《Swordsmeister of Rome》


 Chapter 1: Prologue

<h4>Chapter 1: Prologue</h4>


    God¡¯s mistake.


    <From one of the Tian General Diaries after watching the Swordmeister.>


    Prologue End.

 Chapter 2: Strange Ceremonial

    <h4>Chapter 2: Strange Ceremonial</h4>


    <It is a lie that the possibility of man is infinite. Look at yourself if you need evidence. But don¡¯t worry. Bander is with you.>


    Ra-Bander from 300 years ago. Excerpt from Liviath, Sword of the Sun.


    .......


    The Roman family of the Tian Kingdom. Famous for its physical prowess.


    They are famous for two things.


    First, anyone born within the Roman family is strong.


    Second, they are strong, but not many are born.


    People born in the Roman family had high Bander Ratings, also called an Ancestor¡¯s Blessing, which was a measurement of fighting prowess. These people were gically designed to fight. All who were born in the Roman family were proven warriors.


    A <Grand-Bander> had been born into the family, a rating which required several years of training even for a master to achieve.


    God was fair and did not bless the family with many children. The family was strong but small.


    A second boy was born into such a family that became huge news within the Kingdom of Tian. Many nobles from around Tian gathered at Roman family¡¯s provinces to congratte the birth of the baby. It was the third day of the party.


    The lord of the Roman family, Count Kain von Roman, mumbled in his mind.


    ¡®Ugh, this is tiring. It¡¯s already been three days.¡¯


    Count Kain von Roman. 13th lord of the Roman family and a <Grand-Bander>.


    Grand-Bander was the dream of many warriors and knights in the world. Even the Tian Kingdom, which was one of seven Great Kingdoms of the world, only had three active Grand-Banders at the moment. Grand-Banders had very high Bander Ratings ¨C some were born with it, while others needed years of mental and physical training to even qualify to try out for it.


    The average age of a Grand-Bander was sixty-five, but Kain was only fifty-four, much younger than the average. Yet he had his weaknesses. He was a great warrior, but he did not have extensive experience at making friends and it was hard for him to enjoy a party like this.


    ¡®Who likes this party?¡¯


    Roman ranted in his mind as he faked a smile at the people that were passing by. He didn¡¯t smile as much normally, so him smiling was enough to give the impression that he was enjoying the party.


    ¡®I think it was better when I had the first...¡¯


    It really was a rare urrence to see the Roman family have a second child. That gathered all sorts of nobles from around the kingdom to give their congrattions.


    ¡°Haha! Count, long time no see! The air of the capital is so refreshing! It¡¯s all thanks to you. I wouldn¡¯t be able to visit the capital if it wasn¡¯t for you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, wee, Count Cine. Thank you foring.¡±


    ¡®Ugh, how did hee all the way over here from Taran?¡¯


    Count Cine was the lord of Cine Province, which was seated right next to the Taran Kingdom. He used his geographic advantage to conduct trades with the Taran Kingdom and his province flourished upon the profit. He was far from the capital and he always imed to be neutral over the factions between the King and the nobles. He was hated by both sides and he never visited the capital unless there was something really important.


    The second birth in the Roman family was just that important.


    ¡®No... he wouldn¡¯t havee just for that. He probably came to see how the factions are changing these days.¡¯


    Kain realized what he was really up to. The Tian Kingdom was at war internally between the <Royalist Faction> and the <Noble Faction>.


    Marquis Narasha led the newly-formed Noble Faction.


    Swordmeister Kiraine led the old Royalist Faction. Uncle to the King, Kiraine was one of the strongest warriors in the kingdom. He was not interested in the politics, but his name was enough to bring the Royalist group together.


    Marquis Narasha was also a <Grand-Bander> warrior. Born in Narasha Province where it neighbored the militarized kingdom of Kharan, Marquis Narasha had be a Grand-Bander at the age of fifty-five. His charismatic power and rank were able to gather many Noble families together into a new faction against the Royalists.


    Two factions were now almost equal in their influence.


    Count Cine visited Roa-Tian, the capital city of Tian Kingdom to see if he could take advantage of the situation for his own purposes. The birth of the second son of the Roman family was a good chance for him to visit as there were many Nobles gathered in one ce.


    ¡®I guess a lot of these people have simr motives.¡¯


    Kain believed that Count Cine wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡®But at least it¡¯ll be over by today. I hope Sian isn¡¯t having too much of a hard time.¡¯


    Kain was concerned about his second son. The party was now almost over and there was only one final ceremony remaining for the newly-born Sian von Roman.


    It was a ceremony to check on the Ancestor¡¯s Blessing.


    <Ceremonial>


    This was held by all Noble families who gave birth. In the past, it was only meant to pray for the baby¡¯s well-being, but after the Exalted Magical Council created the Great Magical Rune, it changed the ceremonialpletely.


    The particle that allowed one to ovee their limits and train infinitely.


    <Bander>


    The Great Magical Rune allowed one to read the Bander possibilities within the body.


    Kain was curious about his second born¡¯s rating as he watched the preparations take ce. Bander Ratings were impossible to achieve through training from scratch. Therefore, the rating dered during the ceremony indicated talent. The higher the rating, the better the chance for the baby to be powerful.


    ¡®Well, he¡¯s one of the Romans... I guess he¡¯ll get at least 50.¡¯


    The Sword of the Sun, the most famous warrior of all time, had a record of 85 Bander Rating. Kain himself had a 55 Bander Rating and his first son Rian had 60, higher than his father¡¯s.


    Considering the fact that most Grand-Banders had a little bit over 50 Bander Rating and ordinary Nobles only had about 25, it was an amazing feat.


    As Kain thought about different things, it was almost time.


    ¡®I should call my wife and the kid.¡¯


    The Count left the party grounds to call his wife and the son while the 3rd ss Magic Priest sent out by the Exalted Magical Council to prepare the rune began the ceremony.


    ¡°We will now start the ceremony for Sian von Roman, the second son of Count Kain von Roman, the Guardian General of Tian Kingdom! Please give your congrattions from the bottom of your hearts!¡±


    The message given by the senior priest was done quickly. It had been much longer in the past, but it had been shortened as it was boring and not significant to the actual ceremony. What was important was testing the <Bander> rating.


    ¡°We will now activate the Great Magical Rune. May the Ancestor¡¯s Blessing be with the newborn!¡±


    People looked down to the rune on the ground and up to the baby on top of it. The baby was awakened from his sleep as Kain took him up from mother¡¯s arms onto the pedestal. He was round and chubby, but he looked like Kain.


    The Magic Priest finished his blessing and activated the rune. It began to glow, surrounding and covering the baby. Light particles began moving through the baby, flowing in and out of the baby, checking on all parts. The light then died out as if it had lost all the energy from within.


    It was almost over.


    When this was done, the number that showed the Bander Rating of the baby was supposed to pop up with a bright light in the sky. This feature was added by the Magical Council to make it more visually appealing to the people.


    But something strange happened. The result that should have popped up by now still wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    People were mumbling amongst themselves.


    The Magic Priest looked troubled as he came running to the rune and the baby. It was an unexpected emergency.

 Chapter 3: Strange Ceremonial

    <h4>Chapter 3: Strange Ceremonial</h4>


    <How would I know that wasing? Would you have known? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s having the hardest time!>


    -A response made by ¡ª¡ª¡ª- when he was confronted by his generals.-


    .......


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    3rd ss Magical Priest Jeraph mumbled in shock. The number should have popped up by now, but it didn¡¯t. Even now, the Great Magical Rune kept on consuming on its fuel from the expensive Talic Stone. He checked on all the forms and the runes, but nothing was wrong. He even brought a new Talic Stone so there wouldn¡¯t be any problems due to insufficient energy while doing the ceremony. He thought about every possible problem that might ur from the manual, but there was nothing strange.


    Only one possibility remained.


    ¡®But is that possible?¡¯


    He remembered when he was trained for the ceremonial.


    The Great Magical Rune was made to check the Bander inside the body. But it was meant for a body of a newborn baby not older than one hundred days. ording to history, the highest possible rating was only 88. Liviath, the Sword of the Sun, was at 85 and Kuradan was at 86. So the rune was designed to measure up to 97.


    This was not just decided on a whim. The most efficient rating to measure the Bander was up to 97. Anything above would require 15% more of the Talic Stone, and since it was so expensive, they decided to stop measuring at 97.


    He remembered when he asked if the baby was over 97 and what would happen.


    ¡®That is happening in front of me...¡¯


    However, he couldn¡¯t be too sure right now. Although it wasn¡¯t in the manual, he knew what to do.


    He needed to solve this issue right now so he could stop using the Talic Stone and give an answer to Count Roman or else his research money would be deducted for overusing the Talic Stone.


    ¡®If I change the form here and change this to...¡¯


    Jeraph quickly fixed the form and used his own <Exar> to control the flow. With this, the number still wouldn¡¯t pop up, but he was able to remove the measurement limit.


    ¡®There you go!¡¯


    The light was then absorbed by the baby and it shone brightly. Soon, Jeraph urately measuring the rating.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s over. But where¡¯s the number?¡±


    Nobles began mumbling to each other. The bright light that shed at the end was surely the light that meant the measurement was done. They had watched it before, but the number did not pop up. The number for the Bander Rating of the second son of the Roman family was missing.


    Yet the man who was most frustrated was Jeraph.


    ¡®Hm...??¡¯


    Jeraph was not sure if he did it correctly after looking at the rating. He had never seen such a rating.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Any problems?¡±


    Count Roman came up to him as Jeraph couldn¡¯t speak up.


    ¡°Uh, um...¡±


    ¡®Ugh, I¡¯ll just tell the Count and let him be the judge.¡¯


    Jeraph quickly made up his mind. It was not his mistake but he was sure to get med for it. So it was better to push any issue onto the Count to avoid any future problems.


    Jeraph quietly told the Count the rating.


    The Count was shocked to hear it, but he quickly returned to his normal expression. Then he stood up on the podium and shouted to the Nobles.


    ¡°Everyone, you all must have been confused by this incident! I must apologize to each and every one of you for such an inconvenience. Sir Jeraph just exined to me that the rune had a slight error in its calction so it did not disy the number! But the rating was measured and I was informed of it.¡±


    Everyone turned to the Count. It was usually not perceived well if the rating didn¡¯t show up, but that depended on who announced it. Count Roman, the famed, faithful and loyal warrior, was surely not a liar.


    ¡°My son, Sian¡¯s rating... is 57!¡±


    It was a really high number, but people did not look as excited. It was higher than the father¡¯s, but lower than his brother¡¯s. People who anticipated theing of a Ra-Bander were disappointed, but they soon began apuding.


    ¡°Congrattions! You have two great pirs in your family now!¡±


    ¡°May the God of War bless your family!¡±


    The ceremony was over.


    Count Roman met with Jeraph and paid him handsomely for his hard work. The small incident that happened during the ceremonial was quickly forgotten and time quickly passed by.


    That is, until second son Sian¡¯s 17th birthday.

 Chapter 4: Bander Report

    <h4>Chapter 4: Bander Report</h4>


    <What is a Bander?>


    The possibility of we, as humans, is infinite. Yes, that is correct.


    But can humans fly? Can humans fight against the Harijan and pick up a house-sized boulder?


    No.


    The meaning of infinite possibility for humans is that we can stretch out in infinite directions. The limitation is there.


    If we did not have <Bander>...


    <Bander>


    Means ¡®Blessing¡¯ in ancient text. It is the true blessing to us humans. It resides within our body and gives us the power to crush our limits with ease.


    The more particles we have, the more powerful we can be. It allows us to move the mountains, stand against storms, and fight thousands of men alone.


    It has been 400 years since the existence of Bander was first introduced to mankind. People who discovered its power have been recorded as legends.


    The most prominent of these figures is the Great Emperor Broxian, the man who united all the tribes that were divided 1,000 years ago due to the Harijan and harsh environments.


    Even after the days of the Great Emperor, Bander users led the world.


    They were called warriors, great generals, heroes, or kings.


    <Bander> gathers within the newborn baby up until a hundred days after birth. It cannot be influenced by anything other than the baby¡¯s own innate ability.


    The ceremonial is a good way to show how talented an individual is on the Bander scale.


    ....<skipped>....


    This rating was created by the Royalists to fight with the Nobles.


    The Royal family forced ceremonials to show the ratings to keep an eye out for potential threats to the Kingdom from the beginning.


    All Nobles had toply since objecting to it was considered treason. Even the powerful Nobles who had the power to disobey could not because their fellow Nobles had alreadyplied to thew.


    ...<skipped>...


    <Addendum>


    The ceremonial has now been deeply rooted in our culture as tradition and a way to show a family¡¯s power.


    The cost of requesting a ceremonial from the Exalted Magical Council is outrageous.


    The poorer Nobles chose which children to hold a ceremonial for while the more powerful Nobles held them continuously to show off their financial prowess to others.


    -Exalted Magical Council ¨C Monthly Journal. Issued: November. Private column.

 Chapter 5: Firestarter

    <h4>Chapter 5: Firestarter</h4>


    In the Roman mansion, located on the outer perimeter of the capital of the Kingdom.


    Its looks and its location made it easy to mistake it as a vacation house for some rich Noble. However, this was the home of the famed Guardian of Roa-Tian, Count Roman.


    People who visited were surprised by two things.


    The first was the beautiful scenery around the mansion.


    The second was the fact that there was only one simple building.


    It was muchrger than the averagemoner¡¯s house, but considering that even lower-ranked viscounts had over hundreds of people, this was too small for a Noble house with a long family history.


    Count Roman¡¯s family never had any interests other than protecting the Kingdom. That was why they decided to reside in the Royal province with only a few people to protect the Royal family.


    All of this made the Roman Family even more popr.


    They were considered the role model of loyal knights to the King.


    In the honorable Roman mansion, at top of the building where the office was, there was a guest.


    ¡°It has been a long time since I appreciated the capital¡¯s scenery from here. I should find a ce like this when I retire.¡±


    Count Kerbelughed as he looked the capital city of Roa-Tian through the office window. This view was famous to the people close to Count Roman. Some of his close friends even jokingly mentioned that this view was why they wanted to befriend Count Roman.


    ¡°As I always say, this is one of my treasures. Anyway, how are things going? I read the message you sent me...¡±


    Count Roman drank some tea as he watched Count Kerbel, a historian and tutor to the Royal family.


    ¡°Yes, have you heard that the Guards are recruiting?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The Guards of the Great North Wall. Has it already been five years?¡±


    Count Roman smiled, thinking of the past.


    <The Great North Wall>


    It was located between the Tian Kingdom and the Empire that had fallen 400 years ago. The use of Forbidden Magic devastated all parts of the Empire and was overtaken by the Harijans that hade from the far Great Forests.


    Without any defensive lines, the Harijans were sure to invade and devour the Ra-Tian Continent whole. Thus, the Seven Kingdoms worked together to fix the wall and seal off thends of the Empire before the Harijans finished taking over and spread outward. After seven long years of construction, it was a sess.


    The decision was correct.


    Then years after the fall of the Empire, the Harijan bred with exceptional speed and spread all over the vastnds of the Empire. The Harijans that were driven out while fighting between themselves over the territory were weaker beings, but they still had enough strength to wipe out a small vige.


    The wall was great enough to block them from invading.


    However, the Harijan forces were getting stronger as time went on. Most Harijans only had one horn, but two horns were now bingmon and even some four-horned monsters had been sighted.


    With powerful monsters lurking about, the Seven Kingdoms decided to rece all the Guards on the wall with Bander warriors.


    The only country that had contact with the wall was the Tian Kingdom, but if they were to fall, it was obvious that the other countries would be affected. It was a must for the Seven Kingdoms to work together to create a unified force on the wall.


    There were two significant points that could describe the Guards of the wall.


    Firstly, the job was dangerous.


    Secondly, they would earn more.


    ¡°Well, Marquis Narasha¡¯s side sent thirteen thest time and Royals sent eleven. The number might be greater this year.¡±


    Count Roman spoke as he remembered the departing ceremony of the Guards.


    Serving in the Guards was dangerous, but they gained unimaginable things.


    The <Talic Stone> was only the beginning of what they earned.


    Warriors that were sent had a death rate of over 50%, but the surviving warriors became more powerful as they were trained in harsh environments.


    Those warriors became huge assets to their families once they returned.


    The two factions tried to send their best warriors because of this reason and the number of people selected showed the current power bnce between them.


    Five years ago, the Marquis sent thirteen, the Royals sent eleven, and the neutral faction sent six. It was vastly different from thirty years ago when Count Roman himself joined the Guards. Back then, it was twenty-five Royals and seven Nobles. The bnce was turned upside-down after twenty-five years.


    It was spected to be much worse.


    ¡°Yes. The warriors going in won¡¯t be much of an issue, but...¡±


    ¡°The onesing back will change the tide. They should be well-trained by now.¡±


    The warriors sent to the wall were elite individuals, but it did not have a huge impact on the families as they were not the main members. When they returned, however, they would be fully-trained, sharpened weapons that could be immediately used.


    ¡°It will be chaotic when they return. The capital will...¡±


    ¡°Right. So, I guess you didn¡¯t just visit on a whim,¡± Count Roman said with a bitter smile. He was already specting why this good friend of his was paying him a visit.


    ¡°So, Rian is not enough to resolve the capital¡¯s situation.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sir Rian is very talented. But he and his 3rd Knights will not be enough to oppress Marquis Narasha and their violent tactics.¡±


    The first son of the Roman family, Rian von Roman, was now twenty-four years old. He had already finished the 2nd Bander Expert level training and had started training for the 3rd Bander Master. He had proven himself in various wars in the Con-Tian Mountains and had earned the nickname of ¡®Young Lion of the Romans.¡¯ He was also appointed as captain of the 3rd Knights that kept order in the capital city.


    However, even he was not enough to handle the oing strife.


    Count Roman began organizing his thoughts. After a while, he spoke out,


    ¡°I see what you¡¯re worried about. It¡¯s the <Seeding War> after their return.¡±


    ¡°Yes. From what I can see, Marquis Narasha will not back down easily. He will start right after the Guards return.¡±


    ¡°My answer is... I refuse to be involved. I must stay neutral.¡±


    Count Kerbel nodded in understanding.


    The Royalist faction had reached out to him, and as he also wished for peace, he visited his friend. But as a Knight Captain, it was too much for Count Roman to be involved.


    The Royal Knights were not allowed to be involved in the <Seeding War>.


    Count Roman continued, ¡°I understand how you feel. You wish for no bloodshed. Marquis Narasha is a hardliner and he will do whatever it takes.¡±


    Count Roman knew what Count Kerbel was thinking. After all, they were longtime friends.


    ¡°Yes, if this unfolds, the capital will be in chaos.¡±


    ¡°I will give you a solution. Take my boy, Sian, to the capital. Not the Guards. He will be of good use to you.¡±


    ¡°Your... second son?¡±


    Kerbel could not understand. Sian von Roman was only seventeen years old. Count Roman looked at him and smiled. Count Kerbel did not know the second son, and that was why he couldn¡¯t understand the offer.


    To Count Roman, it was time to send his second son out into the world. He had been learning about the world through books, but he now needed real-life experience. If he couldbine that with helping out old friends, that would be perfect.


    ¡®I¡¯m a bit worried though. He¡¯s only that age... what if I¡¯m wrong?¡¯


    It was worrisome, but it was time.


    Count Roman started unraveling the secret he had been keeping all these years and began nning ahead.

 Chapter 6: Short Report of Talic Stone and Harijan

    <h4>Chapter 6: Short Report of Talic Stone and Harijan</h4>


    <Talic Stone and Harijan>


    The Harijan, meaning ¡®Disaster¡¯ in the ancient text, are pure disasters to humans. However, their dead bodies are a blessing.


    Their skin is stiff and durable, their blood can be used for potions, and their meat is so tasty that anyone who has tasted it is willing to pay thousands to taste it again. However, the most important aspect is not any of these.


    <Talic Stone>


    The hope within the disaster. It is the core of the Harijan.


    It is the source of energy that allows one to utilize the nature-twisting power of <Exar>.


    Exar can only be used by very select individuals. However, they have no control over it until the Talic Stone is used. It allowed the Empire to unite the entire continent within tens of years and continued to reign over the continent for hundreds of years.


    Although the Empire met its fate with the war against Kar-Gul, it was the Talic Stone that led Empire to rule over the continent for hundreds of years.


    Even if it is a famed stone, it is impossible to mine. It can only be found inside the body of a Harijan.


    All countries work hard to acquire the Talic Stone, as it directly impacts the power of the country.


    ...<skipped>...


    -From the Exalted Magical Council¡¯s lecture

 Chapter 7: Concern

    <h4>Chapter 7: Concern</h4>


    <I have never tried hard. Isn¡¯t trying hard doing something that¡¯s difficult? Everything was easy for me.>


    -From the excerpt of the Swordmeister


    .......


    There were two gardens inside the Roman mansion.


    One was a small garden located in the front, facing the capital, made for visitors. The otherrger garden faced Con-Tian Mountain and was used as a training ground.


    It was arge grass-patch that could barely be called a garden. In a corner of this garden, a young man was staring up at the sky on a hammock that hung between two trees. The sun was already going down, but he did not think about going back inside.


    It had been a few months since he began wasting his time out on the hammock, watching the skies. He was not normally like this. He used to love training and talk about sword mastery with his father and brothers. However, the reason for his sword training wasn¡¯t to be strong.


    This man had no desire to be strong. He wasn¡¯t interested in defeating foes or enemies with strength. The only reason he trained so hard was this:


    He loved using his sword. No, he loved seeing the execution of anything he could imagine with his sword.


    He did not know this when he was young. He trained as told to by his father and learned other essentials from the tutors that his mother brought in from outside.


    However, he quickly found out that he had no talent in almost everything. To be more precise, he just couldn¡¯t find anything interesting. He tried all sorts of hobbies such as instruments, but he could not get better and got bored of things quickly.


    Making friends was also boring. How could one read another¡¯s mind? Why did one have to fit in? His mother or brother seemed like mind-readers to him. His father seemed to agree with him on this, however.


    The manners the Nobles followed were also boring. He understood the importance, but he could not learn it as easily. His parents insisted that he learn, so his teacher would not return until he wanted to learn.


    He could not understand why he hated learning so much.


    Yet as he grew older, he discovered the reason why. He hated learning anything other than the one specific thing he was good at.


    And that was the problem.


    The three things that he started learning since he was very young was to utilize his body, practice the sword, and controlling Bander. Most people started training at the age of five, but his father made him start earlier.


    The training was fun and never boring. His father always mentioned that training was hard because the body was not yet ready to follow what the mind told it to do.


    However, it was never hard. His father was known for his honesty, but in this instance, it seemed to be false.


    His mind continuously told him how to move. As he pictured the movement, his body followed. And as he continued, his body became stronger, allowing his mind toe up with new routes. It continued on like this.


    His body told him where the sword must go.


    He did not have to think how he should swing, or where he should swing. There was no need. He just needed to swing it toward where he instinctively thought it should go and his fatherplimented him. He did not know the importance of sword forms, but ording to his father and brother, they must be something important, so he learned them. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was necessary.


    As for Bander, it just grew on its own. His father taught him a secret training method to grow Bander inside the body, but it was much slower, so he secretly stopped doing it. He didn¡¯t feel the need to do it since the Bander just grew on its own anyway.


    ording to his father, he woulde across an invisible wall that would stop him from growing further. To be honest, there were slight moments where he felt something like that.


    It was about five times... but it felt more like paper rather than a wall. It made him struggle for a few days and irritated him, so he trained harder and it went back to normal. That was five years ago.


    He was so used to training with a sword so easily that he thought it was normal. But it was not. He just couldn¡¯t do anything other than wield a sword.


    After he overcame the wall at the age of twelve, he began learning other things.


    It was more than a wall. Manners, horse-riding, instruments... everything just seemed like climbing up a cliff without any equipment. He knew he had to do, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. He always went back to what he was good at.


    His parents seemed to give up. So besides learning manners, he was on his own. After forty-five minutes of etiquette lessons, he was free to do whatever he liked.


    A yearter, when he was thirteen, something happened.


    It was the same feeling he felt five years ago, and he was now seventeen.


    Something blocked him and he could not get past it. His Bander did not grow any longer and his body stopped growing stronger. At first, he figured a few days of hard training would solve it, but it didn¡¯t. It was the first time he felt something like this.


    Then he realized how low his patience was.


    The sword training that he loved was now the same as all the lessons he learned before. It was boring.


    What was definite was that he needed to find another way to ovee it. However, he was sure that not doing anything would not have any effect on his skills.


    That was why he had been gazing at the skies for months.


    He just did not want to do anything. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to continue something that he couldn¡¯t do as he thought. That was why he kept gazing at the sky, ¡®thinking¡¯ about what he could do.


    He couldn¡¯t find a way. His mind stopped telling him what to do.


    His body and mind used to tell him where to go and what to do.


    But it wasn¡¯t the same anymore. It was so irritating. He had never felt that way.


    As he kept thinking about his issue, he ignored the answer he was arriving at.


    ¡®Ugh...¡¯

 Chapter 8: To the world

    <h4>Chapter 8: To the world</h4>


    <Do you need to ovee a near-death experience to be strong? No, the strong do not experience such things.>


    -Farain, the hail divider. Ra-Bander from 800 years ago.


    .......


    <Death, or near-death crisis.>


    This was the opposite of what he believed in, and he hated the word for it. He could not understand the stories of the famed warriors in history. One of the most famous men was someone named Eclipse, a man who went across the Great North Wall to train himself.


    He understood why one had to fight against impending death.


    However, to deliberately put oneself into such a situation be stronger?


    That defeated the purpose.


    The world beyond the Great North Wall was infamous for being hell on earth. Even he knew of this though he had never left his province.


    Training to be strong was a way to survive, but to put himself into such danger to be strong?


    The man, Eclipse, was a Grand-Bander, but after he went across the wall a hundred years ago, nobody heard from him since. He was probably dead.


    However, many still regarded him very highly because of that.


    To Sian, what Eclipse did was not reasonable. He highly valued his own survival.


    Due to this, he refused any type of difficult training that might put himself in danger, and his father agreed to that. However, his brother Rian was the opposite. He was a firm believer of putting himself in danger to grow stronger. The only reason Sian could not outright oppose the idea in public was due to his brother.


    And this was the reason why he was currently deep in thought. The only way to ovee his current concern seemed like the one he had always refused.


    It seemed like his consciousness was whispering to him that it was the only way. He would face death itself and then be guided out of it to crush the wall that was blocking him.


    Maybe he already knew this, but he wanted to ignore it.


    <I must put myself into danger.>


    Aftering around to that thought, it was easy to make up his mind.


    ¡®Let¡¯s give up.¡¯


    It was easy. It felt wrong to give up now, but he did not want to put himself in any danger. He saw no point in killing himself because of it.


    His father always told him to look after himself. His brother seemed like a bad son for not listening, but he was a good son. He nned on staying as such.


    Besides, he could not think a way to put himself into danger inside this safe capital of the Kingdom.


    He felt good about his decision. He had delved into his thoughts in search for other routes, but there were none. As the only route was impossible, (at least to himself) he felt it was easy to give up and choose a new path.


    ¡®Yeah, I¡¯ll go out and meet new people... learn instruments... try horse riding... and do what those other Nobles do!¡¯


    Sian decided to talk this over with his parents the next day.


    ¡®Good. I should¡¯ve done this earlier.¡¯


    He moved to his bedroom. He knew he was going to sleep well.


    Morning came and he smiled as he looked outside. After fixing up his clothes while deciding on what he should start with, he went downstairs.


    He once asked his father why they did not have maids to wash and clothe them, but after looking at his father¡¯s expression, he never asked again.


    When he went down, his parents were sitting at the table and the maids were serving the food. Count Kerbel¡¯s visit seemed to havested through the night and they looked tired.


    ¡°Oh, Sian. Good morning. Have your breakfast.¡±


    They greeted Sian and resumed eating. Sian also began eating his breakfast. They spoke of simple issues, but nothing important while eating.


    After breakfast, the maids brought out some tea and Sian noticed that something was different. His father seemed like he wanted to say something and his mother left, allowing them some privacy.


    Count Roman turned to Sian, breaking the silence.


    ¡°Hmm... Sian, you must know that Count Kerbel visited yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes... it¡¯s about the Guards of the Great North Wall. Count Kerbel told me about the uing recruitment.¡±


    He stopped there and looked at Sian.


    Sian also knew of this. It was a huge issue five years ago when his brother Rian insisted on joining the Guards. His mother, Celine, objected so strongly that he couldn¡¯t go. Sian remembered this.


    It was also then that he learned that the most powerful warriors were going to be stationed in the most dangerous ces in the Guards. After that, Sian began hiding his true power, even from his father.


    He never intended to join the Guards, but there was no telling what might happen, so he decided to hide it. The most dangerous station of the wall, Traz Sector 13, had one of the two existing Ra-Banders on the continent and three out of the seven Stars of the Exalted Magical Council stationed there. There were also powerful high priests of the Sun God and the War God protecting the ce. That meant it was a literal hell.


    ¡°Yes, Father. Although I¡¯m not sure when.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty soon.¡±


    ¡°I see. But what about it? Is Rian volunteering to go again?¡± Sian asked. He could not understand why his brother wanted to go to such a dangerous ce so badly.


    Unlike him, Rian was famous and was known for his skills. If he went there, it was possible that he would be stationed at the Traz-level sectors.


    It was the ce where four-horned Harijans roamed, where Masters and Grand-Banders died... he could not understand.


    ¡°No, your brother will not go there. Rian knows his ce now. He will not want to strain the Royal family with his absence. Of course, your mother will be relieved.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. To think of what he did five years ago... there are many families that want to go. We¡¯ll let them go,¡± Sian answered.


    ¡°Yes, but they aren¡¯t to be trusted. They all have different agendas. The recruitment has be morepetitive. Besides, you were also on the list,¡± Count Roman told Sian, speaking as if it was none of his business, to tease him.


    ¡°Huh? What? NO- Father, what?¡±


    To his expectation, Sian looked beyond shocked.


    ¡°What¡¯s so surprising? The most important aspect in the recruitment is trust. There are a lot of talented individuals, but they value their factions over the country, families over factions, and their own over families. Our family is the most trusted in this case. You should know this by now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I turned down the request. We have our responsibilities to the King, but we cannot be forced. I have no intention of sending my son to his death. However, I have a different task for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sian seemed relieved to hear that he was not being sent to the Guards.


    ¡°As you know, you are now of age, and you must now work for our family. I talked with Count Kerbel about that. When the recruitment begins, the capital will be busy. Go to the central capital and stay with your brother. Help him and learn.¡±


    ¡°But Father, why so suddenly...¡±


    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t intend to stay home and do nothing forever. You are an adult now and you have a responsibility as a Noble.¡±


    Sian looked grim, his expression indicating that he was unwilling, but Count Roman spoke firmly.


    His son could not object right now, but he would soon try his best to find a way out of it. Count Roman wanted to make sure he could not do that.


    ¡°...Understood. If there¡¯s no other way.¡±


    Count Roman was relieved to hear his son¡¯s eptance. He did not listen well to his wordstely, so he was expecting more of amotion, but it looked like he understood his position.


    ¡°Is that so? Good. Then...¡± Count Roman continued, exining what he had nned with Count Kerbel the previous night.


    He believed that this would be the best for his second son who had no experience in the world. His only hope now was that Count Kerbel would lead him in the right direction.

 Chapter 9: Guarran-Tia

    <h4>Chapter 9: Guarran-Tia</h4>


    ¡®It changed so much in just ten days,¡¯ Sian thought as he walked with his superiors through the crowded capital city.


    ¡®Count Kerbel will tell you what position you will be in. I will not ask you to acquire fame for the Roman family, but remember you are a Noble and don¡¯t forget noblesse oblige. Don¡¯t create any trouble!¡¯


    His father reminded him again and again before he left. He wanted to object, but he couldn¡¯t promise so he didn¡¯t. Count Kerbel¡¯s mansion was located a bit away from the pce, in Tobe-Tian. It took him three hours on a carriage from his home. Count Kerbel greeted him quickly and told him what to do.


    After that day, he had been residing in Count Kerbel¡¯s home, doing what he was assigned to.


    ¡®Guard of the Capital¡¯s Public Safety...¡¯


    Guarran-Tia, the Guards of the Capital¡¯s Public Safety.


    They were assigned to keep the public safe in all parts of the capital, excluding the royal pce. Guarran-Tia was not some simple group formed randomly. The Capital was full of high-ranked Nobles and powerful individuals, so there were a lot of problems that urred as a result. Therefore, the Guarran-Tia employed strong individuals to tackle and solve such issues. It required strong fighting skills from their guards and they were also given special privileges to arrest high-ranked officials.


    The Guarran-Tia had high requirements to join. It had many tests to go through and inspected all of its personnel on a regr basis, kicking them out if they fell short of the standard.


    However, the privileges, good pay, and a chance to get promoted to a Royal Knight were enticing rewards for those who managed to stay. Rian had also started from this and went on to be a Royal Knight in just a year.


    Sian was fine with using his background to enter, so he didn¡¯t need to go through the test that Rian had insisted on taking. He simply used the rmendation and joined easily.


    There were three types of people who kept an eye on him on his first day.


    The first were simply curious about the second son of the Roman family.


    The second were suspicious if a weak-looking man like him was really a son of the Roman family.


    The third were disgusted at the man who used his family name to join without taking the test.


    He could feel that those people distanced themselves from him.


    ¡®These people next to me are the same as them.¡¯


    New recruits would be trained by two superiors for a week. It was almost over, but these people did not teach him anything other than the simple basics. These two, the son of a baron and the son of a merchant, did not like him.


    As they did not cause him any harm and taught him the basic essentials, Sian decided to just keep his distance. The job was very easy. He was nervous after hearing that there were a lot of happenings in the capital, but there had been none until today.


    The changed environment suited him nicely, and he loved it.


    He also loved talking with the Count¡¯s beautiful daughter, Sharlotte, when he returned home. Calm and collected, Sharlotte reminded him of his mother, Madam Celine. But Sharlotte eyed him with a strange look on his weird lifestyle. As he was thinking about her, a noise was heard in the distance.


    The second son of the Laron Merchants, Taron, did not like the new recruit next to him. Everyone was excited at hearing a second son of the Roman familying to the Guards. The previous one, Rian, had reced every record that Guarran-Tia had and moved on to be the Royal Knight at the youngest age ording to record. Everyone was anticipating that the new recruit would be the same or better.


    But a week after he met the man, his expectation now turned to disappointment. He had no signs of being of a warrior or a swordsman and he looked weak. His lifestyle also wasn¡¯t that of a warrior. He was toozy.


    The Guarran-Tia needed to be strong, so most members spent their time training when they were not working. But this Sian was different.


    <I only work for what I¡¯ve been paid for.>


    Not once did hee earlier than he needed to and he ran off right after the work was done. Even when an incident urred at the building right next to their post, he went home, saying his shift was over. That incident was with Count Narsas, who was famous for his temper. Taron had to workte into the night to resolve the issue.


    After that, he decided to have this Sian do the work when something popped up. He made a promise with Keran, who was standing next to him. They were both expecting something to pop up before their training was over.


    Then there it was. A sound of something crashing and getting destroyed was heard. They all began running toward the sound.


    Guarran-Tia was made to patrol divided territories, but they had to quickly respond to any problem that urred nearby. Taron and Keran¡¯s ce was peacefulpared to other ces. It was an area where middle-ss people resided so it was much peaceful than those slums like Trayan Road.


    It was why the new recruit was assigned to their area. But after he joined, there were already two incidents in just one week.


    ¡®No, a second one is good.¡¯


    He still was mad at what happened a few days ago. He wished the incident will be hard for this new recruit so he could have hard time like he did.


    When they arrived, the area was already in a big mess. It looked like a fight was started in the middle of a road. Taron sighed. Most fights like these were between mercenaries ormoners, easy for Guarran-Tia to handle since they could not fight back against the city guard. He closed in, disappointed that it would not give the new recruit hard times, but things were a little different.


    Sian quickly followed his superiors who quickly ran toward themotion. He thought these men running in front of him were into their jobs. They loved to protect the citizens of the capital so much that they worked so hard like this. He was a bit sad to see these men sleeping at dormitory of the Guarran-Tia, thinking they were poor. But he wished for their sess after looking at their respectable deeds.


    As he approached the area, he narrowed his eyes at the mess that unfolded. People were already gone and there were men littered everywhere from being thrown out.


    It was not a fight between two groups. One was a group, but one was just... one.


    ¡°It¡¯s like from a fairytale. A group of ruffians cornering one female knight. Isn¡¯t it?¡± Sian said amusingly. He was sure that he must¡¯ve heard a tale or something like this from a book that his mother read to him. A scene where the son of a noble tried to harass a beautiful female knight and got beaten up. There was a simr story where another man passing by who was hiding his skills showed his true self, rescued the female knight, and began dating her. He remembered that he felt hiding the true skill was a thing now.


    Taron however, smiled. Unlike how he spected, the fight was between nobles. It was obvious that female knight was a Bander. Other group was a group of guards, guarding the young noble in the middle. This was a chance.


    Taron fixed his expression and spoke to Sian.


    ¡°Hey, go there and control the situation. We can¡¯t be there all the time. You have ¡®ENOUGH¡¯ time until your shift ends today, so you will be able to handle it.¡±


    They were right. Sian was getting paid and he needed to do his part. He needed to have experience with the real job when the superior was watching over him.


    ¡®I have them with me. There won¡¯t be much.¡¯


    Sian thought to back away if something went bad and push it to his superiors and approached.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see.. first is to identify myself... and ask for their identification?¡¯


    Sian could not still memorize the manual as he walked up.

 Chapter 10: Guarran-Tia

    <h4>Chapter 10: Guarran-Tia</h4>


    ¡°Good morning, ma¡¯am. I am Sian from Guarran-Tia. I will be taking over control here and will require identification from all of you that were involved in this.¡±


    Celine felt her heart sink as she eyed the person from Guarran-Tia approaching her casually.


    What went wrong?


    She felt great when she just walked out of the knights¡¯ dormitory. She was excited to meet her friend who wanted catch up on life with her. She anticipated eating tasty desserts and even prepared a small gift to give to her friend.


    The mansion that her friend lived in was not far from the dormitory, so that was good.


    Everything seemed like it was perfect.


    Until some fool approached her.


    This was the downside of walking around with everyday clothing. When she was fully-clothed in Knight Guard armor, no fools approached her. When she was not, all sorts of men tried to court her. She did not even bring her status que as she did not expect anymotions.


    If she was not in the Knight Guard, she would¡¯ve been fine since she would¡¯ve just beaten everyone up. However, she was with the Knight Guard now. She was not free to do whatever she liked.


    She once beat up a man who kept trying to court her persistently and underwent special training under her grandfather that helped her make up her mind to never cause any trouble.


    She tried to finish this peacefully so her grandfather would not know. She assumed beating up a few of the guard would make him run. But this fool became furious and started yelling.


    And thus led to this.


    With Guarran-Tia at the ce of the incident, there was no chance in quietly solving everything. No, there was still one way.


    She hated using her family¡¯s power, but she figured it would be better than undergoing the horrible special training again. Celine then walked to the men she had just beat up.


    Sian eyed the woman who walked up to the men. The men were scared as they could not speak nor move as the woman approached them. She then whispered to a man that looked like a Noble and showed him something that made him turn pale. Then he began bowing and ordering to the other men around him. Then they began moving away, dragging the others that had fallen unconscious.


    The other Guarran-Tia members that watched Sian from the back came up to him as things were taking a turn.


    After the men moved out of the area, the woman then turned and walked up to Sian.


    ¡°I... am Celine de Kiraine, daughter of Duke Kiraine. As you can see, it¡¯s all been solved now, so how about you let this go... what do you think?¡±


    Sian smirked as he watched the woman who was half-threatening him. She must have deemed him to be an easy man.


    She just made a mess on a public road. Nothing had been solved.


    Even her im of being from a duke¡¯s family seemed strange. What kind of Noble¡¯s daughter walked the roads without any guards? And with casual clothing? Especially in amoner district?


    He looked back at his superiors. Even they looked at her suspiciously. (They knew Celine de Kiraine was a thirty-five-year-old woman. Yet the woman in front of them looked like she was only in her early twenties.)


    Sian took out his manual and began reading.


    ¡°I will need your identification. We will go together to our post and write a statement as well as the payment for the damages.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... I don¡¯t have my identification on me right now, but I believe this will do. Also, the problem was solved already so there is no need for payment or statements. Nothing needs to be done.¡±


    The woman who seemed to be seriously disturbed gritted her teeth as she spoke and showed her arms. Then, a blue light began to surge out from her arm, forming the shape of a lily on top of her palm.


    Sian looked at it questioningly, but the superiors turned pale. The blue lily was like a signature for Duke Kiraine¡¯s family that appeared when they used Bander-Roa. There was no way to make sure that this woman was indeed Celine de Kiraine, but this confirmed that she was from the family.


    Then it was fine to let this pass. There was no harm in subjecting it to thew, but the Noble was asking for a favor. It was good to let this issue be resolved here.


    Taron nced at Keran and tried to nudge Sian.


    However, Sian opened his mouth first. He was still looking down at his manual.


    ¡°Hm... That is not a correct identification method. If you do not have identification, then you will need to follow us to the post and wait for someone to prove your identity. Oh, but I believe you will not need to make a statement or pay for the damages if what you said was true.¡±


    Celine felt something breaking from within. The irritation and annoyance had reached their limits.


    A man who joined the Guarran-Tia would definitely recognize the symbol of each family that showed up when using Bander-Roa. If this was the case, then this man was surely turning the tables on her.


    Celine then made a move. She decided to use the special training she learned from her grandfather.


    ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡±


    Her hurled her fist at Sian¡¯s face.


    Sian contemted as he watched the fisting at his face. He had not read about what to do during a situation like this.


    Throwing a punch toward a hard-working man like him... The only women he knew were his mother and Sharlotte, both of whom were so gentle. He had heard about wild women that existed in the world, but he never knew he would face such a woman.


    If it was under normal circumstances, he would¡¯ve avoided it. His mother taught him so hard not to fight with ady. However, if he ran away from this situation, what would his superiors do? It looked like they were scared.


    This woman looked like she was angry against the Guarran-Tia itself. This woman would definitely unleash her fury on his superiors and beat them up.


    Sian decided to solve this issue by himself and by resorting to his manual as he watched the fisting at him. His usual method was to run away, but that was not a valid option so he needed to find a rule from Guarran-Tia.


    He nced at the fist that was stilling right at him and took up the manual book from his waist. He worried that it would get ripped, but it seemed sturdy enough to withstand the blow.


    There was still time left for the fist to arrive. There was enough time for him to look through the book to see what he need to do.


    Celine was picturing what she would do next.


    ¡®I will punch his face, then the left rib, and then the right, and...¡¯


    She was determined to make this man stay at the Guarran-Tia Hospital for a month. Yet it did not go as nned.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    She was sure that her fist was thrown right at his face. Yet the man had moved his chin ever so slightly to avoid the fist and while reading a book.


    She did not see him moving, nor did she see him taking out the book that was on his waist.


    It was as if she had thrown a punch into thin air and he was reading the book from the start. But that was impossible.


    As she watched the man in disbelief, he folded his book and spoke.


    ¡°This can be considered as an assault to the Guarran-Tia and a disturbance to the peace. But you did not assault anyone yet, so I will have you kept in a cell for a day until you find someone to bail you out and prove your identity. I will show force if you resist.¡±


    He quietly read through the book, but his expression seemed as if he anticipated her to resist.


    She knew that expression. She was like that.


    She always had that expression on her face when she arrested high-ranking Nobles for their corruption. Any sign of resistance, and she was ready to beat them up in the name of justice.


    Then she looked back at him again. If her thoughts were right, then this man was stronger than herself.


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯


    Yet he was not like that. There was nothing extraordinary. He looked so in. He was so in that it made it weird that he was a Guarran-Tia.


    As she looked into his beautiful blue eyes, she came to her senses.


    ¡®What have I done? Ugh...¡¯


    She made a mess and tried to use her family name to clean it up. Then she even threw a punch at Guarran-Tia. She just did the very act that she despised. It was not the right thing to do.


    Then she held up her both arms and spoke coldy.


    ¡°Here. Arrest me. Sorry for the punch.¡±


    She did not like the man in front of her, so she couldn¡¯t apologize too sincerely.


    Sian looked at the woman apologizing and thought she was not as bad as she seemed. He kind of wished she would resist so he could show some force, but it was all good. Even the superiors behind him seemed to be relieved.


    ¡°Then I will escort you to our base. Oh, and who will you call to prove your identity?¡±


    ¡°I will call Rian von Roman, the captain of the 3rd Calvary of the Knight Guard. Tell him... I am Lieutenant Captain Celine de Kiraine of the 3rd Calvary.¡±


    Sian was surprised when he heard his brother¡¯s name pop up from her mouth.


    ¡®But it doesn¡¯t concern me.¡¯


    Even if she spoke poorly of him to his brother, he did as his manual said and there was nothing to be ashamed of. He looked back to his superiors with a proud smile since he solved everything perfectly.


    Keran and Taron sighed in relief that things did not grow much worse and sent the neer home to keep him from causing more trouble as they escorted Celine to the post themselves.

 Chapter 11: Count Kerbel’s concern

    <h4>Chapter 11: Count Kerbel¡¯s concern</h4>


    Count Kerbel looked out the window from his office in his mansion.


    He noticed Sian walking into the mansion with a snack in his mouth and nced at the time.


    ¡¯06:08 PM. Hm... He¡¯s so eager to return home.¡¯


    He thought to himself as he watched Sian returning home right after his work finished for ten straight days.


    The Guarran-Tia post was about eight minutes away from the mansion. Therefore, he definitely walked out of the office the moment the clock hit 6:00 PM. It was his training period, but he did not care to stay behind to learn more.


    He understood why Sharlotte thought poorly of Sian. However, he knew the secret that Count Roman told him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe... he¡¯s stronger than Count Roman at that age. Stronger than a Grand-Bander!¡¯


    He remembered the discussion with Count Roman and smiled. The secret that Count Roman told him was nothing like he had ever heard before.


    <He only does what he wants to do. Hates getting stressed. Hates anything that doesn¡¯t show results. But he¡¯s still strong. Stronger than me!>


    This was opposite of what most people would consider as the traits of a strong warrior. Sian was more like a foolish Noble son that liked to only enjoy his privileges, but he was strong. The Count imed he didn¡¯t know how much stronger he had be now.


    What came next was more unbelievable. The Bander Rating. Count Roman paid the Magic Priest a handsome amount of gold to keep him quiet about the rating. If Kerbel was not in need of great help, Count Roman would¡¯ve never disclosed it.


    <497>


    Count Roman was scared that if this rating was known to the world, his son would be swept up by the world. He decided to keep him within his mansion and raised him until he could stand on his own.


    It was unbelievable. Count Kerbel could understand why Sian had be what he was now. It was obvious that he was so good at using a sword that everything else became dull.


    Kerbel thought Count Roman and his wife did a fantastic job of raising such a son to this point.


    As Kerbel heard the stories from Count Roman, he began nning plots that he, Count Roman, and Sian would be happy with.


    <Count Roman wanted his son to go out in the world and do his part. And live a happy life.>


    <Sian wants to do what he wishes and live a stable and happy life. (This was judged by Count Roman after hearing it from Sian.)>


    <Count Kerbel himself wanted peace in the capital.>


    The capital looked peaceful, but that was only the shallow surface. The returning Guards were sure to be a powerful asset to their families when they returned. Unlike five years ago where they were young and powerless, they surely had grown to be powerful after surviving five years in extreme environments.


    The bnce between the two factions was equal, so it did not create much trouble before. However, things might turn out differently upon their return.


    Count Kerbel was doing his best to block this from happening.


    This was also why he ced Sian in the Guarran-Tia. He was located at the most peaceful area for his training, but once it was over, he was to be moved to a district where high-ranking Nobles were located, the center of the heat once the Guards returned.


    He did not intend to tell Sian what to do. It seemed pointless since he would not listen.


    Nheless, if his n worked out and Sian did his job well, everything would surely move ording to n.


    ¡®Sian, I¡¯m counting on you.¡¯


    He concluded his thoughts, wishing Sian would do his part. It was already twilight.


    ¡®But where¡¯s Celine? I thought she was going toe and visit Sharlotte today? This is weird... she¡¯s not the type to break her promise.¡¯


    Count Kerbel became concerned as he noticed that Celine de Kiraine had not arrived yet. He was informed that Sharlotte, who had been disturbedtely, invited her close friend Celine over.


    Either way, he still wasn¡¯t worried.


    It was very close and not many men out on the road were stronger than the <Blue Train of the Knight Guard> herself.


    He then moved downstairs for dinner to ask what Sian and Sharlotte did today...

 Chapter 12: Return of the Guards

    <h4>Chapter 12: Return of the Guards</h4>


    It had been ten days since Sian moved to his new station in El-Lua.


    When in training, new recruits were apanied on patrol, but actual patrolling consisted of three men that patrolled the area on their own to cover arger area and respond quickly. When something urred, the man closest to the area was expected to respond first and wait for his teammates to arrive.


    Sian loved his new life. Guarran-Tia was like a dream job for him.


    There was no one around to tell him what to do and the area he patrolled was a district of high-ranking officials and Nobles where nothing serious urred. Unlike some ruffians from the slums, the public road was not their fighting ground.


    Not only that, the houses and buildings in the district werevishly decorated with various decorations and statues that made Sian feel like if he was one of those high-ranking nobles himself.


    He was a high-ranking noble, but his family lived in a very modest way, so he had never experienced something like this.


    Sian heard that his cement was influenced by Count Kerbel. He realized why people emphasized having good connections.


    El-Lua was usually a very quiet area, but it had been very busytely during the ten days that Sian started working.


    <Return of the Guards>


    The day for the heroes to return from the Great North Wall was soon and all families were preparing to greet them. El-Lua, in order to not disrupt nobles who lived, was quieter and more modest than other districts.


    Unbeknownst to Sian, the entire capital was celebrating.


    Commoners stopped working and began gathering around to see new heroes return and merchants and traders shouted in joy as they worked hard to meet the demand. It was a huge opportunity to make good money that only happened once every five years.


    As themoners were enjoying the festivities, Nobles and the Royal family in El-Lua were preparing themselves as they became wary of theirpetitors.


    They all knew that once the Guards returned, the capital would lead Tian Kingdom in an unknown direction. Yet everyone was aware that they could not fall behind in this change. There would be no mercy for those who failed.


    To Sian, however, nothing mattered. All he needed was to do was carry out his job.


    He was a son of the Roman family that protected the Royal family, but it was to protect against outside enemies. Roman families never got involved in internal affairs.


    <Hone your skills, never side with others, and be responsible>


    This was what the Roman family followed for generations. It was also the second family motto.


    The first motto was to have as many babies as possible, which Sian was eager to keep up.


    He gave up on honing his skills, but it was easy to adhere to the other two parts of the motto.


    First, do the best to keep the peace in El-Lua district. But only work from eight to six.


    Second, respond to each situation ording to the book. The rank or status of an individual does not matter.


    Sian organized his thoughts and patrolled the area. He was bad at memorizing, so he continuously read the manuals he kept with him.


    As Sian was patrolling the city, the in at the north perimeter of the capital was preparing to greet the returning Guards.


    Bashar ins. North of the capital perimeter.


    There was a huge teleportation rune installed there.


    <Ra-Shar-Roa>


    Means ¡®Road of Light¡¯ where the Sun God walked. It served one purpose.


    It was used to teleport between two great magical runes.


    The Exalted Magical Council sessfully recreated the old teleportation runes that the Empire barely managed to use in old times. It required so many Talic Stones and other precious minerals that only about twenty in total existed on the entire continent.


    But its effect was that of a miracle.


    It connected thousands of miles and allowed one to travel in seconds. Each country used the best of its power to maintain the powerful magic runes, even when it consumed up to 3% of the total Talic Stones used in the country.


    Each country used the rune to move people and supplies to and from the Great North Wall.


    Tian Kingdom had two such runes: one near the capital, and one at the Royal province near Count Cine¡¯s province. This one near the capital, located in Bashar ins, was where the Guards would return.


    First and Second ss Magic Priests gathered on the ins worked on using their Talic Stones to initiate the transportation process under the watch of many Nobles and Royals.


    The rune, Ra-Shar-Roa, made a huge sound as it glowed with multiple streams of light. Magic Priests concentrated even harder and the light grew brighter. At that moment, a crashing sound was heard from the emptiness in the middle and the space broke into a crack.


    The cracking sound grew louder and the crack itself became wider. As it got bigger and bigger, it took the shape of a huge ck ball in the air. It started to suck every light ray into it and exploded in its lights. The bright light blinded everyone looking at it and it made them close their eyes.


    When they opened them again, Ra-Shar-Roa was in full operation. There was no ck void.


    The hole was now showing the Guards of the Great North Wall, waiting on the other side with familiar, vicious looks on their faces.


    ¡°Finally, they are here...¡± Viscount Talin mumbled as he watched. He was especially emotional as he handpicked most of the individuals that were sent back then. Working under Marquis Narasha, Viscount Talin picked out thirteen promising young men with high potential and steel-like mentality. Out of hundreds of volunteers, there were only thirteen.


    The Royalists believed that they had put up a close fight as they were given eleven spots, but it was not. The Nobles only needed thirteen, no more. They even gained various mines in giving up the eleven spots, so it was very profitable in the end.


    However, the returnees were six from the Royalists and eight from the Nobles. Viscount Talin was sad that a few of the men were sent out to die when they could¡¯ve been a powerful asset if they stayed here.


    This was only Viscount Talin¡¯s train of thought, and he was not a warrior.


    All the other warriors tried their best to keep calm as they felt pure might and strength emanating from these returning Guards. The recruits standing next to them was nowhere close to them. If these recruits turned out like that in five years, only two out of fifteen would mean a huge sess.


    Not only that, they were sure to bring Talic Stones upon their return. It was a win-win situation no matter what.


    As everyone was busy with thoughts and their works, there were only two people who kept their calm.


    Marquis Narasha, the Kingdom¡¯s great protector.


    Duke Kiraine, the Kingdom¡¯s greatest swordsman.


    Other than Count Roman who remained neutral while protecting the kingdom, these two giants that represented each faction had deepplicated thoughts.


    The old and new Guards switched ces through the portal that opened and Ra-Shar-Roa soon stopped working. The area was now back to the normal, Bashar ins.


    The only thing left in the ins was the two factions looking at each other.


    The first to break the silence was Marquis Narasha.


    ¡°Duke Kiraine, we should return to the capital now. Tian awaits us.¡±


    Marquis Narasha spoke and waited for the answer. The Duke quietly eyed the Marquis for a while and answered shortly to him. He turned back to his people and shouted, ¡°Sure, to the Tian that waits. Everyone! We will return! The city will be waiting to start the celebration of the Guard¡¯s return.¡±


    They turned and began moving down to the capital. It was a day of celebration, but only one thing filled everyone in each faction¡¯s minds.


    <Beginning tomorrow, change will begin. And WE will be the one to prevail!>

 Chapter 13: Return of the Guards

    <h4>Chapter 13: Return of the Guards</h4>


    A celebration was held in the Royal Pce for the return of the Guards.


    It was held in theTobe-Tian Outer Pce¡¯s Great Garden where all the Nobles and famous figures joined together. It was avish party with all the luxuries, but everyone was tense.


    Sian was at a corner of the party, ncing around as he munched on a fruit he picked up. It was his first formal party so he was still awkward. But even to him, he knew things were not usual.


    ¡®What kind of party is this? Why are the people so tense? Are they always like this?¡¯


    That was impossible. It wasn¡¯t usual for people to go to a party of an opposite faction, so the parties were usually more pleasant.


    However, this one was not that case. This party had two factions all joined together. Sian, who had been looking forward to a pleasant party where he got to meet other Noble girls, was disappointed at such a tense atmosphere.


    ¡®And who are they in the middle? Letting out energy like that... show offs.¡¯


    In the middle of the party was the main focus of the celebration. The Guards. They were letting out powerful energy waves, making everyone around grow tense from the pressure.


    Non-warrior Nobles had already retreated to the corner so they could avoid the energy radiating from those Guards. There were only a few, like Viscount Talic or Count Kerbel who had to stay for their positions. Their faces were pale.


    Sharlotte was looking at her father with a concerned look as she stood from the outer area where the energy could not reach her.


    Sharlotte was quiet around Sian as if she was embarrassed, but she was staying beside him to exin the Noble society under strict orders from her father.


    At that moment, Sian heard the sound of a dress approaching. It must be a girl! He looked to where a person was approaching in delight, which soon turned to disappointment.


    ¡°We meet again, Miss Celine de Kiraine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to meet Sharlotte, not you.¡±


    Celine replied coldly before she turned to Sharlotte and hugged her. Sharlotte also seemed to be happy to meet her.


    ¡°Hey! Sharlotte, long time no see. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t go that day. I even had a gift for you...¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s okay. I was sad you couldn¡¯te though. I heard something happened?¡±


    ¡°...Yeah. Some ¡®wonderful¡¯ person arrested me.¡±


    Celine gritted her teeth as she nced at Sian who was looking away. After Celine was released after Captain Rian came to prove her identity, she was summoned to her house immediately, in front of her grandfather. She hoped it would end with her grandfather scolding her but it did not.


    She was forced to use all of her ten vacation days to stay with her grandfather to undergo special training. She was just released from punishment today.


    Celine gritted her teeth again. She knew it wasn¡¯t Sian¡¯s fault for her punishment, but she couldn¡¯t help but dislike him. It was when she heard from Rian that Sian was the second son of Count Roman. It made sense that he dodged her punch. The Roman family was famous for their fighting prowess.


    ¡®But he doesn¡¯t look strong at all...¡¯


    Celine then shook away her thought and turned back to Charlotte.


    ¡°Something¡¯s really weird. Maybe because the people are tense? I never felt something like this from a party... It¡¯s like something¡¯s slimy...¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes of course. You are not a warrior. Give me your hand.¡±


    Celine took Sharlotte¡¯s hand and began transferring Bander into her. A blue fog glowed out from Sharlotte¡¯s hand and moved onto her body, swirling around it. Then Charlotte realized her body had been lightened up instantly.


    ¡°Wow, what happened? I feel much better!¡±


    ¡°Those guys in the middle are letting out energies topete with each other. It¡¯s why the area is so tense. Warrior energy is not something that people with no Bander can withstand. Especially... when it is rough like that.¡±


    Celinemented and looked to the Guards. She became curious about what have experienced in the five years to be living monsters like that. She did hear that the Great North Wall was a treacherous ce, but she could never imagine it.


    Those people in the middle were around her age. They all had 30 to 40 Bander Ratings. They were all promising individuals that needed more time.


    Five years ago at least.


    Now, they werepletely different. They were around Expert-level or simr to Celine herself before they left.


    ¡®All Master-level. Experienced Master-level.¡¯


    They were now true warriors. It was easy to see that they had gone through life-threatening experiences. She could not fight against even one of them. It seemed that she could only fight against Captain Rian. Celine remembered her grandfather, or Swordmeister Kiraine¡¯s words.


    ¡®The capital will be a ce of warfare now. With your half-trained skill, you will lose your arms if you pick on a fight with the Guards. I will use these ten days to restructure your mind.¡¯


    Celine shivered as she remembered the training again. But she underestimated the Guards, thinking they wouldn¡¯t be as strong as her grandfather had warned her.


    They fought the monsters, lived with the monsters, and became monsters.


    Sharlotte began chattering with Celine and Sian was left alone, bored from not having anypany.


    ¡®Oh, Brother should be there too! Maybe I should pay him a visit.¡¯


    Sian didn¡¯t meet with his brother after Rian left the mansion to work at the capital. Even when he was home, there was no time to meet him as he was busy training in the training room but it became harder when he left.


    He was the Captain of the Knight Guard. He must be easy to find.


    Sian thought about this and nced around. However, there were too many people to find him with his sense of sight. Sian figured Rian would be in the gardens and not the pce so he closed his eyes and concentrated.


    Something popped out from Sian and a wave surged out. It was very weak, not even a second long wave that amoner could feel. It spread out from Sian out to the pce and the garden.


    Sian felt two familiar readings. One was from the Outer Pce and the one was at his home.


    His father was surely at home, so it must be his brother¡¯s that was at the pce. His father hated parties with a political motive like this, so that he was sure about. (Besides, the reading was too weak to be his father.)


    He did it to find his brother in the garden, but he was actually in the middle of the party.


    The mess (at least how it felt like for Sian) was not a ce he wanted to go in to find his brother. He decided to meet with himter on and moved to a quiet corner of the party. He then was visited by an unexpected figure.


    ¡®Hmm...?¡¯


    Marquis Narasha flinched as he felt a strange wave passing through him. He was just speaking with the Guards for their experiences. He began looking around.


    ¡°Something wrong, sir?¡±


    Jack, the son of Viscount Qual who was also from the Guards, asked the viscount a question.


    ¡®What was that?¡¯


    Narasha thought to himself that maybe it was just a feeling and returned back to his discussion.


    ¡°No, it was nothing. So, how is it feel to return after all those years?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get used to this... peaceful air. Atmosphere... I should get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, lots of things have been changed. But more change wille soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marquis.¡±


    The Marquis then moved away to talk with high-ranking Nobles. This ce was not to discuss anything important. What was more important was waiting to hear from the Inner Pceter on.


    Jack nced around to see if he could meet with the others. The people from Royalist faction were also busy talking with the Returnees.


    However, the Returnees were not in his interest. He had been living with them for the past five years and he would have to deal with them during his life back here.


    High-ranking aristocrats were also not in his interests. He was not so bright in politics in the first ce and after five years of harsh training and surviving, he had lost all political sense.


    But he did not care. That was for the others. He only needed to do his job.


    What he was curious was about was the warriors from the Royal faction. They were the future enemies. Among them, he was most interested in the first son of the Roman family.


    The Guards were not entirely cut off from outside world news. They were able to hear about the newsing from the capital from time to time.


    The name they mostly heard about was Rian von Roman.


    Young Lion of the Roman family.


    Bander Rating of 60.


    Youngest master.


    Youngest Top Ranking official of Guarran-Tia


    Youngest Knight Guard


    Youngest Knight Guard Captain


    He had reced all the records that Marquis Narasha and Count Roman set upon when they were young. He was only twenty-four years old while he himself was forty-one. It was unbelievable.


    He gritted his teeth every time he heard news of Rian von Roman.


    It took him ten years in training when he was trying to be a Master. He volunteered to go to the Great North Wall for this reason. He hoped to be a Master if he survived. It was just two years ago when he finally reached the dreamed stage of bing a Master.


    Yet, this Rian became a Master by using his family¡¯s Bander-Roa <Lion¡¯s Way> and his Bander talents so easily.


    He thought he would crush this young man when he returned to the capital. Some of his fellow warriors also felt the same way. Miran was an exception, however. She seemed determined to flirt with Rian, who was rumored to be handsome.


    She was out of her mind. Even though she looked young by using her Bander, she was still thirty-nine.


    Jack then found a man who looked just like Count Roman. He had no intentions to cause trouble, but he still wanted to say hi in case he broke the man down the next time he met him.


    It would¡¯ve been hard if he was standing with the other Royalist factions, but he was sitting alone in a corner of the party. It was the chance given to him by the Gods.

 Chapter 14: Return of the Guards

    <h4>Chapter 14: Return of the Guards</h4>


    It was his unlucky day.


    Sian was anticipating to meet beautiful Noble girls, beautiful female knights, beautiful female magic priests or beautiful priests... At least that was how he believed the party to be.


    He heard from his brother that he had a hard time at the party because of all the women that gathered around him. Sian did not know that only applied to his brother who was handsome.


    The people he got to meet today was the short-tempered female knight, nicknamed Chariot (Chariot for a woman¡¯s nickname. It was how she behaved.) and this smelly man, who seemed to be eager to pick on him.


    Sian sighed deeply and hoped that this Returnee wasn¡¯ting at him, but the War God was not with Sian.


    The man who came up to him began introducing himself.


    ¡°Hey, famous! I am Jack from Viscount Qual. I am a Returnee. I heard about the Roman family. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Sian figured out what was going on.


    It had been only a month since he was assigned to the capital. There was no way he could¡¯ve be famous as this man mentioned. This man, Jack, had mistaken him for Rian.


    Count Roman was famous and he had definitely mistaken him to be Rian since he looked just like his father. (His brother looked more like his mother, with soft lines that gave him a handsome look.)


    Sian thought of two ways to go about the situation.


    Continue to let him talk with his misunderstanding.


    Correct him and send him to Rian.


    Under normal circumstances, the answer would¡¯ve been 2, but he was toozy. However, this man was ready to pick a fight and this man was stronger than Rian.


    It was possible that if he sent this man to Rian, his brother would be in trouble for handling him. This man was eager to cause such trouble for his brother.


    As a loving brother, Sian thought about handling this with his own hands. Luckily, this man did not ask directly if he was Rian, so there seemed to be no problem even if he found out if he was Sian and not Rian.


    It was best not to cause any trouble, but if he did, he would just punch him a few times.


    ¡°Oh, good day Sir Jack. Congrattions on your return.¡±


    ¡°Yes, good to see you too. I heard so much about you from the Wall and was curious.


    ¡°So, how are the things going with protecting the ¡®peaceful¡¯ capital? I was expecting a fatter person since life here would be so good! But you look so scrawny!¡±


    He chose his words carefully to taunt him, but Sian agreed to everything he said. He was, after all, protecting the peaceful capital. He was, after all, living so peacefully. He loved life here.


    ¡°Yes, the capital is so peaceful. It¡¯s veryfortable.


    ¡°I see that you lived a harsh life. Your face bears it. You should enjoy the peaceful life here from now on.¡±


    Jack immediately knew he had made the correct judgment. Just as he thought, this Rian was a jerk. He was sure that even Miran would not object this now.


    Jack hated how he looked so old. Everyone, even his closest friend at the Wall told him that he looked old.


    Most Bander users looked younger than their actual age. To prove this, Returnees were usually in theirte thirties to forties, but they all looked like they were in their twenties. Except Jack.


    He looked old since he was very young. Other Noble girls avoided him because of this.


    Jack was infuriated that this man picked up on that, but he could not cause any trouble, yet.


    ¡°Oh... ha... HAHA! Thank you for that. I wish I met you at the Great North Wall!¡±


    ¡®I would¡¯ve broken those scrawny arms of yours.¡¯


    Jack thought to himself and smiled as he offered a handshake.


    Sian looked at the hand and decided to finish it.


    He was going to deal with him if he exploded with his words, but he did not. Of course, Sian did not mean anything when he mentioned the looking old part.


    He had no intentions to talk any longer with a man who was trying to pick a fight and it was sure to cause more trouble if he found out Sian was not Rian.


    Before he went to his brother and caused more trouble, he decided this guy should rest for the night without retiring himself from the party.


    ¡°Yes, it was good to meet you. Sir Jack.¡±


    As Sian held the hand, Jack began squeezing it while he used his family¡¯s Bander-Roa <Red Train> onto Sian¡¯s hand.


    It was possible to break a few of his fingers, but he was a Master, so he figured he would handle this.


    ¡®I guess the stories from Mother weren¡¯t all fairytales after all. Hah.¡¯


    Sian sighed as he watched Jack trying to crush his hand. Then he decided that he would do the same thing his opponent was trying to do to him.


    ¡®ARGH!!!¡¯


    Jack almost screamed. He screamed inside as his opponent squeezed his hand with tremendous power. It felt just like when his arm was twisted by the Harijan back at the Wall.


    Not only that, the Bander that he poured onto him was now being thrown back viciously. It felt as if his intestines had been twisted.


    He felt his fingers getting crushed, but this man did not stop. He began preparing to throw a punch at the man with his left hand. He needed to stop him before this man crushed his right hand.


    At that moment, the man let go of his hand. The Bander that surged inside was gone too.


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Jack let out a gasp and sat down on the ground.


    ¡°Oh, Sir Jack. Is something wrong? You must be tired! I guess the party was too much for you since you just returned! You should go home and rest.¡±


    Sian then felt his brother finishing his discussion and moved away as Jack hollowedly watched him leave.


    Sian delightfully greeted his brother.


    ¡°Hey! Long time no see!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sian. Long time no see. I heard you got into Guarran-Tia. Great job. It¡¯s absurd that a man like you stays at home without doing anything.¡±


    Rian, who was talking with others, greeted Sian back.


    ¡°The Noble factions are up to something.¡±


    Rian spoke as he nced to where Sian had been standing just now where people had gathered around.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Don¡¯t mind that. Sir Jack will recover quickly.¡±


    Rian looked at his brother oddly.


    His brother was never interested in politics. He was not interested in the Guards either. This meant there was no way that Sian would¡¯ve known Sir Jack, the Returnee from Viscount Qual¡¯s family. By Sian knowing his name, that only meant one thing.


    ¡°Sian, did you cause trouble?¡±


    Rian sighed. He did not know the details, but it looked like Sir Jack was the reason for themotion and the culprit was right in front of him.


    ¡°It was nothing. He wouldn¡¯t say anything either.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I guess you know better than that.¡±


    Rian knew Sian waszy. He knew his younger brother better than his father did so he believed that Sian figured to not make it a bigger problem.


    ¡®You should be thankful, Brother,¡¯ Sian thought, but did not bring it out of his mouth.


    They began sharing their experiences in the capital and their parents. But there was a lot of people around Captain Rian and they were focusing on the man who just approached him.


    This man was the second son of the Roman family. With a Bander Rating of 57, he was bound to have such talent also.


    One of them approached.


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the famous second son of the Roman family? Great to meet you. Would you mind if you introduce me, Sir Rian?¡± the man asked Rian politely.


    ¡°Of course. Everyone, this is my younger brother Sian von Roman. He is seventeen years old and is now working as a Guarran-Tia. Sian, this here is Sir Ron. He is the third son of Viscount Karran. One of the Returnees.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so he is starting from Guarran-Tia also! You must be proud, Sir Rian! Are you afraid that your brother might break that record of yours? Haha!¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Sir Ron,¡± Sian answered. He was the Returnee from the Royal faction. The Roman families always kept neutral on politics, but Rian was so loyal to the Kingdom and the King that he had made friends with the Royal factions already.


    As more people from the Royal faction began introducing themselves, Sian felt more ufortable.


    ¡®Ugh, this wasn¡¯t what I expected.¡¯


    He did not want to side with one faction. He was set on staying neutral, but this wasn¡¯t helping. It was even more so because he just had a small skirmish with a Returnee from a Noble faction.


    Sian noticed that something was going wrong. He even felt a group of people from the Noble faction approaching.


    ¡®Ugh, so you told what happened?¡¯


    Sian felt the energy of the approaching people. It was the Guards from the Noble factions. They must¡¯ve heard about what happened from Sir Jack.


    ¡°Captain Rian! Where are you! You will not hide after everything you did to our man!¡±


    Rian stepped out, looking confused. He stayed in the middle of the party entire time and did not speak with anyone from the Noble faction.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m Rian von Roman.¡±


    ¡°I am Lennon, the firstborn of Marquis Narasha. Is the Captain of the Knight Guard allowed to crush a man¡¯s hand?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I have been standing here the entire time.¡±


    ¡°HAH, so you lie. Sir Jack told me the son of the Roman family crushed his hand! I didn¡¯t know the Knight Guard was against us when they imed to stay neutral! He just returned from the Wall to protect thend!¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    Rian immediately knew what had happened and sighed.


    ¡®Brother... so you thought breaking his fingers would make him keep quiet?¡¯


    Sian, however, decided he should quell the situation by correcting the misunderstanding and stepped out before his brother could do anything.


    ¡°Hello, Sirs. I am Sian von Roman. I am the involved, not my brother. You should talk with me.¡±


    Lennon turned to Sian. It was his first time he seeing the second son of the Roman family, but he looked just like Count Roman himself.


    But Lennon also knew his age. He was only seventeen. It was impossible for a boy to do something to Sir Jack. Even the famous Sword of the Sun became a Master at the age of twenty.


    Lennon coughed. He spected that Rian had talked with his brother to avoid the me.


    ¡°Sir Rian, I am disappointed. How can you hide behind your little brother? I heard he is only seventeen years old! So you¡¯re saying Sir Jack, the warrior who returned from the Wall, had his hands crushed by a seventeen-year-old?¡±


    People began murmuring among themselves. Rian was a Master-level warrior, but it seemed impossible for a seventeen-year-old boy to do something like that.


    ¡°No, why would he do that? You should ask Sir Jack right now. He can tell you. Besides, a hand grip doesn¡¯t represent fighting skill. I just made a handshake but his hand was too soft. Don¡¯t get too worked up.¡±


    Sian spoke the truth (he was upset that his brother was being talked down upon) but Lennon was not convinced. In fact, Lennon was here to pressure Rian anyway. However, Sian¡¯s response made it hard for him to do that and it would make it seem as if Sir Jack had his hands crushed by a seventeen-year-old. That would be a bad reputation for them.


    Lennon gritted his teeth as he spected Rian to be smarter than he thought. He always believed Rian to be a just powerful warrior, but not much else. Not only was Rian smarter, but he was also was cold. He even put his younger brother in a dangerous situation for his own sake.


    ¡°Good. I guess there was a misunderstanding then... I can¡¯t cause trouble for a handshake, alright. I will see this through for now. As for Sian... we will meet again.¡±


    Lennon and the others backed up and went away.


    ¡®Ugh.¡¯


    Sian didn¡¯t expect that the man in his forties would tell everyone what happened like a baby. He figured out that his peaceful life had just been ruined and he grimaced.

 Chapter 15: Elon de Kirion

    <h4>Chapter 15: Elon de Kirion</h4>


    Viscount Kirion Mansion, located in the 11th district on El-Lua Road.


    The Kirion family had bases in the capital of Roa-Tian and they traded grains and ores with the Kharan, Tian, and Con Kingdoms to build their wealth. They were low-ranking Nobles, but their wealth made them a powerful figure within the Royal faction.


    There was a famous saying within the family.


    <You should do what you do best. Don¡¯t try to do different things to make money. Money is power.>


    It was somewhat true as it had its limitations. There was no way to stop a powerful man going against a contract or making a mess with brute force.


    As such, it was a long-time family goal for the Kirion family to have a powerful warrior group within the family.


    However, not everyone was gifted like the Roman family. The viscount held the ceremony every time they had a baby, hoping for high Bander Rating to ur.


    Then atst, a baby was born to finally give the family what they had longed for long.


    <Elon de Kirion>


    The third daughter, out of two sons and five daughters, had been rated 40 in the ceremonial. Viscount Kirion did everything he could to support Elon and to train her to be the best. He also started building up a group of warriors for Elon to lead when she grew up.


    Elon did not betray her father¡¯s expectations. She slowly grew up, falling just short of the Master level. She was only thirty when she reached the top of the Expert level, but she still wasn¡¯t satisfied.


    That was when she volunteered to go to the Wall. If she returned, the Talic Stones and her power would help her family go beyond what they had been dreaming for.


    And after five years, she returned. Master-level warrior, with a handful of Talic Stones.


    The Kirion family was thrilled. But they were also tense from the looming storm within the capital.


    Elon, looked down from the window out to the streets from the mansion, smiling as she seemed to be interested in something.


    ¡®He¡¯s doing that again.¡¯


    Elon was looking at a Guarran-Tia walking about El-Lua. He was far away, but Master-level warriors had improved vision to ovee such distances with ease.


    Sian von Roman. The famous second son of the Roman family. A man born with an unimaginable power from birth that she herself could never dream of.


    The ruckus that happened at the party was interesting. She hated Jack. Lennon, from the opposite faction, thought that it was Rian who did it while others thought Marquis Narasha family was trying to frame Rian for something that had not happened. But she saw.


    She saw Sian shaking hands with Jack who fell to his knees as Sian held his hand.


    Even though Jack was the weakest out of the fourteen Returnees, he was still a Master.


    Masters used Bander around themselves to crush their enemies with ease. It was a mystery, but Sian managed to crush the hand of a Master. He was no ordinary man. It would¡¯ve been weirder if the son of the Roman family was a nobody in the first ce.


    She was sure that there were more that saw what happened since they weren¡¯t hidden. Yet there was nothing to be gained to say it out loud at the party, and people must¡¯ve been investigating.


    That was what she did also.


    She picked up a teacup and began sipping it while she looked at the reports brought to her a while ago.


    It was not wise to delve into the Roman family too deeply, so she just made simple investigations. It was the information that was floating around in the cities, but there was so little.


    <Investigative Report: Sian von Roman>


    -Second son of the Roman family. 17 years old.


    -Bander Rating on ceremonial: 57 (Note: The Great Magical Rune did not work so Count Kain von Roman imed the rating himself.)


    -He has no talents on all sorts of things. ording to the tutors who worked for the family, he was very slow in learning the following: instruments, horse riding, reading, history, geography, astronomy, political science, warfare, social studies, and others.


    -Currently residing in Count Kerbel¡¯s mansion.


    -Working in Guarran-Tia (Note: Ran into trouble with Celine de Kiraine during training week.)


    -Patrols El-Lua Rd, 3rd to 14th district. (Note: Count Kerbel personally asked for the area.)


    -Reputation among fellow Guarran-Tias is bad


    -No confirmed fighting prowess


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Elon let out a loudugh as she read through the reports. A lot of things seemed suspicious just by reading it. He came out unharmed after running into the famous Blue Train and showed Jack what he had.


    The area he was patrolling was also suspicious. The 3rd to 14th districts represented the areas where the Royalist and Noble factions lived. Count Kerbel must¡¯ve known of the impending war between the two factions and that the road would be on the stage. It was not possible for Count Kerbel to simply put his best friend¡¯s second son in the ce where war would break out without knowing it.


    There was something at hand. She wasn¡¯t sure, but she figured it would benefit her if she found out.


    But there was too little information. If he was an officer of the army or a Knight Guard, he must¡¯ve been done a regr Bander Rating evaluation, but he was only a Guarran-Tia. A Bander Rating evaluation was too expensive to be done for Guarran-Tias. There was only one way left.


    ¡®I should take matters into my own hands.¡¯


    There was nothing to be had in other ways. All the important information regarding warriors were usually gathered that way. Information on the paper was dead information.


    Elon began plotting up a n. She was not made to do the merchant side of work. She had to prepare for the uing war. She needed more information.


    ¡®Hmm... Why can¡¯t they leave me alone? Was that house on the 11th district the house of the Kirion family?¡¯ Sian thought as he felt like he was no longer being watched.


    The Kirion family was one of the families from the Royalist faction that had a Returnee. The person who was looking at him must have been one of them.


    ¡®Elon... was it? This is why I should¡¯ve stayed quiet.¡¯


    After that party, he felt people watching him every time he patrolled El-Lua Road. People must¡¯ve thought they went unnoticed, but they had their Bander wrapped around their eyes as they watched so it was easy to notice. All of them were either Returnees or warriors from the party.


    The Bander users had specific aurasing out of them that made it hard to forget. Once Sian saw them using it, he was able to tell when it was being used anywhere within the capital.


    However, they definitely did not know that Sian had noticed. The only person who could do this was Sian himself.


    It only had been five years since he could do something like this.


    He did not like being watched, but they weren¡¯t doing anything so he decided to stay. Whatever it was, he just needed to do his job and return home to Count Kerbel¡¯s mansion.


    He then noticed that his shift was almost over and he began moving to 14th district. That was the ce where he traded shifts, so he needed to go there if he was to get off work right away.


    Sian regretted not being so careful. He never thought someone would follow him to his home.


    He looked at Elon de Kirion and realized he underestimated her.


    ¡°Good day, Sion. We¡¯ve met, right? I¡¯m Elon from the Kirion family. I thought it would be good to be friends since we will meet up more often anyway.¡±


    Sian smiled awkwardly as he watched her.


    ¡°Uh... yes. But... what? What do you mean that we will meet more often?¡±


    ¡°You keep the peace on our roads. I¡¯m so relieved that a man like you is keeping the peace for a weakdy like me.¡±


    Sian could not agree. This woman was a Master-level warrior who just returned from the Wall. If there was a danger that she could not handle happening within the city, Sharlotte should just stay in the basement and nevere out if she wanted to live.


    ¡°Er... erm... Yes, it¡¯s good that I may be of help.¡±


    He nodded.


    To be honest, if he did not notice the vicious energy emanating from within her, she was a very charming and beautiful woman.


    She was thirty-five years old, but her Bander kept her looking young in her twenties. Yet, unlike Sharlotte, she had the body of a well-trained warrior that gave her look of a panther.


    They began chattering about non-important stuff for a while and as Elon felt like she got somewhat close to Sian, she started on the subject she was here for.


    Sian didn¡¯t seem to alienate her either, but he seemed reallyzy for sure.


    ¡®This is interesting. I can¡¯t feel anything.¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t bring up the energy to scan it as it was very rude (It was taken as a challenge) but she nced at him as she spoke. He had the signs of being a warrior.


    All warriors had simr feelings. Be it the way of training, Bander-Roa, personality, or others. It was all different for each warrior, but there was one thing inmon.


    <Habit of endless training and natural energying from the body.>


    This was not something that one could hide. It was natural bodynguage to show how hard the body had tried to be strong.


    But this man had nothing like it. He just felt like a veryzy man.


    However, she did meet a person like this before. The Great North Wall was a ce where all kinds of powerful people gathered. There, she met those who felt like the man in front of her right now.


    <World-twisting, extraordinary power user, Exer>

 Chapter 16: Elon de Kirion

    <h4>Chapter 16: Elon de Kirion</h4>


    <Exer>


    Exers were people who could use the world-twisting, all-mighty power, Exar, without calction, magical power, or Talic Stones. Their skills and power were unknown and required natural-born talent to wield. No Exer was the same as another in using Exar. They were all different, but most Exers that existed in the North Great Wall were stress-free people who enjoyed their lives. (It was also the reason why there weren¡¯t many Exers at the Wall due to its stressful environment.)


    ¡®Now that I think of it, the second Roman son doesn¡¯t have to be a Bander. He could be an Exer.¡¯


    That would exin what had happened.


    A lot of training was required to strengthen Bander. Crushing Jack¡¯s hand would¡¯ve required a Master-level Bander. However, there was no one in history, even those of Ra-Bander rank, who had made Masters by the age of seventeen.


    However, using Exar at that age was possible. Additionally, even weaker Exers could utilize Exar to crush Jack¡¯s fingers.


    It was not definite, so Elon wanted to check it herself.


    ¡®There¡¯s a way.¡¯


    Exers could sense each other.


    The mechanics were unknown as it wasn¡¯t like how Banders could sense each other¡¯s presence or how Magic Priests could sense the Exar swirling in a body. Exers exined that they could feel it.


    Elon thought of the Exer who resided in the Kirion family. She was getting paid a hefty amount so she could have another ce to stay at with the Kirion family.


    ¡°Thank you for inviting me!¡±


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯ve never...¡±


    ¡°I wanted to invite you over too. My ce is close to where you work, so how about you stop by after you you finish? Come, join us for dinner. My family oversees the trade from the Con Kingdom through the Karan Kingdom. We will have great food made from various ingredients, and you won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    Elon smiled as she gave her exnation. Sian was tempted. His family was very modest in their expenditures, so he was amazed by how Count Kerbel dined. To taste cuisine made from ingredients from around the world... Elon, who noticed Sian faltering, smiled and continued, ¡°Our chef is one of the finest and he worked at the Royal Pce for a long time. The King sent us a few of the Royal chefs for our service and all the ingredients that we supply. How about dinner in two days? We will have Salon Shrimp from the Con Kingdom that day. It¡¯s for the Royal Pce, but we will be able to taste it beforehand.¡±


    Sion made up his mind, it was only for dinner anyway.


    ¡°Hm, okay. Then, I guess I can¡¯t refuse. I will go to your ce in two days.¡±


    ¡°Good! I¡¯ll see you then. It was a pleasure talking to you today.¡±


    Elon stood up and walked out with Sian escorting her.


    Sian walked into the Kirion Family residence. He looked around to check on the beautifully-decorated gardens and buildings as he was escorted to a garden at the back of the mansion where the dinner was being prepared. There was a gazebo located at the center of the garden with a table all set up with the basic silverware; Elon was sitting there together with another person.


    ¡°Good evening, Miss Elon. Thank you for inviting me over.¡±


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s just to return your invitation from the other day. This is Shuville. She¡¯s an Exer who works for our family. She just came back to the capital so I thought it would be good to introduce her to you.¡±


    ¡°Good evening, Sir Sian.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. It¡¯s great to meet you, Miss Shuville. It¡¯s amazing to meet an Exer.¡±


    Dinner soon began, and it was pleasant with the casual talk.


    ¡®It¡¯s interesting.¡¯


    Sian thought to himself as he looked at Shuville. It was his first time meeting an Exer. Unlike Bander users, a strange power seemed to be pulsing from her heart and brain.


    It was very different from Magic Priests. They did use Exar, but they used it like Bander users. It was calcted and it flowed through the body on a set route.


    But Exers were different. The Exar resonated together with the heartbeat and swirled around the body in a disorderly manner. It also seemed to be affected by how Shuville felt since the Exar became stronger as she munched on the Salon Shrimp.


    ¡®But this is really amazing.¡¯


    He ate all food in front of him; it was not anything like he¡¯d tasted before. It even made him feel the need to visit Con Kingdom¡¯s city, Martia, where the shrimp originated.


    As he focused on eating, the Exar Shuville was emitting started drifting towards him, swirling around. He looked up towards Shuville, who was still concentrating on the food.


    It seemed natural that it happened and Sian felt like he could use the energy by himself. He then imagined pulling on the Exar that was swirling around him.


    At that moment, the Exar reacted violently and was instantly pulled into him. Sian quickly cut off the flow, surprised by what just happened. As the Exar was cut off from being pulled, it returned to Shuville at once, like a spring that recoiled.


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is anything wrong?¡± Elon asked as Shuville suddenly gasped and grabbed her chest.


    ¡°...N-no. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Shuville replied with a reddened face.


    ¡®Whew, that¡¯s a relief. She seems to be okay.¡¯


    The dinner continued as though nothing happened. When Sian returned home, Elon asked Shuville, ¡°So, Shuville. What do you think? Is he an Exer?¡±


    ¡°Um... I¡¯m... I¡¯m not sure. He may or may not be an Exer. I¡¯ve never felt something like this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this feeling when I meet an Exer. Something that connects... it¡¯s just a feeling. That¡¯s how you know when you meet an Exer. It doesn¡¯t matter if the person is strong or not. I didn¡¯t feel that from him though.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s not an Exer then?¡±


    ¡°But there was something, something that pulled me strongly. I never felt anything like it before, so I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t much help.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. Thank you for your effort.¡±


    Shuville left the mansion, and Elon was left alone to think about what had happened.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s for sure... why so much secrecy?¡±


    She thought about asking Rian, but it seemed to be too much. She decided she would take the time to look into it slowly; she would find out for sure. At least the dinner was a sess, so it would be easier to befriend him from now on.


    Elon shook away her thoughts and turned to the report that came to her today. Sian was a personal interest, but her work was not. Elon began reading through and frowned midway.


    ¡®So they want a fight.¡¯


    The roads of El-Lua seemed peaceful, but Tian Kingdom was in chaos. There were a lot of skirmishes happening around the countryside and nobles sent requests for aid to resolve them. The Noble faction, who held the upper hand, was now sending absurd requests to the King.


    Elon read through the reports and moved to the training room in the basement, trying to shake off the stress that came from all the problems.

 Chapter 17: Clash

    <h4>Chapter 17: sh</h4>


    Sian finished eating at ¡®Karac¡¯s Horn,¡¯ located further out from El-Lua Road on his way to his patrol. That was when a red signal fire soared up into the sky.


    ¡®Huh? Red signal fire?¡¯


    The Guarran-Tias patrolled alone to take care of the small incidents on the roads. However, when something big came up that could not be handled alone, the signal fires would be used.


    Red and blue signal fires.


    A red signal fire was used to gather all Guarran-Tias within sight of it. It usually meant that the incident involved powerful individuals.


    A blue signal was to request help from the Knight Guards. Unlike the 1st and 2nd, the 3rd Knight Guards were able to leave the Pce to help with city peacekeeping.


    The red signal fire meant the incident was an emergency and immediate assistance was needed at the scene. Sian swallowed down the dessert he was snacking on and started running.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    ¡°Come at me, you Narsha dog!¡±


    It was a mess. Men from the two factions got into a fight while eating at the same restaurant. One of the building walls was crushed, and the fight had now leaked out onto the street.


    It looked like Sian was the first one to arrive as there was only one Guarran-Tia escorting citizens away from the fight. Sian sighed. The fools didn¡¯t seem to realize that fights did not have to be so vulgar. As he felt from Celine¡¯s case, these people seemed eager to destroy and plunder.


    It was a rule for the Guarran-Tias to wait for backup to arrive in the case of a red signal fire. However, any more damage would be severely problematic to the restaurant owner, who was already looking pale at the side.


    Sian decided to handle the issue on his own and took out his sword without unsheathing it.


    ¡°Hey! Wait!¡±


    The Guarran-Tia called out to him, but Sian ignored him as he began swinging his sword toward the back of each person¡¯s head that was fighting.


    They began to fall unconscious, one by one. A few tried to fight back as they started to realize what was happening, but it was toote.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear now. I¡¯m going back to my patrol in El-Lua.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhm. Good work, Sian.¡±


    The Guarran-Tia answered in awe as he searched for a yellow signal fire to indicate that everything had been taken care of. He looked up to the sky and stopped.


    ¡°What is going on...?¡±


    Sian turned toward the sky at the question and frowned.


    The sky was filled with blue signal fires from all over.


    ¡°This is crazy. Is it over now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madame Celine.¡±


    Celine thought that it was the worst day of her duties.


    Six blue and thirty-nine red signal fires.


    That was the number of Guarran-Tia signals in just one day.


    Celine even suspected an uprising had happened when she looked at the sky. It was the first time she had seen such arge number of signal fires.


    The damage report she received showed that it was much worse.


    ¡°28 buildings damaged, 7 arsons, 132 wounded civilians, 3 dead, 35 Guarran-Tia wounded, 4 Knight Guards wounded. Estimated loss and damages of 983,000 gold... what in the world is happening?¡±


    This was too much.


    The budget meeting that was held the day before had ended in chaos as the Noble and Royalist factions opposed each other fiercely. She had expected something to start, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon.


    ¡°But the number of Guarran-Tia casualties is lower than expected. None dead either,¡± the lieutenant exined, and Celine thought of Sian. She remembered Rian¡¯s reminder when she was lost as to what to tackle first.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry about the red ones and go for the blues... the reds will be taken care of... was it?¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t remember much of what Rian had said as she was concentrating on the matters at hand. However, as she thought about it now, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t just to let her concentrate on her own work.


    Captain Rian must¡¯ve known that the red signal fires would be solved easily and he also knew his brother would be the one to do it.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be sure, but he sure is a strong warrior.¡¯


    Celine did not think he was strong because of his looks, but the circumstances proved otherwise. It was her job to ce the right individual in the right ce for better distribution of workloads. She had the right tomand the Guarran-Tia in states of emergency to keep the peace, and this was one of those times.


    Celine grinned as it was a good chance to repay her debt from before. Sharlotte had informed her that he was veryzy, so it would be a good present.


    ¡®Hehe... I look forward to working with you.¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Sian asked the operating officer of the Guarran-Tia as he looked at the notice that was delivered to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a help request to you from the 3rd Knight Guards.¡±


    Sian turned to the notice and began reading it.


    <Sian von Roman is requested to help the 3rd Knight Guard¡¯s Lieutenant Captain Celine de Kiraine to keep the peace of the capital.>


    ¡°Was this request sent to the others as well?¡±


    ¡°No, just to you. We did think it was weird...¡±


    The officer shook his head and answered that he did not know the details.


    Sian asked himself if it might be his brother that requested this. However, it seemed unlikely. He thought about it, but he could not see the reason and dismissed it from his mind. He decided to ept since he loved this job and didn¡¯t want to lose it. Refusing this request seemed like a bad idea.


    Besides, he thought the incidents like yesterday was an abnormality and would not happen again.


    He was not tempted for additional payments for the job.


    He signed the paper, agreeing to help when needed.


    ¡®DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!¡¯


    He had made the wrong choice. He cursed himself on the wrong decision he made weeks ago as he ran toward the blue signal fire. The capital was overrun with problems. The city was in so much chaos that problems began spreading to the outer perimeter of the capital, and the Guarran-Tia were all dispatched, leaving the 3rd Knight Guards to defend the inner capital.


    Sian was supposed to follow the other Guarran-Tias out to the outer capital, but because he signed the paper, his patrol area was now three timesrger, and he had to support all the blue signal fires.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think of the bright side? You are helping your brother, Captain Rian, after all.¡± Celine spoke with a tired face as she ran beside Sian. She requested Sian to help to tease him, but it proved that she had made a fantastic choice as time went by.


    She had only worked with him for a few days, but one thing was certain. ¡®This guy is too strong.¡¯


    He did not look strong. He moved like he always did, even when he fought. There was no excessive force or emotional outburst. He just swung once, every time.


    That was the chilling part.


    Just like how a lumberjack swung his axe, Sian swung his sword naturally. There was nothing wasted, and no one who could evade his attack either. It took him just one swing per person to quell the situation.


    ¡®This world is unfair.¡¯


    Celine could not stop herself from thinking that way, that he could be so powerful without any training.


    Sian was already working once they got to the scene and Celine jumped in as well, thinking she should work hard to keep up.


    Kial, the second son of Baron Gnon, loved the current situation at the capital.


    He had never been blessed with avish ceremonial as his family was small. However, he had talent. He trained hard using Bander and was appointed by Marquis Narasha to be trained in sword fighting and to use the Marquis¡¯ Bander-Roa. After training beside Lennon, he loved everything of the life under Marquis Narasha, except for one thing.


    Battle.


    The capital was too peaceful. He knew that he could not cause trouble as it would damage Marquis Narasha¡¯s reputation, but it made him feel depressed. Sparring wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy his hunger for battle.


    The reason he applied to be a Guard at the Great North Wall wasn¡¯t because of fame, the aim to be a Master, or Talic Stones.


    All he wanted was to sate his hunger.


    <To satisfy the hunger to kill, destroy, and create carnage.>


    He loved the life at the wall, but he also wanted to return and repay the grace that Marquis Narasha had bestowed upon him. He readied himself for a boring life in the capital, but things were different now. When he heard from Marquis Narasha a few days ago, he could not believe it.


    ¡®Destroy everything. Start a fight, taunt the enemies, and destroy them.¡¯


    That was the signal. His friends were creating a ruckus in all other parts of the capital.


    He had no interest in picking fights with the weaker ones like the others. He wanted to fight a strong warrior. That¡¯s why he came to fight Karan from Count Kravel. The other five stronger individuals had a chance to ignore his taunts, but this man was sure to react.


    And he did.


    ¡°YOU BASTARD! How dare a Narasha dog like you belittle me! I¡¯ve hated you since the Wall. I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    And the fight started. Buildings were destroyed, and everything was thrown upside-down. A Master-rank Bander¡¯s sword was unstoppable.


    A Guarran-Tia lit a blue signal fire, but he did not think there was anyone powerful enough to stop them. It seemed he could fight until that Captain from the 3rd Knight Guard arrived.


    Kial was excited at the thought. He dodged Karan¡¯s sword and jumped at him.


    THUD


    That¡¯s when a cracking sound was heard, and Karan fell.


    Kial stopped, confused from the sound and the fact that Karan that had fallen. Then, he also felt a sharp jolt at the back of his head as he lost his vision.


    ¡°Wh...what...¡±


    He fought hard to keep his conscious when he heard a voice, ¡°Oh my, these misters destroyed so much. Why are they so unsophisticated? Aren¡¯t these nobles? Why can¡¯t they fight with some manners? Gosh.¡±


    That was thest thing Kial heard before he fell unconscious.

 Chapter 18: Clash

    <h4>Chapter 18: sh</h4>


    Sian looked at Celine who was walking silently next to him.


    ¡°Are you okay? Wasn¡¯t one of the men from the Royalist Faction?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What about it?¡±


    ¡°I mean... You are from the Knight Guard... and the Kiraine Family is a Royalist and all... I was just worried if you felt bad about it.¡±


    Celine eyed Sian with a weird look on her face.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn politics or the basic history of the kingdom?¡±


    ¡°I did. Uh, sort of!¡± Sian mumbled embarrassingly. Celine remembered what she heard from Rian, that all teachers who tried to teach Sian were worried because he gave up so quickly.


    ¡®Maybe God is fair after all.¡¯


    Celine sighed and decided to give an exnation. He needed to know what was going on to make better decisions on the job.


    ¡°Look. The Knight Guard works for Tian¡¯s Royal Family.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it means we do not care who the king or who his family is. We protect them from foreign enemies and solve Tian¡¯s problems.¡±


    Celine exined it, but Sian didn¡¯t seem to grasp the concept yet. She felt she needed to borate and remembered how she exined it to her eight-year-old nephew a while ago, which seemed adequate for Sian.


    ¡°Hmm... You do know who the current king is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uhh... Craden Qun Tian... the Third?¡±


    Celine looked at Sian as if he had made a grave mistake while speaking to the public and continued, ¡°Second. Anyway, don¡¯t you find it interesting? That Tian has four hundred years of history, but the king is only part of the second generation?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Why is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because anyone who can take over the throne can be a king in this country. The current king is very good, considering the fact that it continued into the second generation.¡±


    ¡°I see. So he rebelled to be a king?¡±


    ¡°Be careful. You might get arrested for saying that out loud. He did not rebel. It was a... transfer.¡±


    Celine stopped for a moment, drank some water, and continued, ¡°Have you heard the phrase, ¡®The King must prove himself¡¯? The throne is a position that is highly sought after. But ites with heavy responsibility. We have the Taran Kingdom from the west and the Kharan Kingdom from the east. We also have to keep the diplomatic rtionship with the Con Kingdom across the Kuradan Canyon.¡±


    Celine exined further, ¡°No ordinary man can do this easily. You have the military, diplomatic issues arising from all sides outside the country, and inner conflicts. The king is given the authority to rule, but he needs power to fulfill his responsibility. If not, the kingdom will not survive. We will be torn apart by the three kingdoms I mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Oh... then...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the family that proved themselves worthy for the task is chosen to be on the throne. If they can¡¯t prove themselves or if there¡¯s another family that can prove to do it, then they will have to relinquish the throne and transfer the seat over. That¡¯s what is happening right now. The Session War. The current Royalist needs to prove itself worthy as it did before to take the previous Royalists¡¯ ce.¡±


    It had continued for years and helped the Tian Kingdom survive. The faction that was overthrown epted it quietly since they could always try to reim the threr. But there were always those who hated to give up on what they had and were executed. These were the same concerns that Count Kerbel had also.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t quite understand it yet. Isn¡¯t the Knight Guard there to protect the Royal family?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we do not care who it is. We only make a move when the kingdom is in crisis. We cannot interfere with internal conflicts. Besides, the stronger faction taking over the throne is good for the kingdom. So the three warrior families, the seven military groups, Tian Kingdom¡¯s Magical Priest Council, and the Knight Guards do not interfere with the factions. We only intervene when the problem gets out of hand.¡±


    Sian finally understood why his father joined the Knight Guard even though he insisted on staying neutral. This was, in fact, the most efficient way to stay neutral.


    Celine looked at Sian who finally had a look of understanding and thought she should educate him well. He was too strong and it was dangerous for him to act without proper knowledge.


    ¡®I can¡¯t grasp how strong he is. Has he ovee the wall?¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t sure, but part of her had already made up her mind.


    It was highly probably that Sian was the blessed great one, Grand Bander.


    If it wasn¡¯t true, then it was impossible to make Kial and Karan fall unconscious in one hit. It was a fight between Masters, and even a Master at the same level probably would not be able to stop the fight.


    Most people who came back from the Wall became Masters. The total number of Masters within the Tian Kingdom was ny-seven. Out of those, there were seventeen Royalists and twenty-six Nobles that joined the war. This was all the power that each faction could muster as other the Masters were divided up among the other neutral factions.


    Rian and Celine herself were ranked lower than those Masters. Celine was probably the one of the lowest and Rian was probably at about the seventieth rank. There were a few reasons that allowed Celine and Rian to be captain and the lieutenant captain of the Knight Guard.


    First, a lot of other Masters had filled up the other positions. They were stationed along the outer perimeter and important stations asmanders and generals to protect and fight against the Kharan Kingdom.


    Second, unlike the 1st or 2nd Knight Guards that moved around the entire kingdom, the 3rd Knight Guard only stayed within the capital to keep the peace. As such, it did not require powerful warriors at its disposal.


    With the above reasons, there were no Masters left to spare for the 3rd Knight Guard. So including Rian and Celine, the number of Masters in the 3rd Knight Guard was only three.


    But third and thest reason was the most important.


    Third was that Rian was promised to be a Grand Bander, given his lineage. He needed experience as a captain to be the Commander of the Knight Guard once he became Grand Bander.


    Many loved Rian and respected him, but there were some who despised him.


    <He is promised to be Grand Bander just because he was born into the Roman family.>


    There were a lot of people who barely became Masters at age of forty. The Bander users grew in power as they got older, but it wasn¡¯t enough for them to be Grand Banders. Out of a hundred Masters, only three would be Grand Banders.


    But Rian was sure to be one, as all of the Roman family did in the past.


    This was why he was the captain of the 3rd Knight Guard.


    This was also why Celine hated to admit that the man next to her was already a Grand Bander.

 Chapter 19: Clash

    <h4>Chapter 19: sh</h4>


    The Sdar family that reigned before the current Craden Kingdom had ruled the kingdom for over a hundred years. It was, after all, one of the three warrior families of the kingdom.


    The ¡®Flower of Lightning¡¯ was an exceptional Bander-Roa that was created by the first Sdar that helped create many Masters within the family. It helped them keep the monopoly on trade, the iron ores, and reign over many noble families.


    After proving themselves worthy, the Sdar family ruled the kingdom for close to a hundred years without anypetitors.


    The reason for their downfall was simple.


    After seventh generation of the Sdar family, there was no Grand Bander. Marquis Craden, however, had acquired a Grand Bander from the subsidiary Kiraine family. This was Swordmeister Kiraine of the present day.


    This turned the tides against the Sdars. One Grand Bander wasn¡¯t enough to fight against the entire Sdar family, but they also could not fight against a Grand Bander, an asset to the kingdom.


    It helped the Craden family build its power and build the Noble Faction to challenge the Sdar family.


    After they were dethroned, the Sdar family returned to being one of the three warrior families of the kingdom.


    The Swordmeister Kiraine would¡¯ve been able to put up a fight as the center, but he realized he wasn¡¯t talented in running the kingdom and helped the lord of the Cradens to rise to the throne.


    <If the Cradens seized the throne with the power of a Grand Bander, why can¡¯t I? A Grand Bander can¡¯t do the same thing?>


    Such was a thought of Marquis Narasha¡¯s after he became a Grand Bander. He was an ambitious man from the start. It had been going well. He was surrounded by talented and powerful individuals and everything surpassed the Royal family now. It just needed to be proven.


    The incidents that urred at the capital represented a simple tactic to start with, but it did not go as nned. He did not worry about being stopped as the fighting warriors were too strong to be stopped.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe this.¡¯


    ¡°...So, Kial was locked up until now and you brought him back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, milord. He just woke up from being unconscious from the blow to his head. He is being treated by one of our Exers.¡±


    Marquis Narasha sighed after listening to the report.


    There was more. People from the other areas seeded in creating a ruckus and moved out, but everyone who was at El-Lua Road was arrested. Kial was one of them.


    ¡°Did the 3rd Knight Guard deploy all their forces to the streets?¡±


    There was a possibility. El-Lua was the most wealth-concentrated road of the kingdom after all.


    ¡°No, milord. Captain Rian ordered Lieutenant Celine and one of Guarran-Tias to patrol the area and dispersed all the other men to different districts. That¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t drag on in the other districts as the Knight Guards arrived sooner than expected.¡±


    The Marquis began to think about what had happened. He suspected an attack from the Royalists, but that wasn¡¯t likely. It was reported that even the Royalists were arrested at the scene.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. I should talk to Kial myself. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°So... you were fighting and fell unconscious?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, milord. I am sorry I let you down. I am not sure what happened.¡±


    Marquis frowned as he examined Kial¡¯s wound.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to be sorry.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Go and have some rest.¡±


    The Marquis came back to his office and dived into deep thought.


    ¡®What happened...?¡¯


    He understood the moment he saw the wound. He already suspected that Kial, a Master-level warrior, had been subdued in an instant.


    ¡®There is a new Grand Bander.¡¯


    The wound indicated a very powerful individual¡¯s presence. The Marquis knew this as he too was a Grand Bander. There would be a simr wound if he were to subdue Kial also. It was beyond his control, so there was no need for him to be apologetic.


    It couldn¡¯t have been Swordmeister Kiraine or Count Roman. They were talking with other higher-ranking nobles within the pce with the Marquis himself. He had tied them into the Royal Pce to keep them away from the streets as his faction was stronger without any Grand Banders present.


    There was no chance that the Grand Bander hade from a foreign country, so it must be from within. But no one knew who it was.


    This called for a need to change the n.


    The Grand Bander subdued both factions, so there was a possibility that this new Grand Bander was neutral, but it wasn¡¯t certain. Not much information was avable.


    The Marquis wanted victory. If this mysterious Grand Bander kept on keeping the peace of the streets or turning his back on him, then all his ns to pressure the Royalists would fail. The Masters who returned from the Wall weren¡¯t enough. Even the Marquis himself could fight all twenty-six Masters from his own faction with a little bit of danger. If he handled them all one-by-one, there was no way for them to fight back.


    The Marquis then thought of bringing <Them> in. They were what gave him hope against fighting both the Kharan and Taran Kingdoms at once. They only joined because the Marquis had what they wanted. But he shook away the thoughts. They were too dangerous. They were not to be involved with the internal conflict.


    Nothing was certain about the Grand Bander yet anyway. Maybe it wasn¡¯t even a Grand Bander.


    He decided to stay back and watch while continuing to shake up the capital more. It would help him watch out for the possible Grand Bander in hiding. Then he moved out of his office, down to where his advisors were to craft up future ns.


    ¡°My shift is done. I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Sian finished beating up thest man and fastened his sword to his belt. There was another blue signal the was fired air at a distance but to Sian, it was for the next shift.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Celine sighed. Sian seemed like he felt no responsibility for his job. The blue signal meant the area was being smashed into pieces, but Sian did not care. She understood why Sharlotte hated him so much.


    Celine gave up on persuading him as she found it wasn¡¯t possible after ten days of working with him and ran to the area by herself.


    Sian felt bad as he saw Celine running off, but he defended himself by thinking he had done a lot of work for the day. He had been doing more work than what he was getting paid for.


    For three days straight, blue signals fired up continuously only around the El-Lua roads. He had to work two times more than usual. He thought he ought to be awarded as ¡®Guarran-Tia of the Month.¡¯ (Celine wanted to make Sian write a formal apology letter, but he did not know.)


    And all these men who were causing the ruckus had eyes watching them from distance. Sian had nothing to hide so these men were definitely bad criminals to have a man to watch out for them.


    So he rolled up his sleeves and beat up these men under the name of justice. (It wasn¡¯t because he feared they woulde back to cause more problems if he did not beat them up to stay in a bed for two weeks.)


    He feared it would cause problems if he were caught doing this, so he also knocked the watchers unconscious beforepleting his work.


    He felt bad for attacking the watchers who were just doing their jobs, but he did their job by putting down these criminals anyway so it was okay.


    ¡®I need a vacation.¡¯


    Sian wanted a vacation so bad. Ten hours of work per day was too much for him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t let this go on. Let¡¯s take care of it.¡¯


    He could not waste more manpower so he kept it going for three more days. It was decided because this mysterious Grand Bander did not severely harm his men.


    He riled up some arrogant warriors (they were bound to get beaten up so he thought it was a good lesson for them) and let them loose on El-Lua to pick fights. They also had a watcher to keep an eye on them to see who this Grand Bander was.


    He wanted to take a look himself, but he couldn¡¯te out of the Royal Pce as Kiraine would follow him out if he did.


    Yet it did not go as nned. The warriors and watchers were all beaten up and fell unconscious. None of them knew what had happened.


    He learned a few things however.


    1. Men only fell unconscious at the district where Lieutenant Celine of the 3rd Knight Guard was patrolling.


    2. The Grand Bander did not interfere outside of the hours between 8:00 and 18:00.


    3. Watchers who were one thousand feet away were attacked, which meant that there was an aplice.


    4. It seemed the Grand Bander realized he was being tested as the warriors were beaten up more heavily during the past three days. It looked like a warning.


    5. He only intervened during certain times and acted like a Guarran-Tia, which meant that he wanted the Marquis to stop pestering him.


    Celine couldn¡¯t have done this. She was weak and young. Even if she hid her true power, she was only thirty-five years old. There was no way she was a Grand Bander.


    He did hear the Guarran-Tia at the district was Count Roman¡¯s second son, but he was only seventeen so it wasn¡¯t possible.


    He had failed to find out who this new Grand Bander was and what he was up to. But he had no time on his hands and he needed to make a decision.


    ¡°Shake up all areas outside of El-Lua. I will take care of the inside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milord.¡±


    There was no time to waste anymore. It was best to keep El-Lua out of focus, but it would make him look weak and make people think he was avoiding Kiraine and the Royalists from the road.


    Marquis decided he needed to ask <Them> once and for all. He hated to get rid of a Grand Bander like this, but it seemed like it was going to help him if he was hiding like this anyway.


    Losing a Grand Bander, or a great asset, was pitiful, but he needed to be a king to use <Them> which were more powerful.


    He then opened up a small teleportation rune at his office. It was to call <Them> who were residing within the Narasha Estate.


    They woulde immediately and solve the problem.


    If only he knew it was Sian who was causing trouble, otherwise he would¡¯ve given Sian a long vacation and that would¡¯ve easily solved the problem.


    It was unfortunate for both Sian and Marquis Narasha.

 Chapter 20: Kal-Kirat

    <h4>Chapter 20: Kal-Kirat</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. How have you been?¡±


    Marquis Narasha spoke to an empty area in the basement beneath his mansion. It wasn¡¯t exactly empty as something was swirling in the emptiness in the shapes of humans. There were a lot of them.


    The swirling shadows replied a low, eerie voice,


    <Yes... It is... like heaven here. However... food is bad.>


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you that was tired of Harijan meat? Haha, but there is no food better than that anywhere else.¡±


    <I see... not everything is perfect...>


    ¡°Anyway, thank you foring so quickly. It has only been a short while since I called for you. It¡¯s always amazing to see. I reckon you all heard about what¡¯s going on?¡±


    <Yes... We have heard that there is an obstacle to our goal. So you want... the Grand Bander killed?>


    ¡°Yes. Someone is hindering our ns. I don¡¯t know who he is, but it must be easy for you to find out, I assume?¡±


    <Yes. This should be easy... we have some who were getting tired of staying hidden.>


    ¡°I see. I guess you didn¡¯t need to bring all of you here for such a thing.¡±


    The Marquis answered, but he felt bitter within. He said that killing a Grand Bander was nothing when he himself was a Grand Bander. He did not consider himself to be most powerful in the world, but it felt bitter to feel powerless.


    <Then... we will start now. It¡¯s better... to solve things quickly. We assume this man will be simr... to your power?>


    ¡°Yes, here¡¯s the report for basic information. Make sure you do not kill the two men in the report, that will ruin the n. We just need to remove the Grand Bander who is standing in our way.¡±


    The Marquis handed over the report and the drawings of Count Roman and Swordmeister Kiraine.


    These two were from opposite factions, but they were also pirs of the kingdom. They were important figures of the kingdom. If they were harmed, it would result in problems.


    <Understood... We will take care... of our work... Kirat... go out and find... We will stay at the ce... the Marquis provided... We will move... once Kirat finds out.>


    At that moment, a small swirl disappeared, and the others followed. Soon, the Marquis was left alone in the basement.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if this is the best choice.¡¯


    These were hisst resort to bring in to fight against other countries. He feared them when he faced them for the first time, but he was also filled with joy. They were dangerous but worthy as a powerful weapon. After hiding them within his estate, he began to form a new n for the best-case scenario. They were to be feared, but it could not be Tian who feared them.


    They were too dangerous to bring into the kingdom¡¯s affairs like this, but there was no other choice.


    He left the basement and headed to the strategy room, where his advisors were waiting.


    Sian was sure that the War God had been watching over him in the recent days. There were no blue signals for the past few days, and El-Lua was peaceful. The other districts outside of his area still had problems, but he did not care. Because of this, Celine also had to go help the other districts, which gave Sianplete freedom.


    As he patrolled the quiet road, he found something strange.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    It was a transparent, smoky, or watery-like thing moving about on the streets. It seemed that people could not see it as they were not bothered, even when it moved right next to them.


    ¡®Is it smelling something?¡¯


    It was moving all about the street, especially the damaged areas. To Sian, it seemed like it was sniffing at the damaged area. Sian began to rationalize the situation:


    1. That being is very bizarre, so I should go check it out as a Guarran-Tia.


    2. Others cannot see it so I can im I did not see it also if it bes a problem. Besides, it seems that it will cause headaches if I get involved.


    Then he realized he did not need to think about the situation.


    ¡®Let¡¯s just move away.¡¯


    There was no reason to interfere with it. He just needed to move away without doing anything. He turned to the alleyway leading out of the main road. At that moment, the thing seemed to notice him and began heading directly at him at a fast pace.


    ¡®Please go away, please go away! War God! Please!¡¯


    He kept on walking, pretending that he didn¡¯t notice, but his plea to the War God failed.


    The thing came up to his face and began sending a strange flow of energy at him. It was just like that feeling from Lady Shuville at Lady Elon¡¯s home, and he instinctively reflected the flow without realizing it. At that moment, the thing began shaking severely as if it had met an earthquake.


    After a loud thud, the swirl dissipated and a small girl dropped out of it. She looked at Sian nkly and then fell unconscious.


    ¡®Oh no...¡¯


    Sian felt people gathering, mumbling amongst themselves at the sight, and sighed.


    Kal-Rasha thought of her younger sister, who went on a quest to search for the individual at the Marquis¡¯ request. She was sure her sister would finish the job perfectly. After all, she was the sessor of the name ¡®Kal.¡¯


    Even among the Exers, she was the most powerful, as well as exquisite.


    Kal-Kirat, her beloved sister.


    The ce where she hade from was a living hell. There was nothing she could think of other than survive. She and her people needed to fight day to day to survive, killing Harijans and eating them. They kept moving south as the Harijans in the south were weaker, but it took them a long time. Under the order of the Seven Elders, they moved south, passing by the fallen Empire. After a few hundred years, they arrived and were blocked by the great wall, protected by humans.


    The leader of those humans offered to aid them. They helped them move over the wall, and gave them a ce to stay.


    They finally seeded in surviving, over thousands of their people¡¯s dead bodies in the cursed Empire¡¯snd.


    This ce, however, was too peaceful.


    They did not see many humans, but Marquis Narasha seemed like he was one of the strongest among them. She remembered talking among his people, realizing how peaceful their ce was.


    Eleven of them followed the Elders to help the Marquis who asked for their aid. It seemed like too many to kill just one person, but they were bored, so the Elders approved.


    Once Kirat returned with the information on the target, they would move out. They did not know how Kirat was so good at finding people or information, and she did not exin in detail.


    All of them did not know much about the others within as it was taboo for them to ask in-depth questions about each other. All they needed was to believe and show results.


    They just needed to wait for Kirat to show the way, as she always did.


    Kal-Rasha then turned to the food that was served in front of her; it was called dessert. The food wasn¡¯t better than Harijan meat, but this dessert was amazing. She needed to eat a lot of it once she had the chance.

 Chapter 21: Kal-Kirat

    <h4>Chapter 21: Kal-Kirat</h4>


    <Exers are fascinating beings. No one can predict what they can do. Oh, of course, I¡¯m still stronger.>


    ck Moon Kara-Kal, Ra-Bander from 150 years ago-


    .......


    Kal-Kirat. Her name. The Pathfinder of her people.


    She had a hidden power that she never revealed to anyone. Only her sister Rasha knew of that power. Kirat had never heard of anyone having a simr power, even after secretly looking into it when she arrived here.


    <Seeing strange writings in the air, exining the object being looked at.>


    Sometimes it was detailed, and sometimes it was not. Other times, it had abination of unrecognizable words. However, one thing was sure.


    <It was very urate and helped tremendously.>


    This power helped her people survive as it allowed them to reach and move past the wall. It helped them move across the distance that would¡¯ve taken them a hundred years in just ten years after she acquired the power. It was this power that helped them meet with the Marquis in the first ce.


    They did not hear any detailed information about the target from the Marquis, but with Kirat¡¯s power, they were not worried.


    Needless to say, as she was listening to the Marquis and the Elders talk, a strange box popped up in the air in front of her. Sometimes it guided the path she needed to take.


    [New quest avable. Will you ept?]


    [Request from Marquis Narasha. YES / NO]


    If she epted the quest, then it would show detailed directions on where she needed to go and provide her with various information that could help her finish her task.


    She chose ¡®YES,¡¯ and it started showing information.


    [You have epted ¡®Request from Marquis Narasha.¡¯]


    [As per the Fifth Elder¡¯s order, go out to El-Lua Road. Look for traces of the unknown target.]


    [Reward: 1450 Exp. Trust of the Fifth Elder. Increase in investigation skill.]


    She did not know where this El-Lua Road was, but was not worried. The map would soon pop up next to her. When she left the basement, she began moving in the direction the map showed. She did not need to think; she just needed to follow the guidance from the map.


    El-Lua Road was very clean and majestic. If it weren¡¯t for her task, she would enjoy the view and look for a store where ¡®desserts¡¯ were sold, but there was no time to waste. The ce where the map guided her to was different as it was in ruins. People were working hard to repair it.


    [You have arrived at El-Lua Road.]


    [Mission: Investigate the traces of the battle.]


    -This ce bears the traces of battle between Kial (Knight Guard Retiree, 44 years old) Returnee of Marquis Narasha¡¯s faction and Karan (Knight Guard Retiree, 43 years old) Returnee from the Royalist faction.


    -The two had been fighting until they were subdued by an unknown individual. Look for traces of him.


    The quest included useless information like it always did and told her what to do. (She had no use for the information about their age or old jobs.)


    She was hidden using a secret technique from her people called Zengar-ng so she could investigate slowly.


    [You have found ¡®Broken rock from Sir Kial¡¯s sword.¡¯]


    [You have found ¡®Ornament from Sir Karan¡¯s sword.¡¯]


    [You have found ¡®Evidence of affair from store owner.¡¯]


    Various pieces of useless information filled her view, but she did not give up. The quest had guided her here, so there must be a trace. Finally, she found the trace she was looking for.


    [You have found ¡®Button from unknown man.¡¯]


    [Mission: Look for the scent.]


    -You have found a button that the unknown man dropped. He dropped it as he swung his sword around.


    -The button still holds its owner¡¯s scent. Trace the scent and locate the man.


    ¡®This will be easy.¡¯


    Kirat used the skill that she learned when she went on missions. It helped her people get out of dangerous situations multiple times.


    [Activated skill <Jarban¡¯s Nose>]


    -Your ¡®smell¡¯ ability has increased by arge margin.


    -You have memorized a specific scent.


    -You will need to be within a 30-yard radius to locate the owner of this scent.


    The Marquis¡¯ report imed the individual was living nearby. It would mean she would just need to walk around carefully, which she did.


    Not long after, she heard an rm and some information popped up.


    [Sess.]


    -Scent has been tracked.


    -Distance: 24 yards.


    She nced around quickly and found the man.


    ¡®Huh? Did the skill get it wrong?¡¯


    Her skill had never failed her, but this time she was filled with doubt. The man had a confused look and did not feel strong at all. After surviving thend of death in the north, she acquired animal-like instincts, and they warned her whenever there was a dangerous individual nearby.


    This man triggered no such warnings.


    ¡®I was told he is a Grand Bander... but I would¡¯ve known if he was.¡¯


    However, it was definite that he was the man she was looking for.


    The skills and information never lied to her, and he was looking directly at her anyway. He seemed annoyed to see her and was moving away to avoid her. Even Masters could not sense her when she was using her hiding skill, so she was sure that he was strong.


    Kirat decided to check on him before he returned home.


    If he was a Grand Bander, the hiding skill wasn¡¯t enough, but she had more than that. Even the Elders could not find her if she used all her skills unless she intended to attack. But she had no such intention this time, so it seemed possible.


    [Activated skill ¡®Footsteps of Fairy Queen¡¯]


    -You are setting foot into a different dimension. Your trace has decreased greatly.


    [Activated skill ¡®From the darkness¡¯]


    -Your ability to hide from the five senses has greatly increased.


    [Activated skill ¡®Lingering Memories¡¯]


    -Your presence fades, making it harder to recognize. Affects Banders and Exars.


    After using all of her skills, Kirat used all her might to use Zengar-ng and approached the man. If she drew close, the information would pop up, and she just needed to check it.


    As soon as she approached, as expected, a box popped up.


    [Sess!]


    -You have found the unknown man


    -Questpleted: Acquired 1450 Exp, Maintained the trust of the Fifth Elder, Increased investigation skill.


    -Go back to the Fifth Elder and report for the next order.


    The missionpletion proved that he was the target. It felt strange that she couldn¡¯t feel anything, so she used another skill.


    [Activating skill <Eye of the Avant Garde>]


    -Begin analyzing the target.


    This skill allowed her to investigate the target¡¯s details and even their weaknesses. It was one of her best skills. It had even helped her people fight two six-horned Harijans. It had cost them three Elders and many others, but it still helped them significantly reduce the number of casualties.


    It was at that moment.


    [Sess!]


    -Target: Sian von Roman.


    -Analyzing... failed. You cannot examine a target that is much higher-leveled than you.


    -Skill has been detected. Skill has been canceled.


    ¡®...what?¡¯


    At that moment, Kirat felt as if she had been struck with a hammer from within. The energy from her skill being canceled rebounded at her. Her inner flow was disrupted, and she could not activate her skills. She felt dizzy as all her skills were canceled, including Zengar-ng. Her sight went dark, and she fell unconscious.

 Chapter 22: Kal-Kirat

    <h4>Chapter 22: Kal-Kirat</h4>


    ¡°...So you abandoned your duty and came to rest?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t abandoned my duty, don¡¯t say that! She came up to me and fell! It was an emergency, so I had to return to the post. It was an EMERGENCY, you see?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I was joking. But I can¡¯t trace her identity... there¡¯s nothing on her to prove it. We should ask her when she wakes up.¡±


    Kirat opened her eyes as she heard the noise around her. She could not understand what had happened; she was on a bed.


    ¡®Why am I here...?¡¯


    All she could remember... was a man¡¯s face looking down at her.


    Then, she realized what happened and rose up quickly, ncing around.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re awake. Hello?¡±


    Kirat found the man talking to her as the man she saw before she fell unconscious and became wary.


    ¡°Hey, what did you do to her? Why is she on guard like that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Lady Celine. That¡¯s a false usation.¡±


    Kirat watched the man and woman in front of her talk to each other for a while, before asking, ¡°...where am I?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s an unfamiliar ent. You must not be from here. This is the Guarran-Tia¡¯s headquarters within the capital. You¡¯re here for treatment. I don¡¯t see anything wrong but do you feel anything strange?¡±


    Kirat sighed in relief as she saw the woman talking nicely to her, her identity had not been revealed.


    ¡°I am okay... I think. I am Kiras. Can I go? My parents must be waiting for me.¡±


    Kirat spoke as she had been trained for emergencies in the Marquis mansion. It helped that she only looked fifteen.


    ¡°Of course. Sian, escort her to her parents.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you. You brought her here. You are responsible. Besides, she¡¯s a girl! And everyone else is on duty, unlike you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... understood.¡±


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Kirat frowned, but thought it was an excellent opportunity. The man didn¡¯t seem to be suspicious of her, so she could just say she was an Exer and wanted to prank him. It even seemed like a good chance to get more information as well. At that moment, a status window popped up.


    [Quest. Investigate the individual for details]


    -The mysterious man who beat up Marquis Narasha¡¯s men is Sian von Roman.


    -He is stronger than the Elders, so carefully examine him.


    [Reward: Information about Sian von Roman, Increase in social skill, 800 Exp]


    Kirat smiled as she nodded and rose, holding onto Sian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They began moving towards the mansion where Marquis Narasha had provided for her people to stay.


    ...


    [Status: Kal-Kirat]


    -Survivor of North Great Forest, Descendant of Kal, essor of Ak-Sarai


    -Level: 37


    -Bander: 0


    -Exar: 82,000 / 145,000


    -Skills: Eye of Avant Garde, Jarban¡¯s Nose...


    ...


    Kirat looked over her statuses and checked if anything had happened after falling unconscious. After ensuring nothing was wrong, she turned to Sian who looked very annoyed.


    [Status: Sian von Roman]


    -2nd son of the Roman family. Guarran-Tia


    -Level: ???


    -Bander: ???


    -Exar: ???


    -Skills: ???


    ...


    No details showed up.


    All she found out was his name and job. It would help the Marquis, but she had never experienced something like this, so she was confused. She had never tried it against the Great Elder and the Second Elder who were much more powerful than anyone else out of fear, but she had tried it on the Fifth and Seventh Elder with no problems.


    She tried conversing with Sian, but he seemed too annoyed to chit-chat.


    The mansion was a distance away from the capital, standing alone in the ins, with nothing around it.


    After she arrived, there was nothing else she could do other than give her thanks.


    [Quest failed!]


    -You have failed toplete the quest.


    -There is no penalty for failure.


    -Rmendation to learn more for future missions.


    -You can retry. Retry? YES/NO


    Kirat ignored the window and went to report to the Elders.


    ¡°So have you found a trace of the man?¡±


    <Yes... We seeded.>


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I just asked you for it... So, do you require any more information?¡±


    <Of course... Look into this... ¡®Sian von Roman¡¯ for us.>


    The Marquis looked confused at the name of the second son of the Roman family.


    ¡°The second Roman son? Is he involved in this?¡±


    <Of course he is... he is the one you¡¯ve been looking for... Give us the information... and we will handle it.>


    The Marquis became dazed from the unexpected revtion.


    ¡°Are you... sure it is him?¡±


    <Yes... Our intel is always urate... We are sure... Do you doubt us?>


    ¡°No... It¡¯s just that he is only seventeen years old.¡±


    <...?>


    Even the Fiften Elder was dumbfounded. It was not possible for a seventeen-year-old to be a Grand Bander. Others who were not even close to that level might have thought it was maybe possible. But to the Marquis and the Elder, who were at the level of such strength, both knew it was impossible.


    The Marquis and Swordmeister were barely able to be Grand Banders at the age of sixty. It already surprised him so much when he heard that Count Roman had be a Grand Bander at the age of fifty.


    But at seventeen?


    The Elder continued,


    <I will look into it further... But you should too. Grand Bander or not... this Sian is the one... who subdued your men.>


    ¡°Understood. I will do the same.¡±


    The Elder disappeared with a swirl, and Marquis Narasha delved into his thoughts alone. He did not believe it was possible, but if Sian was the one, then every situation fit in perfectly.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions yet.¡¯


    The Marquis decided to change his ns for an unprecedented event while he waited for the Fifth Elder. Nothing was certain for now.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    Sian frowned as he stared at the girl in front of him. It was Kiras, whom he had escorted home a while ago. She was back with a stranger next to her.


    ¡°Uh... yeah. Hello. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my sister wanted to say thanks for helping me.¡±


    ¡°Hello Sir, I am Raat. I heard my sister put you into some trouble... so I came to invite you over for dinner.¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s beautiful,¡¯ Sian thought as he looked at the woman named Raat. Now he realized that Kiras would look promising when she grew up.


    ¡°How about a dinner at a restaurant after your shift is over? I am always worried about my sister, and I have to repay you for what you¡¯ve done for her. I already made a reservation at <Lagron¡¯s Forest>.¡±


    He had time, but he was suspicious, so he couldn¡¯t quickly make up his mind. Kirat and Rasha tried hard to persuade him. The Fiften Elder wanted to look further into the man before making any moves. The report stated that Sian loved eating, and he even epted the invitation from Viscount Kirion¡¯s daughter, Elon, for good food. They decided he would be wary of an invitation from a stranger, so they reserved a famous restaurant within the capital.


    Sian finally epted the offer.


    ¡°Hm... I guess I can¡¯t refuse! I will go once my shift is finished.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You can go with us once you are done with your shift.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a ce to stay until then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. We heard there¡¯s a great dessert ce nearby. We¡¯ll stay there until then.¡±


    The sisters turned and left as Sian thought to himself that it was to do a good deed andplimented himself, daydreaming of what a good time he would have at the dinner.

 Chapter 23: A Trap

    <h4>Chapter 23: A Trap</h4>


    Sian made his way to <Lagron¡¯s Forest> in delight. The sisters looked a little suspicious, but there was no way that they were of any danger to him and the ce was in the middle of the capital, so he was relieved.


    As he enjoyed the food, Rasha and Kirat focused on examining Sian. He seemed to be rxed with the good food and he actively joined their discussion.


    ¡°So... your parents are merchants that trade with the Con Kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are away right now, so my sister and I are the only ones at the mansion along with some workers. Oh, Kiras, don¡¯t you need to apologize for something?¡±


    ¡°Oh... I am sorry for what I did, Sir Sian.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She loves to prank people, but she¡¯s a lonely girl.¡±


    They apologized ording to their n. Carrying out an examination on a public road while hidden from ordinary people was not something anyone could do, and it required an exnation. Luckily, Marquis Narasha had acquired an artifact that could make one invisible. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it seemed like it would be a good exnation.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miss Raat and Miss Kiras. Don¡¯t mind it too much. Besides, her falling unconscious was my fault. I should be the one who needs to apologize.¡±


    Sian replied politely without thinking, but the sisters were startled. What he said meant that he knew she tried to scan him. They did not expect this. No Bander user had ever sensed the Exar that was used to examine them.


    ¡°Sir Sian... What do you mean that it is your fault?¡± Rasha asked calmly, pretending not to be surprised. She needed to find out what he knew. Sian became curious and answered, ¡°Aren¡¯t you apologizing for Miss Kiras using Exar on me? It¡¯s okay, she could¡¯ve just been curious.¡±


    Sian had already experienced it once from Shuville, so he thought Kiras was an Exer. Exer abilities varied a lot, so he was not sure what she was trying to do, but a young girl like her didn¡¯t seem to have bad intentions.


    Rasha and Kirat were relieved that Sian did not know what they were trying to do. But they also raised their guard against him for being able to sense such a weak flow of Exar. As such, they could no longer investigate as Sian might grow suspicious.


    *


    ¡°Elder, did the Marquis contact you back?¡±


    Keratan, one of the people, asked the Fifth Elder. No one in their group doubted that they could kill the man. Even if he was a genius who had be a Grand Bander at the age of seventeen, it still seemed possible.


    The only thing that stopped them was Marquis Narasha, who was hesitant after he found out that the man was the son of the Roman family.


    <If he bes a problem in the future... I guess we have no choice. But you should not be discovered. Even if you do, you should not leave a trail that leads back to us. The Count is neutral for now, but his son¡¯s death will not keep him neutral any longer.>


    The Elder gave his answer as no one in the capital knew that they were rted to the Marquis. They were going to lure him out of the capital before taking care of him.


    <Yes... the Marquis has decided... Let¡¯s be quick... We will do it as nned..>


    Everyone seemed excited to hear that. They were excited to be able to fight after such a long time. Kirat and Rasha however, looked concerned, but they shook it off start preparations.


    ¡°Dinner... Dinner... Heh.¡±


    Sian was heading to Raat and Kiras¡¯ mansion with a bright smile on his face. Their parents had invited him over after returning from their travels. He couldn¡¯t go empty-handed, so he purchased a small gift beforehand. He was looking forward to having dinner with the beautiful Raat and the soon-to-be beautiful Kiras. He knocked on the door when he arrived.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Wee, Sir Sian von Roman. They are waiting inside. Please,e in.¡±


    A man invited him in, and Sian smelled the scent of good food as he entered. However, something seemed off.


    ¡®It¡¯s too quiet...¡¯


    Sian thought that the return of merchants would cause more activity, but the mansion was too quiet. He dismissed it thinking that it could have been because their father who hated noise and decided to focus on the dinner.


    ¡°Greetings! I heard my daughters caused you much trouble! I am Keratan. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    Sian walked into the dining area. There were guards inside the room.


    ¡°Where is Miss Kiras?¡± Sian asked, and Keretan answered with a smile,


    ¡°She is not here. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    Sian looked confused, but Keratan drew the sword at his waist, which Sian had thought to be decorative, and lunged at him. At that signal, all the guards inside the room attacked Sian.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel good.¡¯


    Kirat thought as she watched the mansion from a nearby hill. She was not a fighter, so she had to retreat. She wasn¡¯t weak, but fighting was not her specialty. Their n was perfect.


    <Call him out to the mansion and kill him.>


    It was simple but effective.


    The mansion had no recorded owner and no people living nearby. They hated using excessive force, so they prepared an ambush. Their life in the Great North Forest did not give them the luxury of mercy. They had to kill anyone in their path at all costs to survive.


    The Fifth Elder had lived for fifty years after bing a Grand Bander.


    Even if the man were a Grand Bander, he would not stand a chance.


    However, Kirat was worried.


    Intense energy was leaking out of the mansion, signaling the beginning of a fight. Kirat decided to keep watching and tried to activate her skill when a quest window popped up.


    [Quest: Rescue Kal-Rasha and your people.]


    -Your people are in danger. Rescue them.


    [Reward: Rescuing Kal-Rasha: 40,000 Exp. The rest: 20,000 Exp per person.]


    Kirat¡¯s face turned grim. Her people, including her sister, was in danger... The reward Exp was high; it meant that the task was very hard. Kirat began running toward the mansion. At that moment, an enormous, pressuring force of vicious energy burst out of the mansion.


    ¡®Ugh...!¡¯


    She almost fainted but steadied herself. She needed to save her sister.


    Sian looked at the sword lunging at him and wondered, ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    He was expecting a good meal, but the man iming to be the father of Miss Raat was trying to impale him with a sword. All the guards surrounding him also didn¡¯t seem like regr guards.


    All of them were stronger than his brother. What was weirder was that Miss Raat was among those guards.


    ¡®Did Miss Kiras die from her injuries or something?¡¯


    It seemed absurd, but he could think of no other exnation. As he was pondering, he saw that Keratan¡¯s sharp sword had almost reached his nose.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s beat them up and ask.¡¯


    There had to be a reason for them to attack, as even Miss Raat, who was so kind, was among the attackers. He had been doing good deeds until now, and it wouldn¡¯t be right to kill them without knowing the reason. Thinking this way, heplimented himself for being merciful and drew his sword from his belt.


    After dodging the sword that almost reached his eyes, he tried to strike the guard next to him, but he was stopped. He felt his body being frozen by a strong, dark Exar clinging onto him. He looked over and found a woman disguised as a maid looking at him, swirling Exar over him.


    He tried to shrug it off, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    Adding to that, a strong force approached him from behind.


    ¡®This is about... Father¡¯s? No, a bit stronger.¡¯


    His father¡¯s force felt more dignified, while this force behind him felt more vicious and angry. He couldn¡¯t avoid it while thinking of other things like he did before.


    He quickly moved his sword to block the attack from the back. After parrying the attacks from all sides, he moved to a corner of the room.


    ¡°Hmm... Can we solve this with a talk? I haven¡¯t killed anyone yet, so I wish to resolve this peacefully.¡±


    Keratan and the others smirked. They liked that he was honest, but he had to be killed. They all attacked.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t they listen?¡¯


    Sian sighed. They were trying their best, putting their lives on the line, but he was just annoyed. It would¡¯ve been great if he could finish all of them with a smack to their heads. However, these people were strong, and a man who looked especially strong on the other side didn¡¯t seem to want to let him do that so easily.


    He decided to use his power just for a bit.


    ¡°Ugh... I hate this, but you started it, so...¡±


    Sian unleashed ¡®something¡¯ that he had locked up five years ago.

 Chapter 24: Pa-Harijan

    <h4>Chapter 24: Pa-Harijan</h4>


    When Sian broke the wall that blocked him from advancing, he felt a strange feeling reeling within him.


    <Everything seems pointless and nothing is worth it anymore.>


    He did not hate the feeling. He had no interest in other things than using the sword.


    He was busy trying different things with his swords after breaking the wall, so it did not bother him much. Yet, other than training, everything else became pointless.


    He could not understand why his brother worked so hard in the Knight Guard and why his mother insisting on helping neighbors and people around them. He even felt sad for his father who worked hard for the family.


    All the rules, traditions, and lifestyles made by humans did not seem to fit him. He didn¡¯t want to follow anything.


    <Freedom from all things that can enforce>


    The only thing that held him back was the families who could be sad if he somehow ended up different from their perceptions. That made him lock up the new strength which filled him with strange thoughts. It brought him back to normal and he decided to not use the power if possible.


    <This power distances the user from being human.>


    As long as his family lived, he wanted to stay human. That¡¯s when he began trying to fit in with the people. He tried to learn and stay within the humanws and learned the mannerisms and ways of the people. He was still consideredzy, but that was his best.


    Locking up the power did not stop him from gaining more power and learning new things, so there was no problem. After the incident, he also was now able to hide his true power from anyone, including his father.


    It was the best state he could ever wish for and he wished it could¡¯ve continued on as is.


    He wished he would never have to use the power again and avoided any possible conflicts.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Sian shivered at the refreshing feeling that he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. Just five seconds ago, he was going to clear this ce up and lock the power back in again. But why?


    ¡®Why do I need to do that?¡¯


    It was so refreshing. He could feel everything around him. The senses that already made him superhuman was now god-like and the power that could crush mountains lingered in his palms.


    Humanity? That¡¯s for humans.


    He felt like a fool for trying to stay within the boundary of people.


    ¡®Do all Ra-Banders feel this way?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t sure. But one thing was certain.


    <Everything feels so worthless. There must be something worth challenging.>


    That¡¯s probably why they all left human society.


    The Ra-Bander that fought against six-horned Harijans or Kuradans who destroyed the mountain range probably felt the same.


    ¡®What should I try?¡¯


    Sian realized there was one thing he had to take care of before.


    ¡®What should I do with these?¡¯


    He looked at the eleven people who froze in fear of the energy st that urred as he unlocked the power. He smiled and made his decision.


    ¡®Let¡¯s kill them all.¡¯


    There was no specific reason.


    <That seems to be the best idea.>


    This was also to respect himself from ten seconds ago. The Sian from ten seconds ago wanted him to take care of the situation, so he decided to do it.


    At once, a space on his palm began to distort itself. It was the first time he was using the power, so he couldn¡¯t control it properly, wasting most it. But it did not matter. He was strong. Stronger than anyone. Sian decided to practice using his power on the surrounding people and began walking up to them.


    <This... cannot be...>


    The Fifth Elder could not pull himself together at the evil energy that sted out from the man. The only thing that stopped them from fainting was the simr experience they had from before.


    <Battle with a pair of six-horned Harijans>


    It was the vicious energy that radiated from the monsters, trying to tear them into pieces which made them feel dizzy. If it wasn¡¯t for the Great Elder, the Second Elder and Kirat, they would¡¯ve all died.


    But this was much worse. The man walking toward them was smiling, and he was definitely going to kill them all.


    The Elder did not take off his gaze off the man and spoke to his people in theirnguage.


    <We... need to run... now. I will hold him... spread out... Rasha... go take Kirat... run to Great Elder...>


    Everyone nodded as they bit their lips. Kirat was the most important among them all. Each one of them represented one of the many warriors, including the Fifth Elder, but Kirat and her special Exar power that enabled her to guide their people made her unique and valuable. They needed to buy time for Rasha to sessfully flee with Kirat into safety.


    The Fifth Elder then took out his weapon from within. He needed to attack when his enemy unexpected it the most.


    <Now!!!>


    The Elder shouted and blocked Sian. The other ten people began running out.


    The Fifth Elder took out a weapon crafted by the Second Elder.


    They moved south and fought many Harijans.


    All the leftovers from killing those monsters were theirs.


    They ate the meat, gathered blood to make medicines, and they used Talic Stones to craft arms.


    They had to grow stronger to survive. Most of the Harijans they fought were four-horned, but sometimes there were five-horned ones.


    The Second Elder then collected many Talic Stones from those five-horned Harijans and created powerful artifacts. They had to use Talic Stones to survive through the battles, so the number of artifacts crafted were small and they were given to the other Elders and elite warriors.


    The power went unmatched and even proved powerful enough to cut down the arms of a six-horned Harijan.


    <Karmata>


    It was the name of the weapon.


    It was so strong that the Fifth Elder restrained from using the weapon as it would make him rely too much on the weapon. He was certain that there were very little people in the world that he could not defeat with the weapon.


    <The world... is toorge... the War God that your people believe in... must have been crazy... to make a man like you...>


    The Elder spoke, gritting his teeth. The man in front of him was at least equal, or probably stronger than the Great Elder.


    A Grand Bander at seventeen was impossible.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. The world isrge after all. That¡¯s why you have to y nice.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to care about the others who were running away. He also seemed much less polite. The Elder looked at the distorted space upon his palm and began moving Bander into Karmata.


    ¡®I need to buy time...¡¯


    A golden light began emanating from Karmata as Bander began flowing into the de. Its light was a force that was meant to destroy everything it touched.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    But Sian did not seem to mind. Not that the Elder expected him to mind anyway. He was relieved that it interested the man so he could buy a little more time. Sian, who seemed to realize what the Elder was thinking, smiled.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve waited long enough then? Come on now, I gave them enough time to run...¡±


    The Elder charged instantly, sting out the Bander he concentrated on the body and swung Karmata at Sian. There was no swooshing sound as Karmata destroyed everything, even the air, in its path. The only thing that it left was the trace of a golden streak.


    ¡®...! Did it hit?¡¯


    The Elder heard a thudding sound and a resistance on the weapon. He did not expect to hit him at all.


    But it was beyond his expectation. His attack was stopped by a hand. Sian continued, ¡°Away. You, old man, are so rude! I was in the middle of talking.¡±


    <ARRGH!!>


    The Elder could not take the sword out of Sian¡¯s grasp and gave up. He then concentrated all of his Bander and smashed it on Karmata¡¯s hilt, trying to bash it into the enemy. A loud crashing sound was heard and Karmata wobbled like crazy. It wasn¡¯t because Sian was moving. The sword was iling against the powerful strike. Sian was still looking at the Karmata he was holding onto.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at this stuff... but this is really well-made.¡±


    The weapon let out golden light, trying to destroy the target, but it was helpless as the owner was no longer holding it and the light began to dissipate. The Elder was standing a few feet back in shock.


    ¡°Oh. Did you know?¡±


    The Elder turned to Sian as he smiled and asked his question.


    ¡°The time limit is over.¡±


    Sian grabbed Karmata¡¯s handle and swung it around. It was like a simple practice swing, but the result was catastrophic. The area in front of him was sliced in a line. It was hard to see, but it had clearly been divided into two. And it spread out from the inside to the outside, to hundreds of yards where ten of his people were running off to.


    <...No...>


    The Elder was struck with despair.

 Chapter 25: Pa-Harijan

    <h4>Chapter 25: Pa-Harijan</h4>


    Kal-Rasha was desperately running toward her sister. She wasn¡¯t this desperate when she ran from the Harijans. They weren¡¯t sure how long Elder could hold the man in ce. She needed to get Kirat out to safety.


    ¡®What went wrong?¡¯


    It looked like an easy task when Marquis Narasha asked them. Even after they examined the target, it seemed so easy. The man followed them to dinner without any suspicion, and even when he ate, he seemed to have put down all guards against her. She was worried since the man was said to be a Grand Bander, but he was a letdown.


    He may be strong, but he was nothing they needed to worry about. Yet the tide had turned instantly.


    He was hiding the evil within him.


    It began to make sense. That was why he was so rxed and didn¡¯t seem to be afraid about anything. He didn¡¯t need to be afraid. There was nothing that could threaten him.


    She suddenly remembered the term Ra-Bander, which these people used.


    <Disaster in human form>


    Rasha realized the true meaning of the name.


    ¡®Please! Please! Please!¡¯


    Rasha ran toward her sister who was running down from the hill.


    The Elder seemed to be sessful in buying enough time. She looked around and the found others still running in one piece. She shouted at her sister.


    ¡°Kirat! Use the skill!¡±


    The skill that brought them here was enough to teleport them back at once. It consumed a lot of Talic Stones, but now was the was time to use it. Kirat needed to be saved. She looked at Kirat, relieved from being free from danger, but she was looking at her with a weird face. She stopped running and despair filled her expression.


    ¡°...huh?¡±


    The sky turned upside down and the ground was kicked up into the sky. With the upside-down view, she saw the others being cut in half from the waist and falling down to the ground.


    ¡®Oh... it wasn¡¯t the sky that turned upside down...¡¯


    Rasha looked at Kirat who was screaming in terror as she ran to her. She felt her sight going dark and closed her eyes.


    [Quest failed: Rescue Rasha and the people.]


    -All targets have been killed.


    -2000 Exp has been subtracted as a penalty.


    [The user has been exposed to danger. So by default, the user will be recalled immediately.]


    ¡°NO!!!!¡±


    Kirat screamed as she looked at the status window. For the first time in her life, she wished that the window was wrong. Her sister was running toward her and the enemy was still fighting the Elder. But she was proved that her window never lied, and she saw her sister and others getting cut in half by an unknown force.


    ¡°No... no... ah...¡±


    She ran to her sister¡¯s upper body and cried in despair. That was when she felt she was being teleported back.


    ¡°No...! NO!!!¡±


    There was nothing she could do here, but she couldn¡¯t just return like that. It felt better to die with all of them here. But the setting that kept her safe from danger worked correctly as intended. It had saved her many times from life-threatening situations, but this was the one time she despised it.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case...!¡¯


    Kirat red at Sian who inside the far away mansion that had been sliced in half and activated her skill.


    [Activating skill: <Eye of Avant Garde>]


    -You will take damage due to the difference in levels.


    Using multiple skills at the same time usually caused her to faint, but she was using only one skill. She endured the paining from the skill, but she examined Sian.


    [Analyzed part of the target.]


    [A lot has omitted due to the level differences.]


    She was able to get more information than before. She would return and find out more. Revenge was next.


    ¡®Just wait...¡¯


    Kirat red at Sian as she disappeared with a blue light.


    ¡°It¡¯s really interesting. I was attacked first, but then I be a target of revenge. Did I just need to die? To let people be happy?¡±


    Sian spoke to the dead body of the Fifth Elder as he turned away from Kirat who disappeared. He could feel her use the skill as she red at him until she disappeared. He could¡¯ve canceled the skill, but the Elder charged at him with all his might that distracted him and Kirat was gone.


    ¡®Hm... did I do too much?¡¯


    Sian flinched. It wasn¡¯t too much. They were trying to kill him. He was smiling as he watched the dead man in front of him, then suddenly flipped. He was now looking around sadly.


    ¡°What did I say... I asked you to talk it out, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    There was no good in killing people. Sian locked up the power and looked around grimly before he walked back to the capital.


    ¡®So... they gave up on exacting revenge.¡¯


    The people who were at the Narasha Estate told Kirat what she had expected. It was their way of life.


    <The strong ones survive while the weaker ones perish. We do not carry weak.>


    This way, the dead were just weak. There was no sin in being strong.


    After hearing it from Kirat, the Great Elder determined that Sian could be stronger than himself. To carry out revenge against such a man only meant the doom to the people.


    They decided to ask to pay the Marquis instead of fighting against the killer. Kirat understood the logic behind it and would¡¯ve made the same choice.


    <Only if her sister was alive.>


    She could not bear to ept the reality of her sister¡¯s death. Even in her dream, she saw her sister being cut in half to die.


    Yes, they did attack him first. But she was her sister.


    She needed to be focused on revenge to keep her sane. Yet the status that she saw from using the skill kept telling her to give up.


    ¡®Haha...¡¯


    There wasn¡¯t much. Only one line was added.


    His level.


    [Status: Sian von Roman]


    -2nd son of Roman, Guarran-Tia, ???


    -Level: 399


    -Bander: ???


    -Exar: ???


    -Skills: ???


    She could not believe what she saw.


    The Fifth Elder¡¯s level was 183 and Keratan was 97. The Six-horned Harijans were 217 and 331. She did not measure the Great Elder or the Second Elder, but they fought against the six-horned Harijans, so it was estimated to be about 320. While the two of them fought the male, the weaker female took half of the warriors with her.


    Kirat herself was at level 37 after twenty-five years of surviving through the Great North Forest.


    It was impossible to reach. He was seventeen years old. If she lived to be strong as he was right now, he would be strong enough to bring down the continent in one swing.


    She wanted revenge, but the enemy was too strong. She began to ponder about what she could do and made a decision.


    <If I don¡¯t have the power to do it, I will borrow it. I will look for the way. Like I always have done.>


    The world wasrge. Someone would be able to fight him.

 Chapter 26: The Rights of a Superhuman

    <h4>Chapter 26: The Rights of a Superhuman</h4>


    <The right and the privilege of a superhuman: freedom from everything>


    -Groyn, the protector of Great North Wall


    .......


    Sian tried hard to calm himself from the despair after he returned to the capital. He was also deep in thought. The power gave him many insights. His ego was fighting against the change that the Ra-Bander power had brought upon him, and it would continue to do so. He tried hard to fit into society and follow its rules, but it wasn¡¯t for a person like him.


    The rules were for humans. They had to abide by the rules to stay in society.


    In that sense, Grand Banders were also ordinary humans. They could not alter society and people¡¯s will.


    However, superhumans like Sian, who was at the Ra-Bander level, was free from it. There was no one that could force them. Other superhumans must have enjoyed being free from the boundaries of human society.


    They left society to find a new goal. A new challenge.


    Yet Sian did not want to give up being human, and he didn¡¯t want to leave his family. That¡¯s why he insisted he was different from ordinary people and learned to fit in with society.


    Suppressing his power and changing his personality wasn¡¯t enough. He would have to find a new way to do this.


    Marquis Narasha felt the evil energy that seeped into his mansion while he waited for the return of the Fifth Elder and his people as he looked out the window. He looked toward the shelter he¡¯d provided for the Elder to hide in while staying at the capital. If he wasn¡¯t a Grand Bander, he would¡¯ve missed it as there was a great distance. It wasn¡¯t far, but it still was about six miles away.


    The Marquis spent the entire night with ufortable thoughts and he sent a man at dawn. When the man returned and said that there were only bodies and ruins, the Marquis ordered the collection of all the bodies and arms.


    He looked at the bodies and began thinking.


    ¡®I can¡¯t even imagine what happened.¡¯


    He already heard that Sian had reported back to work, so he knew the operation was a failure. But once he saw the bodies, it seemed that the situation was worse than what he had expected. With one body at the center, more bodies were found hundreds of yards away, cut in half. The cut was also very clean.


    After examining the wounds with Exar and other methods, he learned that they were all killed instantly at the same time. The attack that killed them even sliced the mansion and the nearby hill. The cut was so precise that the whole mansion hadn¡¯t been destroyed yet.


    This was beyond his level. It was not something a Grand Bander, or Kel-Duin, the strongest Grand Bander, could do. There was only one level above him.


    ¡°Ra-Bander at the age of seventeen...¡±


    This was the only usible exnation. Ra-Bander, or human disaster, was the only way to exin such power.


    The Marquis was left with two things to do:


    First, he had to contact the people and resolve it peacefully.


    Second, he had to decide what to do with Sian.


    The first was already in progress. The Third Elder who was in contact with the Marquis did not want to risk the danger of facing a Ra-Bander. They were powerful, but they did not want to take the chance.


    They received a heavy blow due to his request, but it was fortunate that they did not try to exact revenge against the Ra-Bander. They needed to stay safe for Tian Kingdom.


    As for the second, he needed time to gather information about Sian.


    He needed to prove himself to rise as a king by shaking up the capital. If Sian kept stopping him from doing anything, he wouldn¡¯t be able to prove himself. But there was no possible way to fight a Ra-Bander. However, Sian did not seem to be hostile against him, so there had to be a way.


    He ordered his men to investigate everything about Sian and research all the Ra-Banders from history.


    That was what they had to do next.


    The men who were ordered by Marquis Narasha were in a frenzy.


    ¡°Hurry! Finish the report!¡±


    ¡°Farayne, Robernutton, Karakal...¡±


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s this! Is this everything about Saraquin?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s... a man from 850 years ago... I barely found out from the library.¡±


    ¡°Gather more! This won¡¯t do!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much about Ra-Banders! This is everything about them from the libraries of the Magical Council and the Royal Library!¡±


    ¡°Dammit, what were they doing back then?¡±


    The research did not go well. Ra-Banders were famous figures, but not much was written about them. They were too strong. So even though everyone knew of them after thousands of years, nobody knew what they really were.


    The people working under Marquis Narasha did manage to dig up all existing information about them. Ra-Bander information was scarce, but the Magical Priests who held simr power had lots of information as they left many writings and research papers that helped a lot.


    After going through all the findings of the superhuman beings from history, they began identifying the differences.


    <Sian von Roman wants to stay in society.>


    It seemed very likely.


    ording to the writings and journals, all Ra-Banders felt that everything was pointless and boring. These people were usually around the age of 100. It was after the Grand Banders trained for half a century that they became Ra-Banders with great luck and talent. Why put in the effort? Everyone else put in effort, including those that failed.


    It destroyed all human rtionships, and they usually experienced all possible human experiences throughout their lives. Those Ra-Banders usually lived very prosperous lives as talented Grand Banders anyway. They had already lived without being chained by customs or rules and they only pursued strength.


    This allowed them to stay about the same even after they became Ra-Banders. They were already like that.


    But Sian was different. His family was alive and he had never experienced living in society. Even though he was strong, he was still only a seventeen-year-old boy. He was trying hard to resist the alter ego that came with being a Ra-Bander.


    The Marquis realized what he needed to do.


    <If the monster wants to act like a human, I will help him.>


    The reason why Ra-Banders were feared was because they were not bounded by humans. Their moves weren¡¯t predictable. But if Sian wanted to live as a human and follow the rules of society, there was a way to avoid conflict.


    That would allow the Marquis to achieve his goals, but he needed to be careful.


    The Marquis remembered the bodies. If something went wrong, the monster will give up on being human.

 Chapter 27: Inspection

    <h4>Chapter 27: Inspection</h4>


    -Con-Rad the Son of God, Ra-Bander from 700 years ago


    .......


    Sian had been trying to shrug off the incident by focusing on his ordinary life. What happened back at the mansion had been covered up for unknown reasons. Sian had no reason to speak of the incident, so he kept quiet, but it felt ufortable not to know the true intention behind it. However, part of him considered it fortunate that it didn¡¯t be an issue.


    As the number of signals fires lessened, Sian spent peaceful days at work... until he received a letter.


    ¡°Hm... Royal Inspector for Inspection of the Kingdom... what is this?¡±


    From his experience, he realized that a sudden letter like this was never good and carefully read it through, firing questions to the operations officer in front of him.


    The officer, who was really annoyed, answered kindly as he was trying to be nice to Sian because he was the brother of Sir Rian.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the Guarran-Tia¡¯s duties. It ispleted once every two months, where two Guarran-Tias are dispatched to the nobles and the other operation departments out in the country to inspect them. It usually takes one to two weeks, and you need to check to make sure everything is going well.¡±


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t a special mission just for Sian like thest time. The mission wasn¡¯t unusual, but he needed to rify one thing.


    ¡°I see... so who am I going with? Has it been decided?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You will be going with Sir Cariman. He has plenty of experience on royal inspections.¡±


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯


    He expected to hear Celine¡¯s name, but it wasn¡¯t. As Sian received rification on the two issues he was most concerned about, he felt relieved. It was a general duty for the Guarran-Tia anyway, so he decided to treat it like a camping trip and enjoy it.


    ¡°...who chose Sian?¡±


    Count Kerbel sank deep into thought. Sian didn¡¯t know, but it was Kerbel who had arranged for Sian to work with Celine. Her job was to keep Sian¡¯s true strength hidden. If it were revealed that Sian was the one responsible for stopping all the problems in El-Lua, Marquis Narasha would¡¯ve cast Sian out to the countryside at once. Count Kerbel had no power to prevent that, so he had to hide that fact. Celine was neutral when it came to politics, but she was worried the Marquis¡¯ extreme actions would cause problems on the streets and epted Count Kerbel¡¯s request to help Sian.


    She did a great job in hiding Sian from the public eye. Count Kerbel knew this and believed Sian had not been exposed. Even now, most of the Guarran-Tia believed Sian to be azy fool. He knew that the Royalists and Nobles were keeping an eye on him, but he was only seventeen and not considered dangerous. (If it weren¡¯t for Kirat, the Marquis might have still been wondering about the mystery man.)


    But to be chosen as a royal inspector? Under normal circumstances, only Guarran-Tias with over a year¡¯s worth of experience were chosen. It could have been a coincidence, but if it was, the timing was terrible. El-Lua had remained in peace because of Sian. If he was to be absent for two to three weeks, it was bound to erupt into chaos.


    The Third Knight Guard wasn¡¯t enough to resolve all problems. (If Sian had beat them up enough to stay in bed for longer, it would¡¯ve been great, but most of them recovered after four weeks.)


    Nothing could be done as it had already been decided. Count Kerbel could only wish Sian would return soon and he began nning to keep the capital as peaceful as possible.


    Marquis Narasha felt both relief and emptiness when he heard that Sian had left the capital with Cariman for the inspection.


    ¡®...that easy?¡¯


    The problem that killed eleven of his allies had been solved so easily. The n had been simple.


    1. Move Sian out of the capital.


    2. Send him to a neutral noble estate where there are no fights between factions.


    3. Do not touch the Roman family.


    He thought of assigning Sian to the countryside, but he chose not to as he heard that Sian loved his family and he was worried Sian would reject a request to go somewhere so far away.


    Thus, he decided to send Sian out on the inspection. It was one of the general duties of the Guarran-Tia, and it would only be for a month or two, which Sian would not object to.


    To keep him out of the conflict, the Marquis carefully arranged it so that he would be inspecting areas where no factions were in control.


    After they left, Cariman would drag out the trip tost for two months, giving the Marquis enough time to finish everything.


    The bnce between the two factions was notrge. It would be easy for the Marquis to take over the throne once Sian had been removed from the roads of El-Lua, which was the most strategic location.


    Sian wasn¡¯t interested in politics anyway, so if everything was resolved before he returned, he would not care and he would carry on with his duty as a Guarran-Tia.


    If the monster wished to stay a human, the Marquis intended to help him.


    The Roman family was traditionally neutral. However, the Marquis ordered his people to stay away from Rian, just in case. As for Count Roman, he was not worried as he was one of three Grand Banders. He had calmed down now, but in his youth, his nickname was ¡®Mad Bear,¡¯ and nobody would mess with him even to this day.


    ¡®...¡¯


    Viscount Talin looked at the Marquis, who seemed relieved to hear that Sian had left the capital and thought he was worrying too much. It was certain that Sian was pretty strong, but he was predictable. Even then, the Marquis still seemed to be worried.


    ¡°Hah... I see.¡±


    Narasha looked at Talin¡¯s expression and realized what he was thinking. This was why he had been carefully revising his ns. His people did not understand the true terror of superhuman strength as they had never seen or felt it. If it was just a Master, they were correct. But, from Grand Bander level and above, it was an entirely different world. Not to mention, this was a Ra-Bander!


    Throughout the history of the world, there had only been twelve Ra-Banders. Even after a thousand years, their names and their actions had been recorded and praised. They were beings above what ordinary humans could do. Their n was to deal with such a being.


    This was why Marquis Narasha was concerned right down to thest detail. He was sure that his people could not fully grasp this.


    The first step had beenpleted. It was time to act.


    ¡°Viscount, we must start now. We must finish everything within two months.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milord.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so we will take two months?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We are heading toward Logadis Estate, which is quiterge. It has a lot of small viges scattered around it.¡±


    It had been quite some time since they left the capital, and they were now headed to the Logadis Estate. Sian was chatting with Sir Cariman in the small carriage. Cariman studied Sian, whom he had befriended during their travel, and remembered what the Viscount had instructed.


    <NEVER, never, let him think about returning to the capital. You have to keep him out of the capital for two months.>


    <And... never, NEVER make him feel bad.>


    There had been other precautions, but those two were the most important. It wasn¡¯t very detailed, but it was apparent that he considered Sian some kind of gue or disaster and that made Cariman curious.


    It seemed weird to remove a seventeen-year-old Guarran-Tia with such precautions. But hecked the information to make anything out of it and shrugged off his thoughts. Cariman started exining their duties to Sian.


    ¡°The countryside is not the same as the capital. I believe you have only lived in the capital?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tian Kingdom is a peaceful ce, but we stillck sufficient manpower. So, as we go further out towards the countryside, we face more problems with bandits and corruption.¡±


    ¡°OH!¡±


    ¡°The Logadis Estate is more peaceful than most other ces... but I haven¡¯t been there in a long time so it might have changed by now. It might feel like a different country, so be prepared. Haha!¡±


    Carimanughed teasingly, but he was actually worried. He had been on inspection duty countless times and had a lot of instances where new recruits apanied him. They all had different reactions, but the most annoying ones consisted of the following types:


    1. Recruit expects to be treated like a king


    2. Recruit forgets about their inspection duty and jumps in to solve bandit or vige problems.


    3. Recruit starts causing a ruckus to bring down the corruption by themselves.


    These things happened because new recruits suddenly thought they had be a noble or hero of justice. Their job was to inspect and report to the upper division where they would resolve the issue. It was important to remember that their job was to inspect and inspect only. There was no need to do any more or any less, but new recruits always seemed to lose sight of that.


    ¡®Let¡¯s hope nothing serious pops up along the way...¡¯


    Cariman was concerned about what he would have to do if Sian became uncontroble like the other new recruits, as he had been warned by Viscount Talin to be careful.


    He had these concerns because he did not know Sian well enough.


    At that moment, the sound of swords shing was heard. It was a distance away from the road.

 Chapter 28: Inspection

    <h4>Chapter 28: Inspection</h4>


    <One who helps the weaker in the fight bes a hero? Then what happens to the stronger that was doing his best to win the fight?>


    -From unknown excerpt


    .......


    ¡®Dammit... is it a fight?¡¯


    It wasmon for people on the road, such as merchants who would get ambushed by bandits. (It was alsomon for bandits to fight with each other.) If people were caught while stealing, they would receive the death sentence, but most bandits were criminals with death sentences anyway.


    It wasn¡¯t an inspector¡¯s job to interfere in such fights. Those jobs were for the peacekeepers, and more people would be called in for peacekeeping issues than just two. It was best to avoid any problems as it could be very dangerous.


    The Guarran-Tia were not weak, but bandits were the same; furthermore, they fought to the death because being arrested meant death anyway. However, out of all new recruits that Cariman had been assigned, 85% of them ran out with a sword in their hand. Concerned, Cariman turned toward Sian as he expected Sian to be eager to join the fight to uphold the honor of his family name.


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯


    Yet Sian had no such intention. He gazed back at Cariman, puzzled as to why he was being scrutinized.


    ¡®Did he not hear the sounds?¡¯


    That seemed unlikely. The sounds were getting louder and louder as they were moving along the road.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sian asked as Cariman replied with a question, ¡°Hey... you hear the sounds right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not deaf. Haha!¡±


    Cariman was confused as Sianughed it off. Then, Sian frowned and questioned, ¡°Wait... are you saying our duty includes running out there and helping whoever is fighting?¡±


    The question astounded Cariman.


    ¡°Uh... N-no. Not at all. I was just wondering if you were curious about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. I just asked to confirm if that was one of our inspection duties. I was under the impression that fighting not included in our duties as inspectors.¡±


    It was the correct thing to do, but it dumbfounded Cariman; it was not something he expected from a new recruit.


    ¡®Interesting.¡¯


    But even if it was rare, there were simr cases in the past, so he decided to just let it be.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. It¡¯s not our job to meddle in those affairs as it can be dangerous. We can help if we can, but we do not need to...¡±


    That was when an unknown individual jumped out of some bushes and shouted, ¡°RUN! RU- UGH!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do now?¡±


    Sian looked down at the man moaning on the ground with a dagger in his leg and asked Cariman. Cariman sighed.


    The Logadis Estate was surrounded by the Con-Tian Mountain Range, located in the far west region of the capital city in the Tian Kingdom, just before the borders of the Taran Kingdom.


    It was vast, but because a mountain range surrounded it, the estate¡¯s only worth was to gather medicines or tea leaves. It was technically an abandonednd with nothing unusual. This was why Margrave Logadis was neutral as he was not allowed to join either faction.


    This resulted in frequent urrences with bandits and increased crime, driving away visitors to thend.


    Craine was one of the people living in Kn Province under Margrave Logadis up until four years ago. His province began to change after the son of Baron Kn, Phareon, returned after going missing. He had been missing for five days after falling from a cliff; when he returned, he was full of confidence to change thend and began working.


    With fascinating ideas and strong leadership, Phareon started rebuilding Kn Province from the ground up. He trained his people and called in merchants to open up trade routes. He even modified the family¡¯s Bander-Roa and taught talentedmoners. He also began applying new technologies throughout his province.


    With his sincere hard work and love toward his people, the people of Kn Province followed Phareon Kn like their king.


    Craine was one of the people who joined the Kn Peacekeepers and became a captain.


    However, as the province advancement started gaining momentum, neighboring nobles began interfering to stop it. Everything was fine when Tian Kingdom was peaceful, but when the two factions started fighting each other, it diverted the kingdom¡¯s focus from thend, and the nobles of Logadis began to attack Kn Province more intensely.


    The nobles resorted to dirty attacks. They attacked merchants, attacked viges, and sent ferocious wild animals. There was no evidence of who did it, so it became problematic. However, that did not stop Kn Province from growing, so they began to attack more openly like what happened today.


    The Peacekeepers were trained to use Bander-Roa, but they stillcked power. When Viscount Teron¡¯s Bander users attacked them, there was no way to fight back, and they had to flee.


    That was when Craine found the carriage moving along the road.


    The attackers did not want to reveal themselves. If he ran past the carriage, their attention would turn to the carriage. Viscount Teron¡¯s men did not want to leave any evidence, so he was sure that they would follow and attack the carriage.


    This would help him and his people survive the attack and return safely.


    He felt sorry for the people inside the carriage, but he needed to return and inform Phareon of the attack.


    ¡°Haha! You can¡¯t run from me!¡±


    ¡®Dammit...!¡¯


    Craine groaned as he watched the Bander usering out from the bushes. There was no way to ask for help from the people inside the carriage.


    ¡°HELP! PLEASE! I am a guard from Baron Kn¡¯s province! These men attacked us!¡±


    The Bander user who was following him noticed the carriage and turned grim. It seemed like he was trying to be careful not to let the two men inside the carriage know that he was going to attack the runner.


    ¡°Oh, hello. I have an issue with that man. Can I take him away?¡±


    The carriage seemed to be well-made and was decorated with an unknown sigil that indicated that these men were not ordinary, so Knight Naruan from the Teron Province asked politely.


    ¡°We are inspectors from Guarran-Tia. If it is a problem between nobles, we will not intervene.¡±


    The Guarran-Tia were not weak, as most of its members wereprised of expert-level warriors. Cariman, who was a mid-level expert, could overpower some countryside Bander users. However, he did not want to use force, and it seemed both men were involved in noble affairs.


    Naruan brightened as he heard Cariman speak, it was lucky that he did not attack outright. Attacking the Guarran-Tia was a bad idea, and he only needed to take the man away.


    Naruan nodded and bowed as he walked towards Craine. He couldn¡¯t just kill him on the spot, so he was going to take him away and kill him secretly. However, Craine screamed, ¡°NO! Aren¡¯t the Guarran-Tia the ones who keep the peace of the capital? How can you let a man die in front of your eyes! I was a fool to worry that you would get caught up in this mess!¡±


    Sian spoke in amusement, ¡°That¡¯s funny. He came towards us intentionally.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That man, he turned toward our carriage after he saw us. Bander users were following him, and yet he came straight toward us. What would¡¯ve happened if we were justmoners?¡±


    Sir Cariman coldly looked down on Craine at those words, and Craine shouted, ¡°L-lies! I didn¡¯t turn toward here! I was just running away! And how are you supposed to know that?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me. We will not meddle in noble affairs, that¡¯s not our job.¡±


    Cariman thought that Sian would not lie and lost any sympathy towards Craine.


    ¡°Take that man away. We will not interfere.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Naruan looked at Sian and Cariman. It was apparent that they knew what would happen to the man if he was taken away, but they dismissed it so coldly.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s good for me.¡¯


    Naruan smacked the man with the hilt of his sword, hefted him onto his shoulder, and began returning.


    ¡°It¡¯s been solved then. Shall we go?¡±


    ¡°...Sure.¡±


    Cariman stared at Sian with a strange expression as they left.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you came here eight years ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did... but it wasn¡¯t like this before.¡±


    After patrolling through two provinces, they reached Kn Province. Allnds of Logadis were barren, and they were infamous because of that. However, this ce was different. Unlike the other two they just inspected, the castle walls were grand. It was amazing that they were able to afford this kind of wall; it had small defensive magic runes created with Talic Stone powder.


    The people around also looked different. The guards looked prideful and peopleing in and out of the castle gate seemed happy.


    ¡°HALT! Identify yourself!¡±


    ¡°I am Inspector Cariman of the Guarran-Tia. This is Sian. Please guide us to your lord.¡±


    Cariman showed his identification que and the guard went inside to report.


    ¡°Someone wille to escort you in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The escort that arrived was a beautiful woman.


    ¡°Greetings. I am Roina, secretary of the office. I will escort you to my lord.¡±


    As they moved into the castle, Sian and Cariman came across many things. Kids were ying about in the streets, and the marketce was busy with people. As they drew closer to the inner castle, the courtyard was filled with warriors training.


    The one thing the people had inmon was that they were full of energy.


    Cariman had visited eight years ago and could not believe he was looking at the same ce. The Kn Province back then was worse than the other two provinces they had just visited. It was unbelievable that they had undergone such significant change in only a few years.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    The question would be solved once they met the lord who was the sessor.

 Chapter 29: Weird province

    <h4>Chapter 29: Weird province</h4>


    ¡°Greetings. I am Lord Phareon Kn.¡±


    ¡°Good day, Milord. I am Cariman of the Guarran-Tia.¡±


    ¡°I am Sian.¡±


    The young man who was working on some papers inside the office came out to greet them. Cariman felt a strong impression from the man; he was full of confidence and very charismatic. Sian was also staring at the man in amazement.


    ¡®Wow, he has a lot of fascinating stuff.¡¯


    After he inspected the Fifth Elder¡¯s weapon, Karmata, Sian remembered the unique flow that it contained. It was veryplicated, but he recognized the feeling it gave off. The man in front of him had the same feeling emitting from the various items he carried.


    ¡°I have much work to be done, so I am sorry, but I can¡¯t personally escort you. I have informed my people to cooperate with whatever you need. Roina will escort you,¡± Phareon smiled and exined. Cariman and Sian exited the room to start on their duties. With Roina escorting them, they began their work by first observing all parts of the province.


    After looking through the finance department and then the city nning department, Cariman was astounded. He was surprised by how quickly they had grown. In just four years, they had achieved incredible growth ording to the financial reports. The city nning and operations were also amazing. They had found many talented individuals in their jobs or cements. (Interestingly, most of them were beautiful women.)


    ¡°These are the training grounds. Sir Rianna is in charge here.¡±


    ¡°Good day, I am Rianna. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.¡±


    It was very interesting as the lord didn¡¯t seem to ce beautiful women in the leading positions just because he loved women. Rianna, for one, seemed to be the strongest among the people training on the training grounds and the other women seemed to be very talented also.


    Cariman watched as the soldiers trained using small amounts of Bander.


    ¡®Wait... Bander?¡¯


    It was a verymon thing in the capital, but he never saw such a sight out in the countryside. The nobles in the countryside never taught Bander-Roa to their soldiers; they usually were afraid that it would cause revolts.


    ¡°The soldiers are training with Bander-Roa? That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the lord modified the Bander-Roa three years ago and then taught us. Ournds have grown stronger ever since,¡±Rianna exined proudly.


    ¡®What happened four years ago? It¡¯s so different from thest time I was here.¡¯


    Cariman decided to look into itter and moved to next destination with Roina.


    They were now at the armory. The armory was usually located in the inner castle, close to the training grounds. This was to help ease the process of withdrawing arms for the soldiers. Cariman was surprised yet again when he entered the armory.


    ¡®A Dekon?¡¯


    He was genuinely surprised to see a Dekon here; it was very rare to see a Dekon. All of the non-human races had special abilities that humans did not. It was because all the other races without any special abilities had gone extinct after a thousand years under the Empire¡¯s domination of the world.


    All the races who had special abilities were deemed worthy to live with humans and were respected highly.


    The Dekons were one of them. These people had great skill in creating magic-rted items. The ultimate weapon, Artagon, which was used at the Great North Wall, was created by Dekons.


    There were only a few Dekons deep within the capital or in magical councils. It was unbelievable to see them in a noble¡¯snd out in the countryside.


    ¡°Everyone who sees me is surprised. I am Ra-Kadum, son of the 13th tribe. I am in charge of the armory.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s surprising to see a Dekon out here. Greetings.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have an issue with the lord here.¡±


    Sian looked at the Dekon with fascination.


    ¡°So the kid next to you won¡¯t introduce himself? ...oh, I am busy. Ask him if you have any questions. I only make weapons. Roina,e with me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What is he up to? Sir Cariman, this here is Kron. He takes care of the paperwork in the armory. Kron, can you assist him? I will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Hello, I am Kron. Come this way please.¡±


    Ra-Kadum, who was about to scold Sian, looked at him for a second, then suddenly moved back into the armory. Roina followed with a weird look on her face.


    Ra-Kadum quickly asked Roina, ¡°Hey, hey! What are you guys up to? Why did you bring that evil thing here?¡±


    Roina asked in reply, ¡°Huh? What do you mean? Are you talking about Sir Cariman?¡±


    ¡°No, not that squid. The younger one behind him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean Sir Sian. I only heard that he¡¯s from the Guarran-Tia. What about him?¡±


    She did not hear any details other than they were from the Guarran-Tia, so she could not understand what the problem was.


    ¡°Ugh, nevermind. Humans are blind. So, they are not here to cause trouble?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. They just came for inspection and will return shortly.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Just be careful. Don¡¯t touch that Sian kid. Give him everything he wants and get him out of here as soon as possible.¡±


    Roina became concerned as Ra-Kadum warned her solemnly. Dekons were non-humans, which meant they were able to sense things that humans could not.


    ¡°...is anything up with him?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind. I can¡¯t exin it well, and you won¡¯t believe me anyway. Warn that boy-lord to be careful too.¡±


    Ra-Kadum left immediately after, and Roina returned to the inspectors, thinking to finish the escort first.


    ¡°Cariman, this ce is fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Right, I have never seen such growth...¡±


    ¡°There are so many talented and beautiful women! It¡¯s like heaven here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Cariman and Sian were discussing their work in the room they were provided with to rest. Cariman was more concerned about Sian because Sian had proved to be useless throughout the day. If he looked extraordinary, he would¡¯ve understood Talin¡¯s orders, but with Sian¡¯s foolishness, Cariman couldn¡¯t shrug the feeling that there he was hiding something.


    ¡®Is he doing this on purpose? So he can try to do something after rxing my guard?¡¯


    He reyed the day¡¯s events word for word in his mind, but it seemed like Sian was genuine in everything he said.


    As Cariman was mulling over Sian, Sian was thinking about what he had seen today.


    ¡®This ce is like a treasure ind.¡¯


    Roina acted as if she had shown everything, but she only disyed safe or necessary ces. Cariman was busy inspecting what was shown, but Sian was busy focusing on all the hidden stuff. He was interested in the beautiful women, but he was more interested in all the secret rooms under the basement, in the forest, under theke, and everywhere else. It was impossible to see with one¡¯s eyesight, but Sian had been using other senses to feel the world for a long time that made him realize the existence of hidden rooms.


    He felt the Exar moving in and out of those hidden rooms, but he couldn¡¯t make out exactly what they were doing inside. He thought of the two choices he had:


    1. Tell Cariman about the hidden rooms and start inspecting them.


    2. Since Cariman didn¡¯t seem to notice them, let it slide.


    If he were to fulfill his duty, option one was the correct choice. There must be a reason why they hid the rooms. But, if revealing this secret would make them turn against him and try to kill them, it would be troublesome. The ones hidden under theke or in the forest didn¡¯t seem to be a problem. However, the one hidden under a cliff far away from the city was.

 Chapter 30: Weird province

    <h4>Chapter 30: Weird province</h4>


    <Good to have: Passion and talent. Must have: Luck and money.>


    -The necessities of sess by the legendary merchant


    .......


    Sian sensed something annoying from the cliff. It was pretty far, and something hindered his senses, making it hard to see what it actually was.


    However, if he were to handle the people there, he would need to unlock his power. If Baron Phareon Kn attacked him to keep his secret and Sian unlocked his power, it meant thend would be decimated.


    After pondering over what the Baron would do, Sian came to a conclusion.


    <Let¡¯s leave it be.>


    The Baron was trying to do things with his ownnd, and Sian had no right to interfere.


    It didn¡¯t seem like he had stolen it, and he could hide it as long as he liked. He was only here to inspect and leave. It was bad to massacre people just for an inspection.


    After making up his mind, Sian feltfortable being freed from his concerns and drifted to sleep.


    ¡°Did you finish the escort?¡±


    ¡°Yes, milord. They are resting in their room. But...¡±


    Roina stopped mid-speech with a concerned look, so Phareon asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Ra-Kadum warned me never to touch that Sian boy and have him leave the province as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ra-Kadum said that?¡±


    Phareon¡¯s expression turned grim. Dekons knew what humans didn¡¯t. They were able to see things that humans couldn¡¯t. It was Ra-Kadum who recognized the true power harnessed within the <Artifact> that Phareon was about to sell off to the ck market, and helped utilize that power of the <Artifact> to help make his people¡¯s lives better.


    If he had given such a warning, it was not to be taken lightly.


    ¡®The inspection will notst long. Let¡¯s show them what they need to see and then send them off.¡¯


    He had no intention to let them stay long anyway; it would be disastrous if they realized he was hiding something. He did not have enough power to protect the <Artifact> yet as he had only used a portion of it, and hisnd had grown exponentially.


    He needed more time in order to grow stronger to protect what he had.


    The best thing about Logadis was that nobody in the capital or the Kingdom paid any attention to it. That gave Phareon time to build up thend.


    One year. That was all the time he needed. He would be able to unite all the nearbynds and unlock the next stage of the <Artifact.>


    ¡°Viscount Teron, why have you called us here?¡±


    Viscount Raidan, who was in charge of one of the thirteen provinces of Logadis, asked.


    ¡°I have called all of you here to discuss our problems with Kn Province. Their actions have crossed the line. They are pressuring the nearbynds, and I heard some of you are having a hard time because of that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    A few people awkwardly coughed at those direct words.


    The way to survive in Logadis was to avoid anypetition as it would starve them. All thirteen nobles kept their boundaries and tried to keep the bnce between themselves to survive. But a change started four years ago from Kn Province.


    Everyone figured it wouldn¡¯t continue for long, but Kn kept growing to the point where the nearbynds were pressured.


    ¡°Do you have an idea? I guess you do since you summoned all of us.¡±


    ¡°Not much... other than not having any more choices left.¡±


    Viscount Teron tortured the man named Craine that Naruan had captured the other day, and so he exined to the people that had gathered.


    ¡°So they have expanded that much already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have sped up in the past year. Their soldiers are heavily armed.¡±


    The reason why they did not conduct a full-scale war was because of one reason.


    It would inflict too much damage.


    Kn Province was bing too powerful, and it would be hard to crush them without any sacrifices. They still had the upper hand as it was not possible to create Bander users in a day, but the bnce was slowly tilting.


    They had no other choice.


    <Crush them before it¡¯s toote.>


    They had no choice. If over ten nobles joined forces, it was possible to crush Kn Province with ease.


    ¡®The first step is done.¡¯


    Viscount Teron smiled as he watched the people in front of him.


    ¡°The convoy was ambushed? What about survivors? What happened to Captain Craine?¡±


    ¡°No survivors, milord. We sent out scouts to check because they had not returned and...¡±


    ¡°...Did you find out who was behind it?¡±


    ¡°All we have are spections, but no evidence.¡±


    Phareon gritted his teeth at Rianna¡¯s report. This was a time where he needed to focus, but they kept bothering him. As Phareon wondered what he should do, Roina ran into the office.


    ¡°Milord! We have a problem!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the problem this time?¡±


    ¡°The other nobles have dered war against us!¡±


    It had gotten worse.


    ¡°I see. Who?¡±


    ¡°Its... the other eleven nobles, except Rottfell.¡±


    Phareon flinched at the report. He had expected the nobles to unite against him; however, it was too early. He thought he had a few more months. He wondered what had caused them to act so rashly but soon realized he did not have the time for that; it was time for war.


    Phareon was not afraid. He wished to dy the fight because he wanted to build up more internally, but he was ready. He decided to use this chance to make his forces even stronger.


    ¡°Huh? War?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The nobles from our neighboring provinces have dered war against us. I am sorry. Such an unfortunate turn of events have happened while you are within ournds. I suggest you leave before the war begins.¡±


    Phareon ordered Roina to inform Cariman to leave. Along with Ra-Kadum¡¯s warnings, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to show their forces to the Guarran-Tia anyway.


    Cariman was troubled by the unexpected turn of events.


    Not only was it dangerous, but this meant that he could not fulfill the order from Viscount Talin. But, if all the nobles were involved in the war, there was no way he could continue the inspection; he would have to return. It would mean that Sian would return in less than a month since he had left.


    Cariman decided to stay. After inspecting the province, he was sure that Kn would not lose against one or two other provinces. He did not know Kn was up against all of Logadis. He was confident that danger would not reach the city.


    When the war ended, it would be well past the months that he was ordered to be away, so it seemed like a good idea.


    Cariman finished his calctions and spoke.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It seems dangerous to travel right now. We¡¯ll move to the inn and stay there during the war. Our inspection is done, so we won¡¯t bother you. Sian, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m okay with that. This city is quite fun.¡±


    They had been doing nothing but work. What could be so fun?


    Cariman was confused but he just thought that Sian loved his work.


    Roina frowned on the inside, but she had no reasonable excuse to refuse so she nodded and returned to Phareon to report.

 Chapter 31: Noble War

    <h4>Chapter 31: Noble War</h4>


    War between nobles in Tian was simple.


    <Fight until a negotiation is reached. The strong takes all. If it bes severe, the Kingdom will intervene.>


    A severe war was when one massacred other nobles or ruled its people with tyranny that would negatively affect the Kingdom.


    Just like the session, Tian did not intervene in a nobles¡¯ war. The Kingdom encouraged it.


    <All nobles of Tian must strive hard to be strong. Be stronger and lead the Kingdom.>


    This applied to all the nobles of Tian, including the Royal families.


    ¡°It¡¯s so lively,¡± Sianmented as he looked at people running around from the window of the inn. The inn was located close to the lord¡¯s castle, high up on the hill, where the entirend was visible.


    The women were working hard to make supplies and armor, while children were being trained to escape by following the roads in an emergency. All the men were gathered outside the castle to train. What was interesting was that these men were all volunteers.


    They all had the same experience before and after Phareon¡¯s rule, so they knew exactly what was going to happen if they lost.


    ¡°It¡¯s not amon sight to see in the countryside, but all important areas within the Kingdom do this. However, this is pretty intense.¡±


    Cariman spoke as he watched. Even then, he thought that Sian was hiding something.


    He was too calm.


    They were staying in and which was going to war, but Sian didn¡¯t seem to be bothered. Even Cariman himself was concerned. This was after he heard that Kn would be fighting against Logadis.


    If Kn lost, thend would be swept by the war, and there was no telling what would happen to them.


    Cariman asked, ¡°Sian, aren¡¯t you afraid? This ce might be swept up by the war if Kn loses.¡±


    However, Sian just smiled instead.


    ¡°Haha, they won¡¯t lose. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡®Is he just foolish?¡¯


    No war was guaranteed. Both sides believed they could win the war, which was why a war started. Cariman thought Sian was foolish, but Sian was thinking of something else.


    ¡®The one from the underground, the forest, or theke... any one of them will allow them to win. They won¡¯t lose.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know what it was that Phareon had on his body, but after taking a closer look while at the castle, he realized it was simr to the energy that came from those hidden ces.


    Some of them were stronger than the others.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but if it was a weapon and it was given to Sir Rianna for example, she would crush any knight easily. The thing that Phareon had contained enough power to allow a small child to crush a house easily.


    It was impossible for Kn to lose.


    All Sian and Cariman had to do was rest there, and return when the war was over. Sian decided to fully enjoy the time while he was there. The restaurant that was rmended to them was great, and he had already bought some gifts to bring back to his family.


    ¡°Rianna, are the preparations going well?¡± Phareon asked with a tired look on his face. There were a lot of people in front of him.


    The <Kranga> artifact on his wrist helped him, but the preparations were still exhausting. This would be his first war, so he was nervous.


    ¡°Yes, milord. We have readied our forces. This is what we have prepared for, and this is why we exist.¡±


    Rianna answered with pride. Phareon had brought in many young men who had Bander talents and taught them the newly modified Bander-Roa, ¡®Way of the Wolf¡¯ to train. It was hard to train in Bander when people were older, but he even gave them mysterious potions that allowed quick growth in strength so that all his men were able to perform at the low-expert level. Rianna herself had reached mid-expert level.


    It was a secret to others, but Phareon had given Rianna a different potion that granted her such power.


    This was why all of them pledged allegiance to Phareon.


    ¡°Good. Roina, how about you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, milord. We canst at least three months without resupply.¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    Phareon moaned as Roina became rmed.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong, milord?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you gathered too much? Three months? That¡¯s such a waste! I think we can provide seven meals a day for our soldiers.¡±


    Phareonughed out loud, and Roina and the others soon followed. Their faces showed that they were anxious about the first war in their lives, and Phareon tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke.


    One person, however, was not stiff.


    ¡°Hey, boy! What happened to the squid and... the other one. Did they leave? I don¡¯t see them in the castle.¡±


    ¡°Oi, Ra-Kadum! Don¡¯t talk like that to the lord!¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay okay. Rx. Boy-Lord.¡±


    Ra-Kadum was asking about Sian and Cariman. Roina reprimanded Ra-Kadum for his disrespectful tone, which he was not bothered to change.


    ¡°They are staying outside of the lord¡¯s castle. They will leave after the war is over,¡± Roina answered Ra-Kadum¡¯s question.


    ¡°Is that so? Hm...¡±


    Phareon noticed Ra-Kadum was concerned and tried to calm him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They are staying near the outer castle area, but the enemies will not evene close. It¡¯s a shame though. We cannot put your castle wall to the test.¡±


    ¡°Hah, it¡¯s good that you cannot see what I¡¯m seeing. You wouldn¡¯t be able to joke around if you did.¡±


    Everyone seemed to be confused by Ra-Kadum¡¯s deration, but he sighed and stopped talking. Phareon shrugged it off and restarted the meeting.


    The war waged fiercely between them. Bander users on both sides were even. It wasn¡¯t because the Kn Knights were formidable; they had no experience unlike the knights on the Logadis side. However, Sir Rianna evened out the bnce.


    Or to be more precise, her weapon did.


    The weapon itself didn¡¯t seem special; it looked just like an ordinary-looking sword. The result when it was used, however, was not ordinary at all.


    It cut everything down with ease, and it wasn¡¯t because Rianna was strong. Compared to the power of the weapon, Rianna¡¯s strength was like that of a baby. No shield, Bander-wielding sword, armor, or even castle gate was able to withstand her attack. Everything was cut down.


    The strongest on the Logadis side, Knight-Captain Kil, had his weapon sliced into two and had to run for his life.


    Even the regr soldiers of Kn were much stronger than those of Logadis.


    The problem was the difference in the number of soldiers was too huge. Rianna charged on the front lines, but the enemy turned to ranged attacks and forced Rianna to retreat.


    The war was dragging longer than what they all expected.


    Viscount Teron¡¯snd was right next to Kn Province, making it possible for Teron to stay in his office to issue orders to the war front. At this moment, there were people gathered in his office for a meeting.


    ¡°It¡¯s going as nned. Baron Kn¡¯s forces are powerful, and we are being pushed back. Within a month... we will be torn apart and absorbed into the Kn Province.¡±


    Viscount Teron spoke calmly to the person in front of him. He was even smiling.


    ¡°Yes... it will be weird if he loses with that kind of thing. He probably has more, but it seems that he can¡¯t use all of it yet, seeing that he let that girl go out into the war with that toy sword.¡±


    That person spoke of the sword that Rianna wielded as a toy and scoffed.


    The artifact that he had on his neck let out a strange sound and distorted the area around his face to disguise him, but his tall posture and strength were hard to miss.


    ¡°So, are those <Artifacts> hidden there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have already made sure. But, it¡¯s really interesting to see the <Armory of Arankal> hidden in this remotend.¡±


    Kurandas, Usharan¡¯s hidden Grand Bander, spoke in amazement.

 Chapter 32: Noble War

    <h4>Chapter 32: Noble War</h4>


    <Armory of Arankal>


    Named after wolf War God, the armory had been built in the days of the Old Empire.


    The Empire had always controlled the Seven Kingdoms, but it required constant supervision. That was when the Empire created the <Armory of Arankal>, cing them in certain areas across the Ra-Sian continent.


    They were put to use when the Empire needed to exercise its power on the rebellious countries, and the armory contained various weapons created with the Empire¡¯s finest magical scientific technologies.


    Even after the Kal-Gul war, the Empire did not reim these armories in case the Seven Kingdoms would revolt against them and they were abandoned after the Empire¡¯s downfall.


    The Usharan Kingdom identally came across one such armory and kept it a secret. They had the Grand Bander monitor it. It was small, but it had powerful weapons and technology that helped the barren and extreme hotnds of Usharan grow powerful enough topete against the Con Kingdom.


    But that brought them to another question.


    Where were the other armories?


    If it granted them such power, it would surely grant other countries with the same power.


    The records mentioned one more armory, but they could not find it. When they almost gave up on finding it, they came across a few items that could only originate from the <Armory of Arankal> that were circting within the ck market of Usharan Kingdom.


    The intelligence department began tracking down the source and collected all items in cirction. They gathered three of them and one was purchased by a certain Dekon who left the Kingdom right after.


    Thus they concluded two things.


    1. The serial numbers and formation proved the items were from an <Armory of Arankal>.


    2. These were not from their armory. It was from a new <Armory of Arankal>.


    After learning this, they became excited and began searching for the sources. They finally found out that one had been sold by a man named Phareon from the Logadis Estate of Tian Kingdom. He hade to the ck market of Usharan Kingdom to sell it.


    It looked like he hade to discard any possible evidence, but it actually helped Usharan instead. They began investigating Kn Province and the Logadis area.


    Usharan Intelligence Agents infiltrated the province disguised as merchants, architects, and maids, examining all parts of thend.


    They discovered that the <Armory of Arankal> was located at the back of the cliff in Kn Province.


    If it was located at some tactical point in the Kingdom, it was impossible for them to reach it unless they instigated a war. However, since the Logadis Estate was an abandoned and undeveloped area, Usharan¡¯s Royal Knights were enough to wipe them out.


    It was also good that the Kingdom was undergoing <Session>. That would keep them from paying any attention to outside matters.


    Usharan Kingdom decided to make the move to dig up everything inside the armory. It was too valuable for some baron to have it all for himself. If this was known to the Kingdom, it would only mean war.


    So that was why Kurandas, the one who was appointed to guard Usharan¡¯s armory, was here in front of Viscount Teron.


    After the investigation, it seemed that Baron Kn was using some of the items from the armory for the prosperity of hisnds. It was hidden well, so it took some time to figure it out.


    If Phareon had unlocked the armory¡¯s Second Stage, the Logadis army would¡¯ve been crushed instantly. However, he was only using items from the First Stage, so it was apparent that he hadn¡¯t unlocked the second yet.


    Even the First Stage was amazing, but Kurandas had no interest in that. The true power lied with the Second Stage.


    That was his target.


    It was impossible to steal it without getting caught. If it was same as their own armory, it would have simr security measures. It would cause a ruckus by bringing in more people, and if he cut down those who came, the Kingdom would make a move.


    He needed to act carefully to make sure that it would simply end in the countryside.


    <They cannot know that Usharan Kingdom is behind all this.>


    That was why they contacted Viscount Teron. To make a bigger issue as a cover-up.


    With Viscount Teron¡¯s ambition, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with thend of Logadis. They tempted the Viscount to move over to Usharan. With this, he was promised betternd. He decided to cooperate once they signed the contract with a magical seal.


    They had no intention to keep it. Viscount Teron didn¡¯t seem to know that a Grand Bander could easily bend the will of such a contract. With the support of intelligence and money, Teron united the other nobles and started a war against Kn.


    They didn¡¯t need to win. Teron was to be killed soon and Kurandas was never to return with the items within the armory.


    He thought, ¡®It¡¯s going well.¡¯


    Up until now, everything had been well-nned and staged. Kn forces were out on the field, and it would take time for them to return to the cliff to protect it. When they did arrive, it would be toote.


    He brought the <Void space of Nitzmatan> to bring back everything, so havinge alone was not a problem.


    All he needed to do was break in, sweep up everything, and leave. Phareon also seemed to be keeping it a secret to keep everything for himself. If he reported it to the Kingdom, it would¡¯ve been hard for them to steal it, but if Phareon was keeping and defending it alone, it was easy.


    Only onest step remained.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move. Make sure you do your part until the end, Viscount.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Teron began moving out to order his forces to put the pressure on the Kns.


    Kurandas then jumped out of the window. He needed to move quickly.


    Phareon was deep in thought after talking with Ra-Kadum who called him up suddenly. He had given him some mysterious advice.


    <Dekons see what humans cannot see. One includes the future. It¡¯s not something we can see when we want or when it is clear... but it¡¯s very near in the future. I will still help you. If you don¡¯t know what to do, do this...>


    He then told him some additional things.


    ¡®What is that supposed to mean?¡¯


    Phareon thought about it for a moment, then shook it away to focus on the war.


    As he listened to the situation of the war through the <Kranga>, he felt something strange. Teron¡¯s forces suddenly moved out to form a boundary near the cliff.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯


    The cliff was where his <Artifacts> were being hidden. It was hidden deep within and only he knew where it was. It also had all sorts of security measures, and his forces could not provide stronger protection than the armory¡¯s self-defense system anyway.


    He couldn¡¯t figure out what they were doing, but the <Kranga> suddenly began sending rming messages into his head.


    <WARNING! WARNING! THE ARMORY HAS BEEN INFILTRATED! INITIATING FIRST STAGE DEFENSIVE SYSTEM!>


    ¡°WHAT!¡±


    Phareon stood up at once.


    ¡°So... it was here. <Armory of Arankal>. No wonder we couldn¡¯t find it,¡± Kurandas spoke as he looked at the steel door in front of him.


    At the bottom, deep inside the cliff, there were steel doors that had stood strong after hundreds of years. The Talic Stone powder that covered it had strong defensive magic power.


    <...Identifying the user. Unidentifiable user.>


    Light came in from the top of the door, scanning Kurandas before rejecting him. He grinned and pulled his sword.


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    He began pushing Bandar on his sword and the light began to glow from the sword. He then swung his sword at the door.


    The steel door that could withstand a charging ram was broken into pieces with just one swing. As the door broke open, some red light began shooting upon Kurandas from within.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go inside.¡±


    Kurandas jumped in, swinging his sword all directions around him.


    Sian awoke from the weird energy wavesing to him. He looked at the cliff and thought for a second, but then grinned.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Then he was gone from the room.

 Chapter 33: Armory of Arankal

    <h4>Chapter 33: Armory of Arankal</h4>


    The Armory of Arankal was divided into four stages.


    First, the Defensive Area wasprised of all sorts of weapons and supplies for soldiers at war. Rianna¡¯s sword, Talic Stones, and elixir were all from this primary stage.


    Items from the First Stage were all crafted with technology and magical sciences of the Old Empire and were proven to have some value. It was what helped Kn Province rise to its current power and allowed them to fight against Logadis.


    But the First Stage resembled that of a storage rather than an armory. Its true nature would be revealed in the Second Stage.


    Kurandas, who had been taking care of the Usharan Kingdom¡¯s armory for a long time, knew of this and quickly moved through it while shing all mechanical dogs called


    .


    He did it with ease, but these Pavlocks were powerful as they had been created to fight and oppress civilians and soldiers. It looked like Phareon pondered about using these machine dogs, but he figured it would draw too much attention and gave up on using them.


    Kurandas reached the front of the Second Stage and sensed some kind of energy.


    ¡®He¡¯s here.¡¯


    It must be the owner of the armory that had arrived using teleportation.


    Even with the age of the Empire, making such a small teleportation rune was a great feat, but they did manage to make it so that the person in charge of the armory could easily teleport in and out of it.


    Managing the armory required its administrator to work, which required such easy ess.


    ¡®But what can you do?¡¯


    Kurandas grinned. It was as he expected.


    The owner of this armory hade alone. If he brought an army, it meant a massacre and it would be hard to avoid attention from the Kingdom. But he came alone and it was easy to ignore him.


    If he had full control of this ce, it would¡¯ve been dangerous, even for Kurandas. However, the Phareon definitely did not have such control. If he had the ess to the Second Stage, the area would¡¯ve been cleaned already.


    Kurandas began mming the door to the Second Stage. It was a durable door, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to withstand the attack of a Grand Bander.


    As it broke down, Kurandas walked in. As expected, the ce was not activated.


    If Phareon had ess to the ce, the <Kanuans> ced inside should¡¯ve attacked him at once. The Second Stage contained weapons that could protect themselves.


    Kurandas nced over at the countless number of Anti-Bander war machines, or <Kanuans>, lined up in the room and began to activate the <Void space of Nitzmatan>.


    This artifact, which required 5% of all the Kingdom¡¯s Talic Stone power and tens of first-ss Magic Priests to create, was given to him for this special mission.


    The Great Magic Priest of the Empire, Nitzmatan, first created it and left a blueprint, of which it was named thereafter. It had one function.


    <Creation of void space>


    It distorted the dimension and allowed the storage of non-living things. It wasn¡¯t just some normal storage magic. After thorough testing, it proved to be able to store a huge amount of war supplies that would keep a hundred thousand soldiers fed and supplied for one full year.


    And this was where it will shine.


    Kurandas ced the artifact in the empty air in front of him and stepped back.


    The artifact floated in the air and began twirling itself, making bright lights. The blue light that came out from the artifact began expanding, then touched the <Kanuans>. All the Kanuans that were touched by the light began disappearing and were absorbed into the void.


    ¡®It¡¯s always amazing to see,¡¯ Kurandas thought as he watched. Thousands of <Kanuans> were already gone. It was time for him to move further and onto the Third Stage.


    That was when he thought something was off. It was too quiet.


    He was preparing to defend himself since he felt that the owner was teleporting in. Even if he did not have ess yet, he would¡¯ve been able to see what was going on, even with basic ess.


    ¡®Did he give up? That Phareon boy?¡¯


    Maybe he didn¡¯t know the true potential of the weapons inside the Second and Third Stages.


    ¡®I guess he was just a fool.¡¯


    He shrugged and began walking in.


    Phareon, on the other hand, did not give up and knew the potentials of these weapons. That was why he was doing his best to block Kurandas from elsewhere.


    ¡®Where did hee from...?¡¯


    Phareon moaned as he investigated the armory by using <Kranga>.


    The


    that he stored aside for the time being were all smashed into pieces and the Second Stage had been broken through. This man was a Grand Bander.


    He used teleportation to move closer to the armory, but it was good that he did not bring his men. They were no match against this man anyway.


    He did not have high enough ess to fight the man either. If he had just one more year... that would¡¯ve allowed him to unlock the Second, or even the Third Stage lock. Then he could have stopped him.


    Phareon groaned.


    ¡®If I just had more time...¡¯


    He was very careful. Nobody knew the location of the armory. But the man knew the location and broke in.


    <Infiltration-Approaching Third Stage.>


    Phareon could not do anything.


    The items that he moved to hisnd from the First Stage was amazing in itself. If the items in the First Stage were enough to make him a powerful noble, the ones in the Second and Third Stages would be enough to make him the King and the Emperor.


    But it was all being swallowed up by some unknown intruder.


    That was when he heard Ra-Kadum¡¯s advice.


    <When you are faced with a desperate situation, go to A-13. I am not sure what this means, but you would know.>


    He didn¡¯t know what that meant, but he knew now.


    ¡°Kranga! Send me to A-13!¡±


    Phareon shouted at his wrist.


    <...epted. Moving to A-13. Activating Ra-Shar-Roa>


    Phareon was swept up by the bright light and was teleported inside the armory, into A-13.


    ¡°Huh? How did you get here?¡±


    When Phareon opened his eyes, Sian was standing in front of him with a surprised look.


    ¡°What...¡±


    Phareon was dumbfounded. This was the Guarran-Tia that Ra-Kadum warned him about. But why was he here? In the middle of the night, inside his armory?


    He was concerned that this man was with the invader, but that was unlikely.


    Even if he was, it could not be any worse and Ra-Kadum would not have sent him here. His advice was never wrong.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Sian? Why are you here?¡±


    Sian then turned awkward and smiled.


    ¡°Oh... haha. I just came to watch.¡±


    ¡°Watch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I came here a while ago but it was blocked by some steel doors. I can¡¯t just break them and trespass without permission, right? But I felt some man breaking in, so I thought it was a chance to take a peek... But this ce sure has some fascinating stuff! Just as expected. That blue light absorbing everything was especially amazing.¡±


    Phareon wasn¡¯t sure what to do about this boy.


    He heard he was staying within the castle, but he felt the door being broken down? It was over fifteen miles from here to the castle. Phareon teleported right after he felt the intrusion, but it seemed like this man got here about the same time, meaning that he hade here instantly.


    And he came to watch the storage being robbed.


    However, that was not the issue. The intruder was approaching the Third Stage at the moment. The defense system would hold him back for a while, but it was only a matter of time.


    The advice given by Ra-Kadum surely meant that Sian had way to help him.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to do this! I must block him!¡±


    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t have time to waste here. You should go. Isn¡¯t this ce yours? What are you doing?¡±


    Phareon was lost for words. He was correct. There was no reason for Sian to protect the ce.


    ¡°Uh... erm... aren¡¯t you Guarran-Tia?¡±


    ¡°Hm. Yes?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t... isn¡¯t it your duty to protect in these kinds of situations? A Guarran-Tia¡¯s duty is to arrest criminals, right?¡±


    Phareon felt his face blushing from shame. But he had no choice.


    ¡°My shift is over, and this isn¡¯t my area to patrol. Besides, I¡¯m on inspection duty and this is yours. You surely didn¡¯t give this to the country right? I guess not, because you were hiding it. It¡¯s not my duty to protect personal property.¡±


    And it didn¡¯t work. Phareon could not continue as he was being pointed out of his undoings. As he calmed down, he remembered Ra-Kadum¡¯s words again.


    <Whatever you say, it will not work. You should say this... and don¡¯t forget. Lose your greed.>


    Phareon hesitated. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, but if he didn¡¯t, the intruder would steal all the weapons within the armory. He had no choice.


    <The infiltrator has broken all the Third Stage defense systems. The entrance has been destroyed.>


    ¡°Oh, no. I can¡¯t miss all the fun! Good luck! I will go and watch now.¡±


    <Kranga> and Sian both spoke to Phareon and he made his choice. He shouted as Ra-Kadum told him to do.


    ¡°I will have all of this presented to the Tian Kingdom! I request the exercise of Guarran-Tia¡¯s Chapter 3 Section 7!!¡±


    Sian flinched and began remembering what Chapter 3 Section 7 was about. After he remembered what it was, he scowled.


    After looking at the change in expression, Phareon sighed in relief.

 Chapter 34: Armory of Arankal

    <h4>Chapter 34: Armory of Arankal</h4>


    <Guarran-Tia Manual: Chapter 3 Section 7>


    -All Guarran-Tia are duty-bound to protect the Kingdom¡¯s military property. This is in effect at all times, regardless of the situation or ce.


    .......


    Kurandas felt a chill pass through his bones as he entered the Third Stage. He was also relieved. If Phareon managed to take control of this, Tian Kingdom and all other nearby kingdoms would surely fall under his rule.


    The <Armory of Arankal> they found was nothingpared to this. It exined why the Empire was able to oppress any rebellions so far from the capital.


    The room had two hundred Anti-Master Bander-level machines, or <Kel-Rufens>, that were now being absorbed into the blue light. Kurandas smiled. One of these would be enough to fight against a Master-level warrior, but there were two hundred here.


    Even he wasn¡¯t sure if he could fight more than thirty at once.


    If he returned to his kingdom with these weapons, the neighboring Con Kingdom would be no match for them. The Taran Kingdom, who was always waiting to invade, would be no match either.


    That was when Kurandas turned to another wall. He read the ancient Empire writing and was shocked.


    ¡°The... the Fourth Stage! So it exists! The rumors are true after all!¡±


    Kurandas was delighted.


    The <Armory of Arankal> found within Usharan Kingdom had three stages.


    The First Stage ¨C storage of the Anti-Civilian, or the four-legged automated machine:


    The Second Stage ¨C storage of the Anti-Expert Bander, or the four-legged automated machine: <Kanuan>


    The Third Stage ¨C storage of the Anti-Master Bander, or humanoid automaton: <Kel-Rufen>


    Those were powerful assets. When they first found the armory, they were mesmerized by the ancient technology. It was astounding that a machine could go up against a Master-level Bander.


    However, that made them wonder; these were not enough to control all Seven Kingdoms of the Ra-Sian Continent.


    Grand Banders did exist during that era, and no matter how many Kel-Rufens were avable, it wasn¡¯t enough to fight against the number of Grand Banders.


    Then came another theory.


    <It¡¯s not here, but the other armories might have a fourth stage where the machines were stored to fight against Grand Banders.>


    All the warriors scoffed at the idea, it seemed impossible. The theory was ignored and abandoned as it did not exist within their own armory.


    But to see that it was true! Kurandas could not help but shiver in excitement.


    He began breaking down the door that blocked him from reaching the Fourth Stage. It was very durable, but it seemed that it wasn¡¯t made to withstand such an attack.


    He walked in.


    ¡°Oh... OOH!¡±


    After walking in with the <Void space of Nitzmatan>, he trembled at the sight of the ten human-like machines. They were not activated, but he could feel that if even one of them came to life, he would have to fight for his. He closed in and read the name.


    <Arankal>


    ¡°So the name <Armory of Arankal>es from this...¡±


    Kurandas was filled with amazement as he gazed at them, but he flinched. These machines were not same as the ones in the prior stages. The ones prior were not charged with energy, but these machines only needed activation words to bring them back to life.


    If he was correct, he knew the phrase. It was probably the same as his armory.


    After working as a guardian of the armory for a long time, he knew what the machines did if they were activated without an administrator.


    He reminded himself to be careful with this machine and began preparing to activate the <Void space of Nitzmatan>.


    That was when he heard a voice from outside and turned around. He was surprised since he didn¡¯t feel anything before.


    ¡°Hey! Old man! You should leave that there. You¡¯re stealing, you know? You should know better.¡±


    Some young boy was looking at him with an annoyed face. Kurandas grasped his sword and walked up to him. It wasn¡¯t Phareon, but he didn¡¯t care who it was. Without thinking, he swung his sword to kill him.


    Sian sighed at his situation as it had gone terribly wrong.


    He even took up his manual (simplified) as he could not believe what Phareon requested to exercise.


    ¡°Huh... you are a smart man.¡±


    Sian sighed and began running toward the man that opened the door for him to enter the armory.


    He just needed to subdue him, so it didn¡¯t seem to be dangerous, but he was still annoyed. When he arrived, he found some old man caressing some weird human-like machine with a mesmerized look.


    It gave him the chills.


    ¡®Is he some kind of pervert? He looks old enough...¡¯


    The machines belonged to the country now, so he needed to do his work.


    ¡°Hey! Old man! You should leave that there. You¡¯re stealing, you know? You should know better.¡±


    Sian shouted, and the man flinched before turning to him. He figured the man knew what he was doing was embarrassing.


    But as he approached him, the man swung his sword without a word.


    Sian did not expect him to be arrested quietly. The man was familiar with swords.


    But this was not something that would require him to unlock his power, so he had time. This man seemed to be weaker than the old man with the golden sword from before and there no one tying him down with some strange ck thing. He could just take some time to beat him up.


    ¡°Trespassing, stealing Kingdom treasure, and assaulting a Guarran-Tia. You¡¯re under arrest.¡±


    Then he began smacking the man down with his scabbard.


    ¡°UGH! ARGH!¡±


    Kurandas couldn¡¯t pull himself together. This young boy who just avoided his attack spoke some nonsense and began swinging his scabbard at him.


    However, what was happening to him now was utter nonsense.


    The boy wasn¡¯t doing anything special; his speed and power weren¡¯t high either. But he couldn¡¯t dodge or block the attacks. He had managed to avoid the first few hits, but that was it. He was getting beaten up.


    The boy was not one of the three Grand Banders of Tian. There were only a few Grand Banders in the world, so he could recognize all of them.


    But one thing was certain.


    ¡®He¡¯s much stronger than me. And he still has more power hidden within.¡¯


    Kurandas felt despair as he was being beaten up. What was worse was that he was going to be captured soon; he felt like he was going to faint.


    He had already killed the Viscount before he came, and he was going to kill Phareon when he was done. But how would any of that matter if he got caught?


    Usharan Kingdom would be revealed to be behind this entire plot, and he would be put to death. The two kingdoms were not in a good rtionship to release a Grand Bander who had been caught trespassing and stealing.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if this was a trap set up by the Tian Kingdom, but he knew for sure that he was going to be killed. So, he decided to make this ce hell before he died.


    Kurandas gathered all Bander he could muster and it exploded outward. Sian flinched and stepped backward, but he shrugged off the Bander storm that was directed at him and approached again.


    It was enough time for Kurandas to activate the automation.


    ¡°AKO-RAK-TA-SHE, A-RANKAL!!¡±


    Red light glowed from the eyes of the machines. The <Arankals> came to life.


    <CAUTION! Fourth Stage weapon, <ARANKAL>, has been activated. Searching for registered administrator... None. It will now eradicate all non-registered lifeforms.>


    ¡°DAMMIT!¡±


    Phareon, who was watching Sian through the <Kranga>, stood up at once. He didn¡¯t expect the intruder to know the activation words.


    The problem was that these machines had no administrator. Without a master, these machines were programmed to do one thing.


    <Kill everything that is not registered.>


    This was how the Empire used to control the Seven Kingdoms. This forced all the people from the Old Kingdom to register within the Empire to avoid being killed. Even if they didn¡¯t, the Empire did not care. It just meant that whenever the system, <Armory of Arankal>, was activated, anyone not registered would end up dead.


    As far as Phareon knew, these <Arankals> were made to fight against Grand Banders.


    <Kranga> informed him that it was when they made these machines that the Empire was finally at ease, no longer worrying about the Seven Kingdoms as the Empire could control them without human forces.


    It wasn¡¯t much help in the Kal-Gul war, and that was why they were abandoned here.


    This activation meant that the ten Grand Bander-level machines would now roam thend, killing everything in sight.


    Phareon used <Kranga> to teleport into his castle at once.


    He felt sorry for Sian, but he had to evacuate his family as far away as possible.


    ¡°Ra-Kadum! You should run! Quick!¡±


    Phareon quickly began evacuating his family and friends once he returned. But Ra-Kadum looked calm. He looked at Phareon and smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Ra-Kadum?¡±


    ¡°Boy, you¡¯re promising, but you still have a lot to learn. You didn¡¯t listen to me until the end.¡±


    That was when Phareon remembered Ra-Kadum¡¯s final words that he had forgotten while escaping.


    <Don¡¯t run away alone. Stay there unless you want to get beaten up in front of your girlfriends.>

 Chapter 35: Arankal

    <h4>Chapter 35: Arankal</h4>


    <If a Grand Bander is master at chess, then I¡¯m the one who made chess.>


    From Kdaple, the collector of Six-Horned Pa-Harijans from 500 years ago


    .......


    Automated machines used to say at least one word before killing someone, such as <Identified unregistered living being>, or <Initiating attack>, or such. But these machines did not do such a thing.


    The machines scanned Sian, and as soon as they realized Sian was unregistered, they began attacking him. Their cores, which were made out of top-grade Talic Stones, supplied infinite energy and helped the machines transform it into Bander and Exar.


    The <Karmata> that Sian saw before was like a toypared to these machines. These were much more advanced as they were created by using Talic Stones. Each one of these machines easily matched the strength of the old man with the golden sword.


    These were what Sian felt inside the cliff once he arrived here.


    As he watched those <Arankals> charging at him, he thought of beating up the man that activated them and Phareon who fled right when these were activated.


    But it was somewhat fortunate.


    The man that activated these machinesmitted suicide by reversing internal Bander to avoid being arrested and Phareon fled to his castle. There was no living being within a five-mile radius.


    ¡®I guess I don¡¯t have to kill anyone this time then.¡¯


    He sighed as he had to use his power again and unlocked the power from within. Something changed and there was a smile on his face.


    Sian dodged the attack and the Arankal¡¯s right hand tore down the wall that it had struck.


    ¡®Wow, these toys are really something,¡¯ Sian thought as he looked at one while he dodging its attack.


    The ones that the thief stole that were in his pouch did not interest him. Those were just toys.


    But these were different.


    He thought about taking these home, but he did not know how to stop or maintain them. Thus, he decided to y with the machines for a while before destroying them.


    As he thought, the cores of the Arankals began activating and changed to Exar. The Exar was then supplied into the Arankals¡¯ right eyes and a ray of light fired upon Sian in a straight line.


    ¡°Wow... what is this? Haha!¡±


    Sian, who took a hit out of curiosity,ughed in excitement. It wasn¡¯t only the color that was cool. It actually was cold. It was a magic ability capable of freezing the target. If it was a Master and not a Grand Bander that it was fired at, it would have surely destroyed the frozen area.


    But it did not affect Sian at all and the Arankals began analyzing Sian to n for another attack.


    The sub-cores of the Arankals located on their spines began shining and they sped up. It was <eleration> magic. Not only that, other magic skills were being activated.


    <Strengthen> <Extract> <Increase>...


    All ten machines were now much stronger than before. Sianughed in excitement.


    An <Arankal>¡¯s main function was to analyze the target.


    As it analyzed, it shared the information with other machines that helped them fight the target with more ease. Arankals analyzed Sian from all sides.


    [Bander Rating...]


    [Movement speed...]


    [Damage potential...]


    [eleration speed...]


    [Bander flow rating...]


    The Arankals that gathered information on Sian who was dodging their attacks with ease and issued a report.


    [Analyzation failed.]


    [Lack of information. Unstable physical number. Unstable Bander Rating. Unable to analyze.]


    The number that didn¡¯t change, hence the name, physical number, kept changing from within.


    Thus, the Arankals were unable to analyze the target.


    Thus, the Arankals made a decision.


    [Target spected to be a


    ]


    [Danger Level ¡®F¡¯: In need of immediate execution]


    [Impossible to subdue the target at present. Changing to n-Z]


    [Activating <VOID>]


    Ra-Banders were rare, but the age of the Empire had Ra-Banders, also known as Pa-Harijans.


    Giraine, the Sun Hunter


    Kdaple, the Collector of Six-Horns


    Robanutton, the Star Shatterer


    Con-Rad, the Son of God


    It was a time where warriors were treated poorlypared to Magic Priests. It was a time before Bander was found. During the 300 years of the creation of the Empire, these four Pa-Harijans proved that no one was more powerful than them and they freely roamed the world.


    The Empire arduously tried to research them, and with the help of Kdaple, who protected the Empire from the Six-Horned Harijans, they were able to conduct research on them.


    The research went slowly. Kdaple got bored easily. He ran off to hunt down Harijans and there was not enough knowledge to correctly understand the secret of Pa-Harijans.


    It was also because Magic Priests were so powerful that they ignored Bander and did not deeply research it.


    The Empire finally discovered a few things about Pa-Harijans and pulled together a report.


    The following are a summary of the report.


    <When a Pa-Harijan is at a certain level, the physical number and rules are all reset and affects the outside.>


    -It resets, but it is not under the Pa-Harijan¡¯s control and it differs from all Pa-Harijans based on its character, environment, and talents.


    -The body that is not bound by physical rules transcend thews of physics.


    Pa-Harijans were not bound by thews of physics. Their bodies represented a separate and different world of their own.


    Warriors needed strong muscles and high Bander Ratings to be strong. But the Pa-Harijans did not need them.


    Defying physicalws meant that it could destroy a mountain with baby-like arms and crush a castle with just a dustful of Bander.


    Magic Priests then began finding ways to subdue these superhuman beings. These beings did not want to be involved in worldly affairs, but it was the Magic Priests¡¯ way of preparing for everything.


    The only way that seemed remotely possible was the one stored within <Arankals>beled as n Z.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Sian looked at the Arankals as some weird Exar flow started stirring within them. The Exar that spread outward was now being called into one magic rune inside its core.


    The Arankals kept attacking Sian, but the Exar that began flowing fiercely from within made them slow down as the cores were getting overloaded.


    The Arankals did not care about their overloaded state. They did everything they could to prevent Sian from running away.


    n-Z was meant to destroy all machines that exercised it anyway. Its job was to hold down the Pa-Harijan until the activation of the magic rune.


    [Preparation of Great Magic Rune,plete]


    [Activating Top-Grade Magic <VOID>]


    Ten Arankal cores exploded at once. The Magic Priests of the Empire spected it would take at least seven cores to subdue ¡®Kdaple¡¯, and they used ten of them. They were sessful in their mission.


    The Magic Rune began shining where the core had been destroyed, activating the dimensional twist in front of Sian.

 Chapter 36: Arankal

    <h4>Chapter 36: Arankal</h4>


    <VOID> was simple magic.


    <Distort the space of the target, tear it from the current dimension, and throw it to another dimension as a whole.>


    Top-grade magic wasn¡¯t created to target humans. Its purpose was to be used against a six or more horned Harijan the size of a small hill, or eradicate an entire enemy city at once.


    Even the Empire limited its use of such magic and there weren¡¯t many instances where it was needed.


    After researching deeper into the Pa-Harijans, Magic Priests realized they needed to use such power to subdue them and began formting magic best-suited for such a purpose.


    Hence, the creation of <VOID>.


    <VOID> was governed by otherworldlyws that could possibly counter the Pa-Harijans who exhibited extraordinary resistance against the elements, physics, Bander, and Exar.


    <If it is difficult to influence a Pa-Harijan in any way, distort the space they are in and throw it into the other dimension.>


    They didn¡¯t need to worry about where Pa-Harijan would be thrown into. But just distorting it once did not seem to be enough to handle such a monster. After careful calction, they concluded that it would take seven spatial distortions to kick out Kdaple.


    And that was the birth of top-grade magic: <VOID>.


    One core meant one distortion of space, and seven cores resulted in seven distortions.


    There was a total of ten cores within the Arankals.


    The space surrounding Sian instantly distorted ten times. It wasn¡¯t just the same distortion every time; the distortion¡¯s power doubled each time it happened.


    The result wasn¡¯t dramatic. It was so quiet that the sound of Arankals falling down from running out of power was even louder. The space surrounding Sian began swirling and it swept him up.


    And he was gone. It was not even one second after the core had activated the magic.


    Thest Arankal that watched it unfold spoke in a mechanical voice.


    [Unregistered target... Danger level ¡®F¡¯... has been eliminated...]


    And it fell to the ground.


    But that was when the space began breaking down.


    The sound of crushing came from the emptiness, growing louder and louder. Then, something suddenly came out from nowhere, sticking out from inside.


    It was the end of a sword.


    The sword that poked out at a finger¡¯s length started moving about its space, trying to make the hole bigger. The crashing sound grew even louder.


    The sound then turned to ripping and the sword was pushed out even deeper, widening the space. Soon, the hole that showed the darkness of the void becamerge enough for a person to pass through and Sian came out of it.


    ¡°Wow. Now that was a fascinating experience!¡± Sian eximed, and the void space quickly closed up, leaving no trace behind. Sian then nced around at fallen Arankals, locked up his power, and started cleaning up the area.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was around here...¡±


    Sian looked around to find the box that the man had brought here.


    He did not have the right to those weapons that he stashed in the box as it now belonged to the country. But the box seemed okay to take into his possession. He finally found the box and remembered how the thief had used it. He needed to empty what was inside to take the box.


    It would¡¯ve caused trouble if he took the box and whatever that was inside since it wasn¡¯t his. That would result in not being allowed to have the box. Moreover, Sian had no interest in those toys.


    Sian activated the box just like the old man did and it began shooting out red light.


    The same thing happened when the man activated the box to take out his sword out of it.


    Surely the area would be filled with those machines.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    But nothing came out. Sian was sure he did the same thing the thief did. He touched the box and tried different things, but it was no use.


    This was bad. He was thest one to stand in this ce and there was nothing. He was bound to be used as the thief.


    Sian began thinking how to squeeze out of this mess and made up his mind.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    Phareon was trying to evacuate his family even after listening to Ra-Kadum. It would¡¯ve been great if he could use <Kranga> to look at what was happening at the armory, but it had run out of Exar after teleporting three times today. It required a day¡¯s worth of recharging before it would work again.


    Phareon became nervous and couldn¡¯t stop from ncing toward where the cliff was.


    ¡°Huh? What!¡±


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S THAT!¡±


    Phareon and the others around him looked at the cliff.


    ¡°It¡¯s falling down!¡±


    The entire mountain, including the cliff, was copsing.


    ¡°This will do.¡±


    Just destroying the armory might¡¯ve still raised some questions, so Sian unlocked his power once more and destroyed the entire mountain. There was nothing in the armory, so it seemed to be okay.


    He hung the box he acquired on his neck like a ne and hid it behind his clothes.


    ¡°Ni...tzmatan. Nitzmatan, eh? Hahaha!¡±


    Sianughed as he thought about the amazing ability that this box, named Nitzmatan, had.


    He wasn¡¯t interested in the toy soldiers, but this box seemed to be very useful.


    That was when he remembered Baron Kn who ran away the moment those machines came to life. If it wasn¡¯t for Sian, those machines would¡¯ve destroyed half of Tian before going down.


    Judging by how fast he ran away, it seemed that Phareon knew how dangerous those machines were. Sian knew he wasn¡¯t much help and didn¡¯t expect the baron to leave him there to die, but the man should¡¯ve at least tried to warn him.


    Yet he just ran away after asking Sian stop the thief.


    Sian began thinking about how much of beating he would give Phareon and moved back to the castle.


    Ra-Shar-Roa of Kromata Region, within the Usharan Kingdom.


    The Ra-Shar-Roa of Usharan was controlled by the royal family of Dimitri, non-essible by the public. Tarnian, who was in charge of the Ra-Shar-Roa and the Second Magic Priest of Usharan, turned to the Ra-Shar-Roa that had begun activating itself.


    There was no nned use of Ra-Shar-Roa today.


    Tarnian checked to see if anything was wrong and was just about to call his subordinates when the Ra-Shar-Roa burst into light, spitting out various war supplies and mechanical weapons.


    These machines were familiar. Tarnian was once stationed at the <Armory of Arankal>.


    ¡°This is...!¡±


    He felt that something had happened to Kurandas the second he saw a huge number of <Kel-Rufens> and <Kanuans>ing out from the Ra-Shar-Roa.


    The <Void space of Nitzmatan> had a special power. In case the wielder of the artifact died, it would send all the items it held to Ra-Shar-Roa.


    It was meant to save whatever that was inside in exchange for the loss of the artifact.


    Since it had been activated, it only meant Kurandas¡¯ death.


    Tarnian also realized that Kurandas had sessfully acquired the weapons from the armory. Their armory did not have a huge number of <Kel-Rufens> or <Kanuans>.


    Kurandas sacrificed himself for the future of Usharan.


    Tarnian called his subordinates to guard the area while he sent a message to King Dimitri.


    He could not waste Kurandas¡¯ life.


    With those mechanical soldiers, there was no need to battle against the Con Kingdom or ally themselves with the dirty Tarans like they were doing right now.

 Chapter 37: Celine’s concerns

    <h4>Chapter 37: Celine¡¯s concerns</h4>


    Everyone in Kn Province was busy. After the copse of the cliff, the Logadis forces disbanded on their own.


    Viscount Teron, the leader of the group, was found dead, and Phareon was suspected to be the killer, which terrified the noble forces. All of them surrendered, and Phareon gave them some property so they would move off theirnd.


    Under Phareon¡¯smand, Logadis quickly stabilized. However, Phareon still needed more time.


    ¡°How are you faring? Has the swelling gone down?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I¡¯m okay. At least his anger has sated.¡±


    Ra-Kadum asked Phareon about his condition as he had bruises all over his body. It had been two weeks since he got the bruises, but they still hadn¡¯t gone away.


    Phareon was d that it ended with just him though. He was worried that Riana or Roina would try to interfere, but Ra-Kadum managed to keep everyone out of it so that only he got beaten up.


    After that was done, Sian exined everything that happened at the cliff.


    He said that the cliff copsed in the middle of a fight and he barely managed to escape, preventing him from retrieving the weapons that the thief had stolen. However, they did not need to worry about the <Arankals> as they had all been buried with the copse of the cliff.


    Phareon epted the fact that he had lost those weapons. He wasn¡¯t powerful enough to protect them anyway. If it weren¡¯t for Sian, everything would have been stolen, and he would have been killed in the end.


    It was fortunate that the items from the First Stage had already been moved to other ces.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably on the way back to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The world really isrge... I never imagined such a man to exist.¡±


    Phareon smiled bitterly at the thought of Sian.


    He believed everything would be his once he unlocked the <Arankal>, but the world wasn¡¯t that easy. There were too many powerful people. All that he believed in was destroyed by just one man.


    ¡°Boy, are you scared?¡±


    Ra-Kadum smirked at Phareon, but Phareon turned toward him and smiled.


    ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯m a bit shocked but...¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°It was a good lesson. I have my friends, my loved ones, and you too. I think I have been rushing things.¡±


    Ra-Kadumughed and answered, ¡°Good, that¡¯s good. Boy-Lord, you got a bright future ahead of you. You still have more stuff to help you out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We should get busy.¡±


    Theyughed and started talking about future ns when Roina came and cut in.


    ¡°Milord, a messenger just came from the capital.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°The session is over. It¡¯s the King Narasha Qun Tian the First.¡±


    The capital was in a festive mood. Narasha had been sessfully crowned as the new king, recing Craden. The new king proved to be worthy of the throne, and the people believed the new king would guide them to prosperity.


    Sian was worried that Count Kerbel would be shocked, but when Sian returned, he did not seem to be too bothered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I wasn¡¯t worried that the former king would lose his ce. I¡¯m a citizen of Tian. I wee a strong king. I was just worried that Marquis Narasha would spill too much blood.¡±


    Kerbel answered Sian when he told him of his worries.


    Marquis Narasha had been quite peaceful during the session, and all the noble factions obeyed Sir Rian and the Third Knight Guard¡¯s orders, thus not causing too much trouble.


    But the bnce of power had tilted too far, and the former king decided to give up the throne before it became ugly.


    And Sian... was not interested in the session one bit.


    His interest shifted to something else that happened during his two-month absence.


    ¡°Lady Celine, what¡¯s going on?¡± Sian asked Celine who looked extremely fatigued.


    Sian was not good at sensing other people¡¯s problems, but Celine looked so tired that even Sian could recognize that she was having problems.


    ¡°Oh... you¡¯re here...¡±


    Celine sighed as she nced at Sian who had returned to duty and began exining what had happened to her while he was gone. After she was finished, Sian eximed in disbelief, ¡°So... there¡¯s a man who¡¯s been following you around? And he¡¯s in love with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... what should I do?¡±


    ¡®...is she showing off?¡¯


    Sian first thought that Celine was joking, but she seemed really concerned, so he decided to continue listening. Celine was a beautiful woman who had a good background, so it didn¡¯t seem impossible.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem then? Is he ugly?¡±


    ¡°No. He¡¯s handsome. Almost like Sir Rian.¡±


    Which meant the man was really handsome.


    ¡°Then... is he weak? You always wanted a strong man, right?¡±


    ¡°Why would I tell you all this if he was weak?¡±


    Sian nodded. If the man was weaker than Celine, there was no way that she would allow herself to be stalked. After asking more questions, Sian decided that she was just showing off.


    ¡°So... he¡¯s handsome, powerful, rich, and a perfect man. He¡¯s a mercenary and a fallen noble, but I¡¯m pretty sure you don¡¯t mind that.¡±


    Sianmented bitterly, but Celine sighed.


    ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t ask me the most important thing. His personality.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian realized that he hadn¡¯t asked about that.


    ¡°Oh... then...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve never met such a man in my life.¡±


    Celine began exining what happened in detail.


    Marquis Narasha began his n the moment Sian left the capital. It needed to be done quickly, so he hired various powerful mercenaries from all parts of the Kingdom toe the capital and help.


    The man, Kuntarian, came to Roa-Tian because of that.


    It had only been half a year that his name had been known. He first appeared in the battle between Viscount Nebel of the Royalist Faction and Viscount Qunon of the Noble Faction. Kuntarian singlehandedly led the weaker Noble Faction to victory with his prowess. After that, he led the Noble Faction to victory with his powers many times.


    He only helped the nobles because they were rich and offered him more money.


    His name instantly became famous right before he came to the capital when he defeated the top-ss Master-level warrior, Viscount Krasan.


    After a deeper investigation of the man, it was revealed that he was only seventeen years old.


    Everyone believed that he would be the fourth Grand Bander of Tian Kingdom.


    Marquis Narasha quickly called him in, and he proved himself worthy.


    Kuntarian worked as requested. He taunted and destroyed everything in his path. There was nothing that could stop him as his main focus was to cause problems on the roads of El-Lua, and he was bound to meet Celine.


    The moment Kuntarian met Celine, he imed that he had fallen in love and demanded that Celine be his woman. But Celine did not like the boy at all.


    This boy was out of line: stealing and assaulting people was the norm for him. He drank and flirted with the women on the streets, taunted nobles, and ridiculedmoners. He learned all sorts of dirty acts.


    He didn¡¯t create a problem huge enough to have the Grand Banders step in, but once he realized no one could stop him, he became worse.


    After finding out that Celine was the granddaughter of the Swordmeister Kiraine, he kept within the boundary where the Swordmeister would not step in and stalked Celine.


    In addition, he assaulted the people around Celine and gave her a massive headache.


    That was when Sian returned.


    ¡°Wow, he definitely needs a beating.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... you¡¯ll understand once you meet him.¡±


    Kuntarian made Celine change her view about Sian. She always thought that if she had the same strength as Sian, she would put it to better use. However, after meeting Kuntarian, she felt it was better for a man of such strength to bezy. She realized how terrible a powerful man without any restraint could be after meeting him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the lieutenant-captain of the Third Knight Guard? I¡¯m pretty sure our Guarran-Tia work is done, so can¡¯t you just go into the pce? He can¡¯t follow you in there, right?¡±


    ¡°He can... He became a noble. And I can¡¯t run away forever.¡±


    Sian looked at Celine sympathetically. He wanted to help, but there was no reason to interfere. The boy seemed smart enough not to create any serious trouble. If Sian just beat him up because he didn¡¯t like him, that would mean Sian was on the same level as a ruffian.


    ¡°Erm... well, good luck. I want to see his face though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s about time he came.¡±


    At that moment, a loud voice boomed from the entrance.


    ¡°HAHAHA! Where¡¯s Celine? You can¡¯t run away today!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Celine sighed loudly and grabbed her head while Sian turned toward the voice. A handsome man was walking towards them, wearing avishly decorated sword and armor that shone brightly.

 Chapter 38: Celine’s concerns

    <h4>Chapter 38: Celine¡¯s concerns</h4>


    Kuntarian loved his life here.


    Being strong gave him many pleasures.


    After earning this power while he was a mercenary, he regretted being too careful about using it. He only used 10% of the power he received, and there was already no one that could stop him.


    It was the same even after he arrived at the capital. However, he still needed to be wary of the monster-like Grand Banders.


    He was sure that if he managed to control all that power, he didn¡¯t need to worry about the Grand Banders.


    ¡®I guess a year of training will do... should I be King?¡¯


    Kuntarian daydreamed of being a king and ordering old man Narasha around. Then, he remembered the girl that kept rejecting him.


    ¡®If she wasn¡¯t the granddaughter of that Kiraine...¡¯


    No woman rejected him after he earned the power. His new, reformed body gave him a handsome look that lured all women into his bed. There was a noble that wanted to keep him by his side by giving him his daughter, but Kuntarian just took the daughter for a day and left the noble.


    If that wasn¡¯t the case, he just needed to take the woman by force.


    But Celine wasn¡¯t easy. He liked how she looked, so he tried to give her the glory of bing his girlfriend; however, she refused. So he became irritated.


    It was especially irritating because he couldn¡¯t take her by force. It was not the time to fight against old man Kiraine yet.


    It was only a matter of time.


    That was when he noticed a man talking to Celine.


    ¡®Who is that fool trying to hit on my girl?¡¯


    Kuntarian had already secretly beat up any man who had been talking with Celine, so he was sure that there was no one else around Celine anymore. However, it was not enough.


    He decided to focus on Celine for now and beat the guy upter.


    ¡°Haha! Celine, you are as beautiful as ever!¡±


    ¡°Beat it, you piece of scum.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey. Celine, isn¡¯t it about time you ept your fate?¡±


    Sian scanned the man, Kuntarian, who apparently was purposely ignoring Sian.


    ¡®So he is Kuntarian... hm...¡¯


    He was pretty strong. There was arge amount of energy storming within him that would make him stronger than most Master-level warriors, but it seemed he had gained the power not too long ago and couldn¡¯t use it properly. It didn¡¯t seem that the power had adjusted to the body.


    ¡®He¡¯s a half-wit.¡¯


    Half-wit was the most degrading term for a warrior. It was used to describe a warrior that could not draw out all the power he had. Sian wasn¡¯t sure about how he got the power, but he was sure that Kuntarian didn¡¯t have the talent to absorb all of it.


    If it was Rian who had the power, it could¡¯ve made him a Grand Bander at once.


    To waste such power like that... it was a shame.


    Sian immediately lost interest in Kuntarian. With such power andckluster talent, he would be taken care of soon enough. Celine just needed to hold out a little longer.


    As Sian started leaving, Kuntarian shouted at him, ¡°Hey, you! I¡¯m trying to have a drink with Celine. Come here and stand duty in her ce.¡±


    ¡®...huh?¡¯


    Sian was at a loss for words.


    ¡®Hah... okay, I¡¯m a civilized man.¡¯


    Sian almost threw his scabbard, but he sighed and held back. Unlike that savage, he was civilized.


    ¡®I am a civilized man. An educated man. I can hold back...¡¯


    He could not just beat up everyone because he was provoked; his mother did not raise him that way. He mumbled to himself internally and almost made it out of the building.


    However, his reflexes betrayed his conscious thoughts.


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    A scabbard was thrown and instantly struck Kuntarian¡¯s head while he was turning back to Celine. He was knocked out. Not only that, the force threw him against the wall.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian gasped in shock at his unintended action. Celine seemed surprised, but she smiled brightly and gave Sian a thumbs up.


    ¡°Wow, you have a temper too! Hahaha! I feel like you and I share simr traits.¡±


    ¡°Uh... hm... I tried to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Yeah, you did well. This fool needs a harder beating than this. Anyway, thanks, Sian.¡±


    Celineughed as she watched the unconscious Kuntarian. She expected that Kuntarian would get more beatings from Sian in the future, which made her really happy. Sian believed he was an educated, well-mannered man, but Celine knew he was not going to stand by and let this fool taunt keep taunting him.


    ¡°So, is thepetition preparation going well?¡±


    King Narasha Qun Tian the First asked Viscount Talin, his right-hand advisor.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It¡¯s going well. It will be a grand ceremony to celebrate your coronation.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, huh? It¡¯s ttering.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±


    It was tradition for the Kingdom to hold a Grand Warrior Tournament. Men and women of all ages were invited to take part in the tournament where Tian¡¯s warriors proved their worth. It helped calm the people during the session.


    ¡°I guess Kuntarian will win this time?¡±


    ¡°I believe so... yes. He is too ambitious to let this pass.¡±


    ¡°If only he had a better personality.¡±


    Grand Banders did not enter thepetition. That would ruin the bnce.


    The most anticipated individual to win thepetition was Kuntarian. If Narasha did not know about Sian, he would¡¯ve been impressed. The boy was so strong that he could fight on par with any Master-level warrior at the age of seventeen.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame. But, I should be thankful that he doesn¡¯t cause more trouble.¡±


    Some people had even given Kuntarian a nickname: <Small Harijan>.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep an eye on him... but if he steps out of line, we will have no choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and is Sian doing okay?¡±


    The King asked about Sian as there was no one else around, and this issue was to be kept a secret for now.


    ¡°Yes, Sir Cariman did a wonderful job, although I think he loves his life back at the capital.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    This was the most critical aspect of his session. As expected, Sian didn¡¯t seem to care about who the King was.


    ¡®But to think he does not even care about the seat which I wanted so badly my entire life...¡¯


    The King then listened to reports about Sian in the past two months. It was recorded by Sir Cariman along with a few other observation methods. What interested the King most was the war in Logadis and the quick growth of Kn Province, and the cliff copse.


    ¡°So the war itself is suspicious?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We suspect some outside forces had a hand in starting the war, and Baron Kn seems to be hiding something. As for the cliff... it¡¯s proving hard to investigate as it copsed.¡±


    ¡°Leave it be. I am not sure what happened there, but I can guess who did it.¡±


    Kurandas and Phareon tried hard to cover up what they were doing, but the entire area was monitored the moment Sian visited the ce.


    ¡°Say... will Sian enter thepetition?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s toozy to do it...¡±


    ¡°It would be good if he does join... but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll feel it¡¯s worth bothering.¡±


    He had enough power to destroy a mountain; thepetition would be like child¡¯s y to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame. It would be great if a man like him helped us.¡±


    ¡°I thought that too, but after looking at Kuntarian, I¡¯ve learned one thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that he¡¯s just staying put. Look at Kuntarian and all the problems he¡¯s causing. Imagine if that were Sian. It would be a disaster.¡±


    It was fortunate that Sian was not interested in worldly affairs. Sian was so powerful that he could not be controlled at all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the meeting room. They should be waiting.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    They began walking toward the meeting room to discuss the future of Tian Kingdom.

 Chapter 39: Great Warrior Tournament

    <h4>Chapter 39: Great Warrior Tournament</h4>


    Roa-Tian, the capital of the Tian Kingdom, was in festivities.


    It was the celebration of thepletion of a session. The main event of the celebration was the Great Warrior Tournament; there were smallpetitions held from time to time, but this one was different. Every warrior across the Kingdom would gather to prove who was the most powerful. To prevent theck of manpower in the countryside, warriors had to participate in the regional preliminaries in order to apply.


    The prizes were amazing. The King allowed merchants who could provide the best prizes to supply all of the festival needs. It made all the merchants prepare the best prizes they could; the profit that could be earned from supplying the festival was just too great to pass up.


    Thepetition was divided into two groups.


    The <Kaloan> and <Haron>.


    There were no requirements, and the participants just needed to choose which one they wanted to join.


    <Kaloan> was chosen by the finest warriors with lots of experience, while <Haron> was chosen by those who were just growing up.


    Girdin, a third-grade operative officer, was busy working on documents for the festival. As he went through the piles of paper, he found one that caught his attention.


    [Participant list for the Kaloan Competition]


    He loved following warriors and he had even bought a subscription for the magazine, <Warrior of the Month>, so he couldn¡¯t pass up the chance to look at the list. Sir Korakan, who protected the perimeter by the Kharan Kingdom, and Sir Mountive, who protected the Kuradan Mountains, were his favorites.


    He looked through it to see where the two names were and found something strange.


    ¡°What is this? Age twenty-four... and seventeen..¡±


    Girdin thought it could be one of two possibilities.


    One was that they identally applied for <Kaloan> instead of <Haron>.


    The other was that they had overestimated themselves.


    However, after checking the names, he realized he was wrong on both ounts.


    <Rian von Roman. Third Knight-Captain. 24 years old.>


    <Kuntarian. Baron. 17 years old.>


    The two were famous for being Masters at a young age. They had the right to join the <Kaloan>petition.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Kuntarian jumped out of his hospital bed and left hastily.


    ¡®Dammit. It must¡¯ve been that old man.¡¯


    It seemed certain that the girl must have had told her grandfather. Kuntarian knew he was dangerous, but didn¡¯t expect him to be that much. His protection runes failed and yet he didn¡¯t even realize it. It was something no Master could achieve.


    He decided to quit following Celine around for a while. He heard that the Swordmeister didn¡¯t care much about his granddaughter, but it seemed that the rumor was wrong.


    Instead, Kuntarian decided to aim for the grand prize in thepetition; he needed it badly.


    Everyone else seemed just to consider it an excellent sword, but he knew the secret it contained. If he could acquire the weapon, it would allow him to control the remainder of his power, and there would be no need to be afraid of that old man anymore. That was when he would take Celine for himself.


    ¡®Hehe...¡¯


    Kuntarian gloated at that and thought about going to train. It had been a while since he considered himself a genius and did not need training. However, it seemed like a good idea to prepare a bit before he entered thepetition.


    ¡®But before that... I have a ce to visit first.¡¯


    He then turned toward the Tra-An street at the outer edge of the capital. It was where he had found the best brothel in the Kingdom.


    Sian looked at Celine who looked quite happy.


    ¡°So, the half-wit doesn¡¯te after you anymore?¡±


    ¡°Half-wit? Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That... Kunta... something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, him. Yeah, he¡¯s been quiet.¡±


    Kuntarian had a bad reputation, but he was still strong. That was why Celine could not think him as a half-wit.


    ¡®Only Sian can say that... but it¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the kind to back off like that.¡¯


    Celine knew that Kuntarian wasn¡¯t one to back off easily, but she had no way to find out why he stoppeding. She turned their conversation to the most heated topic of the season.


    ¡°Oh well. Hey, aren¡¯t you joining the tournament? The prize and the money seem good. I¡¯m sure you can win it easily if you enter.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no, no. I hate violence. I have no interest in such a savagepetition.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Celine stared at Sian with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Sorry, that was a lie. I¡¯m toozy for that. I¡¯m just not interested in it. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Right, I knew you would say that. I¡¯ve already entered for <Kaloan>. I probably can¡¯t win, but I want a rough idea of my strength. It¡¯s a good chance to fight with various Masters and Exers.¡±


    Now that she thought about it, Sian had already beaten up almost a third of all the Masters. It was only natural that Sian had no interest in thepetition. However, Celine could not stop from grinning at the thought of all the participants being knocked out by a smack from a scabbard to the back of their head.


    ¡°Anyway, if that¡¯s the case, cheer for Sir Rian and me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you two are fine on your own.¡±


    Sian did not worry about Celine. She knew when to back off. But Rian didn¡¯t; he was too passionate. That was why Sian loved his brother, but he also sometimes made his parents worry.


    Sian wished his brother would live more peacefully and transfer to the Guarran-Tia.


    The <Kaloan>petition was held quickly. Unlike the participants of <Haron>, the participants of <Kaloan> were warriors and soldiers in various important positions, and they needed to return quickly.


    All warriors were put into preliminary battles in their respective regions, and only the winners were allowed toe to the capital. The capital also had a preliminary round of thirty Masters fighting against each other.


    The focus was always on the new and uing warriors. The Returnees, Rian, and Kuntarian, were included in this. People were excited to see how those young warriors could fare against the experienced warriors of Tian.


    Today was thest day of preliminaries, in which Kuntarian and Rian were to take their chance. Out of the sixteen who won against their opponents, only eight of them were allowed to join the thirty-two main participants of thepetition.


    That was why the Coliseum was more packed than ever before. It was a ce that would determine who would be leading the future of the Kingdom.

 Chapter 40: Great Warrior Tournament

    <h4>Chapter 40: Great Warrior Tournament</h4>


    ¡°So many people...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the B-ss section ticket was so expensive too. I guess people in the capital are rich.¡±


    Celine and Sian were chatting in the spectator seats of the Coliseum. Celine, a participant, and Sian, whose father was Count Roman, allowed them to obtain seats in the S-ss section easily. The only higher-ss seats, or the R-ss, had King Narasha, Count Roman, Swordmeister Kiraine, and the other high-ranking nobles. Therefore, the S-ss was one of the best seating areas to watch thepetition.


    ¡°But Lady Celine, you really were quick to be disqualified. Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t know Sir Rian had be that powerful. Ha~¡±


    Celine retorted, but she felt ashamed for making such ame excuse. It was true though, Rian had be quite powerful. When Sian had just entered the Guarran-Tia, Rian was barely stronger than Celine and weaker than the Returnee, Jack. Yet on the day of thepetition, Rian had be much stronger than before.


    Celine, who had faced Rian on the first day of thepetition, was quickly defeated. Rian was always kind and considerate, even when using swords. However, this time he was like a ferocious animal.


    ¡°Haha, I saw Father training him. It was the... Lion¡¯s Way... or something. Father said it was about time he learned it and worked him hard.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? You don¡¯t know your own family¡¯s techniques?¡±


    ¡°I never went through any training. How would I know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Celine ranted from within that Sian was such a douchebag sometimes.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re starting!¡±


    Rian¡¯s match had started. He was up against the Returnee, Roxanne.


    ¡°I love you, Rian!¡±


    ¡°Marry me!¡±


    Roxanne (age 36), looked at Rian, who was being cheered on by everyone in the Coliseum.


    ¡®He¡¯s so popr.¡¯


    She was a woman and understood why he was so popr. He was a handsome man with a masculine body; well-mannered and considerate, passionate and righteous. It was like a knight in shining armor that every woman dreamed of.


    Not only that, he was a Master-level warrior at the young age of twenty-four and came from the famous Roman family.


    He was perfect, but it did not matter. He was just a challenge to ovee.


    ¡°I am Rian von Roman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Roxxane de Natan.¡±


    Both bowed slightly and readied themselves as the fight started.


    It was Rian who charged first. Unlike the Rian from a few months ago, he moved like a predator to attack Roxanne from all sides. It looked rough, but it was all calcted. It was what made Count Roman famous, earning him the nickname, Mad Bear. It was the Roman family¡¯s sword mastery called <Lion¡¯s Way>.


    It was not taught until one was at a certain level, and that seemed to be true. Roxanne already expected it by watching his previous fight, but soon realized it wasn¡¯t going as she had nned.


    ¡®...I¡¯m losing my options.¡¯


    She was being pushed back by his fierce attacks. There were opportunities that she could have taken, but she hesitated because of the pressure and soon lost those options.


    It was not long after that Roxanne admitted defeat.


    ¡°Miss Roxanne, can you stand?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Roxanne grabbed the hand and stood up, staring at Rian. She then turned away wordlessly and ran out of the Coliseum.


    ¡®Oh... I¡¯ve made her mad,¡¯ Rian thought as he exited to the other side of the Coliseum.


    ¡°Ugh, there goes another.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You mean Miss Roxanne?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There are so many.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Celine could not understand why Sian thought that Roxanne had just fallen in love with Rian. There was nothing that could have triggered it.


    ¡°He¡¯s too handsome.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Now that I think about it, you are one of a kind, Lady Celine. I have never met a girl who spent time with my brother and didn¡¯t fall in love with him.¡±


    Celine thought about it and realized that all the women around Rian always fell for him; he was a perfect man after all. It just didn¡¯t cross Celine¡¯s mind as he was her coworker.


    ¡°Hm... I don¡¯t know why...¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not important anyway. Oh, the next fight is starting.¡±


    ¡°Uhh... yeah. So who¡¯s up this time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your man! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Celine realized who it was. It was Kuntarian.


    ¡®That Rian... I don¡¯t like him.¡¯


    Kuntarianpared the cheers that Rian received to what he was currently getting as he entered. He did not like the man named Rian one bit; he thought that Rian looked like a male prostitute he had seen on Tra-An street.


    That man had lived in prosperity all his life, unlike himself who had struggles and hardships as a mercenary. Unlike himself, Rian was strong only because of his family and background.


    It was especially annoying that women loved Rian more than himself.


    ¡®It will be a short-lived glory for you... enjoy it while you can.¡¯


    As he began climbing up thedder in thepetition, he was bound to fight against Rian. He didn¡¯t beat Rian up only because he was the son of that Grand Bander Roman, but this was his chance.


    The Roman family valued honor, and that meant that the Count would not interfere in thepetition. And if he won thepetition, he would be freed from being scared of Grand Banders.


    Kuntarian turned his opponent, Jack, who was standing in front of him. He decided to unleash his annoyance on the man and began using Exar to strengthen himself, before charging at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s one-sided,¡± Celinemented as she watched the fight. Sir Jack, a Returnee and one of the stronger ones among the Masters, was being severely beaten up. They were both Masters, but Kuntarian was different. He was a rare <dual-power user>, who could use Exar along with Bander. Kuntarian also knew how to use the Exar well.


    That was what most Masters thought, including Celine, but Sian and all the other Grand Banders saw it differently.


    ¡°So, Roman, what has he been doing?¡±


    ¡°Swordmeister, I heard he was a mercenary.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s using it all wrong.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where he learned it, but he definitely doesn¡¯t know how to use it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a half-wit.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Swordmeister Kiraine, Count Roman, and King Narasha were all sitting together in the R-ss level of the Coliseum. Nobody would¡¯ve believed that they were against each other just recently by how friendly they were.


    They all had the same opinion.


    <Half-wit>


    They didn¡¯t know much about this Kuntarian, but as they watched him fight, one thing was sure. He had picked up something very powerful; however, he was showing the characteristics of one who obtained the power suddenly. He would have been worthless before then.


    The Grand Banders were able to discern how he was using his powers. It was not something Masters would notice. Kuntarian did not know when or how to use his powers.


    All the Grand Banders who were watching felt like it was a shame to waste such power.


    ¡°And we do not have anyone able to defeat such a <half-wit>... in <Kaloan> at least.¡±


    Whatever he picked up was really powerful. Even if he was a <half-wit>, his power was too great for any Master to handle.


    ¡°If Rian had more time, this would¡¯ve been a good chance. Such a shame.¡±


    To the Grand Banders, Rian was like a diamond. In a few more years, it would have been easy for Rian to defeat such a <half-wit> with ease; however, it was not possible at this point.


    ¡°This <Kaloan> is too boring. I am going back, Your Majesty.¡±


    The Swordmeister frowned at Kuntarian, who was beating up Jack, and stood up to leave the Coliseum. He would probably not return to watch. Jack was already on the verge of fainting.


    King Narasha and Count Roman had to stay behind, but they too felt that <Kaloan> would not be that entertaining this time.

 Chapter 41: Showdown

    <h4>Chapter 41: Showdown</h4>


    A total of thirty-two participants joined the main event tournament. Today was the day they would announce the tournament bracket. It was selected by a raffle, but no participants made any wishes for luck as they all had pride in their strength.


    <Strongest one wins>


    That was what all the participants had in mind and it did not matter who they were fighting against. However, that was only what the participants thought. People were dying to see the tournament matchups to see who would win and climb thedder.


    ¡°Sir Korakan... and Sir Mountive are in the main tournament!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s fighting against Rian?¡±


    ¡°If Kuntarian wins, I¡¯m not going to watch the tournament. Douchebag!¡±


    People gathered to take a look at the tournament bracket, and word began spreading quickly throughout the capital. It was also posted up inside the main hall of the Guarran-Tia, so Celine and Sian were checking it. Sian wasn¡¯t interested in the other people, but he wanted to know where Rian was ced.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this Sion? He fights with Rian in the first round.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a famous Exer. He uses kic powers to fight, I think.¡±


    ¡°OH! The one that you use to make boxes move and pour water without touching anything?¡±


    ¡°Uh... yeah. But it moves boulders and waterfalls, not boxes.¡±


    Celine fixed Sian¡¯s skewed examples.


    ¡°Rian will win against him. Exers have a hard time using their powers when being pushed around. Who will be next?¡±


    Celine looked at the pair next to Rian and turned grim. Sian wondered why her expression had changed and looked at the pair. The names written there made him frown.


    [Mountive vs. Kuntarian]


    The winner was going to fight against Rian, and it was likely that Kuntarian would win.


    ¡°I regret it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve beaten up that half-wit more when I had the chance.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m joking. Rian would not like me doing that. It¡¯s not honorable.¡±


    Sianughed it off, but Celine knew he would have run out to break Kuntarian¡¯s leg in a heartbeat if his brother didn¡¯t mind. She smiled at Sian as he had no interest in any other thing except for his brother.


    ¡°You really look after your brother. Sir Rian is not someone who needs looking after, you know.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? He worries me all the time. He¡¯s not weak, but he always heads into danger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he is passionate. But you should learn from him if you want to be popr. That¡¯s what makes him popr with the girls.¡±


    ¡°...No, that¡¯s not the only reason.¡±


    ¡°Uh... fine. Yeah, I agree.¡±


    Celine agreed. Being passionate was only part of what made Rian popr.


    ¡°Besides, if going to dangerous ces makes me popr, I¡¯ll just stay unpopr.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian valued survival as the most important aspect of life. There was no way he would jump into dangerous situations. Besides, anywhere that might be dangerous for him would be across the Great North Wall, or on top of Sky Mountain, where no women would be able to watch him be passionate.


    As he thought on, Sian became worried. Kuntarian seemed like the sort who would do bad things to his brother. He was a half-wit, but he was still stronger than Rian. However, it seemed that Kuntarian tried to avoid angering the Grand Banders. If he feared their father, Kuntarian would not do anything nasty to Rian.


    Sian sighed at himself for worrying about his brother.


    ¡®He needs to be a Grand Bander fast so that I don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡¯


    The tournament was as expected. Rian was victorious in his first round and now had to fight Kuntarian who had defeated Mountive. Celine and Sian watched the two men stretching themselves from their spectator seats.


    ¡°That Kuntarian is up to no good for sure.¡±


    Kuntarian was smirking as he stretched; he was surely up to something.


    ¡®Should I go right now and break his bones...?¡¯


    Sian felt an urge to beat him up with his scabbard but held back because of what his brother told him the other day.


    <Sian, I know you are worried, but don¡¯t ever jump in. It¡¯s an embarrassment as a warrior. And please, don¡¯t break Sir Kuntarian¡¯s leg or something before the match. He has a bad reputation, but I respect him as a strong warrior and I want to fight him fairly in the tournament. Help me, brother.>


    ¡®He knows me too well.¡¯


    He had no intention to jump in during the tournament. He was just going to break some of Kuntarian¡¯s bones before the tournament, but Rian had stopped him from doing that also. Sian respected his brother, so he decided to stand back.


    ¡®Good luck, brother.¡¯


    ¡°Greetings, I am Rian von Roman.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I¡¯m Kuntarian.¡±


    Kuntarian nced at Rian. He watched Rian¡¯s fights just in case, but there was no way he would lose. He was just deciding how to beat up this girly-looking man.


    ¡®Should I use


    and make it more dramatic? Or I can use <Confusion>, so he pisses in his pants and cries for help...¡¯


    Once the tournament started, Kuntarian jumped back and distanced himself from Rian. He had no intention to end the fight fast. Rian stood his ground and carefully watched him.


    ¡®Okay, let¡¯s use


    first, I¡¯ll make his face turn purple.¡¯


    He decided and began focusing Exar from within, which was when Rian reacted. Rian quickly charged in at Kuntarian who was trying to pull and focus the Exar.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kuntarian had never been attacked in the middle of pulling up Exar. He gritted his teeth and stopped the process as he used his sword to block the attack.


    ¡°You dirty rat, trying to attack when I¡¯m vulnerable?¡±


    Kuntarian spat at Rian and blocked Rian¡¯s attack. The amount of Bander on his sword was too much, so Rian carefully avoided direct contact with Kuntarian¡¯s sword as he continued.


    ¡°Hah! You use your sword like a girl too!¡±


    Kuntarian had a hard time defending against <Lion¡¯s Way>, but the sheer difference in pure energy soon enabled Kuntarian to match Rian¡¯s pace.


    ¡°Shall we start then?¡±


    It had been a while since they started the fight, but Kuntarian just considered it to be the start and began pushing Exar out from his armor. The armor that was already shiny began glowing with bright light. The third defensive magic, <n¡¯s Light>, was activated. It was an amazing artifact; the magic had the potential to block <Kren>¡¯s explosives that were usually used on the castle gate.


    Rian frowned. His opponent¡¯s defense had gone up too high. There was no way to break through using a sword. He took a step back while Kuntarian smirked.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve started with this.¡¯


    Kuntarian then wondered what magic he should use and decided.


    ¡®This will do. <Eruan¡¯s Hold>.¡¯


    At that moment, the 4th-grade magic, <Eruan¡¯s Hold> activated, and the vapor in the air began freezing, slowing Rian¡¯s body.


    Celine looked surprised to see Rian putting up an even fight against Kuntarian.


    ¡°He seems okay.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect his show-off-ism to be this severe. It¡¯s getting worse.¡±


    ¡°Show-off-ism?¡±


    ¡°Just look at him. He¡¯s using fancy magic on purpose to show-off.¡±


    That was when Celine realized he wasn¡¯t really using his Bander. Kuntarian¡¯s main strength came from using Bander that was at the level of a Master. However, he was handling Rian by using magic and armor.


    ¡°I guess he wants to show off everything he has first, and then defeat Rian at the end... but that¡¯s not a good idea against Rian.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡±


    Celine remembered the nickname of the Roman family.


    <Magic Hunter>


    The Roman family¡¯s Bander-Roa had increased resistance against Exar that allowed them to be stronger against Magic Priests or Exers. It was why Rian was able to defeat Sion in the first round despite the fact that Sion was stronger.


    ¡°But Rian doesn¡¯t seem to be resisting it too well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a feint. Look, he¡¯s closing in little by little while gathering the power to strike back.¡±


    Celine then realized Rian was quite close to Kuntarian, and he didn¡¯t seem too weak either. But, she wasn¡¯t sure if he was gathering power for an attack.


    That was when all the magic that was directed at Rian was suddenly thrown back, opening a path straight to Kuntarian.


    Rian¡¯s sword swung fiercely at Kuntarian¡¯s armor.

 Chapter 42: Showdown

    <h4>Chapter 42: Showdown</h4>


    Kuntarian was shocked when all of his Exar was scattered away, opening a path for Rian¡¯s attack. Rian was too skilled to let the chance pass.


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Kuntarian felt Rian¡¯s Bander striking him against the weapon and gasped. He had been too focused on using Exar that he missed Rian gathering his Bander.


    ¡°You... bastard... I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Kuntarian gritted his teeth. He felt embarrassed that he allowed an attack to pass and showed his shock to the spectators. He then began wielding an enormous amount of Bander from within and started hacking away at Rian.


    Rian calmly blocked Kuntarian¡¯s attack, but the difference was toorge to withstand.


    ¡°...Ugh...¡±


    Rian failed to block the attack and he was open to getting beat up on all parts of his body. When Kuntarian regained his senses and stopped attacking, Rian was on the verge of fainting. He needed immediate attention from the priests.


    ¡®Dammit, I overdid it.¡¯


    This could¡¯ve angered the Count. Kuntarian turned to where the King and Count Roman were sitting and found a weird scene. Both of them were looking at the other side of the spectator¡¯s area with concerned expressions.


    ¡®...hmm?¡¯


    Kuntarian then heard Rian murmur something and turned back.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay... don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°What? What are you saying?¡±


    Kuntarian closed in on Rian who was kneeling down, covered in bruises and blood.


    ¡®It¡¯s okay Sian... I¡¯m okay... don¡¯t do anything stupid...¡¯


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kuntarian could not understand what he was saying, but figured it was just mumbling because of the shock of a loss. He felt a chilling to him was because of Count Roman, and he vowed to win that sword. Feeling ufortable, he left the Coliseum to rest on the streets of Tra-An.


    The spectator seat that Count Roman and King Narasha were looking at was where Sian was sitting.


    ¡°Uh... Sian? Are you okay?¡±


    Celine leaned closer to Sian to check his expression. She whimpered and jumped back after checking Sian¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hey... rx... It¡¯s going to be okay. Look, the priests are signaling too!¡±


    The priests who were stationed to tend to the wounded checked on Rian who was still in the ring and raised a yellow g. It meant it was bad, but it wasn¡¯t life-threatening.


    Sian had his hand on his sword hilt and was about to draw it. Celine began to feel sympathetic toward Kuntarian.


    ¡®Ugh... rest in peace.¡¯


    It would not end up with a simple knock-out this time.


    ¡®I guess Sian won¡¯t kill him...?¡¯


    Celine couldn¡¯t say for sure.


    Sian was barely holding back his anger. Rian kept whispering that it was a fair fight and that he was okay. It was a small whisper, but Rian must¡¯ve known that Sian was listening to him. A few hundred yards were nothing to him.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a fair fight, brother.¡¯


    Kuntarian had beaten Rian up even after he was unable to keep fighting. Rian told Sian to stay out, but that beating would¡¯ve been severe enough to make Rian never recover again, so Sian secretly sent his energy to protect him. If it wasn¡¯t for Rian¡¯s request to stay out, Sian would¡¯ve already cut off the man¡¯s wrist.


    Sian did his best to keep his brother¡¯s request. It was enough.


    Kuntarian was to be left alone until the tournament was over so that the people¡¯s attention on him would dwindle. If he acted now, rumors would spread about Count Roman getting revenge for his son. The only people who could do something with Kuntarian at the capital were the Grand Banders, which would hurt his father¡¯s reputation.


    ¡®Just you wait, half-wit.¡¯


    Kuntarian easily became victorious. After Rian struck him once, he did his best to defeat all the opponents and it allowed him to im victory.


    The <Kaloan> champion was able to choose his prize. What Kuntarian chose wasn¡¯t a famous artifact like the


    or the <Wrath of Karandal>, but a sword that was at the side. Everyone was confused by the choice.


    Compared to the other artifacts that allowed one to concentrate on using offensive Bander like the


    , or the artifact that allowed one to multiply their Bander output like the <Wrath of Karandal>, the sword was like nothing.


    Unknown sword.


    It was brought back from the Great North Wall by Count Roman when he returned from Guard Duty and presented it to the King. Roman had been ambushed by an unknown tribe while guarding the Wall. The chief of the tribe had this sword, which made it difficult for Roman to fight him. Therefore, Roman brought the sword back to the capital.


    Even after the Exalted Magic Council examined it, the sword was made with such advanced technology that they could not decipher the mechanisms behind it. However, they discovered that it had a strange power that could multiply the user¡¯s energy. The only downside was that the user needed to use both Exar and Bander together.


    Since no one was capable of using the sword, it collected dust at the Royal Storage until it was chosen to be a prize of the tournament.


    Count Roman knew this and considered Kuntarian¡¯s selection to be a good one. Kuntarian seemed like a man who would be able to utilize the sword.


    ¡®But how did he recognize the sword?¡¯


    Its power wasn¡¯t to be known until it was actually used. Count Roman looked at Kuntarian with interest, but that wasn¡¯t the important point.


    ¡®Will he be able to return home safely?¡¯


    Roman immediately looked over at his second son Sian the moment Rian was beaten up. As a father, he was also sad and angry that his son was getting beaten up, but that was the life of a warrior. Rian wasn¡¯t a boy who would cry and reach out for help from his father. Count Roman knew this and knew it wasn¡¯t his job to interfere.


    But Sian was different. He did not care about what others thought. Sian had been educated to not be violent and always mind the responsibility of using force, but nothing would stop him this time. Sian had no greed or ambition, but he loved his family. Especially his brother.


    He always tried his best to not get in the way of his brother, but he was always worried.


    And now this happened. It was amazing that Sian was still keeping quiet. Count Roman was prepared to jump out and stop Sian from beating up Kuntarian right after the boy started pummeling Rian.


    ¡®Sian, please don¡¯t kill him. Not to mention... the King knows about Sian.¡¯


    He saw the King looking at Sian. It was obvious that the King knew about Sian because of the way he turned to look at the boy, and that relieved the Count. He needed to talk to the King about Sian, but it was so unbelievable that he was hesitant about telling him. If the King already knew, then it was easy.


    -One week after <Kaloan>-


    Kuntarian enjoyed his victory for a while and began preparing for an entrance ceremony. He wasn¡¯t to be disturbed, so he even borrowed a small mansion in the outer area of the capital. Excited, Kuntarian looked at the sword in front of him. After this ceremony, he was going to be reborn.


    And when that time came, no Grand Bander was going to stand in his way.


    That was what the heart of a <Kal-Gul> warrior, which reced his own heart, was telling him.

 Chapter 43: Succession

    <h4>Chapter 43: Session</h4>


    <There are so many that need a good beating.>


    Sir Sian von Roman¡¯s eight favorite words


    .......


    Kuntarian was born into a fallen noble family. His family had nothing that could be considered noble, and when he was fifteen, his family copsed. Kuntarian was then forced to live as a mercenary. His bad character became worse when he joined the mercenaries, and with not-so-great skills, he faced death within one year of being a mercenary.


    It happened when he was helping another mercenary with an investigation about a weirdboratory at the bottom of Sky Mountain. He was left to die when a trap was activated. Trapped inside theboratory, he had to search for food to survive. That was when he found a mysterious heart.


    Theboratory was a few hundred years old, but the heart looked like it had just been pulled out from a living being. However, Kuntarian couldn¡¯t think properly. He was extremely hungry and so starved that he gorged the heart down. After he finished eating it, he was shocked by the pain and soon fainted.


    When he woke up, he felt a strange power and information flowing within him. He was able to realize one thing. What he ate was the heart of a <Kal-Gul>. After eating it, he had absorbed its power.


    It seemed like he had eaten the heart that the Empire had been researching to win the war against <Kal-Gul>.


    He couldn¡¯t use all the power and the memories it had though Something was missing.


    The heart owner¡¯s weapon.


    The power of the <Kal-Gul> was stored within the heart and the weapon, so he needed to find the weapon. Yet Kuntarian had no intention of finding the sword. If the owner of the heart was a <Kal-Gul>, the sword was definitely in the Old Empire.


    As he began utilizing the power, his intention to forget about finding the sword grew even stronger. He was strong enough as it was. No one could stand in his way.


    Yet when he came to the capital, he realized the sword was there somewhere. After meeting with the Grand Banders, his desire for the sword grew stronger. He couldn¡¯t bear the fact that someone else was stronger than him.


    Besides, his heart seemed to be whispering to him to get the sword. If he acquired it, he¡¯d gain invincibility, and he¡¯d be the sessor of the great <Kal-Gul>. He even began thinking about stealing it when he realized the sword was one of the <Kaloan>¡¯s prizes.


    <I was destined for this!>


    Kuntarianughed and entered thepetition at once. He already knew that no one other than the Grand Banders was a match for him in Tian Kingdom.


    Now, the sword was ced in front of him.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Kuntarian picked up the sword thrust it into his heart.


    Just like when he ate the heart, he felt sudden pain and fainted.


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    Kuntarian woke up and nced around. He then realized the change in his body and began examining it. He burst into a smile and maniacalughter.


    ¡°Hahahahaha! Hahaha! I now understand how Kiraine knocked me out. This power...!¡±


    Kuntarian was surprised by the power of a Grand Bander. It was much more than what he had imagined. He also had more information and experiencesing from within. It was everything that the warrior of <Kal-Gul> experienced. He was now the reincarnation of a <Kal-Gul> warrior, a dual-wielder of Exar and Bander.


    After thinking about what to do with this power, he decided to show the true power to old man Kiraine who knocked him out first. Then he would acquire Celine.


    He felt like he could handle all three Grand Banders at once.


    ¡°Hehehe... just you wait... you old men... HAHAHA-¡±


    ¡°Are you doneughing?¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡±


    Kuntarian jumped up at a voice that came from behind. His heightened senses now allowed him to feel even ants walking a few hundred yards away. Even if he was mesmerized by his own powers, there was no way he would miss someone approaching him this close. He turned around to see a familiar face looking at him.


    ¡°You bastard, I waited here for an hour for you to wake up, just in case you wouldn¡¯t feel any pain if you got beat up while sleeping.¡±


    After looking closely, Kuntarian remembered that it was the guy who was talking with Celine a while ago. He couldn¡¯t beat him up because Kiraine ambushed him, and now he was here.


    Kuntarian forgot the shock and began smirking in delight.


    ¡°Good, good. I needed a target to practice on anyway. Good tim-UGH!¡±


    Kuntarian felt searing paining from his belly and fell down on one knee.


    ¡°What... is... nngh...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    ¡°Get ready, it¡¯s just beginning. I used all fifteen vacation days for this.¡±


    Sian gritted at the thought of his wasted vacation days and began smacking his scabbard at Kuntarian.


    ¡°It¡¯s boring without him. Hm...¡±


    Celine was bored after Sian left for his vacation.


    ¡°I wonder where he went? Hm... Why couldn¡¯t he take me along? He can...¡±


    Celine flinched and stopped in the middle of her bbering. Traveling with Sian. She considered it a mistake and began moving to the Knight Guard training yard. She felt she needed to erase all the nonsense out of her head.


    Meanwhile, Sian was working hard.


    ¡°UGH! ARGH!¡±


    Kuntarian could not think straight due to the beating that had been going on for two straight weeks. That evil man did not talk. He didn¡¯t even seem to be angry. He just smacked and smacked. For two straight weeks, it did not stop.


    Kuntarian cursed his powers. The power of <Kal-Gul> granted him incredible regenerative powers and a strong mind. Thanks to his power, even though he was under great pain, he did not faint. Just one smack was more painful than when he broke his bone from a sword before. It had been going on for fifteen straight days without one second of rest.


    He couldn¡¯t even think. Why it was happening didn¡¯t even matter to him now. Kuntarian only had one thing in his mind.


    ¡®Vacation... is... fifteen days... fifteen...¡¯


    Today was the fifteenth day. He said he used his vacation days and today was thest day. That was what kept Kuntarian awake. As he felt hopeful from almost reaching the end, his face brightened and Sian opened his mouth for the first time.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that hopeful expression on your face?¡±


    Sian became ufortable. He kept on smacking with his right hand and began counting the days with his left.


    Heughed, ¡°Oh, so are you happy because today¡¯s the fifteenth day?¡±


    Kuntarian flinched as Sian realized what he was thinking. Sian smirked.


    ¡°Hah. I told you I spent fifteen vacation days. It doesn¡¯t mean I have fifteen days total. I still have six days left including the weekend.¡±


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Kuntarian felt all hope shatter into pieces after hearing Sian¡¯s words. He barely managed to withstand the fifteen horrendous days with the power of <Kal-Gul>, but there was still six more days to go. Kuntarian then lost his energy and fainted. That was when Sian became curious.


    ¡°Huh? Did you faint? I was controlling it...¡±


    It seemed like Kuntarian wasn¡¯t faking it. Sian was dumbfounded. How did he make such a foolish mistake! But Kuntarian soon woke up.


    Yet Sian was not delighted. Sian frowned and spat out, ring at Kuntarian.


    ¡°...Who are you? Where¡¯s the half-wit?¡±


    Kuntarian did not seem to be bothered by the question and looked at Sian. It now held the organized flow of energy within, unlike before.

 Chapter 44: Succession

    <h4>Chapter 44: Session</h4>


    Warrior of <Kal-Gul>


    He had no name.


    Names were made for beings that did not have the ability to feel and identify each other. The <Kal-Guls> were connected to each other since birth and required no names. He had no memory after he was killed in the war against the humans before he woke up.


    He focused to see what was going on around him. It looked like something had gone wrong during the <Session Ritual>. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Problems didn¡¯t ur so easily.


    The ritual itself was very simple. The sessor eats the heart first, and puts the weapon, or the source of the soul, into the heart afterward. The sessor would then acquire the power and experiences of the previous owner. This was how they continued handing down their powers.


    But once in a while, an anomaly would ur.


    When the sessor took damage strong enough to shake their soul, the sessor would lose control of the body and open the path for the previous soul to take over.


    This was called <Soul Reversal>.


    The event was very rare as the soul of a <Kal-Gul> was very strong. After going through the ritual, the soul would grow stronger so that no amount of damage would be able to shake the sessor¡¯s soul.


    For it to be possible, there should¡¯ve been constant stress or pain ced upon the sessor. Usually, the body would have fallen first before the soul was damaged, but this was something that rarely urred.


    ¡°...Who are you? Where¡¯s the half-wit?¡±


    This man looked like the one who was responsible. The Kal-Gul had already absorbed all knowledge from the sessor and was able to understand thenguage. He quickly recognized everything and opened his mouth.


    ¡°He... he will... note back... His conscious... is lost...¡±


    It was a little awkward at first, but he quickly learned to speak in the Tiannguage. Sian realized he wasn¡¯t lying. The energy, appearance, and everything was Kuntarian¡¯s, but the <being> was different.


    There was something different within him that was more organized. Sian¡¯s target was the half-wit Kuntarian, not this <being>.


    ¡°Oh man... dammit...¡±


    Sian sighed as he couldn¡¯t beat him up for six more days and began walking toward the capital. He had no business with such a being. The man inside Kuntarian eyed Sian carefully. Then he began following Sian. Sian knew that this new Kuntarian was following him, but he didn¡¯t care.


    When Celine found Sian upon his return, she held back her delight casually asked Sian, ¡°Hey, Sian. You¡¯re back. So... what have you done...?? Huh? What¡¯s that!¡±


    Celine, who was asking Sian, stopped in the middle as she noticed Kuntarian at the back.


    ¡°It¡¯splicated. But this man is not Kuntarian anymore.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡±


    Cline couldn¡¯t understand what Sian was talking about. No matter how she looked, the man was definitely Kuntarian.


    ¡°So... err...¡±


    Sian was irritated also. Kuntarian just disappeared and was reced by another man. He had no idea why.


    As Sian was lost for words, Kuntarian stepped up and spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin.¡±


    Celine frowned as Kuntarian came closer, but she felt something was different. She wasn¡¯t sure, but it was different.


    ¡°So... you were inside the sword that Kuntarian won, and you were released? Kuntarian doesn¡¯t exist anymore?¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    It was hard to believe, but all the circumstances proved it to be true. Kuntarian felt like an experienced, old warrior now.


    ¡°So... how should I address you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You can address me as <Kgul>.¡±


    The man inside Kuntarian didn¡¯t feel the need to truthfully exin everything, so he mixed in some lies to tell his tales. He even changed his race¡¯s name.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. That¡¯s why I followed him.¡±


    Everything he said up until now was partially fabricated, but what he just said now was true. The <Kal-Gul>, now renamed to Kgul, had no idea about what to do. That was why he followed Sian. When he lived as part of <Kal-Gul>, he did not need to worry. The central intelligence told him what to do and he just needed to act.


    Maybe because he was now in a human body, or maybe because his race was extinct, but he had no mind connections like before and he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    He had no intention to take revenge either. These people were not from the Empire and his race had just withered away through time.


    Celine looked carefully at Kgul and spoke.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you meet up with the King? I don¡¯t think this is something we can handle.¡±


    Sian thought Celine had made the right decision. Celine did not know Kuntarian had be stronger, but even the old Kuntarian was stronger than her. It was best for them to bring this problem up to the King.


    ¡°Hmm. That looks like a good idea.¡±


    After the talk, Celine and Kgul began walking toward the pce. Sian hesitated about following along, but if Kgul caused trouble, he would destroy the pce and that might mean danger to his brother, so he decided to go also.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    King Narasha, Swordmeister Kiraine, and Count Roman were together when Celine came to the pce with Kgul.


    ¡®He believes the story?¡¯


    Celine was dumbfounded when she realized that all three Grand Banders seemed to believe the story and were thinking about what to do.


    The Grand Banders had to believe. They gathered because they felt powerful energy slowly approaching the pce. When they saw who the owner of the energy was, they were shocked. The half-wit had returned as a Grand Bander in just a few weeks. They also felt that something inside him was entirely different.


    They had no other option than to believe that this Kuntarian was different now.


    King Narasha spoke.


    ¡°What should we call you?¡±


    ¡°Call me Kgul.¡±


    ¡°I see. Kgul, I heard you have nowhere to go?¡±


    ¡°That is right.¡±


    ¡°How about you work for Tian and think about what to do? We will help you leave if you choose to do so at any time. We also promise full support.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Kgul began thinking. It seemed like a good offer. He had nothing to do, and this ce had the person that interested him the most: the man named Sian. He wanted to know more about him.


    ¡°I ept your offer.¡±


    ¡°Good. I will... have you appointed as the captain of <Dragona>. You will be the captain, but you can leave whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°And the conditions?¡±


    ¡°We will need to discuss them, but we will try to grant your wishes.¡±


    Kgul epted it. He had nothing to do and he could always leave if he wanted to. Besides, he needed help adjusting to living here.


    King Narasha smiled.


    <Dragona> was a military group named after the legendary Seven-Horned Harijan, dispatched to resolve problems outside the country. If the Knight Guards and the other groups were the shields of Tian, <Dragona> was a spear.


    It had been active when the Seven Kingdoms were active at war, but it became less useful and now only the name of the group was left.


    King Narasha had been thinking about reviving this group since a long time ago. After hearing the news, he was thinking of reviving <Dragona>.


    Usharan Kingdom seemed to be acting strange. The intelligence agency reported that Usharan seemed to be working on a dangerous project. All intel reported that Usharan was preparing for something.


    The current military groups had their own duties to perform, so the Kingdom needed a new military group to perform the work and <Dragona> was the best fit for the job. The only problem was that <Dragona> needed a powerful captain, and they had no one to appoint.


    The three Grand Banders were needed at the capital, the Taran border, and the Kharan border respectively. However, that was when this powerful being walked in.


    It was as if the gods were helping him recreate <Dragona>.


    If a Grand Bander led <Dragona>, its morale would rise and it would sessfully fulfill its duties. The King also nned to ce Rian and Sian in <Dragona>.


    It was a waste to have Sian stay back at the capital. Count Roman said that Sian was always worried about his brother. That was why Rian was being put into <Dragona> too. Sian had no other choice than to join if he wanted to protect his brother.


    Besides, Narasha did not trust Kgul. That was why he needed Sian in <Dragona> to subdue him if things got out of hand.


    It was now time to n out the details.

 Chapter 45: Dragona

    <h4>Chapter 45: Dragona</h4>


    ¡®It was as I expected... hehe.¡¯


    Sian was now living at the dormitory provided for the newly-created <Dragona>, which was located right next to the Third Knight Guard dormitory.


    Viscount Talin visited Sian a while ago to ask him to join <Dragona>. Sian pondered on the offer, but eventually epted it because of two reasons.


    First, his brother was joining also.


    Second, the job looked really easy.


    Sian asked Count Kerbel and was told that <Dragona> did not have any work to do unless it was wartime. It was a time of peace, so Sian guessed that there was not much to do, and he was right.


    It had been over a month since he moved and he literally had nothing to do. Yet he still got paid ten times more than what he was getting paid when he was a Guarran-Tia.


    <Dragona>prised of three people. Sian, Rian, and Kgul. Kgul agreed on bing the captain of <Dragona> in exchange for getting help with living in this ce. He ranted that the original owner of the bodycked information and always went to the Royal Library to study. Count Roman was worried that Kuntarian¡¯s bad reputation would cause problems, but Kgul used Exar to change his appearance to that of a middle-aged man, thus solving the problem.


    Kgul was then introduced to high-ranking officials as a hidden Grand Bander, and the missing Kuntarian was covered up by King Narasha.


    Lieutenant-Captain Rian worked hard to train at the training grounds. His wounds had healedpletely, thanks to Sian¡¯s protection, and the experience motivated Rian to train harder.


    The Third Knight Guard captain was reced by a Returnee named Kar-Tian. He used to be in the Knight Guard before he went to the Wall, and he was a well-rounded, trusted soldier who was suitable enough for the duty.


    As for Sian who became the captain¡¯s assistant... he was looking up at the sky from the hammock he installed behind the dormitory.


    Viscount Talin was ordered by the King to avoid getting anyints from Sian, so he offered the captain¡¯s assistant position to Sian.


    <If you just be a member, you will need to train along with them and work on various things. Your brother can¡¯t help you out with that. What will others think if he keeps you off regr duty? They will use your brother for being unfair. Be the assistant. It¡¯s the best choice for you.>


    It was so logical, rational, and beautiful that Sian took the offer at once. In the end, <Dragona> had no regr members. It had one captain, one lieutenant-captain, and a captain¡¯s assistant.


    Talin did keep his promise, however. He sent a clerk to do all the clerical work for them. The assistant position was created just for Sian, so he naturally had nothing to do.


    None of the work was given to Sian.


    Besides, no one would be able to tell Sian what to do. He was assistant to the captain, but Kgul had no interest in ordering him around and the lieutenant-captain did not have authority over the captain¡¯s assistant.


    Sian, who was very satisfied with his current peaceful life, pondered on what to do next. He decided to return home and have dinner.


    ¡®I should go home and have dinner with Mother today.¡¯


    It had been a while since hest met his mother, so Sian began thinking about what he should buy for his mother¡¯s present. He had no use for his money, and he had plenty of it anyway.


    During dinner time, Count Roman spoke out suddenly in a grim voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s doesn¡¯t look good. Usharan Kingdom has dered war against Con Kingdom. It¡¯s not a full-scale war yet, but it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±


    Sian realized why the pce had been so busytely. Rian asked his father in disbelief, ¡°But how... don¡¯t they have Taran Kingdom on the other side? I don¡¯t think Usharan has the power to protect themselves from both sides.¡±


    Usharan Kingdom was located next to Taran Kingdom, which was the strongest among the Seven Kingdoms. They were allies, but they were never friendly enough to start a war with their backs facing the other kingdom.


    Con and Usharan hadparable forces. If Usharan fought against Con, it would leave itself vulnerable to attacks from the Taran Kingdom.


    ¡°Usharan did not pull any of their forces from the Taran border. They are fighting against Con Kingdom with a smaller number and they are pushing them back.¡±


    Con Kingdom was an ally of Tian. It was created topete against Taran and Usharan, and as such, Tian now had no choice but to support Con Kingdom. Also, it would be bad news if Con Kingdom became weak or lost to Usharan.


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have that many soldiers to send... we¡¯ll need to send a small number of elites.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe that¡¯s why our King created <Dragona>. I¡¯m sure other men will be sent also, but <Dragona> will be the main force.¡±


    They had no spare soldiers to send. Usharan preparing for war meant that Taran Kingdom was now free of pressure from Usharan. It forced King Narasha and the other nobles to work on moving and cing their soldiers to strengthen the border against Taran. There was also the Kharan Kingdom to worry about and they also needed to send reinforcements to Con Kingdom.


    Under normal circumstances, it would¡¯ve been impossible to do all of these things at once.


    But, it was okay now. They had a new Grand Bander, Kgul.


    If a Grand Bander was dispatched, Con Kingdom would wee it even with a small number of reinforcements. That was how important a Grand Bander was for a war.


    It would¡¯ve been great if the Kingdom could use Kgul for their expansion, but they could not trust such a mysterious man for the job.


    Besides, Kgul and Sian, the people at the heart of <Dragona>, were not people that could be controlled.


    That was why the King decided to use <Dragona> to help Con Kingdom. Rian and Count Roman also realized the King¡¯s intentions.


    ¡®Ugh.¡¯


    Sian didn¡¯t understandplicated issues that much, but he realized his peace had been destroyed. He despised the idea, but he knew he had no choice once he saw his brother showing eagerness toward fighting for his kingdom.


    If he followed, there will be no danger. They had Kgul also.


    Also, Sian had been enjoying a good life, so it was about time to do some work.


    Sian did not want to use his power to kill people, so he decided that his goal was to bring Rian back safe and sound. Therefore, he nned to enjoy hisst few days of peace.


    ¡°So, you are the new recruits for <Dragona>.¡±


    ¡°Good day, sir!¡±


    New people had been added to <Dragona>. It didn¡¯t happen because there were no jobs, but the situation had changed and now Dragona needed to make preparations.


    ¡°You are here too. Good to see you, Celine.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you too, Sir Rian.¡±


    Celine was ced as second Lieutenant-Captain of Dragona.


    Among the people who were added to Dragona, Celine was the only Master-level warrior. Everyone else was an uing warrior who had good results from the <Haron> tournament.


    They all looked at Kgul, Rian, and Celine admiringly.


    ¡°Hm... Where¡¯s Sian?¡±


    As people introduced themselves, Celine became curious and asked Rian. Sian was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Oh... he¡¯s...¡±


    Pann, who won second ce at <Haron>, nced around at the people. They were all people who had good results at <Haron>. By looking at these people, <Dragona> seemed to be a really important group. It was obvious when looking at the leaders.


    The captain was a Grand Bander, while the lieutenant-captains were Sir Rian from the famous Roman family and Celine from Swordmeister Kiraine¡¯s family.


    Pann became excited as he felt that Tian Kingdom knew about his potential and was treating him with such respect. Their duty as <Dragona> was to aid Con Kingdom.


    He swore to himself to do his best on the mission.


    After ncing at the other new recruits, Pann moved to his room to unpack and began walking around the building. He had two weeks before leaving for Con Kingdom, so it looked like a good idea to familiarize himself with the ce.


    The building had a kitchen, a restaurant, a small office, and a resting area. It was decorated and well-kept. As he went around to the back, there was a small training ground and a small garden. After walking above the training ground, Pann began looking through the garden. Then he found something strange.


    ¡®...hammock?¡¯


    Between two tall trees, a hammock was fiercely swinging side to side. Pann used Bander on his eyes to look into it. There was a weak-looking young man swinging on hammock as he looked up at the sky.


    ¡®Who is he? A clerk?¡¯


    Pann decided to ask who he was. He knew clerks needed to work until their shifts were over. They could not ck off.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    As Pann asked his question, the hammock¡¯s swinging began slowing down and the man who was lying in it pulled himself up before turning to Pann.


    ¡°Hm... are you one of the new recruits?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am Pann. I just joined Dragona.¡±


    ¡°Good day. I¡¯m in Dragona too. I¡¯m Sian, the captain¡¯s assistant.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As the captain¡¯s assistant, that exined why he looked so weak and was staying here. However, one question still remained.


    ¡°I introduced myself to everybody a while ago, but I didn¡¯t find you there.¡±


    ¡°Oh... yeah. I heard I didn¡¯t need to attend if I didn¡¯t want to. Haha, we were going to meet soon anyway.¡±


    Rian told Sian: <It¡¯s better youe and greet the neers.> To which Sian interpreted: <It¡¯s still okay not to go.>


    Pann started wondering what was up with this guy. He did not intend to meddle with him, but they were going to war. If some fool was working as the captain¡¯s assistant, he might just kill everyone by making the wrong decisions. This guy needed to change.


    Pann thought Sian needed to be kept in check.


    ¡®Haha... Narasha, you old man...¡¯


    Sian let out a hollowugh as he watched Pann leave.

 Chapter 46: Dragona

    <h4>Chapter 46: Dragona</h4>


    Sian spected the expedition to be a hard one from the looks of Pann¡¯s actions. They needed strong, experienced warriors, not some newbies like Pann. If it wasn¡¯t for Kgul, Rian, and Sian himself, the group was sure to fail.


    ¡®That old man intended this for sure.¡¯


    Sian usually didn¡¯t question the motives, but even he could see that the King had some other motive for putting together such a crude team.


    ¡®Oh well, I guess I have to put up with it. If I have room left to spare after saving Rian...¡¯


    Sian realized there was nothing he could do about it and began swinging on his hammock. However, he was interrupted by another set of footsteps.


    ¡°HEY! Sian, why are you here? We were all introducing each other! Aren¡¯t you the Captain¡¯s assistant?¡±


    It was Celine. Sian watched her weirdly and sighed.


    ¡°Are youing along too?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that! I¡¯m the Second Lieutenant Captain here! I¡¯m in charge!¡±


    ¡°Whatever. So I have to add one more to the list along with my brother. Ugh...¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡± Celine asked. She couldn¡¯t understand what it actually meant, but it didn¡¯t feel bad.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t we have two weeks left? Why have you all gathered up already?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. We need to calibrate and train before going out to war.¡±


    ¡°... Are they really here to fight a war?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Celine looked impressed and Sian sighed. His spection seemed to be correct.


    ¡°Won¡¯t Con Kingdom say something if we bring such babies to war?¡±


    ¡°We have Kgul. What can they say if we send a Grand Bander? It¡¯s a good chance for them to gain some experience.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    It was King Narasha¡¯s intention to train these new and uing warriors. There was no danger since Kgul and Sian were together. Moreover, they could always retreat if things went south since it wasn¡¯t their war.


    Besides, the current <Dragona> team setup was basically made with Sian and Kgul as the main firepower. Con Kingdom would know what Tian was up to with the team, but they wouldn¡¯tin with the Grand Bander as an aid.


    They were allies, but no countries sent Grand Banders to another country to just help.


    ¡°Ugh, that old King... he¡¯s very... uh. Wise.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be polite and rude at the same time. Anyway, I¡¯m counting on you! Haha.¡±


    ¡°Nngnggng...¡±


    The expedition was bound to be more annoying than what Sian initially thought. Sian then decided to enjoy hisst days of peace more passionately andid down on his hammock while Celine returned to her dormitory.


    They had two weeks before departing for Con Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t enough time to have significant results with training, so the neers gathered at Dragona to train with together and they got to know each other. They needed to learn how to fight together. Even then, two weeks wasn¡¯t enough.


    If <Dragona> were to function as a real warrior group, it would¡¯ve required them more than two years to actually work well together. It just happened to be a good chance for these new warriors to gain experience in realbat.


    The evaluation and general leading would be done by Rian and Celine.


    Kgul was to fill the role as an actual aid to the war. Training aside, they still needed to fill in the role as reinforcements. Being a Grand Bander was enough as a reinforcement on its own.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Kgul or Sian, Tian Kingdom would never send these new warriors out on the battlefield. They would be killed in an instant and it would bring shame to the Kingdom.


    Sian, who understood all this very well, was looking at the training ground with a concerned look.


    ¡°Oh... that boy needs... some care. He looks okay. And him... maybe we should leave him here...¡±


    Sian did not join the training ground as he was just a captain¡¯s assistant.


    These men had potential. All of them had good results during the <Haron> tournament, so they weren¡¯t too bad. However, Sian had met so many powerful warriorstely that he couldn¡¯t consider these men for their worth.


    All the men he had beaten uptely were either Grand Banders or Masters, so looking at Expert-level warriors training in front of him looked like children on a yground.


    ¡°Ugh.. but I guess it will be okay once wee back...¡±


    As Sian repeated his words to reassure himself, Kgul was calcting the survival percentages of these men.


    ¡°25%... 23%... 35%... 12%...¡±


    Rian was 100% and Celine was 78%. People of his race connected to each other with their minds and souls, and that made them one as a whole. There was nopanionship or teamwork. That was not necessary since they had the ability to act as one. But it seemed like humans had a hard time doing that. Besides, those men were toopetitive. The kids named Rian and Celine were working hard on making them focus on teamwork, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    Anyway, Kgul didn¡¯t care in the end. It wasn¡¯t him who was going to die. Surely, the leader of these humans, King Narasha, didn¡¯t think Kgul would care either. He then returned to the book he was reading.


    These books were a great help for acquiring information. This body¡¯s owner really had no information stored in it, so Kgul needed to learn fast. He had to adjust and adapt.


    Rasion was ufortable as he started living and training with hispetitors. To build a friendship and work as a team when he hated Pann! Sir Rian and Lady Celine emphasized teamwork, but it just wasn¡¯t working.


    Besides, it was all because the others couldn¡¯t keep up with him. It felt wiser to just train by himself.


    ¡®But who is he?¡¯


    Rasion remembered a man looking down on them from the balcony on top of the training ground.


    ¡®Sian... was it?¡¯


    That captain¡¯s assistant seemed to be doing nothing. He watched the training for a while and went back to beingzy. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t doing anything that he was supposed to do. What was more irritating was that he was seen talking with beautiful Lady Celine multiple times. To think that he really was a brother of Sir Rian!


    There was a reason why no one knew much about the second son of Roman family. As the son of the Roman family, he must have something up his sleeves, thus making him the captain¡¯s assistant. But what could one do with such a bad attitude?


    It seemed like everyone else had the same idea. All the new recruits were tantly ignoring Sian. Sian seemed to be enjoying it, but that was probably a bluff.


    ¡®Boy... you should look after yourself in the war.¡¯


    Rasion decided to leave Sian alone if he got into trouble during the war before going out to save him from dying. He then turned to the information given to them about Con Kingdom and the region they were going to be sent to. Information was power. He needed to learn more to increase his survival rate.


    Two weeks quickly went by. Rian and Celine wanted to spend more time as much as possible, but the war progressed quickly.


    ¡®There¡¯s no choice but to rely on Kgul and Sian...¡¯


    Rian asked the King if it might be too dangerous, but it seemed like he had no intentions of changing the n. Rian looked at the Ra-Shar-Roa that was being activated in front of him with a worried expression and walked in.


    All of Dragona followed after.


    ¡°Did they leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. We will have to get busy then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already in progress.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    King Narasha and Viscount Talin smiled.

 Chapter 47: Dragona

    <h4>Chapter 47: Dragona</h4>


    <If you can make my army work as one with fear, I can give half, no, three-fourths of my army in exchange.>


    Excerpt from the first king of Taran Kingdom


    .......


    The war between Usharan and Con Kingdom was getting worse. Con had been using everything at its disposal to protect their borders, but it was no use. The newly-deployed automated machines from Usharan were very powerful. Not only it was possible, but they had no feelings and moved as one.


    There were not too many of them, which allowed Con to defend against them with Bander users and explosives, but somehow the number of such machines increased all of a sudden.


    They began pushing the borders of Con Kingdom from all sides and were now closing in at a rapid rate.


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m getting a headache. Usharans... how are we faring?¡±


    Themander of the Con-Tian Region, Grandal, frowned as he asked his lieutenants.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad, Commander. We are barely managing with the Kren cannons, but these machines are hard to hit.¡±


    <Kren>. This cannon was created by Exar and science that utilized Talic Stones to fire. It was very stable and used little Talic Stones to fire powerful magic. It did prove useful against all the soldiers and siege weapons alike, but the problem lied with those automated machines.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the <ck Star>, one of the best warrior groups of Con Kingdom stationed at Con-Tian, all would have been lost.


    ¡°Sir Krashana is fighting hard... even so, we cannot handle such machines!¡± Grandal eximed. He too knew how terrible these machines were.


    ¡°We will have reinforcementsing from Tian Kingdom today. That will help us out a little.¡±


    ¡°Good. It will be toote if they sent themter. But I didn¡¯t expect a Grand Bander as a reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander. It looks like we will owe Tian for this.¡±


    The captain of <Dragona> was a Grand Bander. It did not matter who the others were.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go out and meet them. Call Sir Krashana. We should introduce each other.¡±


    Grandal needed to go out himself to greet the Grand Bander. He then called the <ck Star> also.


    ¡°Wee to Con-Tian. I am Grandal. Commander of this region.¡±


    ¡°Greetings. I am Kgul, leader of <Dragona>.¡±


    Kgul, who learned the manners of this world, introduced himself politely to Grandal.


    ¡°This here is the captain of <ck Star>, Sir Krashana.¡±


    ¡°I am Krashana. I have heard much about you, Sir Kgul.¡±


    Krashana looked at Kgul with respect. Grand Banders were respected everywhere they went.


    ¡°Thank you. I heard a lot about your exploits too, Sir Krashana.¡±


    Kgul wasn¡¯t ttering. <ck Star> was one of five powerful warrior groups of Con Kingdom who stood as a pir of Con. The leader, Krashana, was a powerful warrior who had no match among the other masters of the world.


    That was why Kgul, who had recently begun studying about the world, knew about him.


    ¡°We have prepared a ce for you to stay. We won¡¯t have a lot of time to rest but... why don¡¯t you all unpack first?¡±


    ¡°I can see that. Sir Rian, Lady Celine, guide our team to unpack ande back.¡±


    The machines did not need rest, thus attacking nonstop. Even now, Kren cannons were firing against iing attacks. Kgul had no intention to rest so he decided to join the warfront at once when his team was ready.


    After all of Dragona gathered together, Kgul began discussing with Grandal and his advisors.


    ¡°So... where shall we position ourselves?¡±


    ¡°First, I will exin about the <Kanuans> and <Kel-Rufens>...¡±


    They began exining the current war front and the details regarding the enemy. The new recruits of Dragona began to frown as they listened to the details. These were like war dogs from the legends; they never got tired and kept fighting until they died.


    It was Kgul, Rian, and Celine who didn¡¯t seem to be surprised by the information. Rian turned to Sian, who was making weird expressions, and became curious.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with him? These wouldn¡¯t be enough to make him concerned...¡¯


    Throughout his life, his brother was never worried about any enemy. The machines looked very dangerous, but they were surely no match for Kgul or Sian.


    Sian was thinking of something else entirely.


    ¡®Oh... so those toys in the box were here.¡¯


    Sian spected that the box was broken, but he realized what happened now. He didn¡¯t know how, but all the stuff that was transferred inside was sent to Usharan and they were using it against Con. It was apparent where the thief hade from.


    ¡®Ugh... that thief...¡¯


    He didn¡¯t understand why the thief smiled satisfyingly, but now he understood.


    Gronn couldn¡¯t pull himself together because of all <Kanuans>. The wolf-like four-legged machines wielded Bander throughout their entire bodies and they were looking for a chance to bite off his arms.


    ¡®Ugh... we should¡¯ve kept the formation.¡¯


    It was a mistake to charge in after looking at these machines that gave the <ck Star> a hard time, thinking they were afraid of his sword. Right after he broke out from the formation, one changed and began attacking him fiercely. He looked back but there was no one there to help him.


    ¡®Machines trying to set up a trap... but what¡¯s with the captain?¡¯


    It seemed like these machines were no match for Kgul, a Grand Bander. But all he did was stand and cut down any enemy that charged at him. He did not advance at all. As Gronn became full of thoughts, the machine took its chance to attack.


    ¡°ARGH!... huh?¡±


    Gronn, who figured it was toote, closed his eyes and slouched for the iing attack, but nothing came. The machine was shivering while spitting out a weird mechanical voice.


    [ADQDA.. DAS1.AS... KSKDF...]


    Then it came to a full stop, losing all its lights. Gronn became curious and went closer to investigate. There was some small iron marble still spinning fiercely on the Kanuan¡¯s head. The marble was the culprit that put a stop to the machine as it destroyed the machine¡¯s brain.


    Gronn then turned to Kgul. Surely his captain had saved him from death.


    ¡°Ugh, give me a break. Why is he bing more brave?¡±


    Sian, who had been sitting up on a spire along with the other advisors, sighed as he watched Gronn who charged in again like a boar. He was at the spire since his position was not a fighter. He did not want to interfere, but that Kgul didn¡¯t seem to mind saving their friends. He was defending an important passage, but he didn¡¯t care if the others died. Sian didn¡¯t want to see people die, so he activated <Nitzmatan>. No one inside the spire cared about what Sian was doing because they were busymanding the war. After a red light, many marbles rolled out onto Sian¡¯s hands. It was what Sian purchased beforeing here. Sian then picked one up with his fingers and snapped it.


    The marble, shot upon the target in a straight line, crushed the Kanuan¡¯s head that tried to bite off Pann¡¯s neck. Pann looked at the Kanuan with shock before he turned to Kgul and charged into the battlefield more eagerly.


    ¡°Ugh, can you please listen to Rian...?¡±


    It was good that they were brave, but they needed to stay in formation. Rian and Celine were having a hard time keeping everyone in formation.


    Sian only brought five hundred marbles since he had higher expectations for the people. He was only using them to save those who were about to die, but the number of marbles was decreasing rapidly.

 Chapter 48: War

    <h4>Chapter 48: War</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s good that we have reinforcements. We owe Tian Kingdom.¡±


    Grandal spoke as he read through the report. The Grand Bander was very powerful. He sliced down Kanuans as if they were paper. He also knew where the crucial location was and defended it single-handedly.


    It allowed Grandal to spread out his forces and send <ck Star> to the other important areas, which made the battle much better for them. The lieutenants also seemed to be wise. Theycked experience, but they knew how to lead the group and fight. Rian especially looked very promising as he was already at the level of a lieutenant of the <ck Star>.


    ¡°Roman and Kiraine. No wonder. But who are those fools who came with them?¡±


    If those three were amazing, the others were questionable. They were all fools who knew nothing about war. Also, the captain¡¯s assistant who was at the spire did nothing but flick his fingers.


    Grandal didn¡¯t have any problems with their skills. It was their attitude. These experts acted as if they were legendary Ra-Banders. They didn¡¯t care about staying in formation and were easily baited by those machines.


    However, what was more amazing was that no one died.


    ¡®Is there something that I¡¯m not seeing? I will see it soon.¡¯


    He expected at least a third of them to die, but none did. He didn¡¯t have anyints though. The captain and his lieutenants were already doing enough.


    Nazgal, a second-tier warrior of Usharan who was in charge of the Con-Tian invasion, frowned at the Grand Bander.


    ¡°Dammit. So we finally have a Grand Bander fighting against us. What are the othermanders doing? Weren¡¯t all the Grand Banders busy?¡±


    The following were the four strategic war locations against Con.


    Con-Tian Region


    Arsharan Region


    Kerbel Region


    Cordova Region


    All four regions were equally important, and thus the Con Kingdom resisted heavily. It made the Kingdom send all three of its Grand Banders to the warfront. All three fronts, other than the Con-Tian Region, had Grand Banders stationed already. Thus, Usharan sent their Grand Banders and Kel-Rufens to fight against them there.


    ¡°We have a report that all the other Grand Banders are still in the other regions.¡±


    ¡°What? Then who is he?¡±


    He pointed at the warrior spreading his bright sword light while slicing the Kanuans down as if they were paper.


    ¡°Intelligence reports show that he is a reinforcement from Tian.¡±


    ¡°What? They sent a Grand Bander as reinforcement? And Taran allowed that?¡±


    It was apparent that the Taran Kingdom would strike if Tian sent out one of its Grand Banders from the border. Even the Usharan Kingdom couldn¡¯t pull their Grand Bander from the border against Taran despite the fact that they were allies with the Taran Kingdom.


    ¡°Count Roman and Swordmeister Kiraine are still at the Taran Border. This Grand Bander that came... is reported to be a hidden Grand Bander that they had. His name is Kgul.¡±


    The lieutenant handed the report over to him. It had been only a month since Kgul appeared, but there was already enough information.


    ¡°So the King Narasha has no other use for him?¡±


    Nazgal let out augh, but he knew the King of Tian. Only the greediest could be the king of the country, so he probably had some other motive with such a n.


    ¡°Anyway... report it and ask for reinforcements. We¡¯ll kill him once we have the Kel-Rufens on our side.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    After thorough testing, they found that it took twenty Kel-Rufens to fight against a Grand Bander. They had fifteen Kel-Rufens right now, but if they added some more, it would be enough to kill him.


    ¡°Any other reports?¡±


    ¡°The reinforcements have two lieutenants. They are from Kiraine and Roman.¡±


    ¡°What? So that Rian boy is here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that is unbelievable. Why would Tian send one of the Romans out onto a foreign battlefield? This doesn¡¯t make sense. Do we look weak to them?¡±


    Nazgal began to feel irritated. As a Roman, Rian would definitely be a Grand Bander in the future. To send such a man out on a battlefield before maturity... it did not make sense. It would only take them two Kel-Rufens to kill Rian.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s our chance. Tian is next after we conquer Con. Let¡¯s kill him.¡±


    It was better to kill a lion when it was young.


    ¡°I was going to get some rest, but it¡¯s not time. Send Kanuans to the Grand Bander to buy some time and send a few Kel-Rufens to Rian so we can kill him. We will kill him before our reinforcementse.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    ¡°We will start now. Bring back the Kanuans and keep firing for today. Give them no time to rest.¡±


    -


    Sian was still acting as a sniper from the top of the spire.


    ¡®I am being selective, but the supply is getting lower now.¡¯


    Sian had been shooting his marbles with a very specific flowchart.


    Is Rian or Celine going to die? If yes, go to 5.


    Is the man going to die? If yes, go to 5.


    Is the man fighting against the machine? If yes, go to 5.


    Is he still charging like a boar? If yes, go to 5.


    Shoot.


    Although he was following these rules, he had already used half of the marbles he brought. Additionally, Gronn and Pann didn¡¯t seem to get number 3 at all. They kept on charging in and it became worse once they realized that someone was protecting them.


    As Sian nced down at the battlefield, he noticed something strange. Kanuans were holding Kgul in one spot and he couldn¡¯t move to another ce.


    ¡®Why are they doing that?¡¯


    Kgul had the same idea as Sian. He did not gravitate toward danger. He would¡¯ve stayed in his spot even if Kanuans did not force him to. He was standing at a spot where he could run or ask for help if needed.


    Sian realized they were up to something and began examining the battlefield more closely. Then he found the reason. Flow chart rule number 1 was about to be breached. There were a few Kel-Rufens advancing toward the area where Rian was fighting.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that I tagged along.¡±


    A Kel-Rufen itself wasn¡¯t stronger than Rian. One was about as strong as Celine. Rian had the power to fight against two Celines but not two Kel-Rufens. They were stronger together.


    A total of four Kel-Rufens were approaching. Celine and the other Dragonas were fighting by his side, but they were no match.


    ¡®I can¡¯t take care of them with the marbles.¡¯


    The Kanuans had no way to avoid the marbles, but the Kel-Rufens looked like they could defend themselves. These machines were also smart: once they sensed that Sian was distracted while firing a marble, they started moving toward Rian and Celine.


    ¡®I will get them before they can get any closer.¡¯

 Chapter 49: War

    <h4>Chapter 49: War</h4>


    ¡°Haha, five!¡±


    The captain of <ck Star>, Krashana, frowned as she heard Rasion shouting while shing a Kanuan.


    ¡®You mean five steals.¡¯


    At least he was staying in formation.


    ¡®At least it helps.¡¯


    A Grand Bander was definitely a great help, and these Experts were doing okay since none of them were dying. It seemed that Kgul was protecting them somehow. Krashana sighed and reached out to a Kanuan that was charging at her. The space in front of her distorted; it reflected Kanuan¡¯s feet and made them fall down. Krashana then took her chance to crush the Kanuan¡¯s head.


    Krashana was a dual power user. She was born with a Bander Rating of 45. At the age of ten, she also realized she had the talent to be an Exer. She began training to use both powers, which allowed her to be a Master Bander and a B-grade Exer at the same time.


    She had been utilizing both powers to destroy the Kanuans. As she fought, she nced at Rian from time to time. He was so handsome that he could not be missed from a distance.


    ¡®He¡¯s... very alluring. Is he twenty-four years old?¡¯


    She wasn¡¯t talking about his looks. It was his talent that was shining. If he grew older and became stronger, she had no way to fight against him. However, this also meant that he was weak now. It was not a ce where a future Grand Bander shoulde and risk his life.


    ¡®Why risk it? Are they hiding something?¡¯


    Krashana became curious as she crushed down another Kanuan. Yet something shocked her. As an Exer, she was able to sense the area and it enabled her to sense the four approaching Kel-Rufens. They were masking themselves by lowering their core energy levels, so it took longer for her to detect them. It was unknown what they were after. There was no way for her to fight against four Kel-Rufens, let alone Rian, who was weaker than her.


    ¡®Dammit... Nazgal...¡¯


    They were aiming to kill Rian first as theycked Kel-Rufens to fight against the Grand Bander. It was toote to help as the Kel-Rufens were already preparing to fight and she was too far.


    As she tried to shout to warn them, she felt some weird sensation and became dazed. It almost made her get bitten by a Kanuan, but she fended it off and braced herself again.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    Her dimension-sensing ability had sensed a powerful distortion. It was so powerful that it made her feel dizzy.


    Krashana turned to where the distortion urred.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    Spaces appeared near the four Kel-Rufens¡¯ cores. It wasn¡¯t something that could be seen by the naked eye. She was only able to see it because she was an Exer. The four spaces that appeared near the cores began to pull themselves together to be one. As four cores were stacked together, a hand came out of nowhere.


    ¡®What!¡¯


    The hand then crushed the cores at once. It was one clean grab and it destroyed all four cores. The Kel-Rufens stopped moving at once and fell to the ground, destroyed by Kren fire that sensed activation of the cores.


    Nobody saw what happened other than Krashana. However, she couldn¡¯t believe what she had seen.


    ¡®Hm... she saw me,¡¯ Sian thought as he looked down at Krashana. But it didn¡¯t matter as there was no way for her to realize who it actually was. That wasn¡¯t the problem.


    Sian had been contemting ever since he arrived at the battlefield. The war wasn¡¯t about to end anytime soon. He hated to interfere with the war, but he was already doing a great deal by protecting his brother and the other people. The enemy was only going to stop after they emerged victorious.


    He needed to leave the battle at once.


    Sian began pondering about the idea to leave the war with everyone.


    Themander of the war, Second Prince Rakun ra Dimitri, smiled as he heard the reports.


    ¡°We have conquered the Rashadum Region.¡±


    ¡°Cn Region is progressing.¡¯


    ¡°Castle Rayfanol is under control.¡±


    ¡°We have fought off the <Golden Lion> and invaded the Kiranon Region.¡±


    The prince smiled and thanked Kurandas again.


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Kurandas. May you rest in peace... We will honor our victory under your name.¡±


    The Prince was lost in his thoughts when he heard another report.


    ¡°We have lost six hundred Kanuans and half of the fifteen Kel-Rufens at Con-Tian Region. Report says they retreated because of heavy damage.¡±


    Con-Tian was where the <ck Star> was defending. It was an important region, but no Grand Bander protecting it so he wasn¡¯t worried about the ce. The result was unexpected.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°General Nazgal reported that an enemy Grand Bander has just joined the battle.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The Prince became surprised and understood the reason for the damage. However, there was still one question left remaining.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we have all the information on the Con-Tian Grand Banders? I believe we were holding them in ce.¡±


    Con had three Grand Banders, and they were all being tied up by the Kel-Rufens.


    ¡°I heard Tian sent a Grand Bander as reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°What... is this a hidden Grand Bander that they had?¡±


    The Prince had already heard about the hidden Grand Bander at Tian Kingdom. They had Kurandas in hiding, so it wasn¡¯t surprising. But to send one for foreign aid...


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re up to.¡±


    Grand Banders were extremely useful for the Kingdom. There was no way King Narasha would not see that. There had to be something more.


    ¡°Bring me any video recordings of this Grand Bander.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Surely General Nazgal recorded the Grand Bander with his Exar. He needed to see this to judge for himself.


    After looking at the video and going through some of the reports, he smiled ominously.


    ¡°I see what he was up to. This King Narasha... doesn¡¯t have full control over this Kgul.¡±


    The video proved his spection. Kgul did not want to do any more work than what he was supposed to do. The space he was guarding was very important, but it was also a ce where he had the best chance at survival. If the King had full control, Kgul would definitely run out and destroy his enemy.


    The King had sent the Grand Bander out of the country as he had no control over him to help his kingdom. It was good since they could help Con Kingdom while sending out an uncontroble Grand Bander out of the country.


    ¡°Focus our forces. Let¡¯s see this how well this sellsword Grand Bander can fight at the brink of death.¡±


    They still had more weapons at the armory. A Grand Bander had the power to defend himself from it, but the castle did not. If the Grand Bander could be scared away, then that would be the best.


    ¡°Focus on the Kel-Rufens only. And send Cordan also.¡±


    ¡°General Cordan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He will be needed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I will send a message to General Cordan and Ra-Shar-Roa at once.¡±


    Prince sat back in his chair and went over his ns again.


    ¡°Kgul... I am not sure what you were promised, but let¡¯s see how well you fight.¡±

 Chapter 50: War

    <h4>Chapter 50: War</h4>


    <Humans don¡¯t need a monkey¡¯s respect. Just like how I don¡¯t need respect from you.>


    Star Shatterer Robanutton to his followers. Ra-Bander from 600 years ago


    .......


    ¡°Their attack has slowed down.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because their damage is too great?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird...¡±


    Con-Tian was an important region that they had to conquer to proceed. If their intention was to swallow Con Kingdom as a whole, this region was important.


    ¡°They must be up to something. Prepare our defenses and gather information.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander.¡±


    Grandal knew they were up to something. They were not going to get any more reinforcements, so they had to defend the ce with Kgul.


    Dragona began training as the attack slowed down. There was the asional cannon fire, but Dragona was temporarily off duty. After the battle, the new recruits learned the importance of formations and teamwork. They had no deaths, but most of them suffered wounds. Pann and Gronn barely escaped death and experienced severe trauma. They were now more subdued and were working hard to work as a team.


    And Sian... came back from a forge.


    ¡°Sian, what¡¯s that in your hand?¡± Celine asked Sian when she saw that he was holding something.


    ¡°They¡¯re iron marbles.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you going to do with those?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of uses for these. Hehe...¡±


    Sian added that he had used five hundred already. Celine did not understand what he meant, but she soon realized it.


    ¡°OH! So it was you. You helped, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. The Kanuans that were destroyed by the marbles.¡±


    ¡°Oh... yeah. I couldn¡¯t bear to watch.¡±


    Celine shook her head and sighed.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you mad? They think it was Kgul! They respect him while they are ignoring you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I never cared about my reputation anyways. I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it, but I have no intention to show it off.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Celine was angered by the fact that Sian was being ignored. They needed to know how they were still alive. If it wasn¡¯t for Sian, most of them would¡¯ve already been dead. Sian thought Celine¡¯s reaction was cute and smiled.


    ¡°Haha. It¡¯s okay, Lady Celine. I don¡¯t need their respect. I¡¯m just happy if I can live happily with the people I love. I don¡¯t need respect from others.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, you sound like a saint or something.¡±


    Celine ranted. Sian wanted to correct her that a saint was something different, but held back. He just didn¡¯t find getting respected to be worth it.


    ¡°So when are we going back? We¡¯re not going to stay here forever are we?¡±


    Sian thought about multiple ways, but he had given up already.


    ¡°We thought we were moving to another ce but Commander Grandal seems to think differently. He thinks our job here is not done.¡±


    Sian closed his eyes. Celine then looked at him curiously and Sian spoke up, opening his eyes.


    ¡°That Grandal... has good sense.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Something huge ising.¡±


    Celine couldn¡¯t understand what that meant until the next day.


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to destroy this ce entirely,¡± Grandal moaned after taking a look at the far ins by using Exar. There was no difference in the number of Kanuans. The problem was the Kel-Rufens.


    ¡°Seventy... Seventy Kel-Rufens... Did they have that many?¡±


    He knew something was going toe up, but this was unexpected. It was as if they had seventy Master warriors that could move day and night as one body. After looking at the numbers, he knew what it meant. They would¡¯ve been more sessful if they had set up an ambush. There was no need to show off like that.


    It only meant one thing.


    ¡°They¡¯re telling the Grand Bander to back off.¡±


    No Grand Banders would fight to the death at a foreign war. Seventy Kel-Rufens was dangerous, even for Grand Banders. Grandal moaned and turned to Kgul. Kgul was also looking at the ins.


    This ce had to be defended. There was no other way.


    ¡®That¡¯s... the weapon from the Empire.¡¯


    Kgul realized the Kanuans and Kel-Rufens were from the Old Empire he fought. These machines had no chance against <Kal-Gul> as they had great magic. These soulless machines were no match against them and that was why the Empire gave up using them. But with his current human body, he had no way of using the great magic to subdue them. Kgul began calcting his chances of winning against them without the great magic.


    ¡®I can handle twenty-one... I might die while fighting thirty-three. More than that, there¡¯s no chance.¡¯


    There was the possibility of winning if the powers were allbined, but Kgul had no intention to do it.


    ¡®I should draw back. I¡¯m not sure how strong this Sian is either.¡¯


    Kgul still hadn¡¯t seen how strong Sian was. Kuntarian was too weak to draw his true strength out. Even when he became a Grand Bander, he was still much weaker than King Narasha. Even if Sian was stronger than Kgul himself, it was still a suicide mission to fight against many Kel-Rufens with two Grand Banders.


    He had no intention to risk that.


    ¡®I¡¯ll need to talk with the King. He seemed to be picturing something on a much bigger scale.¡±


    Kgul began moving to send a message.


    ¡°...So, that¡¯s where we stand.¡±


    <You believe we have to back off?>


    ¡°Yes. What do you want me to do? Should I join them back at the capital and fight there?¡±


    The King must have been surprised by the enemy. He must have sent them because Kgul was enough to fight them off. Kgul also thought the King would know that he did not intend to take the risk if it came to this. That was why he spoke about the option of falling back to buy more time.


    <No. I wish we could buy them a few more days, but that¡¯s enough. I can¡¯t stress him out for any longer also. Bring everyone back. Use the Ra-Shar-Roa nearby.>


    ¡°??¡±


    Kgul was surprised by the decision. The King was smiling.


    ¡®He¡¯s hiding something...¡¯


    But it didn¡¯t matter. It was good that he did not need to fight any longer.


    ¡®Well... Rian and Celine won¡¯t be too happy though.¡¯


    Kgul turned off the machine and began walking to share the message with Grandal and Dragona.

 Chapter 51: Explosive Fire

    <h4>Chapter 51: Explosive Fire</h4>


    <Don¡¯t drag me into your quarrels. Or else you will feel my wrath.>


    Great Swordmeister Sian von Roman during dinner time


    .......


    Krashana was talking with General Grandal.


    ¡°Are we left with no other choice?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Sir Kgul is a foreign Grand Bander. He will not fight for us until the end. He has already dered that he and <Dragona> are retreating per the King¡¯s order. They are going back by using the Ra-Shar-Roa nearby.¡±


    Krashana¡¯s face dimmed. If they did not have Kgul, they had no chance at winning this war. Krashana also saw the number of Kel-Rufens on the ins. She wanted to find the man who helped Rian, but that seemed unlikely and there was no guarantee that he would help them either.


    If they abandoned this ce, there was no other ce to block Usharan¡¯s advances. Next was the capital. Con-Tian had to be theirst stand.


    ¡°Understood. I will make preparations... though I never thought we would need to use it.¡±


    ¡°...Krashana.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. If this is our fate... then so be it.¡±


    Krashana sighed and walked out quickly. There was no time to waste.


    ¡°We have confirmed the reporting of <Dragona> leaving the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Was Kgul there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he was the leader of the group.¡±


    ¡°So it was as the Prince predicted.¡±


    Nazgal smiled as he spoke. The Kel-Rufens were sent as reinforcements, but he didn¡¯t send them straight into the battlefield. A Kel-Rufen was not a replenishable war resource. It had to be used carefully and it was better to not use it at all. There was no need to waste Kel-Rufens by fighting against a Grand Bander. That was why he used them to drive out the foreign Grand Bander, and as the Prince predicted, Tian¡¯s Grand Bander left the sinking ship.


    ¡°Anything else to report?¡±


    ¡°It might be weird, but they were escorting all the civilians out from the castle.¡±


    ¡°Really? Are they all running away? Including the soldiers?¡±


    If they were running away, they needed to be tracked down. The <ck Star> was a nuisance that needed to be taken care of. It was best to kill them on the battlefield.


    ¡°No, Commander. Only civilians. All the soldiers are still at the castle.¡±


    ¡°Heh... so the Krashana girl is willing to make ast stand. She¡¯s got some guts.¡±


    <ck Star> and the other soldiers knew they couldn¡¯t run. If they did, they would be chased down.


    ¡°I will respect their decision. Let¡¯s not waste more time. Attack when the preparations are done. We will dine at Con-Tian today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commander! I will send the message to General Cordan right now.¡±


    Kgul, along with all the civilians of Con-Tian, moved to Crutoon City where the Ra-Shar-Roa was located. Most of the civilians had already fled the Con-Tian Region, but there were still a lot who stayed behind. General Grandal asked Kgul to take those civilians with him and Kgul agreed.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Rian kept ncing back at the castle as they walked away from it. They were acting under the King¡¯s orders, but Rian felt ufortable about abandoning their allies and leaving them to die.


    Usharan started attacking Con-Tian not a day after they left the castle. The sound of Kren cannons came from far away, but it would notst long. Even at this moment, the Kel-Rufens and Kanuans were fiercely attacking the inner castle.


    ¡°Sir Rian.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir Kgul.¡±


    ¡°You should let it go. It is fortunate that we were allowed to leave.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°We will all die if we fight against such an army. Think about our people and all the civilians here.¡±


    Rian could not answer. Krashana had one request. It was to help safely move the civilians to where the Ra-Shar-Roa was located. She knew they could not do it as they would be tracked down. Rian could not forget her face when she made the depressing request. If Sian put up a fight, it would¡¯ve solved everything, but he couldn¡¯t ask Sian to do such a thing. Sian did not want to kill people. Even in the war, he only destroyed the machines. He also hated taking sides. Knowing all this, Rian couldn¡¯t ask Sian to side with Con Kingdom.


    After organizing his thoughts and making up his mind, Rian turned to the castle onest time.


    ¡®Hmm?¡¯


    The ground was shaking. The castle was trembling violently from within. They were miles away, but they still felt the quake. Then a terrifying energy began radiating from within the castle.


    Con-Tian had been a strategic location from the beginning of the Seven Kingdoms. If Con-Tian was breached, there was no way to defend the capital. That was why it worked as thest defensive point to protect the capital of Con Kingdom, Corindel.


    About a hundred years ago, Great Magic Priest Arantina, the President of Con¡¯s Royal Magic Council, asked one question while talking with the Great General Muraka.


    <What should we do if a powerful army tears through Con-Tian and advances toward Corindel?>


    What if they had no army to defend against such a powerful army? Do we need to lose? General Muraka began to ponder on the question with Arantina and gave an answer.


    <If it is an army that we cannot fight back against and it will endanger our country, we give it everything we have and aim for their bones.>


    Arantina began preparing, and after a year, they were able to create something that wielded a powerful magic rune for top-grade magic. It contained destructive power and was called <Explosive Fire>.


    This was kept top secret among the region¡¯s general and a few of the top-ranking generals. It was the ultimate weapon that needed to be kept a secret. It was then stored under the Con-Tian Castle for a hundred years.


    ¡°I never imagined to use this in my generation. Haha...¡±


    Grandal spoke as he heard the explosives and screamsing from outside. The preparation was finished. There were no civilians left within the castle and all the generals including Krashana from the <ck Star> agreed to the n. They were now drawing their enemy further into the castle so they wouldn¡¯t run away.


    Young soldiers were sent along with the civilians, disguised as protecting civilians so that they would not die.


    ¡®This... this is what must be done.¡¯


    Their armies could barely fight against ten Kel-Rufens. They were not just seventy Master warriors. These machines became stronger as their numbers grew. Even now, the Kel-Rufens were creating formations and killing Con-Tian warriors. They were not to be sent to the capital. They needed to be stopped. If Usharan lost the Kel-Rufens, they would not be able to advance any further and it would buy some time to allow Con Kingdom to recover.


    The Kel-Rufens and enemy generals were now deep inside the castle. They would not be able to run away from this point. Even if they wanted to, Krashana would slow them down.


    ¡®Lady Krashana, we will meet in the afterlife.¡¯


    He then moved into the inner office where a small magic rune, connected to the <Explosive Fire>, was located and transferred Bander into it, proving that he was the Commander of the Con-Tian region. At once, along with the huge tremor, the <Explosive Fire>¡¯s magic rune was initiated.


    <Explosive Fire>


    This top-grade magic had two cons and one pro.


    First, its Exar flow was too wild and abrupt. Everyone, including the enemy, would know the moment it was activated.


    Second, it took a long time for the actual magic to happen after its activation. It took one minute and required three minutes if a Magic Priest was absent, or if the rune was activated only by a Talic Stone.


    These two problems allowed enemies to run out of its range, which would render it useless.


    Great Magic Priest Arantina knew it had these problems. Yet she still installed it at Con-Tian because of the one pro it had.


    When activated, and provided that the enemy was drawn deep within so they didn¡¯t have time to run away, it would wreak havoc.


    That destruction, a hundred years after Arantina¡¯s n, was now unleashed.

 Chapter 52: Explosive Fire

    <h4>Chapter 52: Explosive Fire</h4>


    <You find me dull? It¡¯s better that I¡¯m dull than active in your case. About 200 times better that is.>


    Excerpt from ck Moon Karakal, Ra-Bander from 150 years ago.


    .......


    Sian was relieved to be out of war, but it didn¡¯t feel good. It was good that he didn¡¯t have to fight, but he could not stop thinking about those who were left behind. Yet he couldn¡¯t interfere out of remorse. He was too powerful to interfere lightly. If he interfered in the world just because of his emotions, he would destroy thousands of lives. Therefore, Sian avoided trouble and made his world smaller.


    If Usharan Kingdom did not cause any problems against Sian and his family, there was no need to fight. That was when Sian felt the tremoring from the Con-Tian Region.


    ¡®So they used it...¡¯


    It was hidden, but Sian felt a terrible Exar that was sleeping under the castle. The reason why he wanted to leave the battlefield was because if that was used, Sian had no way to save anyone else other than his brother and Celine.


    Right after it was activated, the magic covered the entire castle and the region with one small ck sphere. The sphere that stretched across a five-mile radius captured everything... the Kel-Rufens, the Kanuans, the soldiers, the castle, and shrank all of it into the size of a human head. Nothing was left.


    Even the part of the mountain that it contained was gone. It was as if something had bitten off a part of the mountain.


    The sphere then fell down to the ground and the air was sucked into the space. Then it exploded with a loud sound and sent out a dust cloud all the way to where <Dragona> was walking.


    Sian, who was looking at all this, narrowed his eyes as if he had found something in the dust cloud.


    ¡®Haha...¡¯


    Sianughed hollowly.


    Celine, who was watching unbelievable sight unfold, frowned as the dust cloud filled the entire area. Then a loud thundering sound erupted as the small sphere dropped down to the ground. After looking through the dust cloud, she noticed a human-like shape appearing in the Con-Tian, or what used to be Con-Tian.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The Dragona next to her gasped as he too noticed something.


    ¡®Are Krashana and the other soldiers alive?¡¯


    The Dragona who felt sad for those that were left behind brightened up. Surely they had a way of surviving such a powerful attack. However, they were left to despair.


    What appeared through the dust cloud were the Kel-Rufens.


    ¡°Dammit... Krashana... Grandal... bastards. I almost got killed back there!¡± Nazgal mumbled as he walked out of a dust cloud. He would¡¯ve died if it wasn¡¯t for General Cordan. The <Explosive Fire> contracted everything within a five-mile radius into a small sphere. It would be weird if anyone survived through that. Even a Grand Bander could not survive the attack.


    When he felt the enormous Exar flowing from below, he gathered the Kel-Rufens and the other Bander users around General Cordan. It was toote to run away and they needed to rely on General Cordan. He had the top-grade artifact, <Gate of Narangel>.


    Named after legendary demon, <Narangel>, who was known to have yed with dimensions, the artifact allowed the user to move sixty-six people to another destination within fifteen-miles once per day.


    Most of the soldiers died, but he was able to save his generals and sixty Kel-Rufens. Then Nazgal turned to <Dragona> who was walking far away in the distance. He remembered Prince Rakun¡¯s another order.


    <It might be hard, but if you can quickly conquer Con-Tian and have time to chase Dragona, chase them and kill the Grand Bander named Kgul. It¡¯s rare for a Grand Bander to act outside his country.>


    If a Grand Bander fought within the Con-Tian Region along with the <ck Star>, it would¡¯ve been hard. Yet, at the current moment, the Grand Bander was an easy target. That was why he was not bothered about the Dragona warriors leaving since he would be able to ambush the group. The civilians would slow them down and there was certainly enough time for Cordan and his Kel-Rufens to chase them afterwards. Besides, the reason for General Cordan¡¯s presence was to chase after Dragona by using the artifact if they got too far away.


    ¡°So General Cordan, you have not forgotten.¡±


    ¡°I almost died there! Let¡¯s finish them and go get some rest.¡±


    Cordan voiced his thoughts, to which Nazgal agreed. They had sixty Kel-Rufens. It was going to be easy. Nazgal then ordered the Kel-Rufens to attack at once.


    ¡®Ha...¡¯


    Sian stayed put because he didn¡¯t want to side with anyone. To him, Con and Usharan were the same. Even if it was his own country, he wasn¡¯t interested. It was only because Rian was siding with Con that Sian helped Rian steer clear of danger. Sian didn¡¯t want to help one side.


    That was why he let go of the fact that they tried to kill Rian.


    They attacked only because Dragona was protecting the castle.


    But it seemed foolish to not fight when the Usharan was still chasing after them. Even when they showed that they wanted to stay out of the war, Usharan still attacked them. If Sian wasn¡¯t here, everyone here would¡¯ve been killed. Kgul, Rian, and even the civilians.


    Sian gritted his teeth. He pulled out his sword that he had never drawn once until today. The toys weren¡¯t at fault. He decided to put down the toys fast and beat up those culprits who stayed behind.


    ¡®Idiots...¡¯


    Why were they attacking when they were trying to retreat?


    Kgul was surprised by the attack, but he quickly ordered for everyone to get into formation. Rian and Celine reorganized everyone, but it was hopeless. Sixty Kel-Rufens was simply too much. Ten or fourteen was the maximum for Kgul.


    Kgul began wielding Bander and Exar together. Then he noticed that the Kel-Rufens who were running at them began swirling.


    ¡®What?¡¯


    He looked more closely and all of Kel-Rufens were swirling. It was weird. Upon a swirling Kel-Rufen, another Kel-Rufen was forced to ovep with it. Then the right one ovepped that. Then the left. A momentter, all sixty Kel-Rufens were stacked on top of each other in one spot.


    If Krashana was alive, she would¡¯ve gasped in shock. It was what was used to destroy the four Kel-Rufens at once. The only difference was that it was now sixty of them.


    At that moment, a sword prated out from the center, like a nail piercing a thick stack of papers. The sword destroyed all the cores of the Kel-Rufens and it was pulled back, but the end of the sword broke and fell to the ground.


    Kgul picked up the sword piece that had broken off and found something interesting. The sword was so clean that it hadn¡¯t been used at all. It was broken due to powerful magic, but the piece itself was extremely clean. There was only one person in Dragona who did not use his sword.


    ¡®...Sian?¡¯


    Kgul nced around, but there was no Sian. Then he heard faint screams from far away through the dust cloud.


    When the dust cloud subsided, Kgul and all of Dragona were able to see who was making the sound. Beyond the destroyed Kel-Rufens, six men were getting beat up.


    ¡°YOU! I! WAS! JUST! GOING! BACK! NICELY! DID! YOU! NEED! TO COME! AFTER! US?¡±


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    ¡°I WANTED! TO GO! BACK! NNGH!¡±


    Four of them had already fainted and two of them were being beaten up by side of the broken sword that Sian was holding.


    ¡®It is... that Nazgal... I¡¯m not sure who the other man is.¡¯


    Kgul decided to wait. It didn¡¯t matter who it was. If Sian was able to destroy sixty Kel-Rufens at once, two Master warriors were no match for him. Kgul only needed to pick them up after Sian finished his business with them.


    ¡®I should beat them up myself when he¡¯s done,¡¯ he thought as he began ordering the <Dragona> warriors who were staring at Sian in disbelief to gather the destroyed Kel-Rufens. They were useless without their cores, but they would still serve as valuable pieces of information. Kgul began calming people down and began working as Sian might take some time to finish.

 Chapter 53: Chrona-Phon

    <h4>Chapter 53: Chrona-Phon</h4>


    <Dragona> decided to camp out at a clearing a little ways ahead as the civilians were too startled and shaken to move. They decided to move the next day.


    ¡°So, he was a Roman son after all...¡±


    ¡°Why did he stay at the spire with that power?¡±


    The <Dragona> warriors were ncing at Sian with shock and disbelief. Yet Sian was sitting down on the ground, looking up at the sky. He was fidgeting with a ring with <Narangel> inscribed on it, which he had taken from one of the men he had beaten up.


    ¡®I guess I do need a better sword...¡¯


    A regr sword wasn¡¯t enough to hold his power. In fact, he had to waste a lot of his power to protect the sword from getting damaged. He unsheathed his sword once and it still broke. The golden sword that he saw when he was fighting the Fifth Elder was veryplicated, and even that wasn¡¯t enough.


    Sian made a decision and stood up at once. There was no telling if he needed a sword, but it was better to prepare now. It was a good time to do it since the material was readily avable. Sian then jumped out from the group that was preparing dinner.


    Sian arrived at a huge crater which used to be the Con-Tian Castle. There was nothing but an empty crater after the magic consumed everything that once stood there. Sian jumped in and began running to the center. When he reached the center, there was a deeper pothole that was created by the sphere that had dropped. Sian then found the ck sphere still burning everything around it from the heat. An hour had already passed after it was created, but it was still exuding incredible heat.


    ¡®This is it.¡¯


    It held thepression of an entire city. It used to weigh thousands of tons, but everything inside that could not withstand the power of contraction dissolved and it now only contained the purest essence.


    It was now a material that was extremely durable and the heaviest in the world. It still probably weighed a few thousand tons, but that didn¡¯t bother Sian. His power defied thews of physics and gravity.


    There was no time. He needed to work on it before it hardened. Sian picked up the sphere that was about the size of a man¡¯s head and began shaping it with his hands. After squeezing and molding for a while, the sphere became a four-foot long stick. Sian then began shaping the handle area for a better grip and concentrated the power on his finger to shape the de.


    Then it was finished. It was a bare de without a guard or decoration. It resembled that of a wooden practice sword. But it wasn¡¯t crude like the practice sword as it was created with beautiful bnce.


    Sian looked at his creation proudly. It was created to focus on the sword¡¯s main attributes: to be sharp and durable. It did not have the unnecessary extra skills like that of the golden sword. That made it more appealing.


    Sian pondered on how to carry this sword and was reminded of the ne. It let out a blue light and absorbed the sword. Then the ne shined again with the blue light. It meant that <Nitzmatan> was now almost full in capacity. Even when it was contracted, the sword still weighed ten thousand tons.


    But it didn¡¯t matter. Sian did not need to store anything else other than his sword. It was a decision made on a whim, but he was very satisfied with the sword and decided to name it.


    <Chrona-Phon>


    It meant Chrona¡¯s hand, named after legendary, gigantic Harijan that bit off a mountain. The sword would surely to live up to the name. It¡¯d be great if he didn¡¯t have to use it, but he felt that was not going to be the case.


    There was a weird sensation pulling himtely. It was something that he could not make out, but it still bothered him.


    Sian then looked to his surroundings. Sadly looking at the ground where Con-Tian once stood, Sian then began running back to his group.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to do it, but I got revenge. Rest in peace.¡¯


    ¡°They... what?¡±


    Prince Rakun asked in disbelief. General Nazgal was one of his best generals. He had beast-like instincts on when to strike and when to flee. He brought Usharan many victories over countless wars. But they were wiped out.


    ¡°What happened!¡±


    ¡°Use of top-grade magic, <Explosive Fire>, was detected right after General Nazgal charged in, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°They still had such a weapon left...? But didn¡¯t he have the <Gate of Narangel>?¡± the Prince asked.


    ¡°We are not sure, but it looks like they didn¡¯t have a chance to use it.¡±


    ¡°How... did this...¡±


    The Prince grimaced. This meant he needed to make drastic changes to his ns. The remaining number of Kel-Rufens and Kanuans was enough to conquer Con Kingdom. However, without the seventy Kel-Rufens, it was now impossible to try to pressure the Taran Kingdom. Even invading Con Kingdom would take longer than expected.


    It was his n to let General Nazgal attack the capital with fifty Kel-Rufens, but all was lost. As the Prince was deep in thought, one of his messengers ran in.


    ¡°Your Highness! We have an important message!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is it! Have we found General Nazgal?¡±


    Prince brightened up a bit, hoping for better news. But what returned was nothing he could have expected.


    ¡°Tian Kingdom has dered war against Taran Kingdom! They are now advancing their troops toward the Lagran Region of Taran Kingdom!¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡±


    The Prince was shocked to hear that. He realized what was going on.


    ¡°Narasha, you sly old man...¡±


    When he returned through the Ra-Shar-Roa portal, Sian felt that the capital was different than usual.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sian asked Celine who had just returned from being summoned to the capital.


    ¡°Something¡¯s going on. It¡¯s a war.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know that. We¡¯ve been there, remember?¡± Sian answered casually, in which Celineughed and continued, ¡°No. This time, we are attacking Taran.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian thought he misheard what she said, but it was true.


    ¡®This Narasha human is one of a kind...¡¯


    That was what Kgul had in mind. The King did not send Kgul to Con Kingdom just to help his allies. It was a decoy for Usharan to focus their eyes on the war with Con Kingdom. He made Usharan think that they divided their forces to help Con and carefully moved troops over to the Taran border, under the excuse of strengthening the border.


    It was all a setup to let Taran¡¯s guard loosen, to make them think that Tian was focused on Con Kingdom, afraid that they might lose.


    King Narasha¡¯s target was Taran Kingdom from the beginning. His intention was to take over the farnds of Lagran. He believed Con and Usharan would be too busy to interfere with the other war and began preparing for an invasion while disguised as fortifying his kingdom¡¯s borders.


    As soon as everything was ready, the King appointed Count Roman and Swordmeister Kiraine as the leads to attack Taran Kingdom. But there was one more mysterious group with tremendous power helping King Narasha.


    Tian Kingdom was now advancing toward Lagran Region with an unstoppable force.

 Chapter 54: Invasion

    <h4>Chapter 54: Invasion</h4>


    <I will make Tian a country made, not by superhumans, but by normal people.>


    -From a discussion between King Narasha and Viscount Talin


    .......


    Lagran Region, located in the northeastern area of Taran Kingdom.


    It was located in between Taran¡¯s capital, Stahntal, and the northern border, right below Sky Mountain. It was more widely known for its nickname, <Thend where the Sun God lives.>


    It was a blessednd.


    Harvests cultivated in multiplespared to other regions. The number of crops that were harvested from Lagran was enough to feed all of Taran and there were still leftovers to export to Tian Kingdom. Not only that, the part of Sky Mountain that it touched had an abundance of gold, silver, and iron ores.


    The people were healthy and intelligent. It was researched by the Exalted Magical Council that people born in this region had a higher average Bander Rating, usually by five units.


    Taran Kingdom was not a powerful country. It became a powerful nation when Old King Stahntal the First took the throne by force and invaded Lagran. Lagran Region then was too peaceful; it could not withstand the attack from Stahntal and the region then helped Taran Kingdom grow in its glory.


    Everything from food to people came out of Lagran.


    If Lagran was lost, it meant the loss of half of the power that Taran had. It also meant the enemy that acquired it would grow stronger while Taran would grow weaker. It was why Taran had been doing the best it could to protect this region. It was why the Lagran Region was never allowed to be attacked.


    After all, Taran Kingdom was a powerful military nation.


    And that was why it was more shocking.


    ¡°Narasha, that bastard...!¡±


    King Stahntal the Fourth gritted his teeth in anger. He didn¡¯t expect to be attacked from behind. He was moving his forces to attack Usharan when it was vulnerable, but he never imagined to be attacked by Tian. He figured Tian was a fool to send its Grand Bander out of the country, but it turned out that Tian Kingdom was foolish after all.


    Stahntal didn¡¯t underestimate Tian. In fact, he had moved his forces to the Tian Border to attack if the country did not stabilize after going through the session.


    It was just that King Narasha¡¯s n was more effective.


    He pretended to fortify the border by bringing two Grand Banders and troops and attacked without warning. The border was breached even before Taran was aware of it and Tian¡¯s troops were now advancing toward Lagran at full speed.


    ¡®So that was what Narasha was preparing...¡¯


    Stahntal the Fourth, who was ny years old, never imagined he would have his borders breached by a newly appointed King of Tian. He needed to give the new king some credit as he did create results. At this point, Tian Kingdom was a threat against Taran.


    So it was also a good time to crush them under his feet.


    ¡®Good. I will take this chance to shake up your country, all the way to your capital.¡¯


    It was a good opportunity since Usharan was too busy with its own war. He would not allow Tian to reach Lagran.


    ¡°Call in the other Four Great Generals except Kranon!¡±


    The four Grand Banders, except for Kranon who was guarding the Usharan Border, would be enough to deal with Tian Kingdom.


    Stahntal nned to defeat them at Talos, a region in front of Lagran.


    ¡°... so <Dragona> is being called there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sian.¡±


    ¡°And Father is already there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sian felt something twisting from within as he heard his brother speak. His family was too involved in the world to live peacefully without any interruptions. His family was one of the strongest, but there were too many people that were stronger than his father and brother. Sian then made a decision.


    If the King kept dering war and insisted on having a Roman at the lead, Sian was bound to be called around. He needed to take a stand.


    Sian began heading toward the pce. He decided to use hisst option if it didn¡¯t work out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lagran will be ourst war.¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    King Narasha was looking calmly at Sian, who obviously seemed ufortable, but he was really worried. By the looks of Sian, it was apparent that his patience had reached its end. Even now, he was flexing his fist, threatening to use force at any time.


    ¡®Sigh... I guess he had been patient.¡¯


    Sian was a man of absolute power. He had been very generous until now.


    King Narasha wasn¡¯t worried about Old King Stahntal or the Great Generals of Taran. He needed the help of the Roman family to win this war. The problem was whether Sian would allow it.


    If Sian decided that it was best to kill Narasha at once to keep his family out of war, his reign would end in a year.


    The King sighed. He was better in every aspect than the boy named Sian in front of him. His power, wealth, judgment, wisdom, charisma, every other aspect... he was better at all those but one thing. The one thing he wasn¡¯t better at was what made him worry about this boy.


    ¡°We cannot always be at war. Lagran is our limit.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian looked confused and Narasha learned that he needed to exin more.


    ¡®Now I, a king, need to be his teacher?¡¯


    ¡°I will exin the main condition. I wish our nation to have talented individuals like Count Roman and Sir Rian, but I do not want our nation to be built upon the power of a man like you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... why is that?¡±


    Sian became curious. It seemed better to have powerful warriors.


    ¡°We can always find and train a man like Count Roman and Sir Rian. But you... you are different. We will not be able to train or find one like you. We never have, and we never will.¡±


    Sian began to understand. A Grand Bander wasn¡¯tmon, but it always existed and was a part of human society. Yet a man such as Sian was different. Even if such a man appeared, there was no guarantee that he would work for Tian.


    ¡°So, I want to build a system that Tian itself will be able to maintain. To train talented individuals and be powerful. To build a Kingdom... no, an Empire.¡±


    He wanted to create a nation which did not rely on one person¡¯s power. Humans were imperfect beings and relying on one man would destroy the system. That was what King Narasha was dreaming of.


    ¡°What about what happened to the previous war?¡±


    ¡°Allow me to apologize on that one. I needed your power to control this Kgul. I promise you that it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian began to ept what the King was saying and the King continued, ¡°So, I want to make Tian strong without your help. That¡¯s why we need Lagran and that¡¯s where we will stop.¡±


    ¡°Why is that? Isn¡¯t it better to invade both Kharan and Taran altogether?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we won¡¯t be able to do that without your aid. Count Roman¡¯s power isn¡¯t enough for such a feat. Like I mentioned, I want to avoid asking for your aid.¡±


    ¡®I am afraid you will go out of control.¡¯


    Narasha held thest part back. This Sian had to be dealt with care. His reactions had the potential to be a disaster.


    ¡°Hm... Understood. So, you don¡¯t need me to use my power?¡±


    ¡°No. If our n works, the Tian forces will be enough. I believe you are just worried about your father and brother and will work to do just that.¡±


    Narasha divided the Roman family from Tian Kingdom on purpose.


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s true. So, this WILL be thest war?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Rest assured, Tian will be twice as strong once we have Lagran. No one will dare to fight us then. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡®Hm... maybe I should help him onest time.¡¯


    It seemed okay to help onest time. There wasn¡¯t much that could threaten his father or brother other than the wars.


    ¡°Okay. It will be thest time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and onest thing.¡±


    The King flinched and concentrated on Sian again.


    ¡°Take me and my brother out of that <Dragona> thing. Oh, Lady Celine too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be following my father around so I don¡¯t have time to deal with them. Let me... uh... yeah, put me in that Third Knight thingy. It looks safe and all.¡±


    ¡°...Understood. I will do that. I don¡¯t think your father will face any danger under our ns... but if that is your wish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that your ¡®n¡¯ will not work as intended. Oh, and make my request a secret, will you?¡±


    ¡°...don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The King sighed after Sian left the room. The main problem was solved. It was now time to focus on Lagran.


    If Lagran fell under Tian rule, the region would serve as a foundation for the future empire.

 Chapter 55: Talos

    <h4>Chapter 55: Talos</h4>


    Talos Fortress, the final defense point before the Lagran Region and the imprable fortress of Taran. Its walls were littered with various defensive runes and all spires were equipped with cannons created with the newest technology.


    One of them was a <Kvan>, the finest creation of Taran science. It was created by a Dekon craftsman by using rare iron ores gathered from the Lagran Region. It was made to auto-target Bander users by sensing Bander.


    The fortress never allowed an invasion to pass through for almost two hundred years, but it was still equipped with thetest technology. It was proof that Taran considered Lagran with such importance.


    ¡°So Talos is now ahead of us.¡±


    Swordmeister Kiraine spoke quietly as he observed the Talos Fortress from the distance. He was followed by the many warriors of Tian. They were all seemed excited to havee so deep into Taran Kingdom.


    ¡°Haha, Swordmeister. I¡¯m already itching to get my hands on it.¡±


    Count Roman was already eager to jump out. His old nickname was <Mad Bear>. His age made him more dignified and calmed him down a lot, but it didn¡¯t make his personality go away. He loved to fight and his father always worried that his son would die in the battle and end their bloodline with his generation.


    However, he had no such worries. He already had two sons.


    ¡®And they both have be great men.¡¯


    Rian was somewhat of a concern, but the King, who seemed to understand, ced Rian at the capital. It now allowed Count Roman to enjoy fighting. However, he had no intention to die. He needed to return home to his wife.


    ¡®Revadan... I will crush you this time for sure.¡¯


    Count Roman thought about his rival who was somewhere inside the Talos Fortress.


    ¡®But where did the King get these people?¡¯


    He looked at the mysterious group of people behind the Royal Knights. Those people, who introduced themselves as <Granines>, didn¡¯t seem like humans. They looked simr, but they had different powers from within. They were all very strong too. Among them were four Elders who all seemed much stronger than Count Roman himself.


    ¡°We really do stand a chance with them on our side.¡±


    ¡°Yes... I believe so too.¡±


    Kiraine agreed with Count Roman¡¯s words. Taran had been imprable for them until now. With the current power, however, they now had a chance. It would¡¯ve been good if they had Kgul with them, but he was dispatched to the Kharan Border along with <Dragona>. Kharan Kingdom had been quiet for a while, but they still needed to keep an eye on them in case they were plotting something. It was a good choice since Kgul the had the power to hold them back if they did do something.


    If everything worked ording to n and Tian acquired the Lagran Region, there would be nothing to fear anymore.


    ¡®Hmm...¡¯


    Yet there was one thing that he couldn¡¯t understand from the King.


    <If everything goes ording to n, Count Roman will not need to fight at all.>


    It wasn¡¯t definite, but the King always knew what he was saying, so Count Roman decided to believe it.


    <So... we are back. After all this time...>


    The Third Elder spoke as he watched Talos in the direction toward the Lagran Region. It had really been a long time. After leaving their homnd to join the war with the Old Empire, they had not returned after 400 years. Their long journey home was now nearing its end. It was time for the <Granines> to reim their oldnd.


    <That Narasha... has been keeping his promise... It would¡¯ve been hard to go through this ce with only our forces alone...>


    The new Fifth Elder, who was the Sixth until while ago, spoke as he watched Talos Fortress. They sensed four Grand Banders from within the fortress. The walls and defense also seemed very sturdy and powerful, making it hard to deal with.


    <It would mean nothing if the Great Elder or the Second Elder fought with us. What are they doing now?>


    <Same as before. They are still readying themselves for <that time> as always.>


    <Why can¡¯t they help... for onest time?>


    <You know them. They have no interest in such matters anymore. We should still consider ourselves lucky that they are willing to lend a hand at <that time>.>


    <Yes, do not forget our mission. Our mission is to bring them to ournd. The rest is up to them.>


    The Fifth Elder nodded. Their job was to win the fight against that fortress. Now they will finally return to their homnd.


    Sian was now moving toward where his father was. Something kept bothering him. As he went closer to the Talos Fortress, he felt something simr to that of himself. He kept touching the ne. He didn¡¯t expect to use it, but he felt that his weapon would soone in handy.


    ¡°Okay... I¡¯ll make this thest time.¡±


    Sian made up his mind and quickened his pace. After this mission was done, he was going to be free. He thought about going traveling. Once his family was safe, there was nothing to bind him anymore.


    The war began as the Sixth Elder of <Granine> voiced an incantation.


    [LA-AKUM-SAOW-SHE...]


    With weird words and flow of Exar, the Sixth Elder began working his magic. The First Grade Magic Priest Jeraph looked at him curiously.


    ¡°He is... special.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, Master? What about it?¡±


    The apprentice, Katrine, looked confused. Jeraph smiled and exined, ¡°Him. He is an Exer, but he is using magic at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare, but it¡¯s not entirely impossible either.¡±


    After witnessing the impossible seventeen years ago, it was hard to surprise Jeraph, but young Katrine who was only twenty years old seemed to be shocked.


    The Sixth Elder who mumbled the words then began focusing on the Talic Stone in his and.


    [...ASCA...RAU... SHWO..... <Way of Agran>]


    The stone began to glow brightly and a ray of red light shot out. <Way of Agran>, or second-grade magic, had no special effect. It was the ultimate magic focused for the war as it had the longest range and caused devastation upon its target. The Sixth Elder added more effects by using his Exar and the ray of light shot out at one of the guard towers inside the castle. It needed to be destroyed to attack Taran without the danger of being pummeled by the cannons from above.


    At that moment, a person ran up the tower as if it were t ground and unsheathed his sword, dividing the iing ray into two. He then fell down to the ground,nding without any damage.


    He was one of the Great Generals, <Zagron the Invincible>.


    In return, the Sixth Elder smiled and used his power. The ray that was divided then changed directions and was directed to the top of the spire of the wall. There was no sound. The two rays met at the spire and melted the ce entirely. The ray that still had the energy to move was now directed toward the ground, sting it soon after.


    As the dust from the explosion subsided, a man in his shield was revealed. It was <Revadan the Ravager>. He jumped in to defend his soldiers as the ray attacked them.


    <It¡¯s only the beginning.>


    The Sixth Elder smiled. It was only the beginning of the attack. It wasn¡¯t time yet.


    Both sides began fighting at that moment. Cannons began firing and warriors started wielding Bander on their bodies before charging in.

 Chapter 56: Talos

    <h4>Chapter 56: Talos</h4>


    Sian looked at the battleground from far away. He arrived at the scene before the actual fight began and moved up a nearby mountain that was not too far away to watch the war.


    When he first arrived, he intended to quickly finish the war. One thing he realized was that even if he only intended to protect his family, if his family was at war, then it meant that he was at war too. Thus he thought that it might be good to finish everything quickly as the King said Lagran would be the end.


    Yet something made him stay back. Something was off. He thought this was the ce where he needed to fight, but it didn¡¯t seem like it. This was the first time he felt as such, so he decided to stay back.


    If his father was in danger, he was going to jump right in, but there seemed to be no threats against his father for now. There were four enemies who could fight his father, and two of them were quite dangerous. Yet they were not joining the fight.


    The cannon fire was pretty powerful, but it was not enough to actually hit the Grand Banders as the flow of Exar was too great to miss. Besides, it was only a skirmish right now. The main warriors were not at the front.


    ¡®Father... didn¡¯t you tell me that it¡¯s always good to not fight?¡¯


    Count Roman was not fighting at the moment. He was still with the Swordmeister, at the back of the warfront. He seemed very eager to jump in and fight.


    Sian agreed with his father¡¯s views, so he had noints. If it wasn¡¯t for his parents, he would¡¯ve ended up like Kuntarian.


    After looking through the warfront, Sian found a group of people with some familiar features.


    ¡®So, they were the King¡¯s reason to start the war.¡¯


    These people who were at the frontline were very powerful. The four of them who were not at the front also seemed to be very powerful. Each one was as strong as Kgul. Something was familiar about them, but Sian couldn¡¯t think of a ce where he would¡¯ve met them so he shook his thoughts away.


    He had no opportunities to talk to non-human beings.


    As Sian watched the warfront, something began to change.


    ¡°Where did they get those people?¡±


    Zagron, the Great General of Taran, looked toward the other side. He was eyeing the four mysterious men, Count Roman, and Swordmeister Kiraine. They knew about the two Grand Banders of Tian, but he wasn¡¯t aware of the other four men. It was because they invaded the border within seconds.


    ¡°Zagron, are you scared?¡±


    ¡°Cn, give me a break. I¡¯m not talking about that and you know it.¡±


    Cn, also another Great General, teased Zagron who had been his best friend for life.


    They were here without any worries at first. Taran Kingdom had a total of six Grand Banders and was much more powerful than Tian. If it wasn¡¯t for Usharan, who ways looked for a chance to invade Taran, they would¡¯ve already conquered Tian.


    But how dare they attack first? Zagron scoffed when he first heard of it, but he also thought it was a great chance to destroy Tian and move the border out to the Cine territory.


    The war, however, didn¡¯t turn out as he expected.


    ¡°You think too much, Zagron.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We still might win. You¡¯re just afraid that Narasha might be hiding more things.¡±


    Zagron flinched at Cn¡¯s words. It was true.


    Grand Banders were rare, so being a Grand Bander just simply meant that to most people. In reality, all Grand Banders had differences in power. Thus, he wasn¡¯t worried about those mysterious men. Even when they had six Grand Banders against four, it didn¡¯t mean they would lose. However, the problem was that Narasha probably knew about that too.


    Then why did he invade? What was the reason?


    The reason for the four Grand Banders gathering was to kill and capture all of them without much loss. Cn and Zagron himself were enough to fight against Count Roman and Swordmeister Kiraine.


    But when he arrived, things looked different. It looked like there was going to be heavy casualties. What was up with them? What would happen if they reached Lagran? What then? What are they up to? Questions began filling Zagron¡¯s head.


    They still had time to pull back if they wanted to.


    Cn spoke at that moment.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll solve your problems.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s gather everything and move back to Lagran. We¡¯ll let them handle it on their own.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you are talking about?¡±


    ¡°Of course. That Tian King must have prepared something... but ¡®he¡¯ might like it that way.¡±


    !!


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to about care who wins. It¡¯s not up to us.¡±


    Cn spoke without much energy. That was when Zagron realized what he had been ignoring.


    ¡°Yes... you are right. Thank you, Cn.¡±


    Yeah. After that, the four Great Generals jumped into the battle and began pushing the enemy back. As the fight came to a rest, they quickly began gathering all troops and used Ra-Shar-Roa to teleport out. Tian wanted to chase after them, but they were tired and driven back by the Great Generals.


    So after not much of a fight, Talos was taken over by Tian and Tian began advancing toward Lagran.

 Chapter 57: Ruler of Lagran

    <h4>Chapter 57: Ruler of Lagran</h4>


    <That Narasha... he¡¯s very smart.>


    After the defeat of Talos without much effort, they were now advancing toward Lagran. The war had to be quick.


    <I think... he earned the cooperation... without that one mistake...>


    <That¡¯s... no fault of his. Who would¡¯ve known that he was a Pa-Harijan...>


    The Fifth Elder spoke bitterly.


    <Kirat... Is she still in hiding?>


    They were people who continuously changed their forces that made them hard to track, even for the Pa-Harijans. Kirat was different. He knew what she looked like. There was a chance that the Pa-Harijan would not care about such a petty incident, just like other Pa-Harijans did in the past, and thus they hid Kirat for her safety.


    <Yes... she left for another Kingdom... it was her request.>


    <That is a shame... we shall call her once our job here is done...>


    Kirat didn¡¯t return to her people when she left, but the Fifth Elder didn¡¯t disclose this and nodded. What was important was the war ahead.


    <I see Gran-Latra. Is what the Great Elder and the Second Elder have prepared for?>


    <Yes. The time is now...>


    The Third Elder and the Fifth Elder looked toward Lagran Region. After four hundred years, they were now back at their homnd, <Gran-Latra>. It was time to reim <Granine¡¯s> glory.


    <Granine>


    They were the people who lived under Sky Mountain four hundred years ago, at the current Lagran Region. The reason why they lived in that region was because their holy ground, <Gran-Latra>, was located there. The Well of Spirits, <Lavne>, was ced at the center of <Gran-Latra> and their people lived around it. There was amune near the Well of Spirits and they returned to it after they died. It was through <Lavne> that they learned how to live and were reborn. Only the <Granines> could reincarnate with the Well of Spirits and that was what made them think that they were chosen.


    They were also powerful enough to coexist with the Empire. However, things changed after the war against Kal-Gul. Only the <Granines> had the power to effectively fight against Kal-Gul¡¯s shamanistic powers and that was why they decided to help the Empire. No one else could fight against the Kal-Guls if the Empire fell. Yet they didn¡¯t expect their return to take... four hundred years.


    After losing connection with the Well of Spirits, they lost the ability to reincarnate. Some who realized that they have no way tomunicate with the spirits evenmitted suicide. But the younger generations who had little to no experience inmunals and reincarnation did not give up. They worked hard to return to their homnd.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to go themune, but they still felt the presence. That was what made them persevere for four hundred years. After fighting for so many years, they became strong. The weak were also left to die. Even the Great Elder and the Second Elder, who had be Pa-Harijans during those times, could not give up on returning to theirnd.


    But there were problems. Their homnd was upied by humans.


    Thend of <Gran-Latra> was blessed by the Well of Spirits, contributing to its prosperity. It did not matter that Taran, the most powerful nation among the Seven Kingdoms, was upying the ce. The Great Elder and Second Elder were enough to wipe them out with ease. Yet the problem lied with the human living at <Lavne>, near the Well of Spirits. She was no longer an ordinary human; she was now a Ra-Bander.


    <Stahntal the First.>


    She stayed at <Lavne> for two hundred years after invading the Lagran Region. She needed to be disposed of. Yet the Great Elder and the Second Elder felt him and realized it. Even with theirbined powers, it would barely even the odds of fighting him.


    That was why they couldn¡¯t join the war. They must not be revealed.


    The humans gave them information about this <Stahntal>, but it did not mean anything. Superhumans were not beings that ordinary humans could decipher.


    That was why they needed help. It was not possible to arrive at <Lavne> without the two elders¡¯ powers. That¡¯s why they decided to help Narasha and made a deal. The deal was made to win back <Gran-Latra> and give all resources to Narasha in addition to helping and protecting each other.


    Narasha made fine work out of it. And they were now finally at <Gran-Latra>.


    It was almost time.


    If <Stahntal> was strong enough, they would lose. If not, then they would be able to reim theirnd.


    The enemy probably had the same thoughts.


    ¡°Wow... so that¡¯s what it was hiding.¡±


    Sian looked at the Lagran Region that was still very far away and began to realize what he had been sensing until now.


    To the north of the Lagran Region, there was a small well on the way to Sky Mountain. It was a small, ordinary well that was located near the creek of Lagran. It was a historical ruin that gathered a small number of archeologists and historians, but even they didn¡¯t pay much attention to the well.


    Next to it was a small shack. A woman was looking at the well in the back.


    She looked very rough and was very tall, broadly built like a man. She was like a lioness. She kept looking at the well while mumbling something. No, maybe she wasn¡¯t looking at the well as she was closing her eyes.


    After a while, sheid down on her back on the spot. She looked very tired.


    ¡°Okay... so I beat him now. About three are left inside?¡±


    She looked tired, but also aplished. She then stood back up and sat down in front of the well.


    ¡°Seven during one hundred and seventy years... and there¡¯s three more. I can still enjoy it for a hundred more years. Will I be alive til then?¡±


    The woman spoke and closed her eyes again, concentrating on the well. At that moment, she opened her eyes suddenly and turned to the foot of the mountain, over toward the Lagran Region. Something powerful was walking in her direction.


    ¡°Oh... wow. So there are still interesting people left other than Groyn?¡±


    Groyn was too busy upied fighting Harijans in the north, so she had no choice left but to fight the ones inside the well. There was no one powerful enough to fight against her. Fighting the ones inside the well was pretty fun after all. But it couldn¡¯t match a real, physical fight.


    What was more exciting was that these two powerful figures were on par with her own power. It was amazing that they had hidden it until now.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t really expect much, but they really cked off.¡±


    If these figures managed toe here while hiding their powers, it meant that her kingdom had lost the fight. They probably retreated into a corner of Lagran, hoping she¡¯d be able to get rid of them.


    ¡°Ha... okay. I would¡¯ve snapped their necks off for doing that, but I will let it go since I haven¡¯t had some fun in a while.¡±


    The woman, Stahntal the First, moved into her shack and began watching over herself. She was a bit tired from fighting the one inside the well. However, there was still time before they would arrive. She had enough time to rest.


    She loved fighting against the strong, but she hated losing. She needed to win and she always did.


    And that was exactly what she nned to do.

 Chapter 58: Ruler of Lagran

    <h4>Chapter 58: Ruler of Lagran</h4>


    <These Ra-Banders are so troublesome to talk to. They never listen to anyone, and never will!>


    -Rant from ¡®UNKNOWN,¡¯ from ¡®UNKNOWN¡¯ years ago


    .......


    The city in the Lagran Region was empty. It was arge city, but Taran¡¯s Great Generals had already evacuated all of its people. They all knew well of the person living not too far away from here. They weren¡¯t sure what King Narasha had in mind, but if he prepared a force powerful enough to fight Stahntal the First, the city was sure to be left in ruins when the fight began.


    She wasn¡¯t one to care about the petty lives nearby, and that¡¯s why the people of the city were evacuated.


    The forces of both Tian and Taran ced themselves miles away from <Lavne>, waiting for the main fight to begin. The two Elders were now crossing the empty city of <Stiel> towards <Lavne>.


    <It... has changed...>


    <Yes... what have they done... to ournd? We must... build anew.>


    <We¡¯ll leave it... to Sixth Elder... for that.>


    <We are... almost here...>


    As they arrived at the small well, a female human greeted them.


    ¡°Hehe. You¡¯re here.¡±


    <Stahntal... was it? So, will you fight here?>


    ¡°Of course not. I have to y with the well once I finish dealing with you two, so it can¡¯t be destroyed. Oh, do you guys also go in there once you die?¡±


    <Haha... I see. We shall move... further then.>


    ¡°Right. Maybe I should¡¯ve gone down myself. I thought you guys didn¡¯t care about the well.¡±


    Both sides didn¡¯t want to destroy the well, so they began moving down to the city. After they were far from the well, about ten miles away, they would start the fight. Fighting in the city meant the destruction of the city and the loss of lives, but they didn¡¯t care.


    Sian, who was looking towards Lagran, frowned.


    ¡°Ugh, look at those crazy bastards. Why are theying down? Fight up there!¡±


    The three people quickly moved ten miles into the city and stopped right in the middle. The problem was that the ce was only five miles away from where the Tian forces were stationed. If they fought there, the chance of his father getting involved was 100%. Five miles was nothing in a fight of Ra-Banders.


    Sian realized what made him feel ufortable.


    ¡°The world isrge, and there are so many who need to be beaten up.¡±


    The only problem was that it wasn¡¯t easy this time around. He wanted to solve it by talking things out, but he knew that wasn¡¯t possible. Sian then charged towards Lagran, unleashing his full power from within.


    ¡°HAHAHA! Shall we start now- HUH?¡±


    Stahntal, who was excited to start the fight, turned in shock towards the walls of the city. The two Elders were also looking at the same direction in disbelief.


    A terrible, vicious, force of power was approaching.


    And definitely wasn¡¯t friendly.


    ¡°...What have you guys done to bring such a terrible thing here?¡±


    Stahntal, who had resided by the well for 200 years, thought she didn¡¯t have anything to do with this and asked a question


    <...Was he that powerful...?>


    <This is... unbelievable.>


    Karatra had already heard of a powerful Pa-Harijan in Tian Kingdom who could be stronger than him. But the Great Elder did not heed the warning. He figured it was impossible for an ordinary man topare to the true power of a superhuman. It didn¡¯t make sense that a 17-year-old boy was stronger than a 400-year-old warrior. The one in front of them was at least 230 years old.


    However, the Great Elder now realized he was wrong, and so was the information from his people. This boy was not just stronger; he was an unimaginable being, even to him.


    The three of them looked at each other for a moment and turned toward that direction. If this being existed, there was no way anyone else could be the most powerful. It needed to be dealt with. Besides, this being wasn¡¯t approaching with a friendly attitude anyway.


    Stahntal pressed down on the jewel in her wristband. The wristband began making strange sounds, and Stahntal¡¯s body was covered with light.


    <The... Armor of the Seven Stars!>


    The Great Elder gasped. Stahntal was covered by a powdery substance floating around her in various colors of light, but the Great Elder identified it as armor.


    There was a limited number of weapons that Pa-Harijans could use, and they were even rarer than Pa-Harijans themselves. That armor was one of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that I was the only one hiding something. Come on, bring it out. Unless you want to die without having the chance to use it.¡±


    <...>


    The two Elders created a void in front of them and reached in. The Great Elder took out a ring while the Second Elder took out a wristband. Stahntal¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Those were items she had been searching so hard for but couldn¡¯t find.


    ¡°The <Hand of Gran-Ra> and the <Spear of the War God>... I didn¡¯t understand why I couldn¡¯t find it all those years. So it was because of you guys. Okay, we might be able to stand a chance then.¡±


    The elders equipped their items without a word. The Second Elder¡¯s wristband began to shine with a golden light while the Great Elder¡¯s ring let out ck waves.


    They all turned to the same direction again, where a young man was now walking toward them.


    Upon his arrival, the boy nced at the three of them and said, ¡°Hey.¡±


    ??


    <...?>


    <Hm...>


    All three of them listened intently to what he had to say.


    ¡°Fight somewhere else.¡±


    The man was pointing to the outside of the city.


    Sian¡¯s first intention was to drive them out of the city, to a part of the mountain where his father would not get dragged into. However, as he unleashed his power and closed in, something welled up from within him.


    <It might be fun to fight them.>


    Sian could barely hold himself back. If he fought them here, it would mean the death of his father. He had given his father the <Gate of Narangel>, but his father might not run away.


    As he reached his destination, all three were ready to fight. Sian thought his sword was one of a kind, but the weapons held by the three were also very powerful.


    ¡®Where did they get those?¡¯


    Sian spoke slowly while pointing toward the mountain range.


    ¡°Go away. Fight somewhere else.¡±


    The woman covered in weird fog, spat, ¡°HAH! What if I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Sian¡¯s patience snapped at that moment. And he sumbed to his instinct.


    <Destroy them.>


    <Chrona-Phon> was taken out from his ne, and he immediately swung it at the woman.

 Chapter 59: The Great Swordmeister

    <h4>Chapter 59: The Great Swordmeister</h4>


    As the sword swung at Stahntal, the powder that was floating around her gathered at the striking point and formed a shiny thin te.


    A terrible crashing sound was heard, and Stahntal was thrown toward the direction that Sian was pointing at a while ago. She flew all the way down to the mountain, past the well. The part of the mountain where Stahntalnded was destroyed as if a meteor had crashed there.


    ¡°Stay right there.¡±


    Sian then jumped toward the same direction. The Great Elder and the Second Elder looked at each other.


    <...>


    If they left her alone, there was no possibility of even surviving.


    <...<Division Fold>...>


    The Second Elder mumbled quietly, and the space where the two Elders stood began folding like paper. After it finished, they disappeared.


    The two Elders reappeared at the crater beside the mountain. Stahntal staggered as she stood up from within.


    ¡°Ugh... what is that ck sword?¡±


    She spat blood from her mouth and stared at Sian. The <Armor of the Seven Stars> was an artifact that protected the user from all attacks and strengthened the user¡¯s attack, hence the reason why she didn¡¯t dodge the ck sword that he swung at her.


    The consequence wasn¡¯t what she had expected. The power of a ten-thousand-ton weapon in addition to the momentum and Sian¡¯s Bander, struck her with full force. Even though her artifact absorbed most of the damage, she still felt the shock as if she were hit by a meteor and was flung away.


    ¡°Even if you are that strong... I won¡¯t make this easy for you.¡±


    Stahntal mumbled as she charged out. The Great Elder activated his ring.


    The Great Artifact, <Spear of the War God>


    Darkness covered the Great Elder¡¯s hand. Within that darkness was something even darker. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. It was a weapon that was meant to devour everything it touched. An attack meant destruction as powerful as <Explosive Fire> magic. It was named after the War God as the devastation left behind after using this weapon was like the War God had passed through. The Great Elder followed behind Stahntal, toward Sian.


    The mountain was now being destroyed.


    The bright figure moved through the mountain at lightning speed, while a darkness quickly followed, attacking from behind. The Second Elder, who was a distance away, was able to see everything that was happening. He noticed that the ck sword was destroying everything.


    He had no time to waste. He activated his wristband, the <Hand of Gran-Ra>, named after the mighty Sun God Gran-Ra as the power of the wristband rivaled the God. He began channeling Exar into his wristband, and it began to shine with a bright golden light.


    The Second Elder activated his highest attack magic.


    <Lasod-Ra>


    Meaning small sun, it did nothing fancy; it created fist-sized spheres that just burned the opponent. It was so powerful that even Pa-Harijans could not avoid it. They began appearing by Sian to burn him alive. Sian seemed to be bothered by it and kept swinging his sword, but there were too many spheres appearing around him.


    All the lights now covered the mountain as it continued to be destroyed.


    Soldiers were looking at the mountain, or what was left of it. The mountain before was now almost destroyed, only half of it was left.


    ¡°...¡±


    Zagron, Cn, and the two Great Generals could not say anything. They all knew stories about Ra-Banders, but they didn¡¯t realize the sheer power they wielded until now.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Zagron was speechless. He had be a Grand Bander at the age of fifty. He believed he had aplished a great feat and was proud of himself. There were some Grand Banders that were stronger than him, but he believed that he would be able to defeat them as he got older.


    After he became a Grand Bander, Stahntal the Fourth invited him to meet someone. As they arrived at a small shack beside the Lagran Region, he was greeted by her.


    <Oh... what a cute boy.>


    There she stood, <Stahntal the First.>


    It was a shocking experience. He remembered how petty it seemed that he was a Master warrior who was trying so hard. He was even ashamed that he was once a Master warrior. Meeting her was an eye-opening experience. He then realized what she was felt toward him.


    Disinterest. Apathy.


    He was like an insectpared to her. The distance from Master to Grand Bander was much closer than the difference between him to her. There was no way he could reach that level during his life.


    That was when Zagron became humble and stopped making a fool of others. He understood he wasn¡¯t good enough, so he focused on his training and earned him the nickname, ¡®Invincible¡¯.


    However, this was the first time he witnessed Stahntal fighting. And she was having a hard time, even when teamed up with two men of simr power.


    Those two men seemed to like the weapons that Narasha had prepared. But they were now fighting together, against one man.


    ¡°...¡±


    Zagron sighed as he watched the destroyed mountains; the other Great Generals had the same look on their faces.


    The four of them came to a stop when Sian stopped swinging his sword and backed away. Two of the mountains in Sky Mountain Range had beenpletely destroyed.


    They were far from being okay.


    Stahntal¡¯s floating powder was now dull, with bruises all over her body. The armor would regenerate, but it was slow and could not keep up with the damage.


    The Great Elder was in worse condition. His right hand that had the ring was broken and it was being held together by using Bander.


    The Second Elder looked okay but was hurt from overusing his Exar and was now bleeding internally.


    Sian was standing with a bruised cheek, which he was caressing with his left hand. That was the spot where he got hit by Stahntal.


    ¡°Erm... you know.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°I thought, maybe, MAYBE, this time I might feel the danger of dying.¡±


    The other three looked confused. They were fighting for their very lives. Although they were not really sessful, they thought Sian was also having a hard time.


    ¡°You three aren¡¯t enough, though it was a little dangerous. When can I break this barrier...? I thought I might make it if I gave myself a handicap while fighting, but it¡¯s not working. I¡¯m done.¡±


    Sian then began using a <Way>.


    At once, the in sword that previously didn¡¯t radiate any magic began shining. Sian, too, was covered with light, but there was no color.


    ¡°However, thank you for cooperating. Let¡¯s finish it now.¡±


    The three looked grim as they watched Sian¡¯s power grow even stronger.


    The battle at the mountain stopped; there were no more explosions or sounds of fighting. When the people became curious about what happened, a person appeared. He was walking while carrying three people on his shoulders. He first visited the Taran forces.


    Everyone knew he was the main culprit for the damage to the mountain and could not even speak a word. When the man reached the Great Generals, he threw down a woman from his shoulder.


    ¡°...Stahntal the First...¡±


    Zagron moaned. He quickly checked her vitals; however, she seemed okay.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    The man began to move so he could return to the Tian side.


    ¡°Who are you...?¡± Zagron asked as everyone froze. They were so terrified by the man that they could not even speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sian. Oh, and the Lagran Region is now under Tian rule. Don¡¯t touch it, okay? Don¡¯t let here near it either. The owner has changed.¡±


    It was casually mentioned, but no one could object. Then he was gone.


    ¡°Take them.¡±


    <Great Elder... Second Elder...>


    The Third Elder whimpered and checked to see if they were okay. He sighed in relief when he found that they were only bruised and injured but still alive.


    <You spared their lives... thank you...>


    It was not a moment to be thankful for, but the Third Elder truly appreciated the oue.


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s alright. Handle the rest with Narasha.¡±


    Sian shrugged and turned away, then moved over to his father.


    ¡°Father, we¡¯re done here. We can go back now.¡±


    ¡°Oh... yeah. Uh... let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I told them to nevere back anymore, so they won¡¯t. But I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s all going to work like Nara... I mean, like what the King said.¡±


    <...father?>


    Everyone was shocked. So this man was Count Roman¡¯s son? They all thought he was a thousand-year-old Ra-Bander. But the son of Count Roman... how old was he?


    Count Roman was also very confused, but he did not want to reveal his thoughts to his son and began chatting with Sian. Besides the swollen cheek, he looked okay


    After examining Sian for a while, Count Roman noticed something different.


    ¡°Oh.. Sian, what¡¯s that ring and wristband? Are you making a hobby of collecting jewelry? That <Narangel> thing too...¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Sianughed without answering.

 Chapter 60: The Great Swordmeister

    <h4>Chapter 60: The Great Swordmeister</h4>


    <I thought that was the worst day of my life. However, it was only the beginning. The world wasrge... with lots of madmen... and strong men. And a LOT of those needed beating up.>


    -Excerpt from Tales of Sian von Roman.


    .......


    Tian was undergoing festivities. King Narasha had aplished an amazing feat half a year after bing King: invading the Lagran Region. Taran Kingdom epted Tian¡¯s ownership of the Lagran Region, allowing Tian to redraw a new border around Lagran. Once the process was finished, it would inevitably shift the bnce of power towards Tian.


    Everyone was excited and amidst the excitement was an unbelievable rumor. The birth of a Great Swordmeister from the Roman family. Some spected that it meant Kain von Roman, while others guessed it was Rian von Roman. Then, the rumor subsided. Great Swordmeister was a title that wasn¡¯t even given to Swordmeister Kiraine. And there was only one person remaining within the Roman family, which was the seventeen-year-old Sian.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t make sense, so people just considered it a myth or an exaggerated rumor. The rumor of the newly-born Great Swordmeister was soon dismissed.


    King Narasha had been very busy. He only had to look over significant matters that needed his attention, but that still tied up his time. They now had the Lagran Region, so all itsws, systems, and everything else had to be resolved now.


    The <Granines> were given the right to rule over the Lagran Region as promised and was made an ally. What Narasha wanted from the region were the resources and people, so he had no interest in their sacred ce and the well.


    After setting up a new border, the King sent Swordmeister Kiraine and Kgul to watch over the new border. There was no telling if Taran would wholly give up on thend.


    It was only matter of time for the title of the strongest in the Seven Kingdoms to belong to Tian.


    Usharan was having a hard time in their war against Con Kingdom. After losing a lot of forces at Con-Tian, they were having a hard time advancing into the Con Kingdom. However, it was spected that, in a year or two, Con-Tian would be swallowed whole.


    At that time, Tian would havepleted its infrastructure, and the Ra-Sian Continent would then have the two strongest nations and four other nations.


    The most important thing now was to stop relying on Sian. The King had not felt the power of a Ra-Bander until now. He now considered it to be too dangerous.


    ¡°So... you wish to go travel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s about the right time.¡±


    ¡°It... sounds like a good idea.¡±


    Sian was discussing with his father in the Roman mansion, located in the outer part of the capital. He had been pondering this idea for a while. He enjoyed the life in the capital, but it was boring. That was why he thought about traveling.


    The idea came from a novel he had fun reading when he was young. He had always wanted to try it, but he was toozy to do it at first, and all those other things that popped up held him back. But now he had enough money saved, and his family was no longer in danger. He wanted to give the armor he picked up this time to his father or brother, but that armor would crush the user if they weren¡¯t strong as a Ra-Bander. In the end, he gave <Narangel> to his brother, so it was okay.


    This was the best time to leave.


    Count Roman agreed to the idea at once. He and his wife had done all they could. Now Sian needed to learn and experience new things out in the world. The Count didn¡¯t know how powerful his second son had be and didn¡¯t know how responsible he had grown. The fact that nobody knew of such a powerful man showed how careful Sian had been.


    ¡®He should travel out in the world and experience more things.¡¯


    The Count nodded.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll support you with anything you might need. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... no. I can just go. Oh... I need a map and a... good ce to start.¡±


    ¡°I see. What¡¯s the purpose of this travel?¡±


    ¡°Well... eat good food and see good things, I guess? OH! And one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I want to see the ces where Ra-Banders used to live.¡±


    Sian thought of the purpose of his travel so that it wouldn¡¯t be boring. He was curious about how the other Ra-Banders lived, and how powerful they were after fighting other Ra-Banders. He also wanted to check if any others had obtained the <Way> like he did.


    ¡°Then I suggest you go South, to Broshan. Kiara is also a nice ce, but I heard it¡¯s not a good time to visit. Something seems to have happened there.¡±


    ¡°Broshan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s one of the Seven Kingdoms. That¡¯s where the Great Emperor¡¯s original Kingdom, Broxian, was located. I heard it¡¯s beautiful and they have great food there, it¡¯s a popr destination for nobles. Oh, and that¡¯s also where the famous Sun Sword Liviath lived.¡±


    Sian became interested. He remembered that a lot of main characters in the novels he read found love in Broshan.


    ¡°Good, I should start there.¡±


    ¡°Oh... and Sian.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father?¡±


    Count Roman halted, seemingly embarrassed to continue.


    ¡°You... have been doing very well. I am very proud that you have grown into a fine young man and are responsible for such great power.¡±


    ¡°Oh... haha. Father, you¡¯re making me embarrassed.¡±


    Sian also became embarrassed, but the Count continued, ¡°You don¡¯t have to sacrifice your life for the family. And I also hope you learn to use your power to help others if it doesn¡¯t badly affect you or others. It might bring you another kind of joy.¡±


    ¡°Hm... Understood, Father.¡±


    Sian nodded. It seemed reasonable to help others if he or others wouldn¡¯t be badly affected.


    Stahntal, capital of the Taran Kingdom


    The enormous pce disyed the Kingdom¡¯s power. It was a pce with no king. Their king had left this ce after building it and stayed in the Lagran Region. It was back when her descendants ruled over thend as surrogate king.


    But the king had returned after 200 years.


    Stahntal the Fourth looked at Stahntal the First who was lying down on the bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, my king.¡±


    ¡°Haha... yes. I was beaten up good this time. He even took my armor! What a brat...¡±


    She was ranting, but she didn¡¯t seem upset at all.


    ¡°...¡±


    Stahntal the Fourth couldn¡¯t still believe what happened. She had be a Grand Bander at the age of thirty and she overthrew the old Taran King. Then, she became a Ra-Bander at sixty and had lived to this day. That was what he knew of her. There was no enemy strong enough to fight her; she was like a god.


    Stahntal the First looked at him and smiled. She knew what he was thinking. If it were before, she already would¡¯ve ordered his death for being rude; however, she decided to stop that. It was because she remembered what the brat said to her after beating her up.


    <Keep your power to yourself and live peacefully, okay?>


    He looked very different once the fight was over.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±


    ¡°Did you look into that brat?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as ordered.¡±


    He handed over the report by Taran¡¯s intelligence. Stahntal the First read through it and suddenly burst outughing.


    ¡°HAHAHAHA! He was what? Only seventeen years old? Oh my... this is crazy.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe it. He was living peacefully even with such great power. There were a few times when he used his strength, but it was nothingpared to his powers.


    That was when she understood why Sian said that to her. It wasn¡¯t a threat; it was his way of life.


    ¡°So, what is he up to now? Is he going to be a General of Tian?¡±


    ¡°He... is preparing to travel.¡±


    ¡°Travel...?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think our intel reports that he wants to enjoy his youth.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡±


    It had been so long since she hadughed so hard. The man in front of her wouldn¡¯t know why she was so happy. She felt like as if she was stranded for years and she finally found another stranded human. It was near impossible for a Ra-Bander to meet other Ra-Banders.


    ¡°Find out where he is going.¡±


    ¡°HUH?¡±


    Stahntal the Fourth blurted out his thoughts and quickly stopped. He knew any slight mistake in front of her would mean his death.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay... hehe. I feel good right now.¡±


    She spoke, smiling. Then, Stahntal the Fourth asked, ¡°Are you not going back to the Lagran Region?¡±


    She looked at the man as if she understood what he was saying and replied,


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Those men that I fought with, they have already positioned themselves there. I can¡¯t get through them if they defend from that ce.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°You fool, give up. We can¡¯t touch that ce anymore. They¡¯re too strong. Rather, you should pound on those Usharan kids.¡±


    ¡°Usharan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And you know that Tian has him. He¡¯s not like me. He still cares about the world. What will you do if hees to defend it?¡±


    Stahntal the Fourth gave up at that moment. He had seen the recordings. It was like a fight between gods. Even his Great Generals refused to invade the Lagran Region because of Sian.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll rest for another week and then move out. Find out where he is going before then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±


    She smiled as she thought about Sian.

 Chapter 61: Ra-Vash

    <h4>Chapter 61: Ra-Vash</h4>


    <Do weck human feelings? No, we have more feelings and ways to express it. It¡¯s just that you are not worthy of the effort.>


    -Karakal, to peopleining that he wasn¡¯t looking after them.


    .......


    <Lenorva>


    A border city of the Broshan Kingdom, located by the Kharan Border.


    Broshan had a total of three Ra-Shar-Roas, and one was located in <Lenorva>. It was important because of two things. One was that it was a good ce for tourists to visit as it was an important trading post. The other was that it was where the Rnd family, which created the Broshan¡¯s greatest warrior, Sun Sword Liviath, resided in. It made the city very popr with people.


    That was where Sian arrived through Ra-Shar-Roa.


    ¡°THIS IS GREAT!¡±


    He shouted as he took a step into the city. He was packed very lightly; he had no bags and only wore very light clothing and a shining ne. Sian caressed the ne, <Nitzmatan> carefully. A red light shone, and Sian¡¯s hand was left with a small map and a memo.


    ¡°So... the first ce to go is the Rnd family¡¯s training ground?¡±


    The Rnd family had fallen ages ago, and their property was now avable for public viewing as a tourist attraction. It was a popr location to visit as it had a famous mark made by the Sun Sword Liviath.


    ¡°HEY! YOU!¡±


    A beautiful voice shouted out. Sian clearly heard it, but he ignored it since couldn¡¯t be meant for him. He had no one that he knew here. However, the voice was so beautiful that he wanted to see who it was. He held back because it might make him look foolish.


    ¡°Hey! The one wearing a stolen bracelet andfortable clothing to go for groceries!¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    He was sure that he was the only one with such clothing. Sian scowled after turning around to see the owner of the beautiful voice. He wasn¡¯t wholly wrong since she really was beautiful. He also knew her, but he wished he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°UGH.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what¡¯s with that face? You seem really excited.¡±


    It was the lioness woman he beat up in the Lagran Region. What was funny was that her voice was very beautiful.


    ¡®Her voice and her actions are so ill-fitting.¡¯


    Sian ranted inside as he looked at her.


    ¡°...What is it? Why did you call me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, why such coldness? Didn¡¯t we touch each other¡¯s bare skin and all? You were so wild back then. I love a wild man, you know. Hehehe.¡±


    The woman smiled brightly at Sian.


    ¡®She must be mad.¡¯


    Sian grimaced and replied, but he did so with his voice lowered, afraid that someone would hear them.


    ¡°Yes, we did do that. Your right fist touched my left cheek.¡±


    ¡°YEAH! Exactly! It¡¯s called fate. And you sound so polite! What happened to you?¡±


    The woman nced at Sian from top to bottom and side to side. Sian felt like prey at this moment, a deer standing in front of a lioness.


    ¡®Hm... aren¡¯t I stronger than her? This is weird.¡¯


    Sian thought that he was too gentle with this woman, so he decided to chase her away.


    ¡°Well, you are MUCH older, so I can only be polite. Maybe I was rude back then because I was so mad.¡±


    At that moment, the woman seemed to be slightly upset, but she kept her cool.


    ¡°Ha...haha. HAHAHA! Okay, well, I guess you can be my little brother now!¡±


    ¡®Brother? Huh?¡¯


    Sian was confused. He didn¡¯t know who she actually was, but she had to be very old to have gotten such power. How can he, at the age of seventeen, be her little brother?


    ¡®Is she like me?¡¯


    There was no telling if Sian was the only one who became powerful at such a young age. She looked only like her early twenties, so it seemed possible. Therefore, Sian decided to ask her age politely.


    ¡°...How old are you?¡±


    The woman was furious, but she gritted her teeth, still smiling.


    ¡°Ha...haha. We are not that much apart! I¡¯m a genius, you know.¡±


    ¡°...Okay, let¡¯s leave it at that. Why did youe for me?¡±


    Sian¡¯s reaction upset the woman, but she remembered her purpose and replied, ¡°Oh, I lost my home because of ¡®someone¡¯, so I had to leave and travel around the world. I was thinking of teaming up with you.¡±


    ¡°...ugh.¡±


    He did feel sorry for that, so he couldn¡¯t reject her outright. However, as he thought about it, he found no reasoning behind it.


    ¡°Wait, I can justpensate you. Why do I need to travel with you?¡±


    ¡°Call me Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Uh... ok, Miss Stiel. So, why do I have to travel with you?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t? I will be nice and quiet if I travel with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course! I was going to enjoy traveling alone!¡±


    Stahntal, or Stiel, smiled viciously at his reply.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be nice and quiet if you won¡¯t travel with me.¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    It was the first time he had seen such a woman. He had never been threatened after using his powers.


    ¡®I guess she needs more beatings.¡¯


    After thest battle, Sian had learned to use some of his power without losing his personality. He ced his hand on <Nitzmatan> and <Chrona-Phon> appeared.


    He began stretching his arms as he swung his sword about. Stiel flinched and took a step back.


    ¡°Hey- hey, hey, hey! Rx! Why do you hate the idea of us traveling together? Aren¡¯t you lonely?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why would I be lonely?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°I was so happy to see you! It has been such a long time since I met a human!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She had all sorts of people around her, but Sian realized what she really meant. Sian was one of a kind who still considered humans as humans. Other Ra-Banders did not and felt very lonely once they became powerful. Sian felt somewhat sympathetic and turned to Stiel.


    ¡°...So you won¡¯t cause any trouble, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I can be very gentle and quiet.¡±


    She did not mention that she had already been quiet for nearly two hundred years. She didn¡¯t want to disclose her actual age to Sian.


    ¡°Okay, I understand. However, I¡¯m warning you, you better not create any trouble. Once you trouble me, it will mean goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, threatening to say goodbye when we just met! What a cold man.¡±


    Sian did fight with her, but he did not have any ill feelings towards her, so he epted herpany.


    ¡°So, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the Rnd family¡¯s training ground. Oh, and you can call me by my name.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Sian.¡±


    They headed out towards their destination.


    The Rnd family had fallen. The reason for it was because Sun Sword Liviath was too powerful. The birth of the Sun Sword was idental. He was a genius who was born into the family and learned everything easily and quickly. However, he had a problem. He was so smart and superior that he had no way of teaching what he knew to those who were not at his level. He had no idea why people needed to learn how to use Bander when it was as natural as breathing for him; he had no idea why he needed to practice with the sword when he could just use it however he wanted.


    The family prospered until Sun Sword Liviath reached the age of eighty. He was still a Grand Bander at that time and had interest in his family. But when he, Sun Sword Liviath, became a Ra-Bander, he immediately left his family.


    Without its leader and sessor, the Rnd family began to decline quickly, and the mansion was sold. The Broshan Kingdom then purchased it and opened it up for the public to view the traces of the great warrior, and it had now made a good profit from the mansion.


    A lot of warriors who were at the barrier paid the expensive entrance fee of 200 talons to look at the trace of Sun Sword Liviath to try and gain ideas of how to break through. However, Sian wasn¡¯t interested in breaking his barrier; he was just curious about how other Ra-Banders lived.


    As he and Stiel walked into the mansion, she spoke softly, ¡°Sun Sword Liviath, it has been a long time since I heard the name...¡±


    Sian looked at her strangely as she sounded like she was reminiscing over old memories. Sun Sword Liviath was a man that was over three hundred years old, but Stiel seemed like she remembered him.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He wasn¡¯t a Ra-Bander when I was ten. I saw him at the Royal festival.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? I even fought him once... Ugh.¡±


    Stiel realized what a blunder she had made.


    ¡°Oh, your idea of ¡®not much difference¡¯ was in the hundreds? I¡¯m seventeen, not a hundred and seventy.¡±


    ¡°Ha...Hahaha.¡±


    Stielughed awkwardly as Sian sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not important.¡±


    ¡°Haha... anyway. Tell me if you have any questions! I know more about him than anyone!¡±


    That would make the whole visit pointless, but Sian decided to enjoy the mansion as his purpose was to rx. Besides, Stiel paid the entrance fee, so it didn¡¯t matter to him.


    They had now arrived at the most famous spot in the Rnd mansion. It was the trace left by the Sun Sword Liviath, right after he became a Ra-Bander while training at the training grounds.


    It was <Ra-Vash>.

 Chapter 62: Ra-Vash

    <h4>Chapter 62: Ra-Vash</h4>


    <Ra-Vash>


    It was the trace left by Sun Sword Liviath.


    When Sun Sword Liviath didn¡¯t return from the training grounds to eat, his family came to check on him out of concern. However, he was already gone, and there was only the trace that he had left. His family frantically searched for him, but he never returned to the Rnd family.


    People spected that the great warrior felt empty after he became a Ra-Bander, and after leaving a trace to teach his family, left them to find something that would interest him.


    The Rnd family was confused, but they quickly understood what they needed to do. They needed to observe the trace and learn the power of their greatest warrior. It was the only way to preserve their family.


    However, the Rnd familycked talented individuals. Not only that, they were threatened by others that wanted the trace. After continued attacks from outsiders, they fell and disappeared into history.


    <Ra-Vash> was a rare spot that visitors could actually feel the trace of a Ra-Bander. That was what drew in warriors from various country. Broshan was a neutral Kingdom, so anyone from any nation was allowed to visit.


    There were a lot of warriors in front of <Ra-Vash>.


    The <Ra-Vash> was on the hill behind the training grounds. It was a few giant streaks that looked like the sh of a bear¡¯s ws.


    What made it special was that a Ra-Bander had left it.


    ¡°ARGH! I just need to ovee this bottleneck... and I can be a Master...!¡±


    ¡°Is Grand Bander really only for the chosen...?¡±


    Many warriors moaned andmented as they examined the traces. There were even those who had resided here for a few years.


    However, they all stayed within the training grounds in fear of ruining the actual trace.


    Sian looked at the trace for a moment and scowled, while Stiel watched his expression change, smiling.


    ¡°...What is that?¡±


    ¡°I told you to ask me first.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve done that. Tell me about it.¡±


    Sian turned away from it and looked at the people with sad eyes. Then, he noticed a kid.


    ¡®Hm...?¡¯


    A boy, looking barely over the age of ten, was serving food and drinks to those who were training here. He carefully delivered drinks to the angry warriors and then stared at the trace, unmoving. It seemed he had some stories as the dining knife that he held in his hand was flinching.


    ¡®Hm... everyone has their own story.¡¯


    Sian stopped paying attention, but Stiel was different. She wasn¡¯t interested in the boy until she realized Sian was looking at him and decided to talk to him.


    ¡°Hey, boy. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    The boy was startled as he turned around. A tall, beautiful woman was looking down at him. He blushed and mumbled, wanting to return to the restaurant, ¡°I was... just... watching. I heard it was a trace from Sun Sword Liviath, so...¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no. I know you have questions. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel continued, ¡°You see that man? He is a powerful swordsman. Don¡¯t you have questions about swords?¡±


    ¡°...How did you know?¡±


    The boy replied in disbelief as Sian sighed. Anyone who had watched him waving his knife while staring at the trace would know.


    ¡°I told you, I can feel it. Go ask him to help you out.¡±


    ¡®Ugh, say no. Come on, say no!¡¯


    Sian believed the boy would not ept such a strange offer. However, it seemed that her offer was very tempting.


    He sighed as he observed the boy carefullying toward him.


    ¡°So... you are here because you couldn¡¯t break through the Expert barrier; but you didn¡¯t have money to pay for it, so you got a job?¡±


    Sian asked Dekaron, who was twelve years old.


    The warriors around them looked mildly surprised. If he was at the barrier to Expert at the age of twelve, it was an impressive feat. Half of the people here were probably not even close at that age.


    ¡°Twelve years old... I was a Master back then...¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t want to ruin her memory by telling her what level he was at that age, so he held back.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you were looking at <Ra-Vash>?¡±


    ¡°Yes... I want to be strong fast...¡±


    He looked average for his age, but there seemed to be something more to him. After staring sympathetically at him for a while, Sian whispered something to him. It was an excellent chance to see if he would enjoy helping others just as his father advised.


    The boy looked shocked after listening to Sian and continuously nced between him and Ra-Vash. Then, he started to shout as it sank in...


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T BEL¡ª¡±


    ¡°Quiet! Quiet!¡±


    Sian quickly covered the boy¡¯s mouth, but the boy looked discontent.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you letting me talk? You shouldn¡¯t worry if what you say is true.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s...¡±


    Sian was momentarily lost for words, and the boy shouted, ¡°DON¡¯T LIE TO ME! What do you mean Ra-Vash is nothing! I better train something else rather than wasting time looking at that?¡±


    ¡®Ugh... Father. Helping others ain¡¯t easy.¡¯


    ¡°HAHAHAHA! My lungs... Hahahahaha!¡±


    Sian grabbed his head while Stielughed madly next to him.


    ¡°...What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Did he say that?¡±


    All the warriors around were staring at Sian as they started approaching him.


    ¡°Why I didn¡¯t let you talk was because of this...¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t be angry at the boy who realized what he had done.


    ¡°HEY! What do you mean by that? Huh?¡±


    A warrior who had stayed here for over a week confronted him. To say that the trace left behind by the Great Sun Sword Liviath was nothing, what was he saying about those who were training here?


    Sian decided to exin. He felt bad for these people who were staying here by paying 100 talons per night.


    ¡®If I... help... these people... Ha... okay. Let¡¯s rx.¡¯


    He realized that he first needed to gain some respect before these people would believe him. So, he let released his power and stood up.


    ¡°...!!!¡±


    The warriors who were approaching all flinched and stopped. They all felt something coursing through them.


    ¡°I meant what I said. That¡¯s nothing,¡±


    Sian dered as he looked around.


    One of the warriors, afraid that his time spent here was all for nothing, asked Sian, ¡°T-then... what is that thing?¡±


    ¡°That... ugh. That¡¯s just a doodle. It¡¯s not made out of some profound insight. It¡¯s just a in doodle created out of boredom.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, did you hear that boy? It¡¯s pointless if you keep looking at it.¡±


    The warriors turned grim. They all felt that a person with such strength had no reason to lie about it.


    The truth about <Ra-Vash>


    It was just a doodle, a trace left by Sun Sword Liviath. However, it didn¡¯t mean anything and was definitely wasn¡¯t intended for his family. Sun Sword Liviath just felt everything was so pointless after bing a Ra-Bander that he randomly made some markings while pondering on a hill before leaving.


    It was like an ordinary person doodling on the ground with a wooden stick out of boredom, just much bigger in scale.


    Sian and Stiel knew this right away once they saw it.


    The warriors were shocked and divided into two groups. One group consisted of the people who came here on a whim or had no expectations, which meant they left easily. The other group consisted of those who were desperate and came here as ast resort, who couldn¡¯t leave just yet.


    <Disappointment>


    However, the boy¡¯s reaction was different.


    If he was on the verge of bing an Expert, it was only a matter of time. It would be normal that his disappointment was less than the other warriors, but it wasn¡¯t.


    <Despair>


    The boy looked like his life had just ended. Sian, who couldn¡¯t think of any reason why the boy would be that desperate, suddenly thought of a possibility, and asked carefully,


    ¡°Is yourst name... Rnd?¡±


    The boy nodded silently.


    Dekaron de Rnd was the descendant of Sun Sword Liviath. He barely managed to keep his family name due to his bloodline.


    That was why his despair was so great.


    Sian stared at the boy for a while and then turned to Stiel.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You said you fought with Sun Sword Liviath before, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while though.¡±


    ¡°Make a trace on that hill. Something easy to understand.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you being too nice?¡± Stiel asked in shock. There were no superhumans who showed sympathy towardmon people. Whatever she did was because she figured it might be interesting to see Sian¡¯s reactions.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, and I don¡¯t have anything to lose. Also, I¡¯m a good son that listens to his father.¡±


    That would mean Count Roman.


    ¡®Oh... what did he say to him?¡¯


    Stiel became curious, but she didn¡¯t bother to ask him now.


    ¡°Hm... okay, but you owe me this time. Alright?¡±


    ¡°I know you talked to him intentionally a while ago. I¡¯ll consider this even.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Stiel began flexing her hands as she approached the hill.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... to allow even kids to understand...¡±


    She then began concentrating tremendous power within both her hands. She couldn¡¯t exactly copy Sun Sword Liviath¡¯s <Way>. He had his own <Way>, and it only worked for him. However, it wasn¡¯t hard for her to leave something for low-skilled warriors to understand.


    At that moment, the sword skill that was never made for anyone else to understand other than Sun Sword Liviath himself, the <Shining Way>, was copied by Stiel¡¯s hands against the hill.


    The boy was mesmerized by the beautiful <Ways> that Stiel was casually making.

 Chapter 63: Trace of the Sun

    <h4>Chapter 63: Trace of the Sun</h4>


    ¡°Thank you so much...¡±


    ¡°No... Ugh... I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°No-no. You¡¯ve done so much for me. I can learn from it every day now.¡±


    Sian turned to Stiel awkwardly as the boy looked at him with respect. Sian and Stiel were touring through the city with Dekaron from the Rnd Family. After Dekaron found out that Sian was here to tour around, he volunteered to show Sian around Lenorva. Dekaron was born and raised here and had experience as a tourist guide. Sian reluctantly epted, and that was how the three of them ended up walking around the city of Lenorva.


    ¡°...This ce is called <Kuron¡¯s Lunch>. It¡¯s a really good ce, but outsiders don¡¯t know about this. Kuron, the master and chef, is really talented.¡±


    Sian was immediately interested.


    ¡°Shall we eat here? I¡¯ll treat you guys. Dekaron too.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Why, thank you, sir!¡±


    The three entered the restaurant. It was not crowded and the food was good, so the three of them enjoyed their time. While eating, Sian managed to find out a few more things about Dekaron.


    One, his family was on the brink of being wiped out due to poverty.


    Two, Dekaron was doing his best to keep his family alive.


    Dekaron was so talented that he had self-trained without a teacher to almost an Expert, while he worked for money to keep his family alive.


    However, since Sian and Stiel were more talented in that regard, so they didn¡¯t mind that much.


    After a while, Dekaron seemed like he wanted to ask something.


    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡±


    When asked, Dekaron barely managed to force out his question,


    ¡°How long are you going to stay here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a week? I love this city of Lenorva. I still have lots of ces to see.¡±


    Dekaron then quickly continued, ¡°If- if it¡¯s not too much to ask, can you please teach me about the sword while you are here?¡±


    Sian shook his head.


    ¡°Oh... no. I¡¯m sorry, but I would rather not.¡±


    ¡°I... see... I¡¯m sorry for troubling you. I guess it was too much.¡±


    Dekaron looked disappointed, and so Sian quickly added, ¡°No... it¡¯s not too much. It¡¯s just... I was never taught, and I¡¯ve never taught anyone before.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dekaron looked doubtful and made a face as if Sian was just making excuses.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. I tried to help my brother before, but it didn¡¯t work out.¡±


    Even Rian could not understand a thing Sian said. Sian didn¡¯t believe this boy was more talented than his brother.


    ¡°Haha... of course. No one will understand us.¡±


    Stielughed.


    These geniuses had a thought process that nomon people could understand. They did things their way because it felt natural for them. It was same for Sun Sword Liviath, Stiel, and Sian.


    ¡°I believe there¡¯s nothing that Sun Sword Liviath left for his family? Like a Sword Art or anything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s pointless. Anyone without that same talent of his won¡¯t understand... and if one has such talent, then they won¡¯t need to be tutored.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Dekaron looked grim. All of his family¡¯s 200 years of effort had just been proven to be a waste of time. They did their best to learn the ways of Sun Sword Liviath even during their hard times, but these people proved that it was all useless.


    ¡°Boy, isn¡¯t that why I made a trace for you to learn? On the hill? You can learn from there.¡±


    ¡°Oh...!¡±


    Dekaron brightened up, and it eased Sian¡¯s mind. He did not want to see someone in despair. Then, Dekaron suddenly became concerned and turned to Sian.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mention it before, but there¡¯s one thing that Sun Sword Liviath left behind when he visited our family about a hundred years ago.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Wow, did he?¡±


    Sian and Stiel were surprised. It was amazing that a Ra-Bander took an interest in his family and revisited. Sian was also interested at unexpectedly finding the trace of a Ra-Bander.


    ¡°Boy, you are pretty brave to tell us that. What if we decide to take it away?¡±


    ¡°I just figured you wouldn¡¯t do such a thing.¡±


    Dekaron always had been quick to figure out what people thought. After talking about Sun Sword Liviath for a while, he realized these two had absolutely zero respect for his ancestor. It even felt like they were looking down on Sun Sword Liviath.


    He had been hiding the artifact left by Sun Sword Liviath until now. There was no way to protect it as his family was too weak to defend it. However, these two seemed safe, that¡¯s why he told them.


    They could not decipher it for the past hundred years anyway. It felt better to take a chance and show it to these people. And fortunately, as expected, these two only had a look of interest, not greed.


    ¡°Would you take a look at it? My home is not too far away.¡±


    ¡°Well... I guess if it is okay, I will take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s see what old man Liviath left. Hahaha!¡±


    The three finished their lunch and followed Dekaron to his home.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    They had arrived at a run-down house. The once powerful family was now left with nothing.


    However, that was what saved them from looters.


    Besides, it didn¡¯t matter to Sian and Stiel. They didn¡¯t care if it was a pce or a mansion, it was all the same to them.


    Dekaron guided them in and introduced them to his mother.


    ¡°Mother, these are the ones that helped me yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sian.¡±


    ¡°Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Wee to the Rnd house. I don¡¯t have much to offer... but please make yourself at home.¡±


    His mother looked haggard and lethargic.


    ¡°Go to your room and rest, mother. Come this way, please.¡±


    Dekaron showed them to the cleanest room of the mansion, and then went down to the basement to get the artifact. He returned with a small box soon after. It was so ragged and in that no one would pay much attention to it.


    Once Dekaron opened it; however, something out of ce emerged. It was a thumbnail-sized stone that glowed. The surface of the stone had carefully engraved lines above it where a shiny particle was revolving. Also, the stone itself, which was opaque, had something inside that was continuously moving.


    It seemed understandable why the Rnd family kept it a secret. If it were known to the public, this run-down mansion would have already been robbed a long time ago.


    Sian examined it for a while and then spoke, ¡°This...¡±


    Dekaron swallowed his throat and listened.


    ¡°I have no idea what this is.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did Sun Sword Liviath really give you this?¡±


    ¡°Yes... At least that¡¯s what our record says. Sun Sword Liviath sent someone to deliver this to us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Sian mumbled, and Stiel agreed. It did not have any traces of a Ra-Bander; there was no sign of any Bander or a <Way>. It actually had continuous movement of Exar from within which made it feel as if a Magic Priest had created this. However, he couldn¡¯t even guess what was inside. Although one thing was for certain.


    ¡°It seems like it was made to be eaten.¡±


    ¡°...to eat?¡±


    Dekaron¡¯s ancestors spent over a hundred years on deciphering the purpose of this artifact, but the fallen family had no such ability.


    ¡°It is well made. Only someone with above average skills can notice... it keeps sending signals to eat it. I¡¯m not too sure, but I think it¡¯s made to increase power or something.¡±


    Dekaron turned to the stone. After looking at the trace on the hill, he had learned something, and by concentrating on the stone, he felt the kind of signal that Sian mentioned.


    Dekaron was impressed. So Liviath, his ancestor, did not abandon his family after all. It was unsure what it was, but it was left by a Ra-Bander and had the possibility of being a powerful item.


    Stiel, however, was skeptical.


    ¡®Hm... he¡¯s not that type of a person.¡¯


    After once fighting Liviath back at Sky Mountain, Stiel understood what kind of man Liviath was. She couldn¡¯t believe that he left such an item for his family. However, she wasn¡¯t familiar with him, so she didn¡¯t say anything.


    Besides, it didn¡¯t mean much to her and Sian, even though they weren¡¯t sure what the stone was for.


    After a round of discussions, the sun had set, and both Sian and Stiel went back to their inn after promising to meet up the next day.


    When Dekaron was left alone in his room, he looked upon the stone and pondered. He recalled what Sian said.


    <I¡¯m not sure what it is... but it seems fishy. I would advise you not to eat it.>


    However, Dekaron couldn¡¯t resist as he stared at it. His consciousness also felt like it was talking to him as he stared at it.


    [How long will you keep training? You need to revive your family...]


    [Your ancestor left it. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it...]


    [You can be powerful...]


    Dekaron then reached out as if he was controlled and swallowed the stone.


    On one of the inds of <Margaran>, a famous retreat location east of the Broshan Kingdom by the Kiaran Sea.


    A mansion stood on the ind, not too far from the city of Lenorva.


    A man, who was enjoying the sunlight in front of the mansion, woke up immediately from his sleep.


    ¡°Oh... finally ate it then? Sun Sword Liviath must be having so much trouble. His descendants are so disappointing.¡±


    The man grinned as he stood up from the chair and turned towards the west. Then he was gone.

 Chapter 64: Trace of the Sun

    <h4>Chapter 64: Trace of the Sun</h4>


    Sian and Stiel arrived at the ce where they had promised to meet with Dekaron, but he did not turn up. They waited for some time, thinking he was runningte, but it proved fruitless.


    Sian knew the boy wasn¡¯t the type to renege on his promise, so he became bitter as hemented, ¡°I guess he ate it...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you did what you could. Don¡¯t mind it too much.¡±


    The stone had the effect of luring a man with a certain level of power. They weren¡¯t sure what it was created for, but it was certain that a stone with luring power was not something good. That was why Sian had quickly altered the stone to lessen the luring effect.


    Since that was the case, it was probably Dekaron¡¯s choice to eat it. Therefore, it was out of his hands.


    ¡°Well, since we don¡¯t have our guide anymore, I guess we can enjoy our date. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°So our next stop... is the city za where Sun Sword Liviath¡¯s weapon is stuck?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. The sword from him... was it <Granzod>? It was so-so. Not as good as mine though.¡±


    ¡°Granzod... It must be a good weapon if you say that.¡±


    It was a weapon that Sun Sword Liviath had left with when he disappeared from his family. It didn¡¯t have any special power, but it was made out of an ore called <Coran> from a meteor, which allowed it to store the power of its user. That was why it was able to use Liviath¡¯s energy, which was already powerful when Liviath was a Grand Bander and became famous.


    Nobody expected to see the weapon as Ra-Banders who left society never returned. However, it was found stuck in the middle of the city za one hundred years ago. What was interesting was that it was ced right in the middle of the za, but nobody saw it happen.


    The only certain thing was that Sun Sword Liviath did it.


    All of Broshan was excited. They figured it meant the great Sun Sword Liviath was still looking after them. All the Grand Banders knew that it certainly wasn¡¯t the case, but they did not know what the meaning was behind it and it seemed terrible to spill the truth and crush their hopes.


    There were attempts to steal it; however, they all failed. Nobody was able to remove it. Even the Grand Bander <Taguron> tried and failed.


    As Sian walked to the za, he felt something strange. The people in the za seemed agitated also. Stiel also sensed it and concentrated to hear what was going on.


    ¡°Oh... Sian, it seems like <Granzod> has been stolen. Or gone. I wonder who took it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sian felt disappointed. Everything he wanted to see was now gone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too disappointed. I¡¯ll tell you all about him.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... I still wanted to see it. But what can I do? Let¡¯s move on to the next destination.¡±


    Sian took out a map from <Nitzmatan> and pointed to <Harangel¡¯s Tower>. However, Stiel looked uninterested.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see the whole city easily without going to the tower? It¡¯s a bit hard for me, but I¡¯m sure you can do it easily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s for fun. Don¡¯t you understand that?¡±


    ¡®So, he can really do it,¡¯ she thought.


    Sian could not reveal his true intention, that he expected a romantic meeting like in the novel he read, and quickly walked away. Stiel shrugged at Sian¡¯s answer and just followed.


    After Sian returned to his room, he turned to Stiel, who was not going back to her separate room.


    ¡°So, what was Liviath like?¡±


    ¡°Hm... I don¡¯t think you need to mind that perverted old man. He¡¯s weaker than you.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that? Didn¡¯t he live long?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he lost to me... so.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sian was confused. Stiel was very young when Sun Sword Liviath had be a Ra-Bander. Sian automatically assumed that Liviath, who was much older, was probably stronger than Sian. Stiel grew excited and began talking,


    ¡°Yeah. About a hundr... uh while ago, I fought him at Sky Mountain.¡±


    Sian remembereding across a report of fallen meteors at Sky Mountain about 150 years ago but decided not to mention it.


    ¡°Why did you fight?¡±


    ¡°Because he wanted my well. I didn¡¯t want to give it to him, so we fought.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, why couldn¡¯t you guys share it? The well had no owner.¡±


    Sian shook his head.


    ¡°I never let anyone take my stuff or stuff I want. No one.¡±


    Stiel looked Sian up and down as she spoke, giving him the chills. He changed the subject.


    ¡°So, you won. Okay, what happened to him after?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He took a bucket of the well water and ran. I¡¯m the slowest of the Ra-Banders so I couldn¡¯t catch him. He might be dead... or alive. Ra-Banders are difficult to find if they decide to hide. I thought there were only two Ra-Banders left before I met you and then I met those other two a while ago since I heard Sun Sword Liviath was dead.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°We are strong, but we cannot know everything that happens in the entire continent.¡±


    That was true. Ra-Banders had enhanced senses that allowed them to detect a wide range, but the number of such superhumans was too rare. They also chose to fight in extremely remote parts of the world which made news about them more obscure.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so you understand why I was so excited when I met you? You should be nicer to me. I believe there¡¯s only five of us left now.¡±


    She counted herself, Sian, the two from the Lagran, and Groyn from the Great North Wall. However...


    ¡°Who knows? We don¡¯t know if some are hiding out there. As you said, they are hard to find if they decide to hide.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but if we don¡¯t know they exist, then it¡¯s as same as not existing.¡±


    Stiel smiled as she spoke, and Sian sighed. He then asked a different question, ¡°So... what was his <Way> like?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah, he had some talent in that. It worked well with his <Granzod> too. The energy he had was one of a kind. I... I won because I had the upper hand in some parts.¡±


    ¡°Was he that strong?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was a long time ago, so it was around after I barely had be a Ra-Bander. I still feel the burns from it back then. You want to see it?¡±


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Sian jumped back as Stiel posed to take off her shirt. She cackled, and Sian realized she was teasing him as there was no way for wounds to be still left on a Ra-Bander¡¯s body.


    ¡°What are you doing?! I won¡¯t fall for your prank!¡±


    ¡°Haha, I know you want to see it. I felt you were trying to take a look by using your Bander.¡±


    ¡°N-no. I¡¯m an educated gentleman from a noble family.¡±


    ¡°Haha, okay, okay.¡±


    Sian felt his travels would be even harder as he looked at Stiel.


    ¡°Ha... it¡¯s very ufortable. How many years have passed? I feel like I have be an idiot.¡±


    Dekaron de Rnd, or what used to be him, was shaking off the dust from his sword as he walked on the road continuously ranting.


    ¡°That idiot stuck it in too deep. Nobody could have stolen it anyway. It would¡¯ve burned them to death.¡±


    The sword contained his full power and would¡¯ve burned alive anyone trying to steal it, but the man sealed it in the center of the za.


    ¡®It¡¯s really unexpected that Stahntal is still alive.¡¯


    Even though the demeanor had changed, he retained the memory of the Dekaron boy. That was why he was surprised. He remembered getting beaten up by that beautiful woman. It had been 220 years after his disappearance ording to the boy¡¯s memory, so Stahntal was probably over 230 years old.


    Ra-Banders had an increased lifespan, so it wasn¡¯t impossible, but...


    ¡®So <he> did not visit her in all this time...¡¯


    Stahntal¡¯s location was well known among all the Ra-Banders. However, <he> was so unpredictable that it was useless to try and understand him.


    ¡®Dammit, so he only killed me?¡¯


    Dekaron swung his sword to the left. At once, all the trees on that side burned and quickly became ashes. A man walked out from it.


    ¡°Why are you hiding? It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, long time no see, Liviath. I ran here since I sensed the seal being broken, but you looked too weak to be real.¡±


    The man addressed Dekaron as Livaith and taunted him for being weak.


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t expect my bloodline to be this weak. After a hundred years of idiots, I still revived through a stupid kid.¡±


    He made sure that the stone only worked on beings with above-average talent, but he still didn¡¯t understand why such an ordinary kid ate it. That was why even with his full power from his sword didn¡¯t wholly restore him to his old self.


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t it good to have insurance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I guess so. Thank you for that. It made it easy to get my sword back too.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time to pay the debt.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Lead the way.¡±


    The man smiled and jumped into the void; Dekaron, or rather the reborn Liviath, followed.


    ¡®Oh... I left that back there. Hm, it won¡¯t matter.¡¯


    The man pondered for a bit and then dismissed it, leading Liviath toward their destination.

 Chapter 65: Margaran

    <h4>Chapter 65: Margaran</h4>


    After Sian and Stiel finished touring through the city of Lenorva, they moved towards the east. They were now traveling to the east coast of Broshan. It was where Sian felt like visiting, and Stiel did not care where they went, so their next destination became therge city of <Margaran> on the eastern coast of the Broshan Kingdom.


    ¡°Has it been a long time since you saw the ocean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I never went to the ocean other than for official business.¡±


    ¡°Official business?¡±


    ¡°You know, like war, or pirate hunting... that sort of a thing.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°However, the ocean is great. You don¡¯t have to clean out the corpses. You can just destroy the whole ship. Haha.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian sighed as he thought she looked like a wild animal when she spoke of such things.


    ¡°Huh? Why are you looking at me like that? Aren¡¯t you the same also? You never spared anyone trying to kill you, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Maybe you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly. I just did it on arger scale.¡±


    As they talked about various subjects, their carriage had nearly arrived at their destination. After going over the hill, they were greeted with a full view of the ocean and arge city built by the coast.


    <Margaran>


    It was one of the most popr trading posts on the eastern coast of the continent and the best resort.


    <Margaran>


    This bustling city full of life was famous for two things.


    First, it was the center of trade that connected Kiara and Broshan, with hundreds of ships visiting each day.


    Second, it contained one of the top five resorts that nobles wanted to visit to rest and rx.


    The northern half of the city was a trading hub, while the southern part of the city was built to fulfill the needs of visitors from all around the world.


    Broshan was a neutral Kingdom that allowed nobles to purchase retreat houses. The supply of such houses was scarce, and all the inns were always full.


    Even when it was not peak season, the city was full of people. However, right now was the busiest time of the season, when the huge festival, <Lagaope>, was going to start.


    That created problems for the unexpecting Sian and Stiel.


    ¡°You have no rooms too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you don¡¯t make reservations ahead of time for the Lagaope season...¡±


    The employee of the inn looked as if Sian was to me for attempting to rent a room without any reservations during this season.


    ¡°Everywhere¡¯s full. It¡¯s good that it¡¯s festival season though.¡±


    Sian liked that it was a pleasant time to visit, but the problem of not having any avable rooms was frustrating. Other than Sian, there were a lot of other people that weren¡¯t able to rent a room.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve told you. I can solve this quickly. I just need one word from you. ONE word.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Sian flinched at Stiel¡¯s deration. It seemed like she had a n as she looked extremely confident. Sian knew she would bring it up again at every chance if he asked for help, which was why he was holding off. However, at this point, it seemed impossible to find a room.


    ¡°Okay... I surrender. PLEASE, Miss Stiel.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHA! Okay, if you insist. You should thank me for apanying you.¡±


    ¡®Sigh...¡¯


    Sian sighed as he followed Stiel.


    ¡°Hmm... is this the right ce?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    After contacting someone using the long distance messaging center run by the Exalted Magical Council, <Korun>, she began traveling down to the southern side of the city. After passing all the retreat houses of nobles on the coast, she walked through an empty private beach. Then, atst, they stopped in front of an enormous mansion. It upied a considerable area in the corner of the southern city, and with the sky-high price of thend here, it was unimaginable how expensive this ce was.


    ¡°Uh... Miss Stiel. I might only have enough money to stay at a restroom in this mansion.¡±


    He did earn some money when he worked in <Dragona>, but it wasn¡¯t much.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Some kid I know lent this ce to me for free.¡±


    ¡°Some kid you know...?¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah.¡±


    Sian remembered the sign outside when he entered the property.


    <WARNING: This is the private property of Stahntal the Fourth of the Taran Kingdom. Any trespassers will be put to death immediately.>


    ¡®Some kid, huh?¡¯


    Sian shrugged and turned to Stiel.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Stiel walked into the mansion.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, this ce is really huge. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t need to thank me too much.¡±


    ¡°Then, I assume there¡¯s plenty of rooms?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I heard there¡¯s ny-nine, but I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°And the people here, other than the employees, are only you and me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. No one will dare to use the ce while I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°...So, why do we have to stay in the same room?¡±


    Sian asked Stiel, who was rolling around on a huge bed the size of a small yard.


    ¡°Oh... It¡¯s the rules. I rented this ce, so I have no choice but to follow the rules.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I guess you forgot! Let me remind you then.¡±


    Stiel flicked her finger, and an employee walked in and greeted them politely.


    ¡°I am here at your service.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So, this room is the only one we can stay in, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Sian frowned at the instant answer from the employee.


    ¡°...is that really true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°I saw like thirty empty rooms on my way here.¡±


    ¡°Those are being used for storage.¡±


    ¡°What storage?¡±


    ¡°We store chairs, beds, tables, and drawers.¡±


    ¡°...doesn¡¯t that make this a storage room?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    All of the employees sided with Stiel and Sian thought they looked more like ves. He sighed as he had no other ce to stay in the city.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s a special case. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Stiel grinned at Sian.


    ¡°Okay, I guess there¡¯s no choice. Let¡¯s go take a look at the festival.¡±


    Sian figured that at least the bed wasrge enough and prepared to go out.


    <Lagaope> was an annual festival held in Margaran to celebrate the legendary hero, <Lagaope>, who opened up a sea route between Kiara and Broshan. The road between the two kingdoms was long and perilous when taken bynd, but it was much quicker by sea. However, the sea was full of Harijans that attacked anyone trying to sail through. A lot of Bander users and Magic Priests attempted to clear the way, but they failed. Finally, after a Grand Bander failed and was killed in the attempt, everyone else gave up.


    However, Lagaope managed to seed.


    How he did it was a mystery, but he managed to find a route that allowed people to travel freely without being attacked by Harijans and spread the news. The starting point of this route was Margaran.


    When the route <Lagaopora> was established, Margaran¡¯s prosperity was destined, and the annual festival named after the hero was then held every year.


    ¡°...says the booklet. Interesting.¡±


    ¡°I heard the name before. I think it was around when I was born.¡±


    ¡°Was he a Ra-Bander?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You can hide after bing a Ra-Bander, but you can¡¯t hide the fact that you became one.¡±


    Anyone who became a Ra-Bander was already talented before they reached that level. It was bound to be known if they wandered around trying to be a Ra-Bander.


    ¡°Then he might be an Exer... or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, if he were a Ra-Bander, he would¡¯ve opened up way more routes and not just only one. Here, try this. It¡¯s good.¡±


    Stiel picked a skewer that originated from Margaran and shoved it into Sian¡¯s mouth. Sian took a bite and nodded. If it were a Ra-Bander, all the Harijans would¡¯ve died.


    ¡°I want to visit this ce, <Rokuum Show>. A cute show of Rokuums... I think we may have to stand in line though. Do you know any ¡®kids¡¯ here?¡±


    The <Rokuum Show> seemed to be extremely popr, so Sian asked, just in case.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t have one. Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    Sian ignored Stiel¡¯s frown and quickly moved through the crowds.

 Chapter 66: Lagaope

    <h4>Chapter 66: Lagaope</h4>


    <Rokuum Show>


    Rokuum was a small, puppy-sized marine animal that lived by the coast of Margaran. Despite looking cute, they were predators who moved quickly inside the water that were able to subdue any human while swimming.


    The Rokuums in the show were different.


    They were trained to act appealing and cute in groups, which gained fame from people. It was always packed with people who wanted to see them.


    The show, which usually took ce two times a day, increased to four times a day during the Lagaope season.


    ¡°It¡¯s so CUTE!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s adorable!¡±


    Everyone cheered the cute Rokuums doing various tricks. Sian was one of them.


    ¡°WOW! That¡¯s so COOL!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Miss Stiel, isn¡¯t it amazing? Look at them! WOW!¡±


    Stiel barely managed to refrain from making Sian shut up and sit down, so she gave him a skewer to eat.


    ¡°Ha...haha. Hey, you know what this skewer is made out of?¡± Stiel asked.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s good though. What is it?¡± Sian replied while munching on the meat.


    Stiel made an evil smile and answered,


    ¡°Rokuum.¡±


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just joking.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian scowled at Stiel and turned back to watch the show. After Sian fell silent, she smiled and began watching the show. To Stiel, she couldn¡¯t find any difference between Rokuums and humans, but it was her first time watching the show, so it was interesting enough for her.


    On the stage was a young man who was working hard to make the Rokuums do various tricks.


    ¡°Is he the trainer?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an Exer.¡±


    ¡°Exer.¡±


    They bothmented at the same time, but what they said afterward was different.


    ¡°So, he knows how tomunicate with animals. Seems convenient.¡±


    ¡°I guess Exers are out of jobs these days. Doing these kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hmm... but won¡¯t it be convenient? I think it might have a lot of uses,¡±


    Sian imagined himself flying around on a cool flying predator as he spoke.


    ¡°Haha. Maybe if it¡¯s enough to tame Harijans... I guess that¡¯s the most you can do if all you can tame is animals. But he looks like he trained hard, he can control almost twenty of them.¡±


    Exers with the power to control animals was rare, but it was deemed useless.


    Everything that was possible to achieve by using animals was also possible just by using Exar.


    The only use that power might have was to control a Harijan, but it was known that Harijans were impossible to tame.


    At that moment, they felt a slight tremor through the ground. It was so mild that the ordinary people did not notice it, but Sian and Stiel did.


    ¡°That was man-made.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Maybe it was fireworks? I have a bad memory with fireworks, but fireworks for a festival could be different.¡±


    Sian frowned as he remembered his Guarran-Tia days, but he became excited as it would be his first time watching fireworks at a festival.


    ¡°Fireworks, eh? It¡¯s been a long time. What I saw before was really spectacr.¡±


    ¡°Where did you see it?¡±


    ¡°When I went hunting down pirates, they were all hiding. So I fired an Artagon from a distance, but they had a huge gunpowder storage. It was one of a kind. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°...Erm... I guess that was spectacr.¡±


    Sian considered himself lucky to be stronger than Stiel and began moving towards the opening ceremony of Lagaope as soon as the show was over.


    Lagaope, the pioneer of Margaran.


    It was a man who had lived hundreds of years but was still veiled in mystery.


    It was better that the man was cloaked in mystery to idolize him. The lighthouse shaped like Lagaope located at the northern part of the city was part of such idolization.


    ¡°...Light ising out of that Lagaope man. That¡¯s nice.¡±


    The Lagaope Lighthouse was over thirty feet tall, and people could enter from the heel to go up to the head. Once they reached the head, they could activate the Talic Stones to shoot lights out from the eyes.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s missing a bit. I would¡¯ve made the lighte out from the mouth, like the legendary Dragona.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that seems like a good idea too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You know, maybe I should¡¯ve tried to be an artist. But I was too powerful to do anything else.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had something inmon with you. I couldn¡¯t do anything besides sword fighting. Even all the teachers gave up on me. Haha.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Sian. I was a genius at everything else. It¡¯s only that I was too good at fighting.¡±


    ¡°...You traitor.¡±


    As the two of them moved closer to the ceremony, they began feeling ufortable because of therge crowd.


    ¡°Sian, why don¡¯t we watch it from the mansion? We can see it all from there too.¡±


    ¡°...I wouldn¡¯t travel around if I was going to do that. That¡¯s just scanning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but... look at this. I guess it¡¯s the fate for a beautiful woman like me, but what would¡¯ve happened if it wasn¡¯t me?¡±


    Stiel spoke as she grabbed the wrist of a male passerby, and snapped it in two.


    ¡°ARGH!!!! You b*tch! What are you doing?!¡±


    The man grabbed his broken wrist and rolled on the ground in pain. Sian¡¯s eyes were cold; he had seen where that hand was trying to grope.


    ¡°You saw what happened right? I¡¯m keeping my promise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Just don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m not that savage.¡±


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    ¡®...what a liar.¡¯


    If he didn¡¯t say it, her kick would have ensured that the man ended up at the head of the lighthouse. He considered it lucky that it ended only with broken bones, but Sian didn¡¯t feel sympathetic as it was the consequence for that man¡¯s bad behavior.


    He felt bad for the man¡¯s friends who were now picking a fight with Stiel.


    ¡°You mad woman! What have you done to my friend?!¡±


    ¡°Look at this b*tch! She just snapped his wrist!¡±


    ¡®...I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    If Stiel was a Master or Grand Bander, her energy would have repelled these ruffians. However, Ra-Banders were undetectable.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get some skewers so you can take your time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead.¡±


    Stiel, who had been stressed out while following Sian around, decided to relieve her stress and began walking toward the group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kids. I¡¯ll go soft on you.¡±


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t kill them right?¡± Sian asked as he munched on the skewer. The two of them were sitting down right in front of the ce where the ceremony was going to be held. It was possible for them because people began distancing themselves from Stiel after witnessing her graceful destruction of that group.


    At least it allowed them to watch the ceremony from the best possible location.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They were Bander users. Don¡¯t all Bander users need to experience some beating up? I experienced that when I was thirty years old.¡±


    ¡°I would never want to experience that, but Bander users?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They asked me if I knew who they were while they were getting beaten up.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t interested, but they told me anyway. What was it? Mar... mar...¡±


    ¡°Margaran Peacekeepers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sian, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. I think those people said it.¡±


    Sian pointed to the armored men behind them. There was no crowd around them anymore. Stiel, however, looked very excited.


    ¡°Hehe...¡±


    ¡°Miss Stiel, a word please?¡±


    Sian held back Stiel, who was about to jump in and whispered, ¡°Miss Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sian?¡±


    ¡°Call that ¡®kid¡¯ who lent you the mansion. Now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what¡¯s good about power?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel stared at Sian in surprise. A Ra-Bander thinking of alternate methods to resolve the issue rather than a show of force. Power? Nothing was greater than their own power, let alone political power.


    ¡®Does he hate using violence?¡¯


    Stiel soon realized that she had just been overthinking things again.


    ¡°You can beat them up AFTER the ceremony is over. It might get canceled if you fight now.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Okay, okay. We can do that.¡±


    That was a request that she could ept. Stiel became satisfied and walked toward the Peacekeepers.


    ¡°Go and call...¡±


    ¡°We are sorry about what happened. It looks like the mercenaries that we hired made a mistake. It is our fault that we couldn¡¯t watch over those we hired. We have fired them and fined them as a penalty. I apologize on behalf of the Margaran Peacekeepers.¡±


    The man who looked like the captain bowed deeply, and the men behind him followed. Stiel was surprised at the sudden turn of events but decided that it wasn¡¯t too bad.


    ¡°Hmm... Okay. You can go now.¡±


    When she returned to Sian, he handed her a skewer.


    ¡°Good job. Violence should be thest resort.¡±


    ¡°Did your father teach you that too?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s from my mother.¡±


    That¡¯s when Stiel began to realize,


    ¡®So, they chained the monster up well.¡¯


    Since Sian was young, he had been trained in the human way of doing things. That was why Stiel wanted to teach him the way of powerful beings. It seemed preposterous for such a powerful being to be chained up like a puppy.


    Ra-Banders needed to live different lives, just like how he acted back in Lagran.


    Such insolence, such pride, such violence!


    Stiel wanted to find those things and show them to Sian. At least that was what she needed for her mate. However, it didn¡¯t need to be rushed. She was going to take it slow like his parents did.

 Chapter 67: Lagaope

    <h4>Chapter 67: Lagaope</h4>


    The ceremony of Lagaope.


    It wasn¡¯t just a regr ceremony.


    There were plenty of Talic Stones on the pedestal at the top of the hill by the coast. Below the pedestal were merchants, politicians, and nobles of Margaran wishing for safe passage for another year.


    They were all who had profited from Lagaopora.


    Everyone in Margaran made profits from the route, but these people especially so.


    As people gathered to activate the shrine, the Exar began flowing through Talic Stones that were piled up on the pedestal.


    Sian and Stiel were sitting on the closest seats that allowed them to witness it closely.


    ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t only for memorial purposes. Let¡¯s see... <The route will not close if the shrine is supplied with enough Talic Stones every year, said Lagaope>. That¡¯s what the booklet says.¡±


    ¡°He could¡¯ve been a Magic Priest. The ceremony looks simr to their ways.¡±


    ¡°I think offerings might work better. Those Talic Stones...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there were others who thought like you before.¡±


    Some people in Margaran thought the same. They wanted to save using Talic Stones, and under one merchant¡¯s strong persuasion, they decided to do the festival without Talic Stones. After the ceremony, the route was safe for almost a week, and there were no Harijans. Merchants became proud and shouted,


    <Look! After tens of years, no more Harijans are trying to attack!>


    And until the news that all ships had been sunk reached Margaran and Kiara, a total of 930 ships that had set sail had been destroyed. It was the time beforemunication artifacts that resulted in suchrge scale damage.


    The cost of the damages were thousands of times more than the use of Talic Stones.


    People were infuriated at the result of not listening to Lagaope and burned the merchants alive, seizing their properties to restart the ceremony.


    After that, no one brought up the idea again.


    ¡°So that opens up the sea route somehow.¡±


    ¡°I guess so, but no one knows how.¡±


    ¡°I see. Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything in the booklet.¡±


    Stiel looked at Sian, who was scanning through the pages and remembered the report she read about Sian beforeing here.


    <Always reads his manual when working.>


    ¡®That¡¯s interesting.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t seem to be the type to like reading.


    ¡°Sian, do you like reading?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No. I just don¡¯t have to memorize things if I have this handy. It¡¯s perfect for me. Haha.¡±


    ¡®...I see.¡¯


    Stiel began to realize that she was oveplicating the things that Sian did.


    ¡°Hey, stop looking at it and watch at the ceremony. It¡¯s starting.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sian put away his booklet and turned to the front.


    Exar that was spilling out of the Talic Stones began collecting in the front of the pedestal as it swallowed the Exar while emitting a weird light. Then, the pedestal began to shake...


    ¡°...? Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Right... but it is interesting.¡±


    It looked like nothing happened, but the pedestal was emanating a massive flow of Exar. The flow, however, was not headed toward thend as it went down underground and out to the sea.


    ¡°So that is what drives away the Harijans, I guess. I¡¯m not sure though.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough to go all the way to Kiara.¡±


    No Magic Priest was able to discover what made it work. It would need aplete breakdown to actually understand what it did, but obviously, the people of Margaran wouldn¡¯t allow that to happen. They could not risk it being torn down and losing its power.


    That was why the power of the pedestal remained a mystery, and yet no oneined. It provided enough power for Margaran. It allowed Margaran to be the only one with <Lagaopora>, so the mystery actually helped them anyway.


    ¡°But it¡¯s so boring! I thought some beam would shoot out and kill all the Harijans on the route or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not something even you can do.¡±


    The route was very long; it ranged over thousands of miles. No top grade magic had such a great range of attack, save one.


    The magic that destroyed the Empire.


    The magic that was activated by fifteen Great Magic Priests of the Empire destroyed the entire Empire. It also killed all the Harijans and Kal-Guls that had invaded thend as intended.


    However, that was just a legend. No one was left to prove it.


    It was now considered a hoax or fairytale.


    ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t do it too. No one can...¡±


    ¡°I can do it.¡±


    ¡°WHAT? Really?¡±


    Stiel was shocked. She couldn¡¯t believe that Sian was able to divide the sea from here to Kiara with a strike. That wasn¡¯t at the level of a superhuman, that would make him a god.


    ¡®What... so the <Way> can be used for such a thing?¡¯


    Sian¡¯s im froze Stiel.


    ¡°I¡¯m just joking.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s my revenge for a while ago.¡±


    Stiel med Sian¡¯s power, making such im sound possible.


    After they finished watching the ceremony until the end, it was already night time. Today was only the beginning, and the wave was going to shoot out to sea for ten more days. That was how long the festival wouldst.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. You don¡¯t have anywhere else to go, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been a good day.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re heading to <Scent of La-Jeanne> for lunch?¡±


    Sian looked at the map and headed to <Scent of La-Jeanne> which was listed in the <Ten Best Restaurants in Margaran.>


    This restaurant used a special, costly spice called La-Jeanne to vor its seafood and earned its fame. The food was so popr that a lot of nobles made reservations.


    A mansion employee had already made a reservation, so Sian and Stiel casually walked towards the ce.


    ¡°I should make a ¡®kid¡¯ I know somewhere. It¡¯s convenient.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, it does make things convenient for sure.¡±


    ¡®I do have an ¡®old man¡¯ I know...¡¯


    He thought about King Narasha, but it didn¡¯t feel right to ask for such a petty request, so he shook it away.


    The restaurant was located at a high part of the city, towards the north where the coast was visible, and that helped with it also famous. It was a great ce to enjoy lunch and the view at once.


    The road to the ce was through the bazaar, so Sian and Stiel bought some snacks to eat along the way. As they walked through, Sian noticed people gathered around something. They looked like they were avoiding what was inside. He wanted to ignore it, but he had to pass it to head to his destination when he saw some familiar faces.


    ¡°Bastards... how dare you attack our friends?¡±


    ¡°You sirs tried to harass my friend first.¡±


    ¡°But how can you beat up a man like that? Hehe... now you should feel how to get beaten up!¡±


    Sian looked inside. There were familiar faces on both sides.

 Chapter 68: One who dreams of becoming a hero

    <h4>Chapter 68: One who dreams of bing a hero</h4>


    It was those people who were beaten up by Stiel yesterday. They were surrounding a young man and a woman.


    ¡®Hmm? Isn¡¯t he the man from the show?¡¯


    The man being cornered was the man from the Rokuum show. It looked like he had beaten up two or three men with a club-like weapon he was holding on to, but he was cornered in the end. And there was a woman who looked like she was in her early twenties with an infuriated look behind him. She was holding onto a small dagger.


    It looked like the group of men tried to harass the woman and it turned into a fight. She looked cute, so it was understandable. They were ncing around to see if there was a way to escape, but they couldn¡¯t find a pathway so they were trying to fight back.


    ¡°Nothing to see here! BUZZ OFF! Right now-?!!?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? What...-ARGH!¡±


    Men who were chasing off the onlookers jumped up as they found Sian and Stiel. Interested, Sian spoke up.


    ¡°You gentlemen work hard to be the evil of society. Are you guys trying to create more work for the Margaran Peacekeepers?¡±


    ¡°Uh... er...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t think they have fully healed from yesterday. I told you Sian, this would¡¯ve not happened if I did it right yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think they were that strong.¡±


    To do the same thing after getting beat up just yesterday... Sian thought these people had such strong determination.


    ¡°...Ugh.¡±


    The men began backing off as they watched Stiel. As soon as they started backing away, the woman ran out and hid behind Stiel.


    ¡°Hey! Lamran! Come here!¡±


    She figured they were afraid of Stiel, so she hid behind her, but that was the wrong move.


    ¡°Oh well. It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s go now. Are we almost there yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? HEY! NONONO! You can¡¯t just go! Help me!¡±


    The woman grabbed Stiel¡¯s waist.


    ¡®Oops.¡¯


    Sian gasped internally.


    ¡°Huh? Is this a human body?¡±


    The woman who expected the body to be soft, was shocked when she felt the body was like a steel pir and began examining it. As she reached up, she saw Stiel who was looking down at her.


    ¡°EEEK!¡±


    She screamed and fell down on the ground immediately.


    ¡®Oh well...¡¯


    Sian shook his head. It was a mistake to try to use Stiel.


    Stiel squatted down and looked at the woman.


    ¡°Hehe... Hey, ant... I mean girl. Do you know what it means to touch others without permission?¡±


    ¡°Ah... ah ah...¡±


    She was too afraid to speak properly and she could barely shake her head.


    ¡°It means attempt to assassinate. So it means that you have made a great mistake.¡±


    ¡®How does ite down to that?¡¯


    Sian sighed. Even if she hurt herself while holding onto Stiel, it wouldn¡¯t have made a scratch on her.


    ¡°To teach you not to do that anymore, I will show you...¡±


    ¡°Miss Stiel, you will make her pee on herself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go now. We¡¯ll bete for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Heh. You¡¯re too nice, Sian.¡±


    Sian stepped in and Stiel mumbled as she stood up. She nced around as she felt unsatisfied and the mercenaries ran away at once.


    ¡°...Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The young man named Lamran spoke to Stiel. Stiel looked ufortable as she had unintentionally helped them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get lunch.¡±


    Sian quickly guided her to the restaurant before she became even more ufortable and Lamran took his woman partner somewhere else.


    It was a dark night and the two people were closing in on the pedestal. They were going to the hill by the pedestal to be exact. There were guards everywhere, but no one paid much attention to the hill a few hundred yards away by the pedestal, so these two managed to go to the ce without any interruptions.


    ¡°Lamran,e on,¡± the woman told Lamran.


    ¡°Lilia, it¡¯s dangerous here. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget what I do for a living? This is easy.¡±


    Lilia quickly climbed up a huge boulder and jumped over. Lamran shook his head and also climbed up the boulder.


    ¡°But... are you sure it¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Everything he said until now was correct. I¡¯m almost done preparing too. I just came to look today so let¡¯s take a peek and leave.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡±


    Lamran looked at Lilia apologetically and spoke.


    ¡°Thank you Lilia. I really do appreciate it.¡±


    She was a popr adventurer due to her special skill. Lamran was extremely thankful for her help.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t mind it. It¡¯s not free anyway. Don¡¯t forget it.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I know.¡±


    ¡°It was really dangerous today. The mercenaries were strong too, but it might¡¯ve been better to fight with them.¡±


    Lilia didn¡¯t specialize in fighting, so the situation they were in was really dangerous for them. However, after meeting the woman¡¯s eyes, she realized it would¡¯ve been a hundred times better to fight the mercenaries. Lamran smiled bitterly.


    He was an Exer, but he was too weak. That was why he needed to fulfill his goal.


    Lamran.


    He was an ordinary kid living at a fishing vige near Margaran.


    He had a dream to be a hero and travel around the world, but reality was brutal. He had no money or any sort of hidden power. All he could do was help his father work at a bazaar while he daydreamed.


    One day, he came across a fish as he watched the ocean.


    <Hey, go there.>


    He thought out on a whim, without any intention.


    However, an amazing thing urred. The fish moved to where he wanted it to move.


    He was so excited when he found his power. It seemed like the path to bing a hero had opened up for him. Lamran then began training hard. He tamed birds, animals, fish, and all kinds of things. After he was able to control his powers, he came out of his home.


    But when he left home, he was again struck by reality.


    <Hey, look at him! He attacks with a tiger!>


    <Haha, that looks interesting. I y with boars.>


    Warriors that he had never seen when he was at his fishing vige. His power was nothingpared to those Grand Banders.


    <It¡¯s better to usemunication magic then use pigeons...>


    <Scouting with bats? You can just use <Detection>, you know.>


    Magic Priests were everywhere and they all had power and knowledge that Lamran provided with animals. It was more efficient too.


    Lamran felt depressed. His skills were exceptional. He had a way to control over twenty animals and had a variety of shows to perform. He also trained in sword arts as he was a special kind who could also use Bander, although it wasn¡¯t strong.


    However, no one needed him. He traveled around the world with friends like Lilia, but the more he traveled, the more he learned about his limitations. And after the <incident>, he lost all confidence and returned to his home, Margaran, to start an animal show.


    He didn¡¯t have a problem with the ie. In fact, nobles loved the show and it allowed him to gain a lot of ie. Life was more prosperous and peaceful. He now was able to eat well and he had a nice house.


    But he wasn¡¯t satisfied. He didn¡¯t want to rot in this ce.


    That was when someone came to him and showed him hope.


    Lamran was given another chance and the opportunity was pretty close.


    He had no intention to let this chance go.

 Chapter 69: One who dreams of becoming a hero

    <h4>Chapter 69: One who dreams of bing a hero</h4>


    <Nothing is gained without challenge. But nothing is lost without challenge. Chance and dangere to you like a flip of a coin. It¡¯s not you who can choose which side.>


    -Famous Chancellor Rigachev of Usharan


    ........


    The man was very mysterious. He did not show his face and his body was covered by a mantle. Lamran would¡¯ve disregarded him under normal circumstances. He knew it was dangerous to interact with mysterious beings as he learned it back when he was working as an adventurer. Yet Lamran could not refuse to talk to him.


    Additionally, after he talked, he became mesmerized. Not once had he shared his deepest thoughts to anyone. He was too ashamed of himself to admit that he had failed to achieve his dreams. Moreover, the man knew about it and asked him.


    <Do you know who you are?>


    Lamran looked at the man, confused.


    <So, you don¡¯t.>


    Then he began telling Lamran something he did not know about himself. After that, he felt something stirring from within. As he became excited, the man exined the path he needed to take.


    <Take this map...>


    <Find your old friend...>


    Lamran was curious at first about who this man was and his purpose, but as he listened more, it became pointless.


    What was important was that he now had a way.


    And it wasn¡¯t hard. It was really close actually, and only he would be able to do it.


    That was why the man came to him. It was only something he could do.


    A lot of parts were suspicious, but Lamran could not refuse.


    It was thest chance to seize his dreams once and for all.


    And it was now nearing time.


    After checking on it with Lilia, the preparation was almostplete. It only needed two more days. Lamran shivered in excitement.


    He was going to be a hero.


    ¡°Sian.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Stiel?¡±


    Stiel spoke to Sian who was lying on a hill, looking down at Margaran at the bottom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you train yourself?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you train before. That¡¯s why.¡±


    Ra-Banders were hard to find. Part of it was because they were not interested in society, but arge part of it was because they were only interested in one thing.


    To find something challenging.


    One of easiest ways was to find someone that was the same.


    Ra-Banders loved the idea of challenging themselves from long ago to be stronger. It was good to find another superhuman or Six-Horned Harijan to fight, but it was hard because it was so scarce.


    Even Stiel was taking her time because she had Sian who had be her prime interest. When she was back at Lagran, she trained all day long.


    ¡°I¡¯m at the limit.¡±


    ¡°Limit? How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been a Grand Bander, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What was it like before bing a Ra-Bander?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s of course... wait, you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡®Maybe he can really divide the sea...¡¯


    Stiel was genuinely surprised. The barrier that stood at the end of the Expert-level from the beginning was close. It only took a bit of an effort for anyone to achieve. The one for Masters was wider than that. But if one became a Master, one would be able to see the Grand Bander barrier with great effort.


    At the Grand Bander level, it was extremelyrge. Even with life-long training, it was rare for Grand Banders to even see the barrier before dying.


    But the Ra-Bander barrier?


    Even 170 years of training wasn¡¯t enough for Stiel. She believed it just didn¡¯t exist as she just kept getting stronger and stronger.


    ¡°So... that research was true? There¡¯s another level after Ra-Bander?¡±


    ¡°Research?¡±


    ¡°The Magical Council once reported some research they found from data from the Empire data. That there¡¯s another level after Ra-Bander.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t sure who recorded it, but it was well protected. But everyone scoffed it off, considering it as foolish research, not knowing the power of a Ra-Bander.


    ¡°They are smart to know that.¡±


    Sian praised the researchers, but Stiel became curious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to break that barrier? Is there any way?¡±


    Sian quickly answered it without hesitation.


    ¡°There is a way. I know how.¡±


    ¡°WHAT! Then why aren¡¯t you doing it!¡±


    Stiel shouted in shock and all the grass surrounding them was plucked out by the force, which Sian was covered with.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Oh... uh, sorry. I¡¯m just curious. Why aren¡¯t you doing it then?¡±


    To go beyond that level! Stiel became so curious. It wasn¡¯t because she wanted to try it. There was no telling if she would be able to do it.


    She just wanted to witness the birth of a <God> that no human in the thousands of years of history had managed to be.


    ¡°Oh... that...¡±


    Sian began exining.


    ¡°You need to ovee a near-death experience?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°...and you¡¯ve never experienced it in your life?¡±


    Stiel had such talent, but she had countless experiences where she nearly died. It was probably the same for the other Ra-Banders. Such power was not left alone in this world. They were attacked and they tried to stop it before it became too strong.


    Sian was very special in this case.


    ¡°Haha, who can do that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel thought Sian was a bit of a jerk.


    ¡°Well, unless Ie across such experience without knowing... why would I put myself in such danger?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    He was right but Stiel was disappointed.


    ¡°Haha, you look like I should be ced in such danger.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Haha... what are you talking about.¡±


    Stiel denied it but Sian sighed as he already knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°I will probably run away if that happens but... if it reallyes that I cannot run and I might die, you should run away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you worried about me?¡±


    Stiel looked surprised.


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll stand in my way.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It felt refreshing to be considered in such a way. She was always considered as a disaster or destruction itself. But it made sense.


    If there was a time when Sian was in danger, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.


    ¡°So, is itplete?¡± Lilia asked Lamran. He was standing at the front of a small hill, concentrating.


    ¡°...¡±


    Lamran seemed too concentrated to respond and a change began happening in front of him. The part of a hill was being lifted. As the crack began to grow in size, it began to tear apart and something jumped out from it toward Lamran.


    It was a mole-like animal, but it was the size of a human thigh.


    ¡°You dug the ground up by using these animals?¡± Lilia examined the animal while asking.


    ¡°Yeah. These are called <Kukuran>. They live underground.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cute. So... that tunnel is connected to the bottom of the pedestal?¡± Lilia asked as she watched the animals running away as soon as the magic lifted and turned to the pedestal.


    ¡°Yeah. There were enough Kukurans to do the job, so it was quick.¡±


    Farmers usually killed these animals since they destroyed the crops. But Margaran did not have many farnds and thus these animals were left alone.


    He needed to reach the back of the pedestal.


    The pedestal was heavily guarded as it was a vital piece for the city¡¯s growth. It also had all kinds of detection magic and machines that sensed any nearby Bander or Exar movement.


    Lamran¡¯s power didn¡¯t use Exar once the order had been made, so it was easy to dig the tunnel to the back of pedestal.


    Lamran let out a breath and turned to Lilia.


    The first step was cleared. It was now time to believe in his friend.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lilia.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    The two moved into the tunnel and the entrance was covered up by the Kukurans.

 Chapter 70: One who dreams of becoming a hero

    <h4>Chapter 70: One who dreams of bing a hero</h4>


    Lamran wanted to finish the tunnel quickly. As a result, Lamran ordered the Kukurans to make a tunnel just enough for a person to fit through, which Lamran and Lilia had to endure. After a while of traveling through the tunnel, they arrived at a wider cave.


    It was a cave that had already been in existence.


    ¡°Ugh... Lamran, why did you make the tunnel so small? Are you going to carry me around if I injure my back?¡±


    ¡°Shhh... quiet, Lilia.¡±


    Their voices couldn¡¯t be heard from outside but Lamran became worried and asked Lilia to quiet down.


    ¡°Whew... so what do I need to do here?¡±


    ¡°We need to find a way.¡±


    They were at the cave as the mystery man had said, but it was only the first step. There was still a long way to go. The second step was to go through this cave.


    Lamran wanted to dig a tunnel straight to the bottom of the pedesta0,l but the ground in this area was made with hard rocks that the Kukurans could not break. The mystery man then told him of the existence of the cave. It had formed naturally over time. Yet he still told Lamran that he needed to get help from his friend to get past the ce.


    ¡°Lilia, I trust you on this.¡±


    ¡°Okay... hehe. This is my specialty.¡±


    Lilia began moving up ahead.


    ¡°Ha... Lamran, you¡¯re dead if nothinges out from here,¡± Lilia frowned. Lamran looked at Lilia apologetically. The cave wasn¡¯t justplicated. There were a few inhabitants living here. In fact, they created this whole cave system.


    <Lorun-Tach>


    These giant crab-sized ants fed off the minerals and hated lights so they weren¡¯t widely known. Lamran and Lilia hade across these monsters before, so they immediately knew that the cave had these monsters.


    They became very careful in advancing. These monsters were very vicious. They were weak, but they overwhelmed invaders with theirrge number. The queen controlled them, so Lamran had no power over them.


    This was where Lilia¡¯s skill shined. Her ability as an Exer was being a


    . It was amon Exer skill.


    It allowed the user to choose which way to go when thinking about the purpose. It told the user the best route to take for such purposes.


    It was amon skill, but the level of power was different for each individual. The finest


    were recruited by countries and were well-respected. Lilia wasn¡¯t that powerful, but she was above average in terms of her skill and was a trustedpanion of Lamran.


    With her power, they were able to avoid the ants and they finally arrived beneath the pedestal. As the skill required such high concentration, Lilia was dead tired when she arrived.


    ¡°WHOA! Finally here!¡±


    Lilia let out a sigh and slumped down on the ground.


    Lamran became scared.


    ¡°H-HEY! We might draw the ants!¡±


    Lilia lookedfortable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My instincts say this ce is safe. The ants will note here.¡±


    Lamran looked around. This ce looked different from the cave they walked through. It was shaped like arge cube that was surely not a work of an ant.


    There was something that repelled the ants froming in here.


    At the center of the room was a round pir that pierced through the ceiling.


    ¡®This pir...¡¯


    Lamran remembered the part of the pir that was sticking out from the ground from the pedestal.


    It was where people piled up Talic Stones for ceremonies, so he knew about it. However, unlike the top part, the bottom part here had weird lines engraved on it and there were blue lights flowing through the lines.


    The bottom part that stuck out at the top was touching the ground at sea water level. The water was shaking along with the pir and this shakeing from the pir was surely connected to the seawater that went out to the ocean.


    ¡®What is this thing?¡¯


    It seemed like the room was about high as sea level since the sea water was not filling up the entire room. The hill where the pedestal stood was above forty feet from here. It was understandable why nobody knew of this room¡¯s existence.


    Lamran realized that was not important. He had time to spare, but he wanted to do it quick.


    As he thought his life would change forever, he was too excited to slow down.


    After looking upon the pir, he left Lilia at the back and walked toward it. After crossing a bridge thatid above the sea water, he was now at front of the pir.


    There was a small, nail-sized marble stuck on it. It was shining with blue light.


    After watching it for a moment, Lamran pinched the end of his finger slightly with his sword.


    This step required his fresh blood. It was why the mystery man needed him. He was ready to give him any price in exchange for what he would earn from this.


    He then moved his bleeding finger to the marble without hesitation.


    Then the pir began to shake and the marble began shining even brighter.


    Lamran could not hide his excitement.


    It was time.


    It was time to get his hands on the artifact.


    It was time to reim what he deserved as a descendant of the great pioneer, Lagaope.


    Sian and Stiel turned to the pedestal in the distance as they felt the tremor. Stiel asked, ¡°Did you feel that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It looks like...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡±


    Stiel tried to speak but Sian said it first.


    ¡°The fireworks are starting! Haha. So that ck pir had fireworks inside! How exciting.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel ignored Sian and looked at the pir, but she couldn¡¯t understand what the movement of Exar was about.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on it.¡¯


    Stiel then began dragging Sian, who was overly excited at the fireworks, to the restaurant where they had made a reservation.


    The light that filled the room subsided and Lilian looked toward the pir in shock. There was now a huge door open at the pir,rge enough for a man to walk in.


    Lamran was walking through the door as if he was being mind controlled.


    ¡®...What is that?¡¯


    Lilia became curious and decided to take a look inside the pir. But the inside was empty. There was just another pir within that came up from the ground to about the height of a human chest with something ced above it.


    ¡®...?¡¯


    It looked like a crude crown made out of bone.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel good.¡¯


    Lilia became ufortable. It was a part of her


    skill. If she saw something that was above her level or something so petty that didn¡¯t need such consideration, she could not sense anything out of it.


    That was why she held onto the dangerous woman back then. She was too dangerous for her to sense the danger of it.


    Not sensing anything could only mean one or two things.


    But Lilia couldn¡¯t stop Lamran, whom she liked very much. She just wished it wasn¡¯t a bad sign.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liviath asked the man next to him while he trained.


    He needed to train to find back his power to repay the debt. It wouldn¡¯t take long.


    ¡°Uh... nothing. I just left something back there. I came to take it back, but I forgot while I was resting.¡±


    ¡°Hah, good for you. What did you forget? What is it?¡±


    Liviath looked at the man with a disappointed look.


    ¡°Margaran. Liviath, you will be like me if you live long enough. Memory fails me, you know.¡±


    ¡°You mean... that crown?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You talked so much about it when we first met. You said you created a quick route by using it.¡±


    ¡°Oh... did I? Yeah. But someone took it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? So it wasn¡¯t much of a thing then.¡±


    Liviath turned back, losing interest. What happened now didn¡¯t really matter to him anyway.


    The man was simr in that regard. But...


    ¡®It¡¯s not going to end up well if they use it.¡¯


    Then he decided to forget about it. The crown was important, but what he needed to do afterward was more important.

 Chapter 71: Deepsea Island

    <h4>Chapter 71: Deepsea Ind</h4>


    Sian was eating with Stiel. The streets of Akn were famous for having a lot of good restaurants. People filled the streets even when it wasn¡¯t Lagaope season.


    Sian looked at the ind as he ate the baked ms.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t the fireworkse out?¡±


    ¡°You must have really looked forward to it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny it.¡±


    He was really looking forward to it as the booklet said it was spectacr. However, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t today. Sian then stopped and looked toward the pedestal above the hill. He heard there were a few days until pedestal would stop. But all the Exar that was being sent down was now being reflected out.


    And the wavesing out from it had stopped.


    ¡°So this...¡±


    Lamran was impressed. This crown was the artifact that facilitated the existence of <Lagaopora> after all these years. Lamran grabbed the crown and ced it on his head.


    Nothing happened.


    He then remembered what the mystery man said to him.


    <If you get hands on the artifact, let it drink your blood. Only a descendant of Lagaope can use it. You need to prove that you are the descendant.>


    He was scared of the mystery man for knowing so many details about the crown, but it would surely grant him so much power that he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about it anymore. He then took off the crown and touched it with his still bleeding finger.


    The crown turned red, then changed back to its original color.


    At that moment, the flow of Exar into the crown stopped.


    The waves that moved out from the crown, to the pir, and to the sea also stopped.


    ¡®Hm...?¡¯


    The mystery man did not tell him this. The room was left with only silence. Lamran became ufortable and turned to Lilia. If this decision was dangerous, Lilia would¡¯ve sensed it. But she looked tired, not scared. Lamran became relieved.


    It was an oue that even mystery man did not have knowledge of. Lamran then felt at ease when he realized that the mystery man wasn¡¯t so powerful after all. He turned to the crown to put it on his head again.


    Then an amazing thing happened.


    His senses expanded.


    Actually, he could feel every living being¡¯s senses with his brain.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    It gave him a headache, but he got used to it. It seemed that the crown had narrowed its power so that Lamran could withstand it. If a powerful being used it, the crown would be more powerful.


    However, that did not matter.


    The power belonged to him now.


    He couldn¡¯t feel the humans, but he could feel every sense that the other living things felt. It was as if he could hear as they did and see as they did.


    He could see the food that the fish were seeing and the taste of crops that the Kukurans were eating.


    He also felt the rage of the Lorun-Taches that were charging into the room. Thousands of Lorun-Taches were now rushing toward the room once the pir stopped working.


    Lamran wasn¡¯t worried.


    His power to control now exceeded that of their queen. It was as if his power was made for this artifact.


    It was a good chance for him to test out his power.


    Lamran issued an order through his head. No, that wasn¡¯t right. These Lorun-Taches were another <Lamran>. Thousands of Lorun-Taches, or Lamrans, began attacking the other Lorun-Taches that Lamran could not control.


    A few of them came out in front of Lamran and Lilia while thousands of them erupted in a fight.


    ¡°...What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Lilia jumped up and took out her dagger.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lilia.¡±


    Lamran spoke and the Lorun-Taches began piling on each other andid themselves t in front of Lilia, telling her to hop on. Lilia turned to Lamran.


    He was walking to her with a crown that was glowing red.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. We can get out easily now.¡±


    Lamran was now using the Lorun-Taches to open his way through the ground.


    He was delighted. No one could stop him now.


    Now he could be like the man who was once hispanion who put him in despair.


    Lamran was so happy as he moved out of the cave with Lilia.


    Then he became curious.


    This power was beyond imagination. But why did the mystery man let him take such power?


    He did make him promise one thing. To help him when needed.


    It was going to be fulfilled, but Lamran became curious and he asked what the man would do if he was betrayed. Then the mystery man gave his answer.


    He began mumbling something and told Lamran to repeat after him. That way, they could not turn their backs on each other. Lamran epted it, but he became curious about another thing.


    What was that pir for? And how did it maintain <Lagaopora>?


    Lamran decided to let that question go unanswered. The mystery man reassured to him that nothing would happen. Lamran questioned every other thing he said, but he didn¡¯t question the man¡¯sst statement.


    It wasn¡¯t going to do anything and if it harmed no one, he was right to take away this crown.


    He was, after all, the descendant of Lagaope, a rightful owner of this crown.


    He was reborn.


    -Nearby seacoast of Margaran-


    Something was approaching Margaran from the sea. It looked very slow, but the actual speed was very fast. The only reason why it looked slow as because it was toorge.


    <Bakuron>


    Meant ¡®Deepsea Ind¡¯ in ancient words.


    It was the name of the monster approaching Margaran. It was a bit of an exaggeration for it to be called an ind, but it was so huge that it fit the name well. It was infamous back a few hundred years ago, but no one knew its name anymore.


    This monster gained its fame after killing the Grand Bander that tried to open up the sea route through the Kiara Sea. The only reason why it was forgotten was because it didn¡¯t cause any problems during those few hundred years.


    The <Bakuron> didn¡¯t think much. This deepsea Harijan only had one thing in its brain. <Leave anything up above the water and swallow everything that travels beneath it.>


    It was a simple order, but the effect was powerful. The Bakuron did not remember when its brain was filled with the order, but it needed to follow it. For hundreds of years, it kept eating everything beneath the surface.


    After continuous work, no monsters entered its territory. The Bakuron had no enemy that could kill it. As the new season started, the order that made it protect the water weakened, but another order invaded its mind.


    <Go back to the starting point of the route.>


    It followed the instruction. It was what the monster did continuously for the past hundreds of years. Once it returned to the starting point, the first order began to fill its mind again and the rest of it was rinse and repeat.


    But something was different this time.


    No more orders wereing to it.


    With no orders, its instinct began to fill its mind.


    <Hungry.>


    It was an instinct that had always been blocked off by the order.


    Luckily, the starting point of the route it always traveled to had an abundant number of small food. They were above sea level so he couldn¡¯t eat them before, but there was no order to stop it from doing it this time.


    Thus, the Bakuron began traveling toward the city.


    They were small, but there were a lot of them.


    The Bakuron was hundreds of years old, so even it could walk onnd now.


    The monster was quickly moving toward the beach.

 Chapter 72: Deepsea Island

    <h4>Chapter 72: Deepsea Ind</h4>


    Lamran and Lilia were thinking about what to do next. Lamran calmed down and he had already hid the crown in his bag. He felt powerless when he took off the crown, but it was only matter of putting it on, so he felt relieved.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡±


    Lilia, who looked ufortable, asked out of concern. ¡°Hm... Maybe I should visit the Wall. I think I should tame a Harijan.¡±


    Treasures called for trouble. Lamran earned the powers, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. A few animals were not enough to protect the treasure. He needed to have at least a Harijan protecting him to stay safe.


    That was when it would really begin to show its worth.


    However, there were no Harijans on the continent. That was why he nned to visit the Wall to get a powerful Harijan under his control.


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t there a Harijan below the sea?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there are no more Harijans left nearby after Lagaopora was opened.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I can¡¯t wish for it, but I wish a strong one would show up just like that. I can tame it then.¡±


    ¡°Haha, Lamran. Life isn¡¯t that easy.¡±


    They looked at each other and smiled. Lamran acquired great power, but there were still a lot of things to do.


    After almost ten days, Lagaope was nearing its end.


    There were some small problems when they found out that pedestal stopped working, but the festivalmenced normally as if nothing had urred. However, this was to keep the people from being terrified while the festival was being held. Sian felt that Magic Priests and Bander users kept visiting the ce.


    But it didn¡¯t matter. Sian and Stiel were going to leave soon.


    Sian was enjoying his dessert by the beach. This dessert that came from Kiara was so good that Sian decided to eat lots of it when he visited Kiara.


    While watching him, Stiel asked, ¡°So, where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of going to Kiara by boat from here.¡±


    There was nothing to look at on the road onnd. Margaran was too far from any other ce to visit. Therefore, it might be better to move over to Kiara and use the Ra-Shar-Roa to go to other ces when he was done.


    ¡°Kiara. I¡¯ve never visited that ce before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well it¡¯s at the end of the continent.¡±


    Taran was located at west end of the continent while Kiara was at the east end.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a cruise ship. I think it¡¯s good to enjoy the view and all.¡±


    Margaran had tons of cruise ships for merchants and nobles. It provided safe andfortable travel across the sea. It was known to have a lot of interesting things to enjoy while on board.


    Sian was really looking forward to this cruise ship experience.


    It was very annoying to run across the sea anyway, so Sian decided to make a reservation for the cruise ship when they returned to the mansion.


    Then he turned to look at the sea.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say monsters... or something like that haven¡¯t appeared for hundreds of years?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I heard too. It¡¯s only a matter of time until ites, especially at that speed.¡±


    Something vicious was charging toward Margaran beach while destroying a few ships in its path. It was still far enough so only Sian and Stiel could sense it, but it was only a matter of time.


    Sian felt something wasn¡¯t going as nned.


    ¡°Why did the pedestal stop all of a sudden!¡±


    Marquis Talruk asked Babil, the Second Grade Magic Priest, who was examining the pedestal.


    However, he couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. The pir itself was refusing any flow of Exar and he was not allowed to take the pedestal apart to examine it.


    The bigger problem was that they did not know how Lagaopora worked and were unsure of the oue. The only thing they knew was that this pedestal blocked Harijans froming near Lagaopora.


    ¡°You... should strengthen security first. I think it¡¯s easy to say that we are just heightening security since the festival is about to end.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will do my part on that, but you should do yours.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t necessary.


    ¡°Milord! We have trouble!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡±


    The Marquis responded as he looked at a Bander user who was running toward him.


    ¡°Messages havee from the ships... seven ships have sunk on the Lagaopora, milord!¡±


    The artifact that allowedmunication magic was only installed on the huge ships. This meant that sevenrge ships had sunk, along with many more smaller ships.


    The Marquis tried to keep his calm. He needed to stay calm so that all of Margaran would not fall in chaos.


    ¡°How... did it happen?¡±


    ¡°The message reported that somethingrge like an ind swallowed it as a whole. And its approaching our direction in full speed, milord.¡±


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    The Marquis could not hold him back. It was not important to find out how the pedestal worked anymore. He knew what happened when the Talic Stones were not used, and even then the problem did note ontond. That was why he wanted to solve this problem without letting the people feel terrified.


    But it was toote.


    ¡°Evacuate everyone to higher ground. The festival is over. Dispatch all Peacekeepers and Bander users. Do it now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, milord!¡±


    ¡°Stop all ships from departing the harbor and send a message to Kiara to bring all their ships back to their docks. We do not know when this problem will end.¡±


    He needed to do everything in his power to prevent the disaster from happening.


    ¡°Arrest any fearmongers and evacuate the civilians into safety. Now, hurry!¡±


    ¡°YES, MILORD!¡±


    The Marquis then turned to the Magic Priest.


    ¡°Babil, you must act quick. I will support you in any way I can. And... you must flee if it bes dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Everyone, make it quick!¡±


    The Marquis then began to return back to his castle. Worst case scenario, he needed to ask for reinforcement from the Kingdom.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t... expect...¡±


    Lamran turned grim as he watched Margaran fall into chaos. He already sent Lilia among the evacuating people to keep her safe.


    He did expect something to happen, but he just turned a blind eye to it.


    However, he never expected the result to be this bad.


    Surely his crown had affected the monster in some way, and it kept the peace at Lagaopora. It was sure that taking of the crown was rted to the monster approaching the city.


    ¡®Do I have to bring it back there?¡¯


    There was the possibility of it going back to normal, but that meant Lamran would return to his old self. He could not resist the temptation of the power he had already tasted.


    Then an idea struck him from within. To save Margaran, and prove himself to be a hero.


    An idea that didn¡¯t need him to travel all the way to the Great North Wall.


    ¡®I shall tame him...!¡¯


    The crown allowed it to control such a monster and it would definitely work for him too.


    He was, after all, the descendant of the great Lagaope.


    No one knew he took the crown anyway and he destroyed the cave when he came out.


    If he managed to tame the beast, then it will allow him to be a hero.


    It also meant he will be the conqueror of all the seas.


    However, he needed to be closer to use the crown as he wasn¡¯t yet familiar with using it. As the monster approached, it would be his ve. Lamran then waited for the monster to arrive at the beach. If it came into sight, it was time.


    ¡°So all the ships have stopped.¡±


    Sian spoke as he watched at the chaos at Margaran. The Peacekeepers were working hard to keep the order but the people were terrified and the civilians were fighting against each other to run out first.


    There were no ships that dared to leave the shores when the monster was approaching from the sea.


    ¡°Ugh, some fish ruined my ns.¡±


    Sian sighed. He now needed to make a choice.


    1. Take and route.


    2. Run across the sea.


    3. Change the destination.


    4. Kick out that fish and force the ship to depart.


    The choice was already made. He needed to take the easiest route.


    To him, number four was the easiest. Besides, once the monster arrived, it would be easier to kick it out than follow it in the sea.


    Therefore, Sian decided to drive the monster out.


    After that was done, he nned to ask Stiel to ask ¡®some kid¡¯ she knew to have the ships depart and move on his way. That fish would be no problem once he boarded the ship.


    Sian then began making his move.

 Chapter 73: Responsibility of a Hero

    <h4>Chapter 73: Responsibility of a Hero</h4>


    The Bakuron felt two sensationsing from the beach as it arrived.


    One was terrifying while the other was ufortable.


    Both of these beings were present at the beach. The terrifying one... was as if it was looking at its motherform. It was the feeling that one would get when facing an unmeasurably powerful being. That being was now threatening it. Fortunately however, it looked like and dweller and seemed to have no intention of following the Bakuron out to the sea.


    And for the ufortable feeling... this felt like the one that kept giving it orders. The only difference was that it was much weaker, but it was trying to subdue the Bakuronpletely. It was trying to keep the Bakuron under its feet. Having been invincible from where it came from, Bakuron felt annoyed and irritated at that fact.


    It was a dilemma.


    Should it run? Or fight?


    The terrifying being was too dangerous to fight, but the ufortable one wasn¡¯t something it could dismiss. The Bakuron decided to stay at a distance where it could run away and sat there for a while.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t iting closer!¡±


    Lamran let out a sigh. He was now back at the room where his crown was located, sending his orders to the monster at the sea. There was no worry of being discovered as his Exar was being sent out to the sea by the crown very stealthily.


    The reason he came here was to hide from the Peacekeepers.


    He was trying his best to subdue the monster, but it was resisting. It seemed like it might work if the monster came closer, but it stopped a few miles away from the beach.


    ¡®Is it afraid of me?¡¯


    That was the only reason he could think of, but that was troublesome. He needed to subdue the monster. Fearing him wasn¡¯t enough. Lamran focused harder on the crown. He was now bing familiar with using it. It was only a matter of time for the monster to bow at his feet.


    ¡®I will be the hero of Margaran...!¡¯


    And when the time came, everyone will love and respect him.


    ¡°Hehe... Sian, so how is it going?¡± Stiel smiled at Sian who was obviously irritated.


    ¡°...that guy¡¯s quite smart.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t going as he nned. Sian didn¡¯t want to startle the people, so he sent his power out to the sea. He wanted to do things right, so he sent out the strongest energy wave to make that fish fear him, and that energy was powerful enough to make a Six-Horned Monster like that run away.


    It must¡¯ve felt Sian¡¯s power as it stopped approaching, but it wasn¡¯t running away. It did buy some time for people to run away, but they were even more terrified. The monster wasn¡¯t close, but its sheer size was enough to scare everyone watching from the high ground.


    It looked like the monster was waiting for its lunch toe back to the city, so Sian couldn¡¯t ask the ship to depart.


    ¡®Are all Harijans like that?¡¯


    Sian had never seen a Harijan, so it was somewhat interesting. Animals should prioritize survival, but that monster wasn¡¯t running away due to its hunger.


    Sian began to ponder. He expected the monster to run away at once, but it wasn¡¯t working.


    ¡°Ugh... why isn¡¯t that guy running away!¡±


    Stiel looked at Sian with a strange look and asked, ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you killing it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... killing it because it¡¯s blocking my way doesn¡¯t seem all that nice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? But it killed humans.¡±


    ¡°Who cares. He needs to live too.¡±


    ¡®I see...¡¯


    Stiel came to know more about Sian in the recent days. He didn¡¯t care if the target was a human or a Harijan. The only thing that mattered was if it invaded his space. Invaders were punished severely while others were spared. In turn, Sian didn¡¯t like invading others¡¯ spaces.


    Even now, Stiel would¡¯ve killed the monster already only because it blocked her way. Superhumans needed to be like her. Wherever a superhuman went, they needed to exert their power. That was good for everyone.


    Sian was having a hard time because his boundary was too small. He was too locked up in protecting his way of doing things. His power was between the level of a superhuman and a god, but his conscious was still at the human level.


    Nheless, it was fun watching Sian getting irritated, so Stiel decided to just watch.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re just going to wait it out?¡±


    ¡°Hm... he won¡¯t run away, right?¡±


    It seemed like Sian¡¯s patience had run out. He decided to beat up the monster and unlocked his power to jump out the window. There was some distance that required him to use some power to catch up.


    But at that moment, the monster began fleeing at an incredible speed.


    ¡°Ah?...¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. It seemed like the monster wasn¡¯t just staying around. Surely the monster figured it was a safe distance.


    It was half correct though. Since the monster was already far away, Sian stopped in between. It was so fast that it seemed like the ind had disappeared.


    Yet the problem was the aftermath of the move. As it ran at full speed, the sea was shaken up and there was a tsunami. The tsunami quickly swallowed the beach and the whole city.


    Every ship that was docked at the Margaran harbor was destroyed and the entire city was swallowed in whole. It happened so fast that it couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sure there are no ships left.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    ¡°...and I¡¯m sure no one will try to set sail with that monster alive.¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    ¡°...so we have no choice but to go bynd.¡±


    The road to Kiara bynd was very long. That was why Sian wanted to take a ship and the only shiprge enough to travel to Kiara was at Margaran.


    The monster destroyed his choice.


    Sian was furious, but it was too troublesome to follow the monster to get revenge, so he began to prepare to travel bynd.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian gritted his teeth as he watched the monster watching the ind from the sea. It came back to the sea as Sian did not follow him out, and it ran if Sian tried toe out to the sea, only to return when Sian began preparing to leave.


    It seemed like the monster was now very rxed. There was no way to determine its expression, but it sure looked like it. The monster was now using its tail or weird backbone-looking part of its body to send a wave toward the beach. Part of the city was destroyed each time the monster flicked its tail and the once beautiful city of Margaran was nowid in ruins.


    ¡°...I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡±


    His patience ran outpletely.


    ¡®Father, I did best I could.¡¯


    Sian touched his ne and took out Chrona-Phon. It was bit far to slice up the monster, but it looked like it was possible. He could kill it, but he couldn¡¯t catch it. The distance forced Sian to use all his power that would definitely kill the monster, but he was left with no choice.


    ¡°...if you¡¯re lucky, you will survive with your tails cut off.¡¯


    Stiel, who just came from somewhere, grinned at Sian who was pulling out his sword.


    ¡°Oh, so you made up your mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited long enough. Look at that bastard.¡±


    The monster was iling its tail from a range where it could run away. It looked like it wasn¡¯t scared anymore.


    ¡°Yeah, but isn¡¯t it too generous to kill it at once?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t even know what killed him. It needs to realize what it did.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it runs away too fast.¡±


    ¡°I have a good idea. You¡¯ll thank me once you hear it.¡±


    Sian turned to Stiel. He was angry, but he still hesitated on killing the monster.


    ¡°Hm... what is it?¡±


    Stiel began to exin and Sian looked at her in respect. It was a brilliant idea.


    ¡°Wow... it¡¯s incredible. When did you prepare all that?¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°I should do it now. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Sian began making his move.

 Chapter 74: Responsibility of a Hero

    <h4>Chapter 74: Responsibility of a Hero</h4>


    Stiel was curious. Sian had no experience in dealing with a Harijan, so he just assumed all Harijans were like that. It was strange to Stiel, however, who had a lot of experience fighting Harijans. These monsters were vicious, but they prioritized their own survival the most. There had to be a reason for the monster to stay by the beach. No Harijans dared to goad the stronger being.


    Stiel realized it had to do something with the stopping of the pedestal and examined it, finding something underground. After destroying the ground to walk down, she met a familiar face. It was the man who tamed the Rokuums. She wasn¡¯t sure why he was here, but one thing was for sure. This guy was the reason for the Harijan staying by the beach. He was so focused that he did not even realize that she had entered the room.


    <Hey, kid.>


    <...! Who are you! How do you know about this ce!>


    The man was rmed, but he calmed down after a few smacks. Stiel asked him why he was here and he confessed everything.


    <So... you are here to tame that monster? And you thought it was going to work soon?>


    <Y...yes... look at him. He must be terrified of me! Dammit... if it only came closer, I would¡¯ve saved Margaran...>


    Tame! The artifact he was wearing was very powerful, but the artifact depended on the user¡¯s powers. This man¡¯s power was just enough to make the monster angry.


    Stiel finally realized what had been going on.


    The monster was extremely terrified of Sian and wanted to run away, but it was also angry at this man. So it didn¡¯t want to just run away without killing him. The monster was probably infuriated that such a weak man like him wanted to take control of its mind.


    ¡®Hehe...¡¯


    This man would¡¯ve been stoned to death if the people of the city knew this. Stiel could barely hold back herughter at this wannabe hero who just destroyed the city and started thinking.


    <Wow, good. We need a hero who can save Margaran! Do you think you can tame the beast if we take you closer to the monster?>


    <...You can take me to him?>


    <Yeah. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve realized it, but I am really powerful.>


    <...Okay. I can do that. The only problem was the distance.>


    To Stiel, this was the crown¡¯s problem. It used too much of the user¡¯s brain that by trying to use powerful magic, it upied too much of the brain, making the user dumb.


    To ept such a suspicious offer... the man¡¯s brain was already damaged quite a bit. It may be useful, but the artifact was not a good one for a human to use it for long.


    Yet it didn¡¯t matter for Stiel as he was useful for her purposes and took him back to the mansion. Then she proposed her idea to Sian.


    ¡°Okay, Sian. I¡¯ll make other preparations. You just need to create what I asked for.¡±


    ¡°Sure... so, you will get the bait?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Or do you want to my job? I can do yours.¡±


    ¡°No. You can wait here.¡±


    Sian could not think of a way to find a bait to lure the monster, so he epted it and went to the beach to create what she requested. There was plenty of materials as all the ships at the dock had been destroyed.


    After Sian moved to the docks, he began taking off every anchor and chain off the damaged ships. As he gathered enough of them, Sian then began linking all thick chains into one really long chain. He was done with a fishing line. It was time to create a fish hook.


    Sian then gathered all the anchors he piled up and began molding it all into one. He needed to make a big hook so that the monster could not run away. After a while, he was left with a giant fishing hook.


    All that was left was a bait.


    ¡®Where is she going to get it though?¡¯


    He decided to return to the mansion to find out.


    ¡°I think I saw him somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. You have a good memory. I barely remember him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did like his show. So, why is he here?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I said I¡¯ll prepare, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you said you were going to prepare a bait.¡±


    ¡°Right. How is it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sian, I didn¡¯t force it on him.¡±


    Stiel quickly replied as Sian frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. He looks beaten up already.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. That¡¯s for another reason. He did volunteer for it. You want to see it?¡±


    Stiel then turned to Lamran who was still focusing toward the sea, and woke him up by calling to him.


    ¡°So, are you ready to be a hero?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you only take me to him... I¡¯ll control him and bring peace to the city.¡±


    After seeing him, Sian called Stiel to the corner of the room.


    ¡°...he looks weird.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of that crown. It dumbs people down.¡±


    ¡°...No. We can¡¯t use a live person as a bait.¡±


    ¡°Really? But he¡¯s the reason why that monster¡¯s still here.¡±


    Stiel began to exin what she found out. Sian now understood why the monster was still at the beach.


    ¡°Hmph. So, both of them are fault. That monster and Lamran... but this guy really made a mess.¡±


    He was the reason why the monster did not run away when Sian made it terrified, and it would lead to the destruction of the city eventually.


    ¡°Hehe... we are not going to kill him anyway. You aren¡¯t going to kill either of them, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t die. Besides, that monster is here because of him. Isn¡¯t it fair for him to take care of it?¡±


    Sian nodded. It was, after all, Lamran¡¯s responsibility to try mend his actions.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it then.¡±


    ¡°Good choice.¡±


    They began to prepare for the final stage for ultimate fishing.


    Sian ran toward the monster floating in the middle of the sea and it fled as it always did. Unlike the first time, it was now taking time to run away. Sian began to ponder. It seemed like a better idea to just take off the crown off from the man and let the monster run away.


    But he decided against it. Lamran and the monster were both responsible for this mess and they needed to pay the price.


    Sian began to make his preparations once the monster ran away. There was a small ind nearby, so Sian took out his fishing line and the hook from the Nitzmatan. The hook had a hole big enough for a human to step inside and a door to close the person in. It was all possible because the hook was that big. Sian then put in Lamran whom he carried here on his shoulder and closed the door. He would stay safe in it as it was created with precision by Stiel. After Sian finished putting Lamran in, who was still so focused on the crown, into the hole, he then dug up the ground to bury the hook inside andid the chain across the ocean before he came back.


    ¡°Is it done?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Good... shall we hide then?¡±


    ¡°You know...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Fishing is a really an annoying hobby.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian and Stiel finished their job by hiding their power from the chain. They would still be revealed if the monster got too close, but the chain was long enough so it looked okay.


    The Bakuron eyed the beach suspiciously. After it came back from running away, the terrifying being was no longer present. The Bakuron was still being careful, but there was no sign of it. However, the ufortable one was now much closer.


    Bakuron started thinking. Did it need to run away from this very suspicious situation? But the ufortable one was too close to just ignore it. The Bakuron then began approaching the one.


    There was still no sign of the terrifying one. Even if it was hiding, there was still some distance for him to run away.


    Then Bakuron took a bite into a chunk of dirt that was letting out the ufortable wave of energy. It decided to just run away after crushing it with its mouth.


    At that moment, the monster felt something weird in its mouth. The Bakuron tried to crush it, but it became stronger with a strange power and resisted. It felt that something was wrong and tried to run away, but the terrifying power exploded from the beach, pulling it toward the beach with tremendous strength that it had never felt before.

 Chapter 75: Responsibility of a Hero

    <h4>Chapter 75: Responsibility of a Hero</h4>


    ¡°Heee-yah!!!¡±


    Sian unlocked his power as soon as the monster took a bite at the hook. The monster would¡¯ve run if it wasn¡¯t for the chain, but it couldn¡¯t anymore. Sian began sending Bander into the chain and pulled it with all his might.


    The tug of war between the monster and the small human began. Under thew of physics, even if the human was much stronger, the sheer mass of the monster was enough to drag the human off the ground, but the sand which Sian was standing on didn¡¯t even move.


    Stiel was surprised. This boy was beyond her imagination. It didn¡¯t even seem like Sian was the same as a Ra-Bander after all. Ignoring all thosews of physics... a Ra-Bander had no way to control the way one ignored thews of physics. It all depended on the Ra-Bander¡¯s power and the <Way>. Stiel could¡¯ve won the pulling war, but even she would¡¯ve been dragged out to the sea. She was thinking of helping Sian if that happened, but she had nothing to do.


    ¡°Wow, this is pretty fun! Hahaha! I guess this is why people do fishing!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The monster was now running rampant as it couldn¡¯t break free from the chain. If Sian didn¡¯t protect Lamran with Bander, he would¡¯ve been crushed to death by the force of the movement. But he probably was feeling enough pounding even then.


    As the monster was dragged in, the depth grew shallower and the tremor destroyed all the nearby inds. One roll to the left and there was a crater on the beach, and one roll to the right destroyed an entire ind built for a vacation mansion. It all was being witnessed by the city of Margaran on higher ground.


    ¡°Oh Gods...¡±


    ¡°This is terrifying...¡±


    It was as if an ind was being dragged toward thend. However, the rage was bing less powerful. The resistance was bing weaker as the monster was dragged closer to the beach. Sian was now pulling the monster with more room and the beach was left with a huge trace of the monster being dragged in.


    Everyone felt a chill run through their spines. As monster was dragged up from the sea, they were able to see the monster in full detail. It did look like a marine animal, but it had six legs that could¡¯ve been used to walk thends and it was breathing with itsrge mouth. People thought they were safe when they moved to higher ground, but that was not the case.


    Then they noticed the five big horns and one small one growing on the monster¡¯s head. The monster was on the verge of bing a Six-Horned Harijan. This was, without a doubt, the monster <Bakuron> that killed the Grand Bander a long time ago.


    Then people became curious about who was at the other end of that chain. Was it Broxian, the legendary Emperor, who had returned to save their city?


    Even though they could see the unmoving Harijan on the beach, they couldn¡¯te down. They were now more afraid of the person at the other end of the chain. They could not do anything but watch the monster and their half-destroyed city.


    ¡°Yeeeyah.¡±


    Sian opened up the monster¡¯s mouth. The monster had no sign of resisting as it only rolled its eight eyes. It tried to resist when it was far away, but the sheer terror made it freeze and it was unable to think. The monster also remembered provoking Sian, so it did not dare to make a move.


    Sian took out the hook from its mouth and opened up the door to take Lamran out. He was unconscious but still alive as Sian had protected him. He was covered with bruises, but it seemed okay as he was still tightly holding onto the crown.


    Sian thought about taking the crown, but he figured it was useless as the artifact made the user dumb, so he decided to leave it be.


    After putting Lamran aside, Sian turned up to the fish he just fished up.


    ¡°Heh, you have a job to do now.¡±


    Sian mumbled that Stiel was really a genius and began to walk up to the monster with a chain. The fish, Bakuron, could not dare to move. At least Sian didn¡¯t seem to want to kill him.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot.¡±


    As Sian walked up, he stopped in the middle and summoned his Chrona-Phon.


    ¡°You need some beating up first.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re finished.¡±


    ¡°You sure have talent in fighting.¡±


    ¡°Is that apliment? What I just did is a craft.¡±


    Bakuron, or Fish No.1, was all bruised up with chains wrapped around its back. It wasn¡¯t done to capture it. At the top of the chain was a small steel box the size of a small house. The chains were wrapped around to affix the box on the back of the monster. It was created by molding the hook and the leftover chains by Sian.


    ¡°Anyway, thank you, Miss Stiel. How did you think of using him to travel across the sea?¡±


    The box was for them to stay in while Sian and Stiel traveled across the sea on the back of Fish No.1. The monster would repel any Harijans and would probably be faster than any ship. If they needed to eat, this fish was the best among any meat avable so that was also solved. They just needed to take some part of the meat next to the box.


    Harijan meat was known for its taste and it tasted even better if they had more horns.


    Sian was ashamed that he hadn¡¯te up with the idea first. If he killed the monster, he was left with no choice but to walk to Kiara either bynd or sea.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m genius in every way.¡±


    ¡°Then you should¡¯ve made that box also.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you know about teamwork? I gave you an idea. It¡¯s your job to do thebor.¡±


    ¡°...Whatever. But it does look crude.¡±


    The steel box was maderger than what Sian originally intended. It was because Stiel wanted to keep the enormous bed from the mansion. Sian liked the bed too, so he agreed and made the boxrger.


    ¡°So, what happened to that Lamran?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t okay. The Peacekeepers took him.¡±


    Sian felt bad, but it was Lamran who brought this upon him. The damage that Margaran received was too great. There was the entire destruction of the beach, the city near the coast was half-destroyed, all noble retreat homes were destroyed, and the pedestal hade to a stop.


    Thest part of the damage was the biggest. Margaran was no longer able to work as a trade center and it would lose its charm as a tourist location. It had no way to regain its fame with no Lagaopora. It was lost by a young man¡¯s foolish action.


    The Peacekeepers began investigating the aplices of that man as they could not believe a man who ran a circus at the city would know the secrets of the pedestal. But Lamran¡¯s brain was dumbed down to that of a child, so it proved to be impossible.


    The bigger problem was that cing the crown back on the pir didn¡¯t work. All the Magic Priests from the area gathered to solve the mystery, but they failed to find a resolution.


    Margaran was under despair.


    Marquis Talruk thanked the gods that he still had his people, and he tried his best to rebuild the city, but the future didn¡¯t look too bright.


    Sian then stopped thinking and kicked Fish No.1 to haul the supplies. Fish No.1 then began using its tentacles near the tail to haul the supplies onto its back.


    ¡°He¡¯s smarter than he looks.¡±


    Fish No.1 looked terrifying, but it acted like a small puppy.


    ¡°Harijans are smarter when they are stronger. Dumb ones can¡¯t survive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°And everyone listens when they get beaten up.¡±


    ¡°...Right. Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Sian and Stiel hopped into the steel box and kicked Fish No.1¡¯s back and it began swimming across the sea, allowing the box to sit above the sea surface.


    ¡°I have no idea how this works.¡±


    Babil let out a sigh. They couldn¡¯t find anything out about the crown. The person who could¡¯ve known was now too dumb so it was impossible to ask.


    ¡°I should get some sleep too.¡±


    All the other Magic Priests were already back in their rooms to sleep. They ced the crown on the pir and went away.


    After a while, a strange swirl appeared at the front of the pir and a hand came out from it. The owner of the hand looked at the empty space in front.


    No, there was something this mystery man could see.


    [Quest: <Find the crown made from ???>]


    -Use Lagaope¡¯s descendant to get your hands on the unusable crown


    -Reward: <Crown made from ???>, 380,000 Exp


    ¡°...Good.¡±


    The mystery man, Kal-Kirat, smiled.


    She was so excited when she saw the reward the first time, but she didn¡¯t dare to use the item herself because of the terrible effect it had.


    <When used, it deteriorates user¡¯s intelligence.>


    Besides, the crown needed Lagaope blood to change its currentmand and reset it. That was why she came up with aplicated scheme to get her hands on it, to make Lamran get his hands on the crown and reset themand. Themand to keep Lagaopora open wasn¡¯t of any use to her.


    It all worked perfectly. Themand was reset and she was watching over Lamran with her


    ability, so she was able to find the crown quickly enough.


    There was another reward.


    ¡®...he was here...¡¯


    Kal-Kirat thought about getting revenge by hurting his family, but she gave up after hearing advice from the Great Elder.


    <Family doesn¡¯t mean anything once you reach that level. Don¡¯t take it lightly and just aim for the man.>


    It was from the Great Elder, so she believed it to be true. His voice trembled a bit, but it probably was because he was excited for her to fulfill her people¡¯s long-sought goal.


    This crown would surely work as her tool of revenge.


    The man had no way to utilize the crown, but Kal-Kirat knew she could utilize it to its full potential while minimizing the penalty with her skills.


    She then took the crown and disappeared into the void.

 Chapter 76: Aksarai

    <h4>Chapter 76: Aksarai</h4>


    ¡°This guy is quitefortable.¡±


    Stiel was impressed with Fish No.1. The feel of its back was one of a kind. She first figured the movement was going to be rocky since its massive body had to move, but the monster smoothly swam across the sea. It was so big that it wasn¡¯t even affected by the waves. The steel box that was tied down did not move at all.


    ¡°Should we take him ontond also? I think he has legs too.¡±


    Sian felt the fish flinching as he spoke.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he too big? But if you¡¯re up for a world invasion... I would wee that idea.¡±


    ¡°Oh... right.¡±


    If this monster walked ontond, Kiara would bring out their Artagon to shoot it at the monster. That part was okay since it would only kill Fish No.1, but then Stiel would start destroying the entire nation and Kiara would be wiped out. Sian decided to let Fish No.1 go once they toward the end of Lagaopora.


    ¡°Good work. You can go now.¡±


    Sian came to like the fish because of thefortable ride and meat it provided. Therefore, he let it go without any hard feelings.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, we will walk from here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but wait.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some more meat. It¡¯s so yummy.¡±


    Stiel offered to take more meat from Fish No.1.


    ¡°...Miss Stiel...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°You are a genius. Hey, Fish No.1. Stop right there.¡±


    The distance to their destination, Kerbal, was still a little far. It seemed like a nice idea to have the meat to eat while they walked above the sea.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Have you beenmunicating with Margaran?¡±


    ¡°Dammit! What in the world happened?!¡±


    Near the end of Lagaopora, the city, Kerbal, was also in chaos. Margaran lost all of its contacts right after it sent a message to stop all ships leaving the dock. The City of Kerbal was in distress, but it was only the start as the chaos would only growrger if they heard about what happened at Margaran.


    Unlike Margaran, Kerbal was already a prosperous city before Lagaopora. However, it became more prosperous than ever after the Lagaopora festival started. Kerbal was even considered the second capital of Kiara.


    All the goods came from Broshan, and people gathered to travel to Broshan. With the warm climate and beautiful scenery, the City of Kerbal was one of the best, only second to the capital of Kiara.


    The city was famous for a lot of things, but there was one in particr.


    The ck Market.


    Every city had their own ck market, but the one in Kerbal was special. It was huge, and with the vast amounts of moneying and going, the nobles knew of its existence but allowed it to continue operating. The people involved in the market were too powerful, and the bribes that were given to nobles were substantial.


    After that, the ck market was considered a specialty attraction of Kerbal.


    ¡°Oh. We should visit the ce after grabbing a room then.¡±


    ¡°It should be fun.¡±


    Sian and Stiel were munching on the fish meat. The meat was stored within <Nitzmatan>, and it wouldst for a while. Fish No.1 had to leave with arge chunk of its back sliced up.


    ¡°Will this ce fall like Margaran?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It was already arge city before. It did profit from Lagaopora, but it didn¡¯t rely on it that much.¡±


    ¡°Then the city won¡¯t really take any damage.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There will be some damage though.¡±


    ¡°But Miss Stiel, do you know how to get to the ck market?¡±


    It was famous, but it was still hidden. It was not like the visitor¡¯s guide booklet told travelers where to go.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve never been here either.¡±


    ¡°...you look unworried about that.¡±


    ¡°Haha... but it will be easy to find.¡±


    ¡°??¡±


    Stiel took off a piece of clothing. She was now only wearing a thin, short-sleeve shirt, revealing her curves.


    ¡°Now... after this...¡±


    Stiel felt people¡¯s attention shifting to her as she began walking into the crowd.


    ¡°ARGHHH! MY WRIST! YOU CRAZY B*TCH!¡±


    ¡°Did you see that? Let¡¯s ask him where to go.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel dragged a man back to Sian.


    ¡°Hm... it should be here.¡±


    Sian nced around an alleyway after he followed the directions from the man. The ck Market was sorge that it had multiple entrances and this was the closest one from their rooms. Sian and Stiel walked into the restaurant that the man told them about.


    As they walked in, the owner greeted them grumpily.


    ¡°A guest?¡±


    ¡°...Chrona meat and Liona steak.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Come this way.¡±


    The owner then led them to an underground passageway below the restaurant.


    ¡°It¡¯s cheesy. Why do they use such code words?¡± Sian whispered.


    ¡°Hehe. Isn¡¯t that part of the fun?¡±


    After they walked down, they faced an iron door.


    ¡°You can go in from here. Have fun.¡±


    The owner then returned while Sian and Stiel walked in through the door. As they opened it, they were now in a vast underground alley. They had reached the ck Market of Kerbal.


    The ck Market was started in a basement and the back of a building and began expanding its area until they eventually joined each other to form an extensive tunnelwork. As it grew toorge, people then built a building on top to conceal it.


    The ck Market dealt with everything that wasn¡¯t legally allowed. Smuggled weapons, drugs, items, Talic Stones... it had everything. And the most popr item of all was the ves.


    The Kiara Kingdom still had ves. It was illegal officially, but people still traded and kept them secretly. This was where the most significant number of ve trades were held.


    The ck Market wasn¡¯t just some market that people shouted about. It was crowded but somewhat subdued. The people who made purchases here wanted to hide what they were purchasing, so they tried to keep it as quiet as possible.


    Sian and Stiel looked around as they walked through the alley. There were all kinds of fascinating things that Sian had never seen, from fascinating creatures to mysterious weapons and illegal potions. It had everything. The ck Market was a good ce for mercenaries to shop around. If they were lucky, they would be able to purchase a good potion at a cheap price. It usually had bad side effects, but the mercenaries who always put their lives on the line did not care too much about it.


    As Sian and Stiel walked in further, they came to the market where the ves were being traded.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ve market.¡±


    Sian and Stiel nced in that direction, but they were uninterested.


    ¡°They look clean.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t sell if they look dirty. It¡¯s the same for everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh... right. But they don¡¯t look special.¡±


    ¡°Did you expect to see beautiful women or non-human races to pop up there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian turned his head as Stiel guessed what he thought.


    ¡®Some fairytales say that¡¯s where the main characters find their partners...¡¯


    Sian had no intention to buy one, but his dream had been shattered.


    The people sold at a ve market were one of two things. They were either too poor that they had to sell themselves or they had a debt that they could not repay.


    Both were the same in the regard that they were helpless either way.


    The novels said that beautiful women or powerful non-human beings were sold at ve markets, but that wasn¡¯t realistic. Those were sold directly to people with power.


    That was why the ve market was the gloomiest ce in the ck Market. It was full of chained up, hopeless people. At least they were washed and clothed with decent clothing that made them look less like bums.


    ¡°Hmph. Let¡¯s move on.¡±


    Sian then decided to move onto the next stop, but he came across a familiar scent. He could not remember where he had smelled the scent before, but he quickly began chasing it. Confused, Stiel followed.

 Chapter 77: Aksarai

    <h4>Chapter 77: Aksarai</h4>


    ¡®Where have I felt this before...?¡¯


    Sian thought for a while and then remembered. It was when those Arankals warped him into a different dimension. The ce that he was put in for a moment had the same kind of smell.


    Sian began chasing the smell. After a while, he came to a small box.


    ¡®Looks weird.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t figure out what it was made for, but it looked weird and had a strange hook on it. Sian decided to buy it. After all, he was here to shop.


    ¡°How much is this?¡±


    ¡°That?¡±


    The rough-looking man who was selling his items turned to the man who had asked the question. It was a pale-looking man with a beautiful woman next to him. It was a very unusualbination, and so the man was alert. He knew from experience that he always had to get away from any unusual stuff to live a long life and decided to take care of this fast.


    The man was pointing to a strange box that he had acquired while ago. It was about the size of a thin book, and he wasn¡¯t sure what it was made for. He tried opening it, but it didn¡¯t budge. So he just kept it, hoping that some weirdo would purchase it.


    ¡°Uh... Five talons will do.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to get involved, but he also needed to make a profit, so he inted the price.


    ¡°Five talons... hmm.¡±


    Sian scratched his head and thought it wasn¡¯t that expensive. So he touched his ne and summoned five golden coins.


    ¡®What!¡¯


    The man looked shocked. That kind of artifact wasn¡¯t something just anyone was allowed to have.


    ¡°Here you go. Goodbye.¡±


    The man kept his calm, took the money, and bid farewell.


    ¡°Sian, why did you buy that?¡± Stiel asked curiously as she watched Sian putting the box into Nitzmatan.


    ¡°I just... smelled a familiar scent.¡±


    ¡°Scent of an ex-girlfriend? I thought you never had one.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to say that? And it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    The man watched the two leave, closed his stall, and left. It looked like they were probably too powerful for him to handle, since carrying that kind of artifact with such abination meant that it had some power. But he didn¡¯t need to fight them. He just needed to sell the information and take the money.


    Third Grade Magic Priest Riff was walking along with Limainu.


    ¡°Limainu, why the sullen face?¡±


    ¡°Because...¡±


    ¡°Are you that depressed about the ve market?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Gosh...¡±


    Riff held his head. His friend had a strange sense of righteousness. His friend must¡¯ve felt sympathetic toward those ves. If he didn¡¯t do something, his friend would surely to try to something to set them free like buying them, so he decided to warn him.


    ¡°Focus on our mission. We have a job to do.¡±


    ¡°...Master Dekaduin said we can use whatever amount we need, so it should be okay.¡±


    ¡®Haha...¡¯


    It was as expected. He would¡¯ve agreed if there was some talented individual or a beautiful woman among the ves, but to free hundreds of dumb people who could not save themselves from poverty? Still, that would not hurt his friend. In fact, he was treasured by the Magical Council. The feats he had achieved in the short amount of time was great.


    Riff wasn¡¯t the same as him though. He would be punished for not looking after his friend. So Riff decided to persuade him.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s say you bought them. But what then?¡±


    ¡°Send them home...?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have a home. That¡¯s why they¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Take them with us? Then what?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If we free them, they¡¯ll get captured before leaving the city wall. So, if you buy them, you have to take care of them for life.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If they get sold, they at least solve their problem of having a home. Go buy them if you can take care of them until the end. If not, give it up.¡±


    ¡®I hope he will give up now.¡¯


    Limainu always emphasized morals or righteousness. However, this seemed like enough for even him to understand.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    ¡®Whew...¡¯


    Riff was relieved.


    ¡°Good. We need to find something here, remember?¡±


    ¡°Right...¡±


    Limainu smiled bitterly. He came here right away when he heard that the object was found at the ck Market. He gave up hope after losing it, but he still clung to the hope of finding it. After using the power of the Magical Council to investigate, he heard a simr object was being sold at the ck Market.


    He needed the object as it was essential for his next step. He needed the information in it to change the world. Only he could recognize the object, so he had toe all the way here.


    ¡°Good thinking. But this ce is really huge.¡±


    They came right after they heard the information, but they didn¡¯t expect the market to be this big.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just take it slow for a few days and...¡±


    ¡°Riff. I found it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Limainu began walking faster.


    ¡°Hey! Where¡¯re you going?!¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know what it does, but you still bought it?¡±


    Stiel was examining the box that Sian bought.


    ¡°Yeah. It was cheap, and I have a good feeling about it. Haha.¡±


    Stiel thought that Sian¡¯s feeling wasn¡¯t all that urate, but she too was curious about what the object was, so she decided to stay quiet.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to work with Exar... or Bander...¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like an ordinary box. An ordinary box would not require expensive ss as a material. And if ss was used to create the box, then it should¡¯ve shown what was inside. In contrast, there was only ckness, and it was also too thin to store something in it.


    ¡°It might be an artifact from the Old Empire.¡±


    ¡°Then it should react to Exar, but it doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Stiel quickly lost interest as she had no idea how to determine the purpose of the box. Sian also wasn¡¯t interested in its purpose as he just bought it on a whim, so he was about to put it back into <Nitzmatan> when someone stopped him.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡®Huh? This scent...¡¯


    Sian turned and found a man standing behind them, followed by a few others who had barely caught up to him.


    ¡°Hmm... do I know you?¡± Sian asked as he did not recognize him. It was their first meeting, but he had a simr scent to the box, so Sian was interested.


    ¡°I am Limainu. Uhh... the box you are holding...¡±


    The man looked like he was in a hurry, so he could not carefully exin.


    ¡°Yeah, this box.¡±


    ¡°That is mine.¡±


    ¡°????¡±


    ¡°...???¡±


    Riff was dumbfounded by Limainu¡¯s words. It was as if he was trying to start a fight. However, he was lucky that he talked to Sian, not Stiel. If it was Stiel, his spine would¡¯ve been broken in half already. Sian was a self-proimed gentleman who wished to sort things out by talking.


    Sian thought there must be something behind it and decided to listen.


    ¡°Hmm. Can you exin what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I must have gotten ahead of myself.¡±


    Sian thought that he was right; there was something to it.


    ¡°The box you have... it¡¯s something I lost a while ago. Can you please sell it back to me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Sian smiled, and Limainu¡¯s face brightened.


    ¡°Yes. I can pay whatever the amount...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Do you not need to be paid?¡±


    Sian realized the man did not understand him, so he continued, ¡°No. I mean I¡¯m not going to sell it.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t need money, and I bought it because I wanted it. I¡¯m not selling it.¡±


    Limainu was troubled. He needed the object for himself and the project. Even if he was a genius, he couldn¡¯t memorize all the details. He needed the information inside the box. Yet, the man in front of him just dered that he did not want to sell it.


    ¡®Does he know what the box holds?¡¯


    Limainu couldn¡¯t believe that to be true, but he asked anyway.


    ¡°Do you... know what the box is?¡±


    ¡°No. Haha, I would be using it if I did.¡±


    ¡°...then why aren¡¯t you selling it?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to keep it?¡±


    Limainu couldn¡¯t do much. It was the man¡¯s property now, and he didn¡¯t want to sell it. There was nothing else he can do.


    ¡°But... but... I really need that...¡±


    ¡°Limainu, let me handle it.¡±


    Riff, after bing frustrated, stepped out. It looked like these guys were trying to rip them off and Limainu was falling for it. It was time to show them the power of the group. Riff decided to show Limainu how to solve the problem.

 Chapter 78: Aksarai

    <h4>Chapter 78: Aksarai</h4>


    ¡°Good day, sir. I am Riff, a Third Grade Magic Priest from the Exalted Magical Council.¡±


    ¡°Uh... yes. I am Sian.¡±


    Riff narrowed his eyes as Sian didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the name of the Magical Council. If he was just some ruffian, he should¡¯ve backed off the moment he heard the council¡¯s name. The council¡¯s headquarters was located in Kiara, but its power stretched across the entire continent.


    It looked like they weren¡¯t bothered. Riff wanted to check to see if they were involved in some powerful organization.


    ¡°Excuse me... but are you affiliated with any organization?¡±


    ¡°Organization...? Hmm. No.¡±


    Sian told the truth as he was no longer part of <Dragona>. Stiel was barely holding back herughter next to him. It looked like the boy wanted to pressure Sian by using the name of their organization. The name of the Roman family should¡¯ve been enough to make them back off, but Sian was answering them so naively.


    However, Stiel had no intention of interfering.


    ¡®Let¡¯s see how long your patience willst.¡¯


    As she expected, Riff began to act tougher as he considered Sian to be amon ruffian.


    ¡°The object you took belongs to us. It was sold at the ck Market after we lost it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It should be considered as theft, but we will consider the fact that you purchased it, so we will pay you what you paid for it, and we will take the item into custody.¡±


    ¡®Hehehehe.¡¯


    Stiel was quite amused at Riff, who didn¡¯t realize he was putting his head into an alligator¡¯s mouth. Riff finished talking and nced at Limainu, thinking Limainu should learn from him.


    Sian watched Riff for a moment and spoke, ¡°What will you do if I won¡¯t give it to you?¡±


    ¡°Then... we will need to use force.¡±


    Sian was relieved.


    ¡°Oh... that¡¯s good. I didn¡¯t feel like beating up a man who wanted to sort it out by talking. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What- ARGH!¡±


    The Fish No.1 meat that Sian was chewing on was thrown at Riff before he could finish talking. The meat that was held by Sian was no longer food. The meat thrashed Riff as it was smashed into pieces and Riff could not think correctly. The people at the back, including Limainu, didn¡¯t dare to intervene and only watched on.


    ¡°Whew... Shall we go, Miss Stiel?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. You are too nice.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like he deserves to die. But I can¡¯t eat this anymore.¡±


    Sian and Stiel began walking away, and Limainu quickly blocked them.


    ¡°W-Wait!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Are you thinking about using force to take the object too?¡±


    Limainu shook his head quickly as he already saw what had happened to his friend.


    ¡°No... is it true that you do not know what the object is?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Then... I¡¯ll teach you what it is for. It¡¯s not something that should be just kept as a collection. Please, let me have... at least the information inside. It¡¯s very important to me.¡±


    Limainu did his best to convince the man. The others that were watching on were dumbfounded. Limainu just revealed all the secrets he had which Sian could¡¯ve used against him.


    Everyone had given up hope; however, Sian answered differently, ¡°Okay, if that¡¯s what you need.¡±


    ¡°THANK YOU! Thank you so MUCH!¡±


    Limainu realized Riff¡¯s approach had been wrong and frowned at him.


    ¡°Will you visit our ce then? A few repairs and a recharge will make it work.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Sian, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Sure, we can go. It¡¯s not a hard thing to do.¡±


    He was curious about the object anyway, so it was a good suggestion. Thus, Sian agreed. Stiel was also curious about what the object was for, so she followed without objection.


    Limainu took out something from his backpack the moment he returned to the room. It looked like a repair kit. Sian curiously watched Limainu working on it. The room had Sian, Stiel, and Limainu. Riff was lying unconscious in another room, and Stiel insisted on staying together with Sian.


    ¡°Then... I¡¯ll start.¡±


    Limainu carefully began dismantling the back of the box.


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    The inside of the box was moreplicated than it looked. After fiddling around inside, Limainu took something out from it.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh... it¡¯s called a battery. But it¡¯s not useable anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°The energy from within... it¡¯s what provides the energy to make this machine work, but there¡¯s no more.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So it¡¯s like a Talic Stone.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So I can rece it with another Talic Stone and...¡±


    Limainu ced the Talic Stone powder in various ces and used many valuable metals to rece the various parts. After a while, he covered up the box and pressed on a mysterious part of the box. The ss then began to shine.


    ¡°It worked!¡±


    Limainu seemed excited to see that the box was working.


    ¡°Oh. Is it working now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Can I remove the information from inside? It¡¯s not going to take long. I will teach you how to use this afterward.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take your time. Hahaha.¡±


    Sian felt good about acquiring a fascinating object, so heughed. Limainu then took out a small crystal and put it on the machine. Then the crystal began to shine.


    ¡°It¡¯s fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I created it to move the information from the box.¡±


    Limainu answered while blushing. The red bar within the crystal began to shoot up, and it soon turned green. Then Limainu took it off and put it into his backpack. Then he took out another crystal.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°This... I made it before. We can¡¯t use that box anymore because I took out everything.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian looked at Limainu as if he had deceived him, but it didn¡¯t seem like it. Limainu quickly continued to exin to Sian, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been able to use it, because it was made in anothernguage. I¡¯ll rece it with ournguage.¡±


    ¡°I see. So what is the purpose of the box anyway?¡±


    Sian began to ask his questions as the critical steps seemed to be finished.


    ¡°OH! I forgot to exin, didn¡¯t I? That... I guess you can call it a book.¡±


    ¡°A book?¡±


    Sian looked confused as he turned to the small box. It didn¡¯t seem like it could contain a few pages of paper.


    ¡°That is small, but it can easily contain thousands of books. The information in this crystal isn¡¯t that much, but it still has enough that no ordinary man can finish reading it all.¡±


    ¡°??¡±


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s like <Nitzmatan>.¡¯


    Sian couldn¡¯t understand how it worked so hepared it to his void storage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how it works once the transfer isplete.¡±


    Limainu smiled as he spoke. He had achieved his goal, and knowing Sian wasn¡¯t dangerous made him feel relieved. As the machine was reactivated, Limainu began exining to Sian and Stiel how to use the book. His mission wasplete. He thought it might take longer to find the object, but since it was done much quicker, he decided to teach them well.


    ¡°So, is there a name for this thing?¡¯ Sian asked.


    ¡°Oh. Call it... <Aksarai>.¡±


    ¡°Aksarai?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in ancient words. It means... All-Knowing God. Haha, it¡¯s exaggerated, but I just thought it was a good name for it.¡±


    ¡°Aksarai...¡±


    Sian was pleased with his new belonging and eagerly learned how to use it. Stiel, too, seemed to be very interested, so she quietly watched.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Sian was very satisfied with his <Aksarai> and Limainu also left with a smile as he had obtained the badly needed information.


    ¡°Sian, do you like it that much?¡±


    ¡°You saw it too, right? This thing is like a treasure!¡±


    Sian was throwing away various guidebooks and booklets from Nitzmatan. He treasured it before, but it was now useless. However, obtaining Aksarai wasn¡¯t the only reason why he was excited.


    When Stiel was out somewhere, Limainu whispered to him, ¡°Hehe... You are of age, so if you go here... and here... Look.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Oh... Ohoh... oohhh...!!!¡±


    Sian remembered what was stored inside <Aksarai> and smiled in a perverted way.


    ¡°Hehehe...¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that smirk?¡±


    ¡°Hehe... It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    <Limainu! So, you obtained the information!>


    ¡°Yes, Master Dekaduin. I sessfully acquired it with your help.¡±


    Limainu was talking to the council at <Korun>. The First Grade Magic Priest Dekaduin, whose image was shown, looked delighted.


    <Good work! Good work! That crystal will be vital to help finish our magic rune!>


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    <You are our treasure from the sky! Limainu,e right back.>


    ¡®Treasure from the sky...¡¯


    Limainu smiled, thinking he was sent here by the sky after all.


    ¡°I will move by Ra-Shar-Roa then.¡±


    <Yes. The magic rune will soon be finished when you return. Stay safe.>

 Chapter 79: Hope of Kerbal

    <h4>Chapter 79: Hope of Kerbal</h4>


    <The simrity between Beauty and Weakness is that both are good to take. So don¡¯t touch them. There¡¯s a reason why they still walk unhinged.>


    -Kurkan the Bandit King


    .......


    ck Serpent was one of the three organizations that ruled the ck Market. One of its leaders, Spinn, stared at the man who was reporting to him.


    ¡°Void artifact... a beautiful woman and some weakling?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Aren¡¯t they good targets?¡±


    ¡°Did you take care of the fool who came to sell the information?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    A void artifact was created from high-grade magic and many Talic Stones, thus making the item valuable no matter its capability. With a beautiful woman by its side... it seemed lucrative.


    ¡®That¡¯s what this fool is probably thinking.¡¯


    It was why the man ranked so low in their organization. A beautiful woman walking around without a guard had to be treated with caution. Fools were all over the ce, and they would¡¯ve already tried to do something to her. If she was able to walk freely through the ck Market, it meant she knew her way around.


    The world wasrge, and there were plenty of powerful men. The weakling might not be a Bander user, but he could be an Exer.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean he was going to give up on it. There were always people foolish enough to wade in without any thought.


    ¡°Hey, do you remember the Kakuraks?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Smugglers in the eastern district, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Wasn¡¯t the leader an Expert?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Give him this information. Don¡¯t let it spread to other ces.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you going to do if he takes it away?¡±


    ¡°You idiot. He¡¯s not going to flee and lose all the profit from this ce because of one artifact.¡±


    The Kakuraks were not big, but the profit was still huge. They would never give up their spot for just one small artifact.


    ¡°Oh! Right! I will do it right now!¡±


    Spinn sighed. The man was very loyal but too dumb.


    ¡°How long will I need to train him so that he can think better?¡±


    Spinn then started walking to the district to figure out how to distribute the new drugs that hade into their possession.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no more of these things.¡±


    Sian looked disappointed. There were some artifacts hidden within the items being sold with unknown values. Sian didn¡¯t care much about them as he was too obsessed with what he acquired the other day. He now didn¡¯t even bother to take a look and just sensed the energy waves.


    ¡°Did you think the market would hide some legendary sword or something?¡±


    ¡°Uh... well. It had Aksarai too, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Those kinds of things won¡¯t be here because it looks valuable even at a slight nce.¡±


    ¡°Darn... I guess I won¡¯t find a present for my brother here.¡±


    ¡°That Rian boy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He wanted to give the stuff he had, but Rian¡¯s power would be absorbed the moment he touched any of Sian¡¯s items. The items that Ra-Banders used were not something anyone, including Grand Banders, could wield.


    ¡°Should I look for itter? Is he a Master?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Something like... an armor that strikes lightning to anyone who touches him. That sort of thing should work.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Or one that summons me when he faces any danger.¡±


    Lightning would be much better for the attacker than Sian being summoned. Stiel thought it was good to know that Sian cared a lot for his family and continued following him. Suddenly, someone bumped into Stiel.


    ¡°OUCH!¡±


    ¡°HUH? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The man that ran into Stiel was rolling on the ground, and some other men quickly tended to him.


    ¡°Miss Stiel?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how can I dodge when he runs up to me so suddenly?¡±


    That was a lie because Stiel would not allow someone to bump into her like that. People began gathering and whispering.


    ¡°Hey, stand up now. Don¡¯t be a weakling.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... no... I¡¯m not... ugh...¡±


    It seemed like that man didn¡¯t have good intentions when he bumped into Stiel. She definitely would not let the man go without a beating. This seemed like it was enough for them to realize that they should back off, but the man who looked like the leader of the group shouted from behind.


    ¡°Bastards! You should apologize when you bump into someone!¡±


    Sian decided to apologize. The man really was in a state where he needed an apology.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°WHAT! Is that all? You can¡¯t just say sorry and be done with it! We needpensation!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®Is he dumb?¡¯


    He should¡¯ve realized that Stiel wasn¡¯t the one to be messed with when he saw his man not getting up by just a bump. Yet the man didn¡¯t seem to be bothered. Sian decided it would be better for him to take up the problem. It seemed better than having Stiel beat up all these men and send them to a hospital or graveyard.


    He happened to have another piece of meat that he was chewing on, so he decided to use it again and walked up.


    ¡°Hey... what is that! Is that thepensation in your hand? HAH! ...But,e to think of it, that looks like enough.¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Sian became confused as the man suddenly changed his attitude. Sian hadn¡¯t done anything yet, and neither did Stiel, who was grinning behind him. But he found out soon enough.


    ¡°Hey, baldy! I told you to stop doing that, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    A red-haired woman was walking toward the scene.


    ¡°No-no. I wasn¡¯t doing anything. They bumped into us. I was just going to get an apology.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. You remember what you did a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°No... I changed my way of doing things after that. Haha...¡±


    ¡®These bastards are here again!¡¯


    Kakurak cursed to himself as he saw a groupprised of a man and three womening toward him. This group of people appeared a week ago. They looked suspicious, so he and his group didn¡¯t approach them for the first few days. But when some fool pickpocketed the man, the man didn¡¯t realize he was being robbed. No strong warrior would let that happen.


    The rumor spread quickly. Everyone began aiming to im those beautiful women as their prizes.


    But they were mistaken.


    It was those women who were dangerous.


    They looked like angels, but they had the heart of demons.


    A man from Reto-Kel touched softest-looking woman¡¯s butt and was nearly beaten to death. He was sent to the hospital for bone fractures throughout his body. His group¡¯s hideout was ransacked, and the group then began shopping at the ck Market with the money they looted.


    Kakurak managed to survive with a few beatings as he was only interested in the man, but if he tried to do something to the women, he would probably end up in the hospital too.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to stay here for a while. If you pick on weak people again...¡±


    ¡°No-no. It won¡¯t happen again. We¡¯re just trying to keep the peace of the streets! Boys! Let¡¯s get back to work!¡±


    Kakurak quickly called his men and disappeared. Sian considered that it was good that it was solved and thanked the group.


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s been solved.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Be careful. This ce is filled with bad people. It¡¯s dangerous to walk around.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Stiel burst intoughter from the back. She was disappointed that it didn¡¯t turn into a fight and was now dumbfounded when such weaklings were warning them to be careful.


    ¡°Huh..?¡±


    The red-haired woman then turned to the woman behind the man.


    ¡®Ugh...¡¯


    She always was proud of her good looks, but the woman at the back was even more beautiful. Her skin was fair, and she was tall with long arms and legs.


    As she turned around and returned to her group, she became more irritated as Kelvin, the guy from her group, was looking at the woman with a mesmerized look.


    ¡°UGH.¡±


    ¡°Where.are.you.looking.at. Kelvin?¡±


    ¡°No-no-no. NO- please. Rinna, please.¡±


    Rinna began dragging Kelvin by grabbing his hair, and the other two women disappeared with them.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Miss Stiel, you look proud of yourself. I thought you didn¡¯t care about humans?¡±


    ¡°Victory is always a sweet thing.¡±


    Sian nodded. Those three women were beautiful, but Stiel was one of a kind.


    ¡°Limainu, is it now finished?¡±


    Dekaduin smiled as he watched the magic rune.


    ¡°Yes, Master Dekaduin. I just needed the information, but we do need arge amount of energy for it... Was there a change to the form that I was not aware of?¡±


    Limainu was a genius, but he was still young and untrainedpared to a First Grade Magic Priest. He did y a vital role in this project, but he couldn¡¯t grasp the whole picture as such.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We made the change because we found a way to get more energy. We will be installing it near outer Kerbal to solve the disaster with Lagaopora.¡±


    Limainu was reminded of the city of Kerbal and the disaster that it faced. It seemed the magic rune was going to be a great help to the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea. I think it will show the best result.¡±


    Dekaduin then walked out of the room, and Limainu was left alone to review the information on the magic rune.


    <Warp-Gate>


    He named it because it didn¡¯t have a name yet. It was magic on a different level of power than Ra-Shar-Roa. If this were created, Lagaopora would no longer be useful. It was going to bring hope to Kerbal.


    Limainu began to focus as he was filled with hope that the Warp-Gate would instill hope in many people.

 Chapter 80: Hope of Kerbal

    <h4>Chapter 80: Hope of Kerbal</h4>


    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡±


    Liviath shouted at the man.


    ¡°Liviath, did you hear that it¡¯s finished?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was close,¡± Liviath said in relief. He needed to fully activate the rune, and he barely managed to regain his power in time.


    ¡°We are installing it at Kerbal.¡±


    ¡°Kerbal? The ce at the end of the shortcut?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Liviath looked confused.


    ¡°Why there? That ce is too crowded.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... because people know it as a stronger version of Ra-Shar-Roa. The shortcut has been destroyed, so they are putting it there to use instead.¡±


    Liviath then understood what was going on.


    ¡°Oh. So it¡¯s being put there to connect Kerbal and Margaran?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not something that can be covered up. It¡¯s too big, and think about the number of Talic Stones and people needed for the work.¡±


    Liviath then became curious.


    ¡°I get it. But where are YOU going? You¡¯re not needed.¡±


    The runes were made by Magic Priests, and they had no part in it. Only Liviath was needed to provide the required energy.


    ¡°I want to test it out. I need to know if it works so I can decide to use it when I need it.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll knowter.¡±


    Liviath still couldn¡¯t understand, but he turned away. The man wasn¡¯t one to do something without reason.


    After they were done strolling through the ck Market, Sian was back on a Kerbal road. After looking into various ces, Sian was surprised that Kerbal was calm and peaceful. It had been enough time for Kerbal to hear about what had happened to Margaran, but it seemed like it did not bother them that much. However, Sian soon found out the reason.


    ¡°The Magic Council... they¡¯re amazing.¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°You know, Lagaopora was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°So, they are installing a teleportation rune between here and Margaran.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Stiel became confused. She was once the ruler of a Kingdom and had interest in Exar, so she knew her way around it. A Ra-Shar-Roa was already impossible technology that was only made possible by digging up ancient texts and documents. Yet it did not allow arge number of transportations made at the ports of each city. The sheer cost of Talic Stones would prove to be disastrous.


    Stiel thought there was something else going on and began to listen. She needed to look into it.


    -Ropel, a small fishing vige on the northeastern coast of Broshan-


    Kirat was walking along the coast of Ropel. A status window was alerting her constantly.


    [Quest: Important Acquaintance]


    -Stay at Ropel, a small fishing vige north of Margaran


    -Reward : 0 Exp, friendship with <???>


    Kirat had never received such a quest. It seemed like there was nothing to be earned from such a quest; however, she followed it anyway. The status window never lied to her, and it didn¡¯t seem dangerous.


    Kirat was frustrated. That was why she was walking along the beach to calm herself down.


    ¡®Can I kill him...?¡¯


    She first thought she would be able to kill him if she was prepared, that was not the case. She ran to Margaran once her


    showed that it was dangerous and she positioned herself on higher ground where the evacuees and watched what Sian did.


    He was fishing up an ind. It wasn¡¯t like he beat up the monster. He was just pulling the Six-Horned monster by using pure force. He didn¡¯t look all that tired either.


    That was when she realized that she needed to find another way.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    She sighed as a voice came from behind, ¡°Oh, you were here. But how did you know to wait here?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kirat turned around quickly. She had all sorts of detection and sensing skills invested to ensure her survival. However, she did not realize that someone had crept up next to her.


    A brown-haired man was grinning at her.


    ¡°Say... girl. You have the crown, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kirat became tense as soon as she heard it.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t be afraid. I made it, so I know where it¡¯s at. I just followed the signal.¡±


    Kirat quietly activated her skill.


    [Activating <Eye of Gran-Ra>]


    A more powerful skill than the <Eye of Avant Garde>, it allowed Kirat to view more details on the target. After looking through the status window, Kirat couldn¡¯t believe what she saw.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Girl, what did you just do?¡±


    The man looked surprised, but he still grinned. He then realized something and spoke, ¡°Oh! I wondered how you found the crown and waited for me here... you¡¯re connected to <Aksarai>?¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Kirat was shocked.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be so surprised. I just have all sorts of experiences. I saw it once before, so that¡¯s why I know. But this changes my ns.¡±


    The man began thinking. He was just going to take the crown at first, but he now wanted the girl. The Connector of Aksarai wasn¡¯tmon. He only encountered it once throughout his long life. She would surely be a great help. He then decided to take her with him.


    ¡°Hey, you want to go with me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kirat was baffled by the unexpected offer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you. My motto is to <Never force anyone>, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re unconvinced... look at whatever that you¡¯re looking at. You should see it since you¡¯re the Connector of <Aksarai> right? The offer is good too.¡±


    Kirat looked into the quest window that popped up and all of the other connected quests. After looking into it, she realized that she now had a chance.


    ¡°Okay. I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°You will have goodpensation... good pay... and... huh? You¡¯ve already decided? I¡¯m not done yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to itter.¡±


    ¡°Haha, okay. But we have a training period. You need to do some work for me first. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The man smiled. Kirat also smiled, satisfied that she now had a way to get her revenge.

 Chapter 81: Hope of Kerbal

    <h4>Chapter 81: Hope of Kerbal</h4>


    Limainu was excited by the fact that the great magic rune that was going to be finished soon. He was sometimes sad for living in this world, but he enjoyed times like these.


    A <Warp Gate>!


    It connected two spaces. It was a miracle that was not possible in his world. Limainu was proud that the science he brought and the magic herebined to create amazing things.


    ¡°Limainu, you look overjoyed.¡±


    Dekaduin spoke to him.


    ¡°Oh, Master Dekaduin. We just need the energy source now.¡±


    Limainu pointed at a small tower far in the middle of the rune.


    ¡°But... the energy that¡¯s needed initially is too great.¡±


    Limainu seemed concerned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I found a way.¡±


    Limainu was still questioning the possibility. The energy needed to start this magic was impossible to prepare even in his world. It needed a power that rivaled nuclear power levels.


    ¡°Limainu. How long has it been since you came here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been about three years.¡±


    Dekaduin was one of few who knew about Limainu¡¯s secret.


    It had been three years since he came to this ce. A lot of things happened, and Limainu proved himself to be able to rise to such a level. He was lucky that he met the higher-ranking individuals of the Magical Council.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve never met superhumans.¡±


    Three years wasn¡¯t enough for him to meet such beings.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve only heard of them through stories.¡±


    Superhumans. Beings that he found out through the books. Yet he could not consider them seriously as it didn¡¯t seem realistic.


    ¡°Haha. You should look carefully with your recording device this time, then.¡±


    Limainu became confused, but he soon realized what he meant.


    ¡°Are you saying... a person is going in there?¡±


    ¡°No, not a person. It¡¯s a superhuman.¡±


    Limainu was dumbfounded, but Dekaduin grinned.


    ¡°Your job here is done. It¡¯s time for the magic. You should return to the council.¡±


    Limainu nodded. He acknowledged the fact that he had been a great help, but it was now time for magic to y its part.


    Middle of Kiara Sea.


    There was a small boat in the middle of the sea where the Harijans infested after the destruction of Lagaopora. But this ship, without a sail or paddle, sailed through the sea at an incredible speed. Harijans also didn¡¯t attack it.


    ¡°...Where are we going?¡± Kirat asked the man. The man, who called himself <Lagaope> answered.


    Kirat knew the man¡¯s name was different since she saw it with <Eye of Gran-Ra>, but she decided to not ask him about it and called him Lagaope.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find the experiment target.¡±


    ¡°What experiment?¡±


    ¡°We made something this time. A friend asked me to help out.¡±


    ¡°So why do you need a target?¡±


    ¡°The magic needs to kill a Six-Horn with ease. I need to test that out.¡±


    Kirat couldn¡¯t believe what she heard.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to... oh, you saw it too right? That <Bakuron>? We¡¯re going for his mother.¡±


    ¡®...he¡¯s crazy...¡¯


    Kirat examined the Bakuron¡¯s status. It was level 203. If it weren¡¯t for Sian, the east coast of Broshan would¡¯ve been left in ruins within a few days. But its mother? Harijans grew stronger as they got older. It meant that the Bakuron¡¯s mother was much stronger.


    After hearing the information from Lagaope, a window popped up.


    [Quest: Bring <Barakuna> to <Kerbal>]


    -Get help from <Lagaope> to tame the deep sea <Barakuna> in the Kiara sea.


    -Find <Barakuna> and bring it to <Kerbal>


    -Reward: 3,900,000 Exp (Decreases by 90% when helped), Gain temporary control of <Barakuna>


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die yet,¡± Kirat answered after ncing at the status. The words were normal, but the information it contained was brutal. She had no power to tame such a beast.


    ¡°Hehe, Kirat, I didn¡¯t bring you here to let you die. I have a way.¡±


    ¡°What do you... Oh?¡±


    Kirat turned to the crown she was holding.


    ¡°Yeah, that crown. It¡¯s really good stuff. It was so hard to create, and I almost died trying to get the materials for it.¡±


    The crown did not show much information.


    ¡°Will this be enough?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I told you, it¡¯s good stuff.¡±


    Lagaope grinned and continued, ¡°You¡¯re the Connector of <Aksarai>. You should be able to tame the <Barakuna>. I¡¯ll help you too. We just need to bring it to Kerbal, so it should be easy.¡±


    Lagaope then moved the boat. Kirat thought it was a good choice to follow him. She began to feel that she would have a chance at her revenge if she followed this man around.


    Sian was walking through the city alone since Stiel disappeared after saying that she needed to look into something. Sian then found something interesting. It was the one man, three women group he saw back at the ck Market.


    ¡°Kelvin, you dumb fool! You¡¯ve been robbed again?¡±


    ¡°No... I just... forgot where I left it...¡±


    ¡°Ugh! What have you done!¡±


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t have much anyway... you ate it all up.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    They shouted for a while then took out a g from the bag and raised it. The blue-haired woman who was holding on the g seemed embarrassed.


    <Money betting: Win ten times the money if you win at arm wrestling!>


    Sian looked at them while chewing on the fish meat. It wasmon, but it became popr instantly. It didn¡¯t seem like it was possible to win since the women were all so powerful, but the only reason why was because they were all very beautiful.


    After looking at it for a while, Sian realized the man¡¯s ne looked familiar.


    ¡®Where did I see it? Hm... oh!¡¯


    Sian took out Aksarai and brought up the <Ra-Sian Continent ¨C Artifact Encyclopedia> he was looking through yesterday and came across this artifact information because he really wanted it.


    <Ne of Vows>


    -Creation of the old Magic Priest to keep his loved one. Paired with a ring.


    -Owned by Count Loruan of Karan Kingdom.


    -Skill 1: <Lightning Cloud> ¨C Summons a small lightning cloud to protect the user. A more powerful lightning cloud is created when added together with the user¡¯s Exar.


    -Skill 2: <Ra-Shar-Roa> ¨C If the owner faces danger, it summons the ring wearer.


    ¡®There it is.¡¯


    It was what he wanted badly. The blonde women had the ring, so it was the perfect timing. Sian began to approach them. He needed to join in before they finished up the arm-wrestling contest.


    ¡°Reka, shouldn¡¯t we return now?¡±


    ¡°Rinna, we need to earn as much as we can.¡±


    The blonde spoke to the redhead as she imed victory against the twenty-seventh challenger.


    ¡°Good. Next... hm?¡±


    Reka was confused when a familiar face sat down in front of her.


    ¡°Huh? He¡¯s the one who was with that big breasted woman.¡±


    ¡®...that¡¯s how you remember me?¡¯


    Sian sighed as Reka remembered.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the guy from that time. What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to participate.¡±


    Sian thought he was being unfair, but he wanted the ne so bad that he endured the embarrassment. But Reka mistook Sian¡¯s blush for something different and grinned.


    ¡°Hehe, I know I¡¯m charming, but you shouldn¡¯t flirt with other girls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to hold hands with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Reka looked dumbfounded.


    ¡°How much can I bet here?¡±


    ¡°Uh... haha. Are you rich?¡± Rekaughed.


    ¡°You can bet as much as you can. We don¡¯t have a limit.¡±


    The blue-haired woman smiled as she spoke.


    ¡°Really? What happens if you can¡¯t pay out the prize?¡±


    The blue-haired woman looked at Sian strangely. The attitude only meant that he was sure he was going to win. Their main job was to protect Kelvin, and they had memorized all the strong individuals in the continent; it did not include this man.


    The blue-haired woman, Kurin smiled in relief.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll pay with our belongings.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You said it.¡±


    Sian then took out all talons that Stiel gave him.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Kurin... how much is this?¡±


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s more than 2,000 talons...¡±


    All four of them looked at Sian with suspicious eyes.


    ¡°What, are you afraid?¡±


    ¡°Ha... don¡¯t say we didn¡¯t warn you ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°Reka, I don¡¯t feel good about this.¡±


    ¡°Go away, Kelvin.¡±


    Reka was challenged. She turned to Kurin, asking to see if she recognized him, but she shook her head. Sian was not on their list.


    ¡°You will regret this.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re up for it?¡± Sian asked worriedly. There was no other way if they refused to take up the challenge.


    ¡°What, are you afraid now? It¡¯s toote! Come here!¡±


    Reka snatched Sian¡¯s hands.


    ¡®Why am I always getting involved with rough women?¡¯ Sian thought. But he had achieved what he wanted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it then.¡±

 Chapter 82: Tasha-Dagon

    <h4>Chapter 82: Tasha-Dagon</h4>


    ¡°Hehe...¡±


    When she returned to the room, Stiel found Sian who was grinning on top of the bed.


    ¡°What happened? You look excited.¡±


    ¡°I found something nice.¡±


    Sian showed her a ne and a ring.


    Interested, Stiel asked, ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that the one from yesterday? From the Aksarai? Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°I found it on the road.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You really are lucky at finding things.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Luckes to those who search for it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. You don¡¯t hesitate to take things by force.¡±


    ¡°...You look excited too. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s not much. They were making something interesting nearby, so I paid them a visit.¡±


    ¡°Them? Don¡¯t say you destroyed a few things.¡±


    Sian was concerned as Stiel¡¯s way of doing things wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I just took a look at that magic rune. I didn¡¯t want to destroy it yet.¡±


    Stiel smiled but Sian became worried. Something really annoying always happened when Stiel was excited like that.


    ¡°Sir Liviath. Wee.¡±


    Dekaduin greeted Liviath politely. Liviath nced at Dekaduin and asked, ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You just need to provide energy through your <Way> at the center of the rune. Next is on us.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s simple. But will it really work? Is it safe?¡±


    Liviath looked unconvinced. It was only a smaller size since it was a test, but it needed to be closed when the experiment was done.


    ¡°It was created per Sir Takion¡¯s blueprint and finished with the other world¡¯s knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Takion really was smart. Where¡¯s Lagaope?¡±


    ¡°He took in a new recruit, but he was sessful.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So they are bringing the <Barakuna> then?¡±


    Liviath looked at Dekaduin with a surprised look. He knew about the <Barakuna>. There was time when he went out to the sea to kill it, but he almost got killed. To tame such a monster...


    ¡°Good. So our new recruit is promising then.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t a superhuman yet, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°So when are theying?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, at 2 PM.¡±


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll make quick work of it.¡±


    Liviathughed.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, you look more excited than yesterday.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡®Yeah. It makes me more uneasy.¡¯


    Sian did not speak this out loud. It was because he found Stiel¡¯s nickname while reading through Aksarai.


    <Stantahl the First. Goddess of Disaster>


    Even without the book, there wasn¡¯t one case that ended nicely when Stiel became excited. Now, she was more excited than ever before.


    ¡°Hey! You thief!¡±


    Sian figured it didn¡¯t mean to call an innocent man like him, so he ignored it. But someone called out again.


    ¡°YOU! You who stole our ne!¡±


    ¡°Sian, you steal nes now?¡±


    ¡°I won it fair and square.¡±


    Sian turned back, and sure enough, that voice was calling him.


    ¡°Hm. What is it?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°I brought 20 thousand talons. Give me back the ne!¡±


    ¡°Kurin. Stop.¡±


    It was the blue-haired woman who shouted. The blonde and red-haired women were trying to stop Kurin.


    ¡°Heh. Sian, do we look like we¡¯re easy to pick on?¡± Stielughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but didn¡¯t you promise that you would pay with your belongings? And you made me choose 20 thousand talons worth of items? I only took a ne and a ring.¡±


    ¡°You knew! You knew what it was! That¡¯s... that¡¯s more than 20 million talons!¡±


    Kurin couldn¡¯t continue since she was so enraged. She did say take what he wanted, but they did not expect for Sian to take away the <Ne of Vows>. They couldn¡¯t even react at the unexpected turn of events.


    ¡°20 million...?¡±


    Sian flinched at the price of the item and felt bad. It was true that he approached them, knowing what it was, but he needed the item. There was no way he was going to return it.


    ¡°Do you want me to help you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Miss Stiel, I have no intention of beating them up.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. You just feel bad because it¡¯s expensive right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Sian grimaced as Stiel pointed it out.


    ¡°Wait here.¡±


    Stiel walked toward Kurin.


    ¡°Babies, you need that ne to protect that boy there, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Yes, that is correct.¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t look intimidating so Kurin shouted and did what she wanted, but she couldn¡¯t stand against the woman in front of her like that. It felt like she would be ripped into pieces with one wrong word choice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a resolution. If that ne only serves to save him once... how about Sian here promises to help you all once when you face danger?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Miss Stiel, I can¡¯t follow them around twenty-four hours...¡±


    Stiel didn¡¯t seem bothered.


    ¡°Twenty-four hours? Hehe, let me tell you something about the future.¡±


    ¡°Uh... I don¡¯t think I want to listen to that.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s for your own good. You all will face a danger ande ask for help to Sian in about an hour or so. I guarantee it.¡±


    Sian looked at Stiel with concern. She must¡¯ve seen something yesterday. However, the four of them looked unconvinced. They were afraid of the woman, but they had skills. They thought she meant she woulde to kill them and Sian will protect them from it, but from the look of the man, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    ¡°So, you made a promise. Sian, this is a good bargain if you don¡¯t have too feel bad about taking on such an easy job.¡±


    Sian became rxed. At that moment, Sian turned out to outer Kerbal. He then turned back to Stiel and asked, ¡°...Was that what you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Wow. They must be in a hurry.¡±


    Kurin couldn¡¯t understand what these people were saying. She became confused, but she turned around to the same direction that the man looked toward while ago. There was something approaching from far outside of Kerbal.


    Dekaduin asked the other Magic Priests, ¡°Has Limainu returned?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He has evacuated to safety.¡±


    Only his trusted people were left here. It was the least amount of people needed to activate the rune.


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll activate the rune once Sir Liviath enters it and escape through the Ra-Shar-Roa. Did you install the recording device?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have thirty-six devices installed on top of the hill.¡±


    ¡°We have finished installing the measuring devices... Good. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master Dekaduin.¡±


    Dekaduin led his Magic Priests and moved them to the vital points on the runes. Liviath was watching in the middle while yawning.


    ¡°Ugh, why do they need so many preparations?¡±


    He had been standing there for an hour. However, he was excited to bring out his full power since he hadn¡¯t done so in a while.


    ¡°So I just need to pour power into this ce? Hehe.¡±


    Liviath began activating his way, <Sun>, and everything from within began to change. His body began to change and reorganize itself. It was being recreated to fit the creation of <Sun> from within. Then his body started shining brightly.


    Limainu would¡¯ve been terrified if he had seen this. A man going through a nuclear fusion from within. The powerful energy raged through Liviath¡¯s body, but the energy did not go past the runes as it began to absorb it gregariously.


    ¡°Be careful! Watch closely and control your Exar!¡± Dekaduin shouted as vast energy stormed around the runes. Failure to control it would mean the end of their lives. After a while, the energy that came from Liviath filled the runes in rough but organized manner.


    ¡°It¡¯s done... Go, we will escape now!¡±


    Dekaduin began running away and Liviath jumped out also.


    The people were all gone, but the runes that were ced over hundreds of yards still shined in bright light. Soon, all light was absorbed into the center where Liviath was standing and a red sphere appeared in the air.


    No, it wasn¡¯t a sphere. It was a red hole.


    The hole began to grow in its size and became asrge as a mile wide.


    The great magic, Hell¡¯s Gate <Tasha-Dagon> was opened.

 Chapter 83: Tasha-Dagon

    <h4>Chapter 83: Tasha-Dagon</h4>


    <Tasha-Dagon>


    The ancient word for the Gates of Hell


    It was named by Takion, the leader of the Great Magical Council.


    Hell did not exist. It was just named after it because Takion thought the space past the gate felt like burning hell, and thus named it as such. Takion managed to realize the existence of another dimension and managed tomunicate with beings in another dimension identally.


    However, he had to give up on contacting the dimension for two reasons.


    One was that theycked pure knowledge to open up the dimensional gate.


    Second was that these people from the other dimension would be dangerous if they had the chance to cross over.


    But, danger meant that there was a use for it. Takion pondered on it.


    <Let¡¯s make a gate that allows entry, but nothing cane out of it.>


    The beings inside the gate were too dangerous let out. At the same time, if they made a gate big enough to put the target in, then it would surely kill them all.


    There were three vital points to this:


    1. It stops whatever being is sent from another dimension, weakening any possible iing attacks.


    2. Beings will attack the attacker, so it can be used as an advantage.


    3. The gate can be closed at will so it can be used to dump the target in another dimension.


    This was what Takion thought to handle the enemies, or the Harijans that were impossible to fight against. After doing the research with this in mind, Takion thought it would be like going into hell when going through this gate, thus naming as such.


    There was just one problem.


    The gate to connect two dimensions was never researched, so theycked information. As Takion grew tired, a man appeared.


    Limainu.


    iming to have arrived from another dimension, Limainu was thankful that the Council was protecting him. Takion was most thankful. He urged the Council to fully aid Limainu¡¯s research. Limainu was very a smart man in his own world and was a great help due to the different knowledge he had.


    With that knowledge, <Tasha-Dagon> was now finished.


    However, there were two questions.


    1. How effective will it be?


    2. Will it activate as expected?


    Those questions led to the test. It seemed like it might be little too much, so Takion decided to contact his old friends. They agreed to help. If the rune worked and sessfully got rid of the <Barakuna>, it would be a sess.


    ¡°Hehe. What do you think? Isn¡¯t it better to ask for your life now?¡±


    Kelvin had been fainted long ago because of the giant flow of Exaring from outer area of Kerbal. Kurin and the other two women were looking at each other with grim look. They couldn¡¯t figure out what was happening, but one thing was certain.


    They needed to leave the city.


    It seemed like there was still time. The power was great, but it didn¡¯t seem evil and it didn¡¯t affect anything yet, so it looked like it was possible for them to run away.


    Rinna took up Kelvin on her back and the three of them decided to run to the opposite side of the energy. The sight of a gigantic mountain appearing from another side stopped them.


    ¡°Oh, so you want to go that way? You should¡¯ve started earlier.¡±


    A mountain was screaming with a gigantic roar as it approached. It seemed like it was still miles away from the city, but it was still visible. It wasing directly toward the city.


    ¡°Ugh...¡¯


    Kirat grabbed the crown. Her head was aching really badly.


    ¡®I can¡¯t do this twice...¡¯


    [<Rokhan¡¯s Wisdom> has sessfully resisted the decrease of intelligence.]


    [<Rokhan¡¯s Wisdom> has partially resisted the decrease of intelligence. Your intelligence has decreased and will be restored after 24 hours.]


    [Your Exar storage is at 35%.]


    [You have gained a 75% increase in effectiveness due to the <Connector of Aksarai> title.]


    [Mysterious energy flows through you, increasing your body¡¯s regeneration. Exar Regeneration increased by 550%.]


    [Mysterious energy flows through you, helping your effectiveness of using artifact <Crown of Chrona¡¯s Horn> by 200%]


    With all her activated skills and Lagaope¡¯s help, she barely managed to make it walk. It was barely possible because Lagaope had to fight with the Barakuna to make room for the mind control.


    Lagaope spoke from behind.


    ¡°How is it? I know it¡¯s hard, but isn¡¯t it doable?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can do it better, but that won¡¯t do. I won¡¯t be a whole lot better anyway, and you need to do your part too. The previous Connector was amazing. I think you can do better than him.¡±


    Lagaope was a very talkative man. Kirat couldn¡¯t spare the time to talk. She was busy controlling the instincts being sent to her by the <Barakuna>.


    <Kill it...>


    <Rip it apart...>


    <Destroy it...>


    <Eat it...>


    All sorts of destructive instincts flowed through Kirat and she controlled it to guide the <Barakuna> toward the part of Kerbal where the <Tasha-Dagon> was installed.


    ¡°So... we just need to put her into that Hell Gate?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll see what happens next. Takion asked me to see the oue.¡±


    The <Tasha-Dagon> was made at a much smaller scale this time. If the oue didn¡¯t exceed the expected result, the magic would be scrapped. If it did exceed, then it would be made bigger next time.


    ¡®Even the experiment is unbelievablyrger in scale...¡¯ Kirat thought. These superhumans were different. It was as the Great Elder had said. These people did not care about humans. Even this experiment was being tested for fun. The reason it was being installed at Kerbal was simple. It was easy to take the Barakuna there to move the necessary ingredients over.


    They did not care if Kerbal was popted with millions of people.


    The man in front of her was no different. He would¡¯ve killed her if she wasn¡¯t the <Connector of Aksarai>. She was taken care of because she was useful.


    That being said, she did not care. She joined him because she could use them for her purpose and she didn¡¯t care about humans either. At that moment, a status window popped up.


    [Questpleted]


    -Reward: 270,000 Exp. <Crown of ???> Proficiency increased 2.5%


    This wasn¡¯t over. Another quest popped up.


    [Quest appeared. [Chance of a lifetime.]]


    [Will you ept? YES/NO]


    Kirat was dumbfounded by the quest, but she became overjoyed at the description.


    ¡°Huh? You look excited all of a sudden?¡± Lagaope asked. Kirat smiled and answered.


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy that we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s Kerbal. Good work.¡±


    Lagaope nodded. Kirat looked at the red sphere in the distance. There was powerful Exar flowing through the sphere, but it didn¡¯t seem that dangerous to her.


    ¡°Is it that dangerous?¡± Kirat asked, and Lagaope grinned.


    ¡°You think she will walk into it if it looked that dangerous? <Tasha-Dagon> is created with everything taken into consideration. It¡¯s beyond your expectations.¡±


    Kirat, however, smiled ominously at that word.


    Sian looked at the red sphere from distance. It wasrge, but there was nothing special about it. As he looked more closely, there was something inside. Some were few feet to few hundred feet. They looked all different but they all had one thing inmon. They all looked vicious and evil. It seemed like they wanted toe out from the sphere as they were wing from within. The sphere was blocking the energying from the beings inside, but if it didn¡¯t, half of poption would¡¯ve gone mad by now.


    Sian wasn¡¯t worried about that side. No matter how evil it was, there was no way for it toe out of the sphere. The problem was the other side.


    The fish from a while ago was nothingpared to the oneing here. It was same type of Six-Horn, but the size and power was different. It wasn¡¯t tied up anding closer to raze through the city. The coast was already being destroyed by the waves created by the monster.


    The monster¡¯s arrival wasn¡¯t obvious, but it sure looked like it wasing toward the red sphere.


    Sian turned to Stiel and sighed.


    Goddess of Disaster.


    This wasn¡¯t Stiel¡¯s fault, but Sian understood the reason for the nickname and realized that he needed to do some work.

 Chapter 84: Tasha-Dagon

    <h4>Chapter 84: Tasha-Dagon</h4>


    ¡°Did you know?¡±


    Stiel replied, ¡°No. I didn¡¯t know about the other side.¡±


    She expected the red sphere to create something more interesting, but it did not. She couldn¡¯t understand why it was created in the first ce. Walking into it might¡¯ve meant something different, but no one in their right mind would walk into it anyway.


    Instead, the gigantic mountain approaching from the sea was unexpected as a whole.


    ¡°I will lose.¡±


    Stiel grimaced. Even with the <Armor of the Seven Stars>, she had no chance. Sian nced at both sides and turned to Kelvin.


    ¡°What will you do now? I did make a promise so...¡±


    Kurin looked at Sian with disbelief and spoke.


    ¡°What are you trying to do? Don¡¯t say that you¡¯re going to beat that monster up.¡±


    Sian looked at her with a weird expression.


    ¡°What do you mean? We should run away. Why would you want to fight a monster like that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone was dumbfounded at such a correct answer. It seemed like they were able to run away if that woman helped them. Stiel seemed to think differently.


    ¡°Huh? Why aren¡¯t you fighting Sian? I might lose, but you can win.¡±


    The four of them were shocked as they turned to Sian. Stiel didn¡¯t look like she was joking either and their faces became pale. Especially Kurin, she felt a shiver running through her spine as she had been provoking Sian until now.


    Sian looked at them and answered casually.


    ¡°With that? Oh no... it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got anything to do with that.¡±


    ¡®What a character.¡¯


    Stiel couldn¡¯t understand. Even she had the urge to try fighting with the monster even when she knew she would lose. She would¡¯ve probably already gone to fight it if she didn¡¯t have her target of interest already.


    Sian would be a good match for it.


    She couldn¡¯t understand why Sian wasn¡¯t interested.


    After hearing them talk, Reka became angry and asked, ¡°Are you saying you will not fight it even when you can defeat it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but probably...¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t thousands of people survive if you defeat that monster?¡±


    ¡°Uh... I guess so,¡± Sian answered. Many will die anyway if he decided to fight, but more will survive if he did defeat it.


    ¡°And you¡¯re not fighting it! You¡¯re so irresponsible!¡±


    Reka and other women looked at Sian with disgusted looks. They were trained in chivalry from Kharan¡¯s Knighthood and they couldn¡¯t understand the strong not protecting weak. Sian didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°So you three are going to fight him? Then, I¡¯ll just be on my way. Are you going to stay here too? Miss Stiel?¡±


    Stiel shook her head and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, no-no. I¡¯m going with you, of course.¡±


    ¡°You looked like you wanted to fight.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no way.¡±


    ¡®You cold bastard.¡¯


    Stiel ranted from within.


    ¡°Good. So Miss Stiel ising... and you all are staying behind, right?¡±


    Sian spoke casually and the three of them panicked.


    ¡°N-no. I mean...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you just say you wished to protect the city?¡± Sian asked as he was curious as to why they were changing their position.


    ¡°We can¡¯t even rescue one person!¡± Reka shouted.


    Sian replied coldly, ¡°So, you won¡¯t do it if you can¡¯t get good results?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Anyone can do it if good results are guaranteed, right? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s taking responsibility.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only when you do it regardless of the possible oue.¡±


    ¡®Wow, you¡¯ve learned how to speak now.¡¯


    Stiel was impressed, but this was possible since it was what Sian had been taught since he was very young.


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not responsible for all those people. Why would I? At least I¡¯m being responsible for the four of you.¡±


    This was Sian¡¯s thought process.


    ¡°No... a man of your power must be responsible!¡± Rinna shouted with rage.


    ¡°You did learn well. I respect your righteousness.¡±


    Sian spoke to the women who were speaking of same thing as his father.


    ¡°But you are mistaking one thing. Great power brings great privilege. Why does power bring responsibility? Power and privilege are the same thing. It¡¯s just that others wish for the one with great power to be responsible for a lot of things.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I guessmon people have no way to do away with such responsibility... but I can¡¯t exin too much. I¡¯m not your teacher and it¡¯s my personal opinion. So, what are you going to do?¡± Sian asked. There was not much time left if he wanted to run away with ease. They looked at each other and bowed.


    ¡°...Help us.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would say that.¡±


    What was followed wasn¡¯t what Sian expected.


    ¡°Take Kelvin. We will stay behind.¡±


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Sian was surprised. They just chose to honor their virtue over their lives.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t what I wanted...¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t because of the promise. It was because of his inner conscious was growing stronger.


    <What are you doing? Go kill that monster.>


    <That¡¯s not enough. Just jump into that hole.>


    <One isn¡¯t enough. Go in together with that monster.>


    <Kill all of them.>


    His conscious tempted him even now, but he was barely ignoring it. It was really dangerous this time. He never feared death until now. Stiel was worried about that gigantic monster, but that was because she couldn¡¯t feel the monsters inside the red sphere. That Six-Horn was like a babypared to the monsters inside the sphere. Stiel wouldn¡¯tst a second if she jumped into the sphere. Sian couldn¡¯t understand why it was even opened.


    ¡®Why was that opened in first ce?¡¯


    It was too much to kill the Six-Horned. That was why Sian was pushing down his temptation. He wanted to ensure his survival.


    The city was in chaos. People were running in all directions for their lives.


    Sian scratched his head and found the resolution.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you doing?¡±


    Stiel turned to Sian. He was walking out.


    ¡®Is he trying to help them?¡¯


    It seemed impossible to Stiel who had been observing Sian for a while now.


    ¡®Does he like them that much?¡¯


    Stiel thought that was a possibility, but Sian¡¯s hand flew at that moment.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    And three women who were walking toward city fell to the ground.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s run now.¡±


    Sian picked up the four of them like a pair of sacks and turned to Stiel.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to help? You can just make it turn around.¡±


    That was what Stiel expected. She was sure that Sian wasn¡¯t going to pull his sleeves to make work of the monster, yet the monster didn¡¯t seem to be interested in the city either. It would only require a few smacks to make it avoid the city on its way to the sphere.


    ¡°Oh. Yeah, I did think about that, but it really feels bad this time.¡±


    Sian did consider it, but he decided to follow his instincts. He did not want to go near the bomb. He wanted to stay as far away as possible from the sphere.


    ¡°Is it that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And the owner of ne is him. I thought it would be good to keep the promise to the owner.¡±


    Sian could¡¯ve letdies follow their wishes, but he decided to keep the promise to the owner of ne. The man¡¯s wish probably did not include the death of those three women. Even at expense of the lives of the Kerbal citizens.


    ¡°So... you wish to save these four?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s because of your promise, so you should take two of them.¡±


    Sian asked Stiel to share the work.


    ¡°No-no. I¡¯ll take them all. You do have good sense.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian was surprised by the unexpected answer.


    ¡°I was going to help you... but you want to save these four so... I will have them be escorted to safety. Good luck!¡±


    ¡°What do you-¡±


    Stiel began darting off into the mountain, to the opposite side of the ocean.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    Then a blue energy ray struck against Sian.

 Chapter 85: Apental

    <h4>Chapter 85: Apental</h4>


    ¡°What... what is this... Kirat, what happened? Huh?¡±


    Lagaope became confused as the Barakuna was enraged and breathed a fire attack toward the city. Lagaope looked at Kirat who had fainted.


    ¡°Oh man...¡±


    He picked up the crown and put it on his head, but it didn¡¯t work. It seemed like the connection with Kirat was still intact. Lagaope couldn¡¯t understand what happened, so he picked up Kirat on his back. The Barakuna was now charging straight toward the city of Kerbal. The tremor was enough to destroy Kirat¡¯s internal organs if left alone, so Lagaope put her up on his back and jumped up.


    As he jumped up, something flew straight into the Barakuna and struck it.


    Lagaope was shocked and turned back.


    The Barakuna was thrown off and was dazed. Something was approaching from the distance.


    ¡°Oh no.¡±


    He needed to avoid it or else Kirat would be dead if he got involved. Lagaope activated his wristband, and the area around it swallowed both Lagaope, Kirat, and the Barakuna¡¯s gigantic body passed through where they were.


    Sian jumped out as he watched his Chrona-Phon piercing the monster¡¯s face. The monster which was the size of a mountain almost fell to the side, but it quickly managed to stand back on its feet. The simple footstep created arge tsunami on the coast, destroying the half-intact Kerbal again.


    But Sian didn¡¯t care. The city was already done for after the first explosion.


    The monster used its eight legs to lift itself and swung at Sian. It was much bigger than Fish No.1, but it looked quicker. Sian struck his Chrona-Phon at the front leg. When the monster was struck by Sian¡¯s sword, it was pushed back as if it were hit by a meteor, but it kepting back again and again.


    ¡®Why is this... still...¡¯


    Sian was amazed at his first fight with a Harijan.


    One reason was because of its enormous power.


    The second was its viciousness.


    It was not a human, nor was it a superhuman. It did not learn anything and did not have Bander or Exar. Yet it was very strong. Three superhumans from Lagran weren¡¯t enough to fight it. Still, it was no match for Sian.


    That was what he couldn¡¯t understand. The monster should¡¯ve known, but it kept charging at him as if it had met a life-long enemy. Sian couldn¡¯t let the monster live when it was trying to kill him. He began sending Bander into his wrist. A light began covering his entire body.


    <Kill it... Kill it...>


    <Rip it apart...>


    <Swallow it...>


    Kirat couldn¡¯t think straight as the Barakuna¡¯s instinct kept invading her. She also felt all the pain that the Barakuna felt as Sian struck it. Now she was able to control the monster.


    The monster wasn¡¯t something that could be controlled by Kirat¡¯s power. So she decided to let the monster loose and only sent her own feelings.


    Her memory and feelings toward Sian.


    The monster was enraged at Sian in return. Its rage was growing stronger as Sian kept shing it. Its rage was strong enough to overwhelm its survival instinct.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. That was why she needed to fulfill her quest.


    [Chance of a lifetime]


    -Your target is at the city of Kerbal. It is the chance of a lifetime. You should aim for the sess for your revenge.


    -Control the <Barakuna> to push the target into the <Dungeon: Gate to Apental>


    -The <Gate to Apental> will close soon.


    -Time limit: 15 minutes (7:21/15:00)


    -Reward: 420,000 Exp. <Crown of ???> Proficiency increased by 3.1%


    -Warning: Do not enter the <Gate to Apental>. You cannot return from it.


    Kirat didn¡¯t understand what this <Gate to Apental> was, but she quickly realized that it was the red sphere that was now big enough for the Barakuna to go through. She wasn¡¯t sure why it would be so dangerous. So she used <Eye of Gran-Ra> to look at it. She couldn¡¯t get much information out of it, but one line of description was enough. She didn¡¯t need to win. She just needed to push the guy in there.


    <Gate to Apental>


    ...


    -Level requirement: 399


    ...


    -Very dangerous. Do not approach.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Kurin opened her eyes as she felt the tremor and touched her head.


    ¡®...what happened?¡¯


    She thought she was on her way to evacuate the citizens, but she couldn¡¯t remember anything else past that.


    ¡®Was I attacked?¡¯


    There was a possibility that the walking mountain could¡¯ve done something. She then quickly looked around looking for her friends and found all of them nearby. What was interesting was that they were all awake but they were looking at another ce. Kurin couldn¡¯t think to ask and tried to look to where they were watching, but a voice stopped her, forcing her to turn in that direction.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    It was Stiel. She was grinning.


    ¡°...what happened?¡±


    ¡°I paid for the ne and the ring instead. I saved you four in return of the ne that can save one, so you owe me, but I¡¯ll let it go.¡±


    ¡®...Ne...?¡¯


    Kurin then remembered the bargain they made with them.


    <I¡¯ll save you all for the ne.>


    She decided to ask again, but stopped. Arge explosive sound came from the distance and she turned around to look at the scene her friends were looking at.


    ¡°It did pay off, right?¡±


    Kurin couldn¡¯t agree more. The city where they were staying at wasid in ruins.


    It wasn¡¯t because of the gigantic monster. The monster was just rolling around as it was struck and beaten up into the city. On the other side was shining being in the sky.


    ¡°...is that?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he marvelous? I hope he always lives like that.¡±


    Stiel mumbled as she marbled at the sight of Sian. Kurin realized it was the same, weak-looking man she saw before, but she couldn¡¯t agree with Stiel. A man of such power should not live however he pleased.


    The fight was almost over.


    The sphere was now shrinking into nothing and the monster only had three of its horns left. It was barely breathing. The light in the sky seemed to realize this and was loosening its power.


    At that moment, the monster began charging toward the sphere.


    ¡°What is that mad cow doing?¡± Stiel spoke as she looked at the cow-like monster with broken horns andughed. The sphere had shrunk too much; only the monster¡¯s head could barely fit. Needless to say, the monster was stuck with its head in the sphere.


    ¡°What is it doing?¡±


    Something happened. At that moment, the monster¡¯s mouth fired an enormous amount energy into the sphere, something much stronger than the previous one that destroyed half the city earlier.


    And vicious energy began radiating from within the sphere.


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    The four of them gasped and screamed at once as they felt the energy and fainted. It was very far, but it still was powerful and Stiel frowned. At that moment, something prated the crushing Barakuna¡¯s head and shot out from within.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    It was an arm. But it was so fast and so long that it looked like a red line. It snatched Sian up out of the sky. Then it pulled it back at an incredible speed and as it returned back into the sphere. Then the sphere sealed itself up, leaving only the headless Barakuna on the ground.

 Chapter 86: Apental

    <h4>Chapter 86: Apental</h4>


    ¡°...What was he?¡±


    Liviath asked Lagaope. Lagaope looked concerned also. It wasn¡¯t any Ra-Bander they knew. There was no Ra-Bander that they didn¡¯t know of until now.


    However, that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It went in there. It¡¯s as good as dead.¡±


    The experiment was a sess. They barely witnessed the power of the <Tasha-Dagon>, but it was enough. Both of them felt the power of the monsters beyond the gate the slight moment when the Barakuna destroyed the wall. If the Tasha-Dagon was open for a longer period of time, it would¡¯ve been really dangerous.


    ¡°We should let Takion strengthen the barrier. It shouldn¡¯t be destroyed that easily.¡±


    ¡°Well... it was attacked from here. It won¡¯t be destroyed from within.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we need to be careful.¡±


    There were a few other things that needed to be fixed, but it was okay. They had seen the power of the <Tasha-Dagon>.


    Lagaope then thought of another matter.


    ¡®Kirat...¡¯


    Kirat wasn¡¯t regaining her consciousness. He couldn¡¯t see the reason why.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy so I¡¯ll return first. Come back when you¡¯re done, Liviath.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sure. We earned a lot this time.¡±


    Liviath answered and Lagaope agreed. They gained the <Connector of Aksarai>, results of the <Tasha-Dagon>, and a now-gone new superhuman. It was a shame that the Barakuna died so easily, but it was okay.


    After Lagaope returned with Kirat, Liviath began erasing the traces of the Tasha-Dagon, but it seemed that he had used too much power. Someone was approaching.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just run, I guess,¡± Liviath mumbled. It was Stantahl.


    Stantahlnded on the ground like a meteor and looked at Liviath fiercely.


    ¡°Hey, long time no see.¡±


    Liviath remembered fighting against her, but he had no hard feelings and greeted her. It wasn¡¯t anything much and superhumans were too rare to make enemies with each other.


    ¡°...open it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°Open it right now, you stupid old man!¡± Stantahl shouted in rage.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not involved in this!¡±


    Liviath shouted back. He realized what was going on. The superhuman that was beating up the Barakuna was someone she knew, but there was no evidence. He just needed to lie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you lie... there¡¯s no one who can open that thing other than you. Besides, I saw you preparing it with your <Way>.¡±


    Stiel gritted her teeth.


    ¡®Ugh, she was watching then.¡¯


    He thought Stantahl would not hide and peek, but he was wrong.


    ¡°Uh... I just provided the power. I don¡¯t know how to open it. Don¡¯t you see the runes that were all destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Then bring them back here. Who made this evil thing anyway?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important. What are you going to do after you open it?¡±


    ¡°Bring him back!¡±


    ¡°From there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel couldn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°You saw what was in there. You want me to open it up?¡±


    Liviath was right. Stiel also felt what was inside when the monster destroyed the part of the barrier. Monsters had no feelings. It just looked as if it was looking at its prey. It was probably why it took Sian. It was looking at which was best for its food. If the sphere stayed open for a while longer, it would¡¯ve been Liviath or Stiel herself.


    She had no way to save Sian if the gate was opened. Liviath then spoke to her.


    ¡°See, you can¡¯t do it even if we re-open it. Besides, we can¡¯t do it anyway.¡±


    Liviath was annoyed that he had to make excuses, but he needed to be careful. This woman didn¡¯t care if she became angered. It would only take a matter of seconds when for her to be angry and start beating him up. Liviath knew he could not win against her.


    ¡®Ugh. I should¡¯ve just followed Lagaope.¡¯


    Stiel was shouting and stomping on the ground with rage. The ground trembled as she stomped on it and Kerbal, which was already in ruins, crumbled each time she stomped. Liviath flinched and backed away. This was what she did right before she jumped at him when Liviath imed that he was going to take the well.


    ¡°Uh... I¡¯m going then. See youter.¡±


    Liviath turned away and froze in ce.


    ¡°Huh...?¡±


    The ce where the sphere was at began cracking.


    ¡°Sian! I knew it! I knew it!¡±


    Stiel shouted in excitement. He was a man of stronger power. He was returning.


    But Stiel froze. And so did Liviath.


    ¡°Oh no...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of you! Dammit!¡±


    And two began running away. After they ran, the space began to crack more and was crushed. Then a red arm that snatched Sian a while ago popped out of it. It was now holding on to the opening to make stay it open.


    Liviath and Stiel didn¡¯t run because of the monster. They were definitely terrified, but what was behind it was much more. The hand had no body. There was nothing left behind the hand as it held on to the openings of the crack.


    The rage that made Stiel and Liviath run shouted from within.


    ¡°AHHHHRGH! WHO OPENED THIS DAMN THING! I¡¯LL KILL YOU!!!¡±


    Liviath shook and rubbed his arms that had goosebumps as he heard the shout from far away. He already ran as far as he could, but he couldn¡¯t believe the terror.


    ¡®This is mad...¡¯


    He knew the man was strong, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this much. A living being¡¯s instinct was only brought up when it became the most dangerous. It seemed like nothing was enough to threaten the man at that level. Yet the ce beyond <Tasha-Dagon> seemed like it was enough.


    The man had unleashed its viciousness and returned from hell. A man like him needed to run to avoid such wrath. But...


    ¡°Hey, why are you running? Aren¡¯t you his friend?¡±


    ¡°Uh... yeah... but...¡±


    Stantahl looked scared, so Liviath became interested. It was first time he saw her being afraid like this. She only looked rxed or like a beast. Liviath never made fun of Stantahl. He wasn¡¯t much different after all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have to talk to him anymore, so I¡¯ll go on my way. What about you?¡±


    It was after they ran away about eighty miles when Liviath turned to the direction where Kerbal was and spoke.


    He had no intention ofing close to Kerbal anymore.


    ¡°I should go back... it looks like he¡¯s calming down a bit too.¡±


    Stantahl felt the energy subsiding and spoke. It was a bit too early, so she decided to return a bitter.


    ¡°But who is he? I¡¯ve never seen him before,¡± Liviath asked. It was good to know.


    Stiel thought about it and decided to tell him. There was no point in hiding it as Sian had destroyed two cities in a month already. It was better to tell him and tell Liviath to avoid him. She decided to tell him some parts, and when she was done, she began heading back to Kerbal.

 Chapter 87: Apental

    <h4>Chapter 87: Apental</h4>


    Stiel approached carefully from a distance.


    A beast was the most dangerous when it was injured. Especially when it just got out of the brink of death.


    Stiel knew Sian in his normal state, but this wasn¡¯t something she could expect so she was being careful. She saw Sian sitting down where the sphere was. There was no sign of the space and Stiel sped up. She was surprised when she found that Sian had fainted while sitting down.


    Everything he had was broken. The <Armor of the Seven Stars> turned to gray and the jewels in the bracelet were destroyed. The <Spear of the War God> and the <Hand of Gran-Ra> were also crushed into pieces and Sian was full of injuries. Everything was being healed at an incredible speed, so it looked like he was in worse shape than when he just got out of the gate. It looked like he just survived a perilous fight in there.


    But she knew.


    He had be much stronger.


    He was half-naked and injured, but he felt stronger than when he fought against the <Barakuna> with the various artifacts. It was strong enough for Stiel to sense it.


    ¡°So it was true...¡¯


    It was true that he would break the barrier if he faced a near-death experience. It was the only way for Sian to ovee it. Stiel began to feel her heart pounding. It wasn¡¯t a simple romantic feeling. It was as if she was looking at the birth of a hero, or a God that deserved respect.


    Stiel then picked Sian up on her back and jumped out. As she moved out, she found the four people that she had left by the road. They were moving to the next closest city.


    ¡®So, they were alive.¡¯


    Stiel was very excited right now, so she decided to take them with her. It wasn¡¯t because she needed helping hands to care for Sian.


    <Kurait>, located north of Kiara, it was the border city next to Kharan. There was a big building in the middle of the city.


    Headquarters of the Exalted Magical Council.


    <Ra-Intaro>


    Ancient word meaning <ce of finding wisdom¡¯s light.>


    It was where the most intelligent people on the Ra-Sian Continent gathered to share their research and aim for higher intelligence.


    At the top of such talented individuals was the leader, Takion.


    His office was always quiet as he loved being alone, but today was a little different.


    ¡°So... that¡¯s what happened.¡±


    Takion was talking with Lagaope. They were talking about Kirat.


    ¡°Yeah. She copsed all of a sudden and the Barakuna began running rampant.¡±


    ¡°And the Barakuna stuck its head into the sphere and died?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The head was cut off. They probably feasted on it.¡±


    Lagaope scowled at the thought of it. Even in his long life, he never experienced such terrifying monsters.


    ¡°You knew this girl was a Granine?¡±


    ¡°Of course. And she¡¯s the <Connector of Aksarai>. That¡¯s why I brought her.¡±


    ¡°So you let her use the crown?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I thought it was going to be okay.¡±


    Lagaope shook his head as he couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Hmm... Let me take a look.¡±


    Takion began examining Kirat by using various magic abilities such as Exar and turned to Lagaope.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the results first. There¡¯s no more Kirat.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why? That shouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Kirat¡¯s power was one of a kind. It should¡¯ve been saved. Lagaope looked confused.


    ¡°This girl sent her spirit into the Barakuna identally.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°I think being a Granine allowed her to do that. There was no way for her to make the Barakuna run rampant like that.¡±


    Kirat thought she was able to make the Barakuna run rampant by the power of the crown, but she was wrong. It was the result of a <Granine>¡¯s power and the crown¡¯s powerbined that made the Barakuna lose its control on attacking such a powerful enemy and ram into the sphere as a suicidal attack. A Harijan¡¯s survival instinct would not let that happen if it wasn¡¯t controlled.


    ¡°But... couldn¡¯t she juste out of it before it was toote?¡±


    ¡°Yes... only if it didn¡¯t stick its head into the Tasha-Dagon. It must have been painful.¡±


    She nned to return at the end, but it was unfortunate that the head was stuck in there. It was the ce where no spirit could return. Her spirit was probably ripped apart from within.


    ¡°Oh man... that¡¯s no good.¡±


    Lagaope scratched his head as if he had lost something important. Takion smiled.


    ¡°Kirat is gone, but the <Connector of Aksarai> still remains.¡±


    Lagaope brightened up instantly.


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The poweres from the heart and brain, so if we keep this body and put in a new soul, we can revive the Connector.¡±


    ¡°Oh. HAHAHA! That¡¯s good then. We¡¯ll revive one and put it back,¡± Lagaope shouted. It was good that they were sessful with the Tasha-Dagon, but that was another good piece of information. Kirat was skilled, but she was too weak. Lagaope only needed the <Connector of Aksarai>, so that was fine. As a Granine, it was also going to be useful to nt the spirit.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to prepare a lot then.¡±


    Lagaope smiled. He needed to prepare for the spirit transfer while Takion needed to strengthen and adjust the <Tasha-Dagon>.


    ¡®But why is Liviath noting back?¡¯


    Lagaope became curious as Liviath should¡¯ve returned a long time ago.


    Sian could not sleep throughout the night. He was not enraged anymore as he had more interesting things in front of him. He was examining his body which was now above the level. It was full of power. He thought he could not be any stronger, but it wasn¡¯t true. After a week of fighting against those evil things, he became much stronger than ever before.


    He overcame the barrier, but he didn¡¯t really ovee the barrier.


    He thought oveing the barrier would mark the end, but that was not the case.


    He did ovee one barrier, but there wasn¡¯t just one. There was one more in front and it looked like there were a lot more he needed to break. Just breaking one barrier did make him much more powerful.


    He vowed to run away when something like this happened again.


    Until now, he thought that it might be good to face such danger and break the barrier and be done with it. However, that was because he had never felt such danger. After experiencing it, he decided to never try it anymore. It was a terrible experience.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think there can be any more danger though...¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t think of any situation that might be dangerous for him anymore.


    ¡®Maybe I¡¯m too strong now. Hehe.¡¯


    Sian smiled happily and decided to sleep.

 Chapter 88: Gron-Pilah

    <h4>Chapter 88: Gron-Ph</h4>


    Coupin, a small city nearby Kerbal, became busy.


    Kerbal had fallen due to the giant monster invasion. Luckily, the monster was defeated by the Warp Gate magic rune that was installed by the Magical Council prior to the incident.


    Everyone praised the council foring to their aid.


    The investigation report showed that the monster was a Six-Horned Harijan, which meant that its dead body would be put to good use in various ces.


    It was sad that a city had been destroyed, but it was also fortunate that the damage did not expand to arger part of the nation.


    There were a few who knew the truth as there were very little survivors. Those survivors were either mad or were considered to be mad because of the trauma.


    The six people who knew the truth and were not mad were also at Coupin.


    ¡°So... I think I¡¯ll go home for now.¡±


    Sian told Stiel about his ns. He made the decision yesterday.


    He did not n to quit traveling, but he thought it was a good time to go back and give the present he bought while he passed Tian for his next destination. Stiel agreed.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not going after them?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t remember. You swore that you¡¯d kill those people that opened the gate, remember?¡±


    Stiel cackled as she imitated how Sian roared as he got out of the gate. Sian blushed.


    ¡°Uh... yeah. Well, I was angry back then. I¡¯m not going after them.¡±


    It was the Exalted Magical Council who was behind the red sphere, but Sian heard that it was opened due to some unforeseen miscalctions. Even if they did intend to open it, he¡¯d already killed the monster and the monsters inside, so he had no reason to me the council.


    Besides, he was swept in by pure misfortune, so it did not make sense to go after them.


    ¡°You¡¯re too logical sometimes. You should follow your heart, you know. But it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Stiel smiled as if she expected such an answer.


    ¡°Yeah. So are you going back to Taran?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not going back home.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then where are you going?¡± Sian asked again, curious.


    ¡°Tian.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Roa-Tian.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, since we have the same destination, we can go together.¡±


    Sian became worried, but realized Stiel had been a nicepany. She hadn¡¯t caused any trouble so far, and so he decided to agree.


    ¡°Oh well. I don¡¯t see any reason not to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Show me around when we get there.¡±


    Sian then turned to the man and the three women standing next to them.


    ¡°And you guys...¡±


    ¡°Uh... yes. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of me. I¡¯m sorry about the ne... but I think I did best I could to repay it.¡±


    Sian knew they helped him when he was unconscious, so he showed his thanks.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re grateful that you saved us. We¡¯ll go on our ways then.¡±


    The four of them wanted to leave as soon as possible. They probably would¡¯ve left already if it wasn¡¯t for Stiel who made them stay.


    It wasn¡¯t because they were afraid. A city-shattering monster and a superhuman who easily subdued such a monster. They were ashamed of their weak selves inparison to Sian and wanted to return to reality.


    ¡°Huh? Are you not taking them with you?¡±


    After spending time with four of them, Stiel realized it was good to have ves. Sian noticed the four of them flinching when Stiel said that and sighed.


    ¡°We should go our separate ways. I hope you all have a good time on your journey.¡±


    Sian bid farewell to those four and went to the Ra-Shar-Roa with Stiel.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too nice? It¡¯s hard to find ones like them, you know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Isn¡¯t it good to travel around with just us two sometimes?¡±


    ¡°Oh... yeah. Of course, haha.¡±


    Sian had no other intentions with his words, but Stiel became happy and grinned.


    After Sian rented a room for Stiel to stay, he returned home.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m home.¡±


    ¡°Sian, wee back. Haven¡¯t you returned a bit early?¡±


    Sian¡¯s mother became surprised when she saw Sian returning so early.


    ¡°Oh, I just had some business here. Are Father and Brother here?¡±Sian asked.


    ¡°Oh, they are not in the capital right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Lots of things changed since you were gone. Let¡¯s get something to eat first, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother. Oh and this...¡±


    ¡°Is it meat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really delicious. Try it.¡±


    ¡®Thank you, Miss Stiel.¡¯


    Sian thanked Stiel for making Sian bring the meat and went in for a meal.


    ¡°Rian... is a babysitter?¡±


    ¡°No, not a babysitter. He¡¯s an instructor at <Gron-Ph>.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s the same thing.¡¯


    Sian asked, ¡°So he¡¯s at Lagran?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. By the way...¡±


    Sian thought to himself while his mother began talking about everything that happened while he was gone.


    ¡®What is this... he¡¯s an instructor at the academy? So I need to go to Lagran to give him this?¡¯


    ¡°Are we getting enough applicants?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. The <Gron-Ph> n is going well.¡±


    King Narasha set up an academy to train warriors at Lagran as soon as he finished settling down on the new territory. The name of the academy was <Gron-Ph>, which meant <Rising Pir> in ancient words.


    There had been no academy for warriors until now since Bander-Roa was usually a family secret that had to be kept within. It was also hard when no warriors were willing to share their secrets and techniques to stay stronger than the others.


    The King decided to break that culture. It was now time to stand together and strive to be stronger. After discussing with the other two Grand Banders, they decided to start first.


    They also agreed to ept applicants from other countries.


    People did not believe that the academy would seed. People who knew the King grew suspicious of the fact that King might¡¯ve had another motive.


    ¡°Lagran is too good to leave alone. We should nt seeds and cultivate it.¡±


    Thend had abundant flow of Bander. It was a ce where the best warriors were born without any training. His first goal after obtaining Lagran was to setup an academy. It was where the next generation of Tian would grow into fruition.


    ¡°The nobles are sending applicants also.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The time to rely on nobles to train their own warriors is over. They are too selfish if we let them do that.¡±


    Narasha had learned a critical thing after Dragona. Nobles training their own warriors was good since theypeted each other for better results, but that resulted in impossible cooperation between them. They also worked for their own families rather than working for the Kingdom, and that was also bad sometimes.


    ¡°We havepleted recruiting the instructors as well.¡±


    Narasha had been nning the academy for a long time, so everything was ready when he finished stabilizing the territory.


    ¡°Good... any news?¡±


    ¡°We have a petition that epting foreign students will be too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Ignore it. It¡¯s the most important part. Fools...¡±


    ¡°Yes. And they are saying that it¡¯s bad that we are sharing the Roman or the Kiraine family¡¯s visions.¡±


    ¡°Ignore that too. They know that¡¯s better for the n.¡±


    Narasha sighed.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. And Sian has returned to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Hm... any problems?¡±


    ¡°No, Your Majesty. Reports say that he returned with a beautiful woman.¡±


    ¡°Haha... did he find a bride?¡±


    Narasha became relieved yet he was also worried. He was relieved that Sian had one more thing to make him cling to human society, but he was worried if that would make Sian be too involved in Tian.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, Your Majesty. He didn¡¯t take her with him into the house.¡±


    ¡°I see. Investigate the woman.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Oh... and where has he been?¡±


    ¡°Our reports say... that he traveled to Margaran and Kerbal.¡±


    ¡°Margaran and Kerbal...? The Margaran and Kerbal that I was reported about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Two cities that were destroyed in one night?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Narasha was troubled as another officer walked in.


    ¡°New report, Your Majesty!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Sian von Roman has used the Ra-Shar-Roa and is headed to Lagran Region, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...is Rian at <Gron-Ph>?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is there in substitute of Count Roman.¡±


    Count Roman wasn¡¯t someone who just staying as an instructor at an academy, so Rian was there to teach the <Lion¡¯s Way>.


    ¡°He¡¯s there to see his brother.¡±


    The King started to worry. His mind was filled with the ruins of Margaran and Kerbal.


    ¡®There won¡¯t be any problems...¡¯


    The King tried to calm himself, but he couldn¡¯t concentrate anymore.

 Chapter 89: Gron-Pilah

    <h4>Chapter 89: Gron-Ph</h4>


    ¡°Oh wow, so he¡¯s really up to the task. Ra-Shar-Roa and all...¡±


    Ra-Shar-Roa cost a tremendous amount of money, but Narasha installed it in the Lagran Region right after they took over.


    ¡°I guess he needed it since people from other countries areing. You can¡¯t let those people travel through the entire country to get here. It¡¯s better to let them teleport right into it,¡± Stiel exined.


    ¡°I see. But why is he gathering people from other countries? I heard they¡¯re being taught Bander-Roa.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just any Bander-Roa. It was the <Lion¡¯s Way> from Roman family and from the Kiraine family. There were countless other Bander-Roa, and the academy also epted non-nobles. The sses were different between the nobles andmoners, but they were being taught the same thing.


    ¡°He knows what¡¯s really important. The Stantahl boy should start catching up if he doesn¡¯t want to get left behind.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the way to train more powerful individuals.¡±


    The academy¡¯s purpose was to make each otherpete and train for higher levels. Everyone was granted the same opportunity. Now, they were on their own to strive for their goals.


    The reason for gathering people from other countries was to create enemies within the academy for Tian students to gather together and be one.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, but I think it will work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, patriotism works well.¡±


    ¡°But will other countries send students too?¡±


    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s too good to miss.¡±


    King Narasha was nning for all the nobles to give up their potential and work for the country. If it was done as nned, the country would be creating more talented warriors than ever and the country would be powerful. As it grew in power, war woulde after.


    Yet Stiel did not exin any further.


    ¡°I guess there won¡¯t be any Masters then.¡±


    ¡°Haha, they can¡¯t learn anything here. They cane to teach, though.¡±


    ¡°I see. My brother has so much enthusiasm. Bing an instructor... wow.¡±


    ¡°You really love your brother. You came all the way here to give him the present, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I learned while I traveled.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The world is too dangerous. I didn¡¯t know I could face the danger of dying. My brother might die while going out for groceries, you know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think I didn¡¯t know about the danger because I lived within the capital. Gosh... I didn¡¯t imagine the world was full of monsters like Fish No.1 or that cow-head monster. Meeting them twice in just a month! I will probably meet stronger monsters if I traveled a lot more.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel realized Sian was getting it all wrong, but she couldn¡¯t figure out where to start correcting him.


    ¡°Rian is now outside the capital, so he needs protection. I should give him this present as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you giving me something like that?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I might die too, you know.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡±


    ¡°...who can do that?¡±


    ¡°...Hm. There must be something. That cow-head was dangerous, for one.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you run at full speed? I don¡¯t think you need to be worried.¡±


    Sian spoke sarcastically and Stiel became embarrassed.


    ¡°Hmm. Didn¡¯t I apologize already? And you wanted to save those four. Did you forget that I protected them?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave it at that. This ne... I wish they could make two more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so one is for me and... who are you going to give another one?¡±


    Sian became dumbfounded and replied, ¡°One is for my father and one is for my mother.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re mean.¡±


    Walking as they talked, they arrived at arge wall. The academy was not just one building. Everything within the wall was a part of <Gron-Ph>. It had different buildings for the different subjects that were being taught, and the students chose what they wanted to learn.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was going to be this crowded.¡±


    Sian spoke as he saw that Gron-Ph full of students.


    ¡°Narasha must have been preparing it for a long time.¡±


    The academy had flourished in a short amount of time. It was all thanks to the prepared system, instructors, and advertisements.


    ¡°Won¡¯t the students fight with each other with all these different people?¡±


    ¡°I believe Narasha should¡¯ve thought about...¡±


    ¡°DIE you Kharan DOG!¡±


    ¡°Return to your country!¡±


    ¡°You DOGS!¡±


    A store was being destroyed as the students erupted into a fight.


    ¡°What were you saying, Miss Stiel?¡±


    ¡°I was saying Narasha should¡¯ve thought about that already.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Uh... hmm...¡±


    ¡®This is weird. He should¡¯ve expected this for sure.¡¯


    It was obvious that the students would fight each other under the circumstances. Stiel figured the King would¡¯ve prepared some measures to stop it from happening, but there was nothing.


    After moving past a few more fights along the way, they went to the ce where Rian was working.


    ¡°They are really energetic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my brother was like that when he was that age.¡±


    ¡°He probably was like that too.¡±


    Warriors neededpetition to be stronger. Sian thought his brother did not have such a person.


    ¡®You were probably his goal.¡¯


    A younger brother, but a brother with enormous power and god-given talent. People react in two different ways when they meet something they cannot follow. One is to give up and another is to follow with all their effort. Rian must have chosen thetter.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t imagine my brother being an instructor.¡±


    ¡°Why? He fit for the job.¡±


    He was young, but he was a Master and a son of the Roman family.


    ¡°He¡¯s not good at enforcement. You need to give some smacks for good teaching, but he won¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Last time, when we were at Dragona, he kept talking all the time. I almost got up to do it myself.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve done that.¡±


    Stiel thought the same way as Sian. An instructor couldn¡¯t be too soft. Yet when they reached the area where Rian was teaching, they saw something they did not expect.


    ¡°You are an insect! You maggots!¡±


    Rian was smacking the students.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So... I guess you didn¡¯t know that much about your brother after all?¡±

 Chapter 90: Gron-Pilah

    <h4>Chapter 90: Gron-Ph</h4>


    ¡°Repeat after me! I am a MAGGOT!¡±


    ¡°You all are rotten!¡±


    ¡°You think you can fool around like you¡¯ve been doing your entire life?¡±


    The training ground was chaotic. Men and women alike were sparring each other and there was a group of people making weird postures as punishment in the corner. And in another corner was Rian and some students who were getting smacked by Rian continuously.


    ¡°I see where you learned your stuff, Sian,¡± Stiel smiled.


    ¡°...there must be a reason for this.¡±


    ¡°Or that¡¯s how you want to believe it.¡±


    ¡°...we¡¯ll see once it¡¯s over.¡±


    Sian decided to wait in the distance for the ss to end. Rian did not know that he had arrived yet. Sian then nced around to check on all the students. There were various students, but most were having a hard time following the instructions. Oddly enough, there was one who did understand. Stiel and Sian looked at the student weirdly.


    ¡°Miss Stiel. Didn¡¯t Granines want to live in seclusion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They are our allies, but they¡¯re not humans.¡±


    ¡°So... what¡¯s with that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    A Granine was working hard to follow Rian¡¯s instructions. It looked like he was just about to reach the Master-level.


    ¡°Brother should know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah. But I thought your brother was like a gentleman... I guess it¡¯s all in the blood.¡±


    ¡°There must be a reason for that.¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t believe what he saw and began waiting for the ss to end.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re here. When did youe?¡±


    ¡°About an hour ago?¡±


    ¡°I see. Sorry I made you wait.¡±


    Rian greeted Sian apologetically.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the beautifuldy next to you?¡±


    Sian then turned to Stiel, expecting a scowl as Stiel did not consider anyone below Ra-Bander as a human. Yet she did not act as Sian expected.


    ¡°Good day, sir. Call me Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Good day, Miss Stiel. So, you are my brother¡¯s...?¡±


    Stiel smiled and answered, ¡°Travel-mate.¡±


    ¡®For now.¡¯


    ¡°My god, Sian did you...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not what you are thinking about right now.¡±


    Sian became suspicious of Stiel for being too nice, but he decided to let it go for now.


    ¡°Brother, so what was the...¡±


    ¡°Oh. I guess you saw it all then. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    Rian smiled embarrassingly as Sian asked about the ss.


    ¡°Did you... uh, were you stressed? Or you¡¯ve been hiding a sadistic...¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just following orders from the King.¡±


    ¡°Huh? The old man?¡±


    Sian was confused, but Stiel seemed to realize what was going on.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°What did you see? Miss Stiel?¡± Sian turned to Stiel.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see those students fighting with each other?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we think it was weird? That the fight was left alone?¡±


    ¡°...I didn¡¯t think it was weird.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rian and Stiel looked at Sian, but Sian became irritated and made a face for her to continue.


    ¡°It¡¯s making a public enemy of the academy.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, Miss Stiel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Rian became impressed andplemented her. Sian couldn¡¯t understand yet and needed extra exnation from Rian.


    ¡°So... you and other instructors are posing as evil instructors?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We can¡¯t make them befriend each other by force.¡±


    Sian nodded. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the enemyes in. We don¡¯t have outside enemies, so we¡¯re taking their ces.¡±


    ¡°And the students will group up together against you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯ll fight for now, but it will decrease. It¡¯s much more efficient than suppressing them.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that make the instructors look bad?¡± Stielughed.


    ¡°I learned a lot in Dragona. I think it¡¯s better that I look bad and make them grow stronger to survive. I can be evil if I need to be.¡±


    Sian shook his head, but this was also why he loved his brother.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, okay. I was worried if something had gotten into you.¡±


    Sian looked relieved to know what had happened and remembered his purpose foring here.


    ¡°Oh, I have a present for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Sian handed him the ne.


    ¡°Use it.¡±


    ¡°A ne?¡± Rian asked again because Sian wasn¡¯t the type to just present a simple essory.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. It¡¯s going to help you when you are in danger.¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t go into details as it was too embarrassing to exin everything.


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m happy that you are worried for me, but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need for this here.¡±


    Lagran Region was now most heavily protected region throughout the entire Tian Kingdom.


    ¡°No, brother. I¡¯ve seen terrifying things in the world. You should always keep it on you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, okay. Thank you, Sian.¡±


    Rian smiled and put on the ne. Sian became relieved.


    ¡°Always have that on you. Oh, is there any problem with you being an instructor here?¡± Sian asked again as he saw that Rian had a hard time as a Dragona.


    ¡°Nothing much. I like training here. Why don¡¯t you go see Lady Celine? She was quite bored without you.¡±


    ¡°Is she here too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m here as part of the Roman family, and she¡¯s here to represent the Kiraine family.¡±


    ¡°I should pay her a visit then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Follow the path and you¡¯ll get there soon. She¡¯s probably finished with her ss by now. We¡¯ll talkter in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll see youter then.¡±


    Sian was nning to stay at Gron-Ph for a while. He needed time to adjust to his newly-acquired power. The crater he made while fighting before seemed like a good ce to do that.


    ¡®I should visit Celine.¡¯


    ¡°What are you going to do now, Miss Stiel?¡±


    ¡°I have a ce to go... I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    Stiel then jumped out and Sian shrugged and moved to where Celine was.


    ¡®He¡¯s here too.¡¯


    Sian became curious as he watched the Granine he saw earlier.


    ¡®Is he up to something?¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t understand so he just watched, but he realized a few things about the Granine.


    ¡®He must be curious about a lot of things.¡¯


    Granine was asking so many questions.


    <Why are you using the power like this?>


    <Under what circumstances do you use this sword art?>


    <Why is the light blue?>


    Other students were having a hard time even following the curriculum, but the Granine was so advanced that he had lot of time left to ask questions.


    ¡®But he¡¯s being hated on. Then why...¡¯


    The other students were obviously annoyed with the Granine. The interesting thing was that he wasn¡¯t getting picked on. Sian was able to find out the reason soon enough.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    ¡°Rodeval! Stop! Stop!¡±


    ¡®Wow... he¡¯s like a beast,¡¯ Sian thought as he looked Rodeval. The Granine was fighting fiercely against the opponent even when it was just a duel. He was too fierce for anyone to pick a fight with him. Besides, Rodeval didn¡¯t care about being left alone.


    ¡®It¡¯s not something I should be bothered with.¡¯


    Sian walked up to Celine.


    ¡°Lady Celine, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Sian? Why are you here? I thought you went traveling?¡±


    Celine was surprised to see Sian.


    ¡°I came back to visit my brother. Don¡¯t look at me like that. I don¡¯t have a present for you.¡±


    ¡°Brother... and I don¡¯t want a present.¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t understand why Celine became angry all of a sudden and asked, ¡°But who¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°Who? Oh, Rodeval?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I think he wanted to learn about human society.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Granines are powerful, but they can¡¯t live without interacting with humans. The academy is a good ce to start.¡±


    ¡°Then they¡¯re going to be sending more people.¡±


    ¡°Probably. I¡¯m worried though. He¡¯s gentle, but he bes fierce when he gets into a duel.¡±


    Celine looked concerned.


    ¡°Can he just not learn about fighting? He¡¯s already good enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s really interested in human sword arts. He loves Sir Rian¡¯s lessons especially.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    As they were talking to each other, someone was watching them from distance. It was Rodeval.


    ¡®So, he¡¯s Sian von Roman...¡¯


    Rodeval watched Sian for a while and then turned away.

 Chapter 91: Gron-Pilah

    <h4>Chapter 91: Gron-Ph</h4>


    <Only superhumans can leave alone. So learn how to group and survive. You are not a superhuman.>


    -King Narasha to his children


    .......


    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    Sian spoke to Stiel who had returned.


    ¡°Yeah. A lot of things changed while I was gone.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°I paid a visit to those I fought with before.¡±


    ¡°Oh... the Granine people? How are they?¡±


    Sian learned about the people he had fought before from various ces, so he now knew about them.


    ¡°They¡¯re still celebrating. They must be really d that they found the well again.¡±


    ¡°Well... so what is that well?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°Hmm... so, they can reincarnate. And when they die, their spirits return to the well to wait for another body.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°They then bury the dead body next to the well. The bones gain flesh and the spirit returns to it afterwards.¡±


    Sian was shocked to hear that.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Why aren¡¯t people using it to do the same thing?¡±


    ¡°I heard only Granines can do that. And they need the right bones to reincarnate into it.¡±


    ¡°I see... but why does that well hold such a unique effect?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. They don¡¯t know either. They don¡¯t seem to record history so nobody knows.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t they record the history?¡±Sian asked again.


    ¡°What for? They have people who have memories of those times. Although there¡¯s no one left from that age because they were sent out to participate in the Empire¡¯s war.¡±


    Sian became impressed.


    ¡°It¡¯s really interesting. How do you know all that?¡±


    Sian was surprised that Stiel knew so much about the Granines.


    ¡°I lived by the well before I met you.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You can speak to those spirits in the well. That¡¯s what they told me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so there were <Granines> in there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, most of them were Ra-Banders. Three of them were stronger than me too. But none are like you.¡±


    Sian was puzzled.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t theying back to life? They could¡¯ve saved their bones, right?¡±


    Ra-Banders did age, but people of that strength would¡¯ve managed to preserve their bones. Therefore, it didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°I thought so, but they said bones get weaker every time. Those are not recreated.¡±


    ¡°Oh... so they can¡¯t reincarnate when all the bones are gone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s really long. There were spirits that were thousands of years old. Those spirits didn¡¯t remember anything and were numb.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unimaginable.¡±


    Sian was impressed.


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re more than humans in some sense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird how humans ruled the world when there were more powerful beings around.¡±


    There were the Kal-Guls who destroyed the Empire, the Granines who could reincarnate, and all the other races that were more powerful than the humans. Yet the survivor of the continent was still the humans.


    ¡°Well... it¡¯s not like strongest always survives. Except that¡¯s not important. Didn¡¯t you say you were going to practice in the evening?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Sian realized that he had forgotten all about it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t stop my heart from pounding. It¡¯s where you beat me up so well, right?¡±


    ¡°...You should let it go now.¡±


    ¡°I might.¡±


    ¡°Something changed...¡±


    Stiel became curious when she arrived at the scene.


    ¡°Of course. There used to be about two mountain peaks here.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m that dumb? I¡¯m not talking about that.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What about it then?¡±


    ¡°Something... I feel more movement in the energy.¡±


    Sian then realized what she was talking about also.


    ¡°Hm... didn¡¯t this region always have more Bander and Exar movement?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s little more than that. Maybe it¡¯s because we fought here.¡±


    ¡°That might be the reason. It will be helpful for the academy though.¡±


    The increase in flow meant good things for students in training as it will help those students gain more Bander or Exar.


    ¡°Anyway. Show me then.¡±


    ¡°Where should we start?¡±


    ¡°By the way... don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a shame that those artifacts were destroyed?¡± Stiel asked Sian who was stretching.


    ¡°Huh? Yeah, well. It was useful.¡±


    ¡°Useful?¡±


    ¡°It made me stronger. I was impressed that there was something that allowed me to be stronger. I would¡¯ve probably died if I didn¡¯t have those in that other world.¡±


    ¡°It was fortunate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So you asked if I find it a shame for not having them anymore?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The armor too. That¡¯s broken too.¡±


    Sian smiled. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll show you why.¡±


    The area surrounding Sian began to distort. At once, several invisibleyers were created around Sian, lurching with the flow.


    Stiel became shocked and shouted, ¡°Is... is that?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s simr to the armor, right?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just that. The armor had sevenyers of dimensional barriers, but Sian had more than ten barriers right now.


    ¡°And...¡±


    Sian then began focusing energy at the tips of his fingers. On his left hand was a golden light and on the right was a dark, ck light.


    ¡°This works also. Next is...¡±


    Stiel was dumbfounded. She was impressed that Sian wielded the armor himself, but it was possible. However, wielding various powers like that wasn¡¯t something that was possible. No Ra-Bander was able to use different <Ways> at the same time.


    For Sian to be able to do this, that meant one of two things.


    One was that he was so powerful that he could easily bring those out, and the second was that his <Way> specialized in bringing out different powers.


    Whichever reason it was, it was amazing. There was no way for Sian to want the artifacts anymore. He didn¡¯t even need one.


    Sian tested his powers on the grounds and skies. With one effortless move, something was erasedpletely.


    ¡®So, he really did go easy on mest time.¡¯


    Stiel asked Sian, ¡°How are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± Sian said, not knowing what she was asking.


    ¡°That. How you use all kinds of <Ways>...¡±


    ¡°Oh this? It¡¯s not multiple things.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one <Way>. I started using it when I hit the barrier, but I can use it a lot easier after I broke through the barrier.¡±


    Stiel¡¯s analysis was wrong. It was not one of two. It was both.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. You might never pass your next barrier.¡±


    Sian said he needed to face multiple near-death experiences to pass the Ra-Bander barriers and to advance. But it seemed like no one could kill him.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I aim for. I want to live in peace.¡±


    ¡°Destroy cities as a hobby?¡±


    ¡°...No. That¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s really amazing. I think you can even kill that legendary Seven-Horned Harijan,¡± Stiel said as she could not guess anything would be a match for Sian.


    ¡°That¡¯s from the legend. Even if it exists, I¡¯m going to run away from it.¡±


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t say he¡¯s going to lose.¡¯


    Stiel smiled. ¡°So, why did you call me here?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can be much of help here.¡±


    ¡°Oh... that...¡±


    ¡°...you wanted to show it to someone.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. Who else do you have besides me? Go on.¡±


    Only superhumans could recognize superhuman powers.


    ¡°Okay. Then I won¡¯t hold back.¡±


    Stiel smiled.

 Chapter 92: Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 92: Premonition</h4>


    Rodeval grabbed his head as it ached.


    ¡®It¡¯s doing it again...¡¯


    He had a headache ever since he arrived at <Gran-Latra>. It was okay until yesterday, but it was now getting more severe.


    ¡®Is it because I saw him yesterday?¡¯


    There were two people that the Elders warned him about when he came out to the human world. Sian and Rian von Roman. He was told that he should nevery his hands on them. He had no intention to do so anyway. Everyone, including him, saw what happened to the mountain range. The Great Elder and the Second Elder had their artifacts robbed from them, but it was beyond their level to get revenge.


    Rodeval was curious as to how he got so powerful, but it was no use. It¡¯d prove to be somewhat useful, but it was nowhere close to making such a monster. He heard his people were second to none when their queen was alive in the years before. He wanted his people to regain power again.


    That was why he was out here. He was calmest, and that allowed him to live among the humans. Rodeval grabbed his head and moved to the next ss, <Monarachy and Political Bnce>. It was a helpful ss, even more so than his warrior ss.


    ¡°...so the Seven Kingdoms are in bnce.¡±


    The ss was very quiet. Everyone was listening carefully to Count Kerbel¡¯s every word. His weekly ss was a chance for the students to hear what the Royal Chancellor had to say.


    ¡°Kharan is the best at keeping its bnce. The only country that touches its border with the Great North Wall is Kharan. It has Kiara to the east, Tian to the west, and Broshan to the south. It¡¯s surrounded by enemies.¡±


    Everyone kept listening.


    ¡°Kharan is maintaining its borders perfectly. No country has ever invaded Kharan aside from a long time ago. How did Kharan manage to achieve this feat?¡±


    Everyone knew the answer, but they couldn¡¯t say it since it was a sensitive issue. Rodeval raised his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s... because Kharan sent all of its forces to the wall.¡±


    It was what Kharan did to survive against multiple countries. To threaten the entire continent.


    A few hundred years ago, Kharan was a country that all nations wanted to invade and attack. As the problem reached its peak, the High General at the time, Keldan de Rofelheim, made a decision. He withdrew all forces from the border. Countries started invading past the border, but they were shocked by Kharan¡¯s final warning that followed.


    <If youe over our border one more time, we will attack the Wall.>


    It was daring but too dangerous to ignore. The Wall was barely fending the monsters off. If all the Kharan forces were to attack the wall, it was bound to break. That meant the fall of the entire continent.


    There was one King who ignored the warning. The then King of Kiara, Rosile the Third.


    <Let them do it. They won¡¯t have guts to do that.>


    Kiara then invaded Kharan, but they should¡¯ve listened. A few days after, The eastern part of the Wall was destroyed by Kharan¡¯s cannon fire and many Bander users died that day. Kharan had already evacuated their people, so the Harijans invaded Kiara, bringing massive destruction to the Kiara Kingdom.


    Tian and Broshan became shocked and quickly withdrew their forces outside of Kharan. Kharan then made a pact with the other countries and began concentrating on rebuilding itself.


    Kharan never withdrew its forces from the wall after that.


    ¡°Great answer, Rodeval.¡± Count Kerbel smiled and continued, ¡°The current peace is the oue of a very careful bnce. Any slight change will bring upon a new borderline and the power bnce can shift in just seconds. Just like this Lagran Region you all are in.¡±


    The students of Taran seemed angered, but Count Kerbel did not care. He could not worry about everyone¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that we only have to worry about people who want to break the bnce. It would be a huge problem if we had to consider the Harijans for that, but it might make your homework easier.¡±


    Peopleughed at the joke.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a thing to think about. You all know Margaran and Kerbaly in ruins now. The Lagaopora which connected the cities is gone too.¡±


    Everyone became silent. There was someone who did not know about the news yet.


    ¡°Lagaopora is gone...?¡±


    ¡°Kerbal...¡±


    ¡°That will bring change.¡±


    Kerbel smiled and continued, ¡°Think about what each country will do because of this incident. It will be your homework for the week. You are dismissed.¡±


    Kerbel was surprised when he finished the ss and came out to meet the person who was waiting for him.


    ¡°Oh, Sian. You¡¯re back already?¡±


    Count Kerbel was surprised since he heard that Sian had left to travel for a long time.


    ¡°I have some business here. This is part of the travel too. I will leave after a few days. I just came to say hi since I heard you wereing today.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, where have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to Lenorva, Margaran, and Kerbal.¡±


    ¡°...Is it THE Margaran and Kerbal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°...Please don¡¯t cause trouble here.¡±


    King Narasha and a few of the high officials knew who was responsible for the destruction of Lagran, and that included Count Kerbel.


    ¡°You are mistaken. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Count Kerbel was unconvinced. It was impossible that the city could be destroyed within a day.


    ¡°If you say so...¡±


    As he tried to continue, people erupted into a fight from behind.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Stop him!¡±


    ¡°You crazy bastard!¡±


    The students seemed to have broken into a fight and Sian went to look. It was a group of people against one.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Rodeval boy?¡±


    Rodeval flinched at his feelings as he walked out of the lecture room. His headache was getting worse, but it was the first time he had ever felt anything like this.


    <...do it...>


    <...it...>


    He could hear some tragic voice from within.


    ¡®Is it mind-controlling magic?¡¯


    Rodeval was confused. His people had high resistance against psychological magic, but the voice was invading his mind. Then he felt everything around him growing hostile.


    ¡®Ugh...¡¯


    Rodeval grabbed his head and fell to his knee at the entrance of the room. Then someone bumped into him.


    ¡°Huh? Why is he here? Hey, stand up.¡±


    Someone tried to reach out for him, and Rodeval felt his conscious getting destroyed.


    <It¡¯s an attack!>


    He then snatched the hand that wasing to help and threw the man away.

 Chapter 93: Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 93: Premonition</h4>


    ¡°ARRGH!!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s crazy!¡±


    Ricardo, who was sent to <Gron-Ph> to investigate, cursed at Rodeval who suddenly became enraged and charged at him. Ricardo didn¡¯t like him that much, but he left him alone because Rodeval didn¡¯t cause any problems. But to charge at him like that? At that moment, Rodeval, after throwing one of Ricardo¡¯s friends, lunged at him.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Ricardo couldn¡¯t even take out his sword, so he held up his left arm to block it. However, his arm broke instantly and was thrown off.


    ¡®Dammit... I knew he was a vicious fighter, but this...¡¯


    He was always vicious when he fought, but Ricardo thought it was a way of survival that he learned when he traveled through the Great Forest. He was wrong. This was Rodeval¡¯s true self.


    ¡°Tie him down!¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Rodeval didn¡¯t pull out his sword, so no one was dead, but it was just a matter of time. Students realized this and began cornering him. At that moment, he backed away into a corner and crouched as if he was afraid.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    People couldn¡¯t easily approach him even then, but one came out of the group.


    ¡°What is up with him now...¡±


    A man walked up and Rodeval backed away. Soon, there was no more room to inch toward and Rodeval began lowering his body some more. After he did his best to crouch, he then fainted.


    ¡°This will do?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you, Sian.¡±


    Sian ignored all the eyes looking at him and moved out. He felt like he was back in his Guarran-Tia days.


    ¡®What is going on?¡¯


    A fire was rising up from the area where the Granines lived and the evil energy was radiating all the way to Gron-Ph.


    <What happened...!>


    The Third Elder could barely breathe.


    Their hearts were racing madly and they had headaches ever since they arrived at Gran-Latra, but it became so severe yesterday that they were about to discuss it.


    But it was toote. At that moment, a scream came from outside the house. It was probably one of his people who could not resist the energy from within.


    ¡®This... is bad...¡¯


    The Elder was barely holding it off, but he could not believe that his people had such evil instincts from within.


    His heart was ordering him to follow his instincts. To kill and destroy...


    ¡®This is like those Harijans!¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t believe his people had the same instincts as the Harijans, but it was not time to think about that. He needed to suppress these instincts and help the others do the same.


    The Third Elder quickly moved out of the house. It was chaotic. Some were lying on the ground, grasping their chests or heads and some were ncing around as if looking for prey. Some were moving down to the human city.


    <No... Stop them...>


    The Third Elder and a few others began taking care of the situation. They shared Exar to help people gain control of their conscious and knocked out those that tried to run down to the city.


    <Fifth Elder... Ask... for help. Fourth Elder... go find... Great Elder... and the Second Elder...>


    <Understood...>


    The Fifth Elder quickly moved out to the people¡¯s city and the Fourth Elder ran to the Well of the Spirits, <Lavne>. The rest of them began searching for clues. There was a limit to suppressing this.


    ¡°What is going on there?¡±


    Rian and Celine ran out of their dorm rooms in response to the evil powering from the Granine¡¯s holy ce, Gran-Latra. Everyone was looking in the same direction and there was a person running toward them at an incredible speed. It was the Fifth Elder.


    ¡°Everyone! Scatter! Run!¡± Rian shouted. If the Fifth Elder went mad, the people here had no way to fight him back. People began running at those words. Rian tried to run too, but his brother came first.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Rian sighed in relief and turned to the Fifth Elder. He was now very close. Fortunately, he seemed okay.


    <We need... your leader... our vige... have a problem... We require help...>


    ¡°What happened?¡± Rian asked.


    <Our people... are losing their minds... we thought we had time... but the process quickened since yesterday...>


    ¡°Yesterday?¡±


    Rian thought about yesterday, but there was nothing weird. Rian nced around and found his brother making weird expressions.


    ¡°Sian. Did you see something yesterday?¡± Rian asked. He couldn¡¯t have seen it, but his brother might have.


    ¡°Oh, no. Uh...¡±


    ¡°Tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°You know the crater I made before?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I practiced a bit yesterday. I was just wondering if it had to do anything.¡±


    If there was anything yesterday, that was the only thing.


    ¡°Practice? What kind of practice? You never practice.¡± Rianmented.


    ¡°Oh... I had a few things I managed to learn so I wanted to test it out.¡±


    The Fifth Elder gave some thought to it and asked Sian,


    <When... did you arrive here?>


    ¡°About two days ago.¡±


    <Then... it¡¯s probably not you.>


    The Elder shook his head. Sian was powerful, but it wasn¡¯t something that would affect them like that. Even if his practice affected something, it didn¡¯t exin the strange sensation they had from before.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send an investigation team to the crater just in case. How is the vige?¡±


    <The Elders are suppressing the people, but it will notst long. We are having a hard time to controling it ourselves. We need to find the reason fast. We do not wish for war.>


    The Elder spoke and Rian nodded. The Granine had four Grand Banders, two Ra-Banders, and countless Masters. If they went mad, this area was doomed. He needed to solve this.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll help you out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sian. I definitely wee your help.¡±


    Rian did not refuse Sian¡¯s help as the issue was serious.


    <Great Elder... the Second Elder... there is a problem at the vige...>


    The Fourth Elder walked up to the well to meet with the two Elders while grasping his head.


    <...>


    <...>


    <Elder?>


    The Fourth Elder felt something strange as he saw Great Elder and the Second Elder nky looking down into the well.


    <What...>


    He became curious and walked up next to them. Then he looked down into the well.


    <...>


    The Fourth Elder felt the reason he came here being erased in his head. Yet it did not matter. He needed to concentrate on the voiceing from the well.


    Then the Fourth Elder too began looking down into the well.

 Chapter 94: Premonition

    <h4>Chapter 94: Premonition</h4>


    ¡°Hmm. Something¡¯s off.¡±


    Stiel, who was waiting for Sian at the dorm, felt the energy and ran to Lavne at once. Then she saw something weird. The two Granines she fought before were looking down into the well. Another Granine that ran up from the vige seemed to feel the same strange feeling and carefully approached, but he also got stuck and started looking down into the well.


    Stiel was curious as she knew that the well had spirits in there. Most of them had no conscious and the strongest spirits that were thousands of years old only had their instincts left. So she knew those spirits would have no power over the people here. Nheless, she didn¡¯t want to end up like those Granines. So she watched from a distance.


    ¡°Oh well.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and decided to look into the well, but something changed. The Granines began moving into the well.


    ¡®...are theymitting suicide?¡¯


    Stiel stopped still and watched them. All three of them were soon submerged in the well for a few seconds and before they started walking out. Stiel frowned at once.


    ¡°Ugh. Why do I have to run so much these days?¡±


    Stiel ran immediately. She wasn¡¯t the fastest of the Ra-Banders, so she needed to have a headstart to run away from them. She could fight the three of them before, but these three were different. She needed to find Sian fast. As she jumped out, the three Elders quickly chased after her.


    The well water was now decreasing as if the well itself had a hole somewhere.


    ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°No, brother. I just feel something strong.¡±


    Rian frowned. ¡°If you say so... is there something dangerous at our destination?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that ce.¡±


    <We should go... the pain is increasing...>


    Rian, Sian, and the Fifth Elder were going to Sian¡¯s crater ground. The Elder thought it was not the reason, but there was no clue so they decided to go anyway. After looking at the ground, Rian narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see that before.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°You practiced a lot. Howe I didn¡¯t feel anything though?¡±


    Rian sighed. Sian would not let his energy flow outward, so no one would¡¯ve sensed it anyway.


    ¡°So... Fifth Elder. Do you find anything weird?¡±


    <I am not sure... But I do feel... something here...>


    The Elder scowled as he felt the pain growing stronger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s search the area. Split into teams of two and let me know if you find anything!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    As the people spread out, Sian looked far toward the mountain and sighed.


    ¡°Ugh. Brother, you should stay here.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I need to look after my friend. Don¡¯t try to fight if something dangerous happens.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡±


    Sian then jumped out. He needed to fight far away so that his brother would not get hurt.


    ¡®At least there aren¡¯t that many people around here.¡¯


    ¡°Ugh...!¡±


    Stiel felt her body get struck against and backed away.


    ¡®Just a little more...¡¯


    She had no way to run and these guys were too strong. Stiel knew who these new spirits were.


    ¡°How did they take the bodies!¡±


    It was the three superhumans in the well that she couldn¡¯t win against. They somehow managed toe out of the well. It seemed like the spirits were now used to the new bodies they had gained.


    ¡°I like Sian, but never have I ever missed him so much!¡± Stiel ranted as she fought off the attackers. Then she turned to the familiar power approaching.


    ¡°Finally!¡±


    It was Sian. As she brightened up, Sian did not stop and picked Stiel up.


    ¡°I missed- huh?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t fight here. Come.¡±


    Sian grabbed Stiel and began running in opposite direction.


    ¡°Where did you get those?¡±


    Sian spoke as he nced to three Elders chasing him.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m popr. My charm transcends races.¡±


    ¡°You seem rxed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to protect me, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    There was no running away. He couldn¡¯t leave Stiel alone and they would attack the city anyway, which would include Rian and Celine.


    He needed to fight them here.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they were that strong. What happened to them?¡± Sian asked as he couldn¡¯t understand the sudden increase in power.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but they became like that once they bathed in the well.¡±


    ¡°A bath?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Where is that well? I should bath in it and break a barrier myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°...I know.¡±


    ¡°I think the spirits in the well took over their bodies and got out.¡±


    ¡°Huh... didn¡¯t they need special bones?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. But if it¡¯s just taking over the body, it can be different...¡±


    Sian and Stiel then stopped at the middle of a mountain and turned back to the three Granines.


    ¡°Hm... you don¡¯t think we can solve this by talking?¡±


    ¡°No. They¡¯ve lived for thousands of years so they¡¯ve forgotten everything. They only move with their instincts.¡±


    Ra-Banders fought with their instincts, so it did not matter anyway.


    ¡°You should take the far left. I¡¯ll handle the other two.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take care of one.¡±


    Sian then charged at them with Chrona-Phon.


    As Reynold, the investigative team, looked through the crater site, he found something shining in red within the dirt. But arge explosion came from far away and he looked toward the direction of the source. There was a bright lighting from the ce. Reynold forgot what he was trying to observe at such a grand sight. He couldn¡¯t see that the object he was going to observe was moving by itself.

 Chapter 95: Guards

    <h4>Chapter 95: Guards</h4>


    ¡°Where did theye from?¡±


    Sian was impressed. These new Elders were much different from their weaker selves. There were not wasting their power. They were so strong that if Sian had not ovee his barrier a while ago, it could have been dangerous.


    ¡®Luckily, I got here in time. Miss Stiel would¡¯ve been killed if she fought them when they adjusted to the bodies.¡¯


    Their power was growing after they made adjustments. Granted, it was nothing close to Sian¡¯s current level.


    ¡®That spirit inside the Great Elder... looks like a woman.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t figure out why, but he just had a gut feeling. It wasn¡¯t because the fighting style was girlish. It was even more vicious than the Second Elder¡¯s, but that didn¡¯t matter.


    Sian was not in any hurry. He was actually happy that this had urred. They were an enemy worthy enough for him to use his newly-acquired powers on. They were strong, but they were not strong enough to the point where Sian would be worried about losing.


    <Where is this?>


    He looked around, but he couldn¡¯t find anything besides his people. He lost a lot of memories, but he tried to decipher the situation.


    <It¡¯s... inside Lavne...>


    <Name... I don¡¯t remember...>


    <How many years have passed?>


    <Bones... there will be no bones...>


    <What happened to my children?>


    He was filled with many thoughts, but soon his mind was filled with powerful desires.


    <Follow...>


    <Follow your instincts...>


    There was no meaning. There was no body to act. Then he felt his conscious flowing somewhere else. No, it was the water of Lavne leaking out from the well. After flowing through multiplends, he arrived. He wasn¡¯t sure where it was, but it was easy to recognize.


    <We are here... at the Origin.>


    They needed a body to reincarnate, but this <Origin> allowed them to be reborn. His people who came with him were also observed by the <Origin>.


    Then the senses came back. He felt lights touching his eyes. He heard a noise. He could even move his hands. He thought he needed a sword and a sword was given.


    <I... I aming back to life...!>


    He thought he no longer yearned to live as he had lived long enough. That was wrong. He then realized if he followed the orders that resonated from within, he would never have to give up this sensation again.


    <Kill the invaders and eat them.>


    This was, after all, their purpose.


    Reynold heard a sound calling out to him.


    ¡°....f!¡±


    ¡°...Hm?¡±


    Someone was shouting at him from a distance, but he could not hear as it was drawn out by the explosions. He looked more closely.


    ¡°...ful!¡±


    He could barely hear the sound so he cupped his ears. Then he finally heard the voice.


    ¡°Be careful, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°...Ugh...¡±


    It was toote. There was a sword that pierced through him from the back. He tried to think about what was going on, but another sword cut his head off.


    ¡°Dammit! What the hell are those!¡±


    Khutil cursed as he couldn¡¯t save Reynold from death. Bonesing to life from the ground. Red energy eerily hung upon the empty eye sockets. They were only skeletons, but they did not look weak.


    Khutil felt a chill running through his veins. He tried to charge at them. There were only two of them. He still had a chance.


    He turned back immediately and went to where Rian was at. It was not only two. There were more than tens of those skeletons rising from the ground.


    ¡°Form the defense line!¡±


    Rian shouted to the others as he heard the skeleton. These skeletons were weak, but now they were gaining strength as they were making adjustments. It was toote to run also. He could¡¯ve run, but it wouldn¡¯t be possible for those at the Expert level.


    ¡°Fifth Elder, can you help?¡±


    <I will... try.... But don¡¯t expect too much...>


    The Elder grabbed his head as his headache grew worse and moved forward. Then the group shed against the red skeletons.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Sianughed as he swung his sword to throw the target into the mountain. He was excited that he had a target to fight with at full power. These guys kepting back to life. Even when their arms and legs were cut off, they grew back instantly. This wasn¡¯t natural even when the Granines were known to reincarnate.


    That didn¡¯t matter to Sian. He was happy that his toys were not breaking down. At that moment, the Great Elder regenerated his arm and focused blue energy on his hand to throw against Sian. Sian didn¡¯t bother to block it. He took the chance to attack the Second Elder. The attack struck Sian¡¯s head. Or it should¡¯ve struck his head, but it did not. His head was covered with some invisible barrier.


    The Elder did not care.


    As Sian struck the Great Elder and the Second Elder, he felt some kind of energy working on him.


    ¡°What is that bastard is trying to...¡±


    He looked around and noticed the magic was activating from within. It was from the ring he was wearing. It was the ring that summoned the wearer when the ne wearer was in danger.


    Sian frowned. He thought Rian was safe there, but it turns out it wasn¡¯t. He would¡¯ve epted the summoning under normal circumstances.


    But...


    ¡®Miss Stiel will die if I go right now.¡¯


    Stiel would not survive if he disappeared right now. Sian then began swinging his sword around fiercely. He was going to injure them severely at least before he was summoned, but the regeneration held him back.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    The green light shining from the ring told him it was toote. Sian made a choice.

 Chapter 96: Guards

    <h4>Chapter 96: Guards</h4>


    ¡°Dammit...!¡±


    Stiel grew angry at the Fourth Elder. The spirit inside was strong, but it was reborn into the body of a Grand Bander so she thought it was going to be easy to manage. She was wrong. The regeneration was just too fast to keep up with.


    ¡®This regeneration doesn¡¯t make sense... what is Sian doing?¡±


    Stiel nced around to look at Sian. To her surprise, Sian seemed to be troubled.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Those two were very powerful, but Sian was stronger than them, so Stiel wasn¡¯t worried.


    ¡®Are they stronger than I expected? It doesn¡¯t look like it though...¡¯


    At that moment, Sian began flying toward Stiel at an incredible speed. Stiel was so surprised that she missed her opponent¡¯s move.


    ¡®Dammit...!¡¯


    She readied herself to lose her arm as she saw the attacking, but it did note. Sian came over and smacked the Elder before he hurled him toward the other Elders.


    ¡°Sian, you came to save...¡±


    ¡°Miss Stiel! We don¡¯t have time!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian snatched Stiel¡¯s hand and put on a ring on her hand. She was dumbfounded, but she soon smiled.


    ¡°Oh, are you proposing here? How romantic. You don¡¯t need to do this in such a hurry.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Take care of my brother, will you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Stiel was confused, but a green light encased her and she was gone.


    Sian then felt rxed. He wasn¡¯t sure what happened, but Stiel would probably be enough to save Rian and run away.


    ¡°I¡¯m done. Let¡¯s y, you bastards!¡±


    Sian then charged at the three Elders.


    ¡°Stay strong...! Just a little longer!¡±


    Rian was getting tired from the skeleton attacks. He was barely managing due to the ne that Sian gave it to him. He thought he was a goner when he was struck by a skeleton. However, the ne began to shine and created a weird cloud around Rian¡¯s body.


    It wasn¡¯t just a cloud. It began to form electricity on Rian¡¯s weapon and it even shot lightning out toward the enemy. Rian moved forward to the front line to fight. He needed to save at least one more.


    But it was too much. The Fith Elder wasn¡¯t much help since he was still struggling from his headache and the others were too weak.


    Then an attack followed. Rian saw the swording to him, but it was toote.


    At that moment, green light exploded from the ne. The light reflected the sword and lingered for a while. When it subsided, a thin and long slender arm came from within.


    ¡°Ugh... what is this?¡±


    Stiel could¡¯ve rejected the Exar that worked on herself, but Sian wouldn¡¯t do anything strange and he looked like he was in a hurry so she epted it.


    ¡®It was a short-distance teleportation rune...¡¯


    She turned and saw Rian next to her. It was then that she realized the ring was the artifact that Sian was so happy to acquire.


    ¡°Ugh. I got happy for nothing.¡±


    She looked around and found weird skeletons attacking Rian and the others. She wasn¡¯t sure what these skeletons were, but she knew what she needed to do. She ranted and casually knocked the skeleton that charged at her.


    The result wasn¡¯t light.


    The skeleton was thrown all the way out, crashing into all other skeletons in the way and on to the ground.


    Rian was shocked. The woman Sian introduced to him a while back had jumped out from the ne. She wasn¡¯tdy-like anymore. She was more like a ferocious beast.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rian. Oh, I can call you Rian right?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yes. Miss Stiel.¡±


    ¡°I guess I am... a Guardian Angel sent by your brother to save you.¡±


    Stiel then turned with an irritated look toward the skeletons.


    <URGH!>


    Stiel turned to Rian after throwing the Fifth Elder away.


    ¡°This will do, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh... Yes. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°But why is that old man charging at me like that?¡¯


    It was after she was almost done taking care of skeletons when the Fifth Elder suddenly charged at Stiel. She was weary if the Fifth Elder had changed spirits, but he simply just lost his mind. The Elder kepting back after regenerating so Stiel destroyed all the Elder¡¯s bones and threw them away.


    ¡®Hehe... I¡¯m still strong, right?¡¯


    Stiel suddenly became sad. She had to run away so many timestely that she had to feel proud while being looked upon by such babies.


    ¡°This will do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Stiel. But where did theye from?¡±


    There were the skeletons, the mindless Granine, and the revived Ra-Bander. Everything seemed to be connected and there seemed to be a reason behind all this.


    ¡°Sir Rian.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Khutil?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we take a look at the hole they came out from?¡±


    ¡°Did you see where they came out from?¡±


    ¡°Yes... it was from the hole behind Reynold¡¯s body.¡±


    Khutil pointed toward Reynold¡¯s headless body. There was something red inside.


    ¡°What is that? How did we not know?¡±


    Rian spoke as he saw something suspicious buried within.


    ¡°That... is supposed to be miles deep. It¡¯s visible only because the mountain was dug up in thest war.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Someone from the Lagran Region exined the situation.


    ¡°Let me look at it.¡±


    ¡°But, Sir Rian...¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If the Fifth Elder lost his mind like that... will the Granine vige be okay?¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Rian realized he had missed something important. If the Fifth Elder lost his mind, there was no guarantee that the other elders were holding off.


    ¡°We should go right now. And... Miss Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much... can you lend us a hand?¡±


    Stiel had no interest if the Granines and humans fought against each other and killed one another. She was more interested in that suspicious red object. On the other hand, it was Sian¡¯s loving brother who was asking her.


    ¡®I should gain some credit here.¡¯


    The Third and Sixth Elders were probably at the vige right now, and if they lost their minds, the vige was probably very dangerous. And if Rian was to be sent alone...


    ¡®He wouldn¡¯t kill me... would he?¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t say for sure, so she decided to y it safe.


    ¡°Okay. Tell your brother that I helped youter though.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We are alive because of you.¡±


    ¡°Sir Rian, there¡¯s no one in the vige.¡±


    ¡°Right. Where did they all go?¡±


    Rian and the others were confused. If they had gone mad, then they should¡¯ve run toward the city. Rian had already gone to city first, but there were no Granines there either.


    ¡°hmm.¡±


    ¡°Miss Stiel, do you suspect something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... but you should return to the city. I¡¯ll look into it myself.¡±


    Stiel then disappeared from the spot.

 Chapter 97: Guards

    <h4>Chapter 97: Guards</h4>


    Stiel went to where Sian was fighting. If she was right, everyone was probably there. There was no sounding from the battleground, meaning that the fight was nearly over. Stiel rxed as she walked. She knew there was no way for Sian to lose.


    ¡°As I expected...¡±


    Stiel sighed in satisfaction as she saw the scene. It was a mountain when she was teleported away, but there was now a huge and deep hole where Sian and a bunch of figures that looked like Granines were scattered around.


    ¡°Haha, you did a heck of a work again. I think we should call this ce the Sian Mountain Range now. Haha.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here. Is my brother okay?¡±


    Sian looked tired, but he asked for his brother first.


    ¡°Hehe. Who do you think you are talking to? Your brother is safe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief... Thank you, Miss Stiel.¡±


    Stielughed, ¡°It¡¯s your brother. I definitely have to take good care of him.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel good to do some exercise?¡± Stiel spoke as she thought about Sian who was hacking away with his new powers at the mountains and skies.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that easy. Look.¡±


    Sian showed her a ragged sword. It was his weapon, Chrona-Phon. There was a huge crack in it.


    ¡°So, they really were strong.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t shape it anymore... Ugh. I should use it more carefully. I can¡¯t find any other thing like this.¡±


    ¡°Right, where did you get that anyway?¡± Stiel asked. The ck sword that could withstand Sian¡¯s power had the strength and durability that was on par with the artifacts that Stiel had.


    ¡°This? Oh... uhm...¡±


    Sian then began exining how he got the weapon. Stiel looked disgusted.


    ¡°Ugh... so you mean that sword is made with dough that has people mixed into it? You have terrible taste.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Chrona-Phon? I think Con-Tian Mix might be a better name.¡±


    Sian looked like he was slightly bothered by what Stiel said, but he took a good look at his sword and shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m using this sword anyway. You were going to try to take it as yours if I threw it away, right?¡±


    ¡°Oops.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Stiel then changed the subject quickly.


    ¡°So... are they all dead?¡±


    ¡°No. I tried, but they won¡¯t die. They even came back to life even when I crushed their heads, so I just crushed their arms and legs. They can¡¯t die, so the situation is not over yet,¡± Sian exined and Stiel looked down to see the figures wiggling from below.


    ¡°What about the other Granines other than the three?¡±


    ¡°They helped those three when they were getting beaten up. They don¡¯t die either. I just crushed their bones for now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Talking about that...¡±


    Stiel then exined what she found after she saved Rian.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s take a look. It might give us a hint.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to end like this. But I can¡¯t leave them here either...¡±


    Sian looked down at the Granines moving about.


    ¡°Are you afraid they¡¯ll start moving again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It should be okay until we return, but still...¡±


    Sian then jumped down. He then stacked the three Granines who couldn¡¯t move and ced his Chrona-Phon on top of it.


    ¡°There, they won¡¯t move for a while. They might regenerate, but it will take time for them to recover enough strength to move this sword.¡±


    ¡°You sure are smart sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Is that apliment? Anyway, let¡¯s make it quick.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s make sure.¡±


    Stiel then struck the side of a hole. The mountain next to the hole began crumbling down and the dirt fell down on the Granines, covering them up instantly.


    ¡°This will buy us more time.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Sian and Stiel then moved to the ce where Rian was fighting a while ago.


    They arrived and saw the skeletons trying to reassemble themselves with red energy radiating around them.


    ¡°I guess there really is something there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I wonder what it is.¡±


    Sian shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll see once we take a look. Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Hm... I heard it was beyond the headless body or something...¡±


    ¡°There are too many bodies like that.¡±


    ¡°Wait. It was about there... oh, it¡¯s that one!¡±


    Sian and Stiel ran up to a body lying in front of a cliff and found an opening beyond it. Then they found something glowing in red that was covered in dirt.


    ¡°It looks smooth.¡±


    Stiel spoke as she saw a smooth red wall, but it wasn¡¯t a wall. There were particles. Red particles were ced in a line that blocked Sian and Stiel¡¯s path. They examined it and found a few of the particles that had broken off and fallen out.


    ¡°There are some particles here... Sian, why are you so quiet?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian was ring at the wall.


    ¡°Is this something weird? I don¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Stiel knew Sian would not say something like that so quickly, so she backed away.


    ¡°Why? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sian took her hand and dragged her out back to the cliff area.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to go past that red wall to see what¡¯s in there?¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t answer and began focusing energy on his both hands. A space in his hands began to distort and dark energy radiated from within. Stiel was surprised at such a vast amount of energy being gathered, but Sian then waved it around like a windmill. Then the mountain in front of them began crumbling down.


    After the mountain was destroyed and the dust cloud subsided, Stiel got to see what was inside.


    ¡°...Is this...?¡±


    ¡°This was the red wall that you saw back there.¡±


    Stiel could not believe her eyes.


    <...Where is this?>


    Rodeval was dreaming. No, it wasn¡¯t a dream. He was experiencing an old memory. A memory that came from the ancient times.


    <Krrr....>


    <Is this the owner of the memory?>


    Rodeval spoke to himself as he looked around. He was not a Granine in this memory. He was arger but weaker four-legged living being. He was good at surviving and became stronger. The horn on its head grew, one by one. Then it became six. It was now strong enough to rule the continent. But it did noty its guard down. It was more careful in choosing who to fight and who to eat. Then it realized it was time to be something more than a Six-Horn; the time of ascension was its most vulnerable time period. It needed to hide, but that was not possible. Thus, it decided to make a being that needed it. It had the power to do it.


    It spat out a blob of spit at the middle of a mountain. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary spit. Its purpose was to cage <Something> that made living beings move. It then took its own tailbone and used magic on it. The tailbone was shaped and muscles were ced on top of it, while the veins and flesh came on top. The creation was satisfying. It was going to revive if power was provided. It was weak, but it looked good enough to be a guard. It knew how to reproduce, so that was good as well.


    Then, when it was almost time to go to the next step, it ordered one thing into the new creation. To work as a guard.


    <You will earn great power and lifeforce if I¡¯m attacked. Protect me with that power.>


    It was the purpose for the creation and thus it was never allowed to disobey. It was carved within the bones and souls so that it would not disappear.


    That was the end of the memory. There was no telling of what happened to that being.


    Rodeval felt empty.


    <We were born just to guard...>


    Granine, a powerful race.


    But his race was a mere guard that some Harijan created to protect itself.


    This was the reason why his people became mad. It was because Harijan¡¯s body was attacked that they reacted for their purpose.


    Then Rodeval was given another memory.


    <That being was sessfully reborn into another being. Leaving its husk for us to protect for thousands of years...>


    <Dragona... the Seven-Horned ruler of Sky Mountain.>


    Rodeval was confused by the sudden memory that was sent to him.


    <Who is it?>


    <Come here. We don¡¯t have time.>


    Rodeval was then pulled out from his dreams. He was chained, but it was not enough to hold him down. There was no more madness surrounding him.


    Rodeval took off the chains and jumped out of the building. He then began running toward the voice that called out to him.

 Chapter 98: Husk

    <h4>Chapter 98: Husk</h4>


    Stiel couldn¡¯t find a word to describe it.


    It was a huge body with numerous red particles covering it. It was covered within the mountain so it must have been lying underground for thousands of years, but the red particles, or the scales, were wless.


    The head had six horns. It wasn¡¯t like Fish No.1¡¯s young horns. All of the horns were fully grown and twisted, showing that it had been growing for ages.


    What was more amazing was that it was just a husk. It looked like it woulde back to life at any moment, but it was all but a husk.


    Stiel then let out a sigh of relief. She then realized she had been nervous and couldn¡¯t even breathe correctly because of it.


    ¡°No wonder why I couldn¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    Stiel moaned at the fact that she had been living on top of this husk for 200 years.


    ¡°It¡¯s not an empty husk.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It has all of the power extracted into it. It¡¯s sealed tight inside. That¡¯s why you and I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    Sian looked serious.


    ¡°How much power does it have?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s much more than mine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It has weakened due to age though. It probably was stronger back when it just got here. I think the reason why the Lagran Region is prosperous is because of this.¡±


    Stiel was astounded. A power that allowed thend to grow and prosper for thousands of years.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense. Why was it abandoned then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either of the two. Either it had no choice or...¡±


    ¡°Or?¡±


    ¡°This power was nothing to the new one that came out from it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haha... I thought the Seven-Horned Harijan was a fairytale.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Stiel could not say anything butugh.


    ¡°So this is the reason why they keeping back to life. If they are getting power from here, we will need to kill them hundreds of times.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    They were buried, but there would be no timeter when they came out from it. Killing it hundreds of times was not something even Sian could do. Without Sian, those monsters would destroy everything in the region.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, there are times when I have a feeling that I have no choice left.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°I know I vowed to never go to a dangerous ce again, but there¡¯s no other way.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Stiel asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep killing them. They¡¯re strong and they won¡¯t die. The reason why they have awakened is because we touched the husk here. My practice a few days ago was the final trigger.¡±


    It was an easy guess. The Granines were somewhat like guardians to this husk and gained energy in return. The reason for their madness was probably connected to Sian using his power near this ce. It was because his power affected the husk down here.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take... but I won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why can¡¯t you just run! And you just said you are going to put yourself into danger!¡±


    Stiel became frustrated. Sian just said that he had no choice but to face the danger of death to solve this.


    ¡°I told you. They wille after me. I can¡¯t run away. Besides, I should take responsibility for my actions. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to die. I¡¯m going to be stronger.¡±


    It was different this time. It was him who touched the sleeping husk and it was him who was responsible for the uing death.


    ¡°You idiot... that¡¯s nothing! You¡¯re not a normal human!¡± Stiel shouted. Responsibility for the lives of humans... it didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Hehe. I¡¯ll be normal as far as I can be. It¡¯s been fun. Take care of my family, will you? Oh, and take this too.¡±


    Sian then took off his Nitzmatan and put it on Stiel¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You... you said you¡¯re not going to die...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just letting you keep it so it won¡¯t get destroyed. It¡¯s mine. I¡¯lle back for you.¡±


    Sian then began moving toward the red scale. Before Stiel could do anything, Sianid his hands on it.


    <...Food...>


    ¡°Not so fast.¡±


    The husk began moving. The husk was left by such a powerful being that it had its own will and after it had been awakened, and it was now feeling hungry. The husk didn¡¯t want to lose this high energy food that had contacted it. The husk then stopped sending all the energy to the <Guards> and began focusing on the food.


    The husk then swallowed Sian at an incredible speed.


    ¡°What...!¡±


    Stiel couldn¡¯t do anything but watch. Scales were quickly swarming over Sian and the whole husk started moving to eat Sian whole. The skeletons that were scattered around changed shape and returned to the scales to join forces. The scales then began spinning, bing a red sphere before getting smaller.


    After shrinking down to a sphere about four feet in diameter, it stopped. It was trying to destroy something inside, but it was being fought back from the inside. From the outside, it looked like a red egg.


    Stiel stared at the red egg. She wasn¡¯t powerful enough to fight it, and knowing what was happening inside, she didn¡¯t want to feed the husk energy.


    ¡°Hehe... if you want to y it cool, then I¡¯ll help you as your mate. Come back victorious.¡±


    Stiel then began pulling Bander into her entire body.


    When all power was gathered, she then smacked the ground hard. It was a fist on the ground, but it rumbled like an earthquake. No, it was an actual earthquake. The ground that was weakened by the fight between Sian and the Granines began crumbling and the entire ground around the red sphere began to fall. The sphere was then buried a few hundred feet below ground and there was no trace left afterward.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You should thank me when youe back.¡±


    Stiel then moved out to check on the buried Granines.


    Stiel checked the area where she had buried the Granines a while ago. There was a trace of them trying to dig out of the ground, but it seemed that their bones were left in dust after the power source stopped.


    ¡°They¡¯re all dead...¡±


    The others were okay, but she needed to check on the three. Stiel then began digging down to check on the three Elders. Fortunately, they were all dead. The energy source stopped before they could finish their regenerations, thus killing them. Stiel then picked up Chrona-Phon that was on top of them and then stashed it into Nitzmatan.


    ¡°Good. This is finished.¡±


    Stiel then buried all bodies by destroying the hole and moved out. One person watching her from the distance. It was Rodeval.


    ¡°I was lucky.¡±


    <Our people¡¯s revival is in your hands. You are the sole survivor.>


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Rodeval answered the weird voiceing from within.


    He couldn¡¯t make sure if the monster woman was gone for sure, so he waited for a day and began digging down. He then collected the bones and moved to a part of the Sky Mountain where nobody could find him.


    Territory of Dragona, the ruler of Sky Mountain.


    It was the ce where no Harijan or human would enter. It was the perfect ce for him to grow more powerful.

 Chapter 99: Return

    <h4>Chapter 99: Return</h4>


    ¡°Hey, Ron. Come here, quick.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too fast, Mirian. Are we even allowed here?¡±


    It was emptynd with destroyed traces on the ground.


    It was a barren part of a mountain that didn¡¯t seem dangerous, but Ron felt disturbed.


    Then Mirian became annoyed.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t be such a coward. The teachers didn¡¯t say we couldn¡¯te here. They just said people avoid this ce.¡±


    ¡°...They did. They warned about the possible danger due to the weakened ground.¡±


    Ron heard that Instructor Khutil said thisnd became unstable after the incident five years ago, but Mirian didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°You can go home then. I need to see it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Follow me if you want to know.¡±


    Mirian then began jumping up the rocks to climb up, and Ron followed after shaking his head. It was after the sun began to go down that they arrived at the destination.


    ¡°Is it here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I saw this from far awayst time. I couldn¡¯t even sleep because I wanted to see this.¡±


    ¡°Hm... It does look weird.¡±


    There was nothing special around here. Except for one thing.


    The ce Mirian pointed to had a human-sized pir in the ground, and the pir had variouspartments.


    ¡°There might be an owner to this.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Look... each drawer has a name.¡±


    It was locked, but eachpartment had names written on top. There weren¡¯t that many that had names.


    ¡°Really? Oh... that¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°I thought it had some kind of hidden treasure or something. I thought that was why the teachers didn¡¯t want us toe here!¡± Mirian eximed. Ron grew curious about the names and began to look more closely. After looking about, Ron became shocked.


    ¡°Hey... Mirian. It might have the treasures that you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mirian turned back to Ron with a disappointed look.


    ¡°Look at these names.¡±


    Mirian realized she had not read the names and began examining it.


    <Narasha Qun Tian>


    <Rian von Roman>


    <Kain von Roman>


    <Stiel>


    <Celine de Kiraine>


    ¡°Wow...!¡±


    Mirian brightened up instantly. She didn¡¯t know who ¡®Stiel¡¯ was, but she recognized all the other names. The King who brought the age of peace to Tian, Narasha Qun Tian the First, the Kingdom¡¯s greatest general, Grand Bander Kain von Roman, and the leaders of the most powerful special force <Dragona>, Rian von Roman and Celine de Kiraine. They were all the most important figures of Tian.


    ¡°Maybe it has secret teachings in there! Maybe something that can make you a Grand Bander instantly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Besides, all teachings are shared in Gron-Ph.¡±


    ¡°How do you know if that¡¯s everything?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    It didn¡¯t make much sense, but Mirian didn¡¯t care. She was too excited already. She began unlocking thepartments.


    ¡°Hey, Mirian, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I want to take a look.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t touch it! There must be an owner!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the owner?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I saw this months ago already. The owner must¡¯ve taken it if there was one. Even if there was, the owner wouldn¡¯t really care if it was left alone here like this.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not taking anything. I¡¯m just taking a look. Aren¡¯t you curious too?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ron couldn¡¯t say anything. He was, in fact, curious about what secret this mysterious pir contained.


    ¡°You stay there. Hehe... Let me see.¡±


    Mirian took out a hairpin from her pocket and began to pick the lock before she finally opened the drawer. She was most curious about Count Roman¡¯s drawer as she was a warrior herself, so she checked to see what it had, but she was disappointed.


    ¡°What is this!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°No... wait. Let me try the other ones.¡±


    Mirian then moved onto the otherpartments, but she was still disappointed.


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    Ron curiously walked up to see what was inside each of thepartments.


    ¡®...a letter?¡¯


    There was nothing else but a handful of letters.


    ¡®So the name was the sender.¡¯


    Ron then became curious.


    ¡®Then who¡¯s the receiver?¡¯


    He would¡¯ve known if he had read the letters, but he thought it was too much so he decided not to. Mirian had a different idea.


    ¡°The letter... it can be a way to deceive us. There should be some secret inside!¡±


    She then stood up and walked toward thepartment.


    ¡°Move out.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to read it.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s a private letter! What are you going to do if those senders find out?¡±


    It would be a problem if those letters contained private matters. There was a possibility that their lives could be in danger if it really contained such matters. Ron exined this to Mirian and she understood.


    But she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s read those with the name ¡®Stiel¡¯ on it. I¡¯ve never heard of the name so there won¡¯t be any secrets in there.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense...!¡±


    Mirian quickly moved closer. Then a voice came from the back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to do that. You might die.¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    Ron and Mirian flinched and turned back quickly. There was a weird man talking to them. He was weird because he was buried in the ground up until his head.


    ¡°W-who are you? Since when-?¡±


    ¡°Uh... I was probably here before you started pick-locking those drawers.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... so what are you doing there? Why are you buried like that?¡±


    Ron tried to change the subject.


    ¡°Oh... I don¡¯t have any clothes, and since you guys are there, I can¡¯te out right now. Haha.¡±


    The manughed.


    ¡°But why are we going to die if we read that letter? Is there some hidden secret?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s probably not like that. But...¡±


    Mirian looked at the man as he continued, ¡°The owner might get embarrassed. She¡¯ll kill anyone who reads that letter other than me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mirian couldn¡¯t understand. What kind of person was that violent? However, she realized there was something important ording to what he just said.


    ¡°So, you are the receiver.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably. Can I ask you a favor?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m correct... there should be clothing in the pir. Can you toss me those?¡±


    Mirian searched around the pir. Sure enough, she found some clothing.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The man then began moving about underground and came out after putting on the clothes.


    ¡°WHOA!¡±


    He then let out a yawn and began stretching.


    ¡°Ha... sorry about that. So, why are you guys here?¡±


    The man looked at them with a weird look after noticing that there was nothing around other than the pir.


    ¡°Oh... we are...¡±


    ¡°We were just here on a walk. But what are YOU doing here? Buried up to your neck.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I... oh. What year is it right now?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Please, tell me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 1017.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡±


    He then moved past Ron and Mirian and began opening thepartments. It was locked, but the man opened it effortlessly.


    ¡°Wow, brother, you sure know what to do. Perfect.¡±


    He then found money from within, took the bag from the pir, and collected all letters into it. After he was done packing, he then started walking down toward the city.


    Mirian decided to follow him. They were going in the same direction and she was curious about the man.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The man turned back to Mirian.¡±What is it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Hm? You have something more to say?¡±


    ¡°No, we have to go back to the city too, so we can go together.¡±


    The man nodded.


    ¡°Sure. I was bored too. You can tell me about any news in the world.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, okay. Hey Ron! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Mirian yelled at Ron to follow and the three of them began walking down to the city.


    ¡°Oh, by the way. I¡¯m Mirian and this is Ron.¡±


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Ron.¡±


    The man smiled.


    ¡°I am... Sian.¡±


    They began walking toward the city of Lagran.

 Chapter 100: Return

    <h4>Chapter 100: Return</h4>


    Sian went straight for the cafeteria at Gron-Ph once he reached the city. As he devoured the food, he talked with Ron and Mirian to share information.


    ¡°So, why are you guys here? I thought academy was on vacation.¡±


    ¡°We... had some business.¡±


    Ron couldn¡¯t say they waited for the vacation where the number of people at Gron-Ph decreased to check on the pir.


    ¡°I see. But this ce is great!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in school food... is it really that good?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s been so long.¡±


    Sian felt so good eating real food after a long time. He did eat the husk, but he didn¡¯t really eat it with his mouth so he always longed for something in his mouth. The real taste of food after five years was so good.


    ¡°Hey, Sian.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Sian turned to Mirian.


    ¡°Those letters at the pir. Are those all for you?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t read them yet, but probably.¡±


    ¡°Are all those people your friends then?¡±


    Sian gave some thought to it and answered.


    ¡°Friends? Hmm, no.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see...¡±


    Mirian nodded understandingly. Those people were too famous for some mountain dweller to know about them. She was shocked by what Sian said afterward.


    ¡°We are family.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Mirian then realized where she had heard the name Sian. It was the name Instructor Rian spoke about a countless number of times.


    Sian von Roman.


    The missing second son of the Roman family.


    He had gone missing when Sky Mountain was destroyed and all of Granines had gone missing back five years ago. There had been rumors surrounding Sian, but none of rumors seemed to be true. Even if only half of them were true, it would make Sian inhuman.


    Even the incident itself was suspicious. There were some who imed they saw a giant beast within the mountain, but there was no evidence of such a thing and all the Granines going missing wasn¡¯t exined either. The other big issues that arose afterward overshadowed the incident as the Kingdom grew busier.


    ¡°Gods... we heard the incident was five years ago. Have you been somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was nothing. I was... just locked up somewhere.¡±


    Sian smiled bitterly. He had to spend five years fighting against the husk of the monster that tried to destroy and absorb him. It wasn¡¯t a good feeling to be locked up inside a monster. It was powerful, but it had no will of its own, and that allowed Sian to win.


    ¡°So... the rumor was true then?¡±


    ¡°What rumor?¡±


    ¡°Did the Granines really kidnap you to do human experiments on you? This one is most popr.¡±


    ¡°...No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Uh... then did you run away with a Granine princess?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they even have a princess.¡±


    ¡°What! So those rumors were all a hoax then.¡±


    Mirian looked disappointed.


    ¡°Well... rumors are rumors. So, what are you going to do now?¡± Ron asked.


    ¡°I guess I should go home first. Oh, is my brother still an instructor there?¡±


    ¡°No. He¡¯s back at Dragona.¡±


    ¡°Curse that old man. I told him to put my brother in the Third Knight Guard.¡±


    ¡°Is that ¡®old man¡¯ some high-ranking official?¡± Ron asked carefully. A man who could ce Rian von Roman must have some rank.


    ¡°Uh, I guess?¡±


    Sian nodded as he knew no one higher than a king.


    ¡°But he probably didn¡¯t have a choice. The Third Knight Guard has disbanded.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How did that happen?¡±


    The Capital always had forces to keep the peace. Sian couldn¡¯t understand the reasoning behind such a move and questioned it. Ron answered bitterly.


    ¡°We arecking in manpower.¡±


    ¡°Huh?... is there a war?¡±


    ¡°No. No country dares to attack us anymore,¡± Ron answered proudly. Tian was at its peak after King Narasha was enthroned. All the talented individuals who graduated from Gron-Ph were dispatched to all parts of Tian and the nation was flourishing.


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no country that dares to attack us, but the Harijans don¡¯t care about that.¡± Mirian answered instead.


    ¡°Harijans? Was the Wall broken?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°No... but after five years ago when Sky Mountain was destroyed... there was a change.¡±


    Ron began exining.


    ¡°Ugh... I¡¯m getting a headache.¡±


    ¡°You should get some rest, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Look at all the work that needs to be done... haha.¡±


    King Narasha was speaking to Viscount Talin. The King was really tired after all the meetings and paperwork that needed to be done. He then thought about what happened five years ago.


    He was so shocked when he heard a huge tremor detected from the Lagran Region. The King asked if Gron-Ph was okay. The ce had all of the talented individuals from around the country. If that ce was destroyed, it would mean war.


    The King was worried when he heard Sian going to the ce. Luckily, Gron-Ph was unharmed. After that, King asked if the Granines were okay. There was good and bad news. The bad was that all the Granines were missing. The good news was that they were gone entirely, so there was no problem.


    It was good up to that point. But the real problem came next.


    ¡°Why are those Harijansing from beyond Sky Mountain?¡±


    Sky Mountain. A sacred ce.


    No living beings lived there and no one dared to set foot there.


    No humans, no Harijans, nothing.


    The peace of the Ra-Sian Continent was due to Sky Mountain blocking off the entire northern side of the continent. It allowed humans to only protect the east side. But things changed starting five years ago. It was only a part of it, but Harijans beganing out from a corner of Sky Mountain.


    The damage was devastating at first. None of the countries were prepared to fight against the Harijans that had been lurking for 400 years. It was after a few estates were left in ruins that Tian barely managed to take control.


    They sent all avable forces to the north of Tian, to block the Harijans froming over. It wasn¡¯t a lot, but the range was too wide.


    The King then asked for the other countries to help. Just like the Great North Wall, this problem wasn¡¯t something Tian could take on alone. All the countries agreed to help, but they did not send anyone.


    ¡°Bastards...¡±


    The King cursed at those countries. They were bing weary of Tian for growing powerful so they did not send help. Taran and Usharan then began to fight as soon as Tian was busy protecting the border at Sky Mountain.


    Usharan had finished conquering Con Kingdom and had grown into powerful country, so it was in a good fight with Taran who had been weakened by losing the Lagran Region.


    Kharan, Kiara, and Broshan grew closer after losing Lagaopora. They felt their power growing weakerpared to the other countries, so they began building an alliance.


    Tian became more busy with all of this going on. They were building walls on the north border, but it would take years for it to be finished.


    ¡®What went wrong... I thought I would at least conquer Taran in ten years...¡¯


    Sian moved around without putting much thought into it, but every ce he went to caused a huge power shift in the world. The five years without Sian was at least easier in the fact that it was predictable.


    Yet the King couldn¡¯t say this out loud in fear of Stantahl the First who might be lurking around. It was why he had been writing letters every year.


    ¡°Hm... it¡¯s been a while since I wrote a letter. Maybe I should write one now.¡±


    The King did send a letter once every year that included how the world had changed. Sian¡¯s return was unpredictable, but he hoped Sian would see the letter and understand the situation and tread carefully afterwards.


    However, the King knew that Sian would not care. He would not even understand.


    ¡°Please... stay there for a little longer...¡±


    The King almost wrote this in the letter, but he barely held it back before he began writing.

 Chapter 101: Return

    <h4>Chapter 101: Return</h4>


    ¡°Wow... it really has been a long time.¡±


    Sian was reading through the letters after renting a room. He wanted to see his family, but he decided to read the letters to find out what happened since he had gone missing.


    There were so many letters that Sian had to reorganize them in order that they were sent first. Most of the letters were from his family. Next was Celine, King Narasha, and then Stiel. Stiel only had one letter that she initially wrote and stopped, seemingly embarrassed from doing such an action. Meanwhile, the King only had four letters, but all of them were really long so Sian put them aside to readter.


    After reading those letters, Sian learned that a lot of things had happened during those five years.


    Celine had returned to Dragona and Stiel mentioned she had taken care of everything regarding his brother...


    ¡°Huh? Married?¡±


    Sian was shocked, but he nodded understandingly.


    Warriors had a different age standard than regr people. The more powerful they were, the healthier they were, so it allowed them to look young. Stiel, for instance, was over two hundred years old but she only looked like she was barely twenty years old.


    If Sian was asleep for five years, his brother was now twenty-nine years old. It was about time for him to be married and have babies.


    ¡°I see... well, I should get married someday. So he got married to... Kora-duum?¡±


    Sian was curious about the name he had never heard of before. He read through some more and became shocked.


    ¡°...he was married three years ago... and she was fourteen? Only seventeen now?¡±


    But it was just the start.


    <Dear Sian. It has been three years since you¡¯ve been gone. I wish youe back soon... <Skipped> I have a second wife... her name is...>


    <Dear Sian. I miss you so much. It has been four years... <Skipped> Third wife... she is...>


    ¡°He has... three wives?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. He wanted to congratte his brother, but it was too much for him to handle. He thenid down on the bed and picked up the letter again.


    The letter had a lot of information that he needed. How his family was doing, where Stiel was, how busy Celine was... the letter sent by King Narasha looked soplicated that Sian decided to skip it.


    After reading everything, Sian began thinking about what to do next.


    He didn¡¯t think for long. The people he wanted to meet were gathered in one ce. He missed them so much. Except King Narasha.


    Thest letter that came from Rian two weeks ago said where they were staying currently. Sian moved to the Ra-Shar-Roa. The pir had enough money and he had his identification que so it was no problem for him to move.


    ¡°Hm... why are you guys here?¡± Sian asked Mirian and Ron who were waiting outside the door. They should have no business with him anymore. Ron hesitated and Mirian said, ¡°When are you going to meet with your brother?¡±


    ¡°I was on my way, actually. I¡¯m going to use the Ra-Shar-Roa.¡±


    One would have to take Ra-Shar-Roa to arrive at <Lavn>, the ce where Rian was. Sian decided to move to Count Cine¡¯s estate by using the Ra-Shar-Roa and start walking from there. Mirian then brightened up and grabbed onto Sian.


    ¡°Wow! Great. We can go together!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Mirian was dumbfounded at such a quick rejection.


    Sian had his reasons. Lavn and Cine Estate were not close. His speed would allow him to arrive at once, but taking these young students would take too long. He wasn¡¯t in hurry, but he wanted to meet up with his brother fast.


    ¡°Come on. You should listen to our story first. You¡¯re rted too.¡±


    Sian was interested in Mirian¡¯s words.


    ¡°Do you know my brother?¡±


    ¡°Uh... it¡¯splicated but...¡±


    Mirian and Ron began to exin.


    Gron-Ph¡¯s vacation was actually ced for the instructors. Unless they were full-time faculty, the season during March through April was too busy for instructors to concentrate on teaching. That was why academy closed down for one to two months to have instructors focus on their original jobs and send the students back home.


    Mirian and Ron had to return home also. They already had their next destination. They were offered by their friend to visit her.


    ¡°A friend...?¡±


    ¡°Your brother¡¯s wife. Kora-duum. She¡¯s my friend. Isn¡¯t it wonderful that we met you at this time?¡±


    ¡°Uh... oh...¡±


    Sian understood what his brother had done after looking at the young student standing in front of him. He didn¡¯t realize how young a seventeen-year-old girl could be and Sian himself started working as Guarran-Tia when he was seventeen. So he didn¡¯t think it was absurd that his brother married such a young girl.


    ¡®What have you done, brother?¡¯


    Sian felt the need to change his ns. If they were friends of his brother¡¯s wife, it seemed like a good idea to take them along. Sian thought it would be bad to be rude toward his brother¡¯s wife, as she was family, so he nodded.


    ¡°Okay... we¡¯ll go together. You can pack... or you did already.¡±


    Sian nodded approvingly as he saw packs that Mirian and Ron were picking up that they had put aside. They were quick on what they had to do. They would not hinder his travel too much.


    Sian also thought it was a good chance to know why Rian had married such a young girl. Rian did not describe in detail in his letters, but this girl next to him would surely know if she were a friend.


    Three of them used the Ra-Shar-Roa and arrived at the Cine Estate. It was being chased fiercely by the Logadis Estate, but the Celine Estate was still thergest and wealthiest estate in Western Tian. The rising of the Logadis Estate actually helped Celine Estate as it was located between Taran and Logadis, making a trading hub for the two ces.


    Because of this, there were hundreds of people using the expensive Ra-Shar-Roa every day.


    After they walked past the Ra-Shar-Roa post, Mirian and Ron looked at Sian admiringly.


    ¡°Wow... so the Roman family uses Ra-Shar-Roa for free?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this before... It¡¯s good, but it¡¯s interesting,¡± Sian answered as he thought about what just happened. When he showed money and the identification que, the post was shocked. The knight that was at the post began calling somewhere and allowed Sian to use the Ra-Shar-Roa for free. Even Mirian and Ron managed to use it for free.


    Sian soon realized what was behind all that.


    ¡®So, old man Narasha did something to my que. It¡¯s convenient, but what did he do?¡¯


    Sian then took out his identification que and examined it. There was something engraved behind it. Five red lions. It wasn¡¯t there when he was traveling around.


    Sian didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was made specially for Sian. It was created by King Narasha to find Sian who might show up all of a sudden.


    <If you see anyone with this engraving on the identification que, call and make everything convienent for the user as best as possible.>


    Sian didn¡¯t know all that, but he decided to not think about it.


    ¡°So... how did my brother meet his wife? If she is the same age as you...¡± Sian asked Mirian.


    ¡°Hehe. What do you think? I told you, she¡¯s a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Who would¡¯ve guessed that Instructor Rian would marry his student?¡±


    Sian shook his head.

 Chapter 102: Return

    <h4>Chapter 102: Return</h4>


    <Lavn>, the city west of Cine Estate, next to the border of the Taran Kingdom.


    It was a strategdmark where many trades were conducted between Taran and it also worked as the main point of an attack when the need arose.


    Within its inner city was a man training hard on the training ground. And there was a woman who approached the man.


    ¡°You look happy today, darling.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not sure why.¡±


    Kora-duum felt her heart warming up at sight of Rian smiling. He always looked lonely when he thought about his brother, whom she had never met, but Rian seemed okay today.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Has there been any troubletely?¡±


    ¡°No. I just train and fight... there¡¯s no trouble. How about you, darling?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve be more close with... the ¡®others''¡±


    Kora-duum seemed awkward on what to say about the other wives and Rian smiled.


    ¡°Thank you. I really appreciate that. So, are there any problems?¡±


    Kora-duum shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet. Taran doesn¡¯t seem to have any intention to attack... I heard the north side has increased Harijan attacks.¡±


    She spoke while looking concerned. Kora-duum, a daughter of a Dekon, had a unique skill that allowed her to see the truth. She even managed to look into the partial minds of the Harijans. All Harijans were simr.


    <Ferocity, hunger, survival, reproduction>


    The Harijansing over the sky mountains had one more feeling.


    <Fear>


    They wereing over to Tian to search for food, but they were definitely scared of something. Their fear seemed to grow stronger toward the west, and near Gron-Ph, even the strongest Harijans didn¡¯t want to go near it.


    However, when Kora-duum checked the north side while visiting her father, she felt the fear dissipating from those Harijans.


    One didn¡¯t even need to see through the minds of the Harijans. Even now, more Harijans were crossing the Sky Mountain to invade Tian. It seemed that the Harijans figured that it was easier toe over Sky Mountain than attacking the Great North Wall, so the number of Harijansing over the mountain increased.


    ¡°Hm... that¡¯s unsettling.¡±


    Rian groaned. He heard that a Five-Horned Harijan hadunched an attacktely. Swordmeister Kiraine and the other warriors managed to fend off the monster, but it was extremely dangerous. The capital knew this and kept sending supplies and weaponry, but they werecking manpower. The students at Gron-Ph needed more time to be dispatched in actualbat, and there would be a lot of time left once the Great North Wall expansion reached this region.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can stay here in safety at such times,¡± Rian said, looking concerned. Kora-duum tried tofort her husband.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Taran is staying back because you and your father are protecting this ce. The King asked you to do that personally, remember?¡±


    Taran border was protected by Count Roman, Rian, and Dragona.


    ¡°Yes... but I feel helpless here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My father is helping out also. You should go with me the next time I visit him.¡±


    ¡°Haha... yes, if he allows me to visit him, I definitely will.¡±


    Rian smiled bitterly as he remembered what happened in the past.


    <You thief! My daughter is just fourteen! I sent my daughter to study! Not to marry a teacher!>


    Rian had to flee when his father-inw came running after him with <Gaira>. Dekons matured much earlier than humans, but fourteen was still too young.


    ¡°He should be okay. He was okay thest time I visited him.¡±


    Rian thought he probably wouldn¡¯t be okay if he went there, but decided not to say it out loud.


    ¡°By the way... you said your friends areing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you know them too. Mirian and Ron.¡±


    ¡°Oh, them.¡±


    Rian smiled as he thought about his wife¡¯s friends. They were good students, but they always caused problems because of their inquisitive nature. Kora-duum noticed that her husband was worried and smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s such a short distance. They won¡¯t get into any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course. Shall we go eat now?¡±


    Rian escorted Kora-duum inside the house to have a meal with his other wives.


    ¡°You bastard! How dare you bully an innocent citizen!¡±


    ¡°Crazy b*tch! Kill her!¡±


    Sian thought about what had led to this as he watched the chaos unfold in front of his eyes.


    ¡®So... it was good until we went to rent the carriage in the city...¡¯


    It was right when they passed by the marketce. There were some ruffians collecting fees from the merchants. Cine Estate was peacefulpared to the other estates, but it wasn¡¯t perfect. Besides, those ruffians usually worked to prevent other ruffians or beggars from invading the streets so it was usually left alone. Mirian, however, had different ideas about them.


    <YOU! What do you think you are!>


    <Huh? You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Scoot or I will- UGH!>


    <SHUT UP!>


    Ruffians only had power over merchants as the streets were full of powerful warriors. They trod carefully and never tried to pick a fight with other people. Mirian didn¡¯t care. The ruffians figured she must have some backup and wanted to avoid her, but Mirian smacked the first man¡¯s head and started beating up the others.


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Sian sighed and Ron was holding his forehead in shame while counting thepensation and repair fees for all of destroyed merchant carts and pieces of furniture.


    ¡°Ron. Is this your first time traveling together?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Mirian isn¡¯t like that... mostly. I think she got too excited since this is her first trip.¡±


    Ron tried to defend his friend, but Sian figured out that Mirian did cause a lot of problems. He began thinking. It seemed Mirian would make everything inconvenient along the way and it didn¡¯t bode well for the peace-loving Sian.


    He would¡¯ve chosen to have gone alone already under normal circumstances.


    If they did go separate ways, there was no way for Mirian to arrive at <Lavn> unharmed. Sian thought about what might happen.


    <Sian! Long time no see... <Skipped.> I heard that you had a friend with you when you took the Ra-Shar-Roa. Where are they?>


    <Oh, we went separate ways because they caused too much trouble. Oh, hello. You must be Kora-duum. Nice to meet you.>


    <Sorry, I don¡¯t feel like introducing myself. My friends, who you left behind, were found dead on the way.>


    <Ugh...>


    <Sian, was it that hard to bring two students? They were my wife¡¯s friends!>


    <It¡¯s your fault!>


    <...>


    It was all his imagination, but there was the possibility of it bing real.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Sian scratched his head as he watched the situationing to an end. Sian then called Mirian, who looked satisfied, quietly.


    ¡°Uh... Mirian?¡±


    Mirian then turned to Sian and spoke as if she was waiting.


    ¡°Hehe, I took care of everything before you did! I assumed it would be too petty for you to handle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be responsible for any troubles.¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t say anything as she had spoken first. It wasn¡¯t like she did anything bad either. Sian didn¡¯t want to be her teacher for just ten days, so he made a decision. He wasn¡¯t good at any kind of teaching other than beating people up.


    ¡°Ron, Mirian. Can youe here?¡±


    Mirian and Ron approached Sian curiously.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of heights? Or, do you throw up when your body is shaken violently...?¡± Sian asked apologetically, but Mirian scoffed.


    ¡°Haha, aren¡¯t you underestimating us? Warriors can¡¯t have something like that.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good.¡±


    Sian then picked up Mirian and Ron at once and they became shocked and shouted.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°Put me down!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidnapping you, so don¡¯t worry. Just hold on tight.¡±


    Sian then began running. He was running so fast that normal people couldn¡¯t even make out what ran past them with their naked eyes. Mirian and Ron became confused, but they soon realized it and asked as they were being carried on Sian¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Say... are you trying to run to Lavn with us up on your shoulders?¡±


    Sian thenughed.


    ¡°Haha, no way.¡±


    ¡°Then what...¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    When Sian arrived at a hill where no one else was around, he nced to check if there were any people around and tightly held onto the two people.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°That will take too long. Shall we go then?¡±


    ¡°What are you- ARGGGHGHGH!¡±


    Before Ron and Mirian could say anything, Sian jumped into the sky at an incredible speed. The ground that Sian kicked off was destroyed as if a bomb had exploded, and Sian flew toward Lavn like a shooting star.

 Chapter 103: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 103: Reunion</h4>


    Krasant yawned as he watched the skies from the southern watchtower of Lavn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what those Tarans are thinking.¡±


    Taran had been standing guard against the Tian Border, and there were no signs of any attacks. They might have been watching out for Granines, but they were gone now so it didn¡¯t make sense.


    Krasant, after his five years of duty in this tower, had never seen any signs of hostility. But he was involved in the war that allowed Tian to attack the unsuspecting Taran, thus acquiring the Lagran Region, so he did not let down his guard.


    As he looked up into the skies, he saw something shinying from the east side. He first thought he had caught a glimpse of a light, but it wasn¡¯t. It was approaching at an incredible speed.


    ¡°What the... DAMMIT!¡±


    A mysterious object flying at such speed meant absolute destruction if it crashnded. Krasant frantically started ringing the emergency bell.


    ¡®What is that? Why is iting from Tian¡¯s side? Was Cine attacked? Or is it some new magic from the enemy?¡¯


    The red object was approaching too quickly. It didn¡¯t seem like it was big, but the speed was too threatening.


    ¡°It¡¯sing directly here!¡±


    Krasan closed his eyes and crouched on the ground. It was what he was trained to do to withstand explosions.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    There was a loud thud, which Krasant expected to erupt into an explosion, but nothing happened. He then opened his eyes and looked at thending site. Dust clouds rose, but there was no explosion. As the dust cloud subsided, arge figure came out from it.


    ¡®What is that? Is it a monster?¡¯


    Krasant mistook the two people on each shoulder as the figure¡¯s actual shoulders. Two people were vomiting. Krasant then came back to his senses and sprang up to his feet. The other guards were already circling the intruder.


    ¡°Ugh... you should¡¯ve told us!¡±


    ¡°What was this! Couldn¡¯t we have juste normally?¡±


    ¡°Uh... But...¡±


    The intruder was quarreling with the two people he had been carrying on each shoulder. Krasant wanted to jump in and apprehend the intruder, but he couldn¡¯t. No one couldn¡¯t when they just saw a man fly down from the sky at an unbelievable speed.


    Then Krasant realized the intruder had a familiar face. The face reminded him of Tian¡¯s greatest general, Count Roman. Then he remembered the face he saw when he was at war more than five years ago. The intruder had grown taller and bigger, but he couldn¡¯t forget his face.


    ¡°Sian! Aren¡¯t you sir Sian von Roman?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Do you know me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I participated in the war in the Lagran Region.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I see. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Sian looked at Krasant curiously.


    ¡°I thought you had gone missing...¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m back. Can you call my brother?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please wait here.¡±


    Krasant turned to call upon Rian, but there was no need.


    ¡°Hahaha! Sian! It¡¯s been so long! What a grand entrance you just made. I won¡¯t need to let Father know about it,¡± Rianughed. There was no way Grand Bander would miss what Sian just did.


    ¡°Hehe. I missed you, Brother.¡±


    They hugged each other for a while. Rian then said, ¡°We have a lot to talk about. Come,e.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we sure do. I want to know about your three wives.¡±


    ¡°Oh... haha. It¡¯s a long story. Hahaha... and who are these friends?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re your wife¡¯s friends. I took them along with me. Hey, can you walk?¡±


    ¡°Ugh... yeah. I¡¯ll walk.¡±


    Sian and the group went into the castle and guards went back to their post.


    ¡°Sian, this is my wife, Kora-duum. She is the daughter of a Dekon.¡±


    ¡°Dekon! I met a Dekon before. Greetings. I¡¯m Sian.¡±


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Kora-duum.¡±


    Sian introduced himself, thinking about the Dekon he met in Kn Province. Kora-duum looked closely at her husband¡¯s brother. What Rian had been telling her was unbelievable at best.


    <You know that crater behind Lagran? That¡¯s the result of my brother¡¯s fight. He destroyed four peaks of the mountain range.>


    <My brother... sacrificed himself to protect us. I am sad that my brother made such a choice, but I believe him. And I know that he will not be beaten... by anyone.>


    Rian was a genius for sure. It was just that Sian should not even be considered as a human if the stories were true. Even if only half of the stories were true, it would mean Sian was like a reincarnation of the War God himself.


    Hence, she was always curious.


    Dekon eyes could see through everything. She wanted to check on her husband¡¯s brother. To see if he was real.


    She thought she would know right at the moment sheid her eye upon him, but it did not work as she nned.


    ¡°So I had to fight that stupid husk that tried to eat me as a whole...¡±


    ¡°By the gods... you must have gone through so much pain.¡±


    ¡®...What is it?¡¯


    Kora-duum became confused as she watched Sian who was talking with her husband. She saw something, but it was weird. It was a giant, yellow something. It was moving about but she couldn¡¯t understand what it was. Then Rian turned to Kora-duum.


    ¡°Haha, my brother is shy so he will get embarrassed if you keep staring at him like that.¡±


    At that moment, her question was answered. The yellow thing turned to Kora-duum and she saw what it was. Within the middle cross-shaped opening was a red burning light. As Sian turned to watch Kora-duum, its powerful, ominous eye looked directly into Kora-duum and she felt all her energy and the hope of resistance failing.


    ¡°Ah... ah....¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is it, darling?¡±


    ¡°Ah... n-no. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Kora-duum instantly fell onto the ground, panting.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s tired.¡±


    ¡°I... I just got nervous. I¡¯ll talk to my friends and leave you two here.¡±


    Rian looked concerned, but Kora-duum slowly walked away with her friends.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what happened to her.¡±


    ¡°You should check on her first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sian. I¡¯ll be back soon. Go to your room and have some rest. We¡¯ll talk again when Fatheres back.¡±


    Rian then followed his wife and Sian moved up to his room. On the way, Sian mumbled to himself.


    ¡°So, Dekons really are something. I thought she would not see it.¡±


    Superhumans were different beings that were governed by differentws of the world. It meant that they were separate from the current dimension. This separation grew distinct as the person became stronger, so Sian would have been too different to even feel he was different. Yet Kora-duum managed to see something.


    Sian decided to be careful so he would not scare his brother¡¯s wife anymore and moved to his room.


    ¡°He looked happy... I wonder when will I get married,¡± Sian sighed.


    ¡°Sian! I¡¯m d you are back!¡±


    ¡°Haha, me too, Father. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been the same old in this ce.¡±


    Count Roman seemed to be really relieved to see his son back in one piece. Sian and Count talked among themselves as Rian hadn¡¯te back yet. After talking on different topics for a while, they came to the issue Sian was most curious about.


    ¡°So... you know about your brother, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I read the letters. It¡¯s shame that I couldn¡¯t attend his wedding.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, did you meet all three of his wives?¡±


    ¡°No, I just met his first wife. Where are other two?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re at another ce, training. I¡¯m sure they saw you flying in, so they wille soon.¡±


    Count Roman also saw the meteor flying in, so his daughter-inws must have seen it too. Sian had a lot of questions, but he decided to ask about two people that sent him letters.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lady Celine and Miss Stiel? The letters said they were here.¡±


    ¡°Celine is training with the other two wives so she wille with them. And... by Stiel, do you mean Stantahl the First?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The letter...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Is she here?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian and Count Roman exchanged confused nces.

 Chapter 104: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 104: Reunion</h4>


    ¡°You lost contact with Miss Stiel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    His father began telling him what Stiel had been doing since then. It happened five years ago when Count Roman was protecting the border that someone came into his room. It was protected by many warriors, but nothing was enough to defend against the intruder.


    <You are Sian¡¯s father, right? I¡¯m Stiel.¡±


    <You... you are Stantahl the First! How... what has brought you here?>


    Rian did not know about the person, but Count Roman, who was a Grand Bander, knew about Stiel. Count couldn¡¯t figure out why the superhuman that was responsible for the destruction of the mountain would visit him. He first thought Stiel came to me him and kill him.


    <I guess you do know about me. We¡¯ll make it quick.>


    She then began exining the unbelievable story. That Sian decided to sacrifice himself to save others and fight the evil monster. And that there was no telling when it would be done. Count Roman was dumbfounded. He knew how these superhumans considered humans like insects. Stantahl the First herself was a tyrant even when she was a Grand Bander, so there was no reason for her to be this considerate to them. Then Count Roman decided to ask a question.


    <Why are you telling me all this?>


    <We might be family in the future, so why not?>


    <Oh...>


    Count Roman then began to realize what was going on.


    <Tell others who need to know about this.>


    <Understood.>


    Stantahl the First left after that and Count Roman shared this news to Rian, his wife, and Lady Celine who were close with Sian. They were all saddened, but they didn¡¯t lose hope. It didn¡¯t feel like Sian would lose.


    He did not tell the King, thinking it wasn¡¯t needed, but he heard it from somewhere and came to him. And thus he offered this.


    <Thatnd will be dangerous now. Putting restrictions on it will draw more people who are curious, so let¡¯s spread the rumor that thend is lethal.>


    <And we should take a step to help him when hees back to the world.>


    King Narasha then brought a steel pir to the ce and stashed it with clothing, money, and other things Sian might need when he came back. Before they finished it by sticking it into the ground, Stantahl the First appeared out of nowhere and said,


    <You guys are so dull. Narasha, go and make some drawers here.>


    <Huh? Why...>


    <Are you not going to write letters?>


    This was how the pir came to have the letterbox. The family members agreed to it and they thought it might help Sian know about what had happened while he was absent.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you are here. We¡¯ve never seen her since then.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Sian was confused. It wasn¡¯t like what the letter said. Stiel only left one letter but what it said was different.


    <I took care of everything. I told the Stantahl boy to stay away from Tian and made Narasha station your family at Taran border. It will be the safest ce that way... <skipped> I hope youe back soon. I¡¯ll be by your family. That should make it easier to find me, won¡¯t it?>


    ¡®I should look into it.¡¯


    Stiel wasn¡¯t a character to protect his family behind the scenes. She had already done her best to protect Sian¡¯s family, so she didn¡¯t need to provide any more protection. Sian thought she would have been livingvishly under the care of King Narasha, but it was weird that no one had seen her since then.


    There was no way to find superhuman in hiding, so Sian decided to leave it aside for now. She¡¯de once she heard the news.


    ¡°So, Sian,¡± Count Roman spoke.


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡°I... I think she¡¯s a good person.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean... isn¡¯t it about time for you to get married too?¡±


    Count Roman was always concerned about his son. He was living as an ordinary man, but he was after all, a superhuman. That meant he would eventually live his life as a lone man. Nheless, the Count believed Sian needed a family. He and his family weren¡¯t enough as they were mere humans. The Count liked Celine too, but she was also only a human, not fit to stay by Sian¡¯s side.


    Sian also looked like he was interested in Stiel. He had never dated a girl before so he was clueless, but Count Roman figured Stiel would be okay. Sian, who was only interested in his family, would not have asked about Stiel if it wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°I¡¯m too young. Besides, Brother will continue the family name, so I¡¯m relieved. He has three wives!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you should think about it. Shall we go down? They all must be here by now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A lot of people had gathered. There was no sign of Kora-duum and her friends. But there were others, including a familiar face.


    ¡°Sian! You came back in one piece!¡±


    ¡°Haha. You know I don¡¯t go to a ce where I¡¯ll die.¡±


    Celine greeted Sian happily. He did almost die back there, but he didn¡¯t want to mention it to make his people feel sad.


    ¡°Haha, I saw from the letters, but it¡¯s good to see you all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Sian, this is... Kukraxa.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Lady Kukraxa.¡±


    ¡°Greetings.¡±


    Sian was astounded. He did hear that love had no boundaries but...


    ¡°You are from the Targan tribe.¡±


    ¡°So, you know.¡±


    ¡®She reminds me of Miss Stiel.¡¯


    Rian¡¯s second wife was one of the Catfolk and from the Targan tribe, the strongest among them.


    Catfolk lived in small families and did not group, so they were driven out to the mountain regions of Con-Tian or Broshan, but they were powerful beings. They were born with powers and reflexes that no human could match and they grew more powerful as they aged. When they aged enough to have seven stripes on their forehead, they became almost as strong as Grand Banders.


    Kukraxa didn¡¯t look as strong, but her five stripes proved that she wasn¡¯t weak either. It looked like she was as strong as Rian himself.


    Hence the reason why Sian was curious. Catfolk, and especially Targan who was the most hostile and vicious, weren¡¯t easy to meet in the first ce. They weren¡¯t like the Dekons who lived among the humans.


    Sian asked curiously, ¡°So... how did you meet my brother?¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Kukraxa looked hesitant so Rian stepped out.


    ¡°Everyone knows, so you should too. It was when I went to streets of Tra-An under royal orders.¡±


    Rian then began telling him about the grand adventure. Sian managed to summarize it.


    ¡®So, he sacked the whole ck Market at Tra-An street, found Kukraxa locked up, and rescued her? And married her afterwards?¡¯


    Sian was dumbfounded. Stiel said that the Catfolk or daughters of fallen nobles were not sent to ck markets due to their high demand. Sian also figured it was true. However, his brother just happened to raid Tra-An street, which was technically down the road, and found a Catfolk, and married her.


    It was like digging up a backyard and finding treasures from within.


    ¡®Is he like a main character from a novel?¡¯


    Marrying a student made some sense. Rian was a great man, so it was understandable. But this seemed like too much. As Sian stood there, lost for words, Rian went on to introduce another person.


    ¡°This here... is Veronica. We recently got married.¡±


    ¡°Greetings. I have heard a ton about you.¡±


    ¡®...Huh?¡¯


    She had a familiar scent.


    ¡°Do you know... Limainu?¡±


    ¡°Limainu?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uh...¡±


    Sian began exining the features of the person. Veronica then looked shocked and asked, ¡°I think the person you are describing is someone I know! Where did you meet my brother?¡±


    ¡®Wow...¡¯


    Veronica was shocked and so was Sian. Sian then turned to his brother, whom he just decided to give the utmost respect.

 Chapter 105: Reunion

    <h4>Chapter 105: Reunion</h4>


    Veronica.


    The Saint name given to her in her original world.


    She wasn¡¯t the religious type, but she only had religion to hold onto when she was thrown out into this world, and she also needed a name to use.


    She never said she came from another world. It was only going to get her into trouble.


    This world wasn¡¯t a good ce for a woman, especially a beautiful woman like her, to live in.


    ck hair and ck eyes were rare in this world and women had a lower social standing in the world where power was everything. In fact, she had faced many threats in just three years after she came here.


    She managed to protect herself because of two reasons.


    One was because of the special power she acquired uponing here.


    The other was her husband whom she met a year ago. She was allowed to live in peace after marrying her husband.


    ¡®He¡¯s so handsome...¡¯


    She loved handsome men back in her world, but Rian was much more. There was no one more handsome than Rian.


    He was powerful, wealthy, had a good background, and good character. He was god-given.


    He did have two more wives, but that was fine. It wasn¡¯tmon in a lot of ces in her own world, but she was not in her world. She decided to let that go.


    Besides, the three of them were different races, so they were not jealous of each other and they became friends.


    As they became closer, they began talking about one topic they all wondered about.


    <Who is Sian?>


    Not many people knew about their husband¡¯s brother.


    The Roman family¡¯s fame was already at its peak when Veronica arrived in this world. That was the family that was at the top of the food chain in a world ruled by force.


    Tian¡¯s greatest general, Great Grand Bander Kain von Roman.


    The Roman family¡¯s genius, Rian von Roman.


    There was no one in Tian who did not know about them. They were also very famous in other countries too.


    Yet Sian wasn¡¯t that well known. There were rumors, but they were just absurd. It was almost like those inte hoaxes from her own world.


    If all the rumors were true, Sian was like a walking nuclear weapon. No, it was more. She knew no nuclear weapon that could destroy a mountain.


    She first thought the crater beyond the Lagran Region was a ce where the meteor had fallen, but she couldn¡¯t believe what her husband exined afterwards.


    <You should know too, since you are part of the family now.>


    ¡®...is it man-made? For real?¡¯


    She thought her husband was joking, but he wasn¡¯t.


    It made her and the other wives grew more curious about Sian.


    In the end, there was so little information about him, so they couldn¡¯t it figure out exactly.


    Today, when she was training with Kukraxa and Lady Celine from Dragona, they saw something that looked like a red meteor from far away.


    She and Kukraxa were rmed and was worried about their husband, but Celine looked delighted.


    <He¡¯s back!>


    She then began running toward the ce where the meteor was falling down.


    Veronica and Kukraxa shrugged and followed her. They wanted to know what was going on too. Then they heard the news.


    Sian had returned after five years.


    ¡®Hmm... he doesn¡¯t look special.¡¯


    He didn¡¯t look any special at all. She imagined him to be like twelve feet tall while holding a giant hammer made out of some dragon bone. That was kind of image she had about a man who could destroy a mountain.


    But Sian was too in. He actually looked weaker than her father-inw or husband.


    She was shocked, however, when Sian suddenly asked,


    <Do you know Limainu?>


    The description that followed matched with the person she knew.


    Limainu, or Lee, Manu.


    Lee Mina, was shocked to hear about her only brother whom she couldn¡¯t find after falling off the cliff in a car ident together.


    ¡°So... you met him in Kerbal five years ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t see him after that, but he was there for sure.¡±


    ¡°So he was alive...!¡±


    Veronica was relieved to hear the news, but she soon turned pale.


    ¡°Wait... Kerbal. You mean that ruined city, Kerbal?¡±


    Kerbal was already in ruins before she came into this world. The ce was barren with no living beings allowed to live there.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When... when did you see him there?¡±


    ¡°Uh... it was three days before the ce was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°No...!¡±


    Veronica felt her strength wane. She had a powerful mind as an Exer, but she couldn¡¯t keep herself up at the news that her brother might have been killed.


    It was especially shocking to hear as she just heard that her brother was alive.


    ¡°Are you okay, darling?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... nothing. I¡¯m just a little shocked...¡±


    ¡°You should go get some rest. You¡¯ll get to talk again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You should go take some rest.¡±


    Count Roman and Sian offered Veronica to get some rest. Her face was livid with shock.


    ¡°Then... if you¡¯ll excuse me...¡±


    ¡®They are so weak-minded,¡¯ Kukraxa thought as she walked Veronica walking into her room.


    ¡®But is he really that strong? I don¡¯t see it.¡¯


    He did seem powerful with his psychological attacks since he already defeated Kora-duum and Veronica, but Sian didn¡¯t look like he did anything. However, there was no doubt that Sian was strong. What Kukraxa wanted to know was something different.


    ¡°If you were there for all that time... do you know what happened to the Granines?¡± Kukraxa asked. Everyone turned immediately to Sian, as they all had that question for a long time.


    ¡°They probably all died.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Their bodies have turned into ashes, so they probably died.¡±


    The energy that allowed them to live eternally was absorbed by Sian. He tried to see if he could make such Guards, but it wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Ashes... who did such atrocious things! They were living in peace...!¡±


    ¡°Oh... uh... yeah.¡±


    Sian was just about to im it was him who was responsible for their deaths, but he figured it would make him a murderer so he decided not to. He realized these people would have not seen what had be of the Granines in their final hours.


    ¡®Oh... I wonder if Miss Stiel took Chrona-Phon too. I should¡¯ve just given it to her. I don¡¯t need it now.¡¯


    He did not need the weapon anymore, so it would¡¯ve been good to give it to Stiel who seemed to want it. After talking about different subjects, Rian asked in concern, ¡°I heard you fought some weird husk. I assume it was a dangerous thing if it was hard for you to take care of it. What happened to it? Did you destroy it?¡±


    The people turned to Sian. The husk was powerful enough that even Sian had a hard time fighting it. It would be a concern if even piece of that remained in the Lagran Region. That would mean the evacuation of the whole area, including Gron-Ph.


    Sianughed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡®I wouldn¡¯t havee out if I didn¡¯t eat everything.¡¯


    The husk probably was still underground if he didn¡¯t.


    ¡®Should I show them?¡¯


    Sian wanted to show off his new power. The power that made Chrona-Phon meaningless to him. Other powers would only make others fear him, but this one was just enough to show it to people without terrorizing them. Kora-duum seemed to recognize his powers, but the others would not know.


    Sian then decided to show the people who were concerned about the husk.


    ¡°I took care of everything. I¡¯ll show you, stand back.¡±


    Sian asked the crowd to step back and had the tables taken away. He then began pulling up the energy slowly. He did it slowly to show others on what change was brought upon Sian. The scale, that was hidden behind Sian¡¯s neck that no one had noticed yet, began covering his entire body.


    The scales were so small that it took some time to cover the entire body, but when it was done, Sian was now covered in smooth, red scales that were so small that it looked like red metal was covering his body. An ivory te covered therge areas, like a temail covering a red chainmail.


    Count Roman was at a loss for words as Sian had just turned into a human weapon. He asked, ¡°What... what is that?¡±


    ¡°It kind of grew it out when I ate every bit of the husk.¡±


    It actually grew the way Sian wanted it to.


    ¡®Hehehe.¡¯


    Sian loved this armor more than the power he acquired after passing another barrier. It was good that it empowered him, but he liked it best because it looked so cool.


    He then turned to people and spoke.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s nothing left back there and you can rest assured... huh?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Sian? ...NO!¡±


    Rian turned toward the direction Sian was looking at and found that Kukraxa had fallen to the ground in a seizure.


    ¡°No! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Nnggh....¡±


    Kukraxa moaned and shivered, so Rian picked her up and took her to the healing room.


    Count Roman and his wife followed after and only Celine and Sian were left in the hall.


    ¡°Wow, you really are amazing.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I think you are probably the only one who made all three sister-inws faint at first nce.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian sighed at her words.

 Chapter 106: Clue

    <h4>Chapter 106: Clue</h4>


    Kukraxa was curious about what Sian wanted to show them.


    True warriors did not show off just anything, and Sian looked confident. He was definitely going to show them something really powerful.


    ¡®Is it the <Armor of the Seven Stars> or the <Spear of the War God> from the legends?¡¯


    Those were the artifacts that she always wanted to see since she was very young. She was excited to see it with her very own eyes. However, what followed wasn¡¯t what she expected.


    She then remembered an old story.


    The story of a monster who lived thousands of years ago that her ancestors told her about.


    <We used to live near Sky Mountain... until a mad monster drove us out, taking the entire mountain range for itself. We weren¡¯t sure why, but we couldn¡¯t walk into Sky Mountain afterward. The monster seemed to have disappeared, but we still felt the terrifying energy the moment we approached. Humans seem to not notice the power, but we Catfolk or Harijans with heightened senses can never set foot in that ce now.>


    Kukraxa then decided to walk into Sky Mountain to prove that she was different. She didn¡¯t like how the powerful Targan tribe was afraid of such a legend. She wanted to change history and reim her people¡¯snd.


    As soon as sheid foot on the mountain, she immediately realized what her father meant.


    Terrifying energy emerged at once that she could not withstand. Her instincts told her that the ce was dangerous. She could not go near it.


    <AHHH!>


    She barely managed to run out of the ce and never returned. She thought she would never have to feel such terror again in her lifetime.


    Yet there it was. The same terrifying feeling from the mountain.


    It wasing from Sian.


    No one seemed to notice, but she did. She also realized what made Kora-duum fear him.


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    She thought she was different from her younger days. She even had five stripes on her forehead. Five stripes meant she was worthy of being a true warrior among the Cat Folk.


    Thus, she didn¡¯t run when she felt the energy creeping out from Sian.


    She regretted itter when she realized she should¡¯ve run as she couldn¡¯t even manage to stand. With the terror that ripped her apart, she fainted.


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Kukraxa, you okay?¡±


    Kora-duum and Veronica were next to her when she woke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m... okay. Thank you. Are you girls okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Kukraxa got up and sat on the bed. They all looked at each other silently, but they couldn¡¯t any find words to say to each other. They were all too shocked. Veronica spoke out first.


    ¡°So... what happened to you two?¡±


    She was shocked by the news of the possible death of her brother, but it seemed to be different for the other two. Kora-duum fainted at the moment she saw Sian and Kukraxa fainted when Sian was showing something.


    Veronica couldn¡¯t find anything special about Sian, so she naturally wanted to know too.


    To the best of their abilities, Kora-duum and Kukraxa tried to exin what they felt. Veronica asked worriedly, ¡°Are you two going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If Sian... lives here with us...¡±


    Kora-duum smiled and answered, ¡°I think it should be okay. Kukraxa will be okay as long as he doesn¡¯t take out that armor and I¡¯ll be okay if I avoid looking into his truth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It should be fine if he doesn¡¯t do that... transmorph.¡±


    Veronica was concerned about something else.


    ¡°No, I mean... is it okay to live with such a terrifying man?¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    Kora-duum and Kukraxa couldn¡¯t answer that question.


    They knew that there was no danger. Sian loved his brother and that meant he would never harm his brother¡¯s wives. He didn¡¯t look violent either, and he even looked like a kid in some way.


    However, fear didn¡¯t work like that.


    Bombs were scary even if they were not triggered yet.


    Kora-duum and Kukraxa would never be able to ovee their fear.


    ¡°But what can we do? We have no choice but to get used to him.¡±


    Kora-duum spoke and Kukraxa sighed.


    Time quickly flew by after Sian arrived.


    Sian did nothing. He deliberately wasted his time doing absolutely nothing.


    What changed was the people¡¯s eyes that watched Sian. He was usually considered a fool that was born as a genius, but the people of Lavn couldn¡¯t think like that.


    They saw Sian¡¯szy attitude as a privilege of a powerful being.


    Some warriors even looked Sian, who was dozing off on a hammock, in admiration.


    Sian took a bite out of a fruit and spoke.


    ¡°So, this is why the world is interesting. You know, I¡¯m still the same person and I look like this. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always who did it that¡¯s important,¡± Veronica answered as she was sitting next to him.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you training with them?¡± Sian asked, watching Rian, Kukraxa, and Celine training below.


    ¡°Well, my power grows when I train, but it¡¯s faster when I ovee an obstacle. Rian won¡¯t let me do such a thing so I can¡¯t increase it any further. I¡¯m just taking it slow now.¡±


    ¡°Obstacle... you have one thing inmon with me,¡± Sian answered.


    ¡°I want to hear more about my brother, but there¡¯s nothing yet.¡±


    ¡°Hm... So old man Narasha didn¡¯t bring any news yet?¡± Sian asked in disbelief. Limainu didn¡¯t seem like a super important figure. There was a record of him moving out of Kerbal by using Ra-Shar-Roa, so he was probably alive.


    That meant Limainu would have been spotted by Tian Kingdom Intelligence already. King Narasha always imed that information was the key to sess. Therefore, the intelligence agency received the most funds, and it was sessful.


    So, Sian assumed they werelooking for Limainu. Unlike his request to find Stiel, the request should¡¯ve been easy for them. Yet there had been no clues for two weeks already.


    ¡°Yes, they are still working on it. And you don¡¯t have any word from ... Stiel?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet. That¡¯s unusual too.¡±


    Sian asked the King to spread the rumors of his return, saying that the Roman family was holding a party to celebrate the return of their second son. Superhumans were impossible to find if they went into hiding, so Sian intended to have Stiel return by letting her know that he was back.


    But that didn¡¯t work either. There were only two possibilities.


    Stiel was in a position where she couldn¡¯te, or she had no intention ofing back.


    The second possibility seemed more likely since it didn¡¯t make sense for Stiel to be in a position where she couldn¡¯t do what she wanted.


    Yet the second possibility was also unlikely because Sian couldn¡¯t think of any other reason. If Stiel did not want to return to Sian, then there was no way she would¡¯ve done what she did to protect Sian¡¯s family.


    ¡®Did something really happen to her?¡¯


    Sian thought about it for a while and decided it was useless to think about it.


    He decided to look for her if she didn¡¯t return by the day of the party that was going to be held in Lavn.


    Sian tried activating the ne Rian was wearing, but it didn¡¯t work.


    There was only one week left until the party. If Stiel didn¡¯te back within that time frame, Sian was going to search for her by himself. So, he decided to rest some more.


    A man smiled with a letter in his hand. It wasn¡¯t actually a letter. It was an invitation to a party sent to high-ranking nobles of Tian.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s finally here after five years! Where has he been?¡±


    The man then left.

 Chapter 107: Clue

    <h4>Chapter 107: Clue</h4>


    ¡°Party to celebrate the return of the Roman family¡¯s second son...¡±


    Phareon smiled at the invitation he received from King Narasha.


    He couldn¡¯t believe his ears when he first heard that Sian had gone missing. He couldn¡¯t believe that a man with such power could go missing like that. Nheless, it didn¡¯t matter. He simply needed to look after hisnd.


    As Tian arose to its seat of power, Phareon, who just finished uniting the Logadis Estate, was ready to take the chance. He needed to grow in power so that no other noble dared to take hisnds anymore.


    The party was a good chance for him. There was no such asion in Tian after the session, so it was a good chance to make acquaintances with the other nobles. He heard that Ra-Kadum who left hisnd to focus on developing weapons would be attending to see his daughter, so it was also great that he could see him again.


    And also, to say hi to Sian.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if he will remember me.¡¯


    He knewter that the man who visited his ce was the Roman family¡¯s second son. He couldn¡¯t forget what happened, but it might have meant nothing to that man.


    ¡°Ra-Kadum, are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to meet my daughter.¡±


    Kal-Tian, who was in charge of defending against the Harijans located at Tian¡¯s north wall, asked Ra-Kadum who was in charge of weapon development.


    The <Gairas> that he developed were distributed to the soldiers and they were a great help in fighting against the Harijans. It had the same uracy as a <Kren> and its power allowed soldiers to subdue quick and hardy Harijans easily.


    It was so powerful that it even damaged the Four-Horned Harijans.


    The north border of Tian then used Talic Stones gathered from Harijans to change <Krens> to <Gairas> and sold the used <Krens> to the warring countries of Usharan and Taran in exchange for Talic Stones, thus making additional <Gairas>.


    Ra-Kadum had two custom-made small <Gairas>.


    They were smaller than the original, so they were weaker, but one was still powerful enough to defeat a Master warrior. It was too expensive to create, so Ra-Kadum only managed to create two of them. But he was taking both of them with him.


    ¡°Is that a present for your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s a smart girl, but she can¡¯t fight. And... I have a personal use for it.¡±


    Ra-Kadum gritted his teeth. Kal-Tian said worryingly, ¡°Don¡¯t say you¡¯re going to shoot that at a person.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Not at all. I¡¯m going to shoot a monster who married two more wives after getting the young, beautiful wife that he didn¡¯t deserve in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    ¡°If this smaller <Gaira> was ready when he came to ask me for permission to get married... I would¡¯ve killed him right there and then.¡±


    Kal-Tian sighed. He figured Ra-Kadum didn¡¯t really mean it and shook it away.


    What he didn¡¯t know was that Ra-Kadum did shoot a small Gaira prototype when Rian visited a long time ago. If the weapon was at its final stage, Rian might have been injured.


    Kal-Tian then asked Ra-Kadum, ¡°Oh, do you know about Sian von Roman though?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ra-Kadum replied, not understanding the importance of knowing such information.


    ¡°The party is celebrating his return, so you should know who he is...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about some human kid. He must be nothing if he went missing like that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kal-Tian wanted to tell him more, but it seemed that Ra-Kadum was uninterested.


    ¡°Okay, take care on your trip.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep the ce safe while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the party to be thisrge. Is it starting tomorrow?¡± Sian mumbled as he watched the preparations being made from within the castle of Lavn. The purpose of this party was to let Stiel know of his return, so it did not need to be this big.


    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t have much to celebrate for in a while. Besides, it¡¯s celebrating the return of the Roman family¡¯s second son. This isn¡¯t enough,¡± Celine answered.


    The Roman family¡¯s ce in Tian Kingdom was too powerful to consider a party such as this as a big party. King Narasha knew the importance of the Roman family and their influence during dark times, so he sent invitations to all the high-ranking nobles and opened a festival for the citizens. It was going to effectively ease the mood.


    ¡°Hm... I wanted it to be quieter.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t invite too many though. The actual party won¡¯t have that many people. They¡¯ve probably arrived already.¡±


    There were a lot of nobles that had already arrived at the castle and were moving into their rooms. But Sian didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I see. Is Veronica okay?¡±


    Veronica had been growing anxious as she couldn¡¯t hear any news about her missing brother.


    ¡°I know she¡¯s growing desperate, but we have no clue. We¡¯re barely holding her off from running out to find her brother.¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    ¡°I think your brother¡¯s probably holding her back even now. The world is too dangerous for her to travel around anyway.¡±


    Veronica had been through a lot before she met Rian. She was beautiful yet weak, so it was amazing that she had not faced danger that she couldn¡¯t avoid until now.


    ¡°Well, Narasha is working hard so he must have a lead soon. By the way... there are guests that I know.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I felt familiar energying from the Ra-Shar-Roa.¡±


    Celine looked dumbfounded. The closest Ra-Shar-Roa was at the Cine Estate, which was pretty far from their location.


    ¡°You can feel it that from far?¡±


    ¡°Well... the energy the Ra-Shar-Roa uses isn¡¯t weak either. And old man Narasha isn¡¯t just some ordinary man.¡±


    ¡°Oh... so the King ising.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought he was busy, but I guess not. Huh?¡±


    Sian then nced around all of a sudden.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Wait. Hm... what is this...?¡±


    Sian jumped out of the hammock and ran somewhere into the inner castle.


    Celine shook her head as she was left alone. She then turned to the hammock that was still swinging.


    ¡°Is it that good?¡±


    Sian almost never left the hammock ever since he got back. Celine carefully climbed up the hammock,id down, and swung it.


    ¡°Hmm... It¡¯s... better than I thought.¡±


    Celine decided to wait for Sian out on the hammock. He¡¯d probably be back soon when the problem was solved. Sian never left the hammock for too long.

 Chapter 108: Clue

    <h4>Chapter 108: Clue</h4>


    Ra-Kadum took out his new transportation device from his void storage soon after he walked past the Ra-Shar-Roa at the Cine Estate.


    The 2nd grade void storage he used to stash his equipment was big enough to have him store his transportation device. It was not yet named, but two-wheeled artifact could be used by Bander or Talic Stones. Some Magic Priest he met gave him the idea to create it.


    Ra-Kadum then took out a green Talic Stone and ced it into the core of the device. The green Talic Stone wasn¡¯t cheap, but one would let the device run for one year, so it was worth it.


    The artifact activated immediately and Ra-Kadum hopped onto it, caressing the handle of the <Gaira> that was strapped to his belt.


    ¡°Haha... just you wait.¡±


    Ra-Kadum then started the device and it began moving quickly toward Lavn with a loud engine noise. The device would allow him to reach Lavn in just one day, a trip which usually took ten days by carriage.


    ¡°Hello, sir. Please show me your identification que.¡±


    The guards at the gate were busy greeting all kinds of high-ranking nobles.


    ¡®That¡¯s Sir Revadan from the north...!¡¯


    ¡®Count Cine...!¡¯


    It was a party hosted by Roman family so it was going be safe, but the guards who had to deal with such nobles were having a hard time. Then they saw some weird object approaching with a loud noise from the distance.


    ¡°Unidentified object approaching!¡±


    ¡°Sound the rm!¡±


    ¡°Come! Evacuate the guests!¡±


    Soldiers quickly formed a defensive line outside the gate. Gregory, the knight in charge of the gate, focused the Bander in his eye to check on the approaching object.


    ¡®What is that... it¡¯s not a horse...¡¯


    It was too fast to be a horse, but it was too small to be a Harijan.


    There was only one way to deal with such a thing. It was too close to fire a cannon at it.


    ¡°Ready your arrows! Fire when it¡¯s in range!¡±


    All the soldiers prepared their weapons and the object drew closer. When it was almost in range, the object stopped all of a sudden.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Then the object disappeared and one man came out.


    As Gregory squinted to see who it was, he heard aughing from his side.


    ¡°Haha! He¡¯s still the same old Ra-Kadum.¡±


    ¡®Ra-Kadum?¡¯


    Gregory turned toward the voice. It was Count Phareon, the man rising in power at the Logadis Estate.


    ¡°Do you know him, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know him personally.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Phareon! Long time no see!¡±


    Ra-Kadum shouted from a distance and Phareon smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. But you should be careful. You might have been showered with arrows.¡±


    Ra-Kadum scoffed.


    ¡°I know their distance when I see it. That¡¯s why I stopped at the limit.¡±


    Gregory was dumbfounded. The man stopped just short of the range of their attack because he knew the range.


    ¡°I guess you came to see your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Rian von Roman¡¯s marriage was big news in Tian, especially when the person he married was his student and a Dekon.


    Phareon knew the story behind the marriage because he was close with Ra-Kadum, so he was worried.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t shoot him now. What are you going to do if Count Roman gets angry?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t die. You should handle Count Roman while I do it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Grand Bander. What are you talking about?¡±


    They were both Counts, but it was different. Count Roman was only staying at his current rank because he didn¡¯t want to go any higher.


    ¡°Ugh, okay. I¡¯ll see to it.¡±


    ¡°I trust you.¡±


    Phareon decided to stay beside Ra-Kadum and make sure he doesn¡¯t act like a fool this time.


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡®Oh no.¡¯


    Phareon sighed as he saw Ra-Kadum bing enraged seeing Rian from the distance. Unlike the humans who epted polygamy, Dekons only allowed monogamy. Ra-Kadum was angry that his daughter was married to a man when she was only fourteen years old and then the man went on to marry two more women.


    ¡°Ra-Kadum.¡±


    ¡°I know, kid.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re checking to see if Count Roman isn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°...Hmph.¡±


    Ra-Kadum then saw that Rian had noticed him and began walking toward him with his three wives. Luckily, the other two wives went in the other direction as soon as they noticed Ra-Kadum.


    Soon, Rian and Kora-duum arrived in front of Phareon and Ra-Kadum.


    Rian greeted his father-inw awkwardly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice of you toe here. Is everything okay...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Dad.¡±


    Kora-duum stared at Ra-Kadum and he answered reluctantly.


    ¡°No... I have one that¡¯s not okay.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rian couldn¡¯t answer, so he smiled. He knew what that was.


    ¡°You... what did you say when you took my daughter away?¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    Ra-Kadum cut in without letting Rian talk.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d love my daughter the most?¡±


    ¡°Dad...¡±


    ¡°You be quiet. But three wives... so you must have a lot of loves? To divide it into three?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rian couldn¡¯t answer that as he felt guilty.


    There weren¡¯t any problems in human society for a man like Roman to have multiple wives. Besides, the marriage wasn¡¯t forced or arranged, so there were no problems at all.


    Yet Rian couldn¡¯t defend himself. He too, thought he would get angry if his daughter was in the same situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. No matter. Kora,e here. Phareon, you too.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You stay there for a second. I need to talk with these three.¡±


    Phareon and Kora-duum followed Ra-Kadum.


    ¡°Ra-Kadum, what is it?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. This should be good.¡±


    Phareon then turned to Ra-Kadum who was talking nonsense and checked his face.


    ¡®...NO!¡¯


    Ra-Kadum hadpletely lost his senses, but he was too quick. He quickly took out a staff-looking thing from his belt. It was his masterpiece, <Gaira>.


    ¡°NO!¡± Phareon shouted, but Ra-Kadum turned back at Rian and pulled the trigger.


    Light and a burst of energy exploded out of the weapon with a thunderous sound and was fired at Rian. The ce where Rian was standing exploded into dust with a huge sound and Phareon panicked.


    ¡°What are you doing! Are you out of your mind?!¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I aimed for his shoulder. Wait a minute...¡±


    ¡°The shoulder isn¡¯t okay! You must be crazy to do...¡±


    Ra-Kadum was skeptical.


    ¡®Dust cloud?¡¯


    His small Gaira did make a huge sound, but the energy was constricted into a small size so it did not bring about huge damage. It was, after all, made to use against humans so it didn¡¯t need to destroy in a huge range.


    There was no reason for it to kick up that much dirt.


    Soon enough, the reason appeared. There was someone standing inside the dust cloud.


    Phareon was confused, but Ra-Kadum could barely breathe. The figure inside the dust cloud was ring at him.


    ¡°Ugh... nngh...¡±


    ¡°How dare you... shoot such a thing at my brother?¡±


    It was Sian who was walking out of the dust cloud that appeared when hended.

 Chapter 109: Clue

    <h4>Chapter 109: Clue</h4>


    Rian and Kora-duum were sitting in the guest room at the inner castle. Two more people were there too.


    Rian looked at Ra-Kadum who was sitting ufortably in chair.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ugh... yeah. I¡¯m unharmed.¡±


    Rian barely stopped Sian from punching Ra-Kadum, so the incident was taken care of without anyone getting injured. But Ra-Kadum didn¡¯t look too well. It was because Sian was staying by his side, ring at Ra-Kadum in disapproval.


    Ra-Kadum was about to go crazy because something within Sian was kept ring at him. The ominous and terrifying eye that made it hard for him breathe. It was the first time that Ra-Kadum regretted having his power to see the truth.


    This was like torture to him.


    ¡°Sian, stop. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Sian.¡±


    ¡°...Hah.¡±


    Sian then sat downfortably. Ra-Kadum then was freed from the thing that was watching him and sighed in relief.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    ¡°Dad, are you okay?¡±


    Kora-duum tended to her father and Rian looked at him apologetically. It was fortunate that Ra-Kadum was unharmed after all.


    ¡°Was he your brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Did you see him before?¡±


    Rian was curious since Ra-Kadum looked like he knew Sian.


    ¡°I... no. nevermind.¡±


    Ra-Kadum realized he couldn¡¯t do anything like this without endangering him and his people.


    ¡°You should be thankful for having such a brother.¡±


    Ra-Kadum then walked out of the room.


    ¡°Are you going back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have no intention of staying here with you any longer. Send my daughter to visit me next time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°And... Kora.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°This is your present. You should protect yourself in this world. The second one... is an extra one.¡±


    Ra-Kadum gave two <Gairas> to his daughter. She was a Dekon, so she was going to learn how to use it fast.


    Ra-Kadum then whispered, ¡°If he cheats on you, shoot him with this. That Sian boy won¡¯t say much if you¡¯re the one who does it.¡±


    ¡°...Dad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk next time. I¡¯m too tired today.¡±


    Ra-Kadum then walked out. He wanted to talk with his daughter, but he was too exhausted. But as he walked out, he was blocked by someone.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was one of the other two wives of Rian.


    ¡°Get lost.¡±


    ¡°I have a question! Just one!¡±


    Ra-Kadum figured she wouldn¡¯t move unless he talked so he decided to make it quick.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°That motorcycle that you rode... and the gun... where did you get that?¡±


    Ra-Kadum became confused.


    ¡°Motor... what? Gun? What are you talking about? That thing I rode doesn¡¯t have a name. And what is a gun?¡±


    Veronica then realized she didn¡¯t make sense. There was no way for the people in this world to know about them.


    ¡°The two-wheeled artifact and the weapon you used on my husband. That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Ra-Kadum frowned at the word ¡®my husband¡¯, but he didn¡¯t have energy to quarrel.


    ¡°I made them both. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Veronica became disappointed, but Ra-Kadum walked past her. Before he took a few more steps, he remembered she had familiar features to the man he had met before.


    ck hair, ck eyes, and unusual facial features. He then turned to Veronica, who had fallen down on the ground and asked, ¡°You... is your name Limiina... or something?¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    Veronica brightened up. Rian, Kora-duum, and Sian came out of the guest room at those words.


    It was five years ago when Ra-Kadum met Limainu.


    Ra-Kadum left the Logadis Estate when his research was done at Phareon¡¯s vault. He then was called upon by the Great Magical Council for a job.


    <We are scouting talented individuals. Why don¡¯t you join our study? You will learn new technologies that you have never seen before!>


    Ra-Kadum saw no lies in the words of the man who came to scout him and he was tempted for more knowledge within the Magic Council, so he agreed.


    The ce was a wonder. He didn¡¯t like being separated from the world due to all the secrecy within the group, but it was okay. He was busy reading through all sorts of information stored within.


    The ce allowed Ra-Kadum to create whatever he thought of and whatever he wanted. This ce was like heaven to him. His daughter was ced at the Gron-Ph academy before he joined, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about anything than focusing on his studies.


    When he joined the Magic Counci¡¯s secret project, he met Limainu.


    There was a bunch of smarter men within the group, but he was special. The worth of a person was determined by his potential, and with that measurement, Limainu¡¯s worth equaled Leader Takion¡¯s.


    There were a few more Great Magic Priests, but there was only one Limainu.


    Knowledge was valuable. Limainu had the sort of knowledge that seemed as if it hade from a entirely different world.


    Limainu was only there to help with the project since he seemed to be a member of a much higher, different circle of groups that was ced above the Magic Council itself.


    Ra-Kadum managed to meet with Limainu often so he talked quite a bit with him. He shared his past, the name of his lost sister, and other things.


    <Kid, don¡¯t you want to go outside?>


    <No, I like working here. And I need to pay my price for my sin. If this project is finished, it will make the world a better ce and it will help me pay my debt.>


    Ra-Kadum was curious about what sin he was talking about, but heter heard that project he was involved in had gone wrong and killed thousands of people. The only incident he knew that killed thousands of people was one.


    ¡®So, he was at the project in Kerbal. He¡¯s so innocent though...¡¯


    Ra-Kadum learned that it wasn¡¯t entirely his fault, but Liaminu couldn¡¯t shake off the guilt of thousands of dead people.


    After two years, Ra-Kadum had toe out from the group due to the important matter at hand.


    The news of his daughter getting married.


    She was only fourteen, so Ra-Kadum thought he misheard the words. But it was real.


    He then took his then prototype Gaira and left the council. Of course, it was after making a pact to never disclose the secrets.


    Next was how everyone knew.


    Ra-Kadum took a shot at Rian and King Narasha offered Ra-Kadum to be a weapon developer in exchange for not putting him on trial.


    Gaira, or the two-wheeled artifact, was nothingpared to the technology that the council used so there was no problems with the secrecy he needed to keep, so he epted.


    ¡°...and this is what I know.¡±


    Everyone fell silent. One problem was solved, but there was another one.


    Now, they all knew why Tian Intelligence couldn¡¯t find Limainu.


    But now there was a second problem.


    They did not have a way to visit him.

 Chapter 110: Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 110: Invitation</h4>


    Veronica asked Ra-Kadum, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you needed to keep that a secret though? Are you allowed to say all this?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be weirder if the Magical Council did not have any secret projects? Unless I specify the technologies, people, or location of their projects, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°Besides, that¡¯s why I can¡¯t say your brother¡¯s name. It¡¯s that secrecy magic that¡¯s stopping me from saying his name,¡± Ra-Kadum said irritatingly.


    ¡°So... is he doing well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. In my opinion, he seems to eager. But you can say he¡¯s well.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing too much. He¡¯s too focused on the project... I think he sleeps only about two hours per day. That was three years ago though.¡±


    Veronica then shouted, ¡°Tell me where he is!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that. Besides, what are you going to do once you get there? That ce has top-notch security.¡±


    Secrecy magic varied in power depending on who used it. The magic that was used on Ra-Kadum was used by a First Grade Magic Priest, which meant that no one on the continent would be able to remove it. Veronica became sad, but she needed to do something. She needed to tell her brother that his only sister was alive. That would stop his brother from focusing so hard on research.


    ¡°Veronica...¡±


    Rian looked at his wife sadly. Veronica stood up.


    ¡°I have to find him.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? We have no clue.¡±


    Rian tried to reason with her, but she seemed determined.


    ¡°My skills can help me out.¡±


    ¡°And will it help you get in, if you find the ce?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As they were busy discussing, Sian who was sitting down, spoke casually.


    ¡°So... you just want your brother to know that you are alive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know the ce or how to get there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Everyone now turned to Sian. He then turned to Veronica.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just have old man Narasha write a letter?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean... since we know he¡¯s there. I guess sending a letter will do, right? They won¡¯t throw away a letter from a King.¡±


    Everyone nodded. They didn¡¯t have a way to force the Magical Council to confirm Limainu¡¯s existence, so sending a letter would not be a problem. Besides, if it was a letter sent by a King, that would be harder to disregard it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure it will work, but old man Narasha will know. He¡¯s on his way here, so we¡¯ll ask him once he arrives.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Sian, how do you know that?¡± Rian asked. They were notified that King Narasha would be joining, but Sian wasn¡¯t notified of such information.


    ¡°I sensed himing out from the Ra-Shar-Roa. If my job here is done, I¡¯m going back now.¡±


    Sian was satisfied that he did not need to do anything else and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Is there another Ra-Shar-Roa in your backyard?¡± Ra-Kadum asked sarcastically.


    ¡°No. The one you stepped out of is only one around here.¡±


    ¡°The one that takes ten days by carriage, right?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh... haha. Right.¡±


    Ra-Kadumughed hollowly.


    ¡°Hmm. Sure, that will work. I¡¯ll send them a letter. But I can¡¯t guarantee anything since I don¡¯t know much about them,¡± King Narasha replied after hearing what had happened.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a simple matter.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s nothingpared to Sian re-appearing.¡¯


    King Narasha did not have time to join such a party, but he had to pay a visit when he heard that Sian had returned. If Sian changed in some bad way that he did not expect, he had to change his future ns.


    ¡°So... where¡¯s Sian?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Rian became hesitant, but Narasha nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay, go on.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at... the hammock on the castle grounds.¡±


    ¡°Good, very good.¡±


    Rian seemed to be confused by the King¡¯s satisfied words. However, he was really relieved.


    ¡®Good. He¡¯s stillzy.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been better if Sian left human societypletely, but he was satisfied with the current situation. The five years without Sian was so peaceful. They had problems with the Harijans, but the damage caused by five years of Harijan problems did not evene close to the damage Sian had created in his short one month of travel.


    Besides, the King was now growing suspicious that the reason for the Harijan attacks was somehow rted to Sian. It was increasing in numbers in the past five years, and after he heard Sian had awakened, the number grew exponentially.


    ¡®He¡¯s definitely a good match with the Goddess of Disaster,¡¯ Narasha thought as he remembered Stantahl the First who came to threaten him five years ago. He then turned to Rian and Veronica who seemed to be concerned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll write a letter for sure. Go join the party.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...It was ignored?¡±


    ¡°No, Magical Council denied having such an individual within their group,¡± Rian answered.


    The King contacted the Magical Council to talk with Limainu as they had found his sister. Yet the Magical Council denied the existence of such a person. They imed that Limainu had left the council five years ago.


    ¡°Is... is he dead?¡±


    Veronica teared up as Kukraxa and Kora-duum watched her worryingly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll... find a way,¡± Rian spoke, assuring Veronica to not give up. In actuality, they did not have to find another way.


    ¡°Good day. Are you Lady Veronica?¡±


    ¡°...Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I heard you were looking for us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are.¡±


    Veronica was confused at the strange intruder who jumped into her bedroom in the middle of the night. She did not panic. Her power, <Fate¡¯s Way>, did not react to it. Therefore, it was not a dangerous situation.


    ¡°We are here to meet with Limiina. Does that ring a bell?¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    ¡°Your name is as difficult as Limainu¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°...did my brother send you?¡±


    No one else knew her real name other than her brother. These people must have a rtionship with her brother.


    ¡°Hmm... no. He didn¡¯t send us. I¡¯ll just say... we¡¯re here to provide employeepensation.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°By the way, you shouldn¡¯t look for him like that. Limainu isn¡¯t involved with the Magical Council right now. But they did allow us to visit you.¡±


    ¡°...What are you trying to do?¡± Veronica asked, concerned as he would¡¯ve visited on the day if he wasn¡¯t up to something.


    ¡°Your brother can¡¯t visit you. And you will keep poking around everywhere if we don¡¯t let you visit him, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t have you keep poking around with the King by your side. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. We¡¯ll let you meet him.¡±


    ¡°Am I... being kidnapped?¡±


    A stranger had broken into her room, but there was no sign of her husband nor father-inwing in to protect her. Their room wasn¡¯t that far either, which meant that this intruder was either stronger than them or had a unique skill that allowed such intrusion. Whichever it was, it didn¡¯t mean well.


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not a savage.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Veronica looked at the man, unconvinced.


    ¡°Uh... I mean, we can do things savagely. It is actually easier. It¡¯s not like the death of the third wife of a Count son¡¯s means anything to the world.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Veronica could not object as it was true. He continued, ¡°Yet doing that will make a real savagee after us. We don¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°That ¡®savage¡¯ you¡¯re talking about, is it me?¡±


    Veronica turned to the window where the voice hade from. It was Sian, standing outside the window as he was holding onto the frame.

 Chapter 111: Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 111: Invitation</h4>


    The guest room was filled with people within the Lavn Castle. It was the middle of the night, but Count Roman, Rian, Kora-duum, Kukraxa, Veronica, and Sian were all gathered together. One stranger was with them. The mysterious man was sipping on tea.


    ¡°This tea is great. Where is it from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s from the Rotan Region. So... can you please continue on?¡± the Count asked. He was being too polite to an intruder, but there was no other way.


    ¡®Weren¡¯t there only twelve superhumans in the thousand years of history? No... we have those Granines, so that makes fourteen and Sian would be the fifteen... but why am I seeing them so often?¡¯


    ¡°Sure. So... sir. wasn¡¯t your daughter-inw looking for her brother? I¡¯m going to take her to him. But hey, can I just stop with all the formalities? I¡¯m probably much older, you know.¡±


    ¡°No, keep doing it,¡± Sian spoke as he raised his chin and fist. The man sighed.


    ¡°Ugh, okay. Anyway, Limainu can¡¯te out. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s in trouble or anything, but the project is at such an important stage that we can¡¯t interrupt him. He is very valuable to us, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    ¡°So we decided to have Lady Veronica meet with him. We¡¯re just doing this to provide better working conditions for our employees!¡±


    ¡°Is there any condition to that?¡±


    It was too generous to be an offer from a superhuman. Hence the reason why Rian wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m actually here for another matter. We have business with Mister Sian.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian looked at the man.


    ¡°What business?¡±


    ¡°We wanted to meet you five years ago, but we couldn¡¯t find you anywhere. Yet you even created a party to let the world know that you¡¯ve returned! Think about it. I couldn¡¯t havee all the way here to pay a visit just to invite Lady Veronica over. I¡¯m here because of you.¡±


    ¡®An idiot came instead of Miss Stiel,¡¯ Sian thought.


    ¡°What business do you have with my brother?¡± Rian asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s secret. He¡¯ll get to know once we leave.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Besides, wouldn¡¯t it be too dangerous to send Lady Veronica alone with me? You all are going to slow us down. It¡¯s best if Mister Sianes with us.¡±


    Count Roman and Rian couldn¡¯t say anything. It was true.


    ¡°How can we trust that following you will not bring any trouble? My brother-inw can get in trouble too.¡±


    Kora-duum knew the man was telling the truth after she saw it through her eyes, but she still asked since she was concerned. The man burst intoughter.


    ¡°Hahaha! Who¡¯s going to get in trouble?¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone was confused. Sian was strong, but this superhuman in front of them, or his group, seemed really powerful. However, they realized they were wrong. The manughed so hard that it even made him cry.


    ¡°Oh man... you humans...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like exining things in detail, but I¡¯ll do it anyway. It¡¯s best that you know before sending away your loved ones, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, you think Mister Sian is about as strong as myself, right? I understand. You can¡¯t see how high the sky is when you are looking at it from the ground.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    People began to realize what he was trying to say.


    ¡°I may be a superhumanpared to all of you, but Mister Sian is like that whenpared to me. That¡¯s why I came here to make the offer. And you¡¯re worried about what? Hahaha, that won¡¯t be needed.¡±


    People turned to Sian for approval. He didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with him and Veronica. I¡¯m curious also.¡±


    Sian wondered about the man who seemed to know a lot about him. Besides, he couldn¡¯t send his sister-inw to such a dangerous ce alone.


    ¡®I¡¯ll ask himter...¡¯


    ¡°Sian...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Sian smiled to his family and walked up to the man.


    ¡°Shall we go then?¡±


    ¡°No but...¡±


    The man looked hesitant.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we can go? I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean... doesn¡¯t Lady Veronica need to get ready?¡±


    The manughed and pointed to the back.


    ¡°Oh... y-yes. I¡¯ll get pack up fast.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you.¡±


    They then went to their room and did note back for an hour.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°See? Ladies take a long time to prepare. So, I guess those rumors were true.¡±


    Sian asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The rumor that you¡¯ve never had girlfriend throughout your entire life... I didn¡¯t believe it, but it¡¯s true! Hahaha- UGH!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sian was surprised. He threw a punch at the man, but he fell to the ground unconscious. Sian nced around, picked him up, andid him on a sofa.


    ¡°You should take care of yourself... ask Sian for help if you get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kora-duum.¡±


    ¡°Although, we might¡¯ve made them wait too long.¡±


    ¡°I think man wanted to talk with Sian alone, so it should be okay.¡±


    The family members talked amongst themselves as they walked down the stairs after taking two hours to pack up.


    ¡°Sian, sorry we took so long.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It was nothing. Ladies need time,¡± Sian answered. Rian nced around, but he could not find the man so he asked Sian, ¡°Where did that man go?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±


    Sian pointed to the man lying on the sofa. Rian was surprised as he noticed that the man was sleeping on the sofa.


    ¡°Sian.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. What do you mean?¡±


    Sian then turned to where Rian was watching. The man¡¯s chin was bruised.


    ¡®Oh...¡¯


    ¡°Wake him up.¡± Count Roman spoke, sighing. He actually expected something like this to happen. This superhuman was polite, but he spoke as if he considered them as insects. All superhumans were like that anyway, so it wasn¡¯t anything special. It was just that Sian wasn¡¯t the type to ignore a man looking down on his family.


    Count Roman was relieved as he watched Sian kicking the man to wake him up. Sian would definitely protect Veronica.


    ¡°I should change my views about you, Mister Sian.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You are more savage than I expected. God, you just punched me without any warning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault for making fun of me.¡±


    ¡°You know, othermon people would¡¯ve had their heads blown if you did that to them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You should be careful too, Lady Veronica.¡±


    The man who introduced himself as Lagaope didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by what happened, but he kept teasing Sian as they were traveling in a strange transportation device.


    ¡®Should I smack him again?¡¯


    Lagaope dropped his head the second he saw Sian flexing his fist.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    It was near the Ra-Shar-Roa located at the Cine Estate.


    ¡°Is there a secret hideout somewhere here?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that small. We came all here by a transportation device because of Lady Veronica, but we will take the Ra-Shar-Roa from here.¡±


    Lagaope then began walking toward the Ra-Shar-Roa. Veronica then whispered to Sian, ¡°It¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡±


    ¡°Ra-Shar-Roa is only connected torge cities. If the ce is as big as Lagaope told us, it should¡¯ve been spotted if it were located close to the cities. But I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Sian thought about it, but there was no evidence. He then shrugged and followed Lagaope into the Ra-Shar-Roa.

 Chapter 112: Insurance

    <h4>Chapter 112: Insurance</h4>


    The Ra-Shar-Roa near Cine was still very crowded. Veronica and Sian began questioning it.


    ¡°Lagaope, are we really using Ra-Shar-Roa?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°Yes. Are you expecting something else?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s going to be secret magic where it brings us underground or teleports us to some headquarter in the sky. Don¡¯t be disappointed when you don¡¯t see anything like that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Veronica nced at the disappointed Sian and followed Lagaope.


    ¡°So, you all have your identification ques?¡± Lagaope asked Veronica and Sian.


    ¡°Yes, but why do we need this?¡± Veronica asked and Lagaope looked surprised.


    ¡°God, so you never even used Ra-Shar-Roa before? It¡¯s one of our masterpieces. You need identification ques to be allowed to use it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t mean to ask in that regard, but she decided to stay quiet.


    ¡°We are going to Roa-Tian.¡±


    ¡®Roa-Tian?¡¯


    Veronica became curious as they stood by the Ra-Shar-Roa that started activating. Lagaope then took out a small artifact.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±


    After standing in line to use the Ra-Shar-Roa, it was now their turn.


    ¡°Mister Sian, Lady Veronica, please stay by my side. This artifact only works in a short range.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Sian and Veronica walked closer and Lagaope activated his artifact.


    Then the portal that showed Tian¡¯s capital, Roa-Tian, changed instantly to a beach they had never seen before. Lagaope then dragged both of them into the portal and they had now arrived at a different ce than Roa-Tian.


    As Veronica watched the ocean, Lagaope mumbled from behind.


    ¡°This thing doesn¡¯t give too much time once it¡¯s activated.¡±


    ¡°...Where are we?¡±


    Veronica knew where all the Ra-Shar-Roas were located on the entire continent, but she did not know of such a ce. Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°You won¡¯t know this ce. We created one because the other Ra-Shar-Roa is too far from here. Anyway, wee to <Arman>. Not many people are allowed to visit this ce without joining our team. Congrattions.¡±


    Lagaope then walked toward the huge buildings on the other side of the beach.


    ¡°What is this ce for?¡± Veronica asked Lagaope as they walked toward the buildings.


    ¡°So, Limainu and you have things inmon.¡±


    Lagaope spoke of something else instead.


    ¡°You two don¡¯t fear us. I guess it¡¯s because you two are from the other world.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    The fact that the man knew her brother meant he knew that they were not from here, but she couldn¡¯t understand what Lagaope was saying. Why would she fear him when he hadn¡¯t done anything to her?


    Veronica did not know that superhumans didn¡¯t consider humans as equals and did not hesitate to kill anyone if they bothered them. She would not dare to ask any questions if she knew, even with Sian by her side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten my sister-inw unless you want another smack.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Lagaope mumbled and answered Veronica¡¯s question, ¡°So, you wanted to know what this ce is for?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s where my brother works, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a... contractor, in your world¡¯s terminology.¡±


    ¡°A contractor?¡±


    The ce was extremelyrge. It didn¡¯t seem like a lot of people were here, but there were countless human figure golems working. It wasn¡¯t modern by any means, but it was quite refreshing as she was used to the medieval settings of this world.


    ¡®I¡¯ve never seen such a thing...¡¯


    She realized why Lagaope said they were different from the Magical Council. She visited a regional office of the Magical Council with Rian before, but it was nothing like a secret agency or ce of powerful technology.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a ce where we create or make things we need. But that¡¯s not important. You¡¯re only here to meet your brother.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Lagaope walked past lot of buildings and stopped in front of the tallest building in the area. It was tall as the <Ra-Intro> building at the Great Magical Council¡¯s headquarters, but it was much taller and was connected with various bridges to the other buildings. It seemed like this building was at the center of the buildingwork.


    As they walked in, it was crowded with actual people. Shilling people, a race that imed to be the descendant of elves, rare Dekons, and Magic Priests walked around busily.


    ¡°ce is crowded.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we need a lot of people to work for our cause. They¡¯re well taught, so they are useful.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Limainu is different from them. He¡¯s very important to us.¡±


    Veronica couldn¡¯t believe everything, but she was relieved. At least her brother was being considered as a one-time use object. However, it also meant she had no way to take her brother away, and thus she became sad.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the offer you had for me?¡± Sian asked. Lagaope imed that he had business with Sian, but he had been quiet up until now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thatter. Won¡¯t Lady Veronica need some time with Limainu? We can talk after they meet. Besides, don¡¯t we want Lady Veronica to quickly reunite with her brother?¡±


    ¡°Right... we¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    As they walked further into the building, they reached a machine that was moving vertically, allowing people to go up and down. It wasn¡¯trge, but it was big enough to have three of them step in, and it began taking them up to the top floor.


    As they arrived, Veronica nced around therge room. There were a lot of a blueprints, machines and books scattered around. Lagaope shouted from the entrance.


    ¡°Limainu! I have a present for you.¡±


    A man¡¯s voice came from within the shelves.


    ¡°Are you here to check on the project?¡±


    ¡°No, I said present. We work for the happiness of our employee, remember?¡±


    The man then walked out from the shelves and looked at Lagaope. He then realized there were two more people standing beside him. He dropped his books.


    ¡°S...sister?¡±


    ¡°Mina!¡±


    Veronica ran toward Limainu and hugged him.


    ¡°What a sight! I guess the Santa that Limainu spoke of gives presents because of this! By the way, I was always curious about why you would do what you do when you¡¯re a superhuman.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Should we change ces? You two should take your time here. Mister Sian, this way please.¡±


    Lagaope then walked to the door at the corner of the floor. As he opened the door, a stairway appeared and led them to the rooftop. Sian nced around as he walked on to the roof. It was a huge ind with all sorts of buildings built in different parts, creating different things continuously.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡±


    ¡°Right. Where is this ce?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ind far south of the Con Kingdom... or is it Usharan now? Common people do not know about this ce.¡±


    Sian turned north, but he could not see thend even when he used energy on his eyes. It meant the ind was located really far from the coast.


    ¡°So... what is your offer? How did you know about me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but I¡¯ll talk about the offer first.¡±


    ¡®Hope he¡¯s not going to ask me to join or anything like that.¡¯


    ¡°Do you... intend on buying insurance?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 113: Insurance

    <h4>Chapter 113: Insurance</h4>


    ¡°Insurance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, insurance.¡±


    ¡°Like... the one where you get paid when you die?¡±


    Sian began wondering if Lagaope was crazy or something.


    ¡°You think I would offer such a thing to you?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s much more than that.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s insurance for your afterlife!¡±


    Lagaope seemed proud about what he had to offer. It made no sense, but Lagaope didn¡¯t seem proud even at all the marvels of this ind, so Sian was interested. It looked like Lagaope really did have something very interesting.


    A long time ago, there was a great genius.


    He easily became a Ra-Bander and lived with no enemies that opposed him until one day, he was faced with an enemy that he couldn¡¯t win against.


    Death.


    Being a Ra-Bander did not prevent him from dying. He felt there was a limit to his life at some point and he realized that the limit of his age was 300.


    He couldn¡¯t believe it. He thought he could even avoid death, but it wasn¡¯t the case. He then began gathering information and ideas about immortality.


    After a long search, he came across some mysterious races.


    <Kal-Guls, who inherited their power with a heart and a sword.>


    <Granines, who reincarnated through their bones and spirits.>


    The man was delighted and delved into their secrets, only to be disappointed by the fact that their immortality was only granted to their own kind.


    The man then died before he found a way to avoid death.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it heartbreaking?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. He thought the genius in the story was Lagaope, even if he looked too weak to be him.


    ¡°Is this end of the story?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. There¡¯s more of course. It¡¯s only revealed to the people who join us, but I¡¯ll tell you since you are a special case.¡±


    Lagaope then continued.


    To his surprise, the man was reborn.


    He was reborn in a new body, but with all the knowledge and power.


    After growing up a little, the man realized it had been 100 years since hisst death. He then realized he would not ovee death with his old ways. He was strong, but it wasn¡¯t enough to avoid death.


    Then he found a special power that came with him in his new body. A power to change the world and twist it.


    The new body had special skills that wereter going to be called Exer.


    The man trained on both the Ra-Bander way, and the Exer way. It allowed him to be a Ra-Bander and a Great Magic Priest at the same time.


    But his purpose wasn¡¯t to be strong.


    The man then devoted his life to study the powers of the Kal-Guls and Granines.


    And he was able to create a way.


    <Soul Transfer Orb>


    A small marble that allowed the dead to live again. The man seeded.


    ¡°And that¡¯s where the story ends. The third story is still underway. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    ¡°It is amazing. So the genius... is he alive?¡±


    Sian was really surprised. The man wanted to avoid death and really seeded.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I mean, what can he do if he faces a man who¡¯s stronger than him? It would¡¯ve been better if he only trained in either Bander or Exar.¡±


    ¡°Oh... right.¡±


    It was true, but Sian felt disappointed.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not important. We know how to create the <Soul Transfer Orb> without the genius.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Sian now realized what the insurance was for.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sure you saw it before. Do you remember a boy named Dekaron?¡±


    ¡°Oh... then you mean...¡±


    ¡°Yes. That orb he held was a <Soul Transfer Orb>. It belonged to Liviath. He¡¯s now resurrected and well. He¡¯s one of us too.¡±


    Sian felt tempted. With that, it would solve his main concerns. Of course, he had no intention of walking into danger, but who knows what might happen? He was so sure that there was no one stronger than him when he got out of the red sphere, but he had to be locked up in another red sphere after that.


    Lagaope felt Sian getting tempted by the offer and continued, ¡°We¡¯ll be adding a special this time. It¡¯s all because you are such a powerful man.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of a family n?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You mean...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be providing a <Soul Transfer Orb> for your entire family. It is really hard to make, but it¡¯s worth it for you. It¡¯ll all be specially made just for you.¡±


    Sian knew then that he could not resist the offer.


    To protect his family from death! Of course, he had no intention of bringing his family back from death when they died peacefully. But if they died because of some unknown incident, he wanted to save them from such death.


    Of course, every sweet offer would have a price.


    ¡°If I agree... what will you make me do?¡±


    ¡°Haha... I knew you would like it. No one has refused until now.¡±


    ¡®No one...?¡¯


    ¡°And there was no one who turned it down after hearing what was requested. It¡¯s nothing much really.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Literally. We ask nothing.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian was skeptical.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it was really hard to make?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. It¡¯s gotten even harder now.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re making it for my family?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need four right? I guess you only need it for those rted by blood.¡±


    Sian nodded. Sister-inws were important, but they were only important because of Rian.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll give them out for free?¡±


    ¡°Well... I mean it¡¯splicated. Let¡¯s go back to the beginning. So, who do you think we¡¯ll offer this to?¡±


    Sian answered right away.


    ¡°Superhumans?¡±


    ¡°Right! The talent, the power! It¡¯s a treasure that needs to be protected. We offer this to all Ra-Banders or Great Magic Priests that are alive. Liviath did benefit from this, as you know.¡±


    ¡°Okay. And?¡±


    ¡°We have one motto. We do not force anyone. Our group doesn¡¯t work well with force, so we strive hard to have people join us voluntarily. Wouldn¡¯t it be like a threat if we make joining our group as a condition of the insurance?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    It was true. The insurance was very tempting, but superhumans had no chance of dying. Even when superhumans fought each other, they did not fight to kill since they valued each other so much. Even when they did not want to die of old age, they would be reluctant if the price is to join such a suspicious group.


    ¡°You know how superhumans are. They are out of control.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°So we just offer our insurance. But they join us voluntarily anyway.¡±


    Lagaopeughed.

 Chapter 114: Insurance

    <h4>Chapter 114: Insurance</h4>


    ¡°Does that orb affect the mind or something?¡±


    ¡°No way. No superhumans can be mind-controlled.¡±


    ¡°Then why do they join?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... that¡¯s anotherplicated story. Didn¡¯t the story end in the second part?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a side-story to that. A story of a sub-character. I guess you¡¯ll make a choice once you hear everything.¡±


    Lagaope then began telling the story.


    The man became agitated as he earned a new life. There was nothing that he did not try in his past life, so he needed to get results in this life. There was no telling if he would reborn like he did this time.


    As he strived hard for his goal, there were small incidents ¨C at least in his eyes.


    All who stood in front of him were all destroyed and beaten. Since the man had no intention of going around or using other ways, it would mean disaster if he met a stronger man, and he did.


    The man was just a tiny bit stronger after gathering all the power and methods he could muster, so the opponent fled.


    The problem was what happened next.


    The opponent returned after the man died. The problem was that the opponent chose to exact revenge on the wrong target. It began hunting down superhumans as it was strong and did not die of age.


    The superhuman hunter was born.


    It went after every superhuman whenever the hunter heard of their existence. Superhumans in hiding were so hard to find, but it did not stop the hunter from finding and killing them.


    ¡°How did nobody know about such a crazy bastard roaming the world?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because no one is interested in superhumans. Luckily, the hunter¡¯s time was short-lived. Liviath was unlucky in that regard as he was caught up in it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°What can you do when such a monster is roaming around? They were really strong. Nobody could win a one-on-one fight. The time for it to make aeback is short, but it always manages to kill one. That¡¯s why we warn everyone when we make them the orb, but they all react the same way.¡±


    <They died because they¡¯re weak! I¡¯m strong, so I¡¯ll be able to kill them easily.>


    ¡°I¡¯m weaker than Ra-Banders, so it¡¯s not like I can just punch them and say you aren¡¯t strong enough.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, do you see what we are up against?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    No superhumans would refuse the offer for the insurance. However, they would not agree to join the group until they died by the hands of the hunter and were revived.


    <We will need to fight it as a group.>


    The superhuman hunter never went for superhumans in a group. It only targeted lone superhumans.


    It was why all the superhumans who had such experiences joined the group.


    ¡°That¡¯s how we recruit. I mean, it will be good if they join without going through such trouble. Liviath joined after he got his head chopped off.¡±


    Sian then curiously asked a few questions.


    ¡°I have something to ask.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°The hunter... is it stronger than me?¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Lagaope sighed and answered, ¡°That¡¯s the problem. We suspect that you are stronger. That¡¯s why we even created a family n for you so that you can join us.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    It looked like this group was doing really hard to recruit Sian, but Sian didn¡¯t even know their goal, their members, or their name. It looked like he¡¯d tell Sian if he joined, so he decided to wait on that.


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you just kill it?¡±


    ¡°We do try. We go attack it once we find it. We drove it out a few times, but it alwayses back and attacks any lone superhuman. It¡¯s really good at sniffing them out. All the lone superhumans end up dead somehow.¡±


    ¡°Why drive it out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a runner. We can¡¯t stop it from running away. It¡¯s best to drive it out and wait for it to hibernate. You¡¯ll know once you see it.¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. The monster seemed like a vicious, revenge-seeking hunter at first, but it was actually a petty thief type.


    ¡°It¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wise. You can¡¯t get revenge when you die. But if we didn¡¯t group up, not many of us would still be alive. There were some who we couldn¡¯t save.¡±


    Sian then asked a few more questions and reached a conclusion.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a weird guy.¡±


    ¡°We can say it¡¯s weird. There¡¯s still a lot of questions about the hunter. So, have I answered all your questions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So is that crazy bastard out there right now?¡±


    Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not the season. We drove it out about ten years ago. That¡¯s why I travel alone. We group up and stay together when it wakes up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Sian was relieved. He was worried that this hunter might have managed to kill Miss Stiel.


    ¡®But how did she manage to live then? It¡¯s not like she was in the group. Hmm...¡¯


    That was a question he couldn¡¯t solve, but there was no way to find out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make things clear. So, we will provide the <Soul Transfer Orb> for free and you can decideter. We¡¯ll provide you with more details when you decide.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our policy, so I can¡¯t tell you any more details.¡±


    Sian still wasn¡¯t sure. The offer was too generous.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Like I said, we do not force it. Most join us when they die, but since you aren¡¯t a type to die... can we make a condition? Just to make things more even?¡±


    Sian nodded. It was better to pay the price that way than to just receive it for free.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I told you the orbs are really hard to make, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The process isn¡¯t that hard. It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t have that many materials.¡±


    ¡°Materials...?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember that the genius studied Granines and Kal-Guls to create this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So, we need two things. One is the heart of a Kal-Gul, and another one is water of <Lavne> that the Granines treasure.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian grew worried as he heard the word Granine.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s okay that mountain was destroyed where the Granines used to live, but the <Lavne> was dried up. I wonder who did that... it even made some of our projectse to a full stop.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why do you look so grim? Anyway, we have some hearts, but we ran out on the water.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you going to make it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where youe in. In truth, we don¡¯t need the well¡¯s water anymore. We have a recement. It¡¯s really hard to get, but it allows us to create better quality orbs. We recently found out after we worked on it hard after the incident five years ago.¡±


    Lagaope then described the recement. It didn¡¯t seem like a hard task for Sian.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°You should just consider it a trip to get a present for your family. It would be great if you join our group afterward, but just getting us that recement is going to be a huge help.¡±


    ¡°I see. Can I take care of my business first? Before going out to find the recement?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It will take us a few months to prepare for the orb creation anyway. You should bring it to us during that time. But what business do you have?¡±


    ¡°Oh... I just need to find a person.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you if we can. Who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too generous?¡±


    ¡°Just consider it as an investment to recruit you.¡±


    Sian was actually already very tempted to join. He was still being careful as he could not believe everything, but it didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea.


    ¡°I see... the person I¡¯m looking for is called Miss Stiel...¡±


    ¡°Stiel? Who is that?¡±


    Lagaope was confused, so Sian adjusted the name.


    ¡°Oh, I mean Stantahl the First.¡±


    ¡°Oh... you mean the one who lived at the Lagran Region.¡±


    ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°She¡¯s the only superhuman who did not join us after making the orb. They usually hear about our group after they are reborn, so she probably doesn¡¯t know much about us.¡±


    Sian then remembered Stiel talking about something.


    <Groyn... he took a basket full of well water and said that he¡¯ll make us something great. But I didn¡¯t understand what he said because he stuttered too much. I got so irritated so I fought with Liviath who came for it next. Now... well, it was 150 years ago so they¡¯re probably dead.>


    ¡°So, she already has one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she was the one who stayed by the well. I didn¡¯t do it myself, but someone who went to get the water offered it to her. But she never even saw the orb. We created it and have it protected in our care.¡±


    Lagaope smiled as he thought about what Groyn said after returning from the well.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not anything special. They all join after they die, but she managed to live for over 200 years so we¡¯ve never contacted her since then.¡±


    It meant that they never got into contact with Stiel since then.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Sian sighed. He was worried, but there was no way to find her.


    ¡°Shall we go downstairs now? They should have finished talking to each other.¡±


    Lagaope suggested for them go back downstairs and they turned to the door.

 Chapter 115: A Trace

    <h4>Chapter 115: A Trace</h4>


    ¡°How was the talk?¡±


    Lagaope asked Limainu and Veronica.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It seemed like Veronica had more things she wanted to talk about with her brother.


    ¡°Please, you can take more time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Lagaope¡¯s attitude toward Limainu was vastly different from how he treated Veronica. Sian became intrigued.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your face?¡±


    ¡°You really treat Limainu well.¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t point out that Lagaope was treating Limainu like a person, but he seemed to understand.


    ¡°Haha, we treat people for their abilities. Limainu¡¯s worth much more than any superhuman. Although he¡¯s... irritating sometimes.¡±


    Lagaope sighed. It looked like he did still consider Limainu as a lesser human.


    ¡°We don¡¯t we look around the lower floor? I¡¯ll show you around.¡±


    ¡°Is it okay? I thought you had a lot of ssified stuff.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay. I believe you won¡¯t disclose it anywhere.¡±


    ¡®And you won¡¯t know what it is even when you see it.¡¯


    Lagaope did not speak thest part out loud.


    ¡°I see. We should go down then. Veronica, call my name out loud if you need my help.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Veronica was puzzled and Sian exined.


    ¡°I can hear you from anywhere on this ind, so I wille when you call me out.¡±


    ¡°...Sure.¡±


    ¡°You should trust me more.¡±


    Sian then walked out with Lagaope.


    ¡°Haha, so Lady Veronica doesn¡¯t know much about superhumans.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, she probably never saw one in her life.¡±


    ¡°You shoulde this way. I¡¯ll show you something you¡¯ll find interesting.¡±


    They then walked around the lower floor. Sian realized that the people here were afraid of Lagaope.


    ¡°Do they know that you are a Ra-Bander?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told them, but they saw me using my power, so they should know. They¡¯re all very smart.¡±


    ¡®Is that why they¡¯re so afraid?¡±


    Sian then shook it away. Lagaope gave him detailed exnations about the ce. It seemed like Lagaope was a genius himself since he knew a lot of things in depth. Either way, Sian could not understand most of what he said.


    ¡°Is this like an armory?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This ce, <Amaran>, focuses on researching weapons.¡±


    ¡®This ce...?¡¯


    It meant there was another ce, but that wasn¡¯t important.


    What was important was that the weapons that Sian recognized as swords, spears, or cannons were something different here. It wasn¡¯t like anything he recognized.


    ¡°They all look special.¡±


    ¡°I guess you imagined something like a sword or a cannon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but these aren¡¯t the same.¡±


    A yellow round object with a lot of holes, or a rectangr te with various magic engraved in it, and star-shaped object with something roaring from within.


    Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°These are made to serve their purpose well.¡±


    ¡°Purpose?¡±


    ¡°To kill. All of these weapons have increased power, uracy, reliability, and such.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sian was confused, so Lagaope walked to one side.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know once you see it. Shall we try this?¡±


    As Lagaope walked closer, the people divided themselves to open the pathway. There was a small stick.


    ¡°This... it¡¯s to be used like this.¡±


    As Lagaope transferred his energy into it, something soared out of the stick.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The stick was now a shining sword.


    ¡°It¡¯s based off Limainu¡¯s idea. You can carry this in your pocket and create the de with your own power. Here, try it.¡±


    Sian then took the stick and held the shiny part with his bare hand.


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Some of the people around them were shocked and they gasped, but nothing happened. The part Sian was holding was losing its energy.


    ¡°It is amazing but...¡±


    Lagaope answered. ¡°It¡¯s weak, right? Everything here is a prototype. We shift through the useful ideas here and strengthen them afterward. Shall we go to the next ce?¡±


    Lagaope then threw the stick and moved to another ce. There was a marble that flew around itself. Marbles were circling around a blue transparent swirl from within. As Lagaope walked closer, researchers moved out of the way for him. Then Lagaope reached out and grabbed the blue thing.


    Then, a terrible scream came about.


    <KYAYAYAAAAAA!>


    ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t fixed yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes... we were having a hard time with the Koderan stat change.... Ugh...¡±


    Researchers exined as they held their hands up to their ears.


    ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s okay. Mister Sian,e this way please.¡±


    He then handed what he held to Sian.


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? It¡¯s an energy force with a will of its own. It¡¯s making those marbles float. I heard the researchers here made it identally.¡±


    The blue energy that Sian held was now much more calm, seeming to have lost all their resistance after being held together. The marbles that circled around it also slowed down as if they were somehow connected to the blue energy.


    ¡°This guy is cute.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? I was thinking of keeping it as a pet if it doesn¡¯t be strong enough to be used as a weapon. I didn¡¯t choose a name for it yet, but I was thinking of giving it a cute one.¡±


    Sian thought about giving this to Rian as a pet, but he gave up as Rian would not be able to tame this. Lagaope or Sian could handle it, but Master warriors would be burned alive if they survived the mass marble attack.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you one as a pet if we create some more. Say... how long will it take for it to be ready?¡± Lagaope asked a researcher.


    ¡°We will need about six months to create these energy masses in great number.¡±


    The researcher was still panting even after the energy stopped screaming.


    ¡°I guess you can take one as a pet when youe with the recement material for the orb.¡±


    Sian nodded as he hade to like this cute energy ball.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll show you where we store our materials.¡±


    Lagaope then began walking toward the corner of the ind, outside the buildings.


    ¡°Is it located at the corner of the ind?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We need a lot of water due to the cooling issue. That ce focuses on researching various objects collected from around the world, including precious metals.¡±


    The building they entered after a while was quite different from other buildings.


    ¡°It feels like a cksmith workshop.¡±


    ¡°Well... Dekons wanted the ce to be like this. I¡¯m not sure why they like this better.¡±


    They had all the technology and magic, but Dekons still outperformed them in metallurgy. Thus, the ce was filled with Dekons.


    ¡°We have a lot of metals here. Some are really fascinating... this here is made from a Dekon.¡±


    Lagaope picked up a small metal stick and showed it to Sian.


    ¡°Is it special?¡±


    ¡°This stick changes the damage by changing how hard it hits, making it weaker.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lagaope exined in detail on how the stick worked, but Sian couldn¡¯t understand much other than what it actually did.


    ¡°So... if you hit someone with this, it will hurt them, but it won¡¯t kill them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you really intend to kill someone then that¡¯s another story... it has no use as a weapon. But I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    Lagaope gave the stick to Sian.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You should beat someone with this from now on. Not with your fist.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t even leave a bruise.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sian apologized as he kind of liked Lagaope who was being really kind to him.


    ¡°I just showed you the most worthless metal, so I¡¯ll show you most precious one now. Come this way.¡±


    Lagaope walked outside.


    ¡°Why are we going outside?¡±


    ¡°This metal is too hard to store. We couldn¡¯t store it inside the building.¡±


    They walked to where a great magic rune was drawn on the ground. The rune was being sourced by endless energy to create a dark barrier on top. Sian couldn¡¯t see through the barrier so he narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Why do you even need such thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh... the metal is just too heavy to store so we need to hold it. But I can¡¯t always take it around so we created this dimensional-anti gravity area to keep it in.¡±


    Lagaope then told the Magic Priests to stop the rune. As the rune stopped working, Lagaope jumped into the rune and picked up the metal that was revealed. It seemed like it was heavy since Lagaope could barely pick it up with his two hands to bring it out.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Ra-Bander but this is really heavy. This... huh? Mister Sian? What is it?¡±


    Lagaope looked at Sian who had a weird expression on his face as he observed the metal.


    ¡°...Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°I picked it up in the Usharan Desert about four years ago. I went there to check on the loud sound that came from the area and this piece was in the spot. Do you know what this is?¡±


    Sian wasn¡¯t really listening to him anymore.


    ¡®That¡¯s a piece of Chrona-Phon...!¡¯


    It was Chrona-Phon, which Sian asked Stiel to take care of five years ago.

 Chapter 116: A Trace

    <h4>Chapter 116: A Trace</h4>


    Veronica talked for a long time with her brother.


    ¡°So... you like your current life?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I love it here. There are a lot of things to learn and a lot of things to research.¡±


    He was always considered a genius back in their world. Their parents made it so he could study freely. As a result, her brother managed to be a world-famous researcher. Yet Veronica was worried since her brother was too pure. Too innocent. He had never faced hardships nor hostility. She was always worried that someone might take advantage of her brother.


    Limainu smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sister. I love it here. The magic here is much more than the science that I studied back in our world.¡±


    Magic was not something Limainu knew existed until he came here. There were some things that magic allowed while science didn¡¯t, and vice versa. Limainu loved studying both to create many things. He didn¡¯t care if he was being taken advantage of. He was busy studying to satisfy his own desire. Besides, his organization, <Herrantor>, provided everything he needed for his research.


    The most amazing thing here was the <Superhumans>.


    Limainu couldn¡¯t believe what he saw five years ago, when he saw Liviath producing nuclear energy by himself. He wished to study superhumans when his current project was finished, but he also learned to fear them. He was scared when his sister was asking Lagaope a flurry of questions. After discussing for a while, Limainu asked the question he first had when he met his sister.


    ¡°How do you know Sir Sian?¡±


    ¡°Huh? How do you know my brother-inw? Oh, wait. He said he met you in Kerbal.¡±


    Limainu was surprised. He heard his sister was married, but he didn¡¯t expect Sian to be her brother-inw.


    ¡°Yeah, I saw him there. I didn¡¯t expect to meet him again, especially with this kind of connection.¡±


    They talked a little more, but he was disappointed when Lagaope returned.


    ¡°Did you have a good time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Veronica looked disappointed, but Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too disappointed. You should meet him again next time.¡±


    Veronica looked surprised as she didn¡¯t expect that.


    ¡°You look surprised. We just want our project to not be disturbed, and if it¡¯s kept a secret, we have no intention to prevent Limainu from doing what he wants.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Lagaope did say that he worked hard for the happiness of the people working here and they were not ves.


    ¡°We respect Limainu¡¯s knowledge, but we value his creativity more than anything. That can¡¯t be forced. We¡¯re actually happy that you, Lady Veronica, appeared. So, shall we return?¡±


    Veronica became relieved and bid farewell to her brother and Lagaope took her to the Ra-Shar-Roa. As they were walking to the Ra-Shar-Roa, Veronica asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Sian?¡±


    She was rmed at her missing brother-inw. Lagaope then answered as if he just remembered it.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Mister Sian asked me to escort you and he left for some important business.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He looked very serious... but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll escort you back to the Roman family safely.¡±


    North of Usharan Kingdom, or northwest due to itsrge size, was the Great Desert of <Karit>.


    This great desert separated Taran and Usharan with itsrgend mass. The desert provided no good side to the Usharan, but it helped them in a way that it decreased the amount of border that needed protection.


    With the desert in ce, it allowed Usharan to focus their forces on the Great ins of <Chromata> that was located between the Karit Desert and the Con-Tian Mountain Range. It was a huge advantage for Usharan who utilized the Kel-Rufens as their main weapon.


    It was what allowed Usharan to sessfully defend against the Taran invasion.


    In the desert, there was a figure running through it at an incredible speed. It was Sian who came from the Ra-Shar-Roa located at Chromata.


    ¡®Thanks, Lagaope...¡¯


    Sian thought as he remembered what Lagaope provided him.


    <Usharan doesn¡¯t allow civilians to use the Ra-Shar-Roa. You¡¯ll just destroy the entire ce if they block you there right? We need that point so you shouldn¡¯t do that... so I¡¯ll give you this.>


    It was a small artifact that he used toe here.


    <Is this...?>


    <It¡¯s nothing, but they won¡¯t stop you when you go on the Ra-Shar-Roa while carrying this. Take it.>


    <But isn¡¯t it yours?>


    <No, no. It¡¯s okay. Consider it a small gift.>


    <No, I mean, I sense some energy from within. Does this track my location or something?>


    <...No. You are mistaken. That¡¯s only there for me when I get lost.>


    <Huh? You getting lost?>


    Sian looked at Lagaope suspiciously.


    <Ugh, don¡¯t look at me like that. Besides, we can be curious about your whereabouts, can¡¯t we? It will help you for sure. Besides, we can¡¯t control our members without such tracking devices.>


    <Okay, I¡¯ll believe you.>


    Sian picked it up as he figured it would be useful and came straight here. Thanks to the artifact, nobody seemed toe after Sian who came out from the Ra-Shar-Roa and ran. Truthfully, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop Sian from running anyway.


    ¡®I hope you are okay, Miss Stiel.¡¯


    The artifact had a few more useful features, which was a map. After a while, Sian was able to arrive at the ce where Lagaope had found the piece of metal.


    ¡®Dammit...¡¯


    Sian expected to find at least some trace here since there would be a battle-scar here if Stiel had fought.


    ¡®It¡¯s not like a mountain...¡¯


    Lagran or Kerbal still had huge battle-scars left by Sian. In contrast, there would be no traces in a desert. Sian only was able to find the ce because Lagaope marked it on the map.


    As Sian became disappointed for not being able to find anything, he felt something blinking from his pocket. It was the artifact from Lagaope.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯


    Sian took it out and touched the artifact, which suddenly began shining a light into space.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The light that came out from artifact was now portraying a human figure on the space in front of him.


    ¡°Lagaope?¡±


    <Hahaha, yes, Mister Sian.>


    It was Lagaope himself. The artifact was portraying him and his voice.


    ¡°It even allows imagemunication? It¡¯s very useful.¡±


    <What did I say? It¡¯s really well-made.>


    ¡°Right, thank you. But why did you call me?¡± Sian asked Lagaope.


    <I don¡¯t know what you are trying to find there... but you didn¡¯t find anything, did you?>


    ¡°You are correct.¡±


    <Deserts are not that easy. If it was four years ago, you might have to put that ce upside down to have a chance.>


    ¡°Huh? Will that work?¡±


    Sian nced at the desert, dumbfounded.


    <Can you even do that? Haha... but that was just an idea. You might find some burnt traces, but it won¡¯t be any use. Besides, we couldn¡¯t find much when we went there four years ago.>


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    It seemed pointless to keep searching here.


    <I¡¯ll help you. It looks like you want to search for Stantahl the First, right?>


    ¡°Do you have a way?¡±


    <Yes, but it¡¯s not me who¡¯s going to help. The answer is always much closer than you think.>

 Chapter 117: A Trace

    <h4>Chapter 117: A Trace</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯re here already.¡±


    Lagaope was waiting at Chromata, along with an unexpected guest.


    ¡°Veronica? Why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°I was going to... but he asked me to stay for a while.¡±


    Sian then turned to Lagaope. ¡°Why is she still here?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the beginning, shall we? You know we were really interested in you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Veronica blushed, misunderstanding the word in a romantic way.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Veronica. But how did you know about me?¡±


    ¡°Liviath, from our group, was watching you when you blew up Kerbal.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    He figured a superhuman could¡¯ve watched him fight in the city of Kerbal while hiding.


    ¡°We searched for you for so long after that. It was love at first sight.¡±


    ¡°Veronica, it¡¯s not like that. Please continue, Lagaope.¡±


    ¡°Well, we couldn¡¯t find you, but we did manage to determine that the destroyer of Kerbal was you. Of course, we needed to know more about you before we asked you to join us, right?¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°So, we managed to find out that you loved your family, unlike the other superhumans. That¡¯s when we began researching your family. Don¡¯t worry, we didn¡¯t dig too deep.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    It was what allowed them to offer the orbs for his family, so he didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°And when we looked into your family, your family was growing! I mean, I would¡¯ve grown envious of Rian if I were a normal person. He¡¯s living a life like he¡¯s from a novel.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    ¡°Wives who are a Dekon, Catfolk, and a person from the other world... Anyhow, we looked into his wives. I didn¡¯t expect for it toe to my aid like this though.¡±


    Sian then suddenly realized why Lagaope didn¡¯t send Veronica back.


    ¡°Is Veronica¡¯s power going to help me?¡±


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t know about her power?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t hear anything about Veronica¡¯s power. He just knew she had some kind of power as an Exer.


    ¡°Huh? Do you need my help, Sian?¡±


    Veronica expressed interest as her name popped out all of a sudden.


    Lagaope chirped, ¡°She can help you for sure. Her <Fate¡¯s Way> that allowed her to meet Rian definitely will.¡±


    Veronica was terrified when she was thrown into this world. She fell off a cliff in a car ident, but she was on some mountain with no car, and her brother was not by her side. She had no injuries, but she panicked. Veronica, who hade from a wealthy, prosperous family had one thing she wanted the most when she panicked.


    <I must find someone to protect me!>


    Then she felt some weird feelingsing from within. A feeling that seemed to tell her where to go. Veronica just figured that this weird feeling was originated from her fear, so she just walked toward a light that was visible from far away.


    As she walked, her heart began to pound and her head began to ache, as if someone was sending her a warning. She eventually gave into her feeling and began walking toward the direction. After a while of walking, she found some small shack. The ce was ruined, but she did not care and knocked on the door. She felt some weird feeling disappearing as she saw the maning out from the shack and fainted.


    When she woke up, some old man was taking care of her.


    <ARACK-KA DU RACKEN?>


    It wasnguage she never heard about. She used eight differentnguages fluently and understood twenty-onenguages, but thisnguage was not on the list.


    She panicked, but she realized she was safe and began to learn thenguage. The old man was very kind and looked after her as if she were his real granddaughter.


    She was able to learn thenguage quickly enough as she had talent in learning othernguages. As she became fluent enough to talk with the old man, she learned that the light that she tried to go had some bandits living there.


    Veronica then learned where she was.


    <Another dimension>


    She first figured she was kidnapped and abandoned in some foreign country, but this was unexpected. It scared her for a while but she had to ept her fate. That was when she realized she needed to adjust to this world. Her thoughts became conclusive when the old man was killed while walking out on the road by some passing mercenaries.


    She realized this world¡¯s savagery and began to feel the weird feeling again.


    <I need to find someone to protect me in this savage world.>


    <A man strong enough to protect me from anything in this violence-driven world.>


    She ignored the feeling before, but now she believed in it. This ce had mysterious powers and magic that did not exist in her world. It looked like this weird feeling was also one such power.


    Veronica then walked to where her feeling led her.


    The person she met was some merchant. He was really kind to her, but she didn¡¯t feel that he was enough to protect her.


    <He¡¯s only a step to the goal.>


    She worked as a bookkeeper under that merchant and followed her feelings. It sometimes guided her to be a traveler, a royal clerk, and a warrior. She kept on traveling while getting help from various people.


    But after two years of such adventures, she was exhausted. Her feelings led her to many ces, but it didn¡¯t go away.


    Besides, this world was too dangerous for a beautiful woman like her to travel alone. Her power saved her from such threats but it gave her a stronger feeling each time she overcame a threat.


    As she gave up on her adventure, Rian appeared out of nowhere.


    That was when the weird feeling stopped. It was the man she had been looking for.


    It was the man, which her power, <Fate¡¯s Way>, had been looking for.


    To add on, she named her own power.


    ¡°Oh... so that¡¯s how they met.¡±


    Sianmented as he heard the story. It was Veronica who managed to find Rian.


    ¡°Her power will guide you to Stiel for sure. We found out that her power grew enough to help others at end of her journey. She even helped Rian a few times. Did you not?¡±


    Veronica nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but it has many limitations. I did try to use this power to find Sian, or my brother, but it failed. It didn¡¯t give me any feelings.¡±


    ¡°But we can give it a try. Oh, but we have a problem. It¡¯s shame that the person who has this power is your sister-inw.¡±


    Lagaope shouted dramatically.


    ¡°Huh? Why? Isn¡¯t it better? Or does it shorten her life?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. But...¡±


    Veronica realized what Lagaope was trying to say and tried to say it first, but it was toote.


    ¡°I heard you need to kiss the person to help. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t help anyone besides Rian.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was troubling indeed. Sian sighed.


    ¡°I know Exerse in different colors but that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were fascinated by the limitation too.¡±


    Sian was happy that her sister-inw could help him, but it was blocked immediately. That was when hope came back.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken. My power grew so that we don¡¯t have to do that to use it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I see. I guess our information was a little behind. Mister Sian, we should give it a try now!¡±


    ¡°Veronica, can you do it now?¡±


    Sian asked for permission and Veronica nodded.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    As Sian sat down on the chair, Veronica stood behind him and ced her forehead at the back of Sian¡¯s head. She used her both hands to cover Sian¡¯s head.


    ¡°You should think about the person strongly. Don¡¯t reject the Exar that I send you.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Sian released his defense and epted the flow of Exaring through him and thought about Stiel.


    ¡®Whew... but this is weird.¡¯


    The flow began to grow weaker after a while, signaling that it was about finished.


    As <Fate¡¯s Way> faded out, Sian turned back and asked, ¡°Did you... do you feel anything?¡±


    Veronica nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I have something. I¡¯m not sure how long it will take but it will guide us for sure.¡±


    Sian brightened up instantly.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you, Veronica.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but why...¡±


    ¡°We should talk about itter. Let¡¯s move fast.¡±


    Sian then tried to ask something, but he was cut off. However, Sian was happy that Veronica was eager to help him out so he nodded.


    ¡°Lagaope, I¡¯ll see you around.¡±


    ¡°Hope you find her. She is also a valuable person. Oh, and keep the artifact. It will be useful for your journey.¡±


    Lagaope then walked away first and Sian turned to Veronica.


    ¡°We should go too. Oh, by the way...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Veronica answered.


    ¡°The way you did it... I don¡¯t think a kiss will be necessary...¡±


    Sian was confused by what had happened. The method she used didn¡¯t seem like a kiss would be required as Exar moved through her brain and hand, meaning that it didn¡¯t seem like it needed to be transferred over via mouth.


    Veronica blushed.


    ¡°....et..¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The story was as follows.


    Veronica became sad when she found Rian after a long journey. Her dream man already had two wives. There was something going on between them, but she couldn¡¯t do it because of his wives. It was then that she got her chance.


    <Miss Veronica, can you use that power to find my brother?>


    <Yes... my brother is missing but I want to try finding him with that power.>


    That was when Veronica was struck with an idea.


    <Yes, it¡¯s possible. But it has a limitation to be used on others.>


    <Limitation? What is it?>


    The rest was history. They quickly became close after that.


    Veronica couldn¡¯t find Sian, but she managed to court Rian and married him atst.


    ¡®Wow...¡¯


    Sian¡¯s third sister-inw, who seemed to be the most innocent, was actually most cunning of all. Veronica smiled at Sian and spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret, okay? I¡¯m helping you out this much so...¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. But Veronica. Can you... uh... teach me something like that?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Teach you what?¡±


    ¡°The skill that you used on my brother... To court ady... something like that.¡±


    Veronica smiled.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    They smiled at each other and began walking to use the Ra-Shar-Roa.

 Chapter 118: Fate’s way

    <h4>Chapter 118: Fate¡¯s way</h4>


    ¡°Veronica, how does <Fate¡¯s Way> work? Does it tell you how long you travel... and in what direction, or such?¡± Sian asked as they walked toward the Ra-Shar-Roa. He thought Veronica gave it a fitting name, but she looked embarrassed when Sian mentioned it.


    ¡°Just call it a power... and I don¡¯t know much about it. It changes a lot depending on my condition too.¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡±


    ¡°I can answer your question though. If I think about it hard, it gives me a feeling about what I need to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sian understood what she meant. He had a simr feeling on what he needed to do to be stronger until he was blocked by the barrier. He did not have any special power, but it seemed like it was simr to Veronica¡¯s.


    ¡°What¡¯s interesting is... it doesn¡¯t directly send me to that person.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s as if there are a couple of steps to take.¡±


    ¡°Can you exin?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I have to find Person A. But if I don¡¯t have any connection or information about Person A, then my power will lead me to Person B who might be connected to Person A. Now, if I don¡¯t have a connection to Person B, then it leads me to Person C who might lead me to Person B. So... if the person I¡¯m looking for is located where I can find them directly, it leads me that way. If not, then I need to take steps.¡±


    That was what Veronica discovered about her power. However, there were a few times where she had different results than she expected, so she couldn¡¯t say for sure.


    ¡°But... if that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t it have allowed you to find your brother or me? I think that power will get you to someone no matter what.¡±


    ¡°It does have a limit. If the power required to find someone is too great, it stops. I think you and my brother were located at a ce where my power or someone I know couldn¡¯t reach.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s been a time where I took too many steps that it failed. Someone who hides and lives as a hermit falls into this category.¡±


    ¡°It definitely does have a limit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So that¡¯s why I had doubts... if the person you¡¯re looking for is hard for you or Lagaope to find, it will be impossible for me, or there will be too many steps to take. The maximum amount of steps when it¡¯s used on someone else is about three to four. So it is weird.¡±


    Sian was intrigued. There weren¡¯t too many people who knew about Sian or Stiel¡¯s existence, but Veronica was walking to a ce where her power was confidently leading her.


    ¡°...Veronica, you should¡¯ve just told me that you wanted to visit Rian.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken. I had a feeling that I had toe here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian and Veronica were now in front of Lavn Castle. Veronica then began walking somewhere and came to a stop in front of someone.


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re back already?¡±


    ¡°...Is Lady Celine first?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Veronica answered as she sensed the feeling from within signaling her.


    ¡°Celine, can you tell my husband that I will return after I am done with my business?¡±


    ¡°Sure. So, how was the trip?¡¯ Celine asked as she was concerned even though Sian was apanying Veronica.


    ¡°It was very good. Tell my husband that I¡¯ll be away with Sian for a while. It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°With Sian?¡±


    Celine was suspicious, but Veronica whispered to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. Besides, my husband is much more handsome.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡®I can hear you guys.¡¯


    Sian ranted from behind.


    ¡°Take care then.¡±


    Sian asked Veronica after they walked away from Celine.


    ¡°Is it over?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We need to move quickly before this feeling goes away.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, shouldn¡¯t we ask her about something... or direction... or anything?¡±


    Veronicaughed.


    ¡°No, it just tells me which way I need to go. It¡¯s like getting information updates once I meet the person I need to see. Sometimes I need to do something to update the direction, but we were lucky this time. I think we can just keep going like this.¡±


    They then walked back to the Ra-Shar-Roa.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    Sian and Veronica took the Ra-Shar-Roa to move to Roa-Tian and walked to the ce where they were now standing.


    ¡°So the next person is here.¡±


    ¡°Is this... <Cancun City>?¡±


    Sian nced at Kuradan Canyon beyond the city of Cancun, the canyon that ran through the Con-Tian mountain range. Ra-Bander Kuradan was born 400 years ago. After he became a superhuman, he remembered how frustrated he was about walking over the mountain range.


    <Let¡¯s open up a shortcut there.>


    He then began destroying part of the Con-Tian mountain range that was closest to the capital. It was named the Kuradan Canyon because of that and it allowed Con and Tian to freely trade with ease.


    Cancun was the city located at the entrance of the canyon.


    ¡°It is amazing how powerful these superhumans are. How can you split this giant canyon within half a year?¡±


    Veronica was astounded. She couldn¡¯t feel how strong these superhumans were, but looking at something so grand gave her a glimpse of their true power.


    Veronica then turned to Sian and asked, ¡°Can you do this within half a year too?¡±


    ¡°Hm... I can.¡±


    Half a year would be enough for him to erase the entire mountain, but he decided to hold back as it felt like he would be boasting.


    ¡°I want to see such a sight. My brother said he saw it once...¡±


    Veronica wasn¡¯t sure what it was like for superhumans to use their powers, so she spoke without thinking much.


    ¡°Halt! What business has brought you here?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    This ce was a strategic military location. Permission was required to gain entry.


    ¡®No, I trust old man Narasha.¡¯


    Sian took out his identification que.


    ¡°This¡¯ll do, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh... y-yes, sir!¡±


    The soldier was shocked after seeing the que and let Sian pass. After a few more checkpoints, they arrived at their destination.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s him.¡±


    It was the first time for Veronica, but Sian knew this person.


    It was Kgul, a Kal-Gul reborn into Kuntarian¡¯s body.


    ¡°Sir Kgul? Long time no see.¡±


    Sian greeted him casually, but Kgul seemed shocked.


    ¡°Why are you here? I thought there was a party to celebrate your return?¡±


    Kgul also received the invitation since he was a high-ranking noble of Tian, but he did not go.


    ¡°Yeah, but I have some other business. So, Veronica, where do we have to go next?¡±


    ¡°Hm... do you remember I said that we might have to do something?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The feeling stopped. We need to do something here... but it doesn¡¯t tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡±


    Sian became worried. Veronica was his only hope to find Stiel. Kgul asked them, ¡°Can I be on my way?¡±


    ¡°Oh... right. You can go.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m not sure what you are doing, but I wish you good luck.¡±


    Sian then looked at Kgul who was trying to walk away. There was some weird feeling.


    ¡°Wait, Kgul. Stop right there. Veronica, can you leave us alone for a while?¡±


    Sian always had a feeling that told him what to do, just like Veronica¡¯s power. It worked for the husk and the fight at the Lagran Region. This feeling was telling him to deal with Kgul.

 Chapter 119: Fate’s way

    <h4>Chapter 119: Fate¡¯s way</h4>


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you try to run?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do this often, but I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry. I will leave you in one piece if you tell me.¡±


    Sian never was wrong when he had the feeling to beat up someone. If he used the stick that Lagaope gave to him, maybe it would show better results.


    As always, Sian considered himself to be a civilized man and he did not want to beat up the Kgul since he knew him. Thus, he pressured Kgul to give him an answer.


    Kgul made up his mind. It wasn¡¯t a secret anyway, but he just didn¡¯t want to get involved. Sian seemed to think Kgul knew something and if Sian began using that stick, it didn¡¯t seem like it would end well for Kgul.


    Kgul started talking.


    Kgul had been ced at the <Cancun Fortress> from the days when Sian began his travel. Kgul could not refuse the order as he did not have his people anymore and had to live with the humans. But there was more. He wanted to go as far south as possible.


    After a while, he heard that Sky Mountain next to Gron-Ph was destroyed.


    <Was this the reason why I wanted to go far?>


    However, he did not mind as it did not have any effect on him. That night, he felt something while training.


    <Huh?>


    It was a familiar feeling. A few days after feeling that sensation, there was an unexpected visitor. It wasn¡¯t a human.


    <I have not felt my people¡¯s spirit since years ago... how did you survive, warrior? Your spirit tells me that you died from the war.>


    <Great warrior...!>


    It was one of his people, a Kal-Gul. And one of the strongest who represented his race.


    Kgul faced the greatest warrior, <Nekra>, who had lived for over 400 years.


    ¡°Kgul. I asked you to tell me the truth. Not some dream.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream.¡±


    ¡°How do you live for over 400 years? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. We reincarnate through the power in our hearts, but it does limit our age.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± Sian tried to object, but Kgul cut him off.


    ¡°The Great Warrior <Nekra> is different. Besides, I can¡¯t imagine him dying in a war.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s special among the Kal-Guls. He became a superhuman, and he even mastered all three powers,¡± Kgul continued.


    Kal-Gul, the powerful race.


    They fought against the Empire and led it to its demise. If it weren¡¯t for the Great Magic used by the Empire before their fall, it would have been the Kal-Guls who would¡¯ve ruled the world by now.


    Kgul exined the secrets behind the Kal-Guls.


    Kal-Guls were allowed to fight the mighty Empire because of two things.


    One was power that flowed continuously through the heart and weapon.


    Another was the power that each individual had called <Sorma>.


    These two made the already strong Kal-Guls unmatched in their power and allowed them to fight against the millions of people in the Empire.


    Sorma was divided into three different ways.


    <Tamara> Controller of time


    <Spama> Controller of space


    <Somarin> Controller of life


    Sorma, which utilized Exar, only was the only power that the Kal-Guls were allowed to wield and use. Each person trained hard and specialized in one way of Sorma that fit them most.


    But <Nekra> was different.


    He was able to use all three ways of Sorma and wielded them with ease. There were a lot of superhuman-level Kal-Gul warriors, but Nekra was the only one who could use all the ways.


    And the three powers had their own ultimate abilities. One of most rare and not sought after was <Somarin>. After mastering the power, Nekra managed to acquire the ultimate ability, <Somarin>, an ability that had the same name as its way. Somarin meant immortality in theirnguage.


    ¡°Therefore, he does not die.¡±


    ¡°Can humans learn how to use that power?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, no humans can use Sorma. Theyck a vital attribute that allows them to use Sorma. I knew the way of <Somarin>, but I can¡¯t use the power with this body.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian then remembered what this Nekra sounded like. It sounded a lot like the crazy hunter that Lagaope told him about.


    <He always tries to kill all the superhumans...>


    <He doesn¡¯t die. He keepsing back.>


    <He¡¯s so strong too... we can¡¯t beat him. If he didn¡¯t hibernate, it would¡¯ve been really dangerous.>


    ¡®Lagaope... you said he wasn¡¯t awake yet.¡¯


    Sian began to realize the whole picture.


    Stiel didn¡¯t like being in groups, and the hunter had awakened much earlier than expected. And Sian was led by Fate¡¯s Way to meet Kgul who had met the Great Warrior.


    ¡°...¡±


    Kgul saw Sian¡¯s expression changing and began to speak quickly. It seemed he might kill him if he didn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m not involved in this!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Great Warrior left right after! He told me I¡¯m not one of the Kal-Guls anymore if I¡¯m in a human body. I¡¯ve never seen him since then!¡±


    ¡°Then why did you try to run away?¡±


    ¡°...because I don¡¯t want to talk to you for too long.¡±


    Kgul knew what happened to all ces Sian had visited. He came to Cancun to avoid such troubles, but Sian came directly for him.


    ¡°This is all that I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where that Great Warrior went?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m powerful enough to know that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sian grew frustrated. He was clueless, and it seemed like there was nothing more he could find out from Kgul. Veronica then walked in from the outside.


    ¡°Are you done?¡±


    Sian sighed and answered, ¡°Yes, but we have a problem. I don¡¯t know what to do next...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my power is back.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not sure what you did, but my power came back. We should be able to find the person,¡± Veronica reassured Sian.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. We should go now. Thank you, Kgul.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I hope we never meet again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian tried to smile, but he couldn¡¯t. He was too worried about Stiel.


    ¡®You just wait there...¡¯


    Nothing was certain yet. There was a chance that Nekra wasn¡¯t the hunter. Sian wished his theory was wrong. It was only going to be revealed when he met Nekra.

 Chapter 120: Fate’s way

    <h4>Chapter 120: Fate¡¯s way</h4>


    Phareon was tired after he returned from the party. He was so shocked at what Ra-Kadum had done. He expected Ra-Kadum to end up like him from before, but fortunately Rian stopped it from happening.


    Phareon turned to the cliff beyond his castle. It was the destroyed cliff. He could have cleaned it up, but he decided to leave it be in its messy state to always remind him that the world was full of powerful men.


    ¡°So, has it been more than five years now?¡±


    Sian was now more monster-like than when he first saw him.


    It was fortunate that Sian only destroyed the cliff. To think that he even destroyed mountains... it seemed like Sian could destroy the entire mountain range that Phareon was looking at currently.


    ¡®Haha... even he can¡¯t do such a thing.¡¯


    Phareon smiled. The Con-Tian mountain range protected the Logadis Region. It covered Tian¡¯s southern border and divided Usharan. It worked as a powerful shield for the Logadis Region against Taran or Usharan invasions.


    As he looked at the Con-Tian Mountains, he saw something strange.


    ¡®What is that?¡¯


    Part of the cliff was moving. Phareon tried to use <Kranga> to zoom in, but there was no need.


    The cliff was copsing again.


    It wasn¡¯t arge destruction, but it was not normal as the cliff was destroyed entirely again.


    As Phareon activated <Kranga>, he zoomed into the cliff and saw an individual he knew well.


    ¡°That¡¯s Sir Sian. Why is he here...?¡±


    Sian was digging at the cliff with his bare hands. The castle was about fifteen miles away from the cliff, but Phareon became uneasy. He then made a choice. He knew what had happened to cities that Sian had visited. Other than Lenorva, all of those cities were left in ruins.


    ¡°Rianna! Rianna!¡± Phareon shouted.


    ¡°Yes, milord. What is it?¡±


    Rianna came running in. Phareon shouted, ¡°Evacuate all our people away from that cliff! Make it quick!¡±


    ¡°...Yes, milord!¡±


    Rianna walked out quickly.


    ¡°So... we need to walk in there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Veronica?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Right.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stand that far. I won¡¯t make any mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Veronicaughed awkwardly as she saw Sian casually digging at the cliff.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have found the way if it weren¡¯t for you.¡±


    Sian was really surprised. They weren¡¯t sure why her power led them here, but he wouldn¡¯t have been able toe find the ce that he buried years ago.


    Sian wanted to dig quicker, but he didn¡¯t want to scare her so he slowed down.


    After a while, they arrived at the armory that had been buried.


    ¡°Is this the ce?¡±


    ¡°Wait a second... it¡¯s about here. Hm...¡±


    Veronica walked somewhere and began looking for something.


    ¡®That¡¯s...¡¯


    It was the ce where those <Arankals> opened up the void portal. Sian then walked to where Veronica was wandering about.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Veronica.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Veronica was confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll escort you out to safety. Close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Huh?¡±


    Sian then picked Veronica up and quickly jumped out of the cliff. He couldn¡¯t run too fast as he had to be careful not to harm Veronica, but he was able to quickly get to the city.


    ¡°Hmm, why is the city so quiet?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    The city was empty. Sian took a look and saw people moving up north.


    ¡°Good, this didn¡¯t seem like enough.¡±


    ¡°OH!¡±


    Sian then jumped up with Veronica again and was able to catch up to Phareon who was walking north.


    Sian jumped down in front of Phareon.


    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°S-sir Sian! What is it? Have you finished your business?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s about to start now. Can I ask you for a favor?¡±


    Phareon nodded, as he had no way to say no.


    ¡°Please take care of Veronica. Take her to where you¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where we¡¯re going...?¡±


    ¡°No, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It might be okay, but just in case. You did make a good choice.¡±


    Sian then took a few steps away from the people and jumped up. He flew out like a rocket toward the cliff and Phareon shouted to his people.


    ¡°Dammit! Ditch your belongings! We need to get out of here quick! Make it quick!¡±


    People began to prepare to quicken their move. As they walked out, Phareon turned back to the ce where he had grown up.


    ¡°17% is it?¡±


    Phareon mumbled and turned back. There was little time to waste.


    Sian returned to the ce after evacuating Veronica to safety. His feeling was telling him that there was something where Veronica had been circling about.


    ¡®It¡¯s like I have some special power too.¡¯


    To know who he needed to beat up... Sian couldn¡¯t believe that he had such a power. It was as if the feeling was a result of the power.


    He sighed and began wielding his power. The armor covered him up in a second. Sian then began grabbing the space.


    The space began to crack and it opened up as Sian ripped it open. It was the scent he smelled when he had been dropped into the world. He came back quick, but it was weird. The world had no Bander or Exar.


    ¡°Okay, let me ask-!!!¡±


    Something shot out from within and struck Sian, flinging him back against the wall. After he was hit, something else came out and was thrown at Sian.

 Chapter 121: Great Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 121: Great Warrior</h4>


    <I was always lucky at beating up someone. But that¡¯s where all my luck goes. Dammit.>


    -Great Swordmeister, his secret to victory.


    .......


    ¡°What is that sound?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯sing from the city!¡±


    ¡°Look, the mountain¡¯s getting blown up!¡±


    ¡°So, the Lord knew what was going to happen? It doesn¡¯t look like we needed to evacuate.¡±


    It was pretty far, but some knights from the Kn Knighthood were able to see what was going on at the cliff. Phareon sighed.


    ¡®It¡¯s starting.¡¯


    Phareon had given up all hope as he knew what was going to happen. He had no other way but to let out a hollowugh. He only had one thing in mind.


    ¡®Please, just be finished with Kn.¡¯


    Kn wasn¡¯t the Logadis Estate¡¯srgest city. It was located in a very bad ce, so Phareon was in the process of transferring all the important agencies and offices to the Rottfell Estate that was much closer to the capital. All of Logadis was under Phareon¡¯s control, so it didn¡¯t matter anyway.


    Nheless, it was still sad to see Phareon¡¯s hometown getting destroyed.


    Sian reflected everything that flew at him and regretted it. He wanted to ask about Stiel first, but this enemy might have been the one who attacked Stiel. He should beat it up first.


    He realized his feeling was correct.


    Some needed to suffer beatings, like this one in front of him.


    Sian then began pounding the enemy that jumped out from the hole.


    It looked very weird. It had some weird-looking thing that covered its ten-foot tall body. What was more important was not its looks.


    ¡®What is that thing?¡¯


    Sian dodged the mysterious sword that was swung at him. It looked very weird. It was about six-feet long, but the handle made up a third of the weapon.


    It looked peculiar because the weapon¡¯s handle was very visible, but the de was very faint and unclear. It was like that weird beam sword that Lagaope showed him. The only difference was that this one did not shine as its de was more transparent.


    The monster, suspected to be Nekra, was swinging the weapon fiercely at Sian.


    ¡®That¡¯s crazy.¡¯


    The weapon was not crazy heavy like Chrona-Phon or powerful like the Spear of the War God. The de made no sound when it was swung, but Sian figured it would be better to be smacked with the said weapons than be struck by what Nekra was swinging at him.


    When it swung, it damaged the space and distorted time. Sian felt part of his spirit being taken away when he took a hit at the start. It healed, but he did not want to experience that anymore.


    If his red scales weren¡¯t protecting him, it would¡¯ve hurt.


    But...


    ¡®I¡¯m stronger.¡¯


    It would¡¯ve been really bad if the enemy had such a weapon and was strong as Sian himself, but he was weak. Sian was stronger in every way.


    However, as Sian continued to fight, he felt that the fight wasn¡¯t going as nned.


    ¡®He¡¯s gotten faster again.¡¯


    The enemy kept moving faster and faster. It seemed like the enemy was using some weird power.


    Sian than realized who this enemy was.


    ¡®This is the power... so he is Nekra for sure.¡¯


    Sian couldn¡¯t understand what was it like to control space and time, but he understood what it was after looking at it first-hand.


    Sian was irritated. The enemy was not even close to his level to fight him. Even with such a powerful weapon, Nekra wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat Sian. The only thing that allowed him to fight Sian was the power.


    ¡®It should have some limit... ugh, again?¡¯


    Sian cursed as his attack stopped in front of Nekra. It wasn¡¯t that Sian¡¯s attack stopped. It was because space between Sian¡¯s fist and Nekra began expanding. The power was absorbed into the void space that was created and it left Nekra unharmed.


    As Sian was dumbfounded, Nekra swung his sword and it elerated, flying straight toward Sian. It wasn¡¯t just some simple eleration magic. The swing¡¯s velocity had sped up.


    Sian gathered his power on his fist and hit the sword, which was thrown back helplessly. Nekra had to step back with it.


    Sian then realized that this was not necessary. He only needed to find Stiel¡¯s whereabouts. He did not need to fight him. Besides, Nekra should¡¯ve realized that he had no chance against Sian. He was fighting on equal ground until now, but it was only a matter of time for Sian to emerge victorious.


    So Sian decided to talk to him.


    Sian asked a question. He didn¡¯t feel good about getting hit and was thus irritated at Nekra, but he wanted to know about Stiel more than anything else.


    ¡°Stop! Let me ask you something. You¡¯ll walk home if you answer me.¡±


    <...>


    Nekra looked at Sian without attacking.


    ¡°Uh... have you met a woman with a sword made from this piece of metal? If you guide me to her, I¡¯ll be happy and I¡¯ll just break a few of your arms.¡±


    <...>


    Sian asked by showing a piece of Chrona-Phon and Nekra nodded. Sian brightened up.


    ¡°Oh! Good, I think I¡¯ll like you. So where do I need to go...¡±


    Nekra ignored what Sian was saying and swung his sword at the space next to him. The space ripped open and something fell out from within. The thing that dropped from it made a loud nging sound as it dropped on the ground and the tremor destroyed part of the cliff.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian¡¯s face dimmed.


    Nekra ignored Sian and walked to Chrona-Phon that was cracked. He then stepped on the cracked part of the weapon.


    Chrona-Phon snapped into two. Nekra turned back to Sian and grinned.


    Sian felt like he was losing himself. An unknown feeling began swelling up from within.


    He then unleashed his full power that he had been holding back because of Veronica who was nearby and charged at Nekra.

 Chapter 122: Great Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 122: Great Warrior</h4>


    ¡°Run! Run for your lives!¡±


    Rianna was running after abandoning everything, including her armor and sword.


    ¡®By the gods...! What is going on?¡¯


    They were questioning the Lord¡¯s decision to evacuate just now because of the destruction of part of the mountain, but they were wrong. The evacuation was toote.


    The sky above the Con-Tian mountain range was being torn apart. It was weird to describe the sky ripping apart, but it fit the description perfectly. The ripping part wasn¡¯t much of a deal whenpared to the huge energy that poured out from it, sweeping everything in its path.


    The energy struck the mountain, destroying it entirely. But it didn¡¯t end with just one strike. The energy kept pouring out, destroying everything in its path.


    ¡®Why...¡¯


    Rianna was confused, but it didn¡¯t matter. They needed to run as far as they could. The Con-Tian Mountain was now gone, so just a slight change in direction would mean a wipeout. Rianna ran with the people toward the north. It became easier to lead the people, as those who did not want to abandon their belongings at first had now thrown away everything they had and began running for their lives.


    Sian was enraged.


    ¡®You bastard... Miss Stiel can¡¯t even reincarnate!¡¯


    He was relieved to hear that Stiel had her own Soul Transfer Orb, but the exnation followed afterward made him worry.


    <It¡¯ll be difficult to revive Stanthal the First. You need a descendant for it to work, but she never got married and she has no children.>


    <Huh? What about Stantahl the Fourth?>


    <He¡¯s probably an adopted son.>


    Sian felt despair, regret, and guilt. If he had just gotten out of the red sphere just a bit faster... He smacked Nekra down. The same thing happened before as the space between Sian¡¯s fist and Nekra began to expand, but with all of Sian¡¯s power unleashed, the result was totally different.


    The fist made a strange noise as it destroyed the space itself. Nekra quickly activated his second magic and created a hole. Con-Tian Mountain appeared through the hole and Sian¡¯s attack smashed the hole, destroying the mountain on the other side.


    Nekra, however, didn¡¯t walk out unharmed. Although he was using <Spama> to defend himself, Nekra still received the damage and it threw him off.


    Nekra then used <Tamara> on him and Sian. The time around Sian slowed down and Nekra became faster. Since Sian could not react too fast, Nekra focused all his energy on the sword and swung it at Sian. The attack, wielding the extreme power of <Somarin>, was destructive. It ripped the enemy¡¯s spirit and destroyed the lifeforce from within. It was <Somarin> that allowed Nekra to stay as the strongest of them all.


    Nekra frowned. Sian shed against his sword, <Karnine>, and made Nekra step back. All the powers within the sword were destroyed.


    Nekra couldn¡¯t believe that his sword had been ineffective. It was created with special ingredients and had no power of its own. The reason why its de was transparent was because its de stayed in the other dimension. It did not need to have physical power as its purpose was to destroy the spirit that existed in a different realm.


    However, the armor that Sian wore negated the effects.


    Nekra also knew the real reason behind it. Sian was just too powerful.


    The ultimate powers of the three ways had one thing inmon.


    <Extract.>


    It granted Nekra the power to extract all the time, space, and lifeforce that was allowed and use itter when he needed it most. After a few thousand years, he had gathered a veryrge amount of extracts as his power. His stay at some weird void that suddenly appeared four years ago also made it easier for him to draw out his powers.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough. The extracts he had were disappearing at an rming rate.


    Nekra couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. He thought he would never see such a strong human after that man died.


    Nekra smiled ominously. It was better if the enemy was stronger.


    Everything worked ording to n. He left a trace for Sian to follow him; he managed to ambush on Sian; and he made Sian charge at him with rage.


    But it needed to be wrapped up. Nekra pondered on how to finish this and faced Sian.


    Sian thought his spections were correct as he watched Nekra regeneration stop after Sian pulled out his heart. Nekra hadn¡¯t used <Spama> and <Tamara> in a while, but he kepting back alive. That was when Sian thought about what he heard from Kgul, that all Kal-Guls originated from the heart and the weapon.


    He quickly subdued the enemy and pulled the heart out. The weapon was already kicked away into the distance.


    The heart was still pounding even after Sian pulled it out and it was full of energy. But it wasn¡¯t only the heart that some energy left.


    Sian walked toward Nekra who seemed to still be alive.


    He still had the raging anger within him that had not calmed down. But it was over. Nekra was going to die soon. When Sian approached him, he saw Nekra smiling.


    ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Sian asked. Surprisingly, Nekra answered in Sian¡¯snguage.


    <Thank you... hehehe...>


    ¡°?¡±


    As Sian was confused, something from the heart began flowing into Sian.

 Chapter 123: Great Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 123: Great Warrior</h4>


    <...Is this his memory?>


    Sian mumbled as he watched the shbacks flooding his mind. It was the power that came from the Exar that flowed through him from the heart. Sian did not reject the flow he was now reading through each memory.


    Nekra.


    The genius warrior of the mighty Kal-Guls.


    Nekra was a proud Kal-Gul who feared nothing and he was proud of the fact that he was a mighty Kal-Gul warrior. However, he had one issue.


    <Chrona>


    Ruler of the Great Forest.


    The one that stood on top of all the powerful things in the Great Forest.


    Nekra could not ept the truth. Even if it was that strong, it was only a Six-Horned. Six-Horned Harijans were very powerful beings, but there were plenty of Kal-Guls who could manage to beat such monsters. His High Warrior status was also given to him after he beat up a Six-Horned Harijan.


    Therefore, Nekra did not like the fact that the other Kal-Guls were avoiding Chrona.


    He decided to visit the monster to try to kill it. In fact, he had trained in all three ways of Sorma that made him powerful.


    Nekra realized it after running across Chrona.


    It was the same Six-Horned, but it was much powerful being.


    Chrona was at the stage just before getting the seventh horn and was not even close for Nekra to dare to fight it.


    Chrona seemed interested in Nekra who was shocked and sent its thought to Nekra.


    <Good, I was looking for someone useful like you.>


    The monster wasmunicating with him.


    <Why, is that surprising? It looks like you wish to be stronger. Is it not?>


    <!!!>


    Everyone in the Great Forest wanted to be strong. Nekra thought this in his head and sent it to Chrona. Chronaughed and spoke.


    <Hahaha... I¡¯ll give you power. But nothing in this world is free.>


    At that moment, Chrona swallowed Nekra at once.


    <UGH!>


    <You will see... everything change when you wake up.>


    When he did wake up, there was no Chrona. Nekra felt something had changed from within. His heart was now reced with one of Chrona¡¯s six hearts. Nekra was dazed at such enormous power. The second was the weapon. His sword was nowhere to be found and he instead had a stick that was made from Chrona¡¯s razor-sharp teeth. Nekra named it <Karnine>. Third... he knew what he had done. He should not have approached Chrona.


    He realized why Chrona gave him such power.


    Before <Dragona> went to prepare to be Seven-Horned, <Chrona> also went to reproduce. It was its instinct. Chrona would prepare itself to be a Seven-Horn once it was done reproducing and would be busy fighting against the Seven-Horned Dragona.


    That was why Chrona forced Nekra to take care of her baby.


    Nekra wasn¡¯t allowed to die anymore. It had to protect Chrona¡¯s baby.


    <You are my protector. You cannot disobey.>


    Nekra fell into despair. He had earned great power, but he was now a ve.


    <It¡¯s interesting,> Sian thought. So Nekra¡¯s immortality wasn¡¯t because of his Kal-Gul power.


    Sian then realized the owner of the scales he was wearing. He also managed to find out the hidden power behind <Karnine>.


    <So the husk¡¯s owner was Dragona... and there¡¯s Chrona...>


    Sian was surprised that there were more than one of those monsters, but he believed he didn¡¯t need to worry about those monsters. If they wanted to destroy the world, the world would have been left in ruins already.


    Sian then focused on the next memory.


    A few thousand years passed.


    Nekra had grown stronger, but he felt depressed.


    <Barrier... I can¡¯t get through it...>


    He was so happy when he reached the barrier a few hundred years ago. After hundreds of years of training, however, he realized that this was the limit.


    Fortunately, his job to protect <Chrona> wasn¡¯t too hard. The Kal-Gul had grown into a powerful group so no Harijans dared toe close.


    Then the incident broke out.


    <Great Warrior! The humans areing!>


    <They must have gone mad.>


    Nekra was dumbfounded. He knew about the humans and the existence of the ce called the Empire. He didn¡¯t care about them, but they were walking right toward them.


    <We may have been too quiet. Wipe them out.>


    The results were shocking. They weren¡¯t the same weaklings he knew from before. There were strong warriors and their magic was very powerful. What was the most troubling was the Emperor, the one who called himself the son of God.


    <Con-Rad.>


    He was real. He was only 300 years old, but he could equally fight with Nekra who had been empowered by Chrona.


    As Nekra was busy dealing with Con-Rad, the war dragged on. As Nekra stayed behind to stop Con-Rad from jumping into the fight, he felt something shooting out from the north.


    <What is...>


    It was toote when he realized what it was. Over thousands of miles into the Great Forest came a powerful violet-colored ray. That was Nekra¡¯s final memory of the war.


    When he woke up, he saw his body regenerating and he saw a powerful monster standing above him that he had not seen in the past thousands of years.


    <Didn¡¯t I tell you to protect my baby well?>


    <Chrona...>


    Nekra realized what the ray was. It was Chrona who was mad that her baby had been harmed during the war.


    Nekra then felt he could not feel any connections with his people.


    <What happened...>


    Before Nekra could organize his thoughts, Chrona ordered with rage.


    <The few who harmed my baby have run out to Liona¡¯s territory. I can¡¯t go there... but you can. Go kill all of them and never return until you do.>


    Nekra began heading south and he realized what had happened. Ruins after ruins... the Empire was done for.


    <Everyone died...>


    Nekra spoke hollowly. Chrona¡¯s rage destroyed the entire Empire, the people, and the Kal-Guls.


    Nekra was enraged and filled with emptiness. He also felt bitter that he could not disobey Chrona¡¯s order as he was ordered to seek revenge.


    <You bastard... I will do as you say for now. But I won¡¯t be your dog for too long.>


    Nekra walked down south, to the territory of Liona.

 Chapter 124: Great Warrior

    <h4>Chapter 124: Great Warrior</h4>


    <This is really fun.>


    Sian thought it would be nice if he had something to eat as he watched, but it was inside the memory. The rumor that the Empire used some great magic to kill the Kal-Guls and the fall with it was not true.


    The thousands of miles were eradicated by Chrona¡¯s one blow.


    The next memory was now going to be 400 years ago from now.


    Nekra roamed the territory of Liona without any further orders.


    <Kill all that is dangerous against my baby and return.>


    It meant if he did kill all the threats, he needed to return. But he did not want to. The only danger that lurked only seemed to be the superhumans.


    So he did not kill them all. He could not resist the orderpletely, so he only killed one at a time and hibernated within the void. When he could not resist the order again, he came out, killed one, and went back. There were very little superhumans, so he needed to buy time to slow the progress.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to find them. He used Sorma to find powerful spirits.


    There was only one thing in his mind.


    <I wish someone could kill me.>


    He was too tired. All of his people had gone extinct and he had to live for thousands of years as a ve. What was good about being strong when he was still no match against Chrona?


    The most painful thing about this was that he could not kill himself. It looked like the superhumans began grouping up to fight him, but it was still a littlecking.


    So Nekra waited for the superhuman numbers to grow. If he waited hundreds... or perhaps thousands of years, maybe the number of superhumans would be enough to kill him.


    After living for 400 years like this, Nekra felt a powerful energy shaking him. He could have resisted the order for a while longer, but he thought he should not miss the opportunity and jumped out from his slumber.


    After scanning through the entire continent, he was disappointed. The powerful energy that he sensed was gone. But he felt something more amazing.


    He felt the spirit of his people.


    Nekra was disappointed again when he found it was amon warrior who had been reborn through a human body. He then decided to kill one of the superhumans and go back into sleep. He found one when he scanned the continent before.


    It was a human female training in the desert. This one used to stay by Dragona¡¯s territory so Nekra did not go after her since he didn¡¯t want to trigger the husk beneath. Besides, there were always other lone superhumans.


    The human female was strong, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough for him. Before he was about to kill the woman, an idea struck him.


    <This one might know about the power I sensed.>


    He then used <Somarin> to read the memories of this superhuman.


    Nekra was overjoyed when he saw Sian in the memory.


    The powerful being that was surely going to end his cursed life.


    He wasn¡¯t sure about when this being woulde out from the sphere scale, but he was certain that this being would not lose to some red husk. The being would grow even stronger.


    In thest memory, the being was on par with his current state, but if he came back from fighting the sphere scale, he would be far stronger than Nekra himself.


    Nekra began to think about how to make Siane and kill him.


    He needed to make Siane to him and try to fight him to the death.


    The first step was easy. His power, <Tamara>, allowed him to see the near future. <Tamara> told him Sian woulde to him even if Nekra did not do anything.


    The second was the problem. Sian would not kill him that easily. It would be easy if Nekra killed his family, but he didn¡¯t need to go that far. He just needed to let Sian believe that he had killed this human female.


    After he solved everything, Nekra went into a void that was cracked open.


    He was not going to die easily, however. He wanted to show the man everything he had.


    After some time, the void cracked open. Nekra looked upon the light and spoke.


    <Chrona... I will follow your order onest time.>


    To kill the possible threat to her baby, Nekra jumped out of the void.


    Sian walked toward <Karnine> after going through all memories and the energy flowed into it. A more powerful de came out from the handle. But Sian didn¡¯t pick the weapon up to just admire it. He knew everything he had to know. Sian followed Nekra¡¯s memory to insert Karnine into the space, and he turned it as if he were turning a key.


    The space began to open up. When it grew wide enough, Sian jumped in and carried a person out.


    ¡°You made me worry too much.¡±


    Sian spoke softly as he looked down at the unconscious Stiel in his arms.


    Nekra did not kill Stiel. He just locked her up for a few years so Sian would think that Nekra had killed her.


    After checking on Stiel, Sian sighed and felt a different will flowing into him.


    <I spared her as an act of gratitude and I had few more years to resist the order. I did think about killing her... but it looked like you had no mate. I felt sorry for you, so I spared her life.>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. He realized Nekra did all he could to kill himself, but it felt weird to Sian.


    ¡°Did you want to die that badly?¡± Sian asked, but the will that came from the heart only spoke of what had been recorded.


    <That¡¯s not going to be enough of a present, but take Karnine. And the heart. The order was made directly into my brain, so none of these will affect you in any way.>


    ¡®I was going to take it anyway.¡¯


    Sian mumbled and he listened to thest message from the heart.


    <Thank you. I hope you live a good life. I am going back to my people... I will see you there.>


    ¡®...I¡¯ll go aste as possible.¡¯


    Sian shook his head. Nekra was dead, but it seemed that he loved that fact that he died. The ce was now left with Sian, Stiel, a sword, and the heart. He would¡¯ve put everything into Nitzmatan, but he now had a different method. Just as the memory did, Sian pushed Karnine into his left palm.


    Karnine then was absorbed into a void that opened up, and Sian stored the heart into it also.


    He thought about consuming it, but he shook his head. His barrier wasn¡¯t going to be ovee by just this one heart. He then picked up Stiel on his back and used Nitzmatan on Stiel¡¯s neck to store Chrona-Phon. Then he jumped out of the cliff.


    ¡®Hmm... I hope nothing happens from that. The city looks fine too.¡¯


    Sian looked back at the damage and flew out to the far north where Veronica would be moving.

 Chapter 125: Invasion

    <h4>Chapter 125: Invasion</h4>


    Phareon looked down at hisnd from the castle. It was only a few days after the disaster brought havoc upon the sky and mountains. The energy didn¡¯te toward the city, so it was okay other than the fact that the buildings were covered with dust.


    Phareon turned to the cliff or mountain that used to be located there.


    ¡°...¡±


    The ce where the great Con-Tian Mountains were located was now an endless and barren in. The mountain range that protected Logadis was now gone, like a wall with wide-open castle gate.


    Phareon then looked far across the in with the help of Kranga.


    ¡°Usharan...¡±


    Usharan was now visible with the help of his artifact. He became worried about what might happen now.


    Usharan and Tian had no trouble diplomatically as their borders did not meet. The Kuradan Canyon was too narrow to be used for military operations. It was why Con and Tian formed an alliance in first ce. The canyon worked well for allied countries, but it had no meaning otherwise.


    This did not change even after Usharan invaded Con Kingdom. With the Con-Tian mountain range intact, Usharan only had Taran to invade.


    But it was going to change now. The great in that was a hundred times wider than the canyon was a great ce to deploy military forces. And Logadis, which was at the entrance of such a in, was bound to encounter trouble.


    ¡°Long time no see, Mister Sian. You should¡¯ve seen Kuradan¡¯s face! Haha.¡±


    It was hard to witness superhuman fights, but the damage left was too great. Clearing the entire mountain range between two countries... what Kuradan did in his days was not even close.


    Lagaope was astonished.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to do that.¡±


    ¡°Haha... but you killed the hunter.¡±


    ¡°He was pretty strong.¡±


    The fact that he fought him for so long meant Nekra was really strong. Sian would¡¯ve been killed if he met him when he was seventeen years old. Sian did not exin details of what happened other than the fact that he killed the hunter and rescued Stiel.


    Lagaope did not ask much either. What was important was that the hunter died.


    ¡°So, how is Stantahl?¡± Lagaope asked. Sian thought his group really did look after the superhumans.


    ¡°She¡¯s still unconscious, but she¡¯ll wake up soon.¡±


    It looked like her every organ of hers had slowed down tremendously, but she was still a superhuman. Her organs were already beginning to function normally again.


    ¡°That is good to hear. We were really worried. We did not expect her to have no descendants.¡±


    Lagaope sighed. They could not always keep an eye out on the superhumans as that would anger them. They thought Stantahl the Fourth was her descendant, but he was not.


    ¡°Right. But that¡¯s an annoying limitation,¡± Sian said.


    He didn¡¯t care if it would save his family, but it still raised some concerns. Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. Remember I said that the recement material is actually better?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°The new orb will be applied in new ways. We fixed some issues. You just need to obtain the ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Right. I should go look for it then.¡±


    Sian now had time to go look for the ingredients and thus he began asking. He just heard that he needed to meet some race and retrieve it. But Lagaope¡¯s continued exnation made Sian sigh.


    ¡°So... that race lives deep within the Great Forest?¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes. It¡¯s hard for us. We can handle one or two Six-Horned, but you never know what might happen there and we¡¯re all very busy. With you here, it won¡¯t matter. You can just jog down there ande right back.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sian became hesitant and Lagaope asked, ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the problem? Are you afraid of the ce?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡±


    He was afraid of what was beyond the Wall in the past, but not anymore. The Great Forest he saw through Nekra¡¯s memories would have been dangerous for his seventeen-year-old self, but it was nothing for him now.


    What made him worry was Chrona, the Seven-Horned ruler of the Great Forest.


    It might be bad if Chrona somehow caught him.


    Sian knew how Chrona ruined Nekra¡¯s life, so it made him reluctant. He didn¡¯t know where this race lived, and if Sian identally walked into Chrona¡¯s territory, it wouldn¡¯t end up well.


    Under normal circumstances, Sian would have refused to go. But he wanted the result so bad. At that moment, a weird machine sound whirred.


    Sian thought it was from his artifact and looked down, but it wasn¡¯t. It wasing from Lagaope.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Groyn. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    Lagaope then took out the artifact and a face appeared on it. It was Groyn. Sian thought it would be rude to overhear their conversation, so he began on thinking whether he should go into the forest or not.


    Lagaope did not talk for too long. He finished talking and smiled as he walked toward Sian.


    ¡°You really are lucky.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Haha... ha...¡±


    King Narashaughed hollowly as he read the report. Viscount Talin looked at him sympathetically.


    ¡°Viscount... so this was... a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°I heard it¡¯s been three days, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°So... it¡¯s exactly a week after Sian returned.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Ha..ha... ngh..¡±


    The King¡¯sughter turned into moans. The report wasn¡¯t long.


    <Logadis, Kn Province and Usharan, the old Con-Tian is now connected.>


    <Con-Tian Mountain Range, Revall Peak through Gan Peak, was erased.>


    <Usharan¡¯s military is moving into the old Con-Tian Region.>


    ¡°So... our Sian... destroyed the entire mountain range casually... and widened our border?¡±


    ¡°...Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    King Narasha looked tired, but he pulled himself up. He needed to make the right choices to keep the Kingdom in one piece. Tian was growing powerful, but it had only been five years since they acquired Lagran. They stillcked warriors and military power. If there were no issues in the north, the King would have loved this chance to attack Usharan at once.


    The problem was that Tian was focused on pushing back the Harijans in the north.


    If Usharan decided to attack Tian now, it would mean huge trouble. Usharan was also busy at war with Taran, so the chances of them attacking was low, but there was no telling.


    ¡°We¡¯ll pull our forces from north once that ce stabilizes. Send all the remaining Gairas to strengthen our border at Logadis.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something that happened in the north also. You should look at this.¡±


    Viscount Talin then brought up a machine to show the recordings.

 Chapter 126: Invasion

    <h4>Chapter 126: Invasion</h4>


    Kal-Tian, a warrior that was protecting the north, frowned as he heard the noise from below. If the sound was this loud, it would surely make the civilians feel uneasy. He thought his soldiers had loosened up too much as there had been no Harijan invasions for a while.


    He walked down alongside the Wall and questioned the soldiers.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Soldiers then turned to a ce beyond the Wall and spoke.


    ¡°A mysterious group appeared.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The only things that appeared from beyond the Wall were the Harijans. However, it seemed that the soldiers were talking about different beings, so Kal-Tian looked out to see for himself.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    There was something that should not have existed out there.


    ¡®...A military?¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t sure about calling it a military force, but that was the only thing he could think of. There was no formation and they all had different weapons. Their faces were full of despair.


    No one would call them a military, but it gave them eery feeling.


    ¡°They¡¯re not all humans either.¡±


    The group a mix of many different races. Kal-Tian ordered to his soldiers.


    ¡°Reload the Gairas and keep your ce. Record this and send it to the Capital and ask for Swordmeister and the King¡¯s reinforcements!¡±


    The mysterious group outside Wall stood there, but it wasn¡¯t because they did not have the intention to attack. It was because more of such soldiers were joining. When their numbers were enough, they wouldunch an attack.


    Kal-Tian ran out tomandeer his army.


    ¡°So... this is what just happened at the <Chrotia Fortress>?¡± the King asked grimly as he watched the video. Chrotia Fortress was the most fortified ce that King Narasha worked hard on as it was the first line of defense against the Harijans.


    Many cities in Tian¡¯s northern region prospered from the vast minerals and metal ores from Sky Mountain. If they were to be attacked by Harijans, it meant disaster for the entire Kingdom.


    Due to that fact, Chrotia Fortress was the most vital defense point.


    It even hadmunication and transportation devices so that Swordmeister Kiraine could always run to help defend it. King Narasha always thought there was no chance for Chrotia to fall.


    But after watching the recording, the King could not be so certain.


    The bigger problem was that they had no clue what they were.


    They didn¡¯t even look like humans as the soldiers looked like they were filled with despair. The worst type of army was always the one where the soldiers had no will to fight, but the King knew that these soldiers were different. His warrior instinct told him this army was much more powerful than that.


    ¡°Order all the nobles to send reinforcements! Send all military groups except Dragona toward Chrotia and send Swordmeister Kiraine as reinforcement for now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±


    The warriors were shocked to hear the orders. They all saw the recordings, but they did not think it was a big problem. They thought the armies in despair were going to be easy to deal with, but the King seemed to think differently.


    However, they knew the King never made a wrong decision. They felt this was going to be much moreplicated than they originally thought.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, when are you going to wake up?¡±


    Sian looked at Stiel who was asleep. Her body seemed to have recovered, but she did not wake up yet. Sian could not do anything but watch her lie in bed. He then thought about what Lagaope said to him.


    <It¡¯s fortunate for you. I don¡¯t know what happened to them. I wouldn¡¯t have to ask you for this if this was the case... but we are all busy right now. Can you help us out?>


    <Sure.>


    <Haha, thank you. We¡¯re almost at the end of our project. Oh, and you said you will move when Stiel wakes up?>


    <Yeah. I want to see her waking up first.>


    <I see... well, that might be better for the time frame. We are not yet finished with preparations and they must not have gotten to it yet.>


    Sian then turned to Stiel. He then thought of an idea.


    ¡®I should make a present for her while I have time.¡¯


    Sian then activated Nitzmatan on Stiel¡¯s neck and took out Chrona-Phon.


    He did return the piece that Lagaope picked up, but the actual Chrona-Phon was still stored in its destroyed state within Nitzmatan. Sian then weighted the two pieces and realized one was lighter than other.


    ¡®This side is heavier.¡¯


    Sian broke off a piece on the heavier side and pushed it against the other. It then began molding itself into the piece. When he made both sides weigh about same, Sian began molding Chrona-Phon as a whole and he remembered a gauntlet he saw once.


    Design of the <Gauntlet chosen by 24 female warriors> made by cksmith Chroton.


    It was a gauntlet that provided excellent protection and it was designed so that no blood would get onto it when used against an enemy.


    Sian then began reshaping Chrona-Phon. The pieces then began to turn into a metal te. When he was done, the molded ck pieces were now beautifully-shaped gauntlets made for both hands.


    It was little thinner than the ones that were sold, but the metal material was not just some regr metal and therefore it seemed okay. Sian then activated Nitzmatan and put it back in. Stiel would be satisfied once she saw it.


    ¡°You should wake up soon so we can travel around again,¡± Sian mumbled.


    When Stiel woke up, it would be time to move.

 Chapter 127: Invasion

    <h4>Chapter 127: Invasion</h4>


    ¡°Bring more explosives!¡±


    ¡°Men, go to K-11 district! We need more food!¡±


    ¡°Women, gather at the town hall!¡±


    Chrotia Fortress was in chaos. Reinforcements began to arrive at the fortress and the fortress started to be busy with preparing rooms for these new recruits. Civilians also joined in helping make preparations for war. Fortunately, Tian Kingdom was flourishing, so they had a lot of food saved up.


    Everyone was focused on their job. It would have created someints even if the order was directly from the King, but everyone knew that Chrotia Fortress had to be protected at all costs. It was theirst line of defense.


    If it was a human army, it would have been less scary. But this mysterious army gave people the chills and induced more fear in their minds. The enemy¡¯s growing number also yed a big part in their fear.


    ¡°What are those things?!¡±


    Soldier Kroll shouted as he looked outside the wall. It would have been better if they were facing Harijans, but these enemies were different. They just looked very tired and they seemed to be filled with despair.


    That was why Kroll was afraid. Their leaders seemed to be afraid too.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t move.¡¯


    But they did.


    At that moment, they flinched in unison. The flinch might¡¯ve been funny if only one did it, but it was terrifying when thousands did it in unison. They turned straight toward the wall, which made the soldiers even more terrified.


    Then, they began charging at the wall.


    ¡°ARRRGH!! ATTACK INCOMING!¡±


    Kroll began screaming and sounded the rm. It was the beginning of the war.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we¡¯re being attacked!¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    The King groaned. He was on his way to the north with his own forces, but it seemed like it was toote.


    ¡®No... Chrotia will stand...¡¯


    ¡°Bring the recording!¡±


    Recording was a basic war tactic. King Narasha was then allowed to see what was going on at Chrotia Fortress. However, he could not say anything as he watched.


    ¡°By the Gods...¡±


    A warrior let out a gasp from the side, but the King did not mind. He felt the same way. The view that appeared on the recording was a living hell.


    ¡°Advance! We must go faster! We have no time!¡±


    ¡®Swordmeister... please keep the ce safe.¡¯


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    Refel, a 2nd Grade Soldier, wanted to block his ears to stop hearing his friends screaming. However, if he didn¡¯t want to end up the same way, he had to keep swinging his sword.


    His sword struck the enemy and Refel backed away. His friend next to him was attacked after he hit an enemy¡¯s neck. As expected, the enemy did not care that it had been struck by the sword and charged forward.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t feel pain?¡¯


    That was what he thought at first, but it didn¡¯t seem like it since the enemy was still moaning and screaming.


    ¡°Nngh... it hurts... it hurts...¡±


    Either way, it did not stop swinging its sword.


    ¡°Die! Die!¡±


    Refel jumped back as he swung his sword and heard something unbelievable.


    ¡°I... want to...¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Refel stopped as he heard something unbelievable, but it soon led to his demise.


    ¡°ARRRGH!¡±


    The enemy lunged forward and struck their sword at Refel¡¯s heart. Refel fell down as he died. The enemy didn¡¯t seem to be happy, however, it was filled with more despair. It then looked down at its injury.


    The enemy looked confused, but as the pain grew stronger, it red down at Refel. It then began chewing on Refel, and the injury on the arm began to heal.


    After the injury was all healed, the undead stopped eating and nced around to attack another.


    Chrotia Fortress was filled with such a sight. These enemies charged in no matter what damage they took. Grand Bander Kiraine did his best to fight against them, but this mysterious military had countless Masters, and these Master warriors did not fear death. Kiraine could barely fight them off.


    Atst, the warriors had to retreat with the survivors.


    It was the mysterious army¡¯s first victory against Tian.


    ¡°Kiraine. Are you okay?¡±


    King Narasha greeted Kiraine and the rest of his army.


    ¡°Your Majesty. I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be. I saw the recordings. We would not have any survivors if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±


    These soldiers didn¡¯t seem like they would be of any help in the future as they seemed to be traumatized. King asked Kiraine, ¡°So, what happened there? I did see the recordings but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what you saw.¡±


    Kiraine began giving an exnation about those armies. They didn¡¯t look any different than normal humans. They also got hurt and were affected by magic.


    But they did not die. They survived even when their heads were cut off. Their wounds did not heal quickly, but they came back once they absorbed the dead bodies lying around. Even the limbs that were chopped off reappeared on the body in no time.


    The best way to deal with them was to crush their heads. This would make it impossible for them to regenerate since they wouldn¡¯t be able to eat the bodies. However, that didn¡¯t mean they were dead yet. It was best to cut their arms and legs off also.


    Magic also worked well. It didn¡¯t kill them, but it made it easy to render them powerless.


    ¡°It¡¯s like those armies of the dead from the legend.¡±


    The invincible army that kepting back from hell. Armies that existed before the humans formed nations.


    King Narasha was concerned, but he was shocked when he arrived at Chrotia the next day.

 Chapter 128: Invasion

    <h4>Chapter 128: Invasion</h4>


    ¡°By the Gods...¡±


    ¡°What is it, Kiraine?¡±


    King Narasha asked as Kiraine groaned when he observed Chrotia Fortress in the far distance. He also nced at the fortress, but he didn¡¯t see any difference.


    ¡°Their numbers increased.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The survivors... joined their army.¡±


    ¡°How is that even possible?¡±


    The undead was one thing, but having the enemies join their ranks in one day? That seemed impossible. The numbers were in the thousands. The King checked to see if they were being kept as prisoners, but they were not.


    As they grew grim at the news, a soldier came running up to them with amunication artifact.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we have a message!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°All the cities along our northern border are under attack!¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    ¡°We have been informed that the Taran Kingdom and the Great North Wall is under attack also!¡±


    ¡°What...?!¡±


    The King couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. All the cities including Chrotia at the northern border were being attacked by these armies that came beyond Sky Mountain. It seemed that some ces were being attacked byrger armies other than the one that was attacking Chrotia.


    This wasn¡¯t a problem for Tian anymore. This was a problem for the entire continent.


    ¡°Call the Great Magic Council... ask for their help. We will retreat from here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    The King¡¯s original n was to observe the enemy¡¯s movements and wait until his forces gathered to wipe them out all at once. However, if the Kingdom was being attacked from various ces, that was not possible. Anynd that was not protected would fall vulnerable against such a vicious army. And if that happened, the enemy would grow as they absorbed all the people they attacked. Some estates had poptions of over ten thousand. If those people fell into their hands... that meant the doom of Tian.


    ¡°Search every document, every book, and every bit of research. See what we can find out about those monsters.¡±


    The first thing was to know the enemy, attacking was second.


    The entire continent fell into chaos.


    Mysterious armies wereing from the north of Sky Mountain.


    Tian, Taran, and Kharan were the only countries with borders met with the northern part, but the other countries knew the gravity of the problem. It wasn¡¯t like Harijans. If those armies grew in number as they attacked, they would be invincible once they reached Usharan or Broshan at the southern part of the continent.


    Some countries wanted to take the opportunity to attack Taran and Tian, but they decided not to after watching the speed of the advancing armies. In just three days, all the fortresses on the northern border had been destroyed. Within a week, their armies grew twice in size even though they were killed countless times.


    All countries were now sending reinforcements to help defend against those armies.


    King Narasha was deep in thought.


    He was thinking of one thing.


    ¡°...I have no other choice.¡±


    He had decided to use hisst resort.


    King Narasha couldn¡¯t bear to ask Sian for help after witnessing the destruction of the entire Con-Tian Mountain. It wasn¡¯t like Sian had a bad temperament or was violent. He was actually calm and nicer than the other superhumans. However, that was the scariest part of all. He had no evil intentions but he brought about destruction with him anywhere he went.


    He had destroyed two mountains and four cities. The most recent was the destruction of the Con-Tian Mountain. It would¡¯ve taken hundreds of years if it was done by a country.


    The King was afraid that those acts were just done on a whim.


    And that was why he protected the Roman family until now. He couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of destruction would follow if Sian decided to deliberately run on a rampage.


    However, it was now time. The King had no way to protect his kingdom otherwise.


    ¡®Yes... it should be okay.¡¯


    King Narasha thought of Lenorva, the only ce that had survived Sian¡¯s visit and sent a message to the Roman family. But the answer he received was unexpected.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He disappeared yesterday.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t know where he went?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. We have heard that he disappeared with the woman he was with.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    King became concerned but reassured himself.


    ¡®It can¡¯t get any worse. He¡¯ll be back.¡¯


    The Great ins, north of the Cine Estate.


    There were two people running at incredible speed. They sometimes flew or ran while heading north. It was Sian and Stiel.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°...You should¡¯ve told me you were awake.¡±


    Sian looked at Stiel with embarrassment. She was grinning.


    ¡°Yeah, but it was fun to see you getting frustrated.¡±


    ¡°...since when were you awake?¡±


    ¡°After I got out of that prison? I just didn¡¯t move because I wanted to focus on regenerating.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It meant she had been awake since the beginning.


    ¡°But it was so funny seeing what you were doing, so I decided to stay down for little longer. <Haha, I hope you like it.>¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°<You should wake up soon so we can travel around again.>¡±


    Stiel repeated what Sian had said from her side. Sian blushed with embarrassment, and he was at a loss for words. Stiel looked at Sian andughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t make ady wait too long.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Thanks anyway. I love the present.¡±


    Stiel showed her gratitude and stopped teasing Sian. Sian sighed and answered, ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    ¡°I was worried I would injure my hands, but this will do.¡±


    Stiel bumped the gauntlets against each other and gave her answer. Her fist attacks were now more vicious than ever, and Sian regretted a little bit that he made such deadly weapons for her.


    Stiel then noticed Sian fidgeting and said, ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to just smack anyone with them.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°So, where are we going? Why are we in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have something I need to get. You could stay behind and rest...¡±


    Sian stood up to get the recement that Lagaope asked for as soon as he saw Stiel waking up, but Stiel insisted on following him.


    Stielughed, ¡°Hehe, something always happens when I¡¯m with you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was someone worse than me in that regard. I look forward to it this time too.¡±


    ¡°No, there won¡¯t be any trouble. I¡¯m a gentleman,¡± Sian answered, but he wasn¡¯t so sure.

 Chapter 129: Rosharan

    <h4>Chapter 129: Rosharan</h4>


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    Rokum nced around in terror. He and the other Tian soldiers had fallen at the hands of the undead armies and the northern fortress had been taken over. The armies he had fought were now surrounding him. However, since he was now a prisoner, these armies did not attack him. They just stood there silently, staring at the prisoners as if they were pitied them for what was about toe next.


    ¡®...huh?¡¯


    Something happened within the armies and Rokum turned to the side. The armies parted and something floated out. Rokum couldn¡¯t see clearly due to dried-up blood on his eyes, so he shook his head to clear off some of the dried blood and squinted.


    ¡®...a fairy?¡¯


    It was impossible, but it looked just like a fairy he knew from the legends. A small, child-like body with four wings on its back. Silver powder traced its path as the wings pped. The face was also cute, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was a boy or a girl.


    Rokum and the other prisoners hoped this out-of-ce being might have arrived to save them. The fairies they knew from legends loved pulling pranks, but they were always good.


    However, they quickly realized it was just false hope.


    <Hehe.>


    Ralokura, the 27th daughter, smirked.


    After they retreated deep into the Great Forest, escaping from the monster that attacked them a few thousand years ago, the Queen had been in a perpetual bad mood. However, the recent 400 years had been great.


    That was because the Empire¡¯s monkeys were wiped out 400 years ago.


    When the Empire advanced into the Great Forest 600 years ago, they thought it was an opportunity. They wanted to enve them and regain their peaceful lives. Their life without ves within the Forest was too harsh.


    But the monkeys they met after thousands of years were too different. Who would have thought these ve monkeys could be so strong with such mysterious powers?


    They had to retreat back into the forest.


    However, when the monkeys were gone, it was time toe back. A lot of those monkeys were still left. They were fearsome when grouped together inrge numbers with their magic, but they were nothing when they were separated.


    They began enving those monkeys who had been separated about thends to increase their forces, as they did when they had created their kingdom thousands of years ago.


    After a few hundred years of work, their power grew. It wasn¡¯t muchpared to their former glory, but Ralokura was satisfied that they now had a ce in the Great Forest. However, her mother didn¡¯t seem to be satisfied. She wanted to increase their territory and kept enving any survivors of the old Empire.


    But they couldn¡¯t advance south.


    As they moved further into the south, the monster¡¯s presence that destroyed their old Kingdom grew stronger. It was terrifying.


    The monster, Dragona, walked slowly into their kingdom and swallowed their species and their Queen. A few of them barely survived after running into deep within the forest, which was Chrona¡¯s territory.


    The Queen seemed to be traumatized by the memory. It was why she let some groups that had the same energy as Dragona pass by.


    However, something happened that made them rejoice.


    <I... I don¡¯t feel that monster¡¯s presence anymore!>


    The Queen shouted in joy. Now, nothing blocked their path. Their preparations wereplete and the armies of ves had been ready for a long time. The Queen began advancing southward.


    They then arrived at the monkeys¡¯ fortress.


    They were afraid when they arrived at the fortress. It was the same ce when they had to retreat 600 years ago. The magic the monkeys used was terrifying, and they might have advanced their powers. To their surprise, the monkeys seemed to have stepped backward in their power. No, their sword skills did increase but their magic was nowhere close to what they originally feared.


    After they confirmed that their ves could defeat the monkeys, what needed to be done next was simple.


    <Increase the number of ves.>


    Her brothers and sisters were probably busy increasing the number of ves already.


    <I should work hard too.>


    Ralokura smiled as she watched the prisoners in front of her. She bit down on the tip of her finger and a drop of blood came out. Nobody would recognize her blood as it was gold in color. This gold color was proof that her people, <Rosharan>, was the ruler of all.


    It wasn¡¯t important who was stronger. In fact, the generals of those monkeys might be stronger than her. But she was the ruler. She then spilled a drop of her blood on the prisoner that was being pinned down by the other ves. This one looked like a Master in their rankings, so he needed at least a drop. He should be thankful that she used a drop of such valuable blood.


    Her blood created the <Undead>, so it was very valuable. These monkeys, who could only live up to 100 years, should be thankful. In fact, most ves had already lived for over 300 to 400 years as they were enved when the Empire fell.


    The prisoner tried to resist drinking the blood, but it was futile.


    Now, it was only a matter of time. However, she didn¡¯t have time to waste. She walked over to the other prisoners and made them drink a drop of blood, one by one. She felt dizzy after that as she had been increasing the number of ves for the past few days without rest. She wanted to finish it quickly so that the Queen would praise her.


    At that moment, her ves became restless and she yelled,


    <You trash! Shut up!>


    Everyone shivered with fear as Ralokura yelled. They had experienced what her fury would bring for over 400 years. However, one of them shouted,


    ¡°Something... is flying over here.¡±


    <What?>


    Ralokura turned toward the sky. Something was approaching at incredible speed. Ralokura felt it was dangerous and ordered her ves,


    The ves began forming a blockade in front of her. As she was covered with ves, she stared at the intruders closing in.


    Two beings crashed down onto thend in front of her. She frowned as she expected the destruction to be much bigger in scale. She thought it was some kind of magic fired by the humans, so she ordered the defensive wall, but it was no need.


    As the dust cloud settled, she realized it was two humans.


    However, she didn¡¯t let down her guard. There were no humans who could fly like that.


    ¡°Uh... are you... the one called Rosharan?¡±


    <What? How do you know our name!>


    Ralokura was shocked since anyone who knew their name had been enved.


    ¡°I guess you are. I came to get something from you. If it¡¯s not too much to ask...¡±


    The man looked at Ralokura awkwardly.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s rude to ask... but will you donate some blood? It will save four lives.¡±


    He took out a bottle, and Ralokura felt her patience waning. A ve monkey wanted her precious blood!


    <Kill him!>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haha, Sian. What did I say?¡±


    The army charged at them as Stiel grinned and rushed in.

 Chapter 130: Rosharan

    <h4>Chapter 130: Rosharan</h4>


    Sian thought about what Lagaope had told him.


    ¡°So, the Rosharans live in the Great Forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but they came out recently and they¡¯re heading this way.¡±


    Sian was curious about the Rosharans as he needed their blood.


    ¡°Their blood has unique properties. That¡¯s why we researched it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It binds the spirit. It binds the spirit to the body when one consumes the blood so the spirit can¡¯t escape from it. It¡¯s much more powerful than the water in the well. We figured it would be better if we use this instead of the well water.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡¯t die if you drink that?¡±


    Sian thought of the Granines who didn¡¯t die. However, Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t drink it.¡±


    Lagaope exined that drinking the blood meant that the person could not die. But it just meant that its spirit could not leave the body no matter the damage it received. If the body was damaged, the spirit would remain within the body along with the pain that followed.


    What was unique was that it had a way to regenerate, but it also had a negative aspect. Unlike the Granines who were supported by the husk, Rosharans did not have such backup. They had to consume dead bodies to regain the energy required to regenerate.


    In addition, it also made them ves to the owner of the blood. There was no way for them to resist and they couldn¡¯t die unless their master freed them.


    After drinking the blood, it meant that the person would be a Rosharan ve for eternity.


    ¡®So that¡¯s how they used it.¡¯


    Sian smiled bitterly as he looked upon the armies charging at him. The blood had certainly allowed them to create an invincible army. They didn¡¯t die, and they could regenerate. They also did not resist any orders. Yet, the look on their faces disyed their thoughts. They had lived a life as a ve for over hundreds of years and they were desperate for someone to kill them.


    Stiel was living up to their expectations.


    Every blow of hers turned the enemy into powder. Powerful Bander users easily destroyed the bindings that kept the spirit attached to the body.


    ¡®Is she trying to save them?¡¯


    Sian looked at her. Stiel didn¡¯t need to turn each of them into powder as she could just easily punch the ground to immobilize hundreds of them.


    ¡°Hahahaha! This feels so good! What a stress-reliever!¡±


    ¡®I guess not.¡¯


    The armies seemed to realize that running to Stiel would free them from their very, so they all started attacking Stiel. It was good for Sian as he had no business with the ve armies.


    He then quickly walked up to the Rosharan before she could issue any other orders. As he walked up to her, Sian realized she was very beautiful and he thought it was wrong to judge others by their looks.


    <What... what are you guys?! Why are you here?!>


    The Rosharan was frustrated by the destruction that Stiel had brought about.


    ¡®Has she never seen superhumans before?¡¯


    Sian heard that these Rosharans had lived hundreds of years, so he figured that they would have seen or heard of superhumans at least. He soon realized that there might be no superhumans within the forest and that this fairy was considered one of the younger ones of the group.


    ¡®That¡¯s not important right now.¡¯


    Sian spoke to the Rosharan.


    ¡°I just need your blood. I saw you spilling it like water just a while ago. It should be okay if I take some too, right?¡±


    <You dog...!>


    She scowled at Sian.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t help me, then I¡¯m just gonna leave.¡±


    The fairy then became confused, because this offer actually seemed to be better.


    ¡°...but I won¡¯t be taking her with me.¡±


    <...>


    It wouldn¡¯t take more than ten minutes for Stiel to destroy the entire army here. And when she was done with the armies, the fairy would be next.


    ¡°I think I can get more blood that way, but isn¡¯t it better if we resolve this peacefully?¡±


    <...How much do you need?>


    The Rosharan seemed to have epted reality, but Sian then hesitated.


    <What? How much do you need?>


    Sian took out the special bottle he had received from Lagaope. Lagaope told him that the bottle housed a small dimensional space that allowed the blood to be kept without any alterations.


    The fairy then realized why the man looked like he was hesitating.


    <You... dog...>


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this, but I¡¯m busy too.¡±


    The bottle was about half of the fairy¡¯s body size. That amount of blood would not kill the fairy, but she would only barely survive. However, she didn¡¯t have any other choice.


    <Dammit!>


    ¡°Haha, but we won¡¯t have to meet with each other again. Just take it easy and let it out.¡±


    Sian handed over a knife. He felt bad right up until he came here, but after watching these fairies doing such evil things, he became indifferent.


    Rkura looked on as her blood poured into the bottle, but she couldn¡¯tin.


    ¡°If you get mad, look at that woman. It will help you calm down.¡±


    <...>


    ¡°Should I hang you upside down? I heard it helps the blood flow out faster.¡±


    <...>


    ¡°Or not.¡±


    Rkura couldn¡¯t answer as she just concentrated on donating her blood. At least after this, she would have no more business with him.


    ¡°Good to see you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, Mister Sian, you¡¯re back so quickly. And Stantahl... we¡¯ve not met before. I¡¯m Lagaope.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Was there another superhuman that was alive?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so Mister Sian didn¡¯t tell you about me.¡±


    Stiel didn¡¯t know anyone other than Groyn, but there were a lot of things to exin so Sian and Lagaope quickly briefed her.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know that kind of thing existed. Why didn¡¯t you make me one then?¡±


    ¡°We did. Groyn went to you and...¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that was that? He stutters too much... haha.¡±


    ¡°However, you can¡¯t be revived because you don¡¯t have any descendants.¡±


    Stiel then turned to Sian and stared at him.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian felt the familiar feeling of being hunted, and so he quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°Anyway, here¡¯s what you requested.¡±


    Sian took out the bottle and handed it over to Lagaope. Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°Great job. Now, we just need to make it. Where are the other three?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I thought I told you that this bottle was only for one person.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh. I wondered why you came back so fast.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can go back again and gather more,¡± Lagaope answered and Sian nodded. He was going to keep the promise. He just could visit the other Rosharans.

 Chapter 131: Rosharan

    <h4>Chapter 131: Rosharan</h4>


    Rosharan, the queen of the Rosharan race.


    She smiled while her eight wings fluttered as she looked far away upon the human armies.


    She was excited. It was about time to reim their old glory, the days when they were called the <Race of the Golden Blood>, thousands of years ago.


    She then turned to the armies behind her and frowned.


    Her armies consisted of Masters and other races. It was a powerful army, but it did not satisfy the Queen of Rosharans. It was stillcked grandeurpared to the days when she ruled the mountains and thends.


    Of course, the ves started out weak. Yet as they lived for hundreds and thousands of years, they grew strong and powerful. That was why the <Rosharan> were so powerful. At that time, they had hundreds of 1st-grade ves, or Grand Banders in the humannguage. They were even considered as threats to a lot of the Six-Horned Harijans.


    However, their armies were consumed by the monster, Dragona.


    The army now only was 400 years old and much smaller in size.


    ¡®I remember the days when I first came here.¡¯


    The Queen remembered the days when she arrived in this world, Ra-Sian. It was harder back then.


    Now she just needed to enve all the humans standing in front of them. She didn¡¯t think she would lose. Her new ves informed her that these countries only had three to four 1st-grade ves at best.


    This was a very important battle, so all of her sons and daughters had gathered here with their ve armies. The number had multiplied many times since they got here.


    Rosharan was worried when they first left the forest. After their failure 600 years ago, they thought that the humans could have gotten much more powerful while they had stayed within the forest. However, as their armies began advancing, they realized that they were still powerful.


    As she watched her armies proudly, she realized one of her daughters was missing.


    <Where¡¯s Rkura?>


    <She returned unconscious. She is resting now.>


    Rosharan was puzzled. Rkura only had four wings, but she was one of her favorite daughters as they had a lot of things inmon. Rkura was greedy, but she knew her ce and that was why she had increased the number wings in record time. The number of their wings grew as they made more ves, so Rosharan thought that Rkura would have at least six wings after the invasion. Rkura wasn¡¯t the type to overwork herself to the point where she would faint.


    Rosharan asked her son,


    <Hmm? Anything else?>


    <She also returned alone without her army. We found that she fainted along the way.>


    <Oh... so she overdid it.>


    There was a chance of losing control over her army if she used too much of her blood. That was why they had to be careful when creating ves.


    Rosharan felt her interest in Rkura waning. She decided she would not meet her anymore even after the war. Losing control was the most foolish thing one could do. Without armies, they needed to fight on their own, and that wasn¡¯t a job for a ruler.


    <Let¡¯s go, my children.>


    They began advancing with their thousands of troops.


    ¡°They¡¯reing,¡±


    King Narasha groaned as he saw the enemy army advancing toward them.


    Their numbers had grown so it was now a few timesrger than when they first attacked. Fortunately, his forces were not as weak. King Narasha retreated immediately when he realized he had to gather forces to deal with them. They were joined by Taran and their six Grand Banders, and Usharan also sent their Grand Bander and the Kel-Rufens to help. Their forcesbined were powerful, but King Narasha didn¡¯t feel relieved.


    It was because of the fairies.


    Eight undead soldiers at the level of Grand Banders emerged after those fairies appeared. The northern region that barely held back the enemy was destroyed the moment those undead Grand Banders started fighting.


    The fairies themselves were also very powerful. The ones with less than five wings were powerless, but the six-winged ones were very powerful and the seven-winged ones were hard to fight, even for Grand Banders. Luckily, it did not seem like they were joining the battles, which made the fights a bit easier.


    ¡°Ha... I wish Sian was here.¡±


    The King really wanted Sian here. He had searched for him everywhere, but Sian was nowhere to be found.


    As the King sighed, Taran¡¯s warrior, Zagron the Invincible, came up to him.


    ¡°Have you finished the preparations?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I hope your title still stays with you after this war,¡± the King replied with an emptyugh and Zagron agreed. He always wanted to win, but this was the one he wanted to win the most. He had seen the recordings too. If he was going to lose... he decided tomit suicide. Suddenly, he saw something strange from afar. Two streaks of light were quickly approaching.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Zagron focused his vision to take a look. The two were flying directly into the army of the undead. The King also narrowed his eyes to make out what it was. Then heughed loudly.


    ¡°HAHAHAHA! He¡¯s here!¡±


    Zagron became curious as Narasha, famous for hiding his feelings, seemed to be rejoicing and looked more closely. He then realized what it was and joined in theughter.


    ¡°Hahahaha. The King is here!¡±


    Rakun, the prince of Usharan, was the only one who didn¡¯t understand why they wereughing. However, he soon understood what was happening.


    <What is that?>


    Raum, the 3rd daughter of Rosharan, mumbled to herself. She was one of the pirs of Rosharan as she had seven wings. She looked upon the things that were approaching. Whatever they were, they would be destroyed if they posed a threat to her mother.


    <Come here.>


    She called in her 1st-grade ves to her side; they were better at fighting than her. She then began forming a wall. If the meteors were the explosive-type magic, she needed to protect her mother.


    She then called upon her brothers and sisters.


    Her twin, Rium, was bewildered by such overprotection and asked,


    <What¡¯s with the defense? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that dangerous.¡¯


    Her other sisters nodded. The meteors wereing in fast, but they didn¡¯t feel any danger.


    ¡®Does she feel something that I didn¡¯t?¡¯


    Rium became ufortable as her twin had always been her rival. However, she realized what she had missed with Raum¡¯s response.


    <Mother is getting nervous.>


    Rium turned to her mother who was looking at the meteors. She had surely felt something that they didn¡¯t. Rium began pulling in her power as she flew up while using her seven wings.


    <Iing...>


    The meteors jumped across the armies andnded in front of them. They kicked up a dust cloud and Rium used her wings to blow the dust away.


    ¡°Oh? Thank you for that.¡±


    <!!!>


    A man emerged from the dust cloud and bowed.


    <A monkey! What is the meaning of this?!>


    Raum was dumbfounded at the two vesing all the way into their fold. Her brothers and sisters were infuriated by that man, but they did not jump in. It was because their mother was standing still, just staring at them.


    Their mother was more vicious and more violent than any of them. Her silence wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that so many of you are here. I took too much blood from one of you thest time, but I think I can gather a little bit from all of you.¡±

 Chapter 132: Rosharan

    <h4>Chapter 132: Rosharan</h4>


    ¡®How did <Nobles> get here...¡¯


    Rosharan felt like she would faint at the power these people had, but she concentrated on keeping her dignity as a Queen.


    <What brings you here?>


    She could feel her children looking at her in shock, but she ignored them. She needed to make the right decision. A wrong decision here would mean death for all of them.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian was confused by the Queen¡¯s question. She probably had not felt his armor¡¯s power yet.


    ¡°Did you hear about me from the other one?¡±


    Sian was worried as Rkura barely managed to fly away, but it seemed she returned safely.


    ¡®So you were attacked by these people...¡¯


    The Queen felt sorry to her daughter for her hasty judgment. She would have had no way to resist if she was attacked by <Nobles>.


    <No, but why do I not recognize you? How did <Nobles> get here? This is thend of monkeys...>


    ¡°...?¡±


    Sian and Stiel looked at each other as they could not understand what this fairy-looking creature was talking about.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, does it matter if we¡¯re nobles to them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. However, they wouldn¡¯t make nobles into ves if that was the case.¡±


    Stiel then pointed to a ve next to the fairy.


    ¡°He¡¯s...¡±


    Sian had seen the man before in a book. He was bad at recognizing people, but he remembered the man because he reminded himself never to do the same thing as the man countless times when he was young.


    It was the warrior that went over the Wall a hundred years ago, Grand Bander Eclipse.


    ¡®So, he was enved by them,¡¯ Sian thought, but Stiel nudged him.


    ¡°Is that important right now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    The term ¡®noble¡¯ could mean something different, so Sian didn¡¯t need to understand what it meant. He just needed to do what he came here for.


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s not important to know who we are. I¡¯m just here for personal business.¡±


    <?>


    ¡®Are they not nobles?¡¯


    Rosharan became confused. The powering from their blood surely meant that they were nobles. She wasn¡¯t sure about the man, but she was certain about the woman.


    However, what was more important was what they wanted from her.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, but you should help us save lives.¡±


    Sian then took out the bottles from his void storage. Stiel curiously asked,


    ¡°I thought you just needed three bottles?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Sian exined what Lagaope requested.


    <You only need three, but see if you can get more. It¡¯ll be hard to find them if they run back into the Great Forest. I think it¡¯s better if we can get a stockpile while we can.>


    Stiel pped as she heard that.


    ¡°Oh, then we should get much as we can.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Rosharan slowly began to realize what they were trying to do.


    <Are you...?>


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just want you to fill this bottle with your blood.¡±


    Sian felt a bit bad, but he decided to ignore it. He could do much worse if he could ensure his family¡¯s safety. Rosharan was frustrated as she looked at the stacks of bottles. That many bottles meant that she would have to draw blood from all of her children until they were half dead.


    Besides, taking out that much blood might even weaken their power. Rkura, who was at the brink of having five wings, had been powered down to just four after the incident.


    ¡®Should I fight them?¡¯


    She thought about it but decided against it. Her current armies were no match for nobles. It was fortunate that they didn¡¯t just get stuffed into those bottles.


    Rosharan sighed and decided to do as they wanted. They could always regain their strength after these disasters left.


    <Rium and Raum. You should start first.>


    <Mother! But->


    Rium and Raum shouted. These were just two monkeys. However, Rosharan did not want to talk about the dark history that she had been keeping a secret. Her children should only know about the Dragona invasion. Rosharan¡¯s expression turned grim, and the twins became silent.


    Their mother was definitely uneasy about what was happening but she wasn¡¯t showing it. The twins knew what happened to those who made their mother angry, so they understood what was happening.


    The two monkeys were powerful beings and their mother had no way to resist them.


    <Hmm...>


    Rium used the knife on her arm and began drawing blood.


    Stiel spoke from the side, ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have enough fun a while ago?¡±


    ¡°No. I wanted to try your present out for longer.¡±


    Stiel smashed the gauntlets together and Rosharan felt a chill run down her spine. After looking carefully at her blood, she was sure that Stiel was a <Noble>.


    She wasn¡¯t sure why Stiel came all the way here, but the woman looked like she could destroy their entire army.


    ¡®Go away with the blood...¡¯


    Rosharan gritted her teeth in fury as she watched her children spilling their blood. Their control would not be hindered if they drew blood carefully from each one.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian smiled as he watched the bottles filled with golden liquid. He figured it would be hard to get, but he was lucky. He even didn¡¯t have to use any violence this time.


    ¡°Should we go now?¡±


    Sian got ready to leave, but Stiel stopped him.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we done here?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t want them going back into the forest?¡±


    ¡°Uh... yeah. Sort of,¡± Sian answered as he thought about Chrona.


    ¡°And, wouldn¡¯t it be better if we had more blood?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the bottles are all full.¡±


    Lagaope said it would be better if they had more blood; however, all the bottles were full. Stiel flicked her fingers sideways.


    ¡°Haha, youck creativity. Why do you need a bottle?¡±


    Rosharan felt goosebumps all over her. She knew what this crazy woman was trying to say.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We can just bring them all back. We¡¯ll keep them somewhere and draw their blood when we need to. They¡¯re small, so it won¡¯t be hard to keep them.¡±


    <!!!>


    This would mean that their race would be dragged somewhere and kept imprisoned, only to be used to harvest their blood. Rosharan quickly yelled,


    <Don¡¯t do that!>


    ¡°Huh? Are you going to stay here? Then that will be better for us. I¡¯ll leave you here then.¡±


    <...>


    They couldn¡¯t do that either as those evil monsters would keeping to collect their blood. Her children¡¯s wings were already dried and twisted after losing so much blood. If they kept getting their blood drawn, they would lose their power.


    What was worse was that the man next to the crazy woman was considering her words very carefully.


    ¡®Dammit... this gives me no choice...¡¯


    Rosharan was thinking about using herst resort, but Sian spoke out,


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t that too much? We have enough blood.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re too nice.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you said that because you wanted to use the gloves, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Rosharan suddenly realized Stiel¡¯s true intention and felt a chill running down her spine. That woman was trying to provoke them so she could kill them.


    ¡®Crazy noble bastards...¡¯


    Sian turned to the now-pale Rosharan.


    ¡°Well, you should go back to your business. Try not to overdo it though, I¡¯ll see you again.¡±


    ¡®...again?¡¯


    Rosharan watched the two figures jumping away and called out to her children.


    <We¡¯re going back. We must hide.>


    <Mother? What are you...>


    <Did you not hear him? They wille back again if we stay here.>


    Rosharan gritted her teeth.


    <But...>


    Rosharan sighed as her children seemed reluctant to go back with all the future ves awaiting ahead for them.


    <Didn¡¯t you see her face? They wille back! We have gathered enough armies this time. We¡¯ll hide in the forest... and train these armies as much as we can. Besides, you allck the power to fight.>


    <...Yes, Mother.>


    It looked like the man didn¡¯t want to go into the Great Forest, so she needed to hide in the deeper parts of the forest to increase their strength.


    <I will get revenge then...>


    Rosharan ordered her children to begin pulling back their armies into the forest.


    ¡°You are too nice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Thank you for helping me out there.¡±


    ¡°Haha, aren¡¯t I good at acting?¡±


    Sian sighed as he watched the Rosharans returning back to the forest. He felt bad after he destroyed the mountain so he wanted to at least help with something. He nced at King Narasha in the distance and ran back to Lavn with Stiel.

 Chapter 133: Bisa

    <h4>Chapter 133: Bisa</h4>


    After the mysterious army retreated after destroying the north, Tian Kingdom underwent a lot of changes.


    There had always been continuous attacks by the Harijans, but all the nations now realized the importance of expanding the Great Wall. The expansion began to speed up and it would only take about a year for it to be finished.


    The other countries also decided to help because the incident weakened Tian enough so they would not need to worry for a while.


    The King was bitter as the construction sped up but he couldn¡¯t say much to those who helped.


    At least the north was now out of his concerns.


    It was now the south that became his new concern.


    It was therge opening within the mountain that connected southern Tian to the Usharan Kingdom. People had started spreading rumors about the ce. Some said it was God¡¯s wrath while others said it was the evidence of a giant Harijan rising from the ground.


    It didn¡¯t have an official name yet but people were already calling it,


    <Gada-Vash>


    Means God¡¯s Strike in ancient terms. It definitely looked like the ce had been struck by a god. No one knew that the opening was created by just one person.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was such an ungrateful man.¡±


    He was thankful when Sian defeated the undead army, but he became bitter as he thought about the problems in the south.


    ¡°Anyone would be same, Your Majesty,¡± Viscount Talin answered.


    ¡°Yes. I do owe Sian this time though. The north posed a more severe threatpared to the south.¡±


    It was better to deal with Usharan than fight a mysterious undead army.


    Fortunately, Count Phareon quickly restructured his keep to be used as a fortress. It was enough to use as a defense against Usharan for a while.


    ¡°How is the war?¡±


    ¡°Usharan and Taran have ceased the war. They are moving their forces...¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°And Sian... is he at Lavn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard he does not go out often.¡±


    ¡°Keep watching him too. If he disappears from the hammock... check on the people around him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    It was no use watching Sian, but the King wanted to check on Sian to at least reassure himself.


    Sian was enjoying his peace.


    He was trying to enjoy it as soon as he got out of the scale; however, it got pushed back as he needed to find Stiel. He knew some of King Narasha¡¯s men were watching on him, but he understood Narasha¡¯s concerns so he left them alone.


    It was tiring, but the trip did give him many things.


    He got the recement material easier than he thought and he also acquired the heart which he did not know how to use yet.


    ¡®But this one is the best.¡¯


    Sian took out Karnine¡¯s handle and swung it. It was a weapon that he liked very much.


    An extracted power of destruction that did not wreak havoc. Durable enough to endure his power. Besides, if he did not pull out the de, it worked as a nice club.


    Sian had already given the steel stick that he got from Lagaope to Stiel. Stiel didn¡¯t want to use it because she figured it would make her strikes duller, but Sian gave it to her anyway. Stiel¡¯s gauntlets were too powerful.


    ¡°So, did you name your gauntlets?¡± Sian asked Stiel.


    ¡°How about you name it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at it.¡±


    ¡°Then what about Con-Tian? I think it fits the name best.¡±


    ¡°...are you trying to tease me?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. Why don¡¯t you change the name of that sword too? Call it Con-Tian. It¡¯s what you got after destroying that mountain. Or call it- <Gada-Vash> or <God¡¯s Strike> or something. Isn¡¯t that cool?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s not close to being a god.¡±


    Sian shook his head. He had witnessed the power of a Seven-Horned Harijan so he couldn¡¯t even joke about his power being close to that of a god.


    As he chatted with Stiel, a shadow drew closer to him. Sian knew who it was and greeted him,


    ¡°Lagaope, you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Mister Sian.¡±


    It had been a while since Lagaope visited Sian to pick up the blood.


    ¡°Is the orb-making going well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s going smoothly. It might take some time, but it will be done soon.¡±


    Lagaope also collected Sian and his family¡¯s blood. Sian was worried that the revival only was possible through his descendants, but Lagaope had reassured him.


    <Don¡¯t worry about that. We figured it wasn¡¯t easy so we focused on fixing that issue. Like in Liviath¡¯s case, it was bad when the descendants weren¡¯t as talented. And in cases like Stiel, who does not have any descendants... so we applied our new skill so you don¡¯t need to worry.>


    Sian then remembered what he wanted to askst time. The fairy called them nobles. He thought Lagaope might know why but Lagaope left in a hurry after getting the ingredients.


    ¡°Lagaope, I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will do my best to answer it.¡±


    Lagaope became intrigued after hearing Sian¡¯s question.


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°Do you know?¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t expect too much, but it seemed like Lagaope knew something.


    ¡°Of course I do. But it will take a while to exin. Do you have time for that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sian nodded.


    ¡°It has to do with our group. You should listen too, Stiel.¡±


    Stiel then walked over and sat down on the hammock next to Sian.


    ¡°You two look great when you together.¡±


    Lagaopeughed as Sian became embarrassed.


    ¡°Remember I invited you two to join our group? Let me exin that first. You should know what our goal is in order to make a decision.¡±


    Sian and Stiel nodded. Lagaope continued, ¡°Our group... and the nobles that Rosharan mentioned... you need a history lesson to understand.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like studying. It will be a fun narrative. You¡¯ll be interested once you hear it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you a question. What is the name of this continent?¡±


    ¡°Ra-Sian?¡±


    ¡°Too easy. Next question, what¡¯s on the top of it?¡±


    ¡°Sky Mountain and the Great Forest?¡±


    Everyone knew about Sky Mountain and the Great Forest that blocked the northern area of the Ra-Sian Continent.


    ¡°Good. Then, what¡¯s above that?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that one¡¯s easy too. It¡¯s the Don-Nasian Continent.¡±


    Sian answered easily. Ra-Sian, thend of rising sun. And the north of Sky Mountain was thend of the setting sun, Don-Nasian. Even kids knew this.


    ¡°Good. Then, the next question. How do you know of its existence?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You, Mister Sian, know who lives within Sky Mountain and the Great Forest, right?¡±


    Sian nodded. It was Dragona and Chrona¡¯s territory. It was a ce they had protected for thousands of years.


    ¡°....?¡±


    Sian then realized something strange.


    No one should be able to go past Sky Mountain or the Great Forest. Even without Dragona or Chrona, the two ces were filled with powerful Harijans. Even if superhumans tried to venture in, they would get ripped apart by the Seven-Horned Harijans.


    However, the Ra-Sian Continent knew about the existence of Don-Nasian.


    ¡°You understand why it¡¯s strange?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll start from there, so you¡¯ll need to listen from the beginning.¡±


    Lagaope began telling the long story.

 Chapter 134: Bisa

    <h4>Chapter 134: Bisa</h4>


    ¡°If I start from the conclusion, no one on the Ra-Sian Continent has confirmed the existence of the Don-Nasian Continent.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°However, there was an instance where people who lived there came over. They don¡¯t call it Don-Nasian nor do they call our continent Ra-Sian, but we¡¯ll use those names to make things easier to understand.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It seemed to make sense if people who lived there came over.


    ¡°That¡¯s where the story begins.¡±


    There was a man who lived in Don-Nasian.


    Thend was vast and all kinds of monsters and races lived together. It was full of dangers and also full of mystery. The people of Don-Nasian marked the dangerous ces and forbid others from entering those ces. Nheless, there were fools who did not care. They gathered people to adventure into those forbidden ces.


    The ce they entered was different from what they expected.


    It was dangerous, and the only one who survived in the end was that man.


    However, it was much less dangerous than he expected. After he passed by the dangerous territories, he expected to find treasures of the new world.


    He was disappointed.


    The newnd was vast. It was smaller than his world, but it was still huge as it took him a few hundred years to explore the entire ce. But there was nothing. After taking a few hundred years to visit all parts of thend, he only found some monkeys and some other races. Even they were too weakpared to those who existed in his world. All of these new races would not evenst a day back in his world.


    He realized that the reason for such weakness was the forbidden entrance. Thesends were forbidden by the beings that had ced guards to prevent entry. However, they did not care about thends inside so there were no predators that would kill the weak beings.


    The man found an old kingdom, but it was destroyed and people who lived there had disappeared. It was only filled with some monkeys who seemed to be ves. The man was disappointed. He gave up and tried to return to his homnd. It was dangerous, but if he avoided those Kal-Guls, it would be okay.


    As he tried to return, he felt powerful energiesing from three ces.


    One was from the Great Forest.


    One was from a mountain he dubbed Sky Mountain.


    And thest one was from the south sea, which he called the Great Southern Sea.


    The energies exploded, seeming to celebrate the birth of three great beings, sweeping through the entire continent.


    The man was filled with despair. He realized how he was able to pass through the forbidden area and why he hadn¡¯t seen the guards of those ces.


    The three had all been asleep at the same time in order to evolve. That was why he was able to get in.


    Now it was over, and the three beings had returned to their ces.


    One at the sea.


    One at Sky Mountain.


    One at the Great Forest.


    It meant the man had lost all possible routes to return back to hisnd.


    ¡°And so... that¡¯s how I was trapped here. You can¡¯t imagine how broken I was at that time.¡±


    Sian and Stiel were shocked to hear thest part. Sian asked Lagaope, ¡°You... are the man in the story?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was foolish, but I don¡¯t regret the choice I made.¡±


    ¡°But... I mean, how old were you then?¡±


    The guards that Lagaope mentioned must have meant Chrona who defended the forest, Dragona who guarded Sky Mountain, and Liona who patrolled the sea. And that was why Sian couldn¡¯t understand. ording to Nekra¡¯s memory, Chrona had evolved thousands of years ago. It meant Lagaope had been there at that time.


    ¡°I gave up on keeping track, but it¡¯s probably been more than two or three thousand years.¡±


    ¡°...Are all the people on that continent immortal?¡±


    Sian still couldn¡¯t understand. If Lagaope had trained for that long, he should be stronger than Stiel. Yet, Lagaope was much weaker.


    ¡°No way. It¡¯s only because of the priest¡¯s blessing I received before I came here. I got it just in case my trip was extended... but I didn¡¯t know it would be this long.¡±


    ¡°The blessing...?¡±


    ¡°It puts the person out of time¡¯s control. That way, you can¡¯t get old, but you can¡¯t be strong either. You¡¯re basically hiding from the world. However, you still can die from getting beat up.¡±


    Lagaope answered casually, but Stiel couldn¡¯t believe what he had just said. There were priests here, but their power wasn¡¯t that strong.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not important. There¡¯s more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Please continue.¡±


    The man tried hard to return back to his home; however, it was impossible. The man, because of his noble blood, attracted Harijans wherever he went. As he fought them off, even stronger ones came for him. If that continued, it would eventually attract the attention of the guards.


    The man lost all hope. There was no escaping alone.


    <...Alone?>


    It was then that a brilliant idea struck him.


    If he couldn¡¯t do it alone, he could gather friends. Even if it was impossible to return with his friends, at least he wouldn¡¯t be lonely. In fact, the man¡¯s life was bing unbearable because of loneliness.


    He then proceeded to prepare a grand scheme.


    A n that would create his kind that might take him hundreds or thousands of years.


    ¡°I did try different things with various races... but the monkeys were the best fit.¡±


    ¡°Monkeys?¡±


    ¡°I told you... those who lived here. I think they were ves but they lost their masters. They were stupid and weak but were really simr to us humans. I figured as such since they looked really simr to us.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    They weren¡¯t actual monkeys. He just called them that to separate them from humans.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I chose them. But it felt so miserable to think that I had to put up with them.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Stiel curiously asked, ¡°So, did you seed?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! So where are those monkeys now?¡± Sian asked.


    Lagaope looked at him nkly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you seeded? Where are those monkeys that didn¡¯t be humans?¡±


    Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°Oh. Haha, I guess my exnation wasn¡¯t enough. The chance of bing a human is really low. There are a bunch of monkeys who couldn¡¯t be humans that spread across the continent. It¡¯s all due to my care. Haha.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Sian soon realized what he meant.

 Chapter 135: Bisa

    <h4>Chapter 135: Bisa</h4>


    The man tried many things. He was very intelligent and had brought along a lot of artifacts. However, he failed. It was too hard to make these monkeys turn into humans in a short time.


    Therefore, he decided to change their race and spread them all over the continent, to make them evolve faster and wait for them to cultivate. At least the one thing he had was time.


    He began to experiment. He mixed his blood with them to increase their power and intelligence, and for the most part, it worked out okay. However, the blood of the man was too littlepared to their original blood. Most were born with about 5 to 10% of the man¡¯s blood. This only created monkeys that were a little bit smarter and stronger.


    The man was disappointed but the monkeys kept reproducing. They began to prosper as they became stronger in this world with no enemies.


    That was when the man revisited the monkeys. Some were being born with a higher percentage of the man¡¯s blood. Some had 15% and some had 20%. The man concentrated on increasing their numbers for a better chance in the creation of a human.


    But then, problems started. As they increased in numbers, they began to fight. Also, Harijans started descending down the world plunged into chaos.


    <These monkeys have no clue.>


    When the man was finally thinking of wiping them out, a monkey he waited for so long for was born.


    <...80%!!>


    A monkey with 80% of the man¡¯s blood. It wasn¡¯t enough but it was okay.


    But the man wasn¡¯t disappointed. It didn¡¯t need to be 100%. If it was born with that high percentage of his blood, its power would be simr to a human¡¯s.


    The monkey did grow powerful. It beat up all the other monkeys and united thends. As its power grew stronger, the blood percentage grew.


    85%... 90%... 95%... and finally 100%.


    The monkey finally managed to be one of the humans.


    The man rejoiced as his research was proven correct. He was able to evolve these monkeys into his species. After thousands of years, the man finally created a friend. He gave the monkey, or rather, the human, a name.


    ¡°I was so happy with him. It was my first friend in thousands of years.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Broxian, the Emperor who united the entire world, was a sessful test specimen from Lagaope¡¯s project.


    It meant all the people living in this world was from the monkey that Lagaope used his blood to create.


    ¡°So... are we all children of yours or something?¡±


    Sian asked, but Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t say that. No. I just shared my blood. You are more like my brother than a child.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian and Stiel were shocked to hear the secret of their world¡¯s history but quickly came back to their senses. Stiel nodded.


    ¡°I see. I thought it was weird. I mean, turning into a superhuman can¡¯t change the character that much.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re special, but when people change into superhumans... we don¡¯t see those we knew as humans anymore. They¡¯re like pets rather. Have you ever felt that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian nodded. He had that feeling creeping up on him, but he resisted it. It was the feeling that came from changing races.


    ¡°It was weird that I considered even those I was close with as non-humans. I thought I lost my feelings, but it didn¡¯t feel that way when I met Groyn, Liviath, or you. Now I realize what it was. We only see each other as humans because we actually are. That¡¯s why we view others as monkeys.¡±


    ¡°You are correct.¡±


    ¡°I have one more question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°Then... the people on the other continent. Are they all humans? Are they all strong as us?¡±


    Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°Haha, you are mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t born strong. I can probably exin about the <Nobles> here also.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you, do you know the limits of the race?¡±


    ¡°Limits of the race?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are many but I¡¯ll exin it with the power.¡±


    What Lagaope exined was the following:


    A race has power limitations.


    The limit is set by the world, so it¡¯s not possible to ovee it.


    The limit for monkeys is up to a Grand Bander. No talent or skill can ovee that.


    The condition for a monkey to be a human is to change its body as it trains itself until the limit is reached and it changes its blood to evolve into a human.


    When evolved, the new human will have new limits.


    ¡°So, Grand Bander is the limit monkeys can reach, and superhumans are at another limit because they are now human?¡±


    ¡°Right. It will require at least Ra-Bander level of talent and skills for monkeys to switch out their blood. It¡¯s impossible to achieve when the blood ratio is too low. I will now exin some things about the <Nobles>.¡±


    The people in the other world weren¡¯t all strong. They were born with the same power but different blood.


    They divided themselves like the way people did here, with Grand Banders and Ra-Banders.


    ¡°If a Grand-Bander controls what is within, a Ra-Bander is one who controls the outside. This change is huge as it means it can alter the outside for its purpose.¡±


    That was what allowed Sian to carry a thousand-ton Chrona-Phon and not crack thend he stepped on, or why he could stand still when he pulled the great Harijan.


    The people who knew how to do this were called <Nobles>.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s easier if you consider <Nobles> as another name for Ra-Banders. All the others aremon people. We call them <Nobles> because they have proven their nobility.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same word but it means different things. And there are a lot of instances where nobles andmoners fall in love with each other. We are of the same kind.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The reason superhumans considered humans as monkeys was because they were different races.


    ¡°The only difference would be... that we have more variation in rankings.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°There are not many Ra-Banders here, but we have a lot back where Ie from. It¡¯s not easy, but there¡¯s still a lot of them. As you know, not all Ra-Banders are same. That¡¯s why we divide it into different ranks.¡±


    Sian was intrigued as it was the first time he had heard of such a world.


    ¡°So, you must know about <Nobles> then. I think the leader of Rosharan must have met one from the continent. Or, they came here from that continent.¡±


    He did not know all of the races and some lived really long so there was a chance that they came over before all the passageways were blocked. Besides, Chrona was more generous toward Harijans than Dragona.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I think I see what happened. They probably created the Kingdom that I saw while enving the monkeys but had to flee from something. They then saw evolved humans for the first time and mistook them for <Nobles> as no monkeys here could be nobles.¡±


    Lagaope seemed to realize who was behind the ruined Kingdom and smiled.


    ¡®It probably was the Narija-level race... too bad they got caught up with Sian.¡¯


    Lagaope felt sorry for Rosharan.


    ¡°So you created more superhumans after that?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s all random. I can only do one thing.¡±


    <Increase the probability.>


    Increasing the number of monkeys meant the chance of superhumans being born would increase. Lagaope then traveled around the world to protect the monkeys and helped them grow.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t try too hard, but protecting them from anyrge-scale disasters was enough. That¡¯s also why I¡¯m making this orb. I worked so hard for my people. I think there were some side effects... as you can only live up to 300 years.¡±


    ¡°Is it different in your world?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Lifespan increases as they get stronger.¡±


    After asking a few more questions, Sian asked his final question.


    ¡°So, what is your purpose?¡±


    Sian became curious about what Lagaope was trying to do. He wasn¡¯t just ying around when he made the group. That would make Sian decide if he were to join or not.


    Lagaope answered, ¡°That¡¯s the main part now. We... are going back. To where I was born.¡±


    The thing that Lagaope had failed to achieve over thousands of years.


    That was the goal of Lagaope¡¯s organization, <Herrantor>.

 Chapter 136: Migration

    <h4>Chapter 136: Migration</h4>


    As Lagaope¡¯s people grew in size, he thought of multiple options but concluded,


    <Let¡¯s just live here in peace.>


    He was only a Baron, the weaker of the nobles, but he knew what he saw. It was a suicide attempt with his current numbers. It would take a million years to have enough numbers to cross. Besides, with the age limit at only 300 years, there wasn¡¯t enough time for them. They couldn¡¯t grow powerful enough to hunt down even the Six-Horned Harijans. He could not grow any stronger either.


    And that was why Lagaope changed his goal.


    However, it changed again when <Con-Rad> was born.


    Con-Rad, who grew powerful enough to fight against the annoying Great Warrior Nekra. As Con-Rad became more powerful, the monkeys began studying magic and it gave new hope to Lagaope.


    The hope of returning home.


    His world did not have magic. The individuals back home used were so strong that they did not need the help of magic. But these monkeys were weak and that made them study to gain more power.


    Lagaope changed his goal again to return back home.


    He announced to his people that there was a world where their people lived, and they agreed.


    Thus, Lagaope created an organization called <Herrantor>.


    It meant ¡°Migrator¡± in hisnguage.


    ¡°So... our goal is to go back home. The ce called Don-Nasian.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Sian asked as he felt the sheer power through the memory.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be doing this if it wasn¡¯t. There¡¯s a way, and that¡¯s why <Herrantor> exists.¡±


    Stiel asked, ¡°Then why is the group a secret? I don¡¯t see any reason for it to be.¡±


    Lagaope answered, ¡°It isn¡¯t a secret. I just didn¡¯t tell anyone who¡¯s not involved.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to spread it others that are not superhumans. We just need those involved to help.¡±


    Stiel nodded. These were different beings who could y king among the monkeys. Sian thought about ways to pass them and came to an assumption.


    ¡°Are you... trying to use some teleportation magic?¡± Sian asked, but Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°No, that is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only possible when both sides have the exact coordinates.¡±


    Lagaope began retelling an old story.


    Con-Rad and Lagaope tried various experiments to return to theirnd. That was how Con-Rad made an amazing discovery. He discovered teleportation magic, and came shouting to Lagaope and his people.


    <We can just use this magic to teleport over!>


    Everyone rejoiced. They began testing and experimenting with the magic. It was the first time they found such magic so they were cautious. With Con-Rad¡¯s help, they were supplied with all the knowledge and power needed from the Empire. That made Lagaope feel like the monkeys could be useful and started using contractors.


    That was how <Void> and <Ra-Shar-Roa> were created. People thought these were created to help with their lives, but it was only a byproduct of <Herrantor>¡¯s effort to return to their homnd.


    However, both of them were failures. <Void> had no way to pinpoint its destination, and <Ra-Shar-Roa> required magic runes to be ced at both ends of the journey to work. The people of Don-Nasian did not use magic, so they had no such things.


    Yet, due to those discoveries, they created short-distance travel. The technology waster applied to the <Armory of Arankal> and <Door of Narangel>.


    Lagaope was overjoyed. It seemed like it would be possible to teleport into his home soon.


    Sadly, problems urred when the teleportation distance exceeded twenty miles.


    <Huh? This isn¡¯t where we¡¯re trying to go.>


    Takion became confused. He had proved to be of great help after joining <Herrantor> with his vast knowledge.


    <What is it?>


    <I only see something red instead of the destination.>


    Lagaope turned to the open portal. The portal disyed its original destination, but on top of that was somece else.


    The twenty-mile experiment was still sessful, but when they tested a distance of eighty miles...


    <BLOCK IT!>


    The teleportation portal did not connect to the intended destination. Instead, it connected to a red ce where monsters were pouring out from it. They barely managed to drive them back in and close the portal.


    <Why... why is this connected to Apental?>


    <Apental> was the most dangerous ce known to people, even back in theirnd. It was a ce where all kinds of monsters gathered, and no survivors had ever returned.


    All the other experiments had the same results. As the distance increased, it connected to <Aptental>.


    Takion and Con-Rad soon reached a conclusion.


    <If we don¡¯t set the coordinates on the other end, all teleportation portals will connect to <Apental>. It¡¯s because <Apental> exists half a dimension below ours, and it sucks the end destination into it if it isn¡¯t specified.>


    They finally realized that teleporting back home was not a viable method. However, Takion kept studying about how to use the ce. With Limainu in their group, they managed to create the portal that allowed them to enter, but not toe out; it was named <Tasha-Dagon>.


    ¡°... it was <Herrantor> who opened that?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    It was a simple test by the Magical Council, but learning the truth made Sian feel disappointed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you got mixed into it. We didn¡¯t mean for it to happen that way.¡±


    Lagaope exined apologetically and Sian nodded. It was a long time ago and he had received too much from <Herrantor> already. Besides, Lagaope really didn¡¯t mean to put Sian in there, he was one of their valuable people.


    ¡°So, teleportation is not possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we need other ways.¡±


    ¡°Do you have one?¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t guess what it was but Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if you decide to join us.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know if you won¡¯t join, don¡¯t you think? I think you¡¯ve heard enough to decide if you wish to join. I¡¯ll tell you everything if you decide to join us. This offer also applies to you too, Stiel.¡±


    Sian and Stiel paused to think, but Lagaope smiled, already knowing the oue.

 Chapter 137: Migration

    <h4>Chapter 137: Migration</h4>


    ¡°Can I goter?¡± Sian asked carefully. He had his family here but if they died, then he would be left alone. He thought it might be good to go when that time came. However, Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°No, we are running out of time. Our n is nearingpletion. You will not have a chance toe over if you miss this.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t understand what the n was but it seemed to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Sian thought for a while and then decided.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here.¡±


    Lagaope nodded as he expected the answer.


    ¡°I knew you would say that.¡±


    He knew that Sian would not leave his family behind and he didn¡¯t seem as lonely as the other superhumans. However, he didn¡¯t want to force him.


    Stiel also made her decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on that also. I¡¯ll stay with Sian.¡±


    Sian was relieved to hear that Stiel had decided to stay. He now knew what his feelings toward her were, and he had been worried that she might leave.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sian asked. He had family here, but Stiel had no one other than him.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. At least I have you now.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°Looks good. So you two will stay behind, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t join you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not something I can force on you. It¡¯s good if you can live happily here.¡±


    Lagaope and his people did not want to live here. But if Sian loved life here, there was no need to move.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you the orbs once they are finished. It will be done before our project isplete. It¡¯s ourst gift to you.¡±


    ¡°I hope you seed in your project.¡±


    Sian returned the artifact that Lagaope gave to him and Lagaope disappeared.


    They had learned the truth of the continent¡¯s history but nothing changed. Sian and Stiel spent peaceful days together after Lagaope left them. It was a whileter that they heard from him via a small box and letter.


    ¡°Sian, it¡¯s for you.¡±


    Rian brought a box and a letter to Sian, who was spending time with Stiel.


    ¡°Sian, shouldn¡¯t you go out sometimes?¡±


    Rian was worried and asked Sian as he had been staying within the castle for months.


    ¡°I like it here... besides, old man Narasha won¡¯t like the idea of me going out.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... haha, yeah.¡±


    Rian nodded and went out.


    Sian opened the box first. It had four small gems.


    ¡°Is this...?¡±


    Sian understood what they were.


    ¡°These should be the orbs. What¡¯s the paper?¡±


    Stiel rolled over from the other side of the bed, checked the box, and found a piece of paper.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... it says user manual...¡±


    <Soul Transfer Orb 1.15 User Manual>


    -Writer: Lagaope


    -Instructions:


    1. Put the orb in a bathtub in a safe ce. You need a lot of water so it might work better if you throw it down into ake.


    2. Soul Transfer Orb 1.15 will activate once it senses the target¡¯s death.


    3. When the target is dead, the orb will sense the target¡¯s death and begin reviving the target starting from the bones to the soul. It has all the ingredients so it just needs to be supplied with water and it will be done in 3 days.


    4. Target will be revived to a state before death but does not prevent death from old age.


    ¡®Hmm...¡¯


    It was a weird exnation but it seemed okay. It was good that the orbs didn¡¯t require any descendants. Sian then picked up the letter; it was very long.


    Dear Mr. Sian,


    I hope you have checked the gift already. I have good and bad news.


    The good news is that we havepleted the orbs for your family. Like I said before, it cannot prevent death by age, but it is limited when used on a race other than ours.


    The bad news is that we failed to create your orb.


    ¡°Huh??¡±


    Sian became confused and looked back in the box. It had four orbs. He continued reading the letter.


    We tried multiple times, but your orb kept failing. I think there¡¯s something different between you and us, but we couldn¡¯t find out exactly what.


    We have included 3 of the version 1.15 orbs for your family and a version 1.03 orb for Stiel.


    It looked like you two would create a child soon enough. I think the orb can be used after that so we did not create a new orb for Stiel. Wecked ingredients as we failed to make yours multiple times.


    Besides, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a chance that you will die in thatnd after we leave. I¡¯m sorry that I did not fulfill my promise, but I hope you are satisfied.


    It is about time for us to leave, so I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t hand this over to you myself. The chance I mentioned before hase earlier than expected.


    We¡¯ll leave thisnd soon, I think we will be on our way by the time you¡¯re reading this letter. It has been a pleasure knowing you. I hope you live happily with Stiel.


    P.S. We might meet again if we fail, but please pray that we won¡¯t meet again.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    He looked closely and saw that one of the gems was different from the other three. Yet, he couldn¡¯tin as they were free. Sian took Stiel¡¯s gem into his void storage and threw the gems for his family into theke.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not sure what the chance is though...¡±


    However, Sian was able to find out what it was in a day.


    ¡°...???¡±


    Sian suddenly jumped up and looked into the sky.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Stiel quickly went closer to him, but Sian stared into the distance with a grim expression. Stiel could not feel it yet as it wasing from a distance. However, it also meant that power was not something to be ignored as it could reach this far.


    He also felt his feeling activating again, even more strongly than before.


    ¡°Miss Stiel, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Sian, where are you going?!¡±


    Sian ran at an incredible speed, leaving Stiel behind.


    ¡®Lagaope... what have you done?¡¯


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing good work!¡±


    Construction was ongoing on a in, located at north-eastern Tian, between the Great North Wall, the Great Forest, and Sky Mountain.


    It was a giant construction project led by the Magical Council.


    The great magic defensive rune <Lu-Sara>.


    The Great Magical Council imed that they would never allow anything like the undead invasion to happen again, and thus they began building this rune on the ins. When this rune wasplete, it would block the passageway for all Harijans into Tian and Taran.


    Every country agreed to the rune being installed and it was now almost over.


    ¡°This is really huge.¡±


    The knights who were in the construction project were in awe of the rune that stretched on for miles. They did not know much about magic but they never heard of such a giant rune.


    ¡°I guess those smart people needed this to be made. So, we just need to ce that in the center and it¡¯s done?¡±


    The knights spoke as they stared at the giant sphere. The sphere made of sheet metal was huge.


    ¡°If we ce it there, it will buy us time while we finish expanding the Wall.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move it. But the Council is really amazing, how did they make such a thing?¡±


    They were warriors, but they couldn¡¯t move such a gigantic sphere by hand so they used a mysterious machine provided by the Council and ced it into the center of the rune.

 Chapter 138: Migration

    <h4>Chapter 138: Migration</h4>


    ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Lagaope asked his people in front of him. Everyone looked worried. A sharp-looking man that looked ufortable asked, ¡°Hey, Lagaope. Are you sure it¡¯s okay this time?¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay for sure, Kdepal.¡±


    Lagaope reassured him, but Kdepal remained unconvinced.


    ¡°You said that 400 years ago. Everyone died. You would¡¯ve died if it wasn¡¯t for Con-Rad.¡±


    Lagaope then smiled apologetically.


    ¡°Haha... but you are all alive here. We had orbs anyway. We have orbs this time also, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Kdepal turned away. At least they did have a way to revive if things went south.


    ¡°We won¡¯t have another chance. This one is better than 400 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    A calm woman answered next to him, agreeing with Lagaope.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Robanotton, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll work out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s better than using an underground tunnel or flying.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Among the many things he tried, those were the worst. It was too hard to run through Sky Mountain in a tunnel and there was no way the Seven-Horned would not sense it, so the project was abandoned. The flying n also turned out to be problematic. As they went to higher altitudes, some unknown force kept dragging them down. They could fly as high as about eight miles, but that was still within range of Chrona or Dragona.


    It was a n that wasted a whole year¡¯s budget from the old Empire. Lagaope grinned.


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we take that new one and Stantahl with us?¡± Robanotton asked curiously. The others seemed to share the same idea. They were busy preparing for the n so they had never met them, except for Liviath.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s better to avoid such disasters.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Robanotton turned to Liviath. She¡¯d never seen the always-arrogant Liviath to be scared of a man. He was overbearing to almost anyone except Con-Rad.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter and we won¡¯t see him again.¡±


    Liviath avoided the question and Lagaope opened up to answer Robanotton¡¯s question.


    ¡°Well, it was their choice. Besides, Mister Sian will live here with no problems. He¡¯s one of a kind.¡±


    Lagaope spoke as he thought about Sian¡¯s love for his family. He was most special kind of ¡®Noble¡¯ he¡¯d ever met. If he killed Nekra, it meant he was stronger than Con-Rad. To be that strong when he was just twenty-two years old! Lagaope couldn¡¯t believe it. He created orbs to revive his family in case they got swept up by Lagaope¡¯s n, so it was going to be okay.


    Lagaope then checked the egg going up on the rune through the video.


    ¡°Good. <Egg> is up.¡±


    ¡°Can we not hide now?¡± Kdepal asked.


    ¡°Yes, get ready to jump out.¡±


    Lagaope answered but Liviath asked, ¡°Lagaope, can that really provide energy to the rune? Even I don¡¯t have enough energy to power the rune.¡±


    Liviath asked because he saw the rune¡¯s sheer scale. Even his <Way>, the <Sun>, would not be enough. He couldn¡¯t believe one egg could do such a job.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not just some egg. Get ready, it¡¯s going to start.¡±


    ¡°Evacuate! Hurry!¡±


    The steel orb began to shine as soon as it was ced above the rune. The light from the rune shot onto the orb and made it shine. The weak beam of light shone stronger and the orb was now shining as if it was the sun itself. But the light was being swallowed by the rune and then therge rune itself began to shine.


    People who were working on it had evacuated and watched from afar. They then felt tremors from the ground.


    ¡°Something¡¯s starting!¡±


    A tremor that felt like the pounding of a heart became louder. Then people realized something was wrong. This was not a pulse from the rune. It was more like...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this like a footstep?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No way. It¡¯s not like a mountain¡¯s walking over,¡± the knight replied. They couldn¡¯t see anything happening nearby. The only thing they saw was Sky Mountain and the Great Forest. If they could feel the tremor so far away that they couldn¡¯t even see the object, then they couldn¡¯t imagine how big it could be.


    And there was Sian who was watching it happen. He ran here as his feeling had guided him.


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if I came to the right ce.¡¯


    Something ominous was being activated and there was something approaching from the distance.


    ¡°Wow... Sian, what is that?¡±


    ¡°I told you not to follow me.¡±


    Sian sighed. But Stiel didn¡¯t care as she had already seen something interesting.


    ¡°That¡¯s... probably stronger than the cow.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t visible to the knights but Sian and Stiel saw it perfectly. It was a gigantic monster walking toward this ce. It had much thicker horns than the cow monster Sian fought before. After looking at the monster¡¯s angry face, Sian realized what kind of orb was ced on the rune.


    ¡°I think that egg belongs to him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. How did they steal that from him?¡±


    Stiel and Sian looked curiously, but it didn¡¯t seem to be a huge problem. The monster looked stronger than the cow, but it was no match for Sian.


    Stiel was more curious about the purpose of the rune. The rune was devouring the energy that was extracted into the egg to help it hatch. It was more than the energy Liviath releasedst time.


    The people below were mindlessly running away as they saw the monster. This ce was too far from the Wall so there was no one around to defend against such a monster. Besides, those kinds of monsters were usually handled by Groyn, but he wasn¡¯t here.


    When the monster arrived at the rune, it carefully grabbed the egg with its mouth. But the egg had done its job.


    As the monster walked in, the rune powering up.


    ¡°It¡¯s in!¡±


    Lagaope activated it as soon as <Chromat> walked into the rune. Like Chrona, those monster families did not let their families fall into danger.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing the egg, Con-Rad.¡±


    ¡°No, I just did what the window told me to do. This Aksarai is really something.¡±


    The former Kirat, or now Con-Rad, mumbled as he looked through the quest window that showed up in front of him. He just did what it told him to do and it allowed him to steal the egg without getting caught by Chrona or its offspring, Chromat. It would be an impossible job otherwise.


    Con-Rad now believed in this quest window 100%. It was best to follow what it ordered him to do, although sess wasn¡¯t guaranteed. It would¡¯ve been better if he had the same power 400 years ago.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great? I was worried that she wasn¡¯t rted to you, but I believed in you, Con-Rad. It would not have worked if you didn¡¯t have experience on reviving.¡±


    Reincarnation only worked on descendants because it required the spirit to be simr. But Con-Rad had identally reincarnated into Granine in the past so Lagaope used therge number of Talic Stones he had stored to sessfully revive Con-Rad.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Con-Rad spoke as he looked upon the status window.


    [Status: Kal-Kirat -> Con-Rad]


    Man living a third life, Connector of Aksarai, Dual Power User


    Level: 399


    Bander: ...


    Exar: ...


    Skills: Explosive Fire, Void, Lasod-Ra, Destruction, Cherubim, Akmasai...


    ¡°I think I can beat Nekra with this, but is it true that he died?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he died.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so he really is monstrous.¡±


    If Nekra lost, he would lose too. They were both blocked by the barrier. But it looked like that Sian had passed through.


    ¡°He¡¯s one of a kind.¡±


    ¡°Then... isn¡¯t it simpler to ask him to join and try to fight our way in?¡± Con-Rad answered as he didn¡¯t like the current n.


    ¡°Did you lose memory when you came back? You know it¡¯s not something we can deal with.¡±


    Lagaope answered as he remembered the events of 400 years ago. The n went well back then. They made the Empire do their bidding and helped Con-Rad to make the Soul Transfer Orb. It was good as they needed insurance for backup. They made the Empire tie down the Kal-Guls and Con-Rad dealt with Nekra so they could kidnap Chrona¡¯s offspring that was trying toy an egg. They tried their best to not to be captured by Chrona.


    Yet, it failed. As the offspring let out a wail, Chrona came in seconds and their n was over. The one breath that she fired killed everything.


    Lagaope survived because he was out of range to do other preparations. Luckily, that allowed Lagaope to revive everyone else.


    ¡°Right... I didn¡¯t expect that huge monster to be that fast.¡±


    ¡°You can die alone if you want,¡± Lagaope answered sarcastically.


    Con-Rad smiled.


    ¡°Hehe, weren¡¯t you sad when I died? I saw you wailing like a madman before I died.¡±


    ¡°...I wouldn¡¯t have cried like that if I knew you were going to be revived. Besides, how can you not be sad when you lose the first friend you got aftering here? Don¡¯t say I was the only one who was sad.¡±


    As they talked, the rune tied Chromat down.


    The n 400 years ago failed miserably, but they discovered one thing.


    Chrona never strayed too far from her offspring. She did stay out of offspring¡¯s range to avoid the offspring going rampant with Chrona pressuring them, but she didn¡¯t stay too far out either.


    If she heard the wail of its offspring, she woulde rushing in.


    And that was when Chromat wailed sadly into the skies.

 Chapter 139: Migration

    <h4>Chapter 139: Migration</h4>


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Sian let out a hollowugh as he looked at the rune. It was creating the red hole that dragged him in, but it wasrge enough to swallow the monster that was trapped in the rune.


    The monster was now wailing as it was attacked by people around it. However, since the monster was also strong, it was still holding up.


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that the ce that you were dragged into? So, that¡¯s the... dangerous ce at the other continent?¡±


    Sian nodded. ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you kill everything in there? I guess it¡¯s nothing much then.¡±


    Stiel thought Sian had killed everything in it beforeing out of the hole, but she was mistaken.


    ¡°No, I barely managed to kill the things that were closer to me and got out.¡±


    The hole that dragged him in was small, but the world inside wasn¡¯t like that. It was vast and was full of monsters. There were also monsters who were as strong as Sian back then. He quickly dealt with monsters around him and got out before he got attacked by those monsters.


    Even that short fight almost killed him. He thought it might be okay since he had be much stronger, but it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®It¡¯s still dangerous.¡¯


    It would still be dangerous if he got caught in the ce. But, he wasn¡¯t worried. Just likest time, the hole didn¡¯t let anything inside jump out.


    The problem now was the reason for installing it. It was too much to kill the monster. Sian figured it was enough to even hold back the Seven-Horned for a moment.


    ¡®Wait... hold the Seven-Horned?¡¯


    Sian began to specte something that was very concerning.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Stiel was curious as Sian scowled.


    ¡°You should stay in here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait- HEY!¡±


    Sian quickly took out Karnine and activated the magic. After putting Stiel into <Somazran> where she was captured in before, Sian began running away at an incredible speed.


    A gigantic structure wasing toward them at an unbelievable speed. It wasing from far away past the Great Forest, but it already looked so big.


    Its movement didn¡¯t seem realistic. It was big as a mountain, but it ran easily like some cat pouncing in. It didn¡¯t make any sound or tremors, proof that it was changing the outer environment at will.


    Even without considering the seven horns on its head, its movement and size proved how powerful it was.


    Sian knew what it was. He saw it in the memory.


    Chrona, the ruler of the Great Forest.


    It was running straight toward the red sphere.


    ¡®That¡¯s... gigantic.¡¯


    It felt different to see the monster in real life. Sian then realized what the monster that was thrown into the hole was. It was different from Nekra¡¯s memories, so he didn¡¯t recognize it at first.


    It was Chrona¡¯s offspring that Lagaope had thrown into the rune. It was what made Chronae running for it.


    ¡°Lagaope... what are you up to?¡±


    Con-Rad shouted as he saw the status window popping up in front of him.


    ¡°We got it!¡±


    They were reaching the end of the quest.


    [Quest: Cross the Great Forest]


    -Chrona will not use her full power as she is close to Dragona¡¯s territory. She will take time to rescue her offspring.


    -Pass through the Great Forest before Chronaes back to guard it. Chrona will not go after you once you cross it.


    -Sess: Migrationplete. 0 Exp (Experience at its limit)


    -Failure: Everyone dies


    It was now time for their efforts toe to fruition.


    This was why Groyn had been hunting Six-Horned Harijans for over hundreds of years. Chrona must not be bothered when her offspring fell into the hole.


    There were some six horns within Chrona¡¯s territory, but that was okay. The weaker ones could be taken care of by Groyn and others while Con-Rad could take care of the stronger ones.


    The Kal-Gul that was most bothersome had been eradicated a long time ago, and so was Nekra.


    Other than Tasha-Dagon, they also had prepared other methods to tie down Chrona for a longer period of time. They installed it right in front of Dragona¡¯s territory for that reason.


    400 years ago, they wanted to kidnap the offspring, put it into Dragona¡¯s territory, and bail, but they didn¡¯t expect Chrona to be that close and powerful. They knew Chrona was powerful, but just knowing it and actually facing the monster were two different stories. That¡¯s why they tried to make the two Seven-Horned fight each other, but they had to change their ns drastically after that. Two Seven-Horns fighting meant doomsday for all.


    That was why they just nned to pin her down for a while. It was a petty n, but even such a n was hard to achieve against the powerful Chrona.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    They ran out at great speed. With Con-Rad in the lead, they ran through the Great Forest. They were destined to die if they were captured. They didn¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t follow them after the Great Forest, but Aksarai never gave them wrong information. They just needed to cross the forest.


    Sian watched Chrona looking into the sphere at its offspring. As she arrived, she opened her mouth wide.


    ¡®Ugh, is she going to fire?¡¯


    Sian flinched, but Chrona then turned toward Sky Mountain. Then she closed its mouth. It looked like she had given up on using the beam that Sian saw in the memory. Chrona then struck the red sphere with its front leg.


    It was a simple strike, but a deafening sound came from it and the sphere shattered into pieces. The evil energy began pouring out at once. Sian frowned as he was familiar with the energy.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the energy. The monsters inside stopped attacking the offspring and began crawling out to attack Chrona.


    When Chrona destroyed the sphere, the whole thing grew even wider. So countless monsters began crawling out from it and attacked Chrona.


    Chrona began smacking down the strongest ones as if she were annoyed. She ignored all the weak ones and crushed the annoying ones first.


    ¡®Wow, it¡¯s not even working.¡¯


    Chrona seemed like she wasn¡¯t using her full power either. After she killed each monster, she then put her head into the hole and grabbed the offspring that stopped moving due to fatigue with her mouth and dragged it out.


    ¡®But it¡¯s so calm.¡¯


    Sian was fascinated as Chrona was for sure caring for its offspring, but she remained so calm. What was more fascinating was that he wasn¡¯t running away. The feeling was telling him he needed to do something here.


    ¡®Don¡¯t say I have to smack her in the face or something.¡¯


    He did not want to do that. Sian was also proud that he had be strong enough to even dare think of smacking its face.


    As he was pondering whether he should run away, he felt powerful energying from the mountain. It wasn¡¯t only the mountain, but there was also powerful extraction energying from within theke. Then some opaque stone monument soared from within.


    Weapons created with all technologies of <Amaran>, <Great Magical Council> and <Herrantor>. It was a strengthened one that was powerful enough to damage superhumans. Lagaope and Takion did not name them as they were to be used once and Chrona would destroy them.


    All kinds of magic began activating from the monument, targeting Chrona.


    It was all powerful enough to crush a capital city in seconds.


    Sian then realized what Lagaope¡¯s goal was.


    ¡®He¡¯s just trying to buy time.¡¯


    The magic was more focused on buying time than destroying it. It was powerful enough to crush the city, but it was nowhere close to fight against the Seven-Horned.


    It seemed like it worked as it stopped Chrona for a few seconds. Chrona then swung its leg to destroy the monuments with ease. There were too many monuments, and Chrona was also being dragged down by the monstersing out from the red sphere.


    There was a limit, however. Chrona carefully destroyed all the monuments and killed the monsters.


    After destroying the monuments, she fled.


    As Sian watched Chrona disappear, he realized something.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Sian began thinking about what was going on. The sphere that Chrona destroyed wasn¡¯t closing and looked like it would not close if it was left like that. Monsters were still crawling out from it.


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. He thought Chrona would jump in to take revenge inside as it seemed like it was very annoyed. It was a bit dangerous for him, but it would be nothing for Chrona.


    Yet as he thought about it, there was no need for Chrona to do such a thing. She just needed to return with her offspring.


    Sian then realized why he was led here.


    ¡°I need to close that.¡±


    The world was doomed if that was not closed. Sian would survive, but others wouldn¡¯t. Either way, it was no big deal. He was strong enough to close the hole from outside easily now. Sian then began approaching the rift.

 Chapter 140: Migration

    <h4>Chapter 140: Migration</h4>


    Sian intentionally wielded his power as he approached. The monsters began rushing toward Sian as they had found another target.


    ¡®It¡¯s much easier than I thought. I just need to be careful to not go in.¡¯


    He crushed the ones charging at him and sliced the stronger ones with Karnine. He didn¡¯t realize the power of it yet, but it was much more useful than he imagined. It cut down anything it touched and it transferred the energy from what it killed to the user.


    Sian realized how strong he had be while he fought.


    After killing all the monsters rushing at him, he arrived in front of the red sphere. It had been damaged by Chrona, and it had ripped the space itself.


    Sian realized his sixth sense was useful yet again. It would take at least a month to repair the damage if monsters kepting out, and it meant doom for everyone here.


    Sian began shing his sword to destroy what Chrona had done. It seemed like it would close by itself if the damage was gone.


    As he shed down his sword, the damage disappeared little by little and the sphere began sizing down.


    ¡°It¡¯s refreshing.¡±


    Sian began killing the monsters again as the sphere began to close. It was much easier this time as the number of monstersing at him had decreased drastically.


    However, Sian then realized the number had decreased too much.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Sian nced around. He then realized why the number decreased. The monsters were running toward something at full speed. Sian checked on the direction and saw what it was.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Chrona threw down her offspring after she got away from Dragona¡¯s territory. She turned to her offspring that was barely breathing on the ground. Chrona let out her anger.


    <AARRRRRGH! WHO DARED TO ATTACK MY VALUABLE OFFSPRING!!!>


    Chrona shouted and turned back to the offspring.


    <It¡¯s the same... I should¡¯ve raised it for longer. I should just eat it here and vent my anger out on them.>


    She knew who they were. She just left them alone as she couldn¡¯t cross, but they tried to take her food. And those insolent things even tried to attack her. She couldn¡¯t open it herself if the door was to close, so she pinned it so that it would not close. Chrona left it open so she could eat the offspring and jump in afterward.


    <Fool. You fell for the trap 400 years ago again...>


    Chrona then snapped her offspring¡¯s neck.


    Chromat was killed instantly and Chrona began eating it at once. Chromat was a giant, but so was Chrona. Chromat was absorbed quickly into Chrona¡¯s body. Chrona frowned as she felt her body changing afterward.


    Dragona grew in power by molting, but Chrona consumed her offspring to be more powerful. Yet eating such a fool didn¡¯t seem to increase her power too much. She wanted to watch it over 24/7, but her offspring wouldn¡¯t grow powerful if it did not live in dangerous conditions, so that was why she tried to stay far away.


    It was all because of them. Chrona decided to release her anger within the sphere. It felt like a better idea to walk in, clean out the area, and im it as her territory, rather than fighting over this smallnd with the other two.


    Chrona ran toward the sphere and saw something unexpected.


    <Who is that?>


    Some strange monkey was slicing up the red monsters. It even erased the pin she made to keep the door open. The sphere was now closing, but Chrona looked at the monkey.


    It wasn¡¯t because it had her tooth that she gave to her guard. It was because that monkey was able to kill her guard. Chrona was really surprised. He still had few more barriers to pass, but he would be as strong as her if he did it. He was walking down the same path she had walked down thousands of years ago.


    To be a different being.


    That was why Chrona became interested. If she made him her guard and ate him when he grew a bit stronger... she would gain unimaginable power. Then she¡¯d be able to defeat Dragona and Liona and then run up to the north.


    Chrona destroyed all the red monsters charging at her and approached the monkey.


    The monkey watched Chrona without making any moves.


    Chrona felt the urge to eat it now. She felt like she would be more powerful even with the monkey in his current state, but Dragona and Liona would attack her at once. She held back her urge and decided to ask him.


    If she threatened him with fear and reward, he too would sumb to her will.


    <Hehehe... human. UGH!>


    Chrona felt paining from her face. It was the first pain she felt after hundreds of years ago when she fought Dragona.


    Chrona then realized what happened. It was the monkey that smacked her face.


    <AAARRGH! YOU INSECT!>


    Chrona raised her leg to strike, but she panicked. The monkey had disappeared.


    <WHAT!>


    It was powerful, but it wasn¡¯t enough to avoid her senses. Then Chrona turned to the red sphere. It was now fully closed. The monkey smacked her in the face and disappeared through the hole.


    <AAAAAAAARGHHH!>


    Chrona let out a terrifying roar full of anger. She began venting her rage at the space in front of her and soon, a roar came out from beyond Sky Mountain.


    <KKKWWAAAAAAK!!!>


    Chrona came back to her senses. It wasn¡¯t a good idea to fight against Dragona or Liona here. She also needed time to digest her offspring, so she began running back toward the Great Forest.


    She was greeted by a more frustrating scene.


    <WHO DARES TO TRESPASS MY TERRITORY!>


    There were traces of people that ran through the Great Forest. All the Six-Horned she had been raising in her territory had been killed. Chrona was enraged. This humiliation was something she had never felt for thousands of years.


    <GGGGRRRR...>


    She chased after the tracks, but the intruders had long passed the Great Forest. She had wasted too much time. She didn¡¯t want to chase after them out of the forest, so she began destroying the Great Forest.


    <AAAAARGH!>


    However, there were no more beings powerful enough for her to vent her stress on, and the weaker Harijans had fled in multiple directions. Some ran straight to the Great North Wall and it made the humans panic. Luckily, they had already prepared as they heard the news of Six-Horns appearing, so that allowed them to defend with ease.


    As such, the number of powerful Harijans decreased drastically and the Wall enjoyed a moment of peace.

 Chapter 141: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 141: Encounter</h4>


    Stiel felt a bright light shining upon her.


    ¡®Huh? Ugh... what¡¯s with my body...¡¯


    Her fist that was powerful enough to crush steel, became powerless. In addition, her legs that allowed her to jump over buildings became weak like a little girl¡¯s.


    She checked her body, but there was nothing wrong. It was just that her body cirction had slowed down drastically. But her recovery was quicker than before.


    She then remembered what put her in that state.


    ¡®I was... watching that dangerous ce... and Sian dragged me in here...¡¯


    Stiel was curious as to why Sian did this to her, but she focused on regenerating first. After a while, she opened her eyes.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    It was a ce she did not recognize.


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡±


    Stiel nced back at the voice. It was Sian, but he looked quite different than what she remembered.


    ¡°Sian...?¡±


    It felt as if he had be more mature and a bit stronger, but Stiel couldn¡¯t realize what the difference was.


    ¡°Yes. Are you okay?¡¯


    Stiel checked on herself again and found that nothing was wrong.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s okay. So, where are we? I don¡¯t think this is where we were... are we in the Great Forest?¡± Stiel asked as she looked around. Sky Mountain had no grass as it glowed white. But the ce here had a lot of mysterious trees. Stiel had gone through many experiences, but she had never seen such a thing. That was why she guessed it was the Great Forest. It was the only ce she hadn¡¯t visited yet.


    Sian shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m not sure where we are.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°One thing¡¯s for sure... we will have a hard time going back home.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Stiel couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying, but Sian had begun walking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk. We can¡¯t stay here for too long. I¡¯ll exin on the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, yeah.¡±


    Stiel then followed him.


    ¡°So... you think this is Lagaope¡¯s homeworld?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably.¡±


    ¡°How did we end up here? I thought we had to go through the Great Forest? Did you run across it?¡±


    Sian sighed. ¡°No way. I didn¡¯t think I was that unlucky.¡±


    ¡®...you don¡¯t know?¡¯


    Stiel knew nothing really went the way Sian wanted. He wanted peace and prosperity, but he frequently ran into trouble everywhere he went. It¡¯s not like he looked for such troubles, but he was put into such predicaments no matter what he did.


    Sian then continued to exin as Stiel became dumbfounded after hearing everything.


    ¡°So... you were closing the hole and Chrona was standing there beside you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°So, you thought you couldn¡¯t run, so you pped her face and ran into Apental?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I hesitated though.¡±


    Sian sighed. He was so shocked when he found Chrona standing behind him. He was more panicked when she jumped up to him, but he just followed what his body told him to do. He pped her face and jumped into the closing rift immediately. His instinct warned him that it was dangerous to go into the hole, but one thing was clear. He would experience hell if Chrona caught him. Sian knew how Nekra lived under Chrona¡¯s control. It seemed like Chrona was going to try to do the same thing to him.


    Thus, he jumped.


    He realized two things right after. One good, and one bad.


    The good thing was that the rift hadpletely closed and blocked the entrance from Chrona. The bad thing was that he couldn¡¯t escape from it either. The trace had disappeared, and he didn¡¯t dare to open it up again. If it allowed Chrona to chase him in, that was going to be the end of him.


    As Sian began fighting off the monsters rushing at him from all sides, all of the traces had disappeared and Sian was now trapped in a dangerousnd.


    ¡°That¡¯s when I remembered what Lagaope told me.¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    Stiel began to think and realized what he was talking about.


    <Apental... is connected to our world. We tried to return by going through thatnd but we couldn¡¯t dare to do it. Oh, if you take the lead and open the way...>


    <No, that won¡¯t be an option.>


    <I knew it. Besides, it will be hard for even you, Mister Sian. To protect us all while we go through.>


    ¡°Did you... really?¡±


    Stiel became shocked and Sian smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Yeah, I did it.¡±


    Sian¡¯s body shook as he remembered what he had done in Apental. He thought it was going to be much more bearable as he was now stronger than he was before. It was easier, but it was still life-threatening. He didn¡¯t know where to go, so he wandered about aimlessly. At least Karnine provided him all the energy he needed to keep him alive.


    He fought and fought again. The monsters at the entrance were actually the weaker ones. Stronger monsters appeared as he walked deeper in. He looked for an exit while killing a countless number of monsters. He was lonely but he couldn¡¯t take Stiel out in such a dangerous situation when he could barely keep himself alive.


    After continuously killing and wandering around or a long time, not many monsters were left... so he went hunting after them. He needed to kill them to absorb their energy and live.


    Finally, he finally found the exit. It was at a small well in the corner of Apental.


    His instincts told him that it was the exit he had been searching for. The well was located at the bottom-most floor of the eight-floor world.


    ¡°And when I jumped in, I was sent to someke.¡±


    ¡°Huh? That easily?¡±


    Stiel became confused. If that worked, it should¡¯ve worked for the monsters too.


    ¡°I think monsters don¡¯t want toe near the well.¡±


    In fact, Sian wasn¡¯t sure what the well might to do him, so he captured a monster and threw it in. The monster that was not afraid of Sian nor Chrona struggled with all its might to not fall into the well. When it was finally thrown in, it melted instantly.


    Sian became hesitant after seeing that result, but he checked it himself by putting his hand into the water. After he was sure that he wouldn¡¯t melt, he jumped in. There weren¡¯t many monsters left, so if he stayed, he would starve to death anyway.


    Luckily, he got out of there in one piece. After checking that the ce was safe, he took Stiel out.


    ¡°That¡¯s the whole story. I don¡¯t know where we are, but I think it¡¯s probably somewhere on the continent that Lagaope called home.¡±


    Stiel looked at Sian sympathetically. He tried to close the sphere to save people, but he was swept into a fight with countless monsters alone for a long time.


    Sian knew what Stiel was thinking and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got used to it. I¡¯m okay now. What¡¯s important is now.¡±


    ¡°Right. What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I... want to go home.¡±


    ¡°To see your family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I want to stay with them until they pass away at least.¡±


    Stiel became sad.


    ¡°But... will they still be alive? If you fought so long in there...¡±


    ¡°Oh, that should be okay. When I went into the sphere back then... you told me that time didn¡¯t pass that much outside, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It was longer back then. I think that time in Apental is different than the outside world. My guess is that time hasn¡¯t passed that much here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good if it¡¯s true. But how are you going to go back?¡±


    Lagaope wanted toe to Don-Nasian from Ra-Sian, but those monsters blocked him from doing so. It would be the same in reverse, but Stiel realized the possibility.


    ¡°Huh? Are you trying to...?¡±


    Stiel looked at Sian with hopeful eyes. If Sian had ovee life-threatening situations in Apental and had broken through the barrier...


    Sian shook his head.


    ¡°No, unfortunately, I didn¡¯t be that strong.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a way.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Sian nodded.

 Chapter 142: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 142: Encounter</h4>


    Sian and Stiel walked through the endless forest and discovered some things.


    ¡°...What¡¯s with all these weird things?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Unlike near the exit of Apental, they met various monsters as they walked further in. Strange frogs spat out a weird liquid that melted insects, which the frogs then licked up to consume their prey. The green and ck trees tried to capture Sian with their roots when he walked near them.


    Themon thing between them was that they all tried to consume each other. It was fierce.


    ¡°...and too weak.¡±


    ¡°Right. I thought this world was filled with powerful monsters,¡± Stiel answered as she remembered Lagaope saying that thend here had countless superhumans. It made Sian and Stiel think that the world was filled with powerful Harijans.


    These monsters in the forest were dangerous for normal humans, but they were still weak enough for a Grand Bander to take care of them with ease.


    Even now, insects did not dare to approach Stiel who began emanating her energy to turn them away.


    ¡°Maybe this tree has a type of poison that can kill a superhuman...¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just some tree.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that wolf-looking monster can hunt superhumans...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s being dragged by that tree.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did Lagaope lie to us?¡± Stiel asked, but Sian shook his head. There was no reason to do such a thing.


    ¡°There must be a reason. Lagaope told us that it¡¯s been thousands of years since he left his world. It might have changed a lot. Besides, we¡¯ve only walked for a day. We shouldn¡¯t draw conclusions just yet.¡±


    Stiel nodded. Nothing was was certain right now. They had to find someone living here to understand. Yet, the problem was that they could not find anyone living around here. If there was a human living here, there would be some type of trace, but they couldn¡¯t find any.


    ¡°This really isn¡¯t going as nned.¡±


    ¡°Right. We have time, but...¡±


    Sian¡¯s n wasn¡¯tplicated. He was going to find Lagaope and ask him to build a Ra-Shar-Roa that would connect this ce to Ra-Sian. If his group had seeded, they should have returned to this world and Sian thought it wouldn¡¯t be hard for them to create a Ra-Shar-Roa here.


    In this vast world, Sian didn¡¯t think he¡¯d find Lagaoope so easily and thus he decided to take it slow. With no clues, however, he didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    After a while, Stiel spoke.


    ¡°Should I look around on top of a tree?¡±


    ¡°No, hold on.¡±


    Sian then closed his eyes and began to focus. After a while, his face brightened as he opened his eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky. Let¡¯s go this way.¡±


    ¡°Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it is, but we have a lead.¡±


    Sian began running and Stiel followed. After a while, the trees started clearing and they soon reached a small hill. After that hill was a vast in. Sian and Stiel managed to seed with the first part of their n. There were human-looking figures standing in the ins, but there was something that was more eye-catching.


    ¡°Is that a carriage?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but much bigger. And it¡¯s not drawn by horses.¡±


    There were many animals in front. One looked like a rhinoceros, but it was much bigger. Each one was about as big as a house and they had strong armor on their backs. The weirder thing was what was the carriage itself. It was big as a house, and it was created with some unknown, durable-looking material. It seemed like the carriage was too heavy for any horse to pull it.


    The carriage was made to protect the passenger, and it seemed to be working well.


    ¡°Protect the Muvakal!¡±


    ¡°Bring the women and children inside!¡±


    Human-looking beings were forming a defense around the carriage and some small green beings were attacking them. They were firing green fireballs from their hands and the human-looking beings were desperately dodging the attacks.


    The fire did not damage the carriage as they were easily reflected.


    The defense became relieved as they discovered that the carriage was safe and fought against the small green ones. It looked like green ones were weak in closebat, so the human-looking ones tried to approach them. However, they were then blocked by a swarm of insects. Sian had never seen such insects before, but the outer carapace made the insects look very powerful. A Master warrior would have a hard time fending one off.


    The leader of the defensive line seemed to be at the level of a Grand Bander, but even he was having a hard time.


    Sian and Stiel watched them for a while... Then they realized something.


    ¡°So, Lagaope did not lie to us after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They are all powerful.¡±


    They could not tell how powerful those human-looking ones werepared to the people back home, but the group had two Grand Bander-level beings while Tian Kingdom itself only had a total of four Grand Banders. All the other younger ones were all Masters.


    Sian and Stiel then noticed something interesting. The green ones began mumbling and some of the insects pulled out of the fight before they began charging at the carriage. They were going straight toward the animals that were pulling the carriage.


    The leader of the defensive lines realized this and shouted, ¡°Leeron! Dammit! Have all the Ravas crouch!¡±


    Sian and Stiel couldn¡¯t find out who Leeron was, but they managed to find out what the animals were called.


    The monsters curled their six legs underneath them and crouched in round form. As these Ravas crouched, the insects jumped up on them and began attacking.


    However, the armor of these Ravas was very strong. The insect attacks that even worked against those Grand Banders didn¡¯t seem to have any effect. It left some small cuts, but that was it.


    The green ones seemed to realize this and recalled the insects. As they were joined by the insects again, they began to fight more fiercely.


    The advantage was shifting toward the green ones. The insects were dying, but more came out from the forest and the defense line was slowly losing.


    ¡°Sian, who do you think would know better about Lagaope?¡±


    Stiel asked Sian and he nced at both sides.


    There were the beings that looked like humans, and there were the small green dwarvish people that were trying to eat the human-like beings.


    ¡°Unless those green ones are like Lagaope¡¯s rtives and are about three thousand years old... I think the carriage people would know better.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Then it¡¯s decided. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sian and Stiel jumped out. Sian towards the green ones, and Stiel to the insects.

 Chapter 143: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 143: Encounter</h4>


    Parhum, the captain of a group of migrating people and leader of this Muvakal, moaned,


    ¡°Damn it... we only got halfway.¡±


    They had moved ever so carefully, but they were attacked by <Graans>, or the green gnomes of the forest. It was better than getting caught by the <Barkhans> of the ins, but there was no difference.


    They treaded carefully since they knew it was <Graan> territory, but they were soon being chased by the Graans and a fight had erupted. Ravas were good at pulling carriages for long periods of time, but they weren¡¯t the fastest.


    It would be their end; they were not even close to Viscount Locke¡¯s estate. Parhum felt sorry for the people who followed him here.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry...¡¯


    As Parhum thought that, something jumped up into the sky.


    ¡°?¡±


    Parhum turned toward the sky as he thought it was an ambush by a Graan. Yet, the object that came up on him wasn¡¯t there.


    Then, a shing sound came from behind and Parhum quickly turned back.


    ¡°!!¡±


    ¡°Hah, this isn¡¯t even close.¡±


    A strange woman was crushing the <Antaines>, or the pets of those Graans.


    Parhum could not let down his guard as he knew what that woman was. She didn¡¯t have the usual energy, but it was very obvious.


    ¡®Dammit... it¡¯s a noble.¡¯


    Not all nobles were bad. There were some good nobles who looked after themonfolk.


    That was the problem. He did not know what this noble was like. It could be worse if they met a bad noble than fighting a group of Graans.


    Also, this woman seemed to be crushing the Antaines with a bored look on her face, so it didn¡¯t seem like she was going to be very friendly either.


    This noble woman was a destructive kind and it seemed she wasn¡¯t satisfied even after crushing all the Antaines around them. Then, Parhum turned to another noble who was a little farther away.


    The man knocked out all Graans instantly as hended. He did not kill Graans, so it seemed like he was on the nicer side.


    Parhum felt he was growing more tense after all Graans and Antaines were taken care of.


    ¡°Why is he so tense?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I thought nobles weremon here? Why did you let them live?¡±


    ¡°We only have business with these people here. I¡¯m not interested in them.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Stiel still was fascinated by Sian. Maybe his strength made him more generous towards the weak, especially when the weak did not do any harm to Sian.


    ¡°What¡¯s important is that we have to talk with them. Let¡¯s go. I think we speak the samenguage.¡±


    Surprisingly, these people used the samenguage. The Kingdomnguage was based on the Empire¡¯s, and it was spread by Lagaope. It seemed to make sense that thenguages were simr.


    Sian talked to the man in the front.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Good day, noble ones.¡±


    ¡°Oh... uh, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Sian. I need to ask you some questions.¡±


    Sian was awkward with formalities and quickly tried to dive straight into his business. Luckily, they could understand each other.


    ¡°I am Parhum... the person in charge of this Muvakal. Please ask me anything.¡±


    Parhum was a bit relieved at Sian¡¯s friendly approach, but he still didn¡¯t let down his guard. There were many weird nobles.


    ¡°So... where should I start?¡±


    Sian became hesitant as he couldn¡¯t decide on what to ask first. It didn¡¯t look like Parhum would know about Lagaope anyway. Parhum became confused and Stiel stepped up.


    ¡°Sian, we should just ask everything we need to know. Hey, you. Parhum?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Please speak.¡±


    Parhum felt the tensioning back. The man didn¡¯t feel like a noble so he had rxed a bit, but the woman was like a standard of all nobles. She had the prideful approach and arrogance.


    ¡°It¡¯s our first time here. We don¡¯t know anything so we got a lot to ask... are you in a hurry?¡±


    ¡°Uh... we are...¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. We can hop on that carriage.¡±


    ¡°Carriage...? Do you mean the Muvakal?¡±


    Parhum became confused but quickly realized she was referring to the Muvakal.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you call it? Yeah, that. Let us take a ride too. Sian, is it okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think we can do that.¡±


    It looked like finding Lagaope wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task, so Sian decided to get to know more about this world first and it seemed like a better idea to follow these people for now.


    ¡°Is it okay? We¡¯ll take care of any attackers in return. We won¡¯t ask for a free ride.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t thank you enough for that.¡±


    Parhum could not refuse the offer. The noble woman didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d ept ¡®no¡¯ as an answer, and there was no telling what she might do if he refused.


    Besides, the offer to protect the Muvakal was also very tempting. They were not even halfway to their destination yet.


    ¡°Okay. But if you arecking space...¡±


    ¡°No way. We should still have plenty of room. Pleasee this way.¡±


    They did not have much space, but Parhum did not mention it. Some died from thest battle so he thought he could clear their rooms and arrange it so that he could lend the best room to these nobles.


    Sian was surprised when he walked in as the Muvakal was very pleasantly decorated with appliances and furniture inside. As they walked further in, they were escorted into a small room that looked like it was for guests and they started talking there.


    ¡°So... you are moving together with your people to another noble estate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡±


    Sian realized this was really a different world. Superhumans acted as the lords of the state. It was something that was hard to imagine in his world.


    ¡°So, why are you traveling around instead of settling down in one ce? Aren¡¯t those attacksmon? It seems dangerous.¡±


    Sian became curious as he looked inside the Muvakal. As he looked around, he realized that it wasn¡¯t meant for short journeys. It was made to provide a living space, implying that these people were ready to travel around without settling down.


    Parhum then turned to look at Sian strangely.


    ¡°It¡¯s our first time here, so we don¡¯t know much.¡±


    ¡°...Understood. Well, traveling is dangerous and ces beyond any estate protected by nobles are dangerous.¡±


    ¡®Nobles protect them?¡¯


    It was very fascinating to hear that superhumans protected humans.


    ¡°And... those nobles don¡¯t hunt down those monsters?¡± Sian asked. Those Graans and Antaines were powerful enough to put Grand Banders in danger, but it wasn¡¯t much of a threat against superhumans. It wasn¡¯t like Ra-Sian where all superhumans were not interested in protecting humans. Sian could not understand the superhumans who had those monsters roam thend outside their estates if they did protect theirnd.


    ¡°They do that on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°...So, you really dide from very faraway ce.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah.¡±


    There were some cases where humans became nobles after training deep within the forest as those with great talents would allow them to be nobles quickly without any help of Akra. It was weird that these nobles had no Akraing from them, but it made sense now.


    Parhum then decided to exin everything from the very beginning.


    ¡°Nobles leave them alone on purpose. They sometimes raise them. It¡¯s all because of Duke Lorvall¡¯sw.¡±


    Duke Lorvall¡¯s Law.


    That was the start of the weird situation made by the superhumans of this world.

 Chapter 144: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 144: Encounter</h4>


    Thousands of years ago, the continent was in chaos.


    It was caused by the difference between the nobles, themoners, and the environment. The continent was a good ce for nobles to live in. There were various races throughout the world, but most of them were at Narija level, so nobles had no threats to worry about unless they came across a Rotan level race.


    Themoners were a different story. There was a huge number of humans in the world, but they weren¡¯t all strong. <Graans> captured humans to suck the Akra out of them and fed the leftover skin to their <Antaines> to feed them. The <Barkhans> of the ins also hunted humans to sate their hunger.


    Themoners needed protection and the nobles were only ones who could provide it.


    However, they were cold.


    <Why do I have to protect you all?>


    It was good for the human race for the nobles to protectmoners since all nobles were oncemoners. The talent to be a noble could not be inherited by the children of nobles, so they did not automatically be nobles.


    But that was only considering the race altogether. Individual nobles were not interested in protecting themoners. There were no benefits to gain from them.


    Nobles only trusted one thing. It was not political power, wealth, or information. Their own physical strength. Anything else was irrelevant.


    There were so many powerful people here. There were Barons above themoners, Viscounts over the Barons, and the Counts over the Marquises. Barons building forces would only allow them to face other Barons. If they gathered to join forces, they might be able to fight someone a level higher, but that wasn¡¯t possible as all nobles only believed in themselves.


    That was why there was no point in having political power or forces. And that was the same for wealth. Nobles took everything from the weak and the strong took over everything. Nobody protected themoners. There was no country here, so there were no such rules. These powerful beings did not abide by anyws as they were impossible to enforce.


    That was why nobles only sought to be stronger and only focused on that.


    They needed talent, effort, time and a lot of other things to be stronger.


    Yet themoners could not provide any of that. That was why the nobles did not care about protecting thosemoners.


    The power of the human race began to dwindle. The nobles grew stronger, but themoners became weaker. The nobles then began to grow concerned. Not many races were powerful enough to fight them, but it was not zero. If the other races joined forces, the human race would be wiped out.


    That was when the Duke and the others joined together.


    <We need to protect themoners to some extent. We should share our duties to protect our race.>


    Everyone agreed.


    But ¡®to some extent¡¯ was too vague. They did take up the duties, but they had no rights. Even if themoners they looked after became nobles, it only meant that they would have one morepetitor. The world was too dangerous to look after all themoners.


    Those words became pointless as the nobles did not follow thew, hid themselves, or only protected themoners under their family¡¯s care.


    Duke Lorvall became concerned. He did not want to helpmoners, but they still needed the human race to survive. Duke Lorvall then thought of an idea.


    <If you abandon the duty to protect themoners because they can¡¯t provide anything, I¡¯ll give you one. You will try your best to protect them with this.>


    Duke Lorvall then gathered his talented people and created magic.


    The secret magic that created <Akra>, <Akrata>.


    The human race underwent a huge change after this <Akrata> spread among themoners.


    Finally, themoners had something to contribute to their nobles¡¯ strength.


    ¡°So, nobles andmoners alike learn <Akrata>. It has two effects.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Sian and Stiel looked at Parhum intrigued looks.


    ¡°First, it strengthens the user. With <Akrata>, one bes much more powerful with the current power one has. It almost got a lot ofmoners to rise up to be nobles, but it did not happen.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    <Akrata>, or the magic created by Duke Lorvall, was made to strengthen the individual.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the second effect. You can transfer the <Akra> stacked by <Akrata> to someone else. The downside is that it can only be transferred to the nobles.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then...¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why the nobles protectmoners. Commoners supply their <Akra> for protection.¡±


    They received <Akra> in return for protecting the nobles within their boundaries. The <Akra> gathered bymoners was very little, but once collected for a long enough time period, that umted into sizable amounts.


    Stiel then became curious and asked, ¡°That¡¯s weird. Then it doesn¡¯t make sense that you¡¯re walking around like that. No noble will allow you to leave. If strength is that important, then there¡¯s no way that the nobles would let the usefulmoners leave them.¡±


    Parhum nodded with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Yes, it did at first.¡±


    As <Akrata> spread, the nobles began to collectmoners fiercely. Yet it didn¡¯t mean any good for themoners as the nobles did not care about their well beings and forced them to do their bidding. There was no way for themoners to resist them.


    Duke Lorvall was also prepared for that and made a new rule.


    <The choice to transfer <Akra> solely depends on the owner. No one will be forced.>


    The nobles did not care about thews, but it was different when someone more powerful was enforcing them.


    Duke Lorvall was a powerful man. He even went as far out as to enforce thew himself, punishing a few nobles for not following thew. He consumed the <Akra> of those nobles who did not follow the rules.


    Commoners now were given a choice. They were now able to choose to provide <Akra> for protection or be strong themselves with <Akra> they had.


    Stiel realized it then.


    ¡°That¡¯s why they let those monsters loose.¡±


    ¡°You are correct.¡±


    There was no need for protection if there was no danger. That was why the nobles let those hostile races loose around the estates they protected. It made themoners to ask for protection reluctantly as they had no way to fight against them.


    The nobles did actively hunt down any Rotan level races with their joint forces. Even Narija levels were hunted down if they became too powerful.


    So thends between the estates were now left with monsters of Narija levels. Duke Lorvall knew that too much restraint on the nobles would make them revolt so he left them alone on this.


    This was now fully rooted in human society.


    Sian then realized why they were moving.


    ¡°So, the noble from the estate you left was a bastard.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Parhum smiled bitterly without saying anything.

 Chapter 145: Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 145: Encounter</h4>


    The bad part of the world was this:


    <The nobles¡¯ characters made a hell of a difference.>


    A ce with a lot ofmoners had no problems since the nobles who needed Akra suppliers settled down eventually. If a number of nobles gathered in a city, they had to be careful about how they treated themoners as they might lose their suppliers to the other nobles. It was bad to have a strongerpetitor within the city.


    The small estates in the countryside were different. These ces that had fewer people were left with only two options.


    One was where they were left without any protection and decided to seek out other estates even with the danger of traveling.


    The other was to wait for nobles who might be interested anyway.


    Baron Raul¡¯s estate was thetter case, which Parhum came from. However, the nobles who sought such small estates were usually one of two kinds.


    The good ones included those who did not care about Akras being provided and happily protected themoners. The bad ones came to such estates to y King.


    The bad one was more prominent in these cases and the ce Parhum came from was no different.


    Baron Raul did provide protection, but he took the maximum amount of Akra possible. Overall, this was fine since Akra was provided as payment for protection.


    The problem was that Baron Raul was a terrible man. He came all the way to the remotends as he could not bear the idea of having someone sitting on top of him. Thend he came to had nothing important and Apental, the dangerous ce, was nearby. Thus, thend had been abandoned.


    Baron Raul began reigning terror over themoners once he arrived. He protected them, but he called in all beautiful women of the estate to his bed and worked to fill his greed and lust.


    As Parhum was faced with sending his daughter to the Baron¡¯s bed, he took hisst option.


    <Migration>.


    It was a right that was given to themoners, but it was also very dangerous.


    Parhum could not stand it anymore and decided to leave. Baron Raul scoffed.


    ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t for my daughter... I would¡¯ve chosen to do it anyway. People were fainting from Akra being taken away these days. We heard Viscount Locke¡¯s estate is a little better so that¡¯s where we were headed.¡±


    ¡°I see. I guess it¡¯s simr everywhere.¡±


    Sian spoke as he thought about his homnd. At least thews that Duke Lorvall set helped this world to at least maintain it.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no vige that¡¯s protected by the nobles?¡± Sian asked. They were weaker than superhumans, but they were still much stronger. It seemed like if someone like Parhum joined forces with him and strengthen their defenses, that would allow them to live in peace.


    Parhum shook his head.


    ¡°There are two reasons. We can¡¯tst too long without noble protection because hostile races also group up to attack. The vige... is a non-starter because of that issue. We have to be on the move constantly. There are somemoners who grouped up as you mentioned, but they too cannot settle down and make viges.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the underground dragons.¡±


    Gigantic underground dragons spelled disaster to all. The dragons grew in size as they got older and they would burrow a huge hole under a vige to force it topletely copse. There were some instances where one woulde up to the vige and swallow everything whole. But it was very careful as it did not dare toe near the ces were the nobles lived.


    These dragons were doing a great favor to the nobles as it preventedmoners to live without providing Akra for protection.


    That was whymoners who decided to live without protection had to move constantly.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only confined to thends in this region. Other ces might be different in some ways.¡±


    They talked more afterwards. Sian asked about Lagaope but he got nothing out of it. Sian decided to head to the Viscount¡¯s estate to gather more information. After Parhum went out, Sian talked with Stiel about their future ns.


    ¡°I guess we have to meet with those nobles to collect more information.¡±


    It seemed Parhum did not know much because he was from a small estate, but he mentioned that an estate protected by a Marquis or a Count was huge and popted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to that Locke Estate first. But I¡¯m curious what my power would get me to.¡±


    That was Stiel¡¯s main question after she heard Parhum¡¯s exnation.


    She was on the stronger side of superhumans, not counting Sian. She was much more powerful than Lagaope or Liviath and she was about the same as Groyn.


    But this ce had a lot of superhumans and she was curious about where she ranked among them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out once we meet them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... you look rxed. Aren¡¯t you curious how powerful you are here?¡±


    It seemed like this continent had a lot of powerful beings and dangerous monsters. But Sian, who valued safety above all, seemed very rxed.


    ¡®Did his character change after he fought inside?¡¯


    Stiel¡¯s expectation was destroyed.


    ¡°Haha, didn¡¯t Lagaope tell you that Apental was considered dangerous even to them?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, he did.¡±


    ¡°I survived that ce. I must be on the stronger side if that¡¯s so.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m going to leave this ce quietly after I find Lagaope. Nothing is going to happen. Hahaha!¡±


    ¡®Hmph.¡¯


    Stiel sighed.


    Traveling in the Muvakal was very peaceful. Stiel was really bored so she tried to lure Graans or Barkhans by hiding her powers. It did attract those Barkhans a few times at first, but after they were wiped out, they seemed to realize that it was no use and did note for them after all.


    Stiel then turned her interest to this <Akrata>. She was also interested in bing stronger. Parhum agreed to teach Stiel <Akrata> without hesitation. It wasn¡¯t a secret anyway as all people knew it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard. This is more like magic than a skill. Do you mind if you give me your hand for a second?¡±


    ¡°Sian, is it okay?¡±


    ¡°...why are you asking me that?¡±


    ¡°Because you might get jealous if I touch some other man¡¯s hand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Sure. Here.¡±


    Stiel reached out to Parhum with her beautiful smooth hands. Parhum then put his hand on hers and spoke.


    ¡°Something will be transferred to you. It¡¯s <Akra>. You should ept it.¡±


    Parhum then began concentrating on his hand and some energy was transferred over to Stiel. Stiel felt something refreshing entering her and epted it.


    ¡°So this is <Akra>?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is the basics of <Akrata>. It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The important thing is to receive <Akra>. It will be the seed and it will grow within you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... interesting.¡±


    Needless to say, the Akra that was transferred over to her began spreading through her entire body and began to multiply as it fed on Stiel¡¯s powerful energies within.


    Akra¡¯s true power came from the next step. As it grew in power by feeding off the energy, it absorbed energy from the surroundings to empower the user. It also strengthened the body of the user with its magic.


    After Stiel examined of this, she was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°This is amazing. So this is how you transfer <Akra> to others?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a limit to how much <Akra> can be sent over, but if it is collected from a lot ofmoners, it turns into a huge amount.¡±


    ¡°So, can you store this <Akra> infinitely?¡±


    That would result in a huge power, but Parhum shook his head.


    ¡°It has its limits depending on the user. Also, the <Akra> sent over by others die out once it reaches its age, unlike the one that you have on your own. But its energy remains and it depends on the noble¡¯s ability to absorb the power.¡±


    ¡°So, does training help absorb that power?¡± Stiel asked. If the training had some effect, it seemed it was worth it.


    ¡°No, like I said, it¡¯s more like magic. It¡¯s not like you can make <Akrata> work better. It only depends on the individual¡¯s own power. You can¡¯t train <Akrata> itself. It creates itself depending on the user¡¯s power.¡±


    Stiel nodded. This Akra was working like a buff she received from the priests a long time ago. It granted her more energy and power. It also circted constantly throughout the entire body to help empower the person internally.


    ¡°This is really amazing. I wonder how it was created... so, the world here did change after Lagaope left. Sian, give me your hand.¡±


    ¡°Hm, do you know how you do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Stiel answered and Sian gave her his hand. Stiel then took his hand and sent her <Akra> to him.


    Sian epted the Akraing over to him with anticipation.

 Chapter 146: Protected Estate

    <h4>Chapter 146: Protected Estate</h4>


    Sian examined the Akra that flowed into him.


    The Akra was trying to absorb the surrounding energy and Sian inspected it. It wasn¡¯t bad to be stronger, but Sian grew disappointed.


    Stiel curiously asked, ¡°Why? Is it not working?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not much help to me.¡±


    The Akra that flowed inside Sian tried to absorb the energy, but it was overwhelmed by Sian¡¯s blood. A small amount did sessfully reproduce, but it was not even close enough to help Sian grow more powerful and then it melted away. Sian wasn¡¯t too disappointed though as it was what he had expected.


    ¡°I see... but is there a ce where I can get more of this? It will take time for it to grow within the body.¡±


    Stiel nced around and turned to Parhum. She was like a predator hunting for its prey. Sian sighed and stopped Stiel.


    ¡°You should take it slow. By the way, the Akra seems to be really useful. I guess the nobles of a huge estate will collect a lot of energy.¡±


    ¡°It should... but there are more nobles so they won¡¯t collect a lot. Higher-ranking nobles do collect more though.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sian was very fascinated by this world since it was very different from his. They soon arrived at their destination.


    ¡°Is that the protected estate?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a huge castle withmoners living nearby like Sian imagined. There was a huge tree. It was so huge that its tree trunk was muchrger than an ordinary castle. It wasn¡¯t as if it was a holy tree or anything like that, but its sheer size was very mysterious. Then Sian realized there was a huge town beneath the tree.


    ¡°Gods... so that¡¯s the Viscount¡¯s estate?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is Locke Estate. Have you... not seen the tree either?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®Where did hee from?¡¯


    Parhum was intrigued by Sian and Stiel who had not seen a Ciculus Tree before.


    ¡°Did that grow on its own?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯splicated.¡±


    Parhum exined.


    Marquis Ciculus was a powerful noble who wielded powerful magic. His tree was the one of the masterpieces that his servants created. It helped humans grow in power and live in protection. The Marquis wanted to monopolize the tree, but Duke Lorvall pressured him to share the tree with the other nobles who were trying to create their estates. It was distributed amongst therger estates, so the ce where Parhum used to live did not have the tree.


    However, the Ciculus Tree was a must for nobles to create a protected estate based on its size. The tree that grew with the energy of a noble andmoners was a must. When it was nted, it absorbed the power of the noble and grew at an incredible speed. It grew as it absorbed thend and minerals. When its trunks and roots had all grown, it was time to build the town.


    The powerful roots helped deter any underground dragon attacks while the bark and branches were good materials for building houses. It was so durable and strong that some nobles even used the parts of the tree for training. The most important part about the tree were the leaves and fruits.


    The leaves allowed an individual to regain their energy when made into tea, and the fruits were very tasty with helpful nutrients that became valuable food tomoners who had to hunt for their food otherwise.


    ¡°We might have managed for a bit longer if we had the tree, but the Baron¡¯s estate is too small for it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°We have to go out to hunt if we don¡¯t have the tree. Crops aren¡¯t enough.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll settle down once we get there?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully. I thank you very much.¡±


    Parhum thanked Stiel and Sian as he remembered Baron Raul¡¯s scoff. The Baron must have figured that Parhum would not survive through the journey. He decided to leave the estate as he thought he knew the dangers that lurked outside their town by the experience he acquired from hunting, but the roads were much more dangerous. If it wasn¡¯t for Stiel and Sian, they would have been killed a long time ago.


    As they talked more, they got closer to town. And as they got closer, Sian was now able to see details of the town. The town wasn¡¯tprised of buildings. It only had caves that were made by digging a weaker part of the tree roots. It seemed primitive, but the tree roots were sorge that it seemed like they providedrge rooms as residences.


    Besides, the roots were very clean and the people living there also kept it very clean. So it was like a town of fairies from the fairytales.


    Parhum opened his eyes.


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to build houses as that is sufficient enough. They do have to provide a small portion of energy to the Ciculus Tree if they live in there, but it¡¯s small enough to recover through living normally so it¡¯s okay. Actually, they be more healthier with the energy flowing through the tree.¡±


    ¡°So... how are you going to find a ce to live? Do you know the people living here or something?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°Haha, no, I don¡¯t. I¡¯ll just find a good ce and dig into the tree to make one. It will take time but we have the Muvakal to stay in while we do that.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sian thought there might be someone guarding the entrance as they entered the town, but there was nothing.


    Sian and Stiel said farewell to Parhum and parted ways. Parhum thought it was a weird experience as Sian and Stiel weren¡¯t like any nobles he¡¯d met before.


    ¡®Oh... maybe I should¡¯ve told them this... well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡¯


    Parhum realized he had forgotten to tell them one important thing about Akra, but it was toote now.


    Parhum said the nobles stayed in the high branches of the tree. Sian felt powerful energies on the branches. The tree roots that were revealed above ground was also veryrge but a lot of people filled them from within. Sian then realized the answer to one of his questions.


    ¡°So... that¡¯s how they receive all the Akra.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I was curious. If they have to get the Akra by hand, it will take too long if they collected Akra routinely.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    It did seem like the Akra could be transferred via air, but it couldn¡¯t work from a distance.


    ¡°This tree works as a tunnel to collect the Akra.¡±


    ¡°Can you even see that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t look deep into the trunk, but I can see the energy flowing from the roots to the trunk. I guess it¡¯s flowing to that Viscount Locke. Or the other Barons below.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like taxes. But this would be easy forrger estates to collect it then.¡±


    Sian and Stiel walked on the road created by roots. They had no way to find Lagaope any time soon so they were more rxed now. Sian was now thinking of looking around this new world while he was here.


    Then Sian felt something awkward.


    ¡°...I think these people are ignoring us. Is that just my feeling, Sian?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel spoke and Sian realized where the awkwardness wasing from.

 Chapter 147: Protected Estate

    <h4>Chapter 147: Protected Estate</h4>


    Rupika scowled at the man and woman who were walking along the road on the roots.


    ¡®They are lowlies...¡¯


    But it wasn¡¯t only Rupika who was making such a face. Everyone else was too. The weak were to be despised.


    Nobles did not care how strong themoners were so they only divided their power amongst themselves, but themoners also made divisions between themselves. It was a simple measurement tool.


    <One¡¯s strength.>


    It was a simple but clear standard. It applied to the nobles, but it also applied to themoners. The weaker ones were looked down upon and ignored. It was even worse whenpared to nobles.


    Themoners were afraid of the nobles, but they did not hate them. They envied them and dreamed of bing nobles themselves. If one became a noble, one didn¡¯t need to be good at anything else. They only needed to be good at ruling, and the only way to rule was to be stronger.


    The path was open formoners to aim to be stronger. Providing Akra did not hinder their chances of bing nobles in any way, somoners also valued power. They were fed by the Ciculus Tree and the nobles provided them protection.


    These people living within the protected estates were provided with an environment to aim to be stronger. Topete with each other. That was why the weak ones were despised.


    Themoners also had the power to sniff out the weak via their Akra.


    <Akra resonates with other Akras. With its resonance, one can find out the amount of Akra the target contains. This amount of Akra is directly connected to the power of its holder.>


    It was the same for the nobles. It was good formoners because it allowed them to see who the nobles were and prevented them from attacking the nobles without knowing. Nobles had very powerful Akra Resonance that was strong enough makemoners faint. They did have the ability to hide their powers, but they couldn¡¯t mask their Akra Resonances.


    It meant disaster to those without talent. Their strengths were revealed fully and it mademoners divide themselves based on their power.


    Those with weak Akra eithercked talent, or were fools trying to seek out alternative ways to be strong.


    Thetter was more probable for those two, but it didn¡¯t matter. They were both weak. They also did not provide enough Akra to the nobles so the nobles did not like them either. The nobles even encouragedmoners to discriminate against the weaker ones.


    That was why these people werebeled as lowlies and were cast out to the outer area of the protected estate. Lowlies were afraid that they might get lynched if they walked to the inner town, so none of them approached the middle of the town.


    Yet these two lowlies were walking proudly in the middle of the Locke Estate.


    The evidence was apparent. There was no Akra Resonanceing from these people. The woman seemed to have a very slight resonance, as if it had been only a few days after she had received Akrata. The man, however, had nothing.


    Rupika wasn¡¯t nice enough to let these fools dirty their ce. It was the same for the others.


    It was time for someone to step up and do the job. Rupika walked out and others followed.


    ¡°Hey, lowlies. Stop right there.¡±


    Sian and Stiel turned to each other as they found four men approaching them. It was very refreshing. No one dared to approach them in their own world. It was Sian¡¯s first time being approached by someone trying to intimidate and taunt them without any hesitation.


    ¡°Lowlies? What is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... do they not feel the power because we¡¯re from a different world?¡±


    Sian knew how to hide his power, but he let out some of it just to scare others to save them from Stiel¡¯s wrath, so it was very interesting.


    ¡°No... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that. They are too sure of it... there must be something else. We can ask about that. I remember Zagron... hehe.¡±


    Stiel grinned as she put on her gauntlet. It seemed like these men were about Grand Bander level. Zagron, the boy that Stantahl the Fourth brought to show her. It seemed they were strong enough to pound them with the gauntlet.


    Sian quickly held Stiel back and reced her gauntlets with the steel stick that Lagaope had given him.


    Stiel rambled, ¡°What?! I haven¡¯t tried this, but I don¡¯t think it will feel as good as the gauntlets.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but if you use that gauntlet to make you feel good, it will kill them. We¡¯re here to ask a favor so use that instead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t trying to kill them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hah, okay. I guess you don¡¯t appreciate me for trying to put your present to its best use.¡±


    ¡°I gave those gauntlets to protect you from getting hurt.¡±


    Stiel then began swinging the stick and approached those men.


    Rupika became dumbfounded and scoffed with his other friends. It was ridiculous to see a lowlie trying to put up a fight.


    ¡°Hey, that gauntlet is gonna be mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then, can I take her first?¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m first!¡±


    ¡°I like the man. Hehe... you guys can fight each other.¡±


    The four of them began to quarrel as Stiel came up to them and asked, ¡°Hey boys. I have a question.¡±


    ¡°??¡±


    She asked so casually that Rupika was at a loss for words. He turned back to his friends, trying to see if anyone recognized her as a daughter of any nobles here. They shook their heads. Information about nobles were vital to themoners. They needed to know families of nobles and who they cared for, but they could not remember this woman. Unlike other big estates, their estate only had four Barons and one Viscount.


    Rupika then approached the woman.


    ¡°Haha... you mad girl. You know that you don¡¯t even have any resonance? Didn¡¯t your parents teach you that it¡¯s dangerous outside?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... my parents were killed by their brothers and sisters. My ce was more dangerous inside than outside. By the way, the resonance you said? So, is that how you measure things?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure what resonance was, but she could ask slowly. She thought about taking out her gauntlets in appreciation of reminding her of her disgusting past, but it didn¡¯t need to end up messy as Sian said.


    ¡°But my parents did teach me one thing.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why use your mouth when you have a sword? It¡¯s my life motto.¡±


    Stiel then smacked the man¡¯s forehead with the stick.


    ¡°AAAAARGGH!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Stiel became confused at the unexpected oue. She smacked hard enough to crack open the skull as she was going to knock this one out, beat other three while he took time to wake up, and then ask what resonance was.


    But the guy was rolling on the ground with a painful scream instead of getting knocking out.


    That was the reason why Sian gave the stick to her.


    ¡°Oh... so this is special. I¡¯ll see what it can do then.¡±


    Stiel then began hacking away at the other three who seemed to be in shock from behind.

 Chapter 148: Protected Estate

    <h4>Chapter 148: Protected Estate</h4>


    ¡°So... Akra resonate with each other?¡±


    ¡°Yes... ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why you all were so confident. Talking about my parents and all.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rupika regretted what he had done.


    ¡°But that¡¯s troubling. I guess the people here trust Akra a lot.¡±


    ¡°Stiel, you look too excited to be saying that you¡¯re troubled.¡±


    ¡°Huh? No way. I love peace, but it will make others keep jumping at us. You don¡¯t even have Akra.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but put that Akra back inside. I know you were trying to release everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Anyone would know if you gather it into your hand like that.¡±


    Sian sighed. Stiel was gathering up all her Akra onto her hand as she heard that people could find out how much Akra was stored within others. It seemed like she wanted to impersonate amoner but Sian wasn¡¯t going to let her do that.


    ¡°Ha... okay. I¡¯ll keep them. But it will take a long time for it to grow to my level.¡±


    Akra was slowly absorbing Stiel¡¯s energy to grow. It would take a very long time to grow enough to have a powerful resonance that would suit her level.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Sian. It might be better to look weak. We don¡¯t know how strong these people are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was correct, but Stiel¡¯s intention was already obvious.


    ¡°By the way... the lord here doesn¡¯t seem to being. Isn¡¯t he supposed to protect the estate?¡±


    ¡°Right. I thought it might bring him here.¡±


    There were four men hung upside down on the tree, but no nobles came down to check on it.


    ¡°I guess they don¡¯t care about themoners.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. At least we heard a lot of interesting stuff.¡±


    Sian and Stiel then began to walk toward the tree trunk again.


    Locke felt the sudden movement of Akra from below and looked outside. The noble that empowered the Ciculus Tree was very sensitive to Akra movement within the estate. Locke let out a gasp as he looked out. There was someone getting beat up mercilessly. The Akra movement was sent out by him. He was getting beat up so bad that even Locke himself could not see through it. The woman was beating up the entire body as if she had been doing this for a long time. And the stick she was using seemed special that men were getting severely beat up but none of their bones were broken. They were just screaming in agony.


    Under normal circumstances, he would not have cared. It did not matter if they did not die. But he couldn¡¯t ignore it because the woman did not have any Akra Resonance. The speed and skill she had also made it easy to tell that she was more powerful than Locke himself. Even without any Akra Resonance, it was obvious.


    ¡®A Count... and with a bad temper. Why at our estate?¡¯


    The woman didn¡¯t seem like a Marquess, but she was at least close to being a mid-level Count. It was a vague guess without fighting her, but her skill had proved enough.


    The Counts were being careful as it was a critical time these days. There was no way a Count woulde visit a Viscount¡¯s Estate, especially without any Akra.


    Viscount Locke reached a conclusion.


    ¡®She trained herself without Akra. But how?¡¯


    There were some who became strong without any help of Akra or a noble¡¯s protection. It was extremely rare, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. But these came out of hiding to roam around the world as it was powerful enough to be a Baron. Locke never heard of one staying in hiding to train to that level of strength.


    Viscount called in the other Barons from below. If he was going to fight, it was good to fight inside the trunk. If he fought outside, themoners might get caught in it and die. Besides, fighting within the trunk would allow him to gather Akra as he fought.


    The best way to resolve it was to not fight against her, but he still needed to prepare for the worst.


    ¡®By the way... I should waive their Akra next month. They¡¯ve done good things. No... I¡¯ll give them a three-month waive topensate for that beating.¡¯


    If he did not see them getting beaten up, he would¡¯ve probably met the same fate as he too relied on Akra Resonance. But those four men allowed him time to prepare.


    Kukuru, a warrior of the ferocious Graans, didn¡¯t feel good as he had missed his prey few days ago. These weak white prey were delicious and gave good amounts of energy when consumed. But these things hid behind weird trees so it was rare to find them out in the open. He almost seeded in attacking them but was knocked out. When he got back up, he and others were all knocked out and the Antaines that they raised so hard had been all killed.


    Kukuru felt unpleasant and kicked the Antaine that he was riding on. If they did not have enough Antaines, it might allow the Barkhans from the ins to invade their territory. They needed to replenish their lost numbers fast. If they allowed an invasion by the Barkhans, their chieftain would surely kill Kukuru for failing. That¡¯s why Kukuru walked into the inner forest where they usually never traveled.


    There was not much to eat and they had strange power that they did not like, but it wasn¡¯t time to be picky. They needed to find food and find what they need to create Antaine.


    As Kukuru hunted down beasts by ordering the Antaines, he felt something was different from before. The strange power could be felt if he was about this far, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    Kukuru became curious but decided to shake it away. It was only better to not feel anything. It allowed him to venture deeper into the forest. Then Kukuru found a smallke when he was looking for a ce to rest. Kukuru ordered Antaines and his subordinates to take rest.


    His subordinates began ying by the water and Kukuru kicked one of them out of anger. It made him fall into theke. The othersughed. But something was weird. He wasn¡¯ting back out.


    Kukuru felt something was wrong and walked into the water to bring him out. It wasn¡¯t deep enough to drown but the fool was still useful. Even if he died, he could be used to feed the Antaines.


    As he walked in, he felt his footing was disappearing from below.


    He was shocked, but he swam for a few seconds before he felt the ground again and stood up.


    Then he shivered at the ominous energy seeped into him. He quickly dived back into the water and there was no energying back. He nced around. There was the fool that he kicked who was crouching by the water also.


    It looked like the red atmosphere was the reason. Kukuru decided to leave and turned to dive back into the water. But the fool called him.


    He was pointing at something outside the well and Kukuru turned to the side.


    It was a mountain of corpses.


    Red monsters that he had never seen before were piled up there. It seemed terrifying and was not something Kukuru would even dare to look at, but they were all dead. Kukuru carefully observed them and became excited.


    Kukuru told his fool to go back and fetch the others. There were food and husks for the Antaines here.


    As Kukuru ordered his subordinates, he walked out of the well. It could be dangerous, but he couldn¡¯t pass up the chance.


    This happened while Sian and Stiel were traveling to the Locke Estate.

 Chapter 149: Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 149: Alpha</h4>


    Sian and Stiel nced around as they walked closer to the tree trunk. The roots became thicker closer to the trunk and more powerful people lived further in.


    ¡°Oh... so they divide where they live by rank.¡±


    Sian spoke as he remembered his Guarran-Tia days when he patrolled the streets of El-Lua. The roots getting thicker meant that it was hard to dig through if one wasn¡¯t a Grand Bander or stronger.


    It also looked more pleasant to live up here than below. It had more amount of energy that allowed for better training.


    ¡°I guess humans are all alike. These people are more primitive I think,¡± Stielmented. They were primitive not because they valued power. It was because they did not care about art or literature. The obvious oue of humans that followed after acquiring prosperity did not apply here because these people only constantly aimed to be stronger.


    As they walked further up, there were no more homes and only a road. At the end of the road was a big gate by the tree trunk. It was the ce where the nobles lived.


    ¡°Hmm... should I knock?¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t know the culture here so he hesitated. But before he could do anything, the giant door opened up smoothly without any sound. There was a kind-looking man behind the door. Sian felt his power was simr to Lagaope¡¯s. He then remembered Lagaope mentioning he was a Baron, so this man seemed to be a Baron.


    ¡°Good day, sir. I am Geshtal.¡±


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Sian.¡±


    ¡°The Viscount is waiting inside. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Uh... sure.¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t expect such a formal wee so he was confused, but he followed anyway. The inside was very wide. Various wood carvings and furniture decorated the area. It was clean, but one couldn¡¯t say it had the artistic creativity that could be expected from the noble houses of the Ra-Sian Continent.


    After passing by, they arrived at a huge room where three men and one woman were standing.


    ¡®Three of them are Barons... and that man in the middle is the Viscount.¡¯


    Superhumans hid their powers, but it was not possible to hide themselves against much stronger beings. Sian managed to see through their powers easily. He then realized what would Stiel be considered here.


    ¡®Stiel would be about a Count then.¡¯


    Stiel was much more powerful than the Viscount and byparing the Viscount to the Baron, he was able to draw a conclusion. As Sian thought about the rank, they opened up first.


    ¡°Good day, I am Locke. I am in charge of this town.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sian.¡±


    ¡°Stiel. Hehe.¡±


    Locke was more confused. The woman was surely much stronger than himself. But that man that followed the noble was very mysterious. However, he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble by discriminating against the man so he concentrated on talking.


    ¡°So, why are you here? Have youe here to settle down?¡±


    He was worried about that, but it had the highest possibility. There was a chance that the woman hade here to gather Akra after learning about the existence of Akra. It seemed she had a small amount of Akra growing within her.


    The estate he cared for had been well-taken care of and a lot of people lived here. That was what drew these four Barons toe under him. But it wasn¡¯t enough for a Count, especially when shared. If this Count decided to settle in, there would be not much Akra left for them to receive.


    ¡®Dammit... do I have to hand it over to her and leave?¡¯


    He had put in too much work for that. As Locke became nervous, the woman spoke.


    ¡°Hm... I didn¡¯t think about doing that, but it is a good idea.¡±


    ¡®NO!¡¯


    Locke regretted speaking up, but the man spoke next.


    ¡°Stiel, don¡¯t tease him. We¡¯re here to ask a few things. We thought only people with some rank would know.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡±


    ¡°I was serious!¡±


    ¡°...what is the question?¡±


    Locke pretended he did not hear the woman ranting and turned to the man. It was better to talk with the man who seemed much weaker.


    ¡°Hmm... we are looking for someone.¡±


    Sian began to exin about the man he was looking for. The name, appearance, and other simple traits. Locke listened to the end asked back, ¡°Is that all? Say, where he was staying when he was a Baron... or his special power...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Thisnd is too vast to search with only that information. And there are too many Barons here. There are at least tens of Barons that appear and disappear within a year. A new Baron doesn¡¯t mean much news.¡±


    A Baron was the easiest to be as it was the lowest rank, and by far hadrgest death count due to inexperience. This Lagaope seemed to be a Baron, so the information wascking.


    ¡°But... have you heard of these names then? Liviath, Robanotton, Karakal, Groyn...¡±


    Sian began describing twelve superhuman names that he knew. As he spoke those names, there was one name that the Viscount recognized.


    ¡°Con-Rad?¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Hm... I¡¯m not sure if that Con-Rad is the same Conrad I know, but I do know a Duke Conrad.¡±


    Viscount began to exin about Duke Conrad.


    Duke Conrad.


    A new noble who appeared suddenly five years ago. He was one of the two most famous names.


    Unlike Barons, a Duke was a very rare being to be found in this vastnd. One that barely appeared in tens of years. They were the one who came at the end of the human race¡¯s limit. There was a way to gain more strength as humans hit the limit so all Dukes differed in power, but they were still very powerfulpared to other nobles.


    Conrad was such a man. After appearing five years ago, he was now one of the fastest that was growing in power. He was in the easternnds, very far from the west where the Viscount was at, but his name was known even at this ce because of his speed and power.


    However, there was nothing surprising about Conrading into power as it was obvious for powerful beings to createrge forces easily. It allowed him to just invade any Marquis¡¯ territory and rule over them under his thumb.


    Also, Dukes were beings that had been blocked by the limit; they could not grow stronger using Akra and sought other ways to be strong, meaning all nobles under them benefited from acquiring Akra with ease. Due to that, no Dukes other than Lorvall created their own force.


    What surprised the world was that Conrad had appeared out of nowhere.


    There was no way for a Duke to just appear all of a sudden. Nobles who had the potential to be a Duke usually had arge estate with a countless number ofmoners to collect Akra. In fact, most Marquis estates had a Ciculus Tree that was tall as the sky andrge as a mountain.


    Yet Conrad did not go through that. He was a Duke when he appeared and he created his forces with his strength.


    That was why the nobles were paying attention to him. No Duke did that. A normal Duke would have finished doing that even before bing one.


    The Viscount was surprised to hear that name from the man who seemed to not know anything. But Sian was excited. He didn¡¯t expect much, but this was a big lead.


    ¡°Oh! Can you exin more about him?¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    Sian was disappointed after hearing from Locke that there weren¡¯t many who knew the exact whereabouts of Conrad.


    ¡°It looks like he travels from estate to estate. Nobody knows where he is until he appears. He wasst seen at Count Levathan¡¯s estate. Would you want to go that way?¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    Sian was going to ask where is nearest Count¡¯s estate was, but someone came into their room calling for the Viscount.


    ¡°Viscount!¡±


    It was Baron Gerahim, who was absent from the room. The other man was someone whom Locke had seen before.


    ¡®Raul... was he?¡¯


    Baron Gerahim was out scouting, so Locke felt something was up.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked Gerahim, but Raul answered instead.


    ¡°We are in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Baron Raul, right? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°An Alpha appeared.¡±


    ¡°...Alpha? What race?¡±


    Locke turned pale at the word. Sian and Stiel forgot what they were asking and was looking at Locke with intrigued expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s the <Graan> race from the western forest.¡±


    ¡°Alpha from the Graans? What in the world...¡±

 Chapter 150: Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 150: Alpha</h4>


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We found him running toward our estate on our way. We heard about the Alpha from him.¡±


    ¡°I see. Baron Raul, exin.¡±


    Raul calmed down and began to exin.


    ¡°It was a few days ago...¡±


    Baron Raul scoffed at the thought ofmoners who left his estate a while ago.


    ¡°Insolentmoners... you should pay your price for being protected. Nothing is worth more than your life.¡±


    Baron Raul became a noble when he was about eighty years old. He was excited at such power and felt like he could do anything. But he quickly realized he wasn¡¯t as powerful as he thought he was. When he was amoner, he was the stronger of the bunch that allowed him to be arrogant, but he was now weakest of all nobles.


    He didn¡¯t like having someone on top of him so he left the popted area to a remotend where a group ofmoners lived. There wasn¡¯t much Akra to be taken from them, but he didn¡¯t care. He knew there will be always someone stronger than him even if he tried hard, so he decided to live with his desires and lust in the small town. The town was so small that no noble wanted to take a share, which was even better for him.


    But it was funny to see thosemoners who had fled. He didn¡¯t care about Akra so it didn¡¯t matter if some of them died out there. He felt good at the thought of them dying out and the survivors running back to his town, begging to be forgiven.


    ¡°Haha... but they are holding out longer than I expected.¡±


    Raul thought it would be nice Parhum¡¯s daughter returned. She was quite attractive and it would be a good chance to kill Parhum if he dared to attack him. Parhum had better talent than Raul himself during hismoner days. It was best to kill that kind of potential, given the opportunity.


    Then Raul felt something ominous from the west of the forest. Raul knew what that ce had and became worried.


    ¡°Did something happen to Apental? Hmm...¡±


    Apental was safe as long as no one entered it, but he didn¡¯t like having such a terrible thing near hisnd. He got up from his bed and left behind the girl he slept with and jumped out to check what was going on.


    He scoffed at the figures from the forest. Familiar gnomes and insects.


    It was the Graans and Antaines.


    They were very far away, but its army was advancing toward his estate.


    ¡°Haha... mad dogs. You¡¯re just some Narija trash...¡±


    Raul came back to his room and took up his sword. He thought it was a good chance to have some fun in a while. But something made him stop. As they got closer, he managed to look at them in detail. It wasn¡¯t the same Graans he was used to. They were now bright red instead of green, and the Antaines in front of them had very durable looking armor on them. But thest thing was more obvious. They were letting out an ominous aura.


    Raul felt a shiver running through his spines. He realized what was going on.


    ¡°Dammit... there¡¯s an Alpha!¡±


    Evolution of the race, the biggest concern of all nobles. It was the birth of the Alpha. It wasn¡¯t something Raul could handle by himself so he headed for Locke¡¯s estate. It wasrgest estate within the area and the closest. He ignored those Antaines charging toward his estate and fled to Viscount Locke¡¯s estate at full speed.


    ¡°This was what happened a few days ago. I met Baron Gerahim along the way and got here.¡±


    Sian looked at Baron Raul who seemed to be proud of what he just informed them about. It looked like he just left his people to die as bait and fled, but he seemed to be thinking he was sessful as a scout to share this message.


    ¡®I guess Parhum had every reason to run.¡¯


    Sian thought as he knew what kind of Raul would have been.


    ¡®Alpha...?¡¯


    Sian didn¡¯t know what it was so he decided to ask them when they were done with their meeting.


    ¡°Alpha of Graan... we didn¡¯t notice any signs during our scouting.¡±


    ¡°No, but even if it did... it will take long time for the entire race of Graan to undergo the change, given their traits.¡±


    If Raul was not lying, it seemed like most of Graans had changed. That was what Locke was most concerned about.


    As Sian could not join in on the discussion, he could not resist the urge to ask.


    ¡°Uh... what is an <Alpha>?¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. You can ask, right?¡±


    ¡°Ha... what are you...?¡±


    Raul became irritated as some fool cut in to ask stupid question. He didn¡¯t have any Akra Resonance so he must be a lowlie, which angered him more. He was already irritated as he lost his estate so he thought about unleashing his anger on the man, but other Barons and Viscounts were present so he decided to hold back.


    ¡®Huh? How dare...¡¯


    Stiel knew what that squid-looking man was thinking as he looked at the lovely Sian so she began thinking about what kind of punishment she would give him, but Raul did not know that and red at Sian.


    Locke saw all that but he ignored it as he opened his mouth to answer the question.


    ¡®It¡¯s better if he makes trouble. I¡¯ll get to know more about that man.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about Alphas.¡±


    There was a clear limit on how powerful a race could be.


    Everyone on the continent knew about this.


    Some races had no way they will be able to achieve the power of a <Noble> rank. It didn¡¯t matter how long it passed and how powerful it got. Theses race were called <Narija>.


    It was a race with no <Nobles>. As such, it didn¡¯t pose any threats to the nobles. It could prove dangerous against themoners, but not the nobles.


    Above them were the <Rotans>.


    These were races that allowed to attain <Noble> level power. Humans were in this rank. As such, races thatbeled as Rotan were very dangerous for nobles. Thus, the nobles worked together to wipe out all Rotan races and left the Narijas. The Narijas were left to keep on threatening themoners so that themoners would ask for protection. If it wasn¡¯t for Duke Lorvall who protected the rights of themon people, nobles would have enved allmoners already. But with Duke Lorvall¡¯sw intact, this was the best oue.


    However, there was one question: why did the nobles want to kill the Narija race?


    This was because of <Alphas>.


    It was a rare mutant among the Narija races. There was no telling when it urred, but these <Alphas> broke their limits and became stronger. They were dangerous enough to be a threat to the nobles.


    One Alpha did not mean much. Even if one became a noble, it only meant that it was as strong as a Baron. However, nobles always were wary of an Alpha¡¯s appearance. If an Alpha were to born, they needed to be killed when it was weak and nobles constantly scouted the areas near their estates. As such, there were tens of Alphas that Viscount Locke killed himself.


    It was not known to themoners, but for the nobles who had lived long lives and knew what happened thousands of years ago, and what kind of disaster could ur when an Alpha and the traits of dangerous races werebined.


    The birth of the two dangerous races, <Murakan> and <Swarm>, represented such disaster.

 Chapter 151: Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 151: Alpha</h4>


    Long ago, long before even anyone could remember...


    The human race had been getting weaker by the days because of the lessening of themoners, but the nobles, or the representation of the might of the humans, still stood strong.


    The Lorvall family insisted that they must preserve themoner group to ensure the survival of the human race, but the insolent nobles did not care to heed the warning.


    <What are they so worried about?>


    <There is no race that is stronger than us humans.>


    <They are getting scared because they will surpass the limit now.>


    The ones in the forbiddennds were scary, but it didn¡¯t matter as long as they avoided going there in the first ce. The only other race that might pose a threat was eradicated by a joint noble force.


    Therefore, no nobles cared to listen to the Lorvall family¡¯s warning, nor did they care about the Alphas either. Even if an Alpha appeared, a monster at the basic level of a Baron was not much of a threat by itself. That was when the ident happened.


    The Alpha born from two monster races of the eastern continent was the culprit.


    A race that lived at the eastern end of the penins, beasts called <Murakans>.


    Another race that also lived in the east, at the southern coast penins were the parasitic <Swarms>.


    These two races almost had no Alphas in their ranks and they were pushed out to the eastern corner by the other races. However, they had two distinct traits.


    <Murakan> Beasts that ate everything. They were just called beasts because they had the ability to morph. They absorbed the shape and power of the prey they consumed. The traits made them seem strong, but the nobles made thisment: ¡°Pointless.¡±


    Even if they consumed and changed with the shape and power, it wasn¡¯t any good if they could not be nobles. If they were strong, they were merely considered as pets. There were some nobles who captured Murakans and kept them as pets. They fed them whatever the nobles wanted them to morph into.


    And <Swarm>, these shared simr traits to the Murakan, but they were different. They were very small, silvery insects that crawled thend with a group of thousands, or millions, like a silvery slime. The group consumed everything in its path and anything that was attacked reached a slime-like state as everything would be covered by millions of those insects.


    Their way of bing powerful was also simple. They used the host that they consumed to live inside them. They absorbed the knowledge and power of the prey they consumed and sent it to their queen. This made the host be one with the swarm, sharing all the knowledge that the swarm had. But made thisment: ¡°Still just dirty mud.¡±


    They could not consume or invade the bodies of nobles and even the race that the Swarms took as a host did not be strong enough. They were not even considered as pets.


    That was when Alphas were born from these races.


    Both Alphas did one thing.


    <Eat me.>


    Murakans jumped in and ate their own kind, while Swarms took the Alpha as their queen. That was when the change began. After that, the race that consumed the Alpha became another Alpha. This happened to both the Murakans and Swarms.


    After bing an Alpha, the Murkans had other Murakans to eat them. This continued on and on until all Murakans became Alphas.


    It was even faster for the Swarms because as soon as Alpha became their queen, it shared its knowledge and secrets of bing an Alpha, paving the way for the rest to easily be Alphas.


    This allowed Murakan and Swarm reach a Rotan level race at an incredible rate and they began advancing out around the continent. Murakans to the west, and Swarms to the south.


    The humans were in their way.


    All nobles, including up to Marquis rank, panicked. Their individual power did not match that of Duke or Marquis, but there were too many of them. The reason why nobles could not win against higher-ranking nobles was because these nobles did not think of joining forces to fight against a greater power. Moreover, there was no reason to.


    But there were just too many Swarms and Murakans. This was also reason why Apental was a forbidden ce. The monsters in there were also Rotan level monsters, but their number was just too much.


    As humans started getting consumed, Swarms and Murakans began increasing in size even faster.


    And when almost the entire continent was being consumed, the Lorvall family stepped out.


    <What did I tell you guys?>


    The Duke showed off his might without hesitation and began pushing back at the Murakans and Swarms. The other nobles were shocked to witness the sheer power of the one who had hit the limit.


    Nheless, it was still a hard fight. The Duke and other nobles barely pushed back the Murakans and Swarms into their penins and Duke transferred them into his home via the entrance and sealed them in.


    That was when he added another suggestion to the suggestion he had been offering for a long time.


    <Learn this and spread it among all of us.>


    <What is this?>


    <It¡¯s a magic that will make us strong. Akrata>.


    The rest was history. Nobles that realized Alpha and a race with certain traits could be a real threat. Thus, they began using Akrata and Ciculus Trees to increase their power.


    When they figured there was potential danger around their surroundings, they wiped it out. They wanted to wipe out Narijas too, but that would makemoners stop offering to transfer their Akra.


    Nobles wanted to havemoners as ves, but after watching Duke¡¯s power, they dared not oppose thew set by them. But they then realized it was better this way becausemoners trained harder to try to be nobles, and it made them able to send more Akra.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Graans don¡¯t have such dangerous traits, so that¡¯s why they were left alone. But to see the number of Alphas increase in that short amount of time...¡±


    Their race was not like Swarm and had no way to increase the number of Alphas like that. It only had been a month since their routine scouting. If Raul was correct, these were not Narijas anymore. They were now Rotans.


    ¡°Dammit... what is up with them?¡± Raul spat.


    ¡°We must send a message to the other estates.¡±


    This problem was not something to be handled by Viscount¡¯s estate alone. They needed to send warnings to other nearby estates and join forces to crush them.


    ¡°Kagera. How many twins do we have?¡±


    ¡°We have all the twins to send messages to the three Viscount estates and two Baron estates.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to send the message.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Twins born here were born with <Communication> magic. This magic allowed twins to share their thoughts no matter how far they were. This allowed nobles to keep the twins to use them as messengers. It meant that they were separating the twins, but the nobles did not care about such things.


    ¡°Other Barons, go with Baron Raul to check their position and see which way they are heading.¡±


    ¡°Huh...? Me?¡±


    Baron Raul seemed to be shocked that he¡¯d been asked to do that.


    ¡°Yes, you. It¡¯s yournd and you don¡¯t have a Ciculus there.¡±


    Locke spoke as he red at Raul. There was no way to refuse.


    ¡®Dammit. This is why I don¡¯t want to deal with the higher ranks.¡¯


    Raul was dragged out. As the other Barons walked out, Locke looked and Stiel and Sian and spoke. If they were leaving, there was no way to stop them as Stiel was a Count.


    ¡°You should leave if you will. This is our duty. If you travel to a Count¡¯s estate, you might find information about Duke Conrad there. I would use the twins to ask, but I don¡¯t have any twins that have a connection with Levadan.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°Okay. Uh, then...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a map?¡±


    Locke seemed to be confused and asked Sian.


    ¡°What do you mean? Aren¡¯t you a noble? You trace the direction of Ciculus by Akra.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Oh... wait. You do not have Akra.¡±


    Locke then realized what was the issue andughed.


    ¡°Do all nobles find their way by using Akra?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We sense the Akra Resonanceing from Ciculus to find our ways. It¡¯s not possible formoners to do that though.¡±


    ¡°Then the map...¡±


    ¡°Why would there be one if you don¡¯t need it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you are to go to Levadan Estate, you must go to Viscount Cokul¡¯s Ciculus and find Levadan¡¯s Ciculus afterward. I can¡¯t help you at the moment though. How are you going to go?¡±


    They were at the brink of being attacked, so it wasn¡¯t possible to ask him to be their guide. Sian scratched his head at theplicated situation.

 Chapter 152: Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 152: Alpha</h4>


    The Barons that went out to scout managed to return quickly.


    ¡°Viscount.¡±


    ¡°Gerahim. What did you find?¡±


    ¡°They are...ing directly toward us. It won¡¯t take that many days and there are... a lot of Alphas.¡±


    Fortunately, not all the Graans had turned into Alphas. It looked like the Chief and a few Great Warriors had turned into Alphas. But it didn¡¯t make the situation any better as the race as a whole was much stronger now.


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    ¡®Did they follow him?¡¯


    Locke red at Baron Raul as he thought. Locke was being gentle as he was in front of Stiel who was a possible Count, but Locke himself wasn¡¯t much of a calm person either. Baron Raul flinched at the re, but he figured he had done nothing wrong and straightened himself up.


    Locke then ordered the Baron and gave him a room. It wasn¡¯t time to think about petty matters. He then walked down to talk with the nobles from the other estates through the twins.


    Raul was mad at what Locke ordered him to do.


    <We will be fighting those Rotans soon. You must join the fight also.>


    That was okay. It was expected as Raul hade over. But the problem was how the other two were being treated. There was the beautiful, gorgeous woman and a weak-looking fool. Both looked like lowlies but Locke considered them as VIP guests. It looked like they were offered to leave whenever they felt like it.


    Raul couldn¡¯tin to Locke so heined to Kagera who was also a Baron, but Kagera said some surprising words to him.


    <You can do whatever you want to do to them. Do as want to your heart¡¯s content.>


    But he did not listen. If a noble was letting a lowlie stay within the trunk and treat them in such a way, there must be a reason. They were even given a better room, which made it even more frustrating. Also, Raul always needed a woman next to him to sleep but he couldn¡¯t do anything to themoners of the Viscount¡¯s estate so he was even more frustrated.


    ¡®Ugh... whatever.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t sure if he could trust Kagera¡¯s words, but even if these lowlies were important people, he thought a Viscount would not value them over a Baron before a fight.


    Raul stood up and walked out to find the lowlies.


    Sian and Stiel came out of the room out of boredom and were walking outside when they felt a guesting to their room.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Raul?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What is that fool doing there?¡±


    ¡°Hm... I think I know why.¡±


    ¡°Sian.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here for a short time, but I think this ce has too many idiots.¡±


    ¡°Well... I would say they¡¯re more primitive.¡±


    The world was created by the difference of sheer power. Power was the only thing that mattered and the weak were not spared. Raul was now looking in other ces after checking to see if the room was empty. Raul was up to no good as he fiercely looked around for Stiel and Sian.


    Sian felt Stiel bing excited.


    ¡°Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. The stick, right? But I¡¯m not sure if this is going to be enough for a superhuman. What if I get hurt? Are you going to look after me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian agreed that it might be a little weak to use against a superhuman, so he took out the gauntlets and put them on Stiel¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Do what you want.¡±


    Sian could guess what Raul was up to, so he didn¡¯t feel sorry for the man. Atst, Raul came out at the empty room. It seemed he was even angrier as he searched around.


    ¡°He looks like a boar.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Raul walked fiercely as he noticed Stiel and Sian. Sian made simtions in his head. This was a Viscount¡¯s estate, so it didn¡¯t seem like a Baron would do whatever he wanted to do, so Sian was able toe up with three possible scenarios.


    Bump into Sian and taunt to be attacked to act in self-defense.


    Sexually harass Stiel so Sian will attack, allowing him to act in self-defense.


    Curse and taunt Sian to be attacked, so he can act in self-defense.


    ¡®Which will it be?¡¯


    Whatever it was, the result would be the same. But Sian didn¡¯t know Raul.


    Smack the man down and take the woman to bed for a good night¡¯s sleep.


    This was the answer that Raul had found.


    Sian could not help to let out a hollowugh as he saw a punch being thrown at him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Raul was shocked when his fist was captured.


    ¡°WHAT! Let me go! What is this! You dog...!¡±


    Raul tried to pull his fist out, but he couldn¡¯t. So he threw his left fist out too. But the weak-looking man easily flicked his head to easily dodge the attack.


    ¡®What...¡¯


    Raul then realized something wasn¡¯t going ording to n. It looked like the woman was taking out something.


    ¡°Huh? Stiel?¡±


    ¡°Why are you hesitating? Don¡¯t say you are just going to stand there?¡±


    The woman handed over a steel stick to the man. Raul felt goosebumps rising on his skin as he saw the stick.


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Raul tried to back away with all of his power, but it was toote.


    ¡°Hm... yeah, maybe I should do it this time. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been relying on you too much.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, no. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let you take it today.¡±


    Raul wanted to run as he watched the man swinging the stick, but he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your face?¡±


    ¡°...it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not only the face.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Locke was curious on what happened to Raul but he decided to move on with the meeting.


    ¡°They areing directly at us. After talking with the other estates, fifteen Barons and five Viscounts will being to our aid. It¡¯s best that we get rid of them in the early stages.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Raul moaned as he rubbed on his swollen eyes. If that many nobles were to join, it seemed it would be easy to wipe out a newly-born Rotan race with ease. That would increase the survival chance for himself also.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take some time for the Counts to arrive, but we¡¯ll stay by the Ciculus and defend ourselves first.¡±


    The distance between estates was too far so it took a long time for them toe. It wasn¡¯t sure how strong these Alpha were, but luckily there were only about fifty Alphas. It seemed it would be enough to fight it off withbined numbers and fight by the Ciculus Tree.


    ¡®We might not need the Count but maybe...¡¯


    As he finished the meeting, Stiel and Sian were standing outside.


    Locke noticed Raul flinch when he saw them, so Locke realized where he got himself beat up like that. But it was surprising that Raul seemed to be afraid of Sian, not Count Stiel.


    ¡®So he does have something up his sleeve.¡¯


    If a Baron was scared, there had to be something. Locke thought it was a good idea to push this fool to pick a fight against them and greeted Sian.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. How is the preparation going?¡±


    ¡°We are getting ready. How is the Akra recharge?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s slow.¡±


    ¡°It takes a long time. You should take it slow.¡±


    Locke felt he was getting relieved as he talked with them. They were mysterious, but they were definitely powerful.


    ¡®I would help, but would they?¡±


    It was good to think that they woulde to help when the time came.


    Kukuru was excited as he saw the great tree. It was a ce he could never invade, but it was different now. They were different.


    He tried to take the meat out through the well, but the meat melted away after it was put into the water. But it wasn¡¯t much of a deal as he could just eat it inside. He then nted Antaine eggs into the monster bodies.


    His race had grown one or two steps stronger after consuming these bodies. There were some who became unlike Graans now, just like Kukuru himself.


    He no longer feared anything. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the tree and the monsters living inside it. He was excited to eat them as he attacked. That was why he went straight to the closest tree. He did invade a few towns on the way, but the monsters that lived within those towns had fled.


    But there was something strangeing to him after he ate the meat.


    <Kill him...>


    <The one who killed us...>


    <Kill him...>


    Kukuru decided to ignore it as it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

 Chapter 153: Alpha

    <h4>Chapter 153: Alpha</h4>


    Locke gasped as he saw the red armying closer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. How did they get strong that fast?¡±


    Based on what the Graans were like, they couldn¡¯t have be strong like that. After the disaster, nobles eradicated any races that had dangerous traits like the Murakans or Swarms even if they were Narija, or a non-hostile race.


    But these Graans had be so much more powerful than what he knew them as. He was even confused that these were really Graans as the color of their skin had changed.


    This wasn¡¯t the important issue at hand however. Locke looked out. He needed to concentrate on the fight.


    Sian and Stiel also watched as they sat on a branch around the middle of the Ciculus Tree.


    ¡°Sian, do you see that red army?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the small things that we sawst time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I think they changed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I see some change.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... yeah. They changed colors and grew bigger. Growing a few levels stronger doesn¡¯t mean much to you I guess.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t you think the energy is familiar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling.¡±


    ¡°I think they did eat something really good for them. The entire race.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sian, you didn¡¯t close that Apental up, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t open it. ...is this my doing?¡±


    ¡°You know that yourself.¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t say anything. He initially had no intention to join the fight as these Graans did nothing bad to him and Locke seemed to be certain that he had ways to defend them.


    Yet this would change everything. It seemed these Graans had eaten the dead monsters that Sian left at Apental.


    ¡°Ha... I¡¯ll go and close the door.¡±


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s good that we know now. It could¡¯ve been worse if it was kept open.¡±


    Stiel smiled at Sian who was waking up. He then disappeared.


    <It¡¯s him...>


    <Him...>


    The Graan¡¯s chieftain, Groran, could not pull himself together with the voices echoing from within. It was bearable until now, but the echo grewrger and began pushing his will to the side.


    He nced around to see what was going on, and found the man passing through them. Then all the Graans began turning to the being passing through at the sky.


    Weaker-minded ones began walking toward the direction that the being went past. They then began to quicken their steps and began to run. Some even hopped on their Antaines to follow.


    As these numbers began to grow, the entire army began running in the same direction.


    Groran tried to stop his army from going in the wrong direction, but it was futile. He himself was now being controlled.


    <...after him.>


    Groran nked and began chasing the being.


    Sian was worried that he might not find theke, but he found it fairly quickly. There were countless green small ones going in while red ones wereing out. These red ones were now muchrger in size.


    ¡°Hah, I¡¯ll close it and finish it.¡±


    Sian quietlynded on the ground. Unlike the past where he made loud bang each time he jumped down, he could do it silently now without any of that.


    ¡®Hehe... I cannd like Chrona now.¡¯


    Sian envied Chrona¡¯snding without any physical disruption but he could do it too now.


    He then began to let loose his energy so these ones would run away.


    ¡®Hehe, this will make things easier.¡¯


    But Sian was wrong. The green ones fled but the red ones did not.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian pondered on what to do about this unexpected turn of events.


    ¡°Hey, friends. I have a job to do if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    The red ones came out of theke slowly. No, after they felt Sian¡¯s power, they were charging out.


    ¡°Oh man.¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Locke became dumbfounded as he saw red Graans going back to the forest while running fiercely. It didn¡¯t seem like they were afraid Locke or the others as they were just about toe charging in.


    There probably was some other reason, but Locke let out a sigh of relief. Whatever it was, it was a good thing that they didn¡¯te. It was time to chase after them and destroy them.


    They now knew that the Graans were a potential threat so they were to be eradicated.


    ¡°Scout the area. Kagera, go after them and find out where they live. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Kagera ran out and Locke returned to the Ciculus. There, he met someone unexpected.


    ¡°Count Karim. When did you arrive? How did youe all the way...¡±


    ¡°I just got here. Am I in the wrong ce? I came to help you know.¡±


    Locke moaned. This man wasn¡¯t someone that was very hospitable.


    Nobody liked Count Karim who had be strong in a very short amount of time. His motto was this:


    He then began pressuring themoners at his estate. Most of the Count estates had many nobles under them to better provide the protection topete with other estates, but Karim did not have any. There were two reasons for that. One was that he did not want to share Akra with anyone else. Another was that he had a bad temper. He was merciless and treated anyone weaker than him, including nobles, like they were ves.


    This kind of thing was usually not possible as other nobles would join forces to fight against it. But it didn¡¯t affect Karim, as he was the son of the one of the two that were the most famous these days.


    Marquis Karltonheim, the ruler of the west. No, he was now a Duke.


    Duke Conrad of the East and Duke Karltonheim of the West. These two were the most famous figures in the world.


    Karim was the son.


    Even when Kartonheim was a Marquis, nobody dared to do anything to Karim as the Marquis¡¯ Estate was very powerful and Karltonheim himself was as powerful also.


    Karim got worse as his father became a Duke. The Duke wasn¡¯t interested in power but it didn¡¯t mean they did not care about their family.


    Karim never came to hunt down Rotans. That was why Locke wasn¡¯t expecting him to appear.


    ¡°They retreated.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then why are you not chasing after them?¡±


    ¡°We are waiting reinforcements... we want to avoid any casualties.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t do that. What if those preciousmoners get hurt?¡±


    ¡®Bastard...¡¯


    Locke gritted his teeth. He did value themoners as they were like livestock. But it was not possible to disobey a Count, so Locke nodded. At least having a Count would lessen the damage.


    ¡°Understood. Then shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not going. Why would I go for those trash?¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, and I heard a female Count arrived here? Where is she? I heard she¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡®Bastard!¡¯


    Locke realized why he hade all the way here.

 Chapter 154: Karltonheim

    <h4>Chapter 154: Karltonheim</h4>


    Count Karim had been tasting the power of the Duke these days.


    He was afraid of nothing even when his father was only a Marquis. No one raised any problems on what he had been doing. Unless the opponent was a Marquis, he had no one to fear. But a Duke! Karim was the one who was the happiest when he heard the news.


    That was when he heard the interesting news from the twins at a Viscount¡¯s estate near him.


    <What... a mutant appeared at the Locke Estate?>


    <Yes. They want you to join the fight...>


    <Nah. You take care of that. Any other news?>


    <I heard that a mysterious Count appeared recently. It¡¯s a female noble with no Akra. That¡¯s all.>


    <Wait.>


    <Huh?>


    <Tell me more about that woman Count.>


    Karim ran out of hisnd at once and headed toward Locke Estate after hearing the news. It was quite a distance, but it wasn¡¯t too far for a Count to go.


    ¡®Stay there until I get to you, my toy.¡¯


    There were some nobles without estates. Teasing and harassing them was the most enjoyable hobby Karim had. It was fun to harass the weak, but harassing the strong was even more enjoyable.


    He never touched a Count as Counts weren¡¯t good opponents to fight against when he fought by his estate. This new Count seemed to have no estate, and so this was his chance.


    After he got there, there were no mutant monsters, but that didn¡¯t matter to him.


    ¡°Where are they? The new nobles.¡±


    ¡°We are not sure. We just know that they are here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s a bit a wide to search... will theye out if I break down this tree?¡± Karim mumbled threateningly. He couldn¡¯t do it as it was a direct order, but this man in front of him didn¡¯t know that.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the lord of this estate? How can you not know... wait. I heard their Akra was weak.¡±


    Karim remembered and nodded. This man really didn¡¯t know if that was the case.


    ¡°You should go now. Go hunt those monsters down.¡±


    ¡°...Understood.¡±


    Karim then searched every part of the tree. He had heard about the appearance but it was toorge. Then after a while, he did find her. She looked just like a standard female noble as he was heard. Nobles came in a variety of sizes and genders. There were small ones, tall ones, cute-looking ones, vicious ones and more. Yet that woman really looked like a standard noble. She had a tall figure with an insolent look on her eyes, and a gait that showed how arrogant and proud she was.


    Karim then walked up to her and checked the prowess. And he reached a conclusion: ¡®I will win.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t check the Akra Resonance, but the opponent seemed to be a little bit stronger than himself. So if he fought with Akra, he would win. It made him rx as he was sure that he will win. He then quickly walked up to her.


    ¡°Good day.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karim thought he was the rudest of the bunch, but she wasn¡¯t any better.


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m Count Karim. I came here to see you.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... why are there so many...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. What do you want?¡±


    Karim frowned at such rude words but he decided to let it pass. It was the best feeling to tame a ferocious beast.


    ¡°Haha, I just thought it would be good to have some good times.¡±


    At once, a violent wind blew out from Karim. He spoke as he let out his full energy, expecting one of two answers. One was that she would give up in fear of power and literally enjoy the good times or two, that she would feel humiliated and charge at him. Both options were good for him.


    Stiel reacted very differently.


    ¡°Hmm? Good times, eh? Yeah, sure. I was bored too.¡±


    Then she walked up to him. Karim grinned.


    ¡®She¡¯s the same type.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t expected, but this was also good.


    ¡°Hahaha, good. Where should we go then?¡±


    ¡°Me? Here¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good, good. I like your style. We¡¯ll do it here.¡±


    Karim became excited as he talked and thought it was a good choice toe.


    ¡®I should take her back to my estate.¡¯


    But before Karim could do anything, he saw somethinging at him and tried to dodge.


    ¡®Dammit! It¡¯s toote!¡¯


    Karim raised up a guard to block the attack and he was thrown off into tree trunk hard. The tree had no damage even after being struck so hard. Its durability was also why nobles loved this tree. It withstood all sorts of things that the nobles did.


    Karim could barely stand up before he felt another iing attack and dodged it. As he made a counter-attack, he blurted angrily.


    ¡°You crazy b*tch! What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°What? You wanted a good time and you¡¯re okay here, right? You said everything was okay! Haha, I don¡¯t have much time so let¡¯s do it quick. Sian¡¯s going toe back soon.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Then Karim noticed Stiel jumping at him with ck metal gauntlets on her hands and he took out his sword and fought back.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Sian, who closed all the entrance of Apental and returned to the tree, found some shing sounds and lighting from the tree. As he focused his eyes, he saw Stiel and a man fighting there. They were using their full power but the Ciculus Tree did not even budge. It was amazing whenpared to the Lagran Region.


    ¡®Stiel¡¯s going to lose.¡¯


    Sian then sped up and approached them. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, so he decided to separate them to ask and thus pushed them away from each other.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Karim and Stiel felt powerful energy pressuring them and jumped back. Karim was confused but Stiel knew what had happened.


    ¡°Ugh, Sian. You¡¯re back early.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Stiel spoke casually but she had umted many wounds, meaning the fight had been intense.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He just came to me and wanted to have a good time.¡±


    ¡°...and?¡±


    ¡°So, we were having a good time.¡±


    Stiel spat blood from her mouth but she really did seem to enjoy the fight. It was good to fight someone as an equal after a long time. However, Sian didn¡¯t feel the same.


    ¡°Stiel, give me that glove.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But it won¡¯t fit your hand,¡± Stiel said. Her hands were bigger than other women¡¯s, but it was still much smaller than Sian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not putting it on.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then why...¡±


    Stiel couldn¡¯t understand but Sian took the glove from her anyway.


    ¡°How am I going to fight without it?¡±


    Stiel was confused but Karim was even more confused.


    ¡°Who are you-¡±


    Karim couldn¡¯t act up as he knew this man was the one who pushed him out with his energy and became tense as the man approached him with a gauntlet. His sight was then filled with a ck gauntlet that the man was holding and tried to block, but it was toote.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Karim screamed as he was struck in the face with the gauntlet. But he couldn¡¯t think as he was then beaten down by the metal gauntlet until he fainted.

 Chapter 155: Karltonheim

    <h4>Chapter 155: Karltonheim</h4>


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    Karim woke up feeling paining from his entire body.


    ¡®What happened?¡¯


    Karim waited for the pain to subside and thought about what brought him in this state. Then he remembered what had happened before he fainted.


    ¡°Those bastards...¡±


    The man was probably the man that appeared along with the woman noble. Karim thought he was probably that Stiel woman¡¯s pet, but he was mistaken. Karim felt goosebumps rising as he remembered the man beating away like a madman.


    As Karim focused on himself to heal, Akra helped him. Then someone came in from outside.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°Viscount Locke... how long have I been out?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Talk.¡±


    ¡°About a week.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    Karim was dumbfounded to hear that.


    ¡°Dammit. Where are those two?¡±


    ¡°They... went for the Cocul Estate. They are heading for the Levadan Estate from there. It has been about three days now.¡±


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    ¡°If... you are thinking about revenge, you should think again.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    Karim became angry at what Locke just told him. But Locke shook his head and exined what he had seen after he went to chase after the Graans.


    ¡°They were all crushed? All those Alphas? And the rest of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Locke was terrified after checking out the size of the Graan army by looking at their corpses. There were hundreds of Alphas and a countless number of minions. It was too much for him and the other nobles to handle. The Graan forces wererge enough that only joint forces of arge number of nobles would be able to push it back.


    ¡°...and the man did it all by himself?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t seem like he wanted to hide it either. If he can do that alone... he¡¯s a Marquis at least.¡±


    ¡°...Dammit.¡±


    That was too powerful for Karim to handle. Some might say that he should ask his father for help, but that was because people did not know much about Karltonheim. He wasn¡¯t the type to overprotect his son. The reason why he let his son run rampant during his Marquis days was to pressure other nobles by using his son. He was now a Duke, who needed no forces, so he probably wasn¡¯t interested in such matters anymore.


    All Dukes left their estate as soon as they became one, as they did not require Akra. Karltonheim Estate was now under fiercepetition on who would take over.


    Karim then decided it was best to report it to his father anyway. It was up to him to decide afterward. Then he left for his estate. His estate was the only ce with the twins connected to the Karltonheim Estate.


    Karim talked through the twins aftering back to his estate. He was very tense.


    <So... they destroyed the entire Apental and beat you up?>


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    Karim answered sheepishly. He was always too terrified by his father Karltonheim, even when it was only a transferred message through a twin¡¯s mouth.


    <So, what do you want from me? Don¡¯t say you want to borrow my hand.>


    Karim shook his head frantically.


    ¡°No! I just thought I should report to you.¡±


    <You don¡¯t need to report such petty matters. By the way, you shoulde here soon.>


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±


    <Duke Conrad ising our way. It will be a good chance for you to see him also. Come.>


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    ¡®Hmph. Who are they?¡¯


    Karltonheim thought about it after finishing up the conversation. Other than the fact that they appeared out of nowhere, there wasn¡¯t anything special about it.


    ¡°Well, if Apental has been closed off, it¡¯s good. But Conrad...¡±


    Duke Conrad contacted to visit him at the moment he became a Duke. It was as expected.


    ¡°I will look forward to your visit.¡±


    Karltonheim smiled.


    ¡°You know, I always thought these people here were so primitive.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But it looks like you adapted well to this ce! I¡¯m proud of you, Sian. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t say anything to Stiel who was enjoying teasing him.


    ¡°Stiel, aren¡¯t you going to thank me or anything? I came to save you like a knight in shining armor, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and beat him up like a mad dog. Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haha... You know I¡¯m just joking right? So was Apental all taken care of?¡±


    Sian seemed unhappy but he sighed and answered.


    ¡°Yeah. I destroyed the entireke and the surroundings so we can¡¯t enter through there anyway. I didn¡¯t expect the dead bodies to have the will to do it.¡±


    ¡°Well, was that why it made those monsterse after you?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Haha. But five years... Did you then fight in there for over a thousand years?¡±


    Stiel remembered it had been over a week when he was dropped at Apentalst time. If the current time was five years, it seemed like it meant a thousand years inside. But Sian shook his head.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s because I was at the eighth floor. I think the time difference lessened as I came up. I think it was probably about a hundred years there. The first floor probably had about same time speed.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Stiel then the changed subject to the Akra.


    ¡°But this Akra is really convenient. We just need to follow this resonance.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just go directly to our final destination?¡±


    ¡°I heard the distance is too far for that.¡±


    Even when the Ciculus Tree had powerful Akra Resonance, it did not reach out too far. Even the Akra Resonance that they were following now, wasn¡¯t really big. It was very slight and a small sign that only superhuman senses could follow.


    ¡°I heard a Marquis or a Duke can cross over one or two estates on the way, but I can¡¯t do that. I guess I¡¯m below a Marquis considering that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the man said he was a Count too. So you must be a Count here.¡±


    As they spoke, they saw a giant tree from a distance.


    ¡°There it is. It really is far.¡±


    It was the Cocul Estate. Cocul Estate¡¯s tree didn¡¯t seem asrge as the tree back at the Locke Estate. After they arrived, they searched for Viscount Cocul.


    ¡°Greetings. I am Cocul.¡±


    Cocul already had learned of theiring so he greeted Stiel and Sian with hospitality. He would have done it anyway even without the message as Stiel was now full of Akra that spread powerful resonance.


    Cocul seemed to be tense and Stiel scoffed.


    ¡°Look, it makes me look like I¡¯m a scary person.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than you having no Akra and beating up everyone every day.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Cocul then turned to the man. Locke said this man next to the Count was even more powerful. But there was no Akra in him. This kind of man was more dangerous because there was a chance that someone might attack him by mistake.


    ¡°So... I heard you are going to Levadan Estate to find out about Duke Conrad?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard he went there while ago.¡±


    ¡°Is Duke Conrad¡¯s information is what you need?¡±


    ¡°No, I want to meet him.¡±


    Cocul then seemed as if he was confused and pped his hands, realizing what had happened.


    ¡°Oh, have you not stopped by a Baron¡¯s Estate on the way?¡±


    ¡°No, I just ran straight here.¡±


    ¡°Then you probably didn¡¯t hear. You don¡¯t need to go to Levadan Estate.¡±


    Coculughed.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°We have received a message, all of us nobles did, that Duke Conrad is on his way to meet with Duke Karltonheim at his estate. You should go there too.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that information that important? To tell all the nobles?¡±


    It was good that he knew, but Sian couldn¡¯t understand why the ruckus at one noble meeting another noble.


    ¡°We won¡¯t have such a chance.¡±


    Cocul also seemed very excited and began exining to Sian who was confused.

 Chapter 156: Coronation

    <h4>Chapter 156: Coronation</h4>


    Commoners were always curious about one thing. Who ranked the nobles?


    There was no definite standard, but higher-rank nobles would know when they saw it. A Viscount could see if one was Baron or a Viscount, and a Count could see who was Count and a Viscount.


    Then who knew if one was a Duke?


    Only a Duke could do that.


    All the nobles on the continent were excited.


    <The coronation of Duke is about tomence!>


    It was a rare moment when a Duke appeared. There was only one way to decide. It was to fight another Duke. There was no need to do this, but it was a continued transition. Thest Duke that reached the rank went to fight the new one.


    Everyone was excited to see this fight. The most recent coronation of Conrad was done in secrecy, so it was even more interesting.


    Karltonheim and Conrad openly announced it and invited people toe.


    <Come and see if you can survive our fight.>


    But no nobles were scared enough. In fact, no one wanted to be considered a chicken so everyone was on their way now. Besides, it was a great honor to see a fight between Dukes.


    Viscount Cocul was one of them.


    Sian, Stiel, and Viscount Cocul were now on their way, crossing the great ins at an incredible speed.


    ¡°So are those Barons noting together?¡±


    ¡°Unlike Karltonheim Estate, Ournd has a lot of Narijas around, so it¡¯s better that they stay behind.¡±


    ¡°Karltonheim¡¯s ce is safe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they eradicated most of the hostile races about 300 years ago when some Alpha appeared. There are only weak or friendly races left there.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Did people have experience with such things?¡±


    Nobles were afraid of the birth of a Rotan level race. The Swarm, or Murakan disaster was about 3000 years ago and since even Dukes only lived for 1000 years, it was weird that people were so scared about those races when they had no firsthand experience seeing them.


    Then Cocul shivered at some bad memory.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    ¡°huh?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I just remembered...¡±


    Cocul then exined everything.


    ¡°What... so you experience that when you be a noble?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s when we go to get the Ciculus Tree... Yes.¡±


    All nobles, except new Barons, wanted a Ciculus Tree to help grow their estate. This tree was now being distributed by the Lorvall family. It was developed by the Ciculus family, but Marquis Ciculus passed the duty onto Lorvall after bing a Duke.


    Nobles then went to the Lorvall family to get the tree, but they were all forced to pay a huge price.


    <I... I won¡¯t ever go for a second tree.>


    Nobles spoke of the same thing aftering back from the Lorvall family.


    <It looks like you don¡¯t see what the point in having an estate. You need to know the gravity of the problem. You can let the Narijas pass, but you can¡¯t do that with the Rotans. We will show you why.>


    Then they dragged the noble into Murakan territory. And then they taught the nobles the terror of Rotans.


    <AAARRGH!>


    After pushing them back in a few more times, they were finally given the tree.


    ¡°Wow, they are hardcore too.¡±


    Lorvall family enforced very primitive ways to enforce things upon nobles, but it worked very well. It was what helped the human race prosper on thisnd.


    ¡°And... they force us in there when we go up a rank.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The higher the rank, a longer the captive of Lorvall family. But they always spoke of the same thing.


    <You all live for hundreds of years. This is nothing. It¡¯s all for your benefit.>


    They did be much stronger as they stayed in Rotan territory, but nobody loveding back from a life-threatening fight.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like the Great North Wall, but a forced one.¡±


    Three of them kept moving while they talked. Cocul seemed to know which way they need to head toward so they didn¡¯t need to stop by any other estates on the way. He was a bit slow, but Sian wasn¡¯t in any hurry and it was good to talk with a person who knew a lot about this world.


    After a long journey, they now saw something appearing over the horizon.


    Stiel was confused. The resonance seemed to be too far to be close.


    ¡°Is that...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the Ciculus of Karltonheim Estate.¡±


    ¡°Whoa...¡±


    Stiel was in awe. It was huge. There was no word to describe its sheer size. The tree back at the Locke Estate was nothing like it. It was as big as a mountain.


    ¡°Haha, well we call it <dek>, which means ck Snake. The trunk resembles a snake¡¯s scales.¡±


    ¡°It even has a name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there aren¡¯t many Ciculuses that are owned by Marquises. Beside, Karltonheim¡¯s tree is unique.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Did you remember that all nobles get their trees from the Lorvall family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But some Marquis Ciculuses are different.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Stiel asked.


    Cocul grinned. ¡°Please guess the age of that tree.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s much more than tens of years.¡±


    ¡°Right. That tree was born since the founding of Ciculus. It was nted when the noble numbers went down drastically after the Murakan and Swarm disaster.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it need the energy of nobles?¡±


    ¡°Correct. It was a time when the human race dwindled and other Rotan races came into power. All nobles andmoners had to join forces around the Marquis. There were twenty-one Ciculus Trees nted at that time while the Lorvall family held the Swarm and Murakans back.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    ¡°After that, Counts or Viscounts went on to create their ownnd with different trees. So that <dek> is one of them. It¡¯s over three thousand years old.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-one... so only the strongest Marquis had them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not all the Ciculuses of the Marquis are the same. And there is a name for those twenty-one Ciculus Trees.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the <Nest of Marquis>.¡±


    ¡°A nest...¡±


    ¡°Marquises who owned those trees usually became Dukes in the end. It also means you need that kind of a tree to provide you its Akra to be a Duke. Another Marquis takes over when the previous Marquis leaves after bing a Duke.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it was raised by many nobles then.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We can safely assume that the tree raises a Marquis in that case. I heard that the Dukes who trained under those Ciculuses came to have special powers.¡±


    They talked more about it and were now by the dek¡¯s roots.


    ¡°Where are we going to stay?¡±


    ¡°Nobles can stay within the trunk. There should be a lot of nobles that have gathered already.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we heard Duke Conrad will being soon. Please, this way.¡±


    Cocul then took Sian and Stiel inside.


    ¡°Which tree did he train upon?¡±


    Karltonheim thought as he read through information about Duke Conrad. He thought Conrad came to power without training by a tree, but he seemed to have a lot of magic to be considered as such.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see once I fight him,¡± Karltonheim mumbled, smiling for the uing battle.

 Chapter 157: Coronation

    <h4>Chapter 157: Coronation</h4>


    ¡®So... they are the ones that trained with Akra. Yes, Karim won¡¯t be enough to fight them.¡¯


    Marquis Ritzson thought as he looked at two who came into the tree. The woman was definitely strong. She seemed to be powerful enough to be a Marquis if she trained within a tree. The Akra Resonance proved it. Karim was one of the stronger Counts, but she seemed to be much stronger.


    But the Marquis was more interested in the man.


    It was him who wiped out the Alpha mutants. If the rumors were true, it was hard even for him to wipe them out single-handedly. He also heard that Karim was beaten up by the man. If those rumors were correct, he was at least a Marquis.


    That was why people were watching out.


    When Karltonheim left this estate after he was crowned as a Duke, it might mean that they have gained anotherpetitor.


    Therefore, Ritzson came all the way here to dek. He couldn¡¯t miss the fight between the Dukes, but that wasn¡¯t enough.


    His own tree wasn¡¯t any smaller as it was raised since his Viscount days, but this Ciculus Tree was much grander. The amount of Akra being supplied by the countless number ofmoners and the dek¡¯s power itself made Ritzson dizzy. Surely, the other Marquises were also tempted to take over this estate.


    But that was after the battle was over. Ritszon then turned to the higher ground of dek. The fight was to be held a bit farther away from here, but it was enough of a distance to watch.


    ¡°So,moners all live by the roots.¡±


    Sian spoke as he looked outside the trunk. Nobles were busy inside finding spots to spectate the fight between the Dukes. Themoners didn¡¯t seem to budge at all. The area near the root was very quiet.


    ¡°Yes, if the battle starts... the aftershocks will be terrifying. But dek can nullify that and that¡¯s the whymoners are staying indoors to keep to themselves.¡±


    ¡°I see. I thought nobles would try to watch it more closely, not from the inside.¡±


    Then Cocul grinned.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s a fight between Dukes. We can see it from here anyways. But I guess we will get to see what kind of magic that the Dukes have earned. Nobody has seen Karltonheim¡¯s powers yet as he recently became a Duke. It¡¯s the same for Conrad... it will be a good fight. I think they will fight by the mountain area there. Nobles ranted that the mountain was bothersome when walking over it, so they will probably erase it with this chance.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡®I should meet with Conrad after.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t a fight to kill each other, so Sian thought it would be okay to ask if Conrad was the Con-Rad he knew about.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t he arrive yet? Why aren¡¯t they starting?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they want to talk about a few things beforehand. We should wait.¡±


    Sian felt powerful energy going up the tree. He became curious since they didn¡¯t start yet, but Stiel seemed uninterested.


    On the top of tall dek were two figures.


    ¡°Greetings. So where did you train?¡± Karltonheim asked Conrad. He wasn¡¯t sure how powerful he was, but now he did. Conrad was at the limit of the race.


    He looked like a small girl, but it didn¡¯t matter. He was a Duke.


    ¡°Is it that important? I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte. I had to take care of my business elsewhere.¡±


    Conrad, who had the body of Kal-Kirat, had grown a bit so he looked like a teenage girl, but a young child was the same to Karltonheim anyway.


    ¡°You must be sure of yourself... to ept it at once.¡±


    Karltonheim asked, frowning. Even after bing a Duke, their power varied because of the way they trained their magic and their skills. Conradughed.


    ¡°Haha, no. I came here to ask you for an offer.¡±


    Karltonheim became intrigued.


    ¡°An offer? What is it?¡±


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know much since you just became a Duke... but I¡¯m only in for five years also. I just took the job since I was free to go. So...¡±


    ¡°Are you one of the members of Duke Lorvall¡¯s group?¡±


    Conrad then stopped the small talk and looked at Karltonheim.


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    Unlike Conrad who seemed to have gained interest, Karltonheim was losing interest.


    ¡°I have a way. It¡¯s not even a secret.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Conrad became stern.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go through a coronation either, didn¡¯t you?¡± Karltonheim asked without answering Conrad.


    ¡°Well... I was just offered an invitation to join because I¡¯m special. But does it matter? You just need to fight once and you can choose whether to join or not.¡±


    Conrad spoke. He was not smiling anymore as he felt something wasn¡¯t going as expected.


    ¡°Well, it does. I don¡¯t want Lorvall knowing something happened to you when you don¡¯t call him back.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Conrad grimaced at the word.


    ¡°...It¡¯s broken.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been doing well to fix the barrier so you must¡¯ve expected as much. I didn¡¯t know that this <Coronation> had been created. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here. The fixing will take longer without you... it will buy me some time too. Perfect.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    Conrad pulled power over his body. Karltonheim didn¡¯t seem like he was going to let him go easily. He was now being overwhelmed by a ck energy.


    Conrad then saw the message popping up.


    [Escape]


    -Enemy has infiltrated through the barrier


    -Escape this ce and send a message to the Lorvall family.


    He needed to get out of dek to even have a chance of fighting against him, but the chances were slim.


    ¡°Cocul.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Cocul turned to Sian, who seemed to be having concerns.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you... say that the coronation is held somewhere far away to keep people from getting hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even when dek can withstand the damage, the aftershock will be too much.¡±


    ¡°Then you should all run.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Right after that moment, a powerful energy wave shook the tree.


    ¡°Ugh... What is...¡±


    ¡°Sian! What happened?¡± Stiel asked as she looked to the top. She knew what was going on, however. It looked like Conrad and Karltonheim had begun fighting at the top of the tree. She just asked because Sian might know much more in detail.


    ¡°I thought Dukes were more civilized... we should get out.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t stay as Stiel would get involved. He thought of getting out first anding back to stop the fight, but a weird screeching rang out and the nobles dropped as they held onto their heads.


    ¡°Ugh... what is this...!¡±


    Sian frowned. The estate was now absorbing all Akra among the tree at an rming rate, including Stiel¡¯s.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Conrad asked as he felt the weird absorption happening from below. It was too ufortable to let it pass without asking.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let the food walk out before I eat them. It¡¯s why I spread rumors to gather all of them.¡±


    ¡°You prepared well. When did youe in?¡±


    ¡°It was getting weak for the past five years. I got in somehow.¡±


    ¡°Dammit... So the weakened Apental was the problem.¡±


    Conrad spat.

 Chapter 158: Coronation

    <h4>Chapter 158: Coronation</h4>


    ¡°Hm... What should I do?¡±


    The Ciculus Tree was now absorbing Akra at an enormous rate and all the nobles andmoners were unconscious. The Marquis or Counts were trying to get out of range, but the energy absorption was too quick so they couldn¡¯t get out in time.


    To make matters worse, Conrad and Karltonheim¡¯s fight sent out powerful earthquakes that were threatening. It was being blocked by dek, but if the fight became more intense, it would surely hurt the people.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t normal.¡¯


    He had never seen a coronation before, but if the others knew that this might happen, they would¡¯ve not stayed here.


    Sian then grabbed Stiel and Cocul with each hand and got out of the tree quickly. He would¡¯ve saved the others but he needed to save the people he knew first.


    Karltonheim smiled.


    ¡®Lorvall you dog... we¡¯re back.¡¯


    Conrad was very strong but it was impossible to beat him when he was being charged by the Ciculus Tree. Karltonheim needed information. All needed information was being sanctioned by the Lorvall family and it seemed like this Conrad was one of them, so he thought he would gather information from Conrad.


    Karltonheim stormed at Conrad. This was his homeground. He had altered the tree to work at his benefit when the time came. All the energy that filled him was the result of such work.


    ¡°Hahaha, you know a lot of interesting tricks! Do all Dukes know that?¡±


    ¡°Damn bastard. You talk too much. This is my own.¡±


    Conrad blocked the ck whip with his <Lu-Sara> and spat. The magic Karltonheim used was simr to the magic Conrad used, but it was more powerful.


    [Status: Karltonheim <Kikero>]


    -Ruler of Rodeval, Descendant of ck Serpent, Infested Noble


    -Level: 399


    -Akra: ...


    -Skills: Infestation, Division, Gorge


    They were both blocked by the limit, but the conditions were too different. Karltonheim was pulling up the energy endlessly from the nobles below and Conrad was blocked of using anymunication or short-range teleportation by using Akra Resonance.


    ¡®He did prepare.¡¯


    Anyone would have been dangerous if they had just walked in here. Conrad then used his most powerful short distance magic, <Akmasai>, at Karltonheim. It was powerful magic that destroyed inner body mechanics by crushing the space. It was very effective against superhumans. Karltonheim¡¯s right hand that was struck turned blue at once and then turned to gray, scattering away.


    Karltonheim casually touched his right arm with his left. ck snakes came out from his left hand and began devouring the gray remnants of the right arm to rece it. Karltonheim looked down at the snakes with loving eyes.


    Then the snakes began swirling themselves, turning into a right arm.


    Conrad scowled at the sight. His magic was very powerful but it was the result of thousands of magic priests that studied to create it. It was fascinating for that kind of magic to be created by one person.


    ¡®This continent is filled with monsters.¡¯


    Then Karltonheim used his new right arm and attacked Conrad. Conrad barely blocked it and blurted out, ¡°Dammit. I wondered how you became a Duke so fast.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it would¡¯ve taken 100 more years if I didn¡¯t get help. People here are more greedy toward power. They are like primitives. I don¡¯t think it was like this before?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not too long since I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    Conrad spoke and used <Lasod-Ra> and <Explosive Fire> at once to attack. However, Karltonheim, blocked the attack easily with his ckened arm and hit Conrad.


    Conrad then was thrown off into corner of a pir.


    ¡°Dammit... I can¡¯t...¡±


    He was dumbfounded that he faced such danger to a ce he was casually visiting. He didn¡¯t spend hundreds of years toe over to thisnd to die here.


    Karltonheim smiled. He was now going to store Conrad here and do it slowly.


    ¡°The world isrge and there are a lot of powerful men. Don¡¯t be too ashamed.¡±


    Karltonheim¡¯s body began turning ck. Then the snake began dropping out of his body and it slithered over to Conrad¡¯s body. It didn¡¯t eat Conrad but it swept up and wrapped Conrad.


    Karltonheim looked on while smiling. The tree was being infested well. He was taking it slow to not get caught, but it was going well.


    The dek was being covered with ck speedily. When the ck came all the way up to the top of Ciculus, his first goal would beplete.


    But he needed to work. Lorval would surely be alerted if Conrad went missing. He couldn¡¯t handle Lorvall¡¯s other Dukes at such a rate. But it was no problem when the one sleeping beneath awakened. Karltonheim then moved down to the bottom of the tree.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why Apental became weaker, but it¡¯s all good.¡±


    Karltonheim was happy that things went as nned since he passed through the cursed barrier.


    Stiel and Cocul quickly regained their health as they got out of the tree¡¯s distance. After the heavy storm of Akra Resonance died out, Stiel asked, ¡°Ugh, do all coronations go through this vampiric event?¡±


    Cocul shook his head while breathing heavily.


    ¡°No... Unless Karltonheim has gone mad...¡±


    It meant this was surely not normal. Stiel then turned to Sian. Her past experience told her that the usual culprit of any abnormality was close by.


    ¡°Sian... is there something you didn¡¯t tell me yet? Maybe you didn¡¯t fully close Apental...¡±


    Sian replied. ¡°No way. I destroyed itpletely. I even checked on the Apental getting broken out from our dimension. It was so hard. I did what I had to do.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t always use me when something wrong happens. Besides, it¡¯s my first timeing here. Why would it be on me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess so. But...¡±


    Stiel seemed unconvinced. She couldn¡¯t find any connections, but it was weird that these unusual events kept happening after they came here.


    ¡°Well, you can me all you want, but it¡¯s not on me this time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Okay, I¡¯m sorry. Maybe I was just shocked.¡±


    ¡°Are you two okay now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Me too. But where are you going to go?¡± Stiel asked Sian who was trying to jump out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take Conrad. He¡¯s our only lead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Stiel then remembered why they were here. The fight unraveling at the top didn¡¯t seem like it was just a casual fight. They were fighting to kill each other. Sian figured they were both about the level of Dukes, enough for Sian to handle easily.


    Sian then jumped quickly to the top of the Ciculus Tree. Its leaves and fruits were all crushed and branches were burned out. He needed to stop before Conrad before he was killed.


    But at that moment, the battle stopped and Conrad¡¯s energy disappeared.


    ¡°Did he die?¡±


    Sian was confused but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t the case. It looked like Karltonheim had done something. He was now jumping down to the roots. Sian then followed Karltonheim to where he was headed.

 Chapter 159: Coronation

    <h4>Chapter 159: Coronation</h4>


    ¡°Hm... is this the ce?¡±


    Sian followed Karltonheim. He took it slow to not scare other the nobles ormoners who were still crouching by the tree. The space below the roots wasrge so it took him some time to find the trace, but after following him for a while, he found that Karltonheim smiling proudly at something.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem like a good man.¡¯


    A good man would not have created a secret room underground and dragged a man down wrapped by ck snakes.


    ¡°Good day.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... You should control your new recruits.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡®Is he mad?¡¯ Sian became confused as Karltonheim was speaking nonsense to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, but I¡¯ll leave you alone if you give him to me.¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t want to spoil the man who seemed to be working hard, so he decided to talk it out. His experience told him it didn¡¯t end well when he used force.


    ¡°Hahaha! What is this! A Lorvall dog trying to solve things peacefully?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, but I¡¯m not rted to Lorvall.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Karltonheim, no, Kikero, then looked at the man with weird eyes. There was no Lorvall seal on him. It was a cursed seal that he could have seen from afar.


    ¡°Then who are you?¡±


    ¡°It looks like you have business with that Conrad, but I do too. Can you give him to me?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    He was at a loss for words as the man didn¡¯t seem to be making sense when he was not even rted to Lorvall.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to threaten you... but I think it¡¯s better for you to just talk things out with me. I was really sad when no one ended up okay when I fought them. It looks like you¡¯re working hard and I envy that. I think you shouldn¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    He said it very carefully, but it meant that he was threatening him to hand over Conrad if Kikero wished to be spared. But he didn¡¯t care. He had fulfilled his goal and it looked like the man didn¡¯t want to solve things by fighting.


    ¡°Haha... well, we don¡¯t need to solve things by talking.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re mistaken-¡±


    Then something came up from the ground and swallowed Sian.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on...¡¯


    After he was swallowed by the ck snakes, his power or magic, everything was nullified. But at least the power of <Connector of Aksarai> still remained and allowed Conrad to check on the status.


    [Escape from the ck Snake¡¯s stomach]


    -Karltonheim¡¯s <ck Snake> magic trained by the ck Serpent sealed within <dek> has consumed you. Escape immediately.


    -Time limit: 5:14


    The limit was decreasing even now.


    ¡®I should¡¯ve gotten the seal.¡¯


    He refused it because he didn¡¯t want to be associated with one ce. But he never imagined he would end up like this. Then a new rm came up. Conrad looked at it, hoping that it was a reinforcement, but it wasn¡¯t.


    [ck Serpent <dek> has been resurrected.]


    [Status: dek]


    -Blue Serpent, Beta of Levara Tribe, Minion of Kikero


    -Level : 1


    -Skill : Gorge, Division


    ¡®Dammit...¡¯


    It was over. It was the one that went over its limit. The problem had gotten too big.


    ¡°HAHAHAHA! SUCCESS!¡±


    [KAAAA!]


    Kikeroughed like a madman as he watched <dek> shooting out of the roots. It was a ck pir passing through the mile-long-roots of the Ciculus Tree. After dek swallowed the fool that walked in, it was moving by the roots with its huge space.


    It was raised well until Karltonheim became a Duke. Kikero waited it out until Karltonheim became a Duke to begin, but it was worth the wait. He even managed to capture Conrad that used special magic. He didn¡¯t have the seal, but it didn¡¯t matter since he was connected to the barrier.


    The biggest sess anyway was that Kikero removed the magic that sealed dek. He wasn¡¯t sure why all these nobles wanted to watch two who were not even Alphas, but it helped him get energy enough to unseal the bind.


    ¡°I should tend to the Ciculus now.¡±


    dek was also veryrge, but it would take a long time for it to destroy this Ciculus Tree. It was the tree that was sessfully bound the snake and sucked its life to grow. At that moment, ck energy came out from Karltonheim¡¯s ears, mouth, eyes, and every opening and was absorbed into the roots.


    <Hehehe...>


    It was now to speed up the infestation of this tree.


    <dek, go up and satisfy your hunger. Nobles are good sources, but themoners are okay. Oh, eat him too.>


    <KIIIII!>


    <Huh?>


    dek was screeching constantly. Kikero then realized why.


    Kikero quickly sped up the infestation to the Ciculus. But the problem was much more severe. The great serpent writhed in pain between the roots but it couldn¡¯t move much as roots were too much. Then, at that moment, the neck part of the great serpent began to rip. It was hundreds of yards away from its mouth but the weird sound could easily be heard.


    <What?>


    dek¡¯s insides weren¡¯t like the simple insides of an animal. It was the space of another dimension that sealed the power of the one it consumed. It wasn¡¯t something that could be ripped apart.


    There were definitely ripping soundsing from dek¡¯s neck.


    Atst, dek¡¯s neck was ripped and two figures jumped out of it. dek couldn¡¯t bear the pain and transformed to millions of small ck snakes. It was Conrad and the man that dek just swallowed.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    <Dammit! dek! Block him!>


    He needed to buy time. He wasn¡¯t sure who that was, but he just needed to finish infesting this tree and he¡¯d be invincible. Kikero then ran to the core while millions of snakes were attacking Sian.


    ¡°Ugh, you dirty rat...!¡±


    Sian thought about chasing after him, but it might endanger Conrad who was unconscious so Sian began grinding all the snakes that were attacking him.


    <What is that monster...?>


    Kikero couldn¡¯t believe what he saw.


    ¡®Let¡¯s focus.¡¯


    He decided to give up on dek as it will not win against such a monster. He also decided to give up on Conrad and Karltonheim that he left behind. He just needed to infest Ciculus.


    The infestation was now almostplete. The tree was turning to ck smog and mud.


    ¡®Almost done... now I just need to remove the barrier...¡±


    ¡°You were here.¡±


    <!!!>


    Kikero turned to the man standing behind him.


    <Dammit... but you¡¯re toote. The core is already infested. You must know what that means?>


    ¡°?¡±


    Sian was readying to smack Kikero but Kikero quickly replied frantically.


    <W-Wait! You fool! I¡¯m now one with Ciculus! You killing me means you¡¯re killing the tree also! Is that okay?>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Sian clenched his fist but Kikero panicked even more.


    <DAMMIT! It means there will be a hole in the barrier! Are you really okay? It¡¯s the BARRIER!>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying, but let me ask you one thing. So you¡¯re saying that barrier shouldn¡¯t be broken?¡±


    <YES->


    ¡°And you were ying inside here to kill the tree.¡±


    Sian asked and checked on the tree that was quickly dying out.


    <...>


    ¡°That exins it.¡±


    <WAI->


    But before Kikero could say much, Sian smacked the core that was the source of the infestation.

 Chapter 160: Barrier

    <h4>Chapter 160: Barrier</h4>


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    [Questpleted: You have escaped the ck Serpent¡¯s bind.]


    Conrad ignored the message window and nced around.


    ¡®How did I get out? Did someone from Lorvalle here?¡¯


    Conrad shook his head. If that was the case, he would¡¯ve been notified.


    ¡°Then, who is it?¡±


    He then realized there were millions of dead snakes around. It was surely an Alpha from the sealed Levara tribe. It was only at stage 1, but to destroy it at this level was beyond believable.


    He then felt a strong energy radianceing out from above and ran out.


    <UGH! Nngh...!>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian punched the core and the infested area reduced each time. He couldn¡¯t smack it too hard as it would destroy the core, but this Kikero was able to withstand the weakened punch. It was also absorbing the tree¡¯s lifeforce so Sian was having a hard time.


    ¡®There¡¯re some weird races here.¡¯


    It seemed like this ck smog was also a weird race. After a while of continuous smacking, the infestation diminished and so did Kikero¡¯s power.


    <Hehehehe...>


    The smog was still smiling.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    <Because... it¡¯s time... hehehe...>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    At that moment, the smog boiled up instantly and evaporated. The ce was now left with the core that had used all of its energy. The mysterious smog destroyed the core before itpletely died out.


    ¡°Ugh... it even self-explodes.¡±


    Sian was frustrated but he realized it wasn¡¯t his fault that the tree was destroyed since it was going to be destroyed anyway if he didn¡¯t do anything. The person who watched from behind thought differently.


    Conrad was dumbfounded when he found Sian punching the core. And there it was, the destroyed core.


    ¡°What have you... did you just destroy Ciculus?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    <dek>, the Ciculus Tree of the Karltonheim Estate, was now in an entirely different state from any other day. Its sky-covering leaves were dried out and all the branches were damaged by the fight between Conrad and Kartonheim. The tree trunk and its roots seemed to be intact, but they were not. The core that allowed the tree to grow was destroyed, so the roots were losing its power and the trunk that was full of Akra energy from the environment was now empty.


    Above the roots were the nobles and themoners regaining their strength as they plopped down at random ces. Their Akras were taken out of their bodies forcefully so a lot of people almost fainted and they needed time to recover.


    There were four people watching over this.


    Duke Karltonheim, Duke Conrad, Sian, and Stiel. They were gathered at the top of the tree.


    ¡®I¡¯ve seen her somewhere...¡¯


    Sian knew the girl from before, but it was an entirely different being now. He decided to askter and concentrated on Karltonheim and Conrad¡¯s discussion.


    ¡°What happened...¡±


    ¡°Duke Karltonheim, are you okay?¡± Conrad asked. He had heard about the banished race, Gerna, for the past five years, but it was his first time actually seeing an infested one. The status window showed that the infestation was lifted but Karltonheim didn¡¯t seem too well.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m okay. But I¡¯m not sure what happened.¡±


    Karltonheim was dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t know there was a race that could control a noble. It was shocking. If this race controlled a Duke, then that meant it could control the whole human race.


    Conrad smiled bitterly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get to know about it as time goes on, but this is a special case. I think all of you here have the right to hear, so I¡¯ll exin.¡±


    Conrad nced at Sian and Stiel, but he figured it¡¯d going to be okay. They didn¡¯t seem like the type to go away anyway.


    ¡°The race that controlled you... is called Gerna.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of them.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Lorvall hid their existence.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯splicated... but they were holding them back well,¡± Conrad continued.


    The continent was full of interesting species 3000 years ago. There were a lot of species like Murakans, Swarms, Graans, or Barkhans. Humans did not care about the other species back then so there was a various number of species.


    But Gerna was a special one.


    <Gerna>


    They did not have a body. They traveled around in a ck smog-like state. But they hated roaming in the air so they always found somewhere to settle down and control a species. It didn¡¯t matter what species it was. They always invaded and controlled one when something was avable.


    A Gerna invasion wasn¡¯t all that bad as it made the host to grow in power quickly. Gerna guided the host to be stronger as it was good to have a strong host, but Gerna had full control over the host.


    They were all over the ce on the continent, but it was not widely known. This species didn¡¯t do much even after taking control, so nobody noticed them. They just continued to increase their numbers.


    The strangest part about this species was that as their host became stronger, they also became stronger. They could not invade and control others who were stronger than them so they started out with the weak and grew stronger to control stronger targets as time went on.


    That was when the Lorvall family realized that the Gerna had spread among many humans. Upon closer examination, they found these Gerna were everywhere throughout the continent.


    Lorvall did not want them. They weren¡¯t doing much now, but these were parasites that devoured the living soul and controlled it. Lorvall wanted the human race to be strongest so the Gerna was a bad sign.


    That was when Lorvall decided to drive them out. However, it wasn¡¯t easy as it was spread out too wide through thend. So they decided to do two things.


    Eradicate parasites or drive them out before being infected.


    Never allow them to invade the human bodies again.


    Lorvall then gathered all who weren¡¯t infested and began executing their n. It was a new <Revolution>.

 Chapter 161: Barrier

    <h4>Chapter 161: Barrier</h4>


    ¡°It was hard to fight against an infested species. Humans were powerful, but it included arge number of infested people.¡±


    Conrad exined.


    The humans thought they were the most powerful, but most of the power had been transferred to the Gerna already. And the infestation didn¡¯t only remain on humans. There were a lot of other strong species too.


    Thus, there were two big problems at hand.


    One was that they could escape before the host died and try to invade others.


    Another was that Alphas were born among the Rotans with Gerna¡¯s help. These were too strong for even Lorvall to fight against.


    Lorvall then created a new species to counter the Gerna.


    These species were powerful enough to fight against Alphas and resist the control of the Gerna.


    ¡°And... these species were Murakan and Swarm. Well, they didn¡¯t make it to be exact. They just altered them.¡±


    They studied the Narijas, created Alphas, and pulled them up to Rotan level. Duke Lorvall then used his magic to stamp the <Seal> on these races. It was the seal of control that enabled him to rule over them and Gerna could not control them. One would only need to control a single Swarm or Murakan to control the whole race.


    The new species left the penins where they were being tested on, and roamed thends. It devoured the infested species and killed them. They killed all the infested humans, which was one-third of the whole human poption.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how Murakans and Swarms were born...¡±


    Karltonheim was dumbfounded as he continued listening. The disaster was actually intended.


    ¡°Yes, it made them retreat to the north.¡±


    Lorvall sessfully drove the Gerna out back to the northernnds, but one thing was left remaining.


    How were they going to block them out from entering? They were hard to kill when they were in their spiritual, smog-like state. Lorvall did not want to create another disaster to kill people if the infestation urred again.


    That was when Lorvall began making arge barrier to block their invasion. A barrier big enough to protect not only the humans, but all species that roamed thend.


    Lorvall found the hint from Apental. Apental was a ce where spiritual beings were sucked in and never allowed toe out. That was where Lorvall got the idea from and he nted the twenty-one Ciculus Trees around human territory to create a big dimensional barrier. It wasn¡¯t much as he justbined Apental and Ciculus and increased their absorption over to the entire humannds. This allowed the Gerna to be absorbed into Apental when they approached.


    ¡®And that¡¯s why our teleportations were always connected to Apental...¡¯


    Conrad smiled bitterly as he remembered performing the experiment with Takion. They did not know why they were being pulled into Apental then, but it was this barrier that made it happen.


    ¡°So no Gerna came over after that?¡± Karltonheim asked.


    ¡°Yes. As long as the barrier was intact, they would note over.¡±


    ¡°...So what happened this time?¡± Karltonheim asked again. If this barrier was being held up tightly, there was no way this could have happened. Duke couldn¡¯t control himself but he remembered what had happened while he was being controlled.


    Conrad smiled.


    ¡°Because... Apental had be weak in the past five years.¡±


    Conrad remembered the days when he arrived. Lorvall contacted him when he was walking thesends and told him to join them for their goal. Conrad shared their interest on making mankind the most powerful species and joined them. But he didn¡¯t want to serve them so he did not get the seal and just created an alliance with them.


    After telling him various information, Lorvall asked Conrad, <The barrier that blocked the Gerna has been weakening in recent days. It¡¯s probably because Apental is betting weaker. Can you fix the barrier for us?>


    Conrad after examining on Akra and Ciculus and how barriers were formed, concluded that it was possible. Therefore, he began traveling around thends to fix the barrier.


    The barrier was created by the runes installed at the Ciculus Trees. People here were not really good at magic unless its focus was to destroy, so Conrad used all of his knowledge to fix it. He just needed to overwrite the existing magic runes and it would make the Gerna stay out even without Apental.


    He was going over all twenty-one Ciculus Trees, but the speed of Apental being destroyed had quickened and came to the problem. If it wasn¡¯t for Sian, this ce would¡¯ve been the start of barrier¡¯s destruction.


    Stiel was looking at Sian with a weird smile. Sian asked, ¡°Stiel, what¡¯s with that smirk?¡±


    ¡°Hehe... what did I tell you? I knew there had to be some connection.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not your fault but I was right! Hahaha, you always exceed expectations.¡±


    Conrad became curious as he heard Stielughing and he approached.


    ¡°I amte on introducing myself. I have heard a lot about you, Sian. I must thank you for saving me.¡±


    ¡°No problem. But are you really Con-Rad? You look like someone I know...¡±


    Sian asked the question he had from the beginning.


    ¡°So, you must know about the owner of this body. I have been reborn into this body as the soul of the previous owner was destroyed. I¡¯m sure you know about the orb?¡±


    Conrad didn¡¯t go through the normal process of reincarnation so he didn¡¯t have Kirat¡¯s memory. But it seemed like Sian knew about the owner of the body. Sian decided to let it go as it wasn¡¯t a friendly acquaintance. He then realized why Conrad was speaking like a hundred-years-old man when he looked like a teenage girl.


    ¡°Oh... uh, nevermind then. It¡¯s good to meet you too. So how do you know about me?¡± Conradughed.


    ¡°I have heard from Lagaope, but I have a special skill too. It is really convenient.¡±


    Conrad was talking casually but he was shocked at what he was seeing.


    ¡®By the Gods... the Third stage mutant?¡¯


    [Status: Sian von Roman]


    -Second Roman son, Beta of Human race, Unintended Destroyer (Special Title from the achievement)


    -Level: 3


    -Skill: ???


    He was shocked when he saw Duke Lorvall, but Sian was much more than he expected. He couldn¡¯t believe that such man was born from the Ra-Sian Continent.


    ¡®And what is that weird title?¡¯


    Conrad couldn¡¯t pass on the weird title and asked, ¡°I thought you decided to stay behind. How did youe over?¡±


    It seemed Sian was nning to live peacefully on the other continent. But he was here now.


    ¡°Oh.. that...¡±


    Sian began to exin what had happened after. Conrad was left speechless.


    ¡®So, he killed all those monsters within Apental and came up?¡¯


    That was why the barrier wasn¡¯t working. Apental was destroyed from within so it was why barrier didn¡¯t work. The way that they thought about, but didn¡¯t dare to try, was done by Sian alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s... an amazing feat.¡±


    Conrad spoke from bottom of his heart. The reason why Apental had no guard was because if there was a man who was strong enough to survive in there, no guard would work against him.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to do that and it almost got me killed. By the way, what were those below?¡±


    Sian decided to ask about Ra-Shar-Roater and asked the questions at hand now. The ck Serpent could only be killed because Sian had be stronger after Apental. If it wasn¡¯t for him, the snake would have consumed everything. He thought he was the strongest here after looking at the Dukes, but this changed things. Those thingsbined could be dangerous.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, you mean dek. It must your first time seeing a Beta.¡±


    Ra-Sian didn¡¯t have any Betas so it was why Sian didn¡¯t know.


    Conrad began to exin.

 Chapter 162: Core

    <h4>Chapter 162: Core</h4>


    Races that transformed from Narija to Rotan were called Alphas. However, even though humans said they hit the limit, or the wall, it didn¡¯t mean there was a level above it. The Seven-Horned Harijan was good evidence for this. Even among the Rotans, there were some who surpassed their limits to reach the next level.


    They were also called Alphas, meaning the first of its race. But there was a difference between Narija and Rotan. Unlike the Narijas who could be Alphas with just one mutation, Rotans needed to ovee many barriers to be an Alpha.


    Those beings that encountered the barriers but weren¡¯t Alphas yet were named Betas.


    ¡®Hm... so I am a Beta?¡¯


    Sian was on his way so he was probably a Beta then.


    ¡°The serpent you saw was a Beta. It¡¯s a Beta of the ancient race called <Levara>. This is why the Gerna are dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You mean-¡±


    ¡°Yes, they were controlled by the Gerna. No, they overcame the barrier when they were infested by the Gerna. Both races are able to ovee the barrier together, which makes the infestation even more dangerous.¡±


    That was why they attacked the Gerna before more Betas appeared. They were strong, but there weren¡¯t that many Betas yet so thebined number of Swarms and Murakans barely managed to destroy them. All in all, Lorvall thought they would be a useful food source for the growing Ciculus Trees so they buried them underground.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why all the Dukes who trained by the tree were able to obtain the power.¡±


    Karltonheim nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it grew with the power of Betas... it allows you to gain the magic that the Beta had.¡±


    Karltonheim¡¯s magic <ck Serpent> wasn¡¯t something to be considered lightly. It was powerful magic used by an ancient race. Karltonheim smiled bitterly.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not mine... and I was controlled. I am ashamed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You would¡¯ve be a Duke anyway. It is why you have been in control of the twenty-one Ciculus trees.¡±


    Sian curiously asked, ¡°But can we leave it like that? I thought that tree is what reinforces the barrier.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not okay, but we can¡¯t do anything now. We can¡¯t maintain the barrier until those people get up to their feet and send Akra to the tree. Luckily, the tree wasn¡¯t destroyed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was no way to gather all thosemoners now since it was going to take time for them to recover.


    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Sian asked.


    Conrad shook his head. ¡°I just fixed the barrier so I¡¯m not sure. I just made sure they could not destroy this entire tree but we can¡¯t create a barrier without the core. So, we have one thing to do.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We should ask the person who nned this.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is there a twin connected to the Lorvall Estate? I have never heard of...¡±


    Karltonheim spoke as he never heard of such thing, but Conrad smiled.


    ¡°There¡¯s a way.¡±


    Conrad then began preparing to activate the magic. Sian sensed the familiar flow of energy and spoke.


    ¡°Communication magic?¡±


    ¡°Right. We don¡¯t need a twin to talk.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to have the same frequency on the other side? And a lot of energy?¡± Sian asked as that was what he heard. Even at Ra-Sian, they needed an artifact or a building made formunication purposes for it to work. Yet Conrad seemed to not have such limitations.


    ¡°I am a Duke here so I should be able to do such a thing. But I¡¯m the only one who can use magic here so it relies on me... but we have the twins for another method.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Conrad was the Emperor of the Old Empire and had studied magic endlessly. It would be weird if he couldn¡¯t do such a thing. Conrad then seemed to have sessfully connected and began talking.


    Stiel and Sian eagerly watched Conrad.


    ¡°He must be talking to Lorvall.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    After a while, Conrad finished talking and turned back to the three people.


    ¡°Okay... I talked about what to do next. It¡¯s good that you are here.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I have good news and bad news for me, and the same for you Sian. What do you want to hear first?¡±


    Sian answered, ¡°Let¡¯s start with yours first.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. The good news is that the barriers can be restored. Only the tree¡¯s core was destroyed so we can rece the core before the tree dries out. Luckily... this Ciculus Tree is thest one we have to fix so when we restore this tree, the barrier will beplete.¡±


    If Conrad had managed to finish the barrier quick enough, the core wouldn¡¯t have been destroyed.


    ¡°Oh, so the barrier will work then,¡± Karltonheim answered brightly.


    ¡°Yes. We just need the core, send Akra into it, and the barrier will work as intended.¡±


    Sian then became confused and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that there are no more Ciculus Tree cores? I heard these twenty-one trees use special cores...¡±


    That was what Sian heard from Conrad¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°Yes... that is the bad news. Lorvall says he has no leftover cores. He knows where to go to get it, but it¡¯s really hard to get it.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Sian answered. That wasn¡¯t any good even if the barrier was fixable.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about you, Sian. You said you came to see me because you want to go back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sian nodded. He was looking for Lagaope, but he remembered that Conrad was probably in charge of the instation of Ra-Shar-Roa since Lagaope did not know how to use magic.


    Conrad answered, ¡°The good news is that you can go back home.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The first thing I did when I got here was that I tested to see if I could install Ra-Shar-Roa. I did manage to find out that if we alter Akra and Ciculus a bit, it could let us use Ra-Shar-Roa. It would take a lot of energy and alteration to go across the continent, but it can be done.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the bad news?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for both of us. Since our barrier isn¡¯t finished yet, we don¡¯t have the manpower to focus on alteration. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t install Ra-Shar-Roa yet. I needed to fortify the barrier first.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°To be exact, you will never go back home at this rate. The Gerna will keep invading and they will keep trying to destroy the barrier. There¡¯s a small room for now but they will surely attack Ciculus first. We can¡¯t travel far without Ciculus.¡±


    ¡°So, I need to get the core then.¡±


    Conrad nodded.


    ¡°Yes, while we hold back the Gerna... it would be great if you could go and get the core for us. But don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t be much of a problem if you came through Apental. For us... it¡¯s better for us to fight the Gerna.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Sian nodded. There was no other way.


    ¡°Let me exin on the way. It¡¯s a very remote ce but it¡¯s hard to miss.¡±


    Conrad then started exining.

 Chapter 163: Core

    <h4>Chapter 163: Core</h4>


    Sian was running through the ins with Stiel, reminded of what Conrad had exined to them.


    ¡°I should make it quick.¡±


    ¡°Well, it will take some time for themoners to recover and for the alteration to the rune to be finished. You shoulde back before that is over.¡±


    Conrad seemed overly rxed and Sian wondered why.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a serious problem? You look too rxed.¡±


    It was a race that made humans suffer terribly enough to drive it out. Inparison, Conrad seemed like he was more irritated than concerned.


    ¡°Haha... well we did alter all the Ciculus Trees to work as small barriers. Even without the twenty-one trees, all the big cities that a Marquis or a Count ruled over had their trees altered to work as a barrier to block the infestation underneath it. You can enter the tree if it¡¯s infested though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then...¡±


    Sian realized why Conrad was so rxed.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good that they wiped out most of the monsters around the area. The only ones that they can control are either some Counts... Viscounts or Barons... and some Narija races. It won¡¯t be enough to fight against big estates of a Marquis or a Count. Given a long period time, it will still be dangerous, but we will finish it before it takes that long. We just need you to fetch that core to seal it tight.¡±


    This was why Conrad wasn¡¯t worried.


    ¡°Oh, and you should take this Stiel.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    It was a small marble.


    ¡°It works for one person, but it will block any Gerna from entering. It¡¯s easy to make but we don¡¯t have any Talic Stones to make any more. It¡¯s for me, but I won¡¯t be leaving this ce until the barrier is finished so it¡¯s okay. They can¡¯te into the tree anymore.¡±


    Conrad was working on something when the situation was over and Sian realized what it was. Stiel nodded.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°We have not seen any Gerna powerful enough to invade you. If there were such Gerna, they would have already broken the barrier. Have a safe trip.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. So wiping out those races helped that way.¡±


    Even if the Gerna was threatening, they were not much of a threat when they had no host to consume.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a nice trip.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we still have to hurry. First, we have to head in the direction of Apental.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was...¡±


    Conrad had simply answered Sian¡¯s question on where to go.


    <Lorvall told me... that it¡¯s at the west end of Apental. I¡¯ve never been there but is this enough to find it? Hm... hold on.>


    It seemed like Conrad wasn¡¯t too sure and he tried tomunicate again with Lorvall, but that was the only exnation.


    ¡°Sian, do you think you can find Apental¡¯s entrance?¡±


    This was a ce without any maps so Stiel was worried that it might be hard to find a simpleke but Sian wasn¡¯t concerned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Oh, there it is.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel realized why Sian wasn¡¯t concerned about trying to find Apental. There was a crater in the forest as if arge meteor had fallen there.


    ¡°So we just have to go straight toward the west from here... but can we really find it that way?¡±


    Conrad said not to worry as they could easily find the ce. As they ran, Sian knew what he meant.


    ¡°It should be that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. This continent was full of powerful people but there was no civilization. There no literature, art, or manners. But there was this huge structure beyond the forest. Whaty ahead was a wide ocean over the horizon.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s why no one lived over on this side. There¡¯s only an ocean.¡±


    The building was located at the end of the cliff. It was huge and had an unusual look to it.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s made out of stone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s metal... but to create the entire building with metal?¡±


    Stiel tapped on the building wall curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any danger. Let¡¯s head in.¡±


    They walked inside the building.


    ¡°This is interesting.¡±


    Sian nced around. This was like the armory <Amaran> that Lagaope showed him before. This one, however, was lifeless and was dusty.


    ¡°So... this is the ce where Lorvall stayed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But it¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Sian was never good at machinery so he couldn¡¯t understand what all this was for and so did Stiel.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s find the core and get out.¡±


    ¡°Conrad said we just need to go down and we¡¯ll find the core.¡±


    Stiel shook her head at the exnation and sighed.


    ¡°Go west of Apental, find a strange building and go down... how detailed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s amazing that no further exnation was needed.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t find the core yet but the direction did get them to the right ce and they began finding a way down. He thought about just smashing his way in but he couldn¡¯t as it might destroy the core.


    Stiel then found something ced in the middle of the building.


    ¡°Sian, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I can¡¯t find anything else, so...¡±


    There was no stairway connected underground. The ce Stiel pointed to had a strange-looking ring installed there. Inside was a blueish barrier that shielded the view of the other side.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go in, but I think that¡¯s where the core is being held.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It reminds me of Apental.¡±


    It didn¡¯t feel that dangerous so Sian decided to go in.


    ¡°Do you want to stay behind?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll look around.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Come in if you find any danger.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything around here.¡±


    Sian nodded. He scanned the area a while ago and found nothing. He then jumped into the blue barrier.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡±


    It was a vast space. The floor was created with some unknown metal and the ceiling was created with some various crystal orbs so it was very dark.


    It did not bother Sian. What bothered him were the living beings inside. They were all different shapes and sizes but they all had one thing inmon. Powerful energy flowing through their bodies and armor-like outer carapaces. They were each ced at the corners of this vast space.


    ¡°This continent really a lot stronger. They¡¯re all Betas.¡±


    Conrad said there were names for those who overcame the barrier like Sian. He overheard it back then but he realized that it meant that this world had a lot of those beings. These were all Betas. It seemed that they had barely reached the first stage, but there were a lot of them.


    Sian then realized why Conrad said it was nothing for Sian.


    ¡®It¡¯s about Apental¡¯s level.¡¯


    The ones in Apental were all blocked by the wall, but there were more of them there.


    ¡®And they¡¯re all fatigued.¡¯


    These Betas looked very tired. Sian should be an intruder to them, but they did not pay much attention and just sat at each corner.


    ¡®Good for me.¡¯


    Sian thought it would be good if he didn¡¯t have to fight. He began ncing around to look for a way downstairs but the Betas began changing their attitude.


    <Kar..gg..>


    ¡°Hmph. I knew it.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect to walk peacefully and the Betas began standing up.


    ¡®Will they cower if I unleash the full energy?¡¯


    Sian couldn¡¯t find the entrance yet so he exerted all of his energy outward. If these things had instincts, they would not try to fight someone stronger than them. Sian was wrong about that.


    ¡°OH my.¡±


    All the Betas, including the ones that were resting further away, stood up instantly and began charging at Sian.


    Sian let out a sigh.

 Chapter 164: Core

    <h4>Chapter 164: Core</h4>


    Sian realized what was going on as he fought off the Betas.


    ¡®They¡¯re defending against the intruder. That¡¯s why they couldn¡¯te.¡¯


    It would require a very powerful being to pass through such defenses. It seemed that Lorvall did not have such a man either. It would have been dangerous if it was before Sian entered Apental, but this also meant that it was no threat to Sian now.


    Sian advanced as he destroyed the Betas. There were Betasing up from below so it was easy to find the way down. He carefully walked down as there might be stronger beingsing up, but there weren¡¯t any.


    After going down three floors, there was another ring that worked as an entrance.


    ¡®Please don¡¯t say that it¡¯s an exit.¡¯


    Sian sighed and walked in.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    He thought there would be another Beta, but there wasn¡¯t. It was like ab. Unlike therge building upstairs, this was like a small, personalb.


    ¡®So, the core is in here.¡¯


    Sian expected something amazing to be stored in theb, but there wasn¡¯t anything special so Sian became disappointed. If the ced was guarded that heavily, he thought there might be an artifact like the carapace that was destroyed in Apental, or Karnine that lost its purpose as a weapon. He was curious about what this ce was, but there wasn¡¯t much. He then searched for his original purpose and found the red seed atst.


    It was radiating a life force within the small, tube-like ss encasing. It was the same energy Sian felt from the core of the Ciculus Tree. Out of the twenty-five tubes, only four remained. Sian then realized where those cores hade from.


    ¡°So they took it from here. But why not the other four...¡±


    Upon closer examination, he realized why. These four cores seemed to be unstable.


    ¡°Well, they must have their reasons.¡±


    Sian took out all four cores and put them into Karnine¡¯s space. He looked around to check on what else to take and then jumped out to return.


    ¡°Sian, what took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I waited for a week.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I came out within a day,¡± Sian answered. He did take some time to go through those guards, but it wasn¡¯t as big as Apental and the number was much less. Nheless, it seemed it had been much longer in outside time.


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I guess it¡¯s a different dimension in there. That¡¯s why the time difference happened.¡±


    ¡°So, what was in there?¡± Stiel asked and Sian told her about all those Betas and weirdbs.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why they couldn¡¯t enter. But it only took you a day to go through the Apental-like ce?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even in Apental, it took me longer because I had to find the way out.¡±


    ¡°I see. So did you find the core?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What did you find here?¡±


    ¡°The building wasn¡¯t that interesting. Bute here.¡±


    Stiel then ran toward the ocean and pointed below.


    ¡°Look.¡±


    ¡°What, this is...¡±


    The cliff was actually a destroyed trace. From their location to the visible end of the coast, everything was the same. It wasn¡¯t something that was created naturally. Sian then sent an energy wave into the ocean to check what was in the water. Then he groaned.


    ¡°It¡¯s really deep.¡±


    It was deep, even for the greatest Harijans to travel through. Sian never heard of a coast getting deeper as it got closer tond, especially one thatrge.


    After checking it out, Sian concluded, ¡°Someone destroyed this ce.¡±


    It was a trace of a fight between powerful beings.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a fight between that... Chrona and Dragona?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Sian wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe Chrona would do such a thing, but Sian couldn¡¯t find a reason for Chrona or Dragona toe all the way here inflict such damage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It looks like it¡¯s really old.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s note near here anymore. I don¡¯t feel too good about this ce.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I wondered why there¡¯s an ocean here all of a sudden.¡±


    The damage seemed like it had been there for over thousands of years. It exined why the forest was suddenly cut off by the ocean. There was probablynd here before.


    Sian was calm. If a being powerful enough to create such damage intended to destroy thend, it would have been destroyed a long time ago. If the human race survived even to this day, the one who did this was probably not interested in destroying the world.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Sian and Stiel then headed back.


    The road on the way back was much morefortable since they had gone through it once. However, the path was now filled with monsters that Sian hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°So, those are Swarms.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re quite interesting.¡±


    Silvery things were roaming all over the ce to the Baron estates, the Viscount estates, and the Narija races. It seemed like they were attacking randomly, but they weren¡¯t. They were targeting the infected ones and they even consumed the ck smog that came out after the host died.


    ¡°So those Swarms know who is infested by the Gerna.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they were created to kill Gerna after all, right?¡±


    The survivingmoners and nobles were moving to a Count or Marquis¡¯ estate where the barrier was set up. They were attacked by Gernas on the way but the Swarms stayed around those humans and consumed all that were infested.


    But Narijas didn¡¯t have such thing so they were continuously infested by the ck smog and they kept getting attacked by the Swarms.


    ¡°It¡¯s working well. No wonder why Conrad wasn¡¯t concerned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the Gerna are increasing. It will be a problem if the barrier doesn¡¯t close soon.¡±


    Swarms were consuming the ck smog, but the number was still growing. And unlike the Swarms who crawled thend, the smog flew away at much faster speed.


    There were some races that werepletely consumed by the Gerna and they tried to attack a Count¡¯s estate. The Gerna wanted to go into the estate but they were blocked by the barrier so they infested other races and attempted tounch an attack.


    Some Gerna also tried to invade Stiel¡¯s body but they were reflected out thanks to the orb. Those Gernas then targeted Sian and tried to invade him.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    <Hehe... I will now control your... ARGHGHG!>


    It was worse inside. The Gerna instantly melted away at Sian¡¯s power. It was like when the Akra was sent in.


    ¡°You know, you¡¯re like amp. One that lures the bugs and burns them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then they were at dek. The tree was still enormous, but it was very much lifeless without any leaves.


    ¡°So the core is really important.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±

 Chapter 165: Core

    <h4>Chapter 165: Core</h4>


    <They¡¯re prepared.>


    A higher spirit of Gerna, Karon mumbled.


    He knew Lorvall would have been prepared but it was more than he expected. All the powerful beings worthy of being controlled had taken refuge under the mysterious tree. They weren¡¯t sure why, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to control those under the tree.


    They never came out from the tree, but it didn¡¯t matter as they could control those Viscount, Barons, or Narija level races to attack. However, these cursed silver insects were roaming around and they were consuming his species at once. They were getting stronger, but if the barrier was fixed beforehand, it would be a failure. They needed to destroy this Ciculus Tree, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to be easy.


    <I don¡¯t want to do it this way... but there¡¯s no choice.>


    Something had to be done before the barrier was finished. Karon prepared hisst resort.


    ¡°Oh, Sian. You¡¯re here.¡±


    Conrad greeted Sian happily.


    ¡°Did the people regain the energy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But they can¡¯t leave the tree.¡±


    The current barrier was only a quick fix so the radius of protection was only within the tree trunk. Therefore, all of the people including themoners had to stay inside of the tree. Conrad also used his defensive magic, <Karaph>, on him to protect himself from being infested when he went out to work on the runes.


    ¡°There are a lot of Swarms.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t defend everything when all of the people are staying inside. This ce is a good target so we need a lot of Swarms.¡±


    dek was still huge even in its dried-up stage. But the vast area with the roots were all covered by a silvery wave of insects.


    ¡°What about others? And weren¡¯t there the Murakans?¡±


    Conradughed.


    ¡°Well, they are not the only ones that we need to fight against. We barely had room to use the Swarms since we were sessful on strengthening the Murakans. But they should be enough. Oh, and there is a person who brought the Swarms here. Do you want to meet him?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Sian nodded as he was curious about the Lorvall family.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you to him before I install the core. Oh, but can you give me the core now?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Sian took out the four cores and handed them over to Conrad.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°Anything wrong?¡± Sian asked in concern.


    Conrad answered, ¡°No. They¡¯re all unstable but we have four of them so it should do.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°The core instation won¡¯t take too long. It will take a few hours. Come this way.¡±


    Conrad then jumped down to where the infested core was at. Sian and Stiel then found a man transferring energy to the ce where infested core was originally located. The man with a weird word drawn on his forehead greeted Conrad.


    ¡°Ciculus.¡±


    ¡°Conrad! This thing is so big that it¡¯s hard to even keep it alive.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s supplying the energy all by himself.¡¯


    Ciculus was providing energy to dek all by himself, and that normally required numerousmoners and nobles otherwise. Even as they talked, enormous amounts of energy were pulled out of Ciculus and were absorbed into the tree.


    ¡°So you brought the core. Good. Are they the ones?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll install the core while you guys talk.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Ciculus then stopped supplying the energy and Conrad went in. Ciculus greeted Sian and Stiel.


    ¡°Good to see you. I am Ciculus.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you too. I am Sian.¡±


    ¡°Stiel.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s amazing. You really brought the core! I went in there once and ran out right after. So you really are a third stage Beta.¡±


    ¡°If that means that I went over three walls... yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing. I barely went over one.¡±


    Ciculus seemed to be much stronger than Conrad. Conrad wasn¡¯t powerful enough to provide the energy to keep this giant tree alive.


    ¡°But Ciculus... are you the one that created this tree? The one from three thousand years ago?¡± Sian asked.


    Ciculus grinned, ¡°Yeah, the core allowed me to do that though. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°How did you managed to live that long? Does oveing the barrier allow you to live that long?¡±


    Sian was confused. He heard that Dukes could live about a thousand years, but three thousand years was something else.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s impossible but Lorvall had another way. I didn¡¯t want to live this long but the world was full of bad fools.¡±


    Ciculus spoke but Sian was surprised.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine that there could be a way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It does have some side effects though.¡±


    Sian had never heard about a way to increase a human¡¯s lifespan.


    ¡®No, wait. Lagaope did tell me something once.¡¯


    It seemed like Ciculus¡¯ way was different. Sian decided to ask him.


    ¡°So, what is the way?¡±


    Ciculus hesitated. ¡°Oh... uh, I probably can¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s only allowed if you join the Lorvall family.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±


    Sian gave up. He was curious, but he wasn¡¯t interested in immortality. Even at his current stage, it seemed like he would live for thousands of years. They then changed subjects and talked about different things. Then the ground trembled.


    Sian frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say the tree will fall.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    But the tremor grew worse as the time went by and they soon realized the reason behind it.


    The tremor was now right beneath them. It was the underground dragons that usually never came up to the Ciculus Tree.


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s the underground dragons. How do you deal with them?¡± Sian asked as he thought there must be a way to deal with them.


    Instead, Ciculus seemed surprised.


    ¡°Uh... I¡¯ve never thought about that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t look at me like that. I don¡¯t know everything. Besides, they can¡¯t destroy the tree anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The dragons that came up were about ten feet thick but they were much smaller than the enormous Ciculus roots.


    ¡°But these Gerna were in a hurry. They don¡¯t like controlling unintelligent beings.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re a proud race so they only target intelligent races. That¡¯s why they love humans. But that¡¯s not going to be enough.¡±


    Sian said, ¡°Underground dragons. They have Betas too?¡±


    Ciculus nodded. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve never seen one before but they do exist. They are Rotans. How did you know?¡±


    Ciculus wondered as Sian¡¯s question was more of a statement than a question.


    ¡°There¡¯s oneing right at us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That one might be strong enough to destroy the tree. We should get rid of it beforehand.¡±


    The Ciculus Tree was huge, but the one approaching was also enormous. If it began chewing the roots, even if the tree did not fall, it will not revive even with the core. Sian couldn¡¯t let that happen so he stood up and walked outside. It was still far out, or tens of miles away, but the tremors could be felt all the way from here.


    Sian then walked out of the tree¡¯s range and began grabbing onto the space in the direction below.


    Stiel flinched at the energy that was focused on Sian¡¯s fist but it didn¡¯t cause any destructive damage when Sian slowly pushed it out. The ce he sent the energy toward only made a swirl but the result happened elsewhere.


    A screeching sound came as something jumped out of the ground from miles away. It was as if a mountain of rocks emerged from the ground. The ones at the roots moaned. It was very far but the sheer size allowed them to see it all.


    The monster¡¯s body had been destroyed and it was writhing in pain while the ck smog was seeping out of the crack.


    ¡°It was infested.¡±


    Sian approached the dragon quickly and Ciculus sucked in a breath as he watched it from afar.


    ¡°That easily...¡±


    Even when it was the same Beta, a different race meant it had different sizes. Underground dragons weren¡¯t easy to deal with. The carapace that was created by the extracted rocks were hard for even a Beta to destroy. Unless they were a race that hated sunlight and was easily scared, they were probably the strongest race on the continent.


    Yet, Sian easily destroyed the huge monster with one flick of a fist.


    Ciculus then remembered and mumbled, ¡°We... we do need a God.¡±

 Chapter 166: Core

    <h4>Chapter 166: Core</h4>


    Sian approached the dragon. The dragon¡¯s enormous head was on the ground and the ck smog was watching Sian.


    <Ugh... I didn¡¯t imagine... one like you to exist...>


    Sian felt bad for the smog but he still couldn¡¯t let them destroy the tree.


    <Dirty Lorvall dogs...>


    ¡°I just have to have the barriers stay intact. I don¡¯t want to do this, but you can¡¯t destroy Ciculus. You should go back to your home.¡±


    <What are you talking about... we were the ones who lived here. We allowed those to live when they fled as their nations were destroyed and they drove us out instead.>


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sian expressed his confusion and Karon then realized that this man didn¡¯t know anything.


    <You... you are not with the Lorvalls.>


    ¡°Yeah. Lorvall¡¯s not the only one who¡¯s strong.¡±


    Sian spoke as everyone seemed to think that strong ones were from Lorvall. Karon scoffed.


    <No way. All races have their limits. You¡¯re only a human and no Lorvall will share their blood to those who are not rted.>


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    <Dammit... If someone like you protects those humans... we will never be able to return to our homnd... I thought this was our best chance.>


    Karon seemed to have taken huge damage from the attack so he was barely keeping his form. He then disappeared and Sian looked at it bitterly before he jumped back to the tree.


    On the northeastern side of the continent, a giant mountain was located between the peninss.


    There was an enormous tree that had grown up the mountain. The dek at the Karltonheim Estate was huge, but this one was muchrger.


    It was where Duke Lorvall stayed. The tree was thus named <Lorvall>.


    A fierce fight was taking ce below the tree.


    Mysterious giants were charging at the Lorvall Ciculus tree. There weren¡¯t that many of them, but it was much more threatening than an army of millions. Each of them was several feet tall with armor-like skin, and they had horns in the middle of their heads along with a weird open mouth and sharp teeth, proving that its temper wasn¡¯t a gentle one.


    But they couldn¡¯t approach the tree easily. Small beings were fighting against these giants.


    They were much smaller but they were eerie-looking monsters. Some had three arms while some had mouths on their backs. Some shot fire out from their mouths and some turned transparent.


    These weird monsters fearlessly charged at the giants.


    And there were figures looking down at the fight at about the middle of the huge tree. They were the Dukes. These were not new Dukes. Most of them had ovee one of the barriers. They all had one thing inmon.


    Weird drawings on their forehead.


    ¡°These new ones are really powerful. The Murakans weren¡¯t that powerful before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. To fight those giants like that. It might be hard even for us.¡±


    The Dukes spoke as they looked down on those monsters, or the Murakans. The giants weren¡¯t just powerful. They were all those who had broken a barrier, or a Beta. The giants that came from the other side of the continent were very dangerous. Since there were a lot of Betas, they used the Swarms and Murakans to drive them out. The ones that crossed the penins were all very powerful so the Dukes could not bear to leave the post.


    This time, the Murakans were sessfully driving them out. They were bing even more stronger as they consumed the giants.


    Murakans began growing the giants¡¯ armor-like skin on them and became bigger.


    ¡°Now we have some room. I didn¡¯t imagine such monsters toe right after we were finished with the Gerna.¡±


    The man sighed and remembered what happened three thousand years ago. When they drove out the Gerna three thousand years ago, things seemed to go well. The newly-acquired Swarms and Murakans also proved to be useful. They were an altered race so they could not be Betas but they obeyed and wererge in number.


    He thought it was matter of time for the human race to invade thends and rule. But they were then attacked by other races over the penins.


    ¡°I never imagined they stayed back because of the Gerna...¡±


    The Gerna had a power that any race would fear. The humans managed to drive them out with careful nning, but they were powerful entities that had the power to rule over thend. That was why these races did note over the penins.


    As they noticed there were no more Gerna, they swam over the shallow sea and attacked. It had been three thousand years of siege and defense since then. There had been thousands of deaths. If the number of Dukes weren¡¯t replenished by raising the human races, they would have been infiltrated a long time ago.


    But this was over now. If the Murakans were that strong, they had room. They only needed Murakans to defend against both fronts easily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s send Swarms to the north and wipe out the Gerna. Then we will have more Akra for Ciculus.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for Conrad, it might have been a problem for them. It was good that Conrad even had forgotten magic with him. But it was all solved now.


    This was all due to the one who returned.


    Duke Lorvall looked proudly at the man next to him.


    ¡°Lagaope, it¡¯s amazing. Where did you get that blood to change those Murakans? It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve returned from the forbiddennd. To bring those who studied forgotten magic...¡±


    Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°I was lucky. Lukras opened the way too.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the most interesting thing. Did those insolent bastards let you pass?¡± Lorvall asked. He didn¡¯t expect much when Lagaope was sent to the south as he didn¡¯t think Lagaope could manage to go across those crazy bastards.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. But I got through.¡±


    ¡°I guess they¡¯ve calmed down.¡±


    At that moment, Lorvall turned to the sky and spoke to Lagaope.


    ¡°The barrier has been reinstated.¡±


    ¡°Wow, already?¡± Lagaope answered.


    ¡°Yes. The man named Sian brought it. But... is it true? Third stage beta?¡±


    The Duke seemed like he couldn¡¯t believe it. He had lived for years and even when the Divine Nation was at its peak, but he had never seen a human that had passed the first stage. Without his Divine Blood, even the first stage would not have been possible. But such a man was born from thend of the monkeys.


    ¡°It should be correct if Conrad examined it. You should know it better.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you are right,¡± Lorvallughed.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you worried? That such a strong man appeared?¡± Lagaope asked.


    Lorvall scoffed. ¡°Why? It¡¯s a blessing that we have such strong being born among the human race. It¡¯s our long lost goal.¡±


    Lorvall spoke as he reminisced about the past.


    ¡°It¡¯s all going well. We will clean out the inside and send the Swarms out to the north.¡±


    They needed to wipe out those pests. The quest to finish the border wasplete so they were now trapped within.


    The defense was now secure. It was time for expansion.


    Lorvall looked upon the various quest windows popping up, telling him what to do next and smiled.

 Chapter 167: Lorvall

    <h4>Chapter 167: Lorvall</h4>


    ¡°The barrier is in ce.¡±


    ¡°That was quick.¡±


    ¡°Yes, preparations were in ce. We just needed the core from you.¡±


    As the core was ced, the core began giving energy to the tree so that its energy started to absorb all the Akra from the environment and the people, restoring the tree. It reced the energy that had been provided by the members of Lorvall family until now.


    Then a pleasant energy wave came out from the center of the tree and spread itself out. It met with the energies of the other twenty trees around the continent to create a barrier that covered the skies.


    ¡°It¡¯s fascinating. What a sight.¡±


    ¡°My five years of hard work has finally paid off.¡±


    Conrad spoke as he watched the barrier. Then something else happened from below. The Swarm that had been covering up the area around the tree began to scatter and disappeared.


    Sion asked Conrad, ¡°Where are they going now?¡±


    Ciculus answered him instead. ¡°They are on their way to clean out the rest.¡±


    ¡°Cleaning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are still more infested within. That needs to be taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°Then they will move north. To wipe them out.¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t understand thest part so he asked, ¡°Huh? Wipe them out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They are strong only when they find a strong host. The north doesn¡¯t have such races. There are a few Rotans, but the Swarms can handle them easily.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you do it earlier?¡±


    ¡°Because we did not have room for that.¡±


    Ciculus then began exining the siege happening by the penins.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That ce is too fierce that no one under the rank of a Duke is going to help. We need to raise a Duke from within and someone from Lorvalles to fetch them when the new onees out. We disguise it as a coronation.¡±


    ¡°I see. But not everyone will join the Lorvalls?¡±


    It seemed like most of the Dukes were under the Lorvall family. Sian couldn¡¯t understand since all superhumans were too proud of themselves. Ciculus shook his head.


    ¡°We don¡¯t force them to do anything other than defend the penins.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Besides, there are things that are simr to them and an environment allows them to fight as they please there. There¡¯s another perk that makes everyone join also. I was the same.¡±


    Sian looked as it seemed like the secret that Ciculus hidst time.


    ¡°Are you interested?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then join. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    Sian did not want to waste his youth as a guard so he decided to let it go. He didn¡¯t want to know about the Lorvall family¡¯s secret that much.


    ¡°Really? It will be a great help to you... what a shame.¡±


    Ciculus gave up quickly and it reminded Sian of Lagaope¡¯s offer.


    ¡°Has everyone epted it until now?¡±


    Ciculus shook his head.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s one who hasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°You know who it is.¡±


    Ciculus pointed to Conrad who was working on parts of the barrier to finish it up.


    ¡°Conrad?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He... said he is a free...ncer? He wanted to help when needed but refused to join. He said he¡¯ll manage things from within and raise the human race. It was a reasonable offer that we could afford.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s not forced then. I thought you guys were forcing everyone to join.¡±


    ¡°Huh? We are not some gangsters. Everyone joins on their own will.¡±


    As Sian and Ciculus discussed the Lorvall family, Conrad finished his job and approached them.


    ¡°What¡¯s all the fun?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Is the work done now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s nothing I can do anymore. Swarms will wipe out the rest and the barrier will stabilize itself.¡±


    ¡°Oh... then!¡±


    Sian became excited and Conrad smiled.


    ¡°Right. I think we can manage to send you and Stiel back to Ra-Sian once the barrier stabilizes. It will be easier to move about once we have to remove the barrier and use the Ciculus energy elsewhere.¡±


    If they exterminated the Gerna of the north, there was no need to keep the barrier anymore. They had no room to send the Gerna or Murakans out of the war front, but Lagaope¡¯s work allowed them to do that.


    ¡°Oh, so we¡¯re not going to install Ra-Shar-Roa?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have Apental anymore... and Ra-Shar-Roa is a rune used for arge scale transfer. We don¡¯t need that to transfer just two of you. We can make one, but it will be after we clean out the north and release the barrier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I see your point.¡±


    Even if they wanted to return here, teleportation magic would suffice as it wouldn¡¯t be connected to Apental anymore.


    ¡°Sian, where should we stay now?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°If you two have nowhere to go, why note to Lorvall Ciculus?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We will teleport you out from there. It¡¯s thergest and safest Ciculus location. We have the most stored energy there too. Besides, it¡¯s closest.¡±


    ¡°Hm... that sounds like an idea. Sian, why not go there?¡±


    Stiel asked Sian but he had the same idea. He was interested in the Lorvall family itself and if going there would speed up the process to go back, there was no need to go elsewhere.


    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll go there then.¡±


    ¡°Ciculus, are youing with us?¡±


    Ciculus shook his head.


    ¡°No, I need to control the Swarms. You go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sian, Stiel. This way please.¡±


    Conrad began running out to the east and Sian and Stiel followed.


    ¡°They areing. They will be here soon.¡±


    Lorvall spoke to Lagaope after Conrad contacted him.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing... a being that went over three walls. A being that we can¡¯t handle even with those new Murakans.¡±


    The upgraded Murakans were beyond expectations. They were first stage Betas. Murakans were not beings that could ovee the barriers. It was a great feat to make them Rotans when they were only Narijas, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Even when they were outnumbered, it was impossible to fight against the rank that was two steps above them. Among the giants or mysterious mermaids were Great Warriors or Princesses that were at second stage Betas. It was impossible to fight against the Murakans without breaking through the barrier.


    That was why they needed a lot of Dukes. Those second stage betas were dealt with by having the Murakans attack them and ambush with joined forces of all Duke as the Dukes were first stage Betas.


    But there was no need. The blood that Lagaope brought pulled those Murakans break the barrier forcefully. It took a few years to make just one of Murakans turn into a first stage Beta, but that was enough. They made the other Murakans to absorb its power and they made all the Murakans reach the first stage.


    ¡°Great. We have even stronger control over them. Can they be stronger?¡±


    The seal only allowed them to control up to first stage Betas. If they became stronger, that would pose a problem.


    Lagaope smiled. ¡°No, that is their limit. You don¡¯t need to be worried.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll go prepare to meet our new guest.¡±


    Lorvall walked out and Lagaope turned back to concentrate on the Murakan research. He was curious about how Sian had changed over these years, but the problem at hand was more important.

 Chapter 168: Lorvall

    <h4>Chapter 168: Lorvall</h4>


    ¡°There it is.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sian and Stiel gasped at the size of the tree that appeared over the horizon. They had been seeingrger trees each time they moved to another ce, but it didn¡¯t get old.


    ¡°Is that thergest Ciculus?¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes. You have seen thergest one now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really enormous. I heard nomoners live there.¡±


    Lorvall Ciculus was rumored to be too dangerous, so nomoners lived there. It also meant that there was no Akra supply, but the tree was evenrger than dek.


    ¡°Well, the people staying there are all Dukes who have ovee the wall. It¡¯s no wonder the tree was able to grow that big.¡±


    ¡°Is there some old race buried beneath it too?¡± Sian asked. An ancient serpent, dek, was buried under the dek tree. It worked as a nutrient to the tree so Sian thought that was a possibility.


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t seen it in person, but I was told that a number of Betas were killed by the tree so they are probably all absorbed as nutrients. On the second thought, those are probably all fed to Murakans, so maybe not.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sian could imagine how fierce the war front might be.


    ¡°Lorvall hase out to greet us.¡±


    There was a well-built and tall man at a distance standing under the tree, waiting for them.


    ¡°Conrad, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lorvall. It looks like Lagaope¡¯s research went well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a sess. You did good work too.¡±


    Sian looked at them weirdly as he watched Lorvall and Conrad talk. Lorvall turned to Sian.


    ¡°Good to see you. I am Lorvall.¡±


    ¡°I am Sian.¡±


    Sian looked at Lorvall curiously. It wasn¡¯t because he was mighty strong or anything. The reason Sian was looking was because of the strange blood within him. Blood that looked like that of humans, but different. It didn¡¯t seem like it was because he was a Beta. Something more superior wasing from within him.


    Lorvall was intrigued by Sian¡¯s attention and spoke.


    ¡°Oh... you see something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I see something... but I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m sorry if I was too rude.¡±


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s amazing. So a being who has surpassed three barriers can see through everything! I¡¯ll tell you allter. We have more things to talk about for now.¡±


    Lorvallughed and guided the two inside.


    ¡°Conrad, Aren¡¯t youing in?¡±


    ¡°I have things to discuss with Lorvallter. I¡¯ll prepare for your teleportation for now. It will take... about a week or two. We need to stabilize the barrier first.¡±


    ¡°Take your time.¡±


    He¡¯d spent a hundred years in Apental. It was easy to wait just two more weeks so Sian nodded.


    They talked about different things as they walked in. Then saw a fierce fight going on from a distance. Sian focused on the sight and found two peculiar groups fighting each other.


    ¡°Hm... what are those?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the ones that are fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I guess one of them must be a Murakan...¡±


    Sian heard about the Murakans but he¡¯d never seen them before so he could not guess which one was which. Both groups looked grotesque.


    ¡°The ones with different shapes and sizes are Murakan. And ones with the fins... are Merpeople.¡±


    ¡°Mer...people? Mermaids?¡±


    Sian became confused as mermaids were something he heard in fairytales. And they didn¡¯t fit the description he was familiar with. The type of mermaid he knew was a half-human, half-fish with a beautiful human top with a fish tail. But these were different. They had steel-like muscles with w-like teeth. They also had eight slit eyes that allowed them to dodge Murakan attacks.


    ¡°I am not sure about mermaids, but I call them Merpeople. They are the children of Liona. Really strong. We can barely fight them outside the water. If it was inside...¡±


    Lorvall shivered as he reminisced about his old memory.


    Lorvall wanted to ce a defensive post across the penins as the two peninss were hard to defend and the defensive line was too wide. But after looking at them, he had to give up the idea. Those crazy monsters allowed other monsters to pass but they did not let any of Lorvall family to pass. Even with the Murakans and Swarms, it wasn¡¯t possible to cross the water.


    But they became weaker when outside the water so it barely allowed them to push the monsters back. Princesses were still a great danger, but now it was more easier.


    Lorvall smiled but Sian was thinking of something else.


    ¡®Liona...¡¯


    It was the name he heard from Nekra¡¯s memory. It seemed like Liona was one that lived within the sea.


    The fight was almost over. The Murakans were pushing back the Merpeople. After they won, they began devouring the dead bodies. The Murakans that ate the bodies began growing scales and fins sprouted out of their body.


    ¡°Oh, so they eat them all like that. I thought they would put some of them by the tree.¡±


    Sian thought some were used to be absorbed by the tree, but the Murakans ate them all.


    ¡°The Lorvall tree has finished growing so it doesn¡¯t need any nutrients. This way.¡±


    Three of them walked into the tree trunk.


    ¡°Any more questions? You will leave soon, so I will try my best to answer any of your questions.¡±


    Lorvall didn¡¯t seem to be interested in holding Sian back.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Sian had many questions but he couldn¡¯t think of one when asked so he hesitated. Sian then decided to ask about the building. It was the one of the most peculiar things on this side of the continent.


    ¡°The building that I got the core from... what is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, theboratory? The one by the western coast?¡±


    ¡°Was it aboratory? What did you do there?¡±


    It did look like a ce to conduct experiments and do research, but Sian didn¡¯t know what was it for.


    ¡°I am not sure.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I went there once, but I never went in. Especially to the ce where cores were stored.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who took it out from there?¡±


    Sian was puzzled. If it wasn¡¯t him, no one would¡¯ve been able to pass through the space so Sian thought Lorvall was only one who was able to do that. In fact, the Ciculus Tree was known to be developed by co-research between Ciculus and Lorvall.


    ¡°Someone handed it over to me as well.¡±


    ¡°Was there someone that strong? No, I actually thought you were the one who built that ce.¡±


    If someone got out of there, they must have been at the second stage. Therefore, that person would most likely be alive right now. But Lorvall shook his head.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t build the ce and you don¡¯t need to be strong. You don¡¯t fight your own guards when you go into your house. The person who gave me the core was the one who used to live there.¡±


    ¡°Oh... but they were guards? So are the cores that important?¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t think the cores were that important to be guarded by a bunch of Betas.


    ¡°No, it is important but not to that extent. I think those guards were also test subjects.¡±


    ¡°Test? What test?¡±


    Sian wasn¡¯t sure what kind of experiment required so many Betas. Besides, those were captured alive, which was even more interesting.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s someone who can answer your questions better.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the researcher who lived there. Wait here.¡±


    Lorvall then began a sending message to someone and a figure soon came into the room.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Haha, Mister Sian. It has been a long time. I never thought I would see you on this part of thend.¡±


    It was a familiar face.


    ¡°Lagaope... you were the researcher?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lagaope smiled and took a seat.

 Chapter 169: Past

    <h4>Chapter 169: Past</h4>


    ¡°I did hear how you came to this world. I mean... you really are talented in getting mixed up with a ce. Why did you go there? We opened it near Dragona¡¯s territory on purpose.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was going to close on its own... but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Chrona was going to walk in there and wreak havoc so it would not have caused any problems. That was what Conrad discovered through his <Aksarai> skill. Sian felt annoyed by his words but he decided to let it go since it was now all in the past.


    ¡°Yeah... well. But what¡¯s theboratory?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just some ancient artifact.¡±


    Lagaope spoke casually but it made Sian even more intrigued.


    ¡°It was much more than just some old artifact. I never saw such things before even on the other side. Not here either.¡±


    Unlike this continent, Ra-Sian was a ce with advanced magic. That allowed ces such as <Amaran> to exist. However, thatboratory seemed like it was much more than that.


    ¡°Well... I need to give you another history lesson to teach you that.¡±


    ¡°I got nothing but time. Besides, your history lessons are fun.¡±


    They needed two more weeks for the preparations to be finished. Sian also had fun listening to Lagaope¡¯s history lesson before.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be off. I¡¯ve got work to do.¡±


    ¡°Sure. You¡¯ve heard this before anyway.¡±


    It seemed that Lorvall had heard the story from Lagaope before so he left the room.


    ¡°Where should we start... Right. I saw that you had the Hand of Gran-Ra and the Armor of the Seven Stars before.¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I saw you fighting with it before you were dragged into Apental a long time ago. You were strong back then, but you are one of a kind now.¡±


    There had been hundreds who were powerful enough to fight against Sian back then in Don-Nasian, but there were none now.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not a good memory though.¡±


    ¡°Then let me ask. Who made those artifacts?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it the people here...?¡±


    ¡°Do you think the civilization here would allow that? You should be aware that this ce has no magic or technology. Thisnd only values power.¡±


    ¡°...right,¡± Stiel mumbled. It didn¡¯t seem like a high-level artifact could be crafted here, nor anyone from Ra-Sian. Even when the Empire was at its peak, it wasn¡¯t possible for them to create such an artifact. It was a waste of energy to create such a thing that only superhumans could use. Besides, Sian knew that those artifacts existed even before the Empire.


    ¡°Hmph. Come to think of it, it is weird.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t something that could be created with just some simple technology.


    Lagaope smiled as Sian and Stiel were lost.


    ¡°I brought those when I came from my country back then. It was for my personal defense. Theboratory was built when that country existed.¡±


    Lagaope spoke about those artifacts as some simple defensive mechanisms, but he didn¡¯t seem to be exaggerating.


    ¡°A country? I heard there was no country on this continent.¡±


    ¡°Right. And you know why?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s now?¡±


    The Lorvall family was mighty, but they were too busy and theycked the resources to create a country to govern thend.


    ¡°Yes, but there was a time when it existed to rule over everything with its might. It was located to the west. My country,


    , was such a country.¡±


    ¡°To the west? Hm... Is there another continent over the western ocean?¡±


    Sian was told that theboratory was surrounded by the ocean. It didn¡¯t seem like there was any part of the continent that was able to form a country.


    ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Then where was it? I didn¡¯t see any big chunk ofnd... was it a small country?¡±


    Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°No. It was as big as our current continent.¡±


    ¡°But then...¡±


    After Sian remembered the broken coastline in front of theboratory, he came to a conclusion. Lagaope answered bitterly.


    ¡°The coast that you saw... was the ce where


    used to stand.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t find it now. Theboratory you saw was located at the far east corner of Broshan. It stayed intact on the day of the Great Disaster. I was saved because I was inside theboratory on that day. Everyone else died.¡±


    Stiel believed it meant that thend that was sorge that it had sunk under the sea.


    ¡°Was it bombarded with meteors?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t think of any other exnation.


    ¡°Well, we can destroy meteors. We had such power.¡±


    ¡°Then what. Chrona or Dragona?¡±


    Lagaope smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Chrona and Dragona were only Betas back then. They were terrifying beasts even during their Beta days, but we weren¡¯t scared by anything back then.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Our Divine Nation, Broshan, was protected by the great War God. Well... it wasn¡¯t as almighty like a real God, but don¡¯t you call someone a god when that person is exceptionally good at one thing? He was such a being.¡±


    The first andst of humankind, the most powerful Alpha of all the races. He managed to be one as a human but nobody called him an Alpha. The only word that could describe him was <God>. The title that perfectly described his power and arrogance was the one and only: <War God>.


    A man who started out as a human and became a God. One who never lost to anything.


    He was the Guardian of the Divine Nation.


    The God of Cataclysm who sunk Broshan under the sea.


    He had the same name as Conrad¡¯s reincarnation, but there was a great difference in strength. The name originated from the War God in the first ce.


    A long time ago, humans were very powerful. But they were not powerful enough to control the continent. No Betas were born among humans. Without one, it wasn¡¯t possible to fight against a race with Betas. Therefore, humans stuck to the western end of the continent. They weren¡¯t weak, but they weren¡¯t the strongest either. There were Rotan races with Alphas among them. The continent was ruled by such races.


    Then miraculously, an Alpha appeared within the humans. It was the same as bing a Seven-Horned. His name was Broxian.


    He wasn¡¯t just a simple Alpha. After he became an Alpha, he hunted down all the Alphas of different races to be stronger. Years passed, and he was then called the <War God>.


    It allowed humans to rule the western part of the continent. Broxian didn¡¯t really help humankind, nor did he protect them. But he was interested in fighting the strongest beings and when he killed the Alphas and the other races, humans took over the emptynd and imed it as their own.


    Broxian wasn¡¯t interested in ruling but he was still human at heart. He had lovers and his women gave birth to his children.


    These children, with the blood of a God, ruled the country under the <War God>. They grew up to be powerful themselves.


    They had two specific traits.


    These children of God had been allowed to be Betas and were granted long lives. Other humans could not be Betas, but these children were allowed at least to be Betas.


    Also, others who were allowed to have a share of the children¡¯s blood were controlled, but they were allowed to live immortal lives, giving them a chance to be Betas.


    This created ranks between humans. These children of Gods and their servants quickly ruled over the human race. They took in all the strong humans under their fold and it allowed the family to be powerful forces among the country.


    When they reached such a stage, they turned to magic. They were still powerful, but they couldn¡¯t fight the Betas that had ovee two or three walls. Broxian had no interest in other beings unless they were Alphas, so they needed a way to fight.


    That was why they studied magic. It was magic that was needed for them to be able to fight against the second or third stage Betas and a small number of first stage Betas. It wasn¡¯t just simple magic that was developed on Ra-Sian.


    All of these events allowed the human race to evolve and prosper. The continent was now under full control of the human race.


    ¡°We had no enemy. At least in the west.¡±

 Chapter 170: Past

    <h4>Chapter 170: Past</h4>


    ¡°So the magic wasn¡¯t developed by the Empire?¡±


    ¡°No. I was surprised by their magic because they started with nothing and soon came to develop it.¡±


    ¡°I thought you taught them?¡±


    Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°I was an expert on biological engineering. I had no knowledge about magic back then. I knew how to use it, but that¡¯s different from knowing how to make it. There was an expert on that. People liked using artifacts to use magic than actually learn magic. I just told what I heard to Conrad and Takion and they made it from that. It was much weaker though.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Was it that strong?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We even had an idea to create a flying ind. But we gave up on that.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Its dragging power increases. We did manage to find a resolution for that, but there were some terrible things living up in the clouds.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯te down, but we had to give up. They attacked by throwing lightning at us as soon as we went up. Broxian thought about wiping them out, but they ran further up so he couldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Stories of one living in the clouds and one going after them didn¡¯t seem like a normal story.


    ¡°Anyway, so those artifacts you had were items that we distributed to our soldiers. Those who didn¡¯t break the wall needed something to fight with to dampen the damage. I had some in store at theboratory so I took them out with me. I was only a Baron so I needed one.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was called Divine Military Arms ¨C AP-4, but that name was too dull so I made one up. How do you like my naming sense?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. So... what do you think we did after conquering the west?¡±


    ¡°Uh... take a break?¡±


    ¡°You should look at it from a regr person¡¯s perspective, not with yours. Say, you have enormous power and you are protected by a Guardian who kills anything that¡¯s really troublesome. What would you do?¡±


    ¡°Go to the east,¡± Stiel answered instead.


    ¡°You are correct, Stiel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know how it feels. I almost did it when I ruled. I wanted to train instead so I gave up on it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So we went to the east... Oh, and the east means this ce. The west is gone now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so sad. It¡¯s really long past in history.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Yes. So we looked to the east... and found it wasn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t find any races that were worth ruling over. Besides, there was a ruler here.¡±


    ¡°And those are...¡±


    ¡°The Gerna. They had invaded the continent already.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t matter. The Gerna could not take over the ones with the Divine Blood.¡±


    ¡°So they tried to wipe them out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we didn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Because it wasn¡¯t worth it?¡±


    ¡°Yes... and the children of God didn¡¯t want it. They didn¡¯t want to live in the countryside.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The trend was to live closer to Broxian. Everyone wanted to live together in the Broshan Nation where Broxian used to live. Nobody wanted to go far out into the countryside away from Broxian.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So what happened?¡±


    ¡°What can you do? We didn¡¯t do it.¡±


    Yet they still needed to know about the race as they needed as much information as possible about Betas to proceed with their project.


    ¡°So we built two structures. One was theboratory you saw, Aksarum. It means a ce that studies the truth. We researched various projects there. I was there too.¡±


    The reason for its cement in the east was to study about races in the east. Sian then realized why there were so many Betas inside. They were captured for the testing and had not been released since then.


    ¡°What about the other one?¡±


    ¡°You know about the ce well, Mister Sian.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t say...¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s <Apental>.¡±


    ¡°...Why the hell did you make that ce?¡±


    Lagaopeughed bitterly and spoke.


    ¡°When you experiment, you get a lot of trash and failures.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You never know when you might need it so that¡¯s why we created <Apental>. It looks crude but it¡¯s arge scale dimensional prison that we made with the best technology at the time. All of those failed races were thrown in there.¡±


    ¡°There were... millions of monsters there,¡± Sian bitterlymented.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t put all of them in. It¡¯s a dimensional ce so it captures some spiritual beings and they probably reproduced inside. But we did put in a lot.¡±


    Sian now knew why those monsters inside had such hostility and evil energy. If they were locked up for countless years, they would surely develop such hostility.


    ¡°Well, you freed those races in those two ces. I wanted to free them from their curse but they were too strong.¡±


    It was definitely a curse to be locked up in such ces for eternity. Lagaope wanted to do something about it, but it was good that it was solved in the end.


    Stiel then asked, ¡°So, what did you find out about the east?¡±


    Lagaope sighed.


    ¡°We did find something.¡±


    They discovered something weird when they studied the Gerna. The Gerna and other races didn¡¯t think about going to the south. They tried to ask, but the unintelligent beings weren¡¯t smart enough to answer and these Gerna were so proud that they decided to self-explode than cooperate when captured.


    People then created an expedition to search the south and walked until they were met with a great mountain.


    It was enormous but it had no life. The surrounding beneath the mountain was full of forests, but the mountain itself didn¡¯t even have any grass. They became curious and started climbing the mountain. There, they realized why nothing was living on this mountain.


    <Ugh...!>


    <Fall back! This ce is dangerous!>


    The expedition group wasn¡¯t formed with just anybody. However, as soon as they stepped on the mountain, they fell as their all their body organs started twisting and swirling. The stronger ones managed to walk further, in but even they fell with the same feeling.


    <Inner rating is reversing!>


    <What is this ce...!>


    The ceter called the <Mountain of Extreme> had crumbled the human¡¯s inside chaotically. Everything inside turned to poison, then turned to medicine. Every passage within was paralyzed and then returned back. Muscles flexed and rxed on their own. This change became worse as they walked closer to the top.


    Then they concluded it was impossible to climb the mountain so they divided themselves into three groups to go around it.


    One went to the west while one went to the east. Another team decided to take the sea route.


    These three groups were annihted.


    The group to the west was attacked by a reptile-like fourth stage Beta that lived at <Sky Mountain> or beyond the Mountain of Extreme, which waster called <Dragona>.


    The group to the east went inside the <Great Forest> and was attacked by a mammal-like fourth stage Betater called <Chrona>.


    The group that went toward the <Great Western Sea> was attacked by an amphibian-like fourth stage Beta that waster called <Liona>.


    Thends beyond Mountain of Extreme were thenbeled as thend of the beasts, a forbidden ce for humans to go near. It would be simple if God had pulled up his sleeves, but he wasn¡¯t interested in Betas. Moreover, the fourth stage Betas were too much for even the nation to handle so they decided to leave them be.


    Yet, they needed to go to the Mountain of Extreme and check on what beings lived there.


    There was life living within.

 Chapter 171: Past

    <h4>Chapter 171: Past</h4>


    ¡°So, there was an expedition group before you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°So, what lived in that mountain?¡±


    It seemed Lagaope was hinting that something lived inside the mountain and it became a problem after they ignored it.


    ¡°Well... I think it wouldn¡¯t make that much of a difference even if we knew, but we might¡¯ve found a better direction to take.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    Lagaope scratched his head and continued, ¡°Hm... remember the War God? Well, Broxian was interested in protecting us but his existence was enough to protect us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Broxian wasn¡¯t interested in protecting the nation. But he was too powerful and Broxian went for any powerful being to fight, protecting the nation as a result.


    ¡°It was probably the same for us, but God told us that it was strongest of the Alphas. God was strong enough to rip apart the Chrona or Dragona of today. Broxian wasn¡¯t one to exaggerate so it was probably urate.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You know how nobles differ in power. I¡¯m sure Alphas differ in power also. We thought no one would be able to match Broxian¡¯s power back then.¡±


    ¡°So, there was someone,¡± Sian answered.


    Lagaope nodded, ¡°Yes, within the Mountain of Extreme.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    If that was true, then that being was still probably living near the south of this continent.


    ¡®Whatever it is, I should never go near it.¡¯


    Sian realized why thisnd was not consumed by Harijans. It wasn¡¯t because the humans were strong. It was because this mysterious race was blocking the way.


    Lagaope saw that Sian was curious about those races and asked, ¡°How many religions are there in Ra-Sian?¡±


    Sian replied, ¡°Two. War God and the Sun God... wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes, those were created by the stories I shared out of boredom.¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°The story of the sh between War God and the Sun God. I told the story to young Conrad when he was reborn as Broxian, but he soon imed that he was the reincarnation of the God. Haha. Not even close.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You should tease Conrad when you see him.¡±


    ¡°So, the story was true?¡±


    Sian knew the story well. The story of the fight between the War God and the Sun God, which destroyed the sea and the mountain.


    ¡°Yes, it was unfortunate that they fought right in the middle of our nation. If we knew that such a being lived within the mountain, Broxian would¡¯ve gone there to fight by the mountain. If they did, it was probably the Gerna¡¯snd that was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh... but that would have destroyed Ra-Sian too.¡±


    The race within the Mountain of Extreme watched those humans trying to climb the mountain. Their priests used their special magic to read the memory of the few fallen humans.


    That was when they found something interesting. There was a huge nation to the west and a being that they considered a God. But they also had their God.


    <Gran-Ra>


    One so powerful that they considered him as the God of the Sun. They shared the information to their God and their God jumped out of the mountain since he was bored. He then flew straight to Broshan nation and began fighting with Broxian.


    The nation thatsted over thousands of years disappeared.


    ¡°What in the world...¡±


    Sian was astonished. It seemed like Chrona wasn¡¯t even close to that level of power.


    ¡®That¡¯s what I know. I knew it because I managed to check on the records of the fight from theboratory. Any movement within the nation was being recorded at the time.¡±


    ¡°What happened next?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The continent was destroyed, along with everything else.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Lagaope witnessed the destruction from hisboratory. The fight didn¡¯tst that long. It onlysted for about an hour. Yet, it destroyed an entire continent and made it sink under the sea.


    ¡°Theboratory was located in a remote ce in the east and it barely survived. We had some humans slowly migrating to the east and that allowed us to survive. At least the Gerna didn¡¯t kill those humans as they considered us good hosts.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why that Gerna told me that.¡¯


    Sian remembered what the Gerna told him and nodded. It looked like that was what the Gerna meant.


    ¡°So, you stayed behind at theboratory?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I wanted to finish the research and thought it would be a great help for humans to rise again. Other researchers went out before me. I thought I was going to meet with them, but time had passed much more quickly when I came out.¡±


    ¡°Oh... so it was you who was in there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you must know if you went in. When I was finished with my research... more time had passed than I expected. And the human race... was living a miserable life.¡±


    They forgot about the glorious days of their nation. The children of God were wiped out as they lived the closest to Broxian and so only themon humans were left to live.


    It was chaotic. There were no rules, nows, no rulers. There was no central power here. If it weren¡¯t for the Gerna, they would have been consumed by the other races already.


    This was not good. Lagaope couldn¡¯t even start his project if his race did not have the power to protect themselves. That was when they met someone. The only remaining descendant of the Broxian. He knew about the Gerna and was hiding at the southeastern corner to gain power.


    <By the Gods... how did the Divine Blood survive through that?>


    <I was on a trip and... it was gone. I did survive thanks to that though.>


    <Are there others?>


    <No. I walked around for a thousand years, but there¡¯s only me. But it¡¯s good to see you. I¡¯m Lorvall. I never thought I¡¯d meet someone who would remember the days of our nation.>


    Meeting with Lorvall gave him hope to bring the human race back to their glory. That was when Lagaope began his project along with Lorvall.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re seeing now. Ciculus, Akra, Murakan, Swarm and all kinds of things... It¡¯s the result of my research within theboratory.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re like a savior to humanity that way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    It was an epic story. The story of Ra-Sian Continent was fascinating, but after hearing this part of the story, Lagaope was like the one who created the whole history.


    ¡°Why did youe to Ra-Sian then?¡±


    ¡°I went after giving Lorvall everything I studied. I thought there might be something that might help our growth... but it didn¡¯t work out too well. But I did get something great.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is it? Don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s gross.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s gross. I¡¯m looking at you with loving eyes.¡±


    It was Sian¡¯s blood that he gathered to create the orb. Lagaope knew the worth of Sian¡¯s blood who had reached the second stage and stored some of his blood after creating the orb. It was Sian¡¯s blood that allowed Lagaope to upgrade the Murakans to their power.


    ¡°All of them are like your children! A copy! Sort of. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°...How can you use someone¡¯s blood for such perverted work? Besides, I can¡¯t have any children now. I¡¯m a virgin.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡±


    ¡°...It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re still twenty-seven. You¡¯ll live for thousands of years. I¡¯m sure you will have happy times ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He wanted to tell Lagaope that he was now 127 years old, but he decided not to.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t those Murakans dangerous?¡±


    ¡°They are safe. We have Lorvall¡¯s Divine Blood in them. They cannot disobey.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°My story ends here. Lorvall and Conrad should have more details on your return. I think this is everything I can tell you.¡±


    Lagaope then walked out down to the Ciculus. Sian talked with Conrad and Lorvall about what to do next.

 Chapter 172: Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 172: Evolution</h4>


    Sian and Stiel came up to the tree after discussing their future ns.


    <You will get to depart as soon as we stabilize the barrier... we might not even need the barrier soon as the Swarms are devouring the Gerna at a fast pace. We will then use Ciculus Energy as we intended.>


    The Murakans and Swarms were carrying out their purpose, to defend the human race to the fullest. Just like Lorvall said, there were new giantsing over to invade and they were now fighting with the Murakans.


    If they tried to stop them with only humans, they would have lost long ago. That¡¯s where the Murakans came in. In their upgraded form, they were now easily pushing back those giants.


    ¡°They fight well,¡± Stielmented as she looked at the Murakans.


    Tens of Murakans attacked the giants in organized formations. The giant swung its huge arm and spat out energy from its mouth, but Murakans easily withstood the energy and began chewing up the giants¡¯ ankles.


    The giants were very tall and their feet were thick, but tens of Murakans chewing on them caused them fall to the ground. More Murakans then hopped on to the giants, attacking and eating them at will.


    Stiel was impressed by those Murakans. They were like the dream army of any nation. She thought of Usharan¡¯s toys as useful war machines, but these were different. Each one of them was as powerful as a Duke and was evolving into a Beta at a rapid rate.


    ¡°Are they trying to invade the continent with them?¡¯ Sian asked as he figured it would be possible for Lorvall to go over the penins with those armies.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Oh, look. Another one became stronger,¡± Stiel shouted as one Murakan suddenly howled. Its body was changing. Arms and legs that stuck out had been sucked inside and all the mouths that were present on its body disappeared. Three of its heads also became one.


    It was finally only left with two legs, four arms, and one head. It was now much stronger than its former self.


    ¡°It looks really different.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s how they want themselves to be.¡±


    Sian nodded; however, he had some concerns as he watched them.


    ¡°But then... why are they looking over here?¡±


    The Murakans were busy gorging on the giants, but a few of them stopped eating and were looking toward the tree.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe they need something more to eat?¡±


    Stiel answered with ack of interest but the context was terrifying to think about.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s already annoying to think about it,¡± Sian answered. If they attacked, it was going to be very tiring. He would win, but it would be a close one.


    ¡°We have more Betas than ever.¡±


    Lorvall smiled proudly as he watched the Murakans.


    Lorvall turned to Conrad and asked, ¡°Is the instation going well, Conrad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the barrier is stabilizing... it will be soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°If we wipe out the Gerna and deactivate the barrier... we can probably install a Ra-Shar-Roa too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll think about that after we get rid of the Gerna.¡±


    Lorvall nodded. He wasn¡¯t interested in the continent of monkeys, but he was interested in the old studies that they revived. That¡¯s when Lorvall frowned.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°They are acting up again. They are increasing cannibalism also.¡±


    ¡°We did decrease the trait, but it increases when they are done with the battle. It won¡¯t be much of a problem.¡±


    Lagaope discovered the Murakan¡¯s trait when he was studying different races. When they hit the limit, they ate each other to find new possibilities. However, this was dangerous to the ruler so Lagaope pushed it back down by a thousand years of alterations.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Lorvall still frowned. It seemed like they were just eating the giants, but Lorvall¡¯s heightened senses allowed him to see that they were not. They were eating their own.


    Lagaope looked at them and spoke.


    ¡°I hope... your control isn¡¯t broken?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    After Lorvall sent them orders to stop the act, they stopped. It still wasn¡¯t a good sign anyway.


    ¡°I should look into them. They might have changed after I upgraded them thest time.¡±


    Lagaope thought as he watched the returning Murakans. They were using the power of giants. If that went out of control, it would mean huge trouble.


    The Murakans felt two powerful types of blood within them. One tried to control them nonstop; it told them to stay where they were and listen to the orders. Another one forced them to kill, eat others, and be reborn into another being.


    Under normal circumstances, a Murakan, a created being, would not hesitate to follow the orders from the first blood as it was their basicposition. The 2nd blood was only an intruder to their body. But it was now changing.


    They did not know who was the owner of the 2nd blood. However, they were certain that the owner of the 2nd blood was much stronger than the 1st. The 2nd blood eating away all of the 1st blood was the proof.


    Murakans epted the change. It was their instinct to be strong.


    Then they dreamed to meet with the owner of this 2nd blood.


    The beings that allowed them to be strong with just a drop of blood. If they ate such a being.. they would be much stronger.


    But it wasn¡¯t time yet. They had too much of the 1st blood left in their race. They needed to wash away the blood that controlled them first. And when that time came... it would be time for them to be reborn.

 Chapter 173: Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 173: Evolution</h4>


    ¡°Good. We have more Betas now. Almost all of them have ovee the wall.¡±


    Lorvall smiled proudly as he looked down on the Murakans. After the upgraded Murakans kept killing and eating the giants, Merpeople, and the other races, most of them had broken the wall. He could now prepare to move onto the next step.


    ¡°It would be great if they could have be second stages.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t control them if that happens. That¡¯s enough. Let them stay by the ins.¡±


    Lorvall smiled as he watched the Murakans moving to the ins from afar and walked in.


    The Murakans felt that the time would soon be ripe. The blood that controlled them was almost gone and what was left of it wasn¡¯t enough to control them anymore. What was even more fortunate was that the 2nd blood¡¯s owner was nearby. It was like their father; they could feel it that it was close. They wanted to go back to him. And eat him.


    However, it was still not time. They felt the power of the being.


    They had be stronger, but it was not enough to fight against the being. Their blood constantly warned them of the danger. Luckily, this ce was really ideal to strengthen themselves. The prey constantly came over and allowed them to be stronger.


    But they were stillcking. So they resorted to their ancient way. <Cannibalism>.


    They ate each other and filled each other¡¯s missing parts. It allowed them to reinforce their weaknesses and strengthened their power. The blood that had stopped them from doing it was no more, and their path was now clear. The Murakans looked at each other. Now was the time. Even if most of them were sacrificed here, it was okay if they were reborn into the next level of being. They could not fight a two-stage difference, but a one-stage difference would be okay if they had enough numbers.


    That night, the Murakans fought and killed to eat each other. The massacre was done in silence. They kept killing and eating until they became stronger.


    As their numbers that filled the vast ins decreased by half, a change started happening.


    The second stage Murakans were now twice asrge as before. Also, they grew a pair of arms from their back and another head popped up.


    The numbers of these second stage Murakans started to increase. As they were reborn into a new being, they jumped out of the fight and waited. They knew that eating each other was of no further use.


    The massacre continued until their numbers decreased to one out of hundreds. With only hundreds of them remaining, it was much less than the original number.


    But they were reborn.


    Next was the final step. They just needed one of them to eat the owner of the blood.


    The Murakans were ready. They knew how strong their father was, but they were strong now as well.


    They tried to fly to the giant tree, but it was not needed.


    The owner wasing to them. The Murakans became overly excited as they saw their father flying toward them.


    Sian sighed.


    ¡°Ha... I shouldn¡¯t believe Lagaope anymore.¡±


    It seemed like something had gone wrong. Sian flew over here as he felt the ominous energy from the ins. The energy was hostile towards him, so his first thought that Lorvall was trying to attack him.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    Sian shook his head. He realized that it wasn¡¯t something Lorvall could control. No magic would allow control over more powerful beings. These Murakans had now been reborn into beings that were even more powerful than Lorvall.


    Sian realized what they had done. Even when they were eating each other, they hid their power so that it would be a secret. He was certain they were ensuring that Sian himself would not notice.


    It was no use running as he was sure they were targeting him. Sian also knew why; it must have been his blood that was used on them.


    ¡°Okay... we¡¯ll do it here.¡±


    Even if he went back to the tree and fought together with the Dukes, they weren¡¯t going to be much help. All of the Dukesbined would not be able to fight even one of these Murakans.


    Sian was very tense. Even though he was a stage stronger, a hundred of them were a huge threat. Sian drew all of his strength as the Murakans charged at him, howling and releasing their power.


    Sian crushed one that rushed up to him with the power in his hand. Whoever it was, the survivor would be reborn into another being. Sian and the Murakans both fought as they believed it was themselves who would be the winner.


    ¡°DAMMIT! LET ME GO HOME!¡±


    Sian shouted as he vented his anger against the Murakans.

 Chapter 174: Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 174: Evolution</h4>


    ¡°Dammit, what happened?¡±


    Stiel felt Sian jumping out and raised herself up. She felt the energy from the ins and went outside. The tree was full of Dukes that were more powerful than her, but they barely managed to feel the energy and was moving up the tree to seek confirmation.


    Stiel grabbed Lagaope as he ran up to her and asked, ¡°HEY! What¡¯s going on?! You said it was going to be okay!¡±


    Lagaope shook his head and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on!¡±


    ¡°What?! Sian is fighting those Murakans right now!¡±


    Stiel shouted as she shook Lagaope by his cor. Lagaope quickly responded, ¡°I mean I don¡¯t know why it happened- UGH. But that¡¯s not important right now!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    ¡°We might have to run.¡±


    It was from the back. Stiel turned and saw Lorvall.


    ¡°You will not go and help?¡±


    Stiel confronted Lorvall, even though Lorvall was much stronger than her. She was desperate.


    ¡°You... do you think you can defeat me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°No, right? If I get caught up in there, I won¡¯t survive. Same goes for the other Dukes. We will only get in his way if we go.¡±


    ¡°...Dammit.¡±


    Stiel remembered how she felt so helpless when Sian dragged her into the red sphere a long time ago. She thought that she was powerful, but after she saw the world with Sian, she knew she wasn¡¯t even considered strong.


    The fight was happening miles away but the released power was terrifying. If they went, they would only disrupt Sian¡¯s focus.


    ¡°You will die if you go there. So... go with Lagaope to safety.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    It seemed that Lorvall wasn¡¯t trying to leave, so Stiel asked. Lorvall just said he wouldn¡¯t be of much help even if he went. Lorvallughed.


    ¡°If they manage to win, we will be wiped out. Of course, we hope that Sian wins. But if they win... where will theye first?¡±


    ¡°To you.¡±


    Stiel spoke grimly. The monsters running rampant meant that they were no longer being controlled. They would surely not forgive the being that controlled over them for over thousands of years.


    Lorvall nodded.


    ¡°Yes. The winner will be in a half-dead state, but we should still get ready. Even if they are half-dead, I¡¯m not sure if we can fight them off.¡±


    Lagaope¡¯s expression turned grim.


    ¡°You... will go berserk.¡±


    Lorvall smiled. It seemed he was ready to use hisst resort.


    Stiel didn¡¯t know what that meant, but she could tell that it was very dangerous. And that it was powerful enough to damage those Murakans.


    ¡°Take care of Lagaope. If they¡¯re after me, you don¡¯t need to be dragged into this. You¡¯re not one of us. You should survive.¡±


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that Sian wins,¡±


    Lorvall said as he turned to the ins.


    ¡®Please survive...¡¯


    Sian was necessary for the human race. He must not die out here.


    Sian was barely managing to fight them off. He felt two things. One fortunate and one unfortunate.


    The fortunate thing was that he knew how to fight when he was being attacked by arge number of enemies. What was unfortunate was that these monsters had learned how to fight against powerful beings first hand.


    Sian tried to run out of their formation and attack them one by one, but they did not allow that. They tried their best to keep Sian within the formation and Sian had to give up trying to escape it. He turned to the beyond, as he smacked down the one that tried to bite off his arm.


    ¡®Bastards...¡¯


    The one that took huge damage moved out of the formation and began eating dead bodies to recover. Sian then realized what their goal was. They weren¡¯t trying to minimize their damage. They were willing to sacrifice almost everything to kill Sian.


    ¡®What have I done to you?¡¯


    Sian became irritated. These monsters didn¡¯t seem to have the basic instincts of survival. That¡¯s what annoyed Sian. It was good that eating those corpses didn¡¯t make them grow stronger, but they quickly regenerated and came back.


    The dangerous one wasn¡¯t the one that ate the bodies. The dangerous one was the one that actually bit Sian.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    Sian cursed at the monster who had just bitten off his arm. The monster morphed after biting Sian. Something wasing up from the damage it acquired from Sian¡¯s attack. It was an arm. If given more time, another pair of arms was sure to pop out. But the arm itself wasn¡¯t the problem. The reason that the arm wasing out ¡ª that was the problem.


    These monsters were trying to open up the way to break through their walls. As they opened new possibilities, they went back to eat up on the corpse to heal then came back.


    Sian was having a much harder time because of that. He then realized why they were trying to so hard to attack Sian.


    ¡®They just want to eat me up.¡¯


    Fortunately, Sian felt something changing within him. He knew what this feeling was as he had felt it three times already. But he didn¡¯t like it. It meant that he was going through considerable danger.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Sian fought hard but he was stillcking.


    They were vicious. All of them died except one. He even passed the barrier at the end. If he recovered, he would be a fourth stage Beta.


    However, he had lost. There was one survivor. The final survivor was now at the third stage. This survivor would be the strongest of thend.


    Both of them were half-dead but Sian couldn¡¯t even move. The Murakan was also weak but it seemed it could move enough to at least deal a finishing blow and finish eating him.


    ¡®Ugh... it¡¯s sad.¡¯


    He read stories where the main character was saved by his friends at such times, but no one wasing.


    ¡°Dammit. GOODBYE WORLD!¡±


    Sian shouted and panted. At that time, the Murakan that was crawling over to Sian with its remaining three arms screamed.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian had no energy left to turn over, so he looked at the Murakan weirdly but he knew why.


    Tens of people appeared from a distance and began showering down power after power onto the monster. It did not have much energy left, but it was still at the third stage. They did not dare toe closer, but they attacked it so it would not go near Sian.


    Sian felt someone grabbing him.


    ¡°We were notte. Are you okay?¡±


    A man was smiling as he picked up Sian by his arm.


    ¡°You¡¯rete, Lorvall.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re alive, so I¡¯m notte. You just broke through a wall, so we are just in time. We just need to kill him and it will be perfect.¡±


    Sian thought of some words to retort, but he felt his energypletely drained and fainted.

 Chapter 175: Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 175: Evolution</h4>


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    Sian felt his body had fully healed and woke up. He could now feel it; he was at the end of the Beta stage.


    ¡®Did Chrona and Dragona have to go through these stages?¡¯


    They probably did. If he were to pass this onest stage... he would be like the legendary Broxian or Dragona. He would still be much weaker, however, as he would just be a newly-born Alpha.


    He could feel the powerful energy from within himself. He was always fascinated when he finally broke through a wall and became a new self. It even tempted him to try and ovee another barrier. The power within was that alluring.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m crazy now. To think that I would want to try again...¡±


    Sian shook his head to dispel those thoughts and nced around. If his body had felt a threat he might have woken up automatically, but it seemed that the area was now safe. Lorvall and the other Dukes must have managed to kill off thest Murakan.


    ¡®That¡¯s fortunate.¡¯


    It had been great timing. If they jumped in before, they probably would have fallen prey to the Murakans, and if they were toote, then they would have been fallen prey to the Murakan that had be stronger after consuming Sian.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°Oh... Lorvall.¡±


    Sian greeted Lorvall as he walked in.


    ¡°How long did I sleep?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I think it¡¯s been about a month.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s not as long as I worried.¡±


    He was so focused on healing himself that he could not even guess how long had passed.


    ¡°What happened to the Murakan?¡±


    Lorvall smiled.


    ¡°Thanks to you, we managed to kill it off. We wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it unless you damaged it to that extent. I was prepared to die together with it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of luring those Murakans to the Ciculus and overload it to make it explode.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He spoke of it casually, but the context was pretty terrifying.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay though. You won and everyone is saved. I thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such dangerous things anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes... that was unexpected. We didn¡¯t think your blood would be that powerful. We discovered that your bloodpletely erased mine that was put into those Murakans. That was the reason why they went out of control.¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, that¡¯s been taken care of at least.¡±


    ¡°So how are you defending against those invaders?¡± Sian asked. They had been relying on the Murakans to defend the warfront, so if they were gone, it would be a huge blow to Lorvall. However, he seemed unconcerned.


    ¡°I have other means... I also have Swarms too.¡±


    ¡°Swarms?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can use them now.¡±


    ¡°Were the Gerna wiped out?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There weren¡¯t much of them left in the north. They probably all moved in when the barrier was down. We also got more Swarms when we cleaned up... I guess it was only natural as we had more food for them. We will manage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s even better is that we now can use the energy that was powering the barrier elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Oh... talking about that...¡±


    Sian realized the barrier that covered the sky was now gone.


    ¡°It feels weird to see the sky without the barrier. It had been covering us for over three thousand years, but it¡¯s a good thing. We can focus on defending the penins for a while. All the Swarms areing here, they will arrive by today or tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s good news for you too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Conrad had told him that they needed the barrier to stabilize before they were able to send Sian back.


    ¡°Yes. We can now teleport you out. Conrad is working on the rune as we speak. It should be ready by tonight.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t believe that he could now go back home.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you d? You can go back now.¡±


    ¡°Yes... but it just doesn¡¯t feel real yet. I just took a nap and then it¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯ve been sleeping for a month and we¡¯ve been keeping busy. You should rest a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Oh, and where¡¯s Stiel?¡± Sian asked.


    Lorvallughed as he answered.


    ¡°She¡¯s out at the roots, training. She¡¯s been focusing on training for a while now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°I think she was shocked to find herself powerless at the situation. But she has talent so she¡¯ll grow. The Dukes are training with her. Should I call her here?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go to her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way. Follow me.¡±


    Sian got out of the bed and followed Lorvall outside.


    ¡°NO! That¡¯s not it! Do it faster!¡±


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    There was a training ground located at the outer roots of the tree. It was where the Dukes sparred with each other. It was built out of the most durable parts of the Ciculus <Lorvall> to withstand the Dukes fighting. The mile-long training ground of the Ciculus Tree was now filled with shing sounds.


    Stiel was fighting against some weird roots that were controlled by a Duke.


    ¡°What is this crap?!¡±


    ¡°Haha, there¡¯s an ancient tree race called <Antara>. My poweres from them. It¡¯s buried under the Ciculus at the southwestern side of thend.¡±


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    The tree was so dense that it couldn¡¯t even be cut with Stiel¡¯s strongest attack. She tried to fight it off but soon gave up and jumped back to dodge the attack.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty strong, isn¡¯t it? They were the rulers of the southwestern region for a long time. But they were wiped out along with their Betas during the first disaster.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, when can I be stronger...¡± Stiel ranted. There were Dukes and Betas everywhere and she needed to catch up to them. The Duke heard her mumbling and said, ¡°Is there anything good to eat? Find some of them and try it out.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Stiel became interested as the Dukeughed.


    ¡°Yeah... I mean, there¡¯s a lot. Ones like the heart of the ancient race or... a core.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Stiel then remembered that Sian had mentioned such things. She always believed she had to be stronger from her own training, but she needed results.


    ¡°I should ask when Sian wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do that. Shall we continue?¡±


    At that moment, roots began sweeping over towards Stiel, and she began crushing them with her ck gauntlets.


    Sian was watching from afar so he wouldn¡¯t disrupt the training and thought, ¡®Something good to eat...?¡¯


    He had something like that.


    <Heart of Nekra>


    <Karnine>


    And what he could do with these two.


    <Session>


    If Stiel attempted the session by consuming the heart of Nekra and use Karnine, she would gain incredible power immediately. Unlike Kuntarian, Stiel would be able to absorb the full power and be born into a being at its limit.


    ¡®It might solve her age issue too...¡¯


    It had been on Sian¡¯s mind that Stiel did not have much time left to live. However, nothing was for certain yet, so Sian began to ponder as Lorvall asked, ¡°What are you thinking about so seriously?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Sian thought Lorvall might have a better idea as he had lived longer and began to exin. But Lorvall didn¡¯t give him an answer he wanted to hear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure as I¡¯m not an expert on that... I don¡¯t even know what that Kal-Gul race is.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian became disappointed but Lorvall added, ¡°But I know someone who might have an answer to that.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sian also realized that there was an expert not too far away.


    ¡°Conrad and Lagaope might have the answer to your problem. Go and ask them.¡±


    ¡°I should do that. Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably installing the rune. Go to the core.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Sian jumped out to find them.

 Chapter 176: Evolution

    <h4>Chapter 176: Evolution</h4>


    ¡°Kal-Gul... that¡¯s a name I have not heard in a long time.¡±


    Conrad and Lagaope hade to inspect the heart and Karnine. They were intrigued that the heart had belonged to the Kal-Gul¡¯s Great Warrior Nekra, as they had previously fought the Kal-Guls for a long time. After testing it with various magics, Conrad and Lagaope started discussing a lot of things. They started debating with each other on various issues for a while and concluded in the end, ¡°We don¡¯t think there will be any issues.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The heart is stable and we don¡¯t see any... trace of Chrona in there. You won¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Sian still seemed to be concerned and Lagaope became curious. He then realized what Sian was worried about.


    ¡°Oh, are you worried about the <Soul Transfer>?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sian exined what he had seen before. He told them about when Kuntarian¡¯s ego was gone and Kgul, the old Kal-Gul warrior took over. Conrad and Kuntarian frowned.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°So, that Kuntarian guy got the heart that we were studying... but to have beat the man up until his spirit died. You are one of a kind.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    The side effect of having one man¡¯s ego disappearing wasn¡¯t one to take lightly. However, Conrad didn¡¯t seem to be concerned. Sian questioned him, unconvinced, and Conradughed.


    ¡°You would die with that amount of damage before your spirit dies to allow that to happen.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°The body would be crushed before that happened. If Stiel falls into that situation, it would be much direr than a Soul Transfer.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right.¡±


    ¡°You probably can use it without any concern. If you think it will be hard to eat it raw, should we process it a bit?¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Sian asked. The heart was still beating so he didn¡¯t feel it was appropriate for ady to eat it whole. It was quiterge too. Conrad began drawing something up on the space. It began to form a circle with various incantations as Conrad took the heart and ced it inside the circle.


    The heart was pulverized and became a powdery substance. The reddish powder than swirled around within the circle and became a small rock that was about the size of a thumbnail.


    Conrad snatched the rock and handed it over to Sian. Sian was confused as it seemed very familiar to him and finally realized what it was.


    ¡°Oh... this looks like-¡±


    ¡°Yes. I processed it the same way we make the Soul Transfer Orb. The orb requires more materials, but this is how it works. I extracted the core power of the heart into this, so it will retain its full power when consumed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fascinating. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We will work on the rune again, so go and have her eat it. Stiel won¡¯t be easy to deal with from now on. Haha.¡±


    Conrad smiled as he knew how strong Nekra was from first-hand experience. Sian thanked them and returned to the training ground where Stiel was at.


    ¡°Wow, Sian you came back with a present! So, were you watching me while I was training?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I went to ask about the heart and Conrad even processed it into this.¡±


    Sian handed over the red gem to Stiel.


    ¡°How kind of them. So, it doesn¡¯t have any side effects?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s what Conrad and Lagaope said.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Lagaope also say it was okay with the Murakans?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I trust them. So I just need to eat this and put Karnine close to my heart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Are you sure though?¡±


    Sian was still unsure if he was making the right choice, but Stiel justughed.


    ¡°It will be okay.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean... are you okay with bing strong in such a manner?¡±


    Sian was worried that it might hurt her pride. However, she seemed okay.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s no right or wrong way to be strong. I can¡¯t me anyone for things that happen because I¡¯m weak. I will grab any opportunity to be strong. I learned this when I was younger.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°But are YOU okay? You won¡¯t be able to use Karnine anymore.¡±


    Sian shook his head and answered.


    ¡°It broke when I used it back in Apental. Don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°Haha, right. Come to think of it, you¡¯re finally paying me back for my armor that you BORROWED and destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just joking. Then, shall we?¡±


    Stiel swallowed the gem, took Karnine from Sian and ced it over her heart. She didn¡¯t have to stab it into herself as it immediately began reacting to her.


    There weren¡¯t many visible changes from the outside, but Sian was able to see the changes happening within Stiel¡¯s body. The gem scattered into powder inside her stomach and began to spread throughout her entire body. Karnine also began emitting powerful energy onto her and spread out.


    Her inner body began to change. Her muscles tightened like steel and her senses increased. Her bones became stronger and her blood was cleansed and renewed.


    The change didn¡¯t take too long. When everything was done, Sian carefully spoke to her.


    ¡°Hm... Stiel?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel didn¡¯t answer but nced at her own body and began thrusting with her fists and legs. It was a different level of power from before. After she finished examining herself, with a satisfied look she turned to Sian and smiled.


    ¡°Wow... I guess you really need to eat good stuff for your body.¡±


    ¡°You scared me.¡±


    Sian was relieved to hear that Stiel was still herself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong. It¡¯s great!¡±


    Stiel seemed excited about her new power. Sian grinned.


    ¡°Are you going to use Karnine?¡±


    Stiel didn¡¯t seem interested in using Karnine so Sian asked. Stiel frowned and replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s broken?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it is still good enough to use as storage. It will be better than the ne.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. I should put my gauntlets in there. You can have Nitzmatan back.¡±


    They traded Karnine and Nitzmatan.


    ¡°I think the gauntlets are more suitable for me. I¡¯d use them even if Karnine wasn¡¯t broken.¡±


    Stiel spoke as she pounded the gauntlets against each other. Then, they saw a huge wave of a silvery-looking substance approaching from a distance.


    ¡°Wow... look at all those Swarms. They became even stronger.¡±


    The Swarms were muchrger than the one that protected the Karltonheim Estate. The two of them found it interesting that this Swarm contained an enormous amount of energy.


    ¡°Where did they get that energy?¡±


    ¡°Haha, we don¡¯t need the barrier anymore so we can utilize all the energy we want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ciculus.¡±


    Sian turned to Ciculus, who jumped out from the Swarm and said, ¡°We will use these to defend now. I pulled out all of the stored Akra from around the continent. By the way... I heard what happened. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good. But that will surely help.¡±


    The Swarms quickly moved under the <Ciculus> Lorvall. They were a bit weaker than the Murakans, but they seemed that they had be strong enough to defend the ce.


    Sian rxed at the increased defense and began looking forward to his return.


    Sian got up from his bed from a sudden loud tremor that shook the Ciculus.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on this time?¡¯


    Sian instantly became concerned when something unusual happened now. Besides, the energy wave wasn¡¯t something he could overlook. It was so massive that if it blew up, he would receive quite a bit of damage. After checking, Sian wasn¡¯t too worried as the energy didn¡¯t seem to be vtile.


    ¡®It¡¯s still ufortable.¡¯


    He was sure that something was happening at least. Sian thought about going to check it out, but he went to check on Stiel first. She was already awake and was ncing around.


    ¡°Sian, what have you done?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Stiel automatically assumed it was Sian¡¯s fault and confronted him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not some harbinger of disaster, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... it¡¯s fishy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Right. They¡¯re not running away.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡±


    Looking at the other Dukes standing around and checking on the situation, it didn¡¯t seem to be much of a threat, so Sian and Stiel ran to the ce where the tremors originated.

 Chapter 177: Grand Plan

    <h4>Chapter 177: Grand n</h4>


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sian.¡±


    Ciculus greeted Sian who came up. Ciculus and the other Dukes were feeling the energying from the bottom of the tree as if they had been waiting for it.


    ¡°What is this energy? What are you guys doing?¡± Sian asked as he felt the powerful energy radiating from beneath the ground.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing? This is why we made Ciculus, the Akra, and the Swarms in the first ce.¡±


    The energy was slowly flowing into the core of the tree. The massive energy was bing more apparent and powerful as it gathered towards a small spot.


    ¡°What do you mean? I thought they were created for the human race?¡±


    Lagaope told him that Ciculus and Akra were made to protect and help grow the human race. However, it seemed that Ciculus was implying that there was a different motive. And the Swarm? They were supposedly built to fight the Gerna.


    Sian became confused, but Ciculus couldn¡¯t contain his excitement as he answered, ¡°Yes, yes. It is for the human race, but there¡¯s another purpose for it.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see it soon. Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have a problem going back home.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian looked away as Ciculus pointed out what worried Sian the most. He didn¡¯t seem like he was lying after all, so Sian decided to wait and see.


    Within the core was a man standing inside; however, the man and the core weren¡¯t visible as a countless number of Swarms were covering them. The core was huge, but it waspletely covered with Swarms. But it was clearing up as Swarms quickly began to disappear.


    The silvery waves were rushing into the ce where core and the man stood and were absorbed in as it transferred the Akra energy onto the core.


    The core was now filling up with silver liquid from within and the man who stood inside was being drawn by the silver liquid.


    There were two men watching, Conrad and Lagaope.


    They were prepared for any emergencies, but the project didn¡¯t seem to have any issues so far.


    ¡°It¡¯s really working. Lagaope, you really did it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah... I researched it for a long time.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to be one too? Isn¡¯t it to be a <God>?¡±


    Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°That only works for a man with Divine Blood. It was a project to bring out the full potential of the Divine Blood that had been restricted by human blood. It can¡¯t be used on any man, other than the descendant of Broxian. I was so relieved when I found Lorvall, you know? Oh, maybe you might work since you are the ¡®Son of the War God¡¯, right? Haha.¡±


    Lagaopeughed as Conrad scratched his head in embarrassment.


    ¡°I really thought I was a son of God back then. You know, being reborn and all.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Yes. But the world isrge, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Conrad agreed. There was no one weaker than him on this tree. No, there were two. Stiel and Lagaope. But that didn¡¯t prove much.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. You¡¯re still within the top fifty ranks for humans in terms of strength.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    Conrad, a once-Emperor and the most powerful man in the continent,ughed.


    ¡°There are a lot of monster-ish people. Lorvall will be on the step to be a <God> when hees out of there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t he bing an Alpha from that?¡± Conrad asked, but Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that easy. This isn¡¯t enough to bring out the full potential of the Alpha, Broxian.¡±


    ¡°Oh... you didn¡¯t tell me the next step.¡±


    Lagaope smiled as he answered.


    ¡°Lorvall knows. He¡¯ll take the needed steps on his own. Oh, it¡¯s almost over.¡±


    The enormous number of Swarms had now melted away within the core and it was shining with a silvery light as strong Akra radiated from within. Then, the silver liquid swirled around like a tornado and Lorvall began absorbing it.


    As the energy was absorbed, Lorvall began to undergo a change. The sound of bones breaking and rearranging would make anyone cringe, but Lagaope approached him to check.


    ¡°Good... it¡¯s going well. We have to move on to the next step. Can you give me that?¡±


    Conrad handed over a sphere that was about as big as two human fists. Conrad seemed to be tempted to take the sphere for himself as he reluctantly handed it over.


    ¡°Can I be strong if I eat this? It¡¯s the extract of a third stage...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be strong with it. It¡¯s made for the Divine Blood. Come on now.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Conrad handed over the sphere and Lagaope threw it into the core.


    As it was thrown in, it changed the silver liquid rushing into Lorvall, elerating the process.


    Conrad watched worryingly as the creaking sounds became louder, changing the shape of Lorvall¡¯s body in a grotesque way. Conrad asked, ¡°What if that Murakanes back to life?¡±


    Lagaope shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. This is thest step of the process. We are removing the contaminated human blood out of him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done.¡±


    Lagaope spoke as he looked at the silver figure turning into a human shape atst.


    Stiel was confused. The energy was subsiding but it looked like nothing changed. However, Sian seemed to be in shock.


    ¡°By the Gods... what have you all have done?¡±


    Sian felt something was born from below. A powerful but familiar energy.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Stiel couldn¡¯t feel anything but she knew that Sian had felt something.


    ¡°Something... was born just now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is it? Is it that serious?¡±


    Stiel asked as it had been a long time since she had seen Sian look so serious.


    ¡°It¡¯s about strong as me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you break through the wall this time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°So... you¡¯re at the fourth stage now, right?¡±


    ¡°And so is the one that was born from below.¡±


    The sheer amount of energy that was collected would partly exin the situation, but that wasn¡¯t enough to create a powerful being equal to Sian. Just then, the newly-born being jumped up to Sian with incredible speed.


    His power was now very different from his old self, but he was a familiar face.


    ¡°Haha! Have you been looking at the world this way? It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Lorvall nced around as he checked himself and his new power. It was probably very exciting, as Sian had been when he woke up from bed. Lorvall¡¯s excitement would be greater as he broke through a few stages at once.


    ¡°It¡¯s you. What just happened?¡±


    ¡°I guess you have the right to know. I will exin it all. Stiel... can you give us a moment?¡±


    Lorvall called to Sian and jumped down with him to the bottom of the tree.

 Chapter 178: Grand Plan

    <h4>Chapter 178: Grand n</h4>


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°I have something to show you in return. It¡¯s all thanks to you that we got this far.¡±


    ¡°Me? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°I will exin everything. You¡¯ll see it soon.¡±


    Lorvall quickly moved down the Ciculus and Sian followed. Sian first thought that they were going to where the Swarms stayed, but Lorvall moved past them. There was a deeper underground channel beneath the Swarms.


    ¡°Is there something below?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lorvall seemed excited with his new power as he kept smiling as he answered. As they went further down, Sian noticed something shining from deep below.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    They arrived at a deep cavity within the ground. Sian found two weapons stuck within and moaned. There was nothing he could feel from the weapon, but it wasn¡¯t because the weapon was worthless. The weapons did not require such feelings or energy.


    A silver spear and a golden sword.


    It seemed like they had been crafted by the finest cksmiths.


    Sian didn¡¯t know what they were made of, but he was able to realize one thing. Those weapons were powerful enough to damage Chrona or Dragona. It didn¡¯t mean the wielder could defeat either of them, but that was really something. Sian became curious and asked, ¡°What is that? Are those weapons from the Divine Nation days?¡±


    That would have been amazing, but Lorvall shook his head.


    ¡°You are only half right. It was made during that time, but our nation did not create those weapons.¡±


    ¡°Then...?¡±


    Sian was now full of anticipation.


    ¡°Yes. Those are the weapons used by the War God and the Sun God.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    He expected that weapons with such presence could only be possible to be weapons of such beings, but it was amazing to hear that they were really weapons of such legends. Lorvall continued,


    ¡°The spear... the War God took out what he needed from the Alphas, extracted it, and created it with his own hands. We are not sure how many Alphas were killed to create that weapon. I believe the Sun God¡¯s sword creation method is simr.¡±


    They were just weapons, but had been created through horrific methods.


    ¡°Where did you find that? I don¡¯t think Lagaope knows it exists.¡±


    ¡°I met Lagaope 1000 years after the war was over. A lot of things happened during that time and I couldn¡¯t tell him everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I have this special skill called <Connector of Aksarai>. It allows me to see through any secrets that are hiding. I traveled around the continent using this power... let me tell you a story.¡±


    Lorvall went on a trip as he grew interested in the eastern continent. It was a simple trip so he just took a few of his people without much preparation. The continent was a very dangerous ce, but Lorvall loved adventure so it did not worry him. He then learned that there was life at the other end of the penins towards the northeastern corner of the continent; however, he wasn¡¯t able to go across so he gave up and returned. That was when he saw a light shining from the western continent.


    <What is going on?>


    He quickly returned to the west, but there was nothing there except for an ocean.


    The vast Empire of Broshan was no more. It had been sunk into the sea within hours. Lorvall quickly gathered the survivors.


    Fortunately, there were a lot of survivors.


    Unfortunately, the survivors were shunned human outcasts as they were deemed not fit to be Divine Citizens.


    Lorvall also went to check on the <Aksarum>boratory, but the researchers were all gone. He knew there was another secret room beyond the portal, but he couldn¡¯t pass through all the Betas there, so he gave up.


    There was another unfortunate turn of events. He was the only surviving Divine Blood.


    Lorvall was sad. He wanted to bring humans together to form a nation again, but all that was left were ruffians, outcasts, and thieves. Anyone who might have had the power to revive the culture, technology and the magic of the nation were all gone.


    Then, another problem cropped up as the Gerna started controlling the humans. There were a limited number of Divine Seals that he could distribute, so he couldn¡¯t protect all the humans from the Gerna.


    That was when he began raising the strongest of the humans to make his forces. Lorvall himself was also strong at the Beta stage, so he was considered the strongest among the humans. The humans called him and his people the <Duke Lorvall Family> and considered highly of them, however, Lorvall did not like it. He wanted to bring back the glory of the old days.


    One thousand years passed. He had earned a fascinating power called <Connector of Aksarai>. He became excited when he got the power. Lorvall tried to use it to empower humans, but it was difficult.


    Then, he found something.


    <Spear of the War God>


    <Sword of the Sun God>


    When he followed the quest that was given to him by that power, he found a trace of the War God. He thought if the War God was alive, that would mean they had a chance that the Divine Nation would rise again. It wasn¡¯t the nation that gave birth to the God. It was the God that made the nation.


    Yet, Lorvall despaired at the information given by <Connector of Aksarai> on the weapon.


    <Spear of the War God>


    -Relic of the War God


    -Stats: ???


    <Sword of the Sun God>


    -Relic of the Sun God


    -Stats: ???


    Relic.


    That word on both the weapons meant that the wielders of the weapons had been killed. Besides, the weapons were useless as he could barely lift them up. It wasn¡¯t possible for him to use them. Lorvall didn¡¯t know what to do with the weapons so he just stored them. He then hid the news that the Gods were dead. The humans were hoping that God woulde back to save them.


    Then Lagaope came after a thousand years. He had been hiding within theboratory. It was fortunate that both of them were alive. They both needed each other to fulfill their dream.


    That was the beginning.


    The project to create a new God. The Alpha.


    <We have to drive out the Gerna first.>


    <Good idea.>


    Lorvall despised the Gerna who controlled the human race. There was no way to fight back until now, but Lagaope had his ways. While the Swarms and Murakans pushed them back, Lorvall nted Ciculus and spread Akra to help humans grow.


    However, these weren¡¯t originally made for this purpose. Their original purpose was to create an Alpha.


    Lagaope¡¯s n was simple.


    The Divine Blood was blocked at the first stage of Beta for unknown reasons and Lagaope thought it might have been because human blood was mixed in. That was simple to solve. The human blood just needed to be cleaned out to open the possibility for the next stage.


    It needed three things.


    A man with Divine Blood. It was opening a possibility of Broxian¡¯s blood, so only his descendants were possible to do this.


    The second thing was the powerful extract from a powerful race to wash away the human blood. A first stage extract at least was needed to wash away the first stage Beta¡¯s blood.


    The third was the sheer amount of energy that was even hard to find during the days of the Divine Nation.


    That was why Ciculus, Akra, and Swarms were created. They collected enormous energy through Akra and Ciculus and transferred it via the Swarm. The extracts were solved by Murakans as they devoured others for their power.


    They were sessful until they drove out the Gerna, but something happened next.

 Chapter 179: Grand Plan

    <h4>Chapter 179: Grand n</h4>


    When the Gerna were driven out, monsters began rushing in from the other side of the penins. Lorvall and Lagaope had to focus on defending before they could even wipe out the Gerna.


    As they couldn¡¯t wipe out the Gerna, they had to channel the energy of Ciculus to create the barrier to stop the Gerna from invading again. They worked to increase the number of nobles, but it didn¡¯t help.


    The bigger problem was the Murakans. Their n was to consume the Murakans that became first stage Betas to evolve into the second stage and control the Murakans to be second stages, before consuming them again. However, they stopped evolving. None of them were turning into a first stage Beta. And with the monsters attacking from the other side of the penins, they couldn¡¯t even focus on increasing the number of Murakans.


    With all of these happening, three thousand years had passed. Lorvall almost gave up.


    ¡°But everything has been solved in recent days, all thanks to you.¡±


    Sian¡¯s blood quickly allowed the Murakans to evolve into the first stage Beta. Lorvall was nning to consume them to reach the second stage, but they consumed each other to evolve into the second stage. And as they fought with Sian, they went on to reach the third stage.


    Lorvall was shocked when he realized the Murakans were beyond his control, but he also realized that if Sian won and if Lorvall consumed the extract, their n would finally move on. The new quest window was telling him that.


    That was why he waited until the Murakan evolved into the third stage and became weak enough for him to kill. Sian performed well for that.


    They did not even need the barrier anymore as all the Gerna were wiped out. They now only needed to bring in the energy using the Swarms.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the Murakans were all taken care of?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We processed them all into extracts. They are all here now.¡±


    Lorvall tapped himself. Sian thought about smacking the man for what he made him go through, but a fight now would mean disaster.


    ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°No, we were just lucky.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just used my blood?¡±


    Lorvallughed.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that simple. The Murakans can do that, but I can¡¯t. I would¡¯ve done it if it worked.¡±


    ¡°But... doesn¡¯t it mean that anyone can be strong like that?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded as he had gone through so much trouble to be this strong while Lorvall became at the same level without paying for anything but Lorvall shook his head.


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t easy. I had prepared for three thousand years. Besides, you need to be a descendant of Broxian. I¡¯m the only one left.¡±


    Lorvall spoke as he sighed. But Sian considered if all of that allowed to create a powerful being like Lorvall, it was worth it.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you rush a bit?¡± Sian asked as there were some parts that seemed dangerous. If Murakans were bit stronger, for example, their n would have been failed miserably.


    Lorvallughed.


    ¡°Haha, remember I have this special power? Besides, I didn¡¯t have much time. Divine Blood doesn¡¯t grant you immortality. I¡¯ve lived too long and I have many enemies.¡±


    ¡°Well... congrattions anyway.¡±


    Lorvall shook his head.


    ¡°Haha, thank you. But the project is actually a failure.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I need to be a God? I need to be an Alpha to be a God. Alpha and Beta are two different things.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a matter of strength. If Lorvall was still stuck even at such strength, there was no chance that he will be as strong. Besides, his blood wouldn¡¯t allow for the creation of new Divine Blood with Beta. The right to lead the race was only given to the Alphas.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°We only had third stage extract so this was the limit. This is a failed project. Yet.¡±


    Lorvall added a little and Sian became concerned at thatst word.


    ¡°Yet? Is there another way?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After I absorbed the Murakan¡¯s extract... I absorbed a fascinating trait also. But I knew that was going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Hm... can I not hear about it?¡±


    Sian felt something wasn¡¯t going right but Lorvall shook his head.


    ¡°It won¡¯t change the result but it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    ¡°...Go on.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The trait... it¡¯s a trait that lets you be stronger once you survive through the brink of death. It¡¯s amazing that you can break the wall just by doing that.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Lagaope, I¡¯ll need a word with you after this.¡±


    Sian sighed. He expected it when he saw the Murakans. Fighting and eating each other wasn¡¯t enough to be that strong. He was sure that his blood was the cause. However, it was really unfortunate that this same trait had been passed on to Lorvall.


    ¡°I guess you know what I want to do next then. Take one that you like. At least we should use the weapons to feel the threat.¡±


    Lorvall pointed toward the weapons. Sian felt something was seriously going wrong. It would be really dangerous if he fought with Lorvall with that weapon. Even if he survived, he would at least have his arms cut off. Sian was very powerful, but that weapon was much more than that. It wasn¡¯t a weapon that a Beta could wield.


    ¡°Did you have this in your calctions?¡±


    Lorvallughed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I was lucky? I didn¡¯t have a lot of time left. I guess the War God is helping me. Oh, by the way, I¡¯m telling you because we will be fighting anyway, but I wasn¡¯t going to send you home.¡±


    ¡°Can we solve this peacefully? I¡¯ll tell you where you can fight until you die. If you go to the south...¡±


    ¡°Oh, the forbiddennds? I¡¯m not powerful enough to fight against Chrona or Dragona yet. I will die even if I be an Alpha. But I¡¯ll go there and train when I be an Alpha, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Is there any other fourth stage Beta?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s why I¡¯m looking at you. And remember I said I have special power telling me what to do?¡±


    Lorvall spoke as he watched the quest window popped up in front of him.


    [Quest: Final Evolution]


    -Ovee the barrier and reborn into a God


    -If sess: Evolve into an Alpha


    -If lost: Death


    ¡°Dammit... dammit, dammit, dammit!¡±


    Sian wanted to avoid fighting at all costs, yet it seemed like there was no other option. He thought about pulling out both the weapons and ambushing him, but Lorvall seemed to be expecting that and had readied himself with the weapons. He was speaking as if he was rxed, but he was ready for an ambush.


    ¡°Dammit... give me the sword.¡±


    ¡°Good. I thought it would fit me better to fight with my ancestor¡¯s weapon.¡±


    Lorvall pulled out the spear and threw the Sword of Gran-Ra to Sian. Sian then asked, ¡°If you fight with me, it means you might die too. Is that okay?¡±


    Lorvallughed.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t be an Alpha, it¡¯s better that I die.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to stay a Beta until I die. I¡¯d rather die here than lose my chance to be an Alpha.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Sian understood why Lorvall was so eager to fight. If they fought with the weapon they were holding, one of them would be an Alpha in the end. Lorvall desperately needed to be an Alpha so he couldn¡¯t let this chance pass.


    ¡°Should we move?¡±


    ¡°Why not fight here?¡±


    ¡°Why would I? I have no bad feelings against you. I¡¯m actually thankful to you for everything. It¡¯s not my wish that the woman you care about dies from the fight.¡±


    Lorvall then jumped out, and Sian followed him back to the ground.


    ¡®Should I stab him from behind?¡¯


    Sian thought about it but shook his head. Lorvall was now at the same level and he was fully on guard. Sian shook the thought away and followed Lorvall out.

 Chapter 180: Transcendence

    <h4>Chapter 180: Transcendence</h4>


    ¡°Sian, what¡¯s that?¡± Stiel asked Sian as he came back with a weird golden sword. The Duke also had a silver spear in his hand. She didn¡¯t sense any weird energy from it, but Stiel figured it was something powerful. Sian, who didn¡¯t even consider Karnine a worthy weapon, was holding onto the weapon tightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a present... hah.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian sighed heavily and Stiel became surprised. Sian seemed to be raging.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... nothing. You should stay here. Take my Nitzmatan for a while.¡±


    If Lorvall had any bad intentions, there was no way to protect Stiel. Luckily, Lorvall wasn¡¯t interested in that, so Sian decided to leave Stiel here. When Sian was done speaking, he nced at Lorvall and Lorvall jumped out at once. Sian then followed, leaving a dumbfounded Stiel behind.


    ¡°Good, it¡¯s better you leave her behind somewhere safe.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Sian asked Lorvall as they flew over the penins.


    ¡°We are not as powerful as the Sun God or the War God, but the surroundings will be crushed when we fight. It¡¯s better we fight somewhere with no one around.¡±


    ¡°You care about people?¡±


    Lorvallughed.


    ¡°Haha, they are poor beings. A Divine Blood like me has to look after them. If we have an Alpha back in our race... we can regain our former glory.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m just going to go back to my home.¡±


    Lorvall answered grinning.


    ¡°You can do that. If you win.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian frowned at Lorvall. When Lorvall arrived at the end of the penins, he jumped towards the sea. It would have been considered suicidal if Lorvall didn¡¯t kick the water surface and jumped again.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this enough?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to be safe?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Yeah, it¡¯s bit close.¡±


    He had destroyed a mountain when he fought Nekra and this time it would be on a muchrger scale.


    ¡®I hate fighting someone strong as me.¡¯


    The sea that divided the penins to the other side of the continent was filled with dense fog.


    ¡®Can¡¯t I just ambush him here?¡¯


    Sian didn¡¯t have any intention to y fair so he thought about a way as the fog hindered their visibility, but he gave up.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the fog so dense? It¡¯s always dense in this ce.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone over?¡±


    ¡°A few times, but I almost got killed. Crossing it isn¡¯t much of a problem. I just need to dodge those Merpeople.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lorvall was curious as to why all those monsters came from the beyond so he decided to pave a way with the Murakans and Swarms to go over.


    <We will all die if you die out there!>


    The other Dukes begged him not to go, but Lorvall was irritated as his project was put on hold because of those monsters.


    <I want to know why they keeping over for thest thousands of years. What are you going to do if I die from old age? Go extinct?>


    Lorvall finally managed to cross the sea with his power of Aksarai and the help of the Murakans and Swarms.


    ¡°I was foolish back then.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I was only about three thousand years old then.¡±


    ¡°Is this the same road?¡±


    Lorvall shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s not even the safest time to pass. I was weak but now, but they won¡¯t dare to attack us. Look down.¡±


    Sian nodded. He did sense a lot of beings cowering away as they passed by. Lorvall was disying his full power, so some of the monsters even fainted.


    ¡°But... did you go over?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I¡¯m taking you there. I couldn¡¯t stay long back then though, but it was a breath-taking scene. I¡¯ve always wanted to go back again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will be taking a look at that continent once I win. You should too if you win.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian ignored what he said, as he had no intention ofing back to this suspicious continent; however, he was curious about whaty beyond the fog. As they traveled further in, the fog began to clear and Sian realized what Lorvall meant.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Right. If it wasn¡¯t covered by fog, we would¡¯ve already seen it from the other side.¡±


    There was nothing on the beach, but there was a huge mountain range in the distance. It was so tall that it even broke through the clouds and it was sorge that it felt like the continent was just a part of the mountain.


    Sian realized what created the fog. The shorter peaks were the ones creating the fog, but there weren¡¯t just a few; there were thousands of these peaks.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have any information popping up. It seemed that the giants or other races were staying by the corner of that mountain before they came over. I¡¯ll check it out once we are done with the fight.¡±


    Lorvall spoke as he let out his full energy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t get a chance to see that.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t you think this is a good ce to fight? I wanted to show you this before you die.¡±


    ¡°Those are some really strangest words.¡±


    Sian gripped the sword tight and readied himself.


    ¡®This is my first time fighting someone as strong as me in a one-on-one fight.¡¯


    Sian had always fought with numerous weaker beings. It was the first time in his life that he was going to fight someone on equal footing. It seemed that he might be at a disadvantage as Lorvall would have much more experience than him. However, Sian believed in his instincts. Even now, his instincts were telling him what to do and how to fight.


    That was what allowed him to survive all those fights that would otherwise kill him. He knew his instincts would bring him another victory.

 Chapter 181: Transcendence

    <h4>Chapter 181: Transcendence</h4>


    ¡°It¡¯s begun,¡± Lagaope mumbled as he saw shes of lightning from over the horizon. The sea in the horizon was filled with dense fog as always, but now it was being cleared away by powerful shockwaves. There was no sound that traveled this far, but the silver and golden shing lights were still visible.


    Conrad turned to Lagaope and asked, ¡°Did you know that this would happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t I tell you that it¡¯s not finished yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lagaope had said it wasn¡¯t finished when Lorvall exited the core.


    ¡°The preparations only allowed Lorvall to reach the fourth stage. We need to ovee thest wall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and then?¡±


    ¡°With Sian, we can do that.¡± Lagaope exined thest step.


    ¡°So if they fight until they die, the other bes an Alpha, just like that?¡± Conrad asked back, unconvinced.


    However, Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°Yes. The one who returns will be the new God.¡±


    ¡°Or they both die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also a possibility.¡±


    Lagaope nodded. The path to bing an Alpha wasn¡¯t an easy one.


    Sian dodged the end of the spear that struck under his nose and swung his golden sword. The sword destroyed the space and the ground each time he swung. The peak that stood nearby had been destroyed a while ago and the giants and Merpeople were frantically running away from the sudden cmity. Sian and Lorvall were fighting in the direction toward the penins so they couldn¡¯t even run toward the penins.


    Sian then thought about another thing as he saw thends being destroyed.


    ¡®At least no one will dare to fight over this way.¡¯


    It was a ce with a trace of powerful beings. Monsters with heightened senses would not even dare toe close to this battleground.


    Sian then refocused himself on the fight. The opponent wasn¡¯t like any he fought before. He thought that fighting the Murakans was the most danger he would ever have to face in his lifetime, but this was much worse.


    ¡®What is he doing anyway?¡¯


    Sian was shocked at the amount of powerful magic that Lorvall was using. Each of the hundreds of magic was very powerful. Sian dodged the silver spear and deflected the blue ray of energy with his sword. The ray was sent towards the ocean and instantly froze a few miles of water. However, it was then melted by a green ray that was also deflected.


    ¡®Is this the power from <Connector of Aksarai>? That¡¯s not fair!¡¯


    It seemed that Lorvall was using all the magic he had avable. Sian thought he had a good chance to win until Lorvall started using his magic. Although they were at the same level, he would win. This was because of pure talent. He knew how to fight and how to win. But Lorvall was much stronger. He was even using the power to control time and space that Nekra used.


    ¡®He can do all sorts of things, but I only know how to swing a sword.¡¯


    Sianined in his thoughts. But Lorvall was also good in a physical fight. He kept on pressing Sian with the silver spear among the rain of various magic attacks. The attack that barely missed Sian¡¯s ear sent a shockwave that created a deep hole in the ground.


    Sian followed the lines that he showed up in front of him to dodge the attack and swung his sword. If it was an easy target, it would have shown him the shortest possible way to victory; but the line was showing him a much more difficult method.


    In order to dodge the attack and counter it, he needed to give up his arm.


    If he were to attack the throat, he needed to give up his own throat.


    If he were to destroy the left hand, his right hand would be destroyed.


    There were a lot of possible ways, but they all required sacrifices.


    ¡®There is no easy way.¡¯


    As they fought endlessly, they gained injuries. Thend and the sea had been destroyed.


    Sian then fought something that was changing from within. It was almost ready to undergo a new change. Sian felt why Lorvall wanted to be a God as he felt the change. If this change reachedpletion, he would really be powerful enough to call himself a God. Just like Chrona who decimated the Empire in the blink of an eye, he would be such a being.


    The fight became more intense. Sian knew what Lorvall was thinking. If they slowed down the fight, they would both survive, but they would never be an Alpha. The change happening from within them didn¡¯t allow such slow fights to happen. It wanted a dramatic change, a danger that would bring the body to its limit. That¡¯s why Lorvall was pushing him.


    Sian was now bing serious. If one of them was to survive, he wanted to be the one. He also was curious about what would happen at the end of this fight.


    Sian then began oppressing his opponent. Even with all that magic, with such power, it didn¡¯t matter. He had lived with just a sword, and he would survive with just a sword.


    Stiel was surprised at the sudden wave of energy spreading.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    The energying from beyond at the battleground. It was enormous, dark energy that spread out, congratting the born of a new being. It spread far beyond the Ciculus and onto the continent.


    Stiel then saw the Dukes around her fall down.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    She had befriended them while training, so it was shocking when she saw all of them fall.


    However, the question was quickly answered as Lagaope approached together with Conrad.


    ¡°Congrattions. Mister Sian has won.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Lagaope nodded. ¡°Of course. All the people who have received the seal of Divine Blood dies with the owner of the seal. It means Mister Sian has won. I guess the power came from him.¡±


    Stiel brightened up but asked again, ¡°Then howe you¡¯re alive?¡±


    Conrad said he didn¡¯t receive the seal, but the problem was Lagaope. Stiel thought that Lagaope had lived this long because he had received the seal from Lorvall.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin thatter. Shouldn¡¯t you go greet Mister Sian?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be looking after the core here.¡±


    Stiel then rushed towards the energy. There was the possibility that Sian would not be in a healthy condition even if he had won.

 Chapter 182: Transcendence

    <h4>Chapter 182: Transcendence</h4>


    Lorvall died with a satisfied look on his face. It seemed Lorvall didn¡¯t care who would be an Alpha in the end and hisst words were confusing.


    <Good luck. You¡¯ll need it...>


    ¡°What did he mean by that?¡±


    Sian then focused on the power within him.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    It was beyond expectation. As soon as he was reborn, his body, which was full of injuries, had all healed. The power that seeped out in the process was raging through thend even though it was just the remnants of the power.


    Sian didn¡¯t have time to think about that. The change that was happening within him was even more amazing.


    He had been moving instinctively to change the world. No matter how strong he became, it didn¡¯t change.


    But it wasn¡¯t like that anymore.


    <Change the world as I imagine it>


    Sian knew how could do this now. The him before he became an Alpha was a different being than what he was now. He then realized why there needed to be such stages to evolve and gain another power level. Its difference wasn¡¯t something that could be managed at once. The wall that he just broke through wasn¡¯t just a wall. It was the change extracted from within that exploded in the end, changing his entire body.


    He also took both of the weapons. These were used by a self-imed God so it would suffice to call each of them a <God-level Weapon>. He then realized he had not been using the weapon to its full potential. This type of weapon that was created with a countless number of Alphas, was not something a Beta could wield.


    As he was thinking about how to store the weapon, it began to scatter and became a powder that Sian¡¯s body absorbed. When Sian thought about the weapon one more time, it appeared on his hand again.


    ¡°Oh, it can do that?¡±


    Sian made the weapon disappear again.


    ¡°HAHAHA! I see the ways now! I don¡¯t need to go through this pain to be strong anymore!¡±


    Sian was d. The <Ways to be strong> that he wasn¡¯t able to see anymore since he was seventeen had now shown up again. Sian learned that the world was veryrge and there were powerful beings throughout the world.


    Stiel was correct. He needed to take the chance and be strong when possible.


    Even now, he could think of three beings that were more powerful than him: Chrona, Dragona, and Liona. Sian was very unlucky in that sense as there was no telling when he would need to fight them. He needed to be strong enough in order to beat them up.


    ¡°I should train hard now. But to think that I still can¡¯t defeat Chrona... wow.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe how strong he had gotten, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. He now realized he was very lucky to have managed to escape after pping Chrona. If Chrona never imagined that she would be attacked like that, Sian would have no chance of running away.


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that I can use teleportation magic to go back.¡±


    It might take a long time for him to be strong enough to fight head-on with Chrona. He was also thankful for the mysterious race blocking the way in between. If it wasn¡¯t for them, Chrona and Dragona woulde over to this part of thend and destroy everything.


    ¡°Hehe... I should go back now.¡±


    Sian began running toward the shore from the sea. The shallow beach at the continent was now destroyed; its floor was now like a deep sea. It didn¡¯t matter as Sian could just run over it. Sian then found Stiel flying in at a distance so Sian flew over to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Sian! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I won.¡±


    Stiel was worried that something might have happened as the energy waves had stopped, but Sian looked very normal.


    ¡°What had happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the way.¡±


    Sian began to exin as they flew back to Ciculus.


    ¡°So have you broken through all the barriers now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no barrier blocking my way anymore. I didn¡¯t know how good would it be to grow stronger by training. I¡¯m thankful for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there it is.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I need to have a word with Lagaope.¡±


    Ciculus and Lorvall were on the horizon and memories were shing past Sian.


    Starting with the Apental to the result of him being thrown in this world, along with the Murakan and Lorvall¡¯s attacks. It all had been started with Lagaope.


    Sian checked on Lorvall as he arrived. Its vast space was very empty as the entire Lorvall family was now all dead.


    There were no Swarms, Murakans, Dukes, or Lorvall himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should choose who you¡¯re picking on.¡±


    Stiel spoke astonishingly. ¡°You make it sound like I killed them all... well, I did but it was self-defense.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But aren¡¯t those monsters going toe over now?¡±


    Sian shook his head.


    ¡°They won¡¯te over... at least for a few hundred years. Thend has been destroyed and the ones that can sense the energy won¡¯t dare toe over,¡± Sian answered confidently.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It has been a long journey. I wish my brother had a lot of babies. My family values children... but he has three wives, so...¡±


    It was all over. Sian had gone through a lot, but it was now time to go back. As Sian turned toward Ciculus, his face became grim.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on, Sian?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no one here.¡±


    ¡°What? Both of them?¡±


    ¡°At least that¡¯s what I can see.¡±


    There was no way Conrad and Lagaope could hide from Sian. Sian searched the parts of Ciculus and finally came to the core. The core was very empty but Sian was able to feel that it had been used to perform teleportation magic. There was rune drawn on around the core. Sian tried to see if there was any trace left but there was nothing.


    ¡°Did Lagaope run away?¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t understand. He did have business with him, but he wasn¡¯t going to kill him. He would just get a beating and that was it.


    As Sian looked at the core, some weird marble dropped from it and Sian picked it up. There was small energying out from it so Sian sent his energy in.


    Then it began making sound and a video popped up.


    ¡°Lagaope.¡±


    <Haha, Mister Sian. Good to see you again.>


    It was Lagaope. This small marble was working as amunication device. Sian tried to trace it down so he can find where the video was being sent but it seemed like it had been blocked.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    <Well, my job there is done so I came back to where I belong.>


    ¡°...Why did you leave so suddenly?¡±


    <Haha, you must have heard about everything by now, so I have no reason to stay there when I know what¡¯ll happen to me.>


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    <But don¡¯t be too angry. You can go back to your home. You see the magic rune next to the core? That¡¯s the rune that connects to Ra-Sian Continent. The core is damaged but you probably can source the energy now. You¡¯re an Alpha now, right?>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian wanted to smack the man¡¯s face at once but he didn¡¯t want to look for Lagaope as he was tired. Lagaope continued,


    <Did you remember all those stories I told you?>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <There are a few things that I didn¡¯t tell you about.>


    ¡°...Why are there so many things that you didn¡¯t tell me?¡±


    <This one¡¯s thest. You have to know. It¡¯s really important.>


    Everything that Lagaope spoke was all very fascinating so Sian would have been eager to hear whatever it was that he hid anyway. Sian asked the reason why.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡±


    <Because you will want to kill me if you did.>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian became confused and Lagaope began to exin.

 Chapter 183: Lukra

    <h4>Chapter 183: Lukra</h4>


    <Hmm... Where should I start... It¡¯s been a long time since I found out about you.>


    ¡°How long has it been? About ten years now?¡±


    Ten years ago, Sian was dragged into Apental. If Lagaope had found him then it would have been ten years. Lagaope shook his head.


    <No. It¡¯s longer than that.>


    ¡°Huh? Then how did you know about me when I was in Lagran? Or Con-Tian?¡±


    Rumors of Sian had spread at the time so it could have been within that time frame. Lagaope¡¯s organization <Herrantor> had awork of people working for them throughout the continent so it was possible.


    But he still shook his head.


    <No, way before.>


    ¡°Then when?¡±


    <I should say... it was when you were born. Right after the ceremony.>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded by the unexpected words. Lagaope smiled.


    <Do you know why the ceremony is held when a baby is born?>


    ¡°Uh... I heard that it¡¯s to measure the Bander Rating and see how talented the baby is...¡±


    <Then, does that make sense to you?>


    ¡°...¡±


    <The power differs from time to time. Measuring the power of a hundred-day-old baby doesn¡¯t mean much when it can¡¯t even control the energy from its surroundings.>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    <Even then, I taught the Bander Rating system to the people and had the nobles go through a ceremony to measure them. I¡¯m pretty sure you know the reason for that.>


    Stiel answered instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s to calcte the blood ratio between a human¡¯s and a monkey¡¯s.¡±


    <You are correct. The highest ratio we ever had was 86%. This is what you know as an 86 Bander Rating.>


    ¡°And they were all reported to you, I assume.¡±


    Lagaope grinned.


    <Of course. That¡¯s why I went all the trouble to have Magical Council start a useless ceremony like that. Besides, the higher the ratio did mean that the person would have greater power, so it wasn¡¯tpletely useless in the end.>


    ¡°So, that¡¯s how you found those who would be your people.¡±


    Lagaope nodded.


    <I didn¡¯t mean anything bad. Even with the high human blood ratio... you still might die in an ident when you¡¯re young. We couldn¡¯t have that, so that¡¯s why we had to know. To protect them. Do you think Stiel could have managed survive long enough to seed in a coup against her father and im the throne as a young girl? There were plenty of powerful people within that Kingdom.>


    ¡°So... you were protecting me then?¡±


    <I think Robanutton was protecting you back then. She couldn¡¯t be there all the time so she pressured the Magical Council to work for you and sometimes did it by herself... we couldn¡¯t let anyone die. This did allow us to increase the number of superhumans.>


    ¡°So, you must have been watching me too.¡±


    <Well, you were different. You were different from the beginning. Stiel, what was your rating?>


    ¡°I think it was 82. My jealous brother and sister almost killed me because of it.¡±


    Stiel frowned as she spoke. Lagaope then turned to Sian.


    <Then, do you know what your rating was, Mister Sian?>


    ¡°Hmm. I think Sian would have gotten at least 99 or 100?¡±


    Stiel guessed as the number was a percentage so she thought 100 would be the maximum. But Lagaope shook his head again.


    <It was 497.>


    Stiel was shocked. ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you say it was a percentage?¡±


    <It calctes the power stored within the blood. If those monkeys on Ra-Sian had 1 in their blood, then people on this continent had 100. A pure-blooded monkey would have the rating of 1 and if the blood reacts to about 40 times more, it would be at 40%... at least that¡¯s how we calcted it.>


    ¡°Then what about 497? It¡¯s not like I should have 5 times the blood of others or anything. Or am I like descendant of the War God or Sun God? Or a hidden son?¡± Sian asked, but Lagaopeughed.


    <Haha, you sound like Con-Rad when he was young. Don¡¯t learn that from him.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <There¡¯s no secrecy in your birth. But there¡¯s something else. Remember I said I mixed my blood in with the monkeys when I tested them?>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <Another blood was mixed then too.>


    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you just use yours?¡±


    Lagaope shook his head.


    <Yes, but...>


    ¡°But what?¡± Stiel asked.


    <I never said my blood was pure human blood.>


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    <I should go back to the blood again.>


    ¡°What... oh, right. Why are you still alive?¡±


    <What do you mean?>


    ¡°I heard that people with the seal die when the Divine Blood leader dies. Why are you still alive?¡±


    <Oh,e to think of it...>


    Sian never thought about Lagaope¡¯s age as people with the seal could gain immortality as long as the Divine Blood leader lived. But this would mean Lagaope had lied. It was either Lorvall was not thest of the Divine Blood or the people with the seal didn¡¯t die.


    Lagaopeughed.


    <I did not lie. Lorvall was thest of Divine Blood and people with the seal died. Those dead Dukes are proof of that. No descendants of Broxian are left in this world.> Lagaope answered.


    <And remember I said I had the blessing of a priest? I never said I received the seal.>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡±


    Stiel wasn¡¯t familiar with either concept so she thought it was the same thing.


    <No, they¡¯re totally different things. There are no priests in the human race.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <But there are priests in another race. Like I said, there wasn¡¯t just one God back then.>


    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t mean...¡±


    Sian began to realize what Lagaope was saying.


    <Yes. The beings that gave me immortality... they are the priests of Lukra, the followers of the Sun God, Gran-Ra. I live because of their blood.>


    Lagaope continued his story.


    Lagaope tried going to the forbiddennd after he gave all the information he had about bing an Alpha to Lorvall. But he didn¡¯t expect much as he didn¡¯t have much time left to live. 1000 years had passed outside but he only had been in <Aksarum> for 150 years. Yet, he only managed to be a Baron which did not grant him a longer life span. It seemed like he only had about 10 years left at most.


    It would¡¯ve been good if he had received the seal from Lorvall, but Lorvall was using his entire seal to control the situation at hand so Lagaope descended south without it as an adventurer. He did not have that much time left so he thought it would be nice to go on an adventure through the forbiddennds before he died.


    That was when he was kidnapped.


    Lagaope was passing by the roads that went around the Mountain of Extreme when he was kidnapped and dragged into the mountain. Luckily, the power of the kidnappers allowed Lagaope to withstand the effect of the mountain. After the higher rank of kidnappers read through Lagaope¡¯s memories, they moaned. They were using different words, but one word came through Lagaope¡¯s head through a telepathic power.


    <Dammit... so this was why we were drawn to you... with <Connector of Aksarai> and all...>


    <Connector of Aksarai? You mean Lorvall?>


    <We do not care who he is. The fact that there is a connector means that we have not routed out <Aksarai> yet.>


    Lagaope couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying so he began asking questions.


    <Who are you people?>


    <We are... Lukra. It¡¯s the name given by the mighty Gran-Ra.>


    Lukras, the followers of Gran-Ra, began exining their side of history.

 Chapter 184: Lukra

    <h4>Chapter 184: Lukra</h4>


    Lukra, the mighty race that gave birth to the powerful Alpha, <Gran-Ra>.


    They did not originate within the Mountain of Extreme, nor they were powerful from the beginning. They were weak when they started out because of two traits.


    <They can only grow stronger through fighting at the brink of death. No amount of training will allow them to be strong.>


    <But when they ovee such a threat, it will empower them.>


    It was a peculiar trait, but it allowed them to grow stronger at a faster pace since the continent was full of dangers. They were weak to start, but it made them shine when they inched closer to their limits. The wall that was hard to break through with training was easily broken through once they overcame a death challenge.


    However, the results were tragic. There were a lot who couldn¡¯t ovee the challenges and died.


    As they roamed thends, they found a mysterious piece ofnd.


    Thend posed more dangers as one became stronger.


    The power that made the body strong became its attacker.


    Thisnd was like a blessing to the Lukras.


    After they discovered thend, they stayed there and continued training. The weaker ones started training on lower ground until they were close to dying, which then they went further down to keep themselves from dying. The one who became stronger moved up toward the peak. The mountain became harsher as they went up, but it allowed the Lukras to be stronger.


    They called the mountain a <Holy Land>. Their power grew within the mountain.


    But there was a problem. The warriors within their fold had be Alphas. The problem was that the mountain was no longer a threat to them.


    Then, they moved out of the mountain to hunt down Alphas of other races. If they died while doing it, that was that. The survivors became stronger as they hunted down the Alphas. The humans that came exist on the eastern continent inter days thought there were no strong races on thend, but this was because the Lukras wiped them out first.


    This process eventually decreased the number of Alphas within the Lukra, but it gave birth to one miraculous being.


    The most powerful being, one who appeared after defeating countless Alphas. The one with the golden sword.


    <Gran-Ra>


    After Gran-Ra killed the King of the Giants who ruled the eastern continent, he came to have the might of a God. But this gave him another problem. There was no one else left that was strong enough to fight on the same level as him.


    No, there was one. One who lived above and had no interest in thend.


    <Aksarai>


    Ruler of the <Drakun> who lived above the clouds, the one almighty.


    Aksarai knew he would die if he fought Gran-Ra so Aksarai avoided him. There was no way to catch Aksarai who hid among the clouds so Gran-Ra came back to the Holy Land, disappointed, and slept. The other Alphas of Lukra slept with him.


    A thousand years passed and Lukras had been training while Gran-Ra slept. That was when the human


    came to his reign.


    The priest read through the minds of the human expedition as he became curious about the outside world. Gran-Ra strictly forbade them from going out of the forbiddennd at Beta stages, so they had no way to know about the outside world.


    Then when they found out. There was a powerful Alpha that was strong enough to fight <Gran-Ra>. They sent a message to Gran-Ra and it woke him up instantly.


    <I will break this barrier by fighting him!>


    Broxian was shocked at first but he wasn¡¯t the one to avoid a fight.


    But there was an unexpected turn of events.


    <I will take this chance to kill you both and rest in peace!>


    Aksarai came down to take the chance to kill the two annoying Alphas who came after him at every chance. One Alpha was the one who kepting after Aksarai to fight, and another one even made a flying ind toe over to the sky. Aksarai was irritated but these two were as powerful as him so he avoided fighting them. But as they fought each other, he thought he would have a chance. Besides, if one of them grew stronger than they were now, it would allow them to rule over the sky.


    The priest knew what happened after as Gran-Ra sent him the view that he saw before he died.


    The three almighty powers had killed themselves in the fight.


    After checking to see their God, and the other Alphas died, Lukra began concentrating on training. There was no more God protecting them so they needed to protect themselves. The <Drakun> above the clouds weren¡¯t easy opponents.


    Both their Gods died so they were equal for now. Humans were counted out as they were almost eradicated by the battle.


    A thousand years of boring opposition continued. They each had the upper hand on theirnds but also meant they could not invade the other¡¯s territory.


    The Lukra priest was then drawn to a human walking by the Mountain of Extreme. After reading through the memory of the human, Lagaope, the priest was surprised.


    The <Connector of Aksarai> reappeared.


    Almighty <Aksarai>. Priests confirmed his death by the sight given to them by Gran-Ra and they also had the evidence. As the body and its spirit were torn apart, all of the magic it contained had spread onto the races of the world.


    It was still much less powerful than <Drakun> who knew how to use all kinds of magic; the death of Aksarai gave birth to races who could use at least one of the magical powers.


    These were in full control of Aksarai and only allowed Drakuns to use it. But there it was. <Connector of Aksarai>. Unlike other magic, this one required part of the spirit of Aksarai himself. It was a magic that was so powerful that only a few Drakuns were allowed to wield. But Aksarai consumed all of his spirit prior to his fight between the Alphas so there were no more connectors left.


    The priest wasn¡¯t afraid of the connector himself, however. The problem was that if the connector was left to be stronger, it would eventually lose its control to Aksarai. The reason for Aksarai to share his spirit was to use it as insurance. If the connector became an Alpha, the connector would be reborn as Aksarai.


    But the priest realized the situation wasn¡¯t as dire as he first thought.


    <He¡¯s too weak.>


    It seemed the connector wasn¡¯t a valid one was it did not get the spirit from Aksarai himself. It would make him a minion to Aksarai, but it seemed he had free will. The magic that this Lorvall used also were much less powerful than the actual magic used by the connectors he knew.


    The fact that Lorvall could not break the wall of the Beta was the proof. Connectors automatically knew how to break the wall with the power.


    The priest also knew the ns that Lagaope made would also fail. This man did not know the true power of an Alpha. The Murakans, for example, would surely stay in the same state.


    The priest then began to think about his next move.

 Chapter 185: Lukra

    <h4>Chapter 185: Lukra</h4>


    The beasts out in the world were evolving. These beasts thought it was their chance to be strong as powerful beings such as Aksarai, Gran-Ra, or Broxian were gone and they were now almost done with their process. If they were reborn, it would add three new Alphas. They wanted to get rid of them, but it would draw the Drakuns down toe and attack them. They weren¡¯t visible from the ground, but they were up there, watching the Lukras.


    They could defeat the Drakuns if they fought on the mountain, but they would lose if they fought in the skies. Fighting on the ground would be fair game, but no one would start a fight with no advantages on their side. The Lukras loved to fight but they did not want to die.


    Thus, they stayed within their territories for thousands of years. And if those beasts finished evolving, those beastsbined would rise as the third opposing power.


    But if Aksarai were born again, that could change things. Aksarai also had a mighty power like the Sun God himself. Fortunately, Drakuns didn¡¯t seem to realize that there was a new Connector of Aksarai. If they knew, they wouldn¡¯t have left the connector alone.


    Yet it also meant that there would be more connectors toe.


    They needed to root out the Drakuns and connectors to win.


    <Should we go out to the world?>


    That was when the priest turned to the human.


    The man named Lagaope.


    The priest knew what this man¡¯s purpose was. The poor human race that Drakuns nor Lukras paid attention to after they were eradicated. Drakuns did not care about them as they were sure that the human race would no longer give birth to any <War Gods>.


    Lagaope was one who dreamed of the poor human race rising to obtain their lost glory.


    He was the one who wanted to bring back the War God.


    The priest spoke to Lagaope.


    <Human, listen to me.>


    <Yes.>


    <I have good news and bad news.>


    <Bad news first.>


    <Good. The bad news is that your n will fail. That Lorvall cannot be an Alpha.>


    The priest exined the details concerning the connector of Aksarai. Lagaope was shocked. This meant that his project was a failure. His n was to use the Divine Blood to bring forth its potential and the only surviving Divine Blood was out of the picture.


    <No... I must let him know...>


    <Wait. Listen to the good news.>


    The priest held onto Lagaope.


    <Okay.>


    <The good news is that your n will fail anyway. I have seen your ns... it¡¯s not enough. You do not understand the Alpha.>


    <...>


    Lagaope was shocked again to hear that his ns that he had studied for 100 years were incorrect, but he quickly calmed down. If the priest was right, his n would not seed anyway.


    <We have two choices at hand. Train within the mountain, or go fight the Drakuns.>


    <...>


    <Both these choices aren¡¯t any better than the other. The Drakuns still guard the skies and we will see more connectors be born across the continent. It won¡¯t be easy, but in the end, one among them will be an Aksarai.>


    <...>


    <We will need to kill every Drakun and watch over those connectors, but that is not the most optimal choice.>


    Lagaope could not understand why the priest was telling him all that and asked,


    <Why are you telling me all this? Don¡¯t say that you are asking me to fight the Drakuns together with you guys.>


    The priest shook his head.


    <No. You humans are too weak. At least not now.>


    <...>


    <But... I will trust you, the human race, who gave birth to Broxian.>


    <You mean...>


    <We will ultimately fall if we stay in this state. But we have no other choice. So I am offering you a form of alliance. We will attract the attention of the newly-born Alphas and Drakuns. You should continue your research and create an Alpha no matter what. And when that timees, perform your duties as an ally.>


    It was what Lagaope wanted. To create an Alpha again within the human race. But Lagaope shook his head.


    <No... I don¡¯t have much time left to live and if my project failed... I don¡¯t even know where to begin.>


    The priest spoke.


    <It seems that man called Lorvall has used the seal to the limit. I will help you with the aging problem. Swallow this.>


    Priest created a weird red marble in his hand.


    <What is that?>


    <It¡¯s our blood. Take it.>


    Lagaope thought there was no harm at this point so he swallowed it at once. Then the priest began mumbling something and sent strange energy to him.


    <What is this?>


    Lagaope was shocked as something within him began to change. The priest answered,


    <Our blessing only works on one of our race, so our blood has to flow within you if I were to give you our blessing. It will not grant you our race¡¯s traits, but you will live for eternity as long as that blood remains within you.>


    <What...>


    <And the blood... will help your research. Our blood is much more superior to the blood of your own kind.>


    Lagaope was given a time of eternity and a vital ingredient for his research.


    <I must return and study at once! I will surely make an Alpha to fulfill our duty!>


    Lagaope tried to jump out at once but the priest stopped him.


    <What is it?>


    <You cannot go back to yournd anymore.>


    <What do you mean?>


    <Our blood flows within you. The Drakuns will not miss this. You will die as soon as you step onto yournd again.>


    Lagaope was dumbfounded by the word.


    <This is outrageous... then what do you want me to do!>


    <But it does not matter. You can go back if we take away our blessing. However, it will take away your immortality.>


    <So what? I can¡¯t do anything here.>


    The priest shook his head.


    <No, you must go south.>


    <To thends of the beasts?>


    <Yes. You will have your answer there.>


    It seemed that the priest was confident about his answer so Lagaope was intrigued.


    <What makes you so sure?>


    <It¡¯s... just my hunch.>


    The priestughed.


    Lagaope almost pped him in the face out of irritation but he held back as he was much weaker.


    <Don¡¯t look at me like that. Our hunches are much different than the ones you have. Think of it as a foresight. Besides, you have no other choice left.>


    <Okay.>


    Lagaope agreed to go south.


    <Find the answer by using the time and the blood given to you. And when you find the answer,e back to this ce. I will take away your blessing and send you back north again.>


    <Do I go now?>


    The priest nodded.


    <Yes, you should go now. The beasts are going through their evolution so this is the chance for weaklings like you to pass through. All the beasts are staying by their side to protect them. This is your only chance.>


    Lagaope then hurried to travel south. He wasn¡¯t still sure what to do, however.


    <First... I will gather much information as possible to make an Alpha. And then go back.>


    After he traveled through thends, he only found monkeys and Lagaope was confident that there would be no Alphas in this part of thend, so he decided to study and create a n to make an Alpha and return home when he was done. The blessing would have to be removed when he returned, but it would still give him ten more years.


    Lagaope then began mixing his blood in with the monkeys to create other humans to find his way back. He had all the time he needed. That was when he came to witness the birth of a miracle.


    The birth of the one who could possibly be a god.

 Chapter 186: God of Humans

    <h4>Chapter 186: God of Humans</h4>


    <The migration project is as you know. I did intend toe back.>


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Sian nodded.


    <Do you remember I told you that we have other ces that we studied other than the <Amaran>? We were studying the Lukra¡¯s blood to learn more about Alphas. We couldn¡¯t bring out the trait of the Lukras until we got the unexpected.>


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    <Yes, it was you. I was so shocked.>


    After Lagaope gained enough information about bing an Alpha, he was then preparing to return home. That was when he came across something entirely unexpected. The one who had been born with Lukra blood.


    <I never thought putting my blood would result in the birth of a being with Lukra blood. The powerful blood usually doesn¡¯t mix well. Remember that monkey¡¯s blood was at 1 while humans are 100? Lukra blood would be at about 300. At least that¡¯s what I had when I studied their blood. It didn¡¯t even work when it was mixed into humans so I never imagined its blood would be awakened within the monkeys.>


    ¡°300...¡±


    It meant that the one with such a rating would be born with three times the human potential. Considering that humans here would easily be nobles, or superhumans on the Ra-Sian Continent, it was outstanding.


    <I was shocked when I heard the report of your rating. It meant that you had Lukra blood. It was the first time in 3000 years that I ever saw its blood being awakened, along with the chance to be an Alpha.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <The proof is that you be strong when you face the threat of death. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s odd that you can be so powerful just because you have just encountered such a threat? Other Betas can¡¯t do that.>


    Humans became strong through training while Dragona went through molting and Chrona absorbed its offspring. The only race that could be strong with such a way were the Lukras.


    ¡°...¡±


    <You have the traits of both humans and Lukras. Lukras can¡¯t be strong through training in return.>


    Sian was still confused and asked, ¡°But that¡¯s weird. Even if I awakened with the blood, wouldn¡¯t it max out at the 300 rating?¡±


    Lagaopeughed.


    <Yes, that¡¯s why I had such high expectations for you. It means you were beyond my expectations. To me, you were like a miracle.>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    <There are no secrets to your birth. At least far as I know. I am not sure how you were born with such a rating. I am a scientist and I hate things I can¡¯t understand but I also love it in some way. I can¡¯t control it because I can¡¯t understand it but it can give me surprising results.>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    <Anyway, it seems like your father was surprised. Your father used secrecy magic on the one who performed the ceremony. However, wouldn¡¯t you find it weird for the one who went to check on the rating on the famous family who usually had high ratings, toe back with secrecy magic? I unlocked it and checked it out.>


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    <I think your father thought it would have been enough to keep it a secret from the Magical Council, but they are one of us. There¡¯s no hiding from us.>


    ¡°Were you that curious?¡±


    Lagaope nodded.


    <Of course. You can¡¯t imagine how shocked I was when I heard the rating of 497. That¡¯s when I changed my ns. I kept this to myself and decided to watch over you for a while longer. I didn¡¯t want my friends to know about you in case they would do something to you. As you see, they were mostly more powerful than me.>


    Lagaope didn¡¯t want his friends to know about Sian in case they wanted to try to see how strong he was before he became strong enough.


    ¡°You wanted to make me an Alpha.¡±


    Sian knew what Lagaope¡¯s n was all along.


    <Yes. It was unexpected but it was fortunate. I never thought there would be one who had the chance to be an Alpha on that side of the continent.>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    <I couldn¡¯t help but ce my hope in you when I heard the rating.>


    ¡°Did you do something behind my back to make me an Alpha when I was young?¡± Sian asked.


    Lagaope shook his head.


    <No. You were born to a very good family. I didn¡¯t need to do anything. I didn¡¯t have to protect you like Stiel, nor did I need to teach you in secret like Liviath. Besides, you were stronger than me when you were twelve years old. I was so shocked. That was incredible speed even considering your blood.>


    Lagaope knew that Sian had broken the wall when he was twelve. This was secret that he had not told anyone up until now.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really have been watching me.¡±


    <Of course. Anyway, I didn¡¯t do anything until you were seventeen. Why would I when you became so powerful without any help? It was better to let you do it on your own.>


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Sian wasn¡¯t convinced as every problem he had faced was all tied to Lagaope.


    <What¡¯s interesting was that you were really unlucky. I didn¡¯t intend to drag you in but you came right into it every time.>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian frowned.


    Lagaope was so d at Sian bing so powerful. It was unbelievable strength. He had never seen such strength even in the days of the Divine Empire. It seemed Sian would soon be an Alpha without needing any of the ns that Lagaope had prepared. But it didn¡¯t matter. If Sian were to be an Alpha, he had filled his purpose.


    Lagaope even thought about postponing his n to go back if he could help Sian be an Alpha. But Lagaope was shocked what Sian decided to do when he came across the wall.


    <I will give up bing strong. This is enough.>


    It was absurd, but it made sense. Sian was already too powerful among those monkeys. He was at a Duke level just before reaching a Beta barrier at age of seventeen. However, that didn¡¯t bode well for Lagaope. He needed Sian to be an Alpha. This was his best chance.


    Even if Lagaope were to return, there was no telling that he would seed in making a human other than Lorvall to be an Alpha. Besides, he wasn¡¯t sure if Lorvall was even alive to this day. Lagaope was mad that Sian wasn¡¯t eager.


    That was when he began studying things himself. He did some research on Count Kerbel and the others around him to find a way to make Sian stronger. The result was disappointment.


    <He can only be stronger through the brink of death? Who is powerful enough to even be able to kill him?>


    Sian was already too powerful. It would be possible if Con-Rad was alive, but it was before Con-Rad hade back to life and Nekra was still sleeping.


    But he did not give up yet. Thisnd didn¡¯t have anything that would threaten Sian but the northern continent was different. He just needed to bring Sian there.


    That was when Lagaope decided to proceed with his ns to return.


    That was why Lagaope was shocked when Sian was dragged into Apental.


    <Why is he here, and why is he being dragged in there?!>


    The door was small, but Apental was too dangerous for a being before reaching the Beta stage. Yet Sian came back alive and evolved into a first stage Beta. Lagaope was overjoyed.


    He did not care about the new <Connector of Aksarai>. It just didn¡¯t need to be an Alpha. Lagaope was worried when the spirit of the connector was blown away, but he used the body to reincarnate Con-Rad.


    Lagaope then thought about another n. To make Sian much stronger. He thought about using Nekra to have Sian fight against him.


    But before Lagaope could find a way, Sian disappeared. Lagaope frantically tried searching for him but he couldn¡¯t find him anywhere. He began searching for Stiel who might know whereabouts of Sian but she also had gone missing. Stiel had talked about Sian¡¯s whereabouts to the King and the family so Lagaope managed to find out what happened. It seemed that Sian had walked into the threat of death on his own.


    Then, Sian came back as a second stage Beta. Lagaope was overjoyed again. He was so happy that he even made Soul Transfer Orbs for Sian¡¯s family and tried to offer everything he could to Sian.


    Then he realized that there was nothing that would endanger Sian anymore. There was nothing on Ra-Sian. But the other continent had such things.


    Lagaope then began making preparations again.


    The reopened Apental wasn¡¯t for Sian. He never imagined Sian would foolishly jump back in when he knew how dangerous the ce was. Lagaope¡¯s n was to ce a Ra-Shar-Roa there and lure Sian by offering to make the Soul Transfer Orb for him and put him into <Aksarum>.


    That was why he did not share every detail. If Sian heard about Lukra or Drakun, he would nevere over. Lagaope then stopped by the Mountain of Extreme to remove his blessing and check on what had happened in his absence.

 Chapter 187: God of Humans

    <h4>Chapter 187: God of Humans</h4>


    The priest looked the same as before, but he also looked different.


    At six feet tall with golden, tentacle-like hair, the priest also wore a vest created with a mysterious fabric. He was full of dignity. But unlike the years before, Lagaope couldn¡¯t feel any powering from him this time.


    He must have be an Alpha.


    It seemed like nothing serious had happened, but he wanted to know about the ongoing fight between Lukras and Drakuns.


    Lagaope asked,


    <How is the situation?>


    <Human, it has been a long time. We are still at war. But it is in bnce... now the third power is opposing us.>


    <Oh.>


    <We did not intend for those beasts to be this strong, but it¡¯s toote now. We can¡¯t go down there anymore. This bnce will stay for a little longer, unless we have something that breaks the bnce. So I must ask.>


    <Yes.>


    <Have you seeded? Do you think you will have such powerful being in your fold?>


    Lagaope grinned.


    <Yes. I will soon fill my duty as an ally. Don¡¯t worry.>


    The priestughed.


    <I will look forward to it.>


    The priest then took the blessing and blood away from Lagaope and Lagaope felt something within him flowing again. The time that had been frozen within him began to move.


    <You have about ten years left to live. I hope you find your result before you die.>


    <Of course.>


    Lagaope moved out of the mountain and came down to his world. He went onto find Lorvall. He was still at the Beta stage.


    <So... our project really was a failure.>


    He knew when he heard from the priests, but it felt bitter to see it in his eyes.


    <Lagaope, by the gods... you were alive!>


    Lorvall was shocked to see Lagaope, who should¡¯ve died within ten years,e back after thousands of years.


    Lorvall was sad to hear about what Lagaope exined.


    <So this power that helped me the most... is the thing that blocks my right to be a God?>


    <Yes.... But don¡¯t worry. I found out a lot of things from thatnd.>


    Lagaope exined about what he found and about Sian. Lorvall spoke.


    Lorvall had given up on himself already so he wanted to try for a possible chance. They needed to ce the barrier and fight the Gerna to install the Ra-Shar-Roa and bring Sian over to this world. As they were preparing, they heard shocking news from Conrad who was out on repairing barriers.


    <Hey. You know, the Sian guy? He¡¯s here.>


    It seemed Sian had jumped into Apental that Lagaope opened to escape through Chrona. He was now a third stage Beta after fighting his way through the ce. Lagaope was astonished.


    <Wow, he really is unlucky.>


    It was amazing that Sian went looking for danger as if he was cursed. He sent Sian to <Aksarum> just in case, but it was too easy. Lagaope could have walked in and taken the core without any danger anytime, but he had been saving it for Sian.


    Lagaope was then worried. There was no way to put Sian in another dangerous situation anymore. He was too strong. That was when Sian did it again.


    Murakans suddenly evolved into second stage Betas and attacked Sian. It was unexpected but Lorvall¡¯s quest window guided him on what to do. The cursed power taught him the right way to achieve his goal.


    <We shall wait until he reaches the fourth stage and kills those Murakans.>


    Murakans made Sian be the fourth stage and fortunately, it even gave them the extract of a third stage Beta. Thanks to Sian, everything was solved soon afterward.


    Lorvall then reached the fourth stage. Lagaope then realized what he was thinking.


    <Lorvall... are you...?>


    <It¡¯s time. If I die to create an Alpha among us... it¡¯s worth it.>


    <Are you trying to lose intentionally?>


    Lagaope asked, but Lorvall shook his head.


    <No, that will not work. And that will not allow Sian to be an Alpha.>


    <But what if you win? That will turn you into Aksarai.>


    Lorvall answered.


    <Then that¡¯s what it will be. But I will kill myself if I think I will win. My guess is that even we are at equal power... he will win.>


    <It¡¯s that hunch again?>


    Lagaope mumbled as he heard that from the Lukra priest. He didn¡¯t like that since he was a scientist.


    <No. I am sure of it. Don¡¯t worry.>


    The Duke then walked into the core to undergo the final step.


    <That¡¯s where it ends. But I really didn¡¯t do much. It was all you all along.>


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t find any words to respond with. These people had spent three thousand years to just make one Alpha.


    ¡°So, what do you want? I am an Alpha now, but what if I do not want to fill my duty as an ally? You should know about me already. Shouldn¡¯t you like, beg me to do something?¡±


    Lagaopeughed.


    <Of course. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not asking you any favors. Would you help if I asked?>


    ¡°...¡±


    <No. You value your life and your family above all else. I know this. You will not put your life in danger to fight against Drakuns or Harijans to protect all people. I need other ways.>


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    <Thanks to you, we did earn safety. Only humans remain within thisnd.>


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    <You have destroyed the monsters within Apental and Aksarum. Its barrier was getting weaker so I was going to ask you to protect us from it.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <You also defeated the Gerna of the north. Didn¡¯t you also destroy the eastern penins? The monsters will note over anymore. You also wiped out all the Narijas in the central region. There¡¯s no other race than the humans here. The Swarms took care of the rest on their way.>


    ¡°But isn¡¯t there south? Wasn¡¯t it the reason why Lukra asked to be an ally?¡±


    It seemed things went well within thisnd, but there was a bigger problem. Sian thought the south was a bigger problem. Harijans, Lukra, and Drakuns... they were fighting each other at the moment but if humans grew to be a threat, they would surelye after them.


    <That¡¯s yours to deal with now.>


    ¡°...what did you say?¡±


    Sian looked at Lagaope.


    <That¡¯s up to you. I¡¯ve helped you to be an Alpha. I can¡¯t help you with dealing with those god-like races. Hahaha!>


    ¡°Ha...haha...¡±


    Sian felt anger rushing through his veins as he watched Lagaopeughing from beyond the screen.


    <I feel aplished. I don¡¯t have much time left... but I¡¯ve done what I needed to do. It seems all my burdens are gone now. Oh, one more thing. Don¡¯t just smack away people like that. Haha! I wanted to tell you this so badly for so long.>


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®I should go after him.¡¯


    Sian decided to find Lagaope even if he had to search through every part of thend. But Lagaope continued,


    <I only have 5 years to live. Shouldn¡¯t you let me have this vacation after 3000 years of work? Besides, you won¡¯t have time to find me.>


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    <Why do you think I installed that teleportation rune?>


    ¡°To go home...?¡±


    <Yes. You need to go home now. I forgot to tell you one important thing.>


    Lagaope then told Sian what he discussed with the priest before he embarked on his adventure down to thend of the beasts 3000 years ago.

 Chapter 188: God of Humans

    <h4>Chapter 188: God of Humans</h4>


    <It would be easier if I can go back...>


    Lagaope spoke as he looked back to hisnd but the priest added,


    <You have to go to the south. Besides, you will not be able to make an Alpha in thatnd.>


    <Why is that?>


    Lagaope was angry, but was also curious.


    <Why would those Drakuns let you live when one of their third stage Betas is enough to wipe your entire race out?>


    <...>


    <It is because they despise fighting the weak. That is the reason why you humans are alive. You all are weak.>


    <Dammit.>


    It was disappointing to know that they survived only because they were weak.


    <Being an Alpha is a different story. You have never seen the birth of an Alpha, I assume. The birth of an Alpha involves a powerful energy wave that rings throughout the whole continent. Thatnd is where Drakuns can still reach down. An Alpha is no longer considered weak to them. Even if you seed within that ce, the new Alpha will just get caught and be killed.>


    <Then what do you want me to do?>


    <If an Alpha is born... they will send their Alpha to kill the new Alpha. You must evacuate your Alpha immediately.>


    <Where would be the safest ce for them?> Lagaope asked.


    The priest answered, <If you manage to make one... send it to thend of the beasts.>


    <What...>


    <We will leave those evolving beasts alone. When they be an Alpha, the Drakuns will not easily invade theirnd. We will also draw their attention on us. That way, itsnd will be the most safest ce while being dangerous.>


    Sian was dumbfounded.


    ¡°Then you should¡¯ve finished it at Ra-Sian. Why did you...¡±


    Sian thought it would be better if Sian and Lorvall teleported to Ra-Sian first and fight there so that the Drakuns will note after them. But Lagaope shook his head.


    <It would have been dangerous even then. Dragona, Chrona, and Liona would havee for you. Besides, there¡¯s nowhere to run within thatnd. And if we did that, we wouldn¡¯t be able to defend the east penins anymore. Lorvall brought you there intentionally.>


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    <You probably knew this from before, but Alphas can¡¯t find each other if they decide to hide. The energy that rings out when they are reborn is the only way to find them. Did you now know why I¡¯m telling you this?>


    ¡°...¡±


    <Drakuns must have felt your energy. The Drakun Betas would stand no chance against you but the Alphas surrounding the Lukras are a different story.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <You must flee via the teleportation rune at once. The Alphas of those Drakuns must have heard of your birth by now. They are masters of magic. They probably know how to usemunication magic. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re on the way to find and kill the newly-born Alpha.>


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me that first!¡±


    Sian began blowing energy to the rune. It wasn¡¯t because of Lagaope¡¯s words. Sian himself was now feeling three powerful energies flying toward him at enormous speed.


    <Well, it¡¯s still not toote. You should run now. The Ra-Sian Continent is the only ce where you can survive. You should train while you hide there. And wipe them out! You can do this. You have the blood of Gran-Ra and Broxian.>


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    <Do you want to live in peace? Then you should be strong. It should be safe for a while once you return, but you never know when the power bnce will be disrupted. If that happens, thend will be in chaos. Do what you can do best when that timees. Beat¡¯em all up! Be stronger and wipe them out. That¡¯s the only way, and the only choice you have. That¡¯s all I can say to you now.>


    ¡°Stiel! Come here!¡±


    Sian quickly filled up the needed energy to the rune and the rune began to activate. Sian hid all of his power and dragged Stiel into the rune. Soon, he was gone.


    Right after they were gone, Drakunsnded on the ground while they pped their slick ten pairs of wings and checked on the runes.


    <Land of the beasts...>


    <We arete.>


    The Drakun frowned. If they tore through the dimensional barrier, those crazy beasts would jump at them at once. The three of them weren¡¯t enough to fight against those beasts. They were the same type of Alphas, but the power difference was toorge. As they wasted time fighting the Lukra, those beasts had be too powerful.


    <Let¡¯s return. We need to keep the Lukra at bay.>


    <What about these insects? How have they given birth to such a being?>


    <Haha... if you want to dirty your hand... go on. I didn¡¯t know you were that scared of those weaklings.>


    One of the Drakuns mocked the other. Attacking the weak humans was absurd. It was a dirty act.


    <Do not mock me.>


    The two Drakuns growled at each other but another one stopped them.


    <Stop. We must focus on our target. It¡¯s Lukra we must be focused on now.>


    <Sure.>


    Then they began flying back to where they came from.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Lagaope sighed after he was finished talking through themunication magic from within <Aksarum>.


    ¡°Is it finished?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They really are arrogant.¡±


    Lagaope was worried that the Drakuns will unleash their anger toward the humans but it didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°But is it okay? I¡¯m the <Connector of Aksarai> too, right? Am I not dangerous?¡±


    Lagaope grinned.


    ¡°Ha... do you think bing an Alpha is that easy? You are not even a Beta yet.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. By the way... do you really have only five years to live?¡± Conrad asked worryingly.


    ¡°Yes. About five years.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But I can revive through the orb! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Conrad became dumbfounded. It seemed Lagaope spoke about the five years to Sian in order to fool him.


    ¡°I did all I can though. The rest is up to Sian.¡±


    ¡°You believe in him so much. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the type to fight for humankind. What if he stays hidden?¡±


    Conrad spoke as he saw Sian as someone who hated fighting. It didn¡¯t seem like Sian wille to people¡¯s aid.


    ¡°There¡¯s a limit. Besides, I don¡¯t expect him to go out and beat up all of Harijans, Drakuns, or Lukra just now.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°It will be peaceful for a while, but it won¡¯tst long. If the bnce between the three races breaks down, thend will be at war. Sian will have to fight if he wants to protect his family from it. The human race will be wiped out if he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I created orbs for his family. So that they will not die before that happens. I also increased Stiel¡¯s life span. I want Sian to protect his family. That will suffice. He will fight those disastrous races to protect his family. I didn¡¯t expect him to fight for all of humankind. Broxian didn¡¯t do that either.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°Monsters can deal with monsters. Besides...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lagaope grew hesitant. Conrad waited for Lagaope to answer and he grinned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this when I believe in science, but Sian is really unlucky. He will need to fight whether he likes it or not.¡±


    ¡°...Right.¡±


    Conrad also knew how unlucky Sian was.


    ¡°We should look after ourselves for now.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    The Lorvall family that ruled over thisnd was now gone, but Conrad was still there. Conrad would probably be able to unite all of mankind and encourage them to grow.


    Conrad nodded. They needed to think about what to do on thisnd where only humans were left.

 Chapter 189: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 189: Homing</h4>


    Warrior Larune, the person in charge of protecting Ra-Shar-Loa No. 7 of the Kukutaran Empire was chatting with a friend. Ra-Shar-Loa was in one piece. There would have been horrific danger or other attacks from other countries in the past, but there were no threats like that anymore.


    Larune yawned out of boredom.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet today too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better that way. I love working here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet though. It¡¯s boring. I want a fight!¡±


    Larune loved to fight; peacefulness was too boring for him. This ce was too dullpared to his days at the Great North Wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Larune. It¡¯s a bad omen.¡±


    ¡°No way. Stop believing in superstition. There¡¯s no such thing as an omen.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Don¡¯t show off because you did some studies.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I¡¯m a graduate of Gron-Ph, remember?... Huh?¡±


    Larune turned back as he heard some strange sounding from behind.


    The Ra-Shar-Loa was copsing. The dimensional warp gate was now crushing inward, creating a new blue sphere from within. The sphere became bigger as it raged with lightning shooting out from it.


    ¡°Dammit! Run!¡±


    Larune began to escape. The energy that was being formed from within wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡®Is it a Resistance army? What is going on!¡¯


    Larune thought as he ran, but the expected explosion didn¡¯t happen. The sphere began to subside without doing anything. As it disappeared, two figures were standing within.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s prickly.¡±


    ¡°Right. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a normal Ra-Shar-Loa.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... maybe it¡¯s because we didn¡¯t use Exar on that. Or maybe because it was a one-time use. Oh, by the way, it¡¯s nice to smell familiar air.¡±


    ¡°Right. We¡¯re home.¡±


    Sian and Stiel took a deep breath as they nced around. They were home.


    Larune and his friend looked at them.


    ¡®Who are they?¡¯


    Two figures appearing through a powerful torrent of energy. One beautiful woman and a well-built man.


    ¡°So, is this ce really safe?¡±


    Stiel ignored Larune and the man and spoke to Sian. Stiel was terrified as she felt the presence of three Drakuns flying at them before they teleported away. Lagaope reassured them, but they couldn¡¯t believe him after all lies he gave to them.


    Sian answered, ¡°If what Lagaope spoke is true... I guess it is. And I have a feeling that it is true. It should be okay as long as I hide my power. If those Alphas coulde over, they would havee already.¡±


    Sian was concealing his power just in case. It was time to train to be much stronger. He was strong, but thend was still filled with dangerous beings. Besides, Sian now knew that he was too unlucky to think that he would not have to fight.


    ¡°If you need to hide... can you use the power? Can¡¯t you even fight back even when a guy like Lagaopees to beat you up?¡±


    Sian frowned and shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. If I don¡¯t have to fight an Alpha, it will be okay. It¡¯s a different level of strength.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what you call hiding? What if you destroy a mountain like before?¡±


    Sianughed. ¡°It won¡¯t matter. Destroying a mountain isn¡¯t much anyway. It¡¯s wide, but it¡¯s not that hard.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s not that hard?¡¯


    Stiel looked at Sian weirdly but Sian continued.


    ¡°The energy that radiates from a fight between Alphas is not like that. It might have a simr range of destruction but the power is entirely different. I just need to be careful to not use such power. If I were to draw attention for breaking a mountain, Chrona or Dragona would havee for me already.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Sian then nced around.


    ¡°We should return home and rest for now. It¡¯s been five years. But I¡¯m not sure where we¡¯re at.¡±


    Stiel also nced around at that word.


    ¡°We can ask. Hey, you two.¡±


    Stiel then asked the warriors at a distance. Larune looked around and found no one other than them so he pointed at himself.


    ¡°M-me?¡±


    Stiel nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, you. Come here.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    Larune was terrified at the powering from the woman.


    ¡°Hm... what year is it right now?¡±


    Larune was confused at the question, but he quickly answered as the woman narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s the 3rd year of Kukutaran.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°3rd year of Kukutaran... is there something wrong?¡± Larune shivered as he answered.


    ¡°What the heck is Kukutaran? Is this ce Ra-Sian? Hey, Sian.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°Yeah... Lagaope told me that. Is this ce Ra-Sian?¡± Sian asked Larune.


    Larune became suspicious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make that face.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It is Ra-Sian. Is there another continent?¡±


    Sian then became confused.


    ¡°Then what is Kukutaran? Where did the Continental Year calction disappear to?¡±


    It was year 1017 in Continental Year before Sian left the ce. He assumed it would be around 1022, give or take, but it was shocking to hear.


    Then Larune answered.


    ¡°Oh... it is 1022 in Continental Years. But you should be careful. No one uses that anymore.¡±


    Sian frowned.


    ¡°Huh? What in the world...¡±


    ¡°Looks like we came to the right ce.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Seems like a lot of things changed.¡±


    They dide to the right ce, but things had changed a bit.


    Stielughed.


    ¡°We can ask again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you got time, right? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Larune quickly answered, ¡°I am Larune!¡±


    ¡°Right. We¡¯ve been on traveling for... about five years. Can you tell us what happened while we were away?¡±


    Stiel asked and Larune began searching through his memories.


    ¡°Five... five years. I can probably start from the Attack of Harijans.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We have nothing but time so take it slow.¡±


    The Giant Harijan appeared at the Great North Wall five years ago.


    It seemed that something happened to the Giant Defensive Rune <Lu-Sara> that the Magical Council was working on, and it was destroyed; then it was attacked by a Six-Horned Harijan.


    People became frantic as only the superhumans could handle them.


    Guards of the Great North Wall frantically searched for Groyn while the Magical Council tried to contact Takion. King Naraha also seemed to be looking for someone. But it was all useless. They were all gone. All superhumans that existed within thend were gone.


    However, they could not give up yet so they brought all the forces they could muster and advanced toward the Great North Wall.


    However, the Six-Horned Harijan disappeared magically, leaving only the ruined trace of Lu-Sara behind. Bringing the forces up north wasn¡¯t a bad choice, as Harijans began rushing out from the forest in massive numbers.

 Chapter 190: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 190: Homing</h4>


    The joint forces that were sent up the north to fight the Six-Horned Harijans did not need to fight any Six-Horned, but they instead had to fight against numerous Harijans that wereing down. This waster called the <Great Invasion> as Harijans attacked the humannd for years after that. It seemed as if they were being chased out from something within.


    Luckily, there were no Six-Horned in the fray so humans were able to defend against them. That was when a new hope appeared within the humans.


    <Kukutaran>


    It was a superhuman who rose to power during the fight at the Great North Wall. But people were worried that Kukutaran would leave behind his own kind just like other superhumans did. Kukutaran was a Grand Bander from Broshan, who had proven himself to be a very powerful asset to the human fight against Harijans. If he left the Wall, the defensive line would crumble.


    Kukutaran did not choose to do that. Instead, he began searching for Five-Horned Harijans around the Wall and killed them. People were astonished and praised the superhuman¡¯s might.


    ¡°Hmm. Doesn¡¯t it mean he just copied what that old man Groyn had been doing all along? What¡¯s with the year...¡±


    ¡®Hmmm?¡¯


    Larune thought it was weird that woman was speaking of superhuman Groyn as if he were someone she knew. Yet it seemed like it would not be weird for such a strange woman to have some sort of connection with the superhuman.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s more to it. Can you please continue?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Just like she said... that alone cannot exin the year counting.¡±


    People were delighted at the superhuman who did not leave them and instead protected them. Kukutaran did not stop there.


    <Thank you for protecting us!>


    <Of course. You will all be mine. I protect what is mine.>


    Kukutaran then went on to unite the wholend. It was unexpected, but it was also unstoppable. Tian who had been gaining momentum under leadership of King Narasha, Usharan who had united Con Kingdom, were powerless against superhumans.


    It was a quick and simple process. Kukutaran traveled to various royal pces and quickly gained control over all of the kingdoms. Within a month, the whole continent was under his rule. Even the four Grand Banders of Tian could not do anything against him.


    King Narasha, Swordmeister Kiraine, Captain of Dragona Kgul, and Roman the Great Warrior.


    <Huh? What do you think you can do?>


    Kukutaran scoffed at those four who stood against him and the four Grand Banders surrendered without putting up a fight. The power difference was toorge.


    After Kukutaran visited Taran Kingdom as hisst destination, the world was united as the Kukutaran Empire.


    ¡°My...¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded, and so was Stiel.


    ¡°I guess he was really bored,¡± Stiel blurted out. Any superhuman could have done it in the past. They just didn¡¯t do it because it was not worth it.


    ¡°Yeah well... there are no remaining superhumans here so he could¡¯ve been bored.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Right. It¡¯s a bit different now.¡±


    Stiel nodded, as she knew that there were no more superhumans that remained in this part of thend.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case... does that mean something happened to your family?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Sian then turned to Larune.


    ¡°Do you know what happened to the Roman family?¡±


    ¡°Hm... Roman family?¡±


    Larune thought about what had happened. There were too many things that happened with so many rumors and he couldn¡¯t remember anything that revolved around the Roman family of Tian.


    Larune then remembered something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there was anything special. It¡¯s not like people were dead when the continent was united. I do think they moved up to the Great North Wall... Every warrior and soldier was sent there.¡±


    ¡°Every?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no point in having soldiers when there are no boundaries or borders to protect. They¡¯re all there to defend the Wall now.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Where can I find them then?¡±


    ¡°You can probably find them by the Chrotia Fortress... that¡¯s the most important defense point still. It was destroyed when the undead army attacked us, but they¡¯ve fixed it now.¡±


    ¡°I see. I should go there then. By the way, where are we?¡±


    ¡°This is Ra-Shar-Roa 7...¡±


    Stiel frowned and red at Larune. They didn¡¯t understand the new names in the new world, so Larune quickly realized this and changed the name.


    ¡°Oh- right. This is Ra-Shar-Roa of old Einkel, south of Taran.¡±


    Stiel then remembered and pped her hands.


    ¡°Right! I wondered why it was so familiar.¡±


    ¡°Do you recognize this ce?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I had toe all the way here to catch my fleeing brother. It was a fun trip. I had the chance to ransack the Usharans also.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I know the way then. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a day.¡±


    ¡°Yes... if we go with your speed.¡±


    Larune then became confused and interrupted their discussion.


    ¡°Uh... I was talking about Chrotia Fortress. Not the Chrotan, the closest city from here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. You keep doing your work. Sian, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Stiel then readied herself and disappeared through the ins. She shot out like a meteor, but the man was much faster. His body faded for a second and he was with the woman.


    ¡°What did we just see...?¡±


    ¡°We should report it first.¡±


    Larune and his friend quickly returned to their post to report to headquarters.


    ¡°Hmm... so they appeared out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Kukutaran seemed to be intrigued by the report.


    ¡°Good, good. I thought they all left but there were some who stayed behind. Hey, you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    One of the nobles who stood beside Kukutaran bowed and answered.


    ¡°They are heading to the Roman family?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think one of my babies wanted to visit the Romans... I¡¯ll visit them. She should be happy to visit them in a while.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Should we prepare the Ra-Shar-Roa?¡±


    Kukutaran shook his head.


    ¡°There¡¯s no Ra-Shar-Roa near that ce. It¡¯s not far... I¡¯ll just go slowly.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll prepare for the trip.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Kukutaran then began moving down to his harem, where his babies were kept.

 Chapter 191: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 191: Homing</h4>


    ¡°It changed a lot. I didn¡¯t think five years was that long.¡±


    Sian spoke as he swept his nce across the sceneries while running. Stiel agreed. She had lived for hundreds of years, but things seemed to have changed drastically within these five years.


    ¡°Is that... a transportation device?¡±


    Stiel mumbled as she saw a metal carriage passing beneath them. It had six wheels and no horses were pulling it, but it was still moving quickly. It didn¡¯t seem like it wasmon as there were only a few of them among the other carriages, but it was still fascinating.


    ¡°I guess a lot of things changed after that emperor came about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but Sian. Why are you moving so slowly?¡± Stiel asked Sian. She first thought Sian was matching her speed but he was still moving slower than her from time to time. Sian grinned.


    ¡°Well... I¡¯m kind of training. But don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s still in the testing stage.¡±


    Sian smiled but it didn¡¯t resolve Stiel¡¯s question.


    ¡°What kind of training do you have to do while running...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. It¡¯s not ready yet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re almost there though. So, this continent really is much smaller than the other continent.¡±


    They were quickly closing in on Chrotia even when they were not going at full speed. It took them a few days to move between the Ciculus Tree on the other continent so it was a lot smaller.


    ¡°We¡¯ll move quickly. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve visited my family.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Sian... where are you?¡±


    Count Roman sighed as he looked out to the production of weapons outside his window. War had ceased but training and the preparation of armies did not stop at the Great North Wall. Some mysterious group began providing them with mysterious technologies to create weapons.


    ¡®Amaran...¡¯


    The world had changed because of two things after Sian had disappeared.


    One was obvious, which was the birth of the Emperor.


    After the Emperor, the world had been united as one nation. Some considered it to be bad, but most people considered it to be a good thing. The Emperor was not interested in much else other than enjoying his time and filling his pleasures. His desires did not exceed that of a wealthy noble so it wasn¡¯t that much of a problem.


    After Kukutaran came about, the kingdoms stopped fighting each other and the people of thend began to enjoy their peaceful lives.


    But there were other beings that came about to change the world.


    Some kind of secret organization began to surface and they spread their advanced technology to the world.


    One was Amaran, the group shared its technologies about weapons to arm the Great North Wall.


    Another was Baroka, which had vast knowledge of magic and other knowledge that helped humans understand the world better.


    And finally, Manaka, which allowed the creation of advanced machinery like the transportation device.


    People were d that these organizations appeared but they weren¡¯t ready to ept such advanced technologies yet, so it had been a slow process.


    Count Roman knew a lot more in detail because of Limainu, the brother of Rian¡¯s third wife.


    ¡°I wonder if they are living well... Rian, nor Sian are here with me...¡±


    Count Roman sighed and looked outside. Then he found something strange. There were two figures approaching at an enormous speed. Although they wereing in at such a speed, there was not a single dust cloud across the in. Count Roman brightened up instantly.


    ¡°He¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°Father ising out to meet us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Stiel also had a heightened sense after she absorbed Nekra¡¯s heart, so she too knew what was going on within the Chrotia Fortress. The one powerful presence within the fortress wasing out.


    ¡°He could¡¯ve just waited in there.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a return of a son who¡¯s been missing for five years.¡±


    Stiel spoke and soon they were at the fortress. Count Roman quickly came up to him and hugged him.


    ¡°Sian! You... where have you been all this time!¡±


    Count Roman spoke, overflowing with emotion. Something did seem to have changed in Sian, but he was still his son. Sian sighed.


    ¡°I was at a really far ce. I also realized there¡¯s no ce like home.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not stay out here. Come in,e in. You shoulde too, Stantahl.¡±


    Three of them walked in and began talking about what had happened.


    Count Roman was in awe after hearing what Sian had gone through.


    ¡°So... there were humans on the other continent? And all the other superhumans moved there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Oh, by the way. I heard that there was a new superhuman here? Kuku... something?¡±


    Sian asked and the Count sighed.


    ¡°Kukutaran. He became a superhuman three years ago. He was a Grand Bander from Broshan.¡±


    Sian then thought about Narasha.


    ¡°What happened to Narasha? He had tried so hard to rule Tian.¡±


    Count then smiled bitterly.


    ¡°He¡¯s still busy. We have been united but... the Emperor isn¡¯t really interested in ruling. I think he just united thend because he had other motives. I heard he¡¯s created a harem to keep his wives and concubines.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    He was a special kind of superhuman, but it didn¡¯t matter. As long as the Emperor didn¡¯t mess with his family, Sian was not interested. In fact, it was good to have his family out of danger as there were no more wars between countries.


    ¡°But... where¡¯s Rian?¡±


    Count then turned grim.


    ¡°He¡¯s been taken away.¡±


    ¡°Taken away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. By the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°What... he has no use for him. Why?¡±


    No superhumans would need a Master warrior. Sian couldn¡¯t understand what the possible reasons were.


    ¡°He took him because he was handsome.¡±


    ¡°...what?¡±


    ¡°He was taken into the Emperor¡¯s harem.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded.


    ¡°And he followed without any resistance? What about his wives?¡±


    Count Roman answered, ¡°He couldn¡¯t fight when he had his wives. What would you do if superhumans harmed the wives? Rian followed him voluntarily.¡±


    ¡°Crazy son of a...¡±


    Sian couldn¡¯t believe that this kind of thing happened during his absence. He could not imagine that he would encounter someone with such a weird taste.


    ¡®I have been absent for too long.¡¯


    Sian gritted his teeth and turned to his father.


    ¡°So... where is this Kuku guy?¡±


    ¡°You got a job to do, Sian.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian flexed his fists as he thought about what to do.


    ¡°He usually stays at Karan but you won¡¯t need to go there.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°There was a message. He¡¯s on his way here, with your brother.¡±


    ¡°Rian too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems that the Emperor calls him a ¡®baby¡¯ and adores him.¡±


    Sianughed bitterly.


    ¡°Good. Then I won¡¯t need to go too far.¡±


    If he had be a superhuman three years ago, he was probably at the Baron level. Sian wouldn¡¯t need to destroy the whole ce to beat him up, so Sian prepared himself for Kuku-something¡¯s arrival.

 Chapter 192: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 192: Homing</h4>


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time you let me go?¡± Rian asked Kukutaran from the side. He didn¡¯t have much energy in him to speak, but Kukutaran grinned and answered.


    ¡°Why would I? I¡¯d never seen a handsome boy like you before. I wanted you ever since I was at Broshan, but I couldn¡¯t do anything back then. I have the power to do whatever I want now. Why would I let you go?¡±


    Kukutaran had brought many into his harem but he had never seen a boy as handsome as Rian until now. Kgul was also handsome, but there was something weird about him that Kukutaran did not like.


    ¡°Ha..¡±


    Rian sighed and shook his head.


    ¡°You still do not like me? I even let you stay with your wives for half the year. And I do everything you want.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He was right, but it didn¡¯t give Rian any freedom.


    ¡°By the way... it seems that the new superhuman is your brother. I am looking forward to meeting someone of my kind.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s probably a different kind...¡¯


    Rian wasn¡¯t that knowledgeable about superhumans, but even he could see that his brother was a bit different.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    Rian shook his head as he saw Kukutaranughing. He wouldn¡¯t able to make him understand, but there was no need. Chrotia was right in front of them now. The report that was brought up did seem like Sian.


    Sian jumped over the fortress¡¯ wall as he felt the presence approaching. As expected, the figure seemed to be about a Baron level, just about the same as Lagaope.


    He also felt a familiar presence. Sian was d to feel his brother¡¯s presence, but he was also worried. The overly excited Stiel followed Sian on his back.


    ¡°Hehe, should I lend you the stick?¡±


    Stielughed as she shed the metal stick that Lagaope had given to them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get Rian first.¡±


    When they arrived, there was a giant parade of people. Rian was at the front.


    ¡°Brother, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Sian.¡±


    ¡°...but this is unexpected.¡±


    Sian knew who was Kukutaran was among thisrge group of people.


    He was expecting a well-built man with a scruffy beard and a rough looking face, drooling over his brother that he could beat up mercilessly. But it was the opposite. Sian mumbled as he nced at the woman grinning next to Rian.


    ¡°I thought it was a he... why wasn¡¯t I told of this?¡±


    Kukutaran, the Emperor of the Kukutaran Empire, was a slender and beautiful woman.


    ¡®I can¡¯t believe even the kidnapper is a beautiful woman for Brother.¡¯


    It seemed like Rian was blessed to the end, unlike Sian who seemed to be cursed.


    Sian couldn¡¯t beat up the person yet because it was so unexpected.


    ¡°What does it matter? Doesn¡¯t change anything,¡± Stiel said.


    It really didn¡¯t matter much and Sian wasn¡¯t the type to hold back just because the target was a woman.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Sian realized his brother didn¡¯t seem to be in a dire situation so he approached to ask about what was going on.


    A portable tent that was stored within some small bag was prepared. It was veryvish and big, considering that it was created by mysterious parts within a bag.


    And there were four figures sitting down inside.


    Kukutaran, Stiel, Sian and Rian.


    All the others were preparing food and drinks while they talked.


    Sian came to a conclusion after talking with Rian.


    ¡°So... you were taken away by force at the beginning but it wasn¡¯t all that forced... and you came to like her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t look at me like that. She¡¯s a poor girl.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded. Rian was too sympathetic and generous toward women since the beginning. Sian wanted to beat up the Kuku-something woman that took Rian forcefully even now, but he couldn¡¯t do it when Rian was saying that it was okay. It seemed like she didn¡¯t do anything bad either and also seemed to have cared for his family. Besides...


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t look too bad. Maybe she can take me in also...¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem all that bad of a life to Sian. It¡¯s not like Rian was considered a ve either. Sian nced at Kukutaran, who was smiling. She had been taking care of Rian with everything he needed... and was beautiful. It was the perfect life that Sian had dreamed of.


    ¡®...dammit. I¡¯m envious.¡¯ Sian thought.


    Stiel noticed this and grabbed Sian¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What are you thinking? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no-no. It¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about future ns...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®I should do something about herter.¡¯


    ¡°What- I¡¯m not thinking about anything.¡±


    Sian quickly replied to Stiel, who was ring at him and changed the subject.


    ¡°So... are you going to keep my brother?¡±


    Kukutaran answered, smiling. ¡°Well, I guess I have to give up now. What can I do if the one like you will not see it happening?¡±


    Sian frowned. She wasn¡¯t like any superhuman he knew.


    ¡°Rian, are you going back then? Your family is within Chrotia.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Sian?¡±


    ¡°I have to talk with her for a while.¡±


    Rian then nodded.


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll talkter.¡±


    Rian walked out and there were only three of them left.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I have a lot of questions.¡±


    Kukutaran started first.


    ¡°A lot?¡±


    Stiel became curious as Kukutaran asked calmly.


    ¡°Of course. I thought there was some kind of secret society of superhumans as none of them did anything after bing one. So I figured there was some kind of a code or aw between them. But none of them came after me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It made me wonder. Why did all those superhumans leave human society? You can do anything you want. Is there something that I¡¯m missing? I was so curious.¡±


    Stiel and Sian now knew why Kukutaran was different. She didn¡¯t consider other humans as lesser beings. This was why she created an Empire and made a harem to fulfill her pleasure.


    Kukutaran was the first Alpha of the Narija level race that Lagaope named as a monkey.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing that she pushed out the human blood from within.¡±


    She was special in that she managed to drive out the Lagaope¡¯s blood and became an Alpha.


    ¡°Oh... that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t feel it.¡±


    Stiel realized why she couldn¡¯t feel anything about Kukutaran, like she did with Liviath or Groyn. Then she realized what Lagaope had said before. It was the matter of a race difference than a power difference. Kukutaran was powerful to be considered a noble, but she wasn¡¯t the same kind.


    Sian thought about sharing what he knew, but decided not to. It was too long of a story to tell, and it would not make a difference anyway.


    ¡°Anyway, I was worried so I tried hard to find someone just like me. That¡¯s why I changed the name of the country to Kukutaran and made a mess... thinking someone would appear.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The most recent sign of a superhuman was you, Sian. That¡¯s why I came here but I couldn¡¯t find anything before.¡±


    ¡°And you took Rian along with you?¡± Sian asked.


    ¡°Oh... I¡¯m sorry about that. He was my type of guy. I didn¡¯t do anything bad.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kukutaran continued, ¡°But here you are. I actually thought I would never manage to see a superhuman anymore.¡±


    ¡°You saw the trace of the migration.¡±


    If she had be a superhuman while fighting at the Great North Wall, she might have found the trace of Lagaope and Conrad running to the north. Kukutaran nodded.

 Chapter 193: Homecoming

    <h4>Chapter 193: Homing</h4>


    ¡°It made me feel even more desperate. I knew that there were a group of superhumans, but finding a trace of them moving up to the Great Forest at once... I thought something was going to happen in thisnd. Some disaster maybe.¡±


    It was a possible exnation if one did not know about the existence of the northern continent so Sian nodded.


    ¡°So you thought about going after them?¡±


    Kukutaran shook her head.


    ¡°No. Why would I? I know the forest is dangerous and I don¡¯t know what exists beyond. Besides, I love this world. I was just curious about the reason for such a quick depart.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°I would need to prepare if something had gone wrong in this world. Or follow after them.¡±


    Sian shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s safer here. You should stay.¡±


    If something really happened it would be because of those Alphas, so Sian told her to stay.


    ¡°You know something. So, where have you been during those five years? It seems you have returned through the Ra-Shar-Roa... are you two only ones who returned?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Sian frowned as he remembered what he had gone through on the upper continent. Sian answered, ¡°Well... I just came home. I didn¡¯t go on purpose anyways.¡±


    Kukutaran became intrigued.


    ¡°So there¡¯s something... up in the north.¡±


    Sian nodded as he answered.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s better you don¡¯t go. There are too many evil beings there.¡±


    It was a wonderful choice that Lagaope made for himself for not exining about Drakuns or Lukra. If he knew, he would not have gone there.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Kukutaran narrowed her eyes as she did not receive a detailed answer, but shook it away and talked about different matters. After a while, Kukutaran thanked Sian.


    ¡°Thank you. At least I have achieved my small goal. I was really worried that something might happen.¡±


    ¡°Well... you don¡¯t need to be worried.¡±


    Sian said that because if something happened, Kukutaran wasn¡¯t enough to handle the situation so he thought it was worthless to worry. However, Sian didn¡¯t go into the details.


    ¡®But what am I going to do with those Alphas?¡¯


    Sian was only one able to fight those when something happened. He was told that thend was in bnce so it was peaceful for now, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that the continent was being surrounded by such beings even now.


    Sian sighed and began moving toward Chrotia. Kukutaran cleaned up the tent and began to return. Stiel asked Sian as she saw Kukutaran going away.


    ¡°Sian, are you going to let her go?¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. She had been good to Rian. Besides...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I realized that I am too unlucky.¡±


    Stiel looked at Sian as she seemed shocked that Sian just realized it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be by Rian¡¯s side every time. He should take care of himself. If that woman had a grudge against me for beating her up, who knows what she¡¯ll do to Rian when I¡¯m gone?¡±


    Stiel then answered casually. ¡°Then why not kill her?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to do that. Isn¡¯t that what YOU want to do?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Sian spoke as he shrugged it off and Stiel scoffed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to train. Oh, but I¡¯ll need to talk with my family first.¡±


    ¡°Train?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Stiel looked at Sian. She had never seen Sian training until then.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you have returned.¡±


    Kukutaran went straight to the meeting room when she returned. She usually despised having a meeting so it was weird. But she came because she needed to talk about her future.


    She wanted to talk with Dekaduin, the leader of Great Magical Council, who became the new leader after Takion¡¯s disappearance. He was the First Grade Magic Priest but he was strongest among all priests when Takion is excluded and also had many followers. He also knew a lot of secrets as he helped Takion closely.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°So, what was it like?¡±


    Kukutaran shook her head.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t beat him. I was going to kill him if I had to but... No way. I thought it was going to be easy since I heard he¡¯s only twenty-seven.¡±


    ¡°Was it that much?¡±


    Kukutaran answered.


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know about that Sian, but I had some kind of feeling that I can¡¯t fight him. Besides, the woman next to him was even scarier.¡±


    ¡°Does she seem stronger?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who¡¯s stronger, but she didn¡¯t like me. They are both much stronger than me.¡±


    She could see it at the moment. Her soul was telling her that if she were to fight them, she would be ripped apart. Dekaduinughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s good that I didn¡¯t do anything bad to Rian, just like you told me to.¡±


    Kukutaran wasn¡¯t being nice to Rian because she liked him. She did like him, but she was a type that liked to rule over all things. She only had been nice to Rian because of Dekaduin¡¯s advice.


    <That brother of Rian¡¯s is probably a superhuman. And he loves his brother. It doesn¡¯t matter if he doesn¡¯t return or is weaker than you... but you must prepare in case he is much stronger and returns.>


    <Right. Should I send him back then?>


    Dekaduin shook his head.


    <No, keep him for now. Besides, it seems that Rian is weak against any woman who¡¯s nice to him. It¡¯s good to befriend him.>


    <Hm... okay. I¡¯ll let him do what he wants for now.>


    And that was the right choice. If Rian had something bad to say about Kukutaran, Sian would have probably pounded her on the spot. Dekaduin asked Kukutaran, who was shivering at the thought.


    ¡°Was there anything you found out?¡±


    Kukutaran narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah... I found a few things. First is that I should never touch them and second is that they did not disappear because something bad was going to happen here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Dekaduin sighed. He was the right-hand man of Takion, but he never spoke much about his ns. It was as if Takion thought it was pointless for Dekaduin to know of his ns as Dekaduin won¡¯t be much of a help. This made Dekaduin feel worthless.


    Dekaduin was scared when Takion disappeared. He did not know why they went, but he knew that it was a very dangerous attempt and if they did it anyway, there was a possibility that there was something going on that he did not know about.


    Now, he knew that thend was safe.


    Kukutaran wasn¡¯t one to leave behind anything that could pose a threat. She had been rxed when she knew that she was the only superhuman here. That was why she went to check on the new superhuman at once. She needed to prepare. Unfortunately, these new superhumans weren¡¯t people that she could handle. They weren¡¯t hostile but they were still a great threat to Kukutaran¡¯s reign.


    ¡°Oh, and did you find what¡¯s up on the north?¡±


    Kukutaran shook her head.


    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t tell me. It was as if they were thinking I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything even if I knew. Dammit. It makes me mad to think about it.¡±


    Kukutaran frowned and Dekaduin smiled bitterly as he knew how that felt.


    ¡°But it seemed that those won¡¯t be much of a threat here. We¡¯ll just leave them be and go back to our business.¡±


    Dekaduin nodded.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be at home. Oh, and tell me if you find any more resistance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Dekaduin smiled bitterly. There was no one left after Kukutaran wiped out any resistance left within the council while ago. The superhumans were all too violent. Unlike others, Kukutaran was very much interested in human affairs. Dekaduin had no other choice but to stay with her for a while longer.

 Chapter 194: Training

    <h4>Chapter 194: Training</h4>


    Sian recounted to his family where he had been and what he had gone through.


    ¡°I thought you just loved to travel.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Sian smiled bitterly. He had been away from home two times in five years, although it wasn¡¯t intended. However, it wasn¡¯t only Sian who had changed during those five years.


    ¡°Anyway, congrattions on bing a Grand Bander.¡±


    Sian spoke to Rian. He was now a Grand Bander at only thirty-four years old, which was considered quite young. Considering that Stiel had be a Grand Bander at the age of thirty, this was a huge feat.


    Rian smiled.


    ¡°Yeah... I worked hard and became a Grand Banderst year. I thought about you when I reached the level.¡±


    Sian smiled.


    ¡®That¡¯s fortunate.¡¯


    Sian was d to think that other than that weird superhuman, there was no one who could threaten his family anymore. Rian then asked Sian, ¡°Oh, have you met my children yet?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded for a second, then brightened up.


    ¡°Wow! That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Sian was excited. His family had been short of children for generations and Rian just said that he had children. That meant there was more than one.


    ¡°Let me see them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Rian then told his wives to bring the children and they all went separate ways.


    ¡°Wow... my nephews and nieces?¡±


    ¡°Do you like babies?¡± Stiel asked, curious.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they cute?¡±


    ¡°Haha. Maybe you might make a good father.¡±


    Sian, however, denied it.


    ¡°No, I just like looking at them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They waited for a while longer, then Sian asked Rian after seeing that his wives weren¡¯t returning.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t theying back?¡±


    He thought there was probably one or two, and became curious as all three of Rian¡¯s wives weren¡¯t returning. Rian spoke embarrassingly.


    ¡°Uh... there¡¯s more than just a few.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Sian was surprised. His family had ack of children for generations. They barely had one or two at maximum. Even then, one of the two usually died at an early age. It wasn¡¯t because theycked wives. Their family had the power to have many wives if that solved the problem.


    It was the first time that two children within the family had grown up normally. But it seemed Rian had much more.


    ¡°How many children do you have?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Kora-duum has two.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Veronica only gave birth to one.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But Kukraxa had quite a few.¡±


    ¡°...how many?¡±


    ¡°Five.¡±


    ¡°You have a total of five?¡±


    ¡°No, Kukraxa gave birth to five.¡±


    ¡°Uh... haha...¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded as Stielughed. Suddenly, kids began running in and started talking to Sian. Stiel nced at all of them and spoke.


    ¡°They are all cute.¡±


    ¡°Look at Rian. Didn¡¯t you know that daughters are born with their father¡¯s looks? They need to thank their fatherter on.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Rian was handsome and his three wives were also very beautiful, so it was normal for their babies to be very cute. An interesting point was that Kukuraxa¡¯s children wererger than the other children.


    ¡°They must have been born with the Targan race¡¯s traits. They grow quickly. I think they be adults at age ten.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Rian answered Stiel¡¯sment while Sian seemed impressed.


    ¡°They will all be powerful warriors.¡±


    ¡®But none will be like Sian.¡¯


    That was what Stiel was looking forward to. The Roman family had given birth to a legend named Sian. If Rian was the father of eight children, there might be a chance of another legend, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Besides, not all eight would want to be warriors.


    ¡°I respect what path they choose to take.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡®Yes, my nephews and nieces. You can live in peace without fighting, your uncle will protect thisnd.¡¯


    Sian thought and decided to train beginning tomorrow.


    The training ground within Chrotia was a training ground dedicated to the Roman family. Rian and Count Roman were out for work, so it was only Stiel and Sian on the training grounds.


    Sian asked Stiel, ¡°Are you going to train too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m curious as to what you will do. Can I be like you if I copy what you do? Hehe.¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s pointless.¡±


    It was pointless to copy what others did at Stiel or Sian¡¯s level. It was only important to keep continuing what they had been doing. However, Stiel really was interested in what Sian did to train.


    ¡®What kind of training brought him to that state anyway?¡¯


    Stiel was now at the stage where Sian had been. She realized how much power he had been holding back when he fought in the Lagran Region. If she were to fight her old self, she was sure she would finish it within a minute.


    That was why she was so interested. She wanted to know how Sian got to the same level as herself at only the age of seventeen.


    ¡°Well... I just knew what I needed to do back then to be stronger. But I got more options when I got to a new level and thought about applying it to my training.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Stiel asked back but Sian answered casually, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I just can fully control what¡¯s happening within me. With slight limitations.¡±


    ¡°Huh... so, an Alpha can do that?¡±


    Stiel was surprised, but Sian wasn¡¯t impressed. It was because it didn¡¯t mean much when he fought.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help when fighting.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But I think I can apply it to my training. I got a hint from the story of Lukra who lives in the Mountain of Extreme.¡±


    Lukra, or beings who became powerful as they overcame the threat of death. Sian could not go to the mountain as the path was blocked by Dragona or Chrona. But if he could control himself, he didn¡¯t need to go to the Mountain of Extreme.


    Stiel couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Is that something only you can do? Can other Alphas do that?¡±


    Sian answered, ¡°I guess they can.¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we hear that the Lukras went out to hunt Alphas as the mountain was useless to them?¡±


    Sian nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they just change their bodies to put themselves in danger, just like what you are trying to do?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that. You can¡¯t voluntarily put yourself in danger. Your instincts will stop you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Besides, you know yourself that you will not do it to the point that you will kill yourself. You can¡¯t call that a death threat.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡±


    Sian smiled.


    ¡°I have other blood than just the Lukra¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be putting myself in that threat, but it will still help my training. I tried it when we were on the way and it really was effective.¡±


    Stiel then remembered what Sian was doing when they were on the way. She figured it was weird as Sian lost his bnce from time to time, but it seemed he had been testing it out.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did it lightly as we were moving, but I¡¯ll do it for real this time. However, it will take time.¡±


    Sian then began changing his body.


    ¡°Hm... I wish we could send a message to Mister Sian about this good news.¡±


    Lagaope was saying that it was good news, but his face looked grim. Conrad spoke from behind,


    ¡°You will get killed if you send the message.¡±


    Lagaope nodded, ¡°Right. But what should I do? Hm... we¡¯ll think about it for a while. Besides, he needs a break.¡±


    There was no way to go across thend at this time anyway. They needed the Ciculus and Akra at their former levels to collect enough energy to travel.


    Lagaope began to think of what he needed to do.

 Chapter 195: Training

    <h4>Chapter 195: Training</h4>


    No sound was heard, but it seemed like something within Sian was churning. His entire body was now changing to try and kill himself. The blood had turned into poison and his muscles worked against him to hold him back. His bones grew weak and his senses screamed in agony.


    Sian clutched his heart as he felt he was getting dizzy. He was not at the end, but his body was being overloaded. He then followed the way that allowed him to be stronger. The way was to keep changing as his body condition kept on changing.


    ¡®So, this is why the Lukras were so powerful.¡¯


    It would have been weird to not get stronger when facing such pain every day. It even killed a few of them while training. Luckily, he did not need to go through that much pain. He had human traits in him.


    ¡®A little more... just a little more...¡¯


    He would not die as his body would refuse to change the body enough to kill himself anyway. Sian proceeded further to change his body. He just didn¡¯t need to die.


    However, he needed to be more powerful while he still had time. The reason he stopped training was because he did not realize what kind of monsters existed out there. It was different now. He now knew what kinds of monsters there were.


    ¡°Nngh...¡±


    ¡°Sian, are you okay?¡±


    Stiel asked worriedly as she looked at the moaning Sian. Sian barely managed to shake his hand to signal that he was okay and stood up.


    ¡®I can... barely move...¡¯


    Sian was almost to the point where it would kill him. He became so weak that even those baby nephews and nieces of his were enough to beat him up right now. This was worse than when he barely managed to jump out of Apental in Kerbal.


    Sian then began moving in the ways that he could see in front of him. As he moved, his body worked against him to attack him, but he did not stop. He couldn¡¯t. He knew he was getting much more powerful, and his theory was correct.


    Sian was relieved as the unbearable pain that he was going through was really worth it.


    ¡®It reminds me of my old self.¡¯


    Sian became proud as he felt his limit growing each moment and remembered the days of his old training.


    <Father, why do I need to do this?>


    <You need to do this to be powerful... Sian, what are you doing?>


    <That¡¯s too slow. This way is much faster. Look, I can make my sword shine too.>


    <By the Gods...>


    ¡®A beautiful memory.¡¯


    Sian smiled as he remembered the old days. But then he became irritated.


    ¡®How long do I need to do this? How strong are those Lukras or Drakuns? I should just use Chrona as my standard.¡¯


    That was the only Alpha Sian had seen. He saw Drakuns flying at him, but they were too far for him to urately measure their power.


    Sian was going through extreme pain. It wasn¡¯t enough to kill him, but he felt like he had been thrown into a giant grinding stone. Sian gritted his teeth and concentrated on training.


    ¡°Wow... I probably can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Stiel became pale as she saw Sian¡¯s body changing constantly. She knew how powerful the energy being worked inside was.


    ¡®Well... Sian is Sian. I¡¯ll do mine.¡¯


    Stiel then began meditating. Her power wasn¡¯t obtained through training so she needed time to manage it on her own. This was what she loved to do when she was in the Lagran Region.


    The training only finished when night fell. Sian sighed.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    ¡°Sian, is it okay to carry on for that long?¡± Stiel asked Sian who was stretching. Sian stood up suddenly when he could not see any more ways. Sian changed his body back to normal but he seemed really tired. Stiel quickly went to Sian to hold him up as he seemed he was going to fall any time soon.


    Sian said, ¡°I should do my best when I have time. You know my life goal. I can¡¯t rest easy when I know those monsters are hacking away around us.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sian¡¯s life goal was to live happily for a long, long time.


    It was a simple goal; however, Sian wasn¡¯t alone on his journey to achieve this.


    ¡°I always thought I was the strongest in this world. Haha.¡±


    ¡°So, when are you going to stop?¡±


    ¡°My first goal is to beat up Chrona in a one-on-one battle.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Stiel then became curious, as Sian spoke ever so casually.


    ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    Sian answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It could be fast or slow. I mighte across another barrier. Who knows what awaits?¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    ¡°I will eventually be strong enough to beat them up if given enough time. I heard the bnce will be broken easily. So we should still have time.¡±


    Stiel nodded. The bnce was still being kept at this point.


    ¡®But I¡¯m thirsty.... Is that drinkable?¡¯


    Sian thought as he nced at the golden drinks to the side. He didn¡¯t know what they were for so he decided to askter, in case if it wasn¡¯t something for him to drink.


    Then they went back to Chrotia Fortress.


    ¡°Did you finish training?¡± Rian asked Sian.


    ¡°Yeah. Are your kids training too?¡±


    Rianughed. ¡°Father is teaching them how and I do my own training also. Father apparently loves them a lot.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You should do it too, watch over your nephews and nieces for a change.¡±


    Sian nodded as he loved his cute nephews and nieces.


    ¡°Oh, what are those weird drinks in the corner of the training ground?¡± Sian asked his brother.


    Rian answered, ¡°Right, you must not have heard of them yet. You know about those mysterious organizations?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He knew about them a long time before. Organizations such as Amaran.


    Amaran, Baroka, Makana.


    These were probably contractor groups of Lagaope. The reason why they revealed themselves to the world was probably because no one was ruling over them anymore.


    However, Sian did not know what kind of technologies they shared.


    ¡°That drink is called <Siraine>. That was what was distributed to the warriors during the Great Invasion.¡±


    <Siraine>


    Meaning a holy well, the potion was proved very formidable in protecting the Wall. But after the incident, they were spread among the warriors very quickly.

 Chapter 196: Training

    <h4>Chapter 196: Training</h4>


    <Siraine>


    A product made by the organization Baroka, which studied human biology in secret. It was created because of a suggestion by one of their researchers.


    <We should try to create a potion that¡¯ll make one stronger, not the one heals.>


    That resulted in the birth of Siraine.


    The effect increased the consumer¡¯s physical prowess marginally for one to two hours. It had the side effect of the user bing tired for a full day, but it was worth it.


    During the Great Invasion, this gave warriors in the warfront a much higher survival rate and all the kingdoms quickly distributed them.


    However, it was after Kukutaran had be a superhuman that these potions gained their fame.


    Kukutaran consumed these potions like drinking water, and pursued the Harijans deep into the forest; after two years of war, she had be a superhuman.


    The potions gained instant fame after that. However, it lost poprity after no more superhumans were born and it was proven to not be useful for training.


    ¡°Those were used during the Great Invasion. We ced them at the training ground for warriors to use when they trained there back then. However, no one wanted them so we just left it. Maybe we should clean it out soon.¡±


    ¡°Hm... would it work for me too?¡±


    Sian thought that if it did, it would be of great help in his fight against the Alphas. However, Rian shook his head.


    ¡°Powerful warriors who can control themselves will not have any remaining power within them to make that potion work. It should work on Grand Banders... but not on you.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Sian acknowledged it in disappointment.


    ¡°Still, I thank Baroka for that. That potion saved many lives, including mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    ¡®So Lagaope did do something useful for a change.¡¯


    What Lagaope did wasn¡¯t really all that pointless, but it only worked against Sian in some way. Sian was thankful to Lagaope for helping to protect his brother.


    ¡®But that¡¯s that.¡¯


    Lagaope asked Sian to go easy on him as he only had five years to live, but Sian knew that Lagaope wasn¡¯t one to die easily. He definitely had other means.


    ¡®Oh... besides, he has an orb too. That man...¡¯


    Sian looked forward to the day he would meet Lagaope again.


    ¡°Do we have about a month for the teleportation rune to be finished?¡±


    Conrad answered, ¡°Yeah, you can say that. The core will be repaired within that time, and you can probably go by then. Are you going to go by yourself?¡±


    Lagaope then stared at Conrad.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t walk to my death like that. He also probably would¡¯ve realized about the orb by now.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Besides, the news that they needed to give to Sian would surely make him angrier.


    ¡°Then, who are you going to send?¡± Conrad asked.


    ¡°Liviath.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    Conrad was confused as Liviath didn¡¯t seem like he had any connections to the problem.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t work and he¡¯s the most unhelpful among us, so he should do at least that. Besides, he has seen Mister Sian¡¯s power, so he¡¯ll be careful around him.¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡± Conrad nodded. Robanutton, Karakal, and the others had not seen Sian. It¡¯s not like Sian was violent, but their friends were too violent, and that might be a problem.


    It was better to send Liviath, who knew how dangerous Sian could be.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that much of a big deal. We¡¯ll have him send the message ande back. Besides, he seemed a little depressedtely.¡±


    Liviath seemed depressed that he was only at the level of a Count in this world, while he had been the strongest back in his world.


    ¡°Oh... and why did you leave all that stuff behind? Like Amaran?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. It only works for the monkeys.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Conrad nodded. The magic of the human race in the Divine Nation was very different than what they had been studying in the Ra-Sian Continent. They did not even need Talic Stones then.


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that teleportation magic still exists. We should let Liviath bring something back here if he finds something.¡±


    There might be resistance, but there was nothing that could stop Liviath in that part of the world unless he crossed paths with Sian.


    ¡°A month... I hope Mister Sian has grown much more powerful in that time,¡± Lagaope said with worry in his voice.


    ¡°When are theying? Isn¡¯t it about time?¡±


    Kukutaran snapped irritably as she was massaged by one of her ves in her harem. Dekaduin almost frowned at the naked ve, but held it back.


    ¡°We have thirty-two days left.¡±


    ¡°It will be different this time.¡±


    Kukutaran gritted her teeth as she thought about what had happened then. She met them while she was on a massacre through the forest. That was when she realized that there were more powerful beings above her. Sian and Stiel were two of those powerful beings.


    ¡®So, that man is stronger than her...?¡¯


    After careful investigation, she learned that Stantahl the First had been beaten up by Sian a long time ago. She needed to find a way. She needed to do one of two things:


    Be stronger, or kill other strong beings.


    However, she didn¡¯t have the luxury of time, so she just decided to do both.


    ¡°Are you sure it will be okay?¡±


    Kukutaranughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have an ally.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯ll be great if they die together.¡¯


    Kukutaran smirked as she thought about the new ally that came.


    ¡®It¡¯s been about a month since I got here.¡¯


    Sian was slumped on the training ground. The body that was working to attack him quickly returned to normal and began healing him. The training was agonizing, but it wasn¡¯t useless. His training had progressed quickly because of it and he was now much stronger than he was a month ago. He was now strong enough to at least run away if Chrona came after him. He decided on a ce to run to if Chrona or Dragona chased him.


    ¡®What a sad life.¡¯


    It was sad that he had no choice other than to run there if that happened, but it was better than dying.


    When Sian returned, there was a letter waiting for him.


    ¡°Sian, it¡¯s for you.¡±


    ¡®Huh? A letter? Why not usemunication magic?¡¯


    Sian curiously took the letter.


    ¡°Hm... an invitation?¡±

 Chapter 197: Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 197: Provocation</h4>


    The invitation was decorated and filled with all kinds of formal words, but it was summarized to this:


    ¡®Inviting me to the Lagran Region?¡¯


    There was no reason why he was being invited, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was the sender that was more important.


    ¡°Why did that Kukutaran woman send this to me?¡±


    He thought that he would never see that woman again but the letter was definitely from her. He would have ignored it under normal circumstances as he was too busy training. However, thest sentence in the letter made Sian move. It was very provocative.


    <If you do note, Rian¡¯s life will be in danger.>


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian searched the fortress, thinking some legendary assassin had sneaked in to kill or kidnap Rian or his family, but they were all safe.


    He then thought if that was to lure him out of Chrotia to attack his family, but it would be pointless if he took all of his family with him.


    ¡®What is she up to? Does she just want me to beat her up?¡¯


    Sian finally decided to go anyway. His questions would be answered if he went. If Kukutaran was really up to something that might pose a threat to Rian¡¯s life, he needed to take care of it.


    However, Sian could not just leave Chrotia, so he decided to ask Stiel to stay behind and protect his family. Even if Kukutaran was up to something, it would be okay if Stiel was there to protect them.


    ¡°Stiel, can you look after them while I¡¯m gone?¡±


    Stiel asked as she had just returned from her meditation, ¡°Where are you going? Are you going to try your power as an Alpha?¡±


    Sian shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such scary things. This is Liona¡¯s territory. I don¡¯t want him to know I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re too paranoid.¡±


    ¡°Who knows what¡¯ll happen?¡± Sian replied.


    ¡°Right. Then where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to Lagran.¡±


    ¡°Lagran?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was invited.¡±


    Stiel narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Is it that b*tch?¡±


    ¡°B*tch?¡±


    ¡°That Kuku... something.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Sian was surprised that Stiel knew right away and that it made Stiel turn vicious for a moment.


    ¡°Hmm, have a safe trip.¡±


    Sian felt something was off but thought Stiel was just worried and answered, ¡°It should be okay.¡±


    He was too strong against her anyway. He could have destroyed every n she might have even when he was his thirteen-year-old self.


    Sian then began traveling to the Lagran Region.


    ¡®I have about three days left... maybe I should take it slow.¡¯


    Sian then decided to train on his way and began walking slowly toward Lagran.


    ¡°Why is he noting? Does he not care about Rian?¡±


    Kukutaran turned to the direction where Chrotia was. She gave as little time as possible in case Sian might prepare something. If she was correct, it would take only about a day for Sian to arrive, but Sian was nowhere to be found. She panicked as her n was beginning to fail from the start and Dekaduin answered quickly, ¡°You should wait, Your Majesty. He wille for sure. The report says he loves his family.¡±


    Kukutaran nodded. She too knew that Sian really cared for his brother. However, since Sian didn¡¯t arrive as she had expected, she became angry and clenched her fist.


    The problem was that one of her ve¡¯s head was in her grasp.


    The ve could not even scream as her power crushed his head in a second. Kukutaran shook her hands off and ordered her other ves.


    ¡°Dispose of this.¡±


    Rian thought Kukutaran wasn¡¯t bad, but that was because she did not show him everything that she did. She wasn¡¯t the type to be caring. The ves became pale from fear and removed the dead ve who they had been talking andughing with until a day ago. However, Kukutaran¡¯s anger didn¡¯t subside.


    ¡®Damn bastard... you should¡¯ve sent the invitation earlier then!¡¯


    Dekaduin cursed within. It was hard getting ves that were handsome enough for Kukutaran. Suddenly, Kukutaran¡¯s face brightened.


    ¡°He¡¯sing!¡±


    Kukutaran brightened up instantly and smiled. Her smile was so beautiful that even the ves that were terrified became mesmerized by her beauty.


    Kukutaran frowned.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Kukutaran could not imagine why Sian was barely walking.


    Sian stopped training as soon as he saw Lagran in the distance and began healing himself. His blood that had turned to poison, turned back to the blessed blood that began healing his body. His muscles and bones became stronger. Soon, Sian was back to his normal self as he jumped towards Lagran. He also felt Kukutaran¡¯s presence so he jumped in front of Kukutaran and asked, ¡°So, why did you ask me toe? What about Rian¡¯s life?¡±


    Kukutaran said, ¡°Well, you shoulde in first. We have some time left.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t know what she meant but decided to hear it inside. Kukutaran then asked, ¡°You really love your brother?¡±


    ¡°Skip to the point.¡±


    Sian could not be friendly when the letter only asked him toe to Lagran without any reason. He was sure that her intention was to use Sian for something. Kukutaran shrugged and answered,


    ¡°Well... it¡¯s certain that Rian baby will be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s after him?¡±


    Kukutaran shook her head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my life that¡¯s in danger actually.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Do you think Rian will die in your ce out of chivalry or something?¡±


    Rian would not do that, so Sian was dumbfounded. Kukutaranughed.


    ¡°No way. But if I die, Rian will die too. That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying he¡¯s in danger.¡±


    Sian red at her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Did you know about Siraine?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sian felt that he would hear something bad.


    ¡°Everyone knows it as a simple strengthening potion, but that¡¯s not its real purpose.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a potion that was created by using a certain race¡¯s blood to create a powerful control over the user. The power it gives to the user is real though.¡±


    ¡°What kind of control?¡±


    Kukutaranughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. When the master of the blood that was used to make Siraine dies, everyone else that drank the Siraine dies too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Baroka¡¯s amazing. I think most of the warriors had consumed Siraine. But what¡¯s important to me is that Rian also drank it.¡±


    Kukutaran smiled as she spoke to Sian. Sian¡¯s grim face proved that her n was going well.

 Chapter 198: Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 198: Provocation</h4>


    Kukutaran always wondered how to fortify her control over the world. There was only one superhuman now, but if more superhumans were to arrive, it would pose a threat to her rule. That was when Dekaduin came to her.


    <Your Majesty, we will present you with a valuable gift if you promise to protect us.>


    Kukutaran asked,


    <What is it?>


    <Do you know about Siraine?>


    She nodded. She had drunk it when she fought over the Wall. Dekaduin continued,


    <Its purpose isn¡¯t to empower the user. That is only its secondary effect.>


    Dekaduin then exined about the Rosharans. After studying the blood of that race, Baroka was able to sessfully extract the keyponent within the blood.


    Their n was to create armies of the dead just like the Rosharan, however, they failed. Instead, they managed to create Siraine.


    Siraine contained one of the traits from Rosharan¡¯s blood. When one consumed Siraine, they would be connected to the owner of the blood that was used to mix the potion. When the master of the blood died, everyone who consumed the potion would also die.


    There had been no warrior who did not consume Siraine until now. The rumors that had spread at the time also tempted warriors into consuming it.


    <Kukutaran became a superhuman by consuming Siraine and training.>


    It enticed all the warriors who weren¡¯t interested in Siraine into consuming it.


    <You should drink this.>


    <Is this the potion that contains the master blood?>


    <Yes.>


    <Then why aren¡¯t you taking it for your own?>


    Dekaduin shook his head.


    <It doesn¡¯t mean much when you are here. No one will be able to fight against superhumans. Besides, beings other than superhumans can¡¯t consume this without melting away.>


    Kukutaran swallowed the potion at once.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the day I would find this trait useful wille so soon,¡± Kukutaran said eagerly to Sian, but Sian was thinking of a different thing.


    ¡®What should I do with her?¡¯


    He had narrowed down his options to three.


    Beat her up and take her to Stiel and lock her into Karnine.


    Beat her up and burn that master blood from all parts of her body.


    Beat her up and leave her be as his family had the orbs.


    He quickly gave up on the third option. The orbs were valuable and hard to make without Lagaope. Besides, it also meant that thousands of warriors would die, which would result in the Great North Wall being breached and Ra-Sian falling under Harijan attacks.


    The second option seemed like the best idea. He thought about it, but after checking her body, he had to give it up.


    ¡®I will need to use my Alpha powers to do that.¡¯


    The potion seemed to be bound to her body. If Sian wanted to destroy every bit of the potion, he would have to bring forth his power as an Alpha. However, there was a chance that other Alphas might notice him. Sian couldn¡¯t risk that yet.


    Then the only possible option was number one. It meant she would stay locked up within Karnine but that was the only viable option he had right now.


    ¡®I should tie her up so she can¡¯t kill herself first.¡¯


    It seemed like Kukutaran didn¡¯t know how weak she was, but it was time to show her that life didn¡¯t work as she intended.


    When Sian started to move towards Kukutaran, he felt something very familiar approach. He focused on the presence and remembered where he had felt it before.


    ¡®This...¡¯


    It was the presence of the Granines. They had been wiped out by Sian back then but it seemed like they were moving.


    The one at the forefront was the one he could never forget.


    It was the strongest of the three that he fought by the husk. Kukutaran became tense as she also felt them approaching.


    ¡°They areing to kill me.¡±


    Sian became curious. He had time to proceed with his first option so he decided to ask for now.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t feel any hostility. Why do you think they areing to kill you?¡±


    Kukutaran smiled.


    ¡°Well... they probably didn¡¯t want to do that but they will now.¡±


    Kukutaran then jumped out at them, swinging her sword.


    Kukutaran found some mysterious beings while she was traveling through the forest. It was a strange race moving around with weird armies. She realized it was the race that gave their blood to make Siraine. They were powerful but they weren¡¯t powerful enough to fight her.


    She decided to destroy them and keep their blood for herself and found someone very mysterious. That one was holding onto bones and covering them with Rosharan blood. It was doing this while Kukutaran was busy fighting against the Rosharan.


    It seemed strong too but it wasn¡¯t powerful against Kukutaran. After Kukutaran wiped out the ves, she then approached it.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Kukutaran tried to kill it when it didn¡¯t answer, but she couldn¡¯t. The bones it held began to create veins within the blood and its bones began gaining muscles and skin over it. Soon, there was a beautiful woman standing there. It ignored Kukutaran and walked to the mysterious being and spoke. Kukutaran became angry but she couldn¡¯t do anything. She knew that the woman was much stronger than her.


    ¡°Rodeval, you have done good work.¡±


    ¡°You tter me, my Queen.¡±


    ¡°But we need more blood to revive our people. These Rosharans won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    The Queen frowned as she turned to the Rosharans. It would be nice to drag them into the territory of Dragona but Dragona would not allow these Rosharans, who had the stench of Chrona, to live there.


    That was when the Queen found a human. She seemed to be a superhuman but she seemed very weak.


    ¡°Human.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Take this Rosharan and increase their numbers. We will take their blood then.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s choice was simple. If they could not take these with her, she just needed to have this human raise them. She couldn¡¯t stay outside of Dragona¡¯s territory for too long, but taking blood wasn¡¯t going to use much time.


    ¡°What are you going to give me in return?¡±


    Kukutaran asked, but the Queen scoffed.


    ¡°I will let you live.¡±


    ¡®...Dammit.¡¯


    ¡°I will go once a year to Lagaran. You shall wait for me there.¡±


    The Lagran Region was close to Sky Mountain where they stayed. It would be inconvenient for that human woman, but it didn¡¯t matter. After the Queen took more blood for the Rosharans, she revived more of her people and flew to Sky Mountain.


    Kukutaran gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    She couldn¡¯t fight back as she was weaker. It seemed these Rosharan¡¯s blood was important to them so she thought about killing them all but she shook her head. The Queen would surely kill her. Kukutaran gave up and took Rosharan race to the Lagran Region and continued to increase their number.


    She supplied the blood to that Queen who came yearly and Kukutaran¡¯s anger grew. That was when she saw Sian.


    Now, it was time. It was time to use that Sian to kill that arrogant Queen and the others.


    She did not know how strong Sian was, but it seemed like he was much stronger than the Queen. Kukutaran could feel something from Stiel or the Queen, but she couldn¡¯t even feel anything from Sian.


    That was why she worked. If she died, his brother would die as well. If she jumped in to try to kill the Queen, it would make the Queen try to kill her instead. Then Sian would jump in to keep her from dying.


    At least that was what she was trying to do.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Kukutaran felt a dull pain at the back of her head and then felt pain all over her entire body as something began pounding on her. She heard something as her sight faded to ck.


    ¡°She¡¯s a mad one for sure. Ugh, there¡¯s so many in the world that need to get beat up.¡±

 Chapter 199: Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 199: Provocation</h4>


    ¡°Something has happened. Let¡¯s go, Rodeval.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡±


    Kel-Rusha quickened her pace as the ce where she promised to meet the woman became noisy. This was her third visit, but it was the first time that something seemed off.


    Kel-Rusha then witnessed something unexpected.


    ¡°That woman... didn¡¯t she say she was the Empress?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s getting beaten up.¡±


    Kel-Rusha frowned. If the woman was getting beaten up like that, she could not collect the blood.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen him somewhere before...¡±


    Kel-Rusha frowned as she tried to recall. Then, she remembered.


    ¡®It¡¯s the man who fought against the husk of Dragona...!¡¯


    The man who fought against them and their undead. She was controlled but her soul still remembered. It made her realize why that Kuku-something was being beaten up. He was even stronger than the Queen herself. In fact, it seemed that he had be even stronger now.


    ¡®I should wait.¡¯


    She didn¡¯t want to get mixed up in it so she decided to wait. Suddenly, Kel-Rusha felt her head ache.


    A great being was flooding into her consciousness. She knew exactly what it was and gritted her teeth. Then, a great voice came from within.


    <You. Go fight him.>


    Kel-Rusha wanted to shake it off, but she couldn¡¯t resist. The man in front of her was scary, but the one sending her the message was even more terrifying.


    <Haha... I will help you out.>


    Kel-Rusha felt her control over her body fading.


    Deep within Sky Mountain, at the highest peak where no one dared approach.


    There was one that nested within.


    An enormous being covered with millions of red scales crouched at the peak.


    Dragona, the ruler of Sky Mountain.


    Dragona frowned as feelings of shock were transmitted to him by one of his minions.


    <...>


    Dragona quietly focused it. This was the best way to train his power but he was bored. Dragona looked around outside by taking control of other races and he did the same this time. The reason of his minion¡¯s shock was because of one man. A male, a race of Ro.


    Dragona knew about this male. He had read the memories about him a few times through his minions.


    <Hm... It looks like Ro... but maybe not...>


    He seemed like Ro, but he was too strong. He then remembered that he had ignored him because the male wasn¡¯t as strong before, but he seemed much more powerful now. The minion would not have noticed, but he could. It seemed that this male had broken through a few more walls.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough as the male was too powerfulpared to the one that was getting beat up. Dragona quickly made a decision.


    <I¡¯ll find out.>


    He did not expect his minion to put up a fight. It would not change anything even if he helped. But that wasn¡¯t important. He just needed to check if the male had be a being that rivaled his power. One slight trace will allow him to know. If he wasn¡¯t at the level, he didn¡¯t need to be bothered with.


    However, if he was, then even if he was in Liona¡¯s territory, he needed to hunt it down. It seemed Liona wasn¡¯t aware of the male yet so he needed to consume it first.


    <You, Go fight him. Haha... I will help you out.>


    Dragona took control of his minions, which was all of the Granines.


    ¡°Huh? What is it now?¡±


    Sian became dumbfounded as he saw the Granines charging at him. Something had changed. It seemed the Granines were talking to each other until just now, but now they seemed like they were out of their minds.


    The absurd thing was that they had suddenly be much more powerful.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯


    However, it did not matter. They weren¡¯t much of a threat anyway. He didn¡¯t even need to unleash his power as an Alpha. Sian beat up the leader of the Granines and threw her to the ground. Then, he snapped the arms and legs of other the Granines and piled them together.


    He then stared at the Granine. Something within him was tingling. It was never a good urrence when he felt this, but these beings were so weak. There was nothing dangerous about them.


    ¡®This is fishy... unless something jumped in...¡¯


    Sian then realized what was going on.


    Granine.


    Guards of Dragona.


    Dragona of Sky Mountain.


    Interference of a superpower.


    Sian came to a conclusion.


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Considering his cursed luck, the possibility of getting caught was 100%. As Sian gritted his teeth, the leader of the Granine suddenly spoke, ¡°I see you now.¡±


    It was too hoarse of a voice to be from a woman. Yet it wasn¡¯ting from just her. All of the Granines spoke in unison. After that, all of them melted away.


    Sian didn¡¯t care. He was now in grave danger. His instincts were warning him of that.


    ¡°Dammit... what is wrong with my life?¡±


    Sian sighed as he had to flee to his destination so early. He then turned to Kukutaran.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for this woman, this would not have had happened. Sian red at the woman angrily. He wanted to beat her up more, but he didn¡¯t have much time left. If Dragona was going toe at him, it would not take him much time.


    He could only use the second option now. He could not allow this woman to die elsewhere. So Sian began drawing out his entire energy from within and put his hand on Kukutaran¡¯s head and began pouring energy into it.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    The power was enough to blow up Kukutaran with just a scratch, but it didn¡¯t kill her. Sian carefully controlled his power and erased the weird magic traces within her body. This would ruin the body that allowed Kukutaran to be a superhuman. When he was done, Kukutaran would turn back into an ordinary woman. But Sian didn¡¯t care.


    It was done very quickly. Sian¡¯s power swept through Kukutaran¡¯s body and erased all of the magic traces.


    ¡®Liona has probably noticed me too.¡¯


    He did it purposely and used his power ever so strongly. If he was right, it would be better for him to escape if Liona came after him also. When he was done, Sian spoke to Kukutaran.


    ¡°You will now live as an ordinary person. You should repent for your life.¡±


    Sian then jumped out and shouted to someone that was standing around.


    ¡°HEY! Do me a favor!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    A man who looked to be a high-ranking official looked at Sian.


    ¡°Send a message to the Roman family that I have to go traveling again!¡±


    There was no time; he had to run. Sian shouted in a loud voice so that everyone could also hear it. He then disappeared. After Sian disappeared, the other ves began to stand up.


    ¡°What happened...¡±


    ¡°Is it real? Did she really lose her power?¡±


    They had definitely heard that sentence.


    <You will now live as an ordinary person. You should repent for your life.>


    The words left by a man who swept away the weird race and Kukutaran. It meant that they were now free. And they now had a chance to take revenge. However, they were still afraid of Kukutaran. Suddenly, a brave man ran up to Kukutaran and kicked her.


    ¡°You son of a b*tch!¡±


    It was a noble who had been friends with the ve that had his head crushed by Kukutaran. The noble, Kerdon, began kicking her with all his pent-up rage.


    Kukutaran flinched but could not resist as she was slumped down.


    Other ves then began jumping in to beat up Kukutaran. After her power was gone, she was now just the same as a female warrior. And all of these ves were former warriors.


    Dekaduin could have protected her, but he fled as soon as Kukutaran began to be beaten up.


    Kukutaran, who had ruled the Ra-Sian continent, ended her reign miserably.

 Chapter 200: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 200: Escape</h4>


    Sian had only been thinking of one thing after he came back to the Ra-Sian Continent.


    <If Dragona or any of them find out that I¡¯m here before I get strong enough... where should I run to?>


    Sian was always unlucky in such cases so he needed to always be prepared. He said his first goal was to be strong enough to fight Dragona, but his true first goal was to think of a way to escape.


    The answer was simple.


    <Go to thend of the Lukras.>


    The best possible choice was to hide in thend without fulfilling his duty as an ally and grow in power. If he were to go to the Lukra¡¯snd, he would be forced to do their bidding. However, he needed a second option. If he were to be caught by the other Alphas, he needed a safe ce to escape to, and the only ce that was safe was the Mountain of Extreme.


    He now had a destination, so he had to think of the method to get there.


    There were two ways. He could go from Don-Nasian, or from Ra-Sian.


    The former was safer because he could get past the Drakuns while hiding his power. So, his first thought was to teleport to the Don-Nasian Continent and move to the mountain that way.


    However, he had to give up when he found out that he had no coordinates avable to teleport with. That left him with only one way. To go through Chrona and Dragona.


    So Sian¡¯s first goal became to grow in power so that he could flee from them. He did not need to flee from them for long as he just needed to safely get into the mountain.


    He thought it¡¯d be better if more of them came after him at the same time. His memory from Nekra showed him that those Harijans were not friendly toward each other.


    He had been seen, so now it was up to his speed. He unleashed all of his energy and sped up. The surroundings changed and space distorted as Sian shot across the realm towards the Great Forest.


    As he revealed himself to Liona, he went straight into Chrona¡¯s territory.


    ¡®Just a bit more... and I¡¯ll be in the Lukra¡¯s territory.¡¯


    The forest was vast but Sian¡¯s speed was fast enough to dash through it quickly. The problem was that Dragona or Chrona was much faster than him. But, Sian was counting on one thing. The three Harijans were greedy.


    When he read Chrona¡¯s memory, he saw that those three did not intrude each other¡¯s territory. However, now Dragona was ignoring that and heading straight for him. That probably was the same for the other two.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take the chance while the three of them fight against each other.¡¯


    It was just spection, but it was all Sian had. There was no other way. If he decided to hide within the continent, those monsters would surely wipe out the entire continent to find him.


    ¡®If only I could teleport...¡¯


    Sian gritted his teeth as the path through the forest seemed long.


    <...He is cunning.>


    Dragona thought as he felt the energy of the man running away. He was heading straight towards the territory of Ra, across Chrona¡¯s territory. If he were to go into the Ra¡¯s territory, there was no way to chase after him. He needed to catch him before he reached that ce. But if he could not catch him, he could not let the other Harijans get ahold of him. That would disrupt the power bnce between the three of them.


    <Haha... it¡¯s been a long time since west saw each other. It¡¯s time to say hello.>


    Dragona sped up into Chrona¡¯s territory.


    Larune looked behind as strange sounds came from the Ra-Shar-Roa again.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Larune frowned. It was a familiar phenomenon that happened when the mysterious man and woman had appeared before.


    ¡°Again?¡±


    Larune wasn¡¯t as surprised as the first time, but he quickly moved to hide in case something happened. After the bright blue light like thest time, a man appeared.


    ¡®Who is it now...?¡¯


    A man walked out and dusted himself off.


    ¡°Where do I need to go to find that Sian...? Maybe I should start with the Roman family.¡±


    The man, Liviath, mumbled as he nced around. He did not know where to start.


    ¡°Dammit, Lagaope.¡±


    He had beenzing around as he had nothing to do, but this was a dangerous task. Liviath remembered Sian ripping the red sphere years ago and frowned.


    ¡®I¡¯m just delivering a message... he won¡¯t do anything.¡¯


    He was concerned because the message wasn¡¯t good news. However, it wasn¡¯t his fault so he counted on Sian¡¯s judgment. Liviath then noticed a monkey crouching nearby and told him,


    ¡°Hey,e here!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡®...Huh?¡¯


    It seemed the man was familiar with such unusual happenings so Liviath became curious. He could guess what must have happened.


    ¡°Were there... other people who popped out like me?¡±


    The monkey seemed like he knew something.


    ¡°Yes. There were two people that came through, just like you did.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Liviath smiled as he found a clue from the get-go.


    ¡°So, where did they head to?¡±


    ¡°They went to the Roman family in the Chrotia Fortress.¡±


    Liviath nodded.


    ¡°I should go there then.¡±


    Liviath met someone he did not want to see as soon as he arrived at the fortress.


    ¡°Old man. Long time no see. Why are you here?¡±


    ¡®This brat is here too...¡¯


    Liviath sighed. He didn¡¯t figure that Stiel would follow Sian all the way here. It seemed that she had grown so powerful that he did not even dare to fight her anymore. He had heard from Conrad that she was now just a bit weaker than him, but it seemed like it was true.


    ¡°I have to deliver a message to Sian. Where is he?¡±


    Liviath asked but Stiel shrugged.


    ¡°He went to the Lagran Region. He¡¯ll be back soon, but I can pass the message to him.¡±


    Liviath pondered for a second and nodded. He didn¡¯t want to travel all the way to Lagran by himself and if he did not have to talk to Sian directly, it was for the better.


    He had to stop by Amaran and Baroka to take some stuff, so it was better to give the message to Stiel and leave.


    ¡°Sure. Please hand this to Sian.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± Stiel asked as Liviath handed her a small egg-like object.


    ¡°It¡¯s an artifact that contains the coordinates to a ce right next to the Lukra¡¯s territory. If you throw this into a Ra-Shar-Roa, you can teleport right into the Ciculus closest to the Mountain of Extreme. He can walk from there.¡±


    ¡°But why are you giving this to him?¡±


    Liviath then shared the message from Lagaope.


    ¡°The Lukras wanted this. They said he needs to fulfill his duty as an ally but he must not die. So they wanted to check his power first. Therefore, they are calling him to their territory.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that Sian will not want to go, but there¡¯s no choice. If the Lukras die, we will all die.¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian would have gone mad if he heard this. Stiel sighed at Sian¡¯s cursed fate.


    ¡°That¡¯s all there is. Without this, he will need to pass through Dragona and Chrona. That¡¯s too much.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it then.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Bye.¡±


    Stiel nodded and sent Liviath on his way. It was exactly half a day before Sian had arrived at the Lagran Region.

 Chapter 201: Escape

    <h4>Chapter 201: Escape</h4>


    Sian noticed the way he had to move to safety had changed, from a straight line into a swirling twistyne, and gritted his teeth. There was only one reason that his path would twist like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    Sian quickly followed the path shown to him. It required intense movements even for him to follow. That meant the danger approaching was extremely severe. As Sian dodged the space, something flew in and blew up the area.


    There was no sound and the destruction didn¡¯t cover arge area. It only made a hole big enough for a human to fall through. Sian felt a chill running through his spine. The attack destroyed the dimension and space around it by absorbing it. Yet he couldn¡¯t even feel the presence of the attacker.


    ¡®It¡¯s much worse than I imagined.¡¯


    It seemed that the attack wasn¡¯t even trying to kill him. It would make him lose his limbs at the very least, but he was sure that the attacker was trying to consume him alive.


    Sian quickly followed the path shown to him. If he did not train himself, it would have been impossible to follow the path that appeared for him. As he moved through, mysterious spherical objects flew in, creating holes where Sian had just passed through. As he escaped, he thought about who the attacker might be.


    ¡®Which is it? Dragona? Liona?¡¯


    He had not yet reached Chrona¡¯s territory, so he thought it was either of those two. However, whoever it was, it was dangerous. Sian then saw his path twisting again, but it now had be more rxed to follow.


    ¡®Another one came!¡¯


    Sian sighed in relief as his spection proved to be correct. If those two worked together to kill him, it would make the path simpler as it would probably be impossible to dodge.


    The path in front of him now was easier to follow. However, he couldn¡¯t just rx yet. It just gave him more room to speed up.


    <Damn bastard...>


    Dragona gritted his teeth as he saw Liona cutting in to bother him. He had to agree that the male Alpha was smarter than he thought. When Dragona noticed him, he immediately unleashed all his energy to draw Liona¡¯s attention.


    He was dodging well, but that wasn¡¯t enough for Dragona to miss. He even loved it because that meant the target was worth it. Dragona was going to capture him soon at that point. But now, Liona was shooting blue rays to destroy his attacks and aiming for his target at the same time.


    This was now a fight for his pride. Eating that target was only part of the process as his final goal was to consume the other two Harijans.


    <Good... we¡¯ll end it all today. Three of us is too much. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s the strongest.>


    Dragona then began shooting at the target and Liona at the same time.


    ¡®Dammit! It¡¯s not getting any better!¡¯


    Sian cursed as the path became harder to follow again. The attacks that made holes in his path had lessened, but another attack was added in so it did not change anything. The new attack did not make holes, but those blue rays were more powerful. It seemed that Liona wasn¡¯t even trying to consume Sian; he was just trying to actually kill him.


    ¡®Ugh...¡¯


    Sian took one of the attacks as he tried to dodge, and it felt like his body was being crushed. But he could not fall yet. Fortunately, his training gave him the endurance against such pain so he barely managed to keep up his speed. It also helped that the attacks were getting weaker for some unknown reason.


    ¡®And I¡¯m still getting stronger.¡¯


    The threat of death made Sian¡¯s trait from the Lukras work on him to give him more power. But it wasn¡¯t enough to make him powerful enough to dodge it easily.


    He then noticed that his path had started twisting at intense degrees and moaned,


    ¡®The third one is here.¡¯


    The path sharply turned to the left, implying that a powerful being was approaching from the right. It was probably Chrona. Sian dodged the attacks and turned the left to run.


    <What a chance... huh? What do we have here?>


    Chrona was surprised when she felt the presence that she had closely missed a few years ago had reappeared. She was also happy that he had be much more powerful. Her intention back then was to keep him as a pet so he could be stronger until she consumed him, but now he was strong enough for her to consume.


    The problem, however, was that Liona and Dragona were following closely behind. They were attacking each other while simultaneously attacking the target, but it seemed they were getting irritated at each other and had started attacking each other more. She was sure that they would lose the target soon.


    Chrona ran at full speed toward the target. She intended to consume him while those two fools fought with each other. However, as she turned, the attacks instantly were redirected towards her. It seemed that she expected this, as she swung her front foot to shoot out an energy wave to intercept the attack.


    <Y-you fools! We should get the target first before fighting each other!>


    Chrona shouted as she reflected the attacks. But she had no intention to share her food and tried to follow the target. However, the attacks began turning toward her as she tried to follow the target so she turned back to Liona and Dragona and began retaliating.


    <ENOUGH! Let¡¯s see who¡¯s the one now!>


    Sian was almost at the Ra¡¯s territory and if he made it there, it would be toote. She still had time to chase after it, but the other two were not going to let that happen. She then gave up chasing after the target and charged at Dragona and Liona.


    ¡°Whew... I¡¯m alive.¡±


    Sian sighed as his path straightened. There were giant mountain peaks up ahead. The mountain gave off a strange feeling that made him sure that it was the Mountain of Extreme. The three Harijans were fighting behind him, but he was sure that the fight would not extend outside the Great Forest.


    His problem now was that he wanted to head back home even at this moment, but he could see no chance that he could make it through those three. The sky was falling and the ground was being torn apart.


    ¡®I will never be able to return that way.¡¯


    Sian then jumped into the mountain.

 Chapter 202: Mountain of Extreme

    <h4>Chapter 202: Mountain of Extreme</h4>


    ¡°Nng...¡±


    Sian moaned as the mysterious energy pressed down on him as he entered the mountain. He had known about it beforehand, but it was more than he imagined. The energy wasn¡¯t enough to kill him, but it still worked against him even though he was an Alpha. He felt his body constantly changing and felt his power waning.


    He understood how the Lukras had managed to survive against the Drakuns and Harijans. If they had ways to keep themselves at their full power on the mountain, it would surely have given them the upper hand.


    Even now, Sian¡¯s power had waned. He knew that his power would be lessened as he got closer to the peak so it was obvious that the Drakuns and Harijans would not approach. However, it also meant that the Lukras could not leave this ce.


    ¡°What should I do now?¡±


    The best choice was to secretly pass through this ce and find Lagaope to send him back to Ra-Sian and train there. The monsters would think that Sian had escaped into this mountain, so they would not search for him in Ra-Sian.


    However, the problem was that these Lukras would not let him pass.


    ¡®I¡¯ll see how it goes.¡¯


    Powerful energies were descending from the peak. It seemed that they wereing down because of the sh between the Seven-Horned Harijans. Sian had to give up on solving it by force, as he felt their energy. The three of them were as strong as Dragona or just slightly less. There was no chance for Sian to defeat them.


    ¡®We are allies... what will they do?¡¯


    Sian waited for them. When they arrived, one of them who was in grand-looking clothing sent a telepathic message directly into Sian¡¯s mind.


    <You look exactly like what we saw in Lagaope¡¯s memory. Good to see you. You are a very brave man! It was good that we trusted you humans and your Broxian ancestry.>


    ¡°...?¡±


    Sian narrowed his eyes as he couldn¡¯t understand what the Lukra was saying.


    <You bravely sought to break through those monsters that even we find hard to fight against without resorting to the easier route! It is certain that you have the blood of Broxian and ours!>


    ¡°What do you mean by easier route?¡±


    Sian asked aloud in confusion and the Lukras also became confused. One of them then ced his hand on Sian¡¯s head.


    ¡®Oh, I see.¡¯


    It seemed that they did not speak at all, as they allmunicated using telepathic messages. Sian then thought up his words again.


    <What do you mean by easy route?>


    The Lukra was surprised.


    <Did Lagaope not send you the message?>


    <A message?>


    The Lukra was confused.


    <We told him to send you to us so that we can discuss the duties of an ally.>


    <...>


    <Lagaope confirmed that he would deliver the message to you. We assumed you were here because you received the message.>


    <...>


    <We assumed that you woulde by that teleportation... thing. It¡¯s not good to take an easy route, but we thought you should enjoy the luxury since you have a lot of fights waiting for you.>


    <...>


    <And here you are! Coming straight through the danger! We were worried when we heard about you from Lagaope, but he must have been mistaken! You are definitely a warrior!>


    ¡®...¡¯


    Sian could not even think about what had gone wrong.


    ¡®Lagaope... Kukutaran... Dragona... Liona... Chrona.. Lukra... ugh.¡¯


    Sian then realized the duties and quickly asked,


    <Wait! Tell me about my duties. I did not meet Lagaope.>


    The Lukras were surprised.


    <Then you ran into their territory without any reason toe?>


    <Huh? No- I mean...>


    It seemed that the Lukras were dumbfounded by Sian¡¯s foolish action.


    <It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. What¡¯s important is that you are here. You have proven that you can survive through them.>


    <...>


    <Let¡¯s move in. Those monsters are almost done.>


    The destruction was now slowing down. It didn¡¯t seem that they were going to fight until one of them died so they looked like they were going to back away. Or it was maybe because they had be wary of the Lukras watching them.


    The peak had enormous pressurepared to the foot of the mountain. It wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Sian, but it did take away a lot of his power. The top had a huge crater and withiny a golden crystal that was slightly bigger than a human. Sian became curious and asked,


    <What is that?>


    Lukraughed.


    <It¡¯s our holy artifact. It¡¯s very precious. It doesn¡¯t work now but its existence is what matters.>


    <Hmph.>


    Sian nodded as it didn¡¯t seem odd that they had holy artifacts when they had priests and all that.


    <We¡¯ll start from the start. How much do you know? I can read your memory if you don¡¯t want to talk.>


    <No, it¡¯s okay.>


    Sian refused and began exining what he had heard from Lagaope. The Lukras nodded.


    <You know most of the details then. We¡¯ll tell you the recent updates. I will introduce myself first. I am the priest of the Lukras.>


    <Good to see you.>


    Sian had already guessed it so he just nodded.


    <We had first nned to leave you alone until you be strong enough to fight against the Drakuns and Harijans with us.>


    <...>


    <You were not going to be of much help in your current state.>


    <But why...>


    <The situation has changed. As you know, the reason we hold on against those monsters and Drakuns is because of this holynd. It limits us to some extent, but we have the upper hand here.>


    Sian nodded as he also spected as such. But the priest became frowned and continued,


    <But the power of holynd is getting weaker. No, it is being pushed back.>


    <Huh? Why is that?>


    Lukra then pointed to the sky outside of the mountain.


    <It¡¯s because of that barrier.>


    Sian became confused and asked,


    <Barrier? You mean the one made from the Ciculus Tree?>


    The priest shook his head.


    <No... not that crude barrier. It¡¯s the barrier that Aksarai created by using <Unkara> himself.>


    The priest then pointed at the many clouds up in the sky.


    <...>


    Sian seemed confused and so the priest began to exin in detail,


    <This is what we found by reading the Drakun we captured.>


    Thousands of years ago, when the Lukras and Drakuns were fighting at the peak.


    Aksarai was annoyed. The Lukras ran back to their holynd the moment it became dangerous for them. The Drakuns could fly around, but that did not help much. Even when they held the upper hand during a battle, those Lukras would run back to the mountain and attack from there. That was when Aksarai thought he should do the same for his people.


    <We shall make our own home.>


    However, he had no ns to start from scratch. Aksarai was powerful, but so was Gran-Ra. He would surelye out of his slumber and destroy what Aksarai was working on before returning to sleep.


    Aksarai then noticed the clouds as he flew around the sky and thought up an idea.


    It was the thick cloud made from the monsters <Unkaras> that lived under Cloud Mountain.


    Those monsters consumed theva under the mountain and created a special cloud-like smog that reacted well with magic. The smog was then mixed together with the clouds and floated around the continent. It was already being utilized by the Drakuns to cast their magic with ease.


    The ce where the Unkaras lived was far from the Lukras so it was safe from being disturbed. Aksarai began using his full power to create the barrier.


    It was the creation of the barrier to fight against the Lukras.


    This was the cloud-barrier <Akun-Kal>.

 Chapter 203: Mountain of Extreme

    <h4>Chapter 203: Mountain of Extreme</h4>


    <Akun-Kal>


    The Unkaras did not side with the Drakuns. They were neutral and hated anyone invading their territory. They were also a very violent race that would choose to self-destruct rather than lose. Aksarai needed them alive and thought of an idea. He only needed the smog, not their race, so he poured his power into having magic absorbed into the smog that was created. He then returned to wait for the barrier to spread.


    The Lukras did not notice its existence at first since it was created in a faraway ce, and was slowly increasing in radius. But the Akun-Kal eventually spread across the continent. Within the Akun-Kal, the Drakuns¡¯ energy increased in power and they were able to know where the Lukras were. It also made other races other than the Drakuns stay under its barrier.


    The barrier confined the Lukras, making them unable to move out of theirnd. When they noticed its existence, Akun-Kal had already covered the entire continent other than the Holy Land. The Lukras had no other choice but to retreat into the Holy Land and ended up in the current state.


    Even when Aksarai died along with Broxian and Gran-Ra, Akun-Kal did not disappear. However, it was almost time. Akun-Kal was now pushing away the power of the Holy Land.


    <We are not sure why the power that had been standing strong for thousands of years is waning, but the barrier is eating away at the holy power even as we speak.>


    The priest pointed to the sky. As Sian turned to the sky, the cloud within the mountain and outside seemed different. The top of the mountain also had clouds, but they were clearer and transparent. It was probably because the cloud before the barrier covered it.


    The clouds outside of the mountain were normal clouds that Sian had seen for days in Ra-Sian. He never thought of it as strange, but he was able to tell the difference now.


    ¡®So we weren¡¯t allowed to fly from the beginning.¡¯


    Sian realized how powerful Aksarai or Gran-Ra were. Destroying the continent while fighting, or covering the entire continent with their own magic was not something Sian could have imagined.


    ¡®Sickening.¡¯


    He realized why the Lukras were so afraid of Aksaraiing back. He also could guess what they were going to ask him to do.


    <So you want me to go there and destroy the barrier.>


    The priest nodded.


    <Yes. To be specific, we want you to kill the Unkaras who created the smog. If we wipe them out, it will give us more time. Our Holy Land will stop being eaten and it will also thin out the barrier. Then, we might have a better chance.>


    Sian then asked, unconvinced,


    <If that¡¯s the case... wouldn¡¯t those Unkaras be under heavy guard? Isn¡¯t that barrier really important to the Drakuns?>


    The priest shook his head.


    <No, that will not be the case.>


    <...>


    <The only race powerful enough to kill the Unkaras is us, so the Drakuns will not divide their forces to defend the Unkaras. It¡¯s not needed because we are not able to walk out of the Holy Land without them knowing.>


    Sian then remembered what Lagaope said to him.


    ¡®That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t return with the Lukras¡¯ blood.¡¯


    It seemed that Sian did not have any Lukra blood as he was not caught by the Drakuns when he walked around. He probably only had the traits. Sian then concluded,


    <So you want me to sneak in and kill them. But am I powerful enough to kill those Unkaras? I¡¯m not sure how strong I am.>


    The Lukras told him that they wanted to check up on him. It meant that he needed to be strong enough to do the job. The priest, however, looked away.


    <...You don¡¯t know either?>


    <How would we know? We never knew such a race existed until we read the Drakun¡¯s memory. Even the Drakun we captured had never seen them. They nevere out of the ground. We just thought you might need a bit of strength as the Drakuns might have done something.>


    <...>


    <Do not forget. This is not a matter of ¡®if you can¡¯. It must be done. If the Holy Land¡¯s power weakens enough, they will begin attacking.>


    Sian grabbed his head as he felt a headacheing on.


    <Can¡¯t we just destroy the magic left by Aksarai? We don¡¯t need to fight then.>


    The priestughed.


    <Are you so sure? Then why not go out and kill all those Seven-Horned Harijans and wipe out the Drakuns? If you can destroy the magic of Aksarai, that should be easy. If you want to know how much power was put in when Aksarai made the barrier, I¡¯ll show you. The Drakun I read the memory from saw it.>


    ¡®...Dammit.¡¯


    Sian realized there was no way to avoid it.


    Sian pondered for a while.


    He knew the location. It was probably the mysterious mountain that he and Duke Lorvall fought on. The ce was filled with mysterious fog and he now realized that was probably the smog made from those Unkaras.


    The area that he destroyed was quiterge, but it was nothingpared to the size of the ind.


    ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve just destroyed the whole ce while I was there.¡¯


    Sian thought about it but shook his head. If he did, he would have probably been caught by the Drakuns and killed. Thus, he was able to pinpoint two important things.


    The first was to see how strong the Unkaras were. The second was to find a way to run to safety after dealing with them.


    If he were to be caught by angry Drakuns after destroying the barrier, that would be the end of his life. The Lukras said that they would draw away the Drakuns¡¯ attention, but he wanted to y it safe.


    <I will see if there are any possible routes to run, and check them out. If I can deal with them, then great. If I can¡¯t, then I will hide and train.>


    He did not dare fight when he knew he would not win. He needed to check how strong the Unkaras were first. He also had to decide how to escape. He needed teleportation magic and he knew where to go.


    ¡®I should look for Conrad or Lagaope first. Where would they be?¡¯


    It quickly became obvious to Sian. He probably got someone to send the message and it was done by the teleportation magic. Lagaope said the magic to teleport across the continent required power of the core, so Sian decided to check on the repaired cores of Ciculus first.


    ¡®I should keep training along the way.¡¯


    Sian then went to inform the Lukras that he would leave soon.


    Lagaope coughed and Conrad turned towards him. Lagaope shook his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just feel something very bad.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Why is that?¡±


    Conrad became confused but returned to his job on fixing the cores. Lagaope then found something on him was shing. It was themunication artifact. He took it out and answered. It was Liviath, telling him that he returned.


    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    <Yeah. I checked Amaran and the other ces but there was no use. I just brought the few things that you mentioned.>


    Lagaope then nodded. He then found something strange.


    ¡°But... where¡¯s Mister Sian?¡±


    Liviath turned away.


    ¡°....¡±


    <Uh... he wasn¡¯t there when I went to look for him, so I asked Stiel to give him the message.>


    ¡°And then?¡±


    If the artifact and the message were delivered, then there was no problem.


    <But... I felt a terrible energy was unleashed. Not something you would think that woulde from a human.>


    Lagaope became grim. There was only one person who Liviath would consider that way.


    ¡°It must be Mister Sian.¡±


    <Yeah, then he went straight up north.>


    ¡°...north?¡±


    <Yeah. Toward the Great Forest.>


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    Lagaope quickly guessed what had happened. It seemed Sian had run from something as things had gone wrong. There were only three things that would make Sian run in that continent, and it seemed that he had run into the Lukra¡¯snd as he might consider it to be the safest.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s that unlucky. I even had an easier way... let¡¯s hope that he didn¡¯t die.¡±


    Lagaope shook his head.

 Chapter 204: Unkara

    <h4>Chapter 204: Unkara</h4>


    The Lukras nodded and told him the location of the closest Ciculus. Sian then left the mountain and began running toward that Ciculus as he trained. As he reached his limit, he stopped to cool himself down and looked at the Ciculus far away. It seemed the core had been repaired as the tree was full of green leaves.


    ¡®I never came to this area before... hmm... I should ask around.¡¯


    The only Duke left was probably Conrad and he wasn¡¯t the type to stay in hiding so he thought it should be easy to find out.


    ¡®But it would be nice if my skill told me where to go too.¡¯


    If he had the power of <Fate¡¯s Way> like Veronica, it would have been really easy to look for them. However, the path that Sian saw only worked on fights so he sighed and continued on his way.


    Sian wondered how he should introduce himself as he walked up to the Ciculus. It might seem weird if he just showed up and asked for Conrad¡¯s location. Luckily, it was not needed as Count Garion of the Ciculus greeted him.


    ¡°Hello. I am Sian. Do you...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. I heard the message.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sian became confused as the Countughed.


    ¡°I was told through the twins that if a man named Sianes, he should be guided to the Ciculus Lorvall.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian did not imagine Lagaope had prepared to this extent.


    ¡®He sure is smart.¡¯


    Sian asked if there was teleportation magic, but the Count answered that such a thing had not been implemented yet, so Sian began running to Lorvall. He could now feel the energy even when he did not have Akra.


    ¡°This¡¯ll make hime straight to Lorvall, without stopping by all Ciculus cores.¡±


    Lagaope thought that Sian woulde to this continent for him if he survived. But Sian would have no idea where Lagaope was so he might search all the Ciculus. That was why Lagaope asked all the nobles to send Sian towards Lorvall to find Conrad.


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    Conrad answered grumpily as he looked at Lagaope. But he seemed satisfied and began packing his stuff. He was getting ready to run.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going into hiding. Here¡¯s amunication artifact. Call me anytime when you need me.¡±


    Conrad sighed at Lagaope and asked,


    ¡°How long are you going to hide? It¡¯s not like Sian¡¯s going to kill you, is he?¡±


    Conrad didn¡¯t think Sian was that violent. Lagaope might have gotten Sian into some trouble, but he wasn¡¯t going to kill Lagaope or anything. Lagaope nodded.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not running away because I¡¯m afraid of getting beaten up. He will beat me up, but that¡¯s probably all.¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡±


    ¡°I just think I will get mixed up in his bad luck if I stay close to him. Who knows what might happen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    If something did happen to Sian, it would surely be something really bad. Then Conrad asked,


    ¡°Then what about us?¡±


    Lagaope became surprised.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you always say warriors have to live with danger? Well, you will be with the man who attracts danger, so good for you.¡±


    Conrad sighed.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll be off to other regions to do my thing. I¡¯ll return when it¡¯s over. If I get beaten up... then I will get it then.¡±


    Lagaope then left to hide.


    Sian had arrived at Lorvall not long after Lagaope left. The Lorvall Tree seemed like it still needed more time to fully recover. Conrad greeted Sian,


    ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you, Conrad.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s really alive!¡¯


    Conrad was shocked to see Sian alive. Lagaope was sure that Sian would survive but Conrad did not believe it. He had experienced the power of Chrona years ago and so did his friends.


    The monster that wiped out the humans and Kal-Guls that lived in the empire.


    He could not believe that someone could break through and safely arrive at the Mountain of Extreme.


    Yet Conrad now realized as he saw Sian in front of him.


    ¡®He¡¯s not a human anymore.¡¯


    The being in front of him was different. There was something strange that he could feel about him.


    ¡®Lorvall... you seded.¡¯


    Conrad thought about Lorvall and paid his respects silently. He then moved inside with Sian to talk.


    ¡°I see... so Lagaope went into hiding?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He did not tell us where he went.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. That¡¯s not important right now.¡±


    Sian then exined what he had to do and Conrad quickly summarized it,


    ¡°So... you need teleportation magic to help you flee after you finish the business on Cloud Mountain?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I just need to run to the Mountain of Extreme. Oh, and you all should evacuate from this area. There¡¯s a chance that this ce might get hit too.¡±


    Sian warned as there was a chance that the angry Drakuns might wreak havoc even after Sian fled.


    ¡®Danger, huh?¡¯


    Conrad thought about what Lagaope said, then considered if teleportation magic was possible and answered,


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anymoners to feed Akra to the tree. However, if we pour energy into the core, you can teleport even now. However, wouldn¡¯t it be hard for you toe here from there?¡±


    ¡°Hm.... I have no choice.¡±


    Sian didn¡¯t think too much as it wasn¡¯t that far, but it could be dangerous if he were to be surrounded by Drakuns.


    Conradughed.


    ¡°You can power it by yourself just like you didst time. The reason it¡¯s installed at the core of Ciculus is that it needs such power.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sian remembered he ran from the Drakuns in the same way.


    ¡°I will adjust the artifact so you can teleport out anytime, anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Is it that easy?¡±


    Sian was shocked.


    ¡°Yes. Liviath brought a few things from the other continent this time so it won¡¯t take too long. It¡¯s the energy that¡¯s hard to get. I just need to make it smaller.¡±


    ¡°OH!¡±


    Sian brightened up as his biggest concern had been solved. If that was true, he could just flee right after taking care of the Unkaras.


    He began to ponder two choices.


    Scout while the artifact was being created, or scout after it had been created.


    ¡®No need to think.¡¯


    Sian decided to wait for it to bepleted and train in the meantime. He needed to carry the artifact as he did not know what was waiting for him. Besides, something felt off about going there. His body was warning him that he should not go.


    ¡®Are they that strong?¡¯


    Sian gritted his teeth. He did not know if it was the Unkaras that were strong, or if the Drakuns had done something.


    However, this had to be done as soon as possible.


    ¡®I should just trust the Lukras and the artifact.¡¯


    Sian then concentrated on his training.

 Chapter 205: Unkara

    <h4>Chapter 205: Unkara</h4>


    ¡°There. I made it into a ring so you can carry it around easily. It will drop you at Einkel when you pour in energy.¡±


    Conrad handed over the ring-shaped artifact to Sian. The ring was set with a small red ruby and had countless runes engraved in it. Sian was astonished.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s amazing how you made such a thing so quickly! Can¡¯t you just increase the number of Ra-Shar-Roas too?¡±


    Conrad nodded his head.


    ¡°Haha, the teleportation magic itself is very advanced, but the magic that allows the absorption of the energy is much more important. The ring is made to teleport only one person, and under the condition that you will pour in the energy required, and that made it easier to create. If we were to make a ring that would work as a personal Ra-Shar-Roa, it will take years. The ring can only be used once, so please use it wisely.¡±


    ¡°That will do. Thank you.¡±


    It would be great if it could be used multiple times, but it was enough for now. Sian ced the ring on his finger and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Are you leaving now?¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait.¡±


    If he was powerful enough to handle the situation, it was best to finish it soon. If it wasn¡¯t the case, he needed to quickly analyze the enemy and prepare for the next step.


    ¡°Right. Good luck,¡±


    Conrad answered as he prepared to leave also. There was a chance that this ce would get swept away as Sian had mentioned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see through the fog.¡±


    Sianmented as he jumped across the sea. The fog was very dense and dulled his senses. It seemed that it would be hard to find the Unkaras. If they hid underground while sending up the smog, it would be difficult to locate them. Sian thought about blowing up the entire ce but there was a chance that the Drakuns woulde straight for him.


    ¡®If they like to hide... it would be great if they are weak.¡¯


    That would make things much safer. However, his instincts were still telling him that he should not go further.


    ¡®If I only had more time...¡¯


    He would be strong enough to fight head-on with the Drakuns or Harijans. But the barrier was weakening, there was no time for him to level.


    Sian found the traces of the damage he had wrought in the fight against Lorvall. Thousands of peaks were still puffing out smog.


    He noticed then that not all were the same. The ones at the lower peaks of the ind were simr to the smog that covered the sea. But the ones in the middle, from the higher peaks, contained some power.


    It was a very slight difference.


    ¡®That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t notice.¡¯


    The difference was so minute that if he did not know about the Akun-Kal, he would not have noticed the difference. It seemed Aksarai had worked hard on it. Sian then decided to check the higher peaks and jumped up.


    Sian had decided on the outer peaks first as it had the highest chance that he would encounter something there. It was not wise to encounter something to fight when he just got here. He then noticed the giants from before, they were now roaming around aimlessly on the ind.


    ¡®Where are theying out from?¡¯


    Sian avoided them and moved in. As he moved inward, he came to a peak that was puffing out a slightly different smog. The difference was much clearer when he saw it up front. He ced his hand into the smog and was astonished.


    ¡®It makes my body heavier and dulls my senses.¡¯


    The Lukras had also mentioned that the smog made the Drakun¡¯s magic more powerful. There was a hole within a peak that was so deep that Sian could not see the bottom. It was so wide that it could hold a small vige.


    Sian then jumped down as he could not see what was inside with the smog interfering with his senses.


    As he went deeper down, the smog became denser and the temperature rose. It wasn¡¯t threatening to Sian, but it was proof that Sian hade to the right ce.


    ¡®So they do eat theva...¡¯


    There were a lot of holes in the walls that were definitely attempts to dig through. It was probably done by the Unkaras trying to dig in to eat theva. He was sure that the Unkaras were below.


    As he went down, he felt his senses returning to normal. The smog was turning back into ordinary smog.


    ¡®What was done to the smog?¡¯


    He thought that the power was contained in the smog itself, but Sian couldn¡¯t feel it.


    Sian felt that he was reaching the bottom, so he slowed down and fastened himself to the wall. He was prepared for any kind of defense mechanisms that the Drakuns might have set in ce but nothing happened.


    ¡®It¡¯s safe for now. I guess no one will daree this deep down.¡¯


    Sian examined an Unkara nearby. It was swimming through theva that had been dug up from the ground and was swallowing it while releasing thick smoke.


    It resembled thervae of a huge insect, but its skin was covered by a metallic armor with multiple vents that released smoke. It seemed the newly-released smoke was not yet infused with the magic to create the barrier so it had no effect on Sian¡¯s senses.


    And so Sian became puzzled.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that strong.¡¯


    That didn¡¯t mean it was weak. Its armor was very durable and it moved at quite a fast pace. It just wasn¡¯t strong enough for Sian to consider it a threat. Sian walked closer to see if it noticed him but it just went on its way to consumeva. It seemed the violent nature only kicked in against one weaker than itself because it ignored Sian as it acknowledged that the stronger being had no intention to attack.


    ¡®Hmm...¡¯


    Sian could not be sure, so he decided to scout around more. There was a possibility that this Unkara was the weakest here. It was safer to scout around first before killing anything so Sian began to dig through to check on the other Unkaras.


    After digging through different holes, Sian came to a conclusion.


    ¡®This job will be piece of a cake.¡¯


    Sian thanked the gods for such luck toe upon him. These Unkaras were very weak. It would take him a bit more time because of their vast tunnel undergroundwork, but it was not going to be hard.


    ¡®I guess I won¡¯t need the artifact.¡¯


    Sian rxed and tried to start killing the Unkara in front of him first, but a sudden tremor made him pause. The Unkaras began frantically twisting themselves to run away from something. Sian tried to find out the cause by heightening his senses, but it wasn¡¯t needed. The culprit came out by itself.


    The ceiling of theva-filled cavern copsed and a weird creature dropped on the Unkaras and began devouring them.

 Chapter 206: Unkara

    <h4>Chapter 206: Unkara</h4>


    The Unkaras were ripped into pieces and devoured by the monster that suddenly appeared through the ground. Sian examined the monster.


    Thick wed pincers.


    Antennae on its head.


    Dark colored armor.


    Sian thought it resembled a certain creature.


    ¡®...lobster?¡¯


    It looked simr but it wasn¡¯t a lobster. It was muchrger and had other differing details.


    The Unkaras measured at least fifty to a hundred feet long, but the monster that just appeared was muchrger. It only stuck out its head so he wasn¡¯t certain, but he was able to make out that the monster was muchrger. The pincer destroyed the Unkaras¡¯ armor, which could withstand the pressure and the heat of theva underground, like a biscuit.


    The monster destroyed the armor of Unkara and picked the soft flesh within to eat. It then finished up by licking through the armor to eat everything in it.


    Sian became pale. It wasn¡¯t because the monster seemed vicious or he felt sorry for the Unkaras.


    The monster was just too powerful.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t notice it until it came up here.¡¯


    It was probably stronger, at least almost as strong as Sian. Sian then realized why the Unkaras released the smog. This was the reason why they hid themselves in the smog.


    Sian did specte as much. The race that released smoke meant that it had to hide from something else. However, Sian believed in Aksarai. He thought that Aksarai would not have let a predator of the Unkaras live if he considered the Unkaras to be important for his magic.


    But Sian¡¯s guess was wrong.


    The monster seemed to notice Sian, so it hid into the ground. Sian then moved to kill the other Unkaras.


    However, there was one thing Sian did not know.


    When Aksarai came here, he was d to find the Unkaras race. But he also found their predator race, the Geshtal. No, it wasn¡¯t even a race because there was only one. It seemed like it was some kind of a mutant. Aksarai thought about killing it but decided not to.


    He needed the Unkaras that created the smoke, not the Unkaras that would live in peace.


    Aksarai knew why the Unkaras made the smoke. It was to hide from that monster. If he killed Geshtal, the Unkaras would be freed from that danger and they would stop making the smoke to protect themselves.


    That was why Aksarai did not kill Geshtal. And that was only the first reason.


    There was another reason.


    The Geshtal had evolved to see through the smoke and devour the Unkaras. Its sense to find the Unkaras within the smoke was nothingpared to its strength, but its sense within thework of caves was incredible. It was on arger scale than any simr-powered Alpha.


    If Geshtal wanted, it could have wiped out the Unkaras in hours. But he needed a constant supply of food so it did not do that. He kept the numbers of Unkara constant by consuming the others.


    Geshtal hated other creatures besides the Unkaras invading its territory. It considered the entire cavework as his food pen. This monster was why Aksarai did not bring the other Drakuns here when he needed to work on the Unkaras.


    Aksarai thought that Geshtal would work well as a guardian for these Unkaras. He did not have any extra Drakuns to send to protect them when they were busy fighting the Lukras.


    Sian thought that he had not been detected by Geshtal, but it already knew as soon as Sian entered the cave. There were only two reasons why Geshtal didn¡¯t attack Sian.


    One was because Sian did not kill any Unkaras, meaning he wasn¡¯t here to destroy its food supply.


    The other was that Sian was strong enough to be irritating for it to fight.


    But if he were to kill any Unkara, Geshtal wasn¡¯t going to let it slide. After Sian disappeared, Geshtal came back out of the hole. It looked toward where Sian had disappeared for a long while and then disappeared back into the tunnels.


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Sian felt like he was getting used to this ce. His senses were heightened so he could now feel what was changing the smoke into the barrier. Powerful magic had been secretly ced above a certain height, which changed the smoke into something else and the barrier was written over it.


    It seemed like there was something ced by Aksarai in the middle of the ind that allowed this to happen.


    ¡®What did he leave there?¡¯


    Sian became curious and wanted to pay a visit to see what it was. He was amazed by the power that was left by such a being would still have an effect after thousands of years.


    ¡®I should pay a visit when I¡¯m done here.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t seem dangerous. He would have to run if something unexpected happened, but it seemed that the monster didn¡¯t care about him and it didn¡¯t seem dangerous to kill the Unkaras.


    Sian then moved to a ce where he sensed the Unkaras.


    ¡®That monster... isn¡¯t around.¡¯


    Sian checked around carefully as a fight against such a monster might mean death. He sighed in relief after not seeing that monster anywhere.


    ¡®I guess he won¡¯t hunt down all of them.¡¯


    Sian guessed that there were about hundreds to thousands of Unkaras. It was a lot, but if that monster kept on hunting them, they would have been wiped out a long time ago.


    The fact that there were Unkaras left meant it didn¡¯t hunt frequently. Sian spected that the monster that just finished its meal would not be interested in the other Unkaras.


    ¡®Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not interested.¡¯


    Sian carefully approached an Unkara and ced his hand on its head.


    ¡®Good-bye.¡¯


    Sian quickly decapitated the Unkara. Unkaras could survive even with their heads cut off, so its head wailed while its body twisted to attack Sian. However, Sian just looked upon it without doing anything. The body thrashed around and destroyed a bit of the ground and began sinking into theva. Sian looked at it sympathetically and shook his head,


    ¡®It¡¯s a must.¡¯


    As he headed for another Unkara, his face became grim. Something was charging towards Sian at an enormous speed. He knew right away what it was. It was that lobster-like monster.


    Sian started pouring energy into his ring.


    The problem wasn¡¯t the monster. If he were to fight the monster here, he would need to unleash his full power and the Drakuns would notice him, which would draw them here instantly.


    Sian was then swallowed by the bright light.


    ¡®It worked!¡¯


    He was worried that the ring would not work as intended but it was working. Sian felt his body being teleported and sighed in relief.


    ¡®What should I do now...¡¯


    Sian thought about what to next but realized in a second that he did not need to think about that.


    ¡°Why am I still here?!¡±


    Sian froze in shock as he re-appeared about ten steps away from where he had been and was struck by a giant pincer.

 Chapter 207: Unkara

    <h4>Chapter 207: Unkara</h4>


    Sian was sent back to the cave, got hit, and dropped into the sea ofva. Geshtal then quickly closed in to keep the upper hand in the fight.


    ¡®Ugh...¡¯


    Sian groaned as he tasted blood. Theva couldn¡¯t do anything to him but the problem was the pincer.


    ¡®Dammit.¡¯


    He understood how strong the monster was when he took the hit. It was stronger than him, but not by arge margin. If he was prepared, he would not have been struck down. However, he was relieved when he thought the teleportation was a sess and that distraction made him get struck down.


    Sian swallowed the blood and prepared for the next attack.


    ¡®I¡¯ve got no choice.¡¯


    If Sian did not unleash his full power, it was obvious that he would die. He needed to kill the monster first and worry about itter. It would be best if he would escape, but the monster was too close.


    However, Sian did not give up yet.


    ¡®Yeah... my life was never that lucky. I was wrong for trusting such a thing.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t over. Sian didn¡¯t just walk into this dangerous ce by relying only on a simple teleportation device.


    Sian gritted his teeth and took off the ring that lost its light and took out Broxian¡¯s spear. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was able to handle the weapon so he did not use it, but he needed it now.


    The monster was stronger and he had taken the first strike. He needed everything he could use.


    Geshtal stopped for a second as it saw Sian¡¯s weapon and felt the terrifying power within it. It allowed Sian to take a moment to heal inside but that didn¡¯t change anything.


    ¡®The weapon is not something I can use yet, but...¡¯


    Using those weapons was like a baby trying to use a sword. He didn¡¯t even dare to take out the sword of Gran-Ra so he only took out the spear.


    As he held onto the spear, he felt his choice was correct.


    It gave him the feeling that he was able to destroy everything. Up to just now, he was feeling that this situation was a threat of death and that his power was growing, but as he took up the spear, it changed. It didn¡¯t feel like it was that dangerous. It didn¡¯t mean Sian would win easily, but it became much safer.


    ¡®How were these made?¡¯


    Aksarai, Broxian... the relics left by them were all great. Sian could not imagine what was like to see them when they were alive.


    ¡®But it¡¯s not important.¡¯


    They were dead now. What was important was for Sian to kill the monster.


    ¡®You¡¯re dead now.¡¯


    Sian struck the head of the monster with its power. The monster then used its mile-long body to pressure Sian.


    The vast undergroundwork below the Mountain Ind began to copse, killing all Unkaras that lived under it.


    <What is going on...?>


    Drakuns were shocked by sudden powering up from the far back of the continent. The power was so strong that it could only mean a fight between Alphas, and it was sent all the way to the front where they were fighting against Lukras.


    <Isn¡¯t that the ce where the new Alpha was born? It must have run to thend of the beast.>


    It seemed the power wasing from further back. The 1st Kun of the Drakun <Katura> became grim as he felt it. He wasn¡¯t sure why that Alpha came back, but he could not let it be. The ce where energy wasing from was an area that should not be destroyed.


    <That... that is the ce of the barrier!>


    The Drakuns did not know what was going on, but the energying from Cloud Mountain and the consequence of such power was obvious.


    <Gather. We will watch these Lukras so 2nd and 3rd Kuns should go directly to the Cloud Mountain. You must stop it from destroying the ce!>


    The power was so strong that any Drakuns under the 4th will not work. Katura hoped that he wasn¡¯t toote. He wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but their barrier must not fail.


    <That cannot happen...!>


    ¡®It¡¯s amazing.¡¯


    Sian was astonished by the sheer power of the spear as he swung it. The choice Sian made to not use the spear when he was chased by Dragona wasn¡¯t wrong. If he took it out, it would have destroyed his bnce and made him slower, resulting in him getting caught.


    Even now, Sian was barely swinging the spear.


    However, it was like the spear was trying even harder to avoid the attack.


    The spear swung through the air to strike and the monster tried to dodge as it tried to attack Sian. It couldn¡¯t dodge the attack fully and the spear made a scratch on its armor. It was a very small scratch that didn¡¯t seem serious.


    The scratch made by the spear left a silver liquid on the armor.


    However, the reason why it tried hard to dodge the attack was revealed.


    A terrible scream came about, but it wasn¡¯t from the monster. The source of the sound came from the surface that the spear touched. The silver liquid began to increase its size and began swallowing the armor of the monster. The silver liquid screamed as it absorbed the armor in delight.


    When it had absorbed enough, it turned into powder and flowed back into the spear. Sian then felt the spear¡¯s power had increased very slightly.


    ¡®So this was how this spear was made.¡¯


    It seemed that the monsters that Broxian hunted had strengthened his spear this way. The monster was now being destroyed by Sian¡¯s spear. It was already half-dead.


    But Sian was in a hurry.


    He needed to flee soon, but that monster was still attacking Sian so he couldn¡¯t back off yet. He needed to deal a final blow to escape from this ce. If he held onto the spear, he could not move as quickly and he could not run away without the spear.


    ¡®Dammit... just die.¡¯


    The fight was soon over. Sian had won.


    He had killed the monster and survived; he had also killed all the Unkaras in the tunnels. He had learned how to use the spear and felt its power, but he couldn¡¯tugh.


    He frowned as he looked up to the sky.


    ¡®Dammit... didn¡¯t they say they would draw away the Drakun¡¯s attention?¡¯


    Maybe this was the result of their work. However, it was toote for him to escape.


    Sian gave up as he felt the powerful presences flying in. The spear alone wasn¡¯t enough to handle this. Seven strong presences were heading towards him.


    Suddenly, a clear path appeared in front of Sian and he brightened up.


    There was hope that this path would save him from dying.


    Sian followed the path without hesitation.

 Chapter 208: Remaining Power

    <h4>Chapter 208: Remaining Power</h4>


    Sian followed the path without hesitating but he became confused as he followed it.


    ¡®...Is it really this way?¡¯


    He never failed when he followed his path, but he started to question it. There were Drakuns approaching from the distance, but his path led straight into the center of Cloud Mountain.


    ¡®How can I survive if I go there?¡¯


    Sian could not understand, but he went for it anyway. It was toote to run outside and the teleportation magic was not working for some reason.


    The tunnels were being destroyed andva churned everywhere. It seemed that the ind itself was sinking.


    ¡®At least my job is done.¡¯


    It was fortunate that the Unkaras were wiped out so the barrier was going to weaken. But Sian did not want to die yet. He then found out where his path had led him to.


    ¡®It¡¯s there.¡¯


    As the ind began to sink, a giant sphere that was located at the middle of the ind stayed still in mid-air, even when the ground around it began crumbling.


    It was a five-foot-wide red sphere.


    ¡®That¡¯s...¡¯


    Sian had never seen it before but he knew what it was right away. It was the artifact that created the smoke, or the barrier of Akun-Kal. The path was leading him to the inside of the sphere.


    ¡®To that thing?¡¯


    He had been saved by his instinct many times, but it was a bit hard to believe this time. The sphere did not let out any energy, but upon close inspection, Sian was able to see enormous energy swirling within. It was even powerful enough to tear through the dimension, seal it, and recreate it. He now realized why the Lukra priestughed when he said he was going to break this instead.


    Sian hesitated as he was unconvinced that jumping into such energy would save him. But he could not hesitate for too long. He could easily guess what might happen when he faced those Drakuns flying in.


    <Who are you?>


    <Uh, I¡¯m...>


    <You killed those Unkaras and destroyed the barrier.>


    <Uh, yeah I was trying to do that but...>


    <Die.>


    <AARGH!>


    ¡®Dammit. I have no choice.¡¯


    Sian then jumped inside the sphere.


    Sian had prepared himself for the unforeseen consequences, but nothing happened. The power didn¡¯t seem to be made to destroy so it didn¡¯t do anything violent against Sian who jumped in.


    <Hm... it¡¯s not doing anything. Do I need to wait inside until they are gone?>


    Sian nced around the sphere as he sighed in relief. The sphere was about five feet tall, but one interesting thing about it was that he could see through it. It was filled with red light, but it did not hinder his sight.


    He could not hear what they were talking about, but he could see the Drakuns flying in and talking to each other. Drakuns shot each other concerned looks and nced at the sphere for a while and then they flew back to where they came from.


    <That¡¯s a relief.>


    Sian sighed. He was worried that those Drakuns would jump in to attack.


    <But that¡¯s weird. Can¡¯t theye inside?>


    It seemed weird that the Drakuns who were rted to Aksarai couldn¡¯te into the orb, so Sian mumbled.


    <Well, not anyone cane in. Some work was put into it.>


    <...!>


    Sian was shocked by the sudden sound of a voice and nced around.


    <What...!>


    Sian then realized the voice was transferred directly into his head and groaned.


    <It¡¯s been thousands of years since I¡¯ve gotten a chance to express my opinion like this. It¡¯s good to see you.>


    Sian was shocked but he answered.


    <Uh... yes. Good to see you too. But what¡¯s going on right now?>


    Sian asked as the only reason why he could hear the voice was because he jumped into this ce.


    <I¡¯m helping you solve your problem. And save your life while we¡¯re at it.>


    Sian said,


    <What problem?>


    The voice then scolded Sian.


    <It¡¯s the barrier you just destroyed! I never imagined it would be destroyed by some fool like you. Ugh.>


    Sian then realized who the voice belonged to.


    <Are you Aksarai?>


    The voice sighed.


    <Yes, you fool.>


    Sian grimaced. So this was the man that the Lukra feared so much. But why would such a being talk to him? Why would it be a problem?


    <Well, it can be a problem for you, but I had to do it. Or else your Drakuns will wipe our kind out.>


    Aksarai then answered as if he was really frustrated.


    <You... and that Lagaope... you were all fooled! You were lied to!>


    <Huh?>


    Aksarai sternly spoke.


    <The barrier that imprisoned them is gone so they will now jump out. To kill everything.>


    Sian also spected that possibility, but he also spected something else.


    <They can¡¯t. Even without the barrier, they are surrounded by Drakuns and Harijans. They cannote out of the mountain when they will be attacked from both sides...>


    Aksarai seemed to agree with this.


    <Yes, that must be so. But... it¡¯splicated to exin. You should see for yourself. It won¡¯t take long.>


    Then something began washing into Sian¡¯s head, showing him the old memory.


    Thousands of years ago.


    Thend was upied by various races including the Drakuns.


    The Drakuns were more powerful than any other race on the ground. However, they lived above the sky so they did not need to fight the other races so they lived in peace.


    Aksarai, the leader of Drakuns, then found something dropping from the sky.


    <What is that?>


    Aksarai examined the object. It was a golden crystal. It flew from the sky down through the cloud, and it fell onto the ce called the Mountain of Extreme now.


    It only made a crater and did not cause much damage.


    <Should we investigate?>


    <No. We should wait for now.>


    It seemed it wasn¡¯t naturally-made as it was beautifully sculpted. Aksarai forbid his people to approach it and ordered them to watch it from distance.


    But Aksarai then realized he couldn¡¯t just watch it.


    As the golden crystal fell down, a strange force began to work around it. It only covered the mountain, but Aksarai frowned as the weird magic affected thews within its range.


    <We will not be able to use our power within the range.>


    The weak were more vulnerable against it. As the crystal created its own range, it shined again. Aksarai frowned. There were weird beingsing out from it.


    <I¡¯ve never seen them.>


    The crystal wasn¡¯t small, but was it big enough to hold hundreds of those big things in it? It wasn¡¯t. Those that came out from the crystal began roaming around the area, checking to see what it was like. It seemed they were more used to living in their own ce, so when they stepped out of it, they frowned. But what they did next made Aksarai scowl.


    <What are they doing?>


    Those races returned to the crystal and took out small gems. They then began spreading them out on the southern side of the mountain.


    The change happened rapidly and Aksarai was able to see the change from the beginning.

 Chapter 209: Remaining Power

    <h4>Chapter 209: Remaining Power</h4>


    These races were the Lukra.


    The gems that they spread upon thend did not make any change at first, but it soon appeared. Gems began absorbing thend, water, and everything into it and created something. It was molded into a figure and was reborn with a w, muscle, skin, and sharp teeth. The head also had a strong horn.


    The gem became a monster and it roared, but it could not disobey the Lukra.


    The monsters that were created were well over the thousands in numbers.


    Aksarai frowned.


    <What are they going to with all of them? Are they pets?>


    Their numbers were great, but they were too weak. However, it wasn¡¯t over. Lukra then returned to the crystal and took out another race.


    <What... they are even weaker.>


    Aksarai couldn¡¯t understand. The ones that came out from crystal weren¡¯t weak. The one that came out at the end was really powerful that even he wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to fight him. That was why he had to watch it from a distance even when they were doing something very fishy.


    If they were weak and did not hide within that range, Aksarai would¡¯ve probably wiped them out.


    But these monsters and other races were too weak.


    Aksarai could not understand, but he watched them.


    The Lukras did not leave their area, but the monsters and the other race from the crystal seemed different.


    The monkey-like race seemed very energetic and alive as they were sent out to the south of the mountain under the protection of the beasts from the gem.


    Aksarai then became confused.


    <Are those monsters made to protect those monkeys?>


    That was a possibility. These monsters were weakpared to the Drakuns, but they were powerful enough to kill races that lived at the far south. Itsrge number could easily clean out the races in the south and the monkeys reced them. They reproduced very quickly and became the dominant race of that region.


    Aksarai then was able to realize the other fact. These one-horned monsters began consuming other races, or after living for years, they became stronger. They all started out with one horn, but the number of horns started increasing.


    Aksarai then realized why those Lukras carried those monkeys around.


    <They were food.>


    Lukras did not eat themselves. The race that they called <Ro> was consumed by the race that they called <Na>. They were so weak that it did not allow those monsters to be strong but they still had to eat to ease their hunger.


    <Ro> was food for those monsters to consume when they became hungry.


    The days went on as <Ro> increased in number while <Na> consumed them when they were hungry. The monsters had now grown muchrger in size now.


    But Aksarai did not leave them to be.


    The Drakuns and Lukras had been fighting for a long time now. After Aksarai saw them doing weird things under the mountain, he decided that he could not let them be, so he began fighting them too.


    Yet these Lukra were powerful. Gran-Ra, or the one with the golden sword, was so powerful that his power was on par with Aksarai himself. Even then, Gran-Ra became much stronger. In contrast, Aksarai himself had the power of magic.


    The Lukras quickly retreated back to their area when they were about to lose, so they could not easily defeat them.


    Aksarai could see through their intentions. The Lukra were waiting for something and they were just postponing it to put an end to the fight. There were chances for them to have the upper hand, but they did not try to take the chances.


    Aksarai then knew what they were waiting for.


    <They are waiting for those monsters to grow bigger.>


    That was the only reason. Most of those monsters were only at about Six-Horned so they weren¡¯t much help, but if they be Seven-Horned, and more of them appeared, it would destroy the bnce.


    Aksarai then realized why these Lukras carried around those weird races. They were a very powerful race, but there wasn¡¯t a lot of them. If they lost people while fighting, there was no way for them to survive many fights. They also could not adapt well to the new ce theye so they needed a warrior race <Na> to use them instead.


    Aksarai made his choice.


    <I will not let you have all you want.>


    If they were left alone and those monsters grew in power, the bnce would surely be destroyed. Aksarai then came to Cloud Mountain and created the barrier. This allowed the Drakuns and Lukra to maintain the bnce until Broxian appearedter.


    The effect was mostly the same as what the Lukras had exined. But there was one more important effect that they did they disclose to Sian.


    <Most important effect of this barrier... is to disrupt their control. The area where they raised <Na> and <Ro> used to be their territory. But after the barrier, they were forced to be imprisoned within their ground. After their control was lifted, they were being attacked by <Na>, or Harijans as you call it.>


    <...>


    Sian became shocked at the origin of thend. His people and Harijans were the race let loose by the Lukras thousands of years ago.


    If this was true, then he had made a big problem indeed.


    <Good. We will now go through a war. Their <Na> have grown very powerful. Dragona, Chrona, Liona... those three are enough to break the bnce. At least its fortunate that there¡¯s still some time for all barriers to be removed.>


    <Dammit.>


    Sian sighed. Aksarai then spoke to him again.


    <Well, there¡¯s no way you would know the truth. You were just trying your best. It¡¯s that priest that fed you all the lies.>


    <So, everything Lagaope heard... was a lie.>


    Sian became dumbfounded, but Aksarai exined further.


    <Half is a lie. But half is true. That priest is smart. He did manage to break the barrier in the end.>


    <Was it a lie that the power of the Holy Land was waning?>


    Aksarai answered,


    <...>


    <That¡¯s why I sent you the signal not toe... you fool. It¡¯s so limited to be living as a parasite.>


    Sian then became confused and asked,


    <Signal? I didn¡¯t receive such thing.>


    <Didn¡¯t I threaten you not toe here? You always followed it well. Why did youe all the way this time...>


    <...>


    Sian then realized where the instinct, or what he thought the instinct originated from. The work did end wellpared to what his instincts had warned him. So the instinct was telling him to not destroy the barrier.


    ¡®So, that¡¯s why it was easy...¡¯


    Sian then spoke to Aksarai.


    <Are you not within this sphere?>


    Aksarai thenughed and answered,


    <How foolish are you? I¡¯m within you. Would I know all that if I was stuck within this sphere? I¡¯m talking to you based on everything that you have heard and experienced.>


    <...>


    Sian was shocked as he was just told that some parasite was living within him.

 Chapter 210: Remaining Power

    <h4>Chapter 210: Remaining Power</h4>


    <...Since when did youe into my body?>


    Sian asked grimly. He heard that the Connector of Aksarai would lose control over its body once the body became an Alpha. But Aksaraiughed it off.


    <Don¡¯t worry. I would¡¯ve taken control a long time ago if I could.>


    <...I heard that the Connector of Aksarai will be you when it bes an Alpha.>


    Aksarai scoffed.


    <Aren¡¯t you an Alpha? Why are you still okay then?>


    <...>


    <They¡¯re all lies. If taking control over someone was that easy, it¡¯d be better if I just took it in the first ce and did it myself. Why would I wait until you be an Alpha? It¡¯s even harder to take over.>


    Yet, Sian could not believe it to be true. The Lukras¡¯ concern against the Connector of Aksarai was real after all.


    <Then why are the Lukras wary of the Connectors of Aksarai bing an Alpha?>


    Aksarai answered.


    <Well... it is true that I cane back alive if the connector bes an Alpha. I don¡¯t take control over him but that priest added some lies.>


    Sian then asked the biggest question of all.


    <Then why now? Why did you show yourself now? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve be an Alpha.>


    Aksarai answered inly.


    <Because you¡¯re not a connector.>


    <...I¡¯m not?>


    Aksaraiughed.


    <Hah! You¡¯re only able to speak with me because you are at the ce where my power remains. It¡¯s helping the power within you to allow you to speak to me. My portion of the spirit within you is smaller than the portion that Lorvall or Conrad has.>


    <...>


    Sian looked dumbfounded, but Aksarai chuckled.


    <Don¡¯t worry. You can¡¯t use any of my powers, but you did inherit the most important power of all.>


    <Huh?>


    <Maybe because you have the blood of Broxian... or Lukra. You know how to be strong and fight. My spirit also came into the power that befits you.>


    <Hmm...>


    <It¡¯s so small that it won¡¯t give you any of the other special powers, but that alone hade in pretty handy.>


    Then, Sian realized what his mysterious path was. The way to be strong. The way to victory.


    <Was this your power?>


    Aksarai agreed.


    <Yes... it was my most trusted power of all. Congrattions.>


    Sian then realized how long Aksarai¡¯s spirit had been with him. The path had been with him since the beginning.


    <So... you¡¯ve been with me all this time.>


    Aksarai answered,


    <Well, I was with your ancestors to be specific. Your family had been a carrier.>


    <Why our family?>


    Sian asked. If he had chosen the human race altogether, it would have been better. Aksarai responded,


    <Huh? I didn¡¯t send it specifically to you. My spirit was just sent over to you, the <Ro> race when it exploded while I fought against those fools Gran-Ra and Broxian. It¡¯s not because you¡¯re special or anything.>


    <...>


    <But... I guess it did affect your family. If my spirit was handed over to the next generation, it would need to gather many human traits and characteristics together with the blood. That¡¯s why your family did not have many children, and if a child was born without the spirit, then any remaining trait it had been born with should¡¯ve been taken away by the one with the spirit, killing it in the early stages. Yet it did make your family strong. It¡¯s moreplicated but I won¡¯t go to details.>


    <But Father or Brother do not see the path like I do...>


    <I told you. It¡¯s not your family that¡¯s special. It¡¯s you who¡¯s special. The reason your family was strong was not because of my spirit. It was because the transfer of the spirit to a newborn required the transfer of all the power and traits to one child.>


    Sian nodded. The reason why he could see the path was because the Lukra¡¯s blood helped him withstand the spirit.


    <Your family will be normal now since you absorbed my spirit within you.>


    Sian then found something weird.


    <I¡¯ve found evidence of your lie!>


    Aksarai then became intrigued and asked,


    <Huh? What is it? I¡¯m so proud of you.>


    <...It doesn¡¯t make sense. If that was true, my brother would¡¯ve been dead or something. But he¡¯s well off.>


    Aksaraiughed.


    <Who said it was you who took the powers? Your brother took all the power that had to go to you even without the spirit. If you did not awaken your Lukra blood, you would have died a long time ago.>


    <...>


    <I have never seen a man lucky as your brother. He only took the good things.>


    <And I¡¯m the unluckiest of them all.>


    Sian mumbled as he thought about himself. Things never went well for him, not even once. Then Aksarai spoke.


    <Oh, I¡¯m sorry about that. I wanted you to be strong. It¡¯s a shame for a man like you to try to shy away from danger. That¡¯s a loss.>


    <...Huh?>


    Sian could not believe what he was hearing.


    <No, I wanted you to be strong fast, but you didn¡¯t want that. So I had to push you in.>


    <...What did you do?>


    The voice answered inly.


    <Nothing much. I just... made the other connector put you into Apental... and made you feel that you must destroy that husk of Dragona. You could¡¯ve run, but I didn¡¯t want you to. Think about it. Do you think it makes sense that you would know who to beat up naturally?>


    <...>


    <Oh, and I made you feel that you should go to the ce where Apental reopened. That was good work on my part... oh and I also made that Lorvall kid to make you into an Alpha.>


    <...>


    It wasn¡¯t much, but all those events almost got Sian killed. It looked like all those happenings weren¡¯t because of Sian¡¯s misfortune. He could have avoided them all but Aksarai had dragged him in.


    <Well, that Lagaope made many ns and failed, but I¡¯m Aksarai. I don¡¯t fail.>


    <...>


    <Hey, rx. You can¡¯t do anything to me because I¡¯m inside you. Besides, I helped you a lot too.>


    <...What.>


    <Wasn¡¯t it weird? That you felt it was dangerous to go over the Great North Wall?>


    <...>


    <As you know, there was nothing that could bring danger you over the Wall when you were seventeen years old, besides Dragona or Chrona. You didn¡¯t know about Chrona¡¯s existence, but you felt it was dangerous to go there. Why do you think that happened?>


    <...>


    <I also helped you to find that Stiel girl. If it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t find her that easily even with that Veronica.>


    <...So that¡¯s why it was so easy.>


    <Isn¡¯t it great to know every truth? You wouldn¡¯t have known everything if you didn¡¯te in this way.>


    Sian felt the strong urge to beat him up.


    ¡®So many people... deserve a beating...¡¯


    But there was no way to beat him up and there were other things to worry about at the moment.


    Even now, the barrier was probably getting rid of, and when it was done, the Lukras would control the Harijans such as Dragona to attack the Drakuns. Sian had be stronger, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight against Dragona, Liona, and Chrona all at once to keep the bnce.


    Sian sighed.


    <Did you bring me here to tease me?>


    Aksarai answered,


    <No. I did bring you here to save you, but I also did it to tell you how to solve this.>


    <How?>


    <You destroyed the barrier, so you must make it right.>


    <But how?>


    <Well... what do you think you need to do to deal with the fools? Just beat them up.>


    <...?>


    <You should be strong and beat them up.>


    Sian then became confused.


    <That¡¯s not easy. Doesn¡¯t it take like 100 years for barriers to go off?>


    <No way. It will take about a month. That¡¯s when the Lukras will starting out.>


    <So... I need to be strong enough to fight Dragona, Chrona, and Liona in a month?>


    <Yes. And stop thinking you want to snap my neck off. It¡¯s your own neck.>


    Sian then asked Aksarai just in case.


    <Can you... distort a dimension to make a space that gives me more time inside?>


    Sian thought about Apental when he asked. If he could train within such ce, one month in this world would be enough. Aksarai agreed.


    <Yes.>


    <Oh! Then...>


    <A piece of cake if I was alive. But you can¡¯t.>


    <...Can I make something close to it at least?>


    Aksarai scoffed.


    <You should just focus on your sword skills. You have no talent in anything else. Just focus on what you know.>


    <I can¡¯t do that. There¡¯s about four that I want to beat up right now, but I can¡¯t even beat up one.>


    <Does that four include me? Anyway, you won¡¯t get strong with such a cheat. The space isn¡¯t hard to make, but someone as strong as you will destroy the entire ce or make it disconnect it from this dimension. If that worked, I would have trained within myself.>


    <Right.>


    <I¡¯ve prepared the best for you. Well... it wasn¡¯t for you originally, but take it. That¡¯s why I brought you here.>


    <Huh? You mean...>


    Aksaraiughed.


    <Yes. Consume my blood that I left here and digest my power. You can be... a bit stronger that way.>


    ¡®...I have to eat this?¡¯


    Sian became dumbfounded as he looked upon the red sphere he was in.

 Chapter 211: Remaining Power

    <h4>Chapter 211: Remaining Power</h4>


    Confused, Sian asked,


    <So, is this your blood?>


    <Yes. Ipressed my power and my blood to create the barrier. It was a hard job. I had to make it work without meing back to maintain it. It will help you for sure.>


    <But won¡¯t taking this much blood kill you?>


    Aksarai scoffed.


    <Hey, do you know I big I was? This is nothing.>


    ¡®Right... he was a Drakun too.¡¯


    The Drakuns he sawst time were really big. It wouldn¡¯t be much blood to take if Aksarai was much bigger.


    <Hm...>


    Sian was unconvinced, however. The power in front of him was very powerful and it seemed like consuming it would make him powerful for sure. However, he couldn¡¯t just believe the suspicious being within him.


    <Don¡¯t be too suspicious. You don¡¯t have to consume it. But then you will all die. Can you be powerful in a month to kill Dragona or Chrona?>


    <...No.>


    <Then you have your answer. Besides, I¡¯m not trying to take over your body. I don¡¯t even want it even if you want me to take it. I¡¯m just helping you because I need you to survive.>


    Sian sighed. There was no other way.


    <But how do I eat all this? Do I drink it?>


    Aksarai answered.


    <Just think that you will take it in. I will help you with the rest.>


    <Okay.>


    Sian then spread his arms and gestured to take the blood in. At once, the liquid that filled the sphere began swirling. It began to swirl violently around Sian and started to flow into his body. But it wasn¡¯t as simple as it looked. Sian had to focus his mind as he absorbed the massive amount of power.


    ¡®Dammit... nothing is easy.¡¯


    The power was friendly, but it was still hard. If it was hostile and he did not have Aksarai¡¯s spirit within him, his body would have been crushed instantly.


    Aksarai then mumbled as he helped Sian.


    <It will take some time to digest the power. I hope nothing serious happens outside...>


    <The barrier... it¡¯s being destroyed.>


    1st Kun of Drakun, Katura, gritted his teeth. The barrier still stood, but the Cloud Ind that allowed them to keep the barrier had been destroyed. If the barrier was lifted, the Lukras would definitely attack along with the beasts they raised.


    Katura spoke, bracing himself for the worst-case scenario.


    <HAHA! The barrier has been lifted! That <Ro> did it!>


    The priestughed. They finally managed to destroy that barrier. He also checked those Drakuns flying over to Cloud Ind. He could have bought some time for Sian if he attacked those Drakuns, but he had no such intentions. He sent Sian to die at the ce, so it wasn¡¯t needed. If that many Drakuns had flown there, Sian would¡¯ve surely died.


    It was now time to take control of those <Na> that grew on their own and wipe Drakuns out. They could not stop Na from consuming each other as they couldn¡¯t control them to eat Ro instead, but it gave them better results. There weren¡¯t many sixth level Nas, but they had acquired three seventh level Nas instead. That was enough to fight against the Drakuns. Besides, the one that destroyed the barrier was also from Ro. It was perfect.


    Without the key to the Golden Crystal, they had no way to travel to othernds. They had to live here. They could not allow a dangerouspetitor like the Drakuns to live.


    The priest, Katun-Hal, eagerly waited for the barrier to be lifted and his control against those Na toe back. If the control came back, there was no time to waste.


    ¡°...What is it?¡±


    Conrad frowned at the weird feeling. Then, a familiar but not-so-familiar window popped up in front of him.


    [You¡¯ve got a message.]


    [Hey-hey. Do you see me? No, do you hear me? What is this stupid system interfering with my beautiful connector system?]


    ¡°...Who are you?¡±


    Conrad became tense as he got the <Message> window that he had never gotten and spoke out against the voice.


    [Insolent fool. You all need to learn how to respect your elders.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [You should know right away. Who else would it be other than the one you connect with?]


    ¡°...Aksarai? But how... I¡¯m not an Alpha.¡±


    Conrad became confused. He never imagined that he would be able to talk to Aksarai. But Aksarai kept sending him more messages.


    [It¡¯s not time for that. You will all die if you stay there.]


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    [You know about those Lukras and Drakuns, right? There will be a war soon. Lukras will move into the Drakuns¡¯ territory, which means the ce you live in will be the warfront. It will kill you all.]


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    If this Aksarai was telling the truth, the human race was going to be wiped out. They would not attack them, but just the shocks from the war would be enough to destroy thend.


    [You should evacuate all humans into the continent you call Ra-Sian. That ce will be safe for the moment.]


    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡±


    [What? Didn¡¯t you make that teleportation thing? Use it.]


    Conrad shook his head.


    ¡°There are too many. Are there a few years before the war will happen?¡±


    [I would say... about a month? I guess it¡¯s not enough time.]


    ¡°Dammit. We don¡¯t have time for anything.¡±


    Conrad gritted his teeth, but Aksarai offered a second option.


    [Then... go into hiding in the farthest ce from the Mountain of Extreme. It will be better than being so close.]


    ¡°Right. We don¡¯t have time... but why are you helping us?¡± Conrad asked as he could find no reason for Aksarai to help him.


    [Well, that Sian boy was worried. It¡¯s not much to just send you a word to tell you to run.]


    ¡°...Sian?¡±


    Conrad became more confused. How would Aksarai know about Sian? But Aksarai answered again.


    [You will know in due time. You will get to talk a lot now.]


    The sphere became transparent as there was no blood in it anymore. Sian, who was closing his eyes as he was meditating, opened his eyes.


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Sian came out of the sphere after feeling like he¡¯d absorbed all of its power. When he came out, the ind had sunk under the ocean and all he could see was a vast sea.


    Sian examined his body while he floated in the air.


    ¡°I guess he didn¡¯t lie to me then.¡±


    His body flowed with such power. He couldn¡¯t believe he could still be stronger.


    [Of course I didn¡¯t lie. How do you like it?]


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go away?¡± Sian asked irritatingly, and Aksarai agreed.


    [Well, with you being so powerful, there¡¯s some space for my spirit. But don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t stay within you forever.]


    ¡°If you seed ining back, will your voice go away too?¡±


    Sian asked as it seemed that Aksarai¡¯s goal was toe back to life.


    [Yeah. So if you don¡¯t want to live with me forever, you should help mee back.]


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Sian sighed, then stuck out his hand and shouted.


    ¡°Explosive Fire!¡±


    [...]


    Nothing happened. Aksarai became dumbfounded and asked Sian,


    [What are you doing?]


    ¡°Was it a scam?¡±


    [Huh?]


    ¡°Are you not the Ruler of all Magic, the Almighty... and all that?¡±


    [Haha, that¡¯s a name I haven¡¯t heard for years. Yes. I was.]


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t I use your power when I consumed it?¡±


    Sian anticipated using such magic if he consumed Aksarai¡¯s power. He remembered Lorvall using such magic and figured it looked cool.


    Aksarai shouted from within.


    [Huh? You fool, didn¡¯t I say you have no talent in anything else than the sword? Don¡¯t even dream about it. Either way, the one you tried to use is the calcted magic, not just some random power. You will never get to use it with your intellectual level.]


    ¡°That¡¯s unfair,¡± Sian mumbled.


    Aksarai responded.


    [What¡¯s unfair is your talent. I¡¯d never seen anyone be so strong at your age. Even Broxian wasn¡¯t close when he was your age.]


    Sian then became embarrassed and changed the subject.


    ¡°So... did anything happen? How long has it been?¡±


    Sian had been focusing on absorbing the power so he did not know what had been going on. Aksarai then began telling him what he found out through Conrad.

 Chapter 212: Battle

    <h4>Chapter 212: Battle</h4>


    Aksarai told Sian a lot of things when he woke up.


    <I can¡¯t use my power yet. My power requires my body so it can¡¯t be used with your body. But, it¡¯s better for you because your body has adapted to using the most important power of all. Now that I mention it, if you were able to use other powers, you would be much weaker now.>


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    <It doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re useless though. I made other connectors find out about other things while you were asleep.>


    ¡°Wait. How long was I asleep?¡±


    Aksarai answered,


    <2 weeks.>


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t too long.¡±


    Sian was worried that he had used years to absorb the energy. That would have ended the situation as no one would be able to fight against the Lukras or Harijans, but two weeks was fine. He had not be strong enough, but he still had time.


    Aksarai then spoke to him.


    <That¡¯s not important. We are running out of time.>


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Sian became confused and Aksarai asked again,


    <Let me ask you. How strong have you be? I do not know everything about your state. You should know it best yourself.>


    Sian then thought for a second and answered,


    ¡°I can probably handle Dragona.¡±


    Aksarai became satisfied. Absorbing the great power didn¡¯t automatically make one powerful. It greatly relied on the individual¡¯s talent, but Sian was talented in that regard.


    <So, you sessfully absorbed my power. Good. We can move on with the n then.>


    ¡°You have a n?¡±


    <Yes. We are weaker so we need to make ns.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <You fool. You never nned for anything in your entire life? Right... I remember how Narasha or Lagaope had a hard time with you.>


    Sian became embarrassed and spoke.


    ¡°I will do what I want. So, what¡¯s the n?¡±


    <Yes. It¡¯s good that you woke up fast.. and became much more powerful than I expected. I made Conrad research the barrier¡¯s range and the movement of those Harijans.>


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    <We are at a disadvantage. The Lukra and Drakuns are equal in power, but if the Lukras regain control of Dragona, Liona, and Chrona, the power bnce will crumble.>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    <And Lukras still have their Holy Land. They will run back to the ce if they can¡¯t win. But they can¡¯t use the crystal since they have lost the key.>


    ¡°Crystal...?¡±


    <The one you saw at the top of the mountain. You have the key to it.>


    Sian then knew what the key was.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Gran-Ra¡¯s sword.¡±


    <Correct. That¡¯s why I told you to not to use the sword since you ran from Dragona.>


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    <If you took up the sword, those Lukras would have to either kill you or force you return it to them. But that would be a great loss. Rather than just being a key, that sword also serves other purposes.>


    Sian nodded. He had never used the sword to its full potential. Broxian¡¯s silver spear that he used when he fought against that lobster was very powerful and the sword did not fall behind.


    ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    <Then you know how much I helped you.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <Anyway, the holy ground is a problem forter. That¡¯s something we¡¯ll take care of after we defeat them. What you need to do now is to kill those Harijans. It¡¯s good that you woke up now. We don¡¯t have much time but we have enough...>


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Aksarai exined,


    <The barrier is still there and the Lukras aren¡¯t controlling the Harijans yet. They are hesitating on attempting to control the beasts before the barrier ispletely lifted. They are afraid that their failed attempt will make those beasts chose to attack rather than letting themselves be controlled.>


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sian nodded. Those Harijans would probably decide to attack the beings that tried to take control over them. They did not attack Lukras because they were afraid they will kill them in return, but if they knew they would be controlled, they would rather fight.


    Aksarai continued,


    <So, if the Lukras do take full control over them, it will be toote. You have no other option than to side with the Drakuns and fight against those Lukras. But you will lose.>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    If the war was to win, Sian had to fight Dragona, Liona, and Chrona, all three at once. But he wasn¡¯t that strong yet.


    <We will have to kill the Harijans before they get controlled by the Lukras. At least one... if you managed to kill all three, that will be the best option. Although, I doubt that¡¯s possible.>


    Sian nodded. It didn¡¯t seem possible to kill all three within two weeks.


    ¡°Who should I attack first then?¡±


    <Liona. That one is the most farthest from them all. Dragona and Chrona are too close to the Lukras. You will never know what might happen.>


    ¡°Hm... where do I find him?¡±


    Aksaraiughed.


    <You should be a bait.>


    ¡°...¡±


    <I made Conrad prepare a few things but he has his limit. It¡¯s up to you to lure it and kill it. Let¡¯s go then.>


    ¡°Where should I go?¡±


    Sian sighed as he readied to leave. There was no time to waste.


    <Go to the Great Eastern Sea. Go south from where we are right now.>


    The Great Eastern Sea.


    South of Don-Nasian and east of the Ra-Sian Continent.


    No one crossed the ocean as it was filled with countless Harijans.


    Above it was a man running across the vast open space, unleashing his massive energy. Harijans and Merpeople that lived within the sea were fleeing from the power. But Harijans did not know that this was not the man¡¯s full power. Sian was controlling his power as he ran across the sea.


    <Right. Control it... that¡¯s good.>


    ¡°Should this work?¡±


    <Yes. It will let Liona know while the other two won¡¯t know.>


    ¡°If I let out my full power, he won¡¯te near me.¡±


    Aksaraiughed.


    <Yes. It¡¯s actually fortunate that Liona followed you to the Great Forest. If he didn¡¯t, he would be suspicious of you. A man running across the sea while unleashing the power? It¡¯s too suspicious.>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Sian nodded.


    <But Liona knows you. He knows how you ran in your weak self. You didn¡¯t hide your power back then so Liona must be thinking you are at that level. He will not imagine that you became this strong within a few weeks.>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Even Sian did not imagine he could be this powerful in that short time period.


    <That¡¯s the chance. Kill him when hees. Don¡¯t let him get away.>


    ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 213: Battle

    <h4>Chapter 213: Battle</h4>


    Liona mumbled as he restored his health. The fight became more intense as the three of them began fighting each other, but that made them lose their target. They stopped fighting once they realized the target was out of their reach.


    It just made them hate each other more.


    <Fools... It¡¯s because of them.>


    Liona mumbled as he thought about the other two Harijans. Unless the target was a fool, it would nevere out of hiding anymore. That was when Liona felt a familiar presence running through his territory.


    <Huh?>


    Liona began wondering if it was real or not. The target that he lost was now up in his territory. It also seemed to be in a hurry as it was running through his territory at an enormous speed.


    He did not think for too long. At the end of his territory was Chrona¡¯s territory. If he did not stop it, it would surely fall to Chrona¡¯s mouth.


    <No way.>


    If he can¡¯t consume it, others shouldn¡¯t. This was the basic rule of thumb.


    Liona pulled himself out from the deep sea and swam up.


    <It¡¯sing.>


    ¡°They¡¯re so simple-minded.¡±


    <Well... they¡¯re beasts. I think Liona will hate to think that you will fall to Chrona rather than him.>


    The n was simple. Run across the sea toward Chrona¡¯s territory. If Liona remained within, he would not allow Sian to go to Chrona¡¯snd and he woulde out of hiding to fight.


    ¡°How big is he?¡±


    Ocean Harijans were usually much bigger thannd Harijans. He had never seen Liona but since he lived under the sea, so he would be much bigger than Dragona or Chrona.


    <I don¡¯t know. I saw him when he was a Six-Horned and he was really big back then...>


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Aksarai seemed to know something and Sian became curious.


    <You¡¯ll know once hees out. Don¡¯t misjudge him by his looks. If you rely on your sense to find therge thing, you will get hit just like now.>


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    <See? It was under your range but you were too focused on finding something else.>


    Sian could not fully avoid the blue ray that shot out from beneath the sea. He then began fighting against Liona who just arose from the sea.


    The ocean water evaporated and pushed back while the Harijans within range were crushed at the destruction made by the power.


    It was an intense fight but Aksarai watched it within Sian and mumbled. There was nothing else he could do anyway.


    <Well, he changed a lot. Almost looks like a human.>


    ¡®Dammit. This is too much!¡¯ Sian thought as he avoided the tentacles Liona was throwing at him. It looked like a beautiful slender body, but the body was bing more of a threat. The small body and speed made it hard for Sian to hit anything with his spear. It did look like a human, but the countless number of tentacles and his non-human like movements told him that Liona wasn¡¯t a human after all.


    Sian gritted his teeth. He remembered what Liona looked from the memory of Aksarai when he was a Six-Horned. He looked like a giant frog that was bigger than Dragona. He wasn¡¯t like this small tentacle monster.


    Sian was searching for a giant frog-like monster so he missed this small beinging at him and allowed Liona to hit the first attack. The spear made the silver liquid scream while it tried to absorb Liona. But it seemed like it was hard to swallow such a powerful being and Liona was killing the part where the silver liquid touched and took it off himself.


    The part that was taken out then instantly regenerated and Liona attacked Sian.


    Sian clenched his teeth. He wasn¡¯t powerful enough to use both weapons yet and unlike himself, Liona had experience on how to use his body to the fullest.


    Aksarai mumbled,


    <Hey kid, use the sword of Gran-Ra. Take it out.>


    Sian shouted, ¡°I¡¯m... not... strong enough... to use... both!¡±


    Aksarai added.


    <Then change weapons. I figured he was going to be bigger, but a sword will be much better against him.>


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Sian then swung his spear to make Liona jump back and put the spear back in. He had not used the sword to its full extent yet so he did not know about the power, but it was Aksarai, who had fought against him with the sword, saying it will help. Sian then took the sword and began swinging it at Liona. Liona could not avoid the sudden change of range and a part of him was scratched.


    Then something happened.


    The ce where sword made a scratch began burning intensely. But it was different from the spear. It did not expand to other ces.


    It did stop the regeneration. Liona had been regenerating after every injury until now, but he could not regenerate the parts damaged by Gran-Ra¡¯s sword. Liona even tried to rip apart the damage, but it still burned.


    Liona screamed in pain as the part burned continuously.


    <That¡¯s the curse within the sword of Gran-Ra. The cut will keep burning until it kills its target. It uses the target¡¯s energy so it won¡¯t go away. I had a hard time because of that too.>


    Sian became dumbfounded by the power.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    The spear and the sword both were too vicious.


    <But it¡¯s not time to be astonished. He¡¯s mad.>


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Sian moaned at the tentacles that wereing at him. Liona gave up on regenerating and was now attacking Sian at full power. Sian then began swinging his sword to attack again.


    Chrona held her head up at the huge powering from afar.


    <What...?>


    One was very a familiar power. She would notice Liona¡¯s power that she had been fighting with for thousands of years right away. The other one was a mystery. It was mixed with some familiar presence, but Chrona shook her head. The target had been chased to death by them a few weeks ago. It wasn¡¯t as powerful to fight against Liona yet.


    Chrona then thought if there were any that would be able to fight them, but she couldn¡¯t think of anyone. However, that sh was surely meant that there was someone.


    It was an opportunity. It didn¡¯t matter who it was. What was important was that Liona¡¯s opponent was almost as powerful as Dragona. If that was true, whoever won would not be left in a bad state. She needed to take this chance.


    Dragona probably would have felt it by now too.


    <I will not lose it this time.>


    She did not fight to the end because the three of them were equal, but she would not let it go this time. Besides, the target to consume was now two instead of one.

 Chapter 214: Battle

    <h4>Chapter 214: Battle</h4>


    Sian looked at the opponent while panting.


    His entire body was bleeding from the wounds. Yet Liona looked more normal. A lot of wounds were burning from the sword of Gran-Ra, but they were mere scratches.


    However, despite appearances, the fight wasn¡¯t exactly like that. Liona was trying to run and Sian was following him.


    <You mad dog!>


    ¡°Where are you going! You can¡¯t leave now!¡±


    Liona tried to run away, but Sian did not let him. Sian wasn¡¯t winning, however. If he fought for longer, he would surely lose. Yet, he didn¡¯t need to hold for too long. He knew what wasing in their direction.


    Liona also knew this too. That¡¯s why he was frustrated.


    <You will kill us all!>


    Sian ignored Liona¡¯s shout and kept on swinging the sword. Liona wasn¡¯t concentrating on fighting Sian as he was now just trying to run away. Sian¡¯s wounds were too great to do this for too long, but he knew that time was on his side. The two beings flying in were nowing at a quicker speed.


    Aksarai was delighted.


    <It¡¯s a half-sess.>


    He should¡¯ve killed Liona, but Liona was too strong. Sian did be stronger while he fought, but it didn¡¯t mean his wounds would heal right away.


    ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯


    Sian nced at the purple beam and swung his golden sword to make Liona jump backward. Sian then began pushing energy into his ring that he got from Conrad before he departed.


    Liona then realized what Sian was trying to do and began attacking at him.


    <Don¡¯t think you can run away on your own!>


    Liona tried to disturb the teleportation magic by destroying the dimension, but Sian did not let it happen. He deflected all of Liona¡¯s attacks and forced the energy into his ring.


    Liona hustled. Dragona and Chrona were powerful enough to rip apart the teleportation trace and chase after him, but that was only if Liona wasn¡¯t here. They would be busy ripping Liona apart and Sian would walk away safely.


    Liona gritted his teeth. He could not let Sian do as he wished.


    <We will die together!>


    Liona then charged at Sian and wrapped his tentacles around him. If he were to teleport with Sian, Dragona and Chrona would follow after them into the space. Then he¡¯d die together with Sian.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Sian became frustrated and he struggled to fight off Liona. He was able to injure Liona more, but he could not get him off and the teleportation began to activate.


    Sian then teleported with Liona.


    <You will die together! Hahaha!>


    Liona looked at Sian to see his face of despair. However, Sian seemed relieved.


    ¡°Whew... that was some hard fishing.¡±


    <What...!>


    Before Liona could let out his shock, the teleportation wasplete and Chrona and Dragona arrived at the ce.


    <Dammit... I missed.>


    Chrona gritted her teeth and looked around to see where they had gone off to. Those two were almost dead. So, if she were to follow after them, she would surely kill both of them easily. Even in the worst scenario, she could share the food with Dragona.


    But Chrona had to give up when she realized where they had teleported to. It was worse than what she had thought at first. Dragona was curious as to why Chrona gave up and checked on the trace himself and realized it. Yet he could not just give up so he looked at the ce of teleportation for while and spat on it.


    <Dammit. It¡¯s a shame. But why did that stupid Liona follow them in there?>


    Liona and the target teleported right in the middle of Drakun territory. If they followed them, there was no telling what would happen. Dragona and Chrona then returned to their territories.


    Sian quickly broke off from Liona and braced himself. It was too dangerous to stay close. And when he did, powerful rays began attacking the half-dead Liona.


    <!!!!>


    Liona could not even try to defend himself as he had umted too many wounds while trying to teleport with Sian and was killed. The attack wasn¡¯t just some normal attack. It was from the powerful race that was fighting to take control over the entire continent. It was an Alpha of such a race. Liona was powerful, but he had no way to withstand such an attack in his current state.


    Liona was burned to death and a giant gem was left. It was the death of one of the three beasts that controlled one-third of the Ra-Sian Continent.


    <Good. We managed to kill one. We didn¡¯t hand over the dead body either. It¡¯s a sess.>


    ¡°I was lucky.¡±


    <No, it¡¯s a calcted result. You should thank me.>


    Sian began concentrating on healing himself. The ce he was at was the home of Drakuns above the sky. Drakuns had gathered the leftover smoke onto an ind and was preparing for the war above it.


    Sian had teleported into that kind of ce.


    Aksarai never thought Sian would finish off Liona without getting caught by Dragona or Chrona. If he was that strong, he did not need to try to kill them one by one.


    That¡¯s why he made a n. He ordered Conrad to make another teleportation ring and had him contact the Drakuns. Humans would not know how to contact them, but Aksarai knew themunication channel that the Drakuns used. He taught Conrad how to use it and shared his n with the Drakuns.


    The Drakuns would never reject Aksarai¡¯s words, nor would they reject any help in such a state. Sian did not like the idea of teleporting into the middle of the Drakuns¡¯ territory, but he agreed in the end. If he died while killing Liona, the Drakuns had no way to fight against Dragona and Chrona.


    Sian then sighed in relief and one of the giant Drakuns appeared in front of him. All Drakuns usually were asrge as ten to twenty feet, but this one was much bigger. It seemed like it was about fifty feet tall. It was Sian¡¯s first time meeting him, but the 1st Kun, Katura, had already heard a lot about Sian and the God within.


    <My King Aksarai, are you within?>


    ¡°Hm... uh. Can¡¯t you talk by yourself?¡±


    Sian was dumbfounded so Aksarai spoke to him.


    ¡°Uh... like this?¡±


    Sian let out his hand toward Katura¡¯s head and Katura lowered his head to be touched by Sian¡¯s hand. He was then able to receive messages from Aksarai.


    <Katura... the boy worthy of jumping on the first cloud. Long time no see.>


    Katura brightened up. Besides knowing the name and the title, he knew the familiar presence. It was their King.


    <My King...! You seeded ining back!>


    Aksarai denied it.


    <No, I¡¯m still trapped within. I need you to help me.>


    <Tell me anything, my King.>


    Aksarai began ordering Katura to do various things and Sian overheard it curiously.

 Chapter 215: Final Battle

    <h4>Chapter 215: Final Battle</h4>


    then told Sian,


    <It¡¯s about time we part ways. It¡¯s a shame that one such as me was trapped within you.>


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    It really was, as they were at war and Aksarai would be a great help.


    <But don¡¯t worry. You will still have your power intact. That is now your own power that¡¯s rooted within your body.>


    Sian nodded. Aksarai exined that the power was not being given to Sian by his spirit. It was the Sian¡¯s body that awakened the power to ept the spirit. Even when the spirit left, his body would keep exercising its power normally.


    ¡°But will this keep the bnce?¡± Sian asked.


    <It will be close. If I am reborn from one of those boys.>


    The process he heard was simple. One of the Drakuns would be reborn as Aksarai. When the Connector of Aksarai bes an Alpha, the spirit that grew within the body was enough to work alone. But the body of the Connector itself wasn¡¯t going to fit. Aksarai was a Drakun, so he needed a Drakun¡¯s body.


    That was what Aksarai meant when he said he coulde back when Connector became an Alpha, but it didn¡¯t mean that he would take over the body.


    Normally, a real connector would have resulted in Aksarai regaining power at once he came back, but the spirit within Sian was too small to do that. Even if Aksarai came back, it would take him quite a while to be much powerful.


    But it was still a power of Aksarai. Even at such state, it was enough to fight off Dragona.


    <So, while the Lukras fight with our Drakuns, we fight against <Na>. Dragona and Chrona... but we won¡¯t have much time. Lukras will know that Liona was killed by now and if I seed ining back, the energy will be sent out through thends.>


    ¡°Yeah, but weren¡¯t they going to attack the moment the barrieres off anyway?¡±


    Sian spoke as if it wasn¡¯t anything to be worried about and Aksaraiughed.


    <Good. It will not take too long. Either we¡¯ll get wiped out, or we¡¯ll wipe them out.>


    Sian nodded. If the Lukras won, they will not let him survive. Besides, they had nowhere to run away from Lukras. But if the Drakuns won, the Lukras would have some time to hide behind the Holy Land. But as Sian and Aksarai gained strength, they would soon be wiped out. Sian might not, but Aksarai would surely wipe out Lukras.


    <Soon, the barrier will be lifted. You should focus on regaining your power. They will not give us time. But are you certain you will be able to fight? Without your entire powering back?>


    Sian nodded. He couldn¡¯t regain all the energy within the timeframe, but he had gotten much stronger through the fight with Liona so it would work.


    If there was a bit more time for Sian, or if he woke up a bit earlier to kill Liona, he would have fought with more room, but there wasn¡¯t any time.


    Sian sighed and answered, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    <You have really be strong at an incredible speed.>


    ¡°But it¡¯s no use. I still get kicked around all the time. Oh, but it¡¯s about time now.¡±


    <Right. We¡¯ll talk face to face then. Don¡¯t try to snap my neck off.>


    Aksarai spoke and Sian rose up as he saw Drakunsing to him.


    There were Talic Stones they got from Liona in the middle. It seemed they were going to use it to revive Aksarai. This was why they dragged Liona all the way here.


    ¡®This was all calcted...¡¯


    Sian was astonished at Aksarai¡¯s calction.


    Katun-Hal, the priest of Lukra, frowned at the powerful energy spreading from the sky. Massive power that was too powerful to be considered a newly-born Alpha. Katun-Hal could see what it was.


    <Aksarai... he¡¯s back. How did this happen..>


    Katun-Hal became worried. He thought time was on their side until now. But it was different. Liona had died and Aksarai hade back. He needed to finish this as soon as the barrier lifts off. If Aksarai regained all of his power, they had no chance even if they hide within the Holy Land.


    Katun-Hal went to the Golden Crystal to control <Na>. He did not have the key, but priests had the power to control <Na> without it.


    When the barrier was lifted off, it was time.


    ¡°Conrad, long time no see.¡±


    Conrad was shocked to see Sian.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Won¡¯t there be a war soon?¡±


    Sian nodded. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I have some time. Maybe a week or less.¡±


    Sian then began exining what he had done. Conrad looked at him in shock.


    ¡°By the Gods... so you killed Liona?¡±


    Sian nodded. ¡°Barely. We will now be on equal footing. Or close to it.¡±


    They would soon be fighting against the Lukras and Harijans. Considering the fact that the Lukras and Drakuns were about equal in power, the fight would result in Sian and Aksarai fighting against Dragona and Chrona. It was fortunate that they would not be fighting by the Mountain of Extreme.


    Conrad moaned.


    ¡°That¡¯s troubling... did a Talic Stone drop from Liona? That might let me make a weapon to help you...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t close to the Divine Nation¡¯s technology, but the power of Liona¡¯s Talic Stone would help make something that was equally powerful. But Sian shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s been used already. I came to ask for another teleportation ring.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I have it here.¡±


    Conrad had a few more he made so he gave three of them to Sian.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to run...¡±


    Sian became embarrassed and spoke.


    ¡°Well, I should find a way to live if things don¡¯t work out. I¡¯ll train in hiding then.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Conrad became dumbfounded but soon nodded. If Sian were to lose, that was the better option.


    ¡®We should make preparations to evacuate.¡¯


    Sian then talked with Conrad for a little longer and left for the war.


    ¡°I hope the world bes peaceful when this is done... whew.¡±


    The forces of Lukra hade down from the Mountain of Extreme and they were going straight to the Clouds where the Drakuns were. The forcesprised of many Six-Horned Harijans, along with the Seven-Horned Chrona and Dragona. In front of them were three Lukra priests and other warriors, all shining in golden light.


    Drakuns were now flying around the sky as their cloud had dissipated. The numbers weren¡¯t much but their presence did not falter against the Lukras. At the foremost of such Drakuns was a powerful being that was floating.


    <It is so weak... my spirit really was small. I never imagined I would fight with such a body.>


    Aksarai ranted but Sian mumbled.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s enough to fight, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    <I should focus on regaining my strength when we¡¯re done. But we will wipe them out first. By the way... who are you going to take?>


    If the Drakuns were to fight Lukras, they needed to take care of those two beasts and it was up to Aksarai and Sian. Sian thought about it for a second and pointed at the giant ck leopard, Chrona.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her.¡±


    <Good choice. You do have a lot of grudges against her, right? How is your condition?>


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not great, but I can manage. But don¡¯t you have that power of yours? Why are you asking?¡±


    <That only works on one weaker than me. I can¡¯t see it on strong ones like you. If I could see that, why would I go to fight with Gran-Ra and Broxian and kill myself?>


    ¡°Right.¡± Sian nodded.


    <Anyhow. I will concentrate on Dragona then.>


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Sian looked at Chrona at the distance.


    ¡®I will get my revenge for everything you did for me...¡¯


    Sian gritted his teeth as he looked at Chrona. At that moment, Chrona and Dragona¡¯s mouth opened up, absorbing the surrounding. Then the power was shot out against the Drakuns, destroying thend with it.


    It was the start of the final battle.

 Chapter 216: Final Battle

    <h4>Chapter 216: Final Battle</h4>


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Conrad had brought every human up to the far north of the continent. It was where the Gerna lived before, but they were all wiped out so it was okay.


    Even so, Conrad and his friends didn¡¯t think it was safe.


    They were able to see the shes of lightninging from the battleground that was thousands of miles away. It was night time, but the area was bright enough for them to even read a book. It wasn¡¯t just a simple sh. The tremors that followed the sh across thend shook the earth violently.


    Conrad thanked Aksarai. If it wasn¡¯t for his message, the human race would have been killed by the war. It wasn¡¯t something that they would survive even if it was just an aftershock. When this war was over, the map of the continent would change.


    ¡®Nngh...¡¯


    Conrad moaned as he saw a purple ray and was reminded of days when his empire was swept up by Chrona. The difference was that the ray that happened before was just a simple quick attack, while this was a ray was shooting out hundreds of times. It seemed Chrona was fighting desperately. Conrad knew who was fighting it. He had talked with Sian who visited him a week ago.


    It was probably Sian. The countless number of purple rays showed Sian was fighting against Chrona well.


    Conrad was astonished. Even if Aksarai was powerful, it probably didn¡¯t be powerful as fast as Sian. Sian had be powerful in just thirty years to fight against Chrona, who had be strong over thousands of years.


    ¡®Oh... maybe it¡¯s a hundred and thirty years.¡¯


    Still, it was at an enormous speed. The one being that inherited the power of the three races. If he had a bit more time, he would¡¯ve be the almighty being that would not even allow such a war to happen.


    Conrad wished for it to end well and turned to the south.


    <AARGGH! I should have eaten you up back then!>


    Chrona shouted as she looked at Sian swinging his golden sword at her.


    She had three chances.


    The first was when that weird red sphere was opened.


    The second was when he ran through the Great Forest.


    The third was when he fought Liona.


    She had three chances to eat him and she failed all three times. Not to mention, he came back stronger each time she failed. The speed was unheard of through the thousands of years that Chrona had lived. He now had be powerful enough to threaten Chrona and was attacking her at this moment.


    Chrona let out a roar and shot out the ray of purple light. Unlike the giant ray that destroyed the Empire at once, this one was extracted into very small particles, only made to kill the enemy in front of her.


    The energy within was much stronger than the ray that destroyed the Empire. Sian, however, did not dodge the attacks and swung his sword to cut them in half.


    The extracted energy then split into two and showered upon the Beta Drakuns and Six-Horned Harijans.


    It was an attack for Sian to counter, but it was like a disaster to the others below so it killed a lot of them as they exploded.


    Yet neither Sian nor Chrona could pay attention.


    This wasn¡¯t the only ce where there was a bloody battle. The other ces were all being destroyed as the two sides battled against each other. Dragona and Aksarai were using various magics against each other to kill while the 1st Kuns of the Drakuns fought with the Lukra priests nearby.


    They were desperate as they both knew that the losing side would be eradicated.


    The damage was culminating quickly on both sides. They were fighting for their lives and killed each other, decreasing their numbers even at this moment.


    ¡®It¡¯s ironic...¡¯ Sian thought as he fought against Chrona.


    The war to keep themselves alive was also leading them into extinction. The priests that lied to Sian were almost getting killed by the Drakuns and other the Drakuns were being cornered to death by the Lukras.


    It would be great if they could co-exist in peace, but the existence of supreme power did not allow that to happen. Those beings figured it would be best to kill any race possible to be stronger than its current self.


    But it was okay. Even if they were left with small numbers, winners would take everything.


    Withoutpetition, they will be left to expand at their will. They were a powerful race that no one else couldpete against.


    Sian dodged the purple ray and a w from Chrona. He then swung his golden sword which Chrona could not dodge and she blocked it with her w. The w was so dense that the golden sword that shed through everything could not damage it. Chrona then swung her other foot at Sian but Sian jumped out to dodge the attack and swung his sword again.


    <You rat!>


    Chrona spat as she attacked, but Sian did receive some heavy injuries. He had taken many hits from Chrona¡¯s attacks, but he was able to feel it.


    ¡®I will win.¡¯


    He did not regain all of his energy, but he was now much stronger than when he fought Liona. Even after Aksarai left him, the path in front of him showed him where to attack Chrona. What was good was that it wasn¡¯t as hard to follow as when he ran from Chrona in the Great Forest.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve known when you picked on someone weaker. You¡¯re dead today!¡±


    <YOU INSECT!>


    ¡°I¡¯m not an insect anymore.¡±


    Sian kept on swinging his sword to burn Chrona¡¯s body. Chrona¡¯s entire body was now filled with golden wounds burning in golden fire.


    ¡®I will be done here soon...¡¯


    Sian then nced around. He thought the Drakuns would have upper hand, but they did not. Sian was able to find the reason soon enough.


    ¡®There are some who became strong.¡¯


    The threat of death. All the Lukras joined in this war and hundreds of them fought against the threat of death. Some of them that survived through each fight made them stronger and the Drakuns tried even harder to kill them. But a few who survived those attacked became powerful and they were pushing the Drakuns back.


    There was another reason for the Drakuns to wipe out all the Lukras before going into hiding.


    ¡®That¡¯s that...¡¯


    The Lukras seemed to be managing fine, but it wasn¡¯t a big difference. Bing more powerful didn¡¯t mean that they would regain their energy. This battle was more important.


    Sian kept on fighting with Chrona while he nced around to find Aksarai and Dragona fighting each other. If Aksarai lost, the Lukras would join Dragona to kill off all the Drakuns. But if Aksarai won, he would join the Drakuns to kill the Lukras.


    Sian then turned to Aksarai.


    ¡®...No.¡¯

 Chapter 217: Backstabbing

    <h4>Chapter 217: Backstabbing</h4>


    Stiel was shocked to see shes of light showing up from beyond.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on...?¡±


    The Great Forest had been destroyed and was filled with ocean water, all the way to the bottom of Sky Mountain. Thesendforms had divided the Ra-Sian Continentpletely from the Don-Nasian Continent.


    The shes of lighting from beyond surely meant that something bad was going on. Another sh swept across the entire Ra-Sian Continent.


    ¡°Stantahl, what is going on?¡±


    Rian came running out and asked Stiel with a concerned look. He had never seen such a wave of power from that ce. Even the magic that destroyed the Empire didn¡¯t seem like it could do such a thing.


    It was as if the Gods themselves were at war.


    Warriors with heightened senses could not rest easy as such power was radiating continuously.


    Stiel shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Gods... with the Great Forest copsing... it seems the world ising to an end.¡±


    It was terrifying when the Forest was destroyed, but this was more than that. Rian and Stiel then thought about someone in their mind.


    ¡®I wonder if Sian is okay...¡¯


    Stiel became worried for Sian who had gone to travel to the Great Forest.


    <Dammit. Why hadn¡¯t he beat Chrona yet?>


    Aksarai gritted his teeth as he fought against Dragona. If he had been reborn with therge spirit that Conrad had, he would have ripped apart this lizard in seconds. However, the spirit within Sian was so small that he could not unleash his full power.


    If he was himself as a whole, he would not allow anyone, including this lizard, use magic in front of him. It should have all been under his control.


    <AAARRR!>


    Dragona fired red lightning at Aksarai. Then, he bound it within the space and threw it away before pping the dragon¡¯s face.


    <KWAANG!>


    <UGH>


    Dragona was not just blown away as he used his tail; he was also struck in the exchange with Aksarai.


    <Ugh...>


    Dragona moaned as some ck thing stuck in his stomach was hurting him.


    <When...>


    Dragona tried to take the ck stick out, but Aksarai flew over him and struck him again.


    <It¡¯s the collection of pain and earth! You would have neverid eyes on such thing until now, you fool!>


    <Nngh!>


    <Die-DAMMIT!>


    Aksarai dodged the rays that were thrown at him as he tried to kill Dragona. He turned and it was one of the Lukra warriors that had shot the ray toward him. They were interfering since they knew it would be bad if Dragona lost.


    <It¡¯s more than a warrior now. That¡¯s not good.>


    The warrior had be much more powerful as they had survived through the war. Aksarai was able to finish off Dragona, but the Lukras didn¡¯t seem to want to let that happen. The surviving Drakuns were not enough to fight against those Lukras that became more powerful so Aksarai began joining the Drakuns to fight against the Lukras and Dragona together.


    <Why can¡¯t he still beat Chrona!>


    If Sian had finished Chrona already, it would have been easy. He looked at Sian, but Sian was panting while fighting against Chrona. If Sian lost, it would tip the bnce so Aksarai had to finish the battle as quickly as possible. He then began unleashing all his entire magic to fight the Lukras.


    <Wait... is he trying to run away?>


    Aksarai thought of possibility as he saw Sian fighting from a distance. He knew Sian had gone to Conrad. He did not know about Sian but he could see and hear what Conrad did because Conrad still had his spirit. He knew Sian had received the ring. However, it looked like Sian did not know that Aksarai knew.


    <Fool. I¡¯m not letting you run away.>


    It was easy to distort the space to make it so he could not escape. Unless it was created by someone as powerful as him, Conrad¡¯s magic was easy. If Sian ran away, he would disturb it. He could not run away just yet.


    <By the way... I should take that part of the spirit too.>


    Taking back that part of the spirit would surely help him grow stronger. But that was after this war was over. Aksarai was certain that they were going to win. It wasn¡¯t easy, but the


    was starting to appear in his way. Then, the unexpected happened.


    <AAARGH! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!>


    ¡°UGH!¡±


    Aksarai gritted his teeth. These were so strong that he didn¡¯t even need to sense them with his power.


    <YOU FOOL! Why did you drag Chrona here!>


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight together! I¡¯m not going to lose anyway. I just had toe.¡±


    Sian was full of wounds so it was very convincing, but Aksarai nodded after looking at Chrona. Chrona also looked like she had taken heavy damage. Aksarai sighed and began showering magic upon them.


    <Sure. At least you didn¡¯t run.>


    ¡°Oh... you knew?¡±


    Sian spoke and Aksarai scoffed.


    <I saw you went to get that pretty ring of yours.>


    ¡°Haha, I wasn¡¯t going to turn my back on you.¡±


    Sianughed while he swung his swords.


    The war then became as chaotic as ever as Chrona, Dragona, Sian, Aksarai, Drakun, and the Lukras began fighting each other.


    ¡°Urhg...¡±


    <AARGH... Ha...>


    Sian panted as he took out the sword from Chrona¡¯s neck and Aksarai looked at Dragona¡¯s body that was ripped apart in two.


    <I never imagined...>


    Aksarai nced around to the surviving Drakuns. The Lukras fought hard. The Lukras that controlled Chrona had died but Chrona still fought to attack Sian, Drakun, and Aksarai in anger.


    Aksarai and Sian had won the battle, but they were in terrible condition. As a result of the battle of survival, the Drakuns had only two survivors.


    Even the surviving two were barely alive.


    ¡°At least we won... and those who survive can regain their energy.¡±


    <Right...>


    Aksarai nodded. Only three of them were left alive, but they could always increase their numbers. They reproduced genderlessly so it was possible.


    Besides, Aksarai himself was alive so the future for the Drakuns was bright.


    Aksarai brightened up and asked Sian,


    <Are you okay now? It looks like you¡¯re in bad shape. Come here. I will use magic to heal your wounds.>


    Sian then examined himself and shook his head.


    ¡°Uh... no, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    <What do you mean? Your body is in terrible shape. Come.>


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you look after yourself?¡±


    Sian asked concerningly, but Aksarai shook his head.


    <It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll use it on myself after I use it on you.>


    ¡°Hmm... okay.¡±


    Sian then walked to Aksarai. When he came closer, he held the silver spear in his hand and thrust it into Aksarai¡¯s chest.


    <UGH... What are you...!>


    Aksarai screamed in agony but Sian answered while grinning.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re bad in shape also. Didn¡¯t I say I was okay?¡±

 Chapter 218: Backstabbing

    <h4>Chapter 218: Backstabbing</h4>


    <What are you...>


    Aksarai gathered thest bit of energy he had in him to fight against Broxian¡¯s spear that was trying to eat him. Sian did not attack him further, but the situation didn¡¯t look good either. Even without a deeper attack, his body was being destroyed.


    Aksarai looked at Sian. He could not believe the situation.


    <You... still had that much power...>


    Aksarai wasn¡¯t rxed at all. Even when he saw Sian walking over, he was preparing himself for the unexpected. However, Aksarai was relieved to see Sian¡¯s body destroyed from within. That was why he was going to release the energy into Sian to finish him off.


    But to take such a hit! Aksarai was shocked to see Sian¡¯s body recovering.


    It was nothingpared to when he was in his normal state, but it was much different from the 0% energy he checked a while ago. It wasn¡¯t something that could be recovered within seconds.


    Sianughed.


    ¡°You should know what I went through to train for this.¡±


    Aksarai moaned.


    <You... you were pushing yourself down during the entire battle...>


    If it changed during the battle, Aksarai would have grown suspicious. However, the number was steady throughout the fight and it was just pushed down a bit so Aksarai thought he had not fully recovered.


    That change was crucial.


    ¡°Right. So your power wasn¡¯t all that perfect.¡±


    <Why...>


    Sianughed and spoke.


    ¡°I was sure that you would not let me live if you survived.¡±


    Sian looked to Aksarai.


    <...When did you n this?>


    Aksarai moaned and Sian exined, ¡°I thought about it from a long time ago. Lagaope, the priests... you. All those who did not tell me the truth came to hit me in the back in the end.¡±


    <...>


    ¡°I became curious. Why was I getting backstabbed all the time? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m weak.¡±


    <Did you find the answer?>


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the supreme one so I have someone to fear and I¡¯m not weak so I can be of good use.¡±


    <You got it right with yourck of intelligence.>


    Aksarai spoke sarcastically. If he was weak, he would not have enough value to be lied to be used. If he was too strong to fear nothing, it would be impossible to control.


    Sian was in the middle, between the Lukras and Drakuns.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see through everything. Unlike here, I was never used when I was on the Ra-Sian Continent. It was because I was the strongest one there. But the world wasrge. When powerful beings that were stronger than me appeared, I was used and bullied.¡±


    He needed to be one or the other. Be the supreme power himself or know about everything else.


    Sian knew that he couldn¡¯t do thetter. No one could. No one could foresee the future and thus prepare for it. Therefore, Sian was washed away by many things when he came to Don-Nasian. Lukra, Aksarai, and Lagaope threatened Sian with the things he feared and courted him toward the safer side while they achieved what they wanted.


    Sian then came to a conclusion: wipe away everything that could try to use him.


    <...So you want to get rid of everything. Everyone whom you mighte to fear?>


    ¡°You sound like I¡¯m the one with a problem here. You or Lukra, either of you would have killed me anyway. You all fear my future. This is the biggest reason actually.¡±


    <...>


    ¡°You observed me but I also came to find out what I needed to know through you. There was one thing that was the most important of all.¡±


    <What is it?>


    ¡°Aksarai, the god-like being and your race. Will you be afraid of me? Or no?¡±


    Aksarai became silent, but it was enough of an answer to Sian.


    ¡°You were afraid. I was bing powerful too fast. Actually, I wasn¡¯t going to kill you if you were going to be stronger at a faster rate than me. Who¡¯s afraid of the weak?¡±


    <...>


    ¡°But I was faster. That¡¯s when I felt it. You, Lukra, or the Harijans... you all would not let me live until I became powerful. Isn¡¯t it right?¡±


    <...Right.>


    Aksarai knew he could not escape so he answered. The spear wasn¡¯t giving him room to escape. He was barely listening to Sian¡¯s story.


    ¡°Good that you¡¯re honest now. So, even if I be strong, I can¡¯t fight against everyone. I thought I would need to clean it out when I got the chance... so you should understand me.¡±


    Aksarai then ignored Sian¡¯s words as he thought for a second and asked,


    <You... you dragged on purposely while fighting Chrona.>


    ¡°Right.¡±


    The closer the bnce, the bigger the damage. Sian¡¯s purpose was to have the Lukras and Drakuns die together. That was why Sian helped Aksarai with his rebirth and his ns. He needed Aksarai to keep the bnce. When he started fighting, he purposely dragged his fight with Chrona. If the Lukras were overwhelming, he¡¯d kill Chrona off and help the Drakuns. If it was the opposite, he would bring Chrona to them so her attack would kill all the Drakuns.


    Sian carefully controlled his power internally to keep the bnce.


    The result was splendid. In the end, only one that was left alive was Sian.


    <You... really know how to fight.>


    Fighting to keep the bnce while not gaining suspicion from other simrly powerful beings was not easy. Even Aksarai wasn¡¯t sure if he could manage to do that.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sian replied.


    <So you took the ring so that I would think that you might run away.>


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t intend to run when I had to finish off everything here. I just wanted you to think that I might run away.¡±


    Sian wanted Aksarai to look down on him and that Sian would never try to fight Drakuns. That was why Sian followed Aksarai¡¯s every word and received the ring from Conrad to disguise himself as a coward.


    Aksarai sighed.


    <Dammit... I was relying too much on my power... I couldn¡¯t even foresee this.>


    ¡°So... anyst words?¡±


    Aksarai shook his head.


    <Kill me. I¡¯m ashamed that I lost to you while fighting with wits. By the Gods....>


    ¡°Thank you for your service.¡±


    Aksarai then used up all of his energy and was absorbed into Broxian¡¯s spear. Sian then picked up the spear to finish off the two other Drakuns that were alive and moved to the Mountain of Extreme to destroy the Golden Crystal.


    The war between the Lukras, Drakuns, and Harijans that destroyed half of the continent was now over.


    It was Sian, a human, that emerged victoriously.


    Sian sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now... I should go home.¡±


    He had finished the job. The continent was now clean.


    ¡®I should rest... and do what I want to do...¡¯


    Sian thought about future ns and sent energy to the ring to teleport. He first nned to stop by Conrad to exin what happened and return home.


    Soon, Sian disappeared from thend where continent once stood had sunk and was filling with the hail of sea.


    <Gods... he really did it.>


    Lagaope was shocked while he spoke with Conrad over themunication device. Sian came to Conrad and exined that everything was done so he could now do whatever he wanted.


    Cloud Mountain of the East.


    Apental and Aksarum to the West.


    The Gerna of the North.


    Harijans and Lukra of the South.


    Drakuns of the Sky.


    Every race was wiped out by one man. Only the human race inhabited the world.


    Conrad also seemed shocked.


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s like a God of humans... every race was killed. So, when are youing back? Sian¡¯s returned home. He won¡¯te back here anymore.¡±


    Lagaope answered,


    <I should go then. We don¡¯t have anything to worry about... can you send me the coordinates?>


    ¡°Are youing now?¡±


    Lagaope nodded.


    <I have enough core energy. We got a lot to do. Are you at Lorvall now?>


    ¡°Yeah. This was the best ce to send Sian to Ra-Sian.¡±


    <I should go there then.>


    The core of Lorvall began trembling to activate the magic rune and a figure jumped out from it. Lagaope greeted Conrad.


    ¡°Good! How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Hehe... I¡¯ve been good. Long time no see, Lagaope.¡±


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    Lagaope turned back to the familiar voice. He then gritted his teeth and turned to Conrad.


    ¡°Conrad... you lied!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I have to live. Have a good time.¡±


    Conrad ran out of the room and Sian approached Lagaope.


    ¡°Good good. We need to have a long talk before I go so we can stay as good friends, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Noooooo!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡±


    Sian came back suddenly to his home. Count Roman, Stiel, Rian, and Rian¡¯s family and were frenzied as they saw Sian who just appeared.


    ¡°What had happened! Are you okay? I was so worried!¡±


    Sian nodded to his mother who came to hug him.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. I won¡¯t be going away anymore so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Sian reassured his family.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in. I have many stories to tell.¡±


    Sian and his family then walked into the Chrotia Fortress.


    <2022 of the Continental Year. Sian von Roman returns home.>

 Chapter 219: Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 219: Epilogue</h4>


    The ruler of 13th, 27th and 94th dimensions, Emperor Kracktan became bored as there was nothing for him to y with in his dimension. He then found an interesting dimension next to him and became hooked.


    <I should visit that ce next.>


    He had to scout the area before going. If there were powerful beings, he might have to fight. He used <Kopaten> that allowed him to look through the dimension and realized something.


    <It¡¯s an empty ce. Why is nobody going in to invade?>


    There were civilizations and the beings lived there seemed powerful. But it wasn¡¯t close to the might of Kracktan. He could see no powerful being within. Those self-imed <humans> seemed to be busy finding their way to live and there was no supreme ruler.


    They did have kings or monsters, and they were also strong, but it wasn¡¯t enough to call it a supreme being.


    Kracktan then decided.


    <I should take this chance to rule over a dimension.>


    The best hobby for supreme beings was to invade another dimension. He had only three, but there were some who had hundreds. <Lucifer>, for example, had a record-breaking 666 dimensions for himself.


    He wasn¡¯t that eager, but he thought he should have at least more than that neighbor <Kekiru>.


    <He was d that he took control of the 17th dimension and caught up with three controls. I should step ahead.>


    Kracktan wrapped the dimension and moved over to the next.


    <Hm... The air is fresh here. It will be a good collection.>


    It seemed like it was fresh because the dimension as controlled by just one race. Then Kracktan became intrigued by a man who just appeared. He was swinging a sword that was mixed with gold and silver light while a female walking next to him seemed to be very interested.


    Kracktan thought it was a good chance. He would get basic information if he consumed their brains.


    <It¡¯s going well.>


    Kracktan walked up to the man.


    When he walked up, some energy began changing in front of him to distort thews. Kracktan knew what this man was doing. This was what was called magic in this dimension. But it was a puny effort for Kracktan. The man could not even be considered powerful based on this ce¡¯s standards. The magic he was using was standard magic that everyone in this dimension used.


    <Hahaha... that¡¯s cute.>


    Kracktan sent a message to man¡¯s head and looked at the man who was trying hard toplete the magic. When it was done, the man shouted against Kracktan and activated it.


    ¡°Explosive Fire!¡±


    <...Is that it? HAHAHAHA!>


    Kracktan could not help butugh. The man had prepared so hard to use the magic that everyone else could do and in the end, it did not even work.


    The man spat, ¡°Dammit! It failed again.¡±


    Woman to the left smiled and spoke.


    ¡°Sian, why don¡¯t you give up now? You¡¯ve trained for thousands of years.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I was sure I was going to get it right this time.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Didn¡¯t Lagaope say you have no talent?¡±


    ¡°Ugh... oh, where is he these days?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s opening up a party to celebrate his third reincarnation. Oh, and he¡¯s holding an event to celebrate the release of <War of Dragon and Evil 14>.¡±


    ¡°Wow... how long is he going to milk that story?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the main character there. You know Serin loves the story.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, she shouldn¡¯t be friends with Lagaope.¡±


    <These fools...>


    Kracktan became angry as the man and woman ignored him and decided to kill them.


    <DIE!>


    Kracktan ordered to the world. The supreme power <Order of words>. It was simple, but powerful power that Kracktan loved to use. Nothing happened. The man and woman who were ordered to die did not die and continued talking with each other.


    <What...?>


    Kracktan became dumbfounded. It was not like this world was disobeying him. His orders did work but it just did not work on those two. Kracktan then realized something wasn¡¯t going right. As he became shocked, the man was now looking at Kracktan and asking him via telepathy.


    <...What do you mean?>


    Kracktan asked, and the man retorted to him.


    <Your purpose foring here. Why are you here?>


    Kracktan became mad. The man was thinking he could use that tone to him just because his orders weren¡¯t working. His specialty did not lie in the ordering. It was the fighting skill that allowed him to rule over the three dimensions. Kracktan then jumped up to smack the man¡¯s face.


    <Massacre, you bastard!>


    The space that the fist moved past was destroyed and struck the man¡¯s face.


    <...Huh?>


    Kracktan became shocked as it did not result in what he expected. Sian turned to Stiel and asked, ¡°Massacre. Write it down. I don¡¯t know why all these ¡®visitors¡¯ have simr reasons. That Lucifer or Kekiru... Rule, Invade, Bringing Hell... they¡¯re all different words but...¡±


    ¡°They all have simr reasons, yeah. But I don¡¯t know his name, Sian.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Sian then asked Kracktan.


    <What is your name?>


    Kracktan knew something really wasn¡¯t going right but he took back his fist to attack again.


    <I¡¯m Kracktan, the ruler of the three dimensions!>


    The answer was the same. His fist was stopped as Sian grabbed onto it.


    ¡°It¡¯s... Kracktan, the ruler of Three Dimensions. Write it down.¡±


    Stiel wrote it on something that appeared in the space in front of her and answered, ¡°It¡¯s good that we have it organized. Theye in so much. But are those titles all simr? I think that Kekiru had a simr name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they aren¡¯t over exaggerating at least... That Lucifer said he was 666 something... and ran crying after he was beaten up. Three seems reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So... Year 3041... November 7th. Kracktan. Purpose ¨C Massacre... but if the purpose is a massacre, it¡¯s seven days.¡±


    Stiel spoke as she wrote it down on the transparent paper on the air and checked on the list on the bottom. Sian then became annoyed.


    ¡°Ugh, so do I need to do this for seven days?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s better than doing it every time theye. You know he won¡¯te back if you beat him up for seven days at least.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Or just go out there and wipe them out.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to go out.¡±


    Sian then took up his sword and began swinging it around. Kracktan felt a shiver crawling up his spine.


    <UGH! AARGH!>


    He tried to take out the fist that was grabbed but it did not budge. Sian mumbled to Kracktan.


    <Let¡¯s finish it at once.>


    <Finish what!>


    <It¡¯s a lesson. When you¡¯re done, you will never want to return here.>


    <WHAT? Let me- ARGH!>


    The t face of the sword struck Kracktan and Sian began beating him up. Kracktan then realized what the seven days meant and fell into despair. He also realized one more thing. Why no one invaded this dimension.


    It wasn¡¯t because no one came. Lucifer, Kekiru... and the others all came and were chased away. They couldn¡¯t speak of it because it was embarrassing. The list that Stiel was reading showed just how many unsuspecting dimension rulers had visited this ce.


    Kracktan then wished for time to quickly pass by and swore an oath.


    ¡®I won¡¯t be going through this alone... I will never say a word about this ce.¡¯


    <Hehehe...>


    He let out a grin at the thought of othersing in unsuspecting. Sian frowned and thought, ¡®...is he a pervert? I should increase it to a few more days.¡¯


    Sian then changed it from seven days to ten days and thought,


    ¡®The world is toorge and it¡¯s filled with people that deserve a beating.¡¯


    The 1174th Dimension. The dimension named after the monster living there, <Roman>.


    Swordmeister of disaster.


    End.

 Chapter 220: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 220: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    Roa-Tian, the capital of Tian Kingdom


    There was a guest in Lagaope¡¯s beautiful mansion.


    ¡°Hey, how¡¯s the book going?¡±


    The beautifuldy who teleported into the mansion spoke to Lagaope. It was Conrad, the man who was reborn into a girl¡¯s body.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s going to be an epic story. It¡¯s my real story in detail... I¡¯m sure millions of copies will be e sold.¡±


    Lagaope spoke and mumbled to himself that it had to sell, to which Conrad frowned.


    ¡°...don¡¯t you have all the money you need? Why are you so concerned about selling the book?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the money that was important. They were superhumans and could obtain anything they wanted in this world. Conrad couldn¡¯t understand why Lagaope was so set on selling the books, but Lagaope shook his finger and spoke.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. You don¡¯t understand the concerns of the writer. We, creators, feel our pride in getting acknowledgments for our creations. That equals how many books are sold.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I already have the name. <The Tale of the Great Hero Lagaope: the Savior of the World>.¡±


    ¡°...was it you who saved the world?¡±


    Conrad became dumbfounded but Lagaope nodded proudly.


    ¡°Of course I did. If it wasn¡¯t for me, there would be no Mister Sian.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Conrad nodded. Lagaope¡¯s effort definitely needed to be acknowledged. He had spent one thousand years in Don-Nasian and three thousand years in the Ra-Sian Continent to reach his goal. In the end, the result was the fall of powerful Drakuns, the Kukras, and the Harijans.


    Conrad then became confused.


    ¡®Why did he want to make superhumans and save the world so badly in the first ce?¡¯


    One hundred years was a very long time, even for superhumans. Lagaope had roamed the world for four thousand years. Even the strongest motive would fade away in the memories that faded over time. If he were to be steadfast for over three thousand years, there should be the strongest of the motive, but Conrad had never heard of such a thing.


    ¡®Well, he should have his reasons... he was a mysterious type from the beginning.¡¯


    If Lagaope didn¡¯t say anything, there must be a reason why.


    As Conrad looked upon Lagaope, Lagaope thought Conrad might want something from him and began finding something at the corner of the room. He then came back with a book covered in leather.


    ¡°This... is your book? The tale of... something?¡±


    ¡°<The Tale of the Great Hero Lagaope: the Savior of the World>. Please read it correctly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you read it. I have written my 4000-year journey in there. It¡¯s divided up into three parts in twenty-seven books.¡±


    ¡®Twenty-seven books...?¡¯


    It was already a very thick book and there were twenty-six more. Conrad then opened up the book to see the table of contents. Lagaope¡¯s signature was on the page.


    ¡®He uses his fake name for his signature also.¡¯


    Conrad knew Lagaope¡¯s real name as he was a <Connector of Aksarai>. Lagaope had never told his real name to anyone but Conrad knew, even after his power disappeared.


    <Orinon Pheriknoa>


    Only Conrad knew Lagaope¡¯s true name.


    ¡®Well, he¡¯s been hiding it for a long time.¡¯


    It would have been weird if Lagaope suddenly decided to use his real name just for the signature. Conrad smiled and read through the contents and became confused.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the book like your biography? I mean, I understand it will be written as a novel but...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then why is there no story before the fall of the Divine Nation? Shouldn¡¯t the biography start when you were born or something? Or is this the second book?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No. That¡¯s the first one.¡±


    Then Conrad became even more confused.


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it wrong then? Where are the days of your youth? Don¡¯t say you will write the prequelter to sell more books.¡±


    Conrad was just joking, but he had to stop when he saw that Lagaope¡¯s face had turned grim.


    ¡°...What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember at all. I don¡¯t remember anything before the fall of the Divine Nation.¡±


    ¡°So... you don¡¯t remember anything?¡±


    Takion was Lagaope¡¯s friend, the Leader of the Great Magical Council, and he was the who knew the most.


    Takion, Lagaope, and Conrad were looking at each other on the topmost floor of the Magical Council¡¯s main building. There were no records of a superhuman¡¯s memory being corrupted.


    ¡°Let me check a few things.¡±


    Takion went to the corner of the room and took a few materials and came back. He then began using various magic spells on Lagaope. After a full day of experiments and tests, they were done. Results weren¡¯t satisfactory, however.


    Takion could not even manage to find if something had been done to Lagaope¡¯s memory. If Lagaope did not insist that he couldn¡¯t remember, Takion would have thought he was lying. But there was no reason for him to lie and there was no possibility that Lagaope had just forgotten. It was a superhuman¡¯s memory and it didn¡¯t make sense to forget the part before the fall of the Divine Nation.


    Takion then concluded with the final option.


    ¡°We have no other options left.¡±


    Conrad nodded but Lagaope seemed reluctant.


    ¡°Do I really need to go there?¡±


    ¡°Haha, Lagaope. Long time no see.¡±


    Sian greeted Lagaope dly. But Lagaope wasn¡¯t as d. He had been hiding from Sian after the <Great Cataclysm> even after Lagaope had been beaten up once.


    ¡°Haha... were you training?¡±


    Lagaope was surprised to see Sian training.


    ¡®Hmm... I guess he has no reason not to.¡¯


    Sian had stopped training after the age of seventeen because he was blocked by the barrier. There was no reason for him not to train when his limitation had been lifted.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s better for me to get stronger while I can. There¡¯s a lot that need to get beat up in this world.¡±


    ¡°...Is there someone who can fight against you?¡±


    Sian then pondered for a second and answered.


    ¡°Right. There isn¡¯t. But I just have a hunch...¡±


    Lagaope began going into the reason he came. After he had finished exining, Sian nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    Takion, Conrad, Lagaope became shocked at the words.


    ¡°Can an Alpha even do that?¡±


    Sian nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. I mean... being an Alpha is a different level from a superhuman. Stand still. Yeah, like that.¡±


    Sian guided Lagaope to stand behind a couch and began flexing his body. Lagaope became ufortable and asked Sian.


    ¡°What are you going to-¡±


    Lagaope fainted within seconds as Sian snapped his head. Conrad looked at Lagaope falling onto the couch and shouted to Sian.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Good. Trust me, I¡¯m an Alpha. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    As Sian and Conrad began talking to each other, Lagaope had fallen asleep into his dream. A dream that began taking him back deep into his memory. The long forgotten past before the days of the Divine Nation.

 Chapter 221: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 221: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    Lagaope thought he was dreaming. He was having shbacks from his most recent memories to the past.


    ¡®He didn¡¯t just snap my head... I never thought of seeing him again...¡¯


    Lagaope spoke as he saw Lorvall shing by. He was the main reason that allowed Lagaope to work for three thousand years on the Ra-Sian Continent. He was the one who helped out Lagaope when he needed help the most. In the memory, Lagaope was talking with Lorvall at Ciculus. It was before the days that Sian had be an Alpha.


    <Haha, but Lagaope, why do you use a fake name?>


    <Well, it¡¯s better that way. It¡¯s better for me to change the name each time.>


    <No, I mean why are you not using Orinon... no, never mind.>


    Lagaope looked at Duke Lorvall who was trying to say something and stopped. He had not thought much about it back then but it seemed he had more things to say. Lagaope was then sent even further into the past.


    The time when he worked on the Murakans and Swarms.


    There was the time when he just returned to Don-Nasian from his long trip on Ra-Sian.


    The first time he introduced himself to Sian.


    The excitement he felt when he first found Sian.


    The days where he was working hard on his research with his newly-found friend during the days of the Empire.


    The days when he found Conrad who was reborn as Broxian.


    The time of Conrad¡¯s first death.


    The joyous moment of the birth of Conrad.


    These were within the recent one thousand years. Then the speed of shbacks became much faster. It seemed the shbacked gained more speed after going back further in time.


    Days of his roaming on the continent.


    Days when he tested the monkeys to create an Alpha out of loneliness.


    Days where he met with the Lukra and moved to Ra-Sian.


    This was within the three thousand years.


    The day he met Lorvall aftering out of theboratory.


    The days where he was in hiding in theboratory.


    This was up to thest four thousand years.


    Lagaope became tense. He remembered all of these. In fact, these were in the book he was writing. He was seeing the shbacks, but he knew all of this. However, what was up next was the real thing. The next one would be the destruction of the Divine Nation, but he had no memories beyond that.


    Lagaope looked at the memory. At that moment, his memory began to shatter and faded away. It seemed as if someone had messed it up intentionally. Lagaope nced around. It seemed something was blocking him from seeing into his memory. But Lagaope was pushed on. It was as if he was pushed in further. It looked like something was trying to block Lagaope from entering the memories while the force from Sian pushed him anyway.


    ¡®I hope it¡¯s okay...¡¯


    The confrontation between the two forces turned more chaotic. The memory began to grow violent and bright lights soon covered the memory. When the fight between the two powers reached the limit, something exploded and struck Lagaope.


    ¡®UGH!¡¯


    Lagaope then was snapped out.


    ¡°Huh? Uh...¡±


    Lagaope came back to his senses. But he couldn¡¯t see anything. It was pitch dark. However, he could hear someone calling him.


    ¡°Hey! Orinon Pheriknoa! Wake up!¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Lagaope tried to react but he couldn¡¯t move his body. He couldn¡¯t feel anything. He could just hear the sounding into him as if he was listening to a sound from someone else¡¯s body.


    Then his body spoke, without his will, with a familiar voice.


    ¡°Ugh, didn¡¯t I say not to wake me up?¡±


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    It was his own voice. It did not have the voice of his usual formality but it was his voice.


    ¡®Oh... I get it.¡¯


    He was at the days of memory he could not remember. He was now in the body of his former self. It exined why he could not control the body or feel anything. He was just reading the memory from a first-person point of view. He then felt lighting into his eyes. It seemed the body had awakened.


    When his sight came back to him, there was a girl calling him. It was a beautiful blonde girl with sses who was shaking Lagaope to wake him up. The body then became irritated and rose up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say like that to a girlfriend who came to wake you up. Did you forget that we¡¯re on the expedition team today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care...¡±


    The body tried to go back into the bed but the girl raised her feet to kick the body. It seemed she was at the level of a Duke.


    But the body reached out with his hands and pulled on the leg into the bed. It seemed the body also was at the power of a Duke. The girl was pulled into the bed effortlessly.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°You should sleep more too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯rete!¡±


    ¡®Wow, I was that kind of a man?¡¯


    Lagaope came to like his former self. A man with some arrogance and with the power of Duke. He couldn¡¯t imagine that it was himself.


    ¡®Why did I change?¡¯


    Lagaope tried to check everything that he could see through the vision. Then he noticed something.


    Outside the window, one could see the great buildings of the city. The huge half-transparent letters in the sky told him the exact date and time.


    ¡®Three days before the destruction of the Divine Nation...¡¯


    It was three days before Broxian and Gran-Ra¡¯s battle. As Lagaope became concerned, his body screamed in pain.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t I say we¡¯rete?¡±


    ¡®Ugh... that must¡¯ve been hurt.¡¯


    Lagaope thought as he saw his body rolling on the floor as he was kicked in his genitals.


    ¡®Say... did my interest in girls disappear after that incident?¡¯


    Lagaope realized he had not been interested in girls for a long time and it seemed that kind of attack might¡¯ve exined it. The girl became red with anger and walked out of the room while shouting.


    ¡°There¡¯s a teleporter that¡¯s been prepared down there. Come out fast.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... you...¡±


    The body then checked on the great letters outside the window and rose up. It was time to move.


    ¡®I¡¯ll just stop by real quick.¡¯


    The destination was the south of the eastern continent, thend without the blessing. It was a ce where their Divine Nation¡¯s power had not reached yet. But it was a matter of time. With their God, there was no one they couldn¡¯t fight against.


    ¡®Who would want to live there anyway? Why do we have to study that ce...?¡¯


    Even if thend was habitable, it would be considered barren without their God nearby. The most blessed of the region was the Broxianel, thend where Broxian lived.


    ¡®When can I live in such a ce?¡¯


    His sry as a bio-engineer did not evene close to afford such a ce. He would not have joined the expedition if the pay wasn¡¯t so good anyway.


    ¡®Yeah... I¡¯ll get some money on this expedition and propose to her.¡¯


    Pheriknoa decided as he thought of Seriana. As he walked out, there was a small coordination pointer device with Seriana standing next to it. She was walking on the device with an angry face. Pheriknoa walked up to her from the back and hugged her, blowing air into her ear.


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Seriana then made a mistake typing in the coordinates and tried to hit Pheriknoa with her elbow but Pheriknoa blocked it and jumped back.


    ¡°Come on, we have to be serious. It¡¯s the ce where even the Gerna can¡¯t go. There might be something down there.¡±


    Gerna, the race who lived as parasites. They considered themselves the master of the eastern continent. But it was only because the Divine Nation wasn¡¯t interested in expanding east. In fact, they were crushed the moment they met the expedition team. As the expedition team captured some and tested on them, they found some interesting facts.


    The Gernas also did not dare to go down south. Those self-proimed masters of the eastern continent were reluctant about going south.


    That was why the Divine Nation decided to send an expedition team. If there was something valuable there, they needed to take it in. If there was a threat, then they needed to deal with it before it became a real threat.


    But nobody considered it to be much of an issue. The expedition team wasprised of Dukes with its Divine Blood leaders, or first-stage Betas. These powerful individuals were rare even in the Divine Nation. They could easily teleport hundreds of miles individually. They never had to worry about any dangers. Even with Apental, the coordination pointer allowed them to teleport anywhere with ease. It was limited within the Divine Nation to prevent illegal teleportation, but the limitation was lifted as soon as it was out of the nation¡¯s territory.


    Pheriknoa grinned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Pheriknoa grabbed Seriana¡¯s hand and teleported to the ce where the expedition team first gathered. Lagaope, after seeing everything, became shocked.


    ¡®What... I was on the expedition team?¡¯


    It was correct. This was the expedition team that discovered Dragona, Chrona, and Liona. It was this team that had been captured by the Lukras in the end and allowed them to learn about Broxian, resulting in Gran-Ra flying to the Divine Nation, ultimately destroying it.


    ¡®It must be right... so I was in this team?¡¯


    The first time Lagaope remembered going south was after he parted ways with Lorvall and met the Lukras. He never imagined that his forgotten memory would bring him to the expedition team.


    ¡®I should see what happened then...¡¯


    Lagaope focused back on his body. His body teleported to where tens of people were busy making preparations. Lagaope knew this ce.


    <Aksarum>


    Lagaope then realized he had no memory of working in thisb. The only memory he had was the time he spent a thousand years within Aksarum to study the core.


    ¡®How did I know about the Divine Nation then?¡¯


    He had no memory about the days of the Divine Nation, but he knew about the Nation. Lagaope became confused but he then saw something that interested him.


    At therge empty space in front of Aksarum were three great ships floating ten feet above the ground. Metal ships so huge that it symbolized the might of the Divine Nation. After checking the names of each of the ships, Lagaope moaned.


    <Dragona>


    <Chrona>


    <Liona>


    Three ships with familiar, but unweing names. As Pheriknoa was astounded by its grandeur, Lagaope became more worried.

 Chapter 222: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 222: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    ¡°Look who¡¯s here! You two sure are a fine couple!¡±


    Pheriknoa turned to the voice that was calling him. There was arge man with a scruffy beard smiling brightly as he walked over to Pheriknoa. Lagaope could feel what his body felt toward the man. It was filled with trust and deep friendship.


    ¡®They must have been really close.¡¯


    Pheriknoa replied excitedly.


    ¡°Heh, Kenorod. You should find a girlfriend too.¡±


    Pheriknoa hugged Seriana hard as he spoke. Lagaope felt the feelings again. Deep love and affection. He could feel the will to not let go and it seemed that Seriana felt the same way. Lagaope could not feel her feelings but her expressions made it obvious.


    ¡®He really was a man.¡¯


    Lagaope liked his former self even more. He had lived a very happy life. It seemed like there was more to just the destruction of the Divine Nation that changed him.


    The three of them spoke with each other until someone from <Chrona> shouted.


    ¡°Everyone! Aboard the ship!¡±


    Pheriknoa, Seriana, and Kenorod nced at each other and teleported into the ship. Their destination exceeded the limit of their teleportation range so they were going to use the ship¡¯s <Score> jump system to get there fast.


    As everyone boarded the ship, the ships began jumping into the space with bright lights. With the help of Score, it would not take long for them to arrive at the destination.


    Pheriknoa mumbled inside the ship.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it best if we can just look over it from the sky? Why do we have to crawl onnd just because of some weird fools throwing lightning?¡±


    The ship had the ability to fly but it could not bring them above the clouds. Kenorodughed.


    ¡°God himself prohibited that. You know it.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡±


    Pheriknoa nodded.


    ¡®Can¡¯t he just wipe them out?¡¯


    But he shook away his thoughts. Broxian was the almighty. Whatever he said was the truth and thew. Pheriknoa then asked Kenorod, ¡°Say, didn¡¯t you meet with him recently?¡±


    Kenorod nodded as he stroked his beard.


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that must¡¯ve been so nice. I wish I could be reborn as his daughter.¡±


    It was hard to meet Broxian, even for the Divine Bloods. He hated being bothered. Lagaopeughed as he saw Seriana looking envious. She looked like she was a very innocent person, or at least until he heard the next part.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best luxury you can have. I would do whatever I want.¡±


    It was a guaranteed life of luxury if one was born as Broxian¡¯s daughter. Even Divine Bloods, the top officials of Divine Nation, weren¡¯t direct descendants of Broxian. Even then, it provided them with a lot of power. If one were the direct daughter of the God, she would be unstoppable.


    Kenorodughed.


    ¡°Haha, you first need to die and be reborn again. Besides, the God needs to marry again if that were to happen.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Seriana nodded. Both were close to impossible.


    The sorcerers of the Divine Nation did manage to prove that it was possible to be reborn. But it was impossible to be born as Broxian¡¯s daughter anyway.


    Also, the second problem was worse. Everything, including the women in the Divine Nation belonged to Broxian. He had imed many women as his own but after hisst woman, Stanatiel died, he did not want any woman at all. This brought questions as to what kind of woman Stanatiel was.


    To conclude, wishing to be born as Broxian¡¯s daughter was impossible.


    ¡°Haha, but he¡¯s too modest. If I were him... ugh.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got something to say?¡±


    Seriana pinched Pheriknoa¡¯s nk and Kenorodughed.


    ¡°Haha, but he sure is modest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what did he do when you went to him?¡± Seriana asked. People did not know much about Broxian. Most of the people did not even know what he looked like. They just knew he lived in the middle of the nation. Kenorod met him coincidentally because God needed a Magic-Engineer to fix one of his machines.


    ¡°Well, he was training.¡±


    ¡°...Training?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he didn¡¯t seem to like doing it. He kept on talking to me.¡±


    Kenorodughed as he thought about what he saw. Broxian swung once and sighed, then came to munch on some snacks, spoke to Kenorod, then went back to swing another time. Broxian kept on talking to Kenorod and it made Kenorod curious.


    <Why are you keep training if you hate it so much, oh dear God? There¡¯s nothing in this world that can evene close to your almighty power.>


    He couldn¡¯t understand Broxian trying to be stronger when he did not need to. Broxianughed.


    <Haha... that¡¯s not true. There can be no almighty person.>


    <I beg your pardon?>


    <I can see a few things that others can¡¯t... there¡¯s always one of equal power to one great power. But this is top secret. I don¡¯t want people panicking.>


    Kenorod wasn¡¯t convinced, but if God said it was secret, he had to keep it a secret.


    As three of them spoke to each other, they felt the light outside <Chrona> fading. It seemed the ship hade to a stop. Yet it was weird because it wasn¡¯t time to arrive yet. As they looked outside, they saw a great mountain blocking their path.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    The three of them became curious as they had never seen the mountain but Lagaope knew what it was.


    ¡®Mountain of Extreme...¡¯


    He moaned. So he had visited the mountain before. That was when three of them were ordered through a telepathic message.


    <Everyone step outside. The mysterious barriering from the mountain blocks the ship¡¯s ability to jump. We will investigate this mountain before we move further south.>


    The three of them looked at each other and shrugged. They teleported out of the ship. Then they realized the mountain wasn¡¯t a normal mountain. There was no living thing on it. The dense forest that covered the surrounding mountain stopped existing at a certain level.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel so good.¡±


    It seemed other ships had been blocked off as well. The Divine Bloods then made a decision.


    <We can¡¯t just let this suspicious mountain be. Dragona and Liona will go around to continue their journey to the south.>


    Everyone nodded. This seemed reasonable. The mountain seemedrge but it was a naked mountain with nothing on it. It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t take a long time to investigate.


    Dragona turned west around the mountain while Liona decided to go through the sea.


    Chrona decided to leave a portion of the team to investigate the mountain and then headed east.


    The three ships moved out after leaving the few members to investigate. Magic-Engineer Kenorod, Bio-Engineer Pheriknoa, and Editor Seriana were chosen.


    They soon realized their task wasn¡¯t as easy as they thought.


    ¡°Dammit...¡±


    Kenorod moaned as he felt his body rating fluctuate as they walked up to the mountain. Pheriknoa and Seriana seemed to experience the same thing. The scouts who checked the mountain before leaving with the ship did warn them, but this was more than they imagined.


    It was bearable until now but it got worse as they walked up. They¡¯d die if they proceeded any further.


    ¡®Come on, go back.¡¯


    Lagaope thought as he looked at them. He couldn¡¯t remember so he did not know what happened then, but it surely didn¡¯t end up well.


    ¡°You guys go back down. I¡¯ll go further to check.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be stupid.¡±


    Kenorod tried to stop Pheriknoa. He knew why Pheriknoa was so eager. He had been saying he wanted to marry Seriana and give her the best. Seriana always wanted to live in Broxianel and the payment of this expedition would decide the results. If Pheriknoa were to unravel the mystery of the mountain, it was obvious that he would be awarded with a handsome payment. It would even allow them to move into Broxianel, thend of the Divine Blood.


    Kenorod realized he could not stop Pheriknoa.


    ¡°You fool.¡±


    Pheriknoa did not stop and Kenorod and Seriana decided to follow.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t need toe.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I won¡¯t let you take all the glory.¡±


    Kenorod smiled. Pheriknoa did not want to put his friend and his lover at risk.


    ¡®Yeah... there won¡¯t be anything over there.¡¯


    He quickly shook his head. The mountain did not have anything. Besides, if things went wrong, there was a way for them to get out.

 Chapter 223: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 223: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    Lagaope looked at three of them treacherously climbing up the mountain. They helped each other ovee the pain as they climbed slowly.


    ¡®Please... you have to go back down!¡¯


    He knew what lived on the mountain and how arrogant the evil beings were. Pheriknoa spoke.


    ¡°Whew... we should stop here. We can¡¯t bear it and I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find anything. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Pheriknoa spoke disappointingly as he nced around. Kenorod and Seriana nodded. They had reached their limits.


    ¡®Good, good. Go back now!¡¯


    Lagaope was terrified for them. It seemed like they were going down before anything happened. Lagaope wished his former self to live happily. It was surprising that there were happy times in his life.


    <I was wondering how far you would go, but it seems like that¡¯s your limit. But it¡¯s enough. It¡¯s you two.>


    Three of them felt a huge wave of energy being sent into their heads. Then a great power exploded out from within. Three of them knew the level of the power.


    ¡®Alpha...¡¯


    A powerful being that did not exist in the human race. If there were no Broxians, humans would have gone extinct by now. But the number of Alphas on the mountain top was not just one. At least ten of them sent their power out and a golden figure came up to him.


    <Haha... I sense that you have the present for our <Ra>...>


    ¡°What...¡±


    Pheriknoa fainted before he could even protest. His resistance was futile against an Alpha. Then Lagaope became confused as all three of them were captured.


    ¡®Why all three?¡¯


    As far as he knew, they only needed to read one person¡¯s memory. But they were capturing all three of them alive.


    <Are you awake?>


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Pheriknoa woke up and realized he was trapped within a small crystal cell. It was a small cell just enough for one man to stand. There was a small screen in front of it. The crystal was opaque so he couldn¡¯t see anything else.


    The being on the screen spoke to Pheriknoa. It was the golden figure he saw before he fainted.


    ¡°Who are you?! Where are my friends?!¡±


    The figureughed.


    <I did choose the right one. It will be a fun game.>


    ¡°...game?¡±


    The figure nodded.


    <Yes. We are terribly bored because we can¡¯t leave this mountain. You three should entertain us. I will let those two live if you do. I just need to present one to <Ra>...>


    ¡®Damn bastard.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t understand what the figure meant by present, but they were ying with their lives. Pheriknoa then realized what they meant by choosing two.


    ¡°Under what standards will you pick out two? What will entertain you?¡±


    The figure answered.


    <Simple. One of you needs to step out to die. We¡¯ll let other two live. Simple as that.>


    ¡®...¡¯


    Pheriknoa gritted his teeth as he looked upon the golden figure. It was evil. The figure then continued exining.


    <I won¡¯t start now... we¡¯ll give you time to discuss. When you are finished, the one who wishes to die should press on the screen. I will see who presses it faster. Oh, and don¡¯t think you all will go out alive if you all decide to not press the screen. It will result in... the exact opposite.>


    The figure disappeared and another screen showed up. It was Seriana and Kenorod.


    They all fell silent. Pheriknoa clenched his fist and tried to speak. He was going to say he will die. They were dragged in because of his greed. He needed to take up the responsibility. Besides, he couldn¡¯t bear to lose his lover and his best friend. But someone spoke before him.


    Pheriknoa flinched but nodded. He loved her so much that he would die in her ce. Seriana then continued,


    <Then die for me.>


    <...what?>


    Pheriknoa couldn¡¯t understand what he had heard. He did intend to do that, but it wasn¡¯t something he expected to hear. Then Kenorod also spoke to him calmly.


    <Yes. We can¡¯t die yet. If you consider me as a friend... please.>


    <...¡¯We¡¯?>


    Kenorod then flinched, sighed, and nced at Seriana. Lagaope was shocked as he soon saw the events unfold.


    ¡®Were those two having an affair?¡¯


    And it seemed like Pheriknoa was thinking of the same thing. But he sighed in relief and asked again. His thought to die to save them had dissipated already. Instead, it was being reced with murky feelings.


    <Why do I need to die?>


    Seriana spoke emotionlessly.


    <We were dragged in because of you. You need to take responsibility.>


    <Yes. But is there any other reason?>


    Kenorod spoke.


    <There¡¯s no other reason.>


    Pheriknoa became silent. Kenorod then became frantic and shouted,


    <Dammit! You will kill us all! You brought this upon us!>


    Pheriknoa then looked at Kenorod without any emotions.


    <Why would we all die?>


    Kenorod answered.


    <Because I won¡¯t press the screen. I¡¯m not dying alone.>


    <Same here.>


    <Hahaha... it¡¯s all very amusing so I would want to see more... but it would be more fun with less time. I will count five.>


    The golden figure reappeared and spoke. Seriana and Kenorod began yelling frantically.


    <Dammit, you bastard!>


    <Kenorod and I need to live! We can¡¯t die here!>


    Pheriknoa¡¯s eyes turned cold as he looked upon them. But soon, their faces disappeared and the screen turned red with an image of a palm appearing from it. It seemed he would volunteer to die if heid his hand on it.


    Pheriknoa red at the crystal, but he slowly put his hands on the screen. They were still his lover and friend. They just lost their minds at the fear of death.


    ¡®...dammit.¡¯


    Pheriknoa felt everything he had done had been proven to be worthless.


    ¡®How will I die?¡¯


    Pheriknoa looked upon the screen and the golden figure came back up.


    ¡®...huh?¡¯


    He narrowed his eyes. The figure certainly seemed very disappointed. He spoke ufortably.


    <That was not as entertaining... you fool. Didn¡¯t I say it¡¯s by turns?>


    Pheriknoa couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying. The golden figure sighed and spoke.


    <It¡¯s unfortunate that I can¡¯t stand up to my promise. I said I would let two live but the two pressed on the screen together. I¡¯ll have you talk to them for not letting me keep my promise.>


    The figure disappeared and Seriana and Kenorod came back up on the screen. It seemed they had given up.


    <So it was only Pheriknoa who didn¡¯t realize it.>


    <Haha, Kenorod. You can¡¯t fool me with that.>


    <Right. You have quick hands. But I was sure I was going to press it faster.>


    <I¡¯m an Editor, you know? I work with my hands.>


    <...what are you two talking about?> Pheriknoa asked with a frown. It seemed like the situation was getting worse. Kenorod grinned as he spoke.


    <Didn¡¯t I always tell you are too gullible? At least we got you alive. Dammit, it¡¯s a shame that we¡¯re weak. I wish I could be reborn with the name of a War God.>


    Kenorod sighed as he thought about the War God¡¯s might if he¡¯d seen that he had been captured.


    <You should dream big. I¡¯m going to born again as a God¡¯s daughter next time.>


    <Haha, isn¡¯t it better to be a son of God?>


    Kenorod spoke but Seriana looked at Pheriknoa and spoke sadly.


    <There¡¯s no point if Ie back as a son. Orinon Pheriknoa. You should stay alive until Ie back. Don¡¯t you ever die.>


    <...Huh?>


    As Pheriknoa became confused, the crystal that encased the two became covered in intense heat, just like that of an incinerator. Two of them felt the heat and smiled. Then they turned to Pheriknoa.


    -You must live. Please.-


    With the same words, their crystals were covered in lights.

 Chapter 224: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 224: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    ¡°N-ngh... no...¡±


    The crystal that encased him had disappeared but Pheriknoa couldn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t even cry. As he came back to his senses from overwhelming grief, it wasn¡¯t sadness that first came to him.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAHRG!¡±


    Pheriknoa activated forbidden magic. The iplete magic found during his Bio-Engineering studies that burnt his soul, power, and his level to empower him with the power a grade higher.


    Pheriknoa broke the wall at once and moved up. The wall of Beta that no humans could ovee without the Divine Blood was destroyed. Pheriknoa charged at the golden figure approaching without hesitating.


    The figure was irritated. He would¡¯ve already broken the arms and legs of this insect and had extracted the memory to present it to <Ra>, only if he kept the promise. Their race considered a promise as the most holy thing. They lied without hesitation and had no problem doing evil deeds, but they always kept their promises. But he couldn¡¯t keep the promise. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t do anything to Pheriknoa.


    The golden figure decided to take this chance to ease his guilt.


    <Go to sleep for now.>


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    He had broken the wall but he was only a Beta. He was no match against the priest who was an Alpha. Pheriknoa fell down and the golden figure approached him to examine.


    <Fool... using such dangerous magic.>


    The man had fallen down to the lowest of its rank at once. Lagaope also felt it. The body¡¯s power dropped from Duke to Baron within seconds.


    Besides, he was going to burn to death if left alone. The priest stopped Pheriknoa¡¯s power decreasing and regenerated his body. He then read the memory as he nned. Fortunately, the memory contained a very good present.


    <Hehe... so an Alpha did hide his energy after all this time.>


    They knew about the existence of the being as there had been a sh of Alphas outside. But they could not go out as they had to fight against Aksarai and the Drakuns and after that, they could no longer feel the presence of an Alpha. But <Ra> did not go out easily. If an Alpha decided to hide its power, there was no way for another Alpha to find them. They could not search thend while Aksarai¡¯s barrier was in ce, but this man¡¯s memory gave them the exact location. There was an Alpha of great power in hiding.


    With this knowledge, it would surely break the power bnce between Aksarai and <Ra>. The priest was certain that the great <Ra> would be victorious.


    The golden figure then sent a message telepathically to the fainted Pheriknoa. Pheriknoa could not hear it but Lagaope was able to hear it clearly.


    <You will live... although your life will not recover my pride for not keeping my promise. But I think you will not be so happy that you lived.>


    The figure smiled ominously and teleported the man to the side of theboratory. It was the ce where the figure saw from the memory.


    Pheriknoa was then discovered by his fellow researchers and taken back to recover. Or they tried to, before Broxianel from afar was covered in a streak of golden light. Then a red light surrounded by thunderous lightning descended from the sky and silvery sh came up from the ground. The gold, silver and red light began to mix with the destructive noise and explosions.


    Pheriknoa looked at the Divine Nation being destroyed into dust with a dumb look. The Divine Nation was then destroyed within an hour.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Pheriknoa looked at the dense fog of clouds. The continent had disappeared and the sea had evaporated. Lava hail flowed at theboratory and Pheriknoa¡¯s fellow researchers all ran away. But he did not run. He wanted to die.


    ¡®It¡¯s all because of me.¡¯


    He killed his lover. He leaked the information about the God. He had led the Divine Nation to its destruction.


    He wanted to die, but he didn¡¯t even have the power to do it. His magic destroyed him and he could barely breathe. The steam and the heat came swooshing in, but it did not kill him.


    ¡®Well... I guess I won¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡¯


    Pheriknoaughed hollowly. The side effect of the magic was still there. It wasn¡¯t the body that was the problem. It did get weaker, but he was recovering. The problem was the memory. His soul had also been destroyed, and his memories were fading. Within a day, he would forget everything.


    Pheriknoa thought it was fortunate. He would forget all the painful memories.


    But he also thought it was unfortunate. He would forget all of his friends and the will to get revenge...


    ¡®Ha, what a fool.¡¯


    Pheriknoa decided to consider it as fortunate. The Divine Nation had been destroyed and there were few humans left. There was no way to take revenge. These were beings that destroyed the continent. There was no way he could fight against them. But he felt something approaching.


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    A man came out through the steam. Pheriknoa looked at him curiously. He couldn¡¯t understand where he came from. He wasing from the direction of the destroyed continent. But Pheriknoa wasn¡¯t interested.


    He lost everything. He was enraged. but he was now left with hollow sadness. There was nothing left in him.


    The man looked at Pheriknoa and grinned.


    ¡°Why do you look so sad? You seem like you¡¯ve lost your world.¡±


    Pheriknoa looked at the man and looked away. Then he spoke to him.


    ¡°Go away. I will lose my memory soon.¡±


    The man did not go away however. He came up next to Pheriknoa and sat down.


    ¡°Well, we have enough time to talk then.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Pheriknoa was confused but nodded.


    ¡®I only have one day to remember... I guess it¡¯s better if someone at least hears my foolish action.¡¯


    Pheriknoa wanted someone to me him for his actions. His actions had killed millions. But there was no one left to me him for it. He wanted everyone to know, everyone to me him.


    ¡°Hey... do you know what I¡¯ve done for past three days?¡±


    Pheriknoa began to speak. He anticipated the man to be enraged at kill him. But he didn¡¯t do as expected. Heughed it off.


    ¡°That¡¯s not much. Don¡¯t me it on yourself. It¡¯s all because of those Lukra bastards.¡±


    ¡°...Lukra?¡±


    Pheriknoa was confused. He had never heard of the name.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know their name? They¡¯re evil beings. Oh, and there¡¯s one called Drakun. They¡¯re a little better but they¡¯re all bastards.¡±


    Pheriknoa couldn¡¯t understand. The man then spoke to him.


    ¡°So... is that it? That¡¯s not too interesting. I¡¯ll tell you mine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t told this to anyone but it¡¯s better if someone remembers it. Make sure you make write a book or somethingter. I assure you that it will sell well.¡±


    Pheriknoa sighed. His memory was going to fade away soon. He would even forget that he met the man. But he didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t even have the power to do it.

 Chapter 225: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 225: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    ¡°So... my name wasn¡¯t Broxian from the beginning. Stanatiel kept on calling me Brok Sian and it kind of became my name. Well... I kept following her around to marry me, so I had to ept whatever she called me.¡±


    Brok, meaning a fool. He probably was considered a fool for following a woman for a long time.


    ¡®Broxian... who was that?¡¯


    The man was speaking non-stop but Pheriknoa couldn¡¯t remember much anymore. He was familiar with the name but he didn¡¯t know who it was. His memory was fading away quickly and he was just listening to the voice now. The man kept on speaking to him. He said things like he would get the ¡®Brok¡¯ part out of his name when he got the chance and how violent Stanatiel was, and even that wouldn¡¯t change if she came back and that he would keep refusing her if he met her again and such. Pheriknoa then spoke.


    ¡°But you still love her.¡±


    Broxian nodded.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡®Right...¡¯


    The man ranted as he spoke about the woman but Pheriknoa was able to see that he wanted to see her again so badly.


    ¡°So... that Stana... what happened to her?¡±


    Broxian spoke bitterly.


    ¡°She died. That bastard Aksarai killed her. I killed him this time but once isn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ll kill him again... even if I have to revive him.¡±


    ¡®...how can you kill a dead man?¡¯


    He didn¡¯t know who Aksarai was but it seemed like he was also a fool if this Brok was able to kill him. Pheriknoaughed and looked at Broxian.


    ¡°Well, I was going to fight him anyway. But I didn¡¯t finish it all too well yet. So, let me ask you. Do you wish to take up the responsibility for your actions? Even if it means living for thousands of years alone?


    Pheriknoa thought about Seriana. What she said to him before she died.


    <Make sure you stay alive until we meet again.>


    Pheriknoa felt eager to live again. He wanted to see Seriana again, even if she didn¡¯t remember him. He then felt the rageing back to him as he thought about Seriana and Kenorod. They had met a terrible fate because they were weak. He did not want to experience that again. He also wanted to kill those arrogant Lukras. But it seemed like the Drakuns were also a problem.


    Pheriknoa then spoke.


    ¡°Yes. If I can, I will kill them all. All those races that can be a threat to mankind. Even if it takes me thousands of years... I will wipe them out from this world. If I can¡¯t do it myself, I will see to it that I will find someone who can.¡±


    ¡®And meet my friends again.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t say hisst wishes out loud. Broxian grinned and nodded. He then stood up.


    ¡°Good. Very good.¡±


    Pheriknoa then suddenly came to his senses. He considered that the man really fit the nickname of Brok. He looked very foolish.


    But he was wrong. The man, Broxian, stood and divided the sky. The raging sea calmed in an instant. The steam and dust were all pushed away. He just stood up and the world changed around him.


    ¡®God...¡¯


    That was the only thing Pheriknoa could think of. If this man wasn¡¯t a God, then there was no one who can be considered as such. It was obvious that the man would have been a great man even within Pheriknoa¡¯s lost memories.


    Broxian then spoke to him.


    ¡°You will be held responsible for all of your actions. You will live. You will devote your life to fulfill your wish. Even if it takes hundreds or thousands of years.¡±


    Those words had stuck through Pheriknoa¡¯s fading memory, into his soul. He could not be freed from the words anymore. Even if he lost his memory.


    ¡°From this day forward, you will be called Ra-Gaope. Because of you, the race with the name of <Ra>, the D-Rakuns and Luk-Ra will die. Even if you lose your memory, you will know what to do when you hear your name.¡±


    <Gaope> The one who lives to kill and destroy. Ra-Gaope, one who lives to kill and destroy the <Ra>. The words were stuck in Pheriknoa¡¯s head.


    ¡®Ra-Gaope... Ragaope... Lagaope...¡¯


    Pheriknoa, or now Lagaope, shouted with thest bit of his memory.


    ¡°But how can I do it? I¡¯m powerless! The human race is powerless! We will be attacked by those we oppressed and die!¡±


    Broxianughed.


    ¡°Take pride. The human race is not weak. Remember that the king of the human race killed the king of Lukras and the Drakuns. This memory will help you stay on track. Remember this. If you remember my words that are deep within your spirit, you will see that what you wish for wille true.¡±


    ¡®The day where only humankind lives in thisnd.¡¯


    Lagaope then fell down. He then saw Broxian in his fading sight. Broxian was crumbling. His body was dissipating into powder. Broxian looked at Lagaope and spoke.


    ¡°It would be great if I could do it instead... but my time is up.¡±


    He had survived against the other two, but he did not win. He did kill them but it also killed him. There was a day left for Pheriknoa¡¯s memory to stay intact, but Broxian would notst that much longer either. Broxian was barely holding on to his fading self just enough to speak to Pheriknoa.


    ¡°It will not be an easy path. It will be a lonely, and painful path. I see what others can¡¯t. You should live and press on. Then... you will eventually be granted what you truly wish for.¡±


    Lagaope then thought about what he wished.


    ¡®Seriana... Kenorod...¡¯


    With thest memory, he fell. Broxian thenughed out loud.


    ¡°Hahaha! I have seeded! Lukras! Drakuns! Do not be relieved! I will let even one of your kind live while you kill my brethren! I have ripped apart your kings! And the rest of you... you will all be killed by my dagger. All of you!¡±


    The man¡¯s word spread across the world. He then faded away, leaving only Pheriknoa, who became Lagaope in his fainted state. Within the memory, Lagaope was watching. Then the memory began to flow again. It connected back to his recent memories.


    <...Where is this... who am I?>


    The man began to think about what happened. He then remembered his name.


    <Lagaope. Yeah, I¡¯m Lagaope. What was I doing here?>


    He had some memories, but he figured he lost memories because of the shock and started doing what he needed to do. The reason he didn¡¯t feel important to find his lost memory was because his body refused to think about it.


    <Right. I was studying within Aksarum...>


    He then walked into Aksarum and began studying the core, which he had been doing before the destruction. The human race was in danger. He had to study to give hope.


    ¡®...¡¯


    Looking at the memory carefully, Lagaope noted every detail. After that was exactly as he remembered it. He went back into Aksarum and obtained basic information about the Divine Nation. He had learned of Broxian¡¯s name again there. He had also acquired memory about three monsters by the result sent by the expedition team at the end. But it was all something that wasn¡¯t rted to him.


    It somehow was fortunate that he had lost his memory. Thousands of years of anger would probably be too tiring. It would have driven him mad in the end. He was only allowed to pursue his goal because he was not overwhelmed with rage.


    His lost memory also allowed him to travel across Lukra¡¯s territory toward Ra-Sian. The priest spoke as if had he met Lagaope for the first time but it was obvious that he just lied because he knew Lagaope had lost his memory.


    But the memory was now different. Lagaope now knew the reasoning behind his past actions.


    He had roamed Ra-Sian territory. His lonely days had been continued and he experimented with the monkeys. During that time, the same mankind was born within. The monkey who had born with 80% of possibility that eventually came into fruition.


    It would have been just one of the sess. Even if the monkey became such a being, it was still only a monkey. But he couldn¡¯t do that. Without his memories, Lagaope did not see why.


    <Right. He is not a monkey. He¡¯s like my child.>


    The superhuman asked Lagaope after he exined what Lagaope had done.


    <What... what should I call you? You¡¯re like a father then, right?>


    That seemed reasonable but something didn¡¯t feel right. Lagaope shook his head.


    <No. Let¡¯s be friends. Say... I¡¯ll give you a new name.>


    These savage humans did not even name themselves. Lagaope then thought long and chose a name. Name that a certain man would like.


    <Right. Broxian. Let¡¯s do Broxian.>


    The superhuman didn¡¯t seem eager.


    <Haha, it¡¯s because it¡¯s a new name.>


    Lagaope was so happy. He couldn¡¯t understand why.


    That was when Lagaope had earned a partner that will side with him for thousands of years. The Lagaope who was looking at this memory watched without any words. Then the time flowed again.

 Chapter 226: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past

    <h4>Chapter 226: Side-story- Story of the long forgotton past</h4>


    Lagaope was shocked.


    Broxian was dying. Lagaope became shocked. Broxian had been so strong that he was now even stronger than him. He should have hundreds of years left considering the regr life span of nobles in Don-Nasian. But he was dying just after he living for 300 years. Broxian answered.


    <I don¡¯t know... but I guess I lived long enough. You have other friends too so...>


    <NO WAY!>


    Lagaope shouted. He couldn¡¯t let Broxian die yet. Lagaope then stopped all of his n to create superhumans and began traveling around the world to keep Broxian alive.


    Lagaope observed the memory quietly. He remembered he had cried so hard in despair when Broxian died. He didn¡¯t understand why back then, but now he knew.


    The memory then fast forwarded to when someone came looking for Lagaope.


    <Hey, long time no see. But how are you still alive? You really live long.>


    <B-Brox...>


    <Wait. I¡¯m Conrad now. This fits me better.>


    <Hahaha!>


    <Hey! What¡¯re you doing? Don¡¯t hug me.>


    ¡®Thank God! He¡¯s back!¡¯


    Lagaope cried as his friend came back alive. Then his memory fast forwarded even faster. And now, after 4000 years. A memory stopped at a certain point.


    <Huh? Who¡¯s this? The Roman family? Why did he hide the rating?>


    Lagaope had finally met him again. He didn¡¯t know back then. But with all of his memory back, he could now see it.


    ¡®Sian, instead of Brok Sian... you fulfilled your wish.¡¯


    Sian, the man who helped Lagaope reach the end of his journey.


    ¡®Right... so this was it...¡¯


    Lagaope smiled. Then he felt a voiceing to him.


    ¡®You¡¯ve done great work. What did I say?¡¯


    Lagaope nodded. All the Lukras and Drakuns had been wiped out to itsst. He also had reunited with his friend, even if they did not remember him. His friend also fulfilled his wish. He had been named after the Great God as he wished for a slight moment.


    ¡®Wait... then...¡¯


    There was one more wish to be fulfilled. That was when the sight changed. He felt he was getting sucked faraway to somece.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Lagaope was shocked, but he closed his eyes. He then opened up and heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Look, he¡¯s back up. I told you I didn¡¯t make any mistakes.¡±


    Lagaope looked around. Conrad and Sian were standing in front of him. Sian smiled as he spoke.


    ¡°Hehe... so, how was your trip? Did you find what you wished for?¡±


    ¡®Did you find what you wished for?¡¯


    Lagaope then felt tears running down his cheek. Conrad shouted angrily at Sian.


    ¡°Hey! Look! What did you do?!¡±


    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t do anything! It¡¯s probably tears of joy!¡±


    Lagaope could not stop crying. He just considered them acquaintances he made as he traveled through. But they weren¡¯t. These people were his beginning, the end, and the purpose.


    It was now time to wait. Wait for his final wish toe true. Lagaope could now understand why he wasn¡¯t interested in women until now. He had been waiting. Even when he forgot, he had been waiting for his lover.


    But there was one big problem. Lagaope remembered Seriana¡¯sst wish she spoke before she died and looked at Sian. He then grinned and shook his head.


    ¡®I hope not.¡¯


    Lagaope rose up from the couch and approached Conrad and Sian whileughing.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay! Hahaha, stop fighting.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, What¡¯re you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    ¡°HEY! Why are you punching Lagaope again!¡±


    ¡°He hugged me! I thought it was an ambush!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Lagaope smiled as he felt his conscious fading as he got hit in the chin.


    ¡®Thank you... for everything.¡¯


    Lagaope was writing another book in his office. Conrad asked him a question.


    ¡°Hey, are you really trying to start on another book? Didn¡¯t you say that you were almost done?¡±


    ¡®What Did he see in the memory?¡¯


    As Lagaope came back from his memory, he abandoned the book at once and started working on something else. He did not answer as to what he saw in the memory so Conrad became curious and looked at the title of the book Lagaope was writing.


    ¡®<The War of Dragons and Evil>...¡¯


    Lagaope smiled.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great? It¡¯s a story about the War of Dragons and Evil.¡±


    But the content was much different.


    It was the story of a man, Broxian, who lived twice to kill the enemies of the human race. Two races, the Dragon <Drakun> and the evil <Lukra>.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too unrealistic? What kind of a person sees the future... andes back from death? And this main character is too squeamish to be a strong character.¡±


    Conrad seemed to have a lot of things to say but Lagaopeughed.


    ¡°Well, but that¡¯s what it makes it fun. A powerful man can be polite and hate to fight. He can also die for love.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve experienced it.¡±


    Lagaopeughed and went back to his book.


    It took three years for Lagaope to finish writing the book, <The War of Dragon and Evil> and it became an instant hit on the Ra-Sian Continent. Lagaope became confident so he also published his story of the book that he wrote before but it was not as popr. So he went back to writing a sequel to <The War of Dragon and Evil>.


    Then Stiel came to Lagaope to ask for money after thinking she and Sian¡¯s story was in the book but Lagaope tried to refuse to ept it by saying it was fiction. But it didn¡¯t work and he lost a lot of money to her.


    And long after that.


    After time had passed, Lagaope finally came to see hisst wish came true. He was able to realize it as soon as he saw her. What was more fortunate that even without the memory, his lover Seriana felt affection toward Lagaope.


    However, Lagaope knew that he was now facing a huge problem.


    Seriana, like others, had seeded in fulfilling herst wish.


    ¡°Dad, I need him.¡±


    ¡°Haha... HAHA. HA. HA. HA.¡±


    Sianughed as he caressed the sword that he made bybining the Golden Sword and the Silver Spear together, while he looked at his daughter speaking to him while hugging Lagaope.


    Sian sighed to calm himself down and spoke.


    ¡°Serin. Don¡¯t say that. You¡¯ll make Mister Lagaope ufortable. Besides, you¡¯re just fifteen and...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I need him!¡±


    Serin plugged her ears and shook her head violently. Then she climbed up on Lagaope¡¯s back. Sian shook his head while holding his forehead.


    ¡®She¡¯s just like her mother.¡¯


    Thus, Sian decided to go with the other option. If talking to his daughter wasn¡¯t going to work, he needed to talk to Lagaope. Lagaope was a wise man who had lived over thousands of years. Besides, he hadn¡¯t been interested in women throughout all this time. He would surely make a wise decision.


    Sian clenched his sword, sighed, and looked at Lagaope.


    ¡°Haha... say, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t agree to the foolish act of a young girl. I mean, she¡¯s my daughter, but... Yes. I agree that you¡¯re charming but... Hm? Lagaope? Hey-¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°Lagaope. If you don¡¯t say anything, Serin might get confused. You have to make it right.¡±


    Sian was asking him to be reasonable but Lagaope answered slowly.


    ¡°So, you will be my father-inw... UGH!¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU! I WILL KILL YOU!¡±


    ¡°Sian! No!¡±


    ¡°DAD! NO!¡±


    That day, the city of <Antehorun> where superhumans gathered to live, was almost destroyed and the power that surged from the city spread across the continents of Ra-Sian and Don-Nasian, scaring all the humans.


    People thenter called this day <Gade-Angera>, the day of God¡¯s wrath. They thought something had angered God that day and they chose to celebrate that day to ease God¡¯s anger.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!