver that yourself?"


    May was evidently notfortable with delivering a dead body to someone else. Her displeasure mirrored his own, which was why he prepared to leave so early.


    "Just tell her, ''I leave it here,'' she''ll understand," leaving those words, he flew out of the camp, riding on his broom.


    It was time to check on what kind of decision the forsaken had made, knowing a human was hunting them.


    Warden flew above the thick canopies and came to the outskirts of the secondyer gate. They certainly had increased the guards, making them actively patrol, circling the space. So they weren''t all oblivious. They had retracted most of the batches they were scouting for humans.


    Well, that would make little difference, anyway, so he didn''t regret that part. Instead, he focused on observing them. He etched his mind with all their behaviour, their habits, who were patrolling at what time, what they were eating. Anything could provide an advantage over the forsaken.


    After a couple of hours of silently observing them patiently, Warden rechecked his stealth and began nting hisndmines for his scripts. It was impossible to nt them anywhere near the gate without getting detected. Thankfully, he had detected a good point near the gate for his ns toe to fruition.


    Warden didn''t antagonise them anymore today that much, only hunted a couple of teams he found on his way back. He actually came across a team lead by Tayl and Cassandra who were hunting down the forsaken. Together, they have managed to take down a team full of orcs, goblins and a troll on their own without much difficulty.


    Well, they were after all the cream of the crops for what the empire had to offer. Warden would have been disappointed if they hadn''t even managed that.


    Young Lord Tayl Alebson didn''t want to leave after just dealing with one team of forsaken, even if that team had over a dozen forsaken. His sess only boosted his fierceness.


    Thankfully, Lady Cassandra was there to etch reasons into the bull-headed noble''s head. She had done well in the expedition, even though she left most of the charge of the battle in Tayl''s hand.


    Satisfied, Warden got back to the camp andpleted his part of the formation.


    It wasn''t hard, only time-consuming work. The hard part would be the infusion of the blood of moonspawn into the formation to create a modified veil. The aura of a moonspawn didn''t have the same effect on forsaken as it had on humans; however, it was still enough to disable them from their sight.


    It took about four hours, and by the time the team had returned, none looked seriously injured or rattled.


    Warden was imbuing the cursed blood, full of dark essence, into the formation for the finishing touch-up to the formation when May joined along with Lady Cassandra.


    Their expression changed immediately when they saw what he was dealing with.


    "Is that..." Lady Cassandra began,


    "Dark essence?" Maypleted for her, her nose wrinkling into an unsightly expression. Just staying near such a source of dark power made her stomach churn and convulse in disgust.


    "Not the real thing, but you got it right," Warden answered. The blood was actually an even more twisted form of dark essence, with some life and death essence embedded in it.


    "Where did you find such a thing?" Lady Cassandra questioned, her expression incredulous. "And why are you dealing with it just fine?"


    Warden wrinkled his brows. "To answer your first question... I was dropped near the region of Moonspawn, and with some great luck, managed to score one against them."


    "You hunted a moonspawn?" May gasped. "You know they are the living embodiment of a dead god, right?"


    "I didn''t do it alone," Warden shrugged. "And the forsaken helped a lot."


    "You haven''t answered the second question," Cassandra said, her nose wrinkling as well. "Why are you fine with handling dark essence?"


    "I''m not fine, though," Warden said with a shrug. "My pain tolerance is just a little high for it to affect me too much. Still, it is making me pretty weak."


    Like, he was weakened by about 12%. Thankfully, both his Void and Radiance essence were great forces against the dark essence. Void could break the twisted essence down to its minuscule particles, while the light was purifying the foreign will of the dead god.


    Still, it would take him a few hours to dispel all the foreign will. As for the pure dark essence?


    It turned out, like Agnes, it did not have much effect on him, either. It was actually strengthening his Void Vanquishing Physique.


    ___________________


    Mass 5/5... Finally done...


    Today''s chaptering upter tonight...

 Chapter 234: Divide

    All the preparation wasplete. Well, as much as could be managed with the rtively tight schedule. But yes, with everything prepared, Warden could clearly see a path to victory.


    Now all that was left was to ensure everyone believed that as well. Victory would be impossible if they weren''t on the same page. So, before they went into battle, it was time for a gathering.


    There were exactly forty-one people who could fight. Forty-one elite iron rankers and seasoned soldiers against close to three hundred forsaken... Looking at the odds, other than Young Lord Tayl, nobody seemed any bit confident.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t his job to ease them into talking. He left that to Lady Cassandra, whom everyone found a pleasant prospect to turn to in times of need. Tayl Alebson,ing from a great family, only knew ofbat and shouting orders, irrespective of whether they''d bepleted or not.


    In contrast, Cassandra was insightful, and everyone seemed to have trusted her, Tayl Alebson included.


    So, Warden simply stood in one corner with May and the others of their crew, leaving the stage in the care of the Sessor of Azalea Valley.


    "As we see now," Lady Cassandra said, tracing her fingers on the roughly made map that Warden had prepared for them, "our odds do not raise confidence against such an overwhelming enemy. Thankfully, we do not n on attacking them straightforwardly. No, we are going to divide and ughter them."


    Eventually, the talk progressed to the battle strategy. Warden had exined everything once morest night to her, and that was too in great detail.


    "Miss Cassandra, what are you really implying?" asked a sergeant ranked soldier from Tayl''s camp.


    "Look here," Cassandra drew her finger on the centre of the map where the gate was located. She drew an imaginary circle with her finger. "The forsaken are located here. Hundreds of orcs and goblins, along with at least forty trolls. Their numbers have surely decreased with all our hunting, but they still hold far too many in their ranks.


    "However, if we all know one thing about the forsaken, it is that... as much as they hate humans or elves, they hate the other races with the same intensity. Orcs and goblins didn''t go one night without bickering... While trolls were dumb... we''re going to use all that. We are going to use that."


    "How?" Tayl Alebson asked the question that was on everyone''s mind.


    "The forsaken do not trust one another," she said. "The situation has be worse among them when they found out the other race was secretly trying to sabotage them."


    "They are sabotaging one another?" May raised an eyebrow.


    Cassandra smiled. "It appears as much to them... After all, the orcs couldn''t just let go when a few of the goblin bombs exploded in their camps, destroying their food and injuring others, nor could the goblins leave it as it was when a dozen of their members were found dead at the hands of orcs."


    Lady Cassandra''s eyes drifted off to meet those of the Janitor for one second, who was really behind the sabotaging and creating a barrier of distrust between the forsaken.


    "As we''re speaking now, the argument between goblins and orcs has reached the point that they won''t work together with one another," she said. "We''re going to use that."


    A silence descended on the gathering as everyone exchanged nces with one another until Tayl Alebson found his voice. "What are you implying?"


    Cassandra smiled and exined the n.


    ***


    Eight hourster, Warden alone crept to the location of the gate while the rest of them took positions around his trap a couple of kilometres away. Warden''s job was to draw the forsaken to the trap. Hopefully, there won''t be a problem...


    He targeted the goblins first. After all, they were the weakest of the bunch. Just to make sure they didn''t suspect anything about the attack, Warden acted naturally. He began his work silently, slitting the throats of a couple of goblins on guard duty.


    The cover of the night provided perfect stealth. The goblins had not even noticed what had hit them before they fell to the ground. Warden did not store away the corpses as he had for thest couple of days. He needed to give them some evidence to grieve over, after all.


    However, he did not stop after just killing a couple of them. After loitering around for a few minutes, he found another few targets a distance away from the vicinity. Goblins are not really thest line of defence but are mostly used for scouting and keeping watch.


    Warden did not know if they were particrly skilled at it or simplycked motivation, as he managed to almost kill the group of four without a hitch. However, he stayed his hand when he noticed one of the goblins bringing out a device to signal others. Warden was familiar with the construct, having a few of them in his subspace as well¡ªtaken as spoils of war.


    He allowed the goblin to fire the signal. A small missile emitting red fire shot up into the air and burst, alerting everyone in the vicinity. The goblin seeded in its endeavour as relief shed on its expression. Warden didn''t hesitate to plunge his sword into its heart. He stood there for a couple of seconds, listening to the chaos brewing in the camps of the forsaken.


    They weren''t so calm now¡­


    He withdrew his broom and rode on top of it, though he did not fly away with it. There was a good chance no orcs or goblins would catch up to him if he left just like that. The trolls stood a small chance, but theycked any qualities to harm him if he just flew dozens of metres above them. The only thing they could do was chase after him.


    So, when he saw the first signs of the forsaken taking note of him, Warden began to move along the surface. He could have run, but why bother when he had the [Bane of the Cmity]?


    "It is the purple-eyed fiend," screeched a goblin. More goblins began to scream at him, shooting their favourite bombs, which barely had any effect on him.


    "We will make you pay for hunting us, purple-eyed fiend! We''ll castrate you, burn you in the fire of a thousand suns... We will..."


    "Catch me first, twat," Warden did not forget to taunt as the broom carried him away. It was a truly humbling experience. He had to move very down to the Earth to give them a chance.


    Within a couple of minutes, there were dozens of goblins after him, even if a dozens of orcs joined them in the chase. After all, Warden had killed a number of their kin, though not as many as the goblins, but it was still a significant amount.


    They did not stop chasing even after Warden increased his speed. To keep their anger and rage blinding them, Warden brought out a bow and began shooting arrows at them. The arrows were nothing like the ones he used to kill a moonspawn. They were carved out of thick ironwood trees and strengthened with a couple of runes.


    Needless to say, in his hands, the weapon possessed considerable strength against the goblins and orcs.


    His first shot sailed through the eye of a goblin, killing it instantly. Its green body fell to the ground, hampering the movement of the goblin behind it. Another arrow shot from Warden''s bow struck the neck of another goblin, though more of them were obstructed by the thick armour they wore. Especially those orcs, they are a more warlike race. A regr arrow was not enough to make them fall.


    Not to mention, he still had to direct the broom and navigate his way through the thick forest.


    The other bombers in the group shot bombs at him. Warden smiled and let the [Void Shroud] protect him from the bombardment.


    He moved faster, at the top of the broom''s speed. The forsaken chased with renewed fervour, screaming curses and throwing bombs at him. The number of them had not reached 100, though it was still close to it. They had simply no idea what he had in store for them.


    There had been a little argument about who would take this role, taking all the goblins'' rage and leading them to the trap. They argued that Warden the janitor, was not suited for the job, yet none of them raised their hand when Lady Cassandra asked for volunteers for the job. Needless to say, the job wasn''t particrly safe, or their expertise warrant them suitable for it.


    Still, Warden had to prove his skill. Young Lord Tayl definitely wanted to take the role, if only he had mastered the broom. Unfortunately, it wasn''t easy to ride this thing. It requires a lot of practice, not to mention expertise in manipting the anti-gravity runes. It was not everyone''s cup of tea.


    A few hundred metres away from the traps, Warden had already seen a couple of soldiers on the lookout, hiding in the trees. With him drawing the undivided attention of the forsaken, none of them were detected. Hopefully, they would not even notice the traps, either. Warden did not really have high hopes for the forsaken, after all, their cognitive ability towards spiritual things was quite dull.


    Warden did not decrease his speed and led the forsaken into the traps. The ground below their feet undted as the surface disappeared immediately. Dozens of forsaken fell into therge pit they had created, while Warden flew away.


    But that was not all.


    "Cole, activate the formation mark!" Warden shouted.

 Chapter 235: Slaughter (1)

    An imprable cover of darkness formed within the pit, severing the forsaken from their reliable senses. Their eyes could not see, ears failed to hear, noses were of no use, and even some skin sensations eluded them.


    "They actually fell for it," shouted a soldier, armed with his bow and arrow, along with a couple of dozen others.


    "Less talking, get to the business," Lady Cassandra ordered. There was something in her voice thatpelled the soldiers to obey. "Take positions and shoot."


    She didn''t need to tell them twice. They showered the pit with arrows, one after another. Just as the istion of the barrier impeded the forsaken, it also obscured their view as well. A nket of thick darkness covered the face of the pit. Thankfully, they did not need sight to aim. The pit was filled with goblins and orcs cramped in a small space, their senses and supernatural abilities disabled.


    A blind man could shoot and score a kill.


    It appeared not all the forsaken had fallen into the pit. About a dozen more, who were at the back, were safe from the same fate theirrades had encountered. Well, not for long.


    Lady Cassandra shot in their direction and shouted. It was barely audible, but instantly, all of the forsaken''s eardrums burst open with greenish blood oozing out. The few standing at the very front of her sonic bombardment fell unconscious, their green skin tearing apart, muscles spasmed.


    Lady Cassandra directed her sonic attack to thrust the remaining forsaken into the pit for the others to deal with.


    Warden stood with his broom near the opening of the pit, not just holding it but ready for action. If a forsaken managed to crawl its way up, he''d leapt upon it to either slitting its throat, busting open its skull, or sending it back into the pit. Tayl Alebson and a few others joined in this endeavour.


    While a single arrow was insufficient to kill the orcs or goblins d in thick metallic armours, they would not be fortunate for long as an arrow or two would eventually find purchase in their skull or an exposed part of their body.


    The couple dozen archers, assisted by another dozen in loading their quivers, relentlessly shot arrows for more than 5 minutes. Due to the istion barrier blocking their view and sound, they could not see the results of their attack nor hear the screams of the goblins. But most of them were soldiers, ustomed to following orders.


    In about 5 minutes, they had discharged more than 1,200 arrows. They were prepared to shoot more, but Lady Cassandra finallymanded them to halt their attack.


    The shooting ceased as each of the archers blindly wiped the sweat from their arms and faces, their eyes fixed on the pit.


    Finally, a small figure, covered in slimy blood, mbered out of the pit, an arrow protruding from its back. None attacked it as it moved in wobbly steps, its eyes, finally free from the confinement of darkness, found the humans around it.


    It screeched horrifyingly, then copsed to the ground, dead.


    [Essence harvested.]


    [+1.5 Strength.]


    [...]


    The rewards in essence harvest came with the fall of the goblin. Cheers erupted among the soldiers with the notification of their rewards. They had done it. They had indeed aplished it.


    Given there were 41 of them, the rewards had not been as staggering as expected, with everyone gaining one or two points in strength and dexterity. Yet, they could not help but wonder about the attribute points they might have amassed had it been only one of them who achieved such a feat.


    "You will get more chances to celebrate," Lady Cassandra said, turning to the adept Runesmith. "Cole, disable the formation."


    The dark cover was lifted from the pit as Cole deactivated the isting formation with the array mark given to him. The foulness of the array dispersed, rifying their view.


    In the pity the dozens of forsaken that had threatened their lives, arrows protruding from their bodies; some bore a couple of them, others a dozen, but the oue was the same. The sight was revolting, so many dead, their eyes wide open in shock and dread.


    Warden did not linger at the scene. He mounted his broom and ascended.


    "More of the forsaken will being soon," he announced. "Onwards to the next location."


    After all, this pit was no longer usable without clearing the bodies, which would take at least a couple of hours and risk revealing their tactics to the forsaken. Fortunately, there was no need to wait, as Warden had already prepared another pit to strike another significant blow to the forsaken ranks, located a couple of kilometres north from here.


    The archers gathered their bows and arrows, marching quickly. Having already used more than 1,200 arrows, they had approximately 800 more. They knew these would not suffice against the stronger prey, the orcs. But it would certainly be enough to weaken them and cull their numbers.


    Flying at top speed, Warden was the first to arrive at the second pit. One could not see the pit until falling into it, and even then, their senses would be nullified. He retrieved a couple of the goblins'' emergency signals.


    Warden fired at both of them, one after another, and waited.


    He rested his broom and stood atop the camouged pit. The weight of a person alone was not enough to break it open. The first to arrive was a group of Orcs, apanied by four huge trolls standing over three metres tall.


    Warden frowned, certainly a smaller crowd than he had hoped for. Were there more of them in the back, stilling?


    Only a dozen or so Orcs fell into the trap, which could not be used to its fullest advantage. Thus, Warden flew before they could enter the vicinity of the pit and tried to obstruct their path. Considering they were after his life and unaware of their fate, it wasn''t particrly difficult.


    Unfortunately, even after spending a couple of minutes, even when most of the soldiers and archers joined and took positions, only another dozen or so Orcs joined the ranks of the forsaken.


    Warden shot another emergency signal, but to no avail; no more forsaken joined in their quest to kill him.


    The realisation struck him after a while. The forsaken''s main job was not to hunt the humans but to obstruct their entry into the secondyer. They could achieve their goal just by guarding the gate. There was no need to chase after some mysterious, suspicious, purple-eyed man who had already sessfully killed many of them using his traps and tyrannical powers.


    Finding no other way, he decided to run along with his few enemies. Still, they would likely be more difficult to deal with than the Goblins.


    "Be prepared; it won''t be easy!" he eximed.


    Warden fought the forsaken, barely holding on without deploying most of his abilities, as he began to withdraw. They probably thought he could not keep them at bay much longer, but in truth, Warden was leading them into the pit.


    He kept a Tier 2 anti-gravity script in his hand as he reached the proximity of the pit. There were marks on the ground, but Warden could detect the formation just with his awareness. He had done most of the work inying them out, after all.


    Using the anti-gravity runes, he stood just a centimetre above the ground, undetected to the eyes of the forsaken. He hovered in the centre above the pit. The forsaken followed.


    The mouth of the pit opened like the maw of a great cosmic beast as the dozens of forsaken fell into it. Their numbers in the back managed to halt their movement in time, but they had not noticed a solitary figure approaching from behind. Hell, even Warden himself had not noticed her until now.


    Lady Cassandra stood in her blue and white dress and screamed. An ungodly amount of ultrasonic waves thrust into the remnants of the forsaken, plunging them into the pit. The trolls screamed in agony; the force of the ultrasonic wave was not enough to fling them into the pit, but it had done much damage to their dull brains and ears. Their skin swelled red and tore.


    Sadly, their Regeneration power worked up and healed all the injuries. Their ears were renewed, though they looked as pissed as hell.


    There are seven trolls in thepany, and only four of them fell into the pit, which was now covered in the impending doom of dark essence. The archers had already begun shooting arrows at them when a troll burst out of the pit, arrows sticking all over its body. Freed from the confinement of the darkness, it narrowed down at the enemies and charged towards the ranks of the archers.


    "Crap!" Warden cursed as he shot to obstruct its advancement. "Do not break the formation," he told the archers as six of the rankers, along with Lady Cassandra and Tayl Alebson, came to take care of the trolls.


    Troll would be the most difficult for them, Warden knew that. Even if he managed to blind their senses, the power they held was unbearable. Killing them with arrows was nigh impossible unless your arrow struck through their skull without giving them a chance to recover.


    Unfortunately, none of the archers had that kind of expertise in their archery. Half of them did not have much skill in archery at all.


    _____________


    Well, the mass went underwhelming. It came at a horrible timing. The release rate actually got worse than a regr release. Sigh... I''ll see what I can do... Thanks...

 Chapter 236: Slaughter (2)

    Even for Warden himself, trolls provided a tough challenge. He had once killed seven of them on his first day of joining the army. The battle had taken away all of his reserves. However, he has grown since then. While he still could not battle them with raw physical power, they could not match his void energy and baleful intent any more.


    Thankfully, there weren''t many silver-ranked trolls, and even if there were, their regeneration power was suppressed to Iron rank.


    Warden hoped everyone was too busy with their fight to notice him as he brought out the Divider. The sleek de lengthened into two metres as purple smoke spilt out of it. He severed through the arm of the troll he was fighting. Blood spilt like a fountain as he flipped over the Forsaken to attack its skull.


    The troll managed to block the attack with its club as Warden managed to draw its wrath away from the rank of the archers.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t so lucky in avoiding all of his blows. Trolls were strong and fast, but they were fairly predictable in terms of attack. Warden bided his time for a dozen blows before slitting its throat. Hepletely beheaded it, just in case.


    The others were managing fine, though none of them had yet managed to kill a troll. The noble son looked to be the first among them to have the achievement, though Lady Cassandra was keeping two of the trolls at bay. Her attack had enraged thempletely, though it hadn''t threatened their lives at all.


    Although it did threaten their sanity, or whatever was left of it. Even if they could recover their organs, the trolls could not endure their eardrums tearing apart, minds splitting open with the ungodly shriek of a siren with a sane mind.


    Their mental faculties had already deteriorated, and they had be more berserk. Now, they did not care about their target; they only wanted to kill. It would be better if it were the siren in white and blue clothes, but if not...


    A realisation dawned on Warden as Lady Cassandra led the trolls into the pit. Her ultrasonic attack was not nearly strong enough to fling them into it, but she did manage by concentrating her attack on one troll at a time.


    Now, they would kill their own rank. Definitely a masterful scheme¡ªhe would approve of it. Their eyes met for a moment, as he acknowledged with a thumbs up. But he could not let the woman outdo him.


    He moved towards the three warriors who were keeping thest troll at bay, preventing it from marching through the ranks of the archers. With a sneak attack, he drove his de into the back of its neck.


    His intent and merciless void energy shot forth from the de, unleashing a maelstrom of destruction as it nullified all the regeneration powers. Taking their chances, the warriors also flung their weapons into the troll, though his own de had delivered the critical blow.


    That took care of the trolls that were running wild.


    That took care of the trolls that were running wild, as Tayl managed fine with his target.


    The archers expended all eight hundred arrows quite quickly and withdrew under Lady Cassandra''s order. While it looked optimistic that the orcs were wiped out, there was no chance of the trolls killing themselves.


    They had killed three of them; hopefully, this would leave them exhausted enough for them to be dealt with easily.


    With eye contact, she signalled Cole to disable the istion formation, and the view became clear. All four of the trolls were standing, along with a few bloodied orcs. Two trolls were battling one another, while the orcs barely held on against the trolls. Their despair reached a new height when they finally realised they were fighting among themselves.


    Unfortunately, even with all the shouts and orders, the trolls did not listen to any of them. Cassandra enraged two of them beyond the point of no return, while theplete istion barrier, imbued with Moonspawn blood, was enough to impair the other two''s mental faculties.


    The orcs were the first to fall before the four trolls set their eyes on the mastermind of the scheme. They roared and lunged up from the pit in just one attempt.


    "I''m taking that one," Young Lord Tayl said as he shot with his spear towards the troll on his right.


    Warden was about to leave as well, but Cassandra''s words stopped him.


    "Assist me," she said. "We can deal with them fast if we work together."


    Warden understood what she was implying, so he nodded. While her ultrasonic power was enough to keep multiple trolls at bay, it wasn''t enough to kill even one of them. So, it would be a lot easier if she used her abilities to distract the trolls, and Wardenpleted the job.


    Warden could not deal with more than one troll at a time without showing off his Legendary Equipment. June had argued not to use them in front of others, as something like a soul relic held a great position in everyone''s mind. Some people might not be able to keep their greed at bay if they knew he had two and a damaged one with him.


    Miss Cassandra pped her hand as pinpricks of ultrasonic projectiles plunged into the trolls. Although her attacks were concentrated on the trolls alone, Warden had to cover his ears with essence to not be affected by it. While the troll was busy dealing with the ultrasonic attack, Warden shot between its legs, his de plunging into the back of its knee.


    He hadn''t managed to sever the knee, but the wound was serious enough that it would take several seconds to heal. And for those seconds, the troll''s movement would be impaired. Before the troll could turn, Warden lunged up after rolling on the ground. He struck the back of its head, the de plunging into its thick skull.


    The defence of trolls was as tough as orcs, but along with the regeneration power, they possessed a formidable challenge. Unfortunately for them, against the essence of Void, they held only a little challenge.


    Cassandra bombarded its mind with sonic waves, while Warden''s de drilled into it physically. The troll fell on its four limbs, the other one came to its rescue, swinging its club at Warden.


    He didn''t have to ask Cassandra. The siren shrieked at the other troll, keeping it busy from attacking Warden, as he finished up his target with rtive ease.


    [Higher order essence harvested.]


    [+2.1 Recovery.]


    With their numbers dwindling, pressure decreased from their shoulders, as most of them didn''t even need to fight to win against the trolls. To be honest, your regr soldiers could not battle against a Troll, while most of the soldiers here were seasoned and could be called semi-elite, they still fell short of dealing with a troll.


    Warden was weary, though most of it came from overworking thest couple of days. The battle only added to that. But it wasn''t a time for rest orzying around. If he wanted that he would have stayed in the artificer department.


    Warden rode on the back of a mad troll as it did its very best to throw him off. But Warden stuck to it like glue. His de into the back of its skull, a rtively weak spot which could deal a critical blow for it to heal.


    Tayl had dealt with the troll he chose, and now roaring, his body full of blood, his own and the trolls. He jumped to thest one, not caring about to wounds he took. Some might say, not only the trolls that lost their mind in the fight.


    [+0.3 Recovery.]


    "That took care of it," Warden muttered as he retracted his de. He turned to Cassandra who was healing, her face fell, ridden with sweat. "As we have feared not every one of them fell to the trap. . . Half of their numbers still guard the gate."


    Cassandra nodded, she opened her mouth to say something, though no words came out. Instead, she turned in another direction as a woman from Azalea Garden came to stand next to her.


    Cassandra turned to him and began talking with hand gestures.


    "Apologies, I won''t be able to converse conventionally for some time," the woman tranted for her. "Don''t worry, my battle power isn''t hampered, but if I utter any sound now, I won''t be able to keep its frequency within the limit for everyone to endure."


    Warden frowned. "How long will it take for you to recover?"


    "Only a meditation session," the trantor said. "She says confidently."


    "Well, you''ll get just about that much time," Warden said. He found May walking towards them, her eyes searching for injuries she could heal, but Warden was mostly healthy, if not a little weary. "We cannot give the rest of them much time to rearrange their numbers."


    So, about eighty orcs, thirty trolls and a few goblins remained at the gate... It did not look that overwhelming anymore. Warden already had a n in mind, though he wasn''t sure if others would like it. After all, this would take everyone to fight actively and put their lives on the line.


    But before that, it appeared he needed to deal with something else, as he found Tayl Alebson walking towards his direction.


    "You!" he said, his eyes gleaming in the remnant of power. "Who are you?"


    Warden turned to him, wondering if he should distract the fe with the bullshit of an answer. Well, it didn''t hurt...


    "That depends on who asking," Warden answered.


    "Well, it''s me who''s asking," Tayl Alebson sneered.


    "And you are?"


    "Are you kidding me?" the noble''s eyes blinked in disbelief. "You''re telling me you don''t recognise who am I?"


    "I do not recognise most people, do not take it personally," he said. "But yeah, your behaviour shows a type of person I recognise."


    Tayl stared at him, askingly.


    "The privileged," Warden said. "Anyway, Young Lord, you need not involve yourself in the business of this trivial janitor. It''s beneath you. I reckon your time would be better worth it if you use it in talking with your followers. A real leader needed to recognise the needs of his people, no?"


    Warden didn''t wait for the guy to reply and set his gaze towards the pit.


    "Hey, you haven''t answered my question," Tayl Alebson shouted after him. "Nobody crosses me, and leave--"


    "Oi, Cole," Warden didn''t bother to even hear him. "You have collected the array gs from the other pit?"


    "Hey, I''m talking to you?" Young Alebson shouted, storming in.


    Cole looked between the noble and the janitor.He chose to answer the important question. "I didn''t have enough time to collect them all."


    "Well, you have now," Warden said. "Have a few people with you there ande back as soon as possible. As for you Lord Alebson, wouldn''t it be better for you to help everyone instead of hampering our progress? After all, there were still close to a hundred forsaken remaining for us to deal with."


    ___________


    Not promising anything... but will try topensate for the idental fuck-up in my schedule...

 Chapter 237: They Dont Stand a Chance

    A few of the lost forsaken found their way back to them as they were dealing with the aftermaths. Warden didn''t bother with them; he left it to the soldier to deal with and turned his attention to the istion formation.


    He and Cole had extracted the array gs, and now he was preparing to tweak it just a little more for it to have a wider range of effect. It would surely decrease the intensity of the dark essence, but that wouldn''t matter. The istion was already overkill; they could make do with a lot less.


    The work wasn''t difficult; Warden made it so when he prepared the design for it. Now, he simply needed tobine the two formations together. It would be done within a couple of hours.


    "I didn''t think it would go so smoothly," May said.


    They were currently in one rtively serene spot, a hundred or so metres away from the ughter. There were only the five of them. Warden and Cole worked on the formation together, and by together he meant he was synchronising the two parts together, and Cole was doing theborious part of it.


    He had a pretty good hand in runes; with a few months of good practice, perhaps he could bepared to Jenni in terms of runesmithing.


    The guy had a good head too. He didn''t ask too many questions, watched his work silently, and asked questions only when he didn''t understand it.


    Lady Cassandra stillmunicated with hand gestures as her apprentice sister tranted for her.


    "It was smooth, though we hadn''t got the desired effect."


    That attack should have reduced the numbers of forsaken to something they could deal with in a fair fight, but they have more than double that number currently.


    "Well, I didn''t have to heal many people, that''s a win in my book," May said.


    "Unfortunately, it won''t be smooth from here on out," Warden said. "It won''t be a one-sided ughter anymore. The forsaken are protecting the gate zealously; they would not give in easily."


    That brought silence among them as they exchanged nces with one another.


    "You think your n won''t work anymore?" May asked.


    "Not as effectively," Warden husked. He put his mind into the work, but from the look of things, it didn''t appear he would get toplete the array.


    A couple of soldiers came in scurrying, both of them were actually part of Marcus''s crew, which meant they were supposed to only listen to May and Cole on this mission.


    "We have got a problem," said the bulkier one.


    "Young Lord Tayl is going to attack the gate with his crew," said the other.


    Warden frowned and turned to Lady Cassandra, who opened her eyes to meet his gaze.


    "I don''t think he''s stupid enough to do that after everything we have gone through," she said, her voice high-pitched as still pinpricks of supersonic waves escaped from her grasp. But it wasn''t unbearable.


    "He probably was irritated that he could not take enough credit from the battles," May snorted. "So he ran off to prove himself... I hate this type of pompousness."


    A couple of Azalea Garden women came along as well, bringing the news of Tayl Alebson''s departure.


    "How many did he take with him?" Warden asked, leaping to his feet.


    "Um, most of them... I mean, only a handful of people are left."


    The other soldier added, "With the victory, they were all in high spirits and joined Young Lord Tayl after the little speech he had given."


    Warden facepalmed, his mind whirling to consider his options. "Could it be possible that he went to scout, or did his n limit to poking the trolls with his spear?"


    The soldiers exchanged nces before the bulky warrior answered, "Most likely thetter."


    Warden sighed and stored away all the array gs. He brought out the **[Bane of the Cmity]**...


    "Are you going to go after him?" A frown crept onto May''s forehead as she imagined herself following after the foolish lord in his foolish endeavours.


    "Can''t let the dumb sod kill himself, or worse, can''t let him send so many of them to their deaths," Warden said. He rode atop his broom and flew up. "I''ll see what I can do..."


    With that, he shot towards the direction of the gate. In honesty, Warden was too tired to be annoyed about the whole thing. It sure had made him angry, but it wasn''t like the guy asked for anything too much out of them. He was taking his men against overwhelming odds; perhaps most of them would fall in the battle, and Tayl Alebson would finally learn to listen.


    Warden didn''t have high hopes for the young noble, nor did he n on letting him sacrifice over a couple of dozen people. So, he flew as fast as his broom would let him.


    Coming into the proximity of the gate, Warden was slightly surprised at the sight before him. Sure, Young Lord Tayl had already led his men into a battle, but what surprised him was that they weren''t overwhelmed or obliterated yet.


    No, it had nothing to do with the soldiers'' skill or Tayl Alebson''s heroics. The total number of forsaken in the camp had decreased. Instead of the hundred forsaken, no more than half of them remained. Around twenty trolls remained, and most of them didn''t even participate in the battle; rather, they stood stalwart, protecting the entry to the guarding.


    Finally, he understood where the young lord''s confidence wasing from. Still, that motherfucker could have discussed this with everyone before attacking rashly. Even Warden himself never acted this rashly. Well, not with anyone else''s life. For all of Warden''s rashness, they were limited to only himself alone. Because he had a very good idea of what he could handle...


    He wasn''t so sure if they same could be said about Tayl Alebson.


    If this motherfucker only cared about glory...


    The orcs had taken the charge to fend off the humans, along with the help of a few trolls. They had the higher number, but Tayl Alebson was leading from the front, even if his n was foolish to a fault. He had four or five of the forsaken upied with him and wasn''t slowing down. The aura around him had already shifted to a more baleful, bloody song.


    His spear moved in wild arcs, almost touching the realms of the unity realm.


    But the forsaken gave him a tough battle. He had already taken wounds, not that he seemed to care about them. The soldiers that battled were worse off. Ignoring a special few, most of them were in ckfoot.


    Warden didn''te down from the broom and brought out his bow and a quiver full of arrows. His attacks were precise, aiming straight at the skulls of the orcs. In quick session, his arrows pierced through two orcs, killing them.


    Sadly, it seemed there were archers among the orcs as well. As soon as they discovered his location, they began shooting at him. Their aggression towards him didn''t require any more description. After all, he was the Purple-eyed Fiend to them.


    Warden dodged their attacks flying away on his broom. Well, it did take some pressure off the soldiers. Thankfully, within a couple of minutes, Lady Cassandra and her team had joined the battle.


    "You thick-headed fool," May shouted at the young noble who battled against multiple threatening foes. "Do you ever stop to think before you act? How it affected other people, how it..."


    May stopped, finding her words weren''t getting through to him. Tayl Alebson fought with animalistic glee, his eyes shone with a cold re, the more blood and wounds umted on his body. In the end, all she could do was cast a healing light on him. She couldn''t let the stupid sap die...


    It didn''t take long for Warden to understand that the guy had some kind of Berserk-type ability or ss. But the question remained: for how long would he be able to keep this up?


    Warden didn''t need to know. He turned his broom over to find more of the orcs and trolls were joining the fray after the reinforcements arrived.


    Without waiting ceremoniously, Warden intercepted them. In total, there were twenty of the trolls and a few more than that number of orcs, though not all of them decided to join the fray. It seemed like something he could handle on his own.


    Warden had both [Maya''s Protection] and [The Cloak of Void Radiance] on his body. He hadn''t used them much in front of others, but if he used them... these many opponents would not be a problem for him... The only problem was others watching him use the overwhelming skill and abilities of two soul relics...


    Warden turned to find Lady Cassandra and her teaming along to help him.


    "Stay back," he told them and brought out the arrow g. He threw them around as they maically took positions in a huge octagon, surrounding his foes. "I''ll take care of them."


    He activated the formation, and a dome of tangible darkness covered the octagonal space. Without anyone keeping the forsaken at bay, they would shortly find their way out.


    "Don''t be stupid," May shouted from the back.


    "Mister Janitor, you need to consider this very carefully..."


    "I have," he said. Well, not that Tayl Alebson had left him with any choice. "Trust me, they don''t stand a chance."


    Warden shot into the dome of darkness,.


    Even with all his bravado and confidence, this was going to be tough. Thankfully, this was going to be fun as well.


    _______________


    Thanks

 Chapter 238: Chaos Ensues

    "He went in?!" May eximed in disbelief. She didn''t have time to think over the royally stupid decision the janitor had taken as a couple of orcs bolted at her. Even the dullest forsaken understood that taking care of the healer took precedence over everything else.


    May created a ward of divine power, restricting their advances, but they broke through the obstruction, swinging their weapon twice. Thankfully, a couple of sisters from Azalea Garden appeared before her to intercept the orcs.


    "We cannot worry about him," Lady Cassandra said, her voice drifted in a crackle of supersonic waves. "Take care of the problem at hand, and only then can we worry about him."


    "Hold on for a second, you stupid cook," May gritted her teeth. She cast a healing spell on a soldier who had a de drilled into his ribcage. A sister from Azalea went to assist him, while her spell did most of the work of keeping him alive.


    ***


    It wasplete darkness inside the octagonal formation. The Warden couldn''t see anything; the terrible dark essence copsed his sensory system, not to mention it was invading his system¡ªexcept that wouldn''t be a problem.


    The problem would be¡ª


    A hammering thing struck against his body, as he heard a muffled cry, but before the sound could even be registered by his brain, it was muted. The Warden swung his de. It met resistance, which only made him put forth more strength.


    The formation was full of forsaken, even a swing without attempt might find purchase on a forsaken. But that would be royally inefficient.


    The Warden summoned his Radiance power. The light attribute wasn''t enough to threaten the lives of the forsaken unless he put forth everything into it, but it might as well let him have an idea of the forsaken surrounding him.


    A sh of light sparkled in his palm, as a dozen pairs of eyes turned towards it. But then the light began to wane... The dark essence in the air began to devour the radiance power. Considering the intensity of the darkness was way higher, his Radiance power didn''t stand a chance. But it had given him what he required.


    With an idea of where the forsaken stood, the Warden lunged, swinging his de in wild arcs. [The Divider] shaped over two metres long and plunged into the neck of an orc¡ªthe particr obstruction couldn''t be mistaken.


    The Warden swung his de a few more times, severing through the obstruction in his way, ring all his void energy capacity. Only then did he feel something colliding against his back. With his awareness dulled inside the formation, he hadn''t seen iting.


    His radiance essence shed to let him see his surroundings for another couple of seconds. At his feety a few corpses of orcs; he didn''t take note of them and moved on to attack the remaining.


    ***


    "Can you fight?" May asked the wounded soldier.


    "I¡­" The soldier coughed out blood, his chest heaving up and down. The wound had closed, yet dark scarlet blood oozed out with the movement.


    "Don''t move," she said, forcing him down on the ground and casting another healing spell. His skin on the wound renewed; however, his expression hadn''t changed, as his eyes were drawn to the women battling the orcs on the other side of the ward May had constructed. They were protecting them from the orcs until May healed him.


    "How are you feeling now?" May turned his head in her direction. She brought out a healing potion and fed it to him when he opened his mouth to answer. The potion wouldn''t have the same effect as her active healing spell, but considering their situation, she needed to save her power as much as she could. "Okay, can you move now?"


    "I¡­" the soldier tried in a test to get up. "I think I can."


    "Good, help me carry the other wounded," May said. The Azalea sisters had already drawn the orcs in another direction, but they weren''tpletely free. Her barrier was bombarded with arrows from all directions.


    "Cole?" May shouted, unsure where the guy had run off to. "Cole?"


    "What is it?" the adept runesmith of her team shouted back. He was running away from a troll, his expression breaking into an ugly look. How had he drawn the ire of a troll?


    May rubbed her forehead. "Nothing," she said. "Don''t die!"


    "Same to you!" he shouted back, shoving a huge bolt of energy into the face of the troll. The monster didn''t even flinch as its face waspletely grazed by the attack. Blood bubbled up, but in the next moment, it all healed up.


    Cole cursed, his eyes found Lady Cassandra in the chaos. He ran towards her without thinking.


    Even though he was mostly sure thedy was aware of the situation surrounding her, he couldn''t help but shout, "Lady Cassandra!"


    She had been dealing with four or five orcs at a time, flinging them away, bursting their eardrums, or eroding their skin. The masochistic bunch of the forsaken were wholly enraged by her attack and came again to finish her off. Of course, the forsaken didn''t have a good time of it, considering there were four of her sisters protecting her.


    With an exchange of looks, they traded their foes. Cole cast his bolt of energy at the orcs. One of the orcs was caught off guard; no matter how energy-resistant it was, it couldn''t withstand the power of the bolt. The bolt drilled through its body, creating arge inside-out hole. Two other orcs were marginally injured.


    As for the trolls, the five women of Azalea Garden had restricted its path. Cassandra burst open its eardrums, drilling forth her supersonic waves through its nerves, while the others attacked.


    Even with all that, it would take some time to deal with the trolls.


    Then he heard someone of their rank shout, "Look, the gate is unguarded."


    With that, it barely took a few seconds for a couple of them to abandon their station and run towards the unguarded gate.

 Chapter 239: Compulsion

    With a couple of people jumping into the gate of pulsating lights and disappearing, more began to drop the fight and run towards the gate, creating chaos in their wake.


    A few of them got injured in their run as well. They hadn''t seen the arrows of the orc archersing and nowy on the cold ground, arrows struck to their bodies.


    "Sister," one of her sisters called, as Cassandra took note of her surroundings. The little upper hand they had in the battle was washed out by the few who chose to abandon the fight to run towards the gate. The first two had been the catalyst; even now, more were joining them in the foolish endeavour.


    There were even soldiers in the midst of them¡ªthey should be seasoned enough to know what their actions meant. But Cassandra didn''t have high hopes when she saw Tayl Alebson leading his men through the obstruction of the forsaken. His goal, too, was the gate.


    Everyone''s goal was the same. But if they all abandoned their part of the fight, who was going to take care of the forsaken?


    Cassandra felt a headache growing.


    "Sister," her apprentice sister shouted, jerking her mind back to the present problem. They exchanged a look, and she nodded.


    "Everyone, you cannot abandon the fight just yet," she said, forcing out all thepulsive nature of her power. She knew it would be difficult to bend the will of a mass of a couple dozen people, but she found no other way to do it. "We still need to finish off the forsaken... Victory is within our grasp. Do not abandon your post, fearing the battle.


    Your cowardice will cause death and chaos within our numbers... Do not run rampantly... Do not throw away the chance of our hard-earned victory."


    That faltered the movement of a bunch of the soldiers, as they turned back and fought off the forsaken. That would keep them busy for a time. Hopefully, that would be enough to gain victory, or at least a huge upper hand.


    Warden had already taken care of most of the trolls, but half a dozen of them still remained, throwing their enormous weight into the battle. They needed to take care of them first to have a chance of victory.


    "On to the trolls," she charged, magical power and supersonic waves dancing around her followed by a dozen of her sisters.


    ***


    Not many of the forsaken remained, Warden thought. He couldn''t see, but discovering that his de wasn''t meeting obstruction on every move, he was sure he had cut down the numbers of the forsaken by at least half.


    He used a few Anti-gravity scripts to rise in the air and summoned his radiance power inrge bulk. The dark essence in the air sucked in all the light, disabling him from seeing more than a couple of metres in radius around him.


    He needed to see further than to set his target. Streaks of light shed from his palm as it moved through the tangible darkness. Outlines of huge, robust figures of the trolls appeared in his sight. They roared upon seeing the signs of light, with much of their number remaining.


    Warden brought out a small vial of energy regeneration potion and drank itpletely. He charged at the troll nearest to him.


    The troll couldn''t see the de swinging its way but instinctively hurled its limbs. It missed by arge margin, he could tell, with the tangible darkness shifting along the terrible arm strength of the troll.


    Warden rode atop its arm and plunged his de from the upper right. It struck the skull of the troll; the tough obstruction was evidence enough. Warden pushed forth his intent and more void essence as they drilled through the skin of the forsaken, destroying through all its defences.


    Void energy infected the troll as the de dug into its skull. It roared, struggling against the Purple-eyed fiend. Warden leapt up from its arm, bursting out with more strength.


    [Higher-grade essence harvested.]


    [+8.5 Recovery.]


    [+7.9 Strength.]


    [Congrattions! Your Strength has reached the Silver rank threshold of 150 points. Your physical power has reached a new height; you have gained slight impunity to attacks lower than silver grade.]


    ****


    "Young Master Tayl," Cassandra shouted at the youngncer charging towards the gate, after killing two trolls in his wake. "You cannot leave like that."


    Some might argue that he yed his part by ying half a dozen orcs and two trolls, not to mention the dozens of forsaken he left wounded. However, all of it was his fault to begin with, and the battle was far from over.


    "You''re not getting through to him," her apprentice sister said. Nobody was getting through to the man. His whole body was covered in wounds and discoloured blood, red, purple, and green mashed together to make a dark colour. His expression was enraged, eyes bloodshot as he broke through the encampment of the forsaken to draw towards the gate. "Use your voice."


    Cassandra thought twice before nodding. There was no other way. Many would be heavily injured and fall if the guy left with his group.


    "Tayl Alebson!" she shouted. "Do not leave before ending what you started!"


    The berserkncer stopped in his tracks, as he turned towards her. At first, a look of rage shed across his face, but then recognition shone in his eyes. He red at her. Cassandra knew that look. Nobody liked to feel apelling tug at the back of their mind without their will. That was why she always tried to mould their subconsciousness before using tiny specks ofpulsion to pave her way.


    Unfortunately, Tayl Alebson did not leave her with any other choice to brute force her way. While it was ineffective on arger scale, she could¡ª


    "YOU!" the young noble growled. "You cannotpel me into doing your bidding. None of you can!"


    His feet were heavy, but he walked on towards the gate leaving those words.


    "You stupid ass of a man! Take responsibility for what you have caused!"


    ______________


    A short scene (that I forgot to write before) had been added at the end of the chapter titled as ughter (2)... if you still don''t get it, clear cache of the app and check again...

 Chapter 240: Loss

    Warden sat down on a heap of corpses, his heart restless, his chest heaving up and down in rhythmic exhaustion. The surrounding still reigned in darkness; he didn''t even have an ounce of power to lift off the formation. It would have been a lot easier had he done it from outside, but the solution wasn''t the same for one to do it from the inside.


    He spat a mouthful of blood and saliva, surging with his radiance essence to recover from the worn-out state. His radiance essence had weakened considerably, wishing if he could just eat raw quintessence of light to gain back the lost power. But that was as foolish an endeavour as any.


    [Higher grade energy harvested!]


    [14.3 Recovery.]


    [1.4 Dexterity.]


    [1.2 Spirit.]


    "Cheh!" he squeaked, feeling the rush of new essence. Perhaps in a minute or two, he would be in the state of fighting again. "But there ain''t time to rest yet¡­"


    The recovery potion wouldn''t do in a small amount of time, considering he had taken three of them in thest five minutes. So, he simply had to find May and ask her to do the honour. But to get to her¡­


    Warden focused on the Will he had on the array gs and forced out a little of his awareness¡ªas much as his spirit let him. He actually could feel it now; it felt like a small bird trapped in some fragile cage. It could break free from the traps of the cage, but the bird wouldn''t survive the harsh nature of outside.


    His senses picked up on a dozen of the array gs out of the thirty-two. He stood up and trudged his way to the closest one. On second thought, using the Anti-gravity runes might be easier¡­


    Thinking that, he flew onto the array g. He wondered why they call it a g, considering it was more like a pole. No time for musing¡­


    Warden fished his palm in the dark and found the metal pole, or rather the poles, four were ced together. The exhaustion hadn''t dulled his mind enough that he would fall to pulling up the gs because, with his current strength, it would hardly do it.


    But then again, even with his full power, it would be difficult to pull up an active true tier-3 formation, empowered by tier-5 and 4 runes. The constant force of the formation would work against his force to keep itself rooted.


    Instead, Warden infused a trickle of his energy and let his neophyte awareness sink into theplicatedyers of scripts. He found the essence source rather quickly and cut off the connection.


    That particr array g was disconnected from the formation. But that didn''t mean the formation stopped working. It could have if some half-arsed runesmith designed it, but no, even under terrible time constraints, Warden made sure the formation would work even if part of it was disabled.


    It would be a terrible example of hard work if the forsaken could just disable the whole formation by breaking through just one of them.


    He did the same for the three other connected poles connected to the disconnected pole as well. It had taken away the little amount of energy he had recovered. How many of them had he killed...


    The array formation did not stop working, but it had be a heptagonal formation from an octagonal one, separating Warden from its istion.


    Unfortunately, no bright light assaulted his eyes¡ªit was the same week-old darkness of the subspace, though his stress was relieved a lot, just by getting out of the istion empowered by dark essence.


    He blinked a few times, making sure he was seeing right, and cast his gaze around. Corpsesy on the outside as well, though there were fair numbers of humans among them as well. It wasn''t even long, and Warden had already seen four of them close to where he stood, leaning on **[The Divider]**.


    "May," he croaked.


    "You!" a new voice returned. Warden turned his head to find Cole. The guy had been tinkering on the array g the whole time, though he hadn''t had the right amount of experience to disable it forcefully. "You''re alive."


    Warden opened his mouth to say something but found the guy as worn out as he was, with a heavy wound on his torso, attire torn up, skin pale and swelling. "You too."


    The fight had already ended, and the group of women and soldiers gathered in one corner. May was likely tending to the wounded there. He found Lady Cassandra meditating in one corner, two women stood by her side, and many others in a simr meditation state, as though readying themselves for another fight.


    A dead body of a couple of womeny among them; they were too exhausted to even start mourning over the loss.


    "How the hell did it turn out like this?" Warden wondered. When he left them, there were less than ten trolls and three times the number of orcs¡ªit shouldn''t have killed more than a couple of them.


    Warden crept forward into the group. May looked up from the soldier she was tending, and her eyes found him. She stood up and scurried towards him.


    "Are you alright?" she said after casting a general healing spell. "Gods, you look awful."


    "I''m fine," Warden said, catching her arm before she could begin searching through them for any wounds. "I''ll heal fine. What happened here, where are the rest of them? Did they..."


    "Unfortunately, nine of us have fallen," she said, her voice turning softer. "Over a dozen seriously injured."


    "How?" he asked, sounding incredulous. "I thought that we could have..."


    "Hold our own against the forsaken," Maypleted for him. She gritted her teeth to continue, "That we did, for a couple of minutes, until Lord Tayl decided to run on his own. Because you took down most of the forsaken that were protecting the gate, he and his minion hardly had a problem fighting off the remainder.


    He jumped into the gate after taking care of the few, leaving us outnumbered in our plight."

 Chapter 241: Answer

    Warden stared at her absently as he heard her. He didn''t know what to think of it. Calling it utter nonsense would be an understatement... to think there would be such a stupid individual in the rank of leader...


    "Not only that, his actions drove others to abandon the fight and aim for the gate. It was chaos within our ranks... half of them died just because they abandoned their position... can you believe it?"


    Warden actually could. Motherfucker!


    "Lady Cassandra tried her best, but they were relentless once they outnumbered us. Still, because of her, we still managed to gain victory with nine losses of lives."


    "I should have dealt with my fight quicker," he admonished silently. He shook his head and let May lead him into the group. He was too exhausted to beat himself up for issues that weren''t his fault.


    He bent his back slowly and rested on the cold ground. His exhaustion couldpare to what he felt like when he woke up face down near the stream. It was as if all the tiredness and stress he had built up aftering to the front lines welled up after getting a chance.


    Warden had been wondering for how long he could go on. It turned out the answer was not even a second more.


    On second thought, heid t on the ground and didn''t know when his eyes closed as he fell asleep.


    ***


    "Are you done yet?" May asked, sounding more irritated than she should.


    "Just give me a minute," Cole said, without looking back at her. He had been crouched down on the array g for over half an hour, trying to disable the formation so they could collect it back and leave for the secondyer.


    "You have said the same thing twice," May said. "Say you cannot finish up, I can just go call the Janitor."


    Cole clenched his teeth, her words only proving his ipetency. But Cole didn''t deserve that. Really. He had fought as hard as anyone, the number of forsaken he killed was within the top 5. The fight had exhausted him greatly, or else, should it have taken him this long to disable a formation he helped build?


    "Look, the control panel of this formation is a Tier-5 one," Cole said, gritting his teeth. His fingers kept on tinkering with the runes with a scriber stylus. "Even when I''m full of myself, it would take me at least an hour or two to disable it. But now, I''m trying to disable it without damaging the runes. Do you know how difficult that is?"


    "So, you''re saying, I should wake up the Janitor?" May asked, grinning.


    Cole snorted. "Do whatever you want, just leave me, you''re only making it harder for me."


    "Is there any problem?" asked a new voice. Lady Cassandra''s trantor, if May wasn''t wrong, her name should be Koyel, an Imanian woman by features, though her behaviour didn''t give away any hints. Lady Cassandra stood beside her, looking pale as ever, her clothes dirtied with blood and grime.


    "No, no, just give me a little more time," Cole said quickly, before May could open her lips.


    "Well, take your time," Lady Cassandra was back with signnguage again as Koyel exined it to them. "I don''t feel like any of the forsaken woulde down from the sky ore back from the gate for that matter to attack us. Besides, most of us are exhausted."


    Cole nodded and went back to his work.


    "I n on sending a couple of us to scout the secondyer just in case," Cassandra continued with her hand signs. "There were only half of the numbers of the forsaken when Tayl Alebson attacked. We cannot discount them hiding in the secondyer to sneak attack us."


    "But if that was true, then Tayl Alebson..." May let the words end there. She didn''t know if she should be happy or sad at the revtion, but with the rage still fresh in her mind, she couldn''t care less about whether the ass of a noble lives or dies.


    She knew it wasn''t a productive thought, not for a healer, but she couldn''t help it recalling how he abandoned them, acting all arrogant.


    "Lady Cassandra," May turned to her. "Do you think¡ª"


    "I got it," Cole shouted. "Haha, why didn''t I see it before, it''s so stupid of me..."


    May turned to him. "So I don''t have to wake up the Janitor?"


    Cole clicked his tongue. "Just give me a¡ª" he stopped himself from repeating himself for the fourth time. He went back to his work, and within a few seconds, the darkness began to unfold.


    It didn''t disappear into the array gs but dispersed into thin air slowly, after the formation was disabled.


    Then finally, the scene of whaty inside unfolded before their eyes. Cole whistled. "Well, I''ll be damned!"


    "It''s like we''re squabbling children when..." Koyel said, in her own words. She went into a heap of corpses to make sure she wasn''t seeing things.


    May had her palm pressed against her mouth and nostrils, disbelief in her eyes. The ground was the colour of discoloured blood of the forsaken, as severed limbs and beheaded headsy like vegetables. Then there were a few heaps of corpses. May didn''t think he had time to put them in a heap, but the sheer number of them he dealt with on his own.


    Over a couple of dozen orcs, while the number of trolls was more than that¡ªthe sheer number of enemies was more than enough to wipe them off if he hadn''t restricted their path. Hell, he didn''t just restrict their path...


    May turned to look where the Janitor slept soundly, hardly any signs of the violence remained on him.


    Lady Cassandra began talking with hand signs again.


    "I remember asking him..." Koyel tranted. "That if he would act as a janitor when people''s lives were in danger... I guess we have an answer now."


    _____________


    The battle is not over...

 Chapter 242: Second Layer

    "They aren''t returning, are they?" May said, biting her lips.


    Lady Cassandra had her eyes glued to the gate the entire time. It had been over a quarter of an hour since they sent two of them to scout ahead. Their instruction was to jump in ande back after just getting the vibes of the surroundings. There was no need for a more thorough observation.


    Unfortunately, neither of them had returned. None of them thought the two were irresponsible or didn''t know how to takemands. Hell, one of them was a woman from Azalea Garden.


    "We cannot wait much longer," Lady Cassandra opened her mouth for the first time since the battle.


    "I''ll alert everyone," Koyel said and ran towards where the wounded people were resting.


    Warden lurched up to sit upright abruptly, as though he had had a bad dream. He blinked a couple of times and turned to face them. He crept towards them.


    "How long was I asleep?" he asked, checking his skin.


    "It''s barely been a couple of hours," May said, taking a deep breath.


    "I have withdrawn all the array gs while you were asleep," Cole said hesitantly. "Would you mind if I study them for a little longer?"


    Warden seemed like he was about to agree, but then he turned towards Lady Cassandra. "Talk to her about it."


    May shook her head. The guy hade back to his persona again, unaware that more than half of his deeds were clear in their eyes.


    "Is there any problem?" He asked, creeping closer to the gate. "I thought people would be jumping into the gate after everything they had been through."


    May exined to him why they were so hesitant about jumping into the gate without any preparation. It appeared it had urred to him that the forsaken might be on the other side of the gate as well.


    "That''s a valid reason to hesitate." He crouched down next to the gate, cleaning the rubble off the metallic gate frame to look at the scripts. Obviously, most of the runes were hidden from observers'' eyes, but there were instructions written in an ancient runenguage. "Hmm, this is a one-way Teleportation gate. We cannote back through this."


    A silence descended among them, as everyone exchanged looks.


    "Are you sure about that?" Lady Cassandra asked.


    Warden nodded. "There''s possibly other ways to leave the subspace in the secondyer, or theyer after that... Don''t worry, people havee back alive out of here."


    So it turned out they were worrying about nothing. The reason their scouts couldn''te back was that the gate was the only way in. They were likely safe, and hadn''t found any way back. Hopefully.


    With that, everyone joined in a small line and began jumping into the teleportation gate.


    Bright sunlight assaulted her eyes as May found herself in somece else after she jumped into the teleportation gate. Finally, some freaking sunlight. Her spirit was lifted immediately. The suppression was still there, but the disgusting nature of the ambient energy had changed into something purer.


    She felt like she was alive again, her skin colour turned a healthier shade even without doing anything on her part. Perhaps a day or two here, and she would recoverpletely.


    Then she found her otherpanions. Thankfully, the warp gate hadn''t spread their teleportation points. They were all together, even those who entered before them were here, and so were the ones who entered through other gates.


    So, not only was the damnable heir of Alebson there, but the forsakens too, along with all the other humans who safely entered through the other gate, which included the Imperial Prince and Princess. But it appeared they hade to a truce for the time being, as humans and the forsakens were camped on two different sides.


    Her eyes wandered to look for her crewmates, but she didn''t have to search for long as she heard her name being called.


    "May," it was Marcus, "Cole."


    He came running, along with Pierce, and embraced her and them to Cole. He smelled of blood and weariness, but he was mostly fine, only flesh wounds haunted his body.


    "Thank gods, you''re all alright."


    "You too," May said. "Did you find Chae and Ken?"


    Marcus''s expression soured immediately. "Unfortunately, no..."


    "Hopefully, no misfortune has befallen them," May prayed.


    "What''s the deal with the forsaken?" the Janitor asked.


    Marcus lifted his head to shoot a surprised look at the Janitor. He left everything for Pierce to announce.


    "We''re on a very delicate bnce," Pierce said, his eyes drawn to the ranks of the forsaken. There were a couple of hundred of them, only a few dozen trolls, while most were orcs¡ªgreen and red-skinned, divided by the trolls. Lastly, there were some diminutive goblins. "There had been more of them in the beginning, but we had to break through their obstruction to enter the secondyer.


    Even then, we found more than a couple of asions."


    "How is the truce established?"


    "Calling it a truce is an overstatement... Let''s just say that the Imperial Prince and the authoritative figures of the forsaken came to terms that they wouldn''t wipe each other out until they gained whatever they could from the inheritance ground."


    "That seems very..." May didn''t know what to say.


    "Reactionary?" Marcus tried to help. "Ultimately, neither of the two parties wants to die... While the battle is inevitable, both parties wee the idea of biding their time to gain an upper hand, likely through receiving some gifts from thisyer."


    May could only nod. Then her eyes found Lady Cassandra walking alone towards where Tayl Alebson rested. Her eyes were firm, though veins in her forehead bulged out as her aura curled the natural energy around her.


    She stood before him, supported by four of her sisters. Tayl Alebson met her gaze, equal part antagonism evident in them.


    "I hope you have yed everything in your head before you decided to abandon the fight."


    ______________

 Chapter 243: No Infighting

    Warden searched through the crowds to find Captain Agnes''s silent figure. She stood next to the Imperial Prince, who meditated in the middle of his group.


    Agnes''s sixth sense picked up on it. She met his gaze, though didn''t acknowledge it, as they had nned. The woman next to her, however, wasn''t the same.


    Jenni''s health seemed to have improved significantly, as she stood without any visible injuries. Her expression brightened too, as she waved her hand in his direction.


    Warden didn''t reply. She snorted and asked permission from the captain before making her way in their direction. She found Lady Cassandra first, the person who had taken her into the subspace. However, Cassandra didn''t even see her as she made her way towards where Tayl Alebson rested.


    "What''s this about?" Jenni asked the other women from Azalea Garden. They told her to be silent.


    She trudged her way to him and repeated the question.


    "Just listen," Warden whispered.


    Lady Cassandra red up at Tayl Alebson, capturing all his attention.


    "I hope you have yed everything through in your head before you decided to abandon the fight."


    Tayl Alebson stood up, towering a head taller than her. "I have not abandoned any fight," he barked. "I won it."


    Lady Cassandra stared at him unblinkingly. "Wow," she said, incredulous, finding no falsehood in his voice. "You must bepletely delusional to believe that."


    "Your tricks won''t work on me, witch," he said, spitting next to Cassandra''s feet. "From the first day, you came into my camp, you tried to control me, nudging me in the direction where I would have to resort to underhanded schemes and flee from battle. No! That is not my way. I face my enemy head-on and let them meet the tyranny of my spear. You won''t find me a good enemy, Azalea witch."


    Saying that, he went back to rest without caring what Lady Cassandra had to say.


    Warden stared at the man, a frown creeping across his brows. It was very possible for this guy to be delusional, but he wasn''t stupid. Notpletely. However, he was immensely immature, petty, and delusional enough to believe everything revolved around him.


    Tayl Alebson wasn''t necessarily evil, but he was the type of brat who would make rash decisions without considering what the consequences might be for others. The consideration of others never crossed the minds of people like him.


    "Really, what did the guy do?" Jenni whispered from next to him. "You''re looking at him as if you''re watching a dead man."


    Warden shook his head.


    The Imperial Prince stood up at that time, awakening from his meditation. He rubbed his forehead and seemed to know what it was all about after looking around a little. He turned to Lady Cassandra and Tayl Alebson. "No infighting until we get out of this ce."


    Cassandra nodded, showing no visible sign of disagreement. She turned to Tayl Alebson. "I hope you can remain with your delusional conviction till the end of it."


    With that, she returned to finally meet up with Jenni. Warden left them to talk and joined his crew. Marcus was about to exin how the secondyer was ying out. Captain Agnes had already ryed most of what she knew to him, so he didn''t need any further information. However, since the team leader called, he had no choice but toply.


    "There are various types of trials present," Marcus said. "No matter your ss, there''s something to challenge your expertise. However, the trials aren''t solely for individuals. There are trials we can attempt in groups too. Also, one can only participate in three trials, other than the final trial, which we all must attempt together to get a chance to enter the nextyer."


    "How manyyers are there?" May asked. Marcus''s group had entered a day earlier; it was likely they knew more about this inheritance space than her.


    "Most likely, three," Marcus said. "We do not know for sure. Anyway, the individual trials depend on the participant''s qualities. You cannot know for sure what you''ll encounter until you enter."


    "So if I enter, what kind of trial should I expect?" May asked.


    "You''re a healer, so it''s likely something healing-rted," Pierce said. "Remember, your life is at stake here... Many who entered have not returned. So, don''t hesitate to give up."


    Warden wondered what kind of trial he would have. Something to improve his racial gift would be most wee, though he didn''t think this ce had any connection to the celestial ways.


    "You don''t have to tell me that," May snorted. "Anyway, did you guys take part in it?"


    Marcus nodded. "I had to fend off demonic creatures to save a vige on my own. It was the toughest seven days for me. But considering the rewards, it was worth it."


    "Seven days?"


    "The time dtion inside the trials is significant," Pierce said. "I actually spent close to a month on my attempt."


    "What kind of trial did you have that required a month?"


    "It involved strategising," Pierce said, heaving a sigh. "Veryplicated politicking stuff in some ancient kingdom, which I had no knowledge of prior to entering the trial. Even though I failed, it was fascinating. All of it felt so real..."


    "You failed?" May couldn''t help but grin.


    "Shut up," Pierce snorted. "You have no idea what I went through. Fighting is one thing, but that... I still get goosebumps thinking about how it ended."


    "Is there any news on the essence vein?" Warden asked. "I mean, is it like a reward in the trial?"


    It was Marcus who answered. "Actually, yes. I was given three options for rewards, and six hours of meditation in an essence-rich pool was one of them."


    "You didn''t take that, did you?" May said, more of a statement than a question.


    "Obviously not," Marcus said. "All my attributes have been saturated; any help from the essence vein is of little help to me."


    "Anyway, enough talking..." Pierce said. "You guys should prepare to meet your nightmares."

 Chapter 244: Elysian

    The entry to the trial exuded a vibe distinct from that of a dream chamber. Inside a virtual dreamscape, one is somewhat aware of being in a different space, isted from reality, where only one''s mind performs tasks. However, the space he found himself in did not differentiate between illusion and reality.


    It was different, yet just another reality where all his faculties needed to be utilised to progress further.


    [Wee to Elysian.]


    [Your trial is to climb the mountain path ahead of you to reach the peak. If you seed, the immortal residing there will grant you a wish.]


    [You can surrender in your quest. Surrendering will eject you out of Elysian, but falling here may have dire consequences worse than death.]


    "Well, that didn''t sound ominous at all," he muttered, inspecting his surroundings. Verdant greenery was everywhere, surrounding the mountain slope that stretched away. Countless mountain peaks extended as far as his eyes could see. The tallest of them all stood before him, its white cliffs full of ice and snow.


    However, the chilly wind or ice sensation did not reach him at the foot of the mountain. It was a warm and serene environment here, with the ambient energy and essence in perfect bnce. Warden simply wanted to lie down to rest for a while.


    The trial hadn''t mentioned any time limit, and though he did have to return, the time dtion should ensure that only a little time had progressed outside the trial zone.


    He looked around, searching for a ce to take shelter, but when he finally took his first step, he realised it wasn''t all sunshine and rainbows in this trial.


    Half of his essence was suppressed the moment he took that step. Warden frowned and took another step. Thankfully, the suppression was limited to half of his essence. For now.


    "There goes my n to rest for a while," he mumbled, beginning to creep up the mountain slope.


    He hadn''t taken a dozen steps when goosebumps crawled up his arms. Without thinking, he lurched on his feet as a de of wind swept below him, missing him by mere inches.


    "Holy shit! What was that?" he turned but found no sign of the de of wind. It had dispersed after missing him.


    Warden examined his surroundings once more, looking for any signs of formations or traps he might have activated unknowingly, but even after searching for over a quarter of an hour, he found nothing.


    That attack couldn''t just be a natural urrence here, could it? he thought. The sheer speed and sharpness with which the wind had swept towards him was enough to cause a thick, fleshy wound.


    Perhaps Elysian was more mysterious than I had anticipated.


    Warden resumed his walk, this time alert for any sneak attacks or phenomena like the de of wind. As he had expected, within a couple of minutes of his movement, the de of wind swept down on him again.


    This time, it came from his right, thrusting at an acute angle, no more than 45 degrees. Its speed increased as it descended upon him, but he had timed his jump perfectly to avoid any contact with it.


    Unfortunately, another wave of des followed that. It came from a simr direction but at an obtuse angle. Warden tried to lurch in the air, but its effectiveness proved insufficient to dodge the de of wind.


    The power of the attack hurled him into the air, flinging him back to where he had started, erasing all his progress on the path.


    Warden managed to avoid falling on his backside, instead flipping over andnding on his feet. He touched the spot where the de of wind had crashed into him; blood bubbled up from the wound. It had pierced his defences to create the fleshly wounds.


    Although it would take no more than a minute to healpletely, Warden felt a headache burgeoning. His cloak and light armour appeared unchanged, but none of their functions worked. It was likely he was wearing them merely for decoration. Honestly, very few attacks could prate their defence as long as he had the energy to channel. Perhaps that''s why the trial disabled them.


    The impact hadn''t been any softer, either. As far as he was concerned, only the likes of Captain Agnes had a chance of avoiding a blow like that, and that too by using Wings of Darkness.


    Well, if his cloak and light armour were functional, he could have avoided that using [Void Shroud]. But with his energy suppressed by half, he wondered how long he couldst on the path. The mountain path seemed to stretch over fifty miles.


    Warden set off again, this time fully in battle mode. He prepared an Anti-gravity script as he bolted across the slope. The attacks didn''te in the same pattern as before, but they dide sooner rather thanter.


    Warden dodged the first one by flipping over it. For the next, he restricted its advance with the anti-gravity script. It managed to slow the de of wind just enough for him to duck.


    More attacks came, some even managing to find purchase in his body, but he advanced without regard for the fleshly wounds he was sustaining.


    He had barely covered about a kilometre, and more than a dozen of those des had struck him. They were just too swift and followed no discernible pattern for him to anticipate them. Hell, he couldn''t even detect most of them until they were on course to crash into him. Moreover, the faster he moved, the more intent he put into his body, the stronger they became.


    This only proved he was approaching the trial with the wrong mindset.


    "Well, apparently, if I''m to get one of my wishes fulfilled, it couldn''t be easy," he mumbled. With his energypletely spent, Warden decided to rest on the path. The attacks didn''te if he remained motionless, as far as he could tell. So, he could meditate without too much concern.

 Chapter 245: Pattern

    Warden began again. He didn''t move at his top speed, trying instead to go more with the flow of the wind, and he hadn''t found it any easier.


    He hadn''t found any signs of a grand formation or traps, so he could only begrudgingly agree that the des of wind were a natural phenomenon. There wasn''t any pattern to them. The des of wind struck without warning, naturally.


    However, other than the des of wind, there were other¡ªsofter, less vicious¡ªwinds blowing in the mountain path. Warden tried to see if there was a connection between them.


    The slower wind moved at its own pace, while the sharp wind attacked at its own pace. There seemed to be no connection between them to the naked eye. There was no spike in its pace when the attacks came, nor did it slow down. However, the des of wind moved in the same direction as the slower wind.


    "Well, this is something," Warden said, faltering on his way. He wiped the blood from his body. What if the attacks were just a terrible, swifter version of the slow wind?


    Now, how do I read the wind? That''s the biggest question for this trial.


    With a little consideration, Warden removed his armour and cloak. They were little better than decoration in this trial anyway. Perhaps without them, he could better feel the wind''s sensation striking him. He couldn''t discount that.


    He moved at half of his pace, the Anti-gravity script ready in his hands for an emergency. Although, this time his goal wasn''t to traverse the most distance without getting thrashed by the wind des. He needed to learn how to avoid them.


    With the intensity the wind des were growing stronger, they could probably severely injure him after he reached the halfway point. Currently, it was only fast, butcking in cutting power.


    But that could change at any time. He wouldn''t have a clue... best, he learned how to anticipate theiring.


    It wasn''t really that difficult to feel the sensation of the wind flow. But the problem was that the disparity between the slow and swifter wind was just too high. Even if he could read the slower wind''s path, his anticipation for the next attack was simply too slow to avoid them.


    The disparity was so much that it made him feel that brute forcing his way through was the only path.


    "Well, it''s worth a try," Warden muttered. He used his radiance power to heal all the wounds and rested for a couple more hours.


    Then he began constructing runes. First, he tried with stronger Anti-gravity runes. A Tier-5 anti-gravity rune was still far away from what his attribute could handle. It was simply too fast. But he still made one of them, thinking he could use it to block the wind des. For the moment, he prepared a few Tier-3 and a couple of Tier-4 runes.


    Tier-4 was the very limit his perception could handle.


    Half a day had passed when he had prepared all his scripts, and he had to rest yet again, this time for at least four hours.


    Warden didn''t attempt to charge up the slope right after waking from his rest. Instead, he cooked some food that wouldst him a few days. He devoured a good part of it and then stretched in preparation.


    Finally, he narrowed his eyes, looking up at the peak. Over a dozen fully functional anti-gravity scripts and wards were prepared on his body.


    Warden triggered a Tier-3 Anti-gravity script and hurled it against the ground at a sixty-degree acute angle. His body rose up in the air and shot forward along the path, as he had relentlessly thrust the power of the anti-gravity script against the ground to keep on shooting.


    The wind des came unceremoniously. Warden dodged the ones he could; those he couldn''t, he simply restricted their path either with the wards or an anti-gravity script.


    His path wasn''t smooth, but he avoided getting struck by the wind des and bing bloodied. He had used up half of his scripts within a kilometre, thankfully without any injuries. He wasn''t going to stop within another kilometre.


    Warden flew almost parallel to the slope upwards. The wind des came from all directions: one from his right, two straight up, and one from below. To counter them all, Warden discharged the Tier-5 anti-gravity in all directions. It hadn''t managed to disperse all the power from the wind des, but it had slowed them down significantly.


    By the time they were to reach him, Warden had already traversed tens of metres ahead. Patterns be damned, he was having fun brute-forcing the trial.


    Warden had no trouble traversing the windy path for another five hundred metres. Then he finally met the final ordeal in his path.


    Warden didn''t see it hit him or where it came from... but soon he found himself being swept into a wind vortex. Countless wind des swept over him, striking more than double the number of wind des he had avoided on this run.


    "Fuck!" He cursed, but his voice was lost in the maddening wind vortex. He barely managed to steady himself with the anti-gravity script. Now he would have to get out of it.


    Warden clenched his teeth. The Tier-5 anti-gravity rune should be enough to counter the vortex''s force and hurl him out of it. He was just about to prepare himself, imbuing his body with the power, when he saw a figure sweeping in the vortex just like him.


    "Is that a person?" He wondered. Well, it looked like one. A slender figure, Warden could only make out the long white hair. A woman? Well, she looked like a young girl, about Xiv and Onia''s age.


    He didn''t wait any longer. He timed the thrust and shot in her direction. Working against the vortex, the Tier-5 script wasn''t as strong as it was elsewhere. Still, Warden was thrust right to her, and his reflexes worked in, catching her in his arm. She wasn''t as small as he thought. She screamed, while Warden got both of them out of the vortex.


    The speed at which he was going increased, as the script had no other force to work against. Warden couldn''t stop in time, as both of them collided with the ground, creating arge crater.


    "Goddamn it, I just had it," the girl shouted. "You idiot!"


    Warden''s mind was blown, quite literally. He still felt like he was still in the vortex. It had fucked up with his percept good, not to mention the mobility at which he moved. Needlessly to say, much less about shouting, his mind wasn''t even capable of making out what she was saying.


    The disorientation remained for several moments, by the time she had jumped up from his embrace. Warden sat upright and vomited out a good part of what he ate.


    "Now I feel sorry for you," said the girl. She was up on the side of the crater their fall had created, looking at him as she shook her head.


    Warden blinked at her several times as her external became clear to his eyes.


    It might be wrong to say he found familiarity with every beautiful girl he met, but this girl.... she really seemed somewhat familiar.

 Chapter 246: Two Strangers on the Path

    Warden''s mind might be ying tricks on him, or perhaps it was the disorientation, but his instinct telling him he knew this girl even if he couldn''t find a reason for how it was possible.


    "What are you staring at?" she asked, her eyes ring at him. "Never seen a woman, have you?"


    Warden blinked and looked away. He stood up, cleaning the drool from his lips. "It might sound a little foolish, but I feel like I should know you..."


    The girl took a step forward and examined him thoroughly. "No, it isn''t foolish at all," she said, turning back to look at the vortex of wind drifting away. "Most people I meet seem to feel the same... I have that kind of effect on them."


    Warden rubbed his chin, inspecting her just to be sure his mind wasn''t ying a trick on him. She was young and had innocent-looking eyes; she had shoulder-length, bone-white hair, which brimmed vibrantly in the sunlight. Her skin was pale white, stood as tall as Agnes in height, though looked to be half a decade younger than the captain.


    Her face was heart-shaped, with a golden ring mark between her brows, which looked to be a mark of the sun. A white sleeveless robe draped over her slender form, matching her white hair.


    Now, why did he think that he should know her? His brain wasn''t providing any hints either. Was she someone from his past? But that simply couldn''t be true. While there was a chance of the people inside the trial being real, it was likely they were merely records of them, and that too of ancient times.


    Pierce''s trial took him into the court politics of an ancient kingdom which had no records in the history of Ezim. It was likely over tens of thousands of years ago, before there was a huge chunk of rift that divided thend of Ezim.


    This girl was likely a record of a girl who lived tens of thousands of years ago. Which meant the inheritance ground should be likely that old as well. Well, considering the superior time dtion system they imply, Warden didn''t think any organisation of the current time could match that.


    As Warden was staring nkly at her, the white-haired girl turned her head to him.


    "I get it," she said with a sigh. "You don''t meet someone of the opposite gender as gorgeous as me, but you aren''t going to win anything by acting like that."


    "Good thing, I''m not trying to win you then," Warden snorted as he jumped out of the crater. "Sorry, but you''re too young for me."


    She really looked no older than a fifteen-year-old teenager, no matter how impressive she was. Warden had no strange fetish of any sort that he would sumb to it.


    "You have no idea..." she walked away, taking in the feel of the wind on her form.


    Warden sat down a few paces away from the hole, under a tree. He was about to meditate when he noticed what the girl was doing. She raised her finger in the air, somehow manipting the wind.


    The wind danced on her fingers as sheshed out. A sharp de of wind whipped out, reverberating through the ambient winds.


    "How do you do that?" Warden blurted out without thinking. He was that surprised, but considering she hadn''t supplied any energy from her end, he had every reason to be surprised about it.


    "How do I do what?" she said, sounding a little yful. She curled up another wisp of wind in her fingers and smiled. "You mean this?"


    The wind deshed with her finger, vanishing into the ambience.


    "Yes," Warden said, gasping. It wasn''t every day someone could surprise him with their control. "It is your aura that maniptes the wind, right? But to affect something physical like that..."


    "I''m brilliant like that," she beamed.


    Warden rubbed his forehead. He kind of understood now how others felt when he answered them like this, which wasn''t an answer at all.


    "Anyway, your hot-blooded male ego might want to save me again, but try to hold back," she said as she rose into the air, using the ambient wind. "As you can see, I don''t need much saving."


    With that, she rushed down the path. Warden jumped to his feet and followed after her. Even if she didn''t give an answer, he could learn more just by watching her instead of forcing his way through with brute force.


    Her slender figure flew using the wind of the mountain path; they curled around her body, and even the des of wind slowed down as they began to twirl around her form.


    "You''re the type of guy who doesn''t listen to straightforward words, do you?" she said condescendingly, not even looking back at him.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," he replied. "It''s not my fault if our destination is the same."


    "Ahh, it makes so much sense when you have an excuse like that," she said,shing at the wind des with winds of her own. "But seriously, you should give up already... This is too high-level for the current you."


    With that, she increased her speed, flying through the barrage of wind des rushing at her from all directions. Her slender form danced through the attacks, winds curling around her form as she avoided most of them to get through. Explore stories at m-v le-mpyr


    Warden was enamoured by the poise with which she carried herself. He was so enthralled with it that he hadn''t had time to prepare for the attacksing his way. Warden prepared his best defence, empowering his body, as wind des thrashed at him from all directions. Sharp cut marks appeared on his body one after another as blood oozed out of them.


    Warden couldn''t follow after her a few more paces, when a great wave of wind flung him back to the ground again.


    "Damn," he muttered. Hey there for several minutes, letting the cuts close by themselves with his superior regeneration power.


    When he opened his eyes, he found the white-haired girl staring at him, hovering a dozen feet in the air.


    "You''re quite resilient for someone with a one-track mind," she said.


    "I thought you left to climb the mountain peak," he muttered.


    "I was going to, but then I remembered I''m very kind," she said. Saying that, she cast a light spell on him as pure life essence washed over his whole being. It not only took care of most of his wounds but even recovered his lost energy. The purity of her energy was staggering. His radiance essence could barely hold a candle against such life-attuned energy.


    She looked so young; how did she aplish such a purity in her essence?


    "How old are you?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    "So you''re interested in my age now?" she asked, grinning. "I know what you''re thinking, but it would do you a lot of good if you stopparing me by any normal means. I was neither born normal, nor did I want to be. As for my age, you probably have a number in your mind; divide it by two, and you are probably close to it."


    "What?" Warden was bbergasted. The girl could be as young as fifteen with her looks; if he were to halve that, she would be just a couple of years older than toddlers.


    "As I mentioned, do not try to exin my existence through normal means," she said. "Regardless, you should be going then. You cane back when your awareness is better, and your affinity stronger... Perhaps when you''re gold... For the current you, Elysian only holds pain and failures."


    "I''m not afraid of pain," he said as he sat upright. "Or failure."


    She shot him a prying gaze. "Suit yourself, then."


    She was about to leave, but Warden stopped her by asking the important question. She hadn''t answered before, but now she was kind¡ªshe literally said that. So, he could hope for an answer.


    "How do you manipte the ambient wind?"


    "That''s a stupid question," she said. "I''m sure you can do it too, though to a lesser degree than myself... but you''ve never stopped yourself from having a deeper gaze into the patterns, have you?"


    "Patterns?" Warden frowned. "I can do that just by watching patterns?"


    "No, but that''s the first step of it."


    "What''s after the first step?" Warden asked, sitting down cross-legged.


    The white-haired girl rubbed her forehead. "I''m not getting through to you, am I?" she muttered. "Light curse me, but I have never seen anyone as stubborn as you."


    "Perhaps that''s because you''re only seven, eight years old?" Warden grinned. "Little girl..."


    "You know, trying to antagonise me will only decrease the chances of you getting your answers," she said, snorting.


    "Sorry, sometimes I can''t stop myself."


    "At least have the decency to look embarrassed when you apologise," she red, though a little yfully. There was an innocence to her, which couldn''t be mistaken. Perhaps she was as young as she implied, though with greater humour and a grasp over everything. "You''re as uncultured as theye, isn''t that right?"


    Warden shook his head. "So, what''s the next step?"


    "It should be obvious, no?" She said. "Perhaps you''re way more far away from the threshold than I anticipated. Just read the pattern of the wind; the answer mighte to you if you''re not stupid enough... Anyway, this is goodbye, I guess. Weird, half-naked stranger..."


    Waving her hand, she flew away again.


    "Hey, wait," Warden shouted, leaping to his feet. "I don''t even know your name."


    "Catch up to me if you want to know."

 Chapter 247: Master, Grandmaster, and Sage

    Read the pattern and you''ll learn what to do next. That was the gist of what the strange white-haired girl mentioned before she flew off.


    Warden set aside his sword and sat down with his runic stylus. He didn''t try to make the anti-gravity runes anymore; instead, he put his undivided attention into interpreting the wind pattern.


    He let his awareness drift into the swift ambient wind and spent a good quarter of an hour entering the flow. Instantly, it appeared as if he had grown a third eye, as his awareness began to pick up on the intricacies of the pattern, linking with the ambient energy flow.


    It wasn''t the wind that created the pattern... No, it was the ambient energy all along. Warden just failed to see it until now. Warden could enter the flow state in two ways: once when he was wielding his spear to his greatest capabilities or when he got too invested in runesmithing.


    He hadn''t been using his spear for quite some time, but he had spent a good half-day here runesmithing. Unfortunately, he was so invested inpleting the anti-gravity scripts quickly, he failed to notice the intricacies in the pattern of ambient energy.


    Hmm, could it be called ambient energy, though? It was clearly man-made... or by some other supernatural creature. But considering how it transformed the energy flow into an orderly chaotic flow, Warden had no other words for it.


    Warden had been searching for rune formations and traps since he first experienced the wind de. It turned out they were hidden in something very delicate andplex. It was before his eyes, but he couldn''t see.


    The pattern in the ambient energy wasn''t like chains after chains of runes. No, they were more like a swirl of energy, curling around one another, connected to one another, ever-flowing in a slow swirl. They were like knots in the air, countless thin strands of energy connected through countless knots.


    Warden linked his awareness, his aura, to one of the knots and gathered his willpower to pull. The swirl rushed in his direction, and a swift rush of wind followed soon after.


    "So this is what she mentioned," Warden said brightly. He stood up and began to drift his stylus in the air, drawing in more swirls of energy knots. He pulled faster and faster, and the calm swirl of air turned swifter like the de of the wind.


    Moreover, it appeared any kind of movement affected the pattern as the knots of energy swirled faster andshed out with wind des. But now, he wouldn''t have to fear the wind des... but what about the vortex? Warden didn''t think he could challenge that at this moment.


    "I''ll think about it when I get to it," he muttered and began walking on the path.


    The wind desshed at him at the first step. Warden dodged the first round of them, getting a better overview of the pattern. For the next wave, he controlled thempletely, drawing their pattern at will, making the wind des swirl around him before they dispersed.


    Warden''s expression brightened with his aplishment. He hadn''t thought it would be so easy to grasp the pattern. Then again, he hadn''t stopped to think about it on his first day.


    Now, the climb didn''t seem as impossible anymore. Still, there was a long way to go.


    With his spirit lifted, Warden crept upwards on the path. The intensity of the attacks rose, as Warden had to grasp more energy knots to ease his climb. He wasn''t weightless like the white-haired girl¡ªhell, he was likely close to five hundred pounds by now. It was nearly impossible for him to fly just by using the wind. Yet.


    The more he stayed in the flow, the closer and more intimate it became. He had be one with nature, the ambient energy. His energy recovery rose to an unprecedented level¡ªWarden had achieved that before. In this state, there felt like no end to the source of his energy. But of course, that couldn''t be the truth.


    Even if he could tap into the raw power of nature unlimitedly, his body couldn''t continue relentlessly. During his heavy runesmithing work, Warden could keep up for almost half a day without resting if he put his mind into it. Of course, it would leave him drained for the next few hours.


    However, tapping into the natural flow more actively to manipte the wind des was a tougher job. It needed far more control of his aura... and only having high points in spirit weren''t enough for the job. It needed high points in Mind as well, and Warden''s Mind attribute had been abysmal from the beginning.


    His rank, which represented the quality of that attribute, mattered a lot as well. The white-haired girl had told him toe back when he was Gold¡ªbut that was still far away.


    So, in the end, all he could do was clench his jaw, strengthen his will, and keep on.


    He was exhausted beyond measure within a couple of hours. But in these couple of hours, Warden had moved close to five whole kilometres. Not to mention, the new way of aura maniption he had learned.


    Warden genuinely believed he hadn''t learned something like this before his memory was wiped out. Yes, he could manipte his aura to present himself as someone ordinary, or someone of high ranking, someonemanding, but this was something else. The former needed a more delicate and deep idea of his intention, while thetter was far more demanding, and it required delicate control as well.


    Wardeny t on the ground, pondering how else he could implement what he had learned in thest two hours. Staying in the flow for two whole hours¡ªif he were capable of such a feat duringbat, he would never have to worry about running out of energy.


    True, the ambient energy was very different from Void or the Radiance essence; however, it was still better than any kind of recovery potion out there.


    Wardeny there in silence and thought. How long would it take him to master such power?


    Unwittingly, he fell asleep for an indeterminate amount of time. But when he woke up, it was nighttime again, and he had no interest in continuing on the path yet.


    Instead, he sat cross-legged and began to contemte his gains.


    Something became clear to him. Master, Grandmaster, Sage¡ªthese weren''t absolute ranks like Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold. No, they were more like thresholds, highly dependent on theprehension of the path.


    A Master was someone who barely touched into the flow, could tap into the natural power, as far as he interpreted it. This was why everyone was so impressed with him when they learned he was a Master at both Spear and Runesmithing when he was barely a copper ranker.


    Well, tapping into the raw natural power came easier to Runesmiths, or something like an alchemist, as they always had to deal with things like synergy and harmony between different elements.


    It was somewhat different for a master in other professions. They likely drew into the raw power instinctively.


    However, once they learn to tap into the power at will... they were Grandmasters of the game. Of course, Warden didn''t think he had reached that mark yet. Far from it, to be honest. Even most Master rank business was convoluted in his brain. However, he could see a clear path ahead of him.


    It might take a while to get there, but it wasn''t impossible.


    Warden took a deep breath. It was early dawn, the sun barely risen, when he finished meditating.


    He had no clue what kind ofprehension one needed to possess of the vast universe to gain the title of a Sage. Well, it likely fell more into the transcendence business¡ªeven in his full power before he lost his memory, he was likely far from any sage business.


    So many things to look forward to, he mused.


    Warden ate the leftover food from yesterday and continued on the path again. He didn''t want to reach the top as soon as possible. That would eject him out of the trial. It wasn''t every day he got ess to such a top-tier training ground.


    No, Warden would consolidate more on his Title of Master before attempting to climb to the top to meet the immortal.


    Besides, he didn''t think it would be all so easy.


    Dealing with the vortex was difficult, but avoiding it was easier if he could just sit down for a while. Nobody seemed to direct the attacks on him, as all the wind des or vortexes came and went at their own pace. Warden avoided them for now, as he took a more roundabout way of climbing.


    He probably would never catch up to the nameless white-haired girl at this rate. But he couldn''t help it. Besides, she was merely a figment of her records, a memory of long past... No matter how talented she seemed, she was but a small speck in the sea of time.


    Suddenly, an attack of devastating wind power came out of nowhere andshed out at him. Warden began to pull more strands of energy flow to work against the power, but with the little time he had, he was unable to even slow down the attack to dodge it.


    He was flung away a dozen metres and crashed into a huge tree.


    "Wee, challenger," a voice roared. "May you be worthy to advance to the next point."


    ________________


    A lot exposition on the magic system... I usually do not give details of them like this...

 Chapter 248: The Fourth Disciple

    "May you be worthy to advance to the next point."


    Warden lurched to sit upright and turned to the fellow who attacked him out of nowhere. It was a dark-skinned man in long robes, which looked too ordinary for someone of his station. A carved de was in his hand, as he examined the guy he addressed as the challenger.


    "So I have to defeat you to keep on climbing, huh?" Warden said, and didn''t stand up. "As if the difficulty of the patterns weren''t enough."


    "Stand proud, challenger," the dark-skinned man said, taking his stance, the carved de raised upwards. "You''re standing before the fourth disciple of the Great Master Oa''keam. Show your worth, or dismiss yourself from the path..."


    Warden tilted his head but didn''t stand up. "I get all that, but can I rest a little while?" he asked. "The climb had taken a lot out of him. I reckon a person of your esteem would want to fight me at my best..."


    The fourth disciple grinned at him and then shot towards him, swinging his de. The winds swirled along his movement, augmenting his attack.


    Warden cursed himself and leapt to his feet. He brought out his de, **[The Divider]**, and intercepted the attack, even though dozens of wind des gushed from the man and crashed into him. They left deep fleshy wounds and he had to employ radiance essence immediately to heal them.


    "You have stopped my first attack, but how many can you intercept?" the man asked, bursting into a spree of attack.


    "I guess we have to find out," Warden replied, pulling swirls of the pattern of his own. He employed the swirling wind to block the wind des from the attack, while he matched the man in swordy.


    Unfortunately, it appeared he couldn''t match the man in swordy, or in controlling the patterns. Not to mention, he was far from his peak condition. Within a dozen or so attacks, it was evident that he would have to take a loss from here.


    The fourth disciple was a master of swordy, and who knew for how long he had spent on the mountain to consolidate his understanding of the pattern.


    So before the guy could defeat him and eliminate him out of Elysian, Warden admitted his defeat and withdrew several hundred metres. It appeared the Fourth Disciple couldn''t or didn''t want to chase after him to eliminate him from the path. He was content with remaining at the checkpoint for Warden to return.


    Warden immediately went back to meditation after withdrawing. After he calmed his bearings, he visualised the whole battle sequence with the fourth disciple in his mind. It didn''t take long for him to observe where he wascking, but he reyed it again and again.


    First of all, there was no contest in swordsmanship between the two. The fourth disciple was superior in sword forms and rich in experience as well. He likely had fought countless sword masters, staying at the checkpoint for who knew how long.


    So, Warden stored the de back into subspace and brought out a couple of his untrustworthy spears. While he would like to polish his swordsmanship, he was still rough around the edges with the spear. It was probably because he hadn''t had the opportunity to let himself bepletely consumed in battle for a long while.


    The fourth disciple looked like someone who could take on his best. Of course, he didn''t scurry back to fight right at this moment yet. He needed to be at his very best to even stand a chance of winning against the fourth disciple.


    For a couple of hours, he meditated, for another couple, he practised basic spear forms. Finally, he sat down to meditate for another few minutes before he was back to fight again.


    "So youe again, rat," the fourth disciple of Oa''keam roared withughter at the first sight of him. "Are you going to run like a rat again?"


    Warden took a stance, resting one of his spears straight into the earth; the identical other was in his hand. "Come at me."


    "I thought you were going to give excuses again," the swordsman shouted.


    Warden shook his head and shot at the man, swinging his spear.


    "Not wasting any moment, are you confident of your chances?" The fourth disciple''s lips crooked up in a grin. "Boy oh boy, I like your approach... but do you think you can contend with me?"


    Warden was annoyed at the sheer amount of arrogance and nonsenseing out of the swordsman''s mouth. However, he didn''t stray from his n. In their little fight previously, he only got to see some of the man''s shy sword moves; he needed to bring more out of him before he could hope to gain the upper hand.


    So he engaged in a more cautious defensive stance against the master of the sword. The fellow continued on spitting nonsense, but within a couple of minutes, Warden had pressed him hard enough that he didn''t have the attention to spare to his mind to say anything.


    "You have surprised me, rat," said the fourth disciple. "Count yourself lucky; very few have experienced my Intent and lived to tell the tale."


    The fourth disciple summoned up his sword intent, which was actually something very simple. He hadprehended the essence of Sharpness, but it was polished to such a degree that one might cut themselves just by observing his intent for an extended moment.


    Not only that, he took charge of the swirls of pattern again and imbued them with his Intent of sharpness, boosting their power to an unprecedented level.


    The fourth disciple grinned. "Are you going to run like a little girl now?"


    He shot a beam of sword moves,ing at Warden from multiple directions. Warden had no chance to block them all without calling upon his Intent¡ªso he did. Baleful ruinous power manifested upon his spear tip, as whips of dark purple smoke oozed out.

 Chapter 249: Sword of Ascension

    "Are you going to run like a little girl now?" the fourth disciple asked mockingly, confident of victory after he brought out his intent.


    Employing the full power of his intent, along with the void energy, Warden danced in the air in sinuous form, moving through the spree of attacks to block them with his moves. His form was like a ghost, blurrily drifting in the air with an unprecedented level of speed to destroy all the sword beams.


    Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr


    "Talking about a little girl," Warden said. "Have you seen a young girl with vibrant white hair?"


    The fourth disciple didn''t answer. He charged at him, plunging his sword to his right.


    "I guess she had defeated you and moved up," Warden grinned, and blocked the sword move. "You have to do a lot more if you want to defeat me, man."


    "We''ll see..." he shouted. "Sword of Ascension, First de: Whisper of the Wind!"


    Ah, a named move, Warden had to be careful with this. It wasn''t a whisper at all, by the sheer amount of patterns the move called upon.


    The fourth disciple swung his de upwards, sweeping as thunderous power of wind rushed along with the de, augmented by the power of the essence of sharpness. The move wasn''t perfect, nor was it a finishing blow, considering it didn''t concentrate attack power on a single line. Instead, it brought forth tyrannical raw power like a natural disaster.


    Warden flew to dodge, but the fourth disciple engaged him, leaving no room for him to retreat. He employed a ward, which broke instantly in contact with the devastating power. None of his moves would be enough topletely dismiss the sheer power of Whisper of the Wind''s Descend.


    Warden clenched his jaw and decided to take on the attack head-on. He didn''t have the cloak to turn on [Void Shroud], but his [Void Vanquishing Physique] was freakishly tough to be devastated by this attack.


    The essence of light and void channelled through the body as Warden broke through that torrential Whisper of the Wind. His spear swung, creating a crack in the torrential force, as Warden escaped.


    "Third Move!" shouted the sword master as the wind began to twirl and concentrate on his sword. It created a small tornado¡ªvery much like the vortex of wind des. "The Immortal Wind''s Descend!"


    The vortex took shape, opening its maw like a great beast to swallow everything up in its way. des of wind rushed through the vortex as they descended on Warden, devouring himpletely.


    Hundreds of wind des attacked him at once, biting through his defences as over a dozen cuts appeared on his body immediately. However, before the blood could rush out in spray, more of the wind des cut his skin, splitting open his skin. If not for his regeneration, they would have reached his bones with ease.


    Warden channelled his radiance essence, his body began glowing in a goodish white light. The little source of radiance power within his core began to dwindle even more on healing wounds that kept on crawling up on his body.


    He didn''t care anymore. Warden touched the flow, tapped into its raw power, and warred his Will against the Fourth Disciple to swallow his grasp over the pattern. Needless to say, it was a hazardous task; however, one thing Warden could always count on was his persistence and terrifying stamina and recovery power.


    How long would the sword masterst?


    The Immortal Wind''s Descend began to weaken as the tug of war between them reached its peak. The fourth disciple had a better grasp over them, but he hadn''t met someone like Warden who could bring forth their whole being to contend with him.


    Even with all his power, the fourth disciple was bound to weaken. After all, none could control the pattern for an unlimited time. The equation became even more difficult considering the sheer amount of force he was tapping into.


    The vortex of the wind de dispersed within a couple of minutes. The bloodied figure of Warden stood serenely in his ce. He took a stance, aiming the spear tip in his foe''s direction. It was enough to tell the guy Warden nned on getting to the end.


    The fourth disciple''s face had split into an ugly expression, his eyes bloodshot.


    "I have one more move in me," he said. "But you better give up before then... Because even I could not control the sheer force of it."


    "Man, you''re full of shit," Warden snorted. "Get on with it."


    "Fine," the fourth disciple of Oa''kaem gritted his teeth. Veins in his temple began to bulge out at the sheer intensity at which he revolved his energy. "Don''t me me if I kill you identally. Well, not that you''d be able to..."


    The wind rose in the surrounding areas, whispering all around under the sword master''s control. They didn''t flow out but began to consolidate at a point.


    "Sword of Ascension, Final de," the sword master said solemnly as wind and his essence of sharpness concentrated in a thin line. "Apotheosis of the Immortal Storm."


    Well, that was a long-ass name... Warden thought. But in the next moment, he gasped. This move had a storm in its title. Of course, it would be an eye-opener. Stil, he hadn''t expected something like this.


    Although the move wasn''t perfect, most of the power was concentrated into a single line. Warden had to admit, even though this move didn''t look at all impressive as the other two... this required the most control andprehension.


    He understood the essence of the move on a rudimentary level. Unlike the other two moves which had more utility, this one had only one essence.


    Annihtion.


    Warden sucked in a cold breath.


    "You can still give up," the fourth disciple stated, trying to waver his mind.


    Warden had to admit he had no way of intercepting the move, but that didn''t necessarily mean he''d lose. He still had one card to y out.


    "Fine, have it your way..." He swung the de, and the wind descended.


    Warden activated his trump card.


    [Absolute Invulnerability].


    ______________

 Chapter 250: Comprehension

    The fourth disciple had not attacked maliciously. While the power of his attack was lethal, the sword master ensured it wouldn''t strike any of Warden''s critical organs.


    The attack struck his lower body. And, as he had thought, Warden did not feel a thing. With [Absolute Invulnerability] triggered, he didn''t have to worry about anything. While he couldn''t feel any pain from the attack, Warden did manage to gauge the intricacies of the attack from a very close range. Not to mention, that attack wasn''tpletely directed at him.


    Most of its force went beyond his form and bit through a huge chunk of the mountain, creating arge crater.


    The upheaval in the wind calmed down as Warden found the fourth disciple standing with all his energy and stamina drained out of him. He didn''t even lift his sword, much less attack for another chance.


    Warden grinned and took a step forward, the spear in his hand.


    "Anyst words?" he asked, raising his spear.


    "Wait wait wait wait," the fourth disciple stuttered. "You don''t want to kill me¡­ I mean, you don''t have to kill me. You can advance to the next step. Ahem! I, the fourth disciple of Oa''keam, hereby announce¡­" The sword master struck him a look as if asking for a name.


    "Warden," he supplied.


    "¡­Weird name, but who am I to judge? Anyway, I hereby announce Warden to be the victor of our duel."


    Warden had no way of knowing if such an announcement worked. But then again, there was no one to stop him from climbing. Just that he was exhausted beyond measure. Although the fight was over, Warden had to muster peak rank power with just his body. Not to mention, he had exhausted arge part of the Radiance essence. Some of it would recover; some of it wouldn''t.


    Warden sat down to meditate; unfortunately, it seemed he had a talkativepanion as hispany.


    "How did you stop my [Apotheosis of the Storm]?" the fourth disciple asked. "You know, most people that came here didn''t even manage to endure my first move, and yet you took care of my ultimate attack as if walking into a park."


    Warden thought for a moment and decided it wouldn''t be hard to answer this challenger''s questions. After all, there was still so much he could learn from this guy.


    "It wasn''t anything too profound," he said. "Just a little trick."


    The fourth disciple''s expression soured. "Just a trick, you say... Just a trick," he repeated. She gritted his teeth. "Do you have any idea how many gold rankers I have ughtered using the Sword of Ascension?"


    Warden could only shrug.


    "You have no idea," the dark-skinned man said. "And yet to be ousted by a pesky Iron ranker."


    "To be honest, it was a pretty unique trick."


    "Aho, I can imagine," the man snorted. "Your luck is on your side that the Elysian suppressed more from an Iron ranker than from a lower ss, or there would be no chance for this kind of audacious urrence."


    So, the fourth disciple was a gold ranker. Honestly, Warden had already imagined him to be someone of an Iron rank. The unique ce had suppressed both their powers, though it had not dulled his intuition. Still, he couldn''t believe the man before him was an esteemed gold ranker.


    "I have been in this ce for far too long¡ªso long that my gold rank essence had begun to deteriorate. Perhaps I have fallen to a silver rank. I wouldn''t know."


    "Curious," he could not help but say. "If this ce has such an effect on an anchor''s body, why have you stayed here for such a long period of time?"


    "I was young and foolish, very much like you, I would imagine," he chuckled and smiled ruefully. "I had almost climbed to the top of the Elysian only to fall into thest trap set by the Immortal. I should have given up long ago."


    "What happened?"


    "Nothing too dramatic... I fell into the trap, and my life was forfeit. Then the Immortal appeared and gave me a choice. I was to take this position I am in if I wanted to live."


    Warden sighed. "And you took it."


    "It was a choice between death and this; it wouldn''t be far to say I had no other choice," the fourth disciple said.


    Warden nodded. "For how long have you been here?"


    "It''s likely my sixth decade here," the dark-skinned man said.


    "Are there others like you?" Warden asked. "In other checkpoints to weed out the participants?"


    "There had been more, but many died, and the Immortal hadn''t sent anyone else to take their ce," he said. "Currently, there are only three checkpoints. You probably have no problem with the next; there was a conceited fellow there. Sadly, that is where you have to end your journey. There is a monster at the final checkpoint, who wouldn''t let anyone pass to the summit."


    "All of them gold rankers?" he asked. "Now weakened?"


    The fourth disciple nodded. "Aside from the Final monster, I''d imagine."


    "Looks like I have to up my game," Warden muttered. "Thankfully, I have managed to glimpse into something deeper in our fight. Thank you for that, Mister Fourth Disciple."


    The dark-skinned man waved his hand, and Warden proceeded to meditate. A couple of hourster, when he was mostly rejuvenated, he jumped to his feet and drew his spear.


    The fourth disciple was still there, seated in the corner of his checkpoint, watching him move.


    Warden didn''t wait ceremoniously. He entered flow and drew into the patterns. The wind swirled along with his spear, as he attempted something simr to the Fourth Disciple''s first Move, Whisper of the Immortal Wind.


    Obviously, his attack didn''t have a simr scope, but Warden didprehend the essence to create something alike.


    Warden shot the fourth disciple a look, wondering what his impression would be. Perhaps he had expected some surprise from the guy, but he hadn''t expected him to bepletely dumbstruck.

 Chapter 251: Essence of an intent

    Warden ignored him for now. He still hadn''t managed to grasp what he thought he should. His calction was that he needed more practice.


    And obviously, moreprehension.


    He summoned his Intent and drew onto the patterns of ambient energy. The wind rushed at him, as he manipted them to swirl along with his spear dance. He waited for a couple of seconds to build up the attack¡ªwhich was quite some time, considering even a millisecond could be the difference between life and death in a battle.


    Warden practised until his energy ran out, and his mind was too exhausted to bring out more of his baleful intent. He sat down to meditate again, and a couple of hourster, he began to practise again.


    He went on this repetitive cycle of practice and meditation for quite some time. His skills in manipting the pattern rose as well, though they could hardly bepared to the Fourth Disciple, who watched him practise throughout.


    A day passed, and Warden hadn''t slept. After finishing another round of practice, Warden brought out his kitchen appliances and began cooking something rich and healthy.


    "Are you hungry?" he shouted at the man.


    The dark-skinned man came out of his meditation and shot him a sour look.


    "Should I make something for you as well?" Warden asked.


    "You''re making all that stuff for yourself?" the man asked. "By the blind gods, they should be enough to feed a small vige."


    "I''m making something for you too, then." Warden whistled an unfamiliar tune as he cut the vegetables. He didn''t make anything extravagant, only something rich in essence and easy to digest, and needless to mention, tasty.


    "Do you cook your own food here?" Warden asked the sour-looking man, while preparing their tes.


    "Yes," he answered curtly. "But not often. I can go without food for over a month. Gold ranker constitution."


    "I thought you mentioned your gold rank essence had deteriorated?"


    The sword master didn''t give a reply. Warden didn''t mind and served him the te, while he devoured four or five times more than the former gold ranker. His body demanded it.


    The man shot him another surprised look, understanding the food wasn''t for a small vige.


    "A secret to my endurance," Warden chuckled.


    Finishing his breakfast, which would be his only meal for the day, Warden meditated a little. Recovering his energy and essence was way easier once he learned to manipte the pattern.


    He jumped to his feet with renewed vigour and summoned up his spear. Warden was about to begin practice, but instead set his sight on the former gold ranker.


    "Hey, Fourth Disciple, wanna go at it once more?" he asked, hoping to get more inspiration from the man''s style.


    "I would never say no to a good duel." The master of the sword stood up, his de ready in his arms. "However, if you think you can contend with me with those copied forms, you''d be vastly mistaken. Your forms are but a pinprick against my raging storm."


    "Copied?" Warden snorted. "I guess you could say that. Just wait until I find my way. You can''t say it''s copied when my moves will be better than yours."


    "Arrogance," the fourth disciple of Oa''keam barked. "Then show me what you have glimpsed upon."


    Both men shot at one another, sword and spear shing with a resounding ng. Sparks of pattern twirled on contact with their weapons, as wind rushed in, creating chaos in its movement.


    "This was fun," Warden said, matching the former gold ranker in raw skills.


    "For a pesky Iron ranker, you do have some skill," the man admitted.


    "I have had a simr circumstance to yours," Warden mumbled. "Anyway, call upon your Intent... Let me experience your sword once again."


    The sword master brimmed with the essence of sharpness. "Can your trick save you once more?"


    Warden didn''t answer and charged at the man.


    For the next couple of days, Warden practised and sparred with the fourth disciple. Warden had learned his name was Karim, along with many tidbits of his life before he was tricked by the Immortal.


    After the first day, it wouldn''t be wrong to say Warden was under his tutge, if not for how bloodied and spent each sparring session left him. Unfortunately, Karim couldn''t seem to differentiate between a spar and a duel.


    Well, Warden couldn''tin. After all, he was learning something too profound. No gold rankers would give such attention to him, much less their deeply coveted secret arts.


    Honestly, Warden didn''t want to learn the Sword of Ascension. He was practising to create something tailor-made for him alone. It was just that Karim''s style had clicked right with him.


    "Your improvement in manipting wind is staggering," Karim said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Perhaps even Master Oa''keam wouldn''t mind taking you as his disciple."


    "Perhaps it is because the wind is very intimate to me," Warden muttered.


    "If you say so," he took position again. "Show me your version of the Whisper of the Immortal Wind."


    "I''m not calling it that," Warden mumbled but prepared by calling upon his Intent. He drew in the pattern and supplied the wind with his intent.


    Finally, when he had enough momentum, he moved in a sinuous form to sweep his spear.


    Karim faced the attack head-on, attacking with his move as well. Needless to say, Warden hadn''t made it yet.


    "Yourprehension of the pattern is good enough," said the sword master. "However, your Intent is stillcking. It still gives off the vibe that you don''t know what you are exactly doing."


    Warden tilted his head in confusion. For arge part of his training, he thought the pattern was the problem, yet he was hearing the opposite from Karim.


    "Do you know what the essence of an Intent is?" Karim asked. "It is the culmination of what your path is to be. My friend, I don''t think you know exactly what your path is."


    ________


    this arc is growing bigger and bigger, Perhaps you guys want a chapter or two from a diff character...

 Chapter 252: The Next Battle

    Warden didn''t know how long it took; it was probably over a week, but he learned to fly just by sheer control of the pattern. Of course, it wasn''t for too long, considering his body weight was still a few times more than that of a regr person.


    However, the sheer amount of control and willpower required to even lift him up¡ªif he didn''t know better, he would have said he had touched the realm of mastery as the white-haired girl.


    "So I''m prepared now?" he asked, as he let go of the swirls of energy. His formnded before the Fourth Disciple.


    "To beat the next fellow?" Karim raised an eyebrow. "You''re prepared for that from day one. Just don''t think you can make it to the peak."


    Warden''s expression didn''t change. "Well, I''m off then," he said and bowed down. "It''s been a fun few days with you, Karim. Thanks for all the teaching."


    The sword master snorted. "Please, I barely taught you anything. I just provided you with the pressure you required to open your mind."


    "And I''m grateful for that."


    "Off you go then."


    Warden nodded as he began to tread on the mountain path again. The suppression on his body and spirit doubled right after he crossed the region of the checkpoint. Karim hadn''t mentioned anything about this, but his mind didn''t waver, even though his body felt heavier, spirit straining. This was the burden he had to move with if he wanted to climb to the top.


    It wasn''t simply the top of the summit, but the peak of the world. Obviously, thetter''s burden would be a whole lot different than the suppression.


    With his control over the pattern growing, he hardly had any problem oveing them unscathed. That was until he found a vortex of wind bolting at him at a tremendous pace.


    Warden faltered in his path and took in a deep breath. Unlike previous times, the vortex of wind des didn''t give any room to retreat.


    He drew his will into the swirls of the pattern, easily doubling the number of patterns each second; however, the numbers were nowhererge enough to take control of it. The vortex swallowed Warden, rushing his form in the torrential force.


    Warden ignored the cuts appearing on his body and grasped more of the swirls of the flow. He didn''t remain on the receiving end for much longer. Warden pulled the swirls of the pattern in the opposite direction the vortex was revolving. He met with terrible obstruction in his approach, but Warden was nothing if not persistent, and a force to be reckoned with.


    The torrential force of the stormy wind slowed down. Warden pulled in some swirls of the wind to swirl around him, to protect him from the attacks of the wind des, while he worked to disperse the force of the vortex.


    Wardennded slowly on the ground as the wind dispersed around him.


    He continued on the path. More vortexes of wind des rushed at him the further he went, some he could avoid, but most he had to break through. Needless to say, his willpower and essence were exhausted within a couple of hours.


    As far as he was concerned, it would take him half a day to reach the second checkpoint to meet his next opponent. He sat down, finding a safer spot, and meditated to recover his lost vigour.


    He needed to rest multiple times to get closer to the second checkpoint. Warden could have reached there within half an hour if he had rushed on the path; instead, he decided to rest up. But this time, he didn''t meditate.


    After providing some ward stones, Wardeny on the ground and slept for some time. While Karim was hell-bent on saying he wouldn''t find any trouble defeating the guy at the checkpoint, Warden didn''t want to take chances, not when his life might be at stake. Although it might have looked like a great training ground, Warden hade close to death just with his training with Karim.


    He had to use Absolute Invulnerability more than he liked to avoid death against Karim''s tyrannical attack. Besides, spending the days with Karim and training under him, he had learned Karim was a very opinionated fellow.


    Warden went to battle the next warrior the following morning. He woke up before sunrise and meditated for a couple of hours before walking his way up with an unwavering mind.


    "So you got the better of the dumb fellow, huh?" said the man. It was another swordsman, or rather another swordmaster. However, unlike Karim, this fellow was five feet and nothing, a sleek de in his hand. He had long grey hair like Warden, though tied into a bun on top of his head.


    "I hope you show me a good time, though you never know, considering so many fellows were getting the better of Dumb Karim these days."


    Warden stood a dozen paces away from him. He didn''t bother to reply, nor did he look down on this opponent, even if all signs told him it would be a victory for him.


    A silence descended between them, as both warriors studied each other. Sparks of their respective intent red up as they gazed at one another in the eyes, the wind rushed on, curling around both of them.


    "So, are we going to do this or what?" Warden opened his mouth, taking a stance.


    "I''m ready when you are," replied the short swordsman.


    Another silence descended between them, though this time they contended with each other with the grasp over the pattern. The wind answered for them, howling as they rushed in torrential force.


    It was time for him to put what he had learned in thest few days to the test.


    Warden charged, using the wind to boost his speed. He flew to meet the master of the sword, battle power surging through him.


    The swordmaster replied with a bored swing of his de. A concentrated de of wind bolted at Warden. The attack was very reminiscent of Karim''s final de, Apotheosis of the Immortal Wind, thoughcking in power. It didn''t have the same vibe as Karim''s attack, which left no room for retreat.


    Still, Warden had to acknowledge it required a great deal of control to concentrate the attack to such a degree with such a casual swing.


    Warden pulled swirls of pattern of his own and employed them to block the wind de. The sword Intent broke through the wind, but by then, it had lost most of its power. Warden had no trouble avoiding it as he struck at the swordsman.


    Their weapons shed, and Warden got the better of him, causing him to take a step back. His foe raised an eyebrow and came with new vigour. His speed increased, his form shed as wind rushed in. While his attackcked Karim''s tyrannical power, he made up for it with speed. Moreover, all of his attacks were perfect concentrations of intent and wind.


    If Warden had the Divider, he wasn''t sure if he could block even half of them¡ªthis guy was that much of a better swordsman. But he was much better with his spear, though he still missed the attack as sharp de wounds continued to appear on him. He was really missing his armour now.


    Warden harnessed the wind around him, trying to slow down the attacks. He did his best to obstruct the fellow, who changed his approach within a couple of minutes, finding his attacks weren''t reaching Warden with the intensity as he desired.


    He took a defensive approach, a far contrast to the earlier vigour he showed.


    Warden guessed he didn''t have the same vigour as him or Karim, so the short man would have to conserve as much of his energy as possible.


    He sneaked in one or two attacks between Warden''s swings; however, the break between his sessful blows was so far apart that Warden''s wounds had already closed, leaving only marks on his body. Some of the wounds had even reached his bone, Warden had to employ the remaining Radiance essence to heal them up.


    "How long can you go like this?" the master of the sword said, thrashing over a dozen wind des at him.


    "I can do this all day," Warden replied, his form dancing through the wind des with sinuous grace, which shouldn''t be possible for a man of his stature.


    Strain seemed to appear on both of their bodies, but Warden could recover faster than the nameless sword master. Still, a day was a long stretch... Warden would be exhausted within an hour. But that much time was more than enough. He didn''t think his opponent wouldst half as long.


    Warden didn''t let him distance himself, as that would give him space to send a spree of wind des. Instead, he kept the guy at his spear''s distance, restricting him from leveraging his biggest advantage.


    The training with Karim let Warden understand what hecked in his Intent. He was far from achieving the same realm of mastery like Karim or his current opponent, but he had covered the gap by a huge margin.


    Why did there need to be an attraction between his Intent and void energy? Both were his powers; while Intent was slightly different, Warden needed to change his mindset about it to synchronise both.


    Easy to say, but impossibly hard to change one''s mindset. It was like changing an absolute truth about yourself.


    Still, Warden was good enough to give the guy a show for his money.

 Chapter 253: One Blade

    The battlested for a quarter of an hour, and Warden finallynded some blows on his opponent.


    The short swordmaster began to slow down, attempting to sneak in blows. He managed to execute abination of two or three attacks at once with his de; however, the damage they inflicted on Warden was almost equal to what a single blow from him did to the swordsman.


    The void essence at work.


    "I''m hoping you''re enjoying yourself," Warden said, his spear shing just a little short of his opponent''s nose, barely missing by an inch. But the wind didn''t miss the attack. Baleful wind, empowered by his intent and void essence, crashed into the swordsman''s head before he could muster a block. Even the block he came up with only saved him from having his head blown off.


    Well, even if his prowess was suppressed, he was a goddamn gold ranker. He wouldn''t die just from this.


    As Warden thought, the swordsman withdrew, unleashing half of the pattern in his control at Warden.


    The attack was what he created after being inspired by Karim''s first attack, Whispers of the Immortal Wind. This was the attack which had the most utility among the three Karim showed him, and Warden ventured further on the path. While it could be a killing blow against a slightly weaker opponent, Warden''s main desire for this move was to keep multiple opponents at bay.


    The current version was more of a concentrated form, for a single opponent. Of course, it wasn''t polished yet, still rough around the edges, but this was arguably the most powerful he could make it.


    The reason behind being was simple. The more the fight went on, the synergy between his Intent and void essence rose. The strain he was put under was inspiration enough for both of them to work together.


    "You''re getting under my skin," muttered the swordmaster,nding on a higher spot.


    "I''m sure you must be feeling under the weather," Warden grinned.


    "You fight hideously," retorted the swordsman.


    Warden was about to make a curt reply which might have been a little too disrespectful for a swordmaster of his calibre. So he refrained.


    "Is that apliment?" he asked instead. After all, a real fight was never meant to look beautiful. There was a beauty to movement, in the art of swinging your weapons masterfully, but the finishing act was nothing but hideous.


    The swordmaster sneered. "I''m going to use my best attack on you; try and see if your hideous style can block it."


    Warden tilted his head and shot at the swordmaster before he could make his move. "You''d be thoroughly mistaken to think I''d let you make your best move unhindered."


    Because that would bepletely foolish. The swordmaster had already proved his speciality and lethality to him; leaving him room would only be disastrous for him.


    "You, petnt child," the man snorted. "Do you think someone like you can stop my de when I put my undivided desire into it?"


    The wind rushed in as the swordmaster rose into the air, before his spear struck. Warden chased, summoning his own wind. However, the rushing wind bought his opponent enough time to prepare his move.


    "Open your eyes, and experience Peak Mastery!" the swordmaster shouted, his form dancing beautifully through the wind as the stormy wind surged into motion. As more and more wind coalesced into the de, there weren''t enough to keep him hovering in the air, but that seemed to be the n, as the swordsman shot towards him, his de shing in a full arc.


    Shit! Warden cursed. Before he knew any better, the attack was upon him. There wasn''t even a moment for him to study its weak spot, if it had any. Warden pulled on all the patterns under his control and supplied them to obstruct the move.


    The attack looked very different from Karim''s final move, though the lethal power in it couldn''t be mistaken. Not to mention, it was apletely unavoidable move, reaching a further degree than Karim''s skilled move.


    "One de!"


    The wards of wind Warden employed didn''t seem to do anything to restrict the path of movement. Time seemed to stall as Warden watched the sword beam strike him. "One de" seemed to ignore all the wind, barely disturbing even the flow. Warden couldn''t believe it.


    His mind rang with existential crisis, as all his power surged within him, employing everything in his arsenal to stop the lethal blow. Thankfully, his instinct had called upon [Absolute Invulnerability] as well, when the attack bit into his skin.


    The force of the "One de" force after his life-saving ability turned up. Warden watched as a sharp sh of blood sprayed out from his arm where the attack struck.


    A couple of seconds passed with him stuck dumbfounded.


    Thankfully, it didn''t take six seconds to disperse the power of the terrifying move. Actually, it didn''t even take more than a blink of an eye. Most of the force dispersed, missing him, and for the rest of it, most was absorbed by the [Void Vanquishing Physique].


    Warden didn''t know what happened to the absorbed force after it disappeared. And he didn''t have time to wonder about that.


    It wasn''t only Warden who was dumbstruck. The assant was bbergasted, finding his attack not getting the result he desired. While exhausted to his bones, he still had in him to flip over and swing his de once more. Or he tried to...


    Warden dismissed [Absolute Invulnerability] before six seconds were up and threw his spear like a javelin. There was no wind augmenting its speed, but Warden''s intent and void energy were enough to prate through a worn-out opponent.


    In his panic, Warden had targeted the centre of the chest. The swordmaster moved away; unfortunately, he wasn''t nearly fast enough. He only managed to move a little to his left as the spear plunged into the right side of his chest.


    The spear tip came out from his back,pletely prating his chest.


    Then a loud crackle entered his ears.

 Chapter 254: Final Challenge

    Warden was too transfixed on where his spear struck to notice where theughter came from. But it definitely was not from the guy who had a spear stuck in his chest.


    Theughter came from behind, followed by a familiar voice. "What did I tell you, kid? You won''t have any problem defeating this fellow."


    "Karim?" Warden arched his eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"


    "Watching you demonstrate my teaching to this conceited fellow, obviously," Karim replied with another crackle ofughter, sounding pretty happy with the oue. "Did you think I''m restricted within the area of the checkpoint?"


    Warden scratched his chin and turned to the person who possibly needed medical care.


    "Don''t worry about him," Karim dismissed his concern. "He doesn''t need a heart."


    "I''m fine," croaked the diminutive swordmaster. He sat down, the spear still stuck in his body. His breathing wasboured, as his face had turned paper white. Even if the blow wasn''t enough to kill him, it had dealt a serious blow to him.


    "You wouldn''t be so lucky if it struck your core, Ovium," Karim said as he approached the other swordsman. "How long has it been since I saw you again... more importantly, how long has it been since I saw you like this?"


    "You must be feeling very ecstatic," husked Ovium.


    "A little," Karim said with a huge grin. "Perhaps this will help you get over the prison in your mind."


    Ovium snorted, still having the willpower to refute the other man. "If you''re not going to help me, bugger off."


    Karim smiled and grasped the spear. "Are you ready?" he said. Getting a nod from the guy, he asked, "I''ll count to three... One... Two¡ª"


    He yanked the spear out before he could count to three, as blood sttered along with it.


    "--three!"


    "Fuck!" Ovium growled. "Hurts like a bitch!"


    "Do you need any healing potion?" Warden asked, creeping closer to them.


    "YOU!" the pale-faced man turned red in fury. "Why haven''t you fucked off from here yet?"


    Warden faltered in his path and frowned. Was this guy trying to act petty now? While Warden''s attack was barely lethal to him, what he struck at him definitely was. If not for [Absolute Invulnerability], Warden would have been dead, severedpletely into two uneven pieces, very much like most of his own opponents.


    "Ahem! What this little twat means," Karim cut in, "is that you''re wee to advance on the path."


    Warden stood there for an extended moment. The thick cut from Ovium''s "One de" still remained on his arm. The Radiance Essence was working on it, but it would take some time to break theplex intent and coercive force of the move.


    "He''s usually not like this," Karim tried to mend, though Ovium stared with murder in his eyes. "Just that this ce hasn''t been any bit kind to him."


    Warden nodded to Karim and followed on his way. He was exhausted from the fight but not so thoroughly that he was unable to carry his body unlike his opponent.


    "Hey, Warden," Karim called as Warden turned. "You forgot this."


    He threw the spear at him, which Warden caught by using a few swirls of pattern.


    "You''re strong, we both know it," Karim continued. "But don''t fail to give up when you cannot move forward. Unless you want to end up salty like us."


    Karim waved his hand as Warden moved on.


    It took a quarter of an hour for the wound to close. It wasn''t terribly slow,pared to regr rankers, but considering his Radiance power could heal simr wounds in a few seconds, it was slow.


    So slow that it might be the difference between life and death in a battle of this calibre.


    I should save some time to use the remaining Light quintessence, Warden took a mental note.


    His eyes moved to the summit. It wasn''t so clear anymore as they moved closer, as though giving the vibe that all the views from before were nothing but an illusion. Stormy wind brewed on the summit with asional shes of light, followed by deafening roars of thunder.


    Then there was the suppression... not only had it doubled, but the more he climbed, the more powerless his essence and spirit became. Thankfully, he wouldn''t be the only one under such suppression.


    It took him a couple of days'' journey to reach the final checkpoint before the summit. It wasn''t simply because he had to rest more, but because the path became even more hazardous. If Warden hadn''t learned to control the pattern, he wasn''t sure about his survival.


    The path was full of stormy wind, rushing in from all directions. The bolts of lightning hardly made it easier. Controlling them was beyond him, as the charge of lightning was simply too fast and tyrannical. He had survived a couple of them, though.


    They weren''t stronger than Karim''s or Ovium''s trump card. Still, when the lightning surged through your bones and tendons, one simply couldn''t help but contemte life.


    It was an overwhelming feeling, but Warden didn''t have the same fear for it as he should.


    He wondered how much of the pattern he could use when he got out of this trial. The swirl of the pattern should be present in the real world as well, though not as prominent. It could be easier or be harder at the same time.


    For one thing, the suppression of this ce wouldn''t be present outside, while much of it depends on willpower and intent, the presence of spirit and essence couldn''t be overlooked. But it would hardly be possible to call upon such tyrannical power of wind in any environment.


    Letting out a deep breath, Warden entered the final checkpoint. It looked more like a sanctum to him, where his final challenge was waiting for him.


    Warden''s eyes widened like saucers at the very first look at her. She studied him, too. Her pristine white hair cascaded over her shoulder, the stormy wind was unable to hinder them in any way, while a smile blossomed her exterior into something divine.


    It was exactly the white-haired girl he met on the first day of the trial.

 Chapter 255: Wait for my Return

    There was a little difference between the girl he met at the foot of the mountain and the girl... no, woman at the final checkpoint. Warden could tell both were the same person, though the one before him seemed to be half a decade older, with most of her innocence gone.


    A mature charm had reced the innocence. Some might say it was all worth it, considering how otherworldly gorgeous she was... Yet Warden couldn''t help feeling a pang of sorrow looking at her.


    "You promised to give your name after I catch up," Warden said, bottling up the unexinable emotions growing inside of him.


    "Who are you?" said the white-haired woman. "I don''t remember promising you anything... I don''t even remember ever meeting you."


    Warden frowned.


    "Wait, don''t tell me," realisation dawned on her face, as her eyes widened. "You''re one of my fans, who even climbed the cursed Elysian to stalk me."


    Warden was dumbstruck.


    "While I do appreciate your enthusiasm, Mister," she said. "I''m not much into stalkers."


    A silver de appeared on her arm as she finished. She took a stance, looking as haughty as ever¡ªperhaps she had not lost all of her innocence.


    Warden could onlyply, calling upon dozens of patterns of his own. His opponent, however, didn''t bother to even manipte the pattern.


    "Ready?" she asked.


    Warden narrowed his eyes, meeting her gaze. He nodded.


    The wind rose. A moment passed. Warden took a step forward, and his instinct red up in an rm. He saw a white sh of light approaching him at a tremendous pace.


    Warden lurched to his left. The figure of the white-haired woman appeared where he stood a moment ago, her de shing twice. Silver beams of light shed out, though none of them affected Warden.


    "You''re better than you look," she said, turning to him. Her eyes were burning silver as her form shed again.


    Warden didn''t dodge the attack; instead, he swung his spear to block her attack. Their weapons met in a resounding sh. Her agility was a notch higher than Ovium''s, still, he didn''t understand why Karim called her a monster. Maybe the fourth disciple didn''t know how to appreciate a woman¡ª


    Her body shed again, and within a millisecond, she was behind him, her de plunging into his back. Warden lurched away; unfortunately, he wasn''t nearly fast enough.


    A cut appeared on his back as lightning shed in the folded clouds. As Warden thought, there was a coercive power in her move, which slowed down his healing process.


    His opponent didn''t stop with her moves. Her form shed unrelentingly, swinging her de at him from all directions. If Warden blocked one of her moves, she seeded with the next two... If he tried to create distance between them, she would simply sh in the blink of an eye and appear in his blind spot to deal a blow.


    Moreover, with all the wounds appearing on his body, Warden was unable to reach the peak of the flow.


    Ultimately, he could only do one thing.


    Warden channelled the swirls of pattern in his control into the unnamed spear move he had created with Karim. He didn''t make it fatal; instead, he broke the move into swirls of a terrifying storm and shoved all that in her path. He only desired to slow her down, just so that he could withdraw from the area of the checkpoint.


    The battle was lost before it began.


    "Wait for my return," he shouted and red the saved-up anti-gravity scripts. His body flew up as Warden didn''t even look back.


    He was sessful in fleeing, of course... Though it didn''t make him feel any better.


    The woman didn''t even let him bring out his best. Warden''s ferocity rose the further the battle went on. Sadly, he didn''t think he wouldst a couple of minutes at the intensity with which she dealt blows on him. On top of all, his void essence was suppressed by ny percent at the very least, while he had mostly exhausted his light essence.


    And it wasn''t recovering all that much under the stress of the suppression.


    In contrast, the woman seemed to have more ess over her essence. Warden had a suspicion about her origin, but he wasn''t sure how that would exin how he felt familiar with her. She seemed to have none of the familiarity with him. Hell, she didn''t seem to have the memory of their meeting on the first day either.


    Could it mean that the younger version waspletely separate from her?


    Warden rubbed his forehead, feeling a terrible headache growing. It wasn''t simply because of the questions, all things considered... Sadly, he was in no mood to rest up.


    Warden needed to devise a n to defeat her. He was sure she hadn''t shown all her cards, either. So, he couldn''t leave any room for improvement.


    Warden brought out all the stuff he thought he could use. First were the Attribute points enhancing elixirs. Considering the suppression of this ce, enhancing his attribute points to the limit of the Iron rank would be of little help. Of course, if he could increase his Mind attribute, it would be the highest advantage, but Warden didn''t see it happening with these Intermediate potions.


    Still, he drank them all, reaching 150 points in all his attributes but Recovery and Mind.


    Then there was the Gold-ranked quintessence of Light.


    Warden stared at it for several seconds and brought out the device...


    ***


    A couple of days passed, and Warden was back again to challenge the final checkpoint. He made all the preparations he could in thest two days. Perhaps he wouldn''t win, but Warden would give her a good time of the money.


    "You again," the white-haired woman said. She was sitting in the inclined stairs of the sanctum, a bucket of orange in her hand. She seemed to have eaten a couple of them.


    "Good, at least your memory isn''t all that bad," Warden chuckled.

 Chapter 256: Two Minutes

    "Youe again to challenge me?" she said, her expression sour.


    Warden nodded. "Didn''t I tell you to wait for me?"


    "You did," she said, eating her orange, looking disinterested. "But I''m not in the mood to fight right now."


    Warden frowned. "If you don''t fight me, can I just climb up to the top?"


    The woman shrugged.


    Warden didn''t know if this was a trap or not, but he did not n on skipping this checkpoint. While he would like to climb to the summit, he couldn''t deny the amount of improvement he made fighting Karim and Ovium.


    The woman appeared elusive to him now, but after he unravelled her enigma, Warden would reach a notch higher in skills.


    Thunder crackled in the gathering clouds as lightning burst somewhere close to them. The woman didn''t even waver, while Warden had his undivided attention on her.


    "Good thing one doesn''t need to be in the mood to fight," Warden said as he took his stance.


    She lifted her head to shoot him a look, her expression betraying her irritation. She really didn''t seem to be in the mood.


    Warden could have left as it was... but he chose not to... He didn''t know where the feeling of urgency came from, but whenever he looked at her, Warden couldn''t calm himself.


    "I''ming..."


    Saying that, he charged at her, his spear rising along as the wind concentrated. The white-haired woman glowered at him. She rested the basket from herp and raised an arm.


    "I hate this ce," she muttered and chopped her hand in the air.


    All the swirls of the pattern seemed to bow down to her with the gesture as the very nature of the ce turned against him. Warden didn''t stop, however. He triggered one of the lower-tier Anti-gravity scripts to force his way in. He had prepared more of them for this fight.


    Warden appeared above air, swinging his spear. He made his move, but her figure vanished while the spear left a deep mark in the stair.


    "You could have left, or climbed up like a good boy," she said, hovering in the air. "I guess you wouldn''t have survived if you weren''t persistent from whatever or whoever made you like this."


    Warden frowned.


    "Two minutes," she said, rising higher in the air. "I''ll give you two minutes. Show me what you''re made of... If you bore me, I''ll end you here. At least it will be a better ending than what awaits you."


    Warden sucked in a deep breath. He felt insulted that she hadn''t even brought out her sword this time.


    "Come on, I haven''t got all day."


    Apparently, she did have all day, if her situation was any bit like Karim and Ovium.


    Warden clenched his teeth and shot into the air, charging after her. The wind rustled around him as his spear moved unhindered under the wind''s obstruction. The wind only augmented his flow. Wardenunched an unnamed wind attack at her¡ªa weaker version, and she had no problem ducking under it.


    Heunched more of the attack,ing in from all directions, but before even one of them could graze her, her figure vanished from there and appeared somewhere else, as though she was using teleportation at every blink of an eye.


    But of course, teleportation was never that fast to implement. That was the effect of her raw speed and the wind working together. There was something else as well, something he could interact with as though some higher form ofw, different from gravity and the like.


    Time continued to flow, and she avoided all of his moves with otherworldly grace. Some of her movements were physically impossible...


    "Thirty seconds remaining," she said as her form appeared behind him, her breath brushing on his ears. She knew how to work him up.


    Gritting his teeth, Warden triggered the Tier-5 rune. His speed shot forth, easily doubling. He was onto her, and this time she was unable to disappear before he could strike.


    She employed the patterns as a ward that appeared like a barrier between them. Warden''s spear broke through the barrier, but in the minute second it took, she had already disappeared from the spot.


    "That''s better," she said.


    Warden shed again, using the Tier-5 rune. He employed void essence as a whole, as her eyes shed with more interest, easily understanding the origin of the power.


    But that wasn''t the end of it. Warden drew his baleful intent along as both of the destructive powersbined together to create something ruinous.


    "What''s the point of tyrannical power if you cannot strike with that?" she taunted, shing away.


    Warden pulled patterns and mobilised them all to obstruct her movement. It barely slowed down her movement, but the minimum was enough for Warden to catch up, burning away a Tier-5 and a bunch of Tier-4 scripts. He enabled all the Empowering scripts on his body as well, just so that he could withstand the terrible velocity.


    Power surged within him in a flood. Warden didn''t know for how long he could stay in this form, but he felt invincible.


    He shadowed her, swinging his spear in tyrannical forms. The wind rushed in torrential form, answering his call. The woman tried to obstruct his attack, but Warden broke through them all.


    Both of their forms shed in the sky as the lightning crackled in shes of light.


    "Draw your de!" Warden shouted.


    She did not.


    Warden showed no mercy. He pushed against the tangible force of the wind and swung his spear in a low sweep, wind rising and concentrating with his void energy and intent, creating something devastating... something malevolent... something baleful.


    The angelic face of his opponent split into a grin. "I didn''t know why you thought this was a good idea--"


    Wardenunched the attack at her.


    She didn''t move away... not this time. Light sparkled around her, her entire form literally glowing with silver light. Then pristine white, celestial wings spread on her back, each of its feathers glowing in celestial light.

 Chapter 257: Truth

    One of her iridescent wings came forward and blocked Warden''s strongest move. The wings shimmered with more light,pletely obscuring any visibility to determine if the blow had hindered it at all. There were no visible signs of injury on her.


    Warden''s mouth opened to say something, but it remained hung open for several seconds. He had his suspicions when her younger form had healed him, but even with that, the reveal had left him dumbstruck. So much so that he forgot to attack.


    Warden wasn''t sure how much he had been involved with the celestial in the past, but to his knowledge, it was the first time he was experiencing a pureblood celestial at their full glory.


    "And your time''s up," she said. Her form shot at him. Before Warden''s eyes could trace her movement, she crashed into him, her leg plunging into his chest, hurling him down to the ground.


    Warden crashed into the stony ground, creating arge hole. The kick was strong enough that Warden lost all the swirls of the pattern in his control. Even his scripts got destroyed like scrapped papers.


    He wheezed, feeling a burning pain in his chest where she attacked. Warden sat upright, or was just about to when she crashed down on him again. He sank further into the hole.


    The celestial woman, whom he thought he was so familiar with, had her feet on top of his chest as she stared at him coldly.


    "I..." Warden coughed, blood oozing out of his mouth.


    "Shhh," she gestured for him to be silent.


    Warden still coughed.


    She flicked her fingers, and light shot out from them, sticking to his neck. The light pierced instantly without any restriction, as blood began to ooze out.


    Warden tried to struggle out, but she hadplete hold of him, restricting himpletely.


    Blood continued to bubble up. She leaned closer and released his essence, though still pinning him down. His radiance power introduced itself as whitish-golden light spilled from the wound. The cut closed up in seconds...


    "As I thought," the woman muttered. "Close... Very close..."


    She released himpletely and crouched down to him, the iridescent celestial wings having disappeared from her back.


    Without giving any pleasantries, she caught his left hand and began to unwrap the cloth which Warden used to hide his fate marks.


    Her white pupils zed in silver light as the fate marks unravelled before her eyes. She turned to him, understanding the implication of these marks. Perhaps she understood more than him.


    "Who are you?" she asked. There was barely a few inches distance between their faces, his arm still sped tightly by hers.


    Warden swallowed a breath.


    "You''re not mute, answer my question," she said. "Who are you? Why haven''t you gone insane yet?"


    He didn''t answer her question. "You mentioned you''ll end me after the two minutes," Warden said instead. "Why haven''t you?"


    "I''m contemting it," she narrowed her eyes on him.


    Would she be done with him after he answered the questions? Warden thought darkly. Her eyes were cold, and she was indeed contemting his life and death... Yet why did he feel a pang of regret and pain inside? Why?


    "Do you hate a halfbreed that much?" he asked, eyes unwavering.


    The celestial womanughed coldly. "Halfbreed?" she said, letting go of his palm. "There''s no such thing as a halfbreed celestial. No, you''re no halfbreed. You''re far more filthy. Heathens."


    Warden frowned at her.


    "Why do you look surprised?" she said and tilted her head.


    "If I''m not a halfbreed, then what am I?" Warden asked.


    "An experiment."


    "An experiment?" Warden repeated, as dark thoughts crawled up in his mind.


    "A sessful one, as I see it," she said. Her eyes grew colder again, and she didn''t give him any time to wallow in the dark thoughts. Her aura, augmented by the pattern, crashed onto him, restricting most of his essence. "How many hearts of my brothers and sisters have they ripped to transmute you?"


    Warden didn''t know what to say. The world was crashing down on him.


    "You have the smell of primordial," she said and drew her finger on the blood on his neck. "And the radiance essence..." Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. "It''s weak... yet... why does this feel so close to my..."


    Warden didn''t bother to sit upright. He wasn''t sure if he could even do it. His whole world was shaken...


    It''s all false, he thought, his eyes tearing... It''s all false... he wasn''t a celestial... no. NO. If what this woman implied is the truth...


    Transmutation, is that it? Is that what made me into this? Was I made from the corpses of Celestials? Is this why there was the corruption?


    Warden had never even considered something like that. He didn''t know if this was possible... but even Agnes implied it wasn''t possible for a Celestial to conceive with any other race.


    Warden didn''t have to wallow in the dark thoughts for much longer, as the celestial woman turned her attention back on him again. Her angelic features split into one of pain and fury.


    Chill spread all over his whole being, even his spirit churned under the pressure.


    "I won''t repeat myself again," she said in a chilly voice. "Answer my question, who are you? Who made you into... this?"


    Warden didn''t even look at her, his eyes vacant, teary, as he stared at nothing.


    She shook him, turning him towards her. "I can use other methods to get my answer... I promise you won''t like a single bit of it."


    "I don''t know," he whispered.


    "You don''t know?" Fury blinded her sight as she strangled his neck.


    "Warden," he husked back... "I only know that much..."


    "No!" growled the celestial woman as she flung him into the air. She leapt up from the hole to stand before him again, cold eyes shining with hostility. "No, it isn''t enough. Warden of the Void Prison Realm..."


    She drew closer to him. "You''ll tell me what I desire to know, and I''ll grant you a painless death," she growled, as Warden''s face turned white as a sheet under the pressure. "Tell me, how many are transmuted into Celestial Abominations like you? Are they all given the position of Wardens?"


    Tears poured out of his eyes. Warden covered his face with his palms. He had no answers to her questions. Or his own.


    ___________

 Chapter 258: Emergency Call up

    "Hey, Aurel," Jason called, finding a familiar figure among the crowd.


    Her expression froze for a moment, but she pushed that aside and pursued a normal, t expression. She made no impression that she wanted to mingle with him. Giving him a nod, she stood in her ce silently. Jason smiled and crept to stand next to her.


    "So, you have been called up as well, ha?" he said.


    "Everyone whose supplementary duty on the front lines is due has been called up, of course, I have to turn up," she said nonchntly, waiting for the people in the camp to arrive and announce the reason for the sudden call-up. "Not everyone has a father like yours."


    Jason sighed at her biting words, but that was just Aurel being Aurel.


    "You thought I was going to ignore the call," Jason said, "and use my background to get away with it."


    She nodded. "It''s not like your first time doing something like that."


    "You sound like you don''t know me," Jason sighed. She probably had no idea about him forsaking his family.


    "I wish I didn''t," she sighed as well.


    Jason bit his lips and said nothing. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd who came to greet him. After all, he was a quite reputable fellow, not to mention his background. Even if he wanted to forsake it, people would still think of him as the young master of the Folger family.


    They still think getting on his good side would help them with his father, the governor of one of the most important cities in the world.


    More people were stilling. Only a quarter of an hour remained for the higher-ups to turn up. Usually, most of the higher-ups turn upte on most asions, considering they have many other businesses to deal with. However, as far as he was concerned, they would likely turn up on time on this asion, the situation being what it was.


    Jason was notpletely sure what had happened, but a conversation with his sister had cleared up his confusion somewhat. Apparently, there had been a big expedition going on, with many of the noble heirs participating in it.


    Jason, himself, would have been called, but considering he had little to nomunication with his family, he had not been considered for this expedition.


    Not until today.


    Supposedly, the top-secret mission into a deeper part of the rift had not been going well. And who could they me other than the forsaken? They have sent away a little over 200 candidates from the front lines, which included elite rankers from big houses, guilds, and other establishments.


    It was right after a couple of days into the expeditions, news came in that there were ten times the number of forsaken¡ªgoblins, orcs, trolls alike¡ªwhile already waiting to intercept them. Thispletely jeopardised the safe return of people, let alone the possibility of gaining riches from the site.


    So, the upper echelon of the military had no choice but to call up more of the young prospects to the front lines and assign them the task of taking care of the forsaken problem.


    Jason had been nning toe to the frontline this month. He wanted to meet up with his sister and Warden. He had already made up with his sister before arriving at the camp, but when he inquired about Warden, he discovered the guy had gone for the expedition as well.


    Honestly, Jason was not at all worried about him. The sheer power and mastery overbat skills Warden had demonstrated left no room for doubts about his survival.


    As Jason pondered this, the higher-ranking officer turned up just about on time. He was not surprised to find his elder sister, along with a couple of other captain-ranked officers, behind the man. Jason recognised the man: Terel Walt, themander-in-chief responsible for almost everything at this base of the military.


    He was a gold ranker before Jason was even born and had been attempting to court his eldest sister for over a decade now. Not that his sister gave him enough air.


    Themander-in-chief addressed the crowd, sharing the necessary information about what the mission would entail. It was the same as what he had learned from his sister beforeing here.


    She mentioned nothing about the site being from an esoteric time, though, and the type of riches that could be gained from there. Many of the iron rankers literally drooled, learning about ability gems and potions as rewards. There were about 1200 of them who would be divided into 6 teams, while a captain or sergeant-ranked officer would take charge of each team.


    Jason was not in the least bit surprised when his name was called and found his elder sister was the leader of the team. Aurel was part of the team as well, though he hardly thought his sister had any say in it. Jessica probably had no idea about their rtionship, besides it had been so long.


    It didn''t end with that. Hundreds of iron-ranked soldiers joined them in the expedition as well, themander leaving no room to doubt the sess of their mission. They were given only two hours for the departure. There had been someints from the mass of young iron rankers.


    But all theirints found no ears, as themander-in-chief had already announced the importance of this expedition.


    After all, he would face heavy bacsh if any of the heirs of high-ranking noble families fell into this expedition.


    The High echelon would rather lose dozens of normal soldiers and rankers from no background than receive the bacsh from high-ranking noble families. Not to mention, there was an imperial prince and princess involved in this expedition.


    "Curious," Jason said to Aurel. "If you''re going to the expedition, what about your duty as abat instructor in the academy?"


    "It would be on hold for the time being," she said. "Besides, it''s not just me who had to turn up for the sudden call. Half of thebat instructors are here."

 Chapter 259: Truth (2)

    His world had crashed down on him, and Warden wasn''t strong enough to keep standing.


    Warden? That wasn''t even his name. He had his suspicions about it for some time now... yet having the suspicion proven... It was too hard for him to bear.


    He crumbled on the ground, palms hard-pressed against his face, as though trying to rip off his whole existence. Tears welled up from his eyes, but the small amount of salt water wasn''t enough to indicate the sheer amount of turmoil he was feeling inside.


    Void essence surged within him, answering his inner turmoil; however, it was unable to get out of him, under the pressure of the unbendable presence of the celestial woman. Unable to inflict damage or disperse outside, the void energy began to tear off his skin. A chilly burning sensation crawled up his skin, but he barely reacted.


    "Death will note easily to you," came the woman''s voice. "No... for all your sins..."


    He looked at her, resting his hands. He wasn''t sure if he could do anything against her if she tried to kill him now. Hell, he wasn''t sure if he wanted to stop her if she tried to kill him.


    "You''re quite right," a new feminine voice came in from behind. It sounded familiar, as her voice carried over the shifting wind. "Death will note easily to him, but it was not because of his sins."


    She came forward to stand on the other side of him, across from the older version of herself. Yes, it was exactly the girl he had met at the foot of the mountain, who had healed him once.


    "You are?" the older one said, a frown creeping up on her celestine brows, as though she was unable to recognise the younger version.


    "The name given to me at birth was Ariha," she said as she turned to him. "Ariha of the Dawn."


    His heart pounded in his chest. He felt like he recognized the name, and yet... no matter how much he pricked his mind to remember, the only answer he received was an impaling pain.


    "Over the years, I was given many more names," said the younger celestine girl and turned to the older Ariha. "I''m sure you share the same, is it not right, my poor, misguided, conceited self?"


    Under the gaze of the older Ariha, the younger one crouched down next to him. She touched his face with her palm, her touch was slow and soft. A warm wash of light energy surged within him, from her to him, healing away all the damage his void energy had dealt to his body, reacting to his turmoil. Not only that, but it also calmed down his destructive, nihilistic emotions.


    "Do you find the warm radiance familiar?" she asked.


    He didn''t have a voice to answer. He felt every wisp of the pure radiance energy restore him. "It''s..." he tried to find his voice back. "It''s so pure... Unblemished."


    The younger Ariha smiled. "Do you know why you feel that way?"


    He stared at her, wordless.


    "It is because the source of our Radiance is the same," she turned to look at her older version. "You felt it too, right?"


    The line in her celestine brows deepened to form a frown. "Impossible," she said, ring at them.


    "You deny," the younger one said. "But the evidence is before our eyes."


    "Impossible!" She repeated the same word again, this time with more emotion.


    "I understand," Young Ariha said. "You do not want to believe it, so you deny it." She shook her head in resignation. "I thought I''d remain pure and unblemished across the ages, but that definitely isn''t the truth. The War, loss, and insanity saw to that. However, I do not think the insanity will consume me so much that I will be incapable of recognising the truth."


    The older one red at her, exerting more pressure over them. Yet, under the younger Ariha''s presence, he barely felt any of it.


    "Do not express yourself as someone you''re not," the older Ariha said, a form of insanity in her expression and voice. "You''re not. You. Are. Not."


    "I guess it has been some time since I have been myself," said the younger celestine. "Even still, it''s still notpletely me. After all, I''m but a crumpled piece of what I used to be... very little of me remained in this..." She shook her head and met the older one''s eyes. "Regardless, you recognise the situation, correct? Of what this ce is..."


    "Even if this is not the reality I believe it is," said the older celestine, "even if it is but a figment borne out of dark desires and hopelessness, I cannot forgive the sins¡ª"


    "But what if the sin ismitted by yourself?" the younger Ariha said. "The future, or past version of yourself. My awareness isn''t sharp enough to recognise how this works. But I can with absolute certainty say his Radiance corees from us."


    He stared at her with uncertainty. Yet he couldn''t help but feel a string of hope blooming in his heart. He did not want to be someone who sacrificed pure celestial lives to gain their power... he did not want to be a product of a heinous experiment. He did not want... could not live if they all turned out to be the truth...


    So he hoped...


    "I do not think I will sacrifice so much of myself to make something heinous... something revolting like this," the older one said, gesturing to him.


    "We used to be kinder," provided the younger one. "Perhaps we still are..."


    "Perhaps we are dead," said the older one, still denying. "Perhaps he found our corpse and used it to make himself an ugly celestial-human hybrid."


    The younger one shook her head. "We both know this level of transmutation is impossible without Primordial magic."


    "I''m not nearly close to touching celestial magic."


    "But our real self might be," provided the younger one, gaining more and more advantage in the argument.


    "He has the touch of the Void Emperor," the older one was still notpletely convinced. "Perhaps he¡ª"


    "The Void Emperor is dead," the younger Ariha said in an authoritative voice. "The traitors have feasted upon his corpse and proimed themselves as gods."


    The older one showed an expression that suggested it wasn''t news to her. Yet, she hesitated.


    "Do you think any of those greedy bastards will let go of their chances of keeping the insanity at bay if they got our Radiance core?" the younger one questioned. "Do you think they would use it on an unremarkable human?"


    The older celestial woman stared at them nkly, her expression significantly contemtive. As more of their debate unfolded, the string of hope had seeded deeply in his heart.


    Even though he was notpletely convinced, much like the older woman. Even though he might not know himself, nor his name, the destructive thoughts did not y in his mind. The warm radiance power Ariha had introduced into his system drove away most of the self-doubt and nihilistic thoughts.


    "I''ve heard a lot out of you," said the older one, breaking his thought. She exchanged a look between them. "Now, I want to hear his part of the story..."


    He sucked in a deep breath. The young girl avatar of the frightening celestial woman, with whom he could not help but feel a close kinship, traced her fingers over his chest. She nodded to him as though asking him to open up.


    "I do not know anything," he husked. "I don''t remember... Most of my memory is wiped out..."


    Cold silver light zed in the older Ariha''s eyes. "That sounds unnervingly convenient, wouldn''t you agree?" she asked her other version.


    "Convenient, perhaps," she agreed. "But that doesn''t make it false. We can easily bring out the truth."


    She gestured towards him for her older version to check. The older white-haired woman came forward to him and ced her palm over his forehead.


    White radiance power flowed out of her palm and entered his mind. He could do nothing to object to it. The radiance was as unblemished as the younger avatar''s, though he couldn''t say it was soft. The older avatar was far more tyrannical.


    "Fascinating," she muttered after a couple of minutes. She turned her eyes towards the younger Ariha. "You''re right, he has no significant memory past a few months, perhaps. What''s more interesting is that even his soul records are barred from his physical self."


    "Primordial magic," the younger avatar said, while he waspletely amazed by them.


    It took Elder Allen several examinations of his mind toe up with a simr hypothesis, however, she couldn''t determine the real cause behind his situation. Primordial magic. He had no clue what that was. He suspected it was the deepest form of power.


    How strong did they need to be to even make everything in such a short time? Not to mention, none of the two avatars were real. They were made from the records of Ariha''s past self.


    Just remembering the name, he felt deep-rooted emotions welling up inside of him. Ariha. Who was she to me?


    Warden. . . No, that was not his name. He was almost convinced of that by now. r


    June''s face came to his mind. He imagined her admonishing him for giving in earlier instead of putting everything to text. Or for not giving himself a chance.


    He would not make the same mistake again. Even if he did not recognise himself. Regardless of what his name might be, he was prepared to give himself a chance. . .


    A chance to figure out the truth.


    _____________

 Chapter 260 : Wrath of the Menace

    The elder Ariha was not entirely convinced, despite all the reasoning and vague evidence. Honestly, he had not managed to convince himself entirely. The entire affair seemed overlyplicated with insufficient information to form a simple conjecture.


    First of all, it was nearly impossible for a celestial to reproduce with another race. However, through transmutation, it was possible to turn another person into a celestial hybrid¡ªthis seemed to have taken ce over his being, albeit at a much deeper level, involving primordial powers and all. He couldn''t even get his head around that stuff.


    What was moreplicated was his void essence. It appeared to be rted to an individual known as the Void Emperor¡ªhe had no memory of a being so named. Well, the being seemed to have existed epochs ago, tens of thousands of years ago, so he allowed himself some leniency.


    From their conversation, he understood that the Void Emperor was already dead, and his essence had been harvested by a group of individuals who should currently be known as the Traitor Gods. Is that why the moonspawn''s essence did not affect me as it did most people?


    Both avatars appeared to harbour no love for the Void Emperor, much less the traitor gods¡ªwho were hunting the celestials to gain their Radiance Core.


    The elder avatar had lost many of her loved ones, rendering her quite cynical.


    However, all this had not gone unnoticed by the younger avatar''s expression.


    "How about this," she proposed, frowning at him. "Give him two years... no, one year is enough. Give him one year. If he''s someone we choose, he should be able to defeat you in a fair fight in that time."


    The elder avatar snorted. "Even if I give him a decade, he won''te close."


    "Perhaps you didn''t hear," younger Ariha remarked nonchntly, "I mentioned a fair fight. The two minutes you gave him is hardly fair."


    "I heard you, and I stand by what I said."


    "Then you shouldn''t have a problem giving him a year''s time."


    The elder one shook her head. "A year is too long, long enough that he''d begin to ck off..." she pondered the decision for a bit. "I''ll give him three months instead. Train him however you want, reveal all of our secrets if you must, but at the end of the three months, he will have to fight me."


    The younger Avatar wanted to say something, but the more authoritative version raised her hand to silence her younger self.


    "It will hardly be a fair fight considering the disparity between our powers," she said after a while.


    "Do you have something in mind?" the younger Ariha arched her celestine eyebrow.


    "Five minutes," stated the elder.


    "Five minutes," he repeated in a whisper.


    "Five minutes," announced the challenge of the final checkpoint, turning to him. "For five minutes you have to withstand my wrath, or your life is forfeit."


    He took in a deep, frigid breath.


    "I do not care if you are our chosen," she continued. "If you cannot withstand it, you''re not capable of inheriting our power." She turned to her younger avatar. "Wouldn''t you agree?"


    Even if the younger Ariha disagreed, it was not reflected in her expression.


    Receiving no objection, the elder Ariha smiled. "The suppression on you is lifted," she dered as she rose into the air. "Disappoint me, and I''ll end you."


    Leaving thosest words, she vanished into the sky. As she had mentioned, power surged through him, as all the suppression on him was lifted, releasing all his raw physical and essence power. The disparity between the two states was staggering. His ability to use the pattern almost doubled and that too without getting fully adaptable into his power.


    He turned to the younger Ariha to find her literally cringing.


    "Light, save me from being this melodramatic," she said, turning to him. "Did you hear her? Ahem! ''Disappoint me, and I''ll end you.''"


    He couldn''t help but shoot her a judging gaze at her own mimicry, before bursting intoughter.


    "Smile, that looks good on you," she told him. "When the world throws **it** at you, smile,ugh... because the worst it could do to you is ruin your sense of humour."


    "I''m not so sure if that''s true, but thank you."


    "It is the truth," she told him in an admonishing tone. "Never be dull in humour like that. I forbid you."


    He wasn''t sure how to reply to that. "Um, okay."


    "Anyway, you''ve got three months to train," she said, brushing away a lock of her silvery hair. The storm had calmed down somewhat after the elder one''s departure. "It will be hard if you want to defeat her... you understand?"


    He nodded solemnly.


    "No, you do not understand the depth of her power," she admonished. "She... she''s the current master of Elysian."


    A frown crept up on his brows. "She''s the immortal, I heard so much about aftering here?"


    Ariha shook her head. "No, she killed the original Immortal Master of Elysian, and took his ce to hide from the traitor gods... Well, that was close to the truth in the original timeline, perhaps..."


    His frown only deepened.


    "So you need to understand," she said, inhaling a deep breath, wisps of pattern absorbed into her form unconsciously, causing him to lift his eyebrow. "That miserable version of myself is aplete Transcendent being, who has seen the worst of it all, experienced and had be a menace in her own right. Very few things go unnoticed by her sight and senses.


    "Thankfully, arrogance and pride run through our veins like how molten me spurts out of volcanoes. She probably had an idea that I was goading her, but that only med her arrogance. I guess knowing oneself takes one to many ces..." She shook her head. "A five-minute battle... this is probably the best oue I had hoped for, though it would have helped if she had given more time."


    He became contemtive as well. To defeat a whole transcendent being, and not just any transcendent, but arguably the besting from the Celestial lineage.


    "How do I defeat a transcendent being?" he muttered, looking up to her.


    "You don''t," she said with a grin. "Not when you''re like this. No, all you have to do is withstand her wrath for five minutes... Even still, the chances of you making it are nigh impossible."


    He frowned, wondering what she was getting at.


    "Good thing, you have a Transcendent being for yourself, no? To prepare you for the battle?"


    "You are..." he was speechless. "You too..."


    She smiled. "Another version of myself... my true self... had given our power, sacrificing a big part of herself, I reckon..." She soundedpletely certain of it. "I do not know the circumstances that forced her to take such a drastic step. Or what you are to us?


    A disciple? Lover, perhaps? Probably not, as I would much prefer someone with a better sense of humour..."


    He rubbed his forehead. While Ariha had her brilliance, she sounded so willful at times. Even when he was to fight an impossible fight in three months'' time. Honestly, her diminutive teenage form didn''t really inspire confidence, if he didn''t know what she was capable of.


    "However," she continued, "I do not think she had the opportunity to train your personality, considering how terrible you are at handling power. Your aura control is passable... as for the control of pattern... still a long way to go."


    He bent one knee before her. "I''m prepared to train until all my bones are broken, my muscles barely able to move an inch, my blood flows backward. I''m prepared..."


    He stopped to stare at her. Ariha, hopefully his master, was cringing.


    "I have one rule," she said, staring at him solemnly. "Don''t be melodramatic."


    He measured her expression and found no room for negotiation on this matter. He sighed. "I''m prepared to listen to all yourmands."


    "Good," she nodded. "I''ll hate it if you don''t listen to me."


    He nodded, picking up his spear. "So, how do I begin?"


    "By leaving the weapon and taking the rest for the day. Your mind is too heavy to learn anything."


    "But--"


    "No buts," she said, her eyes ring at him. "I do not teach those who do not listen to my orders."


    He stared at her for several seconds, as though wanting to pick a fight with her. But in the end, he had to waver... without the impression his body was powerful as ever, unfortunately, all the crashing emotions and experiences left his mind dry for any worthwhile training.


    "Rest up, eat something. I''lle early tomorrow. Be prepared."


    With that, she too flew off into the sky, leaving him to ponder over important questions whose answers he wouldn''t receive anytime soon.


    After she left, he tried to engage in a spear dance, to have a little warm-up... unfortunately, what she said was truer than he recognized.


    Ultimately, he sat down on the ruins of the shrine and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds undted in their motion with the asional charges of lightning.


    Dark thoughts crawled up in his mind eventually, trying to affect him, push him into depression... Gritting his teeth, he pulled his mind back and decided to do something eventually with his time.


    Training would have done it, but he promised her... he did not want to disappoint his potential master on the very first day if he could help it.


    So, he brought out his instruments and ingredients, and began cooking.

 Chapter 261 : Way

    He sat cross-legged, his palms resting on his knees as he meditated in the early morning hours. The storm in the Elysian had calmed, but folded clouds still charged the air with an electric tension. He sensed Ariha''s presence before she even spoke, her silvery burning hair illuminating the dimly lit surroundings.


    "Are you prepared?" she asked, her voice cutting through the silence.


    Heopened his eyes and met her piercing gaze. "I am," he affirmed, his voice steady and confident. All the cooking and runesmithing had done great work to recalibrate his mind from the chaotic thoughts.


    But Ariha shook her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied him intently.


    "Close your eyes and sit with your palm on your heart," she instructed.


    Hedid as she asked, his rough, calloused hand resting over his chest. He could feel the steady thump of his heartbeat beneath his fingertips.


    "Do you know what distinguishes a transcendent from a regr ranker?" The Younger Ariha asked, her voice taking on a more serious tone.


    Hefurrowed his brow, searching for the right words. "Power?" he ventured. "Rank and Skill?"


    She shook her head, unsatisfied with his answer. "Truth," she said, her voice ringing with a quiet intensity. "A transcendent is very clear about what they are. They know exactly who they are, and establish it as a truth. A truth that can break any regr ranker."


    Helet her words sink in, his mind racing with the implications. He had always known he was different, stronger than the average person. But to establish something about him as a truth, to let it define him... that was something...


    "I''m not asking you to step into transcendence right now," she said. "But knowing who you truly are... what is the defining feature about yourself will help a lot in finding your Way.


    With his palm pressed against his chest, he delved deep within himself. Ariha''s words echoed in his mind, urging him to discover his innermost truth. He focused on his breathing, letting each inhtion and exhtion guide him further into his psyche.


    "Calm your heart," Ariha told him, her voice gentle yetmanding. "You may not have your memories of your past, but it should not stop you from understanding who you truly are as a person. Dig deep within yourself and find your essence."


    Hetook a deep breath, trying to still the turbulent emotions swirling within him. His memory was a patchwork of fragmented experiences¡ªa life lived, yet shrouded in mystery.


    His mind wandered through the very essence of his being. He was a man of many talents and passions.


    He thought of his insatiable curiosity, a thirst for knowledge that drove him to explore the intricacies of the world around him. From the delicate art of cooking to the intricate crafting of runes, his hunger for understanding knew no bounds.


    Memories of his adventures flooded his mind, tales of dashing heroics and hard-won battles. He had mastered the spear, a weapon that had be an extension of his very being. His form appeared in his mind''s eye with the mysterious form of a spear, its graceful arcs cutting through the air with lethal precision.


    He was a master chef, a master Runesmith, a teacher, a Warrior, adventurer. His heart pounded. None of them was the single most important thing to define him.


    He remembered saving the vige, the faces of Xiv, Onia, Liam, and Kiara etched in his mind. Their gratitude and relief fuelled his sense of purpose. He recalled his audacious meeting with June, how she saw through his bravado to the genuine man beneath. Her insight had sparked a desire for self-discovery.


    And he remembered the joy of teaching the children at the academy, and the pride he felt in building the massive Ward in the main camp. Jenni, Agnes, Caleb, all the other runesmiths¡ª the lives he had touched, the people he had helped. Each memory was connected to his innate desire to shield others from harm


    "Don''t look back to what you were," June''s words echoed in his mind as her sinuous high Elven form appeared in his mind. "Imagine what you can be..."


    The phrase resonated within him, igniting a spark of determination. He realised that his past, though shrouded, did not define him. It was his actions, his choices in the present, that truly mattered.


    For all his aplishments and mastery, there was one thread that ran through them all, amon thread that defined the very essence of who he was ¨C a Protector.


    His drive to be a master chef, a runesmith, a teacher, and a warrior stemmed from a single, unwavering purpose: to protect those he loved. This burning desire fuelled his relentless pursuit of knowledge and skill.


    He remembered the countless nights spent perfecting runes, not merely for the sake of perfecting himself, but because it may protect someone else in his absence.


    As a teacher, he shared his experience not merely to impart knowledge, but to equip those around him with the tools necessary to protect themselves and others. Considering his circumstances, he hadn''t done the best job of it, but his desire to teach them had been genuine.


    In battle, his spear became an extension of his unwavering resolve, as he stood as a guardian wall.


    Hehad a wide range of talents and aplishments, but they were all just different aspects of a lifemitted to protecting those he cared about the most. It was this singr purpose that defined him, a beacon that guided his every action and decision.


    His heart pounded as swirls of ambient energy churned around him. He could feel the power within, a tangible manifestation of his resolve. He opened his eyes and looked at Ariha, his gaze steady and resolute.


    In that moment, he understood the core of his being, the driving force that had guided him through the trials and tribtions of his forgotten past.


    "I protect," he told her, his voice firm and unwavering.


    For him, being a Protector was not merely a role, but a way of life, a sacred duty that transcended any individual skill or mastery. It was the essence of who he was, a fundamental truth that echoed through every fibre of his being.


    At that moment, he felt something change within him. As though all the pieces clicked right, and the way finally opened for him.


    She narrowed her gaze and nodded. "I thought this would take you long, but perhaps having no clear knowledge about yourself helped in the way," she said. "Still, I didn''t think it would be this easy. Untalented folks like you take ages to understand this simple thing.


    Hebit back the retort and nodded. "Thank you," he said and bowed. "I guess my foundation of a higher ranker before my memory was wiped out helped."


    "What are you talking about?" she frowned.


    "Oh, I thought you noticed already," he said. "Although I looked to be only Iron ranked, I had reached a higher station before... most of the memory has eluded me, and..."


    "What rank were you?"


    "Probably gold, or higher," he said, hesitantly. "My status page termed it as Broken Cmity, whatever the hell that means."


    Ariha rubbed her forehead.

 Chapter 262: Touching the Moon

    "Sit down," Ariha said, rubbing her forehead. "There seems to be too much of a gap in your knowledge about the Way."


    "Way?" He raised an eyebrow. "Way, as in the way of power?"


    "Not just power," she said. "The Way epasses the universe, perhaps universes... The Way is endless. There is no beginning or end to it, we are merely edgewalkers, trying toprehend the intricacies since the beginning of time.


    "If we were to divide the path we had managed toprehend with all our rich history..." she let the silence hang for a moment. She sucked in a breath as the pattern swirled around her. "In the time of my rise, we had ten huge steps into the Way... however, in the time of the other me, another step was carved, which brought the war down on the realms."


    A frown crept to his brows, as some form of conjecture came to him. "So, copper, iron, silver, gold, these are the huge steps you are talking about?"


    "More or less." She nodded. "They used to be called something else in my time, but it seems like they simplified the steps, taking metal attributes as their titles. But you don''t need to worry about a lot of this stuff currently... I''ll make sure to educate you more about the Way during breaks..."


    Before she paused the conversation, he asked the question that he was mostly interested in. "Where do the broken Cmities stand in the eleven steps?"


    "That''s the issue," she said, narrowing her eyes. "A Cmity is supposed to stand nowhere in the Way."


    "Supposed to?"


    She didn''t answer his question and began exining. "When most reach the fourth step¡ªGold Ranker, they could finally glimpse at the Way..." she thought for a moment to give an example. "Suppose there are countless moons in the sky, but normal rankers'' eyes weren''t good enough to see them. But once they reach Gold, they finally could glimpse at the moons and interpret a path to reach there.


    "Once you touch the moon, you''ve ascended to the first step of Transcendence."


    "But where does a Broken Cmity fit in all this?" he asked, still confused.


    "That''s the point, it doesn''t," she said softly. "When one reaches Transcendence, the Way throws a tribtion in their path... In the Celestial path, it is called a Cmity. Most people fail before even meeting their Cmity... but those that do meet and fail to ovee them were corrupted by the force of the Cmity.


    They were twisted into a monstrous form, bereft of most of their essence and ideals, never to touch the Way ever again."


    He felt his throat go sour. "Then I..."


    "You are unique," she said before he could put any words to define himself. "All the logic and my knowledge say you should have been turned into a mindless monster, never to even glimpse at the Way ever again. But that clearly wasn''t the case. Not only did you keep your essence and ideals¡ªalbeit with some side effects, the important matter is that the Way does not reject you."


    He had no words to respond to her, and Ariha seemed to be in a simr position.


    "I do not know where to ce you in the steps," she said. "Your path seemed to be unique, even more sopared to any Celestial or the Void Emperor. Logic says you''re only at the second step, yet you showed aspects which put you at the precipice of the fifth step."


    "The fifth step is Transcendence..." he sucked in a frigid breath.


    "Only the first step of Transcendence," she said and nodded. "But what you mentioned is probably the truth. You have touched Transcendence before your memory was wiped out, perhaps for a small amount of time, and managed to keep some aspect of your transcendent power."


    He only let out a breath, still unable to wrap his mind around the fact even though he had heard her clearly.


    "Show me your equipment, I have a theory," she said.


    He agreed and opened his subspace to bring out all three pieces of his equipment. He could feel the suppression on them had been lifted. He could use them in the battleing in three months'' time, though he wasn''t sure how much benefit they could give him.


    Ariha took the cloak first as her eyes narrowed. "Cloak of Void Radiance," she muttered, her eyes ring in silver light. "As I thought, they are invested with your essence. The essence that makes one transcendent."


    He narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"


    She gestured for him to stand up as she moved to the centre of the stage. "For reasons unknown, your vessel was unable to maintain the transcendent essence, so you likely invested them with the essence and developed them into something unique. The Armour [Maya''s Protection] has the highest essence of the three, followed by the cloak and de... The distribution is like 55%, 40% and 5%..."


    It took a moment for him to understand that those pieces of equipment didn''t give him his power. No, it was his power that turned those into Soul Relics.


    "With these, you have another weapon against Bully Ariha," she said. "I''m nning on dividing half of your training time into harnessing the power from them, and for the rest of the time, you''d interpret the pattern."


    He sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Well, will they be enough to defeat her?" he asked.


    "Defeat her?" Ariha snorted. "My poor disciple, that me could swat you like a fly if she wants to. No, the whole training regime I''m nning is to give you a fighting chance to withstand her power for five minutes."


    He didn''t mind her distrust of evering close to defeating her other Avatar, considering he had experienced a trickle of her power. "So, I''m your disciple now?"


    Ariha didn''t reply to that. "As much as I know myself, she would y fair as much as possible, so you could only me yourself if you fail."

 Chapter 263: Realization

    Jenni rested her runic stylus and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She stretched her fingers, sping her palms together. She had been doing regr runesmith work for about six hours straight.


    Agnes had forbidden her from entering any Individual trials. While Jenni still wanted to, she didn''t have it in her to go against the captain''s wishes. Perhaps she might have survived the trial and gained something out of it, possibly something to regain her lost power. However, Jenni would have lost a friend in the process if she were to enter the Individual trial without her wishes.


    Besides, she only needed essence to regain her lost power¡ªsomething the Essence Vein could solve in time. So Jenni didn''t take unnecessary trouble. Instead, she entered a group trial with the woman from Azalea Garden.


    While group trials had their own set of dangers as well, the percentage of peopleing out alive from them was easily double that of the Individual test. Still, she had to exin herself a lot to Agnes to let her go.


    They had merely spent a couple of weeks in the subspace and had known each other for only a month or so, yet she had grown so close to her through all the danger and threats they had to ovee. Honestly, she had be more dependent on the captain. But knowing her more from close by only made Jenni respect her more.


    On that matter, Jenni had failed to find the person who was the main string that connected her with Agnes. She didn''t think he had fallen. Even if this ce was filled with insidious threats on top of the forsaken problem, she believed Warden was skilful and crafty enough to advance unhindered. He was a Master Runesmith, for God''s sake, irrespective of his rank.


    Jenni did not fault admitting that she hated the guy since the day of their first meeting, mostly because of how full of himself he was and how hellishly demanding he was. Later, she learned he had the skill to be full of himself, being a Master Runesmith and all.


    In no time, he had been growing on her. Well, most of it was because of his cooking skills, and those heavenly delicious desserts, and how he defended her a couple of times. She didn''t know how, but the guy exuded an aura of confidence and dependence that you could count on, and put you at ease.


    She had not seen him among the crowds that entered the subspace, nor had he joined them in the secondyer if he had enteredter. When Jenni asked Agnes about him, the captain smiled softly to reply that he would be there when she needed him.


    "Well, I need him now," she mumbled. "Where''s that masochist?"


    Shey t on the ground with all the instruments and finished constructs for a few minutes before Lady Cassandra came to check on her.


    "Jenni, are you feeling alright?" the woman asked as she came near to check on her.


    "Not as bad as I hoped," Jenni said, sitting upright. "I''m done with this batch of work."


    Cassandra studied her face and nodded. "Good," she said. "I''ll call up some soldiers to carry them to the wall."


    It had been a week since they entered the Group trial, six of them¡ªfour from the original Azalea group with the addition of Jenni and May¡ªthe half-elven healer. They had been short on healers after a couple of members of Azalea Garden perished. Thankfully, May presented herself afterpleting her Individual trial in no time.


    Honestly, it was all Lady Cassandra''s charisma. She simply asked Marcus¡ªthe leader of the team May was part of¡ªtoo endearingly that he even presented himself toe up with them. Unfortunately for the poor fool, theycked a healer, not a muscr brute.


    They had another healer in their team¡ªthe janitor guy, who had healed her after the dark essence inflicted on her. His healing power was likely not as rounded as May''s, but still good enough to heal any of the team. Marcus had been nning to send him to them instead of May, who was the permanent member of his crew. Unfortunately, the guy hadn''t beening out of his trial.


    After discussing and gathering information from everyone''s trial, they had found the time dtion could stretch to 36 days to one inside the Subspace, which was more than one day for over a year outside the rift.


    They had waited for him for a day, but the Janitor hadn''t emerged from his trial. Cassandra seemed to have some connection with him as well. They grew closer when they forced their way into the secondyer against overwhelming odds. Something told her that Lady Cassandra wanted him in their team more than May.


    Honestly, Jenni too, for some reason. Well, she had a familiarity with him. He had healed her, and seemed to have a good rtionship with Agnes, and...


    A frown crept to her brows. Why did it feel like she was describing the same person twice?


    Confused, Jenni closed her eyes and refreshed her memory to imagine both of the faces side by side in her mind''s eye. First came the smiling face of the master runesmith, his shoulder-length grey hair left clumsily, his purple eyes gazing intensely.


    Then there was themon-looking exterior of the healer, who had no unique feature other than his rich healing power to stand him out. Weirdly, it was hard for her to remember his face, and Jenni had never been weak in this aspect. She couldn''t even visualise his hair colour, was itmon dirty ck, or...


    "Jenni, is something wrong?" Lady Cassandra asked, but she paid no mind to it.


    Jenni reviewed the two illusory images in her mind''s eye. The healer was a little shorterpared to Warden, but not by a lot in her memory. However, she visualised him to be as tall as Warden. Both of the men stood shoulder to shoulder; the aura they exuded became simr. The hair colour of the healer turned to dirty white, or rather grey, as her eyes widened.


    "What in the actual fuck!" she couldn''t help but shout.


    "Jenni?" Cassandra came to stand by her, but she stood up in anger.


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    She remembered the same cloth wrapped around both of the men''s left arms. Now there was no confusion in her mind. She had been yed; there weren''t two men, but just a man ying two roles... The cloth wrapped around his left arm proved it because Warden used to hide the runic patterns on his arm.


    "Fuck," she muttered. "Was I blind or what?"


    Of course, it wasn''t so simple... She was sure the mysterious master runesmith did something to make it seem so.


    Anger surged through her. Not just at the man, but at her inability to see through the illusion that wasid before her eyes.


    "But why did he y me like that?" she mumbled, her feelings getting worse with each moment. But the worst of all was that without confronting the man in question, she couldn''te up with the right answer.


    _____________


    Prolly going to move update time to this...

 Chapter 264: Radiant Aether

    He had been dealing with the patterns for over a month now, yet he was still one huge step away from reaching the point Ariha termed where manipting the pattern would be second nature, nothing too differentpared to breathing.


    Like she usually did, unconsciously or consciously.


    He thought it was a Transcendent by-product of breathing, but she corrected him, saying he should be capable of it once his body adapted to the swirls of the pattern.


    There was another weird thing he found out. Well, found out by her, but it was about him. After a thorough check-up on his body, Ariha mentioned his body wasn''t like any normal rankers''. He told her about the [Void Vanquishing Physique], but her thoughts weren''t about that.


    Like a Gold ranker, his regr heart had transformed into a magical construct, veryplexly connected to his mysterious Void Core, pumping essence to energy and energy to essence all the time. She theorised that if a regr Iron ranker were to carry such a heavy body without such an intricate system, the person would be tired all the time.


    As a matter of fact, he did feel tired beyond measure when he first woke up near the stream and stayed in the vige. More points in his attributes helped, and so did the efficiency performance; however, the Iron rank advancement changed it for the better. And then the boon of the Physique.


    However, even with all her fascination, Ariha didn''t forget to point out theplication he might face. For example, how much essence and energy he had to dump just to stay standing. And it was another story if he were to fight, leaping through the air.


    ording to her, his body was in a limbo state of a Transcendent body. He had the transcendent nature of it, just not with most of the benefits. Only through using his legendary artefacts could he exert some form of the transcendent power, albeit lowered to a great degree.


    They were with Ariha while he meditated amongst the clouds. Yup, he was literally in the air, floating within the clouds using an anti-gravity script.


    He was amongst the purest forms of the patterns, which was simply a by-product of the Way. He needed to get his body used to the pattern first, to the Way.


    The runic patterns in his left arm were swallowing the swirls of chaotic patterns of the Way. It had been happening when he put his body under a great load of stress under the effect of the pattern. Thankfully, he didn''t have to worry about it having any side effects on his body.


    After a little discussion with Ariha, he learned this was exactly what she intended for him to do, though she hadn''t thought it would be this easier. She implied it wouldn''t be the inheritance of the Void Emperor if it couldn''t do this much.


    The Void Prison Realm, the fate mark, was absorbing the essence of the Way, and as an effect, his [Void Vanquishing Physique] was improving.


    [Void Vanquishing Physique: Progress - 49%]


    The percentage had been rising by a point or two every day¡ªhe hadn''t seen such a steep increase in his Physique doing anything. Perhaps fighting in the Phantom ursed Valley might have been a second, but it was far from being a close second.


    Moreover, it was bing harder to progress further in this path, the more his body was growing saturated with the essence of the Way.


    Perhaps the only way for him toplete this would be to leave everything and put all his attention and lifeblood into absorbing the torrential currents of the Way. It definitely would be a bloody endeavour if he were to stick to it.


    But apparently, his teenage looks had something else in mind.


    He still had stamina left to go on for a few hours, but she called him down, shooting light in his direction.


    Releasing the anti-gravity runes, he came down, his whole body riddled with wounds that even his dwindling radiant power was unable to heal quickly. After all, the only way to improve his physique was to be a fucking masochist.


    "You haven''t reached the intermediate level yet, huh," the angelic girl said. A statement, not a question.


    "I don''t think it would happen in a day or two, either." He clenched his jaw as she cast a couple of Radiant spells on him. His wounds visibly closed while the warmth of her pure energy washed over him. With his Radiant power dwindling during the month, he could only leave the job of his healing to her. Well, she was freakingly brilliant at it.


    "Even though it was only a percent, there''s a big difference between 49% and 50%," she said. "Thankfully, my dear disciple does not have to waste time in such a masochistic way to break through."


    With that, a vial of potion appeared in her palm. A translucent liquid was glittering in the small vial. There were no more than a couple of dozen drops of the mysterious elixir.


    "What is that?" he asked, frowning.


    "Hmm, I didn''t actually name it after I made it," she mumbled. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Let''s call it Radiant Aether."


    "Is that what you have been spending most of your days for thest month?" he asked, the frown deepening. Although Ariha, or rather the younger Avatar of her, had promised to teach him about the Way, she only instructed a few times. Most of his training had been self-imposed with her advice.


    "Precisely," she said with a smile. "Well, not all of my time, but certainly a lot of the time, and all I have to show for it was twenty-four drops of Radiant Aether. Hopefully, you won''t waste a single bit of your Master''s hard work."


    "What does it do?" he asked, instead. "Wait, what did you make it out of? I don''t think there''s much herbs present in here?" Stay with the story on m v l e m p y r


    "There are some at the summit, but yes, two types of essences were the main ingredients for the elixir," she said.


    "The Way of the Essence," he muttered, studying the vial. "And radiance essence?"


    "Well, your instinct seems to have gotten better," she said with a mischievous smile. "Sit down and ingest no more than one drop of liquid essence."


    "Only one drop?" he asked, catching the precious elixir she just tossed at him.


    "Your body won''t be able to handle any more than that," she said. "You have no idea how tyrannical the power of the liquid essence of the Way is."


    "HOw much?" he couldn''t help but ask, opening the cork to sniff the precious elixir.


    "You used essence gem?" she asked, getting a nod, she continued. "Imagine a gold-ranked essence gem, but a couple thousand times more purer and more intense."


    He sucked in a frigid breath. Apparently, essence gems contained a faint, diluted essence of the Way, but it was so minuscule that there was almost no threat to a ranker. ording to her, the top gold-ranked essence gems contained only 1 to 2% pure essence of the Way.


    "But obviously, the Radiance essence invested in it will keep you alive, so don''t worry," she said like an angel.

 Chapter 265: Intermidiate Level

    He clenched his teeth as soon as he ingested the liquid radiant aether. The raw essence of the Way surged through his channels, burning through them in an icy cold feeling, inflicting damage instantly.


    The fate marks on his left arm lurched to life, churning around his arm, the runic patterns twisting to amodate the power running through his veins.


    "It was just one drop," he said through gritted teeth. Of course, it was one drop of something only transcendent rankers could deal with. Thankfully, with his semi-transcendent nature and the Radiance power within the elixir, it would be enough to keep him alive and kicking during the process.


    "Do not try to invest the power into your core," Ariha said as she studied him. She stood up after a couple of seconds. She had seen what she needed to. "It will take half a day, at the very least. Try to cycle the energy through your apertures and channels as much as possible."


    He groaned. Because investing the essence into his core would be way easier and quicker with his void essence splintering the raw power into his own. However, channelling the energy throughout his body as she intended him to do would take twice as much, if not more, time, not to mention the sheer amount of toil it would put him through.


    "You''ll thank me when it is done," the celestial said as she turned back down the mountain path. "Stay strong, I''ll go find your next challenges..."


    With that, she was gone, leaving a whimpering disciple.


    He really wanted to invest all the essence into his void core and be done with it... unfortunately, to get the best out of his physique, he would have to channel the surging energy throughout his body. This was the way.


    Sweat formed all over his body, his upper body sizzling in a reddish swell, glistening with the sweat. His expression held an ugly scowl. Most kinds of agony weren''t enough to have this reaction from him. Hell, he was even beginning to adapt to theshes of the swirls of patterns after a whole month of training.


    However, the improvement in that training had been beginning to diminish. And now his temporary master had found another masochistic way to train him. Hopefully, it would all be worth it by the end...


    Yet he couldn''t help but feel a chill remembering there were still twenty-three drops of Radiant Aether remaining in the vial.


    Ultimately, he could only clench his jaw, close his mouth, and endure through it all. This was the path he had chosen...


    What could he protect if he couldn''t even endure this much agony?


    Hours passed by with multiple cycles of sizzling destruction within his channels followed by reconstruction with the help of transcendent quality Radiance essence. After spending over six hours agonizing, he was finally seeing the changes within his body.


    His physique hadn''t reached the Intermediate level yet, however, under the flooding power of the Way, all his channels were widening, the path of the essence not quite re-founding, but reestablishing once again. Most of the major channels, including the two opened apertures, widened by at least 10%, meaning he would have at least that much more efficiency while channelling essence.


    It didn''t quite equate to raw essence power... He was, after all, on the very edge of what was possible within his rank. However, it would greatly increase the ease at which he wielded the power.


    Ariha had mentioned how imperfect and inefficient his semi-transcendent body waspared to a transcendent... this one drop of radiance essence might just boost his physique to another notch.


    Well, he still wouldn''t quite make it, but every little advantage he could have over the elder Ariha would be worth it.


    More than half of the essence of the Way had been harvested into his body, so the pressure had decreased by a lot. He had already entered deep into the flow state, his mind hovering only on one thought, one consciousness.


    It exactly took half a day as Ariha had concluded, and by that time, most of his major channels had widened by at least 20%; it was even more for the minor paths. But that wasn''t all the benefit.


    [Congrattions! Void Vanquishing Physique has reached the Intermediate level.]


    [Void Vanquishing Physique: Progress 50%


    Your resistance to all kinds of essences has been strengthened. Your channels have been strengthened. You can move now while in the state of Absolute Invulnerability.]


    Even though the process had ended, the fate marks on his left arm were burning. The runic marks had already faded from most parts of his body, however, the original fate mark with spirals of runes had reached up to his biceps.


    Wiping the sweat from his body, hey down on the ground. There wasn''t much waste excreted from this breakthrough, but it surely had put his body through a tremendous amount of toil.


    And from the look of things, it appeared his master wanted him to absorb at least a drop of the Radiant Aether every day. He remained lying silently on the ground, his chest heaving up and down, his fist clenching the small vial which held the precious liquid.


    Ariha showed up shortly after, her lips curled in a satisfied smile as she examined his beaten-down state.


    "I cannot move a muscle," he mumbled, his eyes hovering on her lithe form.


    "You''ll get used to it," she said, smiling brightly.


    He couldn''t help but wonder if his otherworldly cute-looking master was inwardly a sadist. Her nextmands surely edged him to conclude that...


    "Stop cking off, dear disciple," she said, snapping her fingers. "You wouldn''t make it out of here at this rate."


    "Give me a couple of hours," he pleaded. "No, just an hour, I can..."


    "Stand up," the white-haired woman snapped. "It is time for you to put to the test what you gained from the breakthrough. It has been a whole month, I hope your battle instinct hasn''t dulled."


    Reluctantly, he sat upright and found a couple of familiar figures standing behind her. Karim and Ovium, and they too seemed reluctant. Well, of course, his master had probably forced them toe here.

 Chapter 266 : Radiance Core

    "What do you think of my shot against her now?" he asked afterpleting the twelfth drop of Radiant Aether. These days his body was sizzling with power, even though for most of the day he couldn''t feel much of it, on ount of him being terribly stressed through the process of absorbing the transcendent-grade elixir, or through fights with Karim and Ovium.


    His master had left him no room to rejuvenate, as though masochism was the only way to power. Well, her way was working so far, so he hadn''t voiced out much in the way ofints. His body had been adapting to all the changes, going beyond natural orders.


    The Void Vanquishing Physique currently stood at 73%; he had made a lot of progress in the short couple of weeks, but even that was slowing down as his physique was adapting to it. Thankfully, he probably wouldn''t have to worry about it; his little Master would probably find something to torture¡ªno, train him.


    "As you are now..." she deliberated over the question for a few seconds before letting out a brief sigh. "Well, it all depends on her, to be honest. If she brings out her full power, you won''tst the blink of an eye, but thankfully, she was too prideful to implement all her power.


    She''d implement only a fraction of her power, but even then, it would be tough for you to keep standing for over a minute."


    He gritted his teeth. All this tortuous training and he felt like he had grown a lot, yet hearing he wouldn''tst a minute was truly disheartening.


    "Don''t be discouraged, poor disciple," she said. "The contest was skewed in her favour from the beginning. It''s not about you defying her or dominating her..."


    "Then what''s this about?" he asked.


    She tilted her head. "To impress her," she said with a simple smile. "To get her acknowledgement, obviously. To make sure you''re her chosen one, not a mistake."


    He sucked in a frigid breath, some twirls of pattern inhaled along with the breath, though on a whole municipal levelpared to his master. Still, it was an improvement.


    "That''s going to be a tall order," she said. "I don''t know if you have noticed it already, but we do not get satisfied easily."


    "Tell me about it," he mumbled and stood up to look for Karim or Ovium for sparring.


    "I gave them a rest for today," Ariha said. "They have fallen too low, staying in this detrimental environment for too long; they alone aren''t enough of a challenge to bring out your potential anymore."


    He frowned. "Then?"


    "We''ll figure something out," she said. "But before that, we have to take care of the problem with your core."


    He felt his anticipation growing.


    "Sit down, it is about time you awaken your Radiance core."


    He sat down on the spot again, unsure how she would want him to go about this. He had an ungraded void core, which was overly mysterious. However, there was no core of the light-attributed energy. After using the light quintessence, he did manage to form a Light Nuclei, but most of its power had diminished already.


    "Before we can begin, you need to know that this is going to be a very excruciating process," she said.


    His expression betrayed no signs of surprise. Knowing her, she could likely hammer through his body to make a Radiant core.


    "Don''t look at me like that, it''s not my fault that your body is weird," she snorted and snapped her fingers. She came forward, still in her white sleeveless robe which clung to her body as though a part of herself. "Anyway, for this whole process, you need to trust me."


    "I do trust you..."


    An ufortable silence flew between the two of them as Ariha stared at him with aplicated expression for an extended moment.


    "So..." she said, her voice turning a little awkward. "Do you know why you haven''t awakened your Radiant core?"


    He didn''t have to think hard about the question toe up with an answer. "The void core?"


    She nodded. "Void is a power that takes a heavy toll on the body and mind," she said. "You have mostly figured out how to take care of the toll on your body... however, it will only be more difficult the more your powers grow. I don''t know if I told you already, but it was a great fortune that you haven''t gone insane yet."


    And he probably had to thank the dormant Radiant power for it. After all, it was because of the effect of Radiance essence that the traitor gods were hunting celestials.


    "Your void essence is too strongpared to the radiance essence," she continued. "This was why the void core kept the radiant corepletely dominated inside it, leaving no room for it to grow to its fullest power."


    "It is time to change that then..." he muttered, feeling a surge of anticipation.


    Ariha sat close to him and drew her right palm over his abdomen where the void core was located. She met his gaze and opened her lips again. "There are two ways to do it. The safer path is to awaken the radiant core inside the void core, while the second is more risky. It is to rece the Radiant core as your heart construct."


    He whistled.


    "Don''t be happy yet, neither of the two is a perfect way. Well, far from being perfect. Honestly, it felt like my other self had no idea what she was doing."


    "What are the benefits and demerits of both ways?" he asked.


    "The first path is rtively safe, but considering the dominating power of void, your core will likely always revert to this state now. Eventually," she said. "I''m not sure how long it will take; it depends on the bnce of power. Your void essence grows too fast; it''s practically impossible for most people to ingest essence as you do...


    Anyway, in this way, you''d have to put in at least a couple of hours or more to bnce out the two powers."


    He nodded in understanding. It didn''t sound too bad, honestly. Power has a price, after all.


    "What about the other way?"


    "The other way is more permanent. It''s risky, so risky that I don''t intend to rece your heart with the radiant construct," she said. "If you are to have your void core and radiance core separated, you''ll always have to bepletely in control of your essence. You''ll also need to create a separate path for the radiance essence to flow, as attribution between the two powers will only weaken you."


    He thought for several seconds, with his mind initially leaning towards the first path as Ariha intended. However, he had to stop himself to question: "Why does the second path sound like it isn''t worth the risk?"


    Obviously, because she made it sound like that.


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    "Which path will give me more of an edge against the other you in the battle?" he asked, letting out a sigh.


    "You know it already," she said with a sigh. "If you rece your heart construct with a radiance core, your regenerative power will be beyond gold rankers. You''ll likely never run out of energy, and your regenerative powers... well, let''s just say most kinds of physical wounds won''t be enough to damage you much."


    His eyes shone...


    ____________________

 Chapter 267 : Surgery

    Although he had agreed with the second process so readily, he was having second thoughts after Ariha began to exin the whole process. Apparently, she was going to awaken the Radiant core first, then remove it from the suppression of the void core, and finally rece it with his heart construct.


    Yes, none of this was possible with a snap of her fingers or casting a spell. She needed to perform open surgery, which meant she was going to open up his chest.


    "Don''t worry, you won''t die," she said reassuringly, though it hardly solved the problem. "Disregarding your superior physique which will be very resilient, I''m arguably the greatest healer in the history of the known realms."


    And she wasn''t humble at all while iming that.


    "Only the first part of the process will be painful," she said, cing her palm on his abdomen. "For the rest of the process, you don''t even have to be conscious. Now remain calm..."


    Radiant light spilled out from her palm and drew into his skin to absorb into his core. The light prated into the mysterious void core as a tearing pain spasmed through his being. It wasn''t purely physical pain, but something much deeper. It felt as though a hot needle pierced into his soul. And what his soul felt, his body reacted to it. Read more exciting chapters on m vl-e-mpy-r


    "Don''t resist," Ariha said in a calming voice. "I have already located the Radiant core... well, not much of it left as far as I can detect... It only remained in the form of a Radiant Matrix with less than ny percent of its power consumed... Hmm..."


    Then her eyes widened as though she noticed the intricacies, even though it was something she should be very familiar with.


    "What is it?" he croaked.


    Ariha didn''t answer, her brows furrowed together in a single line. "Now the difficult part..."


    While her essence power located the matrix in his void core¡ªwhich was impossible for him¡ªsheid a series ofplicated rune scripts which went beyond master, grandmaster level of mastery...


    "Brace yourself," she mumbled as much to herself as for him. The glittering runes shifted around her palm, over his abdomen as an ungodly amount of attraction force worked onto his core. It stirred his void core, as void essence surged through his body.


    He gritted his teeth to keep his instinct in check. Blood oozed out of his mouth, as his essence nearly went berserk, leaving a terrible residue of power and injuries.


    She mumbled something he didn''t hear clearly, as the attraction force prated the void core and began tugging at the radiant matrix.


    "Just¡ª"


    He screamed, his voice resonating with the twirls of the way, causing the wind to shift and the clouds to churn in the promise of lightning and storm...


    Ariha didn''t even lift her eyebrows as she snapped her fingers, and everything calmed down. Everything but his scream. His spirit cried at the piercing agony that ripped through his whole being. No other experience couldpare to what it felt like.


    On top of everything, he couldn''t move even an inch, his muscles twitched under the stress. Thankfully, it didn''tst forever, as shortly, he felt the needle withdrawing from his spirit, though this time it felt more than a needle.


    "Got it," Ariha said, and cut his abdomen with a sharp spark of light and intent. Topare to the soul-rending agony, the fleshy wound was nothing.


    Then out of the cut came a small marble-shaped glittering radiant core matrix,plicatedyers of scriptsid all around it. They weren''t new runes Ariha hadid, but probably old ones from the time of the imnt.


    "Huh, I knew it," she mumbled, showing the core to him. She hadn''t held it in her palm; it was spinning between her palms, still suspended above his abdomen. "This is our work..."


    It took a moment for him to understand what she meant.


    "You can rest easy now, Dear Disciple," she said. "Leave everything to me."


    With that, she moved one of her palms over his forehead as a calm radiant essence spilled into his mind, easing his pain and consciousness. Before he knew it, he fell unconscious, with the calming, healing power easing his mind.


    Unknown to him, time flew by. The actual surgery took over half a day, she recing the heart contract was no small business, considering Ariha wanted to leave no room for fault. All vessels, veins, and channels, she connected them to the Radiant matrix... she even created new channels to ease the passage of the essence.


    After all that, sheid multiplyyers of transcendent rune scripts, spending another six hours all over and inside his body.


    ***


    He woke up to his own screams as glittering runes came to life, shifting around his form, trying to calm his rising blood pressure. His chest heaved like pumping air into a balloon, as blood oozed out from his mouth, nostrils, ears, and perhaps even his eyes¡ªhe wasn''t sure if the liquid was blood or tears.


    "It''s alright," a calming voice said, embracing him in her presence. Warm arms wrapped around his chest, rubbing and caressing him. "It''s fine... You''ll be fine in no time..."


    "Ariha?" he husked, clutching her palm. His chest felt like it was burning in fire, while the rest of his body was cold as a corpse.


    "Yes," she answered. Her power drew into his body, healing the physical injuries and the surge of void energy created on his body. Even though her figure was diminutivepared to his towering stature, she kept him in ceplexly, without force. "Don''t move, calm yourself, meditate. You''ll be fine."


    "Yes," he could barely say, while she kept him in the confines of her embrace.


    "It will take some days for your body to adapt to it," she said.


    "My chest is burning," he said.


    "I know," she said, drawing her palm over his bare chest. "The surgery is sessful... you''ll be fine in a couple of days."


    With her reassurance and soothing presence, he fell into a state of deep meditation.

 Chapter 268: Glamour

    He awoke from the meditation session several hourster, greeted by the sight of Ariha in her pristine white robes, which matched her silvery hair cascading over her shoulders. She seemed to have prepared food for both of them, which was a surprising turn of events, considering it was the first time she had done anything that didn''t equate to his growth in the Way.


    He sat upright, finding no signs of injury on his body. He still felt like something was wrong inside him; his body temperature was hotter than usual. But that was because the radiant core that sat in ce of his heart was constructed. It didn''t thump like the old heart construct; instead, it spun slowly, with the mysteriousyers of runes spinning along like clockwork.


    There seemed to be a new fate mark on his chest as well. A white ring, with golden runes carved into something intricate. A mark indicating his celestial side... Truly fascinating stuff...


    And that wasn''t the end of it... His channels for circting energy had changed to a great degree. There were now two separate paths for him to move energy: on his left side, most of the vessels contained void essence, while radiance essence was for the right.


    Of course, both were present to some degree throughout his body, but Ariha had carved the channels just so right that the void energy would be unable to dominate his radiance power.


    However, this also made it difficult for him to wield void essence from his right side. He couldn''t help but let out a sigh. It was still too early for him to see if it was all worth it or not, as he currently only had the promise of what the Radiant Heart could do; no exciting actual practical use yet. The surgery hadn''t been easy, as far as he could tell.


    "How are you feeling?" Ariha asked.


    "Sick," he mumbled, feeling his stomach growing in hunger. "How long was I unconscious?"


    "For the first part, you had woken up a couple of hours after the transnt, but you weren''t conscious back then," she said. "You have woken up with screams like thest time a few times, but not too much time has passed... It''s the third day since we began the process."


    He whistled, certainly hadn''t thought it would take so long.


    Ariha snorted. "If it were anywhere else that worked on you, you''d be unconscious for weeks, and probably be on bed rest for at least a month," she said. "It is your great fortune to be treated by the greatest healer of history."


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    He studied her face and agreed readily. Ariha showed an expression of disbelief, as though suspecting his scepticism of her title as the Greatest Healer.


    "Anyway, you have thick skin, which also makes it easier for you," she continued. "Still, for the next while, you''re not allowed to do any heavy training."


    He paused and stared at her suspiciously. Is this really the real Ariha, who seemed to have only known the way of masochism? He still couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    "I know when to push and when to rx," she snorted.


    "Wouldn''t that risk my sh with the other you in two months?" He was really worried. The image he had of the older avatar was nothing like her. Even if it was proven he wasn''t at fault, he was pretty sure it wouldn''t make it easy for him. There was something different about her, something broken...


    "Even with all my brilliance working on you," the younger avatar continued, "I still would have prescribed no serious fighting for you within a couple of months, but I guess that couldn''t be helped now."


    "Are you sure about that?" he asked. She lifted an eyebrow. "I don''t know; I feel like my body is improving with each moment."


    He looked at his skin, which was fairer than it used to be, even the long hair that fell over his face was brighter than the dirty grey.


    "Is this the legendary mour of the celestial?" he mumbled.


    Ariha snorted. "You look like a barbarian who finally found civilization."


    "Hey, that was uncalled for."


    But she wasn''t done yet. "You still have a long way to go, dear disciple, if you believe this little mour is enough to charm women to bed."


    "I don''t need magic to charm women," he snorted back.


    She shot him a nce of contempt. "I believe you," she said. "Also, it''s not magic... just a reflection of the Way you emit unconsciously. For celestials, it is too pure and iridescent to a bystander''s senses."


    "Is it like an aura?" he asked, confused.


    "Not quite," she shook her head. "Your presence creates your aura, while the mour, Mystic, or whatever it is called these days, transforms your presence."


    He reflected on her words, though there was still some confusion left about the whole matter.


    "Does everyone who found their Way have this?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    "Yes, though unique in their own form."


    "So, nothing too fancy then," he sighed, unsure if he should be happy or discouraged. Weirdly, he felt both of these feelings.


    "Even if it''s minuscule, you better learn to control it," she said. "As far as I know you, you probably won''t like the effect it has on people... Anyway, even about unimportant business...


    While I was transnting your heart andying the scripts, I added a top-notch concealment on your Radiant Heart; now even most transcendent won''t be able to tell of your celestial inheritance unless you show it to them."


    He was about to ask why the reason for secrecy, but stomached the questions, understanding where she wasing from. In her time, celestials were hunted for their Radiant Cores... while it might be a different story currently, she didn''t want to take chances, considering what he represented.


    "Also, the thing that you called the system," Ariha said. "Do not trust it on face value..."


    ________________


    Finally getting back to daily release... pray for me... : (

 Chapter 269: Spar

    Only one month remained for the promised fight. For thest couple of weeks, Ariha had been training him personally... Well, she was doing that from the beginning, but after the heart transnt, she had be more involved in teaching him.


    Most of it rted to how he wielded the Radiance essence. She was a master in it, and he wouldn''t find anyone better to teach him all about it.


    Honestly, half of it was intrinsic, and as his body adapted to the change, his recovery power went beyond absurd levels. She also taught him a few Radiance spells, which used ancient runes he hadn''t known yet.


    Ariha was reluctant to teach any healing-rted skills. She demonstrated twomon spells rted to healing and rejuvenation and was done with it. He wanted to learn more of them, but considering the circumstances, he didn''t me her.


    A week after adapting to the Radiant Heart, she instructed him to absorb the Radiant Aether once again, but this time, to empower the radiance essence instead of the void power. That was a whole different kind of experiencepared to before. Instead of the tearing pain, he could now feel all the changes happening in his body as the matrix circted the liquid aether throughout his body.


    The transformation became even more evident with that. He had absorbed all of the elixir, and the radiant heart had recovered to a great extent, though ording to Ariha, it was still a far cry from the original power. She hypothesised that he needed to consolidate his Way to have a chance of achieving that.


    However, even without that, he had grown beyond the realm of a monster. His body might not yet be able to wield the true essence power of a transcendent, but it had already touched the realm. His physique already had a semi-transcendent nature with some detriments, but with the introduction of the Radiant Heart, most of the detriments had been resolved.


    His original heart construct, which could barely pump out power enough to make him exceptional within iron ranks, had been transcended by the Radiance Heart.


    He hadn''t tried it yet, but he felt he could carry on heavy runesmithing work for a week before he would feel any signs of tiredness. In a fight, he didn''t think he would lose to a Fiend... but if he had all three of his instruments... then there wouldn''t be a contest at all.


    However, he wasn''t up against just some fiend...


    "You have asked me how long you''ll fare against her, a few weeks ago," Ariha said. "As you are now, I can proudly say you''llst at least a couple of minutes."


    "With or without my soul relics?" he asked.


    "What do you think?" she smiled ruefully, shaking her head.


    "Damn it!" he cursed.


    "A couple of minutes is still a lot against her, dear disciple," Ariha said. "Even I didn''t think you''d grow this quickly."


    "I only have you to thank," he said in gratitude.


    Ariha smiled. "ttery will get you many ces with me, dear disciple."


    She had been calling him "Dear disciple" or "poor disciple" for thest couple of months. He didn''t think he hated it, but he would have liked something else. Unfortunately, he couldn''tin, as he didn''t remember his own name.


    "So what is your n for thest month?" he asked as they walked towards the third checkpoint. The elder avatar hadn''t been here for the remainder of the time.


    "You have been adapting to your power after the surgery; what do you think you need at this moment to grow?" she smiled and walked a few paces away to stand across from him. "Equip your equipment; it is time you put all your abilities to the test."


    "Against you?" he frowned.


    "Are you looking down on me, my foolish disciple?" she red at him¡ªin all honesty, it looked nothing but cute instead of intimidating. "My existence might only be nine years old, and most of it spent in learning healing arts, but you''re still a decade early to give me a challenge."


    His frown deepened.


    "Quit standing stupidly and prepare. I won''t hold back just because I have taken a liking to you."


    He sucked in a deep breath, brought out his soul relics, draped them on before taking a stance, the divider sped tightly in his grip. A warm surge of power rose in his chest, flooding him with power as he set his eyes on the target.


    ***


    "I have a question," he croaked through panting. His heart was already pumping rejuvenating essence to wash away his momentary tiredness where he exerted his power to the fullest. On top of that, he cast a rejuvenation spell on himself, making it doubly easier. It would have worked better if she had cast the spell, but he wanted to see the practical use of his power.


    The battlested for half an hour, with both of them moving through the stormy cloud more than at the speed of sound. Of course, it was mostly her chasing him down. Even though Ariha mentioned she wouldn''t hold back, she hadn''t exerted her full speed in chasing him. And she could prate the defences of his [Void Shroud] and [Maya''s Protection].


    A transcendent was no joke. Honestly, without his heightened celestial regeneration ability, he didn''t think he couldst even a few minutes against her.


    "I''m merely a transcendent," Ariha said, ignoring what he had said. "Barely stepped into the path... but your opponent is someone who has reached the very peak of transcendence. Anyway, it was only our first sparring... You mentioned you have a question?"


    "Yes," he said, his exhaustion easing off. "Why is my radiance essence a tinge of goldish light, while yours is pure white?"


    Ariha blinked at him, a bit surprised. She probably thought he would ask something more important.


    "It''s not really something important," she said. "But if you want, I can give you more than a couple of answers."

 Chapter 270: Light

    "Do you know how the light spectrum and colour works, dear disciple?"


    He nodded. "Are you saying the colour is different because of the spectrum of light?"


    "That too," she agreed, though there was something more to it as well. She seemed to debate over the exnation for several moments before opening her mouth. "I don''t know if my exnation will make it more difficult for you to understand, and anyway, the first thing you must know is that light is not a path unique or exclusive to celestials."


    He frowned but nodded.


    "Light is but the fastest medium to exert the essence of power," Ariha said sagely, as light sparked within his mind. "Your void essence mostly emits in gaseous and light form, and what colour does it take shape in?"


    "Dark purple," he mumbled.


    She nodded. "On a side note, you exert a lot of void essence, but you waste a lot of it... Like most of the gaseous forms of void essence are a waste."


    "What?" he blinked, but she wasn''t done yet.


    "Of course, there doesn''t seem to be a limit to how much void essence you can borrow, but you must know how much of a toll it takes on your body."


    He nodded heavily. He didn''t know any better, but he was pretty sure he would be nothing better than a cripple without the radiant regeneration and recovery power.


    "Well, void is the most destructive force in the universe, and terribly hard to deal with," she said. "That''s why you need to be twice as careful while dealing with it."


    "How?" he could only say.


    "Well, I have no experience dealing with void essence, but I can give you some good points on what you need to work on; remind meter," she heaved a breath as the swirls of the way shifted around. "Anyway, about the colour of essence... other than them being on different spectrums, there was also a difference between them as well...


    "It wouldn''t be wrong to say golden radiance essence is more battle-oriented, while the silver essence is pure and unblemished¡ªthe perfect essence for healing others."


    He nodded heavily as realisation dawned on him.


    "Don''t get me wrong, both types of essences have more inmon than the difference," she continued. "But the golden essence is more efficient in self-regeneration, recovery, and physical and magical empowerment. You are going to see a lot of that essence in your match a month from now."


    "You don''t have the golden essence?" he frowned.


    "I''m... or I was the greatest healer in history," she said ruefully. "Cultivating the other path wouldplicate my calling as a healer." She looked at the summit. "I guess that didn''t stop me from taking it."


    She shook her head and stood up. "Meditate for an hour and we''ll go at it again." Find adventures on m_v l|-NovelFire


    It didn''t seem like she would entertain any more of his questions on that topic anymore. So he discarded the thoughts for now and did as he was asked.


    ***


    Days passed in a flurry. He was wholly motivated to see through all of Ariha''s training.


    In the first week since his heart transnt, Ariha thoroughly bested him in sparring. While the time he could hold his own against her increased significantly, he found no way to outmaneuver her. She even taunted him for being unable tond a blow on a pure healer¡ªa pure transcendent healer, he had to note... But he hated to admit it, her taunting worked.


    He chased after her, putting his everything into it. The difficult part was that she was simply too agile with her two wide celestial wings. He could barely contend with her using **Wings of Radiance**. He could now sustain that ability for an extended period, unlike before when he could barely withstand it for a few seconds.


    The Radiance heart changed that for the better, though if he were to fly at high intensity, almost matching his master, he would be exhausted within a few minutes.


    Thankfully, as more time passed and he adapted to all the abilities and changes to his body, handling **Wings of Radiance** became easier as well. By the second week, he found he could maintain high-intensity flying for at least five minutes¡ªso he wouldn''t have to worry about running out of energy when up against the real menace.


    He had little sess in mastering the void essence, however. All the pointers Ariha gave surely helped him, and he reduced the wastage of void energy to some degree, but it couldn''tpare to how easily he was wielding the radiance essence, with little to no experience with it previously.


    "Use your intent to keep your void essence in check," Ariha had advised him a week ago, and he was still trying to figure that out.


    Well, he understood her intention with that advice, but the problem couldn''t be solved just by simply understanding it. The void is the highest destructive force. He was learning to synergize void essence with his intent, but the equation became a lot harder when he was asked to use his Intent tomand the void essence.


    That was why Ariha relented the sparring for a couple of days, and taught him two higher spiritual arts. Concentration and Conversion.


    Imbuing was one spirit art he learned on his own, but these two arts were at a greater scope, not to mention the difficulty in learning them. Thankfully, it appeared he had learned Concentration before, her teaching worked like a primer to remind him again of the lost mastery.


    It was as the name suggested, concentrating essence to bring out diabolical power. Yes, whatever the type of essence it was, if concentrated to a great degree, the effect would always be a diabolical release of power. Apparently, most people below the gold rank are even forbidden to try it, but as always, he wasn''t included in this rule.


    whereas Conversation was the art of converting essence into different energy forms. Light, in his case, the fastest medium of flow.


    So, for thest week, he wholly invested himself in mastering the void light. It wasn''t something that could be mastered in weeks, months, or perhaps even in a few years. But even learning a little of it would grant him another weapon against the older Avatar.


    Instead of pulling as much void essence as he could, he drew only a fraction of it. But instead of simply imbuing the power into his sword or fist, he concentrated its flow... and converted it to pure dark purple light... all these experiments so far had been destructively promising.


    The only issue was that it put great stress on his physique. In his first sessful attempt, the void light had split his left fist open. The radiance power healed it in no time, but that showed how destructive the power the void light exerted was.


    "You have to master that," Ariha told him. "Not just for surviving the five-minute duel, but for your future. The more void essence you draw upon, the heavier price you have to pay for it."


    He nodded and delved into concentrating his essence yet again.


    Only a week remained for the promised date.

 Chapter 271: Void Light

    "Come on, dumb disciple," Ariha''s voice echoed in his ears as he flew through the churning cloud. "Are you going to lose to a pure Healer?"


    He clenched his jaw, and the [Wings of Radiance] unfolded in their fullest glory. Wings of white and golden light expanded as his speed exploded. He caught sight of her incandescent celestial form again, flying above another fold of clouds, patterns of the Way twirling around him.


    He had his own share of the pattern of the Way as well, but unlike her defensive intent, the twirls of pattern under his control churned with the diabolical power of lightning and thunder. Plunging them all to weaken her defences, he drew on the cmitous power in his left hand.


    Lightning and wind des crashed into her from all directions, but Ariha managed to withstand them easily. He already knew this wouldn''t earn him a victory against her... if it did, he would have defeated her weeks ago.


    No, this was merely the primer of what was toe. He concentrated and converted the void essence into void light. The runes on his left arm stirred as his skin in contact with the de began to tear off as he imbued it into his de. Radiance essence already moved on its own through their separate path, while he set his eyes on the target.


    He shot towards her. With the lightning and wind des weakening her control of the Way, he sundered through her defence. But even that wouldn''t be enough. Thus, he released the Tier-5 Anti-gravity script as well as an empowering script so that he could withstand the sheer force of his speed. He would only get one shot at this, one opportunity to catch her off guard...


    His figure exploded into speed, dominating through the storm and plunged into her immediately. Ariha had noticed his explosion of speed, but she was a moment toote to put up any real defence. He thrust his de, void light screaming out of [The Divider].


    Her expression changed as she instinctively drew her celestial wings to defend herself.


    Her wings glowed in silvery light, but the void light found purchase easily, piercing through the glowing feathers to plunge into her upper chest. Before even a smear of blood could spray out, the eleration force of all his speed caused him to crash into her, as both of them descended downwards.


    His attendants weren''t focused on that, however. Instead, they were concerned with the wound he had caused on her. Glowing golden-red blood finally came out in a fury, tainting her iridescently pristine wings. Her sleeveless dress was smeared with blood as well, with a deep wound on her upper chest.


    His heart lurched inside his chest as he withdrew all the void essence instantly, fearing what he might have done. But even he was only capable of slowing down their descending speed... As for Ariha, she was a healer¡ªperhaps truly the greatest healer in history, but this younger version of her did not even have a decade of records of her true self.


    She wasn''t a menacing or even capable fighter like the other avatar... and the void light was probably the highest level of threat she had ever faced in her short life. For a split second, she waspletely spellbound by the foreign destructive energy disabling her self-healing ability, not to mention the disorientation.


    Both of them crashed into the mountain, their bodies plunging deeper, causing nothing less than a shortndslide. He tried to hold her in his embrace, trying to protect her, even if she didn''t need it, but his heart yearned to protect her. His Way resonated with the desire to protect her, as radiant golden light bloomed from his chest and surrounded her protectively.


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    A sense of disorientation and agony crashed into him, but he ignored it, finally stopping their crash after destroying a good couple hundred metres of mountain terrain.


    "Are you alright?" he cried, clutching her tightly. There was no new blood, but her wound hadn''t begun to heal yet. "Hey..."


    Ariha said nothing in his embrace, still with her wounded wing dangling over. She just stared at him, at her creation. Her eyes were filled with horror, as though she had created something ominous. A true monster.


    His heart pained just looking at her expression. But he gritted his teeth and cast a healing spell on her. His golden radiance essence might not be as effective as her unblemished silver essence, but that didn''t stop him.


    "I''m fine," she said a split secondter. "I mean, I will be..." she heaved a sigh. "Can you release me?"


    "Y-yes..."


    He stood up and moved a couple of paces away. Ariha remained sitting there, carefully examining her wounds, without trying to heal them.


    "I''m sorry," he found himself trying to say, but she stopped him.


    "No," Ariha shook her head. "I should have expected it... Void light, huh? Even withoutplete mastery, it has the power to kill transcendents."


    It was as though she had just learned about such power for the first time, even though she had helped in developing all his abilities to a great extent. Experiencing a horror was after all very different from studying the horror.


    He exhaled, looking at his feet.


    "Don''t worry about these wounds..." she scratched her wings, which stopped glowing. "They will heal, and even if they didn''t, it''s not as if I am a real person who needs to care about them."


    He only felt pain in his heart hearing her... even with the heart transnt, it hadn''t changed much about how his inner heart worked.


    "My existence is..." she faltered to choose the right words, "fulfilled in training you. The same is true for my other iplete and cruel avatar. By withstanding her challenge, you''ll fulfil our existence."


    That was right, his real goal was to climb the summit and grow his power... meeting the challenge of another version of his master was a trial tailor-made for his growth.


    Yet his heart pounded just with the thought of losing them... losing her again.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 272: Lost in the Void

    Three days and eight hours before the promised date, his master stopped letting him do any heavy lifting work, like intense sparring with her, or trying to absorb any more of the essence of the way.


    He had argued with her for several minutes that he could use the remainder of the time. His [Void Vanquishing Physique] stood at 93%. The progress had slowed down in the middle of the 80s after his body adapted to the liquid radiant aether, but since his heart transnt, it had been growing without him working purposefully on his physique.


    He wanted toplete the progression before the promised fight, hoping it would give him an edge in surviving the five-minute challenge.


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    However, Ariha cut him short by saying, "Who is the master, is it him or her?"


    He could do nothing but shut his mouth after that. She had done a lot for him in these short few weeks, even though she was merely a shadow of the being she truly was. But her sacrifice and devotion had moved him greatly, enough that he wouldn''t go against her wishes so long as they were done in good faith.


    "What?" she asked. As she said, she had healed up well; no signs of the previous injuries could be seen on her body. "Not going to argue your point?"


    He red at her and then snorted. "Are you trying to get a rise out of me?"


    She only smiled. "Do you know for sure what would happen if youplete the progression of your Physique?" she asked. "Yes, there might be a power-up, might even be new abilities, but do you know for sure it would leave you exhausted beyond measure, so much so that you won''t even stand a minute against her."


    His face turned ugly, as he gave her no answer.


    "I know for sure theplete mastery would take a lot out of you," she continued. "Far more than when you reached intermediate mastery. Very low odds with the time you have left... do you want to gamble on it?"


    He wanted to say yes, but that was the rash part of him. The radiance essence circted in his body, easing his heart, as reasons became far more evident. He sighed. "What do you think my chances are of withstanding her?"


    Ariha shot him an extensive look, from head to toe. He had asked her the same question multiple times after his strength grew, but on none of these asions had she given a definitive or promising answer.


    Ultimately, her expression turned sour as though she had to admit something bad. "I hate to consider it, but arge part of it depends on her mood," she said, clenching her jaw for the first time in his watch. "I''m very wilful, and I fear that has only be more destructive as I grew older... so..."


    "So..." he repeated, sucking in a deep breath.


    "But I haveplete faith in you that you''ll manage to impress her," she said.


    He gave her a nod.


    "You have exhausted all your scripts... Prepare whatever you can in thest two days... for the remainder of the time after that, you''ll only rest or meditate."


    He nodded again.


    "I''m serious," Ariha told him again, her toneced with great weight. "If I see you pushing yourself too hard these days, I will..."


    She didn''t need toplete her sentence as he bowed respectfully like a disciple giving the proper respect their master deserved, while saying, "I won''t defer from your advice, Master."


    Ariha''s back shook a little as she stared at him. "Good," she said and turned around. "And don''t be too sincere, or serious... do you remember my talk from day one?"


    He nodded, and she didn''t even give him another look as she shot into the air, her celestial wings unfurling into existence as she disappeared.


    He already had all his runesmithing instruments and materialsid out. Considering the limited time remaining, he wasted no time to rest his buttocks and began working. He would need a great load of Anti-gravity, Empower, Magic Amplification, and Restoration scripts if he wanted to stand a chance.


    Ariha had shown him a way on how to infuse Radiance essence efficiently into the runes to boost their effect. Well, he had already discovered that the light attribute has an augmenting effect on the runes, and began to implement them in his formations. However, with her teaching, he had managed to avoid a lot of wrong paths and learn quickly.


    Of course, she couldn''t teach him all she had learned in the short time they had, and he wanted to do some experiments, but there was no time for that. On that note, he was curious how the younger version of Ariha learned so much about the ways, runes, and healing in just about nine years of her life.


    Yes, she was brilliant, madly talented, but he didn''t think it was possible to advance to transcendence with only a decade of practice. Ultimately, he asked her the question, and she answered straightforwardly... It wasn''t asplicated as most of her answers, but it poured on him a great deal of envy.


    For one thing, she was born with the station of a Gold ranker, with talent greater than anyone else. This alone would have caused jealousy and envy among the masses if they knew it. But apparently, it was amon phenomenon for celestials (obviously, not true for an artificial celestial like him).


    And for another matter, all celestials are born with a certain realm of potential. Like at birth, it was determined how many steps they would take on the Grand Path.


    But there was no time to mull over or be envious of that. Nothing was set in stone, as even the monolithic existence like the Void Emperor of history, the strongest being to ever unite thousands of realms under his wing, had no semnce of recognition in current times.


    Now, lost in the void.

 Chapter 273: [Whispers of the Baleful Wind]

    A couple of hours before the promised challenge, he was startlingly excited, almost to the point of unrest. Various thoughts and scenes yed in his mind, interweaving to create an explosion of emotions.


    "Nervous?" Ariha asked right afternding before him. She didn''t even need to look at him more than a fraction of a moment to know that.


    "Of course," he said, letting out a breath. "It would be concerning if I wasn''t nervous about this."


    Ariha nodded and crept forward to stand before him. She didn''t even reach his neck, but she didn''t look up; instead, her body floated up to his eye level as she met his gaze.


    "Don''t think," she advised and raised her palms to sp his shoulders. "Just do it¡­"


    He nodded. Ariha seemed like she had more to say, but she expressed none of that. He didn''t wait for her, either. Sitting down in the middle of the third checkpoint, he began meditating, waiting for his challenge to arrive.


    He had done everything he could in the three months'' time. He had grown by a metric which shouldn''t have been feasible for most rankers. Even without training for thest few days, his Physique had grown by 2%, adding to 95%, though still far from making it to the mark. Perhaps he really had a chance of making it if he put his work into it¡­


    Hell, if he were to spar with Ariha for at least a few hours every day, he would have made double the progress, but no time for regretting that. With his speed of progress, he would probably make it within a few weeks.


    The clouds gathered and churned with the intensity of the Way, the wind rising along, joining with their screams as though producing an anticipation for what was toe.


    He thought he had a good 50-50 chance of making it. It could be his ignorance of not understanding the depth of his opponent''s power, but if he were to consider his opponent wouldn''t use the depth of her power, he believed he stood a good chance.


    A thunder bellowed separate from all others. He leapt to his feet and stared up into the air. The atmosphere had changed; the patterns of the way wereshing out, the clouds darkening and churning relentlessly. A storm was brewing.


    Radiance essence and void essence surged within him on his right and left sides respectively, as he stared at the movement in the sky. Something wasing his way, and it wasn''t his opponent.


    It seemed to be a stele with runes engraved into them. Itnded just about a few paces away from him, about ten metres high. It stuck into the ground and manifested a holographic screen of a clock, while the storm brewed.


    The clock only had a few seconds remaining to reach twelve o''clock.


    Finally, his opponent presented herself, still in her simple yet otherworldly form. No forms of armour or weapon could be seen on her body, only the white dress of celestial fabric¡ªthe same material as his cloak and light armour.


    "You''re prepared?" the elder Avatar said.


    He nodded and surged both of his essences, bringing out [The Divider]. He already had a good part of his void essence concentrated; now, he converted a fraction of it into void light, as his de zed in a dark purple glint.


    Receiving his nod, she turned to the clock hovering in mid-air. "We''ll begin when the clock hits twelve."


    He sucked in a deep breath. The other avatar of her, whom he was so familiar with, was nowhere to be seen, though he was sure she would be watching. He cast aside all his familiarity with her and set his sights on his opponent.


    Twelve seconds remaining.


    Although they had a huge simrity between them, being an older and younger version of themselves, the adult version of Ariha''s presence was something else. Her aura was divine, demanding your full attention and respect.


    Eight seconds remaining.


    She hovered in the air peacefully, the torrential force of nature surging around her.


    He raised his sword, eyes staring intently at her as he took his stance. His master probably wanted him to waste time as much as possible, but he wanted to take her on however she desired.


    Three seconds.


    His grip on the hilt tightened, more strings of the Way pulled along with his intent.


    Two seconds.


    Sizzling radiance essence flooded from his chest, as light sparked from his breastte.


    One second.


    A bell rang, and iridescent celestial feathery wings unfurled from behind Ariha''s back in a fraction of a moment. She shot at him, closing the distance in no time. Thankfully, he was prepared for this and swung his de, void light shooting out from the de.


    The elder avatar''s body glowed with golden armament¡ªthe radiance essence of war¡ªas she intercepted the blow. There was no change of expression in her eyes. She shot forward, clutching his body and flew up into the storm.


    She wasn''t silent during her manoeuvre, however. Her wings zed with fiery intensity and dug into his body as though they weren''t feathers, but shards of ss.


    His own set of wings unfurled behind him to protect him from her onught and give him freedom of movement. His illusionary wings made out of radiance essence expanded wider than hers as he flooded more power into [Wings of Radiance]. With one p of them, he separated himself from her and bought himself some distance.


    "Fake," Ariha clicked her tongue and attacked with the wind des of the Way.


    Thousands of torrential forces of wind des, augmented by the golden light, shot at him from all directions, nning to pin him down.


    Summoning his intent, he infused them into the Way and made an attack of his own. He swung his de in a full arc.


    [Whispers of the Baleful Wind]


    ____________________


    ...


    Yo, he would need to TM''d the name after hees out of the subspace... Hopefully, the next few chapters will give you a dopamine rush...

 Chapter 274: 1/10000

    At first, he was uncertain about naming the moves, but Ariha convinced him. He would need to name it if he were to teach it to anyone else. Most importantly, names have power... It was the aspiration of the name that resonated with the Way...


    If he were to pick someme name, there was a great chance his attack power would diminish, or would never reach the standard he wanted. Thankfully, picking a fitting name for the move hadn''t been difficult. Karim or his master had already picked a good name for it. He just opted for a variation of the original name, adding his unique ir. After all, his move was distinct from Karim''s.


    A single wind de carrying the power of a hundred formed from his de. It shot forth, whispering through the storm. The named move he had created after being inspired by Karim cut through dozens of attacksing his way. That took care of the front. Flipping over, he cast another one of the moves to his rear, dissipating all the wind des approaching him.


    But that wasn''t the end of it. The elder avatar of Ariha assaulted him with countlessshes of wind des, augmented by her golden essence. On this asion, the attacks became terrifyingly sharp, twisting through the storm to target him.


    Raising his sword high, he steered through the storm, countering with the same move. It was the only move he found a greater degree of mastery yet.


    [Whispers of the Baleful Wind.]


    There were over a dozen runes encrypted on his body, most of them were tier 5, with some inclusion of tier 4 and one hybrid script which went beyond a Tier-5 script. He activated only a tier 4 anti-gravity script to enhance [Wings of Radiance].


    His speed increased several folds as his form danced through the storm at a destructive pace, dodging and weaving through the encirclement of attacks. His opponent surged forward as well, her speed increasing to match his, perhaps even surpassing it slightly as she managed to close the distance between them within seconds.


    Light glittered in her arms, forming arge spear. However, she refrained from throwing it at him, knowing such tactics would be futile against him. Instead, she attempted to engage him in close-quartersbat, though it was hardly appropriate to call it that since with each sh of their wings, they found themselves hundreds of metres apart.


    No metallic nging sound echoed as their weapons collided. Her golden spear, created from pure radiance essence, met [The Divider], brimming with void light. Despite the absence of metallic sounds, the sh of their weapons discharged a terrifying release of reverberations of the Way.


    The void light had limited utilitypared to the radiance essence; however, in the sheer force of destruction, there was noparison between the void essence and anything else. It was unmatched in this aspect.


    [The Divider] bit through her golden spear as a look of surprise bloomed in her eyes. Yet, he wasn''t satisfied with such a minor victory. He twisted to her right, attempting to strike her torso. However, before his sword could connect, her wing came forward and blocked his swing.


    Her feathers, glowing with golden armament, shielded her as the void light only kissed through the light, dimming it slightly.


    In the next instance, she pped her wing and threw him off a few metres away. Barely bncing his body, he found she was already on him, anotherrge spear forming in her hand.


    He raised The Divider to block, but her long spear cut through the air like a snake and fainted his block to attack his ribs. Thankfully, it was nothing more than a jab as he managed to twist his de and divide her weapon in a fraction of a moment. Her blow somehow pierced into his light armour, spurting a little blood.


    It healed in no time. Still, it showed he could not becent with the little advantage he had over her. The being before him was unlike any opponent he had faced before... even the younger avatar of Ariha could notpare with her intensity... and she was barely starting.


    Ariha pushed him further, drawing her attacks¡ªfeints after feints, avoiding the destructive power of the de that could render her weapon into halves upon contact. Her spear moved as though it was a living snake, contracting and shifting in form to bite into his body.


    Enabling [Void Shroud] should have taken care of the jabs and bruises she managed to deal with him, but he kept it for now, deciding to unleash it when she really came at him with a threatening blow. It appeared that she had only been warming up because if she were to keep on going with this intensity, not just 5 minutes, even a couple of hours would not be a problem for him...


    But, of course, Ariha was not putting her heart into it. It was about to be a full minute and--


    The familiar bell chimed again as Ariha faltered in her attack.


    "That''s one minute," she said, not even a speck of sweat or sign of irritation or exhaustion on her form. She was as breathtaking as ever. "That was my one by ten-thousandth fraction of my power... good job withstanding that..."


    He barely understood what she said when he found her body turning to a blur and shooting at him again, this time with a speed rising beyond the capability of [Wings of Radiance].


    "Now withstand double of that!"


    He had no time to dawdle as Ariha closed the distance in no time. He released a tier-5 anti-gravity script and kept his distance from her for the time being. If she really was doubling her power, he needed to understand how far she could go with it.


    However, she left no room for him to withdraw. The wind churned, and the reverberation of the way gave way to a vortex, spinning around the third checkpoint, locking down both of them.

 Chapter 275: 1/5000

    He triggered one of the Tier-5 Empower scripts and met her attack. The warmth in his chest rose, stirring all over him in a powerful sizzling sensation. The swirls of wind desshed from all around; he ignored them all, enabling [Void Shroud] at minimum power.


    Their weapons met in another sh and discharged swirls of fiery energy. Her aura rose, prating through the defence of [Void Shroud] to affect his mindset, but before he could make a mistake, his own aura stirred up and devoured all the coercive force she pushed in.


    Lightning crashed down on the effect of their battle, as the churning cloud released deafening roars of lightning. He imbued more of the concentrated void essence into the de. The de extended to two metres, not much smoke emanating from it, but it had taken a dark purple shimmer, brimming with void light.


    He called upon the patterns and infused them into his attack. His Intent bent all the force into sync, although not in perfect shape, it was enough to create a terrifying attack. He had yed defensively enough; it was time to push her a little.


    "[Howl of the Baleful Wind]"


    A dark purple beam infused with the way, his intent and void light shot at her on a curving path. The beam spiralled through the storm, growing further on the path to strike her. Ariha defended it by folding her celestial wings around her body, but the force of the attack was too terrifying to be stopped just with that.


    It took her by surprise, and forced her through the storm in a spiralling path, until she deflected the blow. Ariha cast her sight towards him, but she couldn''t see him flying there. Instantly, her instinct snapped up, as she pped her wings to move a few paces away.


    The dark purple de fell, extended over three metres, brushing past her wings. No, not just brushing away; it had cut through a couple of her feathers. He caught them, freeing his right arm and shot her a gaze.


    Ariha shot him a pointed look. She hadn''t expected him to take the initiative like this.


    Although [Howl of the Baleful Wind] had a simr concept as [Whispers of the Baleful Wind], it had far more intensity in attack. Itcked all the utility the other move had, and concentrated only on being the most terrifying move, which could take down enemies in one single move.


    But of course, the elder avatar of Ariha wasn''t just any enemy. Well, he honestly didn''t think of her as an enemy, though that hadn''t stopped him from putting his all into the attack.


    The bell rang once again, announcing another minute had passed in the battle.


    He feared she would increase her power once again, however, her expression and aura betrayed no sudden rise of power as she stared at him coldly. Thest time they fought, she had managed to pin him down using less than a fraction of her power. She looked for what had changed in the meantime. And her expression only hardened as she easily detected what had changed over thest three months.


    "The surgery went well, it seems," she said softly as time moved on. She didn''t seem to care that she was wasting time like this. Did that mean she had epted him and was willing to¡ª


    Thunder boomed and shot at him. She hadn''t increased her power, much to his relief. He didn''t withdraw from her attack; instead, he took his stance and met her head-on.


    He deliberated over what her n was. The current strength she was disying was something he could match¡ªperhaps not for an extensive battle, but three more minutes wouldn''t be a challenge. And he showed that to her, taking the offensive.


    They engaged in a flurry of exchanges, his sword and her golden spear made out of pure essence. In the midst of the exchange, he released another Tier-5 Amplification script, which boosted his essence wielding capability. Practically, it augmented the usage of [Wings of Radiance], [Void Shroud], and even his void light.


    He showed more intensity, and after exchanging a dozen blows, finally found a w in her form. He didn''t waste a moment to capitalise on the opportunity. He drilled forward with his de, void light zing at the highest intensity. If he managed to critically injure her, it would make it a lot easier for the rest of the time even if she boosted her strength.


    Ariha was a moment toote to put up her best defence. The de grazed close to her wings and plunged into her midriff. Blood gushed out instantly, but he didn''t have much to celebrate, as something felt really wrong with how easily his de dug into her form. It was as if his sword met no obstruction.


    He wanted to withdraw immediately, even if the opportunity was heaven-sent.


    A crooked smile crept onto her lips. She ignored the de wrenched in her midriff as though it was nothing and swung her spear.


    His instinct screamed. He wouldn''t be able to move away in time, so instead, he increased the intensity of [Void Shroud].


    The golden spear plunged into his right arm. Intense dark purple light and golden light spilled out, and even with all his power, the spear broke through the [Void Shroud] and bit into his arm.


    An intense physical pain scoured into his mind as he finally managed to withdraw from her. However, the damage was already done.


    The spear had drilled into his bone, fracturing it. Normally, such physical activity wouldn''t be a problem for him. With the Radiant Heart, he could heal such wounds in no time. True, the wound closed in no time, and even the fractured bone restored to its previous state. However, the problem had only begun from there, as he was unable to circte his essence with ease through the path.


    Something in her attack restricted the flow. And the battle was only going to be too intense for him to check out what it was about.


    On top of that, he couldn''t celebrate the wound he inflicted on her, either. Ariha''s wounded figure dispersed into a smokey golden essence.


    "You have a lot more to learn, kid," her voice spoke from behind him.


    And soon the same voice repeated the words, as another identical figure appeared to his right. There was literally no distinction between the two forms, but as he looked deeper into both forms, he finally noticed some differences between them. One of their auras was less intense.


    The one to his right was an illusion. He couldn''t help but suck in a deep breath. The one he inflicted the wound on was nothing but an illusion. His mind chilled thinking how an illusion inflicted the wound on him... only to hear another voice from his left.


    "It''s time to wrap this up," said another of her illusionary avatars.


    He gritted his teeth. Only about half of the five minutes had passed... there was no way in hell he would let her finish this before the five minutes passed.


    Even if it breaks all my bones, scourged my mind, or wrecked my soul.

 Chapter 276: 1/2500

    Calling them mere illusions was a huge understatement. Visually, without interpreting their aura, he could discern no difference between them. Moreover, they weren''t just illusions.


    From what his senses were picking up, and from what he had experienced a moment ago, everything screamed that he would be in deep water if he underestimated them. They were like highly functioning, yet temporary, clones that utilised the aspect of radiance essence and the concept of illusion.


    The four avatars of Ariha circled around him as seconds ticked by. They wasted no time, finding him prepared for their attack. All the avatars lunged at him simultaneously, though they did not reach him at the same moment.


    The restrictive power she had inflicted on his left arm made it more difficult for him to wield void essence, but he persisted, drawing in tendril after tendril of essence and concentrating them. Thankfully, with these techniques, he didn''t need to wield as much void essence as he had previously.


    His de cut through the air and plunged into the avatar that arrived first. His mind chilled, finding the de cutting through her form without any obstruction. A fucking clone...


    The avatar showed no expression of pain or hesitation. It plunged the golden spear into his [Void Shroud]¡ªthankfully, he had already pushed it to maximum capability. The golden spear could not prate his defence as easily as it had done before.


    He also enabled [Radiant Empowerment], an enchantment of [Maya''s Protection], which he hadn''t used much as it required radiance essence like [Wings of Radiance]. He didn''t particrly know what exactly it did, but he was intrinsically aware that it empowered most of his celestial aspects.


    But just that wouldn''t be enough; three more of her wereing at him in a fraction of the time. He triggered [Mystic Ward], trying to devour the essence of the attack before it could inflict any damage on him again. He gave up on absorbing her essence for his own, as it would be more trouble than it was worth.


    The way already supplied him with more essence than his radiant heart managed to synthesise. There was no need to make it more difficult by handling another thing when he was grappling with so many challenges.


    Two of the avatars had already tried to prate [Void Shroud] from his rear, piercing the spearhead into it. Thankfully, with the pairing effect of [Void Shroud] and [Mystic Ward], he was able to withstand that.


    However, the bnce shifted significantly in her favour when the final¡ªthe original¡ªavatar attacked him mercilessly. Her spear easily pierced through the shroud, aiming for his midriff. He stared at her, her eyes zing with golden light, while the other illusory figures became bleak, with a halo of golden light oozing out like smoke from them.


    Realisation dawned on him about how those illusory figures inflicted damage on him. For one thing, they weren''tpletely illusions; they had a temporary corporeal form, made entirely out of essence and the Way, bent by the sheer will of Ariha of the Dawn. However, they were not perfect. Perhaps because of the suppression she had ced on herself, these clones weakened whenever they attacked him.


    The attacks likely drew essence from their existence, damaging their whole construction.


    However, that meant he would have to withstand their power for them to disappear¡ªnot really a solid n. Not to mention, his opponent would likely create more of those clones.


    Void light had damaged them, dissected them, but even in the fraction of their existence, they managed to weaken his defence enough for the original avatar to inflict damage.


    Her spear dug into [Maya''s Protection], unable to pierce itpletely, but somehow the coercive power infected him through the connection. It moved towards his void core, trying to render it obsolete for the remainder of the fight. She really must fear void essence, as she only worked proactively to render his ability to wield void essence obsolete.


    She had nothing to fear from radiance essence, considering his own radiance essence came from her.


    If only it were so easy to restrict void essence. It was the most destructive power for a reason. His core spun frantically, surging with void essence. It broke through all the web-like restrictions pushed towards it.


    Ariha might haveprehended a higher form of aura and intent, but even for her, it was impossible to restrict his void core in the fraction of a moment she had.


    Regaining control of himself, he spun, utilising one side of [Wings of Radiance] as inertia, while the other wing circted on that inertia. While doing so, he swung his de in full arcs, cutting through all three dimming presences on him, as well as the mastermind behind them.


    The elder avatar of Ariha was relentless, having gained ess to his system... If she seeded, victory would be hers with ease.


    He couldn''t allow that...


    Releasing all the scripts engraved on him, except for the Hybrid script, his power surged exponentially. He screamed, feeling a wrung intensify in the back of his mind with each moment he held onto all the power.


    His mind was a tumult with everything he was managing to control. If not for his peculiar spirit aspect, he likely wouldn''t have been able to withstand it. He was juggling two kinds of essences, maintaining patterns of the Way, and drawing power from them. Thankfully, his soul relic didn''t demand much attention, much to his great relief. But those scripts...


    they imposed a terrible stress on his body... Enjoy more content from m-v l''e|-NovelBin


    [Void Vanquishing Physique] thrived on stress, but there should be a breaking point even he might not withstand the cost of pushing this far. With each passing moment, he was edging closer to that point, and he feared he would reach it if he released the Hybrid script.


    The bell rang for the third time, but this time Ariha didn''t falter as she had before.


    He had plunged his sword into her, and she was finally showing signs of struggle, yet she was not willing to withdraw. Her jaw was clenched, and, as he feared, she drew in more power.


    Ariha thrust her spear into his gut as they reached a stalemate. Neither was prepared to concede an inch. Her feathers struggled topletely withstand the void light, and the same could be said about him. But if she managed to restrict his void core, most of his attack power would be obsolete as he would no longer be able to manifest void light.


    "I''ll acknowledge you if you can withstand this for thirty seconds," she said, her gaze cold. "Don''t worry, I haven''t reached for the realm of transcendence power yet... This is about one two-thousand five-hundredth of my power."


    ____________


    A/N:


    I failed to edit or submit the priv tiers in time, and the system is a real bitch. It does not let me edit them in real time... So the only thing I could do was put a new tier and SLAP A 99% DISCOUNT on it, with one additional chapter...


    Tier-5: 26 chapters - 701 coins, and 99% Discount.


    Take it as an apology for the fucked up updatesst month...


    More below...

 Chapter 277: Domain Decree

    Three seconds into the stalemate.


    He ignored her tant unting of her power, and focused more on the Way. He would need a lot of power if he were to contend with her like this. His radiant heart worked automatically, providing him with more essence than he should be capable of wielding under normal circumstances.


    Theplicatedyers of scripts over the matrix spun to amodate more of the power he pulled from the way. He didn''t think he could overwhelm the Radiant Heart, but it only took a month and a few days for him to reach the ceiling of the ability.


    For all it was worth, he was contending with a transcendent''s one by two-thousand five-hundredth fractions of power. And she wasn''t like her younger avatar, who had barely advanced to the fifth step recently.


    No, the elder avatar had been transcendent for decades, cultivated all her abilities to a deeper realm of mastery, and who knew how far she went in the paths.


    Eight seconds...


    Seconds flew by, as he focused on two important things. The first was on restricting the spear from drilling into his body, or affecting his core, while the other task was to inflict whatever damage he could.


    A nerve-wracking agony impaled his mind, only his quirky [Indomitable Will] keeping him conscious. His mind had be numb within a dozen or so seconds into the stalemate.


    Yet he was not prepared to give her an inch. He red at her with all his might, while she met his gaze with cold intensity. Her look was vacant as she studied him with a practised expression of coolness. Her eyes were ancient, as though he could feel the staggering amount of time she had existed.


    Or it could be her depth of power.


    Fourteen seconds... Halfway there... he thought, gritting his teeth. The scripts were worn out with each passing moment, burning away all their efficiency to withstand her attack.


    [The Divider] had found purchase in her wings, wrung in them, as essence bubbled up. Even if she was feeling some distress, she didn''t show it in her expression, which had been stoic since they fell into this stalemate.


    Well, calling it a stalemate was giving him too much credit, as with each passing moment, she was gaining more advantage over him. He was running out of void light, along with how it had be to draw void essence, making it nearly impossible to go any further with his attack.


    And the most awful thing about this whole ordeal was that the masochistic part of [Void Vanquishing Physique] had awakened itself and was growing under this ungodly amount of stress. His whole being swelled with the tearing improvement, as his skin turned angry red and purple.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t think he would survive the amount of time it would take for his physique to reach a 100%pletion rate. He believed he had already gained one or two percent throughout the battle already.


    One by two-thousand-five hundredths, he thought, clenching his jaw. Nine seconds more.


    He had to withstand it for thirty seconds... Half of that had already passed, to his delight. Unfortunately, she had gained an edge on his void core as well. The purple destructive essence was doing its very best at destroying the foreign essence establishing a link within it...


    He gave up on offence and put all his undivided attention into defence.


    But then three more cones of elder Ariha appeared around him, putting all their cumtive force into distracting him, while the real Her drilled a hole into his abdomen.


    He screamed as she found more ground into the mysterious void core, which churned in a fleeting motion, causing him to almost shift maddeningly. [Wings of Radiance] pped frantically, attacking the clones¡ªtheir existence had already weakened, on the very edge of dispersal. Unfortunately, they had finished what they were called for.


    Five seconds remained. He deliberated whether he could withstand the remaining time, or if he would have to sumb to [Absolute Invulnerability].


    Meanwhile, he tried to withdraw, using his radiance wings. Unfortunately, Elder Ariha stuck to him like glue.


    Four seconds...


    He clutched at thest two straws of trump cards in his possession. He went for the Hybrid script, and power bloomed within him.


    The hybrid script was aplicated mess of four and a half tier-5 runes, glued together to bring out a vtile surge of power. It wasn''t a tier-6 script, but the instantaneous power rush was higher than that.


    Anti-gravity, Empower, Amplify, Restoration, and Heightened Sense all worked together, amplifying and augmenting together in all their power, as he shot upwards.


    Three seconds...


    Ariha was still stuck to him, but he was giving her a run for her money. He even managed to withdraw the spearhead from his gut by a couple of inches.


    Two more seconds... He ignored the annihtion ringing in his mind, zeroing down all his mental faculties.


    They shot through the storm, lightning churning, thunder booming deafening roars. He hadn''t been able to see the end of them before in his three months'' stay here, but he reached for a way out of them.


    One second. The bnce tilted in his advantage for one slight moment.


    He tried to capitalise on that...


    The bell rang for the fourth time, announcing the passing of the fourth minute, and also an end to the thirty seconds of her challenge.


    But he didn''t end.


    Ariha didn''t push for further ground. But he didn''t stop. His mind had centred around only one work task. One aplishment. To see it to the end.


    "You have amazed me," a voice transferred into his mind. Ariha''s voice. "With your creativity, wild demeanour, the thrill, and most importantly, with your nihilistic idiocy."


    It took a moment for his mind to resist what she told him, and even still, he was bbergasted to make sure he interpreted them correctly.


    "You did good, kid," she said in a soft voice. "Now leave the rest to me."


    Then she drilled the spearhead into his gut.


    [DOMAIN DECREE: MANDATE OF RENEWAL]

 Chapter 278: Parting Gift

    The world shifted as he found himself in a different ne of existence. Various shades of colours swirled around him while his sight wavered.


    Soon, he found himself in a towering building which was nothing like the habitats he had seen in thest couple of months. Simr tall skyscrapers surrounded the one he was in. A few flying vehicles flew by as he stared at them from the other side of the clear ss.


    However, his attention soon shifted from the highly technological vehicles to the inside of the room. Ariha¡ªthe adult one¡ªwas already in the room, standing on the other side. He moved over to find she was staring at a boy,id on his chest on a couch, drawing something on a tablet... Holding a stylus which was very different from a rune engraving stylus.


    Why does all this feel familiar? he thought as soon as his eyesnded on the sketch the boy was drawing...


    It was a picture of a woman, barely half done, but through the strokes and simple frame of the shape, he could tell it was someone very close to him... Someone...


    "It is my mother," he mumbled, drawing closer to clutch the boy... however, before he seeded, the vision shifted as all the colours whirled around him.


    Only the figure of the celestial woman was present, standing in her spot.


    "What is this?" he red up at her without even trying. "Illusions, I swear if¡ª"


    "We will find out soon," she said, and soon they were in a new environment.


    Nothing futuristic like the skyscrapers before, but a darker ce. The vibe suggested it was some underground ce, with dimming light. The smell of sulphur was in the air, along with other substances mingling together to create an obnoxious vibe of the ce.


    And then there, he found himself. The boy was merely ten years old, but the one he was seeing now was about a decade older, standing close to six feet tall, but not as tall as he was right now. His hair wasn''t white or grey either but dirty ck with grime and dirt infested in it. But he made no mistake in recognising himself.


    I guess inheriting the celestial inheritance tells a lot about myself, he thought as he saw the younger version of him digging a pickaxe into the mining field to harvest crystallised fire essence. He certainly wasn''t great at it, evident by the barely any speck of superior strength in his body... not to mention how sick he seemed.


    "These were from the very days," he mumbled, feeling lost. He had found that out about himself some time ago, but just a moment ago, he learned he was from a well-off family... how did it turn out like this?


    Before he could ask any questions or jump to the next string of his past, the scene changed. He turned towards Ariha...


    The surroundings changed, but they were still in the underground mining facility, albeit in a differentpartment. It was a small quarter carved into the stones, and within sat two people¡ªhis younger self and a woman who was instructing him. Both of them were very lively in whatever they were teaching or learning.


    He recognised the woman too, and looked up at her more emotionless version.


    "Is that what you wanted to see?" he asked, drawing in a frigid breath.


    She finally lifted her head to shoot him a gaze. Her lips curled up. "It is what you wanted to see," she said, turning her gaze back to the memories unfolding before their eyes. "I''m but a ghost of the past... I have no wants..."


    Before he could ask her more questions, they moved from the memory once again. This time it was outside, on a battlefield, where two opposing forces charged at one another in a demolishing sh. Thousands of warriors died in a matter of moments after the battle began.


    They found him leading one legion of the soldiers on one side, his hair still dirty ck with grime and blood, though a few inches taller than before. The naivety of youth could no longer be found in his expression as he charged into the battle, screamingmands at the top of his lungs.


    "So..." he said to her as they appeared in the sky above the battle. "What about our battle... I mean the five-minute challenge."


    Ariha said nothing for a moment, her eyes glued to the younger him on the battlefield.


    "The challenge is over," she announced. "You have passed."


    "But it''s only been four minutes and..."


    She shot him a smile, which seemed to lighten the mood a little. "Do you still want to go for another minute?"


    He swallowed back his words. He wanted to say yes, but he didn''t think his chances were all that good, leaving him with only one more trump card which onlysted for six seconds. Unless he made a huge improvement, like full mastery of the Void Vanquishing Physique, he didn''t see himself surviving.


    "Don''t lose heart, dear disciple," said another voice, "you simply pushed me to bring out more of my power a minute earlier. Be proud you withstood a thousandth fraction of my power for a fraction of a moment without perishing."


    The younger avatar of Ariha, whom he had spent most of his recent time with, came to stand behind him.


    "What? How are you here?" he blurted without thinking.


    "What, am I not wee in your mind?" she said, blowing air from her mouth.


    The battle progressed fast below as the scene moved on...


    "[Mandate of Renewal] is a peculiar domain ability which lets me interact with spirit records, and the origin of all things," she continued. "But in my¡ª" she turned to shoot the other her a look "¡ªour iplete state, it is impossible to fulfil your wish."


    He frowned. "What are you talking about?"


    "Is it not your wish to regain your memories?" the elder one asked.


    "Did I read wrong?" the younger Ariha said, smiling softly.


    "It''s not, but¡ª" They¡ªAriha had already given him too much for him to ask for anything more. Then again, he really would have asked for a way to recover his memory.


    "We don''t have much time," the elder one said as the scene continued. "The faux Elysian will copse at any moment..."


    The younger one came to face him. "Looks like we have to give you the parting gift quickly," she said. "There''s still so much stuff you did not know, so much we could teach you... I guess I wouldn''t be too worried about leaving it in your hands."


    With that, she drew her palm on his chest and began transferring her essence into his radiant heart.


    "You asked about learning healing spells, no?" she said, smiling. "This will help you greatly."


    Radiant silver essence flooded his heart as the script formation shifted to make space for the silver essence.


    "But what about you?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    "What about me? Didn''t you hear her? We are but ghosts of the past, echoes made out of our records..."


    "But you have distinct consciousness. I am sure you can figure out..."


    She shushed him, putting a finger on his lips. "I know you don''t want to part with me..." she said. "You want something totch onto, all the revtions you have discovered in this trial. But our existence isn''t meant to be anything more than we stretched so far..."


    "Find the real us who knows you truly," said the older Ariha. Her eyes had turned vacant.


    "But until then, keep us in your mind. You have a job to finish."

 Chapter 279: Glowing

    The teleportation gate shed open, and his figure tumbled out. His back struck the ground, and he made no move to pick himself up. Hey there, eyelids tightly shut, his chest rising and falling with the exhaustion from the battle...


    However, the radiant heart soon calmed as well, the warm silver essence¡ªone of the gifts from Ariha¡ªwashing over him, pushing away the exhaustion. He wasn''t even sure how long it had taken, lost as he was in thoughts of all the experiences of thest three months. But he didn''t think it had taken long.


    He only opened his eyes when someone came to find him lying there.


    "You!" said a familiar voice.


    He jumped to his feet and looked at the person. Obviously, it was someone he knew. "Hey, Jenni," he said, waving his hand with a soft smile.


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    "You!" she repeated, her expression turning to a re, finding no visible injuries on his body. "Aren''t you going to disguise yourself and y around anymore?"


    Saying that, she smacked her fist into his chest. He saw iting and could have dodged a dozen times, even though her attack came with a substantial part of her strength. But what was substantial for her, wasn''t for him.


    The punchnded squarely in the centre of his chest, but he didn''t budge a millimetre from his spot.


    Not finding her desired result, Jenni continued to punch him in the chest, exerting more of her strength.


    "You! You! You!" Jenni shouted, her palm turning red. "What are you made of, reinforced concrete?"


    He caught her palms before she hurt herself any more, but her re hadn''t calmed down at all.


    "I''m confused," he said. "What are you so angry about?"


    He had already noticed his disguise as a janitor had worn off, and he was presenting himself as whatever he was. And more importantly, Jenni had connected both of the personas...


    "You must be very smug inside," she said, "thinking dumb Jenni cannot see through your disguise..."


    He opened his mouth to say something but didn''t find anything right then which could calm her down. Jenni struggled a little to free her arms, and he let her go, discerning she wouldn''t try to punch him anymore. Also, he noticed a few familiar figures heading his way.


    The rest of the tents and people were gone when he was in the trial, training.


    The grouping his way was mostly from the Azalea Garden, led by Cassandra, along with May and Cole from Marcus''s team. He saw the confusion in their eyes as they stared at him, probably wondering where the janitor had gone...


    He shook his head, regretting that he hadn''t thought of redoing the disguise again. And now it was toote... Besides, Cassandra already knew about it... Although he had a reason to keep on the persona, too many people had already figured it out, so it wasn''t really a secret anymore.


    Besides, I think I cane up with somethingter, he thought. Then again, he wasn''t sure if he needed to keep his disguise, considering how far his strength had grown.


    ording to Ariha, he was a Faux Transcendent now. He couldn''t have all the full-fledged capabilities of a Transcendent, but he had enough of it that he didn''t think any normal gold ranker could stand tall against him...


    Yes, the suppression was still on, he could feel it in his skin, ever so clearly, pinning against his core, his very being, suppressing many aspects about him. But as soon as he reached for the Way, he believed he could shrug off the suppression.


    The people didn''t act with the same familiarity they did with his Janitor persona. Some of them really seemed worried about not finding out anything about his disguise. It really unnerved them ¡ª he didn''t try anything to mitigate that, considering it might have worked against the purpose. He believed they just needed some time.


    Besides, not everyone acted alien. Cassandra gave a smile and implied she would appreciate a more private conversation with him. They withdrew back to their area of residence. As he believed most of the ce was empty, everyone moving to the nextyer, unlike the few who weren''t that interested in it.


    "I kind of get that it was two different personas with different outlooks," May said, after most people departed to their tasks. Now only Cole, Jenni and she remained around him. "But how can you be so different?"


    May was among the few people who weren''t unnerved by the revtion.


    "He''s different," Jenni agreed, shooting him a piercing look. Her anger had calmed somewhat; she wasn''t unnerved by him by any stretch, just discontented after he made a fool of himself.


    Well, nothing a few of the frozen desserts she loved so much couldn''t solve, he thought.


    "You seem taller," Jenni said, and moved to stand next to him. She began measuring their height. Currently, her head didn''t even reach his shoulder. "You are taller!"


    "Am I?" he smiled.


    "Not just that," she turned to face him, "your face has changed too... it is like your whole exterior went through a reconstruction to amplify your... Beauty?"


    A confusion appeared on Jenni''s face, as she stared at him. Beauty was very wrong to describe a man who was over two metres tall, with a stalwart figure.


    It''s probably the mour she was feeling, he thought, but unable to figure it out.


    He turned to find May had a simr look in her eyes, as she examined his form. Cole wasn''t so much, much to his relief. Thankfully, this vampire-like allure didn''t work on men.


    "You''re glowing," May mumbled, fighting away the blush that crept up her face as she looked up.


    "What the hell happened to you in the trial?" Jenni couldn''t help but ask. "Nobody was inside for such a long time... some stupid fucks were already badmouthing you thinking you''re dead..."


    "It''s good that you came out without a scratch on your body."

 Chapter 280: Spear

    Jason wasn''t sure why he was there, but he couldn''t leave just yet. He was supposed to enter the subspace along with everyone else¡ªthe first group had already left, while he, along with many others, were still detained in the temporary camps.


    He thought the mission was urgently critical, but there could be variousplications he wasn''t aware of.


    He was fine withmiserating with others in the camp until his elder sister called and brought him to a different tent, not giving any reason as to why.


    The only answer she had given was: "You''ll know soon."


    She left after saying that, and that was at least two hours ago. He even thought his sister was keeping him from entering the dangerous subspace infested with forsaken. But that wasn''t Jessica''s style. She would rather beat him to unconsciousness if she didn''t want him to enter the subspace.


    Bored to death, Jason could only sit down and meditate. It wasn''t until thest stretch of time, when most of the group had already entered, did they call him up...


    "It took me a little more time than I hoped," said a boisterous voice, "but I hope this helps..."


    There stood a tall, sweaty middle-aged man with a long spear in his hand, which seemed to be recently forged. Jessica was next to him and took the spear from him, giving a piercing gaze.


    There was no special script engraved on the heavy-looking spear; actually, there was no script on the spear, though it seemed to be made out of rare, expensive ores.


    "I hope you''re not toote in giving this, Elder Ming," Jessica said, tossing the spear to him.


    Jason caught the stem of the spear, and found it was actually even heavier than it looked. He was quite tall, but even he found it to be slightly long and bulky. He swung the spear in a couple of practised swings, getting the hang of it.


    "That''s not yours," Jessica told him, which was obvious at this point, considering how ill-fit the weapon was to his style.


    "Give it to Warden when you find him in the subspace," the middle-aged man, Elder Ming, said, letting out a breath. "While we hope he has no need of using it yet."


    "This is for Warden?" Jason mumbled, as realisation dawned on him. He regarded the weapon once more and felt this would fit his friend way better than him.


    "Quick, you have wasted enough time already..."


    "I wasted time?" Jason argued, but was only met with a look of disapproval from both of them. He sighed and rushed back to the way.


    ***


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    The women from Azalea Garden had given up on the inheritance ground after they came out of the group trial. The decision had been hard, but Cassandra didn''t give in to unnecessary greed. Not after the two members they had lost in the previousyer.


    They were only waiting for a way to end things here and depart safely without losing any more of their number.


    While it was a little different for Cole and May, as both of them had been ordered by Marcus to remain back, while the rest of the group advanced to the nextyer. Both of them had questioned the soundness of Marcus''s n of leaving a healer and a runesmith off their team, but in the end, they had toply.


    "What about the soldiers you took as helpers?" he asked, sipping the aromatic tea.


    "Half of them had died, some were in no condition to fight or were missing," Cassandra said, shaking her head. "While some had gone to the nextyer on themand of the imperial prince."


    "Not many of them are going toe back," May said darkly, biting her lower lip.


    He shot her a gaze, but the half-elf didn''t bother to exin, stirring the curry she was cooking.


    Cassandra exined for him. "Even though the forsaken hadn''t bothered to show a hint of conflict after we entered thisyer, they still held the advantage in both power and number. I don''t believe they would remain with the same mindset after they gained whatever they came here for."


    He nodded in agreement. "The essence vein, has anyone found it yet?"


    None of them could give a definite answer to that. In the end, he stood up, finishing off his tea.


    "What are you nning?" Jenni asked, who had been rtively silent throughout the conversation, her anger at him evident.


    He brought out his sword from the void space andtched it on his back. The Radiant Heart was pumping a warm surge of energy every moment to keep him at ease. Only the wound Ariha inflicted on his abdomen¡ªto ess his void core¡ªremained unsolved with his regenerative power.


    She had restricted his void corepletely to use her Domain Decree on him, or else she wouldn''t have been able to ess the lost part of his memory.


    He had learned a lot about himself in the remainder of the time, though arge part of it was still lost. However, Ariha had shown him a way on how he could regain his memory.


    He would need a lot of studying and training, but before that... he cast his gaze towards the portal open on the west side of their camp.


    "Are you nning on joining them?" Cassandra quirked her eyebrows.


    He nodded. A rest and some time to contemte everything that had happened to him was what he required now. But before he would get to that, he would have to take care of this forever.


    "Warden, you should¡ª" Jenni opened her mouth, but she cut herself off, recognising she couldn''t sway him.


    "Don''t worry, it won''t take long," he said, as his body hovered into the air.


    "Give Marcus a smack in the head for me," May said.


    He had promised to help Agnes, but now with what he had gained, he could do a lot more. With his inclusion in the struggle against the forsaken, the imbnce would tilt in their favour. He was eager to see how much they could push him.


    "I fear," he sighed, "none of them stand a chance..."

 Chapter 281: Third Layer

    The thirdyer was simr to the first... except that there never seemed to be a sunrise for ages. Darkness reigned in the thirdyer for so long that its existence had turned tangible, a murky presence that clutched his senses.


    As for the suppression... he felt it the moment he entered through the gate. The speed at which [Wings of Radiance] was going slowed down to half unless he pumped more energy through his radiant heart.


    He didn''t try to go for that at this moment, as he nned on scouting and inspecting this part of the subspace first. However, the tangible presence of the darkness was already getting on his nerves; he wondered how worse it was for the rest.


    Agnes will probably be fine, he thought. Her affinity to dark essence made her somewhat impervious to the suppression. She might not have full ess to her full capacity, but she should have enough to boss around.


    He flew around for only about half an hour and finally found some sign of life. Unfortunately, it wasn''t humans, but a pack of forsakens, including a couple of trolls and half a dozen orcs. They were moving without any signs of worry over the damning presence of darkness or suppression.


    He deliberated for a moment as to whether he should end them here or not. He really didn''t n on fighting right now without any cause, but thinking these lots would only make it difficult for them when they joined up with the rest of their numbers.


    So instead of worrying over it, hended before them, withdrawing his glowing wings. They didn''t seem to notice him at first with the murky darkness, so he made it easier for them by waving his hand.


    "Hey, fes," he called loudly. "Would any of you be kind enough to provide me with some information about this region? I''m kind of lost..."


    It only took a moment and the screeches kepting before the group of forsaken shot at him, brandishing their swords and blunt weapons.


    "I tried to be civil with you," he sighed and brought out [The Divider]. "Don''t me me now..."


    He condensed void essence instantly and converted it into void light before infusing it into his de. Even the darkness of the ce could not diminish the dark purple presence of the void light imbued into his de.


    He ducked the huge clubing his way and easily swung his de into the knee of the troll that attacked. The de moved as if it were a hot knife through butter. There was literally no obstruction as the void light easily dissected the knee of the troll.


    Blood spurted like a fountain as the troll''s capable regenerative power quickly formed a fully developed leg, though it managed to stop the bleeding, leaving one of its limbs a stump.


    He narrowed his eyes, questioning if he had gone too far with the power.


    "Human, I''ll crack your head with one swing of my club!" screamed the troll.


    "I guess I give you too much credit," he said, instructing his de. He reduced the capacity of the void light to the lowest intensity he was capable of, but even then, his de barely felt any obstruction as it severed through anything that fell in its path.


    It took him barely over a dozen swings of the weapon to finish them off.


    "I guess I need to reevaluate my abilities," he thought out loud and collected the corpses to store them in his personal subspace. It should be possible for him to diminish the intensity of the void light further, but not without training. He was already using a tenth of what he used before; anything less was just not possible for him at this moment.


    Well, it''s not that I absolutely need to decrease, he thought. It was just that he would be wasting a little more void essence than usual, nothing much.


    Then he groaned, remembering his promise to Ariha. He promised not to wield void essence any more than necessary.


    "Fine, I''ll try, but only after I get out of this ce," he mumbled.


    He enabled [Wings of Radiance] once more and flew away. He encountered another couple of groups of forsaken. He eliminated them neatly without leaving much evidence of the act, even though he didn''t need to.


    "I wonder how many corpses were rotting in my subspace," he mumbled. It had kind of be a bad habit of his, collecting corpses, thinking they would be worth a small fortune. Like, he wasn''t even poor anymore¡ªwell, technically he didn''t have much wealth on him after the shopping spree at the emporium, but he could earn a sizeable amount of credits and essence gems doing runesmithing work.


    He shifted his attention back to the ground, finallying across something that looked like a tent and wards erected by civilised people. He didn''te down instantly, instead hovered at the top of the dome-like ward. A single nce of inspection told him the security of the wards was heavier than normal.


    There were threeyers of barrier, which would likely withstand a blow or two from even a gold ranker, while anything below would have to work for over an hour to even make a scratch on it. There were even rms, istion, and another script in ce, which made it an absolutely great ward construction for a ce like this.


    He was wondering how to disable a part of the ward and make his way in without alerting the people inside, when he saw a gate opening in the face of the barrier as a figure shot out. Followed by another person on foot who shouted after the person flying and gave chase.


    The slender figure and voice indicated both were women, while the dark essence wings spread behind one of them revealed that she was someone he was familiar with.


    That''s Agnes, he thought, narrowing his eyes at the woman flying away. Then he turned his eyes to the woman sprinting on the ground. Who is this, though?

 Chapter 282: Princess Problem

    He took a moment to consider the situation, adjusted his Stealth, and flew after Agnes. He had no clue what was happening, so it would be better to hide himself from others.


    It was better to get a clearer picture of the situation from Agnes. So he ignored the woman running on foot and flew in the direction Agnes had gone.


    The only problem was that Agnes was too skilled at veils; after moving into the middle of the thick, dark trees, he found no signs of her. He wondered if he should sh a light to alert her.


    Hended on one of the thick branches of a dark tree, his eyes shing in golden light, enabling him to see better his surroundings. He tried to spread his spirit awareness around, only to find the tangible darkness had greatly diminished its effect. Without putting in too much effort, he was even unable to spread it over a few metres radius.


    The intensity of the darkness and dark essence had been growing the more he moved forward. Maybe at the very end of it, he wouldn''t even be unable to¡ª


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    His instinct kicked in as he shifted his position on the branch. A dark de missed him by an inch, while he jabbed his arm to catch the other de heading towards his ribs.


    His chest glowed in reddish-golden light as he was just about to move on an assault but stopped midway, finding the assant to be familiar.


    "Agnes?" he called, furrowing his brow as he found her dark purple eyes staring at him.


    As realisation had dawned on her expression, she withdrew the de. The darkness retracted into her body.


    "Well, that was an unexpected way of greeting," he said, giving her an iconic smile, which seemed to ease her expression a lot.


    "Sorry," Agnes said. "I sensed something following, and... this ce is getting on my nerves."


    He examined her again. He couldn''t make out her form too well in the darkness, but she seemed to have be a little rigid. She had been almost sublime in her assault, though.


    He was about to ask her more about her situation when both of them heard a loud call.


    "Agnes, where are you?!" It was the woman who had chased after her out of the tent.


    "Who was that?" He couldn''t help but ask, finding Agnes'' expression be even stiffer. Like who could it be that could shift the great captain''s demeanour like this?


    "We need to move," Agnes said and instantly ced a veil over both of them. She pulled his arm and flew away. "Come on."


    After moving away a few kilometres, she finally stopped, though did not withdraw the veil. Instead, she shifted its position from the two to create a small dome, just barely enough for them to stand or sitfortably.


    "So~" he began...


    "That was Amiya," she said, her demeanour almost returning to normal.


    "The princess or whatever?" he raised an eyebrow.


    Agnes nodded. "And the prince''s fianc¨¦?"


    He frowned. As far as he understood, he thought both of them were siblings.


    "She was a princess from a vessel kingdom," Agnes exined, seeing his confusion. "Their marriage had been decided even before they were born. It was the imperial way of keeping the bond between them and the vessel states strong."


    "Ahh, so what did you do to get a princess running after you?" he grinned at her.


    Agnes red at him. "She''s a weirdo, a pervert."


    He raised an eyebrow, asking her to exin herself.


    "I think she likes me or something," Agnes said again.


    "What''s the problem with that?" he asked, confused. "I mean, many people like you; do you see how much sway you have over Jenni?"


    Agnes glowered at him. "I mean she likes me in a more intimate way," she said, her expression bitter and unsightly. "Always trying to get closer to me any way she can."


    "Oh~" he said, unsure what else to say.


    "I told her I did not see women in the way she does," Agnes continued with gritted teeth. "But that seemed to only make her more indecent."


    He wanted tough, but looking at Agnes''s serious expression, he couldn''t bring himself to. She looked as if she needed his help to clear up this matter. Unfortunately, he had no experience with what to do in this situation.


    "The imperial prince?" he finally asked. "He had no opinion of his fianc¨¦e liking another woman? Wait, does the princess only like women, or does she swing both ways?"


    "Hell if I know," Agnes said, gritting her teeth. "And I think the prince is even more clueless about his fianc¨¦e than me."


    Apparently, the imperial prince was too invested in the mission to even notice anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps the idea that his fianc¨¦e might like someone else other than him hadn''t ever crossed his mind. He was an imperial prince of a great empire, after all, no matter how far down the line of session he was.


    "You know the worst thing about this is?" Agnes continued irritably. "I still had to ask her to heal me every day."


    "Healing?" he perked up, examining her from head to toe. Finding no visible injury on her, he asked, "Are you injured?"


    Agnes let out a breath. "How long have you been in thisyer?"


    He tilted his head. "About a couple of hours, why?"


    Agnes frowned and sighed. "That''s why you haven''t felt it. The madness that lurks deeper, seeping into your system insidiously. If someone goes unchecked for a few days, the madness takes root in them, causing them to make all kinds of rash and wrong decisions. Not to mention the mutations. Thankfully, I don''t have to worry about the mutations, but I have it worse than most."


    "So by healing, you meant purifying the foreign presence from your essence?" he asked.


    Agnes nodded.


    "If it''s just that, I can help you with that."

 Chapter 283: Refinement

    Agnes was aware of his Celestial background, so it did not take long for him to convince her that he could heal her. Of course, she was a little sceptical at first, but after he introduced the pure, unblemished silver radiance, her surprise only grew.


    "I''m not experienced in it, so it might take a while," he said, clutching her palm and pushing the warm radiance essence through the connection. Healing flesh wounds would be a lot easier than something as delicate as this.


    "I doubt it," Agnes said, keeping her face neutral, even if she felt anything by the somewhat intimate way of their fingers locked with each other, and more importantly, their essences mingling together. "Amiya takes ages to heal me, while for anyone else it is only a few minutes.


    She gives excuses like purifying dark essence takes her effort and time, and that I am infested more than a regr ranker. Well, I kind of agree with thetter, but that doesn''t mean I can tolerate her incessant act while trying to heal¡ª Ahh~"


    Agnes let out a sigh, goosebumps crawling up on her arms. She blinked and stared at him.


    "Interesting," he said, feeling his radiance essence being slowly swallowed up by her dark essence. He had thought there would be a conflict between the light and darkness, but his essence wasn''t purely light; it was life, with some higher concept of life essence.


    "Interesting? It''s more than just interesting," Agnes said, her expression brightening. "I can actually feel my essence bing stronger by swallowing up the light essence."


    "Really?" he was not as enthusiastic about that as she was, considering that through radiance power he could augment his runes and scripts. "Sadly, my job is purifying your essence, not empowering you."


    With that, he increased the intensity of the infusion by a couple of folds. Assuming from her reaction, he did not think that would hurt her in any way.


    However, within a couple of minutes, Agnes was covered in sweat. He first thought it would be a difficult and more delicate job, but within a couple of minutes, he had already cleared a quarter of the foreign presence from her essence. The purification was a lot slower at the beginning, as Agnes''s essence unconsciously hindered his advances. Discover more content at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    But after a little while, their familiarity grew. And finding the purification working, thest bit of her reservations fell away. His radiance essence could flow in her more freely now.


    "You! You... this?!" Agnes uttered in awe, wordless.


    "What?" He raised his eyebrows. "It''s working..."


    "I did not say it''s not working," she said, gritting her teeth. She wiped the sweat from her face, swatting a clumsy palm, still staring at the silver light flowing between their palms. Even the veins in her arm were glowing in dim silver light with the essence moving through. "Do you even realise what you''re doing?


    It''s not just purifying the foreign presence, no, you''re literally refining my essence."


    He stared at her for a moment in concentration. "Sorry, I can''t stop that. Yet."


    "No, don''t stop it," Agnes said, louder than usual. "It''s not painful or anything, just a little worked up. After all, what you did in two minutes takes me hours ofposed meditation and cirction."


    "If you''re sure about it," he muttered.


    Refinement was a fundamental part of being a ranker. Every day a ranker''s strength grows, and essence refinement is the only and absolute way to make all that strength truly yours, and to purify all the foul impurities.


    He remembered Ariha helping him refine his essence after his heart transnt for a few days, fearing he might hurt himself or damage his newly carved channels, undoing all her work.


    "It''s amazing, truly," Agnes said, anotheryer of sweat forming on her face. "Amiya almost heavily injured my channels on her first few tries of purifying the foreign presence, yet your essence... It''s as if it could never damage even if you let it wreak havoc throughout my channels."


    He didn''t agree with her sentimentpletely, but she was almost right in assuming that. It would take a lot of inattention on his part to hurt her channels with silver radiance essence, which was the essence of healing. But if he were to work with Golden Essence, he wasn''t so sure how well he would fare.


    "So what do you n on doing from here on out?" he asked.


    Agnes didn''t answer immediately. She shot him a deeper look before saying, "I noticed you removed your disguise?"


    "Well, I came out of my trial with a lot of things weighing on my mind, it hade off whenever I didn''t even notice until Jenni pointed it out," he said. That reminded him, he might heal Jennipletely with his silver radiance essence.


    "Has anyone else noticed you in the camp?" Agnes asked.


    "I had my stealth on for the most part, so other than the Azalea Gardendies, and a couple of people from Marcus Valerius'' team, nobody noticed me."


    Agnes thought for a moment and then nodded. "It''s not really a problem if no one sees you stealing anything too expensive," she muttered. "The best case would be people not even realising we have stolen anything, or the forsakens taking it with them..."


    "I guess," he said.


    "Which means you cannot join the main group," Agnes said. "Although the prince isn''t very bright in these aspects, he has people with him who might do background checks and whatnot after you. Instead, it will be better if they have no idea of your existence at all."


    "So I would just advance alone and take whatever you need on my own?"


    "No, you wouldn''t know what I need," she said. "Instead, you''ll take me with you to the core of this subspace. Gods, it has been over a month I''ve been in this hellhole, and barely making any advance. But with our abilitiesbined, we will move unhindered through the path, without having to worry about all the burdens..."

 Chapter 284: Plan

    While Agnes revealed a lot of stuff, one thing caught his attention. "Wait, you have been here for a month?" he frowned.


    "Over a month," she said, then realisation dawned on her. "Oh, you mean a simr time dtion was also ced in this part."


    She rubbed her forehead at the realisation. While he had spent so much time in the Elysian that his internal clock took the time dtion as the norm.


    "Or it could be like another of the trials," he mumbled. Even if they were, he really couldn''t make much difference between a real ce, or a ce imitated after the real records of the past events. They were so real and vivid...


    The purification only took a couple more minutes, and by that time, both of their palms had be sweaty. Agnes let out a relieved squeal and stood up.


    "So what''s your n?" he asked.


    "I need a valid reason to distance myself from the group," Agnes said. "And what better way there could be other than being under the assault of packs of forsaken?"


    He raised an eyebrow.


    "The main group of forsakens are about twenty miles ahead of us," she exined. "There are about three hundred of them, excluding the goblins against her eighty-odd ranker. Somehow, they are in a far better position than us. We have already fallen into a schism with them at the very beginning... it is time for another one."


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "I want you to go assault their main camp, and bring upon a huge pack after you instead of finishing them off," Agnes said, smiling coldly. "The prince is nning on advancing faster, so the timing would be just perfect."


    He thought for several seconds, as worry crossed his mind. "Suppose I brought along about a hundred of orcs and trolls, wouldn''t that be a little too many for the rankers to take care of?"


    "A hundred of them are enough to level us all," Agnes snorted. "You haven''t taken the suppression and the darkness into your consideration. True, we all are suppressed by about ny percent of our strength, but the foreign presence lurking in the darkness was way worse for the humans than it is for the forsakens.


    I even think the darkness is empowering them, perhaps not as much as myself, but enough to clean off all our elite rankers."


    "That is my worry exactly," he said with a sigh. "Wouldn''t we lose a lot of them if I were to bring along the forsakens?"


    "Not when we have the imperial prince," Agnes smiled, "and his artifact. You have noticed the wards around our camp, yes?"


    He nodded. "It was tougher than usual."


    "Apparently, it''s not even the highest of its power," she said. "The prince had this defensive soul relic artifact with him which lets him create a defensive barrier at will indefinitely. Only because he had this soul relic that we had kept our numbers with the first conflict with the forsaken."


    Agnes exined how they had rested for half a day within the barrier, with dozens of forsakens trying to break through it.


    "You can be at ease," she said. "But if there is some issue with this n, we can just work together to take care of it. I don''t know about you, but I feel like no one can stop me in this ce."


    He stared at her, examining her from head to toe. Agnes was already a confident woman to begin with, but this level of confidence was almost like blind faith in herself. Or perhaps she could tap into the dark essence oozing in the air...


    He hadn''t consolidated his Way so much that he could sense the residual of the Way in someone else.


    "Looking down on me again?" he smiled. "I might surprise you again, captain."


    They discussed the details of their n for a few minutes, before Agnes withdrew the veil. She was now in far better shape than when he met her half an hour ago... the healing had done its work, though some of it was probably because she finally found a way to free herself from the princess''s fiery adoration.


    "I need to go," she said, "or I don''t know what that girl would do, not finding me."


    Dark wings unfurled behind her before she lunged up into the air. Only after she left did he remember that he had forgotten to ask about the essence vein. He had not forgotten about the Boon of Spirit, which was still due.


    Sighing, he too took off and flew in the direction of the camp of the forsakens. Agnes had mentioned the foreign presence in the air was boosting the forsakens, but he had already hunted a dozen of them, and they barely took any effort.


    It is either the suppression was suppressing their power too much, he thought, or I have be stronger than I realise...


    The camp of the forsaken didn''t have any of the extravagant wards like theirs; as a matter of fact, there were really no defensive barriers in effect. Only the goblins were acting as guards. The total number of the forsakens was lower than what Agnes had indicated... but that only made it easier for him.


    He didn''t begin his operation immediately. He had agreed to pull the assault tomorrow after the forsakens were tired from advancing. But he had already begun preparing for it. He repaired the script formations he used on the firstyer. After that, he hunted down a few goblin guards andpensated for the bombs, which would be enough to get the attention of the heavy hitters among the forsakens.


    Finally, the next day, when the forsakens had just finished their journey, he triggered the formation, along with firing all the hundreds of goblin bombs within their camp...


    Of course, neither of the two actions was enough to finish them off. He wasn''t through in his assault as he wasn''t looking to finish them off. The forsaken would break free in no time. that was when the real operation would begin.

 Chapter 285: A Devil

    The assault went better than he had hoped, which was somewhat bad in his situation. Unlike how all the rankers and forsakens were suppressed in this realm, non-animate objects like the scripts or the bombs were not. As a matter of fact, the script formation was even stronger in this region, augmented by the dark essence in the air.


    He waited outside for a few moments, and finally, the veil of darkness broke open. Out came a tall red-skinned orc, dark power radiating from its being. More forsakens emerged, tearing apart the hole the orc created, as they all made theirints about him known, screeching horrifyingly.


    The dark essence hadn''t simply empowered them, but had taken hold of the little sanity they had left.


    "I was beginning to think which pest had the audacity to attack us," the red-skinned orc said. "I was hoping to give a final lesson to a pack, unfortunately, it''s only


    "Good evening to you too," he said, waving his hand as the leftover goblin bombs flew towards the red orc.


    The sound of bombardment and explosion followed, as smoke and darkness shifted chaotically. The smoke hadn''t even cleared when the red orc shot out, charging towards him, dark essence churning around his form. The other forsakens were right after him, though none could challenge his speed.


    The Warden stood firm on the spot. He didn''t bring out his weapon, only brandished his fist and smacked the tall orc when he came within range. He hadn''t pulled his punch, as the red orc''s form was flung dozens of metres away.


    All the orcs and trolls faltered in their charge and watched the red orc flying over their heads. A silence descended among them for a moment, and then they burst forth again, letting theirints be known, screaming at the top of their lungs.


    He considered turning his back and began jogging, pulling the massive numbers of the forsaken with him. But there were just too many of them for the rankers to stand any chance. Perhaps they might be able to withstand using the prince''s soul relic, but not without paying a price first.


    Thus, the Warden decided to stand his ground, and bring down their numbers by at least half.


    He had barely dealt with a couple of orcs and trolls when that particr red-skinned orc that he had punched in the face assaulted him again. That one seemed to be the leader of the forsaken, and the dark demonic power he radiated proved the fact.


    "When I first learned many of the forsaken had fallen prey in the firstyer," the red orc said, hovering in the air, "I was wondering who was the guy behind this. If I were not on a tight schedule, I would have given him a visit... But looking at how you bring yourself before me, it makes it a lot easier."


    The aura the red orc was radiating was disconcerting and dangerous. All the dark essence of his surroundings pulled into him, empowering him. His eyes had gonepletely dark, while dark veins popped up in his bare, jagged muscles.


    Warden had to bring out [The Divider] now. The aura the orc radiated reached the peak of Fiend rank, and it wasn''t the stopping. Even the suppression of this subspace seemed to have no hold of him.


    The red orc tapped into the raw dark essence avable to him at will, as a pir of energy swirled around his form.


    "Witness the power that transcends this realm!" the red orc shouted as a huge sword of dark essence manifested in his arms. The suppression on him seemed to have lifted, as his aura became more and more powerful, almost matching that of Ovium and Karim in their most unhinged times when they did not pull their punches.


    This guy is a transcendent? he considered. Or rather a Devil-ranked powerhouse? How the hell did he enter this subspace?


    His de moved to fend off the attack. The Warden was sure the aura the orc first radiated was that of a Fiend rank, but now...


    It wasn''t quite it, still far from anything Ariha had shown him in the final challenge. But he did not believe anyone of the rankers present in this inheritance ground would be able to withstand a blow from the red orc.


    Which means he has to die here, he decided.


    "Give it your best," the red-skinned orc said with contempt. "Because this is thest time you''ll ever wield that de of¡ª"


    He blocked the essence de with [The Divider], and [Void Shroud] made its presence known, as he twisted his form to his right to connect a flipping kick to the side of the orc''s head.


    The red-skinned orc wasn''t sent flying like thest time, but he lost his bnce, falling to one knee. Dark essence shot from his body in a torrential force, almost flinging him up, but [Void Shroud] withstood it all.


    "Void essence?" the red orc screeched, a spark of surprise appearing in his dark pupils. "Who are you?"


    "Just a guy who''s going to kill you," he muttered, concentrating on the void light and imbued it into [The Divider].


    "Huh, just with this you think you canpete with me?" the red orc shouted, as the dark essence churned around his form to manifest dark armour, infused with his Intent. It wasn''t quite like how Agnes wielded her dark essence; unlike her, this all looked second nature to the orc. The armour and de morphed into his body, bing a part of him.


    "I won''t kill you so easily now," said the Devil, his face hidden behind the dark helm. "First, I''m going to get all the answers about how you got hold of Void essence in this backwater wastnd, and then I''ll extract all that void essence from your being. If you still withstand the process, I''ll finally give you your final reprieve."


    "You talk too much."


    _____________


    It won''t be long, I promise... Some info on ranks below...

 Chapter 286: Delric AjAhman

    Delric Aj''ahman narrowed his eyes at the human before him. It had been over a couple of months since he came down to this realm through some unhindered means, and for the first time, someone actually managed to surprise him.


    All the trolls did not have a single working brain cell in their heads, while the orcs were busy currying favour from him. The less said about the goblins, the better. None of them understood what he was capable of or who he really was... They just knew he was someone who could bring glory to their lost races...


    But the human before him was something that would bring glory to his name. If he could just bring him to the Temple of Emptiness...


    But that line of thought ended where it began. It was already impossible for him to physically enter this forsaken realm, much less bring along something out with him, dead or alive, it did not matter.


    He would have to be content with extracting the void essence from the mongrel pest and siphoning the power back to his real body. He hoped his vessel body would survive that.


    Delric had no love for the orc leader who willingly gave his body for him to possess. Rashe''Ivek was his name, and the only reason he remembered was because of his superior cognitive abilities.


    Rashe''Ivek probably wouldn''t survive for long after he removed his possession over the body. The battle had barely started, and Delric had barely tapped into much dark essence, and the vessel was already beginning to deteriorate.


    It was his first time possessing the body of an orc. He had no clue how long it could withstand if he were to introduce void essence into its system.


    Maybe I can ask the orcs to use the sacrificial ritual again and offer me another body, Delric thought. Trolls make terrible vessels; their thought processes were so simple and primitive, or else their regenerative power would have been greatly weed. Goblins were out of his consideration... He''d rather possess a dog than a degenerate race like those green pests.


    But if he had a human body¡ªthat was where he would be able to showcase much more of his spiritual capabilities. After all, his own race was very close to that of a human, unlike a pathless fool like the orcs.


    Delric already had his eyes on a woman with dark essence. He had only seen her for a fraction of a moment before she had fled, but his path was synergised the most with her body among all the humans present here...


    Hell, he hadn''t seen such a good vessel in decades, filling him with the desire to possess it. He probably couldst in that body for over a decade before it would begin to deteriorate. Unfortunately, an unwilling individual makes a very troublesome vessel. He hadn''t had the time to entice her into giving her body away...


    Delric set his mind... First, he would deal with this man and move to the core of this ce to free the darkness, before he''d think of another vessel.


    Delric swung his essence de at the chest of his target, who dodged fluidly. His foe''s de beamed with the troublesome void light as he came at him relentlessly. Delric had to admit this guy might be a little more troublesome than just a pest.


    The dark purple de grazed over his dark armour, distorting its form but not enough to prate.


    He was used to getting his enemies killed easily, Delric thought, calcting his foe''s moves. He hadn''t fought anyone who could withstand void light in this god-forsaken realm.


    Delric smiled coldly under his helm. He extended his other arm as another identical essence de morphed into being. He fought more relentlessly.


    I can do this for way longer than you think, he said to himself coldly. In contrast, you are already beginning to grow weary. Void takes a heavy toll on the body, after all...


    "Alright, enough ying around," Delric heard the human say as he leapt into the air.


    Golden wings, made out of light essence, spread behind the man''s back as he disappeared from his spot. Surprise shed across Delric''s eyes, but before he could understand anything, the man with celestial-golden wings spread on his back was upon him.


    The de had drilled into his gut and grazed the minuscule core of the vessel he was inhabiting. Panic surged through Delric''s mind. He struggled to move, to defend himself, yet he found himself unable to move. Power, essence, the Way¡ªslipping away from his grasp the more he clutched for it...


    The void light had broken the core, and now the vessel was deteriorating...


    "Goddamn it!" Delric screamed, in pain and sheer disbelief.


    He found the dark purple eyes staring at his very being, a cold smile ying in those eyes, as the man pulled him into the sky.


    "You might be transcendent," the man said, "but you''re not quite it right now..."


    The Way was lost from his clutches, and the man with void essence had already isted him from any more mischief.


    "I could have ended you where you stood on the ground," the man told him, his chest alight in a golden shimmer.


    "Radiance essence?" Delric asked in confusion. "How?" Enjoy new adventures from m-v l''e|-NovelBin


    The man did not answer his question. "But I had to y around to ease your all-so-diligent followers."


    Delric wasn''t hearing him. Void essence and Radiance essence in the same body?


    Who is he? What is he? A hidden weapon of the Temple of Emptiness? But the Eclipse would never let them¡ª


    "I have some time in hand to get some answers out of you," the man said, clutching him by the throat. "How did you enter the inheritance ground?"


    "Heh!" Delric attempted to smile, though the expression was lost to the orc''s ugly exterior. The man wasn''t as bright as he had thought, even if he had two of the greatest sources of power. "Tell me who... what you are, and I will tell you."


    The cold eyes with a purple glow stared down at him. "I wish I could tell you."


    Then he snapped his neck.

 Chapter 287: Enraged

    He fell dramatically, disabling all his abilities from helping him withstand the impact of the fall. He took off hundreds of metres away, and even for him, without his defences and abilities intact, it hurt like a bitch; it might even twist some muscles and break a few bones.


    He used the corpse of the red-skinned orc as a cushion for the fall, though that hardly did anything. The impact of the fall created a huge hole in the ground with the red orc exploding like a watermelon on impact. Blood and gore smeared all over him, as the Warden fought to keep his essence from healing the wounds he had taken from the fall.


    He was light-headed for a couple of seconds, even seeing lights in a totally dark environment. Hopefully, this was enough to make it believable in the eyes of the forsaken. Thest thing he wanted was for them to be frightened of him after finding their leader in such a horrifying state.


    "My Lord!" he heard one of the orcs ask, a sign of apprehension in his tone.


    "Where?!"


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    He didn''t know how bad his situation was, but as some radiance essence worked on its own to heal all the damage... he found none of his bones were broken, only a little shaken up by such pure physical impact. But he did twist a few muscles, which made it difficult for him to stand straight.


    Good, this will make my acting even more authentic, he said inwardly. He stood up slowly, the forsaken surrounding the hole for signs of their lord.


    "Where''s the Lord?! WHERE?"


    "Kill the human, the lord will¡ª"


    He found the decapitated head of the red-skinned orc and tossed it to the orc with a kick. It smacked into the chest of the orc, who finally saw what hit him. A horrifying scream escaped his foul mouth, followed by more screams.


    The trolls charged at him, thoroughly enraged at the state of their so-called lord.


    "Ahahaha," he acted like a maniac, supported by his de to stand upright. "Come on, I''ll send you back to your pussy-ass lord."


    The orcs werepletely in disbelief at first, but the words that left his mouth enraged their minds.


    He grinned coldly. This was exactly where he wanted to be.


    ***


    Delric Aj''Ahman awoke to his scream, as the whole chamber shook with his rage. The ritualistic patterns on the ground were destroyed beyond repair as he stomped his feet, creating small quakes throughout the whole establishment.


    "That fatherless pest!" he screamed, his pale blue skin taking on a shade of white to show his fury. "I''ll fucking kill him, his parents, his grandfathers, ancestors, his children, and every fucking person rted to him... I''ll show him the wrath of the Death de and throw his decapitated head to the Void priestess."


    "M''lord, M''lord!" some servants, an elf and a Nayad, came running, hearing his uproar. "Someone call the Great Master, His Lord Delric is awake!"


    "Fuck off!" Delric screamed, his eyes shining with familiar darkness. He pulled a huge stone stand where the ritual candles were still lit and threw it at them before any of them could enter the chamber.


    He threw a couple more objects, uncaring if his attendants were alive or not. Only after there was nothing left to throw did his anger quell.


    Delric finally saw reason. He understood the cause of his unbridled fury. Yes, the man had got on his nerves, but it was more because of the side effects of using an inferior being as a vessel that his mind had be such a rigid thing, unable to understand reason.


    He sat down in a meditative state, calming his mind, and purifying all the residual insanity of the vessel away. He yed all the memories once again, as many conjectures came to his mind.


    "If this is a master n of that bitch to overthrow the hegemony..." he mumbled as his eyes fluttered open. "Someone, call my father... I need to tell him some vital details immediately. Anyone hearing?"


    Unfortunately, there were no attendants left to listen to hismands.


    ***


    Agnes had a sound sleep for the first time this month. After Warden cleared out all the impurities and foul presence from her system, there was nothing left to prickle her mind at night.


    Nothing but the princess, who wasing to sneak on her from behind. Thankfully, she caught her and turned around in time to shoot a re, before the princess could act indecently.


    "Captain Agnes, did you sleep well?" Amiya asked sweetly as she came to sit next to her.


    Agnes grumbled, but said nothing to the perverted woman. Caleb was sitting across from her stood up, holding a cup in his hand, giving her a peculiar smile. Agnes gritted her teeth. How the hell did this woman convince even a guy under me?


    After a little tussle with herst night, Amiya wasn''t calling her just ''Agnes'' or ''Sister Agnes'' any more, though she hardly thought it wouldst long.


    The prince was only a few paces away, discussing matters with his two advisors.


    "You haven''t received my healingst night," Amiya continued, pushing closer, both of their shoulders touching. "Quickly, let me grab your hands, so I can purify all the foul essence from your channels."


    Saying that, Amiya twisted her arm around her waist, pulling too close to be anything friendly.


    "No need," Agnes denied her, jumping to her feet. "You should use your gift in healing His Imperial Highness instead."


    "But Zeke doesn''t need my healing," Amiya pouted her lips, standing up as well. "Right, Zeke?"


    Zeke, short for Ezekiel, the twenty-fourth Imperial prince in the line of session, turned up at the call. "What?"


    "Captain Agnes is not letting me purify the dark presence from her essence," Amiya said. "What if something happens to her? So many of the soldiers have already mutated... Tell her to take my healing. What if those foul forsaken attack us again, and she can''t use her proper capabilities because I did not heal her..."


    Agnes'' shoulder turned stiff as the prince''s attention bore on her. She did not fear him particrly; perhaps she feared his station somewhat, but on a martial level, he was not her equal. Most people were not. But if he were to give amand...


    Screams and screeches broke out, as all the people present in the camp shifted their expressions.


    "Gods above, they really came in!" Amiya drew closer to Agnes.


    "Everyone, alert!" Zekemanded. "Be prepared. Koln, I want you on my rear. Jamie, see what is the condition of the relic. Marcus, with me. Bring your team..." His eyes darted to find someone else, finallying back to Agnes.


    "Where is Tayl? Captain Agnes, you¡ª"


    "I''ll buy you a few moments," Agnes said as she lunged into the air, dark wings unfurling behind her. Getting her chance, she did not look back at all, and flew towards the conflicting in their direction.


    She found no signs of Warden¡ªhe likely took the job seriously and hid himself before any of them could catch sight of the packs of forsaken.


    And from the look of them, he seemed to have riled up the forsaken a little too much forfort.

 Chapter 288: To the Core

    He watched the conflict from one of the trees a few hundred metres away from the camp. In the beginning, the orcs were still looking for him, as he had disappeared in the middle of their chase. However, with the appearance of the captain, she managed to convince them that she was just as much of a threat as he was.


    Obviously, Agnes did not n on finishing thempletely. She began fast, but as the fight continued and others joined, she slowed down, getting further and further apart from her crew.


    He saw Marcus on one side with the prince, reminding him of the thing May had asked him. Sadly, he did not think it was a good idea to smack the guy in the face in the middle of a fight.


    Obviously, the rankers did not stand a good chance of finishing off the forsaken. Although the warden had dealt with a good number of them, many of their numbers still stood proud to terrorise all the rankers who had their essence suppressed and infected.


    They had already erected the wards, though not the final version of it. It had an entrance to it, as many of the rankers who were outside were running through the numbers of the forsaken to get to safety inside the barrier.


    Agnes had slipped off when they were busy fending off the foes. He had his attention on her figure the whole time, so even after she put her veil on, it wasn''t difficult for him to keep hold of her figure.


    She was standing not far away from the conflict when he came down to stand next to her. Agnes jerked at the first sign of his presence approaching her but rxed after finding it was only him.


    "Let''s make sure they are safe before we move on," she said. Before he gave a reply to her, she shot one of her des of darkness in the direction of a soldier who had a hard time keeping up with the orc he was fighting. Her de bit into the ankle of the orc, causing it to lose its bnce, making it easier for the soldier to deal a serious blow to its head.


    He didn''t notice anything amiss, probably high with adrenaline running through his system.


    "You did good," Agnes said, as she multitasked with helping her soldiers. "A little better than I hoped. The n would have worked with even half of the numbers."


    He winced. Then he heard screams of someone calling her name. He caught sight of Caleb and the brother-sister duo in the crowd; they were doing better than the average soldiers. Unfortunately, most of their attention was spent on finding their captain.


    "You didn''t tell them of your n?" he asked, eyebrows raised.


    "I did not want to involve them," Agnes said as a matter of fact. "Besides, this would look more authentic."


    Then they heard another cry of her name as she ran across the battlefield. The princess had a look of sheer dread on her face as she cried and asked others to look for Agnes. Other soldiers helped fend off the forsaken froming her way.


    He turned to Agnes to see if there was any guilt in her expression, but the captain was good at keeping her face neutral. Even if she felt anything, she kept it stoic throughout.


    "It almost feels like you wanted to get away from her more than toplete your secret mission," he said.


    Agnes snorted. "Let''s go, our job is done here."


    All the soldiers were secure within the ward, as many forms of barrier held it together even against the cumtive attacks of dozens of trolls and orcs. Some of the forsaken had managed to invade through the gate, but the numbers were only a few, barely posing any threats to the people inside.


    Both of them flew into the sky and left. Agnes still had her veil turned on and she had even included him in it. She liked to be thorough even when it was all in their control.


    "So, how long will it take to get to the core?" he asked.


    "It''s hard to say," she said. "The prince had made a rudimentary map with the help of his advisors and all the knowledge we have gathered. If the map has some credibility, I believe we can reach the core in two days..." She paused for a moment to add, "If nothing attacks and dys us, and if we can fly without taking many rests..."


    He raised an eyebrow. "What can attack us here in the sky?"


    Agnes shook her head. "You probably hadn''t encountered any in the limited time you are here, but there is some stuff we had to deal with since the start," she said. "Anything physical is alright, but those ghosts and corrupt spirits are something else."


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    "Ghosts?" he raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, physical attacks don''t work on them," she said. "Most essence abilities arecklustre against them. You only have your intent to fight them off. I have learned it''s best to overwhelm them with intent in the beginning and frighten them off. If the fight drags on, you''re at a hell of a disadvantage."


    "I see," he said. "How long do you think the rest of the rankers will take to deal with the remaining forsaken?"


    "A couple of days at the very least," she said without thinking. "Hmm, I''d say the forsaken would roll away from the camp after getting nothing out of them. There seemed to be a sole leader who was moving the forsaken like his chess pieces. The forsaken hadn''t acted rashly in any of the battles we had."


    "Yeah, I cannot promise they would act just like before," he said.


    Agnes turned to him, her eyes meeting his, as though asking what it was.


    "I may have killed their leader to get all their aggression."


    "What about the rest of their numbers?"


    Heughed and waved it off.


    "You finished them off... there were hundreds of them..." Agnes slowed down unwittingly. "So you''re telling me, there was nothing but those dozens of forsaken restricting the path of the prince?"


    "Hey, you forgot about the ghosts..."

 Chapter 289: Godspeed

    They flew for four hours straight before Agnes finally showed signs of running out of juice. They finally decided to take a break.


    He had already exined why he decided to kill their mainpetitor. She seemed to empathise with his reasons, but unfortunately, that did not solve the issue that the others might catch up to them.


    Honestly, he didn''t see it happening. What they could cover on foot in a day, they could make up within an hour of flying. But the captain was still ill at ease. Perhaps she was considering other things that might dy them for longer.


    "If you want to reach the core fast, I have a way," he said as she finished drinking the leftover soup.


    Agnes raised an eyebrow. "Did what you get from your trial let you teleport a great distance?"


    "Something even better," he said.


    "What is it?" she furrowed her brows.


    "Just trust me on this," he grinned.


    Half an hourter, they had rested enough and decided to hit the sky once more.


    "So, what''s your great n?" Agnes asked.


    "Give me your hand, and I''ll show you." He drew his arm towards her. Agnes shot a measured look before giving her palm.


    The warden clutched the captain''s palm as a grin spread on his lips. Wide celestial wings shimmering with golden essence unfurled behind him, causing Agnes to perk up.


    "Fasten your seatbelts," he said, "it''s going to be a memorable journey."


    He took flight, and in a moment of eleration, he was hundreds of metres into the sky. The Radiant Heart pumped out to its maximum capabilities, as he used it all in the [Wings of Radiance].


    Wind and the tangible dark essence pped against their faces and all over their bodies. Agnes shuddered at first and then came closer, narrowing her eyes greatly to even make out anything beneath them flying.


    "Your chest!" she screamed, the wind cutting off her voice. "It''s glowing..."


    He noticed it already, so other than mentioning it, he told her not to worry about it. Curious, Agnes pulled her free arm to touch the glowing breastte.


    "It''s warm!"


    "Do you want me to decrease the impact of the wind?" he shouted back after a moment.


    "NO! This is more exciting." She moved under his shoulder and stuck to him shoulder to shoulder. "How long can you go like this?"


    "...Not sure. Guess we have to see..."


    Their regr speed at which they moved before was about a hundred miles per hour, but currently, it was at least six times higher... practically the speed of sound...


    He had to detour a little as he couldn''t ensure the direction he was going without being a littlete. But in the end, they cut the two-day journey by practically a day and a half...


    Six hourster, he finally stopped andnded on the outskirts of the core area. His entire body was littered with sweat, his chest burning with a slight intensity, which began to ease off as he revolved the silver essence throughout his body.


    His golden essence hadn''t been exhausted, nor was the Radiant Heartpletely out of action. He stopped simply because his cognitive abilities couldn''t take it anymore. They had reached the outskirts, and it was actually abyrinth from here.


    "Are you alri¡ª" Before she could finish, Agnes turned back and puked out the soup. She coughed a few times. Before he could get to her rescue, she waved him off, saying, "I''m good. I''m good."


    His stomach churned just looking at her, but he kept it inside. The radiance essence helped as he gave her a gaze and smiled.


    "Well, you might be good, but not your hair," he said.


    Agnes blinked and raised her hand to her scalp to find all her hair was in a single lock, sticking out two heads above her.


    Instantly, Agnes tried to pull her unruly hair back into a simpler form. It came down, though she hardly managed to present or dissolve it into its original state.


    "Do you know why your hair is not spreading anymore?" he asked. Agnes looked up in askance. "Because they do not want any split ends..."


    If she wasn''t in a dilemma, Agnes would have appreciated the joke more, but now she only shot him a judging re. Then finally her gaze fell onto his own hair.


    "How does your hair look so fine?" she asked. "Did you protect it with essence or something?"


    Nope, it was all the mour, baby, he thought. Probably.


    Thest time he took care of his hair was more than three months ago. He did not think that had any effect on his current hair anymore.


    "This is so unfair," she grumbled, running her fingers through the unruly locks of hair, which did not want to part.


    He clicked his tongue. "Let me help you."


    Saying that, he brought out a bottle of oil, which he had bought from the emporium.


    "Why do you carry hair oil with you into a subspace?" Agnes asked.


    "You don''t?" He poured a good amount of the oil into his palm and steadied her before she could argue against it. "I felt like it was the natural thing to do."


    Agnes struggled a little in the beginning, but finding his fingers not hard like those of a warrior, she became obedient.


    "I have seen many female soldiers with pixie cuts or other short hairstyles in the camp," he said, slowlybing her jet-ck hair, wrestling it back into order.


    "Yeah, long hair is very disturbing to have for soldiers," she said. "When I first joined here, years ago, they had cut my hair even shorter than yours. It was only when I rose up to the rank of captain that I could say ''fuck off'' to the barber. I love my long hair, thank you."


    "Must be hard..."


    "No, it actually has been easier as I grew. I just keep it in a braid or bun duringbat..."

 Chapter 290: Labyrinth

    He stared at the braids for a moment, appreciating his work. It was nothing intricate like many of the script designs he made, but he had to say he knew what he was doing.


    "Huh, you''re actually good at this," Agnes said, surprised at the discovery of her hairbed into a very intricate braid.


    "You look good," he said, beforeying his eyes on the armour she wore. It was something he made for her before they entered the inheritance ground, but now it was in a barely recognisable state.


    Months had passed, and Agnes had fought countless times without caring for the armour. It was only because of the Tier-5 Restoration that it was still in one piece. Technically, the armour was in many pieces, but you got the impression.


    He traced a clumsy finger over a crack on her breastte. He could tell most of the other functions of the armour were barely working. "Let''s fix your armour before we enter thebyrinth."


    Agnes looked like she didn''t want to. "There''s no need for that," she said. "I can perfectly protect myself and more... Besides, it will take you a long time to repair it all. I don''t want to take any credit, but I have abused it more than necessary."


    He narrowed his eyes at her. "While I do not doubt your capabilities," he began, "I do think it will be better if we enter this ce in our best state. And it won''t even take that long."


    In the end, Agnes had no choice but to strip off the armour. She had a tunic under all the metal and looked quite small without it. Leaving all the pieces along with the chain mail in a heap, she sat next to it, her de on her knee.


    The Warden began working, bringing out only a runic stylus. Her armour had taken him more than a full night''s work, and repairing it to its peak state would take at least a few hours, considering the state it was in. Well, that was before he had the Radiant Heart.


    After leaving a light construct to hover over him, he began working with mechanical precision. He thought it would take him at least an hour, but by the half-hour mark, he was done with most of the heavy lifting.


    "Told you it wouldn''t take long," he said.


    Meanwhile, Agnes changed into a fresh set of tunics and draped on the pieces of the armour.


    "Now are we ready to go?" she asked, a slight irritation in her tone.


    He was about to reply to her but paused, looking at her expression. She seemed frustrated for some reason, or else there was no reason to be irritated over a little dy. She should be fully aware of what it means to have all your equipment repaired before an operation like this.


    "Let''s cleanse your essence of the foreign corruption, and then we can go," he said and drew his palm towards her.


    "But you cleansed it just yesterday, and..." She paused and sighed, looking apologetic. She gave him her palm. "Sorry, I have been a little on edgetely."


    "A little?" He raised an eyebrow and began the cleansing.


    "I just hate how everyone wants to dictate my life," she said through gritted teeth, while the soothing feeling spread through her channels. "They want to have full control over what I do with my life, and I''m getting pretty pissed about it. Maybe it was the corruption of the dark essence talking, but if you didn''t cleanse it, I might have burst out at someone I shouldn''t have."


    "Do you want advice on how to deal with people like that?" he asked, pouring more essence into the work.


    Agnes raised an eyebrow. "I can imagine what you''ll say."


    But it didn''t hurt to hear it from his mouth, so he obliged her. "Fuck them. If you do not care about them at all, beat the message into them so hard that they don''t stand back from it."


    "What if they are someone with an unfathomable depth of power, which I cannot evenprehend?"


    He met her gaze. "Lay low, disappear for a few years, ande back when you can match their strength."


    Agnes smiled ruefully. "If only it was so easy," she muttered, shaking her head. "Anyway, you''re done with the cleansing. Let''s enter. I want to finish this off as soon as I can."


    He didn''t press the matter, as it wasn''t the time. Thebyrinth went underground, and it wasn''t difficult to find an entrance. They had found a few of them while barely scouting the surroundings.


    After deciding on it, they entered, letting a couple of light constructs move ahead of them and a couple behind them.


    "This ce is eerie," Agnes said. "Far more than what''s it like outside."


    The dark essence concentration almost quadrupled as they entered through a warp gate, and it was only rising the more they moved inward.


    "It''s extremely cold too," he added. It was already below freezing.


    There wasn''t anything threatening other than those two factors. After an hour of moving inward, they encountered no form of obstruction. The path was maze-like, but they hadn''t yet fallen prey to any confusion. The only concerning part was the corrupting dark essence. The foreign will infesting it was more than evident now, trying to bite into their skin and invade their systems.


    Agnes was coping well. He purified any of it that came into his channels. He didn''t believe others would be as lucky as them if they even managed to reach this far into thebyrinth. Most rankers barely had any defence mechanism against dark essence.


    "Wait," Agnes faltered on the path. "Did you hear that?"


    He didn''t, but then the light construct flickered off as a deep shrill of cries echoed through the wide pathways.


    "Corrupt spirits," Agnes'' expression hardened. Her grip on the hilt of her sword tightened as she called upon her intent. "Remember, only Intent affects them..."

 Chapter 291: Show of Power (Poorly)

    "Remember, only Intent affects them..."


    The darkness overpowered his awareness, not letting it spread more than a few meters in radius. The cries of the ghosts intensified as the ambient dark essence in the air churned.


    He burned with power, creating a temporary light construct with radiance essence. The pathways lit up with an intensity that even the darkness was unable to waver. However, the howls of the corrupt spirits did flicker the light.


    There were not one or two ghosts, but countless numbers of them. Some were in humanoid shapes, some were in other demonic or bestial forms, but most of them were huge in shape. Some were already onto Agnes, who was fending them off by infusing her de with her essence and swinging it frantically. For some reason, most of them were going after her instead of him.


    He came to help, his sword brimming with his Intent, which had reached a major realm of mastery. The sword bit into the ghostly creature easily, unfortunately, not dealing as much damage as he''d hoped. It was damaging them alright, but the corrupt spirits did not have fleshly bodies, even if they had a physical presence.


    Simply fighting with Intent made it ¡ª Wait, radiance essence can purify the corruption of intent present in the ambient dark essence, he thought as realisation dawned on him. Why can''t it purify the corrupt spirits?


    After all, their manifestation was very much rted to the corrupt intent and the dark essence.


    With this realisation, he imbued [The Divider] with radiance essence, and the de shimmered in golden light, contrasting its usual gloomy purple. The sword was already embedded in the ghostly shape of the spirit. The golden light zing from the de flickered within the shape of the spirit, as it let out a blood-curdling screech.


    Twisting the de, he pulled it upwards, bisecting its upper bodypletely. He thought the ghost would dissolve into pure essence, but a simple swing was far from enough to ount for that. However, the result was more than promising.


    The spirit deted, its size condensing to a smaller form as much of its power dispersed into the atmosphere. It screeched, but without showing any hint of resistance, it flew away as though afraid of dying for a second time.


    "Whatever you did," Agnes said, her voiceing in huffs and puffs, "keep doing it."


    "Oh, yeah?" he smiled. "What if I can do better?"


    Without waiting for her answer, he concentrated radiance essence, a heart load of it. Converting it into celestial light was easier than eating a pie. The difficult part would be keeping it under hisplete control.


    The Divider burned in golden celestial glory, like a beacon in the dark environment.


    "Agnes," he shouted. "Duck."


    "What?!" came her reply, still full of anxiety.


    "Just listen to me," he said, manoeuvring the de slowly as though it was his beloved woman. The light stretched outwards, continuing to extend over just a few meters, and burning with golden intensity all the way.


    Finally, making sure Agnes wasn''t in the path of the de, he took hold of it like a weapon and swung.


    The de moved in a full circle, creating an arc of golden light. The razor-sharp celestial light fired up from the de, and wherever it met the spirits, it divided them into two. All the demonic spirits in his surroundings let out a shrill cry in their existential crisis.


    The extended de met the thick stone wall and dug through it like a hot knife cutting through butter. Before he knew it, the de had cut through more than was required.


    "Oh shit!" he cursed, feeling a slight tremor.


    Activating [Void Shroud], he jumped toward Agnes, who was on her knees a couple of paces away. He extended [Void Shroud] around them to include her within its protection. Then, finally, huge chunks of stone fell atop them.


    "Sorry! Gah!" he croaked, feeling therge structural part of thebyrinth thumping against the bubble of protection. His chest lit up with celestial light, preventing the massive chunks of stone from affecting them at all. Well, other than being surrounded by them. But the protective shroud held strong above them.


    "What in the world," Agnes gasped, "was that?!"


    She was pinned down by his weight, thankfully not by the weight of what was above the shroud.


    "I''m barely getting used to my power," he said, letting out a breath. His radiant heart was pumping out a lot of essence to help him withstand the weight on top of them.


    "I... we could have died," Agnes said, unable to even move a little under him.


    He did not deny that, though his chances of dying were close to zero. Perhaps Agnes, too, would be able to withstand it if she were prepared for it.


    "Sorry," he said. "Just give me a moment."


    He moved his arm under her midriff, making sure to clutch her tightly, as he slowly stood up. The [Void Shroud] was still active. It had weakened only once when all the weight crashed down on it, but not after the warden understood what he was dealing with.


    The huge chunks of stone moved and fell off all around as he stood straight, but even still, they were notpletely out.


    "What happened to you in the trial?" Agnes muttered.


    He did not answer. Making sure her slender form was under his protection, he red his Void Essence into the shroud. This time, he didn''t go all out like he did with the celestial light. One lesson was enough for the day.


    For not even a blink of an eye, he red up the ability to 50% intensity.


    The huge chunks of stone that were on them flew off under the jerking force of [Void Shroud]. Some of the stones closer to the force even disintegrated in some parts.


    Agnes sucked in a deep breath, then shot him a piercing gaze, sizing him up and down. There wasn''t anypetitive spirit in her eyes like he had seen so many times when they sparred.


    She let out the breath she was holding, finally, her eyes meeting his. "So when are you going to tell me the story of why you set up a light bulb in your chest?"

 Chapter 292: Last Stretch

    "Holy mother of gods!" Agnes swore as she stared at the wreckage he had created.


    His attack had ravaged the tall structures of the wall, breaking into the pathways all around. Most of the blocks of stone hadn''t even fallen on them, from the look of it.


    "Does the suppression affect you at all?" she asked again.


    "It does," he shrugged, "but I can suppress the suppression for a certain amount of time."


    On top of everything, he hadn''t even used his full strength. Not to mention, he couldn''t even imagine what the result would have been if he had used void light instead.


    It would definitely be far out of his control. Still, the reach wouldn''t have been so outrageous, considering his void essence output was limited to 25%, and concentrating void essence was several times more difficult than radiance essence, which practically worked like breathing after the heart transnt.


    "At least it drove away the corrupt spirits," he said.


    They moved deeper into thebyrinth. The coldness and foulness in the ambient essence rose astronomically with each passing step.


    "You still haven''t said anything about the experience," Agnes said as they crept soundlessly. After a moment of silence, she added, "If it is something sensitive, you do not have to¡­"


    "No," he waved his hand. "I have been thinking about where to start since the time you asked¡­ Honestly, it''s just too much to offload. Not to mention, I still fail toprehend it all¡­ the things I experienced¡­ the things she showed me at the end were just too much at this moment."


    "Well, looking at how strong you have grown, I think it''s more than worth it."


    "Yes," he said. "It''s just that¡­" He let out a deep breath. "I met a person from my past there, and I don''t know if I''ll ever meet her again. If she is even alive¡­"


    "Who is this she?" Agnes asked after a moment of silence.


    "That''s the tricky part," he mumbled, "but it wouldn''t be wrong to call her my Master."


    "Was she beautiful?"


    "Like an angel."


    "Hmm," her hum tinged with disbelief. Experience more tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    "I ain''t kidding," he argued. "She really was an angel."


    "Was she more beautiful than your elf girlfriend?"


    The warden froze on the spot, then gritted his teeth as though he couldn''t admit the truth.


    "You look like you''re constipated," Agnes said with a light smile on her lips.


    He sighed. "I have to admit, she was otherworldly beautifulpared to June," he admitted, feeling the weight lift off his chest. As though remembering something, he added, "Don''t tell June I said that when you meet her finally."


    "Got it," Agnes said, smiling brightly. "I won''t tell your girlfriend you have the hots for a woman who''s your teacher. Your secret is safe with me."


    He red at her. "That is not it, and you know it."


    But she wasn''t stopping. "You mentioned your June works as a teacher in the third academy. And now this teacherdy¡­" She turned to shoot him a curious gaze. "Warden, you haven''t told me that you have a kink for teachers."


    She burst intoughter after saying that, while he rubbed his forehead, feeling a headacheing on just imagining his reputation tarnishing like that. Finally, he shook it off.


    "That face, hahaha," Agnesughed more freely than ever. "I just got you."


    He snorted. "Well, if that makes you happy, you''ll be d to know I have the hots for my superior officer as well."


    Agnes''ughter froze instantly as she realized who the superior officer he was talking about was. But then she realized he was joking.


    She red at him, snorting audibly.


    "You reap what you sow, Captain," he said as they rounded another pathway.


    She snorted again.


    Another group of ghosts came to haunt them once more, but before they could get anywhere near, his de burned with celestial glory, scaring away most of them.


    "Don''t destroy the structure any more than you need to this time," Agnes reminded him.


    "Have you ever seen me make the same mistake twice?" he snorted, cutting through a couple of ghosts while the rest fled in dread.


    Half a day passed like that, moving slowly on foot, making sure they weren''t circling the same spot. Corrupt spirits attacked multiple times, without gaining any ground against them.


    "The concentration of dark essence is rising, which means we are on the right track," Agnes said.


    "Do you need any more purification before we go deeper?"


    "I have barely fought; the corruption hasn''t had any opportunity to umte yet."


    "Are you sure? It feels like the foulness is biting into my spirit," he said. Thankfully, the radiant heart was purifying all the foulness before it could even infest him.


    "I''m fine," she said firmly. "I may not have a glowing heart like yours, but I am far from being fragile enough to fall to a little foulness."


    "Gotcha," he mumbled. "How long do you believe it will take us to reach the final ce?"


    "Definitely within today," she replied. "I''m not sure how far we have to go for it. It can''t be just ghosts here."


    "I hope we find the essence vein... I have been dying a vital advancement for a while."


    "Essence vein?" Agnes raised an eyebrow. "We have already found that... Well, only a part of it."


    "Where?"


    "It''s in the secondyer, but don''t worry, it''s likely sourced from the core area. So you can go through your advancement after we finish¡ª"


    A blood-chilling cry reverberated throughout the pathways as they came to a stop before a towering structure with a closed entrance. More screams followed right after. The dark essence churned and twisted along with the cries, creating a psychological effect on them.


    It didn''t affect him. Agnes broke out of it a momentter.


    "¡ªcleaning up the stuff here."


    "Looks like we have finally reached it," he said, scanning his surroundings.


    "Only have to deal with a few guardians," Agnes said, taking a fighting stance.


    "Yeah, only a dozen or so Moonspawns."

 Chapter 293: Corpse of a God

    The warden burned with power as he stood between the moonspawns and Agnes. Extending the de long enough to behead the humongous wolfish creatures, he charged at them, de raised.


    The divider, zing in a golden light, bit through the twisting flesh of the moonspawns, cutting deep. Dark essence bubbled up in great quantity as the severed parts almost began to connect together. As if he would let that happen.


    Surging with more power, he severed its headpletely. Unfortunately, it did not die even after being decapitated. While its regeneration slowly worked to create another head, it struggled against him, not losing much of its prior aggression.


    "It''s going to be a nuisance to deal with," he mumbled, severing a couple of its legs. Even still, it did not fall.


    "Try severing the core from its body," Agnes shouted from behind him, already engaged in battle.


    "Or you could just move on to the next stage while I deal with these," he shouted back.


    Agnes did not answer for some time. "Are you sure? There are a lot of them..."


    He drilled the de into the chest of the creature, ripping apart its heart before prying open its insides to finally sever all its connections from the core.


    The moonspawn jerked on the ground before a ghostly spirit manifested from its body, crying at the warden. It jumped at him as though trying to possess the next intact body. Sadly for it, radiance essence shot from the de and impeded its advances.


    The corrupt spirit fled in crisis. He did not give chase and turned to Agnes, who was advancing towards the gate. Unfortunately, many moonspawn impeded her path.


    Enabling [Wings of Radiance], he shot towards her, pushing away the one she battled. "I''ll cover you."


    He protected her from all the attacks that came their way as they advanced. He didn''t try to finish the moonspawn off, only drove them away for a smoother passage.


    It didn''t take long to reach the closed gate. While he fended off the dark wolfish creatures, Agnes knocked on the door. She wasn''t being gentle, but whatever she did was hardly enough to budge it. She hadn''t even managed to create a small crack in it.


    "It''s a runebination," she shouted after a minute of her best efforts. "Your expertise."


    "Give me a moment," he said, puncturing the heart of the fourth moonspawn before separating its core from the body.


    Agnes returned after finding no sess in opening the gate. She exploded with speed using her Wings of Darkness, easily avoiding all the attacksing her way.


    "The corrupt spirits arebining," she said.


    He had already noticed that, but he had no other way of dealing with them, so he left them to their devices. He just didn''t think they would achieve a level of strength that could harm him.


    They could not stand the purifying power of the radiance essence.


    As they fought more of the moonspawn and destroyed their bodies, more of the corrupt spirits joined together, creating a distorted ghostly figure whose cries red all the dark essence around them.


    "Phew!" he let out a breath. "This is more annoying than I thought it would be."


    Agnesnded next to him, eyes still staring at the humongous corrupt spirit churning with corrupt power. It barely had any synergy between the distorted spirits thatbined, but that hardly stopped it from being one of the most frightening, chaotic things.


    It cried onest time before charging towards them, particrly towards Agnes. It leapt at her, but the warden came forward to stand as a wall between them.


    He raised the de, zing with golden radiance essence. The corrupt spirit tried to avoid him but could notpletely evade the de. With a part of it split open, it crashed into the gate.


    All the runes engraved on the entrance lit up while the godfallen creature writhed, its body contorting. The warden attacked again...


    Something triggered at the entrance, and he was a little toote. It appeared there was nobination to open the gate; instead, it simply needed a great amount of spirit power to open.


    The gate opened, and the corrupt spirit made ast-ditch effort to save itself, only to find Agnes in its path. It tried to invade her body, but she immediately pulled in her Intent to fend off its advances.


    It had already lost a great deal of its power; there was no way she would lose to it now. She tapped into the ambient dark essence and used it all against the demonic spirit, pinning it downpletely under her suppression before swallowing it.


    He raised an eyebrow as Agnes let out a breath. "Was thest part necessary?"


    She shrugged. "I will digest its spirit eventually; it''s how my power works." She turned her attention to the interior of the chamber they had opened.


    He was nning to collect all the loot first before entering, but seeing her already approaching, he joined her.


    Instantly, a terrifying surprising force restricted all of their essence. He clenched his teeth, immediately trying to tap into the Way to see if he could free himself from the suppression.


    He could not. His expression turned ugly, finding the Way waspletely lost from his grasp. No, there was no source of the Way within this chamber.


    The interior was enormous and empty. It was clearly the source of all evil within the region, and the reason became apparent soon enough.


    "Is that what you''re looking for?" he croaked, eyes not moving from the skeletal corpse of a hugebination of human and wolf. Most of its flesh had already dposed, with only some parts of the upper body and head pinned by a majestic spear lodged into its skull.


    Your journey continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    Agnes waspletely wordless, her hands pressed on her face. "That''s the..." she tried to utter, her voiceing out shaky, "that''s the corpse of a god."

 Chapter 294: What It Takes to Kill a God

    There was a core within the skeletal form, not tiny like a nail or fist-sized, but as big as a human head. It waspletely dark, with a golden sceptre drilled into it, destroying its perfect state as thick, smoky dark essence oozed out. An isting barrier surrounded the corpse, but it was unable to contain all the dark essence the core exerted.


    From just a nce, he could tell the barrier wasn''t there simply to block the dark essence; it was actually to weaken the core, iste the dark essence from its control, and pump it outwards to disintegrate. However, even with that, the concentration of dark essence was so thick that it hadpletely changed the ambient nature of the essence of the ce.


    After scouting the area and finding no rtive danger, he approached the barrier. Much of its script had eroded over time, and he could only imagine how many millennia had passed within this chamber¡ªperhaps over a million years, given the time dtion in ce.


    "To even power all these facilities for over a million years," he mumbled, scratching the eroded script engraved on the ground. "The essence vein should have been one of a kind tost this long..."


    "But not so much as it is now," Agnes finally said, gasping.


    "This is what it takes to kill a god," he said. After a moment, he added, "And keep it dead."


    "You mean..."


    "Yes," he didn''t wait for her to finish. "All these designs are to keep it from resurrecting."


    Her eyes lingered on the sceptre lodged into the core of the once traitorous god. "Is it dead dead now," she asked, suppressing a shiver, "or do you think it still stands a chance at the resurrection?"


    "Unlikely," he said, as Agnes let out the breath she was holding. "This ce waspletely severed from the Way to cut its ess. On top of that, the formation had weakened its core for at least a million years. It probably lost ess to its soul records long ago. However, it might turn into a transcendent version of those moonspawns if given a chance."


    Agnes narrowed her eyes. "Are you strong enough to go against a transcendent moonspawn?"


    He tilted his head. "For a few minutes."


    He did not believe whatever it turned into would have any better intelligence than those he just killed. It wouldn''t be difficult for him to take Agnes and flee if necessary, but he did not think it woulde to that.


    He was already finding ways to extract all the riches without setting off any danger.


    "What are you nning?"


    "It is difficult without ess to my essence," he mumbled, "but that''s going to change if I tap into the essence vein." He finally turned towards her. "What was your task again?"


    "To extract a powerful soul relic," she said, eyes pointing towards the sceptre dug into the core. "The sceptre is likely that."


    "What about the corpse of the traitor god?" he said. "I''m pretty sure the forsaken came for that. After all, the corpse isn''t any less significant than the weapon that helped to kill it."


    "I..." Agnes lost her voice, swallowing a breath as she stared at the jet-ck core, full of dark essence beyond her wild imagination. If she were to devour even a part of it...


    Agnes shook her head and covered her mouth and nose with her palm. She did not even stand a chance of absorbing the dark essence and returning without being corrupted. The thick foulness in the air was already getting on her nerves.


    "The empire would want to get their hands on the corpse," she said. "Hell, all the nations and powerful guilds would want to possess the corpse of a god, even if they have no clue what they were dealing with. No, we cannot gamble on that." She turned to him and said firmly, "You have to take it. Store it in your subspace, and nobody should even be aware of it."


    He narrowed his eyes. Honestly, he had already been contemting that. His only fear was if the dark essence somehow corrupted his subspace and found a way to invade his system. He was confident in his radiance essence, but he wasn''t nearly strong enough to deal with the sheer amount of dark essence the dark core held.


    "Let''s enter the barrier and see if I can find a way to keep it restricted," he said and crouched down again. He began scratching out the rune formation on the ground. He even drew a few lines and runes for about a couple of hours before it was finally ready.


    "The sceptre stabilizes all the higherws of this subspace," he said, turning to her. "If we are to take it away¡ª"


    "Will the realm copse?"


    "Maybe," he wasn''t sure. "I''m sure the time dtion would copse, as well as the suppression. The dimension will begin to erode, but it won''t be as fast as the other two. I think we''d have time to escape even if it came to that."


    "How sure are you?"


    "Pretty sure," he sighed. He didn''t think even a transcendent would bepletely sure of what was toe without triggering it.


    "Come on, let''s finish this off." Saying that, he punched the barrier, and it shattered to open a crack. Dark essence came out in a flood, and he gave way for it to disperse.


    They entered slowly. With each step, their bodies became heavier and harder to move. There were only a few dozen steps between them and the core, but the path looked impossible as the suppression on their bodies and spirits increased with each step.


    "I don''t think..." Agnes croaked after they crossed half the distance. She was on her knees, gasping for breath, sweat all over her form even in the coldest environment. "I can''t move."


    Saying that, she fell t on the ground. Now it was all left to him.


    __________


    One more chaptering right up in a couple of hours and we''ll be done with this arc... YEEEEEHHHHHHH!

 Chapter 295: The Great Undertaking

    He came to her rescue, only to find he couldn''t do anything for her. His ess to essence was restricted.


    "Are you alright?" he asked, holding her head.


    She barely gestured affirmative. "Move on," she managed to say. "I can only say it will get worse the more time passes."


    He nodded and stood back, eyes at the prize. Clenching his jaw, he moved towards the core as fast as he could, which was a little better than jogging.


    He fell right before the sceptre, his expression turning ugly with the dark essence trying to invade his body. His heart churned. Though not at its most effective, it did not let any foreign will invade him.


    Finally, he stood back again, took in a deep breath and grasped the sceptre with his palm. Instantly, all the suppression was lifted off from him, while he became aware of many of the functions of the sceptre. It was simply too much for him toprehend in a short time.


    [Prime source of Soul energy detected!]


    Texts shimmering in golden light shed across his sight, causing him to wince. It had been so long since he had seen system texts... they seemed to have be a little different. Instead of the mundane blue, it was celestial gold now.


    [Preparing themitment of Boon of Spirit: Neophyte Spirit Domain.]


    [Warning! This process is irreversible!]


    [Warning! This process will introduce active chances to your soul, as well as your body.]


    [Warning! Your Subspace Void Space may be used as a resource to transform your soul into a Spirit Domain.]


    "Goddamn!" he cursed. "Just give me a moment will you..."


    [Please remain calm throughout the process.]


    [The process will begin in 119 seconds.]


    "Hey, Agnes," he called to her to find she was barely keeping her consciousness. "Change of n..."


    "Wha..." she croaked.


    "I may fall unconscious for an undefined amount of time," he told her. "Take care of me till then."


    He didn''t wait for her answer, and began his work first. Only a little over a hundred seconds remaining.


    The power the sceptre possessed was beyond measure. It had enabled him to know what it was capable of, though his brain hardlyprehended much of it. The only thing he could make out was that, he could not control the soul relic at all. It will run him dry within a blink of an eye.


    He let out a breath slowly. Now that he had ess to his essence, he went back to his original n¡ªwhich was to store all the chaos andplicated stuff, and deal with itter.


    Thus, he simply opened a gate to his subspace, and stored it all.


    It wasn''t an easy task by any means, as the sceptre released a counterforce to restrict his subspace. By only cutting off its connection to the essence vein with void essence, did he manage to store the sceptre still lodged into the dark core.


    Hopefully, even at that state, the soul relic would keep the dark core restricted.


    The warden waited a couple of seconds to see any chances. It came a little bitte, but tremor ran through the whole structure of the ce. . . and it went on for several seconds before returning to its normal state.


    Thankfully, it did not copse the realm. Well so far from what he was interpreting.


    He turned to Agnes, who seemed to have fallen unconscious while he was dealing with the sceptre. But the impression was gone after he took away the sceptre, she would wake up in no time.


    Now, he just needed toplete his advancement in silence and leave.


    [Boon of Spirit: Neophyte Soul Domain... Commencing...]


    ***


    The dimensionws of the frontlines were fluctuating. Over a dozen people from the empire''s side were trying to figure out the reason behind it and its implications. Twilight wanted to use teleportation andplete her task as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the undtion in the dimensionws made all the warp gates less than ideal to use.


    They had already shut them all down for the time being, without specifying when they would be reopened.


    Likely after something emerged from the undtion. Explore more stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin


    She feared the fake identity she had created a couple of days ago would notst that long. As it turned out, the undtions were exactly what the group she came with was looking for. Unfortunately, they were not happy about finding them. Not to mention, the soldiers from the empire had taken them into custody under the pretence of formalities.


    They werepletely in the dark about what was happening. Thankfully, their lives weren''t threatened, at least from what she could interpret. They would probably be sent back to the republic after some negotiation.


    Twilight wasn''t worried about that. She was worried about the fluctuation in spacews. The frontline was a peculiar ce, a ticking time bomb that hadn''t gone off for millennia...


    Is this the first sign of it going off? she thought as she approached the restricted area where a few soldiers were guarding. None of them could see her.


    She had already learned that they had found an unplundered subspace at the boundary of the secondyer of the frontline. Even a blind man could tell that the source of all this fluctuation wasing from that region.


    They had sent a bunch of soldiers to plunder it. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to have gone ording to n. So much so that the big guns of the military had joined to see.


    A bunch of gold rankers. Twilight had eavesdropped on their meeting to learn more info, but unfortunately, they couldn''t add much to what she already knew.


    However, she learned that they had already asked for assistance from some Transcendent. Twilight would rather depart from here before the Transcendent appeared.


    Unfortunately, due to the stupidity of these people, she would have to stay longer. If there was something wrong with the spacews, shouldn''t they evacuate their people first? Instead, they closed the warp gates and had hundreds of soldiers guard the region.


    If something really sets off and¡ª


    A heart-wrenching tremor ran through the ground, and Twilight leapt to her feet unwittingly. Rock formations in the surroundings shattered in a matter of minutes, and some hills ttened to the ground. Yelling soldiers broke into her ears as chaos ensued without warning.


    Well, calling it without warning would be a mistake. They had seen the fluctuation in dimensions for hours and made the worst possible decision.


    I hope not many people have to die for it, she thought, as she exploded into a sprint.


    The ground trembled under her feet. Cracks begin to appear on it,ndslides, and all kinds of disasters thate with an earthquake.


    However, even she hadn''t imagined the sheer incredulity of the situation. The dimension of the inheritance ground exploded outwards taking over at least a third area of the second zone of the frontline.


    "What in the actual fuck!" she cursed, immediately activating her spirit aspect, knowing exactly what was about to happen.


    The subspace was about to explode outwards, and it was going to crush everything under it.


    _____________


    A/N below...

 Chapter 296: Advancement

    The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was Agnes staring back at him. She sat cross-legged with his head resting on herp.


    "You''re awake," she said. "Congrattions..."


    That meant everything went well. He let out a breath of relief. "How long did it take?"


    "Not too long, I believe," she said. "I woke up to find you¡ª"


    He rose from herp to sit upright, only to find his clothes missing. A nket covered his body, which was almostpletely bare underneath. Thankfully, he still had his underwear, though it was in poor condition, torn and soaking wet with sweat.


    "What happened to my clothes?" he blurted. He didn''t remember removing them but looked around to find no sign of them, only his torn inner vest. They were still in the godfallen chamber, though it waspletely empty now. He had stored the most valuable items¡ªthe sceptre and the corpse of a traitor god.


    He turned to Agnes, eyes using. Was this a prank she orchestrated? But Agnes didn''t seem like the type to pull such a prank.


    "Don''t look at me," she said. "I found you like that when I woke up."


    He bit his lip. "Then what happened to my armour, my cloak?" he rasped. "Even my de is gone."


    "I thought you stored them before going through your advancement, in case they would hamper the process," Agnes said, raising an eyebrow. "You didn''t?"


    He rubbed his forehead. "Wait, you said advancement," he said, realisation dawning on him. He red his aura, causing Agnes to wince. "I''m actually Silver rank..."


    Agnes gasped as he retracted his aura. It had a far more tangible presence now.


    "You''re only noticing that now?" she snorted. "Wait, if you''re only noting it now, does that mean you¡ª"


    "I did not intend for it," he mumbled as he jumped to his feet. The nket fell away, and he moved around the vast chamber in his underwear, revelling in how great he felt. It was beyond his imagination. He felt like he could lift¡ª


    "Ahem!" Agnes coughed awkwardly, not looking at him. "Weren''t you worried about your artifacts just now?"


    "Oh right," he stopped. Could somebody havee in while they were unconscious and stolen them? But they wouldn''t have had any reason to keep them alive if they didn''t want to leave loose ends.


    "They are bonded to your soul, right? Can you still feel them?"


    His eyes sparked as he looked inward. "I can..."


    Actually, he could feel them more clearly than ever. They weren''t stolen, nor was Agnes ying a prank on him. They were with him, just more intimately than he thought.


    Golden and purple light sparked on his body, and under hismand, the light armour [Maya''s Protection], the cloak [Cloak of Void Radiance], and the weapon, [The Divider] manifested on him, perfectly equipped as if they were part of him.


    "Wow!" He was impressed, though unsure how he did it. Moreover, the soul relics didn''t look the same as before. There seemed to be more significance to them now.


    Even Agnes gasped in stunned silence. "Is thatmon with celestial advancement?" Continue your journey on m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    He shrugged.


    "Well, you have dried the essence veinpletely, so it better be worth it."


    "What?" Unwittingly, he spread his awareness¡ªwhich was far stronger than before¡ªto the source, only to find it nearly empty. It was impossible for him to sense all that before, but now his awareness moved deeper into the veins,pletely to the root, confirming Agnes was right. He had really dried up one of the most sought-after things in the world.


    It would probably take centuries, if not millennia, for it to grow back.


    "I guess we''re taking all the prizes from this ce," he grinned at her. "Let''s get out of here before others cane in..."


    "Are you sure?" she said. "While I doubt they would find this ce anytime soon, I thought you''d like to check your newfound abilities and examine the rewards we got from here..."


    The warden closed his eyes for a second and visualized his void space, where he had left the sceptre and the dark core. Immediately, his brows furrowed. Many things had changed within his subspace as he went through the advancement. No, it wasn''t the void space anymore at all. It had turned into a Neophyte Spirit Domain.


    His senses drifted within the space to see the boundary, only to find there wasn''t one...


    "What is it?"


    He came back to reality and let out a gasp. "From a glorious storage cube, I may have turned into a small cosmos."


    "What?" she quirked her eyebrows.


    "Let''s get out of here first," he said, as wide celestial wings unfurled on his back. "Want a ride?"


    He drew his palms towards her, even though he thought she would refuse. The captain, although preferred efficiency, she liked herself to be more independent. She could fly on her own, even if at a slower speed.


    Yet to his surprise, she took his palm, only after thinking for a moment.


    "Thebyrinth would be a bitch to cover," she said, clutching his arm. "Go as fast as you like."


    ***


    Twilight''s spirit body saved her from being crushed under the copse of a great subspace. Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky.


    Her spirit body let her phase through physical matter without any difficulty, so even if she was under the towering structure before her, it wouldn''t have crushed her.


    Sadly, she didn''t think any of the Iron rankers made it. It was even tough for Silver rankers who were close to the vicinity. Only a few lucky ones, who were close to the Gold rankers, were saved.


    Rest in peace, she prayed for their souls and was about to leave when a pack of orcs and trolls attacked whatever was left of the humans.


    Twilight could have left if she wanted, but these people had already gone through a disaster; she didn''t want to leave them to another one just after their rescue.

 Chapter 297: Spatial Awareness

    He did not elerate to his full capability, yet it barely took an hour to return to their starting point. Unlike before, Agnes had to clutch to him tightly, while [Void Shroud] protected them to have a smooth journey.


    Midway, they encountered the Imperial prince advancing toward the core with his group of soldiers and nobles.


    Although the source of all darkness had been imed, the residual dark essence still made it difficult for them to see anything. The prince''s group had not noticed them flying above, and he decided to avoid them for the time being.


    After covering another great distance, Agnes decided it would be better if they did not exit together. She nned to join the princeter and go through the same loop with him again. She already had her excuses ready for why she had disappeared.


    Finding her n sound, he let her go and decided to return to the secondyer. Finally having time to himself, he decided to check out his new abilities. First, he sought to explore his new spiritual awareness, which was like nothing he had experienced before.


    Before the advancement, he could only make out vague outlines, but now, it was far clearer and more vivid, albeit there was nothing too colourful within this realm. As for the distance it covered...


    He pushed his awareness forward, meter after meter, yet hadn''t found its limit even after covering a mile. He pushed further, the dark forest appearing in his mind''s eye, until he finally came across a couple of rankers who seemed to be amidst a battle. It was not a battle against any forsaken or corrupt creatures; they were fighting each other.


    Curious, he flew in their direction, and within a few seconds, he hovered above the so-called battle. Both parties were people he recognised. It was none other than Cassandra of Azalea Garden fighting against the noble scion Tayl Alebson.


    The suppression had lifted after he took away the sceptre, yet neither of the two seemed to be in fair condition. He did not know how good a chance Tayl Alebson had in a fair fight, but looking at how weary he was, he did not seem to stand a chance against the Siren.


    Unfortunately for the Siren, Tayl Alebson wasn''t alone. She probably hadn''t noticed it yet. While she had her opponent under control, a couple of archers were on high branches of the trees, with arrows aimed at her.


    Tayl Alebson was clearly losing it. Exhausted and worn out, he could not withstand the power of the Siren.


    That was when the arrows showered down on Cassandra, who waspletely oblivious to it. The warden moved before he could even think and swooped her up. Cassandra let out a shrill scream, which hurt his ears, but he paid no mind to it.


    He let [Void Shroud] envelop them both, and all the arrows bounced off its defence.


    Seizing his chance, Tayl Alebson made the stupidest decision possible. The young scion, who had barely touched the realm of a spear master, took a stance and threw his spear at them.


    Everything registered in his awareness as his form shifted to catch the spear. While still in motion, he turnedpletely and threw the spear back to where it came from.


    "Die, bit¡ª" Tayl could not evenplete his scream before the spear pierced his abdomen, grazing past his core to stick out from his back.


    His face nched in disbelief, while his mouth let out an agonizing scream.


    And he was not the only one shocked. The woman he carried quickly recognised the situation and clutched herself to his body.


    "Adept Warden," she called, her shoulder stiffening.


    He did not answer and flew to one of the archers to his right. He struck him with a flying kick, flinging him away a dozen meters before he crashed into a tree, which broke under the sheer power of the impact.


    The warden clicked his tongue. How the hell am I going to get used to my power if I keep getting stronger?


    He had not even used a single percent of his total power, and the consequences were too hard to bear for the archer.


    He did not attack the other archer behind him, who was already fleeing for his life. Unfortunately for the archer, two people crossed his path.


    The warden scratched his chin, pondering what to do about this terrified opponent. Cassandra took the decision away from him.


    She let out another siren scream, causing the man to vomit blood and fall unconscious.


    "I thought you decided not to enter thisyer," he said, turning to the woman.


    Cassandra let out a heavy breath. Her attire was soaked with blood and sweat, making her look far from theposed woman he knew.


    "We all have burdens we have to carry," she said, offering no further exnation.


    He narrowed his eyes and scanned the woman with his spatial awareness. Cassandra physically stiffened, though unaware of what was happening, her aura ring up unconsciously. He retracted his awareness when suddenly something unexpected happened.


    "Huh?" He turned to where he had left Tayl Alebson, only to find his form disappearing into thin air. "Oh shit, teleportation?"


    Cassandra sighed. "I guess he had that with him," she said, feeling at a loss.


    "Will you get into trouble for this?"


    She shrugged.


    "I shouldn''t have given him a chance," he muttered.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of this," Cassandra said, her eyes glowing with coldness. "Anyway, with this, I have nothing more to do here. Should we depart, or do you have some unfinished business left?"


    "Nah, I finished up most of it."


    "Was it you that caused the earthquake?" she asked, curious.


    "What earthquake?" he said. "Sorry, I was advancing and barely noticed anything."


    Only then did she notice the changes in him. "You have advanced into..." her voice fell short, her eyes twinkling in purple shimmer. "What are you really?"


    "Just a fool trying to figure out the ways."

 Chapter 298: Depart

    "Should we try to return now?" Jenni asked. They had mostly collected their belongings after he returned with Cassandra, but they hadn''t decided to rush out yet.


    Aside from the earthquake and the lifted suppression, they hadn''t felt any other changes that warranted an immediate withdrawal. Moreover, May and Cole were waiting for the rest of their team. Jenni had been worried about Agnes, but after he reassured her that Agnes was fine, she felt much more relieved.


    "I''m inclined to leave as well," he said. He had already changed into a in tunic after cleaning himself.


    Cassandra and the women from Azalea Garden silently agreed, but the two members from Marcus''s group were reluctant to leave before their party member returned.


    "You guys can return," May said. "All the danger is dealt with; we can take care of ourselves."


    He met her gaze and smiled softly. "While that is true, I''ll stay here for a day or two," he said, patting her shoulder. "They won''t take longer than that, as far as I''m aware. That reminds me, I noticed Marcus there, but I was in no position to deliver the smack you asked me to."


    "Thank you," the half-elf said, her posture rxing.


    "Great, with Sir Warden here, I can leave you without worry," Cassandra said as their group stood up. They bowed, exchanged tight hugs with the twodies, and talked a little before deciding to depart.


    "I''m staying a little longer," Jenni told Lady Cassandra, hugging her tightly. "I''m sorry, I was aplete deadweight the whole time."


    "Nonsense, you did better than most," Cassandra said, kissing her softly on the cheek.


    "If you ever need rune work, feel free to contact me," Jenni said, turning to him. "I may not be as good as him yet, but I''ll always do my best."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," Cassandra said, finally turning to him.


    She bowed deeply, this time to only him. Unsure what to do, he returned the bow. She stopped him, catching his arm.


    "We lost two of our sisters here," she said, sping his palm. "If not for you, I fear the number would be higher. I cannot thank you enough for all your assistance."


    "It is only natural for me¡ª" he began.


    Cassandra shook her head. "Most people do not go out of their way to help those they don''t even know. If you ever need my help, or the help of Azalea Garden, we''ll always be there for you."


    Saying that, she tiptoed and brushed her lips softly over his cheek. The kiss looked no different than the one she gave Jenni, though her cheeks were a tad redder than usual.


    She moved to May and kissed her on the cheek as well, causing the half-elf to be flustered. Unsure what to do, she exchanged nces between Jenni and him.


    Finally, for Cole, she patted him on the shoulder before they departed, which left the adept runesmith somewhat relieved and at a loss at the same time.


    The warden let out a breath and turned to find Jenni giving him looks.


    "Already feeling down that the beauties are gone?" she smirked.


    He snorted and smacked a clumsy palm over her head. She was about to throw his arms off, but he held her in ce. "I forgot to tell you, I can heal youpletely now."


    "No thanks, I''m already good," Jenni snorted. "May already did her part, and there''s nothing more you can¡ª Ahhh!"


    He didn''t listen to her, caught her palms, and sent silver radiance essence into her channels. A soothing warmth surged through her body, causing goosebumps to crawl up her arms.


    "What... What?!" she stammered, almost falling. Thankfully, he caught her. "This is... nothing like before..."


    "You haven''t seen half of it yet," he said.


    May was also staring at the light pushing through his arms to Jenni''s with a frown on her brows.


    "You''re aplete healer now?" she asked, sounding somewhat offended.


    "I wouldn''t sayplete..."


    "You''re healing my channels," Jenni cried in disbelief. "They''re returning to my peak state after they absorb the light. This is a miracle."


    "Really?" May moved closer to check and caught Jenni''s arm. "Let me see."


    Soon her expression changed to shock as well.


    "Why do I always feel like I''m losing out on everything," Cole muttered, but nobody took note of him.


    "Such a pure life affinity," May cried. "This is so unfair. I''ve worked all my life to get this close, and yet you''re casually showing something practically impossible for most high-ranked healers."


    "Don''t be hard on yourself," he patted her again, causing her to re at him. "You''ll get there someday."


    May snorted. "I''m not talking to you."


    "Until when?" he raised an eyebrow.


    "Until never," May said, throwing a tantrum so unlike her.


    "So never is when you need me to feed you some good meals?" He pinched her cheeks.


    "I hate you."


    Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    "Really? I thought of making something special tonight, but I guess I''ll just warm the leftovers."


    "Special? What special dish?"


    He snorted and turned his attention back to the healing. Jenni was sweating hard, her face red, though more relieved than ever.


    "I''ll go over one more timeter to purify all the foulness you''ve umted in this ce."


    Jenni nodded and embraced him tightly. "Thank you," she said, eyes tearing up. "Thank you..."


    "I''m still going to tell your dad about your stupid decision," he patted her back. "Don''t think you can get away with it."


    "I hate you." Jenni punched him in the chest, only hurting her fingers.


    "I hate you too," Cole added, causing all of them to turn at him. "What? I was feeling left out."


    "I guess I''ll make a spicy soup of full of hatred tonight," he said.


    That was when the warp gate red into light, and out came flocks of soldiers. Good, looks like their rescuers were here, even if they werete by a fair margin.

 Chapter 299: Chance Encounter

    The firstyer wasn''t in darkness anymore. Actually, the firstyer wasn''t even ayer anymore. The earthquake was the aftereffect of the subspace dimension merging into the frontline.


    After leaving May and Cole with their returnedpanions, he joined Jason and decided to return for good.


    "We were actually inside when it happened," Jason said, "so we didn''t notice much other than the darkness clearing out."


    Jason had joined them along with the hundreds of soldiers who came to help with the forsaken problem, which was mostly sorted out by now. Apparently, the higher-ups worked fast on providing reinforcement, but the high time-dtion made even the fastest action outside ten times slower inside the subspace.


    Ultimately, the reinforcement arrived when most of the problems were resolved, though not without taking a huge loss.


    "Anyway, I forgot, I was supposed to give you this," Jason said, essing his dimension cube to bring out a spear. "Apparently, the elder you asked made this for you, thinking you''d need it here... However, it looks like his worries werepletely unnecessary."


    "That''s what your father made for you?" Jenni raised an eyebrow. "I thought it would be something more sophisticated than that."


    Warden checked the dimensions and weight of the spear before handing it to her. It would require some rune carving before he could use it, though he reckoned this weapon would have been useful if he had it earlier while attempting the inheritance ground.


    "It''s heavy," she said, making a few clumsy swings before returning it to him.


    "Apparently, as payment for his work, your father wanted me to guide you in runesmithing," he said offhandedly.


    "What?!" Jenni cried. "Why?"


    He shrugged. "That felt like forever ago... Exactly how much time did I spend here..."


    It was more than half the time since he woke up near the stream by Xiv''s vige.


    "I need a vacation," he mumbled, storing the spear in his spirit domain. "Do you guys know of any good vacation spots?"


    "Doesn''t your term still have like two months before you''re free?" Jenni inquired.


    "Fuck," he cursed.


    "If you want a vacation, you might try the Elven Kingdom," Jason suggested. "I''ve never been there, and it''s restricted for most people, but you could make it work with Professor June. I heard it''s a beautiful ce."


    "That''s a good option," he muttered, though he didn''t believe it would be the right vacation spot, considering June''s rtionship with her elven part might not let them rx if they go there.


    "Let''s clear out our identities and go back to civilization," Jenni shouted. "I''m done with adventure, I want a rxing bath now."


    "Jenni!"


    Jenni skidded to a stop at the cry. It was none other than Elder Ming, who stood before them, looking every bit confused and enraged at finding his daughter here.


    "What are you doing here?"


    ***


    Twilight had managed to achieve a few good points of attributes in the battle without being injured and kept herself hidden. She wasn''t injured, though she had exhausted most of her spiritual body''s utility.


    If another subspace descended on her, she might not be able to shift into a spiritual entity in time.


    She hadn''t let herself get to such a degree of exhaustion in a long time. Thest time had been two years ago, when she barely saved herself and herpanion, and descended into this realm.


    Still, it was a good workout, she told herself as she moved out of the area. Thankfully, they had lifted the lockdown they intended on the warp gates. Now she could finally leave and concentrate on her real job.


    Gods, sometimes I wish they were all simple assassination missions... Twilight couldn''t believe how her thinking had changed over the years.


    She changed her attire to something normal, which wouldn''t raise rms at the sight of her, and entered the military camp. She still had her face hidden behind a mask, appearing as an unremarkable female soldier.


    She mingled with themon soldiers as though she had been part of them from the beginning. She hadn''t forgotten to camouge her aura, ensuring others wouldn''t pay attention to her unless she was right in front of them.


    Suddenly, their group stopped, as there seemed to be somemotion among the high-ranking members of the military.


    "Jenni, what are you doing here?!"


    "F-father... umm," said a young woman, her shoulder stiffening. "Your face is red, you must not be feeling well, so I came to check on you."


    "Girl, you are decades away from swaying me with such a stupid lie," the older man fumed.


    "Holy shit, Elder Wang is going to give Miss Jenni another round of rebuke," said a soldier in her group.


    "Hey, Barn, didn''t you say you saved Miss Jenni''s life inside the inheritance ground?" another private argued. "Shouldn''t you go save her from her formidable father now?"


    "I said I helped her out of a dire situation, not saved her life," Barn''s expression reddened.


    "Still, you should say something to Elder Ming," mocked a female soldier. "Who knows, you might score some points with Miss Jenni."


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    Barn might have bragged about whatever help he had provided the girl to his friends, but now he couldn''t muster the courage to stand before her Gold Rank father, who was berating her out in the open.


    The girl, Jenni, looked around for help, but no one stepped up to save her from her father. Then she finally found what she was looking for and hid behind a man who was practically a pir.


    Twilight blinked. Her eyes narrowed on the man Jenni hid behind.


    "Warden, save me," Jenni screamed. "I''ll work as your assistant for a year."


    The more Twilight tried to focus on the man, the more her eyes bounced off him. It was as if he had a simr aura camouge to hers, though at a higher mastery level, even affecting her and the gold ranker.


    "Warden, I respect your views," said the elder, hot air releasing from his nostrils, "but if you had any hand in letting her enter that dangerous ce, I''ll¡ª"


    "I had no involvement in her decision, Elder Ming," the man called Warden said,ing out into the open and removing his camouge. "It was entirely her choice to enter the subspace. Actually, I learned about it toote, or I would have advised her against it."


    A thunderbolt seemed to strike Twilight''s mind as she stared at the face of the tall, white-haired man.


    "Warden, please," Jenni pleaded, still trying to use him against her father.


    "No, Jenni, this is your fuckup," he patted her on the shoulder. "It is time you face the consequences."


    This can''t be, her mind told her, yet her heart wrenched. Ai, you were right all along... but... he looks taller, even the hair colour... But most of all, why are they all calling him Warden?


    His name is not Warden... his name is ...


    Before Twilight could even think fast, the man in question flew up into the air.


    "I''m so tired of dealing with all this," he mumbled and flew away.


    Twilight''s mind raced. Without thinking anything, she began chasing after the flying figure, uncaring of her appearance.


    It was stupid, but she feared if she let him go out of her sight now, she might not be able to find him again.


    After all, it''s not every day, I find a deadman I have a weird entanglement withe back to life.

 Chapter 300: Status Update

    He felt bad for leaving Jenni on her own to deal with her father, but he did not believe it was right for him to take her side. Yes, she had suffered greatly in the inheritance ground, but it was mostly her own doing.


    She would stop being responsible if she continued to get away with this. Ignoring all her plight, he flew in the direction of the stream to dip his whole body into it. He could have cleaned himself with a radiance spell, but that certainly didn''t give the same feeling as bathing.


    After his body rxed, he finally summoned his status page to see all the improvements.


    ____________________


    [Warden]


    Race: Human/Celestial (Prime/Corrupted ¨C 29%)


    Title: [Dungeon Eater] [Indomitable] [Wayseeker]¡­ [Redacted]


    Fatelock: [Void Prison Realm] [Celestial Ring]


    Unlocked Aperture: [The Pce of Toil (Left Palm)], [The Gate of Spirit (Wrist, Heart Vein)], [Mind Pce (Temple)]


    Bonded Artifact: [Cloak of Void Radiance (Legendary)], [Maya''s Protection (Legendary)], [The Divider (Rare, Growth: 73%)]


    Disposition: Chaotic


    Rank: [Transcendence* (Limbo/Parameter: Silver)]


    Core: Undefined


    Attributes:


    Strength: 195.4 | Efficiency: ¡ª


    Dexterity: 183.3 | Efficiency: ¡ª


    Mind: 47.4 | Efficiency: ¡ª


    Perception: 150 | Efficiency: ¡ª


    Spirit: 210 | Efficiency: ¡ª


    Recovery: 300 | Efficiency: ¡ª


    Abilities:


    [Imbuing: Gold 1%] [Regeneration: Jade - 19%] [Concentration: Gold 2%] [Conversion: Gold 2%] [Indomitable Will: Spacial]


    [Left Hand of Cmity: > 30%] [Spirit Domain: Neophyte] [Void Sense: 7%]


    [Runesmithing: Tier-V] [Ward: Tier-IV] [Radiance Spells: Tier-II]


    [Intent: 99% (Dual Nature: Cleanse, Malevolent Attunement)]


    Boon:


    [Void Vanquishing Physique: 99% Attunement.]


    [Neophyte Spirit Domain]


    ____________


    Before even noticing the new attribute, he saw that all the efficiency percentages of his attributes had be undefined. It did not mean that he wasn''t getting those percentage boosts, but simply that the system was unable to digitize it.


    On the contrary, he felt like he was getting at least three times the effect of his attribute points because his sheer strength couldn''t be exined by a mere 195.4 in Strength.


    "Maybe the Concealment script Ariha put in my heart," he thought out loud, drawing his eyes to the golden circle on his chest. This was the new fate mark he gained from Ariha. It seemed to give him ess to the fate lock, Celestial Ring.


    He also unlocked another aperture and received an awareness ability called [Void Sense]. However, the most important of all was the Spirit Domain. It seemed to have transformed the inhabitable dungeon-like void space into something akin to a cosmos he barelyprehended.


    He would need to study more on the topic, though Ariha had taught him a little about it. Apparently, Spirit Domain was a signature ability of transcendence. She had shown a part of her Spirit Domain ability at the end of the challenge, though hers was vastly different from his.


    He also gained the title of Wayseeker, something rted to him touching the Way. It was still vague to him, but he reckoned that was another signature aspect of the transcendence rank.


    Lastly, his rank name had been changed to Transcendence with an asterisk behind it, indicating he still had a way to go. Still, it was far better than something like Broken Cmity.


    "Ariha told me not to trust the system blindly," he mumbled afterpleting his inspection. "I guess that''s another thing I need to learn more about."


    Perhaps June and Agnes could help in this regard. While neither of them was a schr in these topics, they knew more about the origin of the system than he did and could point him in the right direction.


    On his way back to his ce, he came across Caleb and the others, finding that they all had returned from the thirdyer. Their captain was in one piece.


    After changing into clean clothing, he spread his void sense throughout the camp and found her in no time. He needed to discuss what to do with the corpse of the god and the god-killer weapon.


    "This is a private area," said a cold, feminine voice when he entered the tent Agnes was inhabiting. "Please go back..."


    The voice wasn''t the captain''s, but that of a healer who was tending her wounds as shey t on a bedroll, a great part of her body exposed, littered with dangerous-looking injuries.


    His expression changed. Thest time he had left her, she was mostly in fine condition, only a little weary from the journey. But now, it looked as if she had stood against an army of forsaken.


    "Are you hearing me?" the healer shouted. "This is a private area, you¡ª"


    "It''s alright, Healer Maria, I know him," Agnes told her, and only then did the elder woman relent.


    "What happened to you?" he said. "I thought you¡ª" He stopped, unsure if he should continue their private talk before the healer.


    Agnes understood his plight and turned her gaze towards her attendant. "Healer Maria, would it be alright if you leave us for some time?"


    "You want me to leave?" Healer Maria raised her eyebrows. "Are you even aware of how critical your condition is? If you¡ª"


    "I''m well aware, thank you for your concern," Agnes sighed. "But there''s little you can do for me."


    "But¡ª"


    "Healer Maria, please leave..."


    The healer grunted, stood up, and carried herself out, ring in his direction.


    "She takes her job a little too seriously," Agnes smiled after the woman departed. Seeing his eyes moving around her wounds, she added, "Don''t worry, I had to make it believable in some way."


    He squinted his nose. "You did this to yourself," he said, more as a statement than a question. He felt like he should p himself. Even if Agnes behaved like it was normal, none of her wounds looked normal; some of them even had the coercive force of foreign dark essence, which restricted rapid healing.


    He drew his palm over her upper chest at a gaping wound, as silver light oozed out of his palm.


    "Don''t," she hissed. "Don''t heal me..."


    "Why?" he frowned.


    Agnes let out a heavy breath. "Create an istion barrier around us first."


    He did as asked, forming a transparent dome around them which would restrict sight and sound from traveling outwards.


    "There''s a transcendent in the camp," she said.

 Chapter 301: Weird... and Sex Jokes...

    "There''s at least one transcendence present as far as I''m aware," Agnes said, attempting to sit upright. "The subspace merging with the frontline has brought a lot more eyes faster than it should have."


    "Well, considering what we found, there is every reason to turn up," he said, supporting her back while she sat clutching the cover.


    He leaned closer, peering at her shoulder. "How long do you n on keeping them?"


    "As long as you don''t put your hands on them," she sighed. "It should be enough to feign ignorance about the whole thing."


    "Oh, but I''m going to put my hands on them," he told her. "Don''t move, act tough to your best capabilities..."


    "What are you doing?"


    "Treatment, the difficult way," he said. "You sent away the healer, so I guess I shouldplete her job. You may not know, but I was trained by the greatest healer in history."


    Agnes snorted. "Do whatever you want, just don''t think you can take advantage of me..."


    He raised an eyebrow, gazing at her from head to toe, seeing only her underwear under the white cover.


    "I have already seen what there is to see," he clicked his tongue. "There''s nothing more."


    Agnes punched him in the chest, but that only brought a growl out of her lips.


    The shoulder wound hampered her right arm''s movement. While the wounds on her upper chest were not that deep, they grazed her bones and should heal the fastest. He cleaned the wounds on her upper body first and bandaged them after pouring healing elixirs.


    "Where else?"


    Agnes met his gaze for an extended moment, as though measuring his intentions, before finally removing the cover, exposing her midriff. There was a wound on her waist, quite deep, and another on her thigh.


    "You''ve seen it already," Agnes snorted. "Why are you ogling?"


    "I didn''t know the captain wears flower panties," he joked.


    Thatment earned another smack.


    "I should have known you''re a pervert like that princess," she said. "I should have kept my distance since I found you with the panties."


    "What?!"


    "You think you can keep on with your dirty deeds and nobody would notice?" she shot him a judging look.


    "Hey, there''s only one panty," he said. "And I didn''t take it intentionally."


    "Didn''t stop you from using it, though," she snorted.


    Well, that was kinda fair, he guessed.


    "What, not going to exin yourself?"


    "What is there to exin?" he said, cleaning the wound on her waist. "It is apletely normal affair. It''s not like it was someone other than June''s..."


    She shivered as he poured the elixir on the wound, clenching her jaw.


    "I thought you said you were trained by the greatest healer?" she cursed.


    "Yes," he muttered, being more careful. "But she mostly trained me inbat."


    "Fuck!" she cried. "The one on the thigh is the worst."


    He could tell that already. She had let a spear dig through her thigh, breaking her bones. Normally, it would take at least a month to heal right.


    "You really don''t want me to patch it up for good?" he asked, unsure where to begin.


    "I''ve had worse," she said.


    "I don''t doubt it," he sighed, cleaning it off. "I don''t know for whom you''re putting yourself through all this... they sure are a lucky fe..."


    Agnes'' mood shifted instantly with thement. "I''m hoping she isn''t," she shook her head and turned to him. "You should stay low-key until the smoke clears. You are already weird, wearing items that can start a war... you shouldn''t want any smoke with transcendents." Find your next read at m_v l|e-NovelBin


    "No, not yet," he agreed.


    Agnes met his gaze and let out a breath. "You''ve got to tell me the whole story behind your transformation someday."


    "Sure, maybe over dinner, with June," he said. "Anyway, what do you intend to do with the scepter, or the corpse of the¡ª"


    "Keep them stored for now," she hissed. "Don''t even bring them out. They might radiate a different kind of aura which may alert the resident transcendent or cunning gold rankers."


    "I can do that," he said. "Just so you know... something peculiar is happening in my space..."


    Agnes perked her eyebrows.


    "The space is slowly absorbing the essence of the core and the corpse," he said.


    Agnes blinked. "I''m sorry, can you repeat that?"


    He sighed. "I have not verified it, but I am bing aware of it with each passing moment."


    "You realize that was a corpse of true divinity, no matter how much it had deteriorated, it was still far above someone in the realm of transcendence..."


    "That is the problem, I don''t know what might happen if I continue to absorb it..." He didn''t want some foreign dead god''s voice randomly in his ears some night when he was making love to June.


    "If the subspace is your ability, can''t you stop it?"


    "I guess I''ll have to see," he muttered. "I may have be weirder than you know me for."


    "I''ll wait for you to surprise me... as long as you stop making the sex jokes..."


    "I''ll try," he said, standing up. "Don''t keep your hopes up, though."


    Delivering a cheap salute, he crept out of the tent.


    ****


    Jarvis Alvin Adoffei was examining one of the worst cases of dark essence mutation when he felt a foreign will spreading around him.


    He stopped his work and turned to his temporary assistant. Terel Walt was acting general in charge here, but that changed after he arrived.


    "Is there something you require of me, Your Grace?" Terel Walt asked cordially.


    "Did you guys call any other of the old fogies?" Jarvis asked. "I just felt transcendent Will spread around here... it was brief, but the feeling it gave was something I''m not familiar with."


    A calcting look appeared on the acting general''s face. "There''s no transcendent power here to my knowledge, Your Grace..."


    "Then your knowledge is old," Jarvis clicked his tongue, going back to his work. "I''m sure it was spirit domain-assisted perception ability, weak perhaps, but I had not mistaken. Go check out who it is..."


    ___________________


    Woooo.... 300 chapters...


    The next chapter is prolly going to be the end of the volume... Going to give the hardest cliff...


    Peace...

 Chapter 302: Dawn

    He refrained from immediately calling June after taking his monthly leave, worried that he was unsure if he still felt as strongly about her as he did beforeing to the frontlines.


    Letting out a breath, he didn''t stay indecisive for long and connected their private Longread. Soon, an illusory figure appeared in his mind, the light twisting into a form he was so familiar with. She had juste out of a fresh bath, a soft white nightgown draped over her full figure.


    Just looking at her, his heart shook, and he put all his doubts to rest.


    "Hey," he was the first to break the silence.


    June said nothing for a long moment, examining him. "You look different," she said.


    "You look beautiful," he replied.


    Her ears turned red from thepliment. "It''s been four days since you called," she said. "So it''s forty-eight days for you... Took some time to remember, huh..."


    "It''s actually far longer than that," he said, doing a rough mental calction. "It''s close to five months for me. At some point, I was dying to return to you..."


    "What happened?"


    "A long story... Do you remember the Inheritance ground I told you about? I entered that, and it turns out it had higher time dtion than any ce around. So what felt like a day here was close to five months for me..."


    June gasped. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Time dtion usually impacts one''s spirit, body, and mind if you spend a long time there, especially at such a high rate."


    "I am..." he paused, "actually in better shape than I thought I would be. Oh, you probably can''t sense through the call, but I hit Silver..."


    "You did? Really?" Her eyes widened. "I guess it''s a pretty normal thing for you... Congrattions! Hopefully, there was noplication during your advancement?"


    "The advancement was seamless," he said. "But it wasn''t withoutplications... For one thing, my chest glows like a bulb whenever I draw in essence, and I seem to have put one foot into transcendence..."


    "You did what?!"


    "It''s a long story to exin over a call," he said, letting out a breath. "I really wish I could talk about it all with you, sitting on the couch."


    "Give me a gist at least..." she urged. "You can''t just stop after saying you''ve almost transcended... Wait, did you say your chest glows like a bulb?"


    "Crazy business," he sighed. "I''ll try to exin in short, to the best of my abilities... Do not interrupt in the middle... You know how much I like to go off on tangents..."


    With that, he took a deep breath and began from when he entered the inheritance ground. June''s expression changed when he got to the Elysian part and his whole experience with Ariha.


    "Wait, you said Warden isn''t your real name," she cried. "What should I call you then?"


    "I don''t know," he shrugged, trying to act as if it was nothing not to know his own name. "It could be Joe, for all I think..."


    June shot him a look that said, "Really?"


    "I mean, I look like a good Joe..." Your next read awaits at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    June drew in a deep breath. "What are you not telling me?" she asked.


    "Like a lot," he said. "It''s literally impossible for me to unload it all over this call."


    She shook her head. "You tell all this like it''s a fun adventurous story, but I can tell that''s not it." She paused and met his gaze unwaveringly. "So tell me, how are you really feeling?"


    "..." He closed his eyes, unsure what to say... Even if she asked for his true feelings, it was hard to exin his feelings when he himself didn''t understand them.


    Someone tugged on his arm, pulling him out of his reverie. "Excuse me," a feminine voice said.


    "Give me a moment," he told her without paying her any attention. His gaze lingered on June as he took a deep breath. "I haven''t managed to fall asleeptely... Thest time was when I fell unconscious from exhaustion..."


    June bit her lip. "I wish I could be there for you... Help you."


    "The worst of it all is that I don''t understand anything," he continued. "My whole life seems to have revolved around these matters, yet I have no clue about anything. I feel like I''m starving, swimming in a mad sea as the waves take me... Like I said, nothing makes sense."


    "I really want to embrace you now," she said. "This is simr to the loneliness I felt after waking up from mya after a couple of decades."


    He nodded, biting his lip. "How did you cope..."


    "Badly," she sighed. "Butter I learned that..."


    "Hey, can you wait a second," he cut in before she could finish. "There seems to be some ruckus going on around me."


    He pulled his mind out of the crystal and found it was really an annoying sort of trouble. A group of four guys seemed to have surrounded a timid girl. What was worse was that they were unable to make up their minds whether to keep hitting on her or molest her¡ªwhatever they were doing was bad enough. Not to mention, these guys were part of some regiment in the military.


    The girl''s face had paled, white as a sheet... She had an aura of a weak Silver rank, so it shouldn''t have been a problem for her to rescue herself from them. Yet she seemed to have some trouble speaking.


    "S-sir Gale~" she called.


    He found she was looking at him.


    "Sir, I''m~"


    "Lass, when the captain is talking," one of the hoodlums clutched her thin arm, "you should put your full attention on him."


    "Now, now, Ben, is this how you talk to ady?" the prodigious captain said, a smile tucked on his lips. "Let me show you how to treat..."


    The Warden sighed. "Alright, kids, ytime is over," he said, assaulting the captain with a coercive aura, freezing him in his ce. "Go on with whatever business you came here to do..."


    "And who might you be?" said another guy.


    He let go of the aura pressure over the captain so that he could take away his minions and leave.


    Instead, the guy fell to his knees, causing him to worry if he had pulled more of his aura than needed.


    "Sir, I apologise, I did not know¡ª" the captain rasped, bowing. "I did not intend to offend..."


    "I''ll take offence if you guys do not leave my sight immediately..." he said, ring a little of his aura, this time on everyone but the timid-looking girl with silver hair.


    They all bowed and sprinted out as if given amand by their superior officer.


    He was prepared to return to the call but turned his gaze to the girl. A frown appeared on his brows... She seemed familiar in an obtrusive way.


    "Thank you, Sir Gale," she said, stammering a short bow beforeing closer to him.


    "It''s nothing," he said. "But why are you calling me Sir Gale? I''m no..."


    "Because that''s your name," the silver-haired girl said. "I''m Dawn, you don''t recognize me?"


    _________________


    END OF VOLUME II : ALL REMEMBRANCE LOST

 Chapter 303: Low-Key (1)

    Volume III : Twice The Brightest Star


    A couple of weeks passed since he got out of the inheritance grounds, and the best thing he managed to get used to was his name. Finally, he had something to clutch to.


    In the beginning, he was sceptical about believing whatever Dawn had to say¡ªwhich turned out to be little, as the girl was too shy to open her lips too often. However, he did feel an obnoxious sense of familiarity with her, as he did with many things of his past. Not to mention, she had given evidence for him to believe her.


    And it wasn''t limited to his name.


    "For how long are you going to keep the act?" Gale asked.


    Jenni scratched furiously on her te before showing it to him.


    "So long as I breathe," it read.


    "So until Gold rank," he mumbled, looking her up and down. "That''ll be a long time, I guess."


    She snorted and showed the other side of the te, where the words "I Hate You!!!" were permanently scratched. Unfortunately, he couldn''t take her words seriously. Not to mention her tantrum, how could he take a sentence seriously when there were three exmation marks?


    "If you really hate me," he said, bringing out a tub full of frozen dessert, "then you probably don''t want anything I made."


    In contrast to her reply, Jenni lunged at the dessert. Sadly, it disappeared from his arm before she could even sniff the foggy air threaded out of it.


    "I hate you!" she said aloud this time.


    "Yes, everything about your life¡ªhow you''re not tall enough, or why your father does not treat you like an adult¡ªis all this poor Warden''s fault," he snorted.


    "You could have helped me suffer through that," she said.


    "I thought I did?" He pursed his lips. "I came over twice this week bringing your favourite foods."


    "Twice for half an hour over nine days," Jenni pointed out.


    "You didn''t speak the first time, and used the te the next," he returned. "How am I supposed to help you when you showed ''I hate you!!!'' every second?"


    "That should make it obvious that you needed toe more often," she shouted back, almost throwing her te at him.


    "Sorry, I do not understand your cryptic silence message," he burst out as well. "Do you know why? It maye as a shock to you, but it''s because they were silent."


    Jenni relented under his explosion of words. While he had acted tough before, he had never shouted at her, which was enough to silence her for now.


    After Elder Ming found out about Jenni''s involvement in the Inheritance ground, he grounded her thoroughly, wearing her down in all sorts of boring ways. He didn''t let anyone meet her, but Gale had sneaked in a couple of times to check on her. He had healed herpletely the first time, and the second time he only went to see whether her dark mood had lifted.


    As far as he was concerned, she had been doing pretty well. She had scribed her whole room with rune paintings.


    "The food you brought didn''t evenst a day," Jenni said, pouting.


    "I didn''t want you to overeat in depression." Saying that, he brought out the frozen dessert he had teased her with. Jenni took it with open arms.


    "I''m still not allowed to go out," she cried, taking a big scoop of the dessert and stuffing it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and let out a whimper.


    "Do you want a friend to spend time with?" he asked.


    "Father would lose his mind if he even knew you were here; there''s no way he would let¡ª"


    "Tell me if you want it," Gale cut in. "I can make it work."


    Jenni lifted her head from the tub of dessert to stare at him, cream dripping down from her lips. She nodded heavily.


    "Good," he said. "I have this friend, Dawn. She''s a little wary about mingling with people..."


    "A little" would be a huge understatement, considering she couldn''t even act straight when she was with him, someone she was supposed to be familiar with.


    "Anyway, this would be good for both of you," he said. "You''ll find a goodpanion who''ll listen to everything you say, while she''ll grow by interacting with you."


    "Wait, you''re not talking about yourself?" Jenni''s shoulders slumped. She continued, sounding dejected, "I thought I''d spend time with someone I know..."


    "It won''t take you long to know Dawn," he said. "But if you do not want her to¡ª"


    "No-no, bring her as soon as you can," she said. "If I cannot stand her, I''ll send her back."


    "While I hardly doubt you won''t be able to stand her," he said, "I must ask you to refrain from touching her... She doesn''t like that."


    "Got it." Jenni frowned. "Who is this Dawn to you?"


    "She used to work under me, organizing my stuff," he said. "A friend."


    "How old is this friend?"


    He tilted his head. "I guess about your age, though she looks younger. Also, she''s already a silver ranker."


    "I''ll be silver too in a couple of months," Jenni dered, clenching her jaw.


    "Anyway, I''ll send her to you soon," he said. "I gotta go and see how Agnes is doing. I haven''t seen her for over a week."


    After a little more exchange, he exited Elder Ming''spound and made his way to the main camp. No more than a couple of minutes had passed since he stepped foot in the camp, and the emergency signal red.


    Soldiers in identical armour and weapons marched out, cursing the tainted creatures who had no sense of timing.


    This had been a frequent event in thest couple of weeks since the inheritance ground merged with the frontlines. Thankfully, most of the attacks were on the temporary camp they had around the inheritance ground, not the main camp, though a few stray packs had found their way here.


    He reckoned the residual dark essence circting around the ce was the main reason for tainted creatures turning up there. Before they discovered the subspace, packs of demonic creatures usually tended to flock there.


    The Warden hadn''t involved himself in any of the skirmishes, even if the attacks were bing more frightening each day. It wasn''t that there was no need for it, just that there was a Transcendent present in the camp. If they really got into a pickle, that person could deal with it easily.


    He was about to leave for the main business he came for, but faltered upon finding the familiar figures of Jason and Jessica near his tropical garden.


    Technically the garden was military property, but he tended it to make it a real garden, so it was his.


    Jason waved his hand upon spotting him. He waved back and decided to greet them. Jessica might have news about some stuff he cared about, so he wasted no time in joining them.


    "Yo, Jase and Jess," he called, "how''s the world treating you two today?" Your journey continues at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    _______________


    So begins the third instalment of the story... This one will be a lot more wholesome...


    Peace... Thanks for reading...

 Chapter 304: [DO NOT BUY, repeated Chapter 335]

    [Author Note: The chapter arranging fucked up, and the system does not let me fix it... This is supposed to be in ce of Chapter 335, instead, it got added at the end of Volume 2 (Chapter 305 I think).... Sorry about this...


    I''m appealing to the developer to fix this ]


    ____________


    It took a couple of extra hours for Jason to finally locate the guest house, but he was d to find they had already prepared breakfast for him when he got there.


    He found Warden surrounded by beautiful women, well, only three of them, but that''s already three more than what Jason had for himself. He already recognised the tallish Elven woman with silver hair and long ears to be Professor June, while he had met the very outspoken woman on the front lines once.


    As for thest woman, he hadn''t seen her before, because if he had, he surely would have remembered, as her looks were more unique than any of them.


    "Oh, Jason, d you came," Warden called, lifting his head from the seat. He raised an eyebrow, examining him. "Congrattions on your advancement, but I guess it has been a long timeing."


    Jason was flustered but smiled back. "It has been some time since I advanced," he said as he neared the table. "I guess you didn''t feel it outside the time dtion of the front lines."


    Warden gestured for him to take an empty seat after hepleted all the greetings with the women. Professor June smiled back at him, while the other white-haired woman nodded, while thest woman didn''t even lift her head from her work.


    "Don''t mind her," Warden said. "So you spent all your time on the front lines after I left?"


    "Most of it, yeah," Jason nodded.


    Warden served him a te of light breakfast, which he epted without question. The aroma wafting off the meals was already making him hungry and salivating.


    "So you probably have a good idea of what''s going on on the front lines since I was gone?"


    "As my sister mentioned, it has be a lot harder since you left," Jason said, gobbling up a sandwich. "About three months have passed, and the attack is still going at full pace. On top of the demonic creatures, the Forsaken have joined their ranks in the assault. Something like this hasn''t happened in a long time as far as I''m concerned. Find adventures on mvl


    The higher-ranking officers showed up from time to time to ensure the safety of the soldiers, but so far it has been damnably hard for them."


    Warden nodded. "Any news on the inheritance ground?"


    "They are fixing it as we speak," Jason sighed. "On that note, I have earned a spot to enter the trials in the very first round with my contribution in the skirmishes. However, it will probably take another couple of months for them to power up the system. Perhaps more, considering the essence would being from various organisations of the world."


    "I guess," Warden stared at him contemtively. "I''ll see it when I have to go back."


    "When are you going back?"


    "Only three days remain of my vacation," he sighed. "Any news on those who were infected with dark essence, or about the search into the deeper part of the inheritance ground?"


    "To answer your first question, something weird happened with those infected with dark essence. More than half of them had transformed, well, not into something demonic, but their affinity and essence mutated to possess more of a dark nature. I heard some of them had been relieved of their duty, some still in rehab...


    Don''t know what they intend to do with those that inherited the dark essence into their core."


    Jason sucked in a deep breath. "As for your other question, I cannot say anything huge. The higher rankers likely have ventured deep into thebyrinth several times, followed by other groups led by the captains. I joined once as well, though found nothing worthwhile. There were still plenty of runesmiths and mages studying the runes on some of the walls, but that was about it.


    Even if the higher-ups received anything valuable, they were keeping it under wraps."


    Warden nodded. "They should have finished up all the interrogation by now," he muttered. "But I guess I still would have to go through it once I''m back."


    "By the way, I have finally filed all the paperwork and contacts necessary for the guild," Jason said, sounding as enthusiastic as he felt. "It will take a few days, and then we''ll officially be in a guild."


    "Really?" Warden raised an eyebrow. "What name did you choose this time?"


    Jason smiled. "You wouldn''t believe how much time and effort I spent on this name," he said. "I even went to a fortune teller, just in case."


    "So what is the name?" Warden stroked his hair. "Hopefully you wouldn''t go any worse than Silent Watcher."


    "Ahem!" Jason suppressed his flustered state, finding everyone''s attention was on him. Well, everyone but the adept runesmith girl, who kept on working single-mindedly. "After days of thinking and consulting, I chose Unsung Heroes."


    Jason waited for their reaction, congratting him for his brilliant word choice, but all he got from Warden was a blink of an eye before he turned to Professor June.


    "I guess you have a thing for remaining unbeknown," Wardenughed. "Still, this is far better than Silent Watcher."


    "Are you firm on taking ''Heroes'' in the title though?" June asked. "As you know, something like that maye with its weights."


    "I have thought through this," Jason said, sucking in a deep breath.


    "Who are the members at this moment?"


    "You remember the healer and huntress we went into the Drake dungeon?" Jason said. "Those two have joined... I was talking with Aurel the other day, but she''s as undecided as always."


    "I thought she''d decline to your face," Warden said. "So it is only the four of us right now, huh..."


    "I''m done!" The adept runesmith woman burst out, sitting upright. If he didn''t remember wrong, her name was Jenni. She was also the daughter of someone important. "God, this took a while." She looked around and finally seemed to notice him. "Who''s this? Why do I feel like I have seen you somewhere?"


    Jason didn''t know how to answer the suspicious look she was giving him. Ultimately, he left it to others.


    "This is Jason, my good friend," Warden said, a smile tugging at his lips. "I feel like you two should be able to be friends quickly too, considering how simr your situation is."


    "What simr situation?" Jenni asked, eyebrows raised. "Is he on his way to bing a renowned entrepreneur?"


    Wardenughed. "No... unlike your lofty goals, Jason prefers to remain obscure, an unsung hero," he said. "The simrity is how you both want to get out of your father''s shadow and make something out of yourselves."


    An understanding grew in the woman''s eyes. "Who''s your father?"


    "Alehn Jefferson Forger," Jason said, hoping she would recognise the name.


    "Alehn who?" she tilted her head.


    "He''s the governor of the most important city of the Sivian Empire," Jason sighed.


    "Ahh," she nodded, finally realising. "You''ve got a tall order then. What do you need to be to beat the governor of the academy city, the Lord Chancellor or Commander General of the empire or something?"


    Jason opened his mouth to say something, and it remained hung open, unable to say what he intended. After collecting his thoughts, he added, "My hopes and dreams aren''t that ambitious. I''ll be happy if I can raise my guild to a great position and help everyone with it."


    He thought she would be disappointed, but Jenni''s eyes lit up hearing the word guild. "You have a guild? Are you the guild master?" she asked.


    "I''m forming one," he choked on the words as her interest was as well as gone. "Unsung Heroes will be an official guild within this week."


    "Good for you," she said. Then something caught her attention, "Even if you''re new to making your guild, you''re in the business for some time, right?"


    Jason didn''t know where she was getting at, but he found himself nodding.


    "Have you heard of the Spirit Hunters Guild?" she asked.


    "Who hasn''t," Jason blurted, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "I mean, it''s a very well-known guild. After all, it was only a few weeks ago they rose to Gold Guild rank."


    Instead of delight, Jenni frowned.


    "Do you know someone in the guild?" he asked.


    "I don''t," she sighed. "And I wish I didn''t have to, but that stupid guild master of Spirit Hunters seems really into rejection, or why else would he keep on asking to meet me."


    It was time for him to frown. Jason looked around at the others, wanting to know what that was about.


    It was Jenni who exined. "The Guild Master of the guild used to work under my father when he was a captain. I don''t know him, but he sure was buddy-buddy with my father. So much so that before I was even born, they formed a marriage arrangement between us."


    Jason blinked, turning to the others. Warden nodded, confirming it was the truth.


    "And you don''t want to marry the guild master of Spirit Hunters?" Jason asked. "Why?"


    "My life, my rule," Jenni snorted.


    "But you don''t even know him, your words."


    "That''s the point," Jenni raised her voice, clenching her jaw. "And I want to keep it that way."


    "Enough about that, let''s check on the stuff you created," Warden said.

 Chapter 305: Low-key (2)

    "Warden," Captain Jessica nodded. "d to see you in good form."


    Gale cringed slightly hearing people call him Warden. It felt so normal, but now it made such a huge difference. Still, he wasn''t quick to introduce himself with his real name¡ªthere was just too much to unload if they asked questions about it.


    "I''m always in good form," he smiled, then turned to Jason. "I thought you''d return with the emergency gone, or have you enlisted yourself to deal with demonic creatures?"


    Jason smiled warily. "You remember I mentioned I hadn''tpleted thepulsory military service?" Discover hidden stories at mvl


    "They roped you in for it?"


    "I decided to join," Jason said.


    "Technically, you are yet to join," Jessica pinched in. "And I''ll continue to advise against it. You should just aim for being a guild master if you do not want to take father''s position."


    "Why are you so against it?" her younger brother asked, making a face. "I feel like this is the type of thing you''d encourage me for. Say stuff like this will build character and all."


    "If you want to build character, I can suggest ten better things for you to do," Jessica said, while Gale watched the back and forth between siblings.


    "I have four months ofpulsory duty left," Jason said. "I shouldn''t cut corners if I don''t want to live in our father''s shadow. Isn''t that right?"


    Jason turned to him, leaving him no choice but to say something. "If you feel like this is something you need to do," Gale said, "because you''re your own man, then be my guest. But if it''s just about not enjoying the privilege your family paid for, I''d suggest thinking hard about it before deciding."


    Jason frowned at his unexpected suggestion.


    "You haven''tpleted your service for a reason," Gale continued. "It may be because it''s hard work, or your family believes it''s not the best use of your time. Whatever it is, you need to understand that enlisting in the military will only go one way."


    "Which is?"


    "You''ll have to carry out whatever orders ormands your superior officers give you," Gale said, instantly seeing the shift in Jason''s expression.


    "That''s the worst part about it," Jason said.


    "But you can''t argue it''s the only reason the establishment is running," Gale said. "You may hate it. Well, I hate losing my autonomy. So in the end, it all depends on what you are willing to sacrifice for it."


    Jason thought deeply about it for several seconds and let out a heavy breath. "I feel like I need to do this," he said. "Also, I want to enter the trials of the inheritance ground, and do it on my own ability. No under-the-table deal from father or you."


    Jessica sighed audibly. "Can I ask you to wait a few months before you decide to join?" she asked.


    "Why? What difference would a few months make?"


    She released a breath, exchanging nces between the two of them. "I shouldn''t be telling you this, but I guess I''m unlikely to get into trouble for this. You were both present when the subspace merged with the frontline, so you probably noticed some disturbance¡­"


    "What are you getting at, sis?"


    "Is this about the dimensionws acting wacky?" Gale asked. Previously, the dimensionw around the subspace was wacky, to begin with, but taking away the god-killing sceptre had made it fragile.


    Jessica nodded. "The revtion of the subspace into the frontline has caused the dimension barrier between the different zones to weaken," she said. "There are people still researching it, or how to reinforce it, but the number of holes in it continues to grow as time passes."


    "What does that mean?" Jason asked.


    "It means the barrier may continue to deteriorate and disappear for good," Gale said, realisation dawning on him. "You can already guess what that would entail."


    Jason sucked in a deep breath.


    "Thankfully, it''s a barrier between the second and third zones," Jessica said. "The main camp won''t feel most of the brunt, but the higher-ups are already on track to establish another permanent base around the inheritance ground. Although what they found are crumbs of past glory, it hase to their great notice, especially the trial grounds."


    A frown crept to Gale''s brows. "I thought the trials weren''t running anymore."


    Jason answered, "Apparently, the trial gates onlyck the power to work again. Somehow, the merging process has dried the natural essence vein of the subspace. The higher-ups are proceeding with ns to replenish that."


    "It will be a tall order to fix that," Jessica added. "But I guess they already have help¡­"


    "Still, it should take some time, right?" Gale asked.


    "Definitely," Jessica agreed. "I think the process is easy, just that the sheer amount of essence it will require would be staggering. There will be a lot of back and forth between various powers and their allies until they finally pile their resources together to make it work."


    "Shouldn''t the empire have enough to take care of it on their own?" Jason asked.


    "They should," his sister said.


    "Then why do they need to beat around with other powers to make it work?"


    Jessica was about to exin but paused to stare at her brother''s exterior. "This should be easy for you to understand," she said. "Did you forget all the sses we had on politics?"


    Jason groaned. "Unfortunately, I did not, even if I tried to."


    "Then show me what you cane up with," Jessica challenged.


    Jason scratched his head. "It''s because the inheritance ground already garnered the interest of various powers?"


    "And?"


    "And the empire wants to cut their losses," Jason''s eyes lit up. "After all, if they make the inheritance groundwork again, all the powers would try to gain something out of it, eventually. So why not keep them involved in the first ce?"


    "See? You''re not dumb," Jessica grinned, patting her brother''s shoulder. "You just don''t use your head all the time."


    Even Gale was impressed.


    Jason snorted. "If that''s apliment, keep it to yourself."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 306: Almost Low-key

    "Once the dimension barrier breaks," Jessica continued, "Fiend-rank demonic creatures will bemon in the second zone, pushing the corrupted and weaker ones closer to the main camp."


    "You fear I''d be sent to fight those creatures?" Jason asked.


    "I know you''d be sent there if you join," she said. "But that''s not the main issue... It''s going to be chaotic days ahead. I have no clue what the higher-ups will decide, so I''d advise you to wait."


    "Wait till they fix the trial grounds at least," Gale added.


    "Huh," Jessica raised an eyebrow. "I thought you''d hype him up instead of showing him the reason. On that note, you haven''t started anything new since you came out of the subspace."


    "I had enough in the subspace to start anything new..." he paused. "Actually, I''ve been nning to start something."


    "What is it?"


    "Nothing too serious... You know how higher time dtion strains one''s body and spirit?" he said. "I thought about appealing for a holiday for all the soldiers who took part in the inheritance group to get their spirits up. Unfortunately, I wasn''t foolish enough to think it would work."


    Jessica nodded. "We need soldiers right now. With more than half of the survivors being treated, I don''t see the military doing anything more than that."


    "That''s why I appealed for only my own leave," he added.


    Jessica shot him a look. "To Elder Ming or the General?"


    "What do you think?"


    Jessicaughed. "I don''t think Elder Ming would let you go when the need for weapons and armor will only keep rising."


    "Well, I wouldn''t be so sure about that," he grinned. "I delivered him a very convincing letter." Not to mention that the elder would want him to go as far away as possible.


    Jessica narrowed her eyes. She was about to point out something when her whole figure froze. Gale turned towards the reason for her freeze...


    The General of the army walked with perfect gait as a group of privates marched behind him. Terel Walt had a simr noble exteriorpared to his younger brother Torin, though far more regal. Now, Gale hoped the elder brother wouldn''t be a bigger asshole than Professor Noble-ass.


    "Captain Jessica," General Walt said as he came to stand before her.


    She followed with a salute. "General."


    Gale too followed suit, albeit reluctantly.


    "It appears your stay here is wasted," Terel Walt said. "I''ll see to it that your expertise is used well. You''re released from whatever task you''re currently at."


    "What will I be doing then, General?" Jessica frowned, though kept her demeanor highly professional.


    "You''ll take your infantry and join with the Sixteenth Infantry on a scouting mission into the third zone," General Terel said.


    Jessica''s expression hardened, though she didn''t forget to get more details of the mission. "As far as I''m aware, the captain of the Sixteenth Infantry is in no position to continue her service... Am I to believe I''ll be the sole captain in charge of this scouting mission?"


    "Your information is outdated," the general said, turning a passing nce towards him. His voice didn''t even falter. "Captain Agnes has been relieved of her position. Sergeant Luis has been promoted to the role of captain."


    Jessica frowned. "I see," she uttered.


    "Relieved of duty?" Gale couldn''t help but cut in.


    "You," Terel Walt finally acknowledged him with his full attention. "You did well hiding from my eyes all this time."


    "I did? When?" He felt a wave of foreign aura washing over him. The general did not try to hide it at all. Gale let it, having no fear that the gold ranker could find anything.


    "You have a mouth to yourself," Terel Walt stated, retracting his aura. "I can see why you got on the nerves of my foolish brother."


    "I guess we can agree on thatst part," Gale butted in. After all, he had nothing to fear. Before, he would have to defer to the general of the army, being part of it. But now Terel Walt could not evenmand him, as Gale was now a member of the artificer department.


    All General Walt could do was pressure Elder Ming into doing more work in less time, or dy their wages.


    Terel Walt''s eyes narrowed, a coldness surging. "I''ll overlook your offense to my brother, as it is not proper for a man of my station to use my authority against someone beneath me."


    The Warden couldn''t help but let out a chuckle. "Am I supposed to be fucking grateful for that?" he asked. "That you''re following military protocol?"


    "Watch your tongue, recruit!" barked one of Walt''s minions. "This is the general you''re speaking to."


    "Really? I thought I was talking to the general, not one of his minions."


    "You!" the private raised his spear, taking offense.


    "Enough," Walt raised his voice. "I see you have learned nothing from your punishment."


    "Oh, I''ve learned," Gale disagreed. "I''m going to teach it all when I get back."


    Terel Walt sneered and thought better of conversing anymore. He was departing, but his eyes moved to Jessica again, before finding Jason standing next to her. "Young Master Forger, when you get back, tell your father his message is well received."


    Patting Jason''s shoulder, the man was gone, along with his minions, who didn''t forget to re at Gale.


    "I did not like that guy," Jason muttered.


    "You have no idea how much I agree with that sentiment," Jessica said, clenching her teeth. "He never ceases to amaze me. He never stops pointing out how you''re beneath him, insignificant, while smiling to your face. Do not take it as a mistake on his part."


    She turned to Gale. "Unlike his younger brother, who''s all brash and no balls, Terel Walt is a master maniptor," she told him. "Do not believe any of his words. He''lle at you one way or another. After all, these Walts are made from the same y. The problem with this one is that he is far toopetent than the rest of them."

 Chapter 307: Friend (1)

    Jenni ran to the door as soon as she heard a knock. She was expecting one of two people: either her father or Warden. However, since the master runesmith had visited earlier today, it was likely his friend.


    It was no surprise to find she was right. It took a moment to recollect herself, staring at the unfamiliar woman standing before her.


    "Dawn?" Jenni asked, her eyes examining the woman before her.


    The woman, with burning white hair simr to their mutual friend, nodded as Jenni invited her in. Dawn was simr in height to Jenni, somewhat skinnier, and obnoxiously cuter. She resembled a porcin doll, her skin pale, pinkish-fair, and smooth.


    Dawn was... unnatural. In a good way. She looked human... but more. It''s not just her obnoxious beauty that draws eyes.


    She had a very distinct smell that Jenni couldn''t put her fingers on. She dressed inly in a normal white shirt and pants, which should be very anti-feminine, yet they only enchanted the unique aspects of her exterior. Jenni couldn''t help but feel a tinge of envy in her chest.


    She usually didn''t have such feelings often, that too about someone else looks... but Dawn was just too... different.


    "Did you have any difficulty getting in?" Jenni asked. "Did Warden help you?"


    Dawn only stared at her with purple eyes¡ªnot as intense as Warden''s but still enough to unsettle Jenni slightly. "No."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter," Jenni said, offering her a chair to sit across from her. "You guys need to give me the name of the person who does your hair."


    Dawn shot her a pointed look.


    Feeling awkward, Jenni offered her some beverages and snacks.


    "Thank you." Dawn looked around the room at the walls where Jenni had painted vague images of rune designs.


    Jenni suppressed her fluster and took a deep breath. Get a hold of yourself, girl, she thought. Just act natural, act straightforward.


    "So~" Jenni scratched her head, unsure of what to say. "So tell me about yourself... Wait, let me go first." She coughed to clear the awkwardness. "So, you know, I''m Jenni. I''m a runesmith, an adept. Everyone thinks I''m a genius, but can you believe it took me nearly 15 years to get to this point?"


    Of course, for half of those fifteen years, she didn''t have ess to her essence, which made it nearly impossible for her to practice true runesmithing. But she didn''t mention that.


    "An interesting fact about me is that I was born only five years ago in the traditional calendar," she continued. "But I''ve only spent three years outside the front lines, so it doesn''t really matter much."


    Dawn''s white eyebrows furrowed at thest part, though she didn''t express anything.


    At least I managed to get her attention with that, Jenni thought.


    Another awkward silence descended until Jenni gestured with her hand, indicating it was Dawn''s turn.


    Dawn closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. "I... First, I need to tell you that I''m not very good at conversation," she said, not looking at Jenni. "I''ve heard it may be because of something wrong in my head or because of my origin, which means nothing to most people with power..."


    Her breathing grew heavier as she spoke, and her cheeks turned red with the sheer effort it took to state all that.


    "I... I also learned thisnguage recently."


    "You can talk slowly," Jenni said, offering her a ss of water. Dawn gulped down half of it before thanking her.


    "I''ve lived most of my life in poverty," Dawn said, biting her lip. "In dismissal... but finally, things turned around a few years ago, and I made a few real friends."


    "So unlike me, you really worked hard to get to where you are now," Jenni smiled at her.


    Dawn looked as if she should say something, but her inner awkwardness prevented her from uttering any words of encouragement. Her cheeks grew redder, making her look so cute that Jenni wanted to pinch them. But she suppressed the urge, remembering Warden''s words that Dawn did not like being touched.


    "So you and Warden," she asked, "how did you be friends with him?"


    Dawn lifted her head with a pointed look. "I... was not his friend," she said. "Only an employee... Amon friend introduced us, and he recognised my talent and was d to employ me." After a moment of silence, she added, "That was likely the second most significant moment of my life."


    "So, you used to work for him?" Jenni muttered, raising an eyebrow. She hadn''t expected that. "What did you do for him?"


    "Mostly overseeing things when he''s out on business," Dawn said.


    "I hope he didn''t overwork you," Jenni said, recalling how the master runesmith had pushed her and the other adept runesmiths.


    "It wasn''t difficult," Dawn said. "And the pay was great."


    "That I can imagine," Jenni said. "I just feel like he''s the kind of man who''d leave you to do something and forget about it, without even knowing if you''re capable of the task."


    Dawn looked like she wanted to disagree with some part, but she didn''t say anything.


    "Oh, did you get to eat delicious food while at work?" Jenni asked, more interested than she appeared.


    "Yes~"


    Jenni stared at her enviously. "Lucky you... I''ve had to suffer through military food for most of my twenty-year stay here."


    "He wasn''t very good before, like five years ago. Now, he has mastered the culinary art."


    "You worked for him for five years?!" Jenni didn''t know why she raised her voice.


    "No... no... only three years... I haven''t seen him for thest two years." Then something dawned on her. "I guess you can say, I have been working for him in thest two years as well."


    "What a lucky guy!" Jenni chuckled.


    "To be fair, I haven''t had many interactions with him the first three years either," Dawn continued, taking the initiative to converse for the first time. "As you said, he used to give me tasks and go on to do his own thing. But he was very clear on people he could depend on... Whatever he made me do, seemed to have a test in them, which I''m not aware of...


    and they continue to rise in difficulty ordingly."

 Chapter 308: Friend (2)

    As the conversation moved further, Dawn took the initiative to express more, even though she was still much more reservedpared to someone like Jenni. Although she mentioned she was not big on conversation, Dawn seemed to be an all-rounder on nearly every topic. Her experience might not be deep, but she seemed to know a lot about various subjects.


    "You mentioned you learned thenguage recently," Jenni asked. "Does that mean you''re not from the empire?"


    Dawn shook her head.


    "Where are you from?"


    "I don''t think you''ll recognize the ce," she said. "I was born in a nameless vige, and my work has had me moving all the time since I was sixteen. But for thest couple of years, I''ve mostly stayed in the Republic and the kingdom of Iman."


    "I see," Jenni gave a thoughtful look. "As far as I know, the Republic uses themon tongue, but Imanian is difficult. I heard there''s a huge difference between how men and women talk."


    "Not a huge difference, but you are correct."


    "You know thatnguage?"


    Dawn nodded.


    "Say something in Imanian," she urged.


    "Tu para e asta?" Dawn said.


    "What does that mean?"


    "What do you want me to talk about?"


    "Hmm," Jenni hummed. "You''re good. I think all you need is just a little more confidence..."


    Dawn practically blushed at thepliment.


    "Your hair, is it natural?" Jenni asked, moving her palm to touch it. "Can I touch it?"


    Dawn thought for a moment before nodding. With her approval, Jenni didn''t waste any time brushing clumsy fingers over her silky hair.


    "It used to be ck," Dawn said. "But it mutated to this when I was seventeen."


    "What happened?" Jenni smelled the locks of hair and then became flustered.


    Was she being weird? This isn''t it, right? She hoped.


    "I went to an ancient ruin, something like an inheritance ground," Dawn said, a shiver running down her spine as she remembered the past. "I almost died there, but luckily encountered an opportunity that changed my whole life, as well as my hair and some physical aspects."


    "Oh, I went through something like that too, very recently," Jenniughed nkly, still running her palm over Dawn''s hair. "Almost died too, but unfortunately, got no life-changing opportunity."


    Once again, her words left Dawn in silence, as the girl had no clue how to encourage someone else.


    "I''m alive, that''s all that matters," Jenni said.


    "You''ll get another chance," Dawn finally said.


    "No, thank you," Jenni shook her head, "I''d rather stay on track than go through that experience again."


    "I used to regret it in the beginning too," Dawn said. "But without that opportunity, I wouldn''t be here, wouldn''t have met so many brilliant people."


    "Something tells me you count Warden in that special bracket of people," Jenni muttered.


    "Yes."


    "Good for him," she said, pouting. "Oh, that reminds me, he left me some food earlier today. Do you want some?"


    Before she got an answer, Jenni moved to serve.


    "Fried rice?" Dawn said. "I had that in the morning."


    Jenni lifted an eyebrow. "That reminds me, where are you staying?"


    Since Dawn wasn''t in any official or unofficial post of the military, she wouldn''t be given any ce to stay... Unless...


    "In Sir Ga- Warden''s quarters."


    Jenni faltered in her work and frowned at her. "He didn''t get approval or anything for this, did he?"


    Dawn shot a look ofplete incredulity.


    "I guess his ce is big enough and better than the soldier quarters," Jenni muttered. "Anyway, do you get your privacy with him being there?"


    "Yes, we do not have much interaction after the first couple of days," Dawn said, sounding somewhat reluctant. "Other than the morning when he cooks for us and we eat together, I have most of the day to myself with nothing to do."


    That was probably why he asked for us to meet, Jenni thought. I guess it worked out.


    Jenni prepared a tier-I script to heat the food before serving. "So what do you n from here?" she asked. "How long are you going to stay?"


    "I''m not sure... Sir Warden needs toplete some work," she said slowly. "I guess I''ll help with that."


    "Why do you call him Sir?" Jenni asked. "You''re both silver rankers, no?"


    "He doesn''t like that either," Dawn sighed. "I guess old habits don''t go away."


    "He advanced to Silver only a couple of weeks ago, while you look like you''ve been in Silver for some time..."


    "Oh, you might not know, but Sir was a gold ranker before¡ª" Dawn paused, as though only just remembering she shouldn''t discuss any more.


    "What?" But Jenni only needed a little to get her interest piqued. "How did he fall back to iron rank?"


    "I shouldn''t discuss this without Sir''s permission," Dawn answered neutrally.


    "Hmm," Jenni didn''t mind, though she didn''t stop. "Is this how he became a Master Runesmith so early?"


    After all, a Master Runesmith in gold rank is much more believable than a Master Runesmith in Iron or Silver rank.


    "I don''t know which aplishment is greater," Dawn cut in, "but I know for a fact that he advanced to Gold at 24."


    "Holy mother of gods!" Jenni stood up. "You are joking, right?"


    Dawn still had the same look on her face.


    "I''m twenty-five and would have been Silver if I hadn''t fallen in the subspace," she said, clenching her teeth. "But there is a huge difference between gold and silver advancement. I know I''m not the greatest of potentials... still, as far as I know, the youngest gold ranker was in his early forties..."


    "Common sense does not make sense about him," Dawn stated, "someone once told me."


    Jenni sighed. "I guess I''m only dregs¡ª" A bell chimed, alerting her. "Oh crap, Father ising..."


    Before she could do anything, she heard a knock, followed by her father''s voice. "Jenni, I''ming in..."


    "Wait, Father, I''m..."


    The man was already in her room, observing her.

 Chapter 309: Father-And-Daughter

    "Father, I can¡ª" She paused, realising there was no one sitting in the other chair. The te of foody alone before it.


    Where did she go? she cried inwardly. More importantly, how did she go?


    "Is something wrong?" her father asked.


    "Yes, you need to stand back outside after knocking," Jenni pointed out, ring at her father. "What if I was changing or something?"


    Her father gave her a look as if the realisation had only just dawned on him. "You have a private washroom," he said, coughing. Then his eyes shed towards the two serving on the table. "Why do you have two tes of food?"


    Shit! she cursed inwardly. "I''m hungry. Do you care?"


    "Are you overeating in anger?" her father asked. Thankfully whatever Dawn did, even her father''s gold-rank senses were unable to pick on it.


    "Why are you here?" she asked. "Did you feel like the punishment wasn''t enough and now want me to clean toilets, too?"


    "Quite the opposite, actually," he said, almost reaching out to pat her shoulder, but Jenni moved away, snorting audibly. "I feel like I have been unnecessarily hard on you. Yes, you''ve made some bad decisions, but all the dangers you faced are not your fault... I should be more understanding of your feelings."


    Jenni turned to shoot him an icy look. What are you nning, old man?


    "But yes, I have a reason to be angry at you, as you had been," he continued. "You ran offst time without listening to mepletely. And you got yourself enlisted for a dangerous mission without discussing it with me. Hell, girl, so far as I know you, I don''t think you even thought through your decision at all."


    Jenni felt blood rushing into her cheeks but kept her re.


    "Anyway, I still haven''t managed to tell you everything I had to say fromst time," he said.


    "What is there left to say?!"


    Her father didn''t answer immediately. He brought out a slip of paper and handed it to her.


    "What is this?" she asked, opening the letter.


    "This releases you from any obligations to the military or the artificer department."


    "You''re firing me!" Jenni raised her voice.


    "No, read that carefully," her father said, scratching his long beard. "I''m releasing you from your post. I was going to do it anyway, just earlier than I intended. This does not stop you from rejoining your position again if you wish, and you''ll get the same perks you currently enjoy."


    "Then?"


    "Girl, your father isn''t trying to cheat you," he said, sighing. "I feel like you need to get out of here and get some fresh air, experience life outside the military, the frontlines, to get more perspective."


    "I see," she said tly. "I will leave then..." As long as she wouldn''t have to stay within the bounds of the quarters.


    Her father caught her by the shoulders. "Daughter, you know I love you," he said, sounding the most awkward she had ever heard him.


    "I know," she said. Yes, she knew that, but her father had never uttered those words before. Weirdly, that made a big difference; her eyes turned teary, though she held back the tears.


    Her father nodded, hugging her quietly. "Last time I could not tell you," he continued, "I have talked with my friend about the marriage I arranged..."


    Jenni''s shoulders turned rigid.


    "You do not have to worry about it anymore, baby girl," her father told her. "I have talked with him... He does not wish to marry you if you''re against it."


    "Father..."


    "His only wish is to meet you once," he said. "But it''s alright if you don''t want to... Father will understand. I really miss your mother... If she was with us, I wouldn''t have made all these stupid mistakes..."


    "Father, are you really?"


    He broke the embrace and kissed her on the head. "Live however you wish to, I just hope you won''t make rash decisions like thest without any counselling."


    He left shortly after, leaving apletely stunned Jenni. She couldn''t manage to hold back her tears in the end. Her legs were weak, so she leaned against the desk.


    A figure in white materialised beside her. Jenni didn''t question how Dawn could do all this; she was just too stunned by what her father had left her with.


    "Your father loves you," Dawn told her.


    "I know," she muttered.


    "So I told her," Elder Ming said.


    Gale tinkered with a half-broken piece of armour, not paying the elder too much mind. "You told her what?"


    "That I love her," Elder Ming said.


    Gale lifted his head to stare at the man, who was actually flustered. "Do you feel like you shouldn''t have?"


    "No-no," he said. "Jenni cried after... I didn''t know what to do, so I left..."


    "That''s good, you''re good," Gale said, turning his attention back to the armour. "This is shit... I can make a new one with less energypared to fixing it."


    "So this is it?" the elder continued. "Our rtionship is good now?"


    "I''d say it''s the first step," Gale said. "Just continue to show your love and approval, and you''re good."


    "What if she makes another wrong decision?"


    "Then you''ll counsel her better, understand her feelings first, instead of trying to restrict her," he advised.


    Elder Ming took a deep breath. Just then, he received a message on his longread. A message from his daughter.


    "Jenni says she''d meet my friend," he said. "The man I arranged her marriage with... though she said only to annul the agreement."


    "Are you disappointed?"


    Elder Ming sighed. "Honestly, I don''t know my feelings anymore." Your next read awaits at mvl


    "Well, this almostpletes a part of my agreement with you," Gale said. "So, now, can we discuss the leave I appealed for?"


    "It is under reviews," the elder said.


    "Yeah, I have been hearing that for over a week," he said and stood at the same level as the department head. "Let''s review this man-to-man now."

 Chapter 310: Paid Vacation

    It didn''t take long for Elder Ming''s expression to shift to the business front. He brought out Gale''s letter of appeal and shed his eyes over it.


    "It is an interesting time in the military right now," the elder said. "There are chances of it going chaotic. We do not feel like letting one of our most capable weapon producers go."


    Gale clicked his tongue. "I''ve already mentioned I''llplete my portion of the work even when I''m on leave and provide them on time."


    "You have," Elder Ming said, narrowing his eyes. "However, with a 12 to 1 time dtion in ce, it bes impossible to follow through with your promise."


    "I assure you I have taken the time dtion into ount when I wrote the letter," Gale said.


    "How are you going to follow through with the production," Elder Ming paused, a frown creeping up on his brows, "unless you''re leaving for somece with simr time dtion in ce, or you have alreadypleted your future tasks..."


    A smile was tucked on his lips. "You are awfully quick about this stuff, Elder Ming," he said. "Anyway, I will leave how Iplete my work to your imagination... The bottom line is that you''ll receive all loads on time."


    "If you have alreadypleted the job," Elder Ming cut in, "shouldn''t you¡ª"


    "I have said nothing of that sort, Elder Ming," Gale grinned, knowing if he were to admit it, they would likely give him more work to get more of his service.


    "You know how dire the need for weapons is right now," the elder tried to waver his resolve. "And you''ll still leave knowing you can do more?! Do you know how many soldiers could use your help?"


    Gale snorted. "I hear there''s a Transcendent in the camp... Now, I may not know about transcendent power as much as you, but I''m pretty sure they could frighten off all the demonic creatures with a couple of their farts... There''s no need for poor me to involve myself more than needed."


    Elder Ming sighed.


    "Besides, I won''t be gone for long," he continued and paused. "Well, considering the time dtion, it would be a couple of months within the frontlines..."


    It would probably be less than that if he took into ount the time he would be inside the frontlines, but he wouldn''t be anywhere near the regime of the empire.


    "You still seem reluctant," Gale sighed. "How about this... Hmm, you have seen some of the unique ways I design scripts, which is far more efficient than anything used here as far as I have discovered. I''ll teach Jenni whatever she can learn..."


    Elder Ming''s expression changed, as the calcting look appeared on his face.


    "Of course, I wouldn''t teach her the form for the other runes you guys don''t have ess to," Gale added. "Unless I took her as a disciple and kept everything under an oath or something..."


    He smiled, letting the elder know what was on the table. However, the old man was more suspicious than he let others on...


    "Why are you agreeing to put out so much just to get a vacation?" the elder asked. "And also, you have already helped Jenni so much in the subspace..."


    Before the elder could be more suspicious, he added, "Maybe I feel sorry for how poorly you guys have it in here... I feel bad for my runesmith brothers and sisters," heughed. "Don''t think I''ll be giving away all this for free... I''m going to patent all my ways and going to earn royalties from them for hundreds of years..."


    Elder Ming scratched his beard. "I should have known that already," he sighed. "Fine, let''s discuss it further over lunch, so that we do not leave any loose ends that are going to bite either of us in the back."


    "I''m d you asked..."


    ****


    In the end, his ns for a holiday got into aplicated turn, though not without perks. After discussing all of it with the elder over an hour, it had kind of turned into a paid leave.


    The only issue he would have to take care of was that instead of only Jenni, he would have to teach half a dozen adepts. Well, he was already doing that twice a week; it would just be a little more than that. Thankfully, the adepts he had chosen weren''t so awfully bad that he would have to instruct them all the time.


    With this, he would have more time to himself. Moreover, patenting rune designs was a hard thing to get through... And he already hated paperwork just thinking about it. Elder Ming was very experienced in this subject. He had pointed out that if Gale couldplete his teaching with the adepts, especially with his daughter, he would help with the patenting process.


    Last but not least, he would get paid for all this, and it wouldn''t be any worse than what he gets paid for producing artifacts. Not to mention, it would also count into his punishment.


    He smiled, looking at the letter of approval, when a figure came from behind. Dawn was still in her white shirt and pants he had seen her leave in, no form of wear or tear could be seen in her impable appearance.


    "So how''s your day?" he asked. "How was Jenni? Did she manage to tire you out?"


    "She is very sweet," Dawn said, "reminds me of an old acquaintance."


    Discover more content at mvl


    "Yours alone, or do I know this acquaintance too?" he couldn''t help but ask.


    Dawn shot him a pointed look for several seconds. She hadn''t taken his amnesia openly, though she never voiced out any of her opinions.


    "I believe you''re so good to Jenni because she''s alike the acquaintance," she said.


    His expression turned sombre, unable to recognize any of it. He sighed.


    "Is that what I think it is?" she asked, her eyes pointing at the letter.


    He nodded. "Yes! There''s a little change in n, but we''ll leave early tomorrow."

 Chapter 311: Reunion

    "Where are we going?" Jenni asked brightly. Her expression was all bright, since she came out of the confines of the walls of her room.


    "You joined in without knowing where you''d be going?" Gale raised an eyebrow.


    "Well, it can''t be worse than the inheritance ground, can it?"


    "No, it wouldn''t be," heughed. "Though I''m going to be in the Hell Instructor Mode you guys adore so much."


    Half a dozen adepts behind him visibly shuddered, hearing him. Jenni actually wasn''t among the numbers.


    "Do your worst," she snorted, "I do not fear it anymore..."


    "Good for you," he muttered, fidgeting with a private longread.


    "Then what are we waiting for?" she asked, standing with Dawn, who was getting more nces than her.


    Gale was trying to contact Agnes, letting her know of his ns, and if they could meet. Unfortunately, he could only leave a message. He hadn''t seen her since in the tent where he treated her a couple of weeks ago.


    Letting out a breath, he brought the whole group of nine into the warp gate before letting the person in charge know of their destination.


    "Did I hear right?" Jenni asked. "You said New Oslin, the city at the border of the Empire?"


    Before she could get her confirmation, the warp gate shed, teleporting all of them thousands of miles across the globe.


    They appeared in a much smaller warp gate in New Oslin, as soon as they were put through verifications. Gale put an end to it quickly, showing the letter from Elder Ming.


    "Why did you choose this ce?" Jenni asked, sping her arms over her chest. "It''s so cold in here."


    "We have to move further down from here," he announced. "Our final destination is Oslin Lake..."


    Jenni groaned. "It would be even colder there, and theke would be frozen," she pointed out.


    "Thankfully, you came prepared unlike yourst time, right?" Gale smiled at her.


    Jenni froze to clutch her dimension cube which she had recently recovered.


    "I''ll prepare for our transportation, meanwhile you guys take care of any essentials, warm clothing, heater, or whatever you need," Gale asked, walking away from the group. "We''ll meet back here in an hour."


    Dawn followed him, while the adepts dispersed towards the city market. Jenni looked at both groups before joining Dawn in following Gale.


    "You know you could have chosen a better location," Jenni said... "Mountains are alright, but the weather here is much to be desired. Serai Beach would have been the perfect destination..."


    "I wish for it too," Gale smiled...


    "Then what happened?"


    He didn''t say anything and began running, looking up at the sky where a bird was flying.


    "Hey, where are you going?" Unconsciously, Jenni began running after him, only stopping when she found the bird was flying back at them as well. And it was a huge bird, a white crane, its wings extending over a dozen meters.


    Gale lunged into the air, as his figure flew up to the bird to embrace a figure sitting on the crane. He kissed the woman deeply as both of them came down along with the bird. Even when theynded, he did not free her from his embrace, sucking into her mouth hungrily. The visceral imagery of intimacy was so much so that it even caused Jenni to blush.


    Finally ending the kiss, he looked at her breathtaking appearance. Fogs of gasps escaped both of their mouths, while June''s exterior was beat red. She blushed harder, looking around to see others watching their love affair.


    "I missed you," he said, kissing her on the lips once again.


    "Who is that?" Jenni whispered to Dawn, her voice didn''t go unheard by any of their ears.


    Dawn didn''t have an answer, so she kept her silence.


    "Okay, enough of this cuddling now," June said and turned her attention towards the two girls. Her eyes shed and lingered on Dawn for several seconds longer than it did on Jenni, before she smiled at them. "You must be Dawn, and Jenni... Gale had said a lot about you." She bowed her head to address herself, "I''m June, a professor at the 3rd Arcane Academy. Gale works there with me, and we are..."


    "Lovers," Jenni gasped, turning her attention back and forth between the man and the elf. The man she knew as Warden wasn''t even flustered, while the beautiful elf maiden turned a tad more red, her ears twitching at her words.


    "Wait, Gale?" Jenni frowned, turning to Warden. "Why is she calling you Gale?"


    "It''s a long story," he sighed. "Just take it that it is another of my names."


    "I see," Jenni said, feeling somewhat left out. Even Dawn, her new friend, seemed she was in on it. "So she''s the reason you chose Oslin instead of a better ce?"


    "Yeah," he admitted. "It was too hard for her to get a leave of absence within short notice, not to mention she was already with a group of students on an excursion here to leave rampantly. Ultimately, we decided to reunite here..." he sighed, remembering June would still be busy half of the time taking care of her students.


    "It''s not perfect, but looking at the picturesque mountains to the west and north, it isn''t a bad ce at all."


    "I''m staying in an inn with other professors and the students," June said. "I cannot join you immediately, but I''ll make sure toe as soon as possible."


    After saying a little more with them, June took Gale to walk around privately.


    "Huh, I guess he had outdone himself with that one," Jenni muttered, as she watched them leave. She turned to Dawn. "Why are you pouting?"


    "What..." Dawn''s eyes finally moved from the leaving figure. "I''m not pouting."


    "You definitely were..." Stay updated through mvl


    "I''m not," she said. "I was just... I guess I do not know her like he does, and..."


    "And?"


    Dawn sighed. "Nothing..."


    "Yeah, not suspicious at all," Jenniughed, clutching her arm.


    "What are you saying?"


    "Don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone."


    "Tell what?"

 Chapter 312: Vacation - Day 1

    Their housing was far more mundane than most had hoped, though noneined. Instead of something extravagant, it was a small guest house made entirely out of wood.


    There were no other houses in the surrounding area, and Gale had booked the whole ce to ensure no one else would be there to bother them. Other than a couple of attendants and Stewart, only nine of them were present in the house.


    "Are you feeling down that your elf lover is not here with you?" Jenni asked.


    He clicked his tongue. "Go check your room before others take away the best ones."


    Jenni''s expression changed as she hurried into the house, bossing around all the other adepts.


    "It''s a bit cold here," he said, turning towards Dawn, who had kept silent most of the way. She was still in her shirt and pants, not showing any visible sign of feeling the chill.


    "Sir, I''ll go prepare your room," she said, ready to depart into the house.


    He shook his head. "There''s no need for that," he said. "There are attendants for that. Also, I told you not to call me Sir."


    Dawn said nothing.


    "Come walk with me," he invited her and started down the path towards theke. There was some snow around, though not enough to cover the trees in a white nket. The path was damp and full of life, though there was not much undergrowth. It was barely a few minutes'' walk to theke, the tall, white mountains in the background indicating the way.


    Gale thought theke would be frozen, but he was pleasantly surprised.


    "Thankfully, it''s not frozen," he said, dipping his hand into the water. "Though it is cold."


    Still, swimming in theke was not out of the question.


    "Is my home as picturesque as this?" he asked.


    "It''s far more pleasant there," Dawn answered.


    "What do you think my best course of action should be?" he asked, meeting her gaze. Dawn kept her silence as though not wanting to offend him. "Come on, I need more prospects."


    "I would say to reunite with all your acquaintances and find a way back," Dawn said. "Unlike you, I have spent close to two years in this realm, maybe more for others."


    "The Oracle, the assassin, and you," he nodded. "Who else is there?"


    "We''re not certain how many of us fell into the dimension crack."


    Gale became contemtive. "Do you have any idea what caused my amnesia?"


    "I''m not certain," Dawn said, looking at her feet. "You were fighting someone when the dimension crashed. I think the Oracle can give you a better answer."


    "The Oracle," he mumbled. "You said she''s in Iman?"


    Dawn nodded.


    "And the assassin?" he raised an eyebrow, still not understanding why he had hired an assassin in the first ce. Dawn mentioned it was for security purposes, though he didn''t believe assassins were best suited for that kind of job. "You mentioned they noticed me first. Why didn''t they show themselves?"


    Dawn did not answer. She probably didn''t have one. "Perhaps they are trying tomunicate with the Oracle in Iman."


    He sighed. "I guess I need to go there," he muttered. "After I finish on the front lines and deal with some other business."


    ***


    "Alright, adepts," Gale addressed his students¡ªsome of whom were even older than him, and one was double his age. "You should already know my vacation takes precedence over whatever I''m going to teach you all."


    Apparently, it hadn''t beenmon knowledge as a few of the adepts exchanged nces with one another, as though asking if he was being serious.


    "So I would be mighty delighted if I do not have to point out the same thing twice," he continued. "This is how I''m going to do things. Every morning, I''ll hold a two-hour session where I''ll exin everything there is. If there''s any question, you''ll ask then, or wait for the next day. You are free to discuss among yourselves, but do not bother me. Am I understood?"


    A few of the adepts nodded.


    "Am I understood?"


    "Yes, Sir," most of them said in unison, all except Jenni.


    "If you''re waiting for any special treatment, I can show you the way out," he told her, his eyes radiating the familiar coldness.


    Jenni froze, a shiver running down her spine.


    "Since you''re ahead of most of them here, I''ll deem you the group leader," he told her. "Your duty will be to make sure that all of them forget their sleep and eating habits and work all their waking hours on improving. Am I understood?" Experience more on mvl


    "Yes, Sir!" Jenni saluted.


    He snorted. "Alright, today, we''ll go through the advanced designing ss," he said, moving next to the whiteboard Dawn had procured for the job. "You all have mastered a few runes to tier-III, but what''s the point of mastery if you can''t use them in the most perfect way? You may all recognize that an error in the design may cause the script to mis-perform by as much as ny percent.


    "Now, I know none of you are ipetent enough to make such an elementary error that would cause ny percent efficiency loss of a script. No, I''m going to teach you ways to help improve your designing capabilities."


    Everyone was ready with runic graph papers and their stylus.


    "Darren, tell me what is the rule of thumb for designing?"


    The dark-skinned man sat up straighter. "Always look for ways to make the script the most efficient while keeping the most utility."


    "However, efficiency and utility may sh with one another. A runesmith''s task is to find the middle ground between them," he added, his eyes moving towards Aki, one of the sharpest adepts. "What equates efficiency?"


    "The number of runes, perfect symmetry, and quality of the materials," he said, counting on his fingers.


    "So, other than the quality of the materials, the efficiency of a script dependspletely on the skill of the runesmith. For the first two days, we''ll work on improving that efficiency."

 Chapter 313: Encouragement

    "Do you have any expertise in runes?" he asked as he set up a hammock near theke, enjoying the picturesque scenery. "Or have you ever tried to learn?"


    "I studied until the elementary level," Dawn answered while setting up the barbecue stands a couple of paces away. "Under you, actually. Sadly, not everyone has the same talent."


    "What art do you study then?"


    "Mostlybat arts, cultivation, and harmony," she said.


    "Harmony, as in alchemy and cooking, that sort of stuff?"


    She nodded.


    "I guess I''ve found a helper in you," he smiled, climbing onto the hammock to check its bnce.


    It was the third day of the vacation, and he had mostly been rxing. The adepts were training with full fervour, left to their own devices except for the morning ss. Despite what he mentioned, he did have to take a remedial ss in between, but that was to be expected. He was trying to break habits they had practised for decades.


    Enjoy exclusive content from mvl


    It wouldn''t happen in a day, especially since some weren''t even ready to abandon the old ways of carving runes.


    Even though he promised their efficiency would rise, it would still take time to master the new path. Not to mention, the new path had a steep learning curvepared to their old ways.


    It was afternoon, and after he had put the meat to season, someone was about toe to bother him. His Void sense alerted him to two familiar figures approaching.


    A white crane followed them, crying to announce its presence.


    Gale stood up, his expression easing. Finally, June managed to free her time ande to him. He crept to her and embraced her before Jenni could say anything.


    June froze for a moment and then epted him. "I was going toest night, but there was someplication and I didn''t want to disturb your rest."


    "Nonsense," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Your presence is never disturbing. When are you leaving?"


    "At first light," June sighed. Noticing his reluctance, she added, "My leave of absence will be approved within a couple of days after I''m done with the excursion."


    "That''s good." He noticed Jenni shooting wide eyes, her hands full with runic graph papers¡ªthe homework he had left for the adepts.


    "Don''t let the other adepts see you acting all soft and clingy," Jenni said. "They won''t be able to stomach it."


    Gale snorted and took the papers from her. "So long as they can stomach my teaching."


    "Any word from Agnes?" she asked.


    He shook his head. "Even if she wanted to send a message, I don''t think she can from the frontlines. Not to mention, the longread doesn''t have a range over a hundred miles."


    "Who''s this Agnes?" June asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, your old captain?"


    "A friend now," Gale said. "I wanted to have a meal with all of us, but I don''t know if she can make it before my holiday expires."


    "Does she know about the weird position you are in?"


    "More than some," he said, turning towards Jenni. "But notpletely."


    "What situation?" Jenni asked, being the curious person she was.


    "Nothing for you to worry about," he said. "Go work on your runes with the rest."


    "Nah, I already finished my homework," Jenni disagreed, meeting his gaze squarely. "I need a break now."


    "I''ll see how you did soon enough," he snorted, turning his attention to the papers.


    Jenni clicked her tongue and went to bother Dawn, who was preparing their meal.


    "You have a lot to tell me," June whispered.


    "And to show as well," he added, sping her shoulder softly. "Unfortunately, you haven''te with time on hand."


    June shook his hands off. "Don''t be clingy when others are around!" she whispered.


    "Okay, I''ll try to keep my hands to myself for when we''re alone."


    June red at him before quickly moving to help Dawn with the ingredients.


    He grinned and decided to finish with the homework. This was the first time he was checking it. How he would proceed with the teaching from here would depend on how they adapted to the new way.


    The meal was prepared in time, and Jenni had to go out of her way to call the adepts to eat. This was the first time they were having a meal outside, not to mention, this time it wasn''t made by the attendants.


    "Savor the food, because it is likely thest time you''ll get anything close to delicious," he dered to the group. "I have told Stewart to procure food that is only nutritious,cking in all other criteria. Basically, military food."


    The adepts knew better than toin, though some had more courage than others. Jenni, for example, red in his direction.


    "Of course, it is a punishment," he continued, not caring about the looks she was giving. "So long as you stay on track with your studies, you''ll get to enjoy food cooked by yours truly and Dawn."


    Jenni sighed in relief, along with a couple of others who were more confident in their abilities.


    "That''s not all," Gale said, pointing towards the homework. "I have checked them all, and so far, the results are far from desired."


    All the adepts looked down, silently munching on the food.


    "I guess you guys need more encouragement," he said. "I guess food is one, but I''m looking for something with more value."


    "No, no, food is enough," Jenni argued.


    A re from him stopped her from saying more. "So I have decided to raise the stakes," he stood up, a leg piece in hand. "What do you guys require? Personal lessons from a master runesmith? Secret designs? Or for one of you to be my disciple?"


    A round of gasps echoed through the group. Even June was frowning, unsure why he was going to such lengths.


    "All of it is on the table, so long as you meet my standards," his words cut through the adepts, "or go beyond them."

 Chapter 314: Cuddling

    His deration finished with that. He didn''t bother to answer any of their inquiries and let his words sink in. The adepts began eating quickly until one of them stood up.


    "Thank you for the food," Aki said as he rushed back to the house. "It was delicious, but I better go now."


    "I left the door to my room open," said the oldest of them as he began to run as well.


    "Sweet gods, I need a bath," added Kei as she joined them in the run.


    Soon, only Gale and the threedies were left.


    "Good lord, this is crazy," Jenni muttered, licking her dessert.


    "Do you not intend topete with them?" June asked her.


    "I haven''t thought of it yet," she said. "But I guess if I can get a load of food, I certainly will." She finished her dessert and began to lick the container under everyone''s gaze. "Oh, them? Most of them are nopetition to me."


    "You better start first," Dawn added, shaking her head. "Knowing Sir, he wouldn''t be looking for someone who''s just better than six others."


    "What do you mean?" Jenni asked.


    Dawn kept her silence.


    "What does that mean?" Jenni asked once more.


    Dawn smiled at her mysteriously. Explore hidden tales at §Þ??


    Gale handed her the graph papers with a smile. "If I were to give points, you''d surely be on top," he said. "You got 62 out of 100,mendable for your first try."


    Jenni frowned, her eyes shing between the papers and the faces of Gale, June, and Dawn. "I feel like I''m missing something," she muttered.


    Gale only smiled at her and moved to his hammock. He wouldn''t worry his mind with any business until sunrise.


    "And you''re not going to tell me what it is, are you?" she asked, frustration mounting. "If this is some philosophical enlightenment thing¡­"


    Unable to get her answers, Jenniined a bit before departing as well, announcing she would throw a perfect design at his face by the end of it.


    He chuckled, watching her leave.


    "She''s very brazen," Junemented.


    Dawn was preparing to clean up, but Gale stopped her. "I''ll take care of it. You go rest."


    "I''m not tired," Dawn insisted.


    "I guess," he scratched his head before casting a radiance spell that cleansed all the equipment and dishes in the blink of an eye, causing both women to perk up.


    Now, how do I tell her to give me some privacy with June? he thought. "Go check on Jenni, will you?" he asked. "She has a tendency to take the wrong lessons."


    Dawn frowned but nodded, much to his delight, and soon departed, exchanging a few more words with June.


    "She seems to know you well," June admitted in a bitter tone.


    "How about I teach you more about me, then?" He pulled her closer. "Now till sunrise, you''re mine."


    June blushed as he caught her arms. He pulled her into hisp, supported by the hammock. "So, now can you exin some of the stuff you mentioned on the call?"


    "I will," he said, coddling her. "What do you want to know?"


    "I''m not sure," June said, her figure melting in his arms. "How about you start from when you entered the front lines?"


    Gale began as the sun set on the horizon. He wasn''t even halfway through when Juney on his chest, as they cuddled in the hammock.


    "You never mentioned your rtionship with this Agnes was so deep?" June asked, pouting.


    "It''s not that deep," he mumbled, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek. "We''re just like-minded and hit it off really well."


    June snorted. "Then what about the Cassandra girl?"


    "What about her?"


    "I hear all the girls from Azalea Garden are pretty," June said. "While the young chiefs were exceptionally so."


    "She''s pretty," he admitted, "but not as much as you."


    He pulled her close, raining kisses on her neck.


    "About May," June said, whimpering from the intimacy.


    "I have told you I''m not a womanizer¡ª"


    "Not that," June stopped him with a kiss. "With how you described her, May is likely my cousin from the side of my maternal aunt."


    "What, really?"


    "I don''t know the details, but my aunt married outside the lineage when I was in aa," June said. "I met her and May once a couple of years ago. They have a loving family."


    "Well, she''s sweet," Gale admitted. "She was very helpful to everyone on the mission. That reminds me, I asked her to give me some lessons on healing and forgot to show up."


    "That sounds very much like you."


    Gale smiled. "Enough about other girls, I want to see you now," he whispered into her ear as his palm slid into her gown.


    June shuddered. "No," she cried with just a little touch on her back. "What if someone sees us?"


    "There''s no one around," he said, his palm moving further to feel her bare flesh. With a mentalmand, he brought out a nket from his spirit domain and covered them with it. "My senses can pick up even a cricket falling off a leaf. I''ll detect if anyone approaches."


    June is still opposed. She was probably fine doing it in a private room, but Gale found the environment very endearing. Besides, the room would be far more disturbing, considering others would be staying next room.


    "Fine, I''lly an istion script around us. Happy?"


    "You pervert! What will others think?"


    "Whatever they wish," he mumbled, giving her a slight knead on her hips. "Heh, they wouldn''t have time to think about anything but runes."


    June finally gave in. He showered kisses on her neck and upper chest, her own lust mounting.


    "It''s only been a few days for you," he said between the kisses. "But it''s months for me."


    "Mhmm..." she whimpered. "I''m not going to catch any sleep tonight, am I?"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll leave youpletely refreshed," he said, sliding off one side of her gown off her shoulder.

 Chapter 315: Interlewd (2)

    Disimer: The council wants you to skip this chapter... You have been warned...


    ***


    He went back to her lips once more, invading her mouth and wrestling her tongue. Of all kinds of intimacy, June seemed to love kissing the most, but then again, she hadn''t experienced most of them for long.


    He slid the gown off her other shoulder while thoroughly immersed in the kiss. More of her naturalvender smell assaulted his nostrils as he kissed her neck, corbones, and upper chest until he encountered the restriction of her bra that obstructed his entry to those firm and sweet bunnies.


    His palm moved up, leaving a shiver down her back as he unfastened the hold of her bra. June let out a whimper as her lovely bosoms were finally freed from their confines.


    "Did they get bigger?" he chuckled into her ear while his other palm kneaded one. "Or am I tripping¡­"


    "Stop talking nonsense!"


    He did, putting his mouth to better use. He pulled her up, on top of him, and let her heavy breast into his mouth, sucking on the pink nipple that stood out under the little stimtion.


    June moaned, stroking his hair in wild abandon, her back arching up. Apparently, she liked it too.


    He kneaded one bunny with his lips and tongue, the other with his palm, the feeling of pleasure spreading throughout while a warmth grew in hisher region.


    While he alternated between the two bunnies, June managed to regain a bit of herposure.


    "Are you not done with them?"


    "I can never be done with them," he said, still gobbling them, licking them all over.


    "I want a kiss¡­"


    He pulled her down to offer one immediately¡ªnot rough and strong like he couldn''t control himself, but more seductive, slow¡ªthe way she desired.


    June moaned and whimpered sweetly into his mouth, still ying with his hair. He supported her back with his left palm, while the other moved down to rest on her butt cheeks.


    Immersed in the kiss, she showed no particr reaction, unlike before. He began kneading her supple, peachy flesh, bringing himself as much pleasure as he got from her full bosoms.


    Her passion rose as her body jerked slowly to his kneading. He moved both of his palms on her backside, giving the fleshy side his full attention.


    Then she finally froze when his fingers found the crack between her legs. A look of surprise shed in his eyes.


    "Warden¡ª" she uttered, sping her legs together, his finger still lodged between. "Gale¡­"


    "My, my, my princess," he grinned. "You were calling me a pervert, but look at how wet you are¡­"


    Heat rose to her cheeks. She hid her face in his chest. "Don''t talk like that," she whimpered.


    "So I should just act, huh?" His fingers brushed against her lower lips.


    June ground her thighs together, causing the feeling to spread even further, even though a thinyer of cloth still obstructed his path. "You know we cannot¡­"


    "I''m aware," he let out raggedly, "of your Elven traditions... but that doesn''t stop us from loving ourselves a little more¡­"


    "What do you intend to do?" the elf maiden asked, torn between her desire for more and her tradition that stopped her from losing her maidenhead before the ceremony.


    "Last time, we barely scratched the itch," he whispered into her ear, biting into it, "Let''s go one step further¡­"


    "Mmmhhh¡­ Meaning?!"


    "You''ll know soon enough¡­"


    He wasted no time removing the gown from herpletely. It took a little more time than he liked, considering their position. He removed his own clothing with a mentalmand, most of his tunic and pants disappearing into his spirit domain. Whatever was his was part of his domain, after all.


    He pulled her into his embrace once again, her full bosoms pressing into his chest, while their body temperature reached a middle ground.


    He kissed her a couple more times, and yed with the bunnies, before raising her body with his arms supporting her underarms.


    "What are you doing?" she asked.


    He moved her 180 degrees until herher region faced his mouth. Discover hidden stories at §Þ??


    "Gale¡­ this¡ª" she cried while he already drove his nose into her wet underwear. "You pervert! What are you doing?!"


    "Last time you took care of me," he said, "this time give me the honour¡­"


    "But¡ª"


    "I promise, this will make you feel great," he said, softly biting into the flesh. Slowly, he slid down her panties as the path to the maiden cave became bare before his eyes. He wasted no time nting his lips onto it.


    June was unable toprehend what he was doing, even though she perceived it all too clearly. She sped her thighs, locking his chest between her legs. It was instinctive, but that only caused Gale to dive deeper.


    June moaned, reaching small releases in quick session. Then she noticed the warmth rising on her face with the hardness growing underneath. Her face couldn''t have been more red.


    While Gale continued his game, she ran a clumsy finger over his underwear, tracing the full length. It wasn''t too long ago that she helped his release¡­ multiple times¡­


    The monster bound within the confines of the underwear red under her touch. "Should I¡­" she let out. "Help you?"


    "If you want," Gale returned, arching his head back from her honey cave.


    June took a deep breath and slowly mustered her resolve to slide her palm into the underwear. She easily found the rod, radiating fierce intensity. Like thest time, she was unable topletely capture it within the grasp of one palm.


    Suddenly, the underwear disappeared very much like how his other clothing had disappeared, as the straight serpentine monster shed before her eyes.


    June let out a yelp. A very lustful smell entered her nose and caused her to waver. She stooped down to nt a kiss on the tip before knowing it herself. The serpentine monster rose to higher ground under the stimtion.


    June felt the entirety of its warmth on her face, as it had reached from her chin to her forehead, and perhaps more¡­ She sniffed in the smell it radiated, very different from sweat or Gale''s ordinary odour¡­ yet the more she took in, the more her passion mounted.


    Gale was already diving his tongue into her cave, reaching new ground with every stroke¡­ so she didn''t find anything wrong with doing the same¡­ After all, she was doing it for the person she loved.


    Mustering her courage, she got the tip in and was already feeling full. Gale gasped, and she thought she was doing it right.


    "Don''t use your teeth," Gale reminded after she barely managed to do anything but move her tongue around the tip of the shaft. "And you can support it with your palm¡­"


    "What are you even teaching me?" she screamed into his mind, switching to telepathy¡­ and then all his feelings, and emotions rushed into her¡­pletely freezing her in that state.


    She hadn''t tapped into another person''s mind for decades, since the ident, she had kept it all sealed... But now, the sheer intensity of the motions left her gasping, gagging... reaching for more... emotions... more love and intimacy...


    She couldn''t get enough of it.

 Chapter 316: Memory Resurface

    Dawn woke up early, as usual. After changing into her usual shirt and pants and refreshing, she prepared tea and crept toward Gale''s room, only to find it empty. The beddingypletely unattended, with not even a single crease on it.


    Thinking he was already awake, she spread her awareness to find him. Her spiritual sense picked up on the adepts, most of whom probably hadn''t slept after Gale''s announcement yesterday. Even Jenni was asleep at her study table with her mouth open.


    Perhaps he hadn''t been back at all, she thought, remembering Gale''s tendency to sleep outside, especially in hammocks. She came out of the house, holding onto the serving tray.


    It was only a couple of minutes'' walk. The first thing she saw was the enormous white crane resting soundlessly. Next to it was the elf woman, her hair dishevelled, skin red, as she ran her palm over her dress to smooth the creases.


    The elf noticed her quickly, and her cheeks grew even redder. "Hello," she waved.


    Dawn bowed curtly. She had no opinion about her, but it took only a little to be courteous.


    "I''m leaving," the elf continued. "Please tell him I''ll be back in a couple of days."


    Why don''t you tell him yourself? Dawn didn''t voice the question, her eyes darting to the figure sleeping soundly in the hammock.


    After giving up on her dress, the elf stepped forward to tap Dawn on the shoulder. "I haven''t got time to talk with you really," she said. "I''ll try to rectify that at our next meeting."


    She likely wants to know more about Gale, Dawn thought as she nodded. "Tea?"


    "Thank you, but I have to pass this time," the elf said, waking her ride to depart directly.


    Dawn watched them leave and turned her attention to the man sleeping. She crept closer and fell into the conundrum of whether to wake him up or wait.


    Like the elf, his hair was dishevelled, all over his face. Unwittingly, she drew her palm and eased the locks of white hair off his face. She worked slowly, worried about waking him.


    Suddenly, Gale muttered something unintelligible and pulled her into his embrace.


    Dawn''s mind cried out, but she collected herself immediately. Her essence shed, creating a semi-tangible hand that caught the tray of beverages, preventing the hot tea from spilling. She slowly let the essence hand disperse after resting the tray on the ground.


    Dawn sighed in relief, then faced the actual issue. While she was dealing with the tray and teapot, Gale had pulled herpletely into his embrace, his arms wrapped around her back.


    Her head rested on his chest. Dawn could hear his heartbeat, which was so different from what she remembered. It was like a slow clock, barely audible to her superior senses.


    Thest time she was so close to him was just before the disaster. She had mustered all her courage to embrace him, though unable to express her true feelings.


    Dawn looked at his familiar yet unfamiliar face, moving away the strands of hair, biting her lip.


    I haven''t seen you for two years, and you fell in love with another woman...


    Dawn stroked his hair, causing Gale to move in his sleep. He pulled her up to kiss her on the head.


    "I''m not going anywhere," he mumbled in a sleepy voice.


    I won''t let you, Dawn muttered to herself. She remained in his embrace for some time, feeling safe, and secure... until it was time to let go.


    It was so hard to show your affection to a man who doesn''t remember you.


    Dawn slowly slipped out of his arms, substituting herself with a small pillow. She stood up and sped her cheeks, feeling the heat.


    The sun rose in full splendour, the sunlight filtering through the atmosphere and the canopy to fall on Gale''s face, waking him up.


    Dawn was standing with the serving tray in hand when he opened his eyes. He blinked, finding her the first thing he saw.


    "Tea?" she offered.


    "I told you not to aggravate yourself over all this," he said, sitting upright. "Where''s June?"


    "She left half an hour ago," Dawn answered. "She mentioned she''ll be back in a couple of days."


    Gale sighed and was about to relieve her of the tea when he stared at her. "Why is your face red?"


    Dawn said nothing and looked at her feet, causing Gale to scratch his bushy beard. Only then did he notice he was wearing nothing, with the nket only covering his lower body.


    "Sorry," he muttered, summoning clothing from his spirit domain to cover himself.


    "The golden fate mark is new," Dawn muttered.


    Gale raised an eyebrow. "Yes, just recently got it..."


    "Is that how your hair turned white, and your exterior and aura changed somewhat?"


    "It did change a little," he said, running a fingerb through his unkempt hair. "Though I feel it''s far from being thest time."


    "You look good," Dawn said, feeling her heartbeat rise. "Just the beard..."


    Gale measured his beard with his palm. "There''s still about an hour left before I have to take the ss... I should get rid of it by then."


    With that, he brought a razor and shaving cream out of his spirit domain. He probably needed a mirror too, but there was none with him. Well, he nned on clean shaving; he was dexterous enough to not make a mistake even without a mirror.


    "Is there something you need?" he asked, noticing her suppressing herself.


    "No, I...," Dawn mumbled. "I can help with the shaving... and cut your hair too."


    "Do you have training?"


    "I can do a better job of it than you," she said curtly.


    He raised an eyebrow before handing her the instrument. "Help yourself then..." he said, then grinned. "If you make a mistake, I''ll do your braids. It would look wrong if only one of us had a terrible hairstyle, right?"


    Dawn suppressed her blushes and epted the challenge. As a matter of fact, he had done her braids on multiple asions. All it had taken was for her to show him that she was terrible at it, and he couldn''t help himself.


    "You should lie down on the hammock and rx," Dawn advised. "I''ll be done in a few minutes."


    Gale did as asked, while Dawn stooped down to cover his beard with shaving cream, filling it with foam. She pulled the razor and worked slowly.


    Gale stared at her as she worked, putting her full attention into it. Only now did he notice how bright her eyes were, grey with a spark of purple in the pupils.


    Her face was like a porcin doll, with pale pink skin and pale silvery eyebrows matching her long hair. It wasn''t simply albinism, because something so simple like that could not made her cute beyond measure.


    A memory resurfaced in his mind... of a boundless blue sky overhead, wind rushing along while he was sitting on a perch of a familiar home, and Dawn shaving his beard, massaging his head, while another young girl said something to her, causing her cheeks to redden.


    He tried to go deeper into the vision, clutching whatever he could take with him. A pinprick of pain assaulted his mind, and he came back to reality. Gale clenched his teeth.


    "Sir... um, Gale?"


    "Yes?" he looked up at her, staring at the familiar face, a wave of familiarity growing in him.


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    "Please lift your chin up, I need to shave underneath¡ª"


    Gale pulled her into an embrace. Dawn let out a mewling noise but didn''t object. Her figure became rigid instead.


    "You have told me about myself and showed evidence of who you are," he muttered, stroking her hair. "But I finally glimpsed what you truly are..."


    "Mhmm..."


    "Thank you for looking out for me," he said. "Thank you for finding me... I''ve been a pretty terrible lord so far, I guess."


    He let her go, finding her face had turned another shade pinker, shaving cream smearing the side of her face. Gale extended his palm to clean it off her face.


    Dawn''s eyes turned watery as she stared at him, biting her lip.


    "I..." Gale cleared his throat. "I should have... I didn''t know what to say..."


    "You did all you could," she said, releasing the weight off her chest. "You changed my life for the better... and so many others. Let us bear some of your weight."


    He nodded slowly. Then both of their attention darted to somewhere else.


    "OH!" Jenni yelped. "I have seen nothing... only two adults hugging... nothing serious..." Only then did she realise she should just shut her mouth. "I shoulde sometime after..."


    Gale clicked his tongue. "If you run away now, I''ll return you to your father."


    Jenni''s feet froze as she turned to re at him. "I just came to show my improved design," she waved the graph paper in her hand.


    He called her over and took the paper with a serious look on his face.


    "You look weird with half your beard and foam," Jenni chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.


    He sighed. "I don''t think you''re the gossiping type, nor do I care about you or anyone spreading anything about me... but make sure whatever you say does not affect Dawn."


    Jenni nodded without even recognising the seriousness of his words.


    "She had a hard life that you can hardly imagine," Gale continued. "And being unable to express herself truly only made it worse in some cases. I don''t want anyone else, even the most insignificant person, talking behind her back."

 Chapter 317: First Evaluation

    "This should be the end of the first part on efficiency," Gale said, "but I guess that would depend on how well you all did on your papers."


    His students took a deep breath, exchanging nervous looks as Gale transferred one of the graph papers from the table to the whiteboard for everyone to see. The student who created the design cringed, as though he had eaten a rotten lemon.


    "It''s yours, Darren, I guess," Gale said. Previously, he hadn''t bothered with who designed what, but this time it mattered more, as he would be evaluating them. "Would you like to exin your design?"


    The dark-skinned student nodded and stood up. "As you can see, it''s a Tier-III design involving four kinds of runes," he began, not great at selling his work. "The script is focused on defence, so it can be applied to shields, armor, or other simr broad guards.


    In its full capacity, the formation contains 298 runes, a third of which are Shock Absorption, followed by Empower, Restoration, and Amplification."


    "This is a better design than what you did in thest couple of days," Gale announced, causing Darren to stand a bit straighter at the praise. "Even though you went ahead to make sure it has a lot more utility. I''ll give it a B+ overall."


    "Thank you!" Darren was d. After all, it was his first B. Throughout thest couple of days, he mostly got Ds with an asional C. A B grade was something only Aki and Jenni had managed, and that too not consecutively.


    "Next," Gale moved on to the next design.


    "It''s mine," said the oldest of the adepts. Perhaps he wasn''t older than Elder Ming, but he sure looked like it with his grey hair, beard, and wrinkled face.


    Gale put the design up for everyone to observe.


    "Why does this look so odd?" Jenni muttered with a thoughtful look.


    Aki narrowed his eyes. "It only has two kinds of runes, Empower and Amplification, but the number of runes¡­"


    "There are 512 of them," the old man said, causing many to gasp.


    If 298 was a good number for a Tier-III script formation, 512 was a monster of a number. The only problem was that there was no creativity in y, just runes designed to give the most efficient result.


    "If you were to make an artifact with this design," Darren added, "I don''t believe it wouldst very long."


    "Perhaps a month or two," the old man agreed, fully aware of his design''s ws.


    "If the evaluation was based on creativity or utility, I wouldn''t even give it a D," Galemented.


    "Thankfully, it''s only based on the efficiency of the design," the old man smiled.


    Gale nodded. "You get an A- for this. I hope you already have ideas on how to make it better."


    The old man nodded without saying anything more.


    The evaluation continued, and none of the others got better than a B+. Even Aki seemed to hit a wall with his creativity, unable to move beyond a B+ in his design. Now, only Jenni''s paper remained to be evaluated.


    Everyone was eager to see what the daughter of their boss hade up with, as she had been far ahead of everyone else in design. She had received a couple of As before anyone else and didn''t seem to be nning on stopping. She reckoned her rune painting helped her greatly in adapting to the essence of Gale''s teaching.


    "It''s a Tier-IV design," she announced, causing everyone to exchange nces.


    "Does that mean you can do Tier-IV runes now?" Aki couldn''t help but ask.


    Jenni shrugged. "I haven''t had time to try it, but I''m confident I''ll seed within a few tries."


    "It''s pretty simple for a Tier-IV design," Galemented.


    "It does one thing, and it does it really well," Jenni said. "A total of 868 runes, 625 of them are Concealment script, followed by around 100 Amplification and Istion script."


    "All three difficult types of runes interwoven creatively to be most efficient in stealth," Gale said, touching his chin. "I would have given it an A+ if the design weren''t faulty."


    "It''s faulty?" Jenni asked in disbelief. Everyone else was either astounded or looking at the script in disbelief.


    Gale nodded. "You would have noticed if you tried to put the design into practice. Perhaps calling it faulty is a bit cruel. The better word is inefficient. Your fouryers of the shell do not connect in harmony. Instead of one powerful effect of concealment with fouryers, this will produce two doubleyers of concealment.


    The two are just not the same."


    Jenni clenched her teeth, her palms turning white from gripping her fists.


    "If I werementing on creativity, I''d give a better score," Gale continued, narrowing his eyes at her. "But it''s a D for efficiency."


    Jenni nodded silently, still clenching her fists. A couple of the adepts seemed as though they wanted toin but didn''t voice their opinions.


    "It''s still a Tier-IV design," the old man muttered.


    "I did evaluate it as a Tier-IV design," Gale nodded. "Alright, the ss is dismissed. I''ll do a remedial ss on efficiency some dayster, but from tomorrow we''ll go over utility. Your homework for the night is to show me your best design, applying all the teaching I covered on efficiency, while also keeping utility in mind."


    One by one, the adepts left. Some had a few questions, which Gale addressed within a quarter of an hour.


    "Do you need something?" he asked Jenni, who looked like she wanted to say more.


    Jenni nodded, as a bunch of runic graph papers appeared in her hands. "Evaluate all these."


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    Gale raised an eyebrow but took the designs. "You made all these?"


    Jenni nodded. "Half of them are bad. But I''d be d if you showed me what theyck."


    Gale counted to find there were twenty-seven papers. Most of them had original designs that weren''t among the norms of what they teach to adepts in the military or schools.


    "Bring your chair," Gale said, taking a deep breath. "It''s going to take a while to go through all this."


    Jenni worked first, carrying her chair to his table to sit across from him.


    "All this had the application of my designing technique," he said. "How did you manage all of them in a short few days?"


    "The designs are old," Jenni answered. "I have made them over thest few years... I just applied your designing techniques in thest couple of days..."


    Gale nodded, taking in a slow breath. "Remember when I told you that you had a talent for runesmithing?" he said. "Perhaps I didn''t understand the whole scope of it back then... You''re not just talented, you''re gifted in this aspect, especially in the creative part."


    Jenni''s cheeks turned a tad bit red at thepliment.


    He moved on to check the design. "If I were to evaluate this on efficiency, this gets an A-..."


    "Give me numbers instead of grades," Jenni said. "That will give me more ideas on how much I need to improve."


    "Fine," he said. "My evaluation system is pretty simple. Anything above 60 is an A, A+ for above 80. Minus for those that have obvious problems. For this one in particr, I guess it scored about 68 points, with an obvious w in implementation.

 Chapter 318: Arrival

    Another couple of days passed, and the tutoring had been going with full flow. Every one of the adepts finally had a good idea of what to do to improve themselves.


    Nheless, one person remained significantly ahead of everyone else.


    "Dawn, Dawn!" Jenni lunged toward the woman in white, holding a stray graph paper. "I got my first A in utility."


    "Congrats," Dawn replied with a smile.


    "This gets me one of those good meals, right?" Jenni asked eagerly. It had only been hard work, while their tutor rested.


    Of course, she enjoyed the work and the learning process. At the beginning, she was sceptical about learning anything, but as Gale had shown new ways to implement her runes, Jenni had be increasingly eager to work. She didn''t mind cutting her rest and sleep to focus on designing.


    But that didn''t mean it wasn''t exhausting; working all day would tire anyone out. The only respite from her work was the tasty meals she got for doing better than most.


    Jenni hadn''t been to any school and didn''t have any earlierpetition among peers. Thankfully, this had managed to bring out her creative side.


    "Yes, I''ll deliver your meal to your room after we''re done with the cooking," Dawn said, tapping her shoulder. "Other than that, you get a token to bother him for an hour."


    With that, Dawn handed her a golden ribbon. "You''re the first to get it, congrattions."


    Jenni frowned. "Does this have an expiry date, or can I bother him even in the middle of the night, pulling him out of his sleep?"


    "He didn''t mention anything when he gave me these," Dawn shrugged. "Though I''d suggest not bothering him when he''s resting. His power, wisdom, and what he is take a heavy toll on his body and mind. Moreover, he usually doesn''t take the rest he needs."


    "I hear the higher you advance, the less a ranker needs to rest," Jenni raised an eyebrow.


    "In the usual case, that''s true," Dawn sighed. "But we both know how unusual he is."


    "I guess," Jenni said and looked around to make sure no one else was around. "So, have you managed anything else yet?"


    Dawn gave her an incredulous look. "I need to make some brewing."


    Jenni snorted. "Come on, I can help you with this," she said. "After all, you need a woman on your team if you have topete with that tall elf with such a curvaceous body."


    Dawn red at her, but that only made her look cuter.


    "Well, if we''reparing in the department of adorable and cuteness," Jenni added, running her palms on Dawn''s shoulders, "you have nopetition. But you have to be seductive if you want to win over that blockhead of a man."


    Dawn shot her a quiet nce. "I''m stunned that I''m hearing this from you."


    "Listen to me, I''mpletely confident," Jenni continued, catching her palms. "If you keep going on like you do, you''ll remain a caretaker while they¡ª"


    "Just stop," Dawn cut in. "I''m happy with what I''m doing for him."


    Jenni clicked her tongue. "You''re just too good to him."


    Dawn sighed. "I don''t want toplicate his mind any more than it already is."


    "So, you''ll let that elf take him away?" Other than her lessons, this was another matter Jenni was fully invested in. Love triangles between three quirky and oblivious people were not something you came across every day.


    "Don''t talk about matters you do not understand, silly girl," Dawn admonished. Discover exclusive tales at M V L


    "Hey, I understand more than you," Jenniined. "It''s you who¡ª"


    "What''s that?" Dawn asked, looking up at the sky.


    "It''s a bird?" Jenni muttered. It was evening, and the dim light made it hard to see clearly.


    "It''s a flying transport..."


    It came down toward them, finally allowing them to make out its figure.


    "Oh, it''s Agnes," Jenni shouted. "Here! Captain, we''re here!"


    The figure was a woman with ebony ck hair, and jet-ck essence wings spread on her back, enabling her to fly with ease and efficiency.


    "Jenni," the captain said,nding before them. "I didn''t expect to see you here. But I''m d you''re fine."


    "You too," Jenni said, exchanging a quick hug. "d to see you in good health."


    "Is Warden here?" Agnes asked, her eyes shing toward Dawn once. She was surprised to see such a unique woman, though she didn''t voice any of it.


    "He goes by Gale now, and yes, he''s here." Jenni pointed the way toward theke. "He''s probably on his hammock, reading something. Anyway, did you fly all the way here?"


    "Something like that," Agnes smiled and nodded toward Dawn. "I''ll catch up with youter, but for now, I need to talk to him."


    With that, she shot toward theke.


    Jenni turned her attention to Dawn, who had a small line between her brows.


    "Anotherpetition has arrived," Jenni chuckled. "This is getting spicy. I believe the captain can check the elf with her intensity. Perhaps this will give you the opportunity you need."


    "It''s all in your head, silly girl," Dawn snorted.


    "Why aren''t you worried, like, at all?" Jenni asked, unable to fathom how a woman could devote so much of herself to a man without hoping to get anything in return. Thispletely blew her mind. Yes, she had perhaps read something like this in a romance, but those were stories, and even in them, it sounded so stupid and wrong.


    But Dawn was the fairest of hearts. Jenni didn''t want her to go down the road. Well, I guess I don''t know what I want for her, Jenni thought and sighed.


    "I''m worried about him," Dawn said, turning her head toward theke, "but not because of other women."


    "Now I worry," Jenni said, "you might be more stupid than I am. And you know what infuriates me?"


    Dawn shot her a worried look.


    "That guy may be brilliant in many aspects, as I knew it," Jenni said, clenching her jaw. "But he''s even more dumb in this aspect."

 Chapter 319: Dinner (1)

    "You came just at the right time," Gale said, casting his fishing rod into the water. "Maybe we can get that dinner if everything goes well."


    Agnes stared at him and his surroundings.


    "When you called, I thought you''d be here within a couple of hours," he said. "What took you so long?"


    Agnes sighed. "I could have been here in less than half an hour if I used teleportation," she said. "But I flew most of the way here."


    He turned to look at her and finally noticed the changes. Her aura was hidden as always, but the fluctuations she emitted were far more prominent and developed. "You have advanced!" he beamed. "Congrattions!"


    "Thankfully, it went without a hitch," Agnes nodded. The benefits she received from the subspace were likely unmatched, as he couldn''t imagine anyone else getting the same advantages from dark essence as she did.


    "Almost a couple of months have passed on the front lines," he said, motioning for her to sit next to him on the boulder. "Is there any news I need to be aware of?"


    Continue reading at M V L


    "Other than the demonic monster surge that ran amok until the higher-ups intervened," Agnes paused, "they''ve finally realized what we stole and are doing their best to find it."


    Gale blinked. "Really?" He wasn''t too surprised; the news was bound to break out eventually. But it had only been a few days for him, and he hadn''t thought much about what was happening on the front lines. "How much did they find out?"


    "Probably more than they''re letting on. They''re keeping the search under the radar, but I''ve heard everyone is far more eager. Even the noble kids had to go through many rounds of interrogation. Good thing you got out before they had any idea."


    "They''ll still bother me about this when I get back," Gale muttered. He could already see it happening, especially with his rtionship with the Walts. They would probably try something sinister again.


    Unfortunately for them, this time he would be prepared for whatever they could throw at him. Gale smiled coldly.


    "Anyway," Agnes said, meeting his gaze. "Have you checked on the findings?"


    "I have, though from afar," he said. "I''ve been waiting for the right time to do a more thorough inspection."


    "What are you waiting for? Didn''t you mention the core was causingplications with your abilities?"


    "I fixed that while still within the camps. Anyway, I''ll let you see it all after dinner."


    ****


    June arrived on Sylvie when it waspletely dark, except for the countless stars twinkling in the sky. Gale had called her twice in thest couple of hours, urging her to join him as soon as possible. He was preparing dinner and wanted her to be there.


    "Finally," Gale greeted her before they could evennd.


    She could already smell the delectable aroma of food in the air. The table setup indicated she waste.


    "Dawn, help her prepare," Gale said to the unique-looking woman, who still looked as pristine as ever. "Meanwhile, I''ll set the table."


    Dawn invited June back to the guest house to refresh herself and change. Since she was alreadyte, June didn''t waste much time. She changed into a light blue gown she hadn''t worn more than a few times and applied some natural perfume. When she came out, Dawn was still waiting for her.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting," June said, nodding to her.


    "The others have already joined. We shouldn''t keep them waiting," Dawn said as they passed by a very furious-looking girl¡ªJenni, if June remembered correctly¡ªmunching on a big piece of roasted meat and ring at Dawn and her.


    "I''m telling you," Jenni muttered. "I''ll have my revenge."


    "You should focus on runes instead," Dawn reminded her, causing the girl to snort and walk away.


    June shot Dawn a questioning look, asking what was that about.


    "She wanted to join the dinner," Dawn sighed, "but he denied her, as that would seem unfair to the other adepts."


    "I see," June replied, though she doubted that was the only reason. Gale was probably only looking for his closest people to share sensitive information with.


    Even so, she was surprised to find four chairs set at the table. Two for her and Gale, one presumably for Dawn, but she wondered about the fourth chair.


    June soon got her answer. A tall woman dressed in contrast to her arrived. She stood close to June''s height, slightly slimmer, with an obnoxious enchantment about her that was different from Dawn''s unique aura.


    June couldn''t say much about her other than noting she was of silver rank. The woman was beautiful, even enchanting in her ck dress, which didn''t hide her toned shoulders or corbone. Most prominent were her slight cleavage and dark purple eyes, simr to Gale and Dawn.


    As June was checking her out, the woman was also giving her a tant look, inspecting her from head to toe. She turned to Gale and remarked:


    "So this is the brilliant woman whose underwear you worship all day and night?"


    June''s jaw dropped, and she couldn''t help but re at Gale. How could he let someone else know such a private thing? She was going to get a full ount of that when they were alone.


    "Ahem!" June cleared her throat to break the awkwardness.


    "Oh, sorry if I made you ufortable," the woman said. "It''s just that this guy talks a lot about it."


    June forced a smile. "I hope he didn''t exaggerate."


    "No, no, he at least kept you within mortal bounds."


    "Well, I''m sure he told you my name," she said diplomatically. "But in case he didn''t, I''m June. You''re wee to address me openly."


    "Agnes," the woman said, extending her hand. "I''m probably not the dignified guest you elves are used to, so I''ll ask for pardon first."


    "Casual behaviour is fine." They shook hands, and June found hers to be unnervingly cold.


    "Alright, everyone," Gale pped his hands. "Take a seat. I''ll do the serving."


    June let Agnes choose her seat first, but she insisted June go first. Ultimately, June took the seat with the view of theke. Agnes sat across from her, with a seat in between.


    Dawn went to help Gale serve, but he held her by the shoulders and gently pushed her to sit between June and Agnes.


    "If you know me better than myself," he said to Dawn, "then you should know how much I love others to serve my cooking."


    In the end, Dawn relented and sat on her right.


    "So you knew him before his head was cracked?" Agnes asked, ncing at Dawn.


    June didn''t like how Agnes spoke, but she kept herints to herself. She wasn''t surprised about her knowing Gale''s amnesia either, as he had already informed her that the captain was someone he trusted.


    Dawn nodded, as there was nothing more to say, in her opinion.


    "How was he before then?" Agnes asked again.


    Gale quirked an eyebrow, interested to know the answer. Dawn lifted her head to give him a look as he served fried rice onto their tes.


    "He''s just the same as I remember," Dawn said, "Perhaps a little less intense now, with a more prominent face."


    "Are you saying he''s more handsome now?" Agnes raised an eyebrow, looking between Gale and Dawn.


    Dawn''s cheeks turned a shade red. "Yes."


    "Mhm," Agnes hummed. "I thought he looked better with a beard, but that might be because it hid his pointy chin and jawline."


    "Okay, you two can stop discussing how dashing I am in front of me," Gale said, taking the seat between them. "You can sing songs of my heroics behind my back."


    "I like the clean-shaven look," June told him, touching his knee. "It gives more of an intellectual vibe, not just a brutal fighter who kills monsters for a living. You would look imposing as a professor."


    "That reminds me, are you nning on going back to teaching at the school?"


    "Honestly, I haven''t thought about it," Gale said thoughtfully. "But I love teaching, so I can see myself going back."


    Dawn looked eager to say something but remained silent until Gale pointed it out.


    "You want to add something, Dawn?"


    "Umm, I may have forgotten to mention, but you do have an establishment where you teach spirit arts and many other things a couple of times a week," she said.


    "Really?" Gale raised an eyebrow. "How many students do I have?"


    "Well, other than your disciple, there are about a dozen or so," Dawn said. After thinking for a second, she added, "You didn''t like ruckus, so we kept the thing very remote."


    "You have a disciple?" Agnes asked,pletely bbergasted. "Like one you teach regrly?"


    Gale shrugged. "Why is it so shocking to you?" he snorted.


    "Well, as much as I know, I just couldn''t imagine it," she said. "You give the vibe of a person who''d fed up with teaching a single person soon unless they are really talented."


    "I think she is," he muttered. "And I''m going to have another disciple soon... Probably..."


    "Jenni?" June picked an eyebrow.


    "Probably," he nodded. "Though it depends on her. If she can see above her current mindset and see what she can aplish with some nudges on her path."


    Agnes was more surprised. "You are really serious about this?"


    "Enough about me," Gale said. "I heard you''re discharged from being the role of captain of the 16th infantry?"


    "Fortunately, or unfortunately, yes," Agnes said with a deep sigh. "I''m free of military duties now."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 320: Dinner (2)

    "Fortunately, or unfortunately, yes," Agnes said with a deep sigh. "I''m free of military duties now."


    "Why is it unfortunate?" June asked.


    Agnes sat up straighter in her seat. "Because... I would be taking on a new position soon," she said. "I wasfortable working as the captain. Now I have to learn the ropes of the new position, and I feel like it won''t be easy."


    "Well,pleting the mission gives you full autonomy, right?" Gale asked. "You can be a free soul and do whatever you want..."


    Agnes smiled ruefully. "You can never be truly free," she said. "Nobody can... But yes, they''ll probably give me a promotion and make it so that I can''t refuse. Well, at least I won''t have to work hard for poor pay."


    Everyone approved of his cooking, chatting quietly on rted subjects as they ate. He had cooked much more than necessary. Dawn took some of the leftovers to save for Jenni, hoping to lift her spirits.


    "So, should I call you Gale from now on?" Agnes asked.


    "Or Joe," he said, turning his head to June. "Apparently, I''m a good Joe too. My full name is Gale Joseph Paul Carpenter."


    "Not gonna lie, any of that has a better ring to it than Warden," Agnes chuckled. She turned her attention to Dawn. "Tell us something about him that we don''t know... Bonus points if it''s something even he has no idea about."


    Before Dawn could open her mouth, Gale cut in, "That''s unfair... I''ll only agree to this game if you all take part as well and share secrets no one else knows."


    Agnes exchanged a look with the others. "I can agree to that, but only if you all promise to keep it between us."


    June agreed too, and everyone turned their attention to Dawn.


    "Umm," Dawn hesitated, "he thinks being mysterious and acting stupidly around women makes them like him..."


    Gale thought for a moment and nodded. "That actually sounds true," he said, only to find both Agnes and June ring at him. "Hey, it worked with both of you."


    "It didn''t!" both women said in unison, ring at each other as though they disliked the sound of the other''s voice.


    "How did he act with you at first?" Agnes asked June.


    June narrowed her eyes. "He acted like an ass, getting on my nerves."


    "How true," Agnes turned to him. "I gave him toilet cleaning duty just because he got on my nerves, and it turns out he can even use that to do more damage to my mind."


    "What is this?" Galeined. "You two are bonding over how I acted with you? Dawn, at least take my side..."


    "I''m sure you acted like an ass in front of her too during your first meeting," Agnes stated.


    "The first time, I only saw him from afar," Dawn said curtly.


    "What about when you two talked for the first time?"


    Dawn met his gaze and seemed reluctant to discuss it, but with the other two women''s urging, she had to say something.


    "I''m, um, as you''ve seen, very bad at talking to people," she said. "At first, I only replied with nods, yeses, and noes... So he would always do something stupid and outrageous to get a reaction from me."


    "That actually sounds sweet," Agnes smiled. "What is the wildest thing he has done?"


    "Mostly, they were jokes and wild stories," she said, "but there was one time he asked me to instruct the students."


    "How did you do?"


    "It was a nightmare," Dawn said.


    "I''m sure it was the opposite for the students," June smiled. "Considering his nickname as Hell Instructor, I''m sure the students were delighted to have a lovely face to look forward to."


    Dawn blushed a little and peeked towards Gale, as though wanting to know if he felt the same.


    "Anyway, since all three of you are here with me having a meal," Gale said, "I''d say my acts worked."


    "I only liked you after finding the caring side of you," June snorted. "If you acted like an ass all the time, I wouldn''t have given you a chance."


    "That''s just part of my wild charm," he sped her shoulder, nting a kiss on her cheek.


    "It''s not," June said, shoving his hand aside.


    "We can agree to disagree," Gale said and turned his attention to the former captain. "It is now someone else''s turn to reveal an embarrassing secret about themselves... So, Captain, make sure it''s something more interesting than you running away from a princess''s love..."


    Agnes red at him. "She doesn''t love me; she was just doing it to show the prince that she didn''t want him as her husband or any husband for that matter."


    "What is this about?" June asked, sounding confused.


    "Are you going to exin this, or let me?" Gale asked, grinning.


    "I wouldn''t let you exin anything," Agnes kicked him slightly under the table. "You''ll only make it sound weird. Anyway, during a mission, there was a couple of royalty in my group, both outrageous in their character..."


    By the end of her exnation, everyone except Agnes was smiling. Apparently, it wasn''t funny to her, at the very least.


    "What would you do if this happened to you?" Agnes red at them.


    "I don''t know," June''s expression shifted to a thoughtful look. "It has never happened to me... I''d probably try to create a barrier between us first."


    "What about you?" Agnes turned to Dawn, who froze.


    "I''d run away," she said, biting her lips.


    "The same as me," Agnes approved. "See, I wasn''t too outrageous."


    "If someone showed their true love and adoration for me," Gale began, "assuming it''s a man, to sympathize with you, I''d absolutely destroy their ass with my great sword."


    Everyone at the table froze, looking at him agape, which soon turned into a re.


    "Ahaha, I''m kidding," Galeughed. "June, you know I''m not gay..."


    "It wasn''t funny," she red at him.


    "I think it would be funny next time," Agnes said, chuckling.


    Dawn looked at him, her cheeks reddened with a pink blush.


    "Okay, now it''s time for your secret..."


    Agnes sighed. "Okay, let me think of something that won''t make me die of embarrassment," she said, bending her neck. "Hmm, I guess I don''t have many embarrassing memories. There was this one time at the academy when I made a guy cry without even trying. I was so embarrassed that I forfeited my fight with him."


    "What happened?"


    "A guy confessed to me," Agnes said, her expression cringing. "He was unnervingly clingy. I don''t know who told him, but he thought being persistent was the way to get into my pants... It went so far that I had to use physical force to stop him. It was an official duel at the academy, and he still wouldn''t listen even after getting beaten. I got fed up and forfeited...


    which turned out to be the wrong decision. I had no idea he would think that forfeiting the match was the way I showed love to him..."


    "Some guys are just a piece of work," Junemented.


    "How did you stop him then?" Gale asked.


    "I didn''t have to," Agnes''s expression turned sombre. "Someone else helped me, and we formed a rtionship from that..."


    "I see," Gale was quick to change the subject. "That reminds me, how many times do you guys get confessed to? As far as I can tell, it''s a lot, right?"


    "Unfortunately," June said with a sigh. "Its a pain to get through them all."


    "For me, I can stomach honest confessions," said the former captain with a hateful look. "But I absolutely hate those that flex their position and rank before wanting to have sex with them."


    "Does that happen a lot?" June asked, feeling a little sympathetic towards her.


    "Not as much in the outside world, but on the frontline, it''s every second guy I meet," Agnes sighed. "They think it''s easy for someone convicted of a serious crime..."


    "Well,pared to you, I guess I have it easy," June said. "I mostly get anonymous letters from graduated students... A few have the courage to leave their names, but none strong enough to face my re."


    "Maybe you should let me read a few of them," Gale said, smiling.


    "And what about you, Dawn?" Agnes smiled at the diminutive figure. "With your looks, how many crazy guys have confessed to you?"


    Dawn was practically a tomato, unable to meet their gaze. "It''s not much... I don''t go out often."


    "Still, there have to be some crazy stories..."


    "Just the other day when I first met her, there were a bunch of soldiers hitting on her," Gale said. "I think she probably has it worse than both of you. Unlike you two, she cannot tell them to bugger off."


    "With my boundless experience, I can confidently say hurting their ego is the best way to get rid of them," Agnes said. "If you want some pointers, I can dly impart them to you..."


    "Or you can just say you''re into girls," Gale smiled.


    "I''m not," Dawn said almost immediately.


    "Well, the guys may not be aware of that," he continued.


    "Huh, you may not know, there are men who had shit for brains that can''t read a room," Agnes said.


    Of course, they were people who thought they had an aura that could make gay people straight.But in truth, that only stops them fromnding anywhere...


    "So, it''s your turn to share something embarrassing June..."

 Chapter 321: Bath

    The dinner had finished hours ago, but they had spent a lot of time talking before Dawn decided to retire. All the words she had to exchange were already too much for her introverted self, but she did return with a smile on her lips.


    "Hey, can any of you sing?" Gale asked. "The night looks lonely without some songs..."


    "I have not practised for decades," June said, clinging to his shoulders.


    "I have never even tried," Agnes intoned. "But I remember you are great at musical instruments."


    "Are you?" June shot him a quizzical look.


    "Well, I wouldn''t say great, but I do have some expertise." He brought out a lute from his spirit domain that he had bought not too long ago, though he had forgotten to even y it once. "Forgive me if it sounds dull or without rhythm."


    He began to y slowly, before diving into a more soulful rhythm, which required nimble fingers to work perfectly.


    "That was perfect," June said when he finished.


    He smiled and kissed her hand.


    "Anyway, I should retire too," Agnes said, standing up. "While you two lovebirds can mingle freely..."


    "Already?" Gale said. "Well, that''s fine too, I guess I can let you see the stuff tomorrow morning."


    "Fine by me," Agnes said as she crept back to the guest house.


    "Oh, we don''t have many empty rooms in the house," Gale said after her. "You are wee to use my room..."


    Agnes turned to shoot a questioning look. "Where would you two be staying?"


    Gale grinned.


    "Forget that I asked," Agnes muttered before disappearing into the night.


    Gale turned his attention back to the woman clinging to him.


    "I should go as well," June muttered, trying to stand up. "Perhaps I''ll share a room with her, or Dawn."


    Gale chuckled. He caught her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "So poor of you to assume I''d let you go..."


    He pulled her into hisp, before showering kisses on her shoulder and neck. "Let go~" June cried, though her body gave in quicker. "You already had me a couple of nights ago..."


    Gale pulled the gown off her shoulder to kiss downwards, soft skin pressed against his lips. "You don''t like it?"


    "It''s not that~" She let out a muffled moan, her palms sped to her mouth. "I came as soon as you called, barely finishing my job. I did not even bathe."


    "You smell nice," he told her, freeing her back from the gownpletely to kiss there.


    Goosebumps crawled up her skin. "Sylvie is watching~"


    Gale turned to find the young white crane really was looking at themzily, unsure what her master and the man were up to. He didn''t know why, but he too felt weird doing it in front of the huge bird and her innocent eyes.


    June barely sighed in relief, but Gale hadn''t let her go yet, even though he stopped kissing her.


    "You mentioned you haven''t had a bath."


    "What are you getting at?" June frowned.


    "Well, such a lovelyke is before us, let''s go take a dip."


    She narrowed her eyes at him.


    "Of course, we''d be doing it together, like a couple." Before she could say anything more, he pulled her into him and flew into theke.


    June let out a shrill cry as both of their forms submerged into the water, still clinging to one another. Gale began to remove her clothes, his palms moving around her supple curves, especially on the upper bosoms. He nted a heavy kiss on her lips while still submerged in the water, his fingers moving down to her lower lips.


    You''re too much! her voice transmitted into his mind as she formed a telepathic link.


    You haven''t seen enough, he grinned. Or felt it.


    He moved down on her, kissing his way to herher region. The water muffled her moans, but it hardly stopped the juice froming out of her quim.


    June''s head came out of the water surface, while she muffled her moans. She waspletely naked by now, unaware of where her clothing was.


    Please~ she cried into the telepathic link. I don''t think~ Please! I cannot stop myself~ Slow down!


    Gale took mercy on her and eased his intensity, though his head was still lodged between her thighs. He continued until he felt her orgasm to finally climb up to kiss her on the lips.


    "You''re hard," she cried, feeling the hot member on her ass cheeks. "I''m sorry... because of my traditions we cannot..."


    "It''s fine," he said, embracing her from behind, feeling the entirety of her soft body against him. "You mentioned the traditional ceremony elves go through. Is it just a couple taking oaths before the tree of life, or is there anything more to it..."


    "Of course, there''s more to it," June said, turning to face him. "After the ceremony, the couple''s souls be one... Well, it''s more like their souls bond together and they share a deep connection far more intimate than bonding a beastpanion."


    "I see," Gale muttered. "Do you agree to bind your pure soul to my cracked one?"


    "Yours is not cracked," June kissed him. "You have a heart bigger than most people I know."


    Gale couldn''t help but smile. "That doesn''t say it isn''t broken," he muttered. After all, he had seen it. It was only a matter of time before she would see it too.


    "You''re not broken," she whispered into his ear, and he decided to believe her for the night.


    "June," he caught her beautiful face within his palms, staring into her. "Before we go through any of the ceremonies or bonding, I want you to see more of myself..."


    I don''t want you to regret itter, he didn''t say thest part out loud. With the path Arihay ahead for him, Gale was not sure what fate had in store for him.


    June nodded. As though recognising his mood, she took the initiative to kiss him.

 Chapter 322: Soul Domain (1)

    The sun rose once again, driving away the loneliness and darkness of the night. It was still a couple of hours before his ss. His party from the dinnerst night had appeared before theke, with Gale looking at them pensively.


    "So, are you guys ready to dive into my soul?" he asked.


    All three women shot each other quizzical looks, unsure about his question. Dawn was the first to nod her head.


    "Stop with the forey and begin already," Agnes said. She was probably the only one who failed to understand what he really meant.


    "I''m not sure if I can ever be ready," June said. "Is there anyplication?"


    "There''s only one I can think of, but you guys can solve that," Gale said and closed his eyes. Finally, when he opened them, a gate appeared before him. Unlike before, when the entry to the subspace was always dark, it currently held a lot of colours¡ªmostly golden, reddish, silver, and purple¡ªcolours of his essence.


    "Get closer to the gate; I think you guys will understand what I''m talking about," he said.


    June was the first to move. She raised her palm to touch the warping colour, but froze a couple of steps away from the gate. "Why do I feel an intrinsic danger from the gate?"


    Confused, Agnes grew closer, and she too frozeing next to June. "It''s like my Spirit is crying against entering the gate."


    Dawn came close with a thoughtful look, though she didn''t add anything.


    "As I mentioned, this will be like you guys entering my soul," Gale exined, or tried to. Honestly, even he too didn''t understand it fully. "As far as my experience goes, I''m sure many of your spiritual abilities will be suppressed when you enter my Spirit domain."


    That was what happened when Ariha pulled him into her Spirit domain. But she had been more forceful in her way, so perhaps they wouldn''t feel that bad.


    "How sure are you that this is safe?" Agnes asked, wrinkling her nose.


    "I have stored a few trees and bugs," Gale smiled. "They are living inside freely," though he believed they would undergo some mutation over time, but they didn''t need to know that right now.


    "So we''re just going to bepletely powerless under your soul''s suppression," Agnes muttered as she took a step forward. "I mean, I trust you..."


    June didn''t want to be left behind either, and moved along with her.


    "I trust you..." Agnes muttered, gritting her teeth. "Why the hell is this so difficult?!"


    "It''s like my soul is rebelling against my intention," June muttered, trying to go further. She set her mind, calming her soul down as she slowly approached.


    Yet under all their gazes, Dawn moved like walking into a park and entered his soul domain, shooting a smile towards Gale.


    Agnes frowned and then gritted her teeth.


    "I believe she has some form of blind trust in me," Gale shrugged.


    June clenched her jaw, calmed her spirit and raised her hand to touch the gate. "I trust you too..."


    Her form disappeared into the spirit domain, leaving only Agnes.


    "I''ll understand if you¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Agnes closed her eyes, her chest heaving up and down, as she moved like she was forcing her way in, even though her form disappeared just the same.


    Gale smiled and sat down in a meditative pose.


    It barely took a moment for him to form a spirit avatar, as the spiritual form appeared before the three of them within the Neophyte spirit domain.


    Agnes was on the ground, while June was on her knee. Only Dawn stood in her serene form, looking around quizzically.


    "This ce is weird," Agnes muttered with a clenched jaw. "I feel restricted."


    "As you said, I cannot wield my essence with any control," June expressed. He touched her shoulder as she stumbled to stand up.


    "The Way is restricted here," Dawn added.


    Gale raised his eyebrow at herment. She can feel the Way, he thought. He really didn''t give her the credit she deserved, it seemed.


    Honestly, he thought Agnes should be the closest to consolidating her path and touching the Way. He didn''t think she was that far away, but it was Dawn who he should be looking for.


    He helped Agnes up next, as all of them stared around the ce. They were under the naked blue sky, a lonesome golden sun hovering in the middle. Green, lush grass was underneath their feet, while a strong wind blew from the seaside.


    "So your soul is just like any other ce?" Agnes muttered.


    "Most of it is chaos," Galemented. "You''ll see it on the boundary of the realm."


    It was still a neophyte spirit domain, not fully developed. Ny-nine per cent of it was primal chaos, expanding without even him trying.


    "I have a question," June raised her hand like one of her students. "Let''s say if I eat some grass from here, would that mean I''m eating a part of your soul?"


    Gale tilted his head. "Well, it''s all essence," Gale said. "I have emptied the essence veinpletely to make all this... using my soul as the framework... Well, you could say you''ll be eating essence attuned to my soul if you eat the grass..."


    June frowned at the answer, before nodding in uncertainty.


    "Tell the truth, you are not certain how it all came to be, are you?" Agnes asked.


    "I had no idea of it when it all came to be," Gale agreed.


    Just as he finished, dozens of his avatars appeared around, and the wind rose, as a reflection of his face appeared in the sky. He was all-powerful within this realm.


    Even if a transcendent toe into his soul, they would be at a disadvantage.As for those below his rank, would only need to review a little of his ire before their soul would disintegrate into a basic form of energy and devour into him.


    "But now, I''m the alpha and omega of this realm."

 Chapter 323: Soul Domain (2)

    Even though the soul domain was supposed to be boundless, the area they could travel around was rtively small¡ªjust about the size of a Tier-III dungeon. So Gale slowly led them to the centre of the in, where he had hidden all the loot from the inheritance ground.


    "This ce seems habitable," June added.


    "It is," he confirmed.


    "Can other creatures be born here?" she asked with a frown.


    "If you''re asking if the bugs I migrated here could reproduce newborn bugs, then the answer is most likely yes," he said contemtively. "However, I believe it is impossible for the soul domain to give birth to more life on its own. Perhaps it is possible for higher-ranked individuals, but I''m still missing something."


    "A silver ranker isn''t supposed to have something like this growing inside them," Agnes pointed out. "And I hardly ever imagined a transcendent rank would have a soul domain this lively within them."


    Well, Gale had never been in the soul domain of amon transcendent, so he couldn''t agree or disagree with herment. Still, he did feel like an outlier, with much of his uniqueness converging to create something of this calibre.


    Perhaps only Ariha could give answers to all his questions, but she remained in his mind like a fever dream, of which he could only remember her by.


    They finally faltered in their walk,ing before a huge tower. A couple of enormous stone guardian statues stood before the gate to the tower, their eyes glowing with power. However, what caught most of their attention was the banner on the wall that said:


    "Trespassers will be executed, unless you have the recipe I''m looking for!"


    Followed by a cross mark with kitchen knives.


    "Is it the ce?" Agnes asked, shooting him a judging look.


    "That would depend," he grinned. "Do you have the recipe I''m looking for?"


    Agnes snorted.


    Gale turned to find a smile tucked on Dawn''s lips. He shot her an inquiring gaze.


    "I have seen something like this before," she said.


    He raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Alright, I''ll give you all an exemption because I invited you in," he said, waving his hand towards the stone guardians. They fell to their knees, resting their weapons. "Let''s enter."


    One by one, they entered through the gate to find themselves in apletely empty tower, with nothing to see other than a broken throne.


    "Well, this is anticlimactic," Agnes said. She looked up to find the entirety of the tower was hollow, with no floors above them.


    "Is the throne yours?" June asked, inspecting the broken stone structure, which was a sorry excuse for a throne.


    Gale shrugged. His eyes found Dawn, muffling her nose and mouth. "Is there any difort?"


    "The ambience of this ce... I don''t feel good."


    "Now that you said it," June searched the surroundings. "There''s a foulness in the air. Something disharmonious from everything else in this realm."


    "It''s dark essence," Agnes muttered, sniffing around with her senses toe forward towards the broken throne. "It''sing from here."


    "Huh, I thought you wouldn''t notice with your spirit suppressed," he muttered.


    "It''s not suppressedpletely," Agnes pointed out. "And I''m particrly good at sensing this foulness."


    "There''s something written on the back of the throne," June called. "I don''t know thenguage, but I think it''s a puzzle..."


    Agnes groaned as she came to see. She couldn''t read it either.


    "I can follow a little," Dawn surprised everyone once again. "It''s an old script, I have barely studied it..."


    "Wow, you have some really unique talents," June smiled at her. "So what''s written here?"


    "As you said, it''s really a puzzle," Dawn said. "It says, ''When the Sun blinks and¡ª''"


    Agnes grunted, ring at him. "Are you going to make us solve a stupid puzzle right now?"


    "You don''t like puzzles?" he asked.


    "I don''t!"


    "Must be because you suck at it," he chuckled.


    Agnes shot him an irritated look.


    "Fine, I''ll relieve you all from the fun puzzle," he said and pushed against the broken throne. "It''s not like I hoped any of you would be able to solve it."


    He shoved the throne aside, as darkness surged throughout, covering the whole ce in a dark nket. Then they found a staircase downwards just where the throne had stood a moment ago. A thick air of foulness oozed out the moment the way was opened.


    "Are you guys ready to glimpse upon a dead god then?" he asked, drawing his hand towards them. "Beware, it might be dangerous."


    Agnes snorted and entered, shoving aside his hand. June smiled and took his hand, while Dawn stood near him. They crept downwards through the narrow staircase. The sounds of their footsteps echoed and resounded unnaturally.


    Then came a horrifying screech, causing Agnes to falter in her step. She turned her head towards him. "What was that?"


    "What was what?" he raised an eyebrow, innocently. "We sensed nothing. Right, girls?"


    Agnes clicked her tongue and stepped down until she came across a dead end. "What now?"


    "There''s something written on the wall," Junemented. "I can read it this time. It reads,


    ''There''s no path forward unless you know the right magic words...''


    "What are the magic words?"


    "Guess?" Gale grinned.


    "Open sesame!" Agnes barked, ying along.


    The stone shook, causing her to take a step back, and then a weird negative sound came. It stopped shaking.


    "You have two more chances," Gale told her.


    "I hate this gate," Agnes muttered.


    "Anyone else would like to try?" Gale turned to the other twodies.


    "I know a lot of magic words," June intoned, "but knowing you, it''s likely some trick."


    She thought for a few seconds before shaking her head. June gave in. "I can''t think up anything."


    "What about you, Dawn?"


    The girl with silvery hair looked between them before turning to the wall. "Open up, please?"


    The wall shook and lights emerged before a crack appeared on them. Soon, the two sides of the crack fell away and out came an entry to the chamber where a dead gody.

 Chapter 324: Soul Domain (3)

    "It opened up?"


    "Where was the magic word?" Agnes said. "She just asked it to open up, and it did..."


    "You forgot the ¡¯please¡¯," Gale pointed out and patted Dawn on the shoulder. "Unlike you, captain, Dawn knows the magic words."


    They entered the chamber with murky darkness, as neon lights lit up all around the walls, illuminating the enormous skeletal remains of the traitor god. It wasn¡¯tid on the ground, instead hanging above their heads, stretching to its full length, showing how massivelyrge it was.


    June and Dawn¡¯s eyes were staring at it, agape. Even Agnes and Gale were no better, despite having seen it before.


    "It¡¯s like a titan," June muttered, feeling the immensity of the sheer power it once held. She couldn¡¯t truly glimpse its true power when it was alive, none of them could, even in their wildest dreams. Even in its dead state, it emanated dark essence and aura; Gale¡¯s runes barely managed to keep them at bay.


    "I hope to make some artefact out of these remains," Galemented. "But I have no clue where to start with it. Not to mention, I¡¯d feel bad if I had to break it. It wouldn¡¯t give the same vibe it does now."


    The girls nodded in unison.


    "Can I touch it?" June asked.


    "You¡¯ll get into a contract with dark essence if you do," Gale smiled, "but that¡¯s nothing I cannot solve."


    Getting his approval, June flew up to one of the ribcages, which was twice as thick as her own waist. When she touched the bone, it gave her apletely tough feel, something she wouldn¡¯t be able to damage even if she put in all her effort. Your next chapter awaits on NovelBin.C?m


    June drew her palm back, feeling the dark essence seeping into her. She came down quickly as Gale cast a cleansing spell on her.


    "Where are the other things we found?" Agnes asked.


    Gale pointed towards one side of the wall.


    "You have to walk on a knife¡¯s edge if you want to progress," was written on the wall. "Touch the wall if you have set your mind."


    Agnes frowned. This time the instruction was far simpler, but she would be stupid if she believed itpletely. "What do you have stored for now?"


    "Weren¡¯t you so eager a moment ago?" Gale taunted. "Go on, touch the wall..."


    Agnes snorted and gave in to the taunts. The moment she touched the wall, a crack opened and pulled her in.


    "This is so stupid!" her voice echoed.


    Dawn and June exchanged nces as they moved forward to find it literally was a knife¡¯s edge, or more like an enormous spearhead lodged between two chambers. Agnes was currently moving down carefully.


    "The Godkiller weapon," Gale told them. "We found it dug into the head of the corpse."


    June released a breath. "I¡¯m curious, how long did it take you to make thisbyrinth?"


    "Not nearly as long as you think," he smiled, and brought them to the knife¡¯s edge. "My wish is somewhat like a divinemandment here... and some of it even formed from my unconscious thoughts."


    "Umm," Dawn whimpered suddenly. "I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like to move further in... I feel suffocated..."


    "Right, the air is really suffocating here," June said. Only Agnes had ease in moving forward, being familiar with dark essence on a more intimate level.


    "I can perhaps help you with that," Gale turned to Dawn. "Give me your hand..."


    "It¡¯s alright, if you~"


    Gale pulled her hand in and isted her from the dark ambience of the chamber. He turned to June, waving his other hand. "Do you need help?"


    June smiled and clung to it.


    "You look like a real yboy now," Agnes said as they came down. "A beauty clung to each arm."


    "Would you like to ride on my back?" he grinned at her.


    Agnes clicked her tongue, shooting a measured nce at June. "Even if I wanted a ride, your queen might disagree." Before Gale or June couldment, she added, "Anyway, where is the thing? I can barely see or feel anything but cold."


    Gale snapped his fingers and radiant light constructs appeared in four corners of the room, illuminating it a little. Little, because the sheer amount of dark essence present in the chamber was devouring the light.


    Agnes could finally see the core and the sceptre, floating in the air, with thousands upon thousands of script formations revolving around them, suppressing the dark essence from oozing out.


    "You haven¡¯t removed the sceptre from the core?" Agnes stated the obvious. A frown crept onto her brow as she turned to him, inquiringly.


    "Oh, I have wanted to," Gale sighed. "But there¡¯s still some juice left in the spirit residing in the core."


    "You mean it¡¯s alive?" June gasped. "Its spirit still alive?"


    "It¡¯s weakened, and probably mad," Gale eased her, "barely holding itself in, but it had been a good one... I don¡¯t want to poke it with a stick to see what it does."


    Agnes took a deep breath, feeling weak on her feet. "You made the right decision," she said.


    June agreed. "Especially when we have no idea what it will do inside your soul."


    Gale¡¯s expression turned a little embarrassed at their concern.


    "What¡¯s with that look?" June frowned.


    "Please don¡¯t tell me you have poked it with a stick?" Agnes rubbed her forehead.


    Gale smiled embarrassingly. "As I have mentioned, I¡¯m the alpha and omega of this¡ª"


    "Are you nuts?" June red at him. "You told me the traitor god is trying to resurrect itself, and the one who killed itid out so much stuff to kill it over a million years, and yet you..."


    "Calm down, June," Gale sped her arm, while he found Dawn was clutching his arm tightly. "I promise you, I was never under any stress when I tried to dislodge the sceptre. I did it from very far away while having full contingencies nned.


    "Not to mention, the sceptre wouldn¡¯t let it invade me unless I poke my head inside the core."

 Chapter 325: Plan for the Future (1)

    While he wasn¡¯t able to inspect the scripture thoroughly, he became aware of two of the item¡¯s main functions: Sealing and Stabilisation¡ªthese two may sound ordinary to the ears, but their functions were nothing less than extraordinary.


    The sealing function could suppress a divinity and seal itpletely for millions of years, while the other function stabilised higherws like dimension and temporalws¡ªit most likely could stabilise other elements, but those weren¡¯t as important as dimension or temporalws.


    It was because of thetter function that the subspace stood hidden for so many years without copsing on top of the front lines.


    "So what do you do from here?" Agnes asked. "If you cannot remove the sceptre from the core in fear of the traitor god running amok in your soul..."


    "Well, I already have a n," Gale said. "It¡¯s just a little slow with me chilling around, or invested in other things. If only there was someone who could handle dark essence like it was their second nature, and the dark essence would be helpful to their growth... But how could I find such a person?"


    Agnes shot him a pointed look. "What are you implying?"


    "Exactly the same as the subspace was doing to the core," Gale smiled, "except you¡¯d be directing it all."


    "How long would that take?"


    He shrugged. "Not something I can calcte without any practice," he said. "But I¡¯d say it would depend on your mileage. If it was me doing it, perhaps I could finish in five years... so about twenty years for you..."


    Agnes raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing that it would take such a long time.


    "Unless you miraculously advance to Gold rank, absorbing some high-quality dark essence, and your capacity increases tremendously," Gale continued, grinning at her.


    "Why are you making it sound lucrative to her?" June asked.


    "Because it would be a torment to refine the dead god¡¯s intent from the essence," Agnes answered with a groan. But soon her eyes turned calctive. "How long do you think it will take me to reach Gold rank?"


    "That would depend on how much time you spend on it," Gale said, tilting his head. "How long did it take you to advance to Silver?"


    "Close to six years," she said darkly. "I could have done it in two or three years if not for working for the military."


    That¡¯s already quite fast, considering dark essence was scarcepared to regr essence. If she were to have a weakened divine core to power up her speed... Gale made a quick calction in his mind.


    "If you were to take refining dark essence as your primary job and promise to spend 100 hours a week," he paused. Finding her facing the facts straight, he continued, "Then I can promise you will be a gold ranker before me."


    Agnes raised an eyebrow, clearly judging his words. She shook her head. "Your advancement is wacky as hell... just give me a number in real time."


    "True, I wouldn¡¯t know how fast my growth would be with this soul domain, and with one of my feet into transcendence," he said.


    "It couldn¡¯t be more than a year," Dawn said. Everyone¡¯s eyes shed towards her, and she looked down, even though she seemed like she had more to say.


    "Continue," Gale asked her. Explore new worlds at NovelBin.C?m


    "Umm, apologies if I say something wrong," Dawn began. "I¡¯m very sensitive to the nature of essence, and her essence is very close to what emanates from the core. Her path perhaps aligns with the dead god, or it¡¯s because she has refined the same dark essence before. Either way, she would only need to cleanse the foreign intent."


    Gale nodded. "A year seems feasible, with some good amount of rehab in between," he said as a nid out in his mind. "But if I were to put in my radiance essence to help her cleanse the corruption..."


    He let his voice trail off as any of them were able to see where he was getting at.


    Agnes closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "Okay, fine," she said, mostly to herself rather than to others. "I can do this. I¡¯m in."


    "It¡¯s going to be he trying," he reminded her. "Far more than how it had been within the subspace..."


    "You¡¯ll never see meining," Agnes said, her eyes glowing with cold determination.


    Gale could see that. Agnes was too headstrong; she would break, but never bow her head. It was something he appreciated about her, but he wouldn¡¯t want to see her break. Not more than how she already was.


    "I need this strength," she said, her palms sped into fists. "I¡¯ll do anything you ask if you can help me with this."


    Gale nodded. "I wouldn¡¯t have brought it up if I didn¡¯t want to give it to you," he said. "I¡¯ll say this though, you have topletely abide by me if you were to do this. Perhaps you know dark essence better than me, but I know corruption more than you, and what it could do to you..."


    Agnes nodded her head solemnly. "I¡¯ll give you my word."


    "What about your new job?"


    "They haven¡¯t offered me anything yet," Agnes said. "I¡¯ll decline if I have to... Though I don¡¯t think it would be as time-consuming as being a ve of the military."


    "I guess," Gale thought for a moment before continuing, "We¡¯ll talk about it in detailter."


    "Thank you," Agnes said, letting out a breath.


    Gale was giving her time just so that she didn¡¯t make a hasty decision, though he didn¡¯t believe her decision would waver. For reasons unknown to him, Agnes had a strong determination to gain power. Perhaps working in the 16th infantry for years without any autonomy embedded the feeling into her, but he felt it was something deeper.


    "So are we going to travel further down?" June asked. "Or should we get out?"


    "Further down? What makes you think there¡¯s still more in there?"


    "A woman¡¯s intuition," June smiled smugly.


    "You think I could hide something even more immacte than a dead god¡¯s corpse, core, and a divine artefact?"


    "I can never know with you," Juneughed.


    Dawn nodded solemnly, as if empathising with her. Gale really didn¡¯t believe there could be anything more grave than what he hid here, but Dawn probably knew him better than himself.


    "Well, there might not be any more of this," he continued. "But I do want you guys to see something..."


    Gale snapped his finger and they disappeared from the underground soul locker¡ªhe didn¡¯t know what to call it. Their figures materialised above the tower. Strong winds blew from all around, surging forth, though they didn¡¯t affect the tower any more than necessary.


    "What is it?"


    Gale waved his hand towards the pir atop the tower; it stood over eighteen metres tall, engraved withplicated runes he had merely begun to unfold. Clearly, his past expertise didn¡¯t catch up with these high-rune formations.


    "This is one of the gifts my master gave me," he said. "Well, an old record of her..."


    "Fascinating," June said, her eyes shimmering in silver light. She barely began to study runes, but even she could tell the scripts were out of the ordinary.


    "You¡¯ll still say the same once you get to understand them," Gale told her. "Apparently, she had a good idea of what I¡¯d need when I step into the transcendent rank."


    Jenni probably would lose her mind if she glimpsed upon the intricate formations.


    "Other than these, the soul domain is pretty empty," hemented, looking up at the sky. The lone sun was merely a reflection of his radiant core, while the wind and chaos were his other power. Void was arge part of the expansion, but he kept it mostly outside his core.


    "Looking and hearing all this," June said, "I feel like I shouldn¡¯t ck off either, or you¡¯ll leave me in the dust."


    "I¡¯m only a puny silver ranker," Gale smiled at her.


    "As if I¡¯m going to believe that after you invite me into your soul and let me see a dead god," June said. Her eyes darted to all of them. "None of you are puny silver rankers... it is only me who was suppressing her potential in fear."


    Gale sped her palm, kissing her on the forehead. "I¡¯ll be there with any help you need," he said. "Well, I¡¯ll be there even if you don¡¯t need me... it¡¯s prettyte to turn me away."


    He pulled her into a hug. "Besides, you¡¯re already halfway into Gold rank... right?"


    The other two women stared at them with mixed feelings. Maybe they were feeling left out with him, acting all intimate with June all the time. But he couldn¡¯t help it...


    "Alright, you guys could stay here for some time, while I go check on the adepts," Gale said. "I¡¯ll be only out for a couple of hours."


    With that, his figure vanished from there, though his voice lingered... "If you need me for any reason, just utter my name, and I¡¯ll be there."


    The three women stared at each other, unsure what to do there. True, the ce was fascinating in more ways than they could recognise, but it just felt odd among themselves.


    None of them were familiar with each other and only became acquaintances because of Gale. And now without him, only a silence descended among them.


    "So," June muttered, her eyes towards the blue horizon. "How do we get down from the top?"

 Chapter 326: Plan for the Future (2)

    All his students were already seated by the time he returned, talking among themselves, and exchanging their experience, which probably did as much help as his teaching in improvement.


    "I have exined all the fundamentals of utility, right?" Gale asked the moment he walked into the ss. "Is it another evaluation ss today?"


    By looking at all the designs stacked on the table, he found that was to be the case. He went through them one by one, instructing the adepts on what was wrong with their designs, what they did well, and how they could improve them.


    Although he acted like an insatiable ass in front of them, he was d to find all of them were improving at a steady rate. Well, there was one who seemed not happy with steady improvement, as she always had her eyes on a meteoric rise.


    "Jenni," Gale called. "You tried a Tier-IV design once again."


    "I haven''t attempted it foolishly this time," she perked up to tell him immediately. "I hope."


    Unlike thest time, the one she gave for evaluation was her best design to date. She had incorporated all his teachings into her raw knack for design and finally came up with a design that did notck either efficiency or utility.


    "This is an original design, it seems," Galemended her. "And it looks pretty seble."


    "So long as people are looking for enchanted clothes," Jenni said.


    "Well, you never know," Gale said. While the market for enchanted armour and hunting attire was always on the rise, the market for enchanted normal or stylish clothes had never particrly managed to catch people''s attention.


    Jenni''s design was not particrly good for making any armour or weapon; however, they would make fine enchanted dresses with various support for defence, strength, and recovery boosts.


    "Actually, I would want to wear enchanted clothing so long as they have small functions like soaking up my sweat, other stylistic choices, and are easy to put on," he thought out loud. "And most importantly, they must befortable on the body."


    "The only reason something like this hasn''t hit the market yet is because of thest point," Aki cut in. "Whatever runesmiths evere up with were neverfortable to wear."


    "The problem lies with materials, not design," the oldest of them stated. "For runes of this calibre to keep their integrity,mon cotton wouldn''t do."


    "Leather is the only way to go," Aki sighed, "and most of them aren''t particrlyfortable on the body. Rankers may wear such leather during a dungeon dive, but not during a party."


    By the time he finished, Jenni was ring at her friend. "You think I don''t know all this?" she snorted. "Yes, I know all the disadvantages you guys stated."


    "Then why did you create such a design, knowing its faults?"


    "Ghost spider silk," Jenni uttered, as though that exined it all.


    Aki frowned. "You want to create enchanted suits with ghost spider silk?" he asked. "One of the highly sought-after materials for mage cloaks?"


    He made a face that questioned if she was out of her mind.


    "What''s wrong with it?" Jenni didn''t budge from her intention. "At least I would like an enchanted dress made out of ghost spider silk."


    "Who wouldn''t," Aki snorted. "But the question is, how many of us can afford it?"


    Ghost spider silk was one of the hardest materials to collect. No organisation had yet found ways to domesticate the cultivation of the silk. As far as they were aware, ghost spiders were not easy to capture or hunt either. As their name suggested, they were a slippery bunch.


    "Who wants to sell these to poor rankers," Jenni said. "While all your designs might sell in hundreds to the poor to make a profit, I just need to sell only one set of my enchanting clothes to make the same profit."


    Aki just shook his head. No matter what he said, his words wouldn''t be able to waver her pursuit. Only one man could break the facts on her head and humble her, and all of them were looking at him, waiting for his evaluation.


    Gale was contemtive over the design while he heard everything they said. He found very few issues with Jenni''s design. She had thoroughly researched materials toe up with this. In theory, it looked like a design that would sell out once it came onto the market, but he couldn''t dismiss the points the adepts had pointed out.


    "Ignoring all the conditions of producing the clothes," he said, "I found only a few issues with the design, but that didn''t stop it from getting the first A+."


    Jenni was ted but frowned immediately.


    "But the issue remains," he continued. "Unless you have a big name or great backing from a huge organisation like the Dragonforge, the design is impossible toe to fruition."


    Jenni pouted.


    "You mentioned you''ll sell it to rich rankers," Gale smiled at her. "I see no problem with such a mindset, as oftentimes that is the way big corporations makerge profits."


    "Then?" the first look of distress appeared on her face.


    "How many rich rankers do you know?" he asked. "And more importantly, how many of them will back you and invest in it?"


    Jenni''s expression changed. As Gale and others thought, her interaction with the corporate world¡ªor the rest of the world outside of the front line¡ªwas very little to non-existent.


    If she knew the circles she would have to go through to put forward this design, she probably wouldn''t havee up with it. Which would have been a great loss, as Gale desired something simr as well.


    "Remind me to talk to youter about this," Gale said. "As for your reward for getting the highest score so far, look out for Dawnter. Anyway, let''s continue with the ss."


    Jenni seemed like she wanted to discuss the design right now, but Gale didn''t give her any chance.


    "So, we go through efficiency and utility. The next step is exactly what Jenni did with her design. Now, for the rest of the week, we''ll work on creating designs that incorporate both aspects, followed by putting the designs into practice..."


    The ss took a little more time than the designated period. He was just closing his eyes to see what the girls were up to in his soul domain, but stopped, finding Jenni standing right before him.


    He shot her an inquiring gaze.


    "About the design," she began.


    "I told you to remind meter, not right after the ss," he flicked a clumsy finger on her forehead.


    Jenni jerked back, though not nearly quick enough.


    "But to answer your main question, yes, it can work," he said. "How and when? That''s one rabbit hole I''m not ready to go into right now."


    "But¡ª"


    "Not now, girl," he stood up to leave. "Unless you want to use the token right now."


    Jenni seemed like she wanted to do just that, but she relented and kept the token for ater date. "Will you ever discuss this without me using the token?" Chapter Enjoy:


    "Obviously, I''m not that petty," Gale said. "Just not right now. I already have something on my te. I''ll tell you after I''m done with them."


    He flew back to theke, and finally closed his eyes to appear into the soul domain.


    *****


    "This guy," June said. "He always leaves me in one dilemma or another."


    "Well, if you like I can take him off your hands," Agnes said out of nowhere.


    A silence descended between them, though far different from before. It was more awkward than cold, as both women turned to each other, meeting the other''s gaze. Neither wanted to lose out until Agnes chuckled.


    "I''m kidding," she said.


    It didn''t sound like a joke to June. She gritted her teeth and hoped she wasn''t ring at the woman, because that would make her look insecure.


    "Never joke about this," she said, as another silence flowed.


    Dawn looked like she couldn''t wait to get out of there, but she had no chance.


    "Seriously though, I wouldn''t want to entangle him in my life," Agnes said with a sigh. "More than I already did... Nothing good wille out of it for any of us."


    June said nothing, only shooting her a measured gaze. She found the dark-haired woman was telling the truth. She didn''t have to use her empathic power to tell that. Something in her life, someplication, perhaps stopped Agnes from pursuing a rtionship.


    "Hey, I think I can use a part of my essence now," Agnes said. "Not fully, but I can use Wings of Darkness to fly us down..."


    "Huh, I think I can use my awareness too," June said. "Essence too. What changed?"


    Dawn seemed like she could enlighten them with something, but with Gale gone she had turnedpletely mute, only answering with nods and shakes of her head.


    "I think the intent matters," June said after thinking a little. "Like if I do not do anything against Gale, I think we can move around freely, utilising our essence as we like."


    "Also, I believe it''s because our spirits relented that we are not in any existential threat here," Agnes added.


    Dawn nodded with both of them, finding agreement.


    "I wonder what would happen if I tried to destroy something here," Agnes said, though she tried nothing.


    She would likely feel the same suppression once again.


    "So you guys found the dead god and all that in the inheritance ground," June began about a topic that was bugging her mind since she heard about it. "As far as I know, Gale did most of the heavy lifting of the work, right?"

 Chapter 327: Weird Custom

    NSFW content, read at your discretion...


    [Edit: This is not a filler. There''s a short summary of this chapter at the end of Chapter 328 for those of you who do not like reading chapters like these. Thank you.]


    ___________


    When Gale got back, the three women were still on top of the tower.


    "Did I make you wait long?" he asked before his avatar materialised there. He wanted to catch them off guard but was unfortunately unable to get the reaction he wanted. There was a weird sombre silence flowing between them, and even his presence didn''t seem to help. "What happened?"


    Agnes narrowed her eyes, exchanging nces between him and June, before shaking her head. "Nothing much, your elf girlfriend was just asking me questions about you."


    Gale raised an eyebrow and turned to June. "What is there to ask that you cannot ask me?"


    "It''s nothing," June said, looking guiltier than she usually did. "Can we get back to the real world now?"


    Gale''s eyes shed towards Dawn, who was in one corner. She probably would answer him if he asked what this was about, but he was unsure if he should ask her right now.


    "Well, let''s get us out of here for now," he said as a gate materialised before him.


    One by one they jumped into the gate and appeared back on the banks of theke.


    "Well, that was certainly some experience," Agnes said, letting out a heavy breath. "If you don''t have anything heavier to show me, perhaps I''ll take a break and go to shop for something?"


    Gale shook his head. "I was thinking all this was enough for today."


    "Good," she rasped. shing onest look towards the elf, she rose in the air, dark wings unfolding behind her. "I''ll be back maybe tomorrow..."


    Gale frowned. What really happened to her when he was taking the ss?


    "Think of whatever you need to discuss with me by then..." With that, her figure vanished into the sky.


    Gale turned to the remaining two.


    "I need to take a bath," June said abruptly and clutched Dawn''s arm. "Come on, Dawn, let''s go."


    She literally pushed Dawn into moving back towards the guesthouse, leaving him to stand there in incredulity.


    Are they forming an alliance against me or what? he thought. But then again, Agnes seemed to have be very rigid in the group.


    He had left them together in the soul domain, thinking they would bond together in his absence. Perhaps it hadn''t happened as he would have liked it to.


    "Well, I''ll prepare my future ns and do some runesmithing in the meantime," he decided, "and then see what this was about..."


    *****


    Gale had left the duty of meal to Dawn and June while he busied himself with work. Agnes hadn''te back after she left in the morning, but she mentioned she would be back, so he could only prepare his ns for her.


    Absorbing the power of a dead god wouldn''t be any small matter, even with all the help he could provide her.


    Finally, after having dinner with only the two of them, he called Jason and Dragonforge to gain some news on the frontlines as well as set up a meeting. In the end, he asked them toe to the guest house within a few days.


    June was waiting patiently for him to finish up the call, lying on his chest, hearing his heartbeat.


    "When did Dawn leave?" he asked, not finding the familiar figure on a nearby seat.


    "She took her leave when you were busy on the call," June said, drawing circles on his chest.


    "Hmm," he hummed.


    "So this is your n for her," June said, a notebook in her hand where he hadid out his rough future moves along with ns on how to help Agnes in absorbing the dark essence. June had probably read through all that while he was busy on the call. Well, he didn''t mean to keep anything hidden from her, so it didn''t matter either way. Chapter Stay:


    He hummed again.


    "You''re really going the full extra mile in helping her, huh?" she said, sounding a bit jealous, which was very unlike her.


    "I''ll go even further for you if you need me," he said, pulling her up to seal her lips with his. "That reminds me, what really happened between you two when I was gone..."


    June''s lips froze as they ended the kiss. "It''s nothing," she said quickly, her palms moving into his clothes. "I''ll tell youter, but right now, I feel like I need to take care of Angry Gale?"


    "Angry Gale?" he raised an eyebrow.


    June''s palm moved down to hisher region until it found the shaft which half-awakened under her touch. "Look at how angry it is now~"


    She gave it a gentle squeeze.


    Gale couldn''t help but meet her gaze. This was very unlike her, as June was never the one to take the initiative. Well, it''s not like he disliked the change. Until now she had been very clumsy while dealing with this stuff; perhaps all the intimacy they had shared had finally taught her something about men.


    He let out a whimper, as June stroked the prick, moving her finger up and down.


    "I''m curious," she whispered in his ear.


    "What?" he asked raggedly, his palms cupping her heavy breasts.


    "Does it hurt~" she asked with a moan, "when you''re this hard?"


    "Not physically, no!" He used his other palm to guide her, to make her pick up the pace. "It''s just hard to bear when it''s like this~"


    "I see," she hesitated for a moment. "I''m sorry that I cannot relieve you of everything yet..."


    "No matter," he let out a sigh.


    "Have you ever~" she asked again, pausing her work in the middle. "You know~ tried it with others..."


    Gale wasn''t sure where she was going with this, but he felt a slight tug in his mind. She was using a part of her empathic power. He didn''t know how much of his emotions became evident to her, or if she could tell if he was lying or telling the truth.


    He chose to speak the truth as he always liked. "I haven''t, not to my knowledge since I lost my memory."


    "This must have been very hard," she said. "I..."


    "You don''t have to feel sorry," he said.


    "I mean, it''s not unheard of in our society," she said softly, "for men to use other women to relieve them..."


    "June, what are you talking about?"


    "We live a long life, Gale," she said. "The elves, we are not that against it."


    Gale sucked in a deep breath. He pulled her close and met her gaze. "Are you asking me to sleep with other women?"


    "No~," she said melodically, "well, if you like... you can."


    Gale only stared at her.


    "I mean, I cannot give you all right now," she paused, "and you''re very virile in this aspect. I don''t want you to feel restricted."


    "You elves are weird," Gale said after fullyprehending what she told him.


    "We are not," she said. "You humans are far more in this aspect. Go to Iman and you''ll see their custom."


    "Well, I don''t think a human woman would be fine with her spouse sleeping with other women," he said.


    "Neither am I," June sighed. "But we elves are more open in this aspect, mostly because of our long lifespan. My mother had elevenpanions before she found Father and conceived me."


    "Wow," he said.


    "Of course, she had lived over millennia, and most of those rtionships weren''t serious."


    Gale thought deeply about that. "Whatever you say, June," he said, kissing her softly on the cheeks. "I cannot bear you sleeping with another man..."


    "Ah!" she cried. "That''s what you''re worried about. I guess it''s natural with men and their possessiveness."


    "No, I''m just not that open about having an open rtionship."


    "You can rest assured," June said, kissing him. "I''ll never do it... never, so long as you love me as you do now."


    They exchanged a deep, intimate kiss, hungry for each other.


    "I cannot wait to eat you," he said between heavy gasps.


    "What about Dawn?" June asked out of nowhere. "Do you have any feelings for her?"


    "Where did thate from?" he asked.


    "Perhaps you have noticed, or perhaps you did not," June sighed. "But she has a deep emotional bonding with you, which may not be limited to benefactor and receiver."


    Gale had not noticed any of what she was saying. "I don''t think you have¡ª"


    "Trust me when I say this, but I''m certain about this," June said. "I may not be open to reading emotions all the time and with everyone, but she... Dawn really has something for you."


    Gale groaned. "Is it because of my mour boost, or something..." but he had kept it all sealed.


    "I can tell you value her very much, and perhaps confronting her about it might make you lose a loyal devotee," June continued. "And considering the ns youid ahead, you''ll need someone like her to help you."


    "What should I do?"


    "I don''t know," June said. "Huh, it softened. I have never felt it when it''s like this..."


    Gale almost facepalmed. Of course, he would lose steam if she brought up a serious topic like this. After leaving him to wonder about a heavy topic like that, June stirred on top of him.


    "June, what are you doing?"


    "It''s soft," she said, stroking his shaft. "I want to see it. Wait, it''s rising again... Quick, go back. Don''t get hard before I inspect it."


    Gale rasped. "It doesn''t work like that."


    June moved one-eighty degrees to finallye face to face with the member, but by that time it was already half-awakened. She pouted, her palms moving back to stroke his shaft again, her lips growing closer.


    "I''m happy that you never went after another woman, even if I couldn''t give you all."

 Chapter 328: Radient Sight

    Jenni spent her whole evening and more on improving her design, before thinking of discussing its intricacies with someone else. Aki and the others wouldn''t be able to appreciate the grandeur of her designs, so she eliminated them before even considering them.


    In the end, she brought out the two runic tokens from her dimension cube. She earned thest one just this morning. She could have gotten rich meals instead, but after battling against her mind for several minutes, she decided to take the runic token. After all, the token would get her a certain amount of time with Warden; she could ask him whatever she wished at that time.


    That wasn''t just limited to teaching her stuff, right? she thought stupidly. Like I can ask him to cook me food...


    Whatever it was, she had an extra token with her, and who knew how many she could earn in the remainder of the sses? It wouldn''t hurt to use one of them to discuss her design.


    Jenni collected her original graph papers, along with the dozen alternatives with various tweaks in the design, and got out of her room.


    As she had thought, the Master Runesmith wasn''t in his room. She crept into the path where he spent most of his time. The surroundings were dark and cold, with insects chirping loudly. She walked down the familiar path for a couple of minutes, finallying to a halt, hearing a cry.


    No, it wasn''t a cry! Her mind and body froze, realising what it was. A blush crept to her cheeks as she found the outlines of two people tussling on the hammock she had ever seen.


    The elf woman was on top of the man at first, kissing him, while her body jerked steadily, until she turned over and moved down on hisher region. Jenni could clearly hear what they were whispering to one another with her superior senses.


    I shouldn''t be here, she thought, her grip tightened on the designs she was holding. She turned around without making any sound and shot her way back to the guest house.


    Even after stopping, she found her face all red and hot, the visceral image still ying in her mind. Jenni gritted her teeth and literallymanded her mind to stop.


    It worked like a charm as she moved into a breathing exercise, calming herselfpletely.


    "That pervert!" she cried softly before moving back to her room.


    *****


    Gale woke up refreshed the next morning, again outdoors, lyingfortably on the hammock. The sun had barely risen, and June had disappeared some time ago, fearing someone might find them in an awkward intimate position.


    For thest few days, they had been drowning in a lot of intimacy whenever they were alone by themselves. While he hadn''t crossed the final deed with her yet, she hade out with a lot more passion than the initial times. But she was not fine with anyone stumbling upon them sleeping together.


    After a long change, he decided to check on his attributes. They had been growing a lot faster with him barely putting any more work in physically.


    Attributes:


    [Strength: 205.6] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Dexterity: 198.3] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Mind: 47.9] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Perception: 178] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Spirit: 218] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    [Recovery: 342] | Efficiency: ¡ª


    However, the most important of it all was the corruption rateing down another percent, currently standing at 28%. All thanks to the radiance essence and resting.


    Perhaps he could make it all back into the low 10s percentage within a year.


    Gale made sure his clothes were on him when he stood up and eyed towards theke. It was a radiant sight, and he was ready to move on to the next phase. But before that, it was time to take a cold bath.


    Sadly, it seemed someone else was already preparing to take a dip. From his previous experience, he knew she didn''t appreciate sharing her bath space, even if it was a hugeke open to the public.


    Agnes swam around the surface of the water, uncaring of anyone watching. Unlike the other time, she was wearing something at least.


    Instead of just standing idle there, he began brushing his teeth. While a little radiance essence might have solved the problem, Gale still found something of a familiarity with the mundane work of brushing and bathing.


    When he was finally done, he found Agnesing out of the water. She hadn''t changed into something else; now it all stuck to her lithe, athletic form, giving a very deep sensual vibe.


    "Oh," she said, as though noticing him for the first time, still waist-deep in the water.


    "When did youe back?" he asked.


    "Not long ago," she said, took a breath and came out of the water, showing more of her sensual form.


    Gale gave her a passing full nce before saying, "I have formed my ns for you. If you agree, we can discuss after you..."


    Agnes began to remove her gown, moving a few paces away. Her lower body was exposed, only the underwear keeping any semnce of...


    "Ugh, this is a pain," she groaned, unable to reach her back to unfasten the gown. She turned to him and perked an eyebrow. "Like what you are seeing? Now help me out of this..."


    Gale moved forward dumbly to stand behind her and finally saw why she was finding it difficult. He slowly unfastened the toggle buttons one after another, as her back was revealed before his eyes.


    "Finally," Agnes let out a breath, removing the gownpletely.


    "Do you need more help?" he asked.


    She shot him a gaze and then looked at herself. She wasn''t embarrassed in the least, but a snort came out of her nose. "Thank you for your help, but I can do the rest."


    "I was talking about a spell to dry you," he felt like he should have opened with that. "Not removing all those..."


    "Oh." Her mouth opened in a small ''o'' and she nodded. Shebed her hair to one side with her palm. "Why are you standing idle then? Do it..."

 Chapter 329: Way Around Women 101

    When Gale came back from bathing in theke, Agnes was fully clothed in dry clothes, sitting idly in her usual seat at the table. Dawn had joined her, as she usually did, preparing beverages for him. She, too, seemed to have just bathed, her white hair wet behind her ears, wearing her white shirt and ck trousers.


    Gale moved to sit next to her. "I have told you, you don''t have to prepare all this every morning."


    "I''ll feel useful if there''s nothing to do," she said, serving the tea.


    "Well, I''ll soon have something for you to do."


    Dawn looked up at him questioningly. She was like a porcin doll with white hair, a button nose, and very distinctive silvery eyes with purple pupils. Her longshes fluttered as she blinked at him.


    Gale cast another tiny radiant spell to dry her hair. The essence didn''t just dry the hair but probably had some nourishing qualities, as it made the job of styling the hair easier.


    "As per our agreement," he said, bringing out ab to brush her hair, "I''ll do your hair until you stop bringing in the tea as the first thing in the morning."


    Dawn blushed, her cheeks turning a deep shade of pink. Gale had alreadybed her hair a couple of times; the reason for her sudden fluster was probably because another person was watching.


    "So this is how you became pretty good at styling women''s hair, huh," Agnes muttered. "You had someone to practise on..."


    Gale styled Dawn with a side braid, which needed him to move around her sides a couple of times and a few minutes. He made sure it was perfect, turning her bright pink face towards him.


    "Now it''s done, you look lovely," he said. "Sometimes I wonder, I should have be a beautician."


    Dawn''s fingers sped together, fidgeting, as she looked down to hide her face.


    "Why does it sound like you''re using her to fulfil your dream of bing a beautician?" Agnes asked.


    "Maybe," heughed and noticed her own hair lying t on her shoulder, barely evenbed. "It seems you need some helping hands to rule your unruly hair as well."


    Agnes pulled clumsy fingers over a lock of hair. "Well, how much is your rate then?" sheughed. "I''m not sure if I can afford the service of a half-god..."


    Gale snorted. "You need only pay me in praises."


    He moved behind her and began his work. In contrast to Dawn''s, her hair was longer and far denser. She had mentioned she liked it long, even when her daily duty rendered her incapable of giving it as much attention as it needed.


    "You know, I feel like I should dye my hair white," Agnes chuckled. "Matching with all you guys... It feels like only I''m losing out..."


    "None of our hair was dyed," he said, "though it wasn''t natural for me or Dawn. I feel like you should wait for your miraculous transformation as well."


    "That sounds about right..."


    Gale didn''t braid her hair, only smoothed her locks,ying them over her shoulder and back in a way that beautified her looks. Unlike Dawn''s overwhelmingly adorable face, or June''s breathtaking high-elven beauty, she had a vibe of serious regal looks about her, of a nobledy who gets stuff done.


    Gale was almost finished up and giving finishing touches when June appeared.


    "What''s happening here?" she asked, eyebrows wrinkled.


    He lifted his head to look at her, but before he could exin, Agnes beat him to it.


    "No need to worry, nobody is stealing your man."


    For some reason, June red at her, though only for a moment. Her eyes fluttered towards Dawn, lingered on her intricate side braid, and then back to Gale. She touched the simple braid she had done herself. "I guess only I''m left out, huh..."


    "That''s because you''re simply toopetent at this," Gale didn''t waste time buttering her up. "Unlike these women, you are¡ª"


    June snorted and fired her silvery locks of hair from the braid. "I don''t like losing out," she said and sat down with a pout.


    Galeughed. "Are you jealous?"


    "No!" she red at him.


    "You''re jealous," he chuckled and continued to tease her. "I didn''t know my fifty-year-old girl had this side to her..."


    Before she could burst out, he began his work, kissing her on her long ear. Her hair had a very distinct smell like the other two women, and Gale tantly sniffed, catching locks of hair in his fingers.


    He chose a different version of a side braid for her, leaving a couple of locks of hair to part over the front of her ears.


    "Okay, done, do you need a mirror?" he asked, "to finally appreciate my work?"


    He brought out one to stand before them one by one. "Come on, bring in the praises... After all, this is all an artist lives for..."


    "Whose hair looks the prettiest?" June asked instead, as the other two women perked up. "What do you think?"


    Gale froze, looking between the three of them. Although it was only June who asked, the others seemed to know as well.


    I guess this is how women react when you ask for praise, he thought and pouted.


    "Dawn''s was the easiest to do," he said, thinking internally, because she was so easy to please.


    He turned to the next woman. "It is a little difficult for Agnes," he said. "Because her hair is longer and thicker."


    He turned to the woman who asked the tricky question. "As for you, my love, it is the hardest," he said, growing closer to her to kiss her bare shoulder. "Even with the little brushing I did, you seem perfect to my eyes... so it is so hard to work on you..."


    Gale couldn''t believe he was uttering all these cringe phrases. But it was definitely working, as June''s ears were tinged with redness, and she shot gazes at the other women with some form of superiority.


    He sighed in relief inwardly. The lesson to learn here was to never answer a woman''s question straightforwardly. They do not appreciate straight honesty in the very least... Instead, say what they want to hear. Bonus points if you can surprise them with your praise...


    Huh, I seem to know a lot about it. Gale was surprised at his insight into women. Perhaps I should write a book about it.


    "Ahem!" he cleared his throat and changed the topic before they could understand his trick. "Good, that you all are here... I have something to discuss and test with you."


    _______________


    Gist of Chapter 326 Weird Custom:


    June asked Gale if he was with any other women, which he answered truthfully that he hadn''t to his knowledge. She felt sorry for not being able to give her everything to him and hints that elves'' traditions are far more open about rtions, that she might be happy with him sleeping with another woman, but she would understand.


    Gale declines her because it doesn''t look for just physical pleasure. He wants the emotional connections as well. The chapter ends with some weird fascination over a certain Angry Gale.

 Chapter 330: Glamour

    "So should I begin with the discussion or the test?" he asked, smiling towards the threedies.


    "I could already imagine what the discussion would be about," June said, narrowing her eyes. "What is the test for?"


    "Of course, to measure my charisma," he grinned.


    June shot him a measured look and then shook her head.


    "I''m being serious," Gale cut in. "You guys probably didn''t feel any of the mour boost because I kept it all sealed."


    June frowned, while Dawn looked between the others to judge their reactions.


    "Oh, it''s a celestial thing, huh?" Agnes nodded. "I guess I did feel something different about it, which I couldn''t point a finger at... but now I can..."


    "Before you judge me for any of that, know this," Gale sighed. "I have not even used 1% of it."


    "Well, even if you do use a hundred per cent of your mour, I don''t see myself throwing myself at you."


    June red at her after Agnes finished.


    "We''ll see," he snorted. He let the [Cloak of Void Radiance] manifest over his body, currently in a thin white and gold regal camouge. He had used the cloak''s warding effect to seal all his aura and mour, but now, for the testing, he turned off its effect and only used his own control to keep the boosted charisma at a moderate noble level.


    "How is it now?"


    "I don''t see any change..." Agnes muttered, zing over his form. "The cloak looks good on you though."


    Gale let free a tenth of the mour, unsure what else he needed to do. It was apletely different field, considering he had no tingling feeling in the back of his mind that he had tried anything like this before.


    "Oh~" Agnes reacted, blinking at him. "I don''t know what happened, but it''s like... I cannot describe it. I can still see it''s you, but I feel something more..."


    "It''s like you''re glowing..." June came forward to touch his cheeks.


    Dawn nodded


    and mostly kept her eyes down.


    "If it''s all you''ve got, then you have no chance of getting our panties wet," Agnes blurted with augh.


    "I don''t need to get your panties wet for this," he snorted and turned to Dawn. "What do you think?"


    "I..." Dawn lifted her head to give him a proper look. "You feel more perfectly aligned with the Way, which makes you look more ideal to others..."


    Even though she gave a magically sound answer, her cheeks were blushed in pink as she quickly looked down, as though it wasn''t proper to look at him.


    "Well, so long as it''s enough to enable me to leave a good impression on someone, it''s good enough," he said out loud, letting out a breath of relief, even though he didn''t need to breathe. Some habits just didn''t wear off within a few days. "I was fearing I had to learn ways to manipte the ethereal mour to my advantage..."


    d to see it wasn''t the case!


    "Who are you trying to impress?" June asked, unaware that she was sping his palm. "I already noticed you''re very good at that with how you keep all your students entranced in your teaching like a spell..."


    "That''s easier because the students are receiving something from me," Gale exined. "But the calction bes a little tricky if it is me on the receiving end."


    She raised an eyebrow.


    "I have called some people from Dragonforge, nning on getting a big deal out of them..."


    "I''m assuming there would be adying to discuss this?" she snorted.


    "Well, Miss Arden is my only contact with Dragonforge," he said.


    June punched him softly on the chest.


    "Hmm, I haven''t checked how this boosted charisma works on a man," Gale muttered.


    "Well, you have used it enough on us, you can quit it now," Agnes said with a frown.


    "Nah," he shook his head. "I n on keeping this up to get myself familiarised with it. I also feel freer this way."


    She groaned. "So you want to¡ª" Agnes stopped herself beforepleting the sentence. "What do you have to discuss?"


    "Well, mostly on my future ns and about how you can absorb dark essence the most efficient way," he paused. "Hmm, it would take some time to get through that all, and I have a ss. Should we do this after I''m done? Meanwhile, you guys can read through my scribblings to get yourselves familiarised with my ns."


    He left his notebook on the table and crept to the guest house. The women exchanged nces and watched his figure leaving. Agnes looked like she wanted toin about something, but didn''t. Dawn was silent and serene as ever, while June was the mostpetitive.


    *****


    As he hadn''t experienced the effect of the boosted mour on the same sex or on a mass, Gale kept the mour at a moderate rate for the ss.


    Within a couple of minutes of observing the ss, he could tell the mour didn''t affect men the same way it did women; in fact, he didn''t believe it affected anyone in the same way. Most of the adepts looked thoroughly amazed for no reason, and the effect didn''t wear off easily.


    Finally noticing that it was making them less attentive to what he was saying, which was counterproductive to the ss, he restricted all forms of mour.


    The ss was applying the designs into physical forms, so it took more time than usual. Most of them did well, though nothing surprised him yet. He was also getting used to Jenni''s unique way of working, and her application for the ss was rathercklustrepared to herself.


    Like every day, half of the adepts had something more to show him. They exited after getting his words on it one by one, until only Jenni remained with dozens of designs in her hand.


    "It will take some time," she said, somewhat giving him an usatory look for some reason. "If you do not have time, I can use the token..."


    "Are you angry for some reason?" he asked, taking the designs from her. Heid them over the table and pushed his Void Sense through the designs. It turned out they were all just alternative versions of the same design with various utilities added to them. "This reminds me... I forgot to tell you, but I''m nning on showing your designs to a representative of Dragonforge in a few days.


    It would be better if you could be present at the meeting."


    Jenni blinked, then her eyes widened like saucers. "I thought youpletely forgot about it," she gasped. "But to present it to Dragonforge..."


    "Why are you having cold feet?"


    "I..." She let out a weird noise, palms sped into fists. "I mean, the designs are not perfect. Yet. They might not like it and write me offpletely from their list of runesmiths to work with, and then I''ll have to go back and work for my father, beg him to take me back... He''ll be real smug about it... I can already imagine the looks..."


    "Slow down, girl," Gale chuckled. It had been so long since he had seen her feeling down on confidence and spiralling into thoughts of all the bad things that could happen to her. "At worst, Dragonforge will not give you the deal you like, but even they would like to purchase the designs."


    "Even if they do not intend to go forward with the project?" Jenni frowned.


    Gale nodded. "I''ll advise you not to sell the design... Yes, it could get you a hefty sum of wealth, but that couldn''tpare to the brand you can make with this product..."


    Jenni seemed like she couldn''t believe his words. Yes, she had imagined making it big in the runesmithing market, but never in her wildest dream had she imagined her first big design would have a shot at it.


    "Actually, it will be better if we discuss this more thoroughly," he said and stood up. "If you have nothing on your te,e with me."


    ****


    Jenni hadn''t had her breakfast yet, or eaten anythingst night, yet she wasted no moment in joining him on the way back to theke. Well, considering the hours, he probably had something cooking.


    The delicious aroma wafted in the air the moment she stepped foot in the open sanctuary the master runesmith had created on the banks of theke. Jenni licked her lips and noticed the other three women. She already hoped to see two of them, but it seemed the captain had returned as well.


    Dawn was the one who prepared the food, while the beautiful elf woman served at the table. The meal was light and nothing extravagant, but it was rich in vour and spirituality.


    "Looks like we need another te of serving," Agnesughed. "Gale has brought another girl along..."


    "I hope I''m not intruding upon you," Jenni said, even though the polite words rang hollow even to her own ears.


    "No need to act polite, girl," Agnesughed. "Politeness and reservedness actually don''t look good on you. Just be yourself, spontaneous and fun."


    Jenni smiled and nodded, though she didn''t bring out her tomboyish self. Perhaps Agnes would like it, and Dawn would understand, but she wouldn''t want to make an ass of herself in front of the high elf, who was also Warden''s partner and probably had some say in his decision making.


    Jenni sucked in a deep breath, feeling empty in her stomach. Perhaps I should fill that first.


    _____________


    The Chronicles of Gale Joseph Paul Rizzler

 Chapter 331: Dimension Lever

    The discussion went well with Jenni and Dawn, though it took some time. But that wasn''t even the end of it. He would need to sit down with them once more, at the very least, to make sure his n to mass-produce enchanted suits and armour was viable.


    His n for June was simple as well. He had already shown her how he could boost her refinement speed with radiance essence. June weed the aspect of a helping hand, but she assured him that she would like to be dependent on herself right now. Perhaps she feared turningzy if he helped her regrly...


    Moreover, her advancement didn''t just corrte to absorbing more essence. The path of a mind mage was very uniquepared to any regr ranker, and she hadn''t been at all diligent in using her empathic power. June was even very reluctant to discuss the topic.


    He knew it was rted to a traumatic memory where she lost her father and went into aa for several years, so he didn''t push her right now.


    She did n on using his assistance in learning rune magic, which was something.


    Lastly, the mostplicated business. He turned to the former captain.


    "I agree with this," Agnes said before he could even open his lips, showing his scribbles in the book. "Twelve hours is nothing..."


    "Twelve hours for what?" Jenni asked, raising an eyebrow. She was probably thinking something stupid, but Gale didn''t bother to clear her misunderstanding.


    "I was fairly confident you''d agree with that," he said, shaking his head. "But I want to make sure that it isn''t a continuous twelve hours, but divided into four small sessions of two and four hours. After each session, you''ll have to take just as much time as rest."


    "Twelve hours of rest seems a little too much waste of time," she muttered.


    "Well, if you do not intend to rest all that time, you can spend some of that time with us," he said.


    Agnes looked around at everyone and nodded, letting out a sigh. "Well, if you agree, can I begin now?"


    "Already?" Galeughed. "I haven''t evenid the necessary formations needed..."


    "How long would that take?"


    He tilted his head in calction. "It would have taken half a day if it was before my advancement," he said. "But now, it''s a couple of hours at worst. Also, I probably need to repair or ry the runes every second day or regrly, considering what we would be dealing with."


    "What would you be dealing with?" Jenni asked, feeling like the only one losing out on information.


    Gale still didn''t answer her question. "You should get busy with Dawn''s cultivation and reinforcement skills," he told her. "The representative will being in a week."


    She snorted and abided by his words, beginning to discuss how they could work on their project together in the best way possible. But then a portal appeared in the middle and caught Jenni''s attention once more.


    "You have dimension powers?" she asked, jumping to her feet like an eager child. "Wait, whose dimension skill is this? Why does the gate look weird? Where does it lead..."


    Before she could ask any more questions, Gale turned to June. "I hope you keep her steady in the work while we''re gone."


    Agnes jumped into the gate and vanished, while Gale sat down in meditation.


    ***


    Agnes appeared directly into the dark underground soul chamber where Gale had hidden the dark core and the sceptre. To her surprise, he was already there, working on putting out rune formations which would help her absorb the dark essence at a slow and steady pace.


    If she were to leave it all to the dark sphere, then her physical form would burst into thousands of pieces with the overwhelming dark essence that would flood into her system.


    "Can you operate here withoutpromising your presence outside?" she asked Gale''s soul avatar.


    "I have been experimenting a little," he said, not looking back at her. "So far, it''s beencklustre. I can only do simple tasks like meditation, visualisation, or essence cirction¡ªbasically, the tasks I''m thoroughly familiar with¡ªwhile maintaining full consciousness here."


    "Those aren''t simple tasks," Agnes almost cried. Far from it, to be honest. Any regr ranker needed to be in a flow state for most of those simple tasks.


    "However, I do feel more at ease here," he said. "I could probably utilise more of my abilities far more efficiently here. Hmm, maybe if I can alternate the control position and..." He stopped working, eyes shing with enlightenment. "Well, I can experiment with itter... For now, let''s take care of this first."


    "How much do you intend to leave the siphoning rate of the formation?" Agnes asked, peering at the glittering runic formations in the air.


    "0.02%," he said. Agnes looked like she was about to argue, but before she could utter a word ofint, he continued. "That 0.02% will be like absorbing a low gold rank essence gem. Mostly because of the source and the nature of the source. I know you can go as far as half a percentage with your unique physique, but it''s better to take it slow."


    Before he advanced, he could absorb something of this calibre, though from a different source, at 1-2%. But he wasn''t sure what the effect would be on his mind if he were to absorb dark essence at that rate. He would probably lose his mind and spirit.


    "You need to remember the n is to make you a gold ranker in a year," he emphasised. "Not a corrupted corpse inhibiting a dead god''s will."


    Agnes sighed and nodded solemnly. "I have given my word, I guess I cannotin."


    "Good girl," Gale said, as another of his avatars appeared behind her to pat her shoulder.


    Agnes red at the new avatar as it disappeared into nothing.


    "Obviously, 0.02% is too low for you to advance to gold rank in a year," Gale continued. "The n is to increase the rate as you get adapted to it."


    "I''m notining, but you''re being awfully cautious about this," she said.


    "I have to be," he said with a sigh. For the next hour, he established the siphoning formation, as it revolved under the dark core, many of its armstching onto it.


    "Is it done?" she asked, feeling more eager than ever.


    Gale nodded. "Now, before you begin, I need to learn something from you."


    All her eagerness dampened as she could clearly imagine what he wanted to ask. "If it''s about the sceptre, I do not intend to take it from¡ª"


    "Who gave you the task to collect the sceptre from the inheritance ground?" he asked, walking towards her. "You don''t have to answer the question if you don''t want to, and I''d still help you... I just feel like I should know about it, considering my part in the y."


    Agnes sucked in a deep breath, meeting his gaze. She let the air go. "It''s my master," she said. "Well, it''splicated... probably very different from the rtionship between you and your celestial master. But it wouldn''t be wrong to say they are my master..."


    It didn''t go unnoticed that she was using they to refer to her master.


    "How does your master know about the sceptre being in the inheritance ground?" he asked. "Is she aware of the corpse?"


    "I don''t know," Agnes said. "My master is very mysterious... I haven''t seen them for several years... but I wouldn''t be surprised if they knew all the information about mepletely."


    "They wouldn''t know what happens here," Gale told her confidently.


    "Well, that''s true," she said.


    "I can guess how they know about the sceptre," Gale said. "Well, considering how forsakens are aware of some of the inside workings of the ce, it would be stupid to imagine some of the higher-ups on our side weren''t aware of it."


    "The Empire, or most of the council, weren''t," Agnes said confidently. "If they did, we wouldn''t have been able to take it all away so easily."


    "I guess... Anyway, the sceptre, or the better term for it would be a Dimension Lever. Unfortunately, its name fails to show the true grandeur of the artefact."


    "What does it do, other than killing a god?" Agnes asked sarcastically.


    "Well, that''s only a by-product of its function," Gale said. "Its main function is to work as an anchor to the subspace, keeping its dimension and temporalws steady, so that it doesn''t copse or implode on itself."


    "That''s why the subspace copsed when you took away the lever." Realisation shed on her face.


    "So if your master is truly a high ranker, they probably know the existence of something like a Dimension Lever."


    "They are a transcendent," Agnes said, sucking in a deep breath. "I wasn''t aware of it before, but I''d be damned if they are anything less than that."


    Though by her expression, it seemed her rtionship with this so-called master of hers wasn''t so bright. Well, if they were really transcendent, why hadn''t they bailed their student out of outrageous indentured military work, which wasn''t anywhere better than contracted envement?


    "The reason I''m bringing this up," Gale continued, turning his eyes towards the Dimension Lever lodged in the core, "is that the sceptre is of great use to me."


    Agnes did not look surprised at all, though a conflicted look appeared in her eyes.


    "So if you can organise a meeting between us, it would be great."

 Chapter 332: First Session

    "So if you can organise a meeting between us, it would be great."


    Agnes shook her head. "It¡¯s impossible," she said. "Securing the Sceptre is the only contact I got from my master since I was indentured into the military."


    The Warden frowned. Her master might not care about Agnes, but they do seem to care about the Sceptre. And why wouldn¡¯t they, considering its functions? Like all subspaces, a soul domain requires a dimension lever.


    Actually, dimension levers might be a by-product of a soul domain, where a Transcendent had to form the lever to ensure the soul domain didn¡¯t be uncontroble to them.


    Even his own soul domain was growing beyond his control. There were some aspects he simply couldn¡¯t control. He might be the spiritual father of the space, but he couldn¡¯t control how far his influence grew. Yet.


    "They probably have no idea if I even managed to secure the Sceptre," Agnes said after a while. "And have not contacted me to know if I seeded or not."


    "Well, as far as most people were concerned, the forsaken had the clear advantage in the subspace," Gale grinned. "It is unlikely someone got the better of them."


    Agnes met his smile. "If the Sceptre is useful to you, keep it," she said. "But make sure nobody learns about its presence with you. At least not until you arepletely Transcendent."


    Gale was about to nod. "What about your master?"


    Agnes¡¯ eyes glowed with coldness. "You do not need to worry about that," she said, clenching her teeth. "All my life I wanted to sever myself from their influence. The Sceptre was the repayment I needed to give them to ensure they never involve me in their game."


    "Then?"


    She shook her head. "Knowing them, I can say with absolute certainty that they would never let go of a useful tool." She bit her lips and sat down under the siphoning formation. Gale sped her shoulders, trying tofort her. "As long as I¡¯m useless to their game, they would throw me away like just another chess piece..."


    "Are you fine with that, though?" he asked, rubbing her shoulders.


    Agnes shrugged. "Can I begin now?"


    Gale let out a breath and nodded. He flexed his fingers as the formation surrounded her before forming a connection. "The control is within you," he said. "You can choose when to begin and when to rest. However, I did code the timeout ording to the n."


    Agnes nodded.


    "It¡¯s a two-hour session now," he said. "You can begin with the 0.02% intensity."


    Agnes began, and the formation shimmered with brighter golden light. Wisps of pure dark essence threaded out from the core and flowed into her body. Agnes¡¯ shoulder jerked. She set her posture to move into the flow stage of meditation.


    "Remember, the formation can restrict the corrupt will to a high degree, but it¡¯s not absolute," Gale reminded. "Eventually, you have to fight it out."


    She nodded and closed her eyes. Even if she tried now, the intensity wouldn¡¯t increase over the 0.02% set in the formation. Ultimately, his n was to raise it to 0.15% intensity, which should be more than enough to advance to Gold rank, with enough room to work on herbat arts.


    As it was the first session, the Warden remained in the chamber to watch over the proceedings. The eroding effect of the dark essence on the formation was minuscule, so little that the Restoration formation was repairing it back to full health in no time. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be the same when the intensity was higher.


    The two hours passed quickly for Agnes, though she remained sitting in the meditative stage even when the connection ended and the formation retracted.


    Five minutester, she finally opened her eyes. Gale was in front of her.


    "Done already?" she furrowed her brows. "It wasn¡¯t even as intense as the core of the moonspawn which I absorbed in the inheritance ground."


    "Obviously," Gale affirmed. "The core probably has a few folds higher intensity, plus no filtering of the corrupt will. The formation practically restricted 90% of the corruption."


    Agnes sucked in a deep breath as she jumped to her feet. "So two hours down," she asked, "I need to spend two hours outside toe back here?"


    Gale nodded. "Before that," he drew his palm to ask hers.


    "I thought you said you¡¯ll check on once every second day?" she raised an eyebrow andughed, though she gave her palm.


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    "That was when I¡¯m busy, and you¡¯ll need a thorough check," he said. "Right now, it will only need a couple of minutes at best..." He raised an eyebrow. "Even less inside the soul domain."


    It took him less than half a minute. Probably would have taken less if he hadn¡¯t been too careful.


    "I cannot check my status screen," Agnes said. "Mentalmand doesn¡¯t work here. Or any kind ofmand."


    "All outside influence is restricted here," Gale said. "Although I n on establishing something like the system interface here, without the influence of the other system."


    Agnes frowned, and then a look of horror appeared on her face. "Hey, Gale," she said, her voice dry, "what are the chances the outside world is a soul domain of a very powerful being?"


    "Now that you say it out loud..." Gale closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. "Okay, let¡¯s not assume anything yet..."


    "But you do see the chance of it being possible?"


    "I cannot discount it," he said, letting out a breath. "But believe me when I say this: thews of the outside world are a lot more distinct than this ce. It is somewhat vtile on the frontlines, simr to a soul domain, but that doesn¡¯t prove anything."


    "Yeah, let¡¯s not discuss the iling of life when I just began to take hold of my life," she chuckled. "I feel like I should spar... Can you give me some more minutes?"


    "Let¡¯s get outside first," he smiled and touched her shoulder.


    ****


    Agnes blinked and came back to the outside world. Unlike before, Jenni didn¡¯t express her surprise. For that matter, she didn¡¯t even nce towards her. She was seated at the table, engraving runes on a thick piece of cotton clothing, while Dawn was sitting on the ground, doing something very peculiar with cotton.


    The elf was looking at the work with wide eyes that shimmered in silver light, thoroughly invested in learning the...


    Cottonbining art? she thought and chided herself. A name like that was something Jenni woulde up with. Well, that was what it seemed to her eyes. Dawn was taking arge quantity of cotton, infusing it with her essence and intent, and concentrating on smaller pieces of clothing.


    "Cultivation is a versatile art," Galemented as he stood up from his meditative spot. "Anyway, you can be fascinated with itter... Are you still in the sparring mood?"


    Agnes gave the three-woman crew ast look before nodding at him.


    "Let¡¯s begin then," he said and flew up above theke. "We¡¯ll spar here, in case we damage the naturalndscape."


    The [Wings of Darkness] manifested behind her as she shot towards him. The elf had noticed them and acknowledged with a curt nod, still invested in the Cotton Cultivation Art.


    Agnes too did not pay any attention to her anymore and got invested in sparring. Unfortunately for her, Gale had be an unattainable opponent for her. Before, she could contend with him on par while having a good advantage in her sword arts, but now, none of her specialities mattered anymore. Not against him.


    He had defeated her in all of them, and most likely without even trying.


    This is so unfair, she wanted toin, but this was how the world worked. She didn¡¯t stop the spar even though it was thoroughly bnced against her.


    "How much power are you using?" she asked after a quarter of an hour.


    Gale looked at her with a foolish gaze. "I cannot say, I have not had the chance to know my limit yet," he said.


    "Then how far is your limit?"


    This time he looked as though she was dumb. "Cannot say, I have not reached my limit yet."


    "I guess your celestial awakening hadn¡¯t changed your pompous ass," she snorted.


    They continued to spar again until she was thoroughly exhausted. It barely took half an hour, and she hadn¡¯tnded a single blow on him; that was how much Gale outssed her.


    "Your intent has changed," she remarked after they stopped.


    "I¡¯d say it matured as I found my Way," Galemented, throwing a drink at her. "It is more of a baleful cleansing power now." He rubbed his chin. "Huh, it¡¯s actually perfect for janitorial work."


    "Well, you can clean all the toilets you want. I¡¯m going to meditate," Agnes said as she sat down, cross-legged, getting back to the banks. The others were still invested in their work.


    Before she moved into meditation, she finally checked on her status page to glimpse at the changes. Her Strength had grown by 2.5 actual points, followed by 1.7 in Dexterity, 0.9 in Spirit, and 0.8 in Perception.


    Agnes was stunned to find the improvement in Spirit. A 0.9-point increase in just two hours of the session was mind-blowing, considering Spirit was the most difficult attribute to improve. All that too in just 0.02 intensity.


    Her physical attributes were already moving closer to 200 points, while Spirit stood at the low 190s.


    Agnes clenched her fists. "Wake me up when the two hours are up."

 Chapter 333: Emergency

    "So, how¡¯s the work going?" Gale asked after leaving Agnes in the dark chamber of his soul domain.


    Even in the cold environment, Jenni¡¯s face was full of sweat. Her condition had healedpletely, and it was about the first time since the inheritance ground that she was doing heavy work¡ªa task that required her to invest all of her expertise.


    "This is awesome," she said, clutching a few pieces of clothes she had already worked upon. "Look at them..."


    Gale took one and pushed his awareness to see all the intricacies. Dawn¡¯s cultivation skill had already reinforced the cotton cloth to Tier-III material, which was further enhanced with Jenni¡¯s runes. Well, if not for Jenni¡¯s ability to improve the cloth, none of her runes would have even worked. Any Tier-III script would burn throughmon materials like that within seconds of their usage.


    The equation became a lot different after Dawn¡¯s maniption brought the cotton to the realms of Tier-III ingredients. A Tier-III material wouldst for years of wear and tear unless you dungeon dive regrly as your religion.


    Gale infused his essence into the cloth to find out the actual output. Jenni hadn¡¯t engraved all the runes she intended, as this was merely a way to get used to the materials and see how far she could go with it.


    "This is looking good," Jenni said. "Obviously not as good as Ghost Spider silk, but I guess this will make the product more popr."


    Gale nodded and turned to June. She was learning the cultivation art and seemed to have already grasped the basics; she just needed more practice to get as good as Dawn.


    "I¡¯m confused though," Jenni said again, wiping the sweat from her face. "If there is a way to raise the quality of a material, why haven¡¯t people tried it yet?"


    "Oh, they do everything to raise the quality of materials," Gale said. "But it¡¯s mostly for metals, and materials thate from the dungeon... For some reason, they aren¡¯t big on materials like cotton. I guess that art is not easy to get one¡¯s head around."


    Cultivation required a very steady grasp and an overwhelming amount of control to raise the quality of materials. In most cases, it augments the growth of the materials, but for materials like cotton, they would need to infuse more of the material together and reinforce it to a better material, which was far tougher than the usual method.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t something a wealth load of money and time couldn¡¯t aplish. Most of the spirit arts could be learned through simple repetitive exercises. Yes, it might take years, or decades even, but he would have thought organisations like Dragonforge would have a team full of masters of this art.


    Apparently, that wasn¡¯t the case. He guessed they specialised in metal for a reason, which didn¡¯t leave much room to get into another market.


    "How is it going for you?" Gale turned to June.


    She handed him her best product. "Easy to learn the basics," she exhaled, "but it gets astronomically hard from there."


    "It¡¯s hard from the beginning," Jennimented. She had tried the art too, and hadn¡¯t been able to go deep into it. All her reinforced materials had no bnce in the properties, not even moving higher than Tier-I materials, which the cotton was to begin with.


    "I guess we have more affinity for this art than most people," June said. "Though I¡¯d be damned if I manage to master this within a year."


    "This is great for your first try," Gale said. He began working on the material, infusing it with radiance essence to work as the catalyst. He infused more cotton together, raising the quality of the materials higher than Tier-III within a few minutes.


    Everyone stopped their work and watched him. Within a quarter of an hour, he had taken in half of all the cotton they had lying around and condensed it into a slightly thicker cotton silk cloth.


    "What tier is it?" Jenni gasped.


    "Tier-V at best, but I did waste a lot of materials," Gale sighed. "Anyway, I wanted to let you see what is possible."


    With that, he began engraving runes without using his runic stylus or any of the materials but the enchanted cotton. Jenni sucked in a deep breath and grew closer, peering deep into the golden essence threading intoyers of runes.


    "There are six shells," she cried. "Have you already advanced to Tier-VI?"


    Gale acted as


    if he didn¡¯t even hear her question. His awareness provided him with enough acuity to go forward without using the stylus. This process was a lot harder, but it was far more efficient and less time-consuming as he wouldn¡¯t have to engrave every single rune with his hands.


    "This is not just Tier-VI design," Jenni cried once more, catching others¡¯ attention. "You have other types of runes within the same shell... that¡¯s not supposed to work!"


    Jenni shut her mouth and watched, realising that speaking any more would only make her look foolish. She watched fervently. At least the elf shared her sentiment, while Dawn appeared as if it was nothing special. Or more like, it was the usual business with Gale.


    An hourter, he was finally done, without even breaking a sweat. Well, that might be because of how his body had transformed, but certainly, he didn¡¯t feel much strain from the work.


    He guessed all the resting and sleeping like a normal person did help.


    "Are you done?" Jenni lunged at him. "Let me see, let me see what you made."


    She literally snatched the cloth from his hand and held it before her eyes, peering deep into it with a frown.


    "Congrattions," June said, patting his shoulder.


    He clicked his tongue. "Thanks, but I haven¡¯t been very sessful with it yet..."


    "You say that, then you¡¯ll say you seed two out of three times."


    "Nah, so far the sess rate has only been fifty to sixty percent."


    She pped him on the shoulder. "That wasn¡¯t far away from what I said."


    "I guess," heughed. "Anyway, I¡¯ll go check on Agnes. You guys don¡¯t just keep on working. It¡¯s almost lunchtime. Take care of the food I made for you..."


    "Wait," June cut in before he could move to his hammock to meditate. "Let me go there."


    "You want to see how she¡¯s doing?"


    "I want to see the stele your master gave you," June shook her head. "And also look around the ce..."


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    He tilted his head. "I guess, it doesn¡¯t hurt..."


    He manifested the gate before June. Jenni finally perked up from the runes she was examining.


    "What does this gate lead to?" she couldn¡¯t help but ask. "And why are you all keeping it a secret from me?"


    She didn¡¯t like being left out. Gale was about to make a quick jab but stopped himself; perhaps it wasn¡¯t the time to make her feel any more down.


    "I¡¯ll show you someday so long as you grow at the speed you¡¯re going," he said instead.


    She snorted and watched June disappear into the gate. "I don¡¯t want to go into the suspicious gate anyway. Keep all your secrets."


    "Finish the food," he said atst, before moving into meditation.


    *****


    Only about three hours passed when Dawn woke him up with a serious expression on her face.


    "Quick, we need you!" she cried. "Jenni is going through an advancement."


    "What?" His eyes split open as he looked around to find her. He didn¡¯t see her anywhere nearby, so he activated Void Sense. Within a couple of minutes, everything became clear to him.


    She was lying on the ground of her room, squirming in slow pain as a swirl of essence surged above her.


    "That stupid girl..." He didn¡¯t finish his sentence as his body flew towards her room.


    He entered through the window without waiting ceremoniously to open the door. Without wasting a moment, he stooped down beside her to check what was going on inside her channels.


    He sighed in relief, finding it wasn¡¯t as serious as he thought. The advancement probably came as a surprise, and she wasn¡¯t prepared enough to follow through with it without a hitch.


    Dawn entered through the door shortly after. "Is she going to be alright?"


    He nodded and touched her head, drawing his silver radiant essence to infuse into her body.


    "She¡¯s having trouble opening her third aperture," he said with a sigh. Why wouldn¡¯t she be without any help? Yes, his own apertures opened without him doing much, but that was mostly because he had been a high ranker before. Her case wasn¡¯t the same for her, or any of the rankers. Even Agnes hadn¡¯t had it easy opening her apertures.


    "More so, it¡¯s the Mind ce," he clenched his teeth. That was one of the toughest apertures, considering it was connected to the brain. "All I can do is make sure she doesn¡¯t hurt herself too badly..."


    He used the silver essence to steady the surging power within her channels. The little healing training May had helped him with and his experience were enough to resolve that within a few minutes. Now all that was left was the aperture...


    "No, no, no, she¡¯s doing it wrong," Gale cried to Jenni, but she wasn¡¯t listening. "You do not hit it with your everything. You should know that already."


    But in panic, it was easy to make the simplest of errors.


    "Call the elf," Dawn said. "She¡¯s a mind mage. She can help her."


    Gale didn¡¯t think hard about it and opened the gate to bring June out.

 Chapter 334: Clueless Advancement

    June came out of the portal and found the reason behind the uncalled teleportation. She was about to ask for rification but easily made the conjecture, finding Jenni lying on Gale''s knee like that.


    Another portal opened behind her, as a dark figure came out, still in her meditative state. Agnes'' eyes fluttered open as she looked at them questioningly. "What happened?"


    "She''s having trouble opening Mind Pce," he cried, turning his attention to June. "I want you to calm her mind and remind her what she''s doing wrong..."


    "Are you sure," June couldn''t help but ask. "If I were to link with her mind when she''s in such a state, I fear I''ll¡ª"


    "Do it," he said, drawing out his very core power. Jenni had already begun to stabilise after he steadied her essence flow. Now June just needed to tell her that she was in safe hands. "I will take care of the rest."


    June nodded, clutching Jenni''s palm. She closed her eyes and tried to dive into the girl''s mind. Immediately, she found resistance, twoyers of them. One was clearly created out of Jenni''s subconsciousness, while the other was Gale''s radiance essence protecting her mind from any mishaps.


    As though noticing her approach, he let her in while June scanned the subconscious restriction to find a way in. It wasn''t difficult to enter, but it was difficult to make sure she wasn''t hurting her.


    It''s fine, June transferred to her mind. We are here, everything will be fine...


    Jenni had stopped squirming long ago, and with her reassuring words, the wrinkle in her brows eased as well. She was seething with sweat, even in such a cool environment.


    "Tell her to go easy on herself," Gale assured. "We''ll be here all day if she needs..."


    June nodded.


    "Check her storage. Jenni might have some elixir to help her with opening the aperture," Agnes pointed as she moved to the study table to check.


    Everyone thought Jenni had taken an elixir which pushed her into this state, but that wasn''t the case, because Agnes easily found a vial of blue liquid among the first things in her study desk.


    "A superior aperture opening elixir," Agnes said, taking a sniff after opening the cork. "Let her drink this."


    Jenni opened her eyes to find herself lying in the bedroll of her room. Dawn was sitting next to her, her expression brightened, finding her awake.


    "Ouch... I feel so lethargic," Jenni muttered as she sat upright. "What is this smell?"


    She sped her nose shut, only to find the terrible stink was oozing out of her body. This was the expunge of the advancement? I seeded.


    "I seeded?" she repeated out loud, unable to believe herself. "This is so stupid, I thought I''d di¡ª"


    She didn''t finish, finding Dawn staring at her unblinkingly, resentment in her eyes. Jenni bit her lips. No, she shouldn''t celebrate at this moment. As far as she remembered of the event, it felt like she was dying. Of course, she wasn''t dying; at worst, it would have crippled her, but that wasn''t the time to consider that.


    "Before you me me for being irresponsible," she began, though unable to finish.


    "I''ll go call Gale and the others," Dawn said, standing up. She didn''t even listen to what Jenni had to say and hurried out of the room.


    Jenni jumped to her feet and followed after. Her bnce wobbled, not being fully in control of the new structural change and boost in her body. "Ouuu~"


    Did I grow a couple of inches taller? she considered. Not a time to ponder on that. "Dawn, listen to me, I did not intend for this to happen... I may be irresponsible at times, but I''m not this stupid. Like I at least want to live for a millennium before I do something stupid like this..."


    Dawn wasn''t listening and led her to where the others were. They were having dinner, by thekeside like always. Jenni froze, as they all lifted their heads to meet her. She cursed inwardly, meeting all the gazes that bore all the disapproval.


    "Okay, I shouldeter," she said and turned her head rigidly. She would have gone in no moment, but a voice restricted her pass.


    "Sit down on an empty seat," Galemanded.


    She turned back like a machine and stepped towards an empty seat between Agnes and the elf woman.


    "Can you clean her real quick?" Agnes muttered, nudging Gale on the shoulder. "I''m afraid I''ll lose my appetite at this rate."


    "How are you feeling?" the elf woman asked, touching her arm, as though not feeling the same derision of the stink as the former captain.


    "I''m good, first-ss even," Jenni said, stealing a peek at the only man at the table. He was regarding her, contemtive. Light sparked in his palms as he cast a spell on her, which cleansed all the detestable stink off her body. Even more so, Jenni felt refreshed as ever, the warm energy sucking away all the tiredness she hadn''t even felt from her body.


    "Thanks..." she said awkwardly.


    Gale only stared at her, still with an using look as if she had stolen his firstborn child.


    Wait, why is he acting like he''s my father? she thought. It''s not like it was my fault...


    Her stomach growled as she sniffed the familiar delicious aroma wafting to her nostrils. "This, this, this!" she stared at the food, pointing at them with her index finger. "This is the root of all evil."


    Everyone at the table was bbergasted.


    "Here, have some water," June offered.


    Jenni looked between the people, her gaze lingering on Dawn, who wasn''t looking at her. She took the ss of water and poured it all into her mouth.


    A silence descended on the table, which unnerved her greatly.


    "So~" she opened her mouth again. "Am I finally wee at the big table?"


    "By how you act, I fear you''ll never be wee at this table even if you glitter far better than the rest of the adepts," Gale finally said, exhaling deeply. "I think it would have been better if I had never brought you out. At least you would have stayed safe under Elder Ming''s care."


    Jenni clenched her jaw and red at him. "Listen, this is not my fault, okay," she said. "Well, notpletely. I just ate a little more than usual, who would have thought that would catalyse my advancement?"


    Gale looked at her dumbly.


    "If you want someone to me," Jenni didn''t stoop, "me yourself for cooking such delicious and high-spirited food... If I wasn''t feeling too exhausted, or too invested in the work, would I have eaten all that?"


    "Wait, are you saying you advanced to silver by just eating some meal?" Agnes asked, her lips curving upward in a smile.


    "Well, I did a lot," Jenni blushed.


    "You could have been crippled," Gale red at her, "or had brain damage if Dawn hadn''t noticed you quickly."


    "It''s not my fault that I didn''t see iting," she muttered, pouting.


    Gale sighed and turned to the others. "What do I do with her?"


    "I guess it wouldn''t have been that much of a problem if she wasn''t talented," June muttered. "It seems her body could almostpletely digest the rich essence from the meals, and also she had that weird fascination for your food."


    "Even still, she should at least have the readiness to call someone," Gale said, looking at her coldly. "The process shouldn''t have put her in immediate trouble."


    "Alright, I''ll be more careful for my next advancement," Jenni said. "I got through this one, right? Let''s leave it at that."


    "Girl, you have no idea how you advanced, have you?" Agnes asked, shaking her head.


    Jenni looked at her questioningly, but Agnes provided her with no answers, stuffing her mouth with rich roasted pork.


    The truth of the matter was that the advancement triggered when she fell asleep after eating a load of the food. Jenni wasn''t in the right state to dy it further, and by the time she got her wits back, she was in deep water, choking on it.


    "Anyway, we are all silver rankers," Jenni said, sitting straighter, looking between everyone at the table. "Let''s discuss like we are all equals now."


    Not only the people at the table, but Jenni was also the only Iron ranker among the whole group that resided in the guest house. She didn''t have any insecurity because of this, or inferiorityplex... if she hadn''t gotten into trouble in the inheritance ground, she would have been a Silver ranker weeks ago.


    But now she had finally risen to the stage, and she demanded all the mutual respect and praises.


    Instead, what she received were chuckles from almost everyone at the table, while they exchanged gazes with the only man, who also couldn''t help but smile.


    "Am I missing something?" she asked. She pointed at Gale. "I know for a fact that you used to be a Gold ranker, don''t try to deny that, Dawn had told me all about this."


    Gale shrugged.


    "Even then, it''s just a Gold ranker," Jenni continued. "It''s not like you transcended the ranks and became¡ª"


    "Ahaha~ I cannot help it anymore," Agnes burst intoughter. She stood up, holding a drink. "Why is this so funny?"


    "Why is this funny?" Jenni asked too, turning to Dawn in askance.


    Dawn shook her head unhelpfully. She felt like Dawn was more of their friend than hers in a situation like this, but Jenni couldn''t help it.


    "I''ll give you this," Gale said as he stood up. "If you can be a master Runesmith within a year, I''ll tell you why it is funny."

 Chapter 335: Unsung Heroes

    It took a couple of extra hours for Jason to locate the guest house finally, but he was d to find they had already prepared breakfast for him when he got there. Well, they probably didn''t know he would be arriving at this hour, but there seemed to be a lot of surplus food.


    He found Warden surrounded by beautiful women, well, only three of them, but that''s already three more than what Jason had for himself. He already recognised the tallish Elven woman with silver hair and long ears to be Professor June, while he had met the very outspoken woman on the front lines once.


    As for thest woman, he hadn''t seen her before, because if he had, he surely would have remembered, as her looks were more unique than any of them.


    "Oh, Jason, d you came," Warden called, lifting his head from the seat. He raised an eyebrow, examining him. "Congrattions on your advancement, but I guess it has been a long timeing."


    Jason was flustered but smiled back. "It has been some time since I advanced," he said as he neared the table. "I guess you didn''t feel it outside the time dtion of the front lines."


    Warden gestured for him to take an empty seat after hepleted all the greetings with the women. Professor June smiled back at him, while the other white-haired woman nodded, while thest woman didn''t even lift her head from her work.


    "Don''t mind her," Warden said. "So you spent all your time on the front lines after I left?"


    "Most of it, yeah," Jason nodded.


    Warden served him a te of light breakfast, which he epted without question. The aroma wafting off the meals was already making him hungry and salivating.


    "So you probably have a good idea of what''s going on on the front lines since I was gone?"


    "As my sister mentioned, it has be a lot harder since you left," Jason said, gobbling up a sandwich. "About three months have passed, and the attack is still going at full pace. On top of the demonic creatures, the Forsaken have joined their ranks in the assault. Something like this hasn''t happened in a long time as far as I''m concerned.


    The higher-ranking officers showed up from time to time to ensure the safety of the soldiers, but so far it has been damnably hard for them."


    Warden nodded. "Any news on the inheritance ground?"


    "They are fixing it as we speak," Jason sighed. "On that note, I have earned a spot to enter the trials in the very first round with my contribution in the skirmishes. However, it will probably take another couple of months for them to power up the system. Perhaps more, considering the essence would being from various organisations of the world."


    "I guess," Warden stared at him contemtively. "I''ll see it when I have to go back."


    "When are you going back?"


    "Only three days remain of my vacation," he sighed. "Any news on those who were infected with dark essence, or about the search into the deeper part of the inheritance ground?"


    "To answer your first question, something weird happened with those infected with dark essence. More than half of them had transformed, well, not into something demonic, but their affinity and essence mutated to possess more of a dark nature. I heard some of them had been relieved of their duty, some still in rehab...


    Don''t know what they intend to do with those that inherited the dark essence into their core."


    Jason sucked in a deep breath. "As for your other question, I cannot say anything huge. The higher rankers likely have ventured deep into thebyrinth several times, followed by other groups led by the captains. I joined once as well, though found nothing worthwhile. There were still plenty of runesmiths and mages studying the runes on some of the walls, but that was about it.


    Even if the higher-ups received anything valuable, they were keeping it under wraps."


    Warden nodded. "They should have finished up all the interrogation by now," he muttered. "But I guess I still would have to go through it once I''m back."


    "By the way, I have finally filed all the paperwork and contacts necessary for the guild," Jason said, sounding as enthusiastic as he felt. "It will take a few days, and then we''ll officially be in a guild."


    "Really?" Warden raised an eyebrow. "What name did you choose this time?"


    Jason smiled. "You wouldn''t believe how much time and effort I spent on this name," he said. "I even went to a fortune teller, just in case."


    "So what is the name?" Warden stroked his hair. "Hopefully you wouldn''t go any worse than Silent Watcher."


    "Ahem!" Jason suppressed his flustered state, finding everyone''s attention was on him. Well, everyone but the adept runesmith girl, who kept on working single-mindedly. "After days of thinking and consulting, I chose Unsung Heroes."


    Jason waited for their reaction, congratting him for his brilliant word choice, but all he got from Warden was a blink of an eye before he turned to Professor June.


    "I guess you have a thing for remaining unbeknown," Wardenughed. "Still, this is far better than Silent Watcher."


    "Are you firm on taking ''Heroes'' in the title though?" June asked. "As you know, something like that maye with its weights."


    "I have thought through this," Jason said, sucking in a deep breath.


    "Who are the members at this moment?"


    "You remember the healer and huntress we went into the Drake dungeon?" Jason said. "Those two have joined... I was talking with Aurel the other day, but she''s as undecided as always."


    "I thought she''d decline to your face," Warden said. "So it is only the four of us right now, huh..."


    "I''m done!" The adept runesmith woman burst out, sitting upright. If he didn''t remember wrong, her name was Jenni. She was also the daughter of someone important. "God, this took a while." She looked around and finally seemed to notice him. "Who''s this? Why do I feel like I have seen you somewhere?"


    Jason didn''t know how to answer the suspicious look she was giving him. Ultimately, he left it to others.


    "This is Jason, my good friend," Warden said, a smile tugging at his lips. "I feel like you two should be able to be friends quickly too, considering how simr your situation is."


    "What simr situation?" Jenni asked, eyebrows raised. "Is he on his way to bing a renowned entrepreneur?"


    Wardenughed. "No... unlike your lofty goals, Jason prefers to remain obscure, an unsung hero," he said. "The simrity is how you both want to get out of your father''s shadow and make something out of yourselves."


    An understanding grew in the woman''s eyes. "Who''s your father?"


    "Alehn Jefferson Forger," Jason said, hoping she would recognise the name.


    "Alehn who?" she tilted her head.


    "He''s the governor of the most important city of the Sivian Empire," Jason sighed.


    "Ahh," she nodded, finally realising. "You''ve got a tall order then. What do you need to be to beat the governor of the academy city, the Lord Chancellor or Commander General of the empire or something?"


    Jason opened his mouth to say something, and it remained hung open, unable to say what he intended. After collecting his thoughts, he added, "My hopes and dreams aren''t that ambitious. I''ll be happy if I can raise my guild to a great position and help everyone with it."


    He thought she would be disappointed, but Jenni''s eyes lit up hearing the word guild. "You have a guild? Are you the guild master?" she asked.


    "I''m forming one," he choked on the words as her interest was as well as gone. "Unsung Heroes will be an official guild within this week."


    "Good for you," she said. Then something caught her attention, "Even if you''re new to making your guild, you''re in the business for some time, right?"


    Jason didn''t know where she was getting at, but he found himself nodding.


    "Have you heard of the Spirit Hunters Guild?" she asked.


    "Who hasn''t," Jason blurted, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "I mean, it''s a very well-known guild. After all, it was only a few weeks ago they rose to Gold Guild rank."


    Instead of delight, Jenni frowned.


    "Do you know someone in the guild?" he asked.


    "I don''t," she sighed. "And I wish I didn''t have to, but that stupid guild master of Spirit Hunters seems really into rejection, or why else would he keep on asking to meet me."


    It was time for him to frown. Jason looked around at the others, wanting to know what that was about.


    It was Jenni who exined. "The Guild Master of the guild used to work under my father when he was a captain. I don''t know him, but he sure was buddy-buddy with my father. So much so that before I was even born, they formed a marriage arrangement between us."


    Jason blinked, turning to the others. Warden nodded, confirming it was the truth.


    "And you don''t want to marry the guild master of Spirit Hunters?" Jason asked. "Why?"


    "My life, my rule," Jenni snorted.


    "But you don''t even know him, your words."


    "That''s the point," Jenni raised her voice, clenching her jaw. "And I want to keep it that way."


    "Enough about that, let''s check on the stuff you created," Warden said. "Jason would be staying for a couple of days. Hopefully, he could help you understand what the young rankers desire of their gears."

 Chapter 336: Impression (1)

    A day before Gale''s holiday ended, the young miss of Dragonforge, Arden Firestone, came to visit him. Along with her were two more personnel. Dimitri was a tall, schrly man who was a long-time member of their n and also a renowned runesmith.


    When she asked her elder for the meeting, he had told her to bring him along, as with his vast experience, Dimitri would be more insightful about the product the entric master runesmith was going to showcase.


    The other person was a woman a decade older than her: Nisa, her personal assistant. Nisa wasn''t as remarkable or pretty as her, but she was great at what she did. She had almost everything about the organisation she was open to memorised and would provide her with whatever she needed.


    With the two trustworthy people in tow, Arden moved to the humble-looking guest house.


    "You guys from the Dragonforge?" A warm voice weed them, as Arden looked up to find a silver-haired, gorgeous elf woman standing at the gate. "Wee... We have just been waiting for you."


    Arden narrowed her eyes. She had noticed a couple of other figures moving inside the house, but mostly she paid attention to the elf. "Is Master Warden...?" she let her voice drift.


    "He is," the elf said. "And he''s waiting for you. I''ll lead you to him."


    Instead of turning to the house, the elf woman gestured towards a path on the other side and walked. Arden exchanged a look with Dimitri and followed. The path opened to ake, on whose bank she found the entric and young master runesmith. He was sitting under a tree, working on a metal boot of an armour set with single-minded focus, without paying attention to anything else.


    Unlike what the elven woman said, he didn''t look like he was waiting for them.


    Arden didn''t mind and let the elf bring her to a long table for their seating. Arden had no clue who she was, but with her looks and the strength of silver rank, she couldn''t just be an attendant to Master Warden.


    Other than the elven woman, there was another woman, simrly with long white hair, though unlike the breathtaking elven appearance, she had a very dollish appearance, which made her look much younger than her actual age. She was perhaps Arden''s own age, or older.


    As they seated themselves on one side, the porcin doll-looking woman came to serve them drinks and light snacks. She seemed to have made them all. From the rich aroma wafting off them, Arden believed her to be of Master Chef rank.


    "He''ll be finished soon," the elven woman said. "But before then, should we introduce ourselves?"


    Arden nodded. "I''m the representative from Dragonforge; I guess we all are," she said. "My name is Arden Firestone, this is Master Runesmith Dimitri Petter, and my personal assistant Nisa."


    "Hello, I''m June," the elven woman said. "I am a magic theory professor at the Third Arcane Academy, currently on leave to spend time with..." she blushed and pointed at Master Warden with her eyes. "Him."


    As Arden thought, the elf wasn''t just a simple attendant or assistant. They were in a rtionship. She couldn''t help but give a look of respect towards Master Warden. It takes a lot to impress the elves, and even more to woo their women.


    "This is Dawn," June said, addressing the dollish-looking woman. "She''s like his assistant... but she''s much more."


    "Hello." Dawn nodded and took a seat across from them, remaining silent for the most part.


    "There are a couple of others I would like to introduce, but they are testing some new product around here," the elf said. She gestured behind her, towards theke.


    "Sess!" Suddenly, Master Warden spoke as he leapt to his feet, the boot he was working on still in his hand. He finally seemed to notice her as he blinked towards them. "You guys have arrived."


    He walked towards them, and only then did Arden notice how devilishly charming his appearance was. He was only wearing a vest on his upper body, leaving his toned shoulders and arms bare, which were now glistening with sweat. His long hair was bound roughly, with some unruly locks falling at the sides. His piercing purple eyes stared at her, as though they could see through everything and more.


    Arden blushed and turned her attention somewhere else, hoping none of them had caught sight of her fluster.


    "Another sess?" the elf regarded Master Warden, frowning at him.


    "See for yourself," he chuckled, handing her the boot. June was about to take it, but he pulled her into his embrace, quickly delivering a kiss to her lips, causing the elf to yelp in surprise, though she did give in before he cast his gaze towards theke.


    This time it wasn''t only Arden who was blushing. Other than the woman he kissed, her personal assistant, and even the master chef Dawn was flustered with such a tant show of affection. Even Dimitri was looking at the man enviously.


    "You need a bath," June told him as he finished sucking on her lips.


    "Agreed," Master Gale turned to them and smiled. "Gentlemen, anddies, if you can wait for a few more minutes."


    His figure flew towards theke. Arden''s eyes couldn''t help but dart where he left for. Warden removed his vest, and his toned back with two slit cut marks became clear before her eyes. He didn''t leave her much time to gawk at them, however. He jumped into the water and swam deep.


    Truly an entric master, Arden couldn''t help but think. Her eyes waited for his figure to appear above water again, unaware if the others were in the same position, or if they were looking at her weirdly. She suppressed a blush and found her assistant shared the same sentiment, and so did the Master Runesmith''s assistant. All of them had a tinge of blush on their cheeks.


    ______________


    Gale Joseph Paul Rizzler at work, once again...

 Chapter 337: Impression (2)

    By contrast, only Dimitri managed to recover the fastest for obvious reasons, though now he was ogling at another object, almost salivating at the thoughts of it. Thankfully, it wasn''t the gorgeous elf maiden, as Arden feared. He was gawking at the boots she was holding so close to her chest.


    Thankfully, I didn''t bring a creep, Arden thought.


    "That''s a Tier-VI script formation?" he said aloud, unable to keep his interest in check. "Would you care if I take a look?"


    The elf blinked and then smiled sweetly. "Be my guest." She handed the item to Dimitri, who ignored the breathtaking elf maiden to put all his attention into the boot.


    "So intricate, but my eyes hadn''t failed me," Dimitri shouted a momentter. "It truly is a Tier-VI script formation..."


    "Wait, does that mean Master Warden advanced to Tier-VI Runesmith?" Arden asked, looking up at the elf maiden.


    "Naturally," June said with a sigh, "though he didn''t believe it himself before today."


    Arden took the boot from Dimitri and examined it. The runes were hidden under manyyers of camouge, but even so, the designs and shells were something she didn''t recognise from any master''s work. Truly a unique design, and even the runes looked something else altogether.


    Arden may not be great at runemsithing, but even she could tell the excellence of the work. Of course, she couldn''t tell what it did, but that was why Dimitry was here with her. Unfortunately, the old runesmith was too entranced with the work to remember his job.


    "He was seeding in making Tier-VI runes half the time before," the elf continued. "But so far, for thest couple of days, he has seeded eight out of eight times."


    She couldn''t help but turn towards theke to see a glimpse of his figure. Arden followed suit. Before their eyes could find him, they saw two figures flying towards them from there...


    Arden blinked, noticing the way they were flying was aided by the equipment they were wearing, but even so, their movement was steadier and more controlled than most flying techniques she had seen.


    "You guys have finished testing?" June asked as theynded on wobbly feet. The man was good at it, but the woman almost fell on her front and only managed to steady herself by flipping over in a full arc of her body.


    "Yeah, this is awesome!" said the man. He had a handsome face, and as he came forward, Arden recognised him. It was none other than Jason Forger of the Forger family. Well, it appeared he recognised her as well. Her crimson hair was a dead giveaway, not to mention her clothes. "Oh, Miss Arden, hope you are in good health."


    She nodded, her eyes lingering on the piece of equipment on his body. He was wearing full armour which was missing more than a few pieces... but what caught her attention were the boots, which were so simr in design to the one she was holding. Moreover, the boots were glowing when he was flying.


    "Were these made by Master Warden as well?" she asked.


    Jason nodded. "He said these are only prototypes, but they were already perfect," he said. "I don''t see if there was any more improvement needed on them."


    "The flying parts are far from perfect," the woman said for the first time.


    "What are you talking about?" Jason said. "I had an absolute st flying with it."


    "That was probably because you managed to get used to the sense of falling quickly," the woman snorted as she began stripping off the equipment from her body. "For me, it was more escaping from falling than flying itself, and I fear it will be the case for most rankers."


    Jason raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it... the controls aren''t that difficult once you get hold of it."


    "I won''t argue with you," she said, clenching her jaw, and then turned to the guests. Her eyes glittered as recognition shed in them. "Oh~ You are the guys here to buy my design?"


    "Are these made by you, youngdy?" Dimitri asked, eyes shing towards the pieces of equipment she stripped off.


    "No," the young woman said. "Those are still above my capability."


    "This is Jenni," June introduced. "She''s an aspiring runesmith with a very creative mind. Warden has stated very highly of her, that her future aplishments might even surpass his."


    Arden clearly didn''t believe the elf, and it appeared the woman in question felt the same.


    "Did he really say that?" Jenni asked. "Or are you just boosting my stocks in front of them?"


    "I speak no lies," June said curtly.


    "Okay, I believe you," Jenni said sweetly, hugging her side.


    "I do remember saying something like that, yes," the master runesmith''s voice sounded out as he came out of theke. Everyone''s eyes shed towards him. "Just don''t get your head full of it. You still have a long way to go."


    Arden''s eyes bulged as she caught sight of the figure. She didn''t think he was that rugged. All toned muscles on his upper body, with a peculiar golden ring in the centre of his chest. Arden would have liked to inspect the runic symbols on them more, but soon the long scars that moved down his back caught her attention.


    Arden knew very well that it was easy for rankers to get wounded, especially for those who dungeon dive often. While that might be the case, she didn''t believe rankers umte a lot of scars. Most of them healed ordingly, not to mention there were so many elixirs and concoctions to solve something like that.


    Moreover, the scar looked old, probably a decade old... As she ogled at the scar, all the water lingering on his body vaporised before a tunic appeared on his body out of nowhere.


    No, Arden hadn''t missed anything in her trance. The tunic appeared on his body like a magic trick.


    "Sorry for keeping you all waiting... Now let''s begin the discussion."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 338: Pitching (1)

    Jenni was the first to demonstrate the product they sought investment for. Gale assisted whenever necessary or when Jenni couldn''t provide answers to their inquiries. She didn''t need much help with what she had in hand, but one thing Jenni never considered was the future aspect of her work.


    She answered the questions, showing off her wild ambitions. Unfortunately, she couldn''t show a practical path to achieving those ambitions.


    "All this looks good on paper," Miss Arden said after five minutes of staring at the designs and talking with her entourage. "However, as our history goes with products like this. . . in most cases, we have only borne losses."


    "Then shouldn''t it feel great to finally seed in this market for once?" Jenni said, beaming brilliantly.


    "The reinforced cotton makes it very cost-effective," Dimitri, the old master runesmith, added. "However, I don''t feel very confident with you guys having only one worker to cultivate the materials."


    "The production will be very slow," the other woman, Arden''s assistant, added, while the redhead remained silent in consideration. "Even if the enchanted clothes work in the market, the slow production rate will kill it."


    Jenni clenched her fist. "Two," she cleared her throat. "We have two who can cultivate reinforced cotton. And I myself am learning the art."


    Gale almost clicked his tongue audibly. That was a bad move from Jenni. She shouldn''t have mentioned learning the cultivation art; it only made her look more desperate. It''s not a very good sign to show to people you want wealth from.


    "Even with three people, how many of the products can you produce monthly?" Dimitri wasn''t quick to dismiss her. "Twenty? Thirty? That''s not even enough to remain relevant in the market."


    Jenni looked very frustrated as the questions kepting. Thankfully, June got to her mind and transferred some words of advice telepathically to steady her down.


    "Do you have anything to add on her part, Sir Warden?" Miss Arden asked,ing out of her contemtion.


    "I do, but I believe it is better if Jenni shared her final n with these designs."


    Everyone''s eyes shifted to the young adept girl again. She sucked in a deep breath and opened her mouth.


    "The n was always to make high-quality products that will catch the eyes of high and wealthy rankers," she said. "However, Gal-, ahem! The Honourable Master Warden suggested that I should begin with something small."


    Gale almost choked hearing the term honourable master. He knew what she was doing; he had no problem with it. He just wondered if she had thought it through. As far as he knew Jenni, she wouldn''t want to depend on anyone else unless it was strictly necessary.


    The way she suggested that made her seem like his personal disciple to others. It probably hadn''t dawned on her before she said it out loud, and now it was toote to go back.


    "Besides, ghost spider silk and all the other higher ingredients are still out of our reach," she continued. "But reinforced cotton isn''t bad either. Yes, it doesn''t have the same high vour of ghost silk, which high rankers might want to unt at high-ss parties, but it is, it will be, something the mid-rankers can wear to official and unofficial events proudly."


    Miss Arden nodded her head and raised her palm before anyone from her party could say anything. She took in a paper and scribbled down some numbers to hand to Jenni.


    The adept took it, feeling a rush of satisfaction. She couldn''t control her urge anymore and peeked at the paper, as her expression changed. For the better. Whatever the number on the paper was, it was clearly above her hopes.


    "There are other criteria that I didn''t write in there. For example, setting the price for the product, and when to hit the market," Miss Arden continued. "We''ll haveplete control of it, even though we''ll try to always remain clear to you. If you''re satisfied with the numbers, we cane to an initial agreement, and discuss the intricacies at ater date."


    Jenni looked like she wanted to agree right at this moment, and sign whatever paper she needed to. Unfortunately, for thest couple of days she was busy with the product and testing, that Gale failed to teach her anything more about what to do if she really got a chance at a deal.


    He should have at least told her never to ept the first deal. Thankfully, it seemed her father had taught her the lesson, or Jenni was probably astute enough to recognise it. She turned to him as a sh of realisation transferred between their gazes.


    She smiled. "I''m very overwhelmed with this offer," she said, bowing her head respectfully, which was very unlike her. "But as it is my very first opportunity, I''d like to think it through very carefully, and discuss it with Honourable Master Warden and perhaps my father beforeing to a decision. I hope you''ll understand."


    Arden narrowed her eyes, exchanging looks between him and Jenni, and nodded her head slowly. "I loved your confidence very much," she said politely. "I hope we can work on something together."


    Jenni conveyed some pleasantries and got off the centre of attention to join June, Dawn, and Jason. She seemed like she was dying to show the numbers on the paper to others, but stopped herself, as it was Gale''s turn to show his ns and products.


    As all attention was drawn to him, Gale moved to stand before the whiteboard. Unwittingly, he released a short burst of aura and mour to illuminate his figure.


    "Before I begin, I have a couple of questions," he said. "As it is your family''s whole business to make weapons and armour for rankers, I hope I receive an honest answer."


    Arden nodded and gestured for him to go forward.


    "Miss Arden," he asked, "In a high ranker''s life, let''s take a high gold ranker for example, how many sets of armour do you think they ever have to equip?"

 Chapter 339: Pitching (2)

    "I can''t say for sure," Miss Arden answered, after thinking for a moment. "For some rankers, they can spend a better part of their lives with the same equipment, while for others, they need to change their gear every few months. It all depends on the quality andpatibility of the equipment.


    "The first group are those who hit the jackpot in getting something of high quality andpatible with them... but that''s pretty hard to get, considering the unique needs of a ranker. In most cases, it is either a problem with quality orpatibility. If either of them is mismatched, they''re likely going to change their gear the moment they have enough gems in their hand."


    "I see," Gale nodded. "Let''s say six is the average number of gears a high ranker changes throughout his active years of working."


    "If you''re considering Gold rankers and their long lifespan, six is a little too low," Dimitri added with augh.


    "How about eight then?"


    "Eight is still low-balling..."


    Arden raised her palm to stop the elder. "In most cases, Gold rankers tend to secure high-quality gear that they arepatible with," she said. "What are you getting at anyway?"


    "I have worked in the military fixing gear for a few months," Gale began. "So far I have noticed how painstakingly poor their gear was. Even some captains only have something of intermediate quality." He brought out a few stacks of blueprints andid them on the table. "They can use weapons of greater quality andpatibility... So I came up with these..."


    Miss Arden and Dimitri picked up a couple of designs and peered into them. A frown crept up on their brows, noticing how different the designs werepared to any normal weapon.


    "They are not the same design, are they?" Dimitri asked as he pulled in the rest of the designs to feast his eyes on them. "They all look simr but grow higher in capacity..."


    "What are you talking about?" Miss Arden turned to the designs in Dimitri''s hands.


    "There are likely three unique full-gear designs here," Dimitrimented,ying the papers on the table. "Each one ispatible with different types of rankers. But more importantly¡ª"


    "All theponents of the gear are upgradable?" Miss Arden''s eyes shed.


    "I didn''t know why nobody has thought of this idea," Gale said finally, a smile tugging on his lips. "I thought deeply on the problem... and noticed why others haven''t tried this yet..."


    "We have tried this form before," Miss Arden said. "Imend your thinking, Master Warden, but it wasn''t only you who saw the gap in these types of products."


    "You have tried?" Gale raised an eyebrow. "Then why haven''t I seen any upgradable gear in the market?"


    "That''s because..." Arden became a little flustered at the questions. "It''s impossible to create upgradable gear which will sell in the market. So far in most of our endeavours, we found it very hard to provide value in each upgrade which warranted the sum."


    "In most cases, new armour or weapons are a better upgrade than upgradable gear," Dimitri added, nodding, even though his eyes were on the designs.


    Gale frowned. "I don''t see how it is a problem."


    "If you have forged the products, you would have seen all the trouble it takes to make sure the product will provide enough assets to the ranker in each upgrade."


    "I have them forged and tested," Gale said. "Well, most of them."


    "You have?" Miss Arden stared at him. "And you still think this is a viable option?"


    "Hey, Jace," Gale turned to Jason. "Show them your gear, all the upgradable options and how much of an upgrade they provide."


    "This is Mach III, though," Jason said.


    "Well, show them from Mach I," Gale said as he sat down on a chair.


    Jenni took his ce in helping Jason upgrade and downgrade each of hisponents of the gear.


    "Mach I is for copper rankers," Jenni exined. "It uses mostlymon materials in the gear... Though Master Warden was talking about giving the buyer a chance to choose the materials he would like to have."


    "Giving the buyer a chance at the creation always spoils the product," Dimitri added. "Most of them have no clue what is good and what is bad."


    "I agree," Gale said from his seat. "That''s why I n on leaving other options for them to choose, instead of giving them free ess to what they like."


    "I see," Miss Arden muttered, turning to him. She had left most of the testing to Dimitri as the old man observed each of the new additions to the gear.


    "Mach II is mostly for Iron rankers," Jenni continued on, raising the quality of Jason''s gear. "It presents a lot more options than Mach I, as it is where rankers tend to find their uniqueness. In its eventuality of all the gear working, a ranker will have the option to choose from all seven types of gear and its various variations."


    "Seven types?" Miss Arden asked. "I thought you showed designs for only three?"


    "Three is the onlyplete one I have," Gale exined. "But three is too low to bepatible with all types of rankers."


    "Seven will be enough?"


    "Seven is enough for 90% of the rankers," Gale said strongly. "Perhaps even more, but there will always be some unique, brilliant people who either won''t bepatible with any of the seven designs, or the gear just wouldn''t be enough for them. I''ll ignore them for now until I have all the seven designs figured out."


    "These boots help you in flight," Dimitri asked, peering deeply into them. "I cannot recognise how they work, at all."


    "I don''t either," Jasonughed.


    Dimitri turned to Gale, but he was fine with keeping the mystery. Finally, the elder turned to Jenni, who worked, humming in one mind.


    "They work on manipting gravity and weight," she said nonchntly, not even giving the elder master runesmith a gaze. "Master Warden calls them Gravboots."

 Chapter 340: Orders

    "You know what," Gale said, scratching his forehead. "Leave the Gravboots for now... I need to tune it to have a better result."


    Dimitri was reluctant to leave behind the most interesting item among the gear, but he had to. Gale would keep them wondering about it for months before he would hand them one.


    The discussion went as well as it could have. The only thing that kept the group from Dragonforge interested was the Gravboots. For some reason, they were unwilling tomit to upgradable gear. Perhaps their earlier failures made them disgruntled, preventing them from seeing the true worth of the product.


    And they couldn''t even see that without testing it in theirb. Ultimately, Gale had to give them one whole set to tear apart and extort all the secrets as they wished. Hopefully, they would start talking soon. Because even if they were unable to extract all the secrets, they would be interested once they truly found out the true value of the gear.


    "What is your vision for these gears?" Miss Arden asked. After thinking for a moment, she added, "We cannot sign a product if we don''t know what the creator is intending for it."


    "I..." Gale stood up from his seat. "I want everyone to have ess to good gear when they risk their lives against corrupt creatures, Forsakens. Too many of them wear poor, worn-out stuff to battle, feeling unconfident in their gear and in their abilities. My first thought on this product was to pitch it to the military, but on second, I didn''t start with them."


    "Why?"


    "You know how they work," Gale said with a sigh. "By the time I would have all the designs and gear fixed, they''ll want me topromise on the quality, give away all my secret designs... and not to mention the lousy pay."


    "Good," Miss Ardenughed. "You''re not just in for the good of all people. Those types of people tend to be visionary, but lousy businessmen."


    She drew her palm to shake hands. Gale squeezed her hand lightly. "I came to you because I do not want topromise on quality."


    "Hopefully, the elders will see the value of this gear," she said, smiling.


    "Would you want to take a sample of my enchanted clothes?" Jenni asked,ing next to him to shake hands. "Mine needs a lot of tweaking, and better designing in the overall style."


    Saying that, she literally handed her a bag holding the prototype clothes. Gale watched, amused.


    "Ahh... Thank you."


    They all left, giving a curt bow and shaking hands, reminding them to wait for their calls.


    "Fuck, I need to find a better name than enchanted clothes," Jenni grumbled and sat down, sprawling her legs over the table. "It sounded so stupid, no? I think they discounted me instantly when I said ''enchanted clothes.''"


    "But you still got an offer," June said, patting her shoulder.


    "For all it''s worth," Jenni brought out the paper and handed it over.


    June read, "Sixty gems for one hundred units... Doesn''t it sound like they want it for cheap?"


    "Those are gold-ranked gems," Jenni added immediately. "I hope."


    "They are," Gale acknowledged. "Still, too cheap."


    "What about you?" She perked up. "They didn''t give you anything."


    "Because they know I won''t be sold cheaply." He shook his head. "I wished all this would bepleted cheaply... I wish..."


    "How much funding do you believe you need?" June asked.


    "To make it to the mainstream market of weaponry and gear," Gale closed his eyes. "Millions... Millions of gold-ranked gems."


    Jenni sucked in a deep breath. "I don''t think you''ll find any other dealer who''ll likely spend this much amount of essence gems."


    "If it''s not Dragonforge," Gale said, leaning back in his chair, "I need to be a transcendent to fulfil it..."


    "You''re already halfway there," June said, stroking his head. "Consider half the job done."


    "What?" Jenni turned. "Did I hear that right? Dawn, did you hear right?"


    "Ahem! I was just¡ª"


    "Someone''sing," Gale said, jumping to his feet. "Five people... looks to be from the army."


    It took a moment, but five people in familiar military attire came into view. They crept towards them, led by Aki.


    "Looks like my vacation ising to an end," Gale mumbled.


    The leading man was of captain rank, followed by one lieutenant and three higher-ranked soldiers of silver rank. They walked in matching gaits as the captain came forward to stand before them.


    "Sir," Aki said. "Theye from the main camp, saying they wanted to talk to you about something."


    Gale nodded and turned to the captain. "How can I help you, Captain?"


    "By the orders of the General in charge," the captain said, bringing out a parchment paper. "You''ve been summoned."


    "For what reason?" Gale asked. "You may not be aware, but I''m on a very important mission, entrusted to me by the Department Head Elder Ming."


    Jenni snickered but shut her mouth immediately as all eyes shed to her.


    "I do not know your reason, nor do I want to hear," the captain said, tossing the paper to him. "The order is to bring you in as soon as we can."


    Gale''s eyes shed over the paper and found there was nothing written that the captain hadn''t uttered. Just in formal words.


    "Well, you guys must havee from a long way," Gale said, letting out a sigh. "Sit down, have some drinks or food... I need to teach them a couple more lessons."


    "Looks like you do not understand what this order means," shouted the lieutenant from behind, a stout woman with short hair. "We are ordered to take you even against your will if we need to."


    Gale raised his eyebrows, and didn''t like how she said it.


    "We are allowed to use force if needed," the captain agreed.


    "Yeah, that doesn''t work on me that well," Galeughed.


    The soldiersughed, and in no time they encircled him.


    Galeughed too. "Didn''t you hear me? Force doesn''t work on me."

 Chapter 341: Tokens

    "How''s the tea?" Jenni asked.


    "Good... Good," stuttered the captain, a shiver running down his spine.


    Gale''s eyes shed towards the cup in the captain''s hand. "You didn''t even take a sip yet, did you?"


    The captain fumbled with the cup of tea, spilling a little before he finally took a sip. "It''s good. First ss..."


    Jenni nodded, turning to the others. "And you guys?"


    "It''s the best, sister," thepany shouted in unison. "Thank you for your hospitality."


    Jenni giggled. "Thank her," she said, pulling Dawn before her. "She brews the tea."


    "Thank you for the tea, ma''am!"


    Gale clicked his tongue. "I hate this crap," he mumbled and turned to the captain. "I didn''t catch your name... What was it again?"


    "Niem," croaked the captain. "Jao Niem."


    "Alright, Captain Niem," Gale sat next to him, making eye contact. "You guys aren''t injured, right?"


    Captain Niem shook his head.


    "Good, it''s always a huge deal," he continued. "When to use force, when not to... and if you use it, how much of it will be necessary... Good thing all of it finished without blood loss."


    "But do not take kindness for weakness," Jenni said,ing before them. "If you believe it was merely a trick that half your men pissed their pants, you need to think deeply on what exactly you felt. Do not pick a misconception that you lost because you were unprepared... It''s becau¡ª"


    "Alright, you''ve had enough fun being a hooligan, Jenni," Gale pulled her ear. "Let''s go, it''s time toplete your lessons."


    "Ahh! I was just making sure," Jenni whined, "to try nothing funny again."


    Gale turned to the soldiers.


    "S-sir, the order came directly from the general," the captain said, swallowing a breath.


    "General, what is his name again, something Walt, right?" A name resurfaced in his memory instantly along with Jessica''s warning about the man. "Terel Walt, is that the guy?"


    The captain nodded heavily.


    "You guys do not need to be worried about me," Gale said, patting him on the shoulder. "I''ll go back in due time..."


    "But if we do not take..." thedy lieutenant said, shivering slightly as his eyes shed towards her. "No, nothing... I''m sure the General will understand..."


    "He wouldn''t," Gale said tly.


    "T-then?"


    "Why do I need to give a fuck about that guy anyway?" Gale snorted.


    "Because he''s the general?" Jenni judged him with her shoulder. "Are you dumb?"


    "But I''m not his soldier," Gale snorted. "Hopefully, your father will take care of it while I take my time educating you. Well, even if he didn''t, I have my ways of dealing with it."


    "But sir¡ª" the captain opened his mouth and pursed his lips instantly as Gale''s eyes drew towards him.


    "You guys are worried about saving your ass?" he raised an eyebrow. "Well, nothing wrong about that. You are open to putting all the me on me... so give excuses like you didn''t find me quick enough... I don''t care what it is. Just make sure you do not appear a lot quicker than I do, or I won''t be able to help you..."


    "We are free to leave?" the lieutenant asked.


    Gale shot her a sideways nce. "Did I chain you up, miss?"


    "No?"


    "I even weed you with tea," Gale sneered. "You''re open to do whatever you like, just don''t use force where a little respect will be enough to do the job."


    "Yessir!" she looked down.


    "You are free to do as you like, just don''t try anything stupid with my people..." Leaving those words, Gale walked away with Jenni and Dawn.


    "How do you do that?" Jenni asked.


    "Do what?"


    "Make them lose their colour and almost shit their pants?" She asked, sounding eager as ever.


    "Just a trick..." he mumbled, his void sense keeping track of what they were doing in his absence, while on another side he sensed June tending Sylvia. She was among the first people to leave, as her leave wasing to an end tonight.


    "Teach me," Jenni asked, clutching his arm, her eyes beaming with enthusiasm.


    "Do you like seeing grown men shit their pants in fear?" Gale raised an eyebrow. "Some weird tendencies you have..."


    "No," Jenni red at him. "I just want to learn..."


    "Why?"


    "Because it''s cool!" Jenni said. "And I can already see learning this will solve many of my problems..."


    "Behaving rightly will solve half of them on its own."


    "Don''t talk like my father," Jenni''s mouth scrunched to a pout. "Just teach me... Oh, if I use the token now, will you teach me?"


    "I will," he said, amused. "Though I fear you won''t be able to learn it. It would just be a waste."


    "I already have five of them, I don''t mind wasting one of them to learn this trick..."


    "You got five of them?" Gale turned to Dawn. "I have given you twenty of them... how many of them still remain with you?"


    "I have eight," Dawn answered. "Other than the adepts, Miss June took two of them."


    "June took two?" he muttered. "Why?"


    ''Because I deserve at least two hours of full attention for taking a leave from everything to spend time with you.'' A voice rang in his mind. June''s voice.


    ''You can have all my time,'' he replied to her, sounding amused.


    "Huh, I thought I''d wind at least two-thirds of the rest of them, but she already took two," Jenniined. "Now Captain Agnes might be asking for a couple... and Dawn is going to need a couple for herself as well... Hmm, am I missing anyone else?"


    Gale smacked her on the head lightly. "What are you talking about, stupid girl?"


    "I have a question," Jenni asked. "What happens when two people use the token at the same time? Whose needs will you take care of first?"


    "I''ll see when the timees..."


    "And what about the trick... Can you teach me in your free time, or do I really have to use the token?"


    "I already told you... you''re not ready to learn it."


    "You say that all the time," Jenni pouted. "You don''t tell me anything... where does Sis Agnes go every few hours ande back? How did you fall from gold rank? Or better, what about the half Transcendent matter Sis June was talking about..."


    Gale rubbed his forehead. He turned to Dawn. Why couldn''t these women keep their mouths closed in front of her?


    "Jenni, please prepare the ssroom. I have something to talk about with Sir Gale."


    "Now, even you too are excluding me, Dawn!" Jenni cried.


    "Just go," Dawn patted her shoulder.


    She snorted and ran away to the guest house.


    "What am I going to do about her?" Gale muttered, watching her go.


    "If you are to take her as your disciple, you need to tell her everything. Or at least the things you are aware of."


    Gale nodded. "That reminds me, there is still stuff you are not telling me, right?"


    "Maybe..." Dawn did not meet his gaze.


    Gale clicked his tongue as a silence flowed between them.


    "Um, can I take a couple as well?" Dawn asked.


    Gale shot her an incredulous look.


    "The tokens, I mean."

 Chapter 342: Myrin

    The captain and his soldiers were first to leave, though they did have lunch before leaving. Then it was Jason''s turn to leave, while June left the next morning. In the morning session, he evaluated everyone''s progress and gave them all the praise and rewards they needed to finally turn towards returning to the front lines.


    Gale intended to return with the rest of the adepts, but Jenni begged him to go with her to Myrin City, where she would be meeting her father''s friend to call off her marriage. He didn''t understand what his ce was in her matter, but considering how much he was involved already, he agreed, thinking it would only take a couple of hours with fast teleportation.


    It had been a nerve-wracking issue for Jenni for years; she needed someone to reassure her. If not him, perhaps Dawn could fulfil the role.


    So, while the adepts took the route to the front lines, Jenni, Dawn, and Gale teleported directly to Myrin.


    "When did Sis Agnes leave?" Jenni asked, finally remembering there was another person with them in the guest house. "She didn''t say goodbye, nor did I see her leave."


    "She''ll be back when there''s a need for it..." Gale muttered. Closing his eyes, he glimpsed Agnes''s figure to find her thoroughly invested in the absorption process. She had been doing it wholeheartedly since the beginning. After the first few days, she was beginning to spend even her resting hours inside the soul domain, saying it was easier to get into the flow and meditate there.


    Back to the city of Myrin... It was a high overstatement to call it a city. It was still in a developing state... It hadn''t been long since ayer of the Wastnd was tamed, and now they were trying to raise a huge city here.


    Thankfully, they had built a long-distance teleportation formation first, solving their issue of covering the distance through traditional forms of travel. June told him there was an arcane academy here, with a very close tie to the military.


    "So where to go from here?" Gale just asked when a couple of attendants came to wee them as though they already had knowledge of theming here. Well, they particrly weed Jenni, while looking at them confusedly, wondering why they were here.


    "They are with me," Jenni said, snorting.


    "Of course, miss," the female attendant said. "Sir asked us to bring you as it will take him a couple of hours to finish his business before he can join you."


    Jenni frowned. "Bring me where?" she asked. "And why hadn''t he said he''s busy with other things? Then I would haveete."


    "It was an emergency issue," said the man. "Something rted to a dungeon break..."


    Jenni nodded and turned to Gale and Dawn. "Should we go back ande backter?"


    "There''s no need, miss," said the female attendant. "Sir has prepared first-ss rooms, meals, and everything else before he joins..."


    "Only for me, or for mypanions as well?"


    The attendants exchanged nces before turning to smile at Jenni again. "Of course, your guests are our guests."


    "They are not my guests," Jenni snorted. "Friend," she said, pointing at Dawn. Her eyes moved to Gale. "And Mentor?"


    The attendants exchanged another nce before they brought them to thevish guesthouse they so much liked to describe. Thankfully, it wasn''t all a showoff.


    "Huh, Velvet Kiss," Jenni muttered, lifting her head to see the whole establishment. "I have never been to any of their guest houses, though I heard a lot about them."


    This chain of the Velvet Kiss seemed to match with the one Gale stayed in for some time, even though the rest of the building around the establishment paled inparison. The attendant reminded him the whole Spirit Hunter Guild was staying here, though most of them were out on the expedition. They had a huge stake in the house, also in the development of the city as well.


    Jenni waspletely bored listening to the attendants talking about the Spirit Hunter Guild, but Gale listened carefully. Unlike Jason''s idea of a guild, Spirit Hunter felt more like a business corporation than a monster-hunting guild. Well, they recently made it into gold rank, of course, they would have other stakes to grow to such a length.


    Unable to endure any more, Jenni shooed them away as they had lunch together. Finished eating, Gale gave the twodies time and decided to rx in the bath. This chain of the Velvet Kiss certainly hadn''t given less attention to the private baths.


    For half an hour, he remained submerged in the water, thinking about nothing. After thinking a little, he manifested an avatar inside his soul domain to find Agnes meditating out in the open.


    "How is it going outside?" she asked, noticing his approach.


    "The vacation is over and I''m on the way to the front lines," he said. "Well, currently on a detour with Jenni taking care of her marriage."


    She lifted an eyebrow. "Should I get out now?"


    "Well, she could use your reassurance, though you have to wait sometime toe out."


    "Why?"


    "I''m in the bath..."


    "So?" She smirked at him.


    "I wouldn''t want to give the attendants the wrong idea about a woman appearing out of nowhere."


    Agnes snorted. "It has been some time since I had a bath... I was thinking of taking a dip in theke before you leave... but it looks like I got too busy with the dark essence."


    "Well, let me finish bathing, then I''ll let you out and help you purify," he said.


    "Thanks..."


    He opened his mouth to say something, but his mouth remained hung open as he tilted his head. I think Dawn is calling me... See youter...


    His avatar disappeared, while Gale opened his eyes in the bath to sense her figure on the other side of the door.


    He stood up, as clothes began to appear on his body, while all the water was vaporising, leaving himpletely dry. "What is it?" he asked and opened the door.


    "I think there''s a dungeon break," she said. "Everyone is panicking."


    Gale frowned. He extended his void perception to its maximum extent, carefully monitoring his Soul Domain to avoid overexertion, until he finally detected the havoc running among the residents. People were running in all directions unsure which way to go...


    the legal party in charge of the defence weren''tpletely employed yet, as stray teams of enforcers tried to calm down the crowd to the best of their capability.


    There were people littered in line in front of the Warp Gate formation, waiting for their turn to exit from the city. Another group of enforcer were restricting a crowd from entering the warp gate.


    "Looks like pretty serious business," he muttered, even though he found no signs of monsters yet. "Where''s Jenni?"


    Before she could answer, his perception found her. She was still within Velvet Kiss, a couple of guys were trying to force her into safety, while she cursed at their whole ancestry, as they weren''t listening to her at all.


    "Let''s go find her before she does something very Jenni-like."

 Chapter 343: Dungeon Break

    Gale and Dawn quickly moved to find Jenni and intercept the men who were supposedly taking her to safety. Even though they hadn''t reached her yet, Gale could already hear their conversation through his Void sense.


    "Ma''am, you have to listen to us," said thenky fe, pulling her arm. "We are not here to harm you. We are junior members of the Illustrious Spirit Hunter Guild. We are here to rescue you."


    "Yes, the guild master has urged us to care about your safety as our foremost duty," the other guy followed, sounding equally earnest.


    "I can take care of myself, thank you," Jenni replied, clenching her teeth. She freed her arm, but the other guy clutched it just as easily. She red at them. "Did you not hear me?"


    "Ma''am, please, we need you to be considerate of the situation..."


    "And I need you to fuck off from my sight," Jenni shouted, freeing herself once more. She took a fighting stance, even though she was aware she was by no means a match for both of them.


    The two guys exchanged nces as a look of understanding shed between them. They nodded and were about to try something very questionable when an arm sped their shoulders.


    "Gentlemen, can I help you with something?" Gale asked.


    "With all due respect, Sir, this is nothing to do with you... if you let us¡ª"


    "Finally," Jenni shouted and hurried to hide behind him. "If you werete by a few more minutes, these two would have taken me to some lonely alleyway and forced their way with me..."


    "Ma''am, we''ll never..." thenky fe looked thunderstruck.


    "The guild master will kill us if we try anything stupid¡ª"


    "Don''t worry, she just has quite a wild imagination," Gale cut them short.


    "Easy for you to say," Jenni peeked from behind him, "Nobody has forced themselves on you yet."


    "Ma''am, we are only here to take you to safety," said thenky fe.


    "That''s what they all say," Jenni sneered.


    Gale shook his head. "You guys can rest assured and tell your guild master that she''s safe with me."


    "Yeah, now leave the fuck off," Jenni barked at them.


    The two guys exchanged another look. "We can''t actually do that," said thenky fe. "It''s the guild master''s order, furthermore, you have no idea about the situation."


    "This is no normal dungeon break," the other guy said conspiratorially.


    "What is the grade of the dungeon that broke?" Gale asked, feeling the chaos exposure rising in the air each moment.


    "That is the issue... there was no way to know... It was an undefined dungeon."


    "Undefined dungeon?" Jenni peeked again. "As in you guys didn''t find it in time, or couldn''t measure its grade?"


    Thenky guy exchanged a look with his partner. "Probably both..."


    "Huh, what are the odds," Jenni sighed. "The chance of an undefined dungeon appearing is one out of four hundred... Looks like even the gods above do not want me to meet your guild master." She looked up with a regretful look, "Sorry, Father, I tried..."


    "Ma''am, you do not have to worry," said thenky fe, falling for her sarcasm. "As the guild master gave us the duty, we''ll do everything to make sure of your safety..."


    She clicked her tongue. "This guy doesn''t know when to quit," Jenni said. She turned to Gale. "Can you do that trick on them, and make them shit their pants and leave us alone?"


    Both of the guys were of Silver rank and seemed to have some capability that the guild master had given them the big responsibility. While they discounted Gale at first nce, their look changed as the air around him shifted to a more baleful one.


    "Sir, we are just doing what we are told."


    "No need to make it ugly..."


    The baleful air vanished, and the invisible weight was lifted off their shoulders. They hadn''t yet sighed in relief when the smiling face of Gale greeted them.


    "Come with us," he said as he crept out with Dawn and Jenni in tow.


    The junior members of the Spirit Hunter guild had no other choice but to follow.


    "Where are we going?" Jenni asked, not sounding nervous at all.


    "Outside."


    "Why?" cried thenky fe.


    "There''s a dungeon break," Gale told him, as though he was asking a dumb question.


    "But why are you going out during a dungeon break?" cried the other guy.


    "Obviously to help people in danger," Gale snorted. "Perhaps I gave you two too much credit... Now, if you do not want to help us, you can leave."


    They did not leave, while Gale guided the way, sensing where all the chaotic essence wasing from. There were more enforcers working right now, as they were guiding themon people on the other side of the city, opposite to the dungeon break, in contrast to them.


    "It feels like something weird is going on around here," Dawn said for the first time.


    "The dimensionws are in a mess," Gale acknowledged. "That''s probably what you sensed."


    "Not just that..." Dawn muttered. "It feels... it feels..."


    "What?" Jenni raised an eyebrow.


    "Familiar... I cannot describe it, but I feel like¡ª"


    Her words were cut short as a thick nket of darkness covered everything around them in a split second.


    Jenni cried. "What!? What just happened?"


    The junior Spirit Hunter guild members were crying too, embracing each other. "Mommy! Someone help us..."


    "I don''t want to die a virgin..."


    More cries of people followed as the darkness did not recede.


    "Shut up," Gale red at them and spread his Void Sense in his surroundings.


    "This feels like a dungeon," Jenni was the first to say. "We are in a dungeon?"


    "That''s very close to being the truth, but not theplete truth," Gale said. "We are still in the city of Myrin... and from what I''m sensing, it appears the city is in the process of turning into a dungeon."


    "Mommy!!!"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 344: Safe Hunting

    "This is not supposed to happen," shouted thenky guildman. "Quick, try to connect with the guild..."


    "I''m trying..." said the other guy, a longread in hand. "It''s just not working, damnit!"


    "You don''t have to connect to the guildmaster, anyone would do..."


    "I''m trying..."


    Gale shook his head and turned his attention to hispanions. "Before we try anything, I would like to know how you two fare in a battle?" he asked, eyes shing towards Jenni.


    He didn''t believe she was much of a fighter, but she probably could handle herself well against a single foe of simr power.


    "I went through the military training," she said, sounding a little embarrassed. "The bare minimum military training."


    Well, if there is any issue, I''ll simply store her in the soul domain, he thought and turned his attention to Dawn.


    "I..." Dawn opened her mouth to answer but didn''t find the right words to exin herself. Jenni caught her arm, snuggling closer, as though findingpanionship in theirmon weakness. "I can withdraw from any dangers without an issue."


    Gale nodded.


    "What do we do about these two clowns?" Jenni asked, pointing towards the junior guildmen.


    "Ma''am, please wait a moment," said one of them, sounding panicked. "As soon as we hear from the headquarters, we''ll lead you to safety."


    Jenni clicked her tongue and left them to their panic, as they moved out from there. The enforcers already had most of the people handled and locked them in buildings for their safety so that they would not make a mess of the situation.


    A group of enforcers wereing their way on patrol, rounding the stray people into safety. They would have also created a scene of stuffing them together with the rest of the rescued. So before they could locate them, Gale surrounded Dawn and Jenni under his cloak and activated its Veil.


    The enforcers ignored them and ran straight to the two idiots trying to connect with the higher-ups in the middle of the road. The enforcers didn''t listen to them at all, and literally dragged them within the line of safety. Only then did those two notice the girl they were trying to protect was nowhere to be seen.


    "Those two dumbos got what they dese¡ª" Jenni clucked, but before she could finish Gale raised his palm over her mouth, gesturing to keep silent.


    They moved away from there to a more abandoned part of the city, and closer to higher chaos intensity.


    "If you feel ufortable, I can take you toplete safety," Gale assured.


    "I''m fine," Jenni said, while Dawn nodded in agreement.


    Just then a horrifying scream resounded in their ears, causing Jenni to jump to her feet and clutch his arm. Her heart pounded in her chest, remembering her experience in the dungeon.


    Soon, a huge eight-foot-tall lizard appeared on the pathway. It screeched, noticing their presence. A fiend, and seemed to be still in the dormant state, though powerful enough to give any silver rank a run for their money.


    "Stand behind me," Gale told them.


    Jenni remained clutching his right arm, while Dawn stayed on her right, much more clear-minded than her. She was looking around and assessing their situation cool-headedly.


    The draconic lizard screeched and bolted at them. Gale raised his left arm, as [The Divider] manifested, as long as two metres, beaming with sharp purple light. He swung the de, getting a full view of the monster. A purple sword beam shed over and dissected the monster in two.


    "Woooh!" Jenni let out a heavy breath and finally freed his right arm. "That looked stupidly easy... I was scared for no reason..."


    "There''s no cowardice in admitting your weakness," Dawn reassured her, patting her on the shoulders.


    Jenni nodded and moved a couple of feet forward closer to the dead creature. "That was a clean swing, though I didn''t see the sword connecting with it."


    "This one seems to be a stray," Gale said, looking towards the roof of a side building. "Let''s go there... We can see clearer from there."


    "Aren''t you going to collect the loot?" Jenni asked, pointing at the corpse.


    Gale shook his head as though it didn''t matter. He drew his arm wide. "Hold on to me, I''ll carry you there..."


    Jenni gave him a pointed look. "Are you sure?"


    Gale nodded. Dawn was quick to clutch his right side,pletely trusting his abilities. He slid his arm on her back to under her shoulders, leaving the other side open for Jenni.


    She came in and clutched the other side, expression a little nervous and flustered.


    "Everyone ready?" he asked.


    Getting their approval, Gale levitated in the air slowly, not trying any of his wild abilities. Slow and steadily, he flew up towards the half-a-dozen-storied building andnded on the roof.


    Jenni quickly ran to the edge of the roof to look down. "Hey, there''s more of them..."


    They joined her to find a couple more of those lizard creatures bolting towards their fallen brethren. But instead of looking for its assant, the monsters began feasting on the fallen creature without any care of the world.


    "Hey, you two wanna earn easy essence?" Gale asked as an idea struck him.


    "Thank you, but even under your protective presence, I would rather not fight those enormous lizards," Jenni bowed out without even listening to him.


    "I said, easily," Gale snorted and brought out a longbow and arrows.


    Jenni''s expression changed, but it returned to solemnity once more, recognising she was nowhere near killing a fiend with just one shot. Or two, three, or a dozen.


    Gale didn''t say anything, instead under their watchful gazes, charged an arrow with golden essence. Within seconds, the arrow shimmered in a bright golden colour...


    Gale smiled at them. "Who wants to go first?"


    "Me! Me!! Me!!" Jenni was the first one to shout, as she took the bow and charged arrow from Gale. She looked apologetically towards Dawn. "Sorry, you can take the next turn..." She turned to Gale. "You prepare the next shot..."


    "As you wish, Ma''am..." Gale acquiesced.

 Chapter 345: Safe Hunting (2)

    "God, the string of this bow is so tough," Jenni said, putting her utmost effort into drawing the string. Considering the fiend it was about to kill, of course, the bow would be tough to handle. She just never practised with something like this.


    "Lift your right shoulder a little bit more," Gale advised. "No, not that much."


    Jenni listened carefully while her eyes stared at the enormous lizard on the path. Although she kept her eyes on the prize and her hands steady, she was not too confident in making the shot.


    "Have you had any training in archery before?" he asked, noticing her indecisiveness.


    "I had the bare minimum," she admitted. "Ahh, my fingers are getting stiff. I''m gonna shoot..."


    "You''re going to miss the target at this rate, and the explosion will cause it to flee."


    "You are not making it any bit easier," sheined.


    Gale couldn''t watch as a bystander anymore and supported her hands. He made sure her right shoulder was well-supported and lifted the other elbow just enough to get a straight trajectory.


    "Now!" hemanded and withdrew his palm.


    Jenni couldn''t wait any longer and shot. The golden arrow shed through the spewing darkness and lodged into the head of the lizard. The next moment, light exploded out of the arrow, sttering the head of the creature instantly.


    "I made it!" Jenni lunged into the air in cheer. "That was awesome!"


    Gale felt the essencee. A lion''s share went to him, just because he charged the arrow with explosive power, while the rest flowed into Jenni, her expression stiffening with the essence of a fiend-rank creature.


    "Ohh, I got 2.4 points in strength and 0.4 in spirit," she beamed and gave him a quick hug before going to Dawn. "Go, now it''s your turn."


    She handed Dawn the bow. Unfortunately, the rest of the lizards had fled when one of theirpanion''s heads exploded.


    "Don''t worry, they wille again," Gale told them, staring at the headless corpse. "Well, considering we have bait right now, they wille quicker than before."


    "Shouldn''t we collect the core?" Jenni perked her eyebrows. "It is a fiend-rank core, after all. A small fortune to a lower ranker."


    "If you want, I can take you there," Gale offered.


    Jenni shot a look between the headless corpse and them. "Let''s wait till we kill more of them. Then we''ll collect them all at once."


    The next few targets came within a few minutes. The same old colossus lizard, which wasted no breath cannibalising its kin.


    Gale immediately put his radiance essence to work, charging another arrow. Dawn was already prepared with the bow, standing with far more poise than the other girl did. At least she had more experience with archery.


    He handed her the charged arrow as Dawn aimed. However, when it turned to pulling the string, her fingers went stiff. No matter how much effort she put in, she barely managed to draw the string by a couple of inches, highly inadequate to kill a fiend-rank monster.


    "The string, it won''t budge," she said.


    Gale didn''t think her physical prowess would be this poor, considering how high her spirit arts were.


    "Try harder," Jenni chimed in. "I know it will be worth it."


    "I can''t," Dawn whined and turned towards him, her face flustered in her incapability.


    Gale didn''t think the bow would be too much for a silver ranker''s strength, but Dawn was clearly unique in the rank.


    "Do something, they are going to eat the core..." Jenni urged.


    "You aim," Gale finally said, moving to stand behind Dawn. "I''ll help you."


    He had to arch his back a lot to be at her height level as he put his palm over hers and helped her. Her palm was really soft, swollen red under the pressure of the string.


    "If you feel pain, tell me," he told her as they aimed. "You don''t have to do it if you don''t want to."


    "I''m fine," she heaved.


    "Are you ready for shooting?"


    Dawn focused on the monster. "Y-yes!"


    "I''ll let go on the count of three," Gale said and began the countdown. "One... two... three!"


    Like the first time, the arrow did not miss its target, exploding another head of the fiend. Another colossus body joined the ground, while the rest of itspanions fled.


    "Thank you," Dawn said meekly, her back pressed to his chest, head bowed.


    "Show me your fingers," he said. She acted as though she didn''t hear him. So he turned her over and clutched her palm. As he feared, the bow was too much for her fingers. It had cut her index finger, sharp enough that the bone was showing.


    Thankfully, her regenerative power was better than her physical prowess, as the blood had already stopped oozing out, the wound closing up slowly. Gale boosted the process, pushing a few tendrils of silver radiance essence.


    "Thank you," she said softly, head bowed. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink, making her appear even cuter.


    He was reminded again of what June had told him about her. Gale had considered talking about it with her, but he was so unsure how to go into it that he never bothered with it yet. But if she continued to have this one-sided...


    Well, June didn''t seem to mind, the thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head instantly. It wouldn''t be enough if just June agreed to it... Dawn would have to have as much say in it.


    "Ahem!" Jenni coughed, breaking their trance. "If you guys are finished with your teenage lovey-dovey romance, we have more lizards to kill."


    "Jenni!" Dawn raised her voice and broke away from him. Her cheeks couldn''t be any more flushed. She didn''t meet his gaze for most of the rest of the night, and he only had the little girl to me.


    Gale sighed. At least she didn''t say no to shooting more of those lizards, even if her fingers hurt.


    ___________


    Sorry for the hiatus... I have been mostly busy chilling around and working on another project. Anyway, 16 chapters will be removed from the privilege tiers, and the tier price woulde down to one digit from tomorrow...


    Thank you for sticking out to the story...

 Chapter 346: Babysit

    After hunting a few more colossus lizards, Gale determined that any more raw essence would be detrimental to their foundation and ceased giving them the charged arrows. Dawn was understanding of his mindset, but Jenni booed a little. Still, she didn''t waste a moment to sit down and begin working on incorporating the essence she had earned.


    Gale could help with that, solving it in mere minutes, but he did not. There was no point in breaking the good habits she had built up over the years. It wasn''t a foreign will of dark essence she was dealing with, after all.


    Which reminded him of Agnes, as he quickly brought her out of his soul domain. It had been about an hour since hest talked to her. Agnes had been expecting to get out. Unfortunately, Gale had forgotten about her when the city turned into a dungeon unexpectedly.


    After waiting for a while, she once again went back to her process.


    "Where did shee from?" Jenni asked, sensing the new figure. Then, remembering, she snorted, "Right, it''s a secret."


    "What''s going on out here?" Agnes asked, staring at the surroundings.


    "The city has turned into a dungeon," Gale said. "Hopefully a temporary one."


    Agnes''s eyes widened. "Something like this shouldn''t be possible unless," she hesitated, "there is a chain of high-grade dungeons surrounding the area."


    "Well, it''s the southern waste," Jenni said, breaking her concentration. "It''s not like this is happening for the first time."


    "It hadn''t happened for a long time, though."


    "Hmm," Gale considered it for a second. "Why don''t you guys stay here for some time while I take a look at what the situation is?"


    Dawn and Jenni looked ufortable with him leaving, but they understood it was important toprehend the situation.


    "Is that why you brought me out?" Agnes asked, amused. "To look after them while you''re gone?"


    Gale nodded, shooting a look at the other two. "If you don''t like it, I can keep them safe in my domain, and you too."


    "I''m fine either way," Agnes shrugged.


    He brought out a small device from his domain and tossed it to her. "Trigger it if you find yourself in a pickle."


    "Wouldn''t have a need for it," she said, though she stored it.


    "Watch yourselves, girls," he gave the other two onest look before shooting into the sky. "I''ll be back in a couple of hours."


    "So," Agnes said, turning to the other two. "What shall we do in the meantime?"


    "I should prepare some food," Dawn said.


    "And I should prepare myself to eat it," Jenni said brightly.


    Agnes sat on a chair Gale had left behind. "I certainly was looking for some fight, but I guess I''ll wait for the time being."


    "So, Sis, where were you since thest time we saw you?" Jenni asked.


    "I was... behind closed doors," she hesitated to say. "Training."


    "Is it your teleportation power or his that let you here?" she asked.


    "His."


    "Wait, were you in the city when he teleported you just now?" Jenni frowned. "Because the dungeon''s chaos wall would restrict any kind of teleportation to outside."


    Agnes opened her mouth to say something and then pursed her lips. Jenni had alreadye to some conclusion, and she did not like lying to her.


    "You guys are not going to tell me how this is possible, are you?" she shot res between Dawn and Agnes.


    "It is not our secret to speak of," Agnes told her. "But I do believe he''ll let you know... He''s prepared to if your safety''s at stake."


    Jenni''s eyes beamed upon hearing that.


    "Girl, I know that look," Agnes fixed her aura on her. "Do not try anything stupid."


    "Of course, I''m not dumb," Jenni replied, smiling stupidly. "I wouldn''t even dream of it."


    "As long as you know."


    "He hates irresponsible people the most," Dawn chimed in from her cooking.


    "Wow, you guys have no faith in me at all," Jenni said ruefully.


    "There is a reason for that," Agnes sighed. "You haven''t been faithful in taking your safety into ount, as far as I''m concerned."


    "That was just one time," Jenniined.


    "Just make sure not to make a habit out of it," Agnes said.


    "I''m not trying to," she muttered. "Maybe I should practise fighting as well..."


    "That''s a great idea," Agnes approved. "Even if it is not your calling, you should know how to defend yourself well."


    "Of course, you''d approve of that." She turned to Dawn. "What do you say, Dawn, do you want to practisebat arts?"


    "No," Dawn said, lifting her head from the vegetables she was preparing. "I''m good."


    Jenni pouted. "I thought we were going to practise together, you know, being partners and all."


    "Sorry, but I already learned how to defend myself."


    "I can help you with training," Agnes said, her eyes glowing with a smile stered on her lips.


    "No thanks," Jenni said instantly. "No offence, but you are too hardcore for me."


    "Then Gale is a no-go either," Agnes said.


    "Obviously," Jenni cried. "I wouldn''t want him to train me in anything if he''s in the hell instructor mode."


    All of them chuckled.


    "You''re more of a mage build," Dawn said. "You need to be trained by a mage."


    "Right, but those are rare," Jenni said. "I cannot imagine any qualified mage taking a novice like me under their wings, unless..." She paused as both the women stared at her. "A certain high elfes to my mind, who wouldn''t mind though."


    "Are you talking about June?" Agnes asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "Who else?" Jenni said. "She''s very elf-like though, high and difficult to approach. It would look pathetic, asking her to teach me."


    "She''s good-hearted," Dawn chimed in.


    "Yeah," Agnes said. "I don''t see anything wrong with you asking her. The worst she could do is reject you. Wait, that reminds me, she was learning runes from Gale, maybe you can help her with that."


    Jenni beamed. "That''s a good idea... even though she has him to teach her, I''m sure she''s not the type of woman to rely on just one man. I''ll be sure to ask her the next time I see¡ª"


    Her voice was cut short by a screech from overhead. A pack of flying creatures flew their way above them.


    "Are those dragons?"

 Chapter 347: Wyverns

    "They are not dragons," Jenni corrected herself. "Wyverns?"


    Agnes churned her dark essence, ready for a fight, as the pack of flying lizards flew right towards them. All of them were fiend-rank monsters. Agnes could deal with one or two of them with rtive ease, but taking care of a whole pack was going to be nearly impossible, especially when she would have to look after two nonbatants.


    However, before she could act, a golden figure with widespread wings came flying from behind the wyverns, throwing a huge spear of essence through one of the monster''s heads, killing it instantly.


    The monster''s corpse fell as the golden figure swooped down on their roof.


    "ytime''s over," Gale said, opening a portal to his domain. "Get in quickly."


    The wyverns charged after him, but runes formed at a tremendous pace to create a great barrier behind him, obstructing their attack.


    "Quick!" Gale shot them a re.


    "Me too?" Agnes arched her eyebrow. "I can help."


    "Stay out then," he said and turned to the other woman.


    Dawn pulled Jenni towards the very suspicious-looking portal. The closer she got, the more the intrinsic fear wed at her.


    "Where does this portal lead to?" she asked.


    "Aren''t you curious about the secret?" Gale smirked. "Well, now you don''t have to be anymore."


    "It''s going to be fine," Dawn said and pulled her into the domain.


    With that out of the way, Gale withdrew the barrier and brought out his sword. He shed one look towards her. "Try to keep up."


    Agnes red at him, but his figure shot up once again, taking the fight to the sky. She sighed and manifested her wings of darkness to chase after him.


    By the time she caught up, he had already beheaded two of them, taking their corpses into his spirit domain. Winds swirled around him as though listening to his call; they formed des of attack and obstructed any of the wyverns'' moves before he killed them.


    Agnes attacked one at the back with her sword, dark essence churning with her best capacity, but even then she found it hard for her sword to dig through the tough skin of the wyverns. She had to pin her sword at the same ce multiple times to finally wound it severely.


    It flew away after that. Agnes chased after it, her wings spreading more to give her extra pace. She flew over it to swoop down onto its back, her sword digging into its head.


    Agnes felt the essence washing over her body and turned around. By the time she had dealt with one, Gale had finished up a dozen.


    "Don''t worry," he told her. "There were more of them."


    He gestured for her to follow him and flew in the direction they came from. They flew for a few minutes to soone across warriors fighting off lizard creatures on the ground while being obstructed by the wyverns from the sky. There were a couple dealing with flying attacks, but they weren''t nearly enough to deal with the number of creatures flying around.


    Gale brought out the bow and began shooting at the wyverns, charging the arrows with void essence, then radiance. Each of his arrows struck a target, and it exploded, blood and flesh flying about in a stter.


    Nobodyined though, so he carried on.


    As though not wanting to be outdone by him, even though he already had, Agnes flew down to help the guildsmen. There were only about a couple dozen of them; barely three were gold rankers while the rest were high silver or mid-silver rankers.


    "Who was that?" asked a frightened priest, who was supplying healing to the warriors. "Where do youe from?"


    "No time for questioning," Agnes shouted and joined the fray.


    ****


    "What is this ce?" Jenni asked.


    "This is the¡ª" Dawn cut herself off as a massive corpse of a wyvern flew to drop only a few meters away from them. "Let''s get closer to the tower first."


    "I''m feeling terribly weak," Jenniined.


    "It will pass," Dawn said and pulled her towards the single monument within the realm.


    More of the corpses came down flying; thankfully, none of them fell over them, much to their relief.


    Jenni''s chest heaved after running for several minutes. Normally, it wasn''t supposed to happen, but this ce, the presence here, suppressed her essence power greatly.


    "You haven''t answered my question," she said.


    "This is a soul domain," Dawn told her.


    "Meaning?" Jenni tilted her head.


    "Just as it sounds," Dawn provided.


    "Like we are literally inside a soul?" Jenni sounded bbergasted as if she wasn''t going to believe that. But Dawn''s expression didn''t change. "Are you being serious?"


    She nodded.


    "Whose soul is it?"


    Dawn showed an expression which said: who do you think?


    "Warden?" Jenni still used the old name most of the time, forced by habit more than anything else. "Why do you seem smug about that?"


    Dawn provided nothing.


    "A little proud too?" Jenni stared at her. She chuckled. "You''re like a mother hen proud of the little chick who finally managed to catch a worm on its own."


    "That''s a very bad example," Dawn said, her cheeks turning a tad pink.


    Jenniughed harder. She looked around, taking it all in. The sky wasn''t like the dull red of the front lines, but a perfect blue with stray clouds moving around...


    "Why does a soul look like this?" she asked.


    "A soul can be anything," Dawn said.


    The atmosphere inside the soul domain changed abruptly as wind rushed in, more clouds churning in the sky, and finally, purple lightning shed with thunderous roars.


    "This ce is giving me chills," Jenni said. "What happened?"


    "I don''t know for sure," Dawn answered, "but I can make conjectures. It is likely an aftereffect of Gale utilizing his power on the other side. Whatever he does seems to reflect in the soul domain..."


    "So if he''s fighting, it''s a storm," Jenni said. "What if he''s cooking?"


    "Usually, a warm environment, the sun beaming."


    "Will there be a natural disaster if he''s crying?" Jenni asked.


    Dawn shrugged.

 Chapter 348: Call of the Baleful Wind

    It didn''t take long to take care of all the wyverns, and then Gale joined to despatch all the lizards down on the ground. Most of them only took an arrow or a sword beam.


    He simply had grown too strong too fast to skip a whole rank of monsters.


    "Hey, you got to help those that are struck inside," shouted the healer.


    Agnes was talking to her, but his question was directed at him. Gale was sure he couldn''t even see his face, that was fair in the sky.


    "The guild master and a few others," the healer continued to shout. "They were struck in there..."


    His finger pointed towards the huge portal, dozens of metres tall, shimmering with chaotic light. No more creatures wereing out of it yet.


    "The guild master of the Spirit Hunter Guild?" Agnes asked.


    The healer nodded.


    "Will you guys be fine if we go?" she asked. There were still other dungeons around, not to mention the lizards that fled.


    "Yeah, you already took care of the bigger problems," said a gold ranker. "Our task now is to hunt down the lizards scattered into the city."


    "Well, good luck with that," Gale said and flung himself towards the gate, a spray of golden light lingering behind him. "Youing?"


    Agnes lunged into the air, her wings of darkness spreading on her back. They entered through the portal and found themselves in apletely different realm of existence.


    Gale was hoping for a dark dungeon, but even he hadn''t imagined being back here.


    "This is the front lines," Agnes cried, staring at the red sky with brokenyers of clouds. "How the hell is it connected to here?"


    Gale ignored all the concerns and implications behind that and spread his void sense ahead of him as he flew. It didn''t take long to find the source of all the chaos. Unlike the barrennds of the front lines he was so familiar with, there seemed to be a huge bog ahead, enclosed by dead, sky-piercing trees.


    Shrieks and screeches wereing from there as some trees were struck down. Gale erged his de and joined the fray.


    His void sense found the humans as he began killing the huge fire-breathing lizards with no wings. There were many serpentine creatures, asrge as a great serpent.


    "Who are you people?" shouted a man, heavily pressed by a pack of lizards.


    "There''s only two of us," Gale said and called upon the winds once more. "Duck. Everyone."


    Wind des concentrated around him as he swung his de in a full arc. Gale attacked with


    Cry of the Baleful Wind.


    A terrifying sword beam of void energy, empowered by intent and wind, cut through the air in a decimating rush.


    "Gods above!" screamed the man as he dug down into the bog water.


    The sword beam decimated the ranks of the lizards, severing their bodies into parts, and the dead trees alike, before finally stopping after moving about a hundred metres.


    The man popped up from the muddy water a momentter. He whistled, looking at the severed corpses.


    "Brother," he turned to Gale, "where do youe from?"


    Gale flew away without replying, towards where he was sensing a stronger presence. A huge monstery ahead, its power stronger than any creature he had fought before. A draconic being¡ªwell, it may as well have been a dragon. It breathed fire, setting the dry trees aze, as three warriors tried their best to keep it under control.


    "You''re very rude, brother," a voice said from behind him. Gale didn''t have to turn to know it was the same man from before. Gale didn''t know how a silver ranker like him covered such a distance so fast, as his attention was on the monster ahead. "Not even acknowledging my question."


    Agnes was flying right behind, but she was a fair margin slowerpared to the male.


    "Oh, if it isn''t Agnes Arnaid," the fellow piped up, far more energised than before. "Did youe to save me too?"


    Agnes'' expression soured instantly, as though she had sniffed something rotten. She flew to hover behind him.


    "That''s an awakened fiend," she said. "Almost at its peak."


    "Hmm, the question is," Gale muttered, "will itst even a single move?"


    The wind swirled around him, though it didn''t even budge a lock of his hair. It surged in a vortex of a tornado, wind des rushing at full capacity.


    Ascent of the Baleful Wind,


    Gale shouted inwardly, feeling something about why people scream their attack names out loud.


    Under his whim, the vortex of baleful wind, empowered by his void light, pierced through the space, disturbing the spatial nodes as it lodged into the chest of the dragon fiend.


    The three fighting it hadn''t even turned towards Gale, but by the time they did, the attack had burrowed into the awakened fiend, leaving behind a huge hole,rge enough for anyone to pass through.


    Blood sprayed in the air like a fountain as the monster copsed against a few huge trees. Who knew how long it had taken for it to advance to this shape and stature, and yet it died like that?


    The obnoxious fellow whistled. "Now that''s something," he said. "Still, the other attack looked better, though."


    Gale turned to Agnes with an expression that said:


    Do you know this guy?


    Her expression returned:


    Unfortunately, yes.


    "Who are you?" barked one of the leading men, a gold ranker with a fire attribute and a fiery temper to match. "We had it all under control. Who asked you to butt in?"


    "Talk about showing gratitude," chuckled the silver-rank man behind him. "And they say I''m an ungrateful bitch."


    "Shut your damn trap, Ss," barked the man as he returned his re to Gale.


    "Temperance, Gibson," said the man who was likely the leader. He had been inspecting the hole in the fiend''s chest while his party member bbered. "Hello, fiend," he said to Gale. "Might you tell us who you are and where you came from?"


    Gale opened his mouth to answer, just as the spatial nodes above their heads split open. Gale formed his


    Void Shroud


    to defend against whatever it was, but it looked like there was no need for it.


    Through the crack emerged a figure, a tall figure with long dark hair and an overwhelmingly oppressive aura around her. It spoke of her rank and the power she held.


    Transcendent.


    "Looks like I''m a littlete," said the neer as she smiled. "Thankfully, you took care of it brilliantly."


    Something changed behind him. Gale''s sense told him that the aura around Agnes was vibrating wrongly. She was never so sloppy as to let out a slight change if she didn''t want to, but now her aura was like an open book, littered with fear and deep-seethed hatred. Mostly fear that anything else.


    Whoever this woman was... she had rattled herpletely.


    "Ah, Agnes, good to see you in such a great shape... Not going to greet your master?"


    Agnes bit her lips and came forward, her gait shaking a little. She bowed her head deeply.


    The transcendent woman smiled.

 Chapter 349: Back in Main Camp

    The Transcendent broke upon the spatial nodes to open a portal back to the main camp. She brought them all back to the main military camp, everyone except the spirit hunter group. A woman joined them, particrly because the Transcendent woman imed she knew why chains of dungeons had manifested in their city all at once.


    While the men returned to ensure safety, the woman was to be briefed by the Transcendent to learn more about the debacle.


    On the other hand, Agnes remained silent throughout. After a momentarypse in her aura, it hadpletely stilled, as though a turtle had retreated into its shell. He had asked her if she was all right, but she only nodded until her "Master" called her up.


    "By the way, young man," the Transcendent woman said as she was leaving, her eyes locking onto him. "While I admire your drive to help during the dungeon break, you were asked to rejoin the main camp two days ago."


    Gale raised an eyebrow. "And?"


    Agnes'' master smiled, though there was something in it that he couldn''t quite read. "Themander in charge is probably unaware, but you are not to be pushed around. We''ll meet again..."


    With that, she disappeared, taking Agnes with her.


    Gale remained glued to the spot, staring nkly at where she had vanished. Although the woman had given him no reason to worry, he couldn''t help but feel that something else was brewing.


    As far as he suspected, she wasn''t the Transcendent overseeing the trial grounds. Did shee especially for Agnes?


    No, Agnes had told him that her master did not care about her all that much.


    Something more, then, he thought. Perhaps to fix the trials or maybe to find the lost items she had tasked her disciple with retrieving.


    He felt a chill down his back and hurried to his lodging. The house was locked as he had left it; the strips of runes were sufficient to protect against tampering, though it seemed like there had been some interference. However, the tamperer had been so delicate that he could barely notice.


    He went inside the guest house to find nothing missing, everything was as he had left it. Still, he scrutinised every part of the building and the rune formations before finally concluding that nothing had been tampered with. Only then did he close his eyes and let himself drift into his soul domain.


    Gale found Dawn and Jenni at the top of the tower, the adept studying the stele his master had gifted him, while Dawn kept herpany.


    "Do you two want to get out?"


    "Huh?" Jenni broke out of her studying with apletely oblivious expression. "When did you..."


    "Everything''s taken care of?" Dawn asked.


    "Mostly," he sighed.


    She frowned but didn''t question anything yet.


    "So, do you two want to get out?" he repeated.


    "I''m studying," Jenni said, gesturing towards the stele. "This is magnificent... I''ve learned more than you taught me over the week."


    "Are you telling me I''m a worse teacher than an inanimate object?" Gale asked, but the girl had already moved on.


    "Do you see this rune?" She pointed at a very thin carving on the stele. "Is that what generates the force of repulsion in those gravboots?"


    He raised an eyebrow. "You already figured that out?"


    "I''m a genius," she grinned.


    "Now, what do I do with a genius who has learned too much archaic knowledge without permission?" Gale asked.


    "What are you going to¡ª" Jenni froze, suddenly remembering how suppressed she was in this ce.


    "Dawn, do you have any proposals?" Gale asked.


    "Maybe get her to agree to secrecy," the white-haired woman suggested.


    "I''m prepared to do it," Jenni said.


    "But a simple agreement of secrecy won''t be enough," Gale said. "Not after you entered my soul domain."


    "What?!" she cried. "But you let Agnes enter, and Dawn is here too."


    "Agnes and I have an agreement," Gale exined. "And Dawn..." He turned to the woman. "Well, she''s Dawn."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Jenni red at him. She turned to her friend. "And you, stop blushing."


    "I''m not!" Dawn cried.


    "You''re the one who shoved me into this ce," Jenni argued.


    "Hmm, should I keep you here for eternity?"


    "What?"


    "You won''t need to eat here, and you probably won''t die," Gale said.


    "You cannot keep me here," she said.


    "Or else what?" He was having so much fun poking her.


    "I''ll destroy your soul," she imed.


    "Could you even put a dent in it?" he smiled.


    She was about to punch the stele but, remembering how much there was to learn from it, she turned to punch the wall of the tower instead. It only hurt her fist. "Fuck!"


    "I''ll dirty your soul," Jenni said next.


    Gale''s eyes widened. "Are you suggesting..."


    "I''ll poop in your soul," Jenni said, ring at him.


    Gale took a step back in fear. "You''re a silver ranker; you don''t need to."


    "I''ll still do it..." Jenni was adamant.


    Dawn burst intoughter, the loudest Gale had ever heard from her. "You two belong together," she said,ughing hysterically.


    "Well, that is a sight to behold," Gale muttered, watching her smile so brightly.


    Jenni nodded in agreement.


    Dawn blushed instantly. "So, should I prepare for the ceremony?" she asked.


    Gale thought for a moment, then cast Jenni a look. "If she agrees..."


    "What ceremony?" Jenni asked.


    "You have learned knowledge I do not allow others to ess," Gale said. "And you''ve also learned some of my secrets, which I''m not ready to disclose outside. A concession needs to be made."


    "That doesn''t exin the question," Jenni said, feeling excited once more. "You''re not nning one of those sketchy soul brandings, are you? I warn you, I won''t give in to envement."


    "Nothing sketchy like that," Gale chuckled.


    Dawn cleared her doubts before he could tease her further. "It is only a formal ceremony to bind you two into the rtionship of master and disciple."

 Chapter 350: Confession

    Jenni circled in the living room while Gale rested his butt on the couch. Dawn stood across from him, observing Jenni as she made her decision.


    "You have time to decide, you know?" Gale told her for the third time. "Anyway, do not wander off on your own. After dealing with some issues in my soul domain, I''ll smuggle you into the frontlines the right way."


    There was, after all, an actual process and legitimacy to how people entered and departed from the ce. With Jenni being in his soul domain, her arrival was not archived officially. He was sure it wouldn''t cause too much of a stir, or people wouldn''t even find out, but there was no point in taking chances.


    With that, hey down on the couch and closed his eyes to enter his soul domain. There were a bunch of fiend corpses to take care of, while also observing what kind of changes had been brought about in the soul domain when he wantonly drew its power.


    He observed that some of the stormy clouds still remained, though they weren''t shing with lightning right now. The void had expanded far more than usual in the meantime. Even the main ind seemed to have expanded by a fair margin. Gale would have to do some experimentster to ensure these weren''t unnatural. The essence he obtained from killing the fiends should be higher, with his soul domain taking the whole of it to empower itself.


    Now for the corpses. He could just let them dpose on their own or splinter them into essence in an instant. But they were fiend corpses, after all; they could be good materials for various things like crafting and alchemy.


    After a thought, heid some formations around them, which would prevent them from dposing for a time.


    Gale finally opened his eyes to find Jenni had ceased her restless circling. He expanded his void sense to find her instantly and then retracted it, as she was in the washroom. He would need to be careful about the new sensing ability.


    On the other hand, Dawn was on the opposite couch. She had changed into another identical white dress after refreshing herself. Her wet hairy loose on her shoulders as she yed with a lock between her fingers.


    Dawn waspetent enough to reinforce any normal material to a higher grade. He would never think she couldn''t dry her own hair, which only meant she wanted him to do it. The sneaky nces she was shooting in his direction only proved that.


    "Do you need some help with your hair?" he asked after a thought.


    She hummed a little and blushed.


    Gale walked up to sit behind her. He ran clumsy fingers on her neck, collecting half of the locks of her silvery hair. A shiver ran down her spine as Dawn sat straighter. He implemented a little essence to dry and nourish her hair while he brushed them with his fingers.


    On second thought, it wasn''t the same kind of dress she was wearing. Both were white with a little embroidery, but this one was sleeveless, with her slender shoulder des and corbone exposed. He sniffed the air about her and drew close. Dawn shook a little and leaned back on him, her head resting on his shoulder.


    Gale might be as dense as a brick, but even he was not too dumb to understand what she was doing. And doing it too clumsily.


    Drawing his head down, he let his lips rest on her exposed shoulder, close to her neck. A shiver ran down her spine, and it was as though she had lost all her power to move.


    "You''re a silly girl, you know that, right?" Gale said and kissed her on the shoulder.


    "Mhmm," she let out a soft squeal and instantly turned her head. Without notice, she jumped on him, her lips meeting his. Sadly, she was too impatient and inexperienced about it, so she literally shed against his teeth.


    Silly girl,


    he thought, spreading his arms around her waist to embrace her. After the embarrassment of her first attempt, she only brushed her lips against his before resting her head on his chest. Gale could hear her heart thumping in her chest, like she was any normal person instead of a Silver Ranker.


    "Are you sure about this?" he finally asked. "You know there''s June and. . ."


    "She''s not the first woman to fall for you," Dawn said meekly but firmly, "and neither was you, for that matter."


    Gale was about to ask more, but before he could, Dawn jumped from hisp to sit a few inches away, sensing the washroom door opening.


    Jenni came to the living room with wet hair and draped in a white dress, which belonged to Dawn. It held her frame tighter than it did on Dawn. She opened her mouth to say something, but it remained hung open for several moments as she observed them.


    "Did something happen?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "No," Dawn said instantly.


    Gale rubbed his nose. "I was just helping her with her hair," he said. "Like usual."


    "Is it usual?" Jenni narrowed her eyes.


    Gale shrugged and returned to his work. Under Jenni''s gaze, he styled Dawn''s hair intricately. "So, have you thought about it?"


    "I have," Jenni said and rested on the opposite couch. "I''ve made my decision."


    Both of them perked up at her announcement.


    "So long as you treat me as one of your equals," she blushed. "I mean, someone who can be your equal in the future, and do not treat me like a lowly apprentice, I''m fine with it."


    "Have I ever treated you like a lowly apprentice? Ever?" He shot her a t look. "Have I treated anyone like they were a lowly apprentice?"


    "I don''t know," Jenni said. "But you cannot go full hell mode on me."


    "I think I can make a concession for you," he chuckled.


    "And I''ll get to eat your cooking every day," she put out another condition.


    "Anything else you have on your mind?"


    "Hmm, maybe I should have made a list."

 Chapter 351: Surprize

    Gale and Jenni walked into the front lines after setting down the registration in the administration office.


    "Huh, the camp around here seems to have improved a bunch in the time we were away," Jenni muttered.


    A couple of weeks for them were several months inside the front lines. Gale had heard there was an attack or two at the main camp, which probably warranted the rebuilding of many structures and taking everything more seriously. Apparently, not many lives were lost since many superior rankers were avable in the camp during the time of the attack.


    "What do you intend to do right now?" he asked.


    "I''m gonna go see my father," Jenni said, absent-mindedly moving forward. "I''ll show him my designs and the offer I got from Dragonforge. Oh, I also have to make a list of my demands."


    "Maybe I should look for a disciple who''s less demanding," Gale muttered.


    "You won''t," Jenni grinned at him. "Because you won''t find anyone more brilliant and charming than me."


    Gale snorted. "I did have a disciple who was far less demanding than you, and more charming."


    Jenni raised an eyebrow. "Who?"


    Gale turned to find a white fuzzball leaping into his arms, squeaking in delight.


    "Cupcake?" He raised an eyebrow as his senses picked up on the owner of the little bunny running towards them.


    Kiara stopped a few metres away, her expression breaking into surprise at finding him there. "Umm~"


    "Oh shoot! I was going to abduct her into myir," he joked, embracing Cupcake protectively. "But I guess we''ll have to wait until your human isn''t around."


    He brought out a low-grade core from his soul domain and fed it to the bunny. Her aura was more prominent now, already advancing higher than her owner''s, who was still a Copper ranker. Moreover, they hadn''t bonded yet. Kiara was still waiting for her Iron advancement.


    "What a cute little bunny," Jennimented, running her palm over the white fur.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked Kiara finally.


    "Um, we''re here with the academy staff," Kiara said, "to take part in some trials."


    It looked like the higher-ups were going all in on giving people chances to enter the trials after fixing the problem with the power source. Well, considering how many elite Iron rankers had died on the mission, it would be unthinkable if they didn''t try topensate for the loss with new rankers.


    "I see your bodyguard is still with you?" Gale muttered, noticing a figure standing among the crowd, observant of their direction. "Wait, did Junee too?"


    "Obviously," Kiara said. "Professor June is in charge of our batch; of course, she had toe."


    Gale spread his void sense to find her. Unfortunately, his reach wasn''t far enough to cover the whole area, not to mention some higher ranker might pick up on it and bother him.


    "She''s at the trial site," Kiara said. "With other professors and Elder Vess."


    Gale wondered why she hadn''t told him she wasing here. Perhaps she found out toote or wanted to surprise him. Wait, she probably didn''t know he was back in the camp, did she? Either way, Gale turned in the direction of the trial grounds, preparing a few antigravity scripts to fly there.


    "If you''re going there, let me join you," Jenni said,tching onto his arm firmly. She didn''t care about who was watching, as long as she got what she wanted.


    "Weren''t you going to your father?" Gale raised an eyebrow.


    "He''s probably busy with other matters, and I can see him whenever I like," Jenni said.


    "That did not answer the question," Gale said.


    "Fine," Jenni red at him. "I want to ask her to teach me spellcasting. Happy?"


    Gale narrowed his eyes.


    "You want to learn spellcasting from Professor June?" Kiara asked, her brows furrowed.


    Jenni nodded, clearly dismissing the teenage girl with her higher rank and experience.


    "Well, you two should talk between yourselves first," Gale told her. "Kiara is actually her mentee."


    Saying that, he handed the bunny to her human before flying away, leaving Jenniining on the ground. Gale picked up his pace and flew straight to the trial grounds. The distance to the trial ground was considerable, as it had once been in the second zone of the front lines. However, the lines between the zones had been erased in the time he wasn''t there, making it a more straightforward path.


    If he used


    Wings of Radiance


    , Gale would have been there in mere minutes, but he decided to keep the ability under wraps. Who knew who might take interest in them ande bothering him about it? Instead, he increased the script to a Tier-V rune, boosting his speed to a tremendous degree. A quarter of an hourter, he was halfway there and slowed down, finding a sign of June.


    She was already halfway back, returning to the main camp, flying on top of Sylvie. Gale didn''t give her time to react. He shot in their direction to embrace her, almost toppling Sylvie in the process.


    The white crane bnced herself while Gale brought June up into the sky. Sylvie was ready for a fight, but she calmed down, probably noticing him or by June''s telepathic reassurance.


    "When did you get back?"


    "Only a few hours ago," he said. "I noticed Kiara and Cupcake and found out you were here."


    "Looks like I''ll have to give up on the surprise I was preparing for you," she sighed, and Gale kissed her on the lips.


    "Well, you can still do it," he said, dropping to fly side by side with Sylvie. "I love surprises."


    "You had me at a disadvantage," she pouted.


    "Where are you staying?" he asked. "Can you shift to my quarters?


    "It is probably not professional to do it," she muttered. "And besides, I will be staying for a week at best."


    "Still, it will be a week together."


    "If I stay with you, I won''t get half of the things done," June pouted. "And the same goes for you."


    Well, she was not wrong.

 Chapter 352: Princess

    Kiara and Jenni were still there by the time they returned. Actually, they had ventured further into the barren field, on the path towards the trial grounds. A couple of soldiers were with them in a stoic getup, along with Kiara''s bodyguard. He recognised a familiar face between the soldiers.


    They had probably decided to head towards the trial grounds after Gale left them; it had been barely a quarter of an hour, so they hadn''t moved too far on foot.


    Galended before them with June, Sylvie''s form casting a shadow over their heads as she descended. Cupcake once more flew from Kiara''s arm to him. She purred as he ran a clumsy finger to brush her snow-white fur.


    "Where are you guys going?" June asked. "They are still testing the trial grounds to ept any entry."


    "Professor," Kiara said, "we''re looking for you."


    "And you guys?" Gale turned to the soldiers.


    Gale watched as their stoic demeanour returned, while the bodyguard adopted a more serious stance, as though calcting a threat and devising a n to counter it.


    The man looked a bit older than Gale, his aura radiating the concealed power of a peak silver ranker. Kiara''s father had probably employed one of his most trusted men for his daughter''s safety.


    "Sergeant Barn, I see you''re in good health."


    "I''m well. Lady Cassandra made sure to get me the best healer," Barn smiled callously. "Which reminds me she was asking about you..."


    "She''s still in the camp?"


    Barn shook his head, notpletely sure.


    "Well, I hope they didn''t rob you from duty to apany them," he said, patting his shoulders.


    Students from the academy weren''t allowed to wander off on their own outside the main camp. They probably needed some officer to apany them.


    "Rob? I just asked them nicely," Jenni said, smiling. "These good soldiers came with us to ensure our safety."


    The smirk on her lips was brilliant, as Jenni had probably used her charm to get Kiara out of the main camp. Kiara was too much of a goody-two-shoes to attempt it on her own, not to mention her level of shyness could beparable to Dawn''s. He wondered who would win in a contest of that.


    Gale chuckled, remembering how Kiara had fallen on her face, trying to run away after apologising to him. While Dawn would literally turn invisible whenever she felt embarrassed. Those incidents happened quite often, he thought, recalling the times she would leave notes for him in various ces.


    "Ahh!" Gale touched the back of his head, feeling a familiar, stabbing pain.


    "Gale?" June turned to him, concerned.


    "It''s nothing," he said, waving her off. "I just remembered something."


    She narrowed her eyes. "Do you need a moment, or. . ."


    "It''s fine," he told her. "Let''s go to my quarters, and then we''ll talk more."


    "I''ming too," Jenni added, sping Kiara''s hand.


    Gale shrugged. "Will you guys join us too?" he asked the soldiers.


    "We are on duty, sir, ma''am," the two soldiers saluted and left to resume their tasks.


    "Now I feel bad for them," Jenni sighed, waving at the departing soldiers. "Maybe I should have smiled at them once or twice more."


    Gale pinched her ear. "Remember, whenever you stub your pinky, it''s karma for little evil deeds like this."


    "What are you talking about?" Jenni pouted. "I just asked them nicely, and they were decent enough to care about a couple of defenceless women''s safety."


    "Who''s the woman here?" Gale snorted, looking at the two of them. "All I see are two girls, and one of them is very close to being a brat."


    The bratty one was obviously Jenni, who was about the same age as Dawn. The time dtion, the almost ageless faces of rankers, along with her carefree personality, all made it feel like she was perhaps a year or two older than Kiara.


    "I''m an adult," Kiara said.


    "I''m not a brat,"ined the soon-to-be disciple.


    They continued to give him stink eye until they reached his quarters. He opened the formation to let them all in, one by one.


    "Sorry, didn''t catch your name," Gale said to the bodyguard.


    "Harold," the bodyguard replied in a cool voice.


    Gale nodded. "Do you need me to introduce myself, or do you already know my name?"


    Harold followed his young miss, indicating that he already recognised Gale''s identity. Gale shrugged and entered with June.


    "Oh, I forgot to mention something to you," Gale told her. "I guess it''ll have to wait until they leave."


    Upon entering the house, Gale found that the whole interior had been renovated, giving it a wholly different atmosphere. Before, it had the vibe of a guest house where people didn''t tend to stay long; now, it had some resemnce to a home. And he had left Dawn here for only a couple of hours.


    He guessed she had put all those hours to good use.


    "You have a pretty big quarter," Junemented.


    "Benefit of being useful to the right people," he chuckled. "As I was saying, there''s plenty of room for you to stay."


    "If I do stay, though," she said, meeting his gaze, "I won''t be needing plenty of rooms."


    She kissed him slightly on the lips before going over to join Dawn and her mentee. Harold, the bodyguard, took a stance in one corner, observing everything in the room, still ying his role.


    "So," Jenni whispered from beside him. "Do you think she''ll agree to teach me?"


    Gale studied her. "If you have a good reason for it, maybe. . ."


    "Should I ask her how much to pay when I ask?"


    "She''s loaded," Gale shrugged. "So she probably wouldn''t care about that."


    "Loaded from a teaching job?" Jenni shot an incredulous gaze before turning to the elf talking with Dawn and Kiara.


    "Some teachers do tend to earn a lot for their expertise," Gale said. "Also, she''s an elf, a high elf. I don''t think she ever cares about wealth and all that stuff. . ."


    "What are you two whispering about?" June turned to them, frowning.


    "Nothing," Gale chuckled and drifted towards them. "I was just telling Jenni about your princess status."

 Chapter 353: Tricks

    "What princess status?" June fluttered her dark, silvery eyebrows.


    "Aren''t you a princess who ran away from home?" He gave his good-hearted smile.


    "There''s no royalty among us elves," she said.


    "Perhaps not in your upbringing," Gale grinned. "But you''re a princess in the spirit of all that matters."


    June red at him.


    "Look at it this way," he continued. "Your father was a transcendent ranker, while your mum is one of the elders, who are practically like dukes."


    June sighed. "My father is dead," she said. "And I hate my mother."


    Gale cursed inwardly and apologised immediately. "I didn''t mean it like that," he said, sping her palm. "I''m sorry."


    "I know," she whispered and turned to the others. "Sorry to dampen the mood. Jenni, Kiara tells me you want to ask me something?"


    "Y-yes," the adept went to her immediately. "I want to learn spellcasting from you."


    June raised an eyebrow.


    "Before you ask anything," Jenni continued before the elf could open her mouth, "I am not trying to be a battle mage or anything. I love runesmithing and wanted it to be what I am known for, but the recent events have left me... I guess I''d say rattled, but I''m truly horrified just thinking of being alone, fighting against demonic creatures. Honestly, I cannot sleep some nights..."


    June exchanged a look with him and transferred telepathically,


    You knew she was like this?


    I didn''t,


    he sighed. With Jenni''s personality, it was hard to guess what was going on inside her head.


    "I can teach you spellcasting," June said slowly.


    "Thank you," Jenni said; however, the elf wasn''t finished yet.


    "However, I do not know how I can make time for you. As you know, I work at the academy, which is a totally different world from this ce. Unless you join the academy or I stay on the frontlines, I don''t see how I can teach you more of theplex stuff."


    "How long does it take for one to learn them?" Jenni asked, fluttering her eyebrows. "You might not know, but I''m sort of a genius¡ªmaybe I can get the essence of it during your stay here?"


    June could only smile at that. "I have been practising spells for over a decade, and there''s still so much I do not know," she said. "But you''re already a Tier-III runesmith¡ª"


    "Tier-IV," Jenni corrected. "Getting to Silver rank made it easy for me to advance to Tier-IV."


    "The point is, qualified runesmiths tend to have better control than amon mage," June said. "Perhaps you can learn all the basics within a few weeks."


    "Weeks?" Jenni opened her mouth wide.


    "Silly girl, you thought June would show you the spell form and you''d be able to cast them after observing once?" Galeughed.


    To her audacity, Jenni nodded. "Isn''t that how it happens?"


    All the people in the room stared at her in incredulity.


    "Did I say something wrong?" Jenni cocked her head. "I mean, I just need to observe a script design once to forge it, and spell models tend to be far lessplicated than a script design. No offence."


    "You''re not wrong," June said. "But it''s not all aboutplexity. I''m sure it has its ce the higher you go in spellcasting, but in the beginning, it is more about cultivating a mind and spirit that can withstand the toll spellcasting tends to take."


    "Good, my mind and spirit are pretty strong," Jenni said. "Father has forced me through rigorous mental exercise since I was five."


    "Well," June considered for a moment, "let''s not waste time talking and let me examine your talent."


    With that, she brought Jenni to the couch and handed her a magic cube puzzle, which needed high essence control to solve. It not only measured one''s control but also trained novices to have better control.


    "A puzzle? I loved those when I was a kid," Jenni said, taking the puzzle. She immediately pushed her essence into the puzzle as different colours of runic marks shimmered on the surface of the cube. The trick was to separate the essence of different wavelengths, and the only way one could do this was to match those wavelengths with their essence control.


    There were thirty-six different wavelengths in the essence within the cube. For an elite academy graduate mage, it tends to take a quarter of an hour to half an hour to solve it. However, Jenni separated her first line of wavelengths in a matter of seconds.


    A different colour of light shimmered in the cube, shing over her space as shepleted one side of the cube. And not even half a minute passed.


    "Wow," Kiara muttered.


    Jenni was wholly concentrated on the cube. She closed her eyes midway throughpleting the puzzle, her Silver rank awareness providing all the sensing capacity she needed for the task.


    A couple of minutes passed, and she handed the cube to June. "How did I do?" she asked, smiling brightly. It used to take a few minutes before she ranked up to Silver, but her awareness made it a lot easier.


    "This is brilliant," Kiara said. "The fastest it took me was thirty-seven minutes, and I''mpletely spent by then."


    "Silver rankers have it easier," Jenni said.


    Kiara shook her head. "Some Silver rankers can''t even solve it."


    "Well, I''m not some Silver ranker," Jenni grinned.


    June observed the cube before making a statement. "You certainly have an advantage with your awareness," she said. "But this is still great. I think you can solve it in half the time after a little refinement in your technique."


    "Really?" Jenni asked. "How long does it usually take you?"


    June smiled at him.


    Yeah, show the kids how it''s done,


    Gale told her telepathically.


    "Maybe I should show you instead," she said. Under everyone''s gaze, she infused her awareness and essence into the cube.


    She didn''t finish the first line of runes as fast as Jenni, causing the adept runesmith to frown, but soon her eyes widened in disbelief as all the thirty-six lines of runes separated into their designated wavelengths simultaneously.


    "I guess I do have a few tricks I can teach you after all," June smiled.

 Chapter 354: Old Story

    Within a couple of hours, June managed to have Jenniprehend all the mental and spiritual exercises she needed to be ready for spellcasting.


    Seeing her devouring the teachings like a sponge, Juneplimented that the adept was already prepared to learn a spell or two. But she left it forter, having received a call from the elders about some other duty she would have toplete.


    She departed along with Kiara and the bodyguard, saying she would be back afterpleting whatever was needed of her.


    After getting her stomach full, Jenni also departed to meet her father, leaving only Dawn and Gale in the house to clean the dishes. Gale could have cleaned them all with just a spell, expending a little of his radiance essence. Yet he found himself next to Dawn, washing the dishes mundanely, using his hands and a scrubber.


    "So," he said and found himself lost for words. The night was still young; he could have invested his time in runesmithing or studying his soul domain, but he felt like he needed to talk with her right now.


    "Do you want me to recount memories about your past?" Dawn said, her eyes on the dish she was cleaning.


    "Yeah, that would be. . ." Gale said. He was already finished with his portion of the dishes and took a couple of hers. "Thank you."


    Dawn smiled as both of them moved to the couch, sitting face to face. "How about a story I heard from your disciple, Lin?" she asked. Getting no rebuttal from him, she continued. "It was about four years ago, when you first appeared where she lived and decided to leave everything and be a farmer instead."


    Gale had already heard of his notion of bing a farmer, and he believed it, no matter how far-fetched it seemed. His expertise in farming seemed not that great, but Dawn mentioned he managed fine with some help.


    "You actually went to buynd from her before she became your disciple," Dawn continued. "As it turns out, she was having some trouble with the huge plot ofnd, with her father dead and no one else to tend to the farm. On top of all, some local hoodlums were messing with her on a daily basis. Oh, I forgot to add that she was not even a copper ranker at that time. Some weird state of hers didn''t let her advance the way a normal ranker does. . ."


    Gale listened to her carefully as the tale moved along. It wasn''t a heroic story of him fighting a demon or saving a damsel in distress; it was just an earthly matter of people finding themselves.


    Gale actually cracked up when he heard there was actually a little thief¡ªwho was eventually a friend of his¡ªwho had taken Lin''s house as hisir to stay hidden. He tried to scare both of them away, but Gale was already a gold ranker by then, and the little thief, being an Iron ranker, could not help but give him the due respect.


    As it turned out, the thief wasn''t actually a thief; he had simply fled with his dead master''s inheritance while higher rankers were chasing him. . .


    For a soft-spoken girl like her, Dawn talked for a long time, recounting everything slowly. Halfway into the story, Gale had rested his head on herp, which caused her to blush pink and fumble her words. She looked too cute for him to free her, but eventually, she managed to get a hold of herself. Perhaps when he closed his eyes, it gave her the little push she needed.


    By the end of the story, she was even ying with his hair, stroking his head with clumsy fingers.


    "When did I meet you?" he asked, not opening his eyes.


    "Half a yearter," Dawn said, ruffling his hair. "By then, you had taken Lin as your disciple, and she turned out to be as stubborn as you in some aspects. So to keep an eye on her, you employed me. . ."


    Gale opened his eyes and caught her palm. Dawn looked away. He kissed the back of her palm softly.


    "Actually," she mumbled, "I met you before that. . . but. . ."


    "But?"


    "We didn''t have much contact," she muttered. "I thought you were just some rich son of a high ranker who had nothing else to do other than womanising..."


    Galeughed. "Was the reality any different?"


    "Well, you were rich," she muttered, "and had a high ranker master. . ."


    Gale raised his hand to touch her cheek, pushing a clumsy strand of hair over her ear. He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "And thest part?"


    Dawn blushed harder. . . He guided her head down to his and raised his head a little until their lips met in an explosion of sweetness.


    "I never thought I''d~" she muttered, her heartbeat rising.


    "You could have done a lot better than me," Gale chuckled, sping her face between his palms. She felt so delicate in his calloused palms.


    "No," Dawn said firmly as he pushed back into herp again.


    "So long as you are happy," he said, closing his eyes once more.


    "I have never been so happy in my life," she muttered, resting one palm on his chest and the other brushing his hair.


    His lips curved up in a smile. "You told a story of my past. Now tell me something of yours..."


    Dawn fell silent for a while. "You already know," she muttered. "I can tell you about my time in the Mystic Pce and how---"


    Dawn cut short as someone entered through the gate. His void sense spread a little to make out that it was June, back from finishing her task.


    "Are you waiting for me there?" June asked, as her eyes darted around. "Where''s Dawn?"


    Gale sighed. He hadn''t bothered to move from herp, but Dawn had already vanished at the first notice of June entering the house.


    Even his awareness needed to do more of a thorough search to find her now.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 355 A Talk with a Transcendent

    Gale asked around for Agnes in several ces, but no one seemed to have any news of her. It was as if she had vanished without a trace. Even more troubling was that no one knew anything about her enigmatic, transcendent master either.


    In the end, Gale decided to take matters into his own hands, scouring the secret camp in hopes of finding a clue. He wandered the area for what felt like hours, loitering around quietly, trying to blend into the surroundings as best as he could.


    It was sometime during his aimless search that a figure suddenly swooped down from the sky,nding unsteadily before him.


    "What are you doing?" Agnes asked, her voiceced with a mix of amusement and warning.


    Gale nced up, shrugging nonchntly. "Just a bit of natural sneaking around."


    "You can''t do that, you know," she said, the amusement fading as her voice hardened. "You cannot sneak around the residence of a transcendent ranker."


    "Well, I just did," he replied with a grin.


    She sighed, exasperated. "You certainly weren''t very good at it. My master told me to take you inside."


    "Right now?" Gale raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had been detected. It seemed he still wasn''t skilled enough to go unnoticed by a transcendent ranker after all.


    Agnes nodded, her expression a little more guarded. "Make sure you don''t behave too wildly... or make her too interested in you."


    Gale narrowed his eyes, sensing there was more she wanted to say but didn''t. Perhaps her master was listening in on them. He could have created an isting bubble to block out her master''s senses, but doing so would only raise suspicion.


    She led him into the house, which wasvishly furnished, no doubt to amodate the transcendent, though Gale guessed she wouldn''t be staying here for more than a few weeks at best. The interior was far grander than his own quarters, with expensive-looking oil paintings adorning the walls.


    "Wee, Mr Warden," an ancient, regal voice greeted him from the sitting room. "I was wondering when you''d show up. You certainly took your time."


    "I was busy with other matters," Gale muttered, entering the room. His eyes were drawn to the woman sitting on the couch, a teacup in her hand. The intoxicating aroma wafting from the tea was almost overwhelming, likely too potent for someone of lower rank, but fortunately, Gale wasn''t one of them.


    Agnes'' master, dressed in simple military attire, lounged on the couch with an air of quiet authority. Despite her in clothes, she carried herself like a queen, radiating confidence and control¡ªan aura that could onlye from years of experience.


    "Well, now that you''re here," she said, her thick copper lips curving into a smile as she gestured for him to sit, "would you care for some tea?"


    "Nah, I''m good," Gale said, taking a seat across from her.


    The woman''s sharp, dark features caught his attention: her skin was the colour of the night, her crystal-clear eyes glinting with a piercing intelligence. Her white hair was bound neatly atop her head, not a single strand out of ce, as if even a natural disaster couldn''t disrupt herposure. Beneath her wless beauty was a presence that tugged at him the longer he stared into her eyes, pulling him deeper into their depths.


    Your journey continues at empire


    "You know, I''m quite surprised by you, Mr Warden," she said, her voice smooth. She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "May I call you Warden, or would you prefer Gale?"


    He grunted, waving his hand dismissively. "Whatever you like."


    "Gale, then," she said with a smile, a shiver running down his spine in response.


    It wasn''t charm magic¡ªat least, he didn''t think it was. There was something else about her, something more than just her natural beauty and charisma.


    "You seem a bit ufortable," the woman observed. "Have I said something inappropriate?"


    Gale chose not to answer directly. "What do you want from me?"


    She set her teacup down, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "You''vee to my ce. Shouldn''t I be the one asking you that?"


    He groaned inwardly. It was a fair point. "I just wanted to meet with Agnes."


    At that, the master nced at her disciple before turning her gaze back to him. "That reminds me, I''m rather curious about your rtionship with her. Surely, it isn''t romantic, considering you''ve already found apanion in one elf."


    "We''re just friends," Gale said, his voice firm.


    The woman chuckled softly. "You''ve disappointed my disciple."


    Gale shot her a serious look, unamused by the teasing.


    "She can''t hide things from her master, not for the sake of a friend," the woman continued, a note of warning creeping into her tone despite the smile. "She knows better than to do that again."


    "Master," Agnes interjected, though her voice faltered before she could say anything more.


    "There''s no need to worry," her master said smoothly. "I won''t harm your ''friend.'' It''s unfortunate that he wasn''t found sooner."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Gale asked, his patience thinning.


    "I''m simply saying you have nothing to fear from me," she replied, her smile returning. Gale could sense the truth in her words. "But you''re right¡ªI do want something from you."


    He tensed immediately.


    "No, it''s not whatever you took from the inheritance ground," she added, noting his reaction.


    Gale was tempted to sigh in relief, though he remained wary. "Then what do you want?"


    "Nothing too serious," she said, rising to her feet. She moved closer to him, standing just a few inches shorter than his towering form, though her presence felt anything but small. Yet she managed to carry the gorgeous feminine air about her. "You see, I have a job in mind for Agnes, but the more I see you, the more I believe you''d be better suited for it."


    "What kind of job?" Gale asked cautiously.


    The woman''s smile deepened. "Something you specialise in, of course."


    Whom do I need to kill now?

 Chapter 356 Challenge

    Gale''s first thought after hearing what she had to say was that she was going to ask him to kill someone. Of course, being a transcendent ranker herself, there was rarely anything she couldn''t do. Murder was probably the simplest of deeds for her. However, there could be someplication for a transcendent to move against any lower ranker.


    "It''s not really a difficult task," she continued, unaware of his thoughts, though the changes in his bodynguage didn''t go unnoticed by her eyes. "You were working in the arcane academy, correct? Just think the job would be an extension of that."


    Gale stared at her in surprise.


    "Iron rankers are the future of any nation," she continued. "Unfortunately, many of the elite iron rankers died in the terribly nned expedition to the inheritance ground. Now the need to replenish the numbers is greater than ever, considering the strange chain of events urring throughout the world. We''ll soon be opening a special position of Drill Sergeant, responsible for training promising candidates to be elite warriors." Continue reading on empire


    He narrowed his eyes. "You want me for the job?" he asked. "I think there are over a dozen candidates you''ll think of before me."


    "Of course, there wouldn''t just be one Drill Sergeant," she smiled. "But that''s not to say there''s anyone better for the job. I just find your demeanour perfect for it."


    Gale didn''t know where her confidence wasing from, but he wouldn''t just sign himself up because a transcendent powerhouse praised him.


    "Looks like I need to throw a couple of carrots to make you more enthusiastic about it," the white-haired woman said. "You''ll be given the charge to train a few hundred promising iron rankers¡ªit''s still a huge job for one person. How about the privilege to take anyone as your assistant?"


    Gale frowned.


    "What do you say, Agnes?" the woman turned to her student. "Do you think he''ll ask you first to join his retinue, or the elven woman?"


    "I haven''t epted anything yet," Gale interjected.


    The woman smiled, as though she already had him. "Whatever you decide, decide quickly. You have two days."


    Gale and Agnes walked through the ragged path in silence. The crimson sky darkened fast, as evening was an extended time on the front lines.


    "So what is your master''s rtionship with the empire and military?"


    "She''s a High Seat of the council," Agnes answered in a tone that suggested she wasn''t too sure about it.


    He guessed that it made sense for her to have authority over the military and other business. The High Seats of the council had regions divided among them, and she was probably the one responsible for this side of the world.


    "What do you think of the job she proposed?" he asked.


    Agnes opened her mouth, but instead of answering, she mulled over the question and found she wasn''t sure. "Other than the obvious, I''m not sure."


    "Maybe she just wants that and has no other purpose in her mind," he said.


    Agnes shook her head without thought. "As far as I know her, every move she makes is deliberate, and aplishes more objectives than people tend to see."


    Gale nodded in understanding.


    "Are you going to take it?" she asked.


    He looked up at her seriously. "You don''t want me to take it?"


    Agnes wasn''t sure what to say.


    "I think we need to know more before deciding anything," he said. "Do you think she¡ª"


    Gale paused, spotting a crowd of people making a ruckus ahead. There were plenty of soldiers as well as students from the academy, gathered around a temporary challenge ring where a couple of fighters were sparring, cheered on by the watchers.


    Gale''s eyes widened as he recognised a face in the spar. It was none other than Professor Torin Walt, the same little shit who had pushed his buttons from the very beginning.


    "Gale?" Agnes quirked her eyebrows.


    "Let''s leave the important business forter," he said, turning to her. "Let''s have some fun right now."


    With that, he crept towards the crowd near the challenge ring, where two silver rankers were engaged in a proper sword fight, although even an infant could tell who was winning. Torin Walt was winning, and by arge margin. He had already wounded his opponent, who was covered in sword wounds and looked desperate, while Torin looked majestic as ever.


    As Gale thought to himself, the man put on a show for the already defeated opponent, dancing in a barrage of flourishing moves, until the man could stand no more.


    "I forfeit," cried his opponent. "I admit my defeat. It was my fault. Please, my lord, spare me!"


    "The victory goes to my lord Torin Walt," announced a little gremlin-looking youth. "That''s three times in a row now..."


    "Does anyone still doubt what this Torin is capable of?" Walt said imperiously, standing tall among the crowd. "Does anyone still believe it was merely my family¡ª"


    "We do," Gale said from within the crowd. He made sure his voice came from a different direction, manipting his aura.


    "Who said that?" Walt red in the direction the voice hade from. "Who said that? If you have something to say,e up in the ring."


    The bystanders shook their heads immediately, indicating it wasn''t them.


    "Coward," Walt spat on the ground. "If you have any courage, step into the ring."


    "Well, I''ll dly take you up on the offer," Gale said and stepped towards the ring.


    Torin Walt''s eyes narrowed in his direction as recognition dawned on him. "It was you!" he said, quickly scanning Gale''s aura to determine any threat.


    Gale let him. It wasn''t as if the poor fool could find anything.


    A victorious grin appeared on Torin Walt''s face. "You have no idea how many days I''ve waited for you to send yourself to me on a silver tter."


    "I''m sure a dipshit like you masturbated thinking about this day," Gale said, stepping into the ring.


    "Insolence!"


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!