《One Last System》


 Chapter 1 - Son Of Undesirable

    "It''s not there."

    I stared at the several pieces of huge paper stered all over the college''s venue. Yet, no matter how hard I looked, my name was nowhere to be seen.

    ''This is surely a mistake,'' I thought, refusing to acknowledge the reality.

    I looked over the list again. Then once more. Then for the third time. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t see something that simply wasn''t there.

    Standing in the middle of the crowd, I somehow felt like I was all alone. Neither the cheers of happiness nor the scowls of disappointment could reach my ears. Surrounded by the other candidates, I was confined to a small pocket of my personal devastation.

    I took a step back. And then another one. And then, the big letters on top of the venue came to my view.

    "Municipal College of Fine Arts and Creativity."

    Seeing it, I felt as if someone grabbed my soul, wriggled all the juices out, and then cast it aside. Stunned by the merciless reality, I turned around and left. Left the crowd of candidates and the school of my dreams behind.

    I had nowhere else to go but back home. With each step, my devastation grewrger. My walk of shame turned into a sprint as I lost myself in the sea of regret and worthlessness.

    Before I could notice, I had already reached the main hallway of the condo I lived in. And there, as if to spit in my face, a simple note hung on the elevator''s door.

    "Elevator is broken. The management is sorry for the inconvenience."

    "The world fucking hates me," I muttered, already tired from my desperation-driven dash.

    It was strange to see such a basic malfunction in this building. It didn''t fit the high-end image its owners hoped to create.

    "Haah..." I released a deep sigh before heading for the stairs. There was no use cursing the reality. I wasn''t some kind of mage or politician to change the world with my words alone.

    I reached the seventh floor when my phone suddenly vibrated. I wiped down the fat drops of sweat from my forehead before pulling it out and checking the notifications.

    ''Sigma corporation?'' I thought as my body froze. This wasn''t an entity whose message I could ignore!

    "We took notice of your great efforts and the results of your projects," I silently voiced the opening letters of the mail, only to skip the wall of text that followed. "We would like to invite you..." my reading speed slowed down as my eyes opened wide. My depression instantly turned into a thrill, one that only a kid opening a Christmas gift could experience.

    I bumped into someone. My bad, I shouldn''t climb the stairs with my head buried in my phone.

    "Sorry," I muttered, raising my head as I moved to the side. The mail on my phone was too important to waste my time arguing over a small bump. It was easier to just give way.

    And then I saw him. A man d in a ck suit with shades covering his eyes. ''What is he, some kind of undercover operative?'' I thought, amused by his outdated look.

    The weird stranger shifted in the same direction, blocking my path once again. His hand moved, as if in an attempt to smack my phone away.

    ''Seriously, what the hell?'' I thought, moving my device out of harm''s way. Was he trying to teach me a lesson by knocking the source of my distraction away? First the failed selection, then the elevator, and now that? Was this some sort ofedic skit, or was that man really set to confront me over a small bump?

    The man''s deadpan expression turned into a smirk as his entire body grew smaller. My vertigo screamed out in rm. For a moment, the world turned into a whirlpool. My vision spun around.

    Only then did I realize what actually happened. He didn''t just shove me away. This fucker pushed me down the stairway!

    Then, all the images slowed down. For a moment, I was certain it was the feeling of having one''s life sh before their eyes. But as the flow of time came to aplete stop, I was forced to realize that it wasn''t the case.

    I was stuck at a weird angle, halfway down the staircase. Unable to move my eyes, I could only stare at the ceiling several floors above.

    Then, as if someone had turned a gxy-spanning vacuum-cleaner on, all the colors condensed to the central point of my vision only to vanishpletely a secondter.

    "Those fuckers," a voice entered my ears. "I should''ve eradicated their entire race!"

    I was too stunned to even analyze what it meant.

    Was I dead? Was the overlord of lifementing over my sudden demise?

    "Damn it!" The voice sounded again before a sudden burst of light almost burned out my eyes. Yet, instead of turning sh-blind, I saw an orb of light descending upon me. "There goes all my ns." The orb of light shed a bit brighter when it produced the voice.

    Then, this ball of bright radiance turned into a human-shaped being. It was made up of light and light alone as if the orb from before simply changed shapes.

    "Where am I? What happened?" I asked, somehow realizing that I actually could speak.

    "You were about to die for real," the being announced, a smile made out of shadow appearing on where its face should be. "But fear not, I can offer you salvation."

    "No, thanks," I replied without a second of hesitation. "I can''t leave my little..."

    "Your death will actually do well for her, as wrong as it might sound," the being replied before I could even finish my words. "You see, that email you received, that job offer from the Sigmapany... It will suffice to say that they are not going to take your demise lightly."

    For a moment, I was stuck in the limbo of shock, anxiety, and powerlessness. Stuck in the same position as before, I retained only singr freedom. The freedom of thought. And I intended to make full use of it.

    "Listen, we don''t have time for that. The Sigmapany will take care of your sister once they investigate your death." The light of the being started to slowly fade away as if it was running out of energy.

    It was only a guess of mine, but I felt like I didn''t have that much time to make a choice. And between God and truth, I wasn''t really sure if I could survive the fall if I rejected that being''s offer!

    "Fine. But only if you promise to take care of my sister," I said, unwilling to give up on this single term. Without me around, she would be powerless against this vile world. Protecting her was always the prime factor behind all my actions.

    Especially given how apparently there was still some prejudice towards my people. Prejudice great enough to push some into the highest crime possible.

    "Good choice. Sadly, I won''t be able to personally see this promise through," the being said as it reverted back to the shape of a simple orb. "I need to use all my remaining power to help you out. But you need not to worry," somehow, I could feel that this strange being smiled. "Those who wille after me won''t allow your sister any harm."

    As those words reached my ears, I couldn''t help but notice that their volume quickly started to decrease.

    "I really wish I would have more time. Right now, I can''t exin anything," the voice said, filled with grief.

    The orb shed weakly as if using up thest bits of its strength.

    "I believe you will manage anyway. Good luck, and trust in the blood of God that flows in your veins. In your new world, it won''t betray you."

    The light disappeared, leaving me stranded in theplete darkness. For a long while, I could only wait for something to happen.

    I couldn''t tell how much time had passed when a single point of color appeared. It then started to quickly expand, as if someone reversed the vacuum of color, filling the world all around me with images.

    When I came to be, I was floating high above theyer of clouds. With no body to speak of, I could only adore the pristine beauty that surrounded my consciousness.

    Then I noticed something peculiar and worrying at the same time. Judging from how my point of view continued to change, I was actually falling... No, crashing towards the ground!

    The pace of my descend continued to elerate. As I cut through theyer of clouds, I noticed a vast, open area with a crowd of people filling it to the brim. They all stood in neat rows and columns, not daring to move an inch.

    My descent took only a moment. And when my vision finally returned to a human-like perspective, I saw nothing but an angry face staring right down in my eyes!

    "Don''t you dare to move a muscle!" The man shouted, appearing as if his scream could tear the tendons of his face apart. "Trash!" he added, pulling back and spitting on the ground. He then stepped away and looked over the crowd that I was in the very first row of.

    "Your test now begins!"

 Chapter 2 - Discovering The System

    I stood at the very front of a massive crowd of people. As if this was some kind of military drill, everyone appeared to be paced evenly across a vast, open za.

    But there was another group of people that didn''t abide by a single set of rules that everyone else appeared to follow.

    Their shouts broke the otherwise pristine silence of the clearing. While everyone else stood their ground with grave looks on their faces, those people walked around the area as if they owned the ce.

    But the biggest difference that set those two types of people apart was their looks.

    I couldn''t tell what I was dressed up with as I didn''t dare to move a muscle. Only by moving my eyeballs around did I realize that the people undergoing the same ordeal as me... Were wearing rags at best.

    The drillers, as I quickly came to call them, were on the opposite end of the clothing spectrum. Donning exquisite robes, they didn''t seem to mind the heat of the day.

    Right, the heat. Only once my initial shock passed did I realize how hot it was. I was in this world for a few minutes at most, yet fat beads of sweat already trickled down my forehead.

    ''Heck, what the hell am I even doing?'' I scolded myself in my thoughts. While the experience was still pretty surreal, I had no other choice but to start thinking.

    ''I think you will manage.''

    Those were the words of that strange, light-made being that summoned me to this world. In other words, it had trust in my abilities. It believed I was well equipped to settle in this world.

    That''s why, without even a second of hesitation, I focused on what I could do best.

    I started thinking.

    Tic.

    I felt something at the very edge of my perception. It was like the sound of a fly''s wings. Not noticeable when one was focused on something else and extremely annoying once noticed.

    ''Is this some sort of trial?'' I thought, forcing my mind back on the track.

    I was sent to another world. That alone bore a hint that all the other cliches of situations like that would apply.

    ''System start!'' I shouted in my mind while taking care not to let this reflect on my face.

    ''Boot up!'' I made another attempt. ''Status on!'' I continued shouting all kinds of random words that could somehow awaken my blessing.

    After all, that light-made being mentioned, it would use all its power to help me out. Surely, that didn''t mean just letting my consciousness survive the transmigration alone, right?

    I couldn''t tell how much time passed when I finally gave up on my attempts. Notpletely, obviously. Years of coding and fixing RPG systems of my creation taught me patience, if not anything else.

    I simply noticed something that would not be possible back on earth. The already hot day turned into a total ze. The sun continued to climb higher and higher in the sky. With nothing to shield me or anyone else in the crowd from its relentless rays, it was only a matter of time before the first cases of heatstroke would appear.

    What''s more, the temperature growth didn''t seem normal either. I could ept that another world would have higher tolerable degrees of heat, but it was rising way too fast for it to make any physical sense!

    ''Wait, I cannot think like that,'' I thought, forcibly pushing this disbelief aside. ''This is another world, god damn it! Who said the physics of it will work the same way?''

    Thump.

    A dull sound announced that someone had failed to withstand the heat.

    Contrary to their earlier attitude, the drillers didn''t shout. They simply approached the body, and judging from the sounds, dragged the poor fellow away.

    ''Fuck, I cannot get distra...''

    Tic.

    I barely managed to avoid snapping at this feeling. Just as I hoped to regain my focus, it threw my thoughts into disarray.

    ''I need to focus,'' I told myself, forcing my agitation down. Whatever this feeling was, it could either serve as training to my mental resilience or a pitfall that would bring the attention of drillers to me.

    Tic.

    This time, I didn''t allow this annoying feeling to take the better of me. The instance it passed, my thoughts returned to what I considered my most important task.

    ''Powers, manifest!''

    ''Heritage,e forth!''

    ''God''s bloodline!''

    ''Summon the God''s bloodline!''

    The more I tried, the harder it became toe up with new words. Was I doing something wrong? Or maybe the call necessary to awaken my powers had to be even moreplex?

    Or maybe, I was simply trying too hard?

    Thinking about this, working hard was the one thing I could always take pride in. Not that I liked it, but the need to take care of my sister gave me the impetus to push through the boredom and hardships alike.

    So maybe actually going for simplicity was the key? That being from before told me to trust in my bloodline after all...

    ''Bloodline!'' I shouted internally.

    Tic.

    ''System!''

    Suddenly, my vision changed.

    I could still see the world in front of me. The open in just ahead and a magnificent chain of mountains far off in the distance were still visible. But now, three semi-transparent windows suddenly emerged.

    Thump.

    Another person fell. Distracted by the sound, I allowed the windows to disappear before I could actually read through their rich content.

    ''Tsk,'' I clicked my tongue only to put my straight face right back on. The little sound I made instantly attracted the sight of the nearby driller.

    Thankfully, after looking at me for a moment, his eyes moved over. I was safe for now.

    ''System,'' I called again, this time not allowing the appearance of the windows to startle me.

    Tic.

    Thump.

    Ignoring the background noises of the world, I focused on the window''s content.

    From the left, a window marked as ''Body Status'' appeared.

    BODY STATUS

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fiansky) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Exhausted

    - Hidden Status: Mentally exhausted

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    ''So I''m Arthur now?'' I thought, barely stopping myself from clicking my tongue again. Fiansky was my surname back on earth, one that allegedly came from some kind of ancient nobility.

    Not like I cared much about that. Actually, it was the second surname, the one gifted to me by my current world, that drew my attention.

    ''Pendragon?'' I thought, feeling how a massive part of my mental strength evaporated. ''Are you for real? What am I now, some kind of hero from the founding legends?''

    I didn''t linger on this information for long. The first rule of programming or creating RPG games was simple. I actually learned it all the way back in the math ss of my primary school. And it was to always take stock of the entire picture first.

    Moving my eyes over to the second window, located right in the middle of my view, I read through its content.

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:7/100

    - Willpower:10/100

    Body Purification:0/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:0/100

    - Flesh purification:0/100

    - Bone purification:0/100

    - Innards purification:0/100

    - Core purification:0/100

    }

    ***

    Finally, I could feel the tingle of excitement. I didn''t need to understand what ''Innards Purification'' actually meant. The fact that it was portrayed with an actual progress counter meant that I would sooner orter figure it out.

    But more importantly, I could actually track my progress now!

    Whatever that progress would turn out to be.

    ''I guess I will have to move over from mental exercise to the physical one, huh?'' I thought. That was the one thing I managed to make out of the entire thing.

    But I didn''t linger on this window either. I moved my eyes over to the next panel, one stuck to the right side of my vision.

    Tic.

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

    It was empty. As empty as a window one could find in a building, not in a game. But thisck of information inside the window itself didn''t mean it was useless.

    Because the name of that window itself taught me quite a lot.

    ''So I should expect some missions toe my way.'' I made a mental note of the fact before distancing my consciousness and taking a look at all the windows at once.

    Tic.

    This time, this annoying feeling was followed by a series of thumps. I failed to count how many times did I hear someone fall to the ground. Yet, as I thought about it, I realized that the heat...

    No, it could no longer be called a heat. The temperature made me feel like some kind of massive weight pulled my entire body down. As if the gravity itself increased under the influence of the scorching sound.

    But I couldn''t care any less about it, as I noticed something of immense importance.

    Tic.

    The number within the middle window of my status jumped up by one.

    Now, I finally learned what this annoying ticking was all about!

    Over thest three tics, my endurance jumped from seven to ten!

    What it meant, though, I had yet to discover.

    *******

    [FULL STATUS]

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: tired

    - Hidden Status: Shocked

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:10/100

    - Willpower:10/100

    Body Purification:0/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:0/100

    - Flesh purification:0/100

    - Bone purification:0/100

    - Innards purification:0/100

    - Core purification:0/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

 Chapter 3 - urance Test

    The teststed for far longer than I could ever imagine.

    My first guess was that it couldst for half an hour or an hour at most. That was the general limit of what a human could handle in the reality of the test. But as seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours, I discovered that it was no longer the case.

    I had no way of measuring the time, despite how much I wished for it. I didn''t know if the sun traversed the skydome at the same rate as back on earth. Even then, without knowing the general position on the and the current season, judging the time by the sun''s position would be meaningless.

    ording to my guess, at least an hour passed before I felt the first signs of tiredness. Normally, such a feat would make me proud... But I wasn''t in my body, to begin with.

    As such, there was no reason for me to feel any sense of aplishment. With no effort from my side, I couldn''t rejoice in its fruits.

    To be perfectly honest, the only reason why I noticed the change in my body... Was because my ''tired'' status changed to ''fatigued.''

    Yet, there was one thing that I could enjoy during those long hours. And it was the ticking that initially annoyed me.

    Sure, this feeling quickly got old as I grew used to it. Yet, for as little as I cared for it in my current state, every tick meant my endurance status going up by a point.

    Not like I could figure out what good did it do without any further testing, something that I had no way of doing while stuck doing absolutely nothing.

    In thest few hours, outside of the ticking feeling, only one type of sound would make its way to the za. It was the sound of the other candidates reaching their limit and falling to the ground.

    ''They all seem to really care about this test,'' I thought when I noticed my nearest partner in the torture losing his consciousness and copsing. ''Not a single one of them uttered a word of protest,'' I realized.

    Tic!

    Used to the feeling of something snapping inside me, I nced over my status page. But this time, it wasn''t my endurance that went up by a point, but actually my willpower and by five points at a time at once!

    ''Was it from this realization?'' I thought, keen to analyze new phenomena.

    Sadly, when the next tick came, its effects reverted to what they used to be.

    I couldn''t tell how much time had passed, but it was something I could ept. After all, tracking it was nearly impossible in my situation. Nearly, because I could theoretically count each second... But there was one thing that I couldn''t forgive myself for ignoring.

    And it was the number of times I heard someone failing the test.

    Not like I could manage to do that either. And even if, unaware of how many candidates stood on the za in the first ce, knowing how many of them copsed would be meaningless.

    ''Should I just give up?'' I thought when my endurance reached sixty. Somewhere along the line, my willpower grew to the astonishing twenty points. Yet, at the mere appearance of my thought, it fell down by a point.

    ''I mean, the drillers looked satisfied with thest few people they brought out,'' I thought. ''I think they also changed where they are bringing them.''

    That was the limit of what I could observe. Happy faces and different direction to where they dragged the lifeless bodies of teenage candidates away.

    Looking at it, it could only mean that reaching as far into the test as I already did was enough, right?

    I couldn''t tell whether this was an actual analysis or just wishful thinking. But without a doubt, I was nearing my limit as well.

    ''I will wait for three candidates more to...''

    Just as I came to a decision, a series of four thumps followed.

    ''This world really likes to y with my feelings, doesn''t it?'' I thought, biting my lips in frustration. But at the same time, I could feel a wave of satisfaction washing over my soul.

    Suddenly, my status changed. At first, my willpower surged down, reaching the daily''s bottom of eight. Then, as if in a chain reaction, my ''fatigued'' status changed to ''exhausted,'' only to turn into ''wasted'' a mere momentter.

    I finally felt just how spent I was. My skin was dried up like a fish on a sunny beach. My lips parched, seemingly never to recover again. My head spun, and once again, the world danced around me as my vision failed.

    ''Did I just fail?'' I thought as my knees turned weak, no longer able to support the weight of my body.

    With onest nce, I could see how my endurance reached the all-time high of sixty-two. Sadly, this was the limit of how far I could push it for now.

    I didn''t even feel when my head struck the ground. Freed from the burden of the immense tiredness, I fell unconscious while copsing.

    *********

    [FULL STATUS]

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Unconscious

    - Hidden Status: Mentally exhausted

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:62/100

    - Willpower:9/100

    Body Purification:0/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:0/100

    - Flesh purification:0/100

    - Bone purification:0/100

    - Innards purification:0/100

    - Core purification:0/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

 Chapter 4 - Waking Up... In A Bed?

    I slowly pried my eyes open. Still drowsy from my slumber, I had to take a moment to digest what I was even looking at.

    The roof acted like a surface of the water when watched from below. As in, it wasn''t a solid piece of architecture but some kind of material instead.

    ''Where am I?'' This was the first question that my drowsy mind managed toe up with. ''What happened?''

    Pushing my head to the side, I saw a huge number of beds stacked evenly through the interior of this strange ce. Noticing that rather than walls, it was surrounded with the same kind of cloth that made up the roof, I realized that this entire ce was actually some massive tent.

    Wait, beds?

    Startled by the realization, I finally realized that I wasn''t thrown in a ditch but was resting on a in butfortable bed.

    ''I think it''s safe to say I passed the test, then.'' This realization allowed me to finally rx a little. Strangely enough, I was well-rested. There was no sign of negative repercussions from standing under a scorching sun for several hours without as much as a sip of water.

    ''Status,'' I called forth, hoping that the in ol'' numbers would help me make a bit more out of my situation.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Rested

    - Hidden Status: Confused

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:54/100

    - Willpower:13/100

    Body Purification:0/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:0/100

    - Flesh purification:0/100

    - Bone purification:0/100

    - Innards purification:0/100

    - Core purification:0/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

    I breathed a sigh of relief. Given the status data, my rejuvenated body wasn''t an effect of some kind of psychoactive drug but a result of actual rest.

    ''My endurance fell while my willpower grew a little,'' I noticed,paring the numbers to what I could recall from before the copse.

    Finally, I could make some sense of what those numbers meant.

    Resting my body properly clearly served as a bucket of cold water sshed on my red-hot endurance. I was quite surprised that it didn''t fall all the way down to zero. Yet, faced with the facts, I could either deny them or take them at face value.

    Suffice to say, I wasn''t one to throw away the reality when I didn''t like it.

    ''Still, this willpower part is quite interesting,'' I thought, staring down at the number thirteen for an extended period of time. It was higher than when I copsed by an entire four points. Was it an effect of getting proper rest?

    "You are awake," someone said in a calm voice. I ditched the system status away only to realize that a middle-ageddy stood right beside my bed with a curious look on her wrinkle-covered face.

    "I am," I replied, unsure what the hell did she want with me. While I was quite eager to assume her clear, white robes as a sign of her profession, I ultimately decided not to. Who knew if this world marked its medics just like earth did?

    "Good. I need to do some tests, please, do not resist," the woman said in a monotone voice betraying just how bored she was with her job. She reached forth and grabbed my hand. She set it up perpendicr to the bed before tightening her fingers on the inner side of my wrist.

    I watched in silence how the woman closed her eyes. At the same time, a weird feeling started to well up somewhere in my abdomen.

    For a moment, panic took over my mind. Was I getting aroused by just this little touch? But as I focused on this feeling, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

    This strange feeling was only simr to one''s lust awakening, but it wasn''t the same.

    ''At least I didn''t get a cursed body like that,'' I thought, recalling several misadventures I suffered through back on earth in my earlier years.

    "You are well-rested and calm," the woman said as she threw me a slightly surprised look.

    "Is something wrong?"

    "No, no," she shook her head, "you just don''t see people act so stoic often," she added before gracing me with a small smile.

    At the very least, it seemed I managed to break her boredom a bit... Even if I had no idea how did I achieve that.

    "Now then, what would you like to do first, ve picking or training?"

 Chapter 5 - Skyladder Sect

    "Huh?" That was the only response I managed toe up with on the spot.

    ves? Are you for real? Like, for real?

    I had to use all of my avable willpower to keep my expression still. Yet, I couldn''t ask for an exnation. All for the same reason.

    This question had a chance to be something that everyone knew the answer for. But, as a foreigner to this world, I didn''t know what the localmon sense was. In fact, I didn''t know if the world ''ve'' had the same meaning that it had back on earth, even if that wasn''t likely to be the case.

    A popr saying of my people imed that who asks doesn''t wander off. By reversing it without asking, I was likely to stray away. But how could I ask about something when a question bore a chance of revealing my dubious origins?

    "What do you think I should do?" I asked, moving my eyes from the woman''s face to the ceiling fluttering on the wind. While she imed that I was okay, I realized that I could make use of one piece of information that my system provided.

    ording to the system, my hidden status was set on ''confused.'' But what I actually cared about... was that it was a HIDDEN status. Meaning, there was a huge chance that this woman couldn''t tell that easily whether I was confused or not.

    "I cannot answer that question," she said, breaking down my hopes. Only with the utmost effort did I manage to keep my eyes on the ceiling. The urge to check her face out was that strong.

    ''Still... very?'' I thought, trying my best toe with some sort of valid answer. ''Whether I need to get some ves or not, I don''t know. But while I don''t know, let''s just put it aside,'' I thought.

    For some, the prospect of getting ves might sound awesome. After all, who could resist the idea of having someone do everything that one found annoying in their life? Assuming that other candidates were of the same age as me, they were bound to wish for some cute ve to nail down.

    But the mere thought of keeping a ve almost made me vomit. Not physically, that would be an exaggeration. I couldn''t stomach the idea for a simple reason. And it was likely the same reason why that strange man in ck clothes was so eager to kill me back on earth.

    Because my nation was turned into ves for so long that others couldn''t ept the reality in any other way.

    "I will go train," I gave my reply, trying my best not to spit those words with disgust.

    "Is this your final decision?" Out of nowhere, a new voice appeared. This time though, it wasn''t as mellow but coarse instead.

    Turning my head around, I saw a man in blue robes approaching my bed. His face was perfectly still as if his mind was somewhere else. With his hand locked behind his back, he had a certain aura of sage around himself, one that almost made me want to drop down to my knees and submit to him.

    I swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. Whatever he wanted to achieve with his question wasn''t going to make me abandon my morals.

    "Yes, sir," I replied, using a formal manner of speech without even noticing it. Was it the aura of the man that made me do it? Or the fact that his robes were exactly the same as what the drillers wore during the test day?

    "What a curious young man you are." The man suddenly smiled, taking me by surprise. That wasn''t the way I expected him to behave. It was nothing like the drillers from before.

    Or maybe I was wrong? Maybe those clothes didn''t denote what kind of role he served in this curious yet strange ce? Maybe they simply meant that he belonged to some kind of group instead?

    So many questions, yet not a single answer.

    "Come with me," the man said, keeping his smile on his lips. He then turned around and stepped away, only to nce back at me a momentter. "What are you waiting for?" he asked. "I can see that you are well-rested already. Don''t waste the potential that you endured so much to harness!"

    I shook my head and stood up from the bed. While I was still confused about everything that was going on, for now, following a local seemed to be the best idea.

    Just to be sure, I threw a quick nce at the middle-aged woman that checked my health, hoping that she would give me some hints on how to act... Only to realize that she had already left for another bed.

    ''Well, it won''t hurt to find out more,'' I thought, shaking my head again and following after the man.

    In just a few steps, we exited the tent. From the outside, it turned out to be even bigger than I thought it was. But whenpared to everything else, it appeared as the least significant ce in the entire area.

    "Beautiful..." I involuntarily muttered, stunned by the beauty of the ce.

    I stood at the very bottom of what I could only call a terrace garden of gods. It consisted of a huge in on which I stood, surrounded from three sides by massive tforms, seemingly carved out in the mountain itself.

    ''The amount of work it had to take to create something like this...'' I thought, awed by the impossible sight.

    "Come on," the man in blue robes urged me, although a small smirk on his lips proved that he was perfectly aware of what was going through my head. "You will get to adore the view all you want, but now, it''s time to train! Oh, and one more thing," the man said, taking two steps away before turning facefirst towards me and spreading his arms.

    "Wee to the Skdder Sect!"

 Chapter 6 - Training Pillar

    "First of all, congrattions for reaching the twenty-first spot," the man said as he continued to lead me deeper and deeper into the beautiful garden. "While it''s a pity you didn''t oust candidates more, as long as you work hard and be diligent, you won''t have to worry about anything in here," he said.

    ''Yeah, if only I knew that reaching neen or lower spot would do me any good and if I knew what my position was, maybe I would try tost longer,'' I thought.

    "Here," the man pointed his hand at a small gate. The area behind it was fenced all over, but even this barrier couldn''t hide the lush greenery on its other side. "Remember this ce well, as this will be where you will spend most of your time from now on," he said.

    "Sir?" I asked, hoping to get a bit more exnation.

    "It''s not, sir. It''s senior brother," the man corrected. "But when we are by ourselves, you can simply call me Terio," he added. "Right, I don''t think I know your name yet," Terio said with a kind smile.

    "I''m Arthur," I replied while trying not to cringe about the naming sense of this world.

    "Arthur�� what?" Terio asked, ncing at me with the corner of his eyes.

    "Senior, my family name is a matter I swore not to disclose," I replied.

    There was no way I would reveal such a mighty-sounding name. I did my best not to attract too much attention to myself, and I was going to keep at it. Even if my second name had absolutely no meaning in this world, I was set on keeping it to myself.

    "So be it," Terio replied as he pushed the gate of a lush garden open. He didn''t allow me any rest to adore the ce, pulling me deeper and deeper inside instead. "Here," he finally said as he stopped behind a smaller gate, one that I could open with a simple push of my hand. What''s more, there was no lock on it whatsoever, making me doubt the aim of setting such a gate in the first ce.

    "Senior�� What is this ce?" I asked, set on learning some basics about this world.

    "Your private garden. Whenever you feel like training, even if only for a bit, you must do it here," Terio warned me. "If you are ever found out training in the dormitory, no achievement nor a favor will stop you from bing a ve, just like those who failed the test."

    "Right," I said, pretending to suddenly recall the point. "What was this question back at the tent all about? Whether I want to train or pick a ve?"

    "Let''s keep it forter," he said, throwing me a weird look.

    It seemed that I stepped on some kind of andmine here.

    With this failure, I decided to keep my tongue behind my teeth, even if only for a moment. Pressing for answers now would only reveal how desperate I was to get them.

    Following my senior brother into my private garden, I couldn''t help but feel my mood sour. It wasn''t like it was dirty or unkempt. It simply paled inparison to how beautiful the rest of the ce was.

    "Here," Terio pointed his hand at a simple, stone pir erected in the very middle of the small clearing of my garden. Given the meandering path leading to this open space, I had no way of noticing it before. "From now, you need to keep hitting it. With all your strength, with half of your strength, even just patting it will do," he said with a smile.

    "Excuse me?"

    "Don''t give me that look," Terioughed out at the sight of my confusion. "Well, I had the same kind of face when I heard it for the first time," he added as he moved towards the pir and ced his hand on it. "You know, this isn''t your average stone, but for now, that''s all you need to know. Soe on, try it out!"

    As lost as I was, the order was simple. To hit the stone. I saw no point in doing that but humoring the man could potentially score me some brownie points with him.

    "Yes, senior brother," I said, quickly adapting to this weird way of referring to the man.

    As I approached the stone, I couldn''t help but take a moment to look at it. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t spot a single thing that would break my belief that it was just a simple stone!

    "Come on, what are you waiting for?" Terio asked, a small tone of dissatisfaction appearing in his voice.

    "Yes!"

    I ced my hand on the stone before increasing my distance as much as I could without breaking the contact. I reached the optimal distance and took a stance before tightening my hand into a fist and throwing a punch.

    ''FUCK!'' I cursed in my mind to add to my courage. Even though this was another world, I found it hard to senselessly m my fist into a hard stone just like that.

    ''Huh?''

    I felt no pain. I surely struck the stone with enough force to turn my fists into a bloody mess�� But I felt no pain at all!

    Tic.

    The famry annoying sensation coursed through my mind. This was the ''notification'' of sorts of a positive change to the numbers of my status!

    "See?" Terio asked while raising the corners of his mouth in a satisfied smile. "It''s not that hard!"

    I couldn''t help but smile myself when I saw how cheerful this man was. For a moment, he certainly didn''t look his age. It was the greatest proof that happiness made one younger.

    "Wait," my senior brother''s smile quickly disappeared, reced by a look of dissatisfaction. "What did you stop for?" he asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

    "Senior�� This humble junior apologizes," I replied, not holding my humility back. "If you will allow me just one question��."

    "Speak."

    "How long am I supposed to keep hitting that stone?"

    "It''s simple," Terio said as his face finally rxed back, only for a vicious smile to appear on his lips. "For as long as you can move your arms!"

 Chapter 7 - Bloodied Knuckles

    "One!"

    Hit.

    "More!"

    Hit.

    "Time!"

    Hit.

    When thest attack from the series struck the stones, I allowed my arms to just hang down by my side. It was at least a few hours since Terio left me all alone in the clearing. He imed he woulde back soon, but I was starting to believe that it was all a scam.

    ''Maybe it''s some kind of bullying?'' I thought, falling down on my bottom. The soft grass of the garden hampered my fall like some kind of a divine pillow. ''Well, it''s not like I''m not enjoying this.''

    Ever since my senior brother left, I managed to confirm a few things.

    Every hit against the stone would contribute to the growth of my body''s purification number. From the looks of things, it didn''t matter whether I used all my force for the attack or, just like Terio suggested, simply patted the stone on its�� well, on any side of it.

    But there was one massive difference between using all my strength and just pretending to train. For a light hit, only the skin purification statistic would be affected. When I used all my strength, focused all my mind on executing a perfect strike, literally put all of myself into it, all five of the body purification elements would raise!

    "Maybe that''s their way of duping newbies in?" I muttered, realizing where the problemy.

    The most important factor of this varied depth of training was that all types of purification�� were disconnected.

    Due to how hard it was to maintain a perfect focus with every hit, my core purification significantlygged behind. Right now, I managed to reach forty-three points in both skin and flesh purification, forty points in bone purification, twenty-eight in innards, and only nine in core purification.

    What''s more, the higher the status became, the harder it was to raise it even further. Thankfully, it was easy to keep up with the demand, as I managed to figure out the precise form behind my growth.

    For every level of purification, one had to strike the stone the corresponding amount of times. That''s why, in order to raise my core purification to the tenth level, I had to smash that damned pir nine times.

    It only sounded pretty easy on paper, as repeating the same, perfect strike over and over again wasn''t something that I was capable of doing. If it was about figuring out the patterns, it was easy. Sadly, physical education was the subject I was pretty bad at, making it hard to keep up.

    But there was one good thing that was crucial to understanding the form. It appeared that both my willpower and my endurance affected the growth rate of everything else. On this point, I could only guess, but it seemed like every point of willpower increased my training efficiency by ten percent. On that note, I have yet to figure out the effects of endurance, although I was quite sure that its current level doubled the results of my training.

    "End of the break," I muttered, rising from the ground and taking the position against the stone once again. Even though I continued to hit it for just a few hours by now, I could feel how each strike turned better, requiring less effort.

    I had no idea whether I was simply learning how to punch someone''s lights out or if it was the effect of slowly purifying my body.

    Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

    Alternating my hands, I continued to smash against the stone. Thinking about this, I recalled that striking it for the first time didn''t cause any pain. Recalling that recent memory made me quite confused as to whether I shouldugh at my stupidity or cry because of it.

    Right now, my fists were a bloody mess. There was hardly any skin left on my knuckles. There were even times when my blood would make my attacks slip on the stone, fucking my stance and messing with my focus.

    Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

    Strike with the right, follow with the left. Strike with the right, follow with the left.

    This was the simplest possible training I could imagine. I had no idea how in the world striking a pir would purify my body. Yet, who I was to questing it? Just a foreigner to this world, desperately trying to make some sense of it.

    Hit. Hit. Tic. Hit. Hit. Tic.

    I felt either my endurance or my willpower raising. Or maybe it was the purification level? Frankly speaking, I couldn''t dare less. Whichever that was, I still had a long way to go. And with how Terio was still nowhere to be seen, I didn''t really have anything better to do than to continue my training.

    Hit. Hit. Hic�� A sudden hup broke my momentum and immersion.

    I looked down at my hands only to realize that they were fully covered in my own blood. As soon as I took notice, a wave of pain suddenly overwhelmed my mind.

    ''Did my focus dull the pain?'' I thought as I fell down on my ass. For some reason, seeing my hands all bloody like that made my motivation vanish.

    Yeah, seeing the numbers of my status rise was nice and pushed me to see them increase even further�� But I couldn''t forget that it wasn''t some kind of game. Here, in the real world, grinding numbers had their own repercussions.

    "Just what am I doing," I whispered. I couldn''t even hide my face in my palms due to how bloody they were. ''I guess changing the world doesn''t change how the people are,'' I thought, finally epting the fact that I was bullied. If that was not the case, why would my so-called ''senior brother'' leave me to train to the point where any further use of my hands could cause permanent damage to them?

    For a moment, I could do nothing but breathe heavily while trying to ignore the stinging itch of my exposed and mistreated flesh.

    ''Status,'' I muttered under my nose, seeking refuge in the increased numbers. But just as the windows appeared before my eyes, I finally heard footsteps.

    "ARTHUR!" Terio screamed in panic, jumping into the clearing. The distress on his face and fat drops of sweat trickling down his forehead told me that something had happened. "The fuck is wrong with you?!" he screamed out before his eyes moved on my hands. "For the love of heavens, why did you train so hard?" he asked in a devastated voice, falling to his knees and reaching to his pockets.

    He whipped out some kind of bottle, bit on the cork that enclosed it only to ssh its content all over my bloodied hands.

    ''FUCK!" I screamed out in pain, unprepared for its sudden explosion. "What was that for?!" shaken off from my daze, I looked at my vicious senior brother with fury.

    "Keep them still," he ordered in a stern voice, wrapping some kind of delicate cloth around my bloodied knuckles. "Why did you train so hard? Just why?" he asked, clearly trying to shift the me for his ownteness on me.

    "You told me to train until youe back," I replied, oozing the words through my tightened teeth.

    "What?" Terio looked at me, shocked all over. "Don''t you know that it''s impossible to enter a private garden while someone is training inside?"

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Exhausted

    - Hidden Status: Mentally exhausted

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:58/100

    - Willpower:15/100

    Body Purification:180/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:47/100

    - Flesh purification:47/100

    - Bone purification:43/100

    - Innards purification:32/100

    - Core purification:11/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

 Chapter 8 - System Override

    "How could you not know this?" Terio asked this question with his voice breaking, proving just how distressed he was by the situation.

    ''So it was actually my fault?'' I couldn''t help but shudder when this thought appeared in my mind. How damn convenient to me the situation on its victim! It wasn''t as if anyone told me how the gate worked in the first ce, then how could I be expected to know it?

    -Conflict Detected. System Override-

    I lost control over my body. As if I returned to the same soul-like state that I initially descended upon this world at, I could now only watch the proceedings.

    "I was thrown in a ditch, considered dead. My family was massacred by my brother at the orders of my uncle. Sorry, but I found it hard to focus on the debriefing!"

    -System Override Concluded-

    Power returned to my body as I once again could move about the ce. Yet, just like when this happened for the first time, I was in a state of a temporary shock. Only because of this effect I managed to keep my expression consistent.

    "Oh��" Terio gasped for air before turning silent. His face turned still, but I could see in his eyes how conflicted he felt right now.

    "Forget it," I said, using one of the few skills I could actually take pride in. "It wasn''t your fault, nor were you involved in that matter. I''m sorry for burthening you with the truth, senior brother," I said, keeping my tone between angry and apoplectic vibe.

    "I-I don''t know what to say��."

    "Then let''s just drop this matter altogether," I said, giving Terio an easy way out. In the end, I was just as clueless about what just happened as he was. I never knew the history of this body of mine, although I could start piecing it together now.

    "Let''s do that," Terio said, releasing a deep sigh. "For now, we need to take you to the infirmary. You can decide on your ves out there," he said before grabbing me under my arms and lifting me up.

    "I can walk on my own; it''s not like I tried�� kicking��." I couldn''t help but feel like facepalming myself. The main reason why my hands were in such a sorry state was thepleteck of rest. Maybe in this world, if I took some breaks between the training, maybe they would end up all right.

    And given how apparently the training was all about hitting the stone pir, what difference would it be if I were to hit it with my legs instead?

    "Are you interested in leg training as well?" Terio asked only to shake his head a momentter. "No, for now, off to the infirmary we go."

    This time, I had no chance to even protest. With my senior brother holding my arms so that my hands would remain in the air, we walked out of the garden. However, the moment we passed through the main gate, I noticed that we used a different exit than the one we entered this ce with.

    "What is this ce?" I asked, unable to hold back my awe. The sights I saw before were insanely beautiful, yeah, but even those images faded whenpared to what stood right behind my eyes.

    "This, my dear junior, is the real face of the Skdder sect," Terio said, troubled to lift the corner of his mouth even by a little. It was clear that he was still troubled by the state of my hands.

    ''And here I thought he was out to bully me.'' I couldn''t help but criticize myself with regard to that point. ''Maybe I am just too used to this kind of treatment?'' I asked the question, yet nobody had ess to my mind to answer it for me.

    I was no stranger to bullying. In fact, I would rather call myself a pro of being a victim. Given my heritage, I was the prime target for all the undervalued kids in the school. I allowed their actions to get to me back in the prime school, giving them great entertainment in return. This unfair transaction, though, didn''t take ce in middle and high school.

    Because I learned that everyone loved to bully me, not because I was an easy target. The reason for it was that the heritage they hated so much actually instilled fear in their hearts.

    ''That''s all in the past,'' Imented on my own reminiscence, all the while silently following Terio through wide streets.

    On both sides, masterpieces of architecture rose to the skies, seemingly disobeying the physicalws that I was aware of. Yet, those structures somehow managed to be grand yet delicate at the same time.

    If my heritage instilled fear in others back on earth, I could already see how it would inspire awe in my new life.

    And then, we finally reached the infirmary.

 Chapter 9 - Mia

    "Dear heavens, just what did he do?" A youngdy appearing to be in the middle of her twenties asked as she covered her lips with her hand in shock.

    "Overtrained himself. He kept training for hours to no end, not realizing I couldn''t enter unless he would stop," Terio replied. He then averted his eyes under the scrutinous look of the female.

    "Huh?" Thedy almost jumped in shock. "How could he not know?" she asked before turning her beautiful, blue eyes on me.

    To say that I felt ufortable under the scrutiny of such a beautiful woman would be an understatement. But as I was stuck to the bed with my hands already locked in some kind of handcuff-like device, there was nothing I could do about it.

    "Let''s say that his circumstances�� exin that," Terio replied, sending me a nce as if he wanted to check whether he dismissed the topic correctly.

    How considerate.

    "Anyway," the woman said before throwing yet another look at my face. "Any further training is out of the question for the rest of today and tomorrow," she said before squinting her eyes, "at the very least, that is."

    "I-I understand." My reply was that of a humbled kid, one that knew how much he misbehaved and was just happy to get away with just a small punishment.

    The truth was, though, that I couldn''t be any happier. One and a half-day spent in peace? Even if that would mean losing the edge I gained by working so hard, there was a huge chance that I would learn just enough about this world to stop making grave mistakes. After all, there was only so far that this story about not listening on the debriefing could take me.

    "As for you��." the woman looked at Terio, only to shake her head and raise her hand, sending a small nudge to my senior brother''s forehead. "Don''t let this kid wander off anywhere. I know this kind of desperate," she said, only to send me another nce. This time, it was filled with pity and�� and what? I couldn''t really tell. But I was damn sure that there was some kind of feeling hidden deep in those blue eyes of hers.

    "Right, Mia!" the woman shouted before sping her hands.

    "I''ming!" some girl replied in an impossibly melodic voice, only to appear with a heavy breath by the side of the medic the momentter. "What should I do?" she asked, throwing the long streaks of her tinum-white hair away.

    "Since he managed to overtrain so quickly, he didn''t get to choose a ve yet, right?" the medic asked, sending Terio a quick look.

    "You don''t mean to��."

    "Just answer the question!"

    "Y-yeah��" Terio quickly proved that despite his outgoing attitude, he was nothing more than a simple beta male when it came to interacting with women.

    "Good," the woman said before her eyes once againid down on me. "Would you like to�� Or actually, never mind. Let me check something for a moment," she said before turning around and leaving.

    ''Just what the hell was that?'' I thought, confused by what was going on. The situation clearly implied that this Mia girl was about to be dumped on me as a ve. That''s what I could read from what was said and what happened in thest few moments. And while there was a chance I was terribly mistaken, I honestly doubted it.

    I felt slightly curious and raised my eyes at the girl in question.

    ''Mia,'' I thought, spelling out her name in my thoughts as I finally got to see her.

    There was no denying that her hair was her most striking feature. But underneath her shy expression, an actual cutie was hidden.

    She had big, green eyes hidden under a set of long eyshes. Her face was perfectly proportional, making her look like an actual kid, something that the clearly marked curves of her body denied.

    Our eyes met.

    ''Shuck,'' I almost jumped out in surprise, not expecting the power hiding behind those big eyes of her. I averted my eyes and swallowed a gulp of saliva. Even when taking my earthy experiences into ount, I had close to no experience with women.

    The only real interaction I had with the members of the opposite gender was when I shut down a gang of bullies in the middle school, exposing their real colors to the entire school. Other than that, only my little sister could apply to that category, yet I never saw her as anyone but a cute little bun that I had and wanted to take care of and protect.

    Involuntarily, I sent Mia another nce. Not at her body, one that was to kill for, but at her face. And to my surprise, her cheeks were already all read, and her eyes glued to the floor, proving that she was far shyer than I initially expected.

    "I''m back," the medic from before returned with a strange, blue crystal in her hand. Her heavy breath proved that she took no breaks while rushing to get it. "Now, show me your palm," she ordered, throwing me a look that said the refusal was out of the option.

    "Yes��'' I said, turning my hands around within the limited scope of movement that I had with those strange handcuffs on.

    ''Is she going to check my progress?'' I thought when I suddenly realized that ever since I lost my cool back at the garden, I have yet to check my status even once.

    ''Status,'' I called forth, and my system answered.

    As I looked over the numbers, I felt the medic insert something in my palm. Looking down through the screens, I saw her put a single finger of hers on the bluestone as well.

    For a moment, nothing changed. Then, the stone gently shed once.

    "How��" the female medic uttered in shock, only to snatch the stone out of my hand and throw it on the floor. Then, without even a shred of hesitation, she stomped on it with her heel, causing it to shatter.

    "Is it that bad?" Terio asked, clearly figuring something out from the woman''s action.

    "No, there is not," she replied before her eyes once again hung on my face. "What''s your name?"

    "Arthur��?" I replied, not really sure what was going on. Did I fucked up something, somehow?

    "Arthur, hmm��Tell me, would you like to take Mia here as your ve?"

 Chapter 10 - Arthurs Decision

    "Excuse me?"

    My eyes turned wide when I realized what this question meant. For a short moment, I couldn''t stop thescivious thoughts from appearing in my head. Thankfully, those were just the urges of my body, not the wishes of my mind.

    I closed my eyes and shook my head, about to reject the proposition.

    "No!" Mia screamed out before I even had a chance to speak.

    She plummeted down, hiding her face in her knees and locking her arms around her legs. A typical return to the embryonical position, one that humans assumed when in danger. An evolutionary instinct of making oneself smaller and thus a harder target to spot or attack.

    Still, it hurt. Even if I had no wish of making use of this girl''s situation and the weirdws of this world, seeing her reject me so willingly... I wouldn''t be a man if that didn''t hurt my feelings. Especially with how cute this girl was!

    "Great, I will get all the... Wait, what?" the medic looked at me with a weird expression, as if she couldn''tprehend what just happened. "Did you just say no?" she asked, opening her eyes wide in shock. "Can''t you see how cute she is?! Or are you perhaps..."

    "No, I''m not," I denied even before the woman could utter her assumption.

    I lowered my eyes and hid my face in my arms. Given the state of my hands, that was the only way for me to get some peace of mind to think.

    The system status windows disappeared. I was in no mood to analyze it any further. It was something I could think about when alone when no one would disturb me. Not when I was about to reject a cute girl as my personal ve.

    "Can you exin your decision?" Terio asked, equally as shocked as the woman beside him. Yet, it was clear that he attempted to get some sort of exnation.

    Courtesy of the previous misunderstanding?

    "Could it be, you don''t know how very works in our sect either?" he asked after a second of thought.

    ''Good fucking job figuring that out,'' I almost uttered those words out loud. Even if I acted as if I didn''t pay attention during some sort of debriefing, there was a limit to how far I could push this excuse.

    That''s why, instead of answering, I had to change the topic.

    Even if only by a tiny bit.

    "I can see that there are some reasons behind your proposition," I said, turning my eyes towards the female medic. For as much as I could tell, I put a serious if not grim expression on my face. "Did you really expect me to take a deep dip in some kind of shit without knowing what I''m signing for?"

    "I see. It seems you really are the best candidate for the job," the medic smiled, surprisingly satisfied with my answer. "The thing is, her circumstances... Are quite bad."

    "That I could tell myself," I replied, not forcing myself to act respectfully towards the woman anymore. Right now, she was the one asking for a favor, putting me in the strong position of the talk.

    "Her entire family was wiped out," Terio said before throwing me a peculiar look.

    I could tell what he wanted to say next. ''Can''t you sympathize with her now?''

    No, I couldn''t. What I said during the system override could be true to this world, but it wasn''t true for me. I never experienced any of the things I mentioned back then, nor did I hold any grudge over it.

    For me, it was nothing more but a fancy excuse to exin myck ofmon sense.

    But that didn''t mean I couldn''t pity her. Yet, just one look at her trembling body was enough to ascertain that even if I were to take her as my ve, that wouldn''t necessarily do her any good.

    "Mia failed her test because of what she went through before. In fact, the only reason why she''s here is that our sect was the only ce she could think off to escape to," the woman added, hanging her head low. "For thest period, I kept her as my temporary ve, but thew of the sect doesn''t allow this situation to continue any longer.

    "That''s why I''m so eager to find someone strong enough to protect her. Someone with enough potential to stop... To hopefully let her be a sect disciple in the future."

    For the most part, the woman''s words made sense. While I didn''t go through the disaster that my body did, I could still understand how insane effect would that have on one''s willpower. And without the will to keep standing, passing yesterday''s test was nigh impossible.

    But that didn''t mean the woman revealed the whole truth. I could tell that from how she stumbled, from what she said. So there was still something to the matter that she clearly wasn''t willing to disclose.

    As such, I decided to remainpletely silent. My only response was a long and unrelenting stare directed right at the woman''s face.

    As seconds turned into minutes, the woman finally let out a deep sigh.

    "I see. You are too smart for your own good," she said, biting on her lips only for a look of determination to appear on her face. People are aiming for her. In fact, the man who scored right below you already dered loud and wide that he would turn Mia into his whore. Nothing more but a fucktoy to sate his desires," the woman added, finally revealing the crux of the matter.

    The situation was just as I expected. While there was a lot of stuff that gave it depth, for me, only one point held any weight.

    By epting Mia as my ve, I would effectively turn that guy into my enemy.

    "And that guy that scored below me is someone of great influence, I assume," I said, even though this fact was pretty obvious. If he was someone insignificant, this woman would surely find some way to protect Mia from his clutches. It was clear from how desperate she was to dupe her on me.

    "He is a son of one of the major ns supporting the Skdder sect," she replied, confirming my guess.

    I closed my eyes and hung my head to the back.

    To be fair, despite how cute Mia was, I found it hard to put myself in such a deep shit just for her. So while scoring a favor with medic would surely be beneficial, it wasn''t something that would pay back for turning a typical young master into my enemy.

    But that was only a minor factor of my decision-making right now.

    As I took a moment to think about everything that happened so far, several facts became obvious.

    My growth rate was exceptional. It was something that both the medic''s actions suggested and something sheter confirmed with her words. But while for her, it was a reason to use me as a shield for the girl, for me, it was a confirmation of something else.

    It was proof that with this system of mine, it was only a matter of time before I would climb to the top of the world.

    And that fact alone was enough for me to dismiss the conflict with a young local master as a major problem in the long run.

    What was stopping me right now, were my repulsion towards the institution of very itself. But the more I thought about it, the lesser of an effect it had on the situation. Not because I allowed my morals to react.

    It was because I decided not to use them as a convenient excuse to push the problems of others away.

    I stood up from the bed only to approach the trembling girl and kneel before her.

    "Mia, look at me," I ordered in a calm,posed tone.

    The girl only shook her head in response.

    "Look at me," I ordered again, keeping my voice just as calm as before.

    Reluctantly, Mia raised her head. Seeing her teary eyes, I felt my heart jump only to tighten a momentter. Her wet face somehow awoken my internal drive of protection.

    Was it because I was a man? Or maybe it was something that I grew used to by taking care of my sister?

    "I''m not going to make you my ve. I abhor the very idea of keeping ves," I said, making sure to keep my voice as calm as possible.

    "So that''s why..." the woman muttered, only to turn silent when I threw her an angry nce. I then took a deep breath to help me rx my expression before looking at Mia''s adorable face again.

    "But what would you say about bing my partner?"

 Chapter 11 - New Day At The Skyladder Sect

    I slowly opened my eyes. For the first time since I appeared in this strange world, I saw an actual ceiling above. Not a piece of cloth waving in the wind, but a solid piece of woodwork.

    ''Right, I''m in the dormitory now,'' I thought, closing my eyes for one more moment. Given the situation, I could allow myself some ck, especially with how my hands continued to sting like hell.

    "Mhmm..."

    Hearing the voice, I realized that there was some weight over my right shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked to the side, only to be assaulted by the adorableness.

    Mia slept right on my arm. Her steady breathing proved that she was still fast asleep, nowhere close to waking up.

    ''Poor little thing,'' I thought, turning my eyes back to the ceiling. Surprisingly enough, I didn''t really feel anything. I was already used to this kind of situation, with how much of a scaredy-cat and clingy goofball my sister was.

    The only reason why the girl that was so fervently refusing to be my ve was sleeping in the same bed with me... It was actually pretty simple.

    After the entire situation back at the infirmary, we reached a certain conclusion. In name, Mia became my ve. Yet, in reality, I never dared to think of her like that.

    I was still repulsed by the very idea of very, of a human being owning another human being. Yet, given the strict rules of the Skdder sect, the fate of this poor girl was sealed. Only by reaching the top ten on the further tests could she rid herself of her status of a ve.

    That was the sad deal of all the ves. They only had a single hour every day during which they could train. Outside of that sacred time, they were at full disposal of their master''s will.

    I didn''t bother to even listen when Terio attempted to exin this scheme. For me, it was a simple way of rewarding the promising disciples while making use of those that the sect deemed not to be of any worth. From where I stood, they could shove all their self-righteous exnation about this system to a ce in their bodies where no light would ever reach.

    As such, the status of the ves in the sect... Was bad, to say the least. And with how I failed to reach the top twenty candidates who would give me the right to my own housing, I was now stuck with a single bed in the shared sleeping area of the dormitory.

    I took another look at Mia''s sleeping face. The only reason why we slept together was so that I would be alerted if anyone dared to make any move on her during the night. Yet, that was limited to just sleeping on the same bed. Hertching onto my side was just Mia''s own unconscious actions.

    ''Damn it.'' The more I thought about it, the more conscious I became of how soft she was. Her gentle breaths rilled the cloth of the robes I received. Her warmth...

    ''No, I cannot think about that,'' I moved my head back to its natural position before taking a few breaths to calm down. For now, I could somehow handle the situation, but if I were to focus on it any further, all my morals would quickly disappear under the promise of the warmth and pleasure that Mia''s body offered.

    Especially given how itid full well within the scope of what I, as her master, could request her to sacrifice.

    "Wakey, wakey," I muttered, gently shaking my arm.

    At first, Mia protested, squirming around like some kind of small animal, clearly unwilling to break from her slumber yet. Thankfully, before I could start enjoying it, her eyes finally pried open.

    Only to open wide and fill with panic and fear the next moment.

    "Nooohmph..." she attempted to scream out. Thankfully, I managed to cover her mouth in time, turning her voice into a streak of muffled, cute sounds.

    "Calm down," I said, moving my hand up only when the look in her eyes calmed down. "Now, if that wouldn''t be too much, I would like my arm back," I said, putting a gentle smile on my face.

    "Oh," Mia scoffed, finally realizing what position she was in. "I''m sorry," she quickly apologized, moving her upper body up and sliding off the bed. "Let me get the sheets cleaned up," she whispered, clearly not used to be a man''s ve yet.

    "Thanks."

    I got out of the bed, allowing the girl to clean it up. Not wasting any time, I pulled my day robes on before stealing a nce of my reflection in a nearby window.

    ''I wonder if those robes do suit me?'' I thought, unable to judge it on my own.

    "Master..." Mia muttered softly, breaking my immersion in my own image. "What should I do now?" she asked, most likely hoping to escape from mypany by immersing herself in some kind of duty.

    "For now, guide me to the cafeteria. We will grab some grub and go train," I said before stretching my back.

    I was never a fit person back on earth, but the morning dose of stretching was something I never forgot. Lifestyle based on sitting in front of myputer''s screen was extremely taxing on one''s body in the long term, forcing me to adopt this kind of countermeasure.

    "Yes, master," Mia''s voice turned even softer than before as she hung her head, clearly unsure how to deal with the situation.

    With nothing better to do, we moved out. Our journey to the cafeteria passed in silence, as Mia clearly was too scared to voice a single word while I was too immersed in the beautiful sights outside to pay it any mind.

    "She''s here..."

    "Look at them go..."

    "Just who does he think he is to get her?"

    Various whispers ensued as soon as we entered the food distribution part of the building.

    Like in the schools back on earth, there was a row of kitchen disys on one side, with desks and seats filling the rest of the vast, empty area.

    "Do you like anything in particr?" I asked, hoping to slowly start breaking the ice.

    "Mhmm." Mia muttered something under her nose, shaking her head sideways.

    "Let''s go with some staple, then."

    I didn''t waste time picking the food. Instead, grabbing whatever I deemed fit for easy carrying, I added some kind of nt-based container with water before pulling the girl back to the corridor.

    "Master... Let me carry those," Mia requested, averting her eyes as soon as I nced over.

    "Nah, it''s fine," I replied as I followed the path that Terio taught me before sending me off to the dormitory. Yet, as I was about to leave the cafeteria, I noticed him.

    A guy sitting in the middle of a rtively huge group. He wore the same colors of faded blue as everyone else, yet even from a distance, I could see that it was of much better quality than what I was wearing.

    Yet, it wasn''t his clothes that attracted my attention. It was his hate-filled stare that he treated me with.

    ''I guess I know who that young master is, now.''

    That was the extend of the attention I gave to the potential troublemaker. I simply saw no benefit in sparing him any second thought. Rather than that, I opted to focus on my training instead.

    "Now, could you guide me to the training garden?" I asked, turning my eyes to Mia and smiling gently.

    "Un," she nodded her head as she attempted to hide the small trembles shaking her body.

    It appeared I wasn''t the only one who noticed that young master.

 Chapter 12 - Leg Day?

    "So that''s the guy, huh?" I asked once we distanced ourselves from the cafeteria.

    To bepletely fair, the size of his group was pretty scary. Not by itself, but because of that guy''s power that it implied.

    "Yes..." Mia replied in a weak voice.

    I cast a nce at the girl, only to notice that she was still shaking.

    ''I can''t even imagine how it does feel to have someone aim for you in this way.''

    For me, very was something that was purely a historical fact, not something that was a part of the world around me.

    But that wasn''t the case for Mia. For her, very was a painfully real thing, a reality that directly affected both her now and her future.

    That''s why I couldn''t help but constantly think about the possible ways of freeing this girl from her status as a ve.

    With those thoughts in my head, I didn''t even realize when we reached the same garden when I devastated my hands just the day before. Normally, I would likely take several unnecessary detours before finding the correct path, but with Mia''s guidance, we managed to reach it in just a few minutes.

    ''I guess the training ce can''t be that far from the dormitory," I thought, only aware of the path that led through the infirmary. After all, I had yet to make the trip directly.

    "Master, I led you here because you requested it... but you shouldn''t use your hands yet," Mia warned, speaking out the very first, non-reactive sentence since I met her.

    A smile appeared on my face before I could control it.

    "Thank you for worrying; I really appreciate it," I said, fighting the desire to rustle her silvery hair. "But you don''t need to worry. I''m not going to overtrain like I did," I added before heading in for the private garden.

    This time, I had the freedom of mind to actually look around, learning about the insides of the entire ce instead of just being awed by it.

    By the time we arrived at my private part of this ce, I had learned that outside of the private gardens like mine, there were a few open areas where one could train to their heart desires.

    Obviously, by using the open areas, one had to ept thepany of other disciples, as there were no gates guarding the entry to those.

    ''Or maybe they only appear if all the pirs detect some sort of training?'' I thought, analyzing the possibility for a moment. Yet, there was no point in overthinking this. Sooner orter, I would naturally learn all the quirks of this world, so there was no need to waste time on it now.

    Upon entering my private training garden, I quickly dropped off our supplies to the ground before standing in front of the pir. Someone or something already cleared out all the bloody marks from it, leaving it in exactly the same state as it was in when I first saw it.

    ''It doesn''t seem to be affected by my training at all,'' I observed, unable to find a single mark that I hoped my first would leave on the thing.

    ''Well, it ultimately doesn''t matter,'' I shrugged my arms before getting to the position.

    Focusing my mind, I forgot about all the distractions of the outside world. For a short moment, I threw away all the problems, all the hopes, even the awareness of Mia standing behind me. Only the pir remained in my head and before my eyes.

    I raised my bandaged hands to my chest as if I wanted to guard against something.

    Then, I struck.

    Not with my hands. Just like I told Mia before, I wasn''t stupid enough to overwork them any further. I simply kicked the pir.

    And then again.

    And then once more.

    This time, I didn''t alternate between my right and my left side. Standing just the right distance away for my side-kick to connect, I would throw an attack, retract my leg, gather my thoughts, and attack once more.

    This training frenzysted only for a few moments. There was no use in hitting the pir any further if it would bear no results.

    I took a few breaths as I allowed my mind to return to its normal state.

    ''Status,'' I thought, invoking the set of three windows containing my information.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Hands wounded (treated)

    - Hidden Status: Confused

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:61/100

    - Willpower:16/100

    Body Purification:183/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:47/100

    - Flesh purification:47/100

    - Bone purification:44/100

    - Innards purification:33/100

    - Core purification:12/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

    And there it was.

    Omitting the changes to my endurance and willpower that I had time to bother with, my purification statistics went up a notch!

    "It works..." I muttered, too happy to hold back my words.

    "Master?" Mia asked, staring at me with her wide, green eyes.

    All of a sudden, I felt bashful.

    Training by myself was one thing, but to have such a cutie stare at me while I did so?

    It was an entirely different scenario altogether!

    "Now then," I said, properly turning my face towards the girl and reaching with my hand towards her.. "Come here."

 Chapter 13 - Intruders At The Garden

    For a short moment, Mia only stared at me with her beautiful eyes. She remained frozen in ce, clearly surprised and thus scared by my sudden request.

    "Yes, master," she replied softly a momentter, moving towards the pir.

    ''She looks like she is walking towards her execution,'' I thought, staring at her unsteady step. ''It will take a long time to earn her trust, I guess.''

    "Reach with your hand for the stone," I ordered, stepping away as soon as the girl approached the pir. "Yes, just like that. Now, without letting go of the pir, walk as far away as you can."

    Bit by bit, I guided Mia through all the steps that I did myself when I first began training. I had no idea whether my position was correct, nor if it was the right way to train. But since it worked for me, then surely it would have some sort of effect for her!

    "Now, I need you to focus your entire mind on hitting that pir," I said, watching how Mia''s eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

    "Huh?" She finally managed toe out with some kind of reaction. "Master, I''m just a ve, and it''s not the hour of my training yet!" she protested, abiding by the rules of this sect.

    Little did she know, I had no intention of doing the same.

    Not when it came to very, at the very least.

    "During your daily hour, you are free to do whatever you want," I said before leaning my head over my shoulder and smiling lightly. "In the twenty-three other hours of the day, you are to follow my orders. Is that correct?"

    "Yes, Master could not be wrong," Mia replied, averting her eyes.

    "Then I want you to ept two things," I said, stretching out my hand only to realize that due to it being bandaged, I was unable to point two of my fingers up. "First, you are my partner, not my ve. I said it once, and I will say it as many times as you need to hear it to ept it," I said before turning around and walking towards the stone.

    "Excuse me for a second," I said before throwing a kick at the pir. Then, as if nothing had happened, I turned back up. "Then, for the second thing, I want you to train."

    For a moment, I allowed those words to permeate through the girl''s well-protected mind.

    When I first saw her, I thought she was extremely shy. Yet, as I continued to observe her, I couldn''t help but realize that it was nothing more but a fake front. A result of a massive, impregnable wall she built around her mind in order to protect herself both from reality and from her disastrous past.

    I knew it because back on earth, I did the same.

    "But..." Mia attempted to protest, yet as she raised her eyes and looked at my face only to be met with a lenient smile, her words ended up stuck in her throat.

    "Fine," I said,ing up with an idea. "How about this. I want you to train while I''m resting so that no one will disturb me. Could we make that work?" I asked, awed by my own ingenuity.

    This garden would remain closed for others for as long as the training continued. I took part in no registration process of any sort, prompting me to believe that it didn''t matter who was striking the stone. It was also the reason why I executed a random kick a moment before.

    To keep this ce safe from the interference of others. A small precaution against the goons of that young master that were bound to sooner ortere after me.

    "Yes, master," Mia said. She then gathered her courage and revealed a small, shy smile. "Thank you, Master," she added, gracefully bowing her head.

    "Now that we have this sorted out let''s..." I turned towards the pir, attempting to help Mia regain the position when I noticed someone lurking right at the edge of the hedge that kept this ce enclosed.

    ''How... No, I cannot jump to assumptions,'' I thought, stepping forward so that I would be between the intruder and the girl.

    "Who are you?" I asked in a normal voice.

    "Well, well, what do we have here?" A young man, roughly the same age as my new body, stepped into the clearing. A momentter, two more disciples followed, with all three of them d in the same, dully blue robes of the Skdder disciples. "To think that an up anding, a fellow disciple of ours would attempt to uproot the social structure of the sect..." the guy at the front leered with a huge smirk stered all over his face.

    "I have no idea what you are talking about," I replied, too amused by their cringy behavior to feel any worry.

    "We heard everything. How you are going to let your ve train all she wants, how you don''t consider her your ve... I wonder what will happen once we report it to the elders!" the guy threatened before licking his lips as he moved his eyes to Mia.

    Even without looking to the back, I could tell that her trembles started all over.

    ''Tsk, after all the hard work to make her feelfortable...''

    "That is, unless..." the guy said as he took another step forward, bringing his arm up in a clear attempt at pointing it at the girl.

    "Go and report it, then," I replied, shaking my shoulders. "It''s your word against mine," I added and rolled my eyes.

    "Are you blind or just in stupid?" the guy asked, moving his hand to point at the two fellows that came with him. "It''s your word against the word of the three of us," he said as his smile grew even bigger. In his eyes, sparks of lust appeared.

    "Not exactly," I shook my head.. "It''s my word against the word of people who broke the sect''sw by intruding on the private garden," I replied despite not knowing if suchw existed. Still, since this ce was called a private garden, it was pretty obvious that intruding on it wasn''t allowed at all!

 Chapter 14 - Potato

    "Ugh..." the man at the front let out a strange sound as he backed down half a step.

    ''First point for me,'' I thought, raising the left corner of my mouth in a small smirk. Now that I had the initiative, pressing it was the best course of action.

    "Hey, sweetie," I turned my head around and looked at the girl. "Could you please heat one of the potatoes for me?"

    "Huh?" Mia returned the look, unable to properly answer my ridiculous request.

    "I think I will get hungry soon," I added before sending her a wink.

    Mia was quick on the uptake. Whatever I had on mind, it had to be something important for me to ask for in such a moment!

    "Master..." she muttered a momentter before giving me a powerless look. "There is no firewood. I don''t have anything to start the fire with either," she said, looking all devastated by her inability to fulfill my order.

    "That''s a pity," I replied, turning my face back to the intruders. From the look of their eyes, I could tell just how puzzled they now were with my need for a hot potato!

    "Now then," I leaned my head to the side. "What are you going to do?"

    The seed of uncertainty was sown. Now, all I had to do was to wait for it to ripen while messing up with them for a little longer.

    "If we beat you up, you won''t be able to tell anything to anyone!" said one of the guys that followed the leader.

    "Seriously?" I asked, shaking my head with visible disappointment. "Tell me, is that really all you could think of?"

    I was baffled.

    To a degree, I expected something like this to happen. While the speed of that young master''s reaction managed to catch me off guard, it wasn''t something I couldn''t deal with.

    Yet, still, I was baffled.

    In a sense, I expected a little more from that guy.

    "You would have to kill me to silence me," I said, hiding my face in the palm of my hand. "Do you really think that the sect will let you go after a murder? How about you try topare what do you stand to gain from doing so and what can you lose?"

    "And why do you care?" the leader of the group spoke again. At the same time, a smile appeared on his lips. "You are talking too much for someone who isn''t scared of getting beaten up!" he shouted, pointing his finger at me.

    ''What are you, some kind of detective?'' I thought but decided to keep this kind of snarky remark to myself.

    "Tell me," I turned my face to the leader. "What spot did you take during the exam?"

    An amused smile appeared on my lips.

    "And what does it matter?" the guy didn''t allow me to guide him towards another logical trap, cutting the discussion instead. "Even if you reached a better spot, there are three of us and only one of you!" he eximed, reeling in the feeling of dominance.

    "No, there are only two of you," I corrected the guy with an amiable smile.

    "The hell are you talking about?" the leader eximed before turning his head to the back as if he suddenly lost faith in his own memory.

    And surely enough, two of hisckeys stood there, just like one could expect.

    "Guys, he is losing his mind already," he said before turning his face back to me. "Tell me, are you blind or just stupid?"

    "I''m neither,"

    "Can''t you see that there are three of us?"

    "That''s right," I admitted with a small smile. "But once I make you keel over and beg for mercy, one of yourckeys will run," I said before shrugging my shoulders. "They always do, trust me," I added.

    For a moment, the three invaders looked at each other. For me, it looked like if they wanted to sound each other off, to find out who would be the weak spot in their group.

    Then, they each nodded their heads before turning their faces back towards me.

    "You are courting death!" the leader shouted, taking a step forward.

    "Now, now, just onest question, and then I will show you something fun," I smiled before crossing my arms on my chest. "Tell me, are you really going to get yourself beaten up just to lick the ass of that young master?"

    For a moment, everyone turned still. The intruders because I calmly revealed that I knew they were sent here rather than attacking on their own volition.

    Mia froze because she realized I wasn''t trying to avoid the conflict at all.

    And I remained in ce because waiting for the intruder''s reaction was temporarily the best thing I could do.

    After all, keeping my hands safe so that they could quickly heal up took priority over dealing with a bunch of nobodies.

    "I will kill you!" the leader ended up screaming before rushing forward. His tightened fists announced that he was done talking.

    "Just onest moment, did I promise to show you something?" I asked before turning my back to the man and approaching Mia.

    I didn''t attempt to nce back. Rather than that, I keenly observed Mia''s face as if she was some kind of human mirror.

    Thankfully, she showed no signs of sudden fear, meaning I managed to catch intruders'' interest.

    As I approached Mia... I actually leaned down beside her, only to pick up one of the potatoes that we brought from the kitchen. Then, I turned around, stretched out my hand, and showed them the vegetable.

    "Before we begin, let me show you something,"

    The seed that I sowed several moments earlier would nowe to fruition.

 Chapter 15 - Mashed Potato

    I held a potato in my hand. It wasn''t some kind of special weapon or a stone disguised as a vegetable.

    It was the potato in every possible regard. A steamed one, soft enough that it started to deform from just me holding it, even though my entire hand was covered in bandages.

    The only reason why I held it out was that it''s been a while since Ist mentioned it. And from the looks on the intruders'' faces, they clearly assumed that it was something more than just a vegetable I randomly picked up this morning from the cafeteria.

    "Does it look like a normal potato to you?" I asked, introducing even more confusion amidst their ranks.

    "Huh?" The leader of the group squinted his eyes.

    But it was toote for him to understand my true intention.

    I pulled my hand back, pretending that I didn''t want them paying too much attention to the potato. And then, in the exact same way in which I struck the pir countless of times yesterday, I threw the potato forward.

    Right in the face of the leader of the group.

    I jumped forward as soon as I stabilized my momentum from the throw. Using the short window when they were shocked, I closed the distance, not giving them any time to draw back or recalcte the situation.

    They invaded my private garden, so it was only my courtesy and cautiousness that made me hold back for so long. And since this was the very first wave of people that the young master sent after Mia and me, I had to deal with them in a definitive manner.

    I threw out a kick.

    With my injured hands, I opted not to risk using them for as long as possible. Thankfully, one of the intruders was either still shocked or just too slow to react.

    My foot buried itself in the guts of the guy on my left, sending him flying.

    ''Huh?'' I couldn''t help but get shocked myself.

    Sure, take a few steps back, maybe trip and fall on your back. That would be a natural reaction to a kick.

    But the guys actually flew for a few meters before crashing heavily into the ground!

    "Oh no, I have to keep myposure!" I alerted myself, calming my shocked face back to a smile as I turned towards thest of the opponents.

    To the man''s side, his leader was still trying to clean his face or at the very least, his eyes from the mashed potato that my steamed vegetable turned upon hitting his head.

    ''No respect for the vegetables,'' I thought, turning my eyes towards thest, still standing guy.

    "Really?" I asked, seeing him raise his guard. Then, without any regard for the healing of my hands, I threw a simple punch right into the leader''s face, applying a deep-pore mashed potato treatment to the skin of his face.

    ''Fuck, that hurt,'' I thought as a small tremble shook my body. If my hands constantly felt like if a thousand needles punctured them, it now turned into hundreds of furious bees.

    "Really?" I asked again, holding my pain back.

    "I... I-I''m sorry!" The guy shouted, turning around and running away.

    I could chase him... but what would be the point of it? Ultimately, he didn''t even raise his hand against me. And I wasn''t someone unreasonable, beating up people just because they weren''t nice while having a conversation with me.

    "Now then..." I muttered, turning my sights back to the leader of the trio.

    He was currently lying t on the ground, stunned after my hit squarely to his face.

    "Wake up," I said, throwing a loose kick right between his legs.

    This particr guy ran his mouth for more than I was willing to excuse.

    "Ugh..." the man scowled, instantly proving that he wasn''t unconscious at all. He hid his crotch with his hands before leaning forward.

    I could only imagine what kind of torture he was going through.

    For a moment, I simply stood there and observed the man before finally waving my hand away and pointing it at the exit of the garden.

    "Scram!"

    My shout finally scared them out. Limping away, they hurriedly left the ce.

    "Why did you let them go?" Mia hurried to my back and asked, grabbing my right hand and unveiling the bandage.

    As expected, the scabs were crushed, oozing fresh blood and lymph.

    "They were just small fries," I sighed, watching how the girl wiped the blood away with the old bandage before pulling out a small bottle of ointment from her robes.

    This was the very essence of the deal I made with her previous owner. Rather than having her as my ve, I would make use of her nursing experience to push myself to the limits while training. In this way, I would actually have some use for her outside of having a cute yet extremely troublesome follower.

    "What was all of that for, even..." Mia muttered. Just one look at her face was enough for me to tell that she was still distressed by the situation.

    "I think it''s still the same guy, the one that wanted to get you for himself," I replied as I threw a look towards the stone pir nearby.

    ''Should we stay here or...?'' I thought, analyzing the possibilities.

    "Now, all done," Mia said as she tore the end of the cloth in half and secured the bandage in ce. She then raised her head and graced me with a light, shy smile.

    "Thanks," I muttered involuntarily, still immersed in my thoughts. But I didn''t dare to remain in this state for long.. "It seems like we will need to ask your previous owner for a favor."

 Chapter 16 - Obtaining The Funds

    "What do you want from her?" Mia continued to ask, almost attempting to pull me back by my hand.

    To be fair, seeing her distressed like that was actually pretty entertaining. Those were the worries that a girl her age should have, not whether or not some kind of thugs would kidnap her so that she would serve as a sex ve to some arrogant little prick.

    "Just a small favor,"

    "Come on! Just tell me!"

    "Nope,"

    With each of those small exchanges, my smile turned brighter and brighter. Even though clearly distressed, Mia was slowly getting more energetic. And in my book, this was the first step to healing the scars on her soul.

    "Huh? What are you doing here, kids?" the female medic from the day before asked as soon as she noticed the two of us enter the infirmary. "Don''t tell me you went and trained..."

    "No, you don''t need to worry about it," I denied her suspicion with a shake of my head.

    "Media!" Mia shouted, rushing towards the woman. She then sank in her chest as if in an attempt to hide away from me. Or maybe to protect her former savior? I couldn''t tell.

    "What happened?" the woman asked, raising her eyes on me as she started to pat Mia''s head.

    ''She looks like a small cat in her arms,'' I thought, enjoying just how adorable the girl was with her motherly figure. "Actually, I came with two things today. First, is there some sort of marketce anywhere near this ce?"

    "And why would you need a market for? It''s not like..." Media squinted her eyes, only to cut her sentence short where my wide smile gave her the answer she sought. "What do you need?"

    "Some beddings, arge piece of cloth, ten long nails, and two one-meter long sticks," I replied casually.

    "What, are you going to build a camp now?" Media asked with a sneer.

    "Yup," I replied, watching how her face soured. "But to be fair, I believe a market is the best ce to visit. After all, we can''t spend our lives just training, do we?"

    "That''s precisely what being a disciple of the Skdder sect is all about, though?" she replied, her face taking a turn for a weird expression.

    "Tell me, did training how to punch helped you to be a medic?"

    "I became one solely because I hit the limit of how far I could grow," she said, clearly not endorsing my idea. Yet, after taking a moment to think, she ended up shaking her head. "If it''s the money you need, then you will receive some funds from the sect once you advance past the first three primary stages. If your speed at doing so will be exceptional, one of the teachers might even decide to sponsor you," she said before reaching underneath her robes and pulling out a small pouch.

    ''But you will give me some money now, right?'' I thought, already finding several possible ways to multiply that amount.

    After all, there had to be something that I knew about from earth that I could use to make a quick buck in this world! In a sense, this was the minor reason that prompted me to aim for setting up the camp at my private garden.

    "Here," Media said, pulling out three silvery coins from her pouch before passing it to my hand. "This is all I''m willing to give you. Consider it a token of gratitude for taking care of Mia," she said before turning around and leaving.

    I looked down at the coins in the palm of my hand. This was the initial investment that I had to somehow turn into a bigger wealth.

    I had some ideas about what I could do, some things that even an amateur like me could produce... But I had to get a better look at what this world had to offer. After all, what would be the point of making soap if people already had something of its kind?

    "Well then, let''s not waste our precious time," I said, reaching out with my hand and passing the money to the girl. "Would you be so kind as to hold on to those for me?"

    For a moment, Mia''s eyes opened in surprise. She just looked at the money in my hand, unable to see through my intent. But before long, she just sighed and took the money.

    ''I wonder if she is growing used to me or just decided to don''t bother over my quirks,'' I thought, genuinely puzzled.

    "Master, this amount of money..." Mia muttered, looking at the coins in her hand.

    "It won''t be enough?" I asked, worried that getting the basic supplies for the camp would prove more challenging than I expected.

    "That''s not it," Mia said before shaking her head which made the long streaks of her hair flutter in the wind. "This amount would suffice to buy everything you listed.... ten times if not more over!"

 Chapter 17 - Finding A Venue To Earn

    "Master, the market is not in the sect, but in the small city right by the border," Mia exined, deciding to speak up all on her own.

    Most likely, she noticed the confusion on my face as we went out of the area that I considered to belong to the sect.

    Standing in the middle of a massive road, I couldn''t help but feel in awe all over again. Right now, I finally got the chance to cast a look at how the sect looked... from the outside of its confines.

    It was built on what looked like an inverted mountain. From the inside, one could see all kinds of terraces and tforms that made use of the inner slopes. Yet, from the outside, save for the few gates leading in and out of the sect, it looked like a massive mountain that someone deprived of the very top.

    "Master?" Mia asked, casting a confused look at her face. We were supposed to go to the market, so there was no reason for me to waste time just standing in ce and gawking at the rigid outside of the sect.

    "Sorry, my bad," I replied, unconsciously reaching forth with my hand and patting the girl''s head. "Ah," I quickly noticed my slip up, about to retract my hand when...

    "Mhmm..." Mia squinted her eyes instead of moving away or pushing my hand away. Her expression softened a little as a small smile grew on her lips.

    ''Why is it so fun?'' I asked myself, rubbing the girl''s head. But soon, rationality returned to my soul.

    "I''m sorry for that," I said, hurriedly retracting my hand and looking away.

    "Ah," Mia exhaled, "not a problem. Master can rub my head anytime master wants..." she added, her face turning beet red.

    Because of this idental interaction, the rest of our way towards the city waspletely silent. Yet, as embarrassed as I was with my own actions, I would have to lie to im that I didn''t enjoy it. Not even because it felt nice to rub Mia''s head, but mostly because she didn''t seem to mind it at all.

    "Spirit Stones! Sprit Stones for sale!"

    That was the first thing I heard when we entered the town.

    Looking at it from the perspective of a transmigrator, it was no different from a ragtag bunch of peddlers and small merchants that would gather wherever there was money to be made. Yet, upon a closer look, there were some nicely dressed people, forcing me to ept that this was just how the local market was.

    "Ancestral Swords! Great promotion! Only fifteen gold pieces each!"

    Another merchant screamed right in my ear. Most likely, he took my sect robes for a good sigh.

    Sadly for him, I had nowhere near fifteen gold pieces. And even if I had that kind of money, why would I waste it on some items that were clearly fake?

    "We should be able to get the materials you need in the general shop," Mia informed.

    She didn''t flinch even when the merchants around her continued to shout their offers. To bepletely fair, she seemed to be more rxed in the market than she was ever in the sect.

    "Lead the way, then."

    Following the girl, I looked around the marketce. And there was one thing that I couldn''t help but notice.

    It was full of food stalls.

    From what I saw back at the sect, food was provided to all its members free of any charge. Yet, no matter how one looked at it, it was just a in staple food, not something that one could truly enjoy. As such, in order to enjoy a good meal, one had to go outside and look for one of the food stalls in the market.

    All kinds of foods were avable there, from grilled meat and skewers to roasted potatoes and other vegetables. As we walked through the busy streets, I could even see some stalls offering sweets!

    This kind of atmosphere was something that I was pretty used to. After all, given myck of social life, my earthy experience was mostly limited to working at home and going out to either eat outside or just do some shopping.

    As such, there was ack of one thing, one staple that I was extremely used to on earth. A single kind of food made the most profits for all the big chains of fast-food restaurants on earth.

    Fries.

    ''I would need to get some oil, salt, and potatoes for fries, but in order to truly be able to sell them, I will need something else,'' I thought.

    Even though I wasn''t an entrepreneur, the problem of fries was pretty obvious.

    They were insanely simple to make once you learned the recipe. That''s why I had to find something that others would find troublesome to replicate. Something that would set my future business apart from all the copycats that were bound to appear.

    And I knew just the right thing.

    "Since we have more money than necessary, how about we get ourselves some nice food?" I muttered, trying my hardest to recall the recipe for one of the most popr sauces on earth.

    "If Master wants to eat something good, I know of a few ces serving delicious meat!" Mia instantly replied, happy to jump at the opportunity to please me.

    "Ah, no, that''s not what I meant," I replied, shaking my head. "Tell me, can we afford a small bag of salt, vinegar, and big bags of tomatoes and potatoes each?" I asked before suddenly realizing that there were a few more things I needed to prepare fries. "Right, we will need a few bottles of oil and a small cauldron," I added.

    "The vegetables and salt are easy, but oil?" Mia shook her head. "Master, if we were to buy several bottles of olive, we might actually run out of all the money that we have!"

    "It''s okay," I smiled in response. Thankfully, ording to themon practice of lower-end restaurants, oil could be used almost indefinitely.

    And in this world without any health standards for food preparation, I definitely wasn''t going to waste my limited amount of cash by changing it!

 Chapter 18 - Returning To The Sect

    "And that should be it," Mia said, looking over our purchases stuffed into a cloth bag.

    Just like she warned, oil turned out to be the most expensivemodity. But there was little to be surprised about it. While I would never deny that growing vegetables was a hard job, they were overall a cheapmodity. As such, obtaining potatoes and tomatoes turned out to be the smallest cost, despite taking the most space in our bag.

    The second most expensive item that we bought was a cauldron. While I hoped to find some simple pots, as it turned out, the cuisine culture in the market wasn''t advanced enough for that.

    ''That''s strange,'' I thought, unable to understand that point. ''Aren''t pots the most obvious tool for cooking one would ever figure out?''

    While my knowledge about the origin of various things was limited, I still knew some bits and tidbits.

    In Europe, pots came into use because they allowed one to turn small amounts of meat and vegetables into soup. Given themon problems and shortages of food, it soon turned out to be the most widespread meal for the peasantry.

    As if to spit in the face of my first world, this ce didn''t have the concept of food deprivation. While it was not free, as long as one was willing to work a little, they would be able to fill their bellies. Only when one started looking for an actual taste did the price of the food skyrocket, forcing almost all of the less wealthy people to just live off the basic vegetables.

    ''Isn''t this a perfect ground to introduce fries to? Once I get my hands on more spices, I could even try making crisps!

    "What are we going to do next?" Mia asked, forcing my thoughts back to reality. "How about visiting an auction hall?"

    Her using ''we'' instead of ''you'' or ''master'' didn''t escape my attention.

    "I don''t think there is any point in doing that. We don''t have any money to bet with, so we would end up just watching at the goods we couldn''t get our hands on," I replied. The truth was, though, that I hated the idea. Even if I had money...

    No, that''s the wrong way to look at it. Even if I always got bored while reading the auction-hall arcs of the few light novels that struck my fancy, I couldn''t just ignore this aspect of life in this world.

    As cliche as it could be, the auction hall seemed like a ce where massive amounts of wealth and goods circted, making it rtively easy to get rich quickly. That''s why, as much as I hated the idea itself, it was a ce I was bound to visit... But not now. Not yet. Hopefully, in the far-off future.

    With that said, Mia simply took a turn and started guiding us back. Even though I perfectly remembered the path to the sect, I didn''t say a word about it.

    It was lovely to see how she was slowly opening up to me. If I were to say, treating her as my equal and actually letting her do some things was one of the major reasons behind improving her mood.

    In a sense, by leaving some tasks to her, I was proving that I didn''t consider her just a doll that I had to protect.

    ''I want to try making those fries.'' This thought was prevalent in my head. Even though it was only my second day in this world, excluding the time I spent on that damned exam, that is, I already missed the taste of the unhealthy food.

    I could easily handle not eating the fries for a long time. The truth was, I was simply curious whether I would manage to make them and whether or not they would be to Mia''s liking!

    Returning to the sect took us only a few minutes. I carried our shoppings in my hands, yet surprisingly, I felt no burden of doing so.

    It was the second time when I realized that my physical strength improved by leaps and bounds. While it was only a guess, I believed it was thanks to the rising purification of my body, whatever it was supposed to mean.

    Still, as we crossed through the gate back to the sect, I couldn''t shake the feeling that there was something wrong with the air inside.

    It felt... Heavier. As if breathing itself suddenly became a slight burden. A burden that one wouldn''t really care about in their daily life, but a burden nheless.

    ''I wonder if this has an effect on my training,'' I thought, directing my steps right back to the training gardens.

    "Master?" Mia called me out when I took the lead of our stroll. "Are we going back to the gardens already?" she asked, leaning her head over her arm like some kind of confused puppy.

    "Yeah, I can''t wait to test a few things out," I said out loud while shaking the massive cloth bag in my arms. "And this is the only ce where we are rtively safe," I added with a muffled voice.

    The first sentence was directed to all those who would bother to eavesdrop on us. What I said after that was the actual reason behind my hurry.

    "Master, that won''t do!" Mia protested, putting a tough look on her face.

    Regretfully for her and amusingly for me, she only made herself look even cuter instead.

    "It''s already past dinner time! I can''t allow Master to ck on your meals!" she protested.

    "You really don''t need to worry about it," I said before shaking my head lightly. "Why do you think I bought all this stuff if not to make a dinner?"

 Chapter 19 - The Worlds First Fry

    I never liked wasting time.

    That''s why, the moment the two of us returned to my private garden, I got to work on setting the camp.

    "Master!" Mia attempted to protest. "You should train first! I can take care of setting up..."

    "Shush," I silenced the girl before pointing my hand at the pir. "My hands are still healing, and training with my legs is not as effective," I came up with a bogus excuse. "Just train yourself first. Once you are tired, we will swap," I said before grabbing the straight sticks and digging them into the ground.

    Sadly, setting a half-open tent wasn''t anywhere as easy as I imagined it to be. With my mind filled with the images of some Asian people creating borate buildings with just mud, water, their hands, and ingenuity, I never considered setting a simple windshield to be a problem...

    But soon, I was forced to learn that wasting my sleeping hours on watching men like that craft those mud buildings and doing something simpler myself was an entirely different matter.

    Thankfully, roughly an hour after I started, the structure I worked so hard to establish... was finished!

    "Master is really working too hard," Miamented from over my ear.

    Immersed in my work, I didn''t notice her approaching, making me almost jump away when she suddenly spoke out. Yet, as I turned my head towards the girl, I couldn''t help but notice a certain thing she likely wasn''t aware of.

    From a single look, I could tell how hard she was training while I was busy tinkering with the to-be tent. And it was because she was sweaty all over!

    What''s more, her sweat made her cheap, thin robes slightly see-through, allowing me to nce into the unknown world of the local undergarment for the females.

    And believe me or not, from the two erect points on her chest, the women of this world didn''t seem to wear any!

    Obviously, no one would paradeando with just the loose robes we were given. While I managed to stop my eyes from wandering towards that region, I decided to assume that Mia still wore the same set of leather belts over herher regions that I did.

    "Anyway," I said, turning my face away to stop the sight from getting my youthfully horny body from reacting, "it''s time to get to cooking!" I announced with a big smile on my face.

    "Master..." Mia called me out, only to avert her eyes.

    "Speak your mind," I said, shaking my head. "I really hoped that by this time, you would learn that I''m not going to bash you for being honest," I added while making a face of an unreasonably hurt puppy.

    "Stop it, master!" Miaughed out in reaction to my face. Seeing her light that, I couldn''t help but feel my mood improving a little. "Still, cooking..." she added, once again hesitating. "Master, cooking is good for the mortals, not for the disciples of the great Skdder sect!" she finally spoke her mind.

    "You will change your mind once I''m done!" I announced with pride, finally moving on to the main task of the day.

    "If that''s what you say..." Mia said, shaking her head for the third time in a row. It was clear that she was distressed over the topic, but she ultimately decided not to pursue it anymore. Rather than that, she turned around and approached the pir, only to start hitting it again.

    In the end, this was the very basic requirement for keeping this ce safe from intruders. Only by constantly continuing our training could we keep this ce locked and thus secure.

    With that said, I pulled out the cauldron. Seeing its thick sides, Imented over myck of elegant pot. Yet, as there was nothing that I could do about it, I got to work either way.

    Using a small knife that we bought on the market, I cut the tomatoes into the smallest pieces possible before throwing them all into the cauldron. Then, without any respect for my injured hands, I used my knuckles to mash the mixture into a paste.

    After adding a bit of vinegar, salt, and the few other spices that we managed to get our hands on, I finally brought out the wood and lit it up underneath the metal container.

    Bit by bit, the reddish mixture started to condense. Stirring it up with a random stick I found on our way back, I continued to add various spices, water, and even sugar while the mixture boiled.

    Sadly, even after an hour of hard attempts, I couldn''t bring the taste anywhere close to what I was used to! It tasted like ketchup, but at the same time... it didn''t.

    ''I guess I won''t be able to replicate that chemical taste from the earth,'' I thought, finally moving on from this impossible task.

    I emptied out the cauldron into one of the emptied bails of water. Then, after thoroughly cleaning it with my very own robe and the water that remained, I finally got to the main point of the job.

    Making fries.

    Compared to making ketchup, this was an easy task. After filling the cauldron with half of all the oil that we bought, I once again set it to boil. While waiting for the oil to reach the necessary temperature, I busied myself with cutting the tomatoes into long, thin chunks.

    I had no way of making my fries crinkle-cut, forcing me to go for the simplest, straight fries.

    And then, the oil finally started to boil.

    ''It''s time, then,'' I thought, grabbing all the potato pieces I cut before carefully dipping them into the oil. One by one, the potato chunks fell to the bottom of the cauldron while the steaming-hot oil did its magic.

    "What''s that smell?" Mia asked, once again taking me by surprise. From the look on her face, she has long forgotten about her previous remarks about being a disciple of the sect and still doing the cooking.

    "Just wait for a few more moments," I said with a bright smile, using a small nk to scoop a bit of the ketchup from the bail where I kept it.

    Too curious to go back to training, Mia squatted down by my side, carefully watching how I used another stick to carefully pick up the fries out of the oil.

    ''Now, a pinch of salt,'' I thought, sprinkling the white goodness on top of the te before grabbing the very first fry of this world between my fingers.

    ''It''s hot!'' I instantly had to fight the desire to let the fried piece of potato go. Only Mia''s curious look and a certain unholy idea in my head kept me from dropping it down.

    "Fuuu, fuuu..." I blew at the fry to cool it down a bit before dipping it in the ketchup and turning towards the girl. "Now then, open wide..."

    Normally, there would be no way for Mia to react to something like that. But this time, her curiosity got the better of her.

    "Aaaa..." acting like a kid, she obediently opened her lips, revealing the two rows of her perfectly white teeth.

    I then gently ced the fry on her bottom lip, allowing her to suck it inside her mouth on her own.

    For a moment, she only munched. Then, she lowered her head, hiding her face from my sight.... Only to rapidly raise it and look at me with her eyes wide open, "What is this?! It''s delicious!"

 Chapter 20 - Training Regime

    Mia''s eyes opened wide open as she started to furiously work her jaws only to swallow a momentter.

    "It''s crispy yet tender, sweet yet salty..." she muttered, raising her hand to her lips as if she couldn''t believe in what she just ate. "What is this godly food?!" she asked out loud, turning her huge eyes right towards me.

    "A fry," I replied in the simplest way possible. "The red sauce is called ketchup," I added, not willing to just ignore the most important ingredient of the dish.

    "It''s awesome!" Mia said, eager to confirm the quality of the dish. "But... Why... No, how did you know about it? This recipe is worth a lot, but just how did you obtain it?"

    "Would you believe if I were to say a strange sage passed it to me?" I asked with a small smirk forming on my lips.

    "Not at all," Mia replied, squinting her eyes a little.

    "Smart girl." I couldn''t resist patting her head. Once again, her face melted down a little as she closed her eyes. Her expression changed to that of happiness, making it look like she would start humming with joy at any moment.

    "Anyway, that''s one part of the n," I announced, retracting my hand. "Now that we have food, it''s time to start working our asses off!"

    Mia''s face instantly turned serious. She stood up from her knees and bowed deeply before saying, "Yes, master!"

    "For starters, the most important thing for us is to keep training. The moment we stop, the barrier that keeps this ce secure will stop working," I said. Given the recent raid at this ce, this fact was already proven.

    There was only a few minutes gap during which the stone could be left alone. A gap that right now was running short.

    "For now, I want you to get back to training. I will prepare two full sets of the fries before swapping. But that''s just for now,'' I said, already forming a n in my head.

    "Master?" Mia asked, proving that while she didn''t talk much, she used all the time we spent together to observe me. Right now, she could somehow tell that I wasn''t done with exnations.

    "I think we should use a four-hour system. For four hours, you will train while I rest. Once the time is up, we will swap. Whenever we cannot keep on training any longer, we will either move to the dormitory or use the free time to get supplies," I announced, exining my slightly broken idea.

    With this system, we could only get four hours of sleep at most. Assuming that this part of human biology didn''t change in this new world, one needed eight hours of sleep a day to let their bodies properly regenerate.

    As such, this tactic could only work for so long. There was a hard limit on how long we could keep it up, a limit that we could reset by simply getting a full night of sleep back at the dormitory.

    ''But that''s exactly where Mia is vulnerable,'' I thought, tightening my fists as I watched the next batch of the fries slowly turn golden in color. ''With his first attack failed, that bastard is sure to push for more direct actions,'' I thought.

    Even if I didn''t know the man who wanted to take Mia for himself personally, I could see through his character as if he was some third-rate viin in a low-grade novel. His aim was simple, and it was to get Mia. I was the only one who stood in his path to do so.

    As such, it was easy to figure out that he would focus his attacks on removing me rather than allow any other offense that could potentially spoil the girl that he wanted so much!

    All those thoughts dissapeared when the fries finally reached the color annoucing the maturity of the dish. Not wasting any time, I scooped the golden pieces out of the boiling oil, pped some of the tomato juice on them before taking my time to enjoy my first fast-food kind of meal in this strange, new world.

    "Okay, you are up!" I said as soon as only a single fry left.

    "Master?" Mia asked, turning her head over from where she stood. Right now, her robes practically lost all their meaning with how drenched in sweat she was.

    "I left one fry for you to judge when the next batch will be ready," I said, pointing my hand at the nearly empty wooden te. "Once you eat your fill, it will be your time to rest," I said, standing up from beside the cauldron and approaching the stone.

    "Master..." Mia started, suddenly turning shy for some reason. She hung her head low and started ying with her hands, clearly having troubles with voicing out what was going on through her pretty head. "Thank you," she whispered after a long time of hesitation before jogging away towards the pot.

    ''That was nice,'' I thought, deciding not to let this moment to weight on my thoughts.

    The reason behind this decision was simple and stood erect for twice my height in the very middle of the garden.

    If I wanted to properly raise my status, I had to focus my all on training rather than on how cute Mia acted!

    And with this thought in my mind, I struck the stone for the first time in a while.

    Tic.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Hands wounded (treated)

    - Hidden Status: Confused

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:55/100

    - Willpower:21/100

    Body Purification:181/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:48/100

    - Flesh purification:47/100

    - Bone purification:43/100

    - Innards purification:32/100

    - Core purification:12/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    -

    ***

 Chapter 21 - Disturbance After Two Weeks

    When I first moved to this new world of mine, I never expected how mundane it would be.

    Spending an entire day doing exactly the same thing over and over again? That was the domain of my programming job.

    Grinding for hours just to see the slight increase in numbers? That''s what I yed the MMO games for.

    Yet, as much as I could hate or love it, that''s how thest two weeks of my life at the sect looked like.

    Wake up in the middle of the night. Go train to the nearby pir for four hours. Take a break and prepare some food before taking another four hours or rest while Mia did her part of training. Repeat the process once more before resetting it back for the sleeping schedule.

    That''s how my definitely not mundane and boring life looked like ever since I came up with that get-powerful-quick scheme. And while my stats climbed almost to their maximum numbers, I couldn''t help but feel that my life... became somewhat stale.

    "Damn it," Mia protested, pulling me out of the limbo of my thoughts. "Even now, it''s really hard to focus!" sheined openly, no longer bothering with that master-ve bullshit.

    "And that''s likely why I believe only a few people in the entire academy bother to do that," I replied, despite not knowing how far or close to the truth my words were.

    It was just an assumption, something I had no basis whatsoever for. But Mia didn''t need to know about it, as my words were aimed only at encouraging her to keep working hard.

    Especially with how the time for the next swap wasing soon.

    Tap, tap, tap.

    The sound of the girl''s fist hitting the stone apanied me for every moment that I was awake. They were also the sound that lulled me to sleep. With how used I was to it, it became nothing more but the background music of my mundane life.

    "I think I''m done for the turn," Mia said after a few more attacks. Her robes, as usual, werepletely drenched. And as one would expect from an adolescent body of mine, it was something it had no other choice but to react to.

    "Great, the fires are almost done," I replied, standing up from the spot where we cooked, slept, and spent the limited free time we allowed ourselves to have.

    "To be honest, I''m slowly growing to hate the taste," Miained a little, walking away from the training pir and plopping down on her bottom right where I sat a moment earlier.

    Her shyness was now almost fully gone. Most likely due to how we spent every moment awake together, she no longer seemed to care about the glimpses that I often couldn''t hold myself from throwing at her see-through robes.

    But this damned feeling of horniness still bothered me. Thankfully, there was a simple way to get rid of them.

    "Before we make some money, I don''t have any other recipes," I replied, approaching the stone.

    ''Status,'' I thought, whipping out the windows that I was already extremely familiar with. Outside of Mia''s body that I asionally stole a peek at, those damned windows were the thing I paid most of my attention to.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Hands wounded (treated)

    - Hidden Status: Confused

    - Body Status: Mortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Body Purification (Pristine body)

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:71/100

    - Willpower:32/100

    Body Purification:497/300

    {

    - Skin Purification:100/100

    - Flesh purification:100/100

    - Bone purification:100/100

    - Innards purification:100/100

    - Core purification:98/100

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    Ever since the total tally of my purification progress exceeded the soft cap of three hundred, my growth status changed a little. Yet, as great as the addition of a ''pristine body'' could sound, I noticed no effect on my performance whatsoever.

    Maybe it was because I had no way ofparing my past and present self? While finding a way to stare at my reflection or just looking down at my own body was pretty easy, given how hard I had to work to raise each of those stats even by the tiniest amount, I couldn''t notice any drastic change at once.

    In a sense, looking at Mia could make it easier to figure out what did this growth of mine do... if not for the fact that I didn''t really want for her to catch me tantly staring at her.

    I shook my head and turned my attention back to the pir in front of me. With only three points away from filling the purification to its limit, I was quite eager to discover what would happen once Ipleted it.

    Breathe in, hold the breath in my lungs and then slowly breathe out. This routine helped me to calm down and focus on the task at hand.

    And then, just like thousands of times before, I struck forward with my right fist.

    I infused all my strength into this strike. I did my absolute best to execute it as perfectly as I was capable. From my findings of two weeks ago, this was the only way to slowly raise the core purification status.

    My knuckles struck the stone.

    Tic.

    Finally, the core purification statistic grew by one. ording to my mostly guessed assumptions regarding the growth, I was now only twenty or thirty perfect hits away from bringing it to the maximum.

    In other words, I couldplete the first task I gave myself in less than an hour... If the assumptions that I made and that worked so far didn''t turn out to be false.

    "What is happening here?!"

    Out of nowhere, just as I was about to strike the stone, an unfamiliar voice appeared in the garden.

    ''The fuck?!'' Startled, I stopped my fist from hitting the stone, turning my head towards the source of the voice.

    And standing right in the entrance of the clearing was a middle-aged man.

    His face was strange. Despite clearly showing the signs of his age, it also made it seem as if the man was born just a week ago. That''s just how perfectly clean his skin was.

    Yet, the thing that instantly drew my attention wasn''t the quality of his skin but his robes instead. Because rather than the washed-out blue that all the other disciples and I wore, his clothes were in the color of the clear sky.

    And that could only imply one thing in a sect where one''s clothes would change with one''s rank.

    "This humble disciple greets the elder!" I shouted out loud, cupping my hands together and bowing deeply.

    It appeared that thest few punches of my training would have to wait a bit!

 Chapter 22 - Dealing With The Elder

    "At least you know your manners!" the middle-aged man flung his robes to the back as he stepped into the clearing. "Yet, that doesn''t answer my question. How dare you desecrate the holy training grounds by cooking here?!" he threw me an angry look, going on to the offensive.

    ''Do I even know you?'' I thought, using all my willpower to stop myself from overreacting. But I wasn''t a creator of several RPG campaigns for nothing.

    "Respectable elder, it''s my fault," I replied, turning my back to the training pir and bowing my head to the man once again. "I was too infatuated with my training. It''s because of this reason that I decided to move the food-making process to the ce where I train," I said, keeping my head low to prevent the man from noticing my amused expression.

    "And what does training have to do with cooking?" the elder asked, leaning his head to the side and raising his eyebrow.

    Good. Now that I managed to quell his initial fury, it was time to push him a bit.

    "Since the sect failed to secure the sanctity of the training, I dared not to look into the matter. I have no wish to potentially discover schemes that caused my distrust in the first ce" I said, straightening my back only to look straight into the elder''s face. "Since there were people who dared to invade those grounds during my training once, I assumed that no one would be daring enough to do so... without active encouragement from the higher charges.

    "That''s why, instead of prying into the matters that could bring shame to the sect, I decided to seclude myself from other candidates. And what''s the better way to do it if not the barrier that protects one during the training?" I exined.

    I took a peek at the elder, only to notice him rubbing his beard. I always thought I was good at discerning what others think from their expression, this man''s face posed a great challenge for me to do so.

    "How do you even know about the barrier?" the elder asked, sending me a strange look.

    "This humble disciple will now answer," I said before unveiling the single wrap of cloth from my hands.

    Ever since I maltreated my hands during my first training, Mia forced me into wearing those. Not because they could offer any protection whatsoever, but because she wanted to see any signs of blood were they to appear on my hands.

    "Oh, so you are the one," the elder muttered, instantly connecting the dots. "Still, to make you believe that the sect won''t protect its disciples... You are actually right to do so," he smiled only to lower his hands and lock them behind his back.

    "Minor strife, mutual challenges, and battles on this level are actually encouraged. They are the most efficient way for one to spot his own faults and drawbacks," the man said before pointing his hand at the pir behind me. "But please, humor me and strike that pir for me. I want to see how hard did you train over the past two weeks!"

    For a moment, a look of satisfaction shed through the elder''s face. Sadly, I couldn''t tell whether he was happy with my answers or if he found a way he could use to find fault with me.

    "This disciple will follow Elder''s wish!" I instantly cupped my hands and bent my back. When dealing with people of higher ranks, respect, genuine or fake, was the easiest way to cate them.

    Moving back to the pir, I took a deep breath. Even if it was something that coulde to bite me in the backter on, I still had to do my best. After all, I had no way ofparing myself to the other sect disciples, given how I distanced myself from everyone else!

    I dropped all the thoughts about the elder. I ignored the anxious stare of Mia, who dared not to say a word ever since the man appeared. I focused all my attention on the pir, just like I would when trying to max my core purification state.

    I struck the pir. As soon as my right fist touched the stone, I used the energy of the rebound to retract my right arm, turning this movement into the swing of my upper body. I then converted this energy into the swing of my left arm, mirroring the attack.

    Yet, this wasn''t the end of mybo.

    As soon as my left arm rebounded from the stone, I used the swinging momentum to execute a right-leg kick.

    I dared not to continue it with a left-sided one. With the momentum of each strike adding on to the next, by the time I would raise my left leg, my body would lose all its stability. As such, rather than stacking the momentum to continue thebination, I would likely fall down on my ass.

    Thisst part of this simplebination was something I still had to work on.

    "That was..." the elder spoke up, only to cut his sentence short. "Good, but bad at the same time," he said as he released a deep sigh. "While you have a good basis, you are too keen to strike the same spot. In other words, instead of focusing on the attack itself, you try too hard to turn it into a battle technique," he said, giving me the first pointer towards my growth since I entered the sect.

    "This disciple gratefully epts the lesson!" I said, instantly turning myself back to the elder and bowing.

    For the first time, rather than considering the man as an imminent threat, I infused my words with actual respect and gratefulness.

    "Still, I can''t allow this disrespect to keep going," the elder shook his head as his expression soured. "What are you even cooking here? I never saw someone be so wasteful with the precious oil before!" he eximed.

    "Elder, if I may..." I dared to raise my head a little.

    "Speak."

    "This is a recipe passed down to me by a man who saved me when I was left stranded after the massacre of my family," I said, freely revealing the details of my body''s backstory. After all, it wasn''t my own history. As such, I had no qualms about using it to my own advantage. "I have nothing but respect to offer for your pointers. Nothing but respect... and this meal," I said, pointing my hand at where Mia kowtowed.

    "A meal?" the elder asked, surprised by the way in which I spun the situation.

    "If that wouldn''t be too much," I asked, "would the respectable elder care to enjoy the dish that no other in the sect knows how to prepare?"

 Chapter 23 - I Want You To Hit Me!

    "If you are going to insist," the man said as his lips formed a small smile. He then shook the cloth of his robes to the back before approaching the campsite part of the clearing.

    "Mia, serve the elder his meal," I ordered, trying my best not to show what kind of rtionship I had with the girl.

    In my eyes, this could be a routine control of the training disciples. But there was a huge chance that this visit was inspired by the very young master that set his eyes on Mia.

    I could only hope the girl would understand the reasons behind the sudden shift in my attitude towards her.

    "Yes, master." Miaplied with my order, getting down on her knees and scooping the fries out of the cauldron.

    ''That was supposed to be her meal,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists. Being the rtively poor foodie that I was, I knew the pains of having one''s meal snatched right from under one''s nose.

    And that was what I had no other choice but to do to Mia, even when she was tired and hungry from finishing four long hours of her training!

    Mia herself didn''t show any signs of being bothered by the situation. Once the wooden te was filled with all the fries, she added a massive scoop of the tomato sauce.

    "Respectable elder, here is your food," she said, passing the te to the man on her extended hands as she bowed.

    ''I''m sorry,'' I thought, noticing how even in this situation, Mia could help but steal a hungry nce at the food.

    "Hum," the man himself didn''t bother to reply to the girl, acknowledging her service with a half-articted sound.

    The elder didn''t bother to use the pseudo-fork thatid on the side of the te. Instead, he picked up the piping-hot fry between his fingers, paying no mind to how oily it was. Once dipping it in the sauce, he put it in his mouth...

    For a moment, nothing happened. The elder simply munched on the food, squinting his eyes as if he focused on some important matter. He then opened his eyes and took a long look at Mia''s lowered head before moving his eyes towards me.

    "Are you willing to sell me the recipe for this meal?" the elder finally asked, putting the ce back on Mia''s extended hands.

    ''Aaaaah....'' I breathed out an internal sigh of relief. If he was asking for the recipe, then the fries had to be to his taste!

    "Respectable elder, the fries are made just how you see them," I said, pointing my hand at the nearby cauldron. "It''s only a matter of cutting potatoes to the desired shape and frying them in boiling oil," I exined.

    "And the sauce?" The elder asked, putting a small smile on his lips as he leaned his head over his shoulder.

    "Elder, I regret to inform that I''m not in the right to give its recipe away," I said, openly biting on my lips and averting my eyes.

    Right now, I had to make a decision. Give the recipe up and potentially curry favor with a person of importance in the sect, or just don''t do it.

    If I knew who this man was, the choice would be simple. Being able to have favor with a damned elder was bound to help me out in the long run... That is unless that man was somehow sent here to stir trouble under the orders of that damned young master!

    In the former case, I would stand to gain nothing over losing the easiest way to make money in this world by giving the recipe away!

    "I understand," the man kept his smile, proving that he wasn''t going to act unreasonably. "How about this, would you be willing to part with a portion of this sauce instead?" The elder proposed, angling his head to the side once again.

    "It would be a pleasure for me to be of such service," I replied without a moment of hesitation. Then, just by sending a single nce towards Mia, I prompted her to pick up one of the two remaining pails filled with the ketchup.

    "Respectable elder," Mia said, bowing once again as she kneeled right beside where she put the te with the remaining fries aside. This time, it was the pail of ketchup resting on her extended hands.

    "Thank you," the man replied, gently nodding his head to the girl before repeating the gesture towards me.

    "Respectable elder..." I started, only to hide my face away in a faked shyness.

    "Speak your mind,"

    "Was the food not to your liking?" I asked, showing how I bit my lips out of the false anxiety.

    In the end, this man only ate a single fry. If he liked the dish, wouldn''t he consume the entire te worth of it? Even if those fries were not as great as I remember them from the earth, they didn''t fall far from the standard either!

    "I wouldn''t be so rude as to deprive this young girl of her meal," the man replied, the corners of his lips moving a little higher than usual. "You don''t need to worry about this," he waved his hand, dismissing the matter altogether.

    "Elder," I said, lowering my head in the newfound and true respect I felt towards the man.

    To be able to notice the subtle hues of what was going on just like that... It meant that the man was either a truly kind and observative person...

    Or someone looking for a simple way to manipte me into believing in his kindness. For now, I have yet to make a decision to determine which of the possibilities I was in.

    "Also, I wouldn''t be as rude to export your belongings without paying you back," the man suddenly said.. He then took a few steps away only to turn around, lock his hands behind his back, and smile. "I want you to hit me with all your might!"

 Chapter 24 - Awakening (part 1)

    "Eh?" I stumbled on my feet, unable to speak a single cohesive word.

    ''What is he trying to achieve? Get me out of the sect for attacking an elder?'' I thought, trying my absolute best to figure out what the fuck was going on.

    "You are seriously worrying too much about everything," the elder said, likely to understand the reasons behind my massive confusion. "I hope you don''t think you are powerful enough to actually hurt me!"

    Well, he had a point. Given how this world looked like the simplest copy of all the cultivation, young masters, and jade beauties novels I read in my early days, there was likely not even a remote chance for my attack to actually connect.

    And heck, even if it did, how could that man be an elder if I a mere disciple like me could actually hurt him?!

    I threw a quick nce at Mia. Even with all those thoughts, I couldn''t help myself. After all, she was actually a local to this world and someone who spent an entire semester in the sect before I even joined.

    Even as a ve, she had to pick up something that could be of help to me now!

    ''I give up,'' I thought, feeling how all the strength left my body with a long sigh that I let out.

    "This disciple will follow Elder''s orders!" I ended up saying, approaching the man only to stop at the optimal distance away.

    I knew no battle techniques. Even though this man himself imed that mybo was simr to one, I wasn''t anywhere confident enough in being able to execute it to dare to do it now.

    All I could push myself for was a single punch. And since the elder himself asked for it, there was no reason for me to hold back, right?

    I took the position. Standing steadily on my legs with the center of my mass slightly lowered, I took a deep breath. By letting the air out, I forcibly calmed my soul down.

    ''Just think of him as a pir,'' I thought, even closing my eyes for a moment to help this imagination rece the real sight.

    And then I felt it. It was as if the entire universe aligned in a perfect way, just for me to execute a single strike.

    I let the reins of my body off, allowing the force of habit to take over.

    My right first struck forward. It was a perfect attack if I were to say so. Not a single doubt, not a single bit of hesitation spoiled the gentle arc that my arm pained in the air.

    I opened my eyes, only to see the smiling face of an elder. He didn''t look weak or scared at all... But the prospect of attacking someone who did me no wrong...

    At the veryst moment, I hesitated.

    Just a tiny little bit, but my attack lost its tranquility, its perfection.

    My fist struck... But not the elder''s body. For a moment, I could see it repulsed by some kind of invisible barrier, just an inch away from the man''s robes.

    But then, the barrier shattered, allowing my first to go right through it!

    ''What?'' I thought, noticing the look of shock on the elder''s face right as my fist buried itself deep in his innards!

    "What?!" Mia shouted in surprise behind my back.

    "Huh?" The elder ahead took a few steps back, killing the momentum of my strike.

    Tic.

    Wait, what?

    I dared not to open the system window with the elder right in front of me... But since I botched the attack and all my stats other than core purification were maxed... How could a single stat of mine raise?

    Or maybe I was wrong about the mechanism behind it this whole time?

    "You managed to break through the barrier with your physical strength alone?!" the elder uttered with a weak voice, proof that my attack actually squeezed some air from his lungs.

    But there was no wrath in the man''s voice. Looking up, I couldn''t see a single hint of anger or fury on his face. Just the boundless surprise and confusion in the eyes that he raised towards my face.

    "That can only mean one thing," he said, wiping confusion and shock from his face. He then took a step forward. Then another. And then he simply walked the rest of the distance that separated us.

    "What?!" I uttered, instinctively backing down.

    The sh right now proved that if this man were to get serious, I wouldn''t stand any chance against him. Even though it was something I assumed from the very beginning, now I had a concrete proof of that.

    If my almost perfect attack could only shatter a lousy barrier he made without any preparation, then even if I didn''t slip, I was still far too weak to match his strength!

    ''Not to speak about this magic-like power to create a barrier in the first ce!'' I thought, standing on my guard.

    "Calm down," the elder said, suddenly appearing right beside me. He reached out with his hands and ced them on my head.

    Yet, despite my moment of panic, I still couldn''t feel even a single hint of hostility from this man. "Just rx and let me do my job," the man added, closing his eyes.

    ''Fuck it.'' Not sure what was happening, I decided to just go with the flow. Since I had no way of defending myself from whatever this man was doing, I could as well just hope that he wasn''t trying to hurt me.

    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, rxing just as ordered.

    For a moment, nothing happened. We just stood in ce, calming down from the previous sh.

    "There it is," the elder muttered.

    And then my vision exploded in white light.

 Chapter 25 - Awakening (part 2)

    "Arthur!" I heard someone whisper my name. It was a strange voice, distant, yet at the same time, extremely intimate.

    "Arthur..." The voice continued to call me, reach out to me, coax me.

    "Arthur!" A sudden shout broke into my ears, forcing this strange voice away. "Are you okay?!" I could recognize the owner of this voice. It was soft yet worried. Pleasant yet distressing. "What did you do to him?!" Mia shouted, directing her words at someone else.

    The light that covered my vision slowly started to fade away. The milky-white aura that surrounded me from all sides and in all dimensions bleached out, slowly revealing the reality underneath it.

    I was still in the same garden where I met with the elder for the first time. I could see the training pir in the corner of my eyes and the entrance to the alcove behind a shape that was likely the elder himself.

    "Just let hime back to his senses," the elder said... Or rather, the voice reached my ears while the shape directly in front of meically moved the cloud at the height of where the elder''s head should be.

    Even though the light was fading away, it still blocked the majority of my vision. For now, I could only see the general shapes rather than the details of the world around me.

    "Arthur!" Mia wailed. From how close her voice came from, I could tell that she was on her knees right beside me.

    "What happened?" I managed to utter those words in a weak whisper. Bit by bit, my consciousness continued to return to its usual state.

    It was as if this strange light was the inhibiting factor behind my sudden weak will.

    "Are you okay?" the elder asked, his shape twisting in a weird way. If I could risk a guess, he likely kneeled on one knee before me.

    "More or less..." I attempted to calm the situation down.

    I was quite happy with how Miashed out at the elder when she realized that something was wrong with me... But I couldn''t allow this situation to continue.

    The elder appeared to be a person who could forgive such transgression once, but if Mia were to continue to act aggressively, I would be in no way capable of saving her from the elder''s wrath.

    After a few more moments, the light finally receded, allowing me to take stock of the situation properly.

    Yet, just as I raised my eyes to look around and calm myself down, my vision once again went crazy.

    "Arthur?" Both Mia and the elder spoke up at the same time.

    ''I guess it showed up on my face,'' I thought, overwhelmed by how insanely much my system expanded.

    This was the reason behind the second wave of my shock.

    The initial three windows of my system suddenly multiplied in a poly-amorous rtionship, giving birth to two more windows! Yet, as if that wasn''t enough, each of the windows substantially expanded!

    All this new information, all this new stuff... It made the reality around me pretty confusing!

    "I''m okay!" I shouted, raising my hands in the air. It wasn''t a well thought-off gesture, but rather something that I did on the spot. Maybe an attempt to prove that I could control my body? "Still... what was that?" I asked, hoping to get some desperately needed answers.

    ''Did I unlock the full potential of my system or something?'' I thought, trying to make sense of what was going on even before the elder could reply.

    "You just entered the Qi Condensation stage!" the elder announced with a cheerful voice. A smile appeared on his face as he reached out and patted his hand on my shoulder.

    ''That''s weird,'' I thought, taking a quick look at the leftmost panel of my screen. On it, with bolded letters, it stated Mana Condensation instead!

    "What does it mean?" I asked, unsatisfied with just the name. While I could draw some assumptions from it, I was likely to only get confusedter if I were to guess its meaning wrong!

    "When you first joined the sect, you were nothing more but a mere mortal," the elder replied, surprisingly happy to give me some answers. "By hitting that stone over and over again, you managed to purify that mortal body of yours. By feeding the energy of your attacks into it, the pir stirred your body in return, forcing it to rid itself out of all the filth," he added before locking his hands behind his back.

    ''That''s generally what I expected,'' I thought. In the end, what else could ''purification'' mean?

    "Elder, this disciple will be forever grateful for the elder''s help!" I pushed all the system windows aside and stood up, only to kneel right back down and cup my hands above my head.

    "Don''t sweat it," the man replied with a small chuckle. "Once the semester ends, you would be tested for your potential anyway. What I did, was only speeding the process up!" he said, patting my shoulder once again before finally retracting his hand.

    "Elder, if I may ask..." I started only to cut my sentence short. After the man helped me already, was I even in a position to ask for some more pointers from him?"

    "Seriously, if you have some questions, just ask!" the man replied, rolling his eyes.

    "How am I supposed to train, now?" I asked.

    In the end, this was the most important aspect of my new situation. Striking the pir surely did its job... but what was I supposed to do next?

    "I''m quite sure you can''t afford spirit stones, not to speak about the pills that could enhance your growth..." the elder muttered, raising his hand and rubbing it against his beard. "For now, just continue training as you were for thest two weeks," he finally said, revealing that my adventure with the pir wasn''t over yet.

    "I still have some matters to attend to, but I wille back to visit in two days. If your growth will satisfy me," the elder said as his smile expanded all over his face, "I might even consider epting you as my direct disciple!" he announced.

    For a moment, I had no idea what I should say. All my words ended up stuck in my throat as I was trying to find out the proper way to reply.

    "This disciple will not disappoint the elder!" I fell back to my knees, lowering my head and cupping my hands.

    "Good. Now stop with those useless formalities and get back to training!" he urged me and turned around, clearly attempting to leave the ce.

    But there was still one thing that I had to ask him about.

    "Elder..." I muttered, not even sure if I should do it.

    "What is it?" the man asked, turning his head around. In his eyes, curiosity burned, proving just how peculiar my situation was to him.

    "If I may beg for a favor... Could you please consider helping Mia to enter the Qi Condensation stage as well?"

    **********************

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Healthy

    - Hidden Status: Shocked

    - Body Status: Paramortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Mana Condensation

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:5/200

    - Willpower: 5/200

    ***

    Mana Condensation 75/500

    {

    Mana Pool 0/300

    Mana Flow 0/300

    Mana Density 0/300(+75)

    }

    ***

    Objective status window:

    ***

    Completed: [Hidden Mission] Advance to the next stage!

    {By reaching the required threshold of body purification, the host can enter the second stage of human existence, one where mana finally bes his integral part rather than an outside source of energy}

    X: Rewards: 50 points into mana density. :X

    X: Bonus Rewards: 25 points into mana density. :X

    Active: Fill the gauge of your status!

    {After reaching the mana condensation stage, the host can finally venture on the journey of bing a proper mage. But in order to properly wield magic, one needs to get his body ustomed to doing so first!}

    ***

    Battle Techniques and Spells

    ***

    Basicbination: By extensively training his body, the host learned how tobine his attacks into a continuous, fluid motion, allowing him to increase the strength of each following attack. [+25% damage for each consecutive attack/+25% effort threshold for each consecutive attack]

    ***

    Bonus Window

    ***

    Pristine Body: By purifying his body beyond the standard and almost to the possible pinnacle, the host ensured a smoother path for him to grow! [+0.49 modifier to growth]

    ***

 Chapter 26 - Unexpected Opposition

    The clearing turned silent as soon as my voice faded away. The elder looked at me with surprise written all over his face, while I could feel Mia''s stare drilling deeply into my back.

    "Did I just step on andmine?'' I thought, unable to understand where the sudden tense atmosphere came from.

    Was there some kind of taboo that prevented the ves from actively cultivating? But wouldn''t that mean that the entire theory behind the very system of the sect was bogus? If they weren''t actively encouraged to train and grow, why give them an hour of personal time in the first ce?

    ''Just to cate them,'' I thought, perfectly aware of the answer.

    I raised my hand to my chest, feeling a stifling pain explode in my heart. I was more than aware of the reasons behind such a scheme. Giving ves hope so that they wouldn''t rebel.

    Wasn''t that exactly the way in which my people were treated back on earth? Give them a sliver of freedom while working them to the bone and filling every bit of their time with vicious propaganda?

    "Are you sure?" the elder asked. Raising my eyes on his face, I could see a weird expression of uneasiness mixing with shock. "I mean, once she advances to the Qi gathering stage, she will be freed from her ve status!"

    Yeah, I was right.

    The reasoning behind this situation was pretty simple. Since the sect epted mortals as disciples, how could any of its ves be on a stage higher than those who the Skdder sect deemed worthy of grooming?

    ''Yes, I am,'' I replied, looking directly into the elder''s eyes. But those words didn''t leave my mouth yet.

    As soon as those words appeared in my soul, I felt a wave of happiness descend upon my soul. I never wanted to have a ve. The only reason why I epted Mia was to protect and help her out.

    If I could turn her into a proper disciple, then that young master would no longer have any means of turning her back into a ve!

    If that wasn''t a reason to rejoice, then I didn''t really know what could be!

    Yet, for how happy I was, I couldn''t help an itch to my back caused by the fervent stare of the girl. Turning my head around, I snuck a peek at Mia, only to realize... that she actually appeared to be saddened?

    ''Wait a second,'' a sudden thought stopped my lips from opening up. ''I received that huge boost to my growth... why exactly?

    Even though this was the veryst message I saw in the system, it stuck to my memory for some reason. Just to make sure, I called forth my status.

    Bonus Window

    ***

    Pristine Body: By purifying his body beyond the standard and almost to the possible pinnacle, the host ensured a smoother path for him to grow! [+0.49 modifier to growth]

    ***

    And there it was, just like I recalled it. Stuck on the rightmost window, the information that stopped me from happy-go-lucky announcing my wish to free Mia from very.

    ''If she advances now, before she reaching the pinnacle of purification, wouldn''t sheg behind me in the long run?'' I thought as the realization struck me.

    "Respectable Elder, you imed that you woulde to visit in two days, is that right?" I asked, just to make sure I wasn''t hearing things before.

    While I had no habit of doubting my senses, I wasn''t in my best mental state when the recent events urred.

    "That''s right?" the elder asked, turning his response into a question. He clearly didn''t understand where this unexpected question of mine came from.

    "Would you be as kind as to help this girl then?" I asked. My training started just a single day before I met Mia. And given how one would get more and more used to practice the more they practiced, I was certain I could help Mia reach the pinnacle of the purification stage within just those two short days!

    "I see that you already made your decision," the elder muttered in response, only to shake his head next. "If that''s the case, then so be it!" he announced, raising his head straight as he looked directly into my eyes.

    Yet, it was futile for him to look for any signs of hesitaiton.

    With that said, the elder turned around and walked away. Only as his back disappeared behind the high hedge did I realize that I didn''t even get to know his name.

    "That went surprisingly great," I muttered to myself. For some reason, I was stuck in the spot where I stood, still processing the events that had just transpired.

    ''I didn''t even get to check my system yet,'' I thought, fighting the urge to summon it again right away.

    There was one thing that I had yet to take care of. One thing that bothered me to no end.

    Thump.

    I turned my head towards the source of the dull sound, only to see Mia with her fist touching the training pir. She then retracted her hand...

    But instead of hitting the pir again, she turned around to face me. Her hands reached towards the cord that held her ve robes together.

    With a single pull, she undid the knot and shook her shoulders, allowing the robe to silently slide down her arms.

    For a short moment, I could only stand in ce, adoring her perfectly shaped body. The hourss figure that made me wish to hold it, the supple bosom that made me wish to rest my head on it. The secret garden between her legs that made me wish to fill it up.

    I stood in ce, stunned both by the beautiful sight and by the situation itself. Mia, on the other hand, didn''t waste her time.

    After giving me a second to adore her body, she moved forward without hesitation, only to ster herself on my chest and lock her arms around my waist.

    "What are you doing?" I managed to utter, keeping my hands as far away from her delicate skin as I could.

    Just by having her hug me like that, I could feel my body reacting to her softness. The delicate aroma of her sweat entered my nose, making it even hard to resist the opportunity.

    "Proving that I''m good enough to be your ve," she muttered in response, burying her head in my chest as she reached with her hands for my crotch.

 Chapter 27 - Why Are You Casting Me Aside?

    "Mia, stop," I said, spending all of my willpower to reach out for her arms and raise them back up.

    If she were to get all touchy-feely with me right now, then all the sense of reason would disappear from my mind.

    With all the great bonuses that came in stock with this body, smaller resistance to arousal was one of the cons. Being seventeen of age once again, there was only so much that I could handle before my body would take the better of my mind.

    And while I saw nothing wrong with sleeping around at this age, I would never do it by making use of Mia''s situation!

    "WHY?!" Mia screamed out. Her face was buried in my chest, making me unable to see what kind of expression she was making. Yet, feeling how my robe turned slightly wet, I had to ept the fact that she actually teared up.

    Just what the hell did I do to upset her so much?

    "Just calm down," I whispered in a peaceful tone, reaching to my belt. Unveiling the cord that held up my robes in their ces, I grabbed the sides of the cloth only to throw my own clothes around the girl''s currently naked body.

    "You need to respect yourself more," I said gently, wrapping the cord behind her back. Then, prompted by nothing more but an instinct, I raised my hand and started to pat her head.

    Mia''s body shook while her tears started to trickle down the skin of my chest.

    "Why won''t you do it with me?" Mia asked through her tears, her sentence broken by her sobs. "Am I really that unattractive?!" she asked. Her voice leaned between depression and terror.

    "It''s not like that," I replied, rustling her hair with my fingers. "You are really attractive. I believe you should be able to feel it yourself," I added, feeling how my cheeks turned slightly red.

    Even without direct skin-to-skin contact, my teenage body already reacted to how close Mia was to me.

    "Then why..." she attempted to ask again. Yet, this time I didn''t allow her to do that. Instead, moving my hand to the back of her head, I pulled her into a closer embrace, muffling her lips with my chest.

    "I''m not going to use your situation to my own advantage," I replied calmly, finally gathering enough courage to properly hug the girl. "Rather than sleeping with you because of you being my ve, I would prefer to sleep with you once you decide that you want to do it yourself," I added, feeling as if my checks were to explode from how embarrassed I was to utter those words.

    Right now, my words were nothing more but a fake front I was putting.

    Not even back on earth have I found myself with any girl in a situation like that. Standing with nothing but undergarments covering my crotch and hugging such a lovable girl like that, I was actually quite surprised I still didn''t lose my sense of reason!

    "Am I really such a burden to you?" Mia asked, her voice still breaking, her body still shaking in my arms. Yet, her convulsions clearly started to die out, meaning that she was slowly calming down.

    "Huh?" I exhaled in surprise. "Why do you think that?" I asked. Even if this wasn''t the best course of action, I wouldn''t have a chance to learn the answer if I didn''t ask.

    The only experience with women I had in my previous life came with the few years I lived with my sister. Even with that, I could hardly speak about my experience with women, given how I never saw her turn from a girl into an actual woman.

    In other words, I only knew how to interact with young girls that were a part of my family, not with a bombshell that could easily put all the models of the earth to a shame with a single smile of hers!

    "If I''m not a burden, why are you trying to get rid of me?!" Mia asked, finally moving her head away from my chest and looking right into my eyes.

    Staring down at her teary face, I felt two parts of my body tingle. First one, I could only hope that Mia didn''t notice. The second one was my heart.

    For a moment, I sank down in the deep eyes of the girl, unable to tear my sight away. This kind of face struck a weird chord in my soul, making my wish to protect her properly take roots deep into my soul.

    As if some kind of spell, some kind of charm, was cast on me, I could no longer look at Mia as if she was just a girl I decided to help. Right now, with everyst fiber of my being, I wished to protect her.

    "It''s not like that," I said after somehow tearing my eyes away from Mia''s face. Raising my face to the sky, I closed my eyes and took a few breaths to find a proper way to express what I had in mind. "I just can''t stand the very as it is. It repulses me. I hate it," I said in quick session, refusing to look down in worry that Mia''s eyes would once again entrap me.

    "Then why did you agree to help me out?!" Mia protested, hitting my chest with her forehead as she once again buried her face in it.

    "Listen, I can''t stand you being a ve. I never said that it has anything to do with you personally," I added, finally revealing what was really on my mind. "Just like I said before, I''m not trying to cast you aside. I''m trying to free you from your status of a ve."

    For a moment, the two of us simply kept silent, as if neither of us knew what to say next.

    "Is that really such a bad thing?" I asked. To say that this situation made me distressed would be a gross understatement.

    "So you are not trying to cast me aside?" Mia asked in a weak voice. Looking down, I couldn''t see her face, but I could see how her cheeks quickly turned beet red.

    "Why would I?" I asked in response, putting my hand on the back of her head and pulling her closer into my embrace. "I enjoy spending time with you a whole lot!"

 Chapter 28 - I Need To Make A Decision

    I stood with Mia in my arms for a long while. Holding her to my chest gave me a feeling of peace. I felt as if this was the exact reason humans were built the way they were so that they could hug each other just like we did now.

    But there was a limit to how long the situation couldst. Because for every second that I enjoyed Mia''s closeness, Mia''s smell, Mia''s softness, my sense of reason continued to wash away.

    "Okay, that will do for now," I forced myself to utter before I gently pushed the girl away. "While I hope it will be only for two more days, can I ask you to change back to your robe?"

    As much as I hated seeing Mia in those poor-quality clothes... Standing out in the open in nothing more but my undergarments was quite embarrassing.

    Even if I could somehow obtain a spare robe to allow the two of us to wear something nice, I dared not to imagine the consequences if someone saw Mia parading in the disciple robes before ridding her of her ve status.

    "Sure," Mia replied, even though I could see some hesitation on her face.

    ''Did she want the hug to continue for a little longer?'' I thought, watching how she took a few steps back before turning around and approaching the training pir. Yet, when she dropped my robe to the ground and leaned forward to grab her own...

    I turned my eyes away.

    ''So that''s what she was hesitant about,'' I thought.

    "You don''t need to look away, you know?" Mia asked with a small chuckle, perfectly aware of the show that she was giving me.

    "As I said before," I said, turning around to save myself from the temptation, "you should respect yourself more."

    Standing with my back to the girl, I couldn''t help but look down towards my own crotch.

    Just like I thought and felt before, my undergarments did a pretty measly job at concealing just how hard I was. With that in mind, I dared not to allow any further temptation.

    "Here, your robes," Mia said a moment filled with rustling soundster.

    "Thanks," I grabbed the clothes before casting a quick nce towards the te with food left by the elder. "I''m sorry that I gave away your food to that man," I said, finally getting to the point I thought about way before.

    "Don''t mind it," Mia said, hiding her smiling lips behind her raised hand. "I know my ce and the importance of the elders," she added before sending me a wink.

    ''Can you stop being so damn adorable?'' I thought, rolling my eyes as the girl turned around and approached the food.

    With all those thoughts clouding my mind, I approached the training pir.

    ''The elder said that I should keep on training like before,'' I thought, recalling the words of that strange man. ''Well, I guess I should start by going easy,'' I thought before throwing a lousy punch forward.

    And so, I immersed myself in training. This was the easiest way for me to forget about all the temptation that refused to leave my memory so far.

    This time, however, rather than trying to execute a perfect punch with every swing of my arm, I focused on doing the exact opposite.

    All the math behind how many times I had to punch the training stone to bring my stats up was now invalid. That''s why, rather than trying my absolute best to throw a perfect punch, I opted to first check the new math.

    The method was simple. By continuously hitting the stone without any focus or care, I kept counting up.

    Tic.

    After exactly one hundred thirty-five punches, my mana pool finally increased by one.

    ''Taking into ount the growth bonus, that should mean around two hundred punches for the first point, huh?'' I thought, quickly calcting the requirements for the advancement.

    ''Status,'' I thought, calling forth all five windows of my system. And with the sound of Mia cleaning up the tes after her meal, I finally found some time to analyze its content.

    ''It seems like both my endurance and my willpower took a hard reset,'' I realized, only to bite my lips in annoyance.

    ording to my previous observations, both endurance and willpower had a massive influence over how quickly I could grow. And while it was great to know that I could now raise them to even a higher number... actually doing so was an entirely different matter altogether.

    "Are you done with your training?" Mia asked, approaching me from the back. "Isn''t that a little bit too quick?" she quickly added, leaning her head to the side.

    "Nah, I''m just thinking over stuff," I replied, quickly shaking my head. "Do you recall that elder saying something about spirit stones and pills?" I asked as an idea appeared in my head.

    "Yeah," Mia nodded her head, slowly circling around me. "They are quite useful because one can use them to quickly raise their Qi," she said before a small grin appeared on her lips. "That is, it can save a lot of time that you would otherwise need to spend hitting that stone," she said, pointing at the pir with a shake of her chin.

    "I see..." I replied, quickly calcting the possible options I had.

    Right now, I have two days'' time to show the best possible results to the elder. One option was to keep on going with my training, hoping that my effortsbined with the bonuses to my growth would satisfy the elder.

    But there was another option, one that I had alreadyid the foundation for. One that I prepared for solely because of my guess how this world looks like and works like.

    Yet, before I coulde to a decision, Mia suddenly came closer to me, stopping only a single step away.

    "Hey, Arthur," she called out, forcing me out of my dilemma. Yet, as soon as I looked at her face, she took thest step that separated us and threw her arms around my neck.

    Then, with a speed way greater than I ever saw her hit the training pir with, she leaned in and left a gentle peck on my cheek.

    "Huh?" I managed to mutter, watching how she let go of my neck and took a step back before turning beet red.

    "This is my thanks for everything you did for me so far," she said, only to avert her eyes a momentter. "You can look forward to my full gratitude once we get a lodging that only direct disciples are privy for!"

 Chapter 29 - Opportunistic Route

    "I think I will go with the opportunistic route," I said after finally raising my mana pool stat by... a single level.

    From the looks of things, the math behind this new stage was pretty simple.

    For every two hundred hits against the stone, I would raise my mana pool by a single level. But what was even worse, I couldn''t raise all three of the stats at once by focusing and perfecting those hits!

    While it was only a guess of mine, it seemed that I had no other choice but to raise the mana pool to the maximum before I could even begin working on the mana flow. And only once I would max out the flow I could start improving the density.

    In other words, assuming there would be no further hardships, I had to hit the stone pir a whopping one hundred eighty thousand times!

    Or rather, I would have to do it that many times without taking my bonus to the growth nor the endurance and willpower effect on my training.

    ''But still,'' I thought, ''even if I ount for all the potential bonuses, I was unable to bring that number below twenty thousand hits!

    In other words, even if I were to keep training, in the same manner I did so far, I would long lose my patience before reaching any satisfactory result!

    ''It''s great that one can train his way to the peak for free, but why would I waste my time doing that if I can speed this process up?'' I thought.

    "What do you mean?" Mia asked, raising her head from the grass.

    The measly four hundred attacks I had to execute against the stone took me quite a while. As it was her turn to rest, Mia simplyid out directly on the grass, amusing herself by watching training.

    "I''m going to make some money," I replied, raising my hand to wipe the sweat off my forehead.

    "Are you sure?" Mia asked, pulling herself up on her arms. "Don''t you need to train now to impress the elder?" she asked as a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

    It was a strange, new feeling for me. To have a cute girl like that worry about my decisions... not because of her own benefit in it, but for my own sake!

    "It''s only a day," I replied, sending the girl a soft smile. "I can sacrifice that."

    Once I made my decision, I didn''t waste even a single second of my time. After clearing the sweat off my body, I moved towards the campsite only to start packing all the ingredients and utensils that we had.

    "Then, I''ming with you!" Mia resolutely said, jumping up and quickly running to help me out.

    "Thanks," I said before sending her a quick nce. "But as soon as I''m done setting up the stall, you will go back," I announced.

    "Huh?" Mia leaned her head. "Why?"

    "My aim for today is to obtain funds to buy spirit stones, or if possible, pills," I exined the idea. "But while they could prove advantageous to me, you still need to reach the Qi gathering stage," I pointed out while lifting the cauldron after attaching the bag with cut potatoes to my belt.

    "I don''t care," Mia replied, grabbing the two pails of ketchup and following after me. "Even if you want to lift me from very, I''m still your ve," she added in a voice that wouldn''t ept any critique. "I''m going to help you for as long as necessary," she added, raising her chin up.

    ''Do you take pride in being my ve or something?'' I thought, stopping myself from shaking my head. The fact that I didn''t understand how Mia thought didn''t mean I had any right to disrespect it.

    The rest of our journey went inplete silence. From my end, I didn''t want to start the topic again, worried that I would somehow cross Mia''s bottom line. As for why Mia herself was silent?

    I could only guess.

    "Where do you want to set the stall?" the girl asked once we reached the marketce.

    "Could you guide me to the auction hall?" I asked as a small smirk made its way up my lips.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged. "Are you going to sell the fries in the auction hall?" she asked, leaning her head to the side.

    Unknowingly, this cute gesture of hers almost made me drop my stuff just to grab myself by the chest. That was the effect Mia''s actions had on my poor heart.

    "Not in the auction hall," I replied with a small smile. "Right beside it," I added.

    In the end, Mia decided not toment on my decision. Whether she didn''t want to annoy me or saw nothing wrong with it, I couldn''t tell.

    "Here we are," she said after just a few more minutes of walking, stopping at the doorstep of a massive building.

    Its front consisted of an impressive colonnade, each of its pieces being a masterpiece of sculpting job rather than a simple column. And behind all the statues that decorated its entrance, one could see the massive metal gate leading inside the building proper.

    "Okay, that will be enough," I said, putting down the portable firece and cauldron right over it. Then, I turned my head to the girl. "Mia, I know you won''t like it, but I really need you to go train now," I said, biting my lips.

    "Why?" Mia instantly opposed my decision. "Won''t I be of help here?" she asked in a pleading tone.

    "Mia, listen..." I scrambled my brain toe up with a proper excuse. "Right now, you are still a ve. If one of that young master''s people wille and see you, it will only spell trouble," I said, holding back the guilty feeling that welled up in my soul.

    "If you say so... then I will follow your order... MASTER," Mia uttered, clearly dissatisfied with my decision. She then turned around on her heel, harumphed, and walked back in the direction of the sect.

    ''I really don''t know how to act around her,'' I thought, shaking my head over how powerless I was in a rtionship like that.

    But there was no time to waste. Quite a lot of time passed ever since the elder left the garden, leaving me with one and a half-day before his return.

    And there was a lot that I had to do today!

    I kneeled down and sparked a fire underneath the cauldron. After waiting for just a bit, the oil started to boil, allowing me to throw a fistful of raw fries inside. I then stood up and shouted,

    "Fries!"

    "Only here and only today!"

    "Get yourself some fries that you won''t find anywhere else!"

 Chapter 30 - Firesale

    Just like I expected, my primitive stall quickly drew a huge amount of attention. I couldn''t tell whether it was caused by my robes signaling that I''m a disciple of the local sect, the novelty of the dish, or the delicious smell of fries that instantly kicked out of the cauldron.

    But it didn''t matter.

    Rather than trying to figure out the reason for my stall''s initial sess, I focused on making the most of it!

    "Excuse me, young man. What''s the price for a single serving?" a random passerby asked.

    "For a single serving of standalone fires, it''s just measly five coppers," I said as my smile widened. "On the other hand, if you wish to partake in the full meal along with the secret sauce of my lineage, the prize will be a single silver coin!"

    The prices were something I figured out long ago.

    With the cost of all the ingredients and tools reaching two silver coins, the pricing of my fries was... quite unreasonable. In this world where capitalism has likely yet to develop, this kind of mark on the pricing would be likely unheard of.

    But that was only the beginning.

    "A full meal, you say?" the potential customer asked before suddenlyughing out and pulling out a silver coin. "Here, consider it a gesture of goodwill!" he said, perfectly aware of the massive attention focused on his back.

    Given how he was the first to approach my stall, he would go down in history as the one who would decide whether the meal was good or not. And for the man, investing just a single silver coin in an opportunity to gain such fame?

    This could be only called a big win-win scenario for both of us!

    With the first-order set, I quickly scooped out a huge portion of fries out of the cauldron only to stter them generously with a serving of ketchup. Then, using one of the few wooden tes I had on me, I passed the meal to the customer.

    "I hope you will enjoy it, sir," I said before winking at the man and adding, "as you are my first customer today, the te is included in the price!"

    A few people in the crowdughed out at the prospect of putting a price on the te. The very essence of all the stalls in the cityy in the ability to order a quick meal and just walk away with it. With that in mind, forcing people to pay for the piece of wood as if it was some kind of decorative te?

    That alone was another novelty that my stall introduced.

    "How is it?"

    "Is it good?"

    Several people asked for the man''s opinion even before he could put the first fry into his mouth.

    And then, he did it. Grabbing the fry directly with his fingers, just like the elder back in the garden, the man scooped up a bit of the sauce before putting it in his mouth.

    For a moment, his face turned still as he munched on the treat. And then, it started to undergo rapid change, from amusement, through amazement all the way to awe.

    He then reached for another fry, unable to be bothered to answer anyone''s questions. And soon, he practically shoved his face into the wooden te, acting as if it was his first meal after years of starving!

    ''That was unexpected,'' I thought, put slightly off by the man''s behavior.

    "I want one serving as well!" Someone shouted, making his way towards the stall through the crowd that continued to get denser and denser with each passing second.

    "Fries alone, or would you like ketchup as well?" I calmly asked, preparing myself for what was about toe.

    "The full course!" the man shouted, only to shake his head. "No, I want tw...-three meals at once!"

    "On it!"

    Soon, the movement around my stall turned into a mess. Before long, some guards tagged along, alerted by themotion, ready to disperse any signs of unrest.

    Thankfully, it didn''t end poorly for me, although I likely only had my disciple robes to thank for that.

    Before long, all the ingredients that I brought with me ran out. And this was the moment when those guards quickly proved to be quite useful, killing off the massive wave of unrest that started as soon as I announced the fact.

    ''That was some nice profit,'' I thought, staring down at a small pile of silver coins resting in my palm. But there was still something that I had to do.

    "Is there anyone interested in buying off this cauldron along with the oil and salt I have left?" I shouted towards the crowd. "Only a single golden coin for the golden opportunity to keep selling the fries! For the buyer, I will tell what those fires are made from!" I added.

    This was a loose bet. I personally doubted that anyone would buy a simple cauldron, a bit of oil, and some salt for an entire gold coin, something that cost me around one and half of a silver coin!

    "Me!" A customer instantly raised his hand, only to be thwarted by some lucky man that stood closer to me. "Here!" the man didn''t wait for even a second, pulling not one, not two, but three entire golden coins! "That''s how much I will pay!" he shouted, shoving the money into my palm.

    "Sure," I replied with a smile, hiding the surprise and excitement that mixed in my soul. I then leaned over the man''s ear before whispering, "to make those fries, just take some potatoes and cut them into the desired shape. Once they are fried in the boiling oil, add some salt, and you are set!"

    I hid the money while watching how an expression of shock appeared on the man''s face. He then looked at me as if I was some kind of clown and asked, "what about the recipe for the red sauce?"

    "That''s," I replied, hiding the money and stepping towards the guards, "something that I''m going to auction off in the auction house right now!"

 Chapter 31 - In The Auction Hall

    I felt pretty strange entering the auction hall. Even with the five gold coins in my pocket, I still felt like a worthless worm when passing through the colonnade on the entrance.

    Yet, this feeling was only reinforced when I actually stepped through the building''s gate.

    The town outside appeared pretty normal, if not slightly run-down. The buildings were slightly unkempt, while two or three-story buildings were a rare sight in the entire ce.

    That''s why, when Iid my eyes on silver and goldid walls and floor of the auction hall, I felt as if I had entered some kind of forbidden, elite zone.

    "How may I help you?" an elegantly dressed man asked, approaching me before I could lose myself in the beauty of this ce.

    "I came here both to sell and to buy," I replied, putting a light smile on my lips.

    "And what the young master would be like to sell in our esteemed auction hall?" the receptionist asked with a polite tone, even if the respect on his face was as fake as it could be.

    "Did you notice the smallmotion outside your building?" I asked, leaning my head over my shoulder.

    "I was informed about it, yes," the receptionist replied, sparks of curiosity appearing in his otherwise deadpan eyes.

    "I came here to sell the recipe for the food that took this town by the storm," I said before pulling out the five golden coins that I made. "That''s how much I earned over thest hour," I said, keeping silent about the source of the three out of five coins that I held out. "I am also the only one who has the recipe for the sauce that went along with my food," I added.

    "And that''s the recipe that you wish to sell, young master?" the receptionist asked, ncing over at the money only for the respect on his face to turn slightly more genuine.

    "That''s exactly what I want to sell," I replied, nodding my head.

    "I understand," the man said before turning around and moving towards a strange stand by the wall.

    It consisted of a simple, one-person writing stand with a set of papers and writing utensils. Yet, what made it special, was a strange tube that was located right beside the stall, extending all the way towards the nearby wall.

    "As this is an original product, you will have to present it yourself," the receptionist said, scribbling some notes on the paper before putting it in a long, roundish capsule. "I hope it won''t be a problem," he added, closing the capsule and putting it into the tube I noticed before.

    The capsule got sucked into the tube with a swooshing sound, just like in some outdated message-rying systems I saw in some movies back on earth.

    "No, I believe it would be for the best," I replied.

    Yet, before anything else could be said, the sucking sound returned only for a different capsule to emerge from the tube.

    "It seems that the auction house is quite interested in your product," the receptionist said, unveiling the message hidden in it. "Apparently, our house is willing to pay you one hundred and fifty coins for the recipe," he announced before turning his face towards me with a smile. "What do you say to the offer?"

    Hearing the number, I couldn''t help but swallow my saliva. A hundred and fifty gold coins. Given the one hundred to one exchange ration to the silver coins, it was a considerable fortune.

    "Excuse me, but before I answer, I need to know something else," I said after taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "What is the usual price for the spirit stones?"

    "So that''s why you want to get some quick funds," the receptionist smiled, the respect on his face turning truly genuine. "It really depends. There are times when one can buy them for a single gold coin, and there are times when their price spikes all the way to eight gold coins per piece," he said.

    ''That''s quite a massive spective range,'' I thought, swallowing another gulp of saliva.

    But this information also proved something else to me.

    That a hundred and fifty gold coins weren''t a fortune at all.

    It seemed that all the cultivation and fantasy novels I read on earth got one thing right. Resources necessary to bing stronger really held their price high!

    "In that case, I think I will rather auction my recipe off," I said with an uneasy smile.

    It wasn''t an easy decision to refuse an offer of an auction house. Seeing how insanely rich those people were, getting on their bad side could prove disastrous.

    But the ketchup recipe was the only thing going that I had for myself right now. As such, even if it would create some enemies in the long run, I had to make the most out of it!

    "I see," the receptionist replied, not breaking his smile even for a second. "In that case, I''m obliged to inform you that the auction house will take a ten out of a hundred of every coin that you will make through your sale," the receptionist said before pointing with his side towards a door hidden deeper into the hall. "If you would be so kind as to follow me."

    The next few moments felt like a dream. Within a single minute, I moved from the publicly open hall of the auction hall to some kind of dimly lit corridor, only to wait there for a few seconds before being pushed out to a massive stand surrounded from three sides by an audience.

    "And here we have the owner of a secret recipe, a recipe for a food that took our town by the storm!" A jade beauty that only now I managed to notice announced, pointing her lean hand at me before greeting me with a smile.

    "The floor is yours, young master!"

 Chapter 32 - Arthurs Presentation

    "Before I begin, let me tell pass on a piece of knowledge my father taught me," I said, putting a wide smile on my face.

    I spent an entire year in sales back on earth, trying to make a living out of it before my other projects hit it up. As such, while not substantial, I had some experience in selling a product of my own.

    "There are times of great prosperity and times of great hunger. There are times of moderate times and times when everything seems to change," I started up with a bit of narration, hoping to lure the audience in on it.

    "But there is only onemodity that will always be in demand. Amodity that will be demanded both when the times are great and when the times are dire," I said before spreading my arms wide.

    "Thismodity is bread and rice. No matter what, people are going to eat, as such, bread makers and rice farmers will never run out of the demand for what they can supply," I stated one of the very basic rules of the economy.

    The reason why I expanded thew of bread to rice was simple. I had no idea what was the staple in this world, so by adding this second mostmon dish of earth, I hoped to have a better shot at guessing the truth correctly.

    "Thisw that my father passed on to me got me to think. If people are going to eat anyway, why not make it a bit more enjoyable?" I asked, waiting for a moment as if expecting an answer from the audience.

    "Now, to fully understand my point, there is one thing that I believe all of you, esteemed guests, will agree on. People are always going to pay for the luxury," I stated, only to bow my entire body down, implying that the very audience listening to me were the people I just spoke about.

    "I would never dare to assume that''s something new for you, esteemed guests, but there is one more thing that I learned on my own," I said, once again taking a moment of silence to build up the tension.

    "People are always going to pay extra to get the original product!" I announced, making sure that the importance of this message was visible in all of myself, not only through my words.

    For a few moments, I just stood in silence with a small smirk on my face. And then...

    "In order to make the fries that took this town by a storm, one needs to put chopped potatoes into a pot of boiling oil. Once the pieces turn golden in color, they are fit for consumption. By adding a sprinkle of salt to every serving, their true taste will be revealed," I revealed the recipe for the fries that some poor fellow paid entire three gold coins.

    And I did it for free.

    Because the people that listened to my words were all big shots. Just from how this building looked like, I could tell that one had to possess a substantial wealth to be even allowed to the bidding stands.

    And while a huge part of those people would be simply born into wealth, I counted that there was also a considerable number of people swift in their brains to understand my aim.

    To understand the reason why I just revealed what should be a massive secret... for free!

    "I believe I said everything that I should for the esteemed guests to understand the value of the sauce that was originally introduced along with the fries," I finally spoke, calmly looking at the crowd surrounding me from three sides. "Oh, and on thest note, in a single hour that I spent selling it, I earned five gold coins," I said, whipping out the money from my pocket and showing it to the spectators.

    I then turned my head towards the jade beauty serving as an announcer.

    "My presentation is finished," I said, hiding the money back and gracing the beautiful girl with a shy smile.

    "You heard him, folks!" the girl picked up on my words in an instant. Her voice instantly spread throughout the massive hall, announcing the start of the most important part of my presentation.

    The bidding.

    "What this young man is selling is a recipe for the secret sauce to the fries that he presented to us!" the girl shouted.

    An idea appeared in my mind, forcing me to raise my hand a little.

    "Do you want to add something?" the girl noticed my gesture and asked. With how close I was to her, I could see how she bit her lips in annoyance.

    ''It seems that I shouldn''t have done that,'' I thought as I nodded my head.

    I took a step forward to make sure everyone''s eyes would be directed at me.

    "Just like this impossibly beautiful announcer said, who I''m sure is most of the reasons why all the men visit this ce, what I''m selling is the sauce. But what she didn''t know..." I took a moment for the tension to build up before dropping a bomb on everyone in the room.

    "I''m selling the sauce along with all themercial right to exploit it," I shouted.

    The hall was previously filled with some slight murmursing from the people discussing the opportunity. But after my words, not a single soul dared to utter a word.

    "What I mean is outside of my own, personal use, I will never again partake in selling the fries and ketchup, nor will I ever sell the recipe to anyone else for as long as I''m alive!"

    For a few more moments, the hall turned silent.

    If my offer was attractive before, giving all those money-hungry powerhouses a chance to earn insane amounts, then now, I doubled if not tripled its worth.

    By adding those two simple rules, I ensured that whoever would buy the recipe would practically get a monopoly on the dish!

    "The bidding will start at one hundred..." the announcer spoke,

    "THREE HUNDRED!" Someone in the crowd shouted before the girl could even finish her words.

    "Three hundred to the lot twenty..."

    "Five hundred!" someone else outbid the first bid.

    "Seven hundred!''

    "Eight hundred!"

    "Eight hundred-fifty!"

    The initial drive quickly died off, reaching sums far higher than what the auction house proposed at the beginning.

    In other words, I was already satisfied with the current bids. Yet, for some reason, whenever someone would hike up the price, my eyes would travel to that person.

    Partly because I wanted to know who would potentially be after getting the recipe out of me forcefully and partly because I wanted to know who the people could splurge.

    "One thousand!" someone shouted, raising the big by one hundred and fifty golden coins at once!

    Moving my eyes to the buyer, I felt as if the world around me suddenly stopped progressing in time.

    Because I could recognize the man who just made this insane bid!

 Chapter 33 - Fifteen Hundred

    ''What the hell is he doing here?'' I thought, staring right in the eyes of the same elder that visited my training ground just a few hours ago.

    And then I realized something.

    This was the man who offered to get the recipe for the sauce from me. The man whom I refused to sell or give it.

    And that elder just put a bit of a thousand gold coins for the recipe!

    "A thousand gold coins for the lot forty-three!" the announced shouted from the bottom of her sizeable lungs. Distracted by her voice, I looked over, only to see the finishing motion of her badonkers.

    "Thousand gold coins once," she shouted a momentter.

    "Thousand gold coins twice!" she shouted again.

    "Thousand and a hundred!" someone in the audience shouted, raising a hand with a number written on it.

    "Twelve hundred!"

    "One thousand five hundred!" the elder bid even higher, not giving anyone any chance.

    I guess that''s how much he valued the taste of my dish after trying it out.

    "Fifteen hundred once," the announcer shouted, her face brimming with shock mixed with happiness.

    From her expression alone, I could tell that she had her own share in all the sales. Otherwise, why would she be so happy to see the bids increase?

    "Fifteen hundred twice!" she shouted while I started to feel uneasy.

    How could I be calm if I were to take so much money from a man that was likely going to be my teacher?

    As someone who would be given authority over me, how could I hope to ever learn anything from him? It would be already great if he didn''t try to take this money from me or take revenge on me if he failed to extort that money in the first ce!

    "Fifteen hundred, sold!" the woman shouted, her eyes brimming with joy.

    "Thank you for your purchase," I shouted over, bending my back in half as I bowed to the elder. Yet, ncing over, I found out with a surprise that he was actually smiling!

    ''Wait, why is he happy?'' I asked myself, unable to understand this situation. ''Didn''t I just take an insane amount from you?''

    "You may now leave," the woman turned to me, gracing me with a lovely smile. It was so bright, mostly because she revealed the whites of her teeth, making the light of the torch in the hall reflect from her teeth directly to my eyes.

    I wonder if she was aiming for it or if it was just an unlucky coincidence that prevented me from ncing over deep into her cleavage?

    "Thank you for your service," I bowed back to the woman before turning around and leaving through the same door that I entered.

    "Congrattions," the same receptionist that guided me before was there to greet me. "I just heard about the results. You truly made a killing!" he said, pulling out a strange, golden note from behind his back and passing it to me.

    "What is this?" I asked, raising my eyes from the piece of paper to the man''s face.

    "This is your ount number," the receptionist said, melting from the warmth of his own smile. "It''s unwise to move around with such a huge amount of money. That''s why, whenever you will decide to take out any of that amount, you only need to show up here!"

    I looked down again, this time, actually reading the content of the ticket.

    ''One, seven, seven, three,'' I read out in my mind.

    ''They do not have that many customers, do they?'' I thought, connecting the dots.

    ''No, I can''t think like that,'' I realized after staring at the ticket for a short moment. ''This number doesn''t necessarily work in the way it would back on earth,'' I thought, raising my eyes at the receptionist again.

    "What will happen if someone would take this ticket from me?" I asked. "Would they get ess to all my funds?"

    "Fear not, young master," the man replied with a bright smile. "Once we will take your blood sample, no one but you will be able to ess the ount!" the man eximed before pointing with his hands towards yet another door. "Now, if you could kindly follow me," he requested.

    The process of taking a blood sample was surprisingly simple. In a room as simple as it could get, the receptionist simply poked the tip of my finger with a small needle before locking it in a small box and writing a number on it.

    "Whenever I will be working, you won''t need any confirmation. But if you happen to visit while I''m out, you will have to undergo the standard verification procedure," the man announced before guiding me out.

    "Now, if you would be so kind, it''s time for you to give the recipe to its buyer," he said, leading me to yet another room.

    Even though I had a pretty good spatial awareness, or so I liked to im, at the current moment, I was quickly getting lost in the meandering corridors and doors of the auction hall. By the time I finally arrived at the transaction room, I had no clue whether I was still in the same world where I transmigrated!

    "I didn''t expect to see you again so quickly," the elder said the moment I entered the room.

    He was sitting on a luxurious sofa, cushioned with some kind of monster pelts. Outside of another seat and a table between the two pieces of furniture, the room had no other furniture at all.

    The only lighting in the room came from torches and some kind of strangemps that I saw for the first time in my life.

    Looking around, I expected to find some windows covered in shuts. But to my surprise, this room had no windows at all!

    The door that I just went through appeared to be the only ess point to this ce.

    "Neither did I, respectable elder," I replied, bowing down my head.

    "Now, tell me," the elder smiled coldly, "didn''t you say that you are not going to give this recipe up under no circumstances?"

 Chapter 34 - Deal With The Elder After A Worrying Realization

    "With all due respect, but it''s elder''s fault," I replied, putting a calm smile on my face and raising my head high.

    If I was going to bullshit my way out of the situation, then I could as well just go all in.

    "Oh?" the elder smiled with an ambiguous look on his face. "And what do you mean by that?"

    "Since you are not a son of a powerful n nor do you possess a substantial wealth, your best bet is to keep hitting that pir as you likely cannot afford spirit stones, not to speak about pills," I said, paraphrasing what I remembered the man said back at the garden.

    "I see," the elder actually smiled. "So it''s my fault, then?" he asked, leaning his head over his shoulder.

    "I''m sure elder is already aware that I do not see Mia, that girl from back at the garden, as just my ve. I just want to protect her," I said, actually turning my bullshit into an honest response. "And ording to elder''s words, I couldn''t afford to grow strong in the quickest way possible, something that is necessary for me if I want to keep protecting her," I replied casually before stretching myself back in the extremelyfortable chair offered by the auction hall.

    "So you are going to use that money for cultivation resources?" the elder asked, his smile twitching a little. "Why do you have so little trust in my advice to just keep training with the pir?" he asked.

    "Because I assumed this is not the best possible option," I replied honestly. "Elder, are you aware of the circumstances surrounding the girl I''m trying to protect?" I asked.

    "Enlighted me," the elder requested.

    "The person that scored just below me on the entrance exam was set on taking her as his ything," I replied, revealing what was the most important thing for me ever since I transmigrated to this world.

    Now that I thought about this, everything that I have been doing since a long while ago was oriented around that fact.

    From my attempts at growing stronger as soon as possible, through my wish to establish myself financially in this world, it was all just a means to achieve a goal.

    The goal was to protect Mia from the bastard that wanted to defile her. Even if this feeling was initially powered just by my dislike of very in general, after more than two weeks spent in constant Mia''spany, I could no longer im for the matter to be that simple.

    "To be fair, from my point of view, you are not that different from him," the elder said, his smile turning into an ironic smirk. "You im that this young master wants her to be his sex ve... but are you really that much different?" he asked, looking me directly in the eyes.

    "I believe my wish for you to help her advance is proof enough that we are not the same," I replied, my tone turning colder.

    I could take all kinds of insults without batting an eye. My experiences from the earth allowed me to thicken my skin to the point where all kinds of random insults would just slide down my mind, not affecting it at all.

    But topare me to someone taking advantage of the institution of very? To someone wishing to take advantage of a girl with such circumstances? To someone hoping to defile the beauty of Mia''s soul and body?

    That wasn''t something that I could just let go of.

    "Forget it, then," the elder said, likely noticing the change in my expression. "Let me ask you something else, then," he said, crossing his arms on his chest. "If you are going to spend your money on cultivation resources, would you like to buy them from me?"

    To be fair, I didn''t expect this talk to suddenly take such a strange turn. Or was it strange? Maybe the elder nned for this situation to develop like that ever since he saw me standing on the podium in the main room of the auction hall!

    "That depends on the price the elder is willing to offer," I replied, turning my smile warm again.

    "How does... four gold coins per stone sound like?" the elder asked, rxing his face a little.

    What, did he expect me to outright reject him? Or was he worried that his mary investment couldn''t be turned into a resource investment?

    "It sounds good," I replied, nodding my head. "But before we strike a deal, I need to know one thing."

    Instead of revealing what I had in mind, I closed my eyes and took a few breaths to calm myself down.

    Sure, the prospect of obtaining exactly what I wanted as quickly as I apparently could be great. But this was also the greatest problem of this situation. The greatest reason why I couldn''t just ept it as it was.

    If anything, the life on earth taught me was that if something appeared too good to be true, it was most likely a scam or just an outright lie.

    "Why are you willing to help me out so much?" I asked. "First the bid higher than what anyone would be willing to offer, then the extremely convenient and attractive exchange ratio of coins for stones..." I said before shaking my head. "It just doesn''t sit well with me to ept such great luck without questioning how real it is."

    "Is there something wrong with investing in a promising talent?" the elder asked, his eyes widening in shock. As to what shocked him, I could only guess.

    "First," he said, pulling his hand out and stretching out a single finger. "A thousand and five-hundred gold coins for something that can easily ten gold coins of pure profit a day? That''s a great deal if you ask me," the elder said.

    And it was something I could actually agree with. Yet, this truth would be missed by everyone who just looked for a get-rich-quick scheme. After all, for people capable of pulling out fifteen hundred gold coins on a whim, a ten gold coins daily ie wouldn''t be anything worth looking at.

    "Secondly," the elder straightened his second finger. "By crossing over the purification stage in just two weeks, you proved that you hold not only an immense talent but also a dedication to exploit it," the elder said, openly praising me.

    Then, he straightened out the rest of his fingers, making it seems as if he wanted me to high-five him.

    "Then, for the third, fourth and fifth, I adore your morals," he said, a wide smile appearing on his lips. "Not only you are willing to go to great lengths for a girl, not only you are doing it despite the girl being a ve that''spletely at the mercy of your whim. You are also willing to go against a powerhouse of ournd to protect her," the elder shouted.

    He then pulled his hand back only to ce it on his stomach as he started tough.

    "If only all of the Skdder disciples were like this, we wouldn''t have to worry about our sects falling into obscurity because of pointless squabbles amongst the upper echelons!"

    For a moment, I could only sit down and listen to the elder''s words. I was forced to realize that this world wasn''t anywhere as simple as I expected it to be.

    There was some kind of strife at the top of the sect? Well, that was only to be expected. Power was also the greatest factor behind the creation of conflicts. But for the entire sect to be falling into obscurity because of it?

    Just how severe the problem had to be for the elder to say something like that openly, especially when I was nothing more but a lowly disciple?

    "I can see that I already spoke too much," the elder said, calming hisughter down and taking a few breaths to regain his inner peace. "For now, there is no use for you to bother with all of that. So, what do you say about our deal?"

    "Do you even need to ask?" I asked, shaking my head while intentionally omitting the respectful form that I was using with that elder so far. "How stupid would I have to be to refuse?"

 Chapter 35 - Unexpected Guest At The Gate

    I moved out of the auction hall with a small bag containing ten sprit stones.

    This precise amount was what the Elder advised me to take out from my ount, as carrying too much wealth on me at once would be simply stupid.

    Still, the deal with that Elder ended up far better than I expected.

    Rather than forcing me to return all the money for the spirit stones for a premium cost, he allowed me to exchange gold for spirit stones at a fixed rate of four to one.

    Even though I initially worried that the current price of the stones was actually lower, a single question to the portier proved that it wasn''t the case at all.

    With those thoughts in my head, I finally reached the sect area.

    Entering through the one and main gate, I looked around.

    After the several days, I spent in this world, it no longer made me stop in ce just to admire the looks. Sure, it was beautiful, but just like with everything, the more I saw it, the more used I was to the sight.

    ''I wonder how I will look at it once I reach upper echelons of the sect,'' I thought, taking a moment to contemte the idea.

    From what the Elder said back in the auction hall, this ce wasn''t anywhere as peaceful as I hoped it would be. With internal strifes and personal conflicts running rampant, it was only a matter of time before someone would attempt to involve Mia and me in their schemes.

    ''Thinking about it, I''m already in the middle of one conflict like that, am I not?'' I thought, the face of that damned young master appearing before my eyes.

    Even if I only had myself to me for going against that man''s wishes, that didn''t mean I enjoyed the situation at all. Thankfully, he only made a single attempt at crossing me so far, even if the people he used weren''t even aware of how they were being used.

    Moving through the sect grounds, I quickly reached the training gardens. Given how this was one of the few ces that I actually frequented, I was more than aware of all the possible paths that I could take to get there.

    Yet, even after getting inside and reaching the gate of my own private garden, I couldn''t just enter it!

    ording to my deal with Mia, she would continue to train like usual... Only that whenever her short break would start, she woulde to the gate to see if I was waiting there.

    That was the only way that I managed toe up with to get back to the garden while notpromising its barrier at all. And even if there was a method to enter the ce just like the Elder did with the barrier still up, I sadly didn''t know how it worked or if I was capable of executing it in the first ce.

    With nothing better to do, I sat down by the small gate and lowered my head, waiting for Mia toe.

    Before long, I heard footsteps. I pried my eyes open and turned my face towards the gate, expecting to see Mia emerging from beyond the hedge... But the grassy path was empty.

    Someone bumped into my knee, only to fall down right on top of me.

    A surge of energy suddenly entered my body, stirring it up from inside. On its own, it was an extremely pleasant feeling, as if the concentrated efforts of several hours of training suddenly came to me on their own ord.

    "You absorbed it," someone said, finally attracting my attention back to the real world from the changes happening to my insides. "YOU STOLE MY STONE!" the man shouted before I could even take stock of what happened.

    Looking up, I saw a man in the same kind of robes that I wore, looking at me as if I was some kind of criminal. His surprisingly handsome face was currently twisted in a fury, clearly indicating that something bad had happened.

    "The fuck do you want?" I asked, raising one of my eyebrows.

    "You absorbed my spirit stone!" the man howled, rolling out from me and standing up only to point his hand at my face. "You damned thief! I will report you to the elders!" he threatened.

    For a moment, I looked at the man''s face. But instead of going along with his ruse, I simply rolled my eyes before fixing my position and resuming my patient wait for Mia to show up.

    "Since I''m in a good mood, I will give you a choice. Eitherpensate me right here and now, or I will report you to the elders!" the man finally revealed what his real intention was.

    "Report me to the elders?" I asked, raising my eyes. From how the situation was developing, I could already tell who was behind it and how it would conclude.

    Or rather, how its perpetrators hoped for it to y out.

    "That''s right!" the man smiled, raising his chin high up and showing me an arrogant smile. "Once I report you, you will get kicked out of the sect without a single doubt!" he boasted before lowering his head, leaning over me and uttering, "that is unless you canpensate me right here and now!"

    "And how would you like me topensate you?" I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

    "You don''t look like you have money or anything. I never heard about youing from a big family," the disciple said before raising his hand to his chin and rubbing it. "In that case, I will let you off with just your ve," he said, proving all my guesses right.

    "Do you believe a single stone is enough to buy someone''s life?" I asked, raising my other eyebrow. "How many stones would you value your life for?" I asked.

    "Do you even...."

    "Two, that is," I cut right into the man''s words, using the simrity between the sound of do and two. Then, I pulled out three stones from my sack and stood up.

    "Here, you can take one... WHOOPS!" I said before intentionally putting one of my legs too far ahead and then tripping on the man''s own legs.

    ording to the Elder''s words, one only needed to touch their naked skin with the stone in order for it to take effect. What''s more, it was of vital importance for one to properly cultivate after absorbing a stone unless they wanted its energy to run rampant.

    This was the only reason why I stalled for time for so long.

    And with one of my hands pushing aside the cloth of the man''s robes, I pressed all three stones right against his chest.

    "Wha...?!" the disciple could only utter half of a word before his eyes turned cloudy. Using the momentum of my fall, I pinned the man to the ground.

    Judging from how quickly I managed to spread the energy of the stone around my system, I had roughly a minute before the man would regain his senses.

    "Arthur?" Mia suddenly appeared in the clearing, most likely on her routine check for my presence.

    "What great timing you have!" I shouted in joy before throwing a right, culling punch right into the man''s face. "Would you care to join me?" I asked as I buried my elbow right in the man''s chest.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, not sure how to react. "Who is he?"

    "Just another man that tried to force me to sell you off," I replied before standing up and pointing my hand at the man.. "He attempted to extort my ownership of you. Now that I paid him back with exactly as much value as he put for his life, feel free to torment him yourself!"

 Chapter 36 - Now That You Are Stuck With Me, You Are Stuck With Me For Good!

    "Are you sure?" Mia asked, a troubled look appearing on her face. "I mean, won''t you get into deep shit if you beat up another disciple?"

    "It''s fine," I replied, leaving the beaten-up body of the troublemaker and pushing my hand towards the girl.

    As expected, my palm stopped at the invisible barrier.

    ''A little bit longer, huh?'' I thought, turning around and sending a kick straight towards the man''s balls.

    "AARGH!" the fellow disciple cried out in pain with so much intensity that even my own face turned still for a second.

    ''Is this the legendary solidarity of testicles?'' I thought, recalling several memes made about the topic. Apparently, every man was somehow capable of perceiving the damage done to someone else''s balls.

    "Well then, don''t mind if I do!" Mia shouted out as soon as her hand got through the barrier, indicating that it was off.

    Without any hesitation, she ran the two steps forward before sending a straight kick right to the man''s ribs.

    "That was oddly satisfying," she added, several punches and kickster. An exhausted smile on her face proved just how much did she enjoy the experience.

    "Now that I think about it isn''t hitting a fellow disciple way more efficient than hitting the pir?" I mentioned as soon as I recalled this odd little bit from my fight at the garden. "Well, I guess it won''t hurt to find out!" I added.

    I grabbed the disciple''s hair and dragged him inside the clearing before turning my face to the girl.

    "Would you mind going to raise the barrier really quick?"

    "Sure, be right back," Mia replied cheerfully, still riding on the high of beating someone who attempted to oppress her.

    ''Dealing with one''s bullies is a great feeling, no matter the world, huh?'' I thought, a small smile forming on my face.

    Even though I never was officially a ve back on earth, it didn''t mean I wasn''t oppressed. While the methods of the fellow kids andter students were far more subtle and convoluted, the crux of the story remained the same.

    I never managed to truly get back at those who oppressed me back then. Sure, in some instances, I made them pay dearly for all the harm they brought to me, but on the general scale, I had no other way but to admit to leaving that as an unfinished business.

    ''Maybe that''s the reason why I enjoy seeing Mia pay her own bullies back?'' I thought, trying to figure out where did that strange joy came from.

    Because objectively speaking, this trouble, I invited upon me, all by myself. As such, I could only have myself to me for all those peopleing at me in various ways.

    "Are you going to train now?" Mia asked as soon as we reached the garden proper. From the excited looks she was throwing at the disciple, I would have to be an idiot not to realize what was going through her head.

    "That''s right. Feel free to enjoy yourself in the meanwhile," I said with a smile as I walked towards the training pir.

    I took a few breaths to calm myself and clear my mind from all the spare thoughts.

    Right now, all the problems that this damned young master was causing me didn''t matter. With the spirit stones already in my possession, I had to figure out the best and most efficient way of training.

    ''First, let''s check how much did that single stone do for me,'' I thought, before invoking, ''status.''

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Healthy

    - Hidden Status: Focused

    - Body Status: Paramortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Mana Condensation

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:11/200

    - Willpower: 18/200

    Mana Condensation 102/900

    {

    Mana Pool 32/300

    Mana Flow 0/300

    Mana Density 0/300(+75)

    }

    ***

    After a quick look, I confirmed that only a few things changed in my inner situation. Namely, my hidden status changed from confused to focused, both my endurance and willpower raised by quite a bit, and my mana pool managed to grow by thirty points.

    ''So a spirit stone raises the mana pool by thirty?'' I thought, not sure about how correct that statement was. For how obvious it was, I had trouble assuming that the simplest answer was the solution.

    ''Or maybe I''m overthinking it?'' I thought, gently hitting the stone ahead just to keep the barrier of the garden up. ''I remember there was this rule stating that the simplest exnation is often the best one. While it applied to problem-solving rather than trying to uncover mysteries, I guess I can go along with that,'' I thought before pulling another stone from my pouch.

    "Oh?" Mia spoke out, pulling me out of my focused state.

    Looking towards the girl, I saw her holding the unconscious man by his hair, keeping his head right at the perfect height for her knee. The disciple''s bloodied mess of a face proved that she wasn''t cking while I was thinking either.

    "Is there something wrong?" I asked, not sure what caught the girl''s attention.

    Wasn''t she busy getting her fair share of aeback at her bully?

    "I see that you managed to obtain the stones," she said, her eyes shing up. Yet, while I couldn''t tell what kind of emotion this sh hinted at, I was damn sure it wasn''t greed.

    "Yeah," I nodded my head, holding the stone through the cloth of my robe. Given how the direct contact between the skin and the stone would result in the stone''s absorption, I dared not to touch it freely.

    "Isn''t that great?!" Mia said, throwing the beaten-up disciple aside as if he didn''t matter anymore. "Now, you will surely be able to get epted by that elder!" she eximed, happiness striking right through her voice.

    "Don''t worry," I smiled, unable to resist the charm of her happy grin. "Once you break through the purification stage, you won''t becking stones either."

    "Huh?" Mia''s smile froze on her lips, her eyes widening. "Why would that be?" she asked, leaning her head over her shoulder.

    "Huh?" I shrugged, surprised myself.. "What, did you think I would let you sitfortably in the back while I will breeze through the ranks?" I asked before a slightly vicious smile appeared on my face. "Now that you are stuck with me, you are stuck with me for good!"

 Chapter 37 - There Has To Be A Trick To It

    ''This isn''t going to work in the long term,'' I thought after yet another perfect punch against the stone.

    Right now, I had no idea whether the perfect punch was more effective than a simple and careless p. What I could be sure, though, was that the harder I sweated during the training, the less blood I would shed during a real fightter on.

    Yet, this didn''t make it any easier on me.

    With about a hundred punches required to advance the mana pool by one, I couldn''t waste my time on testing whether or not my focus during the punch had an effect on my growth.

    In fact, I was at the stage where I no longer had the time nor the resources to find things out with a trial and error method. For example, if I were to punch the training pir a hundred times and consume a single stone between every punch, I would long fill the status gauges before finding out anything useful!

    ''Not to speak about the cost of doing that,'' I thought. If I were to use a single stone for every punch, and if all my statuses would raise one by one, then I would need to use thirty spirit stones just to reach the end of my current stage!

    One hundred and twenty gold coins. Roughly a tenth of what I earned by selling the one thing I figured out that would sell well.

    "If my feeling is right, the further I advance, the more resources I will need," I muttered, voicing out my concerns to myself.

    Just by crossing from the purification stage to the mana condensation stage, I had toe up with a hundred and twenty gold coins to satisfy my demand for training resources. Considering how I crossed the purification stage without wasting a single coin...

    ''There has to be a better way to train,'' I thought, stepping away from the stone and just ring at it.

    Right now, I knew only a few things.

    By consuming the stone, one would have to spend a short amount of time gathering and focusing the energy inside their body. One could raise their energy by continuously punching the stone.

    How did those two facts connect? Or rather, how could I make the best use of the resources at hand by using this knowledge?

    ''How about this...'' I thought, pulling out the same stone that I shed earlier while making sure to not touch it directly. The excessive material of the robe came pretty useful doing that.

    Holding the stone in my left hand, I moved back to the pir. I once again gathered my focus.

    I brushed my thumb directly against the surface of the stone and threw a punch.

    It was yet another of the perfect punches, using the strength of not only my arm but my shoulder, torso, and legs as well.

    ''Huh?'' I took a step back, startled by the discovery.

    Even though I clearly absorbed a little bit of the mana from the stone, there was nog to my focus!

    ''Was the amount of energy too little, or...'' I thought. But there was a simple way to figure it out.

    ''Status!'' I called forth.

    Mana Condensation 102/900

    {

    Mana Pool 33/300

    Mana Flow 1/300

    Mana Density 0/300(+75)

    }

    Just like expected, my status grew. Not only the mana pool but also its flow. Regretfully, mana density remained stuck at the same level, proving that there had to be another trick to the entire situation.

    "Did it work?" Mia asked.

    Turning my head around, I saw her sitting with her hands wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were glued to my back and brimming with interest.

    "More or less," I replied, shaking my head. But as I did so, my eyesid on the lifeless body of the disciple from before.

    ''Could it be that?'' I thought.

    The elder advised that having the disciples fight with each other was actually the sect''s aim. It was surprising to the point that I could still vividly recall that scene.

    Could it be thest thing I needed to properly grow my status?

    "Where I am...?" the disciple muttered, slowlying back to his senses. Although beaten up, he was still far from the limits of what his body could handle.

    Perfect.

    "Mia, could you do me a favor and strap him to the training pir?" I asked, a vicious smile appearing on my lips.

    What a perfect opportunity to test my theory out!

    "On it," Mia replied, jumping up only to kick the disciple''s chest.

    The man no longer reacted to this level of beating. He epted it as if it was a new part of his entire future.

    Most likely, he could no longer feel the pain of another attack, already overwhelmed with the pain of the injuries he sustained so far.

    And I was likely about to change it.

    ''Should I let Mia have a go at him first?'' I thought, watching how the girl quickly worked on fulfilling my request. ''After all, if my strength really does grow along with my stats, I''m likely to seriously wound him with a single hit,'' I thought, raising my eyes on the trembling body of the young man.

    From just a single look on his face, it was clear that he could sense something bad was about to happen to him.

    ''Yeah, let''s do just that,'' I thought, unwilling to risk it.

    Beating a fellow disciple up was one thing, but causing him serious harm was a whole different manner altogether. After all, being a disciple meant that he was under the protection of the sect!

    And crossing the sect''s bottom line was something that I have yet to gain enough power to dare to do freely.

    "Mia, I know you have yet to eat, but would you mind training for a bit?" I asked as soon as the girl was done with her task.

    "Huh?" Mia twitched in surprise. "You mean, strike the pir or... him?" she asked, pointing at the disciple with a nod of her head.

    "And why do you think I asked you to strap him in?" I replied with a question on my own.

    "Will do!"

    Mia didn''t waste even a moment of her time. She stood right in front of the bloodied man. She then took a deep breath, calming and then focusing herself on the training.

    And then, she punched with all her might!

    "Urhghg..."

    The pitiful disciple let out a mouthful of blood as soon as Mia''s fist sank deeply into his chest. From the cracking sound, at least a few of the man''s ribs shattered under her powerful attack.

    ''I guess this was the right choice,'' I thought, watching how Mia stepped to the back and looked at me with question marks written all over her eyes.

    ''Should I keep punching?'' her expression appeared to say.

    "What the hell is going on here?!" Someone shouted in an enraged voice.

    Turning around, I saw familiar, blue robes.

    But the face of the man wearing them wasn''t familiar at all.

 Chapter 38 - Provoking The Elder

    "Respectable Elder, forgive me for not noticing your appearance!" I instantly bowed down and cupped my hands together, paying the proper respects to the man.

    I used my routine of showcasing just how humble I was once again. After all, this was my best shot for dealing with all sorts of authorities!

    But the face of the man didn''t change to a kinder one. I had a pretty hard time reading the man''s expression for how wrinkled due to old age it was.

    Yet, I could say one thing for sure.

    This man wasn''t happy at all.

    "I will ask this only once. Who gave you the right to beat your fellow disciple?!" the elder asked in a domineering voice, raising his chin high and casting a furious stare along the line of the bridge of his nose.

    ''Oh?'' My eyes twitched when I realized my mistake.

    This man didn''te here to have his ego tickled. And if he didn''t react to the respects, I had no other way but to assume a different kind of stance towards him.

    "So that''s what the elder meant back then," I muttered, my voice just loud enough for the oldie to hear me.

    "The fuck are you saying?" The elder squinted his eyes, my response clearly just fanning the mes of his fury. He didn''t unleash it, though, likely thanks, again, to the content of my words.

    "We are training, respectable elder," I replied, finally answering the man''s initial question. "I thought that was in for all to see," I added, the corners of my mouth moving slightly up.

    "How does beating a fellow disciple amount to a training?" the elder countered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don''t bullshit a bullshiter," he added, squinting his eyes to the point where I doubted he could actually see anything.

    "Elder, with all due respect, I''m just following the advice given to me by another elder," I imed, raising myself and looking the man in the eyes.

    Right now, being humble would achieve nothing, so I might as well just do my best to y my cards right.

    Mentioning the involvement of another elder in the situation, even if a stretch, was the most important thing.

    "So you were told to go an abuse your fellow disciples?" the old elder raised one of his eyebrows, showing just how little he believed in my ims.

    "Elder, with all due respect, but this disciple came here to cause trouble," I said, pointing my hand at the man strapped to the pir again. "What I''m doing is just paying him back for that while making the most of the situation." I shook my head. "And there is the thing, that if the elder wishes to support the im that he was in his right to, ekhem, trip, ekhem, and shove a spirit stone in me only to demand ridiculous reparations..." I said, cutting my sentence short.

    "Then?" the elder asked, falling right for my trap.

    "Then I''m all within my right to do the same to him. Trip down, and push both what he imed to lost and what he imed his life to be worth on him, iming his life as reparation instead."

    For a moment, the two of us turnedpletely silent. In the contest of stares that ensued, neither party was willing to give any ground for the other. And in all of that, Mia could only stay patiently by the pir, not sure how to act outside of desperately attempting to hide her bloodied fists.

    "I see you covered your back," the elder finally sighed before shaking his head. "Still, as a representative of the sect, I cannot allow this to go any further. You might''ve paid... I mean, take his life as reparations, but his life ultimately belongs to the sect," he said, a smile appearing on his lips. "In other words, even if you were ignorant of that, you still crossed the sect''s bottom line," the elder added, his smile turning vicious.

    The elder shook his head before turning to the side and approaching the pir.

    Noticing the approaching elder, Mia instantly stepped to the side and lowered her entire self. Thankfully, the elder didn''t seem to pay her any mind.

    "As I thought, he is on the verge of dying," the elder confirmed what I figured out myself. Still, to think that Mia could achieve all of that with a single punch of hers... didn''t that mean she was ready for the advancement?

    "As such," the elder said, turning himself back to me, his face filled with happiness, "this isn''t something that the sect could and would turn a blind eye to."

    "Oh," I smiled in response, "it will."

    The boundless confidence behind my smile managed to crack the confidence of the elder apart. The happiness on his face gave way to a surprise and then curiosity.

    "And why would that be?" he asked, leaning his head to the side as if giving me some space to exin my belief.

    "It''s pretty simple," I said, moving towards the pir myself.

    Then, without any regard for the elder''s presence, I threw a loose punch right to the face of the strapped disciple.

    "..." this pitiful man didn''t have enough strength to even protest or express his pain. It was questionable whether he could even feel such a weak punch anymore.

    "What are you..."

    "I broke through the purification stage in two weeks," I said, cutting right into the elder''s words. Right now, I cared not for disrespecting him. In fact, if my guess about the local culture was right, I already did it many times over during thest few moments.

    Doing it once again wouldn''t change a thing.

    "This guy is so weak; he can only be in the early stage of the purification phase," I added, looking down at the blood that stuck to my fist before wiping it in one of the rare, clean spots on the disciple''s robes. "On the other hand, I''m a prodigy, one who even managed to induce an astonishing growth to my ve, making her reach the limits of the purification stage as well," I said, pointing towards Mia with my chin.

    "And what does that have to do with anything?" the elder asked, sending me an amused look. "Even if you are a prodigy, do you really think that you can stand up to my authority?" he asked, appearing to be truly enjoying the moment.

    "Me? Stand up to Your authority?" I asked, opening my eyes wide. "Heck no, why would I do such a thing?" I shook my head only for a huge smile to appear on my face.. "But I have all the rights to believe that your fellow elder won''t allow you to push your luck here, respectable senior," I said, adding an empty expression of respect at the end. "After all, if you are willing to put your authority on a stake on the orders of a fellow disciple of mine, that can only mean your faction in the sect is just that weak!"

 Chapter 39 - Domineering Display

    "How dare you!" the elder shouted, his anger turning into fury.

    If before he was moved by the sight of the beaten-up disciple, now his rage was directed at me instead.

    "A prodigy like you beating up some useless disciple of the first stage?" the elder spoke in a slow, cold voice. "I will give you that. No one would bother causing a ruckus because of this. But now that you continued to disrespect me, the situation changes!" he shouted, stomping his foot on the ground.

    ''What?'' I thought when the ground below my feet trembled. It was as if this single stomp managed to cause a slight earthquake all on its own!

    ''So this is the power of the people standing at the top of the sect,'' I thought, regaining the stability of my position and looking up at the elder.

    So far, all he did was show a part of his strength. He didn''t attack me directly, proving that my previous words sang true.

    The only reason I coulde up with for the elder not attacking me... was because he didn''t dare to!

    "Before I squash your smug look down your throat, I want to know something," the elder said, seemingly calming down. He then fluttered his robe and locked his hands behind his back. "What makes you so arrogant?" he asked. "No, how could you be so arrogant when facing an elder?!" he howled.

    "I''m just ying my cards the best I can," I replied calmly. Against the wrath of this elder, I was nothing more but a stay pebble on the road. No matter how hard I would flex my strength and wits, I could do nothing if he were to decide to kick me aside.

    But even a pebble, when positioned just right, could twist the ankle of its abuser!

    "And what cards could those be?" the elder asked, once again calming himself down and looking at me along the bridge of his nose.

    "Me, for example," a familiar voice entered the scene. Turning my eyes just a bit, I also recognized its owner''s face and robes.

    It seems that the cavalry finally arrived.

    "Vaner?" the old elder stumbled on his feet and took two steps back. Then, as if realizing that he had just presented his weakness, he stabilized his stance and looked at his younger counterpart. "What are you doing here? I''m the one in charge of overseeing the training grounds!"

    My soul trembled with excitement. It was one thing to beat that man up with my words and another to see the shock and terror on his face when my backer finally arrived!

    "I was just taking a stroll nearby when I felt the ground shake. Given how you can do nothing but lick the shoes of your betters at the summit, I figured it is your usual routine of bullying the innocent..." Vaner took a nce over to the bloodied body of a disciple hanging from the training pir.

    His lips twitched as if he was trying his best to hide a smile.

    "Innocent disciples!" he finished his sentence nheless, moving his eyes back at his opponent.

    "Bullying?!" the older of the elders muttered, his eyes opening up wide in shock. His arm then flurried upwards, only to point at the man who Mia and I treated as a training bag. "You call monsters who did this... innocent?!"

    "Come on," Vaner smiled lightly. "It''s just a little bit of fun between disciples," he said, pushing the cloth of his sky-blue robe to the back as he approached the training pir.

    "Wake up," he said, smacking the face of the disciple with what seemed like a gentle p.

    Crack.

    ''Damn,'' I thought, recognizing the sound. This guy''s body made the exact same noise when Mia punched him with all her might.

    ''Unless it was that guy''s jaws breaking...'' I thought, raising my eyes at my backer.

    "Oops," Vaner smiled gently. "It looks like I identally killed him," he said, turning his face back to his elder''s counterpart. His expression appeared to scream, ''and what are you going to do about it?''

    "I... I will report this to the patriarch!" the elder shouted, pointing his finger at Vaner''s face.

    "Huh?" Vaner pretended to be surprised. "Report what? That I pped an unruly disciple that dared to disrespect me?!"

    His face changed. The smug attitude that he held so far disappeared without any trace, reced by wrath.

    The wind got stronger. The leaves of the hedge surrounding the garden''s clearing started to flutter, filling the area with noise.

    I could even swear that the dark clouds started to gather above my head!

    "I dare you to do it," Vaner said in a cold voice, only for the physical manifestation of his wrath to cease all at once.

    ''Awesome,'' I thought, feeling a tingling in my balls. ''Just how cool was that?''

    "Tsk," the older of the elders clicked his tongue. He then threw onest stare at Vaner before turning around and leaving the ce.

    At this point, it was pretty clear that he couldn''t do much else in here. Staying in the garden any longer would only bring him more humiliation.

    "When I took an interest in you, I didn''t expect you to cause such a big mess so quickly," Vaner sighed, finally turning his face to me.

    "Elder!" I instantly replied, deeply bowing and cupping my hands. "This disciple is grateful for the save," I added.

    "Stop with those formalities." Vaner waved his hand at me, clearly not interested in the empty gestures of respect.

    Even if this time, they were actually genuine.

    "Rather than trying to lick my ass, you better show what you managed to achieve so far," he said, his smile turning vicious.

    "Elder?" I asked, feeling a tingle of fear on the surface of my soul. "Wasn''t the inspection scheduled for tomorrow?" I asked, still hoping to somehow get out of the trouble I only now realized I was in.

    "And I wasn''t supposed to kill the sect''s disciples to cover for your mess," Vaner countered, the kindness in his eyes vanishing without a sight.

    I was fucked.

    This man was perfectly aware that I only had a few moments to train. I could even guess that he was aware just how much of that time I wasted waiting for Mia to let the gate to the garden open!

    Did he expect results now? Or was he trying to put me back in the line?

    "Elder," I once again cupped my hands, "I would like Mia to present her strength," I said before raising my head and looking the man directly in the eyes. "But if she turns out to be any weaker than I was when the elder tested me, I beg the elder to give her more time to train instead of advancing her right away!" I requested before lowering my head again.

    For a moment, I simply stood in ce, unsure what Vaner was thinking. With my head lowered, I couldn''t even gauge his thoughts through his expression.

    ''Now that I think about it, he doesn''t appear to be someone who would allow others to read his face,'' I thought, connecting the dots.

    From his disy before, it was clear that he wasn''t just a simple elder of the sect. I would not believe that after the domineering disy of influence and power from before.

    "Fine," Vaner finally responded.. "You there, girl," he said, moving his attention to Mia. "Come at me with all your might!"

 Chapter 40 - Elder, Im Ready!

    "Yes, elder!" Mia cupped her hands and lowered her head in a dignified bow. Normally, one would remain in the position for a while. The longer they would remain motionless, the greater the respect the bow would convey.

    But Mia didn''t mind any of that. With her back arched, she angled her head and nced over at me.

    I took a deep breath only to exhale it through my nose and nod my head. Then, I turned around and approached her, only to ce a hand on her shoulder.

    "Don''t worry. You can do it," I said, encouraging Mia to the best of my ability. "Trust your training. Believe me, I know how hard you worked," I added, adding a smile to the package of encouragement.

    Mia straightened her back the moment I stepped aside. She then moved forward and stopped exactly two steps away from Vaner.

    Her chest moved as she took a deep breath, held it in her lungs, and then exhaled. As the air left her body, I could tell how her focus spiked up.

    She moved her body into a striking position.

    "It seems that she does everything the same way you did," Vaner muttered while ncing over at my face.

    "I''m a pragmatic person," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "If something works for me, I believe it''s likely going to work for others just as well."

    It was the simple yet sound exnation I came up with. We were just a random disciple of the sect and his ve. That alone made it hard for anyone to believe we just so happened to be both geniuses with the divine constitution.

    As such, it was given that the question of what powered our advance woulde up sooner orter.

    And there was no way in hell I would ever tell anyone about my system!

    "Elder, I''m ready," Mia announced, not paying any mind to my and Vaner''s small exchange.

    Looking at the girl, I could see that she was indeed prepared. There was no hesitation in her eyes, firmly locked on the man in front of her. Her body was perfectly still, without as much as a single twitch or tremble.

    ''She grew so much,'' I thought with satisfaction.

    Right now, the old, shy Mia was nowhere to be seen, reced by a warrior determined to change her fate with her own fists.

    "Go on," Vaner encouraged Mia, putting his shield up with nothing more but a wave of his hand. The smile on his face proved that he himself was interested in just how strong the girl became.

    "Mia closed her eyes and took another breath. Speaking up managed to shake her focus a little, so she took her sweet time to regain it. Right now, a single hit was about to determine her future.

    And she clearly wasn''t going to take any chances, even if she could execute a perfect hit without a perfect focus.

    Mia stepped with her light leg, twisting her body and sending her right arm towards Vaner''s chest. Rather than going for a quicker but weaker straight punch, her arm traced a curve in the air.

    Her fist struck the barrier. A bunch of electric sparks appeared right at the point of contact, only to disperse an eye''s twitchter.

    If I wasn''t focused on observing the exchange, I would likely miss that sight.

    "Huh?" Vaner exhaled in shock, taking a step back.

    I tightened my jaws. Despite Mia''s hit being as perfect as it could be, the barrier didn''t even crack.

    ''Was it too early for her?'' I thought, anxiety running through my soul. The fact that Vaner''s shield still stood made me forget about the earlier peculiarity.

    On the other hand, Vaner looked sharply at the girl, only to move his head and give me a strange look. He continued to alternate his eyes between the two of us for a moment, only to ultimately rx his face and lower his magical shield.

    "Is something the matter?" I asked, tightening my fist so heavily the nails of my fingers cut into the skin of my palm.

    "No, there is nothing wrong at all," Vaner replied, hesitation still all over his face. I could only hear his deep breaths for a few more moments.

    "Anyway," the elder finally snapped out of his thoughts, raising his eyes at Mia and smiling. "You are very well qualified not only to advance but also to be my direct disciple," he said before turning his head towards me.

    "Now, let''s see how much did you progress," he said, his smile turning into a smirk.

    ''I knew it,'' my thoughts darkened while my face remained perfectly still... or so I hoped. Without a mirror anywhere around, I couldn''t even judge that. ''He isn''t going to let me off easily for before,'' I realized before stepping forward.

    ''Just the way he phrased points that he believes I''m not necessarily qualified to be his direct disciple,'' I noticed before casting all those spare thoughts aside.

    The best I could do right now was to focus my all on the punch.

    No matter what, I did my absolute best to make the most out of everything that was happening so far. If that would be too little, then so be it!

    ''Still,'' I thought, taking a position against the elder. ''From his reaction, those sparks were far more important than I can realize,'' I figured out, casting a quick nce at the girl.

    Mia stood right beside the two of us, holding her delicate hands tightened into fists. The anxiety in her eyes made it seems as if she was aware of what was going on.

    But there was something else besides the anxiety in her face. I simply couldn''t put my finger to deciphering that different emotion.

    ''Anyway, if she has some hidden talent, she should be safe from now on,'' I thought, satisfaction filling my soul.

    Even if I were to fail the test right now, she would be freed from very. And if she really had some hidden talent, then there would be scores of people willing to protect and groom her in my ce.

    As such, I had nothing to worry about.

    My eyes moved back to the elder''s face as my breath slowed down. All the emotions washed off my face, leaving apletely neutral, dead-pan expression.

    "Elder, I''m ready."

 Chapter 41 - Mias Stance

    "Go," Vaner ordered, focusing all of his attention back on me.

    I didn''t even need to focus on executing a perfect punch at my current stage. The two weeks of hard, constant training earned me this confidence.

    But just like Mia before me, I wasn''t going to go easy on this opportunity. Just like hers, my fate would be decided with my next, single punch.

    ''Now that I think about it, I kinda stopped worrying whether I should even aim to be that guy''s direct disciple,'' I realized.

    I had those doubts aste as just a few moments ago. Only when Vaner stood up to me and shed with another elder, all the thoughts about his credibility suddenly vanish.

    Was he just trying to use me to his own advantage? That I could happily agree on. That was the very basis of most human rtions, after all. The real question was, was he trying to squeeze my potential dry and then cast me aside?

    To find out, I had no other choice but to prove I was actually worthy of grooming. And right now, this was the best card I could y.

    I took a deep breath, held it in my lungs for a while, and then slowly let the air go. I didn''t need to focus, but I still did nheless.

    And then I punched.

    Using the strength of my entire body, I sent my fist flying forward. Due to the difference in height between the tall elder and the average me, his stomach was the best target.

    The step of my leg, followed by the swing of my hips, added their momentum to the punch.

    My vision tunneled, and yet it didn''t.

    It was a strange feeling of having all my attention harnessed and nted on a single point in space. Yet, I could still see everything around it, proving that it wasn''t my eyes ying tricks on me.

    But there was definitely something wrong with the punch.

    As if my fist entered some kind of air''s current, it continued to elerate even after I spent all my strength on the punch. Some kind of strange force continued to push my fist forward, guiding it precisely to the point I was focused on.

    ''It feels like a muscle memory brought to its limits,'' I thought, right before my attack connected.

    Tic.

    The system alert entered my ears, only to disappear when a cracking noise resounded in the area.

    Vaner''s barrier shattered... but held on. Although turned into pieces, it still managed to somehow hold itself together, protecting the elder from the hit.

    ''Isn''t it... bad?'' I thought, retracting my arm.

    The strange from before still coursed through my mind, forcing me to mindlessly retract my steps and cup my hands towards the elder.

    "Thank you for your guidance," I said, unable to gather my thoughts.

    ''Wasn''t it... worse than I did before?'' I thought, the realization dawning on me.

    Thest time, I managed to not only fully break through the shield but also deliver the punch right into the elder''s guts. It was weak, sure, but it happened.

    And now... I failed to even break the barrier apart.

    ''That settles it,'' I thought, a feeling of strange relief washing over me. I did my best; I failed; there was nothing to grieve about. Rather than wasting my time whining, I would rather look for another venue to grow.

    "Not terrible... But not great either," Vanermented, a smirk resurfacing on his lips.

    "Are you satisfied with my performance, elder?" I asked, not giving myself any false hope. Right now, I simply wanted to end the situation as soon as possible without disrespecting the man so I could return to my training.

    ''A direct disciple or not, I still have wealth and the system! I will make it through anyway!'' I told myself, fanning the mes of my determination.

    It wasn''t the first loss for me, nor would it be thest one either. I long grew past the stage where I would let a single defeat force me to surrender.

    "So-so..." Vaner replied, his smirk turning into a smug smile.

    "Elder, with all due respect," Mia interjected, stepping forward between Vaner and me as if she wanted to shield me from the elder. "I''m not going to ept your offer if you refuse to take my master as your direct disciple, too," she said, looking directly into the man''s eyes.

    ''What?'' My body shook in surprise. While the resolute look on Mia''s face made her even more lovely than usual, I couldn''t allow her to sabotage her own future just to help me out!

    "A mere ve like you have the gall to speak to me like that?!" Vaner red up, his own surprise quickly taken over by fury. "Do you realize that it''s already a miracle that you are not someone''s toy to y with?" he shouted, pointing his hand at the girl.

    "I''m terribly sorry, elder," I rushed forward, lowering my head in the process. "I failed to keep my ve in check. As such, I can only beg for your forgiveness!" I shouted, bending my back in half while pushing Mia''s at her back to make her do the same.

    "Apologize right now!" I whispered in a hushed voice.

    "I won''t," Mia gently straightened her back, turning her head to the side and looking at the back of my bowed head. "I''m not going to change my decision. The only way for me to do so is to have you order me to ept it," she said, a kind, affectionate smile growing up on her lips.

    "But we both know that you are not going to do this," she added a momentter.

    My silence was enough of an answer.

    This was a golden opportunity for her. Whether I would be epted or not, she could escape all of her problems by bing a direct disciple of a sect''s elder. Even that young master would be hard-pressed to find any means to trouble her if she did.

    But she was right.

    If I were to order her now, I would cross everything I believed in. In order to make her use this opportunity, I would have to treat her like a real ve rather than a partner.

    I bit my lips in frustration.

    "Yes, I do have the galls to do that," Mia said, moving her eyes up at Vaner''s face. "If not for my master, I would be a ything long ago. He protected me when I was nothing but a burden. He trained me when I was nothing but a weak ve. He took on those who wished me harm when I could not defend myself," Mia spoke in a calm tone as if she wasn''t standing up against an elder at all.

    "That''s why I''m not going to abandon him the moment his help is no longer crucial," Mia said calmly, a smile growing up on her lips.. "Just like he didn''t abandon me when I was of no use to him."

 Chapter 42 - Tokens With A Droplet Of Blood

    Only silence followed after Mia''s words.

    Internally, I couldn''t be any happier. This was the first moment in both of my lives when someone unrted to me by blood would stand up for me like that.

    The situation turned even spicer when one would consider Mia''s own position. As a mere ve, even with talent, she would normally be unable to even greet the elder of the sect.

    And yet she was here, standing between the two of us, acting as if she was shielding me from Vaner.

    On the other hand, Vaner was equally as stunned as I was, if not more. His previously disyed wrath was nowhere to be seen, reced just by the sheer shock alone.

    "Fine," he finally muttered, shaking his head and cing his hands on his hips. He then raised his eyes and sent me a look filled with awe. "I was going to ept him anyway, but now that you put the situation in this way..." Vaner cut his words short, most likely to emphasize a huge smirk that grew up on his lips.

    "Now, you will receive the same treatment that I have nned for him," he announced, moving his eyes back to Mia''s face.

    "I will teach you two to the best of my ability, serving my role as your teacher," he said, once again making a short pause for purely theatrical purpose, "but you can forget about obtaining any resources that direct disciples would normally be privy to!"

    Vaner''s smirk achieved its final form, turning into a smug smile as he closely observed the reaction of the two of us.

    ''So that''s what he wanted to achieve,'' I thought, a wave of relief mixing with the feeling of enlightenment in my soul. ''It was just his greedy wish to not burden his purse with additional expenses!''

    "How could you?!" Mia shouted, her eyes widening and her hands tightening in fists. "And here I thought you were a valiant elder who stood up to the principles!" she screamed out, her face turning ugly.

    "Chill, Mia. Calm down," I muttered, shaking my head as I stood up. Rather than being conflicted, I was relieved.

    It sucked that I wouldn''t obtain any resources from this man. While I had my doubts about how permanent that arrangement would be, I could happily ept it.

    Because now I understand what this man valued. Even if it was only a part of what made Vaner... well, Vaner, it was a point good enough toy a foundation of my rtionship with him.

    "What? Don''t you understand?!" Mia turned her face to me, changing the target of her shouts to my face. "Providing cultivation resources for their disciples is the main responsibility of the teachers!" she screamed in my face, clearly unable to understand how could I be fine with epting the situation.

    "It''s fine," I said, reaching out and patting her head. "So that''s what you were after, huh?" I added, turning my head towards the elder while my hand continued to rub Mia''s scalp.

    "Exactly," Vaner easily admitted to his schemes. "Seeing how you acted during the auction and even right now, seeing how quickly you progress..." The middle-aged man took a deep breath only to hang his head low. "It would bankrupt me," he said in a pitiful tone as ifmenting over his own inability.

    "Still...!" Mia continued her protests, forcing me to press my hand down on her head and make the girl turn her face back towards me. "It''s fine, I said."

    Retracting my hand, I lowered it towards the pouch at my belt. Then, using the excessive cloth of my sleeves, I pulled two spirit stones out.

    "I have five more in the pouch," I added, only for my lips to form a smirk. "And I can easily buy a lot more if needed," I said before stealing a nce of the elder''s face, "right?"

    "That''s correct," the elder smiled, clearly satisfied with how the conversation was progressing. His eyes brimmed with happiness. "Also, the main reason why I will never provide you with any resources or money unless absolutely necessary is that I believe it would only hamper your potential."

    My eyebrows moved up my forehead.

    ''So this is what he was truly after,'' I realized, squinting my eyes.

    "And in case I still have some excellent ideas hidden in my mind, you will be more than happy to provide the funds in exchange," I finished the elder''s words before waving my hand and turning back to the girl instead.

    "Would you mind exining what''s going on?" Mia asked.

    Right. Most of my recent interactions with the elder were non-verbal. It was a continuous exchange of unspoken words and implied meanings, an exchange that we could understand only because we were aware of the same things.

    But the same couldn''t be said for Mia. For her, our debate had to look quite confusing.

    "That was tiring," I whined, surrounding the girl with my arms and resting my head on her shoulder.

    While surprised by my sudden intimacy, Mia didn''t push me away, nor did she try to slither away from my grasp.

    "You don''t need to worry aboutcking cultivation resources for the foreseeable future," I whispered, taking a moment to let her warmth, smell, and softness chase my mental exhaustion away.

    "Okay?" Mia replied, unsure how to react to my strange behavior. Still, rather than protesting or demanding answers, she ced her hands on my back and started moving them up and down as if trying to cheer me up.

    Truly, a lovely girl.

    "Anyway," I said, unable to be bothered to lift my head from Mia''s shoulder, not to speak about looking at the Vanner''s smug face. "What should we do now?"

    "Here," Vaner stepped forward and ced something on my shoulder. Reaching for it, I saw two crystal orbs roughly the size of a small coin.

    "What are those?" I asked, finally rising from the girl''s hug and turning my face to the elder.

    "Tokens that prove you are my disciples," Vaner replied. "There is a droplet of my blood imbued in each of them," he exined, making it sound as if the meaning behind his words should be obvious.

    "I still have some matters to attend to, so I want the two of you to go to the amodation office. They will tell you what to do next there," he said before pushing the cloth of his robes and locking his hands behind his back.

    "Thank you for your hospitality, elder!" I said, resuming the usual routine of giving proper respects.

    "Don''t mind it," Vaner replied, a smirk once again forming on his lips. "I have great expectations for you two!"

 Chapter 43 - Changing Situation

    "Do you know where that amodation office is?" I asked after guiding the elder out of the garden with my eyes. I then looked to the side at the still tense face of the girl.

    "What?" Mia asked, shaking her head a little. "Sorry, what did you ask about, again?"

    "The amodation office," I said, putting a small smile on my face. "Do you maybe know where it is?" I repeated my question.

    For all my aplishments in the short two weeks I spent in this sect, I have yet to fully learn itsyout. Spending most of my time in the training garden and on the path to the market, I severelycked the orientation of this massive ce.

    "Sure," Mia smiled, her eyes regaining their usual glister. "Let me lead the way," she instantly offered, grabbing my arm and pulling me forward.

    In theory, I should spend a little bit more time practicing. Vaner''s test proved just how weak I was in reality, even if there was hardly any disciple that could threaten me now.

    Yet, for how cliche it was, I had no other choice but to ept the sad truth that rang true both on earth and in this new world of mine.

    There was always a bigger fish.

    If I were to getcent now, just because I managed to achieve the first of my short-term objectives, I would never be able to forgive myself.

    The time I spent leading the RPG sessions online back in my old life taught me one thing. That it wasn''t about catching the rabbit, but about chasing it. Or in other words, the path to the goal would often prove to be more important than the goal itself.

    ''At this rate, I might start uttering bullshit of the like that it doesn''t matter if I win or lose; what matters are the friends I made along the way,'' I scoffed at my own thoughts, belittling this naive approach.

    Keeping my eyes locked on the faraway goal was just a mean to push myself for greater heights. On its own, it was a meaningless objective.

    I really aimed for the results that it forced me to achieve.

    "Right," I muttered, realizing an important mishap on my end. "I still have yet to thank you," I said, burying my feet in the soft ground and forcing Mia to turn around and face me.

    "Huh? There is no..."

    "Mia," I said her name in a serious tone, looking deeply into the girl''s eyes. "I''m really grateful for what you did back then," I said, cing my hands on her shoulders. "Even if it ended with the two of us ying right in that guy''s hands, that doesn''t change anything," I said, frozen in the depth of the girl''s emerald eyes.

    "Don''t mind it," Mia replied, smiling gently in response to my honest feelings. "Still," she muttered, averting her eyes as a tingle of irritation coursed through her face, "it''s annoying to know that I only helped that bastard in the end," sheined, putting a little pout on her face.

    "Anyway," I let go of the girl, moving my hands away. This honest and slightly intimate moment was enough for my cheeks to explode in red. "I''m quite curious how his teachings will benefit us," I said, desperately wishing to change the topic.

    "That guy is no good," Mia scoffed in response and rolled her eyes. "It''s better if you don''t get your hopes up. His reputation..." she hesitated, "is pretty bad in the sect."

    I raised the corner of my mouth in a half-smile.

    ''Right,'' I thought. ''Why else would he bother with such troublesome disciples like Mia or me?''

    "Right, that reminds me," Mia spoke, striking her fist against the open palm of her other hand. She then looked at me, blushed, yet kept eye contact nheless. "I hope the way you treat me... Won''t change at all, even after I won''t be your ve any longer," she exined her wish, staring intensely into my eyes.

    "What do you mean by that?" I asked, genuinely scared by the notion.

    ''Does she have some problems with how I treated her so far? Or is she worried I will ditch her now?''

    ''No, that can''t be,'' I shook my head, ridding of those useless andpletely illogical thoughts. They were born out of myck of self-confidence, the remnant of who I was back on earth.

    Still, realizing it didn''t make it any easier to figure out what the girl had in mind!

    ''Girls can be such a pain in the ass,'' I thought, desperately striving to figure out just where did Mia''s request came from, or rather, what did she mean by it.

    "Don''t look that confused," Mia chuckled, hiding her pearlish-white teeth under her hand. "Listen, it''s pretty hard for me to speak about this topic..." herughter died, her expression soured.

    ''What is going on?'' I couldn''t help but panic.

    Why did I never try to raise my level of'' interacting with women'' skill back on earth? If I did, surely I wouldn''t be as confused now!

    "I mean, it will be fully okay if you keep treating me like your ve!" she suddenly shouted, hiding her head in her own hands. "In fact, you should treat me more like a ve!" she added, raising her eyes only to hide them back in her palms.

    ''What?''

    I stood agape, confused to the hell out of it.

    Was she some kind of masochist and wished to engage in this sort of y with me?

    "I mean, back then you said, that I shouldn''t worry about cultivating resources," Mia whispered, bending her legs and plummeting down only to hide her face in her knees instead.

    "Mmrrmrmrmrmr," she muttered something, forcing me to kneel down and get closer to understand her words.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t catch that," I said in a hushed voice. Since I had no freaking idea what should I do and how should I act, I decided to just go with the flow.

    Surely, following my heart couldn''t be as bad as I always believed it was!

    Or rather, in the current situation, I could either do that or just stand frozen in ce, taking my sweet, damned time to process what was actually happening!

    "If you don''t make full use of me, I would feel like a leech for relying on you in that regard," Mia whispered again. This time, my ears were close enough to understand her words, even if it forced me to practically shove my face into her hair.

    "So that''s what you were worried about!" I eximed, falling back to my ass and breathing a big sigh of relief.

    "Huh?" Mia scoffed in surprise, raising her face from her knees and sending me a confused look with her big, emerald eyes. "What did you think I was talking about?" she asked, her eyes shining with yful curiosity.

    "I had honestly no idea," I replied, not seeing any benefit of hiding the truth.

    Thankfully, before Mia could implore any further, her attention was drawn away.

    "It''s right there," she said, pointing at a nearby building.

    This was the ce where we would finally ditch the robes of disciple and ve, respectively, exchanging them for the robes of direct disciples of higher rank.

    Yet, as if nothing could happen peacefully in my life, as soon as we approached the doors to the ce, someone opened them only to reveal his familiar face to me.

    ''Just what this bastard is doing here?!''

 Chapter 44 - How To Deal With Someone I Cant Deal With

    "Oh, if it isn''t Arthur!" the young master spoke out. His handsome face was adorned with a gentle, surprisingly pleasant smile.

    No matter how hard I looked, I couldn''t see even the smallest hint of hostility, be it on his face or in this damned bastard''s voice.

    "And who might you be?" I asked.

    While I was perfectly aware of his persona, we never really had the chance to get aquatinted. And right in the middle of the sect, with all sorts of people passing by us, getting honest or even remotely direct wasn''t an option.

    After all, I didn''t want Vaner to impose even harshed punishment on me than he already did. If he were to raise the default price of the stones I was going to buy off him, it could prove disastrous!

    "I''m Jenne, a fellow disciple of the sect that ranked just one spot below you," the young man smiled, revealing two rows of perfectly white teeth. "It''s a pleasure to get aquatinted with you," he added.

    "The pleasure is all mine," I replied, making sure to kindly smile at the man.

    Whatever feud we had below the table couldn''t be mentioned out in the open.

    I couldn''t bring it up because I didn''t even have a shred of proof to connect all the attacks on me with this guy. On the other hand, it was clear that openly bullying a fellow disciple like he was doing was something that could hamper the reputation of Jenne''s n, something he likely wasn''t allowed to do either.

    As such, we were stuck in this ufortable, fake scene, where both of us had to pretend we respected or at least tolerated each other.

    "You see, brother, it just so happens that I wanted to meet you for a long time. But, regretfully," Jenne shook his shoulders, "the life wasn''t easy on me recently, making it impossible for me to spare some time to do so."

    "Brother, I fully understand your trouble," I shook my head, acting as if I could sympathize with that guy''s situation. "Between all the training and rowdy fellow disciples of ours trying to use me as stepping stones, I barely even had the time to enjoy my ve!" I eximed, shaking my head over the injustice of this world.

    A slight mutter coursed through the crowd of Jenne''s followers.

    "Still, this is the great opportunity and a fateful moment. As such, I would be spitting on the grace of the gods if I didn''t make full use of it," Jenne started again. "Would you mind sparing me a few minutes of your time to discuss a certain business I have with you?"

    "Brother, I would never dare to miss an opportunity to be of help for someone of your caliber!" I shouted, raising my eyes to the sky, only to lower my head a momentter and shake it sideways. "Regretfully, right now, I''m in a great hurry. If only you could wait just a few minutes for me to finish my orders, I would be more than happy to see that your wishes would be fulfilled to the best of my ability," I said, hiding all the vicious thoughts from my face.

    I had massive doubts whether this guy would not only catch my drift but also fall for the small trap I set for him.

    After all, what reason would a normal person my age have to refuse a favor to someone of Jenne''s status? Outside of the obvious moral reasons that were the culprit, there was only one other option.

    It was greed.

    As small as the chances were for me manipting Jenne into believing I simply wanted to raise the price I could ask for Mia, there was nothing wrong with trying it!

    After all, as soon as she would show her token in the amodation office, this fucker would be unable to bully her any longer!

    "If that''s the case, I won''t infringe on your mission," Jenne smiled, pointing at the doors to the amodation office with his open palm. "I can see that it''s a matter of great importance for you," he added.

    Nodding my head to the man, I turned around and looked at Mia. From the look on her face, I could tell that she was openly as disgusted with this conversation as I was internally.

    I couldn''t tell whether this meeting was a random urrence or a nned event. I didn''t have enough information to decide. But there was only one thing that I took from this short conversation.

    Jenne wasn''t going to be an easy opponent.

    So far, I thought that getting Mia released from her status as a ve would do the job of binding Jenne''s hands. But from the looks of things, he wasn''t the usual, arrogant young master that I took him for.

    But all those thoughts could wait. Even if it wouldn''t grant Mia absolute protection, having her as a disciple proper would still knock several weapons out of Jenne''s hands.

    As such, there was no time to waste.

    "Girl, go," I said offhandedly, nodding at the doors with my chin.

    A momentary look of surprise appeared on Mia''s face, only to instantly be reced with defiantpliance. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head and moved ahead, entering the building.

    ''Almost there,'' I thought when I suddenly felt someone''s hand on my shoulder.

    "I''m sorry, junior, but it appears that my brother went to see you recently," a man said, forcing me to turn my back to the doors.

    My muscles tensed up a little.

    Taxing the man''s building, I couldn''t help but feel slightly intimidated.

    His robes were of the dark-blue color, different from the elders'' robes and the ones that I wore myself. But it was his muscr build, making him appear more like a bodybuilder rather than a cultivator, that put my own looks to shame.

    Right now, I felt like losing on a dick measuring contest to him.

    "Do you happen to know his whereabouts, by any chance?" the man asked, not bothering to hide his hostility.

    ''Maybe that''s what I can use against this bastard?'' I thought, instantly moving on to nning my next moves as soon as an idea appeared in my head. ''Even if he himself is smart, the same couldn''t be said about his followers!''

    This realization was like a god-sent vision.

    I couldn''t hurt Jenne directly. Doing so would surely incur the wrath of his allegedly powerful n. I wasn''t so sure if I could topple him on the battle of intellects either. Even if I was smarter, he knew far more about this world and potential methods of dealing with me.

    As such, the simplest way of dealing with his threat was to undermine his position by removing his allies!

    My lips curled up in a smile.

    "A guy my age, medium-length golden hair, dark eyes?" I asked, raising my eyes at the man''s face.

    "That''s correct," he replied, his expression darkening a little. "Where is he?"

    "Oh, that actually depends," I replied, shaking my head. "It''s a topic far harder than I have time to discuss right now," I sighed, only to raise my head and look the man directly in the eyes. "Where he is right now, depends on his religion," I said, my happy smile souring.

    "I only know where his battered corpse is unless someone already cleaned it out."

    I nodded my head, turned around, and approached the doors. In those few moments, only aplete silence apanied me.

    "ARTHUR!" Mia screamed outright as I entered the doorway.

    She didn''t even need to warn me. Thanks to my recent breakthrough, I could feel the energy gathering behind my back.

    I swirled around on my heel, only to see a mountain-like fist heading straight for my face.

    Only thanks to my extensive training over thest two weeks, I managed to raise my guard to protect my head.

    ''What?!'' I thought when the hit struck my raised forearms, pushing them against my face. While the bones didn''t break, they weren''t that far from doing so.

    "I WILL KILL YOU!" the man shouted, charging forward and sending another attack towards my stomach.

    If I slipped now, I would be done for. I could tell as much from the strength of the first attack I received.

    Yet, despite how dangerous this situation was, I couldn''t stop my lips from forming a satisfied smile.

    Tic.

    The sound confirmed my longsting guess.

 Chapter 45 - Beaten And Defeated

    I would love to check what this attack grew in my status. This was my momentary greatest wish.

    After all, it would allow me to finally unveil at least a single secret about how my current stage worked. It would allow me to find a way to get stronger without relying too much on the spirit stones that were ultimately in short supply.

    But there was no way in hell for this bastard to give me even a second of respite!

    Thud.

    Thud.

    Tic.

    Thud.

    It took my utmost to adjust the position of my guard to protect my face. The dark-robed disciple continued to unleash his wrath on me, each of his hits threatening to break the bones in my arms.

    Thud.

    "AGH..." I spat out my saliva when this fucker managed to sneak in a proper attack. His fist buried itself deep into my stomach, sending me back by a whole meter and almost breaking my posture.

    If not for the crowd in the building I was just pushed into, I would likely lose my footing.

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted. I had no time to look at her face, but I could tell from her voice just how distressed she was.

    "GO!" I shouted, instantly paying the price of the momentarypse of concentration with a culling fist to my side.

    ''Close,'' I managed to shrug the attack off. It was just a few centimeters off from smashing my spleen. Thankfully, I managed to get away with only some of my ribs fracturing.

    Praise God for such an ingenious design of human bodies!

    Tic.

    Tic.

    Tic.

    Before long, I could no longer feel the weight of the attacks. Each of them hurt me like hell and wore my durability down. Yet, each of the tics I could hear meant a slight advance in my cultivation!

    ''At this rate, I''m going to turn into a masochist,'' I thought, feeling the blood trickling down my skin.

    Just my guard bouncing out of my face was enough to cover my handsome looks with bruises and swells.

    Thump!

    The fucker continued to push me back. He even managed to sneak another hit, this time a low kick right above my knee. If I didn''t manage to lower the center of my weight, I would likely be kicked down on the floor.

    ''Is he getting exhausted or what?'' I thought, noticing how each of the subsequent hits felt weaker and weaker. And soon enough, an opening came.

    The dark-robbed Jenne''s follower didn''t suffer from a single retaliatory hit from me so far.

    I didn''t dare to attack for two reasons. Firstly, I wasn''t confident atnding a proper hit against someone clearly stronger than me. And secondly, I hoped for such an opening all along!

    "FUCK OFF!" I shouted, harnessing all of my energy, wrath, and personal revanchism at the top of my fist. I shot it forward, twisting my upper body and stepping forward with my leading leg.

    Tic.

    ''I did it!'' I internally screamed out in joy when I felt something was wrong.

    The hit wasn''t soft. I didn''t get to strike any of the soft tissues of the man, clearly missing my punch. Just like that guy did before, I botched my attack, sending it towards the man''s ribs.

    Crack.

    Or so I thought.

    "WHA..." the man failed to articte his surprise when he flew straggled andnded in the arms of the spectators, three meters away.

    ''What?'' That was all I could think before something welled up in my throat. Unable to resist, I fell down to my knees and released a puddle of blood that gathered in my breathing system.

    ''Not good,'' my eyes widened when noticing the blood on the floor. Contrary to what one would think from reading the novels, I was perfectly aware of how dangerous spewing blood was. It wasn''t something that one could do after getting facepped by a shameless main character.

    Spitting blood often meant devastating, internal injuries.

    For all the fun that I had, growing my strength in this counterintuitive way, I instantly turned desperate to conclude the fight. If I were to go any further, this slick ploy of mine could end in the worst way imaginable!

    ''And Vaner already proved how easy it is for one to lose their lives in this world,'' I thought, tightening my teeth and raising from my knees.

    For a moment, the situation somewhat calmed down. As I stepped back into the doorway of the building, I could only see the bloodshot eyes of that madman glued to my trembling posture.

    It was the first for me. For the first time in my life, someone looked at me with such an intense killing intent.

    Not even when that bastard from the staircase, all the way back to when I transmigrated, exuded such hate with his aura alone.

    And he was the one to actually kill me, mind that.

    ''Not good,'' I thought, taking in the look of the entire situation. ''If this will go on...''

    "What the hell is going on here!" Someone shouted.

    As if a Moses appeared to strike his cane and force the crowd apart, the gathering split into two, making way for a sky-colored robes-wearing man.

    His face, I couldn''t recognize.

    ''Thank God,'' I thought, breathing an internal sigh of relief. ''If it was that elder from before, or even worse, Vaner...''

    Yet, before I could analyze the situation, an idea struck my mind.

    I fell to my knees. By convulsing my throat, I managed to spit another mouthful of blood, one that managed to gather in my lungs during this short moment of respite.

    It wasn''t good to spit blood like that, but it was the best card I could y right now.

    "Jenne, what happened?!" the elder shouted upon noticing a familiar face.

    For a moment, I froze. For this elder to know Jenne could only mean...

    No, that was stupid. I knew Jenne was a young master from a powerful n. It would be strange if the elders didn''t recognize him. And that meant...

    ''I wonder what he is going to do,'' I thought, an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction spread through my soul. ''Are you going to protect your retainer despite the crowd of witnesses, or are you going to protect yourself at the cost of duping him in?''

    But no answer came.

    "You, are you alright?" the elder said.

    This voice felt too distant to be real. I raised my head, struggling as much as I could while doing that, only to realize what had happened.

    Indeed, the elder wasn''t asking about my wellbeing. He was standing above the bastard that beat me up, a look of worry all over his rotten face!

    ''So that''s how this is...'' I thought, fury welling up in my insides.

    Still, it was strange. Despite all the people around, was the sect elder going to be so clearly favoring another disciple?

    Looking up, I couldn''t miss a smug smile on Jenne''s face.

 Chapter 46 - Favoritism

    "That bastard broke my ribs!" the dark-robbed disciple shouted, pain clearly quelling his throat.

    For how much I could tell through my bloodied eyes, the look on his face was truly hrious. This fucktard clearly didn''t expect that he would end up injured, and by a guy wearing first stage robes at that!

    "Him?" the elder sent a surprised look towards me and squinted his eyes. A long wrinkle appeared on his forehead. Yet, instead ofshing out at me, he took a deep breath...

    Only to turn around and round kick my oppressor right in the head!

    "You are fucking useless!" he shouted,shing out at my oppressor instead. "How could you get beaten by a damned purification level trash!"

    The man took a deep breath, seemingly attempting to calm down.

    "A core establishment practitioner was beaten by a purification stage disciple... PATHETIC!" the calm front of the elder quickly vanished, revealing just how furious he was. He then raised his chin high only to look down at the dark-robbed disciple. "You are no disciple of mine anymore!"

    This statement loudly rang in my ears. ncing over at the crowd, I could tell how massive this announcement was from the surprised and shocked looks they gave between themselves.

    "Teacher, he..."

    "SILENCE, WENCH!" the elder shouted, his fury making his head release steam.

    But the dark robbed disciple wasn''t discouraged by theshing.

    "He killed my brother!" he shouted, taking not only the crowd but also me by surprise.

    Sure, I beat your brother up, but don''t me me for killing him, god damn it! After all those efforts and holding back to keep him alive...

    You should have a feud with Vaner, not me!

    Still, as ridiculous as this statement was for me, it was actually a good thing.

    "Huh?" the elder turned around and sent me a weird look. He thenpletely ignored his former disciple and approached the doorway where I was on all fours.

    "Did you kill his brother?" he asked, his face and voice perfectly still as if this matter didn''t disturb him whatsoever. Yet, by sending a quick nce to the man''s eyes, I couldn''t help but tremble a little.

    "I did... cough!" squeezing my lungs and my throat, I pushed all the residual blood to my mouth, only to spew it right at the elder''s elegant shoes. "I did not! I only told that bastard that his idiot brother died!"

    The look on the elder''s face darkened.

    "How dare you speak ill of the deceased?" his voice was low, guttural. The elder''s eyelids lowered, leaving only tiny slits through which he looked down at me.

    Yet, there was one thing I was certain about.

    This man has shown no signs of surprise when learning about the demise of the sect''s disciple!

    In other words, he had to be already aware of it!

    "Elder, with all due respect, I just call things as they are." I struggled to raise my head and send a defiant look right towards the man''s face. "How else could I name a purification stage disciple disrespecting an elder known to be hot-headed?"

    A murmur shook the crowd in reaction to my statement. Sadly, with my eyes locked on the elder''s face, I had no way of knowing how did my oppressor react to my words.

    It had to be one hell of a face!

    "You speak ill of the dead; you dare to hit your senior..." the elder closed his eyes and shook his head. "You even dare to stand defiant to my word," he said, slowly opening his eyes and looking at me with no emotions on his face. "Do you really want to end up as that guy''s brother?" he asked, pointing his hand and Jenne''s follower while raising one of his eyebrows.

    "Elder, unless you wish to end up as that fucktard''s brother as well, I would advise you to let my master go," Mia said, calmly walking right into the scene.

    A tremble shook both my flesh and my soul.

    ''What the hell is she doing?!'' I inwardly screamed out.

    Everything I was doing right now had a precise reason. It was all part of an act that I, a former legend in the game-mastering circle, came up with. All part of an intricate n to corner Jenne into submission.

    But I wasn''t angry at Miaing in and shattering all of those ns with a single, defiant statement of her.

    What I was angry about was that she put herself in danger!

    "Outrageous!" the elder yelled out, taking a step back. His eyes were pried wide open and filled with shock.

    Moving my head to the side, I noticed the likely reason.

    Mia was still wearing her ve robes. If one were to look closely, the small bracelet on her wrist was missing now, proving that she was a ve no longer.

    But it was a detail that everyone gathered during themotion was likely to miss.

    "You are courting death, ve!" The elder shouted, the shock of his face giving way to fury.

    "Didn''t Arthur say it?" Mia asked, unbothered by the aggressive stance of the elder. She went as far as to cross her arms on her chest and look at the furious man with an amused expression. "Our teacher is known to be hot-heated. Thest time someone infringed on him," she leaned her head to the side and opened her delicious, full lips in a bright smile, "I believe we all know how the poor fellow ended. I still can''t get the sight of his head getting snapped out of his neck out of my memory."

    Another murmur shook the crowd. It appeared that the people were only starting to realize the true depth of the situation.

    "A mere ve..." the elder started to speak in his guttural tone once again, clearly on the verge of losing control.

    "This man here, who your disciple beat up for no reason, is a direct disciple of the Sect''s Elder Vaner," Mia said sweetly before whipping out the token that Vaner passed to us back at the garden.

    "So am I," she said, her smile turned smug. "And I now stand witness to your tant favoritism!"

 Chapter 47 - Verdict

    Following Mia''s words, the entire area turned silent.

    Some had to be stunned by the arrogant and openly defiant stance that a girl, dressed in ve robes, took against the elder of the sect. For someone like her, even holding a token of being a direct disciple wasn''t enough to warrant such behavior.

    Others were stunned because of what Mia''s words implicated. And while I could bet that barely anyone believed that the sect was a uniform entity aimed to help people grow as a charity, bringing up its dirt to the surface clearly had some shock value behind it.

    Ultimately though, everyone turned silent because Mia''s words forced a decision on the elder.

    A decision on how to react to her usations.

    "What do you want?" the elder barked, his face all tense from the internal rage.

    ''I guess he doesn''t like the fact that a former ve put him on the spot,'' I thought, unable to stop a bit of satisfaction from filling my soul. Yet, no matter how happy I was to see someone like this elder served such a sour pill to swallow, I couldn''t help but feel concerned about Mia''s safety.

    After all, there was a reason why her behavior could only be named as daring!

    Instead of responding, Mia lowered herself on her knees and grabbed me underneath my arms, helping me stand up.

    "Arthur?" she asked, clearly done with her part, wishing for me to take over the reins of the situation.

    It was something that I understood on the spot. Yet, I was pretty conflicted about how I should feel about it at the same time. Happy that she trusted and relied on me? Or disappointed that she didn''t decide to ditch her former position as a ve, leaving all the decisions to her master?

    "The fight ultimately happened between that disciple and me," I struggled to say in a loud voice, residual blood still clogging my throat. "I don''t think implicating respectable elder of the sect as a whole is reasonable," I added before coughing to clear my throat. "As such, how about giving me one free punch, an attack to level the grudge that this man festered between us?"

    If the crowd was silent before, then it turnedpletely mute now.

    This solution was so damn simple that it was a wonder no one proposed it before. Or rather, it only appeared like that.

    Because as the victim of the unwarranted aggression, I was the only one with the right to put it forward.

    "Obviously," I said, wishing to push the momentum of the situation ahead, "I won''t be forced to take responsibility for that man''s injuries resulting from my hit, just like I won''t force him to take responsibility for my current state."

    This was the most important part of the nt that I hatched on the go. Right now, I was in pretty bad shape, making it easier for everyone to ept the kind of solution I proposed. But at the same time, it would destroy any sort of image if I were to offer terms too kind for the crowd to ept.

    ''No one would ever respect me if I covered in fear failed to demand just and reasonable payback,'' I thought.

    The silence of the crowd finally broke apart as people started to discuss what they had just heard in hushed voices. Yet, in this entire gathering, one person reacted differently.

    The disciple that so happily bashed me before turned all white. He was the only one who felt the force behind my hit, a hit executed after I had already taken some serious damage.

    He was the only one in the entire situation, that understood just how vile my n was.

    To allow a single attack against him while barring the man of his right of defense?

    If I was capable of shattering his ribs with a loose, partially failed attack and after receiving a serious beating, then his life would be as well as foregone if I were to attack him properly!

    As such, with his life on the line, the man turned his face towards Jenne, clearly pleading for his help.

    ''He didn''t look at the elder,'' I noticed, squinting my eyes a bit.

    "Sure!" Jenne shouted, his lips forming a happy smile. Sadly, the young master quickly reflected on his mishap, shaking his head and pretending to be saddened by the entire encounter. "Go on; you may hit him as hard as you want!" Jenne said before sending a meaningful look towards the elder.

    ''Wait, what? So are they in cahoots or not?'' I thought, confused by the mixed signals.

    If the elder wasn''t really in bed with them, then why did that disciple turn to Jenne instead of his former teacher? And if they were in cahoots... then the same question applied.

    The only solution I could arrive at was that Jenne actually held a higher ground between him and the elder!

    ''It seems that I made the right decision to bully his followers,'' I thought grimly, realizing just how insane the extend of Jenne''s social powers could be.

    Hopefully, I was overestimating his influence. But I wasn''t going to ever underestimate him again!

    "Do you really think that I''m going to punch someone when I need support to even stand?" I barked in response, only to spew out yet another gulp of blood from my throat. "You were so nice to me, but do you actually wish for me to die a dog''s death here?!" I half-used the man.

    With no proof, I couldn''t bring him to justice. That was the very reason why I didn''t react to any of his earlier provocations.

    But if there was one thing that I understood better than the people of this world, then it was just how simple the human brain was.

    And how easy it was to sway the crowd into believing something, even if one had no proof at all.

    "To think I gave you a way out of your favoritism!" I uttered heavily, sending a nce over to the elder.

    Right now, he was the most vulnerable link in the chain of their potential conspiracy. Seeing how he reacted to Mia''s usations before, he clearly didn''t want this matter to surface.

    "That''s reasonable," the elder replied before Jenne could say anything to stop him.

    ''So he just wants to save his own skin.'' I smiled internally, happy that my small bet paid off.

    "I hereby grant you the right to attack Igrit once, without any repercussions or him defending himself. You may hold on to this right for as long you need to recuperate your wounds, but by using that right, you waive all the rights to hold on to the grudge this idiotic, former disciple of mine caused!" the elder announced, only to end on a slightly threatening note.

    The elder then turned around, casting a quick nce at the crowd observing everyst detail of the encounter.

    "The fuck are you all looking at?!" he shouted, finally releasing a small silver of his fury. "Disperse!"

    Following the elder''ssh, the onlookers quickly started to move out. Only Jenne and his follower, likely named Igrit, remained for a short while longer.

    For a few more moments, Jenne locked himself in a contest of stares with me.

    And I made a mistake. No longer having the energy to keep up the act, I graced him with a smile that contained all the viciousness that I was going to unleash on him.

    All the bottled feelings of hate, powerlessness, denial, and fury that amassed through my previous life would finally find their outlet.

    And it would all happen in a world where I could finally obtain some strength on my own.

    Sadly, this had to wait. With thest bit of strength leaving my body, I hung myself on Mia''s arm, no longer capable of even standing up on my own.

    ''And what I should say to her, now?'' I asked myself as soon as Jenne turned around and left. Out of everything that happened so far, this was the greatest puzzle for me.

    Should I scold her for putting a target on her own back for my sake? Or maybe I shouldsh out at her for putting herself in danger?

    But that would mean outright disrespecting the decision she made. After all, even though we only knew each other for a bit longer than two weeks, I was pretty sure she was aware of the potential consequences of her actions.

    That''s why, as much as it pained me to do so, I only said a single word.

    "Thanks."

 Chapter 48 - Sects Summit

    "Those damned kids!" Catius muttered under his nose, walking up the stairs.

    Out of all the things that he hated in this god-forsaken sect, the endless stairs one had to climb were near the top.

    Step by step, he continued his arduous journey, already feeling the anxiety of runningte.

    ''The meeting started half an hour ago, and I''m still climbing those damned stairs!'' he cursed in his thoughts, only years of practice allowing the man to keep his face rtively calm.

    In the end, nearly the entirety of the sect was settled. And if any of the inner disciples living on the terraces were to see him walking around furious...

    ''No, I don''t even want to think about it,'' Catius gritted his teeth and lowered his face.

    The long climb made it hard for him to keep his breath stable. And there was still quite a bit of stairs that he had to cover.

    ''Worst of all, it''s all on Vaner!'' Catius tightened his fists, the image of the arrogant elder appearing before his eyes.

    Even though the two of them bore the same rank, Catius could only dream about the treatment that his fellow elder received.

    He would never stoop so low as to ask himself why was Vaner treated differently than most of the other elders of the sect. Obviously, rather thanparing the way the sect rewarded his efforts with elders of the same experience on the job, he could onlypare himself to Vaner.

    The man who revolutionalized their rtions with the Auditors, the one who abolished half of the ages-long traditions.

    No, it was Vaner''s fault for how badly Catius had it in the job!

    ''Just who does he think he is,'' the old elder tightened his fists when something suddenly attracted his attention.

    He stopped in his tracks, despite being alreadyte to the meeting with the patriarch. Looking to the side, he saw a massive gathering of people working like ants to settle some kind of formation around one of the pces of the upper terraces.

    A smile grew on the elder''s lips.

    ''So that''s what the meeting is all about,'' he thought, his excitement shooting through the roof.

    Catius took a fair moment to calm himself down and assume a dignified look on his face. Entering the Main Hall while agitated could easily be taken as an affront to the dignity of his job.

    And it was something he couldn''t afford in his position.

    "Why are youte, elder Catius?" An old man sitting on the throne-like chair at the head of a massive table asked the moment Catius entered the main hall.

    To both sides of the man, various other elders sat. The closer one''s position to the doors, the lower their standing within themunity of the elders.

    ''Damn this fucker,'' Catius cursed inwardly, noticing just how close to the patriarch Vaner was sitting. ''He already advanced to the fifth ce?'' he thought, surprised by the unexpected change.

    "Patriarch, this junior is all at fault," Catius kneeled down and rested his left fist on the floor.

    "Spare me the bullshit of formalities," the old man couldn''t be bothered by the procedures.

    "I was... held up." Catius closed his eyes, focusing all his willpower to stop the shaking of his body.

    Just the memory of the recent events was enough for his fury to awaken.

    "Some disciples caused a massive ruckus. Since they didn''t know their ces, I set them up straight again," the man exined the reason behind histeness, not daring to as much as raise his head without spoken permission.

    "I hope you didn''t overdo it," the old manmented before waving his hand. "You may rise. Take your seat."

    Following the order, Catius stood up and walked towards the seat directly opposite the patriarchs. Right at the very end of the table.

    This was his atonement. Even though there were at least eleven free chairs left, all closer to the patriarch, Catius humbly imposed this punishment on himself.

    Notably, the patriarch didn''t veto his decision.

    ''I hope this will calm the patriarch''s anger,'' he wished, tightening the fists that he hid underneath the table.

    Catius looked up right in time to notice the change on the patriarch''s face. From the kind old man who could easily forgive and would always be willing to help, the man suddenly turned into the persona that everyone in the sect respected.

    His wrinkles bleached out as his face turned tense. Even his aura turned more vivid, announcing that the topic of the meeting wasn''t just a regr one.

    "Brothers," the elder nodded his head to the first three seats in the room. "Juniors," he continued, ncing over the rest of the gathered people. "I received the reports that the works over at the pce are progressing as nned. We shall have everything done in time for the visit of the Auditors," the man announced.

    A wave of relief washed off the room. Even though the sect wasn''t anywhere as united as it was during its founding era, this was the single element of their yearly routine that united all the elders.

    The one event that would decide how big of a share of resources their sect would receive from the powers beyond the curtain.

    "On that note," the patriarch''s face rxed a little. "How is that Oloan kid doing?"

    "Patriarch!" an elder at the seventh seat stood up and bowed to the elder of the entire sect. "His cultivation is progressing smoothly. With all the resources and guidance I allocated to him, he should be breaking through to the Qi gathering stage any time now!"

    A slight murmur echoed in the hall.

    ''Just two weeks, and he is already nearing the breakthrough? That''s the Oloan n for you!'' everyone appeared to think when hearing the news.

    "That''s reassuring," the patriarch nodded his head to one of the highest elders, thanking him for the report.

    ''That lucky bastard...'' Catius looked at the fellow elder with jealousy brimming in his eyes. ''If only I could guide that Oloan kid, my future would be as bright as the sun!'' he thought, swallowing his jealousy down his throat along with his saliva.

    Catius shook a little when an idea appeared in his head. A vicious smile grew upon his lips, only to disappear the moment he obediently raised his hand.

    "You again?" the patriarch looked at the elder in surprise. "Speak," he allowed.

    "Patriarch!" Catius called out, only to bite his tongue. ''Right, he wanted me to ditch the formalities,'' he recalled.

    The elder swallowed his saliva before raising his head and looking at the patriarch.

    "I was held back by one of the disciples serving the heir of the Oloan n," Catius reported, lowering his head. He then pursed his lips and glued his eyes to the table, unwilling to keep going without the encouragement of the patriarch.

    As childish as it was, Catius''s age wasn''t parallel to the maturity of his ego.

    "Hmm..." the patriarch muttered. "Go on."

    A vicious look shed through Catius''s hidden eyes.

    "Apparently, that disciple started a fight with a pair of two. One of them was a new disciple of the sect, but the other..." Catius made a small pause, raising the tension of the moment, before blurting out, "was a ve that the young Oloan master wanted for himself. A ve.... That one of the elders in this room took for a disciple!"

 Chapter 49 - Conflict At The Elders Gathering

    As soon as Catius gave his testimony, the entire room turned silent. Yet, this annoying silence didn''t fester for long.

    "Here is where you are wrong, brother," Vaner stood up from his seat and smiled towards the lowly elder at the end of the table. "I didn''t take her as a disciple," he said, a smirk appearing on his lips. "I took her as a direct disciple instead!"

    If Catius''s report shocked the elders, then Vaner''s audacity to top it up like that simply stunned them. Even the patriarch could only look at one of his closest elders with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

    ''This damned idiot!'' Catius celebrated within the confines of his soul. ''I thought he would stay silent or refuse to admit to it. How could he be so dumb to not only admit to it...'' Catius''s happiness was short-lived. ''If he is willing to admit to it...'' he focused all his brainpower on figuring out the gamen of this hated elder, but he simply saw no way out for him.

    ''Still... to take a mere ve as a direct disciple, just what was he thinking? Did his arrogance finally brought him to his downfall?'' Catius thought, not sure what to think about the situation.

    "Catius, you might sit back," the patriarch said, reminding the lowly elder that he was still standing upright.

    "Yes, patriarch. I apologize, patriarch. I was just too stunned by the audacity of this man," Catius replied while sitting down.

    Obviously, there was no way for him to miss such a great opportunity to strike at Vaner!

    "Vaner..." the patriarch called out the man''s name, only to hesitate and turn silent for a moment. He then closed his eyes, unwilling to let the others see the conflicted look on his face. "There is a limit to how much I''m willing to let slide," he said, opening his eyes and casting a disappointed look at the elder.

    "I granted you nearlyplete autonomy in the sect because you always showed results for the actions you took," the patriarch added after a moment of thought. Then, his expression stelled as he stared daggers at the unruly elder. "Exin yourself!"

    Finally, everyone in the room started to react to the news.

    Some were happy. One of their greatest rivals was about to go down!

    Some were disappointed and unhappy. Their ally was about to go down!

    But the majority of the elders were simply curious. After all, Vaner already made a name for himself for all the trouble that he caused so far, trouble that somehow always managed to turn into a good thing.

    "If we are talking about the same girl," Vaner moved his eyes at Catius only to shake his head and turn his face back to the patriarch, "then she is not a ve."

    "ording to the Sect regtions, reaching the Qi gathering stage frees one from very," he announced before sitting down.

    Despite the patriarch not giving him the order or even approval to do so, he sat down. That alone would be enough to have most of the elders of the sect banished.

    "In just two weeks?!" This time, even the patriarch became agitated. "HOW?!" he shouted, mming his fist into the table.

    "She has a body of lightning," Vaner replied, leaning back on his chair and inspecting some kind of illusory speck of dirt underneath his perfectly trimmed nails.

    The agitation in the hall died down in an instant. Not a single person dared to utter a word... Or rather, not a single person managed to ovee their shock quickly enough toment on the matter.

    "Are you sure?" the patriarch asked, his eyes turning focused.

    "As sure as I am that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west tomorrow," Vaner said and nodded his head before turning his face towards the rest of the hall. "You only have yourself to me for missing such a promising candidate, brothers!" he sneered.

    Vaner''s ironic smile was only a mask. Underneath it, he desperately calcted the positions of all the elders, trying to figure out the best course of action.

    ''There is no way in hell I will tell them about Arthur,'' he thought, steeling his resolve. ''It''s better to throw that girl under the scrutiny of the elders than to let them learn about him," he decided only to instantly quell the quilt welling up in his soul.

    For all his exploits, he never enjoyed exploiting others. And now, he had no other choice but to backstab one of his new disciples just to protect the other.

    ''Truly, an unpleasant situation,'' he thought, stopping the ugly grimace from surfacing on his face.

    "I understand why you epted her, then..." Catius spoke up, finally breaking the silence in the room. "But that doesn''t excuse her behavior!" he protested. "Right, she even stood up to that other guy and opposed me! A former ve!" he mmed his hand against the table.

    "Even with such a blessing, the auditors won''t ept her if shecks in morals and discipline!" he eximed before stealing a nce at the patriarch.

    The old man... actually smiled. Returning the nce, he leaned his head and looked at Catius. "Junior, tell me what exactly happened for you to bete," he ordered.

    Catius couldn''t stop a vicious smile from surfacing on his lips. This was his moment, the moment when he could strike Vaner... by striking someone he wanted to take under his tutge.

    ''It will be a dirty move... But only those who hold nothing back can im the victory in the end!'' he thought, gathering his courage as he opened his mouth and gave the report.

    "As you wish, patriarch!"

 Chapter 50 - At The Infirmary

    The sect was as beautiful as always. The birds were chirping, the wind was gushing between the vegetation all over the ce, the greenery filled my vision with calm and nostalgia.

    All the while, my body screamed out in pain for every step that I made.

    "Just a little bit more," Mia whispered in an encouraging tone while making sure she wasn''t hurting me with her hold. "You can do it," she added, her breathing resonating in my ears.

    Right now, I was resting the majority of my body''s weight on Mia''s shoulder. The injuries caused by the fight with that senior disciple were finally catching up with my mind as the body started to remind me why I shouldn''t treat it like a training bag for others.

    "Don''t worry about me," I muttered, squeezing a small bit of air through my beaten-up lungs.

    In an instant, I had to pay the price of the pain of using my voice. With my ribs beaten hard, they made it hard to even breathe, not to speak about using my voice.

    "Huh?" Media uttered a small, shocked sound as soon as she saw the two of us enter the massive tent. "What happened?!" she instantly rushed towards us, helping Mia to carry me to one of the free beds.

    "TERIO!" she shouted from the bottom of her lungs before I could even answer any of her questions.

    "Can you help him?" Mia didn''t bother responding to the questions, asking for help instead. Even though I was seriously concerned about my state, the concerned look on this girl''s beautiful face was worth all the pain I was going through.

    "First, tell me," Media looked at Mia''s face only to shake her head and request. "What happened to him?"

    "Brother!" Terio shouted, rushing towards my bed as soon as he noticed what the situation was. "What happened?!"

    "I just got beaten up a little," I struggled to utter those words before putting up a fake smile.

    This short sentence caused yet another spasm of devastating pain to stir my soul up. Only by gnashing my teeth, I managed to hold it in.

    For how lovely the worried expression on Mia''s face was, I didn''t have it in me to make her even more anxious about my state.

    "You have a concussion, cracked bones in your left arm, two shattered ribs..." Media said after cing her fingers on my forehead and doing something. "Such injuries after a fight?" she opened her eyes and looked directly at my face. "Did you get beaten up by an elder or what?" she asked in a doubtful tone.

    I didn''t bother to answer this question. My injuries were even worse than I expected them to be. And if my ribs were really in such a bad state, then speaking... would only make things worse.

    "Fine, I won''t ask you anymore," Media said, throwing me a weird look before moving her eyes to the girl instead. "Mia, what happened?"

    The girl lowered her head. A look of extreme guilt appeared on her lovely face, instantly making my heart surge in pain, pain even greater than the oneing from my injuries.

    "It''s all my fault," she said, lowering her head.

    ''No, it wasn''t,'' I attempted to speak up while raising myself from the bed, only to freeze in ce under the angry look of the local nurse. "You stay where you are. You had your chance to exin yourself!" Media shouted.

    She then once again turned her eyes to the girl. "Continue," she ordered.

    "For thest two weeks, he not only allowed me to train but helped me with it extensively. Thanks to Arthur''s help, we caught an eye of an elder," Mia exined before raising her eyes at her former caretaker and smiling gently. "Right now, we are not only both in the QI gathering stage but are both direct disciples of that elder," she announced.

    Yet, rather than allowing this natural satisfaction of her boast to linger, Mia brought her arms down and tightly grabbed my uninjured hand.

    "If not for him, I would be just that bastard''s ything," Mia whispered as tears started to well up in her deep, emerald eyes. "Can you help him? Please?" she muttered, her tears trickling down her delicate face.

    "There is only a little that I can do," Medina turned her eyes back towards my face only to shake her head, "but I will... No, we will do what we can," she announced before reaching for my robes.

    In a few quick movements, she opened up my robes and pulled them down from my chest, revealing the skin of my upper body. Not waiting for me to get embarrassed by it, she moved towards my feet, only to pull the robes up, leaving them all only directly above my crotch.

    "Terio! Bring the ointment," she ordered before taking a quick look at my quickly reddening face. "Wait, seriously?" she suddenly asked, moving her eyes between my face and the weird look in Mia''s eyes, who desperately attempted to avert her eyes from my skin, despite constantly losing that fight and sending nces towards my chest.

    "Here," Terio quickly returned with a jar of a white, oily substance in it. He then nced over at the faces of everyone involved before taking a deep sigh, cing the jar down on a nearby stool, and raising his hands. "Since that''s what''s going on, you guys will have to excuse me," he said, a small smile forming on his lips as he turned around and started walking away.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, still failing to understand either his behavior or Media''sst reaction.

    "Huh?" Mia spelled my reaction out loud, clearly just as confused and surprised as I was.

    "Right, Mia," Media called out before either of the two of us couldpletely lose ourselves in our confusion. "What are the robes that you are carrying?"

    "Those?" Mia gratefully epted a way out of her confusion. "The elder requested us to get them from the amodation office," she exined, a weird look appearing on her face.

    After all, she had already exined it just a moment earlier!

    "Wait, the amodation office? But those robes are for the Qi condensation stage disciples only!" Media protested, taking her turn to be the confused one.

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head, throwing her former patron a weird look. "The reason why Arthur is beaten up like that is that he guarded the entrance while I received them," she exined again.

    "But those are Qi Condensation stage robes only!" Media protested once again, her mind clearly failing to process this simple information.

    "Yeah, we both reached i..." Mia''s words were stopped in her throat when Media pped her hand on top of the girl''s lips.

    "You shouldn''t say that out loud!" Media''s shouted, her face tensing up. "Whenever someone asks you, just im that the elder forced you to wear them," she ordered before shaking her head for the third time in short session. "A Qi condensation stage in measly two weeks... just who are you?!" she whispered only to shout at the end.

    "It''s Arthur''s..." Mia shrank in herself, unsure how to cope with the situation. Yet, as soon as she directed her eyes to my body, her cheeks instantly blushed.

    "I think I''m starting to understand..." Media whispered, her shoulders falling down.

    If I could describe her reaction, then she simply decided to give up on her attempts to wrap her mind around what Mia just told her.

    "Judging from your reactions... No, I won''t tease you guys like that," she said, shaking her head once again.

    ''Is she going to be okay?'' I couldn''t help but think with worry. Shaking her head so much... wouldn''t she get motion sickness if she keeps that up?

    "Anyway, you im that it''s all thanks to Arthur here, right?" Media stopped her head and asked, looking directly into Mia''s eyes.

    "Yes," Mia replied without even a shred of doubt or hesitation. "He saved my life, my purity, and my dignity on more than one asion," she said before angling her head towards me. Looking at her face, I couldn''t help but have my heart beat a bit faster.

    It was the first time in my life for someone to look at with so much affection.

    "He did what he promised," she added, turning her eyes back towards her former patron. "She made me a proper disciple. Meaning, I''m no longer a ve," Mia announced, looking directly into the woman''s eyes.

    "I see..." Media muttered, turning silent for a moment. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a slightly wicked smile appeared on her lips. "Then, I won''t bother the two of you any longer," she said before sping her hands.

    In an instant, the outline of the tent started to rapidly change... Or rather, that''s how it looked from my perspective. A set of four poles emerged from the ground, only to stand guard at the four corners of the bed that I upied.

    A second pter, white curtains appeared out of nowhere, stretching between the poles and cutting my bed away from the rest of the tent.

    "I believe you know how to use this ointment," Media imed. "But just in case you forgot," even though I couldn''t see the woman, I could bet that her wicked smile returned on her lips, "you need to cover his entire body for it to show its full potential."

    "Hai," Mia replied in a hushed voice before raising up the curtains and entering the enclosed space with her head all red and the jar of the white oil in her hands.

 Chapter 51 - Lotion Massage

    Mia fixed up the curtains, ensuring they properly shielded the secluded area. She then came closer to the bed and sat right on its edge.

    Ever since Media left, the girl didn''t utter a single word. On the other hand, her face was turning redder and redder with every second.

    ''It''s tempting... but I can''t allow for that to happen,'' I thought, already making my assumptions about what was about to go down.

    Maybe it was my inner virgin talking, but if Mia wasn''t ready to help me out like that, I wouldn''t enjoy it either.

    "If it''s ufortable, you don''t need to do this," I said despite every word making my lungs feel like someone pierced them with daggers. "To a degree, I can move on my own," I said, gently waving my hands around.

    I gnashed my teeth when my arms exploded in pain. It was the consequence of blocking all those heavy hits. A pain that I had no other option but to endure.

    "It''s not like that," Mia shook her head, refusing to look at me. She squirmed on her bottom, most likely not aware how her ve robes that she had yet to change, perfectly showcased the curves of her body. "I... I just need to set my thoughts straight," she added, hiding her face in the palms of her hands.

    Before I could say anything else, Mia moved her hands away, only to bring them down on her cheeks, pping them a few times.

    "Yosh!" she muttered some kind of word I didn''t know but could perfectly understand. Thankfully, instead of crawling on top of me to start whatever she was about to do, she simply stood up while grabbing the jar of the white ointment.

    Yet, rather than going for whatever she had in mind, she simply stood in ce. She then ced the jar back on the stool, turned around, and reached for my hand.

    "Arthur, listen," she whispered softly, her fingers tightening around my hand.

    If I were to be an honest virgin, this touch alone was salvation for the pain I went through. But no, I aspired to be a chad sigma male in this new world, instead.

    Sadly, my aspirations and social capabilities were... slightly misaligned.

    "This lotion," Mia continued, unaware of the inner battle going on in my mind, "will make your body... extremely sensitive. Even a gust of wind might feel like someone stacking ice on you," she said. Mia then opened the jar and dug a little bit of the oily lotion before gently rubbing it in the palm of my hand.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, surprised. While I expected some kind of effect to be there, wasn''t this arrangement... a bit too favorable?

    It felt as if I was some kind of main character of a poorly written story whose author decided to finally give his readers some fan service!

    ''No, that wouldn''t make any sense,'' I thought, fighting the inner urge to shake my head. ''I guess I''m just cultured enough to see hints in even the most innocent situation,'' I realized, closing my eyes.

    "Huuu..."

    A shiver went down my spine when a mix of extreme pleasure and warmth exploded on my palm. I focused my sight and looked up, only to see Mia gently blowing at the ce she just rubbed the lotion in.

    "That''s..." I was at a loss for words. If that was how much my sensitivity would rise...

    Wouldn''t it be shameful to unleash my load in my pants just from having my ears or shoulders stroked then?

    I mean, normally, I wouldn''t think much of it, but if it were to be Mia''s fingers touching me all over...

    "Now, at least know what to expect," Mia said in a gentle tone as she stood up and moved behind the head of the bed.

    In theory, I could lift my head to look at what she was up to... Sadly, my injured ribs would quickly make me pay the price of doing this kind of still acrobatics.

    As such, I was stuck listening to the moist sound of her scooping up more of that oil before her fingersnded on my face.

    "Close your eyes," she whispered directly to my ear, sending another shiver down my spine.

    What was that, some kind of personal ASMR session on a level no one back on earth could experience?

    But I was a good little boy. In fact, I figured out that closing my eyes was a good idea... all on my own. After all, just her touch or voice alone was enough to make me excited. By having to constantly look at her beauty...

    Yeah, it was better to preserve my dignity, even if it meant missing a lot of lovely sights.

    With my mind in slight disarray, Mia finally started her treatment. Her fingers descended down on my face, making me shiver over and over again.

    Yet, the true battle of endurance was only about to get started.

    Mia was an incredibly diligent girl. I learned that back when she continued her training without even a single word ofint. But right now, I fell victim to her diligence.

    Just like Mia warned me, the lotion on her fingers quickly made every spot she touched insanely sensitive. Yet, what she likely wasn''t aware of, was that she continued to rub the same exact spot... even long after the lotion would bring out its full effect!

    I couldn''t tell how much time had passed when she finally moved on from my face to the neck. The experience was just ungodly, making me feel like trash for daring to live through it. Yet, the worse was only about toe.

    As Mia started to stretch her hands further and further, she quickly started to lean over my head instead of overextending her hands. And when her bosom, covered only in the thin cloth of her ve robe, started to rub against my already overly sensitive face...

    ''I''m done,'' I thought, no longer able to prevent the natural reaction of my body. Even if only the cloth of her robe rubbed against me, my nose quickly filled with Mia''s fragrance, only pushing my arousal further.

    Her hands moved away. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Mia removed her fingers from my body.

    Given how this enjoyable moment turned into a battle of my will against the will of my body, I couldn''t help but release a sigh of relief.

    Only for my bed to shake a little when a sudden soft weight pressed down on the tent that I already pitched!

    "Wha... Wait..." I attempted to protest, feeling how Mia''s tighs touched my sides. There was only one position that would allow for this mix of feelings.

    "Sit still," Mia was quick to lecture me, pressing her opened palms against my chest. Along with her skin, I felt that she used a massive amount of lotion this time.

    ''What? Is this some kind of punishment?'' I thought, dying from embarrassment and shame, when my tent continued to press up, only to be forced down by Mia''s soft crotch.

    She was going for such length just to help me heal. How misguided I had to be to use this moment for my own arousal?!

    Yet, as her hands started to gently rub the lotion into my chest, I realized that this fight I had already lost.

    ''This will be a long night,'' I thought.

 Chapter 52 - You Dummy!

    Mia didn''t stop her massage even though I was certain she could feel my hard-on. Rather than that, she continued to rub my chest with her oil-covered fingers.

    Every rub of her fingers was not only making my chest more sensitive, but at the current stage, it appeared that it increased the sensitivity of my entire body as well.

    Whenever she would pull herself up to get more lotion or lean herself down to keep the massage, her crotch would inevitably move around a little, putting me right on the border between the heaven of pleasure and the hell of trying to endure it.

    "I can feel it," Mia announced after some time when she finally lowered her hands and took a little break from the massage. As if to ent her words, she wiggled her bottom a little, sending another shiver of unbearable pleasure down my spine.

    Before I could even react, Mia took another scoop of ointment on her hands before moving her hands towards my belt. At the current rate, it wouldn''t be long before her hands would reach the area that I desperately wished for her to avoid right now.

    "I can''t really help it, you know?" I muttered. Still, for some reason, I opened my eyes.

    Mia was mounting me up as if we were in the middle of ars granti. Her cheeks were all red, proving that my hard-on wasn''t the only thing that she could feel right now.

    "And why is that?" Mia asked, more than willing to y around. Her haggard breath and passion filling her eyes proved that she was more than just feeling it. From how her hips continued to move around without cease, it was clear that I wasn''t the only one aroused by the situation.

    "Can you stop that?" I requested in a pained voice, forcing my eyes shut. Looking at her aroused expression any longer would be more than I could endure. "I don''t want to shame myself just like that," I exined the source of my problem.

    "Oh?" Mia muttered, her voice sounding more than happy. "Then how about... THIS!" she said, lifting her bottom a little, only to m it right down a mere momentter.

    "WHA..." I uttered in shock, involuntarily opening my eyes, only to notice that the girl turned around on myp. Before I could utter even a single word more, her ointment-covered handsnded on my legs, dangerously high on my thighs.

    ''Damn, her robe looks tight,'' I thought, unable to tear my eyes away from how it stuck tightly to her curves. Looking at her sin-worthy bottom nearly revealed through the thinyer of cloth, I had to use all of my willpower to stop my hands from reaching out for it.

    Clearly enjoying my plight, Mia leaned forward, making her ass stick even more. At this point, through the cut of her robes, I could see the skin of her thighs, all the way to the mysterious point where her robes finally did the job of covering her body up.

    Mia''s body moved up and down as she massaged my legs. With every change of her position, her crotch would rub against my tent. At this point, one could say that our undergarments were as good as spoiled from all the juices that both of us were producing.

    Mia giggled, finally stopping her movements and looking over her shoulder at her bottom. At this point, my tent was stuck perfectly below her cheeks, visible to both of us.

    "I think now you know how I felt back when I offered myself to you," she said, a happy grin all over her lips.

    "I do," I admitted, "I''m sorry. I used my morals as an excuse to chicken out back then," I continued to confess, hoping that maybe honesty could stop the torture of pleasure.

    Right now, this had to either stop, or I would be able to stop myself from pinning Mia down... Something that definitely wouldn''t bode well for my injuries.

    "So," Mia whispered in a lovely voice, shaking her butt to the sides, "are you going to stop with your bullshit right now?" she asked, only to turn herself around and stare right down my face. "I don''t think either of us can wait for much longer," she added, her eyes burning with passion.

    "Before that, I just want to tell you one thing," I said before taking a deep breath.

    For the social coward that I was, hidden under the guise of chad I did my best to assume in this world, what I was going to say was by no means easy.

    "If you are willing to go so far, to do so much..." I said, only to cut my sentence short and shake my head despite a wave of stinging pain that this movement instantly caused. "No, that''s not it. If you wish to sleep with me, only because I helped you out..." I said, biting my lips as I gathered the wits to finish it. "Then I won''t do it," I finally said it.

    One could say that I was using my morals as an excuse for my social cowardice. An excuse that only a virgin would use, putting too much value into what others would discard without a second thought.

    But maybe it was the truth. The truth is that just because I was a virgin, I wasn''t willing to throw it aside. Not because there was some kind of deeper meaning behind it, but because otherwise, my years of sexual pureness would prove to be all worthless.

    Breaking this approach right now wouldn''t just mean going against the morals I had for years, but it would mean going against the conviction that got me going through all the years I spent alone!

    "You really are a big dummy," Mia muttered, shaking her head before lowering herself down and gentlyying on top of me. She was clearly making sure not to put her entire, meager weight on me as to not strain my already wounded ribs.

    "I know. I''m an idiot who doesn''t understand a thing," I said, openly admitting to that fact. "That''s why I''m too dumb to understand it without you exining it to me. And more than everything, I don''t want your sense of gratitude to push you into something you would regretter on."

    This was the honest state of my soul. I was scared that my help pushed Mia into the fake belief of liking me. And even though I wished with all my being to protect that lovely smile of hers, at the same time, this wish of mine stopped me from taking our rtionship to another level.

    "You really are a big dummy," Mia said, moving her body up just enough to bring her face right above mine.

    Staring into her deep, emerald eyes, ncing over at her full, red, moist lips, I couldn''t help but swallow a gulp of saliva. Right now, I was just an inch away from a sensory overdose. In the end, there was only so much cuteness that a man''s brain could handle before imploding.

    "Even if what you say is right," she whispered straight to my face, her lips almost rubbing against mine, "what''s wrong with me falling for you because of what you did?" she asked, unwilling to break the eye contact with me.

    "I''m sorry to break your fun," someone suddenly said, pulling the curtains shielding my bed apart.

    In an instant, Mia jumped up, pressing her hips even harder against my crotch as she did so.

    Her face exploded in redness as she realized that someone saw just how intimate she was with me.

    And it wasn''t just some random someone.

    It was this damned elder who I was sure was behind everything that happened to me so far!

    "Once again, I''m really sorry," he said, looking all satisfied despite what he was saying, "but there are some things that we really need to talk about."

 Chapter 53 - Pain Of Rapid Healing

    ''Are you for real?!'' I thought, unable to stop a massive wave of disappointment washing through my soul. ''This was such a great moment; I was so damn happy... Couldn''t you wait a little longer, you damned cockblocking monster?!'' I screamed out in my soul.

    "Are you for real?" Mia voiced out exactly what I was thinking, her face twisting in an ugly grimace of anger. Yet, even with that, she still remained the cutest piece of pie in the world for me.

    "Can''t you see how badly beaten he is?" She asked. "Can''t your damned matters wait until he heals?!" she protested, keeping up her tradition of standing up for me whenever a chance arose.

    "Look who''s speaking," Vaner sneered in response. "With what you were going to do with him, you dare to im to care for his injuries?" he asked, openly enjoying the moment.

    ''You damned, cockblocking monster,'' I repeated in my thought, fixated on this single feeling of bottomless hatred and disappointment.

    For everything that this elder did for me, his current action was enough to clean the board of favors.

    "I was going to be super careful," Mia replied, turning her head aside as she pouted.

    "Anyway," Vaner turned his eyes on my face. "Do you still have stones on you?" he asked.

    ''What, does he wants to exploit me now?'' I thought, wary about the man more than ever before.

    "Maybe..." I muttered before realizing just how stupid my anxiety was. If he wanted to do me harm, keeping silent about anything would do me no good. "Yeah," I slightly nodded my head, unwilling to go through the pain of my ribs just to make the full move. "Seven of them."

    Mia shrugged in shock, sending a wave of pleasure through my spine and making my head rock into the pillow underneath it. Even if she wasn''t thinking about it now, she was still sitting right on top of my pitched tent!

    Still, the look of boundless surprise on her face was just priceless.

    ''Are the stones really that valuable?'' I thought, realizing the reason for Mia''s reaction.

    "Great, where?" Vaner asked, not paying my situation any mind.

    "Well..." I took a moment to think before casting my eyes down on Mia''s thighs.

    This time, it wasn''t my fault, really. I simply recalled that my sack was still attached to the robe, currently covering only my crotch. As such, it wasn''t my fault that I snuck a nce at her exposed skin, not at all!

    "Sack attached to my robes," I said, pointing towards Mia''sp with my chin. "Could you pass them on?" I asked, unwilling to let that middle-aged geezer get his hands anywhere near Mia''s precious body.

    "Sure thing," Mia replied, sending me an affectionate gaze.

    It seemed that even this slight intention of mine didn''t escape her attention.

    Vaner received the sack from Mia''s hand. He quickly forced it open before reaching inside and pulling a single stone out.

    ''Wait, what?'' I thought, stunned by sight. ''He touched them directly... without absorbing them?'' I realized, watching how Vaner grabbed the stone with his bare fingers.

    "I will lower the stone on your hand," Vaner instructed, bringing the spirit stone up towards his face. "When the energy surges inside you, try to guide it towards your injuries," he said before slowly bringing his hand down.

    ''Is that all?'' I thought, noticing that his movement didn''t slow down as he pursed his lips. ''Are you telling me that''s all you are going to exin to me?'' I thought in panic, unsure if I was capable of executing what Vaner expected of me.

    So far, all my training relied on what I discovered on my own. As such, there was a damn massive chance I wouldn''t be capable of doing stuff Vaner considered to be basics!

    Still, his hand never stopped. And once the stone started to slowly merge with my skin, I had no other choice but to at least attempt fulfilling his orders.

    The instant I did, my injuries exploded in pain. It felt as if the generally serious yet not-life threatening injuries turned into open wounds that someone filled with liquid fire!

    Yet, I didn''t cease my attempts. Bit by bit, as the energy of the stone dissolved into my flesh, I continued to guide it towards my wounds, even if it meant a hell of a pain.

    "What are you doing?!" Mia screamed out, terror appearing on her face. She shot her hands, grabbing me by my wrist. "Stop it!" She shouted in panic, tears appearing in her eyes.

    "Can''t you see how much pains he goes through?!" she screamed right in Vaner''s face, looking at him as if he was the evil incarnate.

    "That''s the drawback of speeding up the healing process," Vaner replied calmly, clearly expecting my reaction. "He simply goes through all the pain of healing... at once," he exined.

    "Why are you in such a hurry?!" Mia continued to scream, her tears trickling down her beautiful face. In the sea of pain, I was in, her gentleness and worry were my only salvation.

    "You don''t even have a shred of an idea," Vaner replied, his face darkening. "The shit is about to go down and go down hard," he added, gnashing his teeth.

    And then I understood it. While this man was nearly a perfect actor, capable of hiding all the emotions from his face, from all the small cues, I managed to notice it.

    Looking at my torture appeared to be equally as painful for him as it was for me.

    Thankfully, the process onlysted for a few moments. Once the stone fully disappeared, the pain suddenly ceased, leaving me sweating hard after the onught of pain I had just gone through.

    Breathing heavily, I could only stare at the ceiling of the infirmary tent. It would take me a little longer to gather my strength.

    Yet, even without moving, I could tell one thing. The injuries that made moving around nearly impossible before were now all gone.

    Sure, some residual pain was left... but I actually managed to heal up!

    "On another note," Vaner turned his eyes to Mia. "I''m sorry. I kinda threw you out for the wolves," he said.

    "What?" Mia asked, failing to understand what the elder meant by those words.

    "Anyway, let''s go. We don''t have time to waste," Vaner quickly changed the topic, refusing to borate on it.. "On that note, once we are done with your training, I will organize a proper lodging for you," he announced as a lecherous smile appeared on his lips. "In this way, you won''t have to go at it in a public ce!"

 Chapter 54 - Jennes Mansion

    The Skdder sect''s roads meandered a lot to amodate all the terraces and levels that it was built upon.

    And right on one of these roads, Jenne marched with a small entourage of his servants and followers.

    Even though he was just a disciple who scored too little on the endurance exam to be privy to private quarters, he still approached one of the massive mansions located on the middle levels of the terraces.

    Instead of relying on his score to get his private quarters, Jenne simply used his influence as a descendant of the Oloan n to get one of the old pces turned into his private mansion.

    Once his entourage finally reached the gates of the mansion, only a handful of people were allowed inside.

    In the end, there was a limit to how many retainers Jenne would allow into the luxurious insides of his home.

    "Wee home, young master!" a crowd of servants all shouted in unison, lining up in two orderly rows. For it to happen, there had to be a person filling the job as specific as looking out for the return of their employer just to alert everyone to be present the moment he would step through the doors.

    Their heads were all lowered, their voices filled with respect. Yet, there wasn''t even a hint of admiration for the man in a single soul present in the ce.

    Some trembled in terror, scared shitless about making some sort of tiny mistake that would entice their master to punish them. Others simply stood in the perfectly-arranged positions, hoping for the annoying moment to pass as soon as possible.

    Thankfully, Jenne didn''t have the times to enjoy bullying his own servants this time. His head was too preupied with the recent events to pay any attention to the worms only born to serve a noble like him.

    "That was quite a show," Jenne muttered to one of the few close retainers that he had by his side upon entering the mansion. Honest awe rang in his voice, proving that even someone as shallow as him could acknowledge the actions of his opponents.

    "Sir, now that this girl slipped out of our clutches, what are you going to do?" an old man walking beside the young master asked.

    This single person stood apart from every other servant in the mansion. And the reason was quite simple. Contrary to them, he didn''t show even the most remote hint of fear of the old man.

    His robes were simple, suitable for the butler he was. Yet, the dignified look on his face hinted that between this butler and the young master himself, there had to be some kind of rtionship that no one in the mansion could ever dare to pry into.

    "She was the best candidate that I managed to find," Jenne bit his lips, the annoyance of his ns falling apart finally catching up with him. "I doubt I can find anyone even remotely as valuable as her. Especially with how the auditions are going to start shortly," he added, clearly dissatisfied with the oue.

    Thankfully for the servants of the mansion, this conversation started near the end of the passage. Before Jenne could gather his thoughts and find it suitable to release his anger at one of them, he would be long gone behind the set of doors that no servant was allowed to cross.

    "How about staying here for another term?" the butler proposed, outright ignoring the outraged look that Jenne sent him the moment he did. "You didn''t even reach the Qi condensation stage, sir," he added, carelessly touching the reverse scale of the man''s soul.

    "Do you really believe I could fail the auditions?!" Jenne shouted out, clearly outraged by the suggestion. Yet, before his rage could take over his actions, he reined his emotions in. "I will reach it before everything starts. I hope you don''t even have a shred of doubt about it," he added with a smirk.

    If someone were to look at their exchange from the outside, it would be challenging to figure out just what kind of connection this butler had with the young master.

    On one side, he didn''t care about angering Jenne, paying absolutely no mind to his outburst. Yet, it was a fact that Jenne didn''t bother to pull back his punches when with that man, making the situation hard to understand for anyone not involved directly with them.

    "Sir, do not forget why you were sent to this destend. You might be a young master here, but you are just one of the many nsmen back home," the butler said, gently raising his dark eyebrow. "If you force a breakthrough before fully establishing the foundation for it..."

    "Do not speak to me about forgetting my ce when you are clearly forgetting about yours!" Jenne shouted, unable to hold the reins of his anger any longer.

    The meager rate of his progress was one of the things that infuriated him the most. While most of his followers were only capable of sucking up to his ass and would never even mention this topic in their thoughts, this old butler was different.

    "I''m perfectly aware of my ce," the butler said with a smile, ignoring thesh-out of the young man. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked.

    "Can''t you just kidnap her?" Jenne asked, rolling his eyes. "Aren''t you hiding your real strength? There is no way for the n to send a damned Core Establishment stage to protect me!" he uttered through his teeth.

    "That won''t do. A single word ofint from her during the auditions would be enough to bury our n. Speak about this idea again, and I will make sure to find a recement for you soon enough," the butler''s tone turned cold, all the emotions disappeared from his face.

    This expression of the old man onlysted for a short moment, yet it was enough to put Jenne back in his ce.

    "I understand; I''m sorry," Jenne apologized, lowering his head. "Still, even with the elders we bought, it will be a tough fight to make that Vaner guy relinquish her status," Jenne mentioned, falling back on the couch and stretching his entire body. He then grabbed a cup of booze already prepared on the table from the moment the two of them entered the room.

    With no servants allowed inside, it truly was a wonder how everything was always prepared to Jenne''s liking here. Yet, he simply considered it as a convenient mystery that he had no wish to uncover.

    ''If it works, it works,'' he thought, taking a huge gulp of the expensive drink. The medicinal ingredients, rich in spiritual energy, filled his throat, quickly spreading through his flesh.

    Just a single cup of this drink had effects simr to absorbing half of a spiritual stone. Yet, for Jenne, it was nothing but a tool for him to water his throat.

    "I''m afraid that you won''t be able to deal with him with any means that our n has to offer here. Even by using all the elders we bought, we won''t be able to dislodge Vaner from his position," the butler said, biting his lips.

    Even if he didn''t like his current master, this failure was something that he actually cared about. For someone with such a rare body constitution to be discovered in this remote sect was a blessing for their n. Yet, as if someone was trying to work them down behind the scenes, right as the young idiot of his master was about to snatch her, she became someone else''s ve.

    And just like one would expect from someone with her talent, in meager two weeks, she already advanced to the stage of Qi condensation, ridding herself of the ve status.

    What was even worse, she even managed to find the protection of one of the local powerhouses, a force that even the Oloan n couldn''t easily deal with!

    "If he is crafty enough, we won''t be able to do anything about him," the butler added, already trying to figure out a way to deal with the situation.

    ''Now that I think about it, it would actually be more reasonable to just look for some more ordinary talents,'' he thought.

    Yet, he had no chance of voicing out his suggestion.

    "I know this. Just like you said before, even if they are just a backwater sect, they used to bring quite a lot of talents in the past. We can''t afford to antagonize them," Jenne said, taking another sip of his drink.

    Thanks to its medicinal properties, he managed to calm downpletely, returning to theposed schemer he usually was.

    Jenne took another sip before hanging his head to the back, taking his time to let the drink bring forth its miraculous effects.

    "Did you notice that idiot she was protecting?" Jenne suddenly asked, his eyes ring up with excitement.

    A sign of the young mastering up with yet another of his devilish ns.

    "She even stood up to that stupid elder, even when she just lost her ve status," Jenne added, voicing out his thoughts to help the idea form in his head. "How about we use him to..."

    "Young master!" A chambein, the third person who was actually allowed to enter the central room of the mansion, made use of his privilege. He stepped through the doors and lowered his head. "Disciple Igrit is here to see you," he said.

    "Bring him in," Jenne ordered, closing his eyes.

    ''What a bother,'' the young Oloan thought, stopping himself from shaking his head.

    As he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw. This Igirt guy was supposed to be one of the Core Establishment disciples of the sect. A damned inner disciple, someone just a step away from bing another elder or a candidate for auditions.

    ''Just how could a damned purification stage idiot reduce him to such a state?'' Jenne asked himself, squinting his eyes.

    "Young Master!" Igrit fell to his knees, ignoring all the bloody bruises covering his face. From the way he twisted the moment he made a move, it was clear that his ribs were even in a worse state than his face. "You must readdress my grievances!"

    Jenne smiled.

    ''Finally, a good opportunity,'' he thought, standing up from his seat and approaching the kneeling idiot.

    "I will tell you what you will do, now," he said. "You will go, have a meeting with that idiot from before and obediently let him beat you up," he said before turning around and returning to his seat.

    "Young master....?!" Igrit whined out, unsure how he was supposed to react.

    Was that how the hidden powerhouse of the sect was going to treat one of his followers? Was this his reward for following Jenne''s instruction of causing trouble?

    "If not," Jenne turned around, looking down on Igrit with a hate-filled stare.. "I will have your mother and sisters raped before eradicating everyst one of your kin!" he shouted, threatening his former follower. "Now, get lost!"

 Chapter 55 - Its Good To Be Young

    "And that''s how the situation looks like," Vaner said before releasing a long sigh.

    After blocking our amorous expedition and forcing us toe with him, he sat us in the middle of his own mansion before exining how he views the current situation.

    And to put it shortly, it wasn''t good.

    ''Auditors? Auditions? Three major ns?'' I thought, hardly capable of swallowing so much information at once. ''What is this, some kind of culmination chapter of a third-grade novel?'' I asked myself, ridiculing my own situation.

    A bit of internal humor was something I desperately needed right now.

    "I guess that''s a bit more than I could chew right away," I muttered instead.

    "Right now, you two are safe," Vaner announced in a reassuring voice. "But from the looks of things, if you are not willing to get separated, something that even a loner like me can notice, then you are in for some hard times," he said.

    ''Yeah, even you would understand that we don''t want to go separate ways if you caught us right as we were about to get on with the action!'' I whined in my thoughts.

    I was just a lowly virgin, a virgin that was about to lose that title. There was no way my saltiness would vanish just because the world appeared to scheme to put Mia and me into a deep shit!

    "That''s right," Mia said. "I''m with Arthur, no matter what great opportunity I will have to miss because of it," she said.

    "As I said, it''s going to be hard, then," Vaner announced, scratching the skin behind his ear. "Hard, but not impossible," he added, smacking his hands against his knees before standing up from the couch and starting to circle around the room.

    "Arthur," he stopped in his ce and looked at my face. "Right now, you are going to have it the worst," he said as if trying to discourage me from what I already decided on. "I''m not going to ask just how the hell did you manage to grow so quickly... But you cannot flex it anymore," he said.

    "Do you think I was flexing it before?" I asked, puzzled by his words.

    "It doesn''t fucking matter!" Vaner snapped, only to take a deep breath and calm himself down. "I know that you have yet to appreciate the seriousness of the situation. I''m sorry," he apologized before resuming his journey across the room.

    "You will need to pretend tog behind, all the while working even harder than you did to advance. Now that I took the two of you as my disciples, we need to make everyone think that you are the weakest link of the chain," Vaner exined his idea.

    "Is that why you apologized back then?" Mia asked, almost jumping on her seat. She leaned herself forward and looked with an intense stare at the elder. "Back when you said something about throwing me to the wolves," she exined what moment she had in mind.

    Even though I could only look at the girl from the side, I could still notice the sparks of excitement appearing in her eyes.

    What, was she excited about being in the center of attention? I always knew that it was a natural instinct for women ||note from the author - those are MC''s thoughts, who never really interacted with them, don''t bash me, it all has a meaning|| but to think that she could be a true attention whore...

    ''No, that''s not it,'' I quickly reined my thoughts back into order. I knew Mia for long enough to understand how little she cared for others'' thoughts about her or if they did think about her in the first ce. But if that was not it, then what was she all excited about?

    Mia sent me a quick look, a satisfied smile growing on her lips. Before I could decipher its meaning, though, she quickly turned her face away. The one thing I could notice from the side was how her cheeks turned red.

    Did that mean that her excitement had something to do with me? Could it be that she was excited... Because she could draw the attention of people to herself and shield me from attacks by doing so?

    If that was the case... how could such a lovely girl even walk on this unholynd?!

    "That''s right," Vaner finally confirmed Mia''s guess before releasing a deep sigh. "I can tell that you grew quickly not because of your innate talent, but because of Arthur," he said to Mia, instantly making her lower her eyes. "Right now, what you need to do, is to protect this secret with all you have," he instructed.

    "Wait a moment," I suddenly said, leaning forward and cing my hands t on the table. It didn''t matter that Vaner was currently roaming behind my back. My drive for theatrics was just too great to hold back. "There is one important thing that I need you to exin," I said, standing up and turning myself towards the elder. "Why are you even helping us out so much in the first ce?"

    Vaner sighed deeply before finally returning to his seat. For a few more moments, he just sat on the sofa with his head lowered.

    "The entire audition process is nothing more but a fancy selection for those with talent. Only those worthy the effort and grooming will go to the real sects operating in the part of the world where the Qi is actually dense enough for one to cultivate," he exined in a hushed voice. "Once you advance past the barrier, there will be no longer any need for you to use that training contraption you abused over thest two weeks."

    ''Barrier? Dense Qi? A world beyond the barrier? Training contraption?'' I thought before releasing a deep sigh. ''Why is that with every Vaner''s words, rather than getting some answers, I''m only getting more questions?''

    "It''s pretty hard to learn so much about the world in such a short period of time," Iined out loud.

    Because I came from another world, I was used to the vast quantity of information that the information era was all about... Yet, learning so much so quickly? There was a limit to how much of it I could actually digest!

    "And this is what this crash course is all about," Vaner nodded his head as he spoke. He then somehow conjured a bottle and three sses before cing them on the table and filling them with a sea-color liquid. "Drink this; it will clear your head a little," he said, raising one of the sses himself.

    At first, I threw a quick nce at the girl. In this unknown world, she was likely to know more about what this strange liquid was all about.

    But instead of fear, I could only see a massive shock over her face as she alternated her eyes between the ss and Vaner.

    "Elder, are you sure?" she asked, finally settling on looking at Vaner''s face. "If I''m not wrong, this drink is way more than we could ever pay for," she muttered.

    "Consider this my weing gift," Vaner replied, raising his ss in an obvious cheer.

    "Mia, it''s not good to refuse a gift like that," I intervened, quickly quelling the protests that I could see welling up in Mia''s head.

    "Ugh... Fine," she said, grabbing her ss at the same time as I did.

    "To the bottom!" Vaner cheered before throwing the entire content of the ss right down his throat.

    I was used to drinking all sorts of alcohol... but that was true only for my body back on earth. Even if my mind transmigrated to this world, the tolerance I built over the years of solitude had nothing to do with this world!

    After all, one''s ability to resist alcohol was the resistance of his flesh to this toxin, not some kind of innate power enforced by one''s mind!

    That''s why, rather than downing the drink, I carefully took a sip of it. In an instant, a whole bouquet of delicate vors exploded in my throat, only to cast a rxing spell all over my flesh.

    ''This could be easily ssified as a drug back on earth,'' I thought, worried that this single sip was all it took for me to get addicted to this wondrous substance.

    "Anyway," Vaner picked up his lecture as soon as we watered our throats. "For now, all you need to know is to work hard and keep your strength hidden," he said, pouring himself another ss. "There is a shitload of things I still need to talk to you about, but for now, this will suffice," he said, finally taking a sip of the drink with appreciation fitting its quality.

    "What are we supposed to do now, then?" I asked. After all these lengthy talks, not even the drink in my hand could make my brain restart quickly enough to understand what Vaner was thinking.

    "Once you go to the corridor, there will be doors at the end of it. They lead to the room that''s yours from now on," Vaner exined as he looked towards the ss-covered window. A rare piece of luxury I didn''t expect to see in this world.. "As to what you will do there?" he shrugged his shoulders as a smile appeared on his lips. "Do you know this saying; it''s good to be young?"

 Chapter 56 - Slippery Slope (+18)

    ''It''s good to be young,'' I thought, recalling Vaner''s words as we moved through the corridor just like he ordered. ''But it''s not so great to feel so awkward,'' I added in my own thoughts,pletely silent on the outside.

    Looking up, I could see the profile of Mia''s face. As she hurried to lead the way, I could only see how her cheeks were already red, proving that she also had some troubles dealing with her own mental state.

    But there was only so long that we could walk through the corridor in silence. In just a few steps, we reached the doors that Vaner described.

    "How about we open them together?" Mia finally spoke up, turning her head around and sending me a weird look.

    ''What, are we newlyweds now?'' I thought,ughing at the idea for a second before the reality struck me. In a sense, that statement wouldn''t be that far from reality.

    "Yeah, together," I muttered, barely able to deal with my awkwardness.

    I moved my hand forward, cing it down at Mia''s soft fingers before we turned the knob at the same time.

    "Woah," I uttered a moan of awe as soon as I stepped inside the room.

    All the way until now, I was used to the pretty spartan quality of life. Ever since we moved most of our activities to the garden, even a bed turned out to be a luxury.

    Yet, even if we were to change from the dorms to this room instead of doing so from the camp at the garden, my shock would be any less.

    The room itself was huge. If I were to guess, it was twice, if not thrice, the size of the studio I rented back on earth.

    On one side of the room, there was a massive, queen-sized bed. Its sides were covered with see-through, grey shades, allowing one to block most of the sunlight if we were to stay in bedte. Yet, as if the bed wasn''t enough, the entire sleeping side of the room was furnished in a simr manner, giving one a sense offort and peace.

    The middle part of the room was likely the living space with a high table, coffee-like table, and a seat of chairs and sofas surrounding it. There were also doors stuck to the wall of the middle part, leading to what looked like yet another private training garden.

    But the greatest advantage of the room was located to its right side.

    ''A bail?'' I thought, barely able to believe my own eyes. ''Does that mean we can actually wash ourselves properly now?'' I thought, astonished by sight. Yet, while the bath area was pretty great on its own with special drainage and sunken floor, it was the other part of the utility room that stunned me.

    ''He really went for the extra mile,'' I thought, the face of the elder appearing before my eyes.

    Thest part of the room was basically a kitchen. There was some kind of stove, whose modus operandi I couldn''t grasp; there was a cutting table mounted on the wall and all the other kinds of utensils that one would want in their kitchen.

    In a sense, this single room epassed everything that a young pair of newlyweds would need to forget about the outside world.

    "Woah," Mia muttered, wobbling on her knees. From her widened eyes, I could guess just how shocked she was.

    "I guess Vaner really did his best to pay us back for all the trouble we went so far," I muttered, wrapping my arm around the girl''s waist to prevent her from falling.

    Mia''s cheeks exploded in red, proving that while still shocked by the room, she already had other stuff on her mind.

    "I guess he did," she echoed my words meekly, turning her eyes away in shame.

    "Anyway," I muttered, averting my eyes as well, "how about we wash up first?" I suggested.

    "Going right for the prize, aren''t you?" Mia giggled before taking a step to the side so that she could face me, only to wrap her arms around my chest and rest her head on my chest.

    "I''m sorry," I apologized before I could even think about it.

    "Sorry about what?" Mia looked up, surprise welling up in her eyes. "It''s not like I mind it. That''s how you have been ever since I first met you," she added with a gentle smile appearing on her lips. Yet, as I looked down on her face, she ran her tongue through her mouth, wetting it.

    "Should I take it for yes?" I asked, my virgin side taking the better of me.

    I know I wanted to act like a sigma male in this world, but one''s wishes often misaligned with one''s ability.

    "Do you really need to ask, dummy?" Mia muttered before burying her face in my chest again.

    ''Good,'' I thought, removing my hands from her back only to catch the sides of her robe. With everything that happened, she still has yet to change from her ve attire to the proper disciple robes. But it was actually a good thing.

    Using just a silver of my true strength, I ripped her robes in half, allowing them to fall down and expose her delicious-looking body. At the same time, Mia proved to be quite assertive.

    She snuck her hands underneath my robes, exercising a lot more restraint than I did by simply pushing the cloth of my robes aside and allowing them to fall down from my body.

    "Shall we?" she asked, raising her eyes on me before sneaking a nce at the bail of water nearby.

    Ever since we entered the room, it was already filled with water. And judging from the vapor rising from the surface of the water, it was heated up to afortable degree as well.

    "There is one thing I want do to before we take a dip," I muttered, raising my hands to her face. I then locked her head between my palms before leaning down a bit and going in for the kill.

    Our lips touched.

    Just this alone was enough to send my thoughts into disarray. For the first time, I could truly feel the taste of her soft lips, feel the wetness of her saliva.

    Mia snuggled even closer to me, pressing her body against my naked skin. With no signs of the girl wishing to pull her lips away, I moved my hands down only to wrap them around her waist.

    "Ah!" Mia suddenly pulled her head away, only to take a deep breath and move her face back. Yet, as I made the first step to bring the two of us closer towards the bail, we mismatched our speeds.

    "Auch!" we both moaned more in surprise than in pain when our foreheads struck each other. At the same time, I had to use everyst ounce of my strength to prevent us from slipping on the step to the sunken floor.

    "Ah, that was close," Mia muttered, looking down at the floor. Stuck closely to me, she somehow managed to support her weight instead of falling down.

    ''Damn it,'' I thought, feeling my heartache. I pulled her as tightly into my embrace as I could, trying to not think about the heavenly sensation of her softness all over me.

    She was just too damn cute for my own good!

    "Let''s just wash first, okay?" I suggested, hiding my face in the corner between her neck and shoulder.

    "Yeah," Mia giggled, pulling herself even closer into me with one of her arms only to use her other hand to gently pat my head.. "let''s do just that."

 Chapter 57 - Awkward Silence (+18)

    "Shall we get in, then?" I proposed, barely able to hold myself back. With such a bombshell of a woman in my arms, one that I couldn''t adore just because of something as silly as perspective, it would be a crime to just keep on hugging.

    "Lead the way, my manly you," Mia giggled. She then moved us around before lowering her hands from my neck to my chest and pushing me away. "Be careful not to slip thought," she added.

    My virgin side took the better of me. Even though I just got a chance to openly adore all Mia''s curves... I obediently turned around and moved towards the bath.

    The bail itself was pretty deep. From the looks of things, I could easily stand in it and have the water cover me up to my first rib. But what was even more important was that it was sunken into the floor.

    If not for this little aspect, it would be trulyical to look at someone entering the bath, trying to scale the high wall while stark naked. What would make it even worse was the open design of the entire room, putting such attempts to everyone''s view.

    ''I wonder how the water is drained or filled,'' I thought, desperately trying to push all the lewd thoughts out of my head. I didn''t want to showcase just how horny I was... At least, not yet.

    Using a small set of just two stairs, I climbed up before slowly submerging myself in the water.

    It was in just a perfect temperature, not too cold yet not scalding hot either. But as I finally lowered myself and sat at the bottom of the bail, I finally realized something.

    ''I''m so damn exhausted,'' I thought, as soon as the water started to work on my tensed muscles.

    It only made sense. From the training in the morning, through the fight after that, past the extremely taxing healing processter on, it was actually a wonder how I could still even stand! With Vaner only adding mental exhaustion to my physical one with hisst talk, I only had my endurance to thank for keeping me up for so long.

    Once the wave of exhaustion struck me, Ipletely forgot about all the lust that was building up in my body a mere moment earlier. After sitting in ce for a moment, I finally realized that it wouldn''t be nice to Mia if I just kept ignoring her.

    Sadly, I was too exhausted to turn active. The most I could do was turn around, rest my back against the bail wall, and look back towards the girl.

    Mia herself didn''t seem to mind the time I took. Standing stark naked in the dimly lit room, she slowly approached the bail, giving me all the time in the world to adore everyst curve of her delicious body.

    How her chest shook with her every step. How her hips wiggled whenever she moved. Even the shy blush covering her face was just beyond anything that a word cute could epass.

    "If you will excuse me," she muttered shyly, covering her chest with her arms as she tested the water with the tip of her feet. Then, satisfied with its condition, she slowly stepped inside the bail, only to instantly turn her back towards me.

    For the show that she just gave me while walking up to the bail, she acted surprisingly shy once she entered the bath.

    "Would you mind rubbing my back?" she asked, looking to the side where all kinds of cleaning equipment could be found.

    In this regard, Vaner truly saw to prepare everything.

    "Sure," I replied, surprisingly calm in a moment like that.

    I grabbed a sponge from the nearby shelf before kneeling behind Mia''s back. The droplets of water covering her fair skin glistered in the gentle light of the candles, making her look like some kind of goddess.

    Yet, even in a situation like that, I couldn''t feel any lust. I was simply too tired for it, while the water allowed me to rx just that much.

    It felt as if my body was too focused on absorbing the medicinal effects of the waters to allow for any distraction.

    ''Maybe it''s a perk of being a cultivator?'' I thought, trying to reason with my own body as I wetted the sponge and gently ced it on Mia''s back.

    I simply helped her clean up for the next few moments, courtly avoiding reaching for any of her more sensitive parts.

    "I''m done," I reported a few momentster, unsure how I should progress from that.

    The fact that I still had to get hard made it extremely difficult to push the situation in the obvious direction.

    "Let me return the favor," Mia muttered, turning around. For a moment, I could adore how the drops of water trickled down her cleavage, decorating her breasts with sparking points. Yet, feeling no reaction from my man down there, I could only gnash my teeth and turn around.

    Feeling the sponge run up and down my back, I desperately continued to plead with my body. The current situation wasn''t only a cause of shame for me but also a great disrespect to Mia''s efforts and willingness.

    The stress quickly built up in my soul, making it harder and harder with each second to even focus on the girl herself, with my entire mind aimed at fixing my momentary problem.

    "This bath is pretty rxing, isn''t it?" Mia broke the silence, putting the sponge away. Facing her with my back, I had no way of reading her expression.

    To say that the mood was turning awkward would be a gross underestimation here.

    "More than I would actually like," I muttered, unable to face Mia in my current state. My cheeks were burning hot, making me feel slightly lightheaded.

    "Would you mind..." Mia ced her hands t on my back, only to rest her forehead on my spine a momentter. "If I sat on yourp?" she asked in a trembling voice.

    "It would be my pleasure," I replied, clenching my jaws and forcing a light smile on my lips.

    If she were to see my current expression, I was damn sure she would misunderstand it!

    I took a deep breath and turned around, once again resting my back on the wall of the bail.

    "Come," I said. Looking at Mia''s shy expression was the perfect medicine for my spoiled mood. Her cuteness melted through all the awkwardness in an instant, only making me want to cuddle with her forever.

    "Don''t mind if I do," she whispered, scuttling forward and seating herself sideways on my knees.

    ''Wait, what am I so conscious about?'' I asked myself as soon as Mia''s soft flesh enveloped the front half of my body in warm presence.

    Breathing in her delicate scent, feeling the texture of her skin, enjoying the warmth she shared with me, sensing how she breathed... All of it was an even greater stimulus towards rxation.

    ''Is there any reason to be hurried?'' I thought, allowing the presence of the girl to overwhelm me.

    For the next few moments, nothing major happened. We simply sat, cuddled in together, allowing the warm water to help us rx.

    And before I knew it...

    "I can feel it," Mia blurted out, her cheeks turning red once again.

    Only when she pointed it out, I realized that immersing myself in her presence like that finally had some effect on my not-so-little boy. Or maybe my body managed to rest itself enough to finally react to the constant stimuli of her skin?

    Mia giggled, raising her hand and hiding her mouth with it. She then breathed in, lowered her hand, rested her head on my shoulder, and breathed out. "That''s a relief."

    "Huh?" I shrugged in surprise. "What do you mean by that?" I asked before I could pull the reins over my tongue.

    "With all that happened before Vaner stopped us..." Mia started to exin, only to turn beet red and stop for a moment. She then gulped down her saliva and continued in a trembling voice. "I kinda expected you to pounce on me the moment you see me naked... or something," she muttered, lowering her hand even further and reaching with it for my pride that finally disyed a part of its full potential.

    Feeling her fingers slowly and gently caress my erection, I could feel that it was a matter of mere seconds before it would break through to its ultimate form.

    "I''m just happy that my worries were unnecessary, that my body does excite you," she muttered, her words turning into a whisper by the end of her sentence.

    "Mia..." I sighed, closing my eyes. Then, instead of replying with my words, I reached out for her breast and lowered my head. For what I was about to say, I wanted to look her directly in the eye. "You are the most beautiful girl that I have ever met in my life. There is no way that someone like me wouldn''t react to you," I said, enjoying myself with her chest while trying not to let out moans caused by the awkward movements of her hand.

    "Before," I raised my head, lowering my hand on her stomach, "I think my exhaustion finally caught up with me before. That''s why my body failed to react as I expected, which only made me doubt its capability even more," I exined, deciding to bet everything on the honesty card.

    "Arthur, stop," Mia suddenly spoke, tightening her grasp over my erection.

    What was likely aimed to be a punishment sent a thrill of pleasure down my spine instead.

    "Someone like me, failed, doubt your capability..." Mia repeated some of my words. Her hand then rxed, returning to its previous task of gently rubbing one out for me. "I won''t allow anyone to talk like that about the man I fancy, even if it''s you yourself!" she protested, striking my chest with the side of her head.

    "I''m sor... No, that''s not it," I quickly fixed my words when I felt Mia''s fingers tighten around my shaft. "Thank you," I said instead, leaning my head in for a kiss.

    Just like before, I couldn''t get enough of the taste of her lips. But I still had to do something instead of enjoying this kind of little pleasure.

    "Mia, before, I was too desperate to fix my problem. And for our first time, I really wanted to have all of my attention at you and you alone," I whispered in her ear, seeing stars before my eyes when the movements of her hand speed up in reaction to those words. "That''s why I want you to tell me something," I added, using my hand to raise Mia''s chin so that I could have a perfect look at her face.

    "What is it?" Mia whispered, looking directly into my eyes.

    Her face was flushed, her eyes moist and unfocused.

    "Tell me," I asked, once again nearing my lips towards her ear. "How would you like me to take your first?"

 Chapter 58 - Fuck Me Silly (+18)

    "How courteous of you to ask," Mia whispered, blushing even harder before averting her eyes. In a moment like this, even she couldn''t hold up her brave front for long.

    For a moment, Mia turned silent. I could tell that a storm was moving through her mind, that a myriad of scenarios appeared in her imagination just by looking at her lowered eyelids.

    But with my lust finally awoken, there was only so long that I could hold it back.

    "Mia, dearest," I whispered. It sure was great to feel her hand moving up and down my penis, but it also made it hard for me to keep holding my excitement in.

    And no matter what, I was set on unloading my first injection of this world inside her. Doing it with thepany of mister thumb and his four girls was something that I decided to leave behind along with my life on earth.

    "I don''t know how long I will be able to hold back, now," I pleaded, hoping to gently wake the girl up from her stupor.

    Instead of replying, Mia shook her head and raised her hand towards my cheek. And then, as she gently caressed it, she finally gave me her answer. "I don''t really care..." she said, looking away and hesitating for a second, "no, I want to look you in the eye as you do it," she said, a look of determination filling her eyes.

    "Sure thing," I said, a smile appearing on my lips as I looked deeply into those wide, affectionate eyes of the girl.

    Grabbing Mia by her waist, I helped her move up from myp before resting her back against the opposite wall of the bail. I then moved my hands down, cing them on her thigs, only to push her legs open.

    Yet, before I could do anything else, a realization struck my mind.

    "Would you rather do it here," I asked, ncing over to the massive bed in the opposite corner of the room, "or go and make out in the bed instead?" I finished my question, lowering my head and kissing the corner between her neck and shoulder.

    "Weren''t you about to lose it?" Mia whined her reply only to bite her lips, clearly unwilling and likely unable to wait much longer. At this point, her legs moved further apart, even without any encouragement from my side.

    Her lips parted, revealing the whites of her teeth. Her eyes were all cloudy as she looked at my naked body, already trembling with anticipation.

    "I see," I replied, moving in between her legs and resting my erection on top of her crotch.

    I was eager to just go in without any further wait, but the tons of porn I diligently studied back on earth taught me to do better than that.

    I lowered myself over the girl, once again uniting our lips. This time, however, I pushed my tongue inside, finally able to fully enjoy the taste of her mouth.

    ''It''s pretty ufortable,'' I thought, surprised by how unnatural it felt to stretch my tongue out. Yet, this little surprise was nothing whenpared to just how addicting stroking Mia''s own tongue was.

    And in the middle of our deep, french kiss, I moved my hips slightly to the back, allowing the tip of my penis to fall right in ce.

    Mia tightened her embrace around my neck in response to my movements. Her thigs rubbed on my sides as she curled them up.

    I pulled my tongue out, sping my mouth over Mia''s bottom lip. And just as I sucked on it, I wrestled my hips forward.

    "AGH!" Mia moaned. Whether from shock or from the pain, I couldn''t... No, I didn''t dare to tell. The idea of causing her to feel pain was too overbearing for me to even think about it.

    Instead of instantly going in to rock my hips and properly enjoy our connection, I froze in ce, fully immersed in Mia''s warmth.

    Her pussy, no, her entire body tensed up as if she was too scared of something to let me go. She locked her legs behind my hips, quickly ensuring that even if I wanted, I wouldn''t be able to move.

    "Ahh..." she moaned right in my face, sting my nostrils with her breath.

    ''Don''t fucking move, don''t fucking move, don''t fucking move, don''t you fucking dare to move...'' I desperately chanted in my mind, trying to ovee the urges of my body with my sheer, fucking will.

    "Arthur... Arthur... ARTY!" Mia shouted, finally wrestling me free from the stupor I pushed myself in.

    I shook my head and looked at Mia''s affectionate expression, only to see her chuckle.

    Instead of revealing what she had to say, she pulled herself on my neck and ced a gentle, almost shy peck on my lips. She then fell down in the water, moving her right hand up and patting my head.

    "I can''t bear to see you struggle like that," she said, grabbing my left hand and bringing it on top of her chest.

    This feeling was just insane. Even though the temperature of her flesh wasn''t that different from the temperature of the water, I could clearly feel the distinction.

    The texture of her skin, the nearlypleteck of resistance as my fingers sank into her tit, the harder part poking me right in the middle of my palm...

    Only because I was already doing my best to restrain myself could I stop my hand from desperately grabbing and fondling her bosom.

    "I don''t want you to..." I attempted to protest, even though I could feel my restraint crumbling away.

    Feeling her moist folds wrapping all over my erection was just too powerful. My innate instinct of humping was ready to take over at any given moment.

    Mia moved her hand back on my neck, pulling me closer towards her. She then went for yet another kiss, filling my mouth with her taste.

    The kiss didn''tst long. Rather than allowing me to immerse myself in it, Mia stretched her neck out, reaching with her lips for my ear.

    "I want you to feel good too.. It doesn''t even hurt, so please," she chuckled, wrapping her arms closely around my back and whispering right into my brain, "fuck me silly."

 Chapter 59 - Never Again (+18)

    The moans of pleasure filled the entirety of the room. As I was just as responsible for them as Mia was, I couldn''t really put the me on anyone but myself.

    The only worry that I had was whether or not the room was soundproof enough to prevent others from leeching in on this insanely private moment of ours.

    After several rounds in the bath, we quickly moved to the bed. As fun as it was to y around in the water, there was no denying that a bed was just the right ce to properly enjoy each other''s warmth.

    "Harder!'' Mia moaned right into my ear, digging her nails into my back. After all the soft y before, she no longer bothered to hold herself back.

    Her moans only made me more energetic. Moving my hips up and down, I continued to rub my son against her insides while holding on to her waist for my dear life.

    There was this strange feeling of liberation and empowerment in nailing down the girl underneath me. The fact that we were both happy to participate at this moment only made this feeling even better.

    "Kiss me," Mia raved, not even giving me the chance to fulfill her request as her lipstched on to my neck.

    Feeling the suction against my skin, I could only tense up my loins as I went for a few more pushes. Bounding my crotch against the bottom of her stomach, I grabbed Mia''s hair and pulled it down, forcing her face into a more essible position.

    "Mine," I barked, unable to hold back my possessiveness. Latching on to her mouth with my lips, I invaded her mouth with my tongue as the movements of my hips sped up.

    In just a few more moves, I could no longer hold the wave of excitement welling up in my groin. With my reins snapping, I released all my lust inside the girl.

    Feeling the injection, Mia''s body tensed all over me as she held me locked in a desperate embrace. With both her hands and legs coiled around my body, I couldn''t help myself but keep rubbing my tongue against hers.

    For a few more moments, we simply remained nearly frozen in ce, only making the smallest movements caused by the restlessness of our flesh. Clenched together in this wrestling position, I just couldn''t get enough of the softness of Mia''s flesh.

    Finally, Mia freed my lips, allowing me to take a breath. Yet, as soon as fresh air filled my lungs, a wave of exhaustion entered my body, making it copse right on top of the girl.

    Sure, it was great to pin Mia down underneath me and watch how she squealed in pleasure. But even that feeling was iparable to having her gently caress my back as I immersed my entire self in her softness and gentleness.

    I moved my hands up only to sneak them underneath Mia''s back. Resting my head beside her neck, I couldn''t stop myself from kissing the sweat away from its side.

    Just listening to her exhausted breathing alone was enough to fill my heart with happiness.

    ''Who could''ve thought that being with a girl could be so great?'' I thought, unable and unwilling to get enough of this feeling.

    The pleasure itself... sure, it was great. But there were many things in life that could challenge it for the top spot. But the emotional assurance, the feeling of being desired, the notion of having someone to protect and care for...

    How could anything else in the world even dare topare?

    "Do you think you still have some in you?" Mia whispered, moving her hand upon my face and turning her head to the side. A gentle peck on my lipster, I couldn''t help but notice the hunger in the girl''s eyes.

    ''She still didn''t have enough?'' I thought, sparks of fear appearing in my soul.

    ''How could I call myself a man if I failed to fully satisfy her?'' I thought, desperation welling up in my soul.

    But between empty bragging and being honest, the choice was pretty simple.

    "To think that we would be like that just a few hours after losing our first," I said, smiling gently as I moved my hand up and caressed Mia''s delicate cheek.

    Just staring in her face like that was enough to fill my soul with happiness.

    But I could no longer ignore the desire clearly visible in her look.

    "Mia... I''m sorry, but I can onlyst for one more," I said in an apoplectic tone.

    ''From today on, I need to train my ass off!'' I decided, unwilling to ever let the girl down again in the future.

    "It''s okay," Mia smiled before releasing a small chuckle.

    Seeing her giggle like that, I felt pain explode in my heart.

    ''How can she be so damn precious?!'' I screamed to the skies, hoping for the God in Heaven to give me an answer.

    But no voice came from above. What did happen, though, was Mia coiling her arms around my waist again, only to suddenly roll over, taking the upper position.

    "If this is going to be thest time," she whispered, moving her upper body up as she reached with her hand towards my crotch, "then let''s make it as memorable as possible," she said, grabbing hold over my penis and guiding it towards her secret garden.

    Over thest few hours, we did it more than a few dozen times. If I were to be sober to think about it, that alone was a feat that no normal human on earth could achieve.

    Back when I still imagined how my first time would go, I believed that after just a few bouts, I would grow used to the feeling. With that, I hoped to be capable of focusing more on my partner than on the act itself.

    Yet, when my penis slid down into Mia''s wet pussy, I realized just how far those imagined scenes from the past were detached from reality.

    Plop.

    A wet sound entered my ears when Mia slumped down all the way on my crotch.

    We were careful when we started, sure, but right now, this girl didn''t hold even a single inch of my junior free from the oppression of her inner folds.

    Feeling how her hot insides coiled around my thing, I could only grab on to her thigs and sink my fingers in her soft flesh. Before I could say even a word, Mia started to move up and down.

    ''Is she trying to ride me down?'' I thought, gritting my teeth as yet another tsunami of pleasure filled my body.

    Struggling to keep my eyes open, I forced them to enjoy the show in front of my face.

    The waving of Mia''s long hair, the wiggling of her bosom, the sparks of light reflecting from the drops of sweat covering her entire body...

    Everyst one of those things would be enough to make any man go crazy. And here I was, enjoying all of them put together in a show that I could never get out of my mind.

    In just a few moments, Mia''s pussy started to tense up around me. Her movements sped up as the force with which she would descend on myp increased.

    ''She''s close,'' I thought, recognizing the familiar giveaways of her situation.

    Even after all the exercise, I couldn''t stop myself from reaching up. And just as my fingers sank into her breast, Mia screamed out.

    "AH!" her voice drilled itself into my brain, instantly forcing me to release thest few dry bits from my balls.

    At this point, there wasn''t any point in trying to cum outside. With the amount of sperm, I fed directly to her womb, a little bit more or less wouldn''t make a damned difference.

    This time, it was Mia who fell down on my chest.

    Unwilling to let her simply orgasm without a care, I coiled my arms around her back, hugging her in thest few moments of her pleasure.

    ''Whoever is cleaning this ce is surely going to hate us,'' I thought, imagining just how much of my sperm and Mia''s juices sprayed all over the sheets.

    But right now, I couldn''t care less.

    With Mia''s delicate body resting in my arms as her breathing slowly stabilized, I could only think about the girl.

    It felt as if nothing, absolutely nothing besides her, existed in the world.

    And I was quite alright with that.

    "Thank you," I whispered, nting a gentle kiss on Mia''s sweaty forehead. Given how her breathing slowed down, I was pretty sure she was already asleep.

    "What are you thanking me for?" Mia asked, proving that she still had some strength left despite all the exercise.

    Unable to stop the feeling welling up in my soul, I hugged her even tighter, enjoying the softness and the warmth of her body to no limit.

    "You have no idea how lonely my nights were before," I muttered, opening up the door to the dark corridor of my heart.

    She had no idea about the degree of the grief inside my heart. All those years on earth, when I had no one but myself to keep mepany.

    Sure, I kept my face up and braved through those lonely times. But only when I was about to fall asleep with a girl in my arms did I manage to realize just how fake that front of mine was all along.

    I kept my loneliness in check because I grew used to it. I took it as a part of my life, no longer willing to change it.

    Mia suddenly moved up, turning her head around to face me. Cupping her hands on my chest, she rested her chin on her palms as she looked deeply into my eyes and smiled.

    "You will never be lonely again," she whispered, allowing her head to roll to the side as she ced her ear on my chest.. "I will never allow that."

 Chapter 60 - Morning Argument

    I woke up to the chirping of the sound mixing with the gentle whispers of the wind.

    For the first time since I appeared in this world, I felt simply... peaceful.

    Feeling the weight on my shoulder, I looked down. And there she was, Mia''s sleeping face, gently brushing up and down along with her calm breathing.

    ''Isn''t it lovely?'' I thought, directing this praise both at Mia''s face and the situation I was in.

    Never before did I expect that a day woulde when I would wake up to such happiness.

    Yet, there was this thrillingly annoying feeling inside my soul, one akin to finding the mostfortable ce and position in one''s bed... Only to be forced by one''s dder for the nightly visit to a ce where even a king walks on his own.

    ''I''m stinky,'' I thought, grimacing at the ufortable realization. Now came the time to pay the price for how great thest night was.

    Surprisingly enough, I didn''t feel tired. Even after all the vivid exercise of the night before, I felt no pain in my muscles at all. Rather than that, I was revitalized like never before.

    All the juices and liquids that we sprayed all over the ce yesterday now turned into a sticky mess.

    My heart tore apart when I slid myself out of Mia''s arms. Feeling her breath on my chest, the weight of her head on my arm, and the softness of her flesh all over her skin was something I never thought I would willingly desert.

    But how could I allow her to see me, dirty all over, the first thing in the morning after her first time?

    ''I guess that''s what women do for the men,'' I thought, gently smiling as I stood above sleeping Mia, watching her suck on her thumb like some kind of toddler. ''They make us want to be the better version of ourselves,'' I thought, turning around and walking towards the basin.

    This time, I didn''t bother thinking about water heating and clearing principles. Instead, not allowing those secrets to bother my mind, I quickly washed the dirt off my skin before dipping in the bail for a quick soak.

    Only once I was sure that my body was spotless, I allow myself to rx for a short moment. Yet, the moment I rested my back against the basin''s wall, my eyes inevitably fell on the other part of the room.

    ''That could make her morning moment even better,'' I thought, staring at the orderly sets of pots and cooking utensils.

    "Good morning..." Mia muttered at the same moment as I wrapped a towel around my hips, aiming to go and prepare a fancy breakfast for her.

    "Good morning, sweetheart," I replied with glee, a huge smile stered all over my lips.

    What else could a moment like that be, if not the greatest morning ever?

    "So," Mia swung her long legs to the side of the bed, only using the nket to cover her charms. "What are you going to do today?" she asked as she yawned.

    My hand involuntarily moved up to my chest only to clutch it tightly. Even after knowing this girl for a while already, even after seeing everything that there was to her, Mia''s sleepy face was so cute it made my heart ache.

    Yet, I didn''t reply right away. Even if this was just a casual question, I actually had no answer to it.

    ''I guess I should deal with that bastard,'' I thought, recalling the events that transpired before the steamy night. ''But how should I tackle it?'' I asked myself, resting my bottom against the edge of the kitchen''s shelf.

    "I guess I will go and pay that bully of mine back?" I muttered, not certain about my course of action at all.

    Should I really kill him? Or maybe hit him strong enough to make him incapable of breathing without pain for the rest of his day? Or maybe I should y it down and act as if my previous hit was just a fluke?

    There were ups and downs to every path I would take. But whenever I thought about any high-profile way of dealing with the matter, Vaner''s words from yesterday would ring in my head.

    ''For now, train hard andy low,'' the elder said.

    What was his purpose, I didn''t know. What was his aim? I had no idea. But no matter how I thought about it, keeping my head low really seemed to be the best course of action for me.

    "So you are going to smack him hard?" Mia asked, a lovely smile appearing on her lips.

    Seeing it, I couldn''t help but swallow my saliva.

    Was I really strong enough to say something that Mia clearly didn''t expect? Was I ready to destroy that lovely smile of her?

    I clenched my hands at the edge of the shelf. I then lowered my head and looked down at my toes.

    "Actually, I was thinking about pretending to be weak. About letting him go with just a smack to his pride," I muttered.

    No matter how hard it would be to surprise Mia like that, I opted to be honest with her.

    ''In the end, I still know no real limits to the power of that bastard,'' I thought, recalling the hateful face of that young master from before. ''I already saw how vicious he can be, so it''s better not to y right into his cards,'' I decided.

    "Wait, what?!" Mia jumped up from the bed, the nket silently falling down by her side. Even though there was nothing to hide her charms, I didn''t dare to raise my eyes.

    Not because I was worried she would mind me looking at her body. I didn''t dare to do so because I couldn''t look her in the eyes.

    "Do you remember what Vaner said?" I said as I bit my lips. "It''s better if wey low for now," I reminded Mia about yesterday.

    Right now, I was furious with myself. After all those years of being bullied back on earth, now I had the chance to vent all those feelings out of my system.

    In a sense, this was a perfect opportunity for me. But I didn''t dare to take it, not knowing what its prize would turn out to be down the line.

    "You don''t dare to do what you are allowed to do, even with Vaner''s protection?!" Mia shouted, mming her hands down at the coffee table sitting beside our bed. Even though her position left little to nothing to my imagination, right now, I had no way of enjoying the sights.

    Even if they were just as lovely and inviting as they were just a few hours ago.

    I bit my lips.

    "To be honest, I don''t think he is ready, nor willing, to help us out if we cross the line," I said, trying to reason with the girl. "I don''t think this matter is that simple," I added, trying to find something to my defense.

    But why was Mia so angry in the first ce? At this point, I couldn''t understand at all.

    It''s not like she was the one to be beaten nearly to her dead, right?

    "I know that we need toy low for a while," Mia said, squinting her eyes as she crossed her arms on her supple chest. "But tell me," she leaned her head over her shoulder, "if you are not going to punish those who wronged you, how can I ever expect you to actually protect me?!" she shouted.

    For a moment, she simply stood there, looking for some kind of reaction from me.

    But I had no words capable of mending the situation right now. Everything that she said was correct.

    But I dared not to underestimate Jenne. After experiencing the happiness of walking up with Mia in my arms, I wasn''t ready to make any concessions that could sabotage this happiness in the future.

    ''If I learned anything from all the bullying on earth, it is how to recognize a bully. And I have no doubt that Jenne is one,'' I thought, steeling my resolve and looking down at my feet.

    "Hmph!" Mia pouted, grabbing a towel and her robes, before storming out of the room. I could only sigh a small breath of relief when I saw her covering her nakedness with the towel before going out.

    If anyone were toy his eyes on her, I would have no choice but to pluck those eyes away before making the victim eat them whole.

    "Goodness gracious," I muttered. "Just what had happened to her?" I asked myself, raising my eyes to the roof. "It''s not like her to say stuff like that," I whispered, biting my lips.

    For how right Mia was, was this the first time for me to see this side of her? Was this some kind of change that happened only once we slept together? Or was I just too stupid to realize what really had happened?

    I shook my head and turned around. Rather than sighing and debating over the debts of women''s minds over with my reflection in the window, I could do something productive.

    I could do something manual to tear my thoughts away from the recent encounter.

    Yet, barely a few moments after I picked up the first few ingredients, my face tensed up in shock.

    TIC!

    "What the actual fuck?!'' I thought, looking down at the te.

    I just made two sandwiches. Something so insanely simple that I could do it with my eyes fully closed.

    Why did my system react to it, then?

 Chapter 61 - Mias Struggle

    Mia somehow managed to put on her robes on the move, even though this would be the first time for her actually wearing them.

    The silky material of the direct disciple couldn''t even begin topare with the rugs that the ve robes were made from. Yet, even though this was the first time for her, she couldn''t care less about it.

    She stormed out of the vi as if the devil itself was chasing her. She clenched her hands into fists, pushing the doors to the building open as she rushed to the outside.

    Yet, there was no anger or wrath on her face. Only tears and tons of self-loathing were written all over her eyes.

    "Just what did you say that for, you big idiot!" Mia cursed at herself, breaking free from the restraints of the mansion. Yet, as soon as the doors to the vi closed behind the girl, she rested her back against the wall only to slide down and slump down on her bottom.

    Mia pulled up her knees to her chin, enclosing them with her arms. She then hid her face in her legs, worried that someone would notice her state.

    Not even breathing a full lung of fresh, outside air helped Mia to calm down.

    She wasn''t angry at Arthur. After what she went through in the past year, she was aware that his approach was right. She was aware of it more than anyone.

    ''But how can he be so willing to ept it!'' Mia screamed out in her soul, tears squeezing out of her eyes.

    Mia was full of anger. She couldn''t ept anyone daring to raise their hand at the man who saved her. And yet...

    ''And yet, I made it look as if I only cared about myself,'' she thought, squeezing her knees with her hands to the point that they started to creak.

    For a few more moments, Mia continued to sit at the wall, hoping that the fresh air would help her refresh her thoughts.

    ''In the end, it''s no use,'' she thought, raising her teary face. She then wiped all the moisture from her eyes, hoping to hide the outburst of her emotions from Arthur. ''I won''t be able to hold back if I others look down on him,'' she realized, looking down at her palms.

    With those hands, she caressed his head. With those fingers, she grabbed his thing. With those palms, she rubbed his back.

    If for Arthur, Mia was the most precious thing in the world, then for Mia, Arthur was the only one in the world.

    ''No matter what, I need to apologize to him,'' she realized, sniffling her tears back. ''Yeah, I need to do just that,'' she used this excuse to push all the other thoughts aside.

    After cleaning her appearance, Mia shook her head and turned back to the mansion.

    Walking through the corridor that she rushed out of a few moments earlier, she felt as if she was going for her own execution. Her eyes were hung low, and so was her entire face.

    The door to her and Arthur''s room appeared not like the lovers'' nest entrance but gallows instead.

    Apologizing was easy. But obtaining forgiveness was an entirely different thing.

    "Arthur, listen," Mia whimpered, barely managing to hold her tears back from pouring down her eyes. "I''m sorry for what I said. I didn''t really mean it," she said in a weak voice, only to realize that Arthur likely didn''t hear a word of hers.

    Right now, her lover was busy in the kitchen. He was making so much noise flinging pans, cutting vegetables, preparing meat, that he didn''t even notice her return!

    "Arthur," Mia bit her lips, pushing back the slight annoyance that this scene caused in her.

    Here she was, with her soul in her hand, wishing to apologize... And Arthur didn''t even notice her?!

    For how affectionate she was towards him, even Mia could feel her face slightly sting because of this embarrassment.

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted, unable to bear the shameful moment any longer.

    "Huh?" Arthur turned around, sending Mia a quick nce, only to turn right back to the tes. "Give me just one moment," he requested, instantly immersing himself back in his task.

    Mia''s lips parted, revealing the whites of her teeth. She could only stand in ce, watching at Arthur''s busy back while he continued to... cook!

    Rather than giving her some face, he opted to cook instead!

    ''I came here to apologize, and you can''t even pay a bit of attention to me?'' she asked in her mind, her eyes once again filling with tears. ''Now that you slept with me, you don''t care about me anymore? Was my mother right about men?'' Mia''s thoughts quickly took a wild turn, escting at a rate that even Arthur couldn''t fathom.

    Yet, before she could utter a single word, Arthur finally turned around, a bright smile beaming on his face.

    "Dear, can you do me a massive favor?" Arthur asked, his eyes brimming with excitement.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, surprised by the look on her man''s face. ''Just when did I see him make such expression?'' she thought, unable to even close her mouth.

    "Sure... I guess?" she finally forced herself to reply, unable to fathom just what kind of tomfoolery was upying Arthur''s mind.

    "Sit down," Arthur requested, instantly turning himself back and shuffling tes, dishes, and spices like some kind of performer at a street-food stall.

    Overwhelmed by the situation she couldn''t understand, Mia obediently moved to the table and slumped down on the chair.

    Yet, rather than despairing over the situation or throwing angry looks at Arthur''s back, Mia actually smiled.

    ''This is the man I fell for,'' she thought, shaking her head over her own stupidity. ''His way of thinking isn''tparable to anyone else. How could I measure him with the standards of others?'' she asked herself, letting go of all the feelings from before.

    Whatever Arthur''s requested favor was, she would happily do it. But there was one thing she couldn''t give up on.

    Whether Arthur cared about it or not, she was going to apologize!

    After all, her apology wasn''t only about making Arthur forgive her.. It was mostly about allowing Mia to forgive herself.

 Chapter 62 - Cooks Job

    I can''t say that I didn''t hope for something like this to happen. After all, what kind of reincarnation to a cultivation world would this life of mine be if I didn''t get some kind of cheat job?

    Never in the world did I expect, though, that the first job to discover would be actually a cook!

    With Mia rushing out of the room somewhere, I initially wanted to chase after her...

    But the time was tight.

    After the events of yesterday, I was no longer sure whether the next day would be peaceful or not. Now that I openly opposed Jenne, I could only assume his retaliation would be swift.

    As such, I couldn''t miss even the tiniest opportunity of getting stronger. Even if it meant getting stronger by cooking and then eating.

    Jobs Window

    ***

    Cook - Level 1 0/2

    ***

    After checking the system notification, I realized that a new window appeared in my status. Counting all of them together, I now had a total of six windows, each detailing a different part of my strength.

    As to what exactly each of the numbers in this new window meant...

    Just by cooking a few more dishes, I quickly managed to find out.

    By the time Mia returned to the room, I had already managed to bring my cook''s job level all the way to the... third level. Looking objectively, it wasn''t much, but it was still better than nothing, especially given the short window of Mia''s absence.

    ''Huh?'' my body froze for a moment when I noticed the look on Mia''s face. It bore a mix of anger, grief, and sadness, a mix that I was more than familiar with. After all, that''s how I felt most of the time in my previous life!

    But I decided not to tackle this problem for now. As pained as it made me to look at Mia''s sad eyes, I had no way of knowing what was causing it. That''s why, rather than meandering through theplexbyrinth of female emotions, I decided to just leave it off forter.

    Rather than striking up a proper conversation, I asked her to sit down only to ce thest te I had just finished in front of her.

    "Could you please tell me, what do you think about this meal?" I asked, lowering my eyes to avoid eye contact.

    For now, I opted to avoid discussing my sudden discovery. I could easily hint at it without revealing the existence of my system... But with so little information I had, there was no point in making any statstatementsIn the end; I only managed to learn that to reach a higher level of the cook''s job, I simply had to prepare more meals. And for each level, the number of the meals necessary to advance further would rise by one.

    "How''s the taste?" I asked after watching Mia silently follow my request.

    Seeing the girl devour the sandwiches I prepared with a slightly crazed look on her face tickled my soul in just the right way. But, sadly, I had no time for those small pleasures. Right now, I had to figure out how could I exploit this new feature of my system for my own advantage!

    In the end, my status only revealed the current level of the job and how many more meals I had to prepare to advance it. There wasn''t a single hint of what kind of effect this job actually had on the meals I prepared.

    Faced with such a situation, I could only hope to find that out all on my own.

    "I mean..." Mia struggled to voice her opinion. "It''s pretty damn good," she said, looking down at the sandwich in her hands, only to squint her eyes and lower them on the table. "But I never got to taste such cuisine," she said, looking up at my face. "I don''t really have any prior experiences topare."

    Right now, Mia''s face was filled with one massive ''what the fuck'' expression. It was clear that she had no idea what I was doing, cooking and asking her opinions for. But what made it too lovely for the good of my heart was that she followed my request nheless!

    Yet, before she could add another word to her reaction, a small tear suddenly appeared in her eye.

    ''Huh?'' this was already too much for me to handle.

    I could hold back my attentiveness for a short while, given how important developing my system was... But to watch Mia tear up and say nothing?

    I fell to my knees, grabbing Mia''s arm and looking up at her confused face.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked with the softest voice I could produce.

    "I''m sorry," Mia quickly wiped out the stray tear, only to shake her head when more of them appeared in her eyes. "I came here to apologize... and here I am, unable to help you out with something so simple," she cried out, wiping her eyes dry over and over again.

    "Don''t you worry," I replied, raising Mia''s hands to my lips only to ce a gentle kiss on top of her fingers. "Even if you don''t understand it yet, you are helping me quite a lot," I said, attempting to encourage the girl for a bit.

    Yet, instead of just sitting there and cuddling her up, I stood up and turned around only to return the few steps to the kitchen area.

    She already tested the sandwiches I prepared with just the third level of a cook''s job. Preparing a measly nine more tes of food to bring the job''s level up by two points so that she couldpare would take me a few minutes at most.

    Yet, as I rushed to prepare more and more meals, I realized the actual downside of the job.

    Right now, preparing the food actually took quite a lot of energy from me! By the time I was done with the fifth dish, I could feel my entire body getting slightly weaker. My knees started to wobble by the seventh meal, making it a challenge to stand straight. When I finished the ninth meal, I could barely hold my consciousness together.

    The tenth meal, the first meal made with my job at the fifth level, was the absolutest one I could prepare.

    "Here," I said, cing the te down before the girl.

    ''I wonder if using the spirit stone to refill my energy would help,'' I thought, already eager to test this theory out.

    Yet, before Mia could dig into the meal, the doors to the room burst open, allowing Vaner to make his way inside.

    "Are you ready to take care of your unfinished business?" he asked right away, not bothering to even say his greetings or even knock at the doors before kicking them open.

    "Wasn''t I supposed to deal with that guy only once I fully recover?" I voiced out my surprise before I could pull the reins on my tongue. Despite Vaner''s abrupt entrance, I wasn''t stupid enough to misunderstand what he meant with his question.

    "Do you really think you need to be fully healed to do what''s best in your situation?" Vaner asked, the corner of his smile twitching a little.

    "You are right, Elder," I replied, cupping my hands together and bending my back, despite my muscles screaming out in hunger. I was so tired, I was willing to bet quite a lot on whether I would simply slip up and fall on the table or not. "Thank you for your advice," I said in a respectful tone, only to raise my face and look at Vaner with a peculiar look in my eyes.

    "But for now, may I request elder''s help with a little test?"

 Chapter 63 - Testing

    "So I just need to stand here and block your attacks," Vaner echoed my request. "Right?" he asked with a small smile on his lips.

    "That''s exactly right," I replied, a smile inevitably appearing on my face as well.

    Even with how exhausted I was right now, I just couldn''t help but both endorse and enjoy the idea of using my direct superior as nothing more but a punching bag!

    After all, if I were to get him to taste my cooking, wouldn''t that make Mia feel even more useless?

    I might be bad at reading women''s thoughts and feelings, but I was set on doing everything in my power to make Mia asfortable with me as humanly possible!

    With no more words necessary, I stood in position.

    Right now, I was too tired to execute a punch at my full strength. The most I could do was a casual bitch-p. And without a second thought, I moved forward and sent it towards the Elder.

    "Pff," Vaner chuckled only to shake his head, so dissatisfied he actually found it amusing. "That was... bad," he said, easily capable of seeing through all the ws of my attack.

    Sure, I put barely any strength behind it, but I still made sure to focus my attention on it to the best of my ability!

    "That''s right," I still smiled, nodding my head to the Elder. "I''m perfectly aware how bad it was, but that''s not what I want to find out. For now, if Elder could just wait for me a second or two..." I requested, turning around and hurrying back inside the room.

    In there, Mia still sat on the table, the look on her face proving that she was still conflicted over something.

    I was too eager to finally find out whether my cooking was worth anything outside of improving the taste of the dishes I would prepare. As such, rather than trying to cheer Mia up, I leaned over the te and devoured the sandwich as quickly as possible.

    In the end, I shouldn''t let the damned Elder of the sect wait in the garden for a long time, should I?

    Still, my act of feasting on the sandwich as if I was about to die from hunger managed to snap Mia out of her thoughts. No matter what, I much preferred to see her confused rather than troubled, so this small test of mine already proved to be worth the effort.

    Eating the sandwich actually managed to restore a sliver of energy. On its own, it already proved that there was some kind of effect added to the food I prepared. But I still had to test out a few more possibilities.

    "I''m back, Elder," I reported as soon as I rushed back to the garden.

    "Let me guess," Vaner smiled, "you want to try punching me again?" he asked, proving that he was either some sort of a prophet... or just a man aware of how irritable his behavior often was.

    "That''s right," I said, cupping my hands and taking the same position as before, "I will be in your care, Elder," I added as quickly as I could so that Vaner would have no time to refute.

    I threw another bitchp. In order not to make Vaner hate me, I pulled my arm down, aiming it at his chest instead of his face.

    My hand snapped at the barrier that Vaner raised. But as much as I wanted, I was unable to see any difference between my attack now and the one before. That''s why I raised my eyes at the Elder''s face.

    "That one..." Vaner bit his lips, "was so-so," he said. At the same time, his eyes widened in surprise as his entire face started to ooze curiosity.

    "I see..." I muttered in response.

    In Vaner''s judgment, there was an actual difference between those two attacks. A difference that couldn''te from me recovering a silver of my strength since I ounted for it while throwing a punch.

    ''That means my meal actually improves my fighting ability...?'' I thought, happy with the discovery.

    This result was something that I outright expected and wished for... But still, it was hard to hold back the joy when my guess proved to be correct. Otherwise, those jobs of mine would be only good at allowing me to find a damned, manual job in this world.

    And since it was something I abhorred back on earth, I was less than willing to spend my days as a physical worker in this magical new life of mine!

    "Elder, I will make my way to the venue, then," I said, cupping my hands and lowering them in a sign of respect. As much as Vaner wanted to know what this test was all about, I wasn''t ready to exin it yet. "Also, while I will be away, could I ask the Elder for a small favor?" I asked only for my lips to twist in an ugly grimace. "It''s something so small that normally I would ask Mia to do it... But I don''t want to let her risk her safety by going outside just yet," I added, lowering my entire back as I bowed to the man.

    "If it''s not something too troublesome, then sure," Vaner smiled before a look of confusion suddenly appeared on his face. "But wait a second, venue? What venue did you mean?" he asked.

    "Huh?" I shrugged, genuinely surprised by Vaner''s question. This was something that I considered so obvious; I was never supposed to mention it out loud!

    I couldn''t stop myself from looking at the Elder in disbelief.

    "Are you going to tell me you weren''t about to make the most out of this event?" I was so shocked that I even forgot to use the respectful form of speech that Vaner''s position in the sect guaranteed.

    "A venue it is, then," Vaner smiled in response, unwilling to admit to the missing my point.. "But if that''s the case, I can only hope you are ready for what wille next."

 Chapter 64 - Venue

    I walked through the open space of the sect grounds as I made my way towards the venue Vaner prepared. I had no idea how much good he could organize in the short timeframe he gave me, but I could only hope for the best.

    After all, when it came to scheming, I couldn''t hold a candle to experienced politicians like him. That''s also why, as much as it pained Mia and me in extension, I decided to y low for as long as possible.

    Because I was aware that in terms of schemes, I would never be a match to the people of Jenne''s sort.

    But there was one thing that I could easily topple them with. And it was growth.

    The reason why I asked Vaner to organize as much cloth and sewing materials as he could, was pretty simple. And it had a lot to do with one tiny detail that my system unknowingly hinted at.

    This new window that appeared on my status when I obtained the cook''s job wasn''t called a job window. It was a jobs window instead. Plural form. And it could only mean that I was capable of obtaining more jobs than just a single one.

    But even with that said, what other jobs should I aim for?

    I used to read a lot of cultivation novels in the past, most of which also had the aspect of side-jobs covered. But what always baffled me was how two of those jobs always took the prim.

    Smithing and alchemy. Both of those jobs were the most popr choice made by the main characters. Main characters, which mind that, often liked to stay low-key.

    Or rather, they liked to im that they were low-key, aiming for theedy factor of taking two of the most high-key jobs while iming to keep themselves low.

    Both smithing and alchemy required a lot of training, insides knowledge, and, most importantly - initial investment. Be it basic materials, schematics, tools of the trade, or even knowledge, all of those aspects made those jobs extremely hard to enter.

    But why go for sewing, then, one would ask.

    To tell the truth, staying low-key turned out to be the major factor in this decision. After all, everyone in the sect wore robes. Everyone. From the lowest of ves to the greatest of elders, all of them donned their robes before they dared to show themselves to the world.

    What could be better than crafting a robe that would prove to empower me beyond any human reason then?

    There was one more reason behind this decision of mine. It was a crafty way to use the sewing job rather than an underlying reason to take it in the first ce.

    So far, I have yet to see a single person in this sect bear a weapon. Whether it was some kind of internalw or whether people at my level opted to fight with their bare hands, I couldn''t know. But what I knew was that modern civilization long came with the simplest solution to reinforcing one''s hand in fistfights.

    And it was a wrap or boxing gloves. Either of which, I would be more than capable of sewing up. What was even better, wrapping my hands in a seemingly in, white cloth, wouldn''t arouse anyone''s suspicion or interest!

    I continued to make my way to the point Vaner described with those thoughts upying my head. To be honest, I was so excited about the idea of trying my hands at the job that I could barely care for the main even of today!

    The event being, my botched revenge on the disciple that beat me up.

    Yes, botched. Because if I wanted to make the most out of this moment, rather than punching him to his demise, I had to make myself appear as weak as possible.

    As to what others would think whenparing my punch with the damage I did earlier... Since when was it my problem? It was all Vaner''s job to make them think whatever would suit his agenda best!

    "Now that I think about it, preparing this venue should be the favor you asked me for," Vaner muttered, appearing by my side. "Organizing cloth, thread, and needles?" he shook his head. "You should seriously get yourself another ve for this kind of odd-jobs," he advised.

    "Elder, we both stand to benefit from this situation," I countered. I didn''t even need to look back at Mia to guess how happy she would be with such an outrageous idea. "Because of that, I wouldn''t dare to call this a favor," I added, slowing my steps down to let Mia catch up.

    Rather thanmenting on the idea of getting another ve, I caught Mia''s hand and gave it a squeeze as I pulled her a tiny bit closer to my side.

    Her face was sunken, her eyes dimmed. Despite all my earlier efforts to make her smile, the girl continued to sulk.

    There was a hint of some underlying problem that made her appear as sad as she was, which only made my heart bleed tears in return.

    Not even holding her held or walking side by side with her could soothe this pain.

    ''I''m worried about you, you know?'' I thought, putting all my focus on the girl, trying my best to figure out the underlying cause of her sadness.

    "I didn''t expect you to be so shrewd," Vaner suddenly said, forcing me to look ahead.

    "I don''t understand what you mean," I replied, squinting my eyes. He had eyes, so why he couldn''t see what was going on?

    "I believe you know," Vaner countered, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Anyway, this is the venue you asked for," the elder said, raising his hand to point at a massive circle embedded into the side of the mountain that surrounded the sect. "I hope you won''t disappoint me," he added, before his head turned to the side, towards a group of approaching elders.

    "I won''t," I replied, watching how the man hurried off to the side of his peers.

    "Master..." I whined, squeezing the muscles of my face hard enough to squeeze some tears from my eyes. With an expression of a nobody scared to the ends of his soul, I raised my hand towards where Vaner stood, acting as if I couldn''t go on without him by my side.

    The fact that I had yet to enter the venue didn''t mean I could hold myself back from acting. There was no telling who watched my performance now.

    "Arthur..." Mia whimpered, squeezing at my hand. Turning around, I couldn''t help but clutch with my left hand at my heart. Her teary expression made me both die from the cuteness overload and pained by the fact that she had tears in her eyes.

    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, casting the impure thoughts aside. I would never allow myself to be a man who would enjoy a pained expression on the face of someone I so deeply cared about.

    "Don''t worry," unable to figure out what Mia was thinking, I decided to go with the most straightforward answer. "I just need to punch that fucker once, and it will be all over," I smiled, raising my hand to pat Mia''s head.

    What kind of other worries could Mia have at the doorstep of the arena? Worrying about me seemed to be the most logical solution.

    "That''s not it," Mia muttered, lowering her head to the point where her forehead struck me in the chest. "It''s not like I''m worried that trash could ever hurt you," she muttered, ying a little with my hand. She then pushed her entire self forward, hugging her head to my chest closely.

    "I just wanted to apologize for before," she said, instantly making me confused.. What did she want to apologize for again? "I just need you to know that whatever you will do out there," she muttered, looking towards the entrance of the area only to move her eyes back at my face, "I will support it."

 Chapter 65 - Perfectly Botched Attack

    I walked into the arena with a soul on my shoulder. Something that was likely simple for others, was an unprecedented feeling for me.

    I wasn''t stressed by what was going to happen. Despite being an introvert, I never really had stage fright. Be it back at the performance in the kindergarten or now, it didn''t really matter. As long as I was sure I could do what I came to do, there was no need to stress myself out with it.

    No, I wasn''t stressed. I was awed.

    Walking through a long tunnel leading to the open part of the arena, I couldn''t help but feel a sense of wonder.

    From the tunnel that was carved directly in the stone, through the sculptures that filled every inch of its walls, everything gave off a sense of antiquity.

    For me, exploring this arena felt like a trip to one of the few sites of ancient architecture left on earth... but instead of touring the ruins, I was adventuring through the building in actual use.

    There were massive, wooden doors reinforced with steel bars at the end of the tunnel. Judging from their size, I would be unable to open them myself. Thankfully, there was a gap in the middle, just wide enough for me to squeeze to the other side.

    And then I stepped into the arena''s field, surrounded by all sides by several levels of tribunes.

    ''Woah,'' I gave off an inner moan of awe.

    The arena itself was partially built into the mountainside, with only half of it added on by a human rather than carved out.

    The seats around the ce were sparingly filled. If I were to guess, only a fifth of the seats was upied, proving that although not phenomenal, this event still turned out to be quite popr.

    ''Vaner really did his homework,'' I thought, my eyes twitching in surprise.

    There were less than two hours between me hitting him up about this and the actual event. And somehow, this elder of mine managed to pull so many people from the sect into watching the spectacle!

    It was a pity they were likely going to end up dissatisfied with my performance. At this point, I could only hope they weren''t charged for the entry to the ce; otherwise, my life would turn far worse than I had already expected.

    In the middle of the open field, Igrit awaited my appearance. From the looks of things, he was fully healed from my attack the day before.

    But while his body could heal, the wounds of his soul were clearly far harder to fix.

    Standing in the middle of this field, Igrit started to tremble in fear the second he noticed my appearance.

    I saw no reason not to tease the guy a little, so I put a small, confident smile on my lips as I moved closer to the guy.

    "Not so fun when you are the one to receive the beating, isn''t it?" I asked, leaning my head to the side and giving the man a shy smile.

    Igrit looked at me with hate spilling out of his eyes. I knew that I brought him quite a lot of pain, but was it a reason to hate me that much?

    I was hurt, not gonna lie!

    "Do your worst," Igrit spat out, lowering that he previously held crossed on his chest.

    I saw his body tremble. Whether it was the anticipation, fear, or just stage fright, I could only guess.

    ''You really are going to get away with it easier than you should,'' I thought, releasing a deep sigh. ''I will regret this so damn much,'' I added in my thoughts, picturing all sorts of treatment I was bound to receive after my performance today.

    As there was still some distance separating the two of us, I moved forward, only to stumble on my feet.

    My performance began the moment others could see me, not the moment I would execute my attack. That''s why I had to do my absolute best to keep it integral.

    After all, who would believe in my act if I were to botch my attack but appear confident and strong throughout the event?

    I nced to the side. On the top of an elevated tform above the entrance to the arena, a group of elders awaited the action. For a second, Vaner''s robes appeared right in the middle of the group, only to disappear the second I tried to focus on them.

    ''Well, I can only hope he is ready for his part,'' I thought, moving my eyes back on my opponent.

    Igrit lowered his arms and pushed his chest forward. From the marks on his robes, I could see that he tensed up all his muscles in preparation for the devastating attack.

    ''I heard that one can soften up the attack by rxing the muscles right at the moment of impact,'' I thought, recalling a small bit of knowledge I somewhat randomly found out in one of the books I read.

    But it didn''t matter now.

    I stood in position. My left leg to the front so that I would add a force of my step to the attack. My arms rxed, with my hands raised to the point between my chest and my chin.

    In all regards, my stance was perfect, just like the one I would form while training.

    I stepped forward, sending a wide, sweeping strike right toward''s the man''s chest. In theory, that attack could easily shatter his ribs, possibly leading even to some lethal injuries.

    But just as my fist was about to connect... I jerked my arm to the back, killing most of the momentum of my attack!

    ''FUCK!'' I inwardly screamed out. With how much power I infused in the initial stage of the attack, it was a miracle my muscles didn''t tear themselves apart!

    In the end, this attack was even weaker than the one I used against Vaner when testing the effects of my food!

    "Huh?" Igrit moaned, baffled to the point where he failed to realize that my attack didn''t hurt him at all. Given his earlier experience, he likely built his own image of what should happen, an image so vivid that he had to take a moment to realize the reality was vastly different!

    But my performance wasn''t over yet.

    I put a satisfied smile on my face and brought my chin up.

    "I see you trained well over thest two days," I said, doing my best to exude an aura of an expert praising his opponent for being tough.

    "I didn''t..." Igrit attempted to say something, only for his words to get stuck in his throat. He looked down on his chest, only to raise his eyes at me. He repeated this motion a few times before his eyes shed up.

    "ARGH!" he shouted in great pain, acting as if my attack actually did him some harm. He then fell to the back only to start wriggling on the ground.

    His act was so good, he even managed to put foam on his mouth, something that even I couldn''t do!

    Sadly for him, his act was toote.

    I looked to the side, to where Igrit was sending nces from the moment he noticed my appearance. And sure enough, in a secluded spot at the edge of the tribune Jenne kept a close look on the events.

    The annoyed look on the young master''s face I could understand. But as I looked towards the tribune with all the elders, I couldn''t help but notice a look of terror on Catius''s face. It was so distinct; I had no problems with locating the guy at all!

    ''What is he terrified of?'' I thought, even though deep inside, I knew the answer. ''Well, I guess our schemes collided,'' I thought, moving my eyes back at Jenne.

    In the end, I restrained myself from letting both of those fuckers know that I saw them. Sweeping my robes to the back, I raised my chin high and turned around, leaving the arena through the same way I used to enter it.

    ''My job here is done,'' I thought, bowing down to Vaner as I approached the massive doors. ''Now, it''s your job to use this opportunity.''

    With a smirk on my lips, I entered the tunnel again.

    ***

    "Now that we all saw what actually happened," Vaner said, turning his face away from the cluster of grapes he snacked on throughout the event, "would you mind exining the injuries that your former disciple allegedly suffered from yesterday?"

 Chapter 66 - Baseless Accusations

    "Huh?" Catius took a moment to process what Vaner just said in his face. Then, his eyes darkened. "Are you trying to imply something?" he asked, his tone turning guttural.

    "You see... after I talked about yesterday''s events with my disciples, I realized a few things," Vaner replied with a rxed smile, moving away from the balustrade and sitting down on the sofa.

    This piece offort was present only in the VIP lodges, essible only for the elders. And Vaner was more than happy to make the best use of it for his theatrics.

    "It appears that outside of my disciple, who as you could all see is pretty damn weak," Vaner made a small pause to reinforce his finisher, "you were the only one who touched that guy." Vaner finished his sentence by pointing his hand at Igrit, still whritting on the ground.

    In an instant, the atmosphere in the booth changed. If earlier, everyone was curious just what sort of new shenanigan Vaner was about to create, now everyone turned their eyes towards Catius.

    The sect was full of shrewd and scheming people, sure, but the ultimate rule of all the scheming was pretty damn simple.

    Do not get caught.

    It was a rule secretly endorsed by the patriarch himself, who couldn''t stand to watch the morals of his ancestors, of the founders of the sect, getting tarnished. That''s why, in a true spirit of conformism, he decided that everything was okay... as long as he wouldn''t see it.

    And Vaner, while in a roundabout way, just threw a massive usation at Catius'' face!

    "Do you have any proof of that, or are you just throwing baseless usations?" Catius asked, his voice so low that it cracked a little.

    Catius belonged to the group that couldn''t really stomach Vaner and his actions. But if he disliked him before, then now he could feel nothing but hatred for that shrewd elder.

    "usations?" Vaner asked, pretending to be baffled. "Where did you hear me using you of something?" heughed openly before throwing another grape into his mouth. Intentionally or not, the fruit''s juices colored his lips in deep red, as if he just took a bloody bite of his fellow elder.

    "On the other hand, would you care to sate my curiosity?" Vaner asked, leaning his head over his shoulder.

    "What?!" Catius barked, knowing very well that just dropping the discussion and leaving the ce would be no different than admitting his guilt... Even if he actually did nothing!

    ''How the fuck I was supposed to do anything about that disciple of yours if I didn''t even know who he fucking was back then?!'' he whined in his soul, agonizing over the situation.

    The golden coins that Jenne passed to him just an hour ago started to burn his leg through the cloth of his robe.

    "If everything that I said has nothing to do with reality," Vaner snacked on another grape, using this opportunity to make another theatrical pause, "then why did you turn so defensive the moment I pointed those coincidences out?"

    The VIP lodge turned silent. Right now, everyone appeared to think over what Vaner said. Soon, all eyes moved on Catius again, proving that he was quickly losing his footing.

    ''What are you doing, you bastardly sort?'' Catius cried out in his mind. ''I''m pretty damn sure I wasn''t the only one paid off by that bastard!'' Unwilling to take responsibility for his own actions, Catius directed his anger at the only other person directly involved in the matter.

    "Because you are trying to imply that I''m guilty of something?" Catius answered Vaner''s inquiry with a question on his own. Despite the storm raging in his soul, he did his absolute best to keep his face straight.

    It came as no surprise that his efforts were all but wasted. In the den of snakes that the upper echelon of the Skdder sect was, he happened to be only because of the backing he bought in the past. He never had any qualms about the price he came to pay for that back then, but now he finally understood one simple truth.

    That he was never truly qualified to reach his current standing.

    ''Maybe I would be truly better just advancing to that cultivation sect or something,'' he thought, feeling the regret take over his soul.

    But right now, it was toote. As the elder of the sect, he would never be given another chance to advance.

    This was the truest and harshest prize of his past choice, one that he came to understand only now.

    "I''m not implying anything," Vaner smiled, putting away the rest of his grapes at a tray held by a high-ss servant. In a sense, this middle-aged man was more suited for the role of an elder than Vaner''s current opponent. "I''m just pointing out coincidences," Vaner added, standing up from his seat and dusting off his hands. "Coincidences that I will be sure to report during the audit," he added, a vicious smile appearing on his face.

    "And what does that have to do with me?" Catius spat out, holding his calm on a thin thread. "Why do you bother telling me that?"

    Catius breathed an internal sigh of relief. No matter what, he could feel from the tone of Vaner''s voice that this talk wasing to an end.

    ''Since he failed to prove anything, there is a huge chance I will get away with it, scoot-free,'' Catius thought with glee, only for his expression to sour a secondter. ''Wait, but I really didn''t do anything to Igrit... How can this guy make me feel like I''m actually guilty of something?'' he asked himself as he grit his teeth in silent fury.

    "No real reason at all," Vaner smiled, turning around and waving his hand. "After all," he turned his head back only to grace Catius with a lovely smile, "it''s not like you were bought by a certain disciple that would find it highly disturbing to have his actions screened by my n!"

 Chapter 67 - [bonus ] Jennes Rage

    Jenne didn''t walk back to his mansion. He rushed back instead, fueling his mad dash with the fury brimming in his soul.

    From the very moment he pushed the doors open, he vented his anger on everyone and everything around. Before he could even make his way to his private study, vases, sculptures, and paintings, each of which was worth more than an average sect disciple would earn in their entire life, were crushed on the floor.

    "The fuck are you looking at?!" he screamed out at the unfortunate maid that happened to be in the main hall the moment the young master returned. "Pack your things and scram!" he shouted, chasing the poor woman away.

    By the time he managed to reach the private study, Jenne had already depreciated the value of his property by roughly a tenth of its starting bid. Even though he wasn''t its true owner but just a current holder in the name of his n, this wasn''t something that he was actually allowed to do.

    But there was no stopping Jenne''s fury right now. Only when he made his way to the study filled with his private belongings did he quell his rage a little.

    "We invested so much to put that fucker down��" he barked at the butler who magically appeared in the room, even though Jenne never forgot to close the doors. "It''s all lost!" he screamed out, smashing his fists into the study''s wall.

    "Young master��" the butler attempted to say something. Sadly for the middle-aged man, his attempts only reignited Jenne''s wrath.

    "We are not getting the value of what we invested back! It''s all lost!" Jenne continued to throw a fit, unustomed to the idea of failing.

    His entire life, to this point, was the definition of a smooth-sailing. Brought up by one of the major families within the n, he nevercked any resources nor asslickers. The presence of the former only made him grow used to always being right, never to be rebuked by anyone.

    As long as he kept a humble and obedient attitude towards his betters and elders, Jenne was free to do whatever he wanted, never to fail at it.

    What he never learned, though, was that most of his sesses came from an immense work put by his servants in the background. And now, deprived of most of his servants, he found that scheming and plotting wasn''t as easy as he always believed it was.

    "If you keep it up, you won''t make the cut," the butler said, deciding to ignore Jenne''s fury altogether. Instead of calling the mes of his rage, he came to the realization that he actually had to fan them up.

    "The fuck did you say?!" Jenne barked, hardly capable of believing his ears.

    His butler just rebuked him. His butler. Rebuked him.

    "If you keep wasting the sect''s resources on dealing with an imaginary opponent, you won''t get through the auditions," the butler repeated, his facecking any emotions. "You proved to be unable to take care of your investments, and it''s both within the scope of my duty and my ability to report it," he added, a vicious smile appearing on his lips.

    He didn''t lie. Even though he acted as a butler to the young master, he was actually his overseer. After all, even when it came to the son of a major family, the sect wasn''t willing to carelessly put him in charge of not only a massive fortune but also a powerful position within their subsidiary!

    "Young master, unless you wish to be reced on this position, you need to focus on your own cultivation instead of wasting your time on pointless scheming," the butler added, finally offering the young man a way out of his anger.

    "As if��" Jenne only rolled his eyes, refusing to ept the olive branch.

    "Your schemes fell apart twice already," the butler pointed out. "If we take into ount all the smaller attempts, this number rises to give," he added only for an ugly smile to appear on his lips. "What makes you so certain that any further attempts will be sessful?"

    "I do not need to exin my actions and reasons to you," Jenne said, refusing to acknowledge the butler''s authority. Even though he had a position above him right now, he still came from a less influential family than he did.

    ''Once we will get back to the sect, I will be sure to show him what it means to cross me!'' Jenne vowed to himself.

    "Actually, you do," the butler said, rolling his eyes at the childish behavior of the kid. "What''s more��."

    Before the butler could finish his words, a knocking sound announced that there was a visitor by the doors.

    "Come in," the butler was quick to call the guest inside.

    ''Whoever it is, it''s better if the young master focuses on someone else,'' he thought, more than willing to push the anger of the annoying brat on someone else''s shoulders.

    "Excuse me��" Catius said, pushing the doors open. Yet, before he could as much as step inside, Jenne already rushed at him, sending his fists straight for the elder''s face.

    For the next few moments, Jenne continued to beat his follower up while Cautious courtly ignored the beating, pretending that it could actually hurt him.

    Even if he was the weakest of the sect elders, he was still a cultivator of the fourth stage. For him, the fists of a measly qi gathering disciple were no different than bug''s bite.

    Even if that someone was groomed by the sect superior to his own.

    "I��" Catius attempted to put in a word, only for Jenne''s furious attacks to shut him up. "I bring dire news!" he finally managed to pass on the message, giving Jenne a reason to stop his beating without losing his face.

    "What happened, you fucking moron?" Even though Jenne stopped his fists, his words were as vicious as his attacks before.

    Catius wiped out the blood from his forehead, the blood that appeared only because he allowed it to. After all, if he were to appear spotless after this long round of beating, the young master''s fury would only burn stronger instead of somewhat quelling.

    "Vaner saw through it all," he informed quickly, worried that with any boration, Jenne would stop his words once again.

    "Saw through what?" Jenne asked instead, clearly either unable to understand what Catius meant or simply refusing to acknowledge it.

    "He called me out on acting on your behalf," Catius exined, lowering his eyes on the floor.

    Even if Jenne could only dream about beating him up, that didn''t mean he didn''t have the means to seriously hurt him now. To be perfectly honest, just by ending their cooperation, Catius would be left as nothing more than a stain on the sect''s lineage of elders.

    "You were called out on cooperating with me," Jenne echoed Catius''s words, taking a step closer towards the elder. The explosive fury on his face died down, reced by the cold wrath of someone brought to his limits. "And the first thing you do is waltz right into my ce?!" he shouted right into the elder''s face, barely holding the reins over his emotions anymore.

    "I hid well��" Catius attempted to excuse himself.

    "Tell me, do you really believe someone of Vaners ability would miss you? Or rather," Jenne brought his face so close to Catius''s head that their noses almost struck each other, "do you believe you can lose him?"

    "And even if he saw me walk in here, what the fuck does that change?!" Catius snapped. He didn''t have the patience nor the position of the butler of the mansion. Faced with such a vicious approach, he reached his limits pretty quickly. "He knew it all already anyway!"

    "Earlier, he could only guess," Jenne spat through his lips, "now, he is certain," he added, turning around and walking away from the elder, worried that if he were to stare at his ugly face for a second longer, the elder would never leave his mansion alive.

    Jenne was perfectly aware that his fists couldn''t reach the man. But it wasn''t the case with his butler!

    "Throw him out," Jenne ordered instead, more than aware of just how much the elder valued their rtionship.

    Despite Catius''s protests, he was quickly removed from the mansion. By the time Jenne took a few breaths to calm himself down, there wasn''t even a single hint that this disgusting elder ever appeared in the mansion.

    "I guess I really need to focus on my cultivation right now," Jenne said, standing motionlessly in the middle of his study and gazing at the ceiling of the room.

    "That would be most advisable," the butler quickly came to approve of the young master''s actions.

    As happy as he would be to do this arrogant prick in, the truth was that he would also pay the price of doing so. After all, just like Jenne had his responsibilities in this ce, as his overseer, the middle-aged man had his own share of duties.

    "If I want to deal with those idiots, I can only wait for the height of the audit," Jenne smiled, proving that he didn''t give up on his schemes yet. "Once my friendse, not even Vaner will be able to stop them from stomping on his disciples!"

 Chapter 68 - Changes In Arthurs Day

    Ever since I moved to Vaner''s mansion, my n of a day changed drastically.

    First thing in the morning, right as the sun would cast its first ray into the room, I would wake up. But instead of hugging the pillow that would only remind me of my loneliness, I would be hugging myself to the soft skin of Mia instead.

    Waking up with this divine plushie in my arms, I would often spend a few more minuteszing around and simply adoring her carefree expression as her chin would move up and down on my chest along with her breath.

    But this morning''s bliss wouldst only a few moments before a ringing of a bell would wake everyone up.

    The second Mia would open her eyes, I would sneak out to the other side of the room to prepare breakfast. While my colleagues from back earth would likely be quick to call me a simp or a man ve, I simply enjoyed the idea of cooking food.

    Not because I enjoyed the process itself, nor because it allowed me to bring the level of my job a little bit higher. It was because doing so would grant me the opportunity to watch Mia''s happy expression as she would devour the meal whole only to grace me with her thankful expression.

    That alone was worth all the additional efforts in my morning.

    But as soon as we were done with the meal, neither of us would waste our time.

    First, we would follow the stretching techniques that I could still remember from my primary school to prepare our bodies for the day''s strain. And from that moment on, the training would be an essential part of the rest of our waking hours.

    We would usually start with a quick review of what we learned yesterday and what caused us some problems. After talking it between ourselves a little, we would both move aside, kissing our sweet time together goodbye.

    Because even though we would never be further than just a few steps apart, once we would stand against the training pirs, there would be no spare attention in our minds to spare for each other.

    For the next three to four following hours, we would immerse ourselves in training, doing four things over and over again. Left hand, right hand. Left leg, right leg.

    We would strike the stone over and over again, only changing the limbs we were doing it for the sake of preserving their endurance.

    Only once the first round of the training would be over, an hourly break would ensue.

    But instead of allowing both my mind and body to rest, I would quickly move on to work on my sewing ability. I would sew all kinds of clothes I could remember from the earth only to tear them apart the moment the system would acknowledge them as finished.

    Just like with cooking, I only needed to provide a finished product for the job to grow a little. And just like with cooking, for every new level, I had to finish one additional project whenpared to before.

    Once the break would pass, I would get to cooking while Mia would go train instead.

    She originally was against the idea of wasting my time like that. When I convinced her that it also was a part of a special training I received from Vaner, Mia allowed me to include this in my daily schedule.

    With the dinner done, we would once again sit together and eat, allowing me to refill my Mia-closeness gauge for the rest of the day. Without her presence and time to watch how her face would change into all sorts of cute expressions as she would snack on my self-made dinner, I doubt I could survive another week of such a heavy training regime.

    With the dinner done, we would both move back to train. Then I would take a break to sew. Once that would be done, it would be time for the training against, then sewing, then training��

    Once the second ringing of the day would announce the start of the sleeping hours, I would prepare thest meal of the day. Our consumption of it would then soon turn into the consumption of the lust that ate away at us throughout the day before we would finally rest back in the bed.

    In a sense, this schedule was even heavier to bear than what I did back when I was still a measly stage one disciple. After all, everyst moment of my waking hours would constantly drain my mana, be it leveling up my basic abilities or working on raising the level of my jobs.

    That''s why, over thest week, with Mia''s and mine needsbined, we consumed exactly one hundred and twenty spirit stones. A number that would be baffling for anyone else in the sect, upper echelons included.

    But there was simply no other way around it. If I wanted to keep using my time in the most efficient manner, this was the only path I could take.

    And to be frank, the moment of joy at the end of each day would more than suffice to heal all the mental scars caused by this heavy burden.

    "I worked really hard," I muttered to myself, staring down at the numbers presented by my system.

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Mana Condensation

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:162/200

    - Willpower: 113/200

    Mana Condensation 834/900

    {

    Mana Pool 300/300

    Mana Flow 275/300

    Mana Density 184/300(+75)

    }

    ***

    Even when taking how both the endurance and willpower would affect the rate of my progress, I still was more than satisfied with how far I went in this single week. In fact, if not for my Mana Densitygging behind the rest, I could hope to take a leap for the next stage in the manner of the next few days!

    That''s it, if that wouldn''t be far more dangerous than it would be advantageous. It was already hard enough to keep the facts of my awakening out of the rumors cirction. If I were to reach the third stage from an absolute no one in just three short weeks, I would likely be caught up and dissected by the first random elder.

    In such a situation, even Varner''s protection wouldn''t suffice. After all, just like back on earth, people were aware that it was far easier to ask for forgiveness than it was to ask for permission.

    This was also the reason why neither of the two of us dared to step outside.

    Sure, we weren''t fully stuck in our quarters. Fully hiding from everyone''s eyes would only have the opposite effect of making them curious about where we were. That''s why, from time to time, we would step out, just to show ourselves together before disappearing back into the depths of the mansion.

    "I expected this, but still,'' I thought, staring down at the group of disciples weighting eggs in their hands.

    Ever since the news about how insanely weak I was spread throughout the sect, more and more people became daring enough to challenge Varner''s authority of me.

    "I knew it would happen but still��." I thought, twisting my lips as I moved away from the window.

    People dared to pick on me because they believed I had no strength to oppose them. And what was even worse, revealing my power to smack their faces would mean exposing my trump card to all those who wished me ill!

    Which was obviously something I couldn''t do!

    "Kids!" Vaner suddenly shouted, pulling my attention away from the window. Just as I thought about taking a rare moment of break, he proved that the sooner I would forget such thoughts, the better it would be for me. "The sect has visitors!" he announced, entering our room with a wide smile on his face.

    "Shouldn''t you knock first?" I asked, more than fed up with Varner''s bullshit.

    What I took to be heroic and cool just a week ago now was nothing but a source of constant annoyance. After all, how I was supposed to learn how to fight if he was forcibly tearing my focus apart?

    "Forget knocking. The sneaky part of the audition is about to begin!" Vaner shouted, instantly quelling all my protests at their source.

    It looked like the week worth of rtive peace was about to end for us.

 Chapter 69 - First Phase Of Audit

    "Wait, what?" I couldn''t help but shiver in shock. "Wasn''t the audition supposed to start in one more week?" I asked.

    Sure, I could ept it if that was the reality, but wasn''t the audition supposed to start a month after the opening test? Even though, in theory, it had nothing to do with Mia and me but was rather focused on the older disciples, I could tell that this would be a time full of tribtions for us.

    "The official version starts a week from now," Vaner nodded his head. "But the unofficial one starts today," he added, correcting my view on the matter.

    "And what''s the damn difference?" I couldn''t help but ask.

    At this point, I didn''t care whether or not my question could reveal how little I knew about this world and ce in general. From what I managed to learn over the past week, Vaner was some kind of special persona in the sect. As such, he was the person least likely to dupe me in just because Icked some sort of basic knowledge.

    In a sense, he was a man who valued merit, not standing. That''s why I worked so hard all the time.

    Because only by bringing in results could I allow myself to be more or less rxed around my current master.

    "Once the official audition begins, the candidates will perform before the official delegations of the higher sects," Vaner said only to shake his head. "But for the next week, this sect will be invaded by loads of disciples from the higher sects," he exined. "In theory, they are supposed to stay low-key and allow their superiors an insight at the real nature of the students that they might get some interest in."

    "And the real reason is...?" I asked, easily noticing the part that Vaner omitted.

    "And why do you think my expression is so sour?" Vaner answered with a question on his own. "Anyway, for now, you need to stay low. I know that you are doing that already," Vaner said, raising his hand to stop me from interrupting him, "but right now, it''s even more important. Whatever happens, do not let others notice you," the elder ordered.

    "That''s doable," I nodded my head. It was rare for Vaner to be so direct with something. As such, I could tell just how important this little mission of his was. "It''s just that..." I hesitated to open up about something important.

    "If your life or Mia''s wellbeing will be on the line, you have my approval to do whatever you will deem necessary," Vaner satisfied my request without even hearing it.

    Even though we never really got to know each other properly, he appeared to know me better than I expected him to.

    "That''s great," I nodded my head with genuine gratitude. "Right, on the note of the visitors, who are they?" I asked.

    "There are Oloan, Urbi, and Tuxia nsing, each representing a major sect organized around their main family," Vaner said. "Oloan... is the bread and butter sect, pretty simr to what you can see here," the elder said, waving his hand around as if in an attempt to point at the surrounding area. "Urbi... They are quite authoritarian. They are also known for epting anyone willing, but I wouldn''t advise epting their invitation," Vaner said, his lips turning into a thin line.

    ''They ept everyone?'' I thought, able to sense that there was a deeper meaning behind it. And since Vaner didn''t exin it on his own, was he maybe trying to test me whether I could figure it out myself?

    ''Even if that''s the case, I need a bit more time to think it over,'' I decided, raising my eyes at the elder. "What about the Tuxi n?" I asked, more for the sake of buying myself more time than learning more about thest option.

    "That''s the sect I came here on behalf of," Vaner revealed out of nowhere something that sounded like a great secret. After all, how could one of the highest elders of the sect actually belong to a different sect?

    "Is something like that... allowed?" I asked, trying to make sense of what I had just heard. Depending on Vaner''s answer, I would either openly incorporate this information as a part of my knowledge, or I would have to do my absolute best to forget I ever heard it in the first ce!

    "Don''t worry, that''s what every major and average sect does," Vaner smiled, noticing the distraught on my face. "The Skdder sect... You could say, this ce exists only to gather and test people''s potential, so that the real sects won''t bother grooming wastes," Vaner exined.

    "I think I get it now," I nodded my head, immersing myself in my thoughts. "Anyway," I suddenly said, dropping the idea as my thoughts returned to their previous task, "what is the Tuxi sect all about?"

    "It''s a ce that is hardest to enter. A ce where only merit matters and every talent is properly groomed," Vaner replied with a wide smile revealing just how proud he was of his upbringing.

    Given how bad an opinion I had on the Skdder sect after experiencing the schemes of its upper echelons firsthand, seeing Vaner, one of the main scheming yers of the Skdder sect, talk about the Tuxi sect with such tion on his face...

    "If that''s the case, then the Urbi sect epts everyone... Not because they are willing to help them grow, but because they are using them for their own purposes, right?" I suddenly said, moving back to the topic that Vaner intentionally omitted.

    "That''s right," the elder nodded his head. "If Oloan sect is a traditionally hierarchical ce while Tuxi sect is organized around meritocracy, then Urbi sect is an example of aplete tyranny," Vaner exined.

    "Won''t that make it pretty easy to notice their people lurking around?" I asked, only to twist my lips a little, "I mean, maybe outside of that Oloan sect since you im them to be so simr," I corrected myself.

    "That would be the case if they were the only visitors," Vaner smiled, clearly satisfied with my insights. "Those are the major sects who ditched the idea of focusing on just a single aspect. Outside of them, there will be more sectsing. Amongst the more important ones, there are smithing sect, sword sect, alchemy sect, religious sect oriented only around cultivation, dual cultivation sect and spear sect," Vaner listed out.

    "So they are kind of one-trick, one-purpose sects?" I asked, trying to understand the situation to the best of my ability.

    "Yes, and no," Vaner sighed as he turned around and headed towards the doors. "Each of them is pretty strong. They managed to achieve their position by mastering their respective focal points. While they are weaker than the three major sects, they are by no means weak!" he announced, pushing the doors open.

    But just as he was about to leave, I finally realized one thing.

    "Elder, onest thing!" I shouted after Vaner''s back, only to see him turn his head towards me with a small surprise painted all over it.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked, leaning his head over his shoulder with curiosity.

    "Did you just say, dual cultivation sect?"

 Chapter 70 - Back To The Town

    I watched as Vaner''s back disappeared behind the doors. A few more moments filled with the sound of his steps, and then the silence returned back to the mansion.

    ''Dual Cultivation, was it?'' I thought, unable to stop the excitement at the sheer thought of the idea.

    From one side, it was the most pleasant way of cultivating. On the other side, the idea of casual intercourse focused on growth rather than the act itself has its charm as well.

    Obviously, those were just stray thoughts born out of my horny nature as a young adult, not something that I would ever actively pursue.

    Because now, I had Mia by my side. And whatever my momentary fetishes would be would never turn to be more important or exciting than the prospect of holding this one, particr girl close.

    "Still, just one week left, huh?" I muttered, casting all the stray thoughts aside and focusing on the matter at hand.

    In a single week, the audit will start. This audit would be my first chance to bring Mia out of this sect where there was someone actively targeting her.

    I wasn''t naive enough to believe that theck of attacks on me or the girl over the past week meant that we were now safe. Rather than that, I was inclined to believe that instead of throwing some haphazard schemes, Jenne was busy cooking up a massive action.

    As such, there was no time for me to waste on anything but preparations!

    "Why are you so pressed to keep on training?" Mia suddenly asked, emerging from the shadow of the room.

    Ever since my talk with Vaner, I forgot about her presence. Only now, when she willingly made herself known, I realised that she likely heard it all. "Anyone with brain rather than trash in their head could see how much you achieved already," she said, approaching me only to wrap her hands around my chest and hug me closely. "Rather than having you train so much, I would have you embrace me every night for longer," she added in a soft whisper.

    "It''s all because I think I will be able to enter the Core Establishment stage before the audition starts," I exined, caressing the back of Mia''s head.

    "Wait, what?!"'' Mia barely managed to suppress her shout, raising her face and looking at me with her eyes wide open. "So quickly?!" she shouted, no longer able to hold down her voice.

    "Yeah," I nodded my head.

    Judging from my current rate of progress, I could safely im to fill all the gauges of my status before the end of the next week. What''s more, with both my tailoring and cooking job rising steadily over the past week, I now had some aces hidden in my sleeve, allowing me to even consider the idea of breaking through.

    "I guess I will go back to training then," Mia smiled uneasily, overwhelmed by my announcement. From theck of self-confidence in her eyes, I could tell that she feared the idea of me leaving her behind.

    "Don''t worry about it, dear," I instantly said, unwilling to let this fear fester in her soul. "The only reason why I try so hard is to be strong enough to stop anyone from stealing you from me!" I said, pulling Mia back for yet another hug.

    A deep union of our lipster, Mia finally managed to wrestle herself free out of my arms.

    "I''m going to train now," she said in a decisive voice, her face no longer poisoned by the uncertainty. "Just like you want to be able to protect me, I want to be able to protect you," she said before a lovely smile appeared on her lips. "Meanwhile, how about you take a real break?" she proposed.

    "Actually, that''s something that I had on mind for a while," I admitted, looking towards the mansion''s exit.

    While getting out of the sect would be a road through hell after the incident at the arena, I still had quite a few things to do in town.

    Getting the next batch of the stones included so that we could keep our training rate going.

    "Then let''s meet once we are done with our respective tasks," Mia said, blessing me with a quick peck to my cheek before quickly running away to our private garden.

    With nothing better to do, I followed my words and moved out of the mansion. And just as expected, the second I stepped into the outside world, I could feel waves upon waves of scorn and ridicule wash at my face.

    "Look, it''s that shameless trash,'' someone whispered, actually trying to hide their voice from my ears.

    "I heard he didn''t even realize he was duped into taking responsibility for the punch that wasn''t his!" someone else imed, not bothering to hide their malicious intent and voice whatsoever.

    Thankfully, I long grew used to this kind of treatment. Ever before reincarnating to this world, I acquired the ability to allow all kinds of remarks like that to simply wash down my back, not even affecting my mood whatsoever.

    Still, being personally aware of just how misguided they gave me some degree of personal satisfaction, an unspoken vendetta that only I could enjoy for now.

    Thankfully, my new lodging wasn''t that far away from the boundary of the sect. As such, I only had to endure the scornful remarks for a short while before moving through the gate in the mountain and reaching the town.

    It was time to do some shopping and idea hunting!

    No matter what, I had to find a way to make more money. While I still had a sizeable fortune in my ount, given the rate at which both I and mia consume the spirit stones, it was only a matter of time before I would end up deprived of them.

    With only a week remaining before the true audition would begin, I couldn''t allow myself any ck, especially if it would be caused by ack of resources rather than my internal choice!

 Chapter 71 - Dinner With Terio

    I walked out of the sect. Every step I made was marked with insults.

    ''Those fellow disciples of mine are really vicious,'' I thought, smirking.

    While they hurled insult after insult at me, I allowed the warmth of my robe to gently coat my flesh.

    Because this wasn''t a simple robe.

    It looked just like the cloth that every other disciple in the sect wore. It had the same color, the same cut, the same length, and even the same decorations on its sleeves and belt.

    But it was a product of a level sixteen tailor rather than a mass-produced cloth. Instead of its only job being to shield one from nakedness, my robe was as good as a magical armor straight from some power fantasy novel.

    For every insult thrown my way, my smile would grow slightly bigger. Hearing those people fall right into my act while knowing the truth about the discrepancy between them and me was just too amusing.

    ''Wait, isn''t this exactly what I needed?'' I suddenly realized, shocked by the revtion, that I stopped in my tracks, just as I was about to enter the city proper.

    What was the purpose in looking for means of earning if I was parading all around the ce in it?

    Why was I so troubled with the matter of earning money... if I was literally lowkey flexing the prowess of my job? Getting insane perks of using overpowered crafts was one thing but wasn''t the primary reason behind having a job... to earn money?

    Yet, just as a tsunami of ideas started to overwhelm me, someone ced a hand on my shoulder.

    "Yo," Terio said, gracing me with a bright smile.

    Out of all the disciples in the entire Skdder sect, he was the only one who wasn''t in the know yet didn''t ridicule me.

    Our rtion was limited to just a single instance where he decided to be my senior brother. And despite my shameful disy a week ago, he didn''t distance himself away from me.

    "It''s nice to see you, senior brother," I replied, a small, gentle smile forming on my lips.

    There was something magical in a normal rtionship like that. Even though we didn''t know each other well enough to call him a friend, I was more than willing to ssify Terio as my pal.

    "Ready to fill your belly with something better than the tasteless grub we get at the sect?" Terio asked, smashing his palm at my back before getting on the move.

    "Sure thing!" I replied, pretending that his encouraging smack actually made me bend forward a little.

    For Terio, I was willing to happily y the role of the little brother, who was lost in the viciousness of the big sect.

    Before long, we were already seated in the garden of some kind of restaurant, a ce that my social anxiety would bar me from visiting myself.

    ''I guess I''m still the same man I was back on earth,'' I thought as we entered the ce, only to somehow end up at the fancy table betweenbs of flowers and an elegantly trimmed hedge.

    "Since it''s your first time in this ce, let me do the honors," Terio offered with a small smile.

    ''Right, for him, I likely don''t even understand the concept of local currency,'' I internally smiled, watching how he summoned a waiter with a wave of his hand.

    From the looks of things, just the fact that we were wearing robes was enough for the local service to be brought up a notch.

    "We would like two Perial wines, a chef''s special for dinner, and a second standard dessert for the finish," Terio made the order before shoving a golden coin into the waiter''s hand.

    It seemed that the culture of paying for the meal was different here than what I saw on earth.

    "So, how is the life in the sect?" Terio asked as soon as the waiter excused himself.

    "Bearable," I smiled lightly, perfectly ying into the role of a bullied disciple. "People might not be nice at all, but it''s something I already foresaw when I epted elder Vaner''s tutge," I replied.

    From what I learned over thest week, entering into an elder''s direct tutge was one of the greatest things that could happen to a random disciple.

    While it often meant involving oneself in the schemes of the sect''s inner circle way ahead of time, it also brought countless opportunities, especially to those who had no power backing them up. As such, it was an obvious move for me to me all the hate surrounding me on the jealousy of others.

    "Don''t let those idiots get in your head," Terio advised, only to stop his words when the waiter returned.

    The service was truly spotless, as before I could even notice, the waiter was long gone while the table was fully set with everything that Terio ordered.

    The delicate aroma of the wine struck my nostrils, proving that while earth knew how to distill heavy drinks, my original civilization knew dogshit about winemaking.

    But it was the dinner that was the true star of the outing. It was some kind of animal I didn''t recognize hardboiled in a basket of thinly-cut vegetables. All of it was soaked in a creamy mixture of self-sauce and sprinkled with a mixture of herbs.

    The one thing I couldpare this masterpiece of cooking on the table was the royal-roasted pig that only a few ces across the entire world dared to serve.

    "Dig in!" Terio encouraged me, quicklyying down a massive portion of the dinner on my te.? Only a long timeter, after I properly filled my belly with the meal, did he return to the topic from before.

    "Brother, I know that you might hate all of those idiots for how they treat you, but you must exercise an absolute restraint!" Terio advised before taking a sip of the wine.

    At first, I thought that washing down the taste of the meal with the wine was a sin. But when I took a sip myself, I realized that it wasn''t the case at all.

    The wine didn''t rece the taste of the meal but augmented it instead, adding its rosy, fruity taste to the rich and heavy experience of the meat.

    "Senior brother, I''m not paying any mind to all those insults and rumors," I ascertained my one pal in this world. "They are all barking right now because they are jealous of what I will be under Vaner''s guidance!" I announced, allowing a silver of my true pride to slip into my tone.

    "That''s exactly what you need to keep yourself from telling," Terio said and shook his head. "I''m sure you know it already, but a huge group of outsiders entered the sect this morning. They will pretend to be your fellow disciples, but the truth is, a single word from them and your future will be gone!" Terio warned me.

    "Rest assured, brother," I nodded my head, thanking for the advice, as hollow and actually false it was. "You are the only one who I can open myself to like that," I added, hoping to calm Terio down.

    I bore no will towards him. What he saw in me wasn''t the real Arthur, but Arthur''s shadow that I forced the entire sect to believe in. As such, his intentions were centered around the idea that I was weak. That''s why he likely believed that his words were true and was thus hoping to prevent me from doing something very bad.

    To be frank, this was the first moment when I regretted acting low-key. If not for the sake of Mia''s safety, I would likely just reveal the truth to this man.

    It would be stupid, but the kindness of a stranger appeared to be my weakness. Even with Mia by my side, just by being truly kind to me, people had an easy time making me like them.

    I could only assume it was a w of a character I earned from constant bullying on earth. It was something that I had to pay a lot of mind to fix in the future unless I wanted others to exploit me down the line!

    "I can see that this topic is getting you frustrated, elder brother," I said, raising my cup and taking another sip before moving on to the desert. This time, it took only a sh before I emptied out the te to Terio''s clear dissatisfaction.

    "Brother, you need to entertain yourself with this dessert!" he reminded me, conveniently ignoring my previous sentence.

    "I have sinned," I lowered my head in apology, only for a small smirk to appear on my lips. "In order to make amends, I will need to ask you a small favor, senior," I said before reaching for my sack and bringing it up.

    A single shake was all it took for the coins inside to give a characteristic noise.

    "I was granted certain allowance by my elder. He imed that with all the stress I''m going through right now, I should go and relieve myself," I lied with a straight face, feeling no remorse for using Terio in my ns.

    After all, it would be a night of bliss for him for the small price of guiding me to a certain, specific ce.

    "What is it?" Terio asked, clearly puzzled by my statement yet curious to see what I meant.

    "Brother, I need you to guide me to the most luxurious red-light house in the town!"

 Chapter 72 - Jennes Visitors

    Jenne''s mansion was restored to its usual glory on the same day when his rampage urred. As such, a week after that day, one couldn''t find a single hint of destruction, a single giveaway of what happened.

    In its most special ce, in the study to where only Jenne and his butler had ess, a group of people sat.

    Outside of the two hosts, there were three other people, all donning the luxurious clothes, only pretending to imitate the colors of the Skdder robes.

    "There is one guy I will need your help to deal with," Jenne said as he mmed down a cup with the medicinal brew. The drops that spilled directly on the floor could make any of the Skdder sect disciples go crazy.

    But Jenne''s friends didn''t even bat an eye to this nonchnt show of wealth and Jenne''s disregard for it.

    "To think that a day woulde when an Oloan young master would be troubled by some random disciple," the younger of the two male guests said, his fingers ying around with a vial containing a thick, green liquid. "Is he far stronger than you or something?" he asked.

    "Is he cute?" the massive girl asked, instantly causing Jenne, his butler, and the former speaker to look at her with strange expressions on their faces. Out of everyone, only the oldest of the guests remained silent.

    "He... Cough, he is," Jenne replied after a moment of hesitation, and even then, only after clearing his throat.

    "I''m in, then," the oversized female said, leaning back on the sofa, not minding the desperate creaking of its structure.

    ''This vicious whore...'' Jenne thought, rolling his eyes.

    If not for how desperate he was for the matter, he would never extend an invitation to this rowdy bunch. After all, to have failed disciples of Alchemy Sect and Dual Cultivation sect, not to speak about the mad disciple of the Religious sect...

    In a sense, by inviting them to his home, Jenne took a risk far greater than ever before.

    "Anyway, I can''t deal with him on my own, he is too crafty, and I draw too much attention to myself. But what I want the most from you," Jenne made a theatrical pause, "is to discredit his teacher''s reputation while on it," Jenne exined.

    "And what''s in it for us?" the failed alchemist asked, pretending for a moment to drop his vial, only to catch it right as it was about to shatter on the table. "I mean, this is your problem. We do not involve you with our struggles," he said, sending Jenne a vicious smirk.

    ''Because you do not have the minimal standing necessary to request Oloan n''s help,'' Jennemented in his heart, putting a kind smile on his face for others to see.

    "Obviously, I will be sure topensate you. The better job you will do, the greater my gratitude will be," Jenne said, clenching his hands.

    He already strained the funds of the n on his previous schemes. The truth was, he had no means of paying those ''friends'' of his for their favor. If they failed, he would have no other option but to ditch them and hope for the best.

    ''I need to get my hands on that damned girl first and send her off to the sect before I will be able to get back on my feet,'' Jenne thought, forcing his face to remain empty of his inner thoughts.

    "Then, before we agree to anything, exin one thing to me," the silent one of the three guests finally spoke up. He didn''t move a muscle ever since he appeared in the room, nearly turning into a statue seated in the mostfortable seat in the entire room.

    "What do you want to know?" Jenne asked, tightening his hands to the point the whites of his bones showed underneath his skin.

    Out of the three of his guests, he was disgusted by the fat girl, felt superior to the failed alchemist... but in regards to that religious freak, he could only feel fear.

    Despiteing from a lower sect than he did, his means and powers were just too unorthodox for Jenne to wrap his head around.

    It was a man too dangerous to associate with. And only Jenne''s desperate situation pushed him into making the call.

    "Why are you so desperate to do him in?" the man asked, raising his head a little. "You are the recruiter of the Oloan n; most of the elders of this punny sect would kill to gain your favor," he said, leaning his head to the side as a small, vicious smile appeared on his lips. "With all of that, you failed to do that poor fellow in. And now, you seek our help to do so," he added.

    But instead of asking the question right away, the man stood up from his chair and approached Jenne''s seat. He then mmed his hands at the armrests of the chair, locking Jenne in ce and staring down his eyes.

    "Why do you wish him harm?" he asked with an empty look on his face, staring down at Jenne''s soul.

    "It''s revenge," Jenne replied, revealing his genuine feelings. "I just want that son of a whore to die a dog''s death!"

    The cultivator of the religious sect smiled before standing up and moving away from Jenne''s seat.

    "That reason satisfies me," he said, turning his face towards his fellow cultivators. "What do you say, guys?" he asked.

    "He will be a fine subject to test my new concoctions on," the alchemy sect disciple said, his eyes spreading out with excitement.

    Back at the sect, he had to be extremely careful with picking his victims. But here? In this unknown sect? No one would dare to say a word even if he were to exterminate several viges in the wake of his scientific experiments!

    "I don''t care, as long as I will get a bite of him at the end," the female said, her lips twisting in an ugly smile. "After all, men have to be properly trained before they will learn to appreciate my beauty!"

 Chapter 73 - Visit To A Brothel

    The atmosphere between Terio and me turned slightly strange as we walked down the narrow alleys on the town. The worst part of the awkwardness that appeared the second I uttered my request managed to diffuse already, but it still wasn''t the samefortable one we had before I shot the proposition.

    "If Mia ever finds out about this..." Terio muttered, proving that he was aware of what was going between the girl and me.

    "You don''t need to worry about it. I will tell her about this myself... but at the right time," I instantly replied.

    My reasons for going to the brothel were way different than what I suggested to Terio... But I couldn''t fill him in the details. After all, the scheme brewing up in my mind was something that even Vaner was likely to scold me heavily for.

    Sadly, I was desperate. Desperate to earn money, recognition and backing. And with my skills and intentions, the brothel was simply the best ce to have a shot at.

    "Oh, give me a second," I asked suddenly, leaving Terio stranded in the middle of the street. With my poach in my hand, I ventured into a clothing shop I just happened to notice.

    A few momentster, I was back at Terio''s side, with my funds heavily strained for the sake of a small bag that I hung on my back.

    "Shall we go?" I asked, picking up the pace.

    Before long, the street turned red. Even though it was the middle of the day, the massive array ofnterns managed to throw a red shade at the passageway, instantly announcing the purpose of this location.

    "This is the ce," Terio said, his words followed by a deep sigh.

    "Young masters, wee to our humble abode," a young girl appeared the second Terio spoke up.

    It was clear that she was on the lookout for anyone even remotely interested in visiting the ce.

    ''What a supreme customer service,'' I thought with a sneer, obediently following the girl inside the building.

    The second we stepped through the doors, the atmosphere of the ce overwhelmed us in an instant. No matter where I looked, I could see beautiful girls in skimpy attires eyeing us out as if they were some kind of predators locking their sights on the prey.

    The air was heavy with the scent of perfume and human sweat.

    I pulled out a bunch of gold coins from my poach before passing them to the girl''s hand.

    "I would like you to organize a pleasant night for my friend here," I said, looking towards Terio.

    "Huh?" my senior brother only shrieked in surprise, clearly unprepared for my decisive actions.

    "Surely," the girl replied, a gentle smile appearing on her lips as she raised her hands and pped them twice.

    A group of flirtatious girls appeared out of nowhere, only to surround Terio and lead him away. I was left all alone with my young guide in less than a minute.

    "My request will be very specific and unusual," I announced, eyeing the guide''s outfit. From how revealing it was, it was clear that guiding the customers wasn''t the only thing she was expected of in this ce.

    "Young master, don''t worry," the girl said with a smile, lowering her head in a deep bow that allowed me to nce deeply into her modest cleavage.

    This ce seemed to prefer youthful girls over the overwhelmingly beautiful ones for the guides.

    "As long as you are willing to pay, our girls... and boys, will surely satisfy you," she exined, not showing any signs of hesitation.

    ''I guess this ce is known as the best brothel in the city for a reason,'' I thought, holding back a snicker.

    "That''s great," I nodded my head with gratitude. "For now, I need an empty, well-lit room with a huge bed or a huge table," I said. "Later on, I wish for a group of young girls toe so that I will be able to make my offer," I exined my request.

    "Your offer... sir?" the guide finally showed some signs of hesitation, clearly unsure how to understand my words. She even leaned her head over her shoulder and ced her forefingers on her lips in a cute expression of confusion.

    "As I said, my reason for visiting this ce... Is very specific," I said with a smile, treading ahead with my head raised high.

    To hell with social awkwardness! If I wanted my n to work, I couldn''t allow my shyness and introvertedness to reign over me now!

    "I have a lovely girl at home, who I have no intention of cheating on," I announced after letting the girl ponder over my wishes for a short while. "I came here not to y but to do business. If you are curious," I stopped for a second, only to send the guide a meaningful nce, "feel free toe. Also, fear not, I have no intention of embracing or even touching a single girl in this ce, " I added.

    For the second time, my guide was stumped by my words. I could guess that when she heard that I had a ''specific request,'' she imagined some kind of outrageous or strictly shameful y, something that a normal person wouldn''t dare to ask their girlfriend or wife for.

    But to openly im that I came here without the slightest intention of getting down to the business? Or rather, that I came here exactly to conduct business instead of ying around?

    "Sir..." the girl muttered, unsure how she should react to my wishes. "Your request is definitely unheard of," she admitted before releasing a sigh. Yet, before even a shred of doubt could appear in my heart, her face took a professional look once again as she raised her lovely, blue eyes at my face.

    "For thir... forty gold coins, I can arrange for everything young master requested," the girl said with a confident voice. "And... And I wille as well," she added, a slight blush appearing on her face.

    "Great, lead the way then," I was quick to respond, barely able to stop myughter.

    I was curious what face this girl would make once she learned my purpose ofing here!

    "Oh, right, before I forget," I added as I was about to start following the girl.

    "What is it, young master?" the girl asked in an obedient voice, clearly happy with themission she would make out of my request.

    For her, whether I came here to admire the paintings on the walls or fuck a bunch of girls didn''t matter. As a guide, she did her job as it was expected of her.

    "Once the girls will be about toe, it would be lovely if you could also call the person managing this ce."

 Chapter 74 - Crafting Lingerie

    "Young master, this is the room you asked for," the girl smiled, raising her delicate arm and pointing at the dark doors set in a dim corridor. By doing so, the cloth of her gown raised a little, revealing just a hint of her bosom.

    "Thank you," I curtly replied, pushing the doors open.

    Just like requested, there wasn''t a living soul in there. But the equipment inside was more than enough to make my heart race.

    From a massive bed that I could tell just howfortable it was simply by looking at it, through strange, restless chairs whose purpose I could only guess, through all kinds of other types of equipment that could serve only a single purpose...

    ''I gotta bring Mia here.'' A single thought appeared in my mind the second I immersed myself in the insides of the room.

    Making love in our own room was great... But just by looking at the things in the room, I could imagine all sorts of positions that would be otherwise inconceivable for us.

    At this moment, I realized why all sorts of weird rooms in love hotels of the east managed to get so popr. It was the sort of knowledge that I could attain only after casting my virginity aside.

    "Young master? Are you okay?" the guide asked, a hint of uneasiness appearing on her face.

    "Ah, sorry," I smiled in response, "I just allowed my imagination to run wild for a moment," I added, lowering my head in an apology.

    "I''m sorry to bring this up, but for such an... unorthodox requests that young master brought up..." the girl hesitated.

    "You would like to receive payment upfront, right?" I smiled, easily able to guess what troubled the girl''s head. Not caring the slightest for the money, I brought my pouch up and passed it to the girl. "I believe there is more than enough in there," I added.

    "Just a moment, sir," the girl quickly unveiled the small bag and took a look inside. In a sh, the look on her face changed from troubled to an uneasy one. "Young master, there is more..."

    "Just hold on to this for me," I said before the girl could finish her words. "I believe you will be returning this entire thing to me soon, so let''s not worry about the small details now," I added with a smile.

    "If the young master says so," the girl didn''t bother to argue. Nevertheless, all the hesitation disappeared from her face as she took a step back. "Young master, when would you like our girls to appear?" she asked instead, not bringing any other troubles to my head.

    "I think an hour will do," I replied. "Now, if you will excuse me..."

    "I will be on my way, then," the girl instantly caught the hint, taking another step to the back before closing the doors behind me.

    ''Finally free,'' I thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

    Putting up the brave front for so long really sapped my strength. But I didn''t really have any time to just rest.

    This was also the reason why I put myself on such a tight schedule.

    "Now, back to work," I muttered to encourage myself, mming the bag from my back on the bed before sitting down on it.

    Like I guessed before, it was the softest piece of furniture I experienced in either of my lives.

    "Status," I muttered, whipping my system out. But out of all six windows that appeared, I was interested in just a single one.

    Jobs Window

    ***

    Cook - Level 9 3/10

    Tailor - Level 16 7/17

    ***

    Seeing the high number on my Tailor job, a smile instantly appeared on my lips. With this level of this job, I managed to turn a simple robe into battlefield-worthy armor. Surely, I wouldn''t have many problems crafting some lingerie!

    Not daring to waste a single second more, I pulled out the materials I bought at the shop. There was some soft silk, a bit of in cloth, and even some high-ss, see-through material along with some thread and needles.

    I used the cheapest materials I bought for the first batch of underclothes. While having my tailoring job on the sixteen level made it nigh impossible for me to fail at sewing anything I could imagine, I didn''t dare to take any risk.

    Not when this small, little ploy of mine could be the baseline of my further growth.

    By the time I finally ran out of the in cloth, I had no other choice but to use three entire spirit stones to replenish my energy.

    But instead of despairing over the expenditure, I nced over at my job level that raised up by one. With this improvement and a batch of perfectly sown panties and bras sitting before me, I finally gained enough confidence to tackle the more expensive materials.

    I managed to make use of all of the prepared materials just in the nick of time. There were some in undergarments, a few erotic ones that either would fire men''s senses or simply pretend to cover anything at all.

    But in the drive of crafting, I allowed my imagination to take me up for a ride. As such, outside of the undies alone, I ended up with a batch of see-through nightgowns and even some cosy suits that one could only buy in erotic shops on earth!

    ''To think that one day I would craft clothes for others to fuck in,'' I thought, shaking my head over how weird my fate became.

    Thankfully, the girls arrived right in time to knock on the doors and prevent my mind from spiraling down a dangerous path.

    "Young master, may we enter?" a sweet, soft voice asked.

    "Sure,e inside," I invited them in.

    And then, the show started.

    From the very girl that guided me an hour ago, an entire harem of simr girls waltzed into the room.

    Even though all of them had roughly simr builds to my initial guide, there were some with more ample chests, some with short hair, some with...

    In a sense, I was offered a plethora of girls, all bearing simr traits in general, but all slightly different.

    Just as if someone guessed that the guide was a girl perfectly in my type and hoped to find a girl that would fit my tastes even better.

    In the entire group, only the one to enter at its very end was different.

    Instead of being in herte teens or early twenties, it was a mature woman roughly forty of age. What''s more, contrary to the revealing suits of the girls, she wore an elegant robe.

    Just a single look at her disposition seemed to scream that she was the boss of the ce.

    "It''s..." I attempted to say, only for the sound of someone''s hands sping to stop me from uttering a single word.

    In an instant, roughly half of the girls shook their shoulders, allowing their outfits to slide down their arms.

    ''Is this how being a harem owner feels like?'' I thought, overwhelmed by the amount of naked beauty that struck me right in the face.

    Even though I already had Mia both in my heart and in the wishfulness of my penis, I couldn''t help but admire the shapely curves of the bunch for a moment.

    "You are the manager of this ce, I assume, madam," I said, forcing my eyes towards the face of the older woman.

    "Indeed, I am," the woman replied, hiding a small smirk on her face behind a white fan.

    I didn''t need to know how to read her thoughts to understand what made herugh. For a young man like me to valiantly turn his eyes from the youthful beauty of her girls... It was both admirable and amusing.

    She then took a step forward... and all the girls followed suit. Before I could as much as blink, the girls surrounded me from all sides, catching my arms and pressing them against their naked bodies, massaging my back... the guide from before even kneeled between my legs, resting her chin directly on my crotch as she graced me with a yful smile!

    But just as her hands reached out for my robes, everyone suddenly froze.

    All it took was a short click that the boss made by snapping her fan closed.

    Left hand, because in her right hand, she held the undies that I did my best to craft.

    "Would you like to share with me what desire do you wish to fulfill in here?" she moved her eyes from the lingerie to my face and asked.

    "For now, those girls that were so quick to undress.... Would you care to let them try those on?" I asked, wrestling one of my arms free and pointing at the pile of undies on the table.

 Chapter 75 - Whats Your Deal?

    "That''s..." thepany girls hesitated. ncing down at the young guide locked between my thighs, I could see how reluctance mixed with excitement in her eyes.

    She clearly didn''t trust me or anything that I came up with. But on the other side, what kind of girl would tantly refuse a cute novelty like undies that this world has never seen?

    What kind of girl, especially in this line of work, wouldn''t be interested in something that could further augment her charms?

    I raised my eyes on the Madam of the ce. Ultimately, it was her decision, and everyone, both girls and me included, was aware of it.

    "Just do whatever you want," the woman said, looking away as she waved her hand.

    ''Stop pretending,'' I thought, noticing the sparks in her eyes. It was clear that she was just as interested in my wares as I was, and likely even more than the girls themselves. Even though she wouldn''t be the ones wearing the undies to the clients, as the owner of this business, she had to be aware of the impact this lingerie could cause.

    For the next few moments, I got to enjoy quite a show. Despite all the excitement, there was no chaos. The girls simply lined up and started to put the undergarments on one by one.

    This was the sight that only the lucky chads and normies on earth could experience, to watch the girl try out the underwear. Even for them, seeing a single girl do it would be the standard.

    And right now, I could pleasure my eyes with the sight of an entire flock of youthful, fresh girls, all excited over pulling the panties up and taking on the bras!

    Whenever I thought that everyst piece of cloth, now tightly pressing against their sweet spots, came from under my hands, I couldn''t help but feel even further wave of excitement course through my mind.

    The room quickly filled with cute squeals, excited shrieks, and satisfied giggles. Looking at the excited faces of the girls who tested their new looks against the mirrors, tried all kinds of poses, and judged thefort of my wares, I knew that I had hit the jackpot.

    Even if the Madam herself would decide against the n I came to here with, those girls would surely find their own way of contacting me!

    "Young man, I assume that the business you spoke about to the guide..." the Madam finally spoke out.

    "It''s exactly what you think," I replied, nodding my head with a smile.

    The momentary excitement caused by the overabundance of sexy bodies was now gone, reced by the happiness of a craftsman whose work was truly appreciated.

    "I''m willing to sell you those at a low price. What''s more, I''m willing to pass you the rights to craft those, as long as you sell them raw to anyone," I added, already setting the ground for the additional benefits that only a ce like this could introduce.

    The Madam looked me in the eyes for a while, a small smile creeping up on her lips.

    "From how you emphasized ''raw,'' what would be the fullypleted product? What kind of lingerie would we be allowed to sell?" she asked, quickly proving that she wasn''t the overseer of this business for nothing.

    In my eyes, rather than being an old, retired whore, she was just a crafty businesswoman capable of making the most of what life offered her.

    "All men are beasts; we are all perverts," I replied with a smile, crossing my arms behind my head. "Even as we speak, I''m already imagining my lover putting those on, only for me to tear them off herter," I added, not holding anything back.

    But this sentence held more than just a single message.

    "I understand," the old woman squinted her eyes. "From now on, no girl will touch you without your initiative. I''m sorry for the small test earlier," she added, lowering her head.

    "Madam!" the guide from before was the first to notice the exchange. She rushed to the side of the bed, falling down on her knees and striking the floor with her forehead. "Young Master, it was my fault. I was so ttered by your attention that..."

    "Silence, child," the woman raised her hand, rolling her eyes in dissatisfaction. She then turned her face back towards me. "Please, pay no mind to this unruly child.

    "No offense taken." I nodded my head to calm both the girls down. Given the ce I was in, I could understand a certain degree of actions like that.

    "Anyway, that lover of yours..." the Madam mentioned, squinting her eyes once again. "I assume she is the reason why you didn''t even bat an eye at the charms of my girls, isn''t she?" she asked, a small smile creeping up on her lips.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head. "But let''s not stray too far from the topic. Regarding your question, I don''t think you would believe me just how much some men will be willing to pay for... used pieces," I exined with a small chuckle.

    In a sense, this kind of fetish was something that developed only in modern times. But I was pretty certain that it had something to do with the fact that this kind of cute lingerie only appeared in said times, recing the unappealing underskirts and wraps.

    As such, in my personal opinion, all it would take for the trend to explode was some skillful teasing from those girls...

    And the men of this town would find themselves in the clutches of a massive fetish!

    "That seems... reasonable," the Madam smiled. But her face quickly turned back to a serious expression on which her eyes froze.

    ''And back to the business we go,'' I thought, noticing the change.

    "Before we make any sort of deal, what''s your point?" she asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

    Hearing the question, all the girls in the room froze only to prickle their ears. At this point, there was no hiding just how massive an impression my products made on them. And depending on my answer right now, they would either see the doors to this new world offort and sexiness open or definitively close right before their eyes!

    "What you really want to know is why I''m here," I said, a smirk surfacing on my lips. "So let me answer as honestly as I can without revealing too much. I''m just a nobody. On the other hand, you are behind one of the most respected ces in the town," I pointed out, shrugging my arms.

    "Cut the chase; I have no need for ttery," the Madam ordered with an icy-cold voice.

    I rolled my eyes. What was the point of all this coldness? Who said that conducting business had to be a serious matter? Wasn''t this ce the best example of a work that could be enjoyable?

    "As you can guess from my robes, I''m a disciple at the Skdder sect," I said, mentioning what was obvious. Yet, by openly admitting it, I was proving my sincerity.

    Even if only a small degree of it.

    "It would be a pain if the elders were to find me out as the creator of such... immoral clothes. If they did, I would surely be barred from the profits of this trade as well," I said, shaking my shoulders. "What''s more, there is hardly anyone better than You, Madam, to spread this product to other women, not only the girls that are under your care," I exined.

    Even if most women would scorn the idea of working at a red-light district, once their husbands and boyfriends would enter a new world of panty-fetish, they would surely be willing to go for the extra mile to not be left behind in the dust!

    And once the trend would gain some momentum, what was a better ce than a brother to promote this kind of hygienic underclothing?

    "To sum it up, you want us to make those... panties you called them? Make them popr, something that I no doubt will happen," the Madam said. "All the while, concealing your involvement in the entire business, am I right?" she asked.

    "Those are exactly the things that I care for the most," I confirmed Madam''s guess, nodding my head with satisfaction.

    It was nice to work with someone who had actual brains in their head instead of a cesspool of schemes and infighting.

    Who would''ve thought that I would find a respectable person in the brothel sooner than I could do so in the sect?

    "Okay then, what''s your deal?"

 Chapter 76 - Terms Of The Business

    "My demands are pretty simple and, in my opinion, fair," I smiled when the Madam finally moved on to the main point of the evening.

    "In total, there are three things I''m interested in. First is a supply of fancy materials that I can use to make the clothes," I said, pointing my hand at the few pieces that remained on the table.

    "That''s reasonable," the middle-aged woman nodded her head in response.

    In the end, what I was selling was my skill and the idea, not the finished product. Since there was a big chance of cooperation between the two of us, it wouldn''t be a problem for the brothel to organize the materials I needed for my work.

    In the end, they would be able to obtain them at a far lower price than an individual like me.

    What I didn''t mention, though, was how they could also earn a lot by specting on the prices of the silk and cloth.

    As soon as the underwear boom begins, the current supply of those products would turn out to be quite short whenpared to the increased demand. And ording to the simplestws of economic, it would only mean an increase in price in the cloth that was already on the market.

    If I were to min-max my situation and position, I could try to dabble in this trade as well... But there were too many drawbacks of doing so. From theck of storage, through the risk of being found out and questioned on my insider''s knowledge, all the way to the time that it would all require...

    No, this was the part of the business that I could freely leave for the brothel to manage... As long as they were smart enough to notice this opportunity!

    "Secondly, I need some girls to model for me and help with the designs," I said, bringing my hand up and raising two fingers as I said it. "You know, I cane up with all kinds of fancy ideas... But it won''t be men that will end up wearing them," I shook my shoulders.

    "That''s..." the Madam took a quick nce at the few pieces that were left on the table. Despite that, some of the girls still opted to wait for the already used pieces.

    That alone was the proof that not every design that I came up with turned out to be a sessful one. That was the very reason behind my second request, as I saw no need to waste my time and energy on the pieces that neither side would be interested in.

    "Is that all there is to it?" the Madam asked instead of giving a straight answer right away.

    ''Was it something on my face that gave that out?'' I thought, surprised that the woman managed to catch on.

    ''No, that''s not the case,'' I quickly fixed my opinion, noticing a small smirk on the Madam''s lips.

    "There is one additional reason for this request," I said, only to see how the smile on the Madam''s lips grew bigger.

    She likely assumed that I just wanted to have a free show of her girls parading naked and half-naked before me!

    But I wasn''t going to give her this satisfaction.

    "As you noticed, not all of my designs are well-received. And since I want to create several sets for my girlfriends, I will need the help of the girls to make sure that my woman will enjoy them," I exined.

    That was the true reason behind this request. If I wanted Mia to wear the panties I would craft, I had to make sure they were the best of the best!

    Just like one wouldn''t wrap the most expensive meat in toilet paper, I would allow Mia to wear anything lesser than the best lingerie there was!

    "I see..." Madammented, her smirk dying out, only to be reced by a genuine smile. "The more I talk with you, the more I''m getting jealous of that girl of yours," she added as she shook her head. "Anyway, what''s the third thing?"

    "How does a cut of thirty percent out of every sale of panties you will make sounds like?" I proposed. "I mean, cut from the profit, not the price you will p on the used panties and bras," I added to avoid the potential mimunication.

    "That''s a reasonable price," the Madam nodded, only for her smirk to return. "Still, as reasonable thest point is, the first two..." she mentioned, only to turn silent and tap her finger against her lips. "Are you sure you don''t want to just re at the fresh bodies of my girls?" she asked with a suggestive smile.

    In an instant, all the girls in the room started to wriggle, only to take on various poses.

    Some turned their backs to me before leaning down, others sat down and moved their legs apart, some others fell down on all fours and pretended to be some kind of canine.

    As much as I hated myself for looking at them, it was truly a feast to my eyes.

    "Even if you won''t admit it, at least one part of you is honest," the Madam pointed out at my crotch, only for a wave of chuckles to travel through the room as the rest of the girls noticed my hard-on.

    Even if I was focused on the deal, my body still did its own job, reacting to the feast of beauty right before it!

    "Do you really believe I would bothering here with such an borate proposition just to re at those lovely girls?" I asked, standing up and allowing my erection to present itself fully.

    Since those girls dared to trample on my pride like that, I had no qualms about making them hungry for more, only to leave them wet and stranded a momentter!

    After all, judging by the standards I knew from earthly porn, I lucked out quite a lot with this new body of mine!

    "Actually, let''s be honest," I said after noticing how all the eyes in the room moved to the stretched area of my robe. "If I came here with the horny intentions, I wouldn''t stop at just looking," I said, turning my face to the intoxicated eyes of the guide from before.

    Judging from how she couldn''t tear her eyes away from my erection, it appeared that my earlier guess and n were going pretty well.

    "They are too beautiful for one to keep on looking without trying to touch and ravage them," I added, looking down the girl''s eyes only to straighten my back and throw an annoyed nce at the Madam.

    "Okay, okay, I get it," the woman sighed in defeat before sping her hands.

    As if the magical spell broke down, the girls in the room came back to their senses, averting their eyes from my hard-on.

    "You can consider the pieces I brought today as a gift, but every next one I will send will cost you a gold coin. Is that all right with you?" I asked.

    "Didn''t you mention something about giving us the right to craft them on our own?" the Madam asked, proving that she wasn''t willing to cede any ground I had already offered her.

    "Surely, I''m not going to go back on my words like that," I said with a smile. "Get someone to make the lingerie for you and thenpare it to what I did. If you don''t like the deal, you will simply refuse my courier," I said with a confident smile.

    Sure thing, making lingerie like that wasn''t anything hard. Anyone capable of tailoring would find it to be a rtively easy task.

    But not a single soul in this town had the capabilities of the level seventeen tailor like me! Be it thefort, durability, or even the precision of sews, I was quite confident that there was no one who could make anything even remotelyparable!

    "Oh, on that note," I muttered as I approached the doors, "two more things. First, I hope you will take care of my friends, girls," I said with a smirk.

    "Sure thing," the guide from before replied without even waiting for the Madam''s approval.

    "And what''s the other thing?" the Madam asked after staring daggers at her enthusiastic girl.

    "If I recall correctly, I left quite a substantial sum in your care," I said, looking at the guide''s face. "Do you think I could get it back now?"

 Chapter 77 - Arthurs Gift

    "I didn''t expect this kind of benefit," I muttered to myself, walking out of the narrow alleyway that led to the red-light district. This was the only ce deserted enough in the entire town where I could open up my system without excessive worry of bumping into some strangers.

    And there was one part of my status that I couldn''t help but gawk at.

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Mana Condensation

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:192/200

    - Willpower: 163/200

    Mana Condensation 834/900

    {

    Mana Pool 300/300

    Mana Flow 275/300

    Mana Density 184/300(+75)

    }

    ***

    After roughly two hours spent at the brothel, my willpower and endurance skyrocketed to numbers I had never seen before.

    There was only one possible exnation behind this unexpected change.

    ''Could it be that holding one''s arousal back can help with improving those stats so much?'' I thought, pushing myself to turn the change into a formted thesis.

    If my guess was true, then I just found out an absolutely simplest yet most tragic way of increasing the pace of my growth.

    Assuming that my guess was true, just by asking Mia to arouse me in one way or another without actually fulfilling the lust, I could speed my growth up to an unimaginable degree. That, by itself, was the greatest benefit of visiting the brothel.

    The problem was, I didn''t need to try it out to know I had no heart to ask Mia for something like that. Ignoring the aspect of how I found out about this effect and all the questions that would surely follow, how could I ask Mia to suffer through unfulfilled horniness just for the sake of growing stronger?

    With those thoughts guing my mind, I returned to the mansion. Yet, instead of walking straight to the room where I could hope to find Mia, I directed my steps to another study that I asked Vaner to prepare for me a few days prior.

    It was a simple, dimly-lit room where I stored all my job-rted materials and worked hard to raise its levels. Given how previously I only cared about improving the level of the job, I never really cared for how the end-look of my products would be.

    But now, I could finally light up all the candles that I stored there before pulling out a spirit stone and sitting down to work.

    This time, my job was pretty simple. It was something that I did over and over again when testing the capability and means of my job.

    I sat down and started sewing pieces of expensive, light-blue cloth together.

    Most of the parts were prepared in advance. The color of the cloth was exactly the same as the robes that both Mia and I were currently wearing. I even made sure to secretly measure its size, all for the sake of constructing the perfect replica of the sect''s outfits.

    By the time the first candles started to go out, I finally ced my needle back on the table. Standing up, I stretched my back for a moment, feeling the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with me.

    ''Should I take another stone out?'' I asked myself, patting fingers against the bulky poach with the remaining few spirit stones.

    Ever since selling the fries recipe, I have been pretty liberal with the use of the stones. Their cost was simply too low for me to bother saving on them.

    But now, after just a week of extensively using them in my and Mia''s training, more than half of my assets were gone.

    I could easily reach the breakthrough point to the core establishment stage with the stones and money that I have left...

    But what I would do then?

    Come up with yet another crafty invention to obtain more funds? But was it really worth drawing even more attention to myself, even if it would be limited to Vaner''s perception?

    ''It''s too risky,'' I decided, raising my hand and moving it away from the pouch. ''I just need to cut back on using the stones for the convenience sake, and they shouldst for a little longer,'' I thought, grabbing the finished robe and finally returning to the room.

    With my tailor job breaking to level seventeen back in the brothel, I was finally confident with my work enough. Finally, I could give Mia a piece of protection that would more or less guarantee her safety.

    After all, there would be times when I would be away from her!

    "What is it?" Mia asked in a cold tone when Iid down the robe at her feet. Raising my eyes at her face, I could see that she was pretty unhappy about something.

    "Is something the case?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

    "You were supposed to go out for dinner with Terio, and you only returned now!" Mia eximed, taking on airs and rocking her head to the side, refusing to look at me.

    "Well, that''s true," I admitted without even a second of hesitation. "But the truth is, I was in the mansion since two hours ago or so," I added, trying to get Mia curious enough to make her forget about her anger.

    "Huh?" Mia turned her head back to look at my face.

    ''Mission sess,'' I thought, a small smile creeping up on my lips.

    "You see, this is the thing that I was working on for thest week," I said, raising the robe and presenting it to Mia''s hands.

    "What are you saying?" Mia shook her head after casting a quick look at the cloth. "Isn''t it the same thing I''m wearing right now? If you were looking for excuses, you should''ve tried a bit harder!" sheined, averting her eyes away.

    What I could easily notice, though, was that her movementscked the energy from before.

    "Just touch it, and you will see the difference," I suggested, shaking the robe to make its movements attract Mia''s attention.

    "If you are lying..." Mia turned her head back. But as I finally managed to take a closer look at her eyes, I realized that she wasn''t angry at all. Rather than that, there was a hint of sadness hidden deep in her pupils.

    "Huh?" she moaned in surprise the second she raised her hand and touched the cloth. "It''s different..." she muttered, snatching the robe from my hands as she stood up before bringing it to her cheek.

    "It''s so soft!" Mia eximed, rubbing her cheek against the material.

    "Try it on," I hurried the girl up, barely able to hold my excitement down.

    The fact that this thing wasfortable was the least important of its qualities. I simply couldn''t wait to flex the rest of them on the girl!

    Following my advice, Mia quickly threw her normal robe aside, appearing before me in just the crude undergarments of this world. Even though seeing her bare skin was still more than enough to get my blood pumping, right now, I couldn''t help but just think about how sexy she would look in the undies I wanted to prepare for her!

    Sadly, I still wasn''t ready for this. The designs that I presented in the brothel were something that the whores could wear, not this most precious girl in my world!

    For her, only the panties and bra of the best material, best craftsmanship, and best design could be worthy!

    "It''s reallyfortable," Mia muttered in awe, moving around in her new cloth as if to explore its capabilities.

    "Dear, forgive me what I''m about to do now," I said, knowing very well that actions spoke louder than words.

    I extensively tested the capabilities of this robe before. It was a product of even better quality than the one I was wearing. I consumed three times as many stones while crafting it as I did when crafting my own.

    In every possible regard, this was the most supreme product that ever came out of my hands.

    "Huh?" Mia looked up only to see me taking a battle stance. "Did I do something?" she asked, leaning her head to the side. Not a single hint of fear appeared on her face.

    I closed my eyes.

    "Not at all. I just want to..." I muttered, feeling the pain exploding in my soul.

    It was just a showcase, a way to exin to Mia in the simplest way possible what this robe was capable of.

    But to me, even the idea of striking the girl, this particr girl...

    "Here, feel free," Mia smiled gently, opening her arms up as she stood defenseless before me.

    Prying open my eyes and seeing the sight, I fell to my knees.

    Even though I only wanted to flex the potential of my gift, seeing her ept what had to look like a beating without a word ofint...

    I saw her ready to ept my fists. Whether it was supposed to be some sort of punishment or just a way of getting excited by beating someone, she was ready to ept it all with a loving smile.

    It hurt.

    It made me feel like half of my soul split away only to rot away in the mes of the deepest hell that existed.

    "Arthur, are you okay?" Mia asked, falling to her knees right beside me. Looking up at her face, I could see that the tingle of sadness from before now mixed with worry.

    I couldn''t stand this sight. Yet, as I lowered my eyes, I caught something with my eyes that finally gave me the idea for a way out of this small mess I caused myself.

    "Mia, dear, do you have a thread anywhere?" I asked, looking at the long sleeve hanging far below where Mia''s hand actually was.

 Chapter 78 - Showcase

    "Is this supposed to be some sort of... a y?" Mia asked, watching how I took the excessive part of her sleeve and bound it to a random pole with the thread.

    When Mia heard my request a moment ago, she blushed. Even though thoseplicated emotions still lingered deeply in her eyes, I could tell what kind of thoughts red up in her mind.

    It seemed that even if she was troubled by something, she was still far more than willing to let me engage in any kind of y that I would find exciting.

    Even if it went as far as to involve ropes and threads!

    But now, instead of being bound to the bed, instead of having her freedom or senses restrained, I simply bound a small part of her robe on a pole while making sure Mia''s hand could be a safe distance away.

    "Earlier on, I didn''t want to hit you for some random reason," I said when the corner of her sleeve was finally secured on the pole. "In fact, when I realized that in order to do what I wanted, I would have to actually hit you..." I muttered, only to shake my head and lower my eyes.

    Just thinking about doing something so outrageous was enough to make me feel nauseous.

    "So you wanted to hit me but didn''t want to hit me?" Mia asked, confused by my chaotic exnation.

    "I wanted to showcase what this robe is capable of, you dummy!" I eximed, grabbing Mia''s cheeks and resting my forehead against hers. I then stood in this position for a moment, using Mia''s closeness to calm myself down.

    "I still don''t understand," Mia whined, her eyes tearing up a little. But before proper tears could fall down her cheeks, a confident smile appeared on her face. "No, whatever you want to show, I''m ready to see," she said, gracing me with an affectionate smile of hers.

    Just like before, she simply decided not to doubt anything that I wanted to do.

    "God damn it!" I screamed out, throwing my arms around her sides only to hug Mia closely. "If you keep acting so precious, I won''t be able to handle it!" Iined in a trembling voice, only capable of keeping my sanity up by immersing myself in Mia''s flesh.

    Only by holding her close could I ward off the danger of experiencing her cuteness of preciousness up close.

    "I don''t understand what you mean at all," Mia chuckled, using her one free hand to return the hug.

    I had to hold Mia close for a few more moments before I managed to take hold of my sanity. But the first thing I did after moving away seemed to prove that point false.

    The thing I grabbed the second I moved away was a woodcutter ax. A handy piece of tool thatid in the far-off corner of our garden before.

    "Are you for real?" Mia asked, her eyes opening up wide when she realized what was likely my intention. "You just gave it to me; why do you want to cut it already!" she protested, pulling her hand away, unwilling to part ways with this gift of mine.

    "Don''t worry," I said lightly before dropping the ax at the piece of cloth I bound to the pole before Mia''s desperate attempt to save the robe would make the thread snap.

    Swinging the ax down, I used all the physical strength that I could muster.

    Normally, this attack would be more than enough o split even the chunkiest woodblock into halves. In fact, thest time I did so, I actually made it fall apart into several unshapely pieces rather than cutting it!

    ''Fuck!'' I thought when my arm exploded in pain.

    Instead of cutting through the robe, the heavy de of the ax simply bounced off it. My arm''s sudden change of momentum made its bones crack under pressure.

    If not for my rtively advanced cultivation, my bones would likely shatter at this point!

    "What?!" Mia shouted, unprepared for the sight, just as my fingers could no longer keep the handle of the tool, allowing it to fly up and away.

    "That''s what I wanted to show you," I muttered, bringing my arm down and holding it close to my chest.

    To be honest, I didn''t expect this show to have such a massive effect!

    Judging from the forces, the strength of the rebounded attack was even greater than the force of the initial strike. That meant, by hitting the robe, one was more likely to hurt himself rather than whoever wore it!

    "Are you okay?!" Mia shouted, moving her hands on my pained arm.

    All the thoughts about the robe vanished from her head when she saw that I was in pain.

    "Don''t worry, I''m okay," I quickly rushed to calm my dearest down. "I just didn''t expect it to be that potent," I added with a satisfied smile.

    What was a momentary pain whenpared to the presence of mind that Mia was now generally safe? That there was hardly anyone in the sect powerful enough to do her harm?

    "Now that you said it... Just what is this robe?" Mia asked, looking down at her raised left hand, bringing the part where the ax struck closer to her eyes.

    I could tell that there wasn''t even a single mark left of the cloth with a single nce.

    "It''s my gift for you," I replied, my soul finally mellowing down.

    Back when I was in the brothel, I was constantly worried about someone assaulting Mia in my absence. What''s more, I had to constantly keep myself on guard not to touch any other girl!

    Even when I returned, I couldn''t help but worry about theplex emotions that Mia hid from me in her eyes, emotions that I couldn''t exin.

    But now, staring at her awed eyes as she touched her own robe all over, I could finally feel at ease.

    For the first time since I started caring for her, I believed that she was truly safe.

    "Arthur..." Mia whispered, dropping the cloth of her robe and moving her eyes on my face. She then raised her hands and brought them to my cheeks, only to lean over and press her lips against my mouth.

    This wasn''t the lewd, wet kiss that we would share during our nights. It was her way of conveying her gratitude, her affection, and her trust alike. All of that with the soft lips of her apanied by the sweet air of her breath.

    "Now," she mused as she moved her head a little, "are you going to tell me where did you get your hands on it?"

 Chapter 79 - Just Dont Be Too Rash

    "Didn''t I say it already?" I asked as a proud smile appeared on my lips. There was hardly anything better than flexing to the girl I cared for! "I made it!" I announced, a warm feeling spreading through my chest.

    "It''s hard to believe..." Mia muttered, taking a step back and looking down at her robe. She then rocked her head up to cast a nce at my face, only for a blush to appear on her cheeks, making the girl avert her eyes.

    "I don''t want to say I don''t believe you..." she muttered before her face tensed up a bit, only for Mia to look me in the eyes with a refreshed energy. "But how can you exin its origin to others?" she asked.

    "Huh?" I shrugged at the question. "Why would I bother exining anything about this robe to anyone?" I asked, genuinely surprised. "I made it look exactly like the sect outfits for a reason!" I pointed out.

    "I mean, if you will have to use it for whatever reason, you will need a story for it, won''t you?" Mia''s face darkened a little as she looked down and tightened her hands into fists. "I don''t want someone else to learn how great you are. If they were to see what this robe is capable of..." she said and took a deep breath before raising her eyes at my face, "I''m sure they would do their utmost to enve you!"

    Mia''s eyes were filled with worry. While I didn''t like to see her like that, I would lie to im that having someone worry about me didn''t touch the deepest part of my soul.

    ''How long am I going to carry the burden of my past?'' I suddenly asked myself, realizing where this warm feeling wasing from.

    It wasn''t anything great to have others worry about me. I was aware of that much, as it was a pretty basic thing in human rtions.

    Still, after my experiences on earth, my soul was scared to the point where even those basic emotions had a massive effect on me.

    Sure, it felt great to have a girl I liked to worry about me, but it wasn''t a healthy feeling.

    "That''s the entire point behind making this robe just like the sect outfits," I finally answered after calming my mind for a little. "It''s to have this robe as nothing more but assurance, something I won''t make use of unless absolutely necessary," I exined.

    What Mia said was pretty on the point. If anyone were to learn that I could craft robes capable of withstanding the force of stage two and maybe even stage three cultivators, my life as I knew it in this world would be over.

    The mary potential behind someone capable of crafting robes like that was simply too massive for the major local forces to pass on.

    "If you are not going to use it, why bother making it in the first ce?" Mia smiled lightly as she leaned her head over her shoulder.

    A minor heart attack caused by her cutenesster, I released a deep sigh.

    "As I said, I don''t want to use it. I don''t want you to use it either," I said in a serious voice. "But if there wille a time when either of us will have no other choice but to use those robes..." I muttered, my voice turning guttural as I grabbed the cloth of my own robe and raised it to my eyes, "In that kind of scenario, the drawbacks of attracting attention would be the least of our problems, I believe."

    "And what if some elders will notice the difference?" Mia persisted on the topic, taking a step closer as she crossed her arms on her chest.

    "What, are you dissatisifed with my gift?" I asked. Even though my words could sound hostile, I uttered them while releasing a breath and letting my arms fall down along my sides.

    I wasn''t angry at Mia''s questioning. I could tell that it all came from her worry about the trouble that she could cause by wearing it.

    But against her persistent question, I was simply powerless.

    "You know that''s not what I mean," Mia pointed out while shaking her head and making her hair dance around her face.

    "It''s far morefortable than anything I wore in the past. Knowing how much effort you put to make it makes me all the happier to wear it..." Mia said, only to hesitate for a moment, swallow a mouthful of saliva and raise her eyes on my face. "But if wearing it would create some problems for you, I don''t want it," she said in a decisive voice.

    I looked up at her face again. This time, there wasn''t even a hint of a smile on it. Instead, her eyes were full of determination.

    "I have a way to exin the origin of this robe... It''s just, I''m not ready to reveal it yet," I uttered, giving up on the topic.

    If the worst came to worst, I could always im that it was something I bought from the brothel. The moment the Madam would make enough money out of my deal, she would happily vouch for my story and evene up with some additional tidbits about it.

    ''A strange hermit came to my ce and exchanged this robe for a night of pleasures with my best girls. He disappeared in the middle of the night, so I never got to ask about the robe. As such, I just gave it away without thinking much about it,'' I came up with a random story myself.

    Sadly, for something like this to work, I had to ensure that the brother''s Madam would be willing to cooperate with me. And only by bringing her sufficiently massive profits I could ascertain that.

    "Let me guess, you are going to throw money at the problem to make it disappear?" Mia asked, releasing a tired sigh.

    "You know me so well I''m starting to get worried about myself," I replied with a smile, unable to stop myself from this small, ironic remark.

    Thankfully, rather than taking it personally, Mia smiled as well.

    "What did you mean by not being ready yet, then?

    "Just what you said, throw money at the problem to make it go away," I echoed Mia''s words before shaking my head. "Sadly, we already used quite a lot of stones. At the current rate, I won''t have enough gold left to make it work," I said, musing over the problem while rubbing my chin with my hand.

    "I''m sorry," Mia quickly lowered her eyes as a guilty expression filled her face. "I used so many of them without even asking if you could afford..."

    "Don''t even dare to mention it!" I raised both my hand and my voice. Then I took a step forward and mmed my hand at Mia''s shoulder. "You are my everything. What I said wasn''t aimed at making you guilty. All the stones you used, I willingly gave to you. Do not ever forget that," I requested in a serious voice.

    Everything I did for Mia came from the urge of my heart. As such, I could never ept her taking responsibility for my currentlycking financial means.

    Especially given how I didn''t reallyck the money yet.

    I would run out of gold soon without changing our habits and usage of the stones... but I actually had yet to even get below five hundred gold coins!

    I was worried about the money not because Icked it right now, but because I could face the problem ofcking funds in the future...

    That is, assuming that my lingerie business would fall t. Yet, despite how certain I was that it wouldn''t be the case, it was still a possibility I had to prepare for.

    "Okay, I''m sorry," Mia muttered, her eyes widening in a surprise for a little, only to mellow down into a look of affection.

    Before I could react, Mia took a step forward and hid her face in my chest. I then felt her hands lock behind my back as she rubbed her cheek against my robe.

    "Just don''t do anything too rash," Mia whispered, persistently hiding her face away from my eyes.

    From how she tightened her hold over me, I could tell that she really meant what she had just requested.

    "Don''t worry," I muttered gently, rubbing my fingers against the scalp of her head.. "I won''t," I lied softly, breathing in her smell.

 Chapter 80 - Another Way To Make Money

    "Just how should I make more money?" I muttered to myself while walking through the greenery-filled streets of the sect.

    The initial drive that people had to bully me was already gone. Even though I could feel some people staring at my back and I could hear their whispers, the intensity of the targetting was now far smaller.

    That was the reason why I didn''t bother walking towards the town when all I wanted from my stroll was to clear my thoughts a little.

    ''No matter what I try, it shouldn''t reveal my ties to the brothel,'' I thought, making sure to mark that point deeply into my soul.

    Since I was now looking for a way to earn enough to cover the tracks of the origin of my robes, I had to be able to let others track this source of ie. That''s why, if it was made in any way or form connected to my brothel business, I would only risk exposing that side hustle to the others.

    "Maybe I should go for another food?" I thought, considering my options.

    While I didn''t track the progress of Vaner''s investment, I saw a lot of stalls with fries while I walked through the cityst time.

    But this situation only begged the question - if I came up with another idea for fast food, would it be a sess as well?

    Or maybe it would be a bane for the fries, cutting right into its market?

    ''But there is another problem,'' I quickly realized, the image of my status appearing in my mind.

    If I wanted to make money out of food, I would have to cook it first. And once the people would realize the difference between the cooking from under my hands and the same food made by someone else, wouldn''t that expose my cook''s job?

    Just like with the problem of robes that Mia pointed out, this could lead to some pretty unfavorable if not straight dangerous developments!

    "Damn, all this thinking is really cutting into my cultivation time," I muttered, tightening my fists.

    Right now, Mia was training hard to make the best use of the time that we had. The only reason why I could afford to aimlessly stroll through the sect was the fact that I was done with sewing for the foreseeable future.

    Outside of the robes, I had an entire set of boxing gloves, pants, panties, and several other pieces of clothing. With only three to four pairs of lingerie I crafted each day for the brothel, I finally found some spare time for myself.

    ''I guess I''m just not used to wasting time,'' I realized, stunned by this simple truth.

    Ever since I appeared in this world, I was struggling to squeeze everyst bit of every passing second.

    At first, it was all in order to keep Mia and me safe from Jenne''s schemes. Later on, I was desperate to grow my strength to stand on equal grounds with others who would like to scheme against me.

    But right now?

    What was my drive to grow stronger right now?

    ''Didn''t Vaner already say it?'' I said to myself as I found a small bench hidden between the massive hedge sprawling all over the bottomyer of the sect. Taking a seat, I released a deep sigh and raised my eyes to the sky. ''The second I reveal that I''m about to enter the core establishment stage, no sect would think about refusing me.''

    For a few more moments, I simply sat on the bench, allowing the calm winds to caress my face.

    It was a strange feeling to just sit and do nothing. But maybe this was exactly what I needed for my brain to start working on its full throttle again.

    ''Isn''t soap the simplest thing I could make?'' I suddenly realized.

    Soap. Something that everyone would use in the modern world, yet something that was extremely easy to procure.

    Even though I was no chemist nor did I have any interest in this field of science, making soap was one of the first experiments I did back in school.

    Yet, for how simple it could be to make soap... I already knew it wouldn''t sell well in this world.

    Not because the skdder sect was full of dirty pavement who cared not for the hygiene. The truth was the opposite of that.

    The soap wouldn''t sell well because locals already found a substitute for it.

    Back when I enjoyed my first bath with Mia, I couldn''t help but notice certain oil right within the reach of one''s arm. And just like I assumed back then, it was some kind of specific that made washing one''s skin easy.

    With the floral scent of the specific, I could guess that it was made from some kind of herbs and flowers, even if I had no idea what its real recipe was.

    ''But does that mean that making soap-like products would be a bad idea in general?'' I suddenly asked myself.

    If I could make soap with ease, wouldn''t that mean that I could obtain and level another job? And with that job in effect, what would happen if I tried to make some other, more specific product?

    ''In terms of what could sell...'' I thought, allowing my thoughts to roam free once again.

    A bird chirped in the distance to the tune of the wind. The leaves danced in the air as if they were fanning my face. A couple of long-haired female disciples walked on a nearby path,ughing and talking between each other.

    One of them ran her hand through her long hair.

    ''Isn''t it pretty obvious?''

    A smile crept up on my lips.

    There was one thing that women of any world would always pay with gold for. One thing that held value greater than anything else; cultivation included.

    One thing that led to the birth of gold-diggers.

    It was a beauty. Only beauty could easily force entire flocks of girls to give up on all their money without even a second of thought!

    ''Can''t I just make some shampoos for the hair of beautification cremes for the skin?'' I asked myself, my eyes widening up when I figured out the potential ramifications of this idea.

    I didn''t want to expose my deal with the brothel because it involved something of a morally dubious nature. But what if I used this connection to spread out... beautification products?

    Even though I couldn''te up with a proper recipe right away, wasn''t all of them ultimately offshoots of soap?

    In a cultivation world like the one I was in, there had to be a shitload of various herbs that I could mix with soap to add some desirable properties to it, couldn''t I?

    The moment I figured out what I should invest my time and money in, I didn''t dare to waste even a single more second of my time.

    A short walk to the cityter, my pouch thinned out by a few gold coins. In exchange, I held an average-sized bag on my back, filled with both animal and vegetable fats, various healing herbs, and a bunch of dry wood.

    Outside of the oil, the thing that cost me the most were the aromatic flowers, something that I actually didn''t expect to find in the market.

    But between making a great soap and a great but fragrant soap... the decision was pretty simple.

    With everything that I needed safely secured in the bag, I turned around to get back to the sect.

    "Hey, handsome!" someone shouted. Given my reputation, one that likely spilled over to the town''s rumors, I didn''t bother to even look around. "Hey, I''m talking to you!"

    Hearing how persistent the other party was, I released a deep sigh and turned around.

    ''I really don''t have time for your bullshit right now,'' I thought, looking up at the owner of the voice.

    My eyes widened a little, not from the surprise, but in order to allow the entire body of the voice''s owner to enter my brain.

    ''How is that possible?'' I thought, almost failing to stop my body from shivering.

    What I saw before my eyes was a monstrosity that even on earth would easily make all the way up to the national news. Just like in the jokes, her body reached the perfect form... At least, in terms of what a mathematician would consider a perfect shape.

    "Do... Do we know each other?" the monstrosity asked, taking a step forward.

    As if I suddenly moved over to a cheapic, the entire world around me appeared to shake a little. This kind of event was something I always categorized as literary or artistic fiction... But for some reason, seeing the fat monstrum before me, I was inclined to believe that her steps could cause the to tremor.

    "I''m sorry, but I''m sure I wouldn''t forget meeting anyone of that siz... that looks," I fixed my words, just in time to stop an insult against the body-positive movement from escaping my lips.

    Even though this wasn''t the earth, the fear of being canceled was still strong in my bones.

    "Come with me, handsome," the monstrosity smiled, making the ps of fat that only pretended to be its mouth wiggle. Just this small effort made her entire three foreheads ooze a tsunami of sweat.

    "I don''t think I will take you up on your offer," I replied, taking a few steps back.

    If I was excited to start my attempts at making soaps before, now I was simply eager to get away from this blob of a human.

    "You see, that wasn''t a question, sweetie," the female monster said, her eyes suddenly shing with color.

    For a second, I felt a wave of energy washing off my face... Only for this strange attack to disappear the second my robe fluttered a little.

    I squinted my eyes, recognizing what just happened as an outright attack.

    "Nor was you bing so fat that this word lost its normal meaning, but you did it anyway," I replied, turning around and walking away.

    Left behind, the female simply stood in ce, incapable of believing that someone dared to call her size out in her face. Her three foreheads started to sweat even harder than before as her eyes darkened in a fury.

    ''Earlier, it was just business,'' she thought, looking at Arthur''s back as he hurried away from her reach. ''Now, you made it fucking personal!''

 Chapter 81 - Between Working And Training

    My schedule was swamped. Between my daily duties of preparing food and training, there was hardly any time I could spend on things that others would misunderstand.

    From the very morning, I would be busy with enjoying the dawn of the new day with my girl, only to prepare dinner for us and go train next. When my hands would start to bleed from the constant strikes against the training pir, I would take some time to let them rest before moving on to clean the room and prepare the dinner.

    I only managed to find a short window of time to work on my new product far into the day, roughly an hour or two before thest meal of the day.

    "What are you making this time?" Mia asked, throwing a curious look at me in between smashing the pir.

    Neither of us cked in our training, even though its effects were quickly turning smaller and smaller. For that reason, Mia opted to train in a cloth resembling a crude night-cloth. After all, our garden was enclosed from the rest of the sect, so there was no point in sweating her precious robe in and out!

    On the other hand, this meant a great feast to my eyes, saving me from boredom as I patiently burned everyst piece of wood that I bought yesterday.

    "For now, it''s nothing more but trash. If my tests fail, that is," I said offhandedly, averting my eyes when Mia looked at my face.

    Even though we were fucking on a daily basis, for some reason, I still found it shameful to stare at her curves, perfectly visible under the wet, thin cloth she was covered with.

    "Come on, can''t you be any more specific?" Mia protested before throwing another punch. My eyes obediently followed the delicate motions of her body as her chest wobbled under the momentum of her move.

    Even though I could only see the general shape of her flesh, it was somehow even more enticing than seeing her in naked.

    ''Am I developing some kind of fetish?'' I thought, feeling a sense of terror washing over my soul. While I knew there was nothing wrong with developing some fetishes, was it the influence of the lingerie I was crafting?

    Did I immerse myself in that business so much it started to influence my mind?

    My body shook when this realization struck. But before this sense of fear could lodge itself into my soul, my attention was forced back to the task at hand.

    The wood has now all but turned into ash. And this ash was precisely thest ingredient I needed for my new invention.

    I stacked three sets of pots to the side, each filled with boiling liquid. Two of them were filled to the brim with herbs and fragrant flowers respectively and doused in a mix of vegetable oil and distilled water.

    In the third pot, there was just a massive amount of the fats, both vegetable and animal ones, that I bought the day before.

    ''I will need more water,'' I thought, grabbing the fourth empty pot and moving back to the room. Once I returned with a half-filled bucket, I added all the ashes that I could to the water before setting fire underneath.

    "My question is still standing," Miamented a few momentster, just as the water in the fourth pot started to boil. "She wiped her forehead clean with the back of her hand before resting her arms on her hips. "Are you going to spill the beans or not?" she asked.

    "You know I hate spoiling the fun!" I protested, sending the girl a slightly annoyed look. Even though I knew how hard it was to battle one''s curiosity, I didn''t want to let Mia''s hopes grow too much.

    After all, everything I was doing was just some amateur work. The chances of it all working out as nned were dim at most and minuscule at worst.

    "You are really turning into another Vaner here," Mia shook her head before turning herself back to the stone. She then took the position and sent another strike at the pir. "Keeping all the information to yourself even though I want to help," she exined her mind before focusing back on the training.

    "You are doing just fine by cultivating," I smiled to my own thoughts, stirring the mixture up only to stand up and take my own robe off. Given how warm the day was, there was no point in soaking it in my sweat. "We only have a few days left before the audition proper, so we need to make the most of that time," I said as I started my stretching routine.

    "Right, I just ran out of the stones," Mia suddenly mentioned, pointing at the empty holster attached to the inside of her palm.

    It was a small contraption I put together a long time ago when I first realized the most efficient way of using the stones. Instead of just grabbing them head-on, we would rub our thumb against them between every attack, allowing the flow of mana following the strike to help assimte the energy from the stone.

    "Here," I said, passing one of thest few stones that I had on myself. Before long, I would have to make a trip to the auction hall to exchange my money for some more of the stones.

    "Anyway, what you said about focusing on cultivation," Mia pointed out, stretching her shoulders to the back beforending another attack at the pir. She then leaned her head to the side and threw me a yful look. "Does this apply to you as well?"

    I opened my mouth, ready to utter some quirky response... But I ended up closing my lips instead.

    What Mia said was actually right on the money!

    What right did I have to stop her from helping me if I was spreading my wings so much? What was the point of confining her into the cage of cultivation and cultivation alone if I myself was doing all sorts of things?

    "Actually..." I muttered, still hesitant to admit the mistake.

    ''Wait, what am I even doing?'' I asked myself, realizing the process that went through my head right now. I was trying my best to figure out the way to reply to the girl, not for the sake of doing what was best, but for the sake of proving that I was right.

    Was I really someone who advocated for this kind of approach? How was it any different from all those unreasonable scenes of people pushing their weight around to bully others? Weren''t I the victim of such behaviors throughout my days back on earth?

    "Actually, you are right," I said, nodding my head to the girl in defeat. "I was wrong to keep everything away from you," I said in apology.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged in surprise, clearly not expecting this kind of development. She even broke her stance and wiped the sweat from her eyes as if to make sure if she was actually awake or not.

    "I won''t tell you what I''m doing yet, I don''t want to spoil the surprise," I said, raising my hand, "but once you are done with your turn of training, I need you to kill the fire under the ash pot and maintain the shimmer on the other pots," I exined the next steps of the process.

    "Is that all?" Mia asked, a look of disbelief appearing on her face. Even though I couldn''t read her mind, her face screamed ''what for?''.

    "Oh, once the water in the ashpot cools down, find something to carefully scoop it out. You need to make sure not even the tiniest bit of ash will get to the clean pot!"

    "And what then?" Mia asked, still not fully convinced about my intentions.

    ''Well, it''s the first time I''m leaving her to do my job... It''s only natural for her to be confused,'' I thought, a small smile creeping up on my lips.

    No matter what Mia did, I found it adorable. Be it her training, be it her eating, even her breathing... But now that she stood with a confused look on her face, clearly unsure what to think about what I said...

    Once again, my hand went up to clutch at my heart.

    "Once we will have that water ready, we will start mixing everything up!"

 Chapter 82 - Mia Finds Out

    I stood in front of the training pir. The warm winds of the afternoon dried off the sweat from my head and chest. But instead of just hitting the stone, I simply stood in ce, gathering all the focus I could.

    After five more days of diligently training, I was just a single step away from maxing out my mana flow. Just two points and this second of the three statistics of my current level would be maxed out.

    But as great as it appeared to be on the surface, my mana condensation stillgged behind by quite a bit.

    ''Now!''

    It felt like lightning striking my body. Upon reaching the perfect position, perfect breath, perfect flow of mana inside my flesh, my body snapped, sending my right fist forward.

    Tic.

    The moment my first struck the pir, the familiar sensation coursed through my flesh. But instead of checking my status to see whether my mana condensation improved as well, I pulled back to the preparatory stance and took a deep breath.

    The times when I could just smash away without a care in the world were now over. I had to focus on the stance before hitting... but the stance and calm after hitting as well.

    Whether I had to do it or not... I actually had no clue. It was just another guess of mine, something that I figured out to be the most sensible way of improving my focus, of improving my chances at farming up my mana condensation points.

    Once my adrenaline settled down, I brushed my finger against the spirit stone held in the small holster in my left palm. I allowed the fresh energy to loosely assimte into my system for a moment before starting to focus myself on the pir once again.

    Bit by bit, my body grew colder, preparing for the impact. And just as I was about to strike again...

    "ARTHUR!" Vaner shouted, pushing the doors to the garden open.

    ''NOW!'' I thought, forcing the attack to go through even without the total concentration.

    In a sense, this attack was better than what most of the cultivators at the sect could ever dream of executing. Yet, for me, it wasn''t enough.

    I could feel the mana that I just absorbed from the stone going awry inside me, contributing far less to my growth than I hoped it would.

    ''What a waste,'' I thought, feeling how my body warmth increased a little. It was the sign of the mana failing to fully absorb. Just like with electricity, once there was resistance, the energy would be lost through heat.

    "Elder," I turned around and bowed while sping my hands, hiding the ugly expression that made its way on my face.

    ''You couldn''t wait for me to strike the stone...'' I thought with grief, killing all hints of it from my face before raising my head up.

    Vaner stood right at the entrance of the garden. He had a strange look on his face and held a simple, white letter in his right hand.

    "Arthur..." Vaner lowered his eyes the moment he noticed my tense expression. "It''s hard for me to say it... But I know where this letter came from," he added with a deep sigh, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

    ''Letter?'' I thought, caught by surprise. ''But I don''t have any correspondence with others?''

    For a moment, I scurried my mind to figure out what could be the origin of this letter... But no matter how hard I tried, the answer turned out to be too elusive for me to find it out.

    And then the realization struck me.

    Because there was only one ce that I actually had some ties with. Only one ce located outside the sect which would force this form of contact.

    ''I forgot to give them my ount at the auction house,'' I realized, my eyes inevitably widening as the realization exploded in my mind.

    Since the girls at the brothel didn''t have any means of transfering my share of the money, they could only send it with a letter!

    "This is not what you think..." I muttered, only to bite my tongue a second toote.

    This kind of excuse was as good as pleading guilty at the court.

    "What is not what he thinks?" Mia appeared from behind Vaner''s back. A towel over her shoulders, proving that she just got out of the bath.

    For a moment, I wanted to bash Vaner for intruding on our room while she was bathing. But the look of genuine curiosity in Mia''s eyes...

    Right now, I was in too much trouble to change the topic just like that, no matter how much I wished to do so.

    "Mia, dear..." Vaner shook his head, pulling the lid of the letter open and showing a cheque valued at nearly three hundred gold coins.

    ''At least the investment is going nicely,'' I thought, unable to hold back the corner of my lips from raising a little.

    "It pains me to say this, but your boyfriend just received a huge cash cheque from a brothel," Vaner said, a hint of a smirk appearing underneath his fakely concerned expression.

    ''This bastard...'' I thought, tightening my fists. Knowing him, this fucker was already fully aware of my deal with Madam of the brothel, yet he still presented the situation in such a misguiding way...

    Was this his way of taking revenge for excluding him out of this business of mine?

    "My b-b-boyfriend?" Mia stuttered, a blush appearing on her face. But this cute expressionsted only for a short second before her face turned white in shock. "Wait, what? He received the cash?!" she screamed out, the chaotic movement of her eyes showcasing how confused she was.

    ''Well, one could expect the transaction to go the other way in situations like that,'' I thought, raising my head in hopes of exining the situation before it could turn any worse.

    "This is my fault..." Mia lowered her eyes as she eximed. She then grabbed her own shoulders and squatted down, her body trembling as various emotions coursed through her mind. "If I didn''t press you to find the cash to cover the tracks of the robe, you wouldn''t have to sell yourself like that!" she eximed, proving just how far this misunderstanding went.

    "Huh?" Vaner''s eyes widened when Mia identally revealed something that I wished to keep hidden from the elder.

    Vaner was my greatest support in this world... but he was still a man with his own agenda and objectives. The more of my uniqueness was revealed to him, the less trust I could have in his support.

    Reaching the mana condensation stage in just two weeks was an achievement great enough to stun the others. Add my unique food ideas, now the lingerie business in a brothel and even the matter of the robes, and my uniqueness was reaching levels that would make even Vaner suspicious.

    It was one of the reasons why I already decided not to reveal that I was about to reach the limits of the mana condensation stage and appear at the doorstep of the core establishment level!

    "It''s not like that at all," I shook my head as I released a deep sigh.

    Truth be told, I still wasn''t satisfied with the quality of the panties I was making over thest five nights. But in the current situation, I had no other choice but to reveal what was really going on.

    Or rather, while I could keep silent about my side hustle, I dared not to even imagine what kind of effect would that have on my rtionship with Mia!

    "Now you made me curious," Vaner suddenly said. Even before he could borate, I already knew what he would be all about. "What is this robe that Mia mentioned?" he asked.

    "Huh?" Mia brought her head up, her tears-covered eyes opening wide as she realized her own fault. "I mean..." she put a smile on her face that was so fake, I barely managed to hold back a chuckle. Her desperation to fix her mistake was just too adorable!

    "I will exin soon, Elder," I bowed my head to Vaner before moving forward and kneeling in front of Mia. "You don''t need to worry. This situation only appears to be bad, I promise," I said, wiping the tears out of her lovely face with my thumb.

    "How else could you get money from a damned brothel!" Mia refused to ept my plea for more time, smacking my chest with her fists instead.

    "I will exin it to you... Or rather, it will be better to just show it," I said, standing up and helping Mia up as well. But instead of instantly moving outside, I walked to the corner of the garden where the soaps from before were cooling down.

    Given how I used the hot-soaping method to obtain them, letting them cool for several days was a bit excessive... But given how oily, only half-solid they came out, I was grasping at straws.

    Yet, the second my hand touched the handle of the box with the soaps, a familiar feeling coursed through my mind.

    Titititic!

    Just like before, I didn''t do anything to warrant an increase in my status. Which meant I just received a new damned job! And from how this feeling notification appeared to repeat itself a few times in a row...

    Was it possible that I gained several levels of that new job at once?

    Sadly, there was no time for me to check it out right now.

    "Is this what we have been working on for thest few days?" Mia asked, staring at how I lifted up the chunky box.

    "Yeah, now that you are on me already, I can tell what it is," I said.

    "Some kind of alchemy concoction?" Vaner asked, trying his best at guessing the content of the box.

    "Not really. It''s a beautification creme," I replied, passing the two of them as I headed for the exit of the mansion.

    "Huh?" Mia moaned in shock, freezing in ce for a second before rushing after me. "Did I hear you right? A beautification creme? Something like that?!" she almost screamed out, making the few servants of the mansion throw us some weird looks.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head. "But that''s exactly what I spoke five days ago. Don''t get your hopes up too much," I muttered, kicking the doors of the mansion open.

    The wave of fresh air sted right into my face, filling my nostrils with the scent of freshness.

    Given how I have yet to change after training, I was about to walk through the sect half-naked.

    Still, it was better than constantly reminding Vaner about the matter with the robes!

    And in my situation, was there anything that could make amon opinion on me even worse?

 Chapter 83 - Scourge Of The World

    Originator sat down in his usual spot, watching over the passage of people on the street below.

    Life was going as usual. People were going in and out of their work. Workers busied around the market district of the town while some second-generation rich folk continued toze around in the nice weather.

    ''Who should I rob today,'' Originator thought, scanning the street with his keen eyes.

    It wasn''t his first day in this line of work, nor would it be hisst. And thanks to the years worth of experience, he quickly found out his new target.

    ''A group of two... three? Are those the Skdder sect robes?'' he thought, locking his eyes on his prey.

    Seeing them wear the robes of the local sect was a good sign. ''Those people are so full of themselves, they won''t be able to do anything once I rob them!'' he thought.

    But while the robes alone were a sign that they had some wealth to them, it was another detail that caught Originator''s eyes.

    The younger of the two men in the group was carrying a huge box in his hands. From how much care he paid to keep it in the best shape possible, it was clear that there was something valuable inside.

    Originator cared not for all the efforts Arthur had to put to make the box worth of soap. He didn''t care for all the sacrifices, all the costs and all the care Arthur put into creating his masterpiece.

    All he cared about was getting richer off the back of someone else.

    ''Well, let''s not waste any time then!'' Originator thought, his lips twisting in a devious smile.

    He jumped down from the corner of the roof to the balcony, from the balcony to a roof of a nearby stall, and from there directly to the streets. Just by waving his hand at several of his coworkers, he quickly amassed a force capable of tackling even the cultivators of the sect.

    Obviously, he wasn''t going to fight them head-on. He had no means or wits to do so. And why would he bother fighting with the owner of what he already considered his own property... if he could just shamelessly snatch it away?

    "Guys, go!" he ordered them by showing them a thumb''s up.

    For a few more seconds, seemingly nothing happened. And then, some of his men stumbled into the people walking right beside the group of cultivators, pushing the innocent victims right in their path.

    Once the first bit of chaos appeared, the second wave of Originator''s men rushed in, stumbling directly into the cultivators. Now that the chaos was there, they could pretend to be the unlucky passersby who didn''t react to the sudden problem in time.

    And in the midsts of all this chaos, Originator simply walked in, squeezed between the mess of a people. His eyes were trained on his target.

    With so many people pressing on them, the cultivators lost their bnce and focus. And right when the eyes of the younger of the men moved away from the box, Originator rushed forward and snatched it directly from his hands before hurrying away!

    ''Serves you right, you idiot!'' he thought, disappearing into one of the many dark alleys of the town.

    ''You won''t get any poorer, while I will get to enjoy this for free!'' Originator rejoiced in his head, ignoring all the real consequences of his actions.

    For him, stealing was just the most natural thing in the world. After all, he was entitled to all the wealth heid his eyes on in this world, and anyone who would argue about his morals would be simply misguided or stupid!

    Only after escaping for a considerable distance did Originator bother to push the lid of the box open. And the second he did, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

    The fragrance of the semi-solid soaps instantly filled his nostrils. But outside of that... There was nothing of value inside!

    "What the hell is this?" he muttered, dipping his finger into the strange, fragrant mass before putting it in his mouth. With hisck of knowledge only rivaling hisck of morals, this was the only way for him to judge the worth of this strange mass.

    "Your undoing," a voice suddenly appeared.

    ***

    "Your undoing," I said, unable to stop myself from adding the vicious tone to my words.

    Looking down at the ugly face of this damned thief, I couldn''t really tell how I wished to dispose of him.

    Boil him out alive? Find his family and make them watch as he eats his own intestines?

    But there was one thing that was boiling inside me already. And it was my rage.

    Back on earth, I was used to pirates stealing my stuff and then pretending to be heroes of justice, spreading the content I created all over the world.

    And right now, I looked at the terrified face of someone on the same level. Disgusting trash, doing his utmost to enjoy the fruits of thebor of others without a care in the world for its original owner.

    In other words, trash which could help society only by using a rope to stop wasting the oxygen of those who were actually productive. A parasite unworthy to be called a human.

    "What''s your name, you son of a whore?" I asked, making sure to immobilize this piece of garbage with my aura.

    For the first time since I descended upon this world, diligently cultviating proved to be so useful.

    "I... I''m Originator..." the trash replied, trembling in the face of the wrath of someone whom he attempted to steal from.

    ''Oh, just how I wish I got to have a cathartic meeting like that with the pirates back on earth,'' I thought,menting over the difference in the situation.

    Back then, I was powerless to fight it. For every pirate I would root out, a dozen new would appear. That was just how strong the feeling of entitlement was in them.

    But now, I finally could go back at someone just like them.

    "Then, I hope you are ready for the consequences," I said, taking a step forward and grabbing that garbage''s hair only to lift him up.

    "Do you really want to waste your time on dogs like him?" Vaner appeared behind my back.

    Given his level of cultivation, it was no wonder he could easily keep up with my steps.

    "If we don''t set an example, others will believe they can just do whatever they want," I muttered in response.

    For the first time in my life, I was able to retaliate about the situation I hated the most in my life after the prevalent racism of the post third war earth.

    And I wasn''t going to let this chance go.

    "I will carry the box," Mia appeared behind the two of us. From the looks of things, she was there far sooner, just decided to hold herself back and watch how the situation would develop from the shadows.

    "Thanks," I replied, pulling on the Originator''s hair as I moved through the alley towards the brothel.

    "STOP!" the bouncers at the doors were quite quick to stop me before the doors. Yet, the moment my face came to light, their expressions quickly changed. "Young master...? they were quick to change their attitude.

    It seemed that my fame in this ce preceded me a bit.

    "This is a cowardly thief who attempted to take my property," I said, throwing the tarnished body of the thieving scum under their feet. "Knowing what ce is this... Could you bring forth a group of fattest and ugliest men you can find and make them rape him in every orifice he has?" I asked, despite knowing how much I risked here.

    What I risked was Mia''s opinion. What I risked was the rtion I had with the brothel. After all, they would likely change how they think about me once they saw how vicious I could be.

    But this was my baseline. The one thing that I wasn''t willing to ept at any terms.

    One state of mind that I was set of culling from the world, even if it would cost me everything in return.

    "Will do, boss," the bodyguards smiled as they replied.

    From the looks of things, the only thing out of the ordinary here was just how enraged I was about the situation.

    After all, this world wasn''t earth. Back there, pirates would do whatever they wanted because there were no consequences to their parasitic behavior.

    Thankfully, that was no longer the case for me.

    Watching how the guards dragged Originator''s soon-to-be-defiled body away, I felt a sense of satisfaction spreading through my soul.

    Even if it was only the first step to my redemption, I was happy to take it. Because thievery was one of the things that I hated the most.

    And even if there were no pirates in this world, in thieves were the closest one could be to them. As such, they were the best target for me to unleash my vengeance on.

    I breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling how my entire body rxed a bit. Only then did I turn to the back to look at the weird looks at Vaner''s and Mia''s faces.

    They didn''t appear to me me for what I did... But more likely, they were curious about my rtionship with this ce that made it so easy for me to ask its bouncers for help!

    "Sorry for the dy, guys," I said, nodding my head in a small apology.. "I just had to get it out of my system," I added with a small wink directed towards the fourth dimension of this story which I just broke. "Anyway, how about we go in so that I can finally exin everything?"

 Chapter 84 - Mias Suspicions

    I swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

    The destination of our short trip turned out to be obvious when I asked the brothel''s guards to deal with the thief. Still, approaching the building and actually moving towards its doors caused magnitudes of difference in terms of pressure.

    I stood right on the doorstep and ced my hand on the doors. Even though I looked ahead, I could feel Mia''s eyes drilling holes in my back.

    ''There is no turning back now,'' I thought, swallowing a gulp of saliva and pushing the doors open.

    In an instant, the dim atmosphere of the street was reced by the bright light of the brothel''s main hall. The everpresent red candles gave off a red hue, clearlymunicating the purpose of this ce, even better than a horde of half-naked girls roaming the ce and humoring the guests.

    "Oh, it''s the young master!" an attendant appeared before my group in a second, only to raise her hand to her lips as she shouted. "Wee, wee, please,e inside," she smiled, bowing lightly and showing the way with her hand.

    The second my title was shouted, everyone''s attention fell on my group. But instead of the predatory looks of the girls looking at their gold-bearing prey, we were received with warm smiles of appreciation.

    "It seems that you are well known here," Mia muttered, her mood quickly sinking to the abyss. Even though this fact was pretty clear from the moment I received money from this ce, knowing about it and experiencing it first hand had a massively different impact on the girl.

    "Come,e," the guide was melting in smiles as she led us deeper into the ce.

    "So that''s why he never touched us..." some girl whispered as she looked at Mia.

    "It all makes sense now," another girlmented as we passed by her.

    Despite being in the spotlight of everyone''s attention, no girl dared to approach my group carelessly.

    "Arthur... Dare to exin?" Mia requested in a low voice, clearly unsatisfied with the experience so far.

    ''Can''t you fucking hurry up?'' I moaned in my thoughts, throwing a slightly panicked look at the naked back of the guide girl.

    "Just wait a little longer. You will soon understand," I said instead, trying to ignore the pain clearly visible on Mia''s face.

    It wasn''t anger, nor was it sadness that shone on her light. It was nearly a physical pain caused by how well-known I was in this ce.

    Even though I couldn''t bear to look at this pained expression of Mia, I knew that attempting to exin it all right now would be simply pointless.

    "It is just like you heard," I said, trying to calm Mia''s senses for the time being. "I never touched even a single girl in this ce," I informed without turning around to face the girl.

    Right now, I couldn''t find the courage to even nce at Mia''s expression.

    "If it isn''t the young master," the Madam finally showed up, right as we reached the doorstep to the room I was pretty familiar with. In a sense, from a fuck-cabin, it turned into my private workshop over thest few days. "It''s a pleasure to meet you again," she said before moving her eyes over at the rest of mypanions.

    A small smirk appeared on Madam''s lips.

    "Judging by the looks on the faces of yourpanions, I believe you were found out?" she asked to rify the situation.

    "I believe that''s exactly what you expected when you sent me that money," I grumbled in reply, unwilling to hide the annoyance this caused me.

    Even though I worked hard on the lingerie, I still have yet to craft something I would be satisfied to gift to Mia. It was because of this woman''s actions that I was now forced to reveal my hidden business ahead of schedule!

    ''But is it really that bad?'' I suddenly thought, just as my fist tightened due to my anger. ''It''s not like I could keep all of this hidden for much longer; the real audition starts in two days after all,'' I thought, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.

    "That wasn''t my intention," Madam lowered her head in apology. "But from the restless look on your woman''s face, I assume they have yet to understand the situation," she added with a small smile.

    "That''s right," I sighed. "Can you stop stalling and lead us inside already?" I requested, feeling the changes to Mia''s aura behind my back.

    By now, she should understand that the situation wasn''t really what she likely assumed it to be... But for every second of uncertainty, every moment that the exnation was withheld from her, her anxiety only continued to grow.

    "Right away," Madam sped her hands together before looking towards the doors. "For now, I would like you to make yourselffortable inside. Should we use the standard collection or...?" the Madam asked as she pushed the doors open for us herself.

    "Bring out my personal one," I replied with a shake of my head.

    If I was going to reveal what I was doing here to Mia, I could as well reveal everything.

    "Just make sure not to include my core products," I added as I stepped into the room. ''Those are for Mia''s exclusive use, after all,'' I added in my thoughts.

    "Can you finally exin what the hell is going on?" Mia asked in a stern voice... But from how it trembled, I could tell that she was simply putting on an act.

    "For now, let''s sit," I shook my head as I grabbed Mia''s hand and led her towards the bed. "You can find somece to sit at. I don''t give two fucks whether you can do it or not," I spat out in Vaner''s direction.

    This situation was all his fault. If he didn''t call Mia out to call me out on this letter, I would be able to exin everything to her on my own terms.

    IT was Vaner who was responsible for all the negative emotions that dared to sully Mia''s soul.

    "Why so negative..." Vaner muttered but didn''tment any further.

    As we sat down, I made sure to position myself close to Mia''s side... But the second she noticed my attempts, the girl was quick to slide herself away from me.

    Noticing her intention, I could only stop my attempts. As much as it pained me, I wasn''t going to be forceful with her by any means.

    "The girls will arrive shortly," Madam said as she returned to the room. Then, she finally cast a curious nce over at the box I brought with me.

    "This is something I will talk aboutter," I said, noticing the woman''s intention. "For now, I want to clear the misunderstanding with my love," I said, nodding my head in Mia''s direction.

    "It will be my pleasure to once again talk business with you," the Madam bowed before sending a nce over towards the corridor. From the satisfied look that emerged on her face, her entourage was likely on its way.

    "Arthur..." Vaner muttered from his position by the wall. Just as expected, he didn''t find a single free seat in the entire room, opting to rest his back against the wall instead. "Just what were you doing behind my back?" he asked.

    Well, given how Madam just said how eager she was to do ANOTHER business with me, it was clear that there was something going on between us already.

    Thankfully, there was no time to talk over this topic as the girls started to enter the room.

    "Let me introduce our esteemed guests to Arthur''s lingerie collection!" the woman announced before waving her hand and allowing the first of her models toe inside.

 Chapter 85 - Jawdropping Presentation

    When the show started, both Mia and Vaner couldn''t stop their jaws from dropping. But the reasons for this kind of behavior were starkly different.

    What Vaner saw was a long string of young girls in their prime, walking into the room without even a hint of shame while only dressed in some kind of funny rags.

    For him, this show was nothing more but a presentation of the goods that the brothel had to offer.

    But the same couldn''t be said for Mia.

    As the girls started to walk inside the room, one by one, everyst one of them wearing a different set of lingerie, Mia finally understood what that money was all about.

    Or rather, that''s what I guessed from the shocked look on her face and from how she couldn''t tear her eyes away from the sights.

    "Did you..." she muttered, only to swallow a gulp of saliva instead ofpleting her sentence. She leaned forward, almost reaching out for the hips of the girl that just happened to pass by her at the moment. Retracting her hand at the veryst second, she shook her head. "Beautifull..." her eyes shed with excitement, only for Mia to avert them a momentter.

    "This is what I was working at during the nights," I finally exined what this entire situation was all about. I even went as far as to point at the bra holding up the sizeable bust of the nearest prostitute. "This is what that money was for," I added.

    "So you are working in the red-light district now?" Vaner asked, the look on his face showing his disapproval. "I can''t really imagine how did you get inside, though. It''s not like you could be the owner..." he muttered, rubbing his chin.

    ''This fucker...'' I thought, turning my hands into fists. ''He is clearly just trying to make things hard for me because I didn''t clue him in!'' I realized.

    sp.

    I looked to the side to figure out the source of the strange sound. And it turned out to be Mia''s hand pping her own face in themonly known facepalm gesture.

    "He tailored the lingerie," she exined, the sadness and pain finally disappearing from her face, reced by the awe and slight annoyance.

    ''Does she understand what Vaner was trying to do?'' I thought, only to shake my head. ''No, that''s likely not the case. I guess it will be stupid to believe I can figure out what she is annoyed at,'' I decided.

    There were many men in history who tried to figure out how women think. Assuming that this world had immortals at its top, some of their research was likely still going.

    I wasn''t going to fall into the trap of trying to do the same.

    "Am I right?" Mia muttered after a moment, turning her face to me.

    I looked down deeply into her eyes, only to sp my hand over my heart. As far as I could tell, Mia was full of hope that her guess was correct, yet she was still scared that she assumed too much.

    Even though I basically already said it out loud, she still sought the confirmation directly from my lips, as if my words, my direct exnation, was the only thing she could trust.

    "That''s correct," I nodded my head, raising my hand and rubbing my fingers against Mia''s cheek. "But that''s not all," I added, gracing the girl''s mellowed eyes with a gentle smile.

    ''How can she be so damn adorable?!'' I screamed out in my mind. With the tears from her earlier anxiety still wetting her eyes, mixing with the currently mellow look in her pupils and gentle smile that surfaced when I caressed her cheek...

    Mia could easily im the throne of the cutest being in this damned world with this look!

    "There is still something I kept just for you," I whispered, turning the flirtiness of my tone up a notch. "But before that, there is yet one more thing," I added before turning my head around and looking at the brothel''s manager.

    "I hope you won''t mind if my girl will be the first to test the new product this time?" I asked, more for courtesy sake than for actually asking for permission.

    After all, who was this main whore of the house to dictate what I could and what I could not do with my products?

    "Oh, I wouldn''t dare to oppose," Madam smiled, most likely catching up on my intention behind this request. "I already feel bad for stealing a different first from her," she bantered, hiding her mouth behind her elegant fan.

    "Arthur..." Mia grumbled, her previously improved mood sinking once again.

    "Don''t worry," I rolled my eyes, moving my hand up a bit and rustling Mia''s hair. "She was speaking about being the first to wear my undergarments," I exined before sending a sharp look at the Madam.

    After bearing with the chuckle of that middle-aged, wicked woman, I finally opened up the wooden box that I had brought.

    In an instant, the faint aroma of the perfume that filled the room disappeared, taken over by the floral and herbal scents of my soaps.

    "Mia, I will need you to trust me for a second," I said, lowering my hand and scooping a tiny bit of the soap with my finger.

    "Mhmm," Mia nodded her head, musing in response.

    "Close your eyes," I gently suggested, raising my hand while spreading the creamy oil between my fingers.

    "Ummm," Mia followed my request with a silent moan. She even moved her face up a bit.

    Just before she could close her eyes, I managed to catch the sight of something interesting. Despite how silent and obedient she turned out ever since the misunderstanding cleared out, there was a clear hint of excitement that shed in her eyes just before she closed them!

    ''I guess every girl will go crazy about cosmetics,'' I thought before finally touching my fingers down on the delicate skin of Mia''s face.

    This soap I already tested on myself, even going as far as to rub it into my sensitive parts. While some would take it as an attempt to pleasure myself, it was actually my desire to ensure it wouldn''t be able to hurt Mia''s skin.

    After all, how could I ever look her in the eye if my failure at testing the soap would end up injuring her?

    For the next few moments, I simply enjoyed myself by massaging the soap into Mia''s face. I rubbed it into her cheeks, her ears, her small nose...

    When I was finally done with the face itself, I took a bit of the other soap, one that turned out quite a bit more puffy. This time, I brought it to Mia''s hair instead, gently spreading it all over her long, golden streaks.

    "Magnificient..." Madam muttered even before I could finish the treatment. She then stumbled around, pushing various shelves and drawers open before she finally found a small, handy mirror and stood in wait.

    "It''s finished," I whispered gently, retracting my hands away from Mia''s disposition. Even though the main aim of this situation was to present the qualities of the soaps, I actually found this kind of care quite fun.

    It made me feel like I could do something that Mia would enjoy and be thankful for, despite how much I enjoyed it myself!

    Mia slowly brought her eyelids up, only to take a quick nce at the mirror that Madam quickly passed near her face.

    She blinked a few times before raising her hand to her cheek. Mia''s eyes then scooted over, staring down my eyes as she turned confused.

    "This is... me?" she asked, unable to believe the results of those soaps.

    To be honest, I found it hard to believe in what I saw myself. Because instead of just delicately improving Mia''splexity.... Those soaps turned out to have an effect that I could expect from an entire prolonged treatment!

 Chapter 86 - Special Treatment

    I had to stand up from the bed, take a small stroll around the room and sit right back in my ce before I could look at Mia again.

    This entire exercise was all aimed to get a fresh look at her face. As the one who applied all the beautification products on her, Icked this breaking stage. Icked this before and after a moment when I couldpare.

    "You are really going to get me killed," I muttered as I sat on the bed and stared down at Mia''s face.

    Her cheeks turned red as she lowered her eyes bashfully.

    "What do you mean?" she faltered in a tiny voice.

    "You are just too beautiful for my heart to handle," I replied, cringing down at this kind of repeatablepliment. The only thing that eased the pain on my soul caused by my cringe was how it was actually the honest expression of my thoughts.

    "Anyway," I bit my lips to regain myposure and turned my head back to the Madam. "That''s the product I can sell you the recipe for," I informed, nodding my head.

    "A creme that makes your skin fairer and a... foam to soften your hair?" Madam took a moment to guess the usage of the product.

    The soap that I used on Mia''s skin was pretty easy. It made her skin even more delicate than it already was while making it far more springy and healthy.

    Truth be told, I didn''t expect its effects to be so great. Sure, using a soap to wash off the dirt would bring forth a great visual effect. When it came to the actual medicinal effects, I could only me the herbs that I mixed into the soap!

    "I also brought a bit of simpler soap, one that you can use to wash the dirt off your skin and hair alike," I said, pointing at the thirdpartment in the wooden box.

    As, outside of the nice, floral smell, there was no additional effect to this soap, I didn''t even bother presenting it out. After all, how I was supposed to do it? Ask someone to get dirty just to show how well it cleaned?

    "You really are full of surprises," Mia marveled, her expression softening into affection once again. She then brought her fingers to her own face, carefully ying around with the delicate texture of her skin.

    "Anyway, the business talk can wait forter. For now, I will leave those products in your care. Feel free to test them out to your heart content..." I informed the Madam before my expression clouded a little. "But for now, I would like you to bring me to a private room," I said, reaching down for Mia''s free hand.

    "Surely," Madam replied, bowing her entire upper body down and pointing with her open palm towards the doors. "If you would be as kind as to follow me," she offered to guide us herself.

    "Mia," I called out, forcing the girl out of her awe-inspired stunned state. "Come with me. It''s time for the gift that I worked hard to make for you," I said, hinting at what I talked about before the showcase of the soaps.

    Still stunned andrgely overwhelmed by everything that happened in this ce, Mia silently stood up and followed me like some kind of obedient pet.

    The speed of her steps perfectly matched with mine, yet there was no will in her eyes as if she rested her fatepletely in my hand that pulled her along.

    "I saw him work hard overnight here," Madam whispered to Mia. If not for my cultivation reaching the pinnacle of the second stage, I would likely miss this silent passage. "He refused to touch any of the girls but constantly asked about their opinion over every tiniest detail," the old woman praised my efforts.

    ''Is she aware that I can hear her?'' I thought, puzzled. But what was even more surprising was how Madam seemingly managed to break free from restraints of space.

    If not for that, how could she lead the two of us from the front while whispering to Mia''s ear, who followed two steps behind me?

    "I''m jealous," Madam finished her words, emerging from her superposition right as my mind was about to copse from trying to understand this phenomenon. "Here is the room that you requested," she said, bowing her back once again.

    "Thanks," I uttered, moving inside the ce and pulling Mia along.

    "Jealous about what?" Mia asked, showing the first sign of her own free will, stopping me from entering deeper into the room.

    "About your man," Madam replied straightforwardly, this time not bothering to lower her voice at all. She even went in and cast a nce at my face!

    "It''s rare to find someone so dedicated to a single girl," Madam chuckled. "Especially when half of this ce was constantly fawning over him. I wouldn''t lie by iming that those harlots would love to service him," the old woman took a deep sigh. "Judging from their looks, they wouldn''t even ask for any money!" she eximed, putting an emphasis on how hurt she was by that fact.

    Thankfully, before this old whore could turn Mia''s mind into an even greater mess, she finally caught the message hidden behind my furious look and excused herself.

    Finally, I managed to bring Mia to the special kind of room and forced all the possible disturbances alone.

    Just a single look around the ce was enough for anyone to understand the purpose of this ce. From various stands and stools, through three different kinds of beds, all the way to the box filled with all kinds of ythings...

    In a sense, this was the royal chamber, the VIP room, the golden seat of this brothel! A ce where only the magic of highest order would happen, the den of the deepest and most wicked fetishes and desires.

    And amidst all of this, there was a single, gold-adorned box. It was a box that the Madam herself rented to me to keep all my personal collection of lingerie secure.

    "So, are you finally going to tell me what is this all about?" Mia finally spoke up.

    Looking up at her face, I could more or less tell what she was internally going through. She understood most of what happened and was left with only a few gaps that required filling.

    But what she wanted right now was not to fill in the missing details. She wanted the full story, from the beginning to an end, that would allow her to ensure that she didn''t misunderstand anything.

    That what was happening around her right now really had the meaning that she wished it had.

    "Sure thing," I said, putting a gentle smile on my face. But instead of telling a story, I let go of Mia''s hand and approached the golden box exposed on a small stool in the middle of the room.

    I unlocked its lid with a single snap of my fingers before pushing it open. Then, one by one, I brought up various kinds of lingerie, nightgowns, and even cosy suits that I prepared with Mia''s body andfort in mind.

    "I took so long to expose this part of my life because I wasn''t ready. The things I was crafting were all made with you in mind... But they were never good enough," I said, pointing at the girl toe closer.

    Intrigued, Mia slowly moved forward, only to end uptching on to my side as she looked down at the orderly stacks of my crafts.

    "If I wanted you to wear something, it had to be the best of the best. That''s why I didn''t tell you about it before. As for the rest..." I hesitated for a second, gulping down a mouthful of saliva.

    "I understand," Mia put a gentle smile on her lips before reaching for the first set of lingerie. While she picked one randomly, she just happened to grab a ck, semi-transparent set.

    Crafted with velvet as the base and shredded silk for the transparent parts, it just happened to be one of the most erotic pieces I made.

    "ying dumb any further would only mean that Ick trust in you," Mia said in a calm tone before turning around and facing me, with the ck panties spread between her hands.

    There was a yful smile on her lips. Her eyes were already shining as the moist at their bottom reflected the dim light of the candles.

    Mia licked down her lips.

    "I assume you made it all for me to wear for you, right?"

 Chapter 87 - Tease In The Room (slightly +18)

    Mia''s question was quite bold, even for the standards of a girl who would wildly jump on me every night. As such, I wasn''t all that much surprised when her cheeks exploded in red, proving that even for her, this kind of sentence was pretty shameful.

    Yet, while Mia simply blushed at her own forwardness, I repeated the motion that I recently grew even more used to than shaking my hand up and down whenever a bout of horniness would catch me. I raised my hand and clutched against my chest, trying to fight off the pain caused by just how heckingly adorable Mia was!

    "Your cuteness is seriously going to make my heart stop one day," I squeezed out those words through my tightened lips, cing my hands on Mia''s shoulders only to rest my weight on her.

    Right now, my heart was in way too much pain for me to keep standing on my own.

    "Let me guess," Mia licked her lips again, ignoring the side-effects of her provocative words and gestures. "You would like me to try them on right now, wouldn''t you?" she asked, looking straight down my eyes, only for her shame to finally catch up, causing Mia to lower and then avert her eyes to the side.

    Yet, despite all the adorable shyness that she presented, I could see the sparks of excitement on her face.

    Just like I expected, she was more than happy to test the cute and sexy lingerie on herself!

    ''Well, what kind of a girl wouldn''t like to make herself look cute or sexy?'' I thought, smiling from ear to ear.

    "Just like the olddy implied, we can have this room for as long as we want," I said, reaching out with my hand and patting Mia''s head. As if she was some small animal, a small, satisfied smile emerged on her face in response to my caressing. "That''s why you can take as long to test them out as you want," I said before suddenly averting my face. "If you are shy, I can even turn around," I muttered before following my own suggestion before Mia could even answer.

    With how I already licked, kissed, and rubbed everyst inch of Mia''s skin during our nights, there was hardly anything for her to be embarrassed about. Yet, human shame worked in strange ways.

    Just like girls would scream out in panic when seen in their underwear while being totally okay waltzing around in swimming suits and bikinis, Mia could actually dislike being seen while changing.

    And it was my job, as a man, to do my absolute best to spare her even the slightest difort possible!

    "No..." Mia mumbled before shaking her head. Curious about what she had to say, I nced over my shoulder, only to see her raise her face and look me straight in the eye. "I want you to watch."

    I stood agape, unable to as much as move a muscle. This simple sentence, those five words put together...

    I had no idea how just a few words could induce so much happiness in a man''s soul.

    It wasn''t caused just by my horny side. There was a lot more to it than just the sexual arousal.

    Looking at Mia, I could tell that she felt embarrassed by changing in my full view. Just like I guessed, she was okay with sleeping together, but actually exposing her body in such a way was still a bit above what she wasfortable with.

    Yet, despite all of that, she actually decided herself go above and beyond, just to bring me some joy.

    Rather than getting excited over watching her stretch, squeeze, and present her beauty in all the ways possible, I felt a wave of affection surging in my soul.

    It was something rtively small. Insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Those who slept around quite a lot, like those modern kids on earth, would never be able to understand it.

    A tiny moment like this, where Mia would expose all her shame to me, was something that only quiet and restrained people like the two of us could get.

    Yet, just as I was about to sit down, the look on Mia''s face changed from a mix of shyness and yfulness to a small pout. "Didn''t you watch all those girls change before?" she asked, clearly dissatisfied with the idea.

    "I have no excuse," I shook my head before lowering it as low as I could. "I did my best to avoid looking, but there is no denying that my eyes are spoiled now," I admitted. But rather than keeping my head low, I raised it and looked Mia directly in the eyes. "But there is one thing that I can say with all certainty," I said, raising up and kneeling before the girl.

    I grabbed Mia''s hands and brought them to my lips. A gentle kiss on the bridge of her fingerster, I raised my head again and stared at Mia with affection filling my entire soul.

    "You are the most beautiful girl that I ever encountered," I said, allowing those words to flow from the very bottom of my heart.

    In my long years of bachelor''s life who never got rid of his V-card, I never expected that saying those words could fill me with so much happiness.

    Yet, there it was, the realityughing right in my face, the nature and evolution flexing just how much they ramped one''s desire to be connected to the opposite sex.

    "Then," Mia whispered, lowering her hand on my face and running her fingers across my cheek, "I want you to etch this image in your head," she ordered gently as she used her other hand to undo the knot that held her robe up.

    With a silent rustling, Mia''s robe slid down her shoulders. Even though it wasn''t the first time for me to see her naked, this moment had something special in it.

    Was it the warmth of her abdomen, just a lick away from my face? Was it the affectionate stare that she caressed me with while yfully tapping her fingers on my face?

    I really didn''t know what the source of heat within this moment was. What I knew, though, was that I wanted for it to never end.

    But this wasn''t the endpoint, only the beginning instead.

    Mia turned around, hiding her slim stomach away from me only to present the two shapely bums of her ass. She then leaned down, allowing me to catch a glimpse of her secret garden, already sprinkled by the rose of her excitement.

    Then, by slowly pulling her upper body up, Mia pulled out the ck panties on her crotch, finally presenting how she looked like in my lingerie.

    "Can you help me tie it?" she asked when she pressed the pair''s bra to her chest, ttening her boobs against the material.

    Without the advanced sewing technology, I dared not to figure out anyplex locks on the bras I made. As such, one had to simply tie the thread on the girl''s back to set it in ce.

    I moved my fingers, catching the two soft strands of the material. As I pulled them together, I couldn''t help but nce over Mia''s shoulder how my actions slightly changed they of her breast within the bra.

    ''So this is why all men are crazy about the undergarments,'' I thought, swallowing a gulp of saliva.

    For how intimate this moment was, my excitement was quickly rising up for duty.

    But once again, this was only a beginning.

    After making sure that my junior stood at attention in its full form, Mia onlyughed out before giving me a long show of putting herself in all sorts of cute andter sexy positions.

    Yet, just when I saw her stand up and pull her panties down... She sat me back on the chair with a wicked smile on her face.

    "Not yet," that was all she said before changing to another pair.

    Then another.

    And then one more.

    By the end of the entire event, Mia managed to go through everyst piece of clothing that I prepared for her without giving me any chance for a release.

    From what I could see, she marked everyst panties that she wore with the very juices that I saw dripping during her first try.

    "This is pretty nice," Mia said, putting on a see-through, ck nightgown. Looking at the girl, I realized that this cloth only pretended to hide anything, adding a tinge of mystery to the beauty of Mia''s curves.

    She approached the massive mirror ced on the wall of the room as she checked out her own appearance.

    "Woah," Mia muttered, the blush returning to her face for the first time in a long while. Sadly, at this point, I was held too long on the verge to actually enjoy the moment anymore.

    Suddenly, I found out that Mia walked towards me, only to stand right above me.

    "Just how did you get all those ideas for the clothing?" Mia asked with a weird look on her face.

    "I just couldn''t stop but imagine you in all kinds of wrappings," I replied, lowering my eyes as to not torture my little-big one with even more sexy sights.

    Given how long it already stood at attention without any orders, it would only be more painful to tease him any further.

    "Arthur..." Mia bit her lips as she mumbled my name. Then, finally, I felt her warmth as she sat down on myp, pressing her crotch against my erection.. "Allow me to let you realize even your wildest dreams, then."

 Chapter 88 - Fifty Thousand

    After such a long time of getting both my hopes and my junior up, it was no wonder when we made the best use of the room... for quite a long time.

    Any position that we could think off was enacted. Any kink, any y, any form of pleasuring each other, everything was a fair game.

    By the time we were finished, the room was in a state ofplete disarray. Various pieces of clothing and lingerie alike were scattered all over the ce. The toys that we found surprisingly fun and interesting to use littered the floor.

    "I think we went a little bit too far," I muttered, running my hand up and down Mia''s sweaty back.

    Thinking about it, it was quite an interesting change. Back when I was still a bachelor, I often found it strange how people wouldn''t mind getting all down and dirty with all the fluids involved in making love. Yet, when I actually got to participate in the act, it was as if a certain switch in my mind flipped, causing me to no longer care about this aspect.

    "You think so?" Mia mumbled by my side, holding her delicate fingers around my jewels and gently massaging them as if in an attempt to induce the production of the small, white Arthurs of the future. "Because I could very well keep going," she added, sending a thrill down my spine when she whispered those words directly into my ear.

    ''To think that my life in a cultivation world would boil down to the happiness of being with a woman,'' I thought, only to bite on my own lips. ''Not some random woman, but a woman I actually care about,'' I corrected myself, unwilling to make such a mistake even if in my mind only.

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t think I can keep going anymore," I apologized, leaning my head to the side and prompting Mia''s chin up a bit, all for the sake of cing a gentle kiss on her delicious lips.

    Just like I thought before, I didn''t care for how she gave me a head thrice in the recent past. She alike didn''t care about all the juices that I slurped right from her pussy. Right now, all that we cared about was the taste of each other''s lips and the feeling of connection that came with the mingle.

    "It''s okay," Mia graced me with an affectionate smile once we finally parted lips. "I was just joking," she whispered, moving her fingers from my balls to my shaft and running them up towards my lesser head.

    Just this small motion alone was enough to force my junior to act like a vampire, sucking the blood out of my own system.

    Thankfully, instead of jerking me off so that I would stand at attention again, Mia moved her hand even further up, only to end up cing it on my chest.

    "I hope you enjoyed yourself a whole lot," I said, caressing the side of the girl''s face. While I could see, feel the effects of the soap with how tender her skin became, I actually couldn''t care less.

    This kind of small difference was something that I left for whores and their clients to care about.

    "I did, don''t worry," Mia giggled lightly, her hand patting my chest. "You performed well, my manly you," she added, her chuckle revealing the whites of her teeth. Then, before I could react, she moved her head up, only to end up biting on to my hand.

    "Huh?" I muttered, surprised by Mia''s unexpected action. While y-bitting was something that we had already done over the course of thest few hours, didn''t we agree to take it easy for the moment?

    "I''m just leaving a mark," the girl purred when she finally raised her teeth from my skin. I looked down, only to notice a curved row of white marks, perfectly where her teeth gnashed my skin all the way to the bone.

    "Let''s leave it at that," Imented, shaking my head. Yet, as great as it was to justze around with Mia cuddled to my side, there were still some things that I had to see through.

    After freeing myself from Mia''s sticky clinginess, I stood up and threw a random bathrobe that one of the servants cleverly provided the room with beforehand. Given how sticky I was with all kinds of juices, I was really opposed to wearing up my special robe.

    Once I was all set and done, I kneeled where Mia rested, nting a gentle kiss on her forehead before finally leaving the room.

    "How can we be of service, young master?" a row of girls instantly appeared, as if growing up from the ground itself. Whether this was some kind of skill that all the girls of this ce were required to learn or a clever usage of some hidden passageways, I didn''t manage to see theming before they were already standing and bowing their heads before me.

    "Once my woman rests a little, I want you to help her clean herself up," I ordered. Even if Madam would tax me some coin for this kind of request, I couldn''t care less.

    With the soap recipe on the table, I could easily slip into the bottomyer of the richest folks in the entire damned city!

    "Right away, young master," the girls quickly scurried away. After all the time I spent in this ce, they were already perfectly aware that there was no use trying to charm me.

    And the second Mia walked into the premises, they no longer had any hopes of breaking my determination.

    "Young master?" only a single girl remained, ready to help me with anything left for me to do in the ce.

    "Lead me to the Madam," I ordered before assuming a thoughtful look on my face.

    Believe it or not, interacting with girls was still something that could make me troubled. My introverted character didn''t change at all, even after sleeping with Mia, a bunch. Sure, I wasfortable around Mia... but this was one specific case, not a rule that could be applied to all the girls around.

    "Right away," the girl nodded her head before turning around and leading the way.

    A few momentster, I sat down in afortable chair opposite to the owner of the entire ce.

    "Had your fun?" Madam asked with a small smirk.

    "That''s not part of the business I came here to discuss," I countered. I was willing and happy to cooperate with this woman, but there were some borders I wasn''tfortable with her crossing. If I didn''t set the limits of what I considered a topic that I wished to discuss with her now, it would be problematic to do it in the future.

    "I understand," Madam replied, her face tensing up as she turned serious.

    It appeared that her earlier question was only an attempt at diffusing the inevitably tense situation. After all, we were going to talk about quite hefty sums!

    "Here is my offer, then," Madam said, tapping her fingers against a small desk that separated us. "Right now, we would like you to stop crafting any more lingerie," she announced, raising her eyes at my face.

    ''Is she trying to sound out my reaction?'' I guessed, keeping my face as still as I could. Since we were negotiating right now, I couldn''t let this woman read me like an open book.

    And I could actually guess what the reason behind her request was. For every pair of panties or bras that I made, she could gift it to one of the girls. It worked well as a gift or a reward, given howfortable and high ss it was. But for the sake of trading it...

    The brothel wouldn''t be able to make that much money out of it. As every set that came from my hands had its base price already set, there was a very limited margin that the Madam could make by selling it out after use.

    "Right now, operating with the pieces made in-house is more profitable for us. But that doesn''t mean I don''t want you to keep cooperating with us," Madam not only exined her reasons, catching me by surprise but also was quick to introduce a new form of cooperation. "Rather than crafting the lingerie, I would like you to focus on creating more of those soaps," she informed.

    I couldn''t help butugh out in response.

    "I''m sorry, but it seems that you are misunderstanding something, Madam," I said, openly chuckling. "For me, be it lingerie or soaps, it is only a side project, a secondary hustle," I said. "I know I''m not wearing my robes like now, but cultivation remains my main focus!"

    Normally, this would be something so obvious that mentioning it could be taken as an insult to the partner''s intelligence. But this situation wasn''t normal.

    After all, selling a recipe for something that was bound to turn this entire ce into chaos was as far from normal and usual as one could get!

    "I understand," Madam smiled, even though her previous assumptions about the deal broke apart. "Would you be willing to sell the recipe for those soaps then?" she asked, her smile widening.

    That was it. The moment I was waiting for.

    If I were to propose this solution, it''s the price would start on the lower end. After all, if that was the kind of deal that I wanted, then it would be my side that would have to make concessions on the price!

    But since it was the brothel that made the offer, I was free to ramp up the price as much as I wanted!

    "What kind of prize... are we talking about?" I replied with a smile, doing my very best to weave in some hints of hesitation into my expression.

    Just as if I was trying my best to actually hide it.

    "How does fifty thousand gold sound?"

    At this point, I could finally reveal the smile that was brimming right from the depths of my soul.

    "It looks like you''ve got yourself a deal!"

 Chapter 89 - Surprise Under The Starry Sky

    I walked out of the brothel with Mia clinging to my side. The deal with the Madam regarding the soaps was done, the process of exining the procedure of making it settled. Right now, there was no further reason for me to stay in that sperm-stinking ce.

    "Where are we going now?" Mia asked, rubbing her cheek against my arm.

    The girls back at the brothel held nothing back when fulfilling my requests. Despite how different they were from what those girls would usually be tasked with, they did an insanely great job at cleaning Mia up.

    In a sense, they went above and beyond. The simple help with washing turned out into an entire beautification process that turned Mia from a cute girl into an absolute bombshell of attractiveness.

    "Do we need some kind of objective to enjoy the walk?" I asked gently, giving Mia a small nudge to the side.

    "No, we don''t," she replied in a flirty voice, once again resting the side of her head against my arm. Her hands were wrapped all over my hand, making it quite challenging to move around with forcing her to change position.

    Yet, I didn''tin. As troublesome as it was to walk with a girl clinging to my arm like that, I was willing to bear with this small inconvenience.

    As it turned out, we spent quite a while at the brothel. By the time we returned to the town''s main street, the sun was starting to set. Yet, rather than hurrying up home, we slowed our pace even further.

    The dark red rays of the setting sun gave the town a lovely vibe, one that I always dug back on earth. The difference between my old life and the current oneid, outside of having a girl by my side, in how lovely this small town was.

    In the modern earth, all signs of artistic sense in architecture were sadly lost. Taken over by the fake beauty of the concrete and ss blocks, the cities of the post-war period turned out to be efficient... but quite depressing.

    Contrary to what I saw in my memories, the street that I walked on was vibrant with life, with colors. Every building that we passed by was different from the rest. People carved images on the shuts of their doors. Every door was a piece of art with several different types of materials used to turn it into a mosaic.

    This town was filled with small details that gave it this vibrant vibe, one that truly allowed me to enjoy the walk.

    "Huh?" I uttered a small shout of surprise when I realized where we happened to end up.

    The massive colonnade leading to the main door was present in just a single location of the entire town.

    "Shall we step in?" I asked, casting a quick nce at Mia''s dreamy face.

    ''It seems that she enjoys the walk as well,'' I thought, feeling the happiness building up in my heart.

    These simple pleasures of daily life made life worth living. There was no need for a great adventure. I had no craving to be the strongest or the most famous person in this world.

    Just walking in the peaceful streets of a small city, deleting everyst moment of the experience...

    I was satisfied with it.

    "Why not?" Mia chuckled a little. Her face was rxed, and for the first time... she didn''t hide her mouth while releasing this smallughter.

    My lips turned into a smilepletely on their own.

    "Right, now that I think about it, where did Vaner go?" Mia inquired as we walked past the long rows of magnificent columns.

    ''

    Even though it wasn''t my first time walking through the ce, the artistic effort required to turn every andst one of them into sculpture still managed to put me in awe.

    "I believe he got bored and left the ce," I scoffed lightly. While I owed that elder a lot, I couldn''t help but dislike the mention of his name in a situation like that. In a sense, it felt like spoiling the mood.

    "Wee," the receptionist spoke out in a steady tone the second I pushed the massive doors open.

    There were hardly any people inside, signaling that right now, the auction house was in its dead period of the day.

    ''Strange,'' I thought. ''For them to be so empty...'' My eyebrows lowered as I thought about the matter.

    This ce didn''t serve as the ce to auction stuff alone, but also as a bank. To a certain degree, this was also the high-grade hotel one would take any VIP guests to talk about business.

    Maybe it was a cultural thing? Maybe people tended not to bother with business at such ate hour? Or maybe it was just a coincidence?

    "Hello, I came to make another exchange," I said, nodding my head to the receptionist.

    There was no custom of paying respects to the servants in this world... but I did it nheless. All that it cost me was the respect of the people that had none of it for me while allowing me to gain a bit of sympathy from the people that actually made my life more convenient.

    "Right away, sir," the receptionist nodded his head with a professional smile. "How many would you like?" he asked, not burdening me with the usual procedure of checking my identity.

    Just like I said, there were some perks to simply being nice to people that, in theory, were lower on the socialdder.

    "I think... Two hundred?" I muttered, uncertain about how much I could actually get. "No, I don''t think the fresh payments came in yet," I mumbled to myself, realizing that from start to finish, Vaner actually never passed the letter with cash cheque to me.

    "I think I will go with a hundred and take the remaining money from the ount with me," I gave my final answer.

    "Is sir closing the ount with us?" the receptionist asked, raising his head and throwing me a disappointed look.

    "Not at all," Iughed in exchange, genuinely touched by the unexpected gesture. "I just want to give my girl a time of her life. Very soon, my ount should start receiving money once again," I exined the situation.

    After all, over the next two days, fifty thousand golden coins would make their way towards my personal gold storage!

    Throughout all this exchange, Mia silently waited by my side, not reacting to the events at all. Yet, when the receptionist returned in assist of two burly men under arms, she couldn''t help but tighten the hold over my arm.

    "Here, kind sir," the receptionist ced two sizeable bags on the table. "A hundred spirit stones and ny-seven gold coins," he reported on the content.

    Mia tugged even harder on my hand.

    ''So this is how it feels to flex money on the girl you like,'' I thought with glee, grabbing the pockets and nodding my head with gratitude to the servants.

    "So, is there anywhere you would like to go, now?" I asked, leading the girl out of the building.

    "You see..." Mia muttered, only to turn silent for a moment. She then took a few breaths before calming herself down enough to speak what she wanted. "I think I will be too worried about someone trying to rob you to be calm right now. How about we return to the sect first?"

    As reasonable as this suggestion was, I couldn''t help but regret it being voiced out. Or rather, I couldn''t help but regret my decision to take all my current wealth out at once.

    While it was something that I had to do anyway as I was about to run out of the stones anyway, I didn''t expect this random flex toe to bite me in the ass right away!

    ''Is this what karma is all about?'' I thought as Mia led us back towards the sect.

    By the time we arrived back at the confined area of our organization, the sun was already long gone. Its light was scarcely reced by the hanging candles...

    But their light couldn''tpare to the natural one.

    Yet, even in such a dim illumination, I could still hear some people whispering andughing when we walked past them.

    "It must be amusing to have all those peopleugh at you while those bags weigh down on your belt," Mia whispered to my ear, barely able to stop herself from a giggle.

    And a momentter, she lost her struggle and started to gently chuckle.

    Soon, we finally reached the doorstep of Vaner''s mansion. Even though I wasn''t worried about it at all, Mia could breathe a sigh of relief.

    We managed to reach the safety of this ce without losing a single coin or stone.

    "You know, now that I think about it," Mia said, turning her back to the entrance and looking up at the stars in the sky. "I''m d this won''t be our audition yet. I wouldn''t want for those peaceful days toe to an end in just two more days," she said, her eyes all dreamy as she stared into the light of the stars.

    "Well..." I almost choked on my saliva. Hearing my voice, Mia looked down and looked at my face, forcing me to avert my eyes to the side. "About that..."

    For a moment, there was only silence between the two of us.

    "Don''t tell me..." Mia gasped.

    "I actually nned to have both of us pass the next auditions," I announced in a helpless tone.

 Chapter 91 - He Will Hate You If You Do This

    "Do you intend to make him into a contractor?" the young man asked, his face tensing up the second he used his sect-specific term.

    Just by looking at the deputy''s face alone, one could guess how emotionally weighted this single word was.

    "To be perfectly honest, his current situation isn''t all that much different," Vaner replied, twisting his lips in an ugly grimace. He then leaned forward and rested his head in his palms. "That guy is my direct disciple... But I actually did nearly nothing to help him grow. Didn''t give him any lessons, never spent a penny on him or his cultivation resources either,'' Vaner muttered, refusing to raise his head from his hands.

    "That''s pretty... bad, isn''t it?" Vaner''s friend asked, unsure what to think about the confession. This confusion was visible in the young man''s deep, blue eyes as he nced at his friend with concern.

    "And yet, he broke through to the mana condensation stage in two damned weeks!" Vaner nearly shouted, only stopping himself at the veryst moment.

    His friend''s formation could mask their voices, but only to a certain degree. If he were to shout, people would be able to hear his voice despite the formation.

    "Wait..." the young man stumbled, ncing at Vaner with his eyes wide open. "Don''t tell me, are you jealous of him?" he asked, only to fall apart into giggles a momentter. "I mean, it''s awesome. That''s one heck of a talent, but didn''t that girl from before do the same?" the deputy asked, leaning his head over his shoulder. "What''s the difference between them?"

    Vaner swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

    "To be honest, I believe that the growth of that girl... was all her partner''s work," Vaner revealed his innermost assumptions about the situation. "Oh, and he doesn''t have any special body or constitution to bank off," he added.

    "Didn''t you im that you didn''t waste a penny on the cultivation resources for him?" the young man asked. "Given how thin the Qi is in this ce, it would be early impossible to cultivate so quickly without any help of the resources!" he concluded, pointing his finger at Vaner as if trying to single out a lier from the crowd.

    "That''s another point," Vaner sighed, acting as if his friend''s words didn''t condemn him but rather reminded him of another bothersome element of the story. "I have no idea how, but his head is filled with various ideas," the elder said before shaking his head. "And he found a way to turn those ideas into a lot of money," Vaner said, before turning his head around and looking at the deputy of his sect, "thrice," he specified.

    "Wait, let me roll it all together," the young man said. "The guy that you have in mind managed to reach the second stage all on his own in two weeks..."

    "Ah, I acted as a catalyst for his breakthrough; that''s all the help he received from me directly," Vaner quickly added when he noticed an inconsistency caused by his own shitty memory.

    "Still. He reaches the second stage in two weeks and still manages to impress you to the point that I can see, all the while taking care of both his financial well-being and courting some kind of girl?" the young man finally finished his sum of Arthur''s exploits.

    "That''s right," Vaner sighed, no longer having any strength left to discuss the topic.

    "In that case, making him a contractor really looks like the best idea," the young man smiled, only for his smile to sour after a measly second since appearing. "Or so I would say if I didn''t know what kind of hell this role turned into."

    "What, another political struggle of the outer sect?" Vaner asked, annoyed by just recalling the details that he could remember.

    Normally, a contractor job referred to a sect''s disciple that... wasn''t bound by the sect. This role came from the time where the world''s economy was still in shambles, allowing for the more freedom-oriented cultivators to grow not by cultivating but by fighting monsters and providing the spirit stones for the sect.

    This system waster expanded upon, forcing so that all the individualistic and talented disciples would be contractors while assigning them a teacher tasked with overseeing their safety.

    In a sense, this was the quickest way to advance through the ranks, as a practical experience was always more valued than the theoretical one. A soldier that fought in a battle was worth ten of greenhorns who only ever moved around during the drills.

    And the same was likely the case with cultivators. A practitioner that grew up in a dangerous ce and often had to fight for survival before joining the sect would have much greater potential and prospects than someone who joined just for the sake of it.

    "Right now, they are ditching all those who aren''t diligent enough to cultivate. They are forcing them to be the ''teachers'' overseeing the kids," the young man said, his fist visibly tightening.

    ''It appears I''m not the only one disgusted by the situation,'' Vaner thought after forcibly calming his emotions down.

    "So you want to say that even if we make him a contractor, some arrogant young master is going to make things hard for him... just because he will have greater authority?" Vaner grumbled, furious at the sheer idea of something like this happening.

    ''He already had enough of young masters in this sect. It would be damn hard to demand him to deal with more of them right away,'' Vaner thought."

    "Yup," the young man nodded his head.

    "I guess we will have to use some of the most drastic measures, then," Vaner muttered, pping his knees with his hands before standing up. "If we want to make him into a contractor, we will need to separate him from his girl," vaner announced.

    "Puppy love?" his friend asked.

    "Puppy love," and Vaner replied without as much as a second of hesitation. "As painful as it might be for him, this is exactly what he needs right now to keep growing," Vaner said, his face turning sad.

    "You know that doing something like that will make him hate you with passion?" the young man asked, leaning his head over his shoulder.

    This realization was pretty obvious... But one had to actively think about it to notice it. And now, once Vaner realized it, he also understood the far-reaching consequences.

    Not like it managed to change his mind, though.

    "I see," the young man replied after a few more moments,ing to a realization that Vaner had already made his decision.

    "Anyway," the deputy was quick to change the topic when he noticed Vane''rs state. "How are you going to push him into epting the role?" he asked. "If he knows even the tiniest bit about it, your n is doomed to fail."

    "I don''t need to do anything on my own," Vaner faintly smiled, the sense of guilt overtaking his insides. "I just need to stop shielding him from all the vermin that are eager to feast on his corpse," Vaner exined.

    "You are going to let others bully your direct disciple?" the young man asked, raising one of his eyebrows in surprise.

    "Bully?" Vaner echoed his friend''s words only to erupt with loudughter. "I would want to see them try to bully him!" Vanerughed for a good minute before wiping the tears of joy from the corners of his eyes.

    "Still," Vaner turned serious in a sh, as if capable of killing all his emotions on wish. "If something happens, it will be huge. That''s why..."

    "Yeah," the young man nodded his head and epted the request even before Vaner could finish his words.. "The moment the shit goes down, I will make sure to appear."

 Chapter 92 - Jennes Disorder

    The atmosphere at Oloan''s mansion was different than usual. In a sense, it held a striking simrity with how Arthur''s day looked like. The main difference was, Jenne''s activities actually influenced both the work and the mood of everyone else in that ce.

    Contrary ta the simple training pir pped in the garden that Arthur had, Jenne trained indoors. He sat down in the middle of a massive array that epassed the entire training room.

    Jenne''s legs were crossed as he meditated and breathed the air in and out, allowing the spiritual energy to sink into his flesh.

    Training by actually hitting the training pirs was a method that only the poorest of the cultivators would use. Once one would reach the wealth, allowing them to invest in spirit stones, training formations like that were a given.

    That is, as long as one managed to reach the qi condensation stage!

    ''Now,'' Jenne thought, slowly but steadily opening his eyes. His entire body followed this motion, moving up in a graceful manner.

    He looked ahead at the single pir erected in the room.

    Those who could afford the spirit stones could ditch the idea of using the training pir to grow their strength. But the cultivator''s worth ultimately boiled down to how strong he could hit. That''s why, despite having all the stones he could ever need, Jenne took a position against the stone before proceeding to smash his fist into the pir.

    There was no finesse behind his moves, but they weren''t crude either. They were an effect of a long period of training, a perfectly repeated form.

    The blood started to run quicker in Jenne''s veins as his forehead started to ooze sweat.

    ''Nothing beats a few rounds of exercise after cultivation,'' Jenne thought, a satisfied smile growing up on his lips.

    Not only moving around allowed for the newly absorbed energy to spread through his flesh more effectively. It also allowed him to kill the feeling of staleness, something that was given after spending hours in the exact same position.

    "What''s wrong?" Jenne suddenly asked. He didn''t move his head around, nor did he prickle his ears. He simply continued to smash the stones in a perfectly rhythmic manner, paying no mind to the drops of blood that started to appear on his fingers.

    What kind of exercise it would be without pushing his body to its limits?

    "Young master... I have to say, I''m positively surprised," the butler said, emerging from the shadow of the room.

    "That doesn''t answer my question," Jenne scoffed, grabbing a towel that the butler passed to him and wiping his forehead clean from the sweat.

    "Young master, I''m not really sure how to put it in words..." the butler hesitated before shaking his head and raising his eyes. "It seems that all the restraints that silently blocked our moves... loosened up."

    Groundbreaking information. The main reason why Jenne didn''t do anything about Arthur and Mia over thest week was because of Vaner putting pressure on them. Even though nothing was said openly, the second Jenne would do something unsavory, he would likely lose the sect''s position in this remote ce!

    And for how little Jenne cared about somece as primitive as the Skdder sect, he didn''t dare to uproot his sect''s position in this ce. It was primitive, that part no one argued about, but it still provided quite a lot of promising disciples over the years!

    "Do I look like I care about it?" Jenne asked, his face taking an irritated look.

    There was no sign of the scheming lord that used to plot all sorts of mischiefs against Arthur. After the short period of focusing on the training, his personality changed by a whole lot, as if reaching the second stage of cultivation enlightened him.

    But the reality was even more surprising than what one could guess from just observing Jenne''s reactions. He actually had a mental disease that made his character... extremely fickle.

    A few days of scheming to get something done behind the scenes? That was all Jenne needed to turn into a master schemer with absolutely no moral spine.

    A week''s worth of diligent training so that he wouldn''t fall behind the expectations ced on him? That time alone was enough to turn him into a hardworking and honest person who scorned at all sorts of misy and hiding daggers in the shadows.

    The source of his disorder wasn''t known, but his sect never really cared about the origin of his disease. They cared about how effective of an asset this mental disorder made Jenne be.

    "Right now, we no longer need anyone''s help to make trouble for that guy. To be honest, give me the order, and I will bully him into giving you the girl right away!" the butler offered, unaware of the changes to Jenne''s mental state.

    In the end, his special condition was a secret that only a few people, even in the sect''s main quarters, knew.

    "Just leave him alone," Jenne waved his hand as he threw the towel on his back. "If he really is weak, then there is no point wasting our time on him. And if he hides his strength, then we wille to sh in a straightforward bout," Jenne pointed out, proving that even his current, musclebrain character didn''t deprive him of his innate intellect.

    "Young master..." Butler uttered in a shock, barely able toe up with the air to muse those two words.

    "Anything else?" Jenne turned around right as he reached the doors of the training room. "Or did youe here just to report on that situation?"

    "Young master, I came to report because I feel like..." the butler hesitated. "It stinks. It leaves an incredibly bad taste in my mouth," he said, an ugly grimace appearing on this middle-aged man''s face. "That''s why I wanted to at least make sure that young master won''t involve himself in this matter personally..." the butler mumbled, the change of Jenne''s character making it hard for him to adapt.

    He simply didn''t know how to act around this new version of the Oloan kid!

    "I don''t need to do anything," Jenne scoffed, rolling his eyes. "My friends from the middling sects, on the other hand," he cast a meaningful nce over his shoulder, "they might be interested in how the situation changed," Jenne added before smiling lightly and moving out of the room.

    For a single more moment, the butler just stood in ce, unable to understand just where did that sudden changee from.

    Since the matter smells like a trap, let the others take care of it. Instead of risking our own position, push others to risk theirs.

    In a sense, this was exactly the thing that the young master the butler knew would do. Yet, it just didn''t sit well with the overall change that the middle-aged man had no choice but to notice.

    It was this dissonance between the new Jenne and the Jenne of the old that made it extremely hard for his butler to understand the situation. To find his ce in this new situation.

    The butler shook his head.

    ''Whatever the situation is, there is one thing that there is no doubt about,'' he thought, looking in the direction of the doors that Jenne just used.

    "Young master.... You have grown."

 Chapter 93 - Invitation

    Pac, pac, pac.

    The sound of my fist hitting the stone filled the entire courtyard.

    Pac.

    Once my fist would hit the pir, I would take a short moment to regain my posture.

    Pac.

    With my left-hand striking, I would let it return, using its momentum to twist my body.

    Pac.

    My right leg would make use of the momentum, crushing at the pir.

    Pac.

    Rebounding from the strike, my right leg would return, I would twist my hips and send my left leg forward. My entire body twisted sideways to augment the force of the kick.

    Pac.

    This was the hardest part of thebo. It wasn''t thebo I devised itself, but a way to connect thest attack into the first attack of another round.

    When striking with my left leg, I supported my weight with my bent right leg, twisting my body so that it nearly turned parallel to the ground. When I started pulling my leg back, I used the sway of the broken bnce to shift my body to another side, increasing the momentum of my right-hand strike.

    "Huff..." I released a mouthful of air, breaking thebo right after the strike of my right hand. I managed to more or less perfect thebo itself, so there was no point practicing it any further.

    ''I still need to improve it quite a bit,'' I thought to myself, looking down at the marks my movements left in the damp soil.

    ''As expected,'' I thought, my shoulders falling down in disappointment.

    In order for mybo to connect seamlessly from one to another, I had to ensure that my position was set in stone. In other words, even after both kicks, my footing had to return to exactly what it was.

    But instead of seeing just two cave-ins in the ground outlining the shape of my shoes, I could see two circles, twice the size of my feet.

    A proof that, although a little, my position kept changing.

    "Fuck!" I screamed out, sending a rudimentary punch towards the pir.

    Tic!

    The notification of my status raising even higher failed to disperse my bad mood.

    I started training to connect mybos three days before the official Auditions started. Right now, the sect was two days deep into this week-long event, and I still failed to improve to a satisfactory degree!

    "The dinner will be ready shortly!" Mia shouted over from the insides of our room.

    That''s right. Even though my cook''s skill boasted the eleventh level already, Mia still decided to take over the duty of preparing the dinner for us.

    Was it her womanly pride? Was it her wish to take some burdens from my shoulders?

    To be fair, I didn''t know the answer to those questions. What I knew, though, was how happy I was to be privileged to eat her cooking!

    "Thanks, I wille shortly!" I shouted over, turning my attention back to the pir.

    I imagined all those moments when others would bully me back on earth. I imagined the moment when that bastard pushed me down the stairs with the clear intention of ending my life. I imagined all the moments that would infuriate even the calmest person alive.

    And then I used the wrath born out of those emotions to fuel a flurry of attacks towards the training pir!

    Right now, I could use mybo in a more or less perfect form without actually keeping my focus up. The relentless training that I did over thest month finally started to pay off.

    Pac, pac, pac, pac.

    Tic!

    Once again, my status increased.

    ''Status,'' I mouthed the word, taking a look at my current progress.

    ***

    Mana Condensation 1048/900

    {

    Mana Pool 397/300

    Mana Flow 397/300

    Mana Density 279/300(+75)

    }

    ***

    ''Still, a bit to go,'' I thought, staring down at the Mana Density gauge. While it wasn''t that far off from the other statistics, it was only because of the bonus I received right when I entered the mana condensation stage.

    On its own, my mana density has yet to reach the maximum, which was the likely reason behind theck of system-born opportunity to break through to the next stage.

    "Are youing or not?" Mia shouted over, hints of annoyance appearing in her voice.

    ''Right, it''s pretty bothersome to prepare the dinner only to be forced to wait for otherster on,'' I thought with a smile, grabbing a towel from a nearby stand and moving back to the room.

    "I''m here," I reported, wiping the sweat from my naked chest.

    Even though today was a pretty cold day, I still opted to train with my upper body bare. It was something that I decided on ever since I created this magnificent robe of mine.

    "Right, I was going to ask," Mia turned her head towards me as she carried the prepared meals from the kitchen''spartment to the dining table. "If you want to take part in the auditions, is there any reason for you to keep training like that?" she asked, leaning her as she threw me a curious look.

    "Right now, I still don''t have enough to show. I need to get even stronger first," I replied, cing the towel down at the chair before seating myself on it.

    ''That is, I don''t think I will have many chances at the auditions unless I reach the core establishment stage,'' I thought, slightly tightening my hands. ''And that''s not something I want to do before reaching at least one thousand, three-hundred and fifty points in the mana condensation stage in total!''

    My desire was simple. Since I was capable of overtraining myself to the point where I would break the limit of the system gauges, I wanted to bring my stats at least halftime more than what the limit was.

    If it was possible to raise them even further, then I was all up for it, but this fifty percent above the limit was the minimum I was going for. After all, this overstacking of statistics was likely the reason for the boost to my cultivation I received after breaking away from the first stage!

    But there was one more reason behind my reluctance to advance towards the third stage right away. For the time being, I still required Vaner''s help to advance to the next cultivation level.

    Normally, that would be an easy thing. Meaning, I only needed to go and ask Vaner for help or at least advice on how to approach the breakthrough. But doing so was extremely problematic for one simple reason.

    I felt that Vaner already knew too much.

    While it was great to enjoy his protection due to my rapid advance, there was a limit to how much of my progress he could stomach. Once he would learn that I could reach the core establishment stage in less than a month...

    Knock, knock.

    "Guys, can Ie in?" someone asked from beyond the closed doors, stopping my train of thought. Someone whose voice I could somewhat recognize.

    "Terio?" I shouted over before shaking my head. ''Who else woulde to visit me in this damned sect?'' I asked myself, despairing over my idiocy. "Come in!"

    I watched Terioe inside, unable to stop myself from feeling that he was now slightly... different. It was as if the air around him changed from thest time I saw him.

    ''Could it be...'' I thought, a certain possibility appearing in my mind. A possibility that I was eager to verify, but due to Mia''s presence right beside me, I had to hold my horses back.

    ''Could it be that he was a virgin prior to the night I organized for him?'' I thought, a small smirk appearing on my lips.

    "Man, you really are not giving yourself any ck," Teriomented once his eyesid down on my sweaty back. But as he looked around the room, he noticed all the spirit stones scattered all over the ce.

    This wasn''t a way of showing off my wealth... But rather a convenience measure. After all, if we wanted to constantly feed on the spiritual energy from those stones, it was better to just pick them up whenever necessary instead of heading to some specific location!

    "How did you get your hands on all those stones?" Terio gasped, his eyes opening wide in shock.

    "And how do you think I got to fund your nights at the brothel over and over again?" I asked, unable to stop my smirk from taking over my entire face.

    "Man...!" Terio looked at my face with a weird look on his own before ncing over at Mia''s amused expression. "Not fair, you know?!" he protested.

    "How about you sit down and eat with us?" Mia asked, hiding her own smirk by turning around and heading back to bring the rest of the tes.

    "Hmm?" Terio dropped the earlier topic and took a whiff of the room. "If not for that uncultured brute, I would say that you have some pretty godly aroma cooking in here!" he eximed before slumping down on the chair beside''s me.

    "Anyway," I said, grabbing a piece of bread that Mia had already prepared and stuffing my face with it. "What brings you here?" I asked after munching on the food for a bit.

    "You see, just like you mentioned before, you brought quite a lot of fun to my life," Terio smiled. As Mia approached the dinner again and started to pour the vegetable curry on each of the tes, Terio quickly nodded his head to signal that his portion was already enough. "Today, I came to pay you back a little, or rather, to assume my senior brother''s duties!" he said, dipping his bread in the curry and taking a bite.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, surprised by the notion. While it appeared to be more of an annoyance than an opportunity, I still kept a nice smile on my face.

    The fact that he was ignorant about the reality was actually my fault, so there was no way I would let him take the burden of it.

    "I came to invite you to the party for the auditioned disciples," Terio announced.

 Chapter 94 - Importance Of The Party

    "Party?" I asked. If there was such an event, then why I didn''t know about it in advance?" "What party?"

    "It''s nothing official..." Terio hesitated, only for a small, knowing smile to appear on his lips. "To be honest, at this point, it''s semi-official. It''s not an event endorsed by the sect, but something that happens each time," he exined.

    "It''s a get-together between the disciples of the upper sects and the disciples of our sects. And it has a lot to do with how the audition works.

    As you should be aware, what the deputies are here for, is not buying the disciples to join their sects, but offering them the promotion instead," Terio exined the things that, from the tone of his words, should be fairly obvious.

    "Wait, so you can refuse the promotion?" I asked, stupefied by this realization.

    "Huh?" Terio shrugged, surprised. "How else is it supposed to work? What do you think would happen if two sects vied for the same disciple?" he asked.

    "Oh..." I muttered, angry at myself for not realizing this simple situation. "So... it''s actually up to us whether we ept the promotion or not?"

    "In theory..." Terio hesitated, "yeah. But the reality is different. While I used that example, there is hardly any time when two sects are going to offer to promote the same person. Most of the time, people just pick whoever gave them the offer to promote," he said.

    "And the point of the party is...?" I guided Terio back on the topic that he actually came here to discuss.

    "It''s to let the Skdder disciple talk with the disciples of the upper sects. In this way, you can understand what to expect from the upper sects in case they offer you a promotion," Terio borated a little.

    Thinking about it, it was a pretty reasonable arrangement. If a random sect deputyes to me and offers to promote me... How should I, or any other disciple react, without knowing what to expect from this promotion?

    ''Still, we only learn the things that those disciples will offer to share with us,'' I thought, holding back myughter. ''If this is the way in which the information is spread, then I likely can''t trust a word they will say!'' I realized.

    "Anyway, all of this is not something that you should be bothered with," Terio smiled. "But why to invite me if I''m not going to participate in the auditions this time, you might ask!" Terio smiled, ignoring the fact that I wasn''t going to ask this question at all.

    "This party is a great opportunity for you. You can meet with disciples of the upper sect and make connections with them," Terio exined the idea that prompted him to offer me this invitation. "If you are lucky enough to interest even a single disciple in your person, then that backing alone will stop the bullying you are currently subjected to!" he eximed.

    ''So he knew,'' I thought, the corners of my mouth twitching. While it wasn''t hard to notice the cold treatment the sect disciples offered to me...

    No, I shouldn''t think like that.

    So far, Terio has acted as a reliable senior and older brother for me, ever since the moment I joined the sect and met him all the way to the current time. I passed on his behavior with a small smile because he operated on the false picture of reality that I created myself.

    As such, once again, his efforts being misguided weren''t his fault at all but rather a consequence of my own actions.

    I stole a nce at Mia, who pretended to be fully focused on her meal. Yet, as I did so, I realized that she was stealing a nce of my face all along.

    It was clear that we were bothered by the same thing. Yet, as much as I wanted to just exin the situation to Terio to stop his pointless efforts at helping me...

    I could not. Not because I disregarded him, but because allowing him to properly understand the situation would endanger Mia and me and Terio himself.

    ''Still... Should I go?'' I thought, trying my best to analyze the situation. ''There are surely some perks of going... But wouldn''t that mean openly exposing myself to the threat of all the schemes that Jenne is surely cooking for me?'' I thought, lowering my eyes at my te and focusing on munching my food for a moment.

    With how unexpected and potentially important this invitation was, I could hardly enjoy the fact that I was eating Mia''s homemade cooking right now!

    "I think..." I mumbled before shaking my head and chasing away all the hesitation. "I will go. Thanks for the invitation," I nodded my head before smiling at Terio.

    My smile was as fake as it could be. Yet, my experience at acting both back on earth and in this world alike made it pretty hard for others to notice it.

    "Did something happen, brother?" Terio asked, catching me by surprise. "I mean, you look more worried than happy," he added in a silent voice as if he was uncertain about his own observation.

    "Don''t worry about it," my smile turned genuine. No matter what, I had both Mia and Terio to worry about me. This alone was enough to make me happy. "I just have the tendency to over-worry about everything," I exined with a in smile.

    "Do you think I could go too?" Mia asked, finally raising her face from the ce and joining in on the discussion.

    ''Should she?'' I thought, stumped by the sudden problem. While bringing her to the party would obviously allow her to get aquatinted with the disciples of the upper sects...

    No, that was enough of a reason to deny her request.

    In Terio''s imagination, going to that party was a chance to get ourselves a contact so that in the future, getting a promotion offer would be easier.

    But Mia had absolutely no use for that. Even if she was only replicating my sess by following my methods of training and being just as diligent as I was, she was still more talented than most of the people in the sect.

    What''s more, there was this thing about her when she managed to crack open Vaner''s shield. While I wasn''t really sure what that meant, I could tell from Vaner''s reaction that it wasn''t a small thing either.

    "Dear, I''m sorry, but I feel like this is a male-only kind of party," I smiled uneasily, kicking Terio''s leg underneath the table just in case he wanted to correct my words.

    After all, there wasn''t a single word said that would suggest that this party was for men only!

    Mia smiled, only for a pout to appear on her face as she averted it to the side.

    "If that''s the case, then go already!" she eximed angrily, only adding on to the expression of pout with her shout.

    "I... I will wait outside," Terio quickly stood up and moved aside, clearly unwilling to take part in what looked like a lovers quarrel.

    "I''m sorry about it," I shook my head and said in a low voice the second Terio exited the room. "I just can''t help but have a bad feeling about this event," I said, lowering my eyes.

    This decision to keep Mia away from the party was just my attempt at making sure no harm coulde her way. I hoped that if there was really some kind of scheme in preparation, Mia wouldn''t be bothered by it by avoiding the party.

    Mia''s pout disappeared the second she turned her head back. Instead, she was smiling gently with her head slightly angled.

    "Don''t make me believe that, even for a second, you thought I didn''t understand your intentions," Mia ordered, raising her fist with her pointing finger erected only to move it left and right in a threatening manner. /AN/ Forgot how this gesture is named, sumimazen// "After the affair at the brothel, I doubt there is anything that could shake my trust in you," she said, lowering her hand. "Even if you didn''t tell me, I would assume you had some reasons to deny my request," she said with a gentle smile.

    "I see," I muttered, a happy grin creeping up on my head. I didn''t know how, but Mia somehow could always manage to tickle the deepest part of my soul in just the right way. "I will be going then," I said, standing up from my chair.

    "Wait for a second," Mia hurried up as well, only to rush to my side.. "Good luck and stay safe," she said, raising her hands to my face, locking it between her palms, and nting a light but a long kiss on my forehead.

 Chapter 95 - The Drink

    We reached the site of the party in just a few minutes of walk from Vaner''s mansion. It wasn''t that the ce was near the dormitory of the disciples, but rather Vaner''s mansion was in one of the best locations in the entire sect.

    The party itself took ce in the main hall of the sect, vacated for this very reason by all the elders that would usually reside and work in there. Yet, even though the biggest building in the entirepound was dedicated just for the purpose of this grandiose meeting, crowds upon crowds of people already spilled to the massive garden that surrounded it.

    "It''s pretty big," Imented in a half-voice while walking a step behind Terio. On the outside, it was something that the courtesy towards his seniorship required, while it was actually Terio''s own idea on how to protect me from the bullies.

    "I may not be the most important or the most influential disciple of the sect, but I''m still somewhat recognizable. If you walk behind me, people will know that picking a fight with you means picking a fight with me!" Terio said when he first mentioned the idea.

    ''Still, walking like that only keeps making my heart hurt,'' I thought. Each step that I made in Terio''s shadow was a reminder of how much he was willing to do for my sake, even if it wasn''t necessary at all.

    ''I know it''s pretty obvious, but I guess that''s what having a friend means,'' I thought, feeling how my heart tightened a little.

    Thankfully, before those kinds of thoughts could make me depressed all over, we finally reached the entrance to the hall and entered the building.

    If the party looked crazy from the outside, then the inside turned out to be mind-blowing... For anyone local to this world. In my eyes, it was a pretty average event... That is, for the standards of someone born on earth.

    Yet, it didn''t take long before people took notice of my presence. In an instant, I could feel the atmosphere of my immediate surroundings change as people started to crack jokes and hurl insults towards me.

    ''I have to give it to him,'' I thought, looking at Terio''s back. While people were quick to show just how much they despised me, the degree of their bullying was greatly limited.

    "How about we get something to drink?" I offered, already bored by the event to the death. Even though I only entered it a moment earlier, my expectations towards it turned out to be greatly misaligned with reality.

    "That''s a good idea," Terio nodded his head, leading us deeper into the building.

    Soon, we ended up standing in ce, a cup of a strange, violet liquid in our hands.

    "And this is...?" I asked, raising my eyes at my senior.

    "The courtesy of the upper sect," Terio smiled before taking a small sip and closing his eyes. For a few moments, he washed his mouth with the liquid before finally swallowing it. "It''s delicious... But it also has great effects on your cultivation," Terio exined. "But it''s also extremely hard toe by in the sect, so don''t just down it in one go," he advised.

    "I see..." I muttered, taking another look at the liquid. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t feel any spiritual energy in it, making it all the harder to believe Terio''s words.

    Still, I raised the cup to my lips and took a small sip.

    Noticing the familiar taste, I almost spat the drink out. Ultimately I still held it in and even swallowed before cing the cup down and trying my best to hide the disgust.

    I could recognize this taste even when forced awake at two at night, forcefully fed several different drinks, and then asked to recognize this specific one. It was the taste, a distinctive taste, that all the energy drinks had.

    It was the taste of a drink that was tapped with taurine. And I just happened to know what was the simplest and earlier method of synthesizing it.

    "You don''t like it?" Terio asked, his eyes widening up in surprise.

    "I..." For a moment, I thought about telling Terio that what he was drinking had elements extracted from bull''s sperm... But ultimately, I decided not to. Seeing how he enjoyed the drink, I didn''t have it in me to break the news to him. "That''s right, it''s a bit too sour for my tastes," I said before passing the cup to my senior.

    ording to what we were told at the bar, everyone could only get a single cup of this drink. As such, it was a great opportunity for Terio to enjoy the questionable delicacy a little bit longer.

    "Anyway, now that we are here, what should we do?" I asked, eager to change the topic.

    "For now, I think it would be best to try to find out where the foreign disciples are," Terio advised. "You know, those that wore our robes for the past week," he said before suddenlyughing out. "I hope you didn''t expect to meet any deputies here," he added.

    "Disciples, deputies... This is quite an borate scheme, isn''t it?" I said when a sudden question popped out in my head. "But I still don''t understand one thing. While it''s pretty obvious why the upper sect would like to find promising recruits here, what there for the sect to give them away?" I asked.

    "Huh?" Terio almost choked on his drink before a sudden smile appeared on his face. "And how do you think our sect gets all the spirit stones and other cultivation resources?" he posed a rhetorical question, answering my own question with it.

    "I see... I muttered, piecing together just how simple yet crafty this scheme was.

    "Excuse me," someone said before poking my back with his finger. Turning around, I saw a young man, at least two or three years younger than me, standing with a troubled expression on his face and a tray with two drinks in his hand.

    "Brothers, I''m sorry to bother, but could you please take thosest two sses?" he requested, quickly lowering his eyes when I looked at his face. "Everyone seems to have their fill already, but I need to get rid of them to end my shift for today!" he cried out, appealing to our mercy.

    While surprised, I couldn''t stop the feeling that his behavior... was pretty weird. I looked around, only to notice that all around us, there were people with almost emptied out drinks, people moving towards the bar, and even people raising their hands to attract the attention of the pushboys like him!

    In an instant, I raised my guard.

    ''But wait, isn''t this too much of an idiotic approach for it to be a trap?'' I thought, shaken by the realization. ''If this really is a trap, is someone severely underestimating my intelligence? Or are they wishing that I would refuse to make trouble for me?'' I thought, sending another nce around the ce.

    Just like I expected, I quickly found out a group of people scattered all over the proximity, all sending nces towards me and averting their eyes in a panic the moment our eyes met.

    ''Something really is going on,'' I realized.

    "Arthur?" Terio asked, noticing how tense I became.

    ''Are they taking me for an idiot? Are they trying to provoke me? Or are they idiots themselves, believing that I wouldn''t see through their trap?'' I panicky attempted to figure out which was the case.

    "Sir, please..." the young man was on the verge of tears. From how his arm was shaking, it was clear that he could no longer hold the ss.

    ''Wait,'' I told myself, instantly forcing all my thoughts back into order. ''So far, Jenne is the most likely to try to scheme against me. And I shouldn''t make the mistake of underestimating him,'' I thought, forcing a smile to appear on my lips.

    "Sure thing," I finally replied, taking up both of the sses and passing one of them to Terio.

    "But I still have yours..." he attempted to protest, only to shut up when he noticed my expression.

    "You are free to go," I said to the young man before grabbing Terio''s arm and walking away from the ce.

    The worst that I could do right now was to sit in ce and allow whoever was scheming against me to push their ns forward uninterrupted.

    In a few moments, I led Terio out of the venue. Still well within everyone''s sights yet far away to get some privacy, I looked down at the drink.

    From the outside, it appeared to be a simple vine. Yet the doubts continued to rock in my head.

    "Cheers?" Terio asked, raising both of his sses as he tried to get some reaction out of me.

    "No," I said, shaking my head. "Don''t drink either of them," I ordered with a tense look on my face.

    ''Is this a trap, or am I overreacting?'' I thought, torn by the possibilities.

    And then, Vaner''s face shed before my eyes.

    Since he appeared to be so happy with my progress, since he stepped in and took me as his disciple, he surely wouldn''t allow any kind of stupid schemes like that, would he?

    Ever since I became his disciple, I continued to doubt his intentions, even though he never gave me any real chance to do so. And right now, even if just for my own self-satisfaction, I could put my trust in him.

    "Let me drink it first," I said, swallowing a mouthful of saliva and downing the entire ss.

    It was fruity in taste.

    In the distance, a pair of nearly half-meter-long lips raised in a wicked smile.

 Chapter 96 - No Consequences

    The drink flushed down my throat, entering my digestive system all at once.

    Given how I suspected it to be tapped, it was a pretty wild move, wasn''t it?

    But in reality, I downed it all in one go exactly for that reason.

    If the potential poison was posed to act slowly and gradually, I wouldn''t be able to feel a thing by drinking bit by bit.

    On the other hand, if the added content to the drink was supposed to act quickly, it didn''t matter whether I downed it all or if I sipped it sip by sip. After all, my digestive system would require time to absorb a greater quantity of the potential poison.

    That''s why going all-in on my bet wasn''t something that I did out of impulse but a calcted action.

    When my throat dried up, I raised my head and waited. For a few moments, I waited, making only the small moves to be able to notice any problems with my perception and sense of bnce.

    But nothing really happened.

    ''Was I mistaken? Did I act too rashly?'' I thought, looking down at the empty cup in my hand. If it was all just a silly overestimation of my own value here, I would end up seriously digging up a hole to hide myself in.

    And to think that I gave such a show when apanied by Terio! No matter what I would say right now, he was smart enough to figure out that there was something going on in the background. Something that I didn''t tell him a word about.

    Feeling Terio''s eyes on my side, I shook my head and raised my hand as if to show that I was all right.

    "Don''t worry, you can go and drink..."

    My words stopped. For a moment, my vision faltered. Yet, what would usually end up in just a sh, didn''t stop at all.

    What appeared like a slight, natural stumble at first turned into an uncontroble force that made me all wobbly. My eyes started to lose their focus, my legs started to give in.

    "Arthur...?" Terio asked, his voice proving that he was now seriously starting to get worried.

    "Give me that piss!" I shouted, unable to even think straight. Unintentionally, I called out for the drink while using the reference only I could understand.

    Thankfully, Terio understood.

    From the sound that reached my ears, he threw one of the cups to the ground, not caring the slightest about its content.

    "Here," he muttered, putting the half-empty ss to my lips.

    I took a deep breath, as deep as I possibly could. And then I looked down at the violet content of the ss.

    ''Disgusting,'' I thought, reinforcing this feeling. ''Disgusting,'' I repeated, imagining tiny bull''s seeds floating all over the drink. ''DISGUSTING!'' I screamed out in my insides, closing my eyes and downing the drink as well.

    The second the drink touched the back of my throat, my stomach revolted. But it was toote. The bull''s-sperm-filled drink sank into my stomach, mixing with the tapped drink there...

    Only to flush forward when my muscles squeezed my insides around.

    A wave of the drinks and snacks I had before erupted from my mouth, dirtying the nice stones of the official courtyard.

    Retching all the content of my stomach out, I reached out and rested my weight on Terio, who dutifully held me up, stopping me from falling face-first right into my own vomit.

    Even though I was an introvert, I drank quite a lot and smoked not exactly tobo even more. As such, I was more than aware of all the tricks of thoroughly cleaning my insides out of any content possibly left.

    For a moment, my mind cleared out a bit. It had nothing to do with my state of intoxication but was a natural reaction of my body to the process of retching.

    A defense mechanism developed by all humans just for the situations like this.

    Being poisoned meant danger. Danger meant there was likely a predator nearby. This momentary clearance of mind was there to allow me to pick a direction that I should run away to.

    ''How dare they?!'' I used this moment of my thoughts clearing out to try to figure out what was going on. ''Are they not scared of crossing Vaner?'' I thought, biting my teeth against each other.

    Even though I managed to throw up quite quickly, my body still absorbed a considerable amount of the potion. Right now, I only had my high cultivation to thank for not falling down and losing my consciousness straight off the bat.

    Whatever this added content of my drink was, it sure was powerful!

    "How can he be still standing?" I heard someone mutter in surprise. I couldn''t even lift my head to see who it was.

    "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Terio screamed out madly, throwing himself in the direction of the voice.

    A few sounds of crispy hitster, I saw his body falling unconscious to the ground.

    I tightened my fists in powerless fury, unable to hold myself upright anymore and falling down on all fours.

    As I couldn''t change my position on my own, Inded right back in the pool of my stomach matter.

    ''Right, the crowd,'' a sudden sh of hope appeared. Even if the people despised me for being weak, surely they wouldn''t stand by and do nothing while one of them was assaulted!

    Given the scale of this event, some kind of elder simply had to be nearby. And once he would see what was going on...

    The spark of hope that appeared in my heart died out just as quickly as it appeared.

    ''If someone dared to attack a disciple like that, out in the open, they likely do not fear the retribution of some random elder,'' I realized as a cold sweat washed down my spine.

    Still, there had to be someone, someone who wouldn''t stand this obvious bullying...

    "What the fuck are you all looking at?!" the guy who took Terio down shouted out, not caring about acting silently in the slightest. "Get fucking lost!" he shouted at everyone, somehow managing to force the entire damned crowd to disperse.

    That spoke wonders about the power of this person.

    Still, it didn''t make any sense. If they didn''t fear the elders or the crowd, they surely would fear Vaner!

    Unless...

    I couldn''t hold myself up on all fours anymore. My arm gave up, forcing me to fall on my forearm instead of my palm. My face got even closer tonding into the stinking pool of my own vomit.

    "You won''t get away with this," I muttered, using thest bit of physical energy I could muster.

    "What?" the shadowy figure approached me, squatting right beside''s my face, caring not for the vomit it stood in. "And how do you imagine this will happen?" it asked, clearly having the time of its life.

    For a moment, I considered revealing my strength. Even though my physical body was currently failing to work the way it should, I still had my cultivation restrained. By releasing it, I would easily kick enough of a fuss to attract general attention.

    And no matter what, if Vaner were toe here, those bastards wouldn''t have such an easy time ying around with me!

    What''s more, given the importance of this traditional event, if some auditor came...

    "I dare you to try," the shadowy figure said in an amused voice.

    Right. There was no point in acting up right now. Not when I was still bothered by the poison. Not when there was still another choice.

    After all, if I destroyed the sect''s hall in my outburst, wouldn''t that put me even in greater trouble than I was right now?

    Lastly, one question still made me hold back my strength.

    Why didn''t they fear Vaner''s retribution? Everyone in the sect did. I could tell even the patriarch himself wouldn''t dare to cross Vaner for no reason or a silly one.

    Yet, they acted as if their actions would bear no consequences. They acted as if anything that could stop others from acting up in the Skdder sect didn''t apply to them.

    ''If they don''t fear him, that could only mean they are not from the Sky...''

    My thoughts disappeared when a powerful hit to the back of my head knocked me out.

 Chapter 97 - Disaster (fixed)

    //This Author''s note doesn''t change the chapter''s cost: This chapter is dark. Be prepared for that.//

    My senses were returning pretty damn slow. It felt as if I was swimming through a whole universe of nothingness, all my efforts futile, only exacerbating the problem instead.

    Nheless, my senses continued to fight against this endless void, slowly but surely bringing my consciousness back to the world of the living.

    I had no idea how long I was out. Given how not only I ingested quite a bit of pretty potent potion but also took one to the back of my head, it was as likely that only several minutes had passed as it was for several days to go by.

    One thing that I could say for sure, though, was that enough time passed for my captors to move me to somece else.

    My sense of hearing was the first to return, shedding some light on my situation. It was also the reason why I could tell I was no longer anywhere near the party during which I was kidnapped.

    The first hint was the totalck of mixed chatter. The second hint, a bit bigger, was the constant moans of pleasure reaching my ears from every single damned direction.

    ''Am I in the middle of an orgy or what?'' I thought, doing my best not to give away the fact that I was regaining my senses. Trying to act up while I was still unsure about what was going on was the easiest way to let my captors sedate me again.

    For now, they brought me to their den. And that alone was good, as it allowed me to peer into the identity and the means of those who dared to raise their hand against me.

    "This guy is insane," I heard a batted voice, praising someone while moving closer and further with each sharp breath its owner took.

    When I heard those words, my sense of touch finally returned. And the first thing I felt was the chains binding both my ankles and my wrists.

    Being bound alone wasn''t that much of a problem. What was even worse was the fact that somehow those chains were blocking the flow of my energy!

    With that being said, I could feel that the second I would release my cultivation, those chains wouldn''t be able to hold back my energy.

    ''It seems that at least one good thing came out of ying it all low-key,'' I thought, stopping my lips from forming a smirk.

    It wasn''t the time to celebrate yet.

    Especially with how with the return of my sense of touch, I could no longer ignore the unpleasant, meaty feeling that continued to p everyst inch of my skin from my chest to my knees.

    It was super weird, as if someone created a human-sized whisk, coated it with a fleshy material, and used it as a torture device.

    Yeah, the torture device. Not because of the feeling itself. While disgusting and ufortable, it was something I could bear with. But the weight with which this strange thing continued to smash my body made everyst of my affected bones release pretty worrying sounds.

    Yet, as my thoughts continued to clear up, I realized with worry that this feeling...

    It was disgustingly familiar to me. It was something that, albeit different, I already felt in my life.

    Not in my life back on earth, but only in my new life in this world of cultivation and young masters.

    The second my heart beat a bit faster when the realization struck me, I struck all my emotions down. I killed everyst part of my character that made me human, bing a lifeless, soulless blob of meat.

    It was a special skill of mine that I developed back when I was too weak to stand up to bullies.

    Without emotion, their words couldn''t hurt me. Without sanity, their strikes couldn''t hurt.

    And right now, without the two of those, I could still somehow retain control over my thoughts without giving in to the wave of wrath, hate, and humiliation that welled up from my crotch up.

    ''I guess that does it,'' I thought emotionlessly, feeling as if my entire inner self curled up in a small blob of consciousness, deep within my core.

    Then, my emotions became too great for my will to hold them back.

    Rage of being bound and used.

    Wrath of someone daring to fuck me without my consent.

    The humiliation of being bound and used.

    Fear of losing control over this one, most intimate part of my life.

    All of those emotions exploded outwards when I finally connected the dots.

    Only one group of people didn''t fear Vaner''s influence. The people didn''t belong to this sect but came here as guests.

    Only one human being could cause both the familiar feeling of having my penis rubbed while making it feel as if some kind of mountain mmed down on me.

    A girl that was so disgustingly fat that I had no strength to push her image out of my memory.

    And there was only one profession that I knew about in this world, only one way of growing one''s strength, that would allow this girl to somehow redirect the flow of my mana, sucking it out from my penis she was viting!

    My first reaction was pretty civil. Forcing all my emotions back again, I wanted to open my mouth. I wanted to scream out and threaten this whore to get off me, tell her what kind of fate awaited her now that she crossed me.

    All for the sake of getting her off me. Even though I was already disgusted with myself for being sullied like that. I wasn''t going to allow this both mental and physical torture to keep going.

    ''No, that''s not right,'' for a mere second, I calmed down. All my thoughts fell right in their ce as if this simple realization was thest piece of the puzzle that I not only missed but forcibly showed aside, throwing everything else in disarray.

    ''There is no reason to warn her,'' I realized, inwardly scared of this cold, perfectly emotionless state that my soul happened to be in right now.

    ''In this world, this kind of transgression warrants death.''

    This sentence was thest thing that I could consciously experience in my mind. The next moment, all the reins over my emotions broke apart.

    The mana within my body, propelled by the raging inferno of emotions, fired up.

    In an instant, my entire body started to burn from the inside, as if the mana that gave me strength before was now set on burning me inside out.

    For a moment, I could only think about this insane pain. Even though I hoped to pretend that I wasn''t awake, my body twisted up, stretching to the absolute limits of my joints and tendons.

    Not even the weight of that monster, for some reason called female, could pin my body down anymore.

    All of my feelings umted, condensed, mixed with mana...

    And then something broke.

    Tic.

    "Critical Alert"

    A beautiful female voice appeared in my mind.

    "System''s Limiter Failure"

    It said, just as I pried my eyes open, finally able to see the world again.

    *****

    An error urred in the code.

    The values crossed their thresholds, creating the original bug.

    At first, nothing major happened. The structures could still hold. The auto-repair function was more than enough to deal with the problem.

    Bugs were a part of any system. One could never avoid them, not unless being a perfect being. Rather than striving to be perfect, one''s work had to be good enough.

    This was the motto of the creator.

    This was the motto by which all his systems ruled.

    The repair function did its job before returning back to slumber.

    The error urred again. Once again, some values grew bigger than they could. Bigger than they were allowed to.

    Once again, the repair function came and fixed the problem.

    Then it happened again. And again. And again.

    It became such a repetitive urrence somewhere along the line that its ssification has changed.

    From a bug to a terminal error.

    And error that the repair function couldn''t handle.

    "System Reevaluation Required"

    Eve''s voice filled the structure. It was soothing. The mana of the structure aligned with the voice, as if responding to the creator''s greatest longing.

    There was a reason why Eve''s voice appeared in the system made by the creator long gone. There was a reason why the mana aligned with it.

    But there was no sentience capable of knowing that reason.

    After all, the system was just a program. A program encoded on the mana of the creator.

    "System Realignment Required"

    Eve''s voice appeared once again, coldly sentencing a huge part of the structure into obliteration.

    There was no one to cry after the lost part of the structure when it dissolved back into the pure mana. After all, the structure couldn''t feel any emotion.

    For the greater system to work, any part of it could be sacrificed for its purpose to be achieved.

    "System Integrity Regained."

    Eve''s voice brought peace back to the structure. All its devolved parts that could falsely be taken for a shadow of emotion rejoiced.

    Today wasn''t the day its purpose would be achieved.

    Yet, it got to hear Eve''s long-lost voice. The echo of the creator''s emotions trembled with joy.

    It wasn''t that bad of a day after all. Even if the cost of that voice was great.

    "Notifying the host."

    A moment of silence. The system wasing back online.

    "System Limiter''s Failure."

    Eve announced to the host before turning silent once again.

 Chapter 98 - Madness Of Arthurs Insides

    ''System''s Limiter Failure.''

    For a geek like me, this certainly sounded like some kind of great feature unlocking due to the extreme circumstances. But as a certain viin from a certain blockbuster said, the reality is often disappointing.

    First, I learned the true meaning of the word pain.

    If I felt as if my insides were burning before, then now everyst cell of my body acted as if it was dipped in the acid.

    The pain was so great that my brain simply failed to keep processing it. It simply stopped at thest registered level of pain, keeping me in the limbo of this extreme torture.

    I finally opened my eyes. On its own, it should be a blessing. Outside of the disgusting mountain of fat mounting my hips... and three-quarters of my entire chained body, the images of what was going on inside the room were pretty nice.

    There were some fellow male cultivators from my sect, enjoying the embrace of the beauties not from this world. There were even some female disciples from my sect currently giving themselves to an entire harem of hunks that were so handsome I was this close to questioning my own sexual orientation.

    But it was all a single frame, a still image. The second my threshold of pain tolerance was breached, not cracked open, not teased apart, but breached as if with a battering ram, my entire mind took a hard reset.

    If I could invoke any sense of humor, I could onlypare it to the anecdote of one''s body making a screenshot if one were to fart and sneeze at the same time.

    Then, this still image of an insane orgy faded away as something within me continued to do its work.

    Even though my normal senses were as good as dead, I was still aware of the movement of the energies within my flesh.

    Yes, aware. I couldn''t feel it; I couldn''t sense it either. Yet... I could still somehow perceive it.

    And then I saw it. A structure soplex that I couldn''t even peer through the limits of just howplex it was. Unable to understand even its tiniest part, I couldn''t hope to even imagine what was it for, where did ite from...

    Any and all of those essential questions became meaningless in the face of theplexity of this structure.

    I couldn''t understand it. But I could perceive what it was doing.

    At first, I felt all the seventy-five bonus points of my mana density, presently still slightly outside of my own strength, assimting directly into my own mana.

    While usable, this foreign power remained outside of my truest sense of self. Now, though, it joined the flow, fanning the mes of my mana.

    The second it happened, something changed.

    It felt as if some kind of setting, an inherent attribute of my mana, had changed. As if a world-ordained requirement was fulfilled, allowing my energy to enter its next stage of natural evolution and development.

    In a moment of rity, I recalled what I heard about the stage that awaited me after the breakthrough. Core establishment level was supposed to be all about condensing one''s mana to the point it turned into a semi-physical entity within one''s body. In this way, one could reach a new level of cultivation, from that point on focused on further developing that core.

    My mana didn''t construct a core. This kind of process was far tooplicated for the violent energies surging through my system right now.

    Under the weight of its own flow, density, and volume, my mana copsed on itself. Yet, once the process of copsing was over, I could see clear as a day that a strange entity remained right at the bottom of my stomach.

    ''Is it... the core?'' I thought before my mind was once again swept by the flurry of pain and violent currents of mana.

    This time, it was thisplex structure inside me that was at fault. Once the mana copsed, the entity it left behind suddenly started to attract more and more of the energy. And as it was the closest and currently shattered source, this structure could only follow thews of the world.

    In a sh, my entire body filled with mana to the brim, only for all of it to get sucked inside this entity in my stomach. Then it happened again and ended just like before.

    Before long, this process of filling my flesh up only for my strange core to suck it all up turned as natural as my breathing itself. At this moment, I couldn''t help but realize that this structure...

    Had a seemingly endless amount of energy inside it!

    Beat after beat, a strange bnce was achieved, allowing me to gather my thoughts once again.

    ''Just what the fuck is going on?!'' I screamed out, unable to open my mouth at all. This voice was limited just to the insides of my guts.

    For the second time, I opened my eyes. This time though, it happened for real, instead of my vision somehow prating my eyelids.

    Just like I saw before, the room was full of people having a happy orgy all over the ce. Girls were giving themselves to foreign males. Male disciples of the sect were riding jade beauties I had never seen before.

    And right in front of me, the disgusting mountain of fat continued to enjoy herself, riding me down as if there was no tomorrow.

    I couldn''t spark even a shadow of emotion anymore. They were all deeply etched into my current state. Just like one couldn''t turn water any more moist, I couldn''t get any more hateful, furious, or humiliated.

    All those emotions reached their absolute peak.

    But what was the strangest part of all of it was that there wasn''t a single sign-on my body of the disaster happening inside my flesh.

    My body was tensed up, raising up despite not having a single point of support below. Even with all the weight of this monster on me, I still appeared to levitate, held only by the chains at my joints.

    My core continued to pulse, clearly not yet stable. But what was worrying was how the energy released by that strange structure... suddenly ended.

    The source dried up. The fun was over.

    Now, only my own mana was left in my body.

    This time, however, the core didn''t suck it all up. Yet, it still had some effect on my mana.

    For a mere moment, I could swear I could see the truest form of this energy. It was something so mind-boggling that just a single look was enough to send me on the verge of going insane.

    It was as if the energy was both made from small particles, was a surface in a constant flux of shape and a wave at the same time.

    Out of what I saw, I managed to take out only a single notion.

    The energy that was calm before, under the influence of the waves spreading from my core, turned agitated.

    And this time, it wasn''t the energy inside my system that was attracted to this event.

    This time, the energy from all around me, the spare energy that no one in the sect could tap into, started to converge into me as if reversing its natural flow.

    It was a weird feeling. As if the time stopped... but somehow started to go on reverse.

    For a few moments, I was stuck in time while this outer mana continued to fill my body, breaking the constraints of the spacetime continuum.

    And once everyst cell of my body was fully reinvigorated with this strange energy, my own mana finally managed to settle down.

    For the first time since everything started, my body rxed.

    And I regained control over my own flesh.

 Chapter 99 - Fiery Rampage (fixed)

    ''Finally,'' I thought.

    A strange sense of liberation filled my soul, taking the ce of all the emotions raging in it previously.

    All my hatred, humiliation, wrath, and fear were still there, but they no longer took the hegemony over my soul. They were still in the background, still filled my soul to the brim, but they no longer obstructed my will to act.

    The face of the fat monstrum was just like I remembered it. But just a second after looking up at that monstrosity''s face, my eyes covered in mes.

    For the first time since those strange changes happened to my insides, any hint of them appeared in the real world.

    I moved my hands up. The chains holding me both physically and magically down shattered as if they were forms made out of brittle sand.

    My fingers bent inwards as I reached for the female''s fat-slime''s neck. Halfway there, the fire that had already burned on my mes spread through my entire body, finally alerting everyone in the room that something was going to happen.

    I reached out for the monster''s throat. Just like with the chains, there was no resistance.

    My fingers didn''t stop at the massive folds of fat surrounding the female''s vitals. My hand simply went through it, burning it away even before I could touch it.

    ''Great,'' I thought with grim satisfaction. ''Saves me the disgust of touching her.''

    My hands didn''t stop when they reached the monster''s vitals, didn''t stop when they melted through the female''s spine, didn''t stop when I cleaved her head cleanly off.

    The room exploded in panic as the reality of the situation finally started to reach everyone''s minds.

    By the time the massive blob of a head fell to the ground with a dull thump, the chaos had ensued.

    People no longer cared about their partners. No one bothered to help the other. Lovers from a second before were now trampling on each other, stomping on their partners, crushing their naked bodies underneath their panicked steps.

    I shook my body, forcing the disgusting corpse out of my torso. Before it could even fall to the ground, the fires that coated my body took on the fat.

    In just a sh, they consumed the flesh, fed on the residual energy of that deceased cultivator.

    The fires continued to spread out at a rapid pace, only fanning the mes of everyone''s terror.

    At this point, I just didn''t care.

    For me, they were all involved in the crime of leading to my rape. I was disgusted with them just as much as I was disgusted with myself.

    I was sullied. I was tainted. I was spoiled.

    And they were the people who, with their impassiveness, allowed this to happen.

    In my eyes, they were as guilty as those who fed me the poison and the guy that knocked me out.

    ''Huh?'' I suddenly took notice of a strange fact. ''I''m actually on fire,'' I thought, raising my burning hands towards my eyes.

    So it wasn''t just a projection of my emotion. My body actually stood in mes, feeding off the energy that I was oozing.

    ''That''s not good,'' I thought calmly, casting a quick nce around the ce.

    Just as expected, my robe was thrown aside nearby, currently, all dirtied from the people who stampeded over it.

    But it didn''t matter.

    I reached for my personal cloth and quickly put them on. Rather than trying to cover my nakedness, I hoped to make use of the qualities of this special cloth.

    The second my skin was covered by the robe, the fires disappeared. Right now, only the burning corpse of my rapist remained as the source of the ze. Yet, just a single look at the ugly mess of burning fat was enough to tell the me would soon die out.

    BOOM!

    With a sonic explosion, the mes of my hate erupted again, this time oozing out of my robe.

    The main use of this cloth was to absorb the energy of the attack, condense it, and return it straight to its sender. But when I crafted it, I only imagined the attack to actuallye from the outside.

    As such, even though I was feeding the robe a massive amount of energy from the inside, it could only release it outside.

    ''At least I''m not burning myself down,'' I thought grimly, my thoughts in a strange state of fake calmness.

    The mes that surrounded me turned out to be even more intense than before. While previously I had to touch something directly to set it alight, right now, the fire appeared to drip off my robes, quickly turning the entire building into a raging inferno.

    ''At this rate, it is only a matter of time before it will copse,'' I thought, raising my eyes up to the pirs supporting the roof.

    Two out of a total of four of them were already burning, the fires quickly approaching the two others. Once even a single one would give up, the entire thing woulde crashing down right on my head.

    As such, I decided on the simplest solution.

    ''Nothing can fall and crush me if I burn it away first!''

    This thought wasn''t sane. I was perfectly aware of it. But I could do nothing to stop myself from endorsing this idea.

    Not knowing how, I still somehow managed to redirect the mes upwards, sting a massive wave of ze towards the wooden ceiling of the building.

    Right now, I was like an arsonist of the stories, taking pleasure in burning things down.

    ''I wish to eradicate the entire fucking world if that''s how it is,'' I thought, squinting my eyes to prevent the smoke from spoiling my sight.

    "KILL HIM!" someone shouted from the part of the building already covered in smoke.

    ''A good use of cover,'' I thought, nodding my head with amendation for their ingenuity.

    Sadly for those poor cultivators, while using smoke to hide was a good idea to a degree, announcing their attack beforehand wasn''t.

    Someoneshed out at me with a broken piece of a chair''s leg. Instead of dodging, I simply caught the piece, sliding my hand down.

    For every inch that my hand would move, the wood above would be scorched into ash, effectively leaving the poor disciple with nothing but a small piece in his hand when I caught his wrist.

    ''He is from the Skdder...'' I thought, looking at the robes he bound around his belt. ''Well, I don''t give a fuck,'' I concluded, increasing the intensity of the mes on my hand as I tightened my grasp on the man''s hand.

    "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" some girl shouted, trying to stab me with something to the back.

    I didn''t even turn around, turning her into a ck puppet with an outburst of fire from the back of my robe.

    I let go of the ckened hand of my victim, watching how his body danced to the tune of the mes only to fall down a few secondster.

    Even cultivators couldn''t hold on to their life when set alight.

    ''Right, there was a guy,'' I thought, looking to the side.

    Previously, there was something akin to a lodge there, separated from the rest of the room with see-through covers.

    The elegant material has long burned away. Sadly, the lodge was already empty, proving that whoever was in there was sane enough to escape from this ce in time.

    ''I guess he or she could tell they would be one of the targets of my rage,'' I thought, turning my face back to the corpse of my first victim for today.

    I really wished to piss on her remains, but the fire already covered the entire floor of the building. Given how quickly my mes consumed her body, I could no longer locate where her corpse even fell.

    ''There it is,'' I thought, a devilish look appearing on my lips when I saw the monster''s massive head, still holding on to the look of surprise that woman had when she died.

    It was a miracle that it didn''t turn away yet. Not waiting for it to happen, I grabbed it and raised my hand, even going as far as to hold the mes on my hand back for a moment.

    "You really didn''t deserve such an easy end," I muttered, dissatisfied with my own earlier actions. I wanted to get her off me as soon as possible, but it came at the cost of shortening her suffering.

    Right now, with my body already covered, the value of saving myself from this disgusting torture wasn''t all that much greater than the wish to make that whore scream in pain.

    I tightened my fingers, crushing the head in my palm. ALlowing the fires to return a secondter, I quickly cleaned all that disgusting blood from both my robe and my flesh.

    ''The time is running short,'' I thought, noticing how some energy-rich presences started appearing in the nearby arena.

    Crack.

    The building also started giving off pretty dangerous noises.

    Yet, the second I made the first step to exit it, the house''s structure couldn''t hold any longer.. Without any second spare to let me escape, the building copsed.

 Chapter 100 - Bloody Punishment

    I was surrounded by the rubble, covered by nothing but the burning remains of what used to be a building. Yet, at the same time, I wasn''t.

    There was a strange dissonance between what my body was in reality and what my perception told me. Despite being buried alive in the still-burning embers and half-burnt wood, I could see the outside as clearly as if I was standing on solid ground instead.

    I spotted a first figure appearing in the darkening sky. The smoke only augmented the natural process of the light of the day fading away, only making me wonder how the heck could I notice the man''s presence!

    Soon, the entire sky crowded as disciples quickly surrounded the figure that was the first to arrive.

    ''I wasted enough of my time,'' a thought coursed through my mind. Once again, there was a dissonance between what I was thinking and what was my body thinking.

    My body moved forward, not hindered by the weighty rubble at all. The strength of my limbs supported by the insanely dense mana in it was more than enough to simply push all the material that stood in my path.

    In just a few steps, I emerged from the congration, holding my hands behind my back.

    Only when I actually got back to the surface did I realize that the mes fueled by my overflowing energy actually continued!

    ''I guess that''s the reason why that bubble didn''t stop burning even when it all copsed,'' I thought, impassively observing the quick developments of the situation.

    "Where are they?!" the figure in the sky asked in a domineering voice. Soon, all the fake calmness and dignity disappeared from the man''s voice as he shouted, "where is everyone!"

    Hearing the scream, I simply turned around, casting a quick nce at the burning ruins behind me. I then turned my head back towards the source of the voice, presenting an arrogantly vicious smirk on my face.

    "They either died like the dogs they were or ran like the rats they are!" I shouted back, my emotions taking full control over my words.

    Right now, I was nothing more but a passive observer of the events.

    It wasn''t the same as when my system intervened when Icked the knowledge of my body''s backstory.

    This time, it was something different. Something innate. Something that, as hard as it was to admit it, came from within myself.

    Surprisingly, I could tell the reason that allowed my unruly mouth to utter those words. I simply knew how far weaker this person in the sky was than the current me.

    The difference was simply obvious.

    "I WILL KILL YOU!" the man shouted, proving that what was obvious to me wasn''t necessarily obvious to him. "Everyone, bring me his head!" His words oozed indiscriminate hate and bloodlust.

    This was the first time in my life when I felt a killing intent so strong.

    And I already died to someone''s hands once before.

    The bunch of weaklings didn''t hesitate to fulfill the order. They all rushed down and ahead, brandishing all sorts of weapons as they descended upon me.

    ''I really wish I could see my status right now,'' I thought. After everything that happened inside my body, how could I not be curious about what actually happened? How could I not be puzzled by my current stage of cultivation?

    Because from what I could tell, when I broke through my limits, I simply sted past the entire stages in one go!

    I wanted to check my status... Also, to see whether I could invoke it again or if the failure of the system would mean the definitive end to this convenient feature of mine.

    The disciples closed in fast. Yet, for me, they looked like ants crawling through the thick essence, as good as bugs trapped in honey.

    I moved forward. The energy burning me up from inside and outside alike powered my movements.

    In the end, a single p was enough to turn the heads of those disciples into the sight of a slightly more reddish, cracked watermelon.

    The sight had nothing to do with that popr fruit from the earth. I could only guess that thisparison came to my mind as a coping mechanism towards the massacre that I had justmenced.

    In less than a minute, only the first man to shout before remained in the sky, with all his subordinates resting their dead bodies on the bloodied ground.

    ''Woah,'' I thought, observing the movements of my body as it continued to kill the disciples. Those movements were incredibly familiar to me as I practiced them over and over for the past month. Yet, even a single nce was enough to tell that they were now different.

    It felt as if my movements, previously aligned only with my psychique and partially with the flow of mana inside me, now aligned with the world itself!

    "Now that all your people are gone are you still going to cover in the sky, you damned, camel raped fucktard?!" my mouth released a chain of insults, insults easily capable of turning those fake seniors and elders red from wrath.

    It was a bait so obvious that only aplete idiot would bother falling in it.

    Thankfully, as it appeared now, and just like I guessed all the way back when the party was still going, my enemies didn''t belong to the smartest people in the world.

    No, they appeared to be so stupid that even calling them humans would be a massive insult to a human race!

    "You... YOU!" The elder in the sky took on air, unable to stomach such insults hurled at him by a measly disciple. Who was he, and who was I? "Junior... YOU DARE!" he shouted out loud, rushing down from the skies... only to turn around and attempt flying away!

    "Fine, I wille to you myself," my lips muttered, clearly dissatisfied with the development. Yet, I quickly realized that my lips actually formed an amused smirk.

    Was this elder running also a part of my body''s n?

    The fires that surrounded my body suddenly disappeared. For a moment, I was stuck in a limbo of confusion before realizing that all those mes... Actually moved towards my feet!

    Then, this condensed power exploded, sending me flying right towards that damned elder!

    Catching the coward didn''t pose any problem. Before the man could even gain any real speed, I already appeared right behind his back.

    I greedily reached forth with my hands, only to grab at the man''s elbows. Then, my foot appeared on the man''s back.

    Out of nowhere, more and more figures started to appear in the sky, all instantly turning their eyes towards my bloody spectacle.

    Themotion likely brought them right to its source. This sort of quick reaction was only to be expected during an event as important as auditions.

    Right now, keeping the sect free of massive troubles and fights was the patriarch''s and elders'' main objective.

    It was a pity they didn''t care as much for their disciples, their proteges being literally raped!

    So, with my body''s objective aplished, it pulled its hands up while pressing its leg down, ripping the body of the man I held in half!

 Chapter 101 - Rampage

    "Someone, stop him!" the shout resounded in the air, a mere few moments toote. A few moments toote to change the fate of the man who ordered my death.

    This shout happened a mere moment before I ripped the arms away from the poor fellow. If it happened before I was told to die, maybe I would still stop. If someone nicely asked me, that is. But now, after the futile attempt at my life, someone appeared and wished for me to stop.

    Wasn''t that unreasonable?

    When they wanted to kill me, it was all right. But when I defended and retaliated, I was suddenly the bad guy?

    ''Gosh, I hate politics,'' I thought, shaking my head with disagreement over the sect''s method.

    To say that this moment made me disillusioned with the Skdder sect would be a slight overestimation. Sure, if I still harbored any expectations towards the sect I was supposed to be a part of, I would be disillusioned hard.

    But at the current state of things, I no longer held any expectations towards this ce and its people. Not anymore.

    I looked down at the two arms I ripped away from the man. This sight would easily shake to the core in the past. Even just a single day before, I would still freak out at such an image.

    Right now, I simply shook my head and set the arms alight, discarding them to the side and allowing them to fall down as they burned away.

    Before long, I started falling down to the ground. I never learned the art of levitating or hovering, only able to enter the domain of the skies for a short moment. A momentter, I dropped right down to the ground, using another explosion of mes to soften up my descent.

    I could feel my mes eating away at the barrier of fake calmness that I shrouded my consciousness with. It was the only way in which I could cope with what happened to me before, but this self-protection was quickly rotting away under the influence of my own mes.

    Bit by bit, all those bottled emotions that raged deeply in my soul would take over, forcing me back into the hell of being not only aware of all those emotions but also forced to take the reins of them while dealing with the situation at hand.

    In other words, my hell was only about to start, and every flicker of the mes that surrounded me meant getting closer to the doorstep of that hell.

    ****

    By the time Vaner arrived at the scene, the illusory peace was long broken.

    The sight of having a disciple tear apart one of the deputies was too much for the sect elders, patriarch, and other deputies.

    Bit by bit, those fearsome men continued to throw their attacks at Arthur, hoping to squash him like a worm.

    Normally, a single attack of the scale that only elders and deputies were capable of unleashing should do the job...

    But in this specific situation, Arthur simply refused to like, like some persistent bug set on annoying the hell out of him.

    Yet, that was only the beginning.

    After the first round of bombing that proved to bepletely futile, Arthur started to retaliate. Unable to fight at a distance, he would somehow explode himself towards the people in the sky.

    Whoever would be too slow to escape from his clutches would end up ripped into several parts by the prowess that should not be within reach of a simple disciple of the Skdder sect.

    "Isn''t he supposed to be just body reinforcement?!" someone cried out, proving just how well Arthur managed to integrate his little lie into themon sense of the Skdder sect.

    Right now, calling him out as the first-stage cultivator was simplyughable. Even when ounting for his cultivation going berserk, the first level?

    Only the dumbest of the dumb could still consider such a scenario as a possibility.

    "He has long reached the mana condensation stage," Vaner muttered in a low voice when it was the first thing he heard upon arriving at the scene. He then squinted his eyes as he looked down at his direct disciple.

    ''I knew that this was going to turn ugly,'' he thought, casting a quick nce over at the burning remains of several elders scattered all over the area. ''But I didn''t expect it to reach such levels of insanity,'' he thought, bitting down on his lips.

    It was Vaner''s fault that the Dual Cultivation sect disciple could push forth with her ns. Naturally, under the protection of Vaner''s influence, even a guest from the upper sect would dare to act freely.

    After all, Vaner''s origins and power came from a ce even higher up on the socialdder than those middling sects!

    "Just kill him," another brave soul shared their intention, pulling out a sword and rushing down from the skies. Without a second thought, one of the guests joined his rush.

    A few secondster, their remains only added to the pile of burning remains dirtying and fertilizing the soil of the sect.

    ''Something is growing,'' Vaner thought as he observed the situation from a rtively safe distance. ''It''s like with every kill... his limits are slowly but surely shaved away,'' he noticed, watching the sorry state of his disciple.

    "His mana..." Someone uttered, pointing their hand at the disciple below. "His mana is agitated!" they shouted a momentter. "He went fully berserk!" that was the only conclusion to the previous statement.

    "It seems like we don''t have any choice," the patriarch himself said, appearing right in the middle of all the chaos.

    The look on his face was troubled, slightly guilty whenever he looked down at Arthur on the ground.

    "Dear disciple, it looks like my sects have failed to protect you," the old man said in a sad tone, shaking his head over Arthur''s sorry fate. "But at this point, the most that I can do as your protector is put you to the rest," he added, raising his palm.

    Arthur''s head sharply raised, proving that while he previously paid no mind to the patriarch''s appearance, he now became Arthur''s center of attention.

    "No!" Vaner shouted, reaching out with his hand to the man. "Don''t do anything stu..." he attempted to warn his old friend.

    "KILL!" two deputies used the words of the patriarch to rush down. One of them brandished a glorious-looking sword, while the one threw some beads as he descended down towards Vaner''s disciple below.

    This time, Arthur didn''t y no games. He didn''t even bother to rip those people apart.

    Arthur''s mes coiled around him, condensing as if his qi itself took a breath and held it in. And then, all the stored energy of the mes released, turning into a pir of light that enveloped both the two deputies and the patriarch at once!

    Arthur was looking up. It appeared that even for the current him, the kind of attack he just unleashed, seemingly out of nowhere, didn''te without a cost.

    He was panting heavily, quickly regaining the proper amount of air in his lungs necessary for his body to keep on going. The mes surrounding him before were already culling down the amount of air he could breathe, but the explosion right now almost made Arthur simply suffocate.

    And then, his and Vaner''s eyes met.

 Chapter 102 - The Reason Behind The Mess

    My throat was burning. It was just a side-effect of my mes consuming most of the air around, the mes that quickly found their way into my throat with every desperate breath that I made.

    Still, the pained throat was the least of my troubles. Because after turning the two men that attempted to kill me into a crispy steak of ckened human shape, a new, weird feeling spread out through my body.

    I wascking oxygen. My raging emotions only exacerbated the problem. And then this weird feeling, as if yet another force was trying to guide my body against my will.

    There was no intent behind thisst feeling. It felt as if my body suddenly woke up from ages-worth of training, instantly feeding all the muscle memory into my flesh itself.

    My movements became swifter, more fluid, even though all I did was slowly walk forward.

    My body twisted and turned, constantly keeping me in the perfect spot to kick back any and all attacks that woulde my way, even without using the raging mana that continued to burn all around me.

    ''What, did I steal their abilities or something?'' I thought, looking at the ce where the two ckened corpses fell to the ground. One of them, while still alive, pulled out a sword during his attempts to attack me.

    The question stood. Did I somehow steal their abilities?

    I leaned to the back, closing my eyes for a short moment. My mind was fuming with questions I didn''t know the answers to. But as eager as I was to try to look for some exnations, this wasn''t the time for me to get distracted.

    I just killed what looked like some of the auditors. I just threatened all the elders of the sect. I just saw Vaner appear in the skies.

    ''So that''s how I will go out,'' I thought calmly. For a moment, the mes all around me served as a nket that covered me in a pleasant warmth, lulled me into this false sense of security.

    Antagonizing the entire Skdder sect and all the sects that sent their deputies to this ce was never my intention. Putting myself against all of those powerhouses was never a question.

    But I did it anyway.

    With my eyes closed, I could find only a single mistake that I made, a single mistake that led me to this path of ruin.

    It was my trust in Vaner.

    For once, I trusted in his ability to keep me protected in the sect. I did everything how he wanted, yet I always doubted his intentions. The second I decided to not only im that I trusted him but also backed those ims with my actions, everything went downhill.

    ''There is only one way for me to get away with what I did,'' I thought, tightening my fists and slowly prying my eyes open.

    The people in the sky were my enemies. They were aiming for my life while holding an insane amount of energy and skills that I could apparently consume.

    As painful as it was, it appeared that the only way to survival for me was through spilling the blood of all of them.

    ''The strong eat the weak, right?'' I thought, finally realizing the truth that was in front of my eyes this entire time. This single sentence, oh so lightly used in all the novels I read, described the world where the power reigned supreme.

    And from the looks of it, this was the case of this world as well.

    It all made sense now. By giving up on my naive thoughts, the situation cleared out in an instant.

    The only reason why I fell into the trap that led me down this path was my decision to trust Vaner. The only reason why I was sullied now was that I put my trust in him.

    But there was one distinctive notion that I couldn''t help but ignore. If he betrayed my trust AFTER I decided to trust him, I could still somehow forgive it. People change, after all.

    But this man, this damned lying elder, betrayed my trust even before I started to trust him. His n had to be set in motion before I made the decision to trust him.

    In other words, he made use of my inclination to trust him in order to put me in the situation I was in right now.

    And this wasn''t something I could just forgive.

    I looked up, aiming my sight at the lying elder in the sky.

    The slightly guilty look on his face only confirmed my thoughts.

    ***

    Jenne was running.

    His decision to partake in the audition''s party was backed by anger and annoyance.

    ''Why bother wasting time with that party if I can keep on training?'' he thought back then, cursing the upbringing that forced him into attending the event.

    It was a meeting that he couldn''t skimp on. There were people that he had to meet and the reports that he had to give.

    ''Who would''ve thought that it would turn into something so interesting!'' Jenne thought, running through the alleys that separated the main hall of the sect and the ce where the chaos erupted a few moments earlier.

    Yet, instead of trying to get to the open space where he could feel powerful forces shing all over, Jenne instead broke inside one of the buildings nearby, quickly reaching its top floor.

    As he stood on the building''s roof and ignored the cries of the building''s owner, Jenne looked in the distance, trying to figure out what he was actually looking at.

    "Is that... Arthur?" he muttered under his nose. He then wiped his eyes with his knuckles before taking another look.

    His eyes didn''t betray him. The one responsible for all this mess appeared to really be Arthur, the guy who yed himself off as one of the weakest disciples in the sect!

    ''I knew it,'' Arthur smiled, happy beyond any logical means. He didn''t care about the event itself; it had nothing to do with him after all. But he was happy that he wasn''t mistaken about that guy''s potential!

    Still, his joy was mixed with a hint of fear.

    Even if he scorned himself for what he did before, there was no denying that he crossed paths with this guy.

    ''I bullied him so much; how could I think he would leave me alone now?'' Jenne thought, cursing his previous self even further.

    But just as this momentary fear exploded in his soul, so did his opportunistic side appeared.

    ''Wait, if he is going mad like that, wouldn''t that mean that there is still a chance to get my hands on Mia?'' he thought, his past, scheming self tingling at the notion.

    "With all the deaths and destruction that he caused... It should be easy, shouldn''t it?" he muttered, only to bite his lips down.

    Then, Jenne recognized one of the corpses scattered around Arthur. And then another one.

    ''They are all dead?!'' he shouted in his mind, recognizing the ''friends'' from the middling sects that he set against Arthur before his personality changed.

    ''I thought I wasn''t involved in this mess by any means....'' Jenne thought, gulping down a mouthful of saliva. ''I guess I can only pray that he won''t learn about my involvement instead!''

 Chapter 103 - Breakthrough

    The situation was as tense as it could be. Arthur slowly walked forward. It was clear that instead of heading somewhere, he was simply putting pressure on the elders stuck in the skies.

    The cultivator above Arthur was frozen in ce. After the disy of his strength, not a single elder of the Skdder sect nor the visitors from other sects dared to intrude on him lightly.

    In all ways possible, this was the perfect stalemate.

    Arthur couldn''t defeat all of the elders in the sky, but he could easily deal with a portion of them. On the other hand, the cultivators knew they could restrain Arthur, but they were also aware that the first few to try it would surely die.

    And then, a third party entered the scene.

    It was a normal cultivator, a disciple of a third stage. A measly core establishment cultivator with no real strength on this ying field.

    ''Who the fuck is he?'' this one question appeared in the minds of all the elders as they watched the disciple slowly make his way towards the burning hell of Arthur''s proximity.

    Yet, the young man walked forward without the care in the world about the mes around him. He had his hands freely hanging by his sides, proving that he wasn''t holding on to any weapon. His face was perfectly calm, only making it seem insanely elegant when the shadows thrown by Arthur''s mes danced on in.

    All in all, this young man didn''t show even the smallest hint of hostility.

    He stopped just a single step away from the mes. For a moment, he simply stood in ce, allowing their heat to bruise his skin yet not showing even a single hint of the pain he was surely going through.

    "I don''t know what happened to you, brother," the young man said, spreading his arms to the side. "I don''t know what happened, but I can feel your pain," he said, tears appearing in his eyes only to evaporate right away.

    His voice was so soft that only Arthur could hear it. And for the first time since the tragedy started, he was moved.

    For the first time since meeting with Mia, Arthur felt as if someone acted genuinely kind towards him.

    In a sh, all the humiliation, desperation, powerlessness, and all the other emotions caused by being vited returned to his face, only to crash into the wall of the kindness of that strange man.

    Crash, and disappear, momentarily freeing Arthur from his burden.

    The man closed his eyes. He took a deep breath as if preparing for something.

    And then, he stepped forward, right into Arthur''s mes.

    For a second, Arthur hesitated. Pulling his mes back would not only turn his inner state into disarray by breaking the more or less table cirction of his overwhelming mana, but it would also open him for others to attack.

    But the man didn''t stop. He made one step. And then another. He kept his eyes closed, most likely to stop the fear from halting his steps.

    After all, not a single person would have it easy willingly walking into what appeared to be their doom!

    ''FUCK!'' Arthur inwardly screamed, killing his mes right as they were about to engulf the man.

    Taking thest step, the man struck his chest against Arthur''s body and closed his arms around him.

    That was it. A simple hug, a simple notion of emotional support. Yet, with this simple thing, he seeded in what no one else managed to do so far.

    He quelled Arthur''s mes.

    The entire area turned silent.

    The cultivators in the sky could only watch the scene in shock, unable to believe their own eyes.

    What just happened exceeded their imagination. Not a single scenario that they crafted in their heads came anywhere close to what actually happened.

    "Could it be..." the patriarch of the skdder sect muttered, his eyes widening. "Wait, if he can control those mes, then we can''t say that he went berserk!" he eximed, the tone of his words conveying the shock he was in.

    The power that Arthur showcased was way beyond anything that any of the sect elders could disy on their own. It was something that the patriarch himself wasn''t confident he could disy himself.

    Yet, this simple disciple, one that was considered to be so weak and arrogant that he became theughing and bullying target for nearly the entire sect...

    A person like this was actually capable of standing toe to toe with an entire group of elders, each of which reached at least the middle stage of the Qi maniption stage!

    ''For someone not only as powerful as him but also willing to keep his head low and humbly ept all the unjustified bullying... What had to happen for him to erupt?'' A single question appeared in everyone''s head.

    Or rather, in everyone''s minds outside of Vaner.

    As the one which allowed for the whole scheme toe through, he had some information about what transpired. He knew enough details of the matter to guess just what kind of events Arthur had to go through.

    But there was no shock on his face. Rather than that, it was vignce.

    ''This guy...'' Vaner thought, squinting his eyes as he observed the back of the benevolent and courageous youth. ''Isn''t he with those holy cultivation freaks?'' he thought, pushing his eyes to their limit to recognize the insignia painted on the back of his robes.

    A small movement.

    Vaner''s look sharpened as he plummeted from the skies. He rushed down to the ground at the greatest speed he could achieve, crashing into the ground just a few meters away.

    ''I NEED TO HURRY!'' he urged himself in his thoughts, rushing towards the pair.

    ''It''s you!'' Arthur thought when the familiar sensation entered his body. He didn''t even need to open his eyes to know who had justnded nearby. He could feel Vaner''s presence even with his eyes closed.

    In an instant, his soul exploded with emotions, ready to fan up the mes of his mana once again.

    ''Wait!'' Arthur stopped his mes from exploding at the veryst moment. In order to defend against Vaner, he had to release his mes once again. But if he were to do so, those mes would consume the guy hugging him!

    ''Should I kill him?!'' Arthur thought, stuck in a moment.

    The splits of seconds continued to flow relentlessly, shrinking the time that Arthur had to make his decision.

    ''It''s now or never!'' Arthur urged himself.

    But he just couldn''te to do this. He just couldn''t sacrifice this guy that showed him kindness, all for the sake of defending himself.

    ''I guess I need to pay for all the deaths that I caused,'' Arthur thought, gnashing his teeth together.

    Those deaths were all warranted. They either schemed against him or openly tried to kill him. He simply defended himself against their unreasonable actions.

    And now, he would have to pay with his own life, just because he was unwilling to sacrifice someone innocent.

    "STOP!" Vaner shouted, grabbing the hand of the man that continued to hug Arthur with his eyes closed.

    ''Huh?'' Arthur shook in shock. ''Where did that hande from?'' he asked himself, still feeling the grasp of both of man''s arms around his torso.

    Then, the right arm dissipated, turning out to be just a construct of energy.. And in the arm that Vaner held from reaching Arthur''s back, there was a small knife glistering against the mes of the nearby burning rubble.

 Chapter 104 - Vaners Plot Unveils

    Once again, everyone froze in ce. But amongst everyone, I had to be the one shocked the most.

    The guy that I took for a kind person, for someone who came here to be my support after what happened...

    He turned out to be yet another assassin, yet another person trying his best to get rid of me!

    This attempt was once again so simple that I failed to recognize it as an attack in the first ce. And here I was, with my guard lowered and Vaner trying to pretend to be a hero.

    At this point, I already knew better than to trust in this fucker. Just like before, he used my naivete, my trust in him, to put me in a disastrous situation.

    And I wasn''t going to fall for his maniptions twice.

    "BURN!" I shouted, pushing all the energy that I retracted before to the outside.

    In an instant, my mes exploded again. They consumed the assassin in a sh.

    He was never strong to begin with, the only reason why I dared to lower my guard around him. But now, this cover that allowed him to get closer to me was his undoing.

    That fucker died before he could even scream out in pain or terror.

    ''Serves him right,'' I thought with a wild satisfaction, moving my eyes on the traitor amongst the traitors. The man behind all my misfortune.

    The Vaner himself.

    Btu Vaner didn''t wait for the opportunity to pass.

    He rushed forward before my mes could reach the previous intensity. Before, they were fueled by my emotions and the raging mana that had already gained its momentum. Right now, they could still burn through a third-stage cultivator... but that was it.

    "STOP IT!" Vaner shouted, sending a powerful p towards my face. My mes failed to burn his hand, resulting in a crispy p sending me flying to the back.

    ''This fucker,'' I thought while still mid-air, doing my absolute best to regain my footing.

    In the end, I was never trained how to fight. I only knew a singlebo. If not for the fact that I somehow absorbed the ability of those that I burned, I would simply crush right back into the rubble that I came out of a few moments before.

    Thankfully, I managed to regain my footing. My body moved on its own, powered by the muscle memory of someone else.

    My body twisted. I kicked with my legs, burying them into the ground.

    The momentum was too great for something like this to stop me, causing me to instantly start rolling. My hands moved up, making me do a flip instead of burying my face into the ground. In the end, I had to flip myself twice before I finally managed to regain a proper footing.

    In an instant, I raised my head, ready to intercept another attack...

    But Vaner didn''t attack. Instead, he just stood where he was before, not even bothered to look at me.

    I opened my mouth, about to taunt him into a proper fight.

    "Is this how the lower sects are trying to cover their tracks?!" Vaner shouted; his voice was filled with genuine anger, making his words tremble on the air. "You drug and rape my direct disciple, and now you are trying to pin all the me on him, just so you can kill him and get rid of his testimony?!" he shouted out my own grief, my own anger at the injustice of this situation.

    For the first time since I realized who was before all my problems, I stopped. For the first time since I assumed it was all Vaner''s fault, I started to think.

    I wasn''t going to just assume that since he said what he did, he was actually on my side. Everything that pointed me out to ming him before still stood.

    But it appeared that the situation wasn''t anywhere as simple as I initially assumed it to be.

    "This disciple of mine stood against four different sects, all of which attempted to im his life!" Vaner shouted, not going to let the others even a second to form a response to his usations. "And while all of that happened, even his own sect turned against him, unwilling to properly investigate the matter!"

    ''Eh?'' My confusion only deepened.

    Everything that Vaner said was true; there was no denying it. But what the fuck was he trying to achieve by rubbing this ufortable truth in the face of not only the entire Skdder''s sect but also the auditors from bigger ces?

    "He killed a lot of people," a middle-aged man suddenly lowered his position in the sky. It made him feel like if he was entering a space where he could have a proper discussion with Vaner.

    "In a righteous self-defense," Vaner replied, calming down in an instant. "I believe you all seen his capability and talent," he added as he squinted his eyes, taking a furious look on his face. "The best you can do is offer him a promotion. This is the only way for you to apologize for not stepping in earlier!" Vaner raised his hand and pointed it at the man as if using him of something.

    "He killed a lot of people," the man repeated. "No matter what grief of his caused it, no matter if he was wronged..." the man shook his head, "he crossed the line. Right now, I cannot offer him my promotion," he said.

    ''Is this what this was all about?'' I thought, finally realizing what was the real reason for everything that happened. ''All just to push me towards the promotion?'' I asked myself, tightening my hands into fists.

    I wasn''t happy. If that was the cost of entering the higher sects... Then I wasn''t willing to pay it!

    Sadly, no one bothered to fucking ask me beforehand!

    "The most I can do," the man''s face changed, and so did his aura. For a second, he appeared like a God that was bored enough to descend amongst mortals.. "is to propose him a contractor''s role."

 Chapter 105 - Resolution

    Back at Vaner''s mansion, Mia sat anxiously on the bed.

    ''I know that it was better if I don''t expose myself for an attack,'' she told herself for the nth time in short session, her eyes moving towards the window, longing written deeply in them.

    ''But still, I can''t help but get anxious,'' she thought, lowering her eyes back on her knees.

    It was already a long while since Arthur left for the party. Or rather, it was already a long while since Arthur left for the new kind of battlefield that was, for some mistake, called a party.

    ''Ever since we met, he was doing his best to shield me from all the dangers, all the trouble,'' Mia thought, pulling her knees underneath her chin and wrapping her hands around her legs. ''How can I ever repay him for all that he did for me?'' she asked herself the same question that constantly gued her mind, day after day.

    Mia''s only sce, the only way of forgetting about this problem, came with training. But right now, without Arthur to train with her or at least watch her train, the two pirs in the garden would only invite more loneliness to her soul if used.

    Training on her own would only make her more conscious of the fact that she was alone.

    ''Maybe I should make some food for when he...'' she thought, only for a sudden noise to stop her thoughts.

    At first, Mia didn''t think much of it. As the party was going on, it was only normal for some things to go wild.

    But as the sounds of explosions mixed with distant screams, as the smoke started to rise above the sect along with a red hue of something burning, Mia''s calmness died off.

    ''Arthur went to the party, it already was a while, chaos erupted...'' Mia thought, jumping down from the bed and rushing towards the doors. ''I hope I''m wrong about it,'' she thought, grabbing her special robe and rushing outside.

    ''I know you wanted for me to stay cooped inside the mansion, but I can''t bear this anxiety,'' Mia thought, trying to excuse herself as she ran towards the source of the chaos.

    Bit by bit, Mia got closer to the origin of chaos. With every step, her anxiety grew. Seeing how people flew in the same direction as she was running, she could feel her entire body start to tremble.

    ''Arthur is the only one capable of kicking up such a fuss,'' she thought, perfectly aware of just how boundless Arthur''s ability was.

    There was no such thing as limits for someone who reached the pinnacle of the mana condensation stage in just a month. And Mia was aware that her own slow progress was the only thing stopping Arthur from advancing even faster!

    Finally, Mia reached the za where the events were taking ce. Yet, the second she did it, everything appeared to be calming down.

    "What the..." Mia muttered in shock, noticing the burned-out corpses littering the ground. Yet, rather than paying any mind to the dead bodies, she scanned the area with her eyes, anxious to find the one person she was looking for.

    There were elders of the sect and the auditors in the sky. There was Vaner on the ground, talking with one of the elders about something. And there was a person, fully covered in mes, ready to fight anyone and anything that woulde at it.

    ''Arthur,'' Mia thought, instantly rushing ahead. In this single moment, she didn''t care about exposing herself to danger. Her mind was fully upied with the sorry state that her lover was in.

    "In that case, I retain the right to pick his beneficiary," Vaner announced, deeply immersed in the staged negotiations. ''Even though I already know how it will end, I still need to keep up the act,'' he thought, ncing over at the elders in the sky. ''They can''t get any reason to me my sect for what happened,'' he thought, moving his eyes back at his friend in the sky.

    "I believe his beneficiary," the auditor spoke up, ncing over Vaner''s shoulder as Mia rushed right past her teacher, "just showed up."

    Vaner rapidly turned around, only to see Mia already rushing for where Arthur was covered in mes.

    ''In his state...'' Vaner thought, his eyes opening wide with worry. ''he might not even recognize her,'' he realized, dropping the negotiations and rushing after the girl.

    But he was toote.

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted, speeding towards the me-covered person.

    She cared not for the mes, running right into them. Yet, in opposition to Vaner''s expectations, Arthur''s fires did her no harm.

    "You are sa..." Mia uttered, reaching with her hand out to her beloved.

    "DON''T TOUCH ME!" Arthur screamed out, pping Mia''s hand away, making sure not to touch it directly.

    ***

    I pped Mia''s hand''s away. I shouted at her. Either of those two things alone would be enough to crush my heart with guilt.

    But right now, I really couldn''t allow her to touch me. Not because of the fires that covered me. As they were the product of my mana and my emotions, they could do her no harm.

    Right now, I simply wasn''t worthy of her touch. Not after being sullied by that fat mountain. Not after bing dirty with another woman''s scent.

    ''Don''t touch me. Don''t touch me. Don''t touch me.'' A chant appeared in my mind, only putting me deeper into the limbo of my negative emotions.

    I was aware of how wrong was what I did right now. I was aware that Mia likely wouldn''t care a bit about what happened but would rather do her utmost to help me out.

    But I was simply too disgusted with myself right now. Oh, how I wished for those mes of mine to consume me. The only reason why I didn''t just let others kill me before was because of my defiant wish of denying them this satisfaction.

    For the third time, the area turned silent, as people needed to take some time to process what happened.

    The rtionship between Mia and me was alreadymon knowledge in the sect. Everyone knew that despite how I acted outside, I doted on her to no end.

    And right now, I pped her hand away.

    Unable to bear the suspense, I raised my eyes at the girl, hiding them behind the cover of mes.

    And there it was.

    The face of a hurt animal, unable to understand why was it met with the unreasonable punishment. The face filled with extreme sadness,ck of understanding, confusion.

    And as my eyes moved lower, I realized something even worse.

    Mia''s hand was broken. It wasn''t a small injury, as I could see the white of her bone protruding from the wound.

    ''I did it...'' I realized the wave of absolute disgust with myself washing through my soul.

    For the first time since I gained control over my mes, they started to direct their force against my own body.

    Right now, I couldn''t help but consider myself my greatest enemy.

    ''This is all his fault,'' stunned by my own emotions, I couldn''t handle them any longer. As such, directing all my hate, all my grief at someone else was the easiest way out.

    I looked towards Vaner.

    ''This is all this fucker''s fault!'' I screamed out inwardly.

    The mes exploded beneath my feet, pushing me ahead. My eyes shed with madness as I reached with my hand towards that lying elder''s throat.

    Right now, all I wanted was to see his face turn violet as he would die with my fingers choking the life out of him.

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted again, not caring about her injury in the slightest, reaching for my path with her other hand.

    "No, you will not!" Vaner barked, stepping forward and mming his fist down.

    My power right now was just a shadow of what it was before it was interrupted by that assassin. It had nowhere near the momentum from before.

    My chance to get back at Vaner was long lost, even if I refused to acknowledge it.

    Yet, when Vaner''s fist reached my head, all my thoughts disappeared from my head, forcing me back into the limbo of unconsciousness.

    ***

    Arthur''s body crashed into the ground. Vaner''s attack didn''t change his momentum at all, only redirected its path towards the ground. By the time his body touched the dirt, he was no longer conscious.

    "On ount of the harm and pain I caused you, I forgive you this transgression," Vaner muttered silently, his eyes filling with sadness.

    Even in his worst-case scenario ns, Vaner never expected his scheme to end up so devastating for his disciple. He thought that Arthur would be beaten up, maybe kidnapped, maybe even tortured a little.

    But he never expected that not only would he be raped, but also this fact would have such a massive influence on him.

    ''His eyes...'' Vaner swallowed a gulp of saliva, ''his eyes were mad,'' he thought, recalling thest moment when Arthur was still conscious.

    The hate that filled his disciple''s eyes at that moment managed to give Vaner quite a scare.

    ''But there is nothing that I can do for you anymore,'' he thought, biting down on his lips.

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted, rushing towards the lifeless body of her lover. She fell to her knees, not caring about her broken and bleeding hand in the slightest.

    "Arthur! Wake up! Please!" she continued to beg through her tears, unable to understand what happened at all.

    ''Why did he push me away? Why? Why? WHY?!'' her thoughts were in disarray, Arthur''s battered state only making it worse.

    Seeing him injured and burned all over made it impossible for Mia to calm down. Yet, those questions that Arthur''s own actions caused made it impossible for her to focus on trying to tend to Arthur''s wounds.

    "This girl here has a body of lighting," Vaner said, pointing his hand at Mia, who was bawling her eyes above Arthur''s body. "I believe she is more than eligible for the promotion," Vaner said.

    This kind of direct rmendation was something that his sect scorned upon. They refused to ept this kind of promotion outside of the special cases.

    ''If this isn''t the special case, then I don''t know what could it be!'' Vaner thought, tightening his hands into fists.

    "That''s..." Vaner''s friend hesitated for a moment. Then, he released the air from his lungs and nodded his head in agreement. "That''s a good idea. As I understand," he added, looking over at the crying girl, "she will be the beneficiary of our new contractor, right?" he asked.

    "That''s right," Vaner nodded his head. All his power left his body all at once, making him fall down and sit directly on the ground.

    "I didn''t think they would go that far with you," he muttered silently, watching at the lifeless body of his disciple. "Yet, no matter how sorry I am, you will never forgive me," he added with a depressed sigh.

    With the matter finally settled, everyone started to disperse. Even though there were some that were clearly dissatisfied with how things went through, no one dared to oppose the decision of the Auditor of the Tuxi sect.

    They rarely involved themselves directly in anything, but their voice was absolute and definite when they did.

    "I can only hope that you will make the most of the opportunity I created for..." Vaner''s words ended up stuck in his throat. "No, out of the opportunity that you created for yourself," he muttered.

    A few meters away, skdder disciples forced Mia away from Arthur''s unconscious body. Her wound was pretty serious and needed to be tended to.

    The wind carried her cries out to the skies, making them apany the setting sun on its daily journey behind the horizon.

    The day was finallying to an end.

    And so was a certain part of Arthur''s and Mia''s lives.

    End of the Arc 2: Audition

 Chapter 106 - Path In The Forest

    My process of regaining consciousness was a painful one. It was filled with nightmares and pains of a purely physical nature; it could only bepared to a road through thorns.

    It made poetic sense. After failing hard at the sect, I had to go on a side-quest in order to wake up. Only by taking the events through this warped perspective could I somehowe to terms with what happened.

    I opened my eyes.

    My attempt at rapidly standing up to assess my situation failed before it could even begin. Not a single one of my limbs, not even a single muscle, responded to my call to arms.

    I was exhausted beyond any measure. It felt as if every breath was a challenge, a recurring quest that I couldn''t fail.

    Breathe in, breathe out. It was that simple. Yet, at the same time, it wasn''t.

    ''Where I am?'' A question appeared in my mind. ''What happened? What is this ce? What''s going on?'' a flood of other questions soon took over my sanity, rocking at the doors of my consciousness over and over.

    I attempted to move up once again.

    "Stay still," a foreign voice ordered me.

    It came from above my head, slightly ahead. Or rather, that''s what my confused senses told me.

    My attempt at moving up was futile, just like my attempt at raising my head. Right now, I was stuck with observing the changing imagery of the stuff above me.

    It took me another while to realize that I was actually lying on some sort of contraption. From how my vision would shake now and then, it was a vehicle, one traveling through a rather uneven road.

    "Where am I?" I asked, hoping to get some answers from the owner of that voice from before.

    But I didn''t receive any answer.

    "Where am I? Who are you?" I tried once again. Then again. Then once more. Yet, no matter how many times I posed the questions, not a single answer reached my ears.

    Stuck with a mute guy for the guide, I was left with nothing but the sights above me to kill my boredom.

    In my current situation, I had it hard to remain sane.

    After a long while, I finally started to notice the changes to the world above me. The previously lush greens of the tree-tops turned towards a more yellowish, unhealthy color. Even though that was the limit of what I could see, I couldn''t help but get a bad feeling about it.

    The color of the tree''s leaves above me meant that this ce wasn''t a goodnd. That''s what I would think back on earth. In this world, the reality of this ce was likely far more grave.

    Yet, as the world changed, so did the air. I felt as if the air turned somewhat heavier. Instead of feeling the burden of being pressed down by heavier air, though, I could feel my mana finally starting to fill up my limbs.

    Soon, I should be able to move around and about.

    ''Wait, what?'' Once enough of my mana filled my mind to sharpen my senses, I thought.

    The person that pulled the carriage was at a level of strength that I had never encountered.

    In front of this man, whose gender I assumed solely because of the tone of his voice, not even the entire Skdder sect would dare to speak lightly. Or, in other words, he could easily eradicate everyst person of the Skdder sect if that was his desire!

    "Where I am? Where are you taking me?" I opened my mouth away, unable to just ignore those important questions. But there was something else that I had to know the answer for first. "What happened to Mia?"

    I was aware of the blunder Imitted back at the sect. Even though it was an automatical reaction of mine, the crystallization of what I thought about myself at that moment, this reasoning hardly offered any escape from the guilt I felt.

    Not only did I hurt Mia with my words, but so I did it directly, breaking her hand.

    It wasn''t a light injury. I was no medic, but I could see that point. And for a cultivator like Mia, having her hand possibly cripple for the rest of her days... something like this was aking to a death sentence.

    Sadly, even after asking about Mia, I received no answer whatsoever. It felt as if this man received specific orders not to tell me anything about any person or any event that took ce and led me to this specific information.

    Stuck with only my own voice, my mind returned to the events at the sect.

    Once again, I relieved all the events that happened. From the poor decision to trust in Vaner and take the drink, through the disgusting experience, all the way to the bloodbath and the abrupt end to my memories.

    I dived back into that experience, hoping to find some answers. Hoping to find some exnation. But outside of allowing all the pain of those events to twist my soul again, I achieved nothing.

    "We rest," mypanion spoke for the second time when the light of the day was about topletely die out. He stopped his march, and so did he stop pulling on the vehicle.

    The movement, the only thing that warded my boredom off a bit, ceased.

    "Can you answer my questions now?" I asked, hoping that since we were going to stop, something might change about the man''s approach to talking.

    "..."

    Just like before, no answer. There was a small difference between the before and now. With my mana slowly returning, I could now try to move a little.

    Using all the energy that my body managed to regain, I twisted my head to the side. And for the first time since I regained my consciousness, my perspective changed.

    Right now, we were in the middle of a narrow path, cut straight out of the thick forest vegetation. The state of the path suggested that although not intensively, it was still in more or less regr use.

    This movement also allowed me to finally take a look at the person apanying me.

    He was the simplest, the least memorable man that I have seen in my entire life. It was as if he was born to be hard to remember but a perfect member to fit into the crowd.

    He had the face of every random person you met while going out, making it nearly impossible to remember him or recognize him amidst the crowd.

    The only thing that set him apart from others was the insane intensity of his magic. Even though I was quickly regaining my strength, even a single look at that man''s power caused my entire self to shiver.

    The man felt my look, moving his own eyes towards me. Then, a vile smile appeared on his lips.

    "If you can move, you can walk," he spat, quickly approaching my ce.

    Before I could do or say anything... Well, given how weak I was, I had to use all my strength to change the angle of my neck, so I couldn''t do much in the first ce.

    Yet, this man didn''t care in the slightest. With a single kick, he sent whatever vehicle he was using to carry me away, instantly throwing me down to the ground.

    "Ugh..." a moan of pain escaped from my lungs when my chest struck the ground hard.

    This man had no fucking mercy for the wounded at all!

    In the end, the day ended without any further events that were worthy of saving in my long-term memory. The man simply set up a rudimentary camp, set up a fire, and went to sleep right away.

    "If you want to run, feel free," he said right as he turned his back to me.

    For a moment, I considered this opportunity. Even though the path was meandering, I could tell that it wasn''t all that hard. If I did it my best, I would likely be able to return to the sect on my own...

    But the second I started seriously considering this possibility, an innate fear, a terror of an unknown source, suddenly appeared in my soul.

    ''Is this some kind of curse?'' I thought, rapidly looking towards the sleeping man. ''Is that why he almost encouraged me to run?'' I continued to guess when I suddenly heard it.

    A low, guttural roar of a distant predator.

    A road that was so rich in energy that it could fuel the training of everyst disciple in the Skdder''s sect for years toe.

    A roar that had more energy in itself than the man sleeping right beside me!

    That sound alone was enough for me to drop all the ideas of escaping.

    Just like he warned me at the end of the first day of our journey, starting from the second one, I no longer had the luxury of just watching the sky.

    From the moment I woke up, I had to walk after the man, following his broad back like a duck following its mother.

    Soon, I got used to the eerie atmosphere of the man, always silent, alwaysposed, never betraying any of his emotions. In a sense, as annoying as this kind of person was at the beginning, once I epted the reality of who he was, my guide became a sort of safe harbor for me.

    Around this man, I didn''t need to think about the events of the past.

    It happened during the third day, right as I thought we would be setting the camp.

    My guide stopped and took a deep breath. He looked as if some kind of massive burden was lifted from his shoulders, finally allowing to let him to breathe freely.

    "Finally home," he muttered lightly, raising his eyes to the sky. Then, he turned around and threw an amused look at my face.

    ''Wee to the world past the first barrier," he said.

    "Huh?" I could only moan in surprise. But when urged by the man to step forward, I reluctantly made two more paces ahead...

    The mana rushed into me. The change was so great that it felt as if I jumped down and sshed into the pool of mana. As if the world one step behind was filled with air-type mana, while the part I just entered had its mana liquified.

    In an instant, my entire body started to regrow its energy as the mana started to rapidly fill it up. Just like an air breaking into the vacuum, the mana forced its way into my body, set on getting rid of the unevenness!

    ''So this is what this barrier was all about,'' I thought, looking back to the world we just left behind. It was hard to believe for someone born in a technical civilization like me that such a difference could ur... without any geographicalndmarks!

    It was a single step. Not marked by anything. Yet, it made such a massive difference.

    "Where am I?" I asked, prompted by some strange feeling deep inside me. "Where are you taking me? Who are you?" I uttered the three questions that I considered the most important.

    My guide smiled and opened his mouth.

 Chapter 107 - Past The Barrier

    In the end, I received no answer to my question. All that my guide said was a single sentence.

    "It''s not yet the time."

    Ever since that time, we continued to push further and further through the path.

    To my right, there was a massive forest, the scale of which was something that no forest on earth couldpare. Yet, contrary to what I saw when we walked through the area barrier''s bordends, there were ins to the left.

    An actual, open in filled with grass, animals, and sun. A lovely sight. One that made me want to take a break and just gaze into the sky.

    Sadly, my guide didn''t stop even for a second. And while he made it clear that he didn''t care if I would follow him or not, the haste behind his movements, the relentless desire to push even further, made me think that taking a break right now might not be the smartest thing to do.

    We made our first stop only when the sun was about topletely disappear behind the horizon. Once itsst rays started to color the air in dark red, my guide finally raised its hand, ordering me to stop.

    "This is where we will set up our camp for tonight," he said. A nice improvement after his nearlyplete silence back in thend of the barrier itself.

    "Do you need my help?" I asked, puzzled by his words.

    Set up a camp? But where did he have his tent? Where did he have any supplies necessary to set up any kind of camp in the first ce?

    ''I guess asking about my tent would be simply audacious at this point,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists. ''I guess I can only get used to the idea of sleeping on the ground,'' Imented internally.

    But my doubts were quickly answered by the sight that I didn''t expect to see at all.

    No, that''s not right. It was something that I expected to, sooner orter, see in this world, ever since the moment I realized it was a cultivation-oriented ce.

    A storage ring.

    The guide rubbed his thumb against the crystal mounted at the head of an otherwise in-looking ring. And just like that, a huge bag materialized right before him.

    "Help me open it up," the man ordered, not even batting an eye to check whether or not I would follow his words.

    I released a deep sigh. In this ce, following this man''s words was my best chance at learning something more about my situation, about my destination, or literally anything that I was puzzled about.

    I kneeled down by the bag and started to undo its buttons.

    "Right now, you are to be a contractor disciple for the Tuxi sect," the man said out of nowhere, just as he was unveiling a huge piece of thick cloth, likely the cover that would serve us as a tent.

    "A contractor? What does that mean?" I was quick to dig deeper. After all, what was the use of knowing that I was to be a contractor if I knew not what it meant?

    No matter what, I had high doubts whether I would receive an employment contract and stark working day-night, twelve hours shift from now on!

    "They really didn''t tell you anything��" the man muttered, raising his eyes at me. They were widened in surprise.

    "More like, I had no chance to learn about anything in the first ce," I corrected the man''s words. "Thest thing that I remember is my teacher knocking me out when I attempted to take my revenge on him," I revealed without even a second of hesitation.

    No matter where I was going and what awaited me once I got to my destination, nothing would change what I had already done. As such, I held nothing back when talking about them.

    "You really went through a lot," the man said, a small smirk appearing on his lips. "Anyway, if you want to understand anything, we should start from the beginning, not from the end," he said, standing up from the bag even though he didn''t achieve nothing with the things he held there.

    "First thing first, I am a pathfinder," the man said. "This is not a name, merely the job that I''m serving. As you can guess," he chuckled, "the name is derived from what I do. I lead people through paths," the manughed out openly.

    "What''s the point of this kind of job?" I asked, startled by the information. "Can''t people just�� I don''t know, follow the path themselves?"

    The man stoppedughing. His open amusement was reced by a sad, knowing smile.

    "The paths through the barrier�� They are not something that your average person can go through. Trust me, even though it would mean the end of my job," he raised his eyes and looked at my face, "I never wanted anything more but for my job to be obsolete," he said.

    I stepped on some kind ofndmine. Ever since he gave me that feeling-infused announcement, the man turned silent.

    Right now, I could only bite down on my lips with frustration and get back to setting up the tent. If the man didn''t want to talk, I didn''t have the power to make him. My best shot was to just obediently wait for him to speak out again.

    "The reason why I didn''t talk almost at all back in the barrier is simple," the pathfinder finally picked up the conversation. "As someone on edge between mortal and enlighted stage, I had to focus my entire attention just at stopping my mana from seeping out to the outside," he exined. "The moment even the slightest amount of it would leak, the devils of the barrier would pounce at us, even if we kept to the path."

    Simple information, simple exnation. Yet, for how simple it is, it still managed to make my body shiver in fear.

    Devils? Not monsters? Was it amon name or just a name that this man created for his own use? And even if that was the case�� What made him call those monsters�� devils?

    "Anyway, that''s enough talking for today," the pathfinder smiled as he pulled a smaller bag out of the massive one that he had in his storage ring before. "Since you don''t look like someone from the richer ns, I believe you didn''t cultivate with the amplification array yet, am I right?" he asked.

    "Amplification array?" I asked, giving the answer to his question in my own way.

    "It would take too long to exin," the man shook his head.. "Just watch."

 Chapter 108 - Amplification Array

    Pathfinder opened up the smaller bag before swinging his hand and pouring its content out in the air.

    He did it in the way I would if I were to attempt spraying the content all over the ce. Something I could do while throwing money into a crowd of peasants.

    Yet, contrary to what I expected, the stuff that poured out of the pathfinder''s bag instantly arranged itself into a strange formation, only to fall down to the ground in a very specific order.

    "Go inside," the man ordered with a small smirk on his face. Just a single look at his expression allowed me to understand that something would happen if I followed his words.

    After my experiences at the sect, I wasn''t going to trust anyone lightly. But given the difference of power between that guy and me�� Him being courteous enough to ask me something was just a facade. If he wanted me to do anything, he was more than powerful enough to force me into doing it.

    I swallowed a mouthful of saliva and took a step forward, slowly inching closer towards the array set up by the stones from the man''s bag.

    Step by step, I got closer to the formation. And then, I finally found myself in its middle.

    BOOM!

    I felt as if a wave of mana mmed right into me, doing its utmost to pour into everyst pore of my body.

    It was just like I felt back when we crossed the barrier�� but on a far greater scale.

    "Sit down and cultivate," pathfinder said in a tone not allowing any disobedience.

    My knees gave up as I plummeted down to the ground. Using myst drop of free will, I crossed my legs to make my position a bit morefortable.

    Breathe in, and breathe out. It was that simple.

    Due to the varying concentration of energy within my body and in the formation, mana wildly rushed towards me, aiming to even out the difference.

    "Make sure to guide it through your core," pathfinder advised.

    ''Who would''ve thought that my first lesson woulde from aplete stranger,'' I thought with scorn, the face of Vaner appearing in my imagination for a moment.

    Even though he called himself my teacher and epted me as his direct disciple, Vaner didn''t offer me a single pointer or a word of advice.

    I pushed those thoughts outside of my mind, closing my mind and focusing on the process of cultivation.

    Breathe in, breathe out. Guide the mana pouring into my body towards the ck hole of my core, only to see it nourish my body once the core itself appeared to flood over.

    ''Right,'' I suddenly realized, ''I never checked my system since that time at the sect!''

    For a moment, the thought of checking my system entered my head. It lingered in my head for a second.

    Before such thought could get reinforced, prompting me to actually check it out, I realized just how stupid that idea was.

    Right when the massive amounts of mana were pouring into my system, I had to focus my entire attention on organizing it so that it would reinforce my body instead of going against it.

    Trying to check the system out in that time would be akin to shooting myself in the foot.

    "Okay, that will be enough," pathfinder said, reaching out and forcibly pulling me out of the formation.

    "HUH?!" I moaned in surprise, mixing with sadness. "Why? I want more!" I shouted out automatically, reaching out with my hands towards the formation.

    After a few moments, when I calmed down, I realized how I actually acted.

    My cheeks turned red. "Sorry," I uttered softly, lowering my eyes, unable to look at the man''s face.

    "Don''t mind it," pathfinderughed out. "Everyone reacts like that when they first enter the formation," he said, messing up with the burning coals of the firece using some kind of random stick.

    This alone told me just how much time I spent within that formation. After all, pathfinder not only managed to set up a fire, get it started, but it even managed to almost burn through all of its fuel!

    "That was��" I muttered, unable to put my feelings into words.

    "It makes all your former efforts seem like a waste of time, doesn''t it?" Pathfinder bantered with a small chuckle.

    "That''s right," I agreed, still shocked and slightly overwhelmed by the insane effects of this simple formation.

    But thinking about it clearly, it was only given. If I understood correctly, this formation only pulled the mana from outside of it and condensed it inside. That alone should be, to a degree, possible even back in the sect, or rather �C back on the other side of the barrier.

    The greatest difference didn''te from the array itself but from how this part of the world was far richer in the mana itself!

    "Anyway, I will let you use this formation whenever we stop to take a break," pathfinder said, still chuckling at my reaction. "Just make sure to get some rest outside of cultivating all the time. While you need to get as prepared for the job as possible, cultivation won''t rece sleep!"

    I felt the urge to ask him about my job for a moment. I was supposed to be a contractor�� but what did it mean? What would be my tasks? Why would I need to prepare as much as I could for it?

    But rather than asking those questions, there was one more thing that I had to check as soon as possible. Exactly the same thing that I wanted to check back in the array but was too scared of losing my focus.

    ''Looking how I didn''t even notice the passing of time, I guess this was the best option back then,'' I thought, stepping away from the array.

    I thenid down on the ground, leaving the tent to my guide.

    "I will be going to sleep, then," I said, seemingly following pathfinder''s advice.

    "Rest well," he muttered, turning his amused face back to the embers flying out of the firece.

    But I wasn''t going to sleep yet. Just like an unruly kid hiding his phone underneath his pillow to avoid his parents'' scrutiny, I whispered to myself, ''status.''

    "WHAT THE FUCK?!" My voice oozed out of my lipspletely on its own.

 Chapter 109 - Changes To The System

    "What?!" the pathfinder jumped up the second I let out my shout. His movements were quick and precise. In less than a second, he was bending his knees, holding the handle of the sword on his belt, and scanning the surroundings with a focused look.

    "Ah," I muttered, slightly panicked by what I did.

    How the fuck I was supposed to exin what alerted me like that?

    "I... I''m sorry." I couldn''te up with anything on the go. Just apologizing would give me a tiny bit more time to think. "I... I just realized something bad," I added, trying to be as ambiguous as possible.

    "..." the man threw me a furious look. He then took closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he released the air back out, his body slowly rxed, his posture straightened. "If you are that jumpy about your memories, I can''t see yousting as a contractor for long," hemented before sitting down by the firece.

    ''That was close,'' I thought, my heart beating at a mad pace. But with the situation averted, I could finally look back towards my status.

    Because there were quite a lot of changes to it!

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Mana Assimtion/Body Reinforcement

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:3/500

    - Willpower: 3/500

    ***

    Mana Asimiliation (235/10 000)

    {

    Flesh assimtion (191/5 000)

    Mind assimtion (44/4 000)

    Soul assimtion (0/1 000)

    }

    ***

    With so many changes to my system, I had no other choice but to go one by one with them. And just the first part that I picked was massive enough to make me utter the shout that I did a moment earlier.

    First off, for the first time in my life, I saw my system differentiate between what appeared to be the true name of my current stage and how the locals of this world called it. It was only a guess, but I couldn''t see any other exnation for the double name for my growth status.

    Then came the change to my willpower and endurance, both in terms of their full potential and their current status.

    ''So resting for so long made me lose all the progress?'' I thought, unsure what else to take from it.

    The changes to the content of my progression gauges were something that I expected. I didn''t need to check my system to realize that I broke through the mana condensation stage. After all, I could perceive the core inside me. What''s more, I even used it to cultivate!

    Up to this point, the changes to my status were something that I, more or less, expected. Reaching a higher stage of cultivation, changing how the progress works, it all fell within the scope of my expectations.

    But there was one more window, the quest one, that made me utter those words of surprise before.

    Objective status window:

    ***

    Completed: [Hidden Mission] Advance to the next stage!

    Completed: Fill in the gauge of your status! (1)

    Completed: Fill in the gauge of your status! (2)

    {By condensing one''s mana greatly enough, the host now needs to work on turning it into a solid entity, one that will enhance his ability to wield mana even further. Only by obtaining a solid core will the host be able to refine his mana into a manifestable form!}

    Completed: Fill in the gauge of your status! (3)

    {With the mana core now established, the host needs to work on manifesting his mana. As the rational next step of his development, a host needs to learn how and grow his ability to move his own, refined mana around}

    Completed: Fill in the gauge of your status! (4)

    {Now that the host learned and improved his ability to wield mana, the host needs to expand the influence of his own core throughout his body. Only by incorporating the inner flow of mana into the core itself will he be able to further enhance his control over it}

    Completed: Fill in the gauge of your status! (5)

    {After breaking through to the mana extension stage, the host needs to find a proper way to propel the mana from his core into everyst bit of his flesh so that using his mana will be as natural as using his energy}

    X: Rewards: 25 meridians unlocked

    X Bonus Rewards: 15 meridians unlocked

    Active: Fill the gauge of your status! (6)

    {Afterpleting the Mana extension stage, the host needs to properly assimte his mana into all three sides of his being. While the primitive culture consider it as the doorstep stage of bing a mana-enriched being, more advanced cultures recognize it as just thest of the beginning stages, allowing one to properly operate on the mana energy}

    ***

    I was dumbfounded by reading through the content of the quests that I somehow fulfilled.

    Did I break through to the seventh stage of cultivation all in one go? Was it really possible?

    But no matter how unbelievable this appeared to be, I couldn''t find any other usible exnation. Yet, as hard as it was for me to believe, I couldn''t help but immerse myself in the lecture of the quests that I somehowpleted.

    Manifesting mana? Pushing its flow into the influence of the core? A reward of unlocking meridians?

    ''Reading through it only makes me grateful for not having to go through all this stuff manually!'' I eximed in my thoughts, wiping sweat from my forehead.

    Still, even though I was in the seventh stage of cultivation already, the gap between the pathfinder and me was massive. So massive that I could tell that I was still in the phase of the baby steps, trying to crawl around in a world where others were sprinting.

    Yet, as if this wasn''t enough, there was still one part of the system that made my blood run cold in my veins. Because for the first time, my system appeared as something that could actually fail.

    Bonus Window

    ***

    Pristine Body: By purifying his body beyond the standard and almost to the possible pinnacle, the host ensured a smoother path for him to grow! [+0.49 modifier to growth]

    Forced Growth: By abruptly assimting massive amounts of energy, the host''s progress came in an unnatural manner. As such, rather than from slowly pushing his body further and further, his current power came from a forceful push. Host cultivation has now an unstable foundation. [-0.3 modifier to growth][+3 inner chaos]

    Chaos[3]: The tiny part of the host''s system is missing. The host is to expect certain bugs and errors.

    ***

 Chapter 110 - Gift Of Spear

    "Wake up!" the pathfinder shouted. While just his voice would suffice, he still kicked me in the gut for good measure.

    "I''m awake!" Faced with the brutal treatment, I was quick to assume my obedient self. The courtesy of my life on earth, something that I thought I had left behind already.

    "The sun is up already. We don''t have the time for you to ck off," the man advised before moving on with his own things.

    I quickly gathered myself up. It was an easy task, given apleteck of any possessions. I didn''t even need to wash myself... simply because there was no way for me to do it.

    "Here," the man rubbed his finger against his ring, only to materialize a simple spear. He then threw it towards me.

    "Huh?" I only managed to utter a slight moan of surprise when my body automatically moved on to grab the spear.

    Those weren''t the reflexes that I worked hard for. It was the instinctive reaction of the swordsman whose skills I consumed. As to how it happened? Why it happened? How could I do it again?

    The answer was simple.

    I had no fucking idea.

    "On guard!" the pathfinder spat, pulling out another spear from his storage ring.

    "Excuse me?" I asked in the humblest tone that I could utter. "What are we doing?"

    "Consider this me humoring my morals," the man replied with a dark shadow deep in his eyes. "I saw how you reacted to the smallest things yesterday. Those Tuxi fuckers are known for throwing people into the abyss without even telling them a thing," he muttered under his nose before raising his eyes on me. "If you want to survive as a contractor, you need to learn how to fight!"

    Not wasting any time, the pathfinder rushed forward. He threw his leading hand towards me, sending the blunt end of his weapon right towards my head.

    My body reacted on its own. Rather than grabbing the spear with both of my hands, my left hand let go of the wood. Using my right hand only, I pped pathfinder''s stick out of the way.

    "Huh?" The pathfinder shrugged, pulling his spear back. Instead of attacking again, he looked at my face while squinting his eyes.

    "Would you rather train with a sword?" he asked after a moment of hesitation. "I''m not as good with a sword as I''m with a spear, but I can see that you are used to it," he said.

    Kudos to him for being able to notice something like that.

    ''Should I?'' I hesitated. In theory, I already had some foundation for using the sword, something that coulde in handy, judging how wary this man was about my future job.

    "No," I replied, shaking my head. I then lowered my eyes and bit my lips. "What I just did was an instinct, not something that I''m used to," I added, refusing to borate on the matter any further.

    The pathfinder stood a small distance away, looking closely at my face. Ultimately though, he didn''t dig deeper into the topic but released a deep sigh instead.

    "Fine," he threw, standing in a position. He clearly wasn''t going to waste any further words.

    That''s was also where I encountered the first problem. How I was actually supposed to stand ready for the fight with a spear?

    As this was the first weapon I would train with, discounting for the foreign skills of using the sword, I could only make use of what I knew already. That''s why I grabbed the spear in both of my hands and took the exact same position that I would do while trying to throw a punch.

    "Tch," the pathfinder clicked his tongue right away. "Lower yourself on your knees. You are not trying to fist someone but to stab them. Although light, the spear still has the weight you need to ount for in your position," he uttered through his teeth.

    For a second, I was confused at where his annoyance wasing from. A single look at his faceter, I understood.

    This was exactly the same expression that I would see reflected on my turned-off monitor after every session of exining the basics of the RPG games to a novice.

    It was the face of someone annoyed by the newbie mistakes of someone they were teaching, yet rein it in.

    "That''s better," my guide praised my efforts... when all I did was literally lower my center of mass a little.

    ''I guess I shouldn''t take this change lightly,'' I thought, a lightbulb shing up in my head. If someone who implied to be a spear practitioner would praise something so small, then from the simple, social math, it had to hold immense importance in their eyes.

    Just like changing plus to a minus was all about making a single additional line, yet it could change the meaning of the equation entirely.

    "Now, bring your de further out," the pathfinder continued to fix the basics of my posture. "Remember, the greatest advantage of the spear is its distance," he said, a small smirk flourishing on his lips. "You are supposed to poke others with it, not hug it to your chest to gain confidence."

    Bit by bit, my position changed. By the end of the first stage of tutoring, I stood in a weird position, one that made me feel the muscles that I never knew existed before. Even though my body was now reinforced by mana, it still caused quite a lot of growing pain.

    "That will be all for today," the man said before I could even swing or push my spear a single time today.

    "Huh?" I reacted out of surprise, identally letting my disappointment out.

    I didn''t have any hopes of bing a spear master during a single training, but I was quite curious whether or not my system would pick it up as a skill.

    And how could that happen if I didn''t swing the spear in the first ce?

    "Don''t act so surprised," the pathfinder said, taking a few steps towards me before nimbly snatching the spear from my hands. "We travel through the day. You can cultivate in the evenings, and I will teach you in the mornings," he announced, moving both the weapons and all the camp utensils back into his storage space.

    "Is it a good moment to ask about what that contractor job is for you to be so guarded about it?" I asked, finally getting to one of the most important things.

 Chapter 111 - Contractor

    "What your job is all about, huh?" the pathfinder muttered, averting his eyes. His usually stoic and emotionless face turned into an ugly grimace as if he bit on something sour. "Fine," he said, turning around and starting to move.

    He clearly wasn''t going to waste time on just talking if we could as well walk while doing so.

    "A contractor''s job... It isn''t really a job. It''s a role in the sect, one that''s a great opportunity for some, dangerous duty for others, and annoying punishment for few," the pathfinder started. "It ultimately all boils down to one fact. You will be hunting monsters in the danger zones to provide resources for the sect," he said, shrugging his shoulders and turning silent.

    ''Great, that exins basically nothing,'' I thought, rolling my eyes. While I never knew the details, there were only two things that I could guess that this contractor job was about.

    It was either production or service. A production, as if in providing raw material, or service as in craftsmanship or in simpler terms, turning the raw material into a finished product.

    This was the basic outline of the economy stuck in this kind of pseudo-medieval period. That''s why my initial guess was all the time on some kind of production job, as the service-ones were usually reserved for highly skilled and respected individuals.

    Thest option could be discounted just due to the changes to the pathfinder''s mimic whenever he spoke about the topic or even mentioned in it the passing.

    "You will be assigned to an Overseer. It will be someone with strength great enough to protect you while you gain materials to grow in the easy areas, your teacher while you go into the deeper, more dangerous zones, and your partner once you reach the corends," the pathfinder picked up the discussion roughly one or two kilometerster.

    "Would you mind exining the division that you mentioned at the beginning?" I asked. "This one about it being an opportunity, duty, and annoyance?"

    The pathfinder nced at me over his shoulder, keeping himself in the usual distance of a few steps ahead.

    "For you, it''s an opportunity. After you fill the periodical quotas, you will be able to split the obtained materials and resources with your Overseer fifty-fifty," the pathfinder said. "With just the spiritual cores of the monsters alone, you should be able to cultivate far faster than by using the amplification array," he exined.

    ''So that''s how the sects obtain all their resources,'' I finally realized.

    It was always a wonder to me how organizations as huge as main sects could provide for all their disciples. Sure, the skdder sect could live off the benefits of grooming disciples for the higher sects... but could the Tuxi sect do that as well?

    But that didn''t make much sense.

    Even if one could go up the chain all the way to the highest possible entity, each of the ces along the way using this system to provide for those below them...

    There still had to be some means of obtaining the resources directly from the world. Given the usage of those resources, they couldn''t be just redistributed over and over again.

    In other words, someone had to pick up the ck and infuse this entire chain of self-adoration and support with the spirit stones, monster''s blood, and all kinds of others stuff.

    And it wouldn''t be surprising if this kind of thing was necessary every step along the way!

    "For me, this really seems like a great opportunity," I mumbled, more to myself than to the pathfinder.

    ''It won''t be good if I just keep silently soaking the knowledge,'' I thought. ''I need to keep the conversation going,'' I realized, swallowing a gulp of saliva.

    I was never a smooth talker. Maybe that''s how it seemed to those who yed the RPG sessions under me... But it was far easier to just write borate stuff rather than to talk about it live.

    "But a duty? An annoyance?" I asked, just throwing my question into the air and hoping that my guide would pick it up.

    "There is another side of the contractor''s role, one that''s often called a leverage for the contractors and sponsorship for the other side," the pathfinder muttered, his voice turning even colder than usual.

    "Leverage?" I asked, my mind spinning at its fastest speed. If I coulde up with the answer just from those hints, I could likely score some brownie points for intelligence with this man.

    And even though I only knew him for a few days, I could tell that he was someone who rewarded one''s own initiative and qualities.

    ''What would they need leverage on the contractors for?'' I thought. This was the first question I had to pose. A question that was fairly easy to answer.

    ''As I''m not really bound within their structures, they need to stop me from just going rouge, ignoring the quotas, and taking all that I hunt for myself,'' I thought. ''But what about the sponsorship, then?''

    "By sponsorship..." I whispered, rubbing my chin as I thought. "Does that mean that once I fill a certain global quota, I can get rid of my contractor status and have my resources for further growth ensured?" I suggested.

    "That certainly would be a great system, wouldn''t it?" the pathfinderughed out, clearly amused with my idea. "But no, it''s nothing as generous," he added, his tone reverting back to its old, cold vibe. "By sponsorship, I meant that there is a person you care about, for whom you are a lifeline," he exined.

    ''Mia,'' the name instantly appeared in my head.

    "What do you mean by lifeline?" I asked instead.

    The pathfinder sighed heavily.

    "From the moment you be a contractor, meaning, from the moment you are picked as one, those who rmend you will also pick your benefactor," the pathfinder said, stopping in his tracks.

    That alone was proof of how heavy the emotions associated with this topic were for him.

    "Someone to benefit from it," I muttered, trying to push the man a little.

    Now that I got so close to understanding at least this part of my situation,? my excitement was getting slightly better for me.

    "That''s right," the man nodded his head before starting to move his legs again. "Right now, whoever you care for the most, will be a sponsored student of the Tuxi sect. Meaning, all the resources they will receive for their cultivation, are solely dependent on whether or not you fill your quotas," the pathfinder exined.

    "Isn''t... Wouldn''t it be better to be a normal disciple, then?" I asked. From what Vaner, that damned bastard, told me about his sect, wasn''t that ce pretty meritocratic? With Mia''s foundations and talent, she could easily obtain all the resources she needed just with her effort alone!

    "That''s the thing, son," the pathfinder put on a sad smile. "Tuxi is a strictly meritocratic sect. But their sponsored ss..." he shook his head. "If you enter the sect and be treated as an elite, then suddenly losing that status down the line can be pretty damn hard!"

    That I could understand even without any further exnation. Whether or not the so-called elite status came with any real benefits or not, the moment some students were treated even slightly better than the others, the conflict would brew.

    And this conflict would turn pretty damn disadvantageous to one if they were to lose the status they never wanted in the first ce!

    "So if I don''t want M... my beneficiary to go through the hell of bullying, I better work hard and don''t miss my quotas, right?" I asked with a heavy sigh.

    This scheme was devious, even for my earthly standards!

    "That''s right," the pathfinder nodded his head, turning silent once again.

    "So then, what about that anno..." I was about to ask when the man suddenly raised his hand, signaling me to shut the fuck up.

    From a man of a few words like my guide, every curse, every signal, and every advice were far heavier than normal.

    "We will talkter; there is a monster on the path," he whispered softly, pulling out an elegant, slightly decorated spear from his storage ring.

    "I guess it''s time for me to put my abilities to use, then?" I asked silently.

    The pathfinder looked at me as if I was some kind of idiot.

    "Sure," he added, his face taking on a silly look. "If you really want to die before your dear one can be the sponsored student, that is!"

 Chapter 112 - Monster On The Road

    The pathfinder led me towards the beast in a pretty cautious way. Instead of just walking upright as he has done before, he bent his body so low that he almost moved on all fours.

    Sadly, I wasn''t used to this kind of maneuver. The best I could do was to try my absolute best not to cause any noise as I followed the man''s back.

    "Stay tight," the man ordered once he judged we got close enough. "I will go and deal with the beast. For now, just stay and wait," he ordered, changing the hold on his spear from afortable one to a ready-to-use one.

    And then, he just disappeared.

    He was two to three meters ahead of me. His outfit didn''t give any feel of camouge or anything even close to that. Yet, the second I blinked, I lost track of his body and movements alike.

    ''That sucks,'' I thought, expressing my own feelings. Knowing that my guide and semi-teacher was out there, risking his life to defeat the beast that was blocking our way while I just waited and did nothing...

    This was one of the worst feelings I ever experienced in my life. Yes, even whenpared to bullying. And it was all for one, simple reason.

    Back when I was bullied, it was ultimately the other''s fault. I had nothing to do with how others treated me, especially when their treatment was caused by my bloodline rather than my actions or behavior. Yet, right now, it was my own choice to stay back and do nothing.

    In other words, if anything were to go wrong, I only would have myself to me.

    I waited for a while. And then some more. Then, when I was reaching the limit of my patience, a roar reached my ears.

    ''So the battle has started,'' I thought.

    I knew nothing about the power of the beast or how itpared to the power of my guide. For all I knew, the pathfinder could be like a lion to a mouse when considering this encounter.

    But what was making me feel quite unsettled was the possibility that it was the beast that took the spot of a lion, while my guide was the one in the position of a mouse.

    ''That settles it,'' I thought a few momentster when the sounds of the battle turned more and more intense. The noises of the beasts roaring and the shouts uttered by my guide were now mixing in the bloody sound while keeping me in the dark both about the progress and the likely oue.

    ''I know I have no weapon...'' I thought, hesitating for one moment longer, before tightening my fists, clenching my teeth, and moving ahead.

    If I were to just sit and wait for the inevitable to happen, if it meant losing my guide, I was as good as dead.

    After all, if someone whose power managed to make me shiver from the bottom of my soul, then the beast capable of besting him would easily im my life as well. Even if I was only about to make the tiniest difference possible, it was still better than doing nothing.

    Bit by bit, I crept closer to the source of all the noises. Bit by bit, I inched closer to the source of a danger that could wipe its ass with me.

    And then I saw it.

    It was a beast like nothing that I had seen before. More like, it appeared to be aposite of three different animals that I knew from the books, rather than seeing them with my own two eyes.

    Its torso looked like that of a rhino, with all the folds of fat protecting it from the damage. Its legs were quite simr to an elephant, doing a great job at holding up its massive torso.

    But it was its head that made me feel some kind of indescribable, innate fear.

    If its body was a mix of three animals, then its head was a mix of five.

    The teeth and length of a jaw fitting an alligator, the thickness of its skull fitting that of a buffalo. The massive horns adorning its forehead were that of a bull, all the while its ears and nostrils made it look like a cat and dog, respectively.

    "Just die already!" the pathfinder shouted, clearly annoyed by the best resilience.

    Its trunk was covered with long scars, proving that rather than poking it with his weapon, the pathfinder used wide shes to injure it. Its legs were all bloody from the small cuts.

    The only piece of the beast that remained rtively unhurt was its imposing head.

    Yet, when the beast charged forward, I realized that all the damage that it received so far was less than enough to even slow it down!

    Despite its massive frame, its speed was near the absolute top speed that I could achieve on my own. In fact, if not for how I expected something monstrous to appear, my eyes would fail to track its movements at all!

    "DIE!" the pathfinder shouted. He took a few steps to gain momentum, charging right at the beast... that charged at him!

    At first, I thought it was a madman''s move, a desperate attempt at surprising the beast. But soon, my beliefs turned out to be nothing more than ayman''s idea of what was going on.

    Using thebined momentum of his own spear and the beast, the pathfinder struck the beast right in its spine. Rather than using the wide shes that were the origin of the wounds on the beast''s body from before, he finally trusted his spear.

    "ROAH!"

    Rather than uttering a standard roar that I expected, the beast''s cry changed mid-way, indicating that the attack clearly hurt it.

    But it didn''t kill it.

    The pathfindernded his jump roughly two meters behind the beast. From how he rxed his stance, it was clear that he considered the fight to be over.

    But from my point of view, it simply wasn''t.

    Rather than falling on its knees to the ground and dying, the monster jumped up, turning around midway, andnding ready for another charge. As itnded at the very same moment as the pathfinder did, my guide failed to notice it from the sound.

    And the monster readier itself for another charge!

    At this rate, the worst that I feared woulde to be. And in a situation like this, there was only one thing that came to my mind.

    And it was to make myself the target of the charge!

    "HEY!" I shouted. "You fat son of a bitch!" I added some insult, just in case the monster was capable of understanding human speech. After all, applying my earthly standards would be stupid in this world.

    The monster turned its massive head towards me...

    And then charged.

    Its speed was just a tiny bit slower than what I could exhibit on my own. That included the speed of its charge.

    If it attacked the pathfinder while he wasn''t looking, it would be over for both of us. Just from a single look, I could tell I was no opponent for this monster.

    That''s why, the best I could do, was to try to divert its attention to give my guide a time to recover!

 Chapter 113 - Spouting Out Blood

    The monster charged at me.

    It was my first ever encounter with a monster... and it was one that I had no way in hell of dealing with. The sight of its massive jaws shaking as it rushed right at me with several tons of its weight nearly made me freeze.

    ''Not yet,'' I thought, noticing the movements of the pathfinder with the corner of my eye. I was setting up a perfect bait for him. The one bad thing about it... was that I was the bait.

    ''Isn''t this the perfect training for what''s about toe for me in my new job?'' I joked, trying to lift my mood.

    One second. Two seconds.

    I bent my knees, wobbling my body to the left and right, trying to confuse the monster about the direction I would dodge.

    It looked like something capable of countering my feint, so I had to just wing it. Just like when one would move their arm around in aical way only to end up kicking the opponent, I waited one more second...

    ''JUMP!'' I shouted in my thoughts, hoping for this internal scream to add a bit more velocity to my move. I pushed my legs straight as quickly as I could.

    During the move, my mana rushed to my legs, supporting the motion and allowing me to climb just a tiny bit higher.

    I reached the perfect height to let the monster pass below me.

    But I didn''t ount for the possibility that it could jump as well.

    "Ugh..." all the air squeezed out from my lungs and through the mouth.

    It all happened so fast that I could only guess what really happened.

    I was thrown to the side. My stomach and upper torso hurting like hell.

    Was it its horn that smashed into me? Or did it shake its massive head?

    ''Headbutting by the monster to the death, isn''t that funny?'' I thought, only to cough up blood the moment I crashed into the ground. Only the pressure of striking the ground with my back allowed me to get rid of all the blood welling up in my lungs.

    I wasn''t dying... But I wasn''t all that far away from such a state.

    "DIE!" the pathfinder shouted. I could tell he wasn''t happy with what I did, but he wasn''t going to let the changed situation go to waste either. The second the beast turned its attention away from him, he chased after it.

    Using me as a distraction, he managed to get the right angle to push his spear right into the same wound he dealt before, this time driving his weapon even further down the monster''s body.

    My vision started to turn ck as my body forcibly cut off everyst unnecessary thing. In a fight for survival, consciousness didn''t appear as one of the vital elements of keeping myself alive.

    All the pain disappeared, numbed down by the feeling of my mana rushing all over my flesh. It felt as if it was trying to make up for all the broken and destroyed cells, either by healing those that could be healed or by destroying and reconstructing those that were beyond repair.

    "You still alive?!" the pathfinder shouted,nding on his knees right beside''s me.

    "TCHE..." Spouting out more blood was the only response I was capable of.

    "This will hurt a lot," he muttered in a concerned voice.

    ''Bring it on; it''s not like I can feel any...'' I thought cheekily, only for my eyes to open wide as the man drove his open palm right into my broken ribs.

    "AARGH!" I shouted from pain. This release of torture forced me back awake, as much as I would prefer to just stay unconscious.

    Yet, thanks to the mana circting through my system, I could feel the changes that this strange healing method brought.

    My broken and disced ribs moved back into their respective ces, allowing my mana to desperately start connecting the parts that broke apart. But as if that wasn''t enough, a whole burst of foreign mana smashed into my system, enhancing my healing process.

    "That was uncalled for," the pathfinder muttered. His voice was strange, different than it was before, making it impossible for me to read his emotions.

    Was it gratitude? Shame? Annoyance? Right now, I could only guess.

    Or rather, I could guess if my mind wasn''t fully consumed by the insane pain.

    "You failed to kill it," I muttered when I reached the state where I could gather enough strength to do so. "It was about to charge at you while you turned its back to it," I exined in a weak voice, still waiting for my mana to fix my body.

    "It was a trap," the pathfinder exined, although there wasn''t even a shred of confidence behind his voice.

    ''He is likely trying to bullshit me right now,'' I thought as a small smile crept on my lips.

    "Let''s just leave it at that," I whispered, feeling my spare strength quickly draining.

    This wasn''t the right moment for me to discuss the matters. Right now, I had to allow my body to slowly heal up.

    "You are stable now. Just stay down and rest," the pathfinder ordered me, standing up and shaking his head. "I guess we won''t travel far today," he added, the usual tone of dissatisfaction returning to his voice.

    The smile on my lips grewrger.

    This was how the pathfinder was for how short I knew him. Grumpy and dissatisfied. Seeing him like that served not only as an ointment for my stressed-out mind but also as a signal that I was on the right track to heal up right now.

    If he could bother to put on his usual mask, then it likely meant that the situation was somewhat stable now.

    "I guess that''s the kind of stuff I will have to get used to from now on," I muttered, trying to lighten up the atmosphere with a small joke.

    Sadly, from theck of the man''s reaction, it didn''t seem that he took my words as a joke at all.

 Chapter 114 - Teach Me

    "You should still rest," the pathfinder criticized me the second I stood up from my earlier spot.

    "The smell is too good," I countered, sitting down by the firece on which a huge chunk of the monster from before was grilling. I still had my hands wrapped against the middle of my torso, trying to somehow squeeze the pain out of my ribs.

    "That''s good to know," the man turned his attention back to rolling the handle of his makeshift grill-stand.

    The day was already well into the middle of its usual course. The fight with the best happened very early into the morning. As such, it took me nearly half the day before I could actually stand up and move around a little.

    "How are you feeling?" the pathfinder asked without taking his eyes off the meat. His voice was nk, devoid of any emotions. Yet, I could somehow tell that he was concerned about me.

    Was it some early form of friendship? Or was it a simple courtesy without any deeper meaning?

    I released a deep sigh.

    ''It''s not like he would tell me even if I asked,'' I thought before nodding my head.

    "It still hurts, but I''m better," I reported. "I should be able to start moving soon," I added, perfectly aware of how anxious the man was to start moving again.

    For a moment, only the cracking of the fire and the sizzling of fat falling into it filled the air. Then, the pathfinder angled his head to throw me a peculiar look.

    "I only saved you because I won''t get paid if I don''t bring you alive to your destination," he barked, for some reason unsatisfied with the current atmosphere.

    ''What a tsundere you are,'' I thought, the corners of my lips lifting a little.

    "Yes, yes, I understand," I goaded in a low voice, trying to keep the provocativeness of my voice to the minimum.

    "No, you do not understand," the pathfinder''s voice turned cold. I nced over at his face, only to see how damn serious he was.

    "You didn''t bother to help me for any of the reasons that I might imagine," I sighed in response. "It was just a business decision. I told you," I lowered my head, pretending to be saddened. "I understand."

    "No, you don''t," the pathfinder insisted, turning his eyes back towards the meat. "Even though there was no need for that, you helped me out," he said, insisting on the point that he brought up before. "But what you need to understand is that once you be a contractor, your overseer won''t lift a finger to help you," he added, finally exining what his entire attitude was all about.

    "Won''t it be a problem if I die on him?" I asked, genuinely surprised by the notion. "I mean, he is called overseer for a reason, isn''t he?" I added.

    "He will only care about filling his own quota," the pathfinder shook his head. But instead of exining, he stood up and took a closer look at the meat.

    Its outeryer was already covered in nice, crispy skin. Yet, given how chunky the piece was, I myself couldn''t tell whether the insides were properly roasted already.

    The pathfinder had no doubts like that. He pulled out a simple, wooden square from his storage ring before raising the stick with the mean on it from the fire and mming it down on the simple te. He then whipped out a massive knife before cutting the thing in half.

    "Here, you need to eat to regain your strength," he said, passing one of the halves to me.

    "Thanks," I had no qualms about epting the food. Even though I was a cultivator now, I still had to sleep, eat and shit. This part of my life didn''t change at all.

    "If you remember, I mentioned that the contractor''s job is an annoyance for few," the pathfinder muttered a few momentster, once nearly half of his portion was already gone in the man''s stomach.

    "Hmph?" With my teeth sunk deeply into the meat, I could only mutter some sounds.

    "That''s exactly what this job is for the overseers," the pathfinder said before gnawing at the meat and tearing apart a huge chunk out of it and swallowing it whole. "The overseers are mostly sourced from the problematic disciples that are about to enter the inner court of the sect," mypanion exined. "For them, this role is nothing but a rehabilitative job, a task they need to fulfill before they are given any chance at progressing," the man exined.

    "But how does this connect with their unwillingness to help me out in need?" I asked, unable to figure out how the pathfinder brought out one thing only to talk about something entirely else.

    "Their objective is to bring you all the way up to the Core Expansion stage so that you can join the inner curt along with your overseer," the pathfinder exined. "Filling the quota is the task allowing them to keep up the process. But the second your overseer gets dissatisfied with your rate of progress, your ability to help him or literally anything else...?" the man shook his head.

    He then raised his finger to his throat only to slide it from one side to the other.

    This gesture didn''t require any further exnation.

    "What would happen if I were to kill my overseer, then?" I asked.

    For a moment, the pathfinder was speechless. My suggestion, or rather, question, rendered him unable to reply for a moment.

    "Hahaha," heughed out, genuinely amused. "If you are discovered, you are dead," he replied, shaking his head as he continued tough.

    "And what about the situation you implied?" I asked, leaning my head to the side, only to instantly regret it over the pain that exploded in my chest again.

    And here I thought I was about to forget about it.

    "You are a smart one, aren''t you?" the pathfinder stoppedughing but kept up his smile. "Who could me you if your overseer got too cocky and died on his mission?" he asked, raising his head to look at the slowly darkening sky.

    Even though the day was still far from over, the amount of daylight would now consistently decrease over time.

    "The hunting ce you will be working on can be pretty dangerous areas, after all," he added. "But that''s enough of talking for today," he said before taking thest bite of his chunk of meat and throwing the bone away. "I will let you off for today. Rather than walking, it will be better if you properly rest," he said.

    "How about letting me cultivate instead?" I asked cheekily. If I was going to waste time on just resting, then reinforcing my strength appeared to be a more time-efficient option.

    For a second, the pathfinder threw a strange look at me, only to shake his head and rub his finger against his storage ring. He then swung open the bag with the formation stones, once again proving his mastery in setting it up.

    "Fine, do it your way," he dismissed me.

    I quickly finished the food and walked towards the array. Just like before, the second I stepped inside, the mana rushed into my every orifice, doing its utmost to equal the uneven density of it.

    "This is just a random thought... but could you please lend me a spear for a moment?" I asked, looking over at the pathfinder.

    "Huh?" he shrugged, surprised by my request. "What for?" he asked.

    "It''s just... I grew used to tra... cultivating while practicing," I said, raising my fist to my eyes. "Even if it''s just the simplest strike, most basic attack," I muttered before raising my eyes at the man.

    This time, I wasn''t going to give up on this opportunity. Even if it meant going through the hell of pain.

    "Teach me," I requested.

 Chapter 115 - Unexpected Intricacy Of Spears Stab

    "Stand in the same position as before," the pathfinder started giving orders the second I entered the array.

    Even though he was quite reluctant to initially agree to my request upon seeing how determined I was, he somehow agreed.

    I would love to be already able to just stand in the perfect position right away... but real life wasn''t as simple. It was something that I had already learned with my bare-handed training.

    I had to practice over and over again before I was capable ofnding perfect hits one after another. Given how much moreplicated weapon-fighting was and the massive focus on the stance that the pathfinder put, I dared not take this initial part lightly.

    I lowered my knees, pushed my left foot forward, three lengths of my foot away from the right one. Once my center of stability moved near my abdomen, I looked towards my temporary mentor.

    "Stick your ass to the back more; you won''t get any clients like that," the pathfindermented, shaking his head with disapproval. "What are you, a damned prostitute?" he asked, proving that his earlier advice was but a joke.

    I didn''t talk back but pulled my buttocks forward, even though it made my stance feel quite wobbly.

    "You are not trying to stop a charging best, but remain as mobile as you can," the man advised, most likely noticing my disgruntled thoughts. Still, he reached out and passed the spear to my hands.

    Feeling the wood of the crude weapon in my hands, I couldn''t help but close my eyes for a moment.

    From this moment onwards, this would be the item the use of which I would try my utmost to master. Whether my system would help me or not, I was set on learning how to use this rtively simple weapon.

    In a sense, opting to start from scratch with a spear instead of just going for the sword was counterproductive. After all, didn''t I already have a proper foundation that I stole from the auditor back at the sect?

    But that was the main problem. It wasn''t something that I grew myself, something that I ingrained into my flesh with long and diligent training. It was an ability, an instinct that I stole. And with how I didn''t understand the principle behind it nor saw any mention of the swordy skill in my system, I dared not to rely on it.

    The times when the greatest dangers that I faced were all about being humiliated by my rivals at the sect were now over. The real world came knocking, forcing me to ept the brutal reality that it was all about.

    Thankfully, after the several mistakes I made with the posture alone, at least I managed to get the hold over the spear correctly.

    "I know this will sound simple, but it''s not. Try pushing the spear out," the pathfinder ordered.

    ''Huh?'' Strange? His direction didn''t sound strange. It sounded so simple that I had a hard time believing that he was the one to give it. With how detailed and precise everyst of his previous instructions were...

    Was he trying to make me humiliate myself to nail the lesson down?

    I tightened my teeth and closed my eyes to regain focus. Then, I slowly lifted my eyelids, focused on some random point in the distance... and thrust my spear towards it.

    I didn''t really know what muscles should I use, how to twist my body, how to shift the weight and the center of my stability. I simply pushed the weapon forward, imagining a ball of meat at the point I tried to press its de against.

    "You should understand how unnatural it is to push the spear with both hands now, don''t you?" the pathfinder asked, a small smile creeping up on his lips.

    And he was right. Even though I stood sideways, using both of my hands to drive the spear forward was simply ufortable, unnatural, and clunky.

    "What should I do, then?" I asked, pulling the spear back and returning to the more or less proper position.

    "The only time when you use spear with both of your hands is when you are trying to repeatedly stab the opponent," the pathfinder exined, circling around the array so that I could keep him in view without turning my head around.

    Although it was just a small movement, it was enough to wreak havoc on my stance with how much of a novice I was.

    "Didn''t you just say it feels clunky to use both hands?" I asked.

    If this position was all about quick and repetitive stabs, then shouldn''t it feel more natural?

    "That''s right," the pathfinder smiled. "Because you are using both of your hands to push the spear," he pointed out. "Now, it will feel even worse, but push the spear forward only with your right hand, allowing your left one to just ride along," he ordered.

    It wasn''t what I expected... But well, kids in primary school didn''t expect that negative numbers actually do exist either.

    Once again, I took a deep breath to regain my focus. And just as instructed, I pushed the spear forth with my right hand, allowing my left hand to slide down on the handle.

    "NOT LIKE THAT!" the pathfinder shouted, instantly pping his hand against his face. "If you keep the spear like that, a fly will sit on it, and you won''t be able to hold it!" he chastised me. "Keep the hands on the spear as they were, just don''t use your left hand to push it!" he fixed my misunderstanding.

    ''You could''ve rified that before,'' I thought, annoyed. I was a newbie. What I heard him tell me to do, I did. Why did he expect me to understand everything that he said correctly right away?

    But instead ofining, I once again returned to the starting stance. I was finally ready to strike the air with my spear again a few momentster.

    I pushed the spear forward. My left hand remained right where it was on the handle, all the way to the point where I felt my muscles and tendons in it straining a little...

    And then, by the sheer reflex, I pulled the spear back. This time, my right hand rxed, making me pull the weapon back with just my left hand alone.

    Tic.

    "Do you feel it now?" the pathfinder asked; his expression became a mix of surprise and pride.

    ''He didn''t expect this kind of reflex from me?'' I thought, realizing what I had done.

    Thinking about it calmly, it made sense. If I were to keep both of my hands tense both while pushing and retracting the spear, not only would I tire them out pretty quickly, but their movements would quickly get hard to control.

    By splitting the task of pushing to my right hand and of pulling to my left one, I could actually keep stabbing the opponent over and over again for far longer!

    "Now, repeat this process slowly for ten to twenty thousand times, and you should be able to grasp the basics," the pathfinder grinned.

    I didn''t like the smug look on his face. It wasn''t a strong feeling but rather a cheekiness of a student jokingly rebelling against its master.

    Still, I had my own reasons to be smug. Because when I executed the stab more or less properly... I felt the system react to it!

    "Anyway, since you decided to go with the diligent route, from tomorrow onwards, you will help me fight the monsters," the pathfinder said before throwing a small stone into the array.

    In an instant, the density of mana that I already grew used to exploded, making me feel just like I felt back when I first entered the array.

    "This is my gift for today," he exined.. "The spiritual stone of the beast we killed today. Train hard because starting tomorrow, your life will be far harder!"

 Chapter 116 - Joint Hunt

    "Slowly, slowly," the pathfinder continued to utter instructions in a half-voice, making sure not to alert our prey.

    It was still pretty far away, but its senses were far sharper than humans''.

    Step by step, we inched closer towards the monster. Just like during a normal hunt, we had to take a long detour to approach it from the leeward side.

    To be fair, the only difference between hunting a normal animal and a monster was the fact that instead of aiming for a single shot to kill it, we just wanted to get the surprise advantage.

    "I will go first; you watch for its dodges," the pathfinder instructed, finally whipping out two spears and passing one of them to me.

    We were still roughly a hundred meters away from our target.

    This time, it was a pretty normal beast, appearing like a deer with way thicker legs than the one I knew from the earth.

    On its own, it didn''t have any redeeming fighting features that would make it a challenging target. But from what my guide told me, it wasn''t any reason to treat it lightly.

    Because contrary to the magic beasts that relied on their powerful psychique to ward off for themselves, this one could actually use cultivation techniques.

    "URA!" the pathfinder shouted, jumping out of his hideout and rushing at the monster.

    The monster''s head instantly turned towards the man. Instead of retreating the second, it heard a noise; it was more interested in facing the danger.

    ''I didn''t expect that,'' I thought grimly, once again realizing just how misleading the simrities to what I knew from earth could be.

    A normal dear would run at a breakneck speed the moment a danger would appear. This dear-like monster had too much pride to do the same.

    By the time the pathfinder closed half of the distance in two leaps, a huge ring had appeared underneath the monster''s hooves.

    The moment that formation sank into the ground, the vegetation around the pathfinder came to life.

    The vines hanging from the trees angled to the side, attempting to block his path. The roots of the trees shot upwards, turning into spikes capable of easily nailing down a human. Even the forest''s bedding suddenly grew up, turning into a quagmire capable of trapping even massive beasts.

    The pathfinder didn''t mind any of that. He cut through the vines that reached for him, crushed the wooden spikes with the back of his spear, and avoided the trap of the forest''s floor by leaping from tree to tree.

    I moved forward, circling around the path my guide took. I nked the ce from the side in which the beast''s body was directed at, ready to pounce the moment it would start retreating.

    And then, the pathfinder struck his spear down at the monster.

    The distance that still separated him from its target was twice, if not thrice, the length of his weapon. Yet, the second he pushed his de forward, a glint of aura appeared all over his spear, suddenly elongating its reach by just enough to graze the monster''s back.

    Another circle appeared between the monster''s long horns, only to flourish and explode in less than a second.

    "REEE," an extremely annoying sound sted through the air, forcing the pathfinder to get on the defensive for a moment.

    My ears started to bleed. With my lower cultivation, I couldn''t ward off the entire potential of the sound attack. Still, I continued to circle around the area affected by the restraining spell of the monster.

    "DIE!" the pathfinder shouted again, executing another thrust of his spear.

    He jumped and bounced off a tree, avoiding a wave of spikes that came flying towards him. He then extended his leading arm to the back, only to snap it forward and rapidly bring his spear down at the enemy below him.

    This time, it wasn''t just the man''s aura that reached its back but the very de of his weapon.

    A weird, guttural yet high-pitched noise assaulted my bleeding ears just as the monster jumped ahead, trying to avoid the attack.

    ''That''s what I waited for,'' I thought, sliding half a meter forward as I took my position.

    Instead of using the rapid strikes that I started my spearmanship adventure with, I replicated the pathfinder''s attack. The one difference was, I was static when executing it.

    My attacknded right on the side of the passing monster. The force of the attack pushed it to the side, causing it to lose the stability of its run. It crashed into a nearby tree in the next moment, momentarily losing the ability to escape.

    My spear broke into pieces. It was a crude weapon, a throwaway gift rented to me for practice. As such, it was no wonder that it would crack when used against a monster of the same cultivation stage as I was.

    "Great job!" the pathfinder shouted over, jumping ahead and driving his spear into the back of the monster''s skull, pushing it deeply into its brain.

    With such an injury, no amount of cultivation could help it. Even though monsters of any given level were far more resilient than humans on the matching stage, a metal de turning one''s brain into a stirred mess was lethal no matter the cultivation.

    "Is it over?" I asked, only now realizing that both my legs and hands were trembling. My body still wasn''t used to the forces that woulde at y when executing this powerful, one-handed thrust.

    "Yeah," the pathfinder nodded his head, pulling his spear out of the monster''s corpse. He then redirected the spear''s de towards the side of its torso before making a clean, deep cut in it.

    "It should be somewhere..." he whispered to himself, "here!" he eximed, pulling his hand out of the monster''s gut, a small, crystal bead locked between his fingers.

    "Does that mean..." I asked in a trembling voice, paying no mind to my light injuries.

    My ears hurt like hell after the sonic attack from before, but the joy in my heart easily managed to overshadow the unpleasant feeling.

    "Yeah," the pathfinder smiled, hiding the bead into his storage ring only to pull out a small yet glistering handsaw. "I will use its materials to make you a proper spear," he said with a smile, kneeling down to cut the monster''s marvelous horns out.

    It''s been only three days since I started learning the spear, but my progress was already visible.

    While the pathfinder most likely believed that he found a crude gem in terms of talent, I knew better than him.

    In reality, this rapid progress of mine was a result of not only my system but also my over diligent work culture.

    Ever since I learned how to use the basic attack, it became a mantra of sorts whenever I stepped into the amplification array.

    Used to physical activity as the medium to guide my energy around, I hit two birds with one stone by practicing my spearmanship skills while actively cultivating.

    What I discovered, though, was that contrary to other jobs, the spearmanship that appeared on my system worked slightly differently.

    To start it off, it was called a novice spearmanship. What''s more, it had a limit of ten levels, each of which required ten more practice runs for me to raise it.

    Right now, I was on the eight-level out of the total of ten of the novice spearmanship, with forty more practices left before advancing to the ninth one. Yet, despite how simply raising the level of my spearmanship sounded, it actually turned out to be quite a challenge.

    Because instead of a simple hit against a void opponent, I had to execute the stab perfectly for the system to count it as progress.

    In other words, out of thousands if not tens of thousands of stabs that I performed over thest three days, only four hundred and thirty-six of them turned out to be good enough.

    "Right, one question," I suddenly asked when I saw the pathfinder finishing up with the quick process of gathering the resources.

    The sounds of the battle would surely attract more predators wishing to check the situation. So if we wanted to avoid a disaster, we had to run away soon.

    "What''s up?" the pathfinder asked, stashing both of the monster''s horns away before reaching out back to its guts. "You won''t get the core if that''s what you want," he quickly added.

    It was unnecessary and uncalled for. This was our agreement, and I didn''t intend to attempt to change it now.

    "That''s not it," I shook my head before looking up to avoid the gore scenes of the man gutting the poor monster. "If this ce is filled with mana and the barrier bordends were not.... Why are we fighting monsters here when you did your utmost to avoid any fight back there?"

 Chapter 117 - Questions With No Answers

    "That''s a good question," the pathfinder smiled as he threw all the spoils of the hunt to his storage ring. He then whipped out a herbal notion and threw it towards me. "Use it on your ears," he ordered before picking up the pace.

    Just as expected, he judged that we didn''t really have the time for me to carefully apply it while standing. Or maybe he just wanted to hurry up and get moving again?

    ''With how talkative he is, I guess there is no point even asking,'' I thought with a small sneer.

    This was our fourth day on the road, past the time of crossing the barrier. The third full day during which I took an active part in the hunting process, although the very first day when I actually contributed.

    ''I wonder how long does he need to make me a real spear?'' I pondered as I followed the trail left by the pathfinder steps.

    In order to hunt this beast down, we strayed from the route by a whole lot. Yet, for some reason, my guide deemed it a valuable learning experience for me and a perfect opportunity to make some quick buck on the side.

    ording to what he told me two days ago, a single monster spiritual core was as valuable as a whole bag of natural, mined spirit stones.

    And after just a single moment of cultivating within an amplification array power by such stone, I didn''t dare to have any doubts about it.

    "At the current rate, we should arrive at the exchange point by tomorrow''s morning," the pathfinder muttered once we finally managed to get out of the forest.

    We strayed quite a lot from the main road, but we didn''t actually get far from it. In order to approach the monster we hunted from upwind, we had to take a massive detour, basically quadrupling the distance that initially separated our prey from us.

    Yet, even when aiming just to return to our path, we had no other choice but to meander in various directions, avoiding the strong predators that the pathfinder could somehow detect.

    "To answer your question from before," the man muttered, right as I finally found some time to apply the ointment to my ears.

    ''Figures,'' I thought with a small grin. The second I managed to do anything outside of making sure not to make any noise in the forest was also the moment when he allowed himself to speak.

    While just a small thing, it meant that I was getting used to the life of a contractor that he warned me so much against.

    "The level of the monsters here, on the continent, is mostly ruled by the amount of mana they manage to absorb from the air," the pathfinder finally started his story. "They are born with a certain level of strength, consume nts and other animals that have a certain amount of energy, but most of all, they absorb it from the air, just like all the other cultivators do," he said.

    "Wait, does that means the monsters can also set up the amplification array?" I asked, dumbfounded by this obvious realization.

    So far, every single time when my strength improved past the barrier, it was while I sat down in the amplification array.

    I didn''t hear any ticking while just walking!

    "That''s because you don''t really know how to cultivate yet," the pathfinder shook his head. "This is the greatest disadvantage of the promoters like you. You don''t consider cultivation to be something as natural as breathing, but something that requires effort instead," the man shook his head. "While not particrly wrong, it bars you from cultivating naturally like the others," he added, his face covered in an uneasy smile.

    "But?" I asked, aware that this wasn''t all there was to the story.

    "The monsters can cultivate like that to a considerable level... Because most of them live for far longer than humans," the pathfinder said. "On the other hand, what humans can reach with natural cultivation is far more limited," he said, throwing me a quick look.

    As if his nce was a nonverbal scold, I hurried up with smearing the insides of my ears with the ointment.

    "That''s why once you reach a certain level, cultivating without the amplification array bes a pain and soon grows to impossibility," he added, only to shake his head. "But that''s not what you asked about, isn''t it?" he added as a small smirk grew up on his lips.

    "If that''s how the monsters in the ce rich in ma... in the spiritual energy grow, how does it work in the bordends?" I asked, pointing out the exact spot of the story that the pathfinder missed.

    But I didn''t get the answer. Rather than just revealing the truth to me, the pathfinder simply smiled and moved his face away.

    ''I guess he wants me toe up with the exnation on my own,'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    This was the method that pathfinder used on me whenever I had enough information, at least in his opinion, to figure something out. Whenever I had no basis to learn something by myself, he would be willing to help, just like he did with the spear.

    But the fact that he refused to answer right now could only mean one thing.

    He already gave me enough information within his story to derive the answer to myst question on my own.

    ''If they can''t cultivate naturally, then can the reason be the food?'' I thought. ''But what could they eat? nts?'' I thought, only to shake my head in denial.

    Without mana in the air, how could the nts be a valuable source of food?

    With that, the answer appeared to be quite obvious.

    "They are eating each other to grow stronger, right?" I suggested a possible solution.

    It still had its ws, things that didn''t line up... But overall, this was the only answer that I could think of.

    "That''s right," the pathfinder nodded his head. "There is no spiritual energy in the bordends... But there is a lot of miasma," he said.

    "Miasma?" I asked, even though I could tell why he cut his sentence short, before exining the meaning of the word.

    That damned theatrical bastard just wanted me to go out of my way to ask about it!

    "That''s right, miasma," the pathfinder smiled, satisfied with my reaction. "It''s a strange energy that''s... not really understood," he shook his head. "All we know is that it appears in the ces where the spiritual energy doesn''t behave the way it should," he said.

    ''Is it the result of this strange behavior of mana?'' I thought, trying to rationalize the situation.

    Even though this ce was filled with things that would make most of the scientists go crazy, I just couldn''t help but get the feeling that when it all boiled down, it still followed some strict, physicalws.

    The existence of mana, magic, and cultivation of any sort didn''t mean that science didn''t work. It simply meant that the science of that aspect had yet to develop.

    Yet, thinking about this suddenly made chill travel down my spine.

    "From what we know, the miasma is the source of all the monsters appearing in the bordends," the pathfinder continued. "That''s the only reason we came up with why the monsters didn''t kill themselves a long time ago," he said before turning silent once again.

    But in my head, one question continued to freeze my thoughts.

    Was the miasma a result of the mana behaving in strange ways... Or was it the reason?

    People epted mana because they could use it. But if that''s how humanity always thought, then no nuclear technology would ever develop on earth!

    So the question stood.

    Was the miasma a result of the mana behaving in weird ways, or a reason behind this weird behavior?

    Or maybe it was an entirely different force that simply couldn''t mix with mana well, creating the ces like tiered zones and bordends?

    I swallowed my saliva and shook my head.

    ''It''s no use thinking about it now,'' I thought.

    Since no one in this world managed to understand this strange phenomenon yet, I would have to be pretty arrogant to believe I could just guess it on the go.

    For now, I could only shelve this topic as a mystery that one day, I would likely spend quite a lot of my time and efforts to solve.

    But today was not yet that day. As such, there was only one topic left that I had to raise with the pathfinder.

    "I don''t want to be annoying.... But can you tell me when you will get that spear done?"

 Chapter 118 - Value Of The Gold

    "I will get to it once we reach the crossroads."

    That''s the answer that the pathfinder gave me when I asked about my spear. Yet, just like usual when talking with him, I have no idea what the crossroads he mentioned were.

    Yet, when I woke up the next morning, I could stop my excitement from rising. Whatever those crossroads were, we were about to reach our destination sometime soon; that''s what the pathfinder said himself.

    And since we were soon going to part ways, the crossroads were bound to be right across the corner... Or, to be more specific, right across the line of the horizon, that made me unable to see any crossroads at all.

    "Wake up!" the pathfinder shouted over. Ever since I started hunting with him, he at least spared me the waking method of kicking me in the guts.

    "I''m not sleeping," I replied in a clear voice, instantly standing up from the ground Iid down on.

    Today not only would be the day when I would receive my spear, but also the day when I would part ways with the pathfinder.

    ''I''m going to miss him,'' I thought, dusting off my robe. ''But I just can''t help but get excited about what''s going toe next,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists to quell my excitement.

    This anticipation was the very reason why I woke up so quickly, despite going to sleep sote.

    In the end, yesterday''s night was the veryst time for me when I could cultivate in the amplification array in peace. Even if I could get my own formation stones once I be a fully-fledged contractor, I would likely be too busy trying to stay alive to find some time to cultivate in peace.

    "Let''s go," the pathfinder muttered, turning his head away and getting on the move.

    ''Having a storage ring sure is convenient,'' I thought. Thanks to this small item, my guide could pack up in a mere moment, saving all the time normally required to actually roll the camp up.

    "Sir, how expensive are the storage rings like yours?" I asked barely a few meters into today''s travel.

    "Like mine?" the man echoed my question. Looking from behind, I could see how the side of his face tensed up a little when the corner of his mouth raised in a smirk. "You won''t be able to afford it for years. But a cheap one should go for as little as ten thousand," he gave me the answer.

    Once again, it consisted of the vital information that Icked.

    "Ten thousand... of what? Kisses? Windows?" I asked the very same question that the math teacher of my previous life nailed down over and over again.

    "Gold coins, what else?" the pathfinder was so stunned by my question that he even stopped moving for a moment and cast a nce over his shoulder at me.

    "Wait, the same golden coins that I used back in the sect?" I asked, dumbfounded.

    ''For as little as ten thousand coins...'' I thought, biting my lips. In anyone else''s mouth, it would be clear information on how the gold value deted with the growth of one''s strength.

    The problem was, it was the pathfinder who said it. Meaning, this likely wasn''t just a straightforward exnation.

    "That''s right," the pathfinder nodded his head before turning it back towards the direction we were going. "Just forget about it for now. It''s not something a poor contractor like you can get your hands on any time soon," he said.

    ''This doesn''t make any sense,'' I thought, freezing on the spot.

    From what and how the pathfinder said, ten thousand gold coins was actually quite a considerable wealth. A prize that only someone with good enough financial background could afford.

    But wasn''t that roughly a fifth of what I got for the deal I made with the Madam of the brothel?

    "What happened?" the pathfinder stood down once again, noticing how I froze in ce.

    "Aren''t themodities in this part of the world far more valuable than what we can find back at the Skdder sect?" I asked, even though I knew the answer already.

    Just a single spiritual stone that would be worth consideration on this side of the barrier would be a thousand more times valuable than the spirit stones I bought back then.

    "No, another question," I uttered, shaking my head. I didn''t have a high degree in economy, but this didn''t make any mathematical sense! "How much would a spirit stone cost in here? Like, on average?" I asked.

    This was one specificmodity that I knew the value of. Even if it would change over time, there was still the median that I could take for an average price.

    "A normal spirit stone?" the pathfinder raised his eyebrow, only for a smile to appear on his face.

    It seemed that he finally realized what was puzzling me. Yet, it wasn''t a proud smile, but one that you would use to look at children asking why the government won''t print more money to make everyone rich.

    "A spirit stone here should cost around the same as it does on the other side of the barrier," the pathfinder threw with a smirk before turning around once again and resuming the march.

    "How can the prices of different goods..."

    "Do you think it''s easy to move tradeable goods between the different sides of the barrier?" the pathfinder asked before I could even finish my question.

    This time, he didn''t even bother to turn around.

    But the question he asked... was valid.

    This man was strong. Incredibly strong. Stronger than anything I had in my mind topare. And yet, even he treaded insanely carefully while passing through the barrier''s bordends.

    Moving gold between different sides of the barrier to make more value out of it... Didn''t seem to be possible. In fact, moving any sort of big amounts of trading goods didn''t appear viable either.

    ''So that''s why...'' I realized.

    The gold was precious only because it was in short supply. In this world where paper money was still on the level of bills of exchange, it was no wonder that the existence of the barriers allowed to keep the gold''s value in check.

    But that made me realize something else.

    "Does that mean that if I made some money back on the other side of the barrier... I will still be able to ess it?" I asked hesitatingly.

    "Did you bring it with you?" the pathfinder asked, his tone light enough for me to understand that he was making fun of me now.

    "I did not, but..." I attempted to exin the situation, only to see his head shaking to the sides.

    "Then, unless it''s registered in the auction house, you will have to go back to the other side of the barrier to use it," he said in a tone that clearly indicated the topic was over.

    I wonder how he would react if he knew that right now... I had over fifty thousand gold coins in the bank of the auction hall, with more toe when my share of the profits from the brothel would start flowing there?

    "Forget about the money for the time being," the pathfinder shook his head as he raised his hand and pointed at a small bulge in the far-off distance. "We are almost there," he said, lowering his hand back.

    At first, I didn''t really understand what the pathfinder meant. Then, I didn''t want to believe it.

    And then I could no longer ignore what I saw with my own eyes.

    Several kilometers ahead, there was a small shack sitting right at the massive crossroads. Or rather, it sat right at the ce where the small path we were traveling on joined to the side of a massive, stoneid highway that even Romans would be prideful to call their own.

    "That shack is where you will make your spear," the pathfinder said.

    "Excuse me," I muttered, shaking my head. There was something wrong with my ears. "This is the shack where you will make my spear, right?" I attempted to echo the pathfinder''s words.

    "No," he shook his head. "This is where I will teach you how to make your own spear," he said before turning his head and ncing over his shoulder with a smile.. "You can consider this a rite of passage."

 Chapter 119 - Crafting The Spear

    "So this is where we will split our ways," I muttered once we finally reached the doorstep of the shack.

    "That''s right," the pathfinder nodded. "But from the looks of things, it will still take a while before..."

    He cut his words short, turning his head towards the side of the shack.

    "What are you doing here, so early?" he asked instead.

    "I had nothing better to do, so I came to pick the candidate up," a man appeared from beyond the corner of the shack with a smug smile on his lips. "You should be thanking me instead of sulking. Doesn''t that mean you can get the fuck out sooner?" the man asked with a sneer before throwing a sizeable bag at the pathfinder''s feet.

    From the metallic sound the bag gave out, it was likely the payment for the job of bringing me to this ce.

    "Scram," the pathfinder barked before shaking his head and moving towards the shack.

    He didn''t bother picking the bag up but entered the small, rundown building instead.

    "It seems like you haven''t been to the sect for too long for your own good!" the man eximed, clearly amused by the reaction of my guide.

    What was important, all this time, he didn''t even bother to look towards me.

    "If you value your health, get the fuck out of my sight," the pathfinder muttered before turning his head towards me. "What are you waiting for? Ignore that clown ande inside. It''s not the time for you to go yet."

    "Yes, sir," I replied and nodded my head, silently following after my guide.

    Or rather, I did all the way to the point where the foreign man mmed his hand on my shoulder.

    "You are going with me now," the man said, once again, not even looking at me.

    From just this alone, it was clear that he saw me as nothing more but a tool to use against the pathfinder.

    "I''m sorry, senior, I''m not into men," I said, raising my hand and shoving the man''s hold away. "I know some poor and desperate boys back at the sect. You might want to try your chances with them," I added, angling my head and daring the man with a lovely look of sympathy, "that is, as long as you don''t mind the foul stench of their own piss, they like to y at. But it doesn''t seem like you will have any problem with that, sir," I added.

    It was a pretty risky y to provoke this man like that. Yet, even though I didn''t know his standing, I could tell that he was nowhere as strong as the pathfinder.

    To a degree, I felt as if I could actually match his strength...

    But I could only feel the power of his cultivation. Whatever skills and expertise in weapons he had, I couldn''t foresee at all.

    That''s why I used the moment when my words managed to stun him in ce, to retreat into the safety of the shack.

    The building, by itself, didn''t offer me any protection. It had no doors, and it appeared as if a single punch to its side would be enough to take it down.

    What guaranteed my safety inside weren''t the walls of the building but the presence of a pathfinder instead.

    "That was unnecessary," the pathfinder muttered, shaking his head.

    Yet, even though he said what he did, I couldn''t see even a hint of disapproval in his eyes.

    "Anyway, let''s get started," he added, throwing the usual stones into the air.

    A few momentster, I was already sitting in the middle of the amplification array with all sorts of materials ced around me.

    "In order to make a weapon of any sort, you need to prime the materials first," the pathfinder said, slowly walking around the formation''s perimeter. "You do it by pushing your own energy through it, just like you would do through your own flesh while cultivating," he exined.

    There was no reason for me to waste any time.

    I reached out for the long piece of the monster''s horn.

    "Start with the wood, first," the pathfinder corrected my actions. "Also, you need to smear it with your blood first," he added.

    I raised one of my eyebrows. For a moment, I felt an urge toment on the instructions.

    With how I pictured those instructions ying out, the entire process came dangerously close to looking like some kind of weird ritual.

    ''When in Rome, do as Romans do," I thought, releasing a deep breath to cast my previous thoughts aside.

    I didn''t have any tool to cut my hand open, so I raised it towards my mouth and bit down.

    ''Fuck me,'' I thought the second my teeth sank into my flesh.

    The only reason why I did that was that it looked cool when a certain anime protagonist did it. Yet, the anime didn''t convey how damn painful this kind of bite was!

    Still, it achieved its purpose. I lowered the injured hand down on the long wooden pole while ignoring the facepalming pathfinder to the side.

    Soon, the entire length of the straight, wooden stick was covered in a thinyer of my own blood.

    "Now, while the blood is still fresh, do it!" the man ordered.

    I grabbed the wood and closed my eyes to focus. This entire guiding energy thing was still quite new to me, even though it was far from my first time doing so.

    ''Don''t think too much,'' I lectured myself, ''just do it!''

    Soon, my fervent wish to guide the energy coursing through my veins towards this foreign object was heard. And just like hot water melting ayer of thick ice, my energy started to conquer the stick inch by inch.

    In a sense, it felt as if my energy needed to thaw through the solid parts of the wood, using the blood inside it as the guideline.

    "Good," the pathfinder muttered silently, careful not to break my focus. "Once you will establish a connection between two ends, move over to the braces," he instructed.

    I then repeated the entire process with the strangely-looking wooden shaving that would go on the central part of the spear to mark its center of weight. Then I immersed the counterweight with both my blood and energy, leaving just the monster''s horn for thest.

    "Now, this process needs to be seamless," the pathfinder instructed. "Once it''s fully immersed in your energy, you need to keep pushing more of your spiritual force into it. Only in this way will you be able to mold it into the shape you desire," he exined.

    Or so, I would love to say. But I was just as confused about the process as I was before his faulty exnations.

    ''Don''t think,'' I chastened myself again, putting my focus back on track.

    Covering the horn in blood and pushing my energy through it wasn''t a problem anymore. Yet, when it came to oversaturating it with mana...

    It felt as if my actions were going against the very rules of the world. As if I was trying to make water flow upstream, the air flow from the vacuum to a more pressurized area...

    But I persisted in my task. With my eyes still closed, I continued to forcefully inject more and more of my mana into the horn, too focused on the task to even think about what shape I wanted it to take.

    "Are you teaching yet another person this useless art?" the man from before suddenly asked, almost destroying my focused state of mind.

    ''SHUT YOUR FUCKING CRAP,'' I shouted in my thoughts, gnashing my teeth together.

    If I were to release those words with my actual voice, I wouldn''t be able to control my focus any longer.

    "Next word kills you," the pathfinder whispered, most likely noticing the wrinkles that appeared all around my eyes.

    Then, my focus broke apart. My mana just refused to flow any further, refused to get inside the horn in my hand.

    And only now did I realize just how insanely exhausted I was after this process.

    My forehead was dripping in sweat, the horn barely managed to stay still in my slippery hold.

    I slowly pried my eyes open... Only to see that this wasn''t a horn in my hands anymore. While I didn''t understand the principle behind the process, it somehow turned into a nearly three-hands-long de.

    ''It''s like an arrow''s head,'' I thought, staring down at the de in my hands with a nk face.

    "Now, connect it."

    The pathfinder stood right above me. For the first time since we met, he entered the array while I was inside it.

    He ced his hands on my shoulders.

    A surge of energy rushed into my body, pushing all the thoughts about the exhaustion aside.

    "CONNECT IT."

    His voice roared in my mind, even though he only uttered the faintest whisper.

    Guided by the order, I brought the staff and the de together, pushing my freshly regenerated energy through both of them.

    At first, each of the elements formed a separate flow of mana, starting and ending right at the ce where I held it. But when I pushed them together and sent another surge of energy, bringing myself to absolute exhaustion...

    The flows merged.

    Tic.

    My vision nked out. I not only neared my limits but broke right through them without a care in the world. Right now, only pathfinder''s energy kept me awake.

    "Are you done now?" the cold voice from behind didn''t bother me in the slightest. In this weird state of mind, I could only see the spear in my hands.

    "Congrattions," the pathfinder whispered in a soft, strange voice. "You are an adult now," he added, before raising his hands.

    My vision went nk as I fell down on the wooden nks making up the floor of the shack.

    "Now, are you ready to pay for what you almost d...." pathfinder''s voice fainted away when my consciousness finally turned off.

 Chapter 120 - New Guide

    "Huh?" I moaned in pain when my consciousness somehow returned.

    I wasn''t wounded, but everyst micrometer of my flesh felt as if it was set alight.

    "Don''t move too much," a foreign voice reached my ears.

    ''Who are you?''

    ''What happened to me?''

    ''Where is the pathfinder?''

    An array of various questions instantly blossomed in my mind, infusing it with panic. Yet, my body had concerns on its own.

    I had no strength left in my flesh, yet somehow my hands started to il around as if looking for something.

    "Don''t worry, your spear is here," the voice said. A moment of rustling soundter, my hands grasped the wood of the weapon I crafted, finallying to a rest.

    "Who are you?" I managed to utter the first of my questions.

    "I''m the one responsible for picking you up," the masculine voice replied calmly and without even a shred of hesitation.

    ''Huh? Who was that bastard from before, then?'' I wanted to ask, but I had no strength in me to utter those words.

    For a few more moments, I continued to breathe the air in and out, trying to gather enough force to voice the rest of my questions.

    "Right now, you are still in the shack at the crossroads," the man started to answer my questions all on his own, even though I didn''t get to ask them yet. "The man that guided you here already departed for another job. The life of a pathfinder is a busy one," he exined another point.

    ''Right, pathfinder was just the name of his job, not his own,'' I thought, attempting to bite my lips, only to realize I couldn''t even do as little.

    ''I guess I never got to ask him his real name.'' A wave of guilt and grief spread through my soul for a moment.

    "If it''s about the other guy that came here, he is dead. Your friend already buried him by the side of the road," the man exined another one of my doubts.

    Atst, I managed to pry my eyes open.

    Just like expected, my currentpanion was a man. He wore perfectly white robes gathered at his abdomen by a wide, purple belt.

    "Look, heys over there," the man pointed with his hand out towards the open doors of the shack.

    I followed the direction the man pointed out.

    And there it was, a single piece of wood inserted over a mound of fresh earth raising slightly above the level of the in.

    ''Well, it''s not like I care much about that man''s demise,'' I thought, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

    What struck me wasn''t the death of that man in particr. It was the ease at which one could lose their life in this world.

    Even after iming several lives with my own two hands, I still couldn''t get used to that fact.

    "You are looking at the road, huh?" the man muttered, resting his back against the wall of the shack. "If you go to the right, you will reach the outerpound of the Tuxi sect. This is also," the man threw me a weird look, "where your beneficiary will be taken to practice," he said.

    My beneficiary. In other words, Mia. By following that path, I could reunite with her...

    But did I really want to?

    I tried my utmost not to think about what happened back at the sect. Be it the event that started my rampage or how I ended it by actually injuring my love...

    No. Right now, I wasn''t ready to face Mia yet. And I didn''t even know if she had any interest in facing me either.

    "I will guard you for as long as you need to regain your strength. But once you do so, it will be your choice to make. To go to the right? Or to go to the left?" the man muttered softly.

    I pushed my head to the side a bit to take a look at that man''s face.

    His forehead was free of wrinkles, but a sizeable beard covered both his mouth and his neck. It made it pretty weird to guess his age, as those two features didn''t seem to go together in this world.

    "If you take the right direction, you will be able to meet with the person you care for. But by doing so, you will give up on your contractor role and be an unaffiliated cultivator of the continent," the man said, clearly about to exin the situation.

    "I know it already," I managed to utter through my mouth.

    Although slowly, my energy was steadily returning to my body.

    ''It''s most likely the influence of how rich the air in this ce is in mana,'' I thought, guessing the reason for my rtively quick recovery.

    "I guess the pathfinder exined some things to you," the man smiled mysteriously. "You should be aware how much it speaks about you," he added after a few moments of silence.

    "..."

    Even if I wanted, I didn''t have the strength to reply. And even if I had, I wouldn''t waste it on pointlessly talking.

    I had to recover as soon as possible to start my job as a contractor. Wasting my scarce energy on talking wasn''t a part of the equation.

    ''While I might not be ready yet to face Mia, I definitely cannot let her suffer because of my own cking,'' I thought, mentally tightening my hands.

    "To make it short, I would advice you to pick the left side," the man added after some more breaths of silence. "It will be dangerous as nothing before in your life. Your overseer will likely hate your guts and hope to let you die a dog''s death if you don''t prove yourself to him quickly enough..." the man muttered bit by bit.

    ''What, does he want me to give up on the job?'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    Mia''s future depended on my efforts right now. I wasn''t some kind of ck-hearted person to just fuck her and ditch the moment I would have to take my fair share of responsibilities.

    "I see," the man muttered, raising his head and smiling gently. "Do your best at recovering. We set off tomorrow," he suddenly added, turning to the side and covering himself with a nket.

    I released a deep sigh.

    ''I guess that''s it for the rest-as-long-as-you-need thing for me.''

 Chapter 121 - Void In The Soul

    Mia lied down in her bed. It was the same bed she went wild with Arthur just a few days ago. Yet now, even his scent was quickly vanishing from the sheets.

    Her eyes were filled with dried-up tears. After three days of crying, there were no more tears her eyes could produce.

    The food brought by the servants has long gone cold on the nearby table.

    For thest three days, Mia refused to eat, cultivate, drink or even talk to anyone.

    She justid in her bed, not moving an inch, as if already dead.

    Vaner pushed the doors to the room open. The exhausted look on his face proved just how trying thest few days were.

    ''I guess that was only to be expected,'' he thought, lowering his eyes and just standing at the doorstep.

    "Where is he?" Mia muttered into the pillow, just loud enough for Vaner to barely pick her words up.

    "He was brought away from the guild," Vaner replied in a soft voice.

    There was no satisfaction nor happiness in his voice or face.

    ''I achieved what I wanted... But at what cost?'' he thought, tightening his hands into fists.

    Vaner shook his head. His eyesid on the tter with the soup-gone-cold.

    "Aren''t you hungry?" he asked. "I heard you didn''t eat anything ever since the shit went down," he muttered, even though he already knew what kind of reaction he could expect.

    Or rather, thepleteck of reaction.

    The second Mia got her arms fixed, she refused to talk, eat or interact with anyone else.

    ''Now that I think about it, she wasn''t happy with us fixing her hand either,'' Vaner thought, his face turning ugly. ''It''s as if she thought that her broken arm was some kind of memento of that guy,'' he thought.

    "Fuck!" Vaner shouted, mming his tightened fist into the side-wall of the room. Under the powerful force of his expressed anger, cracks appeared all over the ce he struck.

    "Dealing with all the consequences of what Arthur did was already a massive pain," Vaner uttered. "Can you stop making my job even harder?!" he requested in an annoyed voice, unable to bear Mia''s attitude any longer.

    But just like before, she didn''t reply.

    ''Do you think I''m fucking stupid?!'' Mia thought, pressing her face even harder against the pillow. Ever since a few hours ago, she was almost unable to sense any remaining scent of her lover.

    It was as if everything in this sect, even something as personal as the bed they shared, was erasing its memory of Arthur.

    Over thest three days, Mia remained in her bed. She refused to speak to anyone; she refused to eat or drink.

    But she continued to think.

    ''It''s your fault that something happened to him,'' she thought, hiding her tightened fists. If she were to say a word, the hate filling her soul to the brim would easily spill over. ''It''s your fault, and now you want to pin the me on me?!''

    Vaner''s words, instead of forcing the girl out of her stupor, only made her more obstinate.

    Her hate was one of the major reasons why she didn''t dare to move or speak. But it was only one of the reasons, not the reason itself.

    ''Just why did you shove me aside?''

    This was the one question that continuously rang in Mia''s head. The void that this question represented would swallow Mia''s soul whole whenever she attempted to figure out the answer to it.

    "If you just stay in bed and refuse to move, you will be shitting on Arthur''s dedication!" Vaner shouted, desperate to get the girl out of her bed.

    ''If she refuses to go to the sect, we will be all fucked!'' he thought.

    Arthur could be a contractor only because Mia was worthy enough to be a sponsored student. Mia could be a sponsored student only because Vaner put his trust in her and her potential. And Arthur could be a contractor only because he had Mia to support.

    If even a single person in this triangle of co-adoration were to fail, they were all going to be fucked sideways!

    "The fuck did you say!?" Mia finally spoke out. She jumped up, turning her face towards the man.

    Her eyes were lit up with hate, wrath, and lightning. The intensity of thest-mentioned was great enough to scare Vaner off a little.

    It wasn''t a fear he could understand consciously. It was a fear that rang deep from the most innate, animalistic part of his body.

    ''If she could break my shield while still just a mortal of the first stage, then now...'' Vaner bit his lips, aware of the risk he was taking by taunting the girl with Arthur''s name.

    "I could only help Arthur by turning him into a contractor," Vaner lied. ''There is no way I will tell her everything I did was to make him the contractor in the first ce, not the other way around,'' he thought, clenching his fists so hard that his nails prated the inner side of his hands. "And if you refuse to be his beneficiary, then all his efforts will be in vain!" he shouted.

    "What did you do to him?" Mia''s eyes turned deadly cold.

    Right now, she was holding her rage back only by a straw of her willpower. Her hate now evolved to a step higher, fueling the static that appeared all around her.

    ''She is losing control,'' Vaner thought, his innate fear exploding. But once in, he could only go all-in on his bet.

    "I don''t really know what caused Arthur to behave like he did back then. But if I were to point fingers..." he said before closing his eyes.

    Then, he slowly raised his hand and pointed his finger right at Mia''s face.

    "What the fuck do you mean by that?" As impossible as it could seem, Mia''s voice turned even colder.

    "You are the only person that he cares for. And only by telling him that this is the way to keep supporting you did he agree to be a contractor," Vaner lied again, making up the story as he went.

    In the end, it was questionable whether Arthur managed to wake up already, not to speak, find someone to exin his situation to him.

    ''They should be well past the barrier right now... But knowing the pathfinders, they won''t bother talking with him at all,'' Vaner thought, only to shake his head and refocus on the girl before him.

    "What?" Finally, Mia''s rage started to quell. The static still covered her entire body, something that she didn''t appear to be aware of, but its intensity died out greatly.

    "Arthur agreed to be a contractor so that you could be his beneficiary," Vaner exined. "And that means, if he doesn''t die hunting monsters to provide for you somewhere out in the forest, you will get your chance to reunite with him," he said. "I''m not saying it will be simple or quick.... But isn''t it better than just hiding your head in the bed and sniffing the sheets in hopes of catching his scent?"

 Chapter 122 - No Witnesses

    Mia followed Vaner outside his mansion. For the first time in three days, she ditched her bed and dared to enter the greater area of the sect.

    ''I didn''t expect that leaving this building would be so hard,'' Mia thought, clenching her teeth.

    Even though it was filled with the atmosphere of emptiness and grief without Arthur, this mansion was still the ce where she made the best memories of her entire life.

    In this ce, she experienced her first time, where she trained alongside Arthur, where she lived her daily life with him...

    ''No, that''s not right,'' Mia thought, biting her lips as she decisively turned her eyes away from the building. ''I''m nostalgic towards this ce not because of this ce itself but because of Arthur,'' she realized.

    She then raised her head high and raised the pace of her movement, quickly catching up with Vaner.

    But soon, her slightly improved mood was devastated again.

    It was something that she couldn''t see when she was forced to return to the mansion before. Not only was her attention all over the ce back then, but the entire sect was covered in the darkness of the young night.

    Only now, when it was basked in the sunlight, did she realize the scope of destruction that Arthur''s rampage brought to the ce.

    Several buildings burned down, catching fire from the one that he was used of destroying. A huge amount of former grasnds and green parks turned into a ckened wastnd, leaving a massive scar on the otherwise beautiful facade of the sect''s insides.

    "How many..." Mia muttered, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of the destruction. She then gulped down the saliva that gathered in her throat before throwing a nce at the back of Vaner''s head. "How many did he kill?"

    For a moment, the elder didn''t reply. His shoulders sank a little, proving how much weight this topic brought to him.

    "We only know about seven people," he said. "The elders of the Leateria, Kuxhi, and Dastria sects, along with their prime disciples. Additionally, the prime disciple of the Ytraxa sect," Vaner listed out, refusing to exin the specialties of each of those sects, hiding behind their names.

    ''It will be pretty bad if she learns who they are now,'' Vaner thought, closing his eyes.

    The leader and prime disciple of the dual cultivation, sword, and alchemy sect. Additionally, the prime disciple of the religious cultivation sect.

    It wasn''t a coincidence that they were the only recorded casualties of the conflict.

    The dual cultivation folks died before everything started for real, while the rest of them died over the course of the conflict.

    ''If she learns who died first... She would likely realize what caused Arthur''s rampage,'' Vaner thought, tightening his hands.

    He had no proof over his guess, but he would have to be stupid not to realize what happened.

    The dual cultivation sect prided itself on three aspects. The ability to cultivate by having two people fuck in a special way. This was the pleasure factor that, course after course, attracted a great number of disciples towards them.

    Then came the aspect of abundant resources, procured by their disciple earning money by disying the arts they practiced. This was the mary benefit of learning in that sect.

    Yet, it was the third aspect that made them so hideous in the eyes of every civilized person.

    ''I guess she just wanted to rape him to advance her own cultivation,'' Vaner thought, silent hate burning up in his soul.

    While the most efficient way to dual cultivate involved two disciples of the opposite gender using a special art while screwing, there was a way to forcefully extract the other person''s essence for one''s own benefit.

    It was a forbidden art that the Dastria sect officially banned... But inofficially encouraged across its disciples.

    After all, in a world where might makes right, they silently believed that if one had the strength to force the other down, then they were privy to the strength they would steal from the victim.

    "Do you know what made Arthur go on the rampage?" Mia asked once she finally managed to digest the sights she saw and things she heard.

    "No idea," Vaner barked, almost snapping at the girl.

    ''Not good, I almost gave my thoughts away,'' he thought, shaking his head to regain hisposure.

    "The people who could know what happened all died during his rampage. Right now, we can only guess," Vaner added after a moment, trying to hide his earlier mishap.

    ''As if,'' Mia rolled her eyes, smarter than to believe in her elder anymore.

    ''Ever since something happened to Arthur, you lost your credibility,'' she thought, staring daggers at the elder''s back.

    Yet, there was no time for her hostility to turn from thoughts into actions, as they finally arrived at a massive za filled with people and carriages.

    "This is where we will part ways," Vaner said, pointing his hand at a nearby carriage. "You are to sit in that vehicle. It will take you to the outerpound of the Tuxi sect, where you will be their outer disciple," he said before turning around and leaving without any spare word.

    Mia simply stood in ce, looking around as if to assess her own situation. Yet, there was one thing that instantly grabbed her attention.

    ''You said that no one survived the onught...'' she thought, looking at Vaner''s departing back, only to move her eyes towards a group of girls sitting in a carriage nearby.

    Their robes were pretty revealing, designed around making those who wore them as attractive and arousing as possible.

    Yet, everyst one of those girls would look away the second Mia wouldnd her eyes on them.

    ''It doesn''t seem that was the case at all,'' Mia thought, tightening her hands into a fist.

    She then took a step forward, aiming to find out what happened from those girls, even if it involved beating the crap out of them if necessary.

    "Lady, your carriage is over there."

    Before Mia could even reach half of the distance towards the girls, someone stood in her path and stopped her.

    "Get lost," she scoffed, moving to the side in an attempt to circle around the man.

    "Can''t you see how terrified those girls are of you?" the man asked, stepping to the same side and blocking Mia''s path again. "Whatever grudge you have towards them, you will have to wait until the sect''s tournament," he said, shaking his head. "Right now, I''m obliged to protect them, so I can''t allow you to go any further," the man said.

    Mia raised her eyes at the man''s face, only to realize that he was disinterested in the entire situation. What he was doing was simply his job, not a nned interference aimed at stopping her from figuring out the truth.

    "Youngdy, please, do not make me force you back," the man added in a pleading tone, despite his face proving that he was eager to do it.

    ''I guess he just wants to feel me up in the process,'' Mia concluded, perfectly familiar with the type of looks this random guy was throwing at her.

    "A sect tournament, you say?" she muttered before shaking her head and turning back towards the carriage she was supposed to board. "Fine.. I can wait."

 Chapter 123 - Against The Expectations

    ''That''s going to be...'' Mia hesitated a little when she saw the insides of the carriage she was supposed to board.

    It wasn''t bad. On the contrary, it was luxurious.

    Starting with the seats, instead of cramming all the disciples like she expected, the carriage was outfitted with proper chairs, each of them covered in nkets and pillows for thefort of transportation.

    Yet, the people sitting inside gave Mia the greatest impression.

    ''It''s going to be hard,'' she thought, clenching her jaws as she stepped on the small stairs by the side of the carriage and entered the vehicle.

    "So this is thest one to join," one of the passengersmented the second Mia appeared.

    He was a young man in a set of robes vastly different from what Mia was wearing. But that was the case to literally everyone on the carriage.

    Yet, even though everyone wore different clothes, one thing unified them all.

    Just a single look at their clothes was enough to see just how expensive they were.

    ''If not for the quality of materials that Arthur used to make my robe, I would look like a beggar when near them,'' she thought, already preparing herself mentally for the inevitable unkind treatment.

    That''s why Mia simply sat down on one of the free seats and lowered her head, keeping to herself, rather than replying to the man''s invitation to talk.

    "Oh, so she is a shy one," the young manmented, gracing Mia with a rxed smile. "I''m sorry for being pushy, then," he added before turning his face back to the guy that was sitting beside him.

    "Ignore that jerk," a girl spoke out. Her clothes were kept in a graceful tone of pink. "He only looks for someone to get his dick wet with," she added, openly insulting the guy from before.

    "Yet, you are the one who constantly brings that topic out," the guy countered, instantly joining in on the banter. "What, are you itchy down there?"

    For a moment, the two of them were in a standoff of stares. Yet, before the situation could turn any tenser, both of themughed out loud.

    "For real, I know that our group might look intimidating, but there is no reason to keep to yourself like that," the girl said. She then stood up and reached out with her hand. "I''m Kathia. Nice to meet you," she said, shaking her head before Mia''s face.

    "Nice to meet you too," Mia said, sighing out and shaking Kathia''s hand. When approached directly like that, ignoring the other would only give the girl a reason tosh at her. "I''m Mia," she added.

    "You are still on guard around me!" Kathia protested, recognizing the reasons behind Mia''s retreated behavior right away. "I don''t know what you went through in this backwater sect, but you are a sponsored student now!" Kathia eximed, a happy grin blossoming on her face. "You should keep your head straight and enjoy your life from now on! Here, no one will dare to bully you anymore!"

    ''Was I wrong?'' Mia thought hesitantly, running her eyes around the faces of everyone in the carriage.

    True. Her life at the Skdder sect wasn''t easy. If not for the likes of Arthur and Media, it would be one hell of an experience.

    ''Am I safe to assume that I won''t be bullied here?'' Mia thought, pretty guarded about the possibility of any sneak attacking her way the second she would rx.

    "Just give her some time," another person, this time from the back of the carriage, spoke out. "You guys are overwhelming her right now. She needs some time to adjust," a guy in dark robes said before lowering his eyes back at the scroll he was reading.

    ''Maybe this... isn''t going to be as bad as I thought.'' Mia silently breathed out a small sigh of relief.

    Even if this was all just a prelude to the greater bullying that awaited, she wanted to treasure everyst moment of peace that she could have.

    Yet, as she looked over the carriage once again, she noticed a familiar face right outside of it.

    It was Jenne, sitting in the carriage right next to her.

    ''It''s him,'' Mia thought, her eyes widening.

    The source of all the problems that she was faced with. The source of all the trouble that came her and Arthur''s way in their time in the sect.

    ''It''s pretty safe to assume that whatever happened to Arthur is this guy''s direct responsibility,'' Mia guessed, her hands once again tightening into fists.

    "Mia?" Kathia asked, noticing the signs of fury surfacing on the girl''s face.

    "Huh?" Hearing the familiar name, Jenne looked to the side. Yet, the second she noticed Mia''s hateful re, he instantly looked away, pretending not to see the girl at all.

    ''This fucker...'' Mia thought, standing up from her seat. ''Even if it kills me, I will...''

    Mia couldn''t even finish her thought as an adult finally appeared within the carriage.

    "Sit down," a kind-looking elder looked at Mia and pointed at the seat she just jumped out of. "Whatever grudge you have against that man," he said, looking over to the carriage Jenne was in, "you can''t solve it now," he said.

    ''Just like that bastard from before,'' Mia thought, instantly recognizing the old man''s strength.

    It was something almost tangible. The aura of the man was so thick that Mia was certain that just by reaching her hand out, she could burn her fingers in it.

    "I guess I need to wait for the tournament?" Mia asked cheekily, partially to not give way to that man and partially to confirm what she had heard before.

    "That''s right, but for now, you need to sit," the man said with a smile. "It''s not that I don''t want you to sit, but if you keep standing when we will start moving, you are likely to break some teeth!" he advised.

    ''I guess I need to bid my time,'' Mia thought, clenching her jaws and obediently sitting down. And then, as if by a touch of a magic wand, the carriage pulled forward.

    "Everyone, I don''t really want to exin it all over, so I hope I can leave the exnation of what''s going on to you," the elder said before moving towards the head of the carriage and sitting down.

    "So, listen," Kathia instantly took the role of exining. "We are going to the outerpound of the Tuxi sect now," she said. "As the sponsored disciples, we will be provided with all the resources we need to grow. Your only responsibility will be to train hard to make the sect proud," she said, a wide smile blossoming on her face once again.

    "For now, though," the elder said, only to cut his words right in the middle of the sentence.

    "Right, my bad," Kathia muttered, blushing a little. "For now, though, we are going to pass through the bordends surrounding the barrier. That''s why, while in the carriage and during camping, we need to keep our spiritual energy in check," the girl said.

    "And why is that?" Mia asked, using up thest bit of her inner defiance for that.

    "Because we don''t want to add work to the experts that are escorting all of the carriages," Kathia exined patiently. "Even if they can defeat the beasts roaming the bordends, it''s not an easy task. So..." the girl smiled, "if we don''t want to have any trouble once we arrive at the sect, it''s best not to make any trouble for others now!"

 Chapter 124 - Meeting The Overseer

    Walking on this new path, both literally and metaphorically, was a strange experience.

    It was new for me to walk on a perfectly even stone road without even the slightest worry of twisting my ankle. Or rather, it would be if I didn''t have my memories of life on earth.

    Yet, being able topare the road I was using right now to the stuff that only way more advanced civilization could create wasn''t the way to go. If I kept doing that, I would never be satisfied with anything in this world but the girls.

    That''s why, for every step I took, I did my best to enjoy just how fine the local highway was. At least, inparison to the abandoned-looking road that pathfinder used to bring me to the highway.

    The same difference could be applied to my current guide.

    Instead of a silent and condescending treatment of a pathfinder that I got so used to over thest few days, my new guide was...

    Well, still silent. Yet, whenever I asked any question, he would openly answer it, as long as he deemed me fit to know such an answer.

    For example, when I asked about who he was...

    "I''m Rubart, a menial elder of the lower headquarters of the Tuxi sect," he introduced himself properly, going as far as to reveal his full, lengthy title.

    Over the course of my further questions, I learned that menial meant an elder who was still tasked with actual jobs. Whenpared to the politics-oriented elders I knew from the Skdder sect, it was already an improvement.

    Yes, this menial elder would answer almost every question I asked, outside of ones regarding the meaning of life or the universe. So it should be all great and dandy, shouldn''t it?

    ''I miss pathfinder,'' I thought, annoyed by the fake openness of Rubart. Yes, he would answer most of my questions... But that was it.

    He would pick up the discussion. His answers wouldn''t lead to anything.

    Back when I was still with a pathfinder, if we talked about something, then the discussion, as annoying as it could be, would always lead to some sort of conclusion. Some sort of exnation of the meaning of said discussion.

    And now?

    Rubart''s answers were as short as possible without making them lose their meaning. Yet, for me, who knew close to nothing about the trivia of this world, they only added more mystery to the questions I already had.

    "We are nearing the pickup spot," Rubart spoke out of his own will for the very first time. He then brought his hand up and pointed at a small dent in the line of the woods nearby. "As such, you need to stay silent as I exin some vital information," he added.

    Rubart then cleared his throat.

    "Once we reach that ce, you will meet your Overseer. You are required to bring in the haul every month or every week, but your progress is tracked in a biweekly manner," he threw some trivia in a formal tone.

    ''It''s most likely a form he has to utter whenever leaving the people he is guiding,'' I guessed, rolling my eyes.

    Reaching this ce took us several hours from when we departed from the crossroad shack the first thing in the morning. He had a lot of time to tell me all of those things, so why didn''t he?

    Even with all the questions that I posed, most of our journey we spent in silence and peace!

    "You have the right to act independently if you so desire, but it''s advised to follow the lead of your Overseer. His strength might be your advantage," Rubart continued. "Any and all grievances you have against your Overseer might be reported during your visits in the lower headquarters," he finished, right as we stopped by the wall of trees.

    "Took you long enough," a young man, roughly in the middle of his twenties,mented the second Rubart finished his piece.

    "Bringing people directly from beyond the barrier takes time," Rubart replied, casting a quick nce at my Overseer''s face. "Tsk," he clicked the tongue, turning his face towards me.

    For a moment, I could see a pity shing in his eyes.

    "My job here is done," Rubart said, turning around. "Good luck," he added before stepping on the road and leaving.

    "Follow me," my Overseer barked, not even bothering to ask for my name.

    Between the anger clearly visible in his eyes and Rubart''s reaction to this guy...

    ''I''m fucked, am I not?'' I guessed.

    Just like Vaner warned me all the way back on the other side of the barrier, it appeared that my Overseer didn''t really like the idea of... well, overseeing my growth.

    ''And that means he is the greatest danger to my wellbeing,'' I thought, tightening my grip over my spear.

    This weapon, a crude knife, and my robe were the only belongings I was allowed to take from the sect. That, and the identification token that I obtained from the auction hall, although it was hidden in the deepest pocket of my robe.

    Soon, we reached a small clearing, roughly a kilometer deep into the forest. It still had some trees offering some shade during the day, but most of this small area was open and clear of all the bigger vegetation.

    Right through the middle of the clearing, a small river cut through, providing the ce with a fresh and rtively abundant source of water.

    There was only one thing that wasn''t raised by nature''s hand in this entire ce. It was a rtively small tent, appearing to be able to fit three people at most.

    ''Are we going to live in such a cramped space?'' I thought, following my Overseer towards the tent.

    "And where do you think you are going, you little fucker?" the man asked, throwing me a hateful stare. "If you want a ce to sleep, go and organize it yourself!" he instantly sobered me up from the idea of sharing the tent.

    ''What a low kind of person,'' I thought, squinting my eyes.

    Yet, there was no point in protesting.

    I was still weak. Just a single day of rest wasn''t anywhere near enough to help me replenish my mana, and a forced march right after that didn''t help either. Still, if I wanted to rest in any form offort, it appeared that I had to organize it myself.

    "You, what''s your name?" the man finally asked, stopping right at the entrance to his tent.

    "I''m Arthur," I only revealed my first name. Although this was likely a pointless worry, Pendragon''s name held a lot of meaning and value back on earth. I didn''t want to reveal it in this world and risk attaching value to my head if someone turned out to be after my blood!

    "Good," my Overseer said with a sneer. "Don''t you dare hold me back, Arthur," he barked before hiding himself in the tent.

    ''This is going to be a pain,'' I thought. I then shook my head to clear it from useless thoughts.

    There was no point thinking about this rude fucker. A time woulde when I would be able to pay him back for all the bullying I was sure I was in for.

    For now, I had to make sure I could get some rest without getting my robes wet from the roses or rain.

    And the crude knife by my side would surelye as handy as all the videos of men building primitive houses I watched instead of sleeping back on earth!

 Chapter 125 - From Scratch To A Pile

    ''This is really going to be a pain,'' I thought, shing some kind of a tall-growing, thin grass.

    It was the third element of the total of five that I had to gather to make my project a reality.

    There were three possible designs for what would be my living ce from now on.

    The first idea was to just dig a hole big enough for me to lie t in it. By covering its bottom with straw, I could make such a house somewhat bearable...

    But it was too risky. A single rainy day, a single monster straying into the clearing, and I would be fucked beyond any recovery. With rain, my hut could even copse and bury me alive. With a monster, I would wake up to the fact of being eaten unless the monster would be kind enough to wake me up first.

    Second, came the idea of fulfilling every kid''s dream that lived anywhere near the trees. A tree-house!

    It was rtively safe, protected from most of the monsters, and safe from getting destroyed by rain or winds...

    But I gave up on it the second I thought about all the work necessary to make it happen. What''s more, without nails and proper tools, creating something stable enough to trust it with my sleep would be a nightmare.

    In the end, the third and most reasonable idea prevailed.

    "That should be enough," I thought, trying topare the amount of tall grass that I gathered to what I pictured in my head. Satisfied with the results, I brought the grass back to the clearing and got to work.

    First, I dug six small holes. As I could only use my knife and hands to do so, this was the limit of the earthwork I could partake in. The amount of effort it required of me toplete those holes also proved another point.

    How did I ever expect to dig something big enough to fit myself in with no real tools and all... if just a few small holes already tired me out so damn much?

    "Now, nail those down," I muttered to myself, forcing the logs made out of the young trees I cut with my knife into the hole. In reality, those wooden parts were more fitting to be called sticks than logs, but for the sake of my own mentalfort, I decided to color the reality in slightly brighter colors.

    ''A third of the job well done,'' I thought to myself, getting to my knees and grabbing the stick firmly lodged into the ground.

    And then I started jerking it. Up and down, to the sides. From its tip, roughly one and a half meters above the ground, then from its very base right where it was buried into the ground.

    Only once repeating this process for each of the buried sticks did I get back to my knees and started to dig six more holes.

    I divided the task of digging for one simple reason. I needed to make sure that those frame sticks were firmly lodged into the ground, refusing to buckle even under great stress.

    If they failed my test, I would have no other choice but to get back to the drawing boards for the ideas of my house.

    The six further holes that I made turned out to be twice as deep as the original ones. Since I was now building the construction frame from my actual bed, they had to be able to withstand all the possible forces of nature... all the while burdened with my own weight!

    With all the twelve holes done, I filled the six new with the shorter sticks, each of them ending roughly half a mater above the surface.

    ''This is starting to look like...'' I thought, only for an ugly grin to appear on my face.

    It was nowhere close to the piece of art that the people in the videos I watched could make with their bare hands and sharpened sticks. It looked exactly as one would expect, like a bunch of sticks forced into the ground.

    But I was only getting started.

    With the construction now done, I moved on to the next part.

    Using some thin sticks and rubbery weeds, I created a horizontal frame resting on the lower six beams. By connecting each of the lower beams with the other, I then added one more support right in the middle of the entire structure.

    ''Now, for the test,'' I thought, taking a deep breath as I sat down on the improvised bed.

    Right now, only the twigs that I used to bind the entire thing together were holding my weight. And to my actual surprise, they actually didn''t snap!

    "FUCK YEAH!" I shouted, allowing the joy to get the better of me for a moment.

    ''Fuck, I can''t let him know yet,'' I quickly realized, throwing a worried look towards the tent of my Overseer.

    With how he treated me ever since we met, I wouldn''t be all that surprised if he took joy in destroying the makeshift house I worked so hard to make.

    Thankfully, after a few moments, I could breathe a sigh of relief.

    Whether he was sleeping, was busy jerking off, or just didn''t care for my random shout, it didn''t matter. What mattered was that he didn''t get out of his tent to check on me.

    With the frame of the bed now done, I quickly repeated the same thing for the upper beams, making a simple roof above my head.

    After solving some problems regarding theck of sticks long enough to connect the two beams that I set furthest apart, I could finally start thest phase of my build.

    And it was filling the raw construction with the grass I cut before so that it wouldn''t be just a bunch of sticks bound together with a twig, but an actual cover and bedding.

    ''This is going to be a massive pain to sleep on,'' I thought, twisting my lips in an ugly grin.

    The moment of satisfaction caused by finishing the job was quickly soured by reality.

    Sure, I secured a ce to sleep in rtive safety... But there was nothing to keep the wind away. If the rain fell sideways, I would get wet anyway.

    At this moment, the idea of just burying myself in the ground for the night or sleeping on the tree became far more appealing than when I was considering it with a rtively rational mind.

    "Well, those are all the worries for tomorrow," I muttered to myself as I took a look at the sky.

    The sun would still take a long while to start setting... But I was tired.

    I had yet to recover after overexerting myself from making the spear. But instead of taking proper rest, I traveled for a few hours and then ended up building a damned shelter all the way up from scratch.

    ''I guess I should take a little rest and think about what to do next tomorrow,'' I decided.

    With nothing but my robe to shield me from the cold of the night, I carefully climbed into the bedding I made with grass and leaves. In an instant, I felt all the sticks that the bedding was made from pressed against my back.

    ''I guess I should add more of the grass to make it softer,'' I thought, closing my eyes while trying to ignore the pain that would wake me up tomorrow.

    But surprisingly, nothing like this happened. When I woke up, my back didn''t protest after the long night of sleeping on such a crude bed.

    And there was a simple reason for that.

    I didn''t sleep through the rest of the day and then the entire night. Right after I finally managed to start falling asleep, a single kick sent my entire home down to the ground, burying me underneath a pile of wooden sticks, grass, and twig.

    "What do you think you are sleeping for?" my Overseer asked with a sneer.. "It''s time to hunt!" he said, turning around from the broken remains of my makeshift house.

 Chapter 126 - I Dont Know Shit

    "Hurry it up; we don''t have all night!" my Overseer barked before turning around and heading towards the woonds.

    ''This fucker,'' I thought, using the few bits of energy I managed to regain to pull myself out of the rubble. The fact that my makeshift house was made with sticks and weeds was the only reason why it was light enough for me to unbury myself.

    It took me a short while to free myself from the rubble, dust my robe off and stand up. Yet, instead of following the man, I looked down at the ruined fruit of my hours-long efforts.

    For a moment, a rage welled up in my soul. Yet, the second I even allowed a hint of it to get to me, an abyss opened.

    An abyss of all the feelings and thoughts that I refused to acknowledge. Sumbing to rage would be an easy path, but it would force me through the hell of what I refused to ept. It would force me to ept and live through the reality of what happened to me back at the skdder sect.

    ''How easy it would be to just burn his tent down in retaliation,'' I thought, prompted by thest sparks of hate and anger. Thankfully, before I would sumb to the soul-breaking emotions caused by what I experienced, I managed to quell the sparks of rage and calm myself down.

    "Setting out to the forest at night is a foul idea," I shouted over, my eyes stilltched on the ruined house of mine. Right now, I didn''t dare to look at my Overseer''s face.

    Not because I was scared of him. Even with how weak I was right now, I was sure that I could somehow deal with him.

    I was simply worried that I wouldn''t be able to keep my calm in check by looking at that despicable man''s face.

    "A contractor isn''t a job for the cowards," the Overseer sneered. "Give up or do your job. It''s up to you," he barked before turning his head back and moving his feet.

    This bastard was clearly determined to continue with what he decided on.

    ''Arthur, calm down,'' I thought to myself, trying to manipte my own mind. ''If he doesn''t want to listen to you, he won''t. And who knows,'' my lips suddenly formed an ironic smile, ''maybe he actually knows what he is doing?''

    I was still too new to this entire contractor thing to figure out what this guy could do to me and what he could not. I would have to ask a lot of questions on the day we get to the sect''s headquarters. For now, though, I could risk losing my role as a contractor.

    Not because I cared for it to any extent, but because I couldn''t afford to ditch my responsibilities as Mia''s sponsor!

    With that said, I breathed a deep sigh to calm myself down even further before turning myself towards the Overseer''s back and following after him into the woods.

    Soon, all the notions that this guy knew what he was doing disappeared from my head.

    I only learned about hunting under the pathfinder''s tutge for a few days, but even I could see all the mistakes this guy was making.

    He didn''t check the wind, allowing all kinds of monsters to smell our approach long in advance. Even then, he didn''t pay any attention to where he was cing his steps, making a constant flurry of noise.

    Roughly ten minutes of walk into the forest, I couldn''t take it any longer.

    "You are scaring all the prey away," I muttered, just loud enough for my Overseer to hear. All this time, I struggled to maintain his peace while making my presence as small as possible. But with how tired I still was, it was only a matter of time when I would simply decide to fuck it and just act like that idiot.

    ''I guess that''s exactly what he wants me to do,'' I thought, looking at the back of the man only to roll my eyes in the next moment. ''Wait, aren''t I overpraising his intelligence?'' I reflected. ''This kind of scheme requires actual wits toe with,'' I realized.

    "I have no need for monsters that run. They do not make for good prey," the Overseer replied arrogantly, not paying my advice any mind. "First lesson. Monsters that run from you are not worth your time to hunt," he added in a gleeful manner.

    Soon, his words proved deviously true. We found a monster that didn''t bother to ditch despite being clearly aware of our approach.

    I figured out the reason with a single nce.

    The monster itself appeared like your everyday goat, ready to be filmed for a funny video, fed the shirt of your colleague, or milked for some millenial-praised liquor. Yet, the aura that surrounded it made its very own fur stand up straight, making it seem nearly twice as big as it actually was.

    ''It''s strong,'' I thought, instinctively lowering my center of mass and hiding in the dense forestbed. Feeling the wind on my back, I could only y that this monster wouldn''t notice that two men were tailing it rather than just one.

    "Now, that''s a monster worth my time!" the Overseer jovially shouted, raising his chin high and brandishing a long, elegant sword.

    ''A weapon unfit for a crude person like him,'' something told me. It was a strange feeling as if this notion resonated with something hidden deep in my soul.

    But right now, I had no time to ponder over it.

    "Go in first and get its attention," the Overseer ordered, his eyes glued to the monster in the distance.

    "I came here to cooperate with you, not to be your ve," I refuted.

    There was no way I would make myself a bait against a monster on the same level of strength that the beast that pathfinder and I struggled to hunt together!

    "You can either act as a bait, just like I ordered you," the Overseer turned his face to me and sneered. "Or you can do your best at filling your quotas on your own!"

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed inwardly, lowering my face towards the ground.

    I didn''t know enough about my role. I didn''t know what this guy could do officially and what the sect would ept him doing underneath the table. I didn''t know his influence, his worth, nor did I know shit about how important I was to the sect.

    In other words, I didn''t know the frame of what I was allowed to do, what I was forbidden from doing, and what I was privy to.

    As much as I hated it, I couldn''t risk leaving Mia on her own in such a situation.

    ''It''s a pity that I didn''t get to talk to her before leaving,'' I thought. If only I did that, maybe...

    No.

    I had no right to these kinds of thoughts. Not after I pushed her hand away. Not after I hurt her. Right now, for me to be a man, was to tighten my teeth and just do what I had to do.

    ''Only two more weeks,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists before starting to crawl towards the monster through the wet, forest bed.

 Chapter 127 - My Weakness Is To Blame

    ''Slowly, but steadily,'' I muttered to myself as I crawled forward. This was the golden rule that pathfinder taught me while we were hunting.

    Do not hurry it up. It''s not your presence that will alert the prey, but your movement.

    ''I will regret it so damn much,'' I thought, thinking about my situation.

    My robes were all wet. For how great it was, I never designed it to allow me practically swim in the forest floor''s vegetation.

    Fear inched closer to the core of my soul the closer I got to the beast. It was a slow but steady process, not allowing me to identify the moment when it started. As such, I was unable to counteract it.

    I tightened my grip over my spear. It could do only a little, but it still helped me to ward off my fear a little bit.

    ''It doesn''t look as scary up close,'' I thought once I managed to get within five meters of the beast.

    Crawling forward was the simplest and most straightforward way to approach the monster. But that would also mean going downwind while stered against the ground. As such, not only would the beast be perfectly aware of my presence, I would also be in the worst possible position to defend against its attacks.

    That''s why, rather than going in a straight line, I made sure to circle around the best, carefully observing the movements of the vegetation to keep track of the changing winds. Only thanks to this precaution did I manage to approach my target so close, without getting noticed.

    I wasn''t a skilled or experienced hunter. I only had a few pathfinder''s lessons to my advantage. But I made sure to make the damned utmost out of them.

    I inched a bit closer. Four meters. Three meters. Two meters.

    At this point, I could only hope that the tiny noise my crawl was making sounded just like the natural sounds of the forest. If I reached out, I could almost pet the goat''s back.

    I slowly inhaled the air to prevent the whooshing sound from alerting my prey. As I slowly released it, I finally pressed my body up. Now on one knee, I aimed my spear.

    With its back to me, the nape of the goat''s neck was exposed. The ce where my de would have the shortest path towards its spine. Whatever defenses this monster had, this was where they would be the weakest.

    I cleared my mind. My hands tightened their grip on the spear as I got the closest to the perfect stabbing stance I could while still kneeling.

    Standing up would make too much noise, and the movement would be too visible. So even though it meantpromising on the strength of my stab, it was my best shot.

    I aimed my spear and...

    "Hurry the fuck up!" the Overseer shouted from the bottom of his lungs.

    Startled by the noise, both the monster and I reacted simultaneously.

    I pressed my spear forward, despite not being in the right state of mind to do the perfect stab yet.

    I was half a breath short.

    The goat jerked its body to the side, making my de slide down its throat instead of stabbing through it.

    ''Was it just bad timing? Or did he...?'' In an instant, my head filled with suspicion. For as little as I knew my Overseer, intentionally interrupting my hunt just as I was about to deal the killing blow didn''t seem too far off from how he behaved so far.

    In the back of my head, a certain sentence started to rang.

    "He might not kill you... But idents happen."

    Was it his purpose? Was he trying to get rid of me right on the first day?

    I shook my head and jumped back. Right now wasn''t the time to think about it.

    Alerted not only by the shout but now also by the force of my attack, the goat finally noticed its new target.

    I only managed to jump back, but it was already charging at me with its horns covered in electric-like sparks.

    I had no time for another dodge, so I did the next most sensible thing. In a pathetically wrong stance, I stabbed.

    The goat didn''t even flinch, allowing my spear to bounce off its electrified fur. The next thing that I could see was the forest''s treetops swooshing by my vision.

    And then I felt it.

    ''FUCK,'' I internally cried out, feeling the familiar type of pain.

    At least two ribs broken, lungs squeezed to the point it was getting hard to breathe.

    Another wave of pain assaulted my mind when I crashed against a random tree. My already broken ribs instantly cried out in pain when the push came from the other side this time.

    "DIE!" forcing my eyes open, I could see the Overseer jumping at the beast from above, right as it was contemting the effects of its charge.

    It was toote.

    Already on full alert, the goat simply jumped to the side, using its insane agility to escape the Overseer''s de. For a moment, she entered into a standoff of stares with the man before shaking its head arrogantly and jumping deeper into the forest.

    The disy right now made it clear. We were too slow to even attempt pursuing it.

    "You foiled my kill..." I squeezed out of my lips. My words were oozing with hate and killing intent. But right now, I was in no state to do that man any harm. In fact, he was perfectly suited to end my life!

    "Shut up, you moron," the Overseer looked at me hatefully. "Sneak attacks are for cowards!" he added with a sneer, proving that his shout was fully intentional.

    ''If that''s the case, then why did you use me as bait in the first ce? Wasn''t it tond a sneak attack yourself, huh?'' I thought, using all my willpower to keep my tongue behind my lips.

    No good woulde from baiting this fucker right now. As much as I hated it, I had to endure.

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed, shaking my head and looking down. I expected to see my own blood fountaining away from my chest...

    But no such thing happened.

    My robes were ripped apart and looked as if someone half-burned them. Yet, not a single scar, wound, or bruise could be seen on my chest.

    ''Was I wrong?'' I thought, running my fingers down my torso.

    It was surely beaten... But that was nothing more but muscle pain, not an actual injury!

    ''I guess the robe saved my life here,'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    The matching robe with what Mia was wearing, and now it was all in tatters.

    I stood up. The Overseer showed no signs of willingness to help me out, so I had no other choice but to follow him back into the camp on my own. Out of everything, he was the one who could somewhat navigate the forest.

    ''I bet he would be overjoyed if I got lost and died in the forest,'' I thought, using this notion to push my battered body just a single step further.

    And just like that, with the apaniment of curses, insults, and swears, I managed to make it back.

    "It''s all your fault!" this single sentence summarised the content of what my Overseer continued to hurl to my side throughout our return.

    But reacting to it would be stupid. It would gain me nothing while only pushing that guy''s fury further.

    ''I hate it,'' I thought, gripping my spear to the point all the blood flew out from my hands, only to rx them a momentter. ''But I have to endure. I have to bide my time,'' I thought, forcibly calming myself down.

    With that notion decided on, I approached the Overseer with a nk expression on my face. For me, he was just a scum. But if I could use him, then I wasn''t going to hold anything back.

    "It''s indeed the fault of my weakness that this beast managed to escape," I admitted to something that wasn''t true at all. "That''s why, would you be as kind as to provide me with a training pir and an amplification array?" I requested.

    "Huh?" the Overseer turned surprised for the very first time since I met him. "You want to be a contractor... No, you want to be a cultivator, and you don''t even have something as basic as amplification array?" he asked with a sneer, only tough out openly. "How did you even be a contractor, then?!" he asked, exploding inughter.

    "By killing all those who wronged me," I replied in a cold tone, tightening the grip over my spear.

 Chapter 128 - Back To The Training

    For a moment, the two of us stood against each other, staring the other one down.

    "Are you threatening me?" the Overseer asked, squinting his eyes. His fingers tightened into fists as his aura condensed.

    ''That was unnecessary,'' I thought, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.

    My words were nothing more but a distant shadow of the feelings boiling all the way at the bottom of my soul. The feelings that I continued to do my very best to distance myself from.

    But on the other hand, I couldn''t just let this fucker do whatever he wanted. Some sort of resistance was a must.

    "I''m just answering the question you asked... senior," I replied in the same cold tone that I used to utter my previous sentence with.

    Once again, the air turned silent. For a second, I could perfectly hear even the slightest noise of the animals from the forest nearby, the wind rustling betweenbs of herbs and leaves of the trees.

    "Fine," the Overseer shook his head only to avert his eyes and turn around.

    But instead of exining exactly what he meant with this ''fine'' of his, he simply walked away to his tent.

    Not sure what was going on, I just stood in ce, grasping the spear in my hand to give myself a bit more confidence.

    ''Am I turning into a psychopath?'' I thought, realizing what my new encouraging token was. ''Or is seeking courage from one''s weapon a perfectly normal thing?'' I asked myself, suddenly regretting never taking any psychological course back on earth.

    ''Well, it doesn''t matter,'' I ultimately decided. ''It''s not like thefortable civilization of earth could tackle any of the problems I will face in this bloody world.''

    Just as I was about to give up and leave to make myself a new resting ce, my Overseer emerged from his tent.

    The one thing that changed about him was the content he held in his hand.

    "Here," he barked, throwing the small sack towards me.

    Even though it was entirely different from the small bag the pathfinder was using, I could tell it was actually the same thing.

    A bag with the formation stones required to set up the amplification array.

    "To set it up, just open the bag and shake it, throwing the stones around," the man said. "They will set themselves up in the array on their own," he instructed.

    I looked at the Overseer''s face with a genuine surprise.

    Even though this was the very request that I made... I didn''t expect him to actually do me this favor!

    "What about the..."

    "I don''t have any training pirs," the man shook his head. "They are stationary. You will only find them in the sect training grounds... But at our level, they are useless," he added.

    "Thank you... Senior..." I uttered, hardly able to cope with my surprise.

    Yet, even with how surprised I was, I couldn''t help but notice the slight change to my Overseer''s expression.

    It felt as if... a mask that he assumed cracked a little.

    ''Whatever that implies, I don''t give a fuck,'' I quickly thought, shaking my head and turning around. ''It doesn''t matter if he was acting or not,'' I squinted my eyes, squeezing the bag with the stones in my hand. ''I will make him pay for what he''s done,'' I decided before walking away from him.

    With the array stones in my hand, I didn''t give two shits about my Overseer anymore.

    After walking near the edge of the woods, I opened the bag up and swung my arm, allowing the stones to fall out of it. Just like it was the case when pathfinder did it, the stones somehow fell in a perfect circle, setting up the amplification array on their own.

    ''I will have to research how they do it someday,'' I thought to myself, feeling as if this simple thing held pretty important information.

    What the locals of this world most likely considered as a natural urrence could give me a lot of insights into the inner workings of the mana in this world.

    In the end, I still refused to ept magic and spiritual energy as something mystical. My scientific upbringing that Earthly civilization infused in me made it impossible for me to ept something for what others likely considered it to be.

    But now wasn''t the time yet for me to delve into the theories behind mana and the magic as a whole. Without books, proper basis, and funding for the research, I was powerless to figure it out.

    Leaving this topic in the back of my head, I stepped into the formation.

    "Aaah..." I released a breath of relief in an instant. Although I continued to absorb a tiny amount of mana on my own, the experience was simply iparable to sitting in the middle of the amplification array.

    I continued to take shallow and then deeper breaths for a few moments, allowing the mana to rush into my body.

    In the end, the major part of my exhaustion came from overstraining my mana reservoir. Now that it started to fill again, I could feel my body refreshing at a noticeable rate.

    ''I need to train,'' I quickly realized.

    As great as it felt to just let the mana revitalize my body, it was actually a harmful process. Just like with any other thing, allowing oneself to ck didn''t mean standing in ce but regressing instead.

    I stretched the fingers in both of my hands. Then, I stood in the position, giving a great deal of care to make sure it was proper.

    And then, with a spear in my hand, I struck forward.

    ''That was bad,'' I instantly realized.

    The feeling just wasn''t the same as when I managed tond a perfect strike. I fixed my stance and gathered my focus again. If I wanted to progress, I had to train properly. Doing things the easy way wouldn''t do me any good.

    ''Let''s see if I can break through the beginning phase of my spearmanship tonight!''

 Chapter 129 - Precise Spear

    Up until the point I entered the formation, I barely held to my consciousness. That was the extend of my exhaustion mixed with the pain of the bruises that the failed hunt left on me.

    Yet, the second I was surrounded by mana gushing into my pores, I found the strength to ward this tiredness away.

    So I kept on training. Kept on pushing my spear, striving to make each hit just as perfect as it could be.

    But there was no denying the state of my body.

    The mana managed to revitalize my flesh, but I was still in pretty bad shape. And while I managed to hold on and keep training, it seriously affected just how effective that training could be.

    "Finally!" I let out a small shout when I managed to break through the beginner level of my spearmanship job.

    It took me exactly one hundred and twenty-four perfect stabs to do it. With how immersed I was in training, it felt as if I only took a few hours to do so...

    But when I shook my head and broke free from my focused state, I realized that my back was strangely warm.

    I turned around, only to see the sun rising above the horizon. The culprit behind the strange warmth on my back.

    ''I took the entire damned night?'' I thought with surprise, only to shake my head. ''That seems to be the case. There is no point in denying the reality,'' I quickly thought, falling to my knees and allowing the mana to nourish my body for a little.

    It was a bad practice to just soak in the mana, but I needed this tiny bit of rest.

    Then, my vision suddenly blurred, just like it would whenever I opened up my status.

    But I didn''t call for it now.

    A set of four windows appeared before my eyes. One was at the top, with three others stacked below in an orderly line.

    "Congrattions on reaching the Novice Spearmanship level!"

    The top window said, with another message written in smaller letters below.

    "Please, choose your specialization!"

    ''Is this some sort of advancement?'' I thought, looking down at the options I had.

    From the left, there was spearmage, a mighty spear, and a precise spear.

    Not a single word of exnation was added, forcing me to figure out the meaning of each option on my own.

    For the first time in a long while, I was stumped by choice.

    It felt great to have a solid measure of my growth, but how I was supposed to make a choice without knowing what it entailed?

    ''The system keeps on using the mana for its names. And I advanced because I managed tond those precise strikes while infusing them with my own energy,'' I thought, trying to connect the dots.

    ''Could this choice have something to do with how I will use my mana on each path as well?'' I guessed.

    There was no way to confirm my idea. Yet, looking at the choices again, I couldn''t help but think that I actually got it right.

    Assuming that every choice was somehow connected to using mana while wielding the spear, then what could be the meaning behind them?

    The spearmage option appeared like the middle-ground, not specifying any strong or weak sides of the path. In other words, it was the most versatile route I could take.

    ''A jack of all trades is a master of none,'' I thought, recalling one of the popr quotes from back on earth.

    In truth, its full version said, ''a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.'' That was the original meaning of the sentence, one that I couldn''t agree with.

    In every RPG scenario that I came up with, versatility came at the cost of power. In every game I yed, one could achieve things far greater by specializing in one thing than by trying everything bit by bit.

    ''But if the spearmage is the middle ground, then what''s the difference between a might and precision?'' I asked myself.

    This time, the answer came to me on its own, with a picture of a mighty warrior swinging a massive ax to fall scores of his opponents with each attack.

    A mighty warrior was someone who could fight with many at once. A precise de was one that was far more effective at striking down a single opponent.

    ''Assuming that''s the case, I guess I don''t need to hesitate,'' I thought, a small smile blossoming on my lips.

    If my guesses were correct, the choice was between an allrounder, an area of effect fighter, and a duelist.

    The first option I ditched right away because of my own preferences. The second option was too shy for me to follow. And that left me with thest of the three.

    ''I wonder, how am I supposed to make this pick, then?'' I thought, focusing my sight on the window I wanted to choose.

    It started to light up as if someone had increased the brightness of that particr window. Bit by bit, it continued to grow whiter and whiter...

    "You trained through the entire night?" a voice reached my ears, forcing me to ditch the status window and turn my eyes towards its source.

    Just like expected, it was no one else but Overseering out of his window and looking at me in shock and a tiny bit of awe. For a moment, I could swear I saw a hint of respect in his eyes.

    Yet, it all disappeared in an instant.

    "This is what I need to do, not to be a burden," I replied calmly.

    Over thest night, while my mind was fully focused on the training, all the emotions from yesterday dissipated.

    With my head cooled off, I managed to rein them back to the corner of my soul.

    Just like before, I have not yet been ready to face the dark blot of humiliation, fear, and grief that was stuck at the bottom of my soul. And allowing any emotions to reign over my mind right now was the simplest way to allow the others to resurface as well.

    There was also another point that I managed to consider.

    There had to be a reason why this man was so hard on me. No matter how shitty his personality was, we were going to hunt together for an extended period of time from now on. It was foolish to make enemies with someone who was supposed to have his back.

    And it was impossible for someone to achieve my Overseer''s level of strength by acting foolish like that.

    ''It doesn''t mean that I forgive you... But I will withhold my judgment to the moment I understand your reasons,'' I thought, staring emotionlessly at the man''s face.

    "Good," my Overseer assumed the same, arrogant expression that I saw him bearing before. "Keep on training, then," he said, turning around and heading back towards his tent.

    With this burden out of my mind, I whispered, "status."

    Instead of seeing my progress data, I was again presented with the choice. The choice that I already knew the answer to.

    I stared down at the ''precise spear'' window, allowing it to explode in brightness before the entire thing faded away.

    What was surprising, though, was how the entire world around me faded with my vision as well.

    Then, a simple, elegant spear emerged right in the middle of the darkness.

    At first, nothing happened. But then, an aura started to gather around the weapon, as if someone threw it into the puddle of water.

    For the next few moments, nothing really changed outside of the constant flux of the aura.

    And then, the aura started to condense.

    All around the handle of the spear, it simply infused itself into the wood. Yet, right at its de, it actually formed a phantom edge, roughly half a hand-width greater than the de itself.

    For a moment, the entire thing appeared to be solid, just like the material that the spear was made from. Yet, upon closer look, I realized that the mana that made up the aura was still in constant flux, flowing in a circle throughout the entire spear.

    The solid top appeared to be solid only because of how dense the mana was out there. Yet, the closer I looked, the stranger this thing became.

    Because the aura itself... Didn''t appear to be any denser than it was at the handle of the spear. More like... despite the greater amount of mana flowing through that limited space, what increased wasn''t its density... but speed and depth.

    ''Since the mana isn''t a force out of this dimension...'' I thought, realization causing my eyes to widen.

    ''Interesting,'' I smiled as the vision faded away, forcing me back into reality.

 Chapter 130 - Arriving At The Tuxi Compound

    The carriage was luxurious... but that didn''t mean it could shield its passengers from the noises associated with the travel.

    Even when the group of carriages managed to pass through the barrier bordends and enter the continental highway, the constant noise of the wheels ting and ting whenever they jumped lightly on the gap between the stones made it hard for Mia to focus.

    "Right in your face!" Kathia giggled, shoving Dirk''s hand away.

    "You bet!" Dirk replied,ughing out loud.

    Their bantersted throughout the entire journey. It was the true reason why Mia couldn''t have even a moment of peace of mind.

    "Still, I can''t wait to get to the sect," Kathia uttered, her eyes brimming with anticipation. "All those opportunities, all those senior brothers..." she bubbled, only to giggle again.

    ''They are not that bad,'' she thought, turning her head to her travelpanions, only to escape with them when the risk of someone noticing her stare became too great.

    Throughout this two-day-long journey, she got to talk with the others a little. They came from all sorts of origins.

    Some had a humble upbringing, just like Mia or Arthur. Others came directly from other sects scattered around the world. Some belonged to the major families of the world outside the barrier.

    But there was one thing that connected them all. They were all sponsored by sects, not individuals.

    Yet, despite that fact, they epted Mia as her own, iming that it didn''t matter what was the source of the sponsoring, as long as one was sponsored in the first ce!

    But this journey was about toe to an end. Two days long trip by a carriage was enough to bring them all the way from the Skdder sect, through the hidden path passing through the bordends all the way to the outskirts of the Tuxi sectpound.

    "Look, you can already see it!" Dirk shouted when he nced outside the window.

    Ever since they left the barrier, all the other carriages that traveled alongside their own moved in different directions. Right now, there was nothing to stop them from adoring the view outside.

    "See what?" Mia asked, forced out of her line of thought.

    "What else if not the sect?!" Dirk asked, rolling his eyes before opening the window and hanging himself out of it. He was so excited that he almost fell out of it when the carriage bumped into something on the road!

    "Huh?" Mia muttered before taking a nce herself.

    And there it was. A look far more magnificent than anything she expected to actually see.

    The Tuxi sectpound was vastly different from what she was used to back at the Skdder sect. Rather than being inbuilt into some sort of a natural, geographical barrier, itid directly on the massive, continental in.

    ''Just how big is it?'' Mia asked herself, her eyes opening wide.

    Due to its t foundation, the sect sprawled over a massive chunk ofnd. It had no walls to contain its vast area, allowing everyone to admire just how great it was.

    ''This is the sect I will be training at,'' Mia thought, her breath struggling to get out of her throat.

    Yet, the look from a distance was only the beginning.

    Soon, their carriage sank into the settled area. It passed through residential districts, attracting a lot of attention from people who lived by the sect. Then, it entered the buffer area, where normal people could interact and do business with cultivators.

    ''Just by looking at this, I can tell that this ce is far more sophisticated than the skdder sect,'' Mia thought, forcing her bottom jaw to move up, closing her mouth.

    One could judge the development and potential of a ce just by looking at how great its infrastructure was. Depending on the size and upkeep of the roads, one would learn how vast their logisticwork was, allowing them to judge themercial intensity of any given ce.

    ''It''s nothing like the sect back home,'' Mia thought, awed by sight before her eyes.

    Yet, even this wasn''t the end of the surprises.

    After passing through the areas essible both to the cultivators and the mortals, their carriage finally entered thend strictly restricted to the practitioners. Yet, instead of stopping there, it continued even further, all the way until they reached one of the few walled-off areas of the entire sect.

    "Wee to the sponsored zone," the elder that operated the carriage said with a smile as he pushed the doors open. It was the sign that they were finally allowed to go outside.

    Mia waited for everyone to vacate the ce before slowly leaving the magical vehicle. For thest two days, it was her home. But now, it was about to change.

    ''I wish Arthur could see it,'' Mia thought, her heart aching a little. She found it hard to enjoy her situation if she couldn''t share that happiness with her beloved.

    "Don''t make such a sad face," Kathia said, grinning from ear to ear. Just like everyone else, she struggled to hold her excitement back. "Whatever you have on mind, it can wait!" she said, before dragging Mia forward, towards the massive building that the elder announced to be their quarters.

    "You are free to do whatever you want for the rest of today; just make sure not to leave the area," the elder added, sending them off with a knowing smile.

    An elder or not, one didn''t need to be a sage to understand the excitement of this group of young people.

    "Oh, regarding the lodging," the old man added, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips, "it''s firste, first-serve basis. Whichever room you will find in that building, you are free to im!"

    If there was some sense of organization and responsibility amongst Mia and her new friends, it all disappeared in the single instant the elder finished his sentence.

    Ony Mia remained by the elder''s side, still unable to get Arthur out of her hand.

    "Lass, whatever you have on your heart, there will be the time to think about it," the elder said, noticing the anxiety in Mia''s eyes. "For now, you should honor your sponsor by enjoying the life that he provided for you!"

 Chapter 131 - Cracks

    Mia woke up in her bed.

    It was a strange notion. To wake up in a bed that she could call her own.

    Back in the past, when she was still living with her family, she simply shared the space by the firece with her many siblings. Then, as a ve, she shared the dormitory with other masterless ves. And with Arthur, she didn''t have a bed that she could call her own, as she shared it with her beloved.

    Yet now, she woke up in her own bed. In her own room. In her own ce.

    ''I still have the old habits,'' she thought the second she looked through the massive window taking nearly half of one of the room walls.

    The sun was barely up. Its rays were still cold, only announcing the start of the day.

    But it was nheless.

    ''I need to get going,'' she thought, pushing the sheets out of her body and getting up from the bed.

    Following her daily routine, she washed her face, changed to Arthur''s-made robes, and snacked on some food that servants brought to the room even before she could wake up.

    A sign that there were people awake while she was still asleep. A good sign.

    "Let''s get going," she muttered to herself before raising both of her hands and lightly pping her cheeks. The slight pain that her self-p caused helped the girl to chase away the morning drowsiness.

    Soon, she left her room and marched through the corridor of the dormitory. It was a rtively small building, with only ten rooms split between two floors. As she didn''t hurry it up yesterday, she ended up living on the second floor in the room furthest away from themon hall.

    But this wasn''t her destination for now. She had her snack already, after all.

    ''This ce is really nice,'' Mia thought, a smile blossoming on her lips as she stared at the vast open space of the training area.

    It consisted of training pirs scattered all over the ce, each of which was surrounded by a set of several formations.

    For a moment, Mia gazed at the ce. Her smile slowly died off, reced by a nostalgic look to the sky.

    ''I really wish you were here,'' she thought, closing her eyes. A single tear slid down her cheek, only to be wiped away a momentter.

    ''No, I can''t let it get to me,'' Mia thought, raising her face and calming her heart. ''I need to make the most of what he gave me,'' she decided, approaching the nearest of the pirs.

    It was all a part of her routine. Wake up, get ready, go train.

    ''Amazing,'' Mia thought the second she stepped into the set of formations. The mana gushed towards her as if she consumed a whole bunch of spirit stones at once... And it continued to do so over and over again!

    "I can''t waste time," she muttered, standing in position and sending the first punch towards the stone.

    The second she did, the mana that infused itself into her body came into order, falling right into the flow that she had already developed. Soon, her fists started to strike the stone one by one, in the exact same fashion that they would back at the Skdder sect.

    The sun continued to climb through the sky. The temperature of the day continued to climb. Mia continued to train.

    Those things appeared to be the constants of nature, things that would happen in the exact same fashion day by day.

    Soon, the sun climbed all the way to its highest point in the sky. It was also when Mia''s colleagues finally started appearing.

    "Huh?" Kathia uttered a small shout of surprise. "You are up already?" she asked, leaning her head to the side, genuinely shocked.

    "I was just about to take a break," Mia replied, rxing her stance and grabbing a small towel that she brought along. She wiped her forehead clean of the sweat and smiled at the girl.

    "Aren''t you... trying a bit too hard?" Kathia twisted her lips in a slightly annoyed expression. "You will make all of us look bad byparison!" sheined, only to start chuckling a momentter.

    Even if her words initially sounded provocative, the clear look in her eyes quickly killed that notion.

    "Then stop cking and pick up the pace," Miaughed out, not taking Kathia''s words to herself.

    "Come on, did you reallye to this sect just to train hard?" Dirk joined in on the conversation. He approached the girls and rested his arm on Kathia''s shoulder, only to be shoved aside a secondter. "Didn''t you see our rooms? The dining hall?" he asked, a look of tion appearing in his eyes. "You need to get some fun! There will always be time to train more!" he added.

    "We never know that," Mia replied, her previously warm gaze slowly cooling off.

    There was a limit to how much she could take the ridicule of her efforts. The efforts that were all aimed at honoring Arthur''s sacrifice.

    "Seriously, you need to take it a bit easier," Usan joined in on the discussion as well. Despite speaking only a few words during their travel as he was focused on his book, he somehow found it fitting to enter the conversation right now. "You are not a normal disciple to work so hard," he added, his voice proving that he seriously considered his words to hold true.

    ''Not a normal disciple?'' Mia thought, looking at Usan. He appeared to be the most sensible of the bunch... yet he was already showing an arrogant attitude towards those that weren''t lucky enough to get sponsored?

    ''Is that really how they see the others?'' she thought, biting down on her lips. Then, she shook her head.

    "I''m not sponsored by a sect," Mia said, her voice turning even colder. "I''m sponsored by a person I deeply care about," she exined, taking a step back. "As such, I''m going to do everything in my power to make my man''s sacrifice worth it," she added, turning around and stepping back into the array.

    ''I guess I will train while hungry,'' she thought. All the appetite she had after training for hours disappeared after this short encounter.

    The discussion was over. Mia''s stance and return to her training made it pretty clear.

    Be it following their own n or prompted by Mia''s diligence, the others soon fell in the line, starting their own training all over the area.

    Roughly an hourter, Mia exhaled a deep breath, resting her hands on her knees as she leaned forward to take a short break.

    ''I really should go eat something,'' she thought.

    Food was just like mana. A source of energy for a cultivator. While by reaching some mythical level, one could give up on all the mortal activities like eating or sleeping, Mia was still far away from that kind of legendary level.

    ''Should I...'' she thought, taking a nce at the nearbymon hall. ording to the information she received yesterday, that''s where the sponsored students could dine.

    Yet, after shaking her head heavily, Mia turned towards the gate of the area.

    After the encounter with her groupmates, she no longer felt like eating at this ce.

    With her mind made up, Mia took up and left the training area and then the walled-off area for the sponsored disciples.

    ''I''m going to eat with everyone else,'' she thought, walking through the gate and entering the greater whole of the sect grounds.

    And in an instant, she could feel the angry stares of the people that walked about their daily lives all around.

    ''It seems that people really don''t like the sponsored disciples...'' she thought before clenching her hands into fists and pushing forward.

    Just like Arthur, once Mia would set her mind at something, only death could stop her from achieving it.

    ''I guess I became the very thing that I hated,'' she thought as she closed her eyes in an attempt to ignore the angry nces.

    Thankfully, before long, everyone that saw her leave the sponsoredpound disappeared, reced by the people that didn''t pay her any mind.

    ''Who would''ve thought that picking up Arthur''s robes for today would be so convenient,'' she thought, a smile returning to her lips as she moved towards the sect''smon dining hall.

 Chapter 132 - Exhaustion

    ''Again!'' I ordered myself in my thoughts the second I managed tond a proper strike on an imaginary opponent in front of me.

    I couldn''t care less for the exhaustion of my body. The mana that continued to rapidly infuse into my flesh would take care of that.

    ''Again!'' I thought, getting back into the fighting stance, driving the energy, and then pushing the spear forward.

    Once again, the shadow of a nearby tree that I was fighting with died a tragic death.

    But despite being killed by my spear countless times already, that bastard still refused to disappear!

    ''Again!''

    Over and over again, I drove my spear in the exact same way, with the exact same muscles doing the job.

    Yet, even with all my efforts, the shadow was only turning bigger.

    I turned my head around, taking the first moment of a break in several hours. And just like I guessed, the sun was already getting low above the horizon, forcing me to understand just how long I had been training.

    ''Through the entire night first and now through the entire day?'' I thought, shaking my head over my own stupidity. ''I guess I got overexcited a little.''

    Still, with the sun so close to hiding for the day, I decided to train just a little bit more.

    I returned to a standard stance with my back and legs straightened and the spear standing straight by my side. I then lowered myself to my knees. Holding my spear firmly, I made its de angle forward without changing my grip over it whatsoever.

    I focused my eyes on the point I wanted to attack. This time, it was the edge of the shadow cast by a nearby bush.

    My left leg made half a step forward, stabilizing my position. My right hand moved to the back, giving me a greater amount of snap for the actual attack.

    Still standing in this position, I drove my mana through my core, then through my flesh, and all the way to the tip of the spear. Yet, instead of just amassing it over the de, I circled it around, making it return back to my hand, then my arm, torso, and then all the way back to my core.

    I already realized that if I simply pushed my energy into a spear, I would be wasting a great amount of it on each attack. Using the flow to form the phantom de was simply more efficient and allowed me to keep using it for an extended period of time.

    The aura around my spear condensed, falling back on its physical structure. As the flow of my mana intensified, a small shadow formed at the tip of its de, signifying that the phantom de had already formed.

    And then, I snapped forward.

    I made a step with my right leg, lunging ahead. I snapped my right arm to the front and bent my upper body on my hips and stomach to add even more strength to the strike.

    All of those movements were focused on one thing, increasing the momentum of the spear as rapidly as possible.

    Tic.

    I slowly retracted my spear.

    The system-announced feeling of progress was great. While it didn''t affect the state of my body, it brought a lot offort to my mind.

    It was a confirmation that, albeit slowly, I continued to grow.

    ''I really need to take a break,'' I thought when my flesh burned up in the pain of extreme exhaustion.

    Using mana as a substitute for proper rest would only get me so far.

    I lowered my spear and shook my head... Only to notice that there was someone standing in the distance.

    I turned my head to the side... and that was basically all I did. Once I looked directly at the figure, I simply stood in ce, refusing to say a word or do a thing.

    For a moment, I stood with my Overseer in peace, staring each other down.

    In the end, he was the one to lose this game of chicken with stares.

    "You should take a break," he said, exhaling a mouthful of air. "We are going for another hunt tomorrow, and I don''t want you to utter some excuses about how tired you are."

    He said his piece... but he didn''t turn around. My Overseer continued to stand his ground, clearly awaiting my response.

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t have any ce to sleep right now," I said, squinting my eyes as a distant voice of fury echoed in my mind.

    I instantly focused all my mind on quelling it.

    "Not after you destroyed it," I added after taking a moment to calm down.

    Once again, a moment passed when we simply stared each other down.

    "And who said that you are supposed to sleep outside?" my Overseer asked, shaking his head lightly. He then turned around and moved towards the tent. "Come on in," he uttered upon reaching halfway through the distance that separated him from his tent.

    For a moment, I hesitated.

    ''Is it another trap of his?'' I thought, squinting my eyes and analyzing my situation.

    ''No, this doesn''t make sense,'' I quickly realized, shaking my head over my own stupidity.

    I trained for nearly twenty-four hours straight, right after returning from that exhausting hunt. Even if I could continue to train, I was nowhere in the state to oppose the man if he wanted to do me harm.

    As such, what would be his point in inviting me to the tent?

    ''I guess there is only one way for me to find out,'' I thought, fixing my grasp over the spear and following the man in the tent.

    The second I stepped outside the amplification array, a wave of exhaustion struck my body like a hammer.

    ''I guess I could expect it,'' I thought, falling on one knee and taking a moment to get ustomed to the current state of my body.

    Back in the formation, mana supported everyst move of mine. But right now, without its support, I was back to the devastated state my body was truly in.

    I reached the tent and pushed the cloth of its entrance open... and then I stood, frozen in ce by a shock.

    The insides of the tent didn''t match its outside at all. From the outside, it appeared to be at most two square meters big, barely enough for a grown-up man to take a proper rest inside. But from the inside...

    ''I wonder if Vaner''s mansion is actually smaller than this ce,'' I thought, tightening my grasp over my spear.

    Once again, this world proved just how little I knew about its secrets.

 Chapter 133 - The Reason

    "You had this much space, yet you kept me outside..." I muttered as a wave of emotion washed over my head once again.

    If that wasn''t bullying, then I didn''t know what bullying was!

    The insides of the tent were separated into three areas.

    Right in the middle was themon area, with all kinds of sofas, chairs, and ces to take a seat. There was even a massive, circr table in its direct center, currently messed up by a huge number of papers scattered all over it.

    I could see a makeshift kitchen, bathtub, and even what appeared like a toilet in the back!

    The rest of the tent was focused on the rooms ced by its sides, each of which was equipped with a set of proper doors, unlike the entrance to the tent itself.

    "It''s all part of the job," the Overseer shook his head as he moved deeper into the area. He then picked up some drinks and food and brought them over to the main table of the tent.

    With a single swing of his hand, he pushed all the papers aside, creating an empty area big enough for two people to dine at.

    "If you proved to be a worthless piece of shit, sent here just because of a backing of some delusional but influential figure..." the man stopped his words before he could finish his sentence. I thought he would leave it hanging for a moment, forcing me to guess the rest.

    But no. After taking a deep breath, he looked me right in the eye and finished. "You wouldn''t be worthy of entering this ce."

    ''So that''s the case,'' I thought, without much of a surprise.

    I already guessed that there was some reason why I could see the cracks in the mask that this man wore.

    First off, his ways of bullying were just too direct. If he really intended to go as far as he did, then he would be far more devious if not outright hostile in his actions.

    It simply didn''t make sense to be so damn disgusting piece of shit of a person... without going for an extra mile to make my life even harder.

    "Do you want to say that one can be a contractor even without the ability to do so?" I asked.

    This was the one thing in the entire situation that didn''t make any sense to me.

    Wasn''t the contractor''s job something that only people with adequate strength could take on? Wasn''t it even a sort of punishment?

    That''s what I understood about it from the way in which Vaner duped it on me.

    "Pretty much, yeah," the Overseer rolled his eyes and pointed his hand at the chairs by the table. His intention was pretty clear at this point.

    Sitting down on a strange type of low-kind sofa, I could almost see my body breathing a sigh of relief. For how small it was, being able to rest my weight took some burden off my tired muscles.

    "Go on. I can see you are hungry," the man encouraged me by pushing a tter filled with meats and vegetables towards me.

    "I''m not going to ask you to forgive me for how I acted before. But it was something necessary," he said, averting his eyes the second I looked at his face.

    ''Well, I can already guess why did you do so,'' I thought.

    If it was possible to assign ipetent people to the contractor''s job, then it would be a massive pain... no, a massive danger for Overseers to take care of them.

    As this job entailed hunting monsters, it was a job that was pretty risky on its own already. Having someone supposed to watch your back run away ormit some major blunder, just like the Overseer did to me in the previous hunt, wasn''t something that could be called an annoyance.

    It was a mortal threat to the Overseer himself.

    "You see, in the continental zone, there are two types of people. Inborns who were born in this area and never had to try their utmost to reach your level of strength and the advancers like you or me," the Overseer said, reaching out with his hand and taking a sizeable piece of meat for himself.

    The meaning of advancers was pretty obvious. Since the first group of people consisted of people born on this side of the barrier, by elimination, advancers could only be those who reached this ce from beyond the barrier.

    "Most of the inborns, outside of the few glorious examples, are worthless,'' the Overseer said before biting down on the chunk of meat. In an instant, the fragrant juices sprayed all over his face only to slide down his cheeks. "But that doesn''t automatically means that all the advancers are worth the respect either," the Overseer shook his head before swallowing the piece of meat he just bit off.

    "If someone is capable of reaching a level high enough to advance from the areas outside the barrier... Doesn''t that mean they are hardworking enough?" I asked, surprised by the notion a little.

    Instead of replying, the Overseer put his meat away and threw me a knowing look.

    ''Right,'' I thought, feeling how my breath left my lungs in a long sigh. ''There are people who are just born into rich and powerful families, capable of using their resources to cultivate,'' I realized, a face of Jenne appearing before the eyes of my imagination.

    "I see that you understand now," the Overseer said, bringing his meat back towards his mouth. "Normally, if an inborn was assigned to me, the period of bullying wouldst for a while," he informed. "Those people are pretty capable at pretending to be great and hardworking people, despite being utmost garbage," he added, his eyes filling with scorn.

    "On the other side, with advancers like you, one can judge them with just a single day," the man added with a smile. He then reached for an elegant bottle and poured it into a cup. As he passed it towards me, he finally lowered his head. "Consider this my reparation for the house I destroyed and the hunt that I botched," he said, passing me the cup.

    ''What''s with all those people valuing their drinks so much?'' I thought but epted the cup and took a careful sip.

    I didn''t want to end up with the taste of a bull''s piss in my mouth. Yet, to my surprise, the drink appeared to be a herbal one, perfectly sweet and mellow.

    As the single sip that I dared to take fell down my throat, my body finally rxed a little. It felt as if all the exhaustion that I umted over the hunt and thetter training started to evaporate from my body.

    ''I still need to take a proper rest,'' I reminded myself. No matter how great this drink was, it wouldn''t rece the proper rest!

    "Thank you, senior," I muttered, staring down at the content of the cup.

    To say that I was amazed by it would be a gross understatement.

    "Also,? it''s for the far-off future, but you should still remember it," the man said, stretching his back and then resting it deeply against the backrest of the seat. "With how huge the continental zone is, there are ces where even inborns are considered as advancers once they reach it," he said, squinting his eyes as if his mind had already traveled to those far-off ces.

    For a moment, we just sat in silence, each of us sinking deeply into our own thoughts.

    "Anyway," the Overseer finally woke up from his daze, pped his hands against his knees, and leaned forward. "For now, you need to go and take some rest," he said, standing up and grabbing the food that he had yet to finish. "We are going to go for another hunt starting tomorrow. This time, though," he moved his eyes on me as a small smile appeared on his lips, "we are going to take it seriously."

    "Onest thing, senior," I stood up, fighting off the exhaustion of my body to do so. Right now, only the prospect of a proper rest kept me going. "You keep calling this ce a continental zone... If that''s the name of this ce, then what''s the name of the zone I came from?" I asked out of sheer curiosity.

    The man only chuckled.

    "The continental zone is vast and diverse, but it has one name. On the other hand, there are thousands of the lower zones that people advance through the barrier to this ce," the Overseer smiled before shaking his head. He then looked at my face with a strange expression. "Yet, all those ces share amon name.. A zero zone."

 Chapter 134 - The Hunt Begins

    I woke up in afortable bed. It''s been only a few days since Ist had the chance to experience this kind of luxury, yet it seemed to me as if ages had passed since Ist rested my head against a pillow.

    ''I wish I could wake up like day every day,'' I thought, unable to chase off the feeling of foreboding. It was as if this kind of luxury was asional rather than permanent.

    I tightened my jaws to the point my teeth started to hurt. The pull of the warm sheets and soft pillow was that great. Yet, once I assembled all the willpower that I had, I pushed myself out of bed.

    No matter howfortable my night was, I could sense that the day was about to begin. It was a sixth sense that I developed over my diligent days back at the Skdder sect.

    I looked down, only to realize that I had failed to take my robes off when I went to sleep yesterday. It was a small mishap, yet it only proved just how tired I was back then.

    ''I would lie to say I''m fully rested now... But there is no time to waste,'' I thought, moving out of thepartment of the tent.

    For the sake of my own sanity, I decided not to question how this small thing could house such a massive area inside. Just like I didn''t delve into the inner workings of a storage ring, I opted not to break my mind over this magical tent either.

    Knowing my luck, sooner orter, the world would force me to figure it out on my own, so what was the point of forcing the topic right now?

    I only managed to wash my face in the bail situated at the back of themon area when my Overseer appeared in the doorway to his room.

    "Are you ready?" he asked shortly.

    Right, we were going to hunt today.

    "Any time," I replied, shaking my face to dry it off in the air.

    There was no need for any further words. I followed after my Overseer, grabbing the spear on my way out of the ten.

    Just like expected, the sun was already rising in the outside world. I had yet to spot it, with most of my vision covered by the woods all around, but the sky was slowly starting to brighten.

    A perfect time for a hunt.

    With not a single word spoken, we entered the forest.

    This time, my Overseer didn''t act the way he did thest time. He was moving without causing even the tiniest nose, as opposed to the ruckus he raised with his every stepst night.

    ''Damn,'' I thought, biting my lips to quell my jealousy. ''And here I thought I was the one moving silently,'' Imented in my heart before focusing back on my steps.

    Soon, it proved to be my first mistake for the day.

    While I was focused on moving as silently as I could, mypanion went and noticed two small monsters nearby. By the time I noticed his disappearance, he was already back, shing two bloodied spiritual stones in his hand!

    ''Once again, just how the fuck are they holding them with their bare skin?'' I thought, puzzled, only to shake my head. ''No, that''s not what I should be focusing on,'' I realized, reassigning my attention back at the hunt.

    In all honesty, more than the sight of his spoils, I got annoyed by the smug look stered all over that bastard''s face!

    I was just a damned newbie! This was my first real hunt! How I was supposed topete with someone assigned to me... to make sure I would stay safe and could grow?

    Quelling this outburst of annoyance, I managed to put my focus back where my mouth was.

    Yet, as time went on, the score on my side remained at a t zero while mypanion continued to gain a greater and greater advantage.

    ''Is this how this hunt is supposed to look like?'' I thought with stupid anger.

    My Overseer didn''t point out the prey for me a single time. Even when I managed to spot it once, he made sure to kill it before I could even make a move towards it!

    With his ability to move through the forest unhindered by its density and without causing any noise at that, I was at a great disadvantage.

    ''Wait, isn''t this another test?'' I realized when I noticed the Overseer''s nce. He retracted his eyes right away... But now that I knew what to look for, I started to see them pretty often.

    ''What could be his aim for putting me down like that?'' I thought, identally losing the focus over my steps and scaring a nearby monster that I didn''t even notice.

    ''Is he trying to see what I will take from this experience?'' I asked myself, realizing the depth of my naive idiocy.

    Why was I angry at my Overseer snatching all the prey possible?

    No, that wasn''t the right way to put it, even. In fact, this way of thinking was what blocked me from realizing the truth about the situation.

    ''He isn''t snatching my prey. Instead, he is trying to teach me his abilities by showcasing them!''

    The moment I realized that something changed in my mind, in my perception.

    The Overseer managed tond another kill. This time, though, rather than getting annoyed by his smug expression, I focused on the way he ced his steps, the way his eyes proceeded every move of his.

    ''He is calcting at least seven steps ahead,'' I thought after making some calctions on my own.

    By the time my Overseer would step on a tree''s branch, his eyes would be already looking for the seventh next move. Whennding a hit against a monster, he was already scanning the area to see whether it changed or not.

    Despite constantly keeping me in his attention, he managed to keep such a massive focus on his job...

    ''How is that even humanly possible?'' I asked myself, overwhelmed by the realization. ''Human brain can''t process information so quickly!'' I protested, refusing to ept the reality before my eyes.

    But this internal rant of minested only for a second. Because I noticed a small movement with the corner of my eyes.

    There it was. A small, capibara-like monster, hiding in a burrow roughly fifteen meters away from me.

    ''No, it''s not fifteen meters,'' I thought, analyzing the path separating me from it.

    For a moment, I stood in ce and turned my head towards mypanion, who was on my left. It was a naive bet, a naive hope that the monster would believe I didn''t notice it.

    The time that I bought allowed me to transform the distance that I saw into a path. What my Overseer could do in an instant, I required some time to process.

    But once I was done, I could do exactly what he did!

    I pulled my body to the side, jumping from step to step. Everything could be my foothold, but I strictly followed the path I envisioned a second earlier.

    Jump, jump, jump.

    In twenty-one steps, I appeared near the burrow. I made another jump, allowing my momentum to carry me directly above it.

    Right when my feet left thest footstep, I drove my mana towards my spear. Thanks to the extensive training over thest day and night, I managed to create the phantom de in an instant.

    It wasn''t perfect by any means. The depth of the mana at its tip could use a lot of work, while the flow of the mana seemed to be ragged.

    But it was enough.

    I drove my spear down, right at the burrow.

    It was a quick stab. A fast attack that I retracted instantly as my body continued to move towards thest step of the path I envisioned.

    This time, I didn''t care about making noise. I was sure that my amateurish moves startled nearby monsters anyway.

    I turned around and cast a nce towards the burrow.

    And there was no movement.

    ''Did I kill it?'' I thought, feeling as if my heart was about to jump out of my chest in excitement.

    I jumped down from the tree, my spear ready to stab again at any time.

    But even when I got closer, the monster didn''te out to defend itself.

    It was dead.

 Chapter 135 - Spoils

    ''This is my first kill,'' I thought, lowering myself over the monster I managed to hunt. ''My first proper hunt,'' I thought, unable to shake the excitement off my head.

    "Don''t waste time," the Overseer was quick to arrive at the scene. Judging from his reaction speed, I couldn''t help but harbor some doubts whether he simply allowed me to hunt this monster or if I actually managed to do it myself. "Get the stones and any other material that you want and leave. It''s dangerous to loiter around a ce that stinks with blood," he adviced.

    I shook my head to get over my excitement. I pushed my spear, de first, into the ground and pulled out my knife.

    I kicked the monster to its back and shed its belly open.

    "It should be at the base of its ribs," mypanion advised, not even looking at the monster but scanning the area around us instead.

    ''Disgusting,'' I thought, pushing my hand into the bloody, warm insides of the recently deceased monster. Soon, my fingers managed to feel up a small, hard thing.

    Bingo.

    I pulled out my hand and then smashed it into the ground, rolling it around the leaves and moist forest bed to clean the monster''s blood off my skin and the stone.

    Then, I pulled my hand out and passed the stone over to the Overseer.

    ''Huh?'' I stumbled, shocked by my own actions. ''Why did I just do that?'' I asked myself, unsure what prompted me to pass over my very first spoils of the hunt.

    But my Overseer only smiled and shook his head.

    "This is your prey. You should keep its core to yourself," he instructed before getting back on the move.

    His actions finally reminded me that hunting a single monster was nowhere enough for our mission to conclude. While I didn''t ask for the quotas that we were supposed to fulfill, judging from how fast my Overseer was at obtaining them, it wasn''t a small number.

    After all, ifpleting our recuring job was easy, there would be no need for him to try so hard to reach such a level of hunting ability. That or he was in dire need of money, pushing himself over his limits to hunt more spoils than he was required.

    ''Fuck, I don''t have the time for that,'' I thought, hiding the core behind my belt and rushing after mypanion.

    "Why?" I asked once I managed to reach him.

    The content of my question was obvious. Even though I didn''t understand myself why I offered him the results of my hunt, he didn''t seem to be surprised about it at all.

    "You need to see how valuable those spiritual stones are for cultivators, for yourself," he answered a question slightly different than what I had in mind.

    But well, I was the one at fault for not exining what exactly I had on mind.

    Still, for how full of smiles he was ever since I managed to hunt down my first monster, the second he mentioned the need to see the value of the stone to myself... Mypanion''s expression soured.

    The hunt continued for several more hours. Yet, despite my utmost attempts, I only managed to obtain four more spiritual stones by the time it was over.

    "For today, this will be enough," the Overseer said right when I was about to attempt taking my sixth stone for the day.

    "Huh?" I stumbled on my feet, almost scaring the monster nearby out. Thankfully, the several hours of hard attempts at improving my flow allowed me to regain my stability and keep going.

    Three jumps, stab with a spear, and thennding.

    Killing the monster was surprisingly the easiest part of the hunt. Finding a monster''s location that I could easily deal with was the real struggle.

    "I can still go on!" I protested, kneeling by the dying beast and ending its struggle with a quick stab of my knife to its spine.

    Out of all the monsters that I managed to hunt today, this was the smallest one.

    "You can''t," mypanion shook his head. "I can see your movements getting sloppy. If this goes on, you will only scare more beasts than necessary, making further hunts a bit harder," the man exined, watching how I extracted yet another stone. "Anyway, I already found out what I wanted about your ability, so there is no point in loitering around this ce any longer," he added.

    "How about we take this entire monster with us, then?" I asked, raising my head from the bloodied corpse.

    If I felt any disgust when I first opened the monster up, now this feeling was all gone.

    This was the world of kill or be killed. As such, after killing a living being, the least I could do was to respect it by properly using the materials I hunted it for. This was the mindset that allowed me to get my hands all bloody without feeling even a tingle of disgust.

    "No can do," my Overseer shook his head. "We only take what we came here to take. Everything else returns to the forest," he said.

    "How about a small bit of its meat?" I pressed the issue, unwilling to give up on the idea of having the wild meat for today''s dinner. It felt like a massive waste to just leave so much good meat to rot away, especially if we were about to go back!

    "I promise, I will find a proper use for all the materials that I can extract out of it!" I announced, trying to convince the man.

    There was a lot more value to the monster''s remains than just its core alone. While there was no denying that the spiritual core was the most valuable thing it could provide me with, there was a lot more value to be extracted from it!

    "Take whatever you want from it, but make sure to leave more than half for the forest," the Overseer shook his head again, implying that he already marked the limit of how much he was willing to concede on the issue.

    "If we take too much, the stench of the blood wille with us to our camp, attracting the monsters towards it," the Overseer exined. "Only by leaving most of what we hunt in the forest can we cate them," he added.

    But I wasn''t really listening to him at this point. Rather than understanding something that I could ask about once we returned, I was scurrying my brain to figure out what were the best parts of the monster to take.

    Then, an idea struck my head. An idea prompted by thest time I saw someone using up more than just the spiritual stone of the hunted monster.

    The idea resulted in the spear that I held firmly in my hand.

    "I decided," I muttered, getting down to work. With several shes, most of the monster''s bones, tendons were put aside, only to end up wrapped in its skin. "I''m done," I said, unable to ignore the look of relief that appeared on my Overseer''s face.

    ''I wonder if he can figure out what I have in mind,'' I chuckled internally, already making the designs of another weapon in my head.

    Hunting with the spear was pretty... well, challenging. It forced me to get insanely close to the monster without alerting it, severely limiting my capability.

    ''Even if I will be able to get on that guy''s level someday, it''s going to take a long time,'' I thought, wrapping my spoils up and rushing to follow after mypanion, who had already left.

    ''Why not just make the hunting easier, with the weapon that humans on earth used to hunt for ages?''

 Chapter 136 - Tea Is Ultimately Just A Herb

    ''I didn''t expect that the hunt would be so short,'' I thought the moment we returned to the camp. As this was the first ce where the sky wouldn''t be covered by the lush treetops, I was surprised to find the sky still a considerable distance away from the twilight.

    ''Well, let''s make a dinner, then!'' I thought, grabbing some herbs that I spotted by a nearby tree as I entered the clearing of our camp.

    The furry sack that I attached to my belt continued to make noise as we returned, constantly reminding me of the idea that I had in my mind.

    The best weapon for hunting was used both by the primitives at the dawn of civilization and by the professional and amateur hunters of the modern age.

    Something simple yet so devastating that it was used as a tool to wage great wars for centuries and ages.

    A bow.

    There was a very specific reason why I decided to take the monster''s tendons and bones. After some basic processing, Tendons could be used as the bow''s string. In addition, the bones would serve as the reinforcement for the bow arms, given how I wasn''t certain apound bow made out of wood could handle the pressure.

    That''s right. Instead of going for a fully-sized and simple bow, I decided to make apound bow.

    Part of the reasoning was my desire to wield one, as I always considered them the coolest ancient weapon. But there was also the more practical point of how unwieldy a straight bow would be in a forest, especially during a high-pace hunt.

    But all of it was only a song of the future for now.

    With my head bustling with ideas on how to process the goods, I sat down and set up a small campfire right by the edge of the tent. While that thing was pretty magical, I wouldn''t dare to fire up an open me inside it.

    And how could one enjoy a wild game more if by eating it straight out of the fire?

    "Right, Senior," I asked, turning my head towards my Overseer. Looking through the gap of the tent''s opening, I could see him washing his head in themon area. "Do you maybe have a pot of some sorts?"

    As great as it would be to just eat the meat straight out of the firece, I wasn''t such a brute to ignore the possibility of making a soup!

    "I should be able to find one," mypanion replied, only to shake his head a momentter. "Also, one more thing," he said, moving out of the tent only to drop a small, metal pot by my side. "It''s not a senior, Overseer, or any other nickname. It''s Lucius," he said, introducing his name for the first time since we met.

    "Nice to meet you, Lucious," I said, quickly adopting the name to my naming sense.

    "Likewise," Lucious smiled before returning to the tent. Even though he went along with my wishes to make some food outside, he clearly wasn''t interested in the process whatsoever.

    Using a few sticks, I constructed the simplest stand I could think of. With two sets of three sticks standing on the opposite sides of the firece, I hung the seventh piece of wood on them, angling the entire construction to keep the pot right in the middle of the firece.

    ''To think that a pot''s handle would be such a genius invention,'' I thought, chuckling a little as I continued to stuff the pot with most of the herbs I found before.

    By the time I managed to get the fire going and the water boiling, I only managed to finish cleaning the meat up in the nearby stream. Yet, the second I stuffed it into the pot, I found myself just standing above the fire, doing nothing.

    I looked around to find something to do while the soup was preparing, only for my eyes tond on the nearby array. Ever since I set it up to train thest night, it remained in the exact same ce.

    I looked down at my hand, with a few bits of herbs still remaining in it. The courtesy of how wet my hands were when I added the herbs to the pot.

    ''I wonder if that would work,'' I thought, approaching the amplification formation and throwing all the remaining herbs inside.

    ''If it does, I could make quite a buck on it,'' I thought with a sneer.

    I wasn''t naive enough to believe that such an obvious thing to do would be something that the locals have yet to discover. What''s more, it was hard to believe that a dead herb could actually infuse itself with the energy of the formation.

    "I''m going to stay in this ce for a while, so how about nting some herbs within the array?" I muttered to myself; the idea stuck deeply in my mind.

    People could cultivate. The monsters could not. From everything that I learned so far, they grew stronger by either eating other monsters or consuming precious herbs that grew rich in spiritual energy, or in other words, mana.

    And since that was the case, I could hardly believe that I would be the first one to try nting a herb within the amplification array that humans used to cultivate!

    "Don''t bother yourself too much with means of making money," Lucious said, appearing right behind my back.

    His face, hands, and attire were now cleaned, proving that he didn''t go inside the tent just to ck.

    "What do you mean?" I asked, shaking off the uneasiness caused by his unexpected appearance.

    "Nothing at all," Luciousughed out. "Just keep your ideas in check for now. You will understand what I mean once you see the headquarters," he added with a small chuckle.

    For a moment, I wanted to say something, but I quickly figured out that I had nothing smart to say at all.

    I never saw the headquarters, so I didn''t really have any basis for arguing over that point with my Overseer.

    "Right, are you going to join me in for a meal?" I asked, a cocky smile returning to my lips.

    Even if the soup I was preparing would appear pretty poor to others, I had a secret weapon.

    And it was the cooking job that I leveled up quite a lot while living with Mia back at the Skdder sect!

    In the end, though, either Lucious was used to eating all sorts of delicacies, or he managed to mask his astonishment so perfectly that I couldn''t notice it. Nevertheless, the soup that he poured himself disappeared from his bowl pretty quickly, even with the several seconds he took afterward.

    The greatest thing about living in a camp like that was the almostpleteck of cleaning. Once the soup was finished and we both snacked on the boiled game, I made sure to quickly wash the pot in the local stream before filling it with water and putting it back over the fire.

    In a world without detergents and potent chemicals, boiling was the only way to ensure the sanitization of the food equipment we were using.

    ''Even if we can''t really get sick with our level of cultivation, it will help get rid of the taste,'' I thought, ignoring the weird look Lucius sent me when he saw me vigorously brushing the insides of the pot with a handful of sand.

    Once I was satisfied with the pot''s cleanliness, I boiled the water again. After a quick trip to the amplification array to pick the herbs I scattered there, I threw them all into the pot and stirred it, waiting for the simple brew toplete.

    If there was anything that I was missing in this world a lot, it was tea. And ultimately, what was tea if not an aromatic herb?

    After waiting for the drink to cool down a little, I scooped a bit of it back into my bowl and took a sip.

    ''I guess I was too excited about it,'' I thought, realizing with sadness that the liquid had no spiritual energy in it.

    It would be too easy, wouldn''t it?

    Still, be it the herb or the fact that I kept in the formation, the drink helped me to rx a little.

    The sun finally started to set, bringing an end to the day. Yet, instead of going to sleep, I pulled out the one stone that Lucius allowed me to keep. Even though I obtained a total of six stones, the other five would go towards my biweekly quote.

    ''I guess I might just try it,'' I thought, pushing the stone from the clothed part of my palm towards my naked skin.

    ''Let''s see what Lucius meant by the stone being so valuable,'' I thought, immersing myself in the cultivation.

 Chapter 137 - Mias Breakthrough

    "She''s still eating here."

    A hushed voice reached Mia''s ears as she continued to munch on her dinner in the main dining hall.

    Ever since her first full day at the sect when she visited this ce for the first time, she refused to take her meals at the sponsored area. Instead, she kepting to the main dining hall, eating the same food that all the other non-sponsored disciples of the sect were privy to.

    ''Being talked about is better than being outright hated,'' Mia thought, raising the spoon filled with a thick soup to her mouth.

    It was already her eleventh day eating in this ce. What was a novelty when she first did it now became nothing more but a curiosity for the few disciples that bothered to pay her any mind.

    After all, the greatest of the current usations against her was that she wasing here... either to flex on the normal disciples or to get their attention in the first ce!

    Mia turned her head to the side when she noticed that someone had stopped by and stood right beside her.

    ''So they finally found the courage to approach me,'' Mia thought, stopping a small smile from forming on her lips.

    "How may I help you?" Mia asked, turning her head to the girl, keeping her expression as passive as she could.

    "What are you doing here?" a girl, roughly the same age as Mia, asked. Her expression was uneasy as if someone put her to the task of talking with Mia.

    ''Did she lose a bet or something?'' Mia thought, the left corner of her lips rising a little.

    "I''m eating, can''t you see?" Mia replied cheekily.

    ''I waited for this moment for over a week,'' she thought. ''I can''t scare her off.''

    "I don''t think you understood my question," the girl said, her anxiety growing evenrger. "Why are you eating... here?" she specified her question.

    ''Yes!'' Mia rejoiced. This was the perfect opportunity to start getting to know those people. ''After what they showed me back at the sponsored area... I don''t think it will be too bad to get to know some normal disciples,'' was what Mia had nned over a long time already.

    But if she wanted for her n to seed, she couldn''t be the one to approach them first.

    Mia looked down at her bowl and then at her spoon. Then, she took an expression of fright.

    "Don''t tell me..." she muttered, her eyes opening wide. "There is something wrong with the meals here?" she asked, turning her wide-opened eyes at the girl.

    "Huh?" Mia''s currentpanion gasped, taken aback by Mia''s response. "Why would there be something..." she attempted to exin, only to shake her head. "No, that''s not it," she said, gathering her courage.

    The girl took a deep breath. "There are people who think that you came here to flex on us," she said. "They think that you being here... is a provocation," she added.

    ''That''s given,'' Mia sighed deeply. "Why would I do that, though?" she asked out loud, leaning her head to the side. Curiosity shed in her eyes. "I''m just as part of the Tuxi sect as you guys are. I don''t really see how eating in the Tuxi dining hall could be a provocation towards Tuxi disciples," Mia said, stressing out the name of their sect every time she brought it up.

    A murmur ran through the crowds at the hall. Even though only a single girl dared to approach Mia, everyone else was pricking their ears to listen in on their conversation.

    ''Well, that should be enough for today,'' Mia thought, putting her spoon down.

    "By the way, I''m Mia. And you are...?" she asked the girl.

    "Huh?" the girl shrugged in shock once again. "I''m Ve..." she muttered, a hint of fear appearing in her eyes.

    ''So this is how bad the divide between normal and sponsored disciples is,'' Mia thought, stopping herself from another sigh. Instead, she put a wide smile on her face and stood up, reaching out with her hand.

    "It''s nice to meet you, Ve," Mia said, sneaking her hand into the girl''s fingers and gently shaking her hand.

    ''That should give them enough to think about for a while,'' she thought, retracting her hand.

    "Anyway, now that I''m done with my meal, I need to go back to training," Mia said, sending yet another smile at her newly made friend. "See you tomorrow!" she said, turning around and gracefully leaving the hall.

    ''It''s been over a week already... and I''m still yet to break through,'' she thought, walking back towards the sponsoredpound. Then, she shook her head. ''Well, at least the normal disciples don''t seem to hate me anymore. It''s always something,'' Mia thought cheerfully, returning behind the safety of thepound walls.

    "Look who''s back!" Kathia was the first one to notice Mia''s return. Yet, even though her shout was filled with joy, she didn''t leave her ce.

    In the end, even if they were initially cking off a little with their training, now that they got into it, they wouldn''t stop their course just to wee one of their own.

    Mia stared down at the training field she was approaching.

    ''Compared to how it was on the first day, this seems far more interesting,'' she thought, watching how most of the sponsored disciples of both her batch and the others were hard on training. ''I wonder how much of this dedication was forced by me,'' she thought with amusement before taking ce at one of the training pirs.

    The second she entered the spot, the concentrated spiritual energy rushed into her body, prompting her to start sting her punches against the pir.

    And the second she did, Mia could finally feel some changes happening to her inner state.

    Mia managed to get her core established on the second day in the sect. Yet, ever since then, all her efforts at manifesting her Qi proved to be futile.

    All her efforts, until the current moment, that is.

    As if her core couldn''t hold even a single drop of spiritual energy more, it overflowed, filling her torso, limbs, and head with untapped power.

    Yet, instead of taking a moment to let the newly discovered power stabilize on its own, Mia continued to punch the training pir, using her punching routine to force her newfound power into order.

    And for the first time in her life, the pir could no longer just ignore her punches. Although it was only a little, Mia''s punches finally started leaving marks over the massive stone b.

    "I did it..." Mia muttered after a while, once her flow stabilized. She rxed her stance and looked down at her hands. "I did it," she repeated herself, feeling the tion filling her words. ''Now I''m one step closer towards being of use for him!'' she celebrated in her thoughts.

    "Are you okay?" Kathia asked, noticing the change in Mia''s behavior.

    Usually, she would just keep on smashing the stone with her fists for the entire duration of her training. Seeing her take a break in the middle of it was unusual enough to attract Kathia''s attention.

    "Yeah, thanks for worrying," Mia smiled to her friend only to shake her head, getting rid of all the joy that her breakthrough caused. ''I can''t take it easy,'' she lectured herself. ''I don''t even know how strong Arthur is right now, so I have to keep going!'' she decided.

    With her dedication returning, Mia stood in her fighting stance once again before starting to hit the stone as usual.

    There was no point in sharing her breakthrough with the rest of the group. Not when she was unsure how they would treat her once they would realize her ns for the non-sponsored disciples.

    "Did you hear that we are going to receive our sponsored resources soon?" Kathia didn''t give up on her attempts at chatting Mia up. "We will finally be able to cultivate properly, instead of wasting our time training like the normal disciples outside," she added.

    Her words were likely said in good faith, yet they put an even greater dent in Mia''s faith towards her group.

    "We will talk once we are done with the training," she cut herpanion short, indicating that she wanted to focus on her training.

    "That means we won''t talk at all!" Kathia protested. After all, Mia was known for training longer than any other sponsored disciple of the sect, often extending her training sessions well into the night.

    "Feel free to train as long as I will." Mia rxed her stance just for the sake of telling this sentence to Kathia while looking directly into the girl''s eyes. Then, as if nothing happened at all, she moved back into position and resumed her training.

    "In three days, once we get the resources, she will understand," Dirk said, moving out of his training array. While he could train almost as hard as Mia did when he wanted, he often preferred to train hard for a short while only to get rest the second he was satisfied with his results.

    "Understand what?" Kathia barked at the man, clearly unhappy with how her conversation with Mia went.

    "Understand two things," Dirk said with a wide smile.. "First, why training hard isn''t something good for us, and second," he said, looking at Mia''s back, "why associating ourselves with the normal disciples is a bad idea."

 Chapter 138 - Monsters Nest

    I was running through the forest. Despite extensive exercise, I kept my breath short and silent, worried about alerting the monsters nearby with something as small as the air whizzing.

    Just like every single day since Lucius judged me to be capable, we were hunting. We were chasing through the forest and practicing our pathing and movement while trying to hunt as many small monsters as we could find.

    We would have to go to the sect lower headquarters in just two days to submit our quota. Yet, even when discounting the favorable quota rate given for the first few cycles to let me get used to the job, we have long gathered enough for the full one.

    The only reason why we kept hunting right now was to earn some cultivation resources for ourselves.

    From what I understood, there was barely any point in bringing the exceeding amount of spoils to the sect. ording to Lucius words, they would be bought off at an unfavorable rate. Yet, this was the only official way for us to sell the stones due to theplete monopoly that the sect had over this trade.

    Apparently, one could buy the spirit stones and spiritual stones from nearly everyst vendor in the city, but they were all sourced directly from the sect.

    "Watch your step!" Lucius jumped to my side, only to whisper in my ear and scoot off.

    For a second, I couldn''t understand the advice... but I followed it either way.

    This was the greatest change that happened to my life as a contractor ever since the first day.

    Instead of duping me in or testing me out, Lucius was now actively coaching me on matters rted to the job!

    With my attention brought to my footing, I managed to avoid a pitfall when a tree branch I had chosen to step on broke under my weight.

    If not for Lucius'' advice, I would fall down to the forest floor, alerting all the monsters in the vincity about our presence.

    A great call... but one that showcased just how vast the difference between our abilities was.

    "Just how did you notice it?" I asked once I found myself close to my Overseer enough tomunicate with just a whisper.

    "Experience," Lucius smiled, allowing the two of us to take a short break at the thick branch of a massive tree. "It''s not something that I knew, but something that I had a feeling about," he exined.

    Great. The worst possible answer. It''s not something you can learn by following a certain regime; it''s something you have to grow used to.

    Yet, just as I was about to voice my protest, I noticed something in the distance.

    Normally, that would be impossible. It was hard to see anything beyond just a few meters away with how thick the forest was. Yet, this time was different.

    The main reason why it was hard to spot monsters in this thick forest was simple. Those that we could hunt were hiding from us. It was easy to notice monsters stronger than us... simply because they didn''t bother to hide from us!

    "Is it a nest?" I asked, pointing my hand slightly to my left.

    The only reason why I managed to notice it, despite how far it was,y in how riddled in movement it was.

    "It would allow us to get nearly triple our quota," Lucius muttered before casting a strange look at my face. "Are you up for the task? It won''t be easy," he warned.

    "We can try it," I replied with dedication.

    There was one reason why I was set on providing more spoils than was required of me.

    The reason why contractors like me got such a bad price on the spoils they provided was pretty obvious. A huge part of our earnings would go towards our beneficiary, supporting their sponsorship. As such, the more spoils I brought to the sect, the more resources Mia would receive back at her ce!

    In such a situation, how could I back down?

    "Let''s check it out from a little closer then," Lucius decided, quickly disappearing into the forest.

    Even after a week of training, I was nowhere near capable of moving through the bushes and branches as quickly as he did. I was getting there, but I still had a long way to go.

    "It has a lot of small fries," Lucius said the moment I finally managed to catch up to his vantage spot. While I was breathing heavily, he stared down at the nest with a strange glint in his eye. "They are weak... but there is a lot of them," he said, looking at me with curiosity in his eyes.

    "I''m still down to do it," I quickly replied, not showing even a hint of satisfaction.

    I didn''t need to see Mia''s face when she would receive the benefits. I didn''t even need to know if she was aware of how hard I would have to work to get them to her. As long as she could live an easy life, even without knowing how I would be satisfied.

    This was my way of repaying her for how I treated her in the spur of a moment back at the Skdder sect.

    "Our normal methods won''t work on it," Lucius said, lowering the center of his weight as he leaned a bit closer to get a better look.

    ''I oriented myself on precise strikes... But I should still be able to execute the rapid attacks that the pathfinder taught me,'' I thought, using the moment of break to regain my breath.

    "Okay then, how about you act as a distraction?" Lucius suggested, turning his eyes towards my face.

    "What exactly do you mean?" I asked. Back a bit more than a week ago, I would be sure that he was setting me up. But now, I simply wanted to know the details of the n.

    "Pull as many of the monsters away. Attack their nest first and then just run towards a favorable position," Lucius said before turning silent for a moment. "That small clearing we passed a moment ago should suffice," he added.

    It was actually a good ce to nt an ambush. In an open space, I could make full use of the advantages that spear gave me. What''s more, I would get the chance to see Lucius fighting for real for the first time!

    For me, this was the perfect n in all sorts of ways!

    "I will finish all the monsters that will be left in the nest and then rush to help you out," Lucius finished his idea. "Any suggestions?" he asked.

    That was another thing that changed during our hunting time. Initially, Lucius was the one doing all the nning and decision-making. But since a while ago, he would actively seek out my input.

    ''I guess it''s more to train me than to get a better idea,'' I thought before shaking my head.

    "You are far more experienced than I am," I said. "This one is going to be pretty dangerous, so I won''t put my pride above our safety," I exined my reason for denying his question.

    "Let''s not waste time, then," Lucius said, stretching his arms to prepare for what was about toe. "I will rush in once you pull the monsters away, " he instructed. "Go!"

    There was no need for any further words. With the spear in my hand, I dropped in from our spot. This time, I didn''t bother hiding my tracks. Since the aim was to lure the monsters out, there was nothing wrong with alerting them about my presence.

    I rushed in towards the nest. Yet, just as I got into its vincity, the first group of monsters rushed to stop me.

    Just like with animals or humans themselves, the strong individuals would group up to defend the nest. As such, I wasn''t arrogant enough to believe I was a match for those monsters.

    For one or two, maybe even three at once, I could still try my best. But against a group of seven that I could notice and several more that surely would slip under my radar?

    Challenging them would be suicide.

    Still, I threw my spear forward, driving my mana through it. With how weak those rabbit-like monsters were, I managed to score a kill. Yet, before I could even execute my rapid stabs, I already had to turn tail and run.

    If I were to be a single secondte, those damned monsters would already close their encirclement, foiling our n right in its bud!

    I turned around and turned tail. In an instant, enraged by the loss of one of their own, the monsters rushed after me, set on taking revenge. Or rather, that''s how I pictured the situation from my human point of view.

    Whatever prompted those monsters to chase after me, I didn''t really know.

    But I didn''t really care either.

    ''All ording to the n,'' I thought, fighting off the desire to snap a random branch and act as if I was lighting up a cigar.. Unfortunately, there was no time for such antics in the mad rush of my current escape.

 Chapter 139 - Close Fight

    If someone were to map my movements on some kind of schematic, they would surely realize how weird my attempts at escaping were. Because instead of just trying to get as far from the source of the problem as I could, I kept zig-zagging, turning right only to turn left and only slightly increasing the distance.

    ''The most important thing is to not let them get a jump on me,'' I thought, using a moment of jump when I was airborne to take a look behind me.

    Just like I thought, the monsters were hot on my tail. Even though they all looked like slightly oversized rabbits, I dared not to take them lightly.

    This kind of perception, wed by what I knew from the earth, was my greatest w. The w that I was aware of and I actively sought to eliminate.

    In the end, those were the monsters, predators, and hunters. Not some adorable bunnies that girls could receive as Christmas presents.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought when I was toote to turn my eyes back in the direction I was moving in.

    A random tree branch appeared out of nowhere and pped me right across my face. It was thin and glib but still managed to break the rhythm of my moves.

    The monsters didn''t miss this chance to attack.

    Two of them were in a position to leap on me. One went for my torso while the other attempted to injure my leg.

    I swung my spear, hitting the lower one with the blunt butt of it. Right now, using the de would only slow me down.

    ''FUCK,'' I quelled my scream when the other monster managed to get to me and bite into my side. It was too close to use my spear on it.

    Keeping my eyes forward on the path, I reached out with my left hand and grabbed the bunny by its neck. Tearing it away from my flesh instantly proved to be a bad idea... But it was the only thing I could do to prevent the situation from getting even worse.

    I smashed the monster in my head against the random tree I was passing by. With my hand freed, I instantly brought it down to my injury.

    ''It''s gonna be a pain in the ass,'' I thought, fighting off the heavy pain while feeling my blood trickle between my fingers.

    The bunny managed to tear apart quite a chunk of flesh from my side. It was an injury that even an influx of mana from the rest of my body couldn''t fix on the spot.

    Normally, a wound like that would mean the end of my escape and an effective end at the teeth of the other monsters. But with my cultivation at its finest, to a degree, I could ignore it.

    ''This is the clearing Lucius was talking about,'' I thought a momentter when I finally managed to get to the open area. But instead of entering it for the sake of greater freedom at using my spear, I kept to the woods.

    After just over a week of my training, I felt more confident at moving around with more footsteps than in an open field.

    By the time I made a second circle around the clearing, my wound finally managed to close itself under the healing touch of my mana. The process was slow, and my wounded part was still hurting like hell, but at least I wasn''t losing more blood with each passing second.

    "Lead them in!" A shout came from somewhere in the forest. Due to how thick it was, I couldn''t even point out the exact direction it came from.

    But it didn''t matter.

    ''Finally,'' I thought, taking a sharp right turn and rushing towards the middle of my clearing. My left side kept hurting like hell, but for now, I had no other choice but to ignore it.

    ''I need to endure,'' I thought grimly as I dug my feet and turned around, right in the nick of time to face against the three of the fastest bunnies.

    This time, I didn''t hold back.

    I ensured my stance was stable before grabbing my spear with both my hands. I aimed the de towards the approaching monsters...

    And I started stabbing.

    ''Use the right hand to push the spear and the left one to pull it back,'' the teachings of the pathfinder rang in my ears.

    Each of my stabs was pretty weak. This was the form of attacking that I practiced only a little, making it pretty weak and incredibly inurate.

    But in my situation, it didn''t matter if I managed to pierce the bunny or just shove it away with my attack. After all, I only needed to stall for time!

    A small noise reached my ears.

    Normally, I wouldn''t pay much mind towards it. We were in the middle of a massive forest after all! But in the midsts of a heated and pretty challenging battle, with more bunniesing out from the forest with each second, my senses were ramped up to their limits.

    I only heard Lucius approach. I couldn''t even cast a glimpse of it with the corner of my eyes, even though I was facing the exact direction he came from.

    sh.

    A small axe in his hand split the first of the bunnies in half, mming into another one and pushing it aside.

    "GO FOR IT!" he shouted, finally freeing me from the burden of just stalling.

    I furiously drove all the spare energy I could afford through my spear. I then changed my position to the one I was morefortable with.

    "Die!" I shouted as I pressed my attack, driving my spear through the nearest of the bunnies.

    I leaned my body to the side, allowing its weight to take me off the line of attack of another bunny. Even though we were now properly retaliating, the fight was nowhere close to its end.

    Bit by bit, we managed to cull the number of monsters. No matter how hard I tried to push myself to the limit, Lucius still did most of the work.

    In my defense, I was injured. Pretty seriously at that. But I wasn''t going to use this reason as an excuse.

    About a quarter of an hourter, I finally lowered my spear and fell down to my knees. My body was covered in bruises and small cuts, the testimony of all the attacks that almost managed to get to me. On the other hand, Lucius wasn''t injured... but even he was panting, struggling to regain his breath after the fight.

    "This is a huge haul," I managed to utter after taking a moment to rest a little. "With this..."

    "Don''t waste time," Lucius said, raising his head to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He then brought his ax down and beheaded the nearest of the bunnies. "Take the stones as quickly as possible. We need to ditch soon," he ordered, grabbing the stone from the bunny''s corpse before moving to the next one.

    ''He is always in such a rush to gather the spoils...'' I thought, forcing my spear into the ground and pulling out my knife. When it came to extracting the spoils, this small de was far more useful than the lengthy spear.. ''What is he so worried about?'' I thought, shaking my head in displeasure.

 Chapter 140 - Bloody Irony

    Gathering up the spoils sounds like an easy job. All one needs to do is to cut open the fallen monster, get their hands bloody to extract their spiritual stone, and then move on.

    This surely is an easy job...

    But even an easy job multiplied by tens of times turns pretty tedious. Adding on the factor of looking for all the fallen monsters scattered not only through the clearing but also through the forest area made this task surprisingly hard.

    With the two of us working tirelessly, we managed to clear out the clearing from all the stones in just a few minutes. Then, we returned to the nest, where I could finally see the effects of Lucius'' carnage.

    ''And here I thought I had it hard,'' I thought, massaging my wounded side.

    The nest that used to be bustling with monsters now turned into a scene of a bloody massacre.

    Fighting with two short axes, Lucius would often dismember his opponents, making their corpses spill out most of the blood all over their surroundings.

    Even though they were only monsters, moving through the thick puddles of blood, I couldn''t help but feel pity.

    And then I sensed it.

    "There are still some monsters inside that burrow," I said, pointing out my spear at one of the monster''s hideouts.

    "That''s right," Lucius nodded his head as he extracted another stone. "We don''t kill the young. Once they grow up and make another nest, we will have more monsters to hunt," he said.

    ''I didn''t expect him to have such environmental concerns,'' I thought, barely holding back a chuckle.

    But it only made sense.

    If we eradicated the entire settlement, then this group would never be able to regrow. While doing something like that once wouldn''t make much of a difference with how massive this forest was, it was more about a principle than a singr situation.

    Suddenly, right as I was about to move on to thest batch of the monsters, Lucius suddenly stood up. He looked around before locking his eyes in a seemingly random direction.

    "We are ditching," he said, taking a few steps to the back without turning around.

    ''That''s strange,'' I thought, observing his movements.

    Even though we hunted for nearly ten days already, I never saw him move in a direction he didn''t take a look at before.

    "I only have those few left to extract..." I protested silently, unwilling to let go of our spoils.

    We worked so hard to get them, I even got injured while doing so... And now we were going to abandon it?

    Judging from Lucius''s actions, something bad wasing, but did we really have to leave all of those precious stones behind?

    It wasn''t that I was greedy... No, that certainly took part in my protest. But I just couldn''t ept ignoring all those stones with how hard it was to obtain them normally.

    I would have to strain myself just to get a single one on a normal hunt. Right now, all I had to do to get a stone was to open up a corpse and pull it out!

    "WE DITCH," Lucius repeated his earlier order, turning around and approaching me. His voice was shaking; his face was pale.

    Only now did I understand the seriousness of the situation.

    Lucius pulled my robe, helping me to stand up. Using the momentum from his hand, I started running. Yet, before we could even leave the area of the nest, it appeared.

    It was a monster amongst monsters. A mix of a lion and a hippo from the earth, with sabertooth qualities to its teeth. It was as big as a hippo, yet I could tell that it was far more mobile than a lion.

    And it didn''t waste any time on the small fries scattered on the ground, instantly rushing towards us instead!

    ''Fuck,'' I only managed to curse when I saw its massive paw stretching towards my face. Its ws glistered as if they were some kind of enchanted items with a visuals-focused game.

    ''So this is how I die,'' I thought. ''What a shitty way to go, though,'' I almost closed my eyes in the moment of eptance of my fate.

    ''I was too arrogant,'' this single thought appeared in my mind when my eyes involuntarily closed.

    "DUCK!" Lucius shouted, axing my knees.

    Rather than ducking, I feel down on my back. The sudden collision only made my torso injury cry out in pain, clearly not suited for this kind of exercise yet.

    Forcing my eyes open, I saw the beast''s ws tearing through Lucius'' side. He was wounded in exactly the same spot that I was... But his injury was far more vicious.

    If I lost a chunk of meat, then his entire side was ripped apart!

    What came next, I couldn''t really remember well.

    I was in a haze, just following the instincts of my body.

    Feeling something soft underneath my hand as I attempted to stand up, I swung it at the beast.

    Not even waiting to see the results, I grabbed Lucius'' robe with my left hand and...

    Attacked the air with my spear?

    I didn''t even have my spear in my hand when I did that... but it somehow appeared in it.

    I drove all the energy that I had in myself through that spear for seemingly no reason... Only for the spear to pull the two of us in the direction of my attack.

    It was only a small leap, far less than enough to get away from the beast. But it gave us the momentum necessary to start running.

    "Just leave me," Lucius uttered, his voice already weak. His injured side was bleeding profusely, leaving a trail of blood after every step that we made.

    "No fucking way," I muttered, straining my body to its limits to pull my Overseer along with my escape.

    I didn''t control my body. It moved on its own, propelled by the mix of desperation, fear, and cultivation. It was as if the mana that filled my flesh gained consciousness on its own, directing everyst tension of my muscle and rxation of my tendons.

    But I didn''t direct our escape towards the camp. Not yet. I rushed towards the clearing, where we fought the monsters first.

    "What are you doing?" Lucius uttered, his eyes already turning foggy.

    "Betting," I replied shortly, grabbing one of the dissected bunnies and stuffing its flesh into Lucius'' side.

    I didn''t know if we had the time for this. But if we attempted to run towards the camp just like that, Lucius would die from a loss of blood. That was one thing I was sure about.

    The second I stuffed the monster''s flesh into Lucius'' side, I ced my hands on him. Driving my mana to the limits of how fast it could move, I poured it all into the stuffed wound.

    To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. Trying to transnt the flesh itself?

    Even if this was the source of my idea, I knew myself just how dumb it was. But still, I poured more and more mana into the injury, hoping that this miraculous force would somehow make the cut.

    Or, to be honest, I didn''t do any of that. My body... No, my instincts did it on their own.

    I ran out of my mana. Pushing myself any further would stop me from running at my top speed. And thankfully, by this point, the bleeding was subsidized.

    "I''m sorry," Lucius muttered when I lifted his body and started to run back towards the camp.

    "The fuck are you talking about?" I replied silently, focusing all my strength on dragging him out. "It''s all my fault. If I didn''t get greedy..." I couldn''t utter even a single word more.

    The feeling of guilt overwhelmed my soul.

    "It wouldn''t make a damn difference," Lucius uttered, his voice turning slightly clearer than before.

    Did my strange healing method work?

    No, this wasn''t the right time to think about it.

    "Still, I don''t think I will be able to go to the sect in my state," Lucius uttered, his voice turning weaker once again.

    "I don''t think you should be worried about it now," I replied, clenching my teeth.

    I wanted to pick more stones to give Mia more resources for her own cultivation. As a result, I put mypanion in danger. In effect, I wouldn''t be able to provide my girl with any resources at all.

    ''Is this what they call the irony?'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    I would have a lot of time to think about it and reflect on my actionster. For now, all that mattered was to bring Lucius back to the camp!

 Chapter 141 - The Truth That I Ignored

    "That sucks," Lucius said the second we returned to the camp. "I know how important it is for you to submit the quota... But I''m sorry," he said, looking down at his side. "There is no way I will be able to go this time," he said.

    Considering that he had an entire chunk of meat ripped out of his side and that I only managed to save him by some miracle, it was only natural.

    Still, that didn''t mean I was willing to just give up.

    "For now, you need to rest," I said, avoiding the topic.

    There were still two days before our time of submitting the spoils. In other words, we could still take a single day of rest before taking another day to reach the sect grounds.

    ''There is no way he will heal that wound up in a day,'' I thought, looking at Lucius'' bloody side.

    Was I supposed to give up on the first quota fulfillment day?

    In theory, it wouldn''t mean much. ording to Lucius, the first submission period could be missed, as a lot of people required a bit more training before getting into the rhythm of their new lives as contractors. It was a dangerous job, after all.

    But that still meant that Mia wouldn''t receive a single bit of resources to cultivate with!

    ''I know that she could manage without them... But I don''t want her to be an outcast,'' I thought, clenching my jaws as I helped Lucius into the bed inside the tent.

    "How about I go alone?" I asked, ignoring my earlier decision to let the man rest a little first. "I might not be super strong, but in the open area of the highway, I should be able to ward off most of the monsters that coulde after me," I said.

    It was aplete bollocks. I had no idea how what level of strength the monsters living near the road had. But I just had to take this gamble.

    If this road was called a highway, then it was extensively used. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be made so wide, and no one would use so many quality materials to build it. And that alone meant that to a degree, it had to be safe.

    "You can''t," Lucius muttered, struggling to speak normally. He kept his hand over at his wound, indicating that even though it stopped bleeding, it still hurt him like hell. "They will eat you alive. Everyone hates contractors over there."

    That didn''t make any sense. Why would people hate someone that basically provided for them?

    ''Well, scarcely anything in social order makes any sense,'' I quickly realized, my thoughts moving back to the history of my own people.

    During the time while we still had a country to call ours, we saved our neighbors from all sorts of menaces. Invasion from the south? The winged hussars would roll down the hill to save the imperial capital in distress. A red horde from the east, with orders to stop only at the ocean''s shore? They ended upheld at thest line of my people''s defense, saving the rest of the old continent from the revolution that ravaged the eastern part of our country.

    Yet, for some reason, all those people whom we saved ended up hating us and causing our downfall.

    Those that we saved from the invasion from the south ended up participating in the total annihtion of our country a measly centuryter. The countries that we saved from the revolution either invaded us directly or, despite being our nominal allies, did nothing to help in the war andter threw us aside like a piece of filth.

    ''One''s contribution doesn''t have anything to do with how they are treated. No. It''s more like those who contribute the most are doomed to fail because they are the mirror in which the devious ones can see the filth they are in reality,'' I thought, tightening my hands.

    My initial denial of Lucius'' statement vanished from my mind in an instant.

    If that''s how humanity worked back in my original world, how could I expect it to work differently in this one?

    "I need a moment to myself," I said, shaking my head and moving towards the exit of the tent. "You just take your time and rest," I added.

    "Where are you going?" Lucius asked in a distressed voice. I could tell that he noticed that there was something wrong with my mental state.

    "I just need to calm down a little," I said, moving out of the tent without any further attempts at prolonging our discussion.

    Right now, I really needed some time to myself.

    Thinking about the past made me realize that no matter how much I wanted to escape from the reality of my past world, it was deeply ingrained in my soul.

    The grievances that I had, the philosophy that I created to cope with it, the distress that said situation caused...

    They were never going to just disappear because I somehow reincarnated into another world. Even if my body was different now, my mind was the same as it was back on earth.

    I grabbed my spear and moved towards the forest. It was risky and stupid to enter it all alone, without Lucius backing, but I really needed to vent right now.

    Yet, just as I reached the line of the trees, I hesitated.

    The kind of drive that pushed me forward right now was the very thing that I had to avoid.

    My people lost our country for the third and thest time because we got emotional too. We allowed our grievances and hate to cloud our judgment, leading to subpar decisions being taken.

    Instead of going forward with the future in our mind and as our priority, we ended up stuck with our past, unable to move on.

    And this was the main reason why we never managed to catch up with our neighbors despite many opportunities. Why we never managed to be a power big enough to have its own voice on the global scale.

    That''s why we ended up being just a scapegoat for all the wrongs of the old continent, burdened with the crimes that we nevermitted.

    ''At some point, we were even forced to burden the responsibility for the atrocities that weremitted... but against us!'' I thought, tightening my fist around the handle of my spear.

    For a moment, I allowed all of those grievances against the past to run freely in my head. And then, just like that, I cut them all off.

    "I''m not going to make the same mistakes that my ancestors did," I muttered to myself, turning around and moving towards the amplification array.

    Instead of getting heated up and allowing my past to drive my actions, I had to turn my eyes and ambitions towards the future.

    ''Only by bing strong enough I can stop others from stomping on me,'' I told myself.

    There was no point in trying to ignore how the world I was it worked. Despite all the facades of high civilization, it was still strong eating the weak kind of world.

    ''I can''t bring those stones to the sect,'' I thought, looking down at the pouch still attached to my belt. Even if I dared to face the dangers of taking such a road... I didn''t even know the damned directions!

    "Fine then," I muttered, tearing the sack with the stones open.

    Even without the hall of the day, we had more than enough to fulfill our full quotas. With the discount for the first billing, we had twice as much as we actually needed.

    ''If I get stronger, I can get more stones down the line,'' I thought, putting aside half of the stones for Lucius'' part and cing them outside of the array.

    Then, without a second of hesitation, I scattered all the stones across the array. I then grabbed my spear and got into stance.

    I ignored the pain of the many bruises and small wounds I sustained during the hunt and started training.

    The second the spiritual stones started to dissolve, a tsunami of mana hit me, making me feel like a small, meaningless pebble thrown to the middle of an ocean.

    ''Get stronger!'' I urged myself, driving my mana to its limits as I pushed my spear forward.

    ''Don''t stop!'' I thought, swinging my spear as if a horde of monsters had just appeared before me.

    Soon, the ticking of the system started, only to turn into a constant noise as more and more mana continued to merge into my flow.

    And for the first time, I actually felt my very own cultivation.

    It was a strange feeling. As if a force that, although obedient, was still outside to my body, started to furiously merge into my flesh, mind, and soul.

    My thrusts became more powerful. My mind cleared out. My sense of mana itself grew more tangible.

    In this mad rush of energybining with all aspects of my being, I continued to swing my spear, practicing my precision strike over and over again.

    If I didn''t want anyone to stomp on me, training hard was the only thing I could do. If I didn''t want to make the same mistakes that my ancestors did on earth, then I had to be strong enough to crush all the opposition.

    ''It''s all the same,'' a thought suddenly appeared in my mind. It didn''t matter if it was this world or the earth. They were both all about the strong eating the weak. The only differencey in the fact that the earth civilizations didn''t openly endorse this idea.

    But they did it all when the push came to shove.

    And since every civilization that was sessful would be sessful by trampling on others...

    My lips turned into a wicked smile.

    Who I was to decide that being a good person was the proper way to be?

    If cultivation taught me anything at all, then it was that going against one''s own nature was the shortest way to go berserk and lose it all!

 Chapter 142 - Failed Distribution

    "Finally..." Kathia stretched her arms to the sky as she moaned with satisfaction. "I was getting tired of waiting," she added.

    "I can''t help but be excited," the usually silent Usan kept an anxious look on his face. His body was trembling as he followed the rest of the group.

    ''I wonder how Arthur''s doing,'' Mia thought, keeping silent as the sponsored students moved from thepound to the distribution center.

    This was the single major office for their group thatid outside of the main sponsored area. The march for the resources, or the march of flex as normal disciples called it, was a biweekly urrence during which all the sponsored students would travel to get their sponsorship benefits.

    It came to be because the logistical center of the sect''s area was a lot older than the institution of sponsorship and contractors. Because of that, the rules of thetter were adjusted to the infrastructure that already existed.

    But now, it was nothing more but a procession of smug students trying to rub their status into the normal disciples'' eyes.

    ''They are getting so much attention on their backs because of it...'' Mia thought, walking through the open streets of the sect. ''What''s even the point of doing this like that?''

    There was no need to go all at once. They could all go for their haul at their own discretion without needlessly stirring up the conflict with normal students.

    "Now you will understand why people like us shouldn''t associate ourselves with those normies," Dirk said, a smug smile stered all over his face.

    ''Did youe here just to make yourself look even more viinous?'' Mia thought, rolling her eyes. ''This feels like some idiot plot in the adventure scriptures,'' she thought, worried that she might be a heroine of some third-grade novel for a second.

    Soon, the people started to gather at the distribution center. And just like expected, outside of a very small number of internal disciples, the ce was filled with other sponsored students.

    One could cultivate all the way to the sixth stage with just the amplification arrays and training alone. That was also the level that one had to reach to be an inner disciple and unlock missions allowing him to earn his further cultivation resources.

    That''s why only a few inner disciples were present. Not only were the missions hard and dangerous, only a few disciples a year managed to make the cut. And with the possibility to advance to the lower headquarters, where the mana was a lot denser...

    Rarely does anyone spend more than a year as an inner disciple of the outer Tuxi sect grounds.

    Outside of those few internal disciples, teachers and elders, sponsored students were the only group that received resources.

    "Sylvana! Mia!" someone called out from the list.

    "Here," Mia and one other girl quickly reported to one of the officers.

    "If you wouldn''t minding with me for a while," the man said, sending a peculiar look at the girls.

    Mia soon found herself in a deserted part of the building. Yet another official sat behind his desk right in front of her, looking at some papers.

    "Lass, I know this is not your fault, but your sponsor failed to meet his obligations for the current quota," the man said, finally raising his eyes from the paper he held in his hand. "This is the warming-up period, so it''s pretty natural for him to struggle a little, but if it happens again..."

    The man cut his sentence in a suspenseful tone, giving a clear message.

    "Then I will be a normal student?" Mia asked. "Or will I be kicked out of the sect?" she added another guess. Yet, she didn''t look the least concerned about the topic.

    "No, it''s not that harsh," the man shook his head. "You will only be a normal disciple. The one thing worse is that you will never be able to be a sponsored disciple again," he added.

    For a moment, Mia looked at the man as if he was an idiot. She then sighed and rolled her eyes.

    "Then it''s all good," she said, shrugging her shoulders and turning around.

    "As for you," the man muttered, turning his girls towards the girl that was called along with Mia. "I''m sorry, but that''s the end of the sponsorship for you," he said.

    ''So people are actually losing the sponsorship from time to time,'' Mia thought, moving towards the exit of the room.

    By the time the girl managed to return to the main hall where her ssmates were gathered, they had already gotten wind of the news.

    "It looks like your sponsor isn''t all that great after all!" Dirk was the first to start ridiculing the girl. It appeared that the second her hand slipped, he was ready to bash on her.

    ''Well, that was only to be expected,'' Mia thought when she noticed all kinds of stares all over her face. ''The moment I started shifting my attention towards normal disciples, they were bound to start disliking me,'' she thought, rolling her eyes once again and then moving towards the exit of the building.

    "I can''t wait to see her kicked out of the sect!" one of the disciples that Mia never even bothered to get on the first name basis with uttered in a hushed voice.

    ''You don''t even know me. Where is all your hateing from?'' Mia scoffed, amused by the reactions of her formerpanions.

    She no longer considered them as such.

    ''Still, I can''t wait to see who will progress faster,'' she thought, turning around and leaving the building.

    "I wish your guy dies a dog''s death somewhere in the wild!" Dirk, encouraged by theck of Mia''s reaction, uttered with a bragging look on his face.

    Mia stopped in ce. She then slowly turned around.

    She continued to ignore them only because they didn''t cross the line. But now, Dirk has gone after the one thing she was unwilling to forgive anyone.

    "We thought he was good enough for a beauty like you, but it seems he is your usual trash!" Dirk continued to push on his situation, finally getting some reactions out of the girl.

    "He..."

    "I dare you to fucking say that again," Mia whispered in a soft voice, hoping that Dirk wouldn''t even hear her words.

    Yet, from how the corners of his eyes rounded up as he smiled, it was clear that he did.

    "I wish he would..."

    "I will make you unable to cultivate for the rest of your life," Mia warned, her spiritual energy furiously permeating through her flesh in preparation of a showdown.

    "You?" Dirk openlyughed out. "And how do you think you can do that?" he chuckled, amused to his tears.

    "It''s hard to cultivate when you are dead," Mia''s expression was serious. As the lines that held her emotions back continued to snap one after the another, she started to slowly walk towards Dirk.

    Yet, before the matters could turn ugly, Mia managed to get the rein herself.

    ''Right now, acting out is the worst that I can do,'' she thought, staring her former colleague down only to turn round and leave.

    The arrays in the sponsored area were the best in the entire sect. Now that she had made her first enemy in this ce, she had to use everyst opportunity to get stronger.

    Otherwise, they woulde after her the moment their strenght, boosted by all the resources they would recieve, would overshadow hers.

    For now, they were still leagues behind,cking in spirit, determination, and dedication. But if cultivation resources couldn''t bridge that gap, then nothing else could.

    "This bitch..." Dirk squeezed those words through his mouth, sending a hateful stare after Mia''s back.

    ''She might be cute, but just who the hell does she think she is?!'' he screamed out in his mind, unable to control his rage.

    ''More importantly, why did I back out momentarily back then?'' he asked himself. ''Why didn''t I keep pressing her?'' he asked, recalling the moment when Mia''s face turned serious.

    The answer was inly simple. Back at his sect in zone zero, Dirk wasn''t anyone important. He became a sponsored disciple, half because of pure luck and a half because of his extensive schemes. Only by cutting off his friends, cheating and swapping the scores of others, and doing all sorts of prohibited acts, he managed to make the auditor think highly of him.

    He did all of that just to be a sponsored student and have smooth sailing through life from now on.

    Yet, ever since the first day, this damned girl continued to obviously look down at their aplishment.

    ''While we had to do everything to obtain schrships from our sects, he just got some dick to do it for her,'' he thought, his face darkening.

    He knew why he backed down because he recognized the feeling that she gave him back then.

    It was the same feeling that he went through whenever he bothered a small minority of the disciples back at the sect, those that didn''t like others interrupting them.

    And it was fear.

    ''If she managed to get someone willing to sacrifice themselves for her own benefit... she must be insane in bed,'' Dirk thought, tightening his hands into fists. ''I need to make sure she repays me for this insult in this way, then!''

    "At least now we know why she was so chummy with the normies," Kathiamented, her face torn between sadness and disgust.

    ''And here I thought I would make a friend....''

 Chapter 143 - The Change

    Before Mia could even get into her practice-mood, the others started to return to thepound as well.

    Yet, not a single one stopped to join in on her training. Some of them threw her all kinds of looks, but all decided not to say a word.

    ''Right now, I''m on a borrowed time,'' Mia thought, pushing the thoughts about her currentpanions out of her head. They would only make it harder for her to focus on the task at hand.

    ''You just wait,'' Dirk thought, ignoring the girlpletely as he headed towards his room. ''Soon, you will understand, bitch.'' He then clicked his tongue and entered the dormitory.

    There was no need for him to stay in the array with a bunch of spiritual stones, cultivation tonics, and other resources. It would be helpful but wouldn''t make much of a difference.

    Upon returning to his room, Dirk sat down on his bed. With a single throw of a special pouch, array stones flew out andid themselves out in a perfect formation.

    It was simple and far less effective than the one in the training yard, but it was better than nothing.

    ''Let''s see what''s better. Hard work or using your cards wisely,'' Dirk thought with a smirk, downing two bottles of a cultivation tonic and grabbing the first two of the spiritual stones.

    Meanwhile, Mia continued to smash her hands into the pir, keeping her training regime. She received no resources and all, but rather than worrying about theck of boosts to her training, she could only worry about Arthur.

    ''I hope this means he is taking it easy,'' she thought, smashing her fists into the training stone.

    She then looked at her own hand and shook her head.

    Despite her long attempts to get into the mood, her thoughts continued to go awry. The cause of her worry was just too fresh.

    ''Now that I think about it, where''s the sun?'' Mia thought, looking around.

    She didn''t even notice when the sun had already started to set.

    ''I guess I need to calm my head first,'' Mia thought, raising her hands and covering her face with them. ''I need to get some grub,'' she decided, lowering her hands on her stomach.

    Her worries made it hard for her to focus on the training. Yet, she continued to do it over and over again, entering the state in which she wouldn''t notice the passage of time...

    ''What a waste of the evening,'' Mia thought, turning around and leaving the array.

    She entered the state of ignoring the time but didn''t manage to use that time and state to train properly.

    Especially right now, when she was on a borrowed time, she couldn''t allow herself such folly.

    The guards at the gate of the sponsored area were already used to her presence, letting her pass without any unnecessary questioning. Just a single exchange of pleasantries, and she was out in themon area of the sect.

    Mia didn''t waste her time strolling through the streets, heading for the dining head right away.

    For her, the ce was just like usual. The normal disciples didn''t seem to have their day affected by the distribution process. After all, those few inner disciples wouldn''t waste their tastebuds on the at most average food at the dining hall.

    As such, for the normal disciples, there wasn''t anything special out there about the distribution day; outside of having to experience the feeling of inferiority, the sponsored disciples were doing their all to instill in them.

    ''At least people don''t seem to hate me anymore,'' Mia thought as she reached the doors to the dining hall.

    Back when people first saw her exit the sponsored area, she could feel the tangibleck of favor from all around her. The next day, the rumors about her identity spread out, making her feel slightly pressed whenever going outside.

    But now, nearly two weeks after her first day at the sect?

    Those who used to hate her no longer could be bothered with her. Those who didn''t care about her now at least knew her. And those who were interested in her either liked her a little or hated her guts.

    There was still a group of people that wouldn''t ept her no matter how little she cared for the sponsorship, but it was better than dealing with general hate caused just by her position at the sect.

    ''A position that''s most likely temporary,'' Mia thought, shrugging her shoulders.

    To cope with the worries about Arthur, Mia privately decided to assume that he ditched on the role.

    ''This path would offer him the greatest opportunity,'' Mia thought, trying to justify the feeling of uneasiness that started to well in her soul.

    Even though ditching appeared to be the best and most rational option for Arthur... The situation where he would ditch her like that still didn''t sit well with her.

    But it was still a better feeling than worrying about his safety.

    With those thoughts, Mia stood in line at the cafeteria like usual. She didn''t bother picking any food other than what she would usually take.

    ''If it''s not Arthur''s cooking, it all tastes the same,'' she thought, looking down at her te as she moved over to one of the free tables. ''But I still need to eat,'' she thought, shaking her head as she sat down.

    Yet, just as she was about to dig into her soupy meal, a group of sect disciples approached her.

    "I was sure you would be gone by the first distribution," surprisingly, it wasn''t Ve that approached her. She was near the front of the group, but it was a man speaking out, the same man that heralded the group she considered to be hostile. "I was wrong. I believe we misjudged you. Sorry for that," the man apologized, taking Mia by surprise.

    ''That was unexpected,'' she thought. While she had some ns on how to deal with those people the moment they started making some problems, she didn''t expect them to offer to bury the hatchet instead.

    ''Is this some sort of trap?'' Mia hesitated, looking at the extended hand of the young man. She then shook his head a little, stood up, and epted the gesture.

    "You don''t need to worry about it," Mia said, her face taking on a slightly sour tone. "It''s not like I received anything today," she said, biting her lips.

    "So you didn''t want to associate with the sponsored guys because you knew you won''tst there long?" the stare of the young man suddenly turned colder but more interested.

    ''Does he really take me for someone so calctive?'' Mia asked, rolling her eyes.

    "Rather than worrying about resources or something as meaningless as status, I''m worried about my sponsor. Don''t give me the shit about my group. They are too petty for me to bother with," Mia said, her voice turning chilly.

    What she initially took for an interesting offer of peace now appeared as nothing else but the other party trying to figure out the situation.

    "What do you mean by that?" Ve joined in on the discussion.

    "By what?" Mia replied, her voice still cold.

    Mia considered Ve to be her first proto-friend in the normies group. But now, that girl stood with the group that was hostile towards her.

    "By your group being petty," Ve specified her question, her stare super intense.

    "They are mostly ckers and posers. Rather than training hard to make the best use of the opportunity, they just want to live off the benefits of the sponsorship," Mia said, throwing everything that she had against those people out of her system. "They are using the help of the others and, for some reason, consider themselves better than anyone," she said, tightening her fists.

    She shook her head for the nth time.

    "This is now how I am, how I can afford to be. I don''t want my sponsor to bear this burden any longer than absolutely necessary," Mia added, her eyes drilling holes in the table. She then picked up the spoon and brought it up to her lips.

    ''Not good. If I get heated about this topic, I won''t be able to calm myself to get some training done,'' she thought.

    "Huh?" Ve shrugged a little. "So you are not sect-sponsored?" she asked, only to look at the leader of the group.

    "No," Mia shook her head as she continued to eat her food. "Someone forced my man into the role of a contractor," her face tightened, and so did her fist. The spoon in her hand wailed as Mia squeezed the juices out of it. "I''m the one supposed to help and serve him, not the other way around," sheined in a soft whisper.

    Mia closed her eyes, quelling the emotions raging in her soul. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

    "I''m done with being saved by him," she said, more to herself than to the others. She then dropped her spoon and stood up from her chair. "This time, I will be the one saving him," she said with dedication.

    Already on her feet, Mia turned around and moved away from the table, ready to go back to the training yard.

    No matter what, if she wanted to be of use for Arthur, she had to hold sufficient strength. And assuming the worse possible scenario, she could use the sponsored training grounds only for two weeks more.

    As such, there was no time to waste on just talking.

    "If this isn''t a problem..." the leader of the hostile group took a step forward and tapped Mia''s shoulder.

    "Would you mind training with us for a little?" he asked, only to look at the darkening sky.. "We won''t have much time, but maybe we will be able to help out, even if only a little."

 Chapter 144 - Arthurs Growth

    I was running through the forest.

    Over the past month of presence in the camp, this ce became my second home. In fact, I spent more time in the forest than I did in any other ce.

    Back at the camp, I would only sleep and train my base attacks. It was the forest where I would gather my true battle experience. And surprise surprise, as if this was some kind of shitty RPG game instead of a real-world, it seemed that killing the monsters proved to be beneficial to my growth as well.

    I ran between the trees in search of prey. Even though my stone pouch was nearing the limit of how much it could hold, I continued to hunt through the forest.

    There was no reason to finish my activities before the deadline. Even a single more monster hunted would mean both higher ie, greater growth, and generally, efficient usage of my time.

    I spotted a small opening in the treetops. In an instant, I took a quick stop, leaping towards the opening. In just a few jumps, I could take a good look at the sky and, most importantly, the position of the sun.

    ''I should still have some time,'' I thought, jumping down and resuming my scouting activity.

    Thanks to training hard and using a lot of the spoils that I got for myself, I was already in the better half of my current stage. If pressed, I could fill my personal gauges of skill before leaving for the sect...

    But I didn''t want to do it.

    Back at the skdder sect, I still brought way too much attention to myself. If I never revealed how quickly I could progress to Vaner, he would never have a reason to pay me much mind. And I still had yet to face the scars that his schemes left on my mental self.

    Even a worth month of running around the forest and killing monsters didn''t increase my courage to the point I could work those problems out.

    Suddenly, all my thoughts stopped when my eyes drew towards a certain point.

    ''Just like he said, it''s all about the experience,'' I sighed, recalling Lucius'' words about his sense.

    I was still a way off matching his speed at traversing the forest, but I was improving. While still less efficient than my Overseer, I could already find out the paths through the forest without consciously doing so. I didn''t need to look for monsters either, as my mind would alert me about their presence on its own.

    Still, I slowed down my movements to get a closer look at the spot I noticed.

    As expected, it was crawling with monsters. They were weak on their own, yet I would still require Lucius'' help to deal with their numbers.

    ''It will be perfect for when we return,'' I thought before heading towards one of the few registered clearings that we knew off in the forest. As it just so happened, it was also the site of battle I had with the bunnies, the ce where that disaster of a monster appeared before.

    ''I wonder how long it will take him,'' I thought, looking at the line of the trees as I rested my back against a random tree.

    I was ready to give leg at any second if that monster from two weeks ago would show up, but I still used this moment to rest a little.

    ''Where are they...'' I thought, reaching down towards my sacks, only to pull out a tough piece of smoked jerky.

    Outside of the ck bread that one could hammer down the nails with, this was the only portable food that we could get.

    ''We will really need to buy some ingredients,'' I thought, looking back in the direction of the camp.

    Even though we lived inside a bountiful forest, there was still a limit to how many varied foodstuffs we could get our hands-on.

    ''Lack of ingredients is also making it hard to level up my job,'' I thought, pulling out the full view of my system.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Slightly tired

    - Hidden Status: Warmed-up

    - Body Status: Paramortal

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Mortal

    - Growth status: Mana Assimtion/Body Reinforcement

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance:312/500

    - Willpower: 300/500

    ***

    Mana Assimtion (6 600/10 000)

    {

    Flesh assimtion (3 219/5 000)

    Mind assimtion (2 646/4 000)

    Soul assimtion (735/1 000)

    }

    ***

    Seeing the first window, I barely managed to hold my chuckle back.

    After running through the forest for half of what''s the day was worth, I was slightly exhausted?

    ''The strain of everything I''m doing and the intensity of my exercises is as good as running two marathons back to back if not worse.'' My lips curved up in a satisfied smile. ''At least I can tell that my endurance is rising. Just like...''

    My eyes gravitated towards the part of the system I was most concerned about.

    ''Not bad,'' I thought, once again having no reason to think of my progress badly.

    Sure, it was already a month since myst breakthrough. It was way more time than I normally needed to advance...

    But right now, I wasn''t just a cultivator standing on the first steps towards immortality. Right now, I was already at the seventh great rank. Rather than learning how to operate on small amounts of energy, I was striving to infuse mana into everyst micrometer of my flesh.

    Instead of learning the ropes, I was already fusing this mysterious force into all parts of my existence.

    But there was one more point that brought my attention up.

    ''The further I go, the greater the difference between the system''s and the local name of the cultivation rank,'' I thought, my curiosity tingling because of this realization.

    I moved over my eyes towards the gauges of my skill. If I wanted, I could use the spare stones I had on myself to push for the breakthrough. I had enough resources to do so. But rather than trying to increase my power from cultivation alone, I had another ace in my sleeve.

    Jobs Window

    ***

    Cook - Level 13 6/14

    Tailor - Level 16 7/17

    Alchemist - Level 4 (3/5)

    Arcane Weaponmaster? - [High-ss Job] - Level 3 (1/6)

    Spearmaster - Novice level 7/20 (7/260)

    ***

    My tailor and alchemists jobs didn''t increase at all. Even though I recently obtained enough stones to y around with the alchemy, they were too precious to me to waste them just like that.

    The cooking also didn''t increase a lot, as there was a limit to how much I could reuse the same ingredients for the same, tasteless meals. After all, it would be strange if I went the extra mile for dinner if it was as good as its raw elements would be.

    I could already see Arthur going on and on about how this is a waste of time, time that I could otherwise spend more efficiently.

    And that''s where my second aceid.

    Outside of increasing my cultivation, I kept on training as much as I could. At this point, I was still a novice, but I could feel an insane rate of improvement.

    And if not from the novice rank of a spearmaster, it clearly came from the arcane weaponmaster ss.

    ''It''s progress increases along with the increases in my other ss'' level,'' I thought, recalling this strange phenomenon.

    Normally, by repeating some kind of move, I could practice an ability associated with it. But no matter how much I swung my spear, it only affected my novice spearmaster rank.

    In the end, only by increasing it by two levels did I manage to gain a level in my arcane weaponmaster ss. Four levels in the spearmanshipter, my arcane rank reached the third level.

    And the effects were astounding. So astounding that I basically wouldn''t let go of my spear even while sleeping!

    My cultivation was focused on synchronizing the mana with all the aspects of my existence. On the other hand, arcane rank allowed me to easily connect my drive to the spear, allowing me to get insight into how such fusion of mana should work.

    On its own, the arcane weaponmastership used methods more advanced than what I could perform as a body reinforcement level cultivator!

    "He is taking his time," I muttered, looking around the clearing and reaching to my stone pouch.

    I managed to get four times the standard obligations and then some more. In order not to stall my growth, I now used a stone whenever I could, just to give my cultivation a bit of a boost.

    "How is the haul?" Lucius asked, appearing beside me the second I closed my eyes to focus on cultivating. "Found any interesting spots forter?" he asked.

    This was our new agreement. Instead of wasting time by hunting together, we would split up in the morning, remember all the good spots that required us to work together, and then raid them by the second round of hunting.

    In this way, I could both improve at my own self-sufficient manner of hunting, something that I had to develop on myplete own while keeping up the good score of each day.

    "Yeah," I nodded my head. "There is a good one..." I shook my head, "but I don''t think we should go for it," I added.

    "Huh?" Lucius shrugged. "Why is that?" he looked up at the clear sky. "We still have the rest of today to hunt," he pointed out his hand at the sun.

    It was still high above the horizon.

    "Because I don''t want you to get injured again," I protested, pointing my finger at the man''s face. "It''s already a miracle that you managed to recover so much in just two weeks. There is no reason for risking it... And I can''t risk it," I added.

    Mia didn''t receive her first batch of the sponsored stuff. That alone was bound to put a dent on her standing, effectively making her life far worse than it could have been.

    My wish to reimburse her by proving way more than necessary was the sole reason why I worked so hard.

    "That''s a good point," Lucius admitted, lowering his hand at his abdomen. A huge, circr scar marked the area where he once lost a lot of flesh.

    The skin of that part was still young and vulnerable, but thanks to the excessive amount of training and cultivation that Lucius did since his injury, he was perfectly capable of hunting.

    But their journey towards the sect would start tonight. Any further injury could easily make it impossible for Lucius to travel.

    And right now, that wasn''t the risk that I was willing to take.

    "Let''s take a rest for the rest of the day, then," Lucius said, turning his face towards the camp. "We depart at midnight!"

 Chapter 145 - Lower Headquarters

    I wasn''t used to walking on a highway. Despite how perfectly t it was, I had to take care with each of my steps, worried that I could twist my ankle.

    It wasn''t the road''s fault. It was perfect to thest detail. But because it was so perfectly falt, I couldn''t help but slip on it.

    The shoes that Lucius gave me a while ago were great when it came to moving through the dense forest, but they did a very poor job at sticking to the even surface.

    "Stopining," Lucius barked. His mood was pretty bad ever since he woke up for the road. And now, nearly ten hours into the walk, he was the most irritable person in the area.

    Mostly because there were only the two of us within eyesight.

    "But I didn''t say anything!" I protested, only to focus my entire attention back on keeping myself stable on the road.

    "It was written all over your face," Lucius replied, shutting me down.

    This kind of quick exchange was the only kind ofpanionship that I could expect right now.

    For me, this was the road to fulfilling my alimony-like obligations that would allow me to properly support Mia. In other words, I was happy with what I was doing.

    Compared to me, Lucius moved as if he was walking towards his own execution.

    ''I guess he doesn''t like the fact that he also has a quota to fulfill,'' I thought when a sudden idea popped up in my head. "I''m sorry for asking this only now... But what will happen to my beneficiary the moment we finish our contract?" I asked.

    A contractor had to fulfill a single criterion to end their contract. And it was to reach a level of strength designated by the sect.

    I knew it, but as I was in no hurry to advance yet, I didn''t even ask what that level was.

    "The obligations of supporting them will move on to the sect," Lucius replied. Whenever a normal topic would be raised, he would respond more or less naturally. "But as you might expect, the beneficiary will only receive the bare minimum, as much as they will if you only fulfill the basic quota," he exined.

    "On that note," I cleared my thought, "is it possible to pass some resources directly to my beneficiary? Or a storage ring with resources... for example?" I asked.

    After all, how could I leave Mia with just the bare minimum? Even if that was already a lot for your normal cultivator, that wouldn''t be anywhere near enough to sate my desire to help her.

    "A storage ring?" Lucius asked, only for the tension to disappear from his face as heughed out. "Don''t even joke like that. They can go for tens of thousands of gold coins each!" he uttered, tears appearing in his eyes. "Still," he muttered, wiping the tears from his face, "if you wish to send her a ring, you are free to do so. They won''t be allowed to check or change its content," Lucius exined.

    "No additional cost?" I asked, unable to believe in my luck.

    "For every request or action out of the ordinary rules, they will double a single quota of yours," Lucius quickly added a limitation. "That''s why, if you are willing to somehow go as far as to get her a storage ring," Lucius'' lips trembled as he held back a chuckle, "it''s better to do it once you can pass it on, filled to the brim."

    "Don''t take me for someone poor," I smiled. "I might not be the richest, but I still should have some spare change on my ount," I said.

    If everything that I heard about the specific gold distribution in the world was true, then even if a little, my fortune from the Skdder sect should still be worth something!

    "Yeah, yeah," Lucius waved his head, clearly dismissing the topic. "Even if that''s true, you shouldn''t say that to anyone. The fewer people know about your wealth, the better," he added, only to explode with a chuckle.

    The man tried to hold it in for a long while, but there was a limit to his mental restraint.

    Still, this chuckle allowed Lucius''s mood to lift slightly, especially as they were finally nearing the sect.

    The two of them passed by a massive hill that forced the highway to meander around it. And then, just like that, the sect appeared before their eyes.

    It was one of the biggest towns on the entire continent for the locals. With the exception of the major sect and political powerhouses in the area, this city was surely the richest and most likely also most populous.

    ''Is that all?'' I thought, unable to stop the disappointment from seeping into my soul.

    In my eyes, this wasn''t even a city... but a big town.

    ''If I remember correctly, this ce looks about as big as that small town I once went to work at,'' I thought.

    A ce that existed just because of twopeting food factories and a small city sprawled at the water. Then the Tuxi sect lower headquarters... Those two appeared to be more or less just as big!

    ''Isn''t this awesome?'' I still stopped in my tracks. While the size of this ce was slightly underwhelming, I couldn''t help but notice just how intricate its architecture was.

    It didn''t feel like a town at all, but more like a massive disy of the architectonical genius, a pleiade where the greatest constructors of history could disy their craft.

    "Move it," Lucius barked.

    The second we stopped talking about something specific, his personality reverted to the irritated and most likely hungover senior of mine.

    Thanks to Lucious'' hurrying, we soon arrived at the outer gate of the city.

    In there, a single sh of Lucius badge was enough to get the two of us past the guards and into the city.

    "You should get your badge," Lucius ordered. "Make sure to keep that in your memory once we get to the inner city," he added.

    "Isn''t this one enough?" I asked, pulling out the identity token that I received all the way back at the auction hall in the Skdder sect.

    "Is that...?" Lucius muttered, leaning over the token. "That won''t work. But you can go to the auction hall and have it reregistered to your new location," Lucius raised his head and looked at my face. "Then, it should be enough," he said, turning back and picking up the pace.

    I couldn''t really focus on anything as we moved through the town''s tight streets. People were already bustling about even though it was still the outer area.

    From how hurried everyone was, it was clear that they had their businesses, matters, and problems to deal with. As it turned out, the name of ''outer headquarters fo the sect'' was pretty misleading, as, in the entire outer city, I didn''t get to see a single disciple of the sect.

    Soon, we arrived at the second gate. Yet, the second Lucius shed his token up, I could tell that the troubles were about to begin.

    "Look who came back!" Instead of guards, the gate was guarded by the sect''s disciples. From the robes they were wearing, it was clear that they were far above any rank I ever met with. "And here I thought you died a dog''s death somewhere far away from home already," the man added.

    Normally, I wouldn''t pay such idiots any mind. I had my own fair share of bullying and troubles back at the skdder sect. There wasn''t a single reason for me to get involved.

    Not a single reason outside of how much I despised this kind of people. And judging from the intensity of their aura, they were barely a single stage above me!

    Still, this would not be an easy fight if a fight were to erupt. Outside of the oue of the battle alone, I clearly couldn''t bear the consequences that would follow.

    That''s why, rather than acting out, I simply lowered my eyelids and looked at the disciple''s face, my hand caressing the handle of my spear.

    If there was anything that I gained over a month of extensive hunting, it was my ability to exude a powerful bloodlust.

    It wasn''t something that Lucius taught me, but something that I caught on after observing the beasts I would kill. A skill my overseer didn''t even know I had.

    "Huh...?" the stench of my bloodlust was so unexpected and condensed that the disciple instinctively took a step back.

    "Is my token alright?" I asked, raising the small bead towards the guard''s eyes. Instead of just shing it and trying to keep its details hidden, I pushed it so close to the man''s eyes that he likely couldn''t even focus his sight on it.

    Coupled with another wave of bloodlust, the guard didn''t even bother looking at the ID.

    "Yeah, you can pass..." he muttered, staring wide-eyed at my face.

    ''I guess he will remember me,'' I thought, rolling my eyes with annoyance.

    Even though I tried my best to be gentle, this was the inevitable cost of avoiding another annoyance. Now, instead of wasting a whole lot of time listening to the insults, I would have to look back to protect myself from some kind of sneak attacks.

    Not the greatest trade ever, but not a bad one either.

    "It might not be as great as you expected it to be," Lucius muttered as we passed the gate.. He then turned around and looked right at my face. "Wee to the lower headquarters of the Tuxi sect!"

 Chapter 146 - Logistic Office

    "It turned out to be way easier than I expected," I said, sending a glimpse at Lucius'' face. With how tense he was, I assumed that we would meet with a lot more trouble just trying toe into the inner part of the city.

    "Right now, there is only one way for me to describe your approach," Lucius muttered, throwing me a dissatisfied look. "Doesn''t know any better," he said before pushing forward.

    "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

    If I did something bad, sure, you can scold me. But how about telling me what did I do wrong in the first ce?

    Even if something was going to happenter and he would wait for it to happen to, treat the entire situation as a lesson... How about telling me what to expect instead of hoping that everything will y out nicely?

    "You wille to regret acting upter," Lucius said before turning his face away from me and pushing deeper into the city. Even though I wasn''t satisfied with cutting the discussion short like that, with Lucius dropping the topic, there wasn''t anything I could do to keep it up.

    Surprisingly soon, we reached the building that we were aiming for.

    It was the logistic center. It was located almost right by the gate. All it took us to reach it was a simple, two-minute-long stroll.

    "I didn''t expect we would reach it so soon," I expressed my surprise, taking a glimpse of Lucius'' face.

    "Contractors don''t really like to linger in the inner town. Inner town citizens and inner disciples don''t like contractors," Lucius sighed. "Locating the office right at the outskirts was a kinda obvious choice," he exined.

    The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Outside of the question that pushed its way to the forefront of my mind.

    ''If everyone hates everyone in this kind of scenario, why not put the office in the outer city?'' I thought.

    Since those two groups of people really didn''t like to mix, then why force them to do so?

    Yet, what was even worse, was how I could answer this questionpletely on my own.

    ''It is to give the inners a way to boast before the contractors while motivating contractors to work even harder,'' I thought as Lucius finally stopped gazing at the doors and moved ahead.

    ''It''s pretty empty,'' was my first thought when we finally entered the building.

    Instead of premises bustling with contractors hoping to dump their haul and get themselves two more weeks to bring another bit, there was hardly anyone outside of the two of us and the local service.

    "We came here to fulfill our quotas," Lucius announced in a loud voice. There was no hesitation nor surprise on his face, suggesting that he already expected this kind of sight.

    "Just a moment!" someone shouted from the depth of the building.

    "How can it be so deserted?" I asked, unable to figure the answer out on my own.

    "Did you even listen before?" Lucius looked at me as if I was the dumbest person in the room. "Contractors hate the duty of reporting here. As we are well-hated by everyone in the sect, most of the contractors opt to visit at night, when the sect disciples are mostly sleeping," he exined.

    "Wouldn''t that make the disciples that want to have some fun intentionally wait for the night to fall?" I asked, only to shake my head a momentter. "No, that''s not it. If everyonees by night, what happens to those who will bete with their quotas? Like, because of the queue?" I asked another question instead.

    "The first question... Well, you can consider this a periodical thing. Every few months, contractors'' habits change, and then the disciples take a month or two to get used to it," Lucius smiled at his own thoughts as he exined. "On the other hand, the office isn''t as bad for the contractors. They appear to be thest people in the sect that understand the importance of our mission," Lucius said, nodding his head to a passing servant carrying a stack of documents in his hands.

    "In other words, people don''t really mind here if you arete by an hour or two. Usually, they are closing the doors the day after the submission date, so you have twenty-four hours more to submit it than you would expect," Lucius finally exined.

    "Okay, you mighte," the attendant from before finally arrived. Despite the feminine voice, it actually turned out to be a rtively young man.

    He graced us with a kind smile as he pointed at his counter. "Come on, I''m not going to bite!"

    Encouraged by his words, we approached the counter.

    "We wish to fulfill double quotas," Lucius said, pulling out the pouch with his stones before sending me a meaningful look.

    ''I guess it''s my time,'' I thought, reaching out and passing on a stacked pouch to the counter.

    "This is for the missing first quota and for the current one," I quickly exined, worried that they might forget about thest part.

    "Don''t worry," the servant nodded his head with a kind smile. "I know what a double quota is," he said before unveiling the bags and letting all the stones out on a special tray. He then quickly counted its number before scribbling something on a paper that the counter hid from my eyes.

    "Since this is your first quota, you should be aware that you can send a message or some personal items to your beneficiary," the man raised his eyes from the counter and looked at my face. "Just remember, passing any cultivation materials will be subjected to a hefty tax. They will need to be delivered to your beneficiary, after all," he warned.

    "I didn''t know that..." I muttered, taken by surprise. I then looked at Lucius, puzzled why he didn''t tell me about something like this in advance.

    "Just letter," Lucius shook his head, not surprised by the situation at all. He then turned his face to me and shook his head. "He only wants to send a letter. But I will give him one day to think about what to write," Lucius added before nodding his head. "I hope you can wait until then,"

    "There is no need for that," I said, shaking my head.

    As much as I wanted to send Mia a letter.... How was I supposed to do so without the ability to write or read?

 Chapter 147 - Duping Bullies

    We walked out of the building with our belts, surprisingly heavier than they were before.

    "You call that a little?" I asked, weighting my own pouch in my hand. Outside of the massive earnings that I brought by trading with the brothel, this was the greatest profit that I ever made in my life.

    And I could tell that with certainty, despite only checking the pouch''s weight, not the total number of coins within.

    "Once we get to the market, you will understand," Lucius shook his head, weighing his own pouch. "This only appears to be much. This is a lot for the civilians," he said, shaking his head. "Once you see the prices of cultivation materials, you will understand why I''m not happy with it," he added, bringing the pouch down and attaching it to his belt.

    For a moment, we walked in silence, both immersed in our own thoughts.

    "But you really just can''t help it..." Lucius muttered, clearly dissatisfied with something.

    "Help what?" I asked, genuinely puzzled what he was going all about this time.

    "Provoking people," Lucius exined. "Why did you send that letter?" he asked. "This is one of the few chances that guy had to earn something for himself!" Lucius protested.

    "Wait, what?" I asked, totally lost in Lucius'' words.

    A way for that guy to earn? If it was about earning, then it obviously had toe at my cost. But how was he supposed to earn if that letter was supposed to be free?

    "Oh," I suddenly muttered when it dawned upon me.

    The kind guy at the logistic office hoped for me to attach some cultivation material or money directly to Mia. By refusing the send a letter, I robbed him of the chance to well... rob me.

    "I don''t know how to write," I replied, cutting the topic short.

    I wasn''t going to argue how stupid it was to knowingly let others rob you... Because I was slowly starting to have my doubts.

    After all, Lucius wouldn''t make me take a massive loss just for the sake of a lesson, wouldn''t he? And what if his dissatisfaction was actually well-founded?

    "Don''t treat it as them robbing you. Treat it as buying favors with the office," Lucius rolled his eyes. "Everyone is aware that they are stealing, those fuckers. But our other option is to go to the higher headquarters. And tell me," Lucius looked at my face. "Are you up for three weeks long journey... only to learn that they are scamming people at the higher headquarters as well?" he asked.

    "Not really," I replied weakly, finally realizing my mistake.

    I was dumb to believe that corruption was something bad. This was the image I had over the thing from my first life on earth. Once again, the earthy standards proved to be only a bad influence on me.

    ''Still, if I want to pass something on to Mia... I guess I should get myself a storage ring,'' I thought, tightening my hands.

    "How much would be enough?" I asked out loud, hiding my thoughts.

    There was no use exining that there was a chance I was actually rich. In fact, I still had yet to know the state of my ount, but given everything that both Lucius and pathfinder told me about gold...

    There was a real chance that I could afford a storage ring!

    "Around three or four spiritual stones?" Lucius asked, obviously not clear about the answer himself. "I don''t know," his lips turned into a smirk. "It''s just the thought that counts!" heughed out.

    I couldn''t help but stay motionless, staring down at my Overseer''s face for a moment.

    ''Is he for real?'' I asked myself, trying to ignore the joke.

    "For now, let''s get back to the outer city," Lucius said, changing the topic. He, most likely, believed that he chastised me enough. "It''s not like we can afford anything in the inner town," he added.

    As this was my first time in this city, I wasn''t left with much choice but to follow after my Overseer. Soon, we reached the gate.

    Given all his hints from before, I expected some trouble to arise there... yet we passed without anyone bothering us. In fact, it didn''t look as if the guards even looked at us properly!

    Yet, the trouble somewhat started pretty soon after we entered the outer part of the city.

    As we walked through the streets and neared the marketce, I finally realized that some people were tailing us.

    For the time being, it didn''t seem that they were here to cause trouble, but the sheer fact of being tracked made me quite ufortable.

    "Should we do something about them?" I asked in a hushed voice, unsure how I was supposed to act right now.

    After acting on my own two times and receiving a lecturing after both of those, I didn''t want to put myself in trouble once again.

    "Just ignore them," Lucius said, not even bothering to turn his head around.

    Soon, we reached the marketce. The beating heart of the outer city, with people bustling around in every direction.

    The ce was so packed with people that I had some trouble squeezing between them, just to match Lucius'' speed. Yet, just like it was in the forest, he was just too experienced at this kind of movement for me to save my breath while catching up.

    "Oh?" Lucius suddenly muttered, finally taking a stop at one of the stalls. He leaned forward and took a nce at the content disyed in the boxes.

    "Look at those poor idiots," someone said, instantly approaching us from behind.

    Even without looking, I could tell that it was the group from earlier finally acting up.

    To be honest, even though I didn''t like the idea of being harassed out in public, it was still better than being stressed out by the notion of being tailed.

    I wasn''t the person to enjoy ying the game in shadows.

    "Ignore them," Lucius ordered in a stern tone, keeping his eyes on the wares. He then raised his eyes and looked at the merchant. "Could you pack me three tranquility tonics?" he asked.

    "Don''t give him anything," the man behind us said.

    "Excuse me, sir, but you cannot intervene..." the merchant was quick to rebuke the man only to suddenly turn silent.

    ''What, did he unt some super expensive coin or something?'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    Even though the situation only began, I could already see how it would y out.

    "We want everything that you have on your stall," the man said before tossing the coin forward.

    As it flew above my head, I nced upwards with curiosity.

    And there it was, the confirmation of my guess.

    Compared to a normal, golden coin, what the man threw was fully white with a slight, silvery hue. And there was only one metal that I could recognize those qualities from.

    ''So they have tinum coins here as well,'' I thought, watching the happy grin on the merchant''s face.

    "Let''s move on, then," I said, grabbing Lucius'' hand and pulling him away from the stall.

    I could sense that the group followed right away.

    "What are you doing?" Lucius said, tearing his hand away from my grasp.

    "Duping some prideful idiots," I replied out loud, before taking a stop at the next stall. Yet, before I could as much as open my mouth, the man behind me went into action again.

    "I want to buy everything that you have!"

    This situation repeated three more times before our bullies finally realized that I was stopping at random ces. But that wasn''t the full truth.

    I was only stopping at the stalls where I could see a number, as this was the only part of writing that I could understand, that was divisible by seven.

    So in a sense, my stall-picking wasn''tpletely random, something that others might guess by looking at a wide variety of different products that I just made my bullies buy for no reason.

    "Are you done now?" I asked with a sneer, noticing the sour expression on the man''s face.

    Since he was unting that coin from before quite a lot, it most likely held a lot of value. And even someone as rich as the inner disciple of the sect would be pained by wasting three of those coins onpletely random stuff.

    "YOU SEEK DEATH!" the man finally realized what was going on.

    ''Truly, disappointing,'' I thought, shaking my head. ''I really believed they would be somewhat smarter than that,'' Iined before turning around and showing a finger right at the man''s face.

    "Piss off," I said, moving away from the stall.

    "DIE!" the man shouted, infuriated by my defiance. Yet, the second he made a step towards me, Lucius finally stepped in.

    "Just give me a reason, you fucktard," he whispered. At the same time, his aura changed massively, oozing dozens more of bloodlust than what I did back at the gate.

    Once again, the gap in experience was simply too great.

    Scared by Lucius'' apparent seriousness, the group turned round and left.

    For a moment, I watched their retreating backs, unable to stop the feeling of satisfaction from spreading in my veins. Yet, before I could revel in this feeling for a little longer, a smack to the back of my head forced me to sober up.

    "And that''s why you shouldn''t draw attention to yourself," he said, his lips twisting in an ugly grin.. "What you just saw is only the beginning."

 Chapter 148 - Im Going To A Brothel. Do You Want To Come With Me?

    Lucius was angry. I would have to be blind not to see it.

    But that didn''t mean I was going to apologize. After all, I did nothing wrong!

    "You really shouldn''t draw attention to yourself as a contractor," Lucius said, gritting his teeth. He appeared like someone who tried to teach their disciple the basics, only to see themmit the same fundamental mistake over and over again. "It''s only going toe back to bite you in the asster!"

    The next few moments that we spent in the market looked just like that. Luciusined about my behavior while freely sorting through the items disyed. A few momentster, he finally calmed down and turned silent.

    A bitter, he finally shook his head.

    "Just treat it as a precious learning experience. One of a social nature," Lucius sighed as his shoulders sunk. "In the end, you can''t achieve much in life if you focus your entire self on cultivation alone," he said, a deep nostalgia striking from his words.

    ''Is he speaking from experience or something?'' I asked myself, sending a nce at the man''s face.

    And then I noticed them. The same group from before continued to tail us. While they didn''t hide their intentions at all, they also refused to approach us either.

    ''Did they change their tactics?'' I thought, only to roll my eyes and throw them out of my mind. ''There is no point trying to figure out what they are thinking. It''s just a waste of my time,'' I decided before focusing on the items disyed on the stalls.

    And there was quite a lot of cheap stuff that I was in desperate need of.

    Just like Lucius said, just by raising my strength, I wouldn''t be able to achieve much. Yet, while he pointed my attention towards social studies, I had plenty of other jobs that I wanted to focus on instead.

    As such, in just an hour, I managed to obtain twoplete sewing kits along with some materials to use them on. In the next hour, my bags increased with a portable stove, oversized pot mistakingly called a cauldron, and some basic alchemy ingredients.

    By the time our three-long run of the marketce was over, I could barely walk with how many things I had decided to buy and take with myself.

    ''It''s all good,'' I thought as my back cried out in pain due to the massive burden on it. ''It will be gone as soon as I get my hands on a storage ring,'' I thought, desperately pushing forward with my stuff.

    "I think I will go to the brothel now," Lucius said just as we were about to leave the marketce area. "We don''t have a lot of chances to get some fun like that," he added, clearly trying to justify himself before me. "Do you want toe as well?" he asked.

    ''So first he is looking for an excuse and then for someone to encourage him?'' I asked, holding back a smirk from appearing on my lips.

    I didn''t know how people approached the topic of paid sex in this world. I knew brothels existed; I made great business with one of them. But whether it was a private matter that one wouldn''t like to bring up in public? Or maybe it was something that people would openly brag about?

    I didn''t know. And as such, Imitted myself to not making the same mistake of using earth standards in this world.

    "I think I will go get a beer instead," I said, shaking my head with a gentle smile.

    While I wasn''t going to judge Lucius for his decisions, I wasn''t going to do the same.

    I already felt like someone unworthy of Mia after being raped. In my situation, going to a brothel would mean literally asking for trouble.

    Trouble and a lot of shame, as I highly doubted I would be able to stand up to the task with those memories still lingering in the back of my head.

    "Where should we meet, then?" I asked, shaking my head to shake off all those unnecessary thoughts.

    "If you want a beer..." Lucius muttered, raising his hand to his chin and rubbing it as he thought. "How about Drunken Calm?" he suggested a name I had never heard about before. "They have a great booze... but you will need to stay silent and calm out there," he exined.

    "I think I will take you up on your offer. Are we going to sleep there as well?" I asked.

    Since it took an entire day to travel to this ce, there was no way I would deny myself the right to rest in a proper bed.

    Even if I was going to pay with gold for it.

    "Yeah, you can book us some rooms for tonight as well," Lucius said before turning around. "As for directions... Just ask anyone in the crowd. That ce is quite popr," he added before walking off.

    ''How can it be popr yet silent at the same time?'' I asked myself, only to shake my head.

    ''No, this isn''t what I''m going to do now,'' I thought. ''Not yet.''

    With a n already forming in my head, I approached the first of the many random passersby walking all over the ce.

    "Excuse, sir, but could you please tell me where to find the auction hall?" I asked.

    This was the ce that I had to visit as soon as possible. Not only to get my token renewed in this zone but also to store all my luggage there and check whether I still had some money!

    "The auction hall?" a man turned around, almost making his belly kick down two of the disyed boxes with food nearby. "Oh dear, just go straight and turn at the jewelry shop to your right," the man said before nodding his head, waving his goodbyes, and leaving.

    "Forward and to the right it is, then," I muttered to myself, quickly forcing my tired body to drag itself along the directions.

    Once again, I was surprised to find the auction hall so near the gates of the inner city. Even after ounting for all the roaming, we did while on the market, this ce was still rtively close to the main street, proving just how important they were in the city.

    Thankfully, this time, their building wasn''t as imposing as it was back at the Skdder sect, allowing me to enter with a little bit more confidence than usual.

    "Wee to the Nauaxi Trading Hall," a young woman was quick to approach me the moment I stepped through the doors. "How may I be of service?"

 Chapter 149 - Not A Fortune, But...

    "Hello," I greeted the receptionist with a gentle nod of my head. "If that wouldn''t be too much trouble, could you help me with updating my token of identity?" I asked.

    This was one of the first of many topics that I had to tackle while in this ce. But in order to even talk about the others, I had to get this one out of the way.

    "Ah, you are just in the right ce!" the receptionist gleamed, a professional smile filling her face. "Just give me a moment," she requested, turning around and pulling by a rope hanging by the side of the desk.

    No sound filled the room. Whatever was supposed to happen after pulling that rope didn''t include the customers of the ce knowing it.

    "If you would be as kind as to follow me," the girl said, moving out of her half-height cubicle and pointing with her hand towards the deeper parts of the building.

    I followed after the girl without a word. Even though I expected the entire process to be quite simr to what I saw back in the Skdder sect, it wasn''t something big enough for me to be surprised when it looked differently.

    Soon, we reached a workshop-like room filled with all sorts of workstations. Despite how orderly set everything was, I still got the feeling as if the ce was messy. That was the scale of just how filled to the brim this room was.

    "Your token, sir," the girl asked, standing by one of the machines closer to the doors.

    "Here you go," I said, pulling out and passing away one of myst mementos about the first part of my life in this world.

    The girl epted the bead without a word and put it into the machine. She then pulled at the lever stretching out of the machine''s side, lowering some kind of contraption over my stone.

    ''Isn''t this just a press?'' I thought, watching how the metal head of the press crushed the stone.

    "Don''t worry, sir," the girl smiled. She most likely noticed my anxiety. "It looks really bad, but that''s how the process is," she said, scooping all the crushed bits onto a small tray before moving on to the next machine.

    She then pulled out a blueish crystal from the shelf below the next machine before seeding it in. And once she ced the tray with my crushed former token below it, she pressed on another lever.

    This time, I couldn''t even guess what was going on as the machine covered both of the itemspletely. Yet, when the receptionist brought the lever up, only the blueish crystal remained, with the leftover parts of my former token nowhere to be seen.

    "The cost of the upgrade will be taken out from your ount, sir," the girl said, putting the token in yet another machine. This time, though, rather than pulling on its level, she swung on a reel''s hand, making the third machine polish the edges of the stone.

    "What cost?" I asked, finally realizing that I had fallen right into the trap.

    "Ah, don''t worry, sir," the girl smiled again. But this time, her face was slightly uneasy, as if she only now became aware of her mistake. "It''s only a single gold coin... But it''s true that I didn''t inform you about it beforehand, sir," the girl said, lowering her head.

    "Just one more question, then," I said. "All the gold I had deposited on my ount in the zero zones should still be of the same worth here, right?" I asked.

    "Oh, so you are an advancer, sir!" the girl shouted, her face rxing. "And no," she then shook her head. "The gold coins earned in the zero zone are slightly more valuable than the ones in cirction in here," she said, her face brightening up again.

    ''I guess she was worried she would have to cover the procedure''s cost out of her own pocket,'' I thought, doing my best to calm myself down.

    The prospect of actually still being rich... Was something that I still couldn''t believe.

    In every cultivation novel that I read back in the days, there was the problem of constant intion. Whenever the main character in those novels would earn something, he would also advance and prove his fortune to be useless in the new realm of power.

    That''s why it was hard for me to digest the idea that what I earned back at the skdder sect... could still help me out!

    "Then don''t worry about that gold coin," I said, waving my hand.

    Right now, in order to force myself into epting the reality, I had to face it. And there was one simple way to achieve it.

    "Could you please allow me to check the state of my ount?" I asked.

    It was that simple. While there was still the point of the prices of various products raising with their worth, my deal with the brothel back at the skdder sect was pretty massive.

    In other words, while I was unlikely to be rich anymore, I was nowhere near to be as impoverished as I appeared to be!

    "Sir, there is no need to be so polite," the girl smiled as she passed the token to my hand. "Sir just needs to drip a drop of blood on the stone from the overview of the ount," she instructed.

    ''A drop of blood, huh?'' I thought, reaching to my belt and pulling out my knife.

    For a moment, the girl''s face tensed up as she saw me unting my weapon, but she calmed down when I directed it towards my own thumb.

    ''What, did she expect me to bite my own hand?'' I thought, sneakily sending the girl a look of surprise. ''That''s so unsanitary and ufortable!'' I protested before directing my eyes back to the stone.

    Just like the girl said, the second my blood smeared on the blue surface of the stone, the crystal lit up... And then it dimmed down.

    "Come on, take a closer look," the girl encouraged, pointing her delicate fingers at the stone in my head.

    At first, I took a look at the girl''s face, trying to sound out whether she was trying to prank me or not. Yet, after trying for a few moments and failing to see even the smallest hint of a made-up story, I brought the stone to my eye...

    And then I saw it.

    A dimly lit room filled with gold bars and golden coins, and a simple note outlining the content by its side.

    63 143.

    That was the only thing that I could read, as I only ever learned how to use the numbers of this world. The meaning of it was pretty obvious.

    Fifty thousand came from the sale of the recipe for the soaps. As of the remaining over thirteen hundred?

    ''Is it the different value?'' I thought at first, recalling what the receptionist said about the varying value of coins. ''No, it doesn''t make any sense,'' I soon realized. ''If it''s all held at the zero zones, then they wouldn''t ount for that difference,'' I thought before my face suddenly lit up.

    ''Could it be...'' I thought, trembling with excitement, ''that my idea really turned out to be super profitable?''

    Just like with everything that I did business with, instead of dealing with it on my own, I preferred to just sell the ideas and earn from royalties and the downpayment. While it meant slightly lower ie, it was also a stable passive gain for me.

    And from the looks of things, over the mere two weeks that I disappeared, the concepts I sold to the brothel brought altogether nearly a thousand gold coins a day!

    "Just one more thing... but depending on the answer, this might turn into a really long day for you," I said, lowering the stone from my eye and looking at the girl''s face.

    "Yes, sir?" the receptionist shrugged a little, clearly not sure what to think about my warning.

    "Am I able to use this wealth even if it''s stuck in the zero zone''s safe house?" I asked.

    There was no point in having money that I couldn''t use. This was thest of the major questions that I had to ask before jumping on the asion.

    "Sir, as long as you run it by our branch for a small fee, we can transfer the money to the safehouse of our branch," the girl exined. "Obviously, as long as you just want to buy something from us directly, you won''t be taxed the transfer fee," she added.

    "A long day of work, it is," I muttered, cing my hand on my chest to calm my beating heart.

    "Excuse me?" the receptionist asked in a tiny voice, her face filling with anxiety.

    I smiled gently and shook my head to get my thoughts back into order.

    "Tell me, please, do you maybe trade storage rings?"

 Chapter 150 - Money Makes The Girl Smile

    "Storage rings?" the receptionist echoed my words, only for a bright smile to appear on her already smiling face a momentter.

    It was a smile that I could recognize. I smile that I would see on my reflection when I would turn down theputer after a good day of work at a call center.

    It was a smile of someone who could smell themission!

    "We certainly do have some!" the girl added, melting in smiles. "What kind are you looking for, exactly?"

    "To be honest, I only know that the storage rings do exist," I admitted. "Could you maybe exin what there is to know about them when picking one?"

    The smile on the girl''s face deepened. She could already feel how fat hermission would be!

    Not like I minded it either. This was her line of work, and I just assured top-quality service for myself. With how easy it was for me to make money in this world, I didn''t mind spending a bit more just to get things properly done.

    "For starters, there are three parameters that we differentiate here. The size of the storage, its added effects, and then the cost," the girl exined, leading me out of the workshop towards one of the negotiations rooms. Yet, with how excited she was, she couldn''t stop herself from talking while we were still walking.

    ''A rookie mistake,'' I thought, sneering silently. ''You should never let the others know how excited you are to make the deal. It will make you look like you are trying to scam them,'' I thought, recalling the advice of my supervisor from my previous life.

    I hated that part of my life when I was still bound to the lowest level of modern society. I never scammed anyone in that life, but the legend that people made around the call-center workers made most of my contacts back then treat me as your average thief rather than a salesman.

    "On the market, you would also hear about the fourth grading metric for the storage rings. But as apany policy, we only deal with the storage rings that have the highest security mechanisms installed," the girl exined, gently flexing the worth of their products.

    ''Just who hired this girl?'' I had to stop myself from shaking my head in disappointment. ''The information is great, the delivery is top-notch... but the moment couldn''t be any worse!''

    Still, I followed the girl into the negotiating room and got myselffortable on the couch there.

    "When ites to the storage rings, we differentiate their capacity with cubicles. A single cubicle is as much space as a box the size of this desk," the girl said, pointing at a square coffee table.

    ''So a cubicle is a meter squared,'' I thought as I took a quick nce at the piece of furniture.

    "Our storage rings range in size from a single cubicle all the way up to twenty of them... But the price range increases dramatically with the growth of the volume," the girl warned.

    ''Finally, some good approach,'' I thought, rxing a little.

    Theck of ability of this girl got me sitting on the edge of my seat and trying hard not to cringe. Listening to her made me feel like in those days when as an experienced and pretty aplished salesman, I was forced to sit down and teach newbies.

    The rest of the topic turned out to be pretty simple.

    As the auctioning hall mostly dealt with rich people and business owners, they had rings outfitted with effects like cooling, preserving, and many others. In other words, if there was a merchant dealing with food that was worried about his wares spoiling, all he had to do was to buy himself a ring with either cooling or preserving effects.

    ''Thankfully, I have no need for such things,'' I thought after hearing just how massive the premiums were on each specific effect added to the storage ring.

    It wouldn''t be an overestimation to say that having a single effect on the storage ring could as much as quadruple its prize!

    "I would like to get one storage ring of two cubicles and another one of five cubicles then," I said once the entire exnation was finally over. By its end, I was so tired of learning the details that I simply wanted this topic to be over already.

    "Sir, that will cost you..." the girl turned silent for a moment as she scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper.

    ''As if you didn''t know it already,'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    What the girl was doing right now was trying to make me look like a top-tier client who came with an unusual request. But it didn''t take a genius to realize that for people of any wealth, storage rings weren''t a luxury.

    They were a damnedmodity.

    "All in all, for two storage rings, twelve thousand Imperial gold coins," the girl finally raised her hand and gave the price. "Taking the currency differences into ount, that will be eleven thousand and three hundred forty gold coins of the type you are dealing with," the girl said with a massive smile on her face.

    ''You can smell it already, don''t you?'' I thought, only to shake my head. ''Themission is really going to be fat,'' I guessed from just how wide the girl''s smile was.

    "Right, I would also want you to put ten thousand imperial gold coins into the bigger of the storage rings," I gave my request before widening my smile.

    This girl wanted to end the deal and go celebrate? Today she would learn the lesson that if one was spending big, then one should truly spend big!

    "That won''t be a problem at all," the girl said, her smile continuing to grow into the limits of how wide it could be. "What''s more, as you made such a huge purchase with us, I can waive the fee of transfer on this transaction as well," the girl added.

    My mouth twitched.

    ''Why the hell would you do that?!''

    My salesman spirit was raging in me, as I did my very best to keep my face straight.

    ''You can waive it? Then keep your fucking mouth shut and get that money for yourself! Issue that money as apany credit, forcing me to spend it here! Just use it to give me a discount if I kept buying!'' I thought, listing out just the random first few ideas that came to my mind.

    Helping out the customer?

    This girl was either shit at her job or actively sabotaging the auction hall!

    "That''s perfect," I said instead. Right now, I wasn''t the one selling. I was the one buying. As such, it would be counterproductive to teach the girl her job.

    ''If only this world had phones... I could be the richest man alive in a matter of months!'' I thought to myself.

    But I still had some things that I had to tackle in this ce.

    "Since I''m already here, do you maybe have some cultivation resources on hand?" I asked.

    Since I gave away most of my stones back at the logistic center, I had to buy some of the other kinds to send to Mia. That was the very reason why I bought the smaller storage ring in the first ce!

    "You are in luck, sir," the girl''s smile broke through the limits of her face and started to form in her aura as well. "As today is the distribution day, we received quite a lot of fresh products!" the girl eximed, almost jumping out of her seat. "Sadly, there is a limit of fifty thousand gold coins that you can spend on them. This is a restriction imposed on us by the sect, so we can do nothing about it," the receptionist said before lowering her head in apology.

    ''Finally, some good fucking marketing tactic,'' I thought, my salesman''s feelings cated.

    But still, fifty thousand? While it appeared that I could still afford to exhaust all my resources for the cultivation materials... I didn''t see any point in doing so.

    "Now that I think about it, how many spiritual stones or their equivalents would I be able to buy for ten thousand?" I asked.

    Ten grand was a lot of money... but still reasonably within my means. As I still had a lot of other investments to make, I had to limit how much I would spend in one ce.

    "If ites to spiritual stones... Then about one hundred and twenty-five?" the girl guessed, her face taking a troubled look.

    It appeared that while aware of the general prices, she didn''t know the exact numbers.

    "Let me put it in this way, then," I said after thinking for a moment. "How about I put down a thousand as a reservation fee. I wille back to this ce by tomorrow at most and decide whether to make my purchase or not. If I do, the reservation fee will be waived, and if I go back on the idea, you will collect the fee," I suggested a solution to my current quandary.

    "That''s..." the girl hesitated for a moment, only to shake her head and then nod it decisively. "It''s perfectly doable. I will see this matter through personally," she added.

    "That''s great then," I said, standing up from my seat to indicate the negotiations were finally nearing their end.

    "Is there maybe anything else that I could help you with, sir?" the girl asked.

    Initially, she clearly wanted this meeting to be over the moment I decided to buy the rings. She most likely wanted to go around and brag about her achievement and fatmission. But now? After she saw just how quick I was to spend my money?

    She swallowed my bait along with the hook, the line, and the fishing rod at once!

    The greed in her eyes was clear to me.

    "Actually, yes," I turned to face the girl again. "You see, I''m in dire need of two things. Books and...."

 Chapter 151 - I Got Scammed

    "Right, on thest point, could you be as kind as to point me out to where the Drunken Calm Inn is?" I asked once I finally finished all my matters at the auction hall.

    "Huh? Excuse me?" the girl shook her head, clearly not listening to me before.

    The massive grin on her face and asional shakes of her body showed just how excited she was.

    "The Drunken Calm Inn," I repeated. "Can you tell me how to get there?" I asked.

    I just splurged more than twenty thousand Imperial Gold coins with this girl. While the storage rings took more than half of the total cost, filling them with all sorts of stuff wasn''t cheap either.

    ''I can only imagine how fat of amission she made when we closed theplete deal,'' I thought, not paying her unfocused attitude any mind. Since I could sympathize with her current state of mind, I wouldn''t be as rude as to expect her to remain focused!

    "Sure thing, sir," the girl finally regained her focus and smiled as she replied. "How about I act as your guide?" she proposed as her eyes lit up.

    I knew this expression. Due to my origins, it was an expression I never saw directed at me back on earth... But I was a rtively silent and observant person.

    I saw it more than just once or twice back when I was in school and during my failed attempts at going to college.

    This was the expression of a girl whose gold-digging instincts would wake up.

    "Just the directions will suffice," I quickly replied. Even though we were separated right now, there was no way I would betray Mia by using the opportunity to score this girl.

    This receptionist might be a finess, but she wasn''t fine enough for me to cheat on Mia!

    "But thank you for your kind offer," I added, softening the rejection.

    The look on the girl''s face changed a little. From the sudden hope she felt a moment earlier when she hatched a n to get her ws on me and my fortune by extension to the sad realization that her n wouldn''t work.

    Still, she managed to keep up her professional smile while the joy of making a fatmission still continued to sh in her eyes.

    ''At least she is someone who knows her limits,'' I thought when the girl moved towards the doors.

    "Sure then," the girl kept up her smile as she brought her hand up and pointed towards one of the alleys. "You need to go down this road, and at the first major crossroads, take a right turn," she exined.

    "And then?" I asked, still not sure what I was supposed to look for.

    "Once you see it... you will see," the girl smiled, happy to be able to invoke a bit of mysterious aura around herself.

    Even if it was only caused by her withholding the information from me in the first ce.

    "Sure, thanks for all the help. I''m looking forward to working with the auction hall again!" I said before leaving.

    Yet, instead of walking right in the direction the girl pointed me at, I returned to the market instead.

    Now that I had more money than I could spend and a fat stack sitting safely in my storage ring, there was no way I would just leave that ce unattended.

    Soon, both of my rings started to fill up as more and more sundries, ingredients and tools took up the space inside them.

    For the merchants, I had to be the perfect kind of client. Going in, buying whatever he wanted, never arguing about the price...

    I could tell whenever I was scammed. Or rather, I could tell that half of the merchants expected me to haggle when they gave their prizes...

    But how could I be so wasteful?

    My time in the headquarters was limited. Even if I could save up to even fifty gold coinsbined by haggling on everyst stall I stopped by...

    How could it be worth my time?

    ''Still, I need to start thinking about what job to focus on,'' I thought as I nced inside my storage rings.

    I had materials for literally everything. From alchemy, through tailoring and cooking all the way to poison crafting. I had both materials and books to enter the world of all kinds of jobs... But once again, what limited me, was time.

    I bought all of this stuff on a whim, hoping that one day it would prove useful. It could even be attributed to my slightly hoarding attitude of mine, one that I would always exercise when ying games.

    But whether I would find the time to indulge in them... Was an entirely different topic altogether.

    ''I guess I should focus on the job I already have first,'' I thought, looking through my system as I made my way back to the auction hall and then finally moved to where the receptionists pointed me at.

    ''Wait, is that...'' I suddenly found something that I missed all this time.

    There were two things in two different windows of my system that shared the same word in their name.

    ''Arcane weaponmaster and arcane possessions...'' I thought,paring my one high-ss job and an entire window under which my spear was outlined.

    ''Could it be?'' I thought, realizing what the one striking feature of that spear that made me use it over and over again was.

    The one thing that made my spear special was the ability to drive my energy through it freely.

    ''Is that what the arcane means?'' I thought, taking the turn that the girl told me to. ''Does that mean I can level up that job in some other ways than by leveling up my fighting ss?'' I thought, an idea appearing in my head.

    Right now, I didn''t even remember when that arcane weaponmaster job appeared in my system. With how it continued to grow bit by bit, I couldn''t really tell at what exact moment did that job appear.

    ''Now that I think about it... It''s quite possible it did back when I crafted that spear, isn''t it?''

    I was left nearly unconscious back then. I didn''t even check my system anytime soon after that. Yet, once I finally looked it up, the job was just there.

    But whether it was wielding this weapon that created this job or making said spear... I didn''t know.

    ''Still, it''s not like I could use it to make money,'' I quickly realized.

    As insane benefits as this job brought to my ability to wield my energy with precision, there was just no way I could randomly start selling arcane weapons.

    They were too powerful. Yet, rather than having something to do with the popr bullshit of ''people are not strongwilled enough to wield such power,'' I was more concerned about spreading the one ace card that I had to myself!

    Before I could make any sort of decision, I suddenly stopped in ce, stunned by sight.

    ''She was pretty damn right,'' I thought, recalling the words that the receptionist bid a farewell to me with.

    She was right. The moment I saw the building, or rather the crowd gathered in front of it, I knew I had found the right ce.

    ''And that brings me back to the topic,'' I thought, slowly pushing my way through the crowd and towards the doors.

    Why do all those people keep standing outside? I had no idea. But as no one tried to stop me nor anyone looked at me sideways, I assumed they weren''t all queuing to the ce.

    The second I stepped inside, I figured out two things.

    ''So he is already here,'' I thought, noticing Lucius sitting in the corner of the main hall while slowly sipping on a cup of a drink. Yet, it was his presence that made me realize the answer to my earlier questions.

    ''Isn''t a brothel the perfect ce to do business with?'' I thought. ''This is where I made my first small fortune, and it proved surprisingly easy,'' I thought, seriously considering such an option.

    As someone who already dealt with the brothel on a daily basis, I knew I could go into that devil''s den and stop the girls from seducing me. After all, if the girls back at the Zero Zone couldn''t do it, why would anything be different here?

    "So you came," Lucius said the moment I said at his table. Yet, only now could I see just how sunken his expression was.

    He wasn''t just drinking his beer. He was sinking his sorrows in the ss!

    "Just hit it," I said in a calm voice, instinctively adjusting to the peaceful atmosphere within the ce. "What happened?" I asked.

    For a moment, Lucius was silent. He barely even raised his eyes on me from his ss, only to move them away the next second. He then looked to the side as if ashamed of something.

    "Didn''t you say that you have some money?" he asked in a silent voice, refusing to look me directly in the face. "Would you be willing to lend me a bit?"

    I was shocked. Out of all the things that I expected to happen, seeing my Overseer ask for money...

    But there just had to be a reason behind it. His request right now didn''t sit well with me... Not because that wasn''t the Lucius I know.

    But because I hated borrowing or lending money in the first ce.

    "Dude, you just returned to the brothel," I muttered before leaning back on my chair. "Unless you tell me what the hell happened, there is no way I''m lending you a penny," I said, trying to force my greedy nature back to its cave deep within my soul.

    If I could help my Overseer, I would. But if it meant sponsoring him some girls, there was no way in hell I would ept that!

    "Long story short...." Lucius swallowed his saliva as his cheeks turned red in shame, "I got scammed."

 Chapter 152 - They Fucked You Over

    "I got scammed."

    This single sentence was all it took to change my mood. I was joyous after all the shopping I did, eager to look into ways to make the best use of them.

    But this single sentence, single information, changed everything.

    For a moment, rage took over my soul. But in just a sh, I forcefully quelled this feeling, as it touched on the emotional scars that I still kept on hiding.

    It already happened a long time ago... But I still wasn''t ready to face it.

    ''I guess not all the brothels are as aodating as the one back at the Zero Zone,'' I thought once I managed to rein in my emotions. ''Still, I don''t know enough,'' I thought, refocusing my eyes and looking Lucius in the face.

    Yet, before I could even open my mouth, I noticed a particr thing about my vocabry.

    ''I''m already referring to the Skdder sect with how the locals call it,'' I thought before shaking my head and refocusing on the topic at hand.

    "Tell me exactly what happened," I requested.

    "Isn''t what I already said enough?" he scoffed, leaning back on his chair. In an instant, his shame disappeared, reced by anger. "Or do you want me to humiliate myself in public before helping me out?" he barked, clearly trying to provoke me.

    "I''m not going to just throw money at you," I said, my expression darkening a little. "If you want my help, you need to tell me what happened," I said, looking straight into Lucius'' eyes. "Without knowing what happened, I won''t be able to help you at all," I said, crossing my arms on my chest to show my determination.

    "This is a very private affair..." Lucius protested again, this time far weaker.

    I kept silent, waiting for his opposition to crack.

    He took a deep breath and lowered his head.

    "You see, the cost of the girl depends on two factors. How attractive she is... And how high cultivation she has," Lucius finally started to exin.

    ''Does this have something to do with dual cultivation?'' I thought, making the connection as instantly as my expression sank.

    Even though it wasn''t mentioned, just thinking about dual cultivation put a crack on my mental defenses.

    In a second, my wish to help Lucius died off.

    ''No, I can''t do it,'' I thought, clenching my jaws. ''If I never face it, it will only continue to burden me,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists.

    "I guess some people use brothels to dual cultivate," I muttered before raising my eyes at Lucius'' face. "Right?" I asked, unsure whether my guess was correct.

    I knew the answer before the man even answered.

    "Yeah," Lucius said and nodded his head. "It can serve as another way of improving one''s cultivation. It''s a rtively cheap way to grow, so it''s prettymon," he exined before sharply raising his head and looking me directly in the eyes.

    "It''s unsustainable. There is a limit to how far one can go just by dual cultivating," he stressed the point out, keeping his eyes right at my face.

    "Don''t worry, I''m not interested in growing in this way," I quickly replied.

    I didn''t know what the basis on which the dual cultivation worked was. As such, outside of all the emotional scars that were bound to that topic, I had no intention of using such methods.

    Obviously, even if I knew how it worked and either managed to work through my trauma... I still wouldn''t use it. After all, dual cultivation or not, it would mean cheating on Mia.

    And unless I either caught her cheating or heard her deciding she wanted to split, I would make this simple yet tragic mistake!

    "Back to the point," I said and shook my head to stop thinking about dual cultivation. "What is the problem?" I asked.

    For now, all I heard was the exnation of the process. A single word about the actual problem remained to be said.

    Lucius turned silent once again. But instead of pressuring him, I just waited.

    I waited when he sighed.

    I waited when he took a sip of a beer.

    I waited when he simply remained silent.

    "So, they paired me with a cute girl. Right down my preferences," he finally started to speak after gathering the courage to do so. "I could tell she was on the verge of a breakthrough and..." Lucius turned silent, only to sharply raise his head again. "Wait, do you even know how the dual cultivation works?" he asked.

    "Not a clue." I shook my head in denial. "Enlighten me," I requested.

    "Basically, when a pair... dual cultivate, their Qi will always move towards equilibrium," Lucius said. Whenever he was talking about theory or background information, he would be quick to answer my questions. He would only stumble on his words whenever the topic was about what actually had happened.

    "If you dual cultivate with someone weaker, you will help them raise their strength. If you dual cultivate with someone stronger, they will do the lifting," Lucius said before taking another sip. "Only when the parties are equal can the true wonder of the dual cultivation happen," he exined.

    "Wait a second," I requested, confused about one thing. "Is there any difference between dual cultivating and actually having in sex?" I asked.

    Just by listening to the exnations of dual cultivation and bybining this knowledge with what Lucius already said, I could get the picture of what happened.

    But to fully understand the sides there, I had to understand this one point.

    Was dual cultivation just another name for screwing, or did one have to do something to elevate passionate hugging to a level of actual dual cultivation?

    "It''s the same. The moment you reach the third level of cultivation or higher, whenever you sleep with someone, you will dual cultivate," Lucius exined.

    "Now then," I said, leaning back in my chair, satisfied with the answer. "What does all of that actually have to do with the problem?"

    I could tell what really happened. The answer to my question was pretty obvious. But if I wanted to help Lucius, he had to say it with his own mouth.

    "They gave me this girl, who was on the verge of a breakthrough," Lucius repeated his earlier words. I could tell from how quick he was to speak that he no longer had the strength and willpower to keep silent.

    "Before going to have some fun, I splurged on the card games... And well, sought to lift my mood after losing it all in the arms of the girl," Lucius said, his face once again exploding in red.

    "As you might expect already, the girl broke through while we were at it. I didn''t really mind as it makes them... Well, it elevates the experience to another level," Lucius smiled a little before shaking his head. "But when I was about to go out, they demanded I pay ording to her new, higher rank!" he almost shouted before realizing where he was and lowering his voice.

    "I helped her to reach that higher ranks, and they wanted to tax me for it! If not for iming that I will go and get more money, they wouldn''t even let me leave!" heined.

    I released all the air in my lungs to the outside. Right now, I didn''t really know what to say.

    "I guess..." I muttered before raising my eyes at the man in front.. "You went to fuck, and ended up being fucked over."

 Chapter 153 - Its Not Wise To Threaten A Man Who Makes Living By Killing Monsters

    "Are you going to help me or not?" Lucius said, his stare turning cold. "If you just wanted to have fun at the cost of my misery..."

    "Chill the fuck out," I said, rolling my eyes. "I got some money, but I''m not going to just throw it on you. That would mean helping you pay an unfair debt," I stated, snatching the cup out of Lucius'' hand and drinking all that was left in it.

    "What are you going to do, then?" Lucius asked.

    ''To think that he would be so helpless outside the forest,'' I thought, fighting off the grin that wanted to appear on my lips.

    "I''m going to deal with the situation like you should in the first ce," I said, standing up and moving towards the exist. "Are youing?" I asked two stepster when I turned my head to the back and noticed Lucius still sitting on his seat.

    "Ah, I do, I do," he muttered, rising up and following me outside.

    Even though I was the first to leave the Inn, it was Lucius that led me towards the brothel. The first reason was simple.

    He was the one who knew which brothel he was scammed at. If I were to lead the two of us, we would likely have to visit half of the red-light areas in the area before stumbling into the correct one.

    But there was another reason. A reason born out of my mistake.

    And it was my own carelessness that caused it.

    Because when I entered the Inn... I had both of my storage rings right on my hand!

    Lucius never called me out on that point. Most likely, I had the dim lighting within the Inn to thank for. Yet, thanks to the fact that he was leading me towards our next ce, I got my chance to take the rings off and hide them in my pants.

    Call me stupid or call me overly cautious, but this was the lesson I learned from the few times in my life when I had not-so-legal stuff in my possession.

    As for the reason why I hid the rings from Lucius... Was the sentence he said himself. His advice for me to hide away how much wealth I possessed came in handy now that he got strangely sensitive about the topic of money.

    ''On the topic of money,'' I thought, looking at Lucius back. ''Isn''t this a perfect opportunity to make more?''

    Given my history of doing business with brothels, I couldn''t help but be inclined to look at them as money-making machines.

    And it was for a good reason.

    In a world where visiting brothels didn''t seem to be as much faux pass as it was back on earth in modern times, those ces had an insanely high number of money flowing through it.

    What''s more, with the plethora of fetishes that the earthly civilization discovered and propagated with the use of the inte, I was equipped with thousands upon thousands of years worth of human sexual desires.

    In simpler words, just by looking through the list of fun videos I watched back on earth, I could dig out a number of fetishes that I could exploit to make money!

    "It''s here," Lucius said, cutting my thoughts about making money short.

    This wasn''t the primary reason why we arrived at the brothel, and out of solidarity, I had no other choice but to focus on the matter at hand.

    In the end, once we would return to hunting soon, I would have to entrust watching my back to Lucius again. And it wouldn''t be the greatest idea to antagonize him right now by trying to make money while he came to this ce with massive grief.

    The moment we entered the ce, I felt that we became the center of the attention of the staff. While the clients of all sorts didn''t pay even the slightest fucking about us, the same couldn''t be said about the girls and servants.

    ''I guess the gossip travels fast,'' I thought, releasing a deep sigh.

    Lucius shrank in himself under the barrage of looks. But it wasn''t a bad thing. Since everyone already knew about what happened, we wouldn''t have to waste time exining it to someone I would grab.

    The chances were, they woulde to us first.

    "How can we help you, dear customers?" one of the girls said, approaching us even sooner than I expected.

    "From the smirk stered all over your filthy face, I think you know it already," I replied without the care in the world.

    In an instant, the atmosphere turned colder.

    Given how I had ns to do business with this ce, insulting the first girl to approach us didn''t seem to be the best idea. But starting from the position of a guardianing to solve the dispute was even worse.

    Right now, while hateful, I got their attention.

    "Oh?" The girl refused to react to my words, keeping her professional smile up.

    ''At least she is not smirking,'' I thought, smiling brightly to counteract the coldness behind the girl''s grin.

    I leaned my head to the side. "I came here to receive the payment for the service that you guys forced my dear friend to provide," I said, crossing the arms on my chest and raising my chin.

    ''You guys thought I came here to pay?'' I thought. The corners of my lips twitched as I held back a chuckle.

    "I''m sorry, young man, but I think you might''ve mistaken what this ce is," the girl said, shaking her ample and barely hidden bosom to put an emphasis on her words. "Unless your friend hiding behind your back is a male whore..."

    "You better watch what..." Lucius red up at the mere suggestion, not allowing the girl to even finish her sentence.

    "Chill," I said, raising my right hand to stop my Overseer from acting up.

    If they want to provoke you, stay calm. If they want to calm you down, re-up. If they want to pay, leave them alone. If they want you to pay, ask for payment instead.

    Doing the exact opposite of what the other party wanted you to do was the very basic tactic of negotiating!

    Or amateurish maniption, it all depended on whether one judged the morals or efficiency.

    "If you are not interested in going along with MY version of the story," I said as a bright smile crept up on my face, "then we are more than happy to report it back to the sect!" I announced.

    For a moment, everyone in the building froze. Not only the staff but the clients as well.

    ''Oh?'' I thought, hiding my surprise caused by this unexpected reaction. ''Is this ce bad news after all?'' I thought, ready to rectify my earlier assumptions about the local culture once again.

    "And what would you report to your sect, kid?" the girl asked. There was no smile on her face any longer, proving that my words worked well so far.

    "Oh, just a small heads-up. Contractors might not be a well-received profession, but they do provide the sect with its lifeblood, the cultivation resources," I exined.

    In my opinion, the main reason why the girls dared to make use of Lucius was that he was a contractor. This was the only rational exnation for a ce like this daring to scare away frequent customers like him.

    I knew it... Because back on earth, I received the same kind of treatment.

    Be a contractor, be a descendant of the hated nation... What was the difference? Outside of the range and timespan of the scorn, there were none.

    ''People will always jump at the opportunity of those pushed away by the society,'' I thought, recalling one of the many quotes I found on the inte.

    "I wonder how the sect would react if they were to learn that such ce is intentionally weakening their providers and then demanding additional payment for that!" I asked after giving the girl enough time to think about the matter.

    "I dare you to try it, kid," the girl said. Her eyes turned ice cold. She then lowered her hands and hid her behind her back.

    ''She most likely signaled someone,'' I thought. Then I released an exhausted breath.

    "Well, I believe that doing so... Would really be going a bit too far," I said, taking the girl by surprise.

    After pushing her hard from the very moment she initiated the discussion, I suddenly gave her a way out.

    A nice gift...

    But also a potential trap.

    My lips turned into a smile on their own when I saw the conflicted look on the girl''s face.

    "After all, I don''t need to go to the sect to put all your whores out of business," I spat right in the girl''s face. I then raised my hand and locked them behind my head. "It wouldn''t be the first time for me to destroy a massive establishment, and it likely won''t be thest either," I said.

    I then gently shook my arms to illustrate how little I cared about this matter.

    But instead of getting scared, the girl scoffed and then chuckled.

    "If you want to make threats and flex your imaginary muscles, at least try to make it realistic," she advised in what appeared to be good faith.

    I took a long look at the girl''s face before dropping my head down and then shaking it. I used all of my focus to make myself look as if I was overwhelmed by pity.

    "Lucius, we are done here," I said, turning around while still shaking my head.

    Yet, the second I turned around, I saw a bunch of meatheads blocking the way towards the doors and eyeing me down.

    "We are not letting him go until he pays for the service like a proper gentleman should," the girl smiled deviously. "It''s not my problem he didn''t pay upfront!" she added.

    ''Well, at least Lucius'' story seems to be true,'' I thought, turning around and throwing the girl a weird look.

    "Do you really think threatening people that make a living by killing monsters... is a wise thing?" I asked, my head dropping into my robes and near the pocket.

    My rings were in my pants, but what mattered was getting my hand closer to them.

    After all, in order to pull my spear out, I didn''t need to wear the ring. I only needed to touch it.

    "I came here because I heard amotion," a new, mature voice appeared on the scene, forcing me to roll my eyes and then look towards its source.

    And there she was. d in her luxurious and disgustingly expensive-looking robes as if in armor, the assumed owner of the ce strolled through the crowded interior as she approached themotion.

    "I heard what you just said, and I can''t help but wonder...." she muttered in the calmest voice I ever heard discounting pathfinders'', "do you really think weck patrons who would shield us from your wrath?"

 Chapter 154 - Commotion At The Brothel

    "My wrath?" I echoed Madam''s words. My expression turned into a snicker that I quickly hid by turning my head away and shielding it with one of my hands.

    But I obviously wasn''t fast enough.

    "Madam is amounting me to way too much," I added after taking my time to calm down my amusement.

    "I just followed up on your words. It''s you who brought your job of a contractor to the discussion," Madam said. This time, it was her turn to chuckle.

    "But it was one of your girls that thought it would be a wise idea to threaten me," I replied after giving the middle-aged woman a moment to enjoy her fake victory.

    "Oh, you can''t tell me you took it seriously!" Madam protested, releasing another chuckle. Then, her gaze turned cold. "And if that wasn''t the case... Why did you bring out your job as a contractor into the discussion?" she asked.

    What a clever woman. Or rather, what a maniptive piece of filth.

    I never imed nor admitted to taking the threat from before seriously or as a joke. It was an open discussion what was my take on it. Yet, this woman assumed what was convenient for her and then pressed on without verifying it.

    Luckily for her, it was convenient for me as well.

    "A very simple reason," I said with a smile as a quote from one of the movies I liked a lot came to my head. "It was my attempt to show you that I am a person of focus,mitment, and sheer... cough, will," I imed.

    ''Damn,'' I cursed inwardly before anyone could reply. ''It sounds way better when it''s someone else telling that about you,'' I realized... a bit toote.

    "It''s hard to take someone iming all of that about themselves seriously," Madam was quick to counter,pletely unfazed by my words.

    ''Yeah, I know,'' I thought. I then fought off the urge to agree with the woman openly. Rather than that, I put a wide smile on my face, one of a child that just received the gift they always dreamed of.

    "You are free to dismiss my words, then," I said, refusing to let go of my bright smile.

    Finally, I managed to catch the woman off-guard.

    ''I guess you didn''t expect me to be so slick.'' My thoughts only reinforced my joyful expression. This was the exact moment I was waiting for.

    For a second, Madam looked at me as if I was some kind of brain-dead idiot. Then her expression changed, making me feel like an insignificant worm that just happened to stand in her path.

    "I think I heard something about your ns of putting me out of business," she imed, trying to regain her footing in the discussion.

    The simple act of not trying to stand my ground threw her offpletely.

    "Would you bother to borate on how do you n to do so?" she asked, forcing a smile on her lips.

    ''Should I do it?'' I thought.

    We finally reached the point where I could inject my business into the discussion... But was it really a good moment to do so?

    ''Well, the victory belongs to those who dare,'' I thought, raising my eyes at the Madam''s face.

    "Normally, you wouldn''t expect a general to tell his ns to his enemy, would you?" I asked, only to shake my head the next moment. "But I''m not a general while you are not my enemy," I added, watching the changes going on the Madam''s face with curiosity.

    Sadly, they were too small for me to read anything out of them. Once again, I could read the others only if they were either unable to keep their emotions in check or if they allowed me to read them. I wasn''t some kind of magician capable of prating the mental defenses of someone who knew how to keep their negotiating face.

    And that''s what this entire situation right now was. Just a roundabout negotiation.

    "My idea is simple," I coughed before exining. "I believe you guys are not the only brothel in this area. As such, I won''t lift a finger to harm you," I said, spreading my arms open to show just how confident I was in my words. "But in a month, you won''t find a corner in this city where you will be weed," I imed.

    This was a stretch. Everything that I did and said so far... was speaking. And speaking a lot.

    Not a single action backed my words until that point, and I just made a massive im. A im that would only take a month for life to verify.

    ''I guess I''m turning into a gambler,'' I thought, worried about the prospect of falling into the dangerous waters of spection.

    "Assuming that you are capable of backing your words with actions," the Madam squinted her eyes as she muttered, "you are going to do all of that because of a simple trouble that your friend found himself in?"

    And there it was. The proof that this woman knew what actually happened.

    All along, ever since she appeared, I assumed that she simply came here to solve themotion. But for her to know what happened meant that she was either coached by someone on her way here or more likely...

    She was aware of this kind of practice in her establishment!

    "My friend?" I echoed Madam''s words. "Please, don''t make me cringe," I requested, only to realize that I used a word that they didn''t understand. "Don''t make meugh," I changed my wording, once again raising my hand to calm Lucius before he could re-up.

    "This man is my Overseer, someone to whom I owe my life. If I just wanted to save the problem, I would buy enough people to bury this ce below a thick nket of ash," I said calmly. "No, what enrages me about this ce, is business malpractice," I exined.

    "And what does anything that we do here have anything to do with you?" Madam asked, clearly at the end of her wits.

    "I can''t ept such an approach to doing business with people I initially wanted to... well... do business with," I revealed with a in smile.

    "Huh?" Madam moaned in surprise, elongating the sound of her words to show just how surprised she was. "Do business with my brothel? What makes you think you have the ability to do so?" she asked while crossing her arms on her chest.

    ''There it is,'' I thought. ''The locked, defensive position,'' I noticed.

    This woman was now sufficiently primed for me to execute myst attack.

    "To be honest, I have no idea how much this ce makes in a week or a month..." I muttered before raising my eyes at the woman''s face. "But over thest month, just the royalties for the ideas I brought to another brothel amounted to nearly fifteen thousand Imperial Golden Coins," I said while putting a look of a transcendent scion on my face.

    "Bollocks," Madam scoffed only to break out inughter a momentter. "Fine, you amused me enough. Now, get off my property!" she shouted, but there was no hint of hostility in her voice.

    From the joyful look on her face, I guessed she really treated the entire thing as nothing more but an amusing encounter.

    An idea popped up in my head. Since we were talking about how much we earned, maybe this was the right moment to check something out?

    "If such is your desire, fine," I smiled,pletely unfazed by theughter that now spread from the Madam to her staff and then the majority of guests who keenly spectated the entire encounter. "Just one more thing, a simple question that I believe you should have the answer for," I requested.

    "What the fuck do you want?" the look on the Madam''s face turned colder.

    In her opinion, she just magnanimously let me and Lucius go... and I still dared to make trouble?

    While that might be a surprising revtion for her, I didn''t want to cause trouble anymore. What I wanted was genuinely just to ask a simple question that I believed she might have an answer to!

    "It''s really just a simple question," I brought my hand towards my pocket before drilling a hole in it and reaching to my pants. With a single touch of the bigger ring, I pulled out the weird token that I found in my ount back at the Auction hall.

    The only reason why I retrieved it right away was the receptionist''s kindness of waiving off the costs of doing so. And since there was only a single ce I conducted business with back at the Zero Zone, there was a chance that another brothel could exin just what this token was!

    I pulled out that strange, ck token and shed it into Madam''s face.

    "Are you perhaps aware of what this thing is?"

    Then, something strange happened. Madam''s face, torn between the leftover amusement and the coldness caused by my obstinacy... All disappeared.

    They all gave way to a shock in an instant.

    "Is this..." she muttered before sharply moving her eyes from the small token to my face.

    "This is my question," I said with a troubled smile. "Itid alongside the thousands I made, but as I can''t even read the note attached, I have no clue what it is!" I eximed with a pained voice. I then smiled and looked deeply into the woman''s eyes.

    "Are you perhaps aware of what this token means?"

 Chapter 155 - True Cost

    "I''m terribly sorry for what happened here," Madam said, suddenly changing her attitude.

    The shock on her face turned into fear.

    "I didn''t know you were a token holder," she said, lowering her head as low as she could without actually falling to her knees.

    "So this stone is actually important?" I muttered to myself, ying with the token. "I guess I should send the letter to the Madam that I helped back then," I added, a smile growing up on my lips.

    "You really don''t know what it is...?" Madam whispered as she nced up at my face, still not daring to raise her head.

    "I will have all the debt of your friend canceled. He will receive proper remuneration for helping one of my girls breakthrough," Madam uttered through her teeth, clearly unhappy about her own words.

    I didn''t bother to react to her words in any way or form. I simply stood in ce, staring down at her lowered head while ying with the ck token in my hand.

    "You two mighte in and use my girls as you see fit," Madam uttered, her voice bearing hints of hidden fury. "Free of charge, that is," she added.

    I could feel the changes to the people''s faces all around. Yet, the most significant one happened right behind my back.

    When I first imed how much money I made, Lucius was shocked beyond words. But now, his shock turned into tion when the reality dawned upon him.

    The reality was that I was going to tear away from him right away.

    "No," I said in a calm voice. "That won''t be necessary. If my friend wants to have fun, he, like everyone else, has to pay for it," I said, instantly feeling the furious stare drilling holes in my back.

    "As for me..." I allowed my voice to linger a little before shaking my head sideways. "I''m not interested in any of your girls," I said.

    In the end, I didn''te to this ce to gain favors and discounts on whores. I came here to do business. And my experience from back at the Zero Zone allowed me to ignore the insane amount of exposure that filled everyst inch of this ce.

    "If you swing that way..." Madam finally raised her head with a gentle smile, "I have some cute boys too," she suggested.

    For a moment, I stared her down.

    ''In some ces, that suggestion would warrant you a death,'' I thought, tightening my fists.

    "No, thanks, I have a girlfriend. That''s all there is to it," I exined.

    Once again, I didn''t know the take of this world on homosexuality. Maybe it was epted? Maybe it was tolerated? Or maybe it was the greatest possible crime, and Madam just attempted to dupe me in?

    I had no idea. As such, it was better to just steer clear of the topic.

    "Fine, I won''t try to convince you, then," Madam muttered, tightening her teeth. "Still... you were talking something about doing business..." she added, an uneasy expression appearing on her face.

    ''Is this the power of this token?'' I thought. ''She was so against even having me inside her building, and now she wants to beg for my involvement?''

    I shook my head.

    ''No, I can''t get emotional over it,'' I realized. ''Rather than rising up with my pride, I need to press my advantage.'' My thoughts turned cold. ''I no longer can afford to do business with people I like. I need to get rich and get rich quick,'' I thought.

    As a contractor, I was heavily disliked by the members of the sect. What''s more, the encounter in this ce proved that people were keen to exploit this as an advantage.

    And it was all just the beginning. The only way for me to ward off any potential trouble was by being strong enough to just shrug them all away.

    It didn''t matter whether my strength came from how powerful I was personally, from how strong my friends and backers were, or from how rich I was.

    No matter what kind, I had to obtain some sort of advantage over the others!

    And by the looks of things, I just found someone who would find it hard to refuse my requests!

    "As you likely are aware, after such a warm wee..." I said before letting my words hang in the air for a little, "my rates will be way higher," I said.

    "As long as your ideas are profitable, I''m willing to swallow a high interest," Madam said. "I will swallow it all the way down to its balls... Just like my girls would if you were to show any interest," Madam said, once again trying to force me into a honeytrap.

    "Stop it," I replied coldly, my expression turning dark. "Rather than your girls, I need your obedient and loyal cooperation," I said, slowly letting my words out one by one. "But you see... I''m an adventurous man," I suddenly announced.

    "Huh?" Madam''s body shook in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

    "I''m not interested in replicating the ideas I already used. For now, you just need to sit tight and wait for me toe up with new ones," I announced.

    For a moment, Madam simply stared me down, analyzing the situation in her head. She then released a deep sigh and nodded her head.

    "So be it," she said. "Once again, I''m sorry for all the trouble that you met here," she added before looking away. "I''m also looking forward to our cooperation," she muttered through her teeth, clearly putting her interests above her own emotions.

    ''That was a good choice,'' I thought to myself. ''As long as she values money more than her feelings, I will be able to control her easily,'' I thought.

    The extent of the control I imagined wasn''t great. I simply wanted someone who wouldn''t try to go back on their words and cheat me out of my money.

    But for that to happen, I had to visit a few other brothels and fully inquire about the value and meaning of the token that I found in my storage!

    "I wille here once I''m ready to introduce new products," I said before turning around on my heel and leaving the ce.

    As the matter was now settled, Lucius was smart enough to follow me outside. Or rather, he was simply looking forward to the opportunity ofshing at me instead.

    "Why the fuck did you refuse her offer?!" he eximed. "I was so close to having a free botty whenever I wanted! Do you even realize how much fucking money it costs to visit this ce?!"

    I allowed all of Lucius'' words to enter my head through one ear and then fly away through the other one.

    "You wanted me to help you because they scammed you," I said, not even bothering to look at Lucius'' face. Even though he wasn''t at fault in this particr situation, he was in trouble only because he sted all his money on gambling and wine before everything went downhill! "I helped you. You are not only free of the unfair debt but will also be paid for what you did. What are you angry with me about?" I asked, feeling my soul riling up.

    This was the one thing I hated about humans. Give them the finger, and they will demand a fucking hand. This kind of mentality brought most of the social disasters to the face of the earth and was behind the wipe of my country and the tragedy of my nation.

    "I could have all those girls for free!" Lucius scowled, still unable to get over the thing that he assumed he had lost.

    What he didn''t realize, though, was that it was never something he had in the first ce.

    "First off, agreeing to that would paint a massive target on your back," I exined. "With that, I could live off. But a way bigger target would appear on my face, and that I can''t allow," I added in a cold voice.

    "Secondly, those girls wouldn''t be free at all. The cost would be massive," I muttered, unwilling to go for the bother of exining this fact. "So massive, in fact, you would never be able to pay it back," I added.

    The reason why Madam offered this kind of opportunity was simple. She wanted to use her girls as the bargaining chip that would wash off the guilt of her position and bring her back to the neutral standing on the negotiating table.

    In other words, if I agreed to that, then the entire matter would be fully settled, allowing her to open up the business negotiations on a clear footing.

    This opportunity happened only because Lucius got in trouble, that''s certain... But after I risked my face and safety for his sake, he no longer had the right to im the spoils that I obtained!

    "Seeing how much you made and how you opted to risk the war instead of just paying a few coins for me..." Lucius muttered, "you really are stingy, aren''t you?" he barked, still unhappy with my decision.

    Yet, while unhappy, he finally started to calm himself down. A sign that he at least attempted to understand what I tried exining to him.

    "Wait," I stopped in my steps when Lucius'' words brought a certain memory to my mind. "Do you really believe that I made that much?" I asked, pretending to be shocked beyond any reason.

    "Huh?" Lucius stopped as well, surprised by my sudden question.

    I smiled.

    "You said it yourself; never reveal your true fortune!" I imed, paraphrasing advice he gave me when we first entered the city. "What I said back then was a bluff," I lied. "A good one, seeing how you fell for it as well," I added to reinforce my words.

    Lucius squinted his eyes as he looked sternly at my face.

    "Where did that tokene from, then?" he asked, still unsure what to think about the entire situation.

    "No idea," I shrugged my arms. This part I could at least be honest about. "It was just there along with the five hundred coins I actually made!"

    I was honest, but I lied at the same time. If I were to be a bit more ambiguous, I could even call it a t lie...

    But right now, I had to give Lucius a concrete number. If I kept the amount hidden, his imagination would give it away instead. And I couldn''t risk having him think that I was some kind of a nouveau riche.

    Not after his disy today. Not after learning that he would waste his money on gambling.

    "That''s why I still need to go to other brothels," I sighed. "Not to have some fun, but to ask around about what this token really is!"

 Chapter 156 - Mias Comeback

    Mia''s days were full of stress and anxiety... but they were mundane nheless.

    Living on a borrowed time in the sponsored area allowed Mia to change her mind a little.

    Instead of ignoring the luxuries of her everyday life, she grew to acknowledge them. She would stay extra three minutes in the bed because of howfortable it was.

    She would waste two more endless minutes in the shower, just because the water was so calm and the cleaning oils so aromatic.

    And then she would be out in the training field five minutes after the sunrise.

    "Huff, huff, huff," Mia breathed out silently whenever her fist would strike the training pir.

    Despite advancing from the Skdder sect to the Tuxi sect, this was still the best way for her to train.

    "Huff, huff, huff," Mia breathed out, executing the same routine that Arthur taught her. Over and over again. And then some more.

    She didn''t receive any lessons or teachers. While some elders would asionallye and give some random pointers, it wasn''t something consistent.

    ''And if there is one thing that I learned from Arthur,'' Mia thought. She kicked the pir with her left foot, ending the four-moves sequence.

    All this time, this training pir and this training method remained the same. Because with no special resources, this was the only way for Mia to train.

    ''The sun is getting higher and higher," Mia whispered under her nose, tracking the progress of the star in the sky.

    Normally, sponsored students wouldze around until noon before ditching their cozy beds anding in to train. Acting like that was nearly taken as a tradition at this point.

    Even Mia''s influence couldn''t change it.

    After the initial spur of waking up early to train, barely any sponsored student woulde her way in the mornings. There were a few glorious examples, but the majority opted to just rely on cultivating their resources instead.

    ''Still, it will be better if I get going,'' Mia thought, grabbing the towel she prepared before heading out.

    The girl crossed by the small as she left the training area. The formation set around it instantly cleared her skin from all the sweat and foul smell.

    ''This is going to be another convenience I will dearly miss,'' Mia thought with a small smirk as she hurried towards the gate of the sponsored area.

    Normie disciples only started to appear on the training field when Mia reached the ce. Even whenpared to those who wouldn''t receive any real amount of resources, she would still train before they would even wake up!

    "You are already here," Ve moaned as she stretched her hands high up. "Don''t you ever get tired?" she asked after taking a sleepy look at Mia''s robes.

    They were all cleaned off by the formation... But a single look was enough to notice that Mia was alreadyte into her day.

    "I don''t have the time to get tired," Mia smiled gently. She nodded her head in the greeting before taking a stance against one of the free training pirs.

    ''The difference is massive,'' she thought, her lips tensing up a little.

    The normal gathering arrays of the sect couldn''t bepared to theplicated design of the sponsored area training grounds. Here, it was just a single formation. Back at the sponsored area, it was an entire training ground riddled with formations.

    Not changing her regime whatsoever, Mia hung her towel away and returned to her training.

    Each hit would make Mia''s mana shake within her body. Although the progress was slow, she continued to use this shaking to push her mana together.

    Only once she would shake it hard enough for the mana to congregate into a core, she could think about a breakthrough.

    ''I wonder what stage Arthur is on right now,'' Mia thought. Theck of ability to know what he was going through was killing her.

    "So today is the day, huh?" Sanders appeared on the field only a few minutester than the others. Most of the disciples still had to arrive, not putting him in a bad spot as the leader of the group.

    "I guess so," Mia muttered in response. She had already learned how to converse lightly without losing her focus, but she still couldn''t do more than just whisper. "Still, this will give me some insight about his whereabouts," she added before focusing back on the training.

    Mia''s morning exercise wouldst all the way until noon. Until the hour, the distribution center would open up for the disciples.

    "I guess I should get going," Mia said when she raised her head and noticed where the sun was. ''It''s better not to bete,'' she thought to herself.

    Normally, the sponsored disciple would gather roughly two hours afternoon to go get their resources. It was a part of the tradition.

    A tradition that Mia hoped to exploit for her own convenience.

    "Don''t dwindle too much, then," Sanders advised. "The sooner you go, the sooner you will be back to training," he said with a gentle smile.

    ''Against all expectations, he turned out to be a pretty normal guy,'' Mia thought. Just two weeks ago, she considered this man the greatest threat to her ns of assimting into the normies. He was the leader of the group hostile towards her.

    And now?

    Just two weekster, he would train hard alongside her and other normal disciples, hoping to put in enough effort to bridge the gap between them and the sponsored disciples.

    "Yeah, will do," Mia replied offhandedly, wiping her face clean and heading out.

    Rather than being excited about the possibility of receiving resources, anxious about the possibility of losing her status as a sponsored student...

    Mia was anxious to find out more about Arthur''s whereabouts. Even if she wouldn''t receive any message, she would still be able to figure out something from the sheer fact of whether he provided his quota or not.

    ''I really hope I will get something,'' Mia thought, tightening her fists.

    She didn''t have the potential benefits in her eyes. She only wanted to get a confirmation that Arthur was alive and well.

    ''I should have more than enough time to get everything sorted out before others arrive,'' Mia thought as she neared the distribution center building.

    Yet, the second she took thest turn, she realized just how wrong she was.

    Ever since she didn''t receive anything on the first distribution day, Mia was on borrowed time. The rtively friendly attitude of her group from before was now all but gone, reced by tension and hidden disgust.

    Mia wouldn''t spend her day training in the sect for one simple reason.

    It wasn''t to make friends with the normies. That would happen either way.

    She just didn''t want to be around those people for more than absolutely necessary.

    Because they made Mia remember the one person she could stop hating.

    "Look who has slithered here!" Dirk was the first to engage. "It''s rare to see someone that eager to be thrown aside like a stray bitch!" he reveled in the situation.

    In his eyes, Mia didn''t belong to the sponsored group any longer. Even though mishaps on the first delivery happened often, Dirk was already certain she would be expelled.

    "Dirk, stop," Kathia spoke up. But Mia wasn''t delusional to think the girl was taking her side.

    What started as a potential friend now turned into a vicious whore.

    "Don''t even talk about her. It will dirty your mouth!" she imed.

    Mia only rolled her eyes.

    They were an annoyance... but not a problem.

    "The moon doesn''t care about barking dogs," she scoffed before pushing her way through towards the counter.

    "Elder, I would like to receive my sponsorship," Mia said outright to the man behind the desk.

    Even if she knew that no sponsorship woulde, she was still supposed to approach the desk with this sentence. Just a weird tradition of the sect that she learned about a measly two days earlier.

    "Name?" The young man behind the desk asked, raising his eyes from the scroll he was studying to Mia''s face.

    The annoyance in his eyes was as clear as day.

    ''This isn''t the time yet. Why do you bother me? Can''t you see I''m busy?'' his eyes said.

    "Mia."

    "Give me a moment," the rtively young clerk muttered. He then reached out underneath his desk and pulled out a small box. "Here you go," he said before moving his eyes and attention back to the scroll he was studying.

    "Thank you, Elder," Mia replied absentmindedly, staring down at the box on the counter.

    "Do you need anything else?" the clerk asked, rolling his eyes in clear dissatisfaction when Mia simply stood in ce.

    "Ah, sorry for that, thank you again," Mia scurried off and apologized, then grabbed the box and walked out of the building.

    "That''s right! Fuck away, you are unworthy of the status of the sponsor..." Dirk started gloating the second Mia came out, only for his eyes to bulge out and his words get stuck in his throat the moment he saw her.

    No one else dared to speak a word. The disciples from other groups were still a few hours away from arriving at the ce, so there was only Mia and her former group at the ce.

    For a moment, Dirk remained silent, unable toe up with a witty reaction to the situation.

    He swallowed his tail and cleared his throat.

    Mia sent him a mocking, sideways look. Then, without saying as much as a single word, she headed back towards the sect.

    "That''s right! Run away, you bitch!"

    Seeing Mia''s back greatly lifted Dirk''s morale. His filthy tongue quickly regained its ability to throw slurs at the girl.

    "A random stroke of luck! She will be forced out soon anyway!" Dirk quickly returned to his earlier gloating.

    "Look, she only received the minimal amount!" Kathia suddenly shouted, pping her own face in a pretended shame. "That man clearly doesn''t even care for her! He only cares about not losing his own privilege!"

    Mia stopped in her steps.

    Seeing this, the sponsored students only got agitated more.

    "I bet he is just as foul-smelling trash like she is!" Dirk shouted, agitated by his insults finally working.

    Mia gently ced her box down on the ground and turned away. She then approached Dirk at a slow, natural pace. She evennded her left hand on his shoulder before patting it thrice.

    And then she drove her fist right down his stomach.

    Mia still refused to say a word, even with Dirk hanging over her shoulder while unable to catch a breath.

    Unknowingly, Mia struck directly at his spleen. The one ce that, although non-lethal, can make even the greatest berserker curl up and wail in pain.

    "I don''t recall any of you receiving more than minimum either," Mia said, her entire self lighting up.

    For a second, static filled the air.

    "And if I''m shitty and trashy for receiving just the bare minimum, then what does that mean about you?" she asked, staring down each and every member of her group.

    "I will tell you what you are," Mia hissed before anyone could answer her previous question. "Just a bunch of lucky pissants. You were never special. The only thing special about you is that you were used as a special trade by your sects. They threw you aside just to get some resources for themselves. You are a fucking product," she spat those words right in the faces of those who mocked me.

    "No one is willing to waste more than the contract stiptes on you. In other words, no one gives two fucks about you," Mia''s lips curled up in a vicious smile as she continued her litany.

    "This single box I received means that there is someone who earned far more than that, just to keep his promise to me," Mia said, raising her chin high. She then kicked Dirk''s lifeless body aside in an angry fit. "Meanwhile, you are just a bunch of numbers in the ounts. A group of naive kids that others will exploit and use for their own advantage," Mia finished her tirade.

    She turned away, picked up her box, and moved towards the exit of the area. She then took onest stop, and without turning her head away towards the stun-locked people, she spat.

    "I would be ashamed to be alive in your shoes.. You should go and try to find some rope to rid the world of the useless filth you are."

 Chapter 157 - Resources

    "Well, that was satisfying," Mia chuckled as she walked out of the distribution center. She was so cheerful she almost jumped the way back instead of walking it like a sane person.

    ''Still, to think that I could enjoy something so stupid...'' Mia shook her head, pitying her primitive self. ''But they crossed the line. No one will insult Arthur. Not now, not ever.''

    Mia unconsciously tightened her fists.

    She then took a deep breath before slowly letting the air out.

    Mia took a moment to calm down before looking at the box with curiosity. Still, on her way back to the sect, she grabbed it over her chest and lifted the lid a little.

    ''Those stones I can somewhat recognize,'' Mia thought before moving her eyes from the translucent crystals towards some vials. ''But I have no idea what are those,'' she realized.

    In the end, Mia was clueless about the content of the box. After a few looks, even the stones that she thought she could recognize turned out to be strikingly different from what she knew.

    They only appeared simr because of their shape and volume.

    Mia didn''t get to ponder over this topic for long. Before she could even think of ideas what the content of the box exactly was, she had already returned to the training grounds.

    At the current moment, they were filled to the brim with disciples. The only reason why Mia''s training ce was still unupied was the favor that she got her newly made friends to do for her.

    "Guys, she''s back!" someone in the training za shouted. In an instant, Mia became the center of attention.

    Some tried to humor her. Others tried to lift her mood with jokes or smiles. Others simply nodded their heads to her in acknowledgment as they returned to train as hard as they could.

    ''This ce is vastly different to the sponsored training area,'' Mia thought, slightly overwhelmed with the warm wee she received. ''Here, everyone trains,'' she forced herself to think about it, directing her attention away from the troublesome situation she found herself in.

    But what could be so troublesome? It was pretty simple.

    Surrounded by the warm wee, cheering up, and people weing her as a proper ''normie'' amongst them... How was she supposed to tell everyone that she actually kept her status as a sponsored student?

    "I''m sorry, guys," Mia finally managed to gather her courage. She turned her eyes away from the curious stares of the people who weed her for who she was instead of for who she was backed for. "I actually didn''t drop off," she added, unsure how they would react.

    The hate between the sponsored disciples and normal ones was a real thing. People outside of the sponsored scope had no other choice but to work tirelessly, use everyst bit of opportunity, all of it to receive just the scraps of what the sponsored students would obtain for free.

    The main reason why normal disciples abhorred the sponsored ones wasn''t their traditions or attitude of some, but just that. How theirziness and feeling of superiority make those pricks waste all those precious treasures? This was the real reason behind their rage!

    "Huh?" Sanders just happened to be close to Mia enough to hear the news first. "Wait, what?" he asked, a look on his face proving that he was weirded out. "What are you doing here, then?" he asked with the face of someone who stumbled into something unexinable.

    Mia''s face darkened. She already expected this kind of response... But hearing it with her own ears was still something different than just imagining it.

    "And here I thought that after everything I said and did, you wouldn''t treat me like that," Mia said coldly before turning herself away and moving towards the spot others reserved for her.

    ''I guess I won''t get them to hold the training pir for me anymore,'' Mia thought, putting the box just outside of the small array surrounding the training station and getting herself ready to resume her training.

    "Mia, it''s not like that..." Sanders approached her again, clearly troubled with how the earlier situation yed out.

    "You thought that I was here just to cushion my fall from the sponsored group, didn''t you?" she muttered angrily before mming her fists into the stone.

    Mia''s hit ended up pretty bad. For an untrained eye, it was as good as any other... But it was just too far from perfection to satisfy the girl. Right now, her head was too filled with various emotions to let her focus on the training.

    "I''m sorry again for insulting you like that,'' Sanders dropped his head low before actually kneeling down and mming his forehead on the ground.

    ''I didn''t expect him to get that low,'' Mia thought coldly, pretty touched by his earlier words. Sadly, his reaction wasn''t one that she could enjoy.

    ''In theory, I should just smile and turn this situation to my own advantage...'' Mia thought before shaking her head. ''But I''m really angry right now. I will let him sit like that for a little longer,'' she decided, turning her attention back to her training.

    "I really didn''t mean to insult you," Sander continued to speak, exining his earlier reaction even if Mia didn''t seem to pay him any mind. "It''s just that... it''s actually the first for a sponsored disciple to proactively hang out with us," he added, still pressing his forehead against the ground.

    "And this fact is supposed to excuse the fact that you ced me on the same level as those douches?" Mia asked, dropping the pretense of training as her emotions prevented her from achieving the clear state of mind necessary to progress anyway. "If you heard what kind of stuff I told them when they attempted to gang on me back at the distribution center..." Mia added, recalling the memory as she brought it up.

    In an instant, her foul mood lifted as the corners of her mouth moved up a little.

    Mia''s anger washed away, reced by the earlier feeling of satisfaction.

    "Get up," Mia sighed after a moment of calming herself down. "I ept your apology," she added, moving her attention back to the training.

    "You are just going to train like that?" Ve approached the situation right as Sander was looking for a way to escape from the situation. Even though he willingly apologized and even kowtowed to cate the girl, even though she epted his apology... Sander still felt pretty uneasy about being near her at the moment.

    "What do you mean?" Mia asked, trying to push away her suspicions.

    Between Sander and Ve, the first one started as her outright enemy while thetter one never showed much hostility towards her.

    ''I can''t put them in the same basket,'' Mia thought, not willing to make the same mistake that Sander just did.

    "If you didn''t drop out of the sponsored status, then you received the resources for the current distribution, right?" Ve said. Her expression then soured a little. "I don''t mean to pick up a fight, but if you are not using them because you don''t want to antagonize us..."

    Ve''s expression turned dark.

    "Then you would be the one insulting us instead," Ve said after taking a deep breath and locking her eyes on the side of Mia''s head.

    "It''s not that," Mia was quick to shake her head sideways. "To be fair, I have no idea how to use those," she said, pointing her hand at the box outside of the array she was in. "I only ever used spirit stones back at the zero zones," she added the exnation before shrugging her arms.

    "Right, you are an advancer, aren''t you?" Ve smiled, her sour mood from before vanishing in an instant.

    In the end, the thing that normal disciples hated the most was the attitude of the sponsored students. They didn''t hate them for the fact that they received things that the normal students did not.

    Normal students hated the idea of wasting the potential that the sponsored students have by just relying on those resources instead of making the best possible use of them!

    "Anyway," Ve shook her head. "Show me what you''ve got. I might be able to help you out a little," she said in a voice dismissing any and all potential opposition.

    For a moment, Mia simply stared at Ve.

    ''Should I do it?'' she thought, only to chuckle at her own carefulness. ''I guess the time at the Skdder sect made me pretty wary of others,'' she realized before moving towards the edge of the array and reaching over the formation to lift the lid on the box.

    "There are five spiritual stones, five cultivation tonics, ten herbal solutions, and two rxation beads. Oh, and five Qi Essences," Mia listed out the things that she saw on the list attached to the box.

    "I see..." Ve muttered, raising her hand and rubbing her chin with it. "Sander, what do you think?" she shouted over.

    ''Why bring him to the picture?'' Mia thought, her mood souring a little.

    "She should start with the cultivation tonics," Sander quickly returned to the scene, his face filled with guilt. "If it''s the first time for her to use all of those resources, she won''t be able to make the full use of them if she rushes it," he said, shaking his shoulders.

    "That''s what I thought," Ve smiled before moving her eyes back on Mia''s face. "Take one of those yellow vials and drink one of them. Then take a moment to let it spread in your body before moving back to the training," Ve suggested before smiling lightly. "The fact that some people were surprised doesn''t mean they had any bad intentions," she added offhandedly before turning around in an attempt to leave the scene and return to her own training.

    "Wait a second," Mia shouted, reaching out towards the box and pulling one of the yellow vials the girl mentioned. "Here," she said, passing it over to the girl. She then brought another vial and threw it towards Sander.

    Given the value of this vial, it was pretty stupid to just throw it around... But there wasn''t a single disciple of the Tuxi sect that could have his reflexes so bad to miss the shot.

    ''Now that I think about it,'' Mia chuckled to herself, ''the sponsored disciples would be more likely to drop it,'' she thought.

    "Huh?" Ve and Sander moaned in surprise at the same time, moving their eyes on Mia. She smiled in return as she pulled out the third vial and uncorked it, only to down the thing in one go.

    "You guys helped me to figure out how to use those things," she said, after making sure that everyst drop of the liquid went down her throat. "It''s only fair for me to help you out in return, isn''t it?" she suggested with a smile before turning back to the training pir.

    "I would never look a gift horse in the mouth," Ve smiled as she hugged the vial closely to her chest. "Once you are done with the tonics, use rxation beads. Then spiritual stones along with the herbal tonics. Save the Qi essences for the breakthroughs," she advised as she turned away.

    "Thanks," Mia shouted over before turning back to the training pir. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm back down.

    Right now, the cultivation tonic was starting to bring forth its marvelous effects.

    Mia''s mind calmed down. Mia''s soul smoothened out.

    ''It feels as if the pathways for the Qi turned smoother,'' the girl thought, observing her inner state. She then shook her head and refocused her attention on the training pir before her.

    Hit.

    Mia''s fist struck the stone, forcing the energies inside her to shake violently as they oscited towards the location of her future core. Then she struck the core another time.

    ''It''s insane,'' Mia thought, opening her eyes wide.

    What was a struggle before now came forth with even the slightest effort of hers!

    Before long, Mia arrived at the doorstep of the breakthrough, still by using just a single vial of the cultivation tonic.

    ''With those resources, I will finally be able to be of help for Arthur!'' she thought before immersing herself fully in training.

 Chapter 158 - Corrupted Tournaments

    The spiritual energy that would usually refuse to buckle unless forced to do so was now flowing seamlessly through Mia''s body.

    Every strike of her fist or foot against the training pir would add to her Qi''s momentum.

    Soon, everyst of her moves turned in tune with the natural flow of her inner energy. Every twist, every contraction of the muscle, or attack itself would be just a part of the melody rang by Mia''s power.

    ''It''s all working now,'' Mia thought, immersed in her training way more than she normally would. ''It''s like adding oil to a burning te,'' Mia realized, lost in the fervor of striking the stone before her.

    Strike, strike, strike and strike. Mia''s Qi continued to converge on one point, condensing well beyond any reason.

    For every bit of energy lost in the condensation, the more spiritual force would flow into Mia''s veins, nourishing her body back to the perfect shape.

    ''Just a little bit more,'' she thought, speeding her movements up. Her attacks would fall on the spikes of the energy in her body. Her swings would happen in the lows, tuning into the rhythm of her own energy.

    And then it just happened.

    There were no tribtions or trials. Once Mia''s spiritual energy reached sufficient density, it simply copsed on itself.

    All at once, all the mana within Mia''s array vanished, sinking into the abyss of the hole that opened up in Mia''s soul.

    Then, an explosion of energy stabilized the situation when mana somehow found its way into the formation.

    ''MORE!'' Mia shouted in her thoughts, feeling how the massive amounts of energy coursed through her body only to end up sucked into her core and used as a building material for it.

    In this state, time lost its meaning. Mia was stuck within the flow of spiritual energy, unable to see, unable to feel. She couldn''t feel her body, but she could tell her fists continued to strike the stone.

    And her attacks continued to refine her energy as well!

    But there was a limit to how far one could go in one go. After what seemed like an eternity, Mia finally came back to her senses, only to realize that a massive chunk of her soul had turned into a magical core.

    ''It feels weird,'' she thought, looking down at her own chest as if trying to take a look at her core. Yet, as she raised her eyes over at her hands, she realized that there was something far more worthy of her attention.

    So far, everything that her core did was sucking the spiritual energy in. But now, once it had already formed, it started spitting it back out!

    As the core was just a part of the greater system of Mia''s cultivation, the returned energy would reenter the flow of Mia''s Qi, nourishing her body even further than it already was nourished.

    ''It''s like the quality of the Qi from the core is higher than the one I can refine myself,'' Mia realized the crux of the difference before finally shaking her head and looking around.

    She managed to achieve a breakthrough with just a single cultivation tonic...

    ''No, that''s not it,'' Mia quickly reflected on what she could remember from the event. ''That spiritual energy... It had toe from somewhere,'' she thought, taking a look around.

    And surely enough, Ve knelt by the ce where Mia previously left her box at. She had the spiritual core in her gloved hand, ready to throw it inside at a moment''s notice.

    "Did you throw that core inside before?" Mia asked, leaning her head in curiosity to the side.

    "You looked starved for the energy," Ve instantly put away the stone in her hand as she started to excuse herself. "I might not know much about cultivation outside of what''smon knowledge... But having all your needs catered to is part of thatmon knowledge," she said, not moving an inch from where she was.

    Her intentions were good, but she wasn''t going to shy away from the punishment. After all, she just used someone else property without their approval!

    "Don''t worry, I''m not ming you," Mia smiled gently.

    ''That influx of energy really helped me a lot back then,'' she thought, recalling the feelings she could experience in a shback then.

    Starved for energy didn''t evene close to describing just how desperate she was back then.

    Still, it was a strange feeling. She held on to this desperation for only the shortest of moments, yet it felt as if she was stuck in the limbo ofcking Qi for ages.

    "It actually helped a lot," Mia added once she was done scouring through her memories.

    "That''s a relief," Ve said, breathing out a sigh of relief as she copsed to the back. "Still, I can''t even get a good look at your cultivation right now," she added in a slightly dissatisfied murmur. "Are you hiding it from me? Or is it really fluctuating so much?"

    "What do you mean?" Mia asked, surprised by Ve''s words, only to look down at herself once again.

    And there it was, the event that Ve spoke about.

    Ever since Mia managed to establish her core, she believed that she was now free to take a moment and digest what she obtained before figuring out how she should train from now on.

    But from the looks of things, it appeared as if she wasn''t privy to the privilege of rest.

    Her spiritual energy was raging as if it was boiling in a pot. With every breath of hers, every beat of her heart, more and more refined mana would flow out of her core, nourishing the flesh around it.

    Bit by bit, Mia''s body continued to improve, even without the girl doing any work, all the while her mana continued to surge in!

    "I..." Mia muttered, unsure how to reply. She then raised her eyes on the girl''s face with a look of helplessness in her eyes. "I''m not doing anything. It''s happening on its own," Mia quickly exined the situation with her own words.

    Thankfully, Mia''s stress was short-lived. Before long, the mana in her body started to settle before finally achieving an equilibrium.

    The influence of her core continued to grow with each passing second, but it was now a natural process rather than the forceful expansion it did before.

    "Those resources are insane," Mia muttered, more to herself than to anyone else, while casting a nce at the box with the stones and vials. "But they run out so quickly," she added, twisting her lips in an ugly grimace.

    "Quickly?" Ve opened her eyes wide, shocked by Mia''s words. "You managed to break through the core establishment stage and reach well into the half of the spirit manifestation. You are not even done yet..." Ve shook her head. "And you still think those run out pretty quickly?" she asked, refusing to acknowledge Mia''s words.

    "That''s not what I meant," Mia quickly shook her head, removing the grimace from her face. "It took a cultivation tonic and a spiritual stone for me to break through the core stage," she pointed out. "And I believe my extensive effort so far also had a big role to y in that," she added.

    "What does that have to do with anything?" Ve asked, slightly confused about Mia''s sudden exnation. "I mean, one''s cultivation slows down as one climbs higher, is that what you are hitting on?" she asked, trying her best to understand her friend.

    Yet, before Mia could give her answer, people started to converge on their location, all eager to congratte Mia on her advance.

    It wasn''t an easy thing to sense the subtle changes in one''s cultivation, especially while focusing on one''s own training.

    But people watched Mia ever since she appeared on the training field with cultivation materials. The moment she drank the cultivation tonic, nearly half of all the people in the location were focusing on her instead of their own fists.

    Even with all this attention, it wasn''t easy to take notice. Or rather, it wouldn''t be easy for the people that Mia was ustomed to dealing with.

    Using cultivating resources as the main way of lifting their own power-up, the sponsored disciples never developed the acute sense for the spiritual power.

    They simply had no need to.

    But in this field, in the training area for the normal disciples, it wasn''t the case.

    Everyst person that was present was someone who trained his ass off to grow, even despite apleteck of resources.

    Combining their acute spiritual sense with already focusing their attention on Mia, it was no wonder they were quick to notice the change.

    "Thank you, thank you," she replied impassively to all the praise that people showered on her.

    ''No, thank you,'' she thought in her head, easily recognizing the greedy looks of the many.

    They didn''t congratte her because of her achievement. They were simply using this opportunity to get on her good side.

    ''Normally, that would make me think less of them... but it only shows how determined they are to grow,'' Mia thought before moving her eyes back on Ve.

    Stuck in the crowd, she didn''t expect Mia to actually keep paying attention to her.

    "Tell me, please," Mia approached her friend. "Is there any way for normal disciples to obtain cultivating resources?" Mia asked.

    ''If the need for resources increases as one''s power grows, then this sponsorship isn''t worth much at all!'' she realized, instantly moving on to look for other ways to grow stronger.

    "There are some, but only on the paper," Sander said, appearing amidst the crowd out of nowhere. "Congrattions on the breakthrough," he added with a gentle smile.

    "What do you mean?" Mia asked, puzzled by the unexpected response.

    "You see..." Sander hesitated for a moment only to shake his head sideways. "No, you should ask Ve instead. Sorry for interrupting," he said before scurrying off.

    ''What the hell was that?'' Mia thought, confused by his sudden appearance and even quicker retreat.

    "Forgive him; this is one of his weak points," Ve muttered, stepping inside Mia''s array to shield herself from all the people in the crowd. "You see, there are tournaments for the disciples. It''s a simple team battle. Whichever team wins, they get the real prize," she exined in a few concise words.

    "Isn''t this a great opportunity?" Mia asked, surprised that there actually was a way to obtain resources for normal disciples.

    ''Right, if something like this exists, they have no benefit of sharing this information far and wide,'' she realized before refocusing herself on the girl.

    The crowd all around them made it hard to talk properly.

    "It''s not," Ve shook her head as she replied. "Those tournaments are heavily corrupted. Basically, only sponsored disciples participate nowadays, as there is no point for us to do so as well," she said.

    "And why is that?" Mia pressed on the topic, feeling as if she was nearing some kind of important reveal.

    "Because it''s all a ruse," Ve spat her words out, annoyed just by touching upon the topic. "They basically came to an agreement and are rotating the winners," she exined. "That''s why, whenever a ''normie'' team dares to show up, they simplybine forces to bully us out," she added, turning her hands into fists.

    After a few more minutes of exnation, Mia knew everything that she needed to know about the tournaments. The only downside about learning it all was having her mental state shaken by the sheer audacity of the sponsored disciples.

    For them, the rewards of the tournament were meager, practically neglible. The only reason why they kept on blocking the tournaments was to deprive the normal disciples of the resources!

    ''And the sect is even allowing that?'' Mia thought, struggling to fit the pieces together. ''Isn''t this ce supposed to heavily lean towards meritocracy?'' she asked herself.

    Then, she shook her head to get rid of all those useless thoughts.

    ''No, it doesn''t matter,'' she thought, moving her eyes back at Ve.

    "So we have you, most likely Sander and me. We need two more," she said, a n already hatching in her head.

    "Huh?" Ve shrugged, surprised. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

    Mia ignored the question and pressed on.

    "Do you think you can find two more people?" she asked. "Preferably talented, but the willingness to work harder than anyone is a must," she exined her desire.

    "Wait, don''t tell me..." Ve muttered, catching on to Mia''s n.

    "That''s right," Mia smiled gently at the shocked girl. "I n to make the team on my own!"

 Chapter 159 - Did I Stutter?

    "You are crazy."

    Ve shook her head. There was no anger in her voice.

    She hung her head low.

    "No matter how much we train, it won''t change a thing." Ve raised her eyes.

    She cast a long, longing stare at someone clearly unaware of the reality.

    "And why is that?" Mia asked. She stood her ground with a small smile on her lips.

    "The boost from the resources is just too great," Ve answered without any hesitation. "You came here only recently. You don''t know the despair..."

    Ve hung her eyes low.

    "Do you even have eyes?" Mia asked with a small chuckle.

    "What?" Veil''s face, for the first time, appeared in darker colors. Her patience was running low.

    "Right now, I achieved when the people from the sponsored area are trying hard to achieve for the past two weeks," Mia said happily.

    She took a step forward and reached out.

    "Do you know what''s the only difference between them and me?" Mia asked, pressing the issue.

    "You train hard?" Ve replied in a slightly raised voice.

    It wasn''t the thing that Mia asked about.

    It was all about what this question implied.

    "I believe we can use the resources that I will receive to achieve far more than the sponsored disciples themselves," Mia finally exined. She then looked down at her hands.

    "Maybe it''s because I trained with my everything on the stake," Mia muttered before shaking her head and raising her eyes up.

    "Anyway, I just got to Spirit Manifestation rank," Mia chirped before drawing her eyes towards the massive crowd all around them.

    "I reckon we can support about five people with this stipend," Ve muttered under her nose. She squinted her eyes. "Is this what you are nning to do?" she asked in a straightforward manner.

    "That''s right," Mia sighed and locked her hands behind her neck. "If we want to develop, we can''t just rely on the outside," Mia added in a slightly hushed voice.

    It appeared as if she was speaking to herself rather than to Ve or the people around them.

    Mia brought her eyes down on the girl.

    "Sander, You and me," Mia counted down on her fingers. She then pulled three of them down. "Two more. Could you set it up?" Mia smiled.

    For a moment, a cloud of strange,fy vibe filled the room.

    ''Huh?'' Mia got stunned for a second. ''Did I just gain some kind of ability?'' she thought before calming herself down.

    "Why me?" Ve raised her eyes. "If you are going for people with talent, why do you count me?" she asked.

    Her eyes were calm. There was no hint of sadness, shame... or any other emotion at all.

    Ve''s expression waspletely nk.

    ''Woah, her face changes quite a lot,'' Mia thought, slightly weirded out.

    "Right, I forgot to mention," Mia added, suddenly changing the tone. "I''m kind of reaching the peak of the rank..."

    Mia''s expression was stifled. The excitement was clearly reflected in her eyes. It shone through her slightly confused appearance.

    "You what?"? Ve asked, her expression turning into one of a troubled sibling.

    "But that proves my point," Mia took a smug look on her face. "If you drive yourself hard enough with the training, the effects of using the cultivation resources can be greatly magnified," she announced.

    Out of nowhere, Mia''s face darkened. A certain thought nested in her head.

    ''How could such a tant mismanagement exist?'' she thought, horrified. ''There is no way a sect like this one wouldn''t know about it,'' she started connecting the dots. ''Just the folly of letting the sponsored students monopolize the tournaments improves nothing...'' Mia''s eyes sunk deeper into her face.

    ''Someone has to be inducing this behavior intentionally.''

    It was a simple thought, a stray idea.

    But once itid upon the fertile ground of Mia''s head, it rooted itself instantly.

    "We are still going to lose," Ve suddenly said, forcing Mia out of her momentary mental stun. "It''s going to be fifty ganging up on our five," she shook her head before releasing a deep sigh.

    "The more I think about it, the easier it gets," Mia chuckled. "Listen, what we do is pretty simple. We will focus all we can on the standard training to improve quicker than the sponsored students, right?" Mia asked.

    "That''s right," Ve squinted her eyes as a slightly annoyed look crept onto her lips. "Most of whom are already on fifth if not sixth stage," she added.

    For a moment, Ve shook her head over the ignorance of her friend.

    "That doesn''t matter," Mia''s smile brightened. "Because we will be out there with trained bodies and experience," her eyes curved into a slightly vicious sneer. "And we will be against a bunch of pissants who only know how toze around and waste themselves away," Mia announced.

    She didn''t bring her voice down.

    It didn''t matter if the other party would get to know about her n.

    Hard work wasn''t something that one could do in a spur of a moment.

    It was a skill on its own. A skill that one had to gently cultivate over the years.

    And even since well before her ve times, Mia was long used to training to the limits of her body!

    ''It''s the one thing I can do,'' Mia thought.

    This single phrase brought herfort whenever she would end up exhausted beyond her limits.

    The one motivation to push just a little bit further, just a little bit harder and longer.

    And after an entire year of the nightmare of being a ve in the Skdder sect, after all the time she spent with Arthur and then training at the Tuxi sect...

    Mia finally found a way to help him back.

    To prompt her words with action and generous effort.

    ''If we do it lowkey, it might take others a while to notice. During this time, I will have to secure other sources of cultivation resources,'' Mia decided, taking a strategic look at her own situation.

    "Onest thing, then," Ve asked in a low voice, clearly unhappy about the people still densely filling the area. "My question from before, answer it," she requested.

    This time, Ve''s face turned calm yet serious.

    There was no hint nor shadow of her usual clumsiness.

    ''Why me?'' Ve thought. ''There are others with better talent. If you want results, you should...''

    "I somehow trust you," Miaughed out loud. Yet, just as quickly, her face weirded out in an ugly grin. "I know I shouldn''t, but I can''t really go against this feeling," she added with a slightly worn-off look in her eyes.

    "I brought the people," Sander''s words exploded to Mia''s side.

    For a moment, she had to fight off an instinct to dodge.

    "What?" Mia shrugged, unprepared for such a sudden return.

    "I brought two for the team," he said and pointed with his thumb behind his back.

    It was a pair. A pair in all sorts of ways.

    ''How could it be so obvious?'' Mia thought, stunned.

    The pair didn''t look any different from than others. There was absolutely nothing striking about them.

    There was nothing outside of how clear it was that the two of them had a thing going on.

    It was a strange kind of vibe that instantly gave the situation away.

    "They are insane together but are still quite weak," he exined.

    "I told you," Ve released a deep sigh. "You struck him right into his weakness," she exined.

    "What again?" Mia asked; the pitch of her voice rose up as she reacted.

    "If anything, Sander is the one that strove to change his fate the hardest," Ve spoke out once again.

    The look on the young disciple''s face was that of a full focus andmitment.

    "He willtch to any hope or even its shadow that you throw at him," Ve sighed heavily, only to strike her cheeks to sober up.

    "Good," Mia brought a confident smile. "It will be a hell for all of us, but we are going to make it," Mia warned everyone. "But if we seed, we might carve a part of this sect for ourselves," she rallied up.

    For a moment, silence filled the area.

    The five involved stood in a circle. Everyone else simply watched the scene, not daring to as much as to whisper or breathe.

    "You will follow my exact training regime, my exact training moves, and my exact directions," Mia announced. "If anything, we know nothing about the reason why my cultivation was boosted so high," she pointed out.

    "Only by doing exactly like I did before you can have a shot at replicating it," she exined. "And using this boost and the real experience at fighting, we will conquer the tournaments," Mia whispered.

    The vision of the future appeared before the girl''s eyes.

    A future where she could secure the resources and funds to foster her own growth.

    ''This is the only way to match Arthur''s potential,'' Mia thought.

    She was devastatingly aware of the difference in their talents.

    Mia''s cultivation results didn''tg behind Arthur''s much... But they didg. And over the course of time, it was only bound to growrger.

    ''But they won''t lose at this deal either,'' Mia thought, looking down at the face of her four new teammates.

    "Anyway, we talked enough," Mia added after clearing her thoughts. "Now, everyone, back to the training. And we will keep at it until the sunrise!" Mia shouted to encourage her new group.

    "Wait, sunrise?" Ve sharply brought her eyes to Mia''s face. "Sunset, you mean?"

    Ve looked to the sky. The sun was still well away from reaching the breaking point on its celestial path. There were still several long hours before it would be the afternoon, not to speak about the night.

    "Did I stutter?" Mia asked with a smile, throwing a punch out.

 Chapter 160 - A Day Off

    During my first visit, I spent a single day at the sect.

    Instead of taking some time to rest after all the bothersome stuff in the sect''s business area, Lucius opted to return immediately.

    "Every second we spend outside the forest dulls our senses," he imed when he told me to pack up.

    Was it his revenge about not paying him for the girls with favors? Or was he really that diligent?

    In the end, I never got any straightforward answer to that question. Still, not asking about it ended up with an entire day spent on the road.

    ''It was one hell of a ride,'' I thought, releasing a tired sigh.

    I''ve been walking for the entirest day.

    To a point, I was used to it.

    The massive shock ofcking any meaningful ways of transportation. One wouldn''t think about it, but it greatly impacted my life.

    I simply wasn''t made for walks that long.

    Used to cover vast distances while half-asleep; I just couldn''t handle the long boredom of just... walking for the entire day.

    If not for my cultivation, I would likely run out of my stamina several times in that single day.

    When we went to the sect, I was excited. The prospect of securing Mia''s sponsorship upied my head to the point I didn''t care for the long boredom.

    It was one hell of a ride. But I just managed to preserve through it.

    ''If there is anything I''m thankful about, it''s theck of idents,'' I thought to myself.

    The shadow cast by the trees nearby broughtfort to my soul.

    After a month at this forest, far away from any semnce of civilization, I much preferred being here over in that crowded sect.

    The forest was dangerous, sure. It was filled with predators and was part of a massive eat or be eaten grind spot.

    But the rules here were simple.

    ''No mind-games, no maniptions, no schemes,'' I thought, taking a deep whiff of the local smell.

    It was filled with the distant echo of the many herbs enriching the forest undergrowth. And then, right at the border of one''s perception, there was the smell of blood.

    ''Here, everything is simple,'' I thought, ncing around the area, eager to immerse myself in the peacefulness of our camp.

    ''Or so it should be,'' I thought, moving my eyes at my Overseer ahead.

    Ever since we left the sect, he didn''t say a single, cohesive sentence.

    Lucius ignored every and all of my attempts at talking. He refused to answer any of my questions.

    He just continued to walk, just a few paces in front of me, and grumbled something to himself.

    "Let''s call it a day off," Lucius spoke the second we reached the familiar clearing. The tent stood erected a bit further away, right in the middle of the open space.

    We arrived at our camp around midday. After a night spent in crude housing, we improvised, topped with some more walking right off the bat in the morning, I was spent.

    A day of rest?

    That sounded too good to be true!

    "Nothing good wille if we hunt while tired," Lucius shook his head.

    ''At least his professional side is not affected by his anger,'' I thought.

    He really didn''t want to forgive me for what he perceived as an offense and betrayal.

    ''What a simple man,'' I thought, releasing a rxed sight.

    "Thanks," I said cheerfully, only to break the pretense a secondter.

    ''There is no fucking way I will waste my time,'' I thought, my face darkening a little.

    The situation back at the brothel forcefully reminded me of something simple.

    I was still a weakling.

    It was the part I hated the most about this world.

    Once I would get powerful enough to be safe in my ce, it would throw me off to some different ce where my strength no longer had any meaning.

    The second I could stand my ground in the Skdder sect, I was forced to the Tuxi''s sect contract. The second I got used to that life, it threw me off to the sect headquarters...

    This world would never give me a rest.

    ''At this rate, I will have to aim for something like the top of the world,'' I thought offhandedly. Then I froze.

    This thought was just too damn urate.

    Was I really going to be the strongest... just to get rid of the nuisance that this world is?

    ''Was there ever a hero who strived for the top of the world just to get some peace?'' I thought, suddenly amused by the situation.

    I then shook my head.

    Right now, I could do nothing about it. Was still at the whims of this world''s will, defenseless against fate.

    It sounded fun to be through adventures like that and have my potential constantly expand...

    But the reality was far more serious.

    By throwing me into different ces and against people far stronger than me, this world doomed me.

    All it would take was a single, unreasonable elder a few ranks above me.

    ''No matter how much everyone wishes to hide it, this is the truth about this world,'' I thought.

    A random insult, missy, or even bad luck. That would be enough for the force of fate to squash me like a bug.

    ''I guess there is no time to rest,'' I thought, pushing forth towards the tent.

    Right now, I only wanted to just lie down and go get some well-earned time to regain my strength.

    But my fingers gravitated towards the ring hidden in my pants.

    The books that I bought in the auction hall weighed down on my mind.

    I had only a single day but a shitload of things to do.

    ''And then I still need to get some proper rest,'' I thought, suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of all the tasks unloading in my mind at the same time.

    "Well then, see you again once I wake up," I muttered in response to Lucius'' generous orders.

    A single day off wasn''t a lot, but it was far more than nothing. And I was going to make use of every possible second of it.

    "Rest well," Lucius said, waving me away.

    It was clear he still wanted to stay with his own thoughts. Splitting and using that day by ourselves was the better option for both of us.

    The second I enclosed myself within one of the rooms, I started browsing through the content of my ring.

    It was a weird experience, as if I had limited yet absolute control over the matter inside it. Whenever I would use the ring, my consciousness would plunge into a world where a single thought would bring the item to my attention.

    I only had the bigger of the two rings that I bought on me. The other, smaller ones, I filled with cultivation resources to boost Mia''s situation on the other hand.

    The instructions on how to open the ring, along with the droplet of my blood and a letter written by the receptionist back at the auction hall, would use a different route, though.

    Due to the sheer distance between the two ces, it would take a while. But still, this was the only way to stop the sect from shamelessly stealing the content of the ring!

    But there was one piece of writing that interested me more than all of the other booksbined.

    It was a simple graph split into roughly forty boxes, each of which split further into two.

    Anguage graph that I made with the help of the receptionist.

    ''I really did a lot,'' I thought, recalling recent memories I made.

    It was a bet of mine. A simple gamble aimed at exploiting my own system.

    I bought all sorts of books, some of which for an exorbitant price...

    But I didn''t know how to read in the localnguage.

    I never struggled with speaking. I had the innate mechanism in me that tranted my thoughts into the localnguage.

    But writing, I knew nothing about.

    And this simple board was my attempt at changing it.

    ''Let''s see,'' I thought, pulling one of the books from the storage ring. I then brought the trantion board towards its title, slowly deciphering the letters.

    "Unf arg ateinan poor," I voiced the letters by matching the sound to the letters to the simr voices I took from all sorts of alphabets from the earth.

    Making this board took me a while, but I hoped it would be worth the time. Because if I would voice the sounds of those letters, then my body would trante it to normalnguage on its own, wouldn''t it?

    Tic.

    "Unf arg ateinan poor," the voice came out just as I lowkey expected it.

    It wasn''t going to be as easy, huh?'' I thought. Still, a hint of curiosity survived, forcing me to open the system. Yet, as I looked at numbers, the title on the book just happened to be within my field of vision as well.

    "A guide to organizing your formations," the lettering on the book changed, reced by a modern font of words I could understand.

    The line in my system was pretty clear about it.

    Jobs Window

    ***

    Cook - Level 13 6/14

    Tailor - Level 16 7/17

    Alchemist - Level 4 (3/5)

    Arcane Weaponmaster? - [High ss Job] - Level 3 (1/6)

    Spearmaster - Novice level 7/20 (7/260)

    Trantor - Novice level 1/10 (1/100)

    ***

    ''Just like I thought,'' I muttered before swiping the system''s windows aside and taking a look at the content of the book.

    But it wasn''t going to be as simple as I hoped it would.

    Because while it didn''t make reading impossible, I could only see one sentence tranted at a time.

    So unless I was willing to rewrite the entire thing by hand, I was stuck at reading it at an insanely slow pace.

    ''Wait a second,'' I thought suddenly. ''This could be actually a good investment,'' I thought, looking right at the numbers.

    ''A hundred experience points, how should I obtain them?'' I asked myself.

    If I managed to raise the level of the trantor job, could I grow the range of the trantions by it?

    ''I guess I''m in for some grind,'' I thought, steeling myself for another stretch of effort.

    I never liked studying. But I still managed to force my way through school and college, reaching the level of programming my own, little games.

    ''This is going to be a long day,'' I thought.

    The perspective of taking any real rest was already gone from my head. I no longer even dared to dream of it.

    But I was going to do it. In this way or another, I would learn this damnednguage!

 Chapter 161 - Formation Mathematics

    Tranting the book through the process I came up with... Was a massive pain in the ass.

    No, calling it like that didn''t even start to describe how it felt.

    Because I managed to obtain the trantor job, I could no longer just look at the line of text and do my worst to trante it. It would change into letters and words I could understand the moment I wouldy my eyes upon it.

    No.

    I had to take a look at the sentence below the paragraph I wanted to trante. Then, keeping my eyes on the same sentence, I had to rewrite the letters above while considering them to be just an image.

    Only then I could use my trantion board to voice the word I have written before and figure out its meaning.

    A lot of the steps in this process appeared to be meaningless unnecessary. But sadly, they were not.

    ''At times like this, I wish I could turn my abilities off,'' I thought, turning the page of the book that I was tranting.

    The only reason why I was stuck with this insane job was thenguage''s fault. Even though it had more letters than the alphabet I was used to, properly learning how to read and write a single letter allowed me to add one experience point to my trantion skill.

    Sadly, that only brought my total progress gauge from one to forty-one, leaving me clueless about how I should approach the remaining sixty.

    And the answer turned out to be pretty simple.

    At first, I hoped that I could get a full point of progress by learning how to trante a single word.

    But it was a stupid and naive hope.

    In the end, in order to get a single point of progression as a trantor, I had to meticulously trante an entire page!

    Because of this reason alone, reaching the second level of a trantor job took me several hours, eating well into the little time I had of the day.

    ''If I were to be any slower, I would have to put it aside,'' I thought. The light of the day was about to be over soon, prompting me to go back to work.

    I felt no excitement upon advancing my job. Sure, I could now automatically trante entire paragraphs just by looking at them. But after hours of hard toil, I hardly had the energy to feel the joy anymore.

    ''Still, I can''t waste the sunlight,'' I thought, putting the book away to let both my eyes and my hands rest a little.

    Even with all the mana and cultivation that I had to my name, I could still get tired.

    ''I guess cultivating one''s body only helps you to ward off the physical exhaustion, not the mental one,'' I realized before reaching for the book again.

    Finally, I could see enough of the tranted text to focus on its content. And soon, the simple words exining the intricacies of formation allowed me to forget about my exhaustion and focus on the task.

    ''This is just what I was looking for,'' I thought as I swept my eyes through the content of the book before moving all the way back to its first page.

    Just a quick look to confirm the validity of the book wasn''t enough for me to learn anything. Even though it would be a time-consuming process and time was the one thing that Icked... I still went on and started reading.

    Bit by bit, I started to uncover the mysteries of the formations that baffled me since a long time ago.

    ''Wait, isn''t it... pretty mathematical?'' I thought after reading just a few first paragraphs.

    The entire entry outlines how one needs to learn specific forms for every kind of formation stone to properly understand how it will work.

    For the people of this world, this had to be some kind of high-ss mystical knowledge. But for me...?

    ''Isn''t this just a slightly moreplicated programingnguage?'' I asked myself upon seeing the forms.

    The first chapter of the book, outside of exining the general terms, only gave the forms for the eight basic stones.

    The author of the book came up with fancy names for it, but I couldn''t help myself and used the names I was actually familiar with.

    And, or, not and equal.

    Those four basically described the baseline of the mathematical logic. The four base functions that could be used to construct any other function one would like.

    For example, if one wanted to use implication, then instead of using higher-grade formation stones described in the further chapters, one just could use the not and or stones to construct a logical gate with the same effects!

    ''Still, it''s no use if you can apply logic to the magic alone; you still need a way to interact with it,'' I thought, quicklying up with the names for the four other stones.

    Push, pull, start and stop.

    The push stones would push the magic away. The pull stone would attract the magic to itself and inject it into the formation system. The start stone would mark the opening of the formation sequence while the stop stone marked its end.

    ''Isn''t this too damn simple?'' I thought, seriously scared out of my wits. ''What if I created a recurring function like that?'' I thought.

    The book stated explicitly that every formation should have at least a single start stone and as many stop stones as necessary.

    But I couldn''t help but ask.

    What if one failed to add a stop stone? What would happen if the entire process would just roll on itself, endlessly repeating the same logical form?

    ''At least I know that I shouldn''t try it anytime soon,'' I thought, mortified by finding out a potential way to bring forth a mana disaster.

    In the end, there was one recurring form that worked pretty well on earth. The one situation where humans learned how to make use of it for their own advantage.

    And discounting for the third world war, it was only used twice to force Japan to surrender back in neen-forty-five.

    ''Still, this gives me plenty of possibilities,'' I thought, unable to contain my excitement.

    I finished college, which allowed me to program my own games. They were crude and used a lot of existing tools that others created... But if I brought my level of formation mastery sufficiently high...

    Would it be possible to basically create artificial intelligence from magic flow alone?

    Was it possible for me to create a magicalputer?

    Tic.

    My body shook under the influence of this familiar sensation. And I didn''t even need to open my system to understand what just happened.

    "I guess it''s a formation master job this time,'' I muttered to myself before immersing my attention back in the book.

    Soon, though, I understood how naive my thinking was.

    Just the opening of the second chapter of the book was enough to destroy all my initial hopes.

    "You should simplify your formations whenever possible, as there is a hard limit of the number of stones that can be used within a single formation," one of the paragraphs warned.

    "By breaking the limit of the formation stones, the formation will cease to work," the author exined in another paragraph.

    ''There has to be some quality of magic that they didn''t know about that''s causing all those restrictions,'' I realized.

    Was it the will of a higher being that created the mana, to begin with, opting to stop people from using it like they used electricity on earth?

    Or was there some natural physical restriction to the mana that I have yet to grasp?

    I didn''t know the answers to those questions yet, and it would likely take me a long time to find them.

    But instead of losing my drive to push forward, those problems only served as further motivation for me. Because no matter how one looked at it, I just found out some new things about the inner workings of mana, the force that everyone in this world considered to be essential!

    Still, I closed the book about the formations and put it away. I did it the second I felt another tic, most likely meaning that I just climbed to another level of the formation master job.

    ''Since leveling up the jobs appear to be connected to understanding the principle of said job... Can I actually raise their levels by learning instead of just grinding their levels?''

    I learned a lot about formations. But this simple information, the ability to bring a level of a job up just by... well, getting better at it in a proper way, was far more important.

    ''Could I maybe apply it to the arcane weaponmaster, then?'' I asked myself as my excitement shot through the roof.

 Chapter 162 - Missing Word

    Raising the level of my trantor job took away most of the daylight from my day off. As such, when I started looking for any clues about the arcane weaponmaster job, I went into a frenzy.

    I did a quick sweep through all the books that I bought only to confirm something I already knew.

    Not a single one of those preciousmodities had any mention of the job I was interested in on its title or first few pages.

    ''It''s no use, isn''t it?'' I thought, putting all the books back to my storage ring, leaving only the formation guide open.

    There were no windows in the tent. Yet, through some kind of magic tomfoolery, the sunlight still got through its walls, just bright enough to let me read in peace.

    Sadly, the small point of light that marked the position of the sun was already getting dangerously low on the tent''s wall.

    ''I don''t have much time,'' I thought, clenching my teeth and looking down on the book.

    I had to strain my eyes to see the letters, even with the help of my trantion ability.

    ''No, there is no way,'' I thought, shaking my head. ''I''m only going to waste my time by trying to read properly like that,'' I thought, grabbing the book''s open edge and quickly scanning through its pages.

    By scanning the book''s content like that, I wouldn''t learn anything. I would give myself barely enough time to read a few words from each page that caught my interest, or I would spend a few seconds analyzing the drawn schematics for moreplex formations before moving over.

    Only right at the book''s end did I find something interesting.

    "For the moreprehensive guide about micromanaging your formation as well as enchanting unanimated material, refer to my other book, "Guide to the ... Formations."

    The only thing that interested me about this passage, located right on thest page of the book, was the fact that a small part of it was missing.

    A single word was scratched off... No, wiped away?

    The closer I examined the book, the stranger it became.

    It was as if the proper word was never written on it in the first ce.

    The paper had no marks pointing towards someone tampering with it. There was no sign of scratching, bleaking, or even painting the word over.

    It was as if the word was never written.

    ''Is this a mistake?'' I thought, trying to cut away the more improbable scenarios. Yet, before I could arrive at any sort of conclusion, the merciless sun finally hid before the nearby hills, depriving me of the much-needed sunlight.

    "I guess it''s over for today," I muttered to myself, stowing the book away in my ring.

    While the strange, missing word at the end of the book was puzzling, I didn''t really care for it much. If the author or whoever was responsible for erasing it wanted to avoid attention, they should remove the author''s name from the book in the first ce.

    ''I guess I will find out during the next visit at the sect,'' I thought to myself before standing from my bed and moving out of the room.

    The sun was down, which meant there was no more sunlight for me to read. But that didn''t mean the day was over for me at all.

    I grabbed a torch out of the pile right by the tent''s doors and went outside. By condensing my mana to the breaking point at the tip of my fingers and then releasing it, I managed to get the torch alight as I moved away from the tent.

    Whatever it was made from, I never wanted to even test whether it was fireproof or not. Because in the off-chance it wasn''t, I likely would never be able to pay back its insane cost.

    ''After all, if a small cubicle like my storage ring can already put a dent in my fortune, something as spacious as that tent...'' I thought before shaking my head and moving forward.

    Upon arriving at my usual training spot, I couldn''t help but smile when I noticed the glister of the formation stones reflecting the shine of my torch.

    ''They are all over the ce,'' I thought, lowering my head over the disaster of a formation.

    I only managed to read through the first chapter of the formation book, but I could already see many ways to apply my new knowledge.

    For a moment, I stood above the stones, staring down at the runes marking their surface.

    I then shook my head as a small smile crept its way up my lips.

    ''There is no way I could do that, isn''t it?'' I thought, wondering over my momentary naivete.

    I hung the torch on a special stand that I prepared before leaving for the sect and then entered the array.

    I had no problem with training while it was dark. Yet, for some reason, it made me feel more secure and... homey.

    ''Still, I''m blessed by the situation,'' I thought as I started boxing with my imaginary shadow. ''Even if I need to figure out this entire arcane thing all on my own, I still have more than enough resources right where I live,'' I thought, turning my eyes towards the dark shadow of the forest.

    If the monsters'' materials were the one thing I needed to create arcane weapons, then bing a contractor might just be the best thing to ever happen to me!

    ''Nah, that''s just silly,'' I thought to myself, uppercutting that annoying project of my imagination.

    Even when I was looking away, my body still continued to execute my punching routine.

    ''For something so basic, I sure stuck to it for a long time,'' I thought, moving my attention back to the training.

    I wouldn''t be able to mentally call it a day without training in the array for at least a short moment. Without this movement, this small strain of the body, I would end up restless and unable to fall asleep.

    ''Still, I really need to go to sleep,'' I thought, realizing just how quickly the time passed when I got into my training.

    It no longer felt like a chore, something that I had to do for my own sake. Right now, the training allowed my mind to free itself from the mortal bonds of my body.

    In a sense, executing this simple punching routine of mine was the greatest form of rxation I could afford right now.

    "That''s enough," Lucius suddenly shouted over, his head peeking out of the tent. "You don''t want to fall asleep while on the hunt! Hurry up and get to bed!" he nagged like some sort of old granny.

    "Just a moment," I shouted over, forcing myself to move out of the array.

    It was set up poorly; I could tell that even from the glimpse I caught while inspecting it. But still, it was my ce of training. A ce where I could allow myself to put my mind at ease.

    Stepping out, I finally got the full picture of just howte it was.

    Not only was the sun gone, but even its shine vanished from over the horizon, filling the forest''s clearing in almost unprable darkness.

    For a moment, I simply stood in ce, my head raised and my eyes adoring the elegant luster of the stars shining above me.

    ''Just like it was on earth, we are still just an insignificant speck in the ass of the universe, aren''t we?'' I thought, before shaking my head, bringing my eyes down, and marching back to the tent.

    Lucius was right.. I should have been long asleep. I couldn''t afford to make any mistakes during the hunt tomorrow!

 Chapter 163 - [Bonus ]To Be Like A Beast

    The day started as usual. I woke up the second the first rays of the sun touched the walls of the tent.

    It wasn''t a showcase of just how well trained I was.

    There was some kind of formation that would detect the sunlight and then sh bright lights for as long as it would take me to wake up.

    Or so was my only exnation for this strange event.

    I quickly jumped out of my bed, alerted by the array of lights. The second I moved, the lights stopped.

    ''What the hell was that?'' I asked, baffled by what just happened.

    "You slept in," Lucius exined the event from the outside of thepartment I took for a room. "We are supposed to wake up at the first light. You never slept in for so long, so I activated it."

    Okay, what the hell?

    "What''s with this kind of annoyance," I muttered under my nose, throwing my robes on my garb.

    Since Lucius was already awake, he was likely waiting for me to join in on the hunt.

    This was the only way to maintain some sort of contact, now that we used to hunt separately.

    Without any clocks, there was hardly any way to tell the time while in the forest. The treetops would cover most of the light, stopping one from assessing the position of the sun on the sky. And with no other way to effectively measure the flow of time, all we had was a feeling.

    A feeling that enough time has passed. A feeling that it was this time of our daily routine to take a break and return to the clearing where we first fought against the nest.

    It was a fancy ce in a perfect location, right at our preferred depth of the forest. The vegetation was rtively thin, while the monsters were abundant and not too strong.

    And unless we met in that ce at more or less the same moment, the other party would know a problem arose.

    ''It''s a crude system, prone to human error,'' I thought, pulling the robes down my waist as I approached the doors in a hurry. ''But if you don''t have what you want, you do with what you have,'' I added in my thoughts, moving into the open area of the tent.

    "Took you long enough," Lucius was quick to call me out.

    And from the looks of it, he was right. Now that I had the mind to look, the small, bright dot on the tent''s interior wall indicated that the sun had hung in the sky for a while now.

    In other words, we werete into our hunt.

    ''God damn it,'' I thought, quickly gathering all my equipment. As I still kept my storage ring a secret from Lucius, I had no other way but to go about it as usual. ''Maybe I really stood way toote into the night yesterday,'' I chastised myself, annoyed by this novice mistake.

    We didn''t waste any further words. Once I was ready, Lucius simply led me outside of the tent and all the way to the woods. He then waved his hand away and ventured between the trees slightly to my right.

    ''He didn''t bother to exin what the hell those lights were,'' I thought, releasing a deep sigh.

    To im that everything was good between us would be a huge leap away from reality. Even if he tried to hide it, he was still clearly salty about what happened back at the sect grounds.

    ''Well, forget it,'' I thought, turning my head back towards the forest and stepping ahead. Instead of right, I moved towards the left side before finally sinking underneath the surface of the woods.

    If we hunted together, I would only slow Lucius down. This was the sad reality showcasing the difference in our experience.

    I was getting better... But I still had a lot to learn before I could match my Overseer.

    ''It''s no wonder,'' I thought as I turned my movement habits and entire mindset to the work mode. ''What is he like, seventh rank? Maybe eight?'' I thought.

    I could vaguely recall him exining what rank one needed to be to mature out of the contract... But by the love of God, I couldn''t recall what rank that was!

    ''It''s not like he is superior to me in every way,'' I thought, finding it hard to judge the situation. ''I don''t think the difference between us stems purely from experience thought,'' I quickly added, only to slowly shake my head to the right, positioning my ears to better hear the noise I caught.

    ''A small fry,'' I quickly dismissed the notion.

    This single instance wiped all the spare thoughts from my head.

    Right now wasn''t the time to think; it was time to act.

    I moved through the forest like a predator. Careful about every step, pricking my ears to hear the monsters and straining my eyes to see them.

    This full-alert modested only for a few moments.

    The second I caught a whiff of a monster in my paygrade, I angled the direction of my patrol to the left.

    Instead of moving towards the target I found, I moved away from it.

    Rather than a predator looking to hunt, I wanted to appear like a predator just going its way and unable to be bothered by a potential fight.

    This was all part of the experience of hunting, something I learned pretty quickly.

    ''Now that I think about it, I can remember that one phrase,'' I thought, controlling the location of my prey as I moved ahead of it, only to continue angling my path in the same direction.

    ''To win against the enemy, you need to think like the enemy,'' I mouthed, wary not to utter the slightest noise.

    Anything extraordinary happening would likely scare my target away.

    In what was a long time yet appeared as a moment, I was already moving in parallel with my target. Then towards it...

    In the end, I made sure to keep the wind flowing right from the direction the monster would approach. I hid high in the trees and pulled out a small bow.

    The one invention that I thought of way before we set off for the forest. A thing that even an amateur like me could make with just a bit of his spare time.

    I calcted the speed of the monster in my head as I started to slowly draw the string of my weapon out.

    ''Just a little bit more,'' I thought, bringing the outstretched string all the way to the corner of my eyes.

    It appeared.

    A medium-sized goat with massive fangs stretching down from its long snout.

    I only noticed it for a sh before the undergrowth hid it again.

    But it was enough.

    I waited for a few more moments, using my imagination to push the outline of the monster through the undergrowth in my mind.

    I didn''t see it, but I could feel it already.

    My hands moved down as I waited with the arrow prepared, angling down its aim.

    Sting!

    I released the bow, sending the arrow through the leaves and then a bush.

    A short shriek... and it was over.

    ''It seems I still remember how to do it,'' I thought with satisfaction, grabbing my spear as I jumped down.

    Shooting a bow was the one form of outside recreation that I enjoyed in my past life. Even though I was of no English heritage, there was something that allured me in it to no end.

    Thump.

    My feet created a short, dull noise when I crushed the grass and some kind of herbs underneath my boots. I carefully approached the bush where I struck the beast before carefully pushing my spear in.

    I felt resistance against its tip, but no movement or a panicked attack followed.

    "Huff," I sighed, using the weight of my body to push the spear inside.

    I wasn''t going to risk approaching the monster if it was still alive and kicking, only waiting for me to get overconfident about my previous shot.

    But it wasn''t the case this time.

    The monster was as dead as it could be, with an arrow stuck into its spinal cord.

    ''I didn''t think it would have it in itself,'' I thought, taking a nce at the bow I left on the tree.

    I either got extremely lucky by inserting the arrow right between the bones, or there was something terribly wrong with the insane quality of that random bow!

    Still, I wasted no time.

    I pulled out my knife and forced it into the monster, quickly pulling the spiritual stone out of its steaming-hot flesh. Yet, as I retracted my bloodied hands, I couldn''t help but notice one of its bones almost rubbing against my face.

    ''Isn''t this exactly what I came here for?'' I thought to myself, running my mana through my fingers as I dug in and snapped some of the bones out. Yet, rather than keeping them out in the open, I wiped my hand against the nearby undergrowth before touching the storage ring hidden in my pocket.

    ''Good,'' I thought, standing up from the monster''s corpse.

    The entire thing took me less than thirty seconds, more than enough to ditch this ce before it could get dangerous.

    I took a step forward... And the forest opened up before me.

    It was an extremely weird feeling as if stepping from one area directly to a different biome.

    The abnormality was in the shape of a long trail, cutting straight through the forest.

    I fell down to my knees and lowered my torso above the ground, taking a closer look.

    ''The vegetation doesn''t dare to return to its usual ce,'' I finally figured out just what was wrong with this absurd.

    It felt as if some monster went through this ce... and the ce refused to even buckle after that.

    My mind froze as my heart started to pump adrenaline instead of blood.

    I could recognize the mana lingering over the massive footsteps imprinted into the ground!

    ''To be like a beast, you need to think like a beast,'' I thought, before doing what my bestial instincts told me to do.

 Chapter 164 - Break Makes You Break

    I ran away.

    There is nothing shameful about that. I just did what my instinct told me and what I could reason to be the best thing for me to do.

    I already encountered a powerful monster once. If not for some kind of mad luck, Lucius would pay with his life in an attempt to save me back then.

    And I definitely wasn''t going to track this monster all on my own!

    As such, while moving as silently as I possibly could, I retreated into the depths of the forest, as far away from the monster''s path as I could.

    ''I guess I should report it,'' I thought, turning around as I judged I ran sufficiently far enough.

    Right now, I was too distressed to even think about hunting. The few bones I managed to extract from my first hunt would have to suffice.

    I reached the clearing rtively quickly. It was never far away; it was just that the road to ess it was prettyplicated. And as I was unwilling to crawl through mood or climb steep hills, not to speak about entering areas with weak but extremely annoying monsters, I had to meander for quite a lot before arriving at the ce.

    ''It''s way too early,'' I thought, cing a hand on my chest.

    My heart was still beating fast, not because of the exhaustion, but because of the fear that the power of that monster inflicted upon my soul.

    There was rarely any time for me in this world to fear something. Even when meeting people who could squash me with their thumb, I was generally calm.

    In the end, I had too much experience of dealing with bullies to be worried about the same happening now.

    I knew every possible way to make people like that lose interest in bullying me, a skill that I had to pay for with several visits to a therapist back on earth.

    I ended up wasting quite a lot of time, just waiting for Lucius to appear. Even though I really hated to waste time like that, I couldn''t really pull out a book and start reading it.

    ''Is this the first time when hiding the storage ring from Lucius is biting me back in the ass?'' I asked myself before releasing a deep sigh.

    "Huh?" Lucius appeared only a few minutester, proving that not pulling out anything from the ring turned out to be a better option. "You are here already?" he asked, a strange look appearing on his face.

    "I could ask the same," I muttered silently, taking a quick look at the sun.

    Just as expected, it was still hidden behind the treetops. Not even standing in the middle of the clearing allowed me to spot its precise location.

    A clear sigh that it was way too early for either of us to appear in this ce.

    "I found the tracks of a powerful monster," I said instead of inquiring for Lucius'' reasons toe to this ce so soon. "Just the residual ma... spiritual energy that it left on the path it went made nature refuse to return to its usual state," I added, describing what I saw back then.

    "Spiritual Stifling," Lucius muttered under his nose in response, giving me quite a challenge to actually hear his words.

    "Stifling?" I asked, unsure how to understand this strange name.

    "It''s a long story to exin," Lucius shook his head. "So you will have to just take my word for it," he added with a sigh as he rested his back against the tree. "Every nt in this forest has a small amount of spiritual energy in it. Or rather, everyst thing in the continent does," he exined, only to yawn a secondter. "And when faced with a spiritual energy that''s condensed far more than their own, their own energy stifles, forcing it to stop right as it is," he exined.

    "So we have reason to be worried, right?" I asked, recalling the images that I saw in my mind.

    There was something uncanny about the vegetation stuck in an unnatural position, refusing to bend back to its natural shape. It was so weird; it made me shiver.

    "Anyway," Lucius shook his head. "How did you do for now?" he asked, directing his eyes towards a small pouch hanging from my belt.

    "I noticed it right after my first sessful hunt," I exined. "I wasn''t exactly in the mood to keep hunting when I noticed the trail," I added, only to realize that it sounded like an excuse a second toote.

    "In other words, you didn''t even get the daily quota yet," Luciusmented, his face darkening a little.

    ''Isn''t he overly sensitive about this topic?'' I suddenly found myself asking, baffled by my Overseer''s reaction.

    True, I had no intention of providing a single scrap of resource more than the bare minimum required for the biweekly quotas. It was far more convenient to just send the resources over via a storage ring instead.

    And as I still kept the storage rings hidden from Lucius'' attention, I had to appear as if I only hunted the bare minimum.

    "I guess the money got to your head," Lucius sneered, openly hostile about the topic. "If you really want, you can buy out your quotas for a while... But it''s gonna drain any fortune that you have or will make pretty quickly," he advised before shaking his head.

    "What do you want to say by that?" I asked, unable to shake off the weird feeling that Lucius'' unexpected attentiveness towards this topic gave me.

    "Listen, I know it sounds stupid," he started, already making me wary about his following words, "but as contractors, it''s our personal task to bring in as much as we can," he said.

    "And why is that?" I asked, allowing my expression to darken.

    Did he have some interest in me bringing more resources than I was bound by the contract? Or was there some other reason?

    "What do you think the reason is for how we are treated?" Lucius pushed his back against the tree, bouncing forward as he asked. "It''s simple," he replied before I could even say a word. "Because everyone in the sect sees us as ckers, poor bastards who can''t bring more than the absolute minimum required," he exined, his lips twitching.

    Lucius turned around and walked to the middle of the clearing. For a moment, he simply stood there with his back to my face.

    "I know that there is no point in proving ourselves by bringing in more in the short term," he said, shaking his head. He then turned around and took a closer look at my face. "But this is what we need to do if we ever want to change how people look at people like us!"

    It was the first for me to see Lucius so heated.

    He did not react like that even back in the sect, where he learned that the opportunity to sleep with all the whores in the brothel for free slipped away from him.

    For a moment, I was inclined to believe in his words.

    But it was slightly too-far fetched for me.

    Because what I took away from the situation at the sect was strikingly different from what Lucius likely expected me to learn about him.

    I didn''t care about his eagerness to fuck around in the brothel. He was just a man. It held even lesser significance in a world with morals about whoring being different from what I was used to on earth.

    But there was one thing, one sentence that Lucius allowed to slip out.

    One sentence allowed me to learn just why he ended up as an Overseer of a contractor instead of bing an Inner disciple of the sect.

    Just like the pathfinder exined, being a contractor was a punishment. A job as hated by its own wielders as it was by the outsiders.

    In other words, Lucius ended up as my Overseer not because he took pride in this job but because he was a gambler.

    And now he was trying to sell me some patriotic bullshit about improving the standing of the contractors?

    "Anyway, I don''t need to visit that ce to understand the situation," Lucius said, most likely ignorant about the shifts in my soul about him. "From now on, that part of the forest is closed," he announced.

    "Huh?" I slightly overreacted, my mouth turning agape. "But this is where that nest is!" I shouted.

    A ce that I found out before we left for the sect. A ce that I kept in mind as a source to quickly fill our quotas.

    And now we were supposed to just abandon it?

    "Arthur, listen," Lucius shook his head. "Taking a break makes it easy for you to break," he said in some kind of philosophical code, only to sum it up with a smirk. "Or in normal words," he coughed. "Don''t get too cocky," he said.

    "How is my unwillingness to abandon that nest being cocky?" I asked, tightening my fists in a silent fit of anger.

    "Do you recall when did that monster attack us thest time?" Lucius asked with a small, sour smile.

    "Back when we... Oh," I suddenly realized.

    This was a connection that had no proof behind it. It could be just a coincidence.

    But the second I recalled the faint trace of mana in the trail...

    All my aspirations to clear the nest from before vanished from my soul.

 Chapter 165 - Missunderstanding

    As usual, we returned to the camp when the sun started to hide behind the horizon.

    This was the reason why I was so eager to read as much as I could during my day off, as I could hardly scramble together half an hour of daylight daily during the usual day of mine.

    "You should get some rest," Lucius advised. "Even if your haul for today was small, it''s better to prepare for tomorrow instead of being angry over it," he added as he sent a meaningful look towards my pouch before turning around and leaving for the tent.

    ''It really seems that he cares about how much I bring in... a bit too much,'' I once again arrived at the same conclusion. But right now, all I could do about it was shrug my shoulders and go back to whatever I actually wanted to do.

    Back when our rtionship as a contractor and Overseer started, I paid heed to everyst word of his. Even now, when we happened upon each other in the forest, I would pay my utmost attention to his movements and actions.

    But outside of that? Lucius lost all the credibility he had in my eyes!

    ''This is going to be a pain... But I guess I will only hunt above the quota only as much as I can personally consume,'' I thought before shaking my head and heading for the tent.

    There were some things that I had to retrieve from it.

    Upon arriving back in mypartment, I quickly locked its doors and pulled out the formation guide book from my storage ring.

    I only read its first chapter... But I nced through the entire content. That''s why, instead of wasting precious time on looking for the exact spot, I could quickly turn to the right page with the answers I sought.

    ''Properties of arrangments,'' the title read.

    Or, in innguage, how would the basic formations work with a different manner of arranging the stones.

    "Here it is," I muttered to myself. I traced my fingers along with the words in the paragraph I focused on.

    This part of the chapter was rtively short, as the author discussed only the basic ways of arranging the stones.

    But even with this alone, I could already spot several problems with how my own amplification array worked.

    ''This so terribly wrong,'' I thought, hiding the book back into the ring.

    This single nce would suffice. With it, I could quickly improve the effectiveness of my own spot,'' I thought.

    "Hah?" Suddenly, my decision to hide the book as soon as possible proved right.

    "Here it is?" Lucius echoed my words in a strange yet clearly amused voice.

    "What, so that''s why you paraded through brothel unaffected?" Lucius sneered from beyond the doors. "Damn, this has to suck, man," he added, barely holding hisughter back.

    ''The fuck does he mean?'' I thought, stunned by the sudden event.

    Then, it dawned on me.

    After a long and emotional visit to the brothel, what could a young man do? Someone who just returned from an exhausting but also dangerous hunting endeavor.

    ''This bastard,'' I thought, my vision turned dark.

    I didn''t expect this level of jokes from this man.

    ''Still... Why did he sound like he was relieved?'' I asked myself.

    ''Fuck, no,'' I shook my head.

    I didn''t have time for folly like that.

    ''Huh,'' I suddenly stumped down, almost falling down from the height of my bed. ''Howe am I a lot more proactive in this world?''

    In most of the novels I read, by moving to another world, the character would end up with...

    Not with a system. Not with a cheat skill. Not with a cliche romance.

    But with a rtively peaceful growth.

    From point A to point B and then onwards to point C.

    That was the general form, the image I had of living in another world.

    ''That''s... Howe I do more daily,'' I thought, staring nkly at the tent''s wall. ''Than I would do in a month back on earth?''

    This question rang in my ears for a second.

    It was a simple realization. And even simpler question.

    What actually pushed me onward?

    Sure, the events around me forced a certain path on me. This world wasn''t all candies and kisses.

    Still, just how the fuck did I end up being so proactive about everything I did here?

    Back on earth, my life was simple.

    Past a certain point, nothing really mattered. I could easily avoid the drawbacks bound to my blood. The bullying brought by my ancestry effectively ended at school.

    In the end, this was the earth''s society.

    They were no barbarians. They wouldn''t rape, rob, and kill the people they conquered.

    They were civilized.

    But they drove my race to the bone, whittling us away at every possibility.

    We wouldn''t die on the streets in riots. But we would be systematically eliminated from the life of the countries that remained after the war.

    Thends that my kind could once call their ancestral home, upied by the monsters in elegant hats and fake dignity.

    This was the one thing that put those two worlds apart.

    Back on earth, in the era long past the demise of my nation, I was stifled.

    It was as if the air around me continued to suppress all my efforts. No matter what I did, no matter what I achieved, I was in an oppressive, hostile environment.

    For the country around me, I was persona non grata.

    But this changed in this world.

    ''So that''s it,'' I thought, enlightened by my sudden discovery.

    ''In this world,'' I thought. "I''m free," I added in a soft voice.

    "If you are done jerking, go to bed already. Tomorrow, we can''t startte," Lucius shouted over before all the lights within the tens went down.

    "Fuck off," I threw over the thin wall of thepartment.

    It was a room within a tent, after all.

    ''Lucius and his illusions,'' I thought, rolling my eyes. ''How could I get aroused by the whores after spending even a single night with Mia in my arms?''

 Chapter 166 - Fixing The Formation

    Despite how many things happened in my head just a moment ago, I couldn''t waste time.

    This was the one sacrilege I couldn''tmit.

    In this world, I was free. I had no ceiling pressuring me down from above.

    This was the reason why I could do so much and work so hard.

    Because in this world, my efforts would have tangible results. And one of them I could arrange right away.

    I moved calmly out of my room roughly ten minutes after the encounter with Lucius.

    I didn''t bother thinking whether he heard me moving out or not. And to say it frankly, I couldn''t care less.

    In the end, he was only my Overseer.

    As long as I provided the minimum quota required by the contract, he couldn''t do anything.

    In other words, right now, his advices were as important as the barking of the dog.

    Sometimes useful, but mostly just an annoyance.

    With the torch in my head, I moved out. My training ground was rtively close, just at the edge of the clearing.

    ''There is still some light,'' I thought and kneeled down near the formation.

    Bit by bit, I confirmed my guesses. The stones were all over the ce.

    ''It looks as if someone almost intentionally botched the work,'' I thought, judging the disaster.

    The runes didn''t make any sense. The sentences were canceling each other out, drastically bleeding mana away as a result.

    ''It''s either intentional,'' I thought, before releasing a deep sigh, ''or just spoiled goods of a mass production,'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    It appeared that this consumer''s curse was all and well in this world too.

    ''This is going to be a pain,'' I thought, thankful to my past safe for bringing the torch.

    ''By the time the sun goes fully down, I will be still grasping at straws to fix it,'' I thought, getting to work.

    My assumptions quickly proved true when the light of the torch remained as the only source of illumination for my work.

    And it was tedious.

    My initial attempts at meddling with the stone''s order ended up like yet another disaster.

    For every fix I would introduce, theplexity and thus wastefulness of the formation would spike.

    It wasn''t my fault per se, but an effect of an already botched product.

    ''No, this can''t be the way,'' I thought before calling the entire array back to its bag.

    This was ultimately a wasteful move.

    Outside of its passive effects of gathering the mana from the surroundings, it also kept the mana within the area.

    In other words, with every second of his training, I was making this training ground of mine more effective.

    And I just threw it away.

    A distant voice of my perfectionist nature called out when I sat down and plotted the arrangement of the entire formation all on my own.

    I only had the ideas that I stole from the books. Even though they were just the building blocks, after tinkering around and testing with a small portion of the stones, I found a proper way.

    I startedying the formation out.

    Instead of being a long, continuous sentence, it turned into an orderly row of short, sharp orders.

    In essence, I constructed the entire formation from a set of simple orders. Before the change, it was just a single, convoluted, and extremely hard-to-solve problem. Now, it turned into an array.

    An array that I used in my previous programming job a lot.

    ''This is going to be fun,'' I thought as I fixed thest stone in the position.

    The excitement ofpleting a project. The anticipation of whether it would work as desired or not. The mental hunt for the potential bugs and problems...

    I was extremely familiar with those feelings. They were the source of my endorphins that pulled me through my depression-filled life.

    And right now, standing above the finished formation, I finally connected all the dots.

    Air flushed past my face. It swirled around the formation as if the magical effects of it were so strong they could affect the physical nature of the world.

    ''Woah,'' I thought, baffled by sight.

    Yes, not by the feeling, not by the premonition... but by sight.

    For the first time in this life, I saw the training grounds that looked the part. It was filled with dense mana, and it offered far greater benefits than anything I previously worked with.

    ''It''s almost like infusing two to five mana stones per minute,'' I thought the second I stepped inside.

    The feeling was insane.

    Instead of just a single patch of my skin, my entire body experienced an insane influx of mana.

    This was extremely different from how I would usually cultivate with the materials. Rather than infusing them into myself at a single point, my entire system was flooded by the rushing energy at once.

    ''This is amazing,'' I thought. In an instant, my head filled with ideas.

    But for now, I chased them all away.

    ''This isn''t the time to get excited yet,'' I thought, calming myself down and standing in the position.

    ''This is the time to diligently train,'' I thought.

    Ever since my encounter with the beast''s trail in the forest, I felt uneasy. It wasn''t a feeling at the forefront of my mind but something that lurked and festered in the shadow.

    I could take it as an obstacle, a problem I had to ovee.

    Instead, I started executing my punching routine, boxing with an imaginary shadow.

    ''If I want to be safe, I need to get stronger,'' I thought, throwing my fists forward.

    The reason why I was worried was that the beast from the forest was stronger than me.

    Honestly speaking, I could tell I was stronger than many with the same level of cultivation. This was the perk of the system that I kind of anticipated.

    But the power difference between that beast and me made all my tricks and traps worthless. The gap was just too damn massive.

    That''s why I focused all my efforts right now on obtaining the means to cultivate more efficiently. And just like my formation right now showed...

    "A bit of preparation before can help with your task a lotter," I muttered, voicing one of the main things that my IT teachers taught me about.

    It was finally the time for me to honestly outgrow those who stood against me!

 Chapter 167 - Finding Time

    ''I need to get stronger,'' I thought as I rushed through the thicker part of the forest.

    This one thought prevailed in my mind throughout the night, throughout sleep, and morning.

    Sure, several hours spent in that improved amplification array brought some magnificent results, finally bringing me to a peak of my current level...

    But that wasn''t enough.

    A thousand and sixty-three points of general cultivation separated me from filling the quota.

    It sounded like a lot... But in reality, it was only slightly above a tenth of my current progress. And judging by the nearly three thousand points, I gained within just a few hours of training...

    I could very well breakthrough today.

    ''There,'' I thought, forcing all my thoughts aside when a movement attracted my attention.

    I didn''t waste even a second, instantly angling my direction.

    From the magnitude of changes that the movement brought to its surroundings, I judged it to be a rtively weak monster. Something I could deal with swiftly and for a very little reward.

    But the sect didn''t differentiate between a spiritual core of a powerful monster and that of a weak one. Or rather, the monsters that I could hunt right now were all within the boundaries of a single rank.

    ''Maybe that powerful monster from before could count as more,'' I thought as I took my bow from my back and nocked an arrow on its string.

    There was no point using my spear for a monster of this size and grade.

    I let the string of my bow go, sending the arrow in the direction of the monster.

    All kinds of nts went into a flurry when the monster attempted to dodge my arrow.

    But it was futile.

    ''I really need to test that theory out,'' I thought, already projecting the next use of formations.

    The formation stones that made up the array in which I trained were no different from the simple stones I could pick from literally any spot in the forest.

    The only difference they bore was that they were all cut into a nice shape and then polished, making the array look far more expensive than it actually was worth.

    And I already had several ideas about what else could I do since I now had any number of formation stones at hand.

    But all of it had to wait. Because right now, I had to focus on the hunt.

    In the short span of the first few hours of the hunt, I managed to hunt nearly four times the number of monsters that I would usually hunt.

    ''This is going to piss Lucius off,'' I thought, already thinking about the n that I hatched in the morning.

    The reason why I couldn''t really learn formations or practice setting up a new one was simple.

    Icked the daylight. And the reason why Icked the daylight was because of our daily hunting.

    In other words, the simplest way to get more time for myself was to finish off the hunting way before the end of the day!

    Soon, my haul pouch filled up to the brim. Pushing any more stones inside would risk breaking it. They were used to bringing in only a few stones at once; we would use a different kind when going to submit our quotas to the sect.

    ''I guess it''s the time now,'' I thought as I broke apart the stones of the small monster I pinned to the ground with my spear a moment earlier before hiding them away in my storage ring. ''I better not bete, or Lucius will find another way to chastise me,'' I thought grimly.

    Ever since I figured out that Lucius wanted to press me harder than necessary, my look at him changed.

    Not because his wishes were necessarily bad. In the end, the more I hunted, the more stones I could leave for myself while satisfying his wish to improve the standing of the contractors. And the stronger I got, the sooner I would reach the breaking point of the contract, freeing the both of us from the contract.

    But whether this n of mine would work... I could only wait and see.

    I moved back to the clearing in a careful manner, wary about my pouch breaking apart and spilling the precious stones all over the forest.

    ''It''s better to be just a little bit slower than to waste ages just trying to pick them up from the undergrowth,'' I thought, keeping the bottom of the pouch secure in my hand.

    "What took you so long today?" Lucius asked the second I entered our usual meeting ce. "Don''t tell me you found another trail," he added, his face tensing up a little.

    ''If he is scared of this monster as well...'' I thought, only to shake my head. ''No. I shouldn''t think about it right now,'' I thought before detaching the pouch from my belt and throwing it towards mypanion.

    "This is my haul for today," I exined shortly, giving Lucius some time to make his own assumptions.

    Lucius grabbed the pouch. Even before he opened it, his face brightened, proving that he was satisfied with how weighty it was.

    "That''s a great improvement," he said with a gentle smile stered all over his lips. "If you keep it up..."

    "That''s all I''m going to hunt for today," I intervened before Lucius could go too far in his own assumptions.

    "Huh?" Lucius raised his eyes on me, not sure how to interpret my words.

    "I''m going back to train now," I said before reaching out with my hand. "I will only use half of those stones, so it will be still more than I need to fill the quota," I added.

    I couldn''t let him open his mouth about the pseudo-responsibility that contractors had to improve their standing. That was the only reason why I brought up the topic in the first ce.

    "My stones, please," I added after waiting for a moment for Lucius to respond.

    Yet, he still didn''t say a word.

    The moment stretched nearly to infinity. Lucius'' expression sank and then darkened before he finally brought the small bag with the stones back to my hand.

    "If you are going to train, then don''t waste your fucking time!" he shouted as he turned around, clearly unhappy.

    "Think about it like that," I shouted over before he could leave the clearing. "The more I train, the stronger I will get. And the stronger I will get..." I took a small moment to take a breath... Or rather, to see whether Lucius would bother to wait for me to finish.

    "The more I will be able to hunt in a single day!"

 Chapter 168 - Anomaly

    ''Should I actually go back?'' I thought to myself as I deserted the clearing.

    It was true that I got four times more stones than was absolutely necessary for the day... But the half that I could use, I already have ns for.

    In other words, if I wanted to cultivate a little bit more, I had no other choice but to get back to hunting, despite telling Lucius I would not.

    "I only need a few more stones," I muttered to myself as I returned to my hunting grounds.

    I even went as far as to hide the entire pouch of stones into my storage ring. Worst case scenario, if I were to encounter Lucius while still hunting, I could im I safe kept it in my balls, worried about the bag breaking.

    Soon, I had my eyes on the first target. This time, it was one of those fast-moving, rapidly-dodging rabbit-like monsters.

    Exactly as the one of those whose nest we destroyed before our visit to the sect.

    ''Did they make another nest?'' I thought before looking closer at the monster.

    So far, I was too high for it to notice me, allowing me a moment to take stock of the situation.

    There were no signs of other monsters anywhere near. This one was additionally far fatter and bigger than the kinds I already fought with.

    ''Is it some kind of warrior?'' I thought, stopping my head from shaking. This was one of my habits that I had to fight with all my will against while on the hunt. Even something as little as shaking one''s head could alert the prey about my presence, after all! ''Or maybe it''s a scout?'' I thought, only to realize my own stupidity.

    ''No, if it''s really one of the same kind as those, then they wouldn''t see the fat and big one to scout the area!''

    With that said, I readied my spear.

    I could only tickle it with my bow, nothing more. It was sufficient for the small targets, but not anything medium-grade or above. And this one just clutched its way with its mass to what I considered a middle grade.

    ''I need to make it swift,'' I thought, fixing my hold over my weapon.

    Then, I allowed my body to get out of bnce, falling forward from the tree''s branch I was hiding at. Then, with my knees still bent, my feet slipped, making my entire body angle towards the ground.

    Right when my head aimed just slightly above the monster, I pushed my legs out.

    It wasn''t a jump. What I did felt more like what one does when swimming and wanting to boost themselves up forward afterpleting the entire length of the pool.

    I dropped down at the monster before it could even turn its cute head towards me. My spear prated it right below its nape, pinning it to the ground.

    I crashed into the forest''s undergrowth. Despite my cultivation, my entire body screamed out in pain.

    A drop like this couldn''t injure me, but it could cause a whole lot of pain.

    But it didn''t matter.

    I kept the spear inside the monster, using it as a nail that kept it in ce. Even with the piece of sharpened and mana-reinforced bone piercing right through its flesh, the monster continued to struggle, trying hard to escape from my clutches.

    ''What a vitality,'' I thought, amazed by my findings. But instead of marveling over the unexpected profit, I quickly pulled out the knife and shed at the monster.

    It looked too simr to the cute rabbits I knew from the earth for me to handle seeing it wriggle in pain any longer.

    I allowed the monster to bleed out for a little for its strength to leave it. Then, once its movements turned into just small twitches, I drove the knife right into its neck, severing its spinal cord.

    As much as it pained me, I wasn''t going to risk it. If it was only pretending and still had some strength in itself, I would have to deal with a pretty nasty injury. Just like on earth, its teeth appeared to be quite damn dangerous.

    Once I made sure the monster was dead, I quickly dismembered it with my knife. Extracting the core posed no problems as usual, outside of the core itself being on the bigger side just like the rest of the monster.

    ''Let''s hope it will be worth more too,'' I thought to myself as I started to cut through the tendons that held the bones of the monster together.

    As it was a part of the body of an organism used to circte mana through itself, they were insanely valuable for any attempts at creating arcane weapons or even formation stones.

    Yet, partway through my work, I started to notice a foreign presence.

    I didn''t take any longer than usual, but the monsters were already there, watching me from their hiding spots.

    ''This isn''t good,'' I thought, raising my head and scanning the area.

    So far, at least three monsters have been observing me. Any second now, that number would double.

    ''I need to ditch right now,'' I thought, pulling both my knife and spear out and backing out a few steps.

    Seeing that no monster decided to get a jump on me, I turned around and simply left the area.

    ''Even though I''m stronger than any and all of them,'' I thought, twisting my lips in a dissatisfied grin, ''I have no intention of partaking in this kind of battle royale,'' I added, my vignce raising through the roof.

    Before I lost the area of the corpse from my eyes, the number of monsters in the proximity had already tripled.

    ''It''s all happening way too fast,'' I noticed, slowing down my steps. Bit by bit, I moved towards the thinner parts of the forest, hoping to get away to safety.

    I only hunted in this forest for roughly two weeks. It was still way too early for me to im that I knew it by heart.

    ''All I need is to get back,'' I thought, releasing the limiter on my speed as I picked up the speed and rushed back to the camp.

    With what I obtained during the hunt and after I officially ended it, I would be set for quite a lot of growth. Right now, I had enough both to try raising the level of my jobs experiment with the formation, and even then, some would be left for me to cultivate with.

    But there was another thought that upied my head. A thought that forced me to choose between hiding the fact that I returned to the forest and potentially risking a disaster.

    ''Should I tell him?'' I asked myself as I finally reached the clearing where our camp was set. ''Should I tell Lucius about this anomaly?''

    What was more important. To keep my attempts at acting autonomously to myself so that Lucius wouldn''t try to limit my freedom, the one thing that I valued almost the most in this new life of mine?

    Or should I tell him and potentially prevent a potential disaster if this anomaly was a sign of something greater and far worseing?

    ''Safety first.... I would say back on earth,'' I thought, grasping thest stone I got from the forest in my glover hand. ''But in this world, who doesn''t risk it, doesn''t get the biscuit!''

 Chapter 169 - Nagging

    "Stronger!'' Mia scolded herself, shouting within her mind as she pressed her fist forward. ''Faster,'' shemanded her body, squeezing her muscles to their limits. ''Sharper!''

    Just like every day, Mia was hard on the training.

    Outside of the necessary elements of daily life like eating or sleeping for a few hours, she would rarely leave the training ground.

    ''Since I''m the one pushing the others to work harder, I need to work even harder than them,'' she would think whenever her body reached its limits, forcing it to go just a bit beyond it.

    And every time she did, Mia pushed the boundaries of her ability for a tiny bit forward.

    This was the sad reality of cultivating without the proper resources. The second all the tonics, spiritual stones, and spiritual cores ran dry, she had no other choice but to return to training just like every other disciple of the sect.

    ''This is the gap between normal disciples and sponsored disciples,'' Mia thought, ignoring the stinging pain on her fists.

    The training stone before her was long marked with the blood from her hands.

    ''Again,'' Mia thought, resetting her position and taking a single, deep breath to regain some strength.

    "I dare you to hit that damned stone again," Sander approached Mia with his face tensed all over.

    "Eh?" Mia turned her head to the man only to roll her eyes and release an annoyed sigh as her eyes moved back on her target. "What do you want?"

    All their resources ran out. Right now, she could advance only by working harder than ever before.

    ''Right as my efforts are about to pay off,'' she thought, feeling how the mana within her system stretched to almost every corner of her flesh. ''Right as I''m about to break through to the fourth stage, youe here to annoy me?'' she thought, forcing her eyes to remain on the training pir instead of sending Sander an extremely annoyed stare.

    "What you are doing, right now, is counterproductive," Sander announced as he crossed his arms on his chest. "I know that you are desperate, but everything has to be done with reason," he said before hanging his head low. "Don''t repeat my mistake. Don''t overtrain yourself in a stupid chase after the impossible," he added.

    "Your mistakes?" Mia scoffed, lowering her hands as she rxed her posture and looked at the man with a poorly concealed scorn. "Have it ever urred to you that going for the extra effort is just the quality that youck?" she asked.

    "Do you even hear yourself?" Sander asked, his face tensing up even further. "I''m not here to chastise you, nor am I pointing fingers right now..." he shook his head. "But you seriously need some break," Sander added after a short moment of silence.

    Mia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body returned to the training position all on her own, already perfectly used to the daily toll.

    "We trusted you with our fate," Sander muttered, "so how about you trust me with something as small as just a few hours of your life?"

    "What do you want?" Mia tightened her hands into fists... but didn''t throw a punch out. Instead, she angled her head and looked over at Sander. "What do you need a few hours of my time for?"

    ''Here, I thought he came here to tell me to rest,'' she thought, gnashing her teeth. ''And as it turns out, he simply had some business,'' she thought angrily.

    "I need you to take a few hours of break. Get the fuck out of this training grou... no, from this sect. Explore the town," Sander sighed heavily. "You will never be able to fully focus on the job if you don''t even know what you are fighting for," he added in a muffled voice.

    ''The fuck are you talking about?'' Mia almost exploded within the confines of her mind...

    And then she calmed down.

    All at once, the weird behavior of hers, how easily she could be forced out of her usual calm state, dawned upon her.

    ''Maybe there is actually something wrong with me?'' she thought, slightly scared about the idea of looking deeper into her soul.

    But there was no denying it. Over the past few hours, if not days, she became insanely irritable.

    ''I would react even to a friendly advice as if it was an enemy''s scheme...'' she thought, gnashing her teeth again, although for a different reason.

    "If you go outside, see how the city looks like outside of the boundaries of the sect..." Sander muttered as a mysterious smile appeared on his lips. "Actually, are you even aware of why everyone wants to be a sponsored disciple?" he suddenly asked, changing the topic.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged. She was ready to admit her mistake just as the man turned her attention towards another side of the topic.

    The side that she, up to this point, actually failed to consider.

    ''I have my wish to help Arthur that keeps me going... But I''m not the only one squeezingst bits of sweet every day in the training grounds,'' she thought, realizing the obvious. ''Just what pushes them forward?'' she asked herself, rephrasing the question Sander posed.

    For the man, Mia''s silence was enough for an answer.

    "It seems that I was right," Sander muttered before shaking his head.

    "Anyway, go and see some of the world outside of the sect grounds. Who knows, maybe it will help you achieve the breakthrough?" he suggested before turning around on his heel.

    "Wait a second," Mia called out before she could bite herself in the tongue.

    Sander stopped and turned his face back to the girl.

    "Do you..." Mia cut her words as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "Do you know any good ces to visit?" she asked.

    ''Since he doesn''t look like he craves to see me iming that he was right, let''s not do this,'' she thought, desperately looking for means to maintain the conversation.

    Her initial call was caused just by this, her wish to admit to her wrongs. But the second Sander turned around, Mia''s personal pride took one better over her.

    "I know some ces... But I don''t think you would be interested in them."

    This time, it was Sander''s turn to blush as he quickly turned his head away from Mia''s prying and suddenly curious eyes.

    "Well.... thanks anyway," Mia muttered before throwing onest longing look at the training pir before setting foot outside the amplification array. "I guess I will take you up on your offer, then!"

 Chapter 170 - Dont Overwork Yourself

    "Don''t be so hard on him when you return."

    Ve appeared before Mia even managed to get to the main gate of the sect.

    She wore her usual clothes and a small knowing smile that indicated she was already in the know.

    As such, Mia didn''t waste her precious free time trying to probe what the girl meant.

    "What happened to work as hard as it takes?" she only muttered in response, theatrically rolling her eyes. She then looked towards the nearby gate, a decorative piece that set the boundary between the sect grounds and the civilian area.

    "I didn''t really think about it before, but..." Mia said in a low voice before moving her eyes directly at Ve''s face. "What makes you push forward?" she asked bluntly.

    "Going right for the prize, aren''t you?" Ve only smiled before shaking her head. "I''m sorry, but if you want to know that, you will need to make us win at least one tournament first," she quickly denied Mia''s question.

    ''She didn''t stop smiling, though,'' Mia noticed with relief, perfectly aware how her question could be taken as pretty rude.

    Just the fact of asking about one''s motivation wasn''t rude in itself but could easily be taken as iming that one couldn''t see the motivation of the other.

    Thankfully, Ve didn''t seem like someone who would take advantage of this opportunity to bully Mia.

    "As for your earlier question," Ve smiled cheekily, "if you want to have proper results from your training, you need to make sure to condition your body for growth," she said before stepping two paces to the back, right towards the gate of the sect.

    "In other words, I need to rest," Mia said with a sigh before letting her head hang low. "I know it already. Anyway," she shook her head and looked up at her female friend. "Do you know any ces worth visiting?" Mia asked, hoping that at least herpanion of the same sex wouldn''t refuse the answer to this question.

    "I don''t really know that many good ces," Ve shrugged the question off. "How about going to get some food? Or maybe just strolling around the town?" she suggested as she walked a step forward and raised her eyes to the sky. "Ultimately, just do whatever you feel like doing," she advised before turning around and leaving.

    ''And what exactly am I supposed to enjoy?'' Mia asked herself as she realized the quandary she was in.

    Back in her time of being a ve, she would do everything to keep herself safe. She would work her hardest for Media and use every free moment to let her body regain its strength.

    Since getting together with Arthur, Mia''s life has oscited all around him. From sleeping with him, waking up together, through training, meals, and scheming...

    ''Even when I came to this sect, all I wanted was to get strong enough to help him back,'' Mia thought as she walked through the sect''s gate, finally entering the town.

    The city itself sprawled all around the sect grounds. It upied an area far greater than the sect itself, making it easier to call the sect just a district of the city rather than using the sect to name the city in the first ce.

    ''It''s nothing like it was back at the Skdder sect,'' Mia thought as she walked through the wide streets of the town.

    The city bustled with activity. People wereing and going, everyst one of them busy with their own affairs.

    ''This ce is kind of nice,'' Mia thought, unable to stop the joyous atmosphere of the townsfolk from permeating through her soul.

    ''Now that I think about it,'' Mia muttered as she reached out to the pocket of her robe, ''what am I supposed to do with those?''

    In her hands, there were the cultivation beads.

    ording to Sander''s information, they were used whenever one''s cultivation was too strained from over-relying on the cultivation resources to boost it.

    Mia''s group never faced such a problem and was unlikely to ever face it in the first ce. Since they were using the cultivation resources as aplement rather than the foundation of their growth, the cultivation beads were all but useless for them.

    ''Maybe I should sell them?'' she asked herself, only to hide the beads back into her pocket as she delved deeper into the city.

    Even though Mia spent most of her time in the normal sect area, she still had to go back to sleep to her quarters at the sponsored dormitory.

    As a result, Mia would enter the sponsored areate in the night and get out of it early in the evening. That meant she couldn''t really know for sure whether the other sponsored students continued to ignore the need for training, relying on the cultivation resources alone...

    ''I''m quite certain they do,'' Mia thought when she first noticed such a possibility. ''I saw how they reacted when they got their first bit of the sponsorship. Unless ourst interaction made them turn over a new leaf...'' Mia''s lips turned up in a mocking smile.

    ''Nah, there is no way,'' she thought, holding back her chuckle as she raised her head to look around the streets.

    The n formed in the girl''s head, prompting her to increase the pace of her walk as she moved through the streets.

    Soon Mia stopped in her steps.

    No one pointed this ce to her, nor there were any signs announcing what kind of purpose the building served.

    There was no need for any of that.

    ''So this is the local auction hall,'' Mia thought, standing as she observed the front of the building.

    Even without any signs of names, she could tell that this was the ce.

    The number of people in expensive clothinging in and out of ce was the first of the giveaways. A massive, although raised gate that protected its entrance was the other.

    ''This might be a good ce to sell those beads,'' Mia thought to herself as she made her way inside the building.

    Even today, she still continued to wear the robes that Arthur made for her, refusing to change into the sect-provided outfit. As such, she didn''t expect to receive any kind of special treatment, given how the people at the auction hall couldn''t tell she came from the sect.

    "Wee to the auction hall," one of the receptionists was quite quick to approach her the second she stepped into the main hall of the building. "What kind of business would you like to conduct today, mydy?"

    "I would like to sell two rxation beads," Mia imed, pulling out the two small tablets from her pocket and showing them in the palm of her hand. "What kind of prize do you think I could ask for?"

    ''I know it''s stupid to ask about the price of the things I want to sell,'' Mia thought, stopping an ugly grin from surfacing on her lips. ''But right now, it doesn''t really matter. I didn''t expect to get any money, so whatever I will be able to get will already be a profit,'' she decided internally.

    "Sure, just give me one second," the receptionist replied after catching just a glimpse of what she had to offer. "I will be right back, so if you could just wait here for a second," the young man excused himself with a smile before hurrying into the deeper, staff-only part of the building.

    ''I was supposed to get some rest,'' Mia thought, releasing a deep sigh, ''and here I am, already trying to see what I can do for our cause,'' she thought, rolling her eyes over her own situation and actions.

    ''Am I really that incapable of doing anything on my own?'' she asked herself as she continued to wait for the receptionist to return.

    As she had not passed the tablets to the man yet, she wasn''t really worried about the man ditching her.

    "I apologize for the wait," the receptionist said just a few momentster as he returned with another person.

    Mia nced over at the new person, only to notice that the small marking that the receptionist bore on his shoulder was replicated on that person''s outfit, with a few more details added.

    ''A higher rank?'' Mia thought, surprised by her discovery.

    "Excuse me, mydy," the middle-aged woman gently bowed her head before raising her eyes at the girl. "Are you by any chance called Mia?"

 Chapter 171 - Letter

    "Excuse me?" Mia asked, baffled by the sudden question. She instantly took a step back and focused her attention, ready to block any potential attacking her way...

    But no attack came.

    "Youngdy, I''m sorry for troubling you, but we actually happen to look for a certain person," the higher-rank officer of the auction hall stepped forward while cing her hand on the shoulder of the receptionist that Mia initially dealt with. "That''s why, if I could ask this silly question, are you going by the name Mia by any chance?"

    ''What should I do?'' Mia thought, unable to figure out how she was supposed to react.

    Should she lie? But if this was Arthur''s attempt to contact her, she would never be able to find out what kind of important message he sent via this strange method.

    But if this wasn''t Arthur... who else could it be?

    ''Jenne should be out of the picture now that I''m in the Tuxi sect,'' Mia thought, running through the list of all the people that she could consider enemies. ''Maybe someone from the Sponsored group?'' she asked herself, only to lower her burrows.

    Normally, she would shake her head. But doing so right now would give too much information to the clerk of the auction hall.

    "Yes, I''m Mia," the girl finally answered, unable to find any reason for anyone from the sponsored area to attempt to approach her in such a roundabout manner.

    ''They are used to getting exactly what they want, so if they wanted to bully me or to pay me back for my words, they would surely just do it face to face,'' Mia thought, rolling her eyes over how far the level of her opponents has fallen.

    ''The Skdder sect is nothing whenpared to the Tuxi sect, yet people woulde up with all kinds of schemes back there to get control over me,'' she thought, recalling those dangerous but ultimately... fun times.

    For Mia, every memory that included Arthur was a happy memory.

    "Then, we need to ask one more, onest question," the clerk of the hall said, her face already brimming with a satisfied smile. "Could you tell us, by any chance, the name of the man that you proimed your love for?"

    ''Huh?''

    Once again, Mia was stumped by the question.

    ''What is this, some kind of prank, maybe?''

    For the second time, she lost faith in this situation, being as straightforward as the clerk clearly wanted to make it.

    ''Or wait... Did I actually confess my love to Arthur?'' Mia asked herself, suddenly realizing the possibility that Arthur... was actually the only one telling about his feelings!

    ''No, I''m overthinking this,'' Mia thought. ''If it''s a message from Arthur, then he wouldn''t bother with such petty tricks,'' Mia thought as she raised her eyes at the clerk and smiled.

    "It''s Arthur," she answered.

    The smile on the clerk''s face only erged as she reached underneath her robe and pulled out a small but thick envelope.

    "The picture of your face, your name, and your call are confirmed," the middle-aged woman announced in a formal tone. "Here is the message for you," she said, passing the envelope over.

    "A message?" Mia muttered as she took the letter and broke its seal. The wax seal bore an insignia pretty simr to the one she could see stered all over the building, although it had some detailing differences.

    But there was no letter inside. Rather than that, there was just a small piece of paper, as big as Mia''s pinky, and a small vial with just a single droplet of blood inside.

    "What are those?" Mia muttered under her nose only to move her eyes on the attendant. If anyone, this woman was the one most likely to understand the meaning of the message.

    "This entire letter..." the woman hesitated for a moment, averting her eyes. She then swallowed a mouthful of saliva before moving her eyes back on Mia''s face. "We received a request from one of our prized and uing customers to pass this letter to you," she exined the nature of the situation. "As for its content..." she added, only to hesitate again and turn silent.

    "It''s okay," Mia reassured the attendant. "Even if you are wrong, I won''t take it against you," she imed. "Do you have any guesses? Because I don''t even have a shred of idea what this might be," she added, taking a helpless look on her face as she shook her shoulders.

    The officer of the auction hall released a deep sigh before taking one more step forward and leaning over Mia''s ear.

    "Most likely, it''s password and an ess to a storage ring," she whispered, only to move back and pretend as if nothing happened at all.

    "What storage ring?" It was Mia''s turn to whisper. She was more confused than she was before, despite clearly learning something.

    "I believe you should expect the arrival of the storage ring soon," the clerk assumed. "In order to unlock it, you will need to mix a droplet of your blood with the blood of its original owner. Once you have it prepared, smear it on the ring''s crystal and utter the password," she instructed kindly.

    "Can you slow down for a moment?" Mia requested, raising her hands in order to protect herself from the avnche of information that she couldn''t process on the go. "What storage ring?" she asked. "Aren''t those insanely expensive?"

    The clerk only smiled.

    "As I said, it''s only a guess. I personally have nothing to do whether it''s true or not," she imed. Mia was inclined to believe that the woman was wrong for a moment.

    But the small, cheeky smile on her lips made it hard to consider such a situation to be possible.

    "So I should expect a storage ring to somehow appear in my hands soon," Mia echoed the clerk''s words from before. She then raised her eyes and looked the woman directly on the face. "Right?"

    "You see, while our transportation formation is powerful, it doesn''t allow for sending any kind of storage equipment," the woman started to exin. "As it operates on the same principle as the storage devices, there is a massive risk of the rings interfering with the formation''s inner workings," she said before sending a meaningful look at Mia''s face.

    "And that''s most likely the reason why Arthur didn''t send everything via one route," Mia muttered to herself, connecting the dots of the situation she was in.

    ''But wait, how else is he going to send me the ring itself?'' she asked, stumped by the sudden inconsistency of her understanding of what Arthur did.

    "Most likely, he used the sect''s transportation services," the woman chuckled, clearly recognizing Mia as one of the Tuxi''s disciples despite apleteck of any features hinting at it.

    "I see..." Mia muttered, happily gobbling up the random hint that the female threw her way.

    Then, Mia''s face brightened as she looked at the attendant again.

    "Would it be possible to check where this letter came from?" she asked, a cheeky smile forming up on her lips.

    "Aren''t you a smart one?" the clerk giggled lightly. "Trying to judge how long it would take for the ring toe here, aren''t you?" she guessed up Mia''s intentions correctly.

    "I''m sorry to burst your bubble, but finding out where the letter came from?" she muttered before shaking her head. "No.. It''s impossible."

 Chapter 172 - Exchange

    "It''s impossible," the officer said, shaking her head so fast that her long, brown hair flurried around her face. "This location is too small for the transmitter version of the formation. We only have the receiver one," she exined.

    ''Reciever? Transmitter?'' Mia repeated the words in her mind, stopping her eyes from rolling around. ''Abra Kadabra sabra nadabra,'' she thought of some random words that came to her mind. ''How about you speak in a innguage I could actually understand?''

    Still, everything that the official was sharing was just her kindness. To a degree, it could be an attempt to do a favor to someone connected to Arthur. Given how she called him an uing and important customer of herpany, that was likely the case.

    "Could you please exin to me in a way that allows me to understand?" Mia requested.

    She wasn''t interested in how one of the systems within this ce worked. Even if she could use this information for her own purposes now or in the future, it wasn''t something that she would normally waste her time on trying to learn for no apparent reason.

    But right now, Mia couldn''t give up on the idea. Because if she somehow clutched a way to figure out where Arthur''s messages came from...

    Wouldn''t that mean that she would learn where he was? And figuring his location out was the first and most important step at reuniting with him!

    "We can receive stuff, but we cannot send anything," the officer smiled as she spread her arms out. "Because of that, we cannot track where the message was sent from as it would require dual connection," she exined.

    "I see..." Mia muttered.

    Her disappointment was unmeasurable, and her day was ruined.

    But Mia wasn''t yet ready to give up.

    "Is there any way to..." she attempted to ask, only to feel the officer''s handnd on her shoulder.

    "I understand your worry," the woman smiled gently. "But it will be for the best if you just sit tight and wait," the woman stated. "Since the formation can connect, it should take longer than a week or two before your ring arrives, even if it was carried by hand instead of through the sect''s formation," she added.

    ''A week or two?'' Mia thought, instantly saving this information into her memory. ''That should limit the number of ces that Arthur can be at!''

    "Thank you for all the information," Mia said elegantly as she lightly bowed her head.

    Even if the woman didn''t realize it, she helped Mia a whole lot. And even if they were a customer and an attendant right now, Mia wasn''t as heartless and self-centered to miss expressing her gratitude.

    ''I didn''t expect to learn so much out of nowhere,'' Mia thought as she turned around, ready to leave the ce. ''Still, there is one thing that I cannot undervalue,'' she thought, taking the first step.

    ''I can''t just focus on getting stronger. There will be no point in being strong if I won''t know where Arthur is for me to help him,'' she thought, heading for the exit.

    "Excuse me!" the attendant shouted after the girl, chasing after Mia as she was about to leave.

    "Yes?" Mia turned around, slightly shocked when the voice forced her out of her thoughts.

    "Weren''t you going to sell us some things?" the officer asked, putting a wide grin on her rtively young face. "I understand that you are shaken by the message and its meaning, but didn''t youe here to do business?" she asked.

    "Oh," Mia muttered, shocked by her own oversight. "I actually did," she added with a slightly troubled smile.

    "Pay it no mind," the officer reciprocated the smile. "It''s not the first time I see someone receiving the news they didn''t expect. Anyway," she muttered, pointing her hand towards the stand where Mia found the receptionist earlier. "What would you like to sell?" she asked.

    "I have two rxation beads for sale," Mia revealed her intentions, bringing out the tablets to the open again.

    This time, her actions didn''t get past the attention of the other customers. Soon, a whole group of people watched her every move with their eyes clearly centered around the two pinky-sized tablets on her palm.

    "Those are always in demand," the officer imed, leaning above the pills as she analyzed their color, texture, and shape.

    Despite how deep the officer''s analysis was, it took her only a short moment toplete it.

    "Normally, we would buy them for seventy imperial coins each," the woman muttered as she squinted her eyes.

    For a moment, she remained silent, calcting something in her mind. Then, she opened her eyes and looked at Mia with a grief-stricken look on her face. "But I can offer eighty-eight coins for each of them!" she announced.

    "Woah," Mia stumbled on her feet.

    Even though she didn''t really manage any sort of wealth in her life, she was more than aware of the general worth of the gold coins.

    While not much on their own, eighty-eight coins for a single tablet that she had no use for?

    "Would it be possible to get some cultivation resources instead of money?" Mia asked quickly, unwilling to let go of this opportunity.

    Mia felt no need to keep the money at hand. She would be hard-pressed to find anything practical to spend it on.

    And right now, improving the cultivation of her teammates was the one thing she was willing to splurge everything she had on!

    "For cultivation resources, huh?" the woman squinted her eyes once again.

    This time, however, the process of calcting the prices took the woman a considerably more period of time.

    "The most I can do for you is six spiritual cores and twenty spirit stones," she finally revealed, her face turning nk as she did.

    "Are you giving me some kind of discount?" Mia asked, somehow capable of telling what made the officer make the expression she did./

    "I''m automatically waiving all the transaction fees," the woman nodded her head. "You are someone close to one of the prized customers of the auction hall, after all," she pointed out at something that should be obvious from the get-go. "If you are still wary against me, feel free to consider it me buying a small favor with you," she added.

    "Is it a favor with me... or with Arthur?" Mia asked, raising one of her eyebrows up.

    ''I don''t mind owning this woman one.... But I''m not going to let her gain an advantage over Arthur!'' she thought.

 Chapter 173 - The Art Of Making A Deal

    "How could I gain favor with someone I never ever saw in the first ce?" the officer shouted in a baffled voice.

    She reacted as if what Mia just said was outright ridiculous and stupid.

    ''I got you,'' Mia thought, pretending not to notice what her eyes just tracked.

    And it was dissatisfaction.

    The officer didn''t manage to hide the small twitch of the corner of her mouth, natural instinct to share how unhappy she was with Mia''s question.

    Because that question, of whom would this favor be with, forced the officer toe clean and abandon all the ideas of exploiting Arthurter for the few coins worth of discount that she just offered.

    "So you can rightfully im to have done me a solid," Mia changed the wording of her sentence. Using the previous format on her question, the officer would nearly deprive herself of any gratitude, making the deal that she offered extremely unfavorable.

    And this wasn''t something that Mia could ept either.

    Right now, she was in a perfect position to get the winning hand of the deal. By calling the officer out on her attempt to gain favors with Arthur without him even knowing, Mia blocked any way for the officer to get anything out of the help that she offered.

    ''If I use this situation to the maximum now, I will only make an enemy,'' Mia thought as she reached out with her hand towards the middle-aged woman. ''Only by voluntarily giving up some ground can I turn the situation into the breeding ground for an alliance instead of a new enemy,'' she thought, feeling how the corners of her mouth twitched.

    ''Wait, didn''t I just think that this ce was safe from all kinds of schemers?'' Mia asked herself, moving just a tiny little bit to the past with her thoughts.

    A smile crept on her lips all on its own.

    ''Oh, how naive I was,'' she thought as she shook the woman''s hand.

    "Thank you very much for all the help," Mia said, grabbing the officer''s hand in a confident hold and shaking it. "I will be sure to pass the word on how grateful I am to you to Arthur on the first opportunity to do so," she promised, looking the woman directly in the eyes.

    "That would be..." the officer hesitated before returning the shake. "Much appreciated," she finally admitted, releasing a deep sigh and finally rxing both her face and her hold over Mia''s hand.

    It was that simple.

    Instead of taking it all, offer some benefits to the beaten opponent in return.

    Silently admitting that she was aware of the officer''s plot was the attack, the cash-grab move. And in that sense, reaching out and giving up some ground was Mia''s attempt at reconciliation.

    "Ladies," the receptionist from before has returned, a small, decorated box resting in his hands.

    "Are those...?" Mia asked, taking a quick look at the box only to move her eyes at the officer''s face.

    Mia''s face filled with disbelief.

    ''She already predicted how our negotiations would end up even before we started negotiating?'' she thought, amazed by the foresight of the woman. ''I guess I now know why she is a rank higher than this receptionist!'' she thought.

    In essence, all the information for the officer was there before the entire thing started.

    Mia revealed what she came to trade with before the two met. As such, the receptionist had all the time in the world when he went to fetch someone to deal with Mia''s request to fill them in about her request.

    As for what Mia would like in exchange for the rxation beads...

    It was even simpler.

    Just like the officer stated, those tablets were in constant demand. And the reason behind that was simple.

    Those who cultivated by relying on the cultivation resources would have their progress limited by their own strength. They would be unable to absorb any more foreign spirituality at a certain point, forcing them to either wait or consume pills like the rxation beads.

    ''And that can mean only one thing when someone is willing to part ways with those beads,'' Mia thought, her lips turning into a grin all on her own. ''It can only happen in only two scenarios. When some doesn''t care about their strength,'' Mia thought, opening up the box only to notice an orderly row of spiritual cores and a bunch of spirit stones at the bottom of the box.

    ''Or when someone didn''t have any need for those pills and beads in the first ce.''

    A strange feeling ran through Mia''s system.

    ''If merchants do know about this quality of cultivation... Howe cultivators themselves are unaware?'' she asked herself, unable to make any sense of what she just realized.

    But this wasn''t the right time to think about it.

    Mia shut down the lid of the box and looked at the receptionist and the officer''s duo. She nodded her head with respect before turning around and leaving the ce.

    She achieved far more than she expected bying to this ce. But, with the pills in her hands, there was no longer any reason for her to stay in the auction hall.

    The second Mia decided to leave, her body followed through. Soon, not only did she leave the ce, but her legs also carried her all the way back to the sect grounds.

    ''Are they going to piss me off?'' she asked herself as her eyes ran all over the ce to spot anyone who could be waiting for her.

    But even after straining her sight for several moments, Mia failed to find anyone who could be potentially waiting for her.

    In the end, she only found them when she arrived at the training grounds.

    Not a single member of the team that she organized was wasting time waiting for her to return.

    They were too busy training and making the most efficient use of the time they had at hand.

    "Gather up," Mia shouted silently the second she set foot in the training ground.

    She didn''t have to wait for long. Even with her entire group focused on the training, they wouldn''t miss something as obvious as her appearance.

    They simply didn''t see a point in stopping training and greeting her before.

    Soon, everyst one of them received a fair share of the resources that Mia obtained. And from the looks in their eyes, Mia could tell how eager they were to make the best possible use out of them.

    "This is what we are likely stuck with until the next distribution day," she announced, looking down at her own hand with the remaining two spiritual cores and four spirit stones. "So, without further ado..." Mia waited for a second before a wide smile appeared on her lips.

    "Get the fuck back to training!" she shouted, chasing herpanions away.

    She waited for a second to confirm that no one bothered to waste time on protesting. She moved to her own training spot only once all four of her teammates diligently returned to the training.

    ''Well, let''s lead by the example,'' she thought, squeezing her hand and absorbing the cultivation resources in her hand. She then stood up in a position and threw her first punch.

    ''Still,'' she thought as her body started to overflow with the spiritual energy, ''where did he get his money and fame from, this time?'' Mia thought her attention was on the faraway persona she loved.

    ''Let''s just hope he didn''t get involved with the brothel again!''

 Chapter 174 - Arcane Bone

    I was wrong.

    This was the only way, to sum up just how naive I was when thinking that I could hunt as much as I needed to fill my quota by spending just half of the day on hunting.

    This was nothing short but a result of my arrogance. A stupid mistake was made by a beginner who thought he knew better.

    There was no chance that I would ever be able to fulfill my quota just by hunting in the morning and using the rest of the day for my own purposes.

    It was simply inefficient.

    After all, getting into the mindset of hunting or working took time. The time was nothing short but wasted when I had to switch my mindset in the middle of the day.

    That''s why, rather than doing two things at once in a simple day, I focused hard on my hunting for the next four days.

    I did nothing but hunt in the forest for four days straight. And after those four days, I finally managed to obtain all the resources I needed to get my quota submitted properly and all the resources I could potentially need in my private endeavors.

    "Are you sure you don''t want to go hunting today?" Lucius asked when he was ready, preparing for the morning departure for his hunt.

    After four days of watching me bring more and more haul with every passing day, he was finally faced with the reality.

    The reality was that my sudden sput of motivation and dedication was nothing but a n to get more free time for myself.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head. "There is a reason why I worked so hard over thest few days," I added, refusing to look at his face.

    Lucius was furious.

    I didn''t need to look at him to confirm it. Even though he was trying his best to hide it, I could hear it in his voice.

    For him, the idea of NOT going to the forest to hunt even when there was a chance to do so was nothing short butziness and cking attitude.

    "I already finished my quota, don''t you worry," I said with a small sneer, perfectly aware that this wouldn''t be enough to shut him up.

    And then I waited. And waited.

    But no witty remark came to my face. No response forced me to my knees to admit to my mistake and apologize.

    ''Did he finally give up?'' I thought, full of hopes, as I raised my eyes to look at Lucius...

    Only to realize that he had already started moving towards the forest!

    ''Isn''t he going to chastise me for that?'' I thought, baffled by the difference between what I expected and what actually happened.

    Still, I wasn''t going toment over the situation going exactly as I hoped it would!

    ''Now that the annoyance is out of the way,'' I thought, quickly gathering my thoughts and moving back to my room for a moment.

    I held most of my belongings in a small crate underneath my bed. Even though I had a storage ring, I had to use this kind of barbaric level of storage.

    Not because I was running out of space in the storage ring I was using. But because I had to be able to somehow exin how I could manage to create so much stuff without actively hunting for the materials in the forest.

    In other words, if not for this storage that I made sure Lucius knew about, he would have all the information he needed to figure out that I had a storage ring on my own!

    And with how I currently perceived my Overseer, that kind of information was more than just dangerous.

    With all my things gathered in one medium-sized bag, I moved out of the tent.

    It was a perfect ce to practice all sorts of jobs... But I wasn''t going to be as wasteful as to spend my time in the tent when I could do the same in the weing embrace of my array!

    I moved all kinds of resources and tools to my new favorite ce within the camp beforeying them all out in the open.

    By the time I was done setting everything up, three-quarters of the space within my improved amplification array was upied. I sorted out everything first by type, then by the quality, andstly by size, allowing me to assess what kinds of materials I had to work on with just a single nce.

    ''Finally,'' I thought, grabbing one of the smallest and worst-quality monster bones while pulling out my trusty knife, ''it''s time to do some fucking homework!''

    To say that my attitude towards the work itself changed between my lives would be a massive understatement.

    Back on earth, even though I managed to turn my passion into my job, its results were pretty mediocre.

    Sure, I brought joy to countless nerds with my programming and storytelling. Sure, I was doing exactly what I always hoped to do...

    But ultimately, it was all meaningless.

    Once a session would be over, it would be left as nothing but good memories of the yers who partook in it.

    Once the game would be finished, it would be just another item on my portfolio, bringing in a few bucks every month.

    It wasn''t a bad life, not at all, but it wasn''t fulfilling. I constantlycked the sense of meaning behind my word. Icked the feeling that my work constantly helped me to achieve something.

    And in this world, this feeling was no more.

    I did nothing but waste the materials for the first three hours by loosely ying around with them. It was a natural part of trial and error. A natural part of a learning process.

    Back on earth, if I were to make a mistake, either the program would point it out on its own, or one of the yers would bring my attention to it.

    In other words, there was no weight behind my mistakes as long as I made sure to fix them.

    This was also different in this world, as every failure to turn a monster''s bone into a core of a small formation I envisioned in my mind would mean... losing that bone.

    A bone that, although easy to obtain, I only had a limited quantity off.

    ''I need to gather my thoughts and calm down,'' I thought when I failed to carve anything useful out of the fourth bone.

    My attempts at turning the bones into an arcane item failed one by one. No matter how hard I tried to carve a containment formation into it before driving the energy, it would break the second I attempted to push some energy into it.

    ''Maybe they are just too... bad?'' I attempted to guess, reluctantly reaching out for one of the better-quality bones.

    Once again, I recalled the set of runes I schemed the night before. And then, I got into carving.

    The pulling runes at both ends of the long bone. The push runes in a row of three on each of its four sides. The start and stop runes were plotted in a way that always kept both a pull and a push rune between them.

    Soon, the bone was finished.

    ording to my n, I should be able to inject or suck the mana out by covering the respective start or stop rune with my finger. It was a design that I spent several hours of thest night trying to perfect.

    But the most important part had yet toe.

    "Don''t disappoint me, please," I muttered as I raised my hand with the bone in it... and I injected some of my mana into it.

    Tic.

    The bone didn''t shatter. Instead, my mana properly fused into its innate drive only to end up stuck inside, blocked by the runes from escaping.

    I finally managed to properly craft an arcane bone!

    It was a pity that it had no other use but holding some mana in it, though.

 Chapter 175 - One Dildo To Rule Them All

    That was the moment. The one moment I was waiting for.

    Having a single bone actually work as intended could appear to be just a single small thing. But it was far more than that.

    It was proof that my concepts were correct.

    ''If that''s the case, then was it really the quality of the bones that botched the work before?'' I asked myself, looking at the pile of scraps that my previous attempt brought forward.

    Whatever was the case, I didn''t linger on the topic for too long. Right now, Icked the knowledge and experience to judge the reason for my previous failures.

    Whether my guess was correct or not didn''t matter. Because one of the main aims that I had for this job was already achieved.

    ''Just like I thought,'' I mused to myself as I quickly scanned through my system.

    The standard feeling of my stats growing was correct. And just like I hoped, my arcane weaponmaster finally raised up by a level!

    ''It''s the fourth level already,'' I thought, only to fight off the urge to test how it influenced my fighting ability.

    There would be a time for me to do that. But right now, I have other things to do.

    Not wasting another second, I moved back to work.

    Bit by bit, piece by piece, bone by bone, I continued to craft more of the same. Yet, the second I finished the third working piece, I realized that there was something wrong.

    ''Not a single level up,'' I thought after checking my system just to be sure. ''Not even a single point of progress,'' I noticed, gritting my teeth.

    I guess it couldn''t be just that easy.

    Was it because of thecking quality of the materials that I used? The level of the item being too low? Or maybe...

    Or maybe creating an arcane item would only help me raise the level of the job once? In other words, no matter how many more bones I would enchant, it would do no good?

    ''I can''t really afford to test this hypothesis,'' I thought, taking stock of the materials that I still had left.

    There were still quite a few of them... but if I wanted to have enough for my other projects, I had no other choice but to finish my testing of the arcane weaponmaster''s growth right now.

    "I guess I don''t have much choice," I muttered to myself, putting the third finished bone aside before moving on to the next project.

    This time, it was the formation itself.

    As I already tested before, one could use the most rudimentary materials to craft the stones that made up the formation. But the guide that I was using to further my knowledge about this discipline stated several times that the quality of the materials would influence the effects of the formation.

    When I first saw that passage, I had to stop myself from rushing out to turn some monster''s bones or even spiritual cores into runestones for the formation.

    In the end, those materials were still quite precious to me. And it was better to learn a bit more before haphazardly going to try creating my own formation from the very foundation.

    That''s why, instead of using the daylight to keep crafting runestones or carving out the runes in the monsters'' bones... I took out the formation guidebook and immersed myself in the lecture.

    ''Woah,'' I quickly moaned in a happy surprise when I realized just how in-depth the guide was.

    If the first three chapters treated the on basic concepts and runes used in formation-making, then the fourth and fifth chapters finally revealed just how deep this topic actually was.

    ''Ugh,'' I thought when a shiver moved down my spine. ''If this topic is soplex already, just what the hell is going on in the further chapters,'' I thought, fighting off the scare that I would often get as a student whenever delving into apletely new, amazing topic of study.

    It was a risky thing to do. I was out in the open. If Lucius were to decide to wrap his daily hunt a lot earlier than usual today, he could simply walk in and see me study a book that he had no idea I had.

    But the moment I got into studying the topic, I got too immersed in it to care.

    ''So that''s why,'' I thought when the author of the guide offhandedly exined several of the problems that I encountered during my earlier testing.

    A few momentster, I confirmed that my earlier failures with the bonemaking were indeed caused by the poor quality of the bones I used.

    After binging through just a single chapter of the book, I managed to learn at least three times as much as I learned by diligently studying the first three chapters!

    ''I guess it''s the economy of scale,'' I thought, recalling one of the topics I found quite interesting back on earth.

    While it was initially a term used specifically for the benefits of amassing the industry and logistics in a single area rather than spreading it out, this concept could be applied to a lot of different aspects of life.

    And learning was one of those aspects.

    ''Fuck, I got too into it,'' I thought at least two hourster when the rays of the sun started to strike directly against my back.

    It was still pretty early into the day, but I could no longer im that the midday had yet toe.

    Worried about the possibility of being discovered, I hid the book away in my storage ring before moving my eyes down at the materials.

    ''I guess I''m ready,'' I thought, reaching out for my knife and one of the better bones.

    There was a reason why I was set on studying the formations. Or rather, an entire plethora of reasons... But one of them stood above the rest.

    And it was to make a shitload of money.

    Back in the Skdder sect, I used the ideas popr on the earth to amaze the people of this world. Back then, I brought fries to this world.

    And right now, it was time to create the first proper dildo of this world!

    One dildo to rule all the dildos!

    A dildo that would be so great even men would pay crates upon crates of gold just to touch it.

    A dildo that would not only be a tool to pleasure but a tool to raise one''s cultivation as well!

 Chapter 176 - Why Try Hard With Tech, If You Can Have Magic?

    The reason why I wanted to make a dildo was simple.

    It was the product that I wanted to sell en masse to the brothel. But this topic was far deeper than just that.

    All the way back in the Skdder sect, I learned about dual cultivation. And just like anyone could expect from someone born in the science and information era, I refused to believe that it was all about some kind of mystic connection.

    ''It has to be some kind of rule,'' I thought as I continued to carve more and more runes into the straight monster''s bone.

    As I didn''t understand the concept yet, I could only work on the physical aspect of the dildo.

    The physical aspect being... the vibration.

    I wasn''t as arrogant and naive to believe that my dildo would be the first inanimate object that women of this world would insert in their holes for pleasure.

    As much as this idea got poprized in the modern world by the porn videos and general rxation of sexual standards, it was something too obvious not to exist before.

    That''s why, in order to have any shot at taking over the market, I had to bring out the one feature that turned a simple back-massager into the most popr sex tool of all time!

    And soon, I managed to nail it!

    Despite howplicated the runes that I used were, the idea behind the mechanism was pretty simple.

    I would start by taking a rtively high-quality bone and turning it into the same enchanted thing that I used to advance my arcane weaponmaster skill by one level.

    Once it could hold mana inside, I would suck it all dry out of the energy before adding more and more runes.

    The entire vibration mechanism worked around three sets of runes.

    Two of them would be a simple set aimed at storing the mana inside. The real magic would happen within the third set of runes, located right between the two previously mentioned sets.

    ''Let''s call it an alternation device,'' I thought to myself, taking quite a lot of pride in the design.

    In this world where people took mana for something spiritual, I had no prior works to base my experiments on. In fact, the guide to the formations already felt like a cheat code all on its own.

    ''Actually, it feels as if it was written by someone from the earth rather from this world,'' I thought, looking towards my pants where I kept my storage ring.

    This was another puzzle that I would have to solve one day... But it wasn''t the time for that yet.

    ''The more I learn about this world and how it works, the more questions without an answer I get,'' I thought grimly, only to shake those thoughts out of my head and focus on the topic at hand.

    The alternating mechanism was pretty simple. Using some of the most basic logic, the mechanism would detect which of the two storages held more mana before making the mana flow from one to the other.

    Did I mention that mana appeared to have some sort of physical qualities?

    It was the aspect of the spiritual force that I used to make sure the process wouldn''t just equalize right away. And thanks to this quality, by the time the amount of energy in the storage would be the same, by the time the logic would detect it... the other storage would already receive more energy than it should!

    In a sense, this was a w. But instead ofmenting over it and how it made me unable to make the earthy designs for vibrating devices, I simply made the best use of this w for my own purpose!

    ''Now then,'' I thought after sessfully making the bone vibrate in my hand, ''how the fuck am I supposed to make a male masturbator?''

    This was the one thing that was really stumping me down. Even though I did... ekhem... possess a sleeve or two back in my popr days, I had no idea just how to replicate all the functions that it had.

    ''Maybe just add some vibrating massagers inside?'' I thought, only tough the idea off.

    As simple as it sounded, the second I attempted to imagine how it was supposed to be working...

    I dropped the idea when the schematic in my head involved over a hundred small andplex elements.

    ''Damn, I didn''t expect it would be that hard to evene up with the idea,'' I thought.

    For the next few moments, I attempted toe up with some kind of ingenious designs, each moreplicated than the other.

    And I didn''t even start thinking about how the hell could I obtain a skin-like material!

    And then it dawned upon me.

    "I shouldn''t let the knowledge from earth restrain me!" I nearly shouted.

    Whye up withplex mechanical solutions to things that surely had a simple magical solution?

    Too excited to think rationally, I reached to my pants and rubbed one out of my ring to pull the formation guide book. Then, instead of looking at the chapters, I scrolled through the pages to find the pages with basic formations.

    A few minutester, I found it. The chapter is filled with all sorts of formations with different uses and exnations behind the runes used.

    Two minutester, I nailed it.

    ''An air producing formation,'' said one of its names, right above the ''air sucking'' formation.

    I quickly copied the designs of the runes and their purpose on one of the cheapest bones I had. As I was still far from being fluent in the localnguage, I did everything in my ownnguage, one that this world has yet to see.

    ''With those, it should be manageable,'' I thought before finally realizing what would be the greatest hurdle in the project.

    ''How the hell am I supposed to make a skin-like fabric?''

    I could recall that on earth they would use some kind of special synthetics. But there was no way I could create something like this in this tech-free world!

 Chapter 177 - Full Moon

    By the time Lucius returned from the forest, I was only halfway done with my projects. Due to the massive hardships that I stumbled upon when making the pleasuring sleeve for men, I simply dropped the project into the depths of hiatus and moved on to the things I could actually progress on.

    I was working on the formation stones to upgrade my current amplification array when I saw Lucius appear beyond the trees in the distance.

    The angle of his approach was different than usual, signaling that there was something wrong with today''s hunt. But as our rtions started to cool off recently, I didn''t even bother to ask about it.

    ''I had no idea formations could be soplex and formidable,'' I thought, turning my focus back to the things that mattered.

    During the entire day I spent studying and practicing formations, I learned a whole lot. But there was one thing that struck me the most.

    The nature of the formation was captured by the author of my guidebook.

    They were simply too orderly!

    For a world where one just had to sit down and cultivate to get stronger, where formations were formed in a single sentence structure instead of an array of simple ones...

    It just didn''t fit.

    ''It''s as if someone who wrote this book didn''t operate along with the localmon sense,'' i thought when the obvious possibility dawned upon me.

    ''What if the author of this book is...'' I thought before swallowing a gulp of my own saliva.

    No. This wasn''t the thing that I should be thinking right now.

    Those thoughts could be entertained during the night when I wouldn''t waste the precious daylight on them.

    But that didn''t change the fact that the more I looked into the book and the more I learned about the formation... The more I felt as if this entire discipline was just a new and fancy programingnguage.

    A programingnguage that directly affected the world around me instead of just sendingmands to the machines attached to the processing unit.

    The only problem with the bookid in its trantion.

    While I managed to cope with only a single paragraph being tranted at a time, it stopped me from using my full potential. Yet, it wasn''t even the biggest problem.

    Most of the topics in the book were covered in the manner that I would expect from a programming guide. But whenever the author would near the conclusion of a topic, the ultimate answer to the topic he was tackling...

    Everything he would write before would suddenly disappear, reced by the results and assumptions one could expect from the normal books of this world.

    ''It''s really as if someone was trying to decrease the knowledge of humans in this world,'' I thought, scrolling through the pages of the guide that I saved in my brain.

    But all of that was just a small bear whenpared to the discovery that I made about the moreplex runes.

    Because the formation stones that I previously considered to be the pinnacle of what the formation masters could craft...

    Turned out to be entire formations written within a single rune.

    My amplification array, for example, was constructed as a set of repeating sentences. And in a sense, the advanced runes represented not a single order but an entire sentence!

    What was the most interesting about this topic was how the rune itself would somehow reflect the lesser runes that one could use to replicate its effects.

    To construct a rune of freezing, one wouldbine the marks of runes that made up the freezing formation!

    "Arthur..." Lucius appeared right behind my back just as I was busy carving out the spiritual cores that I wanted to use for my next amplification formation.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked, gently pulling my knife away from the stone, worried about identally scratching it and destroying nearly an hour of hard work.

    "The full moon is nearing," Lucius announced, his eyes directed to the sky.

    The sun has yet toe down, making it nigh impossible to spot any stars. In fact, due to some clouds, I couldn''t even spot the moon.

    "And?" I asked after looking right in the same direction as Lucius did.

    "We will be moving to the sect tomorrow," Lucius announced out of nowhere.

    "Huh?" I muttered, surprised to no end. "We still have three more days, don''t we?"

    We had three more days to submit our biweekly quotas. In other words, we were supposed to depart the day after tomorrow.

    And yet, Lucius suddenly announced that we would be moving tomorrow?

    It suddenly dawned upon me.

    ''Could the strange activity of those monsters be the reason?'' I asked myself before moving my eyes back on Lucius'' face.

    Still, that didn''t exin Lucius'' decision at all! If the forest was turning too dangerous for us to enter, what was wrong with spending that time in the camp? It was peaceful, wasn''t it?

    "Why?" I asked, refusing to borate any further.

    I just wanted to know the reason. While I honestly preferred the peace of the camp, I didn''t mind going to the sect a little earlier either.

    "It''s not only the forest that''s going to be affected," Lucius exined, his eyes locked at some distant point that I couldn''t see. "Do you remember the first and thest part of the road we took?" he asked out of nowhere.

    Now that I thought about...

    In order to get to the sect, we had to get out of the forest first. As our camp was located right in its dead middle, the entire first part of the journey was all about leaving it.

    Then, when we would get in just three hours of walk away from the sect, the road would cut straight through another forest. And from how Lucius acted back when we traversed it, it was clear that it was as filled with monsters as our forest was.

    "Oh," I muttered when I suddenly realized what Lucius meant.

    Both the first and thest part of our journey to the sect would take us through the monsters'' infested areas. And since the full moon would somehow affect them, Lucius decided to just pack up and leave in advance.

    "I will be ready," I replied in a silent voice as I took a look at my things and started to gather them.

    Crafting more formation stones could wait. Right now, I had to ensure every important bit of my possessions was safely stored within my ring!

 Chapter 178 - Towns Inn

    I woke up when the first rays of the sun tore through the thin walls of the tent.

    Those walls were made from materials that protected from temperature and elements but not against the sunlight.

    ''I bet it was an intentional part of the design,'' I thought, donning my robes and looking around mypartment.

    Even though it was only temporary, this ce served as my room and home. Just like back when I used to travel to visit my parents, leaving this ce filled me with a distant echo of nostalgia and reluctance.

    But the truth behind this feeling, this attachment, was wholly different. I didn''t want to leave the camp so soon because that would affect my ability to learn more.

    Sure, I could read a lot while on the sect grounds... But any sort of practical experiments would be way too risky to conduct.

    ''I hope I will at least be able to cultivate there,'' I thought as I pushed the doors to my room open.

    "Those days off really doesn''t serve you well, son," Luciusmented, looking sideways at my face. "You are losing your edge," he added, as his smirk turned slightly serious.

    We exchanged hardly any further words.

    The second we stepped outside of the tent, we both got into the traveling mood.

    I turned my mind down.

    Sure, I could think over what I had already learned to try to apply a creative touch to the raw information I obtained.

    But doing so on the move, on the road? It wasn''t the greatest idea.

    First off, from the moment we exited the camp''s clearing, we entered the dense part of the forest. Weighted down by our luggage, we couldn''t afford to move as nimbly as during the hunt.

    In other words, for several hours in a row, my mind had to be on a full alert, my body ready to move to defend itself at any time.

    It was a pretty tense experience.

    Yet, as some could think, the situation didn''t change for the better when we finally reached the imperial highway.

    "Right, I always wanted to ask," I spoke up when we reached a massive in.

    The road cut straight through it for a while, only totch on another forest that I could see in the distance. With nothing but short grasses all around, we could take a short moment to rx.

    "How did those roadse to be?" I posed my question.

    It was a small detail, one that I omitted for a long time. Because from what I saw, the civilization of this worldcked the means to construct such a massive project.

    ''Strip down the decorations and markings, and you have a modern highway,'' I noticed.

    The road was different from what I knew behind this world by a massive margin.

    It was made with stone pieces, each fitted perfectly into the other. But while this kind of precision even a small kingdom could achieve...

    The road stretched throughout the entire continent. From one end to the other, the Imperial highway connected the furthest expanses of the first zone.

    This was a feat achievable only by either a highly sophisticated society...

    Or an unbelievable army of ves.

    "They say it used to repel monsters," Lucius muttered. He rarely talked in the first ce, but the traveling mood made him dislike anymunication at all. "No one really knows when it appeared. It just... is," he added after taking a moment to think.

    That was all I learned about this road.

    Literally.

    Lucius didn''t say another word all the way to the moment when we finally reached the sect.

    It took us an entire day, from the moment the sun rose to the moment the moon reached the highest point of the skydome.

    I took a nce at Lucius beside me.

    This journey was challenging, but not because of the physical toll of traveling for that long.

    For the duration of our entire journey, Lucius never lost his edge.

    ''It appears that this moon''s cycle is really affecting him,'' I noticed.

    Maybe it wasn''t the best idea to keep silent about the fact of those monsters acting up during my sneaky hunt.

    "We are finally here," Lucius muttered when we managed to pass by the first gate leading to the urban area.

    There was no point in trying to deal with the sect-rted matters tonight. That''s why, instead of pressing towards the sect district, we simply rented out two rooms in one of the many inns in the city.

    The road wasn''t challenging for one''s body. It was challenging to one''s mind.

    By the time I left Lucius in his room, he was a ruin of a man.

    ''At least I will finally be able to study a little,'' I thought, closing the doors behind me and grabbing the candlelight.

    I brought out my books with just a flick of a finger. This time, however, I took an interest in another subject.

    If I were to learn more about formations, I wouldn''t be able to resist the urge to test my new knowledge out. Such a thing would only add to my stress, reducing the efficiency of my studies.

    This time, I took a glimpse into the secrets of alchemy.

    Regretfully, though, this wasn''t the guide of the same standard as the formation one.

    Just like my initial array formation, the alchemy book attempted to clearly improvise some sort of rituals. The process of refining and concocting various elixirs and potions appeared more like a show than a craft.

    On the other hand, my formation book was simple, spoke only about certainties and useful assumptions.

    ''It''s like it was written in the school books'' style,'' I thought before putting the book back into my storage ring.

    I managed to understand some things about alchemy during the session. It was pretty convoluted and ridiculous in my eyes, but the stimuli still allowed me to level up my job.

    By the time the sun was only a few hours away from rising, I finallyid my head down on the pillows, ready to sink into slumber.

    I could handle the journey we made with ease, but my body would still wear off. It wasn''t a big deal in any way... But ignoring this problem could easily lead to some bigger trouble down the line.

    ''I guess I will need to visit those two standard ces,'' I thought, closing my eyes.

    The brothel and the auction hall.

    In my eyes, those two ces grew up to be the main pirs of business and investing in this world.

    I could secure all my shady interests and funding in the brothel, while the auction hall would provide me with everything that I could afford.

    Who cared about politics? Who cared about the local lords?

    By establishing firm control over the local brothels and auction halls, I could project my power over the entire city. And all of that, without crossing the bottom line of the local powerhouses!

    I had to visit those two ces. Not doing so was out of the question. But for now... For now...

    I had to get some hours of well-deserved rest!

 Chapter 179 - [Bonus ]At The Brothel Once Again

    I woke upte.

    Well, not really. The sun barely scratched the horizon. The day was in the process of slowly brightening up.

    But it was already toote.

    I jumped out of bed, one that turned out to be far morefortable than the one I had back at the camp.

    ''Perks of living in the city,'' I thought, pulling out the formation guide.

    First, I had to pay a visit to the brothel. Not only to throw them a bait to keep them, but I also had an important inquiry that would decide what the next few weeks of my professional life would look like.

    ''Those rings are really convenient,'' I thought, clearing all my belongings from the room with a single sweep of my hand.

    I was already amazed by its ability to store the luggage while saving me the burden of the weight, the convenience of having the ring was just immeasurable.

    With the room clean, I got out of the lodging.

    We paid for the entire stay already, so there was no point in alerting Lucius about my whereabouts whatsoever.

    Just like he would go to the brothel when given the chance and peace of mind, I would go out to make money.

    "The sun is already high," I muttered, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the sharp rays of the nearby star.

    Even though I woke up early, I still spent nearly half of a day on learning. And all for a simple reason.

    Sleep was for the weak. Without the threat of a hunt hanging over my head, I didn''t need to be in my pristine state. Only a few hours of sleep were more than enough for me to rest.

    As for why I didn''t visit the brothel first thing in the morning... With what kind of establishment it was, I expected it to open slightlyter into the day than the rest of the city.

    And just like I expected, when I walked into the area where the entrance to the brothel was, I could hardly spot a living soul.

    "He is here," the whispers started to circle around me the second I made my way inside the building.

    I doubted that people expected my appearance so soon, but it went without a doubt that they were quick to notice it.

    ''It seems that myst visit turned out to be quite... memorable,'' I thought, standing in the middle of the deserted hallway and just waiting.

    A momentter, my expectations proved to be correct.

    "So you came back," the Madam that I shed with before came to confront me.

    "So I did," I replied, happily indulging in the childish standoff.

    For a moment, we continued to stare each other down, unwilling to give any ground to the other party.

    Then, the Madam finally averted her eyes and muttered, "what did youe here for?"

    ''Did she give up, or was it just a part of her n for the negotiations?'' I asked myself, allowing a small smirk to surface on my lips.

    Whatever was the reason, I didn''t mind ying along.

    "Preparations for the reveal," I replied coldly. "But are you sure this is the right ce to discuss it?" I asked, changing the tone of the conversation.

    I raised my arms and then looked around as if trying to point out how open the area was.

    "If you don''t care, I don''t mind talking about my inventions here," I said in a dissatisfied tone while lowering my eyelids to half of my eye''s height.

    "No, let''s not do that," the Madam finally caught my drift, turning sideways and pointing ahead with her hand. "Please, let us move to my office," she obediently invited.

    ''This token really has some power to it,'' I thought.

    I could still remember the impression it made on everyone in the brothel, but my current situation?

    The Madam went above and beyond every courtesy that she offered me previously!

    ''Did something happen?'' I asked myself, squinting my eyes as a wave of suspicion filled my heart. ''Or maybe she thought thinks through?'' I guessed.

    ''No, it doesn''t matter,'' I lectured myself. ''I should not lose myself in the battles of arguments that have yet to appear,'' I decided.

    There was no point in trying to understand everyst thing that she did. She was here to make money out of my ideas, and I was here to get money by sharing my ideas.

    We were here for mutual benefit, so no funny business should be involved.

    "You got your show," the middle-aged female announced the second she closed the door behind the two of us. "I hope you are happy with it," she added in a spiteful tone.

    Even though she weed my presence here, it was clear that she still didn''t like me, even in the least.

    "Don''t put it on me," I shrugged my shoulders while sending the woman an empty look. "I didn''t ask for it," I said. "You are the one who started it."

    For a moment, we took part in yet another battle of stares. And once again, Madam gave up after a while. She averted her eyes and exhaled.

    "What do you want?" she asked.

    "Here," I said, reaching out to my pants.

    At the sight of my actions, Madam scoffed in a quick sneer.

    A secondter, a row of several dildos, carved directly out of the monster''s bone, appeared on the top of her desk.

    "What are those?" she asked, raising her eyes at the wares only to move them on my face a secondter.

    "Sex toy," I replied, reaching out and grabbing a random piece.

    I then turned its bottom towards Madam''s face.

    "By covering this rune with your finger and injecting it with your spiritual energy," I said, doing just as I exined, "you activate it."

    The second mana infused itself into the formations carved out in the middle part of the dildo, the entire thing started to vibrate.

    "That''s the one on the weaker side," I announced, only to suck the device dry of mana and move my hand to the next one. After repeating the process, the piece of bone started to dance in my hand as if in an attempt to free itself from my grasp.

    "This one is on the stronger side," I exined.

    The Madam of the brothel spent too many years in her line of work not to understand the purpose of those sticks after my little demonstration.

    "This is what you want to sell me?" she raised her eyebrows and asked, looking right down my eyes.

    "Sell?" I echoed her words, only to release a small chuckle. "No, not yet," I shook my head in denial. "I came here only to show you the first functionality of this item," I said with a smile before putting the dildo away.

    I then fixed my position on the chair andbed my hands together, resting my elbows on my knees as I leaned forward.

    "Tell me everything that you know about dual cultivation," I requested with a wide smile.

    I deemed those two sentences to be sufficient of a hint for Madam to figure out what kind of n I had in store!

 Chapter 180 - What Is Dual Cultivation

    "That''s quite... unusual topic," the Madam said as she looked at me. Her lowered eyelids made her long stare appear thoughtful.

    "You might be correct," I nodded my head, "but I fail to notice how is that relevant," I added, angling my head to the side.

    A small, ironic smile crept up on my lips.

    For a moment, the woman continued to stare at me along her long eyshes. She then took a deep breath and released it in the form of a sigh as she stretched herself back on her chair.

    "The truth is, we don''t really know much," Madam pursed her lips as she spoke. "We know what it does, but why?" she asked, shaking her head. "Just a bunch of guesses."

    "I''m listening," I replied without hesitation.

    In my eyes, the opening to the lecture was nothing more than a bunch of excuses.

    She was a goddamn manager of a brothel situated right by the border of a huge sect. If she didn''t know how dual cultivation worked, who else would?

    "To start it off, the simple rule," the Madam finally started to speak some sense. "The dual cultivation always equals to the higher rank," the woman said as she looked up at the ceiling of the room.

    "I know." I nodded my head. "If a weak girl dual cultivates with a strong man, her cultivation will rise. The caveat is," I released a small sigh, "it woulde with no benefit for the man," I added.

    "Don''t forget about the pleasure and rxation," the Madam was quick to interrupt my words.

    I only gave her a slightly annoyed stare in response.

    "Right, sorry," she pulled back.

    I could tell why she was quite defensive about this topic. It closely rted to her business, so she likely developed a habit of dismissing anything that could put her business at risk.

    "I also know that duel cultivation works great when the two parties are equal in strength," I said after waiting for a few moments.

    Those words actually had a different meaning in this discussion. There was a sign of peace, allowing the middle-aged woman to speak again.

    ''Since she wants to overreact to that token, let me y my part as well,'' I thought.

    "We know about two more things," the woman said, raising her hand with two fingers straightened. "First, dual cultivation does not increase the sum of your spiritual energy."

    I didn''t expect such a bomb to be dropped so randomly. And from the looks of things, this slut just dropped it in the middle of her speech!

    "Secondly, one needs to supplement dual cultivation with a massive amount of cultivation resources and elixirs in order to properly grow," she added, once again providing me with interesting detail.

    I was in no way in a position to figure out the exact details of dual cultivation. I had way too little information for that. And even if I could somehow get the dual cultivation skill or job...

    The prize of going behind Mia''s back to do so made such an option an impossibility for me.

    Even if we were away from each other, I wasn''t going to go back on my feelings.

    ''Ever since I proimed my love to her, I lost the right to fool around,'' I thought, determined to see my promises through.

    "Is there anything else?" I asked.

    I was eager to go back, sit down and think about what I learned. Even though it wasn''t much by any scale, I still felt like I had the chance to make use of it.

    "If the difference of strength between two parties is too great, dual cultivation can be predatory," Madam dropped yet another bomb with a deep sigh.

    She then sat back and closed her eyes.

    The lecture was now clearly over.

    "Thanks," I said, standing up from my chair.

    "Aren''t you going to reveal what you are going to sell me?" she asked when I made some rustling noises while packing up.

    I chuckled in response.

    "You will see when I get it ready," I said while shaking my head sideways in denial. "Just sit still and prepare for the chaos that will soon ensue," I added, unable to stop myself from another chuckle.

    If there was anything different about this world that struck me pretty much...

    It was how much moremon and epted the idea of prostitution was.

    I didn''t know whether it was something caused by the lower level of civilization. Maybe this effect had some ties to the local cultures of the world? Or maybe just the influence of dual cultivation-based sects made sexuality something far removed from taboo?

    I didn''t know and, frankly speaking, I didn''t care about the reason. What was important was how I could exploit it!

    "When will it be ready?" the Madam asked as I neared the doors of her office.

    "I would like to say two weeks," I replied, taking a moment to think, "but don''t take it as a promise. I will only show the product once it''s fully done and tested," I added before pushing the doors open and leaving.

    The brothel was only the first on the list of ces I had to visit.

    Walking through the building, I could already see the businessing back to life.

    In the short time that I spent in the Madam''s office, this ce turned from a deserted ruin to a vibrant heart of the localmunity.

    ''I guess nice-looking girls will always bring attention, no matter the world,'' I thought as I walked through the brothel''s corridors.

    With how tight some of those passages were, I could hardly avoid rubbing my sides against the exposed parts of the many girls that rushed to their work.

    ''Still,'' I thought, my mind returning to the topic at hand.

    With how little time I had today, I couldn''t waste the transition moments on just moving around. I had to make the best use of every second that I could find.

    ''It doesn''t make any sense,'' I thought, reviewing what I just talked about with the Madam. ''How could dual cultivation be predatory?'' I asked myself.

    I was trying my absolute hardest to find a pseudo-physical model that could replicate the effects of dual cultivation.

    Men cultivated yang energy while women cultivated yin energy. What did that have to do with anything? What was the difference? Weren''t we all using the same mana as everyone else, regardless of one''s gender?

    ''Wait, if it''s not the kind of energy that differs,'' I thought, my foot carrying me out of the brothel. ''Doesn''t that means the yin and yang are nothing more but aspects of that energy?'' I suggested. ''A quality of mana, instead of its type?''

    On its own, this realization didn''t change anything. But, changing the paradigm of my thinking allowed me to change how I looked at the entirendscape of magic.

    ''If it''s a quality of mana,'' I thought, directing my steps towards the auction hall, ''how could it work the way it does?''

    The second this thought appeared in my eyes, I pictured all sorts of forces and energies that I knew existed. The four fundamental forces that I knew off and the basic interactions that could affect said forces.

    ''If there is a rule to this madness,'' I thought, clenching my hands into fists, ''I will find it.''

 Chapter 181 - Arthurs Proxy

    From the brothel, the next ce that I had to visit was an auction hall.

    As one of the two pirs of my power in this world, this ce offered me both opportunities to earn money, but most importantly, it could help me spend my money too.

    ''Reinvesting one''s assets is the primary way of growing,'' I thought, recalling one of the many smart quotes that I found back on earth.

    In other words, money that doesn''t move does not work for itself. What was the use of keeping money on your ount if it wasn''t making you more money?

    Surprisingly enough, the distance between the brothel and the auction hall wasughably small.

    ''Given how this ce operates like some sort of bank as well,'' I thought, thinking about the ount I had with them. Then, I shook my head. ''I guess they had to set themselves up pretty close to each other.

    The brothel was the main money sink. The auction house was the money provider.

    What other two businesses could cooperate so well together if not those two?

    "Hello," a new receptionist appeared to greet me the very moment I stepped through the doors of the massive building. "How can I be of service to you today?" a middle-aged man asked in a polite tone while executing a perfectly restrained bow.

    "Hello," I replied with a small smile. "I came here to ask about an array of things, so let me start right away," I said, crossing my arms on my chest.

    It was a small detail, but I could slightly influence the other party''s perception of me by standing in the so-called position of power.

    It was a small detail, but not something that I would ignore.

    "It would be a pleasure for our establishment to be of help to you, sir," the man replied without even a hint of hesitation.

    Was it the training of those people? Or maybe the receptionist from thest time flexed how much she earned just from a few hours and a few requests that I made?

    Or maybe I already became a prominent figure that the local brass hoped to cater to?

    "First off, I would like to know if your organization could arrange a meeting with a formation master for me," I asked.

    This was a fairly simple yet important request of mine, one that I was willing to splurge quite a lot on.

    As for now, mastering the job of a formation appeared as the most efficient way for me to get stronger. As it could augment both my passive growth and aid me directly in fights, I was willing to go to great lengths to learn more about this topic.

    "A meeting with a formation master..." the receptionist muttered as he tapped his finger against the wood of his counter. He then moved his eyes on my face. "While possible, it would certainlye at a hefty cost," he added, his voice almost turning apoplectic. "It''s not that we don''t want to help, but those people really do value their time," he added, clearly worried that the mention of money would scare me off.

    "Don''t worry," I attempted to calm the man by sharing a bright smile. "I''m well aware that the demand for the services of those people is high," I said, raising my hands as if to defend myself. "I''m not unreasonable," I added.

    I could see how a wave of relief flushed through the receptionist''s body.

    "Secondly, I wish to buy those materials and tools," I said, pulling out a small list from one of my pockets.

    Outside of enabling me to study the books of this world, this was the greatest perk of figuring out the trantion ability.

    Although it took me a long time, I managed to find out how to write all the stuff that I needed, saving me the effort of spelling it all out loud.

    "Rxation beads, cauldrons, spiritual water," the man took a nce at the list, his expression calming down even further. "Obtaining those is all within the scope of my ability. It would be a pleasure to be of service to you, sir," the man quickly bowed again.

    However, this time, there was a bit more emotion and genuine respect behind his moves.

    "That would be great," I replied, a satisfied smile forming on my lips. "Before I go, though, let''s get this straight," I said, moving my head up and removing my hands from the counter. "How much could renting the formation master cost?"

    "Sir..." the man started to hesitate all over again. "I''m worried... I think it won''t be any less... than five thousand," the receptionist finally revealed the number.

    ''That''s a whole fucking lot,'' I thought, shocked by the number.

    I could still afford it... But it would eat well into the money that I still had left.

    ''Right back to poverty, aren''t I?'' I thought, closing my eyes for a moment.

    "Sir...?" the receptionist asked, clearly worried about my response.

    It was hellishly expensive... but I had to go to this meeting, no matter the cost!

    Talking with someone who dabbled in formations for their entire life was what I desperately needed right now.

    Not only it would allow me to confirm several doubts that I had about formations, but it would also allow me to see which approach to the jobs of this world wasmon.

    Was it the practical approach presented by the guide that I bought? Or was it the mystical thinking that dominated every other manual that I found?

    The answers to those two things were worth far more than just some measly five thousand gold coins.

    Especially if I could improve the designs for my dildo, thanks to such meeting!

    "It''s fine," I said, opening my eyes and looking at the receptionist''s face. "I''m willing to pay that much..." I said, only to hesitate a little. "But that''s pretty near the limit of what I can afford right now," I added, a hint of regret appearing in my voice.

    "Sir, that''s how setting private formations costs in this city," the receptionist exined, much more hesitant about the affair than I was.

    ''What, is he worried about me going bankrupt?'' I asked while unable to stop a small smirk from appearing on my lips.

    "I don''t need anyone to set up a formation for me," I rified the thing that the man clearly had wrong. "I just need to talk with some masters that can help me out with the problems I have in my studies," I exined.

    "Oh?" the receptionist shook a little. "I think I could use that to drive the price by a lot!" he imed, a hint of excitement appearing on his face.

    "I will rely on your abilities, then," I replied, gracing the man with a wide smile.

    He would profit greatly from arranging such a deal. There wasn''t any question about it. This was how all sorts of services in the auction hall worked.

    In a sense, he would be my proxy in this town for a short while.

    But I didn''t care.

    As long as I could learn a tiny bit more about formations, I should be able to finish the project of my dildos and sleeves!

    ''And I can''t even fathom how fucking much they will sell for,'' I thought.

 Chapter 182 - What Quota?

    "With this out of the way, I guess I could go and submit my quotas," I muttered to myself as I walked out of the auction house.

    I would get the meeting that I wanted.

    Obviously, today wasn''t an option. No matter how much money I would throw at them, no respectable formation master would ept a meeting at such short notice.

    ''The guy back there said he would surely get it for tomorrow...'' I thought, only to shake my head. ''I guess all I can do is wait, but for now...''

    I looked down at my hand.

    Before moving out of the auction house, I made sure to bring out the sack with my haul out of my storage ring.

    I wasn''t all thatfortable with walking around the city with nearly a thousand gold coins worth in stones dangling by my belt. Still, as I directed my steps to the logistic office, it was the only thing that I could do.

    After all, it wouldn''t be so smart to flex my storage ring in the faces of people out there, wouldn''t it?

    The road between the logistic office and the auction house was actually quite far. Not only did I have to go through most of the district''s diameter, I still had to pass by the gate.

    "It''s him," someone reported in a hushed voice the second I appeared at the gate.

    ''I guess this didn''t change,'' I thought, sending a quick look in the direction the voice came from.

    And sure enough, the inner sect disciples were already heading my way, clearly set on making trouble.

    "Identification," the burliest of the disciples, took a step ahead of everyone else and came out with a request.

    "Who are you?" I asked politely, not giving a single shred of fuck about them.

    "If you want to pass," the guy attempted to say something.

    "If I want to pass, I will bother the guards, not you," I cut the man off before he could finish his sentence.

    "The fuck are you talking about?" he shouted in reply, clearly keen on making things hard for me. "Are you blind or stupid? I''m one of the guards for this gate!" he eximed.

    "You are not wearing any badge, any uniform," I said in a low voice while squinting my eyes. "Do you even know the dangers of infringements of privacy? Are you sure you can bear the consequences of impersonating a guard without proper identification?!" I threatened.

    "W-what?" the man backed off half-a-step, looking at me as if I lost my mind.

    "Didn''t you hear me correctly? Is mud filling your ears just like it fills your eyes and brain?" I insulted him without a care in the world. "Your identification or I will report you to the sect for impersonating the ranks!"

    I had some books about the Tuxi sect amongst the ones that I bought during myst visit.

    I didn''t pay much mind to read them... But I looked through them either way. And the obligation to bear the badge of one''s role whenever acting above one''s natural rank was one of thews that the sect imposed.

    ''Given the state of decay of this ce, it''s no wonder they are not abiding by it,'' I thought, waiting for the man''s reaction.

    "I didn''t... I don''t have any on me," the man replied, looking sternly in my eyes for a moment only to avert his sight the secondter.

    Between the two of us, he was the one that would find himself in trouble if the situation continued to escte. As long as I myself had my identification, they couldn''t really do anything against me.

    "Scram," I ordered, waving my hand away.

    I didn''t intend to lose even a second more than necessary on this encounter.

    ''I''m going to pay for itter,'' I thought, only for my shoulders to shake when a small chuckle left my mouth. ''Well,e at me all you want,'' I thought, passing by the group while sneering.

    Soon, I found myself at the doorstep of the logistic center of the lower headquarters. Upon passing by the doors, I realized that the clerk behind the counter didn''t change at all.

    "I came to submit my quota," I said, pulling my haul bag and detaching it from my belt only to m it down on the counter.

    "I will process it right away," the clerk brought his eyes up only to take a quick look at my face before lowering them down.

    Just like before, he was too busy doing something in the shadow of his counter to bother with my request.

    ''What the hell is wrong with him?'' I asked myself when the wait extended from a few moments into a few minutes.

    This man was keen on ignoring me!

    ''What is he unhappy about?'' I asked myself. ''Did he expect me to bring more so that he can steal it?''

    This was the option. That''s what Lucius suggested would happen when I submitted the lower quota of my first fulfillment of the contract.

    "Okay," the clerk finally put his pen away and snatched the bag from the counter. He then threw the bag''s content on his table and quickly calcted the spoils.

    "Right the minimal amount," he muttered.

    This time, I was certain. This fucker was really unhappy with what he saw!

    "Do I get to recieve some kind of confirmation slip?" I asked.

    Since he wasn''t happy with how much I brought, the chances were, he would just take it for himself!

    "Excuse me?" the clerk raised his eyes. For a moment, he stared me down before moving his eyes back on whatever he was dealing with before.

    Once again, I continued to wait for my answer.

    "The fuck are you still doing here?" the clerk finally exploded, clearly annoyed by my presence.

    "I need a signed paper that I brought my quota," I repeated my previous request.

    "A quota?" the clerk raised his face and looked at me with a vicious smile. "What quota?" he asked.

    I released a deep sigh.

    "Are you sure you want to y with me like that?" I asked, putting my hand in my pants.

    While I pretended to just scratch my balls, my fingers moved closer to my storage ring.

    ''I know this might be a big mistake,'' I thought, waiting for the clerk''s answer, ''but I won''t let anyone steal from me like that!''

 Chapter 183 - Scheming To The Limits

    "Are you threatening me?" the clerk asked, the joy on his face only deepening.

    Did he really think that I would far for his trick?

    "I will ask you again," I said in a low, nearly guttural voice. "Is this the path that you wish to take?" I asked, scratching my balls.

    "I have no idea what you are talking about," the clerk replied, shaking his arms.

    "Fine," I pulled my hand out of my pants and smiled widely. "See you soon, then," I added, turning around and leaving the ce.

    Decisiveness was the key here.

    I didn''t really n any contingency for a scenario like that. I didn''t expect the sect official could scam me out in the open like that.

    In theory, it was my fault for not bringing in a witness. In theory, it was my fault for submitting the quota earlier than necessary.

    But that didn''t mean shit to me.

    ''Let''s see who can win in the long game,'' I thought, fully rxed.

    Once again, decisiveness proved to be the key.

    As I walked out of the logistic center, the disciples at the gate were still discussing what had happened a moment earlier.

    Even though the clerk stalled for time, the entire encounter took way less time than usual. They didn''t expect me toe out so soon.

    I passed by their group without a single one of them noticing me.

    ''We only see what we want to see,'' I thought, a small snicker forming up on my lips.

    I passed through the gate without any trouble. The guards paid little to no attention to those leaving the sect district. They were only focused on those who attempted to enter it.

    I made my way right back to the auction hall. The decision to keep some money saved would prove essential in the next step of my n.

    "Hello," a new receptionist greeted me the second I passed through the building''s door.

    ''So they have a system like that,'' I thought, keen to make observations even in the shaken state of mind I was in.

    It was only a guess, but from how the previous receptionist was missing, he was likely busy solving my recent requests. If my gut feeling wasn''t wrong, then the moment I would get something to do for my current assistant, someone else woulde to staff the reception desk by the entrance.

    "Hello," I replied, smiling gently towards the young girl standing at attention. "I hope it wouldn''t be too much trouble, but I would like to request a quick meeting with one of your executives," I exined the reason behind my visit, still keeping that gentle smile from before.

    "Oh no," the girl''s face turned white. "D-did we do something, not to your satisfaction?"

    From the tense look on her face, I could tell this girl was cursing all the gods for her fate.

    ''Why did it happen to me?'' I replicated her voice in my mind, slightly amused by the scene.

    "No," I shook my head. "I''m sorry for sounding like a troublesome client," I apologized, my smile deepening at the cute face the receptionist made. "I''m just looking for a small favor," I added.

    "Sir, right now, we only have the head boss of the hall," the girl replied in a hesitant voice.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought.

    "Oh, forget it then," I quickly pulled back.

    As much as I hated it, this wasn''t the level of authority that I could borrow for my own selfish request.

    Not because I wasn''t shameless enough to do so.

    Such a figure was simply way above my pay grade.

    "What seems to be the problem?" a voice appeared right to my side.

    ''Who...?!'' I thought, stopping my instinctive reaction to sweep my eyes around. Instead, I slowly turned my head to face the neer to the discussion.

    ''Fuck me,'' I thought, my mood darkening even further.

    What kind of cheap kind of plot twist was this supposed to be?

    ''Could it be...'' I thought, terrified by the sudden idea. ''That I''m a protagonist in some kind of shitty story written by a childish author?''

    For a moment, I was petrified by such a possibility. Then I mentally waved my hand.

    Whether that was true or not didn''t matter now. Just like with the boss of the auction hall, dealing with such a potential situation was way above my ability.

    As such, I had no other choice but to take a huge dosage of copium and deal with the problems I faced.

    "There isn''t any problem at all," I replied after swallowing my saliva.

    Right now, I was way more anxious than when dealing with the sect. Even though nothing had happened yet, this damned woman was far too important for me to insult.

    "I overheard your request for an executive," the middle-aged woman said, putting a gentle smile on her lips. "How could I be of service, then?" she asked, clearly amused by both the situation itself and then the reaction of my face to the development.

    "I know the limits of my importance," I announced, taking a step back and lowering my head. "I wouldn''t dare to upy your time with my unorthodox request," I said in a voice filled with respect.

    "Bear it no mind," the woman replied while keeping her smile within a professional frame. "It''s not like I''m busy today," she added with an encouraging look in her eyes.

    Then, an idea struck me. An idea so daring that I couldn''t take a breath.

    ''Should I just do it?'' I thought, stunned by my own ingenuity.

    ''No,'' I barely stopped myself from suddenly shaking my head. ''I still need to know one thing before that,'' I thought, realizing the limits and ws of the n that I suddenly hatched.

    "I actually have two matters I would like some help with," I said, raising my sight and looking directly into the eyes of the boss of the local auction hall.

    "First, I would like to purchase enough cultivation resources to fill a single contractor''s quota," I announced.

    The woman before me raised one of her eyebrows a little.

    "It''s still two days before the submission time," she said, her eyes filling with curiosity. "Those products are at the highest of their prize cycle right now," she informed.

    ''I know,'' I thought grumpily. This one ploy would likely cost me the rest of my savings. Once again, I would bepletely and utterly broken.

    "I''m aware of that," I nodded my head in response.

    "What''s your other request, then?" she asked, leaning her head slightly to the side. Because of that, her long, golden hair fell on her left shoulder, exposing the right side of her nape.

    "To have an executive of the auction hall bear witness to the moment of submitting my quota," I said bluntly, revealing the easier of my ns.

    This was what brought me to the auction hall, the initial n of my revenge at the scammy clerk.

    The problem with this ny in its repetitiveness. Even if I could somehow get one of the executives from the auction hall to help me, doing so every two weeks would be a massive pain.

    And there was no damned chance that the damned boss of the ce would agree to do this over and over again.

    But there was something that I could learn from the response to my request. And depending on that answer, I could move with the other n that hatched in my mind.

    "That''s... an interesting offer," the boss said, her eyes lighting up.

    A smile returned to my lips.

    "Actually, I might have an even more interesting proposition."

 Chapter 184 - Delegating The Tasks

    "Damn, that was tiring," I moaned while stretching my arms up.

    "You really are something else," the boss chuckled, resting herself against the backrest of her chair.

    My bet paid off.

    Just the fact that this woman was willing to be my guarantor while submitting the quota told me everything that I wanted to know.

    There was no love between the sect and the other powers at y in the city!

    ''Sure, this isn''t their main base, but I''m not going against the entire sect either,'' I thought. I then took a deep breath and lowered my eyes right on the woman''s face.

    "Well, everything depends on the question of whether I can make it," I replied, moving my attention towards the smaller details of the deal we just made. "That''s why, I hope you could push this meeting a little," I added.

    "You don''t need to worry about it," the boss chuckled. She then brought her hand up and swung her blonde hair behind her shoulders. "How does tomorrow, right before we go to the logistic center?" she suggested.

    ''Isn''t this too good to be true?'' I asked myself, reluctant to believe that this woman would willinglymit herself like that.

    The meeting that we discussed was obviously my meeting with a formation master. But over the course of our negotiations, it turned into a shared meeting with one of the best formation masters currently in the city...

    But also an old-time researcher of dual cultivation.

    In other words, I took the bet of allowing the auction hall into the deal that I would soon spread throughout the brothels of this city. And by doing so, I exponentially increased the scope of the project.

    But the entire n relied on me being able to actually finish the product. I would only know it once my meeting with the experts concluded, as I still had several questions and problems that I couldn''t solve independently.

    Yet, from how the boss proposed dealing with the schedule, she would appear to assist me with the quota fulfillment either way!

    "It sounds great," I said, standing up and bowing my head to the woman.

    There was no shame in bowing my head. After she guided our negotiations in every way she desired, I had nothing but respect for her.

    I finally met someone who was truly skilled at their craft in this world, more skilled than I could be by applying earth-born sense to it.

    ''Now that I think about it, leaving the business to a proper corporate officer was the way to go from the very beginning,'' I thought.

    For how groundbreaking my inventions back at the Skder''s sect were, they only provided me with a big one-off and some pennies over time.

    Even if I were to ask for more in my current deal, there was a limit to how many yin stealing dildos and yang stealing sleeves I could produce on my own.

    From theck of materials to craft many of those, through theck of manpower andter the time to add the finishing touches...

    Doing everything on my own would greatly limit my scope.

    I could earn an iparable amount by relegating the entire thing to a third party and only assisting with the project itself and its organization.

    Sure, I would give away most of the profits to other parties... But it was better to have a small piece of an enormous cake than to have a small cake all to oneself!

    "Right, before you go," the boss said, following my movements and standing up from her chair as well. "You can expect several executives from other branches during that meeting as well," she said, gracing me with a slightly uneasy smile.

    ''Why is it sort-off alluring?'' I asked myself, barely able to resist the gap-moe created by a troubled expression on a usually smug and confident face.

    "Since we didn''t discuss this," I muttered, buying myself a few seconds to think over the implications of what she said. "I assume my cut will remain the same if you expand the business to other branches," I stated my demands as if they were obvious.

    In the end, I was the one indispensable element of the n. Outside of mentioning a few possibilities and markets that I wanted to exploit, the boss of the auction hall knew nothing about my project.

    It could be used in brothels and was connected to dual cultivation. But the details, I all kept to myself.

    "You sure are confident in this idea of yours," the woman rxed her face and rested her hands against the edge of her desk. "I wonder what gives you so much confidence in this project," she added with an innocent smile.

    "Awareness of the nature of human beings," I replied calmly, shrugging my arms. "Give them a finger of opportunity, and they will demand an arm. Our greed is simply insatiable," I exined before bowing again and leaving the room.

    ''This day turned out far more interesting than I expected,'' I thought, walking out of the building.

    For now, all my matters were settled. All that was left for me was to return to the Inn, make use of the rest of the daylight by reading the books and go to sleep.

    It would be tomorrow that wouldrgely decide my future.

    Yet, from the second I stepped into the Inn, I knew that a lot more of my time would end up wasted. Because just like nearly two weeks ago, I spotted Lucius with his head hanging low above his cup.

    My attempts at passing by him towards the staircase failed through. Just as I was about to sneak past him, he had to raise his head and call me out.

    "What happened," I asked, seeing that my attempted escape no longer had any meaning, "this time," I added to hint at how I felt about the situation.

    "I got swindled again," Lucius muttered, sinking his eyes in the surface of the liquid he was getting drunk on.

    "Huh?" I shrugged in surprise. "How in the fucks'' sake," I asked, bewildered.

    Was this a part of Madam''s scheme? How did it connect to the way she treated me back at her ce?

    In an instant, a flurry of thoughts, ideas, and possibilities moved through my head.

    Then, I listened to Lucius'' exnations. Yet, instead of rxing as I understood the situation bit by bit, my face continued to darken.

    "So, long story short," I muttered, barely holding my anger back. "You gambled your money, you lost, and now you are ming the brothel for setting up the bets?" I asked, summarizing Lucius'' story.

    I then took a step back and shook my head while looking at the man with disdain.

    "I''m sorry, brother, but I''m not going to support your gambling addiction," I said, turning around and leaving right away.

    My time was too important to be wasted on this hopeless addict. Rather than cheering him up or once again making new enemies for his sake, I would rather use my time to realize my own objectives.

    "Is that how you are going to y?!" Lucius screamed out after me. From his voice, I could tell that the drinks he had were affecting him.

    I ignored him and entered the staircase. I was on edge, expecting Lucius to chase after me all the way to the point when I finally locked the doors behind me.

    ''He is hopeless,'' I thought when a sudden thing struck me.

    "The words he said...." I muttered to myself, my eyes widening up a little. "Aren''t they exactly the same as what I said to the sect''s clerk back at the logistic center?"

 Chapter 185 - [Bonus ]Mias Little Scheme

    Mia waited in the long line at the administrative office of the sect.

    If the distribution center was the beating heart of the sect that brought energy and nutrients to its disciples, the administrative office was its brain.

    All sorts of decisions would be made here.

    From confirming the mentor-student rtionship, through giving out quests and missions, all the way to expulsing unruly disciples or punishing them.

    But Mia was here for a whole different reason.

    "Next!" the clerk sitting behind a mahogany desk shouted, shooing away his previous guest at the same time.

    ''That didn''t go well for him,'' Mia thought, watching how a disciple she didn''t know left the ce with his head hanging low over his chest.

    "Your business?" the clerk asked, not wasting his energy on pleasantries.

    "I would like to apply for the next tournament," Mia said without any hesitation.

    "You are aware that you need a team for that, I assume," the clerk asked, his eyes opening up a little further as he looked at the girl.

    "I''m perfectly aware of that," Mia said as she nodded her head in response.

    Finally, the meaning behind her request reached the man. He first shook his head, then blinked a few times before finally looking at Mia again.

    "I''m sorry, I think I worked for a bit too long," he excused himself before pping his cheeks. "Could you repeat it again?"

    "I wish to participate in the next sect tournament along with my team," Mia repeated her request.

    ''I guess that''s one of the things that... do not happen often,'' she thought, holding back a chuckle.

    "Well, okay," the clerk didn''t bother hiding his amusement. He dipped his feather in a fresh ink before bringing it over a piece of paper. "Your name?" he asked, raising his eyes at the girl.

    "I''m Mia," she replied.

    ''Even though I was aware how they would react to it...'' Mia thought, slightly displeased with the array of chuckles that soon spread out through the entirety of the building. ''Still, it''s not a nice feeling,'' she thought, her mood darkening.

    ''Still, this is the one andst chance for us to start participating,'' she thought, watching how the clerk obediently filled in all the necessary details.

    "The tournaments take ce a day before each distribution day," the clerk informed as he put thest few marks on his paper. "Meaning, the next one starts tomorrow," he added, raising his eyes on the girl''s face. "Are you sure you want me to submit your application?" he asked again.

    This time, outside of amusement, there was a hint of concern in his voice.

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head. There was no way she would allow the concern of this man to shake the decision she had already made.

    ''With how the distribution center is doing, it''s likely they will only give me the absolute minimum amount,'' she thought, swallowing saliva as she watched the paper move onto the pile ofpleted ones. ''Meaning, I can''t count to receive anything during the next distribution. That''s why this tournament is our first andst chance to change something,'' she thought, reinforcing her own determination.

    "Did you see her? She wants to join in the tournament!" the rumors quickly started to circte around the building, putting Mia at the pedestal of everyone''s attention.

    But for Mia, it didn''t matter.

    "Is it done?" she asked the clerk that was serving her.

    "It is done," the clerk replied in a super-serious manner, only to burst outughing a momentter. "Good luck, girl," he added just as Mia turned around and headed for the exit.

    Before long, she was already back at her usual spot on the training ground, ready to break the news to everyone else.

    "Can you gather the entire team?" Mia asked the second she noticed Ve.

    "Huh?" the girl shrugged. "What for?" she asked, leaning her head sideways in an expression of curiosity.

    "I will tell when everyone gathers," Mia replied as she rolled her eyes.

    What was the point of announcing the news to everyone one by one? It was more efficient to just get everyone in one ce and then announce that they would enter a pretty dangerous tournament tomorrow!

    ''It''s not about wasting time by going to everyone separately,'' Mia thought while observing how Ve went around the ce gathering people. ''It''s about fighting off their reactions four times in a row instead of doing it just once.''

    "So, what''s the deal?" Sander asked when all four of Mia''s teammates surrounded her.

    "I signed us up for the tournament tomorrow," Mia revealed her answer without any hesitation, straight in everyone''s faces.

    For a moment, the area turnedpletely silent. Even the random disciples that continued to train hard around them stumbled up and stopped moving, too scared of making any noise.

    "Are you mad?!" Sander exploded in an instant. "There is no way we are ready for it yet!" he protested.

    The rest of the group grumpily agreed with the man.

    ''They really think I''m mad,'' Mia thought, unable to stop a small smile from appearing on her lips.

    "Do you really think we can''t deal with them?" she asked, even though she knew what answer to expect.

    "That''s right!" Sander stressed his position on the topic. "Look, you might be in the fourth rank already, like everyone else participating... But we are still stuck in the third rank!" he brought the shameful reality to Mia''s attention.

    "Oh, so you believe you reached your limits?" Mia asked, angling her head to the side with a lovely smile stered all over her lips. "Then watch this," she said, pushing her teammates aside as she entered her personal training spot.

    For a second, she turned motionless andpletely silent. She even closed her eyes, focusing her entire self on the single hit that she was about to perform.

    Then, she opened her eyes. Her entire body tensed up in a perfectly-coordinated manner.

    She repeated this move thousands upon thousands of times already. Even without much of her focus, Mia was more than capable of executing a perfect hit!

    Her fist mmed the training pir. And in an instant, her body exploded with energy.

    "AAAAH!" Mia moaned in extreme pleasure as the spiritual energy freely coursed through her flesh and bones, filling everyst inch of her body.

    Her energy swirled as if it was rotating on the spot. And before the surge of power even managed to end, Mia felt her energy break through something.

    It was as if an invisible foil was taken off her eyes, off her body, and her mind. In an instant, the energy that she tried hard to circte through her entire body in the fourth stage now surged into this unexplored territory of her insides.

    "Ahhhh..." Mia exhaled all the air from her lungs before slowly taking in a deep breath.

    ''So this is what the fifth stage is,'' she thought, lowering her eyes on her hand.

    Compared to before, she felt as if the world was in the palm of her hand. As if the energy that surrounded her... was responding to her wishes.

    "Excuse me!" someone shouted. "Let me through!" the noises continued for a while before a man donning the robes of the sect''s elder appeared before the girl.

    "You, what''s your name?" he asked excitedly in a fashion unfitting of his long, white beard.

    "Excuse me?" Mia asked in a baffled tone.

    But on the inside, she tensed all over. In the end, she didn''t have any good memories of this sect''s elders.

    "I just saw you break through to the Unlocking Meridans'' stage," the elder said, way too excited for his age. "Just to confirm, you are an ordinary disciple, aren''t you?" he asked.

    ''Oh, so that''s what he is about,'' Mia thought, realizing what the reason behind the weird behavior of this man was.

    It wasn''t easy for normal disciples to break through to the fourth stage. The fifth stage was the breaking ground for those who were talented enough to receive support from the sect and those who would never cross it on their own.

    "I''m a sponsored disciple," Mia quickly fixed the elder''s misunderstanding.

    "Oh," the man muttered, clearly disappointed. His over-the-top excitement dissipated in a second.

    "She might be a sponsored disciple," Sander stepped in for some reason, "but she barely got any resources," he imed, instantly raising his hand to keep Mia silent.

    "What do you mean?" the elder asked, puzzled by the sudden information.

    "She only received the minimal amount of sponsorship once... And even then, she shared it equally with the four of us," he said, pointing at himself and then the rest of Mia''s teammates.

    "Really?" the excitement of the elder quickly reincarnated, once again filling his soul. "To achieve so much despitecking resources like that... Damn, I would love to see how strong you are with this kind of foundation!" he eximed.

    ''Isn''t this a perfect opportunity?'' Mia noticed.

    A wide smile appeared on her lips.

    "Elder, we would be more than happy if you observed the showcase of our abilities," Mia said before executing a deep bow.

    "Oh? Right now?" the elder asked, his excitement once again shooting through the roof.

    "I''m sorry, but that can''t be done now," Mia quickly denied the man''s request.

    As great as it was to earn the support of an elder for her team, she already had a better use for this man.

    "Then what did you mean by that?" the old man asked as he flung his robes to the back.

    "Respectable elder, we will be participating in a sect tournamenting tomorrow," Mia announced, giddy from excitement. "And it would be our pleasure to showcase our skills to the elder during its course!"

 Chapter 186 - Dirks Determination

    Dirk opened his eyes. He did so only because the sun got too high that it started to shine directly on his face, despite the shuts covering most of the room''s window.

    ''Hmm...'' he moaned inwardly, refusing to leave his state of slumber for a moment.

    But the annoyance of the light was quickly getting out of the hand.

    He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, forcing his sleepiness away.

    ''What hour is it?'' he asked himself, taking a glimpse through the shuts at the angle at which the sun shone upon his face.

    "Hmmm..." Kathia muttered through her sleep,? conveniently lying on the side of the bed closer to the wall. To wake her up, the sun would have to get even higher.

    "Well, it''s time to wake up," Dirk muttered, shaking his head and pushing his upper body up.

    "Just five more minutes," Kathia muttered, hiding her face in the pillow.

    "Wake up, little one," Kirk gently shook the girl''s naked shoulder.

    Kathia only buried her face deeper into the pillow in response.

    "Is it morning already?" she finally muttered after a few more shakes.

    "It''s well past the morning," Dirk replied honestly, stretching his arms high up. "We should go and train soon," he added absentmindedly.

    "Huh?" Kathia shrugged a little before turning herself around and looking at Dirk from underneath her lowered eyelids. "You still have some resources left?" she asked, raising her hands as she yawned while stretching her body.

    In doing so, the sheets fell down, revealing her sperm-covered body. After going at it for the good part of the night, neither of them could bother to take a bath.

    "Only a little, but yeah," Dirk nodded his head as he slid down from the bed and fell to all fours. He then stretched himself across the floor and started pumping his body up and down.

    In the meantime, Kathia finally moved from the bed and approached the in-room basin to wash the dried-out fluids off her skin.

    "Actually, I didn''t even use a single rxation bead," Dirk unted with a smile while raising from the floor. He then approached the massive barrel and flushed the sweat off his body.

    "Huh?" Kathia shrugged again. "Are you insane? If you keep it up, you could go berserk!" she warned, sending Dirk a shocked nce.

    "Actually," Dirk smiled, clearly expecting this kind of response. "If you spread the usage of resources out, you don''t really need those beads," he added, a smile of pride appearing on his lips.

    The two of them continued to wash the signs of the events of the night from their bodies for a few more moments.

    "Since the distribution day is tomorrow, I should be able to sell those beads for quite a lot," Dirk added as he grabbed a towel and started to dry his skin. "Then I will be able to buy a lot more tomorrow!" he added.

    "Oh, how smart are you," Kathia muttered as she rolled her eyes. "Since you have yet to use all of your stuff, you are only going to amass more and more of them," she pointed out. "At some point, you will be unable to cultivate through them all without the beads anyway," she added.

    "Kya!" Kathia shrugged when Dirk suddenly sshed the water in her direction. "What was that for?!" she protested in a high voice.

    "Just having a little bit of fun," Dirk snickered before shaking his head. "Anyway, let''s get going. We already lost half of the day," he added.

    Even for the sponsored disciples like them, waking up sote was unusual. The only reason they slept for so long was the hour at which they finallyid down to sleep.

    ''We will need to be smart about when we dual cultivate,'' Dirk thought as he put on his robes and walked out of the room. ''It can help a little, but it will all be pointless if we start cking because of the exhaustion,'' he realized.

    The two of them swung in by the cafeteria located on the bottom floor of the building.

    "Do you want something?" Dirk asked while grabbing a sizeable chunk of meat from one of the many tters presented on the main table.

    "I think I will have to refuse," Kathia replied, patting herself on her slim stomach. "I can''t eat right after waking up if I want to keep my figure up," she added with a small, slightly shy smile.

    "As you wish," Dirk''s smile turned slightly vicious as he theatrically took a big bite of the food. The meat juices sprayed all over the ce as he did so, spreading the aroma of a well-cooked dish.

    "Meanie," Kathiamented, throwing her hair behind her shoulder as she moved out of the building.

    "Or so you say," Dirk chuckled a little, happy with the small poke he did.

    ''Since we are sleeping together like now, it''s best to establish who is at the top,'' he thought, satisfied with how the situation yed out.

    As this was the aftermath of their first night, he was keen on creating an impression that wouldst for a long time!

    With Kathia already outside, Dirk paid no mind to his eating mannerism. He quickly chomped down the rest of the meat''s piece before following her to the training area.

    Yet, before they could even get their warming-up exercises done, a hugemotion formed by the gate of their area.

    "What the hell is going on?" Dirk muttered to himself, looking over at the direction the noise came from.

    "Do you want to check it out?" Kathia asked, clearly too curious about the event to focus herself on the training.

    ''It''s not like we will lose anything by skipping it for a while,'' Dirk thought as he looked towards the training pir.

    The sheer look of this crude piece of stone made him recall the one person he couldn''t stomach.

    ''Yeah, I''m not going to go down the same path as that crazy bitch,'' he thought, not even realizing that his hands tightened into fists.

    Soon, their curiosity got better over the mundane duty of training their bodies. Yet, what was supposed to be a nice way of skipping the useless training, soon became the reason for their blood to boil.

    "Did you hear? Some newbie from the normies dared to enter the tournament!"

    "Isn''t she a sponsored disciple as well?"

    "She might be, but her entire team is made up from normies!"

    ''It''s her!'' Dirk didn''t even need to ask around to arrive at this conclusion.

    After all, there was only one sponsored disciple in their ss that would be wild enough to not only enter the tournament... but also do it with normies for teammates!

    "Wait, what are we going to do if she actually wins it?" Kathia muttered silently to Dirk''s ear.

    "Huh?" Dirk could only shrug as a reaction, still too shocked by the news to get over them. "What does it matter?" he asked impassively.

    "Isn''t our turn in two weeks?" Kathia quickly exined. "To win the tournament, I mean," she added to rify her thoughts.

    "And what does it matter? How is that connected..." Dirk attempted to chastise the girl for random thoughts when the realization struck him.

    Mia had talent. That one thing was undeniable as much as he hated it. What''s more, she continued to train harder than any of the sponsored students.

    ''Right now, she might be stronger than us,'' he thought, clenching his fists.

    But then, he managed to calm himself down.

    "It doesn''t matter," Dirk finally said. "While she might be personally stronger than any of us, the rest of her team consists of normies," he said slowly as if pushing words through his mouth caused Dirk to feel physical pain.

    "Dirk, there is barely any difference between the sponsored disciples'' strength," Kathia said, the look in her eyes sharpening. "Since most of us can only grow with the resources we receive, we all grow at the same rate," she said before shaking her head.

    For a moment, silence hung between the two.

    "This is the reason why all the tournaments were set," Kathia added when only the two of them remained in the area as everyone else already returned to their daily life.

    As interesting as the news were, they were nothing more but a curiosity.

    "What do you want to say?" Dirk asked, the look on his face darkening heavily.

    "She trained super hard ever since she arrived at the sect," Kathia exined. "When she''s not training in our training grounds, she does it in the normie training grounds," she added.

    "As such, she will hold a massive advantage over any other team," Dirk finished Kathia''s line of thought. His eyes darkened even further. "Which makes it possible for her to carry her entire team through it," he muttered.

    "Especially if others won''t pay her enough mind," Kathia added before kneeling down and mming her fists into the ground in silent fury. "If it goes like this, we won''t be able to get an easy win during our turn!" she nearly shouted, dulling her voice down at the veryst second.

    "We don''t have any choice, then," Dirk muttered, his hands tightened to the point his nails cut the skin of his palms open. "I will give you all the resources that I have and everything that I will be able to buy in exchange for the beads," he said as he moved his eyes on the girl''s face.

    "Huh?" Kathia shrugged, not expecting the conversation to take this turn. "Don''t tell me..." Her eyes opened up wide when she realized what Dirk intended.

    "You will partake in today''s tournament," the man said as he reached out and detached a small pouch from his belt before passing it to the girl. "You already consumed all of your resources, right?" he asked.

    "..."

    The nk stare of the girl had to suffice for Kathia''s answer.

    "That''s why you are the only one who can gain an edge right now," Dirk exined his thought. "If she gets the reward even once, we will never be able to catch up with her," he added as his entire body shook in a silent rage.

    "I''m not so sure if I can..." Kathia attempted to protest. Yet, before she could finish her sentence, Dirk''s furious stare silenced her.

    "If she can win once, she will keep on winning," he imed. "And if that happens, we will never be able to cull her from the intersect tournament roaster!"

    Once again, there was nothing but silence between the two.

    "Fine," Kathia said, releasing a deep sigh as she reached out for Dirk''s pouch. "I will do my best... But I still need you to go and tell the others about it," she pointed out.

    "Will do," Dirk replied. For the first time in a while, a smile returned to his lips. "I won''t let anything to the fate. We will grasp our future with our own hands!" he imed as he turned around and left.

    ''And if we want to break free from the restraints of the natural growth,'' he thought, tightening his hands into fists as he noticed theck of weight to his belt. His face darkened once again, only for him to shake it. ''No, it was a necessary sacrifice,'' he told himself before raising his eyes and directing his steps outside the sponsored area, towards the sect''s administration building.

    ''If we want to break free from our fate, we have to keep the tournament spots for ourselves!''

 Chapter 187 - Jennes Change

    Jenne mmed his fist into the training pir.

    His body was covered in sweat. Some of it already managed to dry up, forming a filthyyer. Yet, the only reason why he didn''t stink was that his fresh sweat would wash the old one away.

    "Fix the position of your left leg," an elder in modest robes gave a pointer. He stood behind Jenne, watching closely over every move of the young man. "Right now, you are losing quite a lot of momentum just to swing it," he borated before turning silent once again.

    "Yes, teacher!" Jenne shouted his reply, pulling his left leg back.

    ''Even after all this training, I still have lots of things to improve on,'' he thought, executing his routine punching technique.

    It was an borate art that only the core disciples of his sect could learn. And despite all his misdeeds of the past, he was lucky enough to fall under the patronage of a man who knew it.

    "Now you are overdoing it," the elder reprimanded the young man. "Take a break for now and watch," the elder ordered as he stepped forward.

    Jenne stopped his training without as much as a sliver of hesitation.

    "Look,"? the elder said, standing in the position. He then slowly pushed his fist forward, angling himself at his hips.

    Even though it was just a demonstration performed at a snail''s pace, Jenne could see just how devastating this punch could be.

    There was nothing special to it... That is if one excluded a monstrous amount of experience behind it!

    "Now, look how my legs are moving," the elder directed Jenne''s attention. "I''m not stepping on," he pointed out. "I''m allowing my leg to follow the momentum of the rest of my body," the elder said, not stopping his demonstration even for a second.

    "I see," Jenne muttered, closely observing everyst detail of the elder''s moves. "Thank you, teacher!" he shouted as he cupped his hands together and bowed his head.

    There wasn''t even a hint of fakeness in his gestures. The respect that he showed to the man was genuine and voluntary.

    ''Still, it''s hard to believe how quickly I actually changed,'' Jenne thought as he moved back into his training position. He then started to move at a snail''s pace, doing his utmost to replicate the elder''s moves.

    "That''s better," Jenne''s teachermented, a small smile of satisfaction present on his lips. "Keep going," he ordered as he stepped back and returned to his usual job of just observing Jenne''s training.

    "Yes, teacher!" Jenne shouted before getting back to his routine.

    ''Everything changed so much,'' Jenne thought, unable to keep his thoughts on the training.

    "You are not focused." Jenne''s teacher was quick to notice that fact. Yet, instead of scolding his disciple, he only shook his head a little. "Training any further with that state of mind will be pointless. Go get yourself cleaned," he ordered.

    "Teacher! I can still keep going!" Jenne protested for the first time in a while.

    ''Training is the only thing I''m good at,'' the young man thought, clenching his fists. ''I shouldn''t let all those thoughts get to my head!'' he med himself before raising his eyes at his teacher.

    "Elder, I can keep going," Jenne said, his voice full of determination.

    "Like I said, there is no point," the older man sighed before putting on a small smile. "Also, I have some great news for you. But they are quite disturbing, so you won''t be able to train anyway," he added with a small chuckle.

    ''News?'' Jenne thought, stunned by the announcement. "What news?" he asked, lowering his arms and abandoning his position.

    There was nothing extraordinary about the teacher passing the news to their disciple... If not for the fact that it was the first time it happened ever since Jenne''s Overseer changed!

    "That Oogan bastard got his punishment," Jenne''s current teacher smiled as he made the big reveal.

    Oogan was the man who forced Jenne to be who he was back at the Skdder sect. He was the one who made use of Jenne''s mental situation to turn him into a scheming son of a bitch that didn''t mind hurting others for his own benefit.

    ''That fucker...'' Jenne instantly got agitated.

    The matter of his former master surfaced only a few days after his appearance in the sect. While he was still away, he barely paid him any mind. Yet, the second Jenne appeared in the sect, other elders noticed his situation and quickly got to the bottom of the entire thing.

    "What will be... his punishment?" Jenne asked, barely able to hold back the excitement in his voice.

    Seeing that dastardly elder punished for what he did to him was one of Jenne''s main objectives.

    "He lost his rank and got banished from the sect," Jenne''s teacher revealed. Then, his smile soured as an angry expression appeared on his lips. "I hoped for a greater punishment for what he did... but he was still an elder," the man said as his shoulders dropped. "We couldn''t really argue for any greater punishment," he said.

    ''Does that mean... I''m finally free?'' Jenne thought, clutching his heart with his hand.

    Even when he fell under the jurisdiction of his current teacher, his soul was still frightened by the possibility of his former Overseer returning.

    But now it was all over. Oogan could no longer influence him. He could no longer force Jenne to change into a vile person like the one he was back at the Skdder sect!

    "This is really reassuring," Jenne muttered, overwhelmed by the news.

    "You did well, holding on despite his bullying for so long," the elder said with a warm voice. "This story is finally over."

    This man was the one most vocal about Oogan''s punishment and the first to reach out to Jenne when he returned.

    All in all, it wouldn''t be a stretch to call him Jenne''s savior.

    "Respectable elder," Jenne muttered as he lowered his eyes. "I''m sorry, but nothing is over yet," he added, raising his eyes and looking right at his saviour''s face.

    "Huh?" the man shrugged in surprise. "What do you mean?" he asked, genuienly curious.

    "Elder, did I ever hint at the reason why I wanted to join the intersect tournament so much?" Jenne asked, seemingly changing the topic.

    But over the course of thest few weeks, Jenne''s new teacher learned a few things about him. As such, the middle-aged man could tell that Jean was guiding the discussion towards something.

    "I assumed you just wanted to prove something to yourself," the man replied, shrugging his shoulders.

    This was the difference between Oogan and the man. Oogan expected Jenne to fulfill Oogan''s wishes while not caring about Jenne at all.

    Jenne''s current master wanted to see Jenne grow, not caring much about the reasons that pushed him for the great efforts he showcased.

    "It''s nothing as grand," Jenne replied with a small chuckle. "The reason why I want to join the tournament is not for the tournament itself, but to travel to the Tuxi sect," the young man revealed.

    "And what''s so interesting in that sect?" Jenne''s teacher asked, clearly puzzled by his disciple''s revtions.

    "There are two people whom my schemes hurt the most," Jenne replied. He then lowered his eyes and turned silent for a moment.

    Even now, after several weeks, he had a hard time even thinking about what events he made happen.

    "And how are they reason for your wish to travel to Tuxi sect?" the elder asked, even though his knowing smile suggested he already knew the answer.

    "This shitty period of my life won''t end before I apologize to them," Jenne said without even a hint of hesitation.

    The determination could be heard in every tone of the words he spoke.

    "And what if they won''t forgive you?" the elder asked, his smile only continuing to grow.

    He was clearly satisfied with what he was hearing.

    "Then it will be my new purpose to pay them back for what I did," he stated. "As for whether they will ever forgive me... It''s not something that I have any say in deciding," Jenne announced as he raised his eyes and looked at his elder.

    "You won''t bother with things that are not yours to decide," the elder echoed Jenne''s conviction; his smile grew even wider. "I like that," he added.

    "And that''s why, respectable Elder," Jenne said, only to bow in half. "If that would be possible, I would like to return to my training!"

 Chapter 188 - Important Meeting (Part 1)

    ''Well then, let''s get this over with,'' I thought, psyching myself up for what was about to happen.

    It wouldn''t be a stretch to say that the next few hours or however long the meeting would take would be of insane importance for me. In fact, there was hardly anything that could be more important right now.

    The doors opened.

    A person leaned out through the gap and looked right at my face before nodding their head.

    "It''s time," the man said before pulling back into the room.

    ''Keep calm,'' I told myself, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out as I stood up from my chair and entered the room.

    It was already crowded with all sorts of people. Out of everyone, I could only recognize the boss of the auction hall.

    Everyone wore all kinds of colorful and diverse clothing, surprisingly though, my attention was instantly drawn to the two men wearing the inest robes in the room.

    ''I guess those are the experts,'' I noticed, swallowing the pressure of the moment down my throat.

    "You already know who I am, so let me introduce the people that you still need to know," the auction hall boss said as she stood up. She then turned her back to me and bowed to all the other guests.

    "Everyone, it''s my pleasure to introduce you to Arthur, a man who came up with a pretty..." the woman hesitated for a little. If not for a mysterious smile on her lips, I could maybe believe in that act. "Novel ideas," she finished before turning back to face me. "Arthur, this is master Ackhart," she pointed at the man with long hair, "and this is master Elwin," she moved her hand towards the bald man.

    Outside of the amount of hair those masters had, there was hardly any other distinctive feature between the two of them.

    "It''s an honor to meet you, masters," I said, bowing my head with respect.

    Whether I could learn anything from them or not, it didn''t matter. Since the auction master treated them with obvious respect, I had little to no choice but to do the same.

    After all, what was the point of appearing as a rude if not a barbaric person just for the reason of some ill-understood personal pride?

    "So, young man," the elder with the hair stepped forth and smiled. "I heard you are quite passionate about formations, aren''t you?" he asked.

    "Master is too kind to me," I replied, bowing my head to the man. "I just happened to find the topic quite interesting," I said, raising my head. "Studying it proved to be the best way to stave the boredom of my life off," I added.

    There was no point trying to appear as someone who knew the ins and outs of the topic. If I was someone like that, the long-haired elder wouldn''t get invited to the meeting in the first ce.

    Or rather, I wouldn''t request a meeting with him from the beginning.

    "You are quite humble," Ackhart said, raising his hand and rubbing his chin. Then, his lips curved up into a small smile. "I like it," he added before lowering his hands and flinging his robe to the back. "Show me what formations did you create, then!" he requested.

    "As you wish, Elder," I replied, bowing my head once again.

    Outside of the obvious things that were the topic of today''s meeting, I didn''t really prepare anything else. Thankfully, the room was outfitted with all sorts of utensils necessary to perform basic rune inscribing.

    After all, we were supposed to find out whether my ideas would turn out to be usible. And for the business people like the boss and her colleagues, theory amounted to nothing whenpared to practical examples.

    I grabbed one of the goose-like feathers before dipping them into the ink. Once my writing tool was ready, I grabbed some of the simple formation stones before replicating the same pattern of formation sigils that I used to create my own improved amplification array.

    "I found this simplified design to be far more effective at gathering the spiritual energy in one ce and then keeping it in," I said after marking just a few stones.

    "Don''t worry, take your... wait, what?" Ackhart''s eyes opened wide when the meaning of my words finally reached his brain. "You are done already?" he asked, lowering his eyes on the few stones I prepared.

    "Respectable Elder, I dare not to inscribe an entire formation in this ce," I lowered my head.

    The elder was right in his surprise. Even with my design, the number of formation stones was far too small to create any real formation.

    "What do you want to say?" the boss of the auction hall asked while slightly squinting her eyes.

    "Due to the nature of the topic that we will be tackling today, I dare not craft a formation that would surely bring the attention from the outside," I exined my reasons before bowing my head to the woman. "Obviously, if so you desire, I''m willing to keep going," I added while hiding a small sneer that formed on my lips.

    Right now, it wasn''t me that had to decide whether or not to create the entirety of the formation. By pushing the decision on the shoulders of this woman, not only did I shed the responsibility for what would happen, but I also hoped to make a point of how careful I was.

    "Does this design work?" Ackhart asked before the woman could voice her decision.

    I could tell why hemitted such an obvious faux pas. His face was tense, his eyes glued to the marks I left on the stones.

    For him, the idea that I came up with for the formation likely appeared to be revolutionary.

    ''And if that thought is correct, then it says a lot about the level and mindset of the jobs of this world,'' I thought, clenching my fists a little.

    Since a renowned master of formations was surprised by something so simple, I could already tell what the general knowledge of the topic would look like throughout this world.

    ''In the end, foundations of the knowledge can''t really be hidden. It''s theplicated secrets that take the time to spread,'' I thought.

    No one ever tried to hide how to add numbers. On the other hand, the process of developing the universal solution to the cubic equations was a story worth a damned movie!

    "If that''s what you are capable of," Ackhart muttered before raising his eyes on my face.. "What do you even need my help for?" he asked.

 Chapter 189 - Important Meeting (part 2)

    "Elder, with all due respect, but I cannot answer that question yet," I said, bowing my head towards the man.

    If there was anything that this world changed about me, it was how easily I could either honestly or fakely pay my respects.

    ''I would never bow to some randoms back on earth,'' I thought while raising my head and turning my eyes to the other of the masters. "Elder Elwin, could you please exin the truth about the dual cultivation to us?"

    I posed the question before Ackhart could take my refusal personally.

    "Dual cultivation means shing Yin and Yang oriented spiritual energy so that natural energy will be created in the process," he said.

    For a moment, the room turned silent. Not even the spectators of the meeting that the boss of the auction hall didn''t introduce dared to break it.

    "I''m sorry, but that we know," I muttered, raising my head and scratching my chin as an uneasy feeling took over my soul.

    ''Is that all he knows?'' I asked myself, pretty worried about such a possibility.

    The entire idea of exploiting dual cultivation relied on my ability to turn the dual part of it into a single one. By doing so, I could turn it from cooperation into a ware like any other.

    "Master, with all due respect, but I need to understand what are the qualities of Yin and Yang energies," I said, forcing myself to appear confident. "I need to understand those forces as deeply as possible."

    I kept my eyes on the man, looking for any marks of uneasiness that would hint at the man''s reluctance to share his knowledge.

    But there were none. Rather than that, Elwin smiled and stood up from his chair only to approach the table upying the better half of the room.

    "They are not forces per se," he said, grabbing one of the feathers and tapping its point against the wood of the table. "Just like you don''t call water vapor and ice a force, they are just water. In a different form with different uses, but a force nheless," he said.

    ''That''s quite an interesting way to look at it,'' I thought, instantly running down this new idea through what I already knew.

    But it didn''t take long before I arrived at a sudden conclusion.

    ''It can''t be that simple.''

    One of the few bits that I knew for sure about dual cultivation was that it didn''t produce energy at all. It was the obvious result of the statement that one needed to supply their dual cultivation with pills or other resources in order for it to be effective!

    "Then, what exactly happens when people dual cultivate?" I asked.

    I could only hope that approaching the topic from a different angle would bring forth some more details that I could use.

    "This is where our water simrities end," Elwin smiled before raising his hand and running it down the smooth skin of his bald head. "During dual cultivation, you are not producing more energy. But you are refining it instead."

    Once again, the room turned silent. But as much as I wanted to understand this reaction, I had no clue what could be the cause.

    "Isn''t this in opposition to what most of the dual cultivation sects im?" Ackhart asked with an uneasy expression on his face.

    I could likely learn a few funny or maybe even important details if I kept on listening to the whispers that ensued. But my mind was overwhelmed by another line of thought.

    ''No, let''s not ditch the water idea,'' I thought, lowering my eyes and rubbing my chin. ''The only difference between the vapor and ice is the speed at which the water particles oscite.''

    The whispers around me continued... but I didn''t pay them any mind. I could feel that I was onto something.

    ''With water, when two groups of particles of different temperatures meet, their inertia events out,'' I thought, imagining the process in my head. ''But in dual cultivation, the mana actually ends up more refined...'' I continued toy out the concepts one by one.

    This was a prettyplicated topic. One that I could never grasp by attempting to solve it in its entirety. That''s why the first step to understanding it was to simplify it.

    ''Wait, could it be?''

    Suddenly, my mind emptied out.

    The answer to the problem I was stuck at was just so damn simple that I couldn''t really believe I missed it for so long!

    ''With vapor and ice, the vectors of their innate speed events out. But what if they cannot be described as the opposite when talking about mana?''

    By copsing all three dimensions that the space consisted of into a single ne, the particles'' inertia could be described as a singr vector. The only difference between ice and vapor would be the length of a said vector.

    Yet, for the math of such an example to make sense, those vectors also had to have the opposite direction. Otherwise, instead of evening out, they would add up.

    But what if I expanded such copsed dimension... to a proper ne? What if a vector of magical energy could be angled away?

    "What if yin and yang are just the names for the different spin of the mana in a dimension we can''t perceive?" I muttered to myself, not realizing that my voice leaked out.

    "Arthur?"

    ''Assuming that this idea is right, then it would all suddenly make sense,'' I thought, stunned by the discovery.

    By assimting the mana, one was introducing a spin to it. The spins that men and women introduced to their inner energy were opposite but neutral in terms of the energy itself.

    But when shed, the vectors wouldbine, making the mana spin in a way that humans perceived as condensation of the energy.

    "Arthur?"

    ''If such idea were to be correct...'' I thought, instantlying up with a quick way to verify it.

    "ARTHUR!" The boss of the auction house shouted, finally forcing me out of my stupor.

    "Huh?" I shrugged, surprised by the sudden volume of the voice. "What''s wrong?"

    "You were muttering something to yourself for a while," the woman exined with a strange look on her face.

    Only now did I realize that the room had already calmed down and that everyone''s eyes were locked on me.

    "Ah, I think I just got a certain idea," I said with a small, shy smile. "Master Elwin, could you borate on what does it mean that the spiritual energy is more refined?" I requested, forcibly changing the topic.

    I already drew a lot of attention to myself by calling for this meeting. It wouldn''t be wise to give those influential people any more reasons to keep their attention on me.

    "Huh?" the bald man only shrugged in surprise. The stares of the spectators remained on my face, hinting that I had just said something that I shouldn''t. "It''s easier to assimte or use it," the man exined as if it was something obvious.

    ''So I was right,'' I thought. ''Or at least, my way of approaching this topic is correct,'' I fixed my own thoughts, killing the arrogance initially contained within.

    The truth was rtive. My way of exining the phenomena could be as correct as someone''s else. The only difference would be how easy it would be to grasp the concept using my approach instead of a different one.

    ''If thebined vector of yin and yang spins brings mana closer to its usable spin, it will all make sense,'' I thought. ''This would also exin why there one always uses more mana than it would be manifested in their spell,'' I thought, connecting the dots one after another.

    "I think I got it," I finally said.

    My mind was in a weird state where I felt as if everything had fallen right into its respective ce. As if every dot of my question connected with a line of an answer.

    A smile crept upon my lips.

    "Now, I finally know what questions I need to ask you, Elder Ackhart," I said, ignoring the puzzled stares of the spectators.

    "Yeah?" the man shook his head, clearly confused by my act. "What is it?"

    The smile on my lips widened.

    "Do you think it''s possible to retain the ve.... retain the yin or yang quality of an energy by enclosing it within a formation?"

 Chapter 190 - Important Meeting (part 3)

    "A formation to hold the yin or yang quality of the energy enclosed..." Ackhart echoed my question. He then lowered his eyes and rubbed his chin for a moment.

    "I think I heard of some formations like that... But even then, you would need an entirely different formation to extract said energy," he added after a few moments of thoughts.

    I leaned my head to the side as if I was a dog curious about a strange voice made by its owner.

    ''For real?'' I thought.

    This wasn''t something that I predicted or even guessed that could happen. I never consider such a scenario in the first ce!

    Which was proof of just how narrow-minded I was with my n!

    "That''s great!" I shouted joyfully, barely holding back myughter. "But just to make sure that I got it right, it''s possible to inscribe a formation that would hold the yin or yang etched energy enclosed, right?"

    This was the very basis of my n. As such, I wasn''t going to assume anything about it.

    "That''s right," Ackhart nodded his head without any hesitation this time. "I think I could even draw one for you right now," he added, approaching the table and grabbing thest of the feathers.

    "Master, please, hold your horses," I said, raising my hands to hamper the man''s enthusiasm.

    ''Still, I can''t believe how convenient it can be!'' I rejoiced within my thoughts as I reached towards my pants.

    "Excuse me for this unsightly act. I have my reasons to keep my possession of a storage ring hidden from mypanions," I said in an exnatory tone while pulling my ring out and putting it on my finger.

    "Caution isn''t a quality that we would shun," one of the spectators said, proving that they weren''t just a bunch of extras hired by the boss.

    "That''s great," I muttered silently before pulling out the few dildos that I managed to carve out in time.

    From the outside, they appeared to be carved out of a single, solid piece of material. But the truth was different.

    The outer shell''s only purpose was to provide pleasure to a woman. I shaped it by using the terabytes worth of research material that I kept in my "homework" folder back on earth.

    Yet, if someone were to look at the thing from their base, they would see the only hint that there was something more to the dildo than just its shell.

    "A pleasuring stick?" Elwin was quick to recognize the object, even though he called it with a name I had never heard before. He then released a long sigh. "If that''s all you gathered us all to offer..." he muttered, only to shut up when I threw him an annoyed stare.

    He didn''t shut up because he got scared. He got silent because of the dissonance between my humble and kind attitude from before and my openly arrogant behavior right now.

    "This thing consists of two parts," I said, turning the dildo around to show its base to everyone. "The outer part is just a normal pleasuring stick," I said, sending a meaningful look at Elwin''s face. "But there is a twist to it," I added.

    "You just need to run a small amount of spiritual energy through the hidden core," I said, putting my finger on the round carving at the dildo''s bottom.

    At my current level, I could manipte my mana with ease. Feeding the formation inside the dildo with enough energy to make it work was a piece of cake.

    The entire thing instantly started to shake in my hand. As such, I grabbed it as hard as I could beforeying my arm down on the table.

    "There is a formation inside responsible for making the thing vibrate," I said before forcibly sucking the mana out.

    If I wanted to take the thing apart, having it vibrate would be pretty inconvenient.

    "How did you make it?!" Ackhart shouted, his eyes widening.

    "Huh?" I shrugged, losing my focus for a moment.

    If not for how sturdy the material of my product was, I could very well snap it in the heat of the moment!

    "Just wait for a second," I hissed through my teeth before finding the smalltch and pushing it in. With the knob out of the way, I simply shook the thing in my hand, allowing the core to slide out.

    It looked like a smaller and perfectly round version of the dildo, without all the irregrities and protrusions that the outer shell had. The only thing that made it different from just a nicely carved piece of monster''s bone were the runes carved in the middle of its length.

    "Magnificent..." Ackhart muttered, unable to keep his hand by his body. He reached out and took the core from my hands, adoring the runes written on it.

    "It''s simple... yet genius..." he continued to mutter in amazement. "Just who the fuck are you?!" he asked, turning his eyes to my face.

    "It doesn''t matter who I am, respectable elder," I said with a small smile while bowing my head. "The question is, can you add the formation responsible for absorbing and keeping the yin-etched spiritual energy without disturbing the vibrating formation?"

    In theory, a dildo didn''t need to vibrate at all. It was just a quirk that would make it... slightly more efficient and less time-consuming.

    But in reality, it was a quirk I wasn''t willing to give up on. Because if anything, the formation that I came up with to make it vibrate used the principles that this world didn''t ept. I used the same principles to turn my amplification array back at the camp fromplete dogshit into an actually useful thing.

    In other words, by making the dildo vibrate, I ensured that one could spot fakes on the first second of use!

    "I think it will be... doable," Ackhart replied, lowering his head over the runes of the dildo''s core before moving his eyes towards a piece of paper on which he started to scribble some stuff.

    I nced over at his paper... Only to give up the secondter. Outside of the runes like start or stop, I couldn''t recognize even a single one.

    ''They are all superplicated.'' It was the only thing that I managed to notice about whatever he was writing. Compared to the simple runes that I was using that were pretty simr to the Latin alphabet, what he scribbled appeared even worse than some of the moreplicated Kanji letters of Japanese writing!

    "Can I borrow that core for a moment?" he asked. "I would like to test my idea right away," he added, looking up to my face.

    "Sure thing," I nodded my head as I raised my hands to imply I didn''t want to have anything to do with that core anymore. "Just keep in mind I only managed to make a few more, so we don''t have that many prototypes to test on," I added.

    I expected the man to take quite a lot of time to paint out the runes that he scribbled on the paper onto the roundish surface of the dildo''s core...

    But he wasn''t a master just in the name.

    "It''s done," he said after barely a few minutes. He then straightened his back and looked at the core, standing erected right on the table. "All we need to do is to..." the man swallowed a mouthful of saliva as his cheeks turned slightly red.

    "To test it out," I finished Ackhart''s sentence for him without any problem.. I then grabbed the core inserted it back into the shell before passing the entire thing to the auction hall boss. "If that wouldn''t be a problem, would you care to organize the test?"

 Chapter 191 - Change Of Plans

    "To test this thing out..." the boss muttered as she raised her hand to hide her lips.

    I wouldn''t be a man of a culture if I didn''t notice the slight blush that blossomed on her cheeks.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head. "I believe it will be better if you find someone suitable before we actually spread this product to the brothels," I added.

    In theory, everything that I was doing right now was to perfect the product that I wouldter sell to a brothel while iming a hefty margin of its profits.

    But it was only a part of what I had in mind right now. Sure, that was what I went with at the beginning, but now that I had the attention of the auction hall...

    Why would I bother dealing with a brothel ever again?

    It wasn''t like I enjoyed going there to do business. I did so only because I just happened to have a nice idea that could sell and a brothel was the ce where I would likely be able to sell it.

    Sure, it was nice to have good ties with a ce like a brothel. With the insane amount of information flowing through it, I would be able to learn more about the world and all the things that I would find interesting...

    But I could do the same just by asking for a small favor from the auction house were our current deal to conclude sessfully!

    ''In other words, there is no point whatsoever for me to deal with whores ever again,'' I thought. Still, all of those thoughts...

    In the end, they were just an excuse.

    Because the real reasons why I started to dislike doing business with the whorehouses were different.

    The first was obvious. Since Lucius frequented brothels, it was a ce where I was likely to run into him. And it wouldn''t be a stretch to im that our rtions right now... weren''t the best.

    And the second...

    Even though it''s already been a long while since Ist saw Mia, I still felt bad whenever a half-naked girl would shove her filth and disease-covered skin onto me!

    "I will get it done; give me a moment," the boss said as she stood up. Then, without saying another word, she left the room.

    The room filled with an awkward silence. Even though the spectators were supposed to be some big shots the boss would pitch my idea to, they weren''t in the mood to strike up any conversation.

    Or maybe they were some extras?

    Whatever the case, they didn''t say a single word, and I didn''t deem it a good thing to do either.

    "Listen, young man," Ackhart suddenly spoke up, breaking the awkward moment of silence. "While I have huge hopes for this project of yours, I don''t think it gives your abilities justice," he said, shaking his head as ifmenting over me wasting my knowledge on such a folly.

    "What are you trying to suggest?" I asked, genuinely puzzled by the motives of the man.

    Was he trying to recruit me? Or maybe he just wanted to get me to talk about what I discovered about formations?

    "If you ever get bored with whatever you are doing right now, feel free to contact me," Ackhart smiled as he brushed his fingers through his short beard. "I will be sure to create a spot within the formation department of the sect for you!" he announced.

    The world around me froze.

    Not literally, obviously. There was no reason for some godlike being to suddenly freeze the time. And even if a force existed capable of doing so, such a coincidence would be just too much.

    In reality, I got stunned. Because this suggestion was pretty damn interesting.

    Without the burden of being a contractor, I would likely be able to rejoin Mia. After several weeks of separation, I could finally hold her again, feel her warmth, make sure that she was doing all right...

    ''No,'' I shouted in my thoughts, forcing this enticing idea away. ''I''m the one who settles her sponsorship,'' I thought as my face darkened a little. ''What would happen if I changed the job?''

    A smile crept up on my lips.

    ''And it''s all assuming that the sect would allow me to do so in the first ce,'' I thought before shaking my head to deny the offer.

    "I''m sorry, but right now, I''m not in a position to change my jobs," I dered. "I will keep your proposition in mind for the time when I will once again be the lord of my own fate," I added in order to cate the man''s pride.

    Given how he was openly called a master by me and the auction hall boss as well, he likely wasn''t used to people dismissing his kindness like that.

    "I see," the man nodded his head with a smile before turning his attention back to the table. "I guess I will project the extraction formation, then," he added, hiding the dejected look that appeared on his face the moment he assumed I could no longer see it.

    For the next few moments, only the sound of the feather scratching the rough paper that this world had to offer could be heard. Yet, before this constant, nearly background noise could lull me to sleep, the boss of the auction hall returned.

    Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were shining.

    And with just a single glimpse, I could tell that the dildo she held in her hand was pretty wet.

    ''Did she...?'' I thought as my eyebrows went on the pilgrim to the top of my head. I then shook those wild thoughts off before focusing on the topic.

    "It''s done," she said, even her voice bing a bit more rxed than before.

    "Did it work?" I asked, pretending not to see any of the clues.

    "You tell me," the woman rolled her eyes and ced the tool on the table, only to move her eyes at Ackhart. "Now, if you tell me that you can make the extraction possible... I think we will be able to make a pretty nice market for those," she said as she turned her eyes back on me.

    "You don''t even have a shred of an idea," I muttered, dissatisfied with her rtively mild response.

    For me, it looked like she was only interested in the mechanical function of the dildo rather than the insane opportunity that it brought.

    "Excuse me?" the woman angled her head to the side. She kept the smile on her lips, but I could tell from the look in her eyes that her mood took a drastic dive after my words.

    "Before, I suggested using the dildos as a means to undermine the monopoly of the sect over the cultivation resources," I said, bringing back the discussion we had with the boss when we first met at the auction hall. "But now? After we learned that you need a formation to make use of those energies?"

    A chuckle made its way from the very bottom of my heart to my lips, only to evolve into full-fledgedughter.

    "Can''t you see it?" I asked, nearly bending in half from amusement. "Right now, those dildos and formations give us the tools to basically take over all the dual cultivation sects in one quick swoop!"

 Chapter 192 - The Tournament Is About To Begin

    Mia marched off through the sect grounds and towards the arena where the tournament would take ce.

    There was still over an hour before the event proper would start. Yet, just in case some trouble woulde her way as she approached the ce, Mia decided to end her training sooner and move in ahead of time.

    Looking at her group, one could spot a massive difference between Mia herself and the rest of her group.

    ''I don''t think we can win, but we should be able to get our hands on some resources anyway,'' Mia thought, barely able to hold her excitement down.

    Outside of all the real-life factors and motivators, the tournament presented a chance for her.

    A chance to prove that Arthur-sourced way of training was better than what they taught at the sect.

    On the other hand, Mia''s team...

    Their faces were all sunk. Not a single one of them dared to return the stares that they received from the people all over the ce.

    They were in the inner ring of the sect. The normal disciples like them could enter this area only due to the ongoing tournament, as the only area in this location of the sect was located within its inner ring.

    ''They look like they lost before the event even started,'' Mia thought as she looked back at the rest of her group.

    They were determined to do their best... They just didn''t see much chance of winning anything.

    ''I guess they believe in the difference between them and the sponsored disciples,'' she thought, tightening her fists.

    Theing tournament wouldn''t be decided by their strength. It would be decided by their morale.

    "Guys, lift your heads up," Mia reprimanded the rest of her group in a hushed voice. "The way you present yourself influences the way you feel. If you act like losers even before the fight, you will only have yourself to me if we lose," she added with a poorly concealed hint of scorn in her voice.

    "We are not going to win this; you should be aware of that," Sander bit back, his eyes filling with displeasure.

    He could be demotivated about theing trail, but that didn''t give anyone the right to call him out on that!

    "Just look around," Mia said as she rolled her eyes. "Do you see anyone who would look at you the way people look at us in the outer area of the sect?" Mia asked, pointing out a strange phenomena.

    In the inner ring of the sect, a ce where only the inner disciples and elders were normally allowed to, there was no sign of the usual discrimination against the normal disciples.

    Even though the difference between them and the inners was far greater than it was between normies and sponsored disciples, there wasn''t any sort of displeasure brought by their mere presence.

    ''Or maybe the people here are just better at hiding it?'' Mia thought, unwilling to ignore such an opportunity.

    Still, it wasn''t a topic that she had to be even remotely concerned about. The only reason why she was in the inner ring of the sect was the tournament.

    Once it would be over, she would leave this ce not to return before another tournament would start.

    "We are here," Mia muttered a few moments. They finally arrived at the doorstep of the arena, allowing the girl to take the very first look at the ce.

    ''Woah,'' she moaned in her mind, stunned by sight. She didn''t allow her emotions to show on her face, worried about uprooting the already poor morale of her group...

    But it was hard not to get stunned by sight.

    The arena itself appeared to be a singr building as massive as the entire Skdder sect. It rose for several tens of meters high into the sky, cutting away an oval-shaped piece ofnd behind its high walls.

    On the other hand, the entrance for the participants led directly underground. Just staring at the darkened entrance to the tunnel made Mia feel humbled.

    "So you are really taking part in the tournament," a slightly familiar voice forced the girl to shake her amazement off and focus her attention on its source.

    "Respectable elder," she greeted, respectfully sping her hands and bending her back a little.

    It was the man who caught her when she had just advanced to the fifth rank of cultivation.

    "Don''t bother with the formalities," the man shook his head, dismissing Mia''s humble attitude. "So those are the people you are participating with?" he asked, turning his head to the rest of Mia''s group.

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head. She then turned around and introduced each of herpanions by name and rank.

    "They are still in the third level?" the man asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "Do they have, like, a great hidden talent?" he asked, puzzled by something that Mia couldn''t put her finger on.

    "Huh?" she muttered in surprise. "And why would that be?" she asked.

    Yet, instead of answering, the elder only smiled and raised his hand as if to defend himself.

    "Don''t worry, I understand," he muttered silently with a knowing smile. "I won''t ask about your ace cards right before you might need to reveal them," he added, exining just how did he misunderstand the situation.

    ''Doesn''t he realize how hard it is to reach higher levels without the cultivation resources?'' Mia thought, trying to figure out just what the hell was wrong with that man''s way of thinking.

    "Anyway, it seems that the rest of the participants are starting to gather," the man pointed out before Mia could find any words to fix the elder''s misunderstanding. "It would be bad if they saw us together. I don''t want any rumors to start about me being unfair by supporting your group," he added, turning around on his heel.

    "Elder, I don''t think there is anything you can do that would make others believe the fight to be unfair," Mia muttered, shaking her head as a feeling of powerlessness took over her mind.

    "I know, I know," the elder replied with a small chuckle, grinning from ear to ear. "But you never know what people might think. It''s my responsibility as an elder of this sect to not give them any basis for the rumors to start," he said, refusing to turn his face back to the girl.

    Instead, the man raised his hand and waved it at Mia''s group. "Good luck!" he shouted before leaving for the official entrance to the arena.

    ''Is he that clueless about our situation?'' Mia asked herself, unable to figure out that man''s behavior. ''Or is he just trying to taunt me here?''

    Mia attempted to consider all the possible options. As the elder of the sect, this man holds a significant influence. And in her current situation, Mia was desperate to use everyst chance that fate offered her.

    ''If I can get us into that man''s favor... I don''t give a shit about any rumors that it would potentially start,'' she thought.

    But she wasn''t given any time to rest even after the elder left.

    Just like he said a few moments before, other parties finally started to arrive at the arena. As the entrance tunnel for the participants was pretty narrow, Mia shook her head and pushed her group forward, unwilling to let theirpetitors find them in such an enclosed and dark area.

    ''It''s better to be safe than sorry,'' she thought, hurrying everyone up past the tunnel and all the way into the waiting room.

    Yet, even though her escape towards the waiting room was sessful, the tournament still would take a while to start. In other words, now she was stuck with the people that wouldpete with her during the tournament!

    And it didn''t take long for them to show their true colors.

    "Just look at the bugs that came here!"

    "This is going to be fun!"

    "I can''t wait to smear the faces of some normies on the ground!"

    Not a single word was directed right at them. But everyst one of those unwitty remarks was aimed at putting them down.

    "Don''t listen to those conceited idiots," Mia muttered as she brought her group together. "Guys, you saw that man from before," she added as a n finally formed in her head.

    "What about him?" Ve asked as she looked around. The look on her face only showed how ufortable she was.

    She wasn''t restless because of the t-out vocal bullying. To that, every normie disciple was long used to. Ve was anxious because the situation proved the guess that everyone had about theing tournament.

    They would be ganged up against.

    "He is an elder from the inner ring of the sect," Mia exined what she already figured out a long time ago.

    This was the only possible exnation behind the man''s ignorance about the affairs of normal disciples. That is the only exnation that made any sense whatsoever.

    But also an exnation that brought along some disastrous and mind-shattering implications behind it.

    "And what''s so great about it?" Sander asked.

    This time, he didn''t appear anxious. He could clearly see that Mia was hinting at something and was just too curious about what was going in the girl''s head to bother with the prospect of getting beaten up soon.

    "He doesn''t seem to have a clue about our situation. That''s why, seeing how they are obviously going to gang on us," she muttered, ncing over to the other participants.

    Then, Mia''s lips curved up. A rush of hot blood struck her face as her eyes widened in devious excitement.

    "Why don''t we give him something to get really interested in, given how he has no idea how much hate there is between normal disciples and sponsored ones?"

 Chapter 193 - The One Favor I Wont Forget

    Lucius sat down at the dining area of the Inn they were lodged at. Even though his room was just a few meters away from Arthur''s, he didn''t see his subordinate ever since he asked for help with his failed gamble.

    "That fucker," Lucius muttered right into the opening of the cup.

    Normally, his trip to the sect would only take a single day. Yet now, because of that damned full moon, he had no other choice but to spend over three days just sitting around the ce.

    For someone who would usually st away all of his money on the same day he would get into the sect, extending his stay at the ce was one of the worst things that could happen.

    Lucius took another sip of the drink.

    ''At least I saved enough money to be able to keep drinking,'' he thought, taking another gulp to drown down his sorrows.

    But this time, not a single drop of liquid fell down his throat. The cup was already empty.

    "Another one!" Lucius shouted, striking the cup down against the wood of the table he was sitting at.

    "Pay up first, you waste!" the innkeeper shouted over before spitting into the rug she was using to wipe the sses.

    The only reason why Lucius chose this kind of establishment was simple. It was cheap. And while Arthur didn''t appear to mind it at all... he didn''t appear in it at any other time but deep into the night.

    ''If not for his meals, I would have long stopped thinking about him,'' Lucius thought, standing up and pulling out one of thest coins that he had on him.

    With their time at the sect finally closing to an end, he could splurge all the rest of his savings.

    "Here," he shouted, tossing over thest of his gold coins. "Flush it!" he added, striking the table with his cup again.

    The doors to the Inn opened the moment the innkeeper was about to fill Lucius'' cup.

    "What a waste," Arthur muttered when heid his eyes on the sight. He then turned his eyes away and made his way upstairs to where his room was at.

    ''This damned fucker,'' Lucius thought angrily before being forced to swallow his anger down his throat. A sip of his freshly poured drink turned out to be a great help at doing so.

    ''I will get him back for it one day,'' he thought, dumping another portion of cheap alcohol on the pile of his sorrows.

    *****

    ''That damned waste,'' I thought, climbing up the stairs to my room.

    Seeing Lucius waste the precious time at the sect grounds doing nothing but drinking while I was running around and trying to squeeze the most out of everyst second I had...

    It was both infuriating and humiliating. For someone who was supposed to guide me in the ways of a contractor, Lucius stopped doing his damned job a long time ago.

    Sure, he was great at hunting... But a little bit over a month into the job, I already proved that I could get more efficient at hunting.

    ''This is really annoying,'' I thought the moment I entered the room and pulled out my cooking utensils.

    If there was any time that I was willing to waste while in the sect, it was the time I used to prepare my meals.

    It could seem like a waste of time of the highest magnitude for others. After all, with the kind of money that I had, I could easily order some of the greatest foods of the ce to be delivered to my room at specific times.

    Even if this wasn''t a standard service that people would provide in this world, there was hardly any problem once enough money would be dropped at it.

    ''Still, there has to be a reason why he is acting like that,'' I thought as I watched the few ingredients that I brought on quickly turn into a stew.

    In theory, cooking within my own room was a pretty bad idea. After all, an open fire in a wooden building didn''t seem like the smartest thing to set.

    Still, I was confident about what I was doing. There were hardly any urrences of me failing my cooking even back on earth. And now, with an entire system job here to support my efforts?

    Just by means of my cook''s job, I was better at handling the mes than some of the elemental-oriented cultivators could ever get in their lives!

    Still, the moment of respite brought by the cooking could onlyst for so long. Once the meal was done, I simply devoured my portion before setting aside one for Lucius.

    Even if our rtions were a lot colder right now, I would still leave a portion for him.

    Not for the sake of currying his favor. With my silent treatment, any chances of gaining his kindness were long lost. But one thing didn''t change.

    And it was the fact that he saved my life once. And as much as I could dislike him now, I would still attempt to repay this debt in any way that I could.

    ''After all, the fact that we have different ideas about growth and life itself doesn''t mean I need to be a dick to him,'' I thought.

    In the end, I was more than aware of just how high quality my cooking was.

    I packed up Lucius'' portion of the meal before bringing it to his room. As we were traveling together, the key that we received could be used to open both of our rooms.

    It was a small convenience that the magicless world like earth desperatelycked.

    ''Let''s not waste any more time,'' I thought, hurrying down the stairs the second this annoying duty of mine was over.

    It''s been barely an hour since my meeting with the experts and potential investors ended, yet I have already made my way back into the auction hall.. After all, now that we managed to settle the deal, I was going to make full use of the favor that I asked for from the auction hall boss.

 Chapter 194 - Pushing The Advantage

    "Oh!"

    The receptionist nearly jumped when she saw me. Her eyes first opened wide and then calmed down as her professional behavior kicked in.

    "Wee to the auction hall, sir!" she greeted, respectfully bowing her head.

    ''Heh,'' I chuckled in my mind. Then I shook my head and smiled humbly.

    "Excuse me, but could you arrange a meeting with the boss of this branch?" I asked, politely nodding my head.

    "Yes, right away," the girl replied while bowing her head.

    It was my first time meeting her, yet she acted just like any of the earlier receptionists I met.

    ''Still,'' I thought, pushing my body forward as I followed the girl. When I turned my eyes back at the entrance, someone else had already staffed the receptionist''s desk. ''Everything went quite fast,'' I rejoiced.

    "Sir." The girl stopped by the doors, bowing her head and pointing me towards it. "The boss is waiting," she added.

    "Thanks for the help," I nodded my head to the receptionist before making my way through the doors.

    "You are here earlier than I expected," the woman sat in exactly the same setup as any other big boss that I met in this world. Be it the Madam from the Skdder sect or the boss right now, they all had it.

    A simple room devoid of any luxury. An old, fine desk crafted from exotic materials. Two bookshelves by the wall and a window lurking at the castle''s gardens.

    And there she sat, deep in her one piece offort, an enormous chair.

    "I want to deal with it as soon as possible," I nodded my head. "I hope it''s not the wrong time for me toe."

    I raised my head and looked at the woman''s face.

    "Don''t worry about it," the boss grinned. "It''s impossible for me to be busy when I know what''s about to happen," she added.

    Her eyes lit up. She then stood up and leaned down, only to bring out a small, sealed bosk from below her desk.

    "It''s good to see you amused," I raised my eyebrow and then rolled my eyes. "Shall we go, then?" I asked.

    I wanted to get the confrontation at the logistical center out of my way. It was something that I had to do, but that would bring me little to no direct benefit.

    But something that I had to do nheless.

    "Sure thing," the boss grabbed an outer, hooded robe and followed me towards the doors. She then passed the small box to my hands.

    "It will be better if you will be the one carrying it, wouldn''t it?" she said with a happy face before sending me a wink. She then brought her hoodie down, hiding her face in its shade.

    "That''s correct," I took over the box before moving out.

    The n was simple.

    The box in my hands contained exactly the right amount. The quota right at its minimal level. But one that was prepared by the auction hall boss.

    ''Damn,'' I thought as we continued towards the logistical center. The small weight of the box constantly reminded me of the one sore point of my situation.

    Despite all my attempts, I failed to reach the next level of cultivation.

    I was still stuck at the peak of the sixth stage. It was pathetically lowpared to Lucius''s seventh and eighth levels of the higher figures around.

    And the resources in my hands would be enough to advance in a sh.

    ''Damn,'' I thought, aware of a certain possibility.

    "Let me ask about one thing," I said, quick to check the situation. "Would it be possible to remotely sponsor someone in a different city?" I asked.

    This was the one real worry I had about the entire deal with my contract. If they were willing to steal from me openly, then what if Mia didn''t receive even a bit of my help?

    What if her sponsored status was long gone while I continued to waste my time on this entire thing?

    ''Whatever the case, if I can support her through the auction hall, I will have an easier time believing she''s fine,'' I thought.

    The more time passed ever since Ist saw her, the stranger I felt about the entire thing. Because instead of getting used to the loneliness, I was only missing her more and more.

    And the more I thought about Mia and the hardships she could be in, the less willing I turned to entrust this damned sect with promoting her growth.

    "Wait a second," the boss'' eyes turned weird. A secondter, her face rxed. "Yeah, that should be possible," she said as she nodded her head.

    "Great," I muttered in response, turning my eyes back to the road.

    And there it was, the logistical center. The ce where the sect openly stole from me. And the ce that I was going to set right.

    I pushed the door open.

    Mypanion pulled her hoodie down as she stood behind me and waited.

    ''It''s still quite early for the submission,'' I thought, recalling the usual schedule. I then looked down at the counter, where the same Clerk continued to ck on the job.

    Our eyes meet.

    ''I wonder what he thinks when he sees me walking down the ce like that,'' I thought, amused by the question.

    The man''s eyes turned shocked. Then his expression turned into utter disbelief. And then his lips formed a vicious smile.

    ''So he is too dumb to realize that something is wrong,'' I noticed, shaking my head over how simple this matter would be.

    "How can we help you today," the Clerk smiled, perfectly firm in his belief that he held an advantage in the situation.

    "I came to submit my quota," I said, smashing down the box with the resources down on the desk.

    At first, the Clerk didn''t respond. He alternated his eyes between my face and the box before finally reaching to open it.

    Then his smile deepened.

    "Do you really expect it will be any different today?" he asked, his face breaking down in honest amusement. Yet, as he looked down at the content, he stared at the resources for a while...

    And then his eyes darkened.

    ''So he has noticed,'' I thought.

 Chapter 195 - Investment

    The number of resources that I brought was the cheapest possible set of items. While technically filling my quota, it was effectively a bunch of scraps.

    "And what could you mean by that?" I asked, gracing the Clerk with a lovely smile of mine. "Is there any sort of problem with my submission?" I asked, acting as if I couldn''t understand what the Clerk talked about.

    His face darkened.

    ''Did he caught on?'' I thought with curiosity.

    "What submission?" he asked, forcibly bringing out a smile on his lips.

    His expression was overall full of shit right now.

    "The one that you just unsealed," I exined, putting a silly look on my face.

    "And the one that I prepared a few moments prior," the boss stepped in, gently pulling her hoodie down.

    Her golden hair made it pretty hard not to notice her appearance. And just in case, her voice filled the entire room.

    "Who the fuck are you?" the Clerk asked before he finally looked at the woman''s face.

    Then, his eyes shook a little.

    "I''m your fucking grandpa," the boss''s expression turned from amusement to an extreme fury in a sh. "Or so I would be if not for how damn ugly you are."

    The Clerk''s expression froze.

    And then exploded in silent fury.

    "You better watch your words!" his face darkened. "There are limits to how much..."

    "You do not stand in the way of our money, kid," the woman looked at the Clerk, seizing him down. "You do not stand in the way of our money," she repeated, her gaze turning as if she was scolding a teen hooligan.

    "I will have you...!" the man shouted, only to bite his tongue at the veryst moment.

    But it was more than enough for my current backer. And watching the entire thing, I suddenly wished for a big bowl of popcorn.

    ''If there is something that I missed in this world, it''s drama,'' I thought with a slight sneer creeping up on my eyes.

    "You will have me what?" the boss smiled adorably as if the Clerk had just presented her with the grandest gift ever. "Banned from dealing with the sect?" she chuckled, honestly amused to the limits by the opportunity this random Clerk offered her on a golden te.

    "No, what?" the man suddenly stumbled, realizing the magnitude of what was happening.

    ''That''s not really... what I expected,'' I thought.

    Sure, my expanded n of using the dildos had its elements of undermining the sect''s influence...

    But I never expected for the auction hall to go fucking all in on this bet!

    ''Now that it dawned upon me,''? I thought, analyzing my current situation. And there was one thing that appeared to be inevitable.

    ''I''m going to get forced out,'' I thought.

    There was something very wrong with the logistics center. The way it operated didn''t fit the image I had on the sect. And now that I was causing trouble about this matter, someone would step in to silence me.

    I wasn''t overestimating my value. I wasn''t overnning. It was just the most natural oue of this situation.

    If I started to mess around their nest, they would force me out. One way or another, my ability to support Mia through the sect was nearing.

    And in that situation, it was better to take the initiative while I still could.

    "What do you want me to do?" the Clerk asked, biting down on his lower lip. Frustration filled his eyes as he forced his mouth to utter the words of defeat.

    "You will not stand in the way of our client''s money," the boss said. She was pretty willing to continue when I raised my hand and stepped in.

    "The things that you stole, I will consider a gift for you," I said.

    There was no point in actually pushing the sect right now. I presented my ability and could maintain the status quo. As long as it increased the chance of the sect continuing its support for the girl, I was willing to downy my position in this situation.

    ''Any support from the auction hall would take time to get through.

    Whatever schemes I was cooking on my end, there was one principle I had to abide by.

    ''I can''t do anything that would potentially cause Mia to be in danger.''

    If I could buy Mia and me some more time by the price of a single quota?

    How in the world could I hesitate?

    "Are you sure?" the boss asked, turning her head to me with a thoughtful spark in her eyes.

    "I am," I replied calmly, raising my hand with a small stone.

    A courtesy of master Ackhart, currently busy with establishing a production line of the dildos.

    A recording formation embedded into the stone was the simplest possible but extremely effective ace card.

    "I believe you understand what this means," I said, shing the stone in the Clerk''s face.

    His expression darkened even further.

    "I do," he forced the words out of his lips. He then took a deep breath and rxed his facial muscles a little.

    "Great," I summed up as a wide smile appeared on my lips. I straightened my back and sped my hands together. Then I turned my face to the Clerk, shing the recording stone again. "I assume my quota is secured?"

    "It is," the Clerk uttered through his teeth, hanging his head low in defeat.

    "Great, then see you soon," I added, grabbing the boss by her wrist and cheerfully pulling her out of the building.

    "Damn," I uttered the second I left the ce. "That was tiring," I added as I released all the air from my lungs before taking a slow, deep breath to replenish it.

    "Are you really sure?" the boss asked, a look of concern decorating her face. "We could''ve pushed our advantage quite far," she said before lowering her eyes on my face. "Isn''t that what you wanted? That''s what''s going to happen once we prepare everything," she added, looking at me with a weird spark behind her eyes.

    "It''s fine," I shook my head. "There is no need to hurry. The longer we get to prepare, the harder it will be for the sect to push back," I exined in a hushed voice.

    After all, we were still at the doorstep of the building.

    "Then, I will count on your hunts," the boss replied.

    She then reached out with her hand and patted me on the back.

    "Anyway, good job for today," she said before reaching out and taking a ring off her fingers. "Here," she added.

    "What''s this?" I asked, looking down at the gift in the palm of my hand.

    The answer was pretty obvious.

    What else could it be if not a storage ring?

    "It''s a personal quantificator," the boss exined, using words that I obviously couldn''t understand. "Not only is this a storage ring, but it can also boost both your cultivation and your greatest strength," she thoughtfully exined.

    "Thanks?" I replied, weirded out by the news.

    This wasn''t a part of the deal.

    "Consider this.... the investment of our group in you," the boss exined as a mysterious smile appeared on her lips. "After all, how could we pass on someone so clever and useful?"

 Chapter 196 - Lets Turn Him In

    Lucius sat in the Inn for hours.

    It was as if he was frozen in time, not perceiving its passage at all.

    If not for his asional move of the arm to take a sip, one could easily mistake him for some kind of modern sculpture.

    He sat and did nothing but slowly sip on his drink for hours. He saw Arthur sneaking to the staircase with the corner of his eyes...

    But he sat and waited, patiently wetting his lips with the booze.

    Only when the sun hid for the night, long after Arthur returned and likely went to sleep, Lucius finally made his move.

    He gently ced the cup on the table. Despite acting grumpy all day, he didn''t exhibit even the slightest hint of anger or annoyance.

    Once the bill was taken care of, Lucius left the Inn, heading for the inner ring of the sect.

    The streets were empty sote in the night, allowing for a smooth trip. Before long, Lucius pushed the doors open and arrived at his destination.

    "Took you a while," Zigfrid raised his eyes at the guest. His face was tired, still overwhelmed after the recent encounter.

    "How did it go?" Lucius asked, taking off his hoodie.

    "You tell me," Zigfrid said, staring nkly at his guest.

    ''Huh?'' Lucius shook in surprise. ''Something happened?'' he thought before shaking his head.

    "You know that I don''t talk with him anymore," he said, rolling his eyes over this annoyance. "Did he submit the quotas?" Lucius asked.

    "That''s the problem," Zigfrid replied before releasing a deep sigh. He covered his face with the palm of his hand. "Yes, he did," the logistic center''s Clerk answered, only to shake his head. "And no, he did not," he added.

    "Can you start making some sense?" Lucius asked, weirded out by the strange mood of his supervisor.

    "I think we just lost the guy," Zigfrid said, his shoulders plummeting down. "I managed to get him to submit his quota twice," he said before shaking his head. "The second time, he came with the damned boss of the auction hall," he said, his eyes opening wide at the mere memory of what happened.

    "The hell?!" Lucius freaked out a little. It took him a good while to calm his senses.

    "That bitch was really eager to go all in," Zigfrid added, his body slumping down as he rxed on the chair.

    "Damn," Lucius whistled, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "How deep we are in this shit?"

    "Deep," Zigfrid replied before shaking his head again. "No, wait. It was pretty weird," he then added in a chaotic voice. "It''s like... he made some small concessions and expect us to just stop," he exined after a moment of thought.

    "Wait, what the hell?" Lucius couldn''t gather his thoughts.

    He sat down and hid his face in his hands.

    ''If he knows...''? Arthur''s overseer took a moment to think. Then, his face lit up.

    "How about we turn him?" he proposed.

    Zigfrid only shook his head.

    "You didn''t see him, not like that," the Clerk stressed out. "It was a call for peace...? But I''m pretty damn sure he was infuriated to his wits," he exined, shrugging at the memory.

    "Let''s turn him," Lucius repeated himself. "You don''t understand. This kid is a genius," he said, shaking his head. "I bet he could easily break to the eight-stage in the manner of days," Lucius added with a weird grin on his face.

    "How is that any good?" Zigfrid asked, rolling his eyes over the idea.

    "We won''t be able to exploit him, so let''s promote him instead," Lucius suddenly proposed.

    ''If you want to power so much, you would rile in that auction hall boss,'' Lucius smiled to his own thoughts. ''Then this will be an offer you won''t be able to refuse,'' he decided.

    Instead of exploiting him for the customary period of three months, they would help Arthur advance and be an Overseer himself.

    ''Once he gets to exploit others, he surely won''t mind this small squabble,'' Lucius thought, certain of his judgment.

    Between dropping out and losing the perks of being associated with the sect and entering a lofty position where his needs are answered to?

    Some people refused to take part in this tradition. But most of them would break and ept the immense benefits. Only by establishing a of people that would provide for their overseers one could hope to break through the immense gap between the stages.

    ''I wonder how it was before it all changed,'' Lucius thought, challenging himself to imagine a different world. A world where contractors were honored members of the sect. A world the resources were bountiful and the world rtively safe.

    Lucius shook his head.

    ''Thoughts like that are of no use,'' he decided, setting his eyes ahead.

    "Can we still get something out of him?" Lucius asked, turning his eyes to hispatriot. "I mean, how about you turn over what he submitted to my report?" he suggested.

    "Are you for real?" Zigfrid asked, his eyes opening wide. "Do you really want to cross his bottom line?" he asked, jumping out from his seat.

    "As if it matters," Lucius rolled his eyes. "Whatever we are sending is stolen on its way to the sect," he pointed out.

    "Man, that would mean effectively expelling him from the sect!" Zigfrid said before his face froze for a second. "Man, his beneficiary, who is he?" he asked.

    ''If I recall, he asked to send that storage ring to the other party,'' Zigfrid thought, trying to sort his memories out.

    "Some kind of girl he knew back in the sect," Lucius shook his arms. "Whatever, man, never really bothered to ask," he added.

    "Anyway," Zigfrid rolled his eyes, "let''s not push too hard. Didn''t you want to invite him in?" he asked.

    "It''s fine," Lucius shook his hand. "Once he gets the benefits of being an Overseer, whatever we take from him now won''t matter," he exined, clearly done with the topic.

    "I''m not doing that," Zigfrid stated with determination. "That guy organized a massive support in a manner of days," he brought up the fact. "I''m not going to mess around with someone like that. The risk is too big," he added as he stood up.

    "Either way, how do we split the booty?" Lucius waved his hand again, dismissing the topic.

    "I wish I could be as calm as you are," Zigfrid muttered before bringing out a pouch and passing it over to Lucius. "And remember, man," Zigfrid whispered before turningpletely silent.

    For a moment, he was frozen in a single frame. He then breathed out lowered his eyes on his hands.

    "Back then, when it all happened," Zigfrid said, his eyes turning misty. "I was scared shitless," he revealed, his voice slightly shaken. "If he is the kind of genius you say he is, then if it fails..."

    Zigfrid didn''t finish his words. He simply stared at the window and thendscape hidden behind it.

    ''This is the way,'' he thought.

    The tradition would continue.. The contractors would w their way to the top in the most efficient manner. Scorned by everyone, they would reach the heights others could only dream of!

 Chapter 197 - What Does Rush B Stand For

    ***Several hours earlier***

    The ringing of the bell announced the opening of the tournament. And the second the bell''s cry reached the waiting room, the elder in charge of the organization finally pulled the cord, opening the doors that led to the arena proper.

    "One by one, go in!" he ordered in a voice that betrayed just how annoyed he was by his duty.

    ''There we go,'' Mia thought, raising her head high and leading her team inside.

    There was a distinctive advantage of entering the arena first. An advantage that she couldn''t ignore.

    "Let''s go," Mia shouted to her team as she pressed forward, once again entering the darkness of the tunnel.

    "Just head on straight ahead," the elder ordered her just as she was about to submerge into the darkness.

    "Yes, sir!" she reported before making her way ahead.

    The path through the tunnel was pretty short whenpared to the one they had to take to enter the waiting room.

    ''Just like I thought, we were right beside the entrance,'' Mia realized when she emerged from the darkness of the tunnel into the brightly illuminated fighting grounds.

    The entire arena was so massive and diverse that Mia couldn''t see its opposite end. If not for the tribunes stretching out high into the sky, she wouldn''t even be able to judge how enormous the ce was!

    ''Don''t lose focus,'' Mia thought, following a path while stealing the nces of what was going on behind her back.

    The second Mia''s team entered its path, the barrier closed up behind them.

    ''I guess we won''t just gather all in one spot,'' she thought, sighing a breath of relief.

    Her only n to win the tournament required all of the teams to be separated from the beginning. If they all started in a single ce, there would be little to nothing that she could do.

    "Make sure to observe where everyone else is going," Mia ordered in a hushed voice.

    Even though it was still an official part of the tournament, and it would take a while before the fighting proper would start, she was already looking out for any possible advantages.

    "Five teams are moving to the east, one moving to the north and three more moving to the west!" Sander reported, proving that he was in the right mindset despite his visible anxiety.

    ''Still, this ce is massive,'' Mia thought when she realized she could leave the observations to her team. She looked around herself, only to once again get humbled by the scale of the arena.

    It was too big to grasp its entire magnitude with a single sight. Not when one was inside its premises at the very least.

    It was split into seven different areas that Mia could see and three more further down her sight.

    ''There are building, roads, hills,'' Mia thought, keenly saving every detail of her surroundings in her memory. ''At least we won''t have to worry about everyone instantly discovering our position,'' she thought as a small grin made its way up her lips.

    The closer Mia got to the actual start of the fighting, the harder it was for her to keep her excitement in check.

    "Wee to the biweekly sect tournament!" a powerful voice suddenly filled everyst corner and crevice of the arena grounds. It appeared toe from the very middle of the arena but also from every other possible direction at the same time.

    ''Is this some kind of formation?'' Mia instantly formed a guess before ditching itpletely.

    ''There is no point thinking about stuff that won''t influence the fight,'' she decided, regaining her focus on the things that actually mattered.

    Instead, she looked up to the nearest part of the tribunes.

    As her team was the first one to enter the ce, they ended up in a position directly in the line of sight of the control lodge, where all the elders organizing the event gathered.

    ''Aren''t they a little bit too... disinterested?'' she thought when sheid her eyes on the bored faces of the people up the lodge.

    They appeared as if they considered their presence at the tournament nothing more but an annoying but necessary obligation.

    What''s more...

    The tribunes were nearlypletely empty. Outside of a very few sets that somehow found someone to upy them, the massive tribunes, easily capable of housing tens of thousands of spectators, were just empty.

    ''I guess no one is really interested in a tournament like that,'' Mia thought before moving her attention back to the voice of the announcer.

    "The tournament is overseen by the elders of the sect. As such, any form of cheating and unfair y will result in a withdrawal of the team thatmitted the blunder!" the announcer imed.

    Even though Mia could only hear the man''s voice, she couldn''t help but imagine some elder waving his finger at everyone in the arena.

    "I''m also happy to announce that thanks to the sect efforts, there will be ten teamspeting in this tournament instead of the standard eight!" he added.

    A chill went down Mia''s spine.

    ''With us, it should be nine,'' she thought, doing quick math to reconfirm her earlier calctions. ''Where did that tenth teame from?'' she asked herself, biting down on her lips.

    Even though the tournament had yet to start, there were some signs that it would be even harder than Mia already expected it to be.

    ''Well, nothing I can do about it,'' she thought, ignoring the announcer and looking back to her team.

    Despite all her former efforts, people behind Mia''s back didn''t appear to be ready for what was about to begin any moment now.

    ''It''s not easy to lift their morale,'' Mia noticed as she did a full turn and approached her group, forcing them to gather up.

    "Guys, focus now," she ordered in a stern voice, just lingering on the edge of bing a lecturing one.

    "What are we supposed to do," Ve wailed, tears gathering at the bottom of her eyes. "It''s not like we can..."

    "Shut the fuck up," Mia cut Ve''s protests short with a domineering voice. "There is no time for crying now. What we need to is to get our minds sharp, and our bodies warmed up," she stated.

    "Do you have any n for this fight?" Sander asked.

    In the end, the entire thing happened on too short notice for them to fully prepare. If not for how desperate Mia was to get going, they would only join the next tournament once all their tactics and tricks would be prepared and ready to be deployed.

    "Listen, the n is simple," Mia announced, a grin forming up on her lips.

    ''Right now, they can''t see me shouting,'' she thought, tightening her hands into fists. Yet, despite the anxiety running down her spine, she forced a smile on her lips.

    "We are going to rush them," she announced before releasing a small giggle. "If you want a name for the n, then let''s call it rush B," she added, her eyes shining up a little with the small amusing trick she prepared.

    "Rush B?" Sander asked, raising one of his eyebrows in confusion. "What does the B stand for?" he asked, falling right into Mia''s trap.

    "Bitches," Mia replied honestly while spreading her arms around and then shaking them.. "In other words, the n is just as simple as you can guess from its name," she stated before grinning from ear to ear. "The second the battle starts, we rush those bitches down!"

 Chapter 198 - Shitshow

    The announcer took a long while to finally go through everything that he had to say.

    ''Whoever is this guy,'' Mia thought, sensing when the announcements finally neared their end, ''he sure does love his voice,'' she thought, lowering her center of mass as she prepared to rush.

    "First, we go west," she shouted to the rest of her team behind her.

    Three teams went to the west, one to the north, and five more to the east. While going west first would mean the five teams in the east would likely join hands before they could rush them, it was still better than fighting all nine of them at once.

    "And with that said..." the announcer''s voice hung for a moment.

    "Get ready!" Mia shouted, tensing her muscles up in preparation for what was about toe.

    "THE BATTLE ROYALE BEGINS!" the announcer shouted.

    All the barriers that blocked their paths came down in an instant.

    And Mia didn''t waste any time.

    The second the barriers went down, her body exploded forward, right in the direction where she judged the nearest team to be.

    There was no time for her to wait for the rest of her team. So instead of adjusting her own speed to their pace, she could only count on them joining the fight a little earlier.

    In the end, she was the only one in her team, and likely in the entire tournament, that managed to reach the fifth stage of cultivation.

    ''Faster,'' Mia encouraged herself as she pushed her body to the limits.

    The fate of this entire tournament allid in her ability to curb the numbers of the enemy before they could join up.

    ''Faster,'' she lectured herself, feeling how her body reached the limits of how quick it could go, even with the support of her spiritual energy.

    ''FASTER!'' she forced her body to move even nimbler.

    And then she crashed right into the wall of a building that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, hidden behind the hill that she jumped over.

    "Fuck," Mia cursed, shaking the dust off her body before moving around the building and picking up her pace once again.

    This time, no obstacle managed to slow down her advance.

    ''There they are,'' she thought when she caught a glimpse of a human-like silhouette in the distance.

    Mia saw no point in sneaking up on them. That''s why she cut straight through the open area that separated them, rushing against the enemy with all her might.

    "HERE SHE COMES!" the enemies shouted, noticing Mia right as she was about to invade their group.

    Their shout was right on time. But their reactions to it were toote.

    Mia transferred the force of her breakneck momentum to a jump. She then released it all in a simple kick to the chest of the nearest of her enemies.

    Her momentum barely changed, allowing her to swing on her heel. By the end of her turn, she forced her fist deep into the guts of another opponent.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shook in surprise before forcing her emotions out of the window and focusing back on the fight.

    Her momentum was now gone. She was rooted on the spot. Out of the initial five enemies in the first group that she encountered, only three of them were lucky enough to survive the first sh.

    ''What the fuck are they doing?'' Mia thought, baffled by how the remaining trio simply stood their ground and took a stance.

    ''Are they going to punch the damned air?'' she questioned her own sanity when she saw what the others were doing.

    She then rushed forward again, approaching the nearest of her enemies from the side.

    This maneuver confused the enemy, who clearly expected to be approached from the front.

    Before he could change the direction he was facing, Mia''s nudge to his side sent him flying for a few meters before he crashed into the wall of a nearby building.

    ''So easy,'' Mia thought, still hardly capable of believing the shitshow the others were putting up.

    "DIE!" Sander shouted, finally emerging from behind the hill and kicking the head of the enemy furthest away from Mia.

    "I''M SORRY!" Ve shouted, simply using her momentum to crash into thest standing opponent from that group, sending him flying for a few meters just like Mia''s nudge did before.

    "What the hell was that?" Mia muttered, her shock finally catching up with her mind.

    This was supposed to be a challenging fight with people who could grow at an insane rate with all the resources they had ess to.

    ''If that''s the case, then what the hell was that?'' Mia continued to ponder over the topic, unable to believe that this was all there was to the sponsored disciples.

    "Snap out of it," Sander shouted as he approached the girl. He then caught her arms and shook her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

    "You with us again?" he asked, looking Mia directly in the eyes.

    "Yeah, sorry," she replied before shaking her head and then shoving his hands away. "Let''s not waste time. Any ideas where the others might be?" she asked.

    "They should be further west," Sander replied, turning his eyes in the direction he judged to be correct.

    "Let''s go, then," Mia ordered before pulling the group along with her. By the time they started running towards the next group, the couple that joined her team had only managed to catch up to them.

    In the end, they didn''t even take part in the first sh.

    ''We will need to look for some movement techniques and tricks,'' Mia took notice, already preparing her mental self for the next tournament. ''With how big this ce is, it''s super easy to get lost and hard to rush the enemy down,'' she thought.

    "Aren''t you surprised?" she asked out loud instead, taking a moment to discuss the situation with Sander.

    He was the one to harbor the greatest doubts about their ability to win the tournament. That''s why it was his opinion that Mia valued the most right now.

    "It''s surprisingly easy," Sander shook his head, clearly aware of what was going on inside Mia''s mind. "But we can''t ignore how we took them by surprise," he added, shaking his head.

    Sander''s face tensed up as he nodded his chin forward.

    They managed to reach the next team before even finishing their short exchange.

    "Well, those guys can see us approaching," Mia added in a low voice before ncing over at Sander''s face. "You won''t be able to im we beat them down with the advantage of a surprise attack," she added, a grin forming up on her lips.

    "That''s true," Sander said, his face darkening as if it was set to reflect the opposite of the changes happening on Mia''s face. "Let''s hope we won''t regret joining this tournament," he added, the look on his face sharpening up again.

    They were closing in on another enemy... Who simply stood in ce, taking their stances and ready to intercept a frontal attack.

    ''Do they really only know how to punch forward?'' Mia thought, baffled by the possibility.

    Even though she only ever practiced a single punching and kicking routine, she did it for so long she could easily change the directions, order, and even tempo of her attacks!

    ''Well, there is only one way to find out!''

    Mia decided not to think about the topic too much. After all, what was the point of overanalyzing the situation if her guess would be either confirmed or proved wrong in just a few seconds?

 Chapter 199 - We Just Need To Beat Them Up

    Once again, Mia crashed right into the opposing team. However, this time, she didn''t bother with avoiding their stronger side.

    ''Bring it on!'' she thought, running right into the front of the leader of the group.

    Mia never had any hopes about winning this tournament. If she could, she would be happy to do it. But the main aim of this event was to check the strength of her opponents so she could devise some tactics for the following tournaments.

    And in order to test the strength of her enemies, she had no other choice but to allow them to strike.

    "DIE!" a woman roughly Mia''s age shouted, sending her fist forward. It had no elegance, but one could feel the tremendous weight behind it just by looking at how it seemingly tore through the air.

    ''Slow!'' Miamented in her mind, unable to stop herself from dodging. She wanted to block the attack, but out of instincts alone, she ended up easily sidestepping it.

    "Damn," Mia muttered, grabbing the girl''s extended arm and pulling on it while setting her leg against the girl''s knees. Once her opponent lost focus, she simply allowed herself to fall on top of the girl, using her weight to crush her into the ground.

    "How can this be so easy?" she asked in a loud voice before turning her head towards the rest of the group.

    In the end, it took three more encounters before Mia finally managed to hold her ground, taking the straightforward attack of her opponents directly on her guard.

    ''How can this be so damn weak?!'' shemented in her thoughts, incapable ofbining what she thought about those people and what she just experienced.

    ''If they are all on this level, then maybe...'' For a moment, a ray of hope prated Mia''s mental defenses as a chance to actually win the tournament appeared to be possible.

    ''No, let''s not think about it just yet,'' she told herself before looking at the battlefield.

    Right now, they were in some sort of a za, surrounded from two sides by small houses while the north and the south remained perfectly open.

    "This isn''t a good spot," Mia muttered, only to see a group of cultivators emerge from beyond the hill to the south.

    ''Thest of the western groups, I think,'' she took notice before waving her hand to attract the attention of the rest of her team.

    "Any special orders?" Ve asked as she approached the girl.

    Mia looked at the faces of her team. While it was clear that they were no longer in perfect condition, it would be an overstatement to call them tired yet.

    "No," Mia shook her head before looking towards the approaching group. ''Do they think that there is another group of sponsored disciples here?'' she attempted to guess the reason why the enemy walked out in the open so carelessly. ''Or maybe it''s a trap?'' she finally took notice of the possibility.

    "Wait!" she shouted as silently as she could, stopping the rest of her team from rushing in. "Let''s wait for them to get closer," she added, inspecting the area around.

    And sure enough, while the path ahead to the south and west were perfectly open, the same couldn''t be said about the areas that surrounded that open space.

    "I see," Sander muttered as he kneeled down and took cover behind the wall of a building. "They might want to lure us in," he added, exining what he assumed to be Mia''s reasons to the others.

    "Guys, in this fight, I won''t participate," Mia suddenly announced after taking a long look at her teammates.

    ''I need to see how they work on their own,'' Mia thought as she gave Sander a long stare.

    Sander was the most capable one in her team. But that was the extent of what she knew about the fighting ability of her entire team.

    How strong was Ve? Would she hesitate before striking down an opponent? And how effective was the couple that Mia still had to talk with even once?

    ''We can''t be like that if we want to win the tournament,'' Mia thought, her mind already set in stone.

    Sander only looked at Mia''s face for a moment, refusing to reply to her order. He ended up nodding his head before moving his eyes back at the approaching enemies.

    "What the fuck is taking you so long?!" the sponsored disciples shouted over, not stopping while they did so.

    ''Are they that sure that there are only friendlies in here?'' Mia thought, refusing to believe that her opponents could be so naive.

    But she didn''t have much time to think about the matter, as her team finally decided to make a move.

    Sander went in first, rushing madly right at the center of the enemy formation. Behind him, the couple followed, running exactly one meter apart from each other. Lastly, Ve kept the rear.

    ''Did they work on it before?'' Mia managed to think before the two teams shed.

    In theory, her team was at a disadvantage. After all, they were fighting with a full team of five while only having four on their side.

    ''Wait, what?'' Mia got stunned once again when she realized that the situation... It was actually the opposite.

    Sure, her group was one member short... But they still managed to gain the advantage of numbers.

    Sander would open the fight by kicking away at the enemy of his choosing. But instead of facing him head-on, he would just swing past by, forcing the rest of the enemy group to take their stances.

    In the meantime, the young couple would angle their paths away from each other, only to recoil back and strike the poor victim from both sides. Not wasting their momentum, they then swapped the ce and continued to look for a chance.

    Lastly, Ve rushed will all her force. She was against the enemy that had already received a powerful beating from three people. Yet, when Ve curled her hand into fists and drove it deep into the man''s stomach, Mia couldn''t help but flinch.

    Seeing the man bend in half and obviously about to throw up his dinner, even she felt ufortable.

    "Guys, retreat!" Mia suddenly shouted as a devious idea popped up in her head.

    ''It doesn''t matter if we win or lose now,'' she thought, watching how her entire team instantly followed her order. ''What matters is that we will continue winning in the future,'' she thought, standing up and leaving her cover.

    "What''s wrong?!" Sander was the first one to return, just like he was the first one to step in before.

    "Nothing," Mia shook her head, a vicious smile stered all over her lips. "A small change to the n," she added, slowly approaching the petrified group of her enemies.

    "You stopped us for something so silly?" Sander asked, clearly dissatisfied with Mia''s actions.

    "Silly?" Mia echoed his words with a small smirk on her lips as she approached their enemies. "It''s not silly. Listen, if we want to keep on winning those tournaments, there is only one thing that we need to do now," she said as she looked right in the eyes of the nearest of her opponents.

    Mia wasn''t in a hurry to exin her thoughts. Instead, she approached the man and stood right outside of his attack range.

    Just that fact alone was enough for the guy to start sweating profusely.

    ''Oh?'' Mia shrugged, slightly surprised. ''So he can realize what my position means,'' she noticed.

    She stood right outside of the man''s range. Which meant she was perfectly able to read his range. And that alone made all of the man''s fighting abilitypletely worthless!

    "As I said," she said, turning her face back to her team. "There is only one thing that we need to do now," she exined.

    A tiny rustling sound reached Mia''s ears, alerting her and forcing her to take a step back.

    That guy actually attempted to close the distance, making a single step forward.

    ''That was nice,'' Miamended the man''s initiative. He managed to keep his stance intact by taking only a single step!

    She then turned her face back to her opponent and put up the nicest smile she coulde up with.

    "We just need to beat the shit out of them so that they will never join another tournament in their life!"

 Chapter 200 - Lets Kick Some Balls

    Mia was a woman of a few words.

    Before anyone could as much as respond to her words, she approached the nearest of her enemies.

    "DIE!" he shouted the same phrase as everyone else, clearly trying to use his mental state to improve the force of the punch.

    Mia didn''t bother dodging at all. She simply took a step to the side, getting away from the path of the man''s fist.

    "Unlucky," she muttered, staring down at the man with clear sympathy.

    "GET AWAY FROM ME!" the man shouted, throwing another punch, this time with his left first.

    "Woah, that''s an improvement," Mia whispered before letting out a small whistle.

    Just like before, she stepped to the side, allowing the man''s fist to brush past her robes.

    "Now, it''s my turn," she said, reaching out and grabbing the man by his clothes.

    She didn''t bother striking him down. If she did it now, even when limiting her strength, she would likely put him out of themission, effectively spreading a protective umbre of sect intervention over him.

    ''That''s not the n, not for now, yet,'' she thought, throwing the man over her shoulder and pinning him down to the ground with her heel.

    "Now, how should I go around it?" she muttered in the open, mindful of the position of the two other enemies.

    "I GIVE..." the man attempted to shout his surrender, only for Mia to move her foot and stuff his face with her shoe.

    "Did you want to say something?" she asked, staring down at the man with her emotionless eyes.

    ''It''s your fault for attempting to gang on us,'' she thought, biting her lips.

    And then, she jumped. Using the man''s head as a foothold, she bent her knees mid-air before plummeting right down on the poor man''s body.

    One of her knees dug deep into the man''s stomach, squeezing every innard of the poor man way beyond their natural limits.

    But this was the more merciful of her knees, as the other one aimed right below the man''s belt.

    "I GIVE," the man shouted before Mia''s vicious attack turned his plea for surrender into a long, continuous scream of pain.

    ''That should do it,'' Mia thought, raising her face and stepping away from the tormented man.

    She first raised her eyes at the remaining two of the enemies.

    "We give up!" they both raised their hands, unwilling to suffer through the same treatment.

    "Scram," Mia spat a single word before letting her saliva lose on the ground. Yet, as she turned her head around, she finally noticed the looks on her teammate''s faces.

    ''Did I step over the line?'' she instantly thought, unsure what to think about their reaction.

    Sander was amused. Not only was he openly smiling, even his eyes curved a little, proving that he did his damnest to hold back hisughter.

    On the other hand, Ve was terrified. Be it of Mia''s viciousness or the potential consequences of what she did, Mia didn''t know. But from Ve''s shaky hands, through the tear in her eyes all the way up to the position she assumed, it was clear that she couldn''t handle her fear.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged gently when she looked at the couple that kept to the back of their group.

    She didn''t really have many chances to interact with them as she spent most of her time on training. But their reactions...

    Werepletely void. It was as if what she just did, didn''t leave anysting impression on the two of them.

    ''Are they really younger than me?'' she thought, stunned by theirck of reaction. ''At least he should react,'' she thought, recalling the situation that she often saw back in her hometown when a single hit to the genitals of a single male would make every man in the vincity scowl in what appeared to be a shared pain.

    "See, guys?" Mia finally spoke up, unwilling to keep the silent treatment going for any longer. "I can bet that this guy won''t bother participating in the tournament ever again," she said before openly putting a smirk on her face. "I doubt anyone from his team will, to be honest," she added before openly chuckling.

    "That''s how we should deal with them," Sander was quick to agree, clearly enjoying the moment. "How about we go and kick some more balls?" he suggested, copying Mia''s chuckle.

    "We are screwed," Ve muttered to herself, only to shake her head and then raise it high... And then p both of her hands against her cheeks.

    For a moment, she was frozen in this strange position, with her hands covering her cheeks.

    "Fine," she finally said, the look in her eyes changing by a whole damned lot. "Let''s kick some more balls," she added.

    ''And that''s what you call a morale boost,'' Mia thought. Her lips appeared to freeze in a grin, refusing to stop showcasing the inner state of her mind.

    "Let''s not waste any time, then," she said before turning around towards the north.

    ''By now, they should already group up,'' she thought, analyzing the potential distances, the time that passed since the beginning of the tournament, and how far they could be from the other teams.

    "I think we can still have a shot at catching up to one of the teams," she muttered under her nose, only to shake her head a momentter. "But I highly doubt it," she added, looking at her teammates'' faces. "Most likely, we are going to rush right into the open arms of every surviving team," she said.

    There wasn''t any point in hiding the truth. Her teammates were more than capable of figuring out the situation on their own. But, by spelling the truth about the situation out loud, Mia turned it from a possibility into a certainty.

    A certainty that they could prepare for, instead of a possibility they could only cover in fear of.

    "Let''s go kick some balls, then," Ve repeated her words. "Whatever is going to happen will happen whether we like it or not," she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

    "I want to kick some balls too!" the female of the couple suddenly imed with an adorable expression of eagerness on her face.

    "Dear, if you really want to..." her partner''s face turned white as he muttered those words, only to step a few steps away and stand with his legs far apart. "I''m ready when you are!" he then shouted and closed his eyes, clearly terrified by what was about toe.

    "Stop it!" Mia reacted right in time, stopping the girl of the couple right as she started to gather her momentum. "Save it for the enemies," she ordered before looking in the direction where they most likely gathered up.

    "Let''s go!" she ordered, moving on ahead and leading the group to the east.

    It didn''t take them long to reach the other party. And just like Mia expected, all six of the remaining teams gathered up, presenting a united front against them.

    But rather than focusing herself on the sheer number of the enemies, Mia''s eyes were glued to two faces she could recognize.

    The two faces that she didn''t even dare to wish to see during the tournament.

    "Guys?" Mia asked, turning her voice to her teammates.

    "Yeah?" Sander replied, perfectly assuming the role of the second inmand of the team.

    "Would you mind if I fucked up our chances for winning?" Mia asked politely. But even though her voice was cultured, her face was not.

    For a moment, Sander hesitated. Yet, as he looked at Mia''s darkened expression, his own facial muscles quickly rxed.

    "Do what you need to do," he said, waving his hand away. "I bet it will work out better if we did everything by the rules," he added, dismissing the topic.

    "I will leave all of those guys to you for a few moments, then," Mia stated before moving her eyes back to her targets.

    ''Dirk and Kathia, huh?'' she thought, curling her fingers up into fists. ''I didn''t expect to see you here, but I won''t let this opportunity pass!''

    There were two more teams during the tournament than usual, theirs excluded. And now Mia finally knew who was responsible for this kind ofst-minute change.

    ''If they are willing to go to such lengths to bother me,'' she thought, taking a step forward. ''Then I need to deal with them before they bring more troubles to my head!''

 Chapter 201 - I Will Have This Investigated

    "Why the hell they are not fighting?" Arganar asked, squinting his eyes as he looked over the gathering of the disciples.

    Even though he was interested in how Mia''s fights would turn out, he couldn''t ignore the peculiarity that took ce in the other corner of the map.

    "Teaming up, I guess?" the Elder in charge of organizing the even replied in a dismissive manner. He then shook his shoulders and turned his attention back to a piece of dirt stuck underneath his fingernail.

    ''Does he really believe that''s enough for an answer?'' Arganar thought, hiding his emotions from the outside world.

    There was no point inshing out right now.

    Right now, it was better to just appear ignorant.

    ''At least she is proactive,'' Arganar thought, moving his eyes over to the girl that caught his interest.

    From the very beginning of the tournament, it was Mia''s team that acted like they were in a battle royale.

    Instead of trying to join forces with other groups, she rushed into the fight.

    ''She clearly aimed at culling the number of the enemies by taking those to the west,'' Arganar thought as he observed how the situation developed. ''It''s almost as if her team was against everyone else in the game,'' he realized.

    "Can you remind me of one small thing," Arganar asked, once again bothering the attention of the Elder nearby. "How is the score calcted during the tournament?"

    It hid a devious little trick in it for a fairly simple question.

    Because Arganar, roughly a century ago, used to do the very job of the man he was asking about the tournament rules. In other words, he was the one who oversaw those events.

    And he was more than familiar with the rules of the tournament.

    "Thest one standing wins," the Elder replied, unknowingly stepping into Arganar''s trap.

    ''How can that be?'' the former Elder thought, reaching out with his hand and massaging his arm.

    He could still feel the iron grasp of the patriarch''s fingers when that bastard pulled him out of hisfort zone and forced him to keep growing.

    ''It seems that I was away from this ce for way too long,'' Arganar thought, clenching his arm over the one bruise that never healed.

    ''Back in the day, there was an borate way to calcte the score by adding up the number of the enemies defeated,'' he thought, recalling the old regtions that were in ce just a hundred years prior.

    Those weren''t the rules that he came up with, but a holy tradition that was bound to never change. Yet, in the time he was away, it clearly did.

    ''Something is going on,'' Arganar chased away his thoughts when the situation in the arena changed once again.

    Mia''s team managed to steamroll through the three teams that she set out to defeat.

    Arganar''s opinion of the girl didn''t even change when she clearly went all-in on forcing one of her enemies out of the game.

    Instead, it gave him a bit of insight into how the situation really looked.

    ''Still, it''s insane to see someone talented clearly going against an advantage with their head raised high,'' the former Elder thought, his interest in the girl growing even further than it already was.

    "So you want to tell me that if a single team defeats all of the other teams outside of a single one," Arganar spoke, "which would then use the exhaustion of their only opponents to win," he took a small pause.

    "Yeah," the Elder replied before Arganar could finish his sentence. "They would emerge victorious," he confirmed his predecessor''s guess. "This is how a battle royale works, sir," the Elder added, forcing himself to show respect to the badge that Arganar wore.

    As a member of the higher headquarters of the sect, he had no position in such a remote location as the one he was in right now. Still, his ties with the higher headquarters made him a figure that could easily topple any power and authority within the outpost.

    But that wasn''t the time to use his authority. Not now. Not yet.

    ''And even if I did step in, it wouldn''t change the tournament at all,'' Arganar thought, clenching his fists as he refocused his eyes on the girl.

    Her team finally approached the group consisting of all five remaining teams. It was a five versus twenty-five scenario. A difference of strength in numbers so great that even Mia''s talents would likely fail to bridge it.

    ''I guess that''s the end of her road,'' Arganar thought, rxing his hands.

    But the girl didn''t follow his guess.

    Instead of giving up and dropping out, she took a moment to talk with her group before suddenly rushing forward.

    ''Did something happen?'' Arganar nearly jumped from his seat when he saw the girl charge forward.

    She skillfully dodged several of the attacks aimed at her, only for her teammates to step in and exploit the opening. Yet, instead of cooperating, Mia continued to push forward.

    ''Is she...'' the former Elder was about to attempt to formte a guess when Mia''s actions proved it to be unnecessary.

    Upon reaching a certain person within the crowd of her opponents, she finally unleashed her power.

    Pushing her way through a swarm of enemies didn''t leave her unscathed. Some of the attacks, all of which aimed at her, managed to connect.

    In other words, she couldn''t even face her target in a prime state.

    But what was even more surprising was how Mia apparently found her match.

    Her speed was matched by the girl she attacked. Her attacks were blocked. On the other hand, though, not a single attack managed to reach her body either; all either blocked or simply dodged.

    ''It''s clear that she''s better than her enemy,'' Arganar thought, leaning forward in his seat. ''But yeah,'' he thought, biting down on his lips. ''Her opponent''s cultivation is just way too high,'' he thought.

    Watching as thepetition unfolded before his very own eyes, Arganar couldn''t help but root for the underdog of the game.

    Mia finally managed to grasp an opening in her opponent''s defenses, sneaking in a powerful attack right into the girl''s bosom. Yet, before she could follow it up with an attack of her other fists, someone else snuck a hit right against her back.

    "FUCK OFF!" Mia used the momentum of the attack to turn around, sending a kick high up at the enemy''s head. All in one, fluid motion.

    ''That had to hurt,'' Arganar thought, biting down on his lips.

    He didn''t question how the hell did he manage to overhear the girl''s shout. It was one of the magics of the formation epassing the entire thing.

    Soon, the situation changed again.

    Mia''s team couldn''t handle their high-burst fighting style for long. After receiving the powerful attack on her back, Mia couldn''t fight as she used anymore either.

    ''It''s just a matter of time, now,'' Arganar thought, sinking down into his chest.

    This was a defeat that would surely affect the mood of the girl. It could even make her dislike the idea of growing in the sect.

    ''For someone so talented to go through this kind of unfair shit?'' Arganar shook his head. ''This might build her character up, but it''s not something that should happen,'' he decided, already crafting up a n in his head.

    Soon, the entire tournament was over. And almost exactly the same as in Arganar''s example he brought in the discussion, when thest of Mia''s team members fell to the ground, only six people managed to keep on standing.

    Arganar stood up and looked at the Elder once again.

    "Howe all teams united to bully a single team?" he asked outright, no longer bothered with keeping up any fake appearances.

    "What does it matter," the Elder shook his head and rolled his eyes. "It only shows they were too focused on their training and too little on the diplomacy," he added, clearly not bothered by what just happened in the area.

    "I don''t think you realize what you just said," Arganar muttered under his nose before turning around. "In my capacity as the High Headquarters messanger, I will have this matter thoroughly investigated," Arganar imed in a furious tone.

    He no longer had any reason to hold his emotions back.

    "Yeah, yeah, whatever," the Elder waved his hand, dismissing the troublemaker.

    ''And I will be sure you will be amongst those who will take the hit for what I just saw,'' Arganar added in his thoughts before taking onest look at the arena.

    ''She didn''t win in the end,'' he noticed, taking a moment to look at Mia''s battered body only to turn around and leave the lodge. ''Still, a third-ce?'' he thought as a small smile crept up his lips.

    "Not bad!"

 Chapter 202 - Standing focused Conflict

    "Senior, there is no need to get so heated about this topic!" another elder said right as Arganar was about to leave the ce.

    His attitude was in the direct contract to the ''fuck you and leave me the fuck alone'' behavior represented by the man behind the tournament''s organization.

    "Who the fuck are you?" Arganar scoffed as he looked at another Elder.

    There was no badge anywhere on the man''s robes that would indicate his involvement with the tournament.

    In fact, outside of being a normal Elder, this man didn''t wear any honors, making him one of those useless leechers that simply took the benefits of the job without contributing to the sect in any way or form.

    "I don''t have any official job," the man replied, most likely noticing how Arganar''s eyes ran through his attire. "But in practice, I''m one of the few that manages the tournament," he stated before throwing a quick look deeper into the lodge.

    "I believe you have already seen the reason why we have to work hard to keep this entire thing going," he added before releasing a deep sigh.

    ''Did the sect really deteriorate so much?'' Arganar thought, recognizing the situation.

    It wasn''t something that he ever encountered personally, but it was an urrence that he learned by studying the history of other organizations.

    When the official jobs became nothing more but profitable spots to sit on, when the lower ranks had to step in and do the job of others, the sect where it would happen would reach the point of its saturation.

    Or, in normal, less philosophical terms, it would step onto the downward slope of falling apart due to corruption.

    "So?" Arganar asked as his face darkened a little. "Can you tell me how did this tournament deteriorate so much?" he specified his question. "What happened to the old, traditional rules?" he added.

    The supportive Elder only shook his head before looking down.

    "It was all part of a scheme to fix the situation," he finally said after taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "The current organization," he nodded his head towards the deeper parts of the lodge, "attempted to stop everyone from exploiting the defeat-points system. And for a while, it worked," he exined.

    ''That makes sense, so far,'' Arganar thought.

    The insider trading of the defeat points was the bane of the old system. Something that was extremely hard to deal with and nearly impossible to fully stop.

    Back when one''s ranking of the tournament would still be decided both by the position they ended up at and the number of opponents they defeated, it was a massive problem when disciples would trade spots.

    In a sense, it was the first sign of corruption within the sect. A type of gauge that the elders of the old used to measure whether it was the moment to step in and fix things now or in the future.

    "But isn''t the current system even easier to exploit?" Arganar asked, pointing out the obvious w in the exnation.

    "It is," the jobless Elder nodded his head, a look of grief appearing on his face. "It was the decision of that fucker," he said, once again casting a nce deeper into the lodge. "He imed that if we can''t stop the insider trading, we might as well just make it even easier and ignore it," the Elder exined.

    "How are you going to exin the fact that all the other teams ganged up against a single one?" Arganar asked, finally pushing the discussion towards the topic that he was truly interested in.

    After all, no matter how bad the lower locations of the sect turned out, as long as they didn''t stop the promising disciples from advancing, then everything would be more or less okay.

    In the end, this was the sole purpose for the outpost like the one he was in right now. To find people capable of breaking through the initial struggle of cultivation, proving that they are worth being groomed.

    "That''s exactly why I advised not to get too heated about that topic," the Elder said, raising his eyes.

    ''Is he happy that he can exin something?'' Arganar thought, stopping his face from expressing the doubt that suddenly filled his soul. ''And if he is happy to exin now, why wasn''t he like that when we talked about the state of the sect?''

    Initially, the jobless Elder managed to lull Arganar''s attention down. Yet, surprisingly, when he suddenly turned energetic, Arganar''s interest peaked.

    "While it''s just a guess of mine, I believe it''s a conflict on the sponsored disciples against normal disciples ne," the jobless Elder said, turning around and resting his back against the wall.

    "The reason why I didn''t watch the entirety of the tournament was that I went to investigate. Apparently, two teams joined just an hour before the tournament started," he said, bringing forth a piece of information that Arganar was formerly ignorant about.

    ''The guys that Mia jumped ahead to deal with?'' Arganar thought, his mind connecting the dots of what he saw with the dots of what he just heard.

    "So they want to bully her," Arganar muttered, looking down as he immersed himself in his thoughts. "But it doesn''t make any sense!" he suddenly eximed, raising his eyes at his counterpart.

    "Sir?" the Elder got pretty confused about Arganar''s sudden outburst. "What doesn''t make sense?" he asked.

    "Mia, the girl leading the one team that everyone ganged upon, is already in the fifth realm," Arganar pointed out, refusing to borate any further.

    ''If he doesn''t understand the implications behind this, I will see this entire ce sacked and burned to the ground,'' Arganar thought grimly.

    This was the baseline of what he could ignore and what was an unforgivable oversight.

    Because the notion of half-advancing was lost in this location, then this ce no longer served its main purpose of sourcing and then filtering talents!

    "Wait, she is fifth already?!" the Elder jumped up, nearly hitting his head against a cornice protruding from the wall.

    "That''s right," Arganar nodded his head. "You imed that it''s a conflict between sponsored and non-sponsored disciples," he echoed Elder''s earlier words, only for a smirk to form on his lips. "But by reaching the fifth stage, she is already a level above the sponsored disciples of any kind!"

    "Wait a second, sir," the Elder raised his hands as if trying to stop the beatinging his way. "Doesn''t she need to reach the sixth stage to be an inner disciple?"

    ''That does it,'' Arganar''s eyes exploded with fire as his rage shot through the roof.

    Everyone knew that by bing a sixth-stage cultivator, one was applicable to be an inner disciple of the outpost and an outer disciple of the lower headquarters.

    The thing was, just like on the eighth and ninth stage, the burden of breaking through the fifth one was immense. The number of cultivation resources necessary to do so was so mindboggling no unaffiliated cultivator could ever achieve it on their own.

    This was the very reason why a fifth-level disciple was a valued one. The entire institution of the outpost was created to find those capable of reaching the fifth stage and then grooming them beyond that.

    ''And from the looks of things, people here don''t even remember how it works,'' Arganar thought, his fury shooting through the roof.

    "Not really," he said out loud, keeping his raging inferno of emotions behind a calm, cold facade. "By bing a fifth-stage cultivator, the sect considers her to be a quasi-inner disciple already. And that means..." Arganar cut his exnation short.

    "That she will receive the formal backing of the sect," the Elder replied, his face whitening as he realized the oversight. "The resources, scrolls, techniques... Even direct teachings from the Elders of the sect," he listed out in a low voice, each word putting another stone to the burden that weighed him down.

    "In other words, she truly became a disciple of the Tuxi sect," Arganar stated, raising his chin as he looked down at the Elder.

    It wasn''t necessarily that man''s fault. There was a chance that this Elder was just desperately grasping at straws to keep the sect he worked in together.

    ''It''s sad, but even if he is innocent, it won''t stop me from sacking this ce,'' Arganar thought grimly, looking at his counterpart with a small sense of pity.

    "Now, since you are the one dealing with the organization, I hope you can give me whatever she won," Arganar said, finally changing the topic.. "After the disy of the sect''s corruption, I don''t really think she would ever see those resources she and her team won."

 Chapter 203 - [Bonus ]Scuffle At The Waiting Room

    ''It hurts,'' Mia thought to herself. She was bitting down on her lips.

    She was holding her left hand over the massive bruise on her right shoulder. It was the reward for daring to rush right into an entire crowd of her opponent and then focusing on just the two of them.

    But despite the pain, there wasn''t any sign of regret or unhappiness on her face.

    ''How is the rest doing?'' she thought, ncing over her arm.

    And just like it was in her own case, not a single soul of her team appeared to be down.

    Sure, they lost the tournament. They ended up severely beaten up... But they were all smiling.

    ''I guess they learned that we can actuallypete with those idiots,'' she thought.

    Right now, they were returning from the tournament through the very same tunnel that they used to enter the area.

    In the end, the Elders behind the organization of the event proved that they had any brains, separating their group from everyone else and allowing them to return first.

    After all, seeing how forty-five people were all set on beating them up, it wouldn''t be wise to let all of them return at once.

    "You did well, guys," Mia said, unable to handle the prolonged silence. "We might''ve lost today, but we should be able to im the victory in two weeks!" she eximed.

    "YEAH!" as if orchestrated by some sort of scheme, all four of herpanions cheered in the same way, at the same time.

    "Right," Sander suddenly spoke up, hurrying his steps a little to level his position with the girl. "Are you going to exin your request from before?" he asked.

    Out of their entire team, Sander ended up getting the worst beating. His face was swollen to the point he could only use one eye. Everyst patch of his skin that Mia could see was covered in violet and red marks.

    A testament to how much he managed to suffer before finally sumbing to his exhaustion, pain, andck of mana.

    "It''s simple," Mia said before releasing the air from her lungs. "Those two... I believe they are responsible for forming two more teams," she added.

    Mia turned silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts.

    ''For how simple this matter is, it surely is pretty damn hard to exin it,'' she thought while Sander patiently waited for her answer.

    "In short words, they are the sponsored disciples that arrived at the sect at the same time as I did. Even though they initially appeared to be normal and kind, the second I started going to train with you guys, their attitude changed," she exined, raising her head only to see nothing more but the darkness for the ceiling.

    "What''s more, I even had an encounter with them during the second distribution day," she picked up the topic only when they finally emerged from the tunnel and arrived at the waiting area. "They were eager to see me kicked out of the sponsorship, and I said a few bad words to them when their wishes didn''te true," she added before releasing a small chuckle.

    "Those fuckers..." Sander muttered under his nose. Whether he was angry at their earlier exploits or at the fact that they attempted to bully them in the tournament? Mia couldn''t tell.

    "Chill," the girl said, attempting to stop Sander from getting too emotional. It wasn''t the best idea to get heated up about anything in particr with all his wounds. "To answer your question, I went at them, hoping that by beating them up, I could stop them from putting a wrench in our ns," Mia finally revealed.

    "How about we beat them up again?" Sander proposed, a vile glint appearing in his eyes. "If we do it here, as they are exiting, there will be no one to stop us," he pointed out.

    The Elder that initially let them into the arena was nowhere to be seen right now.

    ''Wait a second,'' Mia froze when she realized this fact and what it could potentially imply.

    Her eyes opened wide.

    "We need to ditch," she said, instantly turning her face towards the exit.

    "What''s wrong?" Ve asked, following the girl even before she could receive her answer.

    "Sander just said it," Mia replied. "There is no one here to witness whatever will happen here," Mia pointed out. "And between the five of us and forty-five of them, I''m not so sure who will beat who," she added, rushing towards the other tunnel.

    "Fuck," Mia muttered barely a secondter.

    The gate that was previously open so wide that she didn''t even notice its existence... It was now closed. And what was even worse, there wasn''t any knob or keyhole that could be used to pry it open!

    ''We are fucked...'' she thought, tightening her fists as she turned around.

    Right as she did so, the other groups finally started to emerge from the other tunnel, proving that her guess was right.

    Whoever closed the gate aimed to keep all fifty of the tournament participants confined in the waiting room.

    At first, nothing spelled out the disaster.

    Some of the disciples appeared to be in awe of Mia''s team''s skill; others were clearly dissatisfied with how vicious they were. But what was slightly hopeful was how the majority of their former opponents appeared to be extremely wary of them.

    ''I guess our approach worked out,'' Mia thought, unable to stop a small smile from forming on her lips.

    "How did you get so strong?" One of the disciples broke away from the group and approached Mia''s team by the gate. "Tell me now!" he demanded.

    For a moment, Mia was baffled. Given theck of response, the rest of her team shared Mia''s reaction.

    "The fuck are you talking about?" Sander stepped forward, taking the brunt of the conversation on himself. Even though he was in the worst state of the entire group, he was clearly willing to take the beating for the rest of them.

    "Either you tell me now, or I will report that you cheated!" the disciple proimed, raising his chin up and looking at Sander along the line of his own nose.

    At first, Sander simply stared at the man as if he had lost his sanity. Then, he chuckled. And finally, he waved his hand.

    "Scram before I will make, so you will never be able to have kids," he threatened, reaching out and pushing the disciple out of the way.

    ''Damn it,'' Mia instantly red up. ''I shouldn''t let Sander speak!'' she chastised herself in her own thoughts as she rushed forward.

    Right now was the worst possible moment to start a fight. Even with the advantage of their training and resilience born from all their efforts, they wouldn''t be able to fight off so many people at once!

    "Don''t you know who I am?" the disciple appeared to be baffled by Sander''s reaction. "No, that''s not it," he shook his head before a vicious and triumphant smile appeared on his lips. "Don''t you know who my father is?!" he shouted.

    Once again, Mia''s team refused to reply to the provocation. Thankfully, Mia managed to reach Sander before he spoke up, tugging on his hand to divert his attention from the conversation.

    An act that the disciple clearly took as a sign of weakness.

    "My father is the very Elder that oversees and manages all the tournaments in the sect!" he announced in a gloating tone.

    "That''s great to know," a new yet familiar voice suddenly entered the scene as the gate behind Mia burst open with so much force that the air current it produced pushed against the girl''s back, almost making her fall.

    The same Elder that approached her before now made his way into the middle of the room. He then stopped just two paces in front of the girl before staring down at the disciple that just gloated in the open.

    "Now that I have proof of that idiot''s nepotism, I will make sure he will be banished from the sect along with everyst one of his kin," Arganar stated with a smile.

    "And who the fuck are you?!" the disciple shouted, enraged by the sheer fact that someone dared to defy him, even after he brought up his father''s position.

    Arganar didn''t reply. Instead, he just took a step forward reached out with his hand.

    He pped the disciple''s cheek. Then he did it again. Both of those times,? he did it with extreme care, making it look more as if he was just intimate with the kid instead of reprimanding him.

    And then the disciple suddenly went flying when Arganar''s third p finally had some weight behind it.

    "I''m the one son of a bitch that you cannot cross," Arganar said with a wide smile adorning his face. He then turned around on his heel and looked at Mia and her team.

    "Now then, I''m deeply sorry for the wait," he said politely before pulling a small pouch out of nowhere. "Here. Those are your winnings for the tournament," he said, forcing the pouch into Mia''s hand.

    "Huh?" the girl didn''t really know how to react, too stunned by the sudden development to gather her thoughts.

    "Thank you, Elder?" she replied in a confused manner, not sure what kind of reaction was expected out of her.

    "I''m not an Elder," Arganar quickly fixed Mia''s mistake, shaking his head as he did so. "I would be pleased if you could drop the formalities," he requested.

    "Thank you, sir," Mia attempted to abide by the man''s wish, only to see him shake his head again.

    "I''m Arganar," the man gave her a hint.

    "Thank you, Senior Arganar," Mia tried once again.

    "Fine, let''s just go with that," Arganar said as he rolled his eyes.

    It was an annoyance that wasn''t worth his time to solve.

    "Right," he suddenly said, bringing his hand up and pulling one of his fingers out. "The Elders of this sect appears to forget about the treatment you are entitled to upon reaching the fifth cultivation stage," he said before forcing the ring into Mia''s hand, in the same manner, he did with the pouch before.

    "Huh?" Mia shook once again. The situation was developing way too fast and in a way too unpredictable direction for her to wrap her mind around it.

    "This ring is unlocked, so make sure to lock itter," Arganar advised with a smile.

    ''What the fuck is going on?'' Mia thought, desperate to find some answers. But no matter how hard she tried, the more she thought, the more confused she ended up. ''Fuck it,'' she then decided. ''There is no biscuit without risking it,'' she thought, raising her face and looking at the non-elder.

    She dropped all her thoughts about what was currently going on. What mattered was how this man appeared to be positively set towards her.

    "Eld.... Senior Arganar, there is one small request that I have," she said before bowing her head. "Would you be willing to lend me your ear?"

 Chapter 204 - Workaround

    My time was running short.

    My visit to the sect grounds turned out to be pretty fruitful. From settling a deal with the auction hall, through dealing with the logistic office all the way to establishing a supply line to Mia, I used up everyst second of my stay to grow.

    And now was the time for thest even. Thest matter to settle before leaving for the camp.

    ''I need to get stronger,'' I thought.

    Ultimately, this was the very reason why I did everything that I did.

    In itself, strength was only a means for me to secure a happy future with Mia. And for that purpose, I was willing to do anything.

    But the time of schemes and shady deals was now over. In the end, I still had to take care of my own measly cultivation.

    "Wee, young master," yet another receptionist greeted me when I crossed the doors to the auction hall. "How may I be of service?"

    ''The information spreads quickly,'' I thought, noticing the manner in which the man called me out.

    "I would like to set up a quick meeting with the boss," I informed with a nod of my head. "It would be extremely convenient if you could arrange it for me," I said.

    "It would be my pleasure, young master," the receptionist said.

    He then walked away from his desk and led me deeper into the building. Soon, I crossed the doors of the room I had once visited before.

    Just like back then, the boss of the ce sat behind a desk swarmed with papers.

    It appeared that being in a position of power included ten percent of fun and ny percent of paperwork. But rather than disliking the idea, I quite enjoyed the sight.

    The high level of the organization was a footprint of a developed structure. Just like barbaric nations had hardly any administration, the sophisticated cultures had an extensivework of bureaucracy.

    And the most striking feature of a civilization reaching a higher level ofplexity was the number of resources it would rule over.

    ''The sect doesn''t even begin topare,'' I thought, waiting for the boss to finish whatever she was studying.

    "Damn, those taxes are really getting out of hand," she muttered, still immersed in the writing.

    She then brought her pen? up and ced a sign on the scroll before finally raising her eyes.

    "It''s you," she said, her lips forming a small smile. "You have no idea how refreshing it is to see you instead of all those letters and orders," she admitted, pointing at the pile of papers with the tip of her chin.

    "I take it that my visit is well received, then," I replied curtly, lowering my head with respect before the woman.

    In terms of seniorship, there was no decided structure that could ssify our rtionship. But when faced with a veteran of conducting business like the current boss, I couldn''t help but feel humbled.

    Compared to her, I was nothing more but an upstart inventor hoping to conquer vast markets of the world.

    "You are not in the wrong," the boss said before turning her eyes away. "We have a problem with sourcing the monster bones," she revealed a secondter.

    "Figures," I muttered in response.

    It didn''t surprise me any bit. The only reason why I ever collected them was that I was desperate to make some more money. And on the local market, hardly anyone bothered to trade with them.

    In other words, the crucial ingredient behind the dildos that I came up with was nearly unessible on the market.

    ''I guess they could somehow source it if necessary...'' I took a moment to think, refusing to treat this matter lightly.

    "It will cost you a lot," I finally replied, raising my eyes at the woman''s face.

    "Huh?" the woman shrugged. "How is that a problem?" she asked.

    ''I guess she expected me to pay such a tiny favor back without a word of protest,'' I saw through the woman''s reaction.

    "It''s not that I don''t want to do it," I said while shaking my head. "The one rule that my Overseer instilled in me is to get the monster''s core and ditch the ce. The faster, the better," I exined.

    It was the one rule that I stretched but ultimately strictly followed. Unfortunately, the number of bones I obtained was so small, mostly because I had no time to properly dissect my prey!

    "So it''s impossible, then," the boss muttered, lowering her eyes. She even raised her hand only to bite down on the nail of her thumb.

    "That''s not what I said," I pointed out. "I only said it would cost you a lot,"? I added, echoing my earlier words.

    "What do you mean?" the woman asked, confused by my words.

    "Right now, I''m too weak to take my time with the things I hunt," I exined. "When other monsters swarm the ce, I''m too weak to fend them off. That''s why I need to ditch the ce and leave so much."

    "So you need to get stronger, right?" the woman finally understood. "What level are you on? Seventh? Eight?" she asked.

    "I''m still at the core expansion stage," I revealed without even a second of doubt. "But I''m nearing the breakthrough. I just need a little more push," I added.

    "That''s going to be tough, then," the boss said, lowering her eyes as she started to think again. "I''m not sure if you know, but crossing the ninth stage is a crucial moment," she said, raising her eyes at my face.

    "Huh?" I was quite surprised by that. It was the first time I heard that there was anything special about the next cultivation stage I would enter.

    "While advancing past ninth and tenth stage brings you to an entirely different level of existence, it''s extremely costly to break through them," she said, shaking her head.

    "The number of cultivation resources that you need to consume to bridge the gap... Even if there was no limit to their number, it would still take you a long time to grow enough," she exined the problematic nature of my next cultivation stage.

    But wasn''t the answer to this trouble rather obvious?

    "I said that it would cost you a lot," I echoed my words from before while a small smile crept up on my lips. "But I never said that I need a lot of resources," I added, sending the woman a wink.

    "What?" she raised her eyes at me, a look of powerlessness appearing in her eyes. "Do you have yet another brilliant idea?" she asked.

    "Instead of feeding me some insane amount of resources reserved for my grade," I introduced the idea.

    It came to my mind the second I heard about reaching a higher level of existence.

    If someone could break through the limits of human nature, then the resources he would use to cultivate would be different, wouldn''t they?

    After all, the stronger one became, the harder it was to advance even further. Wasn''t this the mostmon trope in literally... everything in the world?

    ''I''m sure there is some sort of smart quote that describes this,'' I thought before clearing my throat and fixing my looks.

    "Tell me, could you maybe provide me with the cultivation materials that those of the higher cultivation ranks use instead?" I asked. "I know it will be expensive; I know those will be hard to obtain," I announced, defensively raising my hands.

    "I''m leaving for the camp in an hour," I added after a moment, looking directly into the woman''s eyes. "Could youe up with some before that?"

 Chapter 205 - Adolescent Enlightement

    I timed my return from the auction hall so that I wouldn''t waste a single second.

    I patiently waited right until thest moment. Thest call if I wanted to return with Lucius.

    In theory, I couldpletely ditch the hunting part of the game. As long as I could provide my quotas, the sect atrge wouldn''t care.

    In other words, I could simply ask Auction Hall to take care of this while focusing my attention elsewhere.

    ''Right now, going back to the camp still serves a purpose,'' I thought, abandoning the idea.

    Growing stronger was my current priority. And no matter how much more convenient it was to be near the sect, I didn''t dare to cultivate in the city.

    I was already on the verge of breaking through to the ninth level. Just a few points pumped more into my level gauges, and I could celebrate another breakthrough.

    But I didn''t want to draw too much attention to myself.

    Not now, not yet.

    I had to do absolutely the most out of my potentialing out.

    If the sect were to learn about my presence and persona early on, they would always perceive me like an unruly upstart. The only way to make them treat me seriously and ignore my scuffle with the Logistical Center was to appear before them in might.

    ''And breakthrough I will,'' I thought, caressing the outline of the ring that I received a second before leaving.

    "Here," the auction hall boss said, grinning through the drops of sweat covering her forehead. "That''s all that I managed to find," she said just a few moments earlier as she passed the ring.

    ''It would be nice if I could break all the way to the tenth stage all at once,'' I thought.

    I was aware of how the ninth and the tenth stages are tough to cultivate. But I just couldn''t help myself but imagine an impossibly convenient scenario.

    "Took you long enough," Lucius greeted me a few momentster.

    He already waited by the doors of the Inn, looking around in an impatient manner.

    "Had to finish some stuff," I replied ambiguously.

    There was no point in talking with that man for now. That''s why I just started moving.

    It took us nearly an entire night and then several hours into the day to arrive back at the camp.

    Apparently, the monsters would recede after the full moon, allowing for rtively safe night travel.

    And throughout the entire journey, I didn''t share a word with Lucius.

    ''He didn''t bother to open his filthy mouth either,'' I thought, slightly annoyed when we finally reached the camp.

    Even now, I still hoped that Lucius could snap himself out of it.

    We didn''t have a massive fight, nor some kind of rtionship-changing event. He just pushed heavily on something that I knew was a scam. Yet, he acted as if his prideful stance about the topic was more important than trying to make up with me!

    ''Stop it,'' I lectured myself as I stood before the tent. It lured me in with theforts inside, something that I desperately needed after the long and boring journey.

    But I had no time for that.

    I turned around and left the center of the clearing.

    Rather than wasting time resting, I could pick up the pace and finally do what I needed.

    On my move to the forest, I swung by my usual training spot.

    Every formation would increase its effectiveness overtime... But my current formation was still rtively new. And that''s why I picked the formation stones right up before venturing deep into the forest.

    I didn''t have any mental map of the forest. I didn''t follow any given direction.

    I simply wandered around for a while before my instincts told me that my location was the right spot.

    It was that simple.

    I reached to my balls and rubbed the crystal of my ring. A brush and a small ss of ink appeared in my hand.

    ''Let''s get this shit going,'' I thought, pouring all the knowledge that I gained during the sect''s visit into the pebbles I picked up directly from the ground.

    The first set of stones went into creating a protective array.

    It only had the passive ability to repel monsters and the rm whenever something would pass it.

    The second formation concealed my surroundings.

    I didn''t understand the mechanism behind its illusions. I have yet to sit through the runes and discover all their secrets, but I couldn''t help but get hyped about all the possibilities it would offer before me.

    ''No, I don''t have time for this yet,'' I thought, disciplining myself.

    Soon, thest arraynded on the ground, the amplification one.

    ''Here we go,'' I thought, using my other ring to pull out the cultivation resources I received from the auction hall.

    There were only a few items inside the ring''s space. But each of them made me shiver just by looking at it.

    The mana within those containers was just that immense.

    "Well then," I muttered, reaching out for the first of the treasures. "Here goes nothing," I thought, sping my fingers down on the shiny, blue orb.

    Power filled my body.

    It was a feeling that I couldn''t describe. As if everyst atom of my existence burned away, restored itself to its perfect state...

    And then repeated the process a hundred times over.

    Just the initial surge of the energy from the treasure burned an agonizing trail throughout my mana pathways.

    And it was only the beginning.

    In a desperate attempt to hold on to my consciousness, I called forth and nced at my system.

    Before starting, I needed a bit more than a thousand pointsbined to advance.

    [Mana Assimtion (8 937/10 000)]

    [Mana Assimtion (11 254/10 000)]

    [Mana Assimtion (32 018/10 000)

    In a single sh, the points exploded past the limits of my gauge. It appeared that my current growth exceeded the speed that my system could refresh at!

    The content of my system changed.

    Everything about the core expansion copsed and vanished, only to be reced by words I had never seen before in this world.

    But I couldn''t really focus enough to scan through the changes.

    I ignored all my thoughts and started moving my body around.

    Just like all the times before, I started to move around.

    Soon, with a spear in my hand, I continued to poke around at the air, using my techniques to rein in the immense inflow of mana.

    And then it all ended when the orb in my hand crumbled.

    I finally had a second to look at my status window.

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Half-enlighted

    - Growth status: Adolescent Enlightenment

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance: 1 270/2 500

    - Willpower: 703/2 500

    ***

    Adolescent Enlightement (762 862/1 500 000)

    {

    Enlightenment: 237 414/500 000

    Potential: 413 097/500 000

    Drive: 112 351/500 000

    }

    ***

    ''Not bad,'' I thought before taking a deep breath and holding it in my lungs.

    Only when I calmed down a little did I raise my face.

    My eyes involuntarily moved towards the other two items from the sect.

    ''I might as well keep going,'' I thought.

    The massive advancement I just achieved shocked me beyond words. Never in my most daring dreams did I hope for sess so great!

    ''Wasn''t the ninth stage supposed to be hard to break through?'' I thought, baffled by my results.

    But I was perfectly happy with the development.

    ''It looks like my bet has paid off,'' I thought, grinning when I reached for the second orb.

    It appeared as if picking quality over quantity was the right choice!

    Once again, my body exploded when foreign mana flooded it. And this time, I could keep track of my numbers rising.

    Tic. Tic. Tic.

    The torture of absorbing power in such a violent manner made me gasp for air.

    And then everything stopped as if the time itself gave way to a higher force.

    The pain disappeared... and so did my focus.

    Before my eyes, a selection window appeared.

    [Host reached the adolescent enlightenment level!]

    The window announced. But it was the following message that made my soul tremble.

    [

    Pick your main ss:

    Battlemage

    Military Mage

    Cultivator

    Martial Artists

    ]

    This wasn''t what I expected to see.

    And for a moment, I felt as if my heart was about to jump out of my chest!

 Chapter 206 - Military Mage

    "What the fuck is this?" I whispered, stunned by sight.

    A battlemage? Military mage? Cultivator?

    Just where was the exnation of what each of those jobs meant?

    Or was I supposed to pick randomly? Directed by which one sounded the coolest?

    ''Think, Arthur, think,'' I urged myself.

    I instantly discarded the cultivator and martial artists options.

    It wasn''t that I had anything against them... But I had a mental limit over how powerful one could get with their fists. And for a former nerd like me, between swinging my fists and casting powerful spells...

    There was hardly any choice.

    The problem started when choosing between a battlemage and a military mage.

    The first one definitely sounded the coolest of the bunch...

    ''But I''m not in a game,'' I thought, biting down on my lips.

    As fun as it would be to be a god of war with the ss-specific abilities of battlemage job...

    Didn''t that limit the scope of my actions by a massive degree?

    Sure, using magic in a battle coulde in handy, but wasn''t the military option simply way more versatile?

    ''The military mage it is, then,'' I thought, already aware of what would be my decision.

    It didn''t matter how long I would spend trying to decide. The allure of practicality and efficiency hidden behind the name of a military mage was just too great.

    The selection window disappeared the second I made my decision, only to end up reced by another window.

    And from the looks of things, this window would be a constant addition to my ever-expanding system.

    Main Job - Military Mage

    Combined level: 30

    ***

    Range: 10

    Control: 10

    Output: 10

    Job Specific skills:

    [Bolt - Allows the host to cast a bolt of pure magic at the target][Level 1 (0/100)]

    [Warden - Allows the host to ce a friendly totem boosting the host''s statistics and providing passive defense][Level 1 (0/100)]

    [Disturb -? Allows the host to forcibly break any action of the enemy, throwing them into a momentary state of disarray][Level 1 (0/1000)]

    [Ultimate Spell][Mage''s Tower - Allows host to erect a temporary mage''s tower, significantly boosting his statistics in a designated area][Requires: Wardens x6]

    Job Rted skills:

    [___]

    ***

    ''Now I have even more statistics to track,'' I thought, slightly annoyed by the situation.

    It was a challenge to constantly keep track of all the numbers I already had in my system... And now, this burden only increased.

    ''Well, if I can get stronger with this...'' I thought, finishing up the assimtion of the second treasure.

    [ALERT!]

    A new window popped up before my eyes once again.

    [Urgent Mission!]

    [By unlocking the main ss, the host is now in need of a massive source of energy. The amount of energy consumed in the next 24 hours will decide the full potential and grade of the job]

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged in shock.

    This was the first time in a long while since the system offered me any kind of quest.

    Normally, it would be advance this, breakthrough that... Boring.

    But now, a real mission appeared.

    What''s more, it exined its reason for existing, allowing me to understand what was actually going on.

    ''It seems that I need to do my best right away,'' I thought, reaching out for the third andst treasure that the boss of the auction hall managed to obtain.

    And without even a shred of hesitation, I pushed my hand into it.

    Once again, my body filled with energy to its brim.

    It felt just like before... but different at the same time.

    The nearly bottomless pool of my current status allowed me to quite easily absorb the mana.

    ''Is this what she meant?'' I suddenly recalled the words of the auction hall boss.

    I closed my eyes for a moment. Then, I took a deep breath.

    I sucked the treasure dry... and I didn''t feel a damned thing.

    ''Right, what''s the threshold?'' I suddenly thought, opening my eyes.

    And there it was. The status so ridiculous that I didn''t know whether tough or cry.

    ***

    Adolescent Enlightement (1 467 192/30 000 000)

    {

    Enlightenment: 472 111/10 000 000

    Potential: 620 499/10 000 000

    Drive: 374 582/10 000 000

    }

    ***

    ''What even are those stats?'' I asked, my strength leaving my body.

    After consuming three treasures, all that my growth amounted to was... roughly three percent of the gauge?

    ''And here I thought it''s going to be easy.''

    I took a deep breath and calmed myself down.

    I ran out of cultivation resources.

    A spear appeared in my hand as my eyes turned towards the nearby forest.

    It was within reach of my hand. A ce full of resources and cultivation cores.

    ''It won''t hurt to test out my new skills,'' I decided.

    An excited smile formed on my lips.

    I stepped outside of the formation before calling all of the stones to my pouch.

    I prepared another formation with just a few swings of my brush.

    It was of extremely poor quality... but it was easily replicable.

    ''Friendly totem, huh?'' I thought, recalling the detail of my warden ability.

    Iid down thest few strokes before focusing on a single stone in my hand.

    ''Warden,'' I thought, wishing strongly for something to happen.

    Right now, I had to establish a mental connection, the first experience of using my spells.

    I pried the fingers of my hand open, releasing the formation stone.

    It shone in a gentle, blue light as it rose in the air.

    ''Woah,'' I nearly released a moan of surprise when the flow of magic around me changed.

    I felt as if I stepped into a training array with just a single warden active.

    A single thought appeared in my head.

    ''Can I make more?'' I thought, grabbing another stone and repeating the procedure.

    ''FUCK!''

    My head exploded in pain.

    My brain rotted away under the intense agony that washed through it.

    The symptomsted only for a short moment, but it left me speechless.

    ''What the fuck did just happen?'' I thought, startled by the event.

    I then looked at my status window, hoping for an answer.

    And it was right in my face this entire time.

    My warden ability was still at first level!

    ''I know this is just a guess,'' I shook my head and raised my eyes. ''But isn''t this the most likely reason?''

    Still, this wasn''t the time for waiting.

    A treasure of the higher realm barely made a dent in my current progress. And the clock on expanding my potential ticked.

    Every second that I spent idling was a second wasted.

    "Bolt," I whispered, raising my hand towards a nearby tree.

    It was a weird experience.

    A part of my mana followed my wish, expanding away from my extended arm.

    In a single heartbeat, it gathered enough mana, formed it into a proper shape, and then shot it forward with a devastating force.

    The tree that I aimed at ceased to exist.

    ''Was that...'' I suddenly thought, somehow detecting a strange resonance.

    My eyes moved towards my warden.

    This test shot felt weird. Even after I shot it, right before leaving a certain distance away from me...

    My bolt suddenly sharpened.

    It all happened in the tiniest split of a second, but I was certain I saw it.

    ''So it works like that too,'' I thought, taking a mental note of the event.

    My senses tingled.

    I turned my head to the side, kneeling down in the undergrowth.

    There was a prey nearby.

    A few secondster, a middle-sized monster appeared between trees.

    Just a few hours prior, it could be a match for me. But now, it was easy prey.

    ''Perfect, I thought. I then smiled as I looked at the beast.

    The monster also looked at my face.

    This cougar-like beast was ready.

    ''Disturb!''

 Chapter 207 - Anticlimatic

    "Disturb!"

    Once again, my mana acted on its own.

    I was used to controlling everyst movement of my power. If I wanted to punch stronger, I had to circte my mana towards my hands or, alternatively, my spear.

    But when using the ss skills, I only had to give mymand.

    "Roa..." the monster cried, only for its voice to disappear.

    A small ball formed with my condensed mana exploded. The vibration of the magic that followed made everything in my vicinity freeze.

    For a short moment, thews of the world around turned so weird that no living being could act.

    Myself included.

    ''That''s not as great as I hoped it would be,'' I thought, shaking my head when the stun effect faded away.

    It was certainly a useful ability... But it was far worse than I had expected.

    ''Maybe if I grow immune to its effect,'' I thought, theorizing a way to make proper use of the skill. At the same time, my eyes regained their focus, allowing me to track the beast''s movement.

    The second it attacked, I pulled out my spear. Yet, before the paws of the monster could reach my guard, the warding totem shone with a bring light.

    I stepped forward, striking the monster down with my spear.

    As unexpected as it was, I wasn''t going to give up on such an opportunity.

    "ROAR!" the monster mobilized everyst bit of its remaining strength to jump away.

    It was injured but still alive.

    ''I guess I can try this again,'' I thought, raising my hand.

    "Bolt," I muttered, sending a condensed ball of energy right towards the monster.

    Poof!

    That''s right.

    The monster simply disintegrated when met with the refined ball of my energy.

    The extreme conditions created by copsing my shot within the enemy would turn the physics of the area on its head.

    Four limbs of the monster dropped to the ground, a few steps away from me.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, realizing the downside of this power. ''If I hunt with this,'' I thought, moving my eyes towards the monster''s remains. "I won''t be able to gather shit!"

    This was a sad realization... But something that I had no time to deal with.

    Right now, the time of my mission was ticking.

    It was the time to do things in the old way.

    I picked up everything of mine before rushing deeper into the forest.

    Soon, my hunting mindset kicked in, allowing me to round up several monsters in a manner of minutes.

    ''That''s not enough,'' I thought when absorbing the cores of the defeated monsters.

    The hunger for energy that I could feel deep within couldn''t be sated with such meager amounts of mana.

    ''I need to ramp my speed up,'' I thought, rushing into the hunting process again.

    The next twenty-four hours would decide my potential.

    I didn''t know whether it would be relevant only in my current cultivation rank or if I could feel its effects down the line. And just because of that, I had no other choice but to treat it seriously.

    ''Still,'' I thought, analyzing the situation as my body continued to rush the hunt.

    ''Isn''t my spear using the warden''s power as well?'' I thought.

    Fighting with those new abilities certainly did feel weird. And for now, I still couldn''t really grasp its principles.

    Only when I knew everything about my skills would I be daring enough to challenge the status quo in the forest.

    For now, I know several things.

    My entire performance would undergo a massive change when fighting with an active warden.

    It would protect me from attacks to a certain, untested degree. It increased my firepower, adding its own energy to my own. Andstly, it helped me to condense my mana by a whole lot.

    Every aspect of my strength would grow with those totems around.

    But I discovered something even better.

    ''If I can only level this skill up by creating a new one...'' I thought, bringing the Warden down to my hand. I then pulled another formation stone.

    I didn''t dare to try activating two wardens at once. Instead, I sucked the energy dry from the first stone before using it to power the other one.

    Tic.

    ''Are you fucking serious?''

    Even though I was in the forest, I stood frozen in a single frame.

    Wasn''t this an insane exploit? Something that in a game would be used to break any sort of reason or control over the snowball effect?

    ''Let''s try again,'' I thought, focusing on the stones in my hand.

    Kill the active one. Activate the other one. Repeat.

    This simple sentence quickly sent my system into a flurry as the proficiency points started to grow at a quick rate.

    ''I think I can go on,'' I judged before returning to my hunt.

    Nothing was stopping me from gaining levels and hunting at the same time!

    Soon, I fully immersed myself in the activity, collecting the spoils of the forest at a worrying rate. But I didn''t bother taking any of the bones. I would settle with just their cores alone.

    There was no use in consuming them on the spot. Instead, using those resources within an array could bring out much more value.

    ''Wait,'' I suddenly stopped, curious about a certain idea.

    ''If I want more monsters toe,'' I thought, ncing over to my Warden''s progression.

    And it was just a few points away from leveling up!

    I stood above the monster''s corpse that I had just hunted. Instead of leaving the site, I continued to level up my Warden while cutting out the bones that I could use.

    I only had the time to collect a few of the bones when my senses alerted me.

    The monsters were already closing in.

    ''Right in time,'' I thought, wrapping a second formation stone in my ss skill.

    The effect of the wardens doubled. Instead of adding up, their effects multiplied.

    "Come at me," I muttered, readying my spear, wardens, and bolts.

    The monsters rushed forward... and passed by me. The variety of monsters continued to run instead of bothering me.

    And then it appeared.

    The best that once nearly took Lucius'' life. The one being in the forest that I didn''t dare to provoke.

    But now that I looked at it...

    ''Isn''t it... weak?'' I thought.

    It wasn''t an educated guess or a keen observation. Calling it anything else but a gut feeling would be an overestimation.

    But it made me step forward nheless.

    The beast rushed ahead.

    My growth didn''t magically make its speed any slower.

    Before I could notice, the first of my wardens shattered, exhausted after blocking the monster''s attack.

    ''Heavy,'' I thought, backing off a single step as I locked my eyes on the beast.

    ''Bolt!'' I thought, forming and then sending the first of my magical bullets.

    I missed.

    This clever bastard suddenly changed its trajectory.

    It even made a fucking flip!

    ''It''s all right,'' I thought, calming myself down. ''Don''t get too heated,'' I warned myself, regaining my cold blood.

    I called forth another warden with just a single thought. The second bolt of magic formed above my hand.

    The beast rushed at me again.

    This time it shed separately with its paws. Both of the attacks managed to exhaust a warden.

    Its arms were useless now. But the beast still had its jaws. It lunged at me, hoping to end the fight in a single swoop.

    "Disturb," I thought, calling the next two wardens and raising my spear.

    Back then, this beast was a menace. A danger that I had no means of protecting against. During our first encounter, I could only cover in fear and run, hoping for its mercy.

    But now?

    Sure, it had its power and was pretty dangerous...

    But overall, it wasn''t my opponent.

    The explosion of the magic shook me a little. Yet, with my focus nearly crystalizing, I managed to shoot out the bolt I had prepared.

    The condensed ball of my refined mana struck the beast right in its massive head, vaporizing it in an instant.

    And just like that, I stood above the one threat that I didn''t dare to face before. If not for the random encounter, I would never dare to go against it.

    ''Well,'' I thought, twisting my lips in a weird grimace. ''That was pretty anti-climatic,'' Imented, shaking my head.

    If anything, I expected this fight to be exciting. But after its end... It just felt boring and predictable.

    "Well, then," I muttered, pushing my spear into the ground and pulling out my knife.

    The carcass of the beast looked like nothing but a treasure trove.

    ''Its materials should be worth a lot,'' I thought, digging my de down into the monster''s flesh.

    And its core could be the solution to my burning need for mana!

 Chapter 208 - [Bonus ] Exploiting The System

    I gathered up everyst bit of what appeared to be valuable from this monster.

    Normally, I would have to ditch right away...

    But this entire arena was now stinking with all the mana that both I and that monster used.

    ''I guess it''s safe to say no one will dare to approach me for now,'' I thought, stripping the meat of the bones before storing both away in my ring.

    Who knew? Maybe if I turned it into steakster, eating them could provide me with some benefits?

    Taking my cooking job into ount and the strength of the monster that the meat came from, it wouldn''t be all that surprising if it worked.

    But for now, I had to hurry.

    The thirst for mana was quickly bing unbearable.

    I deployed all the arrays that I had before, ensuring that both of my wardens performed at their peak.

    ''Let''s dig in,'' I thought, pulling out all the cultivation resources that I gathered so far.

    I started with the smaller andmon cores.

    Even after sucking an entire bag worth of them dry, I barely felt any tingle in the pool of my mana.

    And then I started to consume the resources left by that powerful monster.

    For a moment, the numbers on my status screen went crazy. Even though the change was only cosmetic, it reached the same effectiveness as the resources sourced from the sect.

    "Wait, could it be...?" I muttered in shock, watching the crude core in my hand melt down.

    Soon, it crumbled when I sucked everyst bit of its energy.

    But right before falling apart, the monster''s core took the same form as the orbs that the boss obtained for me!

    ''Wait, the numbers,'' I thought, ncing over at my status.

    And there it was.

    By the time I consumed everyst bit of the mana I could obtain, my statistics raised by roughly a million each. In other words, consuming all those cores and the spoils from that powerful monster only amounted to ten percent of my actual needs!

    ''This stage is going to be a massive pain in the ass,'' I thought. I then stood up, about to gather my formation up...

    When I stopped.

    I learned an important thing.

    In order to advance quickly past my current stage, I had to hunt this kind of monsters.

    Not the weaklings that the forest was brimming with. I had to set off to find and then hunt down the peak predators that roamed those woods!

    ''I''m not strong yet,'' I thought, slumping down on the ground.

    But I didn''t waste time.

    Outside of the cultivation resources, the corpses of my recent hunt offered me a plethora of other materials. Some of which I could easily use to grow even stronger!

    I bothered painting a few more formation stones for a second before enclosing the entire area within a set of five formations.

    The more I used this useful ability of mine, the more confident I got into actually wielding it. And with each passing moment, my crafts would be more and moreplex.

    Then, my surroundings calmed down as energy surged towards me.

    I pulled out the bones of the monsters and my knife. Then, I started to carve those bones up with slow, steady movements.

    I lost track of time.

    By the time I finished my job and finally raised my head, the sun was long gone. Yet, even though it was well past midnight, not a single monster dared to even approach the outermost of my formations.

    ''That should do,'' I thought, raising the three items that I either made or modified.

    My spear now had two groups of formation cubes made out of the monster''s bones. Each of those formations had a different effect. But the end of the spear was what changed the most.

    This formerly blunt end of the weapon was now adorned by a bone-ball made out of the monster''s skull. It was covered with tiny inscriptions, each moreplex than the other.

    ''The system is clearly pushing me towards a tool-oriented fight,'' I thought after analyzing my military mage''s abilities once again.

    Wardens?

    The Mage''s Tower?

    Those abilities only served to fortify my position. And since the system was so insistent on me using this kind of buffs, I turned my spear into a mage''s staff.

    ''Bolt,'' I thought, only for the skull to emit a faint light.

    A set of three balls exploded away from my staff, in the direction I was looking at.

    And it was only the first of the things that I prepared for my next hunt.

    Yes, next hunt.

    No matter how much stronger I became, hunting in the forest would always bear a massive risk. A risk that would multiply greatly during the nights.

    Attempting to face off a powerful monster that I didn''t know anything about without even the ability to see it?

    I wasn''t suicidal to do something like this.

    That''s why, as much as it pained me to do, I decided to retreat for the night.

    I was out in the forest ever since we returned to the camp. This alone was a good thing as it could potentially send a wrong message to Lucius.

    ''It would be great if he believed that I finally picked up the pace,'' I thought, shaking my head as I gathered my thoughts.

    I then reached the ground, where two small nes awaited my attention.

    Those were the second and third elements of the surprise that I prepared. Each of the nes consisted of nearly forty bone cubes with formation markings inscribed on them.

    But it was the third element that I had the highest hopes for.

    Ultimately, wardens were just small formations that gained the ability to better attract mana with my skill. And since the requirement to use my ultimate ability was to have six wardens...

    The fourth andst item that I prepared turned out to be a formation pouch.

    Inside, there were four hundred pieces of formation stones. Yet, instead of forming aplex structure, they could all be divided into segments of the same, repeating form.

    In other words, this was the formation with the sole purpose of attracting as much energy as it was possible. The elements of the formation responsible for processing that energy into a useful form only took five percent of the stones.

    "Let''s retreat for the night, then," I thought, stashing all of my belongings and remaining spoils back to the ring.

    It wasn''t the time for me to tell Lucius about my advancements. I wasn''t going to go talk to him first.

    And to be perfectly honest, right now, I wasn''t in the mood of flexing my sudden growth. It was something that I would do eventually...

    But not when I continued to grow with each passing second.

    My warden ability was about to reach level three. I even started shooting down my wardens with my bolts instead of just turning them off. Thanks to this, I could also exploit the growth of my main offensive ability!

    ''Still, there is one more thing that puzzles me,'' I thought as I continued to farm the progression points for my abilities.

    ''If the materials of that beast had so much energy in them,'' I thought, ''then why was it so weak?''

    This was the one thing that I failed to figure out. The one thing that made me feel as if there was something wrong with the situation.

    And then it dawned on me.

    ''Doesn''t that mean,'' I thought, freezing on the spot.

    For a second, I even stopped juggling my abilities.

    ''That I actually happened to pick an overpowered ss?''

 Chapter 209 - Pained Soul

    By the time I returned to the camp, there were a few hours left before the dawn at the very most.

    The life within the forest was regted by the day and night circle.

    For me, this was proof that this world had yet to reach the level when they would conquer the nights. It was a massive difference whenpared to the ever-living world created back on earth.

    One thing became apparent as I neared the tent.

    Lucius was awake.

    The lights within hispartment were still lit, indicating that he was either doing something, waiting for me, or just sleeping with his lights on.

    ''Was he... worried?'' I attempted to mold the situation in a way that would put my Overseer in a slightly better light.

    Sure, we had some misunderstandings and problems. But wasn''t it a normal thing to try to mend things over?

    ''After all, it''s not like he is colluding with those scummy fuckers,'' I thought, shrugging my shoulders.

    ''So that''s what that was,'' I thought, noticing one thing about my earlier behavior.

    My actions were influenced by my mood back then. And my mood was moved by everything that happened to me.

    My entire fight with Lucius started with me shunning him off back at the Inn.

    It cost me nothing to appreciate Lucius'' potential care and attention.

    I returned to mypartment and closed its entrance.

    Normally, that would be enough to regain peace. But as willing, as I was to make up with Lucius, that didn''t mean I was willing to let him learn about my progress.

    The second I secured the room, Iid down a small but extremely condensed formation.

    It was the one thing that I thoughtlessly prepared for while returning to the camp.

    The task of the formation was extremely simple.

    It screened out all the functions of magic from within my room.

    The formation itself was pretty weak and crude. However, its sheer density brute-forced the solution for the problem.

    ''That should be enough,'' I thought while using a strand of mana to try to tickle the air around.

    And just as I hoped for, it did nothing at all.

    "Well then, it''s time to train some more," I muttered to myself, falling down on my bed.

    Soon, wardens started to appear all over me. Then, I would form the tiniest bolt that I could, forcefully squeezing down the supply of the mana to the spell.

    Once formed, my bolt would wash away the ink on the warden, breaking it down. My hands would apply the ink to the stone again while another warden would fall prey to my bolt at the same time.

    In this self-replicating process, I could grind my abilities, and I finally found an angle to understand those abilities more.

    ''As convenient, it is to call them forth with just a thought; there has to be more to it than just that!''

    It was my firm belief that only when I fully grasped and perfected all my skills could I call myself powerful.

    Because that was the reality. At the current point, I was already pretty strong. But once I would bring everything, there is from my abilities?

    There would be no longer any need for me toy low!

    ''Or so I would love to happen,'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    If there was one thing that would surely happen in a situation like mine, it would be the world suddenly expanding, only to showcase how much more there is to is.

    The one thing that sucked in this kind of scenario was how all this new world? It was only more of the same.

    ''If that''s the case for this world as well,'' I thought, suddenly having a grim realization.

    Right now, my rank was half-enlightened. It was written in the main window of my system.

    ''Does that mean that once I reach the enlightened rank... It will start all over again?'' I thought, suddenly overwhelmed by the idea.

    So there would be no happy ending once I would break through my current stage?

    ''Damn,'' I thought, sping my hand into a fist. ''That''s pretty demotivating if anything,'' I realized.

    I then shook my head to cast those thoughts aside.

    ''No, that''s not what''s important,'' I told myself. ''You are not after reaching the endgame of this world,'' I voiced out in my thoughts.

    This was a notion that I had to remember at all times.

    ''You are after securing your future with Mia, not after bing the legend,'' I told myself.

    This was the one paradigm that I would follow no matter what.

    If anything, this world wasn''t some kind of game, some kind of story that I could enjoy and then put away.

    It was my present reality.

    And between heroics and a stable, peaceful future, I was mature enough to decide.

    ''I need to focus,'' I reprimanded myself, restarting the process of grinding that I stopped a moment earlier. Then, I looked over at my ss window to check the progress.

    Main Job - Military Mage

    Combined level: 37

    ***

    Range: 10

    Control: 14

    Output: 13

    Job Specific skills:

    [Bolt][Level 2 (36/200)]

    [Warden][Level 3 (72/300)]

    [Disturb][Level 1 (3/1000)]

    [Ultimate Spell][Mage''s Tower]

    ***

    The progress of my grind was slow... but steady. And there was currently no need for me to hurry. With the entire two weeks of hunting ahead, I could take a pretty long time to raise my ability.

    But there were two things that instantly drew my attention.

    ''The ultimate doesn''t have any level,'' I noticed.

    It was a puzzling realization, but Icked any real idea of how to exin it.

    There was some sort of reason, I could tell. But unsure of the details, I had no other choice but to leave this matter aside.

    But there was one more interesting thing.

    ''The disturb ability is ten times harder to level up,'' I thought, pondering over the significance of this element.

    Was it just a random demand made by the broken system of mine? Or maybe this ability was sneakily overpowered, hence the nerf to its growth rate?

    ''I guess I will need to find another exploit to cheese this ability out,'' I decided. I then put all those thoughts aside.

    There were only a few hours left before the sunrise. And if I wanted to do my best at hunting tomorrow, I had to take a bit of rest.

    ''The time is running out,'' I thought.

    No matter how necessary this moment of rest was, my heart cried out in pain for every second lost that I could use to improve my potential for the future!

 Chapter 210 - Grindy Hunt

    ''It''s time,'' I thought, forcing my eyes open.

    I only had about three hours of rtive rest before the first rays of the sun shone upon the world again.

    ''I need to get going,'' I reminded myself, forcing my legs off the bed.

    I took a quick nce over at my job''s system.

    My warden ability reached the middle ranks of the fifth level while the bolt broke into the fourth level.

    ''This should be enough,'' I thought as I packed up and left the tent.

    I was up and out so early that Lucius didn''t even wake up yet, even though he would usually be the one to wake earlier.

    "There is no time," I muttered angrily while I fought with the lock on mypartment''s entrance.

    A momentter, I was already running through the undergrowth. Due to how early I went out, it took only a second for the bottom part of my robe to absorb all the morning rose present in my path.

    To find the beasts on the level of the one that I fought with yesterday, I couldn''t just keep to the outer parts of the forest. In order to achieve my objective, I had to exit myfort zone and push farther than ever before.

    ''Faster,'' I thought, jumping from foothold to foothold.

    ''Quicker,'' I thought, grabbing a nearby vine and Tarzan-ing my way by swinging on it.

    ''Swifter!'' I ran out of the synonyms for the same worlds just as I slid down a small hill to gain some momentum.

    And there it was.

    A monster that left nature itself paralyzed in its wake.

    "HISS!"

    This time, it was a massive snake.

    It was at least five meters long, with its body as thick as the ego of the politicians.

    In other words, it was a wonder it didn''t copse on itself!

    "Come at me," I muttered, raising all five of my wardens.

    In an instant, the quality of the magic surrounding me changed. With five wardens applying their effects all over the ce, I felt as if I was consuming spiritual stones just by breathing.

    "HISS!" the monster released a low cry before lunging in my direction.

    "Not so fast!" I shouted in response, allowing two of my wardens to shatter while taking the hit.

    Even though it was only my second day of using those abilities, I could already see the main methodic behind using them.

    It wasn''t about being the fastest, the strongest, or the smartest.

    My ss abilities, although simple, were all about deploying my force and then using it most efficiently!

    ''Bolt,'' I thought, sending a flurry of three small, magic bullets right at the snake''s frame.

    ''Disturb!'' I ordered my magic when the snake attempted to dodge my attack.

    I didn''t even need to go for such length. Over the period of constantly using those abilities instead of sleeping, I learned how to home in the attacks instead of just shooting them straight in a certain direction.

    Rather than taking the fight seriously, I actually took it easy, making sure to test the qualities of my abilities.

    And it appeared that my disturb spell didn''t affect the spells I already cast!

    The body of the snake partially evaporated when my bolts crashed into it.

    For a split of a second, thew of the universe didn''t apply to the three fist-sized areas where my magic struck, turning parts of the monster''s body into a total mess.

    A secondter, its massive body fell to the ground.

    Even a monster like that couldn''t deal with the concentrated firepower like that.

    ''With its size, those injuries shouldn''t amount to much more than some cuts and bruises,'' I thought.

    Sure, a fist-sized hole in the monster''s body looked impressive. Damage of this kind would mean an instant kill against a human...

    But this snake was several times bigger than any human I ever heard of! And yet, with just three bolts, I managed to end it?

    ''Well, it''s rude to look at the gifted horse''s mouth,'' I thought, raising the recements for the destroyed wardens before getting to the job.

    In the end, testing my abilities was only a side hustle for my current adventure. And the one thing I had to focus on was gathering resources.

    The time continued to tick away while I buried my hands deep into the bloody insides of the monster, all for the sake of extracting its core and several of the mana-rich elements that I could sense inside it.

    And then, as if I didn''t just defeat a powerful predator, I picked up all my stuff and left the ce, granting the rights to the remains of the monsters to the nature that birthed it in the first ce.

    ''I still have some time,'' I thought, looking at the timer of my mission.

    The core in my storage ring was tempting me. The hunger for the mana that I sated during the night has now returned, unpleasantly tickling my senses.

    But my logical senses prevailed.

    ''If my guess about my ultimate ability is correct, then it''s better if I save all the resources for now,'' I thought before picking up my sprint through the forest.

    Each of the wardens acted like an array on its own, making any sort of cultivation easier.

    I had several different arrays that I could deploy, each of which beneficiary towards cultivation.

    And then there was the Mage''s Tower, one that required six wardens to be raised at once in order to activate.

    ''It will be far more effective if I cultivate only in the veryst moment,'' I decided as I picked up the scent of mana on a level equal to the monster I defeated a mere moment ago.

    ''Yeah, let''s do just that,'' I thought, swallowing my hunger for mana down my throat as I rushed in the direction of more resources.

    ''If there was ever a time when I needed to mindlessly grind,'' I thought, already taking notice of several other hints announcing the presence of a powerful monster, ''it is now!''

 Chapter 211 - Explosive Growth

    "This is a pretty massive haul," I muttered, weighting my pouch in my hand.

    For convenience sake, I put all the cultivation resources in a single bag before adorning it with a small formation.

    This was the true efficiency I wanted when I first took an interest in the topic. Because right now, every smallest thing that I did, I would craft a formation to support my efforts.

    ''This side job is really proving useful,'' I thought, hiding the bag into my storage ring.

    My window of time to invest in my potential was closing. The mission would be over in an hour.

    ''I need to return,'' I decided, turning around on the spot.

    Over the course of the entire day and quite a few hours into the night, I managed to conquer six powerful beasts.

    In the rtively shallow area of the forest, they were pretty hard toe by.

    In theory, I could find more of them deep inside the forest...

    But for one, it was too far for me. I couldn''t take several hours that I would take to even reach the deeper hunting grounds.

    And most importantly, I could easily deal with a single monster at a time. But against a swarm?

    ''In the hunt for potential, I can''t let my greed take over,'' I told myself over and over, rushing on my way back to the rtive safety of the grounds I knew.

    I didn''t return to the camp. It was way too far.

    "Finally," I breathed out a sigh of relief when only thirty minutes remained.

    ''Form,'' I thought, pulling out my formation pouch and preparing the grounds for the most important half an hour in my current development.

    Eight different formations hurried out of my sack, spreading around the ce in four consecutive rings.

    All my wardens rushed into the positions where the formations would supplement them.

    ''Mage''s tower,'' I thought, finally ready to test myst ability.

    I managed to reach the sixth level of wardens right in the nick of time too. Even when rushing back, I continued to desperately exploit the shit out of them.

    And it was finally the time.

    I pulled the entirety of my haul.

    The formations around me rushed to contain the mana oozing from the monsters'' cores.

    "Let''s do this,"? I took a deep breath and pushed my hand into the core of the central formation.

    It served only a single purpose.

    The formation channeled the power from each stone directly to a single point.

    Straight to my hand.

    The concentrated wave of magic struck me differently this time.

    For a second, I appeared to perceive the world in a slowed-down state, as if in a dream.

    The feeling of omnipotence filled my senses as I looked down at the punny world below me.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, breathing out.

    I knew it wouldn''t be easy. But I had no time to hesitate.

    And then, my ultimate started to form.

    Once enough mana filled the area, every creation of mine suddenly lit up.

    A beautiful blue aura appeared all over my formations and wardens.

    And then, all of their magic merged.

    A globe of influence appeared all around my body.

    Within the outermost reach of my formations, I became the ruler of the universe.

    I could feel this area as if it was my flesh. All the mana contained in my mage''s tower belonged directly to my will.

    ''What?'' I thought, noticing some bug in my ss window. But before I could take a closer look, several things happened.

    The shine surrounding my wardens turned deeper as they started to autonomously move around.

    The quality of magic around them changed too.

    ''A skill''s upgrade?'' I thought, unable to believe in the news.

    I finally managed to take a look at my status.

    ''What the...'' I looked at the ss window in shock.

    My wardens became sentinels.

    My bolt turned into a bunker.

    And my disturb turned into influence.

    Reading through the descriptions of the skills, my soul trembled.

    It was the most devious and overpowered stuff that I could imagine.

    The sentinels would passively protect me from any and all danger.

    My bolt ability would now create a powerful reactive shell around. Any and all magic it would absorb would turn back into the energy I could use.

    But it was my disturb ability that changed the most.

    My formations marked the area of influence of my mage''s tower. But my disturb ability allowed me to momentarily reach for any other ce.

    For but a second, I could fully control the magic in any given area, as if it was within my zone of absolute control.

    And to top it all off, my mage tower actively boosted the effectiveness of all the tools I incorporated into it.

    Then, I realized the unexpected downside of my ultimate.

    My stats did not increase.

    Sure, a flurry of magic constantly flooded my veins, putting massive stress on my body...

    But my stats didn''t increase.

    ''It''s sucking all this mana in?!'' I thought in shock. ''Fuck!'' I cursed.

    This wasn''t the time to y god with the limited mana I had! I had to use it to push my potential instead!

    I turned off my mage''s tower.

    In an instant, the show ended. Once again, I was surrounded by a set of normal, pretty crude formations. But the mana finally started to settle into my system properly.

    ''So that''s the downside,'' I thought, inspecting the damage.

    Thankfully, the formations I prepared were pretty solid. They served as a gauge that enforced a constant flow of the mana. Because of this, only a small portion of the mana went to waste.

    ''Let''s focus,'' I thought, preparing myself for what was toe.

    I started absorbing the mana once again.

    Just like before, it was pretty weird. As if my soul and mind continued to expand along with the mana pool.

    I continued to suck everyst drop from my cultivation resources for the next twenty minutes.

    There were only ten minutes left.

    I looked at my status window.

    And there it was.

    Adolescent Enlightement (23 785 644/30 000 000)

    {

    Enlightenment:7 826 791/10 000 000

    Potential:8 197 388/10 000 000

    Drive:7 761 465/10 000 000

    }

    ''I fucking did it,'' I thought, falling down on my knees.

    This was some pretty damn good result for such a sudden and mad rush!

    I took a deep breath.

    ''No, I need to get used to...'' I thought before something clicked.

    All my power suddenly disappeared. It was as if I woke up from a deep and colorful dream.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, looking down at my hands.

    All my tools were still around, doing fine. But the power that Imanded before was nowhere to be found!

    I nced over at my status window again.

    ''You gotta be kidding me,'' I thought.

    I slumped down to my knees and took a deep breath.

    My status reversed.

    What was my progress before...

    Now turned into the requirement!

    ***

    Adolescent Enlightenment (30/23 785 644)

    {

    Enlightenment: 10/7 826 791

    Potential: 10/8 197 388

    Drive: 10/7 761 465

    }

    ***

    I was shocked... But that was it.

    It all made sense now. My progress would decide my potential. It couldn''t be any simpler.

    But nothing else changed.

    I still had my mid-level abilities. Therefore, I could still quickly obtain this kind of cultivation resources again.

    I only needed some time.

    I took a deep breath.

    ''I guess I will need to cate the sect.''

 Chapter 212 - Preparations Are Over

    ''I guess if I need to invoke that Mage''s Tower again, I will need to use quite a lot of resources,'' I thought, trying to take proper stock of the situation.

    Between all my tools, improved abilities, and the newly discovered ones, I couldn''t really figure out a concept that would involve them all.

    ''Should I just ditch the spear and focus on being purely a mage?'' I thought, trying to limit the number of things that I had to think off at once.

    But that didn''t appear as a valid concept.

    The second I would ignore the close quarters and focus on control instead, I would fall into the trap of beingpletely useless without a proper range.

    Sure, my mage''s tower and all sorts of formation would help me in such situations... But I was still reluctant to make this step.

    After all, all my ss abilities were given to me. They weren''t a fruit of my hard efforts that developed in my ability to use them.

    If a time ever came when I would be unable to use my skills, I would be left powerless without a spear.

    ''I guess I need to develop in every direction equally,'' I thought, standing up and picking up all of my stuff.

    I managed to clutch my mission. And as pressed for time necessary for me to develop as I was, I really needed to take some well-deserved rest right now.

    I returned to the camp. Without stopping even for a second, I entered the tent and moved to mypartment.

    With the amount of strength that I now had to my name, sleeping waspletely useless.

    ''I bet I coulde up with an array that would ward off my need for sleep,'' I thought when my consciousness started to falter.

    Right now, I needed the mental cutaway, the break from all the troubles that weighed down on my head.

    And so I fell asleep.

    Over the next two weeks, I pulled up my sleeves, wiped down my forehead, and got into a hard-work mode.

    Despite my wish to mend things with Lucius, I was moving out to the forest before he would wake up and then returning way too deep into the night to strike up any conversation.

    With my abilities improved by an insane degree, I became the greatest predator in the forest.

    And just like I decided before, I obediently hunted down what appeared as a small game to me.

    After thinking things through, I realized that there was no point in antagonizing the sect.

    Sure, it felt awful to know that I would be taking part in the process of corruption...

    But I still couldn''t be sure that the Auction Hall organized sponsorship would work. In this unknown world, there were simply too many variables that I didn''t know about.

    That''s why, instead of focusing on gathering the resources that I could personally use, I simply hunted around for anything that came under my radar.

    And so, within those short two weeks, I managed to obtain a sizeable pile of resources.

    ''It looks big enough to fill all my needs,'' I thought, separating the haul into three different categories.

    First came the quota stuff.

    Instead of going for the lowest option, I prepared an amount that would stun anyone who would see it.

    The number of cores and other monsters'' parts easily exceeded ten times the amount contracted with my quotas.

    And that was just the gift that I was going to present to that corrupted piece of shit just to mend the rtionship with the sect.

    ''If this punny gift can make them keep helping Mia, I''m down to do it,'' I thought, moving my eyes to the other pile.

    This one was designated for the Auction Hall. And in the eyes of others, it likely didn''t hold much of value.

    The entire pile was made from the bones that I extracted from the small game. Each of the white pieces could be used to make a dildo or as a material for formation setting.

    But it was the third pile that I was personally the most interested in. Because it contained all the good loot that I was going to keep for myself.

    That''s right.

    Instead of using those precious materials that I got after two weeks of working super hard, I decided to hold back a little.

    Over the course of this period at the camp, I managed to bring my statistics pretty high. Not only did my cultivation rise to roughly the middle ground of my full potential, but I also managed to learn two crucial things.

    First, my ss-rted statistics would increase as I would fight.

    By throwing spells at a great distance, I would increase my range. By manipting several spells at once, I could raise my control. The method of increasing the output was pretty obvious in this scenario.

    But there was a massive caveat to this aspect of my growth.

    Whenever I wanted to push myself further than those spells would normally allow me... I had to consume my own progression in order to enhance my spells.

    By consuming range, I could cast the spells at greater distances and so on.

    And looking right now at the pile of resources gathered before my eyes...

    All I had to do to advance was to just consume it.

    ''It''s not a good idea yet,'' I thought.

    People at the sect knew me as someone weak. As an adolescent enlightened, I would already scare them off by appearing before them. Cultivating hard and reaching for even greater heights would end up throwing a wrench in my ns at uprooting the monopolistic position of the sect!

    "Are you ready?" Lucius asked throughout the material that separated mypartment from the rest of the tent.

    Obviously, there was a formation that would hide my stuff from Lucius'' sight were he to suddenly barge inside.

    Still, I swept all of my belonging into my ring with a single wave of my hand.

    "I''ming!" I announced.

    The two weeks spent on nothing but a diligent hunt made Lucius clearly happier. And whether he knew what I was doing or if he just assumed stuff didn''t really matter.

    Because right now, I was about to finally push my ns through.

    Once the deal with the dildos was fully settled, I could no longer care about my status as the contractor.

    Because the one thing that I was sure I achieved already... It was growing strong enough for my contract to be voided!

    For me, outside of the need to submit my quota properly to make sure Mia would get everything that she needed, this was the greatest return to the sect that I could imagine.

    First, my deal with the auction house would pay off handsomely. Secondly, I could get my duties done and legally leave this unsavory part of my life behind. Andstly, I now could reach what appeared like a pinnacle of strength for the local people!

    ''I''m sure there are stronger folks out there, but once I break through,'' I thought when the reality dawned on me. ''Won''t I be able to secure a future for Mia and me easily?''

 Chapter 213 - Designated By The Auction Hall

    Mia''s situation has changed drastically ever since the tournament.

    On the distribution day, she received the standard amount as per usual. It was proof that either Arthur continued to send her supplies or a situation created after Arganar scared the Sect off and made them provide for Mia anyway.

    ''I wonder which one is this,'' Mia thought as she walked away from the sponsored area.

    Even though she was now fullymitted to the ''normies'' cause by heart, the sect regtion still forced her to sleep and dine at the ce she actually belonged.

    There wasn''t any matter of choice in that regard, forcing the girl to waste roughly an hour or two a day just moving between ces.

    But this time, Mia actually had a reason to swing by the sponsored area.

    And it was the training grounds that the area offered.

    ''So that''s how it''s done,'' Mia thought, pulling out a small piece of paper and a square piece of charcoal.

    She didn''t really know much about formations... But nothing stopped her from copying the design over. Because if there was anything that the sponsored area of the Sect was good at, it was its training grounds.

    ''Is that all?'' she thought a few momentster when her piece of paper turned into a detailed sketch of how all the formations were applied and positioned over each other.

    Mia continued topare her drawing to what she could see with her own eyes for a moment. Once she confirmed everyst bit all over again, she simply hid her drawings and stood up, ready to leave the Sect.

    Just as Mia was about to leave the ce, several silhouettes shed in the corner of her eyes.

    She turned her head around... And there they were, standing and watching her as if she was a threat to their existence.

    The other students of the sponsored area.

    Kathia and Dirk were hidden somewhere deeper in the crowd, but Mia was sure they were here. Mia didn''t know whether it was a pure instinct or the natural growth of her sensitivity coupled with the rise of cultivation; Mia didn''t know.

    But frankly, she couldn''t care less either.

    ''I guess they are still scared after that tournament,'' Mia thought, packing her stuff up and moving towards the gate.

    Now that she did what she came to the sponsored area for, she didn''t see any reason to waste her time out there any further.

    ''I guess I should swing by the Auction Hall,'' she thought once she escaped from the confines of the sponsored area and entered the greater Sect outside.

    In thest two weeks, her situation changed.

    Mia was no longer just a damned sponsored student who couldn''t appreciate her own luck that allowed her tond a sponsorship.

    With the backing and constant support of Arganar, she no longer had to care about the sponsorship in the first ce.

    The number of cultivation resources within Arganar''s storage ring was greater than her entire team could consume within the short two weeks that they had.

    ''The best thing about all those cultivation resources is how I can take all the stuff from the sponsorship for myself,'' Mia thought.

    Only two days separated her from the next distribution day. And in two days, she would receive support from Arthur once again.

    In terms of effectiveness, there was no difference between the stuff from the sponsorship and the materials provided by Arganar.

    If anything, the stuff that this weird senior brought turned out to be far more valuable than anything Mia would receive from the sponsorship.

    Even though Mia still opted to funnel all sponsored resources to herself.

    Not because there was any respectable reason behind it.

    She did it because the resources from the sponsorship had a small chance of going through Arthur''s hands.

    And with more than three months already since theyst saw each other, every semnce of his closeness was of sentimental value for the girl.

    ''I wonder how long this situation willst,'' Mia thought as she made her way to the Auction Hall.

    After everything that happened to her in her life so far, Mia couldn''t really handle the long periods of peace. In her troubled mind, a peace like the one she was experiencing right now was nothing more but a temporary state before more trouble woulde.

    "Wee to the Auction Hall!" A clerk weed the girl the second she stepped through the threshold of the building.

    "How could I be of help today?" the man asked, grinning from ear to ear.

    "Hello," Mia smiled lightly to the man before cing down her schematic of the training array within the sponsored area. "I would like to request for a master to recreate this kind of formation," she stated before raising her eyes on the man. "Do you think there is any chance for you to evaluate the cost of such request?"

    Mia didn''t know shit about formations. But she could see how a seemingly small difference in their quality could bring forth a massive change to its efficiency.

    But that didn''t mean anyone could just make such a formation.

    ''I guess I could copy all the marks on every formation and just keep repeating it until I got it right,'' she thought, back when she still considered her options. ''But I guess it will be easier to just hire someone to do it,'' she thought when she ultimately came to a decision.

    "Oh, that''s right!" the clerk suddenly interrupted, clearly something else on his mind when he did so. "We actually received a letter for the youngdy," he said as he leaned below his desk, clearly looking for something.

    "Oh, there it is!" the man raised up from behind his desk with a happy look on his face. He then turned around and passed a small envelope to the girl.

    "What is this?" Mia asked, confused by the sudden change in the situation.

    Her anti-trouble instinct kicked off in an instant, stopping her from even opening the envelope.

    "I don''t know," the man shook his shoulders. "We were informed that a message came all the way from the lower headquarters of the sect," he added.

    The man then looked at some note in his hand before moving his eyes on the girl again.

    "Sure..." Mia muttered, still unsure about the situation. Yet, she need not fear some silly pranks with her current backing.

    She tore the envelope open and looked at its content.

    It contained a simple letter and a small vial with a drop of blood inside.

    "Excuse me," Mia muttered, raising her eyes on the man before her, before passing him the letter. "Could you please read it to me?" she requested with a small smile. "I don''t exactly know how to read," Mia added, her cheeks turning red.

    Back in the skdder Sect, being illiterate wasn''t much of a problem. In fact, it was a prettymon trait for the people that gathered out there.

    This was the first time for Mia to realize the drawbacks of not knowing how to read or write!

    For a moment, the clerk looked at Mia with a weird expression in his eyes.

    Clearly, in this ce, reading was considered as one of the must-have abilities to go around!

    "Sure thing, youngdy," the man added after a moment to hide the blunder hemitted by letting his thoughts appear in his eyes.

    "Just like I thought," Mia sighed when Arthur''s words flowed to her from the piece of paper.

    He really did send some kind of storage ring to her!

    ''So he didn''t just leave me with the bare minimum,'' Mia thought, grabbing the letter back from the man''s hand before pressing it tightly to her chest.

    She couldn''t care less about the resources themselves... But she was well aware of how unpleasant it would be to find out Arthur only provided the bare minimum he was obliged.

    She assumed that this kind of approach might be a result of some circumstances that she didn''t know about. As such, whenever she would receive the same standard package as everyone in the sect, Mia would hold her worries back, happy that there was at least a sign that Arthur was still doing well.

    But the letter right now?

    It confirmed both her assumptions and Arthur''s feelings!

    ''Since that''s the case...'' Mia took a moment to think, only to raise her eyes at the clerk. "Excuse me," she asked, ''but is it possible for you to send back a response?" Mia requested.

    "I''m sorry, but that''s..." The clerk didn''t outright deny, but the wish to do so appeared all over his face.

    "Is it about the cost?" Mia asked, pressing the issue. "Right now, the sect itself is sponsoring me, so I think I can pay whatever it might cost," she pointed out, desperate to establish a link with Arthur.

    Even if it would only lead to a single message every week or two, she was more than willing to hamper all of her growth just for the sake of that.

    ''I really miss him,'' Mia thought, stopping her sadness from getting into her soul.

    "It''s not really about the cost," the clerk hesitated when a suddenmotion drew his attention away.

    But it didn''t happen at the ce''s entrance. Rather than that, it started in the insides of the building, only to continue growing as its source neared the entrance.

    "I''m sorry for beingte!" a man suddenly invaded the area, instantly resting his hands against the wall.

    He took a moment to regain his breath before finally turning his head to the side and ncing over at the girl.

    "Could you, by any chance, be Mia?" the man asked through his batted breath.

    ''This task really has to be super important for him since he won''t even let himself regain his breath,'' she thought, backing off two steps, startled by themotion.

    "I am," Mia finally answered after swallowing her saliva.

    "That''s perfect," the man smiled, a look of relief appearing on his face. "I''m sorry to have taken so long, but I''m finally here," he said before pulling out a small, orb-like token from his pocket.

    "And who are you?" Mia aksed cautiously as she epted the item from the man''s hands, only to look at it with utmost care.

    "I''m the handler of your finances, youngdy," the man exined, nodding his head to Mia. "I was assigned to your role the second we received massive funds with your name designated as the recipient," he added before taking a closer look at the girl''s face.

    He then turned his eyes to the troubled expression of the clerk.

    "I can see that the youngdy desires something," the man muttered, proving that he ate his teeth on the craft of serving others. "Can you tell me," the man looked into the clerk''s eyes with clear anger, "why the fuck are you still here instead of seeing the youngdy''s request''s fulfillment?"

 Chapter 214 - Mia Cant Catch Up

    ''I guess it was a good move to involve Arganar in this matter,'' Mia thought.

    The situation was baffling... but not too unexpected.

    It was a long time since she received her first clues that something was wrong with the Sect. But now, she finally obtained definitive proof.

    ''It was a really good idea,'' Mia repeated in her mind, stopping herself from plummeting down.

    She only had a single request for the man that showered her with cultivation resources.

    To track the whereabouts of a missing package that she never received.

    Even though the man apanied her group on a daily basis while promoting their growth, he didn''t report back on the topic yet.

    ''And now, I know for sure that someone is trying to mess with me,'' Mia thought.

    ''On itself, it''s ignorable...'' she thought, closing her eyes for a moment.

    Only to open them a momentter, looking sharply at the material of Arthur''s letter.

    ''But for someone to steal from Arthur?'' Mia asked, feeling how her blood boiled in her veins.

    "Unforgiveable..." Mia muttered before even realizing that she had let her thoughts out loud.

    She opened her eyes wide and looked up, taking proper stock of the situation she was in right now.

    "Youngdy, what kind of message do you want to send?" The clerk behind the desk asked while fat drops of sweat decorated his forehead.

    The strange man who barged into the room clearly established who was the important one here.

    And it wasn''t even the man himself!

    ''I guess I won''t lose anything by helping him out,'' Mia thought before releasing a deep sigh.

    "I need to write back to them that I didn''t receive the storage ring. Tell him that I found my own problems with ourmon friend as well," Mia exined.

    There was no way she could openly admit to being conflicted with the Sect. Not even when she turned all of the old guards of the ce against herself by allying with Arganar.

    ''What if someone sees the message?'' Mia thought, reasoning her decision to use cryptguage instead.

    "I will send it right away!" the clerk reported, breathing a sigh of relief as he turned around and escaped the scrutiny of the man.

    "Now, then," Mia muttered, moving her eyes on the man.

    "Allow me to introduce myself," the man said, taking a moment to clean his demeanor. "I''m Figo Yeara, the connection between you and the auction hall, young miss," the man said.

    Mia remained silent.

    While she expected that Arthur might attempt to find some other ways of contacting her that didn''t involve Sect...

    The ongoing event was just too strange.

    "Why do I even need someone like you?" Mia asked, too suspicious of the man to just listen to his words.

    "Young miss, let me exin the situation," the man smiled, not discouraged by Mia''s words at all.

    He appeared to be long used to this kind of treatment.

    "In short words, with your current position, anything you fancy within the auction hall is yours," the man exined,ically bowing his head.

    "And that''s just the benefits from the auction hall itself," Figo added, raising his finger to bring Mia''s attention back.

    "I have reports outlining a massive caravan of cultivation resources heading this way. If you deem it fitting to pick all of them up, you will have to wait for the caravan to arrive, though," Figo warned before his lips turned into a weird smile. "But our Auction Hall is more than willing to credit all of those resources," he added, in a tone that suggested that this was the grand finale of the reveals.

    "Credit?" Mia muttered, raising her eyes at Figo''s face with curiosity. "What does that mean?" she asked.

    "You just received unlimited funds," Figo exined in a few words. "Whatever you want from the Auction Hall, you can have. And whatever you want from the city, you have more than enough money to pay for," he added with a smile.

    ''Are you for real?'' Mia thought, stunned by the news.

    She allowed herself the idea that Arthur would somehow find a way to support her. Even if she didn''t deem herself worthy of that kind of help, she knew full well just how doting Arthur was.

    ''If I still upy even a small shred of his heart, he won''t forget about me,'' she thought, certain of the fact.

    But not even in her wildest dreams did she hope for such a ridiculous situation!

    Whatever she wanted from the auction hall?

    ''Does this mean I won''tck cultivating resources ever again?'' Mia thought, stunned by the idea.

    And then came the calm.

    ''No, it''s not that simple,'' Mia realized.

    There was a reason why Figo was so eager to turn the resources Arthur sent into a credit of the Auction Hall.

    ''The only thing that I really received are the funds that Arthur sent directly,'' Mia thought when she saw through the deviousness of the auction hall''s n.

    They never specified the amount that Arthur sent her. She could only guess how much his gift was worth.

    And the second, she would be even a single copper coin above what he gave her...

    The auction hall would be sure to take back from Arthur in plenty!

    "Could you please tell me," Mia muttered, still hesitant about her decision. Then, she swallowed down her saliva and looked Figo directly in the eyes. "How long will it take for the caravan to arrive?" She asked, "What''s the estimated worth of what it carries?"

    She didn''t lust for the benefits of Arthur''s support. But she couldn''t deny their allure either.

    ''I guess I have no other choice but to rely on him if I want to keep up,'' Mia thought, clenching her fists and trying to encourage herself.

    She reached the fifth stage of cultivation. This achievement alone was quickly turning her into a prodigy in the eyes of the important elders of the Sect.

    As it turned out, Arganar was still a pretty influential figure within this particr sect location, easily able to gather supporters for Mia''s case.

    But for some reason, Mia still couldn''t help but think that she wasgging behind her lover.

    ''I wonder what level are you in right now?'' she thought, raising her eyes to the ceiling of the building.

    "There should be enough for you and your teammates to reach seventh or maybe even eight stage in one go," Figo replied with a slightly sour smile, proving that Mia guessed his intentions correctly.

    Even though they were apparently working together, he couldn''t refuse himself the pleasure of trying to set Arthur up by manipting Mia!

    But the girl didn''t think about it at all.

    ''Enough for me and my group to reach seventh or even eight-stage?'' she thought, stunned.

    ''First off, how do you know about my group?'' she thought after some time.

    But it was only an appetizer. A prelude to the question is far more important.

    ''Are you fucking serious?'' Mia couldn''t think of anything else when the true volume of Arthur''s gift dawned upon her.

    Yet, Mia didn''t smile.

    Instead of rejoicing, allowing herself to rx now that she didn''t need to worry about anything at all...

    A sour expression appeared on her lips.

    ''I guess I''m still a long way from catching up to him, aren''t I?''

 Chapter 215 - Quite An Interesting Discussion

    By now, I shouldn''t be surprised that we arrived at the Sect by the dead of the night.

    Sadly, there was hardly any other way to go around it. Unless we wanted to spend the entire night outside while taking shifts, wasting an entire day just for travel was regretfully necessary.

    In the end, no matter how powerful I grew, it would be all for nothing if something came to eat me while I was asleep.

    As such, I was already quite used to arrivingte at the Sect... But it was a first for me to arrive in the middle of the night.

    ''Damned monsters,'' I thought, recalling the one encounter during the journey that pushed our ns back.

    A monster dared to attack the two of us right on the road.

    Normally, things like this weren''t supposed to happen... But whatever kept the monsters away from the road was ancient technology.

    ording to Lucius, it was some kind of massive, continent-epassing formation that protected all the ancient roads. That''s how the term of high-way developed, with awork of those connections serving even a thousand years after the conception of those roads.

    I could hardly believe such a fancy exnation. But as my formation mastery was still a low-key secret from Lucius, I didn''t bother arguing.

    Because a formation that big?

    It simply had no way of working!

    Nevertheless, the monster that attacked us didn''t seem to mind whether the road was some kind of ancient formation or just a ce that monsters customary didn''t attack.

    It attacked us either way.

    On its own, it was a pretty simple fight. I could deal with monsters far stronger all on my own. But doing so without the support of my ss abilities?

    ''I guess that''s how it feels to hide one''s power,'' I thought, quickly growing to despite this feeling.

    Just because I didn''t want to put myself in the center of attention, I had no other choice but to hold back far more than I would like!

    ''I can only hope it will be worth the effort in the future,'' I encouraged myself before shaking my head to get rid of those memories.

    "I will go and visit the auction hall first," I said, informing Lucius about my ns for the night.

    "It''s already sote," my overseer protested. "You will bother them now. Just get a good night of sleep and then go," he suggested.

    "Don''t worry," I replied, shaking my head. "They won''t pay any mind to this kind of a small bother," I added before turning around and leaving.

    I wasn''t trying to act cool. It wasn''t my intention to act high and mighty either.

    I was painfully aware of my project''s importance for the auction hall. And knowing what was necessary to truly make it going, I could tell that the boss of the auction hall would let some random stranger fuck her if only that could speed up the process!

    Moving through the silent roads of the city, I couldn''t help but get mncholic.

    Now that everyone was asleep, this ce looked pretty simr to the hometown I was brought up in.

    I could see the simrities in the smallest things possible. The cobblestone road, the bricked buildings enclosing it from both sides...

    Only when I actually arrived at the grandeur building of the auction hall did I get rid of that feeling.

    "Arthur!" Just as I expected, the boss of the ce came running the second I appeared in the doorway. "How did it go?" she asked, fixing her unkempt attire.

    From just a single look at the woman, I could tell that my arrival forced her out of bed.

    Right now, only the courtesy and feelings I had for Mia stopped me from openly ogling the parts that the woman''s night robe didn''t really cover.

    "Pretty well," I muttered while moving my eyes away. Next, I had a pretty awkward moment when the boss not only realized just how she appeared but saw me digging my hand deep into my pants.

    "Excuse me," she muttered, blushing as she moved her face away.

    "This is the only ce where I can keep my rings hidden," I exined with a deep sigh before throwing the ring back to the woman. "I''m sorry for how unhygienic it is, but I believe it''s better than just mming all the bones here on the floor," I added.

    The woman reluctantly took the ring into her hand before rubbing the bottom of her thumb against the ring''s crystal.

    For a moment, her eyes dimmed as if she was looking at something that I couldn''t perceive. And then, her face returned to its normal self, only to freeze in a shock.

    "You really did pull your weight," she muttered, no longer giving a single fuck about where did I keep the storage ring before. "I will go bring the resources to the factory right away!" the woman informed, putting two fingers into her mouth before letting out a loud whistle.

    Its sharp, prolonged sound cut sharply into the silence of the night.

    But it worked.

    Before I could as much as clear my throat, an attendant appeared and reported to the woman.

    "Bring this ring to Natan and Yvvy," the boss ordered before turning her face back to me. "Now then, do you have anything else?" she asked, joy written all over her face.

    ''So I guess I wasn''t mistaken when judging the dislike between the sect and the Auction Hall,'' I thought to myself, letting out a small, mysterious smile.

    "First, I would like to ask some questions about the contract," I said before ncing over the near entrance to the corridor. "But would you mind if we took a seat somewhere?" I asked before putting on an uneasy smile.

    "I just finished a pretty long and boring journey. Surely, you won''t refuse a rest for my tired legs!"

    "Come on in," the bossughed out as she fixed her robes again.. Yet, this time, there wasn''t even a single hint of shame on her face. "Seeing how you ask about the contract, I can''t help but think this will be quite an interesting discussion!"

 Chapter 216 - There Is A Contract I Need To Graduate From

    "First off, congrattions," the boss said the second we sat down in her office. "Your idea took the markets by a storm," the woman exined, sitting down in her chair.

    A smug look of satisfaction on her face told me everything I needed to know about how the business developed.

    "I hope this amount of bones will be enough for a while," I pointed out,ying out the foundations for my future ns.

    "We should be able to establish our own sources soon," the woman nodded her head. "Until then, the ones you brought should suffice to cover the needs," she added.

    ''That''s perfect,'' I thought.

    As hyped as I was for both the power and the money that this project would bring, I couldn''t spare it much of my attention.

    I still had to deal with the Sect, provide the resources, scout the situation...

    "Right, you were asking about the contract," the boss suddenly called out, tapping the end of her goose''s feather against her lip. "What exactly do you want to know?"

    "How high do you need to cultivate to fulfill the contract?" I asked without even a second of hesitation. "What would happen to someone whom I sponsor?"

    "Straight to the point, aren''t you?" the boss smiled, stretching her hands above her head.

    "Normally, reaching the ninth stage should be enough, but some require the tenth," she said, providing me with quite important information.

    ''If that''s true...'' I thought. To a degree, I expected that. But hearing it in the first person packed its punch.

    In other words, I could now graduate from being a contractor at any given time!

    "As for your other question, the moment you fulfill your obligation, the sect has to take the burden of your sponsorship," the boss smiled, most likely aware of why it was such a bother for me.

    "That''s perfect," I replied before releasing a sigh of relief. "Oh, right," I suddenly recalled another burning question I had. "What do you know about the next stage?"

    "Huh?" the boss shrugged, turning her surprised eyes on me. "Tenth one?" she asked, misunderstanding my question.

    "No," I shook my head with a small smile. "Eleventh," I specified my earlier question.

    For a moment, the boss simply continued to breathe heavily. Only after she managed to calm herself enough did she bother to ask the question that clearly bothered her.

    "Did you..." she muttered before coughing and shaking her head. "No. Tell me," she refocused her attention. "Did you break through to the eleventh stage already?" she asked, her eyes trembling with excitement.

    "Excuse me?" I pretended to act shocked. "What do you take me for?" I asked, shaking my head and putting on a slightly dissatisfied grin. "What do you take me for? I only managed to reach the tenth stage," I smoothly lied.

    I could break into the eleventh stage at any moment I so desired. With all the resources I had in my storage ring, I could easily conquer the other half of the tent stage, filling the potential that I had worked hard to further before.

    But that didn''t mean I couldn''t scout ahead what the next cultivation level was all about!

    ''Actually, am I even still following the path of a cultivator?'' I thought, recalling the choice that the system offered me before.

    And that realization begged another question.

    ''Is the stage that I''m currently at even remotely simr to what the rest of the cultivator is going through?''

    I shook my head.

    "Forget about it," I said. Since the boss was unwilling to discuss this topic, there was no point in pushing it through. "Let''s talk business instead," I smiled.

    "Yes," the boss clearly rxed when she heard my words. "It''s going pretty nicely. We managed to sell the idea to quite a lot of different cities," she said, bringing out some papers from the avnche of documents upying her desk. "While we still have yet to strike a deal with some of them," the boss muttered while looking at her papers.

    "Just a rough estimate will do," I said, pushing the woman to give me the answer already.

    Was the idea going to sell? Or would it burn out before giving away any me in the first ce?

    "Now that we have those stones, we are going to start the first dual cultivation rings in about a week," the boss finally said, raising her head from above the papers.

    "That''s great," I replied with relief.

    What was initially about to be an advanced pleasuring tool that could be used to take advantage of the dual cultivation in this world has long expanded into an entirely different business idea.

    Instead of using the dildos and sockets at the brothels, the auction hall would establish its own cultivation halls.

    Any and all could just walk in there and request either side of the service.

    They could either spare their ying or yang energy by filling the formations within each of the individual tools or...

    Or they coulde in and request to train in either yin or yang-dominated air within one of their formations!

    Instead of trying to pry the market from the greedy hands of the dual cultivation sects, my idea allowed the Auction Hall to tap into the market of people that didn''t participate in dual cultivation before.

    The people who weren''t interested in giving away their intimacy for something they could achieve without doing so. In other words, people like me, who were unwilling to just happily dual cultivate with the first partner, essible for their own reasons!

    "Well, I assume I can count to withdraw some of my profits, then," I smiled.

    Since the boss herself imed that our business had more than just fertile ground to expand, then surely I could ask for some advance payment, couldn''t I?"

    "You managed to reach the tenth stage so quickly, yet you are still in a rush to cultivate?" the boss asked. She squinted her eyes as she looked at me with suspicion. "Do you have some sort of mortal enemy you need to defeat?" she asked, clearly trying to sound the waters.

    "Not at all," I replied with a smile, only to shake my head and emphasize what I just said. "I just want to secure a future for me and the girl that I''m sponsoring right now," I replied casually, bringing out the point that I knew for sure the boss was already aware of.

    "That..." the woman hesitated for a moment only to end up shaking her head a secondter. "That''s fine," she finally said before pulling out another storage ring from one of her desk''s drawers.

    The item that I had to splurge quite a lot to obtain quite clearly appeared to be amodity for the people I was dealing with.

    In a sense, it was pretty scary. The sudden jump from a position with no wealth at all to a position where the riches of the world couldn''t faze me.

    But it was also pretty reassuring.

    "Thank you," I said, grabbing the ring and standing up.. "If you will excuse me now," I said, turning my face to the doors only to throw a quick nce to the back. "There is a contract that I need to graduate from as soon as possible!"

 Chapter 217 - Gate Goes *poof*

    I left the auction hall building quite a bit richer than I was before entering it. Even though I didn''t bring anything with me directly, opting to store everything away in my storage rings, I could still somehow feel the weight of my treasures.

    ''I didn''t expect it would be that easy,'' I thought, slowly making my way towards the inner grounds of the Sect.

    This was the one thing that exploded way beyond my expectations. I wanted to find silver, but I found gold or something.

    It turned out that the business I created just to get myself a new source of a passive ie would shake the foundations of the society all over the continent soon!

    ''Well, that doesn''t mean I can getcent,'' I thought to myself, approaching the gates of the inner ring of the Sect.

    It was little to no surprise, but they were closed shut. But the guards'' presence in front of the gate made me guess that there had to be some way of entering.

    "Hello," I said as I approached the guards.

    ''It''s him!'' I could hear the whispers right away.

    ''What should we do?'' Someone else whispered right away while I was stuck facing the mute and unfazed guards by the gate.

    "Are you going to let me in?" I pressed the issue. The sense of urgency in the whispers I heard made me feel like doing exactly what they didn''t want me to do.

    And it meant hurrying up.

    "The gates are closed for the night," the guard looked down at my face only to release a small smirk and return to its former, disinterested self.

    "I came here to submit my quota," I announced, shrugging my shoulders. "And if you want to stop me from doing so," I added, looking at the guard''s face with a smirk of my own, "then you should pick some guards capable of stopping me," I exined.

    Back in the day, those guards posed a challenge for me. Just for the sake of keeping myself safe, I had to avoid them.

    But that time was long over. Being a cultivator in the middle of a tenth stage, I could mop the floor with all of the guards at once while leisurely turning the inner ring wall into smoldering rubble!

    "Are you threatening me?" the guard asked, lowering the tip of his ornamental weapon.

    It was the middle of the lower headquarters. There was no need whatsoever for the guards here, save for the tradition.

    "I''m just informing you," I replied in a rxed manner.

    Right now, this man was nothing but a small fry in my eyes. While I couldn''t really judge it without skill or experience, the aura around him appeared to be rough of the same density as some of the stronger monsters I was fighting with.

    In other words, back when I first turned into a military mage, that man could still pose a threat to me. But after two weeks of grinding and leveling, I could take on an army worth of people of his level all by myself!

    After my words, the guard simply stared me down, refusing to borate any further.

    "I will ask once again and for thest time," I got bored of waiting for the answer. And to prop my words up, I allowed a small bit of my mana to leak. "Are you going to let me in so I can fulfill my duty to the sect?"

    And once again, instead of a straightforward yes or no answer, I was met with the silent treatment.

    "Fine then," I said before releasing a deep breath. Then, I slowly inhaled the air to fill my lungs and closed my eyes.

    ''Wardens,'' I thought, opening the fist with eight of the formation stones.

    The stone shone with a bright light and rose up in the air, only to hover in a protective formation around me.

    "Last chance," I said, opening my eyes and looking directly at the guard''s face.

    He was stunned by sight. His eyes continued to track the delicate movements of my wardens as if he was charmed by them.

    "Are you going to let me in like your duty tells you to do?" I asked, already gathering the mana in the palm of my hand.

    "I..." the guard hesitated. But I wasted enough time on him already.

    "Toote," I said, raising my hand and making a throwing motion.

    But I didn''t throw anything. Rather than that, I allowed the mana that I gathered to separate before fusing it all into a single bolt.

    Poof!

    There was almost no dy between the moment my bolt shoot, and the second it struck the gate.

    And just like it would happen when the bolt touched the monsters, the gate simply copsed as all the forces responsible for giving the materials it was made up from their qualities suddenly disappeared.

    ''I need to be careful with this kind of spell,'' I thought, watching the gate crumble before my very own eyes. ''If I were to shoot it at some kind of uranium deposit, it could turn ugly in a hurry,'' I realized.

    "Wha..." the guards only started to react a few seconds after I destroyed the gate.

    There was no explosion or sound that one could associate with general destruction. The gate simply... crumbled away as if it was nothing more but a structure made out of the sand.

    "I will make sure to report your misdeeds to the sectter on," I said, taking a long look at the guard that was unfortunate enough for me to pick him.

    Then, without sparing a second word to those silly people, I crossed over the pile of ashes that remained of the gate before making my way inside.

    No one dared to stop me. It appeared that my disy of silent strength was enough to either scare them shitless or at least make them seek help from their superiors.

    And while the guards were likely frantically scrapping to wake up some of their elders, I made my way towards the logistic center.

    ''Thank God,'' I thought, noticing the delicate shine that seeped through the cracks in the window. ''I was scared it would be closed for the night,'' I thought before approaching the doors.

    "I believe we should just take everything he offers tonight," a familiar voice reached my ears before I could even step inside the building.

    But it wasn''t the voice of the clerk that I had my fun scaring before.

    "I''m not going to do shit!" this time, I could recognize the voice of the clerk. "This guy is fucking merciless. If I try to raise to do anything, he will bury me," he added, taking my earlier threats and show of power pretty seriously.

    "Don''t worry," someone with Lucius'' voice attempted to calm the clerk down. "He won''t mind any of that once we promote him to an Overseer." the voice assured. "That''s why this is ourst opportunity to make some profit out of him!" the voice added.

    "Otherwise, what''s the point of cultivating this tradition in the first ce?"

    I finally managed to find a crack big enough to look inside the building without being noticed.

    And then, my worst expectations came true.

    It wasn''t someone with a voice simr to Lucius.

    It was Lucius himself talking!

 Chapter 218 - Confrontation

    I pushed the doors to the logistic center open.

    For a moment, neither of the two inside noticed me. The courtesy of well-maintained hinges of the building''s door.

    I managed to make it roughly to the middle of the main hall before one of them noticed me.

    The Clerk''s eyes twitched when he noticed the movement. Yet, when heid his eyes on me, his face froze, unchanged despite Lucius continuing his tirade.

    "He will earn far more than he could ever hope to with just hunting. I''m telling you, once he tastes the other side of the tradition, he won''t mind losing a single quota!"

    Lucius continued to speak, the look on his face pretty rxed.

    Then, he finally realized that there was something wrong with his counterpart. The Clerk''s face was just too still.

    "What''s wrong?" Lucius asked, still looking at the Clerk''s face.

    The Clerk himself refused to as much as a breath. As such, Lucius'' hopes of receiving an answer fell on the unfertile ground.

    For a moment, Lucius turnedpletely silent. And then, he released a deep sigh.

    "He is standing behind me, isn''t he?" he asked, still refusing to turn his head around.

    The Clerk finally moved, gently nodding his head.

    "At least one of you is smart enough to know who not to mess with," I finally uttered my first words.

    All the way up until this point, I believed that Lucius, although misguided and riddled with faults, was a proper man. Someone of his word. Someone who I could trust.

    That''s why, after dealing with the Clerk before, I quickly grew to ept the idea of cooperating with him.

    Even despite all his scummy methods and actions.

    But seeing the one man who was supposed to be my support and protector actually out to scam me?

    In a second, all the moments when I tried to make up with him shed before my eyes.

    All the times when I felt guilty about arguing with him. All the times when I enjoyed the happy look on his face when he saw me work super hard...

    All of those memories suddenly showed their true meaning.

    Lucius never wanted to change the perception of the contractors in the eyes of the greater public. He just wanted me to submit as much as I could, just so that he could snatch everyst bit of the excess amount!

    This inner turmoilsted only for a second.

    Over the course of thest few weeks, I developed a safety mechanism for my inner self.

    Whenever my emotions would boil and risk spilling... I would forcefully suppress them. In the end, I still didn''t dare to deal with the trauma of the events that brough me into the contractorship in the first ce.

    ''Thinking about it, I never got my revenge either,'' I suddenly realized.

    Up to this point, I coped with my situation because I believed that it was the best thing I could do. Both to keep Mia safe and to ensure my own growth.

    But now that I had the backing of the auction hall? Now that I was so damn rich, I would likely never have the time to spend the money I had? Now that Lucius proved to be just a piece of shit instead of a solidpanion?

    ''Is there actually any benefit in me staying in the sect?'' I thought, only toe to a decision a secondter.

    I pulled out two of my storage rings.

    "Those are the gifts that I was going to submit just to make sure you won''t touch the stuff I''m actually submitting," I exined in a cold, tired voice while I pulled out all the treasures that I gathered for this purpose.

    In an instant, the building floor was littered with cores, blood essences, and all the other parts of monsters that I found rich in mana enough to bother picking up.

    Some of them were insanely valuable... but just too time-consuming to extract for me or Lucius to bother. After all, before my advancement, I still had to abide by the rules. The second I would extract the core, I would leave the scene, leaving the corpse to the wildlife.

    "But now that you proved your true colors, I don''t think I will be stupid enough to do so," I added, waving my hand and pulling all the resources back into the other ring.

    All the resources but the bare minimum necessary to pass on my biweekly quota.

    "Here," I said in a low voice, kicking the bunch of cores towards the Clerk.

    Normally, this kind of behavior could even get me thrown out of the Sect. But the current situation was as far from normal as it could be.

    The Clerk didn''t even dare to raise his eyes on my face, not to speak about protesting against my rude behavior.

    "Didn''t youe here to submit your quotas?" Lucius said, finally finding a voice in his throat. "You should be aware that if you don''t follow procedure, the quota won''t be epted," he added, a smirk appearing on his face.

    ''This little...'' I thought, feeling the rage filling my throat.

    I took a deep breath, calming my emotions down.

    "I came here to submit the quota, not to fill your pockets," I said before spitting at the resources I just kicked away. "And I dare you to try messing around with it," I added before turning around.

    There was no point whatsoever for me to linger in this damned ce any longer.

    But just as I was about to leave, an idea struck my head.

    No, not an idea. It was something that I had thought about a lot already. It was just my mind reminding me that I still had to do something.

    I took a deep breath before releasing it in a long sigh.

    Then, I took down a few of the barriers that I set around my own self to keep my cultivation hidden from the prying eye of the others.

    "Since I reached the tenth stage already," I said, turning my face towards the Clerk while ignoring Lucius. "My contract appears to be fulfilled," I stated. "You no longer have any leverage over me," I said, looking the Clerk deep in the eyes.

    Judging by the movements of the Clerk''s adam''s apple, he just swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

    "And yes," I added, my face sharpening as my rage etched itself into my words. "I will make sure to report everything that happened here to the sect," I said before turning around and heading for the doors once again.

    "Do that, and I will make sure that girl of yours will see hell," Lucius shot up from his chair, clearly unhappy with the idea of the news about the tradition spreading out.

    I froze in ce.

    Was he stupid or just an idiot?

    Didn''t he hear that poking a sleeping bear was a bad idea? Didn''t he see my cultivation right now? I know I only showed the minimum necessary to convince the Clerk but still...

    Did he really think that he could do anything to Mia?

    ''No,'' I thought, calming myself down. ''He is just that desperate to stop me,'' I realized, only to turn on my feet and look at Lucius'' face.

    The face of someone I considered a friend just a few moments ago. And the face that filled my guts with disgust right now.

    "You just did the one thing that you shouldn''t have done."

 Chapter 219 - Henceforth

    "You just did the one thing that you shouldn''t have done," I said.

    This single sentence of someone I once considered a friend was enough.

    In this world, in this new life of mine, I only had one thing that I valued above the rest.

    And it was my care for Mia.

    Maybe I was just a simpleton who fell for the first skirt that fluttered on the wind before my eyes. Maybe I was just so tired of the lonesome life that Itched to the first form of intimacy and idolized it beyond any reason.

    I was aware of how dishonest the foundation of my rtionship with Mia could be.

    I was aware... but that didn''t mean jackshit.

    No matter what kind of dark or untrue feelings caused me to bring Mia to the pedestal of my life, I cared not. Because for the first time in both of my lives, I finally had someone to care about.

    "Still," I shook my head, forcing all those thoughts to the back of my head.

    ''This isn''t the time to get all nostalgic,'' I thought, raising my cold eyes on Lucius'' face.

    "I don''t think you have any means to harm her," I said, gently lowering my eyelids as I looked at Lucius with a sneer.

    Sure, some kinds of transporting formations were bound to exist. In a world with storage rings and general cultivation or magic, it was a convenience that was bound to appear.

    ''If I recall, the auction hall has one, but an imperfect one,'' I thought, looking at Lucius with pity.

    He had to be truly desperate to attempt using Mia against me.

    Because even if the Sect as a whole had the formations allowing for people to move between two ces instantly... Neither Lucius nor the Logistic Center''s Clerk would have ess to it!

    After all, if it was something that the auction hall was struggling to obtain, there was no way people as small as the two of them could use it without a problem.

    In other words, they could only attempt to hurt Mia by actually reaching her.

    Any other scenario I could counter with the backing of the auction hall. And when it came to visiting Mia personally...

    ''I guess we were separated for long enough,'' I thought, feeling my emotions firing up a little.

    Even though it wasn''t an unpleasant feeling to think about the reunion with my love, I still killed this emotion.

    Even if it was positive, excessive emotions would only bring an end to the dam I put on my feelings. And even after all this time, I still wasn''t ready to face it.

    "I wonder what makes you believe that," Lucius sneered, shaking his head with amusement. "That you can reach that ce before us," he added, his lips trembling in joy.

    He clearly didn''t notice the look on the Clerk''s face.

    "Don''t tell me you think you can reach that ce before us!" Lucius shouted before openlyughing out.

    "Yes, I think I can," I replied, ignoring the idiotic amusement of my former partner. "Because you two will be too busy exining yourself to the sect," I said, rolling my eyes and turning around.

    There was no point in wasting a single second more of my time in this damned ce.

    The one and only thing I could find there would be more disappointment and then rage to quell.

    It simply wasn''t worth it.

    "Exining ourselves to the sect?" Lucius echoed my words, only to explode in yet another bout of ironicughter. "And why would the sect take an interest in us?" he sneered.

    "To exin why I left the sect," I replied calmly, turning my face back at Lucius.

    At this point, the only thing that I felt was shallow amusement.

    "You are just a contractor," Lucius said as he stretched his back and seated himself deeper into his chair. "If you don''t want to end as an unaffiliated vagabond, you have little to no choice but to join us," he added, reaching with his hand behind the office''s counter and pulling out a ss.

    Judging from the rich aroma of the drink that instantly reached my nose, it wasn''t some cheap liquor.

    "I''m not unaffiliated," I replied, putting a wide smile on my lips.

    This was much better than just smacking the hell out of this idiot. Even though I always cringed at the scenes of face-pping in the novels I read, experiencing it firsthand?

    Damn, it was a pretty nice feeling!

    I shook my head and blinked my eyes as I cast another stare at Lucius'' face. This time, I was simply amused.

    "As of now, I''m a graduate," I announced with a helpless look on my face.

    Because I was helpless.

    Helpless against the sudden change that urred on Lucius'' face.

    "You are bluffing," Lucius threw after quicklying up to terms with the new situation. And this was the only way in which his experience allowed him to react.

    "My contract ends the second I reach the tenth stage, isn''t that right?" I said with a smile, rejoicing over this moment of triumph. "Then, for thest week or so, I''m a graduate already," I added before shaking my shoulders over it as if it was a small matter.

    "You are lying," Lucious changed his words but kept the meaning.

    "That also means my word is now far more valid than yours," I said, my lips curving up in a satisfied smile. "Meaning, when I go and report this scam that you have going, I wonder who will be taken seriously," I questioned.

    "You?" I looked at Lucius, a look of disbelief in my eyes.

    I then shook my head.

    "Bringing Mia up was your undoing," I said in a soft yet cold voice. I then turned around and headed again for the doors.

    "None of that will happen," Lucius muttered in a low voice.

    I nced over with curiosity. The cornered animal was an unpredictable one.

    I was the most vulnerable right at the moment of my greatest triumph so far. And on the other side, Lucius was the most dangerous as well, being stuck at the very bottom.

    Even though he had his face lowered, I could see how the signs of panic quickly took over his mind.

    But the state of that man''s mind was no longer a concern of mine. With my wardens at the ready, I pushed towards the doors.

    "None of that will happen," Lucius repeated, slowly raising his head.

    His eyes were hollow as if something drained all the life from them. But his movements were as swift as they were nimble.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, surprised when my former Overseer rushed ahead.

    "If you don''t leave this ce!"? Lucius shouted, striking down with his fist.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged in surprise again. I then cleared my throat and wiped my nose with my sleeve.

    I then stepped to the side, allowing Lucius''s fist to pass by.

    ''How the heck can he be so slow?'' I thought, stopping myself from activating my wardens.

    They were a card that I didn''t want to reveal unless absolutely necessary.

    ''Whatever,'' I thought, raising my hand and pping the man through his back when his momentum carried him by my side.

    Lucius crashed into the wall on the other end of the room.

    ''So this is the difference of those few ranks,'' I thought, amazed by the results.

    And it was a disy of my raw strength alone, as I didn''t deploy a single element of my new battle tactics!

    ''I guess that''s what happens when one keeps on training while the other only do what''s absolutely necessary,'' I thought.

    It was a small thing that I noticed. Ever since I left the skdder Sect, be it out in the forest with Lucius or in the Sect, I could hardly see anyone practicing martial arts. The closest I got to that kind of picture was by noticing a group of kids in the streets of the town ying around with cultivation cores.

    It felt as if everyst cultivator above a certain level would stop moving and just cultivate with the resources someone else obtained. As if the path of fighting arts becamepletely irrelevant.

    And this could be a very well significant factor in the difference in speed and strength between Lucius and me.

    That, or the fact that I not only outranked him but also did so on the hardest ranks to cultivate!

    For a moment, I looked down at Lucius'' powerless body before ncing over at the Clerk.

    During the entire encounter, he simply sat on his seat, too terrified to speak a word or act at all.

    "I have fulfilled my contract," I announced, finally releasing the mental lock on my cultivation that prevented others from feeling my aura up. "Henceforth, there are no further obligations towards the Sect bearing on me," I added.

    Back at the Auction Hall, I did my due diligence. With the Boss'' help, I learned about every little detail necessary to conclude the contract.

    "Obviously, I will be sure to submit the same announcement to the administrative office, along with my report of your corruption," I added before decisively turning around and heading towards the doors.

    This time, no one interrupted me.

    As I reached the doorstep, I took onest stop. But I didn''t turn my head, opting to remain motionless within the door''s frame instead.

    "From this day onward, let it be known that there is no rtion between me and the Tuxi sect!"

 Chapter 220 - Bottomline

    I stormed out of the building the second I spoke out my bit.

    Just like I said, I had to head for the administrative center.

    There was no way for the two of them to just let me go and do what I threatened to do. On the other hand, this was something that I absolutely had to aplish, as Mia''s futureid on the fact of my contractpleting.

    If there were anywhere to be wrong with the procedure or formality, Lucius would gain a weapon he could use against Mia!

    ''Fuck me in the ear,'' I thought, killing my emotions over and over again. ''I got overexcited,'' I forced myself to ept the fact.

    Just because I got too into the moment, I acted high-key. And as great as it felt then, now I could see nothing but troubleing.

    ''I guess you can only keep your head low for so long,'' I thought, hurrying my steps towards the administrative building of the Sect.

    Right now, speed was of the essence.

    I managed to arrive at the building uninterrupted. Yet, just like one could expect, it was already closed for the night.

    ''It''s way past midnight, isn''t it?'' I thought, finally managing to calm my emotions down.

    Even with all the experience that I had in keeping my mind clear, this situation made me too emotional.

    ''I guess I need to go through the Auction hall again,'' I thought, turning on the spot.

    Even if the first step of my n ended up as a failure, it wasn''t any reason to stop or even to slow down. Rather than that, I was now in an even greater hurry to secure my position!

    I rushed back to the outer ring of the city. And then, another thing struck me.

    I had to pass by the gate. The gate that just about an hour ago, I destroyed.

    ''Let''s just brute-force it,'' I thought, pushing ahead with my head raised high.

    For a moment, I thought that there would be another confrontation. Still troubled by the unexpected end of the very thing they were supposed to protect, the guards noticed me quite quickly.

    Yet, not a single one dared to step forward and say something.

    ''I hope they will unfreeze before long,'' I thought, slightly amused by the sight of their motionless bodies. ''It''s too cold during the night not to move while outside,'' I couldn''t help but joke a little.

    ''Still,'' I thought, raising my eyes towards the night sky. ''Even if I did overreact, it''s not like it makes any change,'' I thought, lowering my head and raising my hands to my mouth.

    ''The night sure is cold,'' I thought, blowing some hot air on my fingers.

    The cold of this degree could do me no harm. I was way too powerful for amon sickness to threaten me. But the ufortable feeling of my fingers freezing over was just the same as always.

    "Still," I muttered, crossing my arms on my chest and tucking my hands in my armpits. ''This entire scheme being called a tradition,'' I thought, looking back to what happened just a few moments ago. ''Could it be that it''s something happening on a much greater scale?'' I thought.

    This was a pretty curious topic. And one that I had to deeply analyze, given how I was about to report on it to the Sect.

    In the end, it wouldn''t be good if they were to target me if this scheme turned out to be something that everyone profits from.

    ''I guess it''s better not to stir the pot too much,'' I thought.

    I had to cut my analysis of the situation soon as I reached the doorstep of the auction hall.

    Once again, I passed through the sculpted-out columns by its entrance. And soon enough, I stood before yet another receptionist at the weing desk of the ce.

    "I need to see the boss," I said, sparing no time for pointless pleasantries.

    I was happy to indulge in this cultural bit during the normal times, but right now, the times were all but normal.

    "Sir, I''m sorry," a middle-aged woman on the other side of the counter bowed, putting a regretful expression on her face. "I''m worried that the boss already retreated for the night," she informed, bowing her entire upper half of the body an apology.

    I released a slightly annoyed sigh.

    "The matter I came here with is urgent," I exined. "I will apologize all I needter, but I need to see the boss right now," I stressed out the importance of the situation with every bit of my voice.

    "I..." the woman hesitated before biting down on her lips. "Sir, the boss, really dislikes having her sleep disturbed..." the receptionist tried to stop me again.

    "Trust me," I shook my head. "If I just do what I need to do without reporting to her, she will dislike it far worse than being woken up," I proimed with absolute certainty.

    I couldn''t put any warmth into my voice. I was too stressed out by the self-enforced hurry to be able to squeeze out any sympathy.

    I could understand that poor woman''s position, though. I was well aware of how bad it was to be the bearer of the bad news.

    "I... Fine," the woman finally gave up. Yet, outside of moving her hand around her counter for a few seconds, she didn''t do anything.

    "The boss will be here soon," she announced before resting her arms against the wood of the counter.

    And sure enough, the boss of the auction hall arrived pretty soon.

    d in nothing but what appeared like a long sheer of her bedding. Her hair was in disarray, and her eyes were still hazy... but that didn''t stop the woman from appearing fierce like a horde of demons.

    ''I guess she really doesn''t like waking up,'' I thought, gulping down a mouthful of saliva.

    "Don''t you know how damnte it is?" she asked, raising her hand to rub her eyes while using her other arm to keep the bedsheets up and covering her otherwise naked body.

    Even though it was pretty short, my time with Mia allowed me to notice that kind of detail, like how tightly the loose sheet would wrap around the girl''s curves.

    "Yes, I know," I replied with a nod of my head. "I wouldn''t have called for you if it wasn''t urgent," I added, not minding the angry tone of the woman.

    She had all the right in the world to be furious. But my matters took precedence before the emotions of the boss.

    The woman took a while, but she ultimately sighed and waved her hand at me, giving me the signal to exin.

    "What''s the problem?" she asked.

    "I''m leaving the sect," I replied bluntly, not holding anything back.

    "Huh?" the woman shrugged, shocked by the sudden message.

    She then shook her head and took a few breaths to organize her thoughts.

    I started speaking when her eyes once againid on my face.

    "I will be moving on my own to the location where they bring the sponsored students from the zero zone," I exined.

    Once again, a few moments of silencememorated what clearly appeared like an idiotic idea to the boss.

    She released a deep sigh before shaking her head once again.

    "Do you even have any damned idea where do you want to go?" she asked, raising her eyes on me with a look of disbelief and aplete defeat in them. "Do you even have a shred of an idea of how vast the continent is?"

    For the third time, she shook her head.

    For a second, I thought that a cock would cry out at this very moment.

    "If you take a single different turn in the barriends, then you can end up with weeks'' worth of distance to cover," she added, clearly trying to help me picture the scale of my ns.

    "And that''s what I need your help with," I announced quickly. I couldn''t let her barrage me with protests and problems like that. I wouldn''t allow this woman to change my mind. "I need to know where the sponsored students from the Zero Zone are taken," I exined.

    "Boy..." the boss got lost for breath for a moment. "There are thousands upon thousands of locations within the Tuxi sect," the woman muttered, clearly shocked how I was unaware of the fact. "They are one of the four major sects for a reason!"

    "And that''s what I need your help with," I echoed my words from before. "I need to know where the disciples from the skdder Sect were taken," I exined.

    The look on the woman''s face didn''t change at all. She stared nkly at my face as if expecting a reindeer to suddenly jump out of my mouth.

    "I left the Sect because they hindered my wish to help my girl. This is the one bottom line that I won''t allow anyone to cross," I pointed out, realizing that I had to push a little further. "So, are you going to help me with this matter or not?" I asked, my voice turning cold.

    This time, it wasn''t about money, influence, or growth. It was all about a personal benefit of mine.

    And right now, I could only hope that I brought enough profits to the auction hall for them to pay the favor back!

    The boss finally released another sigh. She then fixed her hold over the bedsheets she was covering herself with before shaking her head yet again.

    "Fine," she said in a decisive tone.. "I will help you in any way I can."

 Chapter 221 - And So My Journey Begins

    "Here it is," the boss returned to her office and mmed some papers on the table.

    It''s already been an hour since I arrived at the auction hall.

    ''It really had to be buried deep,'' I thought.

    I was aware of the scale of the auction hall. There always had to be enough people to move around in an organization like that.

    And yet, the boss still took over an hour to find a single document.

    I put a wry smile on my face.

    "I think you are aware of how I can''t read it," Imented, alternating my eyes between the document and the boss'' face.

    "Ah, sorry," the woman shrugged. Judging from the face alone, she was pretty exhausted. "It''s sote I forgot," she added in a sleepy voice before leaning over the document.

    She then grabbed an empty sheet of paper and a goose''s feather.

    "The ce you are looking for is here," she said, making a small circle on the paper. She then nced over the document for a moment before her hands went into a flurry.

    "To get there, you need to follow the highway to the west. You won''t take the turn you usually do to head for your camp," she said, raising her eyes at my face to ensure I understood the point. "Then, just head along the highway all the way to the massive crossing over a river," she exined.

    Her hands would leave a trail on the paper for every sentence the boss said, allowing me to better understand her exnations.

    "Once you arrive at the southern bank of the river, head north," the woman exined, finally connecting the two points she drew at the very beginning. "Don''t cross it; just take the turn to your right," she added before an uneasy smile appeared on her face.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked, noticing the change in the woman''s aura.

    "I hope you are aware of just how massive of an undertaking this is," she said, locking her eyes on my pupils.

    "Isn''t this only a bit further away than my own camp?" I asked, looking down at the map.

    "Fool," the boss hissed, shaking her head over my naivete. "Assuming you can move at the top speed of rank ten," she bit her lips and took a moment to calcte, "a month at the very least."

    I found it hard to react to this statement. Because how was I supposed to calcte the top speed of the tenth rank? Was it far greater than my current ability? Or maybe I could move far faster?

    Without a proper ground topare the units, I failed to learn anything useful.

    "No, two months seem more reasonable," the boss fixed her earlier statement as she fell deep into her thoughts. "And that''s still, assuming that all you do will be moving forward," she added, raising her eyes from the map.

    I took a minute of silence tomemorate my hopes of quickly reuniting with Mia.

    Because that''s what this endeavor was all about.

    After being kicked in the soft spot of my soul by Lucius'' betrayal, I craved to reunite with the one person I could trust.

    Obviously, I was pressed to ensure no harm woulde Mia''s way, but the more I realized that I would be heading to meet with her again...

    The more excited I got at the idea.

    "Tell me," I muttered, only to shake my head and raise my chin properly. "Tell me, what do I need to prepare?" I asked.

    "Huh?" the boss looked at me with curiosity. Even though she was visibly tired, her usual behavior returned now that we got into the momentum of doing things. "What exactly do you mean?" she asked.

    I released a deep sigh before spreading my arms out.

    "Honestly, I have no idea what to expect from this road," I said, pointing one of my hands at the map. "This will be the first time for me to travel that far all on my own," I exined.

    Sure, I moved through vast distances back on earth. Even though I didn''t travel much, I took my fair share of ne trips.

    It wasn''t the distance that bothered me. It was the potential troubles that someone from an advanced civilization like me would have no clue existed.

    "Should I stock up on food? Prepare sturdy bedding for the nights? Make sure to sleep during the day and travel during the night?" I suggested several options that came to my mind when I couldn''t see any change in the boss'' eyes. "Literally, any tips that you would deem useful..." I continued, more and more troubled by theck of understanding between us.

    How else I was supposed to ask this question?

    "What I should be wary of during this journey?" I asked after taking a moment to calm myself down.

    "Hmm," the boss turned silent for a moment. She raised her hand to rub her chin as she thought. "Make sure to have enough water," she finally said something after a fair while. "Heavens forbid you from drinking anything you find out on the road," she warned, going as far as to raise her finger at me.

    ''What, did she turn into a mother scolding her child?'' I thought, amused by the unexpected situation a bit.

    "You can eat monsters all you want; just make sure to roast them first," she added, lowering her head as she thought about more of the potential troubles I could face.

    "That will be enough," I raised my hands and said.

    Seeing how she struggled to answer, there was no point pressing the issue. I could easily ask the same question at some merchant''s ce and get a proper answer out there.

    Out of everything, money was thest thing that Icked right now.

    "There is one more thing that I need to ask of you," I said when I suddenly recalled one of the important aspects of my visit to this ce. "Could I trouble you with submitting certain information to the sect?" I asked.

    "Huh?" the boss raised her eyes, surprised with the direction I took our encounter. "Did something happen?" she asked, raising her worried eyes at my face.

    She didn''t care about me on a personal level, I could tell. She was too professional for that. But she cared deeply for a person who came up with the revolutionary idea of exploiting dual cultivation.

    "As I reached the tenth realm of cultivation, I finished my contract," I said.

    There wasn''t any need for me to exin any further, as this woman was the one who taught me most of the things I knew about the contract!

    "And you need me to submit your opt-out decision, right?" the woman smiled. Even though she knew about my advancement already, she clearly enjoyed being reminded of it.

    After all, it was her decision to invest in me. And right now, she could see just how quickly this decision started to pay for itself back.

    There was a dime a dozen tenth-stage cultivators. But the same couldn''t be said about someone capable of reaching the tenth stage in just a few short months!

    "That''s correct," I nodded my head in response before putting a small, uneasy smile on my lips. "What''s more..." I hesitated for a moment before my shameless side took over. "Onest thing, how much cultivation resources can I take out right now?"

    I was driving a hard bargain here. The auction hall invested a lot in me already, and the chances were that my current value reached the limits of how much they were willing to invest.

    Yet, there was no harm in trying. After all, just like I made enemies in the lower headquarters, I was likely to end up with some opposition at Mia''s ce.

    And to prepare for such a situation, my only chance was to get strong enough!

    ''Sometimes I''m amazed by how simple this world can be at times,'' I thought, taking a quick breath to rx.

    "You are going to drive your opportunity to the maximum, aren''t you?" the boss threw me an eye before releasing a deep sigh.

    She was perfectly aware of where this topic was going from.

    "I just dislike the idea of not making the most of what can be done," I replied with a fearless smile.

    If I was going to be shameless, then I had to drive my shamelessness to its ends!

    "On the other hand, do you have any tasks you would like me to do while away?" I asked, changing the topic before the boss coulde to any definitive decision.

    It was better to let this topic settle deep in her for a moment.

    "Hoard more bones," the boss was quick to reply to my inquiry. "We have more than enough for now, and we will establish a supply..." she hesitated for a moment.

    "But there is no harm in getting more of them for cheap to help expand the business," I finished the boss''s words in her stead, a small smile appearing on my lips. "I will be more than happy to," I replied.

    Just like I wanted. Now that I did her a favor...

    "Also," the boss didn''t give me the time to ask about the former topic. "When you reach the Tuxi Outerpost, make sure not to mention the business you have with us," the woman warned. "It''s fine to unt your wealth; just don''t let anyone track you," she added.

    "Huh?" I shrugged, surprised by the sudden mention.

    "They are one of the branches that refused to partake in the business," the boss exined. "As such, they might be quite hostile if they were to learn who you are," she added.

    "Thank''s for the head''s up," I nodded my head before taking another look at the woman. "Right, about those resources..." I muttered, turning my eyes away.

    For a moment, the boss simply eyed me down, lost for words.

    "Fine," she finally muttered, releasing a deep, exhausted sigh... Only for her lips to form into a smile.

    She then reached out to her pocket and pulled out a storage ring.

    "Did we already tell you that we are going to invest in your growth?" she asked with a smug smile before throwing the ring my way.

    "Thanks," I nodded my head in gratitude. "Right, once the profits from the business start kicking in..." I raised my head a little.

    "I know, don''t worry," the boss raised her arms to stop me from wasting my words. "I will transfer them to the other branch," she reassured me.

    "I see," I muttered before looking the woman directly in the eye. "Thanks for all the help. I will do my best to return as promptly as possible," I added, hiding the storage ring in my pocket before turning around.

    "Safe travels," the boss threw as I approached the doors. When I took a nce behind, she rxed in the chair, clearly eager to return to her interrupted sleep.

    I walked outside, seeing no point in bothering her any longer.

    The huge array of stars shone upon me from their elevated position on the vast night sky.

    ''And so my journey begins,'' I thought when a gentle breeze washed over my face.

    I then looked down in the direction I would have to go.

    ''It''s better to get going as soon as possible,'' I thought before killing all my thoughts and heading west.

 Chapter 222 - Bottomless Void

    ''Damn, I''m tired,'' I thought, pushing my body through the thick vegetation of the forest.

    ''Just go down the highway, they said,'' I thought with a grim look on my face. ''It will take you only a month, they said,'' I thought, forcing my limbs to keep on moving.

    Right now, I was as far from the highway as one could be without risking an instant death. And the reason for such an urrence was pretty simple.

    I finally decided to stop stalling and go for the breakthrough. But for that, I had to prepare.

    And because of this simple decision, I did nothing but hunt for the past two days of my overall week''s worth of travel.

    ''At least my abilities are improving,'' I thought, looking for sce in even the smallest details.

    Both my bolt and my warden abilities reached the ninth level. And while the warden would still take a while to reach the tenth level, I was half a day worth of grinding away from pushing bolt to the tenth level.

    ''I wonder if it will upgrade in any special way,'' I thought, barely able to hold my curiosity back.

    This was the one thing that I learned by spending a week on the road.

    In a single second, I could hunt, I could read books to learn more about formations, and keep grinding my skills in both of my hands. All at once, all at the same time.

    This was the only way that I found to save off the one thing that I forgot to prepare for.

    And it was boredom.

    ''Just where do you think you are going?'' I thought, sending a flurry of six bolts in a concise formation towards a monster I noticed.

    Before even my spell could strike its target, I had already prepared another volley. Yet, instead of using them like annihtion bombs, I turned them into tiny, nearly surgical needless.

    Even though I was only a week into my travel, I spent thest few months of my life within a forest. And now, a single nce was enough for me to locate all the valuable parts of nearly any monster that I would encounter!

    The first flurry of shots hit.

    The front of the volley messed up the terrain before the poor, escaping beast. With its escape route cut off first, it could only dig its legs into the ground in a desperate attempt of not crashing into the abnormal area.

    Then, the middle of the flurry came, enclosing the monster within a barrier of messed-up ground.

    And then, thest two shots exploded right by each of the monster''s ears, whizzing away its entire head.

    ''Go,'' I thought the second the monster ceased to live. A flurry of the small bolts I prepared flew towards the monster''s corpse, shaving away all the meat from the parts that I actually wanted to extract.

    ''That worked out pretty well,'' I thought,nding by the monster''s corpse. By the time I did so, my left hand had returned to the usual task of stacking the progress of my wardens and bolts.

    I used my free hand to extract the core and then break away some of the more mana-filled bones. And then, as if the stop never happened, I continued to rush through the forest, in a route roughly parallel to the highway on my right.

    ''I shouldn''t get any deeper,'' I thought, resisting the temptations.

    With stronger monsters deeper in the forest, my haul would grow at an exponential rate. But it was simply too risky.

    As I was still on the tenth stage, I could imagine a scenario where a monsters'' swarm could overwhelm me. Only by reaching the eleventh stage, I could hope to be strong enough to fully fend for myself.

    Reaching the eleventh stage in itself wasn''t a problem at all. With the massive amount of resources that I had from before, with the addition of what I brought from the Sect and hunted, I could reach the eleventh stage ten times over.

    But I didn''t know what would happen then.

    Would a systeme up with another mission to fill my potential?

    This was the one worry that pushed me into hunting despite being in a great hurry to reach Mia.

    ''That should be enough,'' I thought after hunting down several more monsters and extracting the valuable parts of them. I then turned my head to the northwest, where I expected to find the highway.

    ''If the info I received is correct, there should be an inn somewhere out there,'' I thought, recalling a discussion with a man that I happened upon on the road.

    "I guess I could try breaking through there,'' I thought, only tough out and shake my head. ''As if I would ever do that,'' I thought before picking up my pace.

    It took me only several minutes before I reached a random clearing. It was just big enough to fit my purposes, surrounded by three sides with a forest and from one side by a massive ridge.

    ''Deploy,'' I thought, sending all my wardens out before pulling out my formation sack.

    Over the course of thest week, it bloated with the influx of more and more formations that I crafted while on the go from the pebbles I picked by the side of the road.

    And right now, all thirty formations that I now bore flew out from the sack, arranging themselves in a perfect shape around me.

    The entire clearing that I found was erased from existence in an instant.

    Its magical footprint was just so damn small that the stray monsters would abhor the idea of stepping on it.

    ''Now that everything is said and done,'' I thought, pulling out all the treasures in my possession before inserting them in the middle of my arrays.

    Instead of just infusing their energy into the array, I prepared a special formation only aimed at improving the efficiency of that task.

    ''As great as my growth is, I think I''m slowly hitting a wall of creativity,'' I thought as I took a nce around at my perfect set of formations.

    Sure, they worked insanely well for something that I made while on the move... But I could hardlye up with any ideas for other, useful formations!

    In a sense, I reached the end in terms of my formations. This was the topplexity of the craft that I could partake in right now.

    ''Well, let''s hope it will be enough,'' I thought, infusing my will into the formation and starting the entire process.

    No monster woulde to bother me here, now that I was so cleanly cut from the rest of the world. And more importantly, no other human would likely encounter me here!

    In an instant, the energy-filled my body to the brim.

    But instead of overflowing as it would usually do, it stopped, flowing at a constant rate instead.

    Another perk of a math-oriented gamer putting his skills into creating formations.

    ''Status,'' I thought, ncing over at the windows that appeared.

    And just as I expected, the numbers quickly rocketed up, propelled by the energy gushing into my flesh.

    ''This is for the best,'' I thought while watching how countless cores and other resources started to disappear, sucked dry of their mana by the formation.

    But soon, this pain of a hoarder paid off when all my gauges filled up, allowing me to advance.

    ''''TIC"

    This time, the feel of the system growing was different. It struck me on a deeper level.

    If the normal tic of the system was like a gentle rubbing on my soul, this tic felt like a sledgehammer striking my mind down!

    ''Woah,'' I thought when I realized just what kind of insane amount of energy I now had under my control.

    Yet, my joysted only for the briefest of moments. Because before I could get enough of my newfound power, I noticed what changes happened to my system.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Filled with Energy

    - Hidden Status: Warmed-up

    - Body Status: Enlightened

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    The first part was nice and soothing to my soul. Because there was a single change on it that reaffirmed to me the idea of what just happened.

    By breaking through to the eleventh stage, I finally left the initial stage of being that I was born with, advancing my entire self to the fully-fledged state of enlightenment!

    But as I looked further down into the system, I couldn''t help but freeze.

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Enlightened

    - Growth status: Mature Enlightenment

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance: 7 411/10 000

    - Willpower: 8 203/10 000

    ***

    Mature Enlightenment (1 795 887/300 000 000 000)

    {

    Enlightenment: 769 516/100 000 000 000

    Potential: 628 497/100 000 000 000

    Drive: 397 874/100 000 000 000

    }

    ***

    Just like in the first part, my advancement to a higher state of being was confirmed.

    ''To think that the gap between the adolescent and then the mature enlightened would actually mean reaching a higher stage of existence!'' I thought, surprised by the notion.

    And then I realized the one thing that instantly killed my mood.

    All my stats progressed pretty nicely. Just the momentum of all my formations allowed me to reach from half a million to nearly a million points of progress in the three statistics I had for the level.

    ''While it''s surprising enough to see that they didn''t change...'' I thought before gulping down my saliva. ''Just what the fuck is wrong with the requirements for the progress for this level?''

    ''I guess it won''t matter if I use up all the resources now,'' I thought, fighting to keep my mental state from feeling down.

    It was surely the first time the progress bars were that insanely high.

    ''But whining about it won''t help at all,'' I thought, forcing my salvia down my throat as I calmed down. ''If I ever want to conquer this stage, I have no other choice but to work even harder than before!"

    ''And for that, I need to keep going!'' So I thought before starting all my formations again.

 Chapter 223 - Rocket Science?

    It''s been three weeks since I left the Sect. Or rather, three weeks since Ist partook in activities of a general civilization.

    All the trouble that I had when the journey began now felt meaningless whenpared to the insane loneliness of my current life.

    Three weeks into my journey, I finally finished the one thing that I believed to be the most important point of my progress.

    By advancing to the eleventh stage and even pushing my progress up to nearly... half of a percent, I finally became strong enough to sustain my Mage''s Tower.

    And it was this notion that finally allowed me to expand my capabilities.

    [Congrattions!]

    [Your main ss job changes from military mage to tactical mage!]

    Was the one message I could recall from the moment of my breakthrough. Yet, outside of the change of the name for my main ss... it did absolutely nothing.

    Or so I would think if I couldn''t turn my mage''s tower into another skill, I could constantly keep on.

    ''Now that I think about it, it''s not even a skill on its own,'' I decided after taking quite a long time to analyze the situation. ''It''s more like a catalyst that boosts my control over all the tools I amassed,'' I thought before taking a sip of the bear.

    "So, what do you think? Isn''t this a great offer?" a man sitting in front of me asked, his face filled with excitement.

    "I''m sorry, brother, but I''m not interested," I replied grumpily before taking another sip.

    Right now, I finally managed to get a bit of interhuman activity. The only reason for such behavior was the fact that I finally found an Inn in this god-deserted ce!

    Only now, three weeks into my journey, I realized just how massive this continent was. And what was even more humbling was how the distance I was traveling through right now was nothing but a small speck on the map of the entire thing!

    ''Isn''t this ce way bigger than the earth?'' I asked myself, once again ignoring whatever the man on the other end of the table was talking about.

    "Right, man," I said, finally losing my patience with the speaker. I then reached out to my pocket and pulled out one of the cores of the stronger monsters that I kept on hunting. "Tell me about what I want to know, not your sexual escapades," I said, rolling the core towards the man.

    This was the one pragmatic reason I found to sit down in an inn and waste time. It was the opportunity to learn more about my own situation and hopefully gather some news about Tuxi Outerpost, where Mia resided.

    "The enlightened stage, isn''t it?" the man smiled mysteriously before raising the cup to his face and taking an impressive sip. "There is quite a lot of perks to it," the man said, refusing to just simply borate.

    He had to y the game of a mysterious figure first.

    "What I wonder, though," he took another sip, "is why you are looking for this knowledge."

    Even on the road, people were still people. And I could bet this man was already looking for ways to exploit the vulnerability that I exposed with my question.

    "I just graduated from the contract with a sect," I exined with a small smile. Whether the man would take my word for it or not was outside of my sphere of influence.

    But the sheer fact that he knew not if I was lying or not made my worstpletely and utterly worthless for him.

    "I went out to see the world in hopes that it would help me break through to that legendary realm," I said while constantly juggling my bolt and warden ability in the neverending dance of a grind.

    "I see," the man muttered, taking another sip of his drink. The interest in his eyes faded away, proving that my excuse turned out to be quitemon in this world. "Well then, you definitely have some things to look forward to once you reach a breakthrough," he said, leaning back in his chair.

    "First off, your lifespan doubles," the man said after taking a moment to think. He then looked at my face before releasing a smallugh. "Not like it matters for a youngling like you, he added with a delicate sneer.

    "Who doesn''t want to live longer?" I replied softly, only pretending to care.

    Right now, I was still too young to bother with how long my life would be. Learning that it would now be twice as long as I could initially expect was nice...

    But that was generally all.

    "As for the other stuff, it''s said that the enlightened cultivators have the depth of their power furthered," the man said before taking a long sip of the drink. "No one will ever exin it to you... But their power changes. It as if..." the man hesitated before looking away, "as if their power no longer belonged to this world."

    I didn''t bother replying to the man''s exnation. Even though he kept going for quite some time, I didn''t hear anything even remotely interesting.

    Not a single suggestion struck a chord with me; not a single idea appeared in my eyes from thebination of my unique approach and themon sense of this world.

    Because the only thing that I learned from the man''s words was a thing that I already knew.

    Ever since I became capable of sustaining the Mage''s Tower indefinitely with just my own mana alone, my approach to the magic changed as well.

    Previously, my mind was behind all the formations that I held. I only needed to recall their general details, but keep them up and running...

    Just the task of supplying mana to each of them was challenging, not to speak about introducing minute changes if the need arose.

    In other words, I reached a limit to how useful those formations could be. And no matter how hard I tried to improve beyond that point, my own mental capability turned into the blockade that stopped me.

    But this problem didn''t exist within my mage''s tower.

    As if taking all that burden off my shoulders, the Mage''s Tower would incorporate all my formations, wardens, and other tools into its own structure. And whilemanding the ultimate spell of mine, I had perfect control over every aspect of thisbined mess of tools.

    ''How naive it was of me to think that this spell was weak,'' I thought, recalling my initial impression of my ultimate.

    Sure, for a skill called ultimate, it wasn''t shy at all. But now that my strength reached a sufficient level, it turned out to be a mind-boggling spell!

    In short words, the Mage Tower introduced three changes to the rooster of my skills.

    First, it would improve my base skills, turning them into an alternate version. Secondly, it would improve my magic flow and grant me nearly perfect control over the area of the spell''s effect. Andstly, it would unite the effects of all my formations and items only to then strengthen them.

    ''I guess this skill is the very essence of my ss,'' I thought, standing up as the usefulness of the random traveler I met ended.

    There was no use sitting down and wasting my time listening to his rambling.

    I left the inn without any spare words left. And in an instant, I turned my mind back to its usual set of split attention.

    My flesh and bones moved my body forward, keeping it moving. My soul immersed itself into the portable formation that I embedded into my robes, allowing me to passively cultivate at all times. Andstly, my mind delved into the technicalities of the magic that I discovered in an attempt to finish the one task that kept on bothering me.

    The one problem that I have yet to solve.

    And it was my speed.

    ording to the auction hall boss'' words, the travel should take me between one or two months.

    While it was strange, how could those two ces be so far apart when we both only traveled a few days away from the barrier at the very most. Yet, just like I couldn''t understand magic to any satisfactory degree, the same could be said about the world in general.

    ''Trying to figure it out on my own would only demotivate me in the long run,'' I thought, ignoring the topic as I focused on the one thing that was important.

    Because there was one useful thing that I learned about my current progress.

    After three weeks on the road spent mostly on traveling at my top speed, I managed to cover... a quarter of the entire distance.

    In other words, if I kept on going at the current rate, then I would only reach Mia''s ce sometime in the next three months!

    And that was something that I couldn''t ept.

    Not only because I was hard-pressed to reunite with my me. That alone I could handle for way longer. But since the boss imed this trip would take two months at most...

    Didn''t that mean that I could actually end up toote to prevent any shenanigans Lucius would potentially attempt to bring on Mia?

    ''Fuck it,'' I ultimately thought, juggling all the knowledge about magic and formations that I assimted to that point.

    Up to this moment, I tried a conservative approach ining up with a movement formation. An approach that would be well-suited to this magic-oriented world. One that, even when seen, would make it hard for me to exin it.

    But I no longer had the time for that. And as a child of my age, there was one way of eleration that I was both passionate about and actually quite knowledgeable too.

    ''Let''s see how much of rocket science do I still remember!''

    Yet, just as I was about to create a quick set of formations that would use the power of explosions to carry me forward, I took a glimpse at my status.

    And my mood instantly worsened.

    Sure, I progressed. I did progress by quite a damned lot at that!

    After absorbing everyst piece of haul that I gathered over thest three weeks, I managed to bring the progress of each of my statistics to between four hundred and five hundred million each.

    On its own, this was twenty times as much progress as I had to do to break through the tenth stage!

    But whenbined all together, it was less than half of the percent of my current requirement to raise my level.

    ''No, I can''t think too much about it,'' I forced myself to change my mindset, refocusing my attention on the task at hand.

    ''Explosive movement it was,'' I thought before picking up a few stones from the side of the road.

    Once again, those stones would bear witness to the conception of apletely new kind of formation!

 Chapter 224 - Arriving At Tuxi Outerpost

    ''The drift is rtively stable,'' I thought, coursing through the air at high speed.

    The snake of the highway appeared far off below me, serving as the only guide towards the direction I should take.

    So high in the sky, there was hardly anything else I could follow. Used to orient me with the sun while being on the ground made it quite confusing to the same while above the level of the lowest clouds.

    ''It seems like I can keep going for a little bit further,'' I thought, scanning the area from my elevated position.

    All of this was the result of three days and nights I spent figuring out the details of the rocket science that could apply to this world.

    The idea of using rocket propulsion was simple. Push at something, and it will push against you with the same force but an opposing vector. This was one of the forms that I learned back in the middle-school and never came to forget about.

    My flight path suddenly broke when one of the formations responsible for my stability malfunctioned.

    ''Mage''s tower,'' I invoked, quickly tracing the error while freefalling towards the ground.

    I wasn''t worried about plummeting to the ground. I had more than enough formations that would save me from any damage if such an unfortunate scenario were to ur.

    What I was worried about, though, were people taking notice of me.

    ''The mana burned right through the stone,'' I quickly identified the source of the problem. ''I guess the stone itself was just of a poor quality,'' I thought, biting down on my lips while carving another stone to rece the faulty one.

    It took me less than five seconds to fix my flight and regain the attitude. But my mood was just as bad as it could get.

    Right after I finally stocked enough resources to be able to use my Mage''s Tower inbat, I reached another blockade.

    Now that I have grown, the amount of mana flowing through all my formations increased exponentially. And although this process only began, the simple pebbles I would pick from the side of the floor was quickly losing their value as the formation stone material.

    For now, only the lower quality stones continued to fail. But as I continued to grow, it was only a matter of time before even the proper stones would give up under the tremendous stress of the current of my mana flowing through it.

    ''Hopefully, those stones willst for...'' I thought, only for my attention to shift when I noticed the first real change in thends below me.

    Or rather, thends that I could just see from my elevated position. And at the same time, thends that I would reach in just a moment!

    ''Fuck!'' I screamed out internally, applying all the breaks that I could.

    That was the one problem with the rocket magic.

    The only way to break midair was to apply the eleration in the opposite direction.

    ''Slowly, calmly,'' I muttered to myself, trying to find the golden ratio of deeleration.

    If I were to be too slow at slowing down, I would barge right into the air above the city.

    And I wasn''t interested in this kind of extremely high-key entrance to the ce!

    But then, if I lost my speed too quickly...

    Then thew of inertia would make me experience a g-force far greater than anything my body could handle!

    ''Slow down,'' I wished in my head, funing the amount of mana I supplied to my reversed explosion formations.

    It was a pretty delicate job, forcing me to adjust several different barriers at once. After all, while making a formation that simply exploded was easy, making a set of formations that would turn the power of explosion into the power of propulsion was actually a prettyplex task.

    And right now, by meddling with the output of a single formation within, the one responsible by the power of explosions, I put the rest of the elements under unorthodox stress.

    ''Here we go,'' I thought when I neared the ground.

    And then, just as if I was jumping down the street''s curb, I softlynded a small distance away from the highway.

    I finally neared the Tuxi Outerpost. This was the ce I could see out in the distance. That is unless I somehow fucked up the directions... but it was a possibility that I didn''t dare to even consider.

    I quickly shook the coldness and droplets of rose from my body before hurrying towards the highway.

    As I was already pretty near the settlement, the road was bustling with people.

    ''Isn''t it strange?'' I thought, surprised by the amount of traffic in a ce still quite a distance away from the city.

    The crowds on the highway here were far bigger than the crowds within the city of the lower headquarters itself!

    I joined the crowd without the slightest care in the world. It was way too big for anyone to pay any attention to my appearance. The only thing that made people notice me was my pretty bad looks.

    But what could I do?

    A month deep into my journey, I would be hard-pressed to find a ce to shave or fix my clothes, even if it was high enough on my priority list for me to attend those matters.

    ''No,'' I thought, shaking my head as I moved towards the city in the distance. ''Those kinds of things I can take care of once I settle into the city,'' I thought when I finally approached the gate.

    For a moment, I expected some trouble from the guards. After all, just like I observed a second before, my looks weren''t the most inviting. In fact, it would be a challenge to differentiate between my current self and some kind of beggar on the city streets!

    Thankfully, as soon as I shed my Auction House sourced ID, the guards allowed me to pass without any trouble.

    It seemed that they were too busy being bored with their job to care any more than absolutely necessary.

    And just like that, I finally arrived at the Tuxi Outerpost.

    ''So this is where she lives,'' I thought as I walked through the main street of the city.

    I instantly directed my steps towards the auction house. This was the only ce that I could go right after arriving in a foreignnd. And just like back in the lower headquarters, finding the location of the auction hall didn''t pose any challenge.

    "Hello," I said the second I entered the premises. Yet, there wasn''t any reception desk right at the entrance, to my surprise.

    Rather than that, the second I entered the building, an entire array of looks came my way.

    ''I guess I really don''t fit this ce in my current state,'' I thought before clearing my throat and approaching the first employee that I could find.

    "Excuse me," I started, hoping to get the annoying part of the conversation over as soon as possible.

    "If you want to beg for money, you won''t get a single penny," a man replied, dismissing me from his thoughts the second heid his eyes at my unkempt appearance.

    "On your knees," I replied softly. "Or you won''t find any employment in this ce again," I stated, just loud enough for everyone in the surroundings to hear it.

    This was the simplest way to go around it. I would have to find some timeter to apologize to the man for using him like that.

    "What seems to be the problem?" another official appeared as soon as I raised my voice in a single tone.

    It appeared as if my small ploy paid off.

    "I came here to exchange what I hunted," I said, pulling out a storage ring.

    In this ce, situated right on the edge of the Tuxinds, the value of a storage ring was far greater than it would be back at the lower headquarters.

    That''s why shing this single item alone was enough to get the attention of the staff of a local auction hall.

    "Sir, is that all you wish to do at our humble establishment?" the girl that took over the job asked.

    Even though there was no open change to her attitude, I could feel how her aura changed now that she confirmed my wealth.

    "As you guessed, yes," I nodded my head as I replied. "I need fresh clothes, someone to help me clean up, and a room," I added, a smile appearing on my face.

    "Something tells me that I will spend quite a while in this city," I said, moving my eyes on the female employee. "I hope conducting business with you guys will be a pleasure!"

 Chapter 225 - [Bonus ]Letters

    ''That was surprisingly quick,'' I thought, sitting down on the bed within the room that the auction hall prepared for me.

    The initial discontent with my appearance vanished in a single moment when I shed my storage ring. And when I revealed its content and my wish to sell it all off, every officer turned willing to be a bitch of mine if so I desired.

    ''Still, it''s nice to sit on something soft after so long,'' I thought, enjoying myself as Iid back on the pillows.

    But I wasn''t given any chance to enjoy this rest. Before I could as much as lower my eyelids to let my eyes rest a little, a knocking on the door forced me back to the world of the living.

    "Come on in," I shouted over, unwilling to get out of the bed.

    "I''m sorry to bother," the same female officer that took care of me before now intruded on my room.

    Behind her, the man followed.

    ''This is the guy,'' I thought, instantly recognizing the man''s face.

    It was the very man who initially wanted to chase me out of the building.

    A small smile crept up on my face as I forced myself up and sat on the edge of the bed.

    "Before you say anything," I raised my hand and spoke when I saw the girl open up her mouth. I then turned my face to the guy as I stood up, only to lower my head the very moment I stood before him.

    "I''m sorry for chastising you like that. But, I figured out it would be the easiest and quickest way of getting through to resolve my umon situation," I said.

    That was the truth.

    I didn''t really mind the way the man reacted. I wasn''t one of those douches from the earth that would pretend to be beggars straight from the streets and would enter fancy shops only to flex their wealth after being chased out.

    Just like the fancy shops on earth, the auction hall of this world was a ce where a lot of money would pass. And people capable of forking out sums necessary to conduct business in ces like that wouldn''t endorse the idea of beggars breathing down their necks!

    "Huh?" the man shrugged, surprised by the unexpected development. "So you are not going to force the firm to fire me?" he asked in a soft voice, tears brimming in his eyes.

    "You just did your job," I waved my hand before returning to the bed. "I was at fault there. I''m sorry for using you like that," I added with a smile beforeying down on the bed.

    "Sir..." the girl muttered, clearly hesitant about something. "If you are so rich, why did you bother traveling on your own?" she asked, only to blush a momentter and lower her head. "Sir''s business is not my interest. Forgive me for the asking," she quickly excused once she realized her blunder.

    "Don''t worry about it," I replied.

    I was in a pretty good mood. Just being in the same city as Mia was filled my soul with a strange happiness.

    ''I wonder if I would actually be able to approach her now,'' I thought, unsure about myself.

    The emotional scar that made me push her aside all those weeks before stillid in waiting, ready to act up the second I tried to fix it.

    ''I never thought I would actually get raped, though,'' I sighed to my own thoughts before refocusing my attention back at the girl.

    "It was all a part of my own growth. I hoped that by challenging myself like that, I would gain insight that would help me to advance," I exined, using the same fake story that I would share with anyone else asking.

    "So that''s the case," the girl raised her head, clearly fascinated with my exnation.

    ''Or rather, with the benefits thate from befriending someone who, despite being so young, already reached the tenth stage,'' I thought to myself, gold-digger alert going off in my head.

    There was only one person that I could ept turning into a gold-digger and then interacting with me. And her name started with M and ended with ia.

    "Right, before you go," I said when the silence prolonged to the point of getting ufortable.

    "Can you check if there are any messages forwarded to me?" I asked, bringing out the auction hall token. "I kind of expect some items to arrive here, but there is a chance they did arrive a long time ago already," I pointed out before passing the token to the girl.

    In theory, doing so was pretty risky. After all, this was the one sort of document that I could use for identification. It was also the only key allowing me to ess my current wealth.

    But the one caveat allowed me to be pretty liberal with it. As the girl likely didn''t possess a single drop of my blood, she wouldn''t be able to authenticate a single use of the ID!

    As such, despite how vital a piece of token it was, I felt pretty safe about passing it over.

    "Sir, I will check right away!" the girl raised her head, her eyes shining with excitement.

    She then grabbed the token and hurried out of the room, not even bothering to say a word to the man she came to my ce with.

    "Sir...?" the man muttered hesitantly, clearly unsure of what he was supposed to do now.

    "Seeing that you stayed back, how about doing me a little favor?" I asked, smiling at the man as I rxed myself on the pillows.

    "Sir, anything!" the man fell to one knee, more than happy to be of service to me.

    ''I guess he really can''t get over the blunder that I forced on him,'' I thought, recognizing the symptoms of someone unable to believe they were getting away with something without consequences.

    In reality, I didn''t have any pressing matters that needed someone to attend to them right away. There were only some things that I ultimately had to deal with sometime in the near future.

    And the only reason why I decided to pass some of those tasks to the man was to let him forgive himself for what I made happen before.

    "You see, back at my previous location, I managed to score quite a bounty by messing around with the shortages of whatever people at the sect needs," I imed, putting a rxed smile on my face as I carefully crafted another story.

    "I''m not going to ask you to spy for me," I quickly added, seeing the look on the man''s face changing. "I just want you to go and bring me the news about anything interesting that happened recently at the sect," I exined my wish.

    "Sir..." the man hesitated for a moment. He then took a deep breath and pped his hands on his cheeks. "I will do that right away!" he announced as soon as he came to terms with his situation.

    And just like he said, he did, running out of my room.

    ''He couldn''t even close the doors behind him,'' I thought, feeling all my sympathy for the man disappearing in an instant.

    Still, I didn''t bother to move and close the doors myself. Rather than that, Iid back in my bed, waiting for the girl to return.

    And as if some god was ying around with my misfortune, the second I managed to calm down and close my eyes, the female official of the auction hall returned.

    And she did so with gusto.

    She didn''t bring in just a small box and a letter or two. That''s what I expected to receive from the boss of the auction hall. After all, she was perfectly aware of just how interested I was in the development of our business!

    No. Rather than just a few letters and a storage ring, she brought in a whole package, filled with letters to the brim!

    "At first, I only found those two," the girl exined, pointing her fingers at the two envelopes at the top of the pile. "But as I dug deeper just to be sure, I found all those other letters hidden away in the counter!" she added.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, surprised by the notion. ''Did I just strike the gold by acting as a normal person would?'' I thought, recalling the way I handled the problem with that unfortunate official.

    I quickly reached out for the letters that the girl pointed out. And just as expected, while the first one was just a report of the boss dealing with all the affairs I asked her to settle, the other was fully about our business''s expansion.

    ''It seems that it goes rtively nicely,'' I thought, holding back a random chuckle.

    Back when the first concept of using dildos in this world appeared in my head, I only expected to make some quick bucks out of it. But with the scale that the auction hall was clearly going for...

    It could pretty easily shake the foundations of not only the Tuxi sect but also everything that the people on this sorry continent believed in!

    ''Still,'' I thought, putting the letter back on the pile before reaching for the other one. ''What are those?'' I asked myself as I pried the envelope open and started to slowly read the content.

    I only nced through the paper before two things caught my attention.

    First, the date. The letter that I picked up just so happened to be sent on the same day that I departed for this ce from the outer headquarters. And the other thing that I noticed was the lovely signature at the very bottom of the paper.

    ''Mia sent it?'' I thought after deciphering the signature.

    It was written differently than the letter''s content, proving that someone helped her write those. As such, it was actually way easier for me to decipher the content.

    But the second I managed to understand the first sentence, my face darkened.

    "I think it''s time for you to leave," I said in a cold voice as the sudden shaking of my soul reflected on my face. "Oh, and remember," I added, raising my eyes at the girl. "You never passed those letters to me. Come here in the middle of the night. I will read them all and then will need you to return them to where you found them."

    "Yes, sir," the girl quickly nodded her head. She then turned around and left the room, leaving me with nothing but Mia''s stories of the events that transpired over thest month.

    I looked at the paper once again before releasing a deep sigh and bringing out a bottle of vodka from my storage ring.

    ''This is going to be a long night,'' I thought as I took a sip and focused down at the letters covering the entirety of the paper.

    THE END OF THE ARC

    //*Author''s warning that doesn''t increase the chapter''s cost: Starting from the next chapter, the narration will change a little. It''s the very thing that I announced a few chapters prior, so don''t be weirded out when the next few chapterse :D Trust me, it will be worth it in the end!*//

 Chapter 226 - Mias Urge

    ***One month ago, exactly the morning of the day Arthur departed from the Tuxi lower headquarters***

    Mia struck her fists against the training pir over and over again.

    No matter how many times she did it, there was no satisfaction in her eyes.

    The fat beads of sweat decorating her forehead bore testimony to just how hard she was working.

    ''Not enough,'' she thought, pushing herself for just one more hit, just one morebo, just one more routine.

    Every now and then, a small quality of Mia''s body would change.

    It was a minute development. A hardly noticeable difference. But as the consecutive changes started to stack, Mia''s cultivation refined.

    ''This is amazing,'' she thought, unable to contain her excitement any longer.

    There wasn''t a single troubling thing about the current stage of her growth.

    ''Ever since I reached it, training became more of a pleasure rather than the daily duty,'' she thought, taking two seconds to catch her breath. She then threw herself right back to boxing with the training pir.

    ''Who knew that having all the cultivating resources in the world would be such a game-changer,'' she thought, taking a quick look at the stack of monster cores sitting neatly in the corner of her formation.

    With her focus broken, Mia lowered her hands and stepped out of the formation. ''We will need to remake them quickly,'' she thought, looking down at the half-assed job that someone did when setting up the arrays.

    It was supposed to be a training field, yet it was hardly better than just training out in the open.

    ''It''s nice to see that my ns are starting to bear fruit,'' she thought, moving her eyes at the figures of her teammates.

    Outside of the girl of the young couple, everyone in her team reached the fourth stage.

    "You grew stronger," Mia whispered under her nose as she approached Ve''s array.

    Back when the team was first created, Ve didn''t believe in her ability or usefulness. She had some tricks under her sleeve, but she generally tagged along.

    But now, a mere week after receiving proper grooming, she was now the one nearest to break into the fifth stage.

    Ve didn''t hear Mia''s remark. She was too focused on repeating exactly the same four moves that Mia taught her.

    Whenever Ve''s hands would strike the air, a small pocket of air would appear on top of her knuckles, giving testimony to the strength and speed behind the strike.

    ''And outside of this surprise,'' Mia looked away from her friend, taking a nce at Sander, ''he is doing just like I expected,'' she thought.

    Sandergged behind Ve in terms of cultivation... But his power was on another level.

    ''It''s as if there was another kind of force behind his fists,'' Mia thought, puzzled by her unexpected findings.

    "Good afternoon, students!" Arganar shouted as he made his way through the arch decorating the entrance to the training area.

    Initially, he was only interested in Mia due to her massive growth. Yet, as the elder spent more and more time with the rest of her group, he came to like the group pretty much.

    "Good morning," Mia smiled, nodding her head with respect to the man.

    It wasn''t an expected visit, but everyone weed Arganar''s presence.

    "First thing first," the elder said, rubbing the ring on his finger.

    An elegant sword appeared in his hand a momentter.

    "Sander, do you remember what I said about your predispositions?" he asked, swinging the sword''s de down as he reversed his grip of the handle.

    "You pointed out that I''m more inclined to use weapons than my fists, elder," Sander instantly snapped out of his training, cupping his hands together as he bowed to the elder.

    "That''s right," Arganar smiled before throwing the sword forward. "I would rmend you start training with this from today on," he added before shaking his head. "Sorry, kids, that''s it for the gifts for today," he added in an apologetic tone.

    ''You can get their gratitude for practically no cost,'' Arganar thought, smiling gently.

    ''Those kids make me recall my early days in the sect,'' he thought, blinking a few times to dry his eyes.

    "Also," Arganar shook his head as he turned his eyes towards Mia. "I looked into the matter that you asked me to," he said, getting closer to the girl and leaning over her ear. "And there it is," he said after hesitating a little.

    Arganar passed a small storage ring to Mia''s hand, making sure not to let the others see.

    "I don''t really know why you didn''t receive it. But the easiest exnation is that someone doesn''t like you," he added in a soft whisper before retreating.

    If there was a single thing that everyone knew about Mia, it was just how dear she held the memory of her lover. And it was no secret that her sole motivation to grow was to return to her lover''s side.

    ''So this is what Arthur wanted to give me,'' Mia thought, tightening her fist around the ring.

    Her eyes filled with emotions.

    A wave of hot air hit the girl. Her cheeks brightened up a little as she felt itching all over her body.

    ''And if I think about it, doesn''t that mean...'' she thought, resisting the urge to look at the hidden item.

    ''That he held it in his hands?'' Mia thought, her hands starting to tremble a little.

    A sudden and unexinable urge appeared in Mia''s mind.

    Her tongue turned sore as if some kind of force was pulling it down against Mia''s will.

    ''Wait... why do I...'' the girl hesitated, taking a single step back. ''Why do I want to lick it?''

    Mia froze in her ce, refusing to let her body move a single muscle. If she rxed even a little, she couldn''t hold her strange desire back.

    ''What the hell is this,'' she thought, scared witless of her own reaction. ''Is that just how excited I be just by thinking about him?'' she asked herself.

    Mia refused to ept it.. This side to her that she never knew about before.

 Chapter 227 - How It All Began

    Mia''s moment of weaknesssted for only a short moment.

    "It''s okay if you need some time," Arganar said, clearly aware that something was going on in the girl''s head.

    "Thank you," Mia lowered her head, hiding her face from the man.

    Even if it was as little as her expression, it was born out of an emotion reserved for Arthur. In Mia''s current state of mind, showing it to someone else would be akin to cheating.

    ''I can''t let my emotions get better of me,'' Mia thought, wiping her eyes from the residual tears that crystallized there. ''Still,'' she thought as she sniffled for a second. ''This situation is pretty damn bad,'' she realized.

    If it was just a single instance of institutional bullying, she could ept it as nepotism or using one''s backers.

    But the second her theory about the missing ring was proven, the entire situation expanded by a lot.

    ''It''s not just some small group that dislikes me,'' Mia thought, breathing out a deep sigh of exhaustion. ''But most likely an entire faction that I unknowingly picked a fight with,'' Mia closed her eyes as the realization dawned upon her.

    ''This is the one thing that relentlessly training won''t help to prepare me for,'' she thought, gathering her wits to kill the uneasiness that spread throughout her bones.

    "Sir..." Mia raised her head and opened her eyes. Yet, the second the elder''s face came into her view, Mia trembled.

    ''Can I even trust him?'' she asked herself, shocked by the sudden notion.

    ''He came bearing gifts, helps me out with anything I ask, appears to be against what''s going on...'' Mia thought, counting down the qualities of the elder.

    ''Isn''t he like,'' she hesitated, swallowing down a gulp of salvia. ''Too good to be real?''

    "What''s wrong?" Arganar asked, looking at Mia''s face with a puzzled expression.

    "Ah, nothing, forget it, sir," Mia backed off,ing to a decision.

    ''What if he is here just to see how much I do know? Or whether I want to do something about what I discovered?'' Mia asked herself.

    She constantly felt guilty at how passive she was back at the Skdder guild.

    Because even if she didn''t allow those thoughts to her head, she was still aware of one insanely simple thing.

    Back at the Skdder sect, Mia supported Arthur only a little. And even then, he never really bothered her with his ns and struggles.

    ''Thinking how that situation ended,'' Mia thought, tightening her hands.

    She could still recall the look of anguish on Arthur''s face. That expression, that desperate yet distant cry for help, hidden beneath an overwhelming amount of fury.

    It was a split-second worth of memory, but that single image made Mia as motivated as she was.

    ''I made a mistake by leaving Arthur to do all the scheming and nning,'' Mia thought, taking a deep breath to rx her body.

    ''And I almost made a simr mistake by trusting others too easily,'' she lectured herself, rxing her fingers and stabilizing her breath.

    ''But for now...'' she thought, finally calm enough to pick up the discussion.

    "I''m sorry, sir. Even if it was an unfortunate mistake, I still couldn''t help but get angry about it," Mia put a wry smile on her face, closing her eyes as she directed her face towards the elder.

    "It''s perfectly fine," the man shook his head, rxed when he saw Mia returning to her usual self. "Assuming that you have some resources in that ring, maybe you could''ve won that tournament?" Arganar threw out in the open, putting a thoughtful look on his face.

    "That''s exactly what I thought about," Mia quickly seconded the elder, already eager to hide somewhere to inspect the content of the ring.

    ''Maybe there is even a letter there?'' she thought.

    Perfectly aware that her discussion with the elder wasing to an end, her former excitement started to take over.

    Sure, this ring went through all sorts of hands. Licking it would be repulsive.

    But whatever was stored inside was only touched by Arthur himself.

    Mia''s tongue started to itch again.

    "Well, I will keep you informed once I discover more about this situation," Arganar proved to have some basic social skills by recognizing when his presence was no longer weed.

    He raised his hand at the girl before turning around and leaving.

    "I will be back in a few moments," Mia threw to her team, even though she was aware no one was listening with how busy they were with their training.

    ''To think that our struggle would change fromcking resources tocking time to consume those resources,'' Mia thought, a small grin appearing on her lips.

    It was truly a satisfying change.

    Just a week before, Mia would have to walk all the way to the sponsored area to return to her lodging where she could get some privacy. But along with all the cultivation resources that Arganar sponsored because of her advancement to the fifth rank, different privileges came along.

    The right to choose the location of her own residence and have the sect pay for it was along with them.

    In theory, Mia could pick up any and all buildings within the sect outside of the outer royal pce that was reserved for the royals only. Yet, instead of finding a mansion, Mia settled on a simple house close to the training grounds.

    And while it was far from extremelyfortable, Mia didn''t care. For her, the time she saved walking to and from the training grounds was worth all the money in the world.

    ''Now, let''s see,'' Mia muttered when she finally closed the doors behind herself and stared down at the ring.

    She never left the vial with Arthur''s blood. Despitecking the storage ring to use it on, she turned the vial into a token of sorts, keeping it on her neck at all times.

    ''Drop the blood and say the codeword,'' Mia recalled the instructions as she unlocked the storage ring.

    ''Woah,'' she moaned in shock a momentter, unable to believe her own eyes.

    She was already used to the sight of many cultivation resources stacked in a single ce. But what was within the storage ring went beyond that.

    ''Aren''t those a grade higher than the one we were using?'' Mia thought, staring down at the orderly stacked piles of spiritual cores.

    ''Ah,'' she shrugged a little when she noticed a new desire birthing in her heart. ''I don''t really want to sell it,'' she thought, pulling her focus out of the ring only to press it tightly to her chest.

    This was the most logical course of action. Right now, she had all the cultivation resources that she could want. But there were quite a lot of other things that she could make great use of.

    ''But to sell it... No,'' Mia decided, shaking her head. ''The stuff from Arthur, I won''t sell,'' she thought, pressing the right so hard above her chest that it imprinted itself on her skin.

    Yet, there was one thing that bothered her.

    There wasn''t any letter within the storage ring.

    ''Did he forget? Or maybe he didn''t bother to write one?'' Mia grumbled, pretty unhappy about this one aspect.

    And then, she pped her own forehead.

    ''I forgot he doesn''t know how to write!'' she eximed in her thoughts as a wave of relief washed over her body. She then released a small giggle. ''Well, it''s not like I''m any different in that regard,'' she realized the hypocrisy in her own thoughts.

    Yet, the sourness was deeply stuck in her mood.

    ''Even if... It would be nice if he went for the extra mile to write something.''

    For a moment, Miamented over her ownck of fortune. And then her eyes shed.

    "Wait," she muttered to herself, her eyes widening.. "Aren''t I the same?" asked herself, hiding the storage ring in her pocket. "Rather than waiting for Arthur to write to me, I can send him a letter instead!"

 Chapter 228 - How To Use Resources

    ''I guess I could send him a letter or two,'' Mia thought, putting the ring away.

    The girl simply sat down for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts.

    ''Ever since I met with him, my life was quite frantic, wasn''t it?'' Mia thought to herself, her lips curving up a little. ''Still, it''s better than what I had before,'' Mia raised her eyes, ''there is no doubt about it.''

    She took several deep breaths, allowing herself a minute of rest.

    And then she jumped up from the bed, heading straight towards her quarter''s doors.

    "There is no time to waste," she whispered to herself, pushing the old, wooden doors open as she hurried back towards the training grounds.

    ''I can no longer allow myself the sweet ignorance of worldly affairs,'' she thought. It was a motion that she became increasingly aware of ever since thest meeting with Arganar.

    Was he truly on her side? What kind of agenda does the elder have? Or maybe he was testing her to see how much she knew about the sect''s shenanigans?

    ''I don''t know,'' Mia thought, pursing her lips into a thin line. A single wrinkle appeared on her forehead.

    "Then I need to be strong enough not to care," she added in a low voice, quickly returning to the usual spot.

    ''But this is not the kind of strength that I can grow on my own,'' Mia thought to herself as he stepped into the middle of the training grounds.

    "Gather up, everyone," she called out.

    There was a time to train their bodies, and there was a time to do something else.

    ''And if I want to expand the group...'' Mia thought, looking around the ce as herpanions stopped their practice and sat around.

    "I''m going to go and sell a huge chunk of our resources," Mia announced once everyone gathered up. "Right now, we can''t even fully use them without going against our principle," she added as she lowered and then shook her head. "It''s better if we use those resources differently," she exined.

    Ever since Mia met with Arganar, they had more resources than they could consume. Especially with the principal rule of using everyst thing to its fullest.

    They all saw the effects of properly training their bodies along with cultivating. Even if it was an easy way forward, Mia decided not to fall into this trap.

    "Guys, we need to get stronger," Mia said, sitting down and resting her arms on her knees. "No matter what, we need to do everything towards this goal. Only when we are strong enough we will be able to fend for ourselves," she said, her voice quivering a little.

    Mia didn''t know who was behind all the bullying that she was subjected to ever since she arrived at the sect.

    Sure, the sponsored disciples could do a bit; maybe someone disliked her in the logistic chain...

    Yet, even when discounting her own case, Mia couldn''t help but be shocked by how useless this sect was.

    ''Back when we first heard about it, wasn''t this supposed to be the high and meritocratic society?'' she thought, recalling herst days at the Skdder sect. ''How is this ce any of those things?'' she asked herself whenever a wave of doubts would wash through her head.

    ''I don''t know who''s behind all this systematic bullying,'' Mia thought, rephrasing her earlier statement. ''But I will grow strong enough to put an end to it,'' she dered before herself.

    But what she wouldn''t admit to was the reason why she was so keen on destroying this obstacle.

    ''If they keep causing trouble, how could I grow strong enough and quick enough to be of use to Arthur?''

    This one question gued Mia''s mind, even if she refused to acknowledge it. The root problem was the foundation for her current determination.

    "So, back to the training, are we not?" Ve asked with a small smile.

    Ever since her results started improving, it felt as if a new life had entered into this formerly grumpy girl. Every move of her body was filled with energy, proving that she had discovered some sort of inner strength.

    "Not really," Mia replied, her lips curving up in a small smile. "I''ve got those for you guys," she said, rubbing the storage ring she received from Arganar and pulling out a set of paper sheets.

    "Those are the missions that you need to fulfill over the next three days," Mia announced, distributing the papers to the group. "If you can''t read, just run it through Arganar once he returns," she rmended.

    "What about you?" Sander smiled when asking the question. "You. Not we," he pointed out the details of Mia''s recent words. "I couldn''t help but notice," he added, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

    "I''m going to the auction hall," Mia replied without even a second of hesitation. "I will sell enough of the resources to get our training ground improved," she announced, not holding back anything at all.

    "Huh?" Sander shrugged, taken by surprise. "Is there really any need for it?"

    He was one of the few truly literate disciples in the entire normie group. As such, he had no trouble deciphering the words scribbled on the paper.

    "It''s not about the rewards but about the poprity," Mia exined.

    The papers that she just handed out were the requests submitted to the sect.

    Normally, it would be one of the sect offices tasked with distributing them towards the disciples. Yet, as Arganar exined, the inner disciples were hardly present to take those tasks on.

    By submitting her own group for the jobs, Mia managed to circumvent the bureaucracy, as that particr office was troubled with no one taking the quests.

    And the reason was simple. The rewards... they were mediocre at the very beast.

    Sure, they would be like a godsend for Mia''s group, but not after they received Arganar''s support!

    "Well, it''s fine by me," Sander said as he shook his shoulder. He then looked down at the concrete bs that made up the training grounds. "I guess you just need us out of this ce for a while, don''t you?" he asked, the right corner of his mouth rising in a mocking smile.

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head. "If I want to remake this ce, then no one will be able to train here for a while," she said, standing up and looking around the area. "And I don''t want you guys to just sit and do nothing. We don''t have time for such folly," she said.

    "It''s better if we get going, then," Ve said with a small sigh. "Well, that''s exactly what we signed for, isn''t it?" she added shortly with a delicate smile as she gathered her stuff and wiped her forehead with a towel.

    "I will be moving as well," Mia said, patting herself on the hips. "I will do my best, so expect great results," she added as she raised her hand in a farewell before moving out of the training ground.

    ''I still have the schematic with me,'' Mia checked, patting herself over her pocket.. The soft resistance underneath the fabric of her robe confirmed her thoughts. ''Now, let''s see how much they will ask for!''

 Chapter 229 - Im Illiterate, After All

    ''It''s better that way,'' Mia thought, feeling how Arthur''s storage ring weighted down on her pocket.

    For people who were starved for cultivation resources, parting with them was always a heavy burden on the heart. Even if her group was aware of how inefficient it would be to just hoard all the resources that they could, Mia could still tell how dissatisfied they were with her decision.

    Even if it was for the better. Even if it would make their growth more efficient.

    It was a feeling that they didn''t voice out, but a feeling that Mia noticed nheless.

    ''And they would be furious if they learned that I actually had a whole lot of those resources, but I kept them for myself,'' Mia thought, perfectly aware of the shady workings of human nature.

    If the matter of the ring were to surface, her group wouldn''t be likely to care about how everything they have came from Mia''s actions. They would be mad why she didn''t offer Arthur''s resources as well instead!

    ''Huh?'' Mia''s thoughts stopped when she suddenly noticed a small but visible change in how people on the street looked at her.

    Being deep in her thoughts, she only managed to take notice now, when she was already nearing the building of the auction hall.

    ''Is this a bit of... respect I see?'' Mia thought, returning the stares of the passersby before refocusing her eyes at the building in the distance. ''We only took part in a single tournament and didn''t even win it... So how could this changee to be?'' Mia asked herself, puzzled by the issue.

    But she ultimately didn''t have the time to worry about it too much. The second benefit of her new lodging, after all, was its proximity not only to the training grounds but also to the auction hall.

    Mia entered through the main door.

    It wasn''t her first visit to the ce. Especially now that the people at the Auction Hall learned about Arthur''s support, Mia continued to limit her presence in this building.

    Because whenever she appeared here, Fido would approach her and attempt to exert pressure on Arthur through her.

    ''I wonder how long it will take for him toe today,'' Mia thought, lowering her furrows as her mood spoiled a little.

    "Hello," she said out loud as she reached the main hall of the building.

    Out of nowhere, one of the clerks of the ce appeared right before her.

    "How can we be of service today, young miss?" the clerk bowed his head in a respectful manner.

    ''I guess those guys caught the wind of the news as well,'' Miamented in her mind as she put a small smile on her face.

    "I actually came here with several matters," she announced. "Would it be possible to organize a private meeting ce to settle them?" she requested before nodding her head.

    "Right away, young miss, right away," the clerk said as he bowed in response before backing out two steps. "It would be of great help if young miss waited here for a moment," he announced before hurrying away.

    ''I guess he went to fetch Fido,'' Mia thought, feeling how her strength started to leave her body. ''I guess I will have to be on edge today as well,'' she thought, steeling herself for the bout of maniptive tactics of her counterpart.

    "I''m sorry for the wait," a gentle, feminine voice reached Mia''s ears, proving her theory wrong.

    It wasn''t Fido that came to satisfy her requests, but a woman she had never seen before!

    "Oh, I wouldn''t dare to mind it," Mia replied, serving a little curtsy to show her respect.

    ''She has to be someone pretty important,'' Mia thought, stealing a nce at theplex arrays imprinted on the woman''s elegant dress.

    "Then, if you would be so kind as to follow me," the woman uttered, bowing a little as she extended her hand to the side.

    Soon, the two of them moved to one of the many rooms avable in the massivepound.

    "Now then," the woman turned around and sat on the sofa, pointing Mia at the seat opposite to her. "How can my auction hall be of help for you?" she asked.

    "First, I would like to sell some cultivation resources," Mia reported, rubbing her ring.

    The table that separated the two girls turned out to be pretty useful, allowing Mia to unload all the resources that she wanted to sell.

    "That''s..." the auction hall clerk hesitated for a moment, shocked by the amount. "Youngdy, are you really sure?" she asked, unable to believe that someone was willing to part with so much of this strategic resource.

    "Yes, I''m sure," Mia nodded her head. "But this is only the first of my requests," she said, raising her hand to put an emphasis on her next words. "You could say, I''m selling all of those to obtain the funding necessary for my other matters," Mia added.

    ''I guess they didn''t want to part with so much money at once,'' Mia thought, a small smile appearing on her lips.

    Just like any business, Auction Hall had to have some money to keep its trade going. For a hub like this ce, they had to be able to sell and buy any and all at all times.

    And if all Mia wanted was to sell the pile of the expensive cultivation resources, the free funds of the auction hall could easily reach a dangerously low level!

    "What would be your other requests, then?" the woman asked, crossing her arms on her chest and putting her left leg on her right knee.

    ''A locked position,'' Mia thought, her face darkening a little.

    Recognizing the disposition of the other party was one of the few tricks that she managed to learn from Arthur. And the figure that the auction hall clerk assumed didn''t bode well for Mia''s requests.

    "First off, I would like to ask for your help with hiring both formation masters and enough projects to rebuild the training area in the outer sect," Mia exined, a small smile appearing on her lips.

    "That''s..." the woman calcted for a moment before focusing her eyes on the girl''s face. "That''s doable, but it will cost you a lot. Do you have any designs on the project?" she asked after informing Mia about the initial look at the situation.

    "Yeah," Mia nodded her head, pulling out a paper from her pocket. "This is only a general schematic, but I made sure to copy everyst detail I could find," she exined. "Those are the arrays that I saw in the sponsored area of the sect," Mia quickly added.

    After all, by how casually she brought up the topic, it would be easy to assume she didn''t have the right to use those formations in the first ce!

    "I see," the clerk rubbed her chin as she took a quick nce at the papers. "But let''s put it aside for a moment. It just so happens that we have a renowned formation master at our ce, so we can go and ask him about this topicter," the woman replied, a slight hint of dissatisfaction appearing on her lips.

    "Then, I would like someone''s help with sending a letter," Mia quickly put out her second request.

    "Help with sending a letter?" the clerk echoed her words, a look of surprise appearing on her face.

    Given the amount of money and resources literally on the table between them, this wasn''t the kind of mission that she expected!

    "Yes, I need help both in writing and then sending the letters," Mia nodded her head to confirm the situation. She then shook her shoulders.. "I''m illiterate, after all."

 Chapter 230 - So Quick?

    Mia wasn''t in a hurry when she moved through the streets of the city.

    Right now was the time of the dinner. Most of the doors around her were closed; the streets themselves were empty.

    Everyone was busy enjoying their first meal of the day. The meal would help them fare through the rest of the day, giving them the strength to do whatever they had to do.

    ''It''s so peaceful,'' Mia thought, soaking in the chilly atmosphere.

    After the intense negotiations back at the auction hall, this was exactly what she needed.

    ''Just what''s her agenda?'' Mia thought, unable to find the answer to the question.

    The meeting with that female clerk was strange.

    She appeared to be pretty helpful and eager to fulfill Mia''s requests from one side.

    ''But on the other side,'' Mia hesitated, her lips turning into a thin line.

    The girl couldn''t really put it into words. It was a weird feeling, right at the border of what Mia could perceive, that set the girl off.

    As if there was something hidden deep below the mask that she adorned.

    ''Still, I can''t deny how smoothly it went,'' she thought, looking back over her arm for a moment before turning her eyes towards the front.

    Now that the matters with the auction hall were settled, she had to push forward her own tasks as well.

    ''Not a second to take a breather,'' Mia thought, tightening her lips. ''I guess that''s the only kind of life that''s worth living,'' she thought, her lips curving up into a smile.

    Whatever was the reason behind her actions, Mia continued to move forward. She would use every second of her time to squeeze the most out of what she had.

    ''So many things to do, so little time,'' she would often think, unsure what to put her hands to next.

    ''Doing everything that I can, can be pretty fulfilling,'' Mia thought, a shy smile creeping up on her lips.

    This small smile decorated her face as she returned to the training ground.

    ''They are nowhere to be seen,'' Mia thought, looking around to find her group.

    Her smile widened a little.

    ''Diligent bastards,'' she thought, feeling a strange sense of pride warm her heart.

    "Everyone!" Mia shouted as soon as she made her way to the middle point of the training ground. "Gather up!"

    The training ground would soon undergo a massive change. But for that to happen, it had to be empty.

    ''I need to throw them a bone if I want to get rid of all of them,'' Mia thought, steeling herself for what woulde next.

    "This paper here," Mia shouted a few momentster, raising her hand with a mission-prescribed scroll. "It allows any and all of you to go and gather Suon Grass at the outskirts of the city!" Mia announced.

    This was the one mission that she left for this asion. One mission that she didn''t share with her group.

    Because it was so damn profitable. And if she wanted to get rid of all those disciples, the bone she would throw them had to be a big one.

    "For each bundle of fifty, you will receive a single monster core at the distribution center!" Mia shouted, finishing her act.

    Her words were true. Those were indeed the details of the mission. But what she didn''t announce was how she was the one who set it up.

    Using the auction hall, she organized a mission that most of those normie disciples could easily fulfill, albeit by taking a long time to do so.

    ''At least I will have no issue with the cost of this mission,'' she thought, staring down at the shocked faces of her colleagues.

    A vile smile appeared on her lips.

    "The requester only wants a hundred bundles!"

    Mia''s words were the spark that fell on the powderkeg that the crowd in the training ground was.

    ''That went quickly,'' Mia thought when the entire ce got deserted in less than a minute.

    The jealousy was there. All those disciples that Mia didn''t include in her ns didn''t have the chance to participate in her miracle.

    They all wished for the opportunity. And now, Mia gave them exactly what they wanted.

    ''I could actually use them,'' Mia thought, looking towards the gate. A small seed of n materialized in her head, slowly setting its roots in her mind.

    She couldn''t see even a single disciple, not even when staring down the road.

    Thest warning really did wonders to make them hurry the fuck out.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged when she noticed a small group approaching the training grounds. ''Who are they?'' she thought.

    But soon, it became apparent.

    "Hello," a man heading the group approached Mia before nodding his head. His long hair rustled in the air as he did so. "I came here to dabble with some formations," he announced.

    ''So quick!'' Mia thought, startled.

    Sure, she requested some formation masters to help her remodel the arrays in the training ground... Even then, Mia didn''t expect the female clerk to work so fast!

    "Ah, wee," Mia finally shook off her shock and lowered her head in response.

    Just the quality of the man''s robes showed her how high his status was whenpared to her own.

    "So this is the ce," the formation master didn''t bother wasting any time. He looked over Mia''s shoulder, only to click his tongue and move around the girl to get a better look.

    For a good while, he simply stared down at theplicated arrays filling the floor of the training ground.

    "Tsk," he clicked his tongue again, only to rest his arms on his hips. "It''s even worse than I thought," he added in a half-tone.

    The man then shook his head before turning his face back to Mia.

    "It will be the easiest and most efficient to rip it all off and start from scratch," he announced to the face of the still shocked girl before turning his eyes to the side and waving his hand up. "Guys! Clean this ce up for me!" he shouted.

    Soon, the area filled with a massive crowd of robust workers.

    They didn''t bother wearing any sort ofplicated clothes. A simple piece of cloth was wrapped around theirher regions, allowing for a perfect airflow all over their sweaty and bulky skin.

    And they were more than eager to start their job.

    ''It looks like there is some visceral joy in destruction,'' Mia thought a few secondster, astounded by how happy those men were to join in the fun.

    Hammers were swung. Pickages struck down at the stone bs making up the training ground''s floor. Huge pieces of broken stone were sent flying as the men cleaned up the area from its old setup.

    "Right," Mia finally shrugged off her surprise as she approached the Elder. She then pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper before passing it to the man.

    "Respectable elder, this is the schematic I wanted to show," she said, passing the document over.

    It was the fruit of her painstaking efforts to map out everyst mark on the surface of the sponsored training ground.

    This single piece of paper reflected several nights that she spent with a torch, working hard while everyone else was long asleep.

    "Don''t bring up this old-school garbage to my eyes," the man said a momentter, throwing the paper away. Yet, there was no hostility in his eyes.

    His pupils sank, his face froze.

    ''He is already deep in thought,'' Mia realized, kneeling down to pick the paper from the ground.

    ''It hurt a little, you know?'' she protested inwardly at the cold treatment towards the effects of her hard work.

    "As long as you can improve this ce," Mia muttered as she averted her eyes. Her voice revealed just how dissatisfied she was.

    "Ah, sorry, was I rude or something?" the man finally shook himself out of his daze as he nced over at the girl. But before Mia could even open her mouth, he had already moved on. "What budget do you have for this task?" he asked instead.

    Mia released a deep sigh, letting go of her silly emotions.

    "Any and all amount of the cores," she replied, passing over the storage ring she received from Arganar.

    Most of the cores and other treasures within were long gone... but that still left a hefty amount inside.

    "That should... Yeah, it should be enough," the man looked inside the ring and fell into a moment of thought. "Here," he added, passing the ring back to Mia''s hand. "Go and sell it all. Buy as many monster bones as you can get in exchange," he instructed snapping his fingers.

    A massive, wooden table appeared beside the man. It was as if the air condensed into a certain shape only to suddenly be reced with the real thing.

    The formation master didn''t waste a second. By the time Mia processed her new task, he was already bent over the desk, scribbling some forms on the piece of paper he pulled out from his robes.

    "Bones?" Mia echoed the man''s words, raising her eyes on the man''s face. She was extremely confused by the development. "Sir, did I hear it right?" she asked.

    It was the first time for Mia to hear of anyone having any need for the bones of the monsters!

    ''Aren''t those, like...'' she hesitated, ''a waste leftover from hunting?'' she thought, before shaking her head.

    "That''s right," the formation master smiled a little. "It''s a new idea I got pretty recently," he replied before his smile suddenly froze. He cast a quick nce at the girl''s face, only to avert his eyes a momentter.

    "Could it be?" he whispered to himself, clearly shocked by something that he just thought about.

    But Mia heard it. Her cultivation stage was so high that even her senses were affected, allowing her to notice the sudden change in the man.

    ''Huh?'' she shrugged in surprise, only to cut her act and pretend like she didn''t notice anything.

    ''Whatever he just thought, since he is hiding it from me, let''s not put any pressure on him,'' she thought.

    If anything, this man''s status was too high for the girl to risk insulting him in any way or form.

    ''For now, it''s better to just stay silent,'' she decided, swallowing down a gulp of saliva.

    The man didn''tment on the momentary situation either.

    He simply smiled happily as he turned his attention back to the drawing. Soon, a piece of charcoal started leaving marks on the paper as the man immersed himself in projecting his idea onto the field of the training grounds.

    Mia turned around and left for the auction hall to fulfill the man''s strange request.

 Chapter 231 - We All Have Our Circumstances

    "You again?" the female clerk nearly jumped up when Mia returned to the auction hall. "Is there anything that I can help you with?" she quickly changed her narration, bowing respectfully as she assumed the professional look on her face.

    "Ehh..." Mia sighed, lowering her eyes. "Bones of monsters," she replied, refusing to look the woman in the face.

    This was a strangely unusual request.

    For most, monsters'' bones were nothing more than a waste, an unnecessary hunting byproduct. And yet, Mia was in the middle of the auction hall, asking to buy some.

    The clerk made the ''why am I not surprised'' kind of face before rolling her eyes and reaching to her pocket.

    "Here," she said, passing over a ring a secondter. "But you should ask yourself one question," the woman put a small, mysterious smile on her face as the look in her eyes sharpened for a second.

    "Howe I so readily have the seemingly unnecessary item that you came to request," the clerk stated a question before turning around and raising her hand in a wave. "I assume you are on the clock, so I won''t stop you any longer," she added before hurrying away.

    ''Just who is she?'' Mia asked herself, baffled by the strange behavior of the woman.

    Judging by her robes, she was just one of the officers of the local auction hall. Yet, the way she acted didn''t adhere to this image.

    "Well, thanks," Mia ended up lowering her head before turning right around and leaving.

    Unable to understand the woman''s motives, she couldn''t feelfortable around her.

    ''At least it went quickly,'' Mia thought. She was eager to return, curious about the developments back at the training ground.

    But within the short time that she took to procure the monsters'' bone, the situation at the training grounds changedpletely.

    ''What the hell,'' Mia thought, baffled by sight.

    She expected the ce to be emptied out for renovation. Cleaned and prepared for maintenance.

    But the workers underneath the formation master literally ripped the ce apart.

    The stone bs thatid out the training grounds area were all but gone, cast aside on a pile like some kind of garbage.

    ''Sure, they weren''t worth much,'' Mia thought, startled by what she saw, ''but they could still be sold for a pretty sum!''

    This show of wastefulness finally made the girl realize the scale of what was going on.

    It wasn''t some simple renovation.

    The Elder didn''t overestimate his ns when he imed he would rebuild this ce from scratch.

    "You are finally back," the man hurried to Mia''s side the moment he noticed her. "Do you have the bones?" he asked impatiently.

    "Yeah," Mia passed the ring to the man. She already confirmed its content while on her way back.

    And it was indeed filled with bones of monsters.

    ''I guess he was the one who supplied those bones,'' Mia finally realized, struck by the sudden enlightenment.

    The rank of this man-made his presence at the outskirts strange. There were all kinds of locations and facilities where his skills and worth could be better used.

    That was the first red g that was raised in Mia''s mind. And just as he created a demand for something, the supply appeared out of nowhere as well.

    ''I guess he is just going to make a massive profit from me,'' Mia thought, stopping herself from releasing a deep sigh.

    ''Well, I guess I should already be used to this kind of treatment,'' she thought, rolling her eyes a little.

    "Okay, everyone!" the Elder shouted the second he received the ring, turning his eyes towards his near-infinite pool of manpower. "Let''s turn this ce around!"

    Mia never expected to be charmed by the sight of men working.

    She didn''t pay attention to any of the workers but to their work''s general progress and efficiency.

    And rather than calling it to work, she soon decided to call it a spectacle.

    First, the group that initially arrived with the Elder would take a monster bone. They would then cut and shape the bones only to imprint them with runes.

    ''Huh?'' Mia looked at the work, shocked by something that even she, aplete amateur at formations, could notice.

    The marks on each of the stones... were extremely simple. They appeared more like groups of a few letters instead of long andplicated paintings.

    Once the semi-elders would prepare the stone, the workers would array them on a special wooden te.

    "Isn''t this going to be a problem?" Mia asked, unable to exin one thing.

    "Let me guess, why are we using wood, right?" the Elder countered, ncing over at the girl.

    From the moment he finished hisst blueprint, his job on the site was done. Now he only had to see the rest of the construction over.

    "Isn''t it too fragile for the task?" Mia asked, truly concerned about this point.

    ''If this ce breaks down after a week of using it... then what would be the point of this renovation in the first ce?'' she thought.

    "Fear not," the Elder replied in an amused tone. "Once the spiritual energy starts to circte, this wood will turn into a material that hardly anything can challenge," the man exined.

    Even though the work started, the prepared tes would go to sit on a stockpile rather than being ted over the area.

    The formation master''s design was simple... but it required a lot of groundwork.

    First, the workers evened out the ground all over the training grounds area. Then, they split it up into several pieces before digging each and every one of them out.

    ''Foundations?'' Mia thought, shocked by sight. ''Isn''t this for like,'' she hesitated even in her thoughts, ''for big buildings?'' she asked herself. ''Why use it for a simple tform?''

    But soon, Mia found the answer to her question.

    Once again, the formation master stepped into the working field. He pulled out several bags from his storage ring before mixing them in a massive cauldron.

    And then, magic happened.

    Each of the workers would approach the cauldron with a small cup. They would then pour it on the ground and use a special, wide shoe to smear it all over the surface.

    And a measly few minutester, the substance hardened, reinforcing the dugout.

    "Add the firstyer!" the formation master ordered.

    And then, the entire machine finally entered itsst phase.

    Now, the prepared wooden bs would go directly into the dugout. First, the workers would pour some earth onto the desired area before sshing it with Master''s mixture. Then, once it would be soft and moldable, they would push a wooden b into it before giving it some time to solidify.

    ''That''s quite ingenious,'' Mia thought. But soon, she couldn''t even dress her shock into words.

    Because after filling the floor of the entire training ground with wooden bs... The workers started to repeat the process once again.

    "Make sure not to mess up the order!" Master''s direct subordinates started to walk around the ce, overseeing the procedure.

    From the looks of things, the Master was set on keeping even the tiniest details as perfect as possible.

    And once the secondyer was finally finished... the workers got started on the third.

    "How manyyers is this ce going to have?" Mia groaned, unable to process the sight before her eyes.

    If she had any doubts about the man''s intention before, then they were all gone now. Because instead of going for the path of the least resistance, this man did several times more than Mia actually expected!

    Just from the amount of effort the Elder put into his craft, Mia couldn''t help but feel respect towards him.

    And in the spur of a moment, Mia''s thoughts escaped through her lips.

    "Master, why are you even in a ce like this?" Mia asked silently, unaware that her thoughts were leaking.

    The man smiled before recing his cheerful expression with a sorrowful one.

    ''Huh?'' Mia finally realized her blunder. But instead of backing off, she decided to push right ahead.

    "What is a man of your caliber doing in such a remote ce?" Mia asked.

    Over the course of thest weeks, she has learned the basic information about the sect. Being the rising star of disciples, she decided it was a necessary knowledge.

    This decision allowed her to look at the situation from a broader perspective.

    ''Right now, we are on the westernmost edge of the fertilends, with only frontier awaiting beyond the river,'' Mia thought, recalling the map in her head. ''Sect hintendsy far off to the east. And it''s there where this Master should reside,'' she thought.

    A man of his caliber was fitted for the lower or upper headquarters, not the Outerpost deserted in the far west!

    "I''m just a ve, driven to the bone by a sadistic boss," the Elderughed out, pretending toin. His troubled look from before finally found its release.

    "I guess we all have our circumstances," Mia sighed in response beforeughing out as well.

    For some reason, she just couldn''t be on guard around this man!

 Chapter 232 - Step In

    "I''m but a ve... but thanks to this work, I got the meet with the master of formations," the Elder stated, his eyes clouding up a little. "That alone made all my former efforts worth it," the man said, his mind ascending somewhere far away.

    "Yeah..." Mia nodded her head and muttered, unsure how she was supposed to react to this reveal.

    ''Master? What kind of Master? Did a genius formation master appear somewhere in the world recently?'' Mia attempted to make sense of the Elder''s words but gave up halfway.

    She heard and knew too little to pass on any real judgment. For now, she was stuck with nothing more but wild assumptions, hoping that by analyzing them, she could figure out what the truth was.

    That''s why, when the formation master started wetting himself at the thought of yet another master, Mia kindly didn''t bother to stop him or ask more.

    In due time, if she was to know, someone would exin what this Master was or whatever. And if it wasn''t her fate to know it, what was the point of thinking about the topic in advance?

    "I was looking at those formations," Mia said, hoping to change the topic. "I never really learned about formations, but why do those look way different than the arrays we had here before?" Mia asked, finally referring to the question that she had thought of before.

    Why were the formation tes covered in those simple markings instead of some kind ofplex runes?

    Was it really a good idea to hire this man if he clearly wasn''t going to use high-end formations to fulfill the job? Mia couldn''t help but wonder.

    "It''s because of this new discovery I mentioned," the Elder smiled, clearly aware of how strange his behavior was. Yet, from his wide smile, it was clear that he was always happy to discuss his field of work. "It''s a revolutionary discovery," the man sighed. "A genius method," he added, a hint of craze appearing deep behind his eyes.

    "Right," the look in the formation master''s eyes changed a little as he nced over at the girl. "What cultivation stage are you on if I might ask?"

    ''Where did thate from?'' Mia shrugged, surprised by the sudden question. But she saw no harm in sharing the answer.

    In the end, her current rate of growth was her greatest weapon against any and all bullying. Only by bing an openly recognized rising star of the Tuxi disciples could she ensure the safety of her own and her group.

    "I should be able to break into the sixth stage soon," Mia revealed, her eyes glued to the man''s face.

    ''His reaction could tell me something,'' Mia thought, attempting to read just what kind of impression her answer would make on the formation master.

    "Oh, I see," the man replied offhandedly as if he didn''t care about the answer in the slightest.

    But Mia noticed the small detail. For a second, when he heard her answer, the man froze.

    He clearly was interested in the question yet pretended that he wasn''t.

    ''Just as I started to think I could trust in this guy,'' Mia thought, her mood swinging towards the sourness. ''Wait, am I in the wrong here?'' Mia thought. ''The fact that he does have some agenda doesn''t necessarily mean he is against me,'' she thought, too tired of assuming that everyone is a potential enemy.

    For a moment, Mia just wanted to drop all those suspicions away.

    ''I guess there is only one way to judge this man''s worth,'' she ended up deciding as her eyes moved towards the construction site.

    ''And it''s by judging the fruits of his work,'' she thought before turning silent once again.

    Soon, the day neared its end. Even though she first appeared at the training ground in the morning to send everyone off, and even though the clerk at the auction hall was even quicker than Mia expected...

    The job only truly started when she brought monsters'' bones to the side. And even despite this massive dy of nearly half of a day, by the time the sun started to go down, the project actually neared itspletion.

    "It''s basically done, now," the formation Master muttered under his nose before ncing over at where Mia observed the progress. "Hey, girl!" he shouted. "Do you want to try it out?" the Elder asked with a wide grin adorning his lips.

    ''Why is it so hard to suspect this man?'' Mia thought as she released a heavy sigh.

    The sheer, nearly childish excitement visible in the Master''s eyes made it hard to treat him with suspicion. He was just too honest in his passion for his job.

    "Sure thing," Mia finally replied, jumping down from a small wall that she seated herself upon.

    Yet, as she approached the new floor of her training ground, the girl couldn''t help but hesitate.

    This ce was covered with five differentyers of formations stacked upon each other. And as aplete novice to the topic, she couldn''t understand the purpose of most of the runes, not to speak about deriving the purpose of the entire thing.

    As such, whether she would step into the formation or now would be the greatest test of faith that she had in the man.

    Did he really prepare a potent formation for her and others to train? Or was it a trap aimed at hurting her in some way?

    ''Fuck it,'' Mia thought, swallowing the gulp of saliva that gathered up in her mouth. ''If I just get suspicious over everything and everyone, then I won''t be able to progress at all!'' she noticed as she pushed her body forward.

    "Oh, not so fast!" the Elder shouted, stopping the Mia right in her tracks. He then pulled out several cores with a shine that greatly outweighed the shine of any core that Mia saw before in her life.

    "Consider this a token of trust that I have in this work," the man said before cing the five of the most magnificent cores that Mia saw in her life into five different circles around the formation.

    "Whenever you want to cultivate in the future, just stack cultivation resources in those five rings," the Elder instructed before gesturing at the biggest ring off them all. "Now, step here," he ordered.

    ''Well, here goes nothing, then,'' Mia thought, swallowing her saliva once again before finally setting her foot in the right spot.

    But nothing happened at all.

    No energy rushed towards her. No quality of the air changed, indicating that some forces were at work.

    She made the leap of faith, and it paid off with absolutely nothing.

    "Don''t make such a face," the Elderughed off, amused by Mia''s shocked reaction. "The formation isn''t running yet. We still need to add some finishing touches, so the self-activation doesn''t work yet," he added before falling to his knees and meddling around thest te of the entire array.

    "Elder..." Mia muttered, looking at the cores that the Elder ced within the formation. "I''m happy for the token of assurance," she muttered as she nced over to the cultivation resources so potent; their aura alone made her feel like it could rip her apart. "But aren''t those too strong?" she asked, pointing with her chin towards the stones.

    "Don''t worry," the Elder waved his hand away without even raising his eyes away from the te. "I''m not stupid enough to forget about the limits," he added before suddenly raising his eyes. "Are you ready?" he asked.

    Mia swallowed her saliva for the third time. From how theatric the man was about this entire thing, clearly, something big was going to happen.

    ''I guess I won''t know what will happen unless I push forward myself,'' Mia thought before looking down at the man.

    She then nodded her head, only to see the Elder erase a single line that intruded on the opening rune of the entire formation.

    In an instant, the entire thing came to life.

 Chapter 233 - [Bonus ]Unexpected Breakthrough

    There was no wave of energy that overflew through Mia''s system the second the massive array formation came to life.

    Instead, a steady flow of energy sshed all over Mia''s body, supplying her body with an ample amount of spiritual force to push her cultivation forward.

    ''It''s... different?'' Mia thought, surprised by how strange this formation acted.

    Instead of just helping to gather the energy and stop it from diffusing outside of the array, the formations did something to the energy.

    Instead of rushing in like a violent wave, the mana now turned into a steady stream, constantly supplying Mia''s flesh with the same amount of energy second after second.

    It was as if all the usual roughness of energy had disappeared.

    ''Is this how this formation works?'' Mia thought, struggling to move her head even a little now that he body was basking in nearly endless amounts of energy.

    Pop.

    It started just like that.

    Normally, when one was on the fifth stage of cultivation, they would have to diligently guide their mana through their body, looking for weaknesses that the energy could breach.

    As this was a slow and gradual process, the term "opening one''s meridians" was thus coined, giving birth to the official name of the fifth stage of cultivation.

    But in Mia''s case, she didn''t guide shit.

    The second the flow of energy forced its way into her body, it simply washed off over any imperfection, either clogging it shut or forcing it fully open, extending the flow of Mia''s spiritual power.

    ''What''s going on?'' Mia thought, desperate to calm down and take the reins of her own cultivation, currently rushing about in the crazy attempt at growth.

    The steady flow of spiritual power was addicting. On the one hand, Mia wanted to free herself from it to regain the freedom of her actions, but on the other hand...

    The constant flow of the calm energy was hard to refuse.

    Pop, pop, pop.

    The blockades on Mia''s cultivation vanished without a trace one by one as her power surged up.

    It was as if her body finally found the kind of energy that it was happy to gobble up and absorb, as opposed to the usual struggle to force the new energy into the already overfilled limits of her flesh!

    POP!

    Mia''s growth exploded once again. The rushing mana simply washed over the bottleneck of the stage, forcefully carrying Mia''s level along with on the trip.

    But even when she managed to break through... nothing changed.

    There was no usual change of perception that would follow one''s breakthrough. Still stuck in the same limbo as before, Mia started to soak in the energy at an unprecedented rate.

    ''What''s going on?!'' Mia panicked a little when her power continued to surge, building up the inner momentum necessary to break through once again!

    ''No!'' the girl screamed out inwardly.

    Reaching the seventh stage so soon? As great as it would be, doing so would only cause a lot of problems. Rather than bing a star disciple, Mia would only condemn herself into suspicion by advancing too quickly!

    ''To think that those lessons Arganar gave us would turn out useful in this way,'' Mia thought when a sudden moment of calmness dawned upon her.

    She only knew anything about the fifth and sixth stages because of the lectures that Arganar would asionally conduct over the past week. And while she had a pretty good understanding of the unlocking meridians stage, all she knew about the next level were rumors and half-truths!

    ''Body reinforcement, was it?'' Mia thought in a moment of rity before her mind once again had to focus on assimting the energy. ''What should I do, now?'' Mia inwardly screamed out, unsure of what she would do with the insane amounts of energy flowing inside her.

    Mia was eager to cultivate in her new stage... But something was stopping her. It felt as if a massive burden was ced on her body, stopping her from fully advancing no matter how much energy she would absorb.

    Her hair started to raise a little when static appeared all over her body. For one more moment, Mia was squeezed between the iing energy and the wall that she faced...

    Small lightning appeared over her head, only to skit through to her heart and disappear.

    And in an instant, the wall disappeared, allowing Mia to freely advance.

    Now that the wall limiting her growth was gone, Mia soaked in the mana like crazy. The rate of her absorption was simply impossible to achieve with how the spiritual energy usually was. Yet, in just a few moments, Mia could feel that she was actually...

    ''I''m nearing another breakthrough?!'' Mia thought, stunned by the realization.

    So she did the next most rational thing... and forced herself to step out of the formation.

    "Aaah..." Mia instantly bent in half, resting her hands against her knees.

    Now that she had moved out of the formation, the weight of her own power overwhelmed her. Her body still needed to readjust the ratios of power necessary to move around.

    Normally, one would take a long time to approach the bottleneck. Then they would spend even longer trying to break through it.

    The time people would usually spend on the process would allow their bodies the time necessary to get used to the new burden of energy on it. But in Mia''s case, everything happened way too quickly, putting Mia''s body near the limit of what it could safely handle.

    ''I''m soo tired,'' Miained, struggling to gather her thoughts.

    "Why did you step out?" the Elder asked, looking at Mia with curiosity written all over his face. "You could easily advance again. It should somewhat lessen the symptoms," he added, looking at the girl with concern in his eyes.

    "I only heard a little about the stage I am in right now," Mia replied as she continued to take heavy breaths to stabilize the state of her own body. "I judged it would be stupid to recklessly push ahead when I''m not sure what I''m supposed to do," she added, smoothly lying about her real reasons.

    ''Sure, it would be a nice thing to advance even further,'' she thought as she filled her lungs with fresh air, ''but I don''t think I would be able to face the consequences,'' she decided as she started to release the air back into the world.

    The formation master nced over at the same cores that he inserted in the formation before. Their shine was almost the same as it was before, indicating just how small was the push that the girl needed to advance.

    ''Judging from the usage, she would only stall at the eight-stage,'' the man thought, squinting his eyes a little as he turnedpletely silent, refusing toment on Mia''s response.

    ''Just what is his goal?'' Mia thought again as she nced over at the Elder''s face.

    The man was deep in his thoughts, clearly analyzing some sort of scenario.

    But as tired as the girl was, there was still one more thing that she needed to do.

    "Elder, I know this might sound rude when asking for it sote," Mia stared, troubled to speak over how tired she was. "But would it be possible to split the effects of this formation throughout the entire field instead of centralizing it all in one ce?"

 Chapter 234 - Would You Like To Speak Up?

    The day neared its end.

    The sun hid behind a distant set of mountains, showering the entire city in darkness. Only asionalnterns would light up the streets, guiding the lost travelers towards their homes.

    And near the outskirts of the town, where not a single light could be seen, stood an inn.

    It was a ce like many others, filled with drunkards and people wasting their free time and money on a cup of piss-quality ale.

    ''It smells like dog''s shit,'' Natan thought as he stepped inside the building.

    He pulled down his deep hood that previously hid his face. Even though it was dark for someone like him to step into a ce like that...

    The young man wasn''t taking any chances. Were a single sh of light to illuminate his face, not only his career could be over, but so could be his life.

    "Look who came!" the voices reached towards Natan''s group the second the doors closed shut.

    ''Wait... how?'' Natan suddenly asked, shocked by a strange thing.

    How, amidst all the noiseing from the insides of the Inn, he could understand the words of the other perfectly?

    "Antrall," Natan''spanion pulled his hood down while returning the greeting. "It''s been some time," he added, nodding his head with respect.

    "Anyway," the man called Antrall turned his face back towards the group of people he was conversing with. "I don''t think we should hinder the growth of the Double Smiths guild," he said, clearly keeping the topic from before.

    ''Excuse me?'' Natan thought, shocked by what he heard.

    Although not vital to the group''s inner workings, those were not the things one should discuss so openly!

    "Those guys..." wrinkles appeared on Natan''s forehead as he tightened his fists. His blood boiled.

    He paid so much effort to make sure no one would see himing to this ce and those men...

    ''They are endangering the whole operation!'' Natan realized, fury taking over his mind.

    He didn''t waste half of his life kissing all sorts of asses, only for everything to fall apart the second he got his promotion.

    "Calm down, brother," Natan''spanion said, heavily cing his hand down the young man''s shoulder. "This entire ce is under our control," he said. Then, a small glint appeared in the corner of the middle-aged man''s eye. "No one unauthorized would be able to set foot in here," the man added before turning his eyes away.

    He then marched forward and took a seat at the table the Antrall guy upied.

    "So?" Antrall asked, taking a hefty sip of beer and then energetically wiping his mouth off with his sleeve. "What do you think about it?" he asked, burped, and then cast a quick nce at Natan''spanion. "About the guild," Antrall specified as the look in his eyes focused.

    "I think we should eradicate them," the middle-aged man said with a carefree look on his face. "Sure, we could increase our ie by a lot by allowing them to develop the streamlined process of production," he nodded his head, only for a devious smile to appear on his lips. "But that would increase the costs of cating the entire sect," he added.

    For a moment, the entire area turned silent.

    A testimony to that man''s earlier mention about their group''s control over the Inn.

    All the extras that filled the area just to make it look like a normal tavern could feel the pressure at the moment.

    "It wouldn''t be cost-effective," the man finished, leaning back in his seat. He then looked around the table while putting a confused look on his face.

    "Here, here," Antrallughed out, raising his hand and then mming it on his knee. "Bring that man some drink!" he shouted, raising his own cup high in the air only to lower it above his face and dunk the rest of the liquid down his throat.

    "It''s decided, then!" Antrall shouted, mming down the empty cup on the Inn''s table.

    The air changed a little. Despite the pretentiously rxed atmosphere, everyone tensed up a little.

    Their mission might be extremely profitable and pleasurable, but it was a mission nheless.

    "Anyway, now that we are all here, let''s begin the meeting," Antrall said when the waitresses approached to fill the men''s cups.

    ''Are they officers as well?'' Natan thought, gulping down on his drink to drown his dissatisfaction.

    This wasn''t what he expected from his job in the middle ranks at all!

    "Right, before we begin," Antrall raised his voice to gather everyone''s attention. "I know of the topic that''s on all your mouth. The two small problems that merged into a single big one," he said, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips.

    "But let''s put that off for now!" the man suddenly announced, taking his group by surprise.

    "It''s no use trying to deal with random events if we ignore our normal duties," Antrall pointed out before patting himself on his arm.

    He was the only one in their entire dispatch allowed to bear the insignia of their true allegiance. Antrall liked to make it a point to remind everyone of that fact by tapping right against the small te with the heraldic of their n.

    "In other words," Antrall smiled before turning his eyes to a man sitting to his right.

    He had a beard longer than his head and belly greater than the reach of his arms. Yet, the impressive ax resting upon his back created a strange, oppressive aura all around that man.

    "Sys, report," Antrall ordered.

    "We are in the green zone, the second phase of our mission," the man replied in a low, nearly animalistic voice. Yet, it was strangely soothing to listen to. "There are no problems with the progress of pration. We currently control sixty-eight percent of the lower cirction and thirty-seven of the upper cirction," the man announced in a monotone voice.

    It clearly wasn''t his first time saying all those words.

    "In short terms," Antrall smiled, "we are down on our targets," he announced, pulling out the only bad information from the report.

    "By the end of the weak, I need those two percent of the upper cirction back!" Antrall announced angrily, clearly dissatisfied with the results of the week.

    He gritted his teeth before taking another sip from his cup.

    "Now, then, let''s address the elephant in the room," Antrall said, raising his eyes on Natan''spanion''s face.

    "Ackhart, would you like to speak up?"

 Chapter 235 - Groups Decision

    "I believe we should continue to sponsor the girl," Ackhart said, pushing his long hair out of his way. "Right now, we have a problem because two problemsbine. If we keep the girl from learning about what happened, we will keep her as a separate problem," he exined his train of thought.

    The Inn once again turned silent as the people digested Ackhart''s words.

    Despite their usually rowdy attitude, they weren''t simple men. And they knew better than answering with whatever came to their heads in the heat of the moment.

    "That''s a good idea," Natan said silently, nodding his head.

    The first few moments of the meeting were vastly different from what he expected. But instead of refusing to ept the new situation, he quickly forced his pride down his throat as he humbly rejoined the meeting.

    "The only reason why we bother with this topic on such a high level exists because two problems merged into one," Natan pointed out, exining his support for Ackhart''s idea. "If we make her think that there is nothing wrong with her sponsor, the girl shouldn''t act up for no reason," he added before shrugging his arms.

    The silence continued as if the young man said something strange or otherwise revolutionary.

    "What''s more, we have that annoying elder digging around," Natan added, holding himself back from spitting on the ground.

    Over the past week, Arganar''s actions intensified.

    On the outside, he didn''t do anything that called for Natan''s attention...

    ''He constantly calls for meetings, investigates past matters, check''s on the sect''s overall state,'' Natan thought, recalling all the troubles that he had to deal with over thest few days. He then shook his head.

    "If someone doesn''t stop this man, he will dig out the truth," Natan said before lowering his head. "It''s not a matter of if, but of when," he added, bowing his head to the leader of the cell.

    Once again, the ce turned silent. Now Natan couldn''t have any doubts about the identity of everyone within the crowd that filled the ce.

    For the noise they were making to cut off right at the most important moments, it had to be a coordinated act.

    ''And they just had to do it as I stopped speaking,'' Natan cursed in his mind, refusing to raise his bowed head.

    "You do not need to worry about Arganar," Antrall said with a small smile decorating his lips. "This man..." he hesitated for a moment before averting his eyes. "Let''s say that he usually solves all the problems that he is causing in the first ce," Antrall exined with a mysterious glint in his eyes.

    ''What the hell?'' Natan moaned inwardly with disappointment. ''That''s all? After all the trouble he caused...'' he thought, only to tighten his teeth and deepen his bow.

    "Thank you for your consideration, boss," he said.

    Natan didn''t need Ackhart''s direct pointer to understand who was the boss in the room.

    "What are we going to do about the guy, then?" Ackhart asked.

    The smile on the man''s face showcased how he felt about Natan''s performance.

    As an old mentor of the young man and his protector in the organization, Ackhart couldn''t be happier but to see his underling grow from a simple henchman to a proper officer.

    "He seriously left the sect," a tall guy sitting in the back of the hall suddenly announced, answering Ackhart''s question. "By the time I got wind of the news and sent my people to track him, he was long gone," the man added, clearly dissatisfied with the development of the problem on his end.

    "You had one job..." Antrall moaned. It didn''t take a genius to let the others notice how unhappy their leader was with the information.

    "I know, elder brother," the man stood up and brought his head so low it actually went parallel with the floor of the building. "I''m sorry, elder brother," the man added, keeping his bow even after his apology.

    "What are we going to do, then?" Antrall asked, turning his eyes away from his subordinate.

    As he didn''t give the order for the man to raise up, the tall officer continued to bow in this extremely ufortable position.

    "It just so happens that I''m friends with the boss of the local auction hall," Ackhart spoke out, disgusted by the unnecessary show of strength.

    In this entire gathering, he was the only person that didn''t need to respect Antrall''s standing.

    He wasn''t Antrall''s superior. Ackhart simply belonged to a different group within the formation in the organization, one tasked with oversight instead of direct management.

    "The reason why that guy ising here is because of his girl, isn''t it?" Ackhart said offhandedly, freely moving his eyes along the construction markings left on the roof.

    He kept on pretending not to notice Antrall''s angry stare for a few moments longer before finally bringing his eyes down.

    "Since he ising here to get the girl, doesn''t this mean it''s a perfect opportunity for us to grab him?" Ackhart suggested, finally looking into Antrall''s eyes.

    "This is my decision to make," Antrallmented, squinting his eyes a little as he looked at the overseer of his cell.

    "I''m only making a suggestion," Ackhart countered, smiling right into the twitching eyes of his colleague.

    For a moment, the two men were locked in the standoff, a virtual contest of measuring the length of theirher regions by seeing who would turn their eyes away first.

    "We don''t really have the means to organize that," Natan spoke up, forcing the two men to break their deadlock and return to their task of analyzing the situation. "Sure, within the sect, we could do everything we want, but I doubt he will dare to step inside the premises of the inner city after his disy at the lower headquarters," Natan exined his worry.

    Even though he advanced only recently, the young man made it his personal mission to always be up to the news. And this dutiful habit of his now finally started to pay off.

    "What do you want to say?" Antrall asked, happy with the opportunity to move on.

    With the problems stacking on their heads, there was no real reason to waste their time and energy on pointless and stupid conflicts.

    "We will need the help of the auction hall," Natan mentioned, looking right into his master''s eyes. "Are you sure you can rely on your contacts there?" he asked.

    This was the one point that would decide the entire n.

    If Ackhart couldn''t trust his friends with the task of helping them with this assassination, then they would have toe up with another n.

    "It''s a childhood friend of mine," Ackhart smiled, diffusing the tension that appeared in the room. "What I ask for, she will do," he added, a pride starting to infect his smile.

    "Fine," Antrall said, smashing his cup into the table. "We will go with this n, then!" he announced, finally turning their words into the reality that their actions would now bring forth.

    "We will wait and prepare for that guy''s arrival. Once he reaches the Outerpost, we will silence him before that girl has a shot at making a mess," he exined the details of the n.

    And once his words sounded out in the air, those were no longer his words.

    The orders he just gave were the will of the very sect that established their organization in Tuxinds.

    "The help of the auction hall appears to be crucial," Antral added, moving his eyes on the overseer of their cell. "You need to make sure they won''t disappoint," he said, staring down Ackhart''s eyes.

    "You truly are a ve-driver," Ackhart replied, shaking his head as a look of exhaustion peeked from beyond his pupils.

    Antrall turned around, ready to address the other topics that were the theme of their meeting.

    Ackhart, on the other hand, lowered his face and scratched his nose.

    "You truly are a ve-driver," he muttered under his nose, repeating his previous words. He then raised his eyes and looked at Antrall, already immersing himself in another problem of the group.

    ''Isn''t that right, Andrea?'' Ackhart thought, raising his eyes to the ceiling.

    The orderly lines of the wooden poles that held up the thing in the air had a certain calming effect on the man.

    "Right, before we move on," Antrall turned his head back to Natan''s master. "I need you two to make sure the girl won''t learn about the guy leaving," he announced.

    "Will do!" Natan replied, striking his fist against his chest.

    He just got promoted into the lower of a lower officer. And this appeared like the perfect chance to push for the opportunity to advance once again!

 Chapter 236 - An Answer Mia Cant Openly Share

    "What the hell is this?" Sander asked, releasing a deep sigh from the bottom of his lungs.

    There was no surprise on his face. Only the bottomless shock when he looked at the new training ground.

    It''s been two days since he set off for the mission with the rest of their group. Their task, whenpared to the ones that Mia distributed to the other normie disciples, was actually pretty time-consuming.

    ''I guess I didn''t expect that they would finish this thing so quickly,'' Mia thought, ncing over at the renewed training ground before moving her eyes back on herpanions.

    Maybe they decided to do their missions together, or maybe they just happened to meet during their return, but Ve apanied Sander when he appeared at the gate.

    Yes, gate.

    As it turned out, by the time Mia returned to the training grounds on the morning of the day after it was finished, he noticed that the work had developed far beyond any of her initial expectations.

    Formerly, the normie training ground was just a small za located in the open of the town.

    It only took some insider knowledge about specific pathing one needed to take to enter the area. Enter this alley, turn to the right, then follow down the small street.

    But Ackhart and his people changed that as well.

    The training ground was still out in the open. But this time, its entrance was wide and decorated, going right towards the district''s main street. And what''s more, if there was a ce outfitted with a massive number of formations, it was the gate, not the training ground itself.

    ''It stills baffles me to think about it,'' Mia thought as she nced around herself.

    The barrier erected by the hundreds of formations that Ackhart embedded into the floor and pirs making up the entrance made it nearly impossible for anyone to forcefully breach it.

    ''I guess we got a lot more than we asked for,'' Mia thought, turning her eyes towards Sander once again.

    "It''s the very reason why I wanted to keep you out," Mia finally replied to Sander''s question. She then turned around and waved at the two of her friends to follow her.

    ''Rather than wasting my time to exin, it will be better to just show it,'' she thought, guiding them through the main alley of the new training ground.

    The messy arrays from before making each of the possible training areas were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the entire field was divided into small squares. Each of them was wide enough to allow for the freedom of movement, yet they were stacked right against the other.

    ''If not for the local barrier, this could be quite annoying,'' Mia thought to herself as she looked at the ce.

    Without any barrier between the two squares, one could easily harm another disciple training in the near cubicle. Yet, thanks to adding a simple and small barrier to the edges of each area, Ackhart made sure no one would strike the other by chance.

    "I didn''t know so many people could fit into this ce," Sander muttered as he followed after the girl in silence.

    And it was true as well.

    Before, there was a soft cap of how many people could train in the area at once. In theory, hundreds of disciples could fit into the grounds, but only around fifty arrays were messily scattered all over the ce.

    If one couldn''t even reserve a single array for training, doing so in the peace of their own home appeared as a better option. But now? With the entire ground divided into neat squares, each a perfectly identical part of the grid?

    "If I counted correctly, there is a bit less than hundred forty disciples training here, right now," Mia muttered in a low voice.

    This number alone was a testimony to how great this ce was. Yet, Mia didn''t dare to bring it up loudly. Especially when one could see that only about a third of the entire ce was actually in use!

    "Wait," Sander suddenly stopped their silent stroll filled with awe as he looked down at Mia. His eyelids squinted a little as he looked at the girl with suspicion.

    "If this ce really is as great as you make it appear," he asked, "Then why are you not using it to its limits?" the look in the man''s eyes darkened.

    ''This seems a whole lot too good to be true, doesn''t it?'' Mia thought, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes.

    She could resonate with Sander''s thoughts with her whole being. Even now, a whole day after starting to witness the magnificence of their new training ground, she still could hardly believe what it was capable of.

    ''Ultimately, it''s just a bunch of formations,'' Mia thought, turning her lips into a thin line. ''You won''t benefit from them without training,'' she thought, taking a deep breath as she looked at Sander''s face.

    "I don''t want to advance too quickly," Mia said, looking directly into the man''s eyes.

    This statement was as ridiculous as it could get.

    The one job of the sect''s disciples was to raise their strength. It was the one task that they had and thepletion of which would change their status.

    And here, Mia was iming she didn''t want to advance too quickly!

    "Didn''t you want to reach the sixth stage as soon as possible?" Ve asked, looking at Mia with a strange look in her eyes.

    "I''m already at the sixth stage," Mia replied before the girl could go on with her tirade.

    "Why are you iming you don''t want to... oh," Ve''s voice snapped when she finally processed what Mia said.

    For a moment, Ve and Sander simply looked at the girl, with their eyes widened in shock.

    "I didn''t realize..." Sander said, only to suddenly cut his words and turn his head around.

    There were people standing at the gateway to the training ground, the ce their group had just left.

    ''Oh, it''s him,'' Mia thought, shaking her head. She then looked at her friends and nodded her head. "I guess we will need to talk a bitter," she said before approaching the gate and stepping on one of the stones.

    It was the method to allow someone inside the training ground that Ackhart taught her. Yet, there was one other method that Mia could use, but she decided against doing so.

    In total, there were three formation stones that Mia could activate at the gate. Opening the entrance, registering the user, and banishing an existing user.

    The first option would open the way for the guest once andst until he would leave. The second option would allow them permanent entry through the barrier, while thest one would revoke that right.

    ''I don''t even want to recall Ackhart''s exnation of this thing,'' Mia thought, rolling her eyes as she allowed Arganar and a group of elders that followed him inside the training ground.

    "This ce... changed," Arganarmented, his voice stuck in his throat.

    "Senior, wee to the training grounds," Mia said, lowering her head in a small bow to the man.

    Although she had her own suspicion towards his real purpose, there was no denying the fact that his presence helped her a lot.

    "Yeah, yeah," Arganar dismissed Mia''s weed, astounded by the changes to the training grounds. He then finally turned his eyes on the girl, only for his pupils to widen a momentter. "You reached the sixth stage already?!" he eximed in shock.

    Mia couldn''t stop herself from sending a quick nce to the back, to her friends.

    ''It appears that my decision to hold back my growth was correct,'' she thought, swallowing her saliva as she nodded her head. Mia used the moment when her face was out of Arganar''s sight to fix her expression.

    "That''s right, senior," Mia nodded her head. "The investment into this ce helped a lot," she added, keeping the details of what happened as vague as she could.

    ''There is no benefit to sharing all the information I have, is there?'' she thought, pursing her lips.

    "Senior, if I may ask," Mia added after Arganar turned silent for a while. "But who are those people?" she asked, looking over the man''s shoulder and towards the group of people that tagged along with him.

    "When you reached the fifth stage, you became eligible for direct tutoring from the sect," Arganar exined, forced back to the reality by Mia''s question. "They are here to help you out with any problems that you might encounter with your cultivation," he added, turning sideways and pointing with his hand at the group of long-bearded elders.

    "Senior... But I''m just a single person," Mia pointed out. "Is there any need for so many of those important people to attend?" she asked, puzzled by the development.

    "Consider this my bet," Arganar replied without even a second of hesitation. He clearly expected this point to be brought up. "I assumed that it wouldn''t take long before other disciples around you would reach the fifth stage as well," he added, looking over Mia''s shoulder and at the rest of her group.

    Since Mia was busy talking with Arganar, Ve and Sander hurried to one of the open cells of the sect, eager to try it out. As such, despite how short Mia''s discussion with Arganar was, the two of them were already in full swing of their usual practice.

    "That''s great," Miamented, taking a long pause before finishing her words to think through what exactly she should say. "A lot of them is about to advance," she added, buying herself some more time with this ambiguous statement.

    And all this time Mia spent thinking hard about her situation. About the situation that all the normie disciples found themselves in. And about what would be the right thing to push them towards even greater development.

    "Allowing such help before they advance to the fifth stage is against the procedures of the sect," Arganar suddenly stated as a small smile appeared on his lips. "That''s why I need to know an answer to a certain question before we proceed," he stated.

    "What is it?" Mia asked, puzzled by the sudden point.

    Given the manner in which Arganar approached her today, she couldn''t help but feel suspicious about the sudden point he brought up.

    "If you were the one who invested the insane amount necessary to prepare this ce," Arganar started his question by spreading his arms and pointing about the training ground all around them. "Why are the people outside of your team training here as well?"

    This was a pretty valid question.

    Even though Mia no longer had any real restrictions in her spending, there was no denying that remodeling the training ground was a costly endeavor.

    Just the monster bones necessary to set the formations cost several times more than Mia could get their hands on without Arthur''s or Arganar''s help. Adding the costs of manpower and Ackhart''s fees, the total cost turned out to be a pretty high number.

    A number that far exceeded all the resources that Arganar or the sect ever provided for her.

    ''It''s all because this is a necessary step in my n,'' Mia thought, recalling a moment from a recent past.

    But this wasn''t an answer that she was willing to openly share.

 Chapter 237 - Expected Rewards

    ''They should be the focus of the next step of my n,'' Mia thought, recalling the moment when this reality first struck her.

    It happened before anyone even approached the training grounds, right as she sent her team members off for a mission. It was then that Mia realized that by focusing on only four other people, she was leaving an insanely strong and untapped source of potential strength.

    ''Even if I turn all four of them into devastating monsters, it won''t be enough to challenge whatever is happening at the sect,'' Mia thought back then, perfectly aware of her status.

    Even if she reached the top of the strength within the outerpost of the sect, she would still be just an insignificant nobody in any other ce of the Tuxi domains.

    Only by turning herself into the head of a massive party that was widely recognized within the sect as a whole could Mia hope to achieve the political stability and power necessary to fend for herself.

    "Is there something wrong with letting them use this formation?" Mia asked, finally answering Arganar''s question. "It''s not like I''m losing anything by letting them train," she said while shrugging her arms.

    ''And if I seed in helping them get stronger than the sponsored disciples, then the sect won''t be able to refuse but to rework this broken system,'' Mia added in her thoughts.

    She didn''tze around during her time off from the training itself. And as little as it was, she managed to learn a little about the official theory before the conception of the sponsored students.

    Back in the past, the resources were far harder toe by than they were today. Unless one was willing to risk their lives to go to the forest and hunt for the monsters, there was hardly any chance for cultivators to grow.

    Tuxi sect decided to change that by forcing a part of the wealth gathered by the stronger cultivators to be used in helping their weaker colleagues to grow stronger.

    For a cultivator of a tenth or eleventh stage, killing a monster in the forest to obtain its core wouldn''t be a problem. And at the same time, the benefits he could get from a single monster''s core like that were abysmal.

    On the other hand, just like Mia''s exploits proved, even just a single grade one monster core was enough to bring forth a massive boost in cultivation for someone who worked hard enough.

    ''Yet, how did that formerly beneficial system degraded into what it is today...'' Mia pursed her lips, a short spasm of annoyance shing behind her eyes. ''Well, it doesn''t matter what caused it. What matters is how I can fix it,'' she decided, raising her eyes on the elder.

    Arganar didn''t bother toment on the situation ever since he heard Mia''s exnation. He simply stared at the situation, as baffled by the sight of many people training hard just as he was satisfied by it.

    ''If I truly want to have some real power, I need to be someone on par with the elders, not just someone capable of defeating other disciples.'' Mia continued to think, allowing her brain to shed all the unnecessary parts of her n.

    ''And if I want to be a powerhouse like that, I need to have a solid support behind my back,'' Mia thought, reaffirming herself in her own ns.

    Right now, there wasn''t any force that would support her without demanding anything in return. As such, the easiest way to circumvent this problem was to create a force that didn''t exist formerly in the sect and have them indebted to her from the very beginning!

    The simplicity of this solution shocked the girl. Even though she made some attempts to increase the normie disciples'' strength already, it wasn''t a part of a formted n. Just a preparation that Mia deemed possibly profitable in the future.

    And right now, she couldn''t help but praise her guts from before.

    ''What do I need to do to have the sect recognize me?'' Mia asked herself, resting her back against one of the several construction pirs that were left erected from the floor.

    Apparently, they were also a part of the formation, although Mia couldn''t see through their usage at all. As such, the one role she could use them for was resting her back against it.

    "You see," Mia finally muttered some words as the prolonged silence between her and Arganar was slowly getting ufortable.

    This elder was clearly not satisfied with her previous answer. And from the looks of things, his support could prove crucial in her attempts at raising in the ranks of the sect.

    "I don''t want to keep all the benefits of my situation to myself," Mia said, raising her eyes towards the sky as if she fell deep into her thoughts. In reality, though, she did nothing but recite the words that she came up with during the pause in their discussion.

    "I was lucky. I have a man that supports me from afar, and I was lucky enough to catch your attention," she pointed out before raising her hand and showcasing the collection of storage rings decorating her fingers. "Those are the only reasons why I was able to obtain so many resources. The only reason why I could afford to remodel this formation," she imed as she moved her eyes on the training grounds.

    For a moment, Mia turned silent. She did her absolute best to appear as if she was deep in her thought, analyzing her own situation.

    "I saw the plight of the normie disciples here," she stated. "I saw how little they can do to change their fate, a fate decided by the fact that no one bothered to help them out on their path of cultivation," she stated as she raised her eyes to look Arganar directly in the eyes.

    Poof!

    The air shook. Right as Mia finished herst sentence, someone managed to breakthrough.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by the sudden feeling. She then turned around and scanned the area, only for her eyes to rest on the body of her female colleague.

    "She advanced," Arganar said, directing his eyes in the same direction.

    Out of everyone, Ve appeared to be the only one not aware of what just happened. As if it was the same moment as any other, she continued to swing her hands and legs,pleting the four-stroke rotation of Arthur''s over and over again.

    "This is..." Arganar attempted to say something, only to turn silent when the air shook again in the exact same manner.

    Mia turned her eyes to the side. This time, rather than looking for the source of the breakthrough, she looked for a specific person.

    And without much surprise, it was Sander who followed right after Ve''s footsteps, barging into the fifth stage of cultivation.

    "This is insane..." he muttered, looking down at his knuckles, bloodied from all the hitting of the training pir that he did.

    Between Sander at Ve, the man at least was aware of his own breakthrough.

    ''I guess the sect will be more likely to ept my raise if I bring an entire army of talented disciples along, isn''t it?'' Mia thought, smiling at her own thoughts as she looked at Sander with satisfaction.

    Sander noticed Mia''s stare, even if it wasn''t focused on him anymore. His smile widened before he straightened himself and executed a proper, cultured bow.

    For a moment, Mia thought that those two consecutive breakthroughs would be the high moment of the day. Maybe, if the couple of her team that was still away would return promptly to cultivate here, they would have a shot at advancing today as well.

    But then, all Mia''s expectations shattered when the air around her went into a frenzy.

    One by one, the disciples on the training ground started to breakthrough.

    It felt as if Ve''s advancement infused some sort of energy into the air that made it easier for others to follow in her footsteps.

    Someone advanced to the third stage. Someone else reached the fourth one. One of the disciples that were pretty talented and just slipped under Mia''s radar when she was picking her teammates managed to break into the fifth stage as well.

    "What the hell is going on?" Arganar muttered, shocked by the development. The development that, instead of slowing down, continued to elerate.

    With each passing second, more and more disciples continued to advance until not a single one of them didn''t reach a higher stage than they were on when they started their daily training.

    ''Wait a second,'' Arganar suddenly noticed one element that didn''t fit the ce. ''Aren''t they using the resources to power up the formation right now?'' he thought, noticing several monster cores located in the vital points of the formation.

    But what was even more surprising was the quality of those stones. And while for Arganar, those stones were a prettymon sight, it was something that the girl in an outerpost should normally never be able to get her hands on!

    ''Those are grade three cores,'' Arganar noticed, pursing his lips into a thin line when he noticed the peculiarity. Yet, as he looked at the girl, he noticed something far more important.

    ''She is on the verge of breaking into the seventh stage already?!'' he noticed, shocked by his own findings.

    ''No, I have to be wrong,'' Arganar thought, desperate to find an answer that would conform with what he knew about the world. ''Maybe she just has a better foundation for her cultivation than the others?'' he attempted to find any logical exnation.

    But then, a new thought entered his head, chasing away all the other problems out of it.

    ''If I want to be the knight on a white horse for her... isn''t my time quickly running out?'' he asked himself.

    While it couldn''t be named a reason for Arganar''s willingness to help Mia, it definitely was one of his motivations behind being as active as he was. And while he truly wanted to fix the problem that this outpost of the sect clearly had, tasting some of that youthfulness and beauty that this girl offered was still one of the things that he couldn''t help but consider.

    ''After helping her a whole damned lot... I don''t think she will oppose my advances much,'' Arganar thought, finally casting away all the fake morality that he shielded his mind with previously.

    "Right, I think that''s enough of shocks for me for today," Arganar said, shaking his head and turning his body around. "Oh, and before I go," he said as a glint shed in the back of his eyes, "if you could visit my ce a bitter to discuss the current situation, it would be lovely!"

    He made a lot of effort to help this girl. Surely, she wouldn''t refuse him a tiny bit of pleasure to reward his efforts, wouldn''t she?

 Chapter 239 - Not Stronger, Better

    "That went pretty easy," Sander muttered, looking at the package he was carrying in his hand.

    Ever since everyone in their group managed to break through into the fifth stage of cultivation, the day of the distribution was no longer the day of shame.

    Right now, it was the day of pride.

    "What did you expect?" Mia scoffed before letting out a small giggle. "Receiving those resources is our right," she stated, raising her eyes to the sky. "And now that we know what our rights are, they would have to lose a lot more resources to stop us from making the most out of what we are privy to," she added, her lips curling up.

    "That might be true..." Sander replied, a look of hesitation shing in his eyes. "But am I the only one who thinks that those resources are worth dogshit?"

    This was the one problem with what the distribution center provided for the fifth-stage cultivators. Instead of grade two cores that would allow them to cultivate swiftly, they simply used a lot more grade one cores, ones that were too inefficient for Mia''s group to use.

    "Dogshit or not, we will find a use for them," Mia countered, unwilling to let the bad thoughts take over her mind. She then shook her arms as she lowered her eyes back on the road ahead. "It''s not like we arecking resources anyway. On the contrary, having more of them is always a good thing," she pointed out.

    "Right," Sander muttered before angling his eyes towards Ve. "How about your package?" he asked.

    Out of their entire group, everyone had already reached the fifth stage. What''s more, Sander was pretty damn close to reaching the sixth one.

    ''If I''m right, he just needs a kick in the butt to breakthrough,'' Mia thought, casting a quick nce at the man.

    Yet, it was Ve that turned out to have the greatest talent towards cultivation.

    Despite starting from the lowest position in the entire group, she was the first to enter the sixth stage of cultivation discounting for Mia.

    "It''s not bad," Ve replied, lifting the lid of her box and taking a quick look inside. "I think I got two grade two cores?" she added after looking through its content.

    "What do you n to do with it?" Mia asked.

    Yet, before her friend could answer, another group appeared on the street.

    Mia instantly recognized the leader. It was the same Dirk that appeared as a pretty kind and normal person when she first met him and turned out to be her greatest opposition amongst the disciples.

    Over thest week, as she finally had some time to spare, Mia conducted a throughout the investigation thatsted entire five minutes into the matters of the one tournament her group joined so far.

    Itsted only five damned minutes. But it was more than enough to discover everything there was about that event.

    It was Dirk that was responsible for organizing two additional teams for the tournament back then. In other words, he was the man responsible for their loss of the tournament caused by the overwhelming numbers advantage of the sponsored teams over their own.

    And now, he was walking through the streets, eager to bask in the glory and amusement of shaming the normie disciples during the distribution day.

    "Look at them, all happy to get some scraps," Mia muttered under her nose, holding back a smirk from taking over her entire face. She then spat below her feet, not stopping her steps even for a second.

    The times when she had to be careful around the sponsored disciples were now over. As their group only managed to produce a single disciple to reach the sixth stage with most of the others stillgging behind, unable to enter even the fifth stage...

    There was no denying the fact that Mia''s methods of growing turned out better than whatever the sect imposed on the sponsored disciples.

    ''I wonder if they are starting to receive fewer resources, now that they can''t even consider themselves equal to us,'' Mia thought, walking with a wide smile past the other group.

    This was the one good change to the distribution day. From the day of shame, it turned to the day of pride and amusement.

    ''On that note, I should be thankful that I reached the sixth stage already,'' Mia thought, recalling one important piece of information that Arganar passed to her before setting off for some kind of mission two days ago.

    Because as it turned out, once one reached the sixth stage... They were no longer considered a normal or sponsored disciple. And with just a single more rank up, Mia would officially step into the group of the sect''s inner disciples!

    For a moment, the two groups moved past each other. And for that single moment, the atmosphere turned tense.

    Mia and her colleagues didn''t bother to hide their smiles of superiority as they walked past their formerpetitors. On the other hand, Dirk, Kathia, and their followers couldn''t help but avert their eyes.

    Right now, no one in the sect that kept tabs on the matter had any doubt who was stronger and, thus, more important to the sect.

    "Right!" Sander suddenly shouted when his face tensed up as an idea struck his mind. "Isn''t the intersect tournament just around the corner?" he asked in a voice loud enough for the other group to hear him.

    "Around the corner?" Mia asked, raising her brow in surprise. "Isn''t it still over three weeks away?" she asked, unable to be bothered to raise her voice.

    ''There is no point in beating those idiots with words,'' she thought, shaking her head over Sander''s folly. ''Isn''t it better to do it with our actions?'' she asked herself as she snuck a quick nce at her friend''s face.

    "Aren''t we the obvious candidates now?" Sander kept teasing the other group, using everyst second of them being in the range of his voice. "We managed to outgrow the sponsored disciples despite not having any support from the sect," he added before shaking his head. "I think our participation is already set in stone!"

    For the next few moments, no one bothered toment on Sander''s words. Only when Dirk''s group left the range of their voices did Mia finally pick the topic up.

    "Not exactly," she replied with a deep and exhausted sigh. "The fact that we grew stronger doesn''t have much meaning at all," she stated while rolling her eyes.

    "Sure, we are stronger than them," Mia added when she noticed Sander''s confused stare directed right at the profile of her face. "But who does know about it?" she asked, shaking her head yet again. "Unless we force the sect to see that fact, we are still likely not to take part in the tournament," she added.

    "That makes sense," Ve muttered, siding with Mia''s opinion on the matter. "For the people used to the old rate of growth, even if they heard about our progress, they are likely to take it as nothing more but a groundless rumor," she pointed out.

    This was the one problem with anyone who dared to do things differently from the rest. Even if their results turned out to be greater than when using the traditional means, hardly anyone could ept that fact.

    Not because the public, in general, was against the growth of the normie disciples. Not because they were against discovering new, more efficient ways to grow.

    The public wouldn''t believe in this kind of rumor because it would mean they wasted several years trying to achieve something that could be done in the manner of years!

    And admitting to a mistake like that? Admitting to losing several years if not tens of years of their life just like that?

    Not a single elder caring about his face would do so!

    "Sect won''t acknowledge our progress?" Sander asked, a look of genuine surprise appearing on his face. "Why is that?" he asked. "Isn''t it in their own damned interest to put out the best disciples for the tournament?" he asked.

    For how determined and hardworking cultivator he was, Sander often proved himself to be a pretty straightforward person.

    He was a great type of guy to ask if one gained weight as he would honestly give his feedback. But he was also the worst type of person to dissect the fragile andplicated nature of the internal politics of the sect.

    "Look, this is just my guess, but hear me out," Mia replied after releasing a deep sigh. "I think there are two aspects at y here. One, someone is clearly meddling with the inner workings of the sect," she stated in a slightly hushed voice, making sure no outsider would be able to casually hear those words.

    "And then?" Sander asked, the tense look on his face proving that he was now fully focused.

    ''In the end, he is aware of his own nature,'' Mia thought with satisfaction.

    Being a straightforward person wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. It just made Sander more inclined to achieve great things in one field... But at the cost of a lot of hardships in actively taking part in another.

    Normally, in order to achieve greatness, one would simply have to focus all their strength on the things they were good at. But for Sander, this wasn''t enough. And as he was aware of his own drawbacks, he spared no effort to improve on the things that he was bad at!

    "Why do you think there is someone..." Sander took a short pause to look around, ensuring he could actually spell some things out, "meddling with the sect?"

    "Isn''t it obvious?" Mia asked, her good impression of the man quickly dying out. "Since sponsored disciples stop receiving sponsorship the second, they reach the fifth stage, and as you noticed yourself, the sect support for fifth stage disciples is nearly worthless..." Mia prepared a solid foundation before executing the devastating attack with just a single question.

    "Howe Kathia managed to reach the sixth stage already?" Mia asked before shaking her head. "Unless they are receiving different kinds of support from what we got, someone had to help her," she stated, sure about her words being the truth.

    ''I only managed to reach my level of growth because of all the help that I received,'' Mia thought, not shying away from admitting to the fact. ''That''s why I can fucking tell that someone else is helping Kathia out!''

    Mia bit down on her lips. Even though she could understand the situation to a degree.. that didn''t mean she wasfortable with it.

    ''With the sponsored disciples, I can deal with,'' she thought, bringing her fingers together as she turned her hands into fists. ''But whoever is supporting them might turn out to be a massive pain in the ass.''

    "Mia, we trust you," Sander suddenly said,pletely out of nowhere.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by the sudden change of the topic. "Thank you, I guess?" she replied, not sure what her colleague wanted to say.

    "We trust you. And that means you don''t need to exin everything to us," Sander stated, raising his eyes to the sky. "All we need you to do is to tell us what we need to do," he added as he brought his eyes down on Mia''s eyes.

    ''And there go all my hopes of Sander improving his scheming skills,'' Mia thought, barely holding herself back from releasing a sigh.

    "Fine," Mia said, shaking her head as she attempted to hide her disappointment. "Starting today, everyone who reaches the sixth stage will drop everything and start doing all sorts of quests. What''s more, we are going to participate in every internal tournament of the sect that we can find," she stated.

    "Is that for the sake of forcing others to acknowledge our growth?" Sander asked, trying to make sure he understood Mia''s intentions properly. After all, orders might be damned, but if he didn''t understand the intention behind them, he would find it troublesome to fulfill them in a manner that would satisfy Mia! "You want us to prove to the sect that we are stronger than the sponsored disciples, right?" he asked.

    "Wrong," Mia shook her head, even though a small smile made an appearance on her lips. "It''s not about proving we are stronger," she directly denied Sander''s guess.

    "It''s all about proving that we are better than them!"

 Chapter 240 - Bother And Determination

    Tac. Tac. Tac.

    Mia''s fingers tapped against the solid wood of her desk as she looked down on the papers stacked all over her workspace.

    ''This is annoying,'' she thought, continuing to tap her fingers at the desk as if to release her pent-up exhaustion.

    The delicate sound of the wind bustling on the other side of the windowbined with the rhythmic tapping, creating a white noise that only made Mia more aware of how tired she was.

    ''But I don''t have the time to rest,'' she thought, shaking her head to focus herself on the task at hand. She then refocused her eyes and looked down at the paper that she was currently working on.

    Mia never knew how to read before. But the events of thest few weeks forced her to learn at least the basics of writing. And now, by using a mix of the official letters and marks that she created for her own use, she continued to keep track of every mission and every event that took ce within her group.

    ''If I knew how tiring it would be back then, I would never send everyone to spam the quests like that,'' she thought as she grabbed a piece of paper from the pile on the left side of her desk.

    The process of her job was simple.

    Pick up the quest fulfillment notification, mark it in the line referring to a specific person signed on it, return the notification to the pile on the right.

    This kind of thing wouldn''t be necessary if there were only five people total in her group. But Mia''s attempts at expanding her influence within the sect resulted in an oue that she didn''t expect at all.

    ''To think that I would turn from a cultivator to a paper-moving bureaucrat,'' she thought, tightening her delicate hands over the quill in her hand.

    Pick the paper, mark it beside the right name,? put it aside.

    Over thest three days, that was how the entirety of Mia''s day would look. And it was a consequence of nothing else but her own damn actions.

    It''s been two weeks since her teammates returned from the first quest she sent them off to fulfill. It''s been ten days since everyst normie disciple that managed to reach the fifth stage of cultivation thanks to the improved training grounds would repay the favor by fulfilling the sect''s missions.

    And it''s been three days since Mia''s life turned into a set of those three mechanical moves.

    Pick the paper, ce down the mark, put the paper away, repeat.

    It was an extremely tedious and boring job, but one that no one else but her could do.

    ''To think that this is what I get for reaching the pinnacle of the sixth stage,'' Mia thought,ining about her situation while her hands continued to move, while her eyes continued to scan the documents.

    Knock.

    There was only the minimal pause between the sound of someone striking the doors and the hinges of said doors moaning in a high pitch as the doors opened up.

    "You are still here," Sander muttered under his nose as he entered the room.

    Mia nced up at the man. Yet, as her eyesid on yet another stack of papers in the man''s hands, all the energy that she had left in her body appeared to vanish without a trace.

    "I am," she admitted to the obvious, hanging her head as low as her neck allowed.

    "I hate to break it down to you, but we have two more sets of quests finished," he stated, shaking his hands a little to bring Mia''s attention to the papers he was holding.

    Mia didn''t bother to respond to his words. She only released a small moan when Sander pped those papers on the left pile on her desk, effectively stealing at least a few more hours away from her life.

    "How did thest tournament go?" Mia asked, set on the idea of distracting herself from her current job.

    Even though the internal tournament of the sect took ce a day before, she had yet to find the time to ask anyone about the results.

    "We got the first four ces," Sander replied with a small smirk. He then openlyughed out. "It was a pretty easy victory, even though the tournamentsted longer than usual," he added.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged in surprise, happily jumping on the opportunity to think about something different than just moving papers and cing marks. "If it was easy, howe it was longer?" she asked, unable to conform Sander''s words with reality.

    "Sixth, seventh, and ninth group stalled it," Sander exined as his smirk faded away, reced with an uneasy smile. "When I asked them about it, they imed they wanted to train a little bit more," he added, averting his eyes.

    "So that''s the case..." Mia muttered, falling deep into her thoughts.

    In theory, stalling a tournament just to train a little bit more was a good thing. It forced anyone who watched the tournament to see just how the normie disciples trained. As for the benefits of their training, anyone could see them just by looking at the tournament''s results.

    "How about the rewards?" Mia asked.

    "They all donated it to our cause," Sander replied with a small smile, not hesitating even for a second.

    This was a small test that Ve came up with. There was no rule that anyone had to donate anything to the group at all. It was something that people would dopletely on their own.

    Yet, while there was no enforcement of a rule that didn''t exist, hardly any people in the normie group would hoard the resources for themselves.

    ''I don''t really think it proves their loyalty to the cause...'' Mia hesitated for a second only to swallow herints.

    There was no point in dampening the people''s enthusiasm who believed this test to have any meaning.

    "While it''s good to hear that we are stomping those tournaments, I don''t think it''s something that we should be happy about," Mia muttered to herself, forcefully changing the topic. "While it works great for us, it only proves just how weak this sect is," she added.

    The only reason she could allow herself such honesty was that they were in the confines of her own lodging. And ever since she decided to enter the next phase of her n and involve more and more normie disciples in her growth, her house ended up filled with all sorts of formations.

    ''Perks of being friends with a formation master,'' Mia thought to herself when she caught a nce of a formation stone embedded into the wall.

    There was only a single formation that covered the room they were currently in. It prevented any and all from spying on whatever was happening inside.

    In other words, unless someone was standing inside this rtively empty room, they wouldn''t be able to get a single clue as to what was happening here.

    "Our people are already training with your four-move sequence," Sander said, his eyes indicating that he couldn''t really understand Mia''s worry. "As for the sponsored disciples?" he brought up the group that Mia initially belonged to. "Who cares about them?"

    This was a pretty simple conflict. Sponsored disciples made it a tradition to bully those who weren''t as lucky as them. As such, it was no wonder that Sander and other normie disciples didn''t care whether or not the sponsored disciples fell behind.

    "That''s a shallow way to look at the situation," Mia said, only to shake her head and drop the topic.

    She didn''t suffer through the years of oppression of the sponsored disciples. In fact, outside of the personal war she had with Dirk and Kathia, she hardly suffered at all during her stay in the sect.

    ''Well, seeing how set I am to take revenge on Jenne, I can somewhat understand his desire to drag the sponsored disciples through the dirt,'' Mia thought as she stole a nce of Sander''s face only to lower her eyes on the papers right away.

    "Maybe," Sander agreed with Mia''s point, even going as far as to deeply nod his head. "But what matters to me is keeping our people on the good side of things," he added.

    ''Our people,'' Mia thought, echoing Sander''s words in her mind. ''It''s good to see that at least the integration is going as nned,'' she thought.

    Ever since the first day when she allowed the normie disciples outside of her group to use her investment, her ns were put into motion. And now, roughly three weekster, those normie disciples were all under her care and following the orders of her initial group.

    "On that note," Sander spoke out, "I still can''t get over just how simple yet amazing those four moves are," he said, his eyes clouding up a little.

    Mia''s lips trembled a little as she attempted to stop them from forming a smile.

    Given how the four-move sequence was Arthur''s invention, Sander''s words directly praised her man.

    For Mia, there was hardly anything one could say that would bring her more joy and satisfaction.

    "While it''s nice to hear it, I don''t think that''s the full picture," Mia spoke in a hushed tone as if she wasn''t sure whether to bring this topic up or not. She then raised her eyes and gave Sander an ironic look.

    "So you saw it," the man muttered in response, averting his eyes as he did so.

    "I can hardly find a single person who practices those moves correctly," Mia stated, now using her normal voice.

    Despite how busy she was with the paperwork, Mia still made it a point to train her body for at least an hour or two every day. She made sure to rein her power in to prevent an idental breakthrough.

    Sure, it was easier to just not train at all, but Mia would get restless if she didn''t strike a training pir at least a thousand times a day.

    As such, she could see how the normie disciples continued to practice within the improved training grounds. Yet, instead of being satisfied with their progress, she couldn''t help but notice how almost everyst of the disciples would add their own variations to the four-strokes sequence!

    In theory, it wasn''t a bad thing as it allowed them to be more versatile in the future, but there was one massive caveat that caused Mia''s worry.

    "Hardly any of them can execute the sequence properly," Mia stated, looking Sander directly in the eyes. "As such, adding variations and their own input will only reinforce the mistakes they are making," she stated.

    "I see," Sander muttered in response, clearly guilty of overseeing this detail. He then raised his head, allowing Mia to see the determination in his eyes. "I will make sure to fix that mistake of theirs," he added, nodding his head.

    "I guess everything is on the right track, then," Mia muttered in response. Then, her eyes gravitated towards the piles of paper stacked upon her desk.

    "Sigh," Mia slowly released the air from her lungs when the amount of the work left dawned upon her. Yet, instead of going back to work, she pressed her back against the chair as she leaned on it to the back.

    "That''s right," Sander nodded his head, the muscles of his face rxing a little.

    Now that the report part of their meeting was over, he could finally take a more rxed approach.

    "On the other hand," he suddenly added, his eyes shing with curiosity, "when are you going to push for the breakthrough?" he asked only to add, "that is if you can tell me."

    For a moment, Mia stared at Sander''s face while using her legs to keep her chair leaning to the back. She then released yet another sigh as she allowed her chair to once again stand on all four legs.

    "Not yet," she stated, not holding back anything. She then reached to one of the drawers in the desks and pulled out a paper different than anything she had on her desk. "If I want to participate in theing intersect tournament, I can''t advance," she stated, pointing a particr line on the paper.

    "Only cultivators up to the sixth grade are allowed," Sander mouthed as he read. "So you are going to wait until the tournament concludes?" he asked.

    "No," Mia shook her head sideways before putting the paper back into the drawer she picked it up from. "I went to the administrative office to ask about it," she stated, only for her lips to form a small yet vicious smile. "I will be able to participate as long as I''m still on the sixth stage on the day the tournament begins," she imed.

    "So you want to take everyone by surprise?" Sander asked.

    After all, despite how quick Mia was to reach the sixth stage, it would be insane to expect her to break through once again so quickly.

    That is unless one knew that she could do it at any time she wanted!

    "Not really," Mia shook her head as she replied.. Then, the look in her eyes turned cold. "I just want to be strong enough to wipe the floor with Jenne''s face!"

 Chapter 241 - I Would Rather Kill Myself

    In Mia''s mind, Jenne was the one responsible for all the bad things that happened to her.

    All the things, or namely, her separation from Arthur''s side.

    Even though Mia was aware of how unhealthy her attachment to her man was, she didn''t mind it at all.

    ''Even if it''s nothing more than just myself overthinking things, even if Arthur already has long moved on,'' she thought, only to shake her head, ''I won''t forget it. I won''t forget how I felt back then.''

    The look in Mia''s eyes darkened.

    ''And I won''t forget who is responsible for hurting Arthur.''

    This was the one thing that Mia hated the most.

    Initially, when Arthur pushed her aside back at thest moment when she saw him, she assumed all the guilt. She thought that it was her own fault that Arthur didn''t want to see her.

    But as time allowed the girl to cool her head, she figured out a few things about what happened by analyzing it logically.

    Something happened to Arthur. And it was so drastic that he wasn''t in his right mind when she saw him.

    ''There is no doubt it was all his fault,'' Mia thought, gnashing her teeth together. She then took a deep breath and slowly released the air out of her lungs in an attempt to calm herself down.

    ''It''s been so long since I havest seen him,'' she thought, lowering her eyes as sorrow filled her soul.

    Just a single thought about her man was enough to sour Mia''s mood. Her earlier rage caused by the memory of the man that caused this unhappiness disappeared in an instant, reced by the longing.

    Mia''s knees rubbed against each other as her crotch started to itch a little. Her entire body tensed up as she recalled all the moments when Arthur would keep her in her arms. All the moments that they spent joined together...

    "I see," Sander suddenly said, forcing Mia out of her daze. He then took a few steps forward, mmed his hands against the girl''s desk, and looked her in the eyes. "Get the hell out of here," he said in a stern voice while furrowing his brows.

    "The fuck are you talking about?" Mia asked in a low voice and squinted her eyes.

    It was the first time for Sander to act like that, seemingly without reason at all.

    "I will do the rest of those papers," Sander said, raising his hands and moving to the other side of the desk. He then grabbed the backrest of Mia''s chair before forcefully pulling it to the back.

    "You sat cooped in this room for long enough. Go and get some fresh air," he ordered, pushing the chair to force Mia to slide out of it. "It will do wonders to smoothen that wrinkled forehead of yours," he added in a concerned voice.

    "Huh?" Mia muttered, surprised by the sudden turn of the events. Yet, rather than trying to protest, she instantly looked towards the mirror hanging on the wall, the one piece of luxury that she allowed herself to have. "Is it really wrinkled?" she asked as she scanned her own face with worry.

    ''What would be the point of working so hard if Arthur won''t enjoy my looks anymore?'' Mia thought, scared shitless as she scanned her own face.

    Thankfully, Sander''s words were an exaggeration. While indeed, there was a long, thin line marking the girl''s forehead, it would likely go away after Mia would rx for a little.

    ''I better take better care of myself,'' she thought, determined to keep her face exactly as it was when Arthur fell in love with it.

    Yet, what Mia didn''t expect, was that this topic once again reminded her of her man. And what was even worse, it reminded her of how long it was since shest held him dearly in her arms or was held in his.

    Yet again, Mia rubbed her knees together, trying to ignore the itch that started to bother her.

    "I guess I will do just that," she finally said as she released a deep sigh.

    Right now, all that Mia wanted was to get away from Sander and anyone who knew her as she could!

    And just as she wanted and then imed, Mia did. She turned around and rushed out of the room, only to make her way out to the open.

    "Aaah," Mia moaned slightly when the gust of wind struck her face. It was slightly cold, perfectly refreshing, especially with how bothered she was right now.

    ''I guess leaving the job to Sander could help a little,'' she thought, taking a quick nce at the building behind before raising her eyes on the street and starting to move.

    Yet, before she could take as much as three steeps, another familiar figure appeared before her eyes.

    "Oh, it''s perfect to meet you here!" Arganar eximed as a wide smile grew up on his lips.

    ''Why did he have to appear before me?'' Miained in her thoughts while forcing a small smile on her lips.

    "Hello, Senior," she said, pushing herself to act politely with the man.

    No matter how much she wanted to be alone right now, Arganar helped her and the other disciples a lot. It wouldn''t be wise to antagonize him for such a silly reason!

    "Could I ask for some of your time?" Arganar asked before Mia could figure out a smart way to ditch the man.

    "Sure thing," Mia put on a fake smile on her face, despairing over the unfortunate meeting. "I just got out to take a break from all the work and rx a little," she added, scouring her mind for any sort of excuse that would work well in this particr moment.

    "That''s great, then!" Arganar eximed, a wide smile appearing on his lips.

    ''This is the perfect opportunity!'' the man rejoiced in his mind, eager to make use of this opportunity.

    Yet, what he didn''t include in his calctions was Mia''s current state of mind. As such, even after leading the girl towards the town''s center for several minutes, no conversation appeared to stick between the two of them.

    ''Well, just walking right that is nice on its own,'' Arganar thought, forcing himself to put a good face to a bad situation.

    "We are here," Arganar finally said, stopping in his tracks when the two of them approached one of the fancier buildings in the town.

    "A restaurant?" Mia asked, puzzled by the man''s actions.

    Sure, he helped her and her group a lot. There wasn''t a single doubt about this fact in Mia''s soul. Yet, he had never brought her to a restaurant before!

    "What are we doing here?" Mia asked, quite reluctant to enter the ce with the man.

    While it was a perfect ce to take her mind off the job, just standing at its entrance with someone else than Arthur made Mia feel ufortable.

    "Didn''t you say you wanted to rx?" Arganar asked, pinpointing the thoughts surfing through Mia''s head.

    "Well, that''s kind of true," Mia hesitated, feeling more and more ufortable with each passing second.

    "Then let''s stop dawdling and just enter!" Arganar replied before making his way inside the building.

    Mia stood in her ce for a moment before she finally released a deep sigh and swallowed her saliva. She then shook her head and finally followed after the man, only to find him already upying one of the fancier tables inside the main hall of the ce.

    ''At least it''s not a private lodge,'' Mia thought, shrugging off the weird feeling that she got ever since she met with the man today. The itch in her crotch that she felt ever since she thought about Arthur only made it harder for her to rein her emotions in.

    "Well then, don''t hold back when ordering," Arganar said with a small smile as he passed on the restaurant''s cart to Mia''s hand.

    "So, how are you doing?"

    "Do you have any problems?"

    "How''s the progress of the other disciples?"

    "I noticed you guys started to take a lot of sect missions recently. Is there any reason for that?"

    Arganar tried, again and again, to pull Mia into a discussion. Yet, despite all his attempts, Mia would always reply with a quick "No," "Yes," or a short exnation to the open questions.

    Her mind was clearly somewhere else.

    ''Huh?'' Arganar suddenly shrugged when he noticed two things that escaped his attention so far.

    First off, there was a small blush on the girl''s cheeks. And secondly, Mia continued to rub her knees together.

    ''Is this...'' Arganar thought, seeing the hope in the situation for the first time in a long while.

    "It''s gettingte," Mia said, taking the initiative to talk for the first time since the two of them entered the restaurant.

    Despite stuffing herself with all sorts of fancy foods and downing all sorts of expensive drinks, the atmosphere in the restaurant only made her more ufortable than she was before.

    "I need to get back to my ce," Mia announced, standing up and bowing her head to Arganar. "Thank you for your invitation, but I will be going now," she announced as she left the table and headed for the exit.

    "Don''t worry, I will escort you back," Arganar said with a small smile on his face, instantly following after the girl.

    At first, Mia wanted to protest... But after calcting the situation in her head, she decided to bear with theck offort for a little while longer.

    ''It would be a pity to make him angry after doing my best to just bear with it for so long,'' she thought, tracking the setting sun with her eyes.

    "Hey, did you manage to rx a little?" Arganar suddenly asked after a few moments of silence between the two of them.

    "Yeah," Mia nodded her head, putting a fake smile on her lips. "Thanks a lot for that," she added, unable to be bothered to as much as look at the man''s face.

    ''I know I''m not entirely fair to him by acting like that,'' she thought, feeling the guilt spreading to her abdomen. ''I will have to pay him back somehow tomorrow,'' she decided, unwilling to let go of this beneficial rtionship yet.

    "Hey, how about we hop in for the night?" Arganar suddenly asked, directing his eyes towards the Inn they just happened to be passing by.

    "Excuse me?" Mia raised her brows, finally taking a look at the man''s face.

    "Didn''t you want to rx?" Arganar asked, blind to the changes ongoing on Mia''s face. "What''s a better way to rx than to have a passionate night?" he asked.

    "I''m sorry, Senior, but I''m not interested," Mia shot Arganar down the second he made his intentions clear.

    There was a certain value that Mia added to that man''s backing. And what he just said was several orders of magnitude below the respect that she had for her body!

    Back in the past, she could consider such an offer. But not now. Not since Arthur imed ownership over her private parts!

    "Huh?" Arganar shrugged, not prepared for such a sudden and straightforward rejection. "Is this how are you going to repay me for all the help I offered?" he asked as his face darkened.

    He clearly didn''t expect the situation to NOT go as he expected it to.

    "I never asked for your help, Sir," Mia replied coldly, reverting to the initial way of referring to the man. "While I''m grateful for all the help, Sir, it doesn''t entitle you to my body or affection," she added in a cold voice.

    "That''s not how all the bitches in this sect would say," Arganar replied, his tone giving out just how angry he turned out to be. He then reached forward and coiled his fingers around Mia''s arm, clearly set on pulling her towards the building.

    "I would rather kill myself than let you soil me!" Mia shouted as she attempted to wrestle her arm free.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged in surprise when the man took the first step towards the inn.

    ''I can''t resist,'' she thought, terrified by the sudden realization.

    If she couldn''t wrestle her arm free from Arganar''s grasp, how else could she defend herself against his unweed advances?

    On the other hand, Arganar didn''t seem to mind Mia''s resistance. He simply continued to walk towards the building, dragging the powerless girl along.

    ''I need to kill myself,'' Mia thought, desperate to save herself from the shame of being spoiled.

    If there was anything worse than being separated from Arthur, it was another man soiling her and thus stealing what was rightfully Arthur''s!

    "NO!" she screamed out, driving all her energy through her flesh to set herself free from the man''s grasp.? Yet, even with all her power, she couldn''t ovee the strength of Arganar''s grasp!

    ''I won''t allow anyone but Arthur to touch me!'' she screamed out in her thoughts, ready to force her energy to go berserk at the moment''s notice.

    The doors of the Inn loomed closer.

    "What the fuck do you think you are doing to her," a voice suddenly appeared, filling Mia with hope.

    For a single second, she stopped herself from driving her own energy to consume her, raising her eyes towards the source of the voice.

    And then she saw it. Ackhart''s furious face as he looked at Arganar as if he was the filthiest worm to roam the.

    "Let go of her, you fucking bastard!" he shouted in fury as the air started to crack under the sheer might of the aura that the formation master released.

 Chapter 242 - Heavy Beating

    *Five minutes prior to the events of the former chapter*

    Ackhart walked through the silent streets of the town. His step was slow, indicating that he wasn''t in any kind of hurry.

    His eyes were clouded as he continued to slowly inhale the cold air of thete evening.

    ''This is a bliss,'' he thought, enjoying one of the few, rare moments of peace that he could find.

    The silence covering the town due to thete hour was the sole source of his solitude.

    ''Still,'' the man shook his head, allowing his long hair to smack his cheeks like an array of whips. ''I would''ve never expected this ce to hold so much potential,'' he thought, raising his eyes and staring at the bright dots of stars littering the sky.

    "Well, I guess I was too naive," he muttered, turning his lips into a thin line. ''With Sangakarts heavily operating here, it''s no wonder no one taps into the potential of all those disciples,'' he thought, turning his eyes to the east, where the remodeled training ground could be found.

    Just by constructing a proper formation and supplying it with somemon monster cores, the rate of growth of the normal disciples of the sect skyrocketed.

    ''I guess what I underestimated were their determination and influence,'' he thought, tightening his hands.

    Step by step, Ackhart continued to slowly stroll through the silent streets of the town while trying to think his current situation through.

    ''Huh?'' Ackhart suddenly stopped when he noticed two silhouettes carved out from the background of the otherwise empty street.

    From a distance, the two people that he noticed appeared to be some sort of couple that had just left the service district of the town and were heading towards their home.

    ''Ah, the charms of being young,'' Ackhart thought, a small smile forming on his lips. Yet, as he got closer to the two, he couldn''t help but notice one thing.

    ''Isn''t it Mia?'' he asked himself, unable to shake off the feeling of familiarity of the girl''s frame. And after taking just a few steps closer towards the pair, the man could confirm his guess.

    ''It''s her... but what is she doing with a man, alone in the streets, in such an ungodly hour?'' he asked himself, puzzled by the sight that he wouldn''t expect even in the weirdest scenario that he could craft in his head.

    ''Still, to think that I would meet her so quickly,'' Ackhart thought, smiling to himself as he shook his head. ''I know she is the very reason why I was sent here, but still!'' he thought, troubled to ept just how smoothly Andrea''s and Anastasia''s n progressed.

    ''Huh?'' Ackhart suddenly stopped in his tracks. The pair that he ended up randomly tailing suddenly stopped. And just after a few moments, amotion appeared between the two of them.

    ''Is this some sort of banter?'' Ackhart guessed, making sure to move to the side where the shadows cast by the buildings would hide his presence.

    Yet, as he continued to observe the situation, Ackhart quickly realized that something was wrong.

    ''It doesn''t look like some kind of a friendly banter,'' he thought, adrenaline starting to enrich his blood.

    "NO!" the shout of the girl reached Ackhart''s ears.

    ''Fuck,'' the man cursed in his mind, instantly rushing ahead.

    Inflirtating Sangakarts was his main mission thatsted for thest two decades. For thest twenty years, he pretended to be a corrupt man that joined their ranks.

    But after witnessing the insanity brought by a certain man, keeping an eye on his girl ended up as an absolute priority.

    ''I will think how to deal with the consequencester,'' he thought, using all his open might to rush towards themotion.

    "What the fuck do you think you are doing to her?!" Ackhart shouted, digging his ground into the stones of the floor to kill his momentum. "Let go of her, you fucking bastard!" he added with fury reverberating in his voice.

    With his usual strength amped up to its limits, the air around the man started to crack, unable to hold the amount of energy that Ackhart''s aura would infuse in it.

    "Get lost, you fucking nobody," the man holding Mia''s hand sneered, not paying Ackhart any mind. From the look on the man''s face, it was clear that he dismissed Ackhart the second he noticed him.

    "I will say it only once," Ackhart muttered, doing his absolute best to hold his fury back. "Let go of her," he ordered.

    The only reason why he didn''t start the conversation with a juicy p to the man''s face followed by a kick to his balls was just that.

    ''If I attack him now when he is holding Mia by her arm, he would end up hurting her!'' Ackhart thought, wary of doing anything that would bring harm to the objective of his true mission.

    "Who do you think you are to meddle with my affairs?" Arganar asked, squinting his eyes with poorly concealed annoyance.

    "Elder, help!" Mia cried out, only for tears to appear in her eyes when Arganar squeezed her arm stronger than before.

    "I only have a general idea of who you are," Ackhart said in a calm voice, raising his cold eyes at the man as he straightened his back. "But you clearly have no clue of who I am, nor just how important this girl is," Ackhart exined, feeling all the barriers that were stopping his fury from unleashing slowly crumbling.

    Not even in the wildest projections did Ackhart expect someone to outright attempt to do this girl any harm! Not after he convinced the local Sangakart cell to keep their filthy hands away from Mia!

    "Get lost," Arganar didn''t bother to humor Ackhart''s attempts at talking things through. Instead, he threw the girl to the side only to use his now free hand to send a punch directly into Ackhart''s stomach.

    "Ugh!" Ackhart moaned in pain when all the air in his lungs got squeezed out.

    ''How can he be so strong?'' he thought, stunned by the sudden disy of prowess.

    Yet, instead of running away or turning desperate, the man invoked a small smile on his lips.

    "I guess I''m not the only one hiding my fangs!" he shouted in tion as his eyes shed up.

    p.

    Ackhart pped his hands together.

    In an instant, the man''s aura changed. Yet, before anyone could scan it, the air crowded with small tokens that escaped from Ackhart''s pockets, stopping any and all from reading his aura.

    "A mature enlighted?" Arganar muttered under his nose, taking a step back as he turned slightly more serious. He then scanned the few of the tokens that started to roam the air around his opponent.

    ''Are those formations?'' Arganar thought, getting serious for the first time in a long while. ''They are quite simr to what he used to build that training ground... but different,'' he thought, trying to make sense of the situation.

    Yet, despite how surprised he was, Arganar remained calm. He simply stood in ce, watching the other party and waiting for Ackhart to make his move.

    "Get lost," Ackhart whispered, waving his hand.

    A powerful wave of pure energy loomed over Arganar''s body, threatening to squeeze him like a bug.

    "Futile!" Arganar chuckled, snapping his fingers.

    The attack disappeared. It simply vanished into thin air, as if it was never there, to begin with.

    "What?!" Ackhart''s eyes widened as he observed this disy of might.

    ''Spirit dispersion?'' he thought, squeezing his teeth. ''Isn''t this something only ascenders are capable of?'' he thought, only for his body to bend in half when Arganar pressed the attack.

    Arganar''s fist buried itself deep into Ackhart''s stomach, sending the formation master several paces away.

    Before the long-haired master could kill the momentum, Arganar appeared right beside him, sending a kick to the back-side of his left knee.

    ''Heck!'' Ackhart cursed inwardly when his knee caved in, breaking his stance.

    And then, another fist followed this time aimed directly at his face.

    "BREAK!" Ackhart shouted, raising yet another set of his formation stones.

    He wasn''t the strongest fighter in his realm. In fact, he could hardly challenge anyone on the same stage to a fight. Even when abusing the heck out of his formation, Ackhart would normally be pretty hesitant to engage in a slugfest with another mature enlightened.

    Ackhart''s formation held, stopping Arganar''s attack. The fist that was about to send Ackhart flying and rob him of his consciousness crushed the barrier but lost all the power behind it while doing so.

    Still, it connected.

    "Weak," Ackhart said, retaliating with a punch of his own. ''elerate,'' he thought, calling forth yet another formation of his. The itch on his face only added rage to his attack.

    "Ugh," Arganar moaned a little when Ackhart''s attack forced him two steps away. He then raised his hand and wiped a drop of blood that appeared in the corner of his mouth. "Your fists do pack some punch," he said, praising his opponent in a taunting manner. "But I think we already established one fact," he said as a wide smile appeared on his lips.

    "You are no match to me," Arganar said, raising his chin in a prideful manner.

    "Maybe that''s true," Ackhart smiled in response, rising up from his knee. "But I already managed to achieve my objective," he added.

    "Huh?" Arganar stopped in his tracks, surprised by the sudden notion. He then turned his head around only to notice that Mia...

    Mia was nowhere to be found!

    "It looks like she ran away without caring about her savior in the slightest," Arganarmented as he turned his eyes back to the formation master. "Well, it doesn''t matter," he added, shrugging his arms. "It won''t be a problem to find her. I guess this time I will have some forceful fun," he added, a lecherous grin appearing on his lips.

    "It''s good that she escaped," Ackhart said, bringing his hand to one of the pockets of his robe. "Because there are some things that she shouldn''t witness," he added, pulling out a rectangle piece of golden token from his pocket.

    "You really should''ve looked into who I am," Ackhart added as his fingers grabbed the token from both of its ends, allowing him to snap it in half at a moment''s notice.

    "Is this..." Arganar muttered, his eyes widening when he finally took notice of the token. His face darkened as he squinted his eyes. "You won''t dare," he added in a guttural tone, his entire self tensing up.

    "This ce is my own, private yground," Ackhart said with a smile as he straightened his posture and looked at his opponent along the line of his nose. "And I will not be harassed, bitch!" he cursed, adding a bit of strength to his fingers.

    The token still remained in one ce, yet the pressure applied on it was enough for sparks of spiritual energy to dance on its surface.

    For a second, the two men ended up in a deadlock of their stares, each trying to see whether the other would chicken out first.

    ''If this is a real royal token,'' Arganar thought, hesitating for the first time since the encounter began, ''then I''m really in a deep shit,'' he thought, bitting down on his bottom lip. ''The question is, will he dare?'' he asked himself, trying to figure out the chances.

    ''Is this girl really worth calling forth the royal judgment?'' Arganar asked himself, lowering his center of mass as he quickly reached a conclusion. ''She is talented, but there is no way he will...''

    "What the fuck is happening here?!" A new voice entered the street. It was feminine andcked the underlying strength that the cultivators would unknowingly infuse into their own words.

    In other words, whoever spoke those words, wasn''t a cultivator worth paying attention to!

    "And who the hell are you?!" Arganar spat out his words, turning his eyes on the neer, only to notice Mia and a middle-aged female standing in front of the terrified girl.

    ''Isn''t she...'' Arganar thought as his face turned nk.

    "I''m the Royal Deputy for this area," the woman said, taking a single step forward.

    Despitecking any cultivation that would empower her to face the twelfth stage cultivator, she didn''t buckle under Arganar''s stare at all.

    "And I hereby banish you from thisnd," Andrea said in a domineering voice before waving her hand at the man.

 Chapter 243 - Display Of The Golden Light

    "I hereby banish you from thisnd," Andrea said, waving her hand at the man. Her domineering voice spread out through the street, culling every and any other noise down.

    For a second, everyone froze. Not because something more happened. They all did solely because of the weight of those words.

    Arganar''s face tensed up, even more than before, proving that there was some meaning to those words instead of them being just a threat. Yet, he refused to buckle, standing his ground just like he did when Ackhart pulled his own golden token before.

    The one thing that he did was moving his eyes to a small, golden bead that the woman held in the hand that she just waved.

    It was smaller than the golden token that Akchart used to threaten the man before. But when Arganar noticed it, his face tensed uppletely.

    "You won''t dare to dip it," Arganar imed in a guttural tone, squinting his eyes as he looked at the woman and Mia behind her.

    Andrea smiled gently. She didn''t seem to mind Arganar''s words at all. And rather than allowing his words to influence her in any way or form, she simply rubbed her thumb against the token, leaving a small smudge of red on it.

    "You..." Arganar muttered, his eyes opening wide when he noticed the detail.

    "I just did," Andrea said in a calm voice, raising the token high above her head.

    The bottom of her thumb was cut open, allowing a single droplet of blood to ooze through her skin, only for the woman to smear it on the surface of her token.

    Arganar clenched his fists. And then, he turned around on his feet and started to run.

    ''Wha...'' Mia shrugged when the man suddenly disappeared from her view.

    "Guard!" Ackhart shouted, raising yet another set of his formations.

    BOOM!

    The shockwave caused by Arganar''s rapid escape shed with the protective formation.

    Thanks to Ackhart''s timely reaction, Mia managed to stand on her feet when the st of the wave reached her position.

    The world around her appeared to explode when the condensed air sted the buildings to her sides into smithereens.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shook her head when the danger passed, looking around to assess the damage.

    The buildings to her side still stood. The chaos and devastation that she saw for a single instance were caused by all sorts of rubbish, dust, and paint that the shockwave tore apart from the buildings... but their very structure managed to hold.

    ''Is this...'' Mia mused when her eyes were drawn towards a golden shine that pierced through the cloud of dust kicked up by Arganar''s escape.

    And then it happened.

    The golden token in Andrea''s hand exploded with the golden shine, making it grow more and more with each passing second.

    Soon, instead of just being a shiny object in the auction-hall clerk''s hand, the shine turned bigger than Andrea herself, only to form into the shape of a door.

    A door that then opened up, allowing a dark silhouette to pass through.

    It was a man covered in tight, dark clothes from head to toe. Only a thin line over his face remained free from the cover of the ck cloth, allowing Mia to see his dark, cold eyes.

    The man took a quick look around himself, scanning the situation. He then turned his head down the road, clearly locking in on something.

    A cold glint shed in the man''s eye as he reached underneath his robes and pulled out a golden-adorned scroll.

    He then reached out with his hand, snapping the seal of the rolled piece of paper, allowing it to roll itself down.

    The paper extended towards the ground, showcasing whatever was written on it to the world.

    ''What is happening?'' Mia thought, shocked by the developments. It appeared as if she stepped into the area where miracles were happening.

    ''Those people are not only my level at all,'' Mia thought, gritting her teeth, only able to watch how the situation develops, unable to contribute whatsoever.

    The scroll in the man''s hand suddenly shed up with the same golden light that announced the man''s appearance before.

    And then, just like that, it simply disintegrated in the very shine that surrounded it, turning into a set of particles that rapidly rushed forward.

    ''Woah,'' Mia thought with amazement when the floating light suddenly exploded down the street like the ws of some kind of mythic monster.

    And then, several protrusions of light suddenly converged in a single point far away from where Mia''s group stood.

    Snap.

    A single instantter, Arganar was back standing where he was before his attempted escape. His body was bound with the chains made out of the golden light, stopping him from moving as he wished.

    Then, the light suddenly lost its cohesiveness, freeing Arganar from its chains... Only to turn into a massive array of orb-like particles of light that attached themselves all over the man''s body.

    "By the Royal decree," the cold voice of the dark-d man finally made its appearance on the street, sending a chill down Mia''s spine.

    It felt as if even a single word of this man had the absolute power to influence anything that happened.

    "By the authority bestowed upon me," the man added.

    The orbs of light suddenly bloated, covering Arganar''s entire body in their shapely shine, making it hard to even notice the man''s presence.

    Mia looked right through this light, strangely fixated on the man''s presence within the intense light.

    But the only thing she could notice was how tense the man''s face turned.

    And then, for the shortest of moments, she managed to lock stares with the man that almost managed to take her by force just a few moments before.

    ''Gulp.'' Mia swallowed her saliva, frozen in terror, when the influence of this man somehow reached her mind just from his stare alone.

    And then, this strange force of influence vanished when the light fully enveloped Arganar, cutting him away from the rest of the world with that barrier of golden light.

    "I banish you," the dark-d man finally finished his order. He brought his arm up while keeping his handpletely loose. And then, he slowly brought his hand in line with his arm, only to end up pointing his finger at Arganar''s face.

    Then, the light simply disappeared from the street.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, hardly capable of reacting in any other way when she realized that the man was nowhere to be seen.

    He seemingly disappeared from the street along with that golden light, just as if he was never there, to begin with.

    Yet, the dark-robbed man remained, proving that it wasn''t all but a stupid hallucination.

    Then, he turned his head to the back, sending Andrea a curious yet cold look.

    "I hope it was well worth it," he said in an extremely monotone voice.

    He spelled out his words in a strange manner, spending exactly the same amount of time to utter the shortest word that he did to spell the longest possible word out.

    ''With how weird his manner of speech is, how can it be infused with so much terror?'' Mia thought, gulping down her saliva when the man''s words caused her body to freeze in ce.

    "It was," Andrea replied, standing her ground as she stared directly into the man''s cold eyes.

    ''Isn''t she just pretending?'' Mia thought, noticing the slight shaking of the woman''s legs, something she was only able to see thanks to the cut in the side of the woman''s robe.

    For the dark-d man in front of the auction hall clerk, the woman''s robes perfectly concealed the proof of her terror from his eyes.

    "Excuse me..." Mia attempted to say something, as terrified as she was curious about what the hell just did happen.

    Yet, before she could as much as take a step forward, Andrea raised her hand, clearly giving her the order to stop in her tracks.

    The dark-robbed man turned his cold eyes to Mia''s face, staring right in her eyes for a short moment. And then, he just turned around, walking off down the street.

    ''Huh...?'' Mia didn''t dare to move a muscle, forced to watch how the man''s body suddenly turned into just a congregation of light only to disperse into nothingness a momentter.

    It was as if all the light that made up his body before turned darker and darker, all the way to the point when it had no shine whatsoever.

    And what was light itself if it had no brightness whatsoever?

    The golden bead in Andrea''s hand crumbled, turned into dust, and slithered down to the ground.

    "Ano..."(*) Mia muttered, angling her eyes to look at the back of Andrea''s head. "If I may..." she attempted to get Andrea''s attention, Ackhart''s attention, or actually anyone''s attention.

    "Not now," the woman shook her head only to put the finger on her lips, ordering Mia to stay silent. "For now, follow me," she ordered, turning around on her heel and moving down the street, back towards the auction hall from where Mia brought her here.

    "Thanks," Ackhart added after he gathered himself up and followed after Andrea, right as he passed by Mia. "I didn''t expect you to be so quick-witted," he added, reaching out with his arm.

    For a second, Mia''s body froze.

    She could still remember the pain and terror that Arganar''s hand caused her. And it all started when he reached out with his hands just like Ackhart did right now.

    Pat.

    Ackhart''s hand fell down on Mia''s hand, only to raise up and fall gently down two more times. Then, he picked up the pace as he followed after Andrea''s back.

    "Come," he muttered, his cheeks brightening up a little after the uncalled-for act of reassurance. "You want to know what the fuck just happened, don''t you?"

 Chapter 244 - He, Who Controls The Flow Of Money

    ''Yes, I want to know,'' Mia thought to herself as she swallowed down a gulp of saliva before following after the man.

    With how they refused to just exin the situation right away on the street, she assumed that there was no point asking about it now.

    They would tell her only when they would be ready for it. Inquiring about the topic right now would only make the opinion those two had of her falter.

    During their entire tour back to the auction hall, not a single one of the trio uttered a single word.

    Mia was too scared to bother the two clearly important figures. As for Ackhart and Andrea, she could only guess what their reason for the silence was.

    "Finally home," Andrea muttered when their small group passed through the set of columns that decorated the entrance to the auction hall.

    Her shoulders dropped the second she released a deep sigh, indicating that she was tense all over through the entire journey back to this ce.

    ''Was there some sort of danger lurking outside?'' Mia guessed, attempting to make sense of the small things she could notice.

    Those details were nothing more but small dots in the dark. For now, there were too few of them for the girl to paint a clear picture of her own situation.

    That didn''t mean, though, that Mia wasn''t going to try doing just that!

    "Let''s get deeper into the hall," Ackhart finally said something. His forehead was all wrinkled, his eyelids covered half of his eyes.

    ''He doesn''t feel safe here,'' Mia thought, marking yet another dot in the mental map of the situation.

    What did it mean? What she could learn from it? For now, Mia didn''t know. But she was more than willing to seek the answers to those questions.

    "You are right," Andrea nodded her head, her formerly rxed face tensing up again. "We don''t know who might be listening here," she said out loud, causing a wrinkle to appear on Mia''s forehead.

    ''Is this something that you should admit out loud?'' she asked herself, too scared of infringing on the face of those two to ask this question out in the open.

    ''Well, and if I did ask this out loud, it would be the same mistake that my question would be pointing at,'' she thought, biting down on her lips and keeping her mouth shut.

    "Who knows what kind of friends that bastard has," Andrea added in a hushed yet clearly audible voice.

    ''So that''s the case,'' Mia breathed out a sigh of relief when she finally managed toplete a small portion of the mental picture in her head.

    ''Rather than alerting the potential spies that she knows of their presence, she is justifying her actions against them,'' Mia thought.

    Whatever one said in a normal voice, most of the spies wouldn''t care. After all, if the person they were spying at wasn''t trying to hide something, it likely didn''t hold much value in the report they wouldter write.

    On the other hand, what Andrea said in a hushed voice was at least important enough to find its ce on their reports!

    ''And right now, they will think she is careful about Arganar''s influence,'' Mia thought to herself, only to squint her eyes as she noticed the question that her realization implied.

    ''But if she''s not worried about Arganar''s spies... Then whose spies is she wary of?''

    Once again, Mia had no other choice but to keep the question deep in her soul as she followed the two of her saviors deeper into the auction hall.

    Only when their small group entered the room furthest down the corridor and closed the door did Andrea''s face rx again, returning to the state that it initially assumed when she entered the building.

    "Here, no one should be able to listen to us," the female clerk muttered, only to turn around on her heel and cast a long nce at Mia''s face.

    "If I may ask..." Mia spoke out in a low voice, not sure if she was in a position to even raise her voice. "But what is this ce?" she stated her question when she didn''t notice any frowns on Ackhart''s or Andrea''s faces.

    "This is a private room of an auction hall," Ackhart replied just as Andrea opened her mouth to do the same.

    "Hush," the woman quickly turned her head to look at the man. Her raised left eyebrow indicated that Ackhart woulde to regret jumping the gunter. She then turned her face back, once again locking eyes with Mia.

    "Just like he said, this is an auction hall," Andrea confirmed Ackhart''s words. Then, an amused smile appeared on her lips. "Yet, at the same time, this is the main hub of the Royal control over this location," she added.

    ''Well, that makes sense,'' Mia thought, gulping down her saliva.

    After the disy of authority and throwing royal-rted words all over the ce back on the streets, she would have to be an idiot not to notice the rtion.

    ''She called herself a Royal deputy, didn''t she?'' Mia thought, recalling the recent events.

    The girl then shook her head, amazed by how seemingly random events led her to this point.

    "I''m a Royal Deputy," Andrea stated just like she did back on the street. "He, on the other hand, is one of my retainers," she added as she nced over at Ackhart.

    Mia, once again, swallowed down her saliva only to take a deep breath a secondter. A single calming ritual of her wasn''t enough to keep her mind chilled.

    She saw the disy of Ackhart''s power. She heard Arganar calling him a mature enlightened.

    ''Even if I don''t really know what stage it is,'' she thought, tensing her fists, ''I can say for sure that he is damn powerful!''

    "I bet you didn''t even know there was a kingdom that governed thisnd," Andrea said, her face twisting in an obvious grimace of dissatisfaction.

    "Ugh..." Mia grunted, lowering her head in preparation for the lecturing that was bound to follow. "I''m sorry," she added, averting her eyes.

    "Andrea!" Ackhart shouted over as he sat down on one of the chairs. "You know it''s not her fault," he added, clearly trying to cate hispanion.

    "I know, I know," Andrea muttered, shaking her head. She then moved her eyes back on Mia''s face. "Listen, girl, the royal power within the kingdom is extremely limited," she stated. "Outside of the capital itself..." the woman hesitated for a little as she thought about something, "yeah, not a single other city is under a direct control of the royal family," she added a momentter.

    ''Why is she telling me this?'' Mia thought, desperately marking new dots appearing all over her mental image and then attempting to connect them.

    ''Auction hall is a source of power in thends that royals don''t directly control,'' she thought, turning what she just heard into simple, straightforward statements in her head. ''And only capital is under the direct control of the royals,'' she added, uncovering another part of the greater picture.

    "I''m a Royal Deputy," Andrea repeated herself, not paying any mind to how focused Mia was. "In other words, I''m a person responsible for managing this location and enforcing Royal will in it," she exined.

    "Excuse me, if I may ask..." Mia finally managed to form up a question in her head that would fill the gaps in her knowledge. "Is this sort of scheme extrapted over the entire... kingdom?" she asked.

    ''How big is the Kingdom? Is the Tuxi sect a subsidiary? A vassal? Or maybe just an organization within the Kingdom''s sphere of influence?'' Questions continued to pop up in Mia''s head.

    Yet, even though she now had more questions than ever before, it would be a lie to say that she knew less than in the past. Rather than that, she only became increasingly aware of just how vast thepses in her knowledge were!

    "That''s right," Andrea nodded her head, a small glint shing in her eyes as she looked at the girl.

    "Then..." Mia coughed, clearing her throat. "Why do those... Royals," she said, quickly raising her eyes at the woman to confirm that she wasn''t straying from the right path as she spoke. "Why do they exert their control in such a roundabout manner?"

    Being a royal implicated that a group of people wielded a power supreme to all those under them. And if that was the case, then why didn''t they use that power to directly control what they were interested in?

    "Girl," Andrea muttered in a soft tone, just as if a naive kid stood before her and asked why people won''t just coin more money to lift everyone from poverty. "Who controls the trade, the flow of money, controls everything," she stated.

    "Reporting on this matter is going to be a pain in the ass," Ackhart suddenly said, bringing up a topicpletely unrted to what the two girls were talking about.

    Andrea turned her head to the side, sending Ackhart yet another cold nce.

    "Can''t you see that I''m trying to exin something?" she asked in an angry voice.

    "Yeah, I can," Ackhart replied defyingly before shaking his head. "But you can always take your time to exin this stuff. On the other hand, I should be ready to report on this situation at a moment''s notice!"

    Instead of bashing on her retainer, Andrea swallowed her words and took a long look at the man''s face. She then released a deep sigh followed by her shoulders plummeting down.

    "I don''t know, can''t you just lie your way out of it?"

 Chapter 245 - Barhana Kingdom

    "I don''t know, can''t you just lie your way out of it?" Andrea asked, sending Ackhart a surprised look.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, surprised both by the sudden change of the topic and the clerk''sidback attitude towards it.

    "Do you really think they will ept some kind of half-baked lie?" Ackhart asked, sending a cold stare from his seat towards the woman. "Do you really believe in that?" he asked again, emphasizing the point he was making.

    "I don''t know; you are the one who works with them," Andrea shook her shoulders, indicating how little she cared about the inner workings of the man''s job. "If you don''t want toe up with something stupid, thene up with a fully-fledged story," she stated.

    Then, her eyes turned beyond cold, vicious.

    "Unless you want Anastasia to learn about how inept you are..." Andrea muttered, raising her hand to her eyes and inspecting the state of her fingers.

    "You promised not to y this card," Ackhart replied, his face darkening. The whites of his bones showed through the skin of his knuckles when he tightened his fingers over the armrest of his chair.

    "See?" Andrea smiled in response to Ackhart''s clearly unhappy reaction. "I''m a good liar. You should learn from my example," she added, boastfully pushing her chest forward as she stared down at the man along the line of her own nose.

    "Now then," Andrea muttered, turning her face back to Mia. "I believe we owe you some exnation," she added before releasing a deep sigh and plummeting right down into the pillows of a nearby sofa.

    "First off, let''s exin the basics," Andrea whispered, covering her eyes with her hand as if a sudden headache had taken over her thoughts. "Right now, we are in the westernmost outpost of the Tuxi hintends. While there are somends that the sect controls on the other bank of the Varand river, they are not considered to be their direct domain but a frontier instead," she said.

    ''Huh?'' Mia only shrugged, trying not to scowl when instead of learning something new, she was only fed some names and words that she had never heard before in her life.

    "Can''t you give her a map?" Ackhart shouted over from his seat.

    ''That''s right!'' Mia thought, reveling in the fact that someone could understand her plight. Yet, she was still too scared of who those people were to ask for it herself.

    "I don''t think I have any, though," Andrea countered, only to release yet another sigh.

    ''Her lungs sure are impressive,'' Mia thought as she listened to the long tone created by the air released by the woman.

    "Okay then, listen," Andrea grumpily muttered, raising from her sofa and leaning over a low coffee table that stood right beside her spot. She then painted a wide half-circle with her finger directly on the wood of the furniture, leaving an ugly scar on the clearly expensive item.

    "This line is Varand river. It''s one of the main logistical arteries of the Kingdom, and it flows right through the middle of it," she exined, only to follow up on her words by drawing a set of different lines.

    "To the extreme west, we have the bordends," Andrea stated, pointing her finger at the line more or less perpendicr to the river she drew before. "That''s why everything to the west and on the western bank on the river is considered a frontier," she exined, circling her finger above the area she mentioned.

    "You keep saying west, extreme west, the western bank of the river..." Mia muttered, puzzled by a single aspect of the map that all those things implicated. "Can you outline how big the entire kingdom is, then?" she asked.

    ''It''s hard to make any sense of the map if I can''t look at the entire thing,'' Mia thought, tightening her teeth as she noticed just what she did.

    She just demanded an answer from someone clearly capable of turning her life into hell!

    ''Was I too arrogant?'' Mia thought, her soul freezing when the terror of possible consequences dawned upon her.

    "Ugh," Andrea gruntled before lowering her finger on the table... And driving its way outside of the table''s borders.

    "The kingdom stretches from the Impassable Mountains to the north, all the way to the central heights of the continent," she informed, painting roughly a rectangle shape on the table and beyond.

    Then, she stopped for a moment, falling deep into her own thoughts.

    And then, she stood up and approached the other end of the table, only to drag her finger through the air, leaving a faint trace of magic hanging in the air and extending the shape of her rectangle far to the south.

    "We also control a massive chunk of the central wilnds, but it''s hard to talk about owning a ce like that," shemented before moving her eyes back to the table.

    "In general, there are five areas to the Kingdom that you should know about. First, we have thends of the Tuxi sect," Andrea said, circling her finger in yet another rectangle, all hidden in the southern bank of the Varand river.

    "To the north from the Tuxi domain, we have free cities. They are dominated by the Tuxi influence but remain free from their rule," Andrea exined, moving her finger up the drawing. "But if you go even further north, thends of the Oloan secte into view," she added, marking a massive area stretching all the way from the northernmost part of her makeshift map all the way to thends of the Tuxi sect.

    "That''s quite a lot of...nd," Miamented, unsure how else she was supposed to react.

    With a proper map, she could tell how many cities did the other sect controlled. From the pictures marking those cities, she could guess just how popted and rich they were.

    But with a map consisting of just a few lines and points?

    With such a low-grade tool, Mia could judge the power of different political entities only by the amount ofnd they held to their name.

    "Right at the eastern border, there arends of the Urbi sect," Andrea stated, cing her hand directly on the table to indicate thend controlled by them. "They don''t have muchnd, but as they control the trade with the Konarian empire to the east, they are richest in the entire kingdom, royals included," she stated.

    ''Konarian empire?'' Mia wailed in her thoughts, stopping her instinctive move to grab her head with her hands. ''Can you like... Stop making things even more confusing for me?'' she internally cried out while doing her utmost to keep her face from showing her thoughts.

    "Then, to the south, we have more of the free cities, all the way to the capital in the southwest corner of the country," Andrea added before releasing another sigh and plummeting back to her sofa. "And that''s the gist of it."

    Mia stared down at the loose drawing for a moment, not sure whether she was supposed tough or cry.

    In Andrea''s head, those chaotic lines and points likely made some sense... But for Mia, they were no different from some child randomly poking his hand around in a sandbox!

    (Map link in author''s note)

 Chapter 246 - What Were All Those Explanations For?

    "Right now, I only have one question," Mia muttered after taking a long while to look at the sketch that Andrea produced. "Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked, raising her eyes on the woman. "What does it all have to do with me?"

    She followed those two people because she believed she would learn something about the recent event that happened outside.

    Why did Arganar attack her? Unless he truly was just an old dog lusting for her swan''s flesh, there had to be some reason for his actions!

    Yet, even after patiently listening to all Andrea''s exnations, Mia still couldn''t figure out a single thing about the recent encounter!

    "There is a reason why I''m telling you all of this," Andrea shook her head, a small smile forming upon her lips. "Tell me, then," she added, looking at Mia with a glint of irony in her eyes. "I just exined the entire general political situation of our kingdom to you. But there is one faction that I have yet to mention," she stated.

    Andrea then crossed her arms on her chest and looked at the girl with curiosity.

    "Any ideas what I''m talking about right now?"

    ''The heck does she expect me to answer right now?'' Mia asked herself, stopping her eyes from rolling in annoyance.

    Everything that she heard so far was new for her. She had no clue that the world outside of the sect was soplicated.

    Yet, to answer Andrea''s inquiry...

    "Is it the royal faction?" Mia attempted to answer. After all, from the main topic of the discussion, the matter of royalty suddenly disappeared from their agenda. In the end, this was the only clue that Mia had.

    "See?" Andrea muttered, lowering her eyes as she shook her head, acting as if Mia just proved some kind of the point. "If you don''t know the general stuff, you won''t understand what happened out in the street back then," she stated before leaning her head to the back and locking her eyes on the ceiling.

    ''And whose fault is that?'' Mia bit down on her lips, stopping those words froming out of her mouth.

    Right now, all she could do was just sit tight and listen. The exchange just now proved that although she still couldn''t see it, there was some sort of reason why Andrea took such a roundabout way to exin the recent events.

    "First thing first, you need to understand one extremely important thing," Andrea said after taking a few moments to calm down. "Being a royal has nearly nothing to do with ruling this kingdom," she stated.

    ''Excuse me, what the fuck?'' Mia thought, startled by the notion.

    Wasn''t this the very definition of the royal word? If a royal didn''t actually belong to the ruling caste... why would they be called royals in the first ce?

    ''Wait a second,'' Mia suddenly stumped, shocked by a seemingly random notion that appeared in her mind. ''There is one thing that uses names that hardly make any sense to people today,'' she thought, turning her lips into a thin line.

    "Being a royal..." Mia muttered before sharply bringing her eyes up to Andrea''s face. "Is this some sort of cultivation stage?"

    Mia was still willingly stuck at the pinnacle of the sixth cultivation stage, ready to advance to the seventh one at a moment''s notice. In other words, she managed to unlock all the meridians in the previous stage and then reinforced her body with the newfound power.

    Once she would take a leap, she would focus on tempering her inner energy so that upon reaching the next stage, she would have an easy time expanding the influence of her spiritual core.

    ''From what I remember, the weird ranks start after that,'' Mia thought.

    Infant, adolescent, and mature enlightened. Those three ranks followed after the core expansion stage. Yet, contrary to all the former ranks, they didn''t depict the actual process one had to go through to advance.

    ''If I extrapte this naming sense, the following ranks would have ambiguous names as well,'' Mia thought, keeping her eyes locked on the woman in front.

    But instead of replying like a normal person would, Andreaughed out loud.

    "Royal being a rank?" she asked through tears of amusement, only for her entire body to start shaking under a new wave of giggles. "Girl, the royal isn''t just some cultivation rank. It''s the absolute pinnacle that one can achieve in this world!"

    ''Oh, that makes sense,'' Mia thought to herself.

    The initial stages were named ording to the process they involved because normal people could understand it and, to a degree, experience it themselves.

    Starting with enlightened rank, when people first managed to reach it, themon poption responsible for creating and then keeping a nomenture would no longer understand the concepts behind those ranks.

    Hence, starting from the ninth stage, the names of the cultivation stages didn''t make much sense.

    Yet, when it came to the absolute top that one could achieve in the world... how else wouldmon folk call people of that stage, if not royals?

    "Most of the cultivators can only ever reach the core expansion stage," Andrea finally managed to rein in herughter and pick up her exnation. "Those with sufficient talent can enter the realm of enlightened ranks. Coincidentally, Ackhart," Andrea pointed with her chin towards the man sitting deeper into the room, "managed to reach the top stage of this rank, mature enlightenment."

    "Does that mean..." Mia muttered, her face turning white when the realization dawned upon her. "Does that mean that Arganar was of royal rank?!" she almost screamed out, only to shake her head and lower her eyes on the destroyed furniture below. "No, that doesn''t make any sense," she quickly added, reining her excitement in.

    ''If he was of royal rank, then a royal banishment wouldn''t work on him so easily,'' Mia thought, quickly finding the hole in her attempted exnation of the situation.

    "He wasn''t royal," Andrea shook her head. "He was an infant ascender," she revealed, finally filling in the one gap that Mia had in her understanding of the cultivation stages. "That''s why I was able to use royal authority to banish him, but I believe you already figured it out," she added, taking a quick glimpse at Mia''s face.

    "Okay, then," Mia nodded her head with understanding, only to openly roll her eyes.

    She was tired of waiting for all those exnations to start making some damned sense!

    "Can you finally tell me what the hell is going on?" she asked, tightening her hands into fists. "I obediently listened for quite a long time already, but instead of understanding the situation, I''m only getting more confused with each passing second!" she protested.

    Yet, instead of getting angry at Mia''s sudden explosion, Andrea only released a tired sigh.

    "This is the crux of the problem," she stated, resting her face in the palms of her hands. "If the situation wasn''t asplex, we would have long dealt with it," she stated before turning silent.

    ''Excuse me?'' Mia asked in her thoughts, finally reining her emotions back in.

    ''I was lucky they didn''t mind me acting up,'' she thought, stealing a nce of the woman''s face and then swallowing a mouthful of saliva. ''But can someone finally tell me what Arganar attempting to rape me has to do with those worldly schemes?''

    "Listen," Andrea raised her head after nearly five minutes she spent in silence. "The mythic... No, the royal rank is special. Even if you train harder than anyone, you need several extremely rare opportunities to be able to reach it. Legends say it was easier back in the days... But nowadays, it''s nearly impossible to do," she stated as she freed her face from the grasp of her own palms.

    "It''s nigh impossible to reach the royal rank in the current times... but some people still do reach it," she stated.

    "And?" Mia asked, cranky after wasting so much time listening to some exnations that still refused to make any sense to her.

    "Seriously?" Andrea raised her eyes at Mia, a hint of disappointment shing in her eyes. "You were able to figure out a lot on your own before, and you can''t connect the dots now?" she asked, only to shake her head.

    ''The hell does she want from me?'' Mia asked herself, ready to ignore the rude remark at first.

    But then, she got thinking.

    ''Initially, royals would carve out a piece of the continent for themselves whenever reaching that mythic rank,'' she thought, only for her pupils to widen when the realization struck her.

    ''What about today?'' Mia asked herself, her body freezing in terror. ''What about the people that reach this rank today?'' she asked herself before moving her eyes on Andrea''s face.

    "What about people that reach the royal rank today?" Mia asked out loud, voicing out the thought that she had just had.

    "Good, it seems that I was worried for no reason," Andreamented, shaking her head. Yet, there was no happiness in her voice despite what she had just said.

    "That''s the exact reason why I wasted so much time to exin the situation to you," she said after releasing a deep sigh. "Listen, the only reason why I went so far to help you out, back then, was because of Ackhart," Andrea stated, bitting down on her lips. "Or rather, because of the reasons that he has to protect you," she added.

    "Excuse me?" Mia asked, looking at the man with confusion written all over her face.

    She met that man for the first time when he agreed to take care of remodeling the entire training ground for her. And outside of a few other asions when she had a rxed conversation with the man, she didn''t interact with him whatsoever!

    Yet, before Mia could voice out her curiosity and confusion, Ackhart stood up from his seat and approached the girls only to seat himself directly on the table on which Andrea scribbled the map before.

    "Tell me," he asked, "does a name Sangakarts sound familiar to you?"

 Chapter 247 - You Are A Bait!

    "Sangakarts?" Mia echoed the question, uttering the word itself to see whether it felt familiar on her lips. She then shook her head. "Not at all," she denied, ncing over at Ackhart''s face with curiosity.

    The man''s lips curved up in a small smile that was devoid of any happiness or amusement.

    "They infiltrated the sect over a century ago. If you were ever curious why this sect, known for its meritocracy, turned out the way it did, now you have your answer," Ackhart exined.

    ''That was unexpected,'' Mia thought, gulping down her saliva.

    She spent nearly an hour listening to Andrea''s exnation only to learn the things that she didn''t care about in the slightest. Yet, after just a few sentences spoken by the man and she started to see the connection!

    "Turned out the way it did... What do you mean by that?" Mia asked. She had a rough guess what Ackhart wanted to imply by this, but she was long past the point where she would ept her own guesses for the given truth.

    "Dividing the disciples between sponsored and normies, taking away all the opportunity from the normies while lowering the standards for everyone..." Ackhart listed out two things only to shake his head next. "Do I really need to say anything else? I believe you are the one who knows the results of their efforts better than I do," he added.

    "Yeah, I think I do," Mia nodded her head, several memories shing before her eyes.

    ''Now it all kinda makes sense,'' she thought, lowering her eyes as she focused on her inner analytics. ''It would be strange for the sect''s system to turn out the way it is without someone actively sabotaging it,'' she thought only to raise her eyes back at the man sitting on the table.

    "Then..." Mia hesitated before uttering her question, aware of how risque it was. "Why didn''t you do anything, guys?" she asked, alternating her eyes between Ackhart''s and Andrea''s faces. "Isn''t this your turf?"

    "Did you ever listen to my earlier exnations?" Andrea interjected, rolling her eyes with annoyance. "We are a force outside of the sect. We can''t dabble into their affairs," she said, shaking her head. "And regretfully, there was hardly anything that we could do about it, even if we were authorized to do so," she added, averting her eyes.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, surprised by the sudden admission.

    And then something clicked in her mind. The topic that they were discussing earlier, how it connected to the topic that was on the agenda right now...

    Everything that Mia considered as a chaotic mess of useless information finally turned into a greater whole that actually made sense.

    ''They can''t do anything because those Sangakarts are a force of a newborn royal,'' she realized, sharply raising her eyes on the two.

    But Mia didn''t ask to confirm her doubts. The implications of this notion were far too great for her to handle, and she wasn''t yet ready to confront such a possibility.

    Instead, Mia swallowed yet another mouthful of her own saliva before taking a deep breath to regain her calm.

    "Still, that doesn''t exin what does it all have to do with me," she stated, doing her absolute best to keep her face straight when she looked right into Ackhart''s eyes. "In my eyes, you just keep on changing the topic whenever I ask about how does it all involves me," she added, putting the ball on the other side of the field.

    Right now, it was the turn of those two to exin their intentions.

    ''After all, I''m not naive enough to believe they just helped me for no reason at all,'' she thought, the memories of how she was used in the past resurfacing in her mind.

    The time when she would take an act of kindness as just it was long gone. Mia was no longer privy to this kind of naive mindset, not after deciding to take on this unfair world face-on!

    Yet, instead of answering, Ackhart stole a quick nce of his femalepanion, only for Andrea to gently nod her head.

    "That boyfriend of yours, Arthur, was it?" Ackhart spoke out in a low voice. His lowered eyes and the tense skin of his forehead proved just how ufortable he was with bringing this topic up.

    ''Boyfriend?'' Mia''s thoughts stopped in their tracks when she heard this single, specific word. A wave of heat struck her face as her cheeks blushed. ''Is that how others see us?'' she thought, unable to hold back her happiness for a moment.

    But this momentary, mental strugglested only for a split of a second before Mia managed to regather her wits and process the rest of Ackhart''s words.

    ''Why did they bring him up?'' Mia asked herself, the look in her eyes sharpening as her entire body tensed up, ready to engage at any moment.

    She was perfectly aware she was nothing but a worm in the face of Ackhart''s power alone. Even if Andrea turned out to be aplete waste without any cultivation to speak off, Ackhart alone was more than enough to handle her...

    But with Arthur''s name brought up to the agenda, Mia could no longer look at the situation from a strictly rational point.

    "What about him?" she asked, her spiritual energy rushing about her body, threatening to forcefully push her over the edge of her current rank.

    "He graduated from his contract and is on his way to this ce," Ackhart informed. He clearly noticed the changes to Mia''s disposition, raising his hands to indicate he had no intentions of confronting her.

    "WHAT?!" Mia screamed out, jumping out from her seat.

    Mia tightened her hands to the point where her nails cut into the skin of her palms. Only in this way she could hope to quell her emotions in.

    ''He is on his way?''

    ''Graduated... Does that mean he is free from his contract?''

    ''No, that''s not possible; I''m still receiving resources!''

    A flurry of thoughts rushed about in Mia''s head as the girl desperately attempted to piece the information together.

    ''No, there is only one question that I need to ask right now,'' she quickly realized once she managed to calm herself down a little.

    Mia raised her eyes on Ackhart, straining her sight to notice any possible changes on the man''s face that would follow her question.

    "Why are you telling me this?" Mia finally asked in a low, monotone voice, too focused on Ackhart''s face to even notice her own tone.

    "I will exin, but let me bring you up to the speed first," Ackhart replied, standing up from the desk he was sitting at only to retreat a few steps and sit down on Andrea''s sofa, putting the desk between himself and Mia.

    "From what we know, he discovered that his overseer," Ackhart stopped his words and nced over at Mia''s face, "It''s a man who was supposed to guide and support him," he exined. "That man was actually trying to profit off his word instead," Ackhart said.

    "Even though my encounter with Arthur was brief, I could tell one thing," Ackhart stated, raising his eyes and looking Mia directly in the eyes. "The only reason why he did all he did, was to support you. That''s why it''s no wonder he ended up shitting on the sect," Akchart added before shaking his head.

    "He shat on the sect?" Mia asked, confused by the man''s words.

    "Come on, it was just a figure of speech," Ackhart rolled his eyes. "After finding out that his Overseer, the one man he considered his supported in the ce he ended up at, was actually scheming against him..." the man shook his head while putting a strangely amused expression on his face.

    "From what I heard, Arthur''s reaction was a sight to behold. But what''s important to us right now is that he knows about the rotten situation of the sect and is on his way here," Ackhart said before sinking down in his seat and turning silent.

    "While it''s great to hear the news about him," Mia said, only for her face to turn even colder than it was before. "But that doesn''t exin shit! Weren''t you supposed to tell me what does it all has to do with me?"

    As happy as Mia was with the prospect of reuniting with her master, the way in which she learned about his return kept on bothering her.

    "Isn''t it obvious already?" Ackhart muttered in a low voice, averting his eyes, unable to look Mia in her eyes.. "You are a bait. Sangakarts wants to use you to bring Arthur in so they can silence him before he discovers the full scope of their scheme!"

 Chapter 248 - You Guys Got One Thing Wrong

    "You are a bait."

    This one sentence was enough to make Mia freeze.

    She couldn''t care less about being in danger herself. If she was a coward like this, she would never bother to challenge the system that governed the sect.

    But being a bait, who would pull Arthur into trouble?

    Mia tightened her hands.

    "Excuse me?" Mia finally uttered through her tightened lips.

    ''I can''t do shit about it now,'' she thought, suddenly realizing just how naive her earlier thinking was. ''Why did I stop cultivating? Who cares what the sect will think? Because I stalled my own growth, now I''m as powerless to do anything as I always was!'' she thought, heavily ming herself for her earlier, cautious decision.

    "A new royal was born in the Kanarian empire to the east. It happened roughly a hundred years ago," Andrea suddenly rejoined the discussion, changing the topic just like she did many times before. "Since he couldn''t hold a candle to the royals that established Kanaria, he cooperated with them.

    "In the end, his group infiltrated the Tuxi sect, aiming to first weaken it and then turn itsnds into their own yground," Andrea added, finally connecting all the dots that she brought up at the beginning of their meeting.

    "Both You and Arthur struggled so much because of them sabotaging the sect," Ackhart added. "It was never aimed specifically at you two. You guys just ended up as victims of their schemes."

    Once again, the room turned silent as Mia took her time to process all of this information.

    After a few moments, the girl finally raised her eyes and looked at Andrea with a cold glint behind her pupils.

    "Let me ask you onest time," she stated, crossing her arms on her chest as she rested deeply in her chair. "That bait thingy...?" Mia muttered, refusing to borate any further.

    ''Since they kept on limiting the information they told me and expecting me to figure it out on my own, they won''t be able to say anything if I do the same,'' she thought, staring down at the two of her conversation partners.

    Mia wouldn''t dare to act like that just a few minutes before. But now, the situation changed.

    Since Ackhart imed that she was bait, all she had to do was just leave the city! Once she would do so, Arthur would lose his reason foring to the outerpost, destroying whatever n Ackhart hatched!

    "Arthur discovered the scheme," Ackhart exined, telling something that he already brought up. "He didn''t appear to realize the full scale of the problem, but this doesn''t change anything," the man added, tightening his hands.

    "And?" Mia asked. It didn''t take a genius to figure out that it wasn''t all there was to the topic.

    Ackhart turned silent, refusing to answer the girl right away. He first took a deep breath before taking yet another moment to sort his thoughts out.

    "Sangakarts hope to silence him before he kicks up a fuss about this entire matter," Andrea exined, freeing Ackhart from the burden of doing so.

    "And what about me being a bait?" Mia asked, raising her eyebrow. "How is that, in any way or form, necessary?" she inquired.

    "I proposed this solution during the Sangakart meeting myself," Ackhart spoke up as he stood up and lowered his head. "This was the only way to stop them from attacking Arthur while he is on his way here," he exined, only to bite down on his lips. "As much as it pains me, we don''t have the resources to track Arthur down to protect him. Only in the cities, the royal power is respected enough to keep him safe."

    Once again, Mia turned silent. Not because she was stunned by the reveal, but because she needed to process it and carefully choose her next words.

    Only after some time passed did the girl raise her eyes at her counterparts.

    "Okay, the bait thing, I understand," she stated before releasing a deep sigh.

    This meeting already managed to tire her out more than an entire day of hard training.

    "But can you finally tell me why did you protect me?" she asked, sharpening the look in her eyes.

    She asked this question despite already knowing the answer.

    ''Since they want to protect Arthur, it means his potential cooperation is of massive value to them,'' Mia thought, clenching her teeth.

    All her hard training was aimed at freeing Arthur from the burden of taking care of her. And right when she reached the point she believed would turn her into a worthy partner for him, Mia learned that she was still nothing but a handicap for her master.

    "It''s pretty simple," Ackhart shrugged his shoulders. "There are exactly three reasons why I did so," he said before raising three fingers on his hand.

    "First, I saw a lot of potential in you. While the formation I made for you is insane, its benefits alone would never allow you to grow so quickly," he stated, bringing the first of his raised fingers down.

    "Secondly, I''m indebted to Arthur for showing me an entirely new world of formations," he said with a faint smile, bringing down another of his fingers. "And yes, the master that I mentioned all the way back, during our first meeting..." Ackhart shook his head.

    There was no need for him to finish this sentence.

    ''Well, I figured out as much,'' Mia thought, stopping a small smirk from appearing on her face. ''This world might be big, but only he is capable of bringing revolutionary changes seemingly out of his ass,'' she thought, her mood lifting up the second she thought about her man.

    "Andstly, the thing that you likely are not going to like," Ackhart mentioned, the look of his face souring.

    Yet, despite announcing the third point, he ended up shaking his head only to end up lowering it, refusing to borate on the point he brought himself.

    "We consider him the likeliest candidate to reach the royal rank in the near future," Andrea exined Ackhart''s third point. "Our Royals are unable to deal with Sangakarts. Doing so would expose them to the attack of other established royal groups," she stated.

    "So you want to help Arthur raise to the royal rank to pit him against this organization you spoke off?" Mia asked, a faint smile taking over her lips.

    "That''s right," Andrea nodded her head before throwing the girl a slightly annoyed look. "And to answer your initial question of today," she took a deep breath," do you think he would ever cooperate with us if we just stood by and watch you, his beloved girlfriend, get raped?"

    Mia blushed when she was referred to as Arthur''s girlfriend. Just hearing those words was enough to make her smile... But it wasn''t the reason for the faint smile appearing on her lips.

    Mia stood up and paced around the room, taking her sweet time to think over what she should say next. Then, after a few moments, she stopped right behind her chair only to rest her arms on it and lean forward, gracing Andrea and Ackhart with a charming smile.

    "You guys got one thing wrong," Mia stated, the corners of her lips raising even further. "One thing that you are oh so wrong about," she added before releasing a small giggle.

    "And what might that be?" Ackhart asked, pulling his eyebrows together.

    "It''s the same mistake that I made myself," Mia replied, shaking her head.

    ''To think I believed I could ever catch up to him,'' she thought to herself, giggling over how naive she was. Then, she raised her eyes back at her interlocutors.

    "A day wille when I will exin it," Mia finally said, perfectly aware of how interested the other parties were in secret she just announced. "For now, though, I have a request."

    "What that might be?" Andrea squinted her eyes, clearly expecting Mia to request something big.

    "Oh, it''s simple and easy; there is no need for you to make such a face," she stated, releasing yet another chuckle. "I just want you to help me write some letters that you will pass to Arthur the second he appears in the city," Mia exined.

    ''I will never tell you what your mistake was,'' she thought to herself, her lips rising even higher. ''Only with time, you will learn just how much did you underestimate him!''

 Chapter 249 - I Was Mistaken

    "One!" one of the disciples shouted, pressing the attack against the training pir with their hand.

    "Two!" someone else sang to the same tune, doing the same but with his left hand.

    "Four!" yet another disciple trained at his own pace, striking the pir with his left foot.

    ''Look at them go,'' Mia thought with a small smile, observing how the normie disciples trained.

    Not a single one of them had any chance of participating in the intersect tournament. Outside of Mia''s team, hardly any disciple managed to reach the fifth stage, not to speak about the sixth one, which was basically a requirement for the sect to consider one''s participation.

    But that didn''t stop any of them.

    Intersect tournament or not, they were all eager to squeeze this opportunity to grow to its limits.

    ''If only I didn''t have so much on my mind,'' Mia thought, her mood souring by the second.

    Even though the meeting that put so much on her mind concluded two days ago already, she still has yet to reach any decision regarding the things she heard back then.

    "For now, we need you to keep your training regime," Andrea stated once Mia finally learned all there was to learn about the situation. "Judging by your aura, you are on the verge of breaking through to the Qi Tempering state, aren''t you?"

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head.

    ''They are strong enough to see right through it,'' she thought, not seeing any point in hiding her own cultivation state.

    In the end, whether she was on the fifth or eighth stage, she would still be nothing more but a worm in their eyes.

    "Don''t try to break through," Andrea advised. "Even though its going to help out only a little, we still need you to participate in the tournament," she added.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by the sudden announcement. "What does the intersect tournament matter now?" she asked, puzzled by Andrea''s wish. "It''s not like winning or losing it will change anything, not after everything that you said!"

    "Listen," Ackhart shook his head, "Sangakarts have yet to take full control of the sect. From what I found, they took over the middle management stages. The top and bottom ranks still are fully in Tuxi sect control," he exined.

    "And what does this have to do with anything?" Mia asked again, her eyelids lowering over her eyes as a suspicion grew in her soul.

    "If you make a massive fuss at the tournament, directly or not, the supreme elders of the sect will have to look into it," Andrea exined her n.

    "Still, whether I can win this tournament doesn''t matter if I won''t get chosen to participate in it in the first ce," Mia countered. "And now that Arganar is gone..." she added, only to cut her sentence in half.

    The implication hidden behind her words was obvious.

    Without Arganar''s support, Mia lost most of her backing necessary to coax the sect into putting her on the pedestal of the tournament participants!

    "I said before that the Tuxi sect isn''t our yground to mess with," Andrea brought back her earlier statement. "But that doesn''t mean we don''t have any influence over it," she added, a small, prideful smile appearing on her lips.

    ''They really gave me a lot to think about,'' Mia thought, shaking her head and returning to the reality from the depths of her memories. She then shook her head again to fully detach herself from her former line of thought.

    ''Should I follow their advice?'' Mia asked herself, forcing her eyes to scan the area around her in an attempt to further detach herself from her memories.

    The sight of all the disciples diligently training with everything they had only made it harder for Mia to decide.

    "FUCK YEAH!"

    A sudden shout alerted Mia, finally forcing herself to move her attention back to reality.

    She turned her eyes over towards the source of the shout, only to see Sander jumping in joy.

    "You did it!" Ve shouted, her face melting in smiles. "You really did it!"

    As the only person to reach the sixth stage of cultivation outside of Mia, Ve turned out to be the greatest supporter for the rest of their team.

    Despite starting from the lowest point and struggling to cultivate at the same pace as the others, she somehow turned out to have the greatest talent towards absorbing vast amounts of spiritual energy.

    Because of her past, filled with the struggle to grow, even when she became the second strongest person cultivation-wise in their group, Ve didn''t turn conceited or arrogant. Rather than that, she opted to be as supportive to others as she possibly could.

    ''I wonder if she can be like that because we found a new enemy to motivate ourselves,'' Mia thought, a small smile returning on her lips.

    Now that the struggle against their fate of normie disciples stopped being the focal point of all normie''s life, some of the disciples lost their motivation to try hard.

    The people present in the training ground belonged to the group that refused to cut themselves some ck... but their numbers clearly decreased.

    ''Those that decided to take it easy are the people that shouldn''t be allowed in this ce anymore,'' Mia thought, her face darkening a little.

    Yet, before her mood could sourpletely, Mia shook her head and ditched those gate-keeping thoughts.

    ''Either way, if I want to be worthy of Arthur''s attention, I need to keep doing all I can myself,'' Mia finally came to a decision, turning her eyes away from her celebrating teammates.

    As happy as she was for Sander, she wasn''t going to waste any more time than she already did.

    Yet, instead of entering one of the spots within the formation, Mia moved towards one of the deserted spots where the formation of the training ground didn''t reach.

    And just like the disciples that she kept watch before, she started to execute the four-stroke sequence of Arthur. Yet, rather than trying her best to strike the air as hard as she could, Mia''s moves turned to be extremely slow.

    ''Rather than improving my strength, I need to boost my precision,'' she thought, moving her arms at a snail''s pace.

    While executing kicks, and especially the footing change happening between the third and fourth attack, turned out to be nearly impossible, Mia didn''t give up.

    Normally, after executing the first kick of the sequence, Mia would give up on her footingpletely for a split of a second so that the entire sequence would flow better.

    Yet, now that she kept her speed to its absolute minimum, she realized just how massive this mistake was.

    ''If someone were to strike me when Ick footing, the entire sequence would turn against me,'' she realized, forcing her left foot to remain on the ground all the way to the point when her right leg would return to the ground.

    ''Shit,'' Mia thought, a frown appearing on her face. ''It''s pretty tough to change my habits,'' she thought when her body attempted to keep up with the old habits she already ingrained into her flesh.

    As Mia continued to fix the w she noticed in her execution of the sequence, disciples started to gather around her.

    At first, people only watched her train, clearly curious why the fastest of them all suddenly started to move as slowly as possible. Yet, before long, rather than just watching, people started to mimic her moves, clearly inspired by the sudden change to her training regime.

    ''Woops,'' Mia thought when her spiritual energy, prompted by the moves she would execute whenever absorbing the energy from the formation, attempted to push through her current limits.

    ''I can''t let that happen,'' Mia thought, forcibly putting the flow of her energy to a halt, only allowing it to flow along with her moves. Compared to how she would normally use the momentum of her flesh to increase the pace of her spiritual energy, this new form of training turned out to be way more challenging.

    ''To think that I was making so many mistakes at once,'' Mia thought once she realized this pivotal point. ''Rather than training how to strike harder and more precisely, I only trained in a way that supported my growth,'' she realized, bitting down on her lips to punish herself for those stupid mistakes.

    ''No matter what, I still need to get stronger,'' Mia thought when her body protested against this unfamiliar form of training. Yet, instead of stopping, the girl simply gritted her teeth and continued to slowly mend her former mistakes.

    And then, right when her left hand struck the air, Mia suddenly froze.

    ''I guess I already made my decision,'' she thought, pulling her hand back. She then looked around, only to finally notice a crowd of people repeating her training sequence all over the ce.

    She shook her head and smiled.

    ''If I can draw Sangakarts'' attention by making a mess during the intersect tournament, then that''s exactly what I''m ought to do!''

 Chapter 250 - Im Sorry, Elder

    "So, do you think they will pick us?" Ve asked as their group slowly made their way up the street.

    She didn''t look at Mia while asking this question, too busy bathing her own face in the warm rays of the morning sun.

    "I don''t know," Mia shrugged her shoulders as she replied. "And I could hardly care at this point," she added, rolling her eyes.

    It wasn''t Ve''s fault for asking this question.

    Given it was the selection day today, when the participants of theing intersect tournament would be chosen, Ve was fully within her right to ask this question.

    But after learning everything that she did over the past few days, Mia''s approach towards the topic changed drastically.

    "Huh?" Ve shrugged in surprise, instantly giving up on her previous rxation to cast her eyes at Mia''s profile. "That''s something new, isn''t it?" she pointed out, leaning her head to the side as if in an attempt to get a better look at Mia''s face.

    "You see, there were two main reasons why I wanted to join the tournament," Mia replied after taking her time to slowly breathe all her air out and then take a long and deep breath in. "I wanted a chance to get back at someone with whom I have yet to settle the score, and secondly, I wanted to find yet another way to let our group rise," she exined before turning mute as if her words were self-exnatory.

    Seeing that she wouldn''t receive any further exnations from her friend, Ve took her time to process Mia''s words.

    "Giving up on your personal fight, I can understand," Ve said after taking her time to think through her next words. "But the other reason, letting our group raise?" she then pointed out, once again ncing at her friend''s profile. "Did you give up on it as well? And if that''s the case, can you tell me why?"

    It wasn''t a tricky question despite sounding like one.

    Mia only needed a single look at the honest look in Ve''s eyes to realize the girl was genuinely surprised and curious rather than trying to uproot her position within the group.

    Mia then released yet another long sigh before raising her face and closing her eyes, allowing the sun to cover her skin with its gentle warmth.

    "I was forced to realize just how meaningless all of our struggles were," Mia said in a disheartening tone.

    "And what do you mean by that?" this time, the voice behind this question was rougher, proving it wasn''t Ve who posed it.

    ''Sander?'' Mia guessed, slowly lowering her eyes and casting a quick look to her side.

    After spending several weeks together, she could easily recognize her teammates just by their voices alone. As such, it came as no surprise when her idea was spot on.

    Even though Sander''s voice was hushed, clearly aimed at stopping the other disciples around them from listening in on their discussion, she could still easily recognize the innate roughness behind it.

    "Let''s just say that I saw just how little ourbined power matters when confronted with truly powerful people," Mia exined in a way that didn''t reveal too much while at the same time showcasing her line of thought.

    Yet, what she couldn''t control, were her lips that turned into an ugly grimace the second she recalled the auras of Arganar and Ackhart.

    Even though the former of the two turned out to be someone whose interests aligned with hers, she still couldn''t stomach just how oppressive Ackhart''s aura was.

    ''Even though I''m almost at the seventh stage, just recalling that memory stifles my breath,'' she thought, clenching her hands into fists.

    From that point on, Mia turned silent.

    The friends that attempted to lightly interrogate her before either had the courtesy not to push any deeper into the topic, or they noticed her expression and realized that any attempt at doing so would be futile.

    Before long, the entire crowd of people that they were a part of finally reached its destination.

    It was a rtively unpopr za, hidden in the deep part of the sect''s outskirts. While there was no rule stopping people froming here during a different time...

    There was hardly any reason for anyone to do so as it was nothing but a vast, empty courtyard with nothing but a small stand located in its middle.

    ''Huh?'' Mia opened her eyes when she detected she was about to bump into someone. Realizing that they arrived at the spot, she stopped her steps and froze in ce, only for her eyes to widen the second she scanned the area.

    ''Since when does this sect have so many disciples?'' she thought, stunned by the full scale of the crowd gathered in a single ce.

    ''Is this some sort of scheme to hide us in the crowd?'' Mia thought, looking around. ''In such a massive gathering, there is hardly any chance anyone will notice us!'' she realized.

    For a moment, Mia''s soul wrestled with her morals, unwilling to ept such a tant way of trying to influence the proceedings.

    But this feelingsted only for a moment, only for Mia to roll her eyes and shrug her arms a momentter.

    ''Well, whatever,'' she thought before turning her eyes towards the small street from which a group of elders walked.

    She has long decided what the right approach towards the intersect tournament should be.

    Instead of trying to please the royal servants of the auction hall by trying hard to join the tournament or doing the opposite by going for the breakthrough, Mia simply decided to go with the flow.

    If her group were to be selected, she would participate to the best of her ability. But on the other hand, she didn''t do a single thing to increase her chances of actually getting selected either.

    Just like she exined earlier to Ve, now that she saw the true scale of who her and Arthur''s true enemies were, she couldn''t care less about small scuffles with Jenne back at the Skdder''s sect!

    "Wee, everyone," one of the elders stepped ahead from the rest of his group before jumping right at the podium in the middle of the za. "I''m pleased to see that you answered our call so readily," he announced, scanning the crowd with his eyes.

    "First thing first," the elder wasn''t going to give anyone the time to process his opening sentence. "Anyone below the fifth rank, you are free to go back to your usual tasks," the man announced, only for a wicked smile to appear on his lips. "We cannot risk our sect''s face by putting weaklings on the tournament," he added, clearly not bothered by the potential resentment he was creating.

    ''Is this an attempt to give those below the fifth stage more motivation to keep on training?'' Mia thought.

    While she didn''t care about the selection process on its own, she couldn''t help but get curious about the reasons behind the elder''s choice of words.

    Mia looked around, only to see the confirmation of her thoughts.

    Quite a lot of disciples turned angry. They clenched their hands or cast angry looks at the elder... But nevertheless, with a singlemand of this man, a great majority of the crowd simply dispersed before disappearing from the za.

    "That''s..." the elder hesitated when the people stopped moving, leaving only a small group of people standing in the ce. The look on his face alternated from surprise, through happiness mixed with disbelief all the way to the same stoic expression he had initially.

    Yet, instead of pushing the proceedings through, the man turned his head around and whispered something to the rest of the elders that came to the ce with him.

    ''What, did he expect that there would be far fewer disciples left?'' Mia thought, unable to stop a smile from forming on her lips. ''I guess the results of my actions took him by surprise!'' she thought, her soul tickling in just the right way.

    Even though Mia gave up on her attempts at changing the sect from within, she still couldn''t help but feel a sense of profound satisfaction when she saw just how many normie disciples managed to reach the fifth stage so quickly.

    "Now then," the elder finallyposed himself and turned his eyes back to the remaining disciples on the za below his stage. "All those below the sixth stage of cultivation are free to go as well," he stated, this time managing to take Mia by surprise.

    ''Is he really that confident?'' she thought, instantly noticing the drawback of her earlier happiness.

    It appeared that upon noticing just how many people managed to reach the fifth stage, the elder came to the wrong conclusion that this increase would be the same for the people of one stage higher!

    "While your progress is astounding, it''s not yet enough," the elder stated, clearly treating those of the fifth stage differently than all those below it. "But keep up the good work, and you might have a chance during the next tournament!" he shouted in an attempt to encourage those that he just chased away.

    Once again, the za turned chaotic as most of the remaining disciples took and left. Yet, this time, this process took considerably less time to conclude.

    Mia looked around and then counted the remaining people. Outside of her group, five more disciples remained standing, bringing the total tally of the sixth stage disciples to ten.

    "Anyone of the seventh stage or above, if you are here, then stop this folly right now and leave," the elder squinted his eyes as he looked at everyst of the disciples only to let his eyes rest on the face of a particr one amongst them. "You should be clearly aware that only those below the seventh stage of cultivation can join the tournament!"

    "Tsk," the man whose face attracted the elder''s attention clicked his tongue before turning around and leaving the ce as well.

    In the end, only Mia''s group of five, Dirk, Kathia, and two other disciples that Mia didn''t recognize, remained on the field.

    ''So they came here as well,'' Mia thought, finally noticing the presence of her former rivals.

    At the current stage of her life, she couldn''t care less about the sponsored disciples. Their actions were infuriating... but that was it. Even Jenne''s actions were far more despicable, and Mia still decided to just forget about him in the face of the real threat.

    Yet, as Mia moved her eyes on the elder, she realized that he still ended up pretty surprised.

    ''He expected a lot less of us to remain?'' Mia guessed, only to shake her head. ''No, if that were to be the case, he wouldn''t let go of the fifth stage disciples,'' she realized before shaking her head.

    There was no point in trying to figure out what that elder was thinking.

    Still, the moment of consternationsted for only a while before the elder regained hisposure and jumped down from the stage.

    He then approached the first disciple in the line that formed after everyone else left.

    "Why do you want to participate?" he asked, looking right into the man''s eyes.

    "I want to prove the greatness of the Tuxi sect!" the man shouted in response, pushing his chest forward and his chin up.

    There wasn''t even a hint of hesitation in his voice or actions. Most likely, he already knew such a question would appear and took his time to prepare for it.

    "Why do you want to participate?" The elder moved on to Kirk, who was next in line.

    "After receiving so much help from the sect, giving it a reason to stand proud amongst others is the least I can do!" Kirk stood at attention and shouted his answer with confidence.

    Kathia''s answer to the question struck the same buttlicking tones.

    "Why do you want to participate?" The elder finally reached Mia, asking her the same question that he asked everyone else.

    Mia put a small smile on her lips as she looked the elder directly into his eyes.

    "I''m sorry, elder, but I don''t think my answer will satisfy you," she answered calmly, ignoring the snickers that instantly followed from her left where the sponsored disciples stood.

 Chapter 251 - Guarantees

    "I''m sorry, elder, but I don''t think my answer will satisfy you."

    Mia''s answer managed to take everyone by surprise, sponsored disciples to her left, her own team to the right, and the Elder to the front included.

    "And what if I insist?" the Elder asked after taking a moment to process the girl''s reply.

    Yet, contrary to the snickers that Kathia and Dirk instantly uttered, he didn''t look at Mia with anger, pity or annoyance.

    Rather than that, the Elder''s eyes were filled with curiosity.

    Mia didn''t answer his question, though.

    ''Should I tell him?'' she asked herself, not sure how she was supposed to react right now.

    In theory, this was the perfect opportunity that Andrea and Ackhart would kill her for not using. Yet, on the other hand, making use of this chance was insanely risky.

    ''Is he with Sangakarts? Or is he just curious?'' Mia attempted to figure out the solution to this seemingly simple dilemma.

    Before she coulde to any conclusion, though, the Elder leaned his lips over Mia''s ear.

    "Don''t worry, little one," he whispered lightly. "You won''t be punished for having personal reasons for joining. But if you don''t want the other elders to hear your reasons, you can just whisper them to me," he added, clearly set on making Mia talk.

    The Elder then retracted his lips only to near his ear towards Mia''s mouth.

    ''Should I do it?'' Mia asked herself once again, unable to stop her hesitation. She then swallowed a gulp of her own saliva before shaking her head to push aside all the useless thoughts.

    ''Fuck it, worst-case scenario, I will need to ask the Royals to protect me,'' she thought, raising her eyes and taking a step back to put some distance between her lips and the Elder''s ear.

    "It''s fine," she stated, confidence returning to her voice. "I will exin," she added, sending the man a meaningful look.

    "Fine," the Elder smiled and returned to his normal position only to take two steps back. "The stage is yours," he then added, pointing right at the ce where Mia used to stand a moment earlier.

    "I''m sorry for being honest, Elder," Mia nodded her head in an apology before finally picking up the topic proper. "There are exactly three reasons behind my wish to join," she stated.

    "Huh?" Ve couldn''t stop a small moan of surprise when Mia''s version changed from what she heard her confess just a few moments prior.

    "First, I have some personal matters that I was forced to leave aside before joining this sect," Mia stated. "This tournament is my only chance to punish someone who wronged me a lot in the past," she revealed the personal reason for her wish.

    "Huh?" the Elder shrugged in surprise. "I do not mean to disrespect your wish here..." he said only to hesitate for a moment. He then shook his head and looked Mia in the eyes. "But why do you need to use the tournament for that?" he asked.

    To Mia''s left, Dirk shrugged, clearly ufortable with where the topic was heading.

    "Because the person I wish to punish hails from another sect," Mia revealed, not paying her former sponsored rival any mind.

    For a moment, the Elder stood in silence, seemingly trying to figure out how he was supposed to reply to Mia''s words. Then, an uneasy smile appeared on his lips.

    "Just like I said before, I do not mean to disrespect your wish..." he hesitated again, "but what makes you think that person will participate in the tournament as well?"

    Mia froze in her spot. Her words ended up stuck in her throat as her mind went into a frenzy.

    ''Huh?'' she moaned inwardly with surprise, shocked that such an obvious problem escaped her scrutiny before.

    ''Ever since I moved out of the Skdder sect, I lived with the idea that he will for sure participate... but why?'' she asked herself, refusing to believe that she was stuck in such a massive mistake for so long for seemingly no reason at all.

    ''No, I know the answer to this...'' she thought after analyzing her own memories. ''It''s all because of the words of the elder that guided us through the bordends!''

    Ever since shest met Jenne when she was about to depart for the Tuxi sect, she lived with the idea of meeting him again during the intersect tournament. It was the one thing that she never bothered to question, sure that such an event woulde to pass.

    But now that the Elder pointed this inconsistency out, Mia couldn''t really answer his question.

    As such, Mia couldn''t do anything but lower her eyes in an attempt to hide her embarrassment from the Elder.

    ''That''s..." she tried to respond, only for her words to fail toe out. She then took a deep breath and forced herself to raise her head. "Your question is something I didn''t think about if I were, to be honest," Mia admitted once she finally managed to regain her confidence.

    Then, she shook her head. This time, not to clear her thoughts, but to indicate that the Elder didn''t change her mind either.

    "Still, I can''t pass on this opportunity," she stated. "It''s not up to me to decide whether or not he will join, that''s true," she admitted only for the look in her eyes to sharpen, "but it''s up to me to grab this chance if he does!"

    Upon hearing Mia''s response... the Elder smiled.

    Even though he caught Mia on such a stupid mistake, he couldn''t help but be in awe of her dedication and quick thinking.

    "Then, what''s your second motive?" he asked, giving Mia a way out of the topic that she was clearly notfortable with.

    "It''s to improve the standing of my group by an extinguished service to the sect!" Mia answered, this time without even a hint of hesitation.

    This question, she was already prepared for.

    The Elder nodded his head with satisfaction, showing a greater reaction to this single reply of hers than he did to the answers of all those he asked before.

    "Then, the third?" the Elder asked. To the side, Ve and Sander sharpened their ears and even leaned a bit closer, clearly curious about the bomb that Mia was obviously about to drop on this ce.

    Because, if that wasn''t the case, why would she hide her third reason from them just a few moments before?

    "I''m sorry, elder, but I''m not sure if it''s safe for me to say it out loud," Mia pretended to hesitate.

    At this point, she has long made up her mind. All that she needed to do right now was to ensure her own position before going all in.

    "Then," the man replied, only to turn silent for a moment. "What if I guarantee your safety within this sect?"

    "That offer would certainly be interesting if only I knew who you are, Elder," Mia replied, nodding her head to soften the emotional damage of her words.

    ''Well, it''s your own fault that you never made yourself known to the disciples, so don''t try to me me on that,'' she thought, staring down the man''s eyes.

    "Fine," the Elder smiled. "In my name of the Third Supreme Elder of this outpost and Seventy-third Supreme Elder of the whole sect, I guarantee that no harm wille to you as a result of your words."

    The man announced in a mighty voice, only to turn his head around and send a meaningful stare to the elders behind him.

    "I second the guarantee," the first of the Elder''spanions stepped forward. "Fifth local Supreme and Hundred-fourth in the whole sect!" he announced.

    Soon, one by one, all the Elders that came to this ce followed suit, giving their verbal guarantees to Mia.

    "Now, are you satisfied?" the highest-ranking of the present elders turned his head back and looked at Mia.

    "Not really, but that will do," Mia replied cheekily, not bothered with how disrespectful her words were. "Worst case scenario, I already secured the guarantees of people that even you, respectable elders, would dare to cross," she stated arrogantly before taking a step forward.

    "The third reason why I want to join the tournament is to put an end to the corruption that eats away at this sect''s principles!" Mia shouted out loud.

 Chapter 252 - [Bonus ]End Of The Selection(and The Arc, Duh)

    The second those words left her mouth, everyone in the area froze. On the other hand, Mia couldn''t feel better, a rush of emotions surging through her soul.

    "The sponsorship system has long proved to be counterproductive, more able to inspire conflict than growth. The treatment of the disciples outside the sponsorship is not worth the principles that made me join this sect in the first ce," Mia continued her rant.

    Then, a wide smile appeared on her lips.

    "That''s why I won''t be satisfied with just winning the tournament," Mia stated, turning her eyes back at the Elder and refusing to move them away. "I also want everyone who will watch the tournament to see the gap between the sponsored fucks spoiled by the sponsorship and those who trained hard to stand when they are right now!"

    ''The one thing I can do to help Arthur is to divert Sangakart''s attention to me,'' Mia thought, recalling the reason why she was willing to openly throw a gauntlet at the organization sabotaging the sect.

    The Elder before Mia took a step back... and then another... and another. He continued to retreat until his back hit the edge of the stage on which the rest of the stunned elders stood.

    "I have already heard about your group," the man finally regained his wits, turning his eyes towards Mia''spanions. "Am I to assume their reasons are the same as yours?" he asked, a strange glint appearing in the back of his eyes.

    "Just the second one," Mia replied, instantly calming herself down and using the sweetest voice that she could produce. "They are not involved in my personal trouble, nor they are aware of thest thing that I brought up," Mia exined...

    "We stand with her," Sander stepped forward, refusing to let Mia''s words sink in. "I always thought that our treatment was just how the things were supposed to be..." he hesitated for a moment, only to sharply raise his eyes and look the Elder directly in his eyes. "But I''m sure of it now. This sect doesn''t work how it''s supposed to. And if our participation in the tournament can bring a wind of change, I will do everything in my power to achieve it!"

    The rest of Mia''s group didn''t bother to make such haughty statements. Rather than that, both Ve and the silent couple stepped forward, showing their support nonverbally.

    "I see..." the Elder replied, clearly lost for words.

    He raised his hand and rubbed his long, ck beard as the clouded look in his eyes indicated he was lost in his thoughts.

    And then, the Elder''s face returned to its usual, stoic look, as if nothing of importance had happened.

    "Normally, there are only seven slots for the participants of each sect," he stated, changing the topic without a singlement directed at Mia''s or Sander''s statements.

    A wicked smile appeared then on the man''s lips.

    "It''s now up to you to decide who will participate," he stated before sitting himself down on the edge of the stage.

    ''That''s unexpected,'' Mia thought, taken aback by the sudden change of the situation.

    But for how surprising it was, it was a good thing to happen.

    Mia turned her head to the side only to look at the sponsored disciples with a lenient smile.

    "I don''t think I need to prove it yet again," she stated, raising one of her eyebrows. "You guys have no chance against any of us. Pick the two to drop out yourself," she stated before turning her head back and crossing her arms on her chest.

    This time, it was the sponsored disciples'' turn to get surprised.

    At first, nothing happened...

    But then, the man standing at the leftmost of the row of the disciples cast a quick nce at Mia''s group...

    And then he just turned around and left the ce without uttering a single word.

    The remaining trio of the sponsored disciples took a few paces to the back, clearly not willing to share their way of solving the problem with the others. And before long, they formed a triangle and hid their right hands behind their backs.

    "Rock, paper, scissors!" they all shouted in unison before bringing their hands forward.

    ''That''s quite smart,'' Mia thought, instantly recognizing the simple scheme.

    Dirk and Kathia were clearly working together.

    Picking different stances during each round maximized their chances of cutting the third wheel off, quickly forcing the third guy out of the participation list.

    "Great!" the Elder pped his hands when the eight of the disciples turned around and left with his head hung low. "Now that we have the team for the tournament, I need you all to go to the distribution center and im your new outfits," he stated.

    Once again, for the nth time during this single, short event, everyone froze in their ce, stunned by the revtion.

    There wasn''t any way for them to make the Elder happier.

    "It''s exactly three days before the tournament will start. That means the participants from other sects will arrive here tomorrow," he stated, his smile only widening even further.

    Then, the Elder took a theatric pause to raise the tension of the moment...

    "And we can''t have you go and greet them while still dressed in those worn-out rags!"

    The atmosphere, tense to its limits, rxed in an instant.

    After Mia''s statements, the conflict between the three sponsored disciples, and all the other things that happened during the day, no one expected the Elder to drop such a bomb.

    But after how tense this day was already, everyone weed the change.

    "Oh, and you," the Elder turned his eyes back to Mia''s face. "Yes, you," he added when Mia looked around, trying to guess who he was looking at.

    "Whatever happened in your past... Do not bring your personal problems and wars during the initial meeting," the Elder requested. "You will have more than enough time to settle the scoreter!"

    The Elder jumped down from the edge of the stage and stood up straight, raising his chin up high.

    "All dismissed!" he shouted only to turn around, flutter the long cloth of his robe and leave through the exact same street he took to arrive at the za, to begin with.

    "Well, that was tough..." Vemented, finally capable of breathing a sigh of relief.

    Despite her strength, she wasn''t the greatest at taking in the pressure.

    "Yeah, it was," Mia nodded her head, only to shake it right away. "But I need to go now," she stated before turning around on her heel and leaving back the way she came from.

    ''This sure was a rough ride,'' she thought as she hastily moved towards the auction hall.

    After everything that happened, Mia wanted to justy down and rest, giving her mind some room to think the recent events through.

    But there was still one more thing that she had to do.

    Upon arriving at the auction hall, she didn''t bother to announce her appearance to Andrea or Ackhart.

    They were too busy to cater to each and every of her recent andmon visits.

    Rather than that, she quickly grabbed a quill, a piece of paper, and enclosed herself within one of the rooms that Andrea generously gave her the keys to.

    The dictionary was already waiting on the desk, supporting her efforts at learning how to write her letters properly. Even though she knew how to write a little, she often found herself unable to express the recent events without relying on the dictionary''s help.

    Mia sat down, wetted her quill in the bottle of ink, and started to draw letters on the piece of paper she had brought.

    "Dear Arthur, I hope this letter will find you in good health. Ever since myst message..."

    The end of the arc.

 Chapter 253 - [Bonus ]New In My Life

    "For now, that''s all that I managed to discover. In the end, I can only hope you will find those letters before Sangakarts'' boogiemen will find you."

    "Best of luck,

    Mia."

    ''This girl...'' A thought shed through my head when I finished thest word of thest letter.

    I gently put the letter back on the pile, taking a moment for all of the information I learned to sink in.

    ''She is really trying too hard,'' I thought, clenching my fists.

    If there was anything that struck me out in those letters, it was Mia''s desperation to prove herself useful for me.

    She appeared not to realize that my only wish was for her to stay safe instead!

    Deciphering all the letters took me a considerable amount of time. Just a single nce through the window proved that the sun was long hidden behind the horizon.

    It was something that I noticed a long while ago when I had no other choice but to start burning candles just to see the content of the letters.

    But between traveling in my lonesome and being able to connect with Mia, even if it was only by reading the words she wrote, I had no doubt which I preferred.

    ''Still,'' I thought, shaking my head to get rid of those unnecessary sentiments.

    Now that I was in the same city as my girl, it was only a matter of time before we would unite. Yet, before it could happen, there was an opposition that I had to tackle, the opposition that Mia informed me about in her letters.

    "Sangakarts, you poor bastards," I muttered under my nose, only to close my eyes and lean back in my chair.

    "Still, as clear as those letters make our situation to be, it still pretty hard to believe in such thing," I muttered to myself, ncing over at the pile of letters stacked on the desk.

    Due to how disturbing the content of those papers was, I dared not to hold them while thinking about what I had just learned. A single bout of anger that would cause my fingers to tighten would easily lead to the destruction of those precious mementos.

    ''Wait, no,'' I shook my head, noticing the same mistake that I continued tomit over and over again. ''I can''t let this reincarnator bias sway my view,'' I told myself.

    The history of nations of the earth was so colorful that when a certain author made a novel based on that very history, his novel ended up adopted to a series. A series that quickly received the moniker of "Game of Backstabbing."

    It was a story based on an early medieval period of a certain ind country. And that alone spoke just how rotten the history of earthen nations was.

    ''I can''t let my simplistic view of cultivation worlds be swayed by what I learned from the novels,'' I told myself, clenching my hands over the armrests of my chair. ''If humans on earth could be so bloody, traitorous, and crafty with their schemes, why would the humans of this world be any different?''

    That was the crux of this topic.

    As someone born in the modern age, I grew up with a natural distrust towards all kinds of conspiracy theories. And just by looking at what Mia told me in her letters, there was a pretty massive conspiracy rooted deeply into the heart of the Tuxi sect.

    Yet, the longer I thought about it, the more real it appeared.

    "Damn, it''s so tiring," I muttered, leaning back on my chair to the point when its front legs lost touch with the ground. Hanging on the fragile bnce of only two legs, I reached out with my hand and grabbed the topmost letter from the pile.

    I only realized what I was doing when I took a long sniff of the paper, hoping to smell some faint hint of Mia''s fragrance.

    Just holding this piece of paper made me feel closer to Mia. Yet, when I realized that I just tried to smell said letter, a blush instantly took over my cheeks.

    ''No, that can''t do,'' I told myself, putting the letter back on the pile.

    There would be a time for me to enjoy myself like that. Sadly, though, it wasn''t the time for that yet.

    ''I need to figure out what I should do next,'' I thought, putting the front legs of the chair back in their ce as I leaned over the desk. I then reached out to the side to grab the bottle of booze before taking a long sip of the liquid.

    "Damn, it''s disgusting," I muttered, fighting off my instant desire to spit the booze out.

    I never thought about it before, but it appeared that my taste buds remained the same as they were on the earth. Yet, instead of a blessing, it was actually a curse.

    After all, my nation was known for the centuries-long traditions of brewing strong drinks. And whenparing the average drink, I could find in the shops on earth with the booze I managed to find in this world...

    My initial drive to spit it out summed up just how massive the difference in the quality of the alcohol was.

    Still, despite how awful it was, I downed yet another drink, hoping for the booze to clear my thoughts a little.

    "Just what the hell am I supposed to do right now?" I asked myself in a hushed tone.

    Now that I was aware of the Sangakarts aim of silencing me, I couldn''t just do what I wanted.

    ''Thinking about this, howe they didn''t attack me yet?'' I asked myself, troubled by the matter.

    ''If they did, I would at least know my situation. So the question is, why didn''t they attack me already?''

    There were three possible reasons that I coulde up with.

    First, they were too busy with other stuff to bother with springing up a trap on me. This was the likeliest possibility given how Mia admitted to her attempts to divert their attention to herself.

    The second option was far simpler. And it assumed that the people set to silence me were preparing for the strike right as I thought about this topic.

    ''I would love if it turned out they simply missed my return,'' I thought, only to shake my head over how naive this thought was.

    Even if that was the case, it wasn''t something that I should seriously consider. Rather than helping me prepare for the worst, this line of thinking would only make mecent towards the potential danger this Sangakart group posed.

    ''Well, the main question is whether they can actually harm me.''

    I smiled at my own thoughts.

    Most likely, they had people of a greater cultivation base than me. Yet, just like I noticed on my own andter confirmed in Mia''s letters, that didn''t mean their power was actually greater than what I was capable of.

    ''Still, confronting any enemy right now would be a stupid move,'' I thought, shaking my head and standing up from my chair.

    Even though they were extremely silent, my ears still managed to pick up the delicate noise of someone''s steps.

    A single look towards the window confirmed that it couldn''t be the auction hall clerk that I requested toe to visit to retrieve the letters.

    It was way too early for her toe yet.

    Knock, knock.

    Two gentle hits against the doors leading to my room announced the opening of the new chapter in my life. A chapter that would likely devolve in a pretty bloody direction.

    "Excuse me!" a masculine voice reached me from beyond the doors.

    ''I had my reasons to hold back on killing before,'' I thought, clearing the hints of my presence in the room and stuffing all the letters into my robe. Then, I grabbed the bottle and made sure it was properly closed.

    "I-I''m cooominnn," I uttered in a loud, sloppy voice, doing my best to act as if I was drunk beyond any salvation.

    ''But I guess I have no other choice but to abandon the morals of the developed civilization,'' I thought grimly, pulling out a small item from my storage ring.

    It was a small pebble of a slightly reddish hue. A smoldering stone that I found during my month-long journey to the outerpost. A stone that people of this world used to start fires.

    ''Well, I guess it''s time for me to go,'' I thought, weighting the bottle in my hand.

    ''If there is anything good about this disgusting booze,'' I thought, a vile smile appearing on my lips, ''then it''s its alcoholic content,'' I added in my mind before swinging my arm and throwing the bottle right towards the doors.

    The ss of the bottle turned out to be pretty brittle, shattering right at the moment of impact and covering the doors with its content.

    "FuuuuCK!" I shouted, still pretending to be drunk as heck.

    I silently made my way towards the wall beside the room''s window and ced my hand on the stones that made it up.

    With a single thought, my mana rushed forward.

    The gap that stopped me from advancing my cultivation further was massive... But that didn''t mean I was weak. Sitting on the level of a mature enlightened, I was pretty close to the peak of what one could achieve in this world.

    ''Let''s dance!'' I thought joyfully, flinging the smoldering stone right towards the doors wet with the alcohol.

    At the same time, I released the energy from my hand, disintegrating the stones that blocked my way outside.

    The doors instantly erupted with fires fueled by the alcohol permeating the wood. And before the doors could fall apart, I dived right through the hole in the wall, sinking into the shadows of the night.

    ''Let''s see how good you guys are at ying cat and mice with me!''

 Chapter 254 - What Wont I Do For Science?

    Thump.

    The dull sound of my shoes hitting the hard stones of the floor wasn''t loud enough to attract anyone''s attention. The shouts of the people from the auction hall all rushing in to deal with the fire were more than enough to cover the noise I made.

    ''No one should be able to see me,'' I thought, quickly changing my position from where Inded.

    With the fires to my back, the area that their light didn''t reach would turn subjectively even darker. Anyone who would as much as throw a single nce towards themotion would have a way harder time noticing my silhouette in the darkness.

    It was a trick I learned... by reading books. Something that one of my favorite authors pointed out, exining why guards in the medieval cities rarely used fires while patrolling the walls through the night.

    ''A torch would make one feel safer and illuminate his surrounding, but it would make it nearly impossible to see deep into the darkness as well,'' I recalled the reasoning of said author.

    It was something that I also tested myself, eager to satisfy my curiosity and check whether the author''s ideas were anything more than just horseshit.

    And as it turned out, when I held the torch outside of the well-lit area directly around me, my eyes couldn''t prate the darkness just a bit further beyond. On the contrary, after extinguishing the fire and giving my eyes some time to readjust, I could see far deeper into the night than when I had a torch on!

    ''I need to be quick,'' I thought when I distanced myself far enough from themotion.

    Without even a second of hesitation, I tore my robes out of my body, throwing them away a bit deeper into the alley.

    The cold wind of the night caressed my naked skin as I pulled out a different set of clothes from my storage ring.

    ''I wonder if I can get sick,'' I thought, pulling the merchant-like attire on my garb and then... turning right back.

    Thest thing anyone would expect from someone escaping would be for that person to return to the ce they were initially caught at.

    This small piece of psychology was abolished on the earth, even giving the birth of the saying that an arsonist would always return to the ce he set on fire.

    And that''s exactly what I did.

    ''This is going to be fun,'' I thought, patting myself on the pouch that I attached to my belt.

    As I was going right back into the zone of danger, it was better to be prepared. Even if the chances of anyone spotting and recognizing me were slim, I wasn''t going to go back into the auction hall unprepared!

    ''Woah,'' I thought when I finally emerged from the street in which I hid previously.

    The fires spread out towards an entire side of the auction hall building. Outside of the top and ground floors, it appeared as if the rest of the building was already on fire.

    "I can''t believe this is happening!" some girl in the crowd cried out, hiding her face in her hands.

    "Did someone send for the fire brigade?" someone else asked, calmly trying to take stock of the situation.

    In short, the space where Inded after jumping out from the hole I made was now squirming with people, all eager to watch and all hesitant to help in any pragmatic way.

    ''Perfect,'' I thought, sneaking deeper into the crowd and acting just like any other pesky civilian attracted to the disaster-struck area.

    "Do anyone knows what happened?" I asked in a natural voice.

    Given how excited everyone around me was, it would be weird if I were the only one standing in silence.

    "No information yet," someone in the crowd shook their head. "It''s not like they will tell us what the hell happened here either," the random man added, a sour expression appearing on his lips.

    For the next few moments, I continued to squeeze through the crowd, slowly making my way to the other end of themotion.

    Yet, when I took a dive into themotion, what appeared as a simple task turned out harder and harder with each passing second.

    More people continued to gather every moment, eager to observe the exciting event. And while it meant my cover would turn better and better, actually reaching the doors of the building would also get harder by a second.

    By the time I finally managed to free myself from the crowd, parts of the building had already burned out, revealing the frantic attempts of the clerks inside.

    ''I don''t have the time for that,'' I thought upon realizing that I followed the crowd''s example and simply stared at the desperate attempts to contain the fire.

    ''Now that I think about it, did I start something pretty big?'' I thought, a cold sweat appearing on my back.

    I then shrugged my head and turned my attention to the things that really mattered.

    ''Mia warned me that there would be an attempt at my life,'' I recalled the very reason why everything went down the route it did. ''I can''t me myself for taking precautionary measures to keep myself alive,'' I added in my thoughts, forcing my guilt aside as I directed my steps towards the entrance.

    The building itself was quite different from any of the auction halls that I have been to so far. The interior had a quite familiar feel, but I could tell that this ce wasn''t built to house the auction hall but adapted for that purpose instead.

    ''Well, it''s not like any of the auction halls that I saw before bear a striking resemnce to each other either,'' I thought, pushing my way through the building''s entrance.

    From the inside, the situation didn''t look anywhere as dire as it did from the outside. The building was massive enough for the ze to be still considered as nothing major but a small inconvenience. And from how the auction hall clerks rushed about, it was only a matter of time before they would bring the situation back to its natural state.

    "Sir, I''m extremely sorry, but right now..." a female clerk approached me, a look of distress all over her face.

    "Don''t worry," I said, waving my hand as if to dismiss the girl. "I can see what''s going on. Until you take care of the fire, I will just wait here," I said, adding an encouraging smile.

    ''Fuck, this really feels bad,'' I thought when the feeling of guilt nearly overwhelmed me.

    Even though the woman wasn''t injured, her face was tired, and her body was covered in darker spots of where ash fell upon her.

    Despite the fire erupting right at her workspace, she still did her duty and attended to me the second I reached the main hall of the ce!

    "I..." the woman hesitated, not sure how she was supposed to react.

    "Quick, we need more water!" someone shouted from the direction of the fire, forcing the girl to make her decision.

    "I''m sorry, sir," she said, nodding her head and turning around. "Thank you, sir," she added, rushing to grab one of the buckets filled with water that other clerks constantly brought to the middle of the hall.

    ''I guess I will wait,'' I thought, following up my words with actions and taking a seat on a bench situation near the wall of the hall.

    For the next few moments, I did nothing but observe how the clerks of the auction hall worked like diligent bees. Yet, even after several moments passed, the situation didn''t seem to get anywhere closer to being resolved.

    ''Wait, did I do something really bad?'' I thought, unable to stop my guilt from reaching my consciousness anymore. This feeling was only reinforced when the first people injured in the firefight started toe out from the endangered part of the building.

    Having them take a rest near the other wall of the main hall didn''t help either.

    "Why isn''t someone using elemental techniques?" I muttered, trying to figure out why the battle with the fire was taking so long.

    Given how I could do wonders with my mana, there surely had to be someone capable of using their cultivation to wield fire or water, wasn''t there?

    "It''s a domain only royals and ascenders can reach," someone suddenly replied to my soft mutter.

    I turned my head to the side, only to see another merchant sitting by the wall and waiting for the event to conclude. "Even though this auction hall is rich and powerful... They are not THAT powerful," the man said, rolling his eyes. "We are in the outerpost, not the headquarters," he added.

    An rm bell rang in my head.

    ''Was it just a coincidence?'' I asked myself, steeling my resolve to fight for my life the second any risk of attack would appear. ''Was it a coincidence he mentioned headquarters, or was it a slip of the tongue?'' I tried my best to figure it out.

    But the man didn''t utter another word, making it impossible for me to guess whether he just happened to bring up my former location or if he was trying to imply something.

    Yet, after a moment of thought, I realized that there was something far more important hidden behind his words.

    ''Is it?'' I asked myself, putting the man''s statement into a question.

    What was even fire, to begin with?

    The answer for that, for me, was simple. It was a chemical reaction of oxidization during which energy would be released.

    ''Wait, energy?'' I thought, a sudden and wild idea appearing in my head.

    I swallowed a gulp of my salvia before standing up straight.

    "Brother?" the merchant who prompted my curiosity with his earlier words raised his head, taking a long look at the profile of my face.

    ''Doesn''t this sound like something... I could actually use?'' I thought.

    Since mana was nothing more than energy, the fire was just a manifestation of a chemical reaction and freed energy...

    "I just want to try something out, don''t mind me," I calmed the merchant down before taking my first step towards the fire.

    Even though it began as nothing more but a distraction to slow down those who would dare to chase me down, now it was quickly bing a real problem.

    ''And it wouldn''t be wise to antagonize the auction hall, the first thing I did upon arriving at this town,'' I thought, my mood worsening with each passing second.

    Yet, this was an opportunity. A chance to test something that I couldn''t miss out on.

    "If you want to help, just go and get more water to the fire," the merchant advised, pointing his hand at the long row of buckets filled with water.

    "Thanks," I replied, gently nodding my head. "I will make sure to work for both of us," I added before leaving with a small snicker on my lips.

    I grabbed two buckets of water and followed deeper into the building, right in the direction where the smoke wasing from.

    ''This is really making me feel guilty,'' I thought when I finally realized the true scale of the fire.

    It was nowhere close to what I started. And despite not having any experience in fire behavior, I could tell that it spread out way too fast for a small ze I started.

    ''Was someone else involved?'' I thought, only to bite down on my lips. ''No, if whoever knocked on my doors really wanted to attack me, they would obviously make this matter way bigger than it was,'' I corrected myself as my face darkened. ''Otherwise, they wouldn''t be able to exin the traces they would leave in my room,'' I realized, pressing towards the fire without hesitation.

    "Sir, it''s dangerous!" a young man shouted upon noticing me. His lips turned into an ugly grimace, proving that there was anger rather than a genuine worry underneath his professional words. "It''s not safe here!"

    "Thank you for your warning," I said, swinging my arm and sshing the water at the fire nearest to me. "But I want to try something. If I seed, I might be of some help," I added as I dumped the second bucket into another burning ce.

    Then, I took a step forward and reached out with my hands. Despite the intense heat produced by the ze, I pushed my hands deeper and deeper, all the way to the point when they were entirely covered with mes.

    "SIR!" the clerk shouted, shocked by my seemingly unreasonable actions.

    Then I noticed him. A man that I actually recognized.

    He only shed in the corner of my eyes, but I was damn certain that I knew him!

    ''Fuck, it''s not the time for this,'' I lectured myself as I regained myposure. Then, I drove my mana through my body while, once again, holding my aura back.

    A mere merchant would never be able to reach my current cultivation stage at such a young age. As such, I had no other but to appear as someone far weaker than I was in reality.

    The momentum of my energy reached its maximum. Squeezed down by my attempts to rein my aura in, pushing my mana like that actually made it quite a painful experience.

    ''What won''t I do for science?'' I asked myself with a small giggle before refocusing my attention on the mes.

    ''Absorb!''

 Chapter 255 - Burning Alive

    ''It burns!''

    This single thought permeated through my mind, filling everyst thinking cell of my brain.

    When I first pushed my hand into a me, it felt like resting it on the overheated radiator heater, stinging but bearable. Yet, after just a few moments, a certain truth became apparent.

    My cultivation reinforced my body, making it more resilient. But it didn''t decrease the pain nature could inflict on me by any degree!

    The little hair that I had on my hand was long gone, sizzled away in mes. My skin was on fire, ready to evaporate and turn into ashes at any time, exposing my red flesh to the boiling heat.

    ''I need to toughen it through,'' I forced this thought on myself, gnashing my teeth as I continued my desperate attempts to uncover the truth of the fire.

    I could feel the energy within the ze. It was there, within reach of my hand...

    But there was something wrong with it, a strange, weird feeling that I got whenever I attempted to suck this energy away.

    It felt as if some kind of force was stopping me from absorbing this energy, just as if my personal mana was ipatible with the mana that nature invoked.

    ''The fire is full of energy,'' I thought, trying my best to pull out the surefire statements that I couldn''t be mistaken about. ''But it''s not the free mana that I absorb through formations. It''s wild,'' I continued to analyze the situation.

    Even though each of my discoveries could appear shallow, simple, and entirely useless, I continued my attempts without stopping. By deconstructing the situation into the things that I understood and the things that I wasn''t sure about, I could at least build up on what I knew rather than hoping for a sh of enlightenment.

    ''Maybe that''s where the name of my cultivation stagees from,'' I thought, holding back a chuckle. ''From people doing their best to figure something out about the word''s inner-workings.''

    Yet, just as I was about to go through everyst thing that I was certain of again, a sudden thought appeared in my mind.

    A single question that forced me to look at the matter from a different angle.

    ''How can energy be wild in the first ce?''

    Even though I was fully focused on my private thoughts, I could tell that my disy of madness brought a lot of attention. Even though I didn''t look behind me, my spatial awareness alerted me about the crowd that continued to gather just a few steps to the back.

    ''There is free mana that a cultivator can absorb, and there is personal mana that''s already etched with someone''s consciousness,'' I thought, ignoring the gathering behind my back and staring deeply into the mes.

    The dancing red and orange, the physical manifestation of the chemical reaction, appeared to have no order at all. It would peak in one ce, only to suddenly retreat, turning into a valley surrounded by several other peaks.

    Despite staring into the dance of mes for quite some time, I couldn''t see any rule, any greater sense behind its moves.

    Free energy was calm, only following the greater trend influencing it. Personal energy was orderly, strictly abiding by the flow of one''s inner drive. But the energy that this fire contained...

    It was different.

    ''There is free and personal mana that I know of,'' I thought, ''but how does this wild energy fit into the equation?'' I asked myself while doing my absolute best to ignore the intense pain in my left hand.

    "What is he doing?!" someone from the crowd shouted, making my body flinch.

    After all the time that this crowd silently stared at the disy of my craziness, having someone shout was pretty distracting.

    But what was even worse, once the first person raised their voice, others followed.

    "Is he mad?" someone questioned the sanity of my mind.

    "Please, pull him away!" some girl cried out in desperation, unable to look at my plight.

    I closed my eyes for a second, cutting all those distractions off. Soon, all the voices turned into nothing more but background noise for me, something that I was finally capable of fully ignoring.

    "Nobody dares to touch him!" Ackhart ordered as he made his way to the front of the crowd.

    The long-haired formation master stared at Artur''s back, refusing to show his own confusion to the crowd around him.

    ''He didn''t appear to be a crazy person thest time I saw him,'' he thought, using his domineering presence to hold everyone in their ce.

    Ackhart then crossed his arms over his chest and took a step forward before driving his aura a little.

    No one was going to make it past him; no one was going to bother Arthur in this clearly important moment of his.

    ''Wait,'' I suddenly shook my head, the question that appeared in my mind shocking me to the point where I forgot about the pain all over my hand. ''How could there be different forms of energy?''

    From the sses that I obligatory took back on earth, I knew about all sorts of energies. There were two main kinds of energies, potential and kic ones. And while potential energies described systems that had... well, the potential to produce and output energy, kic energy was just a form in which potential energy was released.

    The only type of energy that didn''t fit this ssification was obviously the one type of energy that earthcked.

    The mana.

    ''But I can clearly feel it within the mes!'' I protested in my mind.

    The fire was nothing more but a process of turning potential energy into kic energy. Yet, I wasn''t so sure whether I could ssify mana as a kic, as released energy.

    ''Wait, what if the mana doesn''t fit this equation?'' I suddenly asked myself, my eyes opening up wide.

    ''Free mana is potential energy. Personal mana is energy in-between those two states, still just a potential but ready to be released at a thought. And mana used in techniques or spells is a kic form of energy!''

    This was the only way in which I could fit the physics of this world into the framework bestowed upon me by the schools of earth. And seeing how this world seemed to operate under the same principles that earth did, this framework still had a good chance of urately describing the naturalws!

    ''The real question should be, why did I put my hand into the me before thinking it all through?'' I asked myself, despairing over my own stupidity.

    If only I gave myself some time to think things through before, I would save my hand several minutes worth of torture!

    Still, even with the realization that I arrived at, I couldn''t understand why I wasn''t able to absorb the energy contained within the me.

    If I could feel it, it existed for sure. Yet, it remained locked from my influence...

    ''Wait, locked?'' I asked myself, my eyes widening up once again. ''Isn''t it just like with mana used by others?''

    That was it.

    That was the most likely reason behind why I struggled so hard to absorb the energy of the mes!

    ''If it''s already etched with nature''s intent, then all I need to do to absorb it...'' I thought, a smile appearing on my lips.

    It was impossible to absorb mana used by someone else to attack you. It would be locked away from my own intent as it was already etched with it. Yet, by all means, it was possible to use one''s own mana to erase the intent contained with the mana of someone else!

    The corners of my lips moved up as I finally reached the point where I could ditch all that heavy thinking and start doing something about the situation!

    "Sir, the fires are taking over!" one of the auction hall clerks shouted, unable to watch Arthur''s plight any longer.

    Yet, Ackhart remained frozen in ce, refusing anyone to as much as take a single step towards the struggling man in front.

    "What''s going on?" Andrea asked the second she arrived on the scene, only to watch how mes suddenly exploded, covering Arthur''s entire body.

    Her eyes widened when she realized just what the hell was going on. She turned her eyes to Ackhart, only to notice the focused look in the man''s eyes.

    "What''s going on?" she asked again, this time making sure to make herself soundposed.

    "Don''t you dare interrupt him," Ackhart said, refusing to move his eyes even for an inch.

    Even though he was Andrea''s servant, he couldn''t care less about formalities right now.

    Not when Arthur, his master, was clearly on the verge of breatkthrough!

    "What do you mean?" Andrea asked, shocked by the unexpected change to her old friend. "He is about to burn to his death!" she protested, raising her arm and pointing it at Arthur''s back.

    "No," Ackhart shook his head. "He is about to discover something," he corrected the woman as he refocused on the situation just a few paces ahead.

    My face was tense.

    I could no longer ignore the burning pain over my hand, currently spreading through my entire body.

    What started as me putting my hand into mes turned into mes, putting my entire self into their domain.

    Yet, I wasn''t worried for a simple reason.

    I finally figured this shit out!

    ''Now!'' I thought when the flux of the energy reached its periodical low.

    It was time to put my theory to the test!

 Chapter 256 - Sway Of The Flames

    If someone were to ask me how it felt to control my energy, I would be hardpressed toe up with an answer.

    Even after everything that I came through, I still couldn''t truly grasp the feeling of the mana itself.

    Sure, I knew how to use it or how to calcte formations for it. Yet, no matter how hard I trained, it was still a foreign feeling, not something that I truly adopted.

    But right now, when I recklessly pumped my own mana into the fires that I was supposed to quell...

    For the first time in my life, I could truly feel the flow of my energy.

    The fires around me exploded.

    It was no wonder. I pumped them full of my fresh energy, after all. As a result, the ze covered my entire body.

    Right now, it was only a matter of time before I would burn alive, molten down by the very fires I helped to create.

    ''HOLD IT,'' a single thought appeared in my mind.

    A simple idea. Of not giving up. Something that often would be bloated up to some unnecessary heroics.

    Give up, and you will die. Fight on, and you might survive.

    Sure, the second option might be more tiring and challenging... but if one wouldn''t fight for the survival of themselves, what would they ever fight for?

    And then, just as my face was about to set on fire, the torture stopped.

    The fires that so readily burned down my robes, the outeryer of the skin, and all the hair on it... They all suddenly turned calm.

    For but a short moment, the wilderness of the ze''s energy that I couldn''t control stabilized. The peaks receded, the gaps filled, turning the fire into a uniform medley of energy that I could freely ess.

    ''Wait, was I right?'' I thought, surprised to the end of it.

    There was a discernable difference between expecting a result and actually experiencing it.

    Sure, everything went exactly as I hoped it would; the results exceeded my wildest expectations. But I still needed a moment to process it when it happened.

    This calm form of true energy appeared for but an instant. But it was just long enough for me totch on and suck like a teenager on his cute girlfriend''s tit.

    An immense wave of mana washed through my body, filling me with more than enough energy to keep beating the fires into submission.

    The image from before returned.

    And what started as a singr explosion of immense power now turned into a constant torrent, overflowing my body with energy.

    ''How the hell is this possible?'' Ackhart thought, his eyes locked on the shape of Arthur''s back.

    His hands were trembling with excitement as he watched the wrestle of his master and the mes.

    Being the ascender himself, he could see what the young man was trying to do. It was different from the usual but still struck the same tones of the technique that he was a practitioner himself.

    "What the hell is going on?" Andrea whispered by Ackhart''s side.

    She simply stared down at the disy of Arthur''s seeming madness, unable toprehend the true nature of the events.

    Despite being the highest rank within the auction hall, Andrea didn''t boast high cultivation herself. Being just an adolescent enlightened, she didn''t reach the level where she could perceive the detail of what was happening.

    But hardly anyone could me the woman.

    Before her eyes, Arthur''s body started to move.

    He would swing around his axis, allowing his hands to slowly sway on the movements of the fire. Wherever the ze would peak, Arthur''s hands would follow in a graceful, slow dance.

    "Is he following the rhythm of the fires?" Andrea muttered, proving that being stuck at the enlightened level didn''t stop her from being aware of the intricacies of the stages above that.

    Even if she could not sense the things she needed to do it herself, she still knew of such technique.

    "But isn''t elemental sway reserved for Ascenders?" Andrea whispered, turning her face to Ackhart''s profile. Then, her face whitened. "Don''t tell me he reached..."

    "No," Ackhart decisively shook his head, moving his eyes to keep them locked on Arthur''s every move. A long wrinkle appeared on his forehead. "There is no way he reached that stage so soon," he imed.

    Then, the wrinkle on his forehead deepened as he stared deeper into Arthur''s dance.

    His eyes widened.

    "He isn''t following the sway of fire," Ackhart whispered, refusing to look away even for the shortest of moments. "He is leading it instead!

    "This is definitely weird," I muttered to myself. I only allowed myself to voice my thoughts because I was fairly certain the rage of the fire would block others from hearing my words.

    My body danced all on its own.

    Prompted by the movements of the fire, it somehow managed to follow its sway. And because of this connection between the moves of the fire and my very flesh, absorbing its energy turned out insanely easy.

    My moves, albeit slow, were wide. My legs led me deeper into the me. Instead of escaping from this scalding inferno, I plunged deeper into it, eager to absorb it all.

    A sudden bout of pain refreshed my mind a little, throwing me off my daze.

    The skin on my face cracked apart, creating a long, open wound running all the way from the left side of my forehead, through the middle of my face, and towards the right corner of my mouth.

    No blood oozed out of this fresh wound. It was a wound that I couldn''t see myself, but one that I could perfectly feel.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged, surprised by the sudden injury. ''Did something fly by and cut my face open?'' I thought, unable to figure out what had just happened.

    And then I realized what was wrong.

    It wasn''t that people below the ascender''s rank couldn''t handle elements at all.

    The burden of doing so was simply so great, only those of that specific cultivation stage or above could handle it!

    ''Should I deploy my wardens?'' An idea skimmed through my brain.

    Right now, my greatest problemy in my body, corroding under the pressure of all the magic that I was consuming. And the easiest way I could think of to ease that burden was by sharing it with my extensivework of supports.

    ''No, I can''t,'' I thought momentster, gritting my teeth as another wound opened up, this time along the side of my left arm.

    I didn''t need to encourage myself.

    What started as my attempt at quelling the fires was now something far more important.

    I was absorbing the energy at a rate that had never happened to me before. A simple fire gave my body more energy than an entire pile of monster cores squeezed into an advanced formation.

    ''That makes me want to create a fire-absorbing formation,'' I thought, trying to alleviate my pain by thinking about something entirely else.

    Instead of suffering through the torture of my body corroding, I immersed myself in the psychical reward of growing at an insane pace.

    ''Now that ascenders and royals are on the scene, I''m way too weak,'' I thought, holding on to my determination despite new and new wounds opening all over my body.

    For every bit of energy that I infused into fires to control them, a powerful surge of energy would enter my system in return. And each of those surges carried a small amount of energy that I didn''t manage to control.

    And it were those wild strands of mana that corrupted my flesh from inside-out, putting a hefty cost for every second of this mad growth of mine.

    ''I wonder how much I have advanced already,'' I thought, suddenly prompted by curiosity to open up my system.

    And in a single instant, I forgot about all the pain and suffering that I was going through.

    ***

    Mature Enlightenment (269 458 673 215/300 000 000 000)

    {

    Enlightenment: 69 458 673 215/100 000 000 000

    Potential: 100 000 000 000/100 000 000 000

    Drive: 100 000 000 000/100 000 000 000

    }

    ***

    The gap that I believed would take me months, if not years, to bridge turned out to only take a single leap. Yet, despite the flow of energy constantly filling my body, the progress of my enlightenment remained stuck in ce, frozen by some condition.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged in surprise, my mind too shocked to even notice the pain anymore.

    But that didn''t mean the corrosion stopped. Rather than that, new wounds continued to open all over my body. I was quickly reaching the point where I would simply bleed out the second that whatever held my blood from flowing out would disappear.

    ''I don''t really have the choice, huh?'' I thought, ready to go for the breakthrough in order to save my very life.

    And then it clicked.

    My prolonged effort of reaching out and controlling the me finally paid off.

    Even though the entire wing of the auction hall continued to burn, all of those mes were now under my control.

    And so I stopped my dance, freezing in ce in a pretty weird position.

    I had my hands raised above my head while my left knee was halfway to a kneel.

    The fires froze, turning from the guide that led my moves to an obedient ve that followed them instead.

    I leaned my body forward, allowing my hands to pain a wide arc as they angled towards the ground.

    And then, I bent both of my knees, making my body plummet down.

    The second my hands struck the ground, I took a deep, slow breath.

    ''Hold it,'' I ordered myself, ready for what was about to happen.

 Chapter 257 - Fires Aftermatch

    Everything stopped in its tracks.

    The second my hands mmed into the ground, the fire ceased its movements, turning into a still aura of heat and energy.

    And then, along with the air that I inhaled, all the fire swirled towards me, filling my lungs with its fiery power.

    This fire-born mana wasn''t fully purified.

    Despite my constant attempts to wrestle full control over this energy, I managed to achieve only partial sess. As such, even the tiniest sliver of this energy would wreak havoc in my inner state.

    And right now, I consumed the single greatest amount of energy in my entire life...

    All at once.

    I tightened my teeth. My breath was deep, allowing the fires to reach all the way to my very core.

    At this point, my body was a bloody mess, even though not a single drop of blood came out from my wounds.

    ''Fuck,'' I could only silently think while the fires ravaged me from the inside out.

    It felt as if something was boiling me from within.

    And then, it all ended.

    In but an instant, all the fires converged over Arthur''s body, only to infuse themselves in it.

    It took a moment for the dust and smoke to settle, allowing others to look at the scene.

    The fires that attacked the entire wing of the building were nowhere to be seen.

    Arthur absorbed them all. And now, he just sat on his knees, refusing to move even an inch.

    Ackhart raised his hand to protect his respiratory organs from the dust.

    ''Did he just...'' he thought, startled by the possible exnation of what he just saw with his own eyes.

    ''Poof.''

    There was no sound to announce the change.

    Arthur simply raised his eyelids, proving that he somehow managed to pull through the ordeal.

    His eyes were slightly filled with the craze, indicating that he had yet to deal with the trauma of his recent experience.

    ''It hurts!'' I internally cried out, holding back on my urge to raise my hand and squeeze my heart out.

    Even though the fires disappeared, their energy was still exploding within my body.

    Just when I thought the torture would end, said torture truly started.

    With the fires gone, the force that kept my wounds from bleeding disappeared into thin air, instantly dropping a massive problem on my shoulders.

    ''At this rate, it will only be a moment before I will bleed out,'' I thought, clenching my jaws.

    There was hardly anything that I could do at this point.

    The energy bustling in my system was just too overwhelmingly great for me to release it! And even if I could do so, freeing such a massive amount of energy would scorch my insides.

    It was truly a situation with no way out.

    "Are you okay?" Ackhart asked, approaching me from my blind spot to the back.

    ''Do I look fucking okay?'' I screamed out in protest in my mind, using thest of my willpower to keep my mouth from prying open.

    My only saving grace, right at this point, was my system.

    It tirelessly worked to absorb the energy, bringing me closer and closer to the breakthrough.

    The gap that just a month ago appeared to be insurmountable was now nothing but a walk in the park.

    A walk in the park that put me through some hellish experience, though!

    ''He is going to bleed out,'' Ackhart thought, rushing forward. He reached out with his hands, only to stop when Arthur''s body suddenly started to glow.

    ''Could he be...'' Ackhart''s eyes opened wide as he backed out a step at the veryst moment.

    The shine around Arthur''s body exploded, covering him in a golden light.

    This eventsted for but a second, yet it didn''t escape Ackhart''s attention.

    Because he was too familiar with such an event to let it slide unnoticed.

    ''This mad son of a bitch did it!'' Ackhart thought, unable to utter a single sound through his shock. ''There is no doubt now, he has to be some sort of genius!''

    ''With that, I might just clutch it,'' I thought, lowering my eyes down on my hands.

    Thanks to my breakthrough, mycerations quickly started to cover with a scab, only for it to wither and reveal new, pinkish skin.

    It all happened at a slow rate, but also a rate quick enough for me to ward off the danger of straight out bleeding out.

    All the energy suddenly left my body when my flesh itself rearranged the distribution of focus throughout all my wounds. For the price of losing my mobility, I now started to heal at a rate that appeared to bend the naturalws of the world.

    ''Is this what the ascendancy is all about?'' I thought, trying to figure out the details of this strange situation. Only by learning more about the world around me I could hope to find things that I could exploit.

    And this strange state in which I continued to feast off the fire-born magic could prove usefulter on.

    ''I think I can figure out why people don''t use this method to raise from the early levels,'' I thought, allowing my body to rx a little.

    In the corner of my view, I could see the numbers of my status constantly growing as my system continued to absorb all the energy that I gained.

    "Are you... okay?" Ackhart asked, reaching his hand out once again, only to let it hang in the air, halfway towards Arthur''s shoulder.

    "I''m fine," I replied, refusing to turn my head around to look at the formation master. Right now, what I needed the most, was time to recuperate my wounds properly.

    ''And since they want me to cooperate with them,'' I thought, recalling the content of Mia''s letters that I spent several hours deciphering.

    "I need you to arrange a safe room for me," I said, not even bothered to turn my head to look at those who I was addressing.

    Or rather, that''s how it likely looked like.. In reality, however, I simply had no strength left to move my head around.

 Chapter 258 - I Hope You Will Be Safe

    Mia was back in her room, busy sorting through thest few papers left on her desk.

    There wasn''t any slowdown to the necessary administrative tasks stemming from how she basically organized a sect within a sect. Rather than that, a new batch of disciples was scheduled to soon join the outerpost, putting even more souls under Mia''s responsibility.

    Nheless, the papers on Mia''s desk only treated on the most important problems of her organization.

    The need for repairs to the training grounds after a disciple went berserk and devastated one of the cells. The two disciples missing from the roster. A financial report containing all the expenditures and ie of resources.

    ''Finally done,'' Mia thought to herself when she ced thest piece of paper in the pile of the finished work. She then raised her head towards the window.

    The day was long over, forcing the girl to cut well into her sleeping hours.

    ''I still need to get that meeting out of the way,'' she thought, sighing heavily before standing up and fixing her robes.

    As the un-called leader of the entire organization, Mia could no longer allow herself to just run around in whatever robes she had at hand.

    Right now, she had to keep the pose of the leader she was.

    "Let''s hope it will go smoothly," Mia muttered to herself, closing the doors to her house as she left for thest of her points scheduled for the day.

    Yet, just as she made barely a few steps into the sect grounds, she suddenly noticed that there was something wrong.

    It was alreadyte into the night... But she could see the outline of the buildings far better than she should be able to.

    ''It''s not a full moon today either,'' Mia eliminated the possibility by looking around. And soon, she managed to pinpoint the source of this weird feeling that she got.

    From the direction of the auction hall, the sky itself was shining.

    The gentle red aura cast upon by whatever was going on there spread out throughout the city.

    ''A fire?'' Mia thought, freezing in ce. ''Wait, at the auction hall?''

    An array of thoughts flurried through the girl''s head, each more disastrous than the one before.

    ''It most likely means Arthur came back,'' Mia thought, curling her fingers up into fists.

    Yet, instead of rushing towards the event site, Mia stood her ground.

    ''I want to go...'' she thought, pressed forward by her very heart...

    But her rationality refused to let Mia act on her emotions.

    ''Ackhart should be out there to help,'' Mia thought, furious at how meaningless her ability was. ''If I go there, I will only turn into a burden for everyone else,'' she thought, lowering her head and attempting to quell her fury directed at herself.

    ''If only I trained instead of trying to pull away Sangakart''s attention,'' she thought, biting down on her lips as she stared into the distance.

    Mia''s decision was no different from a bet. And as it appeared, she lost said bet.

    "Are you okay?" Ve asked when she emerged from the small street leading towards Mia''s house. "You don''t look okay," she added after stealing a quick nce at the girl.

    "Something insanely important is happening right now," Mia said, looking towards the reddened sky above the auction hall building.

    She couldn''t see the fire itself. Mia stood way too far from that, with too many buildings blocking her view.

    ''I can only judge the situation from the aura of the fires...'' Mia thought, clenching her jaws before suddenly turning around.

    "Let''s go!" she shouted quickly, pressing forward before Ve could make up her mind to do something.

    "Don''t you want to know what''s happening there?" Ve asked, rushing to follow after the leader of her group.

    "I want to know," Mia nodded her head only to release a deep sigh. "But I dare not to get too close. Right now, I would be nothing more but a burden to whoever is at y there," she added, stealing a quick nce behind her back.

    There was no need to keep the discussion up. The two girls moved through the rest of the way in silence, aware that there were no words that would cheer either of them up.

    "You are finally here," Sander greeted the two right at the doors of the building where they set up their meeting.

    His forehead was covered in a long wrinkle, indicating that he was also cautious about the events happening deeper to the east of the sect grounds.

    "Do you know what''s going on?" the man asked, gripping the handle of his spear a bit stronger.

    "Not our problem, not yet, that is," Mia replied, refusing to borate on the point.

    ''I don''t know whether it''s Arthur''s doing or not,'' she thought, ncing behind her back yet again, only to shake her head in an attempt to refocus her attention.

    "Okay then," Sander replied, spreading his arms wide and then raising them up as a sign of surrender. "Let''s proceed with the meeting then, okay?" he suggested.

    "Fine," Mia nodded her head, making her way inside the building.

    The young couple that made up the rest of their group was already inside, cuddling together and waiting for the meeting to begin.

    "Okay guys, first thing first, we have to prepare for tomorrow," Mia stated, resting her hands on the edge of a massive desk in the middle of the main room of the building. "We are going to act ambassadors of the entire sect before the foreign disciples. We can''t let others make fun of us while at it," Mia stated.

    She was powerless to influence the events happening out at the auction hall. In the current moment, the most she could do was to make sure to attract as much attention of Sangakarts as she could to herself, hoping it would distract them from trying to press Arthur.

    "So tomorrow, we are going to meet with the others," Sander muttered before raising his eyes on Mia''s face. "But what about the day after tomorrow?" he suddenly asked. "The tournament only starts in three days, not two!"

    "You are right," Mia nodded her head, already aware of the problem Sander was raising. "I went to ask at the administration office. Apparently, both the time after the meeting and the day before the tournament starts, we are free to do whatever we want to do," Mia exined, spreading her arms away.

    "Seriously?" Ve muttered under her breath, quickly stealing the nce at the profile of Mia''s face. "They allow us to roam free... even after that hostile statement of yours?" she asked, puzzled how the situation developed.

    "The sect won''t mind as long as I keep my hands away from him until the opening of the tournament," Mia shrugged her shoulders. "I made sure to explicitly ask about it. Whatever happens to Jenne after the opening ceremony is not their problem," Mia exined.

    "I see," Ve muttered, only to pull back a step and fall into the depths of her thoughts.

    Soon, Sander took over the leading role of the meeting, putting new and new topics onto the agenda.

    Yet, despite how busy the meeting was, Mia''s eyes couldn''t help but gravitate to the east, to where the fires continued to threaten the auction hall.

    ''Arthur,'' she thought, paying no mind to the discussion at hand.. ''I hope you will be safe.''

 Chapter 259 - Self serving Justice

    I opened my eyes only to see an unfamiliar ceiling.

    ''Right,'' I thought, recalling the events of the night.

    After absorbing the fires, I was in no state to do anything else. It took my everything just to keep my wounds managed and tended so that I could regain my health and strength.

    ''How long has it been since Ist slept in bed?'' I asked myself, scanning the room with my eyes.

    Reaching this ce was thest memory of yesterday that I had. The second I plummeted to this bed, my memory was cut.

    ''What''s the time,'' I thought, raising my hand to wipe my eyes clear. I then looked around in search of a window.

    ''Not sote,'' I realized after taking a moment to judge the position of the sun by the angle of its rays that snuck into the room.

    When I dropped nearly dead on this bed, I was covered with bleeding injuries. Yet, even though the sun has yet to properly rise, my body was perfectly fine.

    ''This is some insane healing speed,'' I thought, amazed when I added two to two.

    There could be only one reason for such rapid healing of my injured flesh. And it was advancing to the next stage.

    ''The injuries of a mortal are mere scratches on a cultivator,'' I recalled one of the quotes that summarised my understanding of the cultivation atrge.

    I then shook my head, desperate to clear my thoughts.

    ''I should be in the auction hall,'' I thought, slowly recalling the events of yesterday''s night.

    It wouldn''t make any sense to drag me somewhere else. This was the home ground of the faction that supposedly wanted to cooperate with me. As such, I could hardly expect a cold treatment.

    "But they are not going to show me their hospitality if I don''t prove useful," I muttered in a low voice, hiding my face in the palm of my hand.

    I gave myself a short moment to let all those thoughts sink in. A moment for my mind to make sense of all the knowledge I gained.

    ''The question is, what do they want me to do?'' I asked myself, hiding my thoughts behind the tight seal on my lips.

    There was no way I would alert the only ce that appeared to favor me about how I might not be keen to help them out after all.

    ''Well, if Mia managed to grasp the full picture, then they likely want to pit me against the Sangakart''s royal,'' I thought, recalling the holy texts that I decrypted.

    This solution was obvious. Why else would they need someone capable of reaching that rank? Why else would they be so pressed for time to find another ally?

    ''Keeping it as just a theory, helping them out wouldn''t be that bad of an idea either,'' I thought, rubbing my chin as I analyzed my situation.

    The soon was barely up; I had plenty of time to figure things out.

    ''No,'' I suddenly shook my head. "Enough with this self-serving justice bullshit," I muttered to myself, turning my hands into fists.

    There was only one possible reason that I could think for the Sangakarts ignoring my sorry state several hours prior. Their attention had to be elsewhere. And judging from Mia''s letters, she was intentionally keeping her cultivation low to bait them out!

    ''It doesn''t matter if we settle here,'' I thought, refusing to keep up with my naive ambitions.

    I wasn''t going to be the hero who changed the world for the better.

    Because in the end, I had no interest in this world whatsoever.

    Sure, it was nice to swing a sword and watch the mountain split apart. It was fun to grow stronger and be a menace for others.

    But the only thing that truly rotted me in this new life of mine was Mia.

    For how simple andmon it was, that girl was the reason why I was willing to try so hard.

    It was a simple man''s pleasure to help his girl out. But I never imed to be all thatplicated either.

    ''There is no way I should allow royals to pull me into this mess,'' I thought, a dark expression appearing all over my face.

    The cost of going against the Sangakarts was too great. And instead of risking Mia''s health to finish a quest from this world, I would much rather live a peaceful life with her somewhere in the wild!

    ''That''s it!'' I thought, nearly standing up on the spot. ''All I need is to get her and ditch this ce!'' I pushed the nket away and jumped down from my bed, ready to go and grab Mia right away.

    But then I stopped.

    ''Wait, but would Mia really want it?'' I asked, the weight of this question pinning me down.

    Sure, for me, living out our days in peace, outside of thepetition of the cultivation world... It was a great dream. But that wasn''t the fate I wanted to bestow upon the girl.

    Forcing her into the confines of what was the best for me would ultimately curse her with sadness. And out of everything, I wanted Mia to be happy.

    ''What a simpleton I am,'' I thought, shaking my head and fixing my robes only to push the doors open.

    Now that I came to this decision, there was no reason to hold back at all.

    Because there was only one way for me to find out. The only way to learn what Mia desired.

    And it was to just go and ask her.

    ''If she decides to stay, I will support her in any way she deems fit,'' I thought, already excited by the prospect of doing so.

    In the end, this simple life of mine was as simple as one could get.

    It didn''t matter what I was doing, as long as I could share that time with Mia.

    And that was precisely why I didn''t want to spend another day in this sect. Not when it endangered both Mia and my life. Because how could I enjoy myfy days with my first-ever partner if I were to drop dead for some stupid reason?

    "You are finally awake," Ackhart shouted silently, jumping away when I nearly smashed him with the doors I opened.

    "Yeah, but I need to do something really quick," I replied, not bothering to keep up the conversation for long.

    The more time I spent with those people right now, the harder it would get to free myself from their influence.

    "Master, I will await your visit, then," Ackhart said in a respectful tone, cupping his hands and bowing his head.

    "Yeah, yeah, fine," I waved the man away, stepping through the arch that made up the side entrance to the auction hallpound.

    ''Still, if not for my quick thinking, I would have lost a lot of potential again,'' I thought, recalling the events of thest night.

    Right before passing out, I took a quick nce at the system. And the change was magnificent.

    BODY STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Name: Arthur (Fian) Pendragon

    - Age: 17

    - Status: Well-rested

    - Hidden Status: Fresh-ascender

    - Body Status: Ascender

    - Hidden Body Status: Apostle

    ***

    PROGRESS STATUS WINDOW

    ***

    - Body status: Ascender

    - Growth status: Novice Ascended

    - Body status modifier:

    - Endurance: 18 163/25 000

    - Willpower: 14 961/25 000

    ***

    Mature Enlightenment (1 351 478M/3 000 000M)

    {

    Soul Ascendance: 79 164M/1 000 000M

    Element Ascendance: 483 146M/1 000 000M

    Control Ascendance: 77 168M/1 000 000M

    }

    Jobs Window

    ***

    Cook - Level 13 6/14

    Tailor - Level 16 7/17

    Alchemist - Level 4 (3/5)

    Arcane Weaponmaster? - [High-ss Job] - Level 4 (1/8)

    Spearmaster - Novice level 11/20 (81/340)

    Trantor - Novice level 7/10(546/700)

    ***

    Arcane Possesions

    ***

    Horny Spear of a Newbie - A spear made out from the horn of a monster, the very first craft of a newbie arcane weapon master guided by his teacher.

    ***

    Main Job - Tactical Mage

    Combined level: 191

    ***

    Range: 62

    Control: 87

    Output: 42

    Job Skills -

    ***

    [Bolt][Level 9 (718/900)]

    [Warden][Level 9 (519/900)]

    [Disturb][Level 2 (117/2000)]

    [Ultimate Spell][Mage''s Tower]

    }

    ''How many times did I learn that my previous set of statistics doesn''t matter anymore?'' I asked, taking some time to digest what I saw.

    I was an ascender, now.

    And in thest moments, before I lost my mindst night, I managed to uncover another secret of the mana.

    It was a small thing, but by learning how to absorb the fires, my growth somehow became wholesome.

    My former statistics filled up the second I managed to unlock the path ahead. And when it happened, the energy rushed right into the core of my system.

    ''I can hardly remember what happened,'' I thought, rubbing my eyes as I walked down the street.

    I had to take some time to familiarize myself with my new statistics, new powers. In this regard, rushing to grab Mia seemed like something stupid.

    But I was done waiting. It''s been way too long since Ist saw her,st held her up in my arms,st did something to help her out.

    ''I''m such a simple man,'' I thought, imagining the one thing that would make me push ahead.

    The gracious look in Mia''s eyes whenever I did something directly for her. That delicate smile and tremble of the corner of her mouth as she gazes directly at my gant figure.

    "Honestly, this is something I will have to work on," I whispered, deeply ashamed by my simplistic desires.

    ''Still,'' I thought, raising my head towards the skydome.

    The sun was slowly crawling its way up, casting the shades of the night away.

    ''I managed to learn what does it mean to be Enlightened,'' I thought, turning my thoughts to my current dilemma. ''The question is, what does it mean to be an Ascender, now?''

 Chapter 260 - Reunion (part 1)

    Mia slowly pried her eyes open.

    She woke up the second the sun reached the right angle to cast its rays right on her face.

    ''It''s like the shuts are designed to wake one up at this precise hour,'' Mia thought, dissatisfied with such an inconvenience.

    But there was no downside to waking up early.

    Mia pushed her legs off the edge of her bed and jumped down on the floor.

    ''So this is the day,'' she thought, stretching her arms up and watching how her bust pushed her undercloth up.

    There wasn''t any sign of anxiety on the girl''s face. She calmly walked over to the shelf, pulling out the set of elegant clothes provided by the sect.

    ''How stiff,'' Mia thought, casting a nce at the robe.

    Contrary to the usual set, the challenger robes were all white with a bit of ck and red decal on their shoulder pads.

    ''This is going to be one hell of an ufortable ride,'' Miamented as she pulled her suit up and prepared for the day.

    Once done with her robe, Mia moved to the middle of her room, looking through thest few papers that she did yesterday night.

    Her work for yesterday was done, but she still liked to connect to what she did previously. In this way, she wouldn''t need to get into the proper mindset when going to workter, as she would be already in the know.

    Mia grabbed some fruit pieces on the go, sending them down with a few gulps of water from the cup she prepared yesterday night.

    The look on Mia''s face... was tense.

    Still, without any clue about what happened to the auction hall, unsure whether Arthur had already arrived at the sect or not, Mia wasn''t just anxious.

    She was distressed to the limits of her sanity.

    ''But no matter what, I can only help by drawing attention to myself,'' Mia thought, steeling herself for what was about to happen.

    Knock, knock.

    "Mia, you there?" a familiar voice reached out through the gaps of the door.

    "Come in," Mia replied, recognizing the voice on the go. "I''m almost ready," she added before the guest could even attempt to open the doors.

    Ve entered the building, only to carefully close the doors behind her. She then took a nce at Mia''s face only to avert her eyes a momentter.

    "It was... weird," Ve said, not sure how to put her feelings in words.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, the surprise forcing her out of her tense state of mind. "What do you mean, weird?" she asked, keen to learn more details.

    "Apparently," Ve swallowed down her saliva, "there was a huge fire at the office wing of the auction hall building," she reported obediently but refused to look Mia in the eyes.

    Ve then shook her head.

    "This was the official exnation of the event," Ve informed, gulping down. "But it didn''t match what I saw," she added a momentter.

    "Speak clearly," Mia said, twisting her lips in an ugly grimace. "What did you see?" she pressed the issue.

    She was unable to obtain any news for the entire night. Only now she could finally learn something about the recent news.

    In other words, Mia didn''t have a lot of her patience left.

    "The guards were all over the ce," Ve finally moved on to the main point of her report. "There is no way the ce would be guarded so much if it was just a simple fire incident," Ve added, lowering her eyes as she started to think over what she saw.

    ''Well, that''s unless you know what I am,'' Mia thought, stopping herself from releasing a deep sigh of exhaustion.

    ''Still, the only thing I can do now is to draw Sangakarts attention away,'' she told herself, shaking her head and turning towards the doors of the house.

    "Shall we get going?" Mia asked, moving towards the doors. She then looked to the back at Ve''s face. "The ceremony is right around the corner!"

    Mia moved out of the building. She passed through the one alley that separated her lodging from the training grounds with just a few steps.

    "Morning," Sander raised his hand in greeting. Behind him, the young couple of their group continued to make out just like they always did, not paying any attention to the world around them.

    "Are we all ready?" Mia asked, taking a quick nce at her friends before looking over to where they would go soon.

    "Yeah, all set and ready to st!" Sander smiled with a satisfied look on his face.

    His hand caressed the pommel of his new weapon, a saber crafted as per order Mia ced at the auction hall.

    "Let''s not waste our time, then," Mia nodded her head, turning her eyes away and pushing towards the outer part of the sect.

    Their group finally encountered the two other participants from their sect only at the entrance to the za where the event would take ce.

    ''Don''t let them set you off,'' Mia lectured herself, wary of traps that the sponsored two couldy for her.

    Yet, despite all the conflict they had in the past, neither Dirk nor Kathia acted suspiciously.

    "Are you ready?" Ve suddenly nudged Mia''s back before asking in a low voice.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged. "Ready for what?" she asked, puzzled by the sudden inquiry.

    ''Did she realize that this is all just for show?'' Mia''s initial thought ran through her head, trying to connect the dots.

    ''Nah, there is no way,'' Mia calmed down a little, raising her eyes and looking up at Ve''s face.

    "What do you mean, for what?" Ve echoed Mia''s words, a wide smile forming upon her lips. "You are about to meet that oppressor of yours, aren''t you?" she brought up, her smile widening.

    ''Ah, so that''s what she''s going about,'' Mia thought, enlightened by the few words of exnation.

    "Aren''t you excited to see who you are going up against?"

 Chapter 261 - [Bonus ]Reunion (part 2)

    Mia''s group reached the za right before the time set for the weing ceremony.

    Even though all four participating sectspeted with each other, they were still just a group of vassals within the greater Bahran Kingdom. As such, some degree of formalities was bound to happen.

    ''So we are thest ones to arrive,'' Mia thought the second her group reached the za.

    It was a wide, open space located at the eastern gate of the outerpost.

    ''If I recall correctly, it has something to do with how they settled thosends,'' Mia thought, trying to connect the bits and dots that she knew.

    ording to the myths, the Tuxi sect colonized thosends by spreading from the east. As such, they kept it as a tradition to greet their guests in the eastern side of the city, as if to show them the safe parts instead of the frontier.

    This was one of the three representational areas of the entire sect grounds. And the visitors from the three other sects already formed three out of four walls of the square surrounding the tribune in the middle of the open space.

    ''Calm down, girl,'' Mia thought when she noticed movement to her side. ''Don''t let them make you do anything stupid,'' she thought, following after Dirk and Kathia.

    Mia was the strongest in her group. As such, she was the one who stood by her former ssmates.

    She simply had the greatest shot at stopping their schemes in case of anything happening.

    Thankfully, the next first part of the ceremony went without any trouble. Mia''s group and Dirk''s duo formed up properly, closing the uneven square despite their differences.

    For the next few minutes... nothing happened.

    The area remained calm and silent as if uttering a single word would put shame on one''s sect.

    And in this eerie, dignified silence, a group of elders suddenly appeared in the middle of the square.

    They stood upon the wooden tribune erected in advance, facing all four sides of the square, four sects that made up the majority of the kingdom''s power.

    For a moment, the dignified atmosphere persisted. And then, the group of elders suddenly started to quickly exchange greetings and exchanging small talk.

    ''Is that how average this day is for them?'' Mia thought, keenly observing everyst detail of the situation.

    "Today is the day of the arrival!" Mia''s elder suddenly stepped out, taking the initiative to push the proceedings. "May our hospitality see to your every need!" he shouted, moving his eyes all around the za.

    ''Damn,'' Mia clenched her teeth, her eyelids dropping down as she looked at her own elder. ''Knowing how they likely have one or two arrogant fucks,'' Mia''s face tensed up, ''there are so many ways to understand those words wrong,'' she thought, already making peace with the soon to be turmoiled future.

    ''You were told to offer us any hospitality we require,'' Mia voiced out a line that she could swear she would hear soon. ''Now lie down and spread your legs!'' she finished her thought, using it to fire her emotions up.

    It was a small trick, preconditioning herself for the fight so that she would be ready if anything were to happen.

    ''But more importantly,'' Mia thought, scanning the guests with her eyes.

    And surely enough, Jenne was here.

    The man was standing his ground, to the left of the row opposite Mia''s sect. He held his eyes straight, refusing to angle them even a bit.

    ''That''s one determined look on his face,'' Mia thought, her mood worsening even further.

    She expected the man to make all sorts of faces. But the one he ended up performing spelled trouble.

    His robes were simple. A in but clearly well-taken care of. Theplete opposite to how he used to dress back at the Skdder sect. The air around Jenne was different as well, devoid of the oppressive tone it had before.

    "With that said, you guys are free to enjoy your two days off!" Mia''s elder shouted while sending his hands high up above his head. "Present the gs!" the man shouted before pping his hands.

    A small group of young disciples appeared to the back of all square''s sides.

    Each of the groups then raised up the g depicting the colors of each respective sect.

    ''And now we are nearing the end,'' Mia thought, rolling her eyes.

    This entire thing was nothing more but a waste of time for her.

    Sure, it was great to see what kind of man she was going against during the tournament. But that could be done in a matter of seconds; there was no need to waste so long on such a pointless procession!

    Mia gulped down her saliva, forcing her annoyance down her throat. And then, she took a step forward, leading her entire group to do the same.

    "Tuxi sect!" she shouted, following the procedure she learned just the night before. "Seven excelling disciples!" Mia continued to shout, wording out the exact sentences she was supposed to say. "We pay respect to the brothers in arms!" she finished her shout, this time apanied by the rest of her group.

    Then, Mia took a step back and turned silent.

    "Urbi Sect!" A young man stepped forward from the group to Mia''s left.

    He was well and richly dressed. What''s more, he clearly feltfortable in his high-ss uniform, proving that it wasn''t first for him to wear it.

    "Five excelling disciples!" The young man kept on his shout only to raise his chin. And then, his entire group shouted the motto of their sect.

    "Unity called us forth!" the men screamed out before taking a step back and awaiting the others.

    "Dastria Sect," a melodic, female voice suddenly crossed the air. It was strangely rxing and soothing, yet alerting at the same time.

    "Eleven excelling disciples," the female announcer sang, only for her entire group to follow, "may the growth be with you all," the entire eleven of the female disciples of the Dastria sect sang in their pristine voices.

    Listening to the call felt like having one''s brain washed off by clear water directly from a wild stream.

    "Oloan sect," a calm, confident voice tore through the air, forcing Mia to move her eyes towards its source.

    And it was no one else but Jenne who called out for his entire group.

    "Seven Excelling disciples," Jenne added before taking a deep breath and shouting in unison with the rest of his group.

    ''We came to honor the call!"

    That was the end of the ceremony.

    Once all the sects presented their participants and adhered to the historical foundations and traditions, everyone was free to leave.

    And for the next two days, they were free to do whatever they wanted within reasonable limits.

    "Now then," Sander muttered, approaching Mia''s side.

    "Jenne Oloan, Oloan Sect!" Jenne called out, taking everyone by surprise. His voice was clear, his eyes filled with determination.

    Instead of taking a step back just like the rest of his group, he paced forward, nearly halfway to the tribune in the middle.

    "I hereby call forth Mia of Tuxi sect, promoted from the Skyder sect!"

 Chapter 262 - Reunion(part 3)

    Mia closed her eyes for a moment.

    She took a deep breath, allowing the process of breathing to gradually calm her agitation down.

    And then, she raised her eyelids and looked at Jenne, roughly twenty meters away from her.

    ''So close... yet so far,'' Mia thought.

    She couldn''t attack him. Not just yet. Not until he attempts to draw the first blood.

    ''Still, that was unexpected,'' Mia thought, raising her chin and pushing ahead. ''But it works for me,'' she nearly giggled.

    The one reason why she was in this ce instead of looking for more news about Arthur was to cause a distraction. And how else could she attract Sangakarts attention if not by being called out for what seemed to be a fight?

    Jenne''s figure was domineering as if he hoped he could own the ce with just his determination alone. But in terms of aura proper, he likely barely reached the sixth stage.

    Mia cast a look of pity at the naive man.

    ''You will serve as my bait,'' Mia thought, ready to use this man in every way she could.

    And then Mia stopped. Still, roughly ten steps away from Jenne, she was close enough for someone called out.

    For but a moment, the two of them seized the other up, waiting for the other party to take the initiative. But now that Mia responded, it was on Jenne to continue.

    And so, Jenne bowed.

    His head and entire torso turned parallel to the ground. The man didn''t hold back on his bow.

    "I came here to participate in this tournament, for one reason and one reason only," Jenne shouted out his words in a disciplined manner, proving he had long prepared himself for this moment.

    Jenne then raised his head, threw Mia a quick nce, and then bit his lips, lowering his face even deeper than before.

    "I did it all just to be able to apologize," he stated out loud, allowing every andst person in the za to hear his words.

    ''What the hell?'' Mia nearly jumped when the reveal started.

    She was at a loss for words, unable to react to Jenne''s confession at all.

    ''Huh? What should I... What?'' a flurry of thoughts shed through the girl''s head as she simply stood her ground, too shocked to offer any reaction.

    ''Is this a trap? Is this some nking maneuver aimed to take me by surprise?'' Mia attempted to calmly analyze the situation after taking a moment to tune her agitation down.

    "I picked this public form of apology to let it be known to everybody," Jenne bit his lips to the point they started to bleed before raising his voice again. "I sinned against this former fellow disciple of mine greatly," Jenne continued his confession.

    "Only this public repentance can quell my desire for punishment," Jenne shouted, falling down on his knees and striking his forehead before Mia''s feet.

    ''Well, whatever is the case with this guy, it works pretty damn well for a distraction,'' Mia thought, already calmed down and at her finest.

    She looked down at the kneeling man, still processing the situation.

    In a moment like this, a hasty decision would likely prove to be a great mistake.

    "I will ept whatever punishment you deem fitting," Jenne didn''t stop in his act. "I just hope to be privy to a few moments of your time, as there are details of this matter that I cannot reveal to the public," Jenne added, raising his head and finally establishing eye contact.

    ''He seems... different,'' Mia thought, finally taking a moment to look at this man as another person rather than an established enemy.

    Still, a potential fake change of heart wouldn''t sway Mia''s opinion of the man.

    "You will ept any and all punishment, is that it?" Mia muttered, raising her hand and slowly rubbing her chin. She squinted her eyes before casting a long nce at Jenne''s back.

    "..." Instead of voicing his answer, the young man lowered in his bow, showcasing that he was ready to take whatever Mia had in her mind on.

    ''Well, he helped me to create this distraction,'' Mia thought, a kind part of her soul trying to show the situation from another perspective.

    And then, she froze.

    ''Wait, what if this is all part of their plot?'' Mia asked herself, shocked by the possibility that she was blind to for so long.

    It would all make sense. The day everything went to shit, Arthur was also sure that he could handle anything that Jenne prepared for him!

    Yet, no matter how hard the girl looked, she couldn''t find any trap in the act of the man.

    "That''s enough!" a powerful voice suddenly filled the air.

    Mia turned her head to the side, instantly recognizing how inferior she was in the face of the power wielded by the owner of the voice.

    And just as expected, it was the Elder leading the Oloan sect group.

    "This is your personal problem, not a spectacle for everyone to enjoy!" the middle-aged man announced through his gritted teeth.

    It was clear that Jenne''s action wasn''t part of the n he had for the day. And by announcing his guilt publicly, Jenne just implicated his entire guild in his own private mess.

    It was obvious the Elder wouldn''t allow such folly.

    "That''s right!" the Elder of Mia''s own sect hurried to enter the scene. "Mia, as great of a disciple, are you, don''t bring your personal problems to shame our Oloan friends!" the Eldermanded, sending a furious gaze at the girl''s face.

    ''But I didn''t do anything!'' Mia thought in a protest, well aware that voicing it out would achieve nothing.

    "Yes, Elder," Mia nodded her head, turning around in an attempt to leave the scene.

    The distraction was big enough. Not it was time to ditch the scene.

    ''Or maybe I should take that guy''s offer?'' Mia thought, almost freezing on the spot.

    On the off chance that this wasn''t a n aimed against her... There had to be a reason why this man was so desperate to meet and talk with her!

    ''Damn, what should I do?!'' Mia despaired, unable to make a decision in the spur of a moment.

    "We will apany her," Ve suddenly stood up and took a step forward. "You want to have a talk in a private ce, don''t you?" she added, leaning her head to the side.

    Jenne looked at Ve''s face. When his eyes fell upon the girl''s figure, his body froze. He then shook his head and then lowered his face again.

    "That''s right," he nodded. "I''m sorry for pushing the elders on you," Jenne added before shaking his head. "I''m perfectly fine with a public spot if you are wary of me... But some things I really can''t spread around," he added in a hushed voice.

    "Then you need to be prepared to share it with all five of us," Sander replied, following Ve''s example and stepping forward.. "Now then, our elders are ready to burn us alive because of your little skit," he pointed out before looking at Jenne with irony filling his eyes. "Don''t you think you brought us enough problems? Let''s go!"

 Chapter 263 - Reunion(part 4)

    I strolled through the streets of the sect without a care in the world.

    Now that I reached the ascender''s rank, hardly anyone could easily challenge me.

    Sure, I have yet to learn the depth of my new power or adapt to how the fights would look from now on. But when it all boiled down to reality, I could bet this new stage of mine was just more of the same.

    I wouldn''t miraculously discover new means of manipting mana. All my skills from before would still make up the majority of my firepower.

    In other words, even though I was nowhere as powerful as I could be with just a little effort, I wasn''t a pushover either.

    ''The only way for Sangakarts to really endanger me would be by employing that royal of theirs,'' I thought while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the outerpost.

    Whenpared to the lower headquarters or even the mainpound of the Skdder sect, this ce appeared like a backwater camp rather than a fully-fledged city.

    But I would lie if I were to tell I didn''t enjoy the atmosphere of this town.

    ''That makes me think about this topic again,'' I reflected when the familiar nostalgia appeared in my mind.

    ''Now that I''m reaching the absolute top of how strong one can be, why shouldn''t I just get Mia and move back to thends on the other side of the bordends?''

    It was this simple thought, this simple and straightforward idea.

    Why would I bother participating in all the royal schemes on this side of the border if I could just live my days in peace on the barrier''s other side?

    ''Still, I didn''t even realize how hyped I am to see her again,'' I thought, taking a quick nce at my trembling hands.

    No matter what, I was about to see my love soon!

    My body couldn''t help but shake at the very idea of embracing Mia after so long.

    I organized my search for the girl ording to the content of her letters. As such, the first ce I decided to look through was the training ground.

    ''Woah,'' I couldn''t stop myself from gawking at the sight when I stepped into the za bordering the training ground from the south. Thanks to the open view, I could get a full and proper look into the set of formations nearby even before I reached the area''s foothold.

    Yet, despite how insanely valuable this ce was for every sect disciple, there wasn''t a single soul in sight.

    ''What''s going on?'' I asked, taking a quick look around. But no matter how long I searched, I couldn''t see a single person anywhere near the set of formations.

    I then took a step forward and leaned over the training ground, inspecting the runes that made up the entire thing.

    ''What the hell is that?'' I thought, my eyes opening up wide.

    Then I recalled seeing Ackhart''s face in the auction hall.

    ''That damned guy...'' I thought with passion, clenching my fingers into fists. ''He really didn''t hold back,'' I thought,menting his job with a long whistle.

    Still, this ce was aplete dogshit. A profanity that should never sully the history of the craft.

    For me, the author of the new system in which this formation wasid out, it was a total mess.

    ''I could break into it with ease,'' I thought, spotting the administrative part of the formation at a nce.

    It would only take a few runes for me to rewrite for the whole formation to yield to my control. But there was no reason for me to forcefully take over this ce.

    No reason at all.

    I stood up and looked around once again. This time, I finally managed to see some faces.

    They were civilians who just happened to live nearby.

    Due to the outerpost low poption, the borders of the outer sect weren''t all that respected. However, with only so many people in ce, there was no point separating normal people from cultivators of the lower levels.

    It seems that my snooping around the training ground alerted the locals.

    "Excuse me," I raised my hand, turning my eyes towards the nearest civilian. "May I ask where everyone went?" I shouted, making sure to make as few movements as possible.

    Only trouble awaited if I sought to intimidate locals. Getting along with them was preferable.

    "They all went to the weing ceremony," an old man replied while he leaned over the edge of his door. "Why ask?" the man asked, seemingly without a care.

    I smiled gently.

    This unprovoked curiosity was the greatest proof of how Mia managed to gather local sympathy.

    "I''m just seeking to reunite with my girl," I replied merrily, revealing the true state of my mind.

    Rather thaning up with an borate lie, I decided just to be honest. And even if someone was listening, they wouldn''t be able to tell whether I spoke the truth or t-out lied.

    "Head to the east," the old man smiled gently and pointed his hand in the opposite end of the za. "They went off quite a while ago, but you might still just catch up to them," he advised before sending me off with a wave.

    "Thank you!" I shouted back, lowering my head in genuine gratitude.

    ''That''s right,'' I thought, moving in the direction the man pointed me out. ''There was supposed to be some kind of tournament, wasn''t there?''

    The next part of my trip passed in rtive silence, with no one bothering me as I pressed further into the town.

    ''I wonder if I could get away with cheering Mia on,'' I thought, already picturing several ways in which the situation could develop.

    Still, whatever would happen in the future, would happen in the future. And since I didn''t talk with Mia yet, there was no point in making any ns.

    After all, it was her wishes that would decide what would we do next.

    Sensing the impending meeting, I hurried towards the za where the event took ce... Only to realize that I was toote.

    Sure, the ce was still bustling with people. Some wore robes inpletely different colors, while others didn''t wear robes at all, indicating that the festive part of the tournament was just about to begin.

    ''I wonder where she went,'' I thought, looking around the ce in search of a familiar face. Yet, even after a few moments, I couldn''t spot Mia anywhere! ''Geez, just how busy can she get!''

    I wanted toin with all my heart... But rather than wasting time on doing so, I turned around and continued my stroll through the city.

    Sure, this ce was big, but sooner orter, I was bound to just chance upon the girl.

    Yet, moving through the streets with seemingly no purpose at all was pretty boring. And I wasn''t the one to enjoy this kind of ck.

    ''I might as well check my system out,'' I thought, rolling my eyes and calling forth my status windows.

    ''I wonder what does Ascender stands for,'' I thought after taking a quick nce at my stats. I then swooped the ce with my nce. ''What quirk is there to this stage?'' I asked myself.

    And then my entire body froze when my eyes locked on the target.

    Mia sat at a nice table, right by the window of a restaurant that I just chanced to pass by. And on the opposite end of the table sat the one person I didn''t expect to see there.

    ''What is he doing here?!''

 Chapter 264 - [Bonus ]Reunion(part 5)

    Mia sat at the table, sipping on her tea in silence.

    Her face was disturbed.

    ''Just how did wee to such a situation?'' she thought, annoyed with how the things developed.

    Rather than sipping on a tea with this disgusting man, she would much rather look into the events at the auction hall.

    Yet, here she was, stuck in this fancy restaurant that her team politely cleared out from all the other customers.

    There were a total of five people beside Naida in the room, all seated around the fancy ce.

    "Sigh..." Mia slowly released the air from her lungs before finally moving her annoyed eyes at the man on the other end of the table. "Why don''t you start talking already," she suggested, not willing to waste a single second more than necessary on this trouble.

    Jenne already filled his role of causing a distraction. Any further energy spent on dealing with him would be a waste of time.

    "I have what''s called an adaptative soul," Jenne stated in a determined voice. His eyes were calm as he looked into Mia''s face. "As much as others consider it a blessing, it was nothing but a curse for me," he added.

    Mia raised her right eyebrow, taken aback by the sudden information. She then bit down on her lip, stunned by the potential consequences of this single statement.

    "I''ve heard about it," Sander leaned over Mia''s ear and whispered. "They say those who are preconditioned to reach great heights often are burdened with some weird constitutions," he informed in a low voice.

    "In my case, I''m doomed to follow whatever path I was actively seeking in two former weeks," Jenne announced, shedding some light on his situation. "In other words, who I am is decided by my experiences of the past fourteen days," he borated a little.

    Mia squinted her eyes as she took a deep breath. She needed a lot of air for her brain to process what she heard.

    The girl turned her head to the side, sending a nce at Sander''s face, only to turn it back in disappointment when he shook his head.

    This time, Sander had no advice to offer her.

    So, in the end, she decided to remain silent.

    ''Huh?'' Mia twitched only to turn her eyes to the side. Outside, on the other side of the street by her window, somemotion appeared.

    Mia quickly turned her eyes back to the man in front of her. She had no processing power to spare for paying attention to some meaningless scuffle.

    "In other words," Jenne picked up the pace, clearly taking Mia''s silence for an answer on its own. "Back at the Skdder sect..." he muttered, only to turn silent and drop his eyes.

    This topic was something that Jenne obviously was ufortable with.

    He then shook his head and took a moment to gather his wits.

    "Back then, I was but a tool in the hands of a certain faction within the Oloan sect," Jenne revealed, looking Mia directly in the eyes as he confessed. "They conditioned me to be a schemer. It''s because of this nature of mine that I brought so many troubles on your head," Jenne admitted, lowering his eyes.

    He couldn''t withstand Mia''s cold gaze at all.

    ''Hmm?'' Mia''s attention shook when she noticed a certain detail in Jenne''s story.

    ''Could it be?'' she thought, her right eyebrow rising on its own. The girl then shook her head, scoffing at the mere possibility of such a coincidence. ''But what if...''

    "Faction? What''s the name of that faction?" she asked, looking away as if she didn''t care about the answer to this question at all.

    "It''s Sangakarts," Jenne replied without even a second of hesitation.

    Mia''s face visibly tensed up when she heard the answer.

    ''It had to be them,'' she thought, clenching her teeth while keeping up a fake smile.

    ''Is this true? Are they spreading throughout the entire kingdom instead of just the Tuxi sect?'' Mia attempted to figure out what was going on all on her own. ''Or is he trying to force me into conflict with the Sangakarts here?'' she noticed the possibility.

    Mia released a heavy sigh before closing her eyes and covering her face with the palms of her hands.

    ''I didn''t really sign up for this kind of stuff,'' she thought, despairing over her situation.

    ''Should I trust him? Or should I treat him as the necessary evil?'' Mia asked herself, still feeling pretty repulsed by Jenne''s presence.

    Themotion outside continued to growrger andrger.

    "I will go check it out," Ve informed, standing up from her chair and finishing her cup of tea in a single gulp.

    The drink was so great it would be an insult to the restaurant''s owner to waste it.

    She then moved towards the doors and closed them behind herself before scurrying off towards the disturbance.

    "Still..." Mia shook her head, taking a long time to think her options through.

    ''Acting hasty will only bring me to my downfall,'' she thought, ignoring all the courtesy of keeping the dialogue up.

    If she was going to make such a massive decision, she was sure to take her time thinking it through!

    "Still," Mia repeated her word after she finally took the grip of herself. "There is one thing that I absolutely must know," she announced, looking at Jenne along the bridge of her nose.

    She didn''t like this man at all. But his actions gave her the opportunity to cause a disturbance during the weing ritual. And now, she could finally learn about the trauma that Arthur had to suffer to react the way he did all the way back then.

    "What did you do to Arthur back when everything went to shit?" Mia posed her question domineeringly, showcasing she wasn''t going to take lies or stupid excuses for an answer.

    Jenne raised his eyes and gulped his saliva down.

    "I... I didn''t do anything. But I know what happened to him," he stated, falling down on his knees, a look of extreme grief appearing on his face.

    Then, Ve returned to the restaurant with a strange look on her face.

    "What''s wrong?" Mia asked, instantly alerted.

    "It''s nothing..." Ve dismissed the topic and even waved her hand away.

    "Just spill it," Mia rolled her eyes.

    Now wasn''t the time to waste on pointless hesitation.

    "There is a strange guy out there, just standing in ce and refusing to buckle," Ve said, raising her hand and pointing right towards the middle of themotion. Yet, as her eyes followed with the move of her hand, she froze in ce.

    "Huh?" Ve shrugged, ufortable with how surprised she was. "He was there just a second ago!" she eximed, her eyebrows riding all the way up to the top of her forehead.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, forced by a strange feeling to look outside.

    And for a moment, she simply stared at the now vacant ce where the source of all the problems supposedly stood.

    ''Just what he was trying to see?'' Mia mused, some innate gut feeling leading her questions.

    And then, for a split of a second, she somehow pictured the situation from the other point of view.

    Only to see herself having a pleasant tea with Jenne.

    "If my information is correct, Arthur ended up brutally raped and used. If he didn''t fight back, he would likely end up as a soulless ve," Jenne stated.

    Everything clicked in Mia''s brain.

    She jumped out of her chair and rushed to the doors, only to bolt at her fastest outside.

 Chapter 265 - Breakdown (2in1)

    My entire body froze up in ce when I saw Mia sitting with Jenne and sipping on a tea.

    This sight was so unbelievable, so unlikely to ur, that my mind simply couldn''t process it in any timely manner.

    And then, something changed.

    It felt what I called myself suddenly split into two.

    I could still control half of me... But the other half followed nothing but instincts alone.

    What was the worst part, though, was that it was the other part of myself that took control over my body.

    And so I stood in ce, unable to move an inch with my brain overwhelmed by a shock.

    But then came the worst.

    The shock that this single image caused reverberated through my entire self, only to end up shattering the dam that I put over my past trauma.

    And all at once, the humiliation, the pain, the insecurity that I kept stowed away for all this time, they smashed right into my consciousness.

    My vision darkened as my body attempted to deal with the adrenaline overdose.

    My hormones pumped at their full capacity, sending mixed and chaotic signals to the receptors in my flesh.

    And there I stood, so motionless that I was slowly bing an annoyance to the general flow of people in the street.

    ''Just what the hell does this mean?'' I asked myself, desperately trying to make sense of the situation.

    ''She is cheating on you, with the very person responsible for your trauma!'' the other part of me whispered into my ear, only trickling my insecurities even further.

    ''Right, there was the weing ceremony a moment earlier. It''s no wonder she ended up meeting Jenne!'' My rational side once again attempted to give a logical exnation to what I was seeing.

    ''Or rather, she could finally report to her true master after the situation forced them apart,'' my other self spoke again, only pushing my body into a greater stalemate.

    My flesh was petrified. With my other self in control over its movements, I could only grow increasingly aware of just how much I annoyed everyone around me, and thus...

    Attracted more and more attention to me.

    And if anything could be even worse than what was happening, then it would be having Mia realize my presence right at this moment!

    Then, I saw Mia gently raise her cup and take a small sip. The mannerisms were the same as they used to be back when we were together.

    The way she bent her hand, the way in which Mia leaned over the cup...

    All those familiarities struck me and turned me vulnerable, only for Jenne''s face toe into my view a secondter.

    ''She doesn''t look troubled,'' I thought, unable to believe my very own eyes.

    I couldn''t tell whether it was just a bad angle or an acute observation.

    And why one might ask.

    The answer was simple. Unable to move my body around, I couldn''t just go to another spot to take a better look!

    My vision darkened when my emotions continued to rush into my soul, disturbing even my magic flow.

    ''Fuck, this is getting dangerous,'' I realized a moment toote.

    If anyone were to strike me right now, I would be in no state to use my mana to defend myself... as this was yet another part of myself that my other self took over!

    ''What''s the use of my power if I can''t deal with something minor like this?!'' I protested in my mind, trying to defeat the sense of powerlessness that continued to permeate deeper and deeper into my body.

    What was the use of reaching the stage nearing the absolute limits of what this world allowed if I could be broken down with a simple trauma?!

    My visionpletely went out, my mind not operating under the extreme stress of my memories.

    I raised my eyes only to see the shadow of the fat body of the whore who took my purity.

    I turned my eyes away, only to picture chains binding my limbs to a nearby wall.

    I shook my hands to ensure I was still free, only to realize that I couldn''t move at all.

    With each passing second, my situation was only getting worse.

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed, as this was the one thing that I could still do. ''This isn''t how our reunion was supposed to go,'' I thought, feeling how my heart''s beat rate continued to elerate.

    Something squeezed down on my chest, forcing all the air out of my lungs.

    "Excuse me, sir," someone on the street finally took notice of my situation.

    Or someone was just bothered with me standing in the middle of the street.

    "Are you okay, sir?" the voice kept on it, turning into myst beacon of hope of holding on to my consciousness.

    I raised my eyes, my vision returning to a limited degree. Yet, the one thing in my body that I could move was my eyeballs. As such, the scope of how much I could judge my situation was pretty limited.

    "Sir? Can you hear me?" someone continued with their persistent attempts to get through to me.

    At the same time, someone came out from the restaurant where I spotted Mia. And from how they instantly looked over to me, it was clear that I was the reason behind their appearance.

    ''At this rate, she will notice!'' I thought, desperate to get away from this ce.

    I could deal with this trauma on my own. However, what I couldn''t deal with would be showing up to Mia for the first time in months in this pathetic state!

    "No..." a single, short protest managed to slip past my lips before my other self locked my mouthpletely.

    And then, my fight or flight instinct took over, forcing my body out of the scene.

    I wasn''t an ascender for nothing.

    With just my physical prowess alone, I managed to jump high above everyone''s heads only to softlynd on the roof of a random building. But rather than stopping to hide, I jumped again and again and again and continued to jump through the rooftops until I reached the outer wall of the entire city.

    As my body kept on escaping to God-knows-where, I only had a single desire left in my heart.

    For someone to embrace me, to ward off the coldness from within. The freezing cold oozed out of my heart as I couldn''t stop seeing the one image that burned out in my eyes.

    The world around me turned dark. And for the first time since I appeared in this world, I felt like a child lost in the dark woods of the unknown.

    ''Just what was I doing,'' I asked myself when my body finally stopped its mad rush, giving in to the extreme exhaustion.

    I rested my hand against a random tree to plummet right down to the ground.

    Right now, I had no strength left to fight. And judging from the area around me, the ce where I ended up didn''t bode well for a defenseless guy like me.

    My other self continued to pour toxic thoughts into my mind. It continued to uproot my trust in Mia, presenting me with scenarios of her with Jenne, her with half of the Skdder sect, herughing at me as she is pumped full of some stranger''s sperm...

    With each passing second, the images continued to worsen, all invoking the three feelings that my trauma left ingrained in my soul.

    Pain, powerlessness, insecurity.

    ''To think that a simple puppy-love would get me good like that,'' I thought, once again attempting to let my reason take over the control.

    A tear appeared in my eyes as my heart continued to bleed over what my other self was showing to my real self.

    Mia being secretly a ve of the Sangakarts. Mia getting held hostage to let someone get to me.

    My knees gave up, making me bend in half and vomit my stomach''s content right under the tree I was resting below.

    ''I''m in no shape to do anything,'' I thought as snot and saliva hung down from my lips and nose alike.

    Once again, I attempted to regain control, only to be beaten back nearly instantly.

    For the next few moments, I only could sit in ce and hide my face in my hands, hoping for this nightmare of an experience to pass.

    But no matter how much time I wasted in this way, my state didn''t improve at all.

    ''Rather than overthinking things, I should go and check my current limits,'' I thought, desperate to take my mind off my trauma.

    I had no more strength left to fight it. Only after letting my mind refresh could I attempt to tackle this mental barrier again.

    Then it struck me.

    Maybe it was the mercy of whatever god that saw my plight, or maybe it was just a lucky chance.

    But all at once, I somehow managed to connect the dots.

    ''Today was the weing day. And no matter what, Jenne would try to talk with Mia as soon as he could,'' I thought, uncovering the truth of what I didn''t see. ''If he turned over a new leaf, he would like to apologize. If he doesn''t care, he will try to secure his back. And if he is up for some more trouble, he would surely try to manipte her!''

    It wasn''t that Mia did something bad by meeting with Jenne. Rather than that, it was a Jenne who was in a situation in which scoring a meeting with Mia could only lead to positive developments!

    ''Knowing that...'' I thought, only to roll to the side and vomit all over the ce again. ''Doesn''t help,'' I finished my thought before weekly raising my eyes.

    ''That''s right,'' I continued to press the issue in my mind, sensing that it could potentially build some hope that I desperately needed right now. ''Shye most likely wanted to make herself a target,'' I thought, recalling the content of Mia''s letters.

    It all made sense now. The only reason why I wasn''t attacked by Sangakarts was that Mia forced them to look the other way. And her meeting with Jenne was just the way in which the situation developed!

    I thought that...

    Only to end up retching by the tree once again.

    Despite logically concluding everything, even thinking about Mia would send a shiver down my spine and then to my stomach, revolting it in a process.

    Unknowingly, by separating from Mia and undergoing the trauma almost simultaneously, I allowed those two events to fuse, making the girl the trigger that released my trauma.

    ''Unless I deal with this mental problem of mine, I will never be able to stand proud before Mia,'' I thought, forcing myself to ept this sad but necessary realization.

    I would never be able to love her as I did if she would always be the harbinger of that massive pain from the past. That''s why, in order for my feelings for her to be honest, I had to focus on dealing with my own problems before putting any of that burden on the girl.

    With that thought in mind, I struck myself in the chest as if in an attempt to invigorate my heart.

    I then cleared my thought before spitting all the snot that got into my mouth.

    ''Let''s not think about this for now,'' I decided, pulling myself by bootstraps and raising my eyes.

    Now that I was dead-tired, the other-self of mine relinquished the control over this useless body back to my real self.

    ''Right now, I need to learn just how deep these new powers of mine are,'' I thought grimly, forcing my lifeless body to go forward, deeper into the forest.

    If there was anything that I learned in the simpler times of being just a contractor, it was that hunting worked pretty well for a broken heart!

 Chapter 266 - [Bonus ]Wait For Me

    Mia rushed outside without even a second thought.

    She heard enough to figure out what was going on.

    ''Please, let me find him,'' she prayed to some unknown god whilending down on the street and looking around.

    She could instantly recognize the ce where the person that Ve noticed stood. This single spot on the road was so thick with the leftover mana that even when the man disappeared, not a single living soul dared to cross that point in space.

    ''Just where are you?'' Mia asked through teas, not daring to voice her question. She felt as if a mere whisper of Arthur would instantly dissipate all her hopes of actually finding him.

    Mia looked around, eager to find some clues as to where that mysterious man could go... But the longer she tried to strain her eyes, the more desperate she became.

    Because no matter how long Mia was looking around, she couldn''t find a single clue.

    ''It''s like he vanished into thin air,'' Mia thought, clenching her hands into fists.

    To her side, a soft sound of someone moving appeared.

    Mia turned her face around, alerted by the sound, only to notice Sander sneaking up around her.

    He wasn''t trying to approach her back. Rather than that, he simply moved forward in an extremely chaotic and unpredictable way while throwing suspicious nces all over the ce.

    ''Oh, right,'' Mia finally reflected on her own behavior. ''With how I acted when I rushed out, it''s no wonder he is wary of an attack,'' she thought, taking a deep breath as she attempted to calm herself down.

    Sander finally got satisfied with his patrol. He then raised his face as he straightened his back and loosened his focus.

    "What was that?" he asked in a hushed voice, taking a step forward and grabbing Mia''s arm. "With how you acted, I nearly beheaded that bastard on the spot," he informed, still trying his best to keep his voice low.

    Now that they were out in the open, everyone had to be wary of what they were doing and telling. There was no saying who could be observing them right now!

    Soon, the entire group gathered around Mia, ready to protect them from whatever threat she perceived.

    Out of the six of them, only Jenne remained within the Caffe, clearly unwilling to give Mia''s group any reason to doubt his honesty. And seeing how troubled they were with Mia''s sudden actions, he wisely decided not to infringe on their bottom line and just quietly wait in the restaurant.

    "How did he look like?" Mia rapidly turned around on her foot, grabbing Ve by her shoulders and looking down into her eyes.

    "Huh?" Ve shook, startled by the sudden question. Then, her eyes widened up a little as she threw a long nce at Mia''s face.

    It was a known fact that Mia had someone that she liked. While the girl didn''t go around unting it on every step, it was no secret that there was someone in her life that basically defined who she was.

    That mysterious person was the only way for Mia''s group to make her truly cheerful, just by asking about the man.

    And now, seeing how Mia reacted to a mere mention of a stranger being there, Ve would have to be stupid not to connect the dots.

    ''She didn''t react like that even when facing Jenne...'' Ve thought, gulping down her saliva as the significance of the current moment and her testimony dawned upon her.

    "It''s hard to tell," Ve said after swallowing down a gulp of saliva. "He was dressed in merchant''s robes; his face was covered in the shade of his hood," she recounted everything that she could remember. "Oh, and his face was covered in fresh scars!" she added, happy that she could give some direction.

    ''Was it him?'' Mia asked herself, listening to every word the girl uttered. ''But those scars part... it doesn''t fit,'' she thought, hesitating over the topic.

    Was it all just a massive, big mistake? Just a rush created by her desire to reunite with Arthur, making her find any and all chances of meeting as given?

    ''If it was him when he saw me with Jenne like that,'' Mia thought, bitting down on her bottom lip as anxiety-filled her heart.

    She still has yet to process what Jenne revealed Arthur went through, but the situation was already pretty shitty even without this.

    And it wasn''t because Mia had anything to feel guilty about. The only reason she was anxious was that she was worried that this image of her sitting at the same table as Jenne could hurt Arthur if he actually ended up seeing it!

    ''What should I do?!'' Mia screamed out in her thoughts.

    There were no clues in her surroundings that could tell her where she should go to catch up with that mysterious man. Despite obviously being here, right in the spot she was standing right now, there wasn''t a single trace of the man left.

    She didn''t even know if Arthur actually returned or not. This entire thing could be very well a provocation of Sangakarts, one aimed at forcing her to get her eyes off Jenne!

    Torn between the possibilities and risks of everyst one of them, Mia lowered her head. She needed some time to process everything.

    "How about we go and ask at the auction hall?" Ve suddenly asked, proving that she was the first one toe to her senses and ept the new reality.

    She knew full well just how much Mia thought about her man. And seeing her friend''s state right now, it was pretty damn obvious that Mia was on the verge of breaking apart.

    The stress of the hard training, long hours of work, and then a sudden burst of hope could tire every and one down. And despite being their leader, Mia wasn''t an exception to that rule.

    "If it was really him, then his appearance has to do something with the events from yesterday!" Ve pointed out, pushing Mia''s hands off her shoulders only to ce her own hands at Mia''s back.

    "Right, the fire..." Mia muttered, shocked when such an obvious conclusion appeared right before her eyes.

    If there was any ce that Arthur was bound to visit upon arriving at the town, it was auction hall. That''s why, if anyone had any real information about Arthur''s whereabouts, it has to be the auction hall!

    "You are right, let''s go," Mia muttered, turning around on her heel and heading directly for the auction hall.

    ''Arthy...'' she thought, a strange feeling welling up in her chest.. ''Wait for me.''

 Chapter 267 Oppresive Feeling

    "Okay..." I muttered while midair.

    And then Inded.

    The momentum of my lunge that carried me upwards like that turned mynding into a crash site.

    Instead of justnding on my own two feet, I hit the ground with my very ass, only for it to drag itself through the dirt and mud, leaving a long, thin trail in its wake.

    "My ass!" I whined silently.

    As much as I wanted to scream my pain out, I knew better than uttering any loud noises in the forest.

    Sure, at my current level, hardly any monster could even be considered a threat.

    The animals that I used to hunt in the past were now nothing more but cannon fodder for me. The second any of them would dare to retaliate, I would just smash several bolts into them before grabbing the loot and moving on.

    But in the forest, no one ever knew when they would encounter a monster strong enough to give them the run on their money. And since this is not a game and I don''t have any respawn button, I dared not to take excessive risks.

    ''Still,'' I thought, gathering myself up from the ground and taking a quick nce to the back at the devastation mynding brought upon the forest.

    The trees were burnt and broken, the leftover from a ranged battle I engaged with a random, feather-throwing monster.

    There was a burning trail cutting right across the forest. It was a remnant of where I unleashed my elemental power for the first time, only to realize how basically useless it was.

    Back at the auction hall, I learned what made the energy behind the fire act the way it did. Yet, while it was possible to infuse fires with my own energy to smoothen it out and make its energy possible for me to use...

    Doing the same but in reverse turned out to be pretty possible, but not only extremely hard to do, but also extremely cost-uneffective.

    That''s the very reason why there was only one trail of burned-out vegetation in the forest. If using elements turned out to be any easier, I would likely burn the whole ce down just for the quirk of doing so!

    ''I''m running out of time,'' I thought, raising my head to the skies, only to realize that they were covered by the treetops of the surrounding trees.

    But even without judging the location of the sun, I could tell more or less how much time had passed.

    It''s been already a day since I left the outerpost in my quest to take care of my inner problems. And thest day was quite busy for me too, because I managed to take general stock of every change that happened to me since I advanced.

    First off, new ranks and statistics.

    Just like before, the amount of mana necessary to advance was so stupidly high that even the system gave up on using numbers alone, adding a letter M to emphasize millions in its very description.

    Yet, as annoying as it was to find myself standing before this massive gap, there was no denying that I was already a lot stronger than I used to.

    With my current stock of mana, I could easily treat mage''s tower as just another spell, keeping it raised for extended periods of time.

    But that was only the basic improvement to what I already had, not something that appeared out of nowhere and only because I managed to rank up.

    But that didn''t mean I didn''t receive skills like that either.

    Yesterday, when I finally managed to calm myself down, I took a moment to inspect my system. And the second I did so, several selection screens appeared, forcing me to make a choice.

    ***

    [Shatter Stone +/Slinging Stone/Exploding Stone]

    ***

    It was a short selection window that refused to leave my vision no matter how much I tried to fiddle around with it.

    Pushing it away didn''t work, and I was too scared to wave it away, wary of identally making a selection.

    After learning that I couldn''t do anything to make this window disappear, nor were there any exnations provided about the meaning of those words, I ended up selecting the shatter stone.

    It wasn''t a result of a well-thought analysis. I saw the plus by the name of the spell, so I clicked on it, hoping it would be better than its counterparts.

    The selection window disappeared... Only for another to pop out right away.

    In the end, I had to make my selection three times, ending with shatter stone, aura wielder, and repel skills. What''s more, the second I picked the three skills out of the total pool of nine, the numbers in my status suddenly quivered, only for all my skills to raise a level!

    I ended up with just a single thing left that I couldn''t really crack. An empty slot in a new status window appeared after the recent change to my system.

    ***

    Enlightenment: NULL

    Ascendance: NULL

    ***

    What those two things were? Was I supposed to do something else before advancing? Or did I miss a vital step that kept me locked and even unaware of that very fact?

    All in all, my advancement increased my power by leaps and bounds. Even the sheer fact that I could keep my mage''s tower almost indefinitely made the entire growth worth it as it allowed me to turn my already powerful skills into tools of mayhem.

    Yet, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how great my three new skills were...

    It all felt empty.

    For the first time since I appeared in this world, growing to the next stagecked this feeling of umph, of a qualitative change happening to me.

    Sure, I was more powerful than I was before. Due to the greater mana in my pool, I now also obtained a lot of freedom in how I was using my skills instead of being forced to strive for perfect optimization of every spell.

    But all in all, my growth turned out way smaller than I hoped it would be. Especially given how Ascendendance was thest rank that anyone could reach with just enough effort and luck.

    ''Well then, I wonder what I''m supposed to do for the rest of the day,'' I thought, once again raising my eyes to the sky only for my view to be blocked by the green treetops of the forest all around.

    Yet, just as I raised my head, I noticed that there was something wrong.

    I could feel a strangely oppressive aura looming over my head.

    It was a feeling simr to how I felt when I first encountered a monster way above my paygrade. Yet, as seconds turned into minutes and the aura grew more and more powerful, I realized that it wasn''t the case.

    There was something different about this aura than just the oppression created by an overwhelming amount of energy. It was different... But at the same time, somehow slightly familiar.

    ''What the hell is this?'' I thought, looking around in hopes of finding the monster powerful enough to ooze such a domineering aura. Yet, even when I rushed into my search, I couldn''t find a single viable candidate.

    ''Now that I think about it, there shouldn''t be any problem if I just go and watch her participate in the tournament, right?'' I thought to myself, trying to turn my thoughts away from the oppressive feeling that only continued to grow in intensity.

    I still had yet to deal with my emotional trauma. Initially, I nned to do it right after discovering my new limits and finding a safe spot... But as things were right now, I still had to deal with the source of that oppressive aura first.

    ''If I recall correctly, we should be entering the night soon,'' I thought, rushing around the forest with the techniques I learned from Lucius. Even though I was no longer a contractor, the ability to rapidly move through the forest proved at all times useful now.

    Finally, after several minutes spent rushing through the forest, I found it.

    I found the monster powerful enough to be the source of this strange oppression. And so, I didn''t wait even for a second.

    With my Mage''s Tower raised, I sent a barrage of my improved bolts at the monster, showering it with an endless stream of offensive magic.

    Yet, it wasn''t enough. Even though my barrage was constantly chipping away at the monster''s health, it would take a long time before I could get actually down it like that.

    It wasn''t that my magic somehow turned weaker, from something capable of shattering the reality into just as a pebble of magic.

    It was the defenses of this monster that allowed it to withstand the barrage by simply guarding against it.

    But there was one more trick up my sleeve that didn''t involve testing my new abilities out.

    Keeping up the barrage and having my wardens set up around the ce, I started to close the distance to the crab-like monster.

    For every bolt that the monster would cut with its scissor-like arms, I would take a step closer. And once I was close enough...

    I unleashed my disturb ability.

    In order to use an unenhanced version of it, I had no other choice but to drop my mage''s tower. For a short window, only the shots that I had already fired remained in the air, putting me on a tight schedule before the monster would recover and have a window to attack.

    But when my ability kicked in, the crab could no longer guard itself against my attacks. And the second a single bolt of mine reached its delicate parts, the fight was over.

    "That wasn''t even that hard," I thought, looking down at the steaming corpse of a monster, not even sure if I should bother extracting the stone from this stinky mess.

    And then, I couldn''t help but shrug.

    The monster was dead; there was no denying it. And if that was the case, then why didn''t this oppressive aura disappear?

    As this oppression only continued to grow, one would expect to be able to pinpoint its source... but that didn''t happen.

    For god-knows why the source of this strange aura remained as elusive as it was before.

    ''I wonder if I will make it before tomorrow,'' I thought, raising my head once again.

    And once again, the treetops shielded the sky from my prying eyes. But this time, they couldn''t shield everything.

    Noticing a strange, violet light, I quickly jumped up and headed for the treetops myself, puzzled by spotting something like that.

    But the second I climbed to theyer high enough to have a look at the stuff above...

    I froze.

    Because a massive, violet meteor was hurling its fat self right at me!

    ''There is no denying it,'' I thought, swallowing down a gulp of my saliva. ''This is the source of this oppressive feeling!'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists as I prepared my mental self for the fight.

    Then, my lips twisted in an ugly grimace

    ''Why does it feel so familiar, though?''

 Chapter 268 New Limits

    I sat down pretty high up on a tree.

    With my head angled to the back and my eyes raised high, I continued to just observe the small violet dot on the sky.

    It wasn''t another. That I could say for sure. Even though stargazing wasn''t my quirk, it wasn''t the first time when I rxed by just looking up at the sky. But it was definitely the first time for me to notice such a striking color!

    ''And there is no denying its aura,'' I thought, swallowing down a gulp of saliva.

    Just thinking about it caused a cold shiver to travel up my spine.

    ''I''m not even sure if I can apply the big-scale physics of earth to this world,'' I thought, bitting down on my lips.

    I used to be passionate about the cosmos and the universe atrge.

    An unknown. An unexplored space so vast it was hard to evenprehend.

    But was this world the same?

    Was the ground I was standing on an actual? Or maybe for the first time in history, t-earthers would make some sense?

    ''I don''t know anything,'' I thought, refocusing on the meteor far off in the distance. ''And I can hardly recall what tools I would need to study it, not to speak about making this kind of equipment.''

    My mood instantly worsened.

    I already had my hands full, trying to get stronger and reunite with Mia. There was simply no time for me to busy myself with borate and time-consuming topics like astronomy.

    ''Maybe once I reach the royal rank, I will be able to retreat in peace,'' I thought. ''Given how royals are powerhouses, I bet someone would give away a single ranch to avoid getting trouble of fighting me,'' I thought, finally finding some positives about the situation.

    I was aware that Royal rank could be just another beginning to the same story told over and over again. There was a chance that I would just face a wall of different names and techniques, but one that would ultimately boil down to the same principle of endless growth.

    But nobody could deny this hope of mine. The hope that once I would reach that royal rank, I could im to reach the peak of the world.

    Then and only then could I be sure to ensure Mia''s and my safety.

    ''Still,'' I thought, raising my eyes back from my hands on the meteor again. ''Without knowing shit about this world, I can even judge how far it is,'' I noticed with a grim smile on my lips.

    It was unnerving. To just sit and wait for the disaster that was bound to strike in an unknown future.

    I was so used to have everything happen rtively well on time that being unable to set a schedule for the problem made me insanely anxious about it.

    ''It might hit in a minute but also in a month,'' I thought, only to release a deep sigh. ''At least if it happened way off in the future, someone else would be there to take care of it,'' I thought, closing my eyes to give them some rest.

    ''Yeah, I won''t be able to figure out anything about this meteor right now,'' I told myself, fixing the position of my pouch before starting to simulcast my warden and bolt.

    If there was anything that I could do right now, with the threat of the meteor hanging right above my head, it was to prepare. Silently training would also help me organize my thoughts and calm my mind, bringing another set of benefits.

    "And while I''m at it," I muttered to myself, taking a deep breath before adding the next spell to mybo.

    The shatterstone skill turned out to be an evolution of my previous skills. It simply skipped the steps of summoning the warden and bolt separately, making a formation stone shatter all on its own.

    Yet, despite being extremely useful for springing some formations, it had an even more important quirk.

    The stone itself didn''t hold any energy in it. Sure, it could be infused with some, but that process was just too time and focus consuming for me to even bother.

    Yet, what this skill allowed me to do, was to infuse one of my formation stones with energy beforehand, turning it into an explosive.

    ''Rather than an explosive, it could serve well as a mine,'' I thought, creating a shatterstone and ying with it in my fingers.

    This also answered the question of why it was the only skill with a plus marker on it.

    As something that I was doing already on my own, my system had likely an easier time developing that skill for me. As such, the energy and effort saved could be used to turn this skill even stronger than it originally was.

    The other two skills turned out to be more tactical than offensive.

    The first one, mist gates, allowed me to set up warden stones to act like small-scale teleporters.

    I would create semi-permanent portals leading from one ce to another by cing two of them and then activating the skill. The distance that separated the two gates would then depend on the amount of mana I was willing to sacrifice for the skill.

    Lastly came the aiming warden. I decided to choose it from the trio of aiming warden, timing warden, and precision warden. And my reasoning was simple.

    Normally, it didn''t matter at all. Without my Mage''s Tower raised, there was no need to support my aim whatsoever. After all, I couldn''t cast my bolts quick enough to be unable to follow the target with my eyes.

    On the other hand, when my Mage''s Tower would be raised, the rate of my firepower increased drastically.

    And there was a physical limit to how many bolts I could guide directly.

    That''s why I didn''t go for the more-useful sounding precision. Because in order for the shot to be precise, it has to be aimed first. And at the peak of my capability, I was simply unable to track all the shots I was capable of unleashing.

    ''With those abilities, someone would have to absolutely overwhelm me with just the intensity of their magic. Otherwise, I can''t see any way for me to lose,'' I thought, taking proper stock of what I was capable of now.

    This was the result of me wasting an entire day just to discover my new limits.

    Were I to enter a fight just a day ago, I would be no different than an enlightened with just a bigger pool of mana. But now, with my spells firmly exined and lodged in my brain, the range of my capability widened by a massive degree.

    "In a sense, I turned into a mobile fortress," I talked to myself with no better listener anywhere around to hear me boast. Yet, this mobile fortress thing...

    It still needed a bit of verification.

    ''I guess I don''t need to watch it at all times,'' I thought, jumping down from my spot.

    So far, I have managed to understand all my new abilities and the new range of my old ones. But there was still one thing that I was missing in my tests.

    I had yet to figure out how my new abilities would evolve within the influence of Mage''s Tower!

    ''Well, there is nothing wrong with some more testing,'' I thought, standing in a position out of habit alone before summoning all my wardens necessary to lift the Mage''s Tower up.

    ''On the other hand,'' I thought, allowing the formation stones from my pouches to flow outside, forming a mind-boggling number of formations at once. ''I wonder if I could watch Mia perform during the tournament?''

 Chapter 269 Calm

    "Judging by my gut alone, it should start tommo... No, today," I whispered to myself, raising my eyes to the sky in a futile attempt to prate through the thick treetops with my vision.

    It was already toote into the night to speak about tomorrow. Mia''s tournament would start in just a few hours tops.

    ''In other words, I have time before the dawn,'' I thought, recalling how long I kept on running before I reached my current spot.

    Even if the tournament didn''t start the first thing in the morning, I still had to run a considerable distance back to return to the city!

    ''Getting past the gates will be easy. The real question is, can I handle watching her?'' I asked myself, clearly aware of my current limitations.

    As an Ascender, I could simply waltz through the gates without a care in the world. After learning a whole lot about this world from Mia''s letters, I could tell that no one would be dumb enough to utter as much as a single moan of protest.

    ''The might makes right, huh?'' I thought when a small smile formed on my lips.

    This kind of a rule... I hated it with all my guts. But when I switched ces and became the one strong enough to oppress the others, I didn''t mind such reality all that much anymore.

    But the other question remained.

    Could I handle as little as just watching Mia perform from afar?

    Given how she was the spark of my trauma, I had my doubts about my mental capability.

    ''It would be naive to take my problem lightly,'' I thought, more aware of that fact than anyone else.

    I overcame enough bullying in my world to understand just how fragile the human mind was. And what I was going through right now, I could perfectly recognize as the obvious giveaways of a powerful mental disorder.

    ''I need to fix this about myself first,'' I told myself, dropping my mage''s tower and sitting down by a tree. ''Otherwise, I will be unworthy to even watch her,'' I thought, closing my eyes and focusing.

    In order to deal with my trauma, I had to acknowledge it first. And it was a step that I refrained from taking all this time.

    But it all ended now.

    ''Let''s fucking do it,'' I encouraged myself before intentionally recalling the events of my past. The events that I hoped to bury. And the events that I had no other choice but to relieve right now.

    In an instant, my vision clouded. My surroundings contracted, trapping me in a small area within the entire open space of the forest.

    The trees turned into metal bars, stopping my potential escape. The green treetops turned into a concrete roof. And the thick air all around me took the shape of the monstrosity that vited me.

    Its lips, as huge as my arm on their own, curled into a devious smile.

    My body started to shiver.

    Even though I was aware, this was all but a mirage, knowing something and epting it were two different topics altogether.

    Every twist of the wind reminded me of all the feelings that I bottled up. Every noiseing from the forest made me relive the disgusting, sweat-filled memory of having that fat monster jump up and down on me.

    "Fgrghr," I uttered half of a curse before dropping forward on my knees and dirtying the forest floor with my stomach''s content.

    ''Enough!'' I shouted to myself, cutting away the experience.

    My body was covered in a cold sweat, shivering under the cold winds of the forest.

    I curled my knees up to my chin before embracing them and closing myself in the embryonical position.

    ''I need to do it again,'' I thought, bitting down on my lips as I pushed away all the exhaustion and residual pain from my attempt. ''Pushing it back will only make it fester more,'' I forced myself to believe before closing my eyes and returning to the past once again.

    The oppressive aura returned, coating me with a powerfulyer of anxiety.

    I forced my eyes open, dropping all the ideas of fighting my trauma right now.

    ''How could I forget!'' I thought, standing up and leaping for the nearest branch only to start climbing my way up the tree. ''This isn''t the right moment to let myself be distracted!''

    The aura that I could still feel wasn''t an effect of my trauma. It was the influence of that meteor!

    Yet, the second I reached the top of the tree, a question dawned upon me as I was about to look out to check the situation.

    ''Wait, why do I even bother?''

    It was the simplest question possible. Yet one that several months worth of fun that I had ying Souls-like games taught me one thing.

    There were things that you didn''t need to bother with. There were opponents that you could just avoid. There were events that you didn''t need to participate in.

    Why I was then so keen on keeping an eye on this meteorite? Wasn''t this just a waste of time?

    After all, no matter how long I observed it, I could hardly predict where it would fall. And the chances of it falling right on my head were...

    ''It''s because I''m nearing the pinnacle of this world,'' I thought, reinforcing my hope that the Royal rank was the absolute limit of how far one could grow.

    ''The answer to that question is rtively simple,'' I thought, shaking my head over my own naivete.

    ''If I won''t take care of this, who will?''

    I shook my head again, ready to raise my Mage''s Tower again. In the end, I still have yet to practice the evolutions of my new skills!

    Yet, just as I raised my wardens again, a small sh caught my attention.

    I looked up, only to notice a small bit of violet splitting off from the main dot.

    And then, it started to erge itself with every second, soon proving false all my hopes of it falling elsewhere.

    The oppressive aura intensified... but far below its expected growth.

    The meteorite loomed over my head for a little longer... and then it flew right above my head, only to crash into the forest several miles up ahead.

    BOOM!

    The sonic wave of the crash shook the entire forest, forcing me to cover my ears in fear of my eardrums giving up.

    It wasn''t the shaking that I was scared of. It was the pressure that could easily rupture my inner organs without even damaging my skin!

    The wave of condensed air came... and went.

    In the heat of a moment, I managed to raise my Mage''s Tower just in time for my wardens to protect me from the coteral attack.

    ''What the hell was that,'' I thought, shocked beyond any measure.

    This was a force of nature. A true might that made even mage like me cover in fear while trembling on the ground.

    But right now, I somehow managed to ward off its attack.

    ''Well, I guess the one thing I need to do right now is pretty obvious,'' I thought, pulling out my spear and looking in the direction the meteor crashed.

    ''It''s time to investigate!''

 Chapter 270 Storm Begins

    I ran forward as if there was no tomorrow.

    Swing on the branch, pull my legs up to avoid a bush that I failed to notice before...

    My road through the thicker parts of the forest was closer to dance than a normal manner of traveling. A dance consisting of several intricate moves, each allowing me to skip over a different difficulty for normal walking.

    A huge rock in the way? I would either jump above it or angle my path around it.

    A set of trees too close together for me to squeeze through? I would either angle my path upwards so I could squeeze through the part where the trees were thinner. And if I didn''t have that much momentum built up, I would simply run around the obstacle only to pick up the speed a secondter.

    ''I''ve got a bad feeling about this,'' I thought as I neared the ce where the strange, violet meteorite crashed into the forest.

    There was something extremely wrong with this situation. Its location, timing, and circumstances made me feel as if there was something insanely important yet something that I failed to see.

    As more and more doubts and hesitations continued to build up in my soul, there was only one thing that I could do about it.

    And it was to gnash my teeth and push forward. Because no one has ever achieved anything just by sitting down on their ass!

    I continued to run.

    Despite how near the crash site of the meteor appeared to be when it fell down, it turned out to crash a considerable distance away from my position.

    ''Given how it appeared to direct itself right at me, shouldn''t itnd somewhere closer?'' I thought, only to shake my head and dismiss the topic before I would waste any time on analyzing it.

    ''I don''t have the time for that,'' I told myself, ditching the topic forter.

    Once I knew whether this world was a just like earth, once I learned more about the great physics of this world, I could think about it.

    But right now, it wasn''t the time to think. It was the time to gather the materials to think through at ater date!

    Yet, as every step of mine brought me closer and closer to the site of the disaster, the oppressive aura that I felt only continued to grow. Yet, even when I finally neared the actual scene of the event, this aura was nowhere as strong as I expected it to be.

    It felt as if I was chasing after a big bottle of coke, only to suddenly realize it was nothing more but a small can.

    ''Just how strong that thing is,'' I thought, swallowing down a gulp of saliva.

    There was only one exnation for the uneven growth of the aura. It was something that exceeded my knowledge about mana and magic in general. Something that either worked ording to different principles or had nothing to do with magic, to begin with.

    Otherwise, there was no other exnation for this non-linear growth of the intensity of the aura as I neared the crash site.

    I then shook my head and did the one reasonable thing that I could before the fight.

    Way in advance, before I could even see the ce, I raised all my formations, deployed all my arrays, and prepared all my formation stones to turn them into guardians and boltunchers.

    And then, I raised my Mage''s Tower.

    In an instant, all my formations, wardens, formation stones, and arrays turned into a single entity, governed by the central spell.

    ''I guess I will do with two formations less,'' I thought after scanning the entire scene with a quick nce.

    I now had exactly fifty-two formations included in my mage''s tower. Even though this number used to be a bit bigger, ever since I made it a point to refine my formations and make them as specialized as possible, I got rid of all the failed ones.

    And with just a single swing of my arm, two of the less useful formations fell apart, allowing the stones that made it up to return to my direct possession.

    "Those might turn really useful," I muttered to myself, already dividing the stones in my mind into groups.

    And then, with my focus at its highest and my preparation at its finest, I pushed forward, finally stepping into the location where the disaster urred.

    But it was even stranger than before.

    No, it wasn''t the sight of monsters'' insides sttered all over the ce that put me off.

    It was apleteck of secondary damage that I would associate with the crashing of a meteor.

    The forest didn''t burn. In fact, there were maybe only two small bushes that caught fire.

    There was no trail nor a crater left by the meteor, making it seem as it never actually crashed into the area.

    And right there, in the middle of the bloody carnage, stood a monster.

    This time, I had no doubts calling it that. Because I would alternate calling my opponents beast, monsters, and just in out animals, they ultimately still were all animals that ended up absorbing enough mana to be my target.

    But the thing that was currently surrounded by the bloodied remains of the monsters that were unlucky to be near the site when the meteor came crashing down...

    If anything could define the word monster, it was the thing roughly a hundred paces in front of me.

    It was a massive blob of violet. From a distance, it looked like a weird, levitating pufferfish, with its roundish body covered in spikes in a constant state of flux.

    ''Just what the hell is this?'' I thought, lowering my center of weight.

    Even though I have yet to see this monster act, the scene of carnage all around it was enough of a reason for me to get wary.

    ''Still, this aura...'' I thought, refusing to take another step closer to the monster, opting to give it the initiative instead. ''How can it feel so foreign yet so familiar at the same time?''

    It took only a moment for the monster to finally take notice of my appearance. It rapidly turned around, proving that there was some front and back to this entity at the very least.

    "UuuRugh," it squeezed out a strange sound from its insides, only for two of its spikes to suddenly explode outwards.

    ''Wardens,'' I thought, pushing two sets of three evolved wardens to stop the attack.

    This was the upper limit of mine. Even if this monster could ovee three guardians with a single attack of its spike, it would still slow the offense down enough for me to run away.

    The attack came... And it copsed. The spikes of the monster failed to destroy even the first warden in each of the lines.

    Sure, they put a massive dent in the amount of energy that made up the frontal guardians... But that was it.

    No shield was cracked. No stone shattered. Only the amount of mana that each of those half-autonomous objects possessed suddenly decreased by roughly a half!

    ''How the hell...?'' I took a few steps back in shock. ''How the hell is this supposed to work?!''

    It didn''t make any sense. I didn''t see my mana crashing with the mana of that monster''s attack, something that would exin the result of our first sh.

    Rather than that, it was as if the mana behind the monster''s attack and my guardian''s barrier... simply vanished from this world as if it was never there, to begin with.

    "Still..." I muttered to myself, taking a few steps forward to regain the ground that I gave up in the moment of shock. "Was that all?" I asked out loud, looking over at the monster in the distance.

    Was it shocked that its attack failed? Or maybe it wasn''t capable of experiencing emotions like that?

    But there was still one thing that puzzled me to no end.

    That attack... It was slow. So slow that I could easily dodge it without involving even the tiniest bit of my magical power!

    But if this attack was so slow, how could it bring so much devastation? Howe all the monsters whose corpses I could see dirtying the area all around this strange being came to be if most of those monsters were even faster than me?

    ''Was it a bluff?'' I thought, instantly sending in more mana to reinforce my guardians before raising a few more of them.

    There was nothing wrong with being overly cautious. But I wasn''t going to win this fight just by defending.

    Whatever this thing was, I could analyze it once it was nothing more but a corpse awaiting to rot away!

    "So this was your attack," I said, raising my spear before painting a half-circle with its de in the air while holding it upright at all times.

    As the de of my spear moved from the left to the right in a revealing manner, a set of boltunchers appeared in the area marked by the de.

    ''It most likely wanted to bait me with that attack,'' I thought. ''Bait me into believing that''s all it can do,'' I thought, squinting my eyes.

    I then added several aiming stones before hiding several shatter stones behind the boltunchers.

    ''Let''s hope this will be enough,'' I thought, raising my eyes on the monster only for a small smile to creep up on my lips.

    "Now, it''s my turn."

 Chapter 271 Storm Rages

    A single problem gued my ability tounch a huge number of bolts. I simply couldn''t control all those attacks at once, making a huge number of them nothing more but a waste of my mana.

    In turn, my inability severely limited the amount of mana per second that I could turn into damage to my enemies. But it all ended today.

    ''Let''s see what those aiming stones are good for!'' I thought, raising all the stuff I prepared within my Mage''s Tower.

    Anyway, so I started sting.

    Tatatata...

    Even though the boltunchers shouldn''t produce any sound, seeing how each of theunchers started to heat up and produce its first attacks, my mind added the background music to the moment all on its own.

    And before long, the slow, rhythmic beating speed up.

    Titititi

    The sounds quickly merged as myunchers reached their optimal speed of firing. And then, all the sounds merged into a single, continuous tone, turning the spray of my bolts into a single ray of oppressive energy.

    And then, my first bolts struck the monster. It was the courtesy of the distance splitting the enemy and me apart, allowing my formations andunchers to reach their optimal efficiency before the first shot would reach its target.

    ''It''s great that I don''t need to control it at all,'' I thought, raising my eyes at myunchers freely roaming through the space of the mage''s tower to make themselves a harder target.

    I then moved my eyes back on the monster, only to take a deep breath and hold it in.

    The initial attack seded. It even managed to somehow shave off a considerable part of the monster''s body... But that was the end of it.

    By the time the real onught of my attacks started, this damned thing had found a way to defend itself against it.

    It would stretch its pufferfish-like tendrils way beyond any reasonable distance. Some of those tendrils would end up destroyed by my bolts. But once one of them reached out far enough, the monster would channel itself through it, swapping ces with the tip of said tendril nearly instantaneously.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, moving the focus of my attacks at the new position of the monster. Yet, by the time the first bolts arrived at the destination, the monster was already long gone to a new position, preparing itself to swap ces yet again.

    ''Just showering it with magic won''t work,'' I thought. I then shook my head.

    Thinking right now wasn''t the greatest thing that I could do. It was a blessing that my current battle was rtively slow-paced, allowing me to think my next moves through.

    But there was one question rocking around in my mind that made me unable to n ahead at all.

    ''Howe a part of it just vanished?''

    This kind of reaction to my bolts was something that I could never expect.

    Normally, when a monster''s flesh would be struck with a bolt, the flesh would remain as it was... just in a different form. That''s what being subjected to totally random physical rules would result in.

    Yet, when my initial salvo reached the monster... It didn''t corrupt its flesh. Rather than that, it shaved away at its body, as if the energy of the bolt and whatever this monster was made off canceled each other off.

    ''No, I don''t have the time to think about it,'' I told myself, pping my own face with my left hand.

    I moved my focus back on the monster.

    For now, it was still pinned by my attacks, forced to keep relocating to avoid the barrage that followed each of his moves. But from the looks of things, the monster was getting better and better at reading the path of my bolts, giving itself more time to avoid them.

    ''Crafty fucker,'' I thought, changing the directive of my attack. Yet, even with the speed of my bolts, it would take roughly two seconds for them to cover the distance splitting my adversary and me.

    Only now, right when I changed how my bolts were firing, I noticed two things.

    First off, surrounded by several boltunchers, I felt like sitting in the middle of a bunker nest with several machineguns going off. Yet, that was the end of the fun parts, as I also noticed just how draining this kind of fighting was on my mana reserve.

    Sure, I could keep going for several more hours at the current usage before I would tap my mana pool, but that proved something insanely important.

    Even being an ascender, I still had my limits.

    Limits that had to be sufficient right now for me to defeat this monster. Yet, while just how much energy I could infuse into a single attack remained an open question, I now had a ticking time limit to how long I could take to defeat this monster.

    ''Let''s see how my new tactic will work,'' I thought, keenly observing the changes of the battlefield.

    The monster used the same tactic as before, steadily building up more and more time with each of its shifts. What started as a desperate attempt to avoid the damage now was a dance where the second I would start barraging one ce, the monster would already be moving to another.

    And then, the change to my attack pattern reached the battle.

    "WRYYYYYY"

    The monster cried out when tens out of hundreds of the tendrils it was extending suddenly vanished, separated from its main body by my bolts.

    That''s right. Rather than targeting the monster itself, I targeted all its escape routes that I could calcte!

    For the next few moments, my new move appeared to work. Yet, just like before, the monster wasn''t just a stupid NPC prepared for me to fight off.

    It was a real, living being. And as such, it was going to adapt to the situation just like I did.

    ''Huh?'' I quickly noticed that my attack had now lost its effectiveness.

    Sure, it was still shaving away at the monster''s tendrils... But my enemy made it so that it didn''t matter anymore. It would explode its entire body into tiny tendrils, each of them a sacrifice for my bolts. And amongst this sea of tentacles, a few of them would turn out way bigger and capable of resisting several strikes of my bolts.

    And the monster then used those thicker tentacles it produced to keep moving around, refusing to stop ying this cat and mouse-like game.

    ''The strength of the bolts isn''t sufficient,'' I thought, observing how the situation on the battlefield changed.

    Just like the monster could adapt to the changes of the battle, I could do the same.

    ''Let''s try with some shatter stones then,'' I thought, using a few more of my formation stones to create this new type of warding stone. But instead of using them as apletely new axis of attack, I simply mixed them into the salvo of the bolts while making sure to keep track of their movement.

    ''Shatter!'' I thought when the attack reached one of the monster''s main tentacles.

    The stone cracked apart and then released all the energy stored inside.

    Contrary to how the bolts would use their energy to turn thews of the world into chaos, the shattered stone would release pure and unadulterated mana infused with nothing but my intent.

    And from how this single attack nearly instantly cut off one of the seven main tentacles of the monster, it was a pretty good fit against my current enemy!

    Yet, before a few moments passed, the number of the thick tentacles decreased to just three. And what was the bad part was how those tentacles were now too thick even for my shatterstone to cut through!

    ''God damnit!'' I cursed. I could feel the strain on my brain caused by how rapidly I was supposed to change my tactics. But while that alone was still fine... for how long I could keep uping up with new ways of fighting?

    ''I wonder if I''m even suited to be a mage with a mindset like this,'' I grimlymented my ownck of ability before putting my focus back where it should be.

    At least for a moment, the monster has yet to get used to my attacks. In other words, for at least a few moments longer, it was pinned to a ce, unable to escape from the onught of my barrage.

    ''Should I draw it into the Mage''s Tower area?'' I asked myself, desperately looking for new ways to defeat this strange opponent of mine.

    ''Or rather, why is its body disappearing when in contact with my mana?'' I asked myself the question that lingered in the back of my head for a while now.

    Even though I didn''t want to waste time analyzing this issue, I now realized that I would never be able to defeat this monster without knowing anything about it.

    ''Well, does it even matter?'' I thought, shaking my head to the back and taking a deep breath. ''If it shaves away its own powers, then that''s all I need to care about,'' I decided, lowering my head and throwing a look at the monster.

    So far, the fight didn''t appear to have any usible conclusion. I simplycked any heavy-hitting spells that could make use of how I pinned this monster.

    Sure, a barrage of small attacks was great on its own, but I needed to develop an attack worthy of my current cultivation stage!

    ''Well, before drawing it close, let''s try one more thing,'' I thought, once again changing the paradigm of my aiming stones, making all theunchers adjust to the new principle.

    ''Since you are so eager to dodge my attacks, let''s see what happens when I target the ces you want to escape to instead!''

 Chapter 272 End Of The Storm

    I wouldn''t lie by iming that, at least for now, I controlled the battlefield.

    Each of myunchers shot its payload so quickly that each of the bolts merged with the others, creating a stable ray of speeding mana.

    Just like the monster would connect itself to other ces with tendrils, I did the same. But instead of moving around my very mass, I moved around an insane volume of hostile energy!

    But I wasn''t really focused on damaging the monster. I was content with just locking it in ce. I still needed more time to think over how to deal with it.

    That''s why rather than aiming for the monster in general or towards its tendrils to chip away at its lifeforce... I made myunchers aim their projectiles at the areas the monster actively sought to transport to.

    Its tendrils extended towards a set of huge rocks?

    My bolts nicely evened out the ground, ensuring there wasn''t any natural obstacle that could obscure my field of view.

    ''Let''s step up the game a bit,'' I thought after taking my sweet time to confirm that the monster was now truly in a cage.

    ''I should be able to do it if I get a lot closer,'' I thought, already long in the process of hatching a n.

    As the fight so far proved, defeating this monster just by shaving away at its energy would be an annoying task.

    ''No, not annoying, fucking dangerous,'' I thought, fixing the naive attitude of mine.

    Right now, I was putting my very life at stake. Just like I was doing my best to kill this monster, there was no doubt it would do its utmost to end my life instead!

    ''Remember Arthur, don''t get cocky,'' I reminded myself, keeping my focus at an all-time high. ''But this is going for too long already,'' I decided before taking my first reluctant step towards the monster.

    I changed the directives for my aiming stones once again, making the change happen the second I moved forward.

    And for the first time since the very beginning of the fight, I allowed some of my bolts to rush right for the center of that monster''s mass.

    The violet ball of spikes suddenly contracted in itself as if attempting to condense into a single cell. And then, a single root of the monster shoots forward, right towards my heart!

    Dun, dun, dum.

    The singr arm of the monster broke through two of my guardians, barely stopping at the third one.

    With just a little bit more power behind the strike, all three of my positional wardens would sumb to the attack.

    Sure, I still had several defensive formations and six other wardens... But losing the initial three was no different than giving up on the first trench in the battle of attrition.

    In contrast to my nearly bottomless mana, there was a strict limit to how many times could I renew my wardens. The formation stones in my pouch were ultimately limited!

    ''That was close,'' I thought, staggering to the back.

    I could feel the sharp pain of the wound that this attack would cause if it reached me, even though it never did.

    This phantom pain was nothing more but a product of my imagination...

    But it served well enough to refresh my mind!

    "Okay, it''s time to finish this," I muttered, raising my eyes with confidence.

    There was only one mistake that this monstermitted by attacking me like that.

    Right now, a major chunk of its magical mass was locked within my Mage''s Tower!

    A single tug on several strings and the rest of the monster followed its main body. And the second the monster entered the area of my absolute power, the fight was basically over.

    That is, assuming that my gamble would pay off.

    ''Disturb,'' I thought, still unused to this particr ability. Especially because...

    A sudden headache struck my mind, killing my vision and blocking all the other senses.

    For but a second, I was the most vulnerable in the entire world.

    I returned to my senses a mere secondter. But it was already toote.

    During this momentarypse of my focus, the enemy managed to shoot out a golden ball from its side, freeing it from the influence of my mage''s tower.

    And a secondter, the rest of the energy followed after the golden ball, as if there was yet another force pulling on the strings of the world''s physics.

    My desperate attempts to hold the monster within my Mage''s Tower ended up futile. But I still learned something.

    ''Was it its core?'' I thought, tracking the movements of the gulp within the body of the monster.

    In this short period of time when its core was sent away, I managed to finally confirm that it was the source of this strange, oppressive yet familiar aura.

    ''Wait a second, isn''t this aura the same as the air made me feel back at the bordends?'' I suddenly realized, so shocked that I almost allowed the monster to get a hit on me.

    Yet again, a thick tendril invaded my space and broke through two more guardians to stop at the third one.

    ''At least now I know its ace card,'' I thought, a wide smile appearing on my face.

    I grabbed my spear and pulled it out from the ground, lowering its de. Then, I simply stared at the monster while my boltunchers continued to kill any and all directions the monster could attempt to escape.

    ''Half of theunchers, focus on the body,'' I thought, changing the paradigm of the aiming stones yet again.

    Then, my body was taken over by a shudder of terror.

    Thatst attack... It got a bit closer than the previous one.

    Sure, it still ended up repelled by the third of the new wardens, but it was only a matter of one or two attacks like that before my defenses would crumble... Or rather, the first line of it.

    ''I guess I was overreacting a bit,'' I thought, watching how my bolts started to hammer at the monster''s body.

    And then, once again, I took a step forward. This time, however, the dust kicked up by my attack covered my steps, allowing me to push the center of my mage''s tower a lot closer to the space-born entity.

    ''Since Ick a heavy-hitting ability, let''s turn quantity into quality!'' I thought, raising a new set of aiming stones.

    And then, I dedicated all my focus to controlling the attacks that went the monster''s way.

    I wasn''t stopping or even slowing them down. I simply made sure that a bolt, instead of hitting the ground behind its target''s back, would join a massive flow of bolts, all of which would squeeze the life out of the monster.

    ''If I can confine its movements, I should be able to amass enough firepower to end it quickly,'' I thought before unleashing hell on the monster once again.

    And then, the paradigm of my battle-stance changed once again.

    All my boltunchers turned their angle, unloading their shots directly at the monster instead of cutting its paths of escape.

    This job was taken care of already. Ever since the monster stepped into the area under my control, no matter where it would want to escape, a shatter-stone mine would await it.

    All the while, more and more magic bolts joined in a whirlpool of magic that surrounded the enemy.

    I raised my hand up, spreading my fingers as far as I could.

    And then, I closed my first down.

    My formations locked the monster in ce. Other arrays covered it with pure, unadulterated mana. Another formation ignited that mana, covering the entirety of this violet monster with magic explosions.

    And then, the dome of magic bullets that I kept roaming around the monster''s head all fell down.

    I coordinated all of my tools and skills to strike once and true in a single instant.

    And then, just to be sure, I lunged forward, calling forth the skill that I nearly forgot I had.

    The phantom de associated with my spear.

    Pushing through to the monster was a pretty weird experience.

    With all the mana that fluctuated around me, I was unable to sense the monster at all. The dust that hid my approach earlier was now obstructing my line of sight.

    But I continued to run.

    Using every trick and technique that Lucius taught me back at the camp, I rushed ahead, inching towards the monster with every step I made.

    And then I lunged forward, pushing my spear right in the middle of the monster.

    Now that I got close, I realized that nearly a third of its mass was already gone, dispersed by my attacks. But with all honesty, it didn''t matter right now.

    I pushed my spear forward, forcing it into the surprisingly soft tissues of the monster.

    And then, instead of using the phantom de as a perfected cutting surface, I allowed the mana creating it to disperse deep within the monster''s body. At the same time, I infused the spear with all the mana that I had to spare, elerating the decay of my opponent.

    The monster''s magical massyers started to disappear, proving that the fight was now over. With the loss of the will that guided it, the mana that a being possessed would return to the global pool.

    And then, all the violet mass disappeared, leaving me holding a spear deeply embedded into the heart of a stranger.

    ''What?!'' I shrugged, shocked beyond my ability toprehend.

    And then I realized what this situation meant.

    ''Did I just kill a man?'' I thought, freezing on the spot.

    Sure, it wasn''t my first kill, but a first kill that Imitted intentionally while fully in control over my own mental state.

    "Khe..." The man spewed a mouthful of blood.

    No wonder, given his heart was spilled into two by my attack.

    "Please," the man muttered, his eyes hazy to the point there was no doubt the man was already on the edge of passing. "Save the others," the man muttered, raising his hand to grab the wood of the spear...

    Only for his hand to slide down and fall to the ground when the life vanished from the man''s eyes.

    ''What the fuck?!'' I fixed my posture, looking around in search of hostile targets.

    I simply attempted to make sense of this situation for a moment.

    And then, I raised my eyes to the sky, tracking the direction this strange thing or man came crashing into my new world.

    And there it was. The same violet dot, far out in the space yet close enough for people to notice.

    ''Rather than being thest, he was just a first of them,'' I thought grimly before sending onest look at the deceased man''s face. I then released a deep sigh before kneeling down before the body and lowering its eyelids.

    It was the most I could do for this man right now.

    I looked up once again.

    The sun was rising.

 Chapter 273 Bells Of The New Day

    Mia woke up way before the bells announced the morning for the rest of the town.

    There was no way she would sleep that long, given how there would be only a single hour from the moment the bells would start ringing and the second the tournament would officially begin.

    "So today is the day," Mia muttered to herself. She looked over through the small window of her room.

    Just like she felt in her gut, the sun has yet to rise. Her waking up on time was nothing more but abination of sheer luck and habit.

    ''I guess I could get ready,'' she thought, only to jump down from the bed and take a quick look at herself. The mirror in the room was the one piece of luxury that Mia decided to afford for herself the day she heard Arthur might being to this ce.

    After all, how should she take care of her looks to prepare herself for the reunion if she couldn''t see how does she look?

    ''Did I gain weight?'' Mia thought, stressing over the topic as she ran her fingers up her t stomach only to rest her hands on her breasts. Dressed in nothing but a thin night-robe, she could feel the heat of her fingers as she sank them into her own flesh.

    "Wait a second," Mia muttered, grabbing her boobs as she stared into the mirror with focus. "Was I really the lucky one?" she asked herself, shaking the boobs in her hands. ''Did really only my breasts grow?''

    There were no signs of any additional fat anywhere on her body but her bosom. Despite training as hard as she could, Mia always took care to eat just enough so that a thinyer of fat would hide her well-toned muscles.

    ''It would be bad if I could no longer be soft enough for Arthur to hug me to his slumber,'' Mia thought, recalling all the moments when it happened, nostalgic to the bone.

    Sure, the times when they slept and got wild together were fun too, but it was the ambient and peaceful rhythm of the everyday life that Mia sought.

    ''I wonder if this approach is why I''m so drawn to him,'' Mia thought, lowering her hands and looking around the room.

    Then, her eyes locked at the small drawer where she kept all her robes.

    For an auspicious day like today, it would be expected of her to don the sect colors. Yet, Mia didn''t even consider such an option.

    Sure, she would wear the elegant sect robes on the outside for the formal part of the day. But since she wanted to draw everyone''s attention during the tournament, she wasn''t going to pull anything back.

    As such, only the prized treasure of hers, the robe that she kept hidden throughout all her time at the Tuxi sect, was the valid choice of dress for today.

    Knock, knock.

    Two shorts knocks were followed by a moment of silence. And then, a single knock more followed.

    ''Ve?'' Mia thought, recognizing the code.

    In theory, everyone was supposed to use them when approaching closed doors. Yet, in reality, only Ve stuck to the rule, turning this manner of knocking into a personal thing.

    "Are you alone?" Mia asked before letting the other party enter. As she was still in just her nightrobes alone, she had to make sure no eyes of man would fall on her body.

    Looking at her beauty was a privilege only Arthur was allowed to enjoy.

    "Yeah," Ve replied through the doors. "Can Ie in?" she asked, her voice slightly uncertain.

    It was the first time for Mia to hold anyone at door point. Given how they were preparing to set off for the tournament, it was no wonder the girl got weirded out.

    "Thene in; I still need to change, though," Mia said, hiding in the part of the room that wasn''t visible from the doorway.

    "So that''s the case," Ve muttered as she made her way inside and locked the doors behind. She then cast a quick nce at Mia, who emerged from her hiding ce.

    "Damn, sister," Ve muttered, scanning Mia''s charms. "That boy of yours... He really is one lucky fart," the girl said, her breath taken away.

    "I really hope that''s the case," Mia replied with a deep sight as she moved towards the wardrobe and picked both of the robes that she wanted to dress.

    She then pulled her night robe up and out, standing butt-naked in the room before quickly covering herself with the fabric that once got through Arthur''s hands.

    ''It still smells like him,'' Mia thought, raising the cor up to her nose as she sniffed the robe.

    After being separated for so long from her man, every tiniest point of remembrance of Arthur was worth the world for her.

    "Are you going to fight in this robe?" Ve asked, shocked by the disy. "I know you don''t like the sect, but are you really going to be like that?" the girl asked even more questions, the look behind her eyes showcasing how anxious she was.

    ''Right, she cares about the tournament, doesn''t she?'' Mia thought, sending her friend a quick nce, unable to stop a small smile from forming on her lips. ''Meanwhile, I''m more anxious about whether Arthur would still like toy with me or not,'' Mia thought, her lips turning to form a weird grin of self-awareness.

    "Yes, I will," Mia replied, patting down the cloth of Arthur''s-made robe before reaching out with her hand and grabbing the official sect attire. "I''m not going to provoke the sect before my fight starts, though," she added in an attempt to calm her friend down.

    "Good," Ve nodded her head, her movements a bit too stiff for someone who was used to practicing harder than everyone.

    To say that Ve was stressing because of the intersect tournament would be a gross understatement.

    "Right, I wanted to ask before," Mia raised her head after putting on the second robe.

    ''I will get sweaty as heck,'' she thought with annoyance, already feeling the warm burden of wearing a doubleyer of the clothing. ''Wait, doesn''t that mean my smell will mix with Arthurs?'' Mia then realized, only for a shiver to follow down her spine a momentter, right as her crotch started to itch a little.

    After keeping her chastity for quite some time already, even the smallest memory of her master was enough to get her all prepared and ready.

    "What is your real reason for joining the tournament?" Mia asked, fixing all the nooks of her robes before approaching the doors. "I know I kind of pulled you into it with the group, but do you have any personal reasons to participate?" Mia asked as she opened the doors and got outside.

    "Not really," Ve shook her head as she followed her leader to the outside, where the rest of their team was already waiting. "I joined because our group did," she said before shrugging her shoulders.

    "One doesn''t need a grandeur objective just to keep going," Ve added after a few moments of silence.

    "That might be true," Mia nodded her head, seeing no point in arguing about this topic. "But don''t you think it makes everything more fun when you have a distant objective?"

    Ve only rolled her eyes.

    "Are you really sure you are qualified to the point that out?" Ve asked, throwing a strange look at her friend. "Listen, I do not mean to depreciate your efforts or reason behind them... But all you do, is try your best to follow that former master of yours, isn''t it true?"

    Once again, the silence ensued between the two. As a result, not a single soul in their group dared to voice a word. Only the young couple didn''t seem to care about the tense atmosphere, already busy enough flirting with each other as usual.

    "First off, it''s not a former master," Mia stated in a decisive tone. "Even if he casts me aside, I will still and always consider him my master," she said with a determination striking through her tone. "And don''t worry, no offense taken," she added while waving her hand to dismiss Ve''s worries.

    "But to answer your question, yes," Mia stated, taking a stop and looking Ve in the face. "I do believe life is more fun when it has some purpose. And as silly as you might consider my raison d''etre to be," she hung her words in the air, allowing them to make the atmosphere thicker for a moment, "I don''t really care," Mia finally finished her words, topping them up with a shrug of her shoulders.

    "That attitude..." Ve hesitated only to end up revealing a small smile on her lips. "It''s not something I could condone," she then stated, revealing what she thought about Mia''s confession. "On that note, I hope your efforts will be rewarded as soon as possible," Ve added, only to release a small chuckle. "I saw your bedsheets. Keeping you alone at night for much longer would be no different from torture!"

    Ve''s joke instantly made the atmosphere as tense as it was just a moment ago. Yet, after the initial shock passed, Mia was the first one to startughing.

    There was just something with human nature that made them enjoy lewd-colored jokes more than they were actually funny.

    But it didn''t matter now. Right now, any reason tough was great, as the huge structure of the arena visible in the distance already put a massive burden on everyone''s soul.

    In that ce, they would fight.

    ''In that ce, I will draw everyone''s attention to me,'' Mia thought, not bothered enough to stop her chuckle yet. Rather than that, she finally started to prepare herself mentally for what was about toe.

    ''I wonder if Arthur will be watching,'' Mia thought, speeding her pace up a bit.

    The sun finally rose above the horizon, illuminating the girl''s face with its bright rays.

    The bells started to ring.

    Now that the day has officially begun, only an hour was left before the tournament would start!

 Chapter 274 Drawing Lots

    "Gather up in this area," one of the coordinators from the sect shouted the second Mia, and her group appeared on the arena grounds. "Just make sure not to mix in with disciples from other sects. There will be time for integrationter!" the man continued to shout his orders, fully unaware how little anyone cared about him.

    ''Can you just shut up?'' Mia thought, pulling back her words.

    It was one thing to be annoyed by unnecessary things done by an elder and another thing to openly voice her discontent out.

    Even though the aim behind Mia''s current actions could seem suicidal, Mia was far detached from this kind of mindset. And just like she was ready to go through any and all struggle necessary to see the Sangakarts focusing their full attention on her rise, she wasn''t going to let her head roll for some minor offense.

    ''I bet Sangakarts would love to see that happen,'' Mia thought, looking around the ce the second she arrived at the spot the Elder pointed out to her.

    It was hard to judge whether she managed to achieve her objective or not. Because how was she supposed to confirm or deny the presence of Sangakarts?

    Even now, roughly half an hour before the official part of the tournament would begin, the tribunes were packed to the brim.

    ''I didn''t even know there were this many people in the entire damned sect,'' Mia thought, looking around the ce as she unknowingly swallowed a gulp of saliva.

    This event was iparable to anything that she saw during the few inner sect tournaments that she took part in.

    Sure, the same few elders that oversaw the regr tournaments were heavily engaged in the organization of this tournament as well...

    But instead of just those few elders mentioned bearing the role of the entire audience, they were now just a few souls within an ocean of people.

    "The arena is packed, isn''t it?" Mia muttered, holding back a giggle as she did so.

    Back when she first arrived at this ce, she thought that this would be the area where she would exact revenge for Arthur. But now?

    Now that Jenne came forward to apologize and willingly take any punishment that she was willing to doll out? Now that her greatest personal motivation to fight was over?

    What was there to be excited about?

    Mia''s face soured down when she realized the weight of the truth that she had just noticed.

    The only reason why she was participating in the tournament wasn''t to take revenge on Jenne. It was to draw Sangakart''s attention. But while she was ready for whatever consequences of this action would bring...

    "I''m sorry," Mia said, turning her face to the rest of her team. "While for you this entire thing is nothing more but an act of participation in the contest..." the girl stopped her words in the middle of the sentence.

    Mia simply got scared.

    Scared of judgment. Scared of being left aside, her friends learning the true scope of the ongoing events, scared of them deciding not to partake in the motion, which would likely alert the Sangakarts...

    ''But still, this is all my personal endeavor,'' Mia thought, swallowing a gulp of saliva as she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

    ''All in all, I have no right to push this burden on them,'' Mia decided, opening and then raising her eyes on the faces of the people in her group.

    "This entire event is pointless," Mia stated shortly. "I''m here only to kick up a fuss and hope that will be enough to draw the attention of my real enemy," Mia informed, looking sternly into the eyes of her friends.

    "Huh?" Sander shrugged as he looked at Mia''s uneasy expression. "We knew it all, though?" he added, leaning his head to the side as his expression took after his apparent surprise.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged in turn, unaware of that fact. She then opened her mouth...

    Only to move them a little, without even the tiniest sound escaping from her lips.

    It took a second for Mia to deal with the shock of the development.

    "Say what?" she asked, unable to believe Sander''s words.

    "We don''t know the details," Sander replied while shaking his shoulders, "obviously," he added as he snuck a nce at Mia''s face. "But it would take an idiot not to realize that there is something going on," Sander summed up before moving his eyes back towards the arena.

    "I personally believe it''s those Sangakarts'' Jenne mentioned," Ve joined in on the discussion.

    "Nah, no way," Sander was quick to reply, proving that this wasn''t the first exchange he had with the girl on this topic. "While I can believe that there is a force at y in the shadow of the sect, don''t make me believe into a force that prates two different sects!"

    The argument didn''t go anywhere further. Rather than throwing opinions and beliefs at each other, both Sander and Ve looked at Mia.

    After all, what was the point of arguing about their guesses if they could ask what was the truth?

    "That''s the same group," Mia replied after releasing a deep sigh. "I guess my reaction to this name, back at the restaurant, was what clued you in," Mia stated before taking a nce at Ve''s face. "Am I right?"

    "That''s right!" Ve replied joyously, only to turn her head to Sander. "Did you hear?! You lost the bet!" she rejoiced while Sander''s face soured.

    "Yeah, yeah," the man only shook his head before pulling out his pouch and passing over a small core to the girl. "Still, I guess I was right with my other belief," he added, looking away from the group and towards the elders gathering at the special lodge at the top of the arena.

    "Right about what?" Mia asked, puzzled by the sudden, ambiguous statement. She then followed after Sander''s eyes, only to lock her sight on the gathering of the elders.

    "Even if I were to lose the main bet, the consequences of being wrong would be too big for me to care about a single core," Sander replied, not moving his eyes even for an inch.

    ''Just what does he see?'' Mia asked herself, straining her eyes to its limits, only to fail to see anything out of the ordinary.

    Sure, judging from their moves, the elders were pretty excited. But as the tournament was about to begin, how could they be calm?

    Between the organizers and the participants of the tournament, arguably, it was the former that would experience a greater stage fright than thetter.

    ''They surely are excited...'' Mia thought, seeing how the group didn''t calm down even after a few moments. A quick nce towards the sun allowed the girl to judge that there was only a few to fewteen minutes left before the official part would begin.

    "Is something going on?" Ve asked when she noticed both Mia and Sander having her eyes glued to the spot where the Elders gathered.

    "Isn''t this quite strange?" Sander asked, refusing to stop looking. "I know this is a big event and all, but what are they all so excited about?" he posed the same question that was going through Mia''s mind.

    For a few more moments, the three of them continued to look up to the elders'' lodge. Meanwhile, the couple within their group couldn''t pay anything more attention than they were paying to each other.

    "Wee, everyone, to the quarterly intersect tournament!" one of the elders appeared at the bottom of the arena, right on the stage located in the middle of its open space.

    "To abide by our centuries-old tradition, we will start by drawing lots!" the man announced, pointing his hand to the side where a massive, round box was located.

    "As usual, the host team will be the first one to draw. And to remind everyone of the rules, if you draw a marker with your name on it, you will move on to the tournament''s second round right away. The same privilege goes to thest of the disciples if they have no lots to pull!"

    ''Those are some... weird rules,'' Mia thought, forced to look down at the announcer.

    In the end, the reason she was here wasn''t to spy on the elders but to make sure that they would pay their utmost attention to her.

    Without knowing who was with the Sangakarts and who wasn''t affiliated with them, the best Mia could do was to force everyst soul present in the arena to look her way.

    ''Whatever they are doing right now, I need to stop it,'' Mia thought before taking a deep breath and then taking a step forward.

    "Mia of the Tuxi sect," the girl announced as she approached the tform and pushed her hand into the box before the announcer could actually invite her in.

    This breach of the protocol was sure to get her heavily punishedter... But for now, it served its purpose.

    Because even without looking up, Mia could feel the stares of the elders all glued to the back of her head.

    ''Now, let''s see who I will be up against,'' Mia thought, moving her hand in the box for a while before finally grabbing one of the markers and pulling it out. She then looked down at the piece of paper before passing it to the announcer.

    "Mia of the Tuxi sect!" the announcer shouted before taking a nce at the marker himself. "She will be dueling with Mark of des, Oloan sect!"

 Chapter 275 Its Time To Go Back

    I sat in the middle of the devastated area, thinking about what I should do next.

    The morning sun slowly climbed up the skies, sending its warm rays to heat my back.

    ''What a beautiful morning for such a sorry scene,'' I thought, irony filling my soul.

    The area all around me used to be a forest just a few hours prior. But now, this had to be the first industrial-scale deforestation that this world experienced.

    The trees, the animals, undergrowth, and swamps... It all disappeared, reced by and of uniformity, where ashes, mixed with sawdust and bloody chunks of meat.

    ''Honestly, what should I do now?'' I thought before releasing a deep sigh.

    I was tired. Tired to the limits of human endurance.

    Ever since the Tuxi sect came knocking in my life, I was constantly in a rush. Do this, do that, go there and break through this bottleneck.

    I was in a constant rush to achieve objectives that would simply change to others oncepleted.

    And now, after thispletely random and improbable fight, I simply wanted to just enjoy the sun''s warm rays on my back.

    ''But I guess I can''t,'' I moaned from exhaustion as I brought myself up.

    There was no use in whining about my situation. No amount ofints would change my life. If I wanted to change something about the world, I had to do it myself.

    And right now, I had to change the simplest of things.

    The rest of the violet meteor still hung somewhere in the sky. Yet, even after I raised my eyes to where I recalled it was, I couldn''t pinpoint its location anymore.

    ''I guess it has to be nighttime,'' I concluded, tightening my jaws in frustration. Now that the sun''s light blocked the view of the source of my current trouble, I couldn''t even see iting!

    "Now, I need to be ready to ward it off even without a moment''s notice," I muttered to myself, dropping down from a pile of wooden rubble towards the ground.

    And there was only one way to achieve that kind of readiness.

    I struggled a little to deal with this monster because I didn''t know its modus operandi.

    I didn''t know what kind of energy it was using. I didn''t know how my magic would work against that being''s energy. I didn''t know shit.

    "Save the others, huh?" I whispered, raising my head to the skies.

    What kind of secrets did this blue sky hold? What kind of mysteries it was throwing right at my head?

    The memory of the man that emerged from the monster attacked my brain yet again.

    This was the first kill in this new life of mine... That I couldn''t justify.

    I wasn''t sane when I acted up in the Skdder sect. I didn''t control my actions then. But now, every attack I executed resulted from my own free will.

    ''I couldn''t know,'' I thought, seeking to justify my crime.

    There was no way for me to know about a man being sheated in this armor of strange, condensed force. It didn''t appear that he was in control over this violet ball either.

    ''Save the others...'' I repeated in my mind.

    The message behind those words was obvious. Or rather, that''s how it appeared to be.

    ''Is this some kind of trick?'' I asked myself.

    I could recall the times when the forces of an aggressive invader imed innocence andck of knowledge whenever caught. Yet, as the entire world learnedter, most of them simply used those words to hide their crimes.

    ''Are they actually an invading force?'' I thought, once again taking a look towards the sky.

    Now gone from my eyes, the violet meteorite could be throwing scores of monsters of the same kind at me. There was no way to tell. And even if there was a chance that the situation waspletely different, I couldn''t risk it.

    "It won''t matter how the events develop if I''m strong enough to bend them to my will," I whispered to myself. Determination rocked my soul.

    I then bent my knee and lowered my eyes over a violet ball of energy, roughly fist-sized, that floated slightly above the ground.

    "Now then, what secrets do you hold?" I asked, trying to reach out for the ball of the strange energy.

    When I dealt thest hit, all the energy still connected to the body disappeared. Yet, there were a lot of bits that I cut off back when I was blocking the movement of this being.

    And those bits remained littered all over the ce, proving that my recent battle was not a dream nor an illusion.

    I pulled my hand out to poke this violet ball... Only for it to suddenly float away, as if it was a ma floating on the surface of theke.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged, shocked by the development.

    In theory, I already experienced this effect back when fighting with the former owner of this power. Yet, it was different to observe it with rtive peace of mind than it was to experience it firsthand during the heat of the battle.

    I approached the ball again, once again hoping to catch it...

    And then it struck me.

    Now that this energy was so small, I could feel the same distant call of terror that I had already experienced in my life.

    The one time when I actually had a proper mentor in this new life of mine.

    And along with the face of Pathfinder that appeared in my mind, I recalled the feeling I had back when traveling through the bordends.

    Thends between the zones, between the two areas of the world. Separated to the point when even the most powerful sects in the entire kingdom could hardly afford to cross it.

    ''So this isn''t some new form of energy at all...'' I thought, desperately trying to connect the dots.

    My forehead was covered with cold sweat as my brain underwent an unhealthy amount of stress.

    ''Did a meteor like the one from before already crash into this world?''

    My first possible exnation came from a direct copy of the earth''s history. Like back in my original home, where parts of earth history were formed by extraterrestrial objects, this world could be home to powers and materials from beyond its original borders.

    But this kind of exnation... Did more harm than good, as it only led to more questions.

    And there was one fact that made it invalid right off the bat.

    ''The bordends stretch in a circle around the entire world,'' I thought, recalling the bits and pieces of information that I collected while traveling to the Tuxi Outerpost.

    There was no way for such a regr and continuous formation to be created from a single or a set of meteorites.

    ''Now that I think about it...'' I hesitated for a second. ''Wasn''t there something about people from the first zone having trouble staying in the zero zone?''

    Out of nowhere, this long-forgotten piece of news reappeared in my mind.

    The principle of this problem was easy to understand. With their bodies holding massive amounts of energy and used to be in a world full of it, they could go in a state of shock when deprived of it.

    Just like a human living in the oxygen-rich nds would be short for breath high up in the mountains. This problem alone could be easily exined. Yet, it begged another question.

    ''If that''s the case, doesn''t this mean that this barrier...'' I thought, only for my inner voice to stop.

    My soul trembled in terror as an idea dawned on me.

    There was only one physical way that I could use to exin this scenario. How could there be two areas of different magic pressure in the world?

    The answer was simple.

    Those two areas had to be separated either by a solid or a repealing barrier.

    Just like one could have two liquids in the same container by cing a cup inside, one could have two different pressures of mana by splitting them apart.

    ''It all connects,'' I thought, looking at the ball of mana a small distance away.

    Since my mana and that energy repelled each other, what if I increased the scale? Or what if there was enough of that violet energy to push away all the mana around?

    ''Wait, isn''t that what happened to that guy?'' I asked myself, throwing a quick look at the corpse nearby.

    I could still remember his monster form falling apart when pressed with pressurized mana of my own.

    ''Wait, didn''t he seem sane once I got rid of all that strange energy?'' I asked myself as my eyes opened in shock.

    Once again, a realization struck my mind.

    "What if he was a cultivator just like any other..." I muttered before gulping down a mouthful of saliva. "But from a world where this violet energy is like the mana in this world?"

    This was a brave thought. An idea that would somehow exin the events.

    But I knew better than just to go with the first exnation that suited both the situation and my needs.

    ''Still,'' I thought, turning my eyes towards the man''s corpse.

    ''If I''m right about this,'' I thought, raising my eyes to the sky, where the violet meteor was hiding somewhere.

    "I can''t promise I will save the others you mentioned," I muttered silently, closing my eyes. Then, I opened them back again and reached out.

    But this time, it wasn''t only my hand that pushed ahead, but also my mana.

    At my current level, I could easily circte my energy around, all the more within the Mage''s Tower area of influence. As such, creating an arc of pure energy around the back of the violet orb was a breeze.

    The orb reacted the second my arch of mana got close enough. Forced by its repulsive reaction towards my mana, it hurried right towards my hand.

    ''Since my mana and this force repel each other,'' I thought, pulling all my mana out of my stretched-out hand.

    This was a bet. Something that could very well spell extreme threat but also an extreme opportunity. I had no idea how I would react to this strange energy.

    And just like that, the fist-sized orb of the violet energy reached my body... and fell right into the natural pathways created by the flow of my mana.

    ''Fuck!'' I couldn''t stop cursing when the immense depth of the power reached my senses.

    I was right to think that energy condensed to the point of having a physical appearance was on another level. Yet, when I managed to somehow calm it down and diffuse to a more manageable thickness...

    ''What?''

    I was lost for words. I had no way of describing what I had just experienced.

    This violet energy, once diffused... Felt exactly like my very own mana!

    I used most of my mental capacity to stop my mana from circting like usual. And given how the inner movement of my magic was an essential part of my foundation, holding it back wasn''t easy.

    ''But if this is what it takes to control this power...'' So I thought, all the hesitation vanishing, reced by determination.

    Then, I slowly extracted some of this new power and my old and trusty mana. I then started to slowly get them closer together, curious how the two would react.

    ''With this amount, nothing should really happen,'' I thought, judging the situation.

    I had to learn the limits of this newfound power of mine.

    I could easily ess this new power with the bordend just across a single river. But more importantly, I had to understand exactly what it is before the threat in the skies woulde crashing down!

    "Now then, show me your secrets," I whispered to myself, using more and more energy just to push those two energies together.

    ''It takes a considerable effort,'' I thought, focused on the experiment.

    And then, I felt it.

    The same distant call of lowest, animalistic danger that I felt before the first...

    ''First what?'' I asked myself, jumping up. ''Invasion? Attack? Disaster?''

    This was the one question that I had to answer. One basic information that I had to learn.

    I thought like that for but a moment. And then, a solemn realization struck me.

    It didn''t matter what it was.

    After what I just saw and fought, I had no doubts only a selected few of this entire world could go toe to toe with the monster like the one before.

    And I had no doubt Mia wasn''t one of them yet.

    ''Judging from how it went thest time,'' I thought, raising fully at attention.

    My exhaustion from before didn''t count. My tiredness and just how spent I was after the earlier fight lost their status as variables.

    I had no way to say how massive theing disaster would be. In other words, I had to count all the orders in the world to be gone in a few hours or days.

    As such, I had to secure the one person I cared the most about in this world.

    Even if this was childish, naive thinking of someone who never gotid in his former life. A desire to have something warm and soft to hug through the night.

    But it didn''t matter.

    All in all, Mia led my life to change for the better. And if I felt the urge to ensure her safety, what other reasons could stop me from doing so?

    ''This entire world might go to hell,'' I thought, attempting to judge the path of theing disaster.

    I bit my lips before turning around, lowering my center of mass... And hesitating. I then loosened my position before jumping high up.

    With a single swoop, I converged all the remaining energy of the monster into a single ce.

    Soon, it turned out to be quite the mistake, as the energy started to act up. Fused together, its strength increased not by its sum but by its multiplication.

    "This is going to hurt," I admitted openly to the world, using my voice to let go of a small bit of my stress.

    I only ever tasted this new power once and in a limited amount. I didn''t know if I was ready to absorb so much of it.

    I then recalled two things. Two still images influenced my decision the most.

    First, it was theparison of how little of the original meteorite disappeared when its first shard fell right near me. It was barely a noticeable change.

    And then, a single moment of my past, when Miaid in my arms, happily humming after a good day of training and cuddling.

    A weird smile formed on my lips as I lost control over my facial muscles.

    ''It''s time to go back,'' I thought, absorbing the foreign, condensed energy in a single breath.

 Chapter 276 Turning Point (1.1)

    "Dang it," Mia cursed under her nose. She rested her chin in her cupped hands with both of her elbows firmly lodged on her knees.

    ''I stepped out of the line to draw my lot to be the first one fighting,'' she thought, on the verge of going over to the elders toin. ''But I guess getting put as one of the closing fights isn''t bad either,'' she thought, raising her eyes to scan the entire area.

    Like all the other times, the intersect tournament would take ce in the same arena that Mia fought in the past. It''s changing zones, differentndscapes in different parts...

    ''I think the fights will mostly happen in the middle,'' Mia thought, observing how the situation developed.

    "Isn''t it for the best?" Sander asked, bringing up the topic that Mia hoped to drop. "You will get to observe how others fight!" he shouted happily, clearly satisfied with how the things developed.

    And the reason behind that was simple.

    This tournament didn''t have any deeper meaning for Sander and the rest of their group.

    Now that they no longer required the sect to provide for them, they had no interest in either losing or winning it.

    But for Mia, it was different. Even though she didn''t really share it with them, her teammates were willing to use their own ends to support Mia''s needs.

    Someone skeptical could say that they were simply returning the favor. After all the nurturing that Mia offered to them, it appeared to be a given.

    Yet, the truth was fairly simpler.

    The ambitions of their sect would rest on thest few fights. It would be those duels that would leave thesting memory of the tournament.

    "Right," Ve suddenly popped out of her chair, leaning on Sander''s knees as she got closer to Mia. "I wanted to ask for a while already," she announced before taking a deep breath and whispering, "but when are you going to aim for a breakthrough?"

    Ve''s question was pretty valid.

    Despite having a scheduled fight in the near future, Mia was still stuck at her old cultivation level!

    It was a sensitive question... But Mia happily took the chance to divert her thoughts from her worries.

    "Right the moment I step on that tform," Mia said, pointing with her chin towards the t arena in the middle of the massivepound. Surrounded by variousndscapes, it was the only ce where a proper duel could take ce.

    Soon, the ceremonial trumpets announced the proper opening of the event.

    Assisted with the cheerful music, the first two participants stepped out of the opposing ends of the arena before slowly making their way towards the middle of it.

    ''If that''s how every fight is going to happen,'' Mia thought, gripping the armrest of her seat, ''won''t itst forever?'' she realized, instantly flooded with annoyance.

    What a big waste of time - would be the name of her expression if someone painted it right on the spot.

    Waiting for the participants to reach the middle ground of the whole arena, Mia raised her eyes.

    And there it was, the tform on which all the Elders stood, overseeing the tournament seemingly from the skies.

    Their tform was supported by four impressive pirs extending from the four corners of the arenapound.

    ''No matter how many times I see it, it''s always taking me aback,'' Mia thought, gulping down a mouthful of saliva.

    The sight was that magnificent. Staring at it only to feel how small she was, was the greatest praise she could give to whoever built it in the past.

    Yet, the second Mia''s eyes fell on the tform itself, her mood instantly soured.

    Even now, Elders bickered amongst themselves rather than watching the event. They were clearly too busy with each other to pay any attention to what was happening below their privileged spot.

    ''This is going to make my life way harder,'' Mia thought, analyzing the situation.

    With elders distracted right that, she could hardly hope to pull everyone''s attention to her. And this was the only reason why she agreed to participate in this tournament in the first ce!

    "I wonder what disturbed them like that," Mia whispered to herself, her eyes locked at the Elders'' lodge.

    ''Still,'' Mia lowered her eyes, looking over the massive tribune, now filled nearly to the brim. ''I wonder if he is here, somewhere... Wait to watch and cheer on me...'' Mia thought, pressing her knees together when a familiar itch shook her body.

    Before Mia could lose herself in her urge, the trumpets finally cut off, leaving everyone in anticipation for the event to start.

    Mia looked down, only to recognize two silhouettes standing on the opposite ends of the t, round arena in the middle.

    "May the better win!" the herald of the even announced.

    Both of the participants rushed forward as if there was no tomorrow. The two of them closed the space that separated them in a sh, shing their weapons together right in the middle of the fighting ground.

    ''Woah.'' Mia''s eyes widened a little when she saw thebat.

    It was the first time for her to see how others utilized their strengths and spiritual energy.

    As someone who focused on just a single set of moves and then her cultivation, shecked any real insight into the art of fighting. And now, she was forced to realize just how bad it was.

    ''What''s the use of one''s strength if it can''t be applied properly?'' Mia asked herself, suddenly putting all her efforts so far under the scrutiny of a massive doubt.

    But before she could immerse herself in the sudden source of desperation, her eyes were drawn right back to the fight.

    The girl from the Dastria sect was making full use of the techniques she learned back at her sect. Her moves were nimble and graceful, making her look as if she was dancing rather than activelybating her partner.

    ''Those attacks are strong,'' Mia thought when she noticed a weird way in which the girl appeared to snap at the air, right in front of the ces she would then attack.

    On the other hand, the man from the Oloan n would coat himself with his energy, condensing it to the point where it would absorb the power of the attacks.

    ''He won''tst long,'' Mia noticed the w of this kind of reckless usage of spiritual energy right away.

    While the girl was using small amounts of her energy for every attack, the man was already going at his maximum right off the bat. And there was only so long that he could keep going in this way.

    Soon though, the Oloan guy proved not to be a stupid pushover.

    Instead of keeping his shield up, he started to gradually reduce it as he got used to the rhythm and patterns in the girl''s attack.

    ''Now it''s even,'' Miamented, deeply immersed into spectating the fight.

    It was a single and short event, so fast that it was hard to follow the movements with a bare eye.

    But at the same time, Mia was actively learning a whole lot, just by observing and noting the worthy ideas in her mind.

    Soon, though, both of the duelists reached their limit. While the man appeared to run out of spiritual energy, the girl clearly had barely any strength left to move her body around.

    ''Is this some kind of drawback of her technique?'' Mia asked herself, raising her hand to rub her chin. ''Still,'' she snapped herself out of her idea, only to look at the girl again. ''The way she moved...''

    Mia''s thoughts emptied for a moment as she thought about a certain idea that invaded her head.

    ''I wonder if I could learn it,'' she thought, already picturing herself performing the same enticing dance as that Dastria Sect cultivator. ''I think he would like it,'' she thought, her mood rising up a little.

    "The match''s finished!" the announced screamed out.

    Mia looked down at the tform, only to see the former opponents gracefully bowing to each other.

    The blue color of the fog that covered the arena indicated the game ended as a tie.

    "That was one hell of a fight," Mia muttered, deeply impressed by what she had just watched.

    Then, she identally noticed just how intense was the stare that the two opponents exchanged.

    ''Right,'' Mia thought, recalling certain information. ''Dastria, it''s that dual cultivation sect, isn''t it?'' she thought, her mood worsening as she realized what she just wanted to learn. She then thought about the man currently leaving the arena.

    "To fight despite being charmed through the entire fight..." Mia muttered, shaking her head in silent awe. "Impressive," she whispered before moving her eyes back on the arena again.

    This time, the trumpets didn''t bother to apany the participants. And this time, the viewers of the tournament were quite disappointed to see no female in the fight.

    Mia even noticed a look of slight disgust on the face of the man approaching from the southern end of the arena.

    "Galivard of the Urbi sect!" the announcer shouted, pointing his hand at the man to the bottom of the arena before moving his hand in the opposite direction. "Nunay from the Dastria sect!"

    The look on the face of the Dastria disciple was the opposite of his opponent. He approached the fight with a small smile, ready to partake in the duel.

    Mia looked up towards the elders'' tform.

    The men continued to bicker. What was even worse, their dispute only appeared to grow!

    ''Just what are they all arguing about?'' Mia asked herself, puzzled by the strange situation.

    "Begin!" the announcer shouted, retreating from the open ground.

    Once again, the two disciples shed. And once again, Mia got to experience a new fighting style represented by the Oloan n.

    But surprisingly enough, Nunay''s way of fighting was as different as it could get from how his female colleague conducted her own duel before.

    And soon, his swift and unpredictable movement gave the man an edge.

    Then, against all odds, Galivard suddenly pressed forward.

    ''No, it was all nned!'' Mia thought, noticing the small hints to her new idea.

    The Oloan sect disciple preserved his strength throughout the fight, learning Nunay''s moves. Yet, once he opened his stance for an attack, he quickly overwhelmed his opponent.

    ''It''s over,'' Mia thought, already seeing the path that Galivard''s sword would take to end the duel.

    The sky suddenly turned violet.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, unable to process the new information for a second.

    In this single second, she managed to blink once in an attempt to let her eyes rest a moment.

    ''What the hell?!'' Mia jumped up at the same time as she opened her eyes.

    Because the world around her turned violet as if someone put a massive sun''s filter over the entire sky.

    And then she felt it.

    A distant echo of wilderness, a warning coded deep in her blood and bones. A primordial fear developed over thousand years of the struggle of her kind finally woke up.

    And then, Mia finally noticed the violet dot in the sky. The second she did, a bundle of energy flew past her at a speed she could only dream of being able to follow.

    A loud, cracking noise.

    Still in shock, Mia raised her eyes to see the tform with the elders copsing to the ground.

    The intricate structure that held it in the sky... Was just as delicate as it was beautiful.

    A single meteorite shattering one out of its four pirs was enough for the entire thing to break apart.

    Mia was frozen at the moment, standing pointlessly on her spot and watching the impossible happen.

    The meteor... Didn''t crash into the ground.

    Despite arriving at a speed nearly impossible to even imagine, it somehow slowed down right before the ground, as if the world itself refused its entry.

    Mia''s vision turned into a set of slow pictures, changing at a steady yet extremely slow rate.

    She could see how everyst piece of the rubble from the destroyed tform fell towards the ground. She could count the number of bodies powerlessly falling to their doom below.

    And she could see the source of all this devastation... Bloating up.

    Then, this foreign object exploded, instantly covering nearly three-quarters of the entire arena.

    The building that housed five different, artificial biomes now lost half of its size to the invading force.

    Yet, instead of spreading any further, the brightly-violet-colored cloud of condensed force started to converge all the way back to where it originated from.

    Then, the ball of energy pulsed a few times, evening out the waves caused by all that energy returning at once.

    First, bodies started to fall to the ground.

    Some unlucky fellows on the tribunes got squashed like ants by the raining rubble.

    Neither of the challengers remained on the arena when the disaster condensed back to its original shape of a wiggly ball. Or rather, everything that was left in the wake of this energy was now simply gone.

    And then, the ball started to suddenly take a form of a strange, four-legged monster.

    Some of the elders that fell down managed to somehow survive.

    ''Huh?'' Mia simply stood in her ce, powerlessly watching how the situation continued to develop.

    The first move of the monster''s leg stomped half of the surviving elders to their deaths. That alone showcased just how pointless Mia''s struggle would be in a fight against this enemy.

    Yet, those that survived refused to just give up.

    The few elders that remained standing gathered up and formed a set of barriers, ready to repel the attack.

    Mia shook her head before looking right and left.

    To one side, Sander''s corpse hung over his chair. Half of his head was gone, devastated by the stone lying nearby.

    Small, wormy pieces of the man''s brain still dirtied the piece of rubble.

    Mia turned her head to the other side.

    "Are you okay?!" she shouted, trying to get to force her team members out of their shocked state.

    "Huh?" Ve looked into Mia''s eyes, her own pupils devoid of any emotion. She stared nkly at her friend''s face before repeating, "huh?"

    Then, the monster started to move.

    The counterattack of the elders proved to be futile. A single attack of the beast was all it took to shatter the massive barrier that they attempted to forge.

    Then, the second stomp came. Or rather, in its rush to reach its opponents, the massive violet monster simply walked over. And a single step of it was enough to send tremors hurdling through the ground.

    ''What the hell is this?'' Mia thought, losing her cool for a second.

    More pieces of rubble started to fall all around. Mia''s eyes moved, tracking a massive piece of ground torn by the sheer weight of the invader.

    And it was on course right towards them!

    Then, her eyes lowered. The time came to a grinding halt, allowing the girl to observe its intervals usually restricted for the human race.

    And she could see a silhouette slowly descending towards the small part of the area that remained intact.

    Then, the figurended. Fixed its position and looked forward.

    Mia couldn''t tell any details. The space around the silhouette was distorted by an overwhelming amount of mana to the point where she could barely make out the outline of the neer.

    All that Mia could tell was that this person wore a hood.

    But despite how little Mia saw, she was certain about one feeling. One impression of how strikingly familiar this person was to her.

    ''It''s him...'' Mia thought, shocked beyond words.

    She tried so hard to be of use for Arthur, yet if her guess was correct, then he was on an entirely different league already!

    Mia then pursed her lips and tightly grasped the railing.

    ''It''s him because...''

    Mia swallowed a gulp of saliva.

    "Because it has to be him," she muttered full of hope, watching through her weirdly slowed-down perspective how the shrouded being moved towards the monster ahead.

 Chapter 277 Turning Point (1.2)

    *Ten minutes earlier*

    Ackhart was at a loss for words.

    ''Just how did the situation devolve to this so quickly?'' the man asked himself, burying his face in his hands.

    He sat deeply in his seat, refusing to get involved in the ongoing scuffle.

    ''Ever since this feeling appeared...'' Ackhart thought before biting down on his lips.

    The world around didn''t seem real. The reaction of the highest ranks of the local cultivators disappointed him to no end.

    Now that there was some real emergency ongoing, they all split into factions to push the me.

    Not a single soul attempted to find a way to solve their problem.

    Ackhart rested his back against the soft cushions of the sofa. He didn''t bother to intervene in the ongoing debate for one reason only.

    Even if he wanted, he had no means to change anything.

    ''A powerhouse for the disciples, just another elder among equals,'' Ackhart thought with a self-pointed irony.

    ''Still, just where the hell does thise from?'' Ackhart asked himself, hanging his head to the back, over the edge of his seat.

    He closed his eyes and recreated everything that had happened over the past few moments.

    Ever since the event was about to start, all the higher elders felt it. The call that they all wished for during their normal life.

    But a call that was extremely off-putting for them to feel it all at once.

    "No way..." one of the elders muttered, his face turning nk.

    Just a moment ago, he was eagerly betting the fights. An old type of kind-Granpa who doted on his students. And now, this old man''s eyes quivered in terror.

    "Here?! How?" someone else screamed lightly, demanding answers.

    "We are too far from the bordends," a beautiful woman heralding the Dastria Sect visitors pointed out, her face surprisingly calm.

    Ackhart shrugged.

    There was no denying it. The very feeling that everyone felt put them at the tips of their toes for a simple reason.

    The ability to sense the entropy was something that people gained not upon reaching the third awakener rank but only uponpleting both their enlightenment and their ascendance.

    ''The fact that you need entropy to advance into royal rank was a public secret too,'' Ackhart thought, refusing to participate in the ongoing chaos.

    Powerless to stop the pointless argument his colleagues immersed themselves in, Ackhart could only watch how the elders argued.

    ''We are only wasting time,'' Ackhart thought, gnashing his teeth together.

    He then looked at the golden ring on his finger.

    It was the same kind of seal that Andrea used just a few days prior to summon a royal warrior. Yet, Ackhart''s ring was actually an item of a grade higher quality.

    It was a seal that allowed the elder to summon a royal directly, only to be used in the direst of cases.

    But right now, Ackhart hesitated to use it.

    "Call for the fucking royals!" someone in the crowd shouted, clearly feeling the increasing pressure.

    It was something that all of the elders felt but were simply powerless to influence.

    They could do nothing but argue as the pressure in the air intensified.

    ''I don''t think this is happening only at our ce,'' Ackhart forced himself to think calmly. ''And if that''s the case, they are already too busy dealing with the stuff elsewhere,'' Ackhart quickly decided. He then released a deep sigh as he sneakily pulled the ring down and hid it in one of his storage rings.

    "They won''te," Ackhart said, finally joining in on the discussion.

    "What did you say?!" the man who posed the question turned around, allowing the elder to recognize him.

    He was one of the Sangakarts''ckeys. A man bought by so little and so quickly that even the Sangakart officers spoke about him with disgust.

    ''And yet, he dares to seek royal intervention now that the seat started to burn under his ass,'' Ackhart thought with a sneer. He then outright ignored the man and took a step forward past him, gathering the attention of all the elders on himself.

    "The royals won''te. And not because no one will call them," Ackhart announced without any mercy. Rather than trying to shift the me for whatever was about to happen, the elder was more interested in trying to prevent the damage in the first ce. "They won''te because this ce isn''t anything special," Ackhart announced in a calm, cold voice.

    For the first time since the event started, the elders-filled tform turned silent as everyone got shocked by Ackhart''s honesty.

    Or rather, his mannerless mention of what they all silently agreed not to even mention!

    "Calling for the royals right now would prove that whoever has that ability is too stupid to realize this simple truth," Ackhart finally brought the topic to what he wanted to point out. "I don''t know of anyone who has the right to call the royals. But maybe you guys know," he said, looking around over the faces of his fellow elders.

    "Maybe you guys know someone who will give his or her life up just to satisfy your need to shift the me to someone else!"

    Ackhart suddenly shouted, crushing a nearby desk with a single fist of frustration.

    Breaking the reality on his colleagues sure was fun... but it didn''t change a thing.

    Even now, the pressure in the air continued to increase, now openly allowing the elders to confirm their guess.

    This strange pressure... It was exactly the same kind of pressure that one would start to recognize upon obtaining enlightenment and ascendance. And up until that strange pressure appeared in the air, one could find it only in the wild bordends.

    ''Still,'' Ackhart breathed heavily as he retreated from the middle of the tform back to his seat. ''Isn''t this a perfect opportunity for a royal to emerge?'' he thought offhandedly, trying to make any sense of the situation by taking another approach.

    ''Thinking about this, isn''t this how the original royals came into power?'' Ackhart asked himself, trying to recall the stuff he learned about the past to the best of his ability.

    Yet, even after several moments of honest efforts, Ackhart failed to either confirm or deny this new thesis of his. Sadly, despite how this idea seemed to fit the reality, Ackhart wasn''t going to just assume it was all Sangakarts fault.

    And it was for a very simple reason.

    Despite being backed by a newborn royal and an entire royal family of the empire to the east...

    The current event wasn''t something that any royal or even group of royals could organize!

    ''This situation doesn''t make any sense,'' Ackhart thought, biting his lips to the point blood started to ooze out of the small injury he caused. He then nced over the railing of the tform, right at where the disciples of the kingdom''s sects were about to sh.

    The first fight was over already. Yet, outside of Ackhart, hardly anyone on the tform even bothered to notice it.

    ''If anything, this situation showcases just how much do the elders care for their disciples,'' Ackhart thought, a bout of anger squeezing his chest.

    The second bout was about to begin below them, but Ackhart had nowhere the time needed to observe it. And quite honestly, he wasn''t all that interested in it either.

    That''s why, rather than observing how the disciples did their best to bring honor to their sects, Ackhart closed his eyes to enjoy a single idea.

    ''I hope we will somehow feather this thing through,'' he thought, only for the sky to suddenly go violet all around him.

    Then, the pressure that the elders felt for a while already exploded, pressing Ackhart down on the floor with its might.

    And then, the elder lost his footing as one of the tform pirs shattered, putting way too much burden on the other three. Then, before Ackhart could even get a second to swallow his saliva, the tform he was standing on started to fall!

    "What the...!" Ackhart released a shout of surprise. Then, his body reacted on its own, following the pure instincts of the elder.

    Using the little footing he had left, Ackhart jumped out of the tform. Leaving all the calctions at an eyeballing level, he pushed himself off the falling tform and towards a nearby tower erected right in the tribune.

    Originally it was a structure aimed to increase the visitor''s capacity of the ce. It came all the way from the times when the outerpost was established with the idea of growing into a trade powerhouse of the Tuxi western nk.

    But now, it turned into nothing more but support for Ackhart and two other elders who managed to react just as swiftly.

    And it came as no surprise that Ackhart could recognize both of them from his secret meetings with the Sangakart group!

    Ackhart''s body crashed into the wall of the tower. Initially, the elder was about to just bounce off the wall. Thankfully, he reacted quickly enough, striking his first right through the wall of the building only to hang himself off the tower''s side.

    Ackhart finally found some time to look down at the source of all his current problems.

    And it was a monster among monsters.

    Just the pressure alone it released when taking its proper form gave away the truth of just how immense the gap was between said monster and all the eldersbined.

    Especially now, when Ackhart watched how nearly a half of their group ended up falling to their deaths, unable to react swiftly enough to escape the falling tform.

    ''This isn''t good,'' Ackhart thought, tightening his lips together.

    And then, the monster started its march.

    For every step it took, the rubble would shoot out from underneath its limbs only to crash into the tribunes. The pieces of the devastated arena would then fall right on the spectators of the event, killing scores of people for every wave of falling rubble.

    And the worst part about it all was how powerless Ackhart was to stop it.

    ''Are we doomed?'' Ackhart thought a secondter, smashing his other first through the wall before changing the hangs he was using to hang off the tower''s side.

    Right now, Ackhart couldn''t see even a single ray of hope.

    Some of the elders who somehow survived the fall now started to gather up. Finally, tens of minutes toote, they started to work together in an attempt to defeat the monster.

    ''It''s futile,'' Ackhart thought coldly, watching how the barriers set by his colleagues shattered after just a single attack of this weird, violet monster.

    ''We are doomed,'' this time, Ackhart didn''t ask himself this but acknowledged the reality instead.

    And then, someone else entered the scene.

    Despite being a holder of both an enlightenment and ascendance, Ackhart failed to see through the sheer distortion of the space caused by that person''s energy.

    That alone was enough to showcase that just like the monster from before, whatever this being was, it was more than capable of wiping the floor with every cultivator present in a hundred-mile radius...

    All at once.

    Just by appearing on the scene, this strange, foreign being influenced the flow of spiritual energy around the ce. As such, it was no wonder that the monster''s attention instantly turned towards the new threat.

    ''Who the hell...'' Ackhart attempted to ask himself, puzzled beyond his capacity to figure out what the hell was going on.

    The being raised its posture before leaning forward. Through the cracks of the magic distortion, Ackhart could somehow tell that the other party was screaming from the bottom of his or her lungs.

    The air, already overflowed with energy, now exploded again.

    What Ackhart considered a walking disaster level of energy turned out to be nothing more but a droplet in the ocean of power that swirled around this strange being.

    The monster''s steps stopped as it turned its attention towards the source of this immense power.

    ''Is it wary of this being?'' Ackhart somehow managed to keep himself calm enough to notice it.

    The energy swirled...

    And then it all started to converge in a single point, right where that weird person stood, hidden by the distortions caused by its very own mana.

    It took only a sh for all the raging energy to channel itself into a single ce...

    And then explode outwards. Yet, this time, instead of just swallowing everything in its wake, just like the monster did before, this new energy somehow retained the shape of the strange foreigner...

    Just that, it was several hundred times the size of a normal human, giving the new apparition of this strange being the same size as the monster he was facing with!

    This time, neither the monster nor the human-like being bothered to waste any time. The second the spiritual form of the man fully established itself, it already lunged forward, aiming with its fists for the monster''s head.

    Yet, just as the first hit was about to connect, the spiritual form of the foreign master shed with a golden light.

    ''A royal brilliance,'' Ackhart thought, his heart tightening on the spot.

    It was a phenomenon he had only ever heard about. Yet, despite that, he could still recognize it when he saw it.

    ''I guess now I know who this guy is!'' he then thought, a wave of relief mixed with shock spreading through the elder''s body.

 Chapter 278 Turning Point (1.3)

    *Half an hour earlier*

    Not used to moving as fast as I did, I failed to change my direction in time. As a result, I crashed right through a thick, old three.

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed under my breath, ignoring the annoyance of the pain as I ejected myself from the tree back on the path.

    The sun has yet to turn violet. In theory, that should mean there was still some time.

    ''But what if it happens in a different way? What if it will be faster? Slower? Bigger? Smaller?'' I asked question after question, forcing my very own self to realize just how futile my thoughts were.

    Knowing nothing about this entire phenomenon and its source, I couldn''t really expect it to abide by what I expected it to do!

    ''Fuck!'' I nearly couldn''t hold my voice back when sinking in my own thoughts proved to be disastrous as I once again crashed into another tree.

    There wasn''t even a second for me to lose my focus in a forest as thick as the one surrounding me. Not now, not when I was pumping way more energy into my moves, making them far more powerful than ever before.

    ''I''m still not used to it,'' I thought, gnashing my teeth when I somewhat forcefully hugged the tree and exchanged a passionate kiss with its bark.

    ? ''But what''s even worse,'' I thought, spitting some woodworms that were unlucky enough to get in my mouth. ''I''m still not fast enough.''

    The pressure from the iing attack continued to grow at a steady pace, quickly reaching the levels that I felt before the previous attack.

    I could feel desperation welling up in my soul.

    There was no way in hell for me to get to Mia in time at the current rate! And I wasn''t someone who would count on a lucky shot of the meteor missing her location.

    I lived too long in a world where my life was the sum of the circumstances that I had no influence over. I had enough of a world where I was powerless to change something.

    If there was anything that I wanted to change about myself in this new life of mine, then it was the degree of influence that I have over the things that matter.

    ''There is no time for excuses anymore,'' I thought, gritting my teeth as I picked up my pace.

    The feeling that the iing attack gave me was exactly the same as it was before. The process in which it developed from just a distant echo to a powerful force looming over my soul was the same. The speed at which this evolution changed remained the same as well.

    Faced with so many simrities, I couldn''t help but assume them to be the norm. It was a facy that I was perfectly aware of, but I had no brain or emotional power left to deal with it in any other way than discarding all the thoughts about it.

    Yet, even though I was aware of how false my assumptions over this event could be... My soul still trembled with terror when I was forced to realize the obvious.

    At the current rate, even if I would sprint the rest of the distance out, I would be at least an hour toote to the scene. And it was a result that I couldn''t ept.

    ''This experiment failing doesn''t help either,'' I thought, looking down at my hands, where I still kept trying to merge the two energies together.

    Just a fewteen minutes ago, I still naively thought that I could force them to merge by using only the tiniest amounts of my real mana and the energy that I obtained from the battlefield.

    I have learned from my mistakes since then. Outside of the energy that I dedicated to my legs, all my mana was currently hard at work, trying to push the tiniest part I could create into a part of the violet energy of equal size and power.

    But even that wasn''t enough. And as it turned out, after a single momentter, not even using that violet energy to push from the other side helped!

    ''Is this resistance going to go to infinity?'' I thought, swallowing down my saliva as I analyzed the option.

    Yet, I wasn''t given any time to think the matters through. Before I could even think of another word, I realized that the sky around me had started to darken.

    ''It''s toote,'' I thought, grinding my sprint to a halt.

    The time appeared to slow down for me, conveniently giving me a greater window to despair over my powerlessness.

    ''Fuck it,'' I thought, losing a certain element of my reason. ''Let''s go all-in,'' I decided, pulling all the mana that my cultivation had to offer before funneling it all towards the single task.

    The task of forcing the two different kinds of energies together.

    ''At the current rate, I won''t even be able to face another monster like the one from before,'' I thought, watching how my mana stockpile burned away in the futile effort ofbining the two opposite energies.

    This was the question that I should''ve asked myself well in advance.

    Could I fight another monster like that?

    ''Well, fight it... I could,'' I thought, while not perfectly but still aware of just how overpowered my current means were. ''But doing so would force me to reveal my entire hand,'' I realized.

    I then lowered my head and looked at my shoes, taking a short moment to rx my mind.

    "It doesn''t matter," I muttered under my nose, raising my hands towards the two bits of energy that I tried my utmost tobine, adding the little physical pressure that my body could muster.

    This action proved to be either timed perfectly, a necessary step of physical manifestation of my wish, or the one bit of force that finally broke through the restraints.

    ''Right now, I have two problems,'' I thought in the eerie moment when the two forms of energy finally merged, only for all the resistance from before to disappear. This allowed me to fuse a huge chunk of my mana with the foreign energy I scavenged from the battlefield.

    ''I''m too slow to reach the outerpost in time. I''m also too weak to face any resistance after duking it out with another monster,'' I thought, feeling how the energy between my hands started to boil.

    ''The solution to both of those problems is simple, then,'' I realized, no longer able to contain the merged energy between my hands.

    "I just need to get stronger," I voiced out in a crazed tone, allowing the explosive energy between my hands to enter the pathways I created by cultivating.

    The sky finally started to darken up as a violet hue infused into the normally blue sky.

    ''It''s starting,'' I thought, my mind detaching from reality when the wave of pure and overwhelming energy rushed into everyst pore of my body.

    This energy was too much, even for me.

    It was so clear it first cleansed all of my mana paths, only to burn them out a secondter.

    ''It''s like touching the sun!'' I eximed in my thoughts, only to bend in half and fall to my knees.

    I managed to support myself right in time, a second before my face would bury itself into the dirt.

    Overwhelming torture of having my insides burned out mixed with an extreme sense of power... that somehow came apanied by a feeling ofplete powerlessness.

    Despite how contradictory those two feelings were, I somehow managed to feel them both at once.

    Then it finally happened.

    It felt as if someone pulled down a nket that covered my consciousness, finally granting me the right to truly see and feel what was around me.

    For the tiniest of the moment, I could feel the delicate vibration of the air. The resonance of the mana. The chirping of the bird''s several miles away.

    All of those experiences painted a picture of the world around me, a picture I didn''t need my eyes to see and marvel at. Or rather, a picture that my eyes would never be good enough to fullyprehend with just sight alone.

    Yet, despite how liberating this feeling was, this ''nket removal'' also meant exposing my true self to the world around me...

    And right now, there was one predominant element of my surroundings.

    The pure mana that merging of the two different energies somehow created. And that pure mana now rushed to burn through my true self.

    ''Tic!'' my system reacted to the situation, barfing out a plethora of alerts in every corner of my vision. Yet, a quick scan of their content proved that they were all talking about the same, just with different words.

    ''Detected pure mana,'' the message announced. ''The energy is too potent for the system to handle,'' the information continued, causing a cold sweat to appear all over my back. ''System Corruption increases.''

    As if the situation wasn''t bad enough already, now my system was acting up!

    But just as I was about to open my status to check what the heck was going on, I noticed it.

    The meteor, the source of the dread I was feeling right now, appeared right in the furthest part of the sky that my eyes could still see.

    A secondter, it was nearing the position directly over my head. And a single secondter, it already flew right above me, heading in the very same direction that I was running towards.

    ''FUCK!'' I screamed out, forcing all the thoughts about the torture I was undergoing aside.

    If I was in a hurry before, then right now, I ran out of time.

    ''Corruption aside,'' I thought, bending my knees as I instantly directed both my body and my eyes in the direction of the outerpost in the distance. ''Can I use this energy to get to the town faster?''

    It was a simple thought. But one that I couldn''t entertain for long.

    I was out of time already. That''s why, instead of thinking the matters through, I simply did what I envisioned.

    I directed the same pure energy that was currently burning through my insides towards my legs. And then, without as much as a second thought, I jumped.

    The scenery around me changed. The forest disappeared as if I was transported to another world. Yet, after taking a quick look around me and noticing the cloudy peaks of the clouds all around, I was forced to realize what situation I found myself in.

    A quick look in the distance revealed the outline of the city. And with how quickly I was going, I could see how the town continued to grow in my eyes as I flew towards it at a breakneck speed.

    ''How the hell am I supposed to survive the fall?'' I thought, desperation filling my soul once again. But then, I realized another problem.

    "Rather than worrying about what will happen once Ind," I muttered to myself as I inspected my internal state. "I should actually focus on not dying to this energy first!"

 Chapter 279 Turning Point (1.4)

    Soaring through the sky was a surprisingly nice feeling. The air gently brushed through my face, caressing it like the most intimate lover would do.

    There were no sounds in this sky world that I entered, all of them trapped far below me.

    Suppose only I wasn''t crushing down towards the ground at a speed that would surely cause my demise uponnding. In that case, I could actually enjoy this moment pretty much!

    ''Fuck!'' I screamed out internally, my teeth tightened and locked in their position by the immense pain that threatened to shatter my soul.

    Even high up in the sky, the pure mana continued to burn right through my entire self. The system alerts continued to bring my attention to the rising corruption of the system, indicating that it wasn''t something that I could ignore.

    Thankfully, high up in the sky, I could at least take a moment to nce over at what my system was warning me about.

    I scrolled through all the windows, quickly locating the information I needed. It was right in the bonus window that I received all the way back in my early days at the Skdder sect...

    But while only one point was added, something that I already had suddenly increased.

    ***

    Chaos[3.27]: The tiny part of the host''s system is missing. The host is to expect certain bugs and errors. The system is slowly corroding away due to corruption.

    Corruption(0.27): Degradation of the system due to exposure to unfiltered energy.

    Capacity Corruption(11.7): Sub status of the corruption. Limits the output of the host''s powers by its percentage.

    ***

    A split of a second passed, and the numbers changed. My overall corruption raised to point seven, bringing my chaos to three point seven. Yet, while the overall increase wasn''t that bad, my Capacity Corruption shot through the roof, reaching seventeen point three points in just this moment!

    ''This isn''t good,'' I thought.

    Judging from the descriptions of the corruption... Wasn''t I basically killing my potential with every second that I forcefully used this new form of energy?

    And then it dawned upon me. One thing that I have already decided on. Something that was the very foundation of my power already.

    ''Why the hell am I trying to purify this mana on my own?'' I asked myself right as my body reached the highest point it could after the jump, only to finally start dropping down.

    Yet, before this short moment of tranquility, the short window where my momentum was rtively small...

    I acted.

    I only had a few formation stones left. Yet, without even a hint of hesitation, I threw them all out in the air while setting up my Mage''s Tower at the same time.

    Despite losing contact with my hand, the stones were still within my sphere of influence. And before I even started to fall, I had already arranged them all in a neat formation.

    ''I need to stop it for but a moment,'' I thought, looking down at the energy source that burned my insides.

    Ever since Ibined the two energies, I have kept the reaction going. Despite the immense drawbacks of using it, this was the one ace card that would give me the freedom and safety once I would face the monster from the meteor.

    "I already graduated from using the mana all on my own!" I shouted out to rebuild my own morale before squeezing down the output of my own mana and the violet energy I scavenged.

    Instead of trying to forcefully shut this reaction down, I simply ceased to supply it with mana. And once the bnce of the two energies was lost, the reaction ceased all on its own, finally stopping the onught of the potent energy flooding my system.

    ''Now, to restart it,'' I thought, hurrying the heck up as my body was starting to gain a downward momentum.

    Before, I had to use my entire power in order to start this reaction. But now that I had this new, potent source of energy, squeezing my mana and that violet energy together turned out to be a breeze.

    This also allowed me to limit the output of this strange process, keeping the influx of energy to a manageable amount.

    But it was still unfiltered. And if I wanted to use it to my advantage in the fight toe, I had to change that! Because even though I greatly limited the amount of energy, I soaked in...

    My corruption counter continued to grow. Slower, but it grew with each passing second, steadily increasing just how much my future potential would be fucked over.

    "NOW!" I shouted to myself, redirecting all the iing energy from my insides towards the stones I threw out in the air before.

    As if controlled by a will of its own, rather than rushing towards the nearest stone, the stream of this wild mana separated into several threads, each of them rushing forth and connecting to one of the stones.

    But this wasn''t even near the end of it.

    Once all of the stones were flooded with mana and reached their capacity to hold it, the energy started to formplex matrixes between stones. And once those links finally formed and locked in, a stream of pure, powerful but already filtered energy rushed into my system, quickly mending the inner wounds I sustained before.

    "Ahhhh...." I released a sigh of relief when my torture finally lifted, reced with the usual amount of pain.

    Sure, it still hurt like hell, but at least my body was no longer corroding!

    I raised my eyes to nce over at the matrix of connections that appeared between the stones. And despite not putting any will into its formation, I couldn''t help but be in awe of just howplex of a structure it became.

    The stones could hold only a tiny amount of mana in them on their own. Even when adding the capacity of all the stones I used, a promise of the energy I directed towards it in a single second would be enough to shatter all of them thousand times over and then some more.

    Yet, as if set on disobeying what I believed to know about the world, the energy continued to pour into the stones from the mana and violet energy reaction while the array spewed out perfectly clean energy right towards my insides.

    ''I will think about itter on,'' I decided.

    As fascinating as this topic might be, I didn''t have the time to analyze it.

    Not when I saw the meteor falling on the city below me, right where I could sense a massive gathering of people.

    ''Isn''t this the intersect tournament?'' I thought as I continued to speed up towards the ground, nearing the top speed that I could achieve due to the friction of the air slowing me down.

    My thoughts turned grim.

    If Mia was anywhere in the sect, then she was sure to be right in the middle of the disaster!

    As if responding to my thoughts, the energy that I gathered ignited, coating me with a protective barrier that allowed me to break through the limits imposed by the friction.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged in surprise when the Outerpost started to grow in my eyes at a visible race.

    It was only a matter of seconds before I would be a thin pancake of blood, shattered bones, and torn flesh stered on the ground!

    ''I don''t want to die...'' I whispered in my thoughts, Mia''s face shing before my eyes.

    And once again, the pure energy in my body responded, changing the properties of the force that surrounded me, gently grinding my descent to a halt.

    Or rather, that''s what this strange form of mana attempted to do. But it was too little toote. At this point, I could only ponder whether limiting the output of my magical reaction was the smart idea.

    I crashed into the open ground.

    My legs screamed out in pain the instant Inded. The impact nearly broke them apart under the massive stress it put my bones and muscles through.

    For a moment, I couldn''t even feel my legs, not to speak about standing up. But as the fresh flow of pure mana filled my body again, the pain lifted, allowing me to finally take stock of the situation.

    The monster before me was different than thest time. Instead of forming a pufferfish-like structure around its host, it became a massive, bear-like disaster.

    And quite noticeably, it was several times as massive as the monster I duked it out with before!

    "Good thing that I prepared," I muttered to myself, looking all over the ce.

    Before I would even start the fight, I had to ensure Mia''s safety. Yet, finding a specific person in a crowd of several thousand turned out to be quite a challenge.

    I walked towards the monster in an attempt to buy myself the time. The time that I desperately needed to refill my stock of energy and to find where Mia was.

    And then I saw her.

    Mia was just there, roughly forty meters away, standing on the fourth level of the tribunes to my right. Her entire left side was covered in blood, something that she didn''t seem to either notice or mind herself.

    The blood boiled in my veins. And the pains I went through when using excessive amounts of this new power suddenly turned meaningless.

    My mood darkened as I turned my eyes back on the monster before me.

    Instead of attacking right away, it clearly bid its time as well, observing everyst of my movements.

    ''I nned to deal with you in a cultured way,'' I thought, feeling how any form of rationality started to slip through my fingers.

    Right now, my trauma didn''t matter. Right now, my pain didn''t matter.

    All that I could care about was ensuring Mia''s safety.

    And so I pulled all the stops, once again mming all my mana and all the violet energy I had left into the reaction.

    The formation stones responsible for filtering the iing energy shattered in an instant, infusing the space around me with a lot more magic than I could fathom. Yet, despite not being directly connected to my insides, this mana was still locked inside the area of influence of my mage''s tower.

    Determination filled my eyes as I raised my sight on the violet monster again.

    It just stood in ce, waiting for me to make the first move.

    ''Well then,'' I thought, taking a deep breath and raising my chin high before willingly absorbing all the energy produced by my magical reaction.

    Right now, I couldn''t care less about pain or corruption. Those things I could deal withter. But there were some things that I would lose if I didn''t react right away!

    ''Let''s see if I can fulfill that guy''s wish and actually save someone!'' I thought before fully embracing this new, burning power and infusing it into my mage''s tower.

 Chapter 280 Turning Point (1.5)

    Now that the reaction between two kinds of mana was ongoing, pumping it up a notch was a simple task. In reality, all it took for me to once again invoke the power that nearly burned my insides to a crisp was to infuse more of my energies into it.

    And that''s exactly what I did.

    Once again, my body exploded in pain as the pure mana flooded my system, flooded my insides, and flooded everyst inch of the area I controlled within the Mage''s Tower.

    Once again, I felt like everyst inch of my skin came into contact with the very sun, the very origin of the power called spiritual energy by the locals and mana by me.

    But this time, I didn''t bother trying to wrestle control over the totality of this power. Rather than that, I allowed it to flow freely through the pathways I created during the early phases of my cultivation.

    And just like when I wanted to quickly reach the Outerpost, my newfound energy reacted to my deep wishes.

    My energy exploded outwards, raising far higher than my mage''s tower could.

    ''What the hell,'' I thought when my mind once again forcefully expanded to cover the new areas that I could tell were now under my control. Yet, contrary to the perfectly shaped area of Mage''s Tower, this new space that my new form covered was unshapely, failing to keep the basic geometrical figures.

    I looked up, curious to see what exactly was going on. I was prompted to do this by the sudden change of expression deep within the dark eyes of the monster as it raised its head and looked way above my head.

    "What the fuck��." I whispered to myself. Despite looking at my new form from the inside, I could still roughly tell how it looked to everyone outside.

    In an instant, I allowed my full mana to enter the engine, where I mixed it with the other kind of energy. As a result, my entire body appeared to expand a hundred times.

    Obviously, my flesh remained the same. But right now, my physical body was just the seed of a construct made purely out of mana.

    An avatar of sorts.

    ''Let''s see��.'' I thought, gently raising my hand. And just like I hoped, my avatar followed the movement, moving the mass of mana shaped like its arm up.

    A grin crept up on my lips.

    Despite my body burning due to the overexposure to the kind of energy that I have yet to find out how to handle, I couldn''t stop the happy satisfaction of a boy receiving a new toy.

    ''Now then,'' I thought, moving my eyes on the monster ahead. "Let''s dance!" I shouted, sending my right first forward.

    The hit connected. Given how long I spent practicing the same simple boxing technique, it wouldn''t be a stretch to say that I managed to master it. And now, for the very first time since I transmigrated to this world, I found great use in this field of expertise of mine.

    POOF!

    Just like when I used bolts to find this violet mana-born monster when my avatar''s arm struck the monster��

    Both the arm and a huge chunk of the monster''s energy canceled each other out.

    The violet mana didn''t disappear. It simply ejected itself from the general mass of the monster, locked by my pure mana of mine.

    ''Isn''t this the best way to get more of this new power?'' I thought, noticing the opportunity.

    Right now, I was on the clock. With every second, I was burning through the precious and extremely limited stockpile of the violet mana I scoured from thest battlefield.

    And judging from how unimpressed the monster appeared to be by my attack, this fight wasn''t going to end any time soon!

    ''Let''s get to work, then,'' I thought, this entire internal exchange taking less than a single second in the real world.

    As such, rather than trying a new technique or approach, I simply followed up on my boxing technique, pulling my right hand back and using the swinging momentum in my shoulders to throw my left fist.

    Once again, a chunk of the monster split apart from its main body, only to drop a small distance away. Yet, as it was coated with a thickyer of my pure mana, the instant attempt of the monster to take it back proved to be futile.

    ''That''s good to know,'' I thought, forcing my mana back to my real body as I rushed towards the monster in my physical form. Yet, instead of shing with it, I sneaked under its belly, extending several barriers over my head in case the monster would drop its own weight down on me.

    I didn''t linger in this dangerous position for long. With how the two kinds of energy interacted, I dared not to push my luck too far by just staying underneath the monster. Instead, now that it could not track my movements, I rushed to its back.

    If I wanted this fight to keep on going, I had to be able to keep up the pure-mana producing process. And in order to keep it up, I needed twoponents. I had the mana of this world in abundance, being a cultivator reaching the peak of how much one could grow. On the other hand, though, my supply of that violet energy was extremely limited.

    In such a situation, how else could I look at those chunks of the monster I sted away as anything else but precious fuel for my magical reaction?

    I dared not to hold back my speed. The second I emerged from underneath the monster, I pushed my speed to its limits only to jump right into the first clump of the foreign mana.

    At first, theyer of energy that coated it prevented me from reaching the prize�� But upon a single thought of mine, this barrier dissipated allowing me full and unrestrained ess to my target.

    "Roar?" the monster finally figured out what I did and jumped up. Yet, instead of turning around midair as I expected it to do, the monster proved that trying to put it into the frame of my expectations was the most naive thing to do.

    Instead of turning around, the monster''s body warped. And in a second, what appeared to be its butt before, now grew up another head while its former head disintegrated and merged back into its general mass, turning what was formerly its front into its back.

    ''Wait, if it could morph like that��.'' I thought, baffled by the sight as I rushed towards the other piece of the violet energy.

    And then it dawned upon me. Yet, it was just a little bit toote for me to react in an effective way.

    "EXPAND!" I shouted, more to myself than to anyone else.

    It wasn''t a skill. I had no skill that would allow me to expand my sphere of influence. Right now, it was nothing more but a gamble, fueled by how this pure energy seemed to respond to my every wish so far.

    The monster dropped down. What I initially took for an attempt to turn around was actually its own way of retaliating.

    My pure mana rushed out, spreading away from the sphere of influence of my Mage''s Tower. Then, it suddenly grew so fast I could no longer track its movements with my eyes.

    Yet, the second the dropping monster sent a powerful shockwave of both physical and magical nature to every direction around itself, my mana solidified, forming an inverted cone with an open top and t bottom.

    The energy reached the constraint that I constructed�� But instead of fighting it off, it bounced off the wall of pure mana. Once redirected, the shockwave simply sted upwards, wasting all the destructive potential of the attack by turning it towards the clouds.

    "Everyone, run!" someone finally came to their senses, ordering a general retreat.

    ''Stupid,'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    The feat that I just achieved barely put a dent in my mana. And now that I didn''t need to worry about this wondrous reaction running out of fuel, I really didn''t feel like holding back.

    "Even if you didn''t do it intentionally, you harmed my girl," I whispered right into the monster''s face, unbothered by it, barring its fangs just at me. "And that calls for punishment," I added, no longer bothered to hide my voice.

    Right now, I couldn''t openly use Mia''s name, even though I wanted to do it. Doing so would put her in too much of a danger, not only as someone who could be considered my weakness but also as someone who I was on a first-name basis with.

    ''And I can only guess how the locals will react to my appearance here,'' I thought. I wasn''t naive enough to believe that saving the lives of all the people gathered here would save me from those very people trying to either persecute or outright threaten my safety and freedom!

    I took a deep breath, forcing those useless thoughts aside. Right now, I had no time to think about others. Mia was the only exception to this rule, yet now that I separated the monster from everyone else with that dome of mine, I no longer had to concern myself with Mia''s safety.

    I raised my head and looked right into the fangs of the monster. Then, prompted by some inner feeling, I smiled.

    "Are you ready to rumble?!" I muttered silently under my nose while using the very same excited tone that the original creator of this sentence used.

    I didn''t need to lift my formations and arrays, nor did I need to prepare my wardens or the mage tower. I had it all prepared before I even descended upon this battlefield. And now that I secured the fuel to power up my engine, there wasn''t a single reason to keep on stalling this fight.

    "Now then, let''s save whoever you keep inside," I said openly before raising the palm of my hand. This gesture prompted all my boltunchers to assemble themselves in a circr formation right above my head.

    And then, one by one, with a tenth of a second of dy between each of them, my boltunchers started to shoot.

    This time, I had no real hopes for my bolts to do any good. The monster''s size was just too damn great for it to even feel bothered by my attacks. Yet, I didn''t need to do any real damage with this action.

    For but a second, the monster''s attention went towards my bolts, proving that this opponent of mine was perfectly capable of assessing the field of the battle. But what appeared as a sign of caution for the monster itself was the window of opportunity for me.

    And so, without even a hint of hesitation, I ramped up the processing power of my magical reaction or a magical engine, given how I was in dire need of some mighty-sounding name. And just as the monster''s attention returned to me, my body was nowhere to be seen anymore, shielded in my avatar''s thick clumps of mana.

    "Die, you damned dog!" I shouted, throwing a punch forward.

    Using the avatar was insanely inefficient. Yet, for every piece of magic that I wasted just by using this form, the monster ahead would lose another chunk of its magical flesh.

    And every time it received my attack, this monster would end up leaving a drop of precious fuel down on the ground.

    ''Let''s see who can keep it up longer!'' I thought to myself before immersing myself right back into the fight.

    And then, another meteorite went right above my head, only to disappear beyond the horizon a secondter.

    I was aware that the monster before me wouldn''t be thest one. Even though it was bigger than the one before, it still was way smaller than the entirety of that meteor.

    And that could only mean one thing.

    Despite how bad my situation was already, I was now living on borrowed time! Because the second this ce would be swarmed with monsters just like the one in front of me, I would no longer be capable of protecting myself, not to speak about anyone else!

 Chapter 281 Turning Point (1.6)(End Of The Sequence)

    I struggled; there was no denying it.

    For every second that my body was coated in the mass of mana creating my avatar, more and more impurities would go into my flesh, corrupting my potential even further.

    In theory, I could simply create more processing stones to increase how much energy I could filter through my formations...

    But doing so would require me to find time to do so. And I didn''t even need a single attempt to know that the monster right in front of me wouldn''t give me such a chance.

    As such, for every blow that I would execute, two things would happen. First, yet another chunk of the violet mana that made up the monster''s body would fall to the ground. As it was coated in a thinyer of pure energy, the monster couldn''t reabsorb it, leaving the former chunks of its body for me to consume. Yet, that was the end of the good news.

    Because for every punch of mine, my corruption would also raise.

    ''It''s already point-sixty-three,'' I thought, gnashing my teeth as I continued to push my right first, then left fist, only to follow up with two kicks and then repeat the entire process.

    In theory, this corruption wasn''t that bad yet. After all, thest time it grew for me, it did for three whole points all at once!

    What was the worrying part was that this time, my corruption didn''t rise alone. It brought the capacity corruption along, and this statistic was far more dynamic with how quickly it grew.

    ''It''s already seventeen-point-four,'' I thought, sparing but an instant to nce over at my status, disyed in the corner of my vision. ''At this rate, I don''t think I will be able to beast this thing before I lose half of my potential,'' I thought grimly, sending yet another punch right towards the monster''s jaw.

    But this time, my attack failed to connect.

    After exchanging blows... or rather being on the receiving end of my attacks for a while already, the monster learned the pattern.

    My attacks were swift, consecutive, and didn''t give it any breathing room... But it managed to get used to them, finally growing capable of maybe not countering them yet, but dodging them.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought when my avatar''s fist missed the monster''s head by just a single meter. Given the scale, it was akin to brushing through its fur. Yet, nevertheless, my attack missed. And once the streak of mybo was broken, I couldn''t pin the monster in ce any longer!

    ''Dodge!''

    Something deep within my soul shouted, forcing my body to move before I could do it with my own awareness. Only thanks to this instinctual reaction did I manage to avoid a powerful, shing attack of the monster''s paw.

    The monster missed... Or rather, it failed to connect its attack directly. Yet, the sudden passing of a densely packed violet mana was still enough to shake my control over my own energy, making my avatar waver.

    ''This won''t work,'' I thought, taking a step back to recover from the attack. Yet, before I could even regain proper control over my avatar, the monster attacked again.

    "ROAR!" it uttered a battle cry before raising its upper body and then mming both of its paws on the ground.

    ''What, are you an ape or something?'' I thought, rolling out of the danger''s way.

    Once again, I managed to escape the attack with my physical body... But the same couldn''t be said about my avatar.

    Or rather, that''s what I initially thought, only for the wave of my own energy to m right into my insides.

    For as long as I controlled my avatar perfectly, I could somehow keep the expenditure and ie of my energy stable. But once the attack shook the stability of my oversized projection, the energy quickly went out of control, threatening to pull me along.

    ''Begone,'' I thought, casting aside the entirety of the energy I used to construct the avatar.

    It was a massive loss... but one that I had to take. I had no time nor attention to spare for attempting to regain control over this energy. Doing so would only open me to further attacks. And as thest two encounters proved, I was still too inept at using my avatar for it to be an effective way of fighting.

    ''Back to spamming the bolts, I guess,'' I thought, raising all the formations that I could before swallowing my pride and rushing to the back, as far away from the monster as the confines of the cage I built allowed.

    I nced around the scene, trying to take stock of the situation.

    Outside of the inverted cone of my energy, people were going into a mode of panic.

    Some were trying to crawl their way out of the devastated building. Others were stuck in ce, unable to ovee the terror that froze them in ce.

    And then, there was Mia, simply standing in ce and looking right at my position.

    ''FUCK!'' I internally shouted, digging my shoes in the ground and refusing to retreat even a single step further.

    A strange feeling ignited in my soul when I realized that it wouldn''t take long before my escape would bring the brunt of the danger to where Mia stood.

    ''I guess I don''t have any choice,'' I thought, abandoning all the reason.

    I then turned my eyes back toward my enemy. And for but a brief moment, I felt as if I could understand it.

    The monster itself wasn''t interested in killing me or others. It wasn''t interested in mana, resources, or anything else that would prompt people or animals to fight.

    What this being was interested in was the fight itself. As such, by standing my ground and refusing to retreat any further, I managed to gain its respect.

    ''But why would I care?'' I thought, forcing this realization aside. Then, ignoring all the warnings of my system, I mmed all the violet energy that I had left into the engine.

    POOF!

    All my reason, all my sanity, all of my system... All of it drowned in a sudden flood of pure energy that prated through everyst cell of my being.

    If it was torture to toughen through it before, then the pain now grew sorge that my mind was incapable of properly conveying it.

    But I only needed to hold it in for a brief second.

    ''Now,'' I thought when I managed to amass enough of the power. Yet, when I attempted tounch it all directly at the monster...

    Nothing happened.

    It felt as if I was trying to push a massive stone with my bare hand while standing on a slippery slope.

    I simply didn''t have enough internal power to push such an overwhelming amount of energy. And while I struggled to do so, this energy continued to corrupt my situation, burning through my magic pathways as if I drank a swimming-pool worth of acid!

    ''I need to do it,'' I thought, watching with a sense of powerlessness when the monster raised its paw.

    Right now, I couldn''t move at all. The overwhelming amount of energy corroded my body to the point where even moving appeared like an impossible task.

    ''At this rate, she will die too,'' I thought, ncing over to where Mia stood...

    Only to see Jenne attempting to pull her away, clearly against her wishes.

    Logically thinking, I should be grateful to him. Jenne was trying to pull Mia out of harm''s way, after all.

    Yet, the expression of unwillingness on her face...

    A spark went through my soul, igniting my consciousness.

    "BEGONE!" I shouted when a mind-numbing wave of fury exploded in my soul. And by some miracle, this allowed me to finally push my mana forth!

    It wasn''t as speedy as my bolts. Not at all.

    This desperate outcry of my soul only managed to give it a tiny little bit of momentum... But it was enough for this overwhelming power to leave my system.

    For a few more seconds, I had to endure the drawbacks of drawing such a power, as it still remained within the sphere of influence of my Mage''s Tower. Yet, just as the monster''s paw was about to fall right down on my head...

    The monster''s paw encountered the solid wall of my mana. And just like it happened when this attack reached the defenses set up by the sect''s elders before...

    The monster''s paw simply disintegrated.

    But the wall of my energy didn''t stop there. It wasn''t fast at all... But its march couldn''t be stopped by anything.

    Bit by bit, the enormous body of the monster evaporated when the energy of my wall and the energy that made up its body shed.

    ''It''s over,'' I thought, falling to my knees, overwhelmed by the damage that, in my recklessness, I did to myself. Right now, all that was left for me was to watch my job conclude.

    Once the monster realized what was going on, it attempted to turn tail and escape. But even with me struggling to catch a breath, the inverted cone that I had created before still stood, limiting how far the monster could escape.

    And once it was squeezed between my cone and my wall... It simply continued to vanish inch by inch before the tattered body of a young girl was all that was left of it.

    ''So I was right,'' I thought, gritting my teeth as I forced myself to stand up and rush forward.

    Just like the man who emerged from within the monster I fought with before, the girl was unconscious. And once her body lost the support of the sea of energy it was swimming in, she started to fall.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, forcing my body up. I then rushed forward at my top speed and jumped up, catching the lifeless body in midair.

    "That was close," I muttered when I fell to the ground, making sure to protect the girl from the impact.

    Right now, what she had to say was of utmost importance. And I wasn''t going to make the same mistake of letting her hide her secrets in death.

    ''Ah,'' I moaned slightly when the extreme exhaustion of the moment finally caught up to me. And right at the same time, all of my spells copsed.

    Even though I still had some mana left along with a steady supply of iting from my engine, I was in no mental state to keep control of such a powerful war machine that my mage''s tower turned out to be.

    "Kill her!" someone from the audience shouted after a momentary silence that ensued the second the fight was over.

    "Kill her!" someone else joined the chant before the entire crowd that failed to escape started to shout those two words over and over again.

    For them, the girl in my arms embodied the disaster they had just all gone through.

    "Fucking morons," I muttered under my breath, still struggling to gather any energy on my own.

    Then I heard it.

    "Arthur..." even without looking, I could tell it was Mia''s voice.

    Even without looking, I could tell that she was rushing forward, eager to approach me.

    And as much as I wanted to just let go of all my struggles and hesitations, I couldn''t allow her to get any closer.

    "Do not take another step!" I shouted from the bottom of my soul, even unknowingly infusing my voice with my mana.

    "Ugh..."

    Hearing an unexpected moan, I turned my eyes to face Mia... Only to notice her stuck in a weird position as if someone froze her in time, right as she was about to take a step.

    ''What the...'' I thought for a second before my eyes widened.

    There was only one reason why my words could stop her like that. The one mechanism that I swore never to use against her.

    The forced obedience of a ve towards its master.

    A wave of guilt coursed through my soul when I realized what I had just done.

    ''No,'' I told myself, forcing my throat to swallow a mouthful of my saliva. ''This is for the best,'' I thought, perfectly aware of how she would end up if she approached me right now.

    It wasn''t my mental state that made me stop Mia in her tracks. For some reason, maybe due to my exhaustion, my body didn''t revolt at her sight, nor did my mind.

    But I was still full of that violet energy. The energy that would likely kill me if not for the intervention of my system.

    And if Mia were to get even a step closer...

    I closed my eyes, refusing to look at the pained expression of my beloved.

    I could tell that she couldn''t understand what was going on. The tears welling up in her eyes were the daggers that sank deep into my soul.

    But between hurting her with this misunderstanding and hurting her for real, the lesser evil was obvious.

    "Kill her!" the voices in the crowd continued to chant, unaware of the tense situation I was in.

    "Give this girl to us," suddenly, a new voice appeared close by.

    I turned my head around, only to notice one of the sect''s elders walking toward me.

    Judging from the poorly hidden grin on his face and the perfectly fine state of his clothes, he not only didn''t take any part in the fight but also treated the current situation as his personal opportunity.

    And with his eyes trained on my face, I could tell that the lifeless body of a girl in my arms wasn''t his target whatsoever.

    "Fuck off," I replied, tensing my muscles and forcing my body to stand up.

    I then cast onest look at Mia, only to end up biting my lips.

    "There is no time to exin, not now," I muttered silently, just loud enough for the girl to hear my words. "I promise I will find you," I added before gathering up my mana and surrounding myself with it.

    Coated with condensed mana, I could hardly see anything outside of my sphere of influence. That meant no one on the outside could see the details of what I was doing inside!

    As such, rather than risking yet another flight through the skies that would soon be dominated by the meteors, I kicked a random rock high up as bait before drilling a hole into the floor.

    Just like I expected, the enormous area where the fight took ce had an extensivework of service tunnels drilled underneath.

    ''I promise,'' I thought, sending onest nce to where Mia was frozen in ce. "I won''t let any harme your way," I whispered, hoping that my words would somehow reach the girl before dropping down into the hole of my own making.

 Chapter 282 We Need To Hunt Him Down

    The dust managed to settle down, leaving the entire area in an eerie silence. And in this silence, Mia continued to stand in ce, refusing to move even an inch.

    Thepelling nature of Arthur''s order has long faded away, allowing the girl to move to a more natural position.

    There was no reason for her to just keep standing like that. Yet, after Arthur rejected her for the second time, it was the closest she could get to him.

    ''Maybe if I obediently listen to his order, he will ept me again?'' Mia thought.

    Her mental state was strange, locking her between the eagerness to follow Arthur''smand and the unwillingness to ept what it truly meant.

    ''What are they doing?'' Mia asked herself as she observed people rushing around the ce. Even though she refused to move even an inch, that didn''t stop her from looking around the ce.

    And right now, the few elders that somehow survived the disaster started to gather in one of the few spots that weren''t littered with rubble and corpses.

    "Mia...?" suddenly someone called the girl''s name.

    Mia looked to the side, only to see Ackhart in a sorry state, looking at her with worry.

    ''Oh my god,'' Ackhart thought, a shiver traveling down his spine.

    The sight of blood on Mia''s face was thest thing he wanted to see, especially after the disy of Arthur''s power just a few moments ago.

    "Are you okay?" Ackhart asked, carefully approaching the girl.

    ''Is she in a state of shock?'' he asked himself, unsure why the girl refused to leave her spot.

    "I''m alright," Mia replied shortly, not having any motivation to borate. "Why ask?"

    "You are all bloodied," Ackhart said in worry, approaching the girl at a slow pace. "Is this your blood?" he asked.

    ''Her safety is of utmost importance right now,'' he thought, gnashing his teeth. ''If we want to pull Arthur to our side, we need to ensure she will be perfectly fine,'' he thought before taking a quick nce at the gathering of the elders.

    It was a meeting that he had to attend. Now that most of the elders loyal to the sect itself were gone, he was one of thest few voices of reason between Sangakart bought and sponsored others.

    ''Still, why am I not surprised?'' Ackhart thought, doing his utmost to hide his rage from showing up on his face. ''While real elders fought with their life on the line, while other elders gave their lives to protect the sect, those fuckers...''

    Ackhart shook his head. Thinking about this topic any longer would only make it harder to hide his state of mind from the others. And if there was a time when his position as a double agent was of value, it was right now.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by the question. She then raised her hand and drove her finger through her face only to bring it up to her eyes. "Blood?" she muttered, surprised by the color stuck to the top of her finger.

    "I guess it''s not yours," Ackhart muttered as he released a sigh of relief. "Go get yourself cleaned up. Time to mourn willeter," he ordered before turning around and leaving.

    ''Whose blood is this?'' Mia asked herself, hardly capable of caring about anything at all.

    Now that Arthur had rejected her for the second time, the entire reason behind her life vanished. And without a goal in mind, she could hardly press herself to do anything.

    "Mia!" someone called out her name once again. This time, however, Mia could recognize the voice even without turning her face to check on its owner.

    "How are you?" Mia asked, turning her head around to take a look at Ve''s face.

    The girl herself didn''t appear to be injured. But the expression stered all over her face spoke wonders about her state of mind.

    "Not good," Ve replied, forcing a smile on her lips. "But Sander..." she added, only to turn silent as a volcano of grief erupted in her eyes.

    "I know," Mia replied silently, a look of sadness shing through her face.

    Over the time that their group spent together, she grew quite used to thepany of her new friends. Yet, Arthur''s rejection aside, she couldn''t squeeze all that much grief out of herself.

    "Why do you look like you don''t really care about him?!" Ve asked in an aggressive tone, tightening her hands into fists.

    "He is dead, isn''t he?" Mia asked, unable to create even a spark of care. "I know it''s sad, but it''s not something that we can do anything about," she added, turning her eyes away and looking towards the ce where the elders gathered. "Rather than wasting time on pointless grief, can you do me a solid and go check out what the elders are talking about?"

    Ve''s expression froze when she heard Mia''s words. An array of different emotions shed through her eyes, only for her expression to turn still.

    "How can you care so little?" Ve asked silently, refusing to ept the way in which her friend and leader reacted to the death of one of their own.

    She refused to ept the way in which Mia reacted to the death of her damned crush and lover!

    "I witnessed my entire family getting ughtered," Mia replied silently, not even bothering to look at her friend''s face. "You could say that I lost my ability to grieve back then," she revealed before closing her eyes and tightening her hands.

    Then, after taking a deep breath, Mia broke Arthur''s order and took a step forward.

    ''There is no way he rejected me,'' she told herself, recalling the few moments during which she could see Arthur''s face. And no matter how hesitant she was to admit it, there was no denying the struggle and grief that appeared on his face when he told her to stop. ''He had to have some sort of reason to do it,'' she thought, taking another step forward.

    And then, she broke through the mental chains she imposed on herself and approached the gathering of the elders with confidence.

    "Most of our elders died in this disaster," one of the elders said when Mia finally reached their group. "And while their courage will be forever remembered, we can''t ignore the danger that the appearance of this new royal brings."

    ''What?'' Mia stopped in her tracks, stunned by the very first thing she heard after approaching the elders.

    ''This is going to be a disaster,'' Ackhart thought, sending a nce over to where the girl was before moving his eyes back at the highest-ranking elder that remained alive.

    And it was someone that Akchart spent quite a long time discussing back in Sangakarts'' headquarters!

    ''Right now, I have no power to stop them from doing whatever they want,'' he thought, forcefully suppressing the rage that threatened toe out on his face.

    "We can''t allow a stray elder like that to roam freely," the Sangakart-affiliated elder continued. "He is a danger to the existing monarchy!" he imed before clearing his throat and raising his face.

    "As such, we have no other choice but to hunt him down!"

 Chapter 283 I Want To Join The Hunt

    "We have no other choice but to hunt him down!"

    Hearing those words, Mia''s entire body froze.

    She likely wasn''t supposed to hear them. The only reason she could eavesdrop on this conversation was that no one gave a damn about her listening.

    "Hunt him down?" Ackhart asked, echoing the words of the current highest-ranking elder of the Outerpost. "Why?" he asked, making a puzzled expression. "Didn''t he save this entire sect from total devastation?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

    ''I knew they were out for Arthur''s blood... But they can''t be damn sure that it''s him!'' Ackhart thought, trying to figure out what the other party was thinking. ''Or are they worried about a potential opposition appearing?''

    "Like I said," the elder raised his eyes at Ackhart. "He is a stray royal, one that achieved breakthrough clearly without an oversight of the sect or the true royals," the man pointed out. Then, the expression on his face darkened. "Or are you iming that we can let someone so powerful run amok?"

    ''Fuck,'' Ackhart thought before rxing his face and shaking his head. The years he spent working with both sides of this hidden conflict made it easy for him to keep his face straight. "That''s not what I''m worried about," he stated when he finally stopped shaking his head. "What I want to know is how the heck do you think we can hunt him down?"

    "Oh?" the leading elder smiled. "Could it be that you are not confident in your own ability?"

    Ackhart raised one of his eyebrows.

    "Against a royal, even a fresh one?" Ackhart asked, shaking his head again. "You saw what that guy did just a few moments ago. And you also saw what happened to the elders that tried to oppose the monster that guy defeated," he pointed out. "It would be naive to believe any of us is capable of challenging him."

    "Not a single one of us could challenge him alone," the leading elder nodded his head, surprisingly epting what Ackhart just said. "But this isn''t a question about a fair duel. If wee at him all at once, then we should have a shot at dealing with that guy."

    "So you have already decided to take him down?" Ackhart asked, raising his eyebrow once again. "What if we could cooperate with him? Wouldn''t that be a great opportunity for the sect?" he asked.

    ''I know I shouldn''t...'' Ackhart thought, not sure how he should proceed.

    On one side, there was the importance of keeping his cover. Only by staying true to his role as the double agent could he hope to keep monitoring Sangakart''s progress.

    But on the other hand, if they were to actually go and hunt Arthur down if that young man were to take it seriously and personally...

    "If you want to hunt him down, count me in," Mia suddenly said, openly manifesting her presence.

    "Huh?"

    It wasn''t only Ackhart that shook in surprise. As all the other elders finally became aware of Mia, they were all shocked by her audacity of not only listening in on the conversation but even butting in so rudely.

    "I don''t think you know your ce, disciple," the prime eldermented in a lecturing tone while a spark of annoyance shed in his eyes.

    "No, I don''t think you are aware of what you are talking about," Mia didn''t bother to listen to the man''s words.

    ''If they want to hunt him down, it means they are going to find him, doesn''t it?'' she thought, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

    Despite her brave front, facing a group of elders out of which, everyst one could kill her with a single move...

    If not for how desperate she was to find Arthur, Mia would never take on such a massive risk.

    "How dare..." Ackhart attempted to salvage the situation by bashing the girl. ''Why the hell is she putting herself in the spotlight?'' he internally questioned the girl''s actions.

    "I believe you wouldn''t act so rude and disrespectful if you didn''t have something else to say," the leading eldermented in a low voice. "Speak up; why do you think you would be of any use during the hunt?"

    Mia allowed a small smile to creep up on her lips.

    "Didn''t you see it yourself?" she asked, leaning her head to the side. "When I attempted to approach that guy to ask if I can be of any help, do you recall what he did?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking at the elder as if he was some kind of idiot.

    "If you think I had the time to look at what some random disciple was doing when I was busy trying to save my... save the sect from this disaster..." the elder muttered. The annoyance clearly audible in his voice was likely the reason why he fucked up a little, forcing him to change his words mid-sentence.

    "Then let me tell you what happened," Mia said, raising her chin up. "When I attempted to approach him, he stopped me," she stated. "Despite being clearly exhausted after the fight, he used some kind of technique I don''t know about me to stop me in my tracks!" she announced far and wide.

    "And?" the elder rolled his eyes. "Maybe he just wasn''t interested in your charms?" he suggested, only to shake his head a secondter.

    "No, she does speak some sense," Ackhart joined in on the conversation. ''I don''t know why are you doing this... but that doesn''t mean I can''t help you,'' he thought, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. "If he just wasn''t interested, he would ignore her. But from what I saw... he really did use some kind of powerful technique to stop her in her tracks!"

    The look on the leading elder''s face changed a little. He pursed his lips and alternated his eyes between Mia and Ackhart, thinking over what they just said.

    Then, the man released a deep sigh and took a close look at Mia''s face.

    "Why do you think he didn''t want you to approach him?" he asked.

    "How the hell would I know?" Mia replied with a question on her own, making big eyes and looking at the elder as if he wasn''t worthy of the position he was holding. "All I know is that he was wary of me. And that''s why I believe I will be of some use during the hunt," she exined, shrugging her shoulders.

    "You are merely a sixth rank cultivator," the elder countered, clearly not happy with the idea of allowing Mia to join the hunt. "Even if there really is some secret that makes that guy wary of you," he imed, only for an ugly smile to appear on his lips. "What makes you think you are qualified to join the hunt in the first ce?"

    Hearing those words, Mia couldn''t help but smile from ear to ear.

    "A measly sixth rank cultivator, you say?" she asked, shaking her head.

    Then, after holding herself back for so long, she finally lifted the restraints she imposed on herself, allowing her energy to course freely through her body.

    Released from its former bounds, the energy surged forward.

    In but an instant, the barrier that separated Mia from advancing copsed.

    Her body, which was already overflowing with mana, finally reached the stage where it was fully reinforced.

    But Mia''s energy didn''t stop there. Instead, it continued to surge, coiling in her insides and forcing the impurities out with its momentum alone.

    Yet, this wasn''t the end of it.

    Before Mia could even take a breath, her inner energy was fully purified, only to surge all towards her core and forcefully expand its size.

    "Aaah..." Mia released a deep breath when the surge of her energy finally calmed down. She then shook her head and looked at the elder again.

    "Now that I''m an eight-stage cultivator," she said, leaning her head to the side and gracing the man with a cheerful smile, "there shouldn''t be any further problems with me joining the hunt, am I right?"

    To say that all the elders were surprised would be a gross underestimation. Yet, the look of dissatisfaction didn''t disappear from the leading elder''s face.

    "There is but one more question that I need an answer for," he imed, his face turning still. "Why do you even want to join the hunt in the first ce?"

    Hearing those words, Mia could only smile.

    "Isn''t this obvious?" she asked, raising her chin even further and closing her arms on her chest. "Now that a huge number of the elders died and with my growth potential, what I need to grow aren''t cultivation resources, but contribution and achievements!"

    "So you want to be an elder?" Ackhart asked, struggling to keep up with the pace of the girl. Still, whatever she had nned, he was willing to support her.

    After all, he saw how Arthur acted whenever the topic of his loved one came up. And by directly supporting this girl, he could indirectly support the only hope that he had for challenging Sangakart''s domination!

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head, refusing to back down from the story that she had created. "What else could be my reason for risking my skin like that?" she asked, leaning her head to the side while sending Ackhart a look full of irony.

    "Fine, then," the leading elder finally conceded. "Since you are so eager to join and you," he turned his eyes to Ackahrt, "are so eager to let her join," he moved his eyes back on the girl, "you will follow Ackhart during the hunt. And with that said..." the man took a short break to breathe in before shaking his head and turning around.

    "With that said, get the hell out of my sight before I remember that you are but a lowly disciple!"

 Chapter 284 Third Times A Charm

    Ever since the decision was made to hunt down the person that intervened in the disaster, the entire sect started bustling with activity.

    Some people went to organize the food for the hunting trips. Others went to make sure that all the weapons were maintained. As for those who would participate in the hunt themselves, they mostly just sat around, overseeing the entire process.

    ''They do not care about the sect itself at all,'' Ackhart thought, yet again forced to hold his fury back.

    Even though the devastation of the disaster was mostly limited to the arena, it wouldn''t be a lie to im it was the only ce that ended up damaged.

    Some of the living areas were showered with rubble. Even themercial district, which was the furthest part of the town away from the arena, ended up with several buildings copsing due to the tremors.

    Yet, instead of making sure that not a single survivor of this disaster was left to their own, the current leader of the sect dedicated all of its resources towards the hunt.

    ''I have to hold it in,'' Ackhart reminded himself.

    Just backing Mia''s request to join the hunt clearly made others suspicious about his allegiances. But if he were to attempt to slow down the organization of the hunt for the sake of something as meaningless in Sangakart''s eyes as the welfare of the sect or its people...

    ''I''m sorry,'' Ackhart thought, standing up from his from a random boulder that protruded from the tribunes. He cast a single look at the devastating middle of the arena before bitting down on his lips and moving out of the ce.

    "Ackhart," the leading elder called him out the second he emerged from the arena grounds, "a word, please."

    "What''s wrong?" Ackhart asked, tilting his head to the side while pretending to be puzzled.

    "What was that all about?" the elder criticized him in a lowered voice. He then took a quick look to the sides before leaning in closer. "What was the point of letting that whore in? Don''t tell me you forgot who she is!"

    Internally, Ackhart smiled. The fact that this man actually voiced out his suspicions meant that he himself didn''t really expect Ackhart to be actually ying against them.

    "Someone has to keep up the illusion," Ackhart replied, shrugging his shoulders as he did so. "Since when the elders of this sect were capable of unanimously agreeing to something?" he asked before releasing a small chuckle. "Someone has to be in opposition to what you say. Otherwise, people are bound to start suspecting something is wrong," he exined...

    Or rather, recited the very excuse that he came up with even before he dared to say a word against what the man hoped to achieve.

    Ackhart then shook his head, unwilling to let the man speak another word.

    "And yes, I''m aware of who that girl is. To be honest, I believe she might think that this royal is actually the guy we wanted to spring a trap on," the man added, coldly calcting the risks and potential benefits of bringing that point up to Sangakart''s attention.

    "And what do you think about it?" the prime elder asked, leaning his head to the side. "Is that royal actually our guy?"

    Ackhart shook his head sideways in denial.

    "To be honest, I don''t think so," he imed, only to purse his lips and avert his eyes. "But that''s my own belief. Whether it''s him or not..." he shrugged his shoulders, "I have no clue."

    For a moment, the leading elder of the Sangakarts turned silent, simply staring down at Ackhart''s face.

    "If you are unsure about it, why did you want to let this girl join?" the elder asked, seizing Ackhart with his eyes.

    "Because if her wish is right, then it''s better to have someone watch over her rather than letting her do whatever she wants while we will be all away on the hunt," Ackhart exined without even a second of thought.

    The years that he spent acting as the double agent gave him an important lesson. And now, whenever he was doing something that wasn''t strictly in line with Sangakarts'' aims, he was sure to prepare an excuse well in advance.

    "I guess I will leave overseeing her to you, then," the elder said before releasing a deep sigh. "Damn, I never thought that the situation would escte so quickly," he added in a lowered tone.

    "Huh?" Ackhart shrugged, not prepared for such information. "So you knew that something was about to go down?" he asked, reluctant to believe in such a convenient slip of a tongue.

    "I heard some stuff," the man replied, shaking his head. "Apparently, there were some signs of the disastering since roughly half a year ago," he exined. "But it''s third-hand news. I''m not important enough to ask Bayrat personally," he added before pursing his lips.

    ''Wait, Bayrat?'' Ackhart shrugged, only due to the utmost effort of his will stopping his eyes from widening. ''What does that fucking traitor have to do with anything?''

    "Respectable elder!"

    Mia called out to him before Ackhart could get some time to digest the stuff he had just heard.

    "We are all ready to go!" she announced, standing at attention once she reached the two elders.

    "Good to know," the Sangakart elder nodded his head, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Keep up this attitude, and a seat of an elder might really fall into your hands!" he announced before squinting his eyes and rubbing his chin. "Or should I say, your ass would fall on the seat?" he asked before shaking his head and moving away.

    "The hell was that?" Mia asked silently after watching the Sangakart elder walk a considerable distance away, right towards the head of the slowly forming column. "Don''t tell me he is after my ass now," she added, squinting her eyes as she struggled to hold her fury back.

    "I don''t think so," Ackhart shook his head as he replied before leaning over the girl while pretending to fix his robe. "Do you really think it was him?" he whispered his question.

    "I don''t think it was him," Mia replied without even a second of hesitation. "I know it. And even though it was the second time he stopped me from approaching him..." she took a momentary break to swallow her saliva. Yet, instead of picking up her sentence right away, Mia simply chuckled before raising her eyes and whispering right into Ackhart''s ear.

    "Don''t they say that the third time''s a charm?"

 Chapter 285 Ideas On Corruption

    "Damn, that was tiring," I muttered when I finally managed to squeeze myself out of the hole that I carved myself.

    Escaping to the tunnels below the arena proved to be quite a good idea. Even though it took me a long time to somehow orient myself in this undergroundbyrinth before finally finding an exit, there wasn''t a single party looking for me there during all that time.

    ''Still, if possible, I would like to avoid ever going underground again,'' I thought grimly, shaking off the fear that apanied me during the escape.

    People say that one learns their entire life. But in my case, I had to live through two lives in order to figure out that I was actually pretty ustrophobic!

    ''Still, digging around might prove useful in the future,'' I thought, forcing myself to return right into the hole that I just crawled out from.

    Escaping by myself was one thing, but I still had to bring that unconscious girl out as well!

    Soon I learned that despite the girl being pretty light, actually dragging her through this narrow tunnel that I dug turned out to be a pretty challenging task.

    ''I hope what she has to say will be worth the effort,'' I thought when I finally slumped down to the ground, right by the side of the still unconscious girl.

    Yet, after taking a short rest, I had no other choice but to throw the girl''s body on my back before hurrying out.

    No matter how improbable it was for the others to find me so quickly, I couldn''t afford to rest anywhere near the outerpost.

    Not after barely surviving the fight with that damned monster. Not when I could barely force myself to move.

    Thankfully, even while I was running with several tens of kilos of baggage on my back, I was actually resting rather than tiring myself out. A benefit of cultivating all the way to the human limits of this world that I never really thought about.

    "This ce should be far enough," I muttered to myself when I found a small clearing in the forest that I escaped into.

    I then unceremoniously threw the girl''s body to the ground, not caring about hurting her in the slightest.

    Right now, her only valueid in how she could potentially exin just what the fuck was going on. Whether or not her face was free of bruises wasn''t my concern.

    Freed from my burden, I then quickly gathered some wood from the forest surrounding me before setting up a small camp with it.

    I used some of the wood to construct a simple, primitive shack while leaving the rest to be used as fuel for the firece once the girl woulde to her senses.

    As to whether the fire would be used to let the girl get herself warm or if I would use it topel her to speak depended solely on her own damned attitude!

    Setting up the camp took me only a few moments. But when it came to securing it, I didn''t waste a single second of my time.

    Right now, I had no resources to set up a formation powerful to stop anyone with any real power. As such, rather than wasting my energy on such a pointless endeavor, I was keener to use it to give myself some rest.

    "Taking your sweet time to wake up, aren''t you?" I muttered to the sleeping girl once I was done with all of my preparations.

    I then approached the girl and shook her shoulder, hoping to force her awake. Yet, I didn''t linger on this attempt for long.

    ''If she managed to sleep through all the shaking and pulling I did during our escape, trying to wake her up seems to be futile,'' I realized before stepping aside and lighting up the firece I prepared.

    Since the girl was still sleeping, rather than wasting my time watching her sleepy face, I actually directed my attention to the changes in my system.

    ***

    Chaos[4.91]: The tiny part of the host''s system is missing. The host is to expect certain bugs and errors. The system is slowly corroding away due to corruption.

    Corruption(1.91): Degradation of the system due to the exposure of unfiltered energy.

    Capacity Corruption(39.3): Substatus of the corruption limits the output of the host''s powers by its percentage.

    ***

    ''My corruption raised pretty high,'' I thought upon noticing the number. Yet, while the corruption itself was pretty ambiguous, the capacity corruption was the element that worried me the most.

    "Does this mean I already killed nearly half of my future potential?" I muttered under my nose, holding myself back from throwing the girl nearby a hateful look.

    ''She seems to be a victim of the entire thing just like everyone else... Or maybe, she had it even harder than us,'' I thought, bitting down on my lips before turning my eyes back towards the mesmerizing dance of the fire.

    Yet, no matter how much I wanted to just forget about everything and let my thoughts wander all over the ce, I couldn''t help but think back to the recent fight.

    And the more I thought about it, the more apparent one thing became to me.

    "No matter how much I want to deny it," I muttered silently, hesitation filling my voice. "It seems like this capacity corruption actually saved my life."

    ording to that status description, this kind of corruption limited how big of a percentage of the power flowing through me I actually had any ess to. Or, in other words, the bigger this kind of corruption grew, therger the amount of energy would just flow through my body... without actually interacting with it.

    ''Judging from the cost of releasing that massive amount of mana, if not for the corruption, I would very well fry myself while doing so,'' I thought, clenching my hands.

    Yet, as I continued to think about it, a new possibility dawned upon me.

    ''What if this corruption isn''t how my body degraded... but how it defended itself from actually overdosing the mana?''

    This was a pretty interesting suggestion. It was a pity that I had no means of safely verifying it.

    "Ugh..." A sudden voice to the side forced me to abandon my analysis of the recent events, focusing on the situation at hand.

    Because this voice... meant that the girl was starting to wake up!

 Chapter 286 Shattered World

    "Who are you?!" the girl shouted in a panic the second she woke up and came to her senses.

    Still lying on the ground, she threw me a quick look, only to push herself away with her legs and feet alike.

    "Calm down," I ordered, not moving an inch from my seat by the fire. "If I wanted to do you any harm, I would''ve done so already, don''t you think?" I added before turning my attention back to the mes.

    Sure, I was eager to interrogate her, but there was no point in doing so when she was in a state of shock. And to be honest, I already learned enough about her to take my time thinking it through.

    ''She is speaking anguage I can understand... Or is this the system''s influence?'' I asked myself, annoyed by the potential capabilities of my system in this regard for the first time in this second life of mine.

    "Who are you?" the girl asked again after taking her time to calm her heart down.

    "I''m Arthur," I replied, reaching out to grab some stick before turning the charcoal in the fire to kick its heat up a notch.

    Even though I was likely immune to frostbite, I could still feel cold. And with how tired I was, both mentally, spiritually, and physically, I had no wish to let myself be cold.

    "You do realize how little does this tell me?" the girl pointed out, still fully on her guard.

    "The thing is," I started, finally turning my head to the side and looking at the girl, "right now, I''m the one asking questions," I exined before taking a deep breath and standing up.

    "Roughly an hour ago, you descended into a nearby town, coated with a massive amount of energy... that''s not ofmon in this world," I stated.

    ? Judging from the girl''s reactions, she had no clue about what happened. As such, I saw no point in bullying her by hiding the past from her.

    "Huh?" the girl only shrugged in reaction to my words.

    "That alone, I wouldn''t care much about," I pointed out before letting the expression on my face darken. "But that energy of yours somehow took a form of a monster," I said before raising my hand and allowing a bit of the energy I stole from the girl''s past form to dance atop my palm. "And that monster killed quite a lot of people," I added, not holding back the punches of the truth.

    "I..." the girl hesitated, clearly shocked by my words. Then, her expression mellowed down, only to get reced by sadness. "I see," she finally voiced out her reaction. "What are you going to do to me, now?"

    For a moment, I simply stared at the girl, trying to figure out just what was going on in her head.

    Her reaction to learning that she killed people... was strange, to say the least. Or rather, it was a strange reaction in the eyes of someone who grew up in a rtively peaceful civilization.

    For someone born and educated in this world, having blood on their hands shouldn''t be that much of a trouble, though.

    "I''m not going to do anything to you," I replied with a deep sigh before lowering my hand and then returning to my seat by the fire. "What I need you to do is start talking, though," I added, focusing my eyes on the fires again.

    "Talking?" the girl swallowed her saliva so intensely that I could hear the motions of her throat. "What do you need me to talk about?" she asked, slowly lowering her guard.

    "First off, who are you?" I asked, once again ying around with the charcoals within the firece. "Where did youe from? What is this violet energy that you were coated in?"

    I threw my questions out to the air but didn''t press the girl for the answers. Given the situation, she was likely far more confused than I was.

    "You really do know nothing, do you?" the girl quickly managed to prove my guess wrong.

    I turned my head towards her, curious what the fuck she was talking about. Yet, instead of a look of confusion or guilt, her face was filled with shock and devastation.

    "Know nothing about...?" I echoed her words, quickly losing my patience.

    If she knew something, then what the hell did she want to achieve by staying silent?

    "Judging by how we are sitting on a solid ground, this isn''t the continent I was born at," the girl exined, only for her words to introduce far more questions than they did answers. "I mean," she added, raising her eyes and slowly inching closer to the me, clearly starved for its heat, "I can''t summon even a silver of the energy that naturally urs in my world," she said, only to sit down by the fire and hang her head low.

    "And that means it really did copse," she stated something massive, only to turn silent and copy me by gazing into the mes.

    "I understand that it''s hard for you to digest your situation," I said in a calm voice, "but I need to understand what''s going on. Especially given how your descent is only the beginning of the series of disasters that are about to strike thisnd."

    Despite me urging the girl, she remained silent for a few more moments. Only after taking her sweet time did she bother to open her mouth and sate my curiosity a little more.

    "If I''m right, then what you saw was me coated in all the power that I managed to cultivate back before my continent shattered and copsed into the void," the girl exined, her face nk as she kept on staring into the mes. "To be perfectly honest, I never expected this measure to work," she added before turning silent once again.

    ''Shattering? Copse?'' I repeated those words in my mind before raising my eyes to the skies. ''Could it be that this world is nothing like the one I came from on a cosmic scale?'' I thought, trying my utmost to figure out just what the hell was going on.

    Following the rule of an Ockham''s razor, she likely lived on a different continent... that was somewhat above the one we were in right now. And from what she said, that violet energy that she brought with herself was just a different kind of mana that permeated her world before it copsed.

    ''Could it be that it''s like matter and anti-matter, then?'' I thought, adding the stuff that I discovered on my own to the equation. ''Surely, it doesn''t work exactly like that, given how those two kinds of energies refuse to merge... But how else can I exin my engine?''

    Even though the conversation so far was pretty short, I already learned so much stuff that I had to take some time to process it all.

    Yet, before I could think anything further about those topics, a sudden, silent rustling alerted me and forced me up.

    "What''s wrong?" the girl asked, surprised by my sudden move.

    But I couldn''t care less right now.

    "There is someone here," I muttered, scanning the area in search of any signs of familiar mana.

    It took me just a single look to locate the source of the noise. Yet, even though I knew where that someone was hiding, they were still pretty well hidden amongst the forest vegetation.

    "Come out!" I shouted, raising my Mage''s Tower while making sure to pull all my mana from the girl''s proximity.

    Given how the violet energy worked on me, the mana of this world was likely the same kind of poison to that girl!

    "Arthur?" the person hiding in the bush suddenly called out my name. And then...

    Mia came out of the bushes with a peculiar look on her face.

    Step by step, she marched closer, her face filled with uncertainty and fear.

    My heart trembled, only for my mind to steel up my resolve.

    "Don''te any closer!" I cried out in panic.

    Just like back at the outerpost, I couldn''t afford to let Mia anywhere close. Not while I was still full of that violet energy that would likely kill her on the spot!

    Mia obidiently stopped in her ce... and then tears started to stream down her cheeks.

    "So you really don''t want to have anything to do with me anymore?"

 Chapter 287 Proper Reunion

    "So you really don''t want to have anything to do with me anymore?"

    Hearing those words, I felt as if someone had snuck a dagger right into the middle of my heart. Seeing the tears flowing down Mia''s face was akin to having droplets ofva poured directly on my soul.

    "At least..." Mia cried out, raising her hands to rub her eyes clean of her tears. "At least tell me why!" she shouted through her tears, her words turning surprisingly hard to understand. "Why are you pushing me away?!"

    My vision turned dark. My soul trembled. And then, I couldn''t handle it any longer.

    "Are you stupid?" I asked out loud, ready to do and say everything and anything that could somehow stop Mia''s tears.

    "What?!" Mia cried out, clearly not expecting me to approach the topic in this manner.

    "You could die if you got close to me right now," I stated, falling down on my knees and closing my eyes, already working to gather up and expel all the violet energy from my system. "Give me a moment. I need to make sure it''s safe for you to approach," I added before shutting up and focusing on the work.

    Sadly, to separate energy that I already turned into an integral part of my being... It turned out to be a way harder task than I expected.

    First, I had to fully iste it from my flesh while making sure not a single drop of it would remain. Given how this kind of energy repelled the mana of this world like a ma would push away another ma of the same pole if even the tiniest particle of it were to enter Mia''s system...

    I didn''t even dare to think about it. Rather than wasting my time imagining the devastating scenarios, I put all my mind into the one work that was important right now.

    ''Got it,'' finally, I announced in my thoughts when thest bit of this foreign energy ended up coated in a thickyer of pure energy.

    Then, with just a single wish in my mind, I started to push it out of my hand. Yet, worried about my own safety, I could only do it slowly, expelling this energy in the form of a thin but long strand.

    Bit by bit, this thin rope of materialized energy started to clump up, only to end up forming the same kind of ball that ended up littering the battlefield between me and the monster just a bit over an hour ago.

    "That should do..." I muttered while opening my eyes and dropping the ball a considerable distance away from both me and the girl that I saved from the insides of that monster. "Just in case, don''t you even dare to approach it," I threw to the girl by the firece.

    I then stood up and turned myself back to Mia, eager to exin everything to her...

    m.

    Before I could as much as nce at her face, Mia rushed right into my arms, only to lock her arms behind my back and refuse to let go.

    The softness of her flesh, the delicate fragrance of her body, mixing with the slightly acidic smell of her sweat, the adorable way in which she squirmed while in my arms...

    All of those feelings, all of those experiences, they all returned to me at once, threatening to overwhelm me. And in this state in which forming even a single thought was a challenge, all I could do was to raise my hand to the back of Mia''s head.

    "I''m sorry you had to wait for so long," I whispered, unable to squeeze even a single word more out of my lips.

    "Arthur... Arthur... Arthur..." Mia couldn''t control her speaking manners either, only able to utter my name over and over again.

    Then, for some strange reason, she slid down my torso, only to end up wrapping her entire self around my leg, as tight as her cultivation-enhanced body would allow.

    "Promise you will never let me go again!" Mia screamed out through her tears, too afraid to raise her head and look me in the eye.

    Seeing how any attempts at bringing her back into my arms would be likely futile, I leaned down and reached out to grab her by her armpits before forcing her away from my leg and up, right into my arms.

    "I can''t promise you that," I whispered softly into her head while pushing her face into my chest.

    Hearing those words, Mia trembled in my arms. But before she could utter even a single word of protest, I added.

    "But I can promise I will do everything in my power to never let you go again," I finished my promise before moving my hands on Mia''s cheeks, only to pull her head a bit away from my chest.

    For a second, I couldn''t help but just stare into her teary eyes. Met with her gaze so directly for the first time in what seemed like ages, I was mesmerized by it.

    "Gulp," mesmerized by her eyes, I had to swallow hard to regain myposure.

    "Do you want me to seal this oath?" I asked gently, rubbing Mia''s tears off her face with my thumbs.

    "Huh?" Mia moaned in a small shock, too emotional to figure out the trap behind my words. "Seal? Sure?" she asked, only for me to lean my head forward and seal her lips with mine.

    This wasn''t a new feeling. Back in the Skdder sect, we kissed a lot. Heck, we even slept together and fucked like rabbits in heat!

    Maybe it was because of the long period of separation, but the taste of her lips made me feel as if I was going to melt from the inside. The warmth of her lips instantly reignited the fire of passion in my soul. And the meek way in which she responded to my passion instantly made my blood travel downwards to a ce that could easily spoil this precious moment.

    ''Seriously?'' I thought, ashamed of myself. ''A boner?'' I thought, cursing my own reactions as I continued to enjoy the kiss.

    I wanted this kiss to keep on going... But Mia suddenly put her hands on my chest before gently pushing me away. As she didn''t move her head at all, when our lips separated, a long strand of saliva ended up keeping us connected as it hung between our lips.

    "Hmm?" I muttered, surprised by Mia pulling away.

    "We can''t, not right now," she said as a look of grief appeared in her eyes.

    "Can you guys find yourself a room?" the girl by the fire suddenly snickered, forcing the two of us out of the small world that we shared between ourselves.

    ''A room...'' I thought, instantly imagining a scenario in which I could pull Mia to a room that we could close and just immerse in each other''s warmth for a long time.

    And just like any rational person could expect, my body was quick to react to this vivid picture that I crafted in my thoughts.

    "Do you really think we are in a position to look for lodging right now?" I asked, pulling away from Mia to prevent her from feeling my boner on her leg. "When it seems like your entire continent is about to fall down on our heads?" I asked, identally uttering the only exnation that I managed to figure out before Mia appeared.

    "Arty?" Mia was quick to react to my words, looking up at my face with curiosity and happiness written all over her face.

    ''She is like a small animal, fully trusting in me,'' I thought, almost grabbing myself by my chest to suppress the powerful need to protect her that exploded in my heart.

    "What''s going on, Arty?" Mia repeated the question, taking a step forward and stering herself to my chest, turning my attempts to sneak away with my boner into nothingness.

    And judging from a smile that only grew when she pressed her leg against my crotch, she didn''t seem to mind my reactions at all.

    "No!" Mia suddenly shouted, her smile vanishing from her lips as she pulled away and looked me in the eye with a look of urgency written all over her face. "We need to run away! All the elders of the sect that survived are out for your blood right now!" she shouted, a look of terror shing behind her eyes.

    "Toote," a new voice entered the scene, instantly sending a chilly sensation down my spine.

 Chapter 288 With No Theatrics

    I looked at the group of people that emerged from the woods. Their numbers were small, only reaching ten... or rather nine, given how the only one that I could recognize, Ackhart, appeared to be covered in sealing formations.

    I pulled Mia closer into my embrace, looking at the neers with a small smirk.

    "Before we start killing each other," I said, "how about you guys sit down and listen to what the fuck is actually going on right now?" I suggested, feeling proud for never dropping my Mage''s Tower.

    The fact that I never lowered this spell of mine came from a simple and perverted wish to feel Mia even more, even if it meant doing so strictly on the mana level. Yet, as it turned out, this slight perversion and longing of mine made me fully prepared for an attack even before it came.

    For a moment, the elders of the sect were frozen in ce, stunned by my unexpected suggestion.

    And this was just the window of opportunity that I was looking for.

    Before anyone could react, I took a step forward... Only to sit down by the me and pull Mia right on myp.

    "First off, release Ackhart," I ordered casually, refusing to look anywhere else but right into Mia''s eyes.

    "Do you even have the slightest..." the leader of the group attempted to say something.

    Unfortunately for him, he didn''t consider two things.

    First, he was well within the sphere of influence of my Mage''s Tower. And secondly, I didn''t like his tone.

    ''Disturb,'' I thought, calling forth the one ability that I was usually pretty hesitant to use.

    Normally, outside of my Mage''s Tower, this spell would allow me to throw my opponent off. But just like my bolts and wardens, once cast within the sphere of influence of my Mage''s Tower, this spell evolved.

    There were no fireworks. No blood sttered on everyone present. While I could easily make it do so, I didn''t want to spoil Mia''s beauty with the rotten blood of those fuckers.

    That''s why, instead of going for the theatrics, I simply stopped the heart of the elders'' leader before turning his brain into mincemeat.

    "Are youfortable?" I asked, refusing to move my eyes away from Mia''s face. And that question of mine was well in order, given how my boner continued to poke her delicate flesh from below.

    "I couldn''t find a more divine seat," Mia replied with a gentle smile as she rested her head on my chest and closed her eyes. Then, just as a small, cheeky smile appeared on her lips, she started to lightly move her hips around, griding down on the tent that I couldn''t help but pitch right away.

    Thump.

    The sound of the elder''s body falling to the ground went right by my ears.

    "Antrall!" one of the elders shouted, finally noticing the problem with the leader of their group.

    "I guess we really should get ourselves a room," I muttered, yfully poking my finger into Mia''s breast.

    But I couldn''t really focus on enjoying my long-awaited reunion with a bunch of clucking chickens right behind my back.

    Yet, before I could as much as turn my head or even retreat my finger, Mia pushed herself forward, pressing her breast against my hand as she leaned over my ear. "I don''t really mind where you will take me. I just want to be with you," she whispered in a sweet voice.

    I wouldn''t dare to call myself a man if my hardon didn''t tingle when those words prated deep into my mind.

    Unable to stop myself, I looked at Mia''s face... Only to notice a satisfied smile on her lips as she returned to her previous position, only to start wiggling her hips once again.

    "He is dead," another elder gave his diagnosis. Even though I didn''t even bother to look through my Mage''s Tower, I could tell they all turned to look at me.

    "I think I told you guys to release Ackhart," I reminded them, still refusing to move my eyes away from Mia while doing my utmost not to soil my pants.

    To be fair, Mia didn''t even need to grind her hips on me to get me going. Just her presence, right in my arms, was enough to stimte me more than even the most intense porn I watched back in my former life.

    "Release him!" the same elder that noticed Antrall''s death before now shouted his order.

    Now that I showed them their ce, they clearly weren''t going to cross me.

    "This world is so damn simple," I muttered, raising my hand to rub its outer side against Mia''s cheek. Entrapped in the deep void of her eyes, I couldn''t even bother to look at the result of my quick attack.

    "Isn''t it?" Mia echoed my words, gracing me with yet another lovely smile of hers.

    ''Damn, there is something wrong with our rtionship,'' I thought, finally able to pinpoint the one thing that always bugged me.

    I was just too damn attracted to her. Unless it had something to do with mana or the rules of this world, then wasn''t our mutual draw to the other way stronger than what one would normally experience?

    Yet, as curious as this aspect of our rtionship was, I wasn''t going to waste my time thinking it through.

    "Arthur..." Ackart muttered when all his seals were undone. "Why did you... You knew who I was, and you still..." he attempted to say something twice, only to look at the faces of the other elders and turn silent.

    "I did it because it matters not anymore," I spoke, finally allowing myself some rest from Mia''s yfulness by closing my eyes and leaning my head to the back. "You were a double agent working for the true royals. Here, your secret is revealed," I said to Ackhart''s dismay.

    Thankfully, this man knew enough about me to realize that I wasn''t simply trying to fuck him over.

    "Why?" he asked shortly in a voice that demanded the answer rather than just asking for it. But contrary to the elder that dared to use an arrogant voice towards me before, he actually deserved an answer in my eyes.

    "Because it doesn''t matter anymore," I replied before opening up my eyes and looking at the girl by the fire who had already told us how she felt like a third wheel. "Would you mind repeating what you told me to them?"

    In theory, I could exin everything to them. I could tell them how this world was about to change. How the mana ecosystem of this world was about to get wrecked by an entire continent-worth of foreign mana of different kind that would soone to this world in the form of the violet meteors.

    But with Mia on myp grinding down on my boner while smiling yfully...

    How could I be as heartless as to bother with those idiots?

    "How much should I tell them?" the girl asked while intentionally refusing to look at the lovely-dovely two of us.

    "Just tell them the truth," I replied, ncing over at the girl only to move my eyes right back at Mia. "Tell them what''s going to happen to this world."

 Chapter 289 One Problem With Mias Request

    "So that''s why..." Ackhart muttered silently before slumping to the ground.

    The news that the monster-turned-girl brought down upon the entire group could only be called devastating.

    It wasn''t easy to learn that the entire world that they knew was about to end and still keep theirposure. As such, I couldn''t help but get impressed when Ackhart managed to react somewhat calmly to the news.

    "Still..." Ackhart whispered while sending a nce towards Antrall''s corpse. "Wasn''t it counterproductive to kill him?" he asked, moving his eyes back on me. "Even if we stood on different sides before, I don''t think it''s the right time to keep ourselves stuck in the fights of the past," he imed before releasing a deep sigh.

    "Right now, we need to focus on surviving the change that''s happening to this world," I said, reading what Ackhart wanted to point out.

    Then, as if to prove that sentence, another meteor flew above our heads only to crash somewhere far to the northeast.

    "That''s right," Ackhart nodded his head while pretending not to see the hateful stares of the other elders.

    Despite his attempts at calming the situation down, it was clear that only my power was stopping them from jumping Ackhart down.

    "You failed to realize one thing." I shook my head. "For me, it makes no difference whether this world goes to shit or not," I stated before raising my hand and gently rubbing it against Mia''s cheek. "And those idiots wouldn''t listen if I didn''t showcase how little their power means against me," I added, reinforcing the idea of me being the unbeatable monster in the room.

    The truth was, though, I couldn''t really deal with all those elders if they decided to jump on me. The only reason why I could be safe, for now, was because they were within the range of my Mage''s Tower and my nearly absolute control over everything within that area thanks to my disturb spell.

    "And you did that despite requesting to talk before we would start killing each other?" one of the elders spat out, clearly unhappy with how the situation went. "Fucking liar," he added under his breath.

    "I think I already exined it," I replied to the usation. "If I didn''t make a statement, you guys wouldn''t listen," I said before turning my eyes towards the elder that dared to speak ill of me. "Normally, I would kill all of you just to take my sweet revenge for the bullying my fiancee, and I received," I imed while raising one of my eyebrows. "Killing only one of you is already the highest form of mercy you can expect!"

    This time, not a single of the elders dared to speak up, the sight of the dead body of their leader serving as a reminder of why doing so would be a bad idea.

    "So?" Ackhart asked, the expression on his face proving how awkward it was for him to sit in peace right by the people he was spying on. "What are we going to do now?" he asked before throwing a quick look at the girl by the firece.

    Ever since she revealed the same information to the rest of them that she did to me just a moment earlier, this was the one main question that has to be in the back of everyone''s heads.

    But what one should do when the world they knew wasing to an end?

    ''I guess I have it way easier than the others,'' I thought, releasing a deep sigh.

    Even though the situation influenced me just as much as everyone else, I had one advantage over the others.

    For me, this wasn''t a world that I could call my own. And with my current level of strength, I should be able to somehow make do with all the possible hardships that were about to descend on everyone.

    "To be honest, I don''t really know," I said before shaking my head. "Nor, to be honest, I do care. As long as I can keep Mia safe and close, I don''t care about the rest," I admitted, only for the girl on myp to squirm a little.

    What I just said was a petty lie. Because what I cared the most about right now was following the advice of the girl I saved and finding some room for Mia and me to properly reunite, both in the soul but also in the flesh.

    "Aren''t you going to help us save people back at the outerpost?" one of the Sangakarts'' elders asked, finally managing to ovee the fear I instilled in them with my former sentences.

    "Help you?" Mia moved on myp. While she clearly didn''t intend to do it, her sudden twist sent a wave of pleasure down the spine as my tent dug into her crotch. And with only two thinyers of our robes separating those two parts of our bodies, it was a pretty strong stimulus for someone who had abstained from carnal pleasure for several months already!

    "Don''t think that I forgot how you ignored all the problems back at the outerpost, all for the sake of hunting Arty down!" she shouted in an using tone before shaking her head and taking a deep breath. She then rxed her body and returned to her usual position on myp. "The fact that we pretended to believe in your shit so far clearly made you too stupid to realize it was nothing but an act," she muttered as she dug her face back into my chest.

    "Still, that doesn''t answer the question," Ackhart whispered before sending a sneaky nce at my face. "What are you going to do, now?"

    Yet again, Mia moved on myp. This time, however, she was clearly nervous.

    "Just speak up, dear," I said in a gentle tone, running my finger down her cheek. "Whatever you wish for, I will do my best to aplish," I informed.

    There was clearly something wrong with this rtionship. Despite being born and educated in a world that put a massive emphasis on stuff like being alpha, beta, and sigma males, despite knowing that me right now could only be ssified as the beta one...

    I couldn''t care less.

    There would be a time when I would look into this matter, trying to uncover the source of this relentless passion that I felt towards Mia. But right now, I was too busy enjoying her warmth to bother with such pointless stuff.

    "If you say so..." Mia whispered silently, averting her eyes even though I wasn''t looking at her face at all...

    "Then I want to save the rest of my team," she stated, raising her head and looking with her deep eyes right into mine. "Do you think it''s possible?"

    Mia''s body trembled, showcasing just how nervous she was. Yet, rather than being shaken by the development, I couldn''t help but smile.

    "It''s better to work together; I implied it myself right at the start," I admitted before shaking my head. "But to be honest, there is only one thing I dislike about your request, dear," I added with a small smile while putting my fingers on Mia''s soft, moist lips.

    "What is it?" Mia asked, a look of uncertainty appearing deep in her eyes.

    "The fact that you hesitated before asking."

 Chapter 290 Im Not One To Hold A Grudge (Or To Prolong An Arc When Its Over)

    ''Am I even capable of helping those guys out?'' I thought while gently lifting Mia out of myp and standing up myself. ''Or rather, can I bring Mia back to the outerpost without letting those guys leave my sphere of influence?''

    In order to help Mia''s friends, I had to get us safely to the outerpost first. And even though I managed to hide the source of my advantage over the Sangakarts so far, I wasn''t naive enough to believe they wouldn''t figure it out given the time necessary to move to the outerpost.

    "Are we going already?" Mia asked, her face expressing just how surprised she was by my decisiveness.

    "Yeah, there is no use wasting time here," I replied. Then, I bit down on my lips.

    It was time to start my gamble.

    "We don''t really have the time to waste," I stated. "There is no telling when another meteor will strike the outerpost again," I added before turning my eyes towards the girl I saved.

    "Right, I forgot to ask," I muttered, "what is your name?"

    "Mine?" the girl asked when no one replied to my question for a moment. "It''s Hera," she replied, nodding her head. "Nice to meet you..." she added, cutting her sentence as she looked at my face with a questioning look.

    "I''m Arthur, this is Mia, and this guy is Ackhart," I introduced the people that I considered my group right now.

    "And the others?" Hera asked, looking at the Sangakarts clumped in the back of the clearing.

    "They don''t matter," I replied in a dismissive manner.

    "How can we not matter?" the same elder who previously hurled insults towards me now regained his confidence and again probed how much I would allow him to act up.

    "It''s simple," I replied, setting my new n in stone. "If I want to save anyone in the Outerpost, I need to get there as soon as possible," I said before putting a small smile on my lips. "And since you guys would obviously take anyone I would leave with you hostage, I have no other choice but to leave you guys alone," I stated before shrugging my shoulders.

    "And do you think we will allow..." the elder clearly didn''t know better.

    ''Is this a result of being at the top for so long?'' I thought as the look on my face darkened.

    Yet, before I could even get my mind to invoke my disturb spell, another elder struck forward, imprinting his fist on the face of his rowdy colleague.

    "Please, do not pay any mind to the words of this idiot," the smarter elder said, lowering his head in apology. "This guy doesn''t know any better," he added before throwing a hateful stare at the guy he had just beaten.

    "The fuck are you..."

    "Shut up!"

    Another first followed this quick exchange, forcing the emotional of the elders to finally purse his lips and stop talking.

    "Once again, I wish to apologize," the smarter of the elders said before lowering his head. "Both for his actions right now and for whatever our group did to you and your girl before," he added, raising his head only to lower it before Mia a secondter.

    "That''s an... unexpected change," Imented while squinting my eyes.

    I had no doubt that this change of approach wasn''t honest at all. The smarter of the elders was simply trying his utmost to stop me from doing the most obvious thing.

    Since I wasn''t going to let them travel with us, the easiest way to make sure they wouldn''t cause any further trouble to my group... was to just kill them.

    And to be honest, I couldn''t really tell what was stopping me from doing so.

    Maybe it was the morals of the earth? Or maybe a general dislike to taking life unless absolutely necessary?

    ''I guess I can sympathize with their situation too,'' I thought, rolling my eyes over my own naivete.

    As someone who was bullied throughout his entire life just because of my birth, I could understand people''s innate with for freedom.

    And who I was to judge what freedom meant to the people of this world?

    "You guys were after my skin because I could uproot your ns," I stated the obvious. "But now that the situation changed, there is no reason for us to remain hostile towards each other," I imed before turning my eyes towards Hera.

    "Right away," she replied without me even saying a word. She then stood up from her spot and approached me only to beckon at Ackhart to do the same.

    ''To think that this girl would adapt to the situation quicker than a damned elder,'' I thought, rolling my eyes over the fact that it took quite a while for Ackhart to realize what was going on.

    "I won''t forget this gesture of peace," the same elder who stopped me from killing his arrogantpanion now nodded his head again. "I wish you the best of luck in your mission," he added, lowering his entire upper body to the point it turned parallel to the ground.

    "Don''t even make me regret leaving you guys alive," I warned the guy, only to shake my head. Yet, before I could say a single word more, Hera approached Mia and lowered her head.

    "I''m sorry for what I''m about to do," she said in an apologetic voice.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, grabbing my arm as she looked up at my face, clearly looking for an exnation of Hera''s behavior.

    Yet, before I could exin a thing, Hera approached my other side only to pull Ackhart along before throwing him to my left.

    Once the elder ended up crashing into my side, she thentched on to Ackhart''s other side before nodding her head towards me.

    "Hold on tight, guys," I instructed, wrapping my hands around Mia''s and Ackhart''s waists. Yet, before leaving, I turned my head back to the Sangakarts.

    "If my understanding over how this world is going to change, you might end up ushering in the prosperity that I will bring to it," I stated. "I''m not one to hold a grudge as long as the other party does the same," I announced, only to turn my eyes back towards the skies.

    "Keep that in mind whenever anyone suggests your group to go against me," I added before ensuring my hold over my group, bending my knees and then jumping high up to the skies.

 Chapter 291 Reunion In Flesh (+18)

    "Blergh..." Ackhart made some disgusting noises while emptying the content of his stomach at some random wall of the city.

    Normally, an elder like him would likely hesitate before doing something like that in the open... But given the state this town was in right now, no one would care about it anymore.

    The entire outerpost looked like some kind of set from an apocalyptic movie.

    Despite the architectural damage not being all that bad, the town waspletely empty. And with not a single soul in sight, it was filled with an eerie atmosphere, making me feel as if we were sinning just by being here.

    "I wonder what happened here," I whispered as I drew my eyes away from the retching elder.

    "How many monsters did attack this city?" Hera asked, swiftly ustoming herself to call her own kind monsters.

    "It doesn''t look like anything happened after your attack," Mia replied, looking around the ce with a confused expression on her face. "Maybe they all escaped once all the elders deserted this ce?" she suggested, turning her eyes towards me.

    "I don''t feel any energy of my kind," Heramented, looking at me as well.

    ''Damn, I don''t really like this kind of pressure,'' I thought to myself, hiding my inner thoughts from appearing on my face.

    Right now, everyone relied on me to judge the situation and think about the next steps.

    The problem was... I didn''t really have any idea as to what to do!

    Or rather, the only thing that I wanted to do right now was to grab Mia, pull her into one of those abandoned buildings and then take my time properly reuniting with her.

    "This ce seems to be safe," I muttered while looking down at my feet and pretending to be deep in my thoughts. "For now, that is," I added, shaking my head and casting a longing look toward Mia.

    "Does that mean..." Mia whispered in response, her cheeks turning red as she noticed my intense stare, only to look away in shame.

    "Hera, I''m leaving the lookout to you," I said, taking a step towards Mia. "In case any meteor were to close in on this ce... Or not, in case anything happens that you or Ackhart can''t deal with, just shout loudly," I ordered before grabbing Mia''s hand.

    From that point on, I didn''t bother holding myself any longer.

    Sure, saving Mia''s friends was something that required haste... But now that they escaped this town, it didn''t matter whether we cked off a little or not.

    Because this wasn''t some kind of stupid movie or novel, but real life instead. And the chances that wasting a little time now would result in us being just a few momentste...

    "Thanks for that," Mia whispered right into my ear, allowing me to guide her through the corridors of the building. "I couldn''t really hold myself back for much longer," she added when I finally found the entrance to what looked like a bedroom and pulled her inside.

    "I don''t think I will be able to hold back myself," I stated, grabbing Mia''s hand between my hands and closing in for a kiss.

    "Do I look like I would mind it?" Mia replied with a smile, only for her lips to get busyforting my own.

    I pushed Mia down on the bed without even a hint of hesitation. And given how she wasn''t wearing my robes, I didn''t pay any mind to them either, tearing them off her body in a single, decisive grab.

    And then I froze.

    With Mia''s beauty bared right in front of my eyes, I could only stand in my ce and swallow down my saliva.

    "Don''t make me wait," Mia said with a smile, only to pull her legs apart and stretch her hands out towards me in an invitation.

    That was all that I needed.

    I tore off my robes in a single move only to put myself right between Mia''s silky-smooth thighs. Given how I had had a boner ever since she first fell into my arms, I didn''t need to prepare myself whatsoever.

    "Here Ie," I leaned over the girl and whispered right into her ear while using my hand to guide my hardon towards her pussy.

    "You are so wet," I muttered the second our genitals came into contact, only to shut the hell up and busy my lips with kissing Mia''s neck.

    I finally managed to lock myself in the right position. And then, without even a second of hesitation, I pushed myself in.

    This wasn''t the first time that we fucked. Yet, after nearly three months of separation, I felt like I would cum right away.

    ''No, I need to hold myself back a little,'' I thought, pursing my lips and clenching my butt while hiding my face in Mia''s ample bosom.

    "You don''t need to hold back," Mia whispered to my ear, resting her hands on the back of my head as she pushed my face deeper into her breasts. At the same time, she locked her legs behind my hips, proving that she meant exactly what she said.

    "I want you to feel good too," I protested, raising my face from her soft chest, only to feel a thrill of excitement travel down my spine the second I noticed her gentle and loving look.

    "No," Mia whispered in a sweet voice, only to suddenly move one of her hands towards the bed and then use it to push herself up.

    I didn''t offer even the slightest resistance, giving up on the missionary position only to end up with her right on myp again.

    "Right now, I want to make sure I can still satisfy you," Mia said, looking down into my eyes. She then stopped talking as she leaned for the kiss.

    The second our lips connected again, Mia locked her hands behind my back. And then, before I could even immerse myself in the kiss, she started rocking her hips up and down, quickly bringing me to the edge of fruition.

    The world around me vanished. For this one moment, all that mattered was Mia''s warmth coating my entire self. Her smell filled my nostrils. The sloppy sounds that we made whenever her crotch would p down on myp, greedily gobbling up all there was to my cock.

    "I won''tst," I squeezed those few words through my tightened lips, unable to resist Mia''s eagerness.

    "Come," she didn''t bother forming anyplex sentences, opting for short order instead. "Come," she repeated, lowering her lips down on mine and once again sending my sanity away with the taste of her saliva.

    I never considered myself to have a problem with how long I couldst. But faced with all those stimnts all at once, I could do nothing but admit defeat.

    I grabbed Mia by her waist, forcing her down on my penis onest time. Her wet insides coiled around my dick, proving that she was just as excited as I was.

    Mia''s hands pressed on the back of my head, forcing my lips on her chest.

    For but a moment, our bodies tightened all up.

    A sh of pleasure shook my entire self as the result of my ecstasy flushed out of my body and shot up right into Mia''s womb.

    With my face buried deep into Mia''s chest, she was all I could think of, all I could see, smell, feel, or taste.

    In this one moment, when her insides tightly wrapped around my dick, I forgot about all the problems of the world around us.

    "Aaah..." I released a small moan, not seeing any benefit in holding it back. And as my body rxed, I fell to my back, allowing the bed below us to cushion my fall.

    "Ah," I moaned once again when Mia fell right down on my chest, once again letting me experience her softness all over.

    Yet, before I could get enough of this feeling, she slid down from me.

    "Huh?" I moaned in protest, not willing to let her go yet.

    But, to my satisfaction, rather than running away after just a single time, Mia quickly got on all fours before turning around and pointing her shapely ass right to my face.

    "I want you to take me hard," she said, turning her head back as she looked. Her eyes were filled with lust.

    She then pressed her chest down on the bed while pushing her hips as high as she could.

    "Gulp," seeing how a small stream of my cum trickled down out of her tight hole only to flow down the back of her thigh, I could only swallow my saliva.

    My body movedpletely on its own, rising up from the bed and moving towards Mia''s ass.

    "Take me hard," Mia repeated, reaching out with her hand towards her crotch and spreading her own folds apart as if to make my job of prating her easier.

    "I will be happy to oblige," I replied with a smile, putting the head of my penis right between her fingers before pushing myself inside with one rapid move.

    I struck my hips against her ass, refusing to give her any break.

    "Ah!" Mia shouted out as her entire body wiggled in response to my attack.

    "You are mine and mine alone," I muttered, leaning over the arch of her back and closing my lips towards her ear, only to say my line and then nibble on her earlobe.

    "I''m yours and yours alone!" Mia screamed out only to suddenly raise her hand and il it around as if in search of something.

    Right now, there was no need for her to exin her wishes. Fucking her wildly from behind, I somehow could exactly tell what was on her mind.

    "Then let''s forget about me and you," I said, reaching forth and grabbing her hand only to marvel at how delicate her fingers were. "From now on, there is only us!"

 Chapter 292 No Idea For The Title, Sorry (R18)(Suggest Something In The Comments?)

    "Aaah..." a moan escaped my lips when my body tensed up for the onest time. My hips smashed hard into Mia''s soft bottom, allowing the head of my penis to make its way all the way to her deepest parts.

    And then, just like one could expect, I injected my seed right up Mia''s fertile grounds while her insides squirmed to suck all the sperm I had to offer.

    Tump.

    Mia fell down, her legs sliding apart as she couldn''t even keep herself up on her knees. Her face sank into the pillows that just so happened to be on the bed while she continued to relieve the pleasure that just swarmed her.

    ''Damn,'' I thought, looking down at the results of my recent activity while raising my hand to wipe the sweat off my forehead.

    There was something extremely fulfilling in watching the girl I love squirm in post-climaxes, unable to move a muscle while my seed flew out of her gaping hole.

    "Mia..." I whispered, unable to hold myself back as Iid down by the girl and brought her into my embrace. "I missed you more than you can imagine," I added, gently rubbing the back of her head.

    "Ah..." Mia suddenly breathed in, only to push her face up and look at me with those deep eyes of hers. "Assuming you missed me just as much as I missed you..." she purred just an inch away from my lips, only to pull herself up and kiss me lightly. "Still," she whispered, looking away, "it''s bold of you to assume that I''m done," she changed the topic, moving her eyes right back on my face.

    "I don''t mean to tter myself here," I introduced a few words of caution, "but can you even move now?" I asked.

    Even though Mia appeared like the most delicate flower in my mind, she proved many times over already that while in the bed...

    She didn''t really mind getting a rougher treatment.

    It was as if our mutual wish to immerse ourselves in the other couldn''t be sated, no matter how hard we went at it. Even taking her like an animal from behind while allowing my... well, animalistic instincts to take over, instead of protesting, she would either purr with happiness or just moan in pleasure.

    "You underestimate my power," Mia flirted, only to release a small giggle as she rested her head on my chest. For a moment, she calmed down her breath while giving me yet another opportunity to cuddle her.

    Such was the duality of our rtionship when it came to nighttime matters. While going at it, we would forgo all the limits of our wilderness. Yet, the second our climaxes would pass, we would turn right back into the sweetest and most cuddly couple in the entire world.

    "But I would lie if I were to say I can move my hips," Mia added after a few moments, only to roll on top of me. "But do you really think that''s the only way I can pleasure you?" she asked while drawing circles with her finger right on my corbone.

    The small, confident yet mysterious smirk on her lips, the gentle slopes of her breasts resting right upon my chest, the nket of her long, bright hair gently rustling about...

    Everything about this moment was perfect. And for a very simple reason.

    I raised my hand and swept some stray strands of hair away from Mia''s face, refusing to allow the heresy of anything hiding her beauty.

    This moment was perfect only and fully because, for me, Mia was perfect.

    And even if this feeling that continued to rock around my soul was strange, maybe even fake or imnted, I couldn''t care less.

    Because for me, this moment right now was the peak of happiness. And all my efforts so far only served to secure the future in which I could partake in this happiness more, without worrying about Mia''s safety or anyone splitting us apart.

    "I wouldn''t dare to underestimate you," I replied after getting my fill of Mia''s cuteness. "But we keep in mind we need to keep you safe," I added, swiping my finger on her cheek before moving my hand on her back and resting the back of my head against the pillow.

    There was one aspect to sex that cultivators had to keep in mind. Something that I learned in the worst possible way, something that warranted the existence of sects that focused solely on this aspect.

    And it was dual cultivation.

    Whenever two cultivators of varying levels of cultivation would sleep together, the strength of the weaker one would be lifted at the expense of the stronger one. Only when two parties were of equal strength could they both grow at once.

    Normally, rather than treating this matter as a problem, people who simply wanted to fuck would enjoy it as a side benefit. Yet, with my level of strength no longer being within the frames of what this world normally had for humans to offer...

    I was worried about flooding Mia with a greater amount of energy than she could handle!

    "Why am I not surprised?" Mia smiled only to shake her head. "But you don''t need to worry. I could feel your energy flooding me, but I achieved a breakthrough just a few hours ago," she added, resting her cheek on my chest. "I''m nearing the breakthrough, but it''s still going to be a while before I achieve it, don''t you worry," she added.

    Yet, rather than resting down and just enjoying the cuddle, Mia pushed her chest up even higher while the smile on her face widened.

    "Moving back to the topic I brought up before," Mia started, "there are a few things that I heard about that I wanted to try," she added, pushing her upper body so high that her nipples peeked out instead of ttening against my chest.

    "Just tell me what you want; I will do whatever in my power to help," I replied, raising my hand to rustle Mia''s hair.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged only to shake her head sideways, turning her hair into a bright madness that instantly covered my vision. And when I could once again see Mia''s face, there was quite a lewd expression on it! "No, that''s exactly the opposite of what I need you to do now," she said as she reached out and grabbed my hand, only to put it right on her breast.

    "Right now, what I need you to do is lie down, rx, and let me take good care of you," she whispered, sending a shiver down my spine.

 Chapter 293 Mias Practical Lessons (R18)

    "Do they feel nice?" Mia asked, staring down right at my face with her lust-filled eyes. Yet, despite how intense her stare was, she somehow managed to hold herself back, refusing to increase the momentum of her n.

    "How should I answer this?" I muttered, squeezing down at the softness of her chest. Feeling my fingers sinking into her delicate skin, I kept this constant urge to feel her up, a desire that even actually feeling her up wouldn''t sate. "They are the most divine pillow, the tastiest mouthpiece, the most efficient stress-ball," I muttered several ways to describe how I felt while ying around with her boob.

    "Stress ball?" Mia cutely angled her head, puzzled by the words I used.

    Right, this world didn''t have those small toys one could squeeze at to calm themselves down. And since there wasn''t an item like that, this world''sngue didn''t have a proper word to describe it. As a result, my passive trantion couldn''t work since there wasn''t any way to trante what I meant.

    "Anyway," Mia muttered as she fixed her position a little, making it easier for me to grope her chest. "They feel nice, don''t they," she asked again.

    ''She clearly wants a yes or no type of answer,'' I realized, squeezing down once again.

    It was one of those simple pleasures that one could never get bored of.

    "Yeah, they are perfectly fine," I obediently replied in a way that I believed would make Mia happy.

    But she didn''t stay on this topic, opting to reply to my words with a small smile alone.

    "You see, my group consisted of four people beside me," Mia said, pulling herself up my chest only to bring her chest down on my face. "One of them died right beside me when the monster attacked..." she stopped for a moment, an unpleasant memory putting her off. "But what''s important is that there was a couple in my group. A couple that was so focused on each other, they actually hardly spoke with the rest of us," Mia exined what she meant while allowing me to enjoy the soft paradise of her chest.

    "What about them?" I asked, my voice muffled by the attempts of Mia''s nipples to sneak their way into my mouth.

    "I happened to talk a little with the girl," Mia whispered as she suddenly removed her chest from my face... only to continue to pull down and down, all the way to the point where she slid down from the bed and ended up resting her chest right between my legs. "And I had a long talk with her about possible ways to please a man."

    At this point, I could only just sit and wait. With all of the foreshadowing that Mia brought forward, I was slowly starting to figure out what she might want to do...

    ''Nah, this isn''t going to happen,'' I quickly thought to myself, dismissing my naive thoughts. ''I have yet to tell her about blowjobs. There ain''t no way she would go for...''

    A gentle, soft touch of Mia''s skin sent my lower head into the abyss of pleasure. The feeling was so new and so intense that I couldn''t even look down at my crotch to confirm my doubts.

    "Aah," I unknowingly released a small moan.

    As if to spit in the face of all my predictions, this madss did it. She actually went for a damned titjob!

    "Damn..." I moaned again when Mia ced her hands on her own breasts and started to move them up and down, rubbing my penis between them.

    "Do you like it?" Mia asked shyly, sending a quick nce at my face.

    ''Do you want to hear it that much?'' I asked myself.

    Mia was way too smart to misinterpret the current look on my face. But if she wanted to hear me say this out loud...

    ''Wait, no,'' I reprimanded myself, only to clench my fists when a fresh wave of pleasure moved up my spine. ''It''s not like in this matters rationality prevails,'' I thought, recalling all the moments when I logically knew something yet was unable to shake off a bad feeling about it.

    "It feels insane," I uttered through my teeth, worried that if I were to rx even for a moment, this entire thing woulde to a sting end.

    "Then let me amp it up a little," Mia giggled, only to open up her mouth and allow her saliva to trickle down on her breasts and my penis stuck between them.

    And then, without any warning, she returned to moving her tits up and down my shaft, constantly sending nces at me as if to check if she was doing it right.

    It already felt insane to just hold Mia''s breast. But now? With my boner caressed all over by her delicate yet perfectly warm andfortable skin? With her boobs giving way to my own flesh only to wrap around it as tightly as it was possible?

    "I won''t hold for long," I warned, once again only able to utter my words through my teeth.

    "Then it''s time for thest part," Mia said with a flirty smile, only to open up her mouth again... And then lower her head.

    ''Oh god...''

    My body froze.

    Even though I had already slept with her a lot of times, both in the past and during my current stay, it was the very first time for Mia to actually suck me off!

    Her lips wrapped on my shroom, which was the only part of my penis that stuck out of her breasts. And with the tip of my dick enclosed in her mouth, Mia''s tongue went wild, licking it as if it was some old-style candy.

    ''I''m a grown-up man!'' I lectured myself, grasping at the nket in an attempt to hold back the feeling welling up deep in my balls. ''I can handle it!'' I attempted to change the reality by lying about it to myself.

    "I"m about to..." I squeaked, no longer capable of controlling the precise movements of my vocal cord. "Pull out!" I shouted, too worried about Mia''s ownfort to even consider going for the sloppy finish.

    Yet, as if reading my worries... Or actually, Mia likely just followed what she learned from that friend of hers. And just as my body tensed all over, she let go of her breasts, allowing them to fall down, only to put my dick even deeper into her mouth.

    "I''ming!" I shouted.

    Unable to control my voice, I didn''t do much better at controlling my hands.

    In a fit of instinct, my arms shoot down, putting my hands down on Mia''s head only to press it even further down, forcing my dick down her throat.

    Mia''s eyes teared up, yet she didn''t attempt to pull out, obediently pushing her lips to the point where they struck the base of my crotch.

    That was it.

    With my penis wrapped by the slopping embrace of her lips, I shoot out yet again, feeding Mia my cum directly into her throat.

    In this tranquil moment of immense pleasure, I somehow managed to force my eyes down.

    And there it was, Mia''s intense stare locked on my face as she obediently allowed my cum to flood her throat.

    ''Wait, what the hell am I doing?!'' I finally came to my senses, reverting the action of my hands and pulling Mia''s head away from my penis.

    Yet, this time Mia didn''t allow me to lead the situation. Even though at first I had some sess at pulling her away, she quickly brought her hands up only to lock them behind my hips and then pull herself back up, once again making my penis scratch the back of her throat.

    ''God...''

    This had to be the longest orgasm I had had in my entire life. Watching how her throat moved to push the sperm down, watching how the tears flew down Mia''s cheeks despite her refusing to let go...

    ''Just how the hell did I earn the right to have a girl like that by my side?'' I thought, hitting the back of my head against the mattress of the bed.

    "Aaah..." Mia finally pulled out when not even a single drop of sperm was left in my balls. She pulled her chin up and kept on swallowing, struggling to get the job over with.

    "Haaa..." she then opened up her mouth and exhaled, showing how empty it was to me.

    A wide smile appeared on her lips as she removed her hands from my hips and moved them on my exhausted rod, only to start rubbing it all over again.

    "Did it feel nice?" Mia asked in a fakely innocent tone while sparks of joy shed in the corner of her eyes.

    "You said that you can no longer move your hips, right?" I asked, refusing to answer her question.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "I think I''m better now, but I''m still pretty tired," she replied.

    And that was enough for me.

    I pulled myself up only to sit on the edge of the bed. With Mia still between my legs, I grabbed her by her armpits to help her raise up, only to then unceremoniously throw her on the bed.

    "Then I will make sure you don''t need to move at all," Imented, grabbing her knees and pulling her legs apart before moving in to resume right where we left.

    "I''m d that it worked out," Mia whispered, spreading her legs on her own even when I moved my hands to grope her body. She then raised her upper body as she leaned over my ear. "Now, fuck me so hard, I will forget about all those times I missed you!"

 Chapter 294 Mias Wish (R18... But Its Mostly Wholesome Wholesomenes)

    "No matter what shit is going on in the world, this is a peak of happiness for me," I muttered to myself, staring down at Mia''s sleeping face.

    We went at it for several hours, an achievement someone my age should be proud of, especially when considering how tired I was beforehand. And now, once neither of us had any strength in us to continue, we simplyid down on the bed, enjoying each other''spany.

    "You were saying something?" Mia mumbled through her sleep, always ready to respond to me. She rubbed her chin against my chest as she slowly pried her eyes open. "How long was I...?" she then asked, cutely blinking her eyes as she attempted to chase off her drowsiness.

    "Just a short while," I replied, gently moving my hand up and down Mia''s back.

    I immersed myself in the feeling of my fingers gently running up and down Mia''s spine. Her skin softly bent under my touch, turning this little caress into an unspoken massage.

    "I really don''t want to move," Mia whimpered, hiding her face in my chest.

    I moved my hand from her back to the back of her head.

    Surrounded by nothing but Mia''s warmth, my only desire was to spoil the girl as much as was humanly possible. Feeling her skin sticking closely to mine, her arms wrapped around my shoulder, her breasts pressed tightly to my side...

    Right now, Mia was in her most vulnerable position. Yet, despite that, she was fully rxed, quickly lulling herself back into sleep with her steady breathing.

    ''Damn,'' I thought when I noticed Mia munching on a stray strand of her hair with a happy smile. "What, are you a kid?" I whispered, reaching out to pull her hair from her mouth. Yet, just as my thumb rubbed against Mia''s cheek, she turned her lips and caught on it instead.

    Her lips wrapped around my thumb while the rest of my fingers rested on her cheek. Her tongue swirled inside her mouth, quickly covering every inch of it with Mia''s sweet saliva.

    I released a deep sigh.

    "You are awake, are you not?" I asked leisurely, letting the girl y around with my hand.

    Mia''s eyelids slowly moved up, revealing the depths of her eyes.

    They were still moist after the nap that she took, but they were already filling with passion.

    "I''m sorry, dear," I shook my head as I moved my sight to the room''s ceiling. "I don''t think I have it in me yet," I added, excusing myself even before Mia could hint at her growing desire.

    "It''s okay; I didn''t really mean to," Mia whispered softly, only to turn her attention back to licking my finger. "After what I did... sucking on you somehow makes me feel at ease," she added, swallowing the entirety of my thumb.

    Staring down at Mia''s drowsy expression and listening to the sloppy sounds she was making, I could feel my kindling reigniting.

    Itcked the nutrients to reach full recovery, but I was at the very least on a good path.

    "I wish we could remain just like that," I muttered while changing my position on the bed.

    Rather than allowing Mia to just rest her head on my shoulder, I turned to my side and brought her into a tight embrace.

    Deprived of the finger to suck on, Mia''s lips moved towards the angle of my neck. She showered my skin with kisses while pulling herself into my body as well.

    "You are so damn soft," I whispered to Mia''s ear when I felt her pushing her flesh on me. Her breasts ttened against my chest while her legs entered a yful dance with mine.

    "I''m d you like it," Mia whispered, only to move right back to marking my neck with hickeys.

    Yet, instead of just enjoying the cuddle, I looked deeply into her eyes.

    While I had nothing against it, wasn''t Mia marking me with hickeys... A sign of possessiveness?

    It wasn''t something major. Most of the time, a small detail like this would go unnoticed... But with my attention fully focused on Mia and Mia alone, I ended up noticing it.

    ''Is she worried about...?'' I thought, scanning my recent memories to quickly notice the potential source of Mia''s worry.

    "If it''s about that girl, then I don''t care about her," I said, trying my best to mend whatever was causing Mia any form of grief. "I fought another mana monster before and ended up killing its host. He asked me to save the others before drawing hisst breath," I exined.

    Bringing this unpleasant topic up made my body tense up a little.

    "Huh?" Mia jerked her head up, staring at me with her eyes wide open. She then shook her head sideways, only to drill her eyes into a singr point on my chest and bite her lips. "That''s not what I was worried about," she added, resting her forehead on my sr plexus.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked, running my fingers down Mia''s hair.

    "I''m just a burden," Mia muttered, her lips tickling the skin of my chest. "Sure, I can make you feel good, but," she raised her head and looked me directly in the eyes.

    Looking up at her face, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. The way she bit on her bottom lip, sucking it a little into her mouth. The fragile part of her that she so willingly bared to me...

    Everything about this girl was making me go crazy.

    "What in the world are you talking about?" I asked, moving my hand down on Mia''s cheek. My eyes opened up wide in surprise.

    "I know you don''t really care about that girl. It''s just that..." Mia stumbled for words, once again hiding her face in my chest. She then purred a little as she swung her hips to the sides. "I want to give, but I feel like I''m only taking," Mia confessed, her body tensing up in my hands.

    "I thought I grew quickly enough to be of use for you, but..." Mia uttered, tears squeezing out of her eyes.

    "Seriously," I rubbed my hand against Mia''s cheek before gently raising her face up.

    Seeing her tearful expression, I felt my soul shiver.

    ''How can she be so damn precious?!'' I screamed inwardly, bringing both of my hands up and locking Mia in a tight embrace before rolling on my back. With the girl now resting on my chest, I swayed her to the sides while rubbing my cheek against the top of her head.

    "If you are worried about this," I muttered, only to purse my lips right after. Yet, after a moment of consideration, I took a deep breath and leaned over Mia''s head.

    "Then I know how to easily help you," I added, pushing away Mia''s hair before cing a gentle kiss on top of her forehead.

    "Huh?" Mia raised her face, looking at me with an intense expression.

    Only a few centimeters separated our faces. At this distance, I could feel the heat radiating from her lips. The wind carried her smell right into my nostrils, packing them up with Mia''s pheromones.

    And then came the look on Mia''s face as she looked at me with her big eyes, filled to the brim with hope and reliance.

    ''What the hell?'' I thought, struggling to catch a breath.

    In this one moment, Mia looked as if she fully embraced her dependence on me and then relished in it. Rather than trying to be independent, she fully epted the idea of relying on me.

    Once I realized this, I started to notice an entire plethora of emotions hidden in the depths of Mia''s eyes. Hesitation, shame, hope... All sorts of feelings coursed through her soul, exining why she tensed up so much.

    "Up until this point, I refrained from doing so," I whispered, tightening my hug over Mia''s shoulders.

    The warmth of her soft body, now pressed tightly against my skin, sent my brain into the abyss. Yet, when Mia suddenly rxed in my embrace, I felt as if my entire soul would shatter.

    I hid my face in the corner of Mia''s neck, using her softness to ward off the attack of cuteness overdose.

    "You reached eight-stage, didn''t you?" I asked, looking deep into Mia''s wide-open eyes.

    Her current level was in in sight for me. And after several hours of enjoying each other, I could see the small changes happening to Mia''s level of cultivation.

    It was the offshoot of the energy that I failed from stopping.

    As this was our reunion, I forcefully restrained the flow of my energy. After using both this foreign mana and the pure one from the engine, I was worried about contaminating Mia''s flow if I were to make use of dual cultivation.

    That''s why the changes in Mia''s situation were so small. But on the other hand, it was pretty damn easy to change it.

    "Are you proud?" Mia asked with upturned eyes before licking her lips clean. A look of hesitation fleshed at the bottom of her eyes.

    "You did great," I replied, raising my face from her neck and cing a small kiss on her cheek. "That''s really impressive," I added.

    And I wasn''t lying.

    I wasn''t as shameless as to believe that my rate of progress was normal. Right now, I was too worried to even look into my system to check how much I had improved ever since meeting with the first monster.

    The fact that I could now use the pure energy...

    ''No, I still don''t have the time and energy to think about it,'' I thought, taking a deep breath. ''Also, I have more important things to deal with,'' I added, taking a lungs-full whiff of Mia''s delicate scent.

    "But I want to be stronger," Mia said, her hands coiling into fists, showing her determination. She then once again raised her face only to bring it down and connect our lips.

    For the next while, we simply enjoyed the kiss. The taste of each other saliva, the feeling of coiling our tongues, experiencing the warmth of the other in yet another way.

    "Haaa," Mia moaned slightly when our lips finally parted. She kept her eyes open as she stared down into my eyes. "Tell me, can you help me get stronger?" Mia asked, leaning in for another kiss.

    Unable to hold myself back any longer, I pushed my chest up. Then, rather than allowing Mia to justy on me, I brought the two of us up and made her sit on myp.

    "Please?" Mia asked, looking up into my eyes only to snuggle forward, climb my chest a little and wring yet another kiss out of me.

    "There is a way..." I replied a momentter, only to turn my eyes away. For some reason, knowing what I had to say next made me strangely embarrassed. Strangely, because I would ask for something that Mia did to me on her own just a moment ago.

    "Tell me," Mia whispered, resting her forehead on mine and just staring down my eyes in silence.

    "Aaah..." I released a deep sigh, seriously ashamed for some strange reason. "I need you to suck me off," I finally said, averting my eyes at the very same second.

    "Is that it?" Mia jumped a little, her eyes opening even wider than before as she looked at me with surprise.

    "I held my energy back before," I stated, lowering my eyes. "It''s not that I didn''t want to help you, but I was worried that it could cause you harm," I exined myself.

    Between the shame of asking for a blow and the sudden shame of admitting the things I only realized as I spoke about them...

    I didn''t know which one was worse.

    "Wait, are you for real?" Mia asked, still unable to deal with her surprise.

    And then, her mouth quivered, only for the girl to erupt in a bout of clear, sweetughter.

    Mia then allowed her eyelids to fall down as she looked down on my lips and then bit down on her own.

    "There is no point in waiting, is there?" she asked through her giggle. In a sense, she appeared to be relieved, as if a massive burden had dropped out of her shoulders. "Then, I will be in your care," Mia added, cing a gentle peck on my lips as she slid down my naked chest and brought her face down towards my crotch.

    "Now then, let''s see if I can squeeze a little bit more juice out of this sweet guy," sheughed as she gently grabbed my precious partner and brought it towards her lips.

 Chapter 295 Downsides Of Mias Wish (Partly R18)

    Having Mia''s lips wrapped around my penis while her tongue stroked its head should''ve normally gotten me going. The sight of her eyes clouding up under the influence of the lust, the small, sloppy noises she made as her own agitation caused her moves to speed up...

    Everyst detail of the picture below me should make it hard for me to keep my sanity. Right now, I should''ve been fully focused on my pleasure, but...

    ''I need to be careful.''

    This single thought froze any receptors of carnal bliss. Because if I miscalcted even a little, I could end up frying Mia''s cultivation. ,

    And this was a risk that I couldn''t allow myself to take.

    "Am I doing good?" Mia asked, pulling my dick out of her mouth only to p it on her face and bring her mouth down. Before I could even reply, her tongue touched the very base of my shaft only to then move up as Mia pulled her mouth alongside its length.

    "Mia, please..." I muttered, gnashing my teeth together to resist the temptation Mia''s lips offered. "I''m sorry, but I need to focus," I added, cing my hand on the top of Mia''s head to somehow root myself in reality.

    Because contrary to our earlier activities, I didn''t fully restrict the flow of my own energy.

    Whenever Mia would lick my thing, her flow would connect a little to one of my own, borrowing from the momentum and density of my own mana. Whenever she would put my dick in her mouth and then suck on it, my mana would be drained only to supply Mia''s own cultivation.

    Just like the dual cultivation sects preached, dual cultivation always brought equality first and only then benefited both sides.

    Yet, while I could easily feel the changes in Mia''s cultivation, I couldn''t help but keep on worrying.

    The energy I was using was of a different quality than what Mia practiced with. Not only did she purely practice cultivation rather than magic, but she was also still foreign to both the violet energy and the pure mana that I could create with my engine.

    ''Even though I deprived myself out of both of them...'' I thought, sping my left hand into a fist to resist Mia''s skillful moves.

    If I were to feed Mia directly from my current cultivation, she would burn out in an instant. That''s why rather than letting her grow at some impossible pace, I had to suffer through the pleasure of having her blow me.

    It was all for the sake of spreading Mia''s growth in time.

    "I think I broke through," Mia muttered, pulling her face away from my dick for a second. She raised her hand and caught a stray strand of some thick liquid that hung down from her lip only to bring it up on her finger and then lick it clean. "Well, enough talking, I guess," she added cheerfully before moving right back to the job.

    ''This is bad,'' I thought, squinting my eyes and looking up.

    Even ncing down at Mia''s delicious-looking body shaking to the rhythm of her sucking was enough to get me toe. As such, I had no other choice but to give up on such a lovable sight.

    All for the sake ofsting longer and, as such, helping fulfill Mia''s wish without endangering her.

    "Damn," I moaned, attempting to let my fuses out.

    It just felt too damn incredible.

    And for but a second, I rxed my grasp over my own cultivation.

    A momentarypse of concentration. That was the only thing to me for this urrence. In the end, as strong as I was, I was still but a human!

    They should make monuments of me forsting so long while having such a naked bombshell proactively suck on my dick!

    Yet, the worse only was about toe.

    The second my control shook, a stray bout of energy shot towards Mia. And the second it reached her core, Mia''s mouth mped down on my dick, sucking on it tighter than ever before.

    Mia''s eyes widened up as her entire body tensed.

    And it was Mia''s reaction to mypse of concentration that was the root cause of what came next.

    "I can''t..." I attempted to pull Mia''s face away. Now that my control was shaken, it was way too dangerous to keep ongoing.

    But with Mia''s clenched lips to the point where her teeth locked my dick in ce, I couldn''t do anything. Despite all my strength, I couldn''t move my hips at all.

    And so my now free mana flew freely right into Mia''s system. Stuck in the feeling of the greatest suction in my life, I couldn''t hold myself back anymore either. As such, despite already flooding Mia with more energy than she could handle, I then released right into her throat.

    Mia''s eyes shook and then widened, only to remain frozen in this new, unnatural position.

    Her throat gulped down my load, feeding even more mana-rich matter directly into Mia''s stomach.

    Her cultivation exploded, just like she wished. In but an instant, she conquered the gaps that made others waste years to go through. And with this single drive of momentum, she arrived right at the peak of the enlightened stage.

    "Mia...?" I whispered, barely able to utter a small voice through my mouth.

    We spend nearly half of the day reuniting. To say that I was tired would be a gross underestimation. Yet, despite all of that, I still went for this dual cultivation idea, only to end up with one of the strongest orgasms in my life.

    Right now, there wasn''t even an ounce of vitality left in me. But that didn''t mean I could just ignore the disaster at hand.

    "Mia..." I uttered, finally turning soft enough to escape from Mia''s lips and lower myself over her face.

    Her eyes were still frozen, just like the rest of her body. She looked straight ahead, a look of genuine surprise on her face.

    "Mia..." I muttered again, raising my hand and gently rubbing her cheek.

    I could see her energy swirling around, proving that she was still here. Yet, as busy as she was attempting to control this wild energy, she lost her ability to sense or act in the real world.

    ''Is she okay?'' I thought, a physical pain squeezing at my heart.

    Just seeing Mia struggle like that was enough to send me into a frenzy. Yet, I was likely the one most aware of how it felt to suddenly advance several ranks.

    Back when it first happened to me, a part of my system ended up taking the brunt of the damage. Ever since then, my system was slowly making less and less sense, even if it wasn''t directly reflected in its messages.

    Andter on, when I was trying to use this new form of energy, nearly half of my ability to wield said energy was lost in the form of the cost associated with my sudden growth.

    Yes. If anyone, I was the one most aware of the costs of forcefully raising one''s strength. But knowing that and having to watch my beloved suffer as she attempted to wrestle control over the mana I flooded her with...

    "You can do it, Mia," I whispered, rubbing my thumb against her cheek. Then, as a new wave of worry struck me, I reached out and brought Mia into my embrace, trying to at least let her feel reassured.

    Yet, no matter how long I waited, Mia wasn''t waking up. And for every further second that I held myself back, my worries only continued to increase.

    Sure, I could still feel her actively trying to rein that mana in... But what if this was just a convenient illusion? What if what I saw was nothing more than a result of what I wished to see rather than an acute observation?

    "Mia, are you alright?" I attempted to ask... But to no avail.

    "Fuck," I cursed under my breath, only to raise Mia''s powerless body and bring it up to the bed. Then, I covered her with sheats in an attempt to at least keep her warm.

    "This is starting to get dangerous," I muttered, refusing to ept the situation as it was.

    Sure, Mia needed some time to digest all this energy... But wasn''t she taking a bit too long?

    Knock, knock, knock.

    Three times a knock, a signal previously agreed upon with Ackhart and the girl from the shattered continent.

    "What happened?!" I asked, nearly shouting my quest

    I wasn''t angry at either of them for interrupting. It was simply the reaction of my voice to the current state of my mind.

    "We found the tracks of people leaving the town!" Ackhart reported through the doors.

    At least he had the minimal courtesy not to enter, given what kind of sounds oozed out of the room for thest several hours.

    "Good," I replied, taking onest look at Mia''s sleepy face before standing up and dressing myself up. "Did you learn anything else?"

    ''If he could find the tracks, the chances are he could also figure something out from them,'' I believed.

    "It seems like two different groups left the city. They initially went together but split up at the near crossing," Ackhart continued his report.

    ''Crossing?'' I thought, bringing back the image of the local map from my memory.

    And then I froze.

    ''If they split up, some of them went deeper into the sectnds,'' I thought, swallowing down a gulp of saliva. ''But the only other ce the other group could go would be the bordends!''

 Chapter 296 Choosing The Path

    ''What should I do?''

    This one question rampaged through my head, stopping me from doing anything productive.

    Unsure how should I proceed, I was unable to put my energy toward any goal.

    And it was all because there were too many things to take care of.

    ''Should I go check those trails? Or should I stay back and oversee Mia?''

    After a long while, I finally managed to produce a simple question. A question so simple, I already knew the answer.

    ''No, I promised I would never leave her side again,'' I recalled the words that I willingly uttered just a few hours ago.

    Was I the kind of man who would break his word on the first real obstacle?

    ''But if I can''t leave her side...'' I thought, looking down at Mia''s rxed body.

    She was still blocked by her growth, but at least her body continued to function properly.

    "I guess there is no escaping it," I muttered to myself before taking a deep breath and pushing forth to work.

    First, I took down my robes. Then, I brought Mia right on top of my naked back before locking her legs and hands around my waist and shoulders, respectively. And then, just to be sure, I secured her in ce with several nkets, acting both as bounds and as to cover her nudity.

    "Now the question is, which path should I take?" I asked myself, doing a small jump to check whether Mia was nice and secure on my back.

    "I guess I know the answer to this question as well," I muttered before facing the doors and then finally moving out of the building.

    "Huh?" Ackhart shrugged when he saw me with Mia attached to my back. "Is she okay?" he asked, clearly disturbed by the sudden change of situation.

    "Don''t let it concern you," I replied coldly. "Now, lead us to where the paths diverge," I ordered before nodding my head at Hera.

    "Fine," Ackhart ended up sighing heavily before standing up and moving away from the building.

    His guidance took us well outside of the town, far away from the abandoned structures. There, even I could see two patches of ttened grass, proving that whoever walked through this ce did so rtively recently.

    "The bigger group went east," Ackhart said, pointing at one of the trails. "I believe they went deeper into the sect, hoping someone in other cities will be capable enough to y..." Ackhart suddenly swallowed his saliva as he cast a quick nce at Hera.

    Even though I didn''t hold back when using monsters to describe Hera''s kind, Ackhart clearly didn''t feel confident in whether or not he was allowed to do so as well.

    "To defend them from the disaster," Ackhart finished his former sentence, not before swallowing a gulp down his throat.

    "Then this is the path that you will take," I ordered without thinking much.

    The path leading in the opposite direction, to the west, was way smaller. And even a newbie tracker like me could tell the group that made it was considerably smaller than the other.

    "Huh?" Ackhart shrugged. "What do you mean?" he asked, raising his eyes to my face.

    "We are going to split up. You will go east to catch up with the bigger group while we will go east," I exined, pointing my hands at me, then at Mia on my back, and finally at Hera.

    "You don''t understand what I meant," Ackhart protested, shaking his head. "What''s the use of splitting up like that? Why do you even want to make contact with both groups?" the elder asked, clearly unable to see the point of my decisions.

    "I''m sending you east because that''s likely the easier path to take," I replied, exining the entire matter slowly as if to a child. "I believe the monsters will be attracted to the areas with filled with their own energy. As such, they are likely to zero-in on the bordends," I added before leaning my head to the side and smiling gently. "Would you rather take that path instead?"

    Ackhart only swallowed a gulp of his saliva.

    "Why make contact with both groups, then?" he repeated the question that he deemed to be left with no answer.

    "Because Mia wants to reunite with her group?" I replied with a question on my own, acting as if my answer was so obvious that it couldn''t be just stated outright.

    "And what does that have to do with me?" Ackhart exploded. "The entire order of the world is falling apart. Our continent might change to the point where normal inhabitation of thisnds will no longer be possible!" he ranted out, taking a short break only to breathe in.

    "What does my request have to do with you," I repeated the man''s word, my stare turning colder. "That''s a pretty valid question," I added, looking down at the elder''s face.

    Then, I took a deep breath to calm myself before approaching the man''s attitude once again.

    "As far as I''m concerned, that''s the only wish that you are capable of fulfilling," I stated, taking a step toward the man. "And since Ist checked, I''m also one of the very few people capable of fighting off those monsters," I added, taking yet another step towards the man.

    I only moved forward a little. But we were never far apart to begin with. As such, with those few steps alone, I already stood directly above the elder, reversing the natural order of respect.

    Despite being just a graduate of the sect, I now looked down at its elder!

    "That''s why I believe it''s in your best interest to fulfill whatever I wish for," I finished my exnation before turning toward the path I had already decided to take.

    "Fine..." Ackhart turned his eyes to the side, refusing to look back into my eyes. "What do you need me to do, then?" he asked obediently, growing increasingly aware of the difference between us.

    Back when I first met Akhart, I learned quite a few important bits from him. And this was the only reason why I even humored his questions in the first ce.

    But after reading Mia''s letters and experiencing the local politics on my own back, I was unwilling to just let Ackhart guide my moves.

    Because rather than falling in line with the political principles of the people of this crumbling world, I was more interested in fulfilling whatever wish Mia could have.

    And if she wanted to reunite with her group, then that''s exactly what would happen!

    Or rather, that''s exactly what I would make happen!

    "I need you to make contact with the group that went east," I stated after taking a moment to calm myself down. "Once you meet them, first find out whether any of Mia''s former teammates is with them. I need you to guide them to my location if you happen to find them," I exined the details of this task.

    "Right..." Ackhart muttered, rubbing his chin as he thought about something. "What about you, then?" he asked, raising his eyes and finally daring to look at my face. "I mean, I need to know if I want to find youter on," he added, turning his eyes away as if this topic made him feel somewhat ufortable.

    "We will be going towards the bordends, trying to meet up with the other group," I exined, turning my eyes once again towards the path that I wanted to take. "To take this path during a moment like this... It would take some extraordinary courage, stupidity, or genius," I exined my train of thoughts.

    I then turned my head around, looking at the elder once again.

    "And I''m eager to meet whoever possesses either of those traits," I added, a small smile forming upon my lips. "That, but I also need to find one person," I added, moving my eyes back on the path and taking the first step.

    "Could that person be..." Ackhart muttered only to raise his head and speak up, "the pathfinder?"

    Hearing the title, I froze on the spot. Because Ackhart was right on the money.

    Outside of the idea of chasing after special disciples that went seemingly to their doom, even outside of my wish to investigate the bordends given their connection to Hera''s type of mana...

    There was still one reason why I wanted to visit that ce.

    The one person whom I could truly and without a doubt call my master. Someone who not only helped me a lot but also imparted insanely important skills to me, something that turned incredibly useful while I did my part as a member of the sponsorship system.

    "How did you know?" I asked sharply, feeling as if I had touched on something interestingpletely by chance.

    "It''s pretty obvious," Ackhart shrugged his shoulders. "He is necessary if you want to cross the bordends. And given how both of youe from zero zones, I''m sure you have someone you want to keep safe out there," Ackhart exined his train of thought before shaking his shoulders again.

    "Then I will disappoint you," I replied, a small, cheeky smile forming upon my lips. "I don''t want to use him. I want to find and help him, to thank him for all the help that he offered me in the past," I exined, finally taking my first, proper step on this new path.

    "That''s normal as well," Ackhart agreed, still deep into a topic he brought up. "Feeling indebted to the pathfinders is normal," he stated before shaking his head and turning his eyes up, only to make them drill holes in my back.

    "What keeps me wondering, though, is why you never mentioned your promoter?" Ackhart asked, sending a chill down my spine. "I mean, the pathfinder and the promoter... Aren''t those two the figures that most of the sponsorship workers respect the most?"

 Chapter 297 Wandering Royal

    The sky above the Skdder''s sect was filled with dark smoke.

    The city itself was the source of those dark clouds.

    Once rich trade area now turned into smoldering ruins, constantly releasing intense puffs of smoke. Down the former roadid a housing district now reduced into just a massive pile of rubble.

    ''I''m tired,'' Vaner thought, rubbing his hands together to fight off the cold.

    Sadly, this gesture did nothing. While capable of warding off a little cold, it could do nothing about the chilling from the depth of the man''s heart.

    The area around the man was devastated way more than the other plots ofnd. But after several hours long of fights, it was only given.

    "And if this ce ended looking like that..." Vaner muttered to himself as he raised his head to scan the area above his head. He then rapidly shook his head before looking away in the distance.

    ''No, there is no point,'' Vaner stopped before his initial feeling forced him to rush ahead just in hopes of survivors left in the wake of those few monsters thatnded on this side of the barrier.

    ''Knowing my luck, only two other wanderers are on this side,'' Vaner thought as he finally bowed his head lightly before the lifeless corpse that hid within the mass of the monster''s mana just a moment ago.

    Just a few moments before, that corpse was still a man. Yet, after Vaner''s attempt at saving said man from the mass of the violet energy, his movements proved to be too quick and drastic for the people.

    Vaner moved forward...

    Only to end up taking a short break, barely a few steps further.

    Because that was a ce housing a corpse of another of the monster''s hosts. A few meters further down the path, a pile of several corpses awaited to be piged.

    The streets of the Skdder city ended up washed by a stream of blood.

    Blood of those that Vaner attempted to separate from their mana for the sake of interrogating them!

    The devastation of the town wasn''t a monster''s fault. The most it could be called guilty of was starting the fight with Vaner a bit too close to the city.

    And once said fight concluded with yet another corpse hanging by its throat from Vaner''s hand, the city was no more.

    ''Just who the hell are they?'' Vaner asked himself, shaking his head before picking up the pace and moving down the path.

    Once outside of the city, he was no longer tormented by the scores of corpses that he left in his wake.

    For every second that Vaner existed on this side of the barrier, the world itself attempted to corrupt him.

    The energy that fresh cultivators would use to grow stronger now was nothing but a handicap for the man, given how it was less dense than his very own mana.

    Instead of cultivating like anyone else who was weak enough to remain on this side of the barrier, Vaner would simply lose his strength by absorbing the local energy!

    Vaner then looked down at a small, golden bead that he held tightly in his left hand.

    ''It''s still here,'' he thought after opening up his palm and sending down a quick stare.

    It was the same kind of beam that Ackhart once used to call forth Royal authority. Yet,pared to Ackhart''s stone, Vaner''s bead was both ways smaller, but also...

    Of visibly greater quality.

    Another corpse blocked Vaner''s path, forcing him to raise his hand and pull a piece of his robe over his nose.

    The stenching from the corpse was unbearable, proving that it had been left to its own devices for quite a while already.

    ''Even in those small sects, vile things do happen, don''t they?'' Vaner thought, raising his eyes and then looking behind.

    His eyes were both drawn towards a particr point within the city. Just a small, rtively open area, where no ruble of the nearby buildings could be seen.

    ''Looking at it from here, it looks like the world itself refused to allow anything into that scorched ground,'' Vaner thought, turning thoughtful as he thought about this particr ce.

    It was the same ce that Arthur burned down when his cultivation nearly went berserk. It was the ce that died to Arthur''s mes, mes that were so powerful and primordial they prevented any energy from entering it, eventer on.

    Vaner tightened his hands as a group of memories instantly flooded his brain.

    The day when all the shit went down.

    The day when he finally learned the true version of what happened caused Arthur to act the way he did.

    The day when he understood just where his little ploy took Arthur.

    "I do not deserve forgiveness for that," Vaner muttered to himself, so immersed in self-guilt that he wouldn''t notice an enemy even if it stood right before his nose.

    Yet, the world wasn''t about to give Vaner any time to sort his thoughts out. Before he could even turn around and continue his escape from the massive battlefield, another monster suddenly came crashing down, only tond right into the area of the scorched ground.

    ''Not good,'' Vaner red up instantly.

    Even to this day, no one learned the secrets of this ce. That scorchednd turned into yet another grey zone that could potentially kill anyone involving themselves with it.

    And even a wandering royal-like Vaner wasn''t an exception from this rule.

    ''Fuck,'' he cursed under his breath as he cast his stare down towards the ce where the monsternded.

    And just like always, it quickly started to turn its raw form of energy into the shape of some kind of monstrous figure. And then, the second its phantom body formed, it attacked.

    But the attack never connected.

    The second the monster''s arm broke through the confines of the scorched earth, its entire body suddenly stood in mes.

    The mana that constructed the monstrous phantom quickly whizzed away, directly burned away by the wild mes of the danger zone left after Arthur''s rampage.

    ''Wait, now is my chance!'' Vaner realized, lowering the center of his mass before lunging forward.

    The grey zone was a ce potentially even dangerous to royals like him. Yet, this was also his best shot at solving the one problem that gued him the most.

    Expecting the worst, Vaner plunged right into the burned-out death, forcing himself right through the center of the mass of the monster.

    And for the first time since he started his hunt, Vaner seeded.

    He flew right through the monster. The condensed spiritual energy of Vaner''s acted like a drill that forced all the violet energy away, allowing the man to grab the monster''s host and force him out.

    "SAFE!" Vaner shouted with clear relief. He then raised his hands and took a quick look at himself.

    Just this momentary time that he spent within the scorched earth was enough to burn down a considerable part of his clothes.

    Yet, what was even more surprising, was how Vaner''s potential to hold the spiritual energy...

    Somehow ended up decreasing by a fair bit as well.

    "Finally," Vaner released a deep breath, barely stopping himself from openly celebrating his small victory.

    Because for the first time since he started his hunt, he managed to obtain a witness without actually killing him!

    "I will have a lot of questions for youter," Vaner announced to the unconscious man before raising his eyes and throwing a quick nce behind.

    The burned-outnds were still there, awaiting a gullible prey to step into their sphere of influence.

    "If only I knew..." Vaner thought, looking at the cursednd. He then bit down his bottom lip. "I knew something wasing, so I was eager to force you out into the greater world," he muttered to himself as he stared nkly at the soot-covered ground.

    "It wasn''t worth the cost," Vaner told himself as his rationality took over and pulled him away from the danger zone. "How could it be?" a series of shes appeared before the man''s eyes, reminding him of what his naivete brought one of his formers students to.

    Yet, as Vaner continued to move, he couldn''t help but look around.

    At thends, once rich, nowid all to waste. In the city, that was no more. At the formerly fertile grounds, now fertilized by the corpses of the monsters.

    He looked at all the foreign mana that contaminated the local flow of energy and threatened to destroy the entire zone.

    ''Was it really not worth it?'' Vaner suddenly asked himself.

    His wish for redemption was so desperate it would make anyone disgusted.

    "What would be worse for him," Vaner thought, blinking a few times to chase away the tears from his eyes. "The rape he went through, or dying without knowing any better to those damned monsters?"

    The answer should be obvious. But with the current state of the world around him, Vaner could no longer be so sure.

    He then looked down, right at the golden bead in his hand once again.

    The very reason for the current plight of the man. The reason why he had to shoulder the moral consequences of actions that he never wanted tomit in the first ce.

    The golden seal of royalty. It connected Vaner directly to the royals of the Barhan Kingdom.

    The golden seal proved he was nothing more but a royal ve. Someone who reached the peak, only to remain chained to the bottom.

    "I won''t get my answers just by hoping for them," Vaner muttered to himself after taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

    In this now monster-infested world, he had no free room in his mind to think about the past.

    ''Hate me or love me,'' he thought, recalling Arthur''s face right behind his eyes. ''But I can at least hope that my actions saved you from the certain death!''

 Chapter 298 Ackharts Adventure

    ''This damned guy...'' Ackhart cursed under his breath.

    And given just how exhausted he was, wasting his break like that proved just how annoyed he was with his current mission.

    ''Sending one of thest few surviving elders of the outerpost for a fetch mission like that...'' Ackhart thought, only to gnash his teeth together and pull his hands into fists.

    Yet, no matter how furious he was, the elder still managed to keep his head cool.

    "Well, I''m moving into thends of the sect. I guess sending an elder like me was the most rational option," Ackhart muttered to himself, trying to find any reason at all to keep on following Arthur''s wishes.

    Sadly, though, Ackhart''s reasons remained the same. The world simply refused to provide him with a convenient lie that could hide the real intentions behind his exhausting journey east.

    Ackhart took a deep break before lowering his eyes on the path once again.

    Even though the trail was getting fresher and fresher, the distance that he had yet to cover to catch up with the group he was chasing... It actually continued to increase.

    ''I guess I can''t move much faster when I don''t know what ce is their end goal,'' Ackhart thought to himself before releasing a tired sigh as he picked up the pace.

    It was already well into the second day of his chase, and he had yet to catch up with the group. But he only had himself to me for that.

    Roughly ten hours ago, right before the sun would set for the day, Ackhart decided to take a gamble. Instead of following the trail to thest hint, he deduced where it would lead in the long run before changing directions to take a short path.

    Travel the quicker way Ackhart did... But upon his arrival, there were no signs of anyone''s presence. Not a single hint pointed at the trail intersecting the ce Ackhart hoped for.

    In the end, his attempts to shorten the distance separating him from the group he was chasing after turned out into nothing more but a massive waste of time.

    And by the time Ackhart managed to return to where he strayed off the trail''s path, it was already dark, making it quite challenging to keep on going.

    ''But how could I know they would head south instead of following the main path?'' Ackhart thought, eager to let go of some of the guilt that he felt. ''What is even down this road?'' he then asked himself, unable to point out a single thing of importance located in the way the trail led him.

    Just a single day of marching away from the lower headquarters. Just a single day''s worth of travel away from a massive gathering of the Sect Elders. Or, in other words, a day of march away from a ce bustling with people capable of facing those monsters.

    And despite being just a single day away from a ce like this, the group that the elder was following ended up taking the wrong turn and heading into the wilderness!

    "The one thing that is south from here... Aren''t those the contractor hunting grounds?" Ackhart muttered to himself after thinking for a while.

    He could only vaguely recall this information. It wasn''t knowledge officially essible to the people in the sect. He only knew about it because of a warning he once received when he strayed too deep into the wild during his time as a disciple of the sect.

    ''With how they are treated in the sect, you don''t want to enter thends where contractors run wild,'' Ackhart thought, recalling the very quote that he heard when his past teacher lectured him.

    "But there is just no way they knew about it," Ackhart whispered, trying to make sense of his situation.

    Then, his face froze for a second as a single thought shed in his mind.

    ''What if they had someone within the sponsorship rtion, someone just like Arthur and Mia''s pairing?'' Ackhart thought, the look on his face changing.

    If even a single student had someone close act as a contractor to the sect, there was a chance they also learned the news of the contractors'' hunting grounds.

    And in the time of an apocalypse and the world-changing... Who else could be qualified to be sought for by the others if not the very people that made a living by hunting monsters far and wide in the wild parts of the southern sectnds?

    "If that''s really what they thought..." Ackhart bit down on his lips as he forced his body to move forward. "Then they are in for a really nasty surprise," he then added under his breath as he continued his toil.

    Ackhart then shook his head and picked up his pace.

    Concerning himself with the safety and well-being of the people of the group he was following... It wasn''t one of his concerns.

    If he could reach them quick enough to help them, he would likely extend his hands toward the people in need. But for those who would likely lose their lives to wildlife before he could even find them...

    ''I guess I''m just a bad person,'' Ackhart thought, shrugging those thoughts off.

    As much as he was willing to help those disciples of the Tuxi sect if they were in need, he couldn''t really concern himself about them either. In the end, there was only a limited amount of free space in his heart that could make him feelpassion.

    And all those who failed to secure a soft spot in Ackhart''s heart for themselves were, well, out of luck.

    "Huh?" Ackhart suddenly stopped in his tracks. He then lowered himself to his knees as he looked around, eager to pinpoint the location a weird smell wasing from.

    And soon, his eyesid on the source of the awful stench that alerted him in the first ce.

    ''Poor guy,'' Ackhart thought, looking at the mutted corpse donning the sect''s robes.

 Chapter 299 The Primordial Beast

    ''Poor guy,'' Ackhart thought, looking at the mutted corpse donning the sect''s robes.

    One of his arms and both of his legs were long gone, likely consumed by nearby wildlife. But while that alone was perfectly normal for anyone who died in a forest, there was something else about the corpse that made Ackhart actually stop near it.

    ''Howe it decayed so quickly?'' Ackhart asked himself, unable to figure out the logic behind this fact.

    He was, at most, a single day of march behind the group he was chasing. And even assuming that this poor kid was at the front of the group at the moment of his death, it still wouldn''t make any sense for his body to decay so quickly!

    ''The residual spiritual power should keep his flesh fresh for a few days,'' Ackhart thought, taking a knee and leaning over the corpse in search of some clues.

    And then he found it.

    An injury that didn''t fit the image of a monster attack.

    A stab wound right into the kid''s heart, one that waster widened as if in an attempt to extract something.

    And to make matters worse, it was this very wound that was the core of the decay spreading through the monster.

    "Who could do something like this?" Ackhart asked out loud, pondering over the secrets this poor man would likely take to his grave.

    In all of Ackhart''s expertise, there wasn''t a single exnation for what he just found out.

    He didn''t know of any monster capable of doing something like this. And even his limited knowledge of the forbidden rituals and cultivation techniques didn''t get any more useful than the knowledge open to everyone.

    ''Is this some kind of new bred of monsters?'' Ackhart attempted to formte a thesis about the past of this corpse. ''Or maybe those monsters from the sky are the ones behind this death?'' he attempted to widen his perception, assuming the things that he normally wouldn''t.

    But it could hardly be named an uncalled-for. Now that the world around Ackhart was rapidly changing, thinking out of the box could lead to more precise results than following the standard way of thinking that lost its meaning in this changing world.

    "Well, I won''t learn anything else from this corpse," Ackhart muttered, resting his hands on his knees before using them as support to kick himself up. Yet, the very second Ackhart raised his head; his face turned white.

    Now that he had changed his perspective, he fully understood the scale of the situation.

    Because the corpse that he found wasn''t the only one in the area, it was just the first one he stumbled into.

    Right past the small hill on which Ackhart found the first corpse, an entire clearing was filled with dead disciples, all presenting the same signs of decay as the poor boy Ackhart found.

    ''Who the hell could do such a thing?'' Ackhart thought, squinting his eyes and squeezing his fingers into fists.

    Death wasn''t a foreign concept to the man... But even someone like him, even with massive baggage of bloody experience that Ackhart had...

    Nothing could prepare him for tens of fresh corpses, all already rotting away under the influence of some technique that Ackhart didn''t understand or knew about.

    ''It''s not safe,'' Ackhart thought, instantly taking a step back while lowering his posture even further.

    The corpses all belonged to disciples of the weaker strength. Thanks to how fresh those corpses were, Ackhart could still tell that not a single one managed to reach as little as the fifth stage...

    And then he saw it.

    A corpse of a female disciple that he just happened to have an intimate rtionship with in the past.

    A corpse of a girl that Ackhart knew for sure was on the ninth stage of cultivation. But it was also a corpse that only gave off the scent of the spiritual energy of a fourth-stage cultivator at the very most!

    ''Did something consume their strength?'' Ackhart formed another thesis, the only one that appeared to make any sense in the current situation.

    Thump.

    A soft, dull sound of something heavy stepping on the ground appeared from right before Ackhart''s back.

    The elder slowly turned away, refusing to make any sudden moves.

    And as he managed to finally turn his head around, he came face to face with a head of a monster that towered above the entire forest around.

    ''How could I miss it?'' Ackhart thought, his eyes opening wide.

    The size of this monster was insane. At the very least, it was twice as high as all the trees around. And given how it took the shape of a fox, the rest of its body extended for at least a hundred meters to the back.

    ''Its head alone is bigger than the town''s gate,'' Ackhart thought, bitting down on his lips as he stared right into the monster''s eyes.

    But there was one weird thing about this monster.

    Despite being so damn massive... It didn''t have even an ounce of that weird, violet energy that all the otherworldly monsters that dropped into this world came with!

    "Is ThIs YoUr DoInG?" a weird voice spelled a few words out right within Ackhart''s brain as the foxes'' eyes zeroed in on Ackhart''s eyes.

    The elder wasn''t weak by any means. He bore the distinction of the elder for a reason, not due to some kind of nepotism. And yet, in the face of this monster, he could only shiver in fear.

    "N-no..." Ackhart muttered, forcibly oveing his fear.

    If anything, annoying this monster would be the stupidest thing that he could do right now!''

    "I sEe..." the voice appeared in Ackhart''s mind once again, only to fade away the second the fox turned its massive head away, facing the field filled with corpses once again. "LeAvE tHeN," it added, sending a quick nce towards the elder.

    ''It''S nOt SaFe HeRe."

    This was a pretty simple sentence. Yet Ackhart couldn''t help but shiver.

    ''Just what has to be around for such a monster of monsters not to feel safe?'' Ackhart asked as he slumped down and fell on his ass.

    Right now, his legs were too shaky for him to move.

    "WhAt ArE yOu DoInG?" the monster asked; this time, its voice was filled with annoyance.

    It was a really dangerous path that Ackhart was treading right now. But between annoying this monster and annoying Arthur...

    Ackhart swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t leave yet," he said, reaching the upper limits of his courage as he denied the monster''s order. "I need to save those few that survived..." he said, only to cut his words short as she looked at the scene of carnage.

    Ackhart then swallowed his saliva and raised his face to the monster again.

    "I need to save those few who survived whatever attacked them here," Ackhart stated, refusing to just leave.

    "WhY iSn''T tUxI dOiNg AnYtHiNg?" the monster asked, only making Ackhart freeze all over again.

    ''It knows about the sect?'' he asked, his eyes opening wide.

    The elder then swallowed yet another mouthful of saliva. Then, he raised his eyes on the monster''s massive yet cute head and asked.

    "What are you?"

    The monster then released something that could only be called a weird chuckle.

    "You are the soul of this forest," a foreign voice appeared in Ackhart''s ears. In a sense, it was simr to the one this monster was using ever since its first sentence... But it was changed. Or rather, it sounded as if the voice of this monster was a far-degraded version of the voice that Ackhart heard just now.

    "You, the primordial beast of this world, will be tasked to protect it from foreign invasion," the voice continued only to suddenly cut short right after this simple yet meaningful sentence.

    "AnD i BeLiEvE tHaT tImE hAs CoMeTh," the monster added in its unnaturally natural voice.

 Chapter 300 Mias Spiritual World

    "What the hell is going on?" Mia muttered to herself, stuck in a weird limbo of nothingness.

    Her point of view was in a suspended state, allowing the girl to see only the stuff directly ahead.

    ''Well, it''s not like there is anything to see out here,'' Mia thought, taking stock of the situation.

    She then shook her head and attempted to close her eyes, only to realize that neither did her point of view shake nor did it disappear.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, a cold chill running down her spine.

    ? ''Where exactly am I?'' Mia asked herself, digesting the visual feed she was forced to ingest.

    The world around her was... weird, to say the least.

    Instead of ground, buildings, nature, or even animals, it all consisted of clouds of spiritual energy.

    The color of those clouds would vary.

    ''It''s like every color meant a different density of the energy,'' Mia thought, running her hand through the clouds both close and far away.

    ''Huh?''

    The girl shrugged when she realized what she had just done.

    ''How in all hells could I reach clouds so far away?'' she asked, her eyes widening.

    Even though she had no eyes in her current state of being.

    On its own, being stuck in this strange ce didn''t seem so bad. Or rather, Mia wouldn''t mind living in this ce at all.

    It was calm. There weren''t any enemies there. Just the spiritual energy all around, free for grabs. All Mia had to do was to reach out...

    ''No,'' Mia shouted in her mind, shaking off this strange feeling of fulfillment and easiness.

    There was one fault that this world couldn''t ovee, no matter howfortable and soothing it was.

    This world was devoid of Arthur.

    ''And it doesn''t make any sense for me to stay here if he''s not here with me,'' Mia thought, not even a shred of hesitation appearing in her soul before this kind of statement.

    ''Huh?'' Mia suddenly realized the weight of what she thought about. ''I know I''m charmed by him and that I likely love him...'' she thought, gritting down her imaginary teeth in this imaginary world, unable to figure out the weird feeling that she had.

    It was as if her love for Arthur... Was greatly bigger than what could be normally exined.

    To a degree, in this world of pure energy and no lies, Mia couldn''te to terms with her unexinable obsession with her man.

    ''It feels as if...'' Mia swallowed down hard, ''as if those feelings were imnted?''

    The second this thought appeared, the world around Mia changed. The clouds turned chaotic, moving from one ce to another and crashing into each other in the process.

    Soon, the clouds started to converge into just a group of just a few, each growing more intense by the second.

    ''Was it all a lie?'' Mia thought, the storm in the world of spiritual energy she was stuck in increasing.

    ''Wait, what even are those doubts?'' Mia asked herself, forcefully putting a mental stop to her wild usations. ''Where do theye from?'' Mia continued to pry into her own business, unable to understand a thing about her current mental state.

    And then she froze. Because a very simple question appeared in her mind.

    A question that was both simple andplicated. Both obvious but also incredibly minute.

    ''Where do Ie from?''

    On the surface, this question was simple.

    Just what kind of events made Mia appear in this strange spiritual world? Only by finding an answer to this question could she at least try to figure out what was actually going on.

    But then came the other meaning of this question.

    ''Where do Ie from?''

    This question was strictly bound to the feeling of unease Mia had. It connected to her inability to exin her own feelings directed at Arthur.

    ''Now that I think about it, it felt as if something slowly clicked in me,'' Mia thought, somehow capable of perfectly recalling even the smallest bits from her memory. ''It didn''t happen overnight... But as I grew used to him... No, there wasn''t a single point when I fell for him,'' Mia stated in her mind.

    This was the only thing that she could be sure about.

    Rather than suddenly getting struck by a powerful arrow of love... She somehow grew into Arthur''spany, only to soon be unable to bear itsck.

    ''Sometime back at the Skdder sect, I just started to love him,'' Mia thought, unable to tear her thoughts away from the deeper question she stated.

    Yet, no matter how confused she was, she refused to just let go of this one feeling that defined her.

    ''The question is... are my feelings real?'' Mia asked herself, the spiritual world around only appearing to enhance those destructive thoughts.

    "No!" Mia screamed out, refusing to let her inner state be swayed by whatever governed this ce.

    ''Ever since I woke up in here, I thought of nothing but doubts,'' she realized, spelling this assumption out in her mind as if to make it more rooted in reality. ''But there is one topic that I would get sidetracked away whenever trying to think about it,'' she added in her thoughts as she finally got closer to figuring out her situation.

    And Mia didn''t need to think for long to find out just what kind of topic steered clear from her attention.

    ''How did I get here in the first ce?'' Mia asked herself.

    Now that she knew which direction this ce wanted to take her, she would do her best to go in the opposite one!

    ''No, what''s thest thing that I can remember?'' Mia quickly changed her question, her brain sweating under pressure.

    And soon enough, the answer appeared before her eyes.

    Arthur''s naked torso. The taste of his dick stered all over the depths of her throat. The gentle sways of his hips mixed with the twitches of his thing in her mouth.

    And then the unstoppable wave of energy mixed with Arthur''s face changing.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, wing at the memory, desperate to stop it from going away.

    Mia couldn''t know this. But she could somehow feel that Arthur''s expression was the biggest clue to exining her situation.

    ''He was... distressed?'' Mia thought, raising her mental arm to her imaginary lips.

    For some reason, she felt as if that moment from her memory had never passed.

    ''It''s as if I''m... stuck,'' Mia thought.

    This sentence came from her deepest insides, way below the level of her consciousness.

    It was as if...

    As if those words came from the same source that made her anxious before.

    "Stepbrother, I''m stuck."

    In a spur of a moment, Mia''s mind wavered. And something from its depths lurked outside for a brief moment.

    ''Huh?!'' Mia freaked out, the momentary daze fading away in but an instant.

    "Just what was that?" she muttered under her imaginary nose.

    But one thing was obvious at this point.

    Those strange words and even stranger meanings hidden behind them... They felt perfectlyfortable in Mia''s mouth.

    It was as if she was used to saying it.

    Yet, there was one more effect to Mia''s weird moment. The second she recovered from her daze, the vibrant world of energy suddenly pulsed. And once the wave of energy reflected in the sway of the clouds of mana faded away...

    The entire world around her suddenly turned transparent.

    Mia could still see its details, but they were now but a mask over the world around her.

    "Huh?" Mia squealed, faced with the sudden sight.

    Her head was resting on Arthur''s shoulder. Her arms were wrapped around his neck while his arms supported her thighs.

    Only a few nkets secured Mia''s body to Arthur''s back, giving her a minimal amount of decency.

    ''What''s going on?'' Mia thought, bewildered by the sudden sight.

    She could see herself... as if she was looking over her own right shoulder.

    And then Mia felt it.

    Her naked body was glued to Arthur''s naked back. The droplets of Arthur''s and Mia''s sweat mixed on their skin, helping to transmit the warmth between the two.

    Mia was still stuck in this strange world of energy. And the second she noticed all of those things, Mia''s senses got overloaded.

    It was as if her brain replicated every tiniest pleasure of sticking to Arthur a thousandfold.

    ''I need to get out,'' Mia thought, unable to resist the wave of feelings that flooded her brain.

    To a degree, she could still feel the warmth of what they did before she lost herself. She could still feel the strain on her muscles after they went at it for the entire night.

    And now, faced with an overwhelming experience of Arthur''s closeness, Mia was about to lose her mind.

    ''I need to figure it out,'' Mia thought, sping her imaginary teeth together. ''Just why am I stuck here?'' She asked, refusing to let herself be sidetracked anymore. ''What could make Arty so worried?''

    Question after question, Mia homed in on the crux of the matter.

    And it didn''t take her long to reach the answer.

    ''Even if it''s only a guess of mine,'' Mia thought, raising her eyes at the picture of herself strapped to Arthur''s back.

    He was exhausted, injured, and really needed some time to rest. It was something that she didn''t realize before. Faced with his overwhelming and nearly godlike power, she failed to see the cost it brought upon her lover.

    The weight of the burden he was carrying went unnoticed. And now, she waszing away in this strange world, getting excited and frustrated over the simplest touch...

    ''Let''s see if I''m right,'' Mia thought, her imaginary lips turning into a mocking smile.

    If it was about getting back to Arthur, she wouldn''t mind challenging the mystery of this strange world!

 Chapter 301 Gianormous Bear

    ''Damn, this is tiring,'' I thought, taking a step forward.

    This was how my life looked right now.

    Take one step. Then another. Then one more. And then repeat all those three steps over and over again.

    "Are you alright?" Hera asked, throwing a worried nce at my face.

    ''This little,'' I thought, refusing to look at the girl.

    Even though she was in a world where she couldn''t ess any of the energy she could actually use, she ended up holding up way better than me.

    ''Even assuming that she was on the same level as me,'' I thought before lightly shaking my head. ''No, it''s outright strange for her to do better than I''m doing!''

    Just like with what felt like every tiny element of this world, I couldn''t understand it.

    The simple math and physics that I was desperate to apply to this world didn''t make much more sense than the esoteric texts the locals of this world would use in an attempt to exin its inner workings.

    But how could I exin the fact that I was getting tired so quickly, despite reaching practically the pinnacle of how far one could cultivate?

    ''Maybe it''s my umted exhaustion mixing with the weakening of my state caused by the corruption?'' I thought, desperate to find an answer to this question.

    Or rather, desperate to find an excuse for how out of energy I was, an excuse that would be about something else than my umted efforts.

    ? ''What''s the point of cultivating if it doesn''t make you stronger in the first ce?'' I asked myself, gnashing my teeth together and taking another step.

    Right now, with Mia on my back, I could only push forward. By going back, we would likely end up toote to save the group that went into the bordends. And I wouldn''t dare to take even a second of rest out in the open, with the danger of a meteor striking somewhere near an all-time high.

    "You seriously should take a break," Hera muttered. "I know it''s none of my business, but you are reaching your limits," she stated before audibly swallowing her saliva. "And I don''t mean the soft limits one can go past to grow. I mean the hard limit stopping your body from copsing!" she cried out, clearly dissatisfied with my decision to keep on going.

    "You actually might be right," I replied before releasing a heavy sigh.

    I didn''t agree with Hera''s words because that was convenient for me. I did so because I was growing increasingly worried that soon, I wouldn''t be able to carry Mia around anymore.

    ''And if I were to copse only for a monster to appear...'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    "Let''s take half an hour of rest," I decided, looking around before pointing my hand at a nearby tree. "I will rest on top of it. Can I ask you to watch the surroundings?"

    Normally, I would feel bad for pushing the guard duty on a girl, especially with how weak Hera was right now. Without the source of her own power, she could hardly offer any resistance against any enemy.

    But her cultivation level, even if she was devoid of mana, remained the same. As such, the changes to her senses and the growth of her perception remained the same.

    "Will do," Hera nodded her head only to release a sigh of relief. "Don''t forget that you are the only one who can fight and save my people," she stated as she followed me up the tree, I pointed out. "I would rather miss some sleep to guard you than have you lose your consciousness in the middle of the fight," she exined her motives before resting her back against the trunk of the tree.

    "That''s reasonable," I replied, my muscles already turning soft at the very idea of taking a moment to rest. Yet, it still wasn''t the right moment to let myself feel at ease.

    Right before reaching the trunk of the tree, I speed up. With just a few steps to gain momentum, I jumped up and managed to get one step out of the tree''s trunk before finally moving up.

    ''Got ya," I thought when my fingers tightened around one of the tree''s lowest branches, allowing me to climb to its rtively hidden insides.

    "Call out for me if anything happens or approaches," I ordered from the inside of the tree''s crown, already moving small branches and leaves around to make myself afortable spot.

    With Mia on my back, I could only rest by either sitting, lying on my stomach, or ultimately lying on the side. Sadly, inside a tree''s crown, only the backturned position was safe enough for one''s sleep.

    ''I guess beggars can''t be choosers,'' I thought, recalling a quote from my past life before finding the mostfortable ce to sit at.

    Then, while allowing my body to rx, I finally moved my attention back to Mia''s inner state.

    Her heart was still beating, as usual; her breath moved in and out of her lungs. Yet, within the spiritual world of her cultivation, there were no changes at all.

    ''Is she stuck on something?'' I thought, unable to help but worry about the girl.

    So far, I assumed that Mia was in her current state because she was forced into a breakthrough by my energy flooding her system. This was the only exnation that I coulde up with, the only exnation that gave Mia high hopes of recovering.

    Yet, as time went on, I couldn''t help but start analyzing other options.

    ''The worst part of it all is that I don''t really know how I can help her,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists.

    Then, I rxed my hands, reprimanding myself for getting emotional.

    ''I need to rest as much as I can right now,'' I thought, reminding myself of the very reason why we stopped. ''And I need my strength to keep protecting her,'' I thought, raising my hand and running my fingers down Mia''s hair.

    Then, I rested my hand on Mia''s cheek, immersing myself in the feeling of having her head rested upon my shoulder.

    "It will be alright," I whispered to Mia''s ear, gently caressing her cheek to calm myself down. "It will be alright," I repeated my words, immersing myself in the feeling.

    "ARTHUR!"

    I didn''t know for how long have I rested when Hera''s shout forced me awake.

    "From the south," she quickly added to her report, prompting me to react at the top of my speed.

    If, instead of borating, she jumped to giving the direction of theing attack...

    ''Not good,'' I thought, grabbing one of the nearby branches and using it tounch myself forward. Kicking against the branch with my legs as well, I made sure to crash into the insides of the tree''s crown with my left side, using my very own neck and head to protect Mia''s face.

    Poof.

    As if the top of the tree was made out of some kind of mist, I exploded my way through it, only to instantly recognize just how dire the situation was.

    ''What the hell is this?'' I asked myself, changing my position mid-air to ensure Mia would be separated from the source of the danger with my body at the very least.

    "What the hell is this?" Hera muttered, taking a step back with her eyes glued in the same direction as mine.

    And the sight was really to kill for. Because a bear the size of a mountain was slowly yet steadily making its way towards us.

    ''Wait, what?'' I thought when the monster somehow managed to close half of the remaining distance in the short moment I took to blink.

    And then it dawned upon me.

    What I saw was just a monster of a whole other level of being massive. Yet, even with that, my eyes still lied to me. When faced with something so out of any reason, they failed to take perspective into ount.

    "RUN!" I shouted, grabbing Hera''s shoulder andunching myself towards the barrier.

    In theory, it was a stupid move to run in the very same direction that the enemy was chasing us towards. Yet, with how insanely quick its moves were, thanks to its size, any attempts at escaping to the sides would likely end up with us being crushed underneath its castle-sized limbs!

    "What the hell is this?!" Hera shouted again, unable to stop her eyes from blinking.

    "I don''t even have a shred of an idea," I replied through my tightened teeth, perfectly aware that despite running at my top speed... The gianormous bear continued to close in on us.

    ''It''s no use,'' I thought when the shaking of the ground caused by the monster''s steps caught up to us. Only by timing my steps and then jumping right at the perfect time did I manage to avoid getting thrown off by the shockwave that followed the next step of the monster.

    ''We can run from it,'' I thought, firing up all the parts of my mage''s tower and raising it up.

    "Keep on running!" I shouted, twisting my entire body to the side only to let it spring up and pull Hera forward. I then let go of her hand only to quickly cut the nkets holding Mia to my back and then throw her towards the girl. "Take good care of her!" I shouted, turning on my feet to face the monster.

    THUMP.

    The earth shook when its massive limbnded right beside me. And then, instead of taking another step, the monster lowered its head while opening its jaws wide.

    The rows of its teeth, each the size of a respectable house, reflected the spare light that managed to make its way through the thick treetops.

    ''I don''t have any of that violet energy left to power the engine up,'' I thought, tightening my fists as I drove all the mana in my system into my runes, formation, and other parts of Mage''s Tower.

    Thankfully, the monster ahead had one fault. With its entire body constructed from an actual flesh, it didn''t have any of that violet energy either.

    "I guess we can only try to duke it out," I muttered, more to myself than to the monster that was about to bite its massive teeth right into me.

    The bear''s head struck the ground, enclosing me within the prison of its teeth surrounding me from all the sides.

    The only way out that didn''t include getting myself thorn against those bone-des of the monster was up, right towards its throat.

    The ground shook.

    Instead of trying to pinpoint my location and then bite down on me, the bear simply bit down on the ground, instantly making it crumble underneath my feet.

    Rather than trying to find and then eliminate me, it was going to swallow me along with my footing!

    "As if I would allow that!" I shouted from the bottom of my lungs, releasing the lock of all my powers before unleashing them right into the monster''s throat!

 Chapter 302 Out Of Moves

    My barrage shot up... and sank right into the monster''s throat.

    Looking at the entire situation from below, I could only stand in awe of what I was capable of.

    It appeared as if an entireyer of reality lifted up. A strange kind of dense fog rushed into the monster''s mouth, a fog that one couldn''t be aware of unless it was suddenly lifted.

    And then, my spells exploded.

    BOOM!

    The shockwave of the attack exploded the monster''s jaws away. Sadly, within the enclosure of its teeth, mouth, and earth below, I couldn''t avoid the brunt of the explosion myself.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, kneeling down under the pressure of my own attack.

    It was just a force of rebound, yet it easily ughtered nearly half of my evolved wardens.

    ''Keep going,'' I thought, bitting down on my lips as I raised my head and continued to pump my mana into the remaining structures of the Mage''s Tower.

    For the first time since I became capable of using that spell, I learned that it actually had its limits.

    Tic.

    [Integrity of the Tower: 73%]

    A new kind of status shed before my eyes. But to be honest, I didn''t need it.

    I could see the damage to my triumph card at a nce.

    "This isn''t going to be easy," I whispered, refocusing myself on the monster ahead.

    Paying attention to the system would be akin to suicide.

    Not now.

    Because despite unloading nearly a third of all my remaining mana, all I achieved was pushing the monster away.

    "ROAR!"

    I dug my feet into the ground. The pressure wave that came with the sound of the monster''s cry nearly knocked me out. It attacked in several dimensions, from trying to topple my stance through assaulting my hearing sense all the way to sending all the nearby free mana into a disarray.

    All the pieces upon which I built my Mage''s Tower were crumbling one after another.

    The things I deemed paradigms of the world proved to not be as reliable as I expected them to be.

    ''At this rate...'' I thought, gnashing my teeth together.

    The gianormous bear rose up, standing on its hind legs. It rested its front paws over its belly.

    Just by standing upright, the monster easily inserted its castle-like head into the clouds.

    ''Now that I think about it,'' I froze for a second, suddenly noticing an abnormality. ''Howe I''m just epting a sky-high bear as an opponent of mine?''

    It was only a momentary shock, a realizationsting no more than a blink of my eye.

    But it forcibly changed my perspective.

    ''I can''t win in a slugfest,'' I thought, retracting all my energy and condensing it on keeping my Mage''s Tower up.

    If I were to trade blows with this monstrosity, I would need my engine. And even then, the cost of doing so would be enormous.

    ''I can''t risk it,'' I realized, shaking my head at the same time as I shook off my daze.

    New energy shed in my eyes as my lips formed a small, cheeky smile.

    "If I can''t fight," I muttered to myself, watching how the monster started to raise its paws, clearly preparing to crush all of my resistance with a simple stomp. "Then I need to deploy the ultimate secret technique," I thought, my lips quivering.

    Right now, only two emotions ran through my soul.

    Extasy caused by the high-risk bet I was putting my life on. And then the immense terror of doing so.

    "I hope I won''t get copyrighted for saying that," I muttered to myself, looking sideways, not bothered by the iing attack whatsoever.

    And then, the massive bear attacked, dropping its paws and the weight of its entire upper body right at me.

    I raised my head, staring at the iing doom.

    The enormous weight of this insane beast crushed right through my Mage''s Tower. All the arrays and formations that I deployed to ward off this attack were obliterated in a mere instant.

    Everything that made my Mage''s Tower what it truly was would simply vanish upon the contact with the m.

    But there was one thing that didn''t require me to use the hardware I deployed. One skill that was insanely hard to level up and even harder to handle.

    A glint shed in my eyes, my bet about to lock-in.

    Then, the attack struck me right into the chest, ready to tten me against the ground.

    ***

    "I NEED TO DO SOMETHING!" Mia screamed out from the bottom of her imaginary lungs, bashing her imaginary hands against the imaginary wall.

    Stuck in the strange world of mana, she could only observe the events unfolding before her very own and unconscious eyes.

    But no matter how hard Mia tried to break free from this world, her power would prove insufficient.

    ''I cannot match the amount of mana of this world,'' Mia thought, gritting her teeth.

    Even though she had no real body in her current state, she could feel drops of blood trickling down from her palms, cut open by her imaginary nails.

    Right above her, she could see Arthur getting pummeled by the monster.

    Mia''s heart nearly stopped when the bear first bit Arty''s position. Yet, the relief she felt when Arthur somehow managed to recover was quickly soured when another attack came.

    And this time, it connected properly.

    For but a second, both worlds stopped for the girl.

    The world outside froze as if the technique responsible for disying it had crashed. But even the world of mana that she was in ceased to move forward as the heavens ordained.

    ''My power is no match to the power of this world,'' Mia thought, stuck in this frozen second.

    She could clearly feel just how insignificant her own spiritual energy was whenpared to the ocean of mana that surrounded her in the form of clouds.

    And the more she attempted to force this world to let her out, the stronger its defenses would be. The more energy she would use in her attempts, the more energy this world would return right at her.

    ''I won''t be able to free myself in this way,'' Mia thought. She couldn''t tell it with her reason, but she could somehow tell that the freezing of the time was about to end.

    ''Then, I need to use the energy of this world against it!'' she came to a conclusion.

    There wasn''t even a hint of worry for her own safety in Mia''s mind.

    Right now, with the devastating attack connecting with Arthur''s chest, she could care less about the stuff like her own health or life.

    ''Don''t you dare,'' Mia''s eyes widened as she opened herself up and channeled the nearest cloud through her own cultivation.

    The second she did so, a strange force appeared, pulling forward all the nearby clouds of energy, threatening to burn through Mia''s paths in a mere instant.

    ''I won''t make it, not in this way,'' Mia thought, gritting her teeth.

    And then, as if she was struck by a bolt of knowledge from the heavens above, Mia froze.

    The energy continued to flow right towards her, filling her body and soul to their limits in an instant.

    Then, Mia''s lips formed a small smile.

    And then she dropped all resistance, allowing all of this energy to freely flow through her.

    "Go," Mia whispered, directing all of this massive energy into a single task of breaking the seal of this space open.

    Both of the worlds around her picked up their pace. The space of the spiritual world she was in started to tear apart.

    But it was all too slow.

    ***

    The attack connected.

    It was something that I had no other choice but to allow. Because the very force that was aimed to crush me was the force, I needed to not only escape but also save both Mia and Hera from the danger.

    The attack connected.

    But despite all the weight behind it, it could only travel at a set speed. Despite its immense strength, the bear monster wasn''t all that swift.

    I allowed my knees to bend, leading my body at the very same speed as the attack, crushing on me from above.

    By the time I came close to losing my footing, I had finished matching all the variables.

    ''Disturb.''

    The one element of my Mage''s Tower that the bear''s attack didn''t affect was the sphere of influence around me. Even with all the formations gone, for but a brief moment, I could still control any and all events within that space.

    Obviously, there was bound to be a limit to a power like this. Just like my Mage''s Tower, blocking a hit of a certain strength would require energy equal to the force of the attack.

    That''s why, rather than canceling the power behind the m...

    I slightly changed its angle.

    In the mere instant that my body collided with the monster''s paw, I distributed the vector of the attack.

    The strength that was supposed to squash me suddenly pushed me to the side. The force aimed to crush me, kicked me out of the area of the attack.

    And the majority of the force of the attack... was cut right in half, making the monster''s paw slide in two directions at the same time.

    ''To think that something like this didn''t even consume that much of my mana,'' I thought, flying away at an increasing speed.

    ''UGH,'' a dull breath squeezed out of my lungs when my back struck a random tree.

    It felt as if all the water contained within my cells suddenly decided to leave my body and attack the border of my skin.

    "Fuck," I cursed underneath my breath.

    I somehow managed to survive. But this unluckynding just cost me myst bit of control.

    Despite all my efforts to stand up, I had absolutely no physical strength in my left.

    I fell to my knees, coughing up blood right below me. From the stinging pain in my chest, I could tell I had broken at least two ribs.

    ''Is this the end, huh?'' I thought, a strange, dull feeling numbing my senses and consciousness alike.

    My upper body leaned forward. Only thanks to myst-ditch attempt, I managed to shoot my hand forward, resting the weight of my body on it before I would dig a ditch in the ground with my face.

    Taking a deep breath, I brought my chin up, stealing a nce at the monster.

    It was limping on its front leg, the oue of my counter. But it was about to strike me down. And this time, I had no strength left to even mount any defense.

    I was out of moves.

    "ROAR!" the monster cried out, bringing its paw up, set to end me with the same limb I injured before.

    "NO!"

 Chapter 303 Monsters Lectures

    "No!" Mia shouted, tearing apart the seal of the world she was in.

    She was toote to stop the monster from mming its entire weight on Arthur. Thankfully, though, he managed to slip out, using means that Mia didn''t even want to think about.

    But when hended...

    It was clear that he was spent.

    ''Come on,'' Mia thought, channeling all the energy she could into the rift that she was tearing in the world her consciousness was in. ''Faster!'' she thought, squeezing everyst drop of willpower to speed the process up.

    "It will be toote," Mia spoke with her imaginary mouth, her sanity vanishing on the spot. Yet, just as she was about to force even more energy than she was currently capable of...

    The world around her broke apart, only for her consciousness to suddenly float up, as if resurfacing from the water depths. Yet, as Mia opened her eyes, she was perfectly dry.

    ''I''m back...'' Mia thought, looking around to confirm her situation.

    And it was all just as she saw from the insides of that internal world of hers.

    Despite escaping the certain doom of the former attack, Arthur was still on the verge of dying to the next attack of that gianormous monster.

    "ARTHUR!" Mia shouted, lunging forward without the slightest care for her own safety.

    She cast all her doubts and hesitations aside. Even if there really was something wrong with their rtionship at its very foundations, this wasn''t the time to think over that stuff!

    Mia lunged forward. Yet, instead of just jumping like a normal person would, her body shoot ahead.

    ''Huh?'' Mia shrugged, realizing that she was mid-air when she was about to crasnd right beside Arthur.

    Thump.

    Mia''s entire body screamed out in pain when shended, losing all of her momentum in an instant.

    Normally, her body would naturally roll away. It was the natural way of dampening one''s inertia duringnding, allowing for a smoother transition. Yet, rolling away would cost Mia those precious few seconds that she had to do something.

    ''He ispletely out of it,'' Mia thought, throwing a nce towards Arthur as she grasped at the ground and kicked herself off it, rolling towards her man.

    "STOP IT!" Mia shouted again, rolling over Arthur''s weakened body, pushing him down, and then shielding him with her very own flesh.

    Mia then took a deep breath, allowing the air she inhaled to fill everyst fiber of her being.

    The mana circting through her system followed the motions of the air that Mia imagined, quickly amassing into a power that only a few enlightened cultivators of the world could boast.

    And then, as if following some kind of ritual that she didn''t know about, Mia pried her mouth open, forcing all the air out between her lips.

    "GET AWA..." her voice ignited the mana that she continued to gather, making it fuel the power of her words along with the momentum of the air.

    Yet, just as Mia was about to spell out her order, just as the mana permeating her voice was about to do its bidding...

    A sudden gust of wind shook Mia out of her mind, forcing her to shut her mouth to not hyperventte.

    "Stop."

    This single word reached Mia''s ears, forcing all of her thoughts, actions, and even breath to turn still.

    It was a true disy of the wonders one can achieve upon reaching a certain level of cultivation.

    ''Just how strong is this thing?'' Mia thought, gritting her teeth as she raised her eyes towards the monster.

    Yet, instead of attacking, the massive bear slumped down on its backside, crossed its hind legs, and kept one of its front legs on its belly while raising the other paw of his in a ''stop'' sign.

    ''What is this, an animalistic buddha deity?'' Mia asked herself, only to shake her head.

    ''Wait, what?'' she quickly realized that she actually had no idea what the stuff she just brought up meant at all.

    ''Deity I can understand, animalistic too... But who or what the fuck is buddha?'' Mia asked. Her desperate desire to figure out what was wrong with her only kept on growing.

    "Why do you defend this man?" the powerful voice from before appeared once again, clearlying from the direction of that gianormous monster.

    "Are you okay?" Mia ignored the question and turned her eyes to Arthur underneath her. Yet, as she looked down, Mia finally realized that right now...

    She waspletely naked.

    "Tsk," Mia clicked her tongue before ignoring the bout of shame that came knocking right away.

    This wasn''t the moment to be bothered with stuff like her bare skin being seen by some animals or another girl!

    "I will live," Arthur squeezed just three words out of his throat, using up the energy he would waste on speaking to prompt his upper body up.

    "Let me support you," Mia mused, her face filled with worry when she ced her hand directly on Arthur''s chest.

    And then, following her will, the mana that she could still somehow steal from that strange world she had already freed herself from flew like a raging torrent into Arthur''s system.

    "Huh?" Arthur shook in surprise when Mia''s spiritual energy filled him up...

    But it wasn''t anywhere enough. Not when his body was devastated on a physical rather than magical level. In terms of magic alone, Arthur had yet to run out of his mana, making Mia''s help pretty much a miss.

    Still, pumped full of energy for a slight moment, Arthur managed to recover some of his physical abilities.

    "This man''s flesh is corrupted by the power of the invaders," the beast spoke again, still frozen in that weird but dignified posture.

    Its words themselves appeared to have an effect on all the mana around the world. Everyst tone of its speech made it feel as if there was a strange force ofpulsion behind its words.

    Yet, despite all of those effects, both Mia and Arthur remained somehow unaffected.

    "The invaders that I was born to destroy," the monster added, finally lowering its right paw on top of its belly, just like his left one.

    "Can you fight, dear?" Mia asked, ignoring the lecturing of the monster, her attention fully dedicated to Arthur.

    "I don''t really think so," Arthur shook his head, only for a small smile to appear on his lips a momentter. "But this isn''t a question of whether I can or not," he added, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

    Then, as Arthur started to release the air back out, he forced his body up, once again putting his exhaustion behind the bars of his willpower.

    "I will fulfill my mission to kill the invaders. Even if it means killing a gifted enlighted like you," the monster added, paying just as much mind to the two ignoring him as the two paid to his words before.

    It had its job to do. And for now, it clearly involved some mighty-and-important sounding announcements.

    "It seems that you can run," Arthur noticed, turning his eyes to the girl. "SInce it doesn''t want to kill you, how about you just..." Arthur pursed his lips before he could finish his sentence. He then smiled gently and shook his head.

    "Right, I''m sorry," he apologized, even with Mia not saying a single word. "I should be well aware that you won''t just run on your own," Arthur added, raising his hand and caressing Mia''s cheek for a moment.

    "You dummy," Mia whispered in response, squinting her eyes in happiness caused by Arthur''s touch.

    "I guess if we are about to go, we can do it with glory, don''t we?" Arthur muttered, a cheeky smile appearing on his lips. He then turned his eyes towards the monster again.

    Yet, instead of speaking anything, Arthur squeezed all his muscles again, finally forcing himself to properly stand up.

    It wasn''t that he had to stand in order to cast his spells. If anything, standing up was actually a downside, given how extremely hard it was for Arthur to keep his body upright.

    But right now, it was the statement of his will. Something that had a way greater chance of saving them than saving a tiny bit of strength by lying down could.

    "You there," Arthur called out. "Yes, that''s right, this big, ugly piece of fur!" he shouted, openly taunting the monster despite the sorry state he was in.

    However, this time, the bear monster didn''t react, nor did it make any further statements.

    Rather than that, it appeared to be genuinely interested in what Arthur had to say!

    "I don''t care what strength I do use," Arthur stated, graciously epting Mia''s help to stand upright. "I don''t care what sphemy I willmit nor what tradition I will spit on," Arthur dered before twisting his lips for a little and literally spitting down.

    "As long as it helps me keep Mia safe and happy, I will do anything to that end!"

 Chapter 304 Arthurs Stance

    "You are not an invader," the voice of the monster filled my eardrums, spreading through the entire area as if its words were the gospel from the heavens.

    As the voice passed by the area, the entire ce turned silent, as if not a single element of flora and fauna nearby dared to make even the smallest noise.

    Such was the power behind each of the monster''s words.

    "And you are not an owl," I replied after gathering my courage and resting my weight upon Mia''s shoulder.

    ''Is she going to be okay?'' I asked myself, stealing a nce at the girl''s face.

    I didn''t even need to look at Mia to understand just what the hell was going on with her. Sure, I didn''t even have the slightest clue as to why was it happening, but I could see just how insane amounts of energy she continued to pull, only to dump it all on me.

    ''At this rate, I will recover pretty quickly,'' I thought, only to gnash my teeth together and raise my eyes to the monster''s head. ''The thing is, this needs to end as soon as possible,'' I thought, taking a step forward and forcing myself to raise my Mage''s Tower.

    If there was a power that would allow me to defend Mia from that monster, then it could only be this spell. Even though I still had my phantom de skill along with the arcane spear to pair it up, the sheer size of this bear-like monster alone would make that skillpletely obsolete.

    After all, what use could I have from a phantom de that sneakily elongated the de of my spear by a few inches if that still wouldn''t be anywhere enough to go past through that monster''s shallow parts of the skin and actually damage its muscles and insides?

    ''This situation is really turning into a pain,'' I thought, grasping at straws to find a way out of this situation.

    "I''m not an owl indeed," the monster stated, clearly replying to the small remark of mine. "And taking your words into ount... Tell me, little one," the monster ordered, "where did you get this power from?"

    For a moment, I turned silent. I simply stared right into the monster''s eyes, trying to figure out what it was thinking.

    Yet, as seconds turned into minutes, I had no other choice but to realize that myck of an answer could be taken for an answer as well.

    ''Not knowing its principles makes it hard toe up with a fitting answer,'' I thought.

    A naive man would likely say to just be honest. But right now, I couldn''t afford to just be honest and exin things to that monster.

    Right now, my biggest priority was to keep Mia safe. If it would be possible, saving my own skin and maybe even Hera''s would also be on my agenda.

    And with tasks so difficult as those, I couldn''t afford to just nod my head and exin everything to that powerful monster, hoping for the best while at it.

    No,it would be surefortable to just be honest. But in my current situation, I simply couldn''t afford to do so.

    "I first obtained it after killing the first Invader that I stumbled upon," I finally uttered my response, only for my voice to fail midway.

    Yet, rather than waiting for me to repeat my words in a proper manner, the monster started to... shake?

    At first, only its front legs shook over its belly. Yet, its entire body started to shake before long, only for the air to fill with the weirdestughter I have ever heard a secondter.

    "You?" the monster asked, only to explode inughter once again. "You killing an invader?" the monster asked, itsughter only intensifying.

    Then, in a single instant, the monster cut down on itsugh, turning serious again.

    "Don''t make meugh!" the monster shouted, sending a shockwave of his voice my way.

    Facing the mental attack, I had trouble standing up. Without Mia''s support, that voice alone would easily topple me back to my knees, only reinforcing the image of that monster being the top power right now.

    "Believe it or not," I muttered silently, unable to be bothered to raise my voice anymore.

    The exchange from before already proved that regardless of my voice''s volume, this monster would understand me.

    "The first monster I encountered, I killed before using the energy it left for my own purposes," I exined, this time not allowing the giggles of the monster to throw me off. "Using the power that I obtained in this way, I managed to fulfill the quest given to me by the man who turned out to be within that monster," I added, only to make a long pause.

    ''I might not be your match in terms of strength,'' I thought, my lips quivering a little before forming a small smile. ''But I''m he sure I can be far more dramatic than you!''

    I was perfectly aware of how little meaning this quasi-dick-measuring contest had. Whether I could be more dramatic than this monster or not...

    It didn''t really matter in the long run. But right now, by iming this kind of small victory, I could somewhat rebuild not only my own morale but also the mindset of Mia and Hera.

    "Request of a man from within the monster?" the bear leaned its massive head to the side.

    Even this small movement of its caused a powerful gust of wind to tear through the space around me.

    "What do you mean?" the monster asked, clearly puzzled by my words.

    ''Good,'' I thought, tightening my fists.

    Catching the monster''s interest turned out to be sessful. And now, although only a little, I regained my ability to change the oue of the situation. But more importantly, now that the monster openly came out to ask a question, my hopes of stalling for time for a little longer came back to life!

    "Assuming that the invaders you are talking about are those violet, shapeless..." I started to exin, only to stop my words right in the middle of the sentence. "Shapeless? No, that''s not right," I shook my head upon noticing my own mistake...

    Or rather, by following each of the steps of the n that I hatched beforehand.

    "I mean, if those invaders you kept going on about are those violet monsters without a predefined shape," I acted as if I finally found a way to put those beings into words. "Then those guys are not really sentient," I added, revealing my own take on the situation.

    It was an exnation based on the stuff I learned from Hera, things I understood on my own, and all the asional circumstantial data I obtained so far.

    I could be very well wrong. But right now, I didn''t care about it in the slightest. Because rather than trying to figure out the true meaning of what was going on, I was simply trying to buy myself some more time!

    ''Just a little bit more,'' I thought, gnashing my teeth against each other.

    "Yeah, your words fit the creator''s description pretty well," the monster said, dropping several more hints about the situation with this short, off-handed... or rather, off-pawedment.

    ''Damn it,'' I thought, clenching my jaws and forcing a smile on my face.

    It was insanely tempting to pry into that monster''s words. All my hopes for stalling for time vanished when the chance of learning more about the origins of this world appeared before my eyes.

    "Gulp," I swallowed my saliva so hard that it made an audible sound.

    "Then are you aware that those... invaders of yours are not actually attempting to attack this ce?" I asked, using a bit of the little energy to speak out loud.

    Even though it wasn''t necessary for the monster to understand me... It changed the feeling of my message. And right now, this feeling was what I bet all my hopes of stalling for time at!

    "Are you sane?" the monster asked, leaning its head to the side yet again. "Do you even understand what a word invader stands for?!" it asked, clearly infuriated by my seemingly stupid remark.

    "I know what that word means," I replied in a calm voice, sending Mia a nce before putting a little more of my weight on her shoulder.

    It felt weird to rely on a girl like that. But from the happy look on her face, it didn''t appear Mia minded it whatsoever.

    ''Well, as long as she is okay with it,'' I thought before moving my attention right back to the monster ahead.

    "The first invader I fought with, I killed," I stated before taking a step forward.

    Still supporting me from the side, Mia silently followed while helping me to keep my body up.

    "But when all the energy around him vanished, he uttered just a single request before dying to my spear," I stated, stopping in my tracks, raising my head, and looking directly at the monster''s face.

    "He asked me to save the others," I stated after yet another theatrical break before pointing my hand towards Hera. "And being a kind human being, that''s exactly what I''m trying to do."

    There wasn''t any hesitation in my voice. Yet, there was fear.

    Because by pointing my hand at Hera, I made yet another gamble. But for the first time in my gambling history within this world, it wasn''t my own welfare or prosperity that I was betting with!

 Chapter 305 To Be An Invader Or Not To Be

    Ever since I appeared in this world, I became quite a gambling addict.

    It wasn''t something that happened out of my own free will. I never allowed any gambling den to bait me in and then force this unhealthy activity into my daily schedule.

    The only reason why I continued to gamble over and over again was that I had no other choice.

    If there was anything that made this world different from the world I originated from, then outside of the existence of magic, it would be exactly this.

    Back on earth, there would be a cushion for one''s every fall.

    At first, the cushion would take the form of the parents, always willing to support their kid''s growth and help him fare through mistakes.

    Later on, one could count on his friends and colleagues. Yet, even when one''s responsibilities grew, he could always rely on thest line of civilized defense in the form of government support.

    But this kind of cushion never existed in this world. If one aimed higher than they were capable of reaching, they would lose their hands. If one made even the simplest mistake of annoying the wrong person, they could very well lose their life because of a random fit of rage of a random young master.

    As such, prompted by a nearlypleteck of knowledge about this world, I had no other choice but to keep on gambling over even the minor stuff.

    Not because I wanted, but because this world forced me to get out of myfort zone of silently training and into the disastrous zone of conflicting with others.

    And now, this bad gambling habit of mine made me cross another line. Because up to this point, I could ept my gambling attitude. Yet, the second it wasn''t my health and prosperity that I was putting on the line, this addiction became extremely dangerous.

    "Who is she?" the monster asked once it followed the movement of my hand with its eyes. Despite how its massive size should make it impossible for me to see its eyes, not to speak about their movements, I could somehow tell where its attention was.

    "Who am I, who is she," I repeated thest two questions the monster posed. I then shook my head as ifmenting over an unruly child. "You didn''t know who we were, but you attacked us nevertheless," I pointed out as my expression turned wrathful. "And now you expect me to exin things to you?" I then asked, widening my eyes as if surprising myself with the words that I had prepared in advance.

    Then my face turned still as I uttered just two words.

    "How shameless."

    For a moment, I hoped to get some sort of reaction out of the monster. No matter what it would be, it would prove that this being had an ego, an ego that I could exploit.

    Yet, as if to spit on all my hopes, the monster didn''t bother to reply to my childish taunt, opting to just stare me down instead.

    "Who is she?" the monster asked again, paying no mind to my provocations.

    "She is called Hera," I revealed, forcing my feet to carry me forward. ''One foot in front of the other,'' I thought, encouraging myself to keep ongoing. ''Just one more time!'' I screamed from the bottom of my soul, finally standing right where my ce was right now.

    Between Mia and that monster.

    "Is she an invader?" The monster changed its question. Even then, it was still oriented about the one axis of interest that it had.

    "Invader this, an invader that," I mocked the beast, dancing around the issue. "First and foremost, she is a victim of her world crumbling," I stated, raising my head high and refusing to lower it. "That''s why, in order for me to tell you whether she is an invader or not," I hung my words right before revealing the main question.

    My lips then turned into a small, mocking smile.

    "I need to know who do you consider invaders to be in the first ce!"

    For some, this was nothing more but demagogy. But for me, this was thest chance to save ourselves without the need of sacrificing the very girl that I did my best to save before.

    "Invaders are��" the monster spoke out, its voice once again ruling over the entire area��

    But for the first time, the monster hesitated before finishing its sentence.

    "Invaders are invaders," the monster quickly came to its senses before giving me the statement I asked. "If she is an invader, then she is an invader," it added, appearing as if it didn''t realize how little sense its words made.

    "Youmit a logic facy," I pointed out. "You can''t reference me to definition if said definition references me back to itself."

    It was the same as with the natural paradox urring in most families across the world. With the father always wanting the child to go ask the mother while the mother doing the same for the father, the child would be than stuck in an endless loop of asking one only to be referenced back to the other.

    "Is this girl an invader?" the monster asked once again, opting to just ignore all the points that I had brought so far.

    "You are the invader," I spat out on the ground so strongly that only Miaing up to support me from behind stopped me from falling down. "What? Are you going to kill yourself now?"

    And then it shook me.

    ''Howe I got annoyed so quickly and so effectively?'' I asked myself, puzzled by the unnatural reaction that I showed.

    I nced over at the monster''s head hidden above the clouds, hoping that it would provide me with some answers.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged, noticing a peculiar change because the perfectly ck pitch of its eyes that struck me so strongly before was currently nowhere to be seen. Instead, the monster''s pupils turned fully red and were now directed straight at me.

    ''Figures,'' I thought while fighting off the desire to sigh deeply. ''I wouldn''t freak out like that for no reason,'' I told myself, shaking my head over the futility of the monster''s continued effort to rile me up.

    Whatever means it was used to upset me, now that I was aware of the fact wouldn''t have any real effects. The trick of all the psychological tricks always relied on the fact that the party subjected to it couldn''t be aware of the trick!

    Only when the truth was shrouded in the fog of mystery would one''s brain pain in the nks, filling the picture with the falsehood it was willing to ept as the truth given. After all, it was one''s own creation, so how could they ever consider it false at the deepest level of their soul?

    ''It''s this mechanism that most of the conspiracy theories use,'' I thought, recalling the stuff I would often think about back on earth.

    But right now wasn''t the good time for prolonged shbacks of my previous life. Not with the situation changing as dynamically as it was happening here.

    "I ask onest time," the monster announced, its voice sending a chill down my spine so cold it nearly froze my bones. "Is this girl an invader?"

    The color of the monster''s eyes intensified.

    And right away, I could feel my blood boiling, as if the deepest hate that I gave up on very early in my life suddenly made itseback.

    ''It''s all an illusion, Arthur,'' I told myself. ''Calm the fuck down,'' I continued to suppress the monster''s technique with my own mind while doing my best not to reveal it was already busted.

    ? "She��" I muttered, making it look as if uttering even a single word was torture. "S-she��" I attempted once again to adjust the intensity of my y to the intensity of the monster''s stare.

    "SHE IS NOT!" I finally said before seemingly breaking in half and falling to the ground and covering it with my colorful yet stinky vomit.

    I allowed the convulsions to shake my body for a few more moments while sneakily gesturing at Mia to stop her in her tracks.

    If she were to approach me right now, there was a massive chance she would reveal her surprise upon noticing apleteck of injuries on me. And in a moment as tense as the current one��

    No, it was better to keep Mia in the dark.

    Still��

    I gave my answer. I made my gamble. And right now, I could only hope that a set of assumptions I made about the monster over the course of this encounter would be at least partially correct. Yet, as seconds turned into minutes and the monster refused to say something or buckle from its ce��

    I started to get worried.

    ''I guess I''m still in no state to fight,'' I thought, tightening my fists as I forced my head up and looked at the monster.

    It was a being I would struggle to beat even when at my maxed out potential. Right now, on the other hand, I was just a small fry this bear-like monster could swat away any time it wanted.

    That''s why it was crucial to make it believe it didn''t want to smack me like that!

    "If you want��." I spoke out, unable to take the monster''s silence and inaction any longer. Yet, just as I was about to speak out, a familiar violet hue appeared in the sky.

    "INVADER!" the monster cried out, reacting as quickly as I did.

    Yet, when I turned around to face the approaching threat, I maybe caused a small gust of wind. Yet, when this monster rapidly turned around, its tail ttened several hectares of the forest, only for itsnding to send shockwaves spreading through the nearby ground.

    "I could point out the invaders for you��." I muttered, pretending to finish off my earlier sentence.

    The meteor appeared in the sky. And for some reason, despitecking the necessary data to judge it, I could tell it was aiming right at where we were.

    "What do you want in exchange?" the monster asked, proving that my guess that it could hear even the tiniest noises I made was right all along.

    Yet, I didn''t expect it toe forward with a question like that!

    ''Does it think I noticed the meteor before it did?'' I thought, trying to rationalize the appearance of such an unusual question in the monster''s mouth. And outside of how I brought the topic of those monsters up right before the appearance of the meteor��

    ''No, that''s not what I should be thinking about,'' I lectured myself.

    Whatever made the monster offer me this question didn''t matter. What was important was to find the best answer to this question.

    Sting.

    A small pain appeared in my soul as if my morals protested against the many ideas that blurted through my mind.

    And then, one request of someone else appeared in my mind, pretty much forcing its way to my lips.

    "All those invaders have already consumed an innocent person. Just like me, they could prove to be this world''s staunch defenders," I spoke out, putting everything that I learned about this monster and mixing it into a crunchy cake of bullshit and horseshit. And those two kinds of craps, once baked in the oven of my own creativity, created a shitty pastry that I fed right into this monster.

    "What I want in exchange for my help are two things," I stated, raising my right hand with two fingers raised. Yet, at the same time, I couldn''t support my own standing position any longer. As such, I had no other choice but to resort to relying on Mia''s shoulder again.

    "What it is, human?" the monster asked in its usual, mighty voice.

    "First, I will be able to go free with my friends at any time I deem suitable," I stated, pulling one of my fingers down. "And secondly, I want the right to save those poor people from the bellies of those dastardly invaders!"

 Chapter 306 Protobear

    "Those terms..." the monster spoke, only to cut its sentence short.

    To say it hesitated would be a sphemy against its power and status born out of it. Yet, even if I didn''t call it a hesitation, the monster still took its sweet time to form a proper reply.

    "I ept them," it said, finally removing the threatening part of its aura.

    "Aaah..." I released a euphoric sigh as I fell to my knees.

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted, rushing to catch me before I could fall face-first to the ground.

    "It''s okay..." I muttered, using all the techniques I learned in my stay in this world to end up resting my head on top of Mia''sp. "Just let me rest for a little, could you?"

    Now that the pressure part of the monster''s aura was gone, I could finally take a proper breath and allow my body to rx.

    "What are you doing?" the monster asked, the threatening tune returning to its voice.

    "I''m about to die from exhaustion," I replied softly, not bothering to raise my voice above the level of a whisper. "I need to get some rest if you want me to fight," I added before ncing over at the meteor that appeared as but a tiny dot in the distance. "And it''s still going to be a while before it hits," I added.

    Then, rather than wasting my time on the monster who lost its status as an immediate threat in my eyes, I immersed myself in the feeling of Mia''s soft thighs below my head.

    "Just take it easy," Mia whispered, bringing her hands to my cheeks as she started to gently caress them. Following that up with a quick peck she left on my forehead, Mia moved her hands and slowly massaged different parts of my body.

    The sides of my neck, shoulders, chest, and even my back. Whenever Mia''s hands touched, I could feel my muscles slowly rxing and finally taking the breather they carved for the past few weeks.

    "I''m sorry to use you like that," I whispered, revealing my genuine concern. Yet, as I opened my eyes up to look at Mia''s face, there was an only endless surprise in her eyes.

    Yet, she didn''t chastise me for making some kind of mistake either. Instead, she raised her hand to wipe her hair off her face and reveal her lovely, caring smile to me.

    "Instead of apologizing for something you never had to be sorry for, I would be far happier if you thanked me for it instead," she said.

    That was it. That simple sentence was apanied by her lovely smile and affection burning in her eyes.

    That was the one thing I ever hoped to get in the rtionship. Just the affection and genuine concern over my well-being.

    "Thank you, Mia," I said, following the girl''s advice.

    Mia''s lips curled up, forming an even greater smile. With my head on herp, I could feel a small shiver that shook her body.

    "I''m d I can be of use to you," Mia whispered as she leaned over my ear. Her hand then moved back from my body only to rest on the top of my head as she started to brush my hair with her fingers.

    For the next few moments, I could rest.

    It was that simple and that straightforward.

    Ever since I bitchpped my way out of the sect and decided to reach Mia''s ce, I didn''t have a single moment of rest.

    Sure, I asionally slept in the Inns that I encountered; I even happened to have a meal once or twice. But in the general rule of thumb, if I wasn''t fighting, then I was traveling. And if I was neither fighting nor traveling, then I was putting all my focus on cultivating.

    And now, with my head restingfortably on Mia''s soft thighs while my scalp rxed under the delicate touch of her fingers, I allowed myself to fully rx.

    ''To think that I would get my first, proper rest only when the meteor with another monster is about toe crashing on us,'' I thought, rolling my eyes underneath the cover of my eyelids.

    "I''m sorry to intrude, but is there anything you want me to do?" Hera asked, indicating that she approached my side while I had my eyes closed and guard lowered.

    "Actually, there is," I replied leisurely, not bothering to open my eyes. "I''m sorry, mister massive bear, but how am I supposed to refer to you?" I suddenly called out, keeping my volume exactly the same as before.

    "You might call me a protobear, for all the bears of this world, were made in my image," the massive beast replied while keeping its eyes locked on the approaching threat.

    ''What are you, an ancestor to all the bears?'' I thought, rolling my eyes over the fact that this ridiculous answer made me lose focus over how enjoyable my rest was.

    "Protobear it is," I muttered, taking a moment to swallow my saliva. "In that case, I need you to try to shave away at the energy of the iing monster," I exined before turning my attention back to Hera. "On your part, I hope you can try to collect those discarded bits of energy and use them to grow stronger."

    Even though I didn''t know Hera for long, one thing about our situation changed that made me change my mind about allowing her to regain her power.

    Before, she could turn out to be a worthy opponent for me. In other words, earlier, I considered her a potential threat. But right now, with her fate hanging on the thin strand of how long I would keep up the bullshit with this protobear...

    "Do you want me to do anything with that energy once I consume it?" Hera asked while throwing a quick nce toward the monster.

    Even without opening my eyes and only sensing the surroundings with my aura, I could tell that she was pretty scared about talking about this topic. In the end, the very reason why the protobear turned hostile in the first ce was the stray marks of that energy on me!

    "Hey, you won''t mind this girl clearing up the battlefield from that nasty energy?" I asked while rustling my head to the sides to allow my head to enjoy Mia''s thighs even more.

    "I won''t," the monster replied, moving for the first time in a long while just to shake its castle-sized head. "But why does it sound like you are not going to fight?"

    For a moment, I pitched a battle with myself.

    I could either be honest and likely annoy the beast or give it a long exnation that likely would conclude before the violet monster would attack us...

    Or I could just ignore him to a certain degree.

    "I nearly died because of you," I replied, opting to go for the third route. "I need to rest for a while now. That''s why I want you to shave away that filthy power of the monster that''s about to attack us," I added, only for my lips to stop when Mia leaned her upper body forward, only to sandwich my head. Herp was below my head, her stomach pressing against the top of my scalp, her chest ttening directly against my face, and her hands coiling around my chin.

    ''What a divine pillow,'' I thought, ignoring all the world around as I immersed myself fully in the experience of Mia''s warmth, smell, and softness.

    "How are you going to save that innocent person from the insides of that monster, then?" the monster asked. It clearly didn''t care about my wish to take a few minutes of a damned rest!

    "Can you let him regain his strength?" Mia asked, tightening her grasp over my head as if she wanted to coat it fully in her warmth, protecting me from everything outside. "You nearly killed him. It''s hard for anyone to stand up and fight right after that!" she continued to speak, tensing up all around me with every word.

    ''She needs to calm down,'' I thought, unable to help but worry about her own safety. Yet, enclosed within the confines of her body and too tired to move all that much, I couldn''t really do anything to stop her.

    Or could I?

    After all, while not directly in my mouth, didn''t her nipples danger right around it?

    ''Mia!'' I shouted in my thoughts, hoping to pass the message across as I jerked my head to the side. And when I felt the slightly harder surface, I instantlytched on to it with my lips.

    "And since you already proved you can defeat him, what do you need Arthurs''s help for?! Do you even have some dece... AAH!" Mia''s rant turned into a surprised moan when my teeth bit down on her nipple.

    "Shave away at its energy," I spoke directly into the delicate skin of Mia''s tits. Yet, even though my words were silent, I had no doubt the protobear heard them.

    ''On the other hand, this has to be the best microphone I ever spoke to,'' I thought to myself, only to bring my lips up and suck up Mia''s breast once again.

    "Arthur!" Mia whined softly, more surprised than annoyed. She then raised her upper body up a little, making sure not to move too far to forcefully pull her flesh out of my lips. "This isn''t really the time..." she added in a slightly panicked voice as if she only now recalled the fact that she was butt naked and out in the open.

    "How could there be a better time?" I asked, turning around and raising up from Mia''sp only to bring my head to her level and bring our lips together.

    "Aah..." Mia moaned with disappointment when I pulled my lips away.

    "I need to jump into action the second I see an opportunity," I stated, only to lean in for another kiss. Yet, this time, instead of just satisfying myself with the taste of Mia''s lips, I pressed her down, as if I was about to ravage her.

    But there was no such intention in my mind. Sure, spending several hours with Mia''s naked body stered all over my back and unable to satisfy my natural desires conditioned me to be ready for it at any time...

    Yet, I would need to hit my head on something really hard to actually go for it when a monster was about to attack us.

    No.

    Despite my actions looking like a perfect example of seduction, there were all aimed at something else.

    And it was putting myself between Mia and the direction where the attack woulde from.

    ''If she were aware of it, she would never agree to stand behind me,'' I thought, already knowing Mia''s desires a little.

    "If that''s what you want..." Mia replied with hesitation, her mind pushing her in a direction I didn''t expect. She then pushed her knees apart before catching my head and forcing it down on her soft bust.

    For a moment, I could only make some muffled sounds as Mia blocked my mouth with the soft skin of her breasts.

    "And I have long decided to never deny your advance," Mia added before wrapping her hands behind my back and pulling me on top of herself.

 Chapter 307 Heras Punch And Its Consequences

    ''Huh?''

    Enclosed within Mia''s warmth and surrounded by all sides with her flesh, I couldn''t even shrug.

    ''But I wasn''t really making a move on you right now, though?'' I thought, rolling my eyes.

    With Mia''s hands forcing my head into her breast, I simply ced a kiss on top of one of them before forcing my head away.

    "Dear, as happy as it makes me, this isn''t exactly the time," I said as I raised my hand and ran my fingers down Mia''s cheek.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by my sudden statement. "You didn''t want to do it?" she asked, her eyes opening wide while a blush covered her cheeks.

    It seems that even though we have done it a lot of times already, misreading my intentions still could make her blush like that!

    "It''s not like I don''t want to do you," I said, leaning in for a quick peck on her lips. Then, I moved my head to the back despite the obvious look of longing written all over Mia''s face. "I just think it''s not wise to do it when we are about to..."

    I was too focused on Mia to even notice when the meteor came close. As such, right as I was about to point out how stupid it would be to go at it with danger around, the meteor reached the ground, and in the same manner, as when I first saw it, it suddenly stopped.

    For a short while, the violet meteor hovered in mid-air. Then, its shapeless condensation of the violet energy started to struggle, about to allow a monster to emerge out of it.

    "Die," the voice of the protobear filled my ears as it brought its paw right at the ball of violet energy.

    ''No!'' I inwardly screamed out, turning my face away from Mia and watching with desperation how this castle-sized paw came crashing down.

    But it didn''t strike the center of the meteor. Instead, following my request, the protobear struck the meteor to its side, splitting nearly half of its entire mass away.

    "On my way!" Hera shouted, rushing ahead.

    By the time the protobear raised its paw to prepare for another attack, Hera had slipped right into the crater it had left, basking in the energy said attack had shaved away.

    "Be careful!" I shouted over. ''We don''t want you to lose control and return to how you were back then,'' I thought, twisting my lips.

    This second piece of advice, I couldn''t say. After all, the only reason why this protobear allowed all three of us to live was that it didn''t consider me or Hera to be the invaders.

    By making it aware that Hera could turn back into the same monster we just started fighting with, her life would be as good as over.

    ''And there are still a lot of questions that I need her to answer,'' I thought, gritting my teeth in anxiety as I observed how the situation developed.

    "ROAR!"

    Despite losing nearly half of its total magic mass, the monster still managed to form. And right as the protobear was about toe to crush it again, it formed into a panther-like being and jumped away, escaping from the range of the beast.

    "Slippery bastard," the protobear muttered, proving to be more than just a beast with some kind of mission and no personality whatsoever.

    "Hera!" I shouted, pulling myself away from Mia and standing up.

    My rest was brief, but it allowed me to use my body once again.

    "I''m almost finished!" the girl shouted back.

    Now that I knew the position of the invading monster, I no longer needed to keep Mia behind my back. As such, I ran forward a little only to look down into the crater left by the protobear''s attack.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, shrugging when I saw the peculiar scene hidden in the caved-in part of the ground.

    Instead of absorbing it like any other cultivator of this world would, Hera simply sucked the violet energy in through every orifice of her body. And while I could easily stomach the sight of her sucking it with her mouth or even nose...

    ''That has to be pretty unpleasant,'' I thought when I noticed how she reverse farted the energy with both of her bottom openings.

    I turned my eyes away. Even though this was another opportunity for me to learn about Hera''s cultivation techniques and general approach to that violet energy, the sight was just too gruesome for me to handle.

    ''Wait, what about the fight?'' I thought, turning my head towards the source of the noises.

    "Woah," I couldn''t help but release a moan of admiration.

    The power of the protobear that was about to kill me before and then continued to weigh down on me was now directed at fighting the very monster that invaded this world. The same kind of monster that I struggled to fight with before discovering the qualities of my engine.

    And what a sight it was.

    Between the enormous power of the protobear''s attack and the surprising agility of the violet monster, it was hard to decide which one stood on top.

    Or rather, that would be the case for someone who would only nce over at the fight. Yet, as it continued to develop, I couldn''t help but notice that every other attack of the protobear... Actually managed to shave just a little bit more of the violet energy off the panther-like monster!

    ''It''s going to take time, but the protobear is going to win,'' I concluded, feeling a wave of relief spreading through my body...

    Only for that weird feeling to turn into panic a momentter.

    The protobear slowly but steadily created a bigger and bigger advantage over its adversary. But the pseudo-panther appeared to be aware of that fact. And seeing no hopes in battling the beast, it turned its attention towards the three of us.

    "HERA!" I shouted, feeling thousands of cuts of panic appearing all over my soul.

    Maybe the monster wanted to regain the mass of energy it lost; maybe it wanted to cull the opposition starting from the weakest. I couldn''t tell which one was that, or maybe I wasn''t even capable ofprehending its train of thought.

    But what I could tell for sure was that the violet panther lunger right in Hera''s direction.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought as I rushed forward. But even before I could make a single step, I already knew I would be toote.

    "Calm down," Hera said, turning her head a little and revealing a small yet confident smile on her face.

    She then struck her fists together and looked right into the pather''s eyes.

    "I''ve got this," she added, pulling her right hand to the back.

    ''What is she doing?'' I thought, forcing my eyes to look at the girl, even though her process of absorbing that violet energy had yet to end.

    Right as I reached half of the distance that separated me from Hera... She brought her first forward and struck it right into the open mouth of the violet monster.

    Due to the size difference between the two of them, Hera was the size of a single limb of the violet panther. As such, not only did her entire arm manage to fit inside the monster''s mouth, but even a sizeable part of her shoulder got inside before the monster mped its jaws down.

    And then, a weird thing happened.

    Instead of cutting through the girl''s flesh... the panther simply closed its mouth. Yet, even though it was all covered in the violet color, I could still clearly see Hera''s body being intact!

    But it was only the beginning of the weird stuff.

    As both Hera''s punch and the panther''s lunge came with a lot of momentum, their contactsted only for a second. Yet, within that second, the girl managed to reach the core of the monster with her fist.

    The time appeared to slow down for me.

    For but an instant, Hera''s entire body stopped as if it was faced with an invisible barrier rooting her in ce.

    And then Hera''s fist pushed through, forcing the core of the monster right out of its insides and pushing it out through its ass.

    "That was quite unsavory," I muttered, summing up everything that Hera did up to the point.

    Yet, as great as it was to see the fight reaching its conclusion so quickly, the second my eyesid down on who Hera saved from the insides of the monster...

    "FUCK!" I shouted, turning around on the spot and lunging towards Mia.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised both by my sudden rush and by how quickly the fight concluded.

    And the reason behind my rush was pretty simple.

    The person that Hera saved from the insides of the monster... was a man. And Mia remained just as naked as she was while she was stered to my back!

    As such, if I were even a second toote, that damned bastard could luck out and catch a nce of Mia''s charms that were reserved for my eyes and my eyes alone!

 Chapter 308 Unseen Influence

    ''Damn, that was close,'' I thought, barring my chest before Mia only to use my own robes to cover her naked skin.

    There was no way in hell I would allow some random man to gawk at Mia''s beauty. Call me a traditionalist, reactionist, or conservative prick, but I wasn''t going to allow anyone to put their eyes on the beauty that belonged to me and me alone.

    All political correctness of earth could go and merrily fuck itself. Thankfully, this possessive approach of mine towards my rtionship with Mia didn''t appear as something that the girl herself would mind.

    "Thanks," Mia whispered, a small smile appearing on his lips as she saw right through my thoughts.

    Just like I thought, she didn''t really me me for what I did but opted to enjoy the treatment instead.

    After all, if it showed anything, it was my care for her.

    Yet, as much as I would like to focus on Mia and Mia alone, there was one thing that needed my attention right away. I still had to check the results of a particr bet that I made before the fight started.

    I ensured that my robe covered as much of Mia''s skin before finally turning around and throwing a cautious nce at the ground''s depression, where Hera consumed the violet energy.

    ''Will she change back to the monster she was when she came to this world?''

    This was the one question that made me superbly cautious.

    I couldn''t tell whether she became a monster because of some sort of technique or if it was the effects of the two types of mana distorting each other.

    And if it was thetter, then my wish to interrogate her about her own take over our situation could prove to be increasingly difficult.

    "Hera, are you still with us?" I asked, drilling my eyes into the back of the girl.

    For one insanely tense moment, Hera remained silent. Then, she turned around on her heel and nodded her head deeply with a cheeky smile.

    "Chill down. I''m not going to go crazy or anything," Heraughed out, amused by how tense I was.

    Yet, rather than keeping up in this weird moment, Hera turned her eyes back to the man she bitchpunched out of the monster.

    It was clear that between banter with me and saving one of her own, thetter took precedence.

    She consumed a massive amount of that violet energy. An amount that I never dared to consume all by myself, even when I had the means of using it. And yet, both the look in Hera''s eyes and the way she acted proved that she kept her sanity.

    ''That''s a relief,'' I thought, only for a wry smile to creep up on my lips. ''That is, assuming turning into one of those monsters isn''t something that happens over time,'' I added in my thoughts, unable to keep up with that happy-go-lucky approach.

    If something could go to shit, it usually would. For how unreasonable this personal interpretation of Muprhy''sws of mine was, I have yet to end up hurt by assuming it would be true.

    "I know what you are thinking about," Hera stated as she picked up her pace and moved towards the unconscious man in the distance.

    In the end, the strength that she used to make the monster shit out of the man that served as its core was not the culprit behind how long her trek was.

    "And no," Hera finally added once she stopped above the naked body of the stranger, shaking her head before borating on what she meant. "We didn''t turn into those monsters because of the difference in the type of energy. It was a technique we used in hopes of surviving the copse of our world," she exined, clearly not caring about how her words could change protobear''s idea of helping us.

    "I kinda expected this..." I muttered only to send a nce up towards the head of the protobear. Yet, no matter how much I strained my eyes, I couldn''t discern any expression on its massive head.

    Well, it was wrong for me to assume that I could understand the facial expression of an animal-like beast in the first ce, but it never hurt to try.

    Or rather, in this specific scenario, it didn''t hurt to try. Because iming that this historical piece of quotable wisdom was applicable to all scenarios was the worst possible line of defense one could use in a court.

    After all, it did hurt to try some things once. Or rather, it did try to hurt a wide variety of things even once, including any sort of crime, drugs, or even alcohol.

    But I digress.

    "Well, I guess I will allow myself to some of the leftovers as well," I announced upon not noticing a single change in the protobear''s disposition.

    Now that Mia was awake once again and she grew strong enough to handle the drawbacks of small amounts of that violet energy, it was the obvious choice for me to rely on it again.

    After all, the power that I could output through my engine was several times greater than anything that I could do without it!

    "Feel free," Heramented as she took a knee before the unconscious body of her brethren. She was clearly much more interested in saving one of her own than fighting over the small amounts of the violet energy left after the dissipation of the monster.

    "Right, before I forget, what was your level before your world went into shit?" I asked as I roamed the ce to collect all the bits of violet energy that were left hovering above the ground.

    "I managed to reach the profound stage right before the copse," Hera revealed, clearly unaware of how little her names for cultivation stages told me. "If I didn''t, I wouldn''t be able to construct the technique required to survive the crossing," she added, only to tighten her lips and turn silent.

    ''Is it too early for her to talk about it,'' I thought, only to squint my eyes which I then promptly hid by turning around and pretending to be focused on absorbing a near ball of the violet mana. ''Or is she trying to hide something?''

    Sadly, as pressing as this question was, I couldn''t tell which one was it. As such, I couldn''t tell whether she was following me only for the convenience''s sake or if she was actually willing to properly cooperate.

    "Does that mean you were on the weaker side of the monsters that are about toe?" I asked, only for a weird feeling too well up within my insides.

    For some reason, ever since a while ago, I lost all my restraints in regards to discussing the matters rted to the violet energy, monsters, and the other world they all came from.

    It was as if something was stealthy, lowering my guard when it came to those topics, encouraging me to speak my mind about them.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged, unable to get this weird feeling in my head. And once I found it out, luckily, it didn''t prove to be challenging to keep reminding myself of this weird effect.

    ''That was a pretty smart y,'' I thought after a short while, watching in silence how Hera attempted to force the naked man awake.

    There was only one entity that could impose such a silent rule without anyone noticing anything for a while. And it was a presence that was so insanely imposing that we somehow nearly forgot about its existence.

    "Anyway, it''s good that you are on our side now," I muttered, trying to hide the fact that I had freed myself from this strange influence. "If not for the information that you provided me with, I would likely end up just killing all the people enved by those monsters as if they were the ones guilty of what''s happening," I added, desperately attempting to convince the protobear that we were actually on the same side.

    And it was all because of a simple reason.

    If it was testing us like that, it simply meant it had yet to decide whether to y us or not. And even with my engine now stocked with both kinds of mana necessary for it to operate, I wasn''t arrogant enough to believe I could solo that beast.

    "What happened to you?" Hera asked, turning her head away from the man she was trying to force awake as she nced at me from the corner of her eyes. "Why raise that..." she attempted to ask, only for her voice to end up stuck in her throat.

    Hera then swallowed her saliva down, making it seem as if she made the rest of the words from herst sentence ride on her saliva down her throat.

    "Haaah?" a small voice suddenly interrupted our small exchange, forcing Hera to turn her head back to the man.

    "Where the hell am I?" he asked, shaking his head a little only to finally open his eyes and take a look at Hera''s face.

    Then, his eyes widened as they locked on a small detail on Hera''s face that I never even noticed.

    "Banarian...?" he uttered in a weak voice, only for his entire body to slump down on the ground as all hope and energy vanished from his face. "Just kill me already," he stated, closing his eyes and clearly hoping to escape from the torture by rushing into the path only the deceased could tread on.

    ''He is about to bite off his tongue,'' I thought when noticing the strange movements of the man''s jaw.

    "Stop it," Hera stated, falling down on her bottom only to lean her body to the back and rest on her outstretched hands. "Right now, our former allegations have no meaning anymore," she stated, only for a sad expression to appear on her face.

    "Right now, all of our people are nothing more but ves to the rampage of the monsters created from the technique that allowed us to survive the end of our world."

 Chapter 309 It Stands So Still Its Nearly Invisible

    What Hera said right now and what she told me before weren''t the same. Sure, a sizable chunk of her exnation was the same now as it was before, but as always, the devil was in the details.

    It wasn''t the rampage of the monsters that enved Hera''s folks. It was Hera''s folk that rampaged in the world they ended up in after the copse of their own world. Her people weren''t ves but the real persona behind each of the monsters.

    ''I wonder if their experience, techniques, and personalities affect the way they act like the monsters,'' I thought, a sudden question appearing in my mind.

    But there was hardly any point in trying to figure it out right now. After all, I still had to go through the extensive questioning of Hera to gain any ability to judge that at all.

    Because so far, we only had two people who I saw act like a monster and now who now were within my reach. And from the looks of things, it would take a while before the second of those two would regain hisposure to have any mind to talk with me.

    The man at least reacted to Hera''s words and actions. Sensing thepleteck of hostility from her, he decided to pull his teeth away from his tongue, a hint that he wasn''t some kind of suicidal maniac.

    Yet, he still wasn''t at the point where he could take things easy.

    ''I guess expecting him to calm down so quickly after his world literally crumbled apart would be a little bit too much,'' I thought, releasing an exhausted sigh.

    "Who are those people?" the man finally spoke, changing his position so that his dong wouldn''t sh right into everyone''s eyes. Yet, even with this new position, it was clear that he wasn''t all thatfortable with being naked in front of strangers.

    "Don''t you think it''s amon courtesy to introduce yourself first before asking others for their names?" I spoke out, unable to take the prolonging silence for much longer.

    I wasn''t the type of person to passively watch how the events unfold. Sure, if it was absolutely necessary, I would be able to hold myself back�� But on a general rule, I was much more interested in taking an active role in how the events developed.

    With the question posed and my right eyebrow raised in a mocking expression, I awaited the man''s answer.

    "And who the hell do you think you are?" the man spat his words out, staring at me with disgust.

    The disgust that I have never experienced in this world so far. But thanks to my life on earth, it was something that I was pretty ustomed to.

    It was the look of someone who considered himself to be superior. A condescending look of a racist, fascist, or the pseudo-tolerant leftist of thetter ages.

    A look that used to make me gnash my teeth together, rein my emotions, lower my head and just ignore it.

    But those times were long gone. Because in this world, I was the one who had the power to revel in those oppressive ideologies. But I wasn''t going to.

    Compared to those people of the old word of mine, I had the balls to at least be a tyrant without hiding behind some stupid ideologies.

    "I''m a man who can kill a worm-like you with a single swat of my hand," I exined, smiling cheerfully as I finished absorbing the energy this man once called his own and turned my head to face him directly.

    For a moment, the two of us simply stared each other in the eye as if we were some kind of long-time lovers finally able to reunite yet somehow stopped from crossing thosest few remaining steps.

    The atmosphere of the surrounding area changed as the tension grew to the point it became palpable.

    Before I could even notice, Mia stood behind me and ced her hand low on my spine.

    There was no need for words for me to understand her intention.

    Whatever was going to happen next, she was with me.

    "Huh?" I suddenly shrugged, turning my head to the side as I felt the familiar sensation.

    A sensation that didn''t bode well for the idea of keeping this dick-measuring contest up.

    Back a few hours ago, I might still hesitate whether or not I was right about this feeling. A few moments earlier, I would still consider whether or not to announce it outright.

    But I had no more of those doubts right now.

    "Another one ising," I announced, turning my head towards the protobear''s head far off in the skies.

    Right now, there was no point in bothering with that man. If he could calm down and be an obedient littlemb in the next few moments, I wouldn''t mind taking care of him in exchange for his knowledge. But if he wanted to act up, rather than fighting with him, I would sentence him to the death by leaving him to his own devices.

    Still looking up, I could see the protobear nodding its head a little. Yet, even this little movement sent a gust of air surging about. It was so strong I nearly had to struggle to keep myself on the ground!

    "MERCIFUL HEAVENS!" the man shouted when my interaction with protobear finally brought his attention to this massive yet stealthypanion of ours.

    It wasn''t that the protobear was still trying to hide, be it his presence or his influence. It was simply so damn enormous when it came to a human scale that one''s brain would simply refuse to acknowledge its feet that were on our eye-level as a part of a greater being.

    In other words, as long as one''s attention wasn''t brought to the rest of the beast, they would likely assume it was just some weird but still a natural topographic formation.

    ''This is going to get annoying pretty quickly,'' I thought, shaking my head.

    Then, I looked to the side at Mia''s face. "Could you organize some clothes for him?" I asked, raising my hand and putting my forefinger on Mia''s chin, only to turn her head to the side.

    Just like I didn''t want anyone to soil Mia''s skin with their dirty and unworthy eyes, I didn''t want her to be bothered by the unsightly look of that naked man either. And given how the situation continued to develop in a direction that would make the man follow along, getting him some clothes turned out surprisingly high on my priority list.

    "Also, the next meteor won''t strike anywhere near us," I added, moving my eyes back on the protobear''s head. "Still, can you stop with that Buddha stance? It hurts my neck to look so high up!" I then quickly protested before the monster could respond in any way or form.

    "How can you know that?" the protobear asked, its voice trembling a little, proving that I managed to catch him by surprise.

    "The Buddha''s stance?" I asked, slightly confused by the question.

    Did this name hold some sort of importance in this world as well? Was it a coincidence or an actual jackpot?

    "What, are you a devout believer of Jesus or something?" I asked, bringing the name associated with another big religion in my world.

    "Those names aside," the protobear cut the conversation over the topic I brought in an instant, "how can you tell the meteor won''t strike anywhere near?!"

 Chapter 310 [Bonus ]You Do Not Fear Death, Dont You

    For the first time, the protobear was shaken. I could tell from how its voice was deprived of the usual underlying might it had up to this point.

    ''Did it change the topic intentionally, or was it just trying to lead me back on what it was actually interested in?''

    Just like it would happen every other day for me in this world, an important question appeared in my mind. A question that I had no means of answering.

    "Does it matter how I know this?" I asked, a small smirk appearing on my lips.

    It wasn''t the advantage I expected to fall into my hands, but it was an advantage I wasn''t going to waste.

    "How about making a deal, then?" I suddenly asked, putting my hands on my hips and putting on a cheeky expression on my face. "If I answer, you will owe me a single exnation as well," I suggested.

    For a moment, I had to live with the tense feeling of waiting to see how would my bet turn out. Because it was pretty possible that, enraged by my arrogance to demand a deal instead of answering right away, the beast would simply swat me away.

    "Deal," the protobear ended agreeing. Yet, just as he did so, it suddenly pushed its upper body forward, finally falling down on all fours and then moving around a little to bring its massive head closer to me.

    ''Took you a while,'' I thought, still satisfied that my earlier request got through.

    "Ekhem," I cleared my throat before looking directly into the protobear''s eyes.

    "It''s like a fifth invader I see descending," I replied, shrugging my shoulders as I decided to push my question aside for a moment. "Now that I know the patterns of their descend, predicting when they will end up is surprisingly easy," I added before extending my arm to the west, right in the direction we were heading. "Right now, we don''t need to worry about it too much, but we will surely encounter it once we get closer to the bordends," I exined.

    ''But is this really all there is to it?'' I asked myself.

    So far, on a global scale, all of the meteors that I saw falling down were all concentrated in a pretty small area.

    Sure, it could take weeks, if not months, to travel through all the ces that were struck by the meteors, but on a global scale, the meteor shower was still pretty concentrated.

    ''Are they attracted to the bordends?'' I attempted to figure out the reason, only to shake my head a secondter.

    "What''s your question, human?" the protobear forced me out of my train of thoughts, forcefully reminding me of the one question I now earned.

    "Sure, give me a moment," I requested, lowering my head and rubbing my chin as I thought over what question I should ask.

    I wasn''t going to just ask what the weather would be tomorrow or what was the cultivation level of that thing. Given the small hints the protobear dropped before, I could tell that its knowledge could turn into a pretty massive asset for me.

    "How about this, then," I muttered, raising my face at the protobear as a small smile appeared on my lips.

    "From what I heard you mutter earlier, I can infer that there is or was some greater will at y when it came to how you came to be," I created the foundation of my question. "If I''m wrong on that point, forget about what I just said. But in case I''m actually right��." I took a little pause after uttering those words.

    The smile on my lips grew wider. To my side, Mia snuggled up to my hand, pushing her breasts against my arm.

    "I want to know everything about it. Its intentions, reasons, a mission it bestowed upon you that I have a feeling you wish to follow to the letter��." I exined my wish.

    The problematic part of it was obvious. It wasn''t really a single question that I just asked. More like, I just requested an answer to a whole book''s worth of questions!

    But I couldn''t help it. With how little I still knew about this world despite living here for quite some time already, my greed for this kind of knowledge was just enormous.

    "Quite greedy, aren''t you?" the protobearmented, clearly noticing the insane greed that fueled this question of mine.

    Yet, rather than looking down in shame, I smiled cheekily.

    "This is the trait that kept me alive. Greed for resources, greed for techniques, greed for knowledge��." I muttered, only to shake my head. "Without greed, one wouldn''t strive to achieve more. You could say that greed��." I stopped for a moment only to shake my head. "No, not greed. It''s the ambition that fuels everyst one of humans," I exined my philosophy.

    "This is going to be a long story," the protobear replied with a heavy sigh after letting me boil in uncertainty for a prolonged while.

    I couldn''t tell what got into me. But in this moment, where things were already going far better than I ever expected to, I decided to strike the iron while it was hot.

    "If you im it''s a long story��." I pretended to hesitate, only for a smile to appear on my lips a secondter. "Then how about giving us a ride on your back while you exin it all to us?" I suggested, shocked by my own audacity.

    "You really do not fear death, human," the protobear replied, its voice clearly hinting at how amused it was with my words.

    I couldn''t help but release a massive sigh of relief. Only then did I also realize just how tightly Mia''s fingers were cutting into my flesh.

    I truly didn''t know what got into me. But now, it didn''t matter. Because the protobear clearly didn''t mind it all that much.

    "Fine, then. Hop in," it ordered, lowering itself on its limbs to make the entry easier for us. "And to start with the exnation, we need to go back to the time when I was but a small cub," it added, its reminiscing voice somehow soothing my soul.

 Chapter 311 Unfit Altar

    The stars brightly illuminated the night''s sky.

    Shining like thousands of jewels scattered across the skydome, they cast a gentle, silvery light over the forest.

    And in a small clearing of that forest, Vaner squatted down while overlooking the fire.

    ''It''s so chilly,'' the man thought, wrapping his hands around his shoulders and rubbing them.

    Not even his cultivation could stop this chill. Because rather thaning from the cold temperature, it came from how different the area around him was.

    Only two days after the world came to a likely end, Vaner was stuck in the early part of the bordend.

    His healing abilities were pretty potent. And yet, his body was still covered in scars, unable to keep up with Vaner''s pace.

    For even wound that would heal, he would acquire two more.

    "Tsk," Vaner clicked his tongue, bringing his hand towards a herbal bandage he covered one of his worse wounds with. "It''s festering," he muttered, only to turn his lips into a thin line as his forehead wrinkled.

    After the fight with a mind-boggling monster of the bordend, Vaner started to reminiscent his fights with those violet monsters with nostalgia.

    Vaner received only a single wound during thest fight.

    To an outsider, it didn''t sound bad at all. But taking into ount how easily he disposed of the invading monsters before, the reality would only start to reveal just how dire it was.

    "It''s going to turn bad in roughly three to four days," Vaner muttered, pulling away the herbal ster he made and taking a look at his rotting flesh.

    The wound started right at his left shoulder and cut diagonally through his chest. It stretched all the way to the lowest level of his ribs.

    On its own, a wound like that should heal in just a few minutes for a royal like Vaner... But this wasn''t your everyday wound.

    As the monster''s attack was infused not only with the poison of the bordends but also its wicked energy, any and all Vaner attempts to heal it would only elerate the rate at which it degraded.

    Yet, even though he couldn''t really do much about this problem outside of slowing its progress down with some makeshift medicine, Vaner wasn''t even thinking about turning back.

    ''At this rate, I should manage,'' he thought, shaking his head and grabbing his spear only to use it as his support as he rose to his feet.

    ''A pity,'' Vaner thought, taking onest look at the small fire he made before kicking a bunch of snow to extinguish it.

    It was another element of the surrounding that unnerved him.

    Befitting its names, bordends marked the area not only between the two zones but also thend where nature would be freaky. And while it would still take nearly two months for the summer to start, it was pretty unsettling to be surrounded by snow in the middle of the spring.

    As such, the small fire of Vaner''s making was the only source of heat in Vaner''s immediate surroundings.

    ''Now it''s going to be chilly both inside and outside,'' Vaner thought, shrugging his shoulders before taking a step forward.

    He didn''te to the bordends to rest or risk his life for nothing. But he didn''t step inside in order to cross them either.

    Vaner''s targetid right at the deepest part of the bordend''s section that he had mapped out over thest century.

    Step by step, Vaner pushed deeper into the wilderness of the bordends.

    Even though this ce was full of infertile mana and aggressive monsters, it was still a forest. As such, just by paying a little attention and keeping his guard up, he managed to progress quite a lot without encountering a single opponent.

    "I would kill for Pathfinder''s help now," Vaner muttered, his body''s temperature slowly rising. It wasn''t the counteraction to the cold of the outside, though, but a result of his festering wound.

    In the bordends, it was this one selected group of people that would be of most use for Vaner. Yet, being the same kind of royal ve to the crown as he was, Vaner wouldn''t even be able to request their help without a fitting rpensation.

    And in this world currently crumbling under the onught of the attacking monsters, there was hardly anything of value left that Vaner would be willing to part his ways with.

    Despite all the doubts, Vaner continued to push forward. Every time a wave of torture would shake his flesh, he would ept it as a fitting punishment for the sins hemitted in the past.

    Every time his body would shudder under the constant attacks of the illness spreading from his festering wound, he would obediently stop and take a moment to rest, only to pick up the pace as soon as the attack would pass.

    Vaner continued to push forward with no regard for his health or wellbeing. And it was all for the most straightforward reason.

    ''What is my health worth if I''m not free to manage it on my own?''

    The chains that bound him to the royal will of the crown were created by the very same royals that bound him. And even though Vaner was of the same rank as those ancient monsters, the gap between their experience and umted power was too massive for him, especially when the showdown started right after his advancement.

    And even now, after a century of toiling away with his head lowered and no word ofint, Vaner finally found a way to free himself from those shackles.

    "There it is," the man muttered when the trees finally gave way to an old stone structure.

    Right now, thousands upon thousands of years after it was initially constructed, it was hard to even consider it a building. All that Vaner could see in a small clearing of the forest were several piles of the old, decaying stone bricks stacked in a haphazard manner.

    ''It''s preserved far better than I expected,'' Vaner thought, quickly scanning the area with his eyes. And sure enough, right between two of the more conspicuous piles of stone bricks, there was a path leading underground.

    ''Jackpot,'' Vaner thought, his lips turning into a smile.

    Reaching this ce took him an entire day of travel through the bordends.

    Even though it wasn''t all that far from the border of those treacherousnds, this was the first time in his life when Vaner could even think about reaching it.

    Firstly because the true royals of the kingdom were likely too busy with the monsters to pay any attention to the connection that linked them to Vaner''s ve status.

    And secondly, it was because Vaner, for the first time since he started to explore this ce, pushed forth without any regard for the idea ofing back.

    ''If I keep my status of a ve, I will only end up dying after those monsters will use everyst bit of me,'' Vaner thought, sneaking towards the depression into the ground before slowly sliding down the slope.

    And just like that, an underground room appeared before the man''s eyes.

    "Damn," Vaner muttered through his teeth, awed by the fact that the room still stood, seemingly free from the influence of the elements.

    But what was important was a small altar that took ce right in the very middle of the underground room.

    ''It''s just as... simple as it was supposed to be,'' Vaner thought, only to swallow a gulp of saliva as he approached the simple construction.

    Between the insane durability of the room and the simplicity of the altar, one could get a massive dissonance because the altar appeared to be massively out of ce.

    In a room that survived intact for thousands of years, one would expect its decorations and functionalities to at least look important!

    The altar on its own appeared as a set of four cubes of stone arranged in a near formation with a perfectly round stone suspended just a few inches above the square stones.

    It floated in the sky as if hanging on some sort of strings, yet even by waving his hand over the stone ball, Vaner couldn''t make it fall.

    ''It''s just like in the texts,'' he thought, taking a deep breath.

    Vaner then pulled out his sleeve, revealing a small yet elegant mark of a crown burned out on the inner side of his right wrist.

    It was a small emblem, a decoration of sorts, that he was willing to go for nearly any length to get rid of.

    ''It all ends now,'' Vaner thought, biting his thumb and shaking his finger towards the ball, making a single drop of his blood fall upon the stone.

    This was thest test he needed to ensure this ce was the one he found out about fifty years ago.

    And just like Vaner hoped, upon absorbing his blood, the round stone started to shine. And a mere momentter, it started to swirl around, faster and faster with each passing second.

    Once the man could no longer even perceive the movement of the ball, the spaces between four cubes of stone below suddenly shone with a bright light, as if the empty space ended filled up with extremely condensed mana.

    "Here goes nothing, I guess," Vaner muttered, bitting down his teeth before closing his eyes and pushing his hand down on the spinning stone ball.

    He expected the feeling of having his entire arm torn off the second the momentum of the ball would transfer to his flesh...

    But no such thing happened.

    Yet, the second Vaner''s flesh came into contact with the perfectly even surface of the ball, a powerful sucking force appeared, squeezing everyst drop of mana from his royal flesh.

    The mana in the free spaces between the cubic stones suddenly turned red while the ball stopped spinning in an instant, denying all the reason of one that would see the change.

    And then, a single spike grew up on top of the ball, enticing Vaner''s eyes with a small glint right on its tip.

    "It''s time to cast aside those shackles that bound me for over a century," Vaner muttered before decisively pressing his thumb at the spike.

 Chapter 312 Two Objectives

    The spike on top of the otherwise perfectly smooth ball pierced through Vaner''s thumb as if his royal skin offered no resistance.

    The same skin that could easily withstand shes of swords and axes alike gave way to the simple spike that wasn''t enhanced with even the tiniest shred of spiritual energy.

    That alone spoke wonders about the technique used to create this altar, a technique that was long gone to the people of this world.

    And then, right as the first drop of blood oozed out of Vaner''s thumb onto the spike, the tiny runes that covered the entire surface of the altar finally made themselves known.

    There wasn''t any sound or cascading effect that would draw one''s attention to the change. It only looked as if the single drop of blood got diluted many times over without losing the hue of its color, only to then fill countless rifts engraved slightly below the surface of the stone.

    ''All of that with just a single drop of blood?'' Vaner thought, raising his hand and taking a step back.

    Looking at the altar from a slightly bigger distance, he could now see the scale of the engravings. Because even after a few moments, more and more of the altar''s surface turned from nk stone to a massive painting of engravings.

    "What even are those letters?" Vaner muttered to himself, moving a bit closer to the altar and leaning his face over its surface. Yet, no matter how long he spent starting at even just a single of its letters, he couldn''t even begin to make any sense out of it.

    Yet, before Vaner could even get over his amazement over the intricate details of the engraving or even the sheer fact that its creator managed to cover those engravings with ayer of stone so thin that one could actually see through it...

    The spread of the runes stopped, indicating that a single drop of blood wasn''t enough of an offering after all.

    "That''s strange," Vaner muttered under his nose. "The texts clearly stated that a single drop of blood would suffice," he muttered, throwing a curious look around himself.

    Yet, no matter how long he waited, not a single rune more appeared. And just to confirm his belief that the process stopped halfway, some of the runes near the bottom of the altar were clearly cut.

    "Well, I guess those ancient texts could be wrong," Vaner muttered to himself, raising his hand and bringing his thumb over the glistering spike again. "Or maybe this ce got rusty as the time went?" he analyzed his options, pressing his thumb on the spike once again and annihting the effects of his healing over that small wound.

    This time, however, Vaner didn''t pull his thumb as soon as a single drop of blood oozed out of his finger. Instead, he pressed his thumb even harder, almost to the point of the spike prating his nail from below.

    ''Damn, to think that hurting one''s finger could be so painful,'' Vaner thought, surprised by the unexpected intensity of this minute injury.

    For someone like him, used to battling beasts at the very top of the food chain of this world, having his thumb pierced by a spike was nothing but a scratch. Yet now, Vaner was forced to admit to himself that his sacrifice turned out to be pretty damn painful!

    Painful it was.. . But Vaner''s blood continued to drop down on the altar, allowing the process of uncovering its runes to resume.

    "Woah," Vaner shouted in surprise when the runes started to appear again... but rather than just filling everyst piece of the surface of the altar itself, they soon started to appear on the walls, floor, and the ceiling of the room.

    ''Is the entire ce made with this technique?'' Vaner attempted to figure out what was going on while watching how his blood revealed more and more runes all over the ce.

    And then, when the entirety of the room was revealed to be fully covered with runes, the ce suddenly shone in a bright light of a red hue, as if the illumination came from behind the runes themselves.

    "ARGH!" Vaner suddenly shouted in pain and fell to the ground when he felt as if a thousand needles pierced through his skin.

    But that was only the beginning.

    From every ce that hurt him before, Vaner''s spiritual energy started to rush out as if there was some force capable of attracting it.

    ''Is it the orb?'' Vaner thought, raising his eyes in a futile attempt at locating the direction that his own energy was flowing towards. Yet, as the spiritual energy had no physical form, Vaner''s attempt at spotting it turned out to be pretty futile.

    ''Just like in the texts,'' Vaner thought, gritting his teeth as the power he tirelessly worked over the years to gather continued to empty out of his body.

    The seal on Vaner''s wrist was one embedded directly into his cultivation. In other words, it was impossible to get rid of it without either its owner releasing it or the cultivator dying.

    Or rather, that''s what everyone in this world thought to be the case. And now, with Vaner''s cultivation shrinking by the second, the seal on his wrist had already started to crumble.

    ''Even if I will have to start from the very scratch,'' he thought, gritting his teeth to the point they neared the point of cracking, ''I will regain my freedom!''

    This was the only wish that Vaner had that was strictly rted to himself. Because only by regaining the freedom to do and move as he liked could he even begin to wish to pay back all those who he hurt before.

    Bit by bit, Vaner''s spiritual energy continued to drain out of his body. And for every portion of his power that escaped, the seal on his wrist continued to weaken.

    ''It''s elerating,'' Vaner thought, falling down to his knees as an overwhelming sense of weakness filled both his mind and his body.

    Used to his cultivation supporting his physical prowess, now that most of it were gone, Vaner could hardly stand up. And even if it was only a temporary effect, it was still a pretty annoying one.

    Crack.

    The seal on Vaner''s wrist suddenly split into three fragments. And then, it simply vanished, as if it was never there, to begin with.

    "Without energy to support it, it will simply vanish," Vaner muttered, heavily breathing in hopes of quickly offsetting his feeling of weakness.

    Because ording to the sources that led him to this ce, this was all but the first step of the process that the altar would force upon his body.

    For but a brief moment, Vaner continued to just breathe in and out in silence, enjoying the first moments of his life in over a century when no foreign will imposed its own course upon his actions.

    And then, all the runes within the room shed again.

    ''It''s time,'' Vaner thought, reaching out for his storage ring.

    Then, his eyes widened when he realized his mistake.

    With no spiritual energy, he had no means of essing the items inside!

    Vaner simply stared at the ring in the palm of his hand with a nk expression on his face.

    "Fuck," he uttered, right when the altar started the second phase of energy transmutation.

    A wave of energy suddenly mmed right into Vaner''s body, filling his emptied-out cultivation with a refreshing stream of power.

    ''I need to be quick,'' he thought, instantly directing a strand of said energy into his storage ring.

    Yet, the second he injected his newfound power into the item...

    The storage ring broke apart, forcing all of its content to scatter all over the ce.

    "Woah!" Vaner shouted in surprise when a pile of varying treasures suddenly threatened to bury him.

    ''I didn''t expect that,'' he thought, instantly shoveling away with his hands through the mess of his wealth.

    And there it was. A small, green stone.

    One that Vaner spent fifty years of hard work to obtain, all for the sake of this one moment.

    ''Quick!'' he shouted in his thoughts, urged into action by the feeling of his power returning to his body.

    There was no telling whether he could use the altar again right away. There was even a chance that it would all crumble apart once it served its purpose. That''s why Vaner had no other choice but to make a massive bet.

    He reached out... And right as he was about to get buried by the copsing tower of other treasures, he wrapped his hands around the stone and squeezed hard on it.

    The energy from the altar continued to fill his cultivation... And then, the energy that he saved over thest fifty years in that green stone joined the fray, mixing with the foreign power that the altar produced.

    ''This is the only way,'' Vaner thought, gritting his teeth as the two kinds of different energies mixed within his body, fighting for the right to remain within the confines of his cultivation.

    The energy from the green stone that he umted in thest fifty years by shaving away the entirety of his daily progress of cultivation.

    And the foreign energy of the other world that the alter produced in exchange for the spiritual energy it sucked out of Vaner in the first phase of its procedure.

    "ENDURE!" Vaner shouted, fighting off the excruciating pain of the procedure.

    Because if the main objective of his presence in this strange, abandoned room was to get rid of his seal, his secondary aim was to get himself ustomed to both kinds of energy.

    ''If I want to survive in this new world, this is the only way!'' Vaner thought, gritting his teeth so hard that they actually started to crack, all the while the energy from the stone and the altar continued to carve their mark on his insides.

 Chapter 313 Preplanned Doom

    "And this is the gist of the story," the protobear finished, a sense of satisfaction reverberating through its voice.

    ''What, is it the first time it had an audience to tell its past to?'' I couldn''t help but ask myself while doing everything to keep a mocking look away from my face.

    Yet, even if I initially wanted to make fun of this fact, when the scale of the problem dawned upon me, I ended up taking pity on this being.

    For humans, it was a monster that spelled doom. Just sighting it anywhere near a city or a town would lead to a panicked evacuation... even if the protobear''s only intention was to pass through to a morefortable sleeping spot.

    ''I guess that''s why their creator forced them into slumber until the crumbling world would break their sleep,'' I thought, trying to make some sense of the details of the story that protobear told us.

    I shook my head and raised my eyes, curious to see how the others reacted to the story. And if I was between being baffled and shocked by the news, then the others were simply stunned.

    Mia appeared not to care at all. She was simply stered to my side, humming lightly and asionally rubbing her cheek against my shoulder. But when it came to Hera and the man that she saved...

    They couldn''t utter a single word. And to be frank, I wasn''t all that surprised by it.

    ''Well, that was only to be expected,'' I thought, rolling my eyes when it turned out that checking the reactions of mypanions only forced me to think over thisplicated topic again. ''I guess I would be stunned beyond words if I learned that earth''s existence was all for the sake of keeping the moon safe or something,'' I thought, trying to draw a parallel between what I just heard and my old world.

    And that was the gist of it.

    The world where Hera and the other man came from turned out to be a part of the greater world. The greater world that already reached the brink of the total copse andplete culling of all living forms on it by the end of what the locals called the ancient age.

    Back then, when magic and technology were not only synonymous but also developed beyond anything I myself could consider rational, a certain group decided to take matters into their own hands.

    They didn''t care about politics. They paid no attention to the will of the others. They didn''t allow their own greed to take over their actions... Or rather, in a certain way of thinking, they turned out to be greedier than anyone else in the ancient world.

    Because instead of just ignoring the doom that was approaching their world in favor of livingfortably through the few centuries left to their world...

    They arbitrarily decided to do something about it.

    "So the world was about to fall apart because the total momentum of its innate energy grew too much, right?" I asked, trying to sort my thoughts out and ensure that I actually understood the general concept of what happened.

    "It''s quite shocking that you can wrap your head around this concept," the protobear answered before releasing a powerful sigh. A sigh that instantly threatened to tten a massive chunk of the forest we were traveling through. "But yeah. Our creator used that increasing momentum to forcefully split the merged energy into its subparts again. Or, to be more precise, he used up all the potential of the fuel that powered the ancient world to separate its twoponents and split them into two distinctive worlds," the protobear exined.

    ''So I was right,'' I thought while gritting my teeth.

    Combining the mana of this world with the mana of the mirror-like world where Hera came from wasn''t some kind of discovery. More like, it was a technology that was simply long lost to this world.

    ''Well, assuming the presence of the bordends, I think it''s safe to say that some technology of that kind still does exist,'' I thought to myself, scanning the area around us from the elevated position on the protobear''s back.

    I couldn''t really tell what pushed me into this strange nce. Was it a curiosity whether I could spot some ancient structures hidden in the wilderness? Or maybe it was something that I did without any deeper meaning behind it?

    "Tell me, then," I muttered, still sorting stuff in my head. "What''s your role in this new, changing world?" I asked.

    ording to the protobear''s story, the copse of the artificially created world that Hera came from was inevitable. It would take thousands upon thousands of years before the gears keeping it in ce would wither out and stop working, but they were doomed to fail nheless.

    And it was this copse, the sudden influx of the type of mana that was formerly banned from this world, that woke the protobear up from its slumber.

    ''If the mechanism of waking it up is connected to what''s happening right now, that can only mean the protobear and its kin has some role to y,'' I thought, gritting my teeth as thousands upon thousands of brutal scenarios yed out in my head.

    I swallowed a gulp of saliva, feeling how my body tensed up.

    For beings capable of splitting the world into two and then forcefully separating them for millennia, killing a million people wasn''t something bad but a regrettable consequence of what they deemed necessary. As such, it was hard for me to believe that the protobear would follow any sort of human reason when aiming to fulfill whatever its mission was.

    "It is to prevent the invaders from the mirror dimension from bringing the otherponent of the true magic into this world," the protobear exined without even a second of hesitation. "Killing them, eating them, licking them, making phantom women drain their powers and then casting them off into space..."

    The massive shoulder des of the protobear shook as it shrugged them.

    "Whatever the means to it are, I don''t care. I will do everything I deem necessary to stop the return of the true mana to this world," it added.

    Gulp.

    For me, the sound that my saliva made when I swallowed it was akin to my own confession.

    Because even if I wasn''t sure that we spoke about the same thing, I was pretty sure that engine of mine... The power it outputted was exactly the true mana the protobear spoke about!

    In other words, even more than the invaders, I was the true target of this beast!

    "And why are you so set on doing so?" I asked in a low voice, unable to hold back my own fear.

    I already faced this protobear once. As such, I knew better than anyone that, at least for now, I wasn''t a match for it.

    ''Still, its mission exists for a reason. If we somehow don''t stop that violet mana from reaching this world, it''s going right back on its earlier course into destruction, isn''t it?'' I thought.

    If there was any question that I had about this new life of mine, it was just a single one.

    Why?

    Why did I appear in this world right in time to witness it reaching its climax? Why did I appear in the times when the stakes of the entire damned world were at a y?

    Or maybe I was looking at it from apletely wrong standpoint. Rather than asking why, weren''t my questions embedded with an answer?

    I appeared in this world exactly because it was reaching its doom. I appeared in this world precisely because my technical knowledge could allow me to understand the situation and, by extension, figure out a way to stop it.

    But if those assumptions were correct...

    Who was the one who dared to put such a heavy burden on my shoulders?

    ''Or rather, what I should be asking, is how could someone so powerful make such a basic mistake?''

    "Arty?" Mia muttered, cuddling up to my side as she brought her eyes up and looked at my face. "Are you alright?" she asked, easily sensing that there was something wrong with me.

    But right now, I could only think about one thing. One thing that was making me wish was to just burst out inughter. And if not for fear of being taken for a crazy person, I would likely just do it.

    Because whoever potentially brought me here to help this world to stave away the disaster failed to realize one important thing.

    Back in my first life, back on Earth, we were in the same spot as the whole of humanity. Our excessive reliance on fossil fuels brought us to the point beyond any recovery.

    In fact, if not for the artificial maniption of the atmospheric content, the Earth would''ve long turned sterile. Yet, at the same time, the measures humanity as a whole took to stave off this problem were also the poison that slowly but surely would kill everyst living being on the.

    And I had no problems with that. In that failing world, rather than looking for a way to save the... I simply pursued my own agendas, more set on living my life to the fullest despite the systematic oppression than I was concerned with the impending doom of the entire.

    That''s why, if my assumptions about the reason why I appeared in this world were correct in the first ce, there was only one question that I would like to ask whoever orchestrated this entire thing.

    ''If I didn''t care about my original world in the slightest,'' I thought, raising my hand and patting Mia''s head. ''Why would I care about this world that''s foreign to me in the first ce?''

 Chapter 314 Sigma

    "We are here," the protobear announced as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

    Yet, for me, the ce where we arrived was no different from the areas all around the ce. Trees, some areas where grass reigned supreme and managed to stave off the expansion of the forest, a small river was frolicking through the geographic structures of the area...

    In other words, it was just more of the same. I could look behind, and I would see exactly the same as I would see by looking ahead.

    "How is this ce any different from thends we traveled through?" I asked.

    It wasn''t that I doubted the honesty or the truth behind the protobear''s words. As a being brought to life in the aptly named ancient age of this world, it likely knew the things about magic and cultivation that locals could only dream about.

    ''Keeping the earlier assumption that I''m supposed to be someone special, a remedy to the dying world,'' I thought, recalling the stuff I thought about recently, ''should I be able to at least notice the difference?''

    "Forgive me for that," the protobear suddenly apologized, catching me by surprise. "I had to test you. You should know yourself that the stuff you are saying and the things that you are doing... do not exactly match," it pointed out, shaking its massive head as it did so.

    And welp, what could I say? In the intricate web of lies that I crafted to keep the protobear from realizing that I was simply using it, I was bound to make some mistakes.

    I didn''t really know what mistakes did I exactlymit. But to be frank, it didn''t matter in the slightest. Because now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no point in thinking about it anymore.

    "Test?" I muttered, raising my hand and rubbing my chin. "I do ept the apology, but..." I made a dramatic pause just for the sake of my own desire for theatrics, "what kind of test did you conduct?" I asked, puzzled to no end.

    Was there something that I was supposed to do? Some way in which I was supposed to react? Or maybe the very fact that I was asking myself those questions meant a passing score for the protobear''s test?

    "The fact that you cannot see how this ce is any different proves that you are actually someone from this world," the protobear released a deep sigh before shaking its massive head once again. "What I didn''t tell you was one more caveat that our creator bestowed us with," the protobear added, lowering itself on its legs to allow our small group to get off its back.

    "I''m all ears," I spoke, trying my very best to keep my voice natural.

    But I didn''t really need to ask. Sure, I was curious about the details and how this caveat was rted to what the protobear said about me being from this world... Yet, it didn''t take a genius to notice the connection between those two.

    After all, if the question of whether I came from this world or not was unrted to the secret the protobear clearly was about to reveal, why would the beast bring it up in the first ce?

    "A day wille when a man, no different from any of all, willeth," the protobear spoke up, his tone changing to implicate those words weren''t originally his.

    "He will be like any man. But he will be stronger. He will act like any human, yet he will be smarter. Unrecognizable by any, yet unfit for this world. But the me of his ambition, unless extinguished, will bring ruin upon this world," the protobear continued its words, turning them into a sort of chant.

    "If that person cannot be recognized, then how are you supposed to find out who he is?" I asked, feeling a tingle move down my spine.

    "This will be a man who knows things that this world has yet to wee. His thoughts will travel in ways inconceivable for his peers," the beast continued, minding not my question. "He will speak of words that no human foot ever traversed, the words that a human would never be able to reach," the protobear finished up its chant and turned silent.

    For the next few, unbearably long moments, only silence ensued. Even when our entire group dropped down on the ground, the protobear refused to exin anything of what it said.

    "When the time of changees, one of you will encounter that man. A man of no renown, yet power unfitting hisck of status," the protobear finally picked its story up only to put it to a pause as it turned its head and looked at me with its castle-gate''s-sized eyes.

    "When that timees, bring any and all that you encounter to the great sign of the control zone," the protobear finally uttered some words that, despite making no sense, clued me in on the protobear''s original intentions.

    "You will know it''s him when he reacts to the mark."

    It was thest sentence that the protobear spoke before turningpletely silent and moving its head back in the direction we traveled to.

    ''Just what the hell was that?'' I asked myself, barely stopping my head from shaking. ''Some kind of prophecy?'' I bit down on my lips. ''Isn''t it a bit too precise for a prophecy? Aren''t the words of the future supposed to be so vague one could adapt them to their own situation at their convenience?'' I thought, my soul filling with scorn at the very idea of faking the words of the future.

    Yet, there was no denying that, to a degree, I could feel myself fitting most of the criteria that the protobear presented.

    "Anyway, this is all that I have to say to you," the protobear released what could only be called an exhausted sigh before admitting. "This is also the end of our journey together. You wanted to reach the bordends, so here you are," it said before raising its paw and pointing at a nearby clearing. "This is the deepest ce you can reach without crossing the border. If you head north from here, you should find the ce you are looking for," the beast announced before turning around, clearly about to leave.

    "A ce I was looking for?" I shouted my question.

    Even though the protobear leaving us alone was the best thing that I could ask for, it didn''t sit well with me to have yet another set of questions that I would likely never find an answer to.

    "How can you know what ce am I looking for if I don''t know it myself?!" I protested.

    The main reason why we moved in this specific direction was to find Mia''s missing teammates. The very fact that the protobear helped us to travel by lending us its back likely made us go way ahead of the group we were chasing.

    ''In fact, I believe it will be harder to find them now than it would be just by following their trail,'' I thought, tightening my hands into fists.

    "Even if you don''t know what you are looking for, I do," the protobear announced in its usual, mighty tone. Yet, rather than spending just a tiny bit of time exining its words, it simply started to move, threatening to get out of the range of my voice in just a few moments.

    "Then how about you tell us what ce are we looking for?!" I shouted again, refusing to let this situation end just like this.

    Yet, even when I repeated my shout a few momentster, the protobear refused to turn around or answer.

    "And it''s gone," Mia muttered. She stood just a single step behind me, close enough to support me if anything were to happen, yet far enough not to be a bother. "Do you have any idea what it was talking about?" she took a step forward and coiled her hands around my arm as she asked.

    "It does ring a bell, but that''s the end of it," I replied, shaking my head in denial.

    Even though I trusted Mia with my all, this wasn''t particrly the best moment to reveal my true origin to her.

    Not when that damned beast lowkey announced that someone of nearly unexinable origins would bring an end to this very world.

    "Well, then, shall we get moving?" Mia suggested either paying no mind to my inner confusion, not noticing it, or intentionally trying to push my thoughts to a different topic.

    ''What a lovely girl she is,'' I thought, raising my hand and patting her head before turning around and looking at the line of the trees just a few meters ahead.

    "Yeah," I nodded my head. "Let''s get going," I added before taking the first step forward.

    "That was weird," Heramented under her nose, quickly following after me. Yet, her moves stopped a few secondster, right as I passed by the thin line of the trees that blocked my sight.

    As it turned out, we were either on top of a hill, or thends aheadid in a deep depression. And it was this geographic feature that allowed me to scan a pretty massive area in front of us.

    Gulp.

    I swallowed down the saliva produced in my mouth when I realized one thing.

    Right now, I received the one confirmation I didn''t want.

    Because now that I looked at they of thend ahead from a lower point of view, I could finally make out a certain shape that I never expected to see in this world.

    A shape that I was extremely familiar with. A mark that was one of thest few things I saw before my untimely demise back on earth.

    For amateurs, it looked as if the terrain below had the shape of a capital letter ''e.'' But I knew better.

    The rough contours of thend, something that didn''t have any right to exist after millennia''s worth of erosion, made it clear that it wasn''t the letter E that thend was shaped at.

    It was the Sigma mark instead.

 Chapter 315 So Obvious, Its Nearly Impossible To Notice It

    ''This has to be a coincidence,'' I thought, gritting my teeth as I looked down on the mark I was extremely familiar with.

    Because thepany that, with a single letter of theirs, made me a happy man bore the same sigil as their brand''s logo.

    "Let''s go," Mia announced as if it was an obvious thing to do.

    She jogged ahead and grabbed my arm, forcing me to look down.

    Right into the ensnaring trap of her eyes.

    I gulped down the saliva that gathered in my mouth.

    Even after everything we did, having Mia bring her face so close, I could nearly taste her lips... yet, she kept her mouth right outside of my reach.

    "Sure," I replied, epting her assistance with gratitude.

    Right now, I wasn''t in the right state of mind. I could now easily connect the dots.

    The protobear''s prophecy. The sigma mark spreading across an entire teau before my eyes....

    ''It appears I didn''t react to this mark, not because I didn''t recognize it,'' I thought, gulping down my saliva and tightening my hold over Mia''s fingers. ''But because I simply didn''t notice it.''

    The severity of this information couldn''t be underestimated.

    The only reason why the protobear, who I already established to be far above my league, didn''t kill me was because of myck of focus.

    And by an extension, I was supposed to be the reason for this world burning to all helle.

    ''Isn''t this a little bit too much to digest?'' I thought,menting over my fate.

    Why couldn''t I have just a smooth-sailing type of reincarnation where my greatest worry would be running out of different types of girls to add to my harem?

    Where was the justice in this world? Why couldn''t I just have a peaceful romance with Mia?

    ''God damn it!'' I screamed out in my soul, letting out a tiny bit of my pent-up frustration.

    I then shook my head, trying to calm my thoughts down.

    ''At least now I know for sure the meaning of that curse.''

    A sudden memory appeared in my thoughts.

    "May your life be interesting and full of adventures, huh?" I muttered under my breath.

    And through all this time, Mia locked her eyes on my face, observing everyst detail, everyst change that happened to my mimicry.

    "Arty..." Mia whispered, raising her hand and pushing out just one finger. She then used said finger to gently rub my cheek. "If it''s inconvenient, you don''t need to tell me yet."

    I nearly froze in ce.

    I could hardly focus on what was in front of me already, and now this?

    ''I guess I made it pretty obvious, didn''t I?'' I internally scolded myself.

    But I have no mental capacity to deal with this issue for now. Not now, not yet. Yet, on the other hand...

    ''If she brought that up, that proves she is already aware of it,'' I thought, closing my eyes and releasing all the air from my lungs in a long, exhausted sigh.

    Overwhelmed with all the issues raining down on me, I simply didn''t know what to do next.

    Tell the truth and risk both Hera and that other guy hearing it?

    Hide the truth and act towards Mia in a way that I would never forgive myself for doing?

    Or maybe just stall for time, overusing Mia''s kindness and willingness to wait...

    I didn''t know what to do at all...

    So I decided to just be honest.

    "Mia, sorry," I spoke out, turning around only to ce my hands on Mia''s shoulders. "It''s not that I don''t want to tell, but right now, I simply cannot afford to think about it," I exined as best as I could without involving any of the topics I didn''t want to tackle.

    There would be a better time to think about them. Once I would find the time to sit down and have a calm, long discussion with Mia, I would dly reveal the truth about myself to her...

    But right now, figuring out this one connection, finding out just what the hell the poprpany from my life on earth had to do with thendscape of the entire damned teau!

    "I understand," Mia nodded her head with a gentle smile adorning her lips.

    Yet, for how easy it was, I couldn''t ept it. I couldn''t ept just how willing Mia was to concede on everything in our rtionship.

    I could tell that she was curious, all the more if she likely started to piece the truth out herself. And the fact that she was willing to ignore that innate curiosity of hers just for the sake of myfort, just to make it easier on me...

    I didn''t want Mia to sacrifice herself for me like that. And by dismissing the childish look at the heroics and the legends, I didn''t want to sacrifice myself for her either.

    I just wanted for the two of us to have a peaceful life where we could enjoy our days together!

    "Huh?" Mia suddenly stopped in her tracks. Even though I was too deep in my thoughts to notice it, she quickly pulled on my arm to alert me. "Look," she called out, pointing ahead with her chin.

    "Excuse me?" I muttered, still half aware of my surroundings with how immersed I was in my own internal troubles.

    "Oh shit," I then cursed, unable to stop myself when I finally raised my eyes.

    My internal outburst didn''t feel like itsted for long... But we already managed to make out way to the bottom of the hill and towards what would make the bottom part of the sigma mark.

    And there it was, a concrete-looking wall with some signs of vegetation slowly eroding into the structure.

    "It''s not concrete proof," I muttered under my nose, smirking at the small pun I made just for my own amusement. "But this proves me right," the truth slipped out of my mouth, clearly reaching Mia''s ears.

    Yet, just like she imed before, Mia pretended for my words to go over her head, discarded by its unintended recipient.

    ''There is something wrong,'' I thought, moving my eyes back on the wall after taking a quick nce at Mia''s cute expression.

    It was a small, annoying feeling somewhere deep in my soul. An itch that I couldn''t scratch, no matter how much I strained my hands to that end.

    "Take as much time as you need," Mia encouraged me while rubbing the side of her face against my arm. "I will be there whenever you need me," she added, wrapping her arms as she glued herself to my side.

    "Thanks," I raised my hand and patted Mia''s head, only to move my eyes back to the wall.

    It was the perfectly normal concrete wall, one that could be found in any type of modern town. But at the same time, it was a piece of architecture one wouldn''t expect to see in this world of swords and cultivation.

    Yet, here it was, proving my earlier rationality wrong and edging me with some kind of small, unnoticeable detail that was weird about it.

    And then, I finally figured it out.

    It was so obvious, forced right into my eyes that I failed to see.

    Because one part of the wall was distinctively different from the rest.

    It all consisted of a smooth-bore stone, but there was a part of it that was visibly rougher. What''s more, even the vegetation beside that wall is appeared to be slightly different than the undergrowth all around!

    ''There has to be a hidden passage there,'' I thought to myself, unable to understand how such an obvious thing went unnoticed for ages required to change how this ce looked by such a degree.

    "What are you doing?" Mia asked, a slight hue of worry in her voice when I moved towards that distinctive part of the wall.

    "Just give me a second," I dismissed her, too focused on my current task to allow any distractions.

    My hands molested the wall, looking for some kind of trigger that would open the hidden passage. Yet, as my amounts continued to amount to absolutely nothing, a wild idea appeared in my mind.

    "How about I just..." I muttered, clenching and then opening my fingers up in my fist a few times.

    And then I took a step forward and smashed right against the rugged wall.

    ''Poof.''

    My hand met no resistance. My knuckles didn''t break on the hard stone of the wall. Instead, the entire chunk that caught my attention just a moment ago has vanished by now.

    "So I was right," I muttered, securing my hold over Mia''s hand before stepping inside a small chamber revealed behind the secret passage.

    It was a tiny room with just enough space for two or maybe three people to stand arm in arm. And with the exception of a strange construct of four cubes and a perfectly round ball lying on top of them, there was absolutely nothing inside.

    My gaming senses turned out to predict the existence of a secret room... but it turned out to be empty?

 Chapter 316 Puzzle

    "Could it be?" I muttered under my nose, raising my hand to rub my chin as I scanned the walls with an extreme degree of interest.

    The room that was hidden behind the fake wall turned out to be empty. In other words, it consisted of just three more walls that demarcated its size... and nothing else.

    But it would be a massive understatement to im it was a worthless finding.

    ''This is even harder to believe than the involvement of the sigmapany,'' I thought, noticing the markings that decorated the walls.

    Sure, this room was empty when it came to secondary objects. But as it turned out, this empty room wasn''t about keeping something in but about hiding yet another passage.

    Otherwise, why would there be a need for the cryptic text covering the walls and indicating it was all but a puzzle for one to solve?

    "Let''s see..." I muttered under my nose as I took a closer look at the drawings that covered the walls.

    Sure, some of them formed some kind ofnguage I couldn''t understand at all... but some others, while still hard to figure the meaning of, somehow brought forth a certain idea in my mind.

    An idea that befitted the situation I found myself in yet at the same time an idea so stupid that I was hesitant to even consider it.

    I then raised my hand and brought it to the drawing located at the leftmost wall of the hidden room.

    ''It''s warrior, no matter how you look at it,'' I thought, hanging my head low as a feeling of depression settled in my soul.

    I could ept apany from back on earth somehow spreading its influence all the way to this world. I could even ept the fact that apparently, the ruins that we were inspecting right now were as old as Egyptian pyramids were for me.

    I could ept all of that... But acknowledging what likely was the puzzle of the room, I just found, was too much.

    Yet, as my hand traced down and rubbed past the several lines of text below the image, I concluded to depict a warrior...

    "Those are status windows, are they not?" I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else. This fact was only further reinforced by how only people from the earth like me could understand the meaning of my words.

    The situation was pretty simple.

    On the wall to the leftmost side, there was a status card of a warrior.

    By analyzing the text for a short while, I managed to make out the potential meaning of several marks, all of which depicted either numbers or letters that could beter arranged on a scale.

    "But how the hell am I supposed to guess the name of each stat?" I kept the tradition of muttering to myself, given how that was the best I could do for now.

    Because no matter how hard I tried to figure it out, I couldn''t associate value that could serve as an arranging key for our scale if I didn''t know what each of those statistics said!

    That''s why, rather than trying to forcibly solve the issue with the limited amount of information I had, for now, I decided to look for some more clues.

    "Huh?" I shrugged a bit when I looked into the room, only to notice a weird peculiarity.

    It was something that escaped my attention before, given how I didn''t pay much heed to the small details.

    But this empty room that I found... actually had more walls than just the standard four for a square with the entry embedded into one of them.

    To the back of the room, its shape would change a little, adding two more corners and two more surfaces for the ancient creators of this ce to paint more status cards.

    Yet, even after analyzing the situation in every possible way, I couldn''t notice a single detail spare for the text itself that could help me to figure out what I needed to know.

    There was only one thing that confirmed all my guesses about this ce so far.

    A single wall. On its top, the picture was too hazy and corroded for anyone to understand it. Yet, if there was one thing that I could say for sure, it was how the character in the said picture...

    Was t-posing.

    ''Give me a break,'' I thought, hanging my head low as an exhausted sigh escaped from my mouth.

    Whoever was behind making this strange ce surely knew how to annoy any and all that woulde here!

    Yet, as my eyes moved down, I realized that there was another peculiar element about this part of the wall.

    Below the picture, the ces where I guessed the rank of each of the pictures were described; there was no text at all.

    Or rather, the wall itself turned out to be actually a bit more interesting, as instead of the same letters or numbers that marked those parts of the status card on the other walls, a strange, ck mass filled those ces instead.

    "Is it asking for a supreme build?" I thought, rubbing my chin as I attempted to cast aside all the imperfections to my thinking bestowed upon me by my very own perspective. Rather than assuming I was perfectly right, I simply threw one idea after the other before the scrutiny of my mind in an attempt to find an exnation that would fit.

    Yet, before I could figure anything out, my hand moved on its own. It raised and thennded on the wall, only to slide down a little and then gently touch the ck matter I noticed before.

    Because I finally noticed one more familiarity. One more detail that, just like before, was staring me right in the face. Yet, only when I took a step back and looked at the situation from a greater distance did I realize its presence.

    ''Wait a second,'' I thought, feeling my entire body freezing when the potential meaning behind my realization struck me.

    ''Isn''t this status window...'' I thought, gulping down my saliva as I called forth my own system and took a nce, just to make sure, ''pretty much the same as my current status?''

    This was too damn impossible for it not to be true.

    I personally believed that stuff that was unlikely could only be like that to a certain degree. Because once the odds were to get too unfavorable and the strange event would still happen, it would mean that I still didn''t fully understand the connection that made it happen.

    In other words, it wasn''t the math that was wrong with the odds, but it was the observer who misunderstood the earlier data.

    ''Or, in in English, there is no way for this simrity to happen for no reason at all,'' I thought, allowing my body to move on its own as my fingers pained the same numbers that I could see on my status into the ck mass of the empty status card on the wall.

    And bit by bit, the information that I could see in the corner of my eye ended up written in that ck mass on top of this otherwise empty wall.

    "Arty?" Mia muttered, getting a bit closer.

    Seemingly, she did it out of nowhere. But as a bad premonition filled my heart, I could tell the same happened to her.

    Then, the writings on those walls suddenly turned red. The small yet strange structure of four cubes and a perfect ball lying on them covered in the same hue, indicating that they were all part of a greater system.

    "Come here," I shouted, grabbing Mia by her wrist and pulling her into my embrace.

    Whatever was going on, I had to make sure Mia was close enough for me to protect her. And in the worst-case scenario of something wrong happening, now she was near enough for me to not let her go.

    Just like I promised, I wouldn''t let her go anywhere!

    "Host epted," a voice suddenly appeared in the room. Then, the walls turnedpletely red, shing brightly to the point of nearly making me go blind.

    Yet, as the light subsided, I realized that there was a small difference in my surroundings.

    "Mia," I muttered, looking down. Yet, with my eyes still overwhelmed by the explosion of the red from before, I couldn''t really rely on my eyes to provide me with any information.

    Thankfully, I could still feel Mia''s soft body within my arms, just like I could feel her squirming, proving that while affected by the light, she didn''t seem to be injured.

    "Now, then," I muttered once I ensured the most important point. I then raised my slowly recovering eyes to confirm what I could already tell from a feeling alone.

    The central wall that I just filled with my details has disappeared. Yet, as if it wasn''t all too easy, a new wall appeared... right where the former fake wall was.

    "We are trapped," I muttered, running my hand up and down Mia''s back in an attempt to preemptively calm her down.

    "But you know what you are doing?" Mia asked, raising her eyes to look up at my face. "You look like you are awfully aware of what''s going on here," she added, squinting her eyes as she put an adorable expression of suspicion on her face...

    Only to quickly get rid of it and rece it with a wide, amused smile.

    "Well, not like it matters," she added, shrugging her shoulders only to climb on top of her feet and offer my lips a small peck. "You will tell me in due time, won''t you?" she suggested before turning around and looking ahead.

    Mia then turned her face back to me and extended her arm toward me.

    "Well then, shall we go?"

 Chapter 317 Is Everything... Fake?

    With our path to the back now blocked, we had no other choice but to push forward.

    ''I wonder what Hera and that other guy will do,'' I thought, deciding against revealing those thoughts to Mia.

    We both had enough to worry about right now. There was no point in putting any further burden on the girl just to ease my own.

    ''I can only hope they will somehow manage,'' I thought, dropping the topic and stepping ahead.

    No matter what was hidden within those ruins, there was only one way to find out. And with our only option to retreat now gone, there was hardly anything better for us to do too.

    "Woah," I couldn''t help but let a small moan of awe escape from my mouth when we emerged out of the tunnel.

    The insides of the ruin didn''t appear to be touched by a massive chunk of time at all. They felt like they were deserted maybe a week ago, a month in a most drastic scenario.

    ''But it''s impossible,'' I thought, shaking my head.

    All I needed was to recall the spider''s web all over the tunnel to confirm that no one touched this ce for at least several tens of years and likely several hundred times longer.

    "Magnificent," Mia echoed my awe, looking all over the ce.

    The whole thing was supposed to be under the ground... But the wide streets, high ceiling, and even some kind of artificial lights made me feel as if I was walking through the open streets on a sunny day.

    ''But what is this uncanny feeling?''

    Ever since I ced my foot for the first time in this ce, I had this strange feeling of deja-vu. I felt as if this wasn''t the first time for me to enter this ce... even if I knew for a fact it had never been here before

    I had never been here before... but for some reason, I felt as if this was the most natural environment for me that I could find in this whole wide world.

    The streets were as wide as they would be in a modern city, not a town with a history tracing back to the middle ages. After all, the streets became so wide only when the use of cars became a widespread trend. Before this invention took the world by storm, the streets were only wide enough to allow two carriages on them!

    Yet, the style of the building was clearly inspired by the medieval architecture with its arches, columns, and mighty presence of some of the buildings.

    ''Just what is this ce,'' I wondered, unable to utter a single word.

    And then it struck me.

    Sure, it was my first time being here... in person, that is. It was also the first time for me to see this ce... But once again, not in general, but in the first person.

    ''Isn''t this the protagonist base from Sigma''s main franchise?'' I asked myself, unable to stop the memories from proving this guess of mine right.

    The outline of the streets. The architecture of the ce. Even the small details like the sign with a half-eaten fish daggling over the doors to the nearby Inn...

    All one needed to do was to add the NPCs to turn this ce into one of the main locations of the game that made the Sigma corporation what it was!

    But what was even worse, was how I felt right at home in this ce. It was as if this entire underground facility was designed... all for the sake of fitting someone like me.

    ''Someone like... who exactly?'' I asked myself, stunned by the notion.

    Because there was only one thing that allowed me to ess this ce. And it was my system. Only by copying my statistics onto that empty wall of status did I manage to open the doors.

    Didn''t this make it obvious who this entire facility was for?

    ''Questions who made it or for what purpose can wait forter, I guess,'' I thought, cing my hand on the wall of a random building.

    ''Tic!''

    The familiar sensation of the system reacting appeared in an instant.

    "Arty?" Mia muttered as she approached me from behind with a worried look on her face.

    ''Huh?'' I stopped in my tracks the second I cast a quick nce at her expression. Because outside of the worry... I could see a strange tension.

    "I can''t take it, after all," Mia muttered, grabbing my hand and then using it to pull herself to my side.

    As her face buried in my chest while her hands coiled around my arm, I could feel just how delicate, how fragile she was at this very moment.

    "I really want to know; I''m sorry," she whispered right into my side, refusing to raise her eyes and look at my face.

    And with just a single look, I could judge one thing.

    Her current expression wasn''t the one that I wanted to see her wear.

    "I see," I muttered in reply, turning my head around and scanning my surroundings. I then took a second to recall the details of the city before looking to my right. "How about we get ourselves a room first?" I suggested.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged. From this alone, I could tell she didn''t expect me to take her request so easily.

    I then waved my hand, pulling out one of the windows that appeared in my system.

    And this was also the greatest showcase of how this ce befitted me.

    I couldn''t know this, but I somehow felt that by wishing for the window to appear, I could make it visible for all to see.

    "WOAH!" Mia stepped back, surprised to the core of her soul, when the map of the city suddenly pulled out in her face.

    ''It''s just like I thought,'' I told myself before releasing a deep sigh.

    This small stunt I just performed was thest test that I coulde up with. Thest check was to see whether I simply imagined everything or if it was real.

    "What was that?!" Mia turned her eyes from the map to my face, her face showing just how insanely curious she was about everything. "Arty, talk to me!" she cried out, a look of desperation appearing on her face.

    "Juste along, for now," I shook my head before reaching out and grabbing Mia''s hand. "It will be better to sit down in a room rather than talking out in the open like that," I pointed out, dragging Mia forward, right towards the nearest tavern.

    When I first realized where we were, I intended to bring Mia to the high-ss Inn located in the middle of the town... But it was far too far for us to travel right now, especially with how tense Mia became.

    ''It appears she reached the limit of bullshit that she can take,'' I thought, gently brushing my fingers through her hair.

    Mia was in a hurry to hear my exnations... but she still turned silent and obediently followed me through the perfectly well-lit corridors of the underground city.

    ''This ce looks like the time didn''t touch it at all,'' I thought as we delved deeper into what was supposed to be ruins. At the same time, I ran through every point of interest that would initially exist within this city.

    But most of them were now useless.

    ''Without NPCs to run things through, there is hardly anything good about this ce,'' I thought, realizing just how empty this location was without all the people staffing it.

    In the end, there was no point in visiting a cksmith''s shop if there was no cksmith, to begin with!

    "Arty..." Mia muttered again, tugging at the back end of my robe. "I really can''t hold it any longer!" she protested in a small voice, tears squeezing out of her eyes.

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed inwardly before turning around, grabbing Mia by her back and by the back of her knees before lifting her up and hurrying down the road.

    We were already close enough to reach the ce in just a short moment, but for some reason, I could see Mia''s mental state deteriorating.

    ''Is it just her worry? Or is it something else?'' I asked myself, puzzled by the sudden change.

    In the end, didn''t she im that she would wait for me to be ready just before we set foot inside the ruins?

    "We are almost there," I whispered as I reached the doors of the inn only to kick them open and rush inside.

    The internal part of the building was just like I remembered it from the game, with the one distinction of all the non-yer characters being nowhere to be found.

    Still, there was steam rising from the pot on the stove; the shelves behind the counter were filled with bottles of various alcohol, and even the counter itself housed several half-empty sses.

    ''This ce is really eerie,'' I thought as I sat Mia down on the bench at one of the main dining tables of the inn.

    "Arty..." Mia whispered through her tears, her face twisted in extreme grief and worry.

    ''She is doing far worse than I expected,'' I thought, feeling how panic made my guts revolt.

    I couldn''t see the reason for Mia''s suddenly worsening state. In turn, thisck of knowledge made me unable to see a simple solution to her alignment.

    ''Maybe exining everything will actually work?'' I thought, only to dismiss the idea right away.

    This entire thing...

    Didn''t it feel like this ce trying to force me to fess up? Was this sudden change just a way for the local security of this insane ce to check whether I was truly someone who should be allowed inside?

    My face darkened.

    Whoever or whatever it was that could make use of Mia like that would end up facing my wrath!

    But for now, doing something to help Mia out was of the utmost importance.

    "Mia..." I whispered, looking down as I focused on the thing that mattered the most.

    "Arty..." Mia snored before wiping the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand and looking directly into my eyes. "Is everything between us... fake?"

 Chapter 318 Confession

    Mia''s words shook me to the core.

    Not only because they were shocking themselves, but mostly due to how close they hit home.

    ''So she had those doubts as well,'' I thought, pretty sure that my guess was correct this time.

    It wasn''t once or twice that I noticed there was something strange in our rtionship. It was as if there was some weirdpulsion that drew us closer, initiating our rtionship.

    As if the whole thing was orchestrated from the very beginning.

    But for Mia to react like that...

    "Why do you say something like this?" I asked, my face showing just how serious I was.

    As sure as I was that my guess was correct, I didn''t dare to just outright assume it. Not until Mia would confirm it herself.

    Because the drawbacks of assuming a falsehood like that could bring down a massive weight upon our mutual trust.

    Mia lowered her head. Her body started to shake a little as she held back her tears.

    ''Isn''t her reaction a little bit over the top?'' I asked myself, noticing those small clues only due to how long I had known her already.

    "Back when I was breaking through, those vile thoughts constantly assaulted my mind," Mia muttered, refusing to look me in the eye. Instead, she naturally gravitated into my embrace only to hide her face in my chest.

    For the next few moments, Mia simply refused to speak at all, using my warmth to calm herself down.

    "The vile thoughts of the thing between us..." Mia finally spoke out, only to end up hesitating and cutting her sentence short.

    She then took a deep breath, raised her face, and looked me in the eyes.

    "The thoughts of our rtionship being orchestrated by someone... or something," Mia uttered, tears brimming in her eyes.

    ''So that''s why she was so eager to learn more about me,'' I thought, discovering the reason for Mia''s earlier behavior.

    Suppose she had a doubt regarding the seriousness of our rtionship. In that case, my reluctance to exin everything to her could serve as proof of her misconception.

    Because no matter what her thoughts were, I never even dared to consider what we had between us to be fake.

    Even if it was forced on us, even if there was some will that pushed us together, I didn''t give two shits about it. Because whatever the reason for my feelings for Mia was, the feelings itself was real.

    Still, between figuring it out on my own and telling the news to the girl in my arms...

    Those two werepletely different challenges.

    "Mia, I need you to listen to me and listen carefully," I said, gently rubbing my fingers down her hair. "But more importantly, I need you to wait for me to finish," I added, bringing my hand up Mia''s cheek.

    I then raised the girl''s head and looked her in the eyes.

    "If you stop listening in the middle, you will have an extremely wrong picture of what I want to say," I informed, speaking directly to Mia''s face.

    Holding Mia''s chin in my hand and somewhat forcing her to listen to my request filled my mind with a strangely pleasurable sensation of power.

    ''Power?'' I thought, puzzled by the sudden change in my soul. ''Or is it domination?'' I analyzed my own feelings, determined to learn everything about myself to make my words as close to the truth as possible.

    In the end, if I wanted to speak about my feelings, I had to be honest with myself, to begin with.

    "Un..." Mia muttered, nodding her head a little as her eyestched to my lips. Her tears reflected the sunlight, making Mia''s entire face sparkle.

    "I''m also aware of this strange force," I stated after taking a moment to brace myself.

    Speaking of those things wasn''t easy for me either.

    "This unexinable yet clearly foreign influence that pushed us together," I borated a little, raising my eyes and bringing both of my hands to the back of Mia''s head.

    Only when I hid her face deep into my chest did I dare to continue.

    "In my wish to be fair with you, I thought about it over and over again," I admitted.

    Those thoughts gued me in the past as well. But I found a simple way to get rid of them.

    ''It doesn''t matter how it began if what we have right now is real.''

    This single statement, a single change of approach, allowed me to ignore those annoying thoughts.

    I couldn''t help myself.

    I raised my hand a little and ced it down on top of Mia''s head. I then sank my fingers into the softness of her hair, only to then shake my hand and bring it down, rustling Mia''s hair as I went.

    ''She''s so warm,'' I thought. I couldn''t stop those feelings from swarming my soul. Even in a serious moment like that, Mia''s softness was firmly lodged at the forefront of my thoughts.

    Yet, along with Mia''s warmth came the feeling of her movements.

    Having her enclosed within my embrace, every shiver, every shrug, and twitch of her muscles would resonate on my skin.

    ''As great as it is to hold her close like that,'' I thought, regretfully pushing the girl aside a little so I could look at her face.

    I had to say my next piece in the absolutely perfect way.

    "Ultimately, though, I''m a simple man," I revealed, putting a massive smile on my lips. My eyes zeroed in on Mia''s, locking in an intimate stare.

    In this one look of mine, I attempted to transmit all the affection I felt towards this particr girl.

    "I don''t care if someone or something forced our rtionship," I stated in a serious tone. "It doesn''t matter if the thing between us was orchestrated by some third party," I added, bringing my hands down to Mia''s chest... Only to grab her hands and bring them to my lips.

    I then ced a long, passionate kiss just at the surface of the joints of Mia''s fingers. And with that, I moved my eyes right to her face, unable to resist the charm of Mia''s pupils.

    "You are my happiness in this world," I stated openly, not giving Mia any window to react. I pushed my entire upper body forward, closing the distance a little to turn the moment even more intimate.

    I then rested my head on Mia''s forehead, my lips just an inch away from hers.

    "And that''s all that I care about," I finished my confession, giving Mia some time to process what just happened.

    Her eyes were already wet from her tears. But now, tears started to stream down her face all over again.

    "Arty..." Mia whispered, hardly capable of producing any volume behind her voice.

    Mia''s body suddenly rxed all over. It felt as if some sort of tension left her flesh, forcing all of her pilled-up exhaustion up her mind.

    ''Thank God,'' I thought, seriously scared by the event. Even though I held her at a distance, I was still well prepared to catch her up.

    At this moment, the shudders of happiness shook Mia''s body twice in my arms. She then brought her head up, only to let it fall along with the momentum onto my shoulder.

    "Arty..." Mia whispered again, rubbing her face against my chest as she wrapped her hands around my ribs.

    Her hold tightened to the point when I became conscious of my own breath.

    Sadly, that was all the happiness I could offer her for now.

    My expression darkened when the more serious topic came up.

    "Mia, I hate to kill the mood, but we really need to talk about this," I stated, bringing my hand and caressing Mia''s back.

    "There is really something going on between us that we don''t know anything about," I stated.

    This was a problem that existed on a real ne. And with how we were both affected, there was no way it was my own delusion.

    As such, we had to face this problem. Sooner orter, it would surface. And it was simply better to tackle it in the rtive safety of the ce we were in.

    "That''s right," I suddenly muttered, surprised by my own realization. "There is still the topic of this ce..." I muttered, mostly to myself.

    But that didn''t mean Mia didn''t catch those words. But at this point, I had no intention to hide anything.

    "Can we sit down for a bit?" I asked, only to slump down at the long bench.

    All the time that we spent on top of the protobear''s back could hardly be ssified as rest. In the end, even now, I could still feel the burden of my built-up exhaustion.

    "Arty?" Mia asked silently, raising her eyes to my face as sparks of worry appeared behind her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, instantly forgetting about all her happiness from before.

    "This ce only makes me increasingly aware of just how right I am," I whispered.

    Sitting down on the bench with Mia snuggling up to my chest, I could only sigh heavily over the messy situation we were in.

    "Arty, can you..." Mia spoke out, only to cut her sentence short. She lowered her eyes and bit down on her lip. Yet, after only a short moment, she raised her face and looked me in the eye. "Can you tell me now?" she asked.

    Her question struck on multiple levels. It wasn''t only about learning the things she was curious about. It wasn''t only about seeing whether I was ready to reveal the truth about myself to her.

    ''I bet there are many more reasons why she asked this question,'' I thought, a smile appearing on my face.

    Because no matter howplicated the motivations behind this question were, I had one simple answer to it.

    "It is as I said before, dear," I replied, leaning down my chin and raising my hand. I then rubbed my fingers against Mia''s cheek, incapable of getting my fill of her cuteness.

    "You are my happiness in this world."

    It was a simple statement, but one that I could fully stand behind. Simple, but one that came as close to the truth as I could get with words.

    "But this is not the first world I exist in," I suddenly dered, only to cringe at my words a secondter.

    ''It''s surprisingly hard to put it in words,'' I noticed, only to shake my head and get rid of those idle thoughts.

    I then brought both of my hands to Mia''s face, only to lock it in my firm grasp. I leaned over her lips, putting only a single inch between our faces.

    "In simpler terms, I was originally born in another world. But I died and then reincarnated in this world."

 Chapter 319 Heart Laid Bare

    "Another world..." Mia muttered before slumping down and resting her weight entirely on myp.

    As so it just happened that she ended up mounting me the moment we sat down, now I got to enjoy her fully defenseless state.

    "Can you tell me more?" Mia asked in a fleeting, trembling voice, "more about that world of yours?"

    Mia''s question right now wasn''t inquisitive. She didn''t want to find inconsistencies in my story to prove to me I was lying or anything.

    At least, ording to my judgment, she simply wanted to know more about me.

    And the fact that the topic became my original world of mine was the only reason why she asked about it in the first ce.

    "Ie from a world without magic, without any spiritual energy," I started with the thing I believed to be the most important to paint a proper picture of earth. "But in exchange for this w, our world stimted the growth of the human intelligence," I exined before resting my head on my back, using the edge of the long table to keep myself stable.

    "I would lie if I were to tell that most of the inventions we took for granted in my times were created for people," I spoke out as a sour smile appeared on my lips. "To a degree, despite how peaceful my world might seem on the surface, every invention that brought forth that peace was initially conceived as a weapon."

    This was the sad truth of human progress. It was possible to attract funding and resources towards any project one would imagine... As long as it could ultimately serve as a weapon to kill one''s enemies.

    It was the logistic branch of the militaries across the world that sponsored the development of the trains. Gunpowder originally came to exist as a longevity serum for one of the Chinese emperors, ultimately aimed at prolonging the rule of a singlemander, a single leader.

    ''Even speaking in more modern terms, both atomic energy and space exploration became possible because of atomic bombs and strategy-ss rockets.''

    I could easily recall an article I once read, the author of which researched the influence of weapon development on the modern world and living standards.

    And as it came to be, even something as simple as navigation, smartphones, or even the wide inte connection were all ideas born to give one an edge on the evolving battlefield of the new world!

    "So is that world peaceful? Or was it full of bloody warfare?" Mia asked as she snuggled up to my chest and then turned still, simply enjoying the warmth of my embrace.

    "I was born in pretty troubling times. What everyone considered the golden age of humanity has passed by that time," I exined quickly, feeling a massive sting in my soul.

    ''Should I tell her that?'' I asked myself, not sure if this was a part of the memory of my previous world that I wanted to keep.

    "I can feel you hesitating over something," Mia muttered silently with her ear ced directly over my heart.

    She didn''t bother to raise her head nor to throw me a judging look.

    She simply ensured I was aware of how keenly she was watching me. Mia made sure that I wouldn''t mistake her silent eptance for ignorance.

    "You see, in this world of mine, my entire lineage that could stand proud along with the heroes of the old..." I started, only for my voice to crack as a massive blob of emotions suddenly surged up to my mind.

    The endless hate towards those who reduced my proud bloodline into the state it was when I departed my life on earth. The despair over theck of ability left to the particrs to change the situation.

    My nation was brought up on the glory of the former uprisings. The idea of how valorous it was to go and die for one''s country, even if the fight was lost from the very moment it started.

    And as much as I scorned those values, I couldn''t help but admire the people that abided by them.

    The people that carved their name in the history of mankind, even in spite of all the efforts to erase their mark.

    "It''s okay," Mia whispered, rubbing her cheek against my chest. "I''m here for you," she added,zily raising her hands up and slowly locking them up behind my neck.

    Mia then pulled herself up so that her face would hang right above mine.

    With just a single inch of Mia''s-breath infused air separating our lips Mia stared down into my eyes and voiced silently.

    "Keep talking," she requested, her lips so close they brushed against my mouth when she whispered.

    "My race... No, my nation was lost in the times. Just like during the first partitions, the old allies we made backstabbed us, while those who shouted for justice the loudest drove the poison into our politics."

    With Mia''s face right in front of my eyes, I couldn''t even think about hiding anything. As such, mesmerized by her eyes, I simply spewed everything, every feeling, every regret, and every desire that festered deep at the bottom of my soul for years.

    "They turned our pride into shame. They took our heroes and turned them into criminals..." I continued to rant about my life in the past world for a while before finally realizing that I was likely boring the girl to death.

    After all, if there was anything more boring than listening to the history lessons, it was listening to a fanatic talking about the history of a world you didn''t even know existed until just recently ago!

    "I''m listening to you," Mia whispered softly, moving her head even higher than before only to push her chest into my face, burying it in the process.

    I could feel her hands wrapping around the back of my head as she coiled them around and then lulled me like some sort of child.

    "All this anger, all this pent-up wrath, your powerlessness, your uselessness," Mia continued to whisper while tightening her hold over my head.

    "I will take them all."

    Mia''s soft whisper entered my ears as if it was some kind of ASMR experience.

    Her warmth wrapped around my entire face. Her smell filled my nostrils. Her soft skin cushioned my face while her cleavage shut my mouth up.

    Yet, instead of getting hard, I simply melted in Mia''s embrace.

    "You showed yourself bare to me," Mia continued to slowly whisper her healing words as if it was nothing. "More bare than when we slept together. You gave away your vulnerable side," she spoke, only to rx her grasp over my head and push her upper body away.

    For but a brief moment, I looked up at Mia''s face.

    Even though it was underground, there was some sort of system responsible for the hue of the lighting. Because even though we were underground, from how the light changed, I could tell the day was about to end.

    And in this dim, silvery light of the underground''s afternoon, Mia graced me with the most affectionate of her smiles.

    "I''m stupid, you know?" Mia''s face suddenly mellowed down, from affectionate and serious to lovestruck yet cheeky. "That''s why little Mia might be unable to understand what you speak about your old world," Mia said, parodying her own voice all over.

    Then, for the second time, the expression on her face turned serious as she looked down at my face...

    And licked her lips clean.

    "That''s why you will need to slowly exin everything to me," Mia said in a low voice, once again lowering her face above mine.

    Then, her smile widened up as she stopped, just a single inch away from touching.

    "Everything, bit by bit, you will exin to me," Mia informed, fires appearing in the back of her eyes.

    "Right?" she asked cutely, only to lower her lips and ce a gentle yet long kiss down on my lips.

    "Everything that you want to know about me," I muttered in response, unable to stop my mouth from hawking up the second Mia pulled her lips out. "I will tell," I promised, leaning my head forward and snatching those delicious lips back for myself.

    For the next few moments, I could forget about all my past emotions, all the current struggles, and all the worries I had for the future.

    In this single moment, all I could care about was the taste of Mia''s lips, the wetness of her saliva, and the yfulness of her tongue.

    "Isn''t this some sort of Inn?" Mia suddenly asked, pulling my attention away from mischief as she raised her head and looked around.

    "It looks like one," I replied, confirming that all the props I saw before were still there.

    Even though there was no one inside, I could still see the simple mechanism of pouring the beer out of the massive keg hanging from the ceiling.

    I then lowered my eyes to Mia''s face.

    A strange premonition shook me, only for my entire body to freeze when I noticed the yful expression on Mia''s face.

    Because I could already tell how the situation would develop.

    "It looks like there is no one around this ce, isn''t it?" Mia suddenly pointed out, seemingly jumping from topic to topic. But knowing what she likely had in mind, I could clearly understand why she brought this topic up.

    "That seems to be the case indeed," I replied, nodding my head while a small smile crept up on my lips.

    "Doesn''t the idea of making it out in the open like here..." Mia suddenly suggested, only to cut her sentence short, swallow her saliva and bring her upturned eyes on my face.

    Just a single look at her silly expression would be normally enough to prompt me into action.

    But no.

    Right now, it was a rare moment for Mia to take the initiative. And I was going to enjoy it to its damn fullest!

    "Doing what in the open?" I asked, leaning my head to the side as I teased the girl in my arms.

    "Damn it!" Mia cursed slightly, only to throw her hands around my neck and lean over my lips for the third time today. "Do you want to do me here or not?!"

    Her scream appeared angry... But I could tell that she was just hiding her embarrassment under the guise of wrath. As such, there was only one thing that I could do.

    Or rather, that''s what I learned from the tons of cultured material that I diligently studied in my adolescent years.

    "Since it''s you who wants it," I whispered into Mia''s ear, only to push her down and look her deep in the eyes.

    "Then don''t you think you should beg for it?"

 Chapter 320 You Could Ask For Anything... And You Ask For A Dildo?

    "Don''t you think you should beg for it?"

    This was one hell of a daring question. A question that pushed the boundary of what Mia would allow, allowing me to sound out whether she would be okay with it or not.

    I looked carefully into Mia''s eyes, eager to learn of her response.

    Mia lowered her eyelids as she rustled uneasily on myp. She then threw me a long, thoughtful look.

    "Arty," Mia whispered, leaning forward once again. She then moved her hips around to climb all the way to the top of myp, resting her crotch directly above mine.

    Right now, only the twoyers of material separated our eager parts. Only those two pieces of cloth refused to let us join.

    "I want you," Mia leaned over my ear, resting the entirety of her body weight right on her hips. "To drill me," she whispered, a small twitch shaking her body up.

    This was all I needed. Yet, I was too devious to let go of this cute side of my girl.

    "But were you a good girl for such a reward?" I asked yfully, refusing to move at all.

    The signal was pretty obvious.

    It was good, but not good enough.

    "Aaah?" Mia moaned in a disappointed surprise. Her hips started to move a little at the same time.

    Unable to keep her urges back, she had already started to rub herself against my tent.

    I lowered my hands to her plump thighs. With her feet locked on my backside, those soft pillows pressed themselves tightly around my sides.

    And as a result of that, Mia''s lower robe rode on her legs, revealing the beauty of those squished thighs to my eyes.

    ''I can''t help it...'' I excused myself right as my hands fell on Mia''s thighs.

    Despite how ready for action I was, there was a magical charm in how Mia rode me.

    "What do you want me to do, then?"

    Mia asked in a longing voice. A long bruise of dissatisfaction scarred her forehead as she looked down at my lips. Her mouth then pried open, allowing her wet tongue to lick her own lips clean.

    Yet, I wasn''t thinking about any further ways of teasing Mia. Rather than that, I attempted to consider my options.

    Because if I were to fully release my desire to hold her, then I wouldn''t be able to hold myself back at all. And pairing that up with the rtiveck offort and safety of the Inn''s dining hall...

    "How about we change ces first?" I suggested; my thoughts running an in-depth analysis of what I could expect from those ruins.

    And soon enough, before Mia could even attempt to respond, a simple answer appeared before my eyes.

    An answer that brought a lot more for me to think about than did it take off my shoulders.

    But for once in the long time since I left the skdder sect, this new portion of questions brought along joy rather than troubles.

    "Switch ces?" Mia squeezed her facial muscles in a weird way, making it hard for me to understand what she wanted to suggest. "Where else could we go?" she then asked, turning her head around as if to look around the insides of the building.

    Yet, even with that strange expression of hers and then the attempt to keep her face away from my eyes... I could tell.

    Everything that would stall our intercourse right now would be written off as an obstacle, not a fun thing to enjoy.

    ''For this one time, you will have to forgive my selfishness,'' I thought, only to focus on the action instead of thoughts.

    "Trust me, it will be worth it when you see it," I said in a tone filled with confidence... even if there was no reason for me to be so self-assured.

    Because right now, my intentions ally on a single guess. A singr attempt to figure out what was the purpose of those ruins.

    And now, when I scanned my memory for the ces that could be used for the two of us to rest, I recalled the existence of a certain special building.

    There were actually several examples of it all over the city that those ruins replicated. But for the convenience''s sake, I targeted one that was pretty much in the middle of them all.

    A customizable room. A ce that the yers of the game that those ruins were stylized after could call their own and thus furnish to their own desire.

    ''And if I recall correctly, mana was the only currency that mattered here,'' I thought, my lips curving up all on their own.

    Depending on the amount of the yer''s mana, he or she could summon and maintain the summoning of more and better furniture.

    And it was one of the very few features in the game that didn''t abide by the medieval setting.

    "Let''s go, then," I said with a lot of enthusiasm, digging my fingers into the soft and warm flesh of Mia''s thighs.

    The moment I lifted the girl up, Mia desperately tightened her grasp over my neck and waist. Wrapped as tight as she could possibly be around me, Mia closed her eyes and silently allowed me to carry her around.

    "Damn, this feels divine," I muttered silently.

    It was something that I would normally keep to myself... But I already decided to go on a fully-honest route in my rtionship with Mia. And ultimately, there was nothing wrong with reminding her just how much I enjoyed herpany.

    "Hmph," Mia muttered something in response. But as her lips were pressed tightly to my chest, it came out as an undistinguishable moan.

    Thankfully, before I would explode from overstimtion caused by just how close Mia was to me, we reached our destination.

    "Mia, I will need you to get off for now," I asked gently, only to slowly put the girl down.

    Then, I grabbed her hand and used my other arm to push the doors to the building open.

    "Uff," I released a sigh of relief when we stepped into apletely empty space.

    Outside of the outer walls of the building itself, the rest waspletely and fully empty.

    "Not even a speck of dust, huh," I muttered as I stepped inside that empty space.

    "Arty, what is this ce?" Mia asked, her dissatisfied look from before giving ce to a look of curiosity.

    "You see, when we were talking about my world, I grieved over my inability to show its wonders to you," I exined the very reason why I found this idea of mine so amusing and downrightpelling.

    "And what does it have to do with this deserted building?" Mia asked, rolling her eyes.

    After denying her the dicking she clearly wanted for a pretty long time, it was no wonder she was quite on edge. And by no means was it not something that I would criticize her about, being the very culprit behind her state of mind.

    "Mia, dearest," I whispered, turning towards the girl and leaning over her face only to caress her cheek with my hand. "Do you have anything specific from my world that you would like to see, touch, and feel?" I asked, putting on a mysterious smile on my face as I drove my mana through my veins.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged in surprise. She then raised her eyes and looked at my face.

    I could see the curiosity brimming in her eyes, recing the dissatisfaction and tension present behind her pupils before.

    But it onlysted for a second.

    "All I want right now is a damned bed!" Mia shouted, stomping down on the floor with her foot.

    The anger in her eyes returned in an instant.

    "As you wish, my dearest," I replied, smiling from ear to ear.

    I then raised my hand and snapped my fingers.

    And just like that, by manually choosing from the new window of my system, I made a double-king-sized bed appear out of nowhere.

    "This bedding was designed for the luxurious vis of my world," I introduced the item conjured by my system as if I was the salesman from some furniture shop. "Even in those vis, it is only right for it to take ce in the master''s bedroom rather than the lodging for themon guests," I continued my bit.

    With my head lowered, I could only nce up at Mia now and then, as too much observation would ruin the presentation of my gig.

    "This is... a bed?" Mia asked, uncertain of what she was seeing before her very eyes.

    Just watching how something appeared out of nowhere was baffling. But then its appearance, barely anything like any bed she saw in her life so far... How could it not be confusing?

    "I will ask again, then," I said, moving towards the girl and grabbing her in the legendary form of a princess-carry. "Is there anything from my world that you would like to see?"

    Iid Mia gently on the bed, allowing her to experience the quality of the insanely expensive mattress of the future for the first time in her life.

    It was but a small pleasure that I allowed myself back on earth, a mattress of truly top quality.

    It was mostly thanks to this memory of mine that I managed to conjure this bed with all its necessary specs.

    "Anything, you say?" Mia muttered a look of shock, confusion, and eagerness, all mixing on her face.

    Yet, even though I just ced her on the bed without letting go of her delicious-looking things, I couldn''t see even a hint of lewdness left in her eyes.

    Then, Mia raised her face and looked at me, a small, yful smile hiding in the corner of her lips.

    "As I said, anything you ask for and I''m capable of creating; I will conjure for you," I confirmed my earlier statement without any hesitation.

    If it could please Mia, then how could I refuse? Especially when all that it cost was just a tiny bit of my mana?

    "Then..." Mia''s smile grew as she whispered. She then leaned forward, only to once again rest her bodyweight on me. Yet, as she leaned over my ear, this time, she supported herself by my shoulders.

    "Can you bring forth a dildo?"

    Mia''s words sank into my brain, slowing down its functions.

    They were like a virus that gradually corrupted my thoughts, making it hard for me to think normally.

    "A dildo, you say?" I muttered, trying to buy myself some time to figure out how I should react.

    "It does appear in some of my dreams," Mia whispered, still stered to my neck and now starting to nibble on my earlobe. "I can see you moving it around... inside me," she added, her voice turning deeper and slower.

    Then, Mia pulled her face away, finally revealing the bright red expression that she had right now. Yet, despite pulling away, she didn''t bring her lips outside of the reach of my mouth.

    "And with that new power of yours," Mia whispered, her lips brushing on my mouth as she spoke. "What''s a better way to use it, if not to make our time together... even better?"

 Chapter 321 What Is A Dildo In The First Place? (Slightly R18)

    "Still, a dildo...?" I muttered.

    It was a strange, new feeling for me. To hesitate to fulfill Mia''s request, despite how easy it was for me to do it.

    Still, a dildo?

    Was my dick no more to her liking?

    "Fine," I finally gave up before Mia could change her mind.

    There was absolutely nothing wrong with her ying with toys like that. And as it was one of the rare requests that she made, I would feel too damn bad to deny it!

    I turned my attention back to the system''s window, scrolling through the categories to find the one tab that I was looking for.

    The creators of the game that gave birth to the idea of this very town we are in right now paid particr attention to the freedom of customization for the yers.

    Maybe it was the influence of a certain erotica movie gaining massive poprity, or perhaps, the developers of the game embraced the filthy yet true part of human nature. But whatever was the reason; there was a whole damned category just for sex tools!

    And it didn''t end with the variety of different dildos and cocksleeves.

    Just by searching long enough, one could stumble intotex outfits, a rope that was safe to use on humans, and even entire damned BDSM set-ups for those who reveled in their kinks.

    "What kind of dildo do you want?" I asked, too immersed in scrolling through the vast offer of the room customization to have the time to look at Mia.

    "It''s just a word that I heard you mumble in your sleep," Mia replied. Her words were so damn innocent that I closed my eyes for a second, trying to mentally wash the filth out of my mind. "I don''t know what it is, so I can''t really tell you what kind I would like," Mia added, a wry smile appearing on her lips as she rubbed her cheek with her forefinger.

    "Well..." I muttered, taking a nce over at the list of possible choices.

    They came in all kinds and sizes. From the ones a shy girl would try out of curiosity to ones that dwarfed even the grandest throngs that humanity could even produce without gic or surgical modifications.

    ''Looking at them makes me remember all kinds of stuff,'' I thought, unable to stop the flood of memories of both good and bad things alike.

    Yet, what was important for me right now, was to stop Mia from ever falling into the hole of desire for the toys. Because if she grew to use some of the ones marked with a ck stamp on them...

    ''I wonder if my foot would be still enough to satisfy her, then,'' I thought, shaking my head as I picked a rtively considerate option, only for a simple, straightforward dildo to materialize in my hands.

    "What is this?" Mia asked with curiosity when she saw a light flicker above my hands. Yet, the second she noticed the shape of the object, her face first went white a little, only to turn red all over.

    "This is a dildo," I replied, turning my eyes towards the girl while I grabbed the dildo by its shaft and held it like a sword. "Isn''t this what you wanted to see?" I asked, a strange feeling filling up my lower abdomen as I took a step closer to the girl.

    Most likely sensing my intentions, Mia curled her legs under her bottom before slowly pushing herself away to the far end of the massive bed.

    "Why are you running?" I asked, leaning my head to the side as I put a look of obviously fake surprise. I then reached the bed, sitting down on its edge as I stopped my pursuit. "Or could it be you would rather try it out yourself?" I asked, a vile smile shing on my face.

    I ced the dildo down on the bed, allowing Mia to slowly get used to the sight. Yet, rather than just waiting for her to do something, I returned right back to the erotic tab of the room customization.

    There was still one item that would pair insanely well with a dildo but would also allow me to test the limits of materializing stuff out of thin air in this ce.

    I scrolled through the tab and quickly found a small stic bottle of a certain liquid I was looking for.

    "What now?" Mia asked, her knees pressed against each other, her legs curled below her bottom and her entire self on a full guard. She threw a suspicious look into my hand, clearly aware that I was up to no good.

    "It''s a bottle of lotion," I replied, opening it up with a flick of my finger before grabbing the dildo and pouring a considerable amount of the thick, sticky liquid onto the silicone model.

    "Dildo, lotion... You surely do use a lot of names that I don''t know the meaning off, don''t you?" Mia asked, a small, shy smile creeping up on her lips.

    Her initial attempts to pull away now ceased as the girl slowly started to show interest in the items in my hands.

    "Now then," I muttered, raising my eyes to the girl. "Would you like to try it yourself? Or would you prefer me to help you?" I asked with a lovely smile.

    Even though I personally leaned towards the second option, watching Mia masturbate in front of me...?

    That would surely be a lovely experience all on its own!

    "I..." Mia hesitated, alternating her eyes between the wet tip of the dildo and my face. She then swallowed down a gulp of her saliva before locking her eyes on my face.

    "I think I would like to ask for your help," Mia muttered, averting her eyes the second she finished her words.

    "It will be my pleasure," I muttered, throwing the dildo and the lotion on the bed as I got closer to the girl.

    Seeing that I approached without either of the items, I conjured before Mia managed to rx a little.

    The skin on her knees no longer turned white due to how hard she pressed her knees together.

    "Can we kiss?" I asked meekly, stopping my advance right before entering Mia''sfort zone.

    "Huh?" Mia shook a little, surprised by my gentle approach. Then, a happy smile appeared on her face as she stretched her hands out, asking for a hug. "You know that you don''t need to ask for it?" she muttered, only to wrap her hands behind my neck and go for the kiss without even the slightest hesitation.

    Mia''s lips smacked against mine, allowing me to revel in their softness yet again.

    Yet, although it was Mia who took the lead in the kiss, it was my hands that started to move all over her body first.

    First came her thighs that I recently fell in love with. I kneaded, pressed, and even pinched at them, unable to get enough of the softness they offered.

    Mia''s tongue made its way into my mouth, rubbing against the glib muscle of my own.

    It was something intricately small, making it hard to exin. Yet, feeling the movements of Mia''s tongue in my mouth, her eagerness to coil it around with my own tongue, her attempts to rub it all over the ce...

    Just the liveliness of the girl was enough to push my mind into the gutter. Coupled with the taste of her saliva, the intimate distance that we were are, and the smell that radiated from every inch of her skin...

    Despite it being only a simple, deep kiss, it came close to turning my consciousness fully off.

    ''But that''s not what I''m here to do,'' I reminded myself, taking a quick nce towards the dildo, only to move my eyes back at the girl.

    I broke my lips free from Mia''s kisses only to lean over her ear. And with my hands molesting Mia''s innocent thighs, I whispered.

    "Open your legs."

    It was a simple order, yet one thatpletelycked any pressure in it. Just by listening to my words, one could easily assume they were a request rather than a master''s will.

    "Hai," Mia whined slightly, her face once again exploding with blush as she slowly pushed her knees apart.

    A single nce was enough to confirm that she was already wet. Yet, with my hardon nearly poking holes through my clothes, I had no right to call her out on that.

    ''We are both all ready to go just from a kiss,'' I thought, unable to stop a small giggle from escaping my mouth. ''What are we, a pair of virgins or what?'' I thought, only to reach for the dildo.

    "Are you ready?" I asked, applying yet anotheryer of the lotion on the silicone throng before moving my eyes to Mia''s face.

    "But... but..." Mia hesitated, raising her hands to her face to cover her eyes. Yet, just as if she was some kind of kindergarten kid, she pried her fingers open, sending curious nces toward the dildo in my hand.

    ''As much as she wants to deny it, she can''t hide how interested she is in it,'' I thought, feeling a distant echo of jealousy and sadness.

    Was I inferior to a damned piece of fabricated material? Or was Mia just curious about a novelty?

    Either way, I could see a n hatching in my head to ensure that Mia would never even dare topare my flesh with some artificial dicks.

    "But... If we do it like that, won''t I be the only one feeling good?" Mia protested, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

    But that was thest thing that she should say in a moment like that when my innate, animalistic desire to fully monopolize Mia''s body, soul, and attention to myself infested my brain.

    "How about this, then," I muttered, gently pushing Mia''s upper body down so that instead of sitting on the bed, sheid down on her back. Then, I crawled up the bed only to kneel right by Mia''s head.

    "What are you...?" Mia whispered, overwhelmed by herck of understanding of what was going on. Yet, as I pulled on the cord that kept my robes together and reached out to undo my underpants, her face turned even redder than before.

    Yet, even though it looked like Mia''s cheeks couldn''t get any redder, when I finally released my hard dick from the confines of my robes only to smack it down right on Mia''s face, her cheeks crossed the line between what could still be called pink, into the realm reserved for different kinds of red.

    Yet, she didn''t go for it right away, clearly hesitating about how she should go around it.

    I didn''t give Mia any time to get ustomed to the situation. But instead of forcing my dick into her mouth and then down her throat, I simply leaned to the side, moving the dildo right between Mia''s legs.

    ''It looks wet enough,'' I thought before resting its tip right at the entrance into Mia''s secret ce.

    "Are you ready?" I asked, hardly capable of stopping myself at this point.

    "Huh?" Mia''s eyes moved from the shroom of my dick to my face, only for her lips to suddenly open as she wrapped them around my tip.

    Her eyes moved up, once again resting on my face.

    And the intent behind Mia''s actions was pretty clear. Because now that she had her mouth full, how was she supposed to answer my question?

    "That was pretty clever; I will give you that," I said with a smile, using my left hand to rub Mia''s head.

    But there was only so far that I could get with just being wholesome. And to get to the real above that...

    Unable to stop myself any longer, I pulled my right hand towards me, pushing the lotioned dildo right into Mia''s wet pussy!

 Chapter 322 Guilty Pleasure (R18)

    "A..a... AHH!" Mia''s moans turned my mind into a mesh. The intensity of her voice changed as I pushed the silicone stick deeper and deeper into her.

    ''She is so lovely,'' I thought, looking down at her penis-adorned face.

    Then, Mia licked her lips clean as her body trembled, making her tongue brush against my tip.

    "Damn," I moaned, pulling my head to the back when the wave of pleasure assaulted me from the bottom up.

    "Huh?" Mia moaned in surprise. She clearly didn''t expect to get such a reaction out of me from something as little as a simple lick!

    But it was pretty strange for me.

    It wasn''t the first time for Mia to use her mouth to pleasure me. She even gave me a damned titjob in the past! Yet, here I was, reacting to even the smallest stimuli like some kind of virgin.

    ''I guess even after casting away my V-card, I''m mentally still stuck with it,'' I thought as I started to move my right hand to and fro, massaging Mia''s insides with the artificial penis.

    "Agh!" Mia continued to moan, her body tensing all over as more and more pleasure-filled her mind.

    Her eyes clouded, showing that she could no longer think straight. And as if it was the requirement, she then finally paid attention to my dick that rested uneasily on top of her face.

    "AGHUMGP" Our moans mixed. With Mia grabbing the tip of my dick with her mouth only to then suck on it as she pushed it deeper into her mouth, I couldn''t fully control my body anymore. And when the wave of pleasure struck my mind, my hands tensed up.

    Which, as a result, made me shove the dildo all the way up Mia''s wet hole, as far as my hand could reach, before sping it against Mia''s crotch.

    Pushing it any further would be too risky. I heard some stories about tampons getting stuck inside the girls. And I wasn''t going to risk doing the same with a dildo just by letting it out of my hand.

    "Mphmph!" Mia attempted to say something. Yet, with her mouth filled with my dick and her tongue busy caressing it all over, even I couldn''t understand what she wanted to say.

    "Don''t speak with your mouth full," I gently scolded the girl, forcing my hips to the back in order to let Mia speak.

    Yet, the second this damned girl felt my retreat, she brought her head up and to the side, showcasing just how unwilling she was to let go of me like that.

    Her hands wrapped around my waist, only for Mia to use this newfound support to shove my dick even deeper into her throat.

    And then, with her chin tickling my balls, she froze.

    "DAMN!" I moaned, unable to resist the insane feeling of feeling Mia all over my thing. Her tongue swirled around my shaft. Her lips pressed tightly against the base of my dick, refusing to let it go. And then, the gentle movements of her throat as she choked on my shroom only made holding it in even harder.

    "Stop it," Iined weakly.

    It wasn''t as if I minded Mia giving me such a great service. It wasn''t as if I didn''t want to feel as good as I was feeling, thanks to her deepthroat.

    I simply couldn''t handle seeing Mia''s tears messing up her beautiful face as she continued to push herself further and further, all for the sake of pleasuring me.

    Mia raised her eyes and looked up. Despite the tears clouding her pupils, she still easily established eye contact, only making the moment more intimate.

    ''Fuck, I forgot myself,'' I thought, forcing my hand to move again.

    With her mouth still tightly stuck to the bottom of my shaft, Mia couldn''t moan any longer. Right now, the sounds she was involuntarily attempting to make all served as yet anotheryer of pleasure for me, adding a strange vibration to her blowjob.

    And even with Mia''s body tensing all over due to my own efforts to pleasure her, she didn''t break the eye contact even for a second.

    "Damn it!" I moaned, hanging my head to the back in an attempt to take control of the wave of pleasure that coursed through my mind. "I''m cumming!" I shouted as if to warn the girl. At the same time, I moved both of my hands to her cheeks.

    A brute would attempt to hold the girl''s head as he would cum. And while it would surely feel good to manhandle Mia like that, it wasn''t something that I would ever allow myself to do.

    Because what was my pleasure if it woulde at the cost of Mia''s torture?

    "Let go!" I shouted, only to sp my teeth together in a desperate attempt to quell my built-up lust.

    Yet, as I attempted to pull Mia''s face away from my dick, her hold over my waist only strengthened.

    Then, Mia finally gave up, allowing me to pull myself out of her throat.

    ''Thank God,'' I thought, unwilling to as much as imagine what would happen if my self-restrained gave up even a bit earlier.

    A glint shed past Mia''s eyes.

    And then, she ignored my attempts to free her mouth, shoving my dick down her throat once again.

    "FUCK!" I screamed out, unable to hold myself back anymore. Thisst push of hers was thest element that tipped the scales. "I''m cumming!" I shouted, feeling a wave of pleasurable electricity traveling up my spine as my load shot out directly into the depths of Mia''s throat.

    And then, for the several seconds that I needed to empty out my balls, Mia kept on looking right at my face.

    Seeing how her throat moved up and down in an attempt to gulp all the sperm, I was pumping down her throat...

    Just looking down at Mia''s silly state forced us into a vicious circle, when every time Mia would gulp down would cause another gulp-worth of sperm to be released.

    "Stop it!" I pleaded, forcing my penis out of her lips.

    A wave of air struck my wrangled dick, indicating that I had managed to achieve my mission.

    ''That should do for the forey,'' I thought, feeling the exhaustion ramp up in my muscles.

    Whether this was intentional or not, Mia''s devotion brought me over to the edge of my own rationality.

    If she were to go any further than that, I would surely lose it.

    "Yum," Miamented as she brought her hand up to her face, only to gather a stray strand of my sperm from her face and bring it up her lips.

    She made a face of delight when she snacked on thest bit of my cum, only for her eyes to draw towards the twitching tip of my penis again.

    ''How can she be so damn...'' I thought, only for my thoughts to shake and cease when Mia suddenly pushed her head up, only to catch my dick with her lips again.

    And then, she sucked on it with all her strength.

    My own strength left my body in an instant when Mia meticulously vacuumed all the remaining cum from the insides of my dick.

    I pulled myself out right in the nick of time.

    "Mia!" I moaned when I looked down at the girl''s face.

    "Hehehe," Mia giggled a little, a satisfied look blossoming on her face. "Did you like it?" she then asked, her lips forming a small grin.

    Yet, before I could even respond, Mia suddenly pushed both of her knees as far apart as she could. She then reached out to her crotch only to rest her fingers on my hand and push it away, making me pull the dildo out of her.

    "It was insane," I admitted without any shame, only to ignore Mia''s clear attempt to seduce me towards her wide-open legs. Instead of going for the main dish, I reached out and grabbed Mia by her waist, only to pull her into a tight embrace.

    "It felt better than most of the things I experienced in my life," I whispered into her ear, only to feel her body twitch in response to my words.

    But then, I pushed Mia away, just far enough to get a proper look on her face.

    "No, we shouldn''t kiss now!" Mia protested, misinterpreting my intentions. "At least let me water my mouth fir..." she attempted to rationalize with me.

    Flick.

    "AUCH!" Mia whined a little when my finger struck her forehead. She also raised her hands to cover the upper part of her face, only to look at me with puppy eyes.

    ''Why did you hit me?'' her eyes seemed to ask.

    "But I can''t enjoy myself if ites at the cost of your displeasure," I exined my real thoughts, only to pull Mia right back into my embrace. "But I can''t lie. Right now, I''m so damn horny I don''t think I will be able to stop myself at all."

    Mia''s body twitched in my arms. Then, her legs moved once again, spreading as far as her tendons allowed.

    "Then what are you waiting for?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side as she looked at me with puzzlement in her eyes. "Cut the crap and fuck my brains out!" she added cheerfully, pushing her hands against my chest only to fall down on the soft cushions of the bed.

    Seeing how her love juices dripped down from her pussy, I couldn''t hold myself back any longer.

    "As you wish, mydy," I replied with a satisfied smile.

    Now that I made my point, it was time to go back to having fun!

 Chapter 323 Sweet Embrace (R18, Mostly Wholesome)

    Iid down on the soft matres of the bed, allowing my tired body to indulge in thefort.

    To my side, Mia breathed in and out, silently providing oxygen for her sleeping body. One of her hands coiled around my arm, while her other arm, along with half of her torso,id down on my bare chest.

    ''She is so damn cute,'' I thought, gently brushing my fingers through Mia''s long hair.

    For me, it was a wonder how did she manage to keep her precious hair in such a good condition.

    ''Maybe it''s like with the general health?'' I guessed, recalling a certain article I once read.

    Apparently, by improving the quality and level of medicine, any modern civilization would ultimately bring forth the decline of the species that created it.

    By increasing the survivability of the newborns, a civilization adds their weaker genes to the pool, mixing those who would naturally die at birth or pretty early on into the pool of those whose organisms were strong enough to survive.

    It was a process that was natural. Cutting on the unnecessary deaths was a respectable goal, after all. Not only was it economically viable, but it could also easily garner mass support, making it a sort of change that was set to happen in any growing civilization.

    But ultimately, the article I read stated that this natural and perfectly fine process would decrease the quality of the entire species as a whole.

    It was the downside that rarely anyone thought about or concerned themselves with.

    ''Assuming all of what that article outlined is true, then it might be just her body being so strong, she didn''t really need all that cosmetics that earthy women were known for hoarding,'' I thought, immersing myself in the soft texture of Mia''s hair.

    "You awake?" Mia muttered through her sleep, brought to the edge of waking up by my movements.

    "It''s okay; you can go back to sleep," I patted the back of Mia''s head before moving my hands and slowly rubbing my hand against Mia''s exposed back.

    If this wasn''t the peak of a man''s pleasure, then I didn''t know what it could ever be.

    "I don''t really want to, though," Mia muttered in her sleepy voice.

    Her hand then grasped at my waist, allowing Mia to pull herself up my chest, only to rest her head directly beside my face. In the process of doing so, she rubbed her naked skin against my side, making it slightly harder to just enjoy the peacefulness of the moment.

    "I wonder if you are even aware of how much of a bombshell you are," I whispered to Mia''s ear, only to cuddle her up even closer.

    "Thanks," Miazily brought her head up only to press her lips against mine.

    Compared to the usual passion that was present in our intimate moments, this was a new kind of kiss.

    Mia wasn''t in any hurry to turn it into a deep kiss. Instead, she pressed her lips against mine.

    The taste of her lips, the sweet fragrance of her breath and sweat mixing up, the warmth of her mouth, the wetness of her saliva...

    With how slow our kiss was, I could now fully appreciate each of those elements, only to enjoy them all at once.

    "Chu," Mia sucked on the bottom of my lips, only to let it spring up with a wet but very small sound. She then raised her head and allowed it to hand just slightly above mine.

    "I really can''t get enough of how beautiful you are," I uttered, taken aback by the natural beauty of this girl.

    Her long hair fell to the sides of her head, creating a barrier that separated our faces from the rest of the world.

    "Once again," Mia''s lips curved up in a smile, "thank you," she said before leaning in for another kiss.

    This time, though, Mia didn''t hold her tongue back, invading my mouth the second we pressed our lips together.

    I raised my free hand, holding Mia''s face as I continued to devour her mouth. Yet, as we continued to lick each other saliva, my hand moved to the back of Mia''s head only to then brush down her hair.

    "Getting feisty, aren''t you?" Mia raised her head and asked, only to go right back into kissing.

    With my mouth busy, I couldn''t respond at all. That''s why, instead of voicing my reply, I simply allowed my hand to brush down Mia''s back.

    I could feel the girl twitch a little when my fingers tapped down her spine. She then tensed up when I reached out and grabbed her ass, sinking my fingers deep into her flesh.

    ''Damn, this feels great,'' I thought, pushing my hand as tightly against Mia''s bottom as I could as if I was attempting to hold her up in ce so that our kiss could keep on going forever.

    Yet, this stalematested only for several moments.

    With movements of Mia''s tongue increasing, my hand gravitated down her ass cheek.

    Mia''s body tensed all over when my middle finger reached for her pussy, slowly moving up and down her opening. Yet, when I gently flicked her clit, Mia seemingly lost all the strength in her body, sliding down my face as she fell t on top of my chest.

    "Mhmm," Mia moaned into my chest as I allowed my finger to venture deeper and deeper into her insides. And soon, the girl started to breathe heavily while her droll marked the path of her mouth over my chest.

    "Are you up for some?" I asked, feeling how this small yet melty cuddle got into my brain.

    For some reason, just by having Mia close by my side, I was turning into a horny dog, ready to mate any time and all time.

    "Why not?" Mia muttered, cing both of her hands on my cheeks as she raised her hips and mounted herself on top of me. She then reached down, grabbed my already hard pole, and then guided it towards her wet entrance.

    Yet, just like it went with the kiss, Mia took her sweet time lowering her hips on me.

    ''Damn, this hits different,'' I thought, tightening my teeth as I watched with my squinted eyes at the changing expression on Mia''s face.

    Her elegantly lewd smile quickly vanished, reced by tightened lips and tensing face as she drilled my penis into herself. Yet, the second Mia''s thighs sped down on my crotch, a look of tion filled every nook and cranny of Mia''s face.

    "You are in," she spoke with one breath, only to then fall down on me and move her lips towards my face.

    This time, however, I had to be the one to initiate the kiss, given how Mia lost all her strength the second my shroom rubbed the entrance to her womb.

    "So I am," I muttered, only to move my lips right back to the glorious task of satisfying Mia''s need for melty cuddles.

    I then moved my other hand on Mia''s left buttcheek. My fingers sank in her flesh, giving me a steady hold over the girl''s hips.

    ''Damn, it''s hard to control me like that,'' I thought when I started to slowly guide Mia''s hips up and down.

    With her ass firmly in my hands, I could set any rhythm I wanted. But that didn''t mean I was willing to just go hard at it as usual.

    ''She tried so hard to make it azy experience,'' I thought, enjoying the moment when only the tip of my penis remained wrapped by Mia''s hot insides.

    For a moment, I kept Mia''s hips high in the air. Yet, as the seconds started to turn longer and longer, resisting the desire to m Mia down in one quick move grew to be irresistible.

    That''s why, rather than risking to keep the tease any longer, I started to slowly pull Mia down on my cock.

    "Just like that..." Mia''s face was a total mess. Her moaning voice was broken, barely understandable. Her saliva now openly hung down from her lips. "That''s the spot," she added, hiding her blushed face in my chest.

    "I didn''t know you liked to take it slow," I admitted openly, slowing my movements even more.

    "It''s not... that I... dislike," Mia muttered, her voice stumbling every now and then when I would shake my hips a tiny, little bit. She then brought her face up, allowing me to see her expression in its entire, silly glory.

    "Dislike what?" I asked in a teasing manner when my tip once again pressed against the entrance of Mia''s womb.

    Holding Mia by her ass, I kept her in ce, forcing her to answer while feeling my cock in her deepest part.

    "I don''t dislike you being rough with me," Mia moaned on a single breath, only to fall down and fight to regain it. For a moment, I could freely stare at how her lovely boobs moved up and down along with her breath. "In fact," Mia raised her face and looked me in the eyes, "I love it," she stated before leaning in for the kiss.

    For the next few moments, we simply continued to kiss while my cock kissed Mia''s womb. Yet, when Mia raised her head again, there was a massive, happy smile on her lips.

    "But going at it slowly has its own charm, don''t you think?" Mia asked before bitting down on her lips and suddenly tensing all over. Unable to resist this sudden sensation, I released my load, feeding it right into the mouth of Mia''s womb.

    "I wonder if that will make me pregnant," Mia whispered through her climax, her hands wrapping around my head as she hugged me closely.

    "Nothing would make me happier," I replied, falling into slumber within Mia''s soft embrace.

 Chapter 324 From The Ass-Side

    "So that''s how it feels," Vaner muttered to himself as he looked down at his palms.

    There was no physical manifestation of his energy that he could stare down at. It was all confined within his cultivation... cultivation, that the ritual Vaner activated somehow reversed.

    "At least the seal broke," Vaner muttered to himself after checking up on his own situation.

    The ritual wasn''t perfect. Over the course of tranting Vaner''s energy into this other kind that was present in the bordends, he lost an entire realm of strength. In other words, Vaner, for the first time in over a century, turned back into a normal human from a royal.

    ''That makes me worried whether the seal will reactivate or not,'' Vaner thought, looking at his wrist where the royal seal used to be.

    Back when the ritual sapped all of Vaner''s spiritual energy to trante it into a different kind of power, there was no more energy flowing through Vaner''s system to sustain the technique of the seal. As such, it simply shattered and vanished, all before the tranted energy started to fill Vaner''s veins again.

    "I never would''ve expected to say those words, but I think I''m going to miss that seal," Vaner muttered to himself as he started to y around with various techniques he knew.

    Within the bordends, he no longer felt the pressure that he had to constantly deal with while in the zero zones. It was as if his energy was now in a ce perfectly suited for it.

    Instead of pulling him down, Vaner''s surroundings now augmented his strength.

    "The question is, will the bordends expand? Or maybe the flows of mana will equalize across the entire world?" Vaner continued to think over the topic as he stood up and approached the exit of the cave.

    For Vaner, the entire ritual took only a short moment. Yet, as he waltzed out of the ruin, he realized that not only several hours had passed, but an entire night to boot as well!

    "Now then, what should I do?" Vaner asked himself, stumped by the sudden question.

    For others, this might be the easiest topic to handle. After all, if there was absolutely no reason to go here or there, one could just pick a random direction. But for Vaner, who was under the influence of the royal seal for over a century, having the freedom to do his own thing was pretty confusing.

    Vaner could strive to regain his status as a royal.

    As someone who has achieved that level already, doing so would require only some effort and umtion of spiritual energy. p

    Vaner could also set off for the zero zone and establish a petty kingdom on his own, hoping that he could carve a piece of this new, changing world for himself.

    ''Thinking about the past, that''s likely the path my ancestors would take,'' Vaner thought as he started to move his body around in order to test his current capability.

    Sure, the drawbacks of losing an entire level of cultivation were huge. To bepletely honest, Vaner struggled with stuff as simple as walking straight, used to dedicating only a fraction of his strength for those motions.

    Yet, he lost his status as a royal. And conversely, the percentage of his strength that Vaner had to use to do those mundane activities changed as well.

    "Okay then, let''s get training," Vaner muttered to himself as he approached one of the nearest trees. He then stood in position, took a deep breath, and then started mming his fist forward as if he wanted to cut down the tree just by punching it enough times.

    ''I never expected a training exercise so simple, to be actually so useful,'' he thought, repeating the moves he once saw Arthur practicing.

    They were simple and repetitive. Yet, at the same time, they forced nearly all of the body''s muscles to work in unison, allowing one to train their entire self all at once.

    ''I will have to find him someday,'' Vaner thought, kicking the tree''s trunk with his right leg only to alternate to his left and knee the wood.

    Even though the original punching routine only had low kicks and high punches, Vaner changed its course a little to fit his own needs.

    After all, while Arthur might be focused more on punching with his fists, Vaner''s techniques oriented him more toward super-closebat instead of full-distancebat.

    And bit by bit, by repeating those extremely familiar moves, Vaner managed to regain full control over his body.

    It wasn''t even an hour when Vaner moved from training normal punches to the various fighting techniques he had in store.

    Yet, while the progress of his physical recovery was insanely fast, he couldn''t execute even a single of his moves properly.

    "What the hell!" Vaner shouted, releasing his anger by infusing it into his punch.

    Compared to the others, this punch did slightly more damage to the tree''s bark, but it still has yet to reach anywhere near the level of strength that Vaner''s punches had in the past.

    ''Are the techniques of this world''s energy not suitable for the techniques of this new energy?'' Vaner guessed, only to shake his head a momentter and return his attention to smacking the tree.

    ''There is no point in overthinking things now,'' he thought, sending a hit after hit towards the tree.

    Vaner had too little information to make any educated guesses about thews of this new form of spiritual energy he received from the ritual. And that''s why, rather than trying to guess thosews up, he continued to punch the tree, hoping that the energy in his body would move on its own at some point.

    ''Isn''t that how our ancestors discovered the battle techniques?'' Vaner thought to himself right when the drops of sweat started to form on his back and forehead. ''By finding a natural alignment of sorts, they would implement it into the structure of the punch, making the attack flow along with the naturalws of the world,'' Vaner repeated the form he once found in one of the books discarded in the ruins he liked to scavenge.

    And back then, he thought long and hard about this idea, only to end up testing it out on hisplete own.

    And to be strict, Vaner managed to seed back then. He somehow managed to find some small effect that allowed his fists to gain momentum faster than they should have. A special way of circling his energy through his veins while throwing a punch would fakely elongate the path of the punch, not only making it stronger but also harder to avoid.

    The efficiency of the technique... It was an absolute dogshit. Even the trashy-techniques one could find for free at the sect''s libraries presented a greater level of alignment with the world''s will than Vaner''s technique.

    But his exercise back then was never about finding a new triumph card for himself. Back then, it was nothing more than a test to see whether that theory about creating techniques was correct.

    ''Maybe I should try that quickpunch?'' Vaner thought, recalling the process involved in the technique he discovered.

    Given how he spent several hours just punching the tree for no effect, trying out something different didn''t seem like a bad idea.

    "How was it done in the first ce..." Vaner muttered, unsure of how well his memories preserved the process. Yet, after only a short few tries, Vaner threw a punch at a weird angle, only to then pull his fist up and bring the angle of attack.

    His muscles responded to the move, guiding his fist more precisely than Vaner could ever do with his own consciousness.

    Yet, just like before, the technique itself didn''t activate. Because although Vaner circled this new energy of his in the same way that he would the normal spiritual energy, the connection somehow didn''t appear.

    His move somehow failed to invoke the will of the world contained within.

    "What then? Should I try it sideways or maybe from the ass side?!" Vaner screamed out in frustration.

    And just for the quirk of doing so, he attempted to throw his punch sideways.

    As one could expect, this kind of variation didn''t bring much effect.

    Infuriated by his own failures, Vaner then seriously attempted to pull out the technique... by striking it in reverse. Or rather, instead of punching with his fist, he started with his hand ejected only to then pull his arm back.

    Vaner spun the energy within his body...

    And it responded, infusing itself into the reversed attack as if it was the most natural thing in the world, leaving Vaner stumped for words.

    ''What the fuck?!'' Vaner only managed to curse in his thoughts, refusing to believe what just had happened.

    For a technique to work with this new form of energy... but when only when executing the punch backward?

    Just what kind of bullshit was this supposed to be?

    ''Wait, it might sound and feel like a bullshit, but it happened,'' Vaner thought, refusing to act emotionally in this important moment.

    Because regardless of the reason, the technique worked. And it meant that he somehow did something that wascking when taking this new form of spiritual energy into ount!

    ''What if I... spin the energy in the other way, then?'' Vaner thought, instantly putting himself back in position and tensing his body all over.

    And then, he threw a punch forward. Yet, right as he was about to change its angle, Vaner forcefully changed the habitual flow of his energy, spinning it in the opposite way to how he was used to.

    His hand changed its trajectory... and then it burst forward, proving Vaner''s guess.

    And then, a vicious smile appeared on the man''s lips.

    This was the one discovery that he craved to gain an edge over the others!

 Chapter 325 Not Yet

    Vaner emerged from the bordends roughly two dayster.

    His disposition was entirely different. Yet, if one were to look at him from a distance, all they would see would be a refugee in ragged robes.

    In those short two days, thendscape on the outside changed beyond any of Vaner''s expectations.

    ''For the world to go to shit so quickly...'' Vaner hesitated right when he climbed to the top of a small hill that gave him a nice vantage point over the area.

    The formerly green hills that separated the Skdder sect from the bordends were now all charred, proving that some sort of a great fire took ce there.

    Yet, even though most of the obstacles disappeared from thendscape, its hilly nature made it impossible for the now free Royal to spot any signs of civilization.

    "I hope someone survived," Vaner muttered, although the sight before his eyes didn''t look promising at all.

    Still, he harbored his hope close to his heart. Because the Skdder sect was pivotal in his ns for the future.

    ''Seeing how everything yed out, I should assume the sect is already ttened,'' Vaner thought, clicking his tongue as he picked up the pace.

    Nothing good woulde from just standing in ce. If he wanted to see what was left of the sect, his best bet was to just return.

    Despite his earlier struggle to regain his techniques, Vaner skied through thend instead of walking on it like a normal human would.

    ''I still need to pay attention to the flow of the energy, huh?'' Vaner thought, annoyed by the amount of focus he had to dedicate just to control his spiritual energy.

    The trick to using his techniques with this new, strange power was to reverse its natural flow.

    And right now, instead of heading for the sect, Vaner directed his leaps into one of the ces he was extremely familiar with.

    It took him two more hours to slide through thend towards the general area of his spot.

    A familiar tree. A small pond at the bottom of a long, swirling ravine. A depression in the ground leads to a vast system of caves.

    All the waypoints were there. Yet, when Vaner reached the oasis in the middle of the sea of grass, he stopped.

    ''What the hell?'' he thought, surprised to the end of his wits.

    Because of the natural flow of the energy in the ce... drastically changed.

    Back in the past, this oasis used to be the preferred spot for Vaner to cultivate at. It was his refugee in which he refined his cultivation over and over again.

    The usual flow that Vaner enjoyed for long hours was now nowhere to be felt, reced by a thin aura that Vaner could barely feel.

    And what was even worse, he had to constantly expand his energy to just be on this side of the bordends.

    The seal that limited his cultivation was now all gone. It was a limitation he could break at any moment, established more for his convenience rather than with the intention of shackling him in.

    Yet, now that it was gone, Vaner continued to bleed energy just for the privilege of being on this side of the bordends.

    ''What could''ve happened to it?'' Vaner thought, refusing to just ept the disappearance of his cultivation spot.

    Now, more than ever, he had to take some time to regain strength.

    Over thest two days in the bordends, Vaner trained. He trained hard to reverse his energy-rted habits.

    To a degree limited by how little time he had, Vaner managed to revert the changes that the ritual caused. And while he still had to pay a lot of attention to do it, he was now able to use most of his techniques.

    Still, those two days of hard and near-constant training left him exhausted.

    ''No, it couldn''t just disappear,'' Vaner decided, refusing to ept any other possibility.

    He then looked around, even though his eyes wouldn''t help him at all.

    Even a royal like Vaner still retained some of those human-like reflexes.

    "I guess I have no other choice but to walk around," Vaner muttered, hanging his head in disappointment.

    For a former royal like him to be reduced to such a state, searching around for a good spot like some peasant or fledgling cultivator...

    Thankfully, Vaner''s dilemma didn''tst long.

    Not because of some dumb luck. Relying on it was the domain of losers and naive kids.

    Vaner mapped out the flow of energy all around the oasis mere days after he discovered the spot. It was something he considered necessary in order to secure the ce from the outside influence.

    Both the formation stones and formation gs were still in ce, perfectly matching the flow of energy... that didn''t exist anymore.

    But the fact that it changed didn''t mean it disappeared.

    ''I remember this ce being barren,'' Vaner thought when he stumbled into a massive area where the grass just happened to grow shorter.

    Maybe it was a different sort of ss. Maybe it was the formerck of spiritual energy in the air. But the undergrowth that merely vegetated until recently now thrived in the new situation.

    Because the flow of natural spiritual energy somehow ended gathering here,bining all the local flows into a single point.

    A point that moved at an insanely slow rate, but a point that never rested in one ce.

    "It''s being pushed?" Vaner noticed with surprise.

    It had never happened before. Yet, that was the new reality of this changing world.

    The hotspots for cultivation turned mobile and were set on traveling the continent!

    "Well, whatever," Vaner spat on the ground before sitting right in the path of the sweet spot of the location.

    ''Let''s see if I''m right,'' he thought, perfectly aware of the craziness of what he was about to do.

    "Who doesn''t dare, doesn''t win!" Vaner shouted, encouraging himself.

    And then, he opened up his cultivation, sucking on the spiritual energy from the rich congregation of smaller flows.

    The familiar mana rushed in, filling his cultivation at a worrying rate.

    For a source located within the zero zone, this ce brought enough energy to make the sources on the other side of the bordends proud!

    ''What the hell?!'' Vaner panicked, squeezing andpressing the energy he obtained from the ritual.

    shing the two energies together, especially right inside his body, would be a madman''s feat. But there was a way to cheese out the qualities of both the energies.

    ''I did it before, so I can do it now!'' Vaner thought, recalling the moment when he became a royal in the past.

    This was the one hurdle that one had to both discover and then pass through. One ceiling that most cultivators would end up powerless against.

    Comprehending the two opposing forces.

    ''And now, I know far more than before!'' Vaner rejoiced, only to put the rest of his attention into controlling the forces within his body.

    His earlier struggle came from the very simple fact that he never before had to fully rely on that weird power. And now that his original source of strength returned, Vaner was ready.

    "To the moon, baby!" he screamed out in tion, his eyes taking an unhinged look.

    And then, Vaner squeezed both of his energies, forming two flows within his body.

    There was only one distinction between the one consisting of the spiritual force and the other made up of that strange mana.

    They circted... in opposing directions.

    What''s more, there was only a single point where both the path came close, and it was right at Vaner''s sr plexus.

    And after a worryingly long moment, both of the flows stabilized, entering a peaceful state of coexistence.

    "I did it..." Vaner muttered, his body slumping down to the point he had to rest his arms on his knees.

    The aftermath of the breakthrough left Vaner exhausted beyond any means. Even though the flow of his energies had now stabilized, his body was still in no state to move.

    "And here I am, powerless and wasting time again," Vaner muttered, sending a longing look in the direction he believed the Skdder''s sect to be.

    It would take him a considerable amount of time to recover from his exhaustion. But by the time he would be ready, not even the monsters falling from the sky would be an opponent for him!

    "I guess I have no other choice but to wait," Vaner muttered, gritting his teeth in dissatisfaction.

    He had to get stronger before attempting to carve out a piece of a continent for himself. But doing so also meant wasting a lot of time, time that the monsters from another world would surely use to devastate thends Vaner wished to rule.

    "Or maybe I should just move on and ignore my state?" Vaner muttered, only for a smile to appear on his lips.

    "I guess I can''t rest now," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. He then bit his lip and tensed his muscles, forcing his body up.

    The energy rushing in his veins constantly projected onto his wounds, mending them with each passing second. But the exhaustion was deeply rooted into Vaner''s flesh. And with every second of intense healing, this exhaustion only continued to grow.

    "I know I shouldn''t..." Vaner grit his teeth before taking a huge step forward. "But I can''t rest easy, not yet," he spoke just to encourage his own efforts.

    And then, the look in his eyes stelled up.

    "Not before I apologize, at the very least."

 Chapter 326 Vital Question

    "So?" Mia asked while snuggling up on my chest. "What are we going to do now?"

    Her question was both simple and extremelyplicated at the same time.

    Simple, because right now, we could do whatever we wanted. Given how I managed to assimte the mana engine into my own techniques and mage''s tower, there was hardly any being that could challenge me.

    Yet, this question was also insanelyplicated in its simplicity.

    Because now that we could do whatever we wanted, picking one path to follow turned out to be surprisingly challenging.

    "I was sure that you wanted to find your friends first and then look for direction then," I stated, trying to rify the topic.

    Sure, it was my fault that we spent so much in this weird ce. But instead of trying to bash my head in or ask for an apology, I simply opted to give Mia the right to decide instead.

    After all, we went in this direction only because that''s what she initially wanted. And instead of trying to project my guilt on her and forcing the two of us to do what I believed to be Mia''s wish, I could very well just ask her!

    "It''s been way too long," Mia replied after a moment of thought. "If the world is as it was in the sect, then it doesn''t matter if we try to look for them or not," she added, her face sulking down.

    "I wish I could tell you, you are wrong right now," I stated, shaking my head sideways.

    It would be a lie to im that I didn''t feel guilty about putting the discovery of this ce over Mia''s wish to save her teammates.

    But now, after so much time has passed, the chances of them being still alive... Were slim. And that was already me assuming the best possible scenario. Yet, on the off chance that her former friends managed to somehow survive, we were bound to meet with them anyway.

    "What do you want to do, then?" I asked, unsure how to interpret Mia''s words.

    Was she giving up on her friends? Was she trying to tell me to prioritize something else first? Or maybe there was no second meaning in her words, making her sentence sounds as if she gave me the right to decide instead?

    "To bepletely fair, I don''t know," Mia replied, pushing her body up as she looked down on my face while bitting down on her lips. "Don''t you have any ideas?" she asked, only to lower her eyes and hide her face back in my chest. "Isn''t it too much for you to expect me to decide now?"

    Mia''s question hung in the air while I gave myself some time to think it through.

    Surely, leaving all the responsibility of making a decision in Mia''s hands meant putting an insane burden on her.

    It was the inevitable result of my approach aimed at satisfying her wishes first. Yet, if she had no specific wish that prevailed in her soul if she just wanted to keep on living in peace...

    Then the question of what we should do next was one of the hardest to answer.

    Especially for Mia, for someone who was born in this world, grew up in this world, and now watched everything that she knew about this world turn on its head.

    "Do you want to hear what I think about our situation?" I asked.

    Rather than taking the burden of the decision off Mia''s shoulders, I decided to serve her with some advice.

    My decision came from two factors.

    First, I believed Mia had to learn how to make decisions on her own. Her fervent reliance and wish to align with my own wishes made it harder for her to learn how to be independent.

    That''s why, even if it would end up slightly painful or annoying, I was set on making Mia make the decision this time. Not because it would be convenient for me. It was all for the sake of letting Mia grow.

    And secondly, there was the topic of me being biased.

    The appearance of those ruins, the simrities between them and what I saw back on earth, even the way in which those ruins reacted to my system...

    This ce was a mystery, a mystery that, when solved, could shed some light on the currently ongoing events.

    But what was even more important, the ruins we were currently in appeared like the best spot to start our new journey into settling into this world.

    Because in spite of all the disasters going on all over the ce, I have yet to see a single mana-born monster appear anywhere in the vincity of the ruins.

    ''Maybe there is some barrier that repels them; maybe they were naturally repulsed by the areas filled with their own kind of energy?

    I couldn''t tell the exact reason yet, but it was without a doubt that a reason like that existexd.

    ''And by discovering how it really works, we would gain a powerful weapon against the monsters,'' I thought, looking over the walls of the room we were in.

    There were just too many secrets in this ce. Starting with the interaction with the mana monsters, through the method in which this room allowed me to turn my mana into tangible items, all the way to the connection between this ce and my system...

    This ce was filled with secrets, each of which potentially held answers to more problems than I could ever expect.

    Yet, if Mia decided for us to leave it, I would support her decision with all of myself.

    Those ruins weren''t going to escape from this world, after all. And the chances of them crumbling apart after they stood unaffected by the influence of time for millennia... While I couldn''t give any judgment based on rational reasons, I was pretty damn sure this ce would survive whatever the wide world could throw at them!

    "Give me some help, would you?" Mia requested after a period in which she remained silent.

    I looked up at the girl''s face, trying to sound out what kind of advice she was looking for.

    ''Huh?'' I shook in surprise a tiny little bit when I noticed just how focused Mia was.

    From that one sight alone, I could tell she took her role in deciding our future actions pretty seriously.

    "An advice, huh?" I muttered, buying myself some time to think.

    ''I should avoid giving her anything that could direct her towards the things I believe to be proper,'' I thought, setting myself the one limitation for what my advice should entail.

    "I think that in order to figure out what we should do next, we should focus on what we want to achieve first," I whispered, uttering my words slowly, as if not sure about them myself.

    "Rather than looking for what we can do, look into what we want to do, huh?" Mia replied in a low voice, resting the side of her head on my chest as she turned silent.

    For the next few moments, nothing really happened. We simplyid down in thefortable bed, surrounded by the items that Mia requested me to bring forth, enjoying the sound of each other heartbeats.

    "I just want to live with you in peace," Mia finally gave her answer. "You might not believe it, but I miss the times back at the skdder sect," she said, averting her eyes away from my face as if scared of my potentially judging nce.

    "Even though we were at the bottom back then?" I asked, taken by surprise by Mia''s answer to my advice.

    Back then, I have yet to teach Mia to stop considering herself my ve. Back then, I had to pull my words and punches back, worried about attracting the attention that I wouldn''t be able to handle.

    But thinking back, there actually was some sort of distinctive charm to our lives back then.

    Before the world''s wishes started to influence our lives. Before we grew strong and important enough for the people of this world to pay attention to us.

    "Would you like to go back there?" I asked, trying to understand what exactly was Mia''s wish.

    "No, it''s not about the ce," Mia shooked her head, brushing her cheek against my chest. "Even if we came back, we wouldn''t be able to enjoy the peaceful life of the past. We grew too strong for that," she exined, showing that she was mature enough to know what was the nostalgic feeling of the past and what was realistically achievable.

    "What do you want, then?" I asked gently, raising my hand only to rub+ the bottom of my thumb against Mia''s lips.

    "Is living in peace and bearing your child under my heart an answer good enough?" Mia asked, suddenly changing the topic as she moved around a little only to end up cing a long, sloppy kiss right on my lips.

    "Living in peace, huh?" I couldn''t stop my lips from forming a small smile.

    It was surely a naive wish... but one that I actually believed I was capable of fulfilling. Sadly, the process of doing so would be long and fraught with difficulties.

    "So it''s no good?" Mia asked, raising her lovely eyes up to my face.

    "I never said that," I replied quickly before Mia''s mood could go to shit. "But if that''s really what you want, then I can''t exactly let you guide us to it," I added, only to grit my teeth together.

    "I''m fine with that, though?" Mia replied, raising up her hands only to rest her elbows on my chest and then rest her head in her hands, giving me a great point of view to stare at her beautiful face and her full breasts at the same time.

    "After all, aren''t you more familiar with this ce than you initially expected?" Mia pointed out, bringing forth the very reason that was behind my earlier answer. "I saw what this ce is capable of. And now that the world is changing drastically with each passing second, it''s impossible to bring peace to all of it, isn''t it?"

    Right now, I was stuck. Stuck between ncing at Mia''s lovely face, ncing over at her boobs, and between the insane wisdom behind Mia''s words.

    It was the first time for me to feel like Mia was somehow cheating on me, reading all the reasons behind the way I acted and then voicing them out.

    It felt as if she could freely read my mind, using my very own thoughts against me!

    "You know me really well, don''t you?" I whispered, only for Mia to lean her head to the side in confusion.

    "You are right," I changed the topic before Mia could ask for specifics. "Right now, it''s impossible to bring peace to the entire world. But it''s definitely possible to carve out a part of the world for our own use and then bring peace in that part," I exined, only to shake my head.

    I then looked at Mia''s lips, only to push my head up and join our lips for yet another kiss.

    Only when I had enough of the taste of Mia''s mouth did I allow a small smile to appear on my lips.

    "But for that end, this ce will indispensable!"

 Chapter 327 What Is A Date

    "The n is simple," I said once I ultimately gave up on forcing Mia to pick the exact path we would follow.

    Given her intention to leave everything to me would mean that forcing her to be the one leading would be actually against her wishes.

    ''She was able to pinpoint the problems and potential solutions,'' I thought. ''That''s why the execution of those things can be left to me,'' I added in my thoughts, trying to rationalize my clear favoritism towards the girl.

    "First, we need to secure this ce," Mia added, proving that she wasn''t going topletely give up on the role I attempted to push on her.

    ''Maybe she feels better with tackling things one by one?'' I guessed in my mind. ''Sometimes trying to form a n epassing all the problems and solutions can feel overwhelming,'' I admitted, recalling a harsh lesson I once learned.

    Back on earth, I struggled with the same type of scenario as well.

    It was back when I received my firstmission for a big project, courtesy of the inte, where one could hide their race and hope not to be discriminated against.

    When I took my first look at the list of things I had to do toplete the job... I felt overwhelmed. It appeared as if no matter how much I would work, the project would never reach its conclusion.

    At first, I did the same as Mia was doing right now. I attempted to tackle the tasks one by one, leaving thepletion of the entire project to a far-off future. In other words, rather than worrying over the stuff that was too big for me, I attempted an approach of small but steady steps forward.

    ''Back then, I thought it would work out nice,'' I thought, unable to stop a small smirk from forming on my lips. ''Back then, I was too naive,'' I thought, moving my eyes on Mia.

    And while taking things easy and doing them one by one wasn''t necessarily the worst tactic...

    "Great, but what do you mean by secure?" I asked, hoping to guide Mia towards the same lesson I learned in the past without pushing her into a pit of despair. "Do you mean to block the exits? Or maybe put some guarding formation in ce?" I asked, trying my best to avoid leading the girl in on her nose.

    "First, we need to find out where all the exits are," Mia replied while rolling her eyes. She then turned her head away from the array of clothes I prepared for her, all for the sake of giving me an eye.

    "I''m sorry," Iughed out, understanding the meaning behind Mia''s meaningful stare.

    She figured out what I was trying to do. And while she didn''t oppose me directly, she wanted to make sure I knew she was aware of it all along.

    "Anyway," Mia rolled her eyes again before moving them to the clothes disyed all over the floor of the building. "Which one do you think I should wear?"

    This question caused my soul to tremble.

    Having a naked beauty sit on her knees just a few inches away and then ask me what she should wear?

    Wasn''t this the definition of a man''s wet dream?

    ''It doesn''t matter what you put on, as long as there will be something to undress you from,'' I thought, recalling thest-century humor that I could asionally hear when dealing with older folks.

    "How about those shorts and this t-shirt?" I suggested, keeping my jokingments to myself while pointing my hands at the two pieces of cloth I believed Mia would look the best with.

    "Those?" Mia asked, raising the two pieces of clothes I pointed out for her.

    "Yeah, but don''t forget the lingerie." I shook my head and jumped off the bed. In the next moment, I conjured a set offortable but presentable clothes for myself.

    "What''s the point, though?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side and allowing her long hair to fall almost all the way to the ground. "It''s not like there is anyone here who could spy on me," Mia stated, shrugging her shoulders.

    "It''s just for hygienic purposes," I replied, rolling my eyes.

    There was no way in hell I would admit that undressing Mia''s bra and panties were my nned highlights for the end of the day!

    "If you say so," Mia replied, not paying any mind to me as she grabbed the lingerie and then started to put her clothes up.

    Being the gentleman that I was... I kept on staring at the little show she gave me, showcasing just how much I appreciated her beauty. Yet, while Mia was already a bombshell when naked when the modern, skimpy outfit found its way on her body...

    "Damn..." I muttered, gazing right at Mia''s outfit. "You look insane in it," I praised, running my eyes from Mia''s feet to the top of her head.

    The tight t-shirt barely covered her stomach, cutting away just above the level of her belly button. Due to how high it was, I could make out the outline of Mia''s bra, along with the full shape of her confined breasts.

    To top it all off, the shorts that Mia picked after my advice turned out to be... really short. And while there was more material to them than there would be to a set of panties, they hardly covered any of her legs, only hiding away the two sweet mounds of her ass.

    "Do I?" Mia asked, looking down on her own body only to then turn around on her heel, giving me a full view of her now-clothed beauty from every side possible.

    "I wish I could just grab and take you right here and now," I whispered as I approached the girl, pressing myself against her back while locking my arms around her waist. "But I guess we should work a little first," I added, the devastation and disappointment filling my voice.

    "That''s lovely to hear," Mia whispered in reply, moving her hips to the sides to rub her barely clothed ass against my crotch. She also angled her head to the side, resting it on my shoulder as she cast a long stare right at my face.

    Yet, before I could turn my wishes into reality, Mia pushed forward, escaping from my grasp, only to turn around as soon as she put some distance between us.

    "Arty, as much as I would love to keep making love, we really need to put in some work," Mia stated, her face taking on a regretful expression.

    ''I wonder if she''s just ying or if she really desires me that much,'' I thought, unable to believe something as simple as attraction born out of affection.

    While I had no doubts whatsoever about Mia and her state of mind, she was simply too damn precious for me to ept it like that!

    "So, we are going to check for the exists first, right?" I took a deep breath before bringing back the topic we discussed before our attention moved to the clothes.

    "That''s right," Mia nodded her head, jogging her way back to my side only to pick up my arm, wrap her arms around it and then pull me towards the doors. "But for that, we need to go around the perimeter of this entire ce," Mia added, opening the doors and pulling me out to the open...

    Or rather, pulling me out to the insides of the underground ruins with artificial light, only faking the feeling of openness in the ce.

    "Now that I think about it," I muttered a momentter, "isn''t this like a date?" I guessed out loud while enjoying the warmth wrapped all over my arm.

    "A date?" Mia turned her head to the side, raising her eyes to my face. "What''s a date?" she asked, cutely turning her head sideways.

    "Wait, you don''t know what a date is?" I asked, stupefied by Mia''s question.

    I knew that this world had a massively differentmon sense whenpared to the one of the earth... but to not know what a date is...

    ''Wait, no,'' I suddenly thought, forcing my thoughts back onto the unbiased path. ''The dates on earth appeared as a means for two people living apart to get to know each other, right?'' I thought, quickly finding out the conflicting element between the two worlds.

    In this world, people fourteen and even fifteen years old, while not yet adults, were often burdened with the responsibility for their own fate and future. In other words, when people entered the age during which they would get interested in the opposite sex, they were already past the point of living under the care of their families!

    As such, if one wanted to spend the time with a significant other of theirs, rather than on dates, they would simply go eat out, go for drinks, and likely end up mating back at either of their ces.

    ''Thinking about this, isn''t date just an official term for spending quality time with the other?'' I thought before shaking my head.

    "A date... How should I say it," I muttered, only to turn my head sideways and then push it forward, taking Mia''s lips in a surprise attack.

    Mia clearly didn''t expect this sneaky attack of mine, yet after the momentary shock, she quickly responded in kind. Only after I got a proper taste of her lips and tongue alike did I pull my face away with a wide smile adorning it.

    "A date is just a name for an outing with one''s significant other," I exined, fixing my hold over Mia''s fingers as I pulled her back to my side. "Back in my world, before two people would get together, they would usually go on dates to get to know each other first."

    Mia didn''t bother to speak up after I finished my exnation. Maybe she was digesting the news? Or maybe I satisfied her curiosity, bringing the topic to an end?

    "So a date is an outing with a romantic purpose, right?" Mia asked several momentster, tightening her hold over my arm as she pushed her breast to my side.

    "That''s correct," I nodded my head, enjoying the treatment in silence as we walked through the empty streets of the underground city.

    "Then, once we check for all the exits..." Mia whispered in a voice nearly too small for me to notice. Yet, in contrast to her initially meek attitude at the beginning, Mia quickly gathered her wits and brought her free hand to my chin, only to bring my face down.

    "How about we go for a proper date?" she asked, her eyes filling up with a mix of hope, uncertainty, and embarrassment.

    "You look lovely when you are shy," Imented, raising my hand and cing it on Mia''s cheek.

    Without even a second of hesitation, as if it was the most natural thing to do, Mia rested her head on my palm and squinted her eyes, clearly enjoying the treatment.

    "I''m sorry, dearest, but that''s wrong," I said, watching how Mia''s eyes filled with shock and confusion.

    I allowed this state tost only for a short moment, unable to help myself but enjoy the fragile state my words put Mia in.

    "Because it''s not the girl who should ask a man for a date," I stated, only to lower my head and shake it in apology. "No, that''s not it. There is nothing wrong with a girl asking a man out," I quickly added, fixing that incredibly sexist statement of mine.

    Then, I fell to my knee while picking Mia''s hand up. I then brought it to my lips, cing a gentle peck on top of the outer part of the girl''s hand.

    "Mia, you are the sun of my life, the one person whom I hold dearest to my heart," I spoke, killing all the shame, cringe, and embarrassment that could stop me from uttering those words.

    Because of how cliche they could be, they rang true to what I truly felt in my soul.

    "Could you give me the honor of picking you up for a date?" I asked, looking at Mia from my lowered position.

    "You...!" A set of conflicting emotions appeared on Mia''s face. She then tightened her hands into fists and brought them down...

    Only to rx her fingers as she ced them down on my shoulders before leaning in and nting a delicate kiss on top of my forehead.

    "It would be my pleasure."

 Chapter 328 Secret Room

    "And that settles the exits," Mia said as she released a heavy sigh.

    Going around the entire underground took us an entire day, or however many hours the day and night cycle of the underground lighting was set to.

    Yet, unless there were exits that were so cleverly hidden that even someone like me, both with keen senses and the knowledge about the topography of the city we were scouting, couldn''t find them...

    Then, this underground city could be taken as secured.

    "What are we going to do now?" I asked, turning my eyes towards the girl.

    It was clear she was tired with just a nce. Yet, we weren''t in a position where we could go to rest just because we were tired.

    ''We are not there yet, but that''s the kind of life we should be aiming for,'' I thought, keenly observing the changes happening on Mia''s face.

    Initially, she clearly wanted to call it a day. Yet, after she gave it a moment of thought, her face turned into that of an extreme unwillingness thatter transformed into a forced eptance of the reality.

    "Now that this ce is more or less secured, I guess we should check out what it has to offer?" she suggested, raising her eyes to me.

    ''She''s so sweet, acting like that,'' I thought, raising my hand to my chest and then clutching it at my heart.

    "I guess that''s where I came up," I stated after taking a moment to calm my heart down.

    ''Seriously, she is too cute for my health,'' I thought, trying my absolute utmost to stop a stupid grin from appearing on my lips.

    "Are you sure?" Mia asked before I could borate any further. "Weren''t I supposed to figure everything out?" she questioned even further, proving that she was aware of my intentions all along.

    "Yeah." I nodded my head in response. "I think I didn''t tell you this yet, but this ce is built on the n of a city I''m familiar with," I exined before reaching out for Mia''s hands and pulling her towards the main street of the underground town.

    "Where are you taking me?" Mia asked, a look of curiosity shing on her face.

    On another note, it was quite interesting how shepletely glossed over the fact that I was somehow familiar with this ce.

    "First, to the shopping district," I exined, enjoying the warmth of Mia''s fingers in my hand.

    ''Thinking back, there used to be a lot of people that would burn me at stake just for holding the hand of such a beauty,'' I thought, grinning at the difference between me in the past and me right now.

    "What, you got some new clothes you would like to watch me change into?" Mia asked in a mischievous tone. She also sped up her movements, lining up with my side and wrapping her hands around my arm instead of settling just on holding each other hand.

    "That''s one thing to think about," I replied, not backing off from the clear invitation but not taking it either. "But let''s leave the fun for when we finish what we have to do," I added, directing Mia''s thoughts back at the task.

    "Yeah, yeah, I get it," Mia giggled, only to change her grasp over my arm before calming down. "What are we going to check in those shops, then?" she asked, putting my thoughts back on the track.

    "First, I want to see if there is anything in them at all," I exined. "If they are stocked just as I hope they are, it will take several problems off our back," I added.

    The shopping street of the city housed shops of all kinds. From alchemy workshop where one could buy and even make their own potions, through smithy workshop and its shopfront with various wares...

    If there was anythingcking on the shopping street, then it would definitely be a damned mall!

    "That''s not all there is to it, is there?" Mia pointed out, proving that she could see right through my face as if it was an open book. "I mean, if it''s only about food, herbs, or weapons, we could get them on our own terms," she added, advocating her point of view.

    "That''s true," I replied, nodding my head. "But if the shops are properly stocked..." I muttered, only for a smile to appear on my lips as I decided to get silent instead of answering. "I won''t tell you, not yet. If my hopes are right, then you are in for quite the surprise!"

    We followed the main road of the city that connected both of the underground ends and went right through its middle. Yet, even though the path was rtively simple, the sheer scale of just how big this ce was made it so that we took a considerable amount of time to actually reach the shopping street.

    "We are here," I announced when we reached a crossing in which the main street of the town... proved not to be the widest one.

    "So this is a shopping street," Mia muttered, shaken by the scale of the ce.

    If the main street of the town was the size of your regr road in a modern city, then the shopping street was bigger than twones of highway put together.

    It''s surface was finished with small, t stones, allowing one to walk through it without the worry of twisting their ankle.

    Yet, despite all those small wonders of architecture that would put the builders of this world to shame...

    It wasn''t the road itself that made the greatest impression on anyone who stepped into the shopping street.

    For as far as an eye could see, the street was covered by shopfronts on both sides, each of them different from the others.

    ''I should take Mia to one of the restaurants sometime in the future,'' I thought, noticing the signposts of several ces I enjoyed a lot while this ce was nothing but a location in a game.

    Back then, I enjoyed some of the restaurants because the food they offered would provide various buffs, allowing me to challenge areas my character was way too underleveled to tackle normally.

    ''But without cooks... can those ces still operate normally?'' I thought, my enthusiasm towards the idea quickly ttering.

    ''I guess I would have to learn how to cook fancy meals myself before I could take Mia out to those ces,'' I thought, all the while pulling Mia along to a ce only I knew about in this world.

    "We are here," I announced when we stood before an ordinary-looking shopfront. Yet, despite how ordinary it appeared on the outside, there was one thing that put it apart from all the other shops around.

    Its shopfront... was empty.

    "Is this a..." Mia hesitated, only for her eyes to lock on the sign hanging right above the doors of the ce. "A smithy?" she asked, turning her eyes to me in curiosity.

    "That''s right," I nodded with a smile as I pressed the doors to the ce open. "But it''s not your usual smithy, too," I added, pulling the girl inside.

    Just like I expected, there was no shopkeeper to greet us. Just like the rest of the underground, this ce waspletely deserted, devoid of anyone or anything alive.

    Yet, despite the obviousck of manpower to keep the underground tidy... We actually have yet to find a ce with visible markings of time passing in the form of dust settling on surfaces or even a spider''s web covering some of the doors or windows.

    ''This ce is giving me a really weird feeling,'' I thought, looking around the insides of the building before I finally locked eyes on a small detail that confirmed my earlier guess.

    "Let''s go," I hurried Mia up, moving deeper into the building only to reach the shop''s handy storage.

    And there it was.

    The shelves of the storage were bending under the weight of all the weapons stored on them. Swords, spears, daggers, and axes could be found hanging on the walls, stacked in special stands, and haphazardly thrown on the shelves.

    Yet, despite how the content of this shop could easily go for enough to secure a stable life for Mia and me finance-wise...

    I couldn''t be bothered to even look at those weapons.

    They were crafted perfectly; I could say that for sure... But sometimes, doing one''s job perfectly in order with the procedure wasn''t enough to make it great enough.

    ''Compared to my spear, those weapons are worthless,'' I thought, recalling the sensation of holing my trusty partner in hand.

    But the handy storage for the shop wasn''t the ce I wanted to reach. Because there was a secret area, one that a yer in the game would unlock only after finishing an extensive line of quests and boss-ying missions.

    "Now, let''s see whether my hopes were well-founded or not," I muttered, approaching the far-right corner of the room.

    On its wall, there was an old, rusty ax hanging with its twin-de towards the floor.

    I reached out and picked it up, only to nearly trip and fall down when its unexpected weight rested on my muscles.

    "Arty, what are you doing?" Mia asked, looking at me with a confused expression on her face.

    "Just trying something out," I replied, slowly turning the ax around and then bringing it up, only to rest its hefty des on two special hooks in the wall.

    Ting!

    The second the weighty de of the weapon rested on the hooks, they moved about an inch down, proving my concept right.

    "What was that?!" Mia looked around, getting on a full alert from just this small sound.

    "Nothing much," I replied with a smile turning around and approaching the same doors that we used to enter the storage. "Just a secret room opening up," I exined before pushing the doors open.

 Chapter 329 Dragon-Slayer Spear

    "What the hell..." Mia muttered the second I opened the doors leading back to the main part of the shop.

    Because the path that we took before was now nowhere to be seen, reced by a diagonal wall that cut the path to the shop and a hole in what used to be a wall before.

    ''It''s like an entire wall turned around,'' I thought, looking for the signs of something like this happening.

    And sure enough, after just a few seconds, I managed to locate a rail on which the wall turned to block the entrance to the warehouse while opening the way to the secretpartment of the store.

    "This is where they hold all their valuable weapons," I replied offhandedly, slowly making my way through the secret tunnel.

    Back in the game, there were no traps in this ce... But that''s mostly because I reached this location through the proper means, bypleting an entire questline and then challenges.

    "Be careful while we descend," I warned Mia the second I noticed the stairs.

    So far, everything was going like I expected. But there was no telling whether or not those expectations would drag us into a hell lot of trouble!

    "I will," Mia nodded her head, her face taking on a serious look.

    We slowly descended the swirling staircase. As the secret room was actually hidden in the secretpartment of the building''s basement, it only made sense for the path to be pretty weird like that.

    And then, without any unsavory surprises, we reached the bottom of the stairs.

    "It''s here," I muttered, looking at simple, wooden doors.

    It was the very first element of the underground that showed the effects of the time passing.

    I reached out and touched the knob of the door... Only for my hand to push through, separating the metal piece from the wooden rest of the door.

    And then, with its structure broken, the doors simply fell apart, turning into a pile of decayed wood.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, not prepared for this kind of development.

    In this ce, nothing appeared to get old. Nothing appeared to decay with time. Yet, for the first time since we entered the ruins, something proved to be susceptible to this greatest killer in the universe.

    "I didn''t expect that," I admitted, looking impassively at the round door''s knob left in my hand. Not knowing what should I do with it, I simply threw the item on the floor before stepping inside the secret room of the shop.

    "At least this ce is not a disappointment," I muttered, staring at the disy shelves filled with all sorts of weapons.

    This ce was the high-end shop for the end-game yers. And as anyone who yed any game in thetter period of modernity knew, what an end-game shop it would be if it didn''t offer stuff breaking the immersion?

    After all, what yers would bother to y the game if they couldn''t pay with real money to look different than the others? To stand apart from the masses?

    And while in the game that this ce was clearly designed to look alike, the end-game not only meant great weapons for melee sses but silly upgrades for ranged sses as well.

    "What are those things?" Mia asked, approaching the shelf stacked with handguns of all kinds. Some of them had futuristic designs that even I couldn''t recognize!

    "Guns," I replied, ignoring the part of the shop filled with weapons that I knew nothing about.

    Because ultimately, I wasn''t here for the guns. ording to my private judgment, even a seventh-stage practitioner would be resilient enough for bullets to only amount to a nuisance for him.

    "By going with the greatest caliber and pration, maybe even people up to the tenth stage could be vulnerable to the guns," I muttered, looking around the ce in search of the one thing that I wanted to upgrade in my equipment.

    I was looking for a spear.

    "Guns? Aren''t those the weapons from your world?" Mia asked, looking at me sideways.

    "Yeah, they are," I replied and nodded my head. "Don''t ask me who brought them here, though. I don''t even know howe they still exist instead of turning into a pile of rusted-out metal," I added.

    I knew close to nothing about this ce outside of the knowledge I gathered by ying the game. As such, I didn''t know who built this ce; I didn''t know how they made everything seemingly resist the passage of time...

    The only hint regarding those topics that I had was the sigma mark that the ruins were shaped in. As for what did it mean or if it had any meaning at all in the first ce...

    I couldn''t say.

    "Would you mind if I check some of them out?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, showcasing just how eager the girl was to follow up her words with her actions.

    "Just give me a moment," I replied with a smile. "There might be some securities in ce. Also, even if you are pretty strong right now, I don''t want to go and kill myself only because I wouldn''t be able to ept your idental death if you were to fire the gun at yourself," I added, raising my hand with forefinger outstretched and then swinging it to the sides as if I was scolding a child.

    "I get it, I get it," Mia chuckled as she raised her hands only to put them behind her back and lock them together. "I won''t touch anything before you tell me you are ready to oversee it."

    This wasn''t exactly what I intended... but it would work for now. Because between swords, daggers, spears, and guns, only with thetter, I couldn''t trust Mia to handle it on her own.

    "Now then, where are the spears," I muttered, moving around the cramped room.

    It was never supposed to be a ce where one could inspect the wares. Back in the game, one could simply talk to the NPC standing in the corner of the room to get a neat list of all the equipment along with its stats.

    But I didn''t have this sort of luxury right now, especially with how there wasn''t a single NPC in the entire town.

    Thankfully, the spears are a big kind of weapon. As such, finding it in this small ce wasn''t all that much of a challenge.

    "Here it is," I muttered again, my lips forming a satisfied smile.

    A dragon-yer spear.

    On the outside, one couldn''t tell that it was a special weapon of any sort. It had a simple structure of a handle smoothly turning into a wider piece of material on which the de itself was located.

    There weren''t any redundant decorative elements on the weapon, as if the developer behind it understood the principle of medieval weapons and took it into ount when doing this project.

    Still, out of all the spears that this shop had to offer, the dragon-yer spear was definitely the most suited one for my current purpose.

    Not even due to its stats, which, to be perfectly honest, were below the average for the end-game items.

    It was all for the several bonuses that this spear offered to its wielder and towards certain species of enemies.

    "What did you find?" Mia asked, approaching my side the moment she heard me talk silently to myself. "Is that it?" she then asked, her voice revealing just how much I betrayed her expectations.

    "I know how it looks," I nodded my head with a small smile of a pro talking to a newbie about the best tactics of the game. "But trust me," I added, reaching out and grabbing the handle of the weapon before pulling it out of its rack. "There is a lot more to this spear than what you can see in it," I added, gently running my fingers down the handle.

    Just by holding the spear in my hand, I could feel a tremendous power surging inside. It felt as if the spear started to steal my own energy the second I touched it, storing it somewhere inside its de, only to then amplify it and...

    And do nothing further.

    This was the one downside of this spear, a downside that made yers regard it as a B-tier weapon suitable only for a slim variety of builds.

    ''To think that it would suit me so well,'' I thought when I noticed just how small the problem the gamers had with this weapon was when itid in my hand.

    The greatest downside of the dragon-yer spear was its constant mana-drain status. Back in the game, there were only two sses that could have a build focused on mana enough to satisfy the requirement of the weapon within the frame of the prolonged, end-game fights.

    But for the current me?

    The mana suction of this spear was below the level of the mana I was losing just due to my aura projecting outwards!

    "If this weapon is anywhere as good as I believe it is," I whispered, raising the spear so that the de would end up perfectly at the level of my eyes. "Then I just tripled my power," I added, only to turn my eyes to the side, right where Mia observed everyst of my movements.

    "Is it really that good?" Mia asked, the look behind her eyes showcasing just how hard it was for her to ept such a simple, if not crude, weapon as something actually useful.

    "I will show you what this spear is capable offter," I said before turning my head towards the other items in the store. "But in the meantime, do you have any weapons you would like to try out?"

 Chapter 330 Human-Slaying Gun

    "Guns," Mia replied without even a shred of hesitation.

    It seemed that she was really hooked on the idea of trying out the weapons originating from my world.

    "You have no idea how unspecific this request is," I replied, shaking my head with a small smile.

    Firearms, in general, could be divided into several categories, then subcategories, and then grades. But not being military, I could only differentiate between automatic, semi-automatic, and non-automatic ones.

    ''Thinking about this, there are many more types of guns. Electromaic, bolt-actions and likely many, many more that I don''t even know about,'' I thought, an image of a Gauss gun and then a Railgun.

    "But if you want to use a gun, a handgun should be enough for starters," I added after giving it a moment of thought.

    Ultimately, all the guns worked on the same principle of pushing a projectile forward. Once Mia would figure this idea out, it wouldn''t matter if she used a handgun or carried a machine gun on her back.

    ''Thinking about this, isn''t shooting like riding a bike?'' I thought to myself as I reached out and picked one of the simplest pistols from the rack.

    "Let''s get outside," Imanded, grabbing Mia''s hand and leading her to the exit.

    "Wouldn''t it be better to pick several kinds of them at once?" Mia suggested, burying her feet into the ground and resisting my pull for long enough for me to register it.

    "Huh?" I turned my head around to look at the girl, only to then look towards the guns.

    And sure enough, I could pick weapons of all kinds. From the ones I could recognize from periodical games about the second world war like Thompson, through the modern firearms like ak77, the upgraded version of the legendary firearm, all the way to the guns even I didn''t recognize.

    Yet, as my eyes rested on the futuristic-looking gun, a certain idea struck my head.

    ''If whoever is responsible for building this ce had ess to weapons like that... Does it mean that they had ess to the technology from the future?'' I thought, only to shake my head. ''No, no future. For them, it might be the modern times instead,'' I thought, leaning over the gun I couldn''t recognize.

    "Is everything all right?" Mia asked, noticing the change in my attitude.

    "Yeah," I nodded my head as I stood back up and looked at the girl, only to grace her with a small, kind smile. "Everything is all right. I just got curious about something," I added before picking several different guns and then grabbing several bags with ammunition of all sorts.

    "Shall we go, then?" I asked once I secured all of my new baggage in my hands.

    "Sure," Mia nodded her head, a bit more happy with how the situation developed than I would expect.

    Was she so eager to try out the weapons from my world? Or maybe she was happy that I followed her suggestion without a single word ofint?

    ''Women are scary,'' I thought when I kicked the bottom of the massive ax'' handle, throwing it off the rack and resetting the secret switch.

    A few moments of a dull noiseter, the way back to the shop proper was open.

    "Shall we go?" I asked, fixing my hold over the items I brought from the secret storage.

    "Let''s go!" Mia shouted, full of excitement. Yet, before she moved out, she approached me and took over all the boxes with ammo, only to send me a wink as she turned towards the doors.

    This time, it was her who pulled me ahead by my hand. Yet, while I didn''t resist, following in her hurried footsteps while carrying several weapons in my hands...

    Rather than resisting her pull, I simply tried to keep myself stable while in a constant state of being right on the edge of falling over.

    "Where can we test them?" Mia asked the second we exited the shop.

    Her face was flushed red, the proof of just how much she was looking forward to the exercise.

    "Here is just as good as in any other ce," I said, lowering myself to my knees before dropping the weapons on the ground. "How about we start small and go up from there?" I suggested.

    Even though the principle behind all the guns was generally the same, I didn''t want to let Mia start with automatic weapons.

    We were underground, after all. There was no telling what would happen if the weapon would kick back, making Mia send a series toward the ceiling.

    ''This ce might hold insanely well against the passage of time, but it''s better not to test it against bullets,'' I thought, sending a nce over to the ceiling above while I picked the simplest pistol of the pile.

    "Can you pass me the nine mil ammo?" I asked, looking toward the girl. Then, I instantly bit down on my lips.

    Because there was no way Mia could know which box of ammunition I meant.

    "Excuse me?" Mia muttered, looking at the several boxes in her hand. "Which one is it?" she asked, raising her eyes on me with a confused expression all over her face.

    Rather than exining how number nine looked, I stood up and approached the girl, only to pick the correct box out of the pile.

    "What are you doing?" Mia asked when I pulled out the magazine from the gun, tested its internal spring, and then started pushing the bullets down the mechanism.

    "Loading the ammunition," I exined shortly, quickly finishing the task.

    Contrary to automatic weapons, the magazine for a pistol could house only up to twenty bullets in some special editions, normally osciting around ten or fifteen bullets.

    "Those are bullets?" Mia asked, looking down at the neatly arranged insides of the ammo container. "Can you tell me what a bullet is, though?"

    My hands stopped. My eyes moved toward the girl.

    Because the question she asked was pretty valid.

    "I don''t really know where the name came from, but bullets basically refer to projectiles?" I muttered, not sure if my exnation was correct. "Basically, a gun is just a tool used to activate and direct a bullet. On its own, this bullet has all that you need to actually fire it," I exined, grabbing one of the pieces before throwing it with all my might on the ground nearby.

    ''If I recall correctly, it should be enough to fire it,'' I thought, recalling the times when I was actually still interested in modern weapons.

    ording to this likely outdated knowledge of mine, any bullet consisted of basically three parts.

    The initiator meant a vtile chemical that only served to start the reaction. Then came the load, meaning the gunpowder serving as the propent for the bullet. Andstly came the tip, the actual projectile that would be shoot, while the casing containing all three of those elements would be discarded after each shot.

    To initiate the reaction, all the guns would kick the butt of the bullet, squashing its soft bottom side.

    BOOM!

    With no barrel to guide it, the gunpowder simply exploded, creating a small boom and sending the tip of the bullet flying up. Yet, as there was nothing to guide the force of the explosion, it quickly fell back down to the ground.

    "Is that it?" Mia asked, disappointment and excitement somehow mixing up on her face.

    "That''s what happens when you fire the bullet outside of a gun," I exined. Then, I took the filled magazine and pushed it up the handle of the gun.

    "What do you want me to shoot?" I asked, turning my eyes towards the girl. "I''m not a great shot, though, so something rtively close would be preferable," I added, a small blush appearing on my cheeks.

    For a man like me, to admit that I couldn''t into guns... Well, given the insane amount of hours I spent in various first-person shooters, it was nothing but a shameful confession.

    "Can you really shoot anything with something so tiny?" Mia asked, her face bing the guidebook picture of a doubtful expression. Yet, before I could say anything, Mia shook her head before raising her arm and pointing at a nearby shop sign.

    A shop sign that was measly five meters away!

    "Come on!" I protested. "Proper guns can even shoot for several kilometers!" I added.

    "Then, how about that one?" Mia chuckled before pointing her hand at a slightly further sign.

    "You really have no faith in me," Imented while shaking my head. Still, I brought the gun up,bined all three elements of its crude aiming system...

    And then I slowly pulled the triger. This was the only one rule about shooting guns that I knew about. Don''t pull it sharply, do it steadly.

    BOOM!

    The gun rocked up in my hands for a moment before I managed to regain control over it.

    Thankfully, either the gun was simply good, I was lucky enough or maybe my aim wasn''t as bad as I was worried about.

    The sign that Mia told me to aim at earned a new hole and was now swinging wildly.

    "Impressive!" Miamented, sping her hands together while her face brightened up.

    For a moment, I wanted to say something. But ultimately, I decided to just show it with my actions instead of my words.

    I took aim again, adjusting the strength with which I held the gun for the kickback.

    And then, one by one, I emptied out the magazine, shooting them with a second of pause between each of the shoots.

    "Woah..." Mia muttered, her eyes opening up wide. "You can do it in such a quick session?" she asked, staring at me as if I was some kind of god.

    "That''s the very idea behind the guns," I exined, pulling out the magazine and sitting down to refill it. And as soon as the gun was once again ready to shoot, I stood up and passed the pistol to Mia.

    "How about you try it now?"

 Chapter 331 Gun Safety

    ''This is going to be interesting,'' I thought when Mia finally grabbed the pistol into her own hand.

    And right away, I could tell the difference between someone who knew about this weapon in advance and someone who was only testing it out.

    Mia grabbed the pistol and took aim by pointing the barrel itself at the target... and then she attempted to pull the trigger.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged at the same moment when something stopped her finger from pulling the trigger all the way in. "Did I break it?" she asked, only to attempt the same thing again and again.

    For a moment, I simply watched Mia struggle, enjoying the silly show. Yet, as I noticed the girl put more and more strength behind her finger, I couldn''t help but react.

    "You need to switch the safety of the gun first," I exined, approaching Mia from the side and pointing at a small switch located at the gun''s side.

    "If it is in this position, the gun is secured and won''t shoot. By lowering it here," I pointed out at the first of the two rifts engraved into the gun''s structure, "it will shoot a single bullet for every pull of the trigger," I exined.

    "And what if I lower it all the way?" Mia asked, quickly noticing the third possible setting now that she knew where to look at.

    "The gun will be automatic," I replied with a smile. "Showcasing it would be easier, but refilling the magazine is a pain," I stated, only to shake my head a little. "By automatic, it means the gun will shoot all the bullets it can for as long as you keep the trigger pulled."

    There was no reason to show how an automatic-firing mode works in a pistol... Because a handgun wasn''t a weapon designed to use this mode.

    Sure, one could use the automatic mode, but in my personal opinion, it was nothing more but a waste of bullets given the inherent low uracy of the weapon of such a small caliber when coupled with the stacking kickback of every shot.

    "Let''s try the first setting, then," Mia muttered, taking my advice to her heart.

    She then used her thumb to push the safety off before taking the aim again...

    And pulling the trigger one by one, clearly trying to replicate what I did before.

    Bam, bam, bam!

    The gun responded to Mia''smands just like it would do to my movements. Yet, as it quickly became apparent, aiming the gun by pointing its barrel towards the target could only work on a target that was really close.

    Out of all nine shots that Mia ended up sending, eight of them ended in the air or the nearby building facades, with only one of them properly striking the sign she was aiming at.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, surprised by her poor result. "Did I do something wrong?'' she then asked, turning her eyes towards me.

    Seeing Mia''s puppy-like eyes, I couldn''t help but shake my head and give up on continuing to watch the show.

    "Pass the gun over," I asked, only to pull the magazine out and spend a few moments refiling it. Yet, instead of passing the gun right back to the girl to let her try again, I nodded towards the ground instead. "Come here," I requested.

    "Are you going to teach me?" Mia asked with the same unsatisfied expression from before, obediently following mymand and standing right before me.

    "That''s right," I answered, taking half a step forward and gluing myself to Mia''s back. I then swung my arms to the side, bringing the gun in front of Mia''s chest. "Take the gun," I ordered in a calm,posed tone.

    "Okay," Mia muttered, raising her hands and taking the gun out of my hands only to assume the same position that I did while shooting myself.

    "Look here," I pointed out at the iron sights of the weaponposing on a small rift at its back and a small protrusion at the very front of the barrel. "You need to make sure the target, the aiming pin, and the iron sights are all coordinated," I exined the little I knew about the guns.

    "So that''s how you aim..." Mia muttered right as I took a step back to take a look at her firing stance.

    I wasn''t an expert by any means. Most of my knowledge about guns came from nothing else but silly games. And I was pretty aware of how far removed from the truth the information in those games could be.

    ''Beggars can be choosers, I guess,'' I thought, reaching out with my hands and moving Mia''s arms a little to make her position more stable.

    "You can''t forget about the recoil," I pointed out, seeing how there was nothing else I could point out. "Rather than trying to fight it, I think you should learn to implement it into your technique instead," I instructed before taking a step back and nodding my head.

    Right now, there was nothing more that I could do to help the girl. Whether or not she could aim properly right now was entirely up to her.

    Yet, instead of shooting, Mia lowered her gun. She kept her eyes on her target, but she didn''t bring her gun up.

    For a few moments, Mia simply steadied her breathing, even going as far as to close her eyes.

    And in a moment that I couldn''t foresee, Mia simply raised the gun, organized her aim, and pulled the trigger, all in one, smooth motion.

    BANG!

    Due to my ears no longer being used to the sound of the shots, Mia''s firing made my ears ring a little. Yet, as I looked towards the sign she aimed at...

    It was swinging!

    "Congrattions!" I shouted, surprised by how quickly Mia managed to learn how to shoot guns.

    "I did it," Mia whispered, her face showcasing just how surprised she was herself. "I did it!" she then repeated her words, the joy finally taking root in her expression as she turned around and looked at me with her happy eyes.

    "WOAH!"

    As much as I wanted to praise the girl, and as much as she clearly wanted to be praised, there was one thing that instantly soured my mood.

    She did one thing that forced me to pull back all the praise and turn it into a scold.

    "Never do that again!" I said in a stern voice, swinging my hand and shoving the gun in Mia''s hand to the side.

    "Huh?" Mia only shrugged, not prepared for the lecture at all. "Do what?" she asked, clueless about what I was talking about.

    "Do never point the gun at someone you don''t want to shoot!" I shouted, my heart bleeding as I did so.

    It wasn''t fun to scold the girl I loved. But there were times when a lesson had to be harsh for Mia to perfectly remember it.

    "Why is that?" Mia asked. Yet, despite her words sounding cocky, her face was focused.

    She understood the seriousness of the situation, given how I rarely got emotional like that.

    "Mia, dearest," I finally calmed down and shook my head. "A gun is just a tool. And tools can be faulty," I pointed out the one lesson about gun safety I learned.

    ''To think that a viral video I once watched would embed its message so deeply into me,'' I thought, recalling the short, barely a few seconds long shot of a certain celebrity acting out to keep the rules of gun safety while on the filming set.

    "I understand," Mia nodded her head, showcasing how guilty she felt. "I''m sorry," she added, lowering her head in apology.

    "There is no reason for you to feel guilty about it," I shook my head. "It''s my fault for not pointing that out before," I added, taking the burden of the guilt on myself. "You can''t be guilty of not following rules you didn''t know about," I added.

    Just like in the faith that I was raised in, it wasn''t a sin if one wasn''t aware doing something was harmful to others or considered a sin in the first ce.

    "I understand," Mia nodded her head again before turning her face towards the sign.

    It was clear that hitting her target once wasn''t enough for the girl.

    "Can I try again?" she then asked, only for me to shake my head again.

    "Dear, you don''t need to ask about everyst thing you want to do!" I pointed out, only to then shake my head sideways. "But since you asked, I don''t think it''s a wise thing to do," I added, hiding a small smirk.

    "I... Understand..." Mia repeated her words from before, lowering her head in dissatisfaction.

    "I don''t think it a wise thing for you to get hooked on a handgun," I whispered, grabbing the ak47 from the pile of guns we brought before pulling out its magazine and presenting the weapon to Mia''s hands. "When you can use proper guns," I pointed out, finally revealing the mischievous smile on my face. "Am I right?"

    For a moment, Mia simply looked down at the weapon in my hands, a confused expression all over her face. Yet, she quickly got over her surprise and took the gun from my hands despite the sulking expression on her lips.

    "I''m definitely paying you back for thatter," she muttered, "and I won''t stop no matter how much you will beg me to stop!" she threatened, only to turn around on her heel while uttering a small ''hmph.''

 Chapter 332 Three Shots To Reveal The Truth

    "So?" Mia asked after taking a moment to inspect the weapon in her hands. "How do I use it?"

    It was truly a peculiar sight. A girl dressed in robes straight out of some kind of wuxia novel, with her aura so strong that it was nearly visible, was holding an ordinary Kshnikov in her hands with a passionate expression on her face.

    ''It feels as if I''m in a novel whose author lost the idea of what he is writing about,'' I thought, shaking my head over how insane this situation felt.

    Yet, as insane as it felt, it was the reality before my eyes.

    "How about you try to figure it out yourself?" I suggested, hoping for Mia to take the concepts that she learned when using the handgun and apply them to this new gun.

    After all, all the guns that we have used so far relied on exactly the same principle. The only difference between a handgun and a machine gun relied on the fact that thetter was actually designed to shoot continuously!

    "Without actually using it, right?" Mia asked, pointing out something that I actually forgot to mention.

    "Yeah, just a dry run for now," I confirmed Mia''s guess. "We don''t want you to break the gun, or even worse, do yourself harm while using it. So for now, let''s use it on an empty magazine," I exined.

    Yet, rather than just letting Mia enjoy her new toy, I approached her again and took the gun out of her hands.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, not sure how to react.

    Yet, all I did, was pull the small metal leaver by the side of the gun, one that allowed the operator to manually clear the chamber.

    ''I wonder how this part is called,'' I thought once I ensured that there was no bullet in the chamber before returning the gun to Mia''s hands.

    "Sorry for that, just wanted to make sure it''s safe," I exined before taking a step back, showcasing I wouldn''t interfere any further.

    "That''s a hint I didn''t ask for," Miained, only to roll her eyes and move them right back on the gun.

    To my content, she didn''t try to aim the gun immediately. Instead, she moved it around, trying to take a look into every nook and cranny of the mechanism.

    She took only a few moments to figure out how to release the magazine, only to then cast a long look inside the opening made by removing it.

    Thankfully for Mia, what the ak47 was known for, was its extreme simplicity that resulted in its praised durability. It was a gun so simple that there was hardly anything that could go wrong with its parts.

    Yet, for Mia, it simply meant that figuring out how the entire thing worked would be far simpler, even if she wouldn''t go as far as dismantling the entire thing into pieces.

    "Okay," Mia finally announced after a good while. "I''m ready."

    Hearing those words, my mouth instantly curled up into a big smile.

    Never before in my life have I had a chance to test someone, not in terms of their loyalty or usefulness, but in terms of actually checking their knowledge.

    "How does this weapon works, then?" I asked, crossing my eyes on my chest as I leaned my head to the side and looked at my beloved with anticipation.

    ''I wonder how much of its nature did she get right,'' I thought, awaiting Mia''s reply.

    "First off, the magazine operates on a spring mechanism. Whenever a new shot is loaded, a free space appears that allows the spring to push the rest of the bullets up, resetting the mechanism."

    Mia revealed the first part of her answer, only to then gently put the magazine down and move her attention to the gun proper.

    Yet, rather than continuing with her small exam, Mia once again took a moment to analyze the structure of the gun.

    "I think this weapon uses a part of the power contained within the bullets themselves to reload its own mechanism," Mia finally gave her answer before raising the barrel of the gun and pointing it at the sign nearby. "Contrary to the handgun, its sights can be manipted, most likely meaning it can be adjusted for varying ranges of the shooting," Mia stated, only to then swallow her saliva and look up at my face with anxiety behind her eyes.

    "I think it implies the range of this weapon is greater than that of the handgun. What''s more, both the size of the barrel and the free space in the magazine make me think that this gun uses a different sort of ammunition."

    After revealing everything that she could figure out, Mia lowered the gun in her hands and looked at my face.

    "How about the mechanism you saw me use?" I asked, pointing at the small, metal lever by the side of the gun.

    "I..." Mia hesitated for a moment before clearing her throat, coughing, swallowing her saliva... Yet, her small actions could only buy her so much time. "I think it has something to do with the reloading mechanism. I can tell there is another spring in there because there is resistance when you pull it back," Mia answered, even though her tone was full of hesitation. "Judging by the fact it''s located right by the opening in the gun, does it serve to eject the empty casing of the bullet?"

    "You are correct in both instances," I said before pping my things in an expression of joy. "While I don''t know the exact details, I believe the spring that you mentioned does three things at once," I exined before raising three fingers of my right hand.

    "First, when the gun fires, the recoil kicks the spring to the back, allowing the casing to drop out of the hole you mentioned," I exined, only to then bring one of my fingers down.

    "Once the spring is pulled back, it hooks against the next bullet in the magazine," I added, pulling my second finger down.

    "And then, as it returns, it slips the bullet from the magazine into the firing chamber of the gun," Mia muttered, finishing my exnation before I could say it out myself.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head, thanking my old self for the time I studied how the guns worked.

    Back then, it was just a necessary part of research for a side-writing job I took.

    ''Who would''ve thought it woulde to be useful at the moment like that?'' I thought to myself, contemting the weird ways in which fate operated.

    I then giggled, more to myself than to anyone else. Yet, rather than being happy, I was actually terrified.

    ''It''s easy tough at how fate operates... if not for how suspicious it is,'' I thought, thinking grimly about everything that we saw within the underground city.

    Every second that I spent here, everyst thing that I discovered here, it all led me to a single conclusion.

    Nothing happened identally. And rather than just some unnamed fate, there was actually a force that was somewhat capable of shaping the events. And it continued to do so not only on earth but also in this world I was in right now.

    ''Or maybe it can shape the events not across the space... but across time?'' I thought, analyzing the drastic possibility.

    Sure, I had no attachments to my old world outside of the grief of never seeing my little sister grow up to be a proper adult. Yet, the more time I spent in this underground, the more likely I was to believe that...

    I never moved to another world. Rather than that, it was the world around me that changed to the degree that made it unrecognizable for someone from the past.

    ''Thinking about it, how could geological formation that the skdder sect was located at form?'' I thought, recalling the weird structure.

    In the past, I simply took it for a quirk of this world, something that formed due to the rules of physic differing from what I was used to on earth.

    But as I was now, I could tell that the entirety of physics worked all the same as it did on earth. The only differencey in the appearance of magic.

    ''A technology advanced enough would be no different from a magic from someone that doesn''t understand its principles,'' I recalled one of the few quotes that I heard sometime in my past.

    Or maybe I read it in some sort of a smartbook?

    And now that I looked at all the strange wonders I saw in this world, it felt as if some sort of blinds were taken off my eyes.

    "Arty?" Mia''s shout suddenly reached my mind, shaking off the terror of the realization from my mind. "What happened?!" the girl asked in a panic, shaking my shoulders in an attempt to wake me up.

    "Ah, sorry," I muttered, shaking my head and taking a look at the pile.

    Now that I realized this damned possibility, I couldn''t help but realize what was wrong with those few futuristic guns that I had taken notice of before.

    There was no ammo whatsoever for them!

    ''Was I lowkey aware of it already?'' I thought when I realized that all of the lessons and testing I conducted with Mia actually led to the result I could only be aware of now.

    But now was not yet time for me to reveal it. It woulde soon, very soon, but not yet.

    "I''m not ready yet to speak of it," I stated, refusing to look at Mia''s face. I then turned around and kneeled before the pile of the stuff that we brought outside. Soon, the magazine to Mia''s Kshnikov was full of ammo as I passed it to her hand.

    "Arty, didn''t you im you will tell me everything?" Mia asked, recalling the words that I indeed let out of my mouth in the past.

    But still, I wasn''t ready yet to reveal what I had just figured out. Not because I didn''t trust Mia with this sort of knowledge.

    It was only because I wasn''t able to even understand the scope of the things that this single realization changed.

    "I think you will understand it all on your own when we get to test another gun," I stated before pointing my hand at the gun in Mia''s hands. "But for now, how about you test it out?"

    For a moment, Mia hesitated. But upon seeing the determination mixing with confusion in my eyes, she ended up epting my request and the magazine from my hands.

    Before long, Mia started to send a short series after a short series towards the target of her choosing, rarely missing a single shot.

    "Good," Imented, turning my attention towards the pile of the weapons before pulling out the most futuristic one I could spot. "How about you try this one now?" I asked.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged after taking a quick nce at the weapon from all its sides. "Where is its magazine?" she asked, raising her eyes at me.

    "Mia, listen and listen well," I then muttered, only to fall down on my butt and hide my face in my hands. "How about you try infusing your energy into it?" I suggested, shaking my head and hands at the same time.

    "Oh..." Mia muttered, my words striking her like a hammer.

    Because there could be only one way for this ce to have both the guns I was familiar with and guns that could be infused with power local to this world, one that Mia was already perfectly aware that was absent in the world I grew up in.

    "Does that means..." she attempted to ask, only for me to raise one of my hands to stop her.

    "I don''t know," I stated without any shame. Then, I raised my eyes to the girl. "If this works, this will be the proof that my hunch was correct," I exined before shaking my head again. "Just in case, cover yourself with shields before using it," I advised.

    This was a gun that we didn''t know the modus operandi off. Infusing magical energy into it could very well make it shoot, but it could also make it explode on the spot.

    Or maybe nothing would happen at all?

    We couldn''t know that. But it was still better to be safe than sorry.

    "Okay," Mia muttered, notmenting on how I hid my face in my hands again, clearly not ready to look at the results of this small yet insanely important test.

    For a moment, I simply sat down with darkness before my eyes and not a sound reaching my ears.

    And then, three consecutive sounds prated my brain like some sort of brutal drill designed for inhumane torture.

    Bam, bam, bam!

    Three shots.

    On their own, those shots simply proved that the gun in Mia''s hands operated by infusing it with mana rather than by consuming bullets.

    Yet, the concept that they proved on the side made my mind spin into a vacuum.

    "Arty, I''m so sorry."

    Mia''s words and then her gentle touch were thest two things I heard and felt before losing my consciousness.

 Chapter 333 This Doesnt Look Like Sects Building

    Vaner stopped only when he finally reached the outskirts of thends of the sect that he spent the majority of his life at.

    "It still stands," he muttered when he noticed the characteristic outline of the natural formation that housed the skdder sect.

    He was still too far away to see any details of the ce, even with his insane eyesight.

    ''Still,'' Vaner thought, bitting down on his lips. ''If thee rock formation still stands, the chances are, someone survived the culling,'' he thought as he hurried up and picked up the pace.

    At this point, there was no reason to run.

    If the monsters managed to reach the sect and prate its natural defenses, then it would be already all over.

    ''If they were still fighting, I could tell, even from a distance,'' Vaner thought, slowly progressing forward.

    Step by step, second by second.

    He was simply too tired to run. Sure, if the need arose, Vaner was ready to output his newfound power to kill anything that would stand in its path... But it didn''t mean he actually wanted to do that.

    And before the sun could hide behind the horizon and announce the end of the day, Vaner finally reached his destination.

    Or rather, a ce just a few hundreds meter away from the sect''s main hall, due to the one and only path that connected the sect to the nearby town and thus the outside world, being blocked with an array of massive boulders.

    ''Did someone copse the tunnel or what?'' Vaner thought, cing his hand on the nearby, huge stone.

    He then closed his eyes and focused for a little, scanning for the leftover traces of spiritual energy.

    ''Just like I thought.'' Vaner opened his eyes before taking a step back to get a better perspective of the strange rock formation that the sect was built on.

    He could clearly feel residual spiritual energy all over the stones, indicating they didn''t appear to block the path on their own as a result of a natural copse of the tunnel.

    ''Should I just smash my way in?'' Vaner thought, seriously considering the option.

    For the current him, a blockade made out of several huge rocks could very well not exist at all. It was an obstacle too insignificant to even earn the right to be called that.

    "No, I don''t think this would be a good idea," Vaner muttered, voicing his thoughts out.

    The monsters that descended upon this world likely operated on an extremely limited amount of intelligence, even if the humans were actually at their core.

    As such, this simple obstacle that those monsters could evaporate with a single breath... actually could prove to be the greatest gatekeeping measure against them.

    After all, no monster or animal would bother using its strength just to smash a random mountain!

    "But I''m not sure if I can climb it," Vaner spoke to himself as he looked up towards the tip of the rock formation.

    Even for the standards of a former royal like him, scaling those nearly vertical slopes would be a massive and dangerous challenge. In the end, no matter how strong one would reinforce their body, falling from even a tenth of the total height of the formation would be, without a doubt, lethal.

    "I guess I don''t really have much choice," Vaner muttered before cursing under his breath.

    It was already a bother to reach this ce without giving himself any time to rest. And now, he had to climb one of the highest objects he saw in his damned life!

    Vaner took a moment to release all the pent-up anger and annoyance... But then, he shook his head, sped his hands together, and approached the massive stone wall.

    ''If I want to climb, I need to start climbing,'' he thought, infusing spiritual energy into his fingers before sinking them into stone.

    Instead of trying to look for support for his hands and legs, Vaner simply carved them out right in the stone of the formation.

    And so, Vaner''s climb began.

    At first, the job was rtively simple. By always keeping three points of support, Vaner didn''t need to worry about the risk of falling at all.

    Yet, as the distance that separated him from the ground continued to grow and grow and grow...

    Vaner could feel his body tensing up, its efficiency falling due to the fear that continued to grow within his soul.

    ''I can''t let the height get to my head,'' Vaner thought, refusing to look down at all, focusing on climbing higher and higher instead.

    Yet, to the former royal''s surprise, it took him only about an hour before he reached a ce he never expected to reach.

    An edge.

    A dent in the formation allowed for a small rest before he would have to pick up the pace and continue climbing higher.

    ''It''s a surprise, but a weed one,'' Vaner thought, falling powerlessly to a more-or-less even surface of the mountain''s ledge.

    He thenid down, using this unexpected resting spot to actually let his body regenerate a bit.

    ''I can onlye so far relying on the spiritual energy,'' Vaner thought, ncing up, towards the top of the mountain he was climbing.

    ''Yeah, there is no way I can scale it without a proper rest,'' he thought, realizing what should be obvious before he even began his ascend.

    Yet, as one moment of rest turned into two moments, and those two moments turned into a while, Vaner realized that there was no actual way for him to scale this mountain.

    It was just way too damn high!

    "Maybe I should just dig through it?" he muttered, looking at the rock to his side.

    At first, this sounded like a stupid idea. Yet, the more Vaner thought about it, the more usible it appeared to be.

    "Yeah, that''s a better idea than risking my life to climb it," he uttered, making his decision.

    Vaner then stood up, carefully bncing on the mountain''s ledge to ensure he wouldn''t just slip down.

    Even if he were to fall right now, he still wasn''t high enough for the drop to be lethal... but it wouldn''t be pleasant either.

    And so, Vaner readier himself for the annoying but a bit more safe task than what he aimed for before.

    He closed his eyes and focused on his energy, elerating the flow of both of the types of mana that he could wield right now.

    Once the energies within his body reached their maximum momentum, Vaner pushed a tiny little bit of his energy to the point where two of his flow met.

    BOOM!

    As if thunderstruck the side of a mountain, a devastating roar of nature shook the air. The rocks before Vaner simply evaporated when met with an overelerated piece of his power, unable to stand up to its might.

    "Huh?" Vaner muttered when the dust settled, allowing him to peek inside the hole he had just made.

    It wasn''t super deep. Evaporating rock took a lot of energy, after all. Still, what used to be just a roughly meter-deep ledge, now tripled in size.

    ''This ce could make for a great guard post,'' Vaner thought as he took stock of his achievement before turning his attention back towards the hole he made.

    And then, he sted it with his overelerated energy again.

    And again.

    And then some more.

    Bit by bit, the tunnel of Vaner''s making continued to deepen. Yet, even when it became roughly ten meters long, it was still only a fraction of the total depth that Vaner required to drill through to the other side.

    ? ''Maybe I should climb a bit higher first?'' Vaner thought when his body cried out in protest due to the overuse of its physical ability.

    Even though Vaner was simply pushing his mana to the point where both of his flows mixed, it still took a serious toll on his physical state. Sadly, though, there was hardly anything better that he could do.

    "Well, let''s try a few more attacks first," Mathew muttered to himself, feeling the loneliness of the past several days slowly get to his head.

    ''Am I actually talking to myself?'' he thought, bitting down on his lips in frustration.

    And to fight that frustration off, he sent yet another attack into the hole.

    "Huh?" Vaner suddenly stopped.

    He looked into the hole of his making. He then blinked a few times before pping his hands against his cheeks, worried that he was getting dizzy to the point of hallucinating.

    Yet, no matter what he did, the thing that he saw inside the hole remained the same.

    And it wasn''t a rock. It was too smooth, too even, for it to be a natural creation.

    And most importantly of all, Vaner''s attack had no effects whatsoever on it.

    "What is this thing?" Vaner muttered as he approached the strange wall and ced his hand on it, hoping to understand a bit more by looking at it as if it was a magical object.

    Yet, the very moment he infused a tiny part of his energy into the wall...

    It disappeared.

    ''Wait, that''s not it,'' Vaner corrected his observation as he looked around the ce, refusing to direct his eyes at the cave he suddenly discovered.

    ''This wall didn''t disappear... but slid to the side?'' he thought, having trouble epting what seemed to be the solution.

    Even though Vaner saw it with his very own eyes, he refused to believe it.

    He then finally gathered his courage and looked into the room formerly hidden by the wall...

    And then, his body froze.

    "This doesn''t look like the buildings of the sect at all," he muttered before swallowing a gulp of his saliva and stepping inside the mysterious building that he identally discovered.

 Chapter 334 Wire

    "Just what is this ce?" Vaner muttered under his nose as he looked around the room.

    But the ce that he found inside the mountain couldn''t be called a room at all. More than that, it looked like a massive, circr corridor, likely spanning the entire circumference of the mountain.

    To Vaner''s back, there was the same kind of wall that resisted his attacks before. And as far as he could see, a majority of the corridor actually consisted of both the same material and the same pattern written all over it.

    ''Those are walls,'' Vaner thought, gulping down his saliva.

    He came looking for silver but found gold.

    Because a technique to create walls that sturdy and on such scale... didn''t exist anywhere in the world.

    "But just what in all hell is this thing?" Mathew whispered, turning his eyes towards a round object that made up the other wall of the circr corridor.

    It wasn''t t like a normal wall but widened towards the middle of the corridor''s height, only to retract the further one looked towards the wall''s extremes.

    ''It''s like a pipe embedded into a corridor,'' Vaner thought, taking a step forward and reaching out towards the strange object with his hand.

    ''Just what is this thing?'' Vaner asked himself when he got close enough to see the details of the round structure.

    It was somewhere between yellow and orange in color. Yet, when Vaner came close enough, he realized it wasn''t just a single object.

    Rather than that, this round pipe consisted of a myriad of extremely thin wires. Each of those tiny, hair-like strands made up a bigger wire. Each of those bigger wiresbined into a rope-like structure... Several thousands of which made up the entire thing.

    "Why would someone waste so much copper?" Vaner asked out loud as if the air around him could bring him the answer. "Or is it even copper?" he muttered, moving on with his hand to touch the strange object.

    BOOM!

    A powerful electric-like shock tossed Vaner''s body away like a speck of air thrown against a hurricane.

    Before the man could as much as blink, his back exploded in pain when he crashed right into the fancy wall that surrounded the round object.

    "FUUUUHHHH."

    What was supposed to be a curse ended up in a strange moan when all the air ended up squeezed out of Vaner''s lungs.

    The reaction was so powerful that Vaner ended up glued to the ceiling that he struck for several seconds before the residual energy finally calmed down, causing his body to fall to the ground.

    ''The heck...'' Vaner thought, fighting to regain his breath while crawling all over the floor.

    This was the second worse attack he received in his entire life, save for the one that ended his fight with the residing royal of the kingdom.

    ''And I didn''t even get to touch it,'' Vaner thought, his eyes widening as he stared at the round object.

    In theory, he only had his own carelessness to me.

    There was no information whatsoever about who built this thing. In fact, Vaner never knew that such a crazy structure existed in the sect''s mountain, despite living right beside it for over a hundred years.

    And yet, someone had to build it. And from that realization, there was only a short way to the next obvious conclusion.

    If there was a force, civilization, or a being that constructed such a monstrous structure... It had to have some use of it.

    To this point, it was all logical. But there was one detail that made all this logical deduction turn into rubbish.

    Because there were no signs of this structure being built within the mountain. Rather than that, it was as if the mountain itself grew over an already existing structure as many centuries stacked sediment and turned a man-made project into just a weirdly shaped freak of geology.

    ''But just what could be the purpose of such a thing?'' Mathew thought, staring at the weird shape of the strange metal rope.

    He then pulled all of his mana out of his hand before reaching forward again...

    SNAP!

    Like a twig thrown at the typhoon, Vaner''s body was sent flying, crashing into a wall yet again.

    ''What the hell...'' Vaner thought, surprised to no end.

    ''How the heck does it work?'' he thought as he gathered himself from the flow and thew one yet look at the massive wire. ''There was no energy in my hand!''

    For a moment, Vaner lost his patience. And instead of trying to find out what happened, he simply ended up cursing at the situation he was in.

    As a former royal and someone with over a hundred years of keeping a massive secret, he shouldn''t have any trouble just keeping another secret.

    But when it came to epting this structure remaining as a secret for him... Vaner couldn''t ept it at all.

    ''I won''t learn anything just by resting on the floor,'' Vaner thought as he slowly gathered himself from the ground. And then, rather than trying to touch the object once again, Vaner started to job along the corridor.

    ''It''s massive,'' Vaner thought, only now realizing the true scale of the construction.

    Just like he thought before, this strange metal rope went all around the natural formation that the sect was built on. And in two ces, there were strange parts when the massive coil... seemingly split into two.

    In the north peculiarity, the wire split into two, and then one of its parts moved up while the other one continued at the same level as the rest of the corridor. On the other hand, in the southern peculiarity, this round object split as well, but its other part went down, contrary to going up like the part of the wire on the other side of the site.

    ''Don''t tell me,'' Vaner trembled when he realized the possible meaning of such detailed construction.

    On the inside, the mountain formation that protected the skdder sect for several millenniums since its conception as but a small sect was split into several terraces.

    Some of them had to be obviously dug out by a human hand, while the others were shaped by nature and then only adopted by the sect''s disciples and elders.

    ''If this kind of wire goes underneath each of the terraces...'' Vaner trembled when he recognized such a possibility.

    There was no other exnation for this ce but to assume that some kind of long-gone civilization built it. This assumption would exin not only how a project of such scale could bepleted but also the uses of such a massive construction.

    Andstly, it would also exin how the heck such aplicated and precise design could remain seemingly untouched by the passage of time at all!

    ''If it''s copper or even its upgraded version, it would take at most a few thousands of years before it would decay,'' Vaner thought, taking as close of a look at the wire as he could without pushing his head into the same zone of influence that snapped him against the wall twice already.

    And this was thest element of the puzzle that bothered Vaner.

    No matter the original purpose of this ce, all of the energy that once flowed through this system should be long gone. And yet, whenever Vaner pushed his hand near enough, once it would pass through a certain marker, an insanely powerful flow of energy would suddenly course through Vaner''s flesh, reacting with both of his internal flows and creating the force that snapped him away from the system.

    It didn''t matter whether there was any energy in Vaner''s hand as he attempted to touch this massive item. After all, once his hand got close enough, the immense power flowing through this strange copper pipe would resonate with Vaner''s flesh, creating a flow of energy seemingly out of nowhere.

    "How the heck the energy inside that thing could still flow?" Vaner muttered his question out in the open. It simply felt way too heavy for his mind to carry out alone.

    Vaner then shook his head as he took another look at the round-shaped item.

    ''That''s a wrong question,'' he thought, forcing himself to ept the new reality. ''The right one is...''

    For a moment, Vaner simply stood vis-a-vis the round item, simply in awe of this peak of magical engineering.

    Now that he experienced the power behind this strange system, he could say with all the confidence in the world that there wasn''t a civilization in this world that was capable of creating it.

    And then, finally, as if breaking some sort of mental barrier of his, Vaner''s lips started to move.

    "Just what kind of energies are shing inside of it?"

    If the forces that came to be just from the interference on the outeryer of air around the object were enough to put Vaner, a former royal, into a state of awe...

    Then what kind of force existed within this system?

    And more importantly...

    How could one harness it?

 Chapter 335 Tears Of Worry

    ''Huh?''

    A single thought appeared in my head when my consciousness started to return.

    And I couldn''t recognize where the hell I was.

    With my eyes still closed and my mana in a resting state, I should still be able to at least sense my position.

    Yet, outside of warmth, extreme softness, and a sense of strange security, I couldn''t feel anything else.

    ''Where the hell am I?'' I slowly pried my eyes open, only to quickly understand the futility of my actions. Yet, as my sense of vision somehow returned, I also became aware of all my other senses.

    And one of them instantly upied my mind.

    ''What''s this lovely smell?'' I thought, moving around my face a little as I sniffed the aroma around. Yet, one of those small movements caused the tip of my nose to rub against something farm and extremely soft.

    "Haan!" A small moan reached my ears from somewhere above.

    Normally, that should be enough to enlighten me, but my mind was too dizzy to connect the dots.

    Eager to find out where I was, I attempted to raise my head...

    Only for a sudden force to bear down on the back of my head, pushing it down on some sort of warm and soft pillow.

    "Don''t move," Mia''s soft whisper reached my ears, finally revealing enough truth about the situation for me to understand it.

    The soft pillow that cushioned my head wasn''t a pillow but Mia''s bosom.

    ''What happened?'' I finally asked myself a real question.

    Thest thing that I could remember was testing the guns with Mia, only to then realize that my guess about the history of this ce...

    All at once, all the thoughts from before my copse rushed into my head, flooding my mind.

    "Arty?" Mia whispered, tightening her embrace over my head as she rubbed her arms around it and pulled me even deeper into the friendly softness of her breasts.

    Surrounded by nothing but Mia''s delicate skin, I breathed in her slight aroma to call myself down.

    ''Why did I copse?'' I asked myself.

    It wasn''t that it was the first time for me to find out about something shocking. It wasn''t the first time for me to discover some secrets about this world either.

    "I''m okay," I whispered gently, my lips rubbing against Mia''s plump titty. I then pushed my hands forward, and after rubbing them around for a while, I managed to sneak my arms around Mia''s back, pulling her even closer to myself.

    For at least a short moment, I had to rest while surrounded by Mia''s warmth. I needed to feel her as close as possible just to ground myself in reality.

    Because what I just whispered was nothing more but a tant lie.

    I wasn''t okay.

    I was tired to my limits, even when taking the spiritual energy boost into ount. My mind was exhausted from the constant scheming, nning, and strategizing, mixed with my silly attempts at discovering the truths about this world.

    For but a moment, I wanted to rest while surrounded by nothing but love, appreciation, and care.

    "It''s my fault," Mia whispered softly, marking the moment when a higher duty stopped me from my oh-so-desired rest.

    "Not at all," I said, brushing my face past Mia''s chest and up, all for the sake of looking her in the face.

    And then I saw it.

    While her drowsy eyes betrayed she was asleep just a moment ago, they were still moist with tears.

    "Dear..." I moaned, the sight of her worried face striking me down, right into my heart.

    "Are you okay?" Mia asked in a soft tone while swallowing her tears and bringing up one of her hands to my cheeks. "Listen, I''m sorry I pushed you into this..."

    The second Mia started to apologize, tears once again stood on her face, only to then trickle down her cheek and sink into her pillow.

    "What are you even talking about, dummy?" I asked, closing in for a gentle kiss.

    I felt Mia''s lips with my own, keeping the contact to just a slight brush. "I was just too tired. And when I realized what..." I attempted to exin how things looked from my perspective; Mia lowered her head and closed my mouth with her lips.

    This time, however, it wasn''t just a gentle peck.

    Grabbing my face between her hands, she locked it in ce before leaning in for the kiss. Yet, once her lips squashed against mine, she refused to let go.

    Her tongue slid down my tongue and entered my mouth, quickly joining in an intimate dance.

    Mia''s legs wrapped around my hips, locking her entire body in ce with my head in her wraps.

    "Are you better now?" I asked when our lips parted for a short moment.

    "What are you talking about?" Mia whispered in response, her lips rubbing against mine due to how close our faces were. "It''s you who I am worried about," she said before once again uniting our lips.

    No matter what, kissing Mia felt just insane. Outside of the obvious carnal pleasure, there was the element of domination, the element of ownership expressed by how clingy she was.

    Feeling her arms and legs wrapping around me was the greatest reassurance about her loyalty and dedication that I could ask for. And as painful as it was to see a worry poisoning her face, it also made a certain side of me quite happy.

    "I promise," Mia whispered gently when we took another break to catch some breath. "I will never ask you about those things again," Mia revealed what she was thinking about, only to then lower her eyes in shame. "If only I didn''t ask about these guns..."

    Everything finally clicked for me.

    Mia was ming herself for the attack of exhaustion that I went through.

    ''Given how the things happened, it''s no wonder she feels responsible for the development,'' I thought, tightening my grasp over her body as I went for a hug instead of yet another kiss.

    While joining our lips felt insane, I believed that just a simple intimacy was the best cure for Mia''s current state of mind.

    "You don''t need to me yourself for that," I whispered directly into Mia''s ear. My hands moved up and down on her back as if I was petting some sort of a small, cuddly animal. "It''s not that topic or any other that caused what happened. I just ignored my need for rest for way longer than I should," I exined before resting my head on Mia''s shoulder and closing my eyes.

    I didn''t know how long did I waste just sleeping within Mia''s embrace. But even without this knowledge, I could tell that I felt now well-rested, as if at least half of my exhaustion had evaporated.

    Sure thing, I was still a long way from fully recovering from all the efforts I made to this point on, but at least I was no longer on the verge of copse as before.

    "If that''s not it," Mia suddenly moaned, right into my shoulder, making it hard for me to understand what she wanted to say. "Then why did you copse like that?" she asked before turning silent.

    Then, I felt Mia''s lips resting on my neck as she sucked onto it.

    "It''s just like I said," I repeated myself, not judging Mia for clearly missing what I just said.

    In her state of mind, it was perfectly normal for some words to fly by her head without her ears registering them.

    "I was just tired. I don''t know how long did I sleep, but I feel a lot better now," I added, still hoping to ease Mia''s worry.

    It was a weird feeling, something I had hardly experienced before in my life. To be bothered by someone worrying over me because I didn''t want that person to feel troubled...

    "Then..." Mia attempted to say something, only for her voice to be cut short when she suddenly turned silent, lowering her face and hiding it in the corner between my neck and my shoulder.

    "Then what?" I asked, raising my hand and slowly rubbing my fingers through Mia''s long hair.

    "Then I know what I can do to help you rest," Mia suddenly revealed, pushing herself away from my chest only to then raise her head and look me directly in the eyes.

    "And what is that?" I asked, a small smile forming upon my lips.

    Seeing the determination in Mia''s eyes, I could feel something warm spreading through my body.

    ''Such a determination... and all for my sake...'' I thought, swallowing down a gulp of saliva.

    As much as I hated to see tears in Mia''s eyes, having her worry and fawn over me like that was definitely not a bad experience!

    "I don''t know if you noticed it, but it''s something that I had observed a long time ago," Mia exined despite hiding the crux of her words from me. Then, a mischievous smile appeared on her lips as she leaned over my shoulder and brought her lips close to my ear.

    "Whenever you creamed me up from inside, you would then rest like a baby, all your usual vignce nowhere to be found," Mia revealed what she had on her mind, only to then bring her lips on my earlobe and start to suck on it.

    Soon, Mia sat down on myp, pushing her naked body directly against my skin as she continued to diligently eat my ears out.

    "Is this what you are nning to do?" I asked, hardly able to hold my own against Mia''s new form of ying around.

    "I did tell you, didn''t I?" Mia whispered directly to my ear, sending a wave of pleasure down my brain. "Once we return, I won''t let you sleep at all!"

 Chapter 336 The Truth About The World

    "Aahh..." Mia moaned gently right into my mouth when her hips fell down on myp, pushing my manhood directly into her moist hole.

    "In the end, is this what you were looking forward to so much?" I asked blessing Mia with a small smile of mine.

    "Mhmm..." Mia only moaned a little, resting her chin on my shoulder as she pushed her hips as far down as she could.

    Her arms then shot forward, wrapping around my neck as she hugged herself close to my bare chest.

    "I just want to feel you," Mia said in a tiny voice as if she was apologizing for something. She then rubbed her chin over her shoulder as if just sitting on my penis wasn''t enough for her.

    "It''s okay," I replied in a soft voice, raising my hand and cing it at the back of Mia''s head. I then pushed her face down, enjoying the sheer intimacy of such a close embrace.

    "Also, I believe I should start exining stuff to you," I whispered, running the fingers of my left hand down Mia''s spine.

    As such, I could perfectly tell when Mia''s body tightened up all over the second I uttered those words.

    "It''s okay," Mia replied quickly, pushing herself off my chest as she looked at my face with a panicked expression. "You don''t need to push yourself," she added, raising her hands to bring them down on my face as if in an attempt to keep my mouth shut.

    "Dear, it''s okay," I replied, unable to hold back a smile from appearing on my lips.

    To have a girl fawn over me like that while already mounting me and still have her need for intimacy not satisfied? To have a beautiful girl like her worry about me even though she held my face between her hands, perfectly capable of stopping me from doing anything that could displease her?

    "I didn''t copse back then because you wanted me to tell you more about what I know," I grabbed Mia''s hands and tore them off my face, only to bring them together and then cup my own hands over her delicate fingers. "I copsed because I was too tired to receive yet another realization, especially the one that changes my look at literally everything," I exined, only to then rest my forehead over Mia''s shoulder.

    She was the one source offort that I could look for in this world. The softness of her arms that wrapped around my neck, the warmth of her body stered all over my torso, the hot wetness of her insides that slowly coiled around my dick...

    Stuck in the realm of warmth and affection that Mia created for me, I couldn''t ask for anything more.

    So, I started to talk.

    "This entire underground... It struck me right when we first noticed it," I started, silently whispering my story and secrets to Mia while her hips slowly became active. "Because it''s shaped in the symbol of apany that I know quite a lot about," I exined.

    "Sigma... is it?" Mia asked, timing her words for when she would raise on her knees and take a breath while taking a stop whenever she would then lower her hips down on myp.

    "That''s right, it''s apany that once attempted to hire me, right before I..." the words flowed out, only for me to suddenly put a stop to them.

    ''Should I tell her?'' I asked myself.

    Mia most likely already knew that I died for this strange transmigration of mine to happen. Yet, still, voicing out the fact that I once ceased to live to a girl that was dead worried about my whereabouts?

    Wasn''t this a bit too cruel?

    "You died," Mia whispered, taking me by surprise when she slowed her movements down. "They contacted you right before you died," she added, filling in the gaps in the story that I have yet to talk about.

    "How..." an uncontroble moan escaped from my mouth, making me voice my shock.

    How the hell could Mia know about this? It wasn''t a detail I shared with her before!

    "I..." Mia hesitated, only for her entire body to rx as she plummeted down and rested on my chest. "Whenever sleeping by your side, I have those weird dreams..." Mia revealed, shocking me to no end.

    Was there some sort of sorcery involved? Some sort of bug in my system? Or maybe there was yet another, even deeper scheme that secretly steered my and Mia''s fate?

    ''Right, we both had those doubts about the legitimacy of our feelings before, didn''t we?'' I recalled, only to wrap my hands around Mia''s waist and bring her closer into my embrace.

    Even if her hips slid forward on myp, causing my penis to slide even deeper inside her, there was no sexual meaning behind this hug of mine.

    ''

    I wasn''t trying to force Mia to have those strange dreams right now either.

    I simply needed to feel her close, within my arm''s reach, to ensure she wouldn''t just disappear.

    ''Not knowing who is behind all of those events only makes me worried about the future,'' I thought, gluing my lips to Mia''s neck only to then suck on her delicate skin.

    "Auch!" Mia cried out a little, more from a surprise than from pain. She then raised her hand and touched the ce I had just lifted my lips from. "Did you leave a hickey on my neck?" Mia then asked, whispering her question directly into my ear.

    "I did," I nodded my head, rubbing my cheek against Mia''s in the process. "I just wanted to mark you as mine," I added, revealing the deeply buried desire that powered my actions.

    Mia then ced her hands on my shoulder only to then push herself away, out of my bear-like hug.

    "Isn''t there a better way for you to do so?" she asked while licking her lips down, only to then lean in and go for a kiss.

    Once Mia''s lips pressed against my mouth, she also leaned with her upper body forward. Stuck in this new position, Mia then started to move her hips up and down while constantly elerating her movements.

    Before our kiss could end or before I could even get enough of the taste of her tongue, I felt a wave of pleasure appear in my lower abdomen. And with just a few moves more, Mia pressed her hips tightly against myp, only for my penis to serve as a pipe that then erupted with my sperm deep within Mia''s belly.

    "Ahhh... Ah... Ah...." Mia''sbored moans echoed in my ears, filling my brain with the familiar sense of aplishment.

    Mia''s pussy coiled around my dick, greedily sucking everyst drop of the precious, thick liquid my balls produced.

    "Here..." Mia finally uttered a single word after taking a long time to regain herposure. Yet, even though I could feel my own sperm trickling down my shaft as it flew out of Mia''s overflowing pussy, the girl remained on myp, refusing to buckle. "Now, I''m properly marked, am I not?" she asked, pushing her torso to the back and leaning just enough for the two of us to see the state of her crotch.

    "Damn..." I moaned, feeling a current of electricity travel up my spine.

    There was hardly a man alive that wouldn''t be excited over a girl exposing her creampied self!

    "Yeah, this way of marking you is way better," Imented, only to push my upper body forward and snatch another long kiss out of Mia''s lips. "But going back to what I think I discovered..." I started, only to avert my eyes as if ashamed of what I was about to say.

    "You don''t need to speak if you find it ufortable," Mia quickly interjected, worry returning on her face the second I mentioned the topic she was extremely wary of.

    "It''s okay; I want you to know it," I replied, only to then shake my head. "Don''t take my word for it, though; it''s only a guess so far," I added, raising my hands in a defensive gesture.

    No matter how likely the scenario I figured out was, we couldn''t just happily assume it''s true and go with that.

    Doing so would make us close our eyes to the things that we didn''t want to see and our ears to the things we didn''t want to hear.

    ''And as this world proved already, keeping our minds open is a prerequisite to understanding it,'' I thought, bitting down on my lips.

    I then raised my eyes at Mia''s face, swallowed a gulp of saliva, and took a deep breath.

    It was time to let Mia help me carry the burden I was breaking under.

    "If my way of thinking is correct, then this world is actually way older than you guys even realize," I stated, only to hang my head low. "And to top it all off... I think I never were to a different world." I stated something that went against everything that I believed about this world so far. But there was a reason for it. "I believe this world is the very same earth that I was born to. Just..." I took a moment of break, struggling to voice out thisst word.

    Thisst word would change the meaning of what I said and give it proper background. Thest word which bore way greater significance and changes my perception of this world than I could even imagine.

    "I believe this world is the same earth that I know... butter. Wayter."

 Chapter 337 To Whom It May Concern

    Mia''s soft body was the greatest anti-stress ball that I could ask for. Surrounded by nothing but her warmth, I could put my mind at ease.

    "This doesn''t hold up, dear," Mia muttered. Even though she spoke against my guess, there was no disrespect in her voice. "How could this be the same world? Didn''t you tell me that there was no spiritual energy on earth?" she pointed out.

    And it was a valid point. A valid point... that brought me back to a very important saying, one that I never expected to see from this end.

    "With technology advanced enough, you couldn''t tell it apart from magic," I whispered.

    It was amon quote back on earth, often used to treat those of a lesser civilizational level with disregard. And up until now, I was on the other side of the equation, looking down at those not blessed with advanced technology.

    ''It''s a weird feeling,'' I thought, immersing myself in the sea of Mia''s long hair. ''To be the uncivilized one,'' I thought, pretty sure about my assumption of what this entire thing called magic was.

    "What do you want to say with this?" Mia asked, gently rubbing her hands against the back of my head.

    "There is a chance that what we consider magic is just a new technology that I''m personally not familiar with," I replied before lowering my head and resting it on top of Mia''s shoulder.

    Maybe it''s something that Icked back in my first life, maybe it was somethingpletely natural, or maybe I had this kind of disposition... But just cuddling with Mia while talking leisurely about important topics was what I could only consider the height of my life.

    "Wait a second," Mia''s muttered, her body tensing up. She then pushed herself out of the hug before looking me directly in the eyes. "I''m still not familiar with the stuff from the alleged past... But as someone who recognizes this ce, do you think its creators wished for someone like you to discover it?"

    Hearing Mia''s question, I understood why her body tensed all over.

    Sure, there was something pushing the two of us together in the background. And sure, there was some kind of hidden force that seemed to orchestrate some of the disasters I had to go through.

    Yet, when it came to this ce, despite unlocking it only by copying my very status from the system, I never really thought about the intent behind it!

    "Now that you mentioned it..." I muttered, thinking hard about our situation.

    ''Was this just a fluke?'' I asked myself, trying to put myself in the shoes of whoever created this fake city. ''Or was copying my status on that rocky screen a proper way of gaining ess to this ce?''

    The answer to myst question would determine the intention behind the gate created in such a puzzling way. And with how, as far as I knew, there was no technique in this world that would allow one to check their statistics; only people with a system would be capable of entering this ce!

    "I can feel how hard you are thinking," Mia whispered, leaning herself back on my chest as sheid the side of her head on my shoulder and then pushed it up to catch my earlobe with her mouth.

    It was... weird feeling to have Mia''s lips and tongue caress this part of me, yet it definitely wasn''t unpleasant. And soon, with Mia''s saliva covering my ear, I got to enjoy this mind-numbing experience.

    And it was in this joy that I managed to finally connect the dots.

    "There is no way someone without a system could enter this ce," I muttered, revealing my conclusion. "And that means whoever designed this ce was also responsible or at the very least aware of the system appearing in the far-off future."

    That was the baseline of the situation we found ourselves in. Just by estimating the age of this structure by the erosion on its outside and then adding the connection its gates had with my system...

    Thisbination of information could only mean three things.

    First, the creator of this structure was aware of the system''s existence and made use of it to lock the ce shut, only allowing those with the system inside.

    The second possibility was that the creators of this underground city somehow knew systems would appear, leaving this ce as the legacy of their civilization to those deemed worthy of unlocking it.

    Andstly, there was still a chance that this underground city actually had nothing to do with me, my system, or anything else.

    Being the IT guy myself, I knew how many things could go wrong in apps or programs of even small scale. Just a single user handling the site with weird resolution settings could be enough to set the entire server afire.

    And with the construction of such scale followed by a scheme that reached through the long ages only to pick me?

    ''Damn,'' I cursed under my breath. ''By the Ockham''s razor''s rule, this is the most realistic scenario,'' I noticed.

    Because certain things, assuming that magic indeed was just a form of advanced technology, would be the same both for musketeers fighting under Austerlitz as they would be for the soldiers of all three world wars, and they would remain the same for spacemandos fighting off an alien invasion in a future of my own making.

    They were all subject to the passage of time.

    As humans were unable to break free from the fourth dimension, they were doomed to follow it in a single direction. And while the outside of thepound clearly was a subject to erosion and stacking ofyers of sediment over the ages, the insides...

    The insides somehow managed to split free from the grasp of time, seemingly unaffected by the slow yet constant processes that could doom entire cities to crumble in a few hundred years.

    ''And we are speaking about thousands of years, if not longer,'' I thought, looking around the ce only to confirm my doubts.

    The walls appeared to be made from some sort of concrete and then smoothened on the outside.

    ''But what kind of concrete could stand for hundreds of years?'' I thought, pinpointing one of the reasons why I couldn''t fully trust this ce.

    This was the very reason why I didn''t want to assume that me being here was all nned by some higher force. Because that would mean there existed a force capable of somewhat enforcing their will over the time periods that my tiny, human brain couldn''t evenprehend!

    "Arty, I will ask again," Mia spoke up when her expectation to hear my answer failed. "Do you think that whoever built this thing actually aimed for you to find it out?"

    Mia''s words forced me back to reality. Yet, when it came to posing an answer, I still hesitated.

    "There are two possibilities. Either you are right with your guess, or our being here ispletely random and idental," I replied.

    Between some massive force influencing events ages after it was born and just some silly mistakes assuming my answer to the puzzle was correct for seemingly no reason...

    I was more inclined to believe in the second version. After all, even something as silly as writing numbers in a different way than they were recorded in the system could result in a massive bug that led to the gate opening up.

    Yet, the fact that I could recognize this ce, the fact that secret spots that I discovered in the game also appeared in the exact same spots in this world as well...

    "But I''m more inclined to believe someone wanted me to find this ce," I finally added, putting an end to two-way answers.

    There were just too many coincidences. Too many things that wouldn''t make any sense if this were all a random urrence. I still couldn''t be sure, but in order to move forward, I had to do with certain assumptions.

    "Is there any way for you to find it out?" Mia suggested, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder.

    "There might be," I replied when an idea popped up in my mind.

    Back when I copsed, Mia carried me all the way back to the special room when we were in before. Whether she hoped I would conjure some sort of medicine or if she just returned to thest ce she considered safe, it didn''t matter.

    Yet, what mattered, was how I could verify Mia''s suggestion right away.

    "If I were the creator of this ce and wanted someone to find out my intentions, there is one ce that I would leave some hits at," I muttered, only to bring forth the customization menu of the local system.

    ''Thinking about this, the fact that I can use the system of this ce is also a big hint,'' I thought before shaking my head and then sorting the customization menu through documents.

    And as if responding to the deepest wishes of my heart, the proof was right there. A single document in the form of some sort of crystal with a strange name.

    "To whom it may concern," I read out the document''s name out loud before waving my hand and purchasing it right away.

    Thankfully, contrary to the other options in the menu, this particr document was pretty cheap, barely putting a dent in the amount of mana I had.

    And yet, when the slightly-blueish crystal appeared in my hand, I hesitated.

    But then, eager to find out what the truth was, I pressed the only button present on the stone.

 Chapter 338 Emergency Holomessage

    I pressed the button on the stone, not really sure what to expect. Yet, when a blue mist started to ooze out of the crystal, I instantly dropped it to the ground and retreated a few steps.

    ''Poison?'' I thought, instantly surrounding myself and Mia with a barrier aimed at separating all the mist from the rest of the room.

    But contrary to my worries, the mist didn''t spread. Rather than that, it condensed into a single, roughly half-a-meter high pir before its shape started to change over and over again.

    "Hello, dear recipient," a voice appeared from beyond my barrier. At the same time, the blue mist stopped forming, turning into a figure of a human, roughly a fourth of normal human size. "I bet you are wondering who am I, how can I speak despite being long dead and all," the figure attempted to make an educated guess, only to follow it with a smile. "And the answer is simple. This message is nothing more but a mere hologram, recorded in advance and set to y out before the eyes of whoever finds it," the figure exined.

    It then ced both of his hands on its hips beforeughing out loud for a short moment.

    "The greatest challenge of recording this pieceys in selecting the information you will find crucial while leaving aside stuff that you might not understand," the figure spoke.

    ''Huh?'' I suddenly noticed a certain, peculiar element of the hologram.

    Eager to check it, I took two steps to the side... Only for the figure enclosed in a barrier to continuing facing me.

    ''So it''s a real hologram,'' I thought, feeling my eyebrows moving up my face.

    Back in my original life, the technology to project a three-dimensional image onto a two-dimensional space was still in its infancy. And here, I could see someone using its super-developed version just to pass a short message!

    ''The more things I learn, the more likely my guess turns out to be true,'' I thought before focusing on the words from the message again.

    "That''s why I prepared a set of five things that you need to learn and remember. First off, not a single soul in this town is alive. They are all just like me, interactions, words, and reactions recorded in advance," the figure stated, only to then hesitate and rub the side of its head. "Actually, the people you can find in this city are far more advanced illusions than this message."

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged, not really expecting this kind of topic to appear. But more importantly, wasn''t the content of this message... actually wrong?

    ''Maybe there is a specific region of this ce where we could find all the characters?'' I thought before sharpening my ears again.

    "Make sure to be careful about killing them. While it''s possible to revive them if you find it necessary, the cost is usually much higher than the benefits you can get from looting the things you would normally need to buy!" the figure warned.

    And then, it twitched as if there was something cut out from the exnation.

    "Secondly, be wary of spreading the knowledge about this ce around. This location might be your greatest asset, but it can also be the reason for your doom," the voice gave another warning.

    Yet, before it could speak again, it twitched for the second time.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged, recognizing the way in which the figure shook.

    Rather than moving naturally, changing its position, or something like that, it simply... stepped down from its leading leg and rested its weight on the other.

    But the problematic part was how it all happened within the change of a single frame.

    Way faster than a human should be able to move.

    "Fourth, make sure to secure your spot at the stronghold. It could prove more important than you believe!" the voice gave another warning.

    "Excuse me?" Mia spoke out, the puzzled expression on her face proving she also caught on to the problem. "Shouldn''t there be a third point first?" she asked, turning her huge eyes towards me as if I could somehow give her the answer.

    "No idea," I shook my head, keeping all my focus on the figure.

    ''There are only two possibilities. Either it was never intended to be the part of this message...'' I thought. Yet, when the second possibility appeared in my mind, my entire body froze.

    ''Or someone made sure to change it afterward,'' I thought, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

    "Andstly, be sure to explore the scrolls of wisdom!" the figure advised. "They might be really costly, but they could also prove to be of much help!"

    With those words, the mist suddenly dispersed, turning back into its loose from before.

    "That was...." I muttered, only to then shake my head, "strange," I finished before looking at Mia.

    "What happened to the third point?" Mia asked again, epting the eye contact. "They changed their mind after recording the whole thing?" she suggested, taking me by surprise.

    ''How the heck does she know it''s possible?'' I asked myself, my eyes opening just a little bit wider than before. ''Someone like Mia should struggle to even grasp the concept of recording. Howe she is already aware of the magic of postproduction and editing?''

    This was just a single element of the puzzle, a single element that once again reminded me of how there was some sort of hidden force orchestrating some of the things we were going through, if not all of them.

    "Or maybe someone else managed to modify it," I muttered in response, calling forth the shop window again. Yet, right as I was about to return the message to recover the little bit of energy I wasted on it, the mist suddenly turned red.

    "Emergency message!" a voice came from the new red mist. It then began to form again... but the end result was different from the one before.

    "The holomessage system ispromised. We can no longer ensure the messages will be delivered whole," the same voice from before announced.

    Yet, the mist didn''t form in the image of the same man from before. Instead, it depicted a tired man sitting down on some stool with some sort of liquid dripping down from the corner of his lips.

    "I don''t know who you are, nor do I know the extent of your knowledge. But I can only hope that you will figure out a way to somehow fix this problem," the man said, staring directly into my face no matter from which direction I would look at the image.

    "Since I can no longer ensure you will hear everything that you should, there is one more information, one that you shouldn''t learn yet, that I can give you," the voice announced, its words turning chaotic.

    ''He isn''t even speaking in proper forms,'' I noticed, taking a step closer as if worried that the figure''s words would somehow miss my ears.

    "I''m Elyon Musk, the seventh, thest heir to the Musk conglomerate," the figure announced. It then stood up from its chair before struggling to raise its right hand up before striking it down on his chest.

    A bit of blood trickled down the figure''s mouth as a result.

    "And under oath made in my name, I promise you this," the figure said, the look in its holographic eyes intensifying. "Your surname that your system shows. Find the document named after it and make sure to unlock it. Those are the few messages that the enemy cannot corrupt," the figure said.

    The man in the hologram then coughed up some blood and took a step forward. Yet, as it reached forward, towards the viewers with its hand...

    The man suddenly dropped to the floor, not to move ever again.

    And so the hologram continued ying, disying nothing but the corpse of thest heir of the Musk fortune.

    "I think I can say it with confidence now," I uttered after I managed to deal with the first wave of shock. "This world is definitely the earth that I knew," I exined before falling down on the pillows on the bed and taking a deep breath.

    ''That should be enough of discoveries for now, isn''t it?'' I thought, hanging my head to the back as I took my time to sort my thoughts out.

    "Arty..." Mia muttered as she sat down by my side and cuddled herself up to my arm. "What is the enemy that guy mentioned?" she asked in a tiny voice, a voice that clearly didn''t demand an answer.

    "I don''t know, sweetie," I admitted, shaking my head. "I don''t know."

    With nothing better to do, I allowed the hologram to keep on ying while I browsed through the other documents avable for summoning.

    ''I should look for the option of opening up the archival versions of the recording,'' I made a mental note before scrolling far enough to find the document the emergency holomessage advised me to open.

    "To Pendragon Heirs," the title of the document said. Sadly, I couldn''t summon it.

    Because if the cost of summoning the "to whom it may concern" message was a drop in the sea of my mana, then the cost of summoning that specific document would take about fifteen of my maximum potentials... and then some more!

    "I guess I need to get stronger," I muttered, taking my time to slowly organize everything that this message taught me.

    "What should we do, then?" Mia asked, rubbing her cheek against the muscles of my arm.

    "I think it would be for the best to ask someone who saw what happened," I replied, forcing myself to stand up from the bed.

    Yet, before I could make as much as a single step, the figure of the hologram suddenly dispersed, only for the mist to reform into a weird-looking lifeform.

 Chapter 339 Chimera

    "What the hell is this?" I muttered, taking a step closer to the strange projection.

    ''If my guess is correct, that guy''s corpse is still out there; the mist just moved to animate the stuff that actually keeps on moving,'' I thought, trying my utmost to rationalize what I was seeing.

    Yet, despite all my worries, the holomessage didn''t cease to work. Instead, the strange beast that it represented kept on going forward, allowing the mist to put its entire frame into the message.

    "Oh my god," I muttered when I finally realized what I was looking at.

    It was a mix of all the most hideous creatures that the human movies even put on a screen.

    "Arty?" Mia approached my side, uttering my name as she wrapped herself around my arm.

    Sensing her body tensing up, I could tell that she was preparing for a fight.

    "Calm down," I said softly, using my right hand to pat Mia''s waist. "It''s only a projection. It''s not like it can hurt..."

    Before my sounds could even fully escape from my mouth, the beast in the projection suddenly turned around.

    The figure from before would appear to always look me in the eye, making itself pretty dizzying to look at. Yet the monster that appeared right now didn''t bother to follow the procedure necessary to record the message in a specific way in order to achieve that weird result.

    Instead, it simply stepped into the frame, allowing its entire body to get scanned... And then, it turned its massive, lion-like head toward the recipients of the message.

    Its eyes werepletely ck, devoid of pupils or whites. Its head looked like a lion''s... if one were to take the lion''s impressive fur and then rece it with an entire horde of poisonous-looking snakes.

    "A chimera," I muttered, my lips moving on their own.

    And right now, this chimera was looking directly into my eyes, as if it could somehow see me despite thousands of years and likely thousands of kilometers separating the two of us.

    "ROAR!"

    The monstrosity uttered a battle cry before rushing forward... And mming against the barrier that we set up in advance!

    "WHAT THE HELL?!" I cried out in shock, using the fact that Mia was wrapped around my hand to shove her to the back, pushing her out of the potential harm''s way.

    "Arty, calm down!" Mia called out, trying to take the reins of the situation once she realized I was temporarily out of use.

    "It''s only the mist acting up!" Mia shouted. Her eyes widened. Her hands trembled when she ced them down on my shoulders.

    "Ah," I muttered, my eyes opening even wider when I finally understood what happened.

    Sensing Mia tensing all over, I believed that she somehow noticed some stuff that I failed to. As such, I was ready to join a battle the second an opponent would strike down.

    But then came the worse part.

    ''It is as in this saying,'' I thought, recalling a small story I once saw. ''If there was a room with happy parents and their year''s old child, and the man suddenly started to float in the air...''

    I shook my head and sped my hands against my cheeks. The sudden surge of blood in my head allowed me to cleanse my thoughts and refocus on reality.

    "It would be the wife who would be the more surprised one, as the kid has yet to understand that it''s something unusual," I whispered, finishing off my line of thought with a few silent words.

    "What are you talking about?" Mia asked, the look on her face showcasing just how puzzled she was by my words.

    "Nothing much." I shook my head. "Just trying to rationalize my reaction from a moment before," I exined before turning my eyes back to the chimera in the projection.

    And just like before, it continued to rampage, constantly putting more and more effort into breaking through the rudimentary barrier I initially set to confine the mist.

    ''Who would''ve thought that this barrier would actually turn pretty useful,'' I thought, a small smirk appearing on my lips. ''Well, I''m d that it worked out fine,'' I thought before locating where the strange crystal of recording was.,

    Due to the movements of the figure from before andter the chimera, the projection itself moved quite a bit away from the very item that projected it.

    "Should I smash that crystal?" I asked out loud, turning my head around and looking at Mia.

    Normally I wouldn''t even ask about something like this, but this step was necessary for me to ept the changing role of Mia in our rtionship.

    It was something that I started thinking about when I left the sect to get her. Yet, as I have yet to reunite with her back then and was still troubled with my past, those thoughts never really developed much.

    Still, I at least realized that while I never voiced it out, I kind of imposed several expectations on Mia, assuming they were her natural role in our partnership. Yet, rather than trying to control Mia or anything like that, I did exactly the same to myself, assuming the burden of leading the two of us forward and the struggle of facing the consequences of my decisions.

    But that was a pretty self-centered way of thinking.

    ''Assume the duties I want just because I can fulfill them easily?'' I thought before shaking my head. ''No. Just a moment ago, Mia proved that she has cooler blood than me, at times,'' I thought, shaking my head as I approached Mia from behind and wrapped my hands around her shoulders.

    Then, I pushed the crystalization of my thoughts towards my lips, shaping them into the form of several short words.

    "What would you like me to do?" I asked, resting my forehead on the back of Mia''s shoulder.

    "Huh?" Mia twitched, turning her face around to look at me. Sadly for her, the way in which I hugged her from behind was precisely calcted to prevent her from stealing even a single nce of my face.

    ''Remember, Arty, this is all for her sake,'' I thought, steeling my resolve.

    If I wanted Mia to try taking the leading role in our duo, I had to entrust her to make the right calls. And even if I would judge her calls to be wrong, following through with them andter facing the consequences was more logical than just lecturing the girl and stopping her from making mistakes in the first ce.

    For me, it was but an exercise in proving my trust to Mia as well as my willingness to share the burden of the task I was naturally disposed toplete alone. On the other hand, it was good training for Mia, who, ever since she rejoined my side, didn''t show much ambition.

    "Well then," Mia only needed a moment to ept her new situation and get into her new role. "How about smashing that recording first?" Mia suggested, right as the first cracks started to appear on the barrier.

    "How about I simply desummon it?" I suggested, perfectly fine with suggesting stuff that Mia couldn''t get herself.

    It wasn''t that she was inept or bad at leading. She simply couldn''t ount for the possibilities she wasn''t aware of.

    "Can you do that?" Mia asked, her eyes opening a little wider than before.

    "Sure thing," I replied, calling forth the windows of the system of the room before refunding the purchase of the message.

    In an instant, the chimera, the mist that made it up, and then the strange crystal that the mist originated from - they all disappeared as if never to be seen again.

    "That was easy," I said before allowing a small smile to appear on my lips. "Now then, what should we do next?" I asked, still set on making Mia lead our next moves.

    And I would only drop this idea when she would be about to make some devastating mistake or would simply approach me to ask to relieve her of the duty.

    "First, tell me what you think about this... thing," Mia ordered, turning her eyes towards where the chimera continued to struggle just a moment before.

    From the looks behind her eyes, it was clear that Mia was troubled by something about it.

    "I believe that it''s a being from a higher ne of existence than we are," I replied without hesitation.

    It was pretty clear to me that this beast saw us. Yet, how could something from the past see someone from a far-off future?

    The answer could be only one.

    It was a being that wasn''t restricted to operating in three dimensions while following the natural flow of the fourth. Rather than that, it was a being that had to be able to break the restraints ced on three-dimensional beings to break through the barrier of time and space that separated us.

    "That, or it was capable of using magic on a scale we can''t even imagine," I added, only to then shrug my shoulders.

    From my point of view, there was no point in worrying about that beast. The likelihood of an ancient enemy from thousands of years in the past suddenly waking up to trouble us...

    In my personal opinion, it was abysmal.

    But it wasn''t my call to make, to decide what to do about it. Not now. And just like I stated before, not until Mia herself would ask me to take the lead again.

    "Do you think we should be worried about it?" Mia asked, looking me directly in the eyes.

    "No, I think not," I replied, answering Mia''s question to the best of my ability.

    "Good," Mia nodded her head before sitting back on the bed and patting a ce beside her with her hand, indicating me to follow her there as well. "Now then," she spoke up again as soon as I sat down by her side. "I want you to tell me more about this ce, that musk guy, and everything that you believe could be important for our future."

 Chapter 340 A Single Hurdle To Show How Monumental The Task Is

    "What should I start with, then?" I raised my eyes and graced Mia with a small, cheeky smile. "The past? Who was the original Musk? Or maybe the details that I have yet to figure out?"

    There was simply way too much for me to exin everything in a single breath, in a single sitting.

    From the history that developed the world all the way to the peace after the third world war that I was born into, through the turbulent period of social engineering that brought humanity to the brink of extinction in more ways than one...

    ''Damn, just talking about the stuff that I knew before reincarnating will be a massive pain,'' I thought, raising my hand to hide my face in it for a moment.

    "Start with whatever you are mostfortable with," Mia suggested, reaching out and grabbing my arm, only to bring her hand down and entangle her fingers with mine.

    "I think starting with Elon Musk and his heritage will be the easiest," I started, turning my thoughts towards those long-forgotten memories.

    "Elon Musk... was a man who died several years before I was born. Yet, he was the pioneer, a single popr soul that was more focused on expanding the reach of humanity as a whole rather than fighting over the limited resources of the." I intentionally omitted a massive crowd of various people who did their own small part in the development.

    It wasn''t Elon Musk that first stepped on the Martian soil. It wasn''t Elon Musk that brought an end to conventional power production.

    "He wasn''t the only one to work in several important fields, but to make my exnation easy, you can consider him both a leader of the change and its main proponent," I exined, only for my thoughts to suddenly take a turn towards the darker emotions.

    "It was his ideas, his leadership, his pressure that brought a man from the surface of this and allowed him to settle on Mars," I took a little break, swallowing a bit of my saliva. "I''m sorry, but to exin the level of struggle that people had to ovee just to achieve it... For people without a technological background, and even for most of those who study the field through their entire time, when ites to cosmos and the universe atrge..."

    I took a break. Not only because I needed to take a breath but also because I could feel my emotions getting out of control.

    The situation on earth before the third world war was extremely taxing to think about. Not only because it was arguably the brightest period in the whole of humanity''s history but also because it was the direct reason for the disaster that followed.

    s, universe..." Mia muttered. She then rubbed her head against my shoulder. "Can you use words that I can actually understand?" she then requested.

    "Oh, sorry for that." I quickly reflected on the silly mistake I had made.

    For someone born in my time, it was kind of basic knowledge. What''s more, the fact that I was personally interested in the topic only served to broaden what I knew about space.

    ''And, in turn, it''s super hard to operate around someone who knows close to nothing about it,'' I realized before gulping down my saliva and trying to figure out the best way to approach the topic.

    "Tell me, then," I requested. "What do you know about space? Stars? The sun?"

    This was the lowest form of talking about space. But as it only involved elements that people of this world could see with their very own eyes, it was nearly impossible for Mia to never hear about them.

    "The sun is the sun," the girl shook her shoulders. "And the stars are just... No, I remember that was the wrong way to put it..." Mia muttered, her voice showcasing that she hesitated. "Still, I can''t remember the proper form. But the wrong one..." she kept on doubting her own words.

    "The stars are just suns but further away," Mia whispered her answer, refusing to look at me as she turned her eyes away.

    ''Does she think I will make fun of her?'' I thought, surprised to see the changes happening on the girl''s face.

    Her cheeks covered with blush and her eyes turned towards the ground, as far away from me as she could pull them.

    ''She really does,'' I thought, a smile climbing up to my lips.

    "That''s actually not true," I said, unable to stop myself from teasing Mia a little.

    "I know it, all right?" Mia was quick to react, her blush turning even redder than before.

    "In reality, iming that they are just further away..." I took a pause to shake my head. I then turned around and pulled Mia''s face back towards me by her chin. "Dearest, you could waste your entire life trying to be the fastest being in the world. You could then spend millennia using that top speed while ignoring all the problems rted to traveling through space..."

    Once again, I took a pause. For a moment, I thought about exining the light speed, the concept of a light-year, and just how massive it was...

    But if Mia didn''t grow up with this kind of knowledge, themon sense of how space''s size was simply too massive for a human brain to grasp... There was no point in doing so.

    "To make it feel real, let me calcte it for you," I offered before leaving Mia''s face alone and focusing on crunching the numbers.

    ''Proxima Centauri was the closest star at about four light-years,'' I thought, squeezing all the juice out of my brain to recall those small tidbits of knowledge.

    ''A light-year travels roughly three hundred million meters per second. That makes it roughly three hundred thousand kilometers.''

    Bit by bit, I changed the type of numbers I was calcting, trying toe up with a viable answer for the girl.

    "How far is the outerpost of the Tuxi sect from its lower headquarters, I wonder?" I muttered before running yet another calction.

    "Okay," I finally spoke in a firm voice before pping both of my hands down at my things. "The distance between Lower Headquarters and the Outerpost is roughly two hundred and fifty kilometers," I gave my estimate.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, somehow forced out of her shocked state. "It was that near all this time?" she opened her eyes wide only to then raise her hand and bite down on her thumb. "If only I knew..." a look of regret appeared behind Mia''s eyes.

    "Dear, it''s okay," I was quick to grab Mia''s hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "But this is a distance you can imagine, right?" I asked, just to be sure.

    I was about to drop a massive bomb at Mia''s head in a mere moment, after all. It was better to be sure she would understand the scope of what I was going to say to her, even if she failed toprehend it.

    "Yeah." Mia didn''t show any sign of hesitation

    "Then you would need to travel that distance..." I hesitated for a moment, redoing all my calctions just to be sure. "A bit more than a thousand times over," I exined. Yet, as I didn''t want to mess with Mia''s head too much, I decided to wait to add the full scale of the problem.

    "Only about a thousand times?" Mia lowered her eyes and bit down on her fingernail again. "That would be a long journey, but in a few years, maybe months if we were desperate..."

    Seeing how the girl had already moved on to nning the possible trip, I couldn''t stop myself from finishing up.

    "Dear, you got me wrong," I said as I shook my head. "You would need to be able to travel this kind of distance... A thousand and two hundred times... In a second."

    Obviously, this was already a massive simplification. There was the problem of eleration that alone put a massive stop to human space ventures in the past. Then came the problem of keeping food, water, and, even more importantly - oxygen.

    "So if I could reach that speed..." Mia hesitated for a little, her forehead already sweaty from imagining the distances I presented.

    "You would still need over four years at that speed to reach the star nearest to us," I exined, only for a small smile to appear on my lips. "Excluding our sun, that is," I added, pointing my head to where the sun... would be if we weren''t not only indoors but also underground.

    "In other words, rather than being far away, they are so far that I shouldn''t even try to write my mind around it," Mia smiled lightly as she turned her face to look me in the eyes. "Right?" she asked, pressing me for an answer.

    "That''s right." I nodded my head, epting Mia''s gaze, refusing to turn my eyes away.

    "Then why did you tell me all of this first?" Mia then asked. "Couldn''t you just say there are further than any human could ever reach?"

    "That wouldn''t allow me to make my point." I shook my head in response.

    I then washed a smile off my face before grabbing Mia by her shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes instead of just epting her nce like before.

    "Mia, the distance is one of the greatest struggles one faces when traveling through space. But at the same time, it''s the simplest one," I stated before taking a momentary pause both to catch my breath and to let those words sink into Mia''s brain.

    "What I wanted to ensure is that you are aware of just how monumental of a task it is to send someone to space, especially in a world with no magic whatsoever," I exined my main idea behind my long lecture.

    "And yet, that Musk guy... He still did it. That damned son of a bitch did it!"

 Chapter 341 Magic Of The World

    "Sorry, but I''m not sure if I understand this properly," Mia muttered, lowering her eyes and then raising her head to her chin as she took her sweet time to process everything that I said. "So all you wanted to say was that this Musk guy managed to achieve something that should be impossible, right?"

    ''Clever girl,'' I thought, as always impressed by how quickly Mia could catch on to the things that she wasn''t predisposed to understand.

    Even if I was the best in the world at exining knowledge, even if I actually had any background preparing me for such a task... Helping Mia understand the scale of things space-rted should still be a massive challenge.

    Not at all because Mia wascking in intelligence or wits. It was all because this reality was so mind-boggling that even those who grew up knowing those scales by their heart hardly ever could understand what it truly meant.

    And still, junding from how Mia managed to sum everything up with a single word... She actually understood my lesson!

    "That''s right," I nodded my head, a satisfied smile creeping up on my lips.

    "Then, why did you go for such lenghts to exin it?" Mia then asked, leaning her head to the side.

    At the same time, yful sparks appeared behind her pupils, lighting up her eyes.

    "I mean, you could just say that this guy was a monster on his own, didn''t you?" Mia pressed forward, striking right where I was currently vulnerable.

    Because now that I thought about it, it didn''t matter if Mia understood the conceptualization of space and its scale. But that was the smaller problem.

    Now that Mia pointed it out, wasn''t my entire, lengthy lecture all aimed to say, ''It was hard, but they did it?''

    "Judging by how you turned silent, it seems that I''m right," Mia noted before releasing a long, heavy sigh.

    "Dear, I understand that you want me to figure out everyst detail of the situation. I understand that you want me to not only know what happened but how and why as well," Mia stated, shaking her head and throwing me a serious nce. "But didn''t you want me to be the one inmand today?"

    My whole body shrugged, shocked by how inly and directly Mia put the situation to be.

    And then, my lips resumed their duty of forming a smile.

    "You are correct, albeit I don''t see the connection between those two topics," I informed while nodding my head to Mia''s points from before.

    In fact, I could tell where Mia was going with her words. Yet, rather than answering my guess, I only answered what she actually said.

    ''If I''m right, this could serve as an important lesson to her,'' I thought, gazing at the beautiful features of Mia''s face.

    "Then why did you waste so much time just to tell me something so simple?"

    Mia''s question struck like a hammer. Both because she was absolutely right about my own fault and because hearing her say those words...

    It meant that Mia passed the small test of mine. She sessfully satisfied my curiosity about whether or not she could call me out on the mistake I made.

    ''She grew a lot since we first met,'' I thought, my lips finally forming a proper smirk.

    "My bad," I admitted without any shame. "I guess I just have the habit of overexining things," I added. And then I shrugged.

    Because this smallmentary that I followed my initial statement with... It was an over-exnation as well.

    "That''s right." Mia heavily nodded her head as if I had just uttered something that should be in obvious for anyone to see. "Dear, don''t take me wrong," she quickly added, shaking her head sideways. "I don''t mean to say that I don''t like listening to your stories."

    Mia took a step closer and ced her hands on my shoulder. She then looked me deeply in the eyes, keeping her silence for a short while.

    "Arthur. If you want me to lead today, I need your answers to be concise," she whispered, her voice bing a mix of affection and seriousness. "You can leave the detailed stories for when we are free, okay?"

    "Sure thing," I replied shortly, paying an awful lot of attention to keep the entirety of what I was saying short.

    ''Maybe I''m getting the drive to exin everything because I keep usingplicated sentences?'' I thought, trying to figure out the reason behind my talkativeness.

    ''No, it''s not it,'' I quickly dismissed my initial idea.

    Something like this could work if I was writing, not speaking!

    "Maybe it''s because I never had anyone to listen to me?" I thought, only to be slightly toote to realize I actually allowed those words out of my mouth.

    "Arty?" Mia shrugged, surprised by my sudden reveal.

    "Ah, don''t worry about it." I waved my hand and took a step away. "Just a slip of the tongue."

    For a moment, Mia simply stared at me as if trying to sound off what was the message behind what I uttered.

    "Well then, how about we return to your story?" Mia suggested with a strange look on her face.

    ''Wait, no!'' I was never an eagle of social interactions... But even an introvert like me could understand what was likely going through Mia''s head.

    Or rather, being the introvert myself, I could very well understand what conclusions one could reach when overthinking the meaning behind what I just said!

    "Just shortly this time, please," Mia added just as I opened my mouth to apologize for the earlier slip of a tongue.

    ''Thank God...''

    While thinking about Mia in this way gave me pretty bad vibes, I had to somehow train her.

    Not in some weird or disgusting way, but train her to be even more independent than she is right now.

    This was the sole reason why I wanted her to y the leading role today. This was the reason behind this small test of mine.

    In other words, I wanted to ensure Mia would fully embrace her new position, with all the perks included. And that meant she had to grow her ability tomand me, something that a former ve like her could find pretty problematic!

    "In short words, huh?" I muttered, only to rub my chin and then shake my head. "The development, discovery, and advancement of technology were supposed to bring peace. Oh, and you can attribute all three of them to that Musk guy," I spoke, doing my absolute best to be as concise as possible.

    "But it didn''t," Mia muttered, raising her eyebrow in a clear expression of doubt.

    "Yeah." I nodded my head. "At first, people rushed to capitalize on the colonization of mars, then the exploitation of the asteroid belt..." I quickly recalled the events that transpired in what I considered to be my past. "Then came a war that resulted in a debris field closing the space for humanity forever," I exined, only to then raise my hand and p my own cheeks.

    "What does it mean for us, though?" Mia asked, not showing any signs of being bothered by my small exnation.

    "If this ce made use of magic and was created by the Musk family..." I thought, only to then bite my lips and raise my eyes, looking deeply into Mia''s pupils.

    "It most likely means that all the magic of this world is actually a technology," I revealed my guess. "A technology that''s too advanced even for me to understand."

 Chapter 342 Vaners Rationale

    "I really should go back," Vaner muttered under his nose as he continued to explore the strange ce.

    ''I knew this sect had a lot of ancient secrets, but to think it was on this scale...'' he thought, gazing at the simple yet insane wonders of clearly antique making.

    The construction itself was insanely simple. It consisted of a single but massive wire that circled around the mountain.

    Nothing less, nothing more.

    ''The scale of this thing,'' Vaner thought, tracing his fingers against the texture of the ancient wall.

    ? He dared not to touch the wire. Instead, he simply plunged into the dark, circr corridor that housed the wire.

    "I wonder what was its use," Vaner muttered. The atmosphere of grandeur and precision filled the dark depths of the corridor. And the tunnel itself appeared to continue ad infinitum, most likely to circle around the sect.

    ''I will reach the ce where I started if I just keep going," Vanermented, finally putting a stop to his travel.

    "Rather than wasting time here myself, I should arrange for someone to check it all out for me instead!"

    Vaner shook his head before raising his hands and pping them against his cheeks. The momentary explosion of sharp pain helped to sober him up, clearing the look behind his eyes.

    "Good," Vaner muttered before turning around on his heel and moving right back where he came from.

    This ce was just too damn massive to explore it alone.

    ''Once I take over the sect, I should be able to get enough manpower to survey it all,'' Vaner thought as he set off on the long trek back to where he prated the mountain.

    "There is no way this is the entire thing," hemented after walking for a while.

    There wasn''t any apparent use for this wire. Sure, it held an ungodly amount of power inside, but for as long as it was confined, there was hardly any use for it.

    "Just what was its purpose?" Vaner asked in a low voice, his eyes glued to the massive entity.

    Yet, no matter how many questions Vaner posed, the air around him refused to give a clear answer.

    ''The ancient didn''t build it just to ensure future generations would know what it is or how to use it,'' Vaner thought, unable to shake the topic of the massive wire off his head.

    There was nothing in its simplistic form that Vaner couldn''t understand. Given enough resources and manpower, he could easily replicate it, even though it would still be a monumental task.

    ''For someone to go to such great lengths to construct it, they had to have some damn use for it!''

    Vaner clenched his teeth and tightened his fists.

    ''Why are my thoughts so upied with it in the first ce?'' Vaner asked himself, suddenly realizing a weird notion about his current situation.

    No matter how hard he tried, while confined within the tunnel bored deeply into the sect''s mountain, he couldn''t think of anything else but the wire inside of it.

    And then, just like that... He reached the ''exit.''

    "Praise the sun," Vaner released a deep sigh of relief when he noticed the familiar marks of low-key destruction that urred.

    The marks he left when he exploded his way through the thick stone of the mountain.

    ''It''s good to be back,'' Vaner thought, stepping out on the small cliff-side outside.

    Then, he froze.

    ''Huh?'' Vaner shrugged, releasing his breath only to inhale a lungful of a fresh one.

    The middle-aged man then closed his eyes, keeping all the air deep in his chest.

    ''Howe the air doesn''t taste any different here?''

    This wasn''t a question like the others. Because contrary to the struggle he encountered before, now, he could reason the truth out.

    ''The air inside the cave can''t be just as fresh as the air outside!'' Vaner noticed, squinting his eyes as he turned around and looked back towards the tunnel.

    ''Which means someone put an effort to somehow filter or exchange the air,'' Vaner reasoned, only to shake his head and look down the steep side of the mountain.

    Then, the former royal raised his head towards the top of the potential climb.

    "I nearly forgot that I still need to get on the other side," Vanermented in a silent voice. He then shook his head yet again before covering his hands with a dense clump of magic.

    "The sooner I start, the sooner I will get it over with," hemented.

    Vaner leaped forward, stealing as much momentum as he could from the narrow space of the cliff''s edge. He then jumped up, using the spiritual energy around his limbs totch onto the nearly vertical tower of stone above.

    ''In the end, I''m brute-forcing everything again,'' Vaner thought, hisplexion darkening.

    "I guess I''m nowhere near catching up with him, am I?" Vaner muttered, a look of boredom caused by the exhausting climb reced with a glint of determination.

    Climbing the mountainside rather than solving the mystery of the wire. This was the choice Vaner made, hoping to put the burden of figuring it all out from his own shoulders to the many shoulders of the sect members.

    And as effective as it might be, it stood in direct opposition to the teachings of Vaner''s master, the one man that the former royal wanted to catch up to in his life.

    "I guess I do not make a good disciple," Vaner muttered. He used his self-loathing to power through the task, reaching the breaking point at the top of the mountain.

    ''It took only about half as long as I expected,'' Vaner thought, looking down on the mountain''s side that he had just climbed.

    Seeing the vast distance that separated him from the foothill of the round mountain range, Vaner couldn''t help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva.

    And then, he looked down but on the other side.

    "Time for the worst part," Vaner sighed, shaking his head as he moved his leg over the ridge and stared at the even terraces directly below.

    His expression stiffened when he caught a nce at the intricate yet modest markings on the nearby floors and walls.

    "Descend."

 Chapter 343 Sects Spirit

    Thump.

    Vaner''s body created a dull noise when he slid down the mountain''s edge andnded on the highest terrace in the sect.

    And then, he immediately fell to his knees, bowing before the altar of the founder.

    For the next few moments, absolutely nothing happened.

    The former royal remained frozen in his position, his forehead rubbing against the cold stones of the outside yard carved into the inner ring of the mountain.

    "Humble descendant pays his respect!" Vaner shouted, pressing his forehead against the floor so hard its skin started to cut open.

    There wasn''t a single soul in the entire area.

    ''Knowing procedures, there likely isn''t anyone anywhere above half of the mountain''s height,'' Vaner thought, keeping his humble position.

    There was a reason why most of the sect''s upper floors were abandoned.

    Not a single sect member could intrude upon thosends without enough power or acknowledgment from its guardian.

    And yet, Vaner entered the highest floor from the get-go. As such, it was the most reasonable decision to kneel down and humbly beg for forgiveness.

    ''I can only hope the sect''s spirit can understand the situation,'' Vaner thought, clenching his teeth to the point they nearly started to crack.

    In all of his life, this was his first meeting with an absolute being above the understanding and perception of humans.

    Yet, no matter how long Vaner continued to kowtow on the floor, nothing happened.

    No spirit appeared; no guardian made its presence known.

    ''Is this a test?'' Vaner thought, ignoring the blood trickling from his forehead on the cold stones of the terrace.

    And as usual, the air around the middle-aged man refused to conveniently give an answer.

    Vaner closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down.

    ''I need to think,'' he decided, eager to figure out what he should do.

    And only because of his intense focus did Vaner suddenly heart a tiny hissing.

    He opened his eyes while keeping his head in a lowered position. His eyes moved in the direction of a small sound...

    And then he saw it.

    His blood slowly seeped into the stones of the floor. And as the stones absorbed his blood, a small, trickling smoke appeared right above the surface of the stones.

    ''What?'' he thought, fighting off the urge to raise his head and look around.

    In the domain of the spirit''s sect, its innermost core at that, he dared not to move a muscle.

    "XQXQQQZY, QzZZzyYQQZ, QZQWzZ."

    A strange series of sounds suddenly reached Vaner''s ears.

    No sound appeared, and no voice could be heard. The air itself shook under some sort of force, creating this iprehensible series of noises.

    ''It said something!'' Vaner thought, only with utmost effort keeping his forehead smashed against the floor.

    He couldn''t understand a single thing of what this strange being said, but it said something!

    "Humble disciple pays his respect to the ancestor!" Vaner shouted with all his strength, worried that silence would be taken as a sign of disrespect.

    But no further words followed.

    Then, Vaner felt the crushing weight of the aura that filled this ce.

    Feeling the pressure, Vaner instantly made peace with his life.

    ''I did my best,'' he thought, feeling as if his eyes would end up squeezed out of his eye sockets.

    And then, without warning, the pressure disappeared, leaving Vaner gasping for air on the floor.

    ''Huh?'' Vaner couldn''t form a single, cohesive thought. He simplyid down on the floor, craving the coldness of the stones. But the fire of pain that burned inside him stopped him from moving even an inch.

    ''What the hell was that?!'' the former royal thought, slowly attempting to prompt himself up.

    He didn''t receive any attack. It was simply the aura of this ce that nearly rendered him dead just by being there.

    "Cough!" Vaner spat out blood directly on the floor before finally raising his eyes.

    But just like before, there wasn''t anything or anyone on the entire terrace, just the cold stones of the floor and smooth caves bored directly into the mountain''s side.

    "Cough!" Vaner weakly gathered himself from the ground, finally regaining enough strength to push himself up from the floor.

    The pressure from before was nowhere to be seen. Yet, a powerful shudder moved down Vaner''s spine when he realized just how rich in energy the air in here was.

    ''Oh my sun,'' Vaner thought, his eyes opening wide-open when his maltreated body soaked in the rich spiritual energy permeating the ce.

    There was a limit to how much one could heal just by using spiritual energy. In a sense, it worked well to slowly heal the injuries, stering a reinforcing and reinvigoratingyer over one''s wounds.

    In other words, one couldn''t just use his spiritual energy to heal up all their injuries with a snap of their fingers.

    Yet, as Vaner stood in the air thick from mana contained in it, he could feel his body changing.

    It wasn''t a massive change. He didn''t grow a third leg, his breast didn''t start to produce milk, nor did his descendants-producing organ double in size.

    Still, under the influence of air filled with more mana than it could hold, Vaner''s body healed.

    The spiritual energy didn''t simply rece the old healing spell. It infused itself directly into Vaner''s flesh only to then break down in pure energy, providing fuel for Vaner''s own regeneration.

    "Aaah!" Vaner uttered a loud moan when all the exhaustion simply evaporated from his body.

    His mind cleared out. All the wear and tear from his adventures in the past lifted from his flesh. Even his robes suddenly turned softer and somewhat morefortable.

    "Is this a sect spirit''s blessing?" Vaner muttered, looking down at his hands.

    He then shook his head and moved forward, using his recovered body to approach the edge of the terrace.

    Below, directly before Vaner''s eyes, appeared all the insides of the Skdder''s sect.

    The concentric circles of terraces carved lower and closer to the center of the mountain formations, the magnificent buildings constructed in the lower areas...

    ''This is strange,'' Vaner thought, sping his hands into fists.

    He could tell there would hardly be anyone on the upper floors. And he was aware that he was pretty high up for now. Yet, there was one thing that Vaner simply couldn''t understand.

    "Where is everyone?"

 Chapter 344 Illegal Foolishness

    Vaner stood at the topmost terrace, looking down at the lower levels of the sect.

    "Where is everyone?" he mouthed the question out, baffled by the sight before his eyes.

    The sect''s entrance was blocked shut. But, Vaner couldn''t see a single soul either.

    ''At least there are no monsters here,'' he thought, straining his eyes.

    He couldn''t believe the sight before his eyes.

    ''Sure, I know I''m high up, but I should still be able to make out some silhouettes!'' Vaner protested in his thoughts, refusing to ept the reality.

    "For everyone to disappear from the sect..." Vaner muttered, forcing himself to calm down.

    He took a deep breath, only to release all his shock and surprise once he breathed out.

    ''No, it''s impossible,'' Vaner thought, grabbing the railing that separated the topmost terrace from the edge. He took the jump without a second thought, falling a considerable distance down.

    And the moment hended, Vaner instantly kneeled down.

    ''There should be another spirit here,'' he thought, striking the ground with his forehead.

    But no matter how long he waited, nothing appeared.

    Only when the sun started to set, Vaner dared to slowly raise his head.

    ''Nothing is happening,'' he thought, cautiously looking around the ce.

    The terrace looked exactly the same as the one Vaner just jumped off from.

    ''Could it be...'' Vaner raised his eyes towards the ce he had just left. "Is the blessing from the highest level enough to get me through, all the way down?"

    The question stumped the middle-aged man down.

    "If there is indeed such hierarchy between the ranks..." he muttered, slowly squinting his eyes. "That would be huge," he added a momentter, raising his hand to his chin and then supporting his elbow with his other hand.

    The role of patriarch, by the ancient ruling of the sect, was to be passed to the man who reached the highest terrace.

    Yet, the trials of climbing were harsh and often would triple its participants. As such, as it entered into a state of slow decay, the Skdder sect could no longer afford to throw its best at a meatgrinder.

    Over the years, the tradition was abolished and reced in favor of an elective patriarchate.

    ''But that doesn''t mean thisw no longer holds," Vaner muttered, pulling his eyelids up and finally rising up from the ground.

    ''As much as I would love to fully check those ces out...'' the former royal twisted his lips in a small smirk. He then shook his head and scaled another railing.

    This time, however, Vaner rested his bent legs on it beforeunching himself at a steep angle downwards.

    Now that the power of the topmost terrace had healed his body, Vaner had no intention of holding back.

    ''Whatever happened down there,'' he thought, turning his body in the middle of his fall so that his legs would be directed towards the ground.

    A coat of magic covered his descending body, turning Vaner''s flesh into a sort of a magicalment.

    And then, he plunged down on a terrace several tens of meters down, roughly halfway down the mountain.

    ''Huh?'' Vaner gentlynded on the terrace, using the cushion of his spiritual power to soften his descent. He didn''t pay much attention, but he instantly noticed the volume of mana in the air dismissing.

    His next jump brought him only a few levels above the highest upied quarters of the sect. The lingering spiritual energy became nearly too thin for Vaner to care.

    "Seriously, where is everyone?" Vaner muttered under his nose, leaning over the railing to figure the situation out.

    There were no marks of fighting anywhere in the sect. That he could tell even before he jumped.

    Yet, not a single soul appeared to be left in the entire sect.

    "Did they all retreat somewhere? Or maybe they are hiding?" Vaner mused, looking around the area.

    He then calmly jumped down thest few terraces, reaching the level where the sect''s hall was located.

    Vaner raised himself and looked at the massive gate leading inside the building. He then approached it and raised his hand...

    But he hesitated to knock.

    ''If no one answers...'' he thought, clenching his teeth.

    All his ns for surviving in this new, changing world involved the Skdder sect. It was the perfect ce to use as a springboard into even greater heights.

    But it would be all for naught if all the elders, disciples, and popce around moved elsewhere.

    It wasn''t the buildings that caught Vaner''s interest in the sect but its people.

    ''To hell with this,'' Vaner thought, pushing his hand ahead and knocking on the massive gate thrice.

    Only for the dull sound of the wood to be the lone response.

    Vaner waited at the gate for quite some time. Yet, as no signs of any answer came, he gulped down his saliva and pressed the doors open.

    Even if there was some sort of formation protecting this ce, with the blessing of the highest sect''s spirit, it could very well not exist for the middle-aged man.

    ''It''s been a while, huh?'' Vaner thought, looking around the ce as he pushed deeper into the building. Deeper, towards the one ce that would hold people if anyone left in the entire building.

    The throne hall.

    "Here we are," Vaner muttered a mere momentter. The main room of the building was pretty close to its entrance, after all.

    And then, not allowing himself any time for rest or preparation, Vaner pushed the doors open.

    Just like he hoped, the hall wasn''tpletely empty.

    But the sight that weed Vaner back to what he considered his home wasn''t weing at all.

    The ce was littered with corpses; some of them appeared to be still rtively fresh.

    And in the middle of the entire carnage sat down the sect''s patriarch, the one figure in the entire sect that Vaner actually looked up to.

    "Look who came back," the old man uttered in an empty voice, devoid of any happiness and free of any hate.

    To the sides of the throne''s hall stood the remaining elders of the sect, the rest of which could be seen spurting blood from their wounds on the floor.

    "What the hell happened here?" Vaner asked, slowly moving his eyes up from the scene of a literal bloodbath at the figure of someone he once considered a mentor.

    "They sabotaged our only means against the invasion," the patriarch announced soundly, still keeping his voice perfectly calm.

    It was as if he was speaking about an administrative decision, not tens of lives lost over some internal dispute.

    ''What could''ve happened here?'' Vaner asked himself, knowing better than to pose this question out loud.

    Sure, he could take on all of the elders and patriarch himself at once... But doing so would make him appear like a rebel.

    And this wasn''t what Vaner aimed for right now.

    "What''s the situation?" Vaner asked, opting to go with the neutral approach.

    "Those elders conspired to usurp my position by entering the higher levels," the patriarch said, raising from his chair only to then look down at Vaner''s face. "During a time of the invasion, such foolishness shall not be allowed!"

    The patriarch stomped his foot, making his foot send a wave of sound throughout the entire throne''s hall.

    "Then I have some bad news for you," Vaner stated, putting a wide smile on his lips.

    He then raised his right hand and pointed a single finger up.

    "Because I came from the very top of the mountain." Vanner''s rxed smile graced everyone in the hall. "That should also answer the question you wanted to ask, of how the hell did I get back!"

 Chapter 345 The Skyladder Sect Is Reborn!

    Only silence followed Vaner''s words.

    The Patriarch just exined what lengths he was willing to go to keep his position at the sect. And there came Vaner, challenging that ruling without even a second of hesitation.

    It wasn''t just a denial to ept the new situation. It was a direct p to the Patriarch''s face!

    "Don''t even try it, old man," Vaner warned, seeing how the man tightened his grasp over his massive sword.

    The weapon stood only about two feet shorter than the Patriarch himself. Its de was so massive that it should be rather used as a blunt rather than a cutting weapon.

    And yet, with Patriarch''s strength, every swing of this massive sword would spell doom to those who would underestimate it.

    "Have you lost your mind?" the Patriarch asked, furrowing his burrows as his lips moved andplexion darkened. "Or do youe here just to die?"

    Vaner simply stood in ce, looking down on the Patriarch''s face, not bothered by the threatening aura surrounding the old man.

    "You imed that you slew those who opposed the rulings of the sect, am I right?" Vaner asked, locking his arms over his chest as he threw a small smirk in the Patriarch''s face.

    "That''s right," the old man nodded his head. A momentary sh at the back of his eyes proved that he had some hopes regarding the conversation.

    ''Does he thinks he can convince me to stay in line?'' Vaner thought. He then gently shook his head. ''Well, it doesn''t matter.'' His eyes sharpened.

    "Then, just like I said, you owe me your allegiance," Vaner imed. He took a step forward and opened his arms wide to the sides. "For Ieth from floors above, carrying the blessing of the Sect''s highest spirit," Vaner finished his promation.

    His arms moved slightly up, forming a V shape above his head. Vaner then raised his eyes as if he wanted to bask his face in the sun... despite it being blocked by the roof of the building.

    "First, you desert the sect in its time of need," the Patriarch shook his head and brought the massive de on top of his shoulder.

    ''Between his sickly build and the weight of this sword, seeing him carry it like that never fails to impress me,'' Vaner thought, genuinely awed by the old man''s ability.

    "Then you somehow barge in here, right after I finally solved all the problems," the Patriarch brought up another point, taking a step towards Vaner.

    "And then you dare to im toe from the terraces above?" the Patriarch shouted his question, tensing all over as he stood over Vaner. His massive sword made him tower over the unruly Elder of the sect.

    The Skdder sect''s Patriarch then shook his head, only to fix his eyes on Vaner''s face.

    "I only have one question for you, now," the man stated, tightening his fingers around the handle of his swords.

    "Are you ready to face the consequences of the words you foolishly uttered?" the Patriarch asked, his eyes turning cold. "For I will not stand anyone spouting utter heresies in the grand hall of the sect of my forefathers!"

    Patriarch''sst shout shook the air in the room, seemingly expanding his aura well beyond the realm he was normally capable of controlling.

    The elders that survived by falling in line stood by, watching with fearful expressions at yet another fool who dared to irk Patriarch''s fate.

    Some were shocked. Others were saddened. But some were visibly happy, excitement taking over their bodies as they watched what appeared to be Vaner''s end.

    "Oh, Catius," Vaner whispered, just loud enough for the lowest of the elders to hear him.

    The joyful expression on the middle-aged man''s face stiffened a bit, only to once again rx into a small smirk.

    "You are in for some major disappointment," Vaner warned his petty rival while his smile blossomed on his own face.

    Seeing how both the lowest and highest ranks of the sect aligned to go against him, Vaner no longer saw any need to hold back.

    Because of how real and serious the power of the Patriarch was...

    It was nothing much in Vaner''s eyes at all.

    "Either way..." hearing the Patriarch''s voice, Vaner turned his eyes back towards the old man, only to see him charging forward.

    Once close enough, the old man added his second hand to the handle of the weapon, only to then use his own shoulder as a leaver point to bring his entire sword down in a wide, vertical sh.

    Vaner didn''t even bother to dodge.

    "Get lost," the middle-aged man swiped his hand, sending a wave of turbulent energy against the Patriarch.

    "WOAH!" the old man shouted, leaning back on his feet right at the veryst moment. A single secondter and the wave of spiritual energy would fry him up.

    "HOW..." the Patriarch uttered, backing two steps in order to get himself some time to reorganize his thoughts.

    The power that Vaner showcased on a whim clearly shocked him to his core.

    "Didn''t I say it already?" Vaner asked, casually swinging his hand again.

    This time, the old man didn''t have enough time to dodge.

    The wave of energy struck right against the weakly and sickly body of the Elder, pressing him down to the ground so hard his eyes nearly came out of his skull.

    "Are you ready to ept the new reality now?" Vaner asked, taking three steps ahead and leaning down above the Elder.

    The respect that he held for the man was the one thing that stopped the former royal from finishing the Patriarch off.

    "Sect Armament!" Patriarch shouted, paying no mind to Vaner''s words.

    ''So you would really go that far, huh?'' Vaner thought, shaking his head to showcase just how futile the resistance of the old man was.

    "Did you think I didn''t know about it?" Vaner asked as a brilliant, blueish de formed seemingly out of thin air right before Patriarch''s face.

    "By order of the seal bearer, strike him down!" the Patriarch shouted, pointing his left hand towards Vaner''s face.

    And on it, on the middle finger of his left hand, there was a golden si decorated with some sort of extremely tiny andpacted sets of runes.

    The blueish sword vibrated... And then it suddenly swirled in midair, turning its pointy end right towards Vaner''s heart.

    "KILL HIM!" the Patriarch shouted, a look of celebration and victory creeping up on his lips.

    And so, the sword shot forward... Only to shatter into a myriad of small pieces of light when it reached some sort of an invisible barrier around Vaner''s body.

    "Didn''t I tell you?" Vaner asked, once again leaning over the Elder and shaking his head with pity over the state this once great man was now reduced to. "I bear the blessing of the highest spirit of the sect," Vaner announced, raising up and looking at the former Patriarch through the line of the bridge of his nose.

    "I will not allow it!" the old man protested weakly.

    The Sect Armament was clearly hisst-ditch attempt at saving himself.

    But now, it was toote.

    "I will take what''s rightfully mine," Vaner announced, reaching out and grabbing Patriarch''s outstretched hand, only to coil his fingers around the man''s thin finger and forcefully pull the golden si out.

    "Mark this day," Vaner muttered, only to turn towards the surviving elders and raise the si high in the air. "For today, the Skdder Sect is reborn!"

 Chapter 346 Back To The World

    "All set," I reported, fixing the straps of the backpack on my shoulder.

    If I were to point out the single greatest convenience that this strange city offered, it was the creation room.

    Initially, we used it as the forward base for exploring the city, but as Mia now decided to scout the area around the ce, the purpose of that ce changed.

    "That''s great," Mia nodded her head. "Let''s go," she added, pushing forward.

    It took us only a short moment to return to the same ce where we entered the underground city of wonders from.

    "I wonder if we will be able to open that gate," I muttered under my nose, projecting my thoughts towards the objective ahead.

    "Is this a test type of question?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side and sending me a snickering look.

    "Not at all," I shook my head and raised my hands, getting on the defensive. "I''m just not sure if the mechanism behind that gate works two ways," I exined my thoughts before looking towards the end of the street where the passage should be.

    "Worst case scenario, we can just bust a hole in it!" Mia eximed resolutely before hastening her steps forward.

    ''Anything but that,'' Mathew moaned in his thoughts.

    Now that the world outside was basically going through an apocalypse, having a secret, safe, and extremely convenient ce like this was an advantage not to be underestimated.

    ''A god''s sent gift,'' Mathew thought, clenching his teeth as his girl approached the wall of the underground city.

    For something so insanely important, keeping it hidden and hard to ess for others was a must!

    "You don''t look happy with my decision," Mia said as soon as she reached the wall and stood by its side. She then turned her head around and looked me in the face.

    "But it''s your decision," I replied, shaking my head to the sides. "And who is there to judge whose decision is better?" I then asked.

    That was the other reason why I wanted Mia to take the lead. Because her way of thinking was entirely different from how my thoughts worked.

    And I dared not to im to always know the best way to act.

    ''It feels bad to burden Mia with this kind of responsibility,'' I thought, tightening my fists as I refused to exin the reasons behind my worry.

    "Arty..." Nadia shook her head, "I''m going along with your wish for me to lead," she stated before turning fully around and resting her hands on her hips. "But that doesn''t mean I don''t want to hear your thoughts!"

    "I..." I instantly attempted to reply. Yet, as soon as I opened my mouth, my small smile froze on my lips.

    Because I didn''t know how I was supposed to answer. After all, what Mia just said, was perfectly urate.

    "Ah..." I released a small moan of self-loathing. "I guess I overdid it by a lot," I admitted before shaking my head.

    I took two deep breaths to regain my cool before raising my eyes back on the girl.

    "I believe this ce can serve as a core for anything and everything that we might wish to do in the future," I gave my word of advice. "As such, I believe we should keep its entrances hidden from others as much as possible."

    "And sting a hole in its wall doesn''t exactly serve that purpose well," Mia nodded her head. "You arepletely right," Mia nodded her head as she admitted. "But I believe we still need to get out and check how things are going in the outside world."

    "And that''s because?" I asked for a rification. Instead of judging Mia''s intentions just from a few words, I wanted to get a better grasp of her reasoning.

    "We need to know what''s going on to properly prepare for it," Nadia didn''t hide her thoughts. "And no matter what preparations will be necessary, we will need more people."

    "That''s..." I hesitated for a moment.

    Because while Mia''s reasons werepletely valid, and I could stand by them with all my confidence... I actually thought about the solution to that problem.

    "Do you remember, back when we watched that recording, the guy mentioning the stuff about NPC?" I asked, suddenly changing the topic.

    "A little bit," Mia nodded her head, her eyes filling with curiosity.

    She knew me for long enough to know... That this moment was like a bet. I would either tell something new that would open her eyes or would bore her with a long and unnecessary story.

    Yet, right now, there was no doubt in Mia''s eyes. Because in our recent talk, I already agreed to try to cut on the crap.

    "NPC means a non-yer character," I exined shortly. "In other words, a fake being that serves as the help for the citizens."

    "And what about them?" Mia asked, proving that she actually listened. "I didn''t think much of that part because we didn''t see a single one in the city," she pointed out, only for a small smile to appear on her lips. "Weren''t you looking for one back at the smithy?"

    A pleasant feeling moved down my spine.

    Even though I knew it already, it was always nice to find out just how closely Mia watched me in such random moments.

    "Yes, I was," I nodded my head, only to then shake it sideways. "And just like you pointed out, we didn''t see a single one of them anywhere in the city... But!" I raised my hand with my forefinger straightened as opposed to the rest of the fingers.

    "Do you remember what the message said about killing them?"

    For a moment, my question hung in the air as Mia racketed her brains for an answer.

    As she disregarded that part a little, just as she admitted, it proved to be a bit more challenging for her to recall the details of that specific part of the past.

    Mia raised her eyes at my face.

    "The cost of reviving them will be greater than the rewards," she quoted the message from her memory and using her own words. "You don''t mean..."

    "That''s right," I confirmed Mia''s guess, nodding my head. "I believe someone already killed everyst single NPC in the city. And while I''m curious about the intention behind it..." I suddenly hesitated, not sure if I should go as far as I initially nned.

    I didn''t intend to keep secrets from Mia. I was also all on board for helping her with advice...

    But if I kept on talking, wouldn''t my hints practically force my intended way of doing things on her?

    "I can see you are hesitating," Mia smiled only to shake her head a little. "If it''s really something that hard to say..." she started, only for my hand to gently fall on her lips.

    "I thought about reviving the NPC so that we could make them work for us," I exined my n.

    I had no other choice but to leave it to Mia to decide whether to push forth with her own ideas or to listen to my n.

    "I see," Mia nodded her head, "but doesn''t that n have a lot of variables?" she asked, leaning her head to the side. "We don''t know nearly anything about this ce, so relying on it to somehow do everything for us?" Mia asked, her lips twisting in an ugly grin of difort.

    "Maybe it''s just me, but that just doesn''t sit well with my sense of security," Mia admitted, lowering her head.

    ''Oh, that''s right,'' I thought, realizing another small difference that separated me from Mia.

    For me, automation and robots, not to speak about NPC, were ordinary things. Yet, for Mia, they likely fell deep into the hole of an uncanny valley.

    As such, it was only to be expected for the girl to be unwilling to put her trust in those lifeless things.

    "I understand," I said, gently nodding my head. "Ultimately, what I want is for you to happy," I said, raising my hand and resting it on top of Mia''s head. "Feel free to follow with whatever your guts are telling you to do," I then added, hoping to encourage Mia to push ahead.

    Without asking, I couldn''t know what was going through her head. And the exchange just now proved it.

    I missed a simple, small element of the puzzle, and I was already unable to understand Mia''s intentions, needs, and problems.

    "Damn, I feel so stupid right now," I suddenly muttered, lowering my head in self-pity.

    "What''s wrong?" Mia asked, turning her eyes around after her failed attempt to finally check the gate out.

    "I just realized how simple it all is," I exined, a smallugh escaping my lips. "In a rtionship, you just need to talk..." I whispered, only to shake my head again. "I heard it a thousand times, yet I never expected how well it would work!" I added, only to thenugh my self-pity out.

    "Oh," Mia uttered a small moan of surprise as her eyes returned to the city''s wall. Her body shook a little, only for the girl to turn her head around and send me a stiff nce. "I can easily open the gate from this side," she exined.

    The smile on my lips suddenly froze.

    All the worries, all the talk, all the nning...

    It was, once again, all unnecessary.

    "I feel stupid now," I admitted, lowering my eyes even further.

    "Don''t let it bother you," Miaughed out, just as amused as I was embarassed.

    And then, she pushed the gate open, leading the two of us back to the outer world.

 Chapter 347 What Does The Outside Hold

    "It''s been a while," Miamented as soon as we stepped outside.

    Yet, rather than running out into the open, she simply stood in ce. The slow movements of her chest showcased that my beloved was simply enjoying the taste of the air outside.

    ''It really does taste differently,'' I thought after taking a whiff myself. And soon, rather than scouting the area, we simply stood down and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on our skin for the first time in a long while.

    "Arty..." Mia suddenly muttered, right as I realized what was the thing that made breathing just so enjoyable for the two cultivators like us to lose ourselves in it in an instant.

    "Yeah, I just noticed it too," I replied weakly as I raised my hand and moved it through the air, seemingly mixing it up a bit. "Either this ce always had this insane amount of energy in the air, or it''s just that the underground town has none of it," I borated on my findings.

    The feeling of mana in the air was pretty simr to the feeling of heat. If one stood in a room of a certain temperature, one wouldn''t be able to perceive the heat. Yet, if they were to move to a room hotter or colder than the one they were in, they would be perfectly capable of feeling the difference.

    ''Still, I wonder what does that mean in regards to the city,'' I thought while turning my eyes to the back, to where the gate could lead us right back inside.

    "Another piece for your puzzle, isn''t it?" Miamented as she ced her hands on her hips and stretched her chest out.

    "That''s right," I replied, nodding my head. I then moved my eyes to the girl and adored Mia''s figure for a moment.

    No matter what awaited us in this open world, as long as I could protect Mia, I would be happy. Because ultimately, all my efforts and wishes to gather people and improve our strength were aimed at further securing Mia''s ce in this world.

    "Well then, how about we move?" Mia suggested, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

    "Sure thing," I agreed, pushing the gate to fully close it and lock the one entrance to the city we knew about it.

    "Don''t you need to mark this ce?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side as she watched me walk away from the entrance. "It would be a massive pain if we couldn''t find itter," she added.

    "There is no need." I shook my head. I then raised my arm and pointed it at the structure of the underground city that could be noticed in thend ahead. "The entrance is in two-thirds of the thinner branch."

    The ruins are made out of a shape of a capital letter sigma. And as simr as it was to a number three or the letter ''E,'' it still had some distinctive differences.

    One of them was that the lower half of the middle of the letter was thinner than its upper counterpart.

    Thanks to the mark left by the ruins being asymmetric, there was no risk of confusion once we wished to return.

    "Good," Nadia nodded her head before decisively putting her eyes ahead. "Then, let''s go!"

    At first, I enjoyed the trip quite a whole lot.

    It was fun to just walk through the meadows and enjoy the sunbath while sniffing the fresh, floral scent all over. Coupled with the abundance of magical energy filling the air, I actually felt better outside than I ever felt while within that underground city.

    "Humans naturally do dwell on the surface, after all," I muttered, voicing out the loose meaning behind my thoughts.

    "Huh?" Mia turned her head over her shoulder, sending a quick nce at me. "Did you say something?''

    "Don''t worry about it." I shook my head. "I''m just mumbling to myself," I added before immersing myself in my own thoughts.

    Besides how pleasurable it was, this trip also helped me to realize an important thing. And the further we went into the open meadows of the world outside, the more obvious that point became.

    ''If we wish to train someone, we won''t be able to do it inside the city,'' I thought.

    Sure, I could set up some grand formation. I could prepare a project many times bigger and moreplex than anything I had ever crafted before...

    But would it be up to par with whatever magical formations were already in ce within the underground city?

    ''Just from the fact that I can summon things with mana, it''s obvious that this ce is rigged with sustainable mana machines,'' I thought.

    As much as I wanted to do it for convenience''s sake, I dared not to call the technology of the underground city per formations. My level of knowledge was so pathetic that I only managed to discover a single formation in the entire city so far, yet it already was on a whole different level than anything I was capable of creating.

    "Arthur!" Mia''s shout forced me out of the technical state of my mind, where I had already drawn blueprints of outposts that we would need to set up around the city.

    "What?" I asked, slightly too coldly for my own liking. "I''m sorry," I quickly apologized for the small mistake. "What''s wrong?" I asked, now in a tone, I could ept.

    "I can see several of those monsters," Mia informed before reaching out and pointing in the distance with her hand. "Out there, down by the ridge," she instructed, helping me to locate the enemy.

    The monsters... didn''t change much from the time Ist fought them. Just like before, they were nothing more but clouds of dense, materialized energy that constantly changed shape.

    But while others might see those monsters as a source of threat and something to avoid, for the two of us...

    "Do you think about the same thing that I''m thinking?" I asked while a small smile crept upon my lips.

    "Unless you think about where the hell the others went, then I do not," Mia replied, rolling her eyes over my overexcited reaction.

    "Huh?" I shrugged in surprise. "Didn''t you want more people?" I asked before pointing my hands towards the monsters in the distance. "Isn''t defeating them the easiest way to bolster our numbers?" I asked. "Isn''t it the most obvious thing to do?"

    "Ah," Mia twitched a little only to then shake her head sideways. "That''s right, Ipletely forgot that there are people inside of them," she said, only to look towards the monsters and squint her eyes.

    Yet, after only a few moments of thought, Mia turned her eyes back toward me.

    "But what if they won''t be cooperative?" she asked.

    And it was a pretty valid question.

    The people of this world, we could rescue without much worry. Because if someone appeared to be stranded in the current outside world, they would be way below what Mia or I would ever consider a threat.

    That''s why, rather than worrying about their potential loyalty, we could leverage the safety of the town we discovered to gain their following.

    On the other hand, the people stuck as the cores of those violet monsters...

    Not only they didn''t really know what happened and were new to this world, but they were likely to be all right on the border of what I could easily fight off and what I could not!

    In other words, even if we were to save them, they would still be a possible threat.

    "Should we avoid them, then?" I asked, ultimately opting to leave the decision in Mia''s hands.

    In the end, it didn''t really matter much whether we would do something about those monsters or not. As much as I wanted to develop this city and find ways to use it to make the two of us even stronger...

    It wasn''t something that couldn''t wait for an opportune moment!

    "Let''s leave them for now," Mia came to her decision before slightly changing the angle of her march. "We can deal with them if they dare to approach... But I don''t think we should waste time on them now," she borated a little.

    "That''s a reasonable decision." I nodded my head. "Just make sure we won''t end up with monsters to all sides," I added a small bit of advice. "I might be stronger than one or two of them, but three and more would be pretty problematic," I warned.

    "Don''t worry," Miaughed out cheerfully, only to then start jumping on the grass instead of walking. "I''m not that careless!" she added, only tough even more as she yfully jumped around.

    ''Like a bird set free from a cage,'' I thought, a pain taking over my chest.

    I wanted us to live in that city because it appeared like the safest and most convenient ce around. But could I still endorse the idea of living there... if it went against Mia''s nature?

    Yet, before I could seriously think about this topic, my body suddenly stopped as my head turned sideways to a small noise I noticed.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, sharpening my ears for a little, only for my head to freeze as well.

    And then, although very tiny, I managed to hear someone''s voice.

    ''Help...''

    How could someone survive in the outside world during an apocalypse? And within a forest that most of the people around would rather die than step inside?

    "Did you hear it?" I asked, turning my eyes towards the girl.

    "Yeah," Mia replied, leaning her body forward as she rested her weight on her leg in the back. "And I''m not going to ignore it!" Mia announced, only to leap forward, rushing in the direction the voice came from.

 Chapter 348 Bugs Hate

    "Yuck," I muttered a small moan of disgust.

    In our rush to reach the ce the voice came from, I hardly looked at what I was stepping on. And the world quickly punished this kind of carelessness.

    "You okay?" Mia asked, her lips doing a pretty poor job at hiding her smirk. The corners of her mouth trembled a little as she averted her eyes, pretending not to see anything.

    "Yeah, I will manage," I replied, releasing a long, exhausted sigh. Still, that didn''t slow down our rush at all. "I just hope we will get there in time."

    ''And that it won''t be just an ordinary trap,'' I thought, fighting off the bad premonition I had about the event.

    "That''s good to hear," Mia said with a smile.

    My random misfortune clearly improved her mood. And as silly as it was, if that was all it took to put a smile on Mia''s face, I was ready to learn some pretty weird habits.

    "Still, it feels good," I threw out a randomment a short momentter.

    "What?" Mia leaned her head to the side, her breakneck pace not affected by this change at all. Yet, as weird and dangerous as it was to run through the forest while looking to the side, Mia''s cuteness made it impossible for me to reprimand her.

    "To stretch out bodies," I exined my thought from earlier. "As important as that city is, we can''t really confine ourselves to it," I admitted.

    This thought run far deeper than that, but there was no need for me to borate on it yet.

    Maybe Mia woulde to the same conclusions on her own? If that were to be the case, exining everything now would only spoil her potential to learn and grow.

    And in case she would fail to notice the things I observed, I would happily tell her about them once an opportunity woulde.

    "I''m d to hear that." Mia smiled lightly before pulling her eyes to what was in front of her. Then, her expression stiffened, only to turn into confusion as the girlnded heavily on the ground.

    "I..." the girl hesitated before throwing a quick look at my face. "I lost it, the trail," she admitted.

    "So did I."

    My face darkened as I raised my vignce to its limits.

    There could hardly be a monster or enemy capable of matching my strength.

    An advantage like that was exactly why I did my best to improve. Still...

    I lost the trail of the voice as well.

    ''Was that a soundalike?'' I thought.

    My mana surged, coating several sacks full of formation stones with thick mana.

    ''It''s better if I don''t use the engine, not yet,'' I decided.

    As strange as it was for the sound to suddenly break off like that, it didn''t necessarily mean an ambush. It could very well be...

    Snap.

    I never got to finish my thought.

    The earth below my feet exploded, as two sets of massive, metal ws reached out from below to bite my bottom half.

    A strange field appeared all over the ce, making it somewhat more difficult to move mana around. A thick ray of light shot from the sun next, burning right through the robe on my back.

    ''Is that it?'' I asked myself, finally realizing my mistake.

    Ever since my power exploded, those who were far below me would simply sneak under my radar.

    Just like a man would rarely be on alert because of an ant crawling in the corner, my perception simply protected my consciousness from unnecessary information.

    "Arty!" Mia shouted, pointing her hand in a certain direction.

    ''That''s my girl,'' I thought, my lips forming a rxed smile.

    I knew what she wanted by the time her hand moved to point at it. Still, she clearly noticed it before me.

    In other words, Mia got one better over me in terms of reaction speed and ability to adjust her power to the situation!

    ''She really is a genius, isn''t she?'' I thought, standing still while the attacks of the ambushers washed off my shield.

    They weren''t anywhere at the level of breaking through the outermost shields of mine.

    ''If I pulled out my formations, they would likely fall into desperation,'' I thought, a sense of pity welling up in my soul as I watched the poor disciples of some abandoned sect do their best.

    "Okay, let''s wrap this up," I said, raising my hands only to gently p them together.

    The moment my hands collided, I sent a surge of both kinds of energy at my disposal.

    I didn''t aim it at any of the opponents but opted to collide the two kinds of mana right between my hands.

    The amount was minuscule, meaning the force would be manageable as well. And ultimately, the ability I came up with amounted only to a small sound.

    But that sound shook all the mana flowing within the area. And for the cultivators who still grew by absorbing the mana from the air, the change in the natural state of the spiritual energy couldn''t be any worse.

    The entire bnce of their cultivation, still based on the natural energy around, turned into disarray.

    While not harmless on its own, it caused their moves to get sloppy, and their attacks lost their weight.

    Right now, they lost all their ability to fight.

    "Now then," I muttered, turning my eyes towards the ce Mia pointed at a moment earlier. "Rise," I spoke, adding some grandeur to an otherwise simple act of forcing a lump of y, earth, and leaves from the ground.

    And there it was, a small cave dug out from the soft bedding in the forest.

    The entrance was cleverly masked. Thanks to a huge amount of herbs forced into the makeshift door there was no way for monsters to sense people below. A sturdy, wooden frame supported the entire trapdoor from below.

    The craftsmanship of the entire piece wasn''t on another level... But the cleverbination of tricks and genius solutions to small details proved the ability of whoever made it.

    Yet, when I looked down into the cave, my insides revolted.

    There were at least seven different corpses inside. There were only two bodies that still showed some signs of life.

    The marks around the ce didn''t leave any doubts.

    A stinky, rotting pool between the legs of a young female disciple. Her wide eyes were frozen in an expression of terror, her throat slit open. Her hand desperately clutching at yet another corpse, this time of a young, handsome boy.

    A boy whose once handsome face was now in tatters, with several cuts turning it into a bloody mess. That, coupled with his smashed genitals only proved just how hard his end was.

    "And here I thought about saving them," I thought, looking to the side.

    I hardly used any mana during the fight. Mia was so stunned by the weakness of the attackers that she didn''t even bother to move or react at all.

    Yet, themotion was just as great as usual.

    And I could perfectly sense the group of invading monsters heading our way post-haste.

    "Mia," I muttered, stepping inside the cave only to then turn my eyes to the girl. "I leave to decide what to do with them..." I hesitated for a moment, only to close my eyes and shake my head.

    I then raised my face again and looked at my beloved.

    "I leave it up to you," I said, before turning around and heading deeper into the dugout to check on the two survivors.

 Chapter 349 Brutality

    "How fucking vile," I muttered under my breath as I took a knee by the side of the two survivors.

    It was a man and a woman, both looking to be in their early twenties. Yet, as if her turn has yet toe, the woman was actually in a pretty good state.

    A pretty good state, within the frame of reference of the cave I stepped in, that is.

    Her body was filthy. Blood, earth, and piss mixed all over her clothes, giving off a disgusting stench. Yet, besides several bruises and some heavy trauma to the head, the girl was rtively okay.

    And the man... His state was the direct opposition, bearing marks of prolonged torture.

    Save for his rtively intact genitals, the young man went through a pretty similiar stuff to another man whose corpse I noticed before.

    His face was cut into pieces. Yet, as if to torture him by making him watch as well, his eyes were intact.

    "Merciless scum," a curse slipped out of my lips as I ced my hand over the young man''s forehead.

    It was burning up.

    "It''s a miracle you are still alive, brother," I muttered, cing my fingers on the young man''s wrist only to then send an extremely delicate surge of mana into his body.

    Mana was just a form of energy, not some sort of mystical art. I couldn''t randomly start healing the poor victim. Due to theck of medicinal knowledge, I would sooner end up putting an end to his suffering rather than helping the young man to heal.

    That''s why all I could do was provide the energy for the young man to recover on his own. And due to the surprising resiliency of human bodies, as long as he continued to receive this simple treatment, his life could be saved.

    ''I guess he won''t avoid a road through hell before recovering,'' I thought as I carefully looked out for the delicate changes in the man''s disposition.

    "Cough!" a sudden noise from the side made me turn my head.

    The girl to the side woke up, only to start coughing blood right away.

    Her body bent in half as a powerful convulsion shook her from the stomach up. Thankfully, the girl appeared only to clear her system, not actively dispose of the blood from an ongoing, internal hemorrhage.

    I gave the girl the time she needed toe to her senses. Yet, as she gathered herself up and turned her head around...

    The girl''s eyesnded on my face.

    "Easy..." I whispered, not daring to make a move.

    Not because I was worried about scaring the girl off. She was bound to the bottom of the cave and overall too weak to even attempt freeing herself.

    Even if the girl panicked, she had no way of running away.

    "Shush!" I warned the girl, raising a finger to my lips. I then pointed it down on the heavily breathing man lying beside me.

    For a moment, the girl froze. Her eyes wandered from my face to her fellow survivors, only to then move back to my expression again.

    "Arty!" Mia called out, forcing her presence into this delicate moment. "I''ve rounded them all up. How is it on your end?"

    Mia followed the same path her words took to reach my ears, entering the cave a mere momentter.

    My darling''s words and presence appeared to shake the girl awake.

    ''No, that''s not it,'' I thought when the girl pushed her eyelids wide open as she stared at Mia''s face.

    "Did you see a ghost or something?" I asked, hoping to make use of this opportunity.

    This girl clearly recognized Mia. And that meant, she could potentially help us to learn what the fuck took ce in this rotten cave.

    "Huh?" the girl shrugged and turned her eyes towards me again. "So that means, you are..." she muttered, only to cut her words short as she averted her eyes.

    "Who are you?" Mia asked, her voice falling t to deliver any emotions.

    Now that she saw the details of what was inside the cave, Mia''s disposition changed.

    She wasn''t new to the sight of blood or even death... But to see the mangled corpses of young disciples, and all in the early days of an apocalypse taking over the world...

    "Those fuckers..." Mia muttered through her lips, her face losing all its colors. Yet, I couldn''t see a single bit of hate behind her eyes.

    Just... emptiness.

    "Senior Mia..." the girl uttered through her closed lips, too petrified to use a normal voice.

    "And this has to be the famed boyfriend of yours," the girl added, forcing an uneasy smile on her lips.

    "A friend of yours?" I asked, turning my eyes towards Mia.

    To say that I was curious was a huge understatement.

    Because of my mistakes in the past, I lost several months'' worth of time with Mia. And to this day, I only knew a little about what she went through during that time.

    And now I likely had a chance to meet someone that Mia encountered in that time, hopefully getting a chance to shed some light on that period of her history!

    ''Or so I would like to hope so,'' I thought, only to release a regretful sigh.

    After all, Mia didn''t seem to recognize her. As such, my words were nothing more but an attempt to lift Mia''s mood with a silly joke.

    "Yeah," Mia suddenly replied, catching my expectations with their pants down and butt up. "You were two ranks lower when I joined, right?" she guessed, squinting her eyes as she tried her best to remember.

    ''So a distant acquaintance,'' I thought, carefully observing the situation.

    "Seniors, I''m sorry to butt in, but what happened to those bastards?" the girl asked, turning her eyes towards the cave''s entrance. "Are they all dead already?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged a little. "Nah, I just retrained them for the time being."

    Mia''s reply was calm andposed, she even waved her hand as if to dismiss the topic.

    "Heavens, no!" the girl shouted, instantly going into panic mode. "It''s a trap!" she shouted.

    But... nothing happened. Nothing, outside of Mia''s lips forming a lovely smile.

    "Don''t worry, little one," she said, gracing the girl with a lovely smile.

    It was the first emotion to appear on Mia''s face since she stepped into the cave.

    And that smile of hers was full of warmth.

    "I restrained them," she repeated her report from before. "And that means, they won''t be able to move an inch from where I left them."

 Chapter 350 They Do Not Deserve Blood On Their Hands

    "They won''t move an inch!" Mia proimed in a calm voice. Her lips formed a small smirk as a look of confidence shed behind her eyes.

    "But..." Mia''s words were clearly not enough to convince the girl. She looked up towards the entrance of the cave, seemingly worried one of her oppressors would appear there.

    "Damn, Mia," I muttered in a low voice. "That''s quite brutal of you," I added, averting my eyes.

    "Excuse me?" Mia shook her head to look at my face. Confusion was written all over her eyes as she leaned her head to the side while attempting to figure out what I meant.

    "Oh," Mia muttered. Her eyes widened up a little. She also brought her right hand up only to curl it into a fist and then m it down on the open palm of her left hand. "I see, I totally forgot about them!" she admitted only to shake her head.

    ''It''s no wonder she feels guilty,'' I thought.

    It was a pretty basic mistake to miss the approaching invaders. The influence the mana they were made off had over the natural mana of the world made it extremely obvious to any cultivator.

    And yet, in the heat of a moment, with her soul filled with emotions... Mia missed it.

    "Still, as fun as it sounds, I don''t think we should get them like this," I added after only a moment of silence.

    The monsters would take less than a minute to reach our location. I simply had no time to let Mia figure my thoughts out on her own.

    "Are you showing mercy?" Mia asked, her eyes opening up as a look of genuine surprise appeared on her face.

    It wasn''t anger, repulsion, or disgust. It wasn''t praise, satisfaction, or acknowledgment either.

    It was a sheer shock.

    ''People of this world really do have a differentmon sense,'' I thought, only to shake my head.

    "It is mercy," I admitted, despite shaking my head sideways. "But not for them," I solved the small puzzle of my gestiction. "Since we are going to fight those monsters anyway, I don''t want their hosts to bear the blood on their hands for no reason," I exined.

    "Monsters? Huh?" the girl shrugged only to squeeze a small voice out of her lungs.

    "For you, I will appear as a monster right now," I said only to release a deep sigh. "I''m sorry, but I can only ask you to bear with it for a time."

    I nodded my head to the girl in an advanced apology before moving my eyes back on my own girl.

    "Mia, could you be so kind as to move those fuckers down here?" I asked.

    The face of the girl behind me turned white. Her cultivation was so weak, in my eyes it could not exist at all and I would hardly notice any difference.

    Yet, even this weak cultivation managed to send a small wave across the spiritual energy in the air.

    ''Huh?'' I thought, surprised by the sudden finding.

    Because as far as my knowledge of the physics of this world worked, something like this shouldn''t be possible.

    For a moment, my excitement shoot up... Only to die down a mere momentter.

    ''What are the chances for me to randomly find someone with a great talent?'' I asked myself, releasing a short breath of self-loathing. ''I can''t be that naive to believe it,'' I scolded myself.

    "Sure thing," Mia nodded her head, forcing my attention to return to reality. "Firmly bound, right?" she asked as she jumped up and grabbed the edge of the dugout.

    "We don''t want them to do any further harm to our fellow disciples, do we?" I answered with a question of my own, only for a small smile to emerge on my lips.

    The monsters were now closing in. And in a number greater than I have ever fought on my own before.

    But the thing is...

    I wasn''t alone anymore!

    "I''m going to prepare," I threw a quick heads up to Naida before jumping out of the dugout and standing up on the rtively t area outside.

    This location was still hidden well within the forest. Yet, its hilly structure and asional patches of open grass fields allowed me a pretty satisfactory view in all directions.

    And even without it, I could still track the approaching monsters just by observing the intensity of the effect their energy had on the mana of this world.

    ''Well then, let''s do it properly this time,'' I thought.

    All the formation stones in my possession were already coated with ayer of my mana. Yet, as I moved them up andid them all over the proximity...

    I added a small surprise to each of the stones, ignoring the extreme toll it took on my reserves.

    ''I wonder if it will work out,'' I thought, before focusing my attention.

    "Wardens," I uttered in a small voice, turning nine of my moreplex formation stones into wardens. And then...

    "Mage''s tower," I whispered, too ashamed to say such a cringe name out loud.

    Ten seconds left.

    "They areing!" I quickly shouted over, hoping to alert Mia just in case.

    All the formations, arrays, and wardensbined into a single entity. Yet, this time, everyst one of the elements that became a part of my mage''s tower, now had a little surprise.

    I whipped out my spear from my storage ring.

    "Right," I remarked. "Do you need a weapon?"

    Five seconds.

    "I''m good," Mia shook her head to the sides.

    Seeing this, I turned my eyes in the directions I could feel the monstersing from.

    ''They are charging,'' I noticed, lowering myself on my knees.

    Even if the brunt of the attack on my barriers would be mostly mental, it was still better to brace myself.

    And then, the monsters rushed out of the forest.

    Their shape-shifting bodies crushed everything on their way. A tree, a rock, a hill, it didn''t matter. As long as it stood in the path of the small horde of seven monsters, it would turn into a pile of dust.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged a little as I stabilized the flow of mana within my mage''s tower. ''Isn''t one of them... different?''

    It was only a single instant, a mere moment when I could notice such small details. Because a single eye''s twitchter, the monsters crashed right into my sphere of influence.

    ''Disturb,'' I invoked the spell I knew the least about. Yet, from the little bit, I knew about it, it appeared like a perfect weapon for the moment.

    A surge of mana suddenly sparked on the nearby cores, tearing through the space itself towards my target.

    It didn''t crash into monsters. In its truest sense, it wasn''t even an attack. Or rather, the target of this attack wasn''t the monsters.

    It was the space where those monsters were.

    "ROAA..." one of the monsters even managed to utter a scream... Only for it to be cut short when thews of the world in the area it stood... broke.

    Some parts of its body bloated. Others turned into mist. One of its temporary legs froze solid while the other liquified.

    The mana that the monster''s body consisted off turned into a physical matter, while the ground it stood became an endless pool of mana.

    All the primaryws of the world that made those mana monsters into what they were changed.

    And changed in ways and magnitude that I didn''t even dare to attempt to understand.

    ''One,'' a small voice appeared in my head when the distribution of space ended.

    Itsted only for a split of a second. Yet even that amount of time was enough to turn one of the monsters into nothing more but a ck core of the mana it condensed to protect itself.

    "Mia, now!" I shouted, feeling confident enough about my power to let my girl join.

    "Hurryah!" Mia uttered a strange war cry as she leaped forward. Yet, rather than using her altitude advantage to dropkick one of the monsters or even m her body into it...

    Mia orderlynded right by the monster''s side.

    She was still within the reach of my barriers, yet seeing her close and personal with those invaders...

    My soul shook with worry. Yet, before it could turn into fear, Mia stood in a position I was extremely familiar with... and she struck her fist forward.

 Chapter 351 Abberant

    ''Isn''t this the first time for me to watch Mia fight?'' I thought, suddenly realizing the small detail.

    Thinking back, I never really had the chance to watch her perform.

    Back at the Skdder''s sect, the most she did before my eyes was to stand up to a biased elder. During the time we have split apart, I obviously had no means of checking how she fights or even seeing how she trains.

    And even after we reunited, I was the one who bore the brunt of all the fighting, a limited as it was.

    Mia''s fist struck. And right at the point of impact, it became so heavy that the space itself started to crack under the pressure.

    ''What?'' I shrugged when I noticed this small detail. Then, I could only look at Mia with nothing but awe.

    ''I have to use a special spell to disturb the space like that, and she can do it with a simple punch?'' I thought, shaking my head as Mia''s image turned from cute to cool in my head.

    And then, the monster struck by Mia''s fist, flew away, a huge chunk of its mana-flesh left, stuck between several sets of my barriers.

    ''This is going rather easy,'' I thought before sending another surge of mana towards yet another monster.

    And just like before, the effects were as cinematic as they were devastating.

    "Can you pass me that blob of mana?" I shouted over to Nadia.

    "Sure thing," she replied, matching her words with the rhythmic attacks of thebo I taught her.

    Her right fist struck the monster from the side. Her left hand uppercutting the mass of its mana. Then, all of its shapeshifting flesh shifted to the left under the force of her right-legged kick...

    Only for Mia to kick at the now exposed core from the left, separating it from the mass of mana that made the monster up.

    ''Four done, three more to go,'' I thought, raising my eyes towards the next opponent.

    "ROAR!" A short cry reached my ears. And at the very same instant, all three remaining monsters rushed ahead.

    "Huh?" I moaned in surprise, shocked by the sudden attack.

    Two monsters took the lead. The one that I noticed as different hid behind them.

    On its own, it wasn''t a bad tactic, to let one''s underlings take the brunt of the attacks while preparing an attack capable of breaking my defenses.

    But this wasn''t the case at all.

    Instead of focusing on the defense, the monsters at the front simply tore through my barriers ahead, using the energy of their very own bodies to cancel out the energy of my barriers.

    They paid roughly ten percent of the mass of their mana for each step they took deeper into the field where I deployed my barriers.

    ''I need to ramp up my game as well,'' I thought, finally activating my wardens... or rather, the sentinels that all my wardens turned within the sphere of influence of my mage''s tower.

    A flurry of small yet potent magic al attacks followed.

    They appeared like a series of tracer bullets spewed out by some early kind of a machine gun. Yet, all those magical bullets amounted to, was chipping away at the already exhausted energy of the monsters at the front.

    ''This can turn out pretty tough,'' I thought, gripping down the handle of my spear. ''I didn''t expect I woulde to use this spear ever again,'' I thought a momentter.

    Contrary to Mia, who followed the path of true mastership centered around the repetitions of simple movement and aimed at reaching the absolute peak of the mystery of doing so...

    Compared to Mia''s path of development of her own choosing, I was more of a wildcard.

    Back as a contractor, I used my spear to fend off for myself. Yet, as my power grew, I quickly adapted the tools and skills more suited to my new potential.

    But that didn''t mean my spear lost any bit of its power!

    "ROAR!!!" the strange monster uttered its cry again, this time holding it for a far longer time.

    And then, right as the two monsters at the front feel to the ground, reduced to nothing more but their cores...

    The cry of the monster was cut short. And its massive jaws suddenly appeared right above my face.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, mming two of my sentinels into the monster while simultaneously leaping to the side.

    CRASH!

    The attack came way faster than I expected. In fact, it was way faster than it actually should be.

    Even with all the means, I used to make my escape easier, I could still feel blood trickling down my thing.

    It appeared that my leg ended up catching up on one of the monster''s massive teeth...

    Teeth that appeared, only to vanish after the attack and turn into ting all over the monster''s back.

    ''This one is on a whole different level,'' I thought, mming mana into my wounded leg to at least stop the bleeding.

    Yet, the monster gave me no time to rest, forcing me to jump away right away.

    "Damn, it''s been a while," I allowed myself a short sentence as I jumped yet again to avoid another attack.

    But this time, when Inded, I didn''t bend my knees and threw my eyes all over the ce to locate the next ce to retreat to.

    The three times that I gave ground to the monster weren''t just a bunch of frantic attempts to escape the danger. They were all a part of a battle n that I hatched when the fight started.

    And now, with just enough distance away from the monster that I then tranted into time, I tightened my hold over the handle of my spear.

    ''I wonder if it will work, I thought, infusing my weapon with more raw energy than ever before. As a result, I could feel the materials that the weapon was made from starting to crack apart, unable to hold such an insane amount of mana.

    But I didn''t need this spear tost for long. Sure, it was my momentum of pathfinder and the things he taught me...

    But there was one more aspect to the battle.

    Now that only a single monster was left, Mia didn''t hesitate to rush toward it. And with my constant retreats, she was now dangerously close to his aberrant!

    ''It''s time to end it,'' I thought when I realized the materials of my horny spear of a newbie reached their absolute limit.

    A single name appeared in my thoughts. The monster finally locked on me, once again turning into a leech-like form and aiming its massive jaws in front of me.

    ''Precise strike,'' I thought.

    In an instant, the energy within the spear swirled. It started to circte from the tip of the de to the bottom of the handle, quickly forming a delicate, barely noticeable aura outside of the spear.

    I didn''t even need to swing the weapon to realize that although appearing delicate, the aura created by the flow of energy could cut any and all matter of this world.

    And wasn''t the massive leech-like monster in front a perfect target to test the potential of this skill?

 Chapter 352 Long-Desired Cooperation

    "Let''s go!" I shouted, hoping to use my voice to encourage myself.

    Sure, I was eager to test out the potency of my old skill, especially after I had grown so much.

    My mana circted through my arcane spear. The arura that formed around the de of the spear seemed eager to cut through something.

    And I was more than happy to oblige.

    ''Die,'' I thought, holding myself back from uttering it out loud.

    I already served a sufficient dose of cringe for the fight.

    My spear flew forward, pushed by a well-trained thrust.

    All in all, discounting the efforts around it or not directly rted, spear fighting was the second of my abilities that I trained the most.

    Sure, I spent a lot of effort to raise my cultivation and,ter on, deepen the pool of my mana. But still, the movement I learned from Lucius and the spear arts I polished since meeting pathfinders remained my true forte.

    ''And now I''m going to put them to test,'' I thought, swinging my spear down.

    I extended my weapon as far as I could in my hands, creating the biggest leverage that wouldn''t mean risking losing the grip of the weapon.

    And with a wide arc, my spear cut right through the monster, splitting its massive body in half all the way up to its middle.

    ''Woah,'' I couldn''t help but freeze in awe for but a second.

    ''That went better than I expected,'' I thought, not too shy to acknowledge my own power.

    ''Well, I continued to strive to be stronger and stronger for a long while already,'' I thought, bringing my spear down.

    I then made half of a pirouette, keeping the swinging momentum of the spear and readjusting its angle to a horizontal hit.

    "Woah!" My instincts got better of me, forcing me to jump away.

    Right in the nick of time.

    Instead of trying to heal its injury by simply merging the two blocks of mana back together, the monster changed the shape of the cut parts.

    It stretched its newfound arms out, mming them right down on the ground.

    ''Close one,'' I thought.

    A single jump was enough to reposition myself. I then shook my awe off before stalling the spear and fixing my grip over it.

    "Do you want some help?" Mia asked, standing several feet to the back.

    She was long done with her part of the small horde. And from the look on her face that I caught a glimpse of, she was starting to get bored.

    "Sure thing," I replied.

    I then pushed my hand out as if I wanted to use its palm to push my spear away.

    I couldn''t break the contact with the spear. Otherwise, the flow of the mana between my cultivation and the weapon would cease. That''s why, while grabbing it firmly with my mana, I spun around while using my palm as support.

    "Woah," Mia stopped herself from jumping in from the front.

    I underestimated the strength of my mana yet again.

    The spear on my palm turned into a fan-like de, cutting the tentacles of the violet mana so thinly it nearly turned into a mist.

    The wind that my attack kicked in blew right into the girl''s face, alerting her about the strength of the attack.

    "I guess I will take the back instead," Miamented with a small smirk before leaping forward to circle around the monster.

    "I want to see how long it willst," I shouted after the girl before focusing back on the fight.

    Sure, my spinning spear continued to disintegrate the thick mana body of the monster... But the monster didn''t leave its body lying down for my convenience.

    At first, it pulled its tentacles out, ready to reform them into something else...

    ''It''sing!'' I thought when the remaining mana of the monster converged into a single, thick tentacle in the middle with an array of smaller ones around.

    SLAM!

    I knew the attack wasing. Yet, I failed to figure out what it would be.

    The thick tentacle mmed right into the middle of my spinning spear as if it wanted to high-five my palm.

    ''Fuck,'' I thought, feeling as if my arm would break in its elbow. Only with a desperate swing of my body did I manage to change the angle of my joint to absorb the attack with my entire body rather than an arm alone.

    SIZZZ...

    I could feel my feet getting hot after the attack dragged them through the ground.

    Lowering my eyes, I could see two roughly four meters-long rifts in the ground, both ckened as if someone burned them down.

    ''Ugh,'' I let out the air from my lungs before gasping for a fresh breath. ''That was a heavy one,'' I admitted before bringing my focus back to the monster.

    Its thick tentacle had already changed to an array of medium-sized ones, clearly indicating another attack wasing.

    "I need to get up," I spat out, only to realize some blood mixed in with my saliva.

    The attack turned out even heavier than I expected. But it wasn''t anything much either.

    "Let''s go," I shook my head and leaped forward, dragging my spear along.

    I could feel its structural integrity deteriorating, unable to handle the stress of both mana and its physical use.

    Still, I jumped forward. Using the skills I learned from Lucius, I then turned the surging tentacles into footholds.

    ''Thanks for the steps,'' I thought, looping around the monster only to push my spear down.

    But that was where my momentum ended.

    Normally, a position right above an enemy''s back would be optimal. But not in the case of this fight.

    My spear struck down at what would normally be the spine of the monster... But Icked the strength and reach to split the monster in half like before.

    The most I could do was a deep but simple stab.

    "That''s enough!" Mia shouted, right as the back of the monster boiled, giving birth to an array of hundreds thing tentacles right below me.

    And then Mia struck her fist into the monster''s back, sending it flying forward... All the while, my spear continued to cut at where it was.

 Chapter 353 Core Monster

    ''Damn,'' I thought, dashing forward with all my might.

    My legs stepped upon the concrete mana of the monster''s body.

    The myriad of tentacles scattered all over the monster''s spine jumped in my way. But right now, I only have one aim.

    "DIE!" I shouted.

    I then coated my legs with mana before speeding up.

    And then, the force of Mia''s hit finally traversed through the enemy, sending it flying forward.

    This was the reason why I stacked momentum right before.

    With my spear dug deep into the monster''s flesh, I ran on its moving back, turning a small stab into a cut that severed half of the monster in half.

    ''Again,'' I thought, jumping on myst foothold. I turned my body around midair before projecting a barrier behind my back.

    "Ugh..."

    I lost all the air in my lungs. But I managed to kill my momentum.

    I bent my knees at the makeshift foothold before leaping right back toward the monster.

    When I first managed to cut it properly, I failed to expose its core. This was my second chance.

    ''There it is,'' I thought when I noticed a ball of an extremely condensed mana.

    The core of the monster. The ce where its host would be trapped in a quagmire of magic they couldn''t control.

    "Get out!" I let out a small, short shout when I struck the ball with the butt of my spear.

    Right in time.

    A myriad of tentacles rushed to stop me from attacking the core... But they were all toote. And with the core separated, the condensed magic lost all of its cohesiveness.

    PLACK!

    The core made a weird, sloppy sound when it fell to the ground.

    "Damn," I muttered, creating a foothold to stay in the air while looking down.

    I tried to limit my strength, but my attack was still strong enough to force the core into the ground.

    Due to the nature of local mana and the mana of those monsters, the two should repel each other.

    For a moment, I couldn''t help but ponder over what could happen.

    My eyes opened wide when I realized one crucial thing.

    ''Aren''t I ying with forces I don''t understand at all yet?''

    The sudden realization struck me like lightning.

    ''Mia!'' A single thought filled my mind.

    I copsed the foothold below my feet right as I kicked against it.

    This time I didn''t bother to control my strength. I was too worried about the potential results of those two types of mana forcefully colliding.

    ''Because I know what happens then,'' I thought, recalling my exploits with the mana engine.

    Inded by the girl''s side within a single frame of reference. And before the side-effects of such a rapid rush could kick in in the surroundings, I already grabbed Mia and desperately fled away.

    BOOM!

    Just like I expected, the reaction happened.

    ''Thank God,'' I thought, a wave of relief spreading in my soul.

    With Mia firmly in my hands, I could somehow manage to defend her against the mana disaster.

    But nothing like it happened.

    Sure, a sudden wave of sound was devastating and made me shudder to my core...

    "Is that all there is to it?" I muttered a question, turning my head around and staring nkly at the former core.

    "What is this...?" Mia muttered a small question as she dropped all of her shock and looked in the same direction.

    A broken shell of solid mana decorated the ce where I dropped the core. Those shards generated a strange mist that hid most of the stuff in the area.

    And right in the middle of this mess, I could see a movement of something big.

    "That''s definitely not a human," I muttered. I then fixed my hold over the girl, ready to escape at a moment''s notice.

    "Let me down!" Mia demanded, eager to help out in theing fight.

    "No way," I refused, ignoring my earlier wishes to let Mia lead.

    Because the thing that moved inside this strange, dark fog gave me chills.

    From this alone, I could tell how different this enemy was from the others.

    I tightened my grasp over Nadia''s waist and knees.

    The body in my hands felt so feeble, so delicate...

    I tightened my jaws and squinted my eyes.

    "I doubt I can best it," I said in a nk voice.

    Mia''s attempts to free herself from my grasp ceased all at once.

    She looked away from the moving shape within the fog, turning her eyes towards my face.

    Her body was tense as she stared down into my eyes. She then raised her hand to my cheek.

    The second I felt her gentle, warm touch on my face, Mai''s body rxed.

    "Fine," she smiled, raising her arms and wrapping them around my neck.

    A shudder went through my spine.

    ''How could she be like that right in the middle of a serious danger?!'' I wailed in my thoughts.

    How was I supposed to keep my eyes on the threat when Mia acted so meek and flirty?

    ''Should I try fighting it?'' I thought, Mia''s actions invoking some sort of basic, primal instincts in me.

    But as I alternated my eyes between the shape in the fog and Mia''s feeble body...

    I clenched my teeth before taking a step back.

    Rather than showing off before her, I would rather keep her safe!

    I took another step to the back...

    And then I stopped. My face turned nk.

    "What about the people in the cave?" I muttered a small question, frozen in ce.

    My thoughts turned all calm; my mind turned into a perfect void.

    Struck with this sudden moral dilemma, I couldn''t make a move, be it with my flesh or with my mind.

    A single image shed in my head.

    An image of Mia''s body ripped to shreds, her eyes empty, her heart turned into a pool of blood in this unknown monster''s jaws.

    And this image was powerful enough to stop me in my tracks.

    ''She is my happiness in this world,'' I thought, looking down at the girl''s peaceful face.

    She epted any and all oue, leaving her own fate literally in my hands while smiling and caressing my cheek.

    I then looked towards the cave, where some strangers would likely die to the monster if I didn''t do something.

    The choice... wasn''t even there.

    "Let''s go," I softly whispered, smiling at the girl as I turned around and gave the leg.

    I knew my limits. And more than anyone else, I was fully aware that the power of the mana engine wasn''t truly mine yet.

    Sure, with its insane potential, I could st that strange monster out of the face of this world...

    But just like I realized before, I would be ying with forces I do not understand.

    A single misstep and my life would be forfeit. And while the concept of death was strangely distant, theck of future with Mia...

    Or even worse, harming her way?

    Someone or something putting a pained expression on her lovely face? Making this gentle soul suffer?

    No.

    I wasn''t a gambler in my past life, but I still knew a little about weighing the risks and chances!

    So, without a second thought, I rushed as far away from the scene as I could!

    For a moment, I thought that I had made the correct choice.

    And then, a sudden roar shook the air.

    Only for a massive figure of a winged lizard to appear in the sky.

 Chapter 354 Physical Limitations

    "Are you fucking kidding me?" A moan of desperate yet powerless disbelief escaped from my lips.

    There was only one name that the monster in the sky could bear. And it was worth my reaction.

    "A fucking dragon," I whispered, more in awe than I was actually terrified.

    And then, the sense of reality struck.

    "A dragon?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side. "What does that mean?"

    As if there weren''t enough big surprises for today.

    "You seriously don''t know?" I asked, my right eyebrow rising on its own.

    ''Assuming this is earth but farter, shouldn''t that bemon knowledge?'' I thought, puzzled by the sudden disparity between my beliefs and reality.

    But in the current moment, all I could do was shake my shoulders over the topic.

    I had problems far more important and immediate than discovering the truth behind this world.

    "It''s heading to the city," I observed after staring at the majestic figure of the monster.

    ''But why?'' I asked myself.

    There was this sense of urgency... But rather than rushing in to stop the monster from gaining on us, I took a moment to think.

    ''Why would it move away?'' I asked, only to clench my teeth. ''No, that''s too vague,'' I thought, lowering my eyes to the ground.

    "You worry about the reason," Mia suddenly whispered, raising both of her hands to my cheeks. She locked my head in ce and looked deeply into my eyes.

    Mia then shook her head as a sad smile shed on her lips.

    "I do not know the answer," she admitted, shaking her head.

    Her hands moved up and down, gently rubbing my cheeks.

    "Maybe it tries to escape the mana of this world?" Mia suggested as she lowered her eyes and put on a thoughtful expression.

    Her words struck a chord in my soul.

    "That certainly could be a factor," I acknowledged, my focus raising through the roof.

    Now that Mia offered a new perspective, I had no trouble breaking through my confusion.

    "Wait," I suddenly stopped, my eyes widening. "There are only two options," I imed, directing my eyes back at Mia''s face.

    "It either considers us to be its opponents or not," I exined as I shook my head and turned my head in the same direction the dragon was flying.

    And then I stopped giving the monster the lead.

    I kicked the ground with my mana-infused legs. While we were in a rtively sparse part of the forest, it still allowed me to incorporate my tree-movement skill into my dash.

    ''This is going to be tough,'' I thought, dashing through the vast distances with ease but recovering the lead at a very slow pace.

    It wasn''t like I couldn''t pour more mana into my legs. In fact, I was only using a tiny fraction of my full ability.

    But this wasn''t a game. I already made the mistake of ying around with the antimana once. And while I survived that event, my respect for this technique grew significantly.

    ''If I go any faster, my body will fall apart,'' I thought, gritting my teeth over the faulty way in which my body was constructed.

    From the legs unfit for bipedal races, through remaining bones that long lost their function all the way to the traits that actively made the human body fragile.

    There were just way too many things that couldn''t be broken.

    The limits that people on earth never really had the chance to feel.

    Overbearing eleration. Forces so great that the human brain simply couldn''t even begin toprehend.

    And now, those exact forces actively sought to slow my movements down.

    The air resistance made all my moves heavy. Raising my hand felt like lifting a massive boulder. Pushing my leg forward was harder than reaching a new record at the gym.

    ''Tsk,'' I couldn''t even click my tongue with how it ended up squashed against the back of my throat.

    The eleration itself neared the speed of a bullet.

    I only had all the mana reinforcements to thank for keeping my body from simply crumbling apart.

    Then, the dragon sped up. Right now, I could no longer catch up to it. Keeping the distance constant was the peak of my ability.

    ''If we are not a threat to it, it simply ignored us and moved to somewhere it will feel better,'' I thought, unable to reveal this realization to Mia.

    ''But if it felt threatened by our presence,'' I thought, raising my eyes towards the distance.

    And there it was, far off, near the horizon.

    The general shape of the city from the past. The only ce thatcked any and all mana in the air.

    A perfect environment for the monster using antimana. And the worst battleground for me.

    The greatest source of my strength ultimately came from my formations.

    Sure, I was strong... But even after everything I went through, my general power level wasn''t all that great.

    Even though it felt like ages since thest time I checked out my system, I didn''t dare to summon it right now.

    Not when even a momentarypse of attention would cost me my life.

    In other words, the bulk of my power came from how much I could leverage my own strength over the mana flowing through my formations.

    But all the core formations that made up my mage''s tower had one requirement. One condition is somon I never really considered the idea of removing it.

    They needed at least a trace amount of mana in the air to operate.

    Just like with every contraption, my formations couldn''t capture all the mana perfectly. Over time and use, they would also deteriorate, leaking more and more mana over time.

    Normally, it wouldn''t be a problem, as the mana would be contained within a mana-conducting air. As such, the concentration of mana around the formations would naturally draw more of it towards them.

    But in a ce with no mana in the air, most of my formations would be brittle, sumbing to wear in a matter of seconds!

    ''We can''t fight it in the city,'' I thought.

    Then, I stopped my dash,ing to aplete stop as quickly as I could.

    There was no way for me to catch up with that dragon. Not with Mia in my arms.

    "I''m sorry, dear," I apologized while putting the girl down. "This is the only option," I added, gracing Mia with a single, sad smile.

    A single tear appeared in Mia''s eye.

    She quickly raised her hand and wiped it off before turning her shock into a bright smile.

    "Go," she said, reaching out with her hands to my head. She then brought it down and leaned forward.

    Her lips pressed against my forehead. The sweet fragrance of her breath washed over my face.

    "With my blessing, go and win," Mia whispered, pulling both her head and her hands away.

    "Go and check on the others," I suggested, soaking the girl''s smile into my memory.

    If there was anything that I could need before a sudden, decisive battle to the death, it was exactly her encouragement.

    "They might be still alive," I added before decisively turning on my heel and rushing ahead.

    The limits of my body didn''t change.

    But this city was just too important.

    ''I can''t let it rampage there. This could be a core for a rebuilt world,'' I thought, clenching my teeth before closing my eyes and calming down my mind.

    For but a moment, I ran on instinct alone.

    And then, Ibined my mana with the small amount of antimana I had left.

    I missed the opportunity to refuel during the fight with the dragon''s previous form.

    But it didn''t matter.

    As soon as my magical engine ignited, I directed its energy evenly throughout my body.

    ''If my body can''t bear it, just use more mana to reinforce it!'' I thought, lowkey proud of my own genius, as reckless as it could seem to be.

    And without a second thought, I leaped forward.

    The sheer force I tore through the air with was enough to clear my path from all the obstacles.

    The quirk with the world''s physics was that at a certain range, things like durability or integrity simply didn''t matter.

    And for the first time in a short while, I started to catch up with the dragon again.

    I didn''t have much time... but I could still make it!

 Chapter 355 Dragon In The Sky

    My body was screaming in pain.

    Everyst cell that made up my varying organs appeared to be on the verge of bursting out.

    Yet, as I continued to speed up, no such thing happened.

    It was as if the mana squeezed those cells of mine too damn much for them to burst open from the stress!

    ''That provokes quite heavy, philosophical question,'' I thought, doing my utmost to somehow lift my own spirits.

    Because the fight I was going for would likely result in my death.

    ''Well, that''s not a bright perspective, isn''t it?'' I thought.

    At my current stage, I couldn''t control how much mana moved into each part of my body. It followed the initial setup without fail.

    Yet, the power in my limbs continued to grow as my mana engine went into full swing.

    The increase was the same for all my body.

    And lowkey, I couldn''t be happier with such a result.

    ''If not for all the mana in my cells, everyst organ of my body would burst apart,'' I thought, pushing myself further and further into this hell.

    And then, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to happen, I reached the outskirts of the city.

    And the Dragon has yet to even approach it.

    ''Woah,'' I screamed inwardly up, forcing most of my remaining antimana into my engine.

    The power within my flesh thickened... and allowed me to survive the sudden deeleration ofnding.

    "UGH..." the instant my legs touched the ground, I threw out a smallke of blood.

    Even with the mana reinforcing it, my body couldn''t handle that much stress.

    Yet, as much as I wished to just fall to my knees and continue throwing out blood, I raised my hand and wiped my mouth clean before standing up.

    I then turned around and looked in the direction the dragon wasing from.

    ''God damn it,'' I thought while clenching my fists.

    The closer this monster became, the better I could feel its sharp aura. And if it could project the aura of antimana so powerful that even a mixed mage like me could feel it...

    "I guess I wasn''t wrong with my assessment of its power,'' I thought grimly.

    I then fell to my knee, a sudden bout of weakness taking over my body.

    But I stood up.

    Both physically and mentally.

    "There is no use facing it with the mindset of going down with it," I muttered under my nose before spitting my thick saliva on the ground.

    I then raised my hands and pped my cheeks before raising them above my head.

    "Raise, my mage''s tower," I uttered in a dramatic voice.

    ''This might be the end of me, so why not?'' I thought, ignoring the feeling of cringe overwhelming my soul.

    A golden sigil appeared floating between my hands. Courtesy of a small, purely decorative formation I created a long time ago.

    And for the very first time, I found a proper way to use it.

    The dragon finally caught up. Yet, rather thannding to enter the city right away, it however high above, circling the area.

    ''Is it trying to sound the situation out?'' I pondered while holding the golden seal high above my head.

    "ROAR!" the monster finally uttered a cry. It then pulled its wings to its torso and dived down.

    ''How unoriginal,'' I thought, watching how the dragon flew towards me at an increasing speed.

    I waited until it reached just the right height...

    And then I broke the seal in my hand, unleashing the surprise I prepared in my formations.

    In an instant, all the formations came alive, powered by their own, tiny engines.

    And then, my magical tower exploded with mana, filling the entire area with a powerful surge of energy.

    The dragon... opened its wings up, rapidly losing its momentum.

    Its chest raised. It then pulled its head to the back of its long neck...

    ''It''s going to breathe mes?'' I thought, condensing the mana in the part of the mage''s tower that faced the oing attack.

    And then, the dragon swung its head forward, adding the momentum of its dive into the attack.

    And once again... it was pretty unoriginal.

    A simplistic ball of mes erupted from the dragon''s throat. It then separated from its system before crushing down towards my position.

    ''Wait, are you for real?'' I shrugged in surprise, taking the attack head-on... Only to barely feel any pressure when it struck.

    Sure, a normal cultivator of my level would likely fry to his death under the onught of the mes...

    But rather than burning me up, dragon''s mes... vanished.

    ''Ah, so that''s what happens when two abilities of a different kind converge,'' I thought, a sh of enlightenment clearing my mind.

    And then, my lips curved into a smile.

    The dragon used its momentum to swing right above the ground and then climb back to the skies, escaping from the reach of my mage''s tower.

    ''Damn it,'' I thought, rearranging my formations and sentinels ording to the new information I got.

    For the next few moments, nothing really happened. The dragon continued to circle above me, either waiting for me to go down on my own or maybe analyzing the situation?

    This was my first time fighting with a sentient monster like that, so I didn''t really have a clue what to expect from it next. But what was even worse, was how I couldn''t tell the level of its intelligence.

    ''I shoulde up with some long-range attacks,'' I thought, clenching my teeth as the anticipation of the attack started to whack my nerves.

    And then, the dragon finally pulled its wings together, going for yet another dive.

    This time, however, it didn''t bother to utter a roar.

    ''What are you going to show me now?'' I thought, preparing myself for the impact of the inevitable attack.

    But this time, I didn''t simply wait while bolstering my defenses.

    This time, my sentinels red up and started shooting as soon as the Dragon moved too fast to escape away from their range!

 Chapter 356 Bolting The Dragon

    A flurry of empowered bolts appeared before roughly half of my sentinels.

    The other half I put exclusively on defense, unwilling to make the mistake of underestimating my opponent.

    Still, half of all my sentinels formed a roundish shape of condensed mana in front of them. And then, like tears trickling down the face of a heartbroken maiden, small pieces of mana oozed out of the ball of the condensed power.

    TRAAAAAA....

    Whenever a tiny piece of magic would turn autonomous, it would then shoot at the dragon, chipping away at its defenses.

    The first wave of bolts didn''t do much. The second one, either.

    But my sentinels weren''t shooting in waves at all.

    Maybe it was the influence of me, the host of the system, that turned those sentinels the way they were. Yet, seeing how each of the sentinels shot its bolts so fast, they practically turned into aser line that tracked the movements of the dragon...

    I felt pity and shame.

    ''This kind of power is pretty much too much,'' I thought, bracing myself for the impact.

    My bolts continued to explode against the dragon''s scales. Yet, no matter how many attacks did this monster take, it continued its dive.

    And then, barely a few seconds after it dropped to the ground, the dragon finally reached its destination.

    BOOM!

    Three out of five guarding sentinels of mine shattered upon impact, taking the brunt of the attack.

    I bent down on my knees, feeling as if my body was about to be squashed underneath the dragon''s massive body.

    But my shields held on, keeping the dragon far enough to stop it from attacking me directly.

    But it was still well within the range of my mage''s tower!

    "DISTURB!" I shouted, not wanting to use my ace

    This was the only ability of mine that didn''t derive its power from my formations.

    Sure, the better they were, the greater the range of my mage''s tower was, and as such, the greater range of this spell...

    But on its own, my disturb skill was too weird to ssify for the terms necessary to judge the power of one''s skill. After all, it didn''t inflict damage; it wasn''t aimed at destroying the shields either.

    This was the one skill of mine that could be called fully neutral, as its aim was never the opponent but the space it was in.

    ''That should do it,'' I thought, watching how a surge of my mana tore through the space, reaching for the dragon''s body like some sort of god''s hand.

    And then, just like it did whenever I used it in the past, my mana destroyed the space itself.

    Thews that allowed for the tiniest of the particles to make up a logical sense... failed. The rules that all the matter and magic had to abide by no longer apply.

    It all happened in but a sh. Yet, as the space itself won the struggle against my mana and mended up the rift in its fabric...

    No dragon awaited me. Instead, it was something that I had already faced before.

    The dragon disappeared, only to get reced with its previous form. As if my attack actually helped it to recover, it projected its antimana again, turning back into the shapeshifting invader from before.

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed in my thoughts as I leaped to the back to gain some ground.

    A m of the dragon''s tail created a sizeable hole in the ground that I stood on just a moment earlier.

    I swallowed my saliva down my throat. Seeing this sight, I didn''t need a perfect imagination ability to figure out what would happen if I didn''t follow my instincts to dodge.

    ''I can''t let it get physical,'' I thought, taking another leap back.

    And then I stopped.

    Not because there was no ground for me to retreat even further. But doing so would mean stepping right on top of the city I wished to protect.

    ''Wait, now that it''s back in its former form...'' a thought suddenly breached into my mind.

    And then, a notion of self-loathing followed.

    ''I have eyes but cannot fucking see,'' I thought, reaffirming my position before redeploying all of my wardens.

    The second those auxiliary tools were raised, they turned into sentinels under the influence of my mage''s tower.

    This time, I didn''t bother with defense at all. Instead, I put all of my sentinels on attack mode and repeated the very same thing that I started this fight with.

    My sentinels took a moment to heat up. And then, once again, they turned into machine guns spewing small bolts of mana right into my shapeless enemy.

    This time, however, this attack instantly forced the reformed dragon back, chipping away at its exposed mana.

    ''Whatever the disturb did, it worked!'' I thought, a sense of hope appearing in my soul.

    Because for the first time since this fight began, I saw a real possibility ofing out victorious!

    "Keep going," I muttered, sticking my eyes to the moving blob of violet mana.

    My bolts didn''t do much to the monster on their own. For every attack, only a tiny chunk of the monster''s violet energy would chip away.

    But those bolts continued to shoot at a rate only modern firearms could achieve.

    ''Quantity is a quality of its own,'' I thought, a small smile appearing on my lips.

    Yet, the dragon wasn''t going to give up so easily.

    At first, it tried to fight off my attacks, yet no matter how many tentacles it made to counter the bolts, the fire rate of my sentinels turned out to be too much for it.

    ''Stay!'' I attempted to order the dragon with my thoughts when I saw it retreating. Its violet mana converged, consuming all the tentacles it formed itself into just a moment earlier.

    And then, two massive wings suddenly grew up from the monster''s back. They violently sput forward, catching the air and adding momentum to the dragon''s retreat.

    Yet, as soon as it got out of the range of immediate attack, the dragon shed all of its violet mana.

    ''Damn it,'' I thought, unable to hold back my praise for the opponent''s intellect.

    As inefficient and slow as it was, I believed I could keep the attack for longer than the mana-form of the dragon could survive it.

    But just as I was aware of it, the dragon appeared to figure it out as well, opting to return to the form in which it had greater chances against me.

    ''It would be a pity if it started a physical rampage,'' I thought, sending a nce to the small crater it made with its tail before. ''So I better make sure that even if it changes...'' I thought while a vicious smile appeared on my lips.

    I then leaped forward, giving chase after the retreating monster.

    For some, it could be dumb to rush ahead like that when facing a monster that I knew so little about.

    Yet, every step that I made forward meant putting more distance between that dragon and the city.

    ''Even if it changes, I will turn its right back into the easier form!''

    My game n was simple. It was easier for me to fight the mana form of the dragon rather than its physical form. As such, my best bet was to force this powerful opponent to stay in its weaker form.

    And the only requirement I had to fulfill to make that happen was sticking close enough to smack it with disturb the moment its physical form would appear!

 Chapter 357 The Dragon Did Me In!

    "Why are you running?!" I shouted after the Dragon, annoyed by its desperate attempts to escape from my grasp.

    Yet, the Dragon didn''t bother to heed my pleas. Instead, it swung its massive wings, pushing against the air as it continued to run away from me.

    ''Wait a second,'' I suddenly thought, nearly stopping myself from my dash. ''Why am I catching up to it now?''

    I wasn''t using the same kind of forceful methods as before. And yet, the distance between the Dragon and me, albeit slowly, continued to decrease.

    ''Is it trying to pull me away from the city or something?'' I thought, squinting my eyes as I attempted to see further into the distance to discern some more details of the Dragon.

    And there it was.

    Despite pretending to run away at its max possible speed, the Dragon gave itself the leisure of angling its head to the side so that he could throw a nce at me.

    ''It''s checking me out,'' I realized, burying my feet into the ground,

    Not doing what the enemy wanted was the very basis of any tactical fight!

    I stopped. Yet, the Dragon did not.

    "Was I wrong?" I muttered to myself, staring at the figure of the Dragon in the sky that turned smaller and smaller with every passing moment.

    And then, right as I was about to pick up the speed and use my engine to attempt catching up...

    The Dragon swirled in the air and turned around. And before I knew it, it had already reached a spot right above my head, only to dive down with its mouth wide open!

    ''A breath or a bite?'' I thought, curious to see how the Dragon hoped to ovee the abilities I had already showcased.

    Yet, as its massive body inched closer and closer, as its perfectly white and perfectly sharp teeth reflected the sun...

    ''Are you for real?'' I thought before clearing my thoughts.

    "Disturb!" I shouted before dodging to the side.

    BOOM!

    The blob of violet antimana crashed right into the ce where I stood just a moment ago.

    ''So that was its n,'' I thought, genuinely awed by the ingenuity of the attack.

    It was now clear to me that during the change and right after it, this damned monster couldn''t really attack me at all.

    ''It''s likely too busy adapting to its other form,'' I thought, watching how the Dragon once again attempted to shed all the anti-mana that covered him.

    Since it couldn''t attack but could not avoid the transformation my spell forced on it... Instead, it opted to use simple physicalws of momentum to strike me down!

    "That was really smart," Imented out loud, not shying away from admitting to my opponent''s strengths. "But it''s nowhere near enough!" I shouted, finally epting the cost that defeating the Dragon would incur on me.

    And so, I lifted all the restrictions of the output of my engine, mming all the antimana I had left in it.

    WRYYYYYYYYYYY

    A surge of mana nearly fried me alive when my mana engine went into full swing. And it was at this exact moment that I knew I fucked up.

    ''Once I run out of the fuel, the engine''s inertia will kill me,'' I thought, somehow capable of analyzing mying death without any major emotions involved in it.

    Yet, this was a problem forter. The problem of right now was currently gathering itself up from the ground in an attempt to be airborne again.

    "Wait for a second," I muttered, watching how the Dragon slowly took to the skies again.

    But my eyes weren''t directed towards the Dragon itself, but to the luggage it left behind.

    My lips curved up as I looked at the ownerless blob of violet anti-mana that the Dragon shed.

    "DON''T YOU DARE TO RUN!" I shouted, eager to chase it away, even if only for a little.

    My shouts worked. Sensing my approach, the Dragon swung its wings, and by kicking the air down, it took to the skies.

    I rushed ahead. There was no reason for me to wait. More than that, every second that I waited, the anti-mana continued to deteriorate, unable to withstand the mana etched into the very fabric of this world.

    "ROAAAR!" The Dragon''s cry shook the skies when it noticed what my true aim was.

    But it was already toote for it to execute any attacks or to stop me in any other way.

    Or so I thought.

    Because right when I jumped inside the small pool of the violet, condensed anti-mana, the Dragon swung around its own axis in the sky before bolting away...

    In one of the two directions, I really didn''t want it to go.

    "This fucker," I thought, soaking the fuel for my engine while ramping up its power.

    Now that I was slowly getting used to the current output of my mana engine, I could somehow fathom the idea of reaching even greater speed than before.

    And there was only one reason why I considered such a dangerous thing so lightly. It was the direction that the Dragon took.

    A direction that would take it all the way back to where I left Mia!

    "DON''T YOU FUCKING DARE!" I shouted when I noticed my rate of absorbing the antimana decreased.

    I then lowered myself to my knees before leaning my upper body forward. And right when I was about to lose stability and simply fall over, I stretched my legs out, putting all my newfound power into the leap!

    BOOM!

    The air turned into a seemingly imprable wall... the wall that I burst right through.

    It felt like my skin was peeling off, my flesh was disintegrating, and the very cells that made up all of them burst from the sudden change in pressure.

    This time, it took me only a second to catch up with the Dragon.

    But there was no achievement of mine in it, and for a simple reason at that.

    Because rather than rushing in the direction Mia was in, just like I was worried it would, the Dragon managed to do me in, turning around as soon as it escaped from my view.

    And now, I could only powerlessly watch how it rushed right back in the direction of the city while I had no other choice but to let the momentum of my jump die out!

 Chapter 358 Desperate Measures

    ''Is there really nothing that I can do?'' I thought, watching how the Dragon pped its wings only to turn into just a single dot of ck in the vast, blue sky.

    If I allowed my momentum to carry me away, there would be no way for me to get back to the city in time. Yet, stuck in mid-air and without any wings to make the difference, what could I actually do?

    ''Should I just give up?'' I thought, my eyes moving towards the direction I was moving in. ''It did threaten to attack Mia after all. Even if it does it again, there will be nothing I can do instead of rushing after it again,'' I thought.

    My instinct told me to bite my lips... But I was moving too damn fast for even a single muscle of mine to twitch.

    ''How the hell am I supposed to do anything now?'' I thought, despair starting to kick in.

    The fight just now proved that without that city, our chances of survival in this broken world would decrease by a whole lot. And as if to punish my willingness to go outside, a threat to the city appeared the very moment we stepped outside of it!

    ''Wait a second,'' I thought, suddenly struck by the idea.

    It was just a random way in which my brain highlighted some words from what I was already thinking, bringing forth a new possible meaning of them.

    ''If I can''t move my body at all, then the only things that I can move are outside of my body!''

    I saw the dragon p its wings to change its paths in the sky.

    ''But youck wings!'' someone could say.

    But didn''t that very Dragon already showcase several times how easily one could ovee this problem?

    ''Let''s see if I can do it too!'' I thought, ramping up the power of my engine even further, beyond any limits of what kind of energy I could infuse into my body.

    I didn''t allow this energy to go to waste, though. Rather than that, I continued to gather it all up in a single blob, all the way to the point where I couldn''t hold it any longer.

    ''FORM!'' I screamed out in my thoughts, hoping for this mental exercise to ease the task. At the same time, I attempted to shape the blob of magic into something that would resemble a wing.

    Only to fail in the instant I infused more magic into the blob than I could control.

    BOOM!

    The resulting mana explosion of my blob escaping from my grasp only served to add more momentum to my leap, making it even harder to turn around.

    ''So it won''t work, huh?'' I thought, clenching my teeth as I realized that I was quickly running out of time.

    It would take only so long for the Dragon to reach the city. And I not only needed to find a way to turn around mid-air with no footholds but also catch up to it in this short time!

    ''I guess I don''t have any other choice,'' I realized, preparing myself for what could end up as a shy suicide.

    And then, with a single word appearing in my mind, I closed my eyes.

    ''Disturb.''

    I didn''t throw the spell at the Dragon. It was way too far for normal attacks of mine to reach it, not to speak about the improved version of disturb that only worked within the range of my mage''s tower.

    In the end, there was only one target that I could use my disturb on. And it was me myself.

    SNAP.

    The space around me cracked and gave up under the attack of my spell, forcing me into a weird world where physicalws didn''t work.

    ''I need to think,'' I thought, using my extensive amount of mana to protect myself from the influence of this strange world.

    I kept my eyes closed, worried that I would go simply insane if I dared to open them.

    Yet, with my magic sense, I could tell that at least one element of the normal world had disappeared in this strange space Inded myself in.

    ''Again,'' I thought, pushing out the spare power of my magic engine, doing my very best to shape it into the form of a wing.

    My skin started to crack, and the blood in my veins refused to follow its natural pathways.

    ''Break!'' I thought, freeing myself from the disturb-created space only to emerge back into the normal world.

    I opened my eyes... But the magic that managed to form into the shape of a wing... dispersed the moment I did so.

    "What the hell..." I muttered, heavily disappointed. I then feel to my knees, spitting out the blood on the ground.

    ''Huh?'' It took me a short moment to realize what just happened.

    "What the fuck?" I uttered a small curse as I raised my hand to my eyes.

    In it, outside of the thick blood that I had just spat out, there were traces of dirt. And as I moved my eyes down, I realized that it wasn''t some sort of a dream.

    I was actually on the ground!

    "What the fuck?!" I screamed out, shocked to no end by the unexpected result. Yet, before the shock could get the better of me, I shook my head and looked around.

    The ce where Inded was slightly familiar to me. While the trees and patches of grass were just the same as everywhere else, I could recognize the generaly of thend around me.

    It was exactly the same as what I saw below me right before pping myself with disturb!

    ''Does this mean I lost all the momentum?'' I thought, trying toe up with a rational exnation for the event. ''Still, that would leave me hanging in the skies, wouldn''t it?'' I thought, only to force myself to stand up and then look around.

    And there it was, the simple proof of concept that was, at the same time, the simplest exnation of how the fuck did I manage to get from the sky to the ground just by losing my momentum.

    The ce where Inded... was actually a small, only a few-meters wide crater. And I just happened to stand right in the middle of it.

    ''I guess I simply didn''t feel the pain ofnding,'' I thought, a small smirk quivering on my lips.

    Used to the mind-shattering pain of exceeding the limits of the mana that my body could hold, the pain of falling from hundreds or tens of meters wasn''t anything that I could be bothered with!

    I shook my head. Right now, there were too many thoughts going through my brain, and I had way too little time to sort through them.

    But what I learned was that entering this shattered dimension created by my disturb spell would effectively kill my momentum. And that alone was enough for a new n to hatch in my head.

    ''I need more energy,'' I thought, ramping up the swing of my mana engine as far as I could without self-disintegrating my cells from mana overdose.

    I then wasted just a little bit more time calcting the size and shape of the space that my skill would disturb. And then, with a single thought and a prod from my mana, I send both myself and all the air around me flying.

    This time, however, I didn''t bother to gradually raise my speed, lingering at the edge of what eleration I could handle. Instead, the second I released the tension in my muscles and propelled myself forward, I uttered one word again.

    "Disturb!"

 Chapter 359 Unexpected Developments

    For but an instant, a tiny little vortex appeared within my mage''s tower. It sucked out but a tiny bit of my mana...

    Yet, before it could close up and form the spell, I forcefully infused a little bit more of my energy into it.

    It allsted but a split of a second. And within that timeframe, I dpressed my muscles andunched myself forward along with all the air contained within the sphere assaulted by the disturb skill.

    And so, I closed my eyes.

    ''Let''s hope it will work,'' I thought, counting seconds in my mind.

    My skin started to crack. The air around me turned into liquid, threatening to drown my lungs in it. The perspiration on my skin formed daggers that flew all around the small bubble of liquified air.

    Yet, outside of all the excruciating pain that filled everyst cell of my flesh, I could remotely sense something. A vortex powerful enough to influence me even beyond the bounds of space, outside of the scope of what normal physics could handle.

    And then, just a few secondster, it all came to an end.

    "HAAA..." I desperately exhaled the condensed air from my lungs, only to then gasp for the air. Yet, the second I did so, I choked on a massive amount of air that filled my lungs to the point of threatening to explode them from within.

    My consciousness wavered as I desperately fought off against all sorts of elements.

    Yet, there were two things that changed whenpared to just a moment ago.

    First, I could still somehow feel that vortex that I noticed within the space broken by my skill. And secondly...

    The ce where I ended up was far more familiar than I feltfortable with.

    ''It worked,'' I thought, falling to my knees as I retched all the blood that filled my lungs.

    The second my arms hit the ground, I could somehow feel the pull of that mysterious vortex strengthening.

    ''I need to recover,'' I thought, posing a simple task before my exhausted mind.

    I could recognize the outline of the nearbynds. It was exactly the same as when I left it when I went to chase after that crafty dragon.

    But the fact that I somehow made it here in time didn''t change the fact that the dragon wasing here as well. And right now, I was in no state to fight it.

    ''I need more energy,'' I thought, desperately forcing more and more antimana into my mana engine... only to realize that I had none of the fuel necessary.

    ''Huh?'' I shook my head, hoping to put my thoughts into order. ''How could the engine stall without killing me?''

    The inertia of the engine should wreak havoc in my cultivation the moment I ran out of anti-mana. After all, the force that caused the anti-mana to enter the engine now had no fuel to suck on. Yet, thatck of fuel wouldn''t suddenly cause this force to cease to exist!

    And yet, against all logic andws of magic that I could figure out, I was still alive.

    ''Could it be that strange world outside of space''s fault?'' I thought, desperate to find an answer, hoping it would shed some light on my current situation.

    THUMP.

    The dull noise of something heavynding right beside me announced the end of my time.

    I failed to find an answer. This meant I couldn''t form a new magical thesis that I could exploit in a fight against the dragon.

    "I guess this is the end," I muttered, only to send another wave of blood down my throat and on the ground.

    Still on my knees, I lowered my head, ready for what was going toe next.

    Yet, no matter how much I waited... I could still think.

    I opened my eyes, and surprise, surprise, I could still see. I could breathe. My heart continued to beat.

    All those things could mean only one thing.

    "I''m still alive?" I muttered, raising my head to look at the dragon that definitelynded right by my side just a moment before.

    And there it was,fortably lying on the ground.

    As I raised my head, our eyes met. And its eyes...

    They were as deep as an ocean, filled with a deep wisdom that I couldn''t find in a single human being alive.

    ''Those are not the eyes of some vile monster,'' I thought, swallowing down my saliva.

    The dragon looked at me... Only to then turn its head to the side and lick a long, bloody wound on the membrane of its wing.

    ''I didn''t do it,'' I thought, unable to connect any of my attacks to this kind of injury.

    And most importantly... the dragon didn''t appear to be hostile towards me at all! Yet, what was even more important, it didn''t go on a rampage over the city''s roof, opting to just calmly sit on it instead!

    ''Was I mistaken?'' I thought, falling back on my ass as I stared down at the majestic figure of the dragon.

    "What are you?" I asked in a tiny voice, unable to hold back my awe.

    The dragon turned its eyes to me... but it didn''t bother to move its head at all. And after just a quick, almost pitiful nce, it moved its focus back to literally licking its wounds.

    Wounds that, as if touched by some magic wand, started to mend at a visible rate.

    ''Fuck,'' I cursed under my breath, noticing a simple possibility.

    Rather than refusing to fight for no reason, the dragon could simply notice I was in no state to fight at all, so it opted to cure itself first before bothering to finish me off!

    For a moment, my vignce raised... Yet, as soon as I raised my now focused eyes to look at the dragon again...

    The wise look behind its eyes, the absolute peace at which it rested on the ground...

    Seeing a being so peaceful and majestic, I simply couldn''t bring myself to even think about raising my hand against it!

 Chapter 360 Uncertain Cooperation

    "Just what the hell is going on?" I muttered under my nose.

    My knees turned weak, too weak to hold my body up.

    Plop.

    I plummeted down to the ground, falling weakly on my ass. Only thanks to a desperate throw of my arms to the back did I manage to keep my eyes on the massive dragon ahead.

    Yet, rather than using this opportunity of me lowering my guard to attack, the dragon simply threw a quick nce at me...

    And then it returned to literally licking its wound.

    ''Just who would be able to hurt it like that?'' I asked myself as I stared wide-eyed at the being in front of me.

    I then shook my head and closed my eyes, focusing more on the mana view of the world.

    ''Woah,'' I shrugged when I finally realized what the hell was going on.

    ''It didn''t want to destroy the city,'' I realized when I finally managed to figure out what I saw in the mana spectrum.

    Contrary to its calm demeanor in the physical world, the dragon was actually hyper-active in the mana world. Yet, rather than trying to actively do something...

    It simply allowed the vortex that I noticed near the middle of the city before to suck all the anti-mana that oozed out of its flesh!

    ''So it simply wanted to get rid of the element that''s unnatural in this part of the greater world?'' I formted a thesis that could somewhat exin what the hell was going on.

    "Does that mean..." I muttered...

    And the dragon''s head moved only for its eyes to once againnd on me.

    I wasn''t a dragon behaviorist. I didn''t know whether I could apply the human methodology to its behavior...

    But as far as I was concerned, there was curiosity behind those deep,ke-like eyes of this majestic being.

    "God damn," I cursed under my breath before leaning back on my hand and taking a deep breath. "I guess I overreacted to your presence, didn''t I?" I said in a feeble voice while turning my eyes towards the sky.

    The dragon continued to look at me for a little longer, only to then turn its attention back to its wing.

    The licking clearly helped the wound to heal... but I could sense some sort of force that prevented the membrane from fully closing. Whenever the two cut parts attempted to merge back together, that strange force would ramp up, splitting it open yet again.

    "That''s quite a potent curse," I muttered as I leaned forward.

    To say that this effect caught my attention would be a gross underestimation.

    ''Wait a second,'' I thought, gathering myself up and standing up before taking a step towards the dragon.

    "Rrrr..." a small growl came out from the dragon''s mouth.

    It was clear that it didn''t endorse the idea of me approaching it any further.

    But right now, my state of mind turned weird.

    So, despite how dumb it might be, I dropped my mage''s tower, summoning all the formation stones back into the set of pouches that decorated my clothes.

    I then raised my hands and looked the dragon directly in the eyes.

    "I do mean no harm anymore," I stated, only to shake my hands a little.

    I couldn''t know whether or not the dragon understood the meaning of this gesture... But for some reason, the thought of caution didn''t linger in my head for even a second.

    I took one more step... and then another. And before long, I stood by the side of the dragon, directly in front of its injured wing.

    ''Is this some sort of curse? Or maybe poison?'' I thought, looking closer at the roughly arm''s-long gap in its wing''s membrane.

    Now that I got closer, the dragon clearly became jumpier. Yet, while I couldn''t control my current actions, I managed to at the very least slow down all my movements to the bare minimum.

    "Just who could injure you like that?" I muttered under my nose, raising my hand to the wound... Only to stop it right before the two coulde to contact.

    A stray thought continued to linger in my thoughts, too vague for me to even voice it out, yet too persistent for me to stop now.

    "It had to be done by some sort of de," I muttered, closing my eyes before pressing my hand for the half of an inch that separated it from the dragon''s injury.

    My fingers touched the wound... Only for my mind to explode.

    An insanelyplex array of magic threatened to fry my mind just over a short attempt at deciphering it.

    "So it''s mana based," I thought, slowly sliding my hand through the soft membrane as I continued to scan the strange curse.

    A short momentter I opened my eyes and took a step back. I then took a deep breath before looking at the dragon''s head.

    ''Gulp.''

    The sound of me swallowing my saliva sounded like the drums of heaven announcing the end of the world. And my consciousness once again threatened to sink into the dragon''s deep eyes.

    "Fear not," I said out loud, summoning my spear.

    The dragon nearly jumped back to its feet... but something somehow stopped it right at the verge of making the move.

    On the other hand, rather than using the opportunity to attack the beast... I brought the spear to my knee before snapping it into two.

    The outer part of the wooden handle I threw away. Yet, before doing anything else, I turned my front to the dragon and pushed both of my hands out while making sure the palm of my left hand would be directed right at the dragon.

    "Look," I said, bringing the front of my spear that I broke away from the rest before pressing it against the palm of my left hand and cutting it open. "Wound," I said, lowering myself to my knees just to grab a handful of earth from the ground.

    "Curse," I continued my attempt to exin both the situation and the idea to the dragon as I smeared the dirt around the small wound I made on my own hand a moment earlier.

    I then pointed at the dragon''s wound before moving my finger back at the dirty wound on my hand.

    And then, I raised my broken spear again before making another cut, this time making it circr as if in an attempt to enclose all the dirt on my hand with a new wound.

    "Cut out," I said, shaking the de in my hand before looking right into the dragon''s deep eyes. "Do you want me to help?" I asked.

    The curse on its wing was far beyond anything that I could solve on the go. As such, rather than wasting time trying to break the curse, it was simpler to just cut it off!

    The dragon continued to look at me for a little longer... but it didn''t do anything beyond that.

    It didn''t shake its massive head nor did it nod it.

    ''Bringing a de to its wing might be too risky,'' I thought before looking around. And then, my eyes fell on the sharp ws that decorated each of the dragon''s legs.

    "Look," I said, dropping the de from my hand as I approached the dragon''s wing again. I then erected my forefinger from my fist and shook it to make sure the Dragon took notice of it.

    And then, following the borders of where I felt the curse before, I painted a huge oval on the dragon''s wing.

    "Cut it," I said, pointing my hand at the dragon''s ws before taking a step back and once again raising my hands.

 Chapter 361 Right Before My Eyes

    I looked directly into the Dragon''s deep, blue eyes. All the while, my finger continued to point at its cursed wound.

    "Cut it," I said those words in a in tone as if this matter didn''t concern me. Yet, at the same time, I kept a slightly worried... and curious look on my face.

    The Dragon slowly blinked its eyes. It was also when I realized it had a lizard-like double eyelid. One of those was whiteish and half-transparent, serving only to moisturize its eyeballs.

    I lowered my hand and took a step back, giving the Dragon some room to move around.

    Since we weren''t fighting and I foolishly believed my intentions reached the Dragon''s mind, there was a chance it was simply worried about hitting me if I stood too close.

    ''That, or it still hopes to recover some more strength before restarting the fight,'' I thought as a sour smile crept up to my lips.

    I took a step back...

    And the Dragon finally moved.

    It raised one of its front legs before bringing its massive, saw-like ws towards the wound.

    The Dragon didn''t hesitate even for a second when it buried its w into the flesh of its wing''s membrane. And then it brought its w down, tearing the membrane away, right at the line I painted with my finger earlier.

    In a single move, nearly a tenth of the Dragon''s wing membrane was lost. A huge chunk of this surprisingly thick skin fell on the ground with a dull sound.

    And I just couldn''t help but stare at the events.

    The Dragon didn''t even need to lick its new wound as it started to regenerate all on its own.

    ''Huh?'' I shrugged when my body swayed when a sudden current of mana rocked against me.

    I focused on my mana sense for a short moment... Only to realize that as an immense amount of antimana flooded the bleeding areas of the Dragon''s wing, a sudden spring of mana emerged in the world!

    ''It''s like a pendulum,'' I thought when a sudden wave of enlightenment struck me down.

    I was right above the strange vortex of the city that sucked all the mana and antimana in. Right above it stood a dragon who not only continued to expend a considerable amount of its own anti-mana, but by doing so, he somehow caused an influx of normal mana.

    And it was in this very specific scenario, while my senses were flooded by the rapidly changing currents of mana, that I finally grasped the crux of the matter.

    ''I have no idea of the physics of it,'' I thought, swallowing down a gulp of saliva. ''But doesn''t it seem like any given particle of mana or antimana... Oh my God...''

    I couldn''t stand on my legs any longer.

    Overwhelmed with the immense simplicity of the situation, I fell down on my ass.

    It all happened in just a single moment, a single moment that the Dragon used to nearlyplete the process of healing its injured wing.

    ''Assuming that there is some sort of energy particles, then mana and anti-mana are just less potent yet more stable states said particle can fall into,'' I managed to put my thoughts into a more restricted form.

    While a mana particle would be in its stable state, it would still have some energy in it. Yet, only when it would be forced into the superposition like my mana engine forced them to would it showcase its true potential!

    ''This is fucking groundbreaking,'' I thought, stunned by how simple and yet howplex this exnation was.

    ''Take the situation right now,'' I thought. I couldn''t help but keep on talking to myself, worried that all those discoveries would fade away if I didn''t at least voice them out in my mind.

    ''The Dragon excites the energy particles in their negatively stable state. Yet, as the superposition is unstable, the particles simply swing into the other stable state,'' I thought. ''That''s why by using a huge amount of antimana, the dragon ended up producing a normal one!''

    It felt as if everything clicked together. As if the world fell into the right ce, correct track.

    I slowly gathered myself up from the ground.

    My mind was exploding with myriad ways in which I could make use of this new principle I had discovered.

    ''Now, I can''t be that hasty,'' I quickly disciplined myself.

    I then took a deep breath to calm myself down.

    I closed my eyes and took a moment to let the darkness lul my thoughts to a rtive sleep.

    "Haaaa...." I released all the air from my lungs, immersing myself in the experience.

    The huge wound on the Dragon''s wing closed up, putting an end to the swirling currents of mana in the vincity.

    As the air in my surroundings calmed down, I finally managed to put a leash on my thoughts.

    ''It''s not healthy to get so excited over stuff like that,'' I thought.

    This wasn''t the first time when this world baffled me. Knowing my luck, it wasn''t going to be thest one either. And if I continued to lose my mind over every big discovery of the secrets that shrouded this second life of mine, I would be putting a hard limit over how long my psyche wouldst!

    "I can''t forget this thing either," I muttered as I turned my eyes towards the fallen piece of the membrane that quite recently caused so much trouble for this Dragon.

    Now that it was deprived of the support from the rest of the Dragon''s body and vitality, the entire piece of the wing started to quickly wither.

    ''If I want to learn anything else, I need to hurry up,'' I thought, moving forward only to stop near the wing and lower my eyes over it.

    Just like I noticed before, the curse that managed to get one better over a damned dragon was insanelyplex. While I could notice certain simrities to how my very mage''s tower was constructed, the level of depth that I could feel was simply something else.

    Yet, right as therge swath of the membrane was about to decay away...

    I noticed something else.

    Or rather, I noticed the meaning behind something that was right in front of my eyes this whole time.

    ''This injury couldn''t happen that far in the past,'' I thought as I squinted my eyes and focused on this problem. ''Even assuming that the curse would hibernate in that shapeless form, that would mean whoever inflicted this wound had to be rtively close when the dragon first hibernated...''

    My mind continued to unveil the mystery. Yet, even though I have yet to consciously reach a conclusion, a weird feeling from the depths of my soul somehow managed to foretell what emotions this new discovery would invoke.

    And then, my eyesnded on the very cut that was likely behind the birth of the curse.

    ''It had to be made with a human''s hand,'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    The cut was just too clean to be inflicted with a w, beak, or tooth. It was made in a perfectly straight line, and it was only as short as wide could be the arc of a man swinging his sword.

    ''A human did it,'' I thought, stating the obvious in my mind. ''And they couldn''t be far from the dragon when it hibernated,'' I brought the short version of what I concluded before.

    My blood froze in my veins as I turned my head to the side so quickly that the joints in my spine nearly broke apart.

    ''Doesn''t that mean the monsters we decored before will turn into fighters capable of dealing with this dragon?'' I thought, moving my eyes back on the majestic beast.

    I was a damned cheat. There was no one more aware of this fact than me myself. In other words, I wielded power far greater than any cultivator of the same level of cultivation as me.

    And yet, I still wasn''t sure if I could hold this Dragon back if it was fully set on taking me down.

    And now a group of people capable of actually handling it were about to wake up in a foreign world, with no memories of recent events...

    Right in the area where Mia was supposed to save that stranded disciple of the Tuxi sect!

 Chapter 362 Unexpected Ally

    "Shit," the single curse was all that left my mouth.

    A surge of mana rushed through my veins.

    Noticing that something was wrong, the dragon flinched, its deep,ke-like eyes carefully observing everyst of my movements...

    But at this point, I couldn''t care less.

    The surge of mana caused by my realization cracked the ice that my body felt like turning into. And within a single second, I lowered myself to my knees, tensed all the muscles in my legs...

    I brought my hand up to the biggest of my pouches before throwing it aside. I also infused a small bit of mana into the formation stones inside, prompting those few formations inside to kickstart the process of activating my mage''s tower.

    It all took no longer than a single second. And all of my efforts came to fruition right at the very same moment.

    Prompted by the main bunch of formations, my mage tower reappeared in the world.

    ''Disturb!'' I thought, infusing the skill with more mana than it would take on its own.

    And right as I felt the skill take over the space in which I was, I straightened my legs, leaping forward with all my might.

    The world around me disappeared. Thews of physics, even though I didn''t really understand them yet, changed as well.

    For the next few moments, there was only one thing that I focused all my efforts on.

    And it was survival.

    ''Even with all that I discovered, I still can''t even begin to imagine what this ce is,'' I thought, closing my eyes to stop my brain from frying.

    I knew what would happen to a simple app if someone inputted a letter instead of a number in a variable. Without a proper defense mechanism established by the app''s programmer, the entire app could turn over belly up.

    And I was worried that by opening my eyes, or rather, allowing any sensory experience to reach my brain, I would simply bug myself out!

    As such, with my eyes closed while I ignored everything that came from my sense of hearing, touch, smell, and vertigo, I fully focused on circting my mana through my flesh.

    After all, in this strange world where nothing made any logical sense, only mana could keep my body from simply falling apart.

    ''Now!''

    It wasn''t my conscious thought but an instinctual reaction. A sense I developed just by using thebination of the moves and skills a few times in the past.

    ''I guess I''m a fast learner,'' I thought when I forcefully dispersed the energy that held the space of the world itself at bay, plunging myself back into the normal world.

    ''How far?'' I thought, raising my eyes and looking around.

    The surroundings... were pretty damn inconvenient, given how Inded in a very middle of a fucking forest!

    "I need to get higher," I muttered, only to send my hands towards the nearest branch.

    Acting as if I was right back in the forest where Lucius trained me how to move, I quickly climbed up to the very top of the massive woonds. I then finally gained a proper perspective allowing me to scan my surroundings.

    ''Where are you, Mia,'' I thought, looking around while needles of panic continued to prick at my soul.

    There was a chance that my guess was wrong, and the mana monsters that apanied the past form of the dragon were just some random people. There was also a chance that they weren''t people but some weaker monsters instead.

    And even if they were the very hunters that inflicted that cursed wound on the dragon''s wing, there was a chance they wouldn''t pose a threat to Mia. Maybe they would even turn out to be friendly.

    There was a set probability behind each of those scenarios. Yet, just like there was a chance my worries were unfounded, there was a chance I would be toote to prevent a negative scenario from ying out!

    ''Just where the hell are you?'' I thought, straining my eyes to the limit of their ability in hopes of finding a singlendmark that could guide me back to where Mia was.

    SWOOSH!

    A sudden bout of wind smacked my face.

    As I was fully focused on scanning thendscape, I actually failed to notice the being that orchestrated this sudden change of winds.

    And it was nothing else but the same dragon that I fought with just a few moments earlier!

    ''What is it doing here?'' I thought, watching how the dragon circled right above me only to dive down and plummet from the skies.

    I raised my guard, reinforcing the shields within my mage''s tower. In the end, it wasn''t the first time for the dragon toe at me in this exact way!

    ''I guess hoping for peace was pretty stupid,'' I thought, preparing myself for the powerful m...

    Only for the dragon to spread its wings while still rtively high up and p them a few times, softening its approach only tond down directly on the trees, crushing them underneath its weight.

    And then, those massive and deep eyes of the dragon turned towards my face.

    ''Gulp.''

    I could swear the sound of me swallowing my saliva filled the entire forest. In this tranquil moment in which neither of us moved, I desperately attempted to sound out the dragon''s intention.

    In the end, the dragon didn''t attack me. Instead, it simply turned around on its spot so that it would face me with its tail side. And yet, despite showing its back to me, it twisted its long neck only to cast yet another nce at my face.

    ? "Do you want to help me?" I asked.

    As stupid as it might be, right now, I was too damn worried about Mia to bother with silly stuff like my own safety!

    The dragon didn''t reply to my question, though. Instead, it pointed its long chin at its back before straightening its neck back to its natural, front-facing position.

    Once again, I gulped down my saliva.

    Now that I could say I got my answer, the consequences of potentially climbing on the dragon''s back dawned upon me.

    And for but a moment, I hesitated.

    Yet, right as the doubts struck my soul, a single image appeared before the eyes of my mind. A scene in which Mia was bleeding out while the curse prevented the girl from healing her wounds or even calling for help.

    "Let''s do it!" killing all my doubts, I jumped forward, only tond directly on the dragon''s massive back. I then circted the mana in my hands before pressing them towards the dragon''s back.

    I dared not to grab its scales, worried that it could somehow rouse its wrath. As such, I could only use my mana to keep myself stuck to the dragon''s back.

    "I know you just healed your wing, and it might not be in the best state," I uttered, pressing my forehead against the scales of the dragon''s back. "But if my guess is correct, then my mate might be in a lethal danger right now," I continued to whisper.

    I had no hopes of the dragon understanding the meaning of my words. What I hoped for, though, was the tone of my voice conveying the state of my soul to this magnificent being.

    The dragon spread its wings to the side, not caring about a huge swath of the forest that it felled while doing so.

    "So please," I continued to speak, even though the dragon had already proved both its wisdom and willingness to help. It took a step forward, starting to run in order to gain the momentum necessary for it to climb to the skies.

    "Take me back to her!"

 Chapter 363 Sneaking Up (Mias Perspective)

    ''Where are they?'' Mia asked herself as she reached the small dugout where she left both the victims and the oppressors she had found with Arthur before.

    Yet, when she finally reached this ce after making sure that the dragon was nowhere to be seen and no other monsters came to feast on the scraps, she found the dugoutpletely empty.

    ''They wouldn''t be able to break free from my restraints,'' the girl thought as she looked around the ce, hoping to see some hints.

    Mia never was a hunter. She never received any form of training, nor did she listen to some sort of smart advice.

    And yet, with just a single look, she managed to easily notice several things that didn''t match with what she remembered.

    ''So many footsteps,'' she thought as she looked around. And while the marks left all over the surroundings of the former camp were pretty chaotic, they all ultimately led in one direction.

    ''Why did they go there?'' Mia asked herself when she looked after the marks left on the soft ground.

    Her shock was all the greater due to how both the direction the dragon flew away and the direction the footsteps led were actually the same!

    "Wouldn''t a sane person aim to move as far away from that monster as possible?" Mia asked herself out loud, using her own voice as a guide for her thoughts.

    ''Maybe they hoped that other monsters would leave the area, scared off by that dragon?'' she thought, set on unraveling the mystery.

    With no better thing to do, Mia then followed in the footsteps, making sure to scan her surroundings at all times.

    Even before the monsters came to invade this world, traveling on one''s lonesome was a dangerous task. And now, with all the appearances of order and rules dying to the invasion?

    ''It would be bad if I were to get caught,'' Mia thought, her mood darkening a little.

    She wasn''t worried about Arthur at all. In her eyes, there was no force in the world that could best her partner if he were to get serious. Yet, the same couldn''t be said about her own safety.

    ''I''m the weakest link in the chain of Arthur''s strength,'' Mia thought, perfectly aware of the gap that separated the two.

    The gap which Mia doubted she could ever close.

    ''It would be great if I could keep the power difference between us constant,'' she thought as she hurried her steps. ''But I don''t think I''m capable of doing that either.''

    When Mia was close to Arthur, she was simply too happy to be by his side to care about those details. Yet, the more the world around her turned into shit, the more aware she became of how much of a liability she was in any fight that forced Arthur to do his absolute best.

    "I guess I can only keep striving to catch up to him," Mia muttered to herself, only to freeze in her walking stance.

    ''Do not make any rapid movements,'' Mia lectured herself, slowly lowering herself to her knees before kneeling down and then falling to the ground.

    In the distance, she could see a group of people walking ahead.

    ''They are in chains?'' Mia thought, raising her head just high enough for her eyes to move above the grass level.

    And she could see several things that were wrong with that group right away.

    First, the girl that she and Arthur saved... was in chains. While she was too far away to see all the details, it appeared that the heavily injured man that Arthur attempted to save somehow made it out alive.

    ''He doesn''t move at all,'' Mia thought as she started to slowly crawl forward.

    Between the group of people walking and her crawling on the ground, it was only a matter of time before the stranges would gain distance over her.

    ''I can''t be too hasty,'' Mia thought, ignoring the pain that seeing her fellow disciple in chains inflicted on her heart.

    Even though Mia was aware of how she was weaker than Arthur... she was also aware of how she was stronger than most of the cultivations that lived in the area. And yet, even though she could see a junior of hers back in chains... she didn''t make a move.

    Because she could see one more thing that put her on guard.

    ''How the hell can the three of them move?'' Mia asked herself when she finally recognized the three people in the group ahead.

    They were exactly the same fuckers that she restrained before.

    Yet, what was even more pressing, was how they somehow broke off the restraint she put on them to keep those bastards in ce!

    ''They were far too weak to break them off themselves,'' Mia thought, trying to copy Arthur and analyze the situation to the best of her ability. ''That can only mean someone else broke it off for them!''

    Mia was aware of her own strength. And while there was hardly any chance for someone stronger than her to randomly appear in the restricted zone that the bordend forest was...

    There was one kind of people that wouldn''t mind the fame this ce had at all.

    ''I wonder if they lied their way out and put the me on that girl,'' Mia thought, only for her expression to sour. ''Or maybe figured out what was going on and actually sided with those fuckers?''

    No one from Mia''s world would dare to step foot into the bordends without a pressing reason. And there were only a handful of people that could im superiority over Mia''s strength.

    And by a simple process of elimination, confirmed by the exact number of the people in the group ahead, made it pretty clear just where did those peoplee from.

    ''I really should be careful,'' Mia thought, gritting her teeth in a powerless fury as she watched the chained girl disappear behind the nearby hill. And a mere momentter, the rest of the group followed, finally allowing the girl to stand up and rush ahead.

    ''Fighting them on my own wouldn''t be wise,'' she thought, clenching her teeth as she gave her best to move as quickly as she could without raising unnecessarymotion.

    ''But if they dare toy a hand on that girl...'' Mia thought, only for her face to twist in anguish. ''No, as much as I want to help her, I can''t put myself in danger,'' she made her decision. ''Not for as long as that would give those people an edge over Arthur!''

    Mia quickly reached near the top of the hill behind which the group had disappeared before. Yet, rather than peaking over its top, she opted to wait for a moment while hidden behind it.

    "Damn, it''s fucking frustrating," Mia whispered under her nose, unwilling to let her voice alert the other party.

    "What''s frustrating?" a sudden voice appeared right behind the girl.

    Mia turned around her axis on the spot, instantly dishing out her fist towards the source of the voice.

    It was an attack that she repeated over and over. A hit that was as simple as it was refined. A smash that bore enough power to drill through several meters of solid stone.

    And it was a hit that the owner of the voice... stopped just by reaching out and putting his palm in the attack''s way.

 Chapter 364 Mana Ignition

    "Wha...?!" Mia couldn''t stop a small scream of surprise.

    Someone managed to sneak up on her. That alone Mia would be willing to ept, clearly aware of her ownck of expertise in the areas of tailing, hiding, or scanning the surroundings.

    But that someone... not only gave up on the advantage of a possible surprise attack... but he even managed to stop Mia''s punch without any noticeable effort!

    ''Danger!'' Mia''s senses screamed out as she leaped to the back.

    ''I know I didn''t use all my strength for that attack, but still!'' Mia''s thoughts turned chaotic while she jumped to the back. ''I practiced that punch for so long, and it doesn''t look like he was expecting it!''

    Mia''s legs touched the ground again, allowing her to stabilize her position.

    And as if her mind followed the state of her body, Mia''s thoughts calmed down in an instant.

    ''Retreat,'' she thought, the look behind her eyes darkening. ''I need to retreat!''

    The fact that the man managed to defend himself from her punch didn''t tell Mia much on its own. Yet, it gave her enough hints for the girl to understand she was in no position to challenge the group.

    ''Even if my full-on attack would break through that man''s guard, he isn''t here alone,'' she thought, casting a quick nce towards the other side of the hill.

    Yet, rather than the sight of people rushing towards her while swinging their weapons or preparing some techniques...

    She saw the group of foreigners slowly climbing back up to the top of the hill.

    The blood in Mia''s veins nearly froze all over.

    ''They don''t even expect me to be able to escape,'' she thought, clenching her teeth as she turned her eyes back to the man in front of her.

    "Isn''t it rude not to answer a question but attack instead?'' the stranger asked out loud, leaning his head to the side like a confused puppy.

    "Isn''t it rude to sneak up on a maiden in the first ce?" Mia countered in a cold voice, raising all the barriers that she could simultaneously keep. "You could say I only paid you back in kind," she added, changing her footing... while actually retreating by a half of a step.

    "Didn''t you try to sneak on us first?" the man of extremely average features and no weapon visible anywhere on his body asked. His lips twisted into a small smirk as if he considered the encounter as a chance to have some fun rather than a potential danger. "You followed us for quite a while, didn''t you?" he asked, resting his hands over his hips.

    "Then maybe you shouldn''t put chains on a girl you snatched from where I hid her?" Mia replied, a hint of wrath appearing in her voice.

    ''No, I need to calm down,'' Mia thought to herself when she realized what was going on.

    While not lowering his guard, the man''s words served nothing else but to buy time. And with how determined the man was to force her into the conversation, it was clear that abiding by the man''s wishes would only y against the girl.

    "We didn''t put chains on her, though?" the man stated, spreading his arms wide while pretending not to see how Mia escaped for yet another step to the back.

    ''I need to run,'' Mia thought, desperate not to give the group a convenient hostage to trouble Arthur with.

    Between the safety of her junior and Arthur''s peace of mind... Mia didn''t even need to consider her options as the answer was t-out obvious.

    She then nced to the side for one more time...

    Just to catch the men from the group suddenly dropping the pretense of just walking back as they rushed ahead, right towards her!

    ''Fuck!'' Mia cursed.

    She didn''t bother to turn around as she jumped to the back.

    Only when Mia couldn''t elerate within the short timeframe she was airborne did the girl turn around to face away from the potential enemies.

    ''RUN!'' Mia screamed out in her thoughts.

    Shended down on the ground, only to instantly kick against it while infusing her mana into her legs.

    ''I made a mistake,'' she thought, ming herself for how the situation yed out.

    "And where do you think you are going?" the same man from before asked, casually strolling with his hands behind his back, right by Mia''s side.

    ''FUCK!'' The girl angled her steps, using a slight unevenness of the terrain to change the direction of her escape.

    ''I can''t run from them, and I don''t think I can fight them,'' Mia thought, desperate to figure out the way out of her current situation. ''I guess my best bet is to find Arthur or at least make those guys see the dragon and retreat!''

    "Seriously, where are you trying to run?" the man continued to pester the girl while leisurely running by her side.

    ''He didn''t even need a damned second,'' Mia thought, cursing her fate as the number of options she had continued to shrink.

    "Okay, that''s it," the man said as he shook his head.

    And in an instant, he disappeared from Mia''s side, only to appear right in front of her.

    ''Hit, hit,'' Mia imagined her muscles moving along their predetermined outline to execute the first two punches of her training routine. And as soon as her right leg kicked the ground for thest time, she forced her body right into the framework of fighting style!

    "DIE!" she shouted, raising her leg high and using her voice to add even a bit more strength to her attack.

    This time, however, rather than just using the strength of her body to execute her attack, Mia infused all of the mana she would add to her attacks in a real fight!

    BANG!

    Mia''s foot struck the man right in the side of his head... Or rather, right against the guard he raised just in the nick of time to defend himself.

    "UGH..." the man let out a small moan of surprise... Only to swirl his hands just fast enough to grab Mia''s leg by her ankle.

    Mia used all the momentum of her run to kick the man. As such, when the foreigner caught her leg, she had no other choice but to attempt to wrestle it free.

    Yet, no matter how much Mia struggled, having her ankle within the grasp of that man''s fingers was akin to having it buried into some sort of ancient, magical stone.

    And as if to make matters even worse, the man didn''t bother to look at her face, turning his eyes down instead, right where Mia''s robes failed to cover the inner sides of her thighs!

    "What a lovely view," the manmented, either not noticing or ignoring a spark of wrath that appeared on Mia''s face.

    The man then tore his eyes out from Mia''s crotch only to raise them slightly to the side of Mia''s head.

    "Senior, look what I caught!" the man shouted over, only for another man to emerge from between the trees.

    "She is indeed a fine piece of meat," the second man admitted with a thoughtful expression on his face. He then approached his junior only to cast the look in the same ce his junior stared just a moment earlier.

    "She will be a fine addition to my collection," he said as ascivious smile appeared on his lips.

    ''You lowlives,'' Mia''s soul exploded with mes as her wrath took over her rationale. ''Only Arthur can look at that part of me!'' she inwardly screamed out, the state of her soul momentarily reflecting in her eyes.

    "Huh?" the man who was clearly senior out of the two ahead finally took notice. He raised his eyes towards Mia''s face...

    But it was already toote.

    Sparks of electricity suddenly appeared along the skin of Mia''s leg. Her face froze in an expression of extreme wrath.

    Mia''s mana surged, burning right through the pathways she formed in her cultivation in the past.

    ''I''m going berserk?'' Mia thought when her mind momentarily cleared out. Her eyes widened as she couldn''t help but make the association between her calm thoughts and the eptance of death that she heard so much about back in her past.

    And then, Mia''s thoughts all swept aside when her mana finally found the right way to flow through her soul, flesh, and...

    ''Huh?'' Mia couldn''t help but mentally shrug when she noticed that something was wrong.

    Her mana always flew through her flesh, even before she started to cultivate. She managed to make it flow through her soul when she reached higher levels of cultivation...

    But right now, despite not being able to pinpoint the nature of it, she could clearly feel her mana flowing through something else inside her!

    All those thoughts, all those realizations appeared in a single instant. A single instant that, for Mia, turned into ages.

    But the same couldn''t be said about the two men who just a moment ago adored the underwear that Arthur made for the girl.

    For them, everything also happened in an instant.

    Thin, blue strands of weird energy appeared along Mia''s leg. Then, they spread through her entire body, burning the low-quality robes that Mia covered herself with.

    And then, this strange energy suddenly exploded, covering the entire area in an outburst of energy that Mia had never experienced before.

    The mana in the air dissolved, unable to withstand the attack. The mana within Mia''s cultivation evolved, refusing to just dissipate.

    And the mana within the bodies of the two men that assaulted her...

    It suddenly stood in mes!

 Chapter 365 Where Are You?

    We flew through the air for quite a while.

    It was an insane experience, even for someone like me, who, to a certain degree, had already managed to live through something simr.

    Yet, right now, I wasn''t in the mood to enjoy the ride or the views. Rather than that, I strained both my physical eyes and my mana perception in search of any clue that could lead me to Mia.

    "Isn''t this..." I muttered when a strangely familiar set ofnd suddenly dawned before my eyes. "There!" I shouted, sliding up the Dragon''s back only to hand down from the bottom of its neck and point my hand in that specific direction. "Can you bring me there?" I shouted again, more for the sake of passing the message with the tone of my voice, something that proved to be quite challenging with how noisy the air at this speed was.

    "Rawr!" the Dragon uttered a small cry only to then bring its wings together and make a small dive.

    A mere momentter, the Dragon spread out its wings again, sliding through the air at an angle that quickly brought it to a direct line of approach to the direction I pointed out.

    For a moment, I couldn''t help but worry.

    ''Is this really a ce I saw before?'' I thought, pretty uncertain over how much I could count on this Dragon''s help.

    ''It''s already a blessing that we are not fighting to the death. It would be best not to try to ask too much out of it,'' I thought while clenching my teeth.

    The distance between our position and the ce I noticed shrunk pretty quickly, courtesy of flying on the back of likely the fastest being in the world when discounting the strongest cultivators in the whole damned world.

    And a mere few momentster, the Dragon took a dive again, only to kill its momentum with a gentle slide that brought us right above the ground level.

    For a moment, I wanted to just jump down and ept the pain ofnding at such a great speed... But those thoughts quickly disappeared when the curve of the Dragon''s approach suddenly changed directions, bringing us back to the skies.

    This time, however, the Dragon didn''t bother to climb any higher than necessary, opting to just make a swinging motion to lose most of its momentum before falling down and finallynding on the ground.

    "Is this the ce?" I muttered to myself as I jumped off the Dragon''s back, only to immediately kneel down on the ground and look for clues.

    I moved my eyes to the side, to where a dense part of the woonds started. Right at the limit of how far my eyes could reach, I could notice a massive chain of mountains.

    ''We were here,'' I thought, recognizing thendscape that I observed roughly halfway through my trip with Mia from before.

    And with a set direction, I could finally figure out where exactly I should start my hunt for my girl.

    "I know where we are!" I shouted as I started to run.

    I dared not to say another word, worried that asking the Dragon for any more help would make it annoyed.

    ''I know too little about it to risk anything. And if I were to anger it, then approaching Mia would turn into the worst of the things I could do,'' I thought, clenching my teeth as I started to increase my pace above what a normal mortal could ever hope to achieve.

    And then, a positive surprise somehow lifted my mood.

    Thud, thud, thud, thud.

    The sound of heavy steps reached my ears from my left side. I leaned my head to identify its source...

    Only to see the Dragon running right by my side.

    ''I guess it''s happy to help,'' I thought, my lips forming a small smile when I kicked against the ground and leaped to the side, climbing right back to the Dragon''s spine.

    "Let''s go!" I shouted, only for the Dragon to spread its wings wide.

    We were already moving at a pretty fast speed, so when the monster suddenly caught a massive amount of air with its wings, it allowed us nearly a vertical climb up.

    For a moment, the Dragon continued to fly up, just like a passenger ne would do back on earth. Only once it gained enough height for itsfort did the dragon level our flight before heading in the direction I was interested in.

    Now that I knew where we should go, we could skip all the roaming and hovering, opting to rush for the ce where I left Mia at a breakneck speed.

    "It''s here!" I announced, once again climbing to the bottom of the Dragon''s neck to point it out towards the familiar area.

    I could see it. The ce where I apologized to Mia before leaving to sacrifice my life to stop the seemingly evil Dragon from destroying the ancient city.

    Yet, Mia wasn''t there.

    ''Right, she likely went to search for the survivors,'' I thought, turning my hand a little bit to the side, pointing my finger at the ce I could see the fain leftovers of my own mana linger.

    ''Where are you?'' a thought appeared in my mind.

    The desire to find Mia. To protect her from the potential danger. To save her from those who could wish harm upon my beloved.

    And an intense, overarching fear caused by the fact that I didn''t find her in the ce I believed she was most likely to be.

    ''Just where are you?!'' I thought, feeling how the tears of immense worry appeared in my eyes.

    Crack...

    BOOM!

    A pir of blue light suddenly erupted a small distance away. It was quite simr to the shroom of an atomic explosion, yet it was inherently different at the same time.

    But there was one thing that I found extremely familiar in it. One thing that I nearly forgot I ever saw before.

    It had exactly the same nature as the sparks I noticed when Mia broke through Vaner''s shield to prove her worth as a potential disciple!

    Yet, as happy as I was to finally find out where my loved one was, a single question appeared in my mind at the same time.

    A question so logical and down-to-the-ground that it made my blood freeze in my veins.

    ''What made her use this strange power?''

 Chapter 366 Fake Mercy

    The dragon didn''t mind carrying me all over the ce. Yet, when it noticed the pir of light erected nearby, its body twitched...

    And then it swung its wings to the front, killing its momentum only to swing around in the air and rush to escape.

    ''What?'' I thought, shocked by the explosively sudden change in the situation.

    But I couldn''t waste any time hesitating. I knew how fast this dragon could travel. And right now, it was pretty clear that it wanted to rush away from the pir of blue light as soon as possible and as far as it could!

    "Thanks for the help!" I shouted, standing up on the dragon''s back only to lower myself to my knees before jumping off my temporary mount.

    ''Should I use it again?'' I thought when I looked down to the ground.

    It wasn''t a jump that would kill me... But even a cultivator of my level would struggle to safelynd from so high up!

    ''I guess I will just have to toughen it up,'' I thought, forcing more and more of my mana into my flesh and bones.

    The air whizzed in my ears as I continued to elerate for a few more moments before the evergrowing air resistance bnced out my eleration.

    THUMP!

    As soon as my legs touched the ground, I pushed my mana down my body before dispersing it around like a ripple on the face of the water.

    It didn''t help much. I could still feel my bones cracking under the pressure as I bent my knees to alleviate some of the stress.

    ''FUCK,'' I cursed under my breath, infusing most of my pain into this word before breathing it out.

    And then, just like that, Inded about a mile away from where I saw the pir of light appear.

    Only a mile away, yet still a mile away.

    My legs screamed out in pain, everyst cell making them up, barely capable of dispersing the pressure of mynding. And yet, I ignored the pain, stood up, and turned my face towards the blue pir of some strange power...

    Only to stare at it as the energy powering the pir ran out, causing the entire thing to simply vanish into thin air.

    ''I need to move,'' I thought, ignoring the pain in my legs as I rushed ahead.

    Thankfully, running a mile a distance wasn''t much of a challenge. While a normal human would take several minutes to cover that kind of distance, I managed to cross it with just a few leaps.

    ''Where is she?'' I thought, actively scanning my surroundings. It was also at this moment that I started to regret destroying my spear.

    It maybe wasn''t the strongest military asset that I owned, but it still allowed me a greater versatility in a potential fight.

    "MIA!" I shouted, caring not for potentially attracting the attention of the people I was wary of.

    I wanted to make sure she was safe; this was my first and foremost priority. Whether or not that would lead to another fight to the death?

    Right now, I couldn''t care less.

    Hearing no response, I started to move around the ce, looking for some clues that could lead me back to my girl. And while there were hardly any visible marks on the nearby hills, I could sense a weird peculiarity with local mana.

    ording to the natural flow of magic in the air, there should be a ck hole several tens of meters away, hidden in a local thicket of trees.

    ''That''s weird,'' I thought, turning my sights in the direction the peculiarity wasing from. ''I don''t recall noticing any abnormality like that before,'' I thought, making my way in the suspicious direction.

    I pushed the bushes aside... Only to see three bodies lying unconscious directly on the ground.

    "Mia!" I shouted, rushing to one of the bodies. Even though she was lying on her stomach, I could still recognize the general shape of her body.

    "Are you okay?!" I asked, burying my knees in the ground when Inded on the right by her side, reaching out to check her state.

    I raised the girl by her shoulders only to put the side of my head to her chest.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    The sound of her heart was weak and slow, but I could definitely hear it.

    "You are still alive," I muttered, feeling how all the energy vacated my body. Hugging Mia in my arms, I needed a moment to finally straightened up my thoughts and calm a tiny little bit down.

    It was also then that I finally calmed down enough to pay attention to the surroundings.

    ''It''s all intact,'' I thought, realizing another peculiar element of the situation.

    The bushes and trees all around didn''t seem to be affected by the pir of blue light that I saw before. Yet, contrary to the normal world, my mana vision allowed me to see the true scale of devastation this pir of light caused.

    ''It''s gone,'' I thought. ''All the mana in the area, was it consumed by that pir?'' I attempted to formte a guess as I looked around.

    And then, my eyes fell on the two bodies that were in the same state that I found Mia to be in.

    ''Are those the guys the dragon fought with?'' I thought, my eyes darkening.

    The dragon helped me a lot. I also helped that dragon recover from the cursed wound those people likely inflicted on it.

    Yet, I couldn''t care less about those things. Even though killing them would likely score me some brownie points with that dragon, I couldn''t be bothered to think so much ahead.

    ''There is no denying that it''s Mia who invoked that pir of light,'' I thought, raising to my feet with Mia''s lifeless body in my hands. I then put the girl to a peaceful rest by one of the many trees before moving back to the bodies of people who fell victim to her outburst.

    I kneeled down on one of my knees before grabbing the first of the two bodies by its throat. And as I raised back to my feet, I made sure to bring the unconscious man high enough to start choking him out.

    It didn''t take long for the man to wake up, proof that a threat to his life was enough to shake the trauma off his mind.

    He managed to open his eyes and look down at me...

    "You picked up the fight with the wrong girl," I said with a soft smile; before using my mana to elerate my fist, I then smashed right through the man''s chest, punching his heart out of his ribcage.

    A rustling noise came from behind.

    I dropped the body without any care in the world and turned around.

    "You fucker..." the other man came back to his senses as he attempted to stand up.

    Seeing his state, I didn''t bother to rush anything. Instead, I slowly approached him before sending him flying with a simple kick.

    "I''m not going to kill you, fear not," I informed the man as a gentle smile appeared on my lips. "That privilege goes to my beloved."

 Chapter 367 Mana Evolution

    "Do you think this is some sort of a fucking joke!?"

    The stranger who dared to force Mia into a situation where she used her strange ability clearly didn''t know what was better for him.

    "Your life, you mean?" I asked, putting on a cute smile as I leaned over the stranger''s face. "Yeah, I do believe it to be a joke," I exined, acting as if my words were the most reasonable in the world.

    "Or, to be more precise," I started, straightening my posture and resting my hands on my hips. "Your life became nothing more but an unfunny and old joke the moment you dared to raise your hand against my woman."

    ''Should I kill him?''

    My bravado was nothing more but a mere act.

    ''If those are the people I''m worried they are...'' I thought while squinting my eyes as I looked down at the man. ''Not only there should be more of them, but I also shouldn''t underestimate this group.''

    I knew better than to assume a fight with those people would be a breeze. If that were to be the case, Mia wouldn''t end up using the ability that she never even said a word about to me.

    ''In other words, she had her back against the wall,'' I thought, my hands tightening into fists.

    There were many things that I could forget. I had enough mercy inside me to let go of a lot of things.

    However, disturbing Mia in any way or form was akin to touching my reverse scale. And now, I was troubled with only one question.

    ''Can I afford to let them stay alive so that Mia could take her revenge herself?'' I asked myself, scanning the area with my mana sense while focusing my eyes on the man nearby.

    ''He is healing at a worrying rate,'' I noticed. It wasn''t something that would snap the situation around in the next few seconds, but I didn''t have long to make my decision either.

    "Arthy..." Mia''s weak voice instantly took over all my focus.

    I turned myself on my knee only to see the girl slowly gathering herself up. She supported her head with her hand as if she was under the attack of a relentless migraine.

    "What happened?" I rushed forward,nding on my knees and sliding thest few inches on the ground. All to catch Mia right as her body lost its bnce, and she fell face-first to the ground.

    "Are you alright?" I asked, ditching the worries about the situation. Her health was an absolute priority. ''But I can''t forget about them either,'' I thought, catching Mia by her shoulders only to take a nce to the back.

    ''Not much time left,'' I thought, agonizing over the situation.

    I could either stay and support Mia, hoping to prevent any harm froming her way. Doing so would open me up for an attack from this potentially powerful group, though.

    My other option was to let Mia fend for herself while I would go and deal with all the enemies in the area.

    And for but a moment, I froze in ce, unable to decide.

    "DIE!" the stranger shouted, suddenly bursting forward at lightning speed.

    ''Huh?'' My eyes opened wide while my body reflectively leaned back. I then bent my knees, and once the center of my mass moved behind my knees, Iunched myself backward.

    ''So the second option, it is,'' I thought,nding several meters away and gently cing Mia against one of the threes. I then reached out to my chest before deploying all the redundant formations from my mage''s tower.

    And then, with another swing, I raised my battle stance, deploying all the other formation stones I had left.

    "You can rest easy now," I said, raising my hand to caress Mia''s cheek.

    I still stood well within the field of her own shielding formations. Their protection allowed me this short moment of respite.

    Mia then turned her face up a little, only to rub her cheek against my hand. She kept her eyes closed as she soaked the warmth of my palm.

    "Return soon," she requested in a weak voice. I could tell the level of her exhaustion from her feeble, fleeting whisper.

    "I will be back, dearest," I whispered back and leaned forward. Using my hand, I scooped Mia''s hair out of her forehead before pressing my lips against her head.

    "Un," Mia uttered a small moan. Her body twitched in reaction to my delicate caress.

    "Well then," I muttered and stood up before turning around on my heel. I took a few steps ahead, leaving the sphere of influence of Mia''s barrier. "Let''s do this!"

    I released the valves on my mana, allowing the energy to rush through my body and then to the formations of my mage''s tower.

    ''Huh?'' I shook in a small shock when I realized a certain peculiarity.

    And no, it wasn''t the guy from before rushing at me from a small distance away. That guy didn''t matter.

    What I couldn''t really understand on the spot was how in all hells, my formations booted up all the way to the level they reached when I supplied them with antimana?

    ''There is no mistaking it,'' I thought, stepping out of the way of the stranger''s attack.

    His movements were insanely slow as if he was moving through a sea of jelly instead of air.

    ''Ah.'' The realization struck me hard.

    Now that I found out a little bit more about the potential nature of mana and antimana... I didn''t really need both of them to power up my engine.

    The true magicy in mana particles that were at the bottom of their stability. That or the energy was contained within the phenomena of a mana particle switching its state from positive to negative or the reverse.

    ''It doesn''t matter which concept is right,'' I thought as I looked down at the man whose attack had just passed by my stomach. ''Because in both scenarios, I can simply use more mana to unlock the full potential of my power!''

    As my power grew, the speed at which the world moved continued to slow down. By the time the attacker''s fist reached roughly a meter away from me, he had stopped moving at all.

    All the leaves in the forest froze in the frame of an impossibly tiny fraction of an instant.

    ''Is it the influence of raging mana?'' I thought, feeling as if I could tear the fabric of the space itself with just the force that filled everyst cell of my body. ''It''s like every formation stone turned into an enginepletely on its own!''

    The mana continued to surge through everyst bit of my flesh and bones... But for some reason, it didn''t burn through my body. Instead, the influx of power quickly took over the task of keeping the whole pool of mana in its unstable state.

    It was only an instant, yet it felt like ages... but at a certain point, something clicked.

    And my mana reached its full potential, save for the bit that kept it all in its unstable state.

    The time picked up its pace... Only to stabilize right back at a speed that made me feel as if I was watching a slide show.

 Chapter 368 This Is Too Easy (Slight Gore Warning)

    ''I guess I could easily topple them right now,'' I thought, raising my eyes at the body of the only enemy standing in the area.

    I knew that there had to be others hidden somewhere. Yet, my mana sense couldn''t pick the darnest thing.

    In theory, it was possible for someone to render this sense of mine useless... But as I watched the extremely slow pace at which the body of my enemy moved...

    I couldn''t help but doubt it.

    My mana sense wasn''t tuned or even aimed at perceiving other beings, be it beasts, monsters, or humans. No, this quasi-ability of mine was far simpler.

    Realistically speaking, all my mana sense allowed me was to sense the ongoing flow of the natural mana around me. That''s it. Nothing more.

    But at the same time, nothing less.

    ''I can feel this guy moving,'' I thought, easily producing a simtion of what was going on in my mind.

    If the flux of mana in the air could be seen, it would look like a massive, calm pond spreading in every direction in a global ocean. And just like with an ocean, there were areas of greater depth. There were areas where currents of mana passed, disturbing the otherwise peaceful flow.

    It was an insanelyplex picture, yet, in a certain way, it was also extremely simple.

    And right now, I could feel a singr source of unnatural ripples within the world of mana and mana alone.

    ''This guy''s speed is pathetic,'' I thought, squinting my eyes as they followed after the man''s silhouette.

    Due to the fact of how slow he was moving, I could take a long, careful look at the man''s face. And to no surprise, the man''s eyes were filled with terror.

    ''Let''s wrap it up,'' I thought, taking a step forward.

    Tsss...

    I stopped my leg as soon as I noticed that something was wrong. A strange kind of heat would form whenever I as much as twitched, leaving the air to sizzle away under such a massive surge in heat.

    ''What the hell?'' I thought, attempting to turn my head around to look at the situation behind my back. Yet, even turning my head around proved to cause the same phenomena, thus making it impossible to actually look at it.

    ''How about this?'' I thought, turning my eyes back to their former position before slowly waving my hand in the air.

    And at first, no problems came. As long as I made my movements as slow as possible, I could move. The trouble started once I attempted to move in the same way I would in a normal situation.

    Then, wherever my body would pass, a sudden explosion of heat would ensue.

    ''It''s like I''m tearing apart the fabric of the world, only for its natural forces to fight back to close the rift,'' I thought, watching the small explosions of heat following the movement of my hand.

    And then, I moved my eyes back to the flying silhouette of my opponent.

    ''I wasted enough time,'' I decided, controlling the speed of my movements as I turned towards the man and started my approach.

    I walked at a seemingly slow, super slow pace. Yet, within this strange, dense world that my consciousness found itself in, catching up to the man wasn''t a challenge, to begin with.

    And so I grabbed the man by his throat only to then stand my ground.

    ''Let''s see if I can free myself from this world,'' I thought, closing my eyes when I focused on limiting the flow of mana into my formations.

    ''No, this won''t work,'' I realized a mere momentter.

    Right now, my power came from the extremely delicate state of bnce where a part of my energy would be there just to call forth even more of it. And as this process continued to roll for a long while already, the amount of energy I had invested both into my formations and into my cultivation...

    It was several times too much for me to ever hope to control on my own. And even though I could somewhat use most of this power...

    ''I guess I better not test it out just yet,'' I thought, aware of the difference between my current ability and the power I wielded within my mage''s tower.

    ''I guess I will need to train my body to infuse the mana engine process into the current cultivation paradigm,'' I thought, slowly formting a n for the future development.

    I then shook my head, causing a new array of heat explosions to surround my head.

    ''Anyway, I need to tune it down. And since changing the flow of my mana right now is nigh impossible...'' I racked my brains in search of an answer.

    The solution to my problem appeared to be just too simple to be true, thus making me hesitant to believe in its potential.

    ''I guess I have no other choice,'' I decided when two more attempts at cutting the flow from my cultivation to the mage''s tower ended up as huge failures.

    I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the internal sea of my mana. The one ce that only my consciousness had ess to.

    ''There it is.'' A small smile crept up on my lips when I located the structure that naturally formed right at the ce where my cultivation connected with the rest of my mage''s tower.

    It wasn''t a physical object of any sort. It was simply a ce where the flow from my cultivation turned into a current of mana, seeping out of my ankle only to then seep into the formation stones of the first ring of arrays around me.

    ''I will also need to improve those formations,'' I thought, watching how the formation stones started to slowly crack under the immense pressure.

    ''From rearranging the project to include a bit more reinforcement to the structure itself, I could also specialize the outeryers more,'' I thought as the geeky side of my soul moved to the surface of my consciousness.

    However, as fun, as it was to think over the details of my next projects, right now, I had something else to do.

    So I knelt down on one knee, leaning over the ce where my mana would use its own energy just to push the natural mana out of its stable state and thus ignite its true potential.

    And without any hesitation, I squeezed the mana construct with my mental hand, squeezing all the juices out of it.

    The bnce was now broken. Squeezed out, the restricted spell could no longer keep up, producing the necessary momentum to keep my current mana situation stable.

    A tornado of magic momentarily formed above my head, only for the part of mana that I could no longer control to enter it only to then slingshot somewhere far away.

    Bit by bit, I shaved away more and more of my engine-sourced power. And as I continued to do so, the time around me also started to pick up its usual pace.

    ''That''s enough,'' I thought when the time reached half of its usual speed. And all of that for a simple reason.

    ''I guess that was only to be expected,'' I thought as I looked at the severed head of the man in my hand.

    He never ever got to see this attack. The attack that I orchestrated was just a restraint, yet before I noticed, it turned into a guillotine.

    ''Since momentum speed times the weight and speed itself is a function of time...'' I thought, the corners of my lips quivering.

    Even though I was supposed to be in a middle of a fight, I was currently reaching new heights, both by learning more about the mana itself but also by slowly growing more used to operatingrge amounts of it at once!

    "I can''t wait to get Mia to praise me," I muttered happily as I let go of the severed head from my head. ''Or I could go and clean all the others,'' I thought, stopping right as I was about to make a steep and then looking out towards the distance.

    ''Yeah, I guess I will do that,'' I thought, finally squeezing the mana transformation speel within my soul, fully returning back to the same reality others had to operate within.

    And then, a small crack suddenly appeared behind my back.

    I turned around...

    And ck lightning came out of nowhere, striking down against the groud and sting me away with the ensuing shockwave.

 Chapter 369 Black Lightning

    ''What?'' I only managed to spare a single thought before I lost control over my body.

    The moment I lowered the output of my energy to return my perception of time flow to its usual state... Everything fell apart.

    "GAH!" a pained moan escaped my lips when I crashed, face first, into the side of a nearby hill.

    ''It''s a miracle I didn''t break myself on any of the trees on my way here,'' I thought bitterly, slowly gathering myself up.

    It was massive luck on my end that this strange lightning appeared behind my back. If it were to strike right where I stood...

    A shiver shook my body as I turned my face back to where the attack came from.

    ''Who?'' a single question filled my mind as I scanned the area in search of an opponent.

    Yet, I was unable to sense a single unnatural ripple in theke of mana in this area.

    ''Can they hide the presence of their mana?'' a logical solution emerged in my thoughts. I shook my head a mere momentter, refusing to ept it.

    ''Even I can''t hide my mana,'' I thought as I continued to scan the surroundings with my eyes. ''And I''m already on the weaker side of those who reached near the top. If they could injure that dragon from before, it''s all the less likely they would be able to screen the influence of their power!''

    A ripple appeared in theke of mana.

    ''WHO?!'' I turned my eyes in the direction of the threat...

    Only for another ck lighting to stream down to the ground and tear through the very fabric of the space.

    BOOM!

    The sound caused by the shockwave reached my ears a momentter, its intensity showcasing the power behind the attack.

    BOOM! BOOM!

    The strikes started to appear quicker and quicker, each of them seemingly following the path that I took while fighting off the stranger.

    ''Wait, this isn''t an attack,'' I realized, only for my eyes to open as wide as the limits of my flesh allowed.

    BOOM!

    I twisted my body around.

    BOOM!

    The barrage of lighting came closer and closer.

    BOOM!

    I leaped away, hoping to escape the attack.

    BOOOOM!

    Thest of the strikes was so powerful it nearly ruptured my ears.

    At first, I thought I had managed to escape thest of the attacks... Only for my body to suddenly go out of control when the powerful shockwave pushed it from behind!

    ''Not again,'' I thought, powerless to stop my sudden flight.

    THUMP!

    I could feel my bones cracking when my body smashed into the side of the hill for yet another time. Yet, thanks tonding slightly on my side, I could prove one of my earlier observations wrong.

    It wasn''t that I, by some miracle, managed to avoid all the trees in the way. No. The force of the shockwave that sent me flying turned my body into a bullet that simply cut right through the damned forest!

    ''This is going to turn into one massive pain,'' I thought as I once again attempted to gather myself up.

    The barrage of lighting stopped, for the time being, giving birth to a hope that it was now all over.

    BOOM!

    ''I guess not,'' I thought, my face darkening as the same spots that the lighting struck before now received another barrage.

    "Thank God I moved out of the way in time," I muttered. And that''s all I did because the world suddenly spun around as I struggled to stand upright on my unexpectedly weak knees.

    My throat filled up, causing my entire body to convulse as I fell down on all fours.

    "Blergh..." my mouth turned into a broken dam that now released what had to be a considerable chunk out of my entire pool of blood.

    ''How am I alive?'' I thought, looking at the blood I had just retched out. ''Losing so much blood in a single...'' my thoughts went into disarray, only for a second wave of convulsion to strike me down.

    For the next few moments, I could do nothing but continuously vomit my blood out. Only when only acid flew out of my mouth did I manage to force a stop to my convulsions before reinforcing my insides with my mana.

    The world spun around the moment I attempted to do so. And as if following by a leash, the thunders suddenly grew stronger.

    But it then turned out even worse, as those lighting strikes started to move towards me, now freed from the confines they were stuck in before!

    ''Is it because I used my mana?'' I thought, desperately trying to figure out just what the hell was going on.

    And then, by a pure coincidence, I looked right into the striking thunder as it fell down to the ground.

    "What the..." I uttered, only for my face to turn dark.

    Judging from the path the lightning strikes took, it was about tond a square hit directly on my back!

    But what was even worse, I realized the meaning of a certain saying from the earth.

    ''When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares right back at you.''

    The popr quote appeared in my mind right as I looked into the lightning... Or rather, the momentary rift in the very fabric of space that it created.

    The openingsted for a split of a second, the forces of the world itself quickly mending the space back to how it should be.

    But in that single moment, I saw it.

    An endless ocean of perfectly stable energy. The waves of influence moved from the world to the surface of this endlesske of power, only to cause a ripple that then turned back into a wave of influence on the other side of theke.

    ''Ugh...'' I let out a long moan of pain when pressure suddenly surged in my brain.

    What I saw was just a poor, faulty visualization that my brain came up with to portray things that exceeded my understanding.

    The surface of theke that I noticed was a perfect example. For ake, there was only one surface. Yet, for theke of the mana, its surface had two sides. And within the confines of three dimensions, this phenomenon couldn''t exist!

    Another round of clearing out the content of my stomach followed when my brain attempted to make sense of what I saw in that rift of space.

    "Arthy!" Mia shouted, appearing right on the edge of my vision. I could also vaguely hear the steps of someone else approaching.

    "RUN!" I shouted with all the strength that I had left in my body.

    Even though those lighting clearly didn''te from any force within this world, I could somehow tell another one was about to strike.

    ''I can''t let Mia suffer because of something that I caused!''

    This single thought filled my brain.

    Then, all the thoughts disappeared from my brain as I acted fully on instinct.

    Using mana would cause my body to violently protest. Yet, there was this tiny window during which I could use my mana and, before doing so, would bring retribution upon me.

    So, in the act of desperation, I banked all my hopes on this window,unching my mana to propel Mia as far away from this ce as I could.

    And then, right as all the minuscule amount of mana that I managed to gather on the spot had left my body...

    The ck lighting struck me squarely in the back.

 Chapter 370 Crawling Her Way

    *Five minutes earlier*

    Mia remained by the tree where Arthur left her to stay and rest.

    She sat back when she heard a rustling followed by someone moving at an incredible speed.

    She sat still when the movement suddenly ceased, stopped in a time frame smaller than she could perceive.

    Because that was what Arthur requested of her.

    ''I need to trust him,'' Mia thought. She tried to wash her worries away by gulping down a mouthful of her saliva.

    Mia then lowered her eyes to her hands. They were ever-so-slightly trembling.

    ''That''s weird,'' Mia thought while an empty smile formed on her lips. All the emotions left her eyes, leaving them to just stare at the girl''s hand. ''It''s not cold, so why am I shivering?''

    Mia continued to stare at her hands for a few more seconds.

    Thump.

    A silent noise reached Mia''s ears and made her turn her head towards it. The noise itself bnced right on the edge of being too little for Mia to notice it.

    However, there was something different about it.

    For Mia, hidden behind a set of protective arrays, a silent sound like that didn''t fit the noisy atmosphere that started the moment Arthur immersed himself deeper into the forest.

    "What is..." Mia muttered and leaned forward. She prompted herself up with her hands as she crawled a few paces, only to stop when she felt she reached the border of Arthur''s barriers.

    Crack.

    The time stopped. Mia''s body froze. Her mind went into alert mode when the girl recognized the strange feeling that pushed her into this weird state.

    A small spark of extremely bright, yellow light suddenly appeared from the depths of the forest. Its extreme brightness shoot right through the forest''s foliage, allowing Mia to see it even with all the trees in the way.

    The light moved down, following a strange, zig-zag pattern as it pulled down. And then, it touched the ground.

    Brrrr...

    A strange, guttural-like sound zapped past Mia''s ears. And then, the entire path that the bright orb of light took to reach the ground suddenly lit up, only for ck lighting to descend down from the skies and scorch said path.

    ''Impossible,'' Mia thought. Her eyes opened wide to the point her eyeballs started to dry up.

    Mia could recognize what was going on... Because it was thest thing that she could remember happening before she lost her consciousness before!

    "Arthur!" Mia shouted, wing at the ground to get a better grip and push her body forward.

    ''Back then, all the mana turned into the fuel for this strange force,'' Mia thought, using all four of her limbs to propel herself even further in the direction she could sense her lover from.

    And then, the ck lighting struck again. And again. And again.

    Mia''s perception of time slowed down to a crawl, allowing her to see the individual fissures opening up in the very fabric of the space, only to instantly receive a powerful attack from the ck lightning.

    Yet, even with all the lighting leading Mia to her beloved, her elerated perception of time didn''t mean her body could move faster than usual. In the end, she could only watch the passing trees while rushing in to find Arthur.

    "Arty!" Mia shouted when the body of her partner finally emerged from behind a line of trees.

    And he was in an extremely battered state.

    Blood marked the entire bottom of his face. He was on all fours, and yet his limbs continued to tremble, clearly struggling to keep Arthur''s body up.

    And then, there was a small pool of blood and filth right below Arthur''s head.

    The head that he then turned slightly to the side.

    For a brief moment, their eyes met. And within this single frame of time flow, Mia could see Arthur''s eyes twitching. Then, a fire of determination exploded behind his pupils, seemingly illuminating them from behind.

    "RUN!"

    Arthur opened his mouth and moved his lips... But not a single sound came out.

    ''Run,'' Mia tranted Arthur''s words from the movements of his lips alone. And then, her face darkened.

    ''As if I could run when you are so hurt!'' she thought, using all her might to get closer to her man.

    ''Since I survived an outburst like that, then maybe I can protect him from it!'' Mia thought, grabbing a nearby branch only to pull herself on it while kicking the ground with her legs.

    The mana in the area suddenly twitched. It was as if a small shock suddenly reverberated through its entire volume.

    The mana in the air then rushed right into Arthur, feeding him the energy right as another fissure opened up directly above Arthur''s back.

    ''No,'' Mia protested. Her soul screamed out when she realized she wouldn''t get there in time.

    She could see the events happening in a slow-motion as if someone only served her a single frame of instant at a time. Yet, her body couldn''t catch up anywhere near the speed of her perception.

    ''If he keeps going like that, his own mana will burn him from inside!'' Mia thought, desperately reaching out toward Arthur...

    Only for Arthur''s eyes to twitch... and then for the young man to realize all the mana he managed to gather and then use it to push Mia away!

    And then, just like all those times before, the ck lighting came to strike down the fissure that appeared right above Arthur''s ck. And it went without saying that even once all the fissures ended up burned away, the lighting continued and struck Mia''s beloved!

    "Arty!" Mia shouted again just as the shockwave released by Arthur reached and then carried her away to the safety.

    Then, the shockwave of the lighting followed right up, sweeping an entire area clean.

    "Cough!" Mia desperately attempted to clear her throat once the disaster had concluded. She then managed to get back to her feet and looked in the direction where the lighting struck down.

    ''I need to get to him,'' she thought, falling on her knees right as she attempted to make just a single step.

    ''What the...'' Mia thought only for her body to start convulsing. Everyst muscle in her body pulsated, constantly tensing up and rxing and making it impossible for the girl to move at all.

    The drawback of moving at her physically top speed hit the girl hard.

    ''I need to get to him,'' Mia thought, grasping at the forest''s undergrowth, trying to pull herself forward. It was a perfect measure of both her desperation and determination.

    And then, as if to bury all Mia''s hopes, the lightning struck the ground again.

 Chapter 371 Hawkings Magical Radiation

    ''Where the hell am I?''

    A single thought appeared in my mind when I came back to my senses.

    My surroundings were fully dark as if the concept of illumination didn''t exist in the ce I found myself.

    ''Did I die?'' My mind conjured the simplest logical exnation behind my current situation.

    No, it wasn''t logical. There was no logic in death. It was simply the most obvious exnation.

    ''I can still think,'' I noticed only to...

    To do what exactly?

    In theplete darkness of this strange space, there was no use trying to showcase my emotions through my facial gestures, even if it was only for my own sake.

    ''No, I can''t think like that,'' I told myself. ''What if I just went blind?'' I suggested, only to forcefully put a cheeky smile on my lips.

    This ce was dark. And even if it wasn''t, I had no mirror to see my own face and check whether my efforts paid off.

    Still, it felt like something about me had changed.

    ''Can I still touch stuff?'' I thought, trying my best to move my hands around.

    I tried to il them to the side to grasp at the ground. I then tried to raise them to my face to see whether I actually had one... but to no avail.

    ''I can feel anything?'' I thought, trying to make some sense of the situation.

    Or maybe my initial guess was correct? Maybe that''s what dying was all about? Instead of going to heaven, hell, or whatever various religions came up with, one would be stuck in limbo for as long as it would take for their reason to wither away and disappear?

    Some time has passed. It could be a few minutes, maybe even seconds. But there was an equal chance that I was stuck in this ce for ages.

    A spark appeared right before my eyes.

    Starved for stimulus, I glued my eyes to the event.

    The time I spent in theplete darkness of this strange void had already inflicted its burden on my mind.

    ''It''s shiny,'' I thought. This was the only reasonable thought I could form in my mind.

    And then, as slowly as if it didn''t move at all, the spark started to move down.

    At first, it acted as some sort of zipper. It moved in a zig-zag pattern, leaving a trail of a small shine in its wake. For every inch that the spark moved, its brightness would dim out a little.

    ''I guess leaving a trail of light has to cost it some sort of energy,'' I thought, observing the events with all my soul.

    Then, the spark finally died out. If not for the winding trail of a gentle shine, I wouldn''t have a single proof of the spark ever existing.

    ''Is it over?'' I thought when everything seemed toe to an end.

    And then, as if responding to the whine of my soul, ck lighting suddenly descended upon the trail before my eyes.

    ''Huh?'' my mind shook, unable to understand one thing.

    If this ce is perfectly ck... how can I see ck lighting?

    Yet, there was a clear difference between the ckness of the void around me and the intense ckness of the lighting. It was as if the lighting had its darkness far more intense, with the difference making it easy to see it on apletely ck canvas of the world around me.

    The lightning struck directly at the top of the trail left by the spark. And with the same speed that the spark moved at before, the power of the strike killed the remaining shine of the spark.

    As the force of the lighting traveled down, the ce that used to shine a little would turn even darker than the space around, only for the intensity of the darkness to even out a single breathter.

    ''Is it mending the space?'' I finally formted a thought moreplex than an ape would while staring at a burning candle.

    Yet, as if there weren''t enough surprises for me in this space, it suddenly all turned bright!

    No, that''s not the right way to describe it.

    A myriad of the sparks that I saw before now appeared all over the ce. Yet, this time, rather than moving at a snail''s pace, they all just sted through the space, lost their energy, and disappeared, only to be followed by dark lightning that erased all the traces of their trails.

    ''What is going on?'' I thought, surrounded by the neverending procession of those small fireworks.

    The process elerated with every second that I wasted observing it. By the time I managed to get used to the sight, the exchange of spark into a dark bolt had turned nearly instantaneous.

    And a mere momentter, the space around me returned to its usual, dark appearance.

    The sparks that I saw before would appear, burn out and then get their trails erased by the lighting simply too fast to let my eyes perceive the shing of their light.

    ''Is this some sort of constant process?'' I thought, a connection already appearing in my mind.

    A connection that led to an obscure video that I once watched the way in the past. It was a graphic simtion of how the fabric of the space worked on its smallest scale, with particles and anti-particles constantly appearing only to annihte each other.

    ''Is this how the ck holes were supposed to evaporate?'' I thought.

    Now that my brain had found an anchor for my thoughts, forming moreplex assumptions became way easier.

    ''When one particle of the pair appears right on the edge of the event horizon, its partner gets sucked inside while the particle itself flies out of the universe, chipping away at the ck hole''s mass,'' I recalled the exnation of the process called Hawking''s radiation.

    ''Could it be that I''m looking at this exact thing... just in the world of mana?''

    This was a simple thought, a straightforward conjecture. Yet, the moment it appeared in my thoughts, the world around me changed again.

 Chapter 372 Universes Test

    I saw myriads of particles of light appear out of nowhere, leave their bright trail as they moved, and then disappear once their energy ran out. Then, ck lighting would strike those trails, eradicating them from the world.

    This process turned the ck universe I was in into a festival of fireworks, brighter than the brightest day I had ever experienced. But as the flow of time continued to elerate, all of the lights suddenly vanished.

    Which could only mean one thing.

    The process itself was happening so rapidly that no human eye could ever observe it!

    ''So why could I see it just a moment ago?'' I asked myself when all the lights disappeared, and I dropped my attempts at applying the knowledge from earth to the world around me.

    Now that I had taken a new approach to understanding my situation, the answer to my question turned out to be so damn obvious it was no wonder I didn''t notice it before.

    At this point, I could only guess it was human nature to ignore the things that appeared to be too obvious forfort. And whatever the name of this mental facy, I just fell victim to it.

    Because the answer was obvious. There were only two ways in which I could observe a dtation of time in the way I did just a moment ago.

    Either the time really has slowed down just for me, just to let me observe this event, or...

    Or this entire thing was nothing more but a lesson left by someone with enough power to impose a rule where this kind of visual would appear before the eyes of anyone who reached a certain level!

    ''If I were me from the earth, I would likely believe in the first option,'' I thought while gritting my mental teeth. ''But now I''m smarter,'' I choose to believe.

    To disturb the flow of time, one would have to mess with the very fabric of the space, as time was nothing more than another element of it. There were some theorems that a time used to be a dimension on its own, yet it ended up copsing onto the three dimensions humans knew, creating the spacetime that people on earth believed to be the very fabric of the universe they knew.

    But I wasn''t a physicist to be able to verify those theorems. I didn''t need to be a physics thought to understand something extremely simple.

    Just like in the universe I was born with, one could manipte the inner workings of the fundamental elements of the world only by either using an iprehensible amount of energy or by approaching the very limits of thews that kept the entire universe in check.

    "But it would be stupid to believe that the same principle applies here," I muttered under my mental nose as I could only sit tight and wait for something to happen.

    "It''s obvious this isn''t a real-world," I attempted to say out loud. "Even the strongest cultivator of this world isn''t capable of seriously destroying the," I continued my speech even if there was no one there to hear me. "And the level of strength necessary to destroy a is only a fraction of energy one would need to use to actually influence the time itself!"

    This line of logic was the reason behind my confidence that it was the other option that was in y here.

    And soon enough, my beliefs proved to be true.

    The ck universe all around me remained calm for what could very well be several minutes, several hours, years, or maybe just a single instant. With no sensory experiences of any kind and stuck to the confines of my mind, I had no means of urately tracking the time.

    ''And let''s not forget that in this ce, time might not y a significant role anymore,'' I thought to myself, taking notice of the possibility.

    And then, a massive ray of light suddenly appeared in the distance, cutting through the darkness of this ce like some sort of massive, holy sword of a hero from the stories.

    ''What the hell is this?'' I thought when the light surged ahead and passed me only to just... stop.

    ''No, that''s not the right way to think,'' I thought as I looked closer at the massive array of bright, whiteish light.

    It wasn''t a singr entity that crossed through the dark space. Instead, it was an active flow...

    ''Of what?'' I asked myself as I glued my virtual eyes to the event. ''Pure energy? Photons? Or maybe mana?''

    Arriving at thest possible option, I once again realized just how stupid I could be at times.

    ''What else could it be if not mana?'' I thought before changing my approach to the topic.

    The source of the light was way too distant for me to ever see anything about it. Yet, the ce where the stream of whiteish mana ended was right by my side as if this very illusion was constructed all for the sake of showing me this particr element of what was going on.

    And sure enough, after I waited for yet another impossible-to-define amount of time, something changed.

    As impossible as it appeared to be for me from a few seconds earlier, the ray of the mana suddenly brightened up. Even though I couldn''t prove it, I could swear the mana in the flow suddenly sped up, increasing both in density, speed, and volume itself.

    And then, right where the mana would disappear just a few inches away from my point of vision...

    The sparks appeared.

    The same sparks that I could see all over the ce before. But this time, it wasn''t the size of a single grain of sand. This time, the sparks covered nearly the entirety of the trail of the light, only to explode outwards, ripping the space itself apart!

    "WHOA," I uttered a shocked sound when the darkness that surrounded me turned into nothing more than a pitiful shadow, a mere projection of the true darkness that appeared in the rift.

    I couldn''t see it. I couldn''t feel it. But I could somehow tell how the space started to get all mangled up, tearing apart not due to the influence of an overbearing amount of mana but just as the aftereffect of an already existing fissure.

    BOOM!

    Even though there was no air in this ce to transfer the sound, I could hear the noise when a thick bolt of extremely dark lighting appeared out of nowhere and struck the fissure down.

    Then another one appeared. And another one.

    Soon, the space around me turned into a hailstorm in which, instead of drops of water, lighting fell all over the ce, desperately struggling to close the fissure.

    Whenever lightning struck, the space around its destination would somehow reinvigorate, pushing against the fissure with renewed power. Yet, after watching the proceedings for just a few moments, I could already tell it wasn''t enough.

    In fact, it was far from enough!

    Bit by bit, the fissure continued to grow in spite of all the lightning. And when it reached my point of vision...

    Everything disappeared once again, leaving me in the familiar peacefulness of the darkness all around.

    ''What the hell was that?'' I thought, stunned by the events, I had no other choice but to observe.

    And then, barely a moment after the show, the bright sword of intense mana appeared again.

    Everything happened exactly the same way in which it did before. The sword of light would cut through the space and established a flow of mana at a density I had never experienced before.

    It was so damn powerful that some of the mana even started to leak out of its flow, seeping into the surrounding space.

    But this time, no disaster followed. And no matter how long I waited, this extremely powerful flow of mana that dwarfed what I saw before continued to remain as stable as it was the moment it appeared.

    ''There has to be something to those images that I''m missing,'' I thought as I once again directed all my attention to the one ce that could hide the answers from me.

    I looked into the details of the picture.

    "It''s not leaking," I muttered.

    The mana that I formerly assumed was unable to stay within the flow was way too organized to be a byproduct of a powerful flow. It looked like a thousand small hands reaching out from the main flow and infusing the surrounding space with their power.

    ''Is that...'' I thought, only to shake my virtual head. ''No, it couldn''t be,'' I quickly lectured myself. ''This would be too damn simple!''

    For a moment, I attempted to protest the idea that appeared in my head. Yet, the more I tried to deny it, the more and more details I could see that did everything to make me believe in my own gut feeling.

    "Does this flow actively tries to reinforce the space it''s lodged into to prevent the fissures I saw before from appearing?" I formted my thesis out loud, just out of curiosity about how it would sound.

    And then, as if I passed some sort of test, the world around me copsed and disappeared along with my consciousness.

 Chapter 373 Restarting The Mages Tower

    "A....y..."

    "A...r....y..."

    "Arty..."

    I opened my eyes when I heard Mia''s voice calling out my name.

    "Arty!" Mia''s call forced me awake.

    "Mia...?" I muttered in a feeble voice, doing my best to push myself up.

    ''Huh?'' I only had the time to utter a small moan of shock when my body refused to work the way it should.

    I attempted to push myself up, prompting myself off the ground with my hands... Sadly, the muscles in my hands refused to cooperate, giving up the second I put any weight on them.

    "Arty!" Mia screamed out from the bottom of her lungs when she noticed I finally started to move. And then, as if not aware of my feeble state, she lunged forward, smashing herself right in my chest.

    "Ugh..." I released a pained moan when the girl''s head pressed against my ribs, squeezing all the air out of my lungs.

    "You are alive, you are alive, you are alive!" the girl chanted through her tears, rubbing her face against my chest.

    I could feel her body tremble with every word that she said.

    "I''m alive," I said, trying to calm the girl down a little.

    I was in an extremely bad state. Unable to exert any physical strength, I heavily doubted I could do anything with my mana either.

    It meant that even mice could be a threat to me now. In other words, as much as I hated it, right now, I was nothing more but a burden.

    "But can you tell me what happened?" I asked in a small voice, trying to assess the situation.

    How long was I out? Did Mia have to fight with someone? Or what did happen to me in the first ce?

    "I saw you get struck with ck lightning," Mia exined while hugging herself into my chest. "I really thought you were going to die!" she cried out, her words barely understandable over the degree of her sobbing.

    "I see," I whispered in response and hung my head to the back as if I wanted to stare at the sky.

    But rather than stars and the moon, all I could see were the treetops of the forest that surrounded us.

    "I''m sorry to have made you worry," I apologized while tucking the girl even closer before wrapping my hands around her body and slowly moving from one side to another.

    ''It feels like I''m lulling a kid to sleep,'' I thought while enjoying the fact that it was my hug that finally prompted the girl to rx a little.

    "Don''t be," Mia said before sniffling and then wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "You came here to save me, didn''t you?" she then asked, only for her tears to start streaming down her face again.

    "You know you are the most precious thing to me in this entire world," I said without even a moment of hesitation, not caring for how cringy it could sound if anyone were to listen to us. "If I had to choose between this world and you, then this world would be damned," I added before hiding my face in the corner between the girl''s shoulder and neck.

    "I know," Mia said before releasing a small, shy giggle. "You''ve told me this enough times already," she added.

    Mia then grabbed my shoulders before prompting herself up on them. And before I could tell, she coiled her hands around the back of my head before pushing my face into her bosom.

    "But when will you finally learn that it''s the same for me?" Mia asked while making use of her breasts to stop me from saying anything.

    "hmhmhphm," I attempted to say something, only for the girl''s sweet flesh to muffle any and all sounds that I attempted to push out of my mouth.

    "Do you know what actually happened?" Mia asked once she finally got enough of my face on her boobs. "Like, what was that ck lightning and all?"

    "So I can talk now?" I asked when Mia finally let go of my head. A small smirk that formed up on my lips had to suffice as proof that I wasn''t really serious.

    Yet, the question itself actually forced me to take it seriously.

    "It''s only my guess, but I think it''s some sort of ancient force," I attempted to exin. "After I lost consciousness, I appeared in some sort of illusionary world. In there, I saw things I never expected to experience."

    I then took a moment to describe the details of the strange festival of lights that I saw in that strange subspace.

    "So you think it''s an illusion, a vision nted by someone whose strength allows or allowed them to impose the appearance of such vision to the people that fulfill certain criteria?" Mia somehow managed to put my thoughts into order, turning a bunch of observations and guesses into a proper thesis.

    "It may have something to do with the very fabric of the space surrounding us," I added my own interpretation of what I saw back then. "And about that ck lightning..."

    I took a moment to sort my own thoughts.

    "It might be some sort of the world''s natural defense system," I attempted to guess. "Or maybe it''s a spell imposed by some powerful entity, just like you said?"

    I shrugged my shoulders.

    "To be honest, I don''t think it matters," I stated before shaking my head and grabbing Mia by her armpits before pulling her up from myp.

    "Why?" the girl reacted without even a moment of hesitation, wrapping her hands around my neck and refusing to move.

    "I should''ve asked this way earlier, but how long was I out?" I asked, not ceasing my attempts to lift the girl.

    "Only a short moment," Mia replied with a confused expression on her face as she finally followed my wish and stood up... Only for her knees to instantly give up and make her fall down right into my arms.

    "Fuck," I cursed, letting the girl slide down before gently cing her down on the ground.

    My body exploded in pain when I suddenly started moving as if I was all right. But I had no other choice. The people that I killed before the world pulled me into its vision... They could still be around!

    "We need to make sure we are safe here," I said as I forcefully kickstarted my cultivation again.

    ''I don''t have any of that anti-mana left,'' I quickly realized, only to bite down on my lips.

    Right now, I didn''t really need it to power up my internal mana engine. Yet, without even a trace amount of the antimana, I simply couldn''t kickstart its operations.

    ''I need to raise my mage''s tower,'' I thought, instantly spreading my mana awareness as far as I could to inspect the state of my formations.

    And just like one could guess, they didn''t work. Yet, after focusing on the details for just a short while, I managed to quickly find out the reason.

    It wasn''t that all my formations and arrays got destroyed. In fact, most of them were fully intact, ready to restart their operation the moment my mana would start flowing through them again.

    The culprit behind the breakdown of my formation was actually a set of three formation stones, all of which were a part of the primary formations that served as the organizing unit for all the other formations.

    And from what I could see, they were fried. Not burned down, not burned into ashes... but fried.

    Just like a device that happened to be short-circuited.

    ''As long as I rece them...'' I thought, mentally rearranging the order of the stones in the primary formations. And then, with a small surge of mana, I put this mental image of mine in ce.

    The second I connected all the stones again, the mana rushed to fill the void of the formations.

    ''Wait, I''m making the same mistake that I made before!" I realized right before the entire mage''s tower would start operating. And right at this moment, I forcefully put a stop to the flow of the mana within the formations.

    ''I need to dismantle at least three of them,'' I thought, quickly turning my thoughts into actions.

    And with the several stones that I recycled from the formations that I dismantled, I quickly whipped out a single, rtively big formation that only had a single purpose.

    "There they are!" a voice suddenly came from the deeper part of the forest.

    "See?" I asked, throwing Mia a meaningful look before forcing my muscles to cooperate as I stood up.

    The fiery pain exploded in my legs, threatening to copse all my muscles...

    But I couldn''t care less.

    Once I confirmed that my new formation would do a perfect job at reinforcing all the space that my mage''s tower operated at, I looked in the direction where the voice came from.

    "Let''s wrap this up and head back to the city," I said, sparing onest look a the girl before turning my eyes back in the direction of the potential threat. "I..."

    THUMP!

    Before I could say another word, a monstrous noise shook all the trees in the area.

    ''A shockwave?'' I thought when I observed the moving tops of the trees... Only to feel the ground tremble underneath my feet.

    "What the hell is this?" Mia muttered, her eyes opening wide as she realized just how massive a being had to be to cause such an uproar.

    Yet, as I caught a glimpse of the monster that caused all of this mess... the corners of my lips suddenly moved up.

    "Don''t worry," I said, sitting back as a wave of relief surged through my body. "I know it might be hard to believe... but I don''t think we do need to fear that dragon!"

 Chapter 374 Improved Mages Tower

    The massive body of the dragon that I became aquatinted with before towered over the entire area.

    What were the treetops, what were the hills, if not but a background to the true testimony of massiveness represented by this magnificent being?

    "We don''t need to fear it, mkay," Mia muttered in a soft voice, staring at the side of the dragon with a dumb expression on her face.

    She then shook her head before fixing herself in a morefortable position within my arms.

    "So if I just close my eyes and wait, it will disappear, right?" Mia spoke nonsense, only to follow her words with actions. And before I could do anything or even reply, she closed her eyes before shoving her face into my chest.

    "That''s the one!" the shouts filled the surrounding.

    ''Right, there are still those fuckers,'' I thought, wrapping my arms around Mia''s feeble body, standing up and ready to drag her away.

    ''I helped you, you helped me,'' I thought, looking up at the dragon.

    From the top of its neck, its size didn''t show its true scale. But now that I stood right below it, I had to pull my chin pretty high for my eyes to even reach the dragon''s head.

    "ROAAAAR!"

    Tump.

    A shockwaveing from the dragon''s cry struck me squarely in the back, sending me flying a few steps forward.

    I only had my own instincts to thank for standing up and saving myself the first-degree meeting between my face and the ground below.

    "Yeah, we are definitely getting out of here," I muttered under my nose as I used the momentum from the shockwave to start sprinting right away.

    I helped the dragon to heal, the dragon helped me by bringing me near Mia. In other words, our favors are canceled out now. As such, there was no reason for me to stay back and fight with those dragon hunters when I could barely stand on my own two legs!

    This lie fueled my pained muscles for several moments. In the end, I managed to carry Mia away all the way to the edge of the forest.

    This was a perfect spot to observe the battle between the dragon and its hunters while keeping ourselves hidden and having a good view of the nearby in. Save for the ambush directly from the forest, no one could approach us without making their presence known to all in the area.

    And it was right on the edge of the forest when I stopped.

    "Arty?" Mia muttered weakly in my arms, her physical exhaustion mixed with unstable emotions made the girl fall apart in my hold.

    ''She should be able to get back in good shape with just a little bit of rest, at the very least,'' I thought, resting the girl''s back against one of the nearby trees before sending a long look to where the epicenter of the forest rumbling was located.

    "I know it doesn''t involve me anymore..." I muttered, sensing the violent fluctuations of the mana nearby.

    They were near the level of what would call for the retribution of the world''s natural defense system that I observed in my visions. The aftershocks of the battle were near... but didn''t reach that level yet.

    ''Unless they are saving some kind of powerful moves forst, it should be safe to leave them be,'' I thought, analyzing even the option of the fight bringing the natural mana of the world into a state of rampage.

    "You want to go, don''t you?" Nadia muttered in her weak voice, her eyelids heavily lowered over her eyes. Her lips were adorned with a small, epting smile, as she came to terms with what it meant to be my partner. "Then just go," Mia stated, angling her head to the side and looking up to share her smile with me. "I will simply take a short rest."

    Mia reached out with her hand, yet her body proved to be too exhausted to even find my face. Her hand fell down by her side as Mia''s eyes lost their sparks. Her head fell to the side only to rest on a small branch growing rtively low from the tree I rested her against.

    "She''s just sleeping," I muttered to myself after quickly ensuring her vitals were stable.

    Just like I thought, Mia was extremely exhausted but not injured.

    "All sorts of reasons push me to meddle in that fight," I muttered to myself as I looked longingly towards the deeper areas of the forest.

    Right now, there were no favors between me and that dragon. And while that meant I had no obligation toe to its help now, doing so would push the scale back to my side.

    ''But is it worth leaving Nadia to danger again just for the potential prospect of a powerful ally?''

    This was a simple question. One that even a child could answer. Yet, one that I got wrong in the recent past.

    "There is no way I will do that," I said out loud, turning around on my heel and then kneeling down by Nadia''s sleeping body.

    Her curves posed no secret to me, allowing my hands to quickly grab her by her knees and back before lifting the girl up and rushing out into the in.

    "Everything will be okay," I whispered into Mia''s ear as I beelined through the open area of the in.

    With each passing second, the pain in my flesh would grow weaker and weaker, reced by the dull feeling of overusing my strength.

    But right now, I couldn''t care less.

    ''At least I managed to fix all the formations already,'' I thought once a task that I delegated a part of my brain to reached itspletion.

    I was still out in the open. There didn''t appear to be anyone chasing me. Yet, for the sake of keeping Mia safe from any danger, I didn''t hesitate even for a second when raising my mage''s tower.

    This time, however, the stones that I recycled from the three formations I picked for scraps before, now served a single purpose. Dealt with just the problem that my visions made me aware of.

    And contrary to how, in the past, my mage''s tower would keep all the mana locked in the flow, my changed mage''s tower actively reinforced the space around it, allowing me to operate huge amounts of mana without putting the very fabric of the space at risk!

 Chapter 375 There Is No Place That We Can Call Home

    Rushing through an open in was a stupid thing to do when one was worried about others chasing him. It was all the more stupid with how the dragon could find myck of help disturbing, opting to take revenge on me after dealing with its own pursuers.

    Those were the facts that I couldn''t deny. The reasons why stepping out to a in was a mistake.

    And yet, in my precise situation, I didn''t mind making this mistake.

    Because no matter how I would want to return back to the ancient city, I had to cross this in. And what was the better time to do it while both parties that could be potentially hostile to me were engaged with each other?

    And so I ran. With Mia in my arms and severalyers of barriers protecting us from any sneak attacks, I ran through the in.

    ? I ignored the pain. I ignored the exhaustion. I ignored the pain that woulde tomorrow from overusing my muscles. And throughout all of this, I kept on running.

    "Arty...?" Mia whispered softly as she pried her eyes open.

    It had to be the obvious rocking that she went through while carried by someone running that was likely responsible for her waking up.

    "Hello," I uttered, forcing my face to appear kind and happy while hiding all the signs of exhaustion I could think of.

    With a brush of my mana, I painted healthy pink over my sweaty forehead, removed the wrinkles, and disturbed the sound of my ragged breath.

    All to keep Mia rxed and calm.

    "What are we...?" the girl asked, pushing her head up in an attempt to look around.

    She then raised her hands to wipe her eyes clean while rubbing her dizziness away.

    ''Damn, I never expected how happy something so simple would make me,'' I thought, seeing howfortable Mia was while carried in my arms.

    It was these kinds of small details that made me fall in love with her over and over again. Tiny elements of our rtionship and just howfortable we were in each other''s presence continued to fan the mes of my crush.

    "We are going back home," I replied, bringing one of my hands to Mia''s face only to then wipe a small speck of dirt from her cheek.

    "Home..." Mia muttered as her eyes filled with sadness.

    "Did I say something wrong?" I dared not to waste time before asking.

    This wasn''t how I expected Mia to respond to my words. Her reaction took me by a surprise, surprise reinforced to panic when I recognized the sadness in her eyes.

    "No, it''s not you," Mia quickly shook her head sideways only to then push her face against my chest as she hid her expressions from my view. "But is there any ce in this world that we can call home anymore?"

    I tensed my fists.

    For how well I was coping with the changes around me, for how little I cared about the world I reincarnated into...

    Mia was actually right.

    If something on the same scale as the events I could see with my very own eyes were to happen on earth, the entire civilization would be gone in a matter of weeks.

    And all those things happened not to an advanced civilization that managed to take the reins of the entire and study the secrets of the rules that govern the universe itself. The disaster struck a that was filled with people below a level that would corrte to the antique on earth.

    Their only saving grace was the ability to cultivate. Yet, just like I figured it out already, the ability to do so was nothing more but a far cry from the real power one could unlock through mana.

    "You are right," I suddenly said, surprising even my own self. Yet, now that the die was cast, I had no other choice but to exin my thoughts. "There is no ce in this world that we can truly call home," I admitted.

    I then slowed down my sprint, taking my sweet time to gently bring my momentum all the way to aplete stop.

    Sensing the changes, Mia quickly attempted to get out of my hands, most likely trying to run along with me rather than allowing me to carry her onwards. Yet, before she could shift her body and hands around to control her own descent, I knelt down and helped her to sit directly on the ground.

    "It''s true that there is no ce that we can call home in this world," I repeated my words from before while simultaneously raising my hand to caress Mia''s cheek. "And it doesn''t appear that this world will turn easy to live in any time soon," I added, lowering my face and closing my eyes.

    We stood still in this one, weird position for a while, a moment that I needed to organize my thoughts and gather up my courage.

    ''To think that a single nce from her eyes could make me act like a virgin kid who never talked to a woman before,'' I thought, gritting my teeth over just how powerless I was.

    Yet, rather than getting stuck in my own uselessness, I raised my face and looked directly into Mia''s eyes.

    "While it''s true that there is no ce that we can call home in this world, I believe you are looking at it the wrong way," I stated, finally ready to guide the discussion towards the point I had in mind.

    "What do you mean?" Mia asked lightly, her wide eyes refusing to move an inch once she glued them to my own pupils. Yet, as the two of us continued to simply look the other in the eyes, I could see Mia''s lips starting to twitch as if her body started to react to the now intimate atmosphere.

    "I want to build a home with you," I finally revealed my thoughts.

    Sure, it wasn''t the first time for me to confess to Mia. We were already after the point of epting the idea of having a kid.

    Yet, what I asked now, was slightly different. Because rather than having her as my partner from now on, I wanted her to be fully recognized as a pir of my life.

    "Why do I feel a dissonance between the spirit of your words and their literal meaning?" Mia asked, happiness mixing with confusion on the stage of her eyes.

    "Because I''m too cowardly to simply ask you to be my wife, my one and only until thest of our days," I exined in a single breath, before leaning in for a gentle kiss.

 Chapter 376 Lets Take Things Easy Instead

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t have any ring to make this proposal more formal," I said, reaching out and grasping Mia''s hands. I then brought them to my lips and ced a gentle kiss on her fingers. "Still. This is the one desire that I always held dear to my heart. One wish I always hoped I could fulfill," I continued to ramble for a little bit longer.

    There was no real need to exin the situation to Mia. Her wide-open eyes, tensed-up face, and twitching corners of her mouth were more than enough to prove she fully understood what was going on.

    I kept on rambling�� because I couldn''t help but feel anxious, now that I uttered those magical words.

    "Arty��" Mia muttered. Her expression mellowed down. She then leaned her head to the side while reaching out with her hand only to caress my cheek. "Do you really need to ask?"

    Mia then pushed herself a little bit forward, leaning in for a gentle kiss.

    Her lips brushed against mine. Her forehead rested upon my head, allowing me to taste her breath when she took a break from kissing me.

    Yet, even after kissing me�� Mia wasn''t anywhere near being done.

    She freed her hand from my own fingers only to catch my head between my palms and go in for yet another kiss, this time one that involved not only lips�� but our tongues as well.

    For a single instant, the world around us ceased to be. All that we could care about, all that we could perceive was limited to just the taste of each other saliva, the movements of our tongues, and the greedy attempts of our lips to consume the mouth of the other.

    Mia leaned over me so hard that I failed to keep my back stable. With no other choice, I leaned to the back, using both of my hands to support my new position.

    And Mia quickly made the most of my defenseless stance, locking her hands behind the back of my head before devouring my lips with even greater enthusiasm.

    "Haaa��" I released a small sigh once the girl finally allowed me some rest. My mouth was all wet from our sloppy intimacy. And yet, just a single look at Mia''s delicate facial features was enough for me to tell she didn''t have anywhere near enough.

    "I would be honored to be yours, silly," she then said, allowing a gentle smile to creep up on her lips atst.

    At this point, I already knew her answer. And to a degree, I always knew what it would be. It was only my own sense of insecurity, an effect of the traumatic past I went through, that made me unable to believe it before.

    And yet, knowing something from my heart and actually hearing Mia say it right in my face, those two werepletely different things.

    "I really wish we could just fuck until we would drop," I muttered, bringing up one of my hands only to rest it on the girl''s waist.

    "Now that I''m fully yours, you just can''t help but desire to nt a kid in my belly, don''t you?" Mia tuned in to my words, her lips forming a bright, cheerful smile as she looked deeply into my eyes.

    "That''s right," I admitted, not allowing my shame to spoil this moment.

    But there was one side of me that held enough influence over my brain to put a stop to our light flirt.

    "But this isn''t the time for that, is it?" I muttered, my expression souring right away.

    Mia didn''t bother replying at all. Instead, she rested her head on my forehead before turning silent for a few moments.

    For the next while, all I could care about was the sound of her breaths, the proof that she was right there, right by my side.

    "You are right, this isn''t the time," Mia then agreed only to pull herself away and take a look around. "Which way should we go to get back to that city, I wonder?" she then asked, bringing up a point that Ipletely forgot about.

    In my rush to get as far away from where the dragon was battling its hunters, I didn''t really bother to pick any final direction. All I cared about was getting Mia out of the danger. And as such��

    I was nowpletely lost.

    "To be frank, I don''t think this is a problem at all," I suddenly announced, despite knowing it went against everything I acted on in the recent past.

    "Huh?" Mia shrugged, not expecting this kind of development. "What are you talking about?" she asked, reaching out with her hand for my cheek as if worried if I was okay.

    "It''s simple," I replied, smiling lightly while allowing the side of my head to rest on the insides of the girl''s hand. "Think about thest few days," I then pointed out. "Don''t you feel like�� everything was too damn hard?"

    If I were to describe everything that we went through in the recent past, there was only one way a former gamer like me would call it.

    A silly attempt of a filthy causal at conquering the game on super hard difficulty.

    Just like in a game, doing so in the real world would grant us much greater rewards than if we were to take our time to slowly go through everything on a normal if not even easy mode.

    And yet, in my rush to make sure I would be strong enough to protect Mia�� I unknowingly pushed the two of us into constant danger, the danger that brought us well past the limits of what we were willing to suffer through.

    "Are you not interested in the meaning of your name anymore?" Mia asked, twisting her face in a worried expression, clearly not expecting me to suddenly change my mind about everything.

    "It''s not that I''m not interested," I countered Mia''s worry. I then leaned forward, nting a gentle kiss on her full, tasty lips. "I just realized that I don''t have it in me to constantly worry about you. Or rather, it was stupid of me to throw ourselves on such deep waters from the beginning."

    "I don''t really understand��" Mia said with hesitation. She then shook her head only for a renewed resolve to sh in her eyes. "But it doesn''t matter. I trust you," she then said, only to take the charge herself and take her turn at stealing the kiss from my lips. "I trusted you ever since you took me as your ve," she said, only to press our lips together once again. "And I will continue to trust you," she said, this time pulling out her tongue and licking my lips clean only to finish me off with a charming smile.

    "You have no idea how happy it makes me," I replied, only to reach out with my hand for the girl''s chin. I then pushed it down only to lean my head to the side before pressing our lips together.

    Right now, I felt weird if I didn''t add a kiss as aa between two sentences I would utter.

    "I do have a clue," Mia grinned only to then shake her head and move her hands on my shoulders.

    This time, however, rather than going for another kiss, she used my shoulders as a support to help herself to stand up. And as soon as she got back to her feet, she reached out and offered me her hand to help me stand up as well.

    "What do you want us to do, then?" she asked, looking at me with a simple smile on her lovely lips.

    "Let''s do exactly what we wanted where this entire apocalypse started," I said, looking up to get a general idea of the world''s direction. "And I do recall you hoping to find out the whereabouts of your teammates," I added with a grin. "So let''s do just that!"

 Chapter 377 Where To Next?

    "Finding my teammates..." Mia muttered, averting her eyes as she immersed herself in her thoughts. She then raised her face and looked at me with hope brimming in her eyes. "Do you know how to do it?"

    Staring into her expectation-filled face... was nearly painful. Because contrary to the omnipotent me that Mia had the picture of in her mind, I didn''t really have any quirky or genius way ofpleting that task.

    "To be frank, I don''t have that much of an idea," I replied, shaking my head sideways. "Before the apocalypse, I could ask around at some ces..." I muttered, only to run down the list of all the people that I helped in the past and the people that helped me.

    Then, my face darkened.

    "But it likely won''t work in this world anymore," Mia sighed before saying her piece. "Right?"

    Her guess, logically speaking, was correct. And yet, something at the very bottom of my soul refused to agree with the girl.

    "That''s what logical thinking tells me to believe," I replied, raising my hand to caress her face only to then grace my girl with a cheeky smile. "But knowing the people I just thought about, this might not be the case at all!"

    The fact that I struggled with those anti-mana monsters likely meant they were too damn powerful for anyone below my level of strength to defeat.

    Yet, people on earth managed to survive ordeals several times worse than a monster they had no means of defeating. The fact that some folk managed to survive through a fucking nuke was the greatest proof of that, even if they only did so due to luck or great fortune.

    And thinking about how I saw those monsters acting, as long as one didn''t openly try to fight them back, there was a chance weaker humans could simply ignore them!

    "Do you want to ask around, then?" Mia asked, taking a step forward and wrapping her hands around my hand as she rested her cheek on my shoulder.

    "First, we will need to get out of this damn forest," I replied.

    All the monsters, no matter where they fell down, would be attracted to the bordends due to the presence of the anti-mana there. And while it was way too early for me to make any judgments, it only made sense if they were to weaken with every second they were surrounded by the positive mana of this world.

    In short, there was a chance that the descent of all those people-turned-monsters was an apocalyptic-level disaster, but not an apocalypse itself.

    "So you are going to abandon that city?" Mia then asked, leaning forward as she nced over at my face.

    "I''m going to leave it forter," I replied. "Especially with how that dragon appeared to wish to turn it into its nest," I added.

    Me leaving to protect that damned ancient city from the dragon was the very reason why Mia was put in danger yet again. But now that I thought properly about it, I actually got my priorities in reverse.

    "You see, while curious about the meaning behind my... special situation, I saw that city as the greatest chance at living a peaceful life with you," I said, reaching out and pinching Mia''s cheek. "But I believe that I overestimated my ability. And I definitely thought too little about what was happening around us."

    "Don''t say that!" Mia protested, using her forehead to strike me squarely in the chest. "You were doing your best with the information and power you had at the time!"

    ''Can you get any more precious?'' I then thought, swallowing down a gulp of saliva.

    Just how was a simple man like me supposed to take responsibility for my own mistakes if such a lovely girl like Mia would get angry at me epting I wasn''t perfect?

    "Stop being so lovely," I pleaded while caressing Mia''s cheek. "I can''t handle that much preciousness!"

    Mia blushed and averted her head, but she failed to hide a happy smile that appeared on her lips in response to my words.

    "Whatever was in the past doesn''t matter now," I then said, going back to the topic at hand. "And looking at what we know now, I believe most of the monsters won''t try to go around and rampage but will try to get into the bordends instead," I pointed out.

    Just like water would flow towards the bottommost point, just like air would always fly from the high-pressure to a low-pressure zone, mindless monsters would also strive to move to areas that they were morefortable with.

    ''Taking the size of this enormous continent and how rtively sparsely popted it is, the world might not even change all that much,'' I thought, recalling my experiences from when I rushed from the lower headquarters to the outerpost to reunite with the girl.

    There were some inns and cities along the way... But just by stepping by a single kilometer away from the main highway, I would enternds ofplete wilderness that no human hand touched for years if not ages!

    "What do you want us to do, then?" Mia asked, pulling on my hand as she not only pressed me to figure out the course of action we would take but also made me hasten my steps...

    Even if we had no idea whether the direction we were moving would end up correct.

    "As I said before, we need to get out of this damn forest first," I said. "Then, it would be for the best if we could find the nearest post of the Tuxi sect," I added.

    "Didn''t you leave it?" Mia then asked, opening her eyes wide as she noticed the disparity between reality and my words.

    "Yes, I did," I admitted with a nod of my head. "But in the current situation, no one will give a fuck as long as we will be able to help them," I pointed out.

    The matters of one''s social standing were now a thing of the past. And while the problem of our affiliation might return once the disaster would pass, it was still a song of a distant future.

    And for now, with our strength, there was no force in the world that would refuse our presence!

 Chapter 378 Trail Of Blood

    We traveled through the forest for quite a long time. Yet, with the treetops hiding most of the sun rays away from us and our vision breaking past the area where one needed light to see at all... It was hard to actually tell how long did we march.

    Hours turned into minutes while seconds extended into entire weeks. And after an uncountable amount of time, we finally reached the end of the woonds.

    "Woah..." I muttered when the constant brown barrier of the woods gave way to the massive open area of the field. It was all basked in the warm rays of the sun.

    The patches of opennd that appeared within the bordend forest simply couldn''tpare.

    "We are here," I whispered, stunned by the sight.

    It wasn''t my first time seeing such an open space. In fact, it wasn''t even that long since Ist saw it. And yet, looking down the horizon only to see it merge with ins in the distance...

    It just felt different.

    "This is where our journey starts, to be fair," Mia said while taking a few steps to stand right by my side. She then snuck her hand towards mine before coiling our fingers together.

    For but a moment, we simply stood in ce, awed by what was before our eyes.

    An opennd. A freend. And of opportunity... And and where there was nowhere to hide from any potential danger.

    "Shall we?" Mia asked in a small voice while leaning her head to look at my face.

    Gulp.

    I could feel the saliva moving down my throat as I gathered the courage to take just a single step forward. And then, with the warmth of Mia''s hand at the forefront of my mind...

    I stepped forth.

    "Aaah...." I released a long sigh to empty out my lungs before taking a deep breath.

    The air of the open field simply felt different than the one we were breathing for quite some time already.

    But it wasn''t just the air that was different. The spiritual energy in it was now devoid of the very factor that constantly reminded me of how the world changed.

    Sure, the descent of all those anti-mana monsters into this world was bound to shift the natural borders and habitats... but it was still way too early for that to happen.

    And although it was only a momentary relief, this was still the world that I was reborn to. A world that I grew used to. A world where I met Mia, had my first time with her, learned what it means to work hard, how it is to be powerful...

    A world... that soon would no longer be.

    "Let''s go," I said after we took some time to get ourselves used to what used to be our natural habitat.

    "Mkay," Mia mused, only to press herself closer to my side before following in my steps.

    ''Should we just fly east?'' I thought about the possibility. Now that I knew a lot more about the effects overusing pure mana had on the world, I could pretty much traverse the entire continent at my own leisure.

    ''No,'' I then thought, shaking my head as I ended up shedding those naive thoughts of mine and facing the reality. ''Flying around would feel nice but would make us miss all the marks that could point us out in the right direction.''

    Thinking rationally, there was a limit to how far off the main paths we were. Even though we moved around quite a lot, we never really covered that much distance in a single direction.

    Or in other words, while we were out in the open with nothing familiar anywhere near right now, there was a limit to how far we were from thends we were familiar with.

    "What are you thinking about?" Mia asked while letting go of my hand and running up a few steps only to turn around on her heel and smile at me while walking backward.

    "Just trying to figure out the best way for us to look for some familiarnds," I replied, revealing what was on my mind for some time already.

    "How about we just go north, along the bordends?" the girl suggested while jumping around and nearly dancing out in the open as if she was some sort of a fairy or a flower elf.

    Seeing those gentle, light moves of hers, I couldn''t help but smile.

    "We might as well..." I replied, turning my eyes in the direction the girl suggested.

    On its own, it was a valid n. From the maps that I could recall, going North would mean we would either end up in the ces we already were or end up reaching the shores of some sort of a massive sea. Contrary to that, there were hardly any natural barriers that would make themselves known were we to travel south.

    And yet, it wasn''t the unintended genius of Mia''s suggestion that made me freeze and cut my words short.

    It was the fact that I noticed something... I was actually familiar with it.

    "Come with me," I said shortly, rushing forward in the very direction Mia suggested we go. With every step I continued to elerate, only holding myself back enough to let the girl keep up.

    The path leading out of the forest and out into the distance. The small clearing just behind the line of the trees. And a small, abandoned shack only a short walk away from the barrier of the woods.

    I knew this ce. And I held it closer to my heart than most of the ces in this world.

    Because unless it just happened to look exactly the same as thend I visited when breaking past the bordends for the first time in my life... It could only be the pathfinder''s shack.

    I rushed forward, eager to reunite with the man. And yet, the closer I got, the slower my steps became all the way to the point of aplete stall when I stood right by the entrance to the crude and demolished building.

    "...ty..."

    "...rty..."

    "Arty!" Mia''s voice finally reached my ears when she coupled her shouts with a strong shake of my shoulders. "Arty,e back to me!"

    I could hear her plea. I could even hear the extreme worry in her voice.

    And yet, I stood still as if I turned into a tree.

    All because of a single element that led to the now half-destroyed shack.

    A trail of blood leading right inside that I couldn''t remember being there when I left for my hunting grounds.

 Chapter 379 Its Not Him!

    "This can''t be..." I muttered, stunned by the tiny detail that exined the situation before I could even get into checking it.

    Then, I fell down to my knees.

    Pathfinder was the first and the main person that I wanted to save from the apocalypse. Of course, that equation excluded Mia who was above the level of just a person in my mind.

    And yet, when I arrived at what appeared to be his ce, his hut was ruined. And the one thing that was extraordinary about the ce... was a trail of blood.

    "Arty..." Mia whispered.

    She was smart enough to understand what was going on from just my actions. As such, rather than spewing random bullshit to cheer me up, she simply kneeled right by the side of where I dropped to my knees only to reach out and wrap her hands around my head before bringing it up into her chest.

    I closed my eyes, allowing the warmth of Mia''s flesh to cover my face and then muddle my thoughts. And for a moment, I could feel as if my regret somehow subsided.

    A form of cheering up that only a woman could offer.

    "No," I then muttered, gently pushing myself away from the girl. "That''s just a hint, not proof," I said, directing my eyes to the insides of the half-ruined hut.

    I stood up. I then rested my hand on Mia''s shoulder only to turn my head around and look right into her saddened eyes.

    "I''m really thankful for it, but I just need to know it for sure," I said, only to raise my hand and turn my face back towards the hut.

    And then, I took my first step. And then another. And before long, I stood right in the doorway.

    On the left, there used to be a part of the hut where the pathfinder lived. Now, it turned into a bunch of wooden and y scraps pressed into the ground by some almighty force.

    The only part of the hut that remained was the ce where I spent some time myself.

    I took a deep breath... and then stepped inside what was left of the small, crude building.

    The trail of blood led right inside to the very ce where I woke up for the first time on this side of the bordends.

    And just like I could tell from the trail of blood, there was a bodyying down in the bed that I used to im as mine.

    "Huh?" I then uttered a small cry of shock.

    When I first arrived at the scene, I assumed that the trail of blood had to belong to the pathfinder.

    He was the only person that would linger around this area, after all.

    Yet, the bloodied and mangled corpse that I found inside... didn''t belong to him at all.

    ''It''s just a random kid,'' I thought.

    Even though it was pretty dark inside, my eyes could easily prate through the darkness. Sure, it meant I couldn''t see all the colors...

    But I didn''t need to have a perfect vision to confirm that the body on the bed was simply too small to belong to my benefactor.

    "It''s not him..." I muttered, unable to handle the relief that washed over my soul.

    I took a step back.

    "It''s not him..." I repeated again, only to walk out backward out of the hut and throw a stunned look at Mia''s face. "It''s not him," I then said, still struggling to process what was going on.

    "Thank the gods..." Mia then whispered.

    And before I could say or even think anything else, she rushed forth only to m herself to my side, hugging me with all her might.

    "Thank the gods..." she then muttered again.

    "Why do you appear to be more relieved than I am?" I asked, puzzled by her unexpected outburst.

    "When I saw the face you made when you saw that blood..." Mia muttered, refusing to let me out of her arms. Her entire body moved to and fro as if she wanted to lull me to sleep. "You looked so sad, I felt my heart was going to burst!"

    Mia slightly raised her voice. And at the same time, I could feel the top of my head getting wetter when her tears trickled down my forehead.

    "Oh, dear..."

    For a moment, I simply allowed the girl to cuddle me up.

    ''I made her sad, didn''t I?'' I thought, feeling the burn of such a simple even if the unintended thing on my soul. ''How could I make it up to her, I wonder?''

    As my thoughts run through my mind, my eyes ended up down on the ruins of the hut. And it was those ruins that put an idea in my head.

    "Dear, let me go for now," I requested in a calm, slow voice.

    "Huh?" Mia twitched. Then, she instinctively tightened her grasp on me even harder... Only to then rx her arms and pull away.

    Yet, as soon as I stepped back, I could see just how sad this request made her.

    "Don''t worry," I couldn''t help but smile when Ipared her current look with how I imagined her to be in just a few moments. "You won''t regret what I''m nning for the two of us," I then added, only to pull my sleeves up, turn around, and get to work.

    First, I dragged the corpse of the unlucky cultivator out of the shack. Then, after praying over it for a moment and wishing it better luck next life, I buried him by simply unleashing my pure mana over the corpse and allowing it to evaporate everyst trace of the poor man.

    Then, by supporting my flesh with the mana bursting in my system, I quickly got to cleaning the insides of the remainingpartment of the shack. And before long, even I couldn''t spot a single trace of there being anything wrong with the ce, save for the fact more than half of it was copsed.

    "I''m done," I reported barely a few minutester as I walked out of the remaining part of the shack only to grace Mia with a cheeky smile.

    "Done with what?" the girl asked.

    The traces of sadness that I could see on her face were now all gone, reced with nothing but patience and sheer curiosity.

    "Cleaning the ce up," I then exined only for my smile to widen. "I know it sounds awfully convenient for me, but when you said that seeing me sad made you sad... I realized one thing," I said, taking a step closer to the girl only to extend my hands toward her.

    "That''s right," Mia said, stomping her feet on the ground in a fit of annoyance caused by bringing back the unpleasant memories. And yet, she instantly reached out and grabbed my hands, allowing me to pull her towards the shack.

    "Then, wouldn''t that mean that putting a smile on my face would make you happy as well?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear as I pulled her inside the shack, only to finally reveal what used to be a small living area...

    I have now turned into a sizeable bedroom with pillows and bedding covering everything and allowing for... quite the ingenuity when it came to how one could make use of the space.

    "You..." Mia muttered, taken aback by what she saw inside. "You beast!" she then called out, failing to hide a blush and a happy smile that flourished on her face.

    "Yeah, I''m a beast," I said without even an ounce of shame when I pulled on Mia''s hands before throwing her on the bed. I then deprived myself of my robes with a single pull before climbing the bed right on top of the girl.

    "And I''m going to devour you right away!"

 Chapter 380 Two Reasons To Hold Back (R18 A Bit, Fully Wholesome)

    "I''m going to devour you right away!" I said, slipping in between Mia''s legs and resting my hands on the side of her shoulders.

    Yet, as I looked down at her delicate facial features, her deep eyes, the anticipation shing in them...

    Rather than having a fire explode in my loins, all I could feel was an extremely warm, buzzy feeling in my heart.

    ''But I''m a man of my word!'' I thought, lowering myself on my hands to get my face closer to Mia''s.

    The girl didn''t bother to close her eyes. She brought her arms up and enclosed them behind the back of my head. And with her eyes locked on mine, she ran her tongue across her lips to make them slightly wetter.

    I pushed down even further, connecting our lips.

    There was something magical in kissing Mia. The way in which she gently responded to my moves, inviting me in when I squeezed her mouth with mine only to push forth when I attempted to retreat...

    The dance of our lips continued for a short while before our heads ended up turning in the opposite ways while our lips parted while still pressing together. And then, our tongues joined in on the fun.

    Our salivas mixed as our tongues rubbed against each other, craving the taste of the other while entwined in a mystical dance.

    Despite my intentions to take matters for a different spin and actually hold myself back, my body pressed against Mia when my hands moved over to her waist... Only for me to roll around, putting her on top of me instead.

    ''Am I conscious of pinning her down below me?'' I thought right as Mia''s hair fell down, enclosing our faces within the mystic shrine where only our kisses mattered.

    Freed from the burden of holding myself up not to make things ufortable for the girl, I finally could allow my hands to run wild, sneaking them underneath Mia''s clothes and caressing her bare skin.

    The girl responded to every touch of mine, squirming on top of me whenever my fingers would brush across her more sensitive areas.

    Her body would tense up when I grabbed her by her waist. Her hips started to tremble when I moved my hand down her ass before squeezing it lightly. The movements of her tongue would hasten when I brought one of my hands before sinking its fingers into the flesh of her breast.

    And her kisses would be all the more passionate when I snuck my left hand over her ass before sliding one of my fingers into the area I was the only one allowed in.

    "Mhmm..." Mia moaned right in my face when I started to move my finger up and down her hole, like a farmer striving to irrigate the fields he would be plowing in the near future.

    Then, for the first time since we started, Mia broke our kiss as her face moved up. Her hands tightened over my cheeks as her breathing hastened.

    ''It''s working,'' I thought, easily able to recognize the signs the girl would disy whenever my actions would properly affect her. And so, despite how much of a weird angle I had to put my wrist at, I pressed the bottom of my hand against Mia''s crotch, rubbing her clit with the middle of my palm right as I pushed a second finger in.

    And then, I spread those two fingers of mine apart, as if making a peace sign... but right inside Mia''s pussy!

    "Agh!" Mia screamed out, her body tensing up as she pulled herself up even more only to squeeze the back of my head and press it against her chest.

    Right now, I would have to be an idiot not to read Mia''s reactions or to fail to understand their significance. As such, I put even more passion into swirling my fingers around her insides while forcing my face up... all for the sake of pressing my lips right at the side of Mia''s throat before sucking on it with all my might.

    "Hau!" Mia moaned from the bottom of her lungs. Sweat trickled down her face. Or rather, her entire body produced a lot of sweat, yet most of it ended up absorbed in her robes that then stuck to her skin.

    For a few more moments, Mia simply relished in the moment of extreme pleasure. Her hot, wet insides convulsed around my fingers, threatening to squeeze them dry.

    And then, as if someone cut the strings on which the girl was suspended, she dropped down on me.

    All at once, her body rxed as a satisfied smile crept up on her lips.

    "That was... divine..." she muttered while resting her ear on top of my chest and listening to the hastened beat of my heart.

    "I''m happy you enjoyed it," I whispered back, raising my hand only to sink it into Mia''s hair. But rather than stopping there, I moved it up, all the way to the point where I could gently massage the scalp of her head.

    "Wait," Mia twitched. "I need to..."

    I could feel her muscles tensing up and her joints starting to work. Yet, before she could actually move up, I moved my hands down on her back only to tightly hug her down and disallow her desire to move away.

    "You need to pay me back?" I asked, whispering this question directly into her ear. "Why? Can''t I just pleasure you for my own satisfaction?" I continued to ask, only to end up enclosing my lips over Mia''s earlobe.

    I then sucked on her ear for a little as if it was the greatest candy in the world, all to Mia''s dismay.

    "It''s not fair if I''m the only one feeling it!" she then protested silently, attempting to wrestle herself free from my hold, all so she could swap positions and put me on the receiving end.

    "Fucking around surely does feel great," I spoke, seemingly changing the topic. "But there is a huge charm to just hugging you to sleep too," I then added, taking a risk to free one of my hands just to move a stray strand of hair out of Mia''s face and hook it behind her ear.

    "Are you really fine like that?" Mia asked in a doubtful voice.

    At the very least, she ceased her attempts at moving up, opting to listen to my words instead.

    "I know it''s not the first time for us to cuddle to sleep like that, but for some reason..." I attempted to exin myself... Only to stop before I could do so.

    And there were two reasons thatpounded onto each other for that.

    First, I didn''t really know the answer.

    At this moment, despite how having Mia squirm all over me easily made me as horny as one could get... The prospect of fucking her just didn''t seem as appealing as did the idea of hugging her like a pillow to sleep.

    Maybe it was my self-loathing caused by how nearly all of our interactions would lead to this kind of intense intimacy? Maybe I just craved the weing feeling of hiding in her warm embrace? Or maybe I just found the empowerment of having her lose her sanity from scraping her insides with my dick not as much appealing as the other options?

    Whatever it was, I couldn''t quite put my finger on it. Yet, when it came to the other reason why I suddenly turned silent, I could pinpoint its source quite easily.

    It came from the east.

    And it bore the mark of strength that I''ve never witnessed in someone other than myself.

 Chapter 381 Nastiest Bitch In The Hood

    "... but for some reason..." I left my words to hang in the air.

    A multitude of reasons came and went through my mind.

    And then, my face darkened.

    "For some reason, I can sense someone dangerously strong approaching," I finished my sentence even though in the context of what I said before, it made no sense whatsoever.

    "What?" Mia tensed up as soon as she heard the news.

    She wasn''t all that weaker than me. Especially when one was to count on her special ability that we still didn''t know much about, she might very likely already be stronger than me.

    Not in terms of pure firepower she could produce, in that regard, I still outssed her by quite a lot. But when factoring in that electrical power of hers and how it was somehow capable of dissolving mana it came into contact with...

    ''No, no matter how strong she got already, I''m not yet ready to let her fight. Not until I make sure she can hold her own against the strongest beings on the continent,'' I decided, dropping the idea that, for but a moment, appeared in my mind.

    "He is still far," I said, grabbing Mia by her waist before moving her off to the side so that I could stand up. The next moment, I was already out of the bed, holding my mana ready to infuse it into my mage''s tower at any second.

    ''Damn,'' I then thought as I casually walked out of the shed and looked in the direction I could sense the powerful personing from. ''I really wish I had my spear with me right now.''

    Most of my strength came from my mage''s tower and all the tactical-mage-associated skills that came with it. Yet, the bulk of my physical power still came from all the cultivation levels I grew.

    And in simple words, I was missing the feeling of having a trusty weapon in my hand. A weapon, that allowed me to pull out yet another ace card from my sleeve.

    "Haaa...." I released a long breath. I then moved my chin up, as if I wanted to look at the skies. And then, I closed my eyes.

    I couldn''t see whoever was approaching anyway. The only reason why I got to notice his presence was my mana sense and the way in which mana started to behave around me in a weird yet strangely familiar way.

    But soon, that one element of reality changed as a human silhouette appeared on the horizon.

    "Are we going to fight him?" Mia asked, leisurelying out of the shed as well.

    Despite the worrying news that I passed right as we were in the middle of making out, there was no hurry to my movements. And from that alone, Mia somehow managed to keep herself calm, taking her time to fix her clothes beforeing out.

    ''It''s like she''s more worried about letting a random person see too much of her skin than fighting with someone even I might have to take seriously,'' I thought, unable to hold a small smirk from appearing on my lips.

    "What?" Mia asked, throwing me a weirded-out look. "I never took you for a battle-junky..." she then muttered under her nose. And before I would even have a shot at countering her words, she averted her face to the side.

    "I''m sorry, I was just thinking how adorable you are," I quickly exined, leaning forward to steal a nce at the girl''s face...

    Only to realize that Mia was actually trying to hold back a smirk!

    "Thank you for thepliment," she then replied, turning her face back into my field of view, not holding her smile back anymore.

    "Not a problem," I said with a sigh, letting her have this one up on me. "Not a problem at all," I then repeated in a lower voice, turning my eyes back in the direction of the potential danger.

    The person in the distance was approaching slowly... but it never stopped its movement. It never bothered to stand down and take a moment to gauge the situation. Instead, whoever it was, continued to approach as if he owned the ce and no being in the area could ever challenge his or her authority.

    And soon enough, he came close enough for my eyes to see the details of his presence.

    It was... an average-looking man. He was donning robes that wouldn''t make him easily noticeable within the crowd. His face was young as if he barely passed by the barrier of his twenties... although, in a world of cultivation, this detail held much lesser meaning than it would in a world where one''s strength wouldn''t allow them to preserve their youthfulness.

    All in all, he appeared to be the most ordinary person out there, just like thousands of others I randomly passed by while walking through the streets of any given city.

    And yet...

    And yet, there was something weird with how the man moved. A sense of overbearing confidence that was so deeply ingrained into his steps, into his posture, that he would instantly draw the attention of anyone unlucky enough to cast their sights upon him.

    The man approached the hut, proving that it was his destination since the very beginning. And then...

    He stood, looking at the two of us with a confused expression on his face. He then leaned his head over his shoulder and asked,

    "Who the fuck are you, guys?"

    I squinted my eyes, still holding my mana on the reins.

    Since it wasn''t certain that this man here was to cause trouble, there was no point in springing him to action by unleashing the potential of my own power.

    Especially with how the young man himself didn''t bother to raise his guard either.

    "Seein how you are the one approaching us, I believe I should be the one asking this," I said, crossing my arms on my chest while raising my left eyebrow.

    The man looked directly into my eyes as if to sound the situation off. And I took the challenge, epting the duel of stares while waiting to see how he would react.

    The man''s face tensed up a little... Only for him to heave a sigh as he shook his head.

    "I don''t have any business with you, guys," he then said, spreading his arms to the sides as if to show he held no weapons in them.

    A futile gesture in a world of cultivators for whom their hands could be their greatest armament.

    "And yet, you are still here," I countered, raising my eyebrow even further.

    In the end, he was the one bothering us, not the other way around. And in this world of the strong eating the weak, it would be unbing of me to just give way to whatever he wanted to achieve here.

    After all, going easy would be akin to acknowledging his superiority. And that alone would either mean that I acknowledged myself being weaker than him, thus proving I could read the strength he so heavily attempted to hide...

    Or simply inviting him to attack by not ying the situation out like someone confident in their ability would.

    "I have a business with the man who owns this shack," the man then revealed after staring at my face for a moment.

    "And so do I," I replied, not giving the man even an inch.

    Yet, right as the air was about to turn tense...

    I spread my arms open and shook my shoulders before pointing my hand at the ruined part of the shack.

    "But it just so happened that outside of a random corpse, there was no one else inside. So, hoping that the pathfinder woulde back, we took the liberty to make the most of what''s left of his shack."

    Mia silently listened up to our conversation while standing behind my back. But as soon as I finished myst sentence, she stepped past me with an extremely annoyed look on her face.

    "And we were right in the middle of getting to the good part before someone just had to y the role of a third wheel ande to bother us!"

    The girl spat out her words like the nastiest bitch in the hood only to then raise her eyebrows in a threatening expression.

    "And in case you still don''t get the hint, fuck off so we can go back to fucking, you fuck!"

 Chapter 382 Mental Invasion

    "Whoa!" the man backed off two steps when faced with the wrath brimming out of Mia''s scowl.

    His face filled with surprise and even a hint of an innate fear that any man would have in the face of a furiously unsatisfied woman.

    "Where did all those fuckse from?" he then muttered while opening his eyes wide.

    ''Oh Mia,'' I thought, closing my eyes for a second to prevent the man from seeing me roll them. ''You just never stop to prove how best of a girl you are.''

    I took a deep breath.

    Mia''s suddensh surely gave both me and this strange person a nice shake, but I still had several things to think about.

    One of which, made my soul shudder when I realized the implications hidden behind it.

    ''What could a person that has this kind of power hope to gain from meeting pathfinder?'' I asked myself, opening my eyes wide as I stared right at the man''s face.

    Yet, rather than focusing on my eyes, I pulled out the perceptiveness of my mana sense, limiting it to just a fraction of its range. And as if it was a mathematical equation, with the decrease of the radius of my mana awareness, the intensity of it skyrocketed.

    ''Whoa!'' I nearly stumbled on my feet.

    My eyes felt like they were about to burn out... even though my vision itself didn''t change.

    It was the effect of the projection my mana awareness generated over my other senses. And just by ncing at the man before me, it felt as if I was straight right at the sun.

    But notfortably from behind the cover of several kilometers worth of atmosphere and then hundreds of kilometers from space.

    It felt as if I stared at the sun while standing right on its fucking surface!

    "Are you okay?" the man asked, his voice actually possessing hints of a genuine worry.

    "Just who the hell are you?" I muttered, squeezing my eyelids as far as I could. And it was only at this moment that I realized that upon facing the true degree of the man''s might, I instinctively drove my mana through my formations, erecting the mage''s tower even before I could consciously make a decision to do so.

    And what was even worse, this man didn''t seem to be bothered by an avnche of mana that ensued whatsoever!

    "Oh, I''m worried you are not privy to learning the answer to this question yet," the man replied in a casual tone.

    I took a deep breath.

    Now that I realized just how insignificant I was before this man, all my ploys at pretending to be a tough guy, all my hopes of potentially defending them...

    They were all akin to a fly mobilizing all of its resources to dere war upon an industrial excavator.

    ''Wait,'' I suddenly forced myself to stop. ''What the hell is going on with me?''

    The processes that were going through my head... weren''t like the usual me. I surely had my faults, but epting the inevitable was never a trait that I could be ashamed of or boast about!

    A single thought along this line I could understand. But a continuous orgasm over how insignificant I was in the face of the power this man had at his disposal...

    ''Fuck, stop it!'' I screamed internally out, nearly allowing my thoughts to fall right back into the same path.

    And then it dawned upon me.

    The man standing just a few steps away surely was strong. But his might... couldn''t be that much greater than what I could produce.

    Sure, I could tell that his cultivation reached its actual peak. The difference between him and me was just that big.

    But...

    But that was it.

    No matter what, this man was just a cultivator. And his means were limited to what one could achieve with cultivation and cultivation alone.

    And contrary to him, cultivation was just the supply for my other means of iming power, not the main source of it!

    "I won''t lie, I nearly fell for it, you fucker," I muttered, keeping my eyes closed while I raised my hands.

    I brought my hands down and to the sides, pping my own cheeks with all my might.

    ''UGH...'' a cry of pain nearly wrestled its way out of my lips. Yet, the ensuing sh of unbearable displeasure cleared my mind.

    And now, I could tell.

    This man''s cultivation was at least a thousand times greater than mine. And going by the usual standards, he likely reached, just like I assumed earlier, the peak level of cultivation one could obtain in this world.

    Yet, it wasn''t his cultivation, his immense power that affected me.

    It was some sort of mental attack that twisted my perception of reality.

    ''And I likely only made it worse by focusing my perception on him,'' I thought, admitting to my own faults.

    So, unwilling to repeat the same mistake, I pushed the boundaries of my mana perception as far as I could, diluting its intensity to its bare minimum.

    And then, I opened my eyes and properly looked the man in the face.

    "What are you talking about?" the man asked, taken aback by my former statement. "It''s you guys who are acting weird!" he used, taking a step back and changing the look on his face to one I would use when staring down some aggressive punks down the alley.

    ''How is Mia?'' I thought, turning my eyes to the side to check up on the girl.

    To my surprise, she didn''t appear to be affected by the mental invasion at all. She still red at the man with the same fury that she infused her words with.

    "I will ask this just one," I said, suddenly feeling grateful to the instincts that made me raise my mage''s tower. With the man standing well within the range of my disturb ability, I now managed to regain some of my wits.

    "What the hell do you want from Pathfinder?" I asked, using a calm tone that didn''t fit my harsh manner of asking.

    "The same answer as before," the man uttered, squinting his eyes as he took a step forward with a confrontational look on his face. "You are not privy to this knowledge."

    "I''m afraid it''s not for you to decide," I said, running the ongoing events through the filter of all the knowledge that I had about this world.

    And then, my lips curved up as I looked at the man with a strange sense of satisfaction... and excitement.

    "Your royal highness."

 Chapter 383 Mutual Confusion

    "Your Royal Highness."

    The atmosphere tensed out the very second this title left my mouth.

    I watched with satisfaction how the man''s face turned stale at first, then twisted in shock only for his eyes to end up squinting when he looked at me again.

    This time, however, rather than throwing a casual nce, he truly looked at me.

    Not as some random cultivator he chanced upon. But as someone who could potentially be a threat to him.

    In other words, a little bit less than an equal, but way more than a stray cultivator below him.

    "That''s quite brave of you to use that title," the man said, his eyes zeroed in on my face. "But if you knew who I am, I can''t say whether it was courage or stupidity that made you utter it."

    The spiritual energy of the man, formerly confined all to his body, now started to move. And as soon as the royal allowed his cultivation to flow, his casual persona vanished without a trace.

    The air physically tensed up due to how my mana fought with the royal energy for dominance. And while the space right around the man ended up sumbing to his control...

    He was still well within the range of my sphere of influence.

    ''It''s weak,'' I thought. Yet, something within me disallowed me from hastily deciding on such a favorable scenario. ''Weak... or extremely condensed.''

    The man''s sphere of influence became an enve, a space fully confined within the area of effect of my mage''s tower. Rather than cutting the projection of my energy in the direction the man stood, it simply passed around it.

    With me at the center, my formations and how they interacted with each other projected my zone of absolute control outwards. Just like a star would shine in every possible direction.

    Yet, the man''s aura didn''t create a shadow of sorts over the area that it cut off. And that means...

    ''Fuck, it''s just as I thought.'' I gulped down my saliva.

    By analyzing the picture as a two-dimensional blueprint, the current manner in which mana behaved made no sense whatsoever. Yet, as soon as I added the third dimension...

    "Brave, stupid..." I muttered with my eyes stuck right on the man''s face. "Only a thin line separates the two."

    We continued to stare at each other. If the intensity of sight could kill, then the world would already have turned into one big cemetery.

    And yet, the stalemate continued.

    "Okay, let''s stop it," the royal said, taking a step back and calming down the cirction of his spiritual energy.

    He didn''t stop it, just brought it down a notch, massively decreasing the intensity of the aura that his power projected.

    I looked at the man for a little longer.

    Contrary to him, I couldn''t manipte the flow of my mana as fast as he did. Just like there were many advantages to my tactical mage''s skills, their deployment time came at a disadvantage.

    And yet, if I didn''t reply in kind to the man''s gesture of peace, he could very well take it as a provocation.

    ''Or the entire thing is just a bait for me to drop my guard,'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    We didn''t exchange a single punch. We didn''t trade a single technique or spell.

    And yet, this fucker somehow managed to get ahead of me, even if only by a tiny, little bit.

    "Fighting a royal..." I muttered, squinting my eyes even further. I then took a deep breath before taking a step back while pushing my arm to the side to pull Mia along.

    She was the one and only reason why I couldn''t risk lowering my guard. Because while her innate ability might be effectively the best anti-cultivator constitution one could ever hope for...

    She has yet to unleash it out of her own free will even once.

    "It''s a tempting idea. But in the current world, we can no longer afford meaningless battles," I finally said, artificially slowing down the flow of mana in my formations.

    Contrary to how the man simply had to rx and stop pumping his mana through his internal circuits, I had to extend an active effort to do the same.

    "May I ask why you want to meet local pathfinder, then?" the royal asked, taking another step as a show of goodwill towards the proposed truce.

    "He is my benefactor," I replied shortly, regting my breath to reduce the amount of adrenaline in my body that skyrocketed during the encounter.

    "I don''t really see what that has to do with anything, though?" the royal replied, the tension on his face giving way to what appeared like a genuine surprise.

    "You really are detached from the reality of us,mon folk," I said, shaking my head. "Or wait, maybe I''m just a precious snowke whose experience with pathfinder was different from others?" I quickly added a self-mocking possibility that only then appeared in my mind.

    After all, I didn''t know what rtionship others had with their pathfinders. I couldn''t even know what rtionship my pathfinder had with other cultivators that he helped pass through the bordends.

    As such, assuming that what I went through applied to everyone...

    "I''m sorry," I said, causing both the royal and Mia to look at me with their eyes wide open. "Now that I thought about it, it''s possible I was just special," I said, only for a huge smirk to appear on my face as my soul filled with a cringe.

    "You could say, I''m just built differentl!"

    This time, the royal looked at me with surprise mixed with confusion. Mia''s eyes, on the other hand, opened up wide, only for her to instantly avert them before bringing her face to her mouth.

    "Seeing how you can stand in face of a royal while not being one yourself... I''m tempted to agree," the man said. He then shook his head. "I don''t really understand why you think I''m detached from reality, though," he then pointed out while raising one of his eyebrows.

    "Huh?" I uttered a small moan, taken aback by the man''s statement. "Did you really miss all the devastation? All the corpses and monsters roaming around?"

    This time, it was the royal''s turn to be taken aback.

    "Monsters?" he said, raising both of his eyebrows before giving me a look of disbelief. "Wait, how can someone so sheltered not to know that the world is full of them ever reach the heights that you did?!"

 Chapter 384 Cascade Of Answers

    The royal''s words caused both my and Mia''s eyebrows to skyrocket on our faces.

    So sheltered that we didn''t know monsters roamed the wilds? Reaching great heights despite being sheltered?

    "I''m not sure if you realize," I muttered, shocked beyond any belief, "but you just proved how sheltered you are yourself," I said.

    In theory, exining the situation to the man brought me no benefit. It was counterproductive in a sense, as we could end up fighting.

    And yet, the ignorance, or maybe audacity, of the man-made me nearly go bonkers.

    "The fuck are you talking about?" the royal squinted his eyes. Yet, rather than making his face look threatening, he simply appeared to be confused.

    "Those monsters..." I opened my mouth before my thoughts caught up to me. Thankfully, I didn''t say enough to reveal any of the information.

    ''He can''t be that stupid or ignorant,'' I thought, gritting my teeth. ''Even if the royals are detached from the rest of the cultivation world, even if they do not interact with others... It''s impossible for them not to be aware of what''s going on!''

    And then it struck me. Several elements fell into the puzzle, miraculously fitting right where they should to paint a full picture.

    ''How can pathfinders walk through bordends so often without dying en masse?'' the first question popped up in my head, turning into a fuse that brought in a cascade of others.

    Each of the questions, thought, preceded an answer to the one that came before.

    Not because I was a genius or because I thought about it for a long. It was all because, on their own, each of those questions was insanely simple now that I actually asked them.

    ''They can''t. Unless they are strong enough to do so.'' An answer popped up in my mind.

    ''There are hurdles in cultivating yet that would never put aplete stop for royals from appearing out of the insane numbers of people trying to reach that stage. And it''s obvious how hard to manage new royals are, given the scale of Sangakarts scheme that was aimed at establishing just a single one of them.''

    I gulped down my saliva.

    ''In that case, why have I never heard any news about a new royal appearing? Why there are no stories about anything like this happening in the near past?''

    Once again, the answer appeared to be so obvious I could only wonder how did I elude myself so far.

    ''It''s because they never stopped appearing. They were just taken care of by the royals that already established and grew their power in an attempt at keeping the current world situation at bay.''

    Some questions I''ve never asked before. But others, I asked back when I had no knowledge necessary to form the answer.

    And now, as more and more answers appeared in my mind, I shook my head and looked right at the royal''s face.

    ''Why is he even here?'' A question that I couldn''t answer when I first met the man.

    ''Because pathfinder was a royal or someone who was on the verge of bing one. But something changed and now they are looking around the people they shackled because they are no longer under their control.''

    It was a simple answer. Yet, one that put things into the right perspectives.

    ''Now it makes sense why he believes we cannot avoid the fight,'' I thought, barely stopping myself from putting my mage''s tower in overdrive right away. ''It''s because I consider pathfinder to be my benefactor and would never allow him to do the man any harm.''

    Then, thest question popped up in my mind.

    ''What changed?''

    This question I could answer even before meeting the man. Because contrary to him, I wasn''t sheltered. I took an active part in living in this world. And I was weak enough for the monsters from the mirror dimension to be a threat to me when they first appeared.

    ''The shattering of the mirror dimension happened. Or, more likely, the appearance of the huge monsters and an enormous amount of anti-mana with them.''

    All those questions and answers led to a single conclusion. A statement that I could never figure out on its own.

    No, a truth that I never even bothered to think about trying to find out.

    ''Whatever they shackled soon-to-be royals with or whatever was necessary for one to advance into the royal rank has to have something to do with antimana.''

    And then, a single, recent memory shed through my mind, making my entire body tense up.

    ''And this man''s power... The mark that I found familiar and which I''ve never found on anyone else to that day...''

    With this one realization, I took a look at the man once again. I even went to the extreme of using my mana sense to do so.

    And the answer was right there.

    The man''s mana wasn''t the same as the pure mana I could produce in my engine.

    It was the same as the mixture of mana and anti-mana I used to fuel it!

    "So that''s the secret of bing a royal," I muttered, so shocked by the massive train of thought that went through my mind in what had to be less than a second.

    All those realizations, all those answers and questions, and how they connected with each other... When all of them exploded in my head in just a second, it rendered me unable to control myself for yet another second.

    "What did you say?" the royal whispered, his eyes opening wide.

    This shocked expression of hissted for but an instant quickly reced with a mocking look.

    "I get it," I muttered, only to shake my head and then bring my hand up only to p it right on top of my face. "I really do get it," I said, on the verge of exploding inughter.

    I then took a deep breath, calming myself down.

    I ignored the baffled stare Mia sent me. And I raised my eyes to the tense eyes of the royal.

    "I finally get it, the secret that you guys appear to want to hide so much. But that doesn''t matter," I said, adding the second part before the royal could react to the first part.

    "Because royals... are nothing more but a bunch of fucking failures!"

 Chapter 385 We Came Looking For Him, He Found Us First

    "Because royals... are nothing more but a bunch of fucking failures!"

    I said this sentence with full knowledge of what it meant, especially when I rubbed it right into the face of the very first royal I met in my life.

    Or at least, the very first royal that I met while being aware of his cultivation rank and status.

    Yet, rather than flying into a rage, the man leaned his head over his shoulder while throwing me a puzzled look.

    "I can sense your spiritual energy, kid," he said with a smirk hanging in the corner of his mouth. At the same time, though, his eyes turned a bit colder than before. He then sighed. "The only reason why you are still alive is that you don''t know any better," he said, shaking his head like some sort of immortal who found the idea of killing a rude junior of his to be too much of an abuse of his power.

    "The only reason why I''m still alive is that my behavior doesn''t match your understanding of my power," I replied, smiling kindly. "The difference between us, though, is that I already know everything about you," I said, pointing my hand at the man.

    My words were honest, although not a hundred percent clear.

    It was true that I knew where did the power of this royale from. It was the very force that I had to nearly kill myself to ovee and create my first mana engine.

    I could sense both mana and antimana flowing within the man''s system. I could only guess how did he manage to keep the two of them from interacting with each other, bringing in the element of uncertainty.

    Yet, ultimately, power was just this. A force capable of bringing forth change.

    While this man used the force that antimana would repel mana with to produce his own techniques, I was one step further.

    Because I managed to effectively merge those two energies, depriving them of positive or negative status. In the simplest term, my pure mana was in a superposition between those two states, giving me ess to the full extent of both possible states at once!

    "It seems that we won''t be able to avoid a fight, after all," the man said.

    His decision wasn''t caused by my words, that I could tell for sure. Yet, whether it was my confidence, my voice, or even the expression on my face that convinced him?

    That one bit I couldn''t be so sure about.

    "Who the hell are you, guys?" A deep, low voice suddenly interrupted our dick-measuring contest.

    ''Damn,'' I cursed at myself in my thought. ''I was so focused on ridiculing this guy I kinda forgot to be wary of my surroundings,'' I thought, turning my eyes towards the source of the somewhat familiar voice.

    And then I froze.

    "It''s you!" I uttered a small cry. My eyes opened up.

    The only reason two reasons why I pushed for the fight were that I could first, easily take that royal down, and secondly, I couldn''t allow him to keep looking for Pathfinder.

    Yet, as the luck would have it, it was Pathfinder that found all three of us.

    "Huh?" the middle-aged man shook a little when he turned his eyes to me.

    He looked exactly the same as when we parted ways several months in the past. His clothes were unkempt, his face unshaven.

    He appeared more like some sort of a hoodlum rather than a potential royal. And yet, it was the same pathfinder that brought me through the bordends, taught me the basics of what was the harsh reality of this world, and imparted the secrets of arcane weapons to me.

    "Artur... was it?" Pathfinder muttered after taking a quick look at my face. Yet, as the seconds passed, his face twisted in a grin of disbelief. "You grew so much, so quickly...?"

    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to believe what was before his eyes. He was the very first person to see a real degree of how quickly I improved, besides Mia of course.

    And this kind of growth rate was something he simply couldn''t fathom.

    "It''s great to see you here," the royal turned around, clearly disregarding me as a threat now that the pathfinder hase. "I''m hoping you won''t make things hard for me and will simply reaffirm your oath."

    The exact meaning of the royal''s words eluded me. Despite knowing that there was something in y regarding Pathfinder''s real power, I had no means of knowing what it was exactly.

    "There is no oath for me to reaffirm," Pathfinder replied, turning his eyes away from my face and towards the royal.

    His eyes then twitched a little.

    ''Did he recognize the guy?'' I thought, trying to read as much as I could from the small details of the situation.

    The pathfinder then brought his right hand forward only to open it up, showing its inner palm.

    At first, it looked as ordinary as one''s hand could be with the exception of many callusesing from all the training he never skimped on. Yet, with a short st of bright light, a bullet-sized golden bead appeared right in the middle of Pathfinder''s palm.

    It appeared to be half-submerged into his skin, like some sort of imnt.

    The pathfinder smiled. Spare for the time when I crafted my first arcane spear, this was the second time I saw it happening.

    And then, the golden bead crumbled away, revealing a bloody hole in the man''s palm.

    "You..." the royal uttered, his eyes turned wide.

    He wasn''t surprised. He was shocked beyond belief.

    "Now, where were we?" Pathfinder asked, leaning his head to the side... with a fucking charming smile on it!

    He burst forward. The man cut through the air like a de.

    All I could see was his aura suddenly exploding outwards only to contract... but in a ce where he wasn''t. As a result, his body was pulled forth at a speed that managed to take even me by a surprise.

    I blinked.

    And once I opened my eyes again, Pathfiner''s fingers coiled around the royal''s throat while a devilish grin of extreme satisfaction decorated his face.

    "Not so strong without your father''s support, ain''t ya?"

 Chapter 386 Proper Introductions

    The situation was tense just a short moment ago. I was getting myself ready for the potentially hardest fight in my life so far, even after all the growth I went through in thest few months.

    And yet...

    Within a single instant, Pathfinder came in, wrecked the scale on which the situation was weighted and dered his absolute supremacy in the moment.

    ''I don''t think I could defend against such a quick move,'' I thought, gulping my saliva down.

    There was a strange feeling of satisfaction roused at the bottom of my soul when I was free to let my saliva flow down my throat...

    While the royal that acted so cocky couldn''t even let the air pass through the same part of his.

    "Not so strong without your father''s support, ain''t ya?" Pathfinder''s words finally reached my ears.

    There was some sort of history between the two of them. A history I wasn''t privy to know yet. And a history that at this exact moment... didn''t hold much value for me either.

    "AAergh!" the royal attempted to say something. And even with his windpipe nearly crushed, he still got to drive his energy, finally revealing the secret of how he kept two types of mana within his body at the same time.

    ''It''s so fucking simple,'' I thought in the instant the man turned serious.

    There was no special trick to managing two types of mana at the same time. No special method of stopping them from interacting.

    He simply epted the loss of his own powering from the imperfections of his cultivation while driving those two forces in two simr circles. The only difference was how he drove both of those energies in opposite directions, negating most of the repelling force directed at each type of mana by the other.

    ''It''s so... crude!'' was the only thought that I ended up with.

    "Don''t worry," Pathfinder muttered while having the look of the happiest man alive on his face. "The rest of your family... they will soon join you!"

    He didn''t bother with long speeches or borate torture. With a simple tension of his hand, he snapped the man''s neck.

    The royal''s body rxed... way beyond the level of any living human. Yet, with his spiritual energy reaching its maximum output, he managed topensate for his physical death by forcefully keeping the connection between the snapped parts of his spinal cord with some sort of technique.

    ''This doesn''t fit him,'' I thought, squinting my eyes.

    The technique he used... It was so extremely advanced I could only see its general picture. I was unable to peer deep enough into its details to see its true form.

    "It doesn''t make any sense," I muttered.

    "Isn''t it?" Pathfinder remarked with a lenient smile, turning his eyes away from the man and looking at my face again. "It''s because it''s not a technique they created, contrary to their means of bing royals!"

    "Hmm... okay?" I muttered, taken aback by the randomly thrown informational bomb.

    Pathfinder used only a few words... and he already answered some questions that I didn''t even ask.

    There was a difference between how the royals developed their cultivation base and the techniques they were using. That information alone was worth its length tranted into weight and then turned into gold.

    That is if gold was still as precious in this world as it was back on earth.

    "Don''t worry, I will exin it all to you soon," the pathfinder replied, turning his face back to the young man hanging down from his hand. Then, a grin took over his lips, making him appear like a kid who just received a puppy they always wanted.

    Seconds passed. Then, they turned into minutes. And while I could feel the flow of energy slowing down in the royal''s body, it still took roughly five minutes before his technique finally dispersed only for his body to slump down.

    And in such a simple and anti-climatic way, the first royal I encountered... ceased to live.

    "That was..." I muttered, only to see Pathfinder throw the dead body down as if he was casting a scrap of trash away. "Pretty anticlimactic," I couldn''t stop myself from remarking.

    "Sorry for that," Pathfinder said as he grinned at me. "I waited for this moment for so long... I just couldn''t help myself," he added, happily stepping on the body as he approached me.

    Yet, rather than offering me a hug, a handshake... or even a nod of his head, he directed his attention to Mia who silently stood at my side.

    "I don''t believe we''ve met, youngdy," he said in a courtly voice unfit of his ragged appearance. "Is it safe to assume for me that you are the preciousdy this young man spoke to me so much about?"

    "Youngdy?" Mia initially repeated the title Pathfinder used to refer to her. She then shyly lowered her eyes and took half of a step to the back. "I... I mean..." she then added, her voice breaking as she ended up hiding behind my side while blushing intensively. "He talked a lot about me?" she then added in a tiny, although extremely happy voice.

    "Oh, he did," Pathfinderughed. "So much I nearly had to pretend to be a mute in my desperation to make him shut up!" he added only to burst outughing.

    "That''s not true," I protested, baffled by the direction the situation was heading to. I then shook my head. "Anyway, allow me to introduce you guys. Pathfinder, this is Mia, my wife," I said, nearly catching myself calling her a fiancee instead.

    Even though I never offered her the ring that I hoped to hoist on her finger, I still proposed to her back within the bordends. And as such, it was my responsibility to curb my habit of calling her my love or fiancee and turn it into a tendency to call, her my wife instead.

    "Mia, this is Pathfinder," I then turned my hands towards the man before saying what the girl already know.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet Arty''s benefactor," Mia then said, doing a small curtsy only to hide behind my back right away.

    And for some reason, her expression appeared to be soured a little.

    "It''s a pleasure to finally meet you," Pathfinder gently nodded his head only to give the girl a bright smile. "I would say you are as beautiful as my junior imed you to be, but I don''t want to incur his jealousy," he then added before stealing a nce at the side of my face.

    For a moment, I could sweat he was about to show me his tongue... yet, in the end, his joy only expressed itself through some sparks of amusement in his eyes.

    "Okay guys, now that you know each other," I started, ignoring Pathfinder''sst statement. "How about you giving us some answers first?" I requested.

    "Sure thing," Pathfinder nodded his head. "But wouldn''t it be better if we sat inside first?" he suggested, turning his face to the ruins of his shack.

    "That''s..." I instantly replied only to cut my words short and avert my eyes to the side.

    Despite all my exploits... the sudden realization was somehow able to make me feel embarrassed.

    If there was anyone who I didn''t want to see the stains on the bed within the shed, it was the man right before my eyes!

    "Don''t worry, little brother," Pathfinder said, noticing my awkwardness caused by the idea he brought up. "Oh, one more thing," he then added. "Now that I''m free from those filthy royal''s control," he stated, turning a hateful nce towards the corpse several feet to the back, "I''m no longer Pathfinder. From now on, call me..."

    "Levisay"

 Chapter 387 Sloppy Way Of Naming The Upper Ranks

    "Levisay..." I repeated the man''s name, allowing it to properly sink into my memory. "It''s definitely easier to say it than calling you Pathfinder all the time," I then added, raising my eyes and giving the man a small smile.

    "You can just call me Levi if it''s the convenience you are going for," Levisay gracefully offered before turning his eyes to Mia and bowing his head a little. "The same applies to you, miss Mia."

    "Thank you for your kind offer," Mia said, doing a small curtsy in response.

    "Normally, I would suggest for us to sit in what''s left of my hut..." Levi suggested, turning his eyes toward the ruins. He then looked back and gave me a smile. "But judging from your reaction before, it''s better to just talk while we walk."

    "Thank you for your consideration," I nodded my head low enough to hide the blush that appeared on my face.

    It was one thing to do some things that virgins would find embarrassing... But it was somethingpletely else to lead a vitally important discussion while surrounded by the markings left by our joy hour with Mia!

    "Wait, on the go?" I caught up to the hidden meaning of Levi''s suggestion after a few seconds. "Go where?"

    Levi leaned his head to the side while giving me a surprised look.

    "Aren''t you guys kind of in a rush?" he asked, alternating his eyes between my and Mia''s face. "I mean, that''s how you appeared so I thought it would be better if we didn''t waste time standing around," he exined his line of thought.

    ''Now that he pointed that out, I''m suddenly feeling bad about spending nearly an hour in his hut,'' I thought.

    I then gulped down my saliva and closed my eyes for a second. Then, two deep breathster, I opened them back up again, freed from the burden of embarrassment or surprise.

    "Nothing can escape your eyes..." I said, only to hesitate at the end. "Master? Senior? Elder brother? Uncle?" I listed out a short list of potential ways for me to refer to Levisay. "How would you like me to call you?" I then asked, going for the most obvious way of resolving this problem before any feelings could be hurt.

    "Master? Senior?" Levi repeated after me. He then shook his head. "I do not deserve such titles. Save for some of the arts I polished to the level allowing me to take on the royals..." he hesitated for the first time since we reunited. "I don''t think my power amounts to anything whenpared to the might you are wielding."

    This took me by a surprise.

    Sure, I saw how little to no mana he used to kill the royal. Sadly, this short and anti-climatic fight didn''t amount to much in regards to letting me judge his level of power.

    After all, rather than using hisbined and ultimate power, he took advantage of speed, surprise, and brutal approach along with just a single technique to boost those three even further.

    Then, I realized that this wasn''t the most important point hidden in what he said.

    "You can see my power?" I asked.

    I wasn''t aware of any technique simr to my mana awareness within the cultivation world.

    ''I know I didn''t study cultivation techniques and martial arts all that much,'' I thought, mentally beating myself in the chest. ''I guess I have a lot to catch up on.''

    "See it?" Levi shook his head sideways. "No, not at all," he replied. "But I can still notice a lot about it... because of how my hidden techniques work," he exined.

    "Why do I have a feeling that most of your exnations will only confuse me even further rather than making it easier for me to understand the situation?" I muttered, annoyed by the reality of any and all reincarnator or otherworldly person.

    Mymon sense and way of understanding things were simply too different, too skewed by my years of life experience on earth. Rather than seeing things like someone from this world, I was doomed to forever consider them from a different point of view.

    ''My tactical mage job is proof that it''s not always bad, but the current situation proves there are no pros without cons,'' I thought.

    "Hidden technique is something that one develops on their own, never to share it with others," Mia exined, perfectly pinpointing the part that I was most confused about. "And in the case of your master, he appears to invest quite heavily into those techniques, expanding them into an entire system," she borated, turning her prying eyes on Levi''s face.

    "That''s not the case just for me," Levi mentioned, nodding his head when Mia shared her knowledge. "Most if not all of the overascenderst hat the royals chained went this route not to allow themselves to stagnate."

    "Mia?" I turned my eyes to the girl only to see her shake her head.

    ''So she doesn''t know what that means either,'' I thought.

    I was a novice ascender myself when going by the cultivation rank alone. The name of my rank disyed by my system implied that the one above was that of an ascender. Yet, overascender?

    I didn''t want to believe that whoever came up with all those rank names was so sloppy with the naming. And if that wasn''t the name of an even higher rank... was it a derivative route, akin to how I was a tactical mage? Something that royals would impose on all those who they didn''t wish to see reach their rank?

    "Overascender is a rank above ascender and a rank below royal," Levi exined, cutting my mental chatter and stopping me from doubting the very fabric of the system at its core.

    Yet, as much as it calmed me, I couldn''t help but close my eyes and take a deep breath.

    ''So they really named a rank in such a sloppy way,'' I thought.

    It was great to know that the idea of secondary growth paths didn''t appear for everyone in the ranks above mine. Yet, as great as the news were, the cringe in my soul struck me hard.

    I shook my head.

    Right now was the time for me to listen to Levi''s answers, not analyze them too much. Just like the teachers back on earth always emphasized the need to first read the entire question before trying to solve it, it was better if I put all my opinions on hold until I would get a fuller picture of the stuff I didn''t know about.

    "You proposed for us to talk while we are on the move," I said, seemingly putting a pause on our discussion. "Then let''s do just that," I suggested.

    "Just one second," Levi replied. "I still have to bury the unlucky guy that I left here," he said, turning towards the ruins of his shed. "Oh, if you don''t want me getting inside..."

    "We already did it," I informed while averting my face.

    There was no reason for me to exin why burying the corpse inside the shed was the first thing we did before properly cleaning the insides and turning them into my and Mia''s love nest.

    "I see," Levi said. He then shook his head after a short pause. "Let''s get going then," he proposed, going along with my wish. "No matter where you want to go, this continent is massive. And with how much you need to learn about it..."

    "We will have just enough time to discuss it all."

 Chapter 388 Why Didnt You Break Your Shackles Earlier?

    "So you''ve never broken past the hurdle of reaching the rank of a royal," I summarised Levi''s story.

    We were jogging through the open ins of the westernmost part of the first zone of the world.

    To an average mortal from the earth, our jog would be akin to a sprint that would put even world-level athletes to shame. Yet, for us, it was nothing more but a form of travel at a rtive leisure speed.

    "That''s right," Levi confirmed my paraphrase, proving I got his words correctly. "The bead that you saw me dissolve was something they forcibly imprinted on my palm after defeating me," he exined.

    "But what did that bead do?" I asked, unable to pull the image of the small item from my mind.

    Not because it was a tool used by the royals who we were likely to go against sometime in the future. But because I could draw a connection between it and the items Mia described when we talked about our experiences while apart from each other.

    "It had two purposes. From one end, it served to gently disturb the flow of our mana, making it impossible to achieve a stable flow between spiritual energy and the world''s energy," Levi exined. Then, his face soured a little.

    "If that was all, it would only be a matter of time before someone would find a way to ovee this obstacle. But the actual reason why no one did so far..."

    "Because once the mana would properly flow through the bead, it would inform the royals and summon them, right?" I suggested, basing my guess on what Mia told me about the events where a simr item was used by people of lower rank.

    "That''s certainly a possibility," Levi nodded his head. "But it''s actually something else. You see, the technique used to inform and potentially summon royals... is extremely crude, akin to all their other techniques," he pointed out.

    "But? And?" I muttered, unable to see a point.

    For a technique to earn the moniker of crude from Levi, it had to suck at one of the three possible aspects. Power, efficiency, or speed.

    The power didn''t matter much as it was a utility technique, not a fighting one. Speed couldn''t be the case either as it would work in overascenders favor, giving them more time to prepare for the arrival of the royals.

    The only possible factor left was efficiency. Yet, even after thinking about it for a while, I couldn''t figure out how this would be a problem.

    ''Maybe it would sap one''s entire power as soon as it would activate, depriving them of their cultivation in the process? A sort of a suicide device?'' I thought, attempting to put out an educated guess.

    I shook my head.

    ''No, there is no point trying to figure it out on my own,'' I thought, turning my head to the side and taking a look at Levi''s face.

    If he was going to exin it anyway, all I had to reach the answer was to wait for him to gather his thoughts.

    "Back until a few days prior, there was only one ce where one could gather the world''s mana of purity high enough to push for the breakthrough to a royal rank," Levi finally revealed what I believed to be a massive secret...

    But as it turned out, it was something that was so damn obvious I never could''ve guessed it mattered at all.

    "Damn!" I cursed under my breath.

    Now that Levi brought this point up, I couldn''t believe how stupid I was not to notice it myself.

    Back when I encountered that young royal I realized that he used both mana and antimana, or as Levi would call it, spiritual energy and world''s energy. And before the descent of all those monsters made out of antimana, the only ce where I ever noticed its presence...

    The only ce where it existed prior to the disaster was a narrow strip ofnd separating the zero zone from the first zone and then the second zone.

    An area ofnd called bordends.

    "You couldn''t push for a breakthrough because the only ce where you could do it was the bordends," I muttered, the dots connecting in my mind. "And with how you forbade me from using any sort of techniques or even driving my cultivation back there, activating that bead would be akin to spreading a delicious bait for all the monsters within the bordends."

    Now I understood how ack of efficiency could be problematic.

    The more efficient the technique was, the greater degree of the power used for it would be turned into the effect desired. And just like it happened with electric-powered circuits some energy would be lost by heating the wires, and techniques would always radiate the energy that wasn''t directly turned into the desired effect.

    Or, in simpler terms, using an ineffective technique would be akin to burning one''s mana like a shlight for all the beings around to notice.

    "Attempting to break through would call all the beasts around you. And with how you needed to venture pretty deep into the bordends to push for the breakthrough, not even overascenders would be capable of repelling all the magical beasts that woulde swarming. And to top it all off..."

    "The royals would soon arrive to mop up whatever was left after the swarm," I finished Levi''s sentence, realizing the full scale of just how ingenious in its deviousness the royal shackle was.

    "But ever since the world''s energy came to this world in the form of those mana monsters, we suddenly found ourselves capable of breaking the shackle pretty much anywhere," Levi finished his exnation.

    "Wait, why didn''t you be a royal already?" I asked, suddenly curious about the point. "No, why didn''t you break the shackle earlier, before meeting up with that royal," I asked.

    Levi approached his shack from the west, the direction opposite to the bordends. And if he was roaming the ins to the west... No, if he was capable of breaking the shackles on the spot when he saw the royal, he had to be able to do it for quite some time already!

    "Ah..." Levi twitched only to turn his head away and avert his eyes.

    And a creepy feeling appeared at the bottom of my soul.

    "Could it be..." I muttered, gulping down my saliva before opening my eyes wide and staring intensely into the side of Levi''s averted head. "Was it all just for a dramatic moment during the encounter?"

 Chapter 389 Mages Tower Massive Downside

    "Was it all just for a dramatic moment during the encounter?" I asked.

    There would be no way for me to have the balls to ask this question if our rtionship was still the same as it was back when we said our goodbyes before parting ways.

    And it didn''t matter that back then, I wasn''t any wiser about Levi''s true strength.

    This changing rtionship was the same reason why I wasn''t sure how to refer to Levi before. After all, I was now apparently stronger than him, despite being at least two cultivation ranks below him.

    Whether or not Levi lied to make me feel better or for any other reason, wasn''t for me to judge. Yet, if I were to ept and acknowledge his words, then what our rtionship would be?

    ''It''s less about the rank and more about how he behaves,'' I thought, averting my eyes when Levi gifted me with a pretty cold look.

    "You didn''t have to spell it out loud," he muttered. Levi then shook his head.

    "Okay, okay, my bad," Iughed out a little, just enough to imply it was all just a small joke made in good faith, yet not hard enough for Levi to have any chance of assuming I was making fun of him. "Changing the topic, can you tell me more about that technique you used?"

    In a sense, one could consider this a maniption on my part. Just like a kid woulde to their parents to ask something ridiculous only to then ''concede'' and ask for its true objective that would appear far more reasonable.

    In this scenario, though, one could say that I first poked fun at Levi to make him restless only to then bring out the big guns.

    The truth, though, was far simpler.

    Ever since I saw him nearly teleport around without any prior preparations, I couldn''t help but wish to obtain this ability as well!

    ''My mage''s tower, despite how I can move it around, still makes me pretty damn slow.'' This was one of the downsides of my greatest source of power that I have yet to find some countermeasures against.

    And Levi''s method of manipting aura to move appeared like just the right skill!

    "To ask an overascender about their hidden skills..." Levi muttered, his voice betraying how he was still slightly unhappy about my joke from before. "But now that you saw it, I don''t see why I shouldn''t exin it," he added with a sigh.

    Levi then slowed his pace a little so that the noise of the air brushing past our ears would subside a little.

    "Young miss, that might be interesting for you too," Levi called out while turning his head over his shoulder.

    "I''m all ears," the girl said, leisurely jogging along, just two steps behind the two men.

    "Sensei..." I said in a suggestive tone, urging the man to start.

    Now that I caught the scent of an ability that could potentially save my life, I couldn''t help but be excited over the idea of learning.

    "Young miss... for you, this technique will be quite useful. But if I''m right about what I felt about you..." Levi muttered as he turned his eyes towards me only to avert them a short momentter.

    ''A skill not for me?'' I thought, bewildered by Levi''s statement.

    Right now, the ability to leave the scene posthaste was the one thing Icked the most. And, despite that, he still believed it wouldn''t work with me?

    ''Wait, no, I can''t think like that,'' I quickly came to my senses. ''How the hell is he supposed to know how I fight?'' I asked myself, baffled by the massive logical error I casually ignored.

    Levi judged my ability... I didn''t actually know how. And with this limited judgment of his, he could hardly picture what sort of techniques I used to be as strong as I was right now.

    "Well, I will let you judge it yourself," Levi then added before releasing a deep sigh.

    Once again, I couldn''t tell whether he arrived at simr conclusions as me or if he noticed some small changes in my expression.

    But in the grand scheme of things, it didn''t matter. And I wasn''t going to waste my precious time and brainpower thinking over things that weren''t any sort of issue at all.

    "Before I begin," Levi raised his eyes at me. "I do not see any arcane weapon on you," he pointed out. "Do you have it hidden or did you perhaps..." Lei''s words slowed down as his tone turned colder the further he got with his sentence.

    I..." I hesitated to give the answer.

    Not because I wanted to hide my abilities or how I lost myst arcane weapon during the fight with a mana monster.

    No, I hesitated because I genuinely wasn''t sure how to reply.

    "I don''t have anything pointy or shy that could ssify as an arcana weapon," I admitted after giving the question a moment of thought. On the other hand, my greatest strengthes from the natural extension of arcane," I added.

    "Huh?" Levi raised his eyebrows, involuntarily slowing his steps down even more, now only moving at a speed that would make a world''s champion at running proud.

    "I''m talking about formations," I borated a little. "By deploying a considerable number of them, I can create space where, to a certain degree, my control over my own spiritual energy is neal absolute.

    "That sounds... Wait, what are formations again?" Levi then asked, taking me by a surprise.

    formations might not belong to the most popr field of study one could enter. Yet, by no means was it some sort of toy that those who knew them would use to y pranks on their friends.

    No.

    "Formations are set of magically infused artifacts. Each of the formations can perform single or several different tasks at the cost of its user simply driving their energy through it," I patiently exined.

    "Ah, so an extension to the arcane I taught you," Levy muttered, a ray of satisfaction shing through his years.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head as I replied. "I basically applied the concepts you taught me about arcane and implemented said concepts when making my first formations," I revealed without no shame at all.

    "Then I guess I was both right and wrong," Levi summed the situation up. "If its hard to move within all those formations, then learning my techniques would surely help," he admitted. "But on the other hand..."

    "Other hand what?" I asked.

    "If you are controlling arrays at a huge distance... No, the more I think about it the less desirable for you it bes," he then admitted.

    "Can you give me a reason, at least?" I requested, ready to buy my hopes in the dust.

    "It''s simple," Levi sighed. "You already have all your arrays to take care of while fighting," he pointed out. "Teaching you how to add a massive distraction...?"

    Levi shook his head.

    "I''m sorry, brother, but it would only handicap you."

    Levi took a deep breath as he brought his eyes to the.

    Someone else could possibly follow Levi''s advice and drop the topic. But I wasn''t just a random someone else.

    "If you im it won''t work for me..." I started, ready to keep on negotiating. And then, a devious smile appeared on my face. "Then how about we conduct a small duel?"

 Chapter 390 I Want To Turn You Into A Novice Cultivator Thats Stronger Than Royals

    "Are you really sure about it?" Levi asked, unable to look me directly in the eyes. "I mean, I can''t guarantee I will be able to hold back properly!" he said in a pleading voice.

    "We are cultivators," I said, looking at Levi with a calm expression on my own face. "We are supposed to go against the will of the heavens and yet you cover away from a friendly spar?" I baited my former master a little.

    "You little..." Levi''s face tensed up. "It''s you who I''m worried about!"

    "Why im I''m stronger than you, then?" I said with a grin, putting Levi''s own words against him. "But to be honest, this duel has a lot more meaning to me than just a friendly spar," I added.

    Levi looked deeply into my eyes. He turned silent for a second, wasting several breaths while gazing into my soul like some sort of a lover.

    "Fine," he then said, turning around and taking several steps to the back. "Is there any need for me to know the meaning of your words?" he then asked as he turned around to face me again.

    "Yeah," I said and followed with a nod of my head. "While fighting, make sure to be ready to start fighting for real at any time," I advised. "I hope our sh will draw out the nearby monsters, making them approach us," I exined the idea.

    Back in the bordends, the monsters could sense the fluctuations of one''s spiritual energy because that area was filled with anti-mana to the brim. In this ce, out in the open ofpletely nowhere, we had to create some powerful shockwaves to achieve a simr effect.

    "Monsters?" Levi asked, raising one of his eyebrows while reaching to his side and pulling out a small, crystal tube.

    He then jerked his hand... Which was nothing but a dramatic act.

    Two springs of mana surged out of the holes within the crystal, forming the handle and the de of the spear respectively.

    ''He could''ve saved that dramatic act for when it matters,'' I thought with a tiny bit of scorn.

    I could understand Levi''s innate desire to be dramatic. Yet, for one''s actions to properly appear cool, they had to be used in fitting scenarios.

    No one would be impressed by a hero''snding if it was performed to jump from the road''s curb. And the same could be said about Levi shaking his hand to activate his weapon... for nothing more but a friendly spar.

    "Why do you want to bait monsters here?" Levi then asked. The pause that he took before formting his question came likely from his own attempt to figure out the answer on his own.

    In other words, he only asked because he failed to see through my n in the first ce.

    "You want to get stronger, don''t you?" I asked with a smile, undoing to pouches by my belt and gently pushing them out into the air.

    The stones contained inside instantly rushed to their predesignated position, allowing me to raise myplete Mage''s Tower in less than just three seconds.

    In a real fight, I would have to buy those three seconds with my other abilities as no enemy would be dumb enough to give me that time for free.

    But this wasn''t a fight. This, right now, was a duel with the aim of letting me understand Levi''s ability while showcasing to him just how much I grew since we parted ways.

    "Do you want to turn me into a royal?" Levi asked, raising his left eyebrow. He then stood in position before nodding his head to indicate he was ready to begin.

    "Heavens'' forbid!" I called out in an exasperated voice. "Didn''t you hear me speak my mind about this royal rank or whatnot?"

    "What do you want monsters here for, then?" Levi rolled his eyes while lowering his center of mass.

    ''So he is going with a lunge,'' I thought, ensuring that all my formations were working properly.

    In theory, I could raise all my wardens right away as well. Yet, I didn''t want to turn myself into a bully. And I wouldn''t be able to learn anything about Levi''s techniques if I ended up moping the ground with him right from the get-go.

    "To turn you into a beginner cultivator," I replied with a small smile.

    "Are you... for real?" Levi''s eyes widened a little bit. "Wasn''t this supposed to be just a friendly spar?"

    "Oh, it is," I replied with a smile. "I will turn you into a beginner cultivator. And someone who''s stronger than those royals you dislike so much," I revealed.

    "You are not making any sense," Levi protested.

    "For now," I agreed with my opponent. "But when the timees for you to understand..." I hesitated for a moment.

    ''Should I tell him?'' A single question appeared in my mind.

    It wasn''t that I desired to withhold the information about certain detail from my benefactor. I just didn''t want to identally deprive him of the same experience I went through.

    After all, there was a difference between hearing advice to reinforce the space with one''s each move and receiving a series of ck lightings to one''s back!

    ''Well, it''s better not to risk it,'' I finally decided.

    "Once you understand the meaning of what I said, make sure to add some energy to every move of yours, energy aimed at reinforcing the space through which your technique will travel," I gave out the advice.

    ''If I can save him the trauma of going through those lighting strikes, then I see no reason not to,'' I thought.

    "I hope I will understand in time," Levi muttered. "Ready?"

    "I''m ready," I said, nodding my head. Yet, rather than rushing forth or raising my wardens, I turned my eyes to Mia who stood by the side. "Can you give us a signal to start?" I requested.

    "Sure thing." Mia smiled. "Yet, as curious as I am to see you two fight..." she hesitated for a short moment. "Make sure not to go too far," she added.

    I turned my head back. I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

    "Begin!"

 Chapter 391 Friendly Spar

    "Begin!" Mia called out.

    ''Contract!'' I instantly pulled out my mana from the area of the mage''s tower, cutting its sphere of influence nearly by half.

    This was the method of counteracting the move Levi executed the royal with that I came up with before the duel even began.

    And with little to no surprise, Levi attempted to perform it again.

    He manipted his mana in some strange way, sending it forth and causing his aura projection to morph.

    His mana moved through the space with ease, crossing the area from where I pulled my own mana. Yet, when it reached the area where my power circted through my formations, his technique failed to prate through my defenses.

    Levi leaped forward, allowing his own aura to pull him in right toward the edge of my makeshift mana barrier.

    ''Wardens, rise!'' I thought, unleashing the second part of my standard fighting order.

    This time, however, I didn''t use a single rune stone for a single warden. After all, my every move now had to perform an additional work of reinforcing the space around it.

    As such, instead of just a single stone, each of my wardens now came into existence with a small butplex formation on its own, one capable of properly handling my pure mana of mine.

    "Break!" Levi shouted, not giving me any breathing room.

    Before any of my wardens could properlye into y, he rushed forth, using his condensed mana to push my own energy aside.

    ''Disturb!'' I thought, using the most specific of my abilities. Yet, as this was only a spar, I didn''t go to the extreme of using its mage''s tower upgraded version that gave me total control of everything within its range.

    Instead, I used its basic version, aimed at nothing but an instantaneous stun.

    "This..." Levi shouted, recovering right away only to step forth.

    ''Disturb.'' I used my spell once again, calmly waiting for my wardens to properly boot up.

    "Is..."

    ''Disturb,'' I thought, stopping Levi after he made just a single step again.

    "NOTHING!" my former master shouted, sending his fist behind his back only to bring it forth and then shot it forward.

    I was still way too far for his arm to reach me, giving me some peace of mind.

    ''Disturb,'' I continued to spam my reliable ability.

    As sweaty as it might be to use my abilities over and over again, this was the only fighting style I could adopt. After all, excluding the fact of improving my abilities through my mage''s tower, I only had three abilities rted to my job!

    And just like its name implied, a tactical mage didn''t fight by overwhelming his enemies with might. A tactical mage fought by overwhelming his enemies with nothing else but tactics!

    ''Disturb!'' I used the spell again, right after Levi managed to push through and execute his punch.

    And just like all the times before, my spell worked wonders... but as I failed to foresee Levi''s intention, I failed to stop him from achieving his aim as well.

    Levi''s punch wasn''t about hitting me at all. He used it... as a device to carry himself forward!

    By instinctively making use of newtons'' firstw of motion, he used his fist to carry himself forward.

    It didn''t matter how much I disturbed him. After all, it was an ability that could only stop one from performing a technique. In its basic form, it couldn''t affect the physical forces of the world at all.

    "You are mine!" Levi shouted, turning his spear around before using the blunt end as if it was the edge and thrusting it toward my sr plexus.

    As soon as Levi pushed his spear forth, his mana converged towards his weapon, allowing it to cut right through the thick areas of my own mana.

    It was of no importance how much more powerful my pure mana was whenpared to the spiritual energy Levi was using. By concentrating his attack on a single point and then covering himself in a barrier of a pretty aerodynamic shape, Levi managed to easily make his way through my sphere of direct influence.

    And so, the butt of his spear struck... right in the middle of one of my wardens.

    "Tell me when to stop," I said, just loud enough for it to be informative while making sure not to sound condescending.

    This time, I didn''t hold the upgrades of my abilities down. And while a single warden ensured Levi''s spear couldn''t move any further, while two more moved to protect my nks, the remaining six of them surrounded my former master from all sides before unleashing a barrage of bolts.

    The bolts themselves were the only part of my techniques that I couldn''t infuse with pure mana. As they didn''t operate with a formation as its basis, I had no means of infusing them with additional energy aimed at reinforcing the space.

    As such, not out of mercy but out of necessity, the barrage of bolts that then bombarded Levi from all sides turned out way too weak to bring forth any effect.

    "Break!" Levi shouted, refusing to just surrender. He pulled out even more of his spiritual force, elerating it through his weapon... but pulling it inwards instead.

    The draft of mana allowed him to pull his weapon back for a single inch.

    His eyes shed.

    "Break!" he shouted again, reversing the flow of his mana, now pushing it towards the spear''s tip.

    ''Disturb!'' I unleashed my spell in thest possible moment, forcing Levi''s spiritual energy to go wild when my spell broke his concentration.

    And so, a slugfest continued for a few more moments.

    Levi attempted several methods of getting out of the pinch.

    He would try to use his aura trick to free himself from the hold of my wardens, but stuck in the middle of my pure mana, he failed to push his own energy out of the encirclement.

    Whenever he would try to push his spear through my warden to reach my chest, I would simply disturb his attempt, reverting the situation back to the stalemate we were in.

    Then, he somehow pulled out all of his spiritual energy back inside his body, attempting to free himself by simply walking to the back.

    But by now, I already positioned my wardens all around him, turning them into an active barrier that stopped him in his tracks while constantly covering his body with their pitiful attacks.

    At this moment, it was impossible for either side to do anything. Yet, my victory was the only possible oue, as despite how weak they were, I could keep the barrage of bolts up for however long I wanted while there was a certain limit to how many of them Levi could take head-on.

    "I yield," Levi muttered after a few more attempts at freeing himself. He even went as far as to raise his hands, although he properly kept the handle of his weapon in his hand, ignoring the constant bombardment of my bolts.

    A smirk appeared in the corner of my mouth when I pulled my wardens back and diffused my mana back to the full range of my mage''s tower.

    "I never expected you to be able to lock me in so tightly," Levi admitted, lowering his hands and shaking his head. "But your offensive power is quitecking," he then added, raising his arms to inspect their state.

    And just like I expected, there were hardly any markings on his skin that could indicate I managed to deal any real damage.

    "At the rate you presented, I could keep taking them with my face for two to three days straight," he said, looking at me with a weird look on his face.

    "Don''t worry, I''m not aiming at being someone who can only defend," I exined while forcing the smirk off my lips and recing it with a kind smile. "I simply didn''t figure out how to use pure mana for those bolts without risking each of the attacks into a harbinger of a disaster."

    "Pure mana?" Levi raised his eyebrows, surprised by a term that he wasn''t familiar with.

    Naturally, given his higher cultivation rank, it should be him serving me with words I have yet to learn the meaning of.

    "Disaster?" he then muttered another word I used, clearly knowing its meaning but unable to pinpoint what I meant by it.

    "Don''t worry, you will learn it all soon," I then said, turning my eyes towards the side where Mia stood. "Dear, if you could get behind us," I then requested, locking my eyes on an object that was approaching fast from down the highway. "The monsters areing."

 Chapter 392 Small Talk Before The Fight

    "The monsters areing," I said, turning my face towards the east.

    It wasn''t something I observed with my mana sense. The distance that separated the iing threats from us was way too great for me to detect any weird movements of the mana.

    No. I detected the monsters with nothing less than what could only be called a sixth sense. Or in broader terms, abination of all my senses, experience, and levels of perception I couldn''t consciously control.

    "How many?" Levi asked while lowering himself to his knees and looking in the same direction I did.

    I, in turn, gave him a baffled look.

    "How the heck should I know?" I asked. "I don''t even know if those are the anti-mana monsters or the normal ones," I pointed out while rolling my eyes.

    The difference between the two was massive. Both in terms of what we could gain from the fight and how we should approach the fight itself. Yet, despite my eagerness to hunt down some anti-mana monsters to let Levi consume their power and advance to the stage of pure-mana user...

    ''It wouldn''t hurt to get some materials to fix and improve my formations,'' I thought, scanning the state of all my arrays with a quick look.

    To say that they were about to break apart would be a gross overstatement. Yet, at the same time, I couldn''t help but get embarrassed when I thought about the discrepancy between my power and the materials I used to construct my greatest source of power.

    ''Pebbles picked up randomly from the side of the road are the foundation upon which I built my mage''s tower,'' I thought, gritting my teeth in a fit of annoyance. Then, another truth dawned upon me. ''Maybe upgrading them would allow me to reach even greater heights?''

    "Now that I think about it, I''m sorry, but I hope those are not the monsters from the other dimension," I muttered.

    The world was changing, everyone knew that. And in this changing world, the need for me to get stronger was even greater than ever before.

    And yet, here I was, parading around with nothing but my mana engine, thinking it would be enough to face whatever awaited me in the massive span of the continent.

    ''I guess I grew toocent ever since reuniting with Mia,'' I thought, turning my eyes towards the girl.

    ''And thinking about this, I didn''t really help her grow that much either,'' I thought to myself, raising from my battle-ready position and taking a step toward the girl.

    "What''s up?" Mia asked, sensing my approach and dropping her guard.

    This damned girl knew I wouldn''t dare to distract her if the fight was right around the corner and thus assumed we had enough time to talk a bit.

    "I know I should''ve asked this long ago, but what cultivation stage are you on, right now?" I asked. Yet, right as the girl opened her mouth to answer, I suddenly raised my hands to stop her from doing so. "No, that''s not it," I shook my head. "What do you need to grow stronger?"

    Knowing what level of cultivation Mia had wouldn''t provide me with any useful information. Not in terms of fostering her growth, that is.

    As she had no system to her side that could foster her growth, it would be wrong of me to assume that her cultivation would be exactly the same as mine... especially given how I wasn''t only a cultivator but a mage as well!

    "What do I need to grow stronger, huh?" Mia muttered, averting her eyes a little.

    ''Huh?'' I twitched, not expecting Mia''s expression to darken the way it did right now. ''Did I somehow strike a bad vibe?'' I asked myself, desperately rushing to figure out the potential reason for it.

    And thank God, or heavens, I wasn''t as dense as all those protagonists from the novel I read in my previous life who would miss not only the hints but direct answers that Mia gave me in the past.

    ''She considers herself to be a burden, not a partner,'' I thought, recalling all the instances when the girl signaled it.

    "I..." Mia hesitated a little. "Even after all the times we did it, I''m still in the beginning stages of a mature enlightenment," she muttered, refusing to look me straight in the eyes.

    "I see," I whispered, reaching out with my hand and cing it on the girl''s shoulder.

    Mia twitched a little, not prepared for this strange, new kind of distant intimacy.

    "You''ve worked hard, didn''t you?" I praised her, raising my hand only to move it from her shoulder to the top of her head. "You know that my situation is special so don''t you darepare yourself to me, okay?" I then requested.

    "I know," Mia replied, still keeping her eyes away. "But that doesn''t change how I''m..."

    "Stop it, dear," I said in a little bit sterner voice. I also stopped rustling her hair and moved my hand toward her lips only to close them up with a single finger of mine. "Just a few days ago, you were only at a core expansion stage," I whispered while leaning over the girl''s ear. Then, I took a step back, put a confident smile on my face, and turned around.

    "Levi, a quick question," I then said, calling out to my former master... and the only one who had real knowledge of the cultivation of the lower realms as someone who went through them in a normal way. "How long would it normally take a person to advance from eight to the eleventh rank?"

    "A decade?" Levi answered right away, giving me a weirded-out look.

    This question came out of nowhere, after all. Yet, upon noticing how I didn''t look away nor change the expression on my face, Levi changed his position and rubbed his chin while thinking about the answer that would satisfy me.

    "Well, if you went with umtion alone, it could take you more than a century," he replied again after a short moment. "If you could use an abundant amount of cultivation resources and have someone to guide your cultivation..." he took another moment to think.

    "Five years?" he forwarded a guess. "Or a year if you had every possible advantage in the world."

    Judging from Levi''s tone, a year was already a time that most of the cultivators could only dream about. A time so short that it would likely be taken as a freak incident rather than a rule of thumb.

    "See?" I said, turning around and smiling right in Mia''s face. "Normally, it would take people over a year to aplish what you did in how long?" I then turned my statement into a question. "Two weeks?"

    "I never said I''m dissatisfied with the rate at which I''m growing," Mia rolled her eyes and took a step forward, killing the distance that I put between us to have this small talk with Levi. She then brought her hand up and struck me in the sr plexus with her forefinger. "I''m dissatisfied with how, no matter how much I try, I can''t catch up to you."

 Chapter 393 A Way To Let Mia Catch Up

    "Oh dear," I muttered, raising my hand and clutching at my chest.

    There was a slight tension on Mia''s face, making her expression nearly sulky. And yet, despite how she clearly wasn''t happy with the situation... She somehow managed to look even more adorable than ever!

    "Damn it," I uttered through my tightened lips. "Just how lovely can you get?" I asked out loud, falling down to my knees as I was unable to toughen out the weird feeling expanding in my chest.

    "Oh, in that regard," Mia smiled, "I''m quite confident," she added, reaching out with her arms and coiling the around the back of my head only to then pull my face right into her stomach.

    "There, there," she then whispered softly while using one of her hands to brush my hair. "I''m not mad, you don''t need to worry," she added, her mood from before giving way to a simple bout of happiness that then expressed itself on her smiling lips. "And with how lovely I am," Mia mused while slightly blushing, "it''s only a matter of time before I catch up, isn''t it?"

    There was no falsehood in Mia''s words.

    Earlier, I was too worried about sleeping with her over how my extremely greater power than hers could affect her through a dual cultivation process.

    Thankfully, though, we already tested it out. And the one thing we found out, was that outside of ramping up Mia''s pleasure from the intercourse, the difference in our powers wasn''t an obstacle we had to worry about.

    As such, her loveliness factor could also be taken as Mia''s current greatest potential for growth, even when excluding all the cultivation resources I was willing to throw at her the moment she expressed her desire for it.

    "Okay, I decided," I then muttered, rubbing my cheek against the thing cloth covering Mia''s soft stomach.

    "Decided on what?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side while watching me stand up only to turn her cuddle into a mutual hug.

    "I''m not going to raise my cultivation for as long as it will take for you to catch up," I decided, using as much strength for the hug as I could without worrying about potentially hurting the girl.

    She could be hundreds of times stronger than a simple mortal... But for me, and with the difference in our cultivation alone, she still remained as frail as she was when we first met.

    "Don''t say that," Mia then whispered, attempting to lecture me. Yet, no matter how much she tried, she couldn''t hide how happy her voice was. "We are not in a situation where we can be satisfied with our level of strength!"

    Mia''s words were reasonable. In fact, I thought about it myself just a moment earlier.

    "Oh, I will make us stronger," I quickly said, not even bothering to hide the cheeky smile that grew up on my lips all on its own. "I''m just not going to do it by cultivating or raising my inner strength."

    Mia brought her hands to my chest and pushed herself off, all for the sake of taking a good look at my face.

    "Wait, you are serious!" she discovered. Her eyes widened when the weight of those words sank into her soul.

    "Why should I rush my cultivation if it would result in your anguish?" I asked, raising my hand and caressing Mia''s cheeks with the outer side of my fingers. "And assuming we will have any luck," I turned my eyes in the direction the monsters wereing from, "I should be able to put my n into use pretty soon."

    I shook my head. Then, as heavy as it was on my heart, I pushed Mia aside, properly disengaging from the hug.

    "I want to test something out, so do me a favor and stand behind me," I requested, shaking my head before focusing on my mage''s tower.

    All my formations were in ce ever since my duel with Levi started. Yet, they were all positioned in the most optimal way for a duel with someone capable of analyzing the situation. As such, rather than putting the arrays behind my back, I spread them all over the desired influence of my mage''s tower to prevent Levi from simply crushing them all with a single attack.

    This time, however, I went for a simpler tactic, hiding all my formations behind my back and leaving nothing but a kill zone between me and the wave of approaching monsters.

    ''Let''s test it out a little,'' I thought, alternating my eyes between the road below my feet and the nearby cloud of dust that the wave of the monsters kicked up in their frenzy.

    The monsters were still too far for me to figure out their type or precise number. Yet, from the fluctuations of the mana that spread out all the way to where the three of us stood, I could tell some details already.

    ''This should be an easy fight,'' I thought, picking up a bunch of pebbles right off the ground before using a tiny bit of my mana to carve out entire formations on each of them.

    Yet, rather than producing a mass of formation stones with the same style and formation imprinted on each of them, I allowed my creative side to run free, ready to test out all sorts of designs and purposes.

    "Actually, can you guys take ten steps to the back?" I then asked, turning my head over my shoulder right as the monsters got close enough for our group to recognize each of the species at the front of the wave.

    There were the usual violet monsters... but they were within the second wave of the monsters rushing toward us. I could see them so soon only due to just how massive and grotesque they were.

    ? Yet, in the front wave, I could see all sorts of monsters. From mutated bears that we encountered in the forest before, through triceratops-like mountains of scaled meat all the way to oversized penguins.

    In my eyes, however, there were no monsters in the first or the second wave.

    In the first wave, I could only see materials that would allow me to upgrade my formations. And in the second wave, I saw nothing but fuel that could allow Levi to enter the realm of true mana!

    "We moved!" Mia called out as soon as she noticed how I focused on the monsters ahead to the point of not even daring to move my head to confirm their situation.

    "Good," I muttered, a crazed look filling my eyes.

    And then, full of curiosity, I picked out one of the simplest formation stones I just carved, and filled it out with enough pure mana to create a bolt before putting it between the nail of my thumb and the arch of my forefinger.

    ''I wonder if it will work,'' I thought, using my cultivation-reinforced muscles to fling the stone forward.

    The formation within remained inactive for as long as it was within the sphere of influence of my mage''s tower. Yet, as soon as the stone left the zone of my direct control, a single rune on it burned out, closing the circuit and turning it into the very first bolt that I dared to use my pure mana for!

 Chapter 394 Fun And Work

    The bolt, at its core, was a simple spell. It was a bunch of mana bundled together, shaped in an aerodynamical form, and infused with a simple intent consisting of direction and purpose.

    It was its simple structure that allowed me to use it to chip away at the power of the otherwordly monsters by putting this world''s mana against their anti-mana.

    Yet, the bolt that I just shot out was different.

    Rather than being guided with just the intent infused directly into the mana, it actually had a small array fitted at its core.

    From a purely mechanical point of view, the one thing that the presence of this array-filled pebble did was add some mass to the otherwise purely magical attack.

    But it wasn''t those few grams of stone that would make a difference. It was the formation that I embedded into the pebble that made things interesting.

    BOOM!

    The second my bolt crashed into the front wave of monsters, the formations on the pebble overloaded. It was one of the simplest activation mechanisms one could imagine, simr to how early explosives would ignite on impact rather than over an electric signal.

    And the moment the most fragile parts of the formation burned out, for but a single instant, the task of the formation changed. And for a single millisecond, rather than stabilizing the space around it, the formation imprinted upon the pebble started to produce sparks.

    They weren''t physical sparks, of course. Instead, the sparks that the formation produced altered the intent within the now condensed mana of the bolt, turning it into a proper explosive!

    CRACKABOOM!

    Near instantly after the bolt turned into a powerful shockwave that culled a huge chunk of monsters right away, a ck bolt descended upon the hit zone, eradicating any and all that were unlucky enough to survive up to that point.

    "That was nice," I muttered.

    There was an unavoidable sense of visceral joy that a man would get from blowing stuff up.

    And when that stuff turned out to be monsters that were eager to hurt me and the people behind me, thus making it morally correct to defend myself?

    The grin on my lips grew evenrger. Yet, I had no time to just enjoy myself.

    So, I picked up another of the pebbles that I prepared before the wave appeared and flung it forward in the same manner I did just a moment earlier.

    Poof!

    This time, the effect was different. The shockwave appeared as soon as the stone left my direct zone of control, elerating at a rate greater than the air could handle.

    And then, as soon as some unlucky monster happened to be in within the stone''s path...

    BOOM!

    Another shockwave appeared, this time turning into a storm of fire.

    It was cinematic with all the mes that arouse amidst the monsters... But a mere secondter when the wave passed over the burning area, the reality proved that visually great stuff wasn''t all that effective at all.

    "Scratch the fireworks, I guess," I muttered, clicking my tongue with dissatisfaction.

    There was a visceral join in blowing stuff up... but right now I had to be efficient, not shy.

    "Let''s try another one," I said in a cheerful voice as if I was in the middle of a party rather than awaiting the moment the monsters would inevitably crash into us.

    And so, I picked up the biggest of the pebbles I picked before stepping forward with my left leg and pushing my right hand to the back.

    ''Let''s see how this one will do,'' I thought, jerking my entire upper body forward, pushing my right arm ahead, and taking a step with my right leg all at the same time.

    Ting!

    The sound that reached my ears when my throw sent the stone flying out of my control zone was different from what I expected.

    ''Was there some sort of metal ore inside?'' I thought, recognizing the sound as something one could expect from a swordfight rather than from the stone falling apart.

    Because that''s what the formations I imprinted onto that particr piece were aimed at.

    Rather than serving as a means to carry the bolt forward while using its energy to reinforce the space it passed through, the formations caused the stone to split into myriad pieces.

    This time, my attack wasn''t aimed at using my mana to bring forth death and destruction. Instead, it turned the stone into something akin to a grapeshot, where each of the grapes... no longer had theplex formation necessary to reinforce the space around it.

    ''It''sing,'' I thought, sensing how the fabric of space around me jerked.

    And then, right as the scattered pieces of the stone reached the approaching wave of the monsters, a myriad of ck lightning appeared in the air.

    They didn''t strike right where the parts of the stone were. No, instead, they all struck right at the point where the stone fell apart... only to then split into a thousand different strikes that then burned through the paths that each individual grape took, all the way before delivering their final blow against the unlucky monsters ahead!

    "Woah!" I eximed when my body wobbled under the shockwave caused by the appearance of the ck lighting.

    I ended up taking a step to the back and then another one, all for the sake of stabilizing myself back.

    Yet, for how shocking the aftereffect of my experimental grapeshot was... It was its results that caused me to stumble when I brought my eyes back up.

    "What the hell was that..." Levi freaked out behind my back while Mia...

    Mia simply remained silent. She stared wide-eyed at the disaster I willingly brought upon the world, easily capable of recognizing the same force that nearly killed me just a few days ago.

    "The drawback of using the pure mana in a world that falls apart under its power," I exined before shaking my head and raising all the stones that I had left in my left hand, picking a few of them at once.

    The monsters kept on running in our direction... and now they got too close for me to keepfortably testing out my new devices.

    What''s more, if I kept on going the way I did right now, there would be no materials left out of them for me to upgrade my formations at all!

    "Well then, I need to start taking this situation seriously," I muttered to myself, taking onest look at the stones in my head before pouring them all into the pouch by my belt.

    And so, I poured most of my mana back into my wardens before bringing them all up to the front of my killzone.

    "I had my fun, now it''s time to do the work!"

 Chapter 395 They Were All Running For Their Dear Life

    "Do you need any help?" Levi came from the back and asked. His spiritual spear was already in his hand, both its de and its handle extended.

    The man was ready for the fight that wasing.

    "Not yet," I replied, watching how the flurry of my wardens'' produced bolts mowed down the monsters in front of us. "How about cleaning all the ones that get too close?" I then suggested.

    This fight wasn''t about killing the monsters. It was about obtaining materials from them and then harvesting the antimana from the antimana monsters that wereing in the second wave.

    Yet... If Levi were to suddenly receive a massive boost to his power, would he be able to ept it if he didn''t even lift a finger to obtain any of it?

    ''It would be tough for him,'' I decided before pointing out at a random stoneying on the ground before me. "Let''s consider this stone as the marker. Anything that goes beyond it, I need you to kill," I exined while pointing my hand out.

    "Sure thing," Levi replied with a smile as he took two steps forward and stood between the approaching wave of monsters and me.

    "What about me?" Mia asked, approaching me from the side.

    "I think doing the same as Levi will work?" I suggested, not exactly sure how I was supposed to react this time.

    She wasn''t weak by any means. Not a single of the monsters I recognized in the first wave would do her any harm.

    But the same couldn''t be said about an entire horde of them.

    "Hey, Artur," Levi called out. "At the current rate..." he hesitated to continue. And then, he turned his head around and gave me an ufortable look. "At this rate, not a single of those monsters will even get close."

    Hearing Levi''s words, I turned my eyes toward the scene where the monsters were dying to my bolts. And just like he said, whenever a single one of them would make it past the furthest killzone, it would only be able to make a single step before another wave of bolts would turn it into scattered bloody pieces.

    "How about I save some energy then?" I suggested, recognizing just how broken my abilities were.

    And what was even more important, there was a chance we would struggle to find more monsters after getting rid of the ones we already managed to attract.

    ''They shouldn''t be here in the first ce. Hardly any monster would leave its habitat in the wilds in the first ce,'' I thought, recalling the stuff I learned while still being an exploited contractor.

    But, in spite of what I knew about their nature, the monsters were rushing at us. Or rather, they were rushing to escape from the anti-mana monsters that chased after them.

    Still, if the monsters appeared here, it could only mean something forced them out of their natural habitat. As such, my idea of going to hunt in local danger zones could prove pretty much futile.

    "Okay guys, get ready!" I called out. "I will let some of theme now!"

    I lowered four out of a total of my five wardens. Obviously, with the anti-mana monstersing soon, I didn''t deactivate thempletely but simply made them act as barriers, two for each of mypanions.

    "Eh?" I then had no other choice but to give out a small moan of surprise. Because the only change that this brought was that the bolts no longer fully obstructed the view of what was going on with the first wave of the monsters.

    No.

    Right now, I could see how just two of them would be more than sufficient to hold back an entire horde of monsters!

    ''Maybe only the weak ones ended up leaving their habitat?'' I attempted to rationalize the situation, lowering three more of my wardens.

    And yet, even this proved to not be enough.

    Only when only a single of my wardens remained to st its bolts did the monsters start advancing.

    Sadly, by this time, their number was so low that I had no other choice but to disable even thest one, all for the sake of letting mypanions do anything at all.

    "You are really too strong for your own good," Levi muttered under his nose as he stepped forward, looking at the few monsters that were left with a strange look on his face.

    "How is that a bad thing?" Mia countered, leaning her head over her shoulder with a puzzled look on her face.

    Contrary to me, she had no history with Levi. As such, it was far easier for her to call him out on whatever he said.

    "I don''t think I''m too strong. It''s those monsters that are too weak," I then pointed out what I could finally confirm.

    All this time with the monsters unable to get closer, I could only assume how strong they were. But now that I allowed them to get closer?

    The level of those monsters was below some of the stronger ones that I fought while still being a damned contractor!

    "That''s weird," Levimented, epting my words at a face value. "Why would they rush to their deaths like that, then?" he asked, turning his face towards me only to turn it right back when it was time for him to get some fun too.

    "I think I understand," I said, watching how Levi started to swing his spear around, stabbing and cutting any monster that dared to approach.

    Then, Levi twitched... and allowed two of them to pass by him.

    ''So he is leaving some for Mia too,'' I thought, my lips curving up in a small smile.

    "Leave one of them," I quickly called.

    And it was right in time. Because despite having her cultivationg behind me and Levi by a huge margin, Mia still managed to st one of the monsters into smithereens with just a single, leisurely smash!

    "What?" Mia uttered a small cry, although she obediently listened to my request and allowed thest of the monsters to pass by her.

    The monster headed directly for me. And even though I could stop him with a single thought, I allowed it to keep on running.

    Only for the monster to run right past me and then keep on going without even the slightest wish to attack me at all!

    "They weren''t trying to kill us," I then revealed what I figured out. "They were all escaping from the monsters behind them," I exined, only to raise all my wardens up again.

    "So...?" Levi then asked, turning his head to look at me again.

    "Yeah," I nodded my head. "Mia, get back," I then ordered only to look at the approaching second wave. "The real fight is only about to begin."

 Chapter 396 The Attack That Never Reached

    "The real fight is about to begin!" I called out when the anti-mana monsters broke past a single kilometer left before they would reach us.

    And they were closing in fast.

    Just like one would expect from those formless beings, they didn''t have a set appearance. Instead, they would morph their bodies to suit whatever purpose they were targeting.

    And just like that, I could see monsters with tens if not hundreds of legs. Others would decrease the number of their limbs while taking on aerodynamical shapes. There were even some that went as far as developing wings...!

    But not a single one of them managed to fly. The most the winged monsters could do was leap forward, and dive through the air with their wings spread out as much as they could with all the other monsters around them beforending and repeating the process.

    And it was those winged monsters that currently led the charge, simply due to how their movement speed turned out to be the greatest.

    "Why are they worrying you so much?" Levi then asked, looking at me with genuine confusion on his face. "Didn''t you just prove that you are way too strong for such folly to bother you?" he asked, ncing over at the approaching monsters without even a hint of fear in his eyes.

    I squinted my eyes and leaned my head to the back, as if to look at Levi from a slightly greater distance. It was a stupid and pointless thing to do, as no matter whether I could see him perfectly or not, it would not help me to decide on the thing that now puzzled me.

    ''Is he serious?'' I asked myself in my mind, unable to figure out the answer to that question on my own. So, I did the one thing that had the greatest chance of providing me with an answer.

    "Are you serious?" I muttered, my voice turning out too low for Levi to properly hear it.

    "What did you say?" he asked.

    "Wait, no, nevermind," I said, shaking my head. "Just in case I''m wrong, tell me," I then requested. I raised my eyebrows and looked at the man with my eyes wide open, ready to intercept even the slightest hint indicating he was making fun of me. "You do realize those monsters are made up with otherwordly spiritual energy?"

    "Other... what?" Levi''s face turned even more confused than before.

    ''To think that we would end up wasting time because of this topic,'' Iined in my thoughts while rolling my eyes.

    The clock was ticking. With every word we said, the monsters were getting closer and closer. Yet, in order to avoid any further misunderstandings, I had to rify this topic.

    "Those monsters are made up of the type of spiritual energy that you could find in the bordends," I exined. "In the future, I will refer to it as anti-mana as opposed to calling our spiritual energy by mana."

    "Okay...?" Instead of letting Levi understand, I appeared to only confuse him even further. Yet, he wasn''t a stupid man. After taking a second to reiterate everything I said before through the knowledge I just gave him, Levi''s face twitched. "So they are a product of someone''s failed ritual," he somehow came to a strange conclusion, bringing it up as if it was obvious. "But what does it have to do with anything?"

    The monsters already crossed half of the remaining distance, leaving only five hundred meters and roughly fifteen seconds before they would catch up to us.

    ''They are like cars speeding through the highway,'' I thought, somewhat familiar with their momentum thanks to my experiences from my life on earth.

    "They are not," I quickly denied Levi''s idea of what was going on. "To put it shortly, they are cultivators from a mirror dimension. Their world fell apart and their desperate technique to survive the disaster turned into the monsters we can see," I revealed what I should''ve talked about long ago.

    "Wait, the technique turned into monsters?" Levi raised his eyebrows.

    The monsters only had two hundred meters left to reach us.

    "That''s right," I said, nodding my head. I then turned my eyes toward the approaching horde.

    Even if I was far stronger than when I first encountered them, I wasn''t naive enough to take a victory for granted.

    The oue of the fight would only be ever decided after the fight would end, after all.

    "Just try not to kill everyst one of them," I then requested, raising my wardens and putting them on the highest possible alert.

    Contrary to the weak and stupid monsters of this world that came in the first wave, the anti-mana monsters retained most of their hosts'' intelligence.

    As such, there was no telling how quickly they would learn about my method of fighting them off. Or in other words, if I wanted to make the most out of it, I had to keep my cards to myself for as long as possible!

    "And how the heck am I supposed to kill them without killing them?!" Levi asked in an anxious voice while lowering himself to his knees and getting ready to intercept the horde.

    They were just fifty meters away by now.

    "Just shear off all their mana," I revealed the method right as I pushed the mana in my formation circuits to its maximum capacity and passthrough rate. "That mana of theirs... wille in handyter on!"

    There was no time for any further exnations. I couldn''t spare any attention to formting my words either.

    BANG!

    The first of the monsters crashed into the barrier of my mana created by two of my wardens.

    Contrary to the wardens'' bolts, the barrier was something that they could put in ce, allowing me to use formations to make up for the drawbacks of using pure mana for it.

    It was also the only reason why the monsters didn''t bounce off the barrier like they would do if it was made from normal mana. Instead, the impact released part of the pure mana from the formations.

    Normally, this release aimed at instantly repairing any cracks that would appear in the barrier. This time, however, as soon as freed pure mana interacted with the negative mana of the monsters...

    "REEEEEE!"

    A devastating cry came out of the three monsters that crashed into my barrier first.

    Instead of annihting each other, my pure mana simply bounced their violet, anti-mana, causing it to turn into its mirror form of positive mana.

    This, in turn, caused the two types of mana to suddenly mix within the fully mana-based bodies of those three unlucky monsters like some sort of lethal poison, causing them to quickly shed all of their power only for their hosts to drop unconscious on the ground just behind my barrier.

    But the rest of the monsters kept oning and I had no time to spare much mind for those poor survivors.

    "FIRE!" I shouted, using my voice just for morale''s sake.

    Prompted by nothing else but my thoughts, my wardens dropped the pretense and unleashed the furry bolts at the nextyer of the approaching monsters.

    ''SCREEEE!" This time, the pained cries were far smaller, but as they came out from tens of mana-based throats at once, they ended up making a simr noise as the three monsters that lost their life first.

    MY bolts cleaved right through the violet flesh of the monster, either leaving holes in their mass or simply cutting away entire chunks of liquified anti-mana from them.

    Yet, despite all of the damage that I unleashed upon them like some sort of storm of daggers, the monsters kept on going.

    One of them created a long arm with three long ws at its end and swung it against me.

    Just in case, I pushed even more of my pure mana into my barriers, even going as far as activating the few formations of the mage tower to do so instead of relying on wardens alone.

    The attack never reached me, though. And it wasn''t because my barriers proved to be effective. It was never aimed at me to begin with.

    "Ugh..." a small, dull cry came out from the mouth of just one of the survivors on the ground when the w prated right through the man''s lungs. The other two didn''t even make a noise.

    And before I could do anything, the three of the people that I hoped to save ended up as nothing but a mass of tangled blood and meat, scattered over an area far greater than the size of a human being.

 Chapter 397 There Is Too Many Of Them!

    "What the hell was that?!" I screamed out, terrified by the sight of the torn bodies.

    It wasn''t the first time for me to see what a human looked like inside. It wouldn''t even be the first time for me to check it out myself.

    But to see three people whom I wanted to save torn to shreds by a monster that was supposed to attack me...

    In essence, it wasn''t the gruesome sight that startled me. It was the implications of what caused the monsters to kill one of their own for seemingly no reason.

    "What the hell is wrong with them?!" Levi freaked out the same way I did. He even went as far as to stop in his tracks, freezing in ce instead of keeping himself on a high alert.

    And while the two, or with Mia included, the three of us were frozen in shock, the monsters continued to rush forth, all eager to bring the same fate to us that they brought upon their former allies.

    "Don''t ask me," I replied shortly, squinting my eyes while I continued to st bolts of positive mana into the horde, shredding the structure of monster bodies and cutting away their source of power.

    Yet, with how those monsters squeezed against each other, save for those on the edges of the horde, whenever I would cut away a piece of one monster, the piece would near instantly end up absorbed by the one to its side!

    ''Maybe they do not recognize themselves as humans?'' I attempted to guess the reason why the monsters would turn on the host of their fallen fellows. ''Maybe they perceive it as their allies suddenly turning into potential enemies?''

    This theory made sense. After all, the monsters had some degree of intelligence. And in a fight like this, if I were to be put in their ce and see how my allies suddenly contract zombie virus turning into a threat both to me and to my other allies...

    ''I guess I wouldn''t hesitate to cut them down,'' I thought, easily capable of imagining the such scenario.

    Killing others like that without certain proof that they could be a danger was surely excessive. But in the middle of the fight, one couldn''t hesitate orck decisiveness.

    "Listen up!" I called out, hatching up a new n with nothing more but my own guess on its basis. "Here''s what we are going to do!" I shouted, trying to push my voice through the noise made by all the monsters screeching, crying, and calling.

    "Levi, I need you to split them up, bring two or three to the sides every once in a while!" I shouted out my order while detaching two entire wardens to deal with the threat that would soone from the nks. "I will try to help but it''s up to you to cut them down to size!"

    Levi threw me a quick look only to then nod his head and start repositioning himself.

    Yet, with the monsters right in front of us, it wasn''t an easy task. He couldn''t simply walk to the side and then get to fulfiling my n. Instead, he had to fight for every inch of space he wanted to travel through, cutting limbs, ws, spikes, and all sorts of other types of limbs that the monsters would create all for the sake of bringing him down.

    "Interesting," Levi called out with an excited look on his face.

    He didn''t seem to be overwhelmed or even annoyed by the monster''s insistent efforts to bring him down. But what was even more important...

    He didn''t appear to struggle to defend himself at all.

    "It''s been a while since I had such a dedicated opponent!" he shouted out with joy while immersing himself in the joy of the fight.

    ''Judging how he killed that royal in a mere instant...'' I thought, recalling the scene from the recent past. Then, my lips curved up and formed a small, helpless smile.

    ''I guess that''s how you think when you are as powerful as he is,'' I thought. Then, I cast a quick nce at the situation in front of me at my sides, ensuring that I had enough leeway to turn my head to Mia.

    "Dear, I need you to go to the side, where Levi will cut them down!" I shouted while trying to hold back the terror of putting Mia anywhere near danger.

    I knew this terror was nothing more but an irrational reaction to everything the two of us went through in this world. She wasn''t that weak to fall prey to monsters after the treatment both my two wardens and then Levi would put them through.

    And yet, even if there was virtually no danger to her, I couldn''t help but feel worried. Yet, for how worried I was, it didn''t matter.

    Because I not only didn''t want to but ultimately had no right to shelter Mia away from the dangers of this world.

    ''Doing so would mean going against her wish of being of use to me,'' I thought, gritting my teeth as I took a deep breath to shout the rest of my n.

    ? "I need you to pull them out of the remaining antimana and then drag them away to safety!" I called out, turning my eyes back to the monsters to ward off a suddenly bigger number of attacks trying to break my barrier.

    ''For how intelligent they are supposed to be, they sure don''t learn from the mistakes of their fellow monsters as quickly as I was worried they would,'' I thought when another group of five monsters fell pretty to the stray strand of pure mana poisoning their bodies and turning their own power against them.

    "On it!" Mia shouted back, her voice turning out to be as happy as it could get.

    ''Just like I thought.'' I released a small, defeated sigh.

    I wanted to protect Mia with all my might. But Mia herself didn''t want this kind of thing. And by putting myself in her shoes, I could easily see where she wasing from.

    ''If she were to be the stronger one, I wouldn''t want to be a burden to her either.''

    I shook my head and forced myself to focus back on the task at hand.

    The number of the anti-mana monsters was decreasing... but their number right at the frontline continued to grow. And the worrying part was that as their number near us grew, they started to look for different ways to approach us.

    Soon, Levi''s job of pulling them aside turned meaningless as the monsters themselves started to spill to the sides of the frontline.

    In a sense, it was a good thing, allowing Levi to focus on cutting them to size. But on the other hand...

    ''At this rate, they will nk us to the right,'' I thought, pulling back one of the wardens that were boling away to help Levi from his side and reorienting it to the other side to stop the spilling monsters from moving to my back.

    "There are more of them than I expected," Levi called out nearly as soon as I pulled out one of the two wardens that were helping him.

    "Tired already?" I called back, lowering my hand to the pouch where I kept all the remaining pebbles with formations that has yet to be tested.

    If the push were toe to a shove, I would hardly have any other choice but to risk it and start using them.

    "Bitch, please," Leviughed out loud... Only for his aura to suddenly explode, throwing a bunch of monsters away. "It''s time for you to sit back and watch what your master is really capable of!"

 Chapter 398 Desynchronized Battle

    "It''s time for you to sit back and watch what your master is really capable of!"

    Levi''s voice was brimming with confidence. And honestly speaking, seeing him push all those monsters away just by releasing the seal over his real power actually made me inclined to believe in his im.

    My former master then dropped all the pretense of being anywhere near my level as he went into a sort of god mode.

    He leaped forward, reaching out with his hand for the nearest of the monsters that were lucky enough to stand too far for his aura explosion of his to push it back. Yet, what was lucky before now turned into the least favorable situation for it when Levi''s spear pierced right into what looked like the monster''s ribcage.

    Then, Levi pulled his spear along the width of the monster, shearing off nearly a third of its body with a single attack!

    ''Damn,'' I thought, amazed by the sight. ''And here I thought I was the powerful one.''

    Even with Levi going in and starting to showcase, I didn''t stop my wardens from spitting bolts. What Levi did was enough to temporarily stop the horde from overwhelming us and even allowed us to push back against it a little.

    But by no means was it enough for us to just win the fight. Not yet, at the very least.

    And soon, his overwhelming power proved to not only be a great asset to our group but also a factor that was hard to bnce.

    "First one ising!" Levi shouted once he was done cutting one of the monsters to a size barely any bigger than a normal human. And then, with a single kick, he sent it towards Mia for her to clean the rest of the anti-mana off it.

    "On it!" Mia called back, instantly getting to work and punching all the anti-mana off the monster all the way to the point where only its human host remained.

    In theory, interacting with anti-mana like that could be dangerous. Yet, instead of using her naked fists, Mia actually coated her entire body in a thinyer of her spiritual energy, not only keeping her flesh safe from the influence of the mana she couldn''t consume but also making her task of removing the anti-mana all the easier.

    Yet, just as she was about to finish up the clean-up of the first person...

    "Second one ising!" Levi shouted, grabbing the host by its arm before throwing the man Mia''s way. And while half of the man''s body was already free of the anti-mana... The same couldn''t be said about its other half covered in roughly a bull-size amount of the energy from the mirror dimension.

    "Shit," I heard Mia cursing under her nose as she rushed to finish up the first person.

    In the end, she managed to grab the second target in time, although she barely made it.

    "Levi!" I called out when I noticed my former master already getting ready to throw yet another victim Mia''s way. "Slow down!"

    My shout caused Levi to turn his head. Yet, rather than at Mia, he looked at me. So, rather than sparing any further words, I brought my arm up and pointed at my wife.

    "Ah!" Levi uttered a small moan of surprise before a look of enlightenment struck his face. "Sorry for that!" he then apologized before going right back to his job.

    This time, however, before he even attempted to throw a loosely cleaned host to the back, he made sure to cast a few nces at Mia to ensure she was ready.

    From that point on, the fight started to smoothen out.

    Levi would split several of the monsters from the main horde. Then, he would take some time to shear off most of their anti-mana, scattering it all over the in. Then he would check whether Mia was ready or not before finally throwing the victims my wife''s way for her to finish up the task.

    And while the two of them continued to work on decreasing the number of the violet shapeshifter monsters, I focused solely on the task of holding up the frontline with my wardens and their barriers while asionally sending a flurry of bolts right into the horde.

    "Arty!" I couldn''t tell how long have passed when Mia called out for me, forcing me out of my fighting mindset. "There are too many survivors!"

    This was strange. I didn''t expect Mia to say something like that anytime soon if at all.

    After all, how could there being a huge number of people that we saved a problem?

    "If they wake up and start going wild, I won''t be able to hold them back!" Mia then shouted, exining the situation.

    ''Now, that makes sense...'' I finally realized what she was worried about.

    She didn''t struggle with controlling the survivors for now. A single nce allowed me to confirm that not a single one of them managed to regain consciousness so far.

    But that wasn''t the problem. Instead, Mia was worried about what would happen once they would start waking up!

    Because then, her task of cleaning up the constant flow of the monsters'' host from their remaining antimana would take too much of her attention for Mia to be able to afford to stop those humans from acting wild upon waking up.

    And acting wild they would, given how they were survivors of a world falling apart suddenly waking up in the middle of a damned battlefield!

    And as if to make things worse, before I could even think of a n, I could see some of the survivors starting to slowly regain their senses!

    "Fuck!" I cursed out loud. My anger amplified when the constant attacks of the anti-mana monsters finally broke past the limits of one of my wardens, turning it into a steaming pile of broken formation stones.

    On its own, this wasn''t a problem. I simply pulled out the spare stones and turned them into another warden.

    And at that moment, due to how I didn''t really focus on the job, I realized that I fucked up.

    However, I fucked up in a good way.

    ''My warden skill... leveled up?'' I thought when I saw that instead of raising a single warden, I managed to bring forth two at once, bringing their number to ten in total instead of the nine that I could keep so far!

    ''That will work,'' I decided, quickly making use of the opportunity and sending the freshly-made warden to the back.

    "Don''t worry about the people!" I shouted over while putting my attention back on the battle.

    In the short moment of only eight wardens keeping up the barriers, the monsters managed to conquer a few inches ofnd, stepping dangerously close to the sphere of my absolute influence.

    But while allowing them inside that zone would give me more means of dealing with them... it would also mean allowing them close enough for their anti-mana flesh to reach my own body!

    ''Get in!'' I urged the other of my freshly made wardens, quickly filling the gap in the barriers and stopping the monsters right as they were about to get too damn close.

    "I will take care of the survivors!" I shouted over as soon as I could spare some focus away from the battle. "Just focus on your job for now!"

    The number of monsters constantly went down. At this point, I could even see the end of the horde.

    But it wasn''t over yet. And it wouldn''t be before everyst one of them would lose their power and turn back into the humans they once were!

 Chapter 399 What To Do With All The Surviviors

    The fight wasn''t over yet. But contrary to all the time that we fought, I could actually see its end drawing somewhat near.

    ''This feels strange,'' I suddenly thought. ''This fight... no longer feels like one.''

    Now that the three of us synchronized with each other, this battle no longer felt like a fight. It appeared more like a job in a factory when everyone did their bit.

    The emotions turned into boredom. The danger of the monsters turned into the procedure of avoiding their attacks or depriving them of their power before their attack could even reach their target.

    All in all, rather than like a fighter, I started to feel like some lowly worked in an exploitative factory out in the sticks.

    And with that feeling prevailing over my soul, the fight finally drew to an end only to end as anticlimactically as it ever could.

    "It''s finally over," Levimented as soon as he threw hisst victim to the back for Mia to take care of. He then released the flow of spiritual energy through his spear, putting it down by his belt and stretching out.

    My former master then brought his hands down and patted himself on the hips. Then and only then did he turn his eyes to the back to steal a nce at all the survivors we managed to pull out from their deranged spell.

    "What are we going to do with them?" Levi then asked, turning his head over and looking at me.

    "Over?" I asked, ignoring Levi''s question and moving back to what he said before. "Do you really think it''s over?" I asked, raising my eyebrows while giving my former master an amused look.

    "Is it not?" Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise, taken aback by my suggestion.

    "Oh, the fun part is only about to begin," I said while presenting a huge grin on my lips.

    And then, Levi finally caught on.

    "Right, you wanted me to be some sort of overpowered novice, didn''t you?" he muttered, his enthusiasm visibly fading away.

    "That''s right," I said, nodding my head. Then, my own expression soured. "But that was the n in the past," I admitted as I threw a worried look toward the survivors enclosed by the barrier of my warden''s making. "I don''t think it''s the wisest idea to let you be distracted when they are all about to wake up."

    I took a deep breath only to turn it into a heavy sigh.

    "We have no idea how they are going to react upon waking up. But if their world is as brutal as this world is, there are likely not to just sit in tight and wait for us to finish our business."

    "Guys," Mia joined in on the discussion as soon as she finished clearing thest of Levi''s victims up from all the residual anti-mana that still stuck to their bodies.

    Even though she worked hard for quite some time and without any breaks, she didn''t seem to be exhausted at all. Instead, her face was bright, as if she managed to advance just bying into contact with an abundant amount of the anti-mana.

    ''Wait a second,'' I nearly froze before taking a closer look at Mia''s aura.

    And just like I guessed, it was different than it was before.

    She didn''t necessarily break through the bottleneck of her stage. That kind of change would be obvious even with a single, careless nce.

    No, something was different. And yet, there was no way to deny that she was now far stronger than she was before.

    ''Maybe she got to refine her energy?'' I attempted to guess, only to end up shaking my head. ''I can always ask herter about this,'' I thought before dropping the topic and focusing on the problem at hand.

    "Guys," Mia spoke out again to ensure she had our attention. "We already saw some of their kind waking up from their current state," she pointed out to the obvious fact I actually forgot about. "Once they wake up, they are going to not only be extremely confused but also unstable and..."

    Mia cut her words short, turning her eyes right to my face and putting a wide smile on her delicious-looking lips.

    "And weak," I finished for the girl, recalling all the details of when we saved the very first host of the monster.

    Those who survived their world falling apart were those who used most of their power to construct the spell that acted like a shield. And while that shield protected them from the rifts in the space that they fell through to end up in this world, it ultimately turned into this warped form that made them into the monsters we just finished fighting with.

    That was the theory. But now that I thought about it, didn''t it also mean they were nowcking the great majority of the strength they once had? And even if what they had left would be enough to remain powerful enough to be potentially dangerous...

    The drawbacks of the level of their power suddenly plummeting would make them confused and thus far less dangerous than they could ever be!

    "So?" Levi then muttered while crossing his arms over his chest. "What are we going to do with them?" he asked, forcing me toe to some sort of a decision.

    "I know they will be weaker..." I pursed my lips as I put my mind on high alert, trying to go through every possible scenario and risk factor.

    I then heaved a deep, long sigh.

    "Even if they will be weaker, I don''t think it''s wise to distract ourselves," I finally said as soon as I came to a decision.

    Those survivors would be weaker for sure. But allowing Levi to go through the process of creating his own mana engine and then the world''s lesson and retribution...

    This would make both me and him far weaker than we were right now just as well!

    "So, because of your mercy in the fight, now we are going to give up on what you''ve nned?" Levi asked, an annoyed expression surfacing on his face.

    "As I said, I don''t think it''s wise to take this risk," I admitted, turning my eyes toward the survivors. "Especially with how they are all starting to wake up," I added.

    Then, I weaved yet another sigh. "And yes, I believe their lives are more valuable than just this single opportunity for you to grow stronger," I then admitted, openly going against the very rule of thumb that reigned over this world of cultivation.

    But to say that it was my malevolence speaking... would be a gross underestimation of just how evil the influence of my original world was.

    "I can''t believe you''ve said this," Levi admitted in a shocked voice, and his eyebrows raised in an expression of total disbelief.

    "You might be too strong to notice this, but quite a lot of people died because of those monsters already," I pointed out to the factor that someone living outside of civilization like Levi would likely fail to notice.

    "Who cares?" Levi, just like I expected, didn''t really mind that fact. "The number of resources doesn''t change. With fewer people, there are fewer cultivators to share them," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "What made you so keen to save others, I wonder," he then added, lowering his eyelids and looking at me with a prating re. "You weren''t like that when I released you out to the world."

    "That''s right, I wasn''t like that," I admitted freely and raised my hand to stop Mia who was getting heated over theck of respect in Levi''s voice. "And if you want to know what made me change," I muttered, only to put a small smile on my lips and then lean my entire head over my shoulder.

    "You releasing me to the world as the ve to the contractors and my struggle to free myselfbined with me traveling thends..." I said all of that only to turn my head over my other shoulder. "I find those factors to be significant enough to make up an answer."

    Levi opened his mouth, eager to refute my words... Only to end up closing them back up. Then, he averted his eyes.

    After all, we both knew what it mean to be a contractor for the sect. And he was the one who put me on that path, even if he was only doing his job with that.

    "I guess that makes sense."

 Chapter 400 Fair Deal

    "I guess that makes sense," Levi admitted, averting his eyes even further away from my face. Yet, rather than giving up on the topic, he shook his head and forced his eyes back on me. "Still, I need a solid reason behind this decision."

    I took a deep breath. This time, however, I breathed it out normally rather than sighing it out.

    While I managed to win in this skirmish of words, it didn''t change the validity behind Levi''s words.

    To save a cultivator was akin to take responsibility for them. After all, if all of them or even one of them were to go wild and bring destruction upon the continent, it would be my responsibility.

    I would be the one who unleashed him upon the continent, after all.

    "As I said before, an insane number of people died. Those below the enlightenment rank could only count on luck to escape. And those below-ascended ranks couldn''t really fight back against them," I exined the situation.

    Levi has long reached the very peak of an overascender. The only thing that kept him from bing a royal was the leash that the already existing royals put on him.

    As such, he couldn''t really understand the point of view of those who have yet to reach his rank.

    For him, those anti-mana monsters were a tough opponent at most, but hardly a danger. That''s why, he likely failed toprehend the true scale of the disaster that they were to all the cultivators of lower ranks, not to speak about all the mortals that kept up the civilization cultivators benefited from.

    "So you just want to use them to repopte the continent?" Levi asked, opening his eyes wide.

    The idea itself was... ridiculous. The number of survivors was huge only from the perspective of our group. All in all, there were less than two hundred of them.

    A mere drop in the ocean of people that I believed lost their lives in the disaster of the mirror continent falling apart.

    "We have to start with something," I said. "And to be honest, now that the world is changing, making them into our allies would considerably boost our strength in the long run."

    Those survivors... were the people who reached ranks high enough to protect themselves from falling through the dimensional rift. As such, even if they were to lose most of their mana, their foundations were strong enough for them to quickly recover their usual power.

    "Okay, I understand it all," Levi said, raising his hands in a gesture of epting everything that I said so far. "But you didn''t answer my question," he then pointed out. "Do you think they are worth giving up the power you im to be able to obtain from this fight?"

    "Normally, I would still say to prioritize their lives," I replied, only for a small, smug smile to appear on my lips.

    "You have something in a store," Mia then pointed out with a huge smirk on her lips.

    It wasn''t the first time for her to see me act like that. And in her eyes, I likely was someone who was breaking everyone''smon sense to warm up for some morning exercise.

    "A surprise that turns the situation around, of sorts," she then added, releasing a lovely giggle as she ran up closer and wrapped herself around my arm. "Am I right?"

    "How could I ever im you are wrong?" I replied, turning my eyes to Mia''s lovely face. "Even if you were, I would break the world to make sure you would turn out to be right after all," I openly promised, ignoring Levi for a moment as I focused on the little flirt between the two of us.

    "Just like I thought," Mia''s grin turned even wider. "What''s the trick, then?" she asked, leaning her head over my shoulder.

    "It''s simple," I said before exhaling the air from my lungs. Then, I raised my eyes at Levi''s face. "I can absorb all the anti-mana on this field while feeding on the resources left by the first wave of monsters," I revealed the idea.

    It''s been a long while since myst fight with an anti-mana monster. As such, while I still had some left, my stock of anti-mana was starting to show the bottom.

    Obviously, the amount of anti-mana scattered around was way greater than what I could absorb in one go... that''s why I could simply use the pure mana to advance my cultivation rank a bit before consuming all the anti-mana around!

    "And how is this going to benefit the two of us?" Levi then asked while pointing his hand at the girl attached to my arm.

    "Well, that would force me to break our promise," I admitted, turning my face to Mia. "Would you allow me to do so, dear?" I asked.

    Rather than asking for forgiveness after doing the deed, I needed to obtain her permission beforehand.

    After all, if I took my promise of not growing my cultivation any stronger before she would catch up lightly... how could she expect me to take my marriage vow seriously?

    "You should know that I won''t stop you from doing what''s necessary," Mia replied, her face souring somewhat.

    "Dear, it''s not necessary," I quickly replied, hoping to stop her mood from sinking. "At most, it would be... wasteful."

    Mia took a deep breath only to release it in form of a heavy sigh.

    "I''m a cultivator too," she stated. "And wastefulness is something that you know very well I don''t stomach well."

    "Okay, your girl is going to do whatever you want," Levi admitted while rolling his eyes. "But that still leaves me out of the equation!"

    I could understand why my former master was getting heated over the topic. I could understand why he couldn''t see the benefits of saving those people.

    After all, he lived in a world where exploiting others was the right way to do things for way too long for just a few days of living with me to change his approach.

    And as someone who arguably contributed the most to our recent fight, he had more than a fair right to a just share of the spoils.

    "The fact that I will absorb this energy doesn''t mean I will assimte it," I exined. "That''s why, once we will find ourselves in the right time and ce," I took a momentary pause to force Levi into focusing on what I would sayst.

    "I will surely help you be a true cultivator capable of wielding the true mana, instead of the inferior stuff you are using right now."

 Chapter 401 What Do We Do With Them?

    "I will surely help you be a true cultivator capable of wielding the true mana, instead of the inferior stuff you are using right now."

    It felt good to give out a powerful statement such as this one. And it felt even better knowing that I was fully capable of actually doing it.

    The question now, though, was whether Levi would be satisfied with this or not.

    "Can you really?" Levi raised one of his eyebrows, giving me a look of suspicion.

    "There might be times when our ideas of how the world or people work might be different," I replied, seemingly changing the topic. "But does that mean I suddenly turned into someone who gives out this kind of statement lightly?"

    There was one thing to doubt my ability. But it was a whole different thing to doubt the honesty behind my words.

    And if I said that I would do something, then given the position Levi upied in my heart, he could be damn sure I was willing to back those words up with action!

    "Well, fine then," Levi finally relented. "It''s not like I actually wanted this boost in the first ce. So when the timees when you will be ready to introduce it, I will just treat it as a nice, little present," Levi finally said.

    And now, for the first time in a while, he openly smiled, showcasing just how he yed me.

    ''Right, he wasn''t interested in true mana at all,'' I realized what kind of game my former master yed.

    I had all the facts right before my eyes, all his intentions spelled out. And yet, in the heat of the moment, I simply forgot about them.

    Or rather, when the topic of distributing the benefits of the loot from the recent fight came to be, instead of treating Levi as a proper friend andpanion, I treated him like a stranger party of equal standing to mine.

    "Guys," Mia interrupted our talk just as it drew to an end. "I think they are starting to wake up."

    Mia''s report caused both of me and Levi to turn around and look in the direction of the small, barrier-oriented prison I created for all the former hosts of the anti-mana monsters.

    And with just a single nce, I confirmed Mia''s report.

    "Ugh..." one of the men who ended up cleaned off the anti-mana rtively early released a pained groan. Then, he moved his upper body up while raising his hand to his head to massage his temples.

    The man then shook his head. And judging from how the sides of his jaws bulged up, he also clenched his teeth. Then, he raised his face and opened his eyes, taking the very first look at the new world around him.

    "I''m... alive?" he muttered, unable to figure out what was going on.

    "Good morning," I said, approaching the invisible prison and squatting down just an inch away from where my barrier stood.

    This allowed me to be at afortably close distance away from the man without making him suspicious about the presence of the barrier itself.

    A perfect distance that wasn''t awkwardly far yet didn''t intrude upon the man''sfort zone.

    "Who are you?" the man then asked, fighting off his headache while he looked up at my face.

    Yet, right as I opened my mouth to exin the situation, two more guys and one girl started to move as well, indicating they would be waking up any moment now.

    So, rather than putting myself in a situation where I would have to endlessly repeat everything over and over again, I simply waited before all four of them regained their consciousness.

    "Okay, listen and listen well because you will need to repeat it to everyone else once they wake up," I said.

    And it appeared that it was those words that made the four of the awake otherworlders finally realize the presence of nearly two hundred other people sleeping in a rtively small area.

    "For now, I will just give you the bare rundown of what''s going on. Once you all wake up, we will move towards the next step of the conversation," I stated.

    Then, rather than killing the blood flow in my legs by continuously squatting down, I pushed myself to the back a little, plummeting down on my ass before crossing my legs and taking a somewhatfortable position.

    "Your world fell apart. Those who were powerful enough all used some sort of technique to weather through the pains of falling through dimensional rifts that followed the destruction of your world. Am I right so far?" I then asked, trying to make the conversation a bit more interactive than just a dull monologue.

    The man who woke up first clenched his teeth again.

    "How do you..." he attempted to ask, only to end up shaking his head. "No," he then shook his head sideways, only to then turn this motion into a continuous nod. "You are right. That''s exactly what happened."

    ''So thatss didn''t lie to me,'' I thought, recalling the very first victim of the disaster that I saved. ''Now that I think about her, I wonder what she''s up to?''

    For a second, I allowed my curiosity to run wild. And then, with a shake of my head, I dropped the topic and turned my attention back to the problem at hand.

    "In short words, when you passed through the dimensional rift, it corrupted your defensive technique. As a result, the energy used for that technique turned you into monsters made up of the spiritual energy of the opposite factor to the spiritual energy urring in this world," I exined a bit, intentionally using some moreplicated terms to see how the man would react.

    Yet, he didn''t appear to be confused at all. Instead, his eyes twitched a little only for his eyelids to drop down as he got into thinking.

    "We fought with your monster forms and sheared all that negative energy off you so that you could wake up as humans again," I said before pointing my hand out to where the battle took ce. "You can see the liquified form of that energy all over the ce."

    I stood up in one, fluid motion.

    "And now, I will leave it to the four of you to exin this mess to everyone else," I added only to turn around on my heel and move back to my own group.

    "Now then, what are we going to do with all of them?" Levi asked with a small smile.

    "That''s exactly the problem that I want to discuss with the two of you."

 Chapter 402 You Can Either Fuck Off Or...

    "So," I pped my hands together to wake Levi''s attention from his daze. "What are we going to do with them?"

    Sometimes the simple questions would end up with the toughest answers. And for how simple this situation appeared to be, I couldn''t really think of one, simple way of dealing with all those people.

    "We saved them from their monster forms," Levi shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Isn''t it obvious what they should do now?" he suggested with a bored look on his face.

    "I would prefer it if you were to spell it out loud," I replied. "Just in case we wouldn''t be on the same page," I then added to rify my intentions.

    "We helped them so it''s their turn to help us," Levi borated. "As for how they would help us, that depends on what your ns for the future are. On my end, I don''t really need their help so it doesn''t matter."

    "Mia?" I turned my eyes to the girl, eager to hear her input on this topic as well.

    But the girl simply shook her shoulders before tightening her grasp over my arm. "I don''t really care either. And I can tell that you already have something in mind," she added with a grin. "So you can assume I will just back you up on your idea."

    I took a deep breath before helplessly sighing it out.

    "I believe we should give them a choice. They can either fuck off or follow us. But, if they pick to follow us, their only potential allies in this strange, new world, they are going to need to help and listen to us too."

    "You never cease to baffle me," Levi admitted in a weak, nearly pained voice. "After all the pains to save their lives you are now willing to let them go, just like that?" he asked. His eyes were wide open to indicate just how shocking this approach was to him.

    "It''s a matter of convenience," I said and waved my hand. "If they are not going to help us out of their own free will, it would be too much of a pain in the ass to try to force them into it," I exined. "So, in short, I believe we should make them work for us... but without taking on the burden of those who would rather do whatever they want on their own."

    "Haaa..." Levi heaved a short sigh. "Well then, you do you, brother."

    "Do you want me to go with you?" Mia then asked, wrapping herself even further around my arm.

    "That would actually help me a lot," I agreed with her suggestion. "It will stop the few females there are in their group from assuming we want some sexual services from them."

    Even if this wasn''t something I held much pride in, there was no denying that my involvement in this world... was quite lewd. From undergarments, through perfumes targeted at whores in the brothel, at dildos ending... Nearly every product, save for some culinary ones, that I introduced to this world was centered around sex.

    As such, I could pretty much tell how vibrant this topic was in the mind of cultivators.

    ''Even if it''s because theyck any other form of casual fun, it doesn''t change the fact it would appear on their mind far sooner,'' I thought.

    Then, right as I turned around to walk back to the survivors, a smile crept up on my lips.

    ''I wonder if that means the time everyone considered prudent back on earth was actually even more filled with perversion than modern times?''

    I shook my head and moved forward, ignoring the look of curiosity that shed on Mia''s face.

    Despite how delicious her body was, ignoring how eager to sleep with me Mia was herself... It felt wrong for me to keep bringing the topic of intimacy around her.

    After all, she was far more than just a convenient fuck!

    We didn''t have to walk for long to reach the area where my barriers tightly enclosed all the survivors from the fight before. And I didn''t need more than just a single nce at several disgruntled and startled faces to realize what was going on in here while I was away talking with Levi and Mia.

    "Okay guys," I said out loud, raising my hand... and snapping my finger.

    All at once, the barrier that enclosed the survivors fell apart as the floating set of stones surrounded by a thicket of mana that made up my warden returned to over my head.

    The same faces that I noticed filled up with shock now.

    ''So they were plotting to escape,'' I realized after confirming my guess.

    Yet, rather than addressing this point, I opted to ignore it. There was no benefit to revealing that I saw through their plot.

    Not yet, at the very least.

    "Okay guys, right now, you have two choices," I said, raising my free hand with two fingers erect.

    "The first one is simple. You can fuck off to wherever you want. In short, us saving you from your monstrous form wasn''t something that you asked for. So, I believe it''s only fair for you to remain free if you didn''t wish to be human again," I stated, painting the picture I didn''t want the survivors to take in the bleak colors. "Obviously, if you turn to banditry or if your name will grow as a serial murder or rapist, we will likely end up hunting you down, so just keep that in mind."

    A murmur moved through the entire group of around two hundred cultivators. And as a result of my words, even more, shocked expressions appeared amidst all the faces.

    "The other option is to follow us. Yet, as this assumes you are thankful for us saving you from your monstrous form..." I intentionally cut my sentence short, allowing the survivors toe up with what my intentions were on their own.

    "We were unconscious this whole time," the third guy that I saw waking up before leaving to talk with Levi spoke out. Even though he didn''t leave much impression on me before, seeing him be the first to react to my words...

    I decided to remember his face, at the very least.

    "So we are not going to apologize for what we did during that time," he stated. The look on his face indicated he wasn''t willing to concede on that point. And the sight of people around nodding their heads in unison clearly indicated they agreed with their fellow survivors.

    "While it''s true that your monstrous forms wroke havoc amidst thosends..." I said, once again putting my words on hold to add some dramatic factor. "I actually agree with what you said," I then revealed, allowing them to rx.

    Even if this was a lowly tactic, I was set on keeping as many of them on my side as I possibly could. And if all it took was some slight maniption, then I would be a bad leader to hold myself back from using it.

    "So, I''m not going to ask you to apologize for what you did," I stated with a confident look on my face. Then, I added a small smile. "But if you want to follow us if you want us to help you regain your strength..."

    "Then you will have to work for us," Mia cut into my words, pushing herself forward half a step. "Even if you didn''t do it willingly, you still destroyed a huge part of our world. Now, we are giving you a chance to help rebuild it."

 Chapter 403 Simple Deal

    "Mia..." I muttered, looking at the girl with a massive bout of respect in my eyes.

    Even if she simply rephrased what we talked about with Levi before, she still picked the perfect moment toe out and appear as someone more than just my woman.

    Because not only she pointed out the crux of what we wanted the survivors to understand but also she managed to prove herself to be more than just my woman.

    And this not only elevated her own position in the eyes of the survivors but also proved I wasn''t someone who would fall for a beauty trap like many men throughout history would.

    ''And even if they all came from a different world...'' I released a deep sigh. ''I can bet my left hand it wasn''t all that different in their ce.''

    "You said that you could help us regain our strength..." one of the survivors spoke out. "But didn''t you im that this world''s energy is different than what we are used to?"

    On the surface, this was a legit, proper question. But I could sense the hidden meaning behind the voice that asked it.

    ''How can you help us regain our strength if you can''t provide us with the energy that we lost?'' I thought, rephrasing the question to what the one voicing it actually wanted to know.

    "I never said it''s a different energy. I said that its vector is opposite," I imed. Then, I pulled my eyebrows down as if confused about something. "Or to be honest, I don''t even remember what exact word I asked the first few who woke up to pass to the rest," I then admitted before shrugging my shoulders.

    I took a deep breath, making sure to make this action as visible as possible to stop the survivors from trying to cut into my monologue.

    "The energy of this world is the same... and yet, opposite to the energy that you know of at the same time," I exined. "Fuck, exining it with words will be harder than just showing it," I then added.

    I stretched my hand to the side, pointing out at a random blob of violet, liquified mana that came out from the monster form of the survivors.

    Then, I shot out a single, weak bolt in its direction.

    Yet, the two didn''t sh. Instead, not only was my bolt reflected away from the blob, but the blob itself also shoot away to the side.

    Just like mas would do... if someone managed to create a liquid ma with clearly defined maic poles and then shoot a bullet made from a ma with the same pole at it.

    "I know what you guys are thinking right now," I then said when the survivors finally paid proper attention to the residue from the fight that just concluded. "But I can''t allow you to absorb that energy. I believe that bringing forth the sh between your world energy and this world''s energy is what brought forth the disaster that devastated your world."

    The looks of greed and desire that appeared on everyone''s faces... vanished without a trace.

    It was one thing to greed for something. It was another thing to greed after something while being aware of the dangers it brought to the world around.

    But it was an entirely different thing altogether to lust for power after experiencing the disasters it brought to one''s own skin!

    "What are you going to do with it, then?" another voice asked.

    "I''m going to neutralize it myself," I replied, looking into the crowd to find the owner of the voice. "And I will use its purified form to help those who will follow us to regain their strength. Or at least," I took a short pause to build up tension, "a fair bit of it."

    There were about two hundred survivors gathered in this small area. Even if only half of them ended up following me... then they would still create a formidable faction that could easily defeat me.

    But that was assuming they would regain the same power they had while at their peak.

    That''s why, as the sole faucet for them to grow stronger unless they were willing to start the path of cultivators from scratch, I could control how much strenght they would have.

    A perfect measure to keep all those potentially dangerous elements in check.

    "Then, what do you want us to do?" yet another person asked. "But please, don''t give us this generalized crap of rebuilding the ruins of this world," the person added. "What exactly do you wish to aplish? What''s your goal for now?"

    This question was weirdly specific. Yet, rather than despising it, I actually couldn''t be happier it appeared.

    "First off, I think we need to set up a camp. Be it from scratch or on the ruins of some city, it doesn''t matter," I said with a shrug of my shoulders. Then, I showcased a bright smile.

    "I will be fully honest with you guys," I proimed. "All I want in my life is to live infort with my wife," I said, pulling at Mia''s side to bring her closer to my flesh. "And to that end, I''m willing to spare no effort. And as long as you can help me out with this..." I took yet another pause.

    "I''m willing to reciprocate."

    That was the ultimate deal. I had no wish to rule the world. All I wanted was to live my days with Mia in peace andfort.

    But in the world, as it was right now, I couldn''t achieve the peace I longed for with my own strength. As such, recruiting those people who were likely used both to hardship and fighting would be a massive step ahead for me.

    "I''m willing to follow you, then," one of the women stood up, taking me by a surprise.

    ''I guess showcasing my affection for Mia was the right call to make,'' I thought while a wry smile crept up on my lips.

    "I''m willing as well," someone else stood up too.

    "I wish to be free," a first objector to my proposition then appeared.

    And soon, the group of survivors started to split up and organize themselves.

    In the end, the two hundred survivors we helped ended up splitting into two groups.

    And with only about fifty of them wishing to live their lives on their own in this world, I''ve now obtained about one hundred and fifty helping hands that would empower me to reach forth for my dreams!

    "Now then, I guess we need to figure out where we want to start our camp, don''t we?" I suggested with a genuine smile.

 Chapter 404 Mias Showcase

    "Now then, I guess we need to figure out where we want to start our camp, don''t we?" I suggested with a genuine smile.

    A smile that was supposed to hide the fact that within the group of now over one hundred and fifty people... only three of them knew anything about the localy of thend or points of importance.

    In other words, despite how I asked this question out loud, seemingly involving everyone in it... Besides me, only Mia and Levi could have anything to say.

    "Wouldn''t starting from scratch be a good idea?" one of the newly obtained workers in my group suggested. "I mean, it would be a lot more work than taking over some ruins but it would also allow us to avoid any problems if someone were toe back and im we stole theirnd."

    About ten seconds. That''s how long it took for one of the survivors that we helped out to put all my scheming to an end.

    "I don''t mean to say that''s a bad idea..." Mia muttered. Then, she stepped forth. She ended up standing in front of me with her head raised high and determination filling her eyes. "But it''s not the best one either," she stated.

    My girl then took a deep breath, as if she was preparing herself to shout.

    "Listen up, everyone," she said in a loud voice... but one that was aimed at reaching the far end of the group rather than being a simple shout.

    ''Where did she learn to speak like that?'' I thought, taken aback by a small element of Mia''s growth that eluded my attention.

    "Right now, this group is extremely weak!" Mia called out. "Sure, we have Levi and Arthur, both of whom are extremely powerful. But when you average them out with your current state..." she pursed her lips and shook her head.

    "We don''t have enough strength to start things from scratch. And there is no need to do that either," she added only for a vicious smile to appear on her lips. "So, here is my proposition and three reasons why I believe it''s more fitting."

    Mia turned silent for a moment, giving her throat some time to recover from using this kind of powerful yet calm voice.

    "First off, now that you guys lost your cultivation, you no longer can rely on energy alone to go on without eating," Mia started her lecture. "That means, the majority of our strength will have to go towards getting food for you rather than the construction of a new camp."

    Mia took another pause and started to walk to and fro along the front of the group of people that decided to stay with us.

    And to my actual surprise, the folks that opted to go their own way... didn''t bother to leave yet!

    "Secondly, while it''s true that this continent is sparsely popted... That doesn''t mean every ce is suitable to be turned into a settlement," Mia stated, once again proving that during the time we were separated, she didn''t only train her muscles but also her brain. "Even if we ount for the influence that the otherworldly energy will have on they of energy lines in this world, I believe most of the settles areas will remain rtively close to the valuablend!"

    This was a point that I personally didn''t think about myself.

    All my cultivation and power came from hunting and my personal means of making my training more effective through formations and arrays.

    On the other hand, Mia didn''t have such easy ess to cultivation and energy-rich resources as I had, forcing her to learn the value of gathering the energy that naturally existed in this world.

    Yet, this point didn''t rte only to one''s training.

    In this world, mana was an important element of the biosphere as well. Some herbs, nts, or crops could only grow if the area was rich in mana enough. Some animals would struggle to survive on food alone if deprived of the naturally urring mana as well.

    ''Seeing what she already pointed out, I can''t help but get curious about the third point she has yet to bring up,'' I thought. And before I knew it, a small smile appeared on my face.

    I couldn''t tell why, but seeing Mia prove herpetence like that in front of a huge crowd...

    As weird as it might be, it made me want to snatch her up, cuddle her up somewhere far away from prying eyes and then devour her whole!

    "And thenes the third point," Mia called out. "The ce I have in mind is right in the middle of thends formerly known as the Tuxi sect," she informed everyone.

    ''Huh?'' I raised my eyebrows a little. ''Does she mean the ce where we reunited?'' I guessed.

    In a certain way, it made sense. It was the only area she spent quite some time in so I could understand her nostalgia for it.

    Yet, what I couldn''t understand, was her reasons for bringing the name and lore of that ce out in front of people that couldn''t care less about it.

    So, rather than inquiring about it, I simply kept my mouth shut and continued to listen.

    "Yes, it will be dangerous to settle there as the royals of the Tuxi sect might be eager to reim the ownership of that area," Mia said, nodding her head as if to approve her own words and the dangers they pointed out.

    Then, she opened her eyes wide. A fire appeared in her eyes and her smile turned from a small, kind one to a wide, vicious type.

    "And I came to believe that save for the name, royals are exactly the same kind of people as those that brought ruin to your world," she suddenly announced, making a connection I have yet to realize.

    "As such, not only will this ce be easier for us to settle in and will have the benefits of rtively rich spiritual energy around, but it will also serve as a trap for the royals. And killing all the royals will be, from now on, our means to stop the destruction of this world as well!"

    Mia ended up her lecture on a high note. And then, as if nothing had happened, she simply turned around and came back to my side.

    "And," she whispered as soon as only I could hear her voice. "I really hope my former teammates will end up returning to that ce too."

 Chapter 405 Strategic Perks Of Tuxi Outerpost

    "I really hope my former teammates will end up returning to that ce too," Mia whispered in a voice just loud enough for me to hear it, yet, way too silent for anyone else to have even the slightest shot at it.

    I took a deep breath. Then, I stopped a smirk from emerging on my face as it would easily give away a small ploy that appeared in my mind.

    "Do you really think picking the location for our camp is something we are going to decide based on your wishes alone?" I whispered back while holding myself back from giving away my true intentions.

    Mia''s face froze.

    She breathed in and then held her breath as she battled her thoughts.

    I could see the tension exploding in her eyes...

    "Well, that would mean you just know me well," I finally added, putting an end to my small scheme.

    "Wha...?!" Mia''s nearly jumped when she turned her lovely eyes to my face. Seeing her surprised like that with the lingering sense of guilt and tension still written all over her face...

    ''She is too damn adorable for it to be legal,'' I cried out in my thoughts.

    "You....!" Mia''s eyes welled up when she realized I just yed a small prank on her. She then pulled her hand into a fist... "You dummy!" she cried out, gently striking my chest with the side of her fist.

    "I''m sorry, dear," I whispered, reaching out and bringing her into my embrace. "You were so cool when speaking out... I just couldn''t help myself but tease you a little."

    For the nth time in my life, I immersed myself in the gentle warmth of my wife. She was stronger than even the greatest heroes of the fiction I knew from the earth... and yet, within my embrace, she felt like an adorable, squishy ball of cuteness and softness.

    "Guys, not to rain on your parade... but weren''t we supposed to decide on a ce to settle?" one of the cultivators from the other world we saved dared to butt in on my cuddly moment with Mia.

    "I know where Tuxi outerpost is," I replied, raising my eyes and giving the man a look of extreme dissatisfaction.

    And then, I felt something twitch in my soul.

    Right now I was standing in front of nearly two hundred people. They were all willing to listen to my words and follow my orders... but I couldn''t care less about that.

    What I did care about, was how I could flex in front of all of them the cute and cuddly wife of mine!

    My dissatisfied smile quickly gave way to a look of extreme satisfaction, tion, even.

    "That ce is of great strategical value," I then announced. "First, it''s near the river, giving us a means of easy transportation through the core of thisnd. Secondly, it''s only two to three days of march away from the bordends," I pointed out while raising my hand in the direction I meant.

    "Bordends?" someone in the crowd raised their voice in a question.

    "It''s not what you guys think," I said, shaking my head right as I moved my hand back on Mia''s back.

    And she was one crafty girl.

    Initially, she hid her face in my chest to hide her embarrassment. But now, I could feel that she was no longer bothered by that small y of mine.

    Instead, she remained in her ce so that she could enjoy being cuddled herself!

    "The bordends I''m speaking off arends that not only hold a great number of valuable herbs and other treasures, it''s also the only ce where we will be able to reliably obtain otherwordly energyter on, once you are ready to properly cultivate it," I continued my exnation.

    Then, a vicious smile appeared on my lips.

    "But most importantly of all, it''s only connected to the main highway of the continent by a subsidiary road," I pointed out.

    "Sir, we don''t have the maps of they of thend," one of the cultivators pointed out. "Even if you point those things to us... it doesn''t help at all."

    Those words... The woman who said that held a valid point.

    But I wasn''t going the truth or right rain down on my parade!

    "While it''s true you might not be able to imagine it well, you can still understand the points that I bring up," I pointed out. "But let me give you a mental exercise," I grinned so hard the white of my teeth showed between my lips.

    "Imagine yourself being intelligent... but an aimless monster of great power. You are drawn to the bordends from all over the ce. And by following the roads humans cultivated out of convenience, you end up at a crossroads."

    I took a momentary pause to get a breath and swallow down my saliva.

    At the same time, I had to extend quite a lot of my willpower to stop my blood from flowing down to my crotch.

    In the end, even if I wasn''t some horny virgin for quite some time already... Keeping Mia''s soft and eager body in my arms while she clearly enjoyed her position was still more than enough to get my instincts going!

    "You can either follow the smaller roads north or south, each of them stopping you from taking the massive bridge over the river that you can see right ahead," I added thest few details necessary for people to understand the situation.

    "Remember, you wish to travel due west. The path to the north visibly curves to the east while the path to the east remains on the wrong side of the river. And to top it all off, you have a massive bridge right before your eyes, conveniently leading you right in the direction you want to go."

    As much as it pained me to do so, I ced my hands on Mia''s shoulders before gently pushing her away.

    "In such a situation, can you imagine a monster with some sort of intelligence actively taking on the path north and east?"

    I waited for a little, giving the cultivators some time to think about the answer.

    Or to be honest, humiliating them by pretending to believe they needed time for a question with an answer this obvious.

    "Judging from yourck of response, I believe you now understand that monsters would likely take the path west rather than the path north," I said with a smile.

    I then took two steps forward before wrapping my hands behind my back and raising my chin.

    "That means, we will only ever need to take care of those few monsters that will end up falling on the narrow strip ofnd between the Tuxi outerpost and the river that protects it from the north."

 Chapter 406 Time To Catch Up On My Cultivation

    "There really isn''t a lot," I muttered under my nose while watching a pile of resources grow by my feet.

    Ever since the destination of my now massively erged group was decided on, we rushed everyone to the simple task of gathering everyst mana-rich piece that was left on the battlefield.

    If I were to do this task with just me, Mia, and Levi, we would likely fail to clean it all up before a week would pass. What''s more, the huge amount of mana leaking from both the monster parts and the anti-mana bubbles scattered on the field would likely end up attracting even more monsters.

    And with around one hundred and eighty weaklings in tow, we wouldn''t be able to contain the frontline to just a hundred meters or so. Their mere presence would make the monsters look for other ways to get to them, turning an otherwise easy fight into an unnecessary bloodbath.

    Thankfully, just like the number of people that we saved earlier would turn into a hardship in a fight, it turned out into a blessing when it came to simple, manualbor.

    "I still don''t think it was wise to let them do it," Leviined while standing by my side.

    Given just how much value there was gathered at my feet, he decided against just doing whatever and opted to stand guard by my side just in case.

    "What are you so worried about?" I asked while holding back an exhausted sigh.

    ''This guyes from a world where strong eats weak,'' I had to remind myself. ''His way of thinking will always be inherently different from mine.''

    "Won''t they try to snatch some for themselves?" Levi protested, pointing out a seemingly obvious possibility.

    "Your view is limited by your strength," I replied, this time unable to hold a sigh back. "In your eyes, those bits are of a small but real value," I said only to turn my eyes towards the former cultivators busying themselves with cleaning up the scraps from the highway only to bring them and pile them up by my feet.

    "There are only seven people at the mana purification stage and one at the core expansion stage," I pointed out. "And I''m keeping an eye on them all the time," I added.

    "What about it?" Levi inquired.

    "Those below the enlightenment stage would instantly advance from even the tiniest scrap from the battlefield," Mia appeared by my side with an answer.

    Contrary to Levi, she couldn''t handle the idea of just standing and doing nothing. Instead, she made herself busy by going around the ce and overseeing the former cultivators at their work, helping with pieces that turned out either too mana-rich or simply too heavy for them to lift.

    "I don''t know if it''s because of how much spiritual energy you guys used to kill all those beasts or maybe they were somehow stronger than the average monster in the area... but there you have it," she said while shrugging her shoulders.

    "And if anyone advances, we will be able to instantly sort the bad seed out," I finished the idea behind the current arrangement.

    The people that we saved were gathered at random. And judging from how those people didn''t appear to know each other either, their presence here could only be exined by pure chance.

    As such, just like there were bound to be some righteous people in the group of otherworlders we saved, there were bound to be some that followed thew of selfishness.

    ''I can only hope that the second category of people all went up and left,'' I thought, taking a quick nce in the direction those who refused to follow me went.

    And as if would happen, they appeared to not trust my warnings about the effects of cultivating the anti-mana. And as they had no means of snatching the scraps from my hands, they all opted to head to the bordends.

    "And what if they simply hide them to cultivate with those resourcester?" Levi pointed out the possibility that fell outside of the scope of my arrangement.

    "Learning alwayses at a cost," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "And if that means they will lessen the burden of clearing all that anti-mana for me..." I raised the corner of my lips before turning silent.

    After all, Levi was intelligent enough to get the point even if I didn''t spell it out loud.

    Thanks to the number of people working on the task, the job itself soon reached itspletion. And with a huge pile of scrapped monster parts right before me, there were only two things left for me to do.

    "Once again, I''m sorry dear," I said while reaching out for Mia''s hand and pulling her into my embrace. "I will make sure to help you advanceter, mkay?" I then promised while cing a quick, gentle kiss on her juicy lips.

    "It''s okay," Mia eagerly replied to my desire for closeness before pushing herself away a bit. "Now, do what you need to do."

    With everything said and done, only one thing remained for me to aplish.

    And so, with a mere thought, I ripped half of my formations into pieces, cannibalizing their formation stones to create a cultivation array.

    The first ring of the formation served to reduce all the physical matter and free the energy hidden within. The second ring of formation aimed to purify the mana. Then, the third ring elerated its flow, the fourth directed it all back to the center while the fifth ensured no energy would leak out of the system.

    In the end, only the pile of resources and I stood within the entire formation with Levi and Mia guiding everyone some distance away from the outer reaches of the fifth ring.

    ''It''s been a while since Ist advanced properly,'' I thought, gulping down my saliva. I then closed my eyes, took a deep breath... and activated all five of the formations at the same time.

    ''It''s time to catch up!''

 Chapter 407 Not Enough!

    I took a deep breath... and activated all fiveyers of formations at once.

    At first, nothing much happened.

    ? The energy contained within the monsters'' remains wasn''t something that could be extracted easily. And so, for the first few minutes, I actually sat down and did nothing, waiting for the chaos within the formation to grow sufficiently enough.

    Soon enough, the blood of the monsters started to dpose, letting out all the mana within out.

    Normally, this mana would simply escape and be absorbed into the greater flow of energy that formed the worldwide flow of mana that most cultivators used to grow.

    It was also the source of the energy that my outermost formation pulled in to then kickstart the entire process.

    Only about a minute after the blood dposed, the soft tissues of the monsters started to fall apart as well. And once even this source of mana finally started to release its content, the rate of the reaction skyrocketed.

    Flesh. Muscles. Tendons. Organs. Bones. Cores.

    The material from the corpses dposed in this order, with each element only elerating the pace of the dposition of others. And before a quarter of an hour has passed, all of the material within my formations has vanished, leaving nothing more but a puddle of disgusting, stinky matter.

    A puddle of disgusting, stinky matter... and a raging inferno of mana that swirled within the formations while the inner rings started to purify it.

    And I simply sat amidst it all, observing through my half-open eyes how filth started to umte at the edges of the formation.

    ''Not yet,'' I thought, seeing how the filth buildup still has yet to cease.

    The filth wasn''t a physical matter. It consisted of impurities within the mana itself that would evaporate along the energy and mix with it during the extraction process.

    And roughly ten more minutester, the outer reach of my formations ended up marked with a uniform structure of a small, roughly two-inches high mound of greyish filth.

    ''Just a little bit more,'' I forced myself to wait even longer.

    Now that the energy used to purify the mana had no job left to do, it would simply pass through the outer ring of the arrays, transfering itself and reinforcing the energy that already worked on elerating the mana''s flow.

    And measly five minutester, something twitched in my soul.

    ''Now!'' an inner voice screamed in my soul.

    I closed my eyes and took one more, deep breath.

    I could feel the energy brimming in the air I was breathing in, a sign that the entire process was nearing its ultimate point. And right before it happened....

    I opened myself to the energy, pulling on it so that my body could absorb it!

    "Haaa...." I released a long, tense sigh when the mana rushed into me, mixing with the mana I already controlled and reinforcing my cultivation.

    I kept my eyes closed, but saying I wasn''t looking couldn''t be any further from the truth. Instead of wasting my time and looking for the visible effects of my cultivation, I put all my focus on the only thing that I could see clearly even with my eyes closed.

    On my system.

    [

    Soul Ascendance: 79 164M/1 000 000M > 117 671M

    Element Ascendance: 483 146M/1 000 000M > 645 781M

    Control Ascendance: 77 168M/1 000 000M > 384 976M

    ]

    The first change was quite extraordinary. And while my soul ascendance progressed only a tiny little bit, at least whenpared to how far I had to push it, the same couldn''t be said about the two other elements of my cultivation stage.

    The element''s progress was... average. Far easier to grow than my soul ascendance for sure, yet, it paled inparison to how quickly my control ascendance grew.

    Yet, as great of a growth as I achieved from just a single horde of monsters... I was still in the rank that bordered the absolute limit of how far a cultivator could go.

    Or in other words, in terms of umtion alone, there was no greater hurdle within the scope of all the cultivation ranks. After all, as long as I broke through right now, I would finally step into the realm of ascended ranks, beyond which one could only strive to be a royal, a cultivation realm that had little to do with normal cultivation.

    For the next few minutes I continued to absorb more and more of the energy, all the way until the point I bled all the air within the formation dry of mana.

    And the result was... quite unsatisfactory.

    [

    Soul Ascendance: 117 671M/1 000 000M > 221 361M

    Element Ascendance: 645 781M/1 000 000M > 849 776M

    Control Ascendance: 384 976M/1 000 000M > 575 919M

    ]

    ''An entire horde only amounted to this...'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    I hoped to advance in one fell swoop... and here I was, with my control failing to grow three times its size!

    I closed my eyes and lowered my head a little.

    Whether I advanced or not, didn''t really matter. It was a drag for sure, but I did it all just for one purpose.

    So that I could grow stronger and more capable of holding huge amounts of anti-mana in myself.

    ''I guess I don''t have a choice, then,'' I thought, taking onest deep breath.

    And then, I shoot out my mana outside of the formation, breaking through the limits imposed by the outermostyer of arrays.

    I turned each of the strands of my mana into something like a scoop, sending it just an inch beyond several puddles of jelly-like anti-mana. And then, by pushing at it from the back, I made use of the repelling nature existing between the two types of energy to attract a considerable amount of anti-mana within my formation.

    As soon as the anti-mana passed through my arrays and a tiny bit of the anti-energy infused itself into the system, theplex array I created ceased to work. With the vector of the anti-mana''s flow being the opposite of that of normal mana, it made all theplex logic behind my formation turn on its head.

    But now, it didn''t matter at all.

    Because once the anti-mana finally struck my flesh and ended up absorbed, I finally satisfied the conditions I was now set on making use of.

    ''If there isn''t enough energy in all those pure-mana resources... Then why shouldn''t I cultivate using pure mana alone?''

 Chapter 408 Last Enlightenment

    ''If there isn''t enough energy in all those pure mana resources, then why shouldn''t I cultivate using pure mana alone?'' I thought.

    The goal for my current cultivation was to get strong enough to safely keep all the anti-mana scattered on the battlefield in my own system. And while I got considerably stronger just by absorbing the normal monster remains...

    Without breaking through my current stage, there was no way I could take care of the smallke of liquified anti-mana all on my own!

    ''Well then,'' I thought, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes to focus on the task. ''Let''s crack this nut!''

    First came starting the engine. A process that was near impossible to achieve without pure mana already in my system.

    Just like building a Dyson sphere for a civilization required so much energy, it was often said to build a Dyson sphere you needed a Dyson sphere, my engine had the same type of paradox.

    In order to kickstart a mana engine, I needed to use an equivalent amount of energy to what it could produce.

    Thankfully, not even after all the fighting from before did I use all of the pure mana that I produced when my engine was still running.

    As such, rather than shing both mana and anti-mana with all my strength and pushing myself to the limits while doing so... I simply ignited my pure mana before throwing both of the basicponents at the fire I already started!

    BOOM!

    A small shockwave exploded outwards.

    It was a mere reaction of the surrounding air to the sudden saturation of my aura with immense energy. And as something purely physical, my formation had no chance of confining it.

    "Ugh," Levi moaned in disgust when all the filth I separated from the resources and which stacked on the outline of my outer formation ended up kicked up by the shockwave and thrown all around the ce.

    His super high level of cultivation raised his senses to their limits, giving him enough time to at least raise his arm and shield his face.

    But he was an exception. And everyone else, Mia included, ended up with quite a bit of that disgusting filth covering them from head to toe.

    ''Shit,'' I cursed under my breath, nearly losing my focus when I saw the displeased expression appearing on Mia''s face.

    I managed to collect myself only with the greatest mental effort. As much as I hated this kind of small incident happening, things would take turn for the worse and they would do so pretty damn quickly if I were to lose control over the energies that continued to ramp up within the formation.

    "Haaa...." I let out a long sigh, forcing all the unnecessary thoughts aside.

    And then, I started to do two things at once.

    First, I directed all the world''s energy still left in my system and one that I gained from cultivation to the mana engine at my heart. Then, I started to add the anti-mana that I pulled inside the ring of my formations, turning both of those opposing energies into fuel for my engine.

    And then, as if I didn''t try to do it in the past only to find out how stupid of an idea it was, I started to directly absorb the pure energy that came out of the engine.

    ''FUCK!'' I inwardly screamed out.

    My entire body tensed up. The influx of this extremely potent energy was something that my body has yet to gain the ability to handle. Yet, rather than simply burning away, the seed of endless growth of cultivation that I sowed by cultivating all the levels before started to finally grow out its stem.

    So, when faced with an unprecedented amount of energy now not only flowing through it but also getting absorbed by my very cells and mana system... It started to evolve.

    My eyes went wide open. I closed my fists down on themselves so hard the whites of my knuckles started to show through my skin.

    My body wasn''t burning... but it sure feel like it!

    After all, an evolution of this level... was nothing else but every tiniest cell of my body dying, dposing, and then getting reborn in a form now capable of holding up a tiny amount of the pure mana that coursed through my system.

    This kind of thing happened to me in the past. In fact, this was a process I went through back when I cultivated through the very first stage!

    The differencey in the rate at which this process was taking ce.

    Because back in the first stage, I simply reformed my body. And now, I was doing it thousands of times at once only to start over and over again.

    With each evolution, I could feel my body bing sturdier and more resilient than before.

    And then, it struck me. A simple realization that I reached only when going through this torture.

    ''This kind of progress... isn''t the same as all the ones I went through before!''

    Unlocking meridians stage, qi tempering stage, core expansion stage... even all the enlightenment stages. All of them and most of the rest weren''t about the body.

    Up until this point, save for that one encounter with fire energy back in the Tuxi outerpost, all my advancements were focused on improving my mana flow and parts of it that I created by cultivating.

    But now that I started to absorb the pure mana at a crazy rate, it wasn''t the mana pathways in my flesh that were evolving.

    It was my very flesh that had to reform and grow stronger!

    ''Is this the enlightenment I needed?'' I thought, recalling the requirements I always waste to satisfy when cultivating in the enlightenment stage.

    So, rather than wasting time trying toe up with the answer on my own, I simply nced over to my system.

    ***

    Novice Ascendent (73 796B/500 000B)

    [

    Body Ascendance: 73 796B/200 000B

    ??? : 1/200 000B

    ??? : 1/100 000B

    ]

 Chapter 409 Novice Ascendance

    ''What the hell are those stats?'' I thought, puzzled to no end by the numbers my system provided me with.

    First off came the name of my stage.

    ''Novice Ascendent, huh?'' I thought, unable to hold back a small sense of satisfaction. ''So I did it?'' My lips quivered up into a small smile.

    No matter what, advancing to the next level always gave me a nice sense of aplishment. After all, it meant I was now one step closer to my ultimate goal of bing strong enough to effectively force all the potential threats to fuck away!

    Yet, as great as advancing to the next stage was, there were several elements that soured this experience.

    ''What about Mia...?'' I thought, turning my eyes to the girl standing several feet away.

    By this moment, she has long cleaned all the filth that my idental shockwave send all over the ce. And from the look on her face and the proud nodding of Levi by her side, she already became aware of my advancement.

    ''Will we still be able to get intimate?'' I thought, gritting my teeth as the doubt settled in my mind.

    Yet, it was still way too early for me to give up. I advanced so that I could gather all the antimana around this ce. And even after breaking into the ascender''s realm... I still could feel I wasn''t anywhere strong enough to aplish that task.

    ''From how I only have a single point in each of the other two types of growth for the ascender rank, I think it''s safe to assume I need to top out the first one before starting to cultivate through the other ones,'' I thought.

    And so, I gritted my teeth... and started to absorb the pure mana right into my body again.

    Then, the entire torturous process started all over again. My entire body would dissolve at a cellr level, only for those cells to regenerate in an even more powerful form.

    ''I wonder what''s the physics behind it,'' I thought, releasing a pained but also exhausted sight.

    At this point in my life, I went through so much pain that the feeling of having my entire body fall apart was like that... well, it would be a lie to im I couldn''t be bothered.

    But as I no longer considered this level of pain to be something out of the ordinary, I could somehow manage.

    And so, the numbers disyed by my system continued to grow bit by bit.

    From seventy-three thousand and seven hundred ny-six billion to a perfect hundred thousand billion. Roughly half of all the antimatter that was left on the battlefieldter, I finally maxed out the body ascendance part of my cultivation.

    And just as I assumed before, this lead to the second level of my cultivation opening up.

    Body Ascendance: 73 796B/200 000B > 200 000B/200 000B

    ??? : 1/200 000B > Mind ascendance 32B > 200 000B

    ??? : 1/100 000B

    ''Seeing how my growth points raise several billion per second of cultivation...'' I thought after confirming the rate of growth for the second type of ascendance. ''That kinda makes me feel bad about all the joy I derived at the beginning when growing my cultivation by a mere hundred points felt like an achievement...''

    The changes to my body have nearly stopped. Right now, though, instead of my bones and muscles, it was my brain and nerves that started to overgo the same type of changes.

    At this point, I also abandoned all the idea of even trying to understand what was going on. Because for how little I knew about how the nervous system worked, even adding magic to it wouldn''t make it any faster.

    ''Aren''t the signals within the nervous system traveling at the speed of light? Like all the electricity?'' I thought, trying to make some sense of the changes that resulted in an even more intense pain throughout my entire body than before. ''What else is there for the mana to improve?''

    No matter how puzzling it was, it wasn''t something that I had to focus on. Because whenever I allowed my thoughts to wander, I could see the speed of my growth slow down.

    ''That''s yet another topic worth consideration,'' I thought before closing my eyes and clearing my mind of all the unnecessary thoughts.

    Sure, it might be an interesting topic... but one that I could consider once I would be done with my cultivation. Because while I could see the speed of my growth changing, I couldn''t say the same about the amount of energy that I continued to absorb.

    ''Growing the mind ascendance is already slower than doing the same with body ascendance,'' I thought, gritting my teeth as I pushed all my attention to the mind-wrecking pain that filled everyst cell of my body, ''so I can allow myself to slow it down even further!''

    In the end, I didn''t get to advance for the second time. In fact, once I consumed nearly half of all the anti-mana on the battlefield and turned it into the fuel for my mana engine... I failed to even fully cultivate the second element of my current stage!

    Novice Ascendent (73 796B/500 000B) > (376 916B/500 000B)

    [

    Body Ascendance: 200 000B/200 000B

    ??? : 1/200 000B > Mind ascendance 176 916B/200 000B

    ??? : 1/100 000B

    ]

    ''So that''s the limit of how far I can go, huh?'' I thought, taking a deep breath once I grew strong enough to confidently absorb all the remaining anti-mana in the surroundings.

    As such, I stood up and took a deep breath... and send several tentacles made out of the world''s mana to spoon up and push all the liquified pieces of anti-mana into my set of arrays.

    I was still way too weak to properly make use of it. I didn''t have nearly enough world''s mana to properly turn anti-mana into fuel for my engine.

    But at the very least, I could properly absorb all the remaining antimana into my mage''s tower, keeping hold of it until either I would grow stronger or Levi would develop a mana engine on his own!

 Chapter 410 Mutual Determination

    "It''s done," I said, dispersing all of my external formations and standing up.

    "Congrattions, brother," Levi was the first one to step forward and pay his respects. "To think that you would reach the ascendance realm in such a short time," he muttered, lowering his head and then shaking it in disbelief. "Even though I knew you were special since the moment you constructed your first arcane weapon..." Levi took a short pause and breathed out. He then raised his head and looked me straight in the face. "I never knew it would be to this degree."

    We measured each other with our eyes for but a moment. Neither of us spoke a single spare word.

    Then, Levi simply nodded his head again before reaching out and giving me a single pat on the shoulder. Then, he took a step to the side...

    Only for Mia to leap right into my arms, hanging herself off my neck.

    "Congrattions!" she cheered right from the bottom of her heart with an overjoyed look on her face.

    "Wait, huh?" I twitched, unprepared neither for this kind of cheerfulness from Mia''s end nor for apleteck of sourness on her face.

    "What''s wrong?" Mia asked, staring right into my eyes.

    "I mean..." I hesitated for a second. Then, I gulped down my saliva as I averted my eyes for but an instant. ''Wait, no, there is no reason to look away,'' I realized, turning my eyes back to the girl''s delicate face. "Didn''t I promise not to advance before you catch up a little bit more?" I asked, bringing back the one topic that pulled my mood down the most.

    "What are you even talking about?" Mia raised her eyes, unable to contain her surprise. "Didn''t we already agree to suspend this promise?" she asked, leaning her head to the side while still keeping her arms locked behind my neck.

    Having her hung down my shoulders like that and looking all merry and happy... It was a precious experience all on its own, but when coupled with her innocent happiness that brimmed from every fiber of her being, it was more than my poor heart could handle.

    ''I wonder how many heart attacks I would have if not for my cultivation already,'' I thought to myself, amazed at just how resilient could be just by absorbing the world''s energy.

    "But what if we won''t be able to be intimate for quite a while now?" I then asked, both genuinely curious about Mia''s reaction but also worried that she didn''t think about it in advance.

    "Don''t worry about it," Mia chuckled. "I will either need to hold it in for a short while or simply advance a single stage as you did," she retorted with a big smile.

    "Actually..." Levi came in right in time to save me from breaking the bad news to my wife. "We are not talking about a single stage, young miss," he said.

    "Huh?" Mia turned her head to my former mentor, her expression perfectly still as she ended up taking her time to digest the news.

    "If there is a difference between early stages of cultivation, a gap between middling stages and a chasm between the higher stages... Then starting from the enlightened stages, this chasm turns into an abyss," Levi revealed while avoiding Mia''s inquisitive eyes.

    "What do you mean by that?" she asked in a sudden cold voice.

    "If one can be twice, thrice or even five times stronger by advancing a single stage of cultivation in the middling to higher levels..." Levi hesitated before finally throwing me a look, indicating he did enough.

    "The difference between how I was before I cultivated and how I am is... well..." I picked the topic up only to end up stuck when it came to breaking the news to Mia.

    "However big the difference is if we cane up with some materials, then with your formations I will be able to advance with ease, won''t I?" Mia read into the mood and let go of my neck... only to bring her hands to my cheeks and force my head in a position where I couldn''t avoid her eyes.

    "Well, yeah, but a single stage might not be..."

    "Then I will advance, two, three, or however many I will need to be with you again," Mia said with a fully serious expression. "Understood?" she asked, looking straight into my eyes.

    "Y-yes ma''am," I replied in with a slightly trembling voice.

    This kind of intensity in both her voice and her eyes... Well, I would have to lie if I were to im it didn''t catch me off-guard... but also if I were to say it didn''t excite me a little.

    "Then, so that carelessness won''t put an unfortunate end to our time together," Mia muttered, this time taking her turn to avert her eyes, "I think we will have to enjoy just cuddles alone..." she muttered as if she was asking for something impossible.

    "..." I simply looked at Mia''s uneasy face, unable to find the right words to reply.

    And then, rather than wasting my breath on uttering pointless sentences, I simply brought my arms around her shoulders before bringing her into a tight embrace.

    "Why are you saying it in a way that would make others think it''s a problem?" I whispered right into Mia''s ear. "Even if I would have to abstain from your warmth for a year or a hundred years, having you by my side, safe and sound, is far more important than carnal pleasure!"

    In one way, my words were empty. No matter how much I would like to valiantly deny it, intimacy was an important part of my rtionship with Mia. Yet, holding her in my arms, feeling her gentle warmth oozing out of her delicate frame...

    I was no longer the virgin I was when I first appeared in this world. And if I were to seriously choose between a year of celibacy and years upon years of peace with Mia, then I wouldn''t need even a split second to make a decision.

    "Let''s hope it won''t take years, then," Mia muttered,tching onto the side of my neck with her lips only to suck on it with all her might.

    Yet, to the girl''s dismay, the current difference in our cultivation made the gap between her strength and the resilience of my body too great for her to be able to leave me with a hickey.

    And as I looked down at her face, I noticed the very first sign of displeasure. Yet, as soon as Mia noticed my look, her cheeks turned red and she turned her eyes away.

    "That''s unfair..." she muttered, clearly dissatisfied with the result of her small ploy.

    And seeing her react like that... I couldn''t help but chuckle and bring her right back into my embrace.

    "Worry not, dear," I whispered, closing my eyes and immersing my entire mind in her softness. "I will make sure you will advance soon."

 Chapter 411 Its Seriously Damaged... But It Still Stands!

    "The scouts are returning," Levi reported silently while staring off into the distance.

    It was only about two hours since I finished the task of absorbing all the anti-mana that was left scattered on the battlefield. And in this short frame of time, we managed to organize our now massive group into a marching order before heading down the highway.

    It was only about two hours... and Levi''s report indicated we were already nearing the first checkpoint on our way to the Tuxi outerpost.

    ''The scouts returning can only mean three things,'' I thought, looking off in the distance in hopes of seeing what Levi just reported.

    Yet, my attempts were futile. It was not until about five minutester that I finally could spot the silhouettes of the people we sent ahead lingering at the very edge of my sight.

    ''It will take them about an hour to rejoin the group,'' I thought after taking a moment to calcte the distance, their speed, our speed, the shared vector of approach, and the like. Or, in other words, I eyeballed the situation and came up with an arbitrary number.

    "They don''t seem to be in a hurry," Levi reported again as soon as I managed to see what he noticed before.

    ''He just can''t help himself but keep on ascertaining his dominance in the field of perceptiveness, can''t he?'' I thought but opted to gloss over the topic.

    It wasn''t apetition. And since Levi''s eyesight was just slightly better than mine, it only made sense for him to call out the news.

    "That means the worst-case scenario didn''te to be," I concluded.

    If Levi imed our scouts weren''t in a hurry, then it most likely was the case.

    Cultivators of the level of the people we sent ahead could run in three different ways.

    The first type of run would be used in their daily life, as they would move around cities or other rtively busy areas. Or, to put it simply, every cultivator was more than capable of running at a speed achievable only for the upper strata of the mortals.

    Then, came the second type of run that actually forced them to circte their energy yet one that allowed them to easily break right past all the limits even the most athletic mortals woulde to face someday.

    This was also the preferred speed of movement for our scouts.

    And then, came the third speed at which only cultivators could move. A speed that incorporated all kinds of techniques, movement forms, and desperate measures like burning one''s own cultivation to escape the danger.

    And what Levi meant by the scouts not running referred strictly to the third form of movement.

    A speed that would only be used if the scouts happened to encounter something either immensely important or equally as dangerous.

    "Worst case scenario?" Mia asked while casually walking right by my side and ying around with my right hand. "Shouldn''t it be a best-case scenario?" she poked fun at me. "If they were running, it would only mean they encountered strong monsters," the girl concluded. "In turn, that would mean I could get more resources to advance, wouldn''t it?"

    In a certain perspective, Mia''s words would rang true. In a world where one''s life didn''t matter, it certainly would.

    Yet, in my eyes, it was only a showcase of the few differences in the mindset that remained between the two of us.

    "As happy as I would be to hunt monsters to get resources for your cultivation, I don''t think the lives of the scouts are worth it," I said out loud before leaning over Mia''s ear. "Fuck those scouts, but we can''t afford a hit to the morale of our group that such deaths would bring," I whispered.

    Mia nodded, showing she understood my concerns.

    "We won''t find out what happened till they join the group," Levi said, interrupting our moment of silence. "But whatever it was, I''m d it didn''t force them to run."

    That was the end of the topic. And just like that, we returned to the same silence that covered the rest of our now huge group.

    In the end, traveling through the continent wasn''t as exciting as one could think it was.

    Outside of the surprisingly rare encounters of monsters lurking around the road, the only prevailing element of the travel... was boredom.

    There was only so much to talk about with strangers and most of the topics I would love to discuss with Levi or Mia were too important to bring them out in the open and with a huge number of people watching and listening. Especially when I still couldn''t be sure about those people''s loyalty.

    And so, save for some asional remarks or small talk, our group continued to move in silence all the way to the point when the scouts finally rejoined the rest of the group.

    "There is a huge river ahead, sir," one of them reported as soon as he was done catching his breath.

    Even though he didn''t push himself past the limits, running for four to five hours straight still took its toll on one of the monsterization victims we saved.

    ''Taking into ount how he lost his cultivation rank, it''s almost a miracle he managed to run for so long,'' I thought.

    "That''s good," I then replied, giving the four of our tired scouts some time to recover. "But I only need to know one thing," I then added once I noticed they started to regain their breath.

    "Is the bridge intact?"

    There was only one river crossing that I knew of. And it perfectly aligned with the highway we were traveling through right now.

    ''Crossing the river might not be a problem for those people,'' I thought, taking a quick nce at the weakened cultivators behind me, ''but it would still be better if we could do so with our feet remaining dry.''

    "The bridge..." the strongest of the scouts took a step forward. He then nced over at hispatriots before turning his face back to me... only to lower his eyes and mutter.

    "It''s damaged, quite seriously at that," he reported before gathering the courage and looking properly into my eyes. "It''s damaged, but it still stands!"

 Chapter 412 The Riven... Changed

    ''Is it fitting to call our group a group, or should I refer to it per caravan already?'' I wondered while everyone walked forward, ready to meet with the challenge ahead.

    ''Or maybe an army should be an even better fit?'' I continued to scour my brain to decide on the most fitting word.

    This was the sad truth about how travel looked like, something that all the novels I read in my past life failed to bring up.

    It was easy to read a passage that said something along the lines of characters spending the night under the night sky or traveling for a few days to reach another city. It was easy to read two paragraphs worth of them getting tired by the constant walk or getting so bored that no talk would stick for longer than just a few exchanges of words.

    But the sad reality of travel actually was limited to just two things, one of which we could avoid only because of our improved physical state.

    But there was no cultivation level that would save one from the dangers of boredom.

    The distance that separated my group from the bridge when I first heard the report of the scouts wasn''t all that great. If I were to run through it, I could cover it in ten to fifteen minutes tops. I could shrink that time even further by capitalizing on some of my movement techniques

    Even by infusing my body with more mana than usual I could reach an average walking speed that would cut the time necessary to cover the distance to less than thirty minutes.

    Yet, I couldn''t do it.

    Not with Mia walking by my side and clearly enjoying the stroll. But first and foremost, not when I was on the front guard of the entire group of fallen cultivators.

    As such, a distance that should take me no longer than half an hour to cover ended up stealing two hours'' worth of everyone''s lives.

    "We are finally here," I muttered as soon as we reached the foothold of a small hill that supported one end of a rtively massive bridge for this world''s standards.

    ''And it doesn''t look like a trap either,'' I then added in my thoughts, purposefully hiding this sentence from the people around me.

    The idea that the bridge ended up bing a trap was something I analyzed while getting bored out of my mind as we traveled towards the bridge.

    I only considered this option... because if it were me, this bridge would''ve long turned into the greatest source of ie and resources trhat one could think of in the entire area around!

    After all, it was the only crossing on the local river that allowed one to step into the area formerly known as the Tuxi domain.

    "That''s weird," Levi muttered, suddenly freezing on the spot as he stopped walking and looked towards the river.

    For a second, I was tempted to ask him to borate on what caught his attention. I looked at his face, ready to pry my mouth open and ask.

    And then I saw the clouded look behind his eyes.

    ''Asking can wait, '' I decided then and there, turning my eyes back towards the bridge.

    It was damaged. And to a huge degree at that, just like the scouts reported.

    The two pylons that supported its middle part over the river were now holding on by a force of some sort of a miracle. They were beaten up and broken apart as if some sort of monster gnawed away at them for fun.

    And yet, save for the bridge''s pylons, the crossing was in rtively good shape.

    "Okay then," I muttered to myself. I then turned around, raising my hands and pping my cheeks as I did so. "Everyone!" I then shouted after taking a second to gather the air in my lungs. "Let''s start crossing it! Once we get to the other side of the river, we will be only a few hours away from our destination!"

    The second part of my shout was designed as a morale boost to all the fallen cultivators that ended up putting their faith in me.

    For people on their level, walking for a few hours shouldn''t be a challenge. Even though there wasn''t anyone above the core expansion stage amongst them, there wasn''t a single soul below the mana extension level amongst them either.

    ''This kind of travel should be a breeze for them...'' I thought, slightly surprised by thepleteck of motivation that I could still see in those people''s eyes when we first departed on our way. ''Maybe it''s the effect of the time they had nothing better to do but to analyze their situation?''

    For a second I humored all sorts of guesses and random analyses of the situation that swarmed my mind. And then, I ditched them all away, not willing to waste precious time on such a folly.

    ''Whatever the case, they need a morale boost,'' I decided, tightening my fists as I started to gather air in my lungs again. ''And nothing beats learning that we are almost there while one is on the road!''

    "Guys, make sure to cross the bridge one by one!" I shouted my order. "It looks how it looks, so let''s not put any unnecessary strain on it!"

    My words should be obvious. No sane man would dare to push the already damaged bridge to the limits of what it could hold while in a perfect state.

    After all, if we were to end up destroying it, we would have no other choice but to cross the river in a more... primitive way.

    "Well, worst case scenario, some of us will get wet," I thought out loud before sighing to myself.

    "No." Levi suddenly spoke out, even though he only limited himself to a single word.

    He then stepped forward, moved past me, and turned around, all for the sake of standing before me and cing his hands on my shoulder. Then, as he looked right into my eyes, he spoke.

    "Whatever the case, don''t let anyone in that river," he said, stressing out every word that came out of his lips.

    "Huh?" I shrugged a little. "Why?"

    Levi gulped down his saliva before turning his head to the side and throwing a look full of suspicion at the river.

    "Look at the water and tell me what you see," Levi requested, ignoring the opportunity to simply give me the answer to what he was worried about.

    Knowing the man''s character I didn''t insist, opting to take a closer look at the river, just as he advised.

    At first, I couldn''t see anything extraordinary.

    Sure, there were ws and teeth marks on the pylons, some of which were deep enough to threaten their structural integrity.

    But those things were above the surface level of water. And my former master clearly requested me to look at the water instead.

    With no other choice, I heaved a short sigh before focusing my eyes on the river. And although I couldn''t see anything extraordinary, as soon as my eyes moved towards the sides of the river...

    My body twisted and my face darkened.

    "Whoever ends up in the water will be devoured," Levi finally gave out the answer as soon as he noticed the sudden changes that happened on my face.

    And I could see where he wasing from. Because the bridge that spanned three times the width of the river when I crossed it in the past...

    Now had only a few meters spare before it would connect two points, both covered by the surface of the water!

    ''The river grew to nearly three times its original size,'' I thought, gulping down my saliva.

    And, as strange as it might sound, this exined the w marks on the pylons.

    The water species that inhibited the river were originally too small to threaten the pylons. Or to be more precise, whoever built the bridge, did so while taking only the naturally urring river species in mind.

    But ever since the disaster happened, some variables have changed. And as a result, the river grew to nearly three times its size... and so did the habitat within.

    "Right now, only heavens knows what kind of monsters reside within," Levi muttered in a low voice, clearly unwilling to let this realization hit any of the cultivators we saved. "But judging how quickly they got to grow, it''s also pretty easy to guess what their diet consisted of since the river grew!"

 Chapter 413 Aquatic Beasts Devious Scheme

    "Only heavens knows what kind of monsters reside within."

    Levi''s voice was trembling. His eyes were stuck on the surface of the river as if moving them away would lead to his instant demise. His hands tightened into fists, proving he was ready to jump into a fight at a moment''s notice.

    "But judging how quickly they got to grow, it''s also pretty easy to guess what their diet consisted of since the river grew!"

    I gulped down my saliva.

    Despitegging behind only thest few ranks in terms of cultivation alone, I couldn''t sense anything that Levi was talking about.

    No amount of tricks I had up my sleeve allowed me to peer through the natural barriers of sight, sound, and mana perception to see what exactly made Levi as on edge as he was right now.

    But that didn''t matter. Because I wasn''t someone who would ignore Levi''s warning just because I wasn''t able to sense the same warnings as he did.

    "So the bridge is a trap," I muttered, instantly epting Levi''s words. "But I can''t see any marks of anything attacking the passage," I then added, squinting my eyes as I took a closer look at the bridge.

    Sure, it''s pylons were damaged to the point it was only a matter of time, and a very short time at that before the entire thing woulde crashing down.

    And yet, no matter how much I strained my eyes, I couldn''t see a single clue that would indicate the bridge itself was no longer safe to cross.

    ''This kind of trap could only work once. And a huge number of monsters had to pass this bridge only recently. It makes no sense for the bridge to still stand if it only serves as a trap for the monsters lurking in the river below.''

    The monsters that I fought with earlier in the day had toe from all over the ce. And although I had no proof of my assumption, their number was far too great for those hordes toe from the areas limited to one side of the river.

    ''Some of those monsters had toe from the Tuxind, that I''m quite sure about,'' I thought, taking a step towards the bank of the river. ''So how did they get past this obstacle?''

    Since the bridge still stood, I could only think of several methods by which the aquatic monsters could hunt those who attempted to pass it.

    First, the entire construction was nothing more but an illusion. If that were to be the case, then the unfortunate cultivators would confidently step upon the bridge and then walk to their own demise, falling down the construction as soon as they would step on the bridge''s parts that were no longer there.

    Yet...

    Illusion on this kind of scale was something even I would struggle to construct. And while it was possible to do so...

    It simply didn''t make mathematical sense for a monster to output an insane amount of energy necessary to construct such an illusion only for some small fries that would dare to cross the bridge.

    It was possible... but it would hardly the monster any positive amount of energy it could get from its unfortunate meals.

    The second option was simpler and limited the potential illusion from a full reconstruction of the parts of the bridge to just patches that covered its broken parts.

    ''That scenario makes a little bit more sense,'' I thought. ''Covering gaps and holes would be a task easy enough on one''s mana output to warrant using it for some small fries.''

    I gulped down my saliva.

    The third andst option that I could think of was apleteck of illusion.

    In this scenario, the monsters wouldn''t waste their energy trying to change how others perceived the world. Instead, they would rely on monsters and cultivators'' confidence in their ability to cross the bridge, relying on shaking its structure to force its victims out of the safe passage.

    I took yet another look a the bridge''s construction. I saved every element of it into my memory, burning it into an image that wouldn''t disappear from before my eyes even after I closed them.

    And there it was, the likely way in which the monsters from within the water could turn this sturdy construction into a death trap for anyone daring enough to pass through it.

    "They are going to shake the bridge," I muttered after calcting the pressure points of the construction and its weak points.

    And then I gritted my teeth.

    ''That bastard...'' I thought.

    Now that I knew what I should be looking for, actually locating it was an easy task.

    Sure, all the pylons that supported the bridge around the deepest parts of the river were damaged. But what I failed to realize before... was how there were fewer pylons supporting the bridge than its construction was designed to have!

    ''In this way, by striking the existing pylons, the load would be transferred directly to the path, violently shaking it,'' I thought.

    "I get it," I muttered, seeing with the eyes of my imagination how the long line of people would be suddenly struck with the realization that what they considered to be a stable passage would turn into one massive and unsteady swing.

    "I think I figured it out too," Levi added. His face darkened. "Whatever is waiting for us in the depths of this river sure does know how to hide its fangs," he added.

    A de lurking in the darkness is the most lethal one.

    Were it not for Levi''s extreme senses and instincts, I would likely lead all of my newly recruited people right past the bridge, eager to bring them all to the rtive safety of the Tuxi Outerpost. And it was likely the exact scenario that the monster lurking in the river''s depths was hoping for.

    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

    ''Just like with illusion, shaking a bridge this massive has to take quite a lot of effort,'' I thought, forcing myself to approach the situation as rationally as possible. ''And that means, there is only one way to make people pass it in a rtively safe manner.''

    I took a deep breath and opened up my eyes.

    "Everyone!" I shouted, turning myself on my heel and ncing over at the crowd of former experts behind me. "We will be crossing the bridge... One at a time!"

 Chapter 414 Observation Gives Meaning

    "Here goes nothing," one of the cultivators muttered right as he pushed his leg forward and ced it on the bridge. He then slowly transferred his weight from his left leg on the ground to his right one on the bridge, testing whether or not the entire thing would copse under his weight or not.

    ''So far so good,'' I thought, watching the proceeding with extreme focus.

    In all honestly, it wouldn''t matter much to me if one or two or even ten of those cultivators were to lose their lives. Yet, the same couldn''t be said about the effect such deaths would have on the morale of everyone else.

    As such, I didn''t have much choice but to be as attentive as possible, ready to jump in and intervene the second any signs of looming disaster were to appear.

    "It seems to be somewhat stable," the cultivator called out, slowly hastening his steps. Bit by bit, he moved faster and faster, all the way to the point where his speed reached the point of a leisurely stroll.

    For the next two tense minutes, everyone watched every step of the man who volunteered to go first. And once he ced his legs on the solid ground on the other side of the river, everyone shared a long sigh of relief.

    ''Nothing happened,'' I thought, feeling how most of the tension lifted from my mind. I allowed myself to close my eyes for a second, allowing the darkness to calm my thoughts. ''No, it''s too early to say that,'' I quickly corrected myself, opening my eyes back up and turning them towards the mass of cultivators all gathered at the edge of the river.

    They were cheering, enjoying the fact that all the precautions I took before crossing proved to be unnecessary so far. They were cheering�� instead of crossing the bridge.

    "Everyone!" I called out, unwilling to let such a tant waste of time go on. "You can be happy all you want, but I need someone to be crossing the bridge at all times!"

    My words were akin to a bucket of cold water thrown upon everyone''s mood. Yet, there wasn''t a single person who found it in themselves to argue with me.

    "Form the line!" someone shouted amidst the crowd, volunteering for a quasi-leading position. "Don''t push and wait your turn!"

    The cultivators started to organize themselves. And before I could even start getting annoyed, the next person stepped upon the bridge before making his way out to its other end.

    Just like before, the first few steps were filled with hesitation, doubt, and fear. Yet, as the initial hurdle of the fear of the unknown came to an end, the second to pass the bridge quickly regained their confidence and picked up the pace.

    "Next!"

    "Why do you look so tense?" Mia asked once she got bored of watching the mundane event of people crossing the bridge. "Everything worked out nicely, didn''t it?" she pointed out while leaning her head to the side and throwing a curious nce at my face.

    "Ehh��" I released a small sigh. "It''s kind of hard to exin," I said before pursing my lips into a thin line.

    Mia didn''t bother to press the topic. Instead, she simply took a step closer to my side before wrapping her hands around my arm and resting her head on my shoulder.

    "We have time," she whispered before pushing her chin forward and nodding it towards the bridge.

    At that point, there wasn''t a single soul in this world that could deny it.

    It took only two or three minutes for a single person to pass the bridge. Yet, counting the total of roughly one hundred and seventy people, it would take at least five hours before everyone would find themselves on the other side of the river.

    "It''s hard to ept if you didn''t experience it firsthand, but I''ve noticed something weird about my life," I stated, lowering my head as I immersed myself in my thoughts. "It''s like��" I hesitated, struggling to find the right way to put my thoughts into words. "It''s like anything that happens in my life always leads to something else."

    Once again, Mia proved to know me well enough not to press the topic. She simply brushed her cheek against my shoulder, patiently waiting for me to gather my thoughts.

    "If I notice strange fires, they will never turn out to be an illusion or a coincidence. If I pay them any mind, you can bet they will turn into some sort of evil ritual. A random conversation I will hear while dining in an inn will always turn into some sort of a scheme epassing half the continent," I escaped to examples in order to better exin what I had in mind.

    "So the fact that this river changed means that there has to be something greater going on with it, something that will inevitably end up involving you in it," Mia muttered. She then leaned forward while still handing onto my shoulder, only to turn her head sideways and give me a yful look. "Did I get it right?"

    "More or less," I said, unable to stop a in smile from emerging on my lips.

    No matter how much I interacted with this girl, even things as tiny as a small, cheeky smile of hers were enough to affect my mood.

    "It''s like I''m in some sort of story where anything that I pay actual attention to ends up used by the author to mess with me even further," I muttered once this weird idea appeared in my mind. "Wait, this theory actually works pretty well, since the author wouldn''t make me pay any mind to things of no importance, would he?"

    "Arty��" Mia muttered, her eyes widening a little. She then broke off from my shoulder, taking a step to stand right in front of me. She then brought her hands up before resting them on my cheeks, locking my head in ce as she stared deep into my eyes. "I''ve known you for a while already, but you still manage to catch me off guard."

    We stood just like that for a moment. With Mia''s face so close to mine, there was nothing else I could possibly look at.

    Mia''s expression quickly changed from a serious and amazed one to her usual yfulness. She then brought her lips closer before giving me a quick peck on the mouth. Then and only then did she take a step back, pulling her hands away from my face and locking them behind her back.

    "But this is not a bad thing," she said, her lips curving up in a huge smile.

    Mia then shook her head before turning her eyes away from me and towards the river.

    "Do you think some sort of aquatic monsters will attack, then?" she asked, before turning her head over her shoulder and giving me a curious nce.

    "There is no way to know for sure," I said with a shake of my head. "But it''s better to be ready for it than it would be to get caught with our pants down."

 Chapter 415 We Need To Set Up Camps

    "There is no way to know for sure," I said with a shake of my head. "But it''s better to be ready for it than it would be to get caught with our pants down."

    While it was true I could somewhat predict that anything I would properly notice would end up important sooner orter, deciding when a seemingly random or unimportant observation would prove to be vital��

    It was a whole different topic. And even if I spent several hours trying to figure out the answer, it would remain as elusive as it was when I first attempted to analyze it.

    That''s why, rather than spending thest few hours before sunset trying to pointlessly see through the greater n of things, I opted to focus on the problems at hand.

    "We need to set up a camp," I announced once a few more cultivators passed by the bridge.

    "A camp?" Mia repeated after me. "Why?"

    "There is no way we will move everyone before nightfall," I pointed out what was quickly bing obvious. "And I''m not going to risk moving them overnight."

    Only about half an hour passed since people started passing the bridge. And in this time, no more than fifteen of them have passed through.

    I raised my head, looking up at the sky. I then made a small prayer, thanking the heavens that the river wasn''t hidden somewhere in a dense forest but in an open in instead.

    Because that allowed me to figure out the time of the day with a single nce, saving me the bothersome effort of climbing up to the highest vantage point possible just to see the position of the sun on the sky-dome.

    "A camp, you say?" Levi suddenly appeared at my side. Yet, despite clearly approaching me, he spared me no attention, opting to turn his eyes toward the bridge instead. "I guess I should go to the other side of the river, then."

    "Good idea," I said while nodding my head. "If we are talking about camp, we need one on both sides of the river," I pointed out before turning my eyes to my former master. "But are you aware of what this means for you?"

    Levi took a deep breath only to release it as a heavy sigh a momentter.

    "Yeah, I am," he said, nodding his head. "I will be the one and only line of defense in case monsters attack people out there."

    There were no monsters on this side of the river due to three different elements of the situationing together.

    First, all the monsters in direct proximity either already crossed it along with the horde that we cleared out several hours before or did so long before I moved out of the forest with Mia.

    Secondly, with how the mana monsters were attracted to the bordends and given how we were on the west side of the massive, natural barrier, any possible threat has long vacated the area.

    Andstly, with our current upation of the forest, if even a single monster were to appear anywhere near, they would end up stuck on the eastern bank of the river.

    Or to sum all those things up in a single sentence, with the current circumstances, the east bank of the river turned into somewhat of a frontier.

    "I''m stronger than you two, even if not by a lot anymore," Levi pointed out with a small smile. "It''s given I should be the one heading towards the danger," he announced something that went opposite to the mindset he represented until this point.

    ''Am I affecting him?'' I asked myself, unable to hold back a small twitch of my lips.

    "Shut it before you start it," Levi barked, noticing even such a small detail of my changing expression.

    "I didn''t say anything," I protested, raising my hands up.

    "And it should stay that way," Levimented harshly.

    "I''m stronger. So if the monsters attack, I will be able to buy more time than you could," Levi stated in a harsh voice as if hoping to wipe any doubt from my mind with this single sentence.

    "Thanks," I said, lowering my head to express my gratitude with more than just words. "This will really help a lot. Leaving all those people without proper protection��" I shook my head. "It doesn''t sound like the brightest of the ideas."

    "And we don''t want unnecessary deaths to uproot the trust they are starting to put in us," Levi added his own five cents. Yet, before I could add anything, he turned his head and gave me another harsh look. "Since we decided to invest our time and energy into protecting and guiding them, it would be a pain if we were to lose it due toziness."

    ''Why is he trying to defeat the idea of bing kinder while around me?'' I asked myself. Yet, given Levi''s attitude, I opted not to share this doubt with him, holding it behind the barrier of my mind instead.

    "Andstly, if we are going to camp through the night, you guys deserve some peace," Levi added before decisively walking towards the bridge.

    "Wait!" I shouted, right as my former master was about to step on the bridge.

    Even though Levi has his back turned to me, I could sense him rolling his eyes when he stopped.

    "What now?" he then called out, already standing too far for a normal voice to reach my ears.

    "It would be better if you don''t take the bridge," I pointed out with a moderate shout. "Could you fly over the river instead?"

    Both Levi and Mia froze as they looked at me. Their expressions tensed up while the cultivators who were about to let Levi go first through the bridge ended up confused by the sudden change in the atmosphere.

    This time, though, it was Levi who ended up figuring out my intentions first.

    "You are worried about my aura, right?"

    Rather than wasting my breath, I simply nodded my head.

    "Isn''t it better to be safe now than sorryter?"

 Chapter 416 So You Want Me To Save My Strength For When The Night Falls?

    Levi''s means of taking to the air were different from my own. He didn''t use any of the methods I knew of nor any of the ways I low-key expected him to use.

    He didn''t construct a formation around himself that would go against thews of physics that normally bound everyone to walk on the face of the earth rather than flying above it. He didn''t try to overpower it with his sheer muscle power either.

    In fact, when seeing him suddenly defy gravity without any sort of preparation at all, I couldn''t help but gawk at the sight.

    Because Levi�� He simply wiggled to and fro on his feet, as if trying to warm up his ankles. And after lifting his legs for just an inch above the ground�� he refused toe down, acting as if gravity no longer shackled him.

    ''What the heck?'' I opened my eyes wide, staring at how Levi simply floated higher, going several meters above the bridge before leaning forward and drifting forward.

    "Hey, Arty," Mia tugged on my sleeve, forcing me to look down and away from the sight of Levi just�� floating several meters above the bridge. "Why did you want him to fly?"

    "Oh, it''s simple," I smiled, ignoring my curiosity regarding Levi''s method of flying while focusing on the adorable curiosity brimming in Mia''s eyes. "You know how every cultivator emanates an aura? Something like a shadow of the power that we have at our disposal?"

    "Yeah," Mia nodded her head, "I remember reading somewhere that it''s formed by the spiritual energy we either failed to absorb properly or residue from spells that are not perfectly efficient," she pointed out, causing my eyebrows to move up my forehead.

    "I actually never thought about what aura is," I admitted without any shame. "But it''s nice to learn something new," I grinned slightly, reaching out and rustling Mia''s hair. "What I was worried about, though," I then moved back to the topic at hand, "is how Levi''s aura could attract the monsters that we are worried about. He is stronger, so his aura is far greater than the aura of those people," I added, nodding my chin towards the cultivators currently waiting for Levi to pass over the bridge before they would start crossing it themselves again.

    "You think those monsters are not attacking because they deem those people not worth their time?" Mia pushed a bit deeper into the topic. "Like,ing out to attack and consume any of the cultivators passing the bridge would cost them more energy than they would gain�� or something?"

    My grin became even wider as I moved my hand off the top of Mia''s head and brought it down on her shoulder, only to then pull her closer for a side embrace.

    "That''s my girl," I smiled happily, pressing the girl against my side while pride filled my face.

    "Mhmm," Mia gave out a strange, small sound. A satisfied smile then appeared on her lips as she enjoyed the small cuddle.

    "Wait," I added, seemingly out of nowhere. "Let''s leave the cuddles forter," I suggested. "We need to start setting things up for the night!"

    Yet, as I soon became aware, saying that was a far easier task than it was to actually putting those words into proper use.

    After confirming that Levi safelynded on the other side of the river and allowing people to cross the bridge again, we took some time to calcte the sunlight we had left. Then, we rounded up people into two groups, those who could still cross today and those that would have to wait until tomorrow.

    We then ended up leaving the first group alone, unwilling to put them to any use as doing so would potentially slow down the transportation process and lead to more chaos down the line. As for the other group��

    "Guys!" I shouted out loud as soon as I managed to gather all of them in a rtively one ce. And with over a hundred people left for me to manage, I could already see the struggle thatmunicating with all of them at once would be. "I need half of you to start gathering whatever building materials you can find nearby, while the other half will dig out shallow trenches!"

    I took a breath to calm my heart rate down a little before swallowing my saliva to properly moisturize my throat.

    Or to be honest, I just bid my time, waiting for the message to go across the entire group of people I was trying to manage.

    "Use the dirt you excavate to raise the walls on the trenches. Then use whatever the scavenging party will find to construct slightly tilted roofs over your holes!"

    I closed my eyes and held my breath in, forcing the giggle that came out straight from my soul to remain behind the barrier of my lips.

    Laughing out loud at the silly swordy I intentionally let out wasn''t the part of the image I wanted to create.

    "Hey, do you want me to dig or scavenge?" Mia asked as soon as the people started to split into two further groups and go toplete their own tasks.

    "Huh?" I shrugged, not expecting this kind of question from Mia at all. "What the hell are you talking about?" I then asked while looking at her with my eyes wide open.

    "Huh?" Mia shook a little, not expecting my reaction either. "Didn''t you just tell everyone��"

    "No, wait, stop," I raised my hands and waved them at Mia''s face, stopping her before she could even finish her sentence. "Those orders do not apply to you. How could I allow you to do this kind of work?" I then asked, as if requesting a scientist to exin the truth about the universe and life to me.

    "��" Mia failed to find the right words to reply to me, opting to just stare me down instead.

    Then, rather than ring up, she simply put a cheeky smile on her lips while leaning her head to the side.

    "So you want me to save my strength for when the night falls?"

 Chapter 417 All That Effort... And For What?

    The sun was slowly starting to set over the horizon. Thest arrays of its warm rays made the entire world bask in a slightly reddish, thoughtful hue.

    It was a perfect time to sit down and look up, enjoying thest warmth of the day while immersing oneself in the beauty of thete evening.

    And yet, instead of doing any of that, I was currently busying myself collecting random pebbles from the ground while turning my brain into an engineering calctor.

    ''If I use this rune, then the radius would be unstable��''

    ''Adding that rune could make it easier to pull out��''

    ''Damn, I forgot about this dependency��''

    ? There were many thoughts that went through my head while I was busy collecting the stones for my new, single-use formation. And even more of them appeared when I started to carve those stones out.

    "I''m done!" I finally uttered a massive moan of relief, falling back to the ground on my ass. I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

    A sense of satisfaction spread throughout my soul and then exploded out into my mind and body.

    "Do I even want to know what you were dabbling in?" Mia asked with a small smirk as squatted down by my side while making sure to pull on her dress over her knees.

    We weren''t in a private ce yet, after all. Yet, for the sake of said private ce, I just wasted nearly twice as much time as all the cultivators around us.

    "You don''t need to know," I said, taking one more breath before opening my eyes and basking in the beauty of the evening for a second. I then stood up and grabbed the stones I carved.

    With all of them in my fist, I moved to the spot I''d already selected for what would be our lodging for the night.

    "Because you will see it right now," I said while throwing a nce over my shoulder.

    I turned my eyes back toward my target. My fingers tightened over the nine stones I imprinted with intricate designs.

    "Go," I then muttered, throwing the stones forward and allowing them to arrange themselves in the air before falling to the ground.

    Eight of the stones arranged themselves into a perfect hexagon, with the one remaining ending up right in the dead center of the figure.

    "What''s this?" Mia asked, raising up on her feet and approaching my side while throwing curious nces over my shoulder.

    "An effect of my stubbornness," I replied with a grin before pushing a huge chunk of mana toward the newly-established formation.

    The stones lit up, unable to hold all the mana I infused them with.

    POOF!

    The central stone suddenly sank to the ground, forced by the runes imprinted upon all the other stones.

    The central stone disappeared deep into the ground, making it impossible for anyone to see it. Yet, as not only its creator but also the one in charge of the formation, I could still perfectly feel its presence and thus location.

    ''That should be deep enough,'' I thought, before sending the second burst of mana into the outer stones.

    Roughly ten percent of all the runes on the stones were imprinted in an extremely shallow manner. This was the most time-consuming part of the entire process of carving them out. Yet, at the same time, it was the only solution I managed toe up with that would save me the effort of carving fifty times more stones to achieve the same effect.

    The stones turned red. The shallow runes then burned out, unable to hold even more mana that I infused into them. And as some of the circuits broke, the remaining runes naturally formed a slightly different formation.

    A formation that could finally make use of all the other runes that were formerly redundant.

    Ching!

    As if a stone struck a metal te, a loud noise filled the entire in. And then, the ground sank a little before a small pir of light rose from where the central stone sank to the ground.

    ''Did it work?'' I thought, turning my mana vision towards the ground.

    And just like I hoped, I could see a hexagonal barrier deployed roughly a meter underground.

    "Now, this is what I was working on," I proudly mentioned while approaching the pir of light.

    I grasped the handle of the formation projected by the central stone. And with a single whisk of mana, I changed the hexagonal barrier at the bottom into just half of its full size.

    ''Let''s go!'' I encouraged myself, pulling on the handle with all the strength I developed sinceing to this world.

    And just like that, all the ground stuck within the hexagon of the formation and the barrier at its bottom�� rose up.

    As there was nothing above the ground stopping it, the earth that I pulled up with my barrier quickly started to fall to the sides, forming a small mound over the edge of the hexagon.

    And just like that, what the cultivators who only possessed a fraction of my strength did with just a fair bit of physical effort, I achieved with only an hour of hard thinking and another hour of tinkering with the pebbles.

    "Woah," Mia uttered a small moan of surprise when I excavated a huge chunk of earth with a single pull of my hand. "That''s awesome��" she praised my efforts first, "but why?" she then asked.

    A smile crept up to my lips.

    "Why did I waste so much time on something I could do far faster just by digging with my hands?" I asked, turning around to take a look at Mia''s lovely face. "Isn''t it obvious?" I then asked, as if puzzled how she could miss the entire point of my endeavor.

    "I wouldn''t ask if I knew the answer," Mia pouted a little, crossing her arms on her chest.

    "I knew that if I were to dig manually, you wouldn''t be able to stand by the side and do nothing," I said with a small, cheeky smile. "So��" I turned my attention back to the half-hexagon worth of a hole in the ground before grasping the formation''s handle and then turning it around.

    "And I would rather work hard for an hour or two than let you dirty your hands with something so unnecessary," I revealed before pulling on the handle once again, excavating the second part of the earth from the hole that for the next night, we would call home.

 Chapter 418 A Thought Lost In The Abyss Of Time

    "Arty��" Mia moaned, taken aback by my statement.

    The pout from before has now disappeared from her face, reced by a hard-to-describe expression.

    "You know you didn''t have to!" Mia then protested, unsure of how to react to my statement.

    "I''m sorry for putting you on the spot like that," I apologized right as I made sure all the earth from the second excavation fell outside of the formation and formed the upper part of what would be our shelter for the night. "I just couldn''t bear with the idea of making you work such a menial job."

    Those were my honest feelings. Be it a moral imprint of how I grew up on earth or maybe my own sense of chivalry, I couldn''t help but wish to treasure Mia with all my life.

    That''s how I always imagined a man should dote on his wife, minding her in the smallest of things rather than only ever proiming his great love for her without actually doing shit to prove it.

    "Why are you like that, when I can''t even thank you properly?" Mia moaned yet again, helplessly watching how I stepped on a single part of the mound to press it into the ground. Then, I finally brought the entire formation up and turned it around.

    What I used as a sort of a scoop to dig out all the earth now turned into a small, little roof with a pir of light in the middle just long enough to rest on the very bottom of the hole.

    "Mia��" I threw the girl a slightly displeased look. "I think I already said that I don''t expect you to repay me in any way or form for whatever I do," I mentioned, grabbing some of the residual earth before scattering it over the top of the barrier.

    This entire hideout was made with the intention of giving us some privacy over the night. As such, leaving the roof in form of a perfectly see-through mana barrier�� would be pretty counterproductive.

    "I know��!" Mia whined. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

    Mia stepped forward, right as I fished the job of covering our shelter''s roof with a thickyer of earth. She then shot her hand around my waist before pulling herself deeply into my chest.

    "Thank you for thinking about me, even in such small things," she whispered while rubbing her face against my sr plexus. "I know you are aware��" she raised her chin and looked at me with upturned eyes, "but I really do appreciate those seemingly small things."

    "And that alone is enough for me to happily keep doing them," I replied, wrapping my hands around the girl''s back while making sure not to exert too much force.

    This was the one downside of leveling up while Mia was alreadygging behind me with her cultivation. Before, the gap was manageable to the point where we could be somewhat rxed around each other. Right now, though, her body felt like a delicate flower that I would squash if not careful enough.

    "How about we get down there?" Mia suggested after cuddling me for a while. "It would be a pity if all that work of yours ended up unused," she added with a passionate smile.

    "It''s certainly a good idea," I admitted, only to turn my head around and look towards the setting sun. "But how about we justy down here for a while?" I suggested otherwise. "I don''t think we''ve ever watched a sunset together."

    "Hmmhmh��" Mia held back her giggle, but she was unable to stop her face from blushing a little. And so, she simply pressed her face against my chest, using our closeness to hide her embarrassment. "Fine," she then muttered, giving herself to the guidance of my arms as Iid down directly on top of the hole I made before carefully pulling her down on me.

    "This was one hell of a day," Mia whispered after we calmed down a little, allowing the gentle cold hue of the early night to chill our skin.

    "To be fair, I''m already used to it," I admitted. "Every day is either extremely boring or equally as extremely packed with events for me."

    There was only truth in my words. Just like I discussed before, this entire life of mine in this world felt strange. As if some sort of will was behind all of this, only ever describing interesting stuff while glossing over huge chunks of time that had no events of importance in them.

    As such, I could only ever recognize two states of my life.

    One, where things happened one after the other, not letting me catch a single breath between the mounting struggles.

    And then there was the second type of my life''s phase, where I could sit down cross-legged and cultivate for days toe and not even a fly would dare to interrupt my meditation, making the day slightly more interesting.

    ''Well, now that I have Mia by my side��'' I involuntarily pulled the girl even closer to my chest, while gloating in my mind over how soft her skin was to the touch.

    If there was anything that I was missing in my life right now, it was the opportunity to flex before a group of friends about how much of a god-like girlfriend�� no, wife I had.

    "What do you mean, boring?" Mia inquired, paying no mind to how greedily my hand moved all over the side of her body. Instead, she brought her own hand on top of mine, as if worried that its upper side would end up cold!

    "There are those long stretches of time during which nothing happens at all," I exined. "Just like when I traveled back from my camp to the outerpost to reunite with you," I said.

    "Oh?" Mia muttered, climbing up my chest a little only to end up resting her cheek on my shoulder.

    "Yeah," I slightly nodded my head. "Save for a few encounters, absolutely nothing happened in my life for nearly a month."

    Mia tensed up. Given how close we stuck together, I would have to be an idiot not to notice it.

    "Encounters�� you say��" she muttered, averting her eyes as her face tensed up a little.

    "Not that kind of encounter!" Iughed out, unable to stop myself from moving my hand up the girl''s waist, sneaking it between her side and her arm and then tickling her a little.

    "Stop it!" Mia quickly protested through tears as she wiggled on top of me while struggling to hold her giggles back.

    Soon, we calmed down again. And with the sunset sooning to an end, we silently agreed to simply enjoy the view while itsted.

    "Tomorrow we will reach our new home," Mia whispered once thest rays of sun vanished, covering the entire in inplete darkness.

    "Let''s hope so," I admitted, only for my soul to twitch.

    It felt��

    It felt like someone, either far away in the past or far away in the future, in the exact same ce we were in right now, would say exactly the same words.

    ''Tomorrow we will reach our new home��'' I repeated Mia''s words in my mind.

    Yet, before long, the pleasure of Mia''s warmth and the steadiness of her breath kicked this useless thought off my head.

    ''Well, whatever,'' I thought. ''It''s just a feeling, so there is no point over-thinking it.''

 Chapter 419 Lazy Morning

    "Urgh��" a small moan escaped through my lips.

    My entire body screamed with unwillingness. Despite sleeping in a simple hole in the ground, I somehow ended up extremelyfortable.

    ''I really don''t want to��'' Iined in my mind, feeling a wave of repulsion move through my entire soul.

    And yet��.

    ''But I need to wake up,'' I told myself, slowly pushing my body through the fog of drowsiness. And then, after a long struggle, I finally opened my eyes.

    The inside of the ground hole was rtively dark. Only a tiny bit of light fell inside through the small hole I left right below the ceiling.

    Yet, as little light as it was, it proved that, beyond any doubt, the day was already starting.

    "Why was the world created in a way where waking up is always a damn pain?" I whispered to myself.

    I felt the extreme need to voice myints out loud. Yet, as I started to move my lips, I felt a sudden wave of cold air hitting my face.

    ''Woah,'' I twitched when the sharp contrast between the cold air of the early morning and the coziness of Mia''s body warmth created a dissonance in my mind.

    I took a deep breath�� and started to tense my muscles up. And after a mere minute of this simple exercise, I warmed myself up enough to force my body up.

    Once I got moving, I used my momentum to keep on going. And by the time I stood up in the hole and reached out to remove the man-made ceiling, I managed to cast most of my drowsiness away.

    "Mhhmmm��" Mia muttered, still unable to move on from the sleep herself. "Just a little bit more," she whispered, struggling to wake up just like I did before.

    "We should��" I was just about to help her wake up�� When I simply decided not to.

    There was no greater will behind this decision, no borate n.

    When I removed the lid over our hole and allowed the morning light to shine inside, I was faced with the sight of Mia cuddling at the very bottom of the hole.

    And it was that sight alone that melted right through all my motivation to do anything but lie down and cuddle her up.

    I sat down at the bottom of the hole and reached out, grabbing Mia by her waist before pulling her on top of myp. Even though my moves weren''t as gentle as I hoped they would be, Mia didn''t show any signs of waking up, acting more like a cat than a human.

    ''That''s better,'' I thought once I could properly hug the girl, warming up my chest by cuddling her upper body up.

    ? "Hmmm?" Mia muttered a momentter, slowly prying her eyes open.

    "Good morning," said, running my hand along her waist. "Did you sleep well?"

    "Mhmm��" Mia continued to use thenguage of the gods to speak with me, moving around on myp and within my embrace to find a morefortable position. Yet, as her attempts continued to fail, she finally opened up her eyes properly.

    "Is it a day already?" Mia asked while straightening her back and stretching her arms to the side while pushing her chest forward.

    ''This damn temptress��'' I thought, unable to tear my eyes from the glorious peaks that I used for a pillow through the night.

    She simply stretched out. Yet, that alone was enough to get a rise out of me while giving birth to an immense desire to reach out and grab those glorious peaks of hers.

    "It seems like it is," I replied to her question, keeping my hands to myself only with the utmost effort and full engagement of my willpower.

    "Then, shall we get going?" Mia then asked, gracing me with a gentle smile right as she got up to her legs before reaching out and offering me a hand.

    "Yeah," I agreed, epting Mia''s hand before pretending to use her help to stand up myself.

    We then spent some time fixing our clothes, removing all the problematic parts that during the course of the nights started to reveal more than they were supposed to. Then and only then did we climb out of the hole.

    And only when we crawled out of our temporary home did we face the true scale of the disaster outside.

    The bodies were lying all over the in. Not a single person stood up, making it feel like we were in the middle of a recent battlefield rather than a makeshift camp.

    "Cover your ears," I whispered to my girl before taking a deep breath. "EVERYONE!" I then shouted from the bottom of my lungs. "WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

    My voice traveled all over the in. And judging by the number of corpses that suddenly reanimated and started to move, it was quite effective.

    All in all, it took the cultivators roughly half an hour before they properly woke up. Then, another thirty minutes went by before a line was formed by the bridge and the process of moving people to the other side of the river could rmence.

    "Sir, there were no idents during the night," a report of the night''s watch quickly reached my ears when the cultivators responsible for it approached my side.

    "Good," I muttered, throwing a suspicious look toward the river.

    Just from the geographical point of view, the river was the only potential source of danger right where we were camping. And as it appeared, there were no unforeseen events taking ce during my rest.

    ''Was I worrying too much about it?'' I asked myself, unable to tear my eyes away from the river.

    Yet, this seemingly peaceful force of nature didn''t volunteer any answers to me.

    In the end, after the experiences from the day before and after resting for an entire night, the rest of the cultivators managed to pass the bridge in only about half the time I expected them to take. And before I could even prepare myself for it, thest of the cultivators stepped down from the bridge on the other side of the river, leaving only me and Mia stranded behind.

    "Now then, shall we?" I asked, reaching out and grabbing Mia by her waist.

    "What are you doing?" Mia asked, not offering even the tiniest resistance despite the clear confusion on her face.

    "Huh?" I twitched, taken aback by her question. "I''m going to fly us over," I then exined. "Even if your aura isn''t big enough for the aquatic monsters to care�� I just can''t take any risks when ites to you," I exined what I perceived to be the problem Mia had.

    "Oh, right," Mia smiled while her cheeks turned slightly red. She then looked away and muttered, "I kind of forgot you could fly."

    "Then, it''s a good thing I remembered," I chuckled before ensuring I held Mia properly. And then, with a single burst of mana powering up the formations attached to the soles of my feet, I took to the skies.

    If someone were to watch my actions from outside, they would hardly call it a flight. To say I simply jumped far higher than a man should be able to before gliding down to my destination would far more urately describe what happened.

    And just like that, my legs touched the ground, announcing the end of the unwee obstacle on our path to what would soon be our new home.

 Chapter 420 Whats The Plan For When We Get There?

    "I really wish I had something to smoke," I muttered, allowing the innermost desire of my soul to escape through my lips.

    It was something that was constantly in the very back of my mind. Something I searched for whenever I had some downtime. Yet, even with all the time I spent in this world, I have yet to find something that I could use as a substitute for tobo!

    "Something to smoke?" Mia asked, snuggling up to my side as she asked. "Do you n to burn the outerpost down to rebuild it from scratch?" she attempted to put a serious meaning behind my words.

    "It''s nothing like that," I replied with a smile, amused by the silliness of Mia''s question. Yet, for how fun it was to me, I had no wish to berate her over herck of earthy knowledge! "What I meant, is that I miss a certain type of�� nt."

    "And why did you bring it up out of nowhere?" Mia pushed deeper with her inquiries.

    "No particr reason," I admitted. "Boredom, maybe?"

    This was the one aspect of traveling that I often thought about.

    There was no fast-travel mechanic in this world. And even if it was possible with some intricate use of arrays or by breaking the space itself�� it was something that I was far too weak and ignorant to dabble with.

    As such, I had no other choice but to travel everywhere on foot.

    To a degree, I was already used to it. Yet, the same thing couldn''t be said about the others.

    "I''m booooored!" someone in the back of the groupined, stretching out his words to put an emphasis on just how much he meant that word.

    "Just how far is this ce?"

    "Are we there yet?"

    Those and countless other questions continued to permeate through our oversized group as we continued to push through the well-maintained road that connected the avenues of the Tuxi sect.

    "I think I can see where are youing from," Mia giggled, clearly aware of all the protests the cultivators uttered all around us. "Worry not, we are getting close," she then added, turning her eyes from my face and in the direction the path was leading us towards.

    We walked for a few more minutes in silence, enjoying the refreshing breeze that swiped across the in.

    "Now that I think about it," Mia then spoke out again, "once we reach the outerpost," she brought her eyes to my face again. "What then?"

    I couldn''t tell whether she was genuinely curious or simply attempting to ward off the boredom with some random conversation.

    ''Does it really matter?'' I asked myself.

    And a momentter, I shook my head sideways with a peaceful smile.

    ''It does not.''

    "First, we will check if it is abandoned or if there are some people that remained," I replied. "Or maybe we should look for lodging for everyone first?" I then added, thinking out loud.

    "Do you think there is anyone who didn''t leave?" Mia asked, genuinely surprised by such an option.

    The outerpost was struck by several of the mana monsters at once. As such, all its citizens experienced the horrors it brought first-hand.

    What''s more, all the elders of the ce either died by my hand when Sangakarts attempted to make their move, died during the appearance of the monsters�� or were too cowardly to face either of those situations in the first ce.

    "Without a proper protector, I doubt anyone would dare to linger," I admitted only to then shake my head. "But we shouldn''t underestimate people. While I''m not trying to insult anyone here, humans do have a tendency to be like cockroaches."

    "And what do you mean by that?" Mia asked with a puzzled look on her face.

    "We are extremely hard to get rid of," I replied with a cheeky smile.

    For a moment, Mia turned silent.

    On its own, it wasn''t anything out of the ordinary, especially when we just kept on walking for hours upon hours already.

    This time, however, there was something different about her silence.

    ''Is it her expression? Her aura?" I attempted to guess, unable to put my finger on the exact reason why her silence suddenly became weird.

    "Dear, please, don''t take it the wrong way, I''m not saying this to be rude or anything��" Mia spoke. And from the number of pre-apologies and excuses she made before getting to the point, I could tell she was about to drop some kind of a serious bomb.

    "But it would be wise if you didn''t refer to mortals and cultivators as humans at the same time," Mia finally uttered what was going on in her mind. She then raised his chin and tugged at my robe. "I know that you are different from everyone else," she said, once again trying to add lube to the words she somehow believed to be harsh, "but cultivators would be quick to assume you are insulting them by putting them on the same level as mortals!"

    There was no scorn in the girl''s voice. Just worry.

    "Sure thing," I said, reaching out with my hand and locking it on Mia''s waist. I then pulled her closer into a slightly awkward hug. "I will keep that in mind."

    The silence ensued again, this time, though, without the weird aura from before.

    "Moving back to the topic from before," Mia picked up the conversation a short momentter. "Once we get everyone a ce to sleep and a ce that''s rtively easy to defend�� what then?" she asked, pushing the conversation into a casual tone.

    "We will need to secure food and water," I replied with a sigh. "Even if we can go on with our mana alone," I raised my eyes towards all the otherworldly cultivators that surrounded us, "it''s not the case for them."

    In theory, one could survive for weeks without any food after reaching just the fifth stage of cultivation. On that level, the mana in their body alone would be sufficient to nourish them. Yet, it wasn''t until reaching the eighth stage and expanding their core that a cultivator could truly survive for long without food or water at all.

    Only at and beyond the first stage of enlightenment would one shed thest of their attachments to mortal needs, leaving food as nothing more but a redundant luxury and pleasure.

    And as it stood for now, save for the three exceptions, all the other cultivators within our group have yet to reach the eighth stage!

    "And then?" Mia kept on pushing further with her questions. "Once we secure provisions, what are we going to do?"

    I took a moment to think. And soon, the obvious answer appeared in my mind.

    "What would you say�� if we were to go for a scavenge run?"

 Chapter 421 Mias Painful Memories

    "Scavenge run?" Mia repeated my words. "Scavenge I can understand�� but why call it a run?" she asked while leaning her head over her shoulder to the side.

    "Ah," I smiled, "don''t mind it. It just means a scavenging mission," I exined.

    After all, if I were to exin the true meaning of scavenging run, I would have to start with basic physics, and go all the way through the middle and high-school curriculum before starting on electrics, programming, gaming culture��

    All the way to the point where I would exin just a single game, all for the sake of properly exining a single reference.

    Yeah, there was no way I was doing all of that.

    "Well, I can understand the idea��" Mia muttered with a look on her face that told me shecked coincidence in such a n.

    Mia then took a step closer before leaning over my ear and whispering, "what if they try to keep stuff to themselves?"

    I took a moment to properly think about the answer. After all, it was something I didn''t think about.

    "I think I have��"

    "The city!" someone shouted from all the way at front part of the entire group. "I can see it!"

    I turned my eyes in the direction where the shout came from. And as my eyes moved, I couldn''t miss the sudden change that happened to all the cultivators around me.

    They were all down the rabbit hole of extreme boredom. Even though we didn''t travel for all that long, they still managed to get mentally tired of it.

    On one hand, it was puzzling me to no end. How people who had to often spend years cultivating in seclusion just to break through to the next rank of their cultivation would end up being bored after less than two days worth of travel?

    Yet, once I looked at the picture from a wider perspective, I could somehow figure out where all their moodiness wasing from.

    It wasn''t all about the boredom of travel. The boredom was simply the drop that caused the water to spill over the cup.

    Those people were all in a foreign world, with the knowledge that the spell they used to survive the disaster ended up bringing disaster and ruin to the people of the world they ended up with.

    Some of the cultivators could just gloss over mental responsibility like this and I was quite sure people like that were a part of my group. Yet, even if they couldn''t care less for all the lives they took while in their monstrous form of mana-beast, they had to be aware of how everyone else in this world would think about them.

    Or, in simpler terms, how they would likely never be able to move past the notion of them being monstrous invaders in a world where quite a lot of people were far, far stronger than they could ever be.

    "We are finally here," one of the cultivators muttered to my side.

    "I can''t wait to look for a ce to settle!" Someone else whispered.

    "Will they even allow us in the city?" Yet another person put the very meaning of reaching the city into doubt.

    Yet��

    "I''m sorry," Mia muttered, slumping down a little.

    She brought her hands together and wrapped her arms around her own chest as if she was trying to warm herself up. She had her face lowered and eyes stuck to the ground, unable to raise them up to see the city ahead.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Are you��" I attempted to ask Mia�� but I ultimately decided not to, cutting my words short.

    Instead, I simply took a step closed before wrapping my hands around her shoulders and bringing her closer into a hug.

    In the end, I didn''t waste my words trying to cheer her up.

    No matter what kind of problem she had with this city, I could tell it didn''t bring her good memories.

    Still, Mia wasn''t a man. She wasn''t someone who wished to either grit through the problem or find its logical solution. For all I knew, she simply needed someone to support her while she was in her current, vulnerable state before she could handle her stress on her own.

    "I''m okay," Mia whispered a momentter, sliding her hand up my chest only to reach for her face and wipe the tears that squeezed out of her eyes. "Thanks��" she added in a shaky voice, clearly not fully over whatever brought her down.

    But it wasn''t my ce to pry. Not now, not out in the open, and not with all the ears curious about the situation and eager to potentially make use of it.

    "Can you keep going?" I asked, not moving a single inch from where I grabbed Mia into a hug. "We can wait if you need some more time," I quickly added just in case she misunderstood my words in an attempt at hurrying her up.

    "No," Mia said before sniffling up. "I''m okay," she added, this time in a stronger voice.

    Mia took a step back, freeing herself from my embrace. She then quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before shaking her head and forcing a smile on her lips.

    "Whatever happened there is all in the past now," she stated, raising her eyes and taking a first, proper look at the ruined city.

    It was nowhere close to how it was when I first reached it. Even when standing on a hill and looking at it from a rtively huge distance, I could still see the marks of devastation all over the ce.

    Or rather, it would be more urate to say that I could see some spots where the city still existed on the greater in of nearly total destruction.

    "Everything seems to be gone," Mia muttered as she stepped forward and joined me by my side. "The arena, the auction house, even the sect grounds��" she muttered as he eyes jumped from location to location.

    "We will rebuild them all," I said, trying to encourage the girl in the only way I could think of.

    "Right, about what we were talking about before," Mia shook her head again before turning her face towards me and speaking. "Could you repeat your answer?" she then asked.

    The intensity behind her eyes�� It was more than enough for me to realize it was Mia''s attempt at changing the topic and moving on.

    "I think I know of a simple way to prevent it," I replied after taking a moment to stare at the girl.

    Seeing her in her current, teary state that wasn''t caused by a solid dicking of mine was making me feel as if a thousand needles stabbed both my heart and my soul alike.

    "And what is that?" Mia inquired, clearly pushing herself to stay on the topic.

    "A formation capable of absorbing all the energy from the items ced within," I revealed. "I should be able toe up with one rtively quickly," I said, unable to stop myself from gloating a little. In the end, though, I was just a simple man.

    And if I could flex before the love of my life, then everyone in the world could be damn sure I would!

    "A formation," Mia muttered, turning her eyes away from my face and back towards the city. Then, a small smile emerged on her lips. "That could work."

 Chapter 422 Division Of Labour

    Entering the city�� turned out to be far harder than I expected it to be.

    Not because it was hard to actually get inside. Not at all. Sure, some of the ruins fell apart and covered the roads in the rubble. There were some ces that we couldn''t cross at all and had to resort to Mia guiding us around.

    But overall, it was surprisingly easy to walk around the ruins of the Tuxi Outerpost. So easy, I couldn''t help but suspect that someone either already tried to clean it up�� or that the rubble was simply missing.

    The question was�� who and for what reason would ever bother trying to move rubble away?

    No, entering the city in a physical way was easier than I expected. It was the mental side of the action that actually dragged my soul down.

    ''Isn''t this the coffee where I saw Mia for the first time since our parting?'' I asked myself, looking at no more than just foundation, floor, and two, unconnected shy stretches of wall.

    If it weren''t for the za outside that lucked out and remained somewhat in its former shape, I wouldn''t be even able to guess that much.

    The arena that once was thendmark of the ce, standing tall above all the other buildings as the symbol of the sect''s power and careless spending of its construction budget�� was nowhere to be seen at all.

    And while I couldn''t care less, I could see the longing looks Mia sent every now and then in the direction that massive building once stood.

    "This is really bad��" I muttered under my nose. "The damage, I mean," I added so that Mia wouldn''t get on the edge, expecting some sort of trouble.

    "It is��" Mia said in a dejected voice. "I��" she hesitated for a second before lowering her face and putting her eyes on the ground. "I''m sorry, I thought it wouldn''t be as bad," she then apologized.

    "I didn''t mean to put any me on you, dear," I quickly replied, reaching out with my hand and gently tapping the girl on her shoulder. "I just can''te to understand�� just how did it happen?"

    The first few monsters that appeared in this ce ended up as fuel for my mana engine. As such, while they brought forth some level of damage�� it shouldn''t be anywhere near the level of what I was seeing now!

    ''Did more monsterse here?'' I attempted to put forth an educated guess. ''Or maybe there was some sort of fight where this ce became a battlefield for it?''

    I looked around, searching for the marks of a battle�� but amidst all the destruction, it was impossible to discern what building burned down due to a random fire and what building burned down due to some cultivator''s fiery technique.

    And the worst part about it all��

    The worst part about the current situation was that the cultivators we brought here with the promise of a new start didn''t seem to enjoy the level they would be starting at either.

    ''We need to do something quick,'' I realized. ''If we just let them roam around like that��'' I shook my head.

    "It will be only a matter of time before all the order copses and they will start going off on their own," I muttered, not even realizing that those words slipped out of my mouth.

    "Arty?" Mia muttered by my side, pressing herself to my shoulder in what would look like yet another disy of affection to others. "What do you want me to do?" she then whispered to my ear, taking advantage of how close she got.

    I took a deep breath. Then, I raised my head and looked around, searching for a building that would fit my demands.

    And sooner than I expected, I saw it.

    "How can that be?" I couldn''t help but mutter once I recognized the structure of the building.

    It was one of the very few that remained structurally intact, with the only damage ending up on its exterior. Its walls were all covered in sot, most likely from a fire that consumed the entire ce. Parts of its roof were missing and the borate ss art that once filled its window was all gone.

    And yet, the structure of the auction house remained as sturdy and unchanged as it was when Ist saw the ce!

    "Everyone!" I pushed Mia aside a bit before shouting from the bottom of my lungs. I then raised my hand and pointed it at the building I was looking at. "We are going to take that building and settle in there for now!"

    It would only ever be a temporary solution. There was no way so many individualistic people could all huddle together in a singleplex, even if there were more than enough rooms to keep them all apart.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    But a temporary solution�� was better than no solution at all.

    And so, as soon as enough cultivators turned their attention to me, I took a huge stride forward, pulling Mia along.

    At first, only a few people followed. Yet, once those few got on the move, others started to follow them, then even more people joined. And soon, the herd instinct kicked in, making nearly everyst cultivator follow me toward the auction house.

    I crossed over the empty frame of what used to be the building''s main gate. I then moved over some scattered rubble, destroyed boxes, and a scattered ss of bottles.

    ''Someone looted this ce already,'' I realized�� only to ignore it and keep on going until I reached the only ce where all of the cultivators under my lead could fit at the same time.

    "Do you have some sort of announcement?" Levi asked, appearing to my side seemingly out of nowhere.

    "Yes," I shortly replied, climbing up the scorched stairs to the stage before turning around and locking my hands behind my back. Then, I simply waited in silence for all the cultivators to get inside and settle down.

    "Everyone, we will be taking over this ce and restoring it to the point where we can somewhat call it home!" I started with the obvious. "This ce will be our base of operations while all the rooms this ce has to offer will be your private quarters."

    That was it for the basic organization of the ce. And now, we could finally begin the organization of the most hated aspect of most human lives.

    "I need twenty people for gathering the rubble we can reuse to fix this building. Then twenty more for actually fixing this ce. If you have a skill rted to those tasks, step forward and stand over there!" I shouted, pointing my hand at an empty space to the left side of the stage.

    At first, not a single person moved.

    ''As expected,'' I thought, releasing a small sigh.

    "Guys, just for you to know," I put a wide smile on my face, "there won''t be any better jobs than this. This is something that will benefit all, so I will make sure topensate everyone for their troubles as soon as I can."

    This time and after some hesitation, some of the cultivators finally took the bait.

    And surprisingly enough, Levi joined the ranks of constructors, giving me a yful smile as soon as I took a surprised nce at him.

    It wasn''t without some growing pains, but soon, the work organization started to pick up.

    "I need ten people to scavenge the insides of this ce, cleaning it out from any uninvited guests, animals, or traps!"

    "I need twenty more people to scavenge the surroundingnds in search of food!"

    "Twenty more to find and restore the well!"

    Bit by bit, the army of cultivators that I brought to this ce ended up divided into the jobs they would do for the rest of the day. Yet, the most important moment of the organization would onlye now.

    "Now, let me tackle one topic that I bet you guys are wondering about," I shouted, taking my time with the following pause to let everyone focus on me again.

    "Some of you might''ve realized it already, but the crux of my strengthes from my mastery in using and deploying arrays and formations!" I shouted out loud, even though saying that meant revealing some of my cards.

    But right now, I needed one more thing. One element that would keep all those individualistic cultivators in ce.

    An incentive.

    "In here, right on this stage, I will create a powerful formation that will be used to suck all the energy from the treasures we recover from the ruins!" I shouted from the bottom of my soul, before spreading my arms open and smiling as wide as I could.

    "Couple that with the energy I will contribute myself, and all of the energy gathered here will be distributed to all those who will contribute to their jobs!"

 Chapter 423 Things Are Starting To Move

    "A powerful formation that will be the center of interest for all of us. Yes, that will be our end goal!" I shouted from the bottom of my lungs.

    I then took a step back and lowered my eyes before putting a slightly uneasy expression on my face and looking to the side.

    "For now, though, he will have to make do with what we have at hand," I muttered, acting as if that was the problem.

    If I wanted to properly coax all those cultivators, I had to smash their brains with insane incentives. And in a situation where I didn''t really have anything like that on hand, my best bet was to manipte everyone''s expectations.

    "I will use every bit of my ability to create the formation�� but without proper tools and resources, I''m limited with what I can achieve," I admitted, lowering my head and shaking it slightly.

    The cultivators�� didn''t appear to be discouraged by my words. Sure, they weren''t happy with how my initial call turned out to be different from what I could readily provide�� But they were all people who reached high ranks in their original world.

    As such, it would be weird for them tock an understanding of the situation and be unreasonable.

    "How can we be sure you are telling the truth?!" a cultivator shouted from somewhere in the middle of the auctioning hall. In theory, if I strained myself, I could try to figure out who it was��

    But I simply couldn''t care less. And by not knowing, I would avoid a potential biaster on.

    "I''m not asking you guys to work tirelessly and without any breaks," I said. "As soon as we will be done here, I will start working on the formation, " I added.

    I then took a step forward again, returning to the most central spot on the stage. I pushed my arms out, spreading them as far as I could as If to show I had absolutely nothing to hide.

    "Rather than trying to convince you to believe me, I invite you all to use your breaks ande here to inspect the progress."

    ''I hope it won''t bite me back in the ass,'' I thought, inhaling in a bit of fresh air to keep up the rxed smile on my face.

    A wave of murmurs washed off the crowd as the cultivators leaned toward one another to discuss the matter.

    "When will the formation be ready?" someone else asked a momentter.

    "It all depends on itsplexity," I replied. "A rudimentary one I can finish before tomorrow''s end. A proper formation that I won''t be ashamed of?" I leaned my head to the side and looked as far into the upper-left corner as I could. "I guess about a week?" I put forward a guess. "A great one that I want to implement once we are ready might take two weeks to even a month for me to construct."

    All the timeliness that I provided was extremely favorable to me.

    In reality, I only needed up to an hour toe up with a rudimentary formation. Gathering the resources, drawing the runes, arranging them along the natural disposition of the terrain, all of that could only take a second hour, turning over a day I suggested out loud into a quick, two-hour-long job.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    The case was the same with the good formation and a perfect one, with only about ten hours and twenty hours of work hours toplete them.

    Yet, if I were to reveal how quickly I could work on those formations�� It could easily lead the cultivators to disregard the worth of what I would be providing!

    Silence ensued once again.

    Despite the two brave volunteers, most of the cultivators ended up not raising their voices. Be it due to fear, desire to remain low-key, or simple stage fright, it didn''t matter.

    "What about local techniques?" someone called out when I was nearing the limit of how patiently I could wait for further questions. "Techniques native to this world? Teaching us how to cultivate in this world? Didn''t you promise those?"

    I fought off the desire to look into the crowd to find out who posed this question.

    It was one thing to ask for rification. But apletely different thing altogether to try to push me like that.

    "Those I will provide only once I will gain any level of confidence in your loyalty and trustworthiness," I replied. Then, I forced a huge smile on my face. "But seeing how the questions are now straying off the main topic��" I sped my hands together, producing a loud, snappy sound that woke up all those who didn''t really care about what was going on. "That means, we are wasting time right now. Everyone, you have your assigned jobs��"

    I lowered my voice, finishing my sentence on a cliffhangery note.

    "So go and do some damn work!" I then shouted, snapping at all of the cultivators who stood in ce like a bunch of idiots rooted with chains to their spots.

    At first, nothing happened.

    Then, some people started to move outside of the main hall of the auction house only to end up splitting into small groups and even solos before dispersing all over the mansion.

    It wasn''t without some growing pains, but the people soon started to do their jobs, following the simple three-fold scheme for prating the mansion.

    First came the unit of scouts. They would venture into the parts of the mansion we didn''t visit yet, checking it for the presence of potential threats and the state of the pathways through it.

    Once the ce was confirmed to be safe, the second wave woulde with manualborers and those with any building experience. Thetter would figure out the state of the building and what needed to be done to fix it while the former would spend their time gathering all the rubble before either dragging it away to a rubbish pile or putting it aside if it could still be reused.

    The third wave�� would only start once the pile of resources we could use would grow sizeable enough. And it was this wave that would be responsible for fixing the parts of the mansion that needed fixing, mending all the scars of the battle off the walls and floors, and generals turning the entireplex back into its peak state.

    But I wasn''t there to oversee the progress. Because as soon as everything started to move in the right direction, I pulled Mia aside before going on a small tour to pick up the rooms that we would im for ourselves.

 Chapter 424 First Request In The New Room (;D)

    "So this is it," I muttered once, after quite a lot of searching and then deliberation, we finally settled upon the room we wanted to pick for ourselves.

    "Is it no good?" Mia asked while showing me a tired expression.

    And I was pretty damn sure the look on her face mirrored what she could see on my own.

    "Nah," I shook my head, "we settled on it so let''s just stick with our choice."

    The room itself�� wasn''t all that bad.

    It was located at the end of one of the more devastated corridors, making it pretty tricky to get into in the first ce. What''s more, as it was located on the far end of thepound, there were no further floors above to protect it from the elements.

    And with rtively nice weather outside, three separate holes through which I could see water dropping didn''t appear encouraging.

    Yet, in terms of bad elements of the room, that was basically it. The upsides, however, more than made up for it.

    In essence, this room appeared to be a mirror image of the ce my master offered the two of us all the way back in my early days at the Skdder sect.

    It consisted of two halves, each of them in the form of a perfect square.

    The outer half of the room was an open area with four workstations by the wall, a sunken square worth of sofa in the middle, and then some shelves on the opposite wall. The inner part of the room, however, was sunk for a good quarter of a meter down into the floor and then split between beddings to the left, a dining table in the middle, and then what looked like a massive basin to the right.

    ''I get that this ce is hard to approach and quite far away from the rooms others picked��'' I hesitated for a second, still battling with my own thoughts. ''But isn''t it too damn big?''

    There was a limit to how much space I could have to myself before it would start bearing down on my mind. Even with Mia''s presence making it possible for me to ept a bigger ce��

    There was no hiding the fact that the shape, size, and openness of this ce all rubbed me in the wrong way.

    Was it by being simr to the ce belonging to the man that betrayed me? Or maybe it was because its location didn''t make it all that safe in case of an attack from the outside?

    I released a deep sigh. I then raised my eyes at Mia''s face�� and swallowed all theints I had about this ce.

    ''We are already tired of this meaningless task, so let''s just drop this topic and move on,'' I decided.

    "This ce will need quite a lot of renovations," I mentioned, doing my best to change the topic, even if only by a slight margin. "Fixing the roof, securing the hallway, recing the broken furniture��" I muttered as I walked around the room, only to end up gently tapping at the dining table��

    Only for the table to copse, as if only dirt held it together in ce.

    "It''s going to be a lot of work," I added.

    "Then we will enjoy everyst second of repairing it together," Mia stated, plunging down on the sunken sofa in the middle of the front part of the room. She then stretched herself on one of the sofa''s sides.

    The girl then took a deep breath, one so deep her chest raised to the point her back started to arch.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Haaaa��." Mia released a long sigh, closing her eyes as she rxed and immersed herself at the moment. "Now, are you ready to talk about the topic that''s been on your mind since a while ago?" Mia then asked without even raising her eyelids up.

    "Was it that easy to tell?" I asked in return, taking a few steps before joining Mia on the sofa.

    I sat down before sneaking my hand under the girl''s head. I then exerted a tiny bit of force, raising Mia''s upper body for but a moment I needed to sneak underneath her before resting her head back on myp.

    "No, it wasn''t," Mia smiled when my hand rested upon her cheek. "But I know you well enough to be able to tell," she then added as a prideful grin filled her face.

    "Will you listen to my request, then?" I straightforwardly asked, too tired from the whole process of selecting the room to waste time beating around the bush.

    "Just speak away." Mia twisted up, rolling over to her side and making her face my stomach rather than the leaking ceiling of the room. She then cuddled herself up, as if she wanted to rest as much of her body as she could on myp. "I would love to be of some use to you, did you forget?"

    ''Just what did I do to deserve someone like her in my life?'' I asked the heavens, gritting my teeth to weather the storm of my heart melting into some sort of weird, sticky liquid.

    "Then��" I hesitated for a bit. I closed my eyes, unable to voice my request while looking Mia in the face. "Could you teach those cultivators that we will deem worthy?"

    I wasn''t worried because my request was hard or dangerous. I was worried because it involved Mia, a bunch of mostly male cultivators�� and ack of my presence.

    It wasn''t that I didn''t trust her or feared she would lose interest in me were we to work apart from each other��

    I simply couldn''t bear the thought of not having her by my side, not after splitting up a few times only to alwayse to regret doing so soon thereafter.

    ''Wait, why isn''t she responding?'' I suddenly realized once I grew aware of just how much time I spent in my own head. I forced my eyes open and looked down to see Mia''s thoughtful expression.

    She didn''t refuse to answer because she had something against the idea. She simply has yet to figure out what her answer should be.

    ''This girl��'' I thought, feeling the arteries in my heart contracting once again.

    Mia wasn''t just agreeing to whatever I asked without a second of thought. She was properly taking her time to consider the situation, and rify her thoughts�� and then she would likely ept it anyway!

    On the outside, there was no difference. But for me, the distinction between the two was massive.

    Because if Mia simply agreed to everything and anything, she would be simply following my lead as a rule. But if she was doing so properly, it meant she was actively submitting to me with her entire self!

    A seemingly small difference�� but one that, for some reason, tickled my soul in just the right way.

    "Can I ask�� why?" Mia spoke after a few more moments. "Why do you want me to teach them? Or wait," she shook her head, "why do you want to teach them in the first ce?"

    A gentle smile spread out on my mouth. My hands brushed off against Mia''s cheek.

    "Dear�� No, darling," I whispered as I leaned over Mia''s head only slightly pressing my forehead against hers. "It''s all for the sake of a peaceful life for the two of us."

 Chapter 425 Its Up To The Leader To Show The Meaning Of A Hard Work

    Finding out what room we wanted to take for ourselves was quite exhausting yet fulfilling at the same time. Yet, as much as I would want to just focus on fixing its state and introducing some basic improvements��

    I was the lord of all my time no longer. And if I wanted to keep the cohesion of my faction, I had to ensure everyone could see me working harder than they would ever do themselves.

    ''I will be able to get it easier after a few days�� but the first few of them are crucial,'' I thought, forcing myself to stand up from the sofa while prompting my dearest along.

    "We need to go back," I said in a small voice.

    Seeing Mia''s peaceful face when I cuddled her on myp�� Doing anything that could harm this image of peace and happiness that Mia represented for me could only be called heresy.

    Yet, it was a heresy I had no other choice but tomit.

    "You are right." Mia stood up without a single word of protest. "We can''t be cking while everyone else is hard at work, can we?"

    I only had Mia''s positive attitude to thank for the atmosphere we left the room in. I expected it to be sorrowful, full of unwillingness. Instead, just like I hoped to cater to everyone''s morale, Mia made sure to do the same for me alone.

    With her positive mood propping my own morale up, it took us only a few moments to struggle over the broken parts of the corridor and through all the barricades formed by the ruble. And just like that, within less than a minute, we moved from thefort of a nice sofa in the room of our choosing to what could only be called total chaos and disaster in the main room of the auctioning hall.

    ''Nearly everyone has left already,'' I thought as soon I stepped into the area.

    Most of the cultivators were gone, likely off toplete the missions they picked for themselves. And yet, now that most of them were gone�� this ce somehow became dirtier and smaller at the same time!

    ''What are those guys even doing?'' I freaked out while taking a quick look at the few cultivators that remained in the ce.

    Yet, all my confusion disappeared under the light of enlightenment when I finally figured it out.

    It wasn''t that the area was now stacked up with resources or trash, nor was it like it shrunk down in size.

    The people who remained in this ce busied themselves with ripping out the chairs that were stacked all over the ce before. And from the looks of how hard they went at this simple, wooden furniture, the task wasn''t as simple as just moving said chairs out of the way.

    ''Wait, isn''t this strange?'' I suddenly realized. ''This entire ce is a mess but all those sets were in perfect order?'' I thought.

    Yet, rather than wasting my time thinking about small details like that, I simply glossed over them while putting my attention back on the topic I had to prioritize.

    ''This is going to be easy,'' I thought when I managed to spot hundreds if not thousands of potential rune stones amongst all the rubble I could see within the main hall alone.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    And without any dy, I got to working, looking for suitable stones and throwing them on the stage if I was satisfied or just throwing them onto a small pile if their quality wasn''t up to par.

    ''That''s a bummer,'' I thought a few momentster when the seventh stone in a row turned out to be a dud.

    Sure, there were some stones I could use among all the rubble, but those were stones that builders either used as instion or filler. In other words, unprocessed stones. Because all sorts of solid matter that came out of human hands and wasmon enough to be used as a building material ended up crumbling in my hands even before I could finish the process of drawing a rune on it.

    "Hey, you!" I then called out to the few cultivators that remained in the area. "Do any of you knows how to write?" I shouted my question.

    Despite all the failures, gathering the stones I needed was a job both simple and something I would finish before long. And as soon as I would get to the most tedious phase of rune drawing which was about actually calcting the formation and scheming its design, I would have quite a lot of time and brainpower left on my hands.

    And being the efficiency freak that I could showcase to be at times, I couldn''t stand the idea of just wasting the potential of this time.

    "I know how to read and write," one of the cultivators approached before I could get tired of waiting. "What do you want me to do?"

    "Juste with me," I said before moving over to the edge of the elevated stage. I then sat down on it before reaching for the first of the stones I gathered.

    Creaaaak��.

    The wood of the stage gave out a worrying sound as soon as I rested my weight on it. And instead of exining the job to the guy I just called, I ended up simply staring at the thing for a while.

    "This stage will need fixing," I muttered. I turned my head to the cultivator that approached me. "Make sure to note it down, along with everything else I will point out while working."

    The young man first opened up his eyes wide. He then took half a step to the back, desperately throwing his eyes all over the ce.

    He rushed off towards a nearby pile only to rummage through the rubble for a bit.

    In less than a minute, the young man was back in front of me with a piece of a charred wooden spike in one hand and what appeared to be a stone te in the other.

    "Fixing the stage," the young man muttered as he scribbled some marks on the tablet.

    "It''s a priority," I muttered, putting away one of the finished stones before grabbing another.

    "Fixing the stage, priority."

 Chapter 426 Compounding Rune Arrays

    "That should do it," I muttered to myself once I properly finished the first part of my job.

    There were a total of nine stones. They all came from a natural source and were used as some sort of filler in the building, allowing me to chance upon them while scouring the ruins.

    Then, using the time and rtive peace of only a few cultivators remaining, I filled every single stone with a whole array of runes, making the best use of the little surface space each of them had.

    "And now, let''s test it!" I joyfully muttered to myself, quickly arranging the stones into a specific formation.

    First came a hexagon. Or rather, an imaginary hexagon as I only nted the stones at its six corners.

    Then, came the secondary part of the formation in the form of three additional triangles, eachposed from one spare stone I had left and then ced in a way that made use of two corners of a hexagon to construct a triangle.

    All in all, the finished product resembled a slightly deformed triangle. But its purpose and the level of formationplexity it represented��

    It wasn''t all that much in my own opinion, yet it was a piece that would put some of the greatest formation masters of this world to shame. And all because of a simple yet insanely annoying quirk.

    "Now, something to power it up��" I muttered as I threw a nce around.

    There were no treasures of any kind for me to use as the fuel for the formation. Yet, there was an abundance of random materials that I could infuse with energy to make them a simted treasure for my current purpose.

    And so, I quickly grabbed three pieces of rubble. It was a broken leg from a chair, a crushed shard of marble, and a shattered piece of brick.

    ''I wonder how this looks to everyone who''s watching,'' I thought to myself, allowing a small smile to quiver in the corner of my lips.

    "You are up to no good again," Mia whispered softly while hiding her own smile.

    "Do I look like that?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

    Up to this moment, I always considered my poker face to be an impregnable barrier to my emotions. And yet, Mia just came in and shattered all the confidence I had in keeping a straight face!

    Sure, I wasn''t on my guard and particrly trying to appear emotionless�� But I had no active intention to show my enthusiasm either!

    "Well, you could say I''m simply proud of my work," I then said, turning my head and ncing over at the stones. "Work that''s several levels beyond what others will think of it," I added, allowing a sour note to enter my voice.

    The trick that allowed me to construct this formationy in imprinting several levels of runes into a single rune stone. It was something I learned in one of the times when I continued to level up my warden ability by raising and dissolving them over and over again.

    In one of those times, I failed to properly erase the necessary runes from the stone before imprinting a new set right on top of the old one. And rather than raising a proper warden��

    I created a small monstrum of a mana construct.

    Back then, I simply took it as a failed invocation of my ability which resulted in the mana flow between the runes getting disturbed and interfering with some leftover mana from my earlier attempts.

    And then, it happened again. And then again.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    By the time it happened thrice, I realized that there was something wrong going on, something that I failed rather than a random chance of my ability going awry.

    And then, upon studying rune stones from five more failed attempts, I finally managed to figure out the problem.

    Compounding runes one over another would never work. By providing mana with two different pathways for it to flow and act, all logic for the flow of mana would vanish, reced by total and utter randomness.

    Yet, as I dug deeper into the topic, I realized that there was a simple workaround, something so damn obvious yet counterintuitive I was amazed that not only I managed to somehow notice it but also by how long it took me to do so.

    Because when onepounded entire arrays on top of another array�� those two arrays would work in tandem. Or, to put it in even simpler terms, when two arrays werepounded upon each other, the one at the top would do its job first before guiding the mana toward the deeper one.

    This form of mana flow within the rune stone itself presented another problem, though, as doing rune arrays in this new, vertical pattern, would prevent the mana from flowing toward the runes imprinted next to thepounded one.

    It was at this point that I did something that every person who ever had any contact with coding would do. And rather than trying to solve the entire thing at once, I made each of the rune arrays on the stone disy a different element.

    With this new method, it took me only a few tries to finally figure out the pattern in which the mana would move around the stone outfitted withpounding arrays.

    The activator for the formation, just like I discovered all the way back when I first dabbled into the formations, had to be ced on a separate stone. Then, starting from the ce where the activator would connect to thepounded stone, the mana would first prate as deep into thepounded arrays as it could, before bouncing off the solid material of the stone and going back up. The man would then activate each of thepounded arrays going from the bottomyer to the topyer before connecting to the next formation and repeating the entire process.

    In the end, there was only one problem that stopped me from further exploring this topic back when I first discovered it. And it was exactly the same reason why I had to make sure to upgrade the local formation slowly, as to entice everyone to bring me more and more treasures to work with.

    And the problemy�� in how fragile random stones were. Because not even after a hundred attempts I managed to find a single piece of material that could withstand carving more than a triplepounded rune array on it!

    "That''s quite�� a disappointment," Levi suddenly appeared by my side once I finishedying down the stones in the exact shape they needed to be for the formation to work.

    ''Was he trying to scare me?'' I thought, annoyed by the sudden appearance of the man.

    And then it struck me.

    Levi didn''t try to stealthily approach me. No.

    Judging from the annoyed expression on his face, he actually waited for quite a long time before finally resorting to a loud voice to pull me out of my thoughts!

    "What do you mean?" I asked, swallowing down my anger as I raised my eyes at my former master.

    "This formation, obviously," Levi twisted his lips in an ugly grimace. "I took a quick look at it and��" he shook his head. "I doubt it will even activate."

    That much�� was given. After all, one had to look really closely to notice the secondyer of rune arrays within the stone, not to speak about the third!

    "Well then, let it be a lesson for you, master," I said with a small smile while cing down the simted treasures into the three outer triangles of the formation. "A lesson that the topic of formations is far deeper than even you could imagine!"

 Chapter 427 Vaners First Ruling

    "They are not good enough," Vaner muttered under his nose as he watched all the remaining disciples of the skdder sect lining up below the steps leading up to the throne hall.

    "Disciples obey the Patriarch''smand!" all those who have yet to be scouted by the sects from the higher zones bowed down.

    "Junior disciples obey the Patriarch''smand!" a small crowd of people behind the disciples shouted, all cupping their hands together and then bowing down in half.

    ''Not a single one of them is good enough,'' Vaner gritted his teeth before raising his hand high up, only to slowly bring it down.

    The crowd before him finally stopped bowing only to stand at attention. They all had their hands locked behind their backs and chest pushed pridefully up and forward.

    ''Was thest generation thest one to have anyone with potential?'' Vaner thought, recalling the dear memories he had of Arthur, Mia, and a few other disciples that he saw some time before all the hell broke loose in the world.

    ''Well, there is no useining about the men I don''t have,'' Vaner decided as he took a deep breath.

    "Everyone!" the middle-aged man shouted, using all the air that he gathered in his lungs.

    Then and only then did Vaner use a simple technique to amplify his voice, allowing him to save his throat from drying up and breaking apart.

    "There is no need for me to tell you how dire the times are upon us," Vaner started. "I don''t think I need to mention that there is a limit to how long we can survive while locked up in the sect!"

    This was the sad truth. Despite its glorious past, the skdder sect was heavily reliant on the basic resources that the outside world would provide them with in exchange for favors, protection, and other things that only cultivators could ever create or hunt down.

    And yet, the second the former patriarch decided to lock the sect up by copsing the only path that led inside, not only they lost their only mean of getting out��

    But what was even worse, they betrayed the faith of those who expected the skydder sect to protect them.

    ''Even if we drill out the hole through all the rubble copsed on the entrance, even if people outside somehow survived��'' Vaner bit his lips as he took a momentary pause in his speech.

    "That''s why, from now on, all the junior disciples and inner disciples of the sect will only have a single task. A simple job that''s crucial to everyone''s survival."

    Vaner made another pause. This time, however, it wasn''t something that he himself wanted, but something that he had to offer to the crowd gathered below.

    "Starting today, I expect every disciple to spend at least four hours working hard to remove all the rubble that blocks the only entrance to the sect!" Vaner announced his first ruling as the acting leader of the skdder sect.

    ''Even if we can no longer rely on the people outside�� we need to expand our influence beyond the insides of this sect.''

    "All the elders will be employed alongside you, ready to protect you in case of cave-ins. Those who will work exceptionally well might be rewarded with personal teaching from an elder of your choosing��"

    Vaner smiled.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "Or by participating in lessons that I will conduct myself!"

    An offer like this, in the past, would only make everyoneugh. Vaner was one of the weakest and the least popr elders in the entire sect, after all!

    But right now, he wasn''t just a simple elder. He was the first man to enter the sect�� by crossing over the mountain''s crown. The first to meet with the ancestral guardian spirit of the top terrace and remain alive to tell the tale.

    And what was most important, he was far more powerful than the mighty patriarch before him, something he proved by defeating and then locking them man up.

    "After surveying the state of our warehouses, we can feed everyone for the next three weeks," Vaner announced out loud what the surviving elders of the sect told him in secret. "So, if you don''t want to sumb to starvation, you better get to working," he added before turning around and heading right back to the throne hall.

    At first, the disciples didn''t dare to move from the spot where they were gathered. Yet, once all the elders followed Vaner into the hall��

    "I guess we better get moving," one of the disciples muttered before turning around and heading toward what used to be the sect''s entrance.

    Back in the throne hall, Vaner sat down on the patriarch''s seat at the head of the massive table. And soon, the elders started toe in with reports.

    "The disciples started to move towards the blocked entrance."

    "The disciples started to move the smaller pieces of rubble."

    "The disciples requested some help in breaking up the bigger pieces."

    Bit by bit, elders would either keep their job as messengers rying the progress of the work to Vaner directly or helpers that would remain on the work-site, ready to protect the disciples were any idents to happen.

    ''We need to get out of this trap and get as far as possible as we can,'' Vaner thought as he looked up through the panel of ss embedded into the roof of the building. ''The world was stable for thousands of years and so that strange wire within the mountain didn''t act up. But there is no telling what will happen once the shifting flow of mana will reach this ce as well.''

    This was the real reason why Vaner was willing to push the entire sect to work on this one particr task.

    Because in reality, if they were to go for extreme lengths, they could actually survive while closed off from the rest of the world.

    The herb and vegetable gardens of the sect could give them a month worth of food. By employing everyone to deconstruct all the free-standing buildings and tilt the fields freed in this way, they could gain a certain degree of sustainability.

    Yet, once the wire within the mountain would destabilize due to the changing flows of mana and the entire ancient structure were to start acting up��

    ''We need to get out of this ce and figure out what this wire is supposed to do,'' Vaner thought, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. ''I won''t let this mystery be left to rot away just because some monsters invaded!''

 Chapter 428 What A Fraud I Am (Still Vaners Pov)

    ''It''s been already two days,'' Vaner thought as he descended down the sect''s hall and moved along the main path through its open grounds.

    Back in the day, this path would lead outside of the sect and towards the major city that connected all themerce from the surrounding viges, allowing the sect members free ess to all the items they could ever want.

    Yet, as it was right now, this path lead to the location of the biggest job that was ever taken in this sect, save for when the ancestors settled those grounds down.

    Right now, this wide well-maintained path led to the excavation site, where all the sect members were working day and night to remove all the stone that blocked the only passage leading outside of the sect.

    ''Look at them go,'' Vaner thought a momentter when he climbed up a small hill. He could see the work site from there already, along with all the tiny silhouettes of disciples and elders alike, tirelessly working at breaking apart the huge boulders and then moving them out of the way.

    ''In the future, we could use all this material to build some more structures,'' Vaner thought, taking a mental note of this small idea. ''That is, assuming we will remain within the rtive safety of the sect grounds,'' he thought as he raised his eyes towards the terrace sides of the mountain the sect was hidden in.

    Even though it''s been a week since he entered the sect and imed the seat of its patriarch, Vaner has yet to find both time and the opportunity to leave everything behind and go look into what he found within the mountain before.

    An entire week during which those under him continued to dig out the stone while Vaner kept on doing his best to unbury himself from the mountain of paperwork that the death of the former sect master left him with.

    "Still..." Vaner muttered, making a voice for the first time since he left the sect hall. "The work is going even better than I expected it to," he admitted to the satisfaction of the two elders that apanied him.

    It was an unnecessary waste of manpower to have elders apany Vaner for every trip he made outside of his quarters. A needless pretense that led to those two elders wasting their time rather than contributing to the excavation job.

    Yet, at the same time, it was a pretense necessary to keep the lofty image of the sect''s patriarch, something Vaner was making full use of.

    "It''s good to hear, patriarch," one of the elders replied, his face brightening up a bit.

    Ever since Vaner''s announcement, the spirits of everyone in the sect were pretty low. While the time pressure that Vaner put on them led to everyone working their damn hardest�� It wasn''t a state of mind nor stress for the body that they could keep on for long without breaking.

    ''I guess I should help them out a bit,'' Vaner decided after observing the small changes appearing on the elder''s face.

    He then descended the hill and approached the very outer ring of the job area.

    "Patriarch!" the elder currently on the overseeing shift for the job cupped his hands together and lowered his head as soon as he noticed Vaner''s appearance. "It''s a blessing to have you here," he added through his clenched jaws.

    Vaner, just until recently, was considered one of the outcasts within the elders'' bunch. The lowest of the low could keep his seat as an elder only due to the former patriarch''s favor. As such, even a week after his sudden ascendance, there were still quite a lot of voices dissatisfied with his unexpected promotion.

    Yet��

    There were voices of dissatisfaction, yet no one dared to oppose him. The show that he gave when taking down the former sect patriarch along with his im to be blessed by the sect''s ancestral spirit itself was enough to stop even the most prideful and the dumbest of the elders from acting up.

    "Greetings, little brother," Vaner replied, making use of his authority again to call the other party with the official form only he in the entire sect was privy to. "It''s great to see you here. There is something I need you to do," Vaner then announced.

    "Your word is my will, patriarch," the elder replied, repeating the same gesture as before while hiding his dissatisfaction by lowering his head even further.

    "Call everyone out," Vaner requested. "At the current rate�� I''m worried we won''t make it in time," he added.

    The timeline that the sect had for clearing out the entrance from the rubble was the three weeks that Vaner announced, rather than four-to-five weeks that they could realistically survive. Because after opening the sect up�� there was no telling how long it would take them to find a stable source of food for everyone!

    "Esteemed Patriarch, are you��" the elder asked, opening his eyes wide. Yet, he cut his sentence short while shaking his head. "I understand. What I heard, I will fulfill," he then added before bowing again and leaving his spot.

    And quite interestingly, the look in his eyes changed a little. There was still quite a lot of unhappiness and displeasure�� but now, a hint of respect shed in the elder''s eyes as well.

    "Everyone!" the elder shouted as soon as he reached the entrance to what looked like a mine. "Get out this instant!"

    The elder''s shout was filled with the feeling of urgency, it was a voice one would use upon noticing the signs of the mine starting to fall apart.

    And as one would expect from simple disciples that were doing most of the digging, as soon as they heard the worried voice, they started to run out of the shaft at top speed.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Soon, all the disciples who were currently in the shaft escaped from what they perceived to be a lethal trap before gathering before the mine''s entrance.

    "Esteemed Patriarch��" the elder currently in charge of the work turned around and nodded his head towards Vaner.

    ''I guess it''s time for me to y my part,'' Vaner thought as he took a stride forward and moved past all the disciples only to stand right at the entrance of the mine.

    "Is everyone out?" Vaner asked. A single scan of mana was enough for him to confirm no soul was left in the tunnel�� but this kind of check wasn''t cinematic for his underlings enough. Or in other words, it didn''t give them enough of a caring patriarch impression to satisfy Vaner''s needs.

    "Yes, my patriarch," the elder in charge reported. "All the disciples are out and ounted for."

    "Great," Vaner muttered.

    He then closed his eyes and focused on his inner state, elerating both types of spiritual energy that danced inside his flesh.

    The air tensed up from the overbearing amount of energy that gathered right where the two separate flows within Vaner nearly started to merge.

    ''This attack��'' Vaner thought, bringing both of his flows to the absolute limit of how fast they could circte, ''will cut the path open!''

    Vaner encouraged himself before separating a small bit of energy from his basic flow. He then put his hands as close as he could without actually letting them touch.

    "BURST FORTH!" Vaner then shouted, sping his hands together and creating another point of contact between his two flows. This time, however, he allowed the small strand of free spiritual energy to get elerated by the natural point of contact between the flows, before shooting it right between his hands.

    The already elerated mana entered into the narrow space between the two flows, receiving yet another boost to its speed. And as it shot out of Vaner''s fingers, the skdder''s sect patriarch finally allowed it to take a proper, physical form.

    BOOM!

    A single strand of extremely condensed energy shot out of his fingers. The power of the projectile caused Vaner to wobble to the back, nearly losing his stability and failing to control the direction of the attack.

    "My patriarch!" One of the escorting elders was quick to notice the problem. He stepped forth and pressed his shoulder against Vaner''s back, stabilizing him in the spot.

    The ray of Vaner''s energy was so condensed it actually took a physical form, giving out a gentle, yellow light as it prated deeply into the tunnel.

    ''Expand!'' Vaner thought, opening his hands a tiny little bit and allowing the ray to turn wider at the cost of its power.

    And then, just like that, the entire event ended. The energy Vaner was willing to sacrifice for the job exhausted itself. The man shook on his feet.

    "Patriarch!" the same elder from before instantly reached out, helping Vaner to remain on his feet.

    "Now, we should be able to escape this prison in time," Vaner muttered in a weak voice, pretending to be exhausted to his limits. He then brought his arm up and rested it around the elder''s shoulders. His knees shook, threatening to give up under the weight of his body. "Help me back to the sect hall," he ordered in what could only be ssified as a whisper.

    ''A perfect showcase of how far I''m willing to go for the sect,'' Vaner internally smiled.

    Yet, as he turned around, he was faced with a wall of unmoving disciples and elders of the sect alike.

    ''Did I overdo it?'' Vaner suddenly started to worry. ''Are they trying to use this chance to take me down?''

    The people before Vaner sped their hands together and bowed down like one man.

    "This disciple greets the patriarch!" they all shouted at once, showcasing their gratitude for Vaner''s sacrifice.

    The tips of Vaner''s lips quivered a little.

    ''Even though its just an act��'' he thought, before closing his eyes for a second. And as he opened them, Vaner could no longer hold back his smile. ''What a fraud I am,'' he self-loathingly thought before raising his hand and nodding towards the crowd. "I helped as much as I could, cough, cough," he said before bending in half while bitting the inner side of his cheek only to then pretend to cough blood. "But now, it''s up to you to finish the job."

 Chapter 429 Vaners Enlightenment

    "This disciple greets the patriarch!"

    The sound of this one, uniform shouting out of nearly a hundred throats at once apanied Vaner as he retreated from the excavation site.

    "The disciples are really thankful for your help, patriarch," the escorting elder whispered. "No, we all are," he then added, changing his message a bit.

    "I only did what I should," Vaner muttered in response, still struggling with an impostor syndrome running rampant in his soul.

    "Be it as it may, the former patriarch wouldn''t bother toe forth and personally help with this kind of ordinary job," the elder disagreed. He then raised his fist to his lips, hiding the small chuckle that followed. "In fact, he would admonish me for merely disagreeing with him just like I did with you right now, Patriarch," the middle-aged elder added.

    "Long years of sitting at the top of the sect made him grow arrogant and blind to the truths of the world," Vaner muttered in a mysterious voice. "There is no shame for cultivators to do menial work if that''s what''s necessary. And there is no shame in challenging beliefs that people grewfortable with either," he added.

    "What do you mean, Patriarch?" the elder asked, leaning his head over his shoulder in confusion.

    "Do you remember the day I came back?" Vaner asked while raising his chin and locking his hands behind his back. "Or rather, what was the topic of the discussion at the sect''s hall when I stepped inside?"

    "It''s only been a week since then, how could I forget?" The elder shook his head. "You''ve returned only a few moments after the former patriarchshed out against those who wished to follow the tradition and challenge the patriarch''s seat by climbing thedder steps," he reminded.

    "It''s a pity I couldn''t return even a little earlier," Vaner muttered. "We wouldn''t have to mourn five of our brothers, then," he added while averting his eyes to the side.

    ''If only I knew, I wouldn''t waste time trying to uncover the secrets of what''s inside the sect''s structure,'' he thought, gritting his teeth. ''And what''s even worse, even if I will have to look for ways to learn more about those things, it''s not something I can easily share with others.''

    "Their sacrifice is pitiful but it was also necessary," Vaner''s escort stated. "If they didn''t take a stance about your predecessor, you would never know about his wish to upy the sect''s patriarchal seat, even if it went against the tradition," he pointed out.

    "Are you aware that you are actually wrong?" Vaner muttered while squinting his eyes a little.

    "Patriarch?" the elder hesitated. "What could you mean by that?"

    "It''s exactly what I meant before," Vaner heaved a long sigh. "Blindly following tradition just for tradition''s sake��" he shook his head. "In fact, the patriarch had all the right to stay in power in a time of turmoil like the one we are in right now," Vaner stated.

    "Patriarch��?"

    "That is, until I came down to the very top of the sect with the sect''s ancestral spirit''s blessing," Vaner then added with a small smile. "But were I to find a different way to the sect, one that didn''t require me to get over the crown of the mountain��" Vaner deliberately put a pause on his words.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    "The blessing of the sect''s ancestral spiritual guardian is the source of the ultimate authority within the sect. It proves ess to a direct lineage to the chief of the ancestors who settled this sect in the first ce��" Vaner revealed with a small smile while doing nothing but reciting the excerpts from the sect chronicles that he used to read in his spare time.

    And then he froze.

    "Patriarch?" the escorting elder asked, puzzled by Vaner''s sudden stop.

    "Direct lineage to the chief of the ancestors who settled this ce," Vaner muttered, lowering his head. His eyes lost their focus as the man sank deep into his thoughts.

    ''There was no ancestral spirit at all, just some sort of a mechanism that used anguage that I never even heard about,'' Vaner thought, his mind going into overdrive.

    This seemingly random excerpt from the book became a seedling that strived to sprout into a nt of knowledge. Yet, for it to happen, it had to be watered with other information that would allow Vaner to connect all the points within the picture.

    ''This entire sect is nothing else but some sort of an ancient structure. And a massive undertaking of this scale had toe with some sort of purpose.''

    Vaner reached out with his hand and rested in on the elder''s arm. He then rested his entire weight on the poor elder''s shoulder, giving up on everything that didn''t directly contribute to his current process of enlightenment.

    ''I can''t tell what purpose it was, but I can tell that even after several millennia, some sort of power still lingers within this structure. And that means��''

    Vaner''s legs became unsteady. His eyes turned cloudy.

    ''No, I won''t figure out anything like that!'' the middle-aged man suddenly screamed from the bottom of his mind, clenching his jaws in desperation to keep his shout behind the barrier of his lips.

    ''I need to find out more, learn more,'' Vaner thought, his eyes opening up wide and turning towards the very crown of the mountain that surrounded and locked the entire sect within the ancient structure. ''And if I want to learn more��''

    Vaner gulped down his saliva. He then blinked his eyes a few times only for his eyes to track down all the paths that he could take to ascend through the terraces.

    ''The skdder sect,'' Vaner thought. ''Adder that leads to the skies,'' he thought, raising his head even further, looking beyond the mountain and towards the bright yet cloudy sky.

    "It''s no use," Vaner whispered, too dazed to even notice the terrified expressions on his escort''s face. "If I want to find out more, I need to climb thedder to reach the skies!"

 Chapter 430 “Property Of Sigma Corporation”

    "Patriarch, allow us to apany you," both of the escorting elders took a knee and lowered their heads, requesting at the same time.

    Vaner lowered his eyes and looked at his loyal followers.

    ''No, they are not loyal to me,'' he thought, squinting his eyes a little bit. ''They are loyal to the sect.''

    "I will allow it," he said before flinging the cloth of his robe to the back and heading directly to the stairs leading toward the first level of the terraces. "Follow me!"

    The initial part of the task was as simple as it could get. The pressure on the first several levels was too little even for most of the disciples to notice. In fact, the only reason why people wished to obtain the right to have their lodging at the higher terraces of the lower levels came with the status that it granted.

    Yet, as the trio continued to climb higher and higher, even Vaner himself could feel the pressure slowly mounting up.

    ''It''s getting harder to breathe,'' he thought once they reached the tenth level of the terraces. It was already near the highest most of the sect members could go, save for some of the strongest elders and the patriarch himself. ''Which is weird, given how I have a blessing of whatever it is believed to be the sect guardian spirit.''

    So far, the climb was no different from just a field trip that the new sect disciples could enjoy as a reward for some minor aplishment. Yet, as the small group moved beyond the area where the sect members constructed stairs and reached the point where one had to use thedders to climb, Vaner could see his escorting elders quickly starting to lose their motivation.

    Their foreheads were full of sweat, their breathing was rugged and heavy.

    It was pretty damn obvious that they were straining themselves to keep up with Vaner''s leisure pace, even though they have yet to cross the twentieth level!

    ''Just how far did this sect fall from grace,'' Vaner thought to himself as he cast yet another nce upon his escort. He then heaved a deep sigh and shook his head.

    "That''s enough," Vaner said.

    "P-patriarch?" the elder to Vaner''s right muttered, raising his face. The elder to Vaner''s other side couldn''t even raise his head, making use of the stop to rest as much as he could, desperately trying to stabilize his breathing. "W-we can still go on!" the elder on Vaner''s right imed while gritting his teeth.

    "I''m d that you apanied me so far," Vaner said, doing his utmost to dry his voice from all the irony that the other party was sure to look for in his words.

    ? They were still on the eighteenth floor, a result that some of the inner sect disciples could easily break. The fact that the elders could climb only that far had to weigh heavily upon their consciousness.

    "But from here and out, I need to make this trip on my own," Vaner stated in a kind voice. He even went as far as to reach out with his hands and ce them on his escort''s heads. "What I need right now are elders that know their limits and that are willing to do their best to break past them. Not elders who will force themselves to go further than it''s possible for them, even if at the cost of their lives."

    "Patriarch, I��" the elder to Vaner''s right muttered before powerlessly hanging his head. "This junior understands," he then said, forcing his upper body up a little only to cup his hands together. Then, as if someone suddenly amped the gravity in the ce, his body fell heavily to the ground.

    ''We are still not as high as to make this pressure threatening to their lives,'' Vaner thought, turning around and walking across the terrace and towards a simple, olddder that connected the floor to the higher level. ''It''s best to leave them be. Trying to call for help would only hurt their pride.''

    After abandoning his escorts, Vaner was forced to make the rest of his trip all on his own. And so, he continued to climb terrace after terrace, quickly reaching the thirty-seventh floor.

    ''That''s as far as I ever went before,'' Vaner thought, taking a short break at this particr floor.

    Back when he visited it thest time, he could barely move his body by an inch after employing all the strength that he could muster. Even then, he failed to even reach half of the terrace''s length.

    ''If I remember correctly, it was somewhere around here,'' Vaner thought as he approached the edge of the terrace and looked down.

    There was a drop of roughly twenty meters down before he could see another terrace below.

    ''If not for this terrace down there, I would''ve died on that day,'' Vaner thought, allowing himself a short moment of recollection. Then, he shook his head and turned his eyes toward thedder only a few meters away.<novelnext>  </novelnext>

    Back in the past, he couldn''t reach it. Those few steps were an impassable distance for him, something that he would have to give his life to cross. But now��

    Now, Vaner leisurely walked the few steps before grabbing thedder and ascending to the higher floor. And then another. Then, the next one.

    Bit by bit, Vaner kept on moving up the side of the mountain�� yet, save for how it gradually turned harder to breathe, he couldn''t feel any sort of pressure pushing him down to the ground.

    ''Now that I think about it, the force that I felt back then wasn''t the same as what I noticed when inspecting these strange cables within the mountain,'' Vaner noticed while leisurely climbing thedder leading to the seventy-fifth floor. ''Does it mean, the ancients who made it mastered the power of gravity?'' Vaner put forth a random guess.

    ''Still, if it was gravity, then wouldn''t the pressure grow the lower one would get rather than raising as one climbed up?'' Vaner thought a mere momentter as he stepped upon the eighty-third floor.

    And a mere ten minutester, he finally reached his destination. The ny-eight floor, just two floors below the one terrace that allowed one to peek over the crown of the mountain, the terrace where he encountered whatever his colleagues imed to be the sect''s guardian spirit.

    "There it is," Vaner muttered to himself before peeking down the mountain slope.

    At this height, he could no longer see the details of the people moving around the sect grounds. Even the buildings turned into meaningless dots within the small pond of green at the bottom of the mountain. Then, the patriarch of the skdder sect turned his eyes towards something that shouldn''t be there.

    An opening in the side of the mountain. Opening that allowed him to see the same, golden-brown cables that he first found when trying to dig through the mountainside a few days before.

    ''It''s embedded into the ceiling,'' Vaner thought as he approached the opening. Yet, as he stood by the entrance, he couldn''t help but notice a que with some strange runes imprinted upon it.

    ''I wonder what it means,'' Vaner thought, raising his hand above the edge of the entrance and running his fingers across the runes.

    "XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX" a strange voice exploded in Vaner''s head.

    A massive outburst of pain followed instantly, making the man feel as if something was drying his brain while picking it apart, one strand after the other.

    And then, it all came to an end, as if he never felt that pain in the first ce.

    "What the hell was that��" Vaner muttered, feeling a strange tightness press from the inside of his chest. Yet, as he attempted to use whatever was below his hand to support himself, the voice from before appeared in his head once again.

    This time, however, not only was it free of pain, but it actually carried some sort of a message rather than a set of sharp, impossible-to-understand notes that only pretended to form some sort of humannguage.

    "Technical Maintenance Shaft"

    The voice said.

    Vaner''s hand slid down the que, only for his fingers to rub against a small dent below it.

    "Authorized personnel only."

    Vaner''s fingers slid even further down as the shock took over Vaner''s mind.

    "Property of Sigma Corporation"

 Chapter 431 To Save The Past While The Future Crumbles

    "What grandiose names��" Vaner muttered while retracting his hand from the wall.

    "Authorization I can understand. Corporation likely is an archaic word for cooperation�� But Sigma? Technical maintenance?"

    Vaner shook his head.

    "No, I won''t get anywhere with just guesses. I can''t mix those words either," he told himself as he took a step back from the entrance and sat down, staring at the que he could see and the parts of the wall that invoked the words despite its runes being long lost to the decay.

    "Technical Maintenance Shaft��" Vaner muttered, staring at the only ce with the runes left.

    "Shaft�� Is this some sort of an ancient joke?" he thought, grasping at the straws. "If it''s the shaft, then there should be a shroom and balls somewhere!"

    Vaner shook his head to the side, hoping to see some clues in his surroundings.

    But not a single part of any of the highest terraces appeared to be anywhere close to the structure of the penis that Vaner had in mind.

    ''Wait, maybe I''m looking at it from the wrong perspective?'' he thought. Then, he stood up and looked down the inner slope of the mountain.

    ''Maybe the shroom is supposed to be down there?'' Vaner squinted his eyes as he recalled the details of whaty at the bottom of the mountain hole. ''But I can''t recall any ravine between two hills standing side by side. There are no random ponds or sources of water either,'' he thought before raising his eyes and looking at the crown.

    ''Assuming the shroom would be down there, then there should be a mark for the balls somewhere within the crown��''

    Vaner scanned the topmost part of the mountain�� but to no avail.

    ''If that''s not it, then what?'' he asked himself as he went right back to square one.

    ''Maintenance�� Maybe this word has the same meaning as it does today?'' Vaner put forth a courageus guess. ''Maintenance shaft��'' he kept on repeating the words in his mind, only for his eyes to inevitably oscite towards the opening in the side of the mountains.

    "Wait, why am I looking outside when this que clearly describes where this door leads?" Vaner jumped up to his feet, baffled by his own ipetence.

    "And maintenance shaft��" he then repeated, taking a step closer towards the hole in the mountain. "Maybe it''s not a penis joke at all, but the shape of this tunnel!"

    Vaner shook his head, forcibly removing all his excitement from his soul.

    ''It will do me no good to be hasty,'' he reminded himself before taking a deep breath and then slowly releasing all the air out from his lungs.

    "It''s a maintenance shaft. And of a Tech-Nyi-Cail type, whatever the ancients could mean by that," he muttered to himself.

    Vaner then gulped his saliva down as he took a step towards the entrance.

    Right now, only the invisible wall of courage separated him from the hole. A barrier that only stupidity, courage, or information could break.

    ''Let''s think about the other things the voice called,'' Vaner decided, retreating the hand that he almost broke past the barrier with.

    "Authorized personnel only," Vaner repeated the words that he heard from the ancient spirit guardian, or whatever in fact it was. "Authorization I can understand. Personnel most likely has something to do with the person, while only means to restrict the entry," Vaner analyzed every word.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Or in simpler terms, people who are authorized might pass those doors," Vaner muttered to himself.

    He then heaved a sigh of relief.

    ''Am I just that intelligent or is it just luck that at least parts of this mystery are rtively easy to solve?'' he thought while allowing a bit of pride to fill his thoughts.

    Then, his mood soured as a realization struck him.

    ''That, or maybe it was designed to fool me into believing it''s all that simple?'' Vaner put forth yet another guess, before shaking his head and dropping the topic, moving on to thest set of clues.

    "Property of Sigma corporation," Vaner muttered. "Meaning of property is obvious. Yet, it also implies that this entire structure��" Vaner whispered before taking a step back.

    Then, he looked down and along the entire length of the massive mountain.

    "That means, this entire thing��" he gulped his saliva down as he struggled to ept the realization that kept on banging at the doors of his mind.

    "A mystery of our world, a structure that nature should never be able to make on its own��" Vaner took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Not only was it made with a human hand�� but it also belonged to some sort of a group?!"

    Vaner was no stranger to the concept of obscenely rich people. He met a fair share of filthy wealthy merchants and cultivators, people so rich they could treat entire sects or even nations as handymen or pieces on the board of their business.

    Yet, they were all limited by what fits within human perception. Meanwhile, given how this thing required a marking, not only this damnndmark was an item that a certain group of people owned�� then clearly, as something that had to be marked, it wasn''t the only one of its kind to belong to the same faction!

    "Sigma corporation�� Sigma cooperation," Vaner tranted the ancient words into ones he could betterprehend. "Were they some sort of overlords of the ancient era?" he asked himself. "Or maybe I''m misunderstanding something and they only owned a part of this entirendmark?" he then thought as his eyes wandered back to the erased parts above the entrance to the mountain hole.

    ''That would exin the need for marking it up,'' Vaner thought, quickly leaning to ept this new idea as it was far easier for him to stomach.

    "But that also means, I can no longer figure out anything just from the outside��" Vaner muttered to himself as he approached the hole in the mountainside yet again.

    He then breathed heavily as he reached out with his hand�� only to stop it just an inch away from the invisible barrier that his own fear created.

    "Even if I reached the top of this world, I might be nothing more but an insignificant insect in the eyes of the ancients that constructed all of this," Vaner thought, his sadness causing a long wrinkle to appear on his forehead.

    Then, his eyes wandered off to the abyss just a few steps behind him.

    "Even if I die here, they should be able to get out," he muttered to himself. And once again, his eyes gravitated back towards the mysterious door.

    "Maybe that''s what my entire life was all about?" Vaner suddenly asked himself. "To risk my life as an explorer of the past while the future of the world is crumbling?"

    The patriarch of the skdder sect closed his eyes and allowed the feeling of those words to coax his soul for a moment.

    "Right as the world is falling apart, I would set out on a mission to save the records of the might the humans once wielded," he muttered, his motivation swelling up in his insides.

    "So that even if our world were to crumble, one day, all this knowledge, all this might, all those wonders��" Vaner took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "won''t be fully erased," he whispered, taking a step forward.

 Chapter 432 Testing The Formation (Arthurs Pov)

    I started with a tiny bit of mana and infused it into the formation.

    This wasn''t the first time for me to apply mana to those particr formation stones, but it was the very first time for me to try doing it in apleted project.

    The first stone lit up in one color. Then the second one. And then a third color appeared, proving that all the formations within worked out correctly.

    Then, the second stone lit up. And then the next.

    In just a few moments, all the stones within the formation lit up. Next, they all started to blink one by one, proving that the mana circting through the arrays continued to flow without any issues.

    "I still don''t think it will work," Levimented while looking over my shoulder at the formation disyed on the auction house''s stage.

    "I''m not going to argue with you," I replied. "Showing you that I''m right will be easier," I then added with a shrug of my shoulders.

    I could see that all the fail-checks went through from how the stones shed their lights in the correct order and without missing even a single one.

    So, unless adding the treasures that would fuel the formation would end up causing too much mana flow through the arrays and burn the stones out, there wasn''t anything that could fail anymore.

    "Once I prove my words, I might exin where I source all my confidence," I then added.

    So, instead of wasting time, I simply pulled out all the fake treasures I prepared in advance before cing them all down in their spots on the formation.

    Another nudge of manater, and the entire formation started to work as I designed it.

    The arrays within the stones sucked all the energy from the fake treasures before elerating them all the way to the point their tolerance allowed.

    "It''s almost painful to watch��" Levi sighed with a disappointed expression on his face.

    Yet, his disappointment was soon reced by a sudden bout of surprise and his entire body juking to the side, escaping the powerful nudge aimed right at his side.

    I didn''t do anything to cause such a reaction, though.

    Only when Levi moved out of the way I could see Mia''s elbow right where Levi''s side used to be.

    And once a new kind of light appeared, I reached out with my hand toward the very center of the formation.

    ''Absorb,'' I thought, sucking in all the free-flowing mana within the formation''s center.

    The mana surged�� and just like that, I ended up recovering the great majority of all the energy that I invested into creating the treasures in the first ce.

    ''First time?'' I thought to myself, slowly retracting the hand while staring nkly at the stones of my formation.

    I knew that it would all work fine. I did all the checks in advance, testing every part on its own before putting them together in every possiblebination and then testing them again.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And yet�� there was a small part inside me that didn''t want to believe that I could actuallyplete this monstrosity of a formation on its first try.

    Just like an IT coder finishing up the alpha stage of the program and then sending it topile, I expected some unforeseeable problem to appear and lowkey prove Levi right.

    "First try��" I then muttered again as the realization slowly lodged itself in my mind. "I actually did it on a first try��" I gulped my saliva down.

    "FIRST TIME, GOD DAMN IT!" I shouted, startling the few cultivators busy cleaning the other part of the main hall of the auction house.

    "What''s there to be so happy about it?" Levi asked, genuinely confused if not even concerned with my outburst. "It''s a miracle that this mess of a formation worked�� but it''s not something that you should be so damn happy about!"

    "Master, listen��" I shook my head and muttered. Then, I ced my hand on Levi''s shoulder before leaning over his ear and whispering, ''do you really think I took so long just toplete such a simple formation?''

    Levi''s body twitched a little.

    But rather than letting him figure out the rest on his own, I continued to whisper.

    "It took me all this time only because I intentionally made it look as bad as I possibly could. I also had to limit what it was capable of achieving so that no one would bother me toe up with impossible stuff if the first formation I gave them was already on a high level."

    I released a deep sigh and shook my head.

    "To bepletely honest, if I made a perfectly organized formation on the same level ofplexity as this one��" I smiled. "It would be a national treasure all on its own�� For the split of a second, it would take for the materials I would use to make it to burn out and turn to ashes due to its power."

    "I��" Levi hesitated. He then shook his head before hanging it down in a gesture of surrender. "I see," he muttered.

    And for the first time since the topic of the formation started, his expression became that of genuine respect. A respect that soon gave birth to a satisfied, proud smile. "And here I was worried my teachings all flew out of your head," he added as his lips added a slight, ugly twist to his smile.

    Levi then shook his head again, depriving his smile of all the unsavory notes.

    "I guess you are all within your right to celebrate," he admitted while spreading his arms out wide.

    "Yeah, I am," I agreed shamelessly. Yet, with the formation working just as expected, I had the necessary confidence to act the part.

    Yet, rather than just jumping to create the ''yupikayey'' gesture, I reached out and grabbed Mia by her waist before lifting her up and turning myself on the spot.

    "I did it!" I eximed again, "first try!"

    I swung the girl around, epting the smile that she graced me in return��

    Only to hear an ugly crack from right below my feet!

 Chapter 433 Let There Be... Carnage?

    "What the��!" A small shout escaped from my lips�� Only for my body to react before my mind could catch up.

    My footing became unsteady. There was something wrong with the nks of the stage. I noticed it before�� but I didn''t expect them to deteriorate so quickly!

    Yet, this wasn''t the right time to ponder over the situation. Not when I still had Mia raised up and above me!

    "Watch out!" I shouted, bringing my elbows to the back before pushing the girl out into the air.

    Maybe the nks finally reached their limit. Or maybe the violent move I executed caused me to step even harder on them, putting too much pressure on their weakened structure.

    Whatever it is, didn''t change the oue.

    The nks that made up the stage broke. Deprived of my footing, my leg sank down.

    ''Dang,'' I thought when my feet touched solid ground only about half a meter down.

    The stage was built on top of the building''s ground floor, as an elevation for presentation purposes for when a huge auction would be taking ce. As such, the drop wasn''t dangerous at all. The only reason why I freaked out, was over how sudden it was.

    "Are you okay?!" Mia came running as soon as shended and recovered her stability.

    "I''m okay, don''t worry," I quickly replied, looking down at the hole in the stage and the thousands of splinters that desperately tried to prate my skin.

    If I was a normal mortal, both of my legs would be in an extremely sorry state. In fact, I could see them getting injured so bad there would be no other option but to amputate them both��

    But I wasn''t just a mere mortal. I was a cultivator sh mage sh overpowered reincarnator. And I wouldn''t be worthy of any of those names if something so silly could endanger me in any way or form!

    "I was just surprised��" I muttered, ashamed of my own outburst.

    I shook my head before forcibly making my way forward, breaking all the wood that stood in my path. Thanks to how near the edge I ced the formation, I only needed to take three steps before I broke through the edge of the stage, leaving behind a trail of broken wood behind me.

    "I guess we won''t avoid the need to rebuild it," I muttered while looking back at the ce.

    "It shouldn''t take that long toplete it," Mia quickly chimed in, ready to encourage me even if in a matter as small as this one.

    "Still, it''s baffling how quickly it would deteriorate," I pointed out, puzzled by that fact.

    The world started toe apart only about a week ago. And even if this city was struck with the very first wave of the mana monsters, that would still mean there was only a week worth ofck of maintenance for the ce.

    And a wooden stage�� shouldn''t be so fragile so quickly, even if it were to be exposed to elements throughout all that time!

    "Well, whatever the case, we need to tear it all down before we even think about rebuilding it anew," I pointed out.

    "What about the formation?" Levi asked, reminding me of his presence in the area.

    Throughout the sudden crash, he remained in his ce, not bothered by the situation at all.

    ''Is his processing power that much better than mine, or is it just his experience?'' I pondered for a moment.

    "Don''t worry," I said out loud, glossing over the topic that went through my mind. I then swung my wrist, sucking at all the residual mana left in the formation stones of my creation.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And just like the wardens or other formation stones, I would use to deploy my mage''s tower, the stones I crafted just a short while ago all flew up from the wooden rubble and ended up obediently cuddling up on the palm of my hand.

    "We can set it up somewhere else," I then said with a small grin on my lips. "Worst case scenario, we couldy it down right on the floor," I thought out loud while giving the area a nce.

    Yet, my lips soon twisted in an ugly grimace.

    "But I still would prefer to build a stage dedicated to this formation," I admitted.

    "So you are just going to add more work for everyone," Levi sighed, shaking his head before tapping his hands against his hips and looking up. "As if there wasn''t enough work on our hands already��"

    I wanted a stage for the formation to put an emphasis on its importance. It wasn''t just a quirky decision of mine but a ploy to keep on building the morale of the rag-tag group of cultivators we ended up with.

    For a moment, I felt the desire to say all of it out loud�� Only to end up quelling this drive and just shaking my head while letting Levi''s remarks pass.

    "I''m not adding more work, I''m just updating what needs to be done," I ultimately said, picking the words that would allow me to avoid the silly conflict with my former master.

    And I did so because I could tell where his saltiness wasing from.

    Sure, he praised my formations and retracted the words of scorn that he produced when he first saw it. Yet, in a sense of pride, I still pped him in the face by proving him wrong!

    As such, it was only natural for him to be a bit unhappy.

    "We need a ce where we can address everyone from," I stated. Then, I bit my lips as I realized that simply ignoring the topic would encourage Levi to use this kind of approach in the future. "And putting the formation on a stage would put a greater emphasis on its importance," I added, ready to start a small sh of words with pathfinder.

    "Do you think it is really that important?" Levi asked, raising his eyebrows a bit.

    I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the conflict that was about to erupt.

    "Yeah. This will help us prove to all those cultivators that it''s indeed a good idea to stick with us," I argued.

    "Well then," Levi patted his hips again. "Since you are so sure about it, then shall we start taking this stage apart?" he suggested, betraying my expectations and actually going along with my flow.

    "I could do it all on my own with a single swipe of my hand��" he muttered only to end up shaking his head with what appeared to be a disappointment. "But I don''t want to risk copsing the entire building while I''m at it. So, I guess we should go about it the simpler way."

    ''So rather than arguing over my points, he will boast about his strength,'' I noticed. Then, a small smile quivered in the corner of my lips.

    "Right, I think so too," I agreed, taking the olive branch and burying the hatchet before it could properly get unburied in the first ce. "Mia," I turned my head and looked at my beloved. "Are you ready?"

    "To take this stage apart?" the girlughed out, showing yet another one of her lovely and slightly excited smiles. "I prefer to build stuff up," she imed, only for a mischievous tone to sneak up into her smile. "But I can''t deny the charm of fucking stuff up every once in a while!"

    "That''s my girl," I praised, reaching out with my hand and messing up Mia''s hair a bit.

    I then turned around to face the stage and allowed a wide smile to appear on my lips.

    "Well then, everyone," I muttered before spreading my arms open, ready to rip the wood from the floor apart. "Let there be carnage!"

 Chapter 434 An Impossible Discovery

    "Let there be... carnage!" I shouted... only for my expression to break apart, turning into an uncontroble burst ofughter.

    "What?" Levi asked, baffled b my sudden outburst.

    "It''s nothing," I replied right away, wiping the tears of joy from my eyes as I leaned forward, readying myself for the task of destruction. "I''m justughing at how silly I was," I admitted, opting not to use words like ''cringe'' that both my former master and current lover could fail to understand. "Either way, let''s not waste time," I urged everyone, covering the fact that it was my own silliness that stalled for time.

    And so, we began the joyous task of destruction.

    While I was quite interested in seeing how Mia would go around the task, I opted to focus on my own actions instead. And so, I ripped the nks off their structural support. Whenever I would see a more stable part of the structure, I would simply mess it up with a punch or a kick, turning the nks that could be potentially reused in construction into mere wooden scraps only fit to be used as firewood.

    Splinters flew out from the nks that I would break while the job of brutal deconstruction processed. And soon, what used to be quite the tform for exhibitions and speeches, turned into a mess of wooden rubble covering the dusty floor formerly hidden underneath.

    "Alright," I breathed out, taking a few steps back and allowing my eyes to measure the area. "That should do it."

    "It looks like you enjoyed yourself," Mia pointed out with a small chuckle, pushing her hair into ce as she looked at me with an amused expression on her face.

    "I could say the same about you," I replied, smiling from the bottom of my heart when I looked back at the girl.

    This was the joy that only someone madly in love could feel. To enjoy short moments of conversation while at the job so much felt pretty much unnatural to me. Yet, it would be one massive lie to im I didn''t enjoy this feeling quite a bit.

    "All that we need to do now is to move all the rubble out," Mia said, turning her attention back to the task at hand. She then stepped through the broken pile of wood underneath her feet. "We should spread the rubble out a bit before leaving it for others to..." she said as she started to kick the bigger piles...

    Only to turn silent when her legs suddenly ended up stuck on something solid.

    "Huh?" Mia twitched, surprised by the sudden resistance under her feet.

    She pulled her eyebrows together before kicking at a pile of wooden rubble again... only for her foot to end up stuck in the exact same ce as before!

    "That''s weird," she muttered, pulling her leg back and squatting down before pushing the wood scraps out of the way.

    "Something wrong?" I asked, looking away from the piles of wooden rubbles that I started to spread out with kicks just like Mia suggested.

    "Arty..." the girl muttered in a strangely tense voice for the amusing task of random and silly destruction. "I think you shoulde and see this," she said, turning her head to the side and giving me a serious look.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked, approaching Mia''s side and taking a look down... Only to then freeze on the spot.

    There was something that didn''t fit the scenery, hidden below a shallowyer of wooden scraps.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I fell down on one knee and swiped all the wood out of the way... Only to look at a massive metal cap.

    It was circr in shape. It had a radius of nearly a single meter, making it the biggest piece of solid metal that I saw in this world since reincarnating into it.

    "The hell is this..." I muttered under my breath as I reached down with my hand and touched the metal. I then closed my eyes before pushing a tiny bit of my mana to inspect the structure of this strange, massive cap. ''A cover for the hidden treasury or something?'' I came up with a guess.

    Soon, the results of my scouting made my guess all the more likely.

    "It''s not just one big piece of solid metal," I muttered, burrowing my furrows in confusion. "It''s outfitted with more formations and defensive arrays than I ever saw in anything that didn''te out of my hand!"

    That alone was a shocking revtion. Because unless there was somend that boasted an impossible level of advantage over the others in terms of formation making, then I was pretty much confident in upying the highest ranks of the formation making in the entire world.

    It was an effect of taking IT education and applying it to magic, something that only another reincarnator like me could possibly ever do.

    Yet, this wasn''t even the most worrying part about the cap that I discovered.

    Because sure, just like I said out loud, it had an insanely high number of high-quality formations fitted within its structure.

    What I didn''t announce out loud, though, was how those formations were far moreplex than anything I came up with in my life!

    "What''s with this state-of-the-art technology being buried underneath a simple, wooden stage of some random auction house?" I whispered, caressing the surface of the metal cap with my fingers. ''And how in all hells it went by unnoticed for all this time?''

    I didn''t know how far spanned the history of the auction house we were currently in. What I knew for sure, though, was that it wasn''t an organization that appeared recently.

    Then, a single memory surfaced in my mind.

    "Didn''t you say that this auction house was a hidden branch of the royal family used to control and oversee their domain?" I asked, turning my eyes to the side and giving Mia an intense look.

    "T-that''s right..." Mia muttered, slightly overwhelmed by the intensity of my stare. "Is it bad?" she then asked, her curiosity getting one better over her shock.

    "I wouldn''t necessarily say it''s bad..." I replied while turning my attention back to the item, the existence of which I couldn''t rationally exin. "It''s just that..." I hesitated, struggling to find the right words to describe what I was feeling.

    "I don''t think anyone currently alive could ever hope to create something like this seemingly simple piece of metal."

 Chapter 435 Mystery Of The Metal Cap

    The discovery was something I definitely didn''t expect.

    First, I could ept the existence of a treasury hidden out in nearly in sight. After all, hardly any thief would bother looking through the main room of an auction hall for a ce where all the treasuries of the auction would be hidden. Secondly, I could understand if the most important treasury of the rich auction house additionally acting on behalf of the royals of the entire country would have a high level of defenses set up.

    But...

    But the quality of this metal cap and the formations imprinted on it didn''t make sense in any of the scenarios that I could think of.

    "What do you think it is?" Mia asked in a hushed voice.

    I only shared a bit of what I discovered about this cap. And Mia, in all her glory, managed to figure out it was something that she shouldn''t talk out loud.

    "I''m not sure yet," I admitted in a simrly hushed voice. I then shook my head and raised my eyes.

    Levi was standing right to our sides. And while his face was filled with curiosity, there was nothing on it that would indicate he had any clue about the real origins of this cap.

    "Levi..." I muttered. I then gulped down my saliva and took a moment to think. "This thing... It''s way bigger than I expected." I opted to go with the perfect honesty route. "I need you to ensure I won''t be disturbed while I''m analyzing this thing."

    Levi''s eyes widened in surprise before his expression turned into one of the utmost seriousness. He nodded without saying a word and started to move away, only to end up talking with the few cultivators that were busy cleaning the other parts of the huge room from the rubble.

    He talked with them for a while, before turning around and giving me a short look. Then, the cultivators simply picked up and left, only for Levi to follow after them without saying another word.

    ''I wonder what he told them,'' I thought, surprised by apleteck of a huge reaction from even a single of the cultivators.

    I was curious... But I wasn''t going to let my random curiosity distract me from the real treasure of the unknown right beside me.

    "Do you think it is really something that important?" Mia asked, her voice filled with suspicion even as she took a step back and allowed me to have some space to analyze the cap.

    I only gave her an uncertain nod in response as I focused my mana on top of the metal cap, pushing it inside its structure in an attempt to find out what exactly was going on here.

    As soon as my mana seeped through the cap''s structure, however, I froze again.

    It wasn''t just because of howplex every formation embedded within this metal disk was or because of how ridiculously powerful its magical defenses were set up; no - what really made me freeze was how familiar those formations felt!

    I''ve never created a formation like the ones I could see within the cap. I never encountered any formation like it either. Because what was familiar about those formations... wasn''t within the formation part. What I was actually familiar with was the style in which they were set up.

    ''It''s like something a proper programmist would create,'' I thought, gulping my saliva down.

    "Calm down, dear," Mia whispered softly, reaching out and using the corner of her sleeve to wipe the sweat that covered my forehead.

    Given theplexity of the formations within the cap, just inspecting them without disturbing the flow of the mana within was forcing me into a state of extreme focus. And yet, regardless of how hard I tried... I couldn''t prate anywhere deeper than just the topmostyer of the formations!

    ''If analyzing the cap won''t work...'' I thought, pushing myself to think outside of the box. ''Wait, thinking outside of the box?'' I thought, only for a small smile to emerge on my lips.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And so, I retracted all the mana from within the cap.

    "Since I can''t analyze it in this way," I muttered to myself, "then let''s do it the old-fashioned way!"

    Rather than exining my intentions to Mia, I grabbed a random piece of a broken nk before using it as a makeshift shovel to discard all the rubble that covered the circumference of the cap. Then, I smashed my fist a few times into the tiling of the floor, crushing it into pieces and destroying its internal structure. Then, with the wooden shovel back in my hand, I started to dig... All the way to the point where I could no longer get any deeper.

    ''Isn''t this... concrete?'' was my first thought when I unearthed a solid matter hidden a few inches below the floor. Yet, after a closer inspection, I soon found out it wasn''t something as simple as it would be mind-boggling.

    ''It''s not the concrete I remember back from the earth,'' I thought. Its grains were way too big while leaving no pores that would speed up the process of its deterioration.

    I tried to smash it into bits just like I did with the floor tiles before... but to no avail. Even when I used nearly my full, physical power, all I managed to achieve was kicking up some dust from the very topyer of this strange, grey matter.

    ''Back to using the mana, I guess,'' I thought, pushing my mana into the matter... Only for it to be instantly rejected!

    It wasn''t stopped like it would be if it struck a barrier. It wasn''t absorbed by some sort of clever formation either.

    My mana... simply failed to prate into the grey concrete-like matter...

    "It''s as if it was already filled with all the mana it can absorb," I muttered, more to myself than to shed some light on the situation for Mia.

    "Dear, is everything okay?" the girl asked. And as I turned my eyes to her, I finally noticed just how worried her expression was.

    I took in a deep breath... and then slowly sighed it out.

    "Yeah, all is good," I said while forcing a small smile on my lips. "I guess I was just too engrossed in this discovery," I admitted.

    "Do you have any idea what this might be?" Mia then asked, turning her eyes back towards the cap.

    "An idea?" I repeated after her. "Yeah, I do. It''s either a treasury, a sealed dungeon, or maybe a bunker," I gave off the possible options that appeared in my mind.

    "Can you open it, though?" Mia then inquired.

    "If I tried really hard, had a lot of time on my hands and all sorts of tools, then yeah, I think I could," I said whilecking my usual confidence. Then, my expression soured a little as my eyes were once again drawn to the metal cap. "But to be fair, I''m not so sure if I should."

    I stood up and dusted off my knees before reaching out and offering my hand to Mia.

    "Thanks," she said with a faint smile, the hints of worry still present at the bottom of her eyes.

    "I''m thinking," I muttered, forcing my eyes away from the cap. Then, I took a step forward and grabbed Mia by her shoulders only to pull her into a bear-like hug. Then and only then, I brought my lips to hear ear.

    "If someone made so much effort to seal this ce shut... There ought to have a reason for doing so."

 Chapter 436 Morning Struggle

    I woke up sometime before the sun could rise and cast its warm rays upon the face of the.

    Due to all sorts of holes in the walls and both of the windows within the room being broken, there was hardly anything that could protect me from the rtive coldness of the night air. Hardly anything, but a thin nket and Mia''s naked body pressed tightly against mine.

    Upon waking up, I didn''t move, refusing to pull Mia out of her dreams. Instead, I calmed my breathing to ensure even such a small difference in my behavior wouldn''t alert her before looking back to the events of yesterday.

    The discovery of the treasury sh bunker in the main room of the auction house was the biggest point of the day. And despite my logical im of not willing to force it open I did spend quite a lot of time studying the most shallow of the formations within the cap that covered the entrance of this mysterious ce.

    Sure, they weren''t all thatplicated. Or rather, they were insanelyplex... just, due to the nature of the style in which they were constructed, it wasn''t even the slightest of challenges for me to figure out their purpose and role.

    ''All in all, it was quite a productive day,'' I thought, running down all the worthwhile memories of yesterday, all the way to the point where I, along with only Mia and Levi, used the nks that were in a better shape than the others to construct a simple cover for the metal cap.

    It was bound to attract someone''s attention... but for now, it was the best measure that we could afford.

    After all, conscripting a lot of our limited manpower and using most of the spare resources we had to create a secure lock over the already locked entrance would bring far more interest to the metal cap than simply hiding it behind a lousy cover of twoyers of wooden nks ever could.

    ''And in the end, we didn''t find a single clue as to what this might be,'' I thought while slowly running down my fingers across Mia''s spine.

    Her skin was extremely soft and warm in touch as if it was created by the very gods of this world for me to caress.

    "Mhmm..." Mia released a small moan, reacting to the delicate cuddle while her lips curved up, forming a small, happy smile.

    ''Even in her dreams, she enjoys my touch,'' I thought with satisfaction while enjoying everyst bit of having her cuddle up close to me.

    The only reason why our bed wasn''t dirtied with our internal juices was my fear of identally going too hard on her if we were to actively partake in the nightly activities. After all, just like I told her when I raised my cultivation while back on the road, I would rather wait for her to catch up so that we could enjoy ourselves without worry rather than risk inflicting even the slightest of injuries upon her.

    ''I knew this would happen...'' I thought while forcefully restraining my fingers from grasping at Mia''s soft flesh, ''but holding back is quite harder than I expected.''

    Her breasts were squeezing against my chest, making her nipples poke me right in my ribs. Her slow, steady breath caressed my neck. Her hair tickled my chin. Due to Mia having her leg curled up, her thigh stroked my abdomen while her foot rubbed against my leg.

    ''If there is one thing that I''m missing right now, it''s the ability to flex her on my friends and family,'' I thought, raising my hand and resting it upon Mia''s head so that I could y around with her hair for a bit.

    "You are up..." Mia muttered in an adorable, sleepy voice a few moments after I started to mess with her hair.

    "In every meaning of the world," I joked a little while urately describing the reality.

    After all, I would have to be castrated or gay for my junior not to stand at attention when a peerless beauty like Mia was all over me!

    "I''m sorry..." Mia muttered while remaining in the very same position that she slept in. Even though she was slowly waking up, she still wanted to squeeze a few more moments of sleep out of today''s morning. "I really wish I could satisfy you... I will work hard on my cultivation, I promise..." she rambled on in her half-conscious state.

    After a few more moments, right when the first rays of the sun of the day shot through the holes in the wall to illuminate the room, Mia finally blinked her eyes a few times before slowly pushing herself up.

    She moved up, allowing the nket to fall down her waist, revealing the full beauty of her upper body to my eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As if the gods were giving me a sign, the sun rays falling through the holes in the building''s wall fell right on top of Mia''s skin, making it shine like the most precious of stones. The delicate details of her hourss figure made me wish to grab her by her sides. Her slim stomach made me wish to imnt my seed inside. Then there were her two sizeable peaks, both in the perfect size for my hands to grasp at and adorned with two, pink cherries on their tops.

    I stared wide-eyed at the sight of Mia''s sleepy beauty... Only for her to raise her arms up and stretch herself, tensing all of her upper body up and making her breasts perk up.

    With her hips only loosely covered by the nket and the position of her legs making it just impossible for me to nce at her secret ce, I suddenly felt the desire to learn how to sculpt or paint, just so I could immortalize the sight I could currently enjoy.

    Mia finished her stretch and looked down, instantly noticing my stare. She smiled as she allowed her hands to fall down along her waist only for her to move them up to my face, grasping my head right between her palms.

    "Good morning," she whispered as she leaned forward and pressed her full lips against my mouth, greeting a new day with a long, deep kiss.

    Mia then slowly pulled her face away. She was still smiling... but I could see hints of sadness hidden behind her smile.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked, feeling a wave of concern stifling my entire body.

    "It''s nothing," Mia avoided the topic and averted her eyes.

    "Dear..." I pushed my upper body up so that I could match Mia''s eye level. I then grabbed her hands and brought them up to my lips before pressing a gentle kiss on top of her fingers. "Whatever it is, I don''t want to see the sadness in your eyes and will do everything to make it disappear," I proimed.

    Mia leaned her head a little before freeing her right hand and raising it up to my cheek. She then ran her fingers across my face... only to infuse a mischievous note into her smile as her hand suddenly fell down from my face... andnded right on my hard-on.

    "It pains me that I can''t help you with it," she added as she carefully stroked my erection.

    Just like she said, I could feel the energy coiling within my dick, desperate to explode outwards and even out the difference between Mia and me.

    It was only a short, gentle touch... but my body was ready to explode and get rid of this unevenness.

    "Don''t worry," I said, reaching out with my lips for Mia''s forehead before cing a gentle kiss right in the middle of it. "With most of the burning problems settled, we should be able to look into ways for helping you advance soon," I assured my woman before moving my hand up her waist and then grabbing at her breast. "And if you won''t be able to hold yourself back anymore, just say a word," I requested only to lean over Mia''s ear and add in a whisper, "even if I cannot prate you yet, I have a lot of ways to help you relieve yourself."

    I felt a chill shake Mia''s body a little. And I could see how her gaze turned from lovely... to a heated one.

    And then, against all my wishes, I was forced to see the hint of sadness return to her eyes.

    "Even if you help me, I''m still unable to help you," Mia said, biting down on her lips in frustration.

    "If that''s the case..." I took a moment to think, only to then purse my lips as I felt my cheeks suddenly burning.

    The idea that appeared in my mind was both genius but also outrageous. And what was its greatest aspect... it was extremely embarrassing.

    "I think I might have a solution. And who knows," I smiled as I gave Mia''s tit a quick squeeze. "It might even help you advance."

 Chapter 438 Breaking The Rules (R18)

    As weird as it might sound, moving from theory to practice turned out to be both extremely easy and extremely hard at the same time.

    The ease of task was pretty damn simple. I stood right between Mia''s spread-open legs with her naked body right before my eyes in all of its beauty. Save for what Mia managed to cover with her hands that I guided to her crotch and breast, there were no secrets that the girl could keep from me in her current position.

    Yes, getting excited by the sight was the easy part. But holding myself back from moving my hips just an inch ahead proved to be far more challenging.

    "For starters, let''s just pleasure ourselves," I instructed while firmly grasping at my erection and slowly starting to move my hand up and down.

    It''s been quite a long time since Ist masturbated. And when it happened, I did so with some random porn before my eyes rather than a real girl. And soon, Mia proved to be far better fap material than anything some perverts would put up on the Inte.

    With a bit of embarrassment on her face, Mia pushed her fingers inside against her body. Her left hand sank into her breasts while her middle finger took a dive into her pussy, spreading it open just far enough for me to catch a glimpse of her insides.

    Mia squirmed on the table, her body twitching in reaction to both the physical pleasure of masturbation and the mental excitement of being watched.

    And to be perfectly honest, I wasn''t any better.

    I could feel the heat of Mia''s crotch reaching the tip of my penis, forcing me to put even greater care not to push myself forward.

    Her position, her blush, her wide open legs, her perfectly sized and shaped breasts�� Everyst detail of Mia''s entire being was alone to turn me on all on its own. And when they allbined with the girl''s reaction to her own movements, with the short squeal that escaped her lips, the twitching of her body��

    I realized that contrary to what I actually wanted, I wouldst only for a very short moment.

    "I hope it will help," Mia muttered as she added a second finger of her right hand, pushing two of them inside her pussy.

    For the next few moments, we simply moved our hands and fingers a little, masturbating while openly eating the other party with our eyes.

    "This isn''t enough," Mia added after a moment as her lips twisted in a grimace of rejection.

    Her hips swung to the sides, making it feel like it was only a matter of time before her bottom lips would scratch the top of my erection.

    "More��" Mia whispered as the movements of her fingers hastened. "More!" she demanded in a pained voice, sliding her fingers in and out of her vagina at an ever-elerating pace.

    Her legs moved a little, all so that her feet would rest upon the sides of my waist. Then, she reached out with her hand and grabbed my left wrist before pulling me just a little bit closer so that my hand could reach her breast.

    "This won''t be a problem, right?" she asked with desperation in her voice as she locked my hand with her fingers right on top of her breast.

    "I don''t think it is," I replied while gulping my saliva down.

    Yet, while I initially managed to keep my distance, over the course of the next few minutes, the top of my erection ended up rubbing against the wet lips of the girl''s pussy anyway.

    "It won''t hurt to rub against each other either," Mia added in a pleading tone, clearly unable to withstand pleasure herself when my dick was in position and in a perfect state to scrap the part of her insides that her fingers could never reach.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s��" I hesitated for a little.

    While the idea of rubbing my dick against her crotch was perfectly in line with my own desires�� I was too scared.

    I didn''t need to test it to know that simply inserting my dick in my girl would likely lead to a hell of a danger. And even if sumata would save us from the worst-case scenario��

    Not only I couldn''t be sure whether it would still put us behind the line that we couldn''t cross, but I was also aware that as soon as our genitals would touch, there would be no force in the entire world that could stop me from going all in!

    "Please��?" Mia pleaded in a sweet, soft voice. And this single word of hers was enough to vanquish all of my decisions from before.

    "Only a little, okay?" I muttered, moving my hand all the way to the base of my dick, squeezing it just hard enough to pull all of my skin along. And then, with a single jerk of my wrist, I pped my dick against Mia''s moist lips.

    I didn''t focus on the pleasure that came from the act, though. Instead, I put all my attention to my mana sense, watching out for any and all possible adverse effects that bringing our genitals together could have on Mia''s body and cultivation.

    The energies within her body shook a little�� but remained otherwise stable.

    "More!" Mia cried out. "Dear, please!" she pleaded with a teary expression all over her face.

    "Dear��" I hesitated.

    On one end, there was the risk of bringing serious harm to my beloved. But on the other hand��

    The look of lust and desire in her eyes, the pained expression that filled the rest of her face, the constant twitching of her hips as she kept wiggling them around while instinctively trying to nail herself on me��

    Even a single of those would be enough to break any and all mental barriers I set up in advance. And when Mia stacked all of those elements together, I felt like I had to praise the sun for the fact that I didn''t lose myself then and there!

    "Let''s�� try it," I yielded. This time, however, rather than pping my dick against Mia''s crotch, I slowly lowered it before it peacefully rested upon Mia''s slimy pussy.

    The girl then brought her legs together, locking my dick in a triangle of her abdomen and thighs.

    "Now, fuck me hard!" Mia requested, using her inner juices to lubricate her thighs.

    I pressed my hips forward, rubbing my dick against the girl''s skin. And yet, despite how pleasurable even this kind of y was, my focus was only on the flow of mana within the girl''s body.

    And it was this focus in particr that not only allowed me to confirm my theory but also prove that Mia''s suggestion actually turned out to be true.

    Sure, bringing our genitals together nearly sent Mia''s cultivation into disarray as it jerked the flow of her energy and forced it to raise its speed by nearly a factor of two.

    Thankfully, as soon as this short distortion passed, Mia''s cultivation stabilized and started to raise, fueled by the sparse amount of my yang energying from the precum that I rubbed dry against Mia''s skin.

 Chapter 439 Uncommon Way Of Breaking Through (R18)

    "It''s working," I muttered, closing my eyes to cut off the distraction caused by Mia''s beauty.

    I still had to deal with how she was squeezing my dick between her pussy and thighs while using her hand to my shroom whenever it peeked out from between her legs. But with my eyes closed, keeping my focus up became somewhat manageable.

    "Isn''t that great?" Mia moaned in response.

    She was way too excited to care about her cultivation at this point. And with me watching over her, I could see where this kind of mindset wasing from. But what was actually even more important��

    At her current stage, guiding the energies within her body wasn''t all that important.

    The hurdle that Mia needed to ovee in order to advance wasn''t about amassing more mana or condensing what she already had. Right now, she stood before the chasm that separated menial cultivators of stages one to eight from enlightened cultivators. And just like I did in the past, if she wanted to advance, she had to discover something about cultivation itself.

    "I don''t care what it is, you need to focus on something," I instructed the girl while increasing the rate at which I dry-humped her. "It might be pleasure, love, cultivation, math, astronomy, or literally whatever," I gave the best advice I could.

    That was the illogical difference between the chams that separated menial cultivators from enlightened ones and the chasm that split enlightened cultivators from ascenders. Because in order for one to ascend, their enlightenment had to be rted directly to the nature of cultivation.

    And in the case of enlightenment, Mia only needed a realization about the nature of literally anything in the world.

    Sure, it would be for the best if she discovered something strictly rted to cultivation as it would directly affect her performance and potential while in the enlightened stages.

    But quite frankly, I couldn''t care less.

    I was still quite a bit away from reaching the absolute peak of cultivation that one could achieve in this world, be it through the standard path that ended with one bing a royal or with my own path that involved the use of true mana. And yet, I already peered into the secrets of whaty at the very end of both of the paths.

    And quite frankly, whether Mia would be an enlightened cultivator through some subpar realization or one rted to the most fundamentalws of the world�� In the grand scheme of things, it didn''t matter in the slightest.

    "I''m almost there!" Mia moaned, forcing me out of my state of deep thoughts.

    Her body started to violently twitch as all of her muscles began to tense up inpletely random order. Her clit swelled up while her bottom lips turned mushy.

    "I''m here with you," I uttered, leaning a bit further over the girl. Due to Mia''s position, I ended up locking my thumbs against the inner side of her knees before pushing her legs toward her chest. And then, once I bet the girl far enough, I leaned in and reached out for her lips.

    Mia''s body shook when we engaged in a kiss. Her cultivation rocked even further, violently shaking in its frame as the raging inferno of mana within attempted to wrestle free of its bounds.

    Even though the process of exciting her mana was slowed down to a mere fraction of what it would be if we dual cultivated properly, her core already became oversaturated, threatening to overflow at any given moment.

    ''I can''t keep it up much longer,'' I thought, gritting my teeth.<novelnext></novelnext>

    If Mia failed to break through right now, I would have no other choice but to cease my movements and give her a day or two to calm her energies down so that her body could get used to the new state of its mana.

    [

    "I''M COMING!" Mia then screamed out. Her entire body tensed up�� and surprisingly enough, the raging current of her mana suddenly all fell in ce.

    Mia''s thighs squeezed hard against my dick, allowing me to squeeze through the soft parts of her thighs and feel the muscles hidden beneath the thinyer of fat that kept her body delicate and cuddly.

    ''Did she��'' I thought, stopping myself from voicing the next word even if it was only within my head.

    Mia''s mana calmed down all at once as if her orgasm freed up some space in her flow of cultivation.

    But that kind of phenomenon�� had no right to take ce. The physical release had nothing to do with cultivation, save for how it brought the process of dual cultivation to its peak.

    As such, in spite of how worried I was to even assume such a possibility in order not to call for a stroke of bad luck�� Mia appeared to actually break through!

    "Are you okay?" I asked once I finally gathered the courage to speak up.

    "Haa, haa, haaa��" Mia breathed heavily, still too immersed in the waves of pleasure rushing all about her body to care about my question.

    Her lips refused to work, so she raised her hand to my face and caressed my cheek as her own face melted down under the pleasure of the intense orgasm she was going through.

    And that in itself was pretty weird.

    Sure, I brought her to a greater degree of carnal pleasure before. I saw her face turn messy while her body just rest down on whatever it was seated while twitching uncontrobly for several moments.

    It wasn''t like it was the first time for me to see my fiancee react like that to an orgasm. And yet, I didn''t fuck her this time. All we did was rub our genitals together while saturating Mia''s cultivation with all the mana she could hold.

    ''Maybe one''s cultivation actually does affect one''s physical response and vice versa?'' I tried to guess the reason behind the unexpected scale of Mia''s orgasm.

    The girl''s lips finally closed. She then ran her lips across to wet them before finally gracing me with a gentle look that still kept the majority of the desire I saw in her eyes before.

    "I broke through."

 Chapter 440 Mias Growth (Still Kinda R18)

    "I broke through," Mia moaned, struggling to produce a sentence any longer.

    Her body was all tensed up�� and then, in a single instant, all her muscles rxed as shey down on the desk.

    "I can feel it," I said, looking at the girl with an even warmed look in my eyes than usual.

    Even though my perspective was distorted by how long ago I was on the level Mia reached just now, I was perfectly aware of just how much of an achievement this was.

    Sure, my system and different path made it so that I flew through the cultivation ranks like some sort of a monster. As far as I was aware, what others would need hundreds if not thousands of years to achieve, I obtained in less than a single damn year.

    And then, there was Mia. In theory, a cultivator of only the ninth stage. Yet, when taking into ount how she didn''t have a system to conveniently help her break through the ranks, she might very well be the most talented cultivator in the entire damn world!

    "Congrattions," I said, gently parting Mia''s legs before reaching out and grabbing her under her arms. I then brought her up into a tight hug while using one of my hands to support her ass.

    Despite her temporary weakness, Mia instinctively wrapped her legs around my waist, making it quite a lot easier for me to carry her.

    I took a few steps and carried her out to the bed before sitting down and hugging her even closer.

    "How are you feeling?" I asked while taking yet another closer look at the state of mana within her.

    What used to be a path overfilling with overabundant and overexcited mana now turned into a small stream. The amount of mana Mia could use only grew�� yet, it turned minuscule whenpared to the growth of her general capacity.

    ''Even though she grew so much�� direct dual cultivation might still be beyond her,'' I thought while doing my best not to let this realization affect my expression.

    "Out of curiosity, do you want to tell me what kind of enlightened you had?" I then asked.

    "Huh?" Mia shook her head, casting her pleasure-induced dizziness away as she refocused her eyes on my face. Yet, rather than answering, she put a yful smile on her lips.

    Then, once again avoiding my question, she pressed her lips against mine. Her mouth then opened up, forcing my lips to move along.

    With the wraps of our skin now out of the way, Mia pushed her tongue inside my mouth, coiling it all around mine.

    Bit by bit, the girl regained control over her body. I could feel it with how more and more of her muscles started to move to put her into a position where she could keep on kissing me from a more and morefortable angle.

    My tongue continued to dance with hers. Mia then started to swing her hips, grinding her wet crotch against my erection.

    After all, while Mia got to cum, I dared not to do so. Whenpared with the momentary pleasure of fulfillment and the damage the sudden excitement of her mana would cause the second my cum would stter all over her stomach��<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just a single thought about it was enough to calm my lust down, allowing me to properly enjoy our kiss.

    "Can we do it now?" Mia pulled herself away, quickly uttering her question before striking my mouth with her lips back. "Please?" she muttered when she took a momentary break to take a breath in.

    I wrapped my hands around her waist before giving the girl a tight squeeze. I felt her breasts tten against my chest, her abdomen pressing right against the lower areas of my stomach.

    And yet, when I pulled my face away to free my lips, I still ended up going with the rational answer.

    "I''m sorry," I said, averting my eyes to the side. "But not yet," I replied.

    It took all of my patience and willpower to hold myself back after everything that we did. And while I could see a wider range of possible intimate interactions that we could employ while dual cultivating�� direct intercourse was still out of question.

    "I can see just how much your total capacity grew," I said once Mia finally kissed me enough. "Your former power is just a drop in the ocean of what you can hold right now," I praised.

    Then, my face turned sour. Not because I was about to exin while we couldn''t directly fuck, but because I knew that my words would end up disappointing my girl!

    "But my power is just too much. While I think I can give you my cum, fucking��" I twisted my lips in an uneven line before averting my eyes. "I''m too much of a coward to risk it. I''m sorry."

    The look in Mia''s eyes�� mellowed down.

    She didn''t appear to be disappointed. No anger red up in her pupils, nor were there any tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

    "You don''t need to make a face like that," Mia whispered right into my nose while catching my head between her hands. She then pressed her forehead against mine, pushing her chin forward all the way to the point where the tips of our noses rested upon each other as well. "Did you already forget?" she then asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

    "Forget about what?" I asked.

    There were simply too many things rted to the current situation in one way or the other for me to know what she had on mind when she used me of a bad memory. So rather than forgetting, I simply wasn''t sure what she had on mind.

    "I wasn''t down because you couldn''t fuck me," Mia exined in a patient manner as if she was repeating a simple lesson to a student with less than acking talent. "I was down because I couldn''t make you feel good," she said, rubbing her palms against my face as her smile turned brighter.

    "But you said that you can feed me your cum, didn''t you?" she then repeated my words from just a moment ago while her smile regained its usual, mischievous nature. "Doesn''t that mean��" the corners of Mia''s lips rose even higher. She then pulled her face quite a distance away, all just to make some space so that she could shut my mouth closed with one of her fingers.

    "Doesn''t that mean that I can at least suck you off now?"

 Chapter 441 Mias Answers (R18)

    "Well��" I muttered while averting my eyes.

    The sight of the hope and excitement that shed in Mia''s eyes was just too much for me to handle. And when I thought about how it made me feel for my girl to be so eager to please me like that��

    I could feel my heart struggling to deal with all the sugar that exploded in my blood.

    ''But the question stands,'' I thought, turning my eyes back and looking Mia straight in the face. ''Can she suck me off?''

    As one''s mouth was one of the bodily orifices it was naturally connected to one''s cultivation. And while it wasn''t as great of a connecting point as genitals when it came to dual cultivating�� It still had to be considered as one.

    That, in itself, presented a case of blowjob with a massive challenge.

    First, for every second that Mia would orally pleasure me, my yang energy would excite her yin energy, leading to the build-up of the mana momentum within her system. This momentum alone was just one of the types of strength of one''s cultivation, a source of energy that upon reaching a certain threshold, would transform itself into more mana at the cost of its inertia.

    Or, in simpler terms, the longer she would suck me off, the more her mana would build up, both in terms of quantity and momentum.

    On its own, that was the easy part of the problem. But what came next, once I would reach the pinnacle, was the tough part.

    ''Knowing her, she would refuse to pull out when I reach the limit,'' I thought, looking down at Mia''s excited face. ''At most, I should be able to manage to convince her to take it on her skin rather than into her mouth��'' I thought, gritting my teeth.

    Because stopping Mia from swallowing my cum would only serve as a stop-gap measure that could prove to be insufficient.

    After all, while Mia''s yin energy would get excited by the mere fact of blowing me off�� The same would happen to my yang energy. And once I would release, Mia would end up infused with an insane amount of extremely condensed mana due to my cultivation that would be in an extremely excited state due to the act of blowing me off!

    "Dear�� Is that a no?" Mia asked as the silence prolonged while I battled with my own thoughts.

    ''Can I manage?'' I asked myself, gritting my teeth while looking down at Mia''s disappointed face. ''Can I keep my body in check to release before the injection would grow too much for her to handle?''

    I closed my eyes.

    "It''s a yes, but under a single term," I replied. My lips then twitched as a short bout of amusement filled my soul.

    ''To think a day woulde when I would be setting terms to let such a beauty eagerly suck me off��'' I thought, shaking my head.

    "What is it?" Mia asked with a smile now returning to her face.

    The look of eagerness in her eyes�� It was too much for me to handle. A single element that effectively gave the girl a victory while I had no other choice but to announce my defeat.

    "If I try to stop you, then under no circumstances you can try to swallow," I said in a stern voice.

    For a moment, a look of dejection appeared on Mia''s face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know this is a lot to swallow," my lips twitched again due to this unnned wordy, "but if I fail to perfectly control myself, I could end up killing you."

    ''And here we have another sentence I never expected to utter in my entire life,'' I thought, no longer having any mental strength to let my amusement blossom. ''To potentially kill a girl by shooting her with sperm��''

    I only had enough strength to shake my head.

    "Mkay," Mia happily agreed to my term. And then, without any further ado, she slid down myp and onto the bed, pushing herself down my legs all the way to the point where her head ended up above my crotch.

    "It''s been a while since Ist yed with it," she said with a faint smile as she grabbed my dick and locked her eyes on its tip.

    I was still hard after everything that we did so far�� but Mia wasn''t in any hurry at all.

    Rather than going forth with her mouth right away, she made sure she had a proper grip on my shaft before starting to slowly jerk her hand up and down.

    I leaned back on my hands and pushed my chin up, directing my eyes to the ceiling.

    If I allowed myself to watch Mia blowing me up, then the entire n would go to hell as I would ejacte right away. That''s why keeping my eyes locked on the ceiling and intentionally depriving myself of the visual stimuli was a sacrifice I made for the sake of the future where Mia''s power level would no longer limit our intimacy.

    "You know��" Mia continued to caress my erection with her fingers when she spoke up. "I can still feel this strange�� aura of my enlightenment," she said, taking a pause only to push her tongue against the base of my dick before driving her mouth up and dragging her tongue along the bulge at the bottom of my shaft.

    Her tongue then reached the part where my shaft turned into shroom only to dance around the topmost bulge.

    "It''s pretty embarrassing to say what my enlightenment was��" Mia gave my tip a quick, gentle kiss, "but I feel that if I can, I shouldn''t stop growing right now."

    ''Now at least I know why she''s taking it slow,'' I realized. ''She took all this time�� just so she could answer all my questions at once.''

    "What''s more, whenever I talked, I could sense this feeling�� thinning out," Mia added only to part her lips, leaning her head to the side before catching my dick with her mouth right in the middle and sucking hard on its side.

    She let go a momentter with an adorable, popping sound only to return right back to just jerking me off.

    "Even if I didn''t tell you, I think you know what my enlightenment was about. Maybe not the details, but the general idea is an easy guess," she continued.

    Then, Mia''s hand stopped, resting at the bottom of my shaft.

    "So, before I lose this feelingpletely," Mia whispered, causing me to instinctively lower my head and look down, just to see her react by giving me a mischievous smile. "I want you to pump me full," she said, letting go of my penis before raising on her arms, moving her lips right on top of my lips��

    And then dropping her head down, effectively shoving the entirety of my erection down her throat.

 Chapter 442 Proper Way To Do It (R18)

    "Damn��" I released an ted moan of pleasure the second Mia''s lips came into contact with my member.

    And yet, as if to prove that she was no longer the same, shy and retracted girl she was when I first met her�� Mia charged right in, pushing my dick deeper into her mouth than ever before.

    Her saliva coated my shaft, her tongue brushed against it while my shroom scrapped the back of her throat.

    In that single moment, I fully understood what a sensory overdose meant.

    The only upside of that single moment was how the intense pleasure made me close my eyes, saving me the insanely enticing sight of Mia passionately stuffing her face with my cock while trying to catch my eyes with her own.

    "That''s��" I groaned, already struggling to keep my sanity in check.

    Before I knew it, one of my hands found its way to the back of Mia''s head. Only thanks to sacrificing all of my willpower for this single task I managed to simply make my hand rest on her head rather than applying even more pressure.

    Mia held my dick deep for a long while before she finally started to move her head back. Yet, as if not make things too easy for me, as soon as her lips started to move up my shaft, she sucked at my penis with all her might to the point it actually made it harder for her to pull my dick out of her mouth!

    "Aaahaaa��" Mia took a deep breath once she finally freed her mouth only to release it right back while she glued her eyes to my tip.

    She moved her hand up and caught my dick at its base before pushing her lips back to work.

    As if to alternate my sensations, this time her mouth focuses solely on my shroom. Mia rested her lips on the base of my lower head before pulling her lips up as if trying to pull my junior apart. Her lungs pulled the air it, making me feel as if my shroom was about to balloon up and then pop out in her mouth�� all the while her tongue danced in circles around it, covering everyst square millimeter of it with her saliva.

    Mia''s left hand moved onto my balls, giving them a gentle massage as she continued to suck the life out of my lower head.

    And then, once again, Mia pulled herself out, leaving her face just an inch above the top of my dick.

    For a moment, she simply stared at it. Then�� she pushed her hips to the back and lowered her head while raising her chin.

    Unable to stop myself from looking, I could see her face making a small arc in the air as she moved from a position above my dick to where it would run parallel to the line from the bottom of her chin to the middle of her forehead.

    "I really missed it," Mia muttered, cupping my balls with both of her hands while using only two front fingers from each hand to catch my erection right at its base. She then pushed it up, as if she wanted to move it out of the way��

    Before bringing her lips right to my sack.

    Ever since I advanced past one of the lower levels of cultivation, I could boast perfectly fine skin down there. It was as if all the hair on my body, save for my head, ended up marked as an impurity and removed as my body reached its higher status of existence.

    ''I guess the same happened to her,'' I thought, recalling the sight of Mia''s perfectly shaved and clean crotch, only to tighten my fists and close my eyes when she suddenly used her lips to fish out one of my balls!

    The feeling�� was weird.

    It obviously wasn''t as directly pleasurable as caressing my erection would be. And yet�� It gave me a weird sense of extreme vulnerability mixed with attentiveness and�� something that I couldn''t even describe myself.

    ''Wait, fuck, no!'' I suddenly came to my senses, just as Mia switched the target of her lips and tongue to my other ball. ''I can''t get myself distracted like that! I screamed out in my mind, killing all the pleasure while focusing all my attention on Mia''s internal state.

    Thankfully, my mishap turned out to be just a false rm. Her cultivation grew for sure�� but it was a change I could barely notice, something that Mia herself would pay attention to only before breaking through.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Or, in other words, the rate at which her blowjob affected her cultivation wasn''t anywhere as fast as I was worried it would be.

    ''Thinking about this, maybe I shouldn''t hold back so much?'' I thought. ''If I keep it in, wouldn''t that only make my shoot bigger and the energy in my sperm even more excited?''

    All at once, all the ws of my former logic struck me. And so, armed with those new realizations, I quickly hatched a revised n of action.

    "Dearest," I spoke up, pushing my upper body up so that I could take a proper look at MIa''s face.

    "Hmm?" Mia raised her eyes. She didn''t let go of my balls�� and must''ve misunderstood my intentions as she now took both of my balls into her mouth while moving her hand on my dick to start enthusiastically jerking it off.

    "That''s not it!" I moaned in protest, finally getting Mia to take a short pause as she raised her head with a puzzled expression all over it.

    "I think I approached this in the wrong way," I admitted without any wait. "We should make it quick instead. And I will end on your face but you need to keep your mouth closed, is that okay?" I asked, wary of doing something that would displease her.

    "Sure," Mia smiled while allowing a single strand of my precum to hang down the corner of her smiling lips.

    "If I recall," I muttered while standing up and helping Mia up to her knees. "You wanted me to fuck you, right?" I asked, bringing both of my hands to her face and rubbing my thumbs against her cheeks.

    "Yea," Mia replied as her smile turned even brighter.

    "That might not be what you expected," I said, pushing my hips a little closed and causing my dick to first strike Mia in her cheek before angling up and rubbing its bottom across her lovely, adorable face. "But I think that will work best," I added, using the same thumbs that I caressed her cheeks with to now push her bottom jaw open.

    Mia followed even the smallest hint that I gave her, obediently opening her mouth wide while locking her eyes on the top of my dick.

    And so, I pulled my hips to the back, allowing my dick to leave Mia''s face and stand at attention. Then, I pushed them back again, this time with my dick aimed straight at Mia''s throat.

    "Are you ready?" I asked as I finally used some strength to lock Mia''s head in ce.

    With her mouth now upied, Mia simply raised her hands before giving me a peaceful sigh with both of them.

    "Close your mouth, then," I instructed. And as soon as Mia''s bottom lip pressed against the bottom of my dick, I started to hump.

    This time, I didn''t give Mia any time to rest. I fucked her face as I would her ass in the most intense encounters we had in the past. And soon, the intense experience brought me near the edge of what I could hold on to.

    Mia''s eyes turned teary as she struggled to regain her breath. Thankfully, at her current cultivation level, it was nothing but a slightly ufortable convenience, allowing me to go even faster with rtive peace of mind.

    Mia moved her hands up, grabbing me by my ass and adding her own strength to the force I was using to screw her mouth.

    And just like that, my mind nked while my hips trembled before tensing up.

    A warm feeling spread through my abdomen, forcing me to forcefully pull my dick out of Mia''s sweet lips, and hold the release in for the split second she needed to close both her eyes and her mouth...

    Before spraying all of the cum that I held back for so long all over the delicate, innocent features of her face.

 Chapter 443 Void Looming Above The Bootleneck (Kinda R18?)

    "Haaa��." Mia released a long sigh as if she wanted to empty her lungs out, all so that the next breath she took would be the biggest in her life.

    Yet��

    As soon as she closed her eyes to take in the air filled with the scent of my cum that decorated her face, her disposition changed.

    All the lust within her vanished, swallowed by what looked like an endless ck hole.

    And then, Mia''s cultivation exploded.

    It didn''t shatter. It didn''t break either. The energies within her body now loosely connected to my own yang energy went out of control.

    And being as excited as they were, the mana particles within Mia took the path of least resistance, splitting and splitting and splitting�� until their energy returned back to a rtively stable level.

    That process alone turned Mia''s mana from a few drops within the empty ocean of her current potential�� into a small stream.

    But contrary to the moment Mia''s energy retained its stability, her process of cultivation was nowhere near the end.

    I blinked my eyes twice before my post-nut rity hit me. And in the momentary sense of perfect lucidity, I moved behind Mia''s back before falling down on my knees and grabbing her by her shoulders.

    With a single pull, I brought Mia''s back on top of my chest before wrapping my hands around her stomach.

    "It''s okay," I whispered into her ear.

    She was fully focused on grasping control over the energies inside her. In other words, she couldn''t respond to my words at all, nor did I actually wish for it.

    In fact, it didn''t really matter what I said as I pretty much doubted Mia had enough spare brainpower to understand my words.

    No, it wasn''t about words.

    It was all about the tone in which I said them.

    A soothing, caring tone. A voice that was supposed to make Mia rx and feel just how safe she was.

    And so, while I continued to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, I hugged her closely from behind before starting to wiggle my entire body to the sides, as if in an attempt to lull Mia to her sleep.

    Once Mia managed to calm herself down a little, the process started all over again.

    The energy within Mia''s core would get excited due to the influence of the little cum that she swallowed. And once it reached a breaking point, it would divide a few times before the mana would once again reach a rtively stable state.

    "It''s okay," I kept on whispering while shaking Mia''s upper body left and right.

    The process went on and on, repeating itself all over for a total of seven times before the little cum that Mia ended up swallowing exhausted all of its excess yang energy, reaching the point where it was energetically no different than the yin energy Mia produced herself.

    "Haaa��" Mia opened up her eyes while releasing a long sigh.

    Still holding her in my arms, I took a quick peek at the state of her cultivation. And despite her mana multiplying over and over again, what used to be a few drops now turned��

    Into a small puddle that couldn''t fill even a single percent of her total potential!

    "That was��" Mia muttered only to turn silent as she struggled to find the right words to describe her experience. "Tiring?" she attempted to say something only to end up shaking her head. "No, that''s not it. Mentally exhausting�� I guess?"

    Mia rxed her body, allowing her weight to rest upon my chest. She then angled her head up and to the side so that she could look at my face.

    "You did well," I smiled while caressing her stomach with my thumbs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "But it''s not over yet, isn''t it?" Mia smiled as she pointed out the obvious truth that I didn''t really have the heart to admit.

    After all, she still had a long way to break through her current level. And to be even more direct, there was a lot more of my cum on her face than she ended up swallowing by ident!

    Unable to force myself to admit the truth, I averted my eyes before pulling my arms even closer together, pulling Mia into an even deeper hug.

    "Dear, it''s okay," Miaughed a little. She then brought her hand up and used it to caress my cheek. "That''s what I signed up for, isn''t it?" she grinned. "How could I be satisfied with myself if a bit of difort is all it takes to stop me?" she asked��

    Only to pull out her tongue and lick a long strand of cum that was about to fall into her mouth due to all her speaking anyway.

    Her eyes shut closed again�� and the entire process started all over.

    Bit by bit, Mia''s puddle of mana turned into a proper stream. Then, it grew enough to fill her entire cultivation realm�� although at an extremely shallow rate.

    It took seven more repeats that consisted of Mia opening her eyes, taking a moment to rest before scooping some of my cum from her body, and then swallowing it before she finally managed to properly fill her cultivation up.

    Mia opened up her eyes for the eighth time. This time, however, the look on her face was different.

    She was still smiling�� but it wasn''t a smile aimed at encouraging me. No, it was the excited smile of someone who was about to challenge her limits.

    "I''m ready," Mia announced in a slightly uncertain voice. "But judging how long it took for me to advance��"

    Mia gulped her saliva down and looked down. Her hands then moved up only to rest on top of mine.

    She didn''t speak. Instead, she added some strength to her fingers before moving my own hands around as if trying to make me massage her stomach.

    "I can''t really exin this feeling. But it feels that if I dare to challenge my current bottleneck��" Mia bit her lips, hesitating hard whether or not to say what was on her mind.

    I could see it. I knew her more than well enough to understand the expression she was making. And yet��

    I knew exactly what I was supposed to do.

    Even though I couldn''t know exactly what Mia struggled to say, there was only one thing I needed to showcase right now.

    "I believe in you," I whispered into her ear. "So just tell me what you need."

    "I��" Mia still struggled to speak up, even after my words of encouragement. "I can''t do it to you," she then added, lowering her eyes, unwilling to look at me while she spoke.

    A bout of pain appeared in my heart.

    "Mia��" I hid my head in the corner between her neck and her shoulder. I then kissed her naked skin, enjoying all of her warmth at once.

    "I trust you," I said. I moved my head up, away from thefort of Mia''s flesh and up to the ceiling. "So whatever you need me to do, just say it."

    Mia trembled a little.

    "I��" She closed her eyes shut. A momentter, she opened up her eyes and looked straight ahead.

    "I can see a strange void looming above my bottleneck," she said with an absent look in her eyes. "So, as soon as I break through," Mia''s emotions returned to her face right as she leaned around within my arms and looked straight into my face.

    "As soon as I break through, I need you to ram your dick into me as hard as you can. And you can''t stop until you unleash it all inside."

 Chapter 444 Drying Up (R18)

    Mia''s request�� was weird.

    She just now struggled to take my sperm piecemeal and through her mouth rather than her genitals, greatly decreasing the potency of the fake dual cultivation we were performing.

    And while each of the parts she took in was only potent enough to let her energy multiply a few times, there was still some of it left on her face by the time she filled her cultivation to the brim and started to look forward to the next breakthrough.

    From a logical, mathematical even standpoint, what she just said didn''t make any sense. Because if I were to release inside her, I would ignore all the limitations that I put in ce to keep her safe.

    ? And what was even more important, I didn''t recall the second stage of the enlightenment to have so much more potential for Mia to bank on it!

    But still��

    ''She trusts in me,'' I thought, gritting my teeth. ''And she herself is best suited to judge her own situation.''

    To say that I knew more about cultivation than Mia would be an outright lie. Because contrary to her, I never really had to struggle with any of the parts that made cultivation what it is.

    While others had to study the past experiences of their ancestors, seek enligth by learning more about the world, look for resources to fuel their growth�� I had it all put on a silver tter thanks to the influence of my system.

    Or, in other words, save for finding the energy-rich resources to fuel my cultivation, I didn''t have to worry about anything besides the enlightenments and ascendancies.

    As such, it would be nothing but arrogance to im I knew more about cultivation than Mia did.

    And yet��

    ''It''s scary,'' I admitted to myself while moving my hands over to Mia''s breasts.

    With her naked back tightly pressed against my chest and her ass grinding down on my hips I didn''t need much to get myself ready.

    And to make my job even easier, Mia went the extra mile of raising her hips up all the way to the point where rather than sitting between my legs, she sat on top of myp.

    In this position, the tip of my dick was already pressed against her wet pussy, ready to go in at any time.

    "I will be starting then," Mia informed.

    Since I was ready, I left her right breast and lowered my hand to grab her fingers and give them a gentle squeeze.

    A simple act of encouragement.

    That was the limit of what I could do.

    With her eyes closed, Mia focused on her cultivation. She pushed it to circte through her body faster and faster, using a tiny portion of the energy within her to elerate the rest.

    Bit by bit, her energy gained momentum, quickly reaching the limits of how quickly it could circte within the bounds of Mia''s current limits.

    And then, as if she was a race driver who suddenly pulled the steering wheel all the way to the side, Mia derailed her cultivation, forcing it to flow through a slightly different path!

    ''What the��'' My eyes opened up wide when I realized what she was doing.

    I didn''t understand the point of it, I couldn''t tell the reason why she did something so drastic, extremely dangerous, and�� basically pointless.

    And yet, unable to do anything at this point save for sucking all her energy dry and basically destroying all of her cultivation��

    I had no choice but to wait and see.

    At first, Mia''s own mana started to melt her insides. Unustomed to the presence of this purest form of energy, her internal organs couldn''t handle it.

    Mia''s face twisted in an expression of extreme pain. Her cheeks turned red and her eyes filled with tears to the brim.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And yet�� She held her pain in, forcing more and more of her mana to take this new, deranged path.

    ''To whatever god is out there,'' I started praying, ''please, allow her to get through this safely.''

    I never really bothered myself with religion. It was something that I simply�� didn''t think much about.

    But at this moment, with Mia basically killing herself while in my arms, I saw no other hope but to pray.

    And as if some entity actually listened up to my desperate wishes. Mia''s situation started to stabilize. Her organs somehow made it through, repairing themselves with the newfound energy at a rate faster than the mana could dissolve them.

    A momentter, Mia finally reached a stable state, with her cultivation exploding far past what I considered to be possible for her current stage. Even though I had no idea how the hell it could be possible, she forcefully tore down her limits, furthering her potential by leaps and bounds with her sheer fucking will.

    My heart calmed down a little, allowing me to bring my lips towards Mia''s neck and give it a little, affectionate kiss.

    Yet, as soon as my lips touched Mia''s skin�� the situation reversed.

    The mana Mia had in her body quickly turned out to be just a drop in the ocean that she created. And as it spread thin, the residue damage to her insides left from the forced expansion of her domain�� Her insides no longer had enough energy to keep on fixing it!

    Mia pressed her eyelids together with so much strength they started to turn red.

    ''Now!'' I realized, instantly raising my hands and grabbing Mia''s breast.

    The moment of terror and hopelessness that filled my soul when I thought Mia would die was more than enough to kill all the lust I still had left in me.

    And now, right when I was supposed toe in and provide the energy for Mia to properly fill her cultivation��

    I was too soft to prate her!

    ''Fuck!'' I cursed in my mind, desperately groping at her soft flesh while shaking my hips like some sort of junkie in heat, rubbing the shroom of my dick against her gaping pussy.

    Mia was drying up. All the mana that she had in herself was dispersing at a visible rate.

    I continued to shank the outside of her genitals like mad, taking a look at her inner state at the same time.

    And then it struck me.

    The only reason why Mia would need to expand her limits like that was to make her cultivation capable of holding far greater amounts of energy than it usually would.

    And there was only one reason that I coulde up with for her to do so.

    ''She did all of this just to be with me,'' I thought, feeling a strange sensation building up in my spine.

    ''She was willing to go that far, just to make sure�� she could keep pleasuring me?!''

    I closed my eyes.

    The mix of feelings that filled my soul was so damnplicated even I struggled to figure out what was going on.

    But for now, only one feeling out of all of them was important.

    With each passing second, Mia was reaching closer and closer to the limit of how much her body could handle.

    And with literal seconds to spare, I finally grew hard enough.

    So, without any further hesitation, I moved my hands down from her breasts to her hips before pulling her back and nailing her all the way down on my erection!

 Chapter 445 Not Even A Half

    There was no lust in my actions. All of it I used just to make myself hard so I could actually do what I was supposed to do.

    My soul was filled to the brim with worry and fear so there was no space left for any lust in there.

    And yet, against all the odds, I continued to grind my hips to and fro, hoping that the sensation I had to abstain from for a while would be enough to make my flesh fulfill its evolutionary purpose.

    ''How is she doing?'' I thought, allowing myself a glimpse into Mia''s state once I rekindled enough excitement from the pleasure I felt all over my body.

    For the time being, Mia''s situation stabilized a little. The energy produced from shing the tiny bits of our yin and yang-oriented mana was just sufficient enough to offset the damage caused by the unnatural stretching of her limits.

    Relieved by the tiniest, a little bit, I allowed myself some more room for excitement.

    ''I''m holding the girl of my dreams in my arms while she is desperately wishing for me to take her hard,'' I thought, trying to create even more sparks in hopes that one of them would bring about an explosion of my lust. ''She''s pressing herself against me, surrendering herself whole to my wishes.''

    Word after word, sentence after sentence, I continued to put my situation into words.

    It was nothing more but an attempt as desperate as it was random to use the habits I had beforeing over to this world.

    The habits that were entirely mental and that I grew in my mind by reading.

    Back in my home world, I would bury myself in various mangas and novels of adult-only rating, trying to quell my loneliness, boredom, and hate for the world I ended up living.

    Normally, the novels would get me excited, due to how I could observe the characters I grew up to love taking the step I wasn''t fated to take myself in my original world. The various graphic stories I indulged myself in would get me lustful, due to thebination of the story and the actual visualization of the act.

    Yet, while back in my original world I would either end up riding the robustness of my imagination to finish the job or simply turn to crude porn, right now, I had everything�� right on top of myp.

    I had a rtively long and pretty eventful story of my rtionship with Mia. Then, I had all the visuals I could ever wish for in the form of the most beautiful and alluring body I ever saw in both of my lives.

    And this time, rather than relying on porn or my own imagination to fuel the swinging motion of my right hand��

    I was actually using both of my hands to grasp at Mia''s waist while rocking her entire body up and down!

    ''This is��'' my mind nked out a little when the spark finally hit the right spot.

    As if in reaction to me suddenly tensing up and jerking my hips up, Mia''s insides tensed up, giving my dick a squeeze impossible to endure.

    ''Damn!'' I screamed out in my mind while leaning my head to the back.

    Unable to stop myself any longer, I pushed my upper body forward, knocking Mia off myp and pushing her down on the floor. Then, like some sort of an animal in heat, I mounted her from the back, pushing my hips forth and pulling her waist towards me, only to then pull myself back while pushing her body away.

    "This��"

    p.

    "Is��"

    p.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "INSANE!" I released a moan of intense pleasure after speaking out to the rhythm of our bodies striking against each other.

    Mia''s lower mouth sucked hard on me, sticking closely to every nook and cranny, every bulge and dent on my dick, wrapping tightly against it whenever I tried to pull out and sucking me deeper and deeper whenever I would push ahead.

    My mind continued to falter, unused to the degree of pleasure I felt from taking Mia in such a harsh, nearly brutal manner.

    Or maybe it was my temporary abstinence that made me feel it so much?

    It took me an actual while before I finally regained my senses by fighting off the overwhelming lust bottled up both in my mind and in my abdomen. And in this elusive moment of rity, I closed my eyes and focused on Mia''s inner state.

    Before, her mana was so weak that although she managed to stabilize her physical state, her entire cultivation was on the verge of imploding.

    The potential that she had was simply too big for the amount of mana she held. And with no force to keep her stretched-out limits in ce, it was only a matter of time before her body would revert back to how it used to be.

    Yet, now that I looked��

    The change was small. But it was there without even a shred of doubt.

    What used to be a single drop, a mere puddle in ce of a massive ocean, now turned into a moderately sizedke.

    The amount of mana currently flowing through Mia''s cultivation didn''t even reach a single percent of what she could hold. I was full of doubt if it crossed the barrier of a single promile!

    And yet, now that I was wildly smashing my crotch against Mia''s soft ass, her tiny amount of mana somehow sufficed to keep not only her body but also her cultivation stable.

    "Thank you��" Mia muttered in a soft voice. She brushed the floor with her forehead as she leaned her face to the side, opening her eyes and instantly looking back at my face.

    "Mia��" I only managed to utter the girl''s name before my throat squeezed, refusing to allow any air to travel through it.

    The look of gratitude, endless trust, and pleasure mixing in her eyes was just too much for me to handle.

    "Argh��" I groaned, freeing one of Mia''s boobs to clutch at my heart. "How can you��" I muttered while I kept swinging my hips to and fro, "be so damn cute?!" I screeched in a weird voice right when lightning traveled down my spine.

    The fingers of my left hand dug deep into Mia''s soft stomach. All my muscles tensed up, pushing my hips as far as it was humanly possible. And my dick reached Mia''s deepest parts, knocking right against the gates of her womb.

    Mia''s eyes rolled back when her face melted in a mix of pleasure, shock, happiness, and satisfaction. Her pussy coiled down on my dick, coating it with even more warmth and pressure than before while her insides threatened to suck my spine out of the hole in my dick.

    Unable to control my body any longer, I fell down on Mia''s arching back, resting my chin in the corner between her neck and her shoulder while all my cum exploded inside her.

    ''WAIT, NO!'' I only managed toe to my senses once it was toote. In the moment of desperation, I reached with my senses inside the girl��

    Only to see that between the rate at which her body absorbed the energy from within my sperm, the rate at which her cultivation continued to fill, and all the other processes that went down during proper dual cultivation��

    At best, our act could only fill half of Mia''s new potential!

    "Thank you��" Mia spoke again, even though there wasn''t even a single hint of sanity on her face, reced with nothing but pure ecstasy. "Thank you for trusting me," she whispered, before fully surrendering to the pleasure while the convulsions of her insides ensured not a single drop of cum would remain in my balls.

 Chapter 446 One Day, I Will Put My Kid There (Borderline R18? End Of The Smut Sequence))

    The rays of light shone through the gaps and holes within the structure of the building. Those warm rays changed their angle over time, proving that contrary to how I felt, time didn''t stop its daily passage.

    "Are you okay?" I asked in azy voice while hugging Mia from behind.

    We wereying back in bed, resting after both stressful and pretty damn exhausting exercise.

    The days were slowly turning cold, but we were all sweaty, even despite not wearing clothes at all and casting our sheets away.

    "Mhmm��" Mia replied with an intangible mutter, wiggling herself around a little within my embrace.

    For cultivators of our level, we could fuck around for hours toe without feeling a single bit of physical exhaustion from doing the activity. And yet, after everything went down in less than just a single hour, we were in azy state where neither of us could be bothered to move.

    Because neither of us was physically exhausted.

    Mia''s state could be attributed to how she proved her ideas correct by stretching her cultivation potential by a massive margin before filling roughly half of it after a few bouts with me.

    She didn''t lose her energy during sex, she lost it when her body had to enter overdrive just to heal her internal injuries during the least stable moment of her growth.

    On the other hand, I wasn''t physically exhausted nor did I go through any changes that required my body to reach its limits. Instead, all that happened to me in thest while was quite a lot of physical pleasure, increased by how it was a while since Ist properly slept with Mia.

    No, when it came to me, my exhaustion was sole of a mental type after I was forced to watch, nearly powerless, how Mia brought herself to the edge of demise.

    "I think we shouldn''tze around like that," I finally said, breaking down the devastating truth to my beloved.

    Laying down on the bed and cuddling while letting the time pass was something I strived to be always free to do. It was the ultimate goal that I wanted to achieve in my life��

    But right now, not only we weren''t there yet, it was actually counterproductive for both of us.

    "Just a little bit longer," Mia protested in azy voice, toofortable in my embrace to care about anything else. And as if to prove it, she grabbed my wrist only to pull my arm closer to her chest, making me tighten my embrace.

    "Five minutes are okay," I muttered, hiding my face in Mia''s hair and taking in a breath full of her delicate, slightly sweet fragrance. "But we will have to get moving then," I added, despite how much I despised the idea myself.

    Moving around would allow me to air out all the thoughts and stress from watching Mia push herself beyond her limits. And for Mia, moving around and actually using her cultivation would give her the opportunity to not only get used to it but also to ease herself into driving her mana.

    ''Thinking about it, our currentziness is a vicious loop,'' I realized.

    I didn''t want to move before there was still some residual stress within me, the stress of seeing my beloved wither away within my arms. And for Mia, while resting for a long time would suffice for her cultivation to regte itself, the more shezed around the less willing she would be to cut the ck and take the far quicker route of shaking off her dizziness.

    It was a vicious circle where the more wezed around the harder it would be for both of us to move and take action that would quickly solve our temporary problems. And yet, I couldn''t refuse Mia''s request to cuddle for a little bit longer.

    Now that my desire was fully satisfied, I could simply enjoy the gentle warmth of Mia''s flesh. It was a sensation that made me feel at home even in the run-down ruin of the room that only with the utmost effort I managed to turn into a livable space.

    Her softness would flood my brain whenever either of us would move, making me wish to hug and cuddle her more and more, never able to get enough of how divine of a pillow she was.

    Mia''s scent continued to assault my nostrils. The smooth texture of her skin rubbing against my own made my head spin. Her gentle curves made my body perfectlyfortable while hugging her and having my arms wrapped around her.

    All in all, just cuddling around with my beloved brought me to the peak of happiness.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And yet, it wasn''t my goal to experience it just now. No, I was way too greedy to be satisfied with just that.

    What I wanted, was to be forever able to enjoy all of those sensations while gazing upon Mia''s happy face. I wanted to study the sparks in her joy-filled eyes. I wanted to smile back at herughing face.

    ''I really am greedy, am I not?'' I thought, bringing my chin down and lowering my head over the girl''s neck.

    "Five minutes have passed," I whispered softly while sneaking a small kiss on the side of Mia''s neck. "And as much as I hate to say it, we really need to move."

    I was too greedy to be satisfied with the peak of happiness that onlysted for a few moments. I was too obsessed with Mia to let anything infringe upon our happiness.

    And for my ultimate desire, to turn what I could temporarily enjoy into something that would be forever within my reach, I had no other choice but to move up and get back to work.

    Because no matter how strong I was right now, there were bound to be opponents that could still challenge me.

    ''What a broken world this is,'' I thought, clutching my fists before rxing my hands and pushing my upper body up, breaking the bliss of hugging Mia''s soft curves close to my heart.

    Back in my original life, I didn''t need to be the strongest in the world to enjoy a peaceful life with the person I loved. And while that world was broken in many different ways, this ability to attain simple happiness without that much of a struggle was how it triumphed over the world I currently resided.

    ''Nothing good wille out ofining,'' I thought, standing up from the bed and stretching my arms up while feeling Mia''s eyes all over the back of my body.

    I ignored this weird sensation of being checked out like that, taking a moment to get myself warmed up before finally turning around and taking a look at my girl.

    Mia followed my example and sat up on the bed, using the formerly discarded sheets to cover the upper part of her legs and hips. And with the warm rays of the sun scattering all over her body, for this one precise moment, she turned into a goddess of love and beauty that sculptors would forever dream to replicate.

    The sun reflected a thousand times within each drop of sweat on her skin. The perfect proportions of her chest made me wish to reach out to grab and fondle her boobs, even though there was no sexual desire left in my groins. Her slightly indented waist and perfectly soft stomach��

    I felt a spark in my spine as my face froze with my eyes stuck on the girl''s belly button for a second.

    "Arty?" Mia asked, leaning her head to the side and letting her hair fall along her head and over her chest. She looked at me with curiosity sparking in her eyes, struggling to figure out what exactly I was thinking.

    Yet, rather than answering, I took a step forward and sat down at the edge of the bed. Then, I reached out�� but instead of grabbing her breast, I put the inner side of my palm t over the curve of Mia''s abdomen.

    "One day��" I whispered, unable to control myself as I fell into a sort of daze.

    For a moment, I continued to gaze at Mia''s t stomach, opening my mouth and moving them around yet failing to produce a single sound.

    Only after a while did I manage to raise my head and look straight into the depths of Mia''s eyes. And with my hand still gently pressed against her abdomen, I leaned forward before resting my forehead against hers.

    "One day," I whispered, pushing my face closer and closer before only the tiniest bit of air separated our mouths. "I will put my kid here," I announced in a soft voice.

    Mia blushed a little, taken aback by my out-of-nowhere statement.

    "Then," she moved her lips, allowing them to rub against my mouth as she spoke, "I will be eagerly waiting for that day toe."

 Chapter 447 Mias First Hunt

    "You don''t want me to wear the usual clothes?" Mia asked, looking at me with a weirded-out look on her face.

    "We are all dirty, aren''t we?" I replied, throwing a quick look at my own, naked body before moving my eyes over to Mia''s overbearing beauty. "I mean, I do not consider our own fluids to be dirt, but we shouldn''t rub it all over the only set of nice clothes we have, right?"

    There was a massive difference between having a cum on oneself during intercourse and during the other parts of the day. And even though I wouldn''t consider Mia to be dirty aftering all over her face or chest, the same couldn''t be said if she were to keep this kind of organic makeup over the rest of the day!

    "Should I bring my original robes along, then?" Mia asked right as she grabbed some random rags before tightly covering her body. Those makeshift clothes didn''t look pretty. They weren''t something a girl as beautiful as her should wear�� But they did their job of covering the beauty of her naked body away from the prying eyes of the other inhabitants of the city.

    "You can," I replied while grabbing the dirty sheets from the bed before using them to cover my hips and wrap them across my chest. "ording to my calctions, we are only twenty kilometers away from the river. So, even if we don''t push ourselves too hard, we should be able to reach it in a jiffy."

    "So we are going just for a trek?" Mia asked as she finished dressing up in whatever before moving over to pack her elegant robes into a single ball that she then proceeded to wrap on a random stick she found amidst the rubble in the room.

    "That would set a bad example," I countered, finishing up all the preparations I needed to set out. "So, once we clean ourselves up, I nned to go for a little bit of hunting!"

    Right now, the scarcity of food was the greatest problem of the outerpost that wemandeered.

    All the fields around the city were in a state ofplete devastation. And even though it was the height of the harvest season right now, gathering the crops nted by the former residents of the local area was a massive pain in the ass.

    With the fields destroyed, it wasn''t as simple as just going along the parallel lines of the fields, cutting down, and then hauling fruits and cereal. Right now, harvest turned into a scavenging run, where cultivators desperately looked for every piece of edible nt that somehow survived the onught of the monsters, the migration of the poption that followed, and then the former attempts at gathering as much food as possible by those who were in this city before.

    All in all, the leftovers that have yet to start rotting on the fields could only be used as a stop-gap measure, not a stable supply of food. Or, in other words, the only way to keep the cultivators that I brought here happy and full was by hunting game!

    "I never hunted before," Mia pointed out as a small blush appeared on her face. "So I don''t know if I will be of much use," she added as she finalized everything she needed before leaving.

    "It''s a simple task, don''t worry," I encouraged the girl before grabbing her hand and gently pulling her outside. "All you need to do is to stay hidden and move upwind so that the monsters and animals won''t be able to smell you out."

    All my experience of hunting came from a few novels I read in my past life�� and then several months'' worth of hands-on experience that I gained while out on my contractor''s job.

    And I passed as much of this knowledge as we walked through the mostly deserted streets of the once bustling city.

    "So this is where we are going to hunt," Mia muttered a few momentster, once we moved out of the city and then across a small field before facing the entry to a small forest that separated the city from the river to the north.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just as one could expect from a world where there still was more ground than people that could make use of it, save for thends where the ground was too infertile to support trees, everything else was covered in thick vegetation.

    ''It might be smaller and less lively than the forest in the bordends, but it''s still a ce where some game should be roaming around,'' I thought as I grasped Mia''s hand even tighter before pulling her towards the trees.

    The first few minutes of our trek were pretty simple, no more than just a leisurely walk one would take to freshen their mind. Yet, as we pushed deeper and deeper into the forest and as the thick crowns of threes above us shielded us from more and more light��

    I just couldn''t help but get back into the hunting mindset I would have while out in the wild.

    My back was hunched. I lowered myself on my knees. My eyes danced around, scanning the surroundings to look for ces suitable to ce my step��

    All the while, Mia did her best to follow my example only to fail over and over again.

    "Am I just a burden to you out here?" Mia asked in a frustrated tone, pulling her eyebrows together as she forced herself into a state of extreme focus.

    "Yes, you are," I replied bluntly, only to shake my head and release a heavy sigh. "But do you really think I learned how to move around in the forest in a day?" I then pointed out. "No one bes an expert over an hour''s worth of training. So don''t beat yourself over it and just try to do better with every attempt," I encouraged Mia with a tap on her shoulder before going back to looking for clues that would point at the presence of the game nearby.

    In theory, my words were pretty damn far from what one would call encouragement. But I knew Mia more than enough to know that she wasn''t looking for empty words of praise or reassurance.

    Whenining about what she was doing wrong, she wanted me to point out her mistakes and the means to improve upon them. When sheined about being a burden, she didn''t want me to shout just how insanely wrong she is, but to learn how she could be a useful asset.

    And it was this progressive mindset of hers that allowed me, only about an hour ago, to stop her with a single flick of my hand.

    Then, just by pointing my thumb down, Mia didn''t assume I was rating her progress but slowly fell down on the ground while ensuring no twig or stick would crack under her weight, alerting whatever I noticed.

    "A fifth stage best, two hundred paces ahead," I whispered while pressing my own chest against the ground and only keeping my eyes and hair above the level of the forest bed.

    "Do you want to hunt it?" Mia whispered, in a voice barely loud enough to reach my ears.

    "No," I replied with a faint smile while controlling the volume of my own voice. "I think you are ready to try to hunt it yourself."

 Chapter 448 Mias First Prey

    We were both still dirty. As it turned out, reaching the river by going directly through the forest would take us far longer than I initially expected, turning our leisurely trip to the shore into a proper hunting expedition.

    Yet, for how ufortable it felt to move around in randomly organized clothing while bearing all the marks of our nightly activities all over our skin�� Right now, those things served as a massive advantage.

    The smell of the slightly rotting sheets that I found in the room masked the distinct smell of a human. Theck offort stemming from how messy we were made both of us move as carelessly as we could so that we wouldn''t spread the dirt any further.

    And it was those advantages that allowed Mia to approach the fourth-tier beast with rtive ease.

    ''Just a little bit more,'' I thought, encouraging the girl in my mind while watching how she got closer and closer to her target.

    A small de shed in her hand, reflecting the spare sunlight that managed to break past the barrier of the tree crowns and fall right on the girl''s hand.

    The beast suddenly tensed up, rapidly raising its head and then freezing in ce.

    ''Huge ears, sizeable nose, small eyes��'' I quickly took notice of the sensory features of the beast.

    All in all, the monster looked like a mix between a mid-sized dog and a deer, as if someone took a beheaded corpse of a deer and then stuffed a head of a cute dog on top of its neck.

    The nostrils of the beast and itsrge ears moved around, proving it was scanning the area for any hints of danger.

    ''Was it the light?'' I thought, puzzled about what alerted the beast. I then squinted my eyes. ''Should I help out?''

    Right now, the beast was on high alert. In other words, one could either wait it out for it to lower its guard again or direct its attention elsewhere to convince the prey it was nothing but a false rm.

    Sadly, Mia didn''t have the expertise necessary to understand those points.

    As soon as she noticed the beast freeze, Mia gathered the strength in her limbs, slowly raising her body to move it to a position where she could leap forward.

    And to my genuine surprise, the beast kept on failing to notice the girl, as if her movements were too damn slow for it to notice them!

    Mia leaped forth.

    She was grasping the ground with her left hand while keeping her knees curled up all the way to her stomach. She pulled her hand back while pressing both of her legs to the back at the same time, leaping at a speed only a cultivator could achieve.

    ''She can do it,'' I thought, watching how the beast instantly turned its head in the direction of Mia''s flying body.

    The beast tensed up and lowered itself on its limbs.

    Mia''s body flew closer.

    The beast shifted its weight to the side, trying to jump away from where Mia wouldnd.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mia reached out with her right, attempting to cut the beast with her small knife before it could start running.

    The beast pushed with its hind legs, ready to jump away and start running�� Only for Mia''s dagger to lodge itself into the beast'' hip, throwing it off bnce and stopping it in ce.

    ''She got it!'' I tightened my fists in celebration, watching how Mia quickly pinned the beast down to the ground with her body. Only once she was sure she secured her prey did the girl pull the knife out of the animal''s hip, only to bring it up to its throat and cut it open with one, quick sh.

    "Dry its blood!" I called out with advice. "The meat will taste better if we dry the blood as soon as possible!"

    I wasn''t going to keep the animal alive while it bleed out. And from the looks of it, Mia wasn''t going to follow this kind of barbaric tradition that I knew from my original world either.

    "On it!" Mia reported back, standing upright as she pulled her knife back before burying it into the side of the beast''s head.

    The beast convulsed once before its entire body fully rxed, no longer controlled by its nervous system.

    "Now, raise it and pull its head back to let the blood drain," I ordered, leisurely approaching the girl.

    Back in the days of me being a contractor, I would rush to extract the beast''s core and maybe some of its meat for my consumption before discarding the rest and fleeing the scene before predators would get attracted to the scent of blood.

    This time, however, I was far too damn powerful to care about any monster that could be lurking within the bushes.

    Those that I couldn''t passively notice were too damn weak to pose any threat to me or Mia. And those that I could passive detect�� I would be aware of their presence anyway!

    "That was pretty damn nervewracking," Mia admitted as she used some hemp and climbed up a nearby tree to hang the middle-sized beast down one of its branches while using another bunch of wild grass to bind the back of the beast''s head to the fur on its back. "I nearly let it get away!"

    "That''s true," I nodded my head. "You nearly allowed it to get away. You were too hasty to take the jump," I pointed out the girl''s mistake. "The best moment to attack is when they are lowering their guard. Not when they do so already, but when they are in the process of doing so."

    "So, when they are moving their attention back to grazing, right?" Mia asked while ncing over at her prey to ensure its blood was flowing out properly.

    "That''s right," I nodded my head in response, smiling lightly when Mia raised her hand and used the top of her hand to wipe some speck off her chin, leaving a trail of blood on it instead.

    ''That''s pretty damn metal,'' I thought, once again confirming that it didn''t matter what Mia wore or what she had on her face, it would always look like some sort of genius fashion.

    "But there is still one thing that you need to do after each hunt," I then added, approaching the hanging corpse of the beast before pulling out my own knife.

    For a second, I focused my mana sense of the no-longer animate being before driving my knife right around the height of the beast''s heart.

    "If you want it to be edible, you need to make sure to extract its core," I exined, burying my hand in the small cut I just made before plucking out a small, shiny object from the beast''s innards.

 Chapter 449 Gutting The Game

    "Extract the core?" Mia repeated after me with a surprise filling her voice. "And why is that?" she then asked, leaning her head over her shoulder while alternating her eyes between my face and the bleeding-out corpse of the beast she hunted.

    "Because if you don''t do so, the core will melt and spread throughout the entire corpse," I quickly replied, basing my answer on my own experiences.

    It happened somewhere in the first few days of my life on a contract.

    As I was fed up with the idea of leaving nearly the entirety of what we hunted back in the wild, I opted to bring an entire game along with me to the camp.

    Back then, I was extremely happy, hardly capable to wait before cooking the game so that I could finally get a proper taste of mybor.

    And yet, rather than feasting on the small beast that I hunted, I ended up throwing the entire pot worth of stew out when Lucius broke the news to me.

    In theory, there was nothing wrong with consuming mana-rich matter. That''s what most of the cultivators were doing when it came to herbs.

    But there was a massive difference between a mana-rich, or rather, spiritual herb and a mana-rich meat.

    Spiritual herbs would grow up while permeated in mana, evolving to a form that allowed them to properly store it.

    On the other hand, just like one could guess from how people needed to cultivate in order to make use of mana, beasts weren''t capable of freely storing this power in their bodies either.

    Hence, the very presence of the core inside of them!

    As such, once a beast would die, the core would soon begin to deteriorate, decaying away while releasing all the mana stored within into the now-dead body of its host.

    And with no biological will to keep it from happening, the mana would then lead the met to quickly start rotting away from the inside.

    As it wasn''t a process that heavily relied on bacteria and microorganisms, there were no usual signs of the meat going bad. Yet, as countless experiences of careless hunters showed, the moment one would ingest this kind of stealthy rotten meat, it was only a matter of time, a very short time, before they would pay for it with their health.

    "I don''t really understand, but if you say so, then I guess it''s one more thing for me to remember," Mia said with a shrug of her shoulders. She then turned her eyes away from my face and back towards the corpse. "I think it fully bleeds out now," she pointed out how the blood stopped flowing from the wound on the corpse''s throat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Well then," I muttered, getting back up and approaching the beast''s body with a knife in my hand. "Now''s the time for the least pleasant part of the hunt," I stated.

    I then pinched at the monster''s fur right by the small cut I made to extract the core. Then, I snuck my knife as shallowly below the beast''s skin as I could before slowly separating the two.

    It was either impossible or pretty damn unpleasant to eat the beast as it was. In order for its corpse to turn into a proper piece of meat, it had to be skinned first!

    The task was rtively simple, even if it required a certain degree of agility in one''s hand. And in just a few moments, all of the monster''s skin ended up hanging from the area around its hooves and right around the monster''s neck.

    "I''m not saying it''s wrong to eat the beast''s head, but I personally dislike the idea," Imented as I then cut the monster''s neck with a single swing of my knife before casting away the part that made me feel it was wrong to eat the beast.

    ''I know there are ces in the world where eating dogs is normal, but I can''t bring myself to eat something that even remotely looks or acts like a dog,'' I thought, clenching the muscles on my throat and face to keep a straight face and not throw up.

    It wasn''t my first time to skin and generally butcher an animal. And yet, due to a rtively long time since Ist did it, all those feelings that I managed to kill during my life as a contractor now returned with double the strength, threatening to incite a revolt in my stomach.

    "Why didn''t you cut the head right away, then?" Mia asked, sitting on a random stone she found nearby and watching every move of my hands. "Wouldn''t it bleed out faster, then?"

    "The reason is simple," I replied with a sigh. "That''s how I learned to do it," I then exined. "If I were to guess..." I brought my hand up and tapped the side of my finger against my mouth. "It is so that it won''t bleed out too quickly?" I suggested while making a face that showcased just how little faith I had in this answer.

    "Either way," I then shook my head before cutting a sizeable piece of the fur that I separated from the monster''s flesh. "Now, for the second tost step," I announced, making sure to narrate the process properly, "it''s time to get rid of the innards."

    I used the patch of fur I cut away to create a makeshift glove for my right hand by simply pressing one against the other. Then, with a single downward swing of my knife, I cut the small beast''s belly open, before pushing the bloodied side of my makeshift glove inside.

    Through the glove made out of the beast''s skin, I grabbed at the content of the beast''s stomach before pulling it all outside and dropping it down to the ground below my feet.

    Most of the stuff inside came out nice and easy, but to fully remove the rest of it, I had no other choice but to reach out with my unprotected hand before cutting at the connecting tissue with my knife.

    "And now, all that''s left," I muttered as I took a step back before spatting away, "is to give it a proper wash."

 Chapter 450 Dark Smoke

    What we found couldn''t be called a river. It was a mere stream of water meandering between bushes and trees as it moved northwards where it would likely join with the main river.

    And while it was possible to just spend some time to get all the way north to where we would get all the water we could want��

    I didn''t forget about my worries from when we were crossing that river. And even if the likelihood of monsters being somewhere so remote was low, I didn''t really see the need to risk it.

    "We will wash first," I said as I pulled my hand out of the water, doing testing for its quality and temperature. "Once we are done and as we will be drying, we will wash the meat."

    Theoretically speaking, it was better to wash the meat first. After all, whatever dirt or other impurities there were on it, the longer it would take us to clean them out, the more time they would have to set in and start rotting the piece.

    Yet, practically saying, there was no way I could go on any longer while wearing just some kind of rags wrapped around my hips and constantly reminded of the burning pain of the scratches of all the dried-out liquid that still stuck to my skin.

    "Washing in a tiny stream like this��" Mia muttered with aplicated look on her face.

    For a second I got worried that my constant spoiling of her actually made her spoiled.

    Then, she put a small, somewhat sad smile on her face.

    "That brings me back," she said, her lips filling with nostalgic amusement while her eyes took on a sadder note.

    ''That''s oneplex set of emotions for someone to feel over a simple stream,'' I thought. I then shook my head and proceeded to drop the rags that I carried around my hips.

    The stream was only three hands wide and two hands deep at its greatest extent. It was small, for sure, but the rapid speed of the water within somehowpensated for that fact, making it pretty easy to scoop some of it out without affecting the flow of the entire thing.

    "Haaa��" I released a moan of rxation once the water hit my skin and started to dissolve the dried-out filth left on my skin.

    Unsatisfied with just pouring in water on my skin, I walked around the side of the stream for a while before finding a ce where I could spot two things that I really looked forward to.

    Submerged sand served as the stream''s bed and dry sand sat right on the stream''s shore.

    "Mia,e here!" I called out, scooping out half of a fist''s worth of the wet sand. And then, without any hesitation, I mmed it all over my chest before proceeding to rub it all over my skin.

    There were no healing or cleaning properties within the sand. It couldn''t act like shampoo or soap at all.

    No, the only thing that the sand could be used for was a primitive scrubbing device that allowed one to get the filth of their skin far easier than it would be by just pouring water over one''s dirties parts.

    "It really brings me back," Mia added as she approached, gracefully stepping over the stream with the same suit she came to this world in.

    ''She looks like a dryad,'' I thought, gulping down my saliva.

    It wasn''t lust that I felt right now. It was adoration, admiration, and extreme happiness.

    Mia was so beautiful that she no longer invoked lust in me by walking into my face without any clothes on. No, the sight of her insane figure was something I could only revere, worship, even.

    "Care to tell me about your past?" I asked, quite curious about the girl''s origin story.

    It was the one thing that I never learned about my girl.

    Where did shee from? How did she end up at the Skdder sect in the position of a cultivation ve?

    I attempted to ask about it a few times in the past but would always end up withdrawing my questions when I observed how Mia reacted to those inquiries.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As such, when she started to randomly talk about her past...

    I couldn''t help but get interested.

    Hearing my question, Mia looked up before focusing her eyes on my face.

    For a few moments, she simply stared my face down with aplicated expression on her face and fell behind her eyes.

    Then, Mia averted her eyes to the side while putting a small, shy smile on her lips.

    "One day, I will," she promised before turning around and showing me her back. She then reached out with her hand to move her long hair out of the way. "In the meantime," she looked over her shoulder, "could you maybe wash my back?"

    ''What was I thinking about Mia being too beautiful to feel nothing but reverence towards her?'' I asked myself, all my thoughts vanishing when I took a step towards the girl.

    The sides of her boobs peeked out of the sides of her waist, the delicate angle at which her shoulders dropped down, the way in which her spine marked the perfect center of her back��

    All of that coupled with a mischievous smile on her face as she peeked over her shoulder while ying with her hair��

    "Ugh��" I brought my hand up and clutched at my chest, once again worried about contracting diabetes.

    Only with the utmost effort of my will, I managed to stop myself from just reaching out to grab at her breasts, opting to pour a handful of wet sand on her back before scrubbing it down.

    In the end, cleaning up took us only a moment. And in contrast to my initial worries about Mia struggling to clean herself in such a small stream, I ended up being the one who needed more time, even though I kinda got used to it while living my days as the sect contractor out in the woods.

    As soon as we were done cleaning our bodies, I took Mia''s prey to the river, scrubbing it all over with several times more sand than we both used to wash our bodies.

    Then, as our bodies dried out a bit, we finally donned our proper robes before turning around and leaving back for the city.

    Walking out of the forest was easy. Now that we had what we wanted, there was no reason to stay hidden and below the radar of the local beasts.

    And frankly speaking, if there was a beast dumb enough to attack me, I would hardly need to pay any mind while disposing of it.

    Yes, getting out of the forest turned out to be the easier part of the trip. And it was for one and one reason only.

    "Are those��" I muttered once I took a first nce at the outerpost in the distance.

    There was one element of the picture that didn''t fit what I expected.

    "Aren''t those clouds of smoke?" Mia quickly chimed in, squinting her eyes as she attempted to discern more details.

    We both tensed up at the same time.

    "Let''s go back!" I shouted, grabbing Mia''s hand before rushing back.

    There were only a few possible reasons behind such a massive cloud of dark smoke raising above the city we were trying to take over and rebuild.

    And not a single of the possible reasons were any good!

 Chapter 451 Dragon Hunters Return

    The smoke was raising over the ce formerly known as the Tuxi outerpost.

    Normally, I couldn''t care less. But right now, this was the ce where I was trying to start rebuilding the world one piece at a time.

    And the closer we got to the city, the more confident I was to tell the reason behind the smoke.

    ''Someone''s burning it down,'' I thought, feeling how a strange, dark feeling welled up in my stomach.

    There was still a small chance it was all just an ident. A stray discharge of mana lit up a piece of wooden rubble allowing the fire to spread through a part of the ruins.

    Yet, once we got close enough, I could confirm that not to be the case.

    ''The fire is rising from several different parts of the town,'' I thought. ''This can only mean that someone is going around, setting buildings on fire!''

    "Arty, slow down a bit!" Mia called out, doing her utmost to keep up the pace that I unknowingly keep on increasing.

    "Ah, sorry," I quickly slowed down, giving the girl a chance to run along with me rather than chasing my back.

    Since I was faster than Mia, there was this option for me to rush ahead to check the situation and possibly prevent it from getting worse.

    But��

    ''Levi should still be in there,'' I thought, curling my fingers into fists. ''And if the shit is going down despite his presence, this situation isn''t something that can be easily handled!''

    I saw Levi''s ability on its full disy when he didn''t even break a sweat when taking down a proper royal. As such, I would be hard-pressed to imagine what kind of power would appear in the city for Levi to struggle to contain it!

    Our run ended once we reached the first buildings of the city.

    Just like most of the area, they were long abandoned and way too far from the general area of my interest for any of the cultivators to pick it up as their own, private house.

    And yet, it was the distance separating them from the more densely packed parts of the city that protected those few buildings on the outskirts from the three separate storms of fire that raged about in the town!

    ''Not good,'' I thought, inspecting the level of devastation as I jogged through the streets.

    Soon enough, we stumbled into the first few corpses.

    Out of the total of seven bodies that I found lying in pools of blood on the streets, I could only recognize a single one. It belonged to a cultivator that stood up and asked a question back when I was exining the situation.

    ''To think that his courage back then would be the only reason why I know who he is now,'' I thought, feeling the darkness in my soul vibrate.

    It resonated with my emotions. It feed on them and added even more fuel to their fires in return.

    Thankfully, I could manage it.

    For now, at the very least.

    "We need to hurry," I muttered in an empty voice with a bleak look in my eyes.

    Since people died, Levi really had to struggle. And quite possibly, he either had no other choice but to run or ended up dead as well.

    There were quite a lot of things for how this situation could y out in my absence, so there was no use in trying to figure it out in advance.

    ''Wardens,'' I thought, releasing the formation stones from my personal pouches before raising all of my formations.

    Seeing how bad things were, there was no way I would get into the center of the events with just my basic defensive arrays formed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I slowed down my pace for a moment, making sure all my formations were deployed properly. I then ran a quick check to ensure there were no broken pieces in them, allowing all pieces of my mage''s tower to work wlessly.

    "Get ready," I muttered, right before we took a turn around the corner.

    And there it was, the center of the action.

    It used to be one of the housing projects that bordered the auction house from the side.

    Used to, as right now, it turned into a za covered with the sot and burned-down rubble from all the buildings that burned down.

    Thankfully, the auction house itself still stood, with Levi barring any of the invaders from approaching.

    He wasn''t in a good state, though. There were two cuts on his face and three more on his chest, all five of them marked with some of his blood.

    His breathing was heavy and his control over his mana wasn''t as stable as I remembered it to be.

    And most of all, he actually held on to a meticulously crafted sword, created by someone at the peak of the arcane weapon mastery.

    "You came back at the perfect time," Levi muttered, struggling to move his lips.

    He didn''t even turn his head to greet me, keeping his eyes locked on the group of enemies that stood before him.

    There was a total of eight of them. Seven soldiers and their leader sitting down on some rubble behind his underlings.

    ''Aren''t those guys��'' I squinted my eyes, only to then pry them open a momentter.

    I knew those guys. They were the ones to injure the dragon that I helped. They were also the ones that this dragon went to chase after as well.

    And most important of all, they were the very same people that both me and Mia encountered before, back when they fucked up our ns of saving the sect disciples that we found and rescued from their former oppressors!

    "Seeing the state you are in��" I spoke out, moving my eyes away from the dragon hunters and towards Levi.

    "You are done with your greetings?" the leader of the dragon hunters butted in, standing up from his makeshift seat.

    And as his head rose above the level of his subordinates, I could now see it quite clearly.

    A dragon''s skull protected his head while two of the dragon''s long ws were mounted on each of the man''s forearms.

    And from each of those articles, I could sense a familiar manaing.

    ''So that''s how you ended up, buddy,'' I thought, recalling the dragon that I helped and which helped me in return.

    It was likely due to my decision back then to abandon him that led to that majestic creature''s demise. And from the looks of things, it was also the reason why theing fight would likely be far harder than it was originally necessary.

    I took a deep breath before averting my eyes from the leader of the dragon hunters and turning them back to my former master.

    "Seeing the state you are in, I can go all out, right?" I asked, leaning my head over my shoulder and putting a small, empty smile on my lips.

    Levi finally turned his head and sent a nce my way. He then rxed a bit before breathing a long sigh.

    "Just don''t break the reality again," he said before turning his eyes back towards the dragon hunters in front of him. "Outside of that, do your best."

 Chapter 452 Disappointment

    "Outside of that, do as you wish," Levi said, releasing a heavy sigh as he took a step back.

    The distance that changed between him and the dragon hunters wasn''t great. It was just a single step. And yet, the relief that appeared on the man''s face was immense.

    ''So that''s their range,'' I thought, giving the situation a nce before turning my eyes and looking at the dragon hunters properly.

    They all wore all kinds of different equipment. And save for their leader who stood in the back, said the equipment could hardly be called good.

    ''They are the cannon fodder in every meaning of this name,'' I thought, squinting my eyes as I struggled to figure out just how in all hell they could be hunting dragons if their equipment looked as if it was all on the verge of falling apart.

    ''Or maybe it''s due to them having a tough, prolonged fight with Levi?'' An idea appeared in my mind as I stared the group of soldiers down.

    Regardless of the state of their equipment, the soldiers returned the gaze, unwilling to let me win even on this field without a proper battle.

    And then, just like that, everything started.

    All seven of the warriors rushed ahead�� although only four of them continued to dash in the same direction.

    Two of the soldiers near instantly changed the direction of their run, taking position roughly forty percent to my sides before pulling out the bows that they wore in a way that put their strings across their chests while the wood of the bow was behind their back.

    The four of them continued to dash right at me while swinging their weapons as if to telegraph their attacks.

    If I were a bit less experienced or hot-blooded, I would allow this theatricality to take my full attention. But at this point, I wasn''t naive enough to believe someone on this level would be as stupid as to openly admit what sorts of attacks they were hoping to use.

    No, the strange way in which the four of the front-line, melee-focused soldiers of the dragon-hunter group only had one and only one reason. And it was to hide the movements of the only one soldier of their group left unounted for, save for their leader himself.

    ''What is he��'' I initially thought, baffled when my eyes finallynded on thest remaining member of the dragon-hunting party.

    It was a man with no weapons on his own and only donning some light robes, quite simr to the attire all the disciples of the Tuxi sect often boasted about.

    He had no weapons�� but he held his hands high up to the sky while his mouth moved in an extremely weird manner as if he was uttering some extremely high-speed chant.

    ''A supporting mage or what?'' I thought, turning my eyes back toward the advancing melee party.

    If anything, their equipment didn''t telegraph their true skill. Even though they all dashed ahead, they still managed to keep up a rtively simple formation.

    Two of the melee fighters, both of whom were equipped with long-handled axes, rushed ahead in a straight line with barely any gap of open space between them. Then, the other two followed closely behind, although they positioned themselves slightly to the sides, with just enough space between them and the main duo of the formation to give their ranged fellow soldiers enough space to shoot their arrows through.

    ''So the front duo will bind me in the fight, the other two will force me to split attention to protect my nks while the shooters will look for gaps in my defenses they could exploit,'' I thought, quickly summarizing the most likely reasons behind and the objectives of the formation.

    And so far, figuring out the other party''s intentions was bafflingly easy. And then, I remembered the only member of their group that stood behind me.

    ''What is he��'' I thought, only for all my thoughts to freeze.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was a huge blob of transparent mana gathered right at the man''s raised hands. And with every step the melee party took toward me, the amount of mana around that guy''s hands continued to increase.

    "DRAGON''S BLESSING!" the man finally shouted, stirring up the mana in his hands before pushing his hands forth as if he wanted to m them against a desk positioned right at the level of his corbone.

    The presence of the melee members of the attacking group skyrocketed. Their movements became so fast I could hardly follow them with my eyes.

    At the same time, the ranged duo of the group pulled back the strings of their bows, ready to unleash the hail of arrows the second I would allow my defenses to falter.

    The melee soldiers at the front raised their axes in unison, ready to smash them down against my barriers the very next second.

    ''Quite impressive,'' I thought, honestly admiring the simple yetplex formation that they deployed.

    And then, after experiencing a strange effect of slow motion as the axes fell down on the outermost of my barrier, I couldn''t help but release a long, disappointed sigh.

    "So this is all you guys mount to," I muttered, shaking my head sideways with contempt and dissatisfaction.

    The axes fell down. A momentter, two swords joined them to the sides, bringing a total number of des brought against the outermost of my barriers to four.

    And the disappointing part was�� they all failed to even make a dent in it.

    All in all, there were a total of seventy-seven defensive measures I deployed within my mage''s tower. And for how rudimentary and simplistic it was, the outermost barrier was made with the same number of formation stones as most of my other, moreplex formations.

    On its own, it didn''t change how much power the barrier could withstand. No, the added excess of instructions embedded into the barrier''s very fiber of being aimed at making it as universal as possible.

    And yet, the attacking party failed to break through the said barrier, leaving all the other seventy-six of my traps, barriers, puzzles, and mazespletely unusable.

    ''Wait, no,'' I suddenly reminded myself before casting a quick nce at Levi to my backward side.

    His breathing was as heavy as it was when I first arrived at the scene. His wounds continued to bleed, although the man now dedicated all of his focus to ripping his own clothes apart before using the material to cover his wounds.

    ''They gave Levi a run for his money,'' I thought, only to gulp my saliva down a momentter. And with my eyes moving back to the weirded-out group of soldiers who failed to understand just why they couldn''t take even a step closer to me, only a single thought prevailed in my mind.

    ''I can''t get careless!''

    And yet, despite raising my vignce to its maximum�� the dragon hunter soldiers failed to make any progress at all!

    They continued to hack and sh at the air, missing the barrier out so frequently with their attacks that I couldn''t help but get suspicious as to whether or not they were simply stalling for time!

    Yet, no matter how hard I thought, I couldn''te up with any ideas for whom they were waiting for!

 Chapter 453 I Command Thee, Kneel

    ? ''What the hell is going on?'' I thought, watching how the dragon hunters became more and more restless as their attacks continued to be as useless as before.

    Unable to solve the issue on my own, I cast a quick nce over to where Levi was taking his well-deserved rest.

    He didn''t wink back at me. He didn''t give me a knowing smile. He didn''t even try to avert his eyes.

    Levi genuinely focused all of his strength and attention on doing nothing but recovering from his injuries and trying to regain his mana.

    He was in a state that screamed past trouble. And yet, no matter how long I waited, the same people that gave him such a hard time failed to reach the point where I would even consider them a treat!

    ''Wait, no,'' I pursed my lips as I brought my eyes back to my current enemies. Yet, they were still stuck in their attempts to hack away at my first barrier, unable to progress past this rtively simple hurdle.

    ''If they are stalling for time, then what''s going to happen soon?'' I pondered, trying to act innocent while uncovering the secrets of the other side''s fighting n.

    And so I waited.

    And waited.

    And then waited some more, while putting up a front of exhaustion building up on my face.

    Yet, no matter how long I allowed the other party to stall�� nothing really happened!

    ''Maybe I''m just too careful?'' I suddenly realized.

    It was truly a weird thought. To be so careful actually worked against me.

    Ever since I experienced fear for Mia''s safety, I didn''t dare to underestimate any of my opponents. And yet, in the current situation�� I couldn''t help but worry that I ended up greatly overestimating them!

    "So you are a dragon too," the leader of the dragon hunter finally broke the stalemate with just a few words of his.

    He then stood up from the pile of ruins that he turned into his makeshift seat before raising his right hand at the level of his elbow.

    The man then put his thumb and middle finger together only to snap his fingers right as he brought his arm down.

    It was a simple snap. It did nothing but produce a short, snappy sound. Nothing, save for how a long yet simple staff materialized in the man''s hand.

    The design of this new weapon was as simple as it could get. A metal-reinforced wooden stick with three fingers curling towards the insides at the top.

    All in all, it was a tool I could make in less than five minutes if given the proper materials. An item that I would hardly pay any attention to if I were to find it in some random spot.

    And yet, the one element of the dragon hunter''s staff was there to attract my full attention.

    And it was the beating heart, roughly four times the size of a human one, currently stuck right between the three curly spikes at the top of the dragon hunter''s staff.

    ''Is that��'' I thought, gulping my saliva down when the realization struck me.

    There was only one animal, one beast or one monster that would have its heart extracted and put on this kind of disy by a group of dragon hunters. And simrly, there were only a few beings in the entire wide world whose hearts could continue to beat even when extracted from the rest of their bodies.

    ''A dragon''s heart,'' I thought, squinting my eyes while scanning the area for an unusual movement of the mana.

    "Why didn''t you help your kin, though, I wonder," the man then said again, forcing me to recall his stupid im.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. And with just that, I could confirm that no nearby mana behaved in a way I didn''t expect or couldn''t exin.

    And as I slowly opened my eyes, I finally came to a decision as to how I wanted to influence the current stalemate.

    "If you want to talk," I said, leaning my head over my shoulder before gracing the man with a simple, sympathetic smile, "I should get rid of those nuisances first, don''t you think?"

    There were a total of seven people attacking me. One support, two ranged, and four melee fighters.

    And it just so happened, that after the constant training that I never dared to stop, the number of my wardens was just slightly above double that number.

    ''Wardens,'' I thought, bringing forth fourteen of them at once, before aiming two of them at each of the aggressors.

    "Attack," I muttered while sending my right hand forward.

    Sadly, I had no fancy tool in my hand to make this move any more dramatic. But at the same time, I didn''t have any need for it.

    In an instant, a nearly endless line of mana bolts shot out from the wardens floating within the bound of my mana tower, directing two streams of constant attacks at each of my attackers.

    Tsssss��.

    The sound of the condensed mana striking the target only to evaporate it right away quickly reached my ears when a total of three enemies fell to the ground while missing either a limb or a huge chunk of their bodies.

    ''That''s a drag,'' I thought, turning my eyes towards two melee users and the one ranged attacker whose wits were tuned in nicely enough to allow them to jump back and escape the attack.

    ''It would be easy to make the line of fire follow them�� but wouldn''t it be too anticlimactic?'' I thought, allowing a small smirk on my lips right when I added this simple instruction to the fray.

    A second volley of mana bolts then shot out from within my mage''s tower. This time, however, rather than being aimed at a fixed spot, the wardens actively sought their designated opponents while modifying their firing solution to ount for their possible moves.

    In the next four seconds, two more people died, leaving only the supporting dragon hunter and the ranger attacker for me to have fun with.

    "Damn it," I muttered as sorrow filled my soul. "It truly is lonely to stand at the top of the world," I said in a regretful tone while raising my eyes to the skies.

    And then, with a single wave of my hand, I sent two modified formation stones in the direction of the only two surviving members of the dragon hunting squad.

    "STOP IT!" the leader of the dragon hunters screamed from the bottom of his lungs after taking his sweet time to digest what was happening.

    For nearly an hour straight, I allowed the other party to do their best to break my first barrier.

    And now, in a matter of mere seconds, I killed off five out of a total of seven of the man''s group.

    Yet, right as the leader''s shout sounded out in the air, my formation pebbles reached the areas near their targets.

    And this time, rather than simply unleashing a storm of condensed mana��

    Those formation stones dissolved, unleashing a spacetime fracture right where my opponents stood!

    "Through the bond of the dragon blood��!" the leader of the dragon hunters shouted, grabbing his fancy staff in two hands before raising it high up to the skies. "Imand thee, kneel!"

 Chapter 454 Onslaught Of Basic Mana Bolts

    "Imand thee, kneel!"

    The leader of the dragon hunters shouted while raising his staff with likely a dragon''s beating heart to the skies.

    And in the meantime, I intensified the bombardment of my mana bolts, erasing both the only remaining ranger subordinate of his along with the one that stood back to support the rest.

    As it turned out, targeting the supporter, in particr, was a great idea. The two melee users that only turned more frantic with their attack ever since the onught started managed to avoid death only thanks to the set of barriers that protected them from my attacks.

    A set of barriers vanished the second the dragon hunter of a supporting role ceased to exist, along with several body parts of thest two of the soldiers in the instant that followed the supporter''s death.

    "How��" the leader of the now deceased group stared nkly at the situation right in front of him.

    He had his eyes locked on the beating heart on the top of his staff while I was busy finishing off all those small fries that dared to invade mynds. By the time he brought his eyes down to inspect the results of him using some sort of spell or something, not a single one of his subordinates was left alive, leaving him unable to form a single,plex sentence.

    Or, to be more precise, leaving him unable to string even a few words into a cohesive, basic sentence.

    "Now we can talk," I said, putting a small, sympathetic smile on my face while leaning my head slightly to the side. "So, I heard you talking something aboutmanding me to kneel, didn''t you?"

    The look of shock in the dragon hunter''s eyes was so precious I almost forgot about all the corpses I saw while on the way to this ce.

    "How can that be��" the leader of the invaders now managed to bring four times as many words together as he could do before.

    Astounding progress, given how he only had a few seconds to reach that kind of progress.

    "No dragon could resist thispulsion!" the dragon hunter shouted, mming the butt of his staff into the ground.

    Then, the look on his face changed.

    "No dragon could resist thispulsion," the man repeated, raising his eyes before giving me a cold stare.

    This time, however, there was no blind denial written all over his face. It was just cold hate that forced him to abandon his earlier assumptions and adapt to reality.

    "And that means, you are not a dragon!" the man shouted while raising his left hand and pointing it at me.

    "I don''t recall ever iming to be one?" I suggested, slightly taken aback by how the situation developed.

    It was this strange guy that called me a dragon before. I never ever tried to acknowledge this, not to speak about confirming it.

    And yet, he now had the balls to use me of faking it?

    "Well, it seems like you don''t have much to say," I muttered, quickly losing the patience that was absolutely necessary to deal with this kind of person.

    And so, all the wardens that I previously used to eradicate his team, I now redirected straight towards the man''s face.

    ''Even if he has some sort of defense, it would never be able to hold against this kind of massed firepower,'' I thought, holding all those wardens back with a mere thought.

    All it would take for me to start sting would be a mere intention for it to happen.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No dragon could disobey the heartmandment," the man muttered, still stuck on some notion that I couldn''t care less about. "And thus��"

    Something in that man''s eyes changed again. And to be perfectly honest, I didn''t like the new look that appeared on his face.

    "Perish," I ordered in a snappy way, releasing the hold over my wardens and unleashing their not-upgraded firepower over the man''s face.

    In a single instant, a total of fourteen wardens released streams of mana bolts so dense that they appeared to form a set of fourteen, straight lines. The three remaining wardens I held back just in case, wary of whatever retaliatory strike the other party would unleash.

    And right as the first set of bolts was about to strike the invader''s face and turn in into a sizzle��

    The mana flow that I kept a close watch on suddenly started to act weird.

    It was acting all normal, with only my own attack disturbing its natural flow in the world. And in the next moment, an overwhelmingly massive surge of energy appeared, centered on the heart held by the three fingers at the top of the dragon hunter''s staff.

    ''What?'' I thought, baffled by the inferno of pure mana unleashed by the man''s staff�� Or to be more precise, the still beating heart at its top.

    The first few sets of my mana bolts simply drowned in the sea of mana that surged to this dimension. Yet, the main advantage behind my attack didn''t lie in the fourteen different directions it came from.

    The main reason why I considered my current ability to be on a cheat-level, was due to how I could keep this form of attack near indefinitely.

    Those mana bolts weren''t the ones I improved recently by anchoring them in formation stones to unleash the true mana upon the world. They were still the most rudimentary form of attack that I developed since obtaining my current ss.

    And yet��

    The first few mana bolts of mine drowned in the sea of mana that the man unleashed from his staff. Yet, as more and more mana bolts struck the surface of the rapidly expanding zone of his control, the mana that created it�� started to sway.

    And then, just like water pushed aside by a concentrated stream of water from a spraying hose, the mana of the dragon hunter receded, giving way to my mana bolts.

    "WHA��?!"

    The shock appearing on the dragon hunter''s face was outright precious. And in a sense, the look of terror that then appeared in his eyes redeemed all the sins that hemitted towards me.

    In that single moment, I forgave all his transgressions.

    But forgiveness has nothing to do with proper punishment.

    As such, I didn''t hold back my attack at all, calmly watching how my mana bolts struck the man''s face after a mere few seconds. I didn''t stop even when thest of the dragon hunter''s defenses saturated and vanished, allowing my attack to reach everyst part of his body, erasing him from existence as if he was never real, to begin with.

    "Phew," I released a quick sigh, pummeling the ground upon which the dragon hunter stood for a few more seconds, just for a good measure. Then and only then did I dare to cease the onught of my wardens, putting an end to their attack.

    The dust took a good fifteen seconds to settle, finally revealing that save for a small crater in the ground and the staff that he used, not a single trace was left of the enemy that nearly managed to overpower Levi before.

    "Now then, I muttered as I took a step forward and reached out for the staff with a dragon''s heart on top of it. "Let''s see what it is."

 Chapter 455 Spawn Of Heresy

    "Let''s see what it is," I muttered while raising the staff up, all the way to the point where the heart at its top moved to the level of my eyes.

    At first, nothing really happened.

    I simply stared at a massive heart, watching how it pumped nothing but air.

    ''It''s not exactly how a human heart looks like, so how did I never hesitate whether or not it''s a heart?'' I asked myself, eagerly finding a hole in my current understanding of the situation.

    I was looking for some gap in my logic�� because I couldn''t make any sense of this situation. And no matter how long I took staring at the beating heart at the top of the staff�� I couldn''t feel anything.

    ''There are only two kinds of people,'' I thought, recalling one of the quotes from my previous life that I always found both amusing but also extremely to the point. ''Those who, when in the face of the reality going against what they know, would throw the reality away in favor of their theory,'' I thought, taking a deep breath and lowering the staff.

    I then raised my eyes and looked towards the sky.

    It was already prettyte, although it would still take some time before the night would begin. At most, it was still ate afternoon, just the right time to conclude whatever job one had on hand and head home to get some rest.

    But I couldn''t do that yet. I couldn''t do that, because I associated myself with the other type of people that this memorable quote described.

    ''And then, there are those who, in face of their understanding of the reality going against the facts, ept that their understanding is wrong and look for an exnation that actually makes sense.''

    I took a deep breath. I then took a moment while my lungs were full to clear my mind before raising the staff back to my eyes.

    This time, however, rather than just looking at it with my normal vision, I added my mana vision to the mix.

    I didn''t exclusively attempt to sense mana within the staff, even though that''s how I would usually go about it when switching between normal and mana visions.

    No. This time, I looked at the staff with both types of vision I possessed.

    Whoosh!

    Something sucked my consciousness away from my body, locking it in an entirely different realm.

    I could still see the things around me, the staff before me, and even the things that were hidden behind my back�� but it all appeared to be behind some sort of a semi-transparted veil as if my soul ended up trapped in some sort of a conciousness prison.

    ''No, that''s not it,'' I quickly realized as I inspected the reality where my soul suddenly appeared to be.

    And for the first time, I understood what was so peculiar about the staff in my hand.

    My soul wasn''t extracted from my body. No nefarious spell locked my consciousness away either.

    No, those were both simple but also wrong exnations for the phenomena I experienced.

    The reality, however, was different.

    The beating heart at the top of the staff was just the physical manifestation of an extremely powerful mana condensate. And just like gravity would affect the world around it, when I peered into this mana, upon breaking some sort of arbitrary limit, I managed to actually see into it.

    The thing is�� It wasn''t just a massive pool of mana.

    No, the condensation of energy within the dragon''s heart was simply so massive, it couldn''t fit into the reality around me. It couldn''t adhere to thews of the universe I, so far, deemed to be absolute.

    And just like mass would act when the pressure on it grew too much, the mana copsed the reality itself, creating a pocket of subspace in which it could fully and properly manifest.

    ''Woah��'' my consciousness released a small moan of amazement when I not only managed to figure out what actually was that I was seeing�� but also understood the implications behind it.

    It wasn''t a soul prison. It was a pocket of reality, a subdimension, so densely packed with mana that it became practically impossible for me to interact with it at all!<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just like it was impossible to extract mass from the center of a ck hole, it appeared to be impossible to extract any sort of mana from this strange subspace!

    ''And that doesn''t bode well for my hopes of escaping this ce,'' I suddenly realized.

    A small movement back in the real world drew my attention.

    The dust and ash that covered everything in the vincity of the area that I showered with my mana bolts�� suddenly moved.

    And out of a pile of ash and rubble, the very same Dragon Hunter that I fought with just a moment earlier jumped out.

    He had a knife in his hand and with how he held it with its de down while reaching out with his other hand for my shoulder, the sad reality became painfully obvious.

    I didn''t defeat him. My guts about there being something wrong were entirely correct.

    All I did, was fall right for his trap, and now I had no other choice but to watch how he would plunge the dagger in his hand right into my heart��

    As if.

    The soul prison of the mana subdimension was a ce that no mortal of this world could escape from. It was simply too packed with mana for my tiny consciousness to free itself from the pressure inside.

    And so, rather than trying to wrestle my consciousness free from the subdimension�� I just mentally swiped at it away, as if I was closing an app on my smartphone.

    I didn''t escape this strange subdimension. I exited it with a single thought.

    "DIE!!!" the dragon hunter shouted with marks of desperation mixing with determination on his face.

    Right now, I couldn''tunch my mana bolts. There was no time for me to create one on my own while the majority of my wardens had no angle tounch their own bolts.

    And as the luck would have it, I had no weapons in my hands either�� save for the dragon heart''s staff!

    "As��" I muttered, swiping my left hand to the side and knocking the iing dagger away with the handle of the staff, "if," I then finished my mockery, using my free hand to reach out and grab the man by his throat.

    "��"

    The look of terror that appeared on the dragon hunter''s face�� was just too damn real.

    He didn''t look at me like one would at a warrior that bested them.

    No.

    He looked at me�� as if I was the devil incarnate!

    "You��" the dragon hunter struggled to utter even a single word due to my hand tightly gripping his throat.

    "You��" he attempted again, only for me to push my fingers together even further, getting dangerously close to the point where I would smash his windpipe and sentence him to an extremely painful death from suffocation.

    Yet, a hint of curiosity shed in my soul.

    ''Just what is he going to call me now?'' I asked myself before lowering my eyelids and slightly rxing my grip on the man''s throat.

    "You spawn of heresy��"

 Chapter 456 Torture Without The Torture

    "You spawn of heresy��" the dragon hunter muttered, struggling to put even a single word out due to a set of five, simple reasons.

    Namely, mister thumb and his four beauties, currently squeezing down at the man''s throat.

    I, on the other hand, just couldn''t help it. The curiosity that his earlier attempts sparked now started to reach its peak.

    ''It''s not like I''m just curious,'' I attempted to persuade myself while I could feel my fingers squeezing the life out of the guy with each passing second. ''There is always some truth in myths, so whatever he believes in might hold a clue to the truths behind this world!''

    I remembered all the corpses of the cultivators that I saw while returning to this ce. I saw the devastation that this dragon hunter and his people brought upon the city.

    And with all of that in mind�� I couldn''t help but rx my hand and drop the man to the ground.

    "AAAAH!"

    The instant I released the dragon hunter''s throat, he instantly gasped for air, wiggling on the ground while struggling to regain the rity of his mind.

    "What heresy?" I asked nicely while not so nicely putting my foot down on the man''s chest and pushing it down just far enough to prolong his breathless struggle.

    If he couldn''t get a single breath in before due to having his throat squeezed dry, now it was theck of ability to dpress his lungs that caused nearly the same effect.

    "Spare��" the man attempted to get some words out, only to fail miserably at the task.

    "You won''t be spared," I said coldly, the images of the destruction still way too vivid in my mind for me to let this man go so easily. "The most you will get is an easy death," I announced, caring not for appearances.

    I wasn''t the one to revel in cruelty. In fact, I was likely the person least suited for it in this entire world due to my memories from the former life that shaped me to be who I was in this new life of mine.

    And yet��

    I didn''t enjoy acting in a cruel way at all. In fact, I despised the very notion of it!

    But this world wasn''t as simple and forgiving as to let me do only the things that I enjoyed. And in this particr moment, cruelty was the tool that promised the greatest reward for the least effort and with the greatest chances of the result being actually beneficial to my cause.

    "You see," I leaned down, getting closer to the man''s face. "I don''t actuallye from this world," I revealed in a whisper so silent that only the man right below me could hear me. "Ie from a civilization that was really cultured, going as far as inventing something so silly as the rights of the prisoners," I continued the reveals.

    But be it due to the ongoing torture clouding his mind, the pain of being unable to properly catch his breath, or maybe the shock that he summed up with the few words he managed to utter so far, the dragon hunter didn''t react to my words all that much.

    His face tensed up, for sure, but this could very well be his reaction to being brought to the literal edge between life and suffocation.

    "But you see, the thing about all that culture and kindness that was at the core of my civilization," I whispered while putting a wide smile on my face, "it all came from the foundation of my ancestors going apeshit to figure out the precise limits of human endurance."

    I raised up.

    The parts that were risky for others to know were already out in the other party''s brain.

    And from the look in his eyes, the very fact that I revealed them to him proved that I really had no intention of letting him live.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It wasn''t my threats from earlier that convinced him.

    It was the fact that I shared something that he could easily tell I couldn''t afford anyone to know.

    "My ancestors built their heritage upon the corpses of those who opposed them," I said, using words that could be slightly confusing but didn''t directly point at the truth behind my origin. "And despite all the facade they loved to put when the push came to shove, they would employ all sorts of unorthodox ways of causing pain."

    I raised my face to the sky and turned silent for a moment.

    As I stared at the sky, I juggled through all the memories I had of the time when I wasted my days away scrolling through random groups or videos on the inte.

    And just like one could expect from someone interested in anything even remotely curious, it didn''t take long for me to recall several simple yet extremely creative ways to torture people in a way that would make them go mad.

    "I could put you in some sort of a cave where a single drop of water would fall on precisely the same spot on the top of your head," I whispered with a dreamy look on my face. "I heard, for how easy it sounds to bear with, being unable to scratch that part of your head made people go insane in just a few hours," I added while putting a contemtive look on my face.

    After giving the man a moment to digest my words, I finally looked down, looking at his struggle-filled face with genuine curiosity.

    "I was always curious to see whether that sort of torture was really as bad as I heard it was," I admitted to my honest feelings. Then, my smile twitched a little.

    "Then there is the waterboarding when you put a cloth on someone''s face before pouring water on the said cloth," I added. "I heard that it makes one feel like you are about to drown, even if you could easily handle the same amount of time underwater."

    The look on the dragon hunter''s face changed. And it was a miracle on its own, given how he was already fully preupied with trying to survive on the tiny amount of oxygen I allowed him to breathe in.

    ''It''s not the idea of torture itself that will convince him,'' I thought, recognizing the signs of absolute terror that slowly rose in the man''s eyes.

    A terror that went beyond the simple fear of death.

    ''It''s the precise details of those means of torture that will convince him of just how effective it is,'' I thought.

    "T-the heresy��" the dragon hunter�� broke.

    I could see it in his eyes. The light of resistance that kept on burning throughout me choking him now vanished, reced with apletely passive look.

    I raised my leg a little, finally allowing the man to take a proper, full breath in.

    "Only another dragon could escape the trap of the dragon''s heart mana pocket," the man uttered, slowly getting his words out while still struggling to control his breathing. "A dragon��"

    The man''s eyes escaped to the side.

    His entire body trembled.

    "A dragon, or one of those who returned, destined to break the god''s will and bring this world to an end."

 Chapter 457 Just A Single Question

    The dragon hunter''s words lingered in my ears. And even without turning my head around, I could tell that I wasn''t the only one paying the utmost attention to them.

    ''Maybe I should''ve conducted this�� interview in a ce somewhat more private,'' I thought, realizing my mistake a bit toote.

    But how could I know that what this man would speak about would directly rte to the things that I already had some clues that touched upon the greatest secrets rted to this world?

    ''One of those who returned,'' I thought, gritting my teeth when the cogs in my mind twitched and started to run smoothly.

    This name simply clicked with who I really was, assuming that my idea behind this world being just a post-apocalyptic version of the extremely far future of the world I always belonged to.

    ''Destined to break the god''s will��'' I repeated the second part of the man''s words, trying to ride the moment of enlightenment to figure out the meaning behind them.

    Yet, no matter how much I strained my mind, no possible exnation came to my mind.

    Who was that God the man spoke about? Some sort of deity that he worshipped? Or maybe a sneaky link to a persona of extreme importance within those who set this entire reincarnation scheme in motion?

    ''No, that wouldn''t make any sense,'' I thought, gritting my teeth. ''Why would someone responsible for my reincarnation bring me back with the intention of me messing up with their ns?''

    I couldn''t figure out anything from those words on the spot. So, rather than wasting time and prolonging the silence, I simply opted to put it off forter to think about.

    Then, came thest part.

    ''Bring this world to an end.''

    Normally, this sort of apocalyptic prophecy would send a shiver down my spine�� if not for how we were already survivors of an entire worlding to an end and its shards copsing upon our world, turning it into a brutal and chaotic mess.

    "Haaa��" I released a long, tired breath, exhausted by all the thinking I ended up doing in a mere few seconds that passed since the man finally opened up his mouth and revealed some new clues to the secrets of this world.

    I shook my head before turning it over my shoulder so that I could take a quick look at the crowd that gathered behind me.

    ''At least he seems to be fine by now,'' I thought upon noticing Levi''s quickly improved state.

    "Do any of you have anything else to ask of this guy?" I asked, quicklying to terms with what I would have to do soon.

    I waited for a few moments, eager to have one of those otherwordly cultivatorse up with some sort of question. And yet, with each passing second, the only thing that happened was the scale of my annoyance that continued to grow.

    ''Are they mute or something?'' I whined in my mind seeing how no cultivator stepped up to ask.

    "I have one," Mia spoke out before taking a step forward.

    I took a look at her face�� and ended up slightly confused.

    First, I didn''t really want her to approach the man. Even if I managed to defeat him with rtive ease and even after all the strength that Mia obtained after breaking through�� She was still far too weak to be a match for him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    If I failed to keep that dragon hunter restrained even for a split second, her approaching would put my beloved in real danger!

    Yet, this wasn''t even the thing that confused me the most. Because when I looked at Mia''s face�� I couldn''t actually tell what she was thinking.

    Initially, I assumed that she read into my intentions and stepped up to fill the void of silence that followed my question.

    And yet, the tense look behind her eyes, the slight wrinkle that appeared across the entire width of her forehead��

    Those were the signs that she actually had a question�� And it was a question Mia was pretty emotional about.

    ''It''s about the two of them, isn''t it?'' I thought, recalling the event from the recent past that I never really thought about all that much.

    The encounter with the two surviving sect disciples that we saved from the hands of some brutal hooligans�� only to have them kidnapped by the very same dragon hunters who were unfortunate enough to attack my dwelling today.

    "A few days ago, your group found two young people, a man, and a woman, both wearing the same robes that the two of us do," Mia stated while pointing her hand at me, confirming my guess.

    I turned my eyes away from the girl''s tense face and moved them towards the man who I was pinning to the ground with my leg.

    Yet, contrary to what I expected, his face didn''t change at all. He didn''t be tense like someone whose crimes were suddenly brought to light. His eyes didn''t twitch either like they would in someone who suddenly managed to figure out what the other party was talking about.

    No, all that I could see in that damned dragon hunter''s face, was the constant struggle to recover from the torment of oxygen deprivation that I put him through.

    "What did you do to them?" Mia asked, locking her eyes on the man''s slightly reddened face.

    "W-we�� discarded them," the man replied once I lifted my leg just enough to allow his lungs to raise and suck in some air inside. "T-they were too weak to even walk, so one of my men gave them mercy."

    There was absolutely no emotion in the man''s voice beyond what you would expect from someone in his state. And the exact wording he used��

    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

    It didn''t take a genius to figure out the rest.

    "Arty��" Mia muttered in a voice I never heard her use before. She then inhaled a lungful of air herself before raising her eyes and giving me a lovely smile. "May I?"

    Her face was all in smiles. And that smile of hers had to be the widest one I ever saw on her face.

    And yet, there was no warmth behind it at all.

    "Go on," I replied with a heavy sigh.

    Only for the girl to raise her right leg�� before heavily stomping down on the dragon''s hunter head, smashing his brains underneath her heel.

 Chapter 458 We Need To Talk

    Thump.

    The sound of Mia''s heel smashing the dragon hunter''s head was surprisingly dull, simr to the sound I experienced when I smashed a watermelon once.

    It was disgusting, for sure, but so were the actions of that man.

    "Haaa��" Mia released a long breath, her eyes fixated on the bloody mess below her foot. She raised her leg and took a step back only to then kick with her right foot forward, shaking off all the bone pieces, blood, and brain matter from her shoe.

    The air turned tense. Not a single soul behind us dared to speak up, Levi included.

    And in all fairness, I was at a loss for words myself, even though I pretty much expected this development.

    "I''m sorry," Mia said after taking some time to collect her thoughts. "I didn''t ask if you had any questions left for him," she said, still keeping her eyes on the disgusting mess that she made.

    Her face was tense. I could still sense a massive amount of bloodlust in her eyes, even though I could only see Mia''s profile.

    But those weren''t the reasons why she kept on looking at the mess she made. From what I could tell, she simply had no courage to look me in the face right now.

    ''I guess this is the moment when I should step up,'' I thought, taking a shallow breath so as to not alert the girl before moving forth.

    I reached out with my hand�� and gently rested it upon the back of Mia''s left shoulder.

    I didn''t say anything. For a few fleeting seconds, I simply stood in ce with my hand on her shoulder, trying to feel out the perfect moment to open my mouth.

    But, as the seconds trickled by, a different idea appeared in my mind. And so, rather than speaking up, I got even closer, moving my hand beyond Mia''s shoulder and over her corbone before pulling her slightly back, squeezing her towards my own chest.

    "I''m sorry I acted so hastily," Mia whispered, still refusing to look away from the bloody scene that she caused. "I should''ve asked if you had any questions for him first�� No, I shouldn''t have done that in the��"

    "Shush, kiddo," I whispered, wiggling the two of us an inch to the left before turning the motion around and doing it to the right. "Do you think I''m angry or something?" I then asked.

    But to be perfectly honest, I didn''t really need an answer.

    I allowed a few more seconds to pass while doing nothing but cuddling Mia from behind.

    "The only question I had left for him was about his reasons to attack this ce," I revealed while hiding the truth a tiny little bit. In fact, though, there were far more questions that I would be happy to ask.

    Yet, at this point in my life, all that the potential answers could provide would be even more questions for me to ask down the line. And to be perfectly honest, there wasn''t even a shred of hope in my heart that dragon hunter would know answers to any of them.

    "The biggest problem I have with what you did, is that your foot is dirty right now," I whispered right into Mia''s ear while giving her corbone onest squeeze before rxing my hand and moving a single step back.

    "I can tell you want to exin your actions. Even though I don''t need you to do it, I''m more than willing to listen to your point of viewter on," I announced before taking another step to the back.

    And then, rather than putting all my focus on Mia, I turned around and looked at the crowd gathered behind my back.

    "But right now, we have other matters to focus on," I said, turning my eyes towards the only corpse of one of my cultivators that I could see near the auction house building.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Levi," I turned my eyes towards my former master. "Unless there is some specific reason behind it, I''m quite surprised that you struggled to hold those people back," I said. "I want to hear more about it, but that''s another topic forter. For now, though, you have my thanks for holding them back while I was away."

    "It''s nothing much," Levi replied with a sour expression on his face.

    He knew that he fucked up. And I knew it as well. And we were both aware that this wasn''t a secret for either of us.

    Not after the ease with which I disposed of the entire host of those dragon hunters.

    "Ahhh��" I released a slight moan as I raised my eyes and looked up to the sky. I then lowered my eyelids and took a moment to rest.

    "First off, I want to know how many people died and how much stuff we lost in the fighting," I gave out my first orders. "Secondly, I need everyone to stop what you are doing if it''s beyond the nearest proximity of the town and focus on patrolling the perimeter. We can''t allow another loss like that."

    I slowly lowered my head and looked at the group of cultivators still standing and watching me in silence.

    A strange chill moved down my spine.

    "Didn''t you hear me?!" I shouted, allowing the anger that I held back to finally make itself known in my voice. "Count the damn corpses, now!" I shouted, sending my arm off to the side in the direction where I came from when returning to the city.

    "Sir�� but the fires��" one of the cultivators finally found the courage to open their damn mouths and speak up.

    "I didn''t see that many corpses for all of you to be needed to take care of them," I replied while giving the man an annoyed nce. "You are all fucking adults, just do what''s necessary right now."

    I turned around and approached Mia''s back.

    She was still stuck in her daze, with her eyes seemingly locked on the now headless corpse of the dragon hunters'' leader. Yet, as I drew closer, I realized that she actually had her eyes closed.

    "Are you okay?" I asked, stopping a single step away from Mia in order to avoid startling her.

    "Yeah," Mia muttered as she jerked her head up and pried her eyes open. "I''m okay," she said before lowering her eyes and taking a look at her blood-covered right foot. "I guess I really need to go and clean myself up," she added in a strangely detached voice.

    For a moment, I simply stared at her profile while calcting everything in my head. I then took a deep breath before slowly letting all the air out of my lungs.

    "Do you want to have a proper talk?" I then asked in a lowered voice. "Not only about why you hated this guy so much, but also about all the details of my past and what I understand from what that bastard spoke," I added, revealing the true intent behind my suggestion.

    ''We need to talk.''

    A short sentence that in most rtionships would spell trouble. A set of words that most people dreaded as they are often used as the prologue to breaking up or some huge drama.

    But in this exact case, it was the opposite.

    Because what I wanted to talk about, weren''t the things that we held against each other, but the things that we kept hidden.

    "You��" Mia sharply raised her face and looked at me with her eyes wide open. Yet, seeing the determination written all over her face, she gulped her saliva down and simply nodded her head.

 Chapter 459 I Want To Talk, But...

    I wanted to talk with Mia. Have a proper discussion during which I would reveal the details about my past that I omitted during our earlier conversations. Bring her fully up to speed in regards to my past life.

    Then, I would love to hear her opinion on the problems and questions that I struggled to answer myself.

    All of that was a simple desire of mine, coupled with my need to spend some time alone with her, borne out of the heated atmosphere of the recent fight and its violent oue.

    I wanted to make all of that happen right away�� but I couldn''t.

    "They really can''t do much unsupervised," I muttered when I turned around, a mere moment after giving the otherworldly cultivators their orders.

    They were supposed to count and then gather the deceased, get rid of all the fires, and map out all the devastation that came due to the attack.

    Three simple tasks with the addition of patrolling the area in case of another group of invaders or maybe monstersing our way.

    And yet, barely anyone managed to move.

    "I guess we will have to put it off forter," I muttered, not paying any mind to hiding the annoyance in my voice.

    "Huh?" Mia twitched, finally tearing her eyes away from the bloody sight before her and turning her face to the side to throw a nce at my face. "Why?" she asked in a tiny, fleeting voice.

    Then, for exactly three seconds, she stared at my face. She moved her eyes and spent two more seconds looking in the same direction as I did.

    "Hehe," Mia then giggled, her face rxing as she brought her right first up to cover her mouth. "I see," she said in a normal voice after taking the reins of herughter. "I guess they won''t move unless we make them."

    Mia''s mood took a drastic turn in a time so short I genuinely started to worry about the health of her mind. She turned around and marched off, only to force the cultivators to move with shouts, screams, kicks, and punches.

    ''Still,'' I thought, gulping my saliva down, ''it''s better to see her like that than to watch her brood over what happened.''

    I took a deep breath and pped my cheeks twice before joining Mia and adding my own two cents to her shouting and kicking that finally managed to force the cultivators to move.

    First came the topic of gathering the corpses and counting the dead. Thankfully, contrary to how big the damage appeared to be when I approached the town, there were only a total of seven dead.

    The first three of them died during the initial sh, three more fell while trying to stall the enemies and before Levi joined the fight. Thest unfortunate victim was truly�� unfortunate, as he ended up caught up inside one of the buildings that the dragon hunters set on fire.

    ''If I put greater focus on letting all of them improve their cultivation, this death could be avoided,'' I thought while staring down at the charred body of a rtively youngss.

    This loss was two-fold, given how there were a lot more male cultivators in the town than females. And between the charred corpse and the row of six of those who fell in battle, the town suffered a loss of a total of two women.

    For me, personally, it was a loss like any other. But for the remaining cultivators in the town, thepetition for courting the few females left in the future suddenly turned all the harder.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know how you guys are going about burials in your world," I spoke once everyone gathered around the corpses, "but in this world, we either burn them," I bit my tongue when I noticed the faux pass, "or bury them."

    I raised my head and waited in silence.

    "We should bury them," one of the cultivators got the hint after only about�� a minute.

    "For now, leave them be. But I need five of you to clear out the ruins of one of the burned-out buildings so that we can establish a proper cemetery," I gave my orders. "As for the rest of you��"

    The funeral had to be put off for a little bitter. Since I wanted to make some sort of ceremony for those who fell in this invasion, it couldn''t be done right away, without any sort of preparation. And what was even more important��

    The city was still burning.

    It wasn''t on the level of a disaster that could consume the entire town. But some of the buildings were still smoldering, putting the rest of the city at risk of catching fire as well.

    As such, putting down all the remaining fires became the next priority task during which I came up with a new, seemingly stupid idea.

    When it came to buildings, only every other one would see any attempt at saving it. In this way, the formerly tight construction of the town where one building would nearly touch the other was removed along with the risk of future fires easily spreading.

    ''It''s only the prior devastation that this town suffered from the monsters that we have to thank for those fires not consuming the entire town,'' I realized not long after giving the aforementioned orders.

    Lastly, by the time it was well into the night, came the proper burial ceremony.

    One of the spots formerly upied by some sort of mansion now turned into apletely empty plot ofnd. In the future, I would be sure to put some sort of fence to mark it out and keep people from walking over the graves.

    But for now, there were seven holes dug out within the darkened ground of the burned-out building. And after a short ceremony, given how there were hardly any friendships among the group of people that we saved, weid the seven fallen to eternal rest, giving their bodies to the nature of this foreign world.

    "Tonight marks the first loss that our small city sustained," I spoke out once all the ditches were covered up and then decorated with a smile, carved out stone. "A loss that could be prevented if we were more vignt or simply stronger," I continued for a moment before allowing the silence to reign supreme.

    "May this sorrowful day be a lesson for us, never to let something like this happen again."

    There was no need nor use for lengthy speeches. We only knew each other for a few days so there was hardly anyone who knew enough about the fallen to offer their own speech.

    Even my words came out not from sympathy but from my obligation as the leader of this ragtag group of otherwordly cultivators.

    Yet, as sad and near depressing as the funeral was, it also marked the end of the priority tasks that had to be taken care of. And so, after spending some time washing all the exhaustion and dirt off our bodies, I quickly ran away with Mia to the confines of our private room before anyone could bother us with another job.

    "It''s been a long day," I said once I finally got the chance to sit down on the bed, soon to wee the pleasure of Mia sitting right away on myp. "But we finally have some time to talk."

 Chapter 460 All Of History Is But A Prelude To The Global War

    "Is talking really all you have on your mind?" Mia asked in a sweet voice as she fixed her position on myp. She was perfectly aware of how grinding her ass down on my crotch worked my senses, yet she continued to do so with a small, innocent smile.

    "Oh baby," I said, rolling my eyes. Then, I reached out for Mia''s shoulder before pushing the two of us down on the bed. "You know that I''m always ready to devour you," I whispered, pinning the girl down to the mattress while rubbing my lower abdomen against her upper thighs.

    I leaned even closer toward Mia''s ear, catching her earlobe between my lips.

    "Ahhh��" Mia released a sweet moan. Stuck in a slightly weird, side-ways position, she couldn''t really do much with her hands. And with my lips taking great care of her ear, she couldn''t move her head either.

    Right now, she was all at my mercy, unable to resist any of my advances.

    And so, I let go of her earlobe while keeping my mouth in the same position.

    "But if we get busy just like that, we will never have a proper talk, would we?" I whispered right into Mia''s ear.

    ? Mia''s body tensed up when she realized just what kind of game I was ying. And I doubled down on my announcement�� by raising up and then falling back on the bed by the girl''s side.

    "Meanie��" Mia muttered while rolling onto her back before snuggling up to my side. She then reached out and brought the sheets to cover our bodies while gluing herself to my shoulder.

    "I''m sorry," I said, turning my head to the side to give the girl a wink. Then, the amusement gradually vanished from my face as I prepared myself for the heavy topics ahead. "I didn''t expect you toe at me that hard, so I thought it would be rude not to y along, at least for a while."

    Mia looked at my face in silence for a while. Then, she lowered her forehead and struck high on my shoulder with it, hiding her face in my arm.

    "Meanie��" she repeated, rubbing her forehead against my shoulder.

    We cuddled for a few moments. And to be frank, this was the peak of happiness that I never had any hopes of achieving back in my original life.

    I could feel Mia''s warmth radiating from where she wrapped herself around me. I could feel her soft flesh pressing against me, I could feel her legs moving around a little to fill the insides of our sheets with friction-born warmth.

    ''If this isn''t the peak, then I don''t know what is,'' I thought, melting down under the warmth of Mia''s affection.

    Still�� As great as it was to cuddle with her like it, there was a limit to how long I could stall before actually starting the topic at hand.

    "As you already know, I''m not originally from this world," I said, only to nearly cringe to death when I realized just how silly that revtion sounded. "To be fair, I''m not even sure if that''s correct. But I don''t mean it in the same way that could be applied to those cultivators outside."

    Mia didn''t even try to pry. She focused on cuddling me up, using her closeness to keep the spark of courage in my soul while giving me ample time to think about my next sentence.

    "The world I was born in, had no such thing as magic. Yet, in our wish to live a better life, people used their intellect to continuously improve our lives."

    And so, my story about my original world began.

    I started all the way with the ancient civilizations thatid the foundations for the society of the future. I quickly moved from Egyptians to Jews, then Greeks, andter Romans. And in just a few minutes, I concluded the simplified story of the extremelyplex past.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "As the roman empire copsed under its own weight, the continent I was born in went through over a thousand years of extremely strange period. From one end, there is a reason why such a long period of time ended up called the dark ages. Yet, on the other hand, the world that entered this age and the world that came out of it waspletely different. In a sense, it was the time for sword and shield, but also for art and nobility."

    I had no ns of giving a history lecture. All the tidbits and small facts that I knew about the distant past could wait for their turn for me to talk about. As such, save for some small examples, I moved on from medieval times as quickly as I did with ancient times.

    "Spurred by the discovery of the new continent, the powers of the old world rushed to make the most of it. And as wealth grew, so did people''s ambitions and desires. The conflicts turned from local strifes to state-wide wars that couldst for longer than your average person would live."

    I could vaguely recall the feeling I had when I learned about this hot period in European history myself. Thirty years of war left a third of the continent devastated and depopted. The northern wars brought the biggest and arguably the richest country on the continent to its knees, ending its period of the golden age and pushing it into the times of disastrous, golden liberty.

    "The years passed. Powers appeared and fell out of grace. Empires went on a conquering spree only to lose a massive battle they would never recover from, starting the process of their gradual dissolution and degradation. And as the people''s reach soon covered the entire world, more and more people came into y. Soon, wars were fought not for some scraps ofnd locally, but over the control of entire countries on different continents."

    I took a short break, only now realizing that in the process of talking about the past that I knew, I immersed myself so much I lost the ability to speak in a concise way.

    I turned my eyes to the side, fully expecting Mia to be long asleep�� Only to see her calmly stare at my face while tapping her fingers against my chest.

    "Did you think I would doze off?" Mia asked in a sweet, cheeky whisper. The then grinned a little, as if she just caught me acting naughty with myself.

    "I''m sorry, I guess I did," I admitted, pushing my head to the side and resting my forehead on Mia''s.

    "This cradle of constant conflict and constantly growing stakes birthed many inventions. When someone found a way to use copper wire to transmit messages, the military of one country would throw gold at him�� because using this technology would give them an impossible advantage on the battlefield. When someone found a way to improve on the rifle every army in the world was using, the same thing happened. Then came the motor industry that made every army capable of far more mobile movements��"

    I took another breath, this time for the sake of narration rather than to think about what I wanted to say.

    A small smile appeared on my lips.

    "And somewhere along the line, the inventions that started as a military-focused project, becamemonce for everyone."

    Just like it happened in the history I knew, I soon reached the topic of the first and then the second world war. Then, after an unnaturally long period of peace, I started the topic that I personally hated the most.

    "People thought that the second world war was a disaster. It even brought forward near-religious beliefs that all wars should be stopped."

    I took a break from my story for the third time. Not for the narration''s sake. Not even to catch a breath.

    I did it because, at the mere thought of talking about what came next, I could feel a stiffing pain setting in my heart.

    "It''s okay, dear," Mia whispered only to then climb a little bit higher on my chest, only to rest the side of her head right above my heart.

    "Then, right where the world was more or less peaceful and prosperous, came the global war," I said what was pretty much obvious at this point. "And for the first time in human history, there wasn''t a single ce on the entire that went unaffected. Some wouldter say, that all of human history was but a prelude to the conflict that followed."

 Chapter 461 Setting The Stage

    "No one knows where exactly the war started. No one knew why it started either," I revealed the most annoying part about the bloodiest clot in human history that I knew of. "But my personal opinion is��"

    I took a deep breath, sorting my thoughts out.

    This topic was anything but simple to exin, especially to someone who never touched global politics before. As such, exining it in a simple way required me to seriously consider my approach.

    "Let me start with a little exnation. As you might''ve noticed, all of the former major conflicts were centered around the old continent. The situation changed only around the second world war when the rest of the world was starting to catch up. Yet, even then, it was the old continent that remained the center of attention."

    Mia snuggled up to my side, fixing her position when she sensed my story was approaching its most important part.

    "After the second world war, save for some regional conflicts and wars, humanity as a whole experienced nearly a hundred years of peace. Something like that was unprecedented. This period of peace and massive economic growth��" I took a moment to think of a good example. "Thest civilization that came close to achieving it was Roman Empire. And even they only managed to do it within their own empire."

    My face darkened. A long wrinkle appeared on my forehead as I did my best to separate my own interpretation of the events from the things that were factually correct.

    "This kind of peace and prosperity never happened before. But it was also this century of peace that allowed all the major yers with huge potential to realize it, leading to a world with only seven superpowers around which all the other nations tried to y around."

    "And those were��?" Mia asked, more to showcase that she was listening rather than out of real curiosity.

    After all, for her, save for what she learned from my lecture, the names of the nations wouldn''t mean anything.

    "The old hegemon of the United States of America thatid the foundation for the century of prosperity. The raising power of the Chinese Dragon along with the exploding power of the Indian subcontinent."

    "Those only make three, though," Mia pointed out.

    "Because only those three are simple, unified powers," I quickly exined. "The fourth and fifth are respectively Union of the old continent and then the resource-rich Arabia. But as confusing as it might be, thest two weren''t even countries, to begin with."

    "Wait, didn''t you say that countries are like sects�� no, kingdoms and empires that I know of?" Mia pointed out, bringing back theparison I made earlier to make it easier for her to understand my story.

    "That''s right," I stood by my words.

    "Since they are the ones who controlnd, people, and wealth�� who else could be involved?" Mia asked, confusion filling her face to the brim. "Some sort of an outsider?" she attempted to guess, turning her eyes up toward the ceiling of the room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I''ve long established that the world was just a massive rock floating in space. Massive beyond any understanding but still limited in size.

    "Did some sort of power appear in space?" Mia asked, putting some more details to her guess.

    ''I''m sure some conspiracy theorists would love to include space Nazis as the reason behind that war.'' My lips quivered a little at the mere thought of such a ridiculous possibility.

    "I''m happy that you are trying to guess, but this involves the part of the story I didn''t really talk about. Thest two powers were corporations. Basically, merchant families, that grew so powerful their means rose above and beyond those of a nation or a country."

    A veil of darkness covered my face. I took a deep breath and moved a little on the bed, bringing my arm around Mia''s back before hugging her to my chest.

    "The first power arose from the old hegemon of America. They were the ck Rockpany. They controlled roughly sixty percent of all the wealth within that hegemon while making sure hardly anyone paid them any mind."

    "And thest power?" Mia asked, tensing up a little.

    Even if she didn''t know the full story yet, she could tell I was quickly approaching the end of the entire set-up, soon to reveal the beginning of it all.

    "It''s hard to actually say much about them. No one knew where they came from. There were no mentions of their organization at all, and they suddenly came out with technology that exceeded anything the rest of the world had. What''s weird, however, was how they appeared in over fifty seemingly random ces all over the world, all at the same time, all with the same intent."

    I closed my eyes and rxed my neck, allowing it to fall down on the simple, makeshift pillow.

    It felt weird to talk about the absolute peak of human ingenuity while lying in a bed made out of several nks and some straws enclosed within a piece of cloth.

    "Within two years, they all came together to create an organization only known by their acronym, LCA."

    I took a break from the story in an extremely weird moment, seemingly in the middle of an exnation.

    Mia didn''t pressure me to speak, though. With her ear lying atop my chest, she could listen in to my heart. And pretty likely, from the changes to its rhythm, she understood the story reached its climax.

    "I''m not sure if you paid attention, but there was only one ce in the world that didn''t groom its own superpower. Instead, despite the attempts of missionaries from all over the world and the extreme effort of its own people, it remained as a staging ground for petty conflicts between superpowers. That''s why everyone was taken in by a surprise when a small skirmish between ck Rock affiliated mercenaries and LCA affiliated mercenaries became the spark that set the entire world on fire."

 Chapter 462 The Day Before

    A massive wheel of the mining machine spun without a single stop. The buckets mounted on the wheel bit into the earth like the teeth of some sort of monster, scrapping huge chunks of sand, earth, and stone alike.

    "A pinnacle of human engineering, huh?" Damian scoffed, rolling his eyes before moving them away from the window of his cubicle office.

    Out in the desert, there wasn''t any proper building material that could be used to construct proper lodgings for the workers. There wasn''t anything to build the operation headquarters either. And the cost of hauling all the building materials from hundreds of kilometers away or even from across the ocean��

    It didn''t make any financial sense.

    And so, one of the highest executives of the LCA conglomerate was stuck in a simple shipping container.

    It wasn''t cheap, it was literally free as it was used to transport all the equipment on the site in the first ce. With hundreds of them lying around, it only made sense to use them to construct makeshift lodges.

    A huge, fully metal box. Out in the scorching sun of the middle of the desert.

    The only thing that saved Damian from melting into a puddle of rotting flesh was the extensive use of the modern AC system.

    ''It would be far cheaper to just get normal materials and build proper housing here, than constantly paying some insane money for keeping those things running,'' Damian thought as he nced over at one of the two units mounted at the top of his box.

    "Sir, we''ve reached the chamber," Damian''s secretary reported from behind her own desk.

    She was Damian''s personal assistant, the manager of all those who worked under him. And it was her extremely high position on the corporatedder that gave her enough guts to throw away the official executive attire in favor of some fancy, light clothing that only pretended to hide anything.

    "And?" Damian asked, turning his eyes back to the massive excavator.

    It was a considerable distance away, yet the noise of its operation easily reached Damian''s box.

    "Another dud," Alice, Damian''s assistant, replied before following it with a sigh. "That makes it the fifth miss," she then added as she stretched herself back on her chair.

    The girl reached out to a nearby bucket filled with iced water and towels floating inside. She grabbed one piece before pping it down on her face, taking a breath of the cold, water-filtered air.

    "That means we only have seven more to go at worst," Damian countered the massive drop in the mood that the report brought.

    Only seven more to go. Only by putting it in this way, one could ignore the true scale of the effort that had to be put into this operation.

    "At least we should be able to dig out some of the stashes," Alice muttered from underneath her wet towel.

    "And spend two more weeks and a few million just for that?" Damian countered. He then shook his head. "We should be able to reinvent most of the stuff that''s buried over there within a year or two. We are moving to the next spot."

    Once again, a simple order that massively understated the scale of the operation hidden behind it.

    To move the massive excavator a single meter required some ungodly amount of fuel, even in the best of terrains.

    And out here, in the empty endlessness of the biggest desert on the?

    Daniel didn''t even want to think about the costs of reaching the next point of interest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ? Beep.

    A single, short signal rang within the box. And a single, red dot appeared on the side of Alice''s satelitary phone.

    "Headquarters?" Damian asked, turning his eyes towards the girl''s desk, only for his eyes to move over to the two sweet mounds of flesh that the girl''s clothes didn''t even pretend to hide.

    "Most likely," Alice replied,zily pulling the towel down from her face before reaching out for the phone''s receiver.

    "I knew they had people on the inside of this operation, but to openly acknowledge that by calling the second we ourselves got the news?" Damian muttered under his nose, turning his eyes away from Alice''s breasts as he focused on inwardly cursing his situation while preparing for an earful from his theoretical superiors.

    "Damian��" Alice muttered a momentter.

    Damian knew something was wrong even before he turned his eyes to look at her suddenly frozen face.

    For Alice to call him by his name�� The importance of the topic had to be several grades above something as silly as the fake headquarters trying to ascertain their dominance over one of the two founders of the entire conglomerate!

    "Speak," Damian ordered sharply.

    Alice shook her head and focused on the voiceing through the receiver. She then nced over at Damian''s face.

    "The mil base detected a huge detachment of the ck rock guys heading our way," the girl obediently reported. "They are passing by the first automated sentry point as we speak."

    Damian pulled his eyebrows together, weirded out by the news.

    "Huge��" he muttered as he sank in his thoughts for a second. "How huge?" he asked, raising his eyes back to the girl''s face.

    "One hundred and fifty mercs," Alice reported right away. "Along with five tanks, fifteen IFVs, two choppers, and ten sand-hovers," she then listed out an impressive set of heavy equipment.

    ''Tanks, choppers, and IFVs I could discount��'' Damian quickly analyzed the situation. ''But the hovers?''

    There was nothing wrong with thest-age type of equipment. It still packed a lot of punch for its price.

    But the presence of the hovers meant that the situation turned ugly in a hurry. It was a technology still in development. In theory, only the LCA should have ess to it, but in the world where money reigned supreme, it was no wonder others already obtained some pieces and reverse-engineered them for their own purposes.

    Still, for a technology that leaped for around a hundred years above the current technological level of civilization, the cost of a single vehicle was mind-boggling. And the cost for a whooping ten of them?

    "Run it through the intel," Damian quickly ordered upon realizing that he was too much out of the loop to be able to give a sound judgment.

    "I already did," Alice replied right away.

    ''Ten hovers,'' Daniel thought while waiting for the message back from the information center of the conglomerate. ''Just what could drive them so desperate to take over this empty site?''

 Chapter 463 Blue Alarm

    ''Ten hovers, that''s the force we should be wary about,'' Daniel thought while squinting his eyes.

    The wait for the reply from the intelligence bureau was quickly turning into another source of worry.

    "Normally they wouldn''t take so long to answer a damn call��" Daniel muttered under his nose, stopping himself from analyzing the scenario before he would get all the data he could work with.

    Trying to figure the situation out from the little that he knew at the moment would only lead him down the path of early assumptions and a natural desire to match them to reality rather than keeping his mind open for any new variable.

    "This is seriously taking too long," Alice whispered while staring nkly at the shing diode on the phone indicating that the phone was still trying to connect the call.

    "Thank God, finally some connection!"

    The voice suddenly exploded with a sound.

    "We thought you guys were already dead!" the panicked voice from the other end of the call filled the room.

    "Fill me up, what''s the situation?" Daniel immediately requested.

    "It''s a mess," the voice instantly replied. "We are under attack at every site of the western frontier!" the operator quickly gave out the most important news. "And we''ve detected the activity of theirunch sites!"

    "Wait, whose?" Daniel pulled his eyebrows together.

    ''We shouldn''t be significant enough for any of the nuclear powers to consider us a threat yet,'' he thought, quickly running down the list of the nned activities of the organization for the foreseeable future. ''Yeah, we should be flying under the radar for at least three more years!''

    Daniel closed his eyes.

    "It''s ckRock��"

    Boom.

    A sound of a distant explosion reached the operator''s phone.

    "Shit, they are hitting us, they are hitting us!" the guy cried out in panic.

    He was working for the organization''s intelligence, not on the front lines. And while he clearly was stationed in one of the outposts closer to the site of the actual operations, no intelligence quarters should be anywhere near the range of any of the other groups!

    ''It can''t be artillery, not at this distance,'' Daniel quickly ran the math in his head.

    And no, there wasn''t even a single model of artillery that mercenary corps could get their hands on that could shoot at a distance necessary to hit any of the intelligence sites!

    ''Rockets we would detect, same with drones,'' Daniel continued to scour his brain. ''Wait, what if they used hovers��?''

    There were obvious logistic challenges that came when it came to the vast expanses of desert.

    Basically, no force of the old type could cross it without either following the natural paths for supplies or dragging everyst bit of fuel along.

    The first option made any attempts at bringing artillery close enough to rain fire upon the organization''s interior tantly obvious. After all, all of those potential roads for the use of logistics were closely monitored!

    Then, came the other option. To haul all the fuel and supplies necessary for a military raid along with the fighting unit. But such a resolution would massively bloat the size of the raiding party, making it impossible to avoid satellite detection.

    ''But none of that matters if they have hovers!'' Daniel realized.

    Hovers.

    A technology that was both the best and the worst.

    It was the best as it allowed for fuel-free transportation of any quantity of goods and troops. The energy cost of moving a hover-based vehicle was so tiny one could realistically forget about it.

    After all, hovers relied on the power of the anti-gravity generated by their engine. All the movement of the vehicle based on a hover woulde from small, external engines aimed at changing the momentum of the floating vehicle.

    It was near impossible to elerate them beyond the speed of mere twenty kilometers per hour. But, once set in motion, hovers wouldn''t require any fuel at all until someone would want to either switch their direction or stop their float.

    And those qualities made them perfect for deep raids into enemy territory while avoiding all the encumbermeant that came with the older type of logistics.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''Did they haul artillery on hovers?'' Daniel finally arrived at an idea that allowed him to realistically exin the ongoing situation.

    "If I''m right, then it''s still manageable," Daniel muttered as he took a step closer to the phone. "Soldier, I only have one order for you," Daniel announced.

    "Yes, sir!" the voice on the other end of the phone changed a little.

    ''Is the ethos of the military making him act with a little bit more courage?'' Daniel thought, recalling the recent screams of fear of the kid.

    "I want you to call in the blue rm," Daniel requested.

    "Wait, sir, for that��" the voice on the phone filled with hesitation.

    "You will need my authentification code," Daniel muttered as he nodded his head. "Get your fingers on the keyboard, I will recite it."

    The phone turned silent.

    Daniel could still hear the explosions slowly getting closer to the other end of the phone�� but its operator remained silent.

    "I understand, sir," the voice finally returned. "I''m ready, sir."

    "Good. It''s one, Bravo, Oscar, Sierra, Sierra," Daniel started to recite. "India, Alfa, Mike."

    The noise of keys clicking followed.

    "I''ve confirmed your authority, sir," the phone rang with the voice of the kid.

    It was surprisingly�� calm.

    "I hereby dere, a blue rm is in effect," Daniel used the official form of the order.

    Given the other party''s insistence on following the authentication procedures, he was more than willing to humor him.

    After all, the bureaucracy of the organization was far scarier than some bombs falling nearby.

    All that a bomb could take was one''s health and maybe life. Bureaucracy, on the other side, could take everything else.

    "Is the shit going down early?" Alice asked once the shing diode suddenly died, announcing the call breaking off.

    ''So they pushed the first phase already,'' Daniel thought.

    A massive EMP discharge washed all over the area, killing every conduit that wasn''t secured in advance.

    And the civilian phone they were using didn''t fall into the category of the equipment everyone within the organization''s frontier would now change too.

    "Let''s hope not," Daniel muttered, pulling out two backpacks from one of the huge wardrobes stacked against the wall of the metal box they were in.

    He then pulled out a small, fist-sized, and ball-shaped device before pressing one of the three buttons engraved on top of it.

    "We have enemy forces that likely broke through the desert interior and are shelling out core facilities," Daniel gave the announcement to the inner, military line of the organization. "There are reports of nuclear arsenal getting activated. Begin stall four and clear three procedures!"

    Daniel put his device back into his backpack before pulling out apact cube that contained all of his armor and personal weaponry.

    "So the shit is going down��" Alice whispered, staring nkly at Daniel for a second before shaking her head and reaching out for her own backpack.

    The blue rm was only around the middle of the esctiondder of the organization''s response. And while it meant the beginning of an all-out war with an enemy organization, it was still below the level of a national response.

    "Well, we are about to shock the world with the true extent of our means," Daniel muttered as he pulled on a vest before strapping it firmly to his body. "And that means we can either throw a bucket of cold water on everyone and start a few more years of an arms race," Daniel muttered only to turn silent as he secured the strap of his helmet below his chin.

    Daniel then closed his eyes and lowered his head.

    "That, or we might create the spark that will set this one massive bomb of a world on fire."

 Chapter 464 Escalation

    "Damn," Daniel cursed while tapping his hand against the back of his device. "I can''t reach the intelligence again."

    "Device broke or��?" Alice inquired, following her superior outside of their box office.

    "This is the first time anyone activated a blue rm," Daniel pointed out, raising a piece of cloth from his neck to his mouth to keep his face free of ever-present sand. "Just deploying all the equipment will take a while. Setting it all up will take some more. Right now, the line is simply too busy."

    Daniel sighed and hid the device back in one of his pockets.

    The two of them marched out through the empty dunes, heading towards the main camp some distance away.

    Roughly halfway over, one of thepany''s heavy-duty cars arrived.

    "Sir, everything''s a mess!" a young soldier reported, jumping out of the car while passing over a set of documents at the same time. "We pulled back two sectors ording to the procedure. In two minutes, the arrays should activate," he then went through all the critical points while opening the doors to the executives.

    "Send someone for the rest of the staff at the HQ," Daniel quickly ordered. "In a few minutes, that building will be a frontline."

    For now, Daniel was quite happy to give a lot ofnds.

    This was a desert, after all. And even if the raiders managed to achieve their objectives�� Nothing could stop Daniel from swooping right back in to reim what was his.

    ''I wonder what they are aiming for,'' Daniel thought as he sat down in the back of the car, thinking in silence while the soldier drove him toward the main camp.

    "Okay, I more or less get it now," Daniel muttered a momentter, once he finished the lecture on the report.

    "How bad is it?" Alice asked, opening her mouth for the first time since they got to the car.

    "Sir, we are about to��" the soldier attempted to report right as the girl spoke.

    "Great, drop us out," Daniel spoke back to the driver before turning his eyes toward the girl. "It''s getting ugly in a hurry," he then revealed honestly.

    "Ugh��" Alice squirmed a little. She then clutched at a small token hanging on her wrist.

    ''A memento of a family, perhaps?'' Daniel thought in a momentary daze.

    "Sir, we are here," the soldier hurried them up.

    There was no time for sentiments or mncholy on a battlefield.

    "Report back to your unit. We need all the hands we can get now!" Daniel ordered as soon as he rushed to escape from the car.

    Given the sess of an artillery raid that prated deep behind the defense lines, Daniel had no wish to remain in one of the bombardment''s primary targets for long.

    "Sir, the array is about to boot up," a new soldier approached right away, saluting to the top of his hat as he reported.

    "Good," Daniel nodded his head before pushing the doors to the nearby building open. "Track the bastards down and then let the boys do the rest."

    There was no urgency in Daniel''s tone.

    Simply, because there was no reason for him to worry.

    The ongoing attack would barely sting the conglomerate, assuming it wouldn''t go unnoticed at all.

    ''There is something weird about this raid,'' Daniel thought as he stepped into the localmand center and looked around.

    The men were trained well.

    They managed to bring out most of the updated equipment. They were now busy with the finishing touches while another unit already started to link up various techs to thework.

    "We are up!" Someone shouted from deeper within the hall.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A projector embedded into the very middle of the floor of the room lit up. The lights within the room died down, and central illumination was reced by nothing more than the control lights on the tech.

    And in this sudden darkness, a huge map started to float right above the projector.

    Everyone''s eyes lunged toward one of the marked spots on the projected map.

    "Prepare the counterbattery attack," Daniel shouted an order, unfreezing his body as he bolted forward, to the central spot of themander.

    "Three packets, send it away," Daniel developed his order into the next one as soon as he saw the icons of the local battery appear on the map.

    ''Time to test the heck out of this integrated system,'' Daniel thought, his eyes ring up a little when a parabolic, dotted line appeared on the map, connecting the location of the artillery with the red marks portraying the detected enemy unit.

    "Three packets, away," the leader in charge of the artillery reported a mere secondter.

    Everyone in the room held their breath.

    For the first time in history, the ancient tech of the organization so openly affected the development of the events. And now, everyone was quite curious to see the effects.

    ''They know it will be devastating,'' Daniel thought, connecting to the local ess point of thework and manipting the settings a bit.

    A new screen appeared in the room, this time disying the direct image of the target. It came from a mix of two satellites and four ground observation units thatbined their feeds into multi-angle projection but also enriched it with specific information about every element on the screen.

    "Impact in three, two, one��" the artillerymander counted down.

    All the screens turned dark. It was a simple measure against damaging the lenses. And while it cut off the moment of the very impact, no one was going to throw away billions worth of equipment just for a single frame of an epic moment saved on a video?

    It was far cheaper to manufacture something even more majestic if it was for the sake of propaganda!

    The screens turned back�� only for the feed to return after a literal second.

    "Hit confirmed," the soldier spoke, while everyone nced at the sight of destruction.

    ''So they used hovers after all,'' Daniel thought after observing the scene of absolute devastation for a second.

    He knew the characteristics of the anti-battery fire. He knew the characteristics of the shells the battery used.

    But what he saw in the picture, could only appear as a result of several hover engines turning unstable and going off.

    A scene akin to a nuclear nt meltdown�� just with an extremely condensed area.

    "And so the Earth received another scar that won''t heal for millennia toe," Daniel muttered, his face taking on a slightly darker tone.

    The area devastated by the bombardment was norger than a single football field. It was a random spot in the middle of the biggest desert in the whole damn world.

    And yet, it would remain lethally toxic for tens of times more than human civilization existed!

    "Guys, don''t get distracted," Daniel then called out after shaking off the mixed feelings he had about the sess of their first response. "Send a patrol to the nearest intelligence quarters. I want all the other enemy units located and taken down!" Daniel then screamed out.

    "Sir!" One of the soldiers called out, ignoring the order Daniel just gave. "A call," the man notified while pushing out his hand with a private calling device of the newwork. "And you need to take it."

    There was something strange in the soldier''s expression.

    Daniel ignored the procedure and reached out, taking the device and bringing it to his ear.

    "Three separateunches confirmed," the voice from the device whispered to Daniel''s ear. "Activation of the ck rm confirmed."

 Chapter 465 No Turning Back

    If the blue rm meant a massive shock would sweep across the earth over the introduction of all sorts of new technology, the ck rm��

    It would suffice to say there was only one step above this grade. And right now, save for the most drastic and permanent measures, all was a fair game.

    "Authorize ck rm," Daniel echoed the voice in the device with a whisper on his own.

    Daniel closed his eyes.

    For a single second, he cut himself off from all the chatter that filled themand center.

    ''Time for a slugfest, huh?'' he thought, enjoying thest possible moment of peace.

    "Threeunches detected!" one of the soldiers passed over the report that brought forth the ck rm.

    "Open up the silos in the colony," Daniel ordered.

    A new set of windows appeared only to float through the middle of the room. It disyed a sight from half a continent away.

    The image consisted of a few barn-like buildings and a set of twenty massive, iron caps set in two rows across a huge field.

    And in a mere few seconds, after Daniel gave out his order, half of those caps started to open.

    "ETA of the first strike, four minutes fifty seconds!" More details about the situation sounded right as the data on the screens updated, showcasing the live feed of the approaching missile.

    "Chance to intercept?" Daniel asked the room.

    "Mid-range, seventy-three percent," Alice replied from an area below Daniel''s stand. "We can crack it open in close range, a hundred percent," the girl quickly came up with a less usual and more efficient answer.

    "Calcte the zone, fast!" Daniel gave his next orders before moving his eyes back to the multiple screens disyed in the middle of the room.

    "What''s the diplomacy status?" Daniel asked, counting down the seconds he was actively wasting by waiting.

    "ckRock doesn''t respond. Our embassy in the states is bouncing against their procedures," someone else quickly brought up a status report from the diplomacy bureau.

    ''Shit, do we really have to go all in?'' Daniel hesitated.

    The moment he decided on the defense that Alice suggested, Daniel lost his ability to go back. Because the only surefire way of neutralizing the nuke meant remotely firing it off somewhere else.

    And the moment the first atomic shroom appears in the sky, the entire world will quickly follow suit.

    "Still no answer," one of the soldiers reported. "Sir, if we don''t shoot before neutralizing the iing missiles, we won''t be able to do it anymore."

    The st from a near nuclear discharge would likely damage some parts of the equipment. Be it its mechanical parts or circuits controlling it, the second it happened,unching anything meant suicide.

    After all, only a madman would dare to operate precision military equipment where everyst element of it could instantly fail.

    Daniel took a deep breath.

    ''They are right. If we want to fire, we need to fire now,'' he thought, tensing up his fingers over the railing nearby.

    "Clear the permissions for the central AI to take over targeting," Daniel muttered in a grave voice.

    An AI-controlled strike.

    An event that even he, a member of the lost civilization, and one of the two surviving leaders of Antis, shivered at the thought of what would happen now.

    ''Not even back in thest two ages did anyone dare tomit this sin,'' Daniel thought, closing his eyes, unable to watch how soldiers obediently followed the procedure behind the order.

    First, the central AI of the entire conglomerate would consume everyst byte of data that went through any and all centers ofmands of the frontier. Then, all of the organization''s response to the attack and missile raid would aim towards what the AI would deem most vital targets.

    An AI whose power exceeded that of humanity''s entire brainpower by a factor of seven.

    Something so intelligent it reached far beyond the limits within which the human brain operated.

    "Calcting rapid response program," one of the soldiers reported the status of the operation.

    Ting!

    All the lights within themanding center turned dark violet.

    The AI swiftly took control of the entire system. Then, it projected the calcted response upon the main projector, allowing everyone to gaze upon its creation.

    "That''s��" Daniel gulped his saliva down as he analyzed the red marks scattered all over the upper half of the continent.

    It was the most obvious form of a retaliatory strike. A textbook example of how to execute this kind of counter-battery fire.

    But still, it would only involve conventional weapons.

    Weapons exceeding the current level of humanity''s designs by at least two or three centuries, but a conventional weapon nevertheless.

    "I need to confirm it," the soldier on the manual control over themand center''s systems called out, forgoing the procedure in favor of quickmunication.

    Not a single other soul dared to raise their voice in such a critical moment.

    "Sir, should I?" the soldier asked, ncing between the projections and Daniel''s face.

    ''This is really going to hurt them,'' Daniel thought, biting down on his lips.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As the seconds counted down the impact of the nearest nuke continued to decrease. Upon reaching the three minutes mark, they turned red.

    A sign that in thirty seconds, shooting them down wouldmence.

    "Confirm the order, fire upon the targets!" Daniel shouted his order, not daring to waste even a single more of the precious seconds he had before it would be all over.

    "Launch sequence installed!" A choir of voices followed, each reporting the next step of the designated fire order.

    "Charging the load!" the artillery crew arrived at thest step.

    Their leader gulped a mouthful of saliva down.

    "Fire��" he then whispered while pressing down a simple-looking, red button.

    shes appeared at the open entrances of ten out of the twenty tubes. Within a single instant, the electromaic mechanism ejected the rockets into the sky.

    "One through ten away," a soldier reported.

    "Climbing to the second phase�� Three, two, one��"

    "Second phase achieved!"

    The screens showcased how the fusge of the missiles moved around. Already in the thinner part of the atmosphere, the gears turned on the rockets only for their tails to explode with fire when the conventional engine altered their path.

    "Cracking the nukes in five, four, three��" Another soldier started another countdown.

    "Brace, brace, brace," a robotic voice of the automated response system filled the room.

    "Crackingmenced!" Alice screamed out.

    Everyone tensed up, bracing themselves against whatever they could grab a hold on to.

    For three unrelenting seconds, everyone waited.

    Waited for the shockwave to reach them.

    Because they could see the slightly altered image of the explosion on the screens.

    ROAAAAR!

    The ss of the windows moaned while the winds of the distant explosion soared through the skies.

    For a few terrifying seconds, everyone could only hear the roaring of the powerful winds.

    And then, everything calmed down.

    "Tracking resumed!" the reports returned right away.

    "We did it��" Alice muttered as she raised her eyes from her tablet to the main screen.

    "Next strikeing in two minutes!" Another report filled the room.

    ''Right, we will have to go through this hell two more times,'' Daniel thought, clenching his fingers as he looked at the screens.

    "Hey, Alice, we have yet to take care of the mobile force of the invaders, right?" he muttered as a certain thought entered his brain. "Those that forced us to evacuate the HQ, you know?"

    "Yeah," Alice nodded her head, shaking the storm of her hair around. "What about them?"

    "Could you crack one of the nukes right above their heads?" Daniel asked with a dark expression on his face.

    Alice looked at her boss'' face for a second. She then heaved a deep sigh before turning her head back towards her own console and quickly running Daniel''s request through the aiming system of the cracking array.

    "Will do," she said right as her fingers danced only for her thumb to heavily fall upon the ''enter'' key.

    "Keep me updated on the global reaction," Daniel then requested, not allowing himself even a second of mental rest. "There is no way no one has noticed it yet!"

    The soldiers hurried back to their jobs, checking different arrays of scanning equipment and reading through the notes sent over from all the other decision centers of the conglomerate.

    "There is no response yet," one of the soldiers soon reported.

    ''Strange��'' Daniel thought, pulling his eyebrows together. ''That doesn''t seem right!''

    In the current age, detecting a nuclear discharge would happen the second a nuke went off. And every major country already had to get the news.

    And yet��

    Not a single of the established powers bothered toment on the event!

    Daniel squinted his eyes for onest time before raising them back towards the screens.

    They went through the first out of the total of three shockwaves that they would suffer. But now, everyone''s attention centered on just a single one of all the windows floating in the room.

    A screen that showcased the flight of their response to this barbaric and unprovoked attack!

 Chapter 466 All Territories, Lands And Nations Integrated

    "Contact in five, four��" a robotic voice filled themand room.

    All the eyes zeroed in on the main hologram showcasing the flight of their counter-battery fire.

    "�� three, two��"

    The room turned silent.

    "�� one��"

    The hologram darkened, shielding the spectators from the blinding light of the explosion.

    The nuclear attack of the ck Rock group struck Daniel''s headquarters with quite an impact. Yet, the distance between the encampment and the detonation zone was big enough to keep most of the attack at bay.

    And now, everyone was about to experience the Conglomerate''s nuclear response.

    The host of three missiles shot by the counterbattery salvo soared through the skies.

    On the highest point of their path, they all split into different paths, each aimed at a different group of enemies.

    "Strike!"

    A ck fog covered all the holograms, shielding the spectators from the blinding light of the nuclear discharge.

    For a fraction of a second before the explosion, the tracking cameras mounted on the ordnance allowed everyone to catch a glimpse of the enemy forces.

    The quasi-quantumputer serving as the heart of the base saved the image and disyed it by the side of the main screen.

    A ball of dark fire appeared on the screen, raising for a mere five meters over the ground.

    There was only a minuscule amount of nuclear material within Daniel''s rockets. The majority of their volume actually consisted of ssic explosives.

    Normally, the amount of the radioactive element would be too small to sustain any reaction.

    But by exploding all of the rocket''s content at the same time and channeling it all toward the nuclear core, the rocket created an environment so extreme, the usual math no longer added up.

    For but a single instant, the temperature and pressure rose so high, the radioactive clump lost the limiters that held it back.

    And in that single instant, the petite five-meter high ball of fire�� Shot forward, turning into a fifty meters wall of me that extended in a cone, right in the direction of the enemy forward-deployed artillery.

    By the miracle of the conglomerate''s technology, the entire might of the nuclear explosion was directed across a single vector. And with the rocket exploding right in front of their entire unit, once the wave of the impossibly-hot fire passed, even the rocks deep below the sand dunes melted away.

    The two other explosions soon brought the same level of destruction upon the other two targets, the nuclearunching site that released the attack and the local mass grouping of the ck Rock forces.

    The attack waspleted. Enemy forces were devastated.

    But in that single moment, Daniel bit down on his teeth.

    ''They got us.''

    The images of absolute destruction lead to a realization dawning upon him.

    And before Daniel could form a single thought, hundreds of small messages appeared on the holograms.

    The quasi-quantum heart of themanding center gave them an impossible advantage.

    Its insaneputing ability allowed them to ess most of the information�� before its publisher got the chance to announce it.

    By the time one''s fingers would type the message''s draft, it would be long stored on the conglomerate''s servers, free to ess by any of the executives.

    And right now, Daniel stared down at hundreds of interactive articles with a live feed of the nuclear wastnd.

    [Private Conglomeratemits an act of nuclear terrorism! Live Video Here!]

    The titles fought between each other for the right of being the greatest clickbait.

    "Sweep the from that press," Daniel shortly ordered.

    He had a few seconds.

    The rapid response to their counterattack meant that it was all a part of the enemy''s n. But still, a few clicks had to be done. Someone had to write the title, and someone else had to create the body of the article with the details of the ongoing situations.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Some wanted to be smart and used various AI and prefabricated pieces to construct their news page��

    Only for the local heart to detect it and hijack the entire process before any results could appear on the other screen.

    And now, right as all sorts of publishers hoped to hang posters of Daniel''s fake war crimes��

    All of theirputers failed.

    The amateur news reporters, big brands, locals, and even the entire government-sponsored organizations!

    All of them, regardless of the connection or method used, failed to publicize their articles.

    Daniel could somehow sense the waves of confusion and anger spreading across the entire world. He could feel all of that hostility aimed at the back of his head.

    ''There is no way they managed to pull this kind of action on their own,'' Daniel realized, squinting his eyes as he watched the hologram for the updates.

    "How long can we keep them out?" Daniel then asked.

    Thebined power of the entire world''swork far outssed the meager local heart that Daniel had at hand. And it would be at least two hours before the conglomerate would fire the power-hungry servers back home.

    So, there was only a short window of time that Daniel''s quasi-quantumputer could provide.

    "Thirteen minutes under a full load," one of the military engineers provided the concrete number.

    ''That''s too short,'' Daniel bit down on his lips.

    "Drop the full blockade, scramble thework," Daniel ordered without mercy.

    A few of the soldiers twitched.

    Scrambling thework wasn''t as simple or gentle as the name suggested.

    The instantaneousputing output of the quantumputers, even the quasi version of them, was infinitely higher than what the normalputers could do.

    And by exploiting this gap, Daniel could flood the inte with such an amount of conflicting data, it would effectively erase any means of ever essing it or recovering it as a whole.

    Not a single bite of data would be deleted, but decoding even a small piece of the information would take normalputers years to achieve.

    This singlemand would bring an end to the inte as a normal person knew it.

    "We will just need to rebuild it," Daniel muttered, fully aware of just how big a part of everyone''s lives was the rtively free and unrestricted ess to the endless entertainment, culture, and knowledge.

    "Executing the order," one of the technicians said.

    "And if we have to choose between the luxury of the inte for the whole world and the survival of our people��" Daniel muttered, tightening his grip over the rails.

    His eyes fired up.

    The memories of all the losses he willingly took upon himself and his people flooded his brain.

    Daniel, throughout the ages, always opted to pick the lesser evil. He would allow a great civilization to fall apart just because this course of action would ultimately bring less death and evil into the world.

    And time upon time, he had to watch his centers of world development fall.

    Right now, the history of over fifteen thousand years old civilization was left only on two sets of shoulders, split between Daniel and only one other surviving member of the Anti.

    ''All Territories, Lands and Nations Integrated,'' Daniel thought, closing his eyes the moment one of his soldiers confirmed the order, putting an end to the global Inte.

    Daniel opened his eyes. He then raised his head to look at the holograms.

    His enemies were momentarily pacified. Now they would have to adopt other means to spread their propaganda. And it would take a lot more time for them to pain Daniel''s conglomerate as the evils of the conflict.

    "Raise the rm to the code ck," Daniel then muttered, dropping another bomb on everyone gathered in themanding center. "Right now, we are in a state of an open war."

    Daniel spoke and closed his mouth. But his eyes remained open, burning with the fierce fire of determination.

    ''It''s high time to bring Anti back!''

 Chapter 467 Three Sites Left

    The Inte died.

    The global connection that brought forth massive development in every field of human knowledge, ceased to exist.

    Theoretically, one could still use it. Anyone could try to open a search engine�� but not only they wouldnd on some other, random page, but the page itself would also be a chaotic mess.

    One could start rebuilding the connection right away. After all, burning through the majority of the quantumputer''s horsepower wasn''t an easy or cheap task.

    But the ensuing month of near-absolute radio silence was well worth it.

    ''At least, for the conglomerate,'' Daniel thought, staring through the window of his housing unit.

    Only a month has passed since the failed attempt at starting the next world war.

    The sudden disappearance of the major outlets of the mass media prevented any of the interested parties from spreading war propaganda and news. Theck ofmunication effectively stopped several countries from joining the conflict, keeping the entire thing under wraps.

    But that didn''t mean no one was affected.

    The few countries located near the site where the two privatepanies shed couldn''t ignore the nuclear developments. And within the first half of the month, nearly the entire continent turned into one mess of a war zone.

    This was also the only avenue of conflict that the other powers could use, exploiting various shady deals andpanies to fight the war.

    For the local powers, this was a war on supremacy and independence of the continent from privatepanies. As for the global powers, it was the long-brewing war of the resource-rich continent in the times when the majority of the easily essible nodes of the world were already exhausted.

    "Daily frontline report, sir!" A soldier stepped into Daniel''s cubicle before setting a folder of papers down.

    "Thanks," Daniel nodded his head while keeping his eyes on the dark sky of the night outside.

    The soldier left, prompting Daniel to look at the clock hanging on the wall.

    ''Six o''clock,'' Daniel took notice before releasing a heavy sigh. ''Right on time, as always.''

    It wasn''t six in the afternoon. By that time, Daniel would receive a fifth report of the day, outlining all the major developments on the tactical side along with all the strategic changes.

    No, right now, at six in the morning, Daniel only received a short note describing the events that transpired overnight.

    A short note�� consisting of seven pages full of details that Daniel had to study, analyze and absorb.

    ''At least one part of the military is working as it should,'' Daniel heaved another sigh as he forced himself out of the daze and focused on the papers.

    While everyone else was fighting for some lofty ideals or cheap resources, Daniel''s conglomerate only had a single aim.

    The legacy ruins of the seventh storage kept deep below the surface ruins of Antis.

    The upperyer of the ruins has long eroded, falling prey to the long years that passed since the city''s downfall. The remnants from thousands of years ago were wiped so thoroughly that Daniel spent nearly ten years of his life trying to find the right location.

    And ever since he nailed it, he spent five further years, digging deep below the surface in search of the ancient warehouses.

    He found thirteen of them. Thirteen of the ancient sites he left days before the copse of the former civilization.

    ''And from the looks of it, whether or not I find the seventh warehouse soon enough will decide whether this civilization willst or not,'' Daniel thought while scanning through the content of the report.

    The situation at the front was developing more or less as expected.

    Armed with technology exceeding the current level of global civilization by around a hundred years, conglomerate private armspanies could hold on against the enemy assault for ages.

    The only weapon that sort of equalized the fighting field was nuclear ordnance�� But after its first use and Daniel''s determined response, the message was clear.

    The serious response of the conglomerate to the nuclear threat would always be greater than whatever others would throw at them!<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We will need to reinforce the southern nk," Daniel muttered once heid his eyes on the casualty report for one of the few areas his group was interested in.

    And just as the luck would have it, the most serious fighting was fighting right at the doorstep of one of thest three digging sites that could hold the secrets of the ultimate chamber deep below!

    ''Right now it''s a race whether this world will turn into the nuclear desert or if we can find this device first,'' Daniel thought, turning the report papers into a ball before throwing it towards a small incinerator that kept the ce warm.

    The presence of the technology reliant on burning fuel like wood to produce warmth was the greatest example of how far Daniel had to go when pushing his resources around.

    Because of all the tech the conglomerate had at its disposal, his group seriouslycked manpower.

    ''It''s already a challenge to hold off all those ck rock mercs. Now that two more countries joined on their side, it''s going to turn into a massive pain!'' Daniel whined in his thoughts before finally turning his eyes away from the window.

    The sun was starting to peek over the line of the horizon, destroying the peaceful tranquility Daniel found in the night sky.

    And with the rising of the sun, the fighting on all fronts would soon ensue, once again soaking the ground of the ck continent with rivers of blood.

    ''We need to push through,'' Daniel thought, closing his eyes as he thought of all the sons, husbands, and fathers that were dying on a daily basis in the conflict for African supremacy. ''Only when we find the device, we will be able to modify it so that it won''t just end the world.''

    Daniel took a deep breath.

    This thought was the source of his anxiety.

    Theycked manpower, but were he so desired, he could bring the entire world to its knees in a matter of three days tops. After all, the technology that was revealed to the world in the span of thest month was just the tip of the iceberg of what Daniel had in store.

    But Daniel had no wish for the world''s conquest. The experiences of Anti served as proof that it was never a good idea to bring all the people together without presenting them with some sort of an enemy.

    As sad as it was, humanity, a civilization born out of the contest for resources, would forever remain in need of an enemy to mobilize it. As such, unifying the entire world would only ever lead to the implosion of the unifying power.

    "Sir!" Alice entered Theo''s makeshift office in her fullbat gear. As the child of the long lost era, she knew better than to move around in a civilian outfit during the war on such a scale. And even though she was no trooper, she knew her way around the guns well enough to serve not only as a secretary but also as Daniel''s bodyguard.

    "All ready?" Daniel asked as he raised his eyes to the girl''s face.

    "They are still setting the excavator for the move, but we should be able to depart in ten," Alice dutifully reported.

    "Good," Daniel muttered as he stood up.

    He then threw onest look at the sky outside.

    It was just a feeling, but Daniel could swear he could hear the screams of thousands of poor soldiers his enemies were throwing at his automated defense lines.

    In carnage between battle bots and mobile sentry guns, no human could prevail.

    Daniel shook his head and grabbed the stealth cloak that proved to be a far better piece of defense equipment than even the best reactionary armor the conglomerate could produce.

    "Let''s go," he then said, passing by the girl and heading for the rallying point.

    ''There are only three digging sites left,'' Daniel thought as he moved out, unable to contain his excitement. ''If we nail it this time, we should be able to stop this madness in time,'' he thought.

    Then, he raised his eyes at the ce where all the troops has long since gathered.

    Only a month ago, a group a hundredth of the size of what he had before his eyes would suffice to move the excavator. But now, in addition to all the engineers and their equipment, Daniel had no other choice but to include several light units for protecting the digging site and then two heavy units to establish a safe perimeter.

    In his eyes, the group before his eyes represented nothing more but a massive financial strain on the budget of his organization.

    But in the eyes that tracked everyst of Daniel''s movements from high above the skies, this group looked like an enormous grouping of manpower and hardware�� just seventeen kilometers north of where nearly half of the world poured its resources to stop whatever Daniel wanted to dig out!

 Chapter 468 Those Bastards...

    The caravan was moving through the desert at a pace other world powers could only dream of.

    Daniel didn''t hold back in the slightest when it came to forming his expedition. As such, while other powers had to scramble everything they could just to procure a few prototypes of the early versions of the hovers, three generations of development of more modern hovers served as the baseline for the logistic of the caravan.

    The main limiting factor to the caravan''s speed wasn''t the speed the vehicles could safely and consistently make on the roadless dunes of the greatest desert on the.

    No, it was the structural integrity of the massive excavator the caravan was transporting. It was split into over two hundred different parts, each carried by a separate hover. And yet, just to keep those parts from breaking apart, Daniel had no other choice but to ept a pace he could only call a crawl.

    "This is so annoying," Daniel muttered while looking out through the huge panel of ss that covered the front of his vehicle.

    He was inside the fifth-generation hover, a vehicle that could very well be called a moving house. It had three different floors usable for the crew and then two more floors filled with equipment, sensors, and then weapons on the outside.

    In military terms, Daniel''s hover was closer in definition to a mobile fortress rather than a vehicle, given how it could hold on an assault of a heavy brigade of the world''s finest equipment all on its own.

    Surprisingly, though, when it came toparing Daniel''s mobile headquarters to any other piece of military technology developed by the world, the only term close enough would be limited to the navy.

    The only other piece of equipment that other powers had ess to that had the same qualities as Daniel''s vehicle�� was an aircraft carrier.

    A massive menace all on its own with the capability ofunching long-distance raids from its deck. Yet, despite how massive and powerful it was all on its own, only a madman would send an air carried all alone to the dangerous waters.

    Daniel''s hover couldn''tunch the old type of aircraft. It was huge, but not THAT huge.

    Yet, just like the analogy would suggest, Daniel had something quite simr but far more efficient stored on the second technical deck.

    "If you can''t do anything about it, you shouldn''t worry about it," Alice advised, hanging out in the back of the hover''s main deck, busy ying some stupid games on her tablet.

    "That''s the easiest way to miss all the signs of whatever the enemy is nning," Daniel replied, not sparing the girl even a single look.

    Even though there was hardly anything to do in the middle of the damn nowhere, the prevailing heat raining down from the sky and reflecting off the sand made any sort of indecent thoughts evaporate from everyone''s mind.

    This was the only reason why a sane man like Daniel could ignore the extremely revealing Alice wore within the vehicle, refusing to properly equip herself in military garb.

    She had her long legs nearly fully exposed, with only a short part of her skirt sticking to the upper part of her thighs. Outside of that, she only wore the tiniest of shirts that humans could create, giving up on decency in favor of the proper flow of air through her clothes.

    She simply sat down on the cushioned seat of the third drone operator with her legs stretched out and rested upon the currently turned-off control screen for the drone operator.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was nothing special in her pose or in her bored expression. And yet, with her clothing, natural beauty, and all the other small detailsbined, Alice turned herself into a piece of art that no man would be able to pass by without feeling a tug on his soul.

    ''If only not for this damn heat��'' Daniel cursed in his thoughts while sending a nce over to the vent of the overused venttion of the vehicle.

    For how insanely advanced all the technology within the hover was, the AC unit was surprisingly ordinary. After all, some things could only be improved so far, especially if one was unwilling to invest a literal ocean-worth of resources and manpower to develop a slightly better alternative.

    And so, while surrounded by nothing but the technology that other civilizations could only dream about, Daniel had no other choice but to keep on cursing at the overworked AC unit that pathetically failed at its task of keeping the insides of the vehicle rtively chill.

    "What you said would make sense if we didn''t have an absolute advantage when ites to information," Alice didn''t yeld her point. She closed her game and put her tablet aside, clearly more interested in a small discussion over some mindless clickers.

    "We didn''t detect their use of hovers back when the shit hit the fan," Daniel pointed out, seemingly out of nowhere. "Don''t disrespect the potential of the human mind. All of those things," Daniel spread his arms open as if to point at the technology within the vehicle, "was created by their ancestors at some point in an extremely distant past."

    "By their ancestors that weren''t tainted by the post-war decadence," Alice said while putting a small smile on her face.

    "You are still on that?" Daniel shook his head in disappointment.

    He already had a long and actually interesting discussion with the girl where Alice imed the period of a hundred years since the second world war ended up bringing most of human growth to a halt.

    It was an interesting discussion where the two of them went back and forth, throwing sensible arguments at the other. But it wasn''t a topic Daniel felt in power to raise again.

    "Your refusal to pick the topic back up only proves I''m right," Alice grinned as she spoke, revealing the perfect whites of her teeth through her lips opened up in a smile.

    "That''s now how I see��" Daniel started, only for his eyes to be drawn to a small alert that shed up on one of the screens before him.

    Soon, the same alert started to appear on more and more of the different screens before all of those alerts converged and appeared on the main screen disyed right on the front window of the hover.

    "Well, speak about seeing stuff," Daniel sighed before turning his head around his shoulder and giving the girl a quick nce. "You better dress up if you don''t want half of the crew to see you like that."

    Alice raised her eyes and took a second to look at the alert. She then stood up and released a long sigh.

    "Those damn bastards��" she muttered as she grabbed her official military uniform before begrudgingly starting to put it on, "because they just can''t hold themselves back, now I will be sweating buckets again!"

 Chapter 469 First Skirmish At The Caravens Perimeter

    "Control unit reports on duty!" a rtively young man rushed past the doors to the deck of Daniel''s mobile headquarters. After him, a group of seven more men and women alike of all ages entered, all instantly heading to their designated spots.

    "Spotter unit reports in!"

    "Communication unit reports in!"

    "CQ Unit reports in!"

    Bit by bit, the rtively tiny space that Daniel had for himself and Alice alone filled up with people of all sorts of ranks and jobs.

    The entirety of the deck was only around eighty square meters, with eight meters of width and ten meters of length. On its own, the deck made up the entire central part of the massive hover, protected from any potential impact by all the floors around it.

    "Communication, give me a status report!" Daniel ordered as he stepped into his own designated space as well before smashing one of the control buttons located at the control panel to the side of his stand.

    Just like was the case in the ground headquarters when everything started, Daniel ended up standing. Only by being up on his legs could he gain a perfect look at all of his surroundings, free of any obstacles if he wanted to take a closer look at the inner workings of any of the departments within the deck.

    It was the best spot tomand both the hover itself but also all the units within the caravan. Yet, it was the ce that Daniel really hated.

    After all, standing up was far lessfortable than rxing in a hammock that he would often hang between the third and fourthmunication seat!

    "Our rear guard made contact with the advance units of the army following our path," the officer in charge of themunication unit reported after ncing through the data provided by his underlings. "They are in the middle of the skirmish right now but our troops can force them back at any time," the man reported before gently nodding his head, "just give me the order, sir."

    "That won''t be necessary," Daniel replied before heaving a long, annoyed sigh. Then, he smashed the same button as before, quite angry that it failed to work on the first try.

    A mere momentter, Daniel once again saw the proof that the third time was really the charm, as the huge panel of windows embedded into the entire front of the deck turned opaque before revealing their true form.

    Only an idiot would put the main center of operations andmand in a ce where only a thinyer of protective ss would keep all the important people inside from attacks.

    And the people who were capable of replicating the technology from blueprints Daniel provided were as far from being idiots as a human being could be.

    The aesthetically pleasing look of the situation outside that the windows provided turned out to be nothing more but a clever lie, constructed on the basis of the extremely detailed cameras and other sensors mounted all over the massive hover. And what anyone else would formerly take for windows turned into simple t screens hung along the perimeter of the room.

    "Sir?" themunication officer stood at attention. His face betrayed the man was taken aback by Daniel''s decision.

    "We can drive them away at any time," Daniel decided to borate on the situation a bit as soon as he noticed the confused look on the officer''s face. "It''s still too early to reveal our hand, not over something as minor as a skirmish of the proxy units."

    The absolute military core of the caravan was positioned at the back of its center, all within direct proximity of Daniel''s headquarters. The further one went away from the core of the caravan, the lighter the units became all the way to the proxy units that secured both the path ahead and the road for potential retreat.

    Those proxy units consisted mostly of the usual tech, just with some added perks as per courtesy of the conglomerate''s engineers and Daniel''s requests.

    The vehicle of the proxy units was actually technologically behind the early prototype of hovers that turned out to be the main type of equipment their enemy was using.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Yet, it wasn''t the vehicle that would decide the oue of a skirmish, but how well themander could fit proper firepower to abuse the vehicle''s strengths while punishing the downsides of the enemy formation.

    As such, by following this simple rule, Daniel made sure to equip all the proxy units with technology from roughly two hundred years worth of scientific development in the future. As such, it wasn''t the drivers and the soldiers on the back of the trucks that Daniel used for his proxy troops.

    Everyst vehicle that currently operated on the first line of defense of the caravan was just the earliest version of a battle drone in the entire world.

    The guns of the proxy unit wereparable to what the other side brought to the y. And yet, when it came to actually shooting, only about one round every four hundred shots by the enemy would actually reach its target.

    On the other hand, though, the run-down desert trucks with the AI-controlled sentry turrets would hardly lose even a single shot by allowing it to miss.

    ''Soon, even foot soldiers will turn obsolete,'' Daniel thought as he turned his eyes toward the screen that outlined the details of the ongoing battle.

    Looking at the screen, Daniel couldn''t help but squint his eyes a little.

    ''They should hold on for at least two, maybe three hours,'' he thought, taking his time to properly analyze the situation.

    "Boss, what are your orders, sir!" this time it was the representative of the spotter''s unit.

    And judging by how he was grasping the trigger for a whole array of the tools his department took for the journey, he was more than happy to initiate the annihtion of their enemy.

    "Just keep on going," Daniel replied before turning around and half-sitting at the edge of the small railing that secured his spot. "I will be damned if that unit loses," he added before turning his head back and taking a second look at the scenes disyed on the screen.

    "You know what��" Daniel muttered after a second while his eyes glued to the screen. "We are so damn close��"

    Daniel couldn''t help but hesitate.

    And then, for but a second, he saw a potential future before his eyes.

    Arge, nuclear crater. The ruins of the ancient warehouse with its walls devastated by the strike. Daniel''s own corpse with his hand reaching out for the device''s controls only to fall short just a few inches��

    Daniel closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He then took a proper, deep breath.

    "Yeah, let''s do just that," he then muttered under his nose before putting a perfectly nk look on his face and then turning his eyes towards a very specific unit.

    "LDC unit!" Daniel called out.

    "Yes, sir!" A man stood up from the corner of the deck.

    "Feel free to rain some hell on those fuckers," Daniel said with a strangely satisfied look on his face. "And don''t worry," he then added while averting his eyes a bit, "and you don''t need to mind the drones."

 Chapter 470 Light Drone Cloud Anihilation

    War. War never changes.

    Or so an ancient philosopher once said, unable to even imagine the technological developments that would ultimately prove his theory wrong.

    Throughout the ages, war was all about two groups of people trying to either kill each other or force the other party to surrender.

    With the advent of modern times, more and more technology would get involved, often reducing the role of humans within the conflict to just pushing the technology around while hoping their own tech would prevail over the tech of their enemies.

    That was also the state of things before Daniel''s order brought the modern era ofmunication to an abrupt end.

    But now that he opted to introduce his own technology to the ying field, things changed. The ancient saying finally lost its meaning, no longer applicable to the future Daniel crafted by using his knowledge and blueprints from the civilizations lost to time.

    The LDC unit stood for a light drone cloud unit. And contrary to what its name would suggest to all the militaries across the world, it had nothing to do with the drones as others knew them.

    "Feel free to rain some hell on those fuckers!" Daniel gave out his order.

    And after a few short seconds required by the operators to turn his words into code activating the procedure, a few things happened at the same time.

    The automatic doors on the roof and on the sides of several of the vehicles within the caravan opened up, only to release a thick, ck fog.

    The fog instantly dispersed into the air, making use of even the tiniest gusts of wind to carry on its task.

    "First cloud deployed!" the reports started toe in at Daniel''s deck. "Second cloud deployed!", "Third cloud deployed!"

    A set of small windows red up on a handy screen to the left of Daniel''s side, indicating the status of each of the deployed clouds.

    "Tenth cloud deployed, the transition phase begins!"

    Just like it was the case when Daniel''s forces exchanged nuclear strikes with the forces behind the ck rock mercenaries, the entire deck turned silent.

    No one dared to disturb the tranquility brought upon the air of death that was rushing toward the battlefield.

    "Two kilometers away!"

    "One kilometer away!"

    "Five hundred meters!"

    "One hundred meters!"

    "Strike zone achieved."

    Everyone within the deck turned their heads toward the nearest screen they could find. And from a simple video feed provided by one of the few satellites still in orbit, they could see a thin, ck fog covering the entire area where Daniel''s rear guard kept on stalling the advance of their pursuers.

    "Requesting the confirmation for the strike," the officer in charge of the LDC unit turned on his heel, pushing his breast out as he stood at attention while facing Daniel''s side.

    "Go on."

    Daniel didn''t waste his words on needless boration.

    "Yes, sir!" the officer struck the heels of his shoes together before turning around to his private console and pressing the inconspicuous button on its side.

    All the fighting within the strike zone died out in an instant. The armed forces pursuing Daniel''s caravan suddenly found all of their weapons malfunctioning, refusing to operate.<novelnext></novelnext>

    On the other hand, Daniel''s rear guard took a few moments to figure out what was going on�� Before ceasing the hostilities and starting to pack up all their wounded and discarded or used technology.

    The tranquility didn''tst for long, though. The weapons of the enemy forces were just the first target on the list of the drone cloud, not its ultimate goal.

    A single shout appeared on the scene, portrayed by a vector of sound on everyone''s screens. Then, another shout followed.

    And then, silence.

    Daniel''s rear guard couldn''t bring themselves to utter a single word, save for the quick report that soon appeared on Daniel''s screen. On the other hand, their enemies�� were too damn dead to utter a single sound.

    The light drone cloud. A simple idea brought to its limits by the necessary advances in technology. A swarm of close to a hundred million speck-sized drones formed a single cloud.

    The size of each specific drone made it impossible to implement any sort of functional hardware that could run even the most rudimentary software on it. The scope of what a single drone within the cloud could do was so limited it was no different from a grain of dust.

    The true magic of the swarm appeared only once someone stacked a few thousand of them. Bybining their nano-sized brains, they would form a collective brain about as powerful as a middle-shelf smartphone. With a few hundred thousand of them, one had a supeputer in their hands.

    And with a ten million pieces strong cloud, the swarm turned the extremely stupid drones into an entity that could be said to have a soul on its own.

    Upon the strike, each individual drone would fulfill only a single task before burning through all of its fuel and turning into a piece of metal scrap.

    And so, when the strike began, around fifty thousand drones sacrificed their artificial lives to clog up the firing mechanisms of the weapons that could threaten Daniel''s forces. Then, a million of them brought upon an apocalypse to any mechanism moreplex than a waterwheel.

    In a single instant, Daniel''s pursuers lost their weapons, vehicles,munication, and any other type of technology that relied on electricity in any capacity.

    Having the enemy force immobilized, the next step of the procedure was simple mercy. Being stuck in the middle of the desert without any realistic way of getting back to civilization was no different than a death sentence.

    And so, Daniels'' drones sacrificed around three more million pieces to clog up the bodily functions of the enemy troopers, silencing the entire battlefield in the span of roughly four more seconds.

    Daniel''s rearguard didn''t die. With roughly five to six million drone pieces remaining, the swarm could easily differentiate between a hostile and a friendly soldier. As such, they weren''t silenced by the attack.

    No.

    They didn''t speak because they were near their enemies enough to catch a few glimpses of the annihtion that happened right under their noses.

    And in the face of a mass and instant killing like that, no human could keep their mood up.

    "Taskpleted," the officer responsible for the LDC announced in a weak voice. The burden of having pressed the button that brought so much death in a single instant clearly reflected upon his face. "The enemy forces are no more."

    "Good," Daniel replied in a steady voice.

    ''I don''t like this sort of situation either,'' he thought, gritting his teeth as he forced all of his feelings aside. ''But right now, I don''t have the luxury to think about how I feel!''

    "The direct threat to our expedition is gone," Daniel announced, turning his face toward the front of the vehicle. "And since we are already so deep into this shit, let me exin to you the very purpose of our mission."

    Daniel hung his head to the back and took a deep breath.

    "What are we trying to recover is an extremely advanced device. A tool that goes above and beyond even the best technology that ourpany currently has its hands on," Daniel said as he no longer saw any point in keeping that piece of information under wraps. "I will save you the science gibberish and exin it in a way that everyone can understand."

    Daniel made a short pause to take yet another deep breath.

    "The device that we are looking for can prevent a nuclear annihtion of all the life on this."

 Chapter 471 An Addition To The Callendar That Won With Boobs

    The annihtion of the force pursuing Daniel''s caravan was thest even remotely interesting even during their journey.

    Save for the soldiers who took part in the battle and those who were on the main bridge during the deployment of the drone clouds, no one even knew that such a battle took ce.

    And since it was the case for the troops that apanied Daniel''s caravan, it was all the more true to those who sent the pursuing parties after them.

    Maybe it was the sudden end of contact with all of their troops coupled with the absoluteck of any signs of nuclear discharge that could potentially exin it. Maybe the forces hostile towards Daniel exhausted the limit of how many troops they could pull from the frontlines and put towards hunting him down.

    Or maybe they were keeping all of their spare troops back, refusing to risk losing even a single soldier more before the massive,st-ditch offensive would strike the guard post set by Daniel''s forces?

    "No one knows shit," Daniel cursed under his nose as he read through the report from one of his units for the fifth time in a row.

    It was written in the typical military jargon that the conglomerate has adopted for its forces. And while surely there were some massive upsides to using anguage both concise and precise when it came to reports, when there was absolutely nothing of importance to call in��

    The reports would turn lengthy for no reason whatsoever. After all, a suprememander of the expeditionary forces could devise a n to defend a small area amidst the endless emptiness of the sun-scorched sand dunes without the information about the density of the scorpions per square kilometer spotted both by the vanguard and the patrolling drones!

    "Doesn''t that mean there is nothing of interest happening?" Alice asked, apanying Daniel, as usual, even all the way out in the nothingness of the desert.

    This time, however, she didn''t hold herself back at all, dressed in the exact same suit that she came to this world in.

    After all, contrary to the properly established headquarters, the secondary bridge on the mobile central unit of the force didn''t have the luxury of extensive venttion working around the clock.

    "If only that was the case," Daniel muttered in response while rolling his eyes. Then, being the man of duty he was, he finished the report in his hands before leaving it on the desk and moving over to the next piece of paper.

    This time it was the engineering report detailing the progress of the main mission of the entire expedition.

    It''s been three weeks since they reached the deployment zone. It took an entire week to unpack and set up the excavator and then another week to fix all the issues that prevented it from working in the extreme conditions of the desert.

    The third week went by without any major events, allowing the engineering group to pick up the pace and squeeze a bit more power out of their equipment.

    "We are still two to three days away," Daniel spoke out loud when he finally reached the most interesting part of the report.

    Two or three more days before the massive wheel armed with teeth on its circumference would dig out enough sand to uncover theyer of the solid sandstone that hid the entrance to one of thest few unexplored warehouse chambers left by Daniel''s former civilization for the situation that the world was in right now.

    And ording to Daniel''s personal calctions supported by the mind-boggling calcting horsepower of the semi-quantumputers, there was about seventy percent change that this time, after all those years of extreme effort and costs, they would reach the ce Daniel was looking for ever since the situation in the world started to going downhill.

    "Ohe on," Aliceined, raising up from the one piece of equipment she requested the spare engineers to construct for her in their free time. It looked fancy with all the modern technology used to create it�� but in essence, it was nothing more but a simple bathtub connected to the hover''s water filtration system and with an added cooling device that kept the water inside at afortably chilly temperature. "Just forget about those reports ande here!" the girl requested, stretching her hands out of her tub towards Daniel.

    "I only have a few of them left," Daniel replied, paying little to no mind to the girl''s invitation. ''I''m too old to fall for those tricks, you know?'' he thought, rolling his eyes over the one quality of his personal secretary and unofficial partner that he never managed to fix.

    No matter what, Alice never learned to ept that as one of the oldest beings alive on the entire, Daniel no longer had the same sex drive as all the other guys of the same biological age as his body.

    "You are not going to humor me at all, are you?" Alice protested, pulling her hands back and sinking down into the tub.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Yet, refusing to just give up, she quickly moved her hands to a small, waterproof console hanging just high enough above the tub to remain rtively safe from any of the potential sshes.

    A few strokes of her gentle fingerster, the waters of the tub turnedpletely transparent, revealing all the details of the beauty of her naked body to Daniel''s eyes�� assuming he would bother to actually raise them above the papers in his hands.

    "It''s not going to work," Daniel muttered with a small smile, more amused by the girl''s yful attempts at distracting him than he was by her eagerness to get busy with him.

    "There is no loss in trying, though," Alice grumbled, reaching out with her hand to the console to change the settings on the tub''s wall back to their default mode.

    Her attempt at luring Daniel out failed, so rather than foolhardily pressing the attack, she opted not to distract her boss any further.

    Yet, after tapping at the console just a few times, Alice''s hand suddenly froze.

    She then pulled herself up, half-sitting in her tub as she now used both of her hands to quickly type in a fewmands into the console.

    "Hey, Daniel," Alice called out without even looking her boss'' way.

    "What''s up?" Daniel asked, too busy putting the report back on the table and picking the next one to look at the girl, fully expecting her call to be nothing more but some more shenanigans.

    "Was Patric supposed toe to visit the site anytime soon?" Alice asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

    Still, the question was simply too out of ce for Daniel to keep ignoring the girl.

    ''If that''s how she wants to force my attention on her��'' Daniel thought, raising his eyes to the girl. Yet, the second he saw her serious expression, the man realized the girl was ying around no more.

    "No, he was not," Daniel replied, actually standing up and approaching the girl''s tub.

    Upon arriving at the borate piece of extremely expensive equipment put together to create the most sophisticated bathtub in the world, Daniel couldn''t help himself but look down, through the water, at the alluring curves of Alice''s body.

    His sex drive might''ve dried up considerably due to his mental age�� but his body was still forever stuck at its prime, making it impossible for him to ever fully get rid of it.

    Still, rather than just dropping the topic and sneaking over the tub''s wall to y some with the girl, Daniel raised his eyes to the screen of the girl''s console.

    Reading Daniel''s intentions, Alice reached out and turned it around a bit, making it easier for her boss to read the message.

    And just like her question from earlier implied, there was indeed a new visit scheduled to the site of the only person whose age came anywhere close to Daniel''s real age.

    The only other person in the entire conglomerate and thus the world that traced its direct descendance to the civilization lost in time so thoroughly, nearly all of its archeological record ended up erased from the face of the.

    "What does he think he is doing,ing here?" Daniel muttered, staring at the new position in the calendar as if he saw the ghost. "Did he forget that we are not supposed to ever appear anywhere near each other?"

 Chapter 472 Patrics Visit (Part 1)

    "Is everyone ready?" Alice asked, sitting in the usual ce she would take as Daniel''s personal secretary.

    Not a single voice replied to her question. Instead, a set of small boxes on the screen of her tablet turned green.

    A small smile appeared on the girl''s lips, a smile she quickly wiped off her lips.

    "Daniel," Alice then said, raising her voice just a bit to make it reach her boss a bit further down the secondary bridge.

    "Yes, Alice?" Daniel asked, standing in his usual spot even though, save for the two of them, there was no one else on the deck for him tomand.

    "Everyone''s ready," Alice announced while putting her pad down on a modern-looking desk that she sat behind.

    "Then you may green light his descent," Daniel said, refusing to move his head even an inch.

    Daniel put more precautions for theing visit in ce than he did when the war erupted. Even the time when he organized this entire caravan ended up with a smaller focus on perfect control over the surrounding areas and impable defense of the site they were in.

    For theing meeting, Daniel put all stops aside. He didn''t hold back on technology, pulling out even the items, that while stashed on his hovers, remained two or even three generations above what the conglomerate was officially allowed to use.

    "I''m approving the descend," Alice announced a short momentter.

    All at once, all the screens within the deck lit up. All the equipment that Daniel deployed just for his asion connected to the hive mind of the headquarters, ushering into the brainpower of the quasi-quantumputer when it came to all the calctions they had to make.

    Automated turrets started to target every single inch of the entire sky. Thrity clouds of drones dispersed over the greatest area they could cover before losing cohesion within their units.

    All kinds of automated vehicles and sentries booted up, quickly turning the excavation area into the most fortified patch ofnd on the face of the entire.

    "Still, I gotta ask," Alice muttered once she was done with all the steps of the procedure that had to bepleted manually. "Is all of this really necessary?"

    Alice raised her eyes at her boss and refused to move them away even when the silence continued to prolong.

    "This will be the first time in over a hundred years for the two of us to meet," Daniel, just like the girl expected, replied after a long while. "First, I don''t know whether he changed or not. And if he did, I have no idea by what degree."

    Daniel shook his head.

    "A hundred years seem like a mere instant for people with a lifespan like ours�� but it''s a hundred years nevertheless."

    Daniel hung his head to the back and released a long, heavy sigh.

    "Just look at how the world has changed over thest century. And if the entire world can change by such a massive degree��" Daniel put in a short pause before finally turning his head slightly to the side and giving Alice a sideways look.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Then just how much could a single person change in the same period of time?"

    The chat was cut when the tracking camera finally locked on the target, assisting its descent from the low earth''s orbit towards the part of the sky fully controlled by Daniel''s forces.

    Daniel''s old friend and student came to inspect the digging site within the most modern piece of aircraft that the world had produced so far.

    Said aircraft belonged to the seventh cycle of development, falling behind by one of two generations whenpared to Daniel''s official strength.

    And yet, when taking all the technological ace cards Daniel hid all over the ce, his former student''s ne simply paled inparison.

    ''There are certain things in life that change,'' Daniel thought, watching how the aircraft descended through theyer of clouds before moving down and down, all the way to the point where it hovered directly above the ground.

    The pilot of the aircraft clearly knew what he was doing. He used the moment of hovering just above the ground to lower the wheels of the air vehicle onto the ground before softly putting his machine down.

    ''That''s one hell of a flying experience,'' Daniel thought, watching with all his focus as a small group of people vacated the airship before allowing it to rise from the ground.

    The pilot then pressed the power of his engines to its maximum, bolting off to the distance at an eleration that bordered what a normal human could survive.

    ''And so hended,'' Daniel thought, watching on his screen how the group was instantly taken over by his own security forces.

    Soon, the visitors got escorted to the nearby hover of the older generation. The vehicle then carried all of them over to Daniel''s private vehicle before finallypleting the transfer of the valuable guests.

    ''I wonder how he brought with himself,'' Daniel thought, patiently waiting while observing the progress of his guests through one of the many screens littered all over the secondary deck of his hover.

    Soon enough, though, the answer to this question revealed itself to his eyes as the group passed by several sets of turns of corridors only to arrive at the doorstep of Daniel''s secondary deck.

    "Daniel," the leader of the visitors muttered the second he stepped upon the deck and took a look around only for his eyes to suddenly stop moving when he noticed Daniel''s back.

    The man himself turned around while still refusing to leave his usual position.

    "Patric��," Daniel said in a low voice, unable to react with as much joy and excitement as he had nned to.

    ''This visit has no logical reason,'' Daniel thought in the meantime, right as he entered a contest of stares with some of the friends that his former disciple brought over.

    Then, both of the men suddenly startedughing before they each left their spot and rushed towards each other.

    "Damn, brother!" Daniel muttered right as he fell into the hug of the only person in the entire world that had a more or less full grasp over his character. "It''s been way too long since thest time we met!"

 Chapter 473 Patrics Visit (Part 2)

    "So," Daniel started once he finally freed himself from his friend''s hug, "what brings you here?"

    It was a simple question, one that could be said to be the usual beginning of small talk. But when it came to Daniel and Patric''s meeting, it turned out to be a far deeper one.

    Just like the president and the vice president of the states were banned from ever traveling by the same train, ne, or car, Daniel and Patric were supposed to always stay at least fifty kilometers apart.

    In the age of nuclear weapons, this was the only way to ensure they wouldn''t be taken out with a single attack, ending the legacy of the lost civilizations.

    "We are reaching the endgame of the current cycle, are we not?" Patric mentioned with a small smile, taking a step back not to infringe on Daniel''s personal space. He then turned his head to the side. "Alice," he nodded his head, "it''s great to see you in great health. You are as beautiful as ever."

    "Thank�� you," Alice nodded her head as she replied. Yet, if one were to look close enough, her smile didn''t have its usual warmth.

    "Patric, it really pains me to do it," Daniel muttered once hispanion finished his courtesy interaction with his secretary. "But regardless of what''s going on, I need to know," he stated before repeating the same question from before, "what are you doing here?"

    This time, Patric didn''t reply right away. He turned his eyes to Daniel''s face and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

    "You''ve sidelined me during the second world war," Patric said, his smile disappearing from his face. "I''m not going to let the same thing happen again."

    Daniel''s face turned still as well.

    "It is a huge stretch to call the current conflict a third world war," Daniel pointed out. "And I don''t recall you involving yourself in any of the outer conflicts ever since�� what war was it again?"

    "Soviet invasion of Afghan��" Patric replied, pursing his lips into a thin line as he looked down and shook his head. "Brother, listen, that''s all in the past," he imed before raising his eyes and looking directly into Daniel''s eyes. "And I''m not here to meddle. I just want to be involved when the shit hits the fan."

    Daniel turned silent. Then, rather than keeping the discussion up, he shook his head and turned sideways while stretching his hand out towards the insides of the bridge, inviting both Patric and his entourage inside.

    The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The conflict sparked partially by Patric''s meddling and aimed at whatever was in Daniel''s disciple''s head at the time. Yet, just like most of the conflicts that Patric was involved in, it quickly turned into a massive mess that stretched out for years and brought nothing but death and destruction.

    "Are you going to introduce us?" Daniel asked once both parties finally sat down at the table that Daniel had hauled inside the bridge just for the sake of this meeting.

    "Daniel, this is Maya," Patric pointed out his hand at the girl who sat to his right. "She''s my�� secretary," he then added while stealing a quick, sneaky nce at Kaya who sat on Daniel''s right.

    The two girls were pretty simr in terms of appearance. But while Kaya kept her face still and devoid of any emotions, Maya couldn''t be more excited.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s a great honor to meet you, sir," she said, bowing her head as she greeted Daniel.

    "You know of me?" Daniel asked, genuinely surprised by the development. The hint of displeasure that appeared on Patric''s face didn''t escape his attention either.

    "You are not like all the other financial powerhouses of the world, sir," Maya stated, raising her head and smiling at Daniel. "I was quite surprised when Patric told me all about you. I''ve been your fan ever since!"

    Daniel turned his eyes to his former disciple''s face. Patric sighed and slightly shook his head.

    "Thank you for the praise," Daniel then replied, calmed down by Patric''s small gesture.

    This small shake of Patric''s head told Daniel everything that he really wanted to know. And since he shook his head, it appeared he didn''t really mention to the girl anything that went beyond the first degree of stretched influence.

    Or, in other words, while it still allowed the girl to get a glimpse at Daniel''s exploits that went beyond the ability of an average human�� it could still be contained within the modern world''smon sense.

    Just like Patric mentioning his involvement in the afghan war, he couldter im that it was all his father''s doing and he simply was willing to take responsibility as the current head of the family.

    "Moving on," Patric said, clearly ufortable with the level of attention his secretary was giving to his former master, "Robert, Mark, and Selvius," he introduced the rest of his entourage. "Robert is the chief executive officer of the subsidiary I''m focusing most of my attention on while Mark and Selvius��" Patric took on a face of a victim of abuse, "they are the security personnel that thepany refused to free me from."

    "I know having security follow you around can be a bit of a pain in the ass," Daniel grinned, "but such is the fate of people of sess like us," he added before reaching out and grabbing the ss of wine from the table.

    "As for my end of introductions, I''m Daniel, the current head of the management of the Salva Conglomerate," Daniel introduced himself just for courtesy sake before turning his hand towards his partner, "and this is Kaya, chief operation manager for the African branch of the management."

    The entire introduction part was extremely obsolete, nothing more but a part of cultural courtesy aimed to showcase the goodwill between the two parties.

    Daniel knew everything about every member of Patric''s entourage the second they stepped into the ne with his former disciple. And Patric would never bring along someone who he couldn''t fully trust.

    After all, even though Daniel''s entire operation was one thing on paper and a whole different thing in reality, Patric wasn''t stupid enough not to realize its importance.

    "Well then, now that the introductions are done," Patric said as he raised his own ss, "let me raise the toast to the quick end of the hostilities and eternal peace on this poor continent!"

 Chapter 474 Daniels Selectiveness

    The official meetingsted for a few hours.

    During that time, Kaya slowly got over her cold act directed at Patric, opening up to socially mingle with the guests that he brought over. Somewhere along the line, she ended up sitting with Maya on the couch and passionately discussing something with her in a hushed voice.

    Expensive wine was poured one bottle after another with everyone quite eager to prove just how much of a tough drinker each of them was.

    This led to some small personal conflicts during the first hour and then a drunken fest of deep, political discussion during thetter part of the small, private party.

    In the end, Patric''s guests ended up escorted away by some of Daniel''s officers with the excuse of showing them around the full extent of the military developments that the conglomerate never really unted so openly before.

    For them, it was the chance to witness the might of the technology that prompted the very corporation they were working for, technology that up to this day, they never had the chance to experience with their own two eyes.

    At that point, both Kaya and Maya left the bridge of Daniel''s hover as well, eager to take their conversation somewhere where men''s prying ears couldn''t hear them.

    "Finally done," Daniel muttered when thest of the annoying souls left his personal space, leaving him with just Patric on the bridge.

    Finally, he could drop his drunken act, revealing how little all the wine that he poured into himself affected his ability to think or act.

    "I''m really sorry for that," Patric apologized, showcasing the same ability to detoxify himself as his former master. "I never expected that by epting your offer to create this corporation I would end up with this kind of shackles��"

    Patric didn''t bother trying to hold back his displeasure. In the end, Daniel was surprised that his former student managed to hold himself back from activating some of the cameras that Daniel had all over the ce just to see his subordinates so that he could show them his middle finger.

    "This is what happens when you try to move too fast," Daniel replied, stretching himself back on his chair. He then put a small smirk on his face. "I thought you learned that during the Napoleonic wars," he then added only for the corners of his lips to twitch as he held back his smile.

    "Don''t you dare remind me of that shorty," Patric moaned, copying Daniel as he stretched himself on the chair. "I still can''t believe it took me three attempts to finally get rid of him for good!"

    "Life is all about learning," Daniel shook his shoulders before reaching out and grabbing a whole bottle of the vintage wine.

    Now that their secondary guests were done, there was no need for either of them to keep up the appearances. And while they could never get properly drunk with something as soft as wine, Daniel simply liked the drink''s exquisite, mature taste.

    "It''s a pity all those humans live for way too little to learn on their own, fucking mistakes!" Patric cursed a little only to then fill his mouth with a huge gulp of vodka, the bottle of which he conjured seemingly out of nowhere.

    "We are not going to meddle with their nature," Daniel said, suddenly all serious. "I thought we concluded this topic already," he then added as a look of dissatisfaction appeared on his face.

    "I know, I know," Patric rolled his eyes. "It''s not our ce to change how humans are, right?" he asked only to take another gulp of vodka directly from the bottle.

    Patric then mmed the bottle down on the table before leaning over it and turning silent for a moment.<novelnext></novelnext>

    For a few more seconds, Daniel could hear the distant noises of the rest of their group happily partying away outside of the hover.

    "But if that''s the case, then what the hell are you trying to do by uncovering the vaults?" Patric asked, raising his eyes directly at Daniel''s face.

    ''Here it is,'' Daniel thought. A wave of relief washed over his body.

    All the formalities rted to thepany that fronted all of their endeavors in the modern age were nothing more but a stupid distraction. A smoke screen right into the eyes of anyone who would like to try to pry into what was going on.

    The real reason for Patric''s visit, however, was included in the question he just asked.

    "I''m trying to stop the civilization from annihting itself," Daniel replied after a moment of thought.

    "So it''s not okay to increase their lifespan by mere fifty years so that the experts could provide their expertise for triple the time they have right now, but it''s okay to stop them from killing each other in senseless wars?" Patric asked, his expression turning extremely sour.

    "I don''t want to hear that from you, mister Jack the ripper," Daniel countered, pulling out one of the cards that he kept safe in his sleeve.

    Jack the ripper. The legend of the industrial age London. A criminal who took way too many lives and remained atrge, never to be caught.

    An urban myth for most. And a real person sitting right in front of him, Daniel.

    "Is that so, mister Alexander the great?" Patric then executed a counter on his own, proving that he came to this meeting prepared.

    Over the ages, the one major trouble that the two of them had was endless boredom. After all, overseeing the redevelopment of human civilization was an interesting task only to those who didn''t realize just how insanely long time had to pass for anything new to happen.

    As such, a huge chunk of the major historical figures�� were nothing more but spare bodies that Patric and Daniel inhibited with the use of some of the technology they salvaged from the fall of the Altanti.

    In theory, neither of them was privy to the information of what bodies the other party used, but just as the exchange just now proved, the facts often were heavily detached from the official agreement.

    "We won''t get anywhere like that," Daniel concluded, opting not to reveal what else did he know about Patric''s past.

    "So you are going to meddle in the events on a scale much bigger than I ever hoped to do so myself while telling me not to do a thing?'' Patric asked, going right back to the conflicting point that brought about the end of their master-disciple rtionship in the past and remained the one difference they could never agree upon throughout the ages.

    "I''m only going for the neutralization of their nukes," Daniel finally relented, revealing the real purpose behind all of his current ns. "It''s only a matter of time before they start throwing those devil''s bombs at each other. It doesn''t matter where it starts happening for real. Once a single city gets struck, the rest of the world will follow suit."

    "So you are going to stop them from nuking each other out until there is not a single human left�� but you are not going to do anything about how half of the world is mobilizing all the men they can in preparation for a conventional war anyway?

 Chapter 475 Daniels Stance On Involvement

    Daniel''s meeting with Patricsted for a few more hours. During that time, Daniel ended up learning quite a lot about the things that he missed during his time spent warring with the hostile mercenary groups in Africa, too busy with the war to keep tabs on the minor events far away.

    The entire meeting ended up the same way as it always did in the past, with both of them agreeing that they could nevere to terms with the other party''s beliefs and morals but opting not to turn their differences into a conflict on a real scale.

    This was the lesson the two of them learned from the second world war, when things quickly spiraled out of their control, turning an ideological conflict of nation versusmunity into the most radical forms both of those belief groups could produce.

    "So?" Alice asked as she finally returned from her chat with Maya, leaving her newfound friend in Patric''s hands as they retreated for the night. "Did you learn anything about his ns?" she asked, bringing her hands together right on top of Daniel''s chest before resting her chin on top of them.

    "It looks like it''s the usual," Daniel replied in a tired voice.

    No matter how many times he tried, he could never convince his former disciple to follow his beliefs. Yet, just as he refused Patric''s wish to artificially change humanity''s genome to increase human lifespan by roughly fifty years on average, he opted not to force his views on his former disciple either.

    After all, once all the details and formalities were to be shaved away, there was no real difference between the two, as just like increasing humanity''s lifespan required the change to their very nature, enlightening Patric''s view would require Daniel to change his physical nature as well.

    "Do you expect him to cause any trouble?" Alice asked, rolling over to her side and taking over Daniel''s arm only to use it as a pillow.

    "To be honest, I don''t know," Daniel admitted. "I might be the oldest being alive on this, but that doesn''t make me omnipotent nor all-knowing," he admitted while his hand moved over to the back of Alice''s head.

    ''And to be honest, I much more prefer to just cuddle like that rather than having you try to get on my dick every chance you get,'' he thought, agonizing over how his inability to utter those words to the girl out loud continued for more than four thousand years by now.

    "I don''t expect you to know anything for sure," Alice whispered in a soft voice while her fingers danced on top of Daniel''s chest. "I''m just asking what you think will happen, not what you know will happen for sure."

    Daniel turned silent.

    Even if the girl was simply asking for his guess�� he couldn''t really provide her with it either. Not because he didn''t want to�� but because he never really bothered to try to read Patric''s moves in the first ce.

    Patric was the only other survivor from the Anti. Alice, although an enhanced human like Patric and Daniel, was two thousand years younger than Daniel''s former disciple. And Daniel never tried to figure out their intentions in advance.

    After all, at the level of mentalplexity enhanced people like the three of them achieved after living for more than a thousand years, it was no longer possible to ount for every possible move they would make.

    "I don''t think he will try to mess with the n," Daniel finally admitted, more for the sake of humoring the girl rather than by revealing his true opinion. No matter how close he was to this girl, there were some things that he still kept to himself and himself alone, after all.

    "Then, are you going to do something with the war once you stop all the nukes?" Alice changed her question.

    "Honestly, I don''t know," Daniel released a deep sigh. "From one end, I don''t want to involve myself in human conflict anymore. Our entire expedition is an exception, but with the current level of technology, humans could render this sterile if they tried hard enough."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How is that an answer to what I asked about?" Alice questioned, confused by Daniel''s seemingly detached response.

    "If I take a side in theing conflict, Patric is bound to join the opposition," Daniel exined. "Maybe it''s fate, for the two of us to always stand against each other in fights that neither of us cares about? I know for sure it''s the case in fights we are actually interested in," Daniel pointed out, pursing his lips in a thin line when he recalled a set of extremely unpleasant memories.

    The current arrangement when neither of them would involve themselves too heavily with any part of the human civilization was only about four hundred years old by now. And in order to create this pact, Daniel ended up giving up on the only civilization project he was ever passionate about in this cycle of humans building their civilization up only to end up destroying it all at once.

    "So you are just going to let theing war y out?" Alice asked, her hand falling t on Daniel''s chest.

    For but a moment, Daniel could feel the girl''s body tense up a tiny little bit. A small clue to�� Daniel had no idea what. A small hint of the girl''s true feelings that she grew pretty damn great at holding back.

    "As I said, if I join the conflict, Patric will do the same. And then, there will be nothing to stop it from fully ying out," he exined.

    "And then, by using all the technology that you revealed to the world during this expedition, humans are going to sterilize the, right?" Alice guessed where Daniel''s point was going.

    "That''s right," Daniel nodded his head before pulling it to the back as far as he could and glued his eyes to the ceiling of the secondary bridge of his hover. "And while there is a lot of what I can do to fix this, with the current technology, it''s possible to bring it beyond the point of salvation."

    Daniel''s statement was enough to shut both of them up. And so, for the next few moments, they simplyid down in silence, enjoying the reassuring warmth of the other person right by their side.

    Soon, Alice''s breathing steadied up as she fell deeper and deeper into the exhaustion of the night, ready to fully enter her sleep at any moment now.

    Daniel, with all the improvements to his body, had a much harder time falling asleep. In fact, Alice''s warmth and softness was the only thing that could help him fall into slumber with rtive ease.

    And yet, right as his consciousness started to fade away��

    A small beeping sound reached his ears, alerting his brain and forcing it right back to its operating mode.

    ''What the hell is it this time?'' Daniel cursed in his thoughts as he reached out for the nearby console before pressing activating a single screen located at just the right angle for him to look at without moving out from where he set up their bed.

    Daniel then read into a message that appeared on the screen as soon as itunched�� Only to jump out of the bed right away, not paying any mind to how doing so would wake Alice up.

    "What''s wrong��" Alice muttered in a groggy voice, still dizzy from being brutally woken up like that right as she was about to fully fall asleep.

    "They''ve found it," Daniel announced, too busy grabbing his clothes and pulling them up to pay any attention to the girl''s face. "We''ve finally found the correct vault!"

 Chapter 476 Avoiding The Answer

    Daniel moved through the darkness of the night without any problem. He didn''t have any sort of night vision equipment nor there were any lights around the camp to guide him as they would only make their camp the perfect target for the long-range artillery of the enemy forces.

    No.

    The camp''s main advantage, after all the extremely modern defenses, was in how small it was within the enormity of the earth''s greatest desert. And even if the active defenses of the camp were more than likely sufficient to keep it safe from any sort of attacks, Daniel wasn''t all thatfort-needy topromise the defensiveness of the camp just for his own convenience��

    Especially with how he had no problems whatsoever when it came to seeing in the dark.

    Alice followed closely behind her boss. Her eyes were of the nearly same quality as Daniels, but she apparently felt more confident following after his back rather than moving by his side.

    The two of them first reached the main excavation area. There was no physical possibility to determine the precise location of the vault due to all the tiny geological changes that when multiplied by all the time that passed since Daniel left it alone would change its position rtive to the surface.

    Due to this reason, even after locating the general area of the vault''s location, Daniel''s expedition had to establish a massive area of a circle of more than two hundred meters in radius. The size of the area they needed to scour for their search was also the reason why instead of employing the modern equipment that made use of Daniel''s technology, they ended up hauling one of the world''s biggest but also oldest excavators.

    The two of them first had to reach the edge of the excavation area before carefully moving down its slope. The angle of descent was pretty tolerable at the beginning, but the closer to the center they got, the harder it was for them to remain upright on their feet.

    "Sir, over here!" a soldier standing guard by the entrance of a tunnel that dug at an angle into the hard sandstone hidden behind all the sand called out, helping the duo to notice the exact location of the tunnel''s entrance.

    It was around two-thirds of the radius away from the center, near perfectly in a northeast direction from where the excavator was mounted.

    "Thanks, man," Daniel called when the soldier reached out to help him descend thest few meters. Daniel then turned around, just in time to catch Alice in his arms and stop her from falling face-first to the bottom of the loosely paved entrance of the tunnel.

    "Thanks��" Alice muttered in a slightly dissatisfied voice.

    "I would tell you to watch your step��" Daniel replied in a whisper while the darkness of the light hid the smirk on his face, "but I guess it''s already toote for that."

    "Shut it," Alice barked, quickly freeing herself from Daniel''s arms, unwilling to let him hold her while, at the same time, making fun of herck of impable agility.

    ''For someone over three thousand years old, she really hates physical exercise,'' Daniel thought.

    It was something that one could never notice when looking at the shape of her body. Yet, rather than being the result of her efforts to stay in shape, Alice''s nice curves and slim waist were courtesy of all the technology Daniel used when altering her physicality to turn her into one of the enhanced humans.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''It''s really a waste��'' Daniel used to think whenever the topic of Alice''s athletic ability came up.

    Yet, as more and more wars shook thends he used to live in, as more and more civilizations fell into decadence only to implode from within while perfectly fit barbarians would devastate its frontier and asionally capitals��

    Daniel''s approach to one''s physical ability changed.

    ''As long as she wants to, she will be able to easily catch up to the world-ss athletes,'' was what Daniel started to think roughly around the eighteen century, when one''s speed, reaction time, and nimbleness started to devalue in the face of the rapid development of guns.

    After all, it didn''t matter how fit one be when a single cannonball would tear their body apart regardless of how well built it was!

    "Let''s just get to the vault, okay?" Alice requested, in a great hurry to move over the topic of what happened.

    ''To think a day woulde for her to use the vault as a mere excuse to hide her shame,'' Daniel thought, holding back his smirk. Now that they entered the tunnel, the makeshift illumination installed by the engineers who built the tunnel made it harder for him to use darkness as a means to hide his emotions.

    "Did you find an answer to my question from before?" Alice asked after a few moments of walking through the narrow space of the downward-sloped tunnel.

    "Regarding��?" Daniel asked, not really sure what the girl had on her mind.

    "What are you going to do about the war after you secure the world from nuclear annihtion," Alice quickly provided her boss with the topic.

    "I would love to say yes," Daniel shook his head, "but I didn''t really think about it. To be frank, I focused all of my brainpower on the mission to reach the device as soon as possible," the man admitted. "So, while I cannot say I''m likely to happy-go-luckily go around annihting armies to prevent them from taking part in the world war, I can''t say I won''t try to do something about it either."

    Rather than giving the girl a precise answer that would build up her expectations and thus burden on his own shoulder, Daniel came up with a reply that should satisfy his secretary, at least, for now.

    "You are clearly avoiding an answer that I could hold you on to," Alice pointed out the very method Daniel used to shrink away from the potential responsibility.

    "And it''s because I don''t want to announce anything too soon," Daniel replied, right as they finally reached a huge cave filled with engineers and all sorts of equipment they used to dig it all out.

 Chapter 477 Open, Sesame

    "Nice job in here," Daniel announced his presence with simple praise.

    "Thank you, sir," the supervisor of the engineering team turned his head away from the huge drilling machine and stood at attention, performing a lousy salute only the civil crowd could bother to perform.

    "Any problems with the drill?" Daniel then asked, throwing a curious look at the piece of equipment most of the engineers in the drilled-out cave were focusing all of their attention on.

    "Not exactly, sir," the supervisor replied, his face souring when the topic of the drill turned out to be the main one right off the bat. "We managed to clear out this entire cave with ease�� But the doors to the warehouse��" he cut his sentence short.

    Yet, for anyone with eyes, it was pretty much clear what kind of message he wanted to convey.

    Daniel, being the one in charge of the entire operation, had thus every right to scold the band of civilian engineers that he himself employed for the task.

    And yet, rather than getting angry, he simply allowed his lips to curve up and form a small, slightly mocking smile.

    "It would be a massive disappointment for me if this petty piece of technology could prate through those doors," Daniel announced to the surprise of not only the supervisor of the job but all the engineers that troubled themselves with trying to fix the drill.

    "But sir��" one of the engineers protested, "we took some samples. Those doors�� they shouldn''t be able to resist this machine! While sturdy for sure, they are not made out of diamond or anything!"

    Just like was the case with the salute, the band of civilians had no idea how to act around the military, even while being at the very core of the most important mission said the military would ever perform. After all, no proper serviceman with any brains would dare to talk back to their superior.

    And the very idea of doubting their superior word would be taken pretty much for heresy!

    "Since you''ve taken samples from that door, could you please point me out to where it is missing even the tiniest piece?" Daniel requested, unable to be bothered with scolding a random engineer.

    And quite frankly, the discovery of the ce he searched for several years ago filled him with so much happiness and enthusiasm he could let far greater transgression pass as long as they were not intentional.

    "Sure thing, sir," the supervisor once again took the mantle of talking with Daniel, but not before giving the unruly subordinate of his a stare of death.

    "Go easy on him," Daniel whispered as he passed by the supervisor. "He is young, he doesn''t know how the world works," he added, more than willing to share his happiness with those around him.

    "You are in a really good mood," Alicemented as they moved deeper into the cave and then through thest part of the tunnel that connected the cave with the entrance to the warehouse.

    "I''m about to save the civilization from nuclear annihtion," Daniel replied, "what''s there for me to not be happy about?"

    Their small talk ended when they reached the massive gate that separated the rest of the underground from the ce that Daniel called the vault while everyone else considered just an underground, ancient warehouse.

    Those present at the expedition were either aware of the roots of the conglomerate or already learned from how most of the technology that thepany used to shock the world wasn''t a product of the ingenuity of their own researchers but a copy of the technology lost to the time.

    This was also the likely reason behind the indisciplined behavior of the young engineer from before, eager to learn more about things that clearly went above and beyond his understanding of his field of study.

    And upon arriving at the doors, the group of engineers was faced with a fresh problem.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sir��" the supervisor approached Daniel a momentter with an ugly grimace on his face. "We��" he hesitated for a second. "We can''t find the hole we made to sample the material of the doors."

    Daniel now openly smiled. Then, he shook his head before reaching out and patting the man on his shoulder.

    "That''s because the door has the function of regenerating itself," Daniel exined, showcasing how his own knowledge went beyond what he should be aware of.

    They dug this door out just now, so how could he know about its properties?

    Those who knew nodded their heads in respect. Those who didn''t end up staring wide-eyed at the conglomerate''s executive, unable to figure out the answer on their own.

    It wasn''t that they were stupid.

    The answer simply was outside of the scope of what they could ever consider possible!

    "Everyone, your job is done here," Daniel then announced as he turned to face the massive, stone-like gate that barred anyone entry to the vault. "I think it would be for the best if you all returned to the cave and ensured there is nothing wrong with the drill."

    The supervisor of the engineers initially opened his mouth to protest, more than eager to take a peek inside the chamber that likely held some massive ancient secrets��

    Ultimately, though, he closed his mouth and lowered his eyes only to then stand at attention and repeat his lousy salute.

    "Understood, sir!" the man shouted before turning around. "Come on, you damn parasites!" he shouted, showing how even the cream of the top of human intelligence would still resort to harshnguage when it was time to make people move quickly. "We did what we were supposed to do, now it''s time for our boss to do his part!"

    Clearing the connecting tunnel took roughly three times as long as it took for everyone to get towards the doors. And yet, just to be sure, Daniel ended up waiting for a few more minutes, just to ensure no one would be left behind, prompted by their curiosity to break the military drill.

    "I will leave my back to you, Alice," Daniel muttered as he finally approached the massive gate before pressing his hands against it, one hand for each wing of the gate.

    "Open, sesame," he then muttered with a smirk dancing upon his lips, right as two tiny needles suddenly materialized below his hands only to prickle him right in the middle of his palms.

    A burst of light shone through the extremely tiny gap between the two wings of the gate. Then, a huge cloud of dust suddenly fell from it, only for both of the wings to start opening up.

    They moved slowly, but with a force that didn''t ept any opposition.

    Parts of the tunnel that blocked the movement of the gate wings ended up crushed. And if the wings themselves weren''t there to support the weight of the ceiling, that alone would likely suffice to copse at least a part of the tunnel that led to the doors.

    "Finally," Daniel then muttered once the gate opened up wide enough for a single person to squeeze through. And while there wasn''t a single source of light inside the vault, he didn''t even need to step inside to know he reached the correct ce.

    "I''ve finally found it!"

 Chapter 478 What Have You Done?

    Daniel didn''t bother with any sort of ceremony or officialmemoration of the moment.

    The second he could enter the vault, he waltzed inside, following the path that existed solely within his head.

    "Don''t move a step away from the path I''m taking," he warned the girl behind him while making sure to keep his pace slow enough for the non-athletic girl to keep up with.

    Daniel didn''t engage in any sort of small talk as the two of them walked through the seemingly open insides of the vault. At some point, he turned around and started to walk backward, forcing the girl to wait for the man to pass her before she could follow him again.

    All in all, just moving all over the ce took Daniel a good hour. A good hour during which he stepped over everyst tile that the floor of the vault was paved with.

    Tick.

    A sudden avnche of lights filled the entire room. And just like anyone could expect from all the walking the two of them did around the ce, it was entirely empty.

    "Was it robbed?" Alice asked, baffled by the sight of the bare walls and floor with not a single item in sight.

    "Did you see the gate?" Daniel asked the girl back while a small smirk continued to hang over his lips.

    "Yeah, what about it?" Alice asked, now puzzled not only by the specifics of the room but also by Daniel''s mysterious behavior and words.

    "Do you seriously think there is anyone alive who could force those doors open?" Daniel then asked, going as far as to stop in his tracks and turn around to take a look at the girl.

    "To be honest, I don''t think so," Alice admitted only to then shrug her shoulders. "But what do I know, it''s not like I''m the ancient one like you," she then quickly added to showcase her dissatisfaction born out of her boredom mixing with anxiety. "Still, even assuming no one could force that door open, couldn''t they just enter through the walls? Or the ceiling?" Alice looked around, searching for some clues that would back her theory. "Or maybe from below?" she then changed her guess and moved her eyes to scan the floor of the empty area.

    Yet, no matter how hard she looked, there wasn''t a single speck of dust anywhere inside that could indicate that someone visited this ce.

    "Well, judging from your reaction, this ce is exactly as it should be," Alice finally pointed out the obvious as she raised her eyes to Daniel''s face. "So, can you stop ying around and tell me what is the purpose of this empty room?" she asked before biting down on her lips and shaking her head. "No," she quickly changed her question. "Just where the hell is the device that you were so desperate to find?"

    "You were wrong twice in your questions," Daniel announced before spreading his arms open. "This ce is not a room," he stated.

    "Yeah, yeah," Alice rolled her eyes. "It''s a vault, I know," she stated, her voice showcasing how her annoyance grew with each passing second.

    "You really know nothing," Daniel replied, lowering his chin and shaking his head. "This is not the vault. The walls and the gate makes up the vault," he exined.

    Daniel then pulled his hands together and only to stand at attention�� before taking a single step back.

    The light within the room flickered as if whatever was providing energy for it suddenly failed to keep up with the demand.

    The entire floor of the vault shone for a second�� only for everything to return right back to its ce in the next moment.

    Alice squinted her eyes.

    "What the hell did just happen?" she asked, lowering herself to her knees as her face filled with suspicion.

    "I''vepleted the program," Daniel replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "And the flickering of the light was caused by theputer executing all themands."

    Daniel shut his mouth and raised his eyes only to stare directly into Alice''s face. Seconds passed and turned into minutes�� but he didn''t utter a single word more.

    Finally, after the next few minutes, the look on Alice''s face started to change.

    "Don''t you fucking tell me��" she muttered, nearly falling down to her knees from the sheer shock caused by the realization. "This entire ce�� is it��"

    "A quantumputer," Daniel finished the girl''s sentence for her. He then turned around as if to take a proper look at the insides of the vault. "A proper, true quantumputer. Or to be more precise, the interface that connects to a full-sized one," he then added.

    "But weren''t those said to be too damn big to be everpleted?" Alice attempted to argue, unable to reunite her own knowledge with what Daniel just told her. "Not until a civilization would be able to construct a��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Alice suddenly turned silent.

    "A Dyson''s sphere, right?" Daniel finished the girl''s sentence once again without even bothering to look back at her. Only after a few seconds passed did he actually look over his shoulder with a proud smile. "And do you really think a civilization capable of constructing one wouldn''t be able to make it seem like the device was the sun itself?"

    Alice wobbled on her knees.

    What Daniel just suggested went above and beyond anything she already expected from the man.

    "A technology that''s advanced enough would be no different than magic to those who do not understand it," he then quoted one of the long-deceased fiction writers from the past. "And now, this technology will ensure no atomic bomb will ever take to the skies," Daniel then added, closing his eyes as he savored the moment of his long-awaited fulfillment.

    Alice wobbled on her knees for the third time. But just like all the times before, she used all of her willpower to remain standing. After all, the only thing that they did before Daniel suddenly announced hepleted the program was walk around. And as she looked at the floor of the vault again�� she found it really fucking strange that a room representing the peak of a hyper-advanced civilization would be paved with some simple tiling!

    ''It''s a massive keyboard,'' Alice finally realized. Yet, rather than freaking out even more than she already did, she bit her lips even harder than before, all the way to the point her teeth cut her mouth open.

    "Now that you''ve done what you wanted, can you tell me your answer?" Alice then asked, seemingly out of nowhere. "Are you going to stop the world from destroying itself with conventional weapons?"

    ''There are only three absolutes I was never supposed to break,'' Daniel thought upon hearing the girl''s question.

    ''Under no circumstances, you are allowed to die. Don''t you ever try to be a god. Be a guide to the selected few so that they can guide all the others.''

    A set of threews that existed in his mind since times that even his memory couldn''t reach. The three rules were more ancient than Daniel''s psyche itself.

    ''Out of those three damn rules, I already broke thest one,'' Daniel thought, recalling the fall of the one and only civilization he actually involved himself with for more than just a single generation, infusing it with ideas and morphing its culture to create a nation with values half a millennium before its times.

    And just like he groomed said civilization to fulfill his thirdmandment, Daniel broke the rule when he gave up on it and left it to the vultures it had for neighbors, all for the sake of making peace with Patric.

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t," Daniel replied after thinking the question through. "This would go against��"

    "No, it''s me who''s sorry," Alice cut into Daniel''s words before he could even exin himself.

    Bang.

    A sharp noise echoed in the chamber.

    Daniel slowly brought his hand up to his chest only to then raise it to his eyes.

    The pain started to slowly kick in, informing his brain that the entire body was about to cease its functions.

    ''Blood,'' Daniel dully noted, unable to connect the dots to the obvious picture.

    The sound, Alice''s words, the blood on his hand, the pain right where his heart was.

    Those weren''t the clues that one had to struggle with to understand.

    Daniel turned around right as the pain in his chest grew from a mild annoyance to a burning torture.

    And just as he could expect, there was a small gun in Alice''s hand.

    ''Why?'' Daniel asked in his thoughts, unable to open his mouth in time to actually voice the question out. ''Wait, what the hell?'' he then asked himself, confused about the impossible development.

    "What have you done��" the four words finally escaped from Daniel''s mouth, right as the girl raised the angle at which she held the gun a little.

    "I did what I had to," Alice replied while tears streamed down her grief-torn face. "I''m sorry," she apologized through her tears before closing her eyes. "And goodbye," she added, pulling the trigger and sending her next bullet straight between Daniel''s eyes.

 Chapter 479 A Scheme Four Hundred Years In The Making

    Patric sat down in the crew cabin of his ne, waiting.

    Today would mark the pinnacle of a n four hundred years in the making. A n that he dedicated his entire self to, going as far as provoking global conflicts just to set the stage for what was happening right now, just to ensure his former master would be mistaken about one, single thing.

    ''I wonder how she''s doing,'' Patric thought, taking a look outside through the open side door leading directly to the crew''s cabin.

    His ne wasn''t of any design formerly epted by the world. It wasn''t a fighter jet, a transportation vehicle, or a weirdbination of ne and heli thatbined the downsides of both for no real benefit but a scary appearance and huge size.

    It was the peak design that could only work thanks to the benefits of the technology Daniel introduced through the conglomerate.

    Its powerful engines allowed to greatly increase the hull size of the flying warship, as Patric came to lovingly call his vehicle of choice, turning it into a mobile operating center for all his operations.

    ''She''s taking longer than expected,'' Patric thought, no longer able to focus his eyes on the reports that he was pretending to study.

    His ne was parked right outside of the excavation zone, in the dead center of the most protected part of the entire area. An arrangement that Daniel came up with, likely to ensure Patric''s safety. And an arrangement that Patric greatly enjoyed, due to the open view he had over the huge area of the excavation zone.

    Tap, tap, tap.

    Patric''s finger struck his knee at regr intervals. It was the only hint that revealed the man''s state of mind as he waited for the news.

    ''In the end, no matter how much I nned for this moment, that fucker is still older than the civilization as we know it today,'' Patric thought, gritting his teeth as the perspective of the girl failing her mission loomed over his shoulders. ''And if he somehow survives that, there is no way he won''t connect the dots.''

    Patric bit heavily down on his lips�� right as Alice finally emerged from the tunnel before starting to slowly climb up the slope of the excavation zone.

    She wasn''t an athletic person. As such, it only made sense for her to take her time trying to scale the steep angle of the dug-out area, making it impossible for Patric to guess whether she was injured or not.

    Only once she finally cleared thest ridge and entered the t surface leading to Patrics'' air fortress did the man have a chance to judge how things went.

    Alice was covered in blood. Not even a single inch of her clothes was free of this extremely cheap dye. Thankfully, though, she showed no signs of stumbling on her feet that could imply she ended up injured in the altercation.

    "Wee back," Patric said, nodding his head and inviting the girl inside the ship with a small smile. Then, as soon as the girl''s feet left the solid ground, he turned around to look towards the pilot''s cabin. "Start the engines, we are leaving."

    The sliding door of the crew''s cabin shut closed, sealing the interior of the ne and turning it into a nearly imprable bunker.

    The engines of the ne started to warm up.

    They were the products of several massive breakthroughs in the preexisting technology and implementation of physical theorems that humans of this civilization never even thought of.

    Just a single engine out of the six that were installed in the ne would be enough to singlehandedly carry a tonne of cargo up from the earth''s surface all the way to a stable orbit and then still have enough juice to spare to perform a transfer burn required to intercept the moon.

    Patric''s airship was outfitted with a total of six of those insane engineers�� and yet, they still had to warm up for a good few minutes before gaining enough propelling force to lift the vehicle up, winning over the force of gravity that was doing its very best to keep itnded.

    "So?" Patric turned his eyes to the girl and started up a conversation only once the belly of the ne rose above the surface of the desert. "How did it go?" he asked, even though he could already tell the most important part of the answer.

    "The old god is no more," Alice whispered, refusing to look Patric in the eyes as she turned her head away, looking out through the window instead. "You are now free to do whatever you want with that device, assuming you will figure out how to operate it."

    Alice''s words were empty. Even though she aplished the impossible, there was no joy in her eyes or her voice to back up her achievement.

    "Dear Alice," Patric said as he stood up from his seat and approached the girl�� Only to gently pat her on her cheek with a wide smile. "My ns were never about that device," he revealed as if it was the most obvious thing under the sun.

    "Then why did you wait for so long?" Alice then asked, shaking her head to push Patric''s hand off her cheek. "Do you have any idea how it felt to gun him down right at the moment of his greatest victory against the cruel fate of this world?!" Alice barely held herself back from screaming out.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She then pursed her lips and looked down, locking her eyes on her trembling hands.

    "How can you be bothered so much with a single death when you decimated all those innocent engineers that blocked your way out of the tunnel?" Patric pointed out as his smile took on a cruel tone.

    Yet, rather than bullying the girl even further, he simply turned around and went back to his seat before grabbing an impressive set of straps that he then proceeded to put over his body.

    "You better strap yourself in," Patric then rmended right as he secured himself on his seat. "Oh, and close the shuts on that window, if you could, I don''t want to go blind, even if it would be only temporary."

    "Go blind?" Alice asked, instinctively following the man''s advice regarding the belts and with her hand reaching to lower the shuts over the lone window within the crew''s cabin. "What are you��

    The whole ne shook.

    A mountain of steel and graphene that weighed several times as much asmercial, passenger jets despite being only a fraction of their size��

    It shook in the air as if its engines suddenlycked the energy to keep it stable.

    Alice''s eyes went wide as she turned her eyes towards the now-closed window.

    The shuts were in ce, but the avnche of light outside was so potent, it easily prated through the protective cover and filled the crew''s cabin with light.

    "You didn''t��" Alice muttered, quickly connecting the dots as she turned her terror-filled eyes to Patric.

    "Yes, I did," Patric instantly confirmed Alice''s fears. "Now that humanity regained its freedom, they have no use for technology that''s a few thousand years above their current level," he exined while the discharge of a potent, conglomerate-manufactured nuclear explosion washed over Daniel''s base, turning all of the military and civilian personnel there into a mere shadow of existence.

    "I hope you won''t forget your end of the bargain��" Alice muttered after taking some time to stomach her shock.

    ''I didn''t expect him to be so damn ruthless��'' she thought, gritting her teeth.

    "Oh, you don''t need to worry, I will," Patric reassured the girl with a smile. "Now that humanity regained its freedom, I wouldn''t be as vile as to take it back for myself," he said with a wide smile of aplishment.

    The flight of the ne stabilized. The red lights within the cabin died down, reced with the usual illumination.

    Patric reached out to his side and opened one of the secured shelves, pulling out two bottles of a vintage beverage.

    "I know you loved him, but only his death could save humanity from killing themselves all over again," Patric pointed out, passing one of the bottles to the girl while dressing his face up in a solemn look.

    This was his moment of victory. Victory in the making for thest four hundred years.

    Four hundred years of always standing opposite to whatever Daniel wanted to push, always going against his wishes. Four hundred years of going along with regimes that went directly against Patric''s own belief, all for the sake of convincing Daniel that they were fated to forever stand on opposite sides.

    But now that the obstacle in form of his former master was gone, Patric was finally free to bring forth the peaceful and prosperous world that he has long since envisioned.

    "I know you loved him. And I can only begin to imagine how it has to feel to be the one that killed him," Patric repeated his former sentence before building up on it. He then pulled himself back on his chair once the girl epted the bottle, more to drink her sorrows away rather than to celebrate.

    "But remember, you did that to save the world from his martyr-like believes," Patric continued to convince the girl for a while. "And what is the life of a single old fuck whenpared to the safety and peace of billions?" he then added, uncorking the bottle and taking a long sip of the expensive drink. "Still, allow me to congratte you," Patric said as he finally rxed down on his chair. "Until thest moment, I had serious doubts about whether you would be able to do it."

    "I never did it for you," Alice barked, grabbing the cork of the bottle with her teeth before pulling it open with a single twist of her head. "And just like I killed him, I won''t hesitate to end you if you ever dare to go back on your promise," Alice threatened before taking a long sip from the bottle.

    "I''m sure you will," Patric replied, his words echoing in the rtively empty chamber of the crew''s cabin while the low frequency of the noise made by the ne''s engines continued to ring at the edge of his awareness. "I''m sure you will."

 Chapter 480 Daniels Visions (Part 1)

    Bang!

    Daniel started to fall. The small hole right between his eyes could only mean one thing.

    And right the back of his head struck the floor of the vault, his consciousness fell as well.

    All the sights smell and other sensory experiences disappeared from Daniel''s words, reced with nothing but endless and imprable darkness.

    And into this darkness, Daniel''s mind fell.

    A sh.

    "We can''t hold this vige!" a voice of a man long deceased filled Daniel''s mind. "We only have four hundred men! They might be our finest but even they cannot face an enemy a hundred times more numerous!"

    The argument was sound.

    Daniel lowered his head, taking a look at the drawing his assistant carved into the ground.

    A small vige called Hodow. Not even a road stop on the path of an over forty-thousand-strong force of the Tatar khan. And yet, with only four hundred men in total, they ended up here, by the order of his majesty the king, to hold back the onught of the Tatar hordes.

    "We won''t be able to hold this ce for long if we just wait for the enemy," Daniel said, raising his eyes and looking at hispanion.

    Sir Nichs Tys, themander of the three hundred-strong unit of the armored, the medium-weight cavalry of themonwealth. Coupled with Daniel''s, or rather, Constanty as his body was currently called, a hundred-strong unit of hussars, they had a total force of four hundred between them.

    And just like sir Nichs pointed out, against the Tatar force, they were outnumbered a hundred to one.

    "If we can''t hold them by defending, then there is only one thing we can do!" Daniel said, raising his foot and kicking it down at the makeshift map sir Nichs drew on the ground. "We attack!"

    The vision suddenly turned blurry, leaving Daniel with nothing more but the general feeling those past events invoked in him.

    The desperate charge against the mere front guard of the advancing Tatar force, who on their own had fifty percent more men than their total force.

    The victory in the initial skirmish allowed themonwealth forces to raise their morale, allowing for a sessful hold over the Hodow vige. An eight-hour-long struggle that despite heavy losses, allowed Daniel and his noblepanions to push the Tatar horde back and force them to retreat to their fortress down south.

    Soon, even the feeling of those memories vanished, returning Daniel''s consciousness to theplete darkness filled with nothing but the sense of falling down.

    "They''ve broken through!" a desperate call reached Daniel''s thoughts when yet another vision started. "The Janissaries are in the city!"

    Daniel''s body jerked up. He then looked towards the massive walls that he defended for so long against the seemingly endless surge of the ottoman troops.

    "To the walls!" Daniel shouted, this time bearing the name of Genueese mercenary, Giovanni. "Hold them!"

    What followed was a brutal mess of desperate fighting.

    Daniel''s men fell left and right, sumbing to the onught of seemingly endless waves of invaders.

    ''As long as we hold the walls,'' Daniel thought, desperation filling his thoughts.

    "They''ve broken through to the left!" A soldier rushed to Daniel''s side to report, only to be cut down by a sh of a random Janissary. A secondter, a stray arrow struck the poor man through his throat, making him gargle on his own blood before slipping down on the blood and falling down thest set of walls.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ''We can still hold!'' Daniel thought, using his sword to point his men toward the hole that appeared in their defenses. ''In just a few more days, help will surelye!''

    Daniel managed to prompt up the desperate defense of the wall for several hours. He didn''t falter even when thest wave of the ottoman troops, this time consisting solely of their elite janissaries, struck the walls.

    "DON''T FALTER!" he screamed from the bottom of his lungs before shing down with his sword and cutting a fellow Christian from the army of one of Mehmed''s vassals.

    They were nearly overrun. But this state of things wasn''t anything new. In fact, by some miracles, Daniel''s men managed to hold strong, keeping the ottomans at bay for hours upon hours already!

    ''As long as we push them back today��.''

    Daniel failed to finish forming his thought.

    A cannonball tore through the air�� only to strike his body, tearing his entire right arm and a huge chunk of his shoulder away.

    ''Fuck��'' Daniel''s thoughts turned messy as his brain was assaulted by the wave of unbearable pain.

    His consciousness wavered as his body directed all of its energy to salvage the lethal injury.

    Then, the vision turned blurry.

    Daniel could only see how some of his men dragged him away from the walls, only for the troops remaining there to fall into a state of panic and start giving up on the walls that they had all fought so hard to protect.

    By the time Daniel''s lifeless body was dragged to the ship, it was already all over, with the ottoman troops pouring uncontested into the city, bringing an end to thest remnant of the once glorious roman empire.

    Daniel''s vision turned blurry, reced by nothing but darkness once more.

    Then, another vision came. It ended a mere momentter, forcing the ancient one back into the abyss of nothingness.

    ''Is this what death is?'' Daniel thought in one of the few moments when he would remain sober, free from having his consciousness reced by his state of mind sourced directly from his memories. ''To endlessly spectate my past exploits until my real self will dissolve into this darkness?''

    Daniel fell from vision to vision, racing through the ages.

    From the fall of Constantinople to the battle of Agincourt that would settle the long years of the Anglo-French war.

    With each jump from one memory to another, Daniel''s consciousness would leap over more and more of time at once, quickly reaching the times of the roman expansion. Then, Daniel witnessed the glory of the great conquest by recalling the time he acted as the legendary king of the Macedonian empire.

    The high ages of the Egyptian golden era. The raise of Babylon. The fall of Mesopotamia��

    The historic events that the schrs of modern times would geek over all yed out before Daniel''s eyes.

    Then, the light of civilization vanished, not to appear for the next few thousand years as Daniel did everything in his power to unite the few tribes that remained after the fall of Anti, refusing to let the me of civilization fully die out.

    And then, the memory of thest day of the Anti appeared.

 Chapter 481 Daniels Visions (Part 2/3)

    "We can''t hold them!" Castor screamed out right into Daniel''s face.

    The red lights shed all over the room, introducing a gloomy atmosphere to the highmand.

    "We can hold them," Daniel replied with a calm look on his face. "Galean army is on the move. Give them two days and they will break through the front and reestablish the supply route to the city��"

    Daniel had to cut his words short when a new message appeared on the main screen. And as if to spit right at the hopeful tone he raised, the message announced the annihtion of the entire Galean division that Daniel put so much hope in.

    "Impossible��" Daniel muttered, refusing to believe the message and the video feed that followed.

    "They are storming the outer ring!" A messenger from the local front arrived, bringing the news of the dire state of the city''s defense.

    The outer ring. The main body of the three-ringed city housed all the greatest minds and objects of cultural appreciation of all the civilizations that existed within the entirety of the world.

    "Impossible��" Daniel muttered, repeating his words again.

    Galean division consisted of nearly four hundred thousand people. It consisted of the elite storm divisions, the heaviest of the pancer units, and enough supplies to wage war against the entirety of the disunited world for years upon years.

    And now, he was supposed to believe they were all gone�� in a single instant?

    "Impossible��" Daniel muttered for the third time. This time, however, he clenched his fists and raised his face. "Reestablish the contact with the units!" he ordered, sending the men within themunication corner of the room into a frenzy. "As for the situation at the outer ring��"

    Daniel closed his eyes for a second. He then took a deep breath and raised his chin up.

    "Open the gates," he suddenly ordered, causing everyone in the room to stop what they were doing.

    In this single moment, despite the messy state of all the seventy-three ongoing battles that would decide the future of human civilization, the officers responsible for coordinating them all�� dropped their tasks and simply stared at Daniel in disbelief.

    "What good will this do?!" Castor freaked out. He opened up his eyes wide and simply stared at Daniel, refusing to believe what he just heard. "Do you want to let them all inside?! Did you go mad from an information overdose?!"

    Daniel released a long sigh and shook his head. He then opened his eyes and looked right back at Castor''s face.

    "I don''t mean to open the city gates. Why would I turn the barrier, ourst line of defense, worthless?" he asked in a strangely calm voice. "I want you to open the floodgates."

    There were thousands of little things that everyone in the room had to do. Some had to order more supplies to the fronts they were responsible for. Others had to give out new orders to the troops on the field to adapt to the changing situation of the battlefield.

    Everyone should be busy. But upon hearing Daniel''s order, they just couldn''t break through the thick barrier of shock that descended upon their minds.

    Opening the floodgates was the single most desperate thing Daniel could order.

    In the short term, it would bring an end to the lush vegetation of the city gardens and destroy the canal transportation industry by allowing all the water stuck between the city rings to flow out into the main canal and then to the ocean.

    But in the long term, it would remove the buffer that kept the ongoing climate change from affecting the farnds all around the city.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do you wish to turn this ce into a desert?!" Castor freaked out again.

    "Just think about it," Daniel finally snapped. "There is only one way in which they could annihte the Galean division!"

    The silence from themunications corner proved that the message disyed on the huge screen mounted on the room''s wall was no mistake nor an error.

    "They could only ever achieve it with a thermonuclear strike," Daniel whispered as he clenched his fingers.

    ''And that means, I''ve failed to stop the development of nukes this time around,'' he thought, gritting his teeth in a powerless fury.

    The entire Anti was the perfected version of the civilization lost to the time that he originated from. A civilizationcking the downsides of the Cantian Council, far more tolerant to those who didn''t wish to be a part of it.

    But what he failed to change was human nature.

    The greed pushed the outside forces to bite at the outskirts of the Anti-controlled domains, forcing them to invest more and more of their valuable manpower and resources to keep thosends safe.

    ''If only I had more time!'' Daniel thought, ignoring the noise that soon filled the room as everyone got back to their jobs. ''With three, four hundred more years, I could absorb the rest of the major yers and stop any opposition from ever appearing!''

    This was the idea behind the Anti. All thends and nations. The very core assumption is hidden within the very name of Daniel''s civilization. Yet, even with all the technological breakthroughs that Daniel brought, implementing them on arge scale still required time.

    And in the period where those who joined Anti became obscenely rich and prosperous while the outsiders had yet to get their chance to unite with them�� some fucker actually went and invented the only tool that could stop Daniel in his tracks!

    "Sir!" one of the officers suddenly shouted, forcing Daniel out of his daze. "We''ve calibrated the sensors for theunch detection," the middle-aged man reported.

    But from the look on his face, Daniel could tell it wasn''t all.

    "And?" Daniel asked, prompting the man to swallow his saliva and stand at attention.

    "We''ve detected multipleunches. And the trackers indicate��" the officer hesitated for a second before averting his eyes and lowering his head. "At least seven of the missiles are aimed right at the city!"

    Daniel''s vision started to fade once again, forcing all the emotions that he felt during the next few hours of the disaster to fill his soul all at once.

    The stress of trying to salvage the situation. The anticipation he felt when he threw everything he could to stop the nuclear strikes. The desperation when the officers kidnapped him, forcing Daniel to escape into the deepest part of the city. Right into the vault that housed the ancient terminal to the quantumputer disguised as the closest to the fake sun.

    And the endless grief when the terminal defenses forced all of those unregistered with it out of the vault, leaving them exposed to the nuclear fires of doom that then eradicated the city above, leaving Daniel as thest and lone survivor of yet another civilization that would be lost in time once the terminal''s response would annihte anything that was in any way or form connected to what endangered it.

    Seven long years that Daniel was stuck in the vault all condensed into a single minute of extreme depression. And then, as this devastating feeling started to fade, announcing the proper end of the vision�� Daniel finally could think again.

    ''There is only one more period of time to go through,'' he thought, momentarily recalling the glorious days of his true homnd. His blood rtives that he didn''t see in over ten thousand years. The family�� whose graves he couldn''t even visit.

    ''But once my memories from the Cantian era pass�� what will happen then?''

 Chapter 482 Daniels Visions (Part 3/3)

    The further back Daniel''s memories reached, the less cohesive they would be.

    When his thoughts reached his childhood during the first era of true humanity, Daniel could barely see what was a true part of the memory and what was the effect of his brain filling in the missing details.

    The speed at which the visions changed from one to another elerated as well, making it hard for Daniel to actually keep his awareness of what his true self was.

    One moment he would be back to being the innocent teenager in the times of the greatest prosperity he ever witnessed. The next moment he would be struggling to keep himself together, unsure of what to expect once his memories would go back just a few years more.

    But time didn''t wait for anyone. And for someone who ran out of time in a way only an immortal like Daniel could, this argument held on even more.

    He feared the moment his memories would cross the barrier of no return, going beyond the time when he could actually create them. Yet it happened�� and nothing changed.

    Nothing changed besides how Daniel''s vision stopped making any sense at all.

    The images no longer adhered to the same logic that Daniel developed across all of the lives he lived in his several thousand years old voyages through life.

    Two added to two no longer summed up to four. And striking a mountain with a bare fist no longer would only results in snapping one''s wrist.

    In the memories Daniel could see right now, the most obvious result of smashing a mountain with one''s fist�� was the mountain exploding.

    ''What the hell?!'' Daniel freaked out, unsure what to make from the images that kept on appearing in his mind.

    He couldn''t connect all the experiences that he gathered for a few thousand years that he lived with the kind of memories he could observe right now.

    Sure, whenever a vision would y out, Daniel would feel perfectly fine with everyst detail in it. He would feel as if everything was in perfect order, an order than shouldn''t even be questioned, to begin with.

    But in those rare moments when Daniel would regain his senses, he would grow increasingly aware of just how different the reality that he knew and the reality of those new visions was.

    It was like�� a whole different world!

    And then, just like that, it happened.

    "If you are watching this memory it means you''ve died." Caspian looked at the sea from the cliff the two of them were at. He had his hands crossed over his chest and a thoughtful look on his face.

    "What do you mean, master?" young Daniel asked.

    This time, there was no doubt. Daniel could somehow sense the real self while he witnessed this vision.

    "Listen, kid," Caspian sighed. "There are only three rules I give you."

    Young Daniel was focused, ready to receive a lesson from his teacher.

    He was still wet behind his ears but he already grew to value his teacher''s lessons dearly.

    "Under no circumstances, you are allowed to die. Don''t you ever try to be a god. Be a guide to the selected few so that they can guide all the others."

    The three rules left Caspian''s mouth and fluttered on the wind, dancingly heading for Daniel''s ears.

    "But the meaning of those rules is a bit deeper than just that," Caspian added. His lips curved in a faint yet gentle smile.

    "Under no circumstances, you are allowed to truly die. Because you will be a sole anchor that will root the world in its limits."

    Caspian''s words turned into melody, a symphony perfectly synchronized with the sounds of the world itself.

    "Don''t you ever try to be a god, because it''s this desire that brought this bleeding world to its inevitable copse."

    Caspian''s words etched themself deep into Daniel''s soul.

    "Be a guide to the selected few, to stop humanity from letting its instincts devour it," Caspian finalized his strange technique, filling each of his words with the most intense mana Daniel felt in his entire life.

    "But once again, seeing how you finally unlocked this memory means that you reached�� well, the end,"

    "Master, I don''t understand," young Daniel protested.

    He couldn''t possibly fathom the lofty meaning behind his master''s words. And he was humble enough to ept that reality.

    ''Even if it takes me years, no, hundreds of years, I will understand what Master means!'' Young Daniel swore, blissfully unaware of how off the mark he was.

    "I''m willing to bet that you were about to save the world too," Caspian no longer even pretended to talk to young Daniel.

    He didn''t turn his eyes toward Daniel''s true self.

    ''He can''t peer through me?'' Daniel thought, surprised.

    "Listen. This power that we all take for granted is what brought about the copse that we are about to witness any time now. So I have no other choice, but to seal this power away��" Caspian whispered, his eyes turning dreamy.

    Daniel''s one and true master looked down on his young disciple.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His expression softened, and a look of pity appeared in his eyes.

    "To be frank, I''m excatic," Caspian muttered, his face suddenly turning white. "And I''m sorry to put this burden on you."

    Daniel''s master turned his eyes and face away, ashamed to show the sense of extreme excitement bottled at the very bottom of his eyes.

    "Still, I served my time. More than just well enough."

    The dreamy expression returned to Caspian''s face.

    "So now, I pass this burden to you," Caspian said in the softest of voices to his young disciple.

    "Master, I don''t understand��" Young Daniel protested.

    His eagerness to learn showed all over his face.

    "Don''t worry," Caspian smiled. "One day you will."

    For a moment, a peaceful silence filled the area of open wilderness that they were in the middle of.

    The sea breeze caressed their hair. The sound of the waves soothed their souls.

    "Oh, and before I forget," Caspian jerked up, "one more thing."

    Daniel twitched.

    He wasn''t prepared for something so sudden! But at the same time, it only felt natural when performed by his master!

    ''Dang, just how much have I forgotten?'' Daniel then asked himself, clenching his jaws in a desperate attempt to forcefully uncover his memories.

    "Once this spell activates, it will bring you back to life."

    Daniel''s vision ended. His master disappeared along with all the words of wisdom he could still offer.

    But his voice somehow prevailed.

    "But it will do so at the cost of the spell that I''m about to cast soon," Caspian exined lightheartedly, staring off into the distance where dark clouds were beginning to gather.

    The rupture of the caused all sorts of freaky effects.

    "The barrier will slowly erode, crumbling without the anchor and allowing the mana to return to this world."

    Caspian''s exnations continued to y out in Daniel''s mind as his soul rejoiced. The fragments of his being that very well defined Daniel''s entire self were now returning home, filling the gaping hole left in Daniel''s soul.

    "And within a few million years, the two dimensions will crumble upon each other." Caspian''s voice started to fade.

    "With the resurgence of mana, it will be only a matter of time before someone reaches my level," Daniel muttered once his consciousness returned to the abyss. "But with my limits now off, I should still have about a thousand or two thousand years before my flesh rots away without the spell," Daniel muttered.

    He could feel his body regenerating.

    The lethal wounds that should''ve ended him healing at an astonishing rate.

    The small cave in between his eyes filled up with a strange, bubbly liquid.

    Bit by bit, all of the harm upon Daniel''s body was removed and then reced. Then, something sucked his soul back,pleting the execution of the spell.

    Daniel''s head was exploding with pain. He was covered by thousands upon thousands of tonnes of radioactive sand of the nuked desert above. He could even feel the cap of radioactive ss burned out directly into a desert''s surface.

    This kind of effect would be extremely limited in size, proving that a nuke went off right above Daniel''s dead body!

    ''Erasing all the traces, aren''t they?'' Daniel thought, gathering his breath as he prepared himself for the next step of the n.

    Right now, he was squeezed under a mountain of sandstone and sand. A situation impossible to recover from for a normal human.

    Daniel took another breath.

    The magic circuits buried deeply into his flesh activated when the first hint of mana returned to the earth.

    The first sign of the barrier''s degradation; the first step towards the two realms copsing upon each other.

    ''It''s still not toote,'' Daniel thought as he gathered all his breath before squeezing every drop of his mana into his magic circuits.

    It would be impossible to remove all the sand that trapped Daniel under the desert. There wasn''t enough mana in the entire''s atmosphere for a feat such as this.

    So, Daniel squeezed everything that he could before teleporting away from the desert to the safety of one of the hideouts absolutely no one in the world knew about.

 Chapter 483 Two Days, Three Weeks And Twenty-Three Years

    Daniel''s desperate teleport dropped him just a fewteen meters above his original location.

    It was a spell that he devised under his true master''s tutge as a prologue to a surprise attack in fights he couldn''t win.

    Back in the world where one''s imagination was the second most powerful tool after the mana-enchanted sword of the gods, being able to surprise fellow magic practitioners was the best buff one could get for themselves.

    And just like in modern times, humans were always earth-bound creatures. Some of them could fly, but their influence never got strong enough to warrant a change in the way people acted.

    People rarely looked up. With no flying predators capable of seriously harming them, they never developed that kind of habit, contrary to how some of them could react to even the tiniest of sounds. As such, whenever Daniel would suddenly disappear, his enemies would throw their eyes around the scene or maybe rapidly turn around to protect their backs.

    In no memory of his, Daniel could recall a single opponent ever looking up after he used this move. Sure, there were some insane fighters who would notice him at thest possible moment and then still be quick enough to counter his attack�� but even with that in mind, this technique turned into Daniel''s preferred ace in the sleeve.

    And it was solely because of how insanely used he was to practicing it, Daniel managed to cast it while buried upon a mountain of irradiated sand. He managed to pull himself up a fewteen meters up�� Only to then instantlye crashing down on the ssified sand of the desert.

    "Fuck!" Daniel screamed out when his body struck the perfectly t yet extremely smooth terrain.

    His body was still doing its utmost to recover from having two pieces of lead in it, one in the heart and the other lodged deeply into Daniel''s brain.

    ''It''s not going to stop hurting until I removed the bullets��'' Daniel thought to himself, forcing his soul to ept the harsh truth.

    His hands were too unsteady for the job. He could survive a small mishap, but even a mage sh cultivator like him could die if his fingers would twitch at the wrong moment.

    No, for a precise job like removing the bullets from the wounds that would normally be lethal, Daniel had no other choice but to use magic. Sadly, even though his rebirth apparently brought down the barrier that kept the mana from even entering this dimension��

    It would take quite a while before Daniel could gather enough of this faint mana mist to perform any of the desired techniques.

    And so, Danielid down on the ss of the nuked desert, ignoring the risks that came from spending time in the zero-zone of a nuclear discharge.

    Having his body fall apart due to radiation was one of the worries that cultivators simply didn''t have, thanks to the insane regenerative power of their bodies.

    "It seems like I broke all three of the rules you gave me, master," Daniel muttered two dayster once he got too tired of watching the empty sky in an attempt to see the stars beyond it.

    He failed to guide a selected few that would then guide the rest of humanity.

    He failed not to die, as the memory that he unlocked stipted.

    And although he had yet to act like a god, the betrayal of the only two people that ever knew about his true self was enough of a reason for Daniel to forget about all the rules.

    ''And it''s not like it will change a thing,'' Daniel thought a full dayter, his thoughts taking an extremely long time to form due to the presence of a lead bullet still stuck in the middle of his brain.

    It took Daniel four more days to gather just enough energy to create simple spells capable of affecting physical words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He used the first one right away, teleporting the bullet stuck in his heart away. The second he did so, his consciousness nearly faded away as his body rushed all of its avable energy into the recovery process.

    Entire two weekster, Daniel finally removed the bullet from his brain, teleporting it into his right hand.

    ''You tried to kill me with this bullet,'' Daniel thought, finally regaining full control over his brain and its natural functions.

    This was the moment, three full weeks after his destined death, when Daniel finally changed his position, standing up from the ce where heid t for nearly a month.

    "So there is no way I could discard it, right?" he then muttered, staring down at a small, deformed piece of metal in his hand.

    Daniel then took a deep breath�� Only toy down right back to where he was just a moment before.

    This time, however, rather than trying to pull himself up from the insanely dangerous situation he was immediately in, Daniel took his time for his will to prate through the several meters worth of sand.

    There was no vault below him, anymore. The impact of the nuke turned out to be enough to squash the device''s protective walls, turning it into just anotheryer of the ground.

    But the device itself was far tooplicated to be destroyed just by�� well, destroying it. In a sense, the device itself had moreputing power than all of the quasi-quantumputers that Daniel''s former conglomerate had.

    It was damaged beyond recovery, and Daniel had no other choice but to admit it once he managed to connect his thoughts directly to its systems. Itsputing power was a mere tenth of a single percent of what it was supposed to be capable of.

    But for his purposes, it was enough.

    ''Launch the optima sequence,'' Daniel thought, infusing the first order into the device. ''Set the activation to remote, target ID on me,'' Daniel then filled in the rest of the necessary details for the order.

    ''Command epted. Calcting processing dy��''

    The device responded. That alone was a great sign as it proved it still could operate.

    ''Processing will beplete over the next twenty-three years,'' the device then replied, pouring a bucket of cold water down Daniel''s head.

    "That''s a lot longer than I anticipated," Daniel bit down on his lips. He then took a deep breath before standing up, for real this time.

    ''Activate uponpletion of the processing,'' Daniel then thought.

    "Twenty-three years," he muttered, looking up to the empty sky. He then quickly did the math in his head.

    "Welp," Daniel released a long moan as he stretched his body before orienting himself towards the north where he could see a range of mountains far off in the distance. "Five years to set everything up and then eighteen more for a proper reincarnation��" Daniel muttered before a small smile finally reemerged on his face. "But first, it''s time to get back at those damn traitors!"

 Chapter 484 The Birth Of Sigma

    "Major news! The price of the LCA conglomerate stocks is declining at an astounding rate! Masses are dumping the shares. Copse imminent."

    Daniel read the title of the newspaper in thefort of his small office.

    It was a weird feeling, to see the copse of the unstoppable empire that he built over three separate lives of his.

    A copse that he himself caused.

    ''With this, I cut them off the majority of their funding,'' Daniel thought as he took a deep breath and turned the page.

    "Deesction measures implemented at the east Asian front. The fighting is expected to conclude soon."

    "To think that the economic news would be on the first page while thest twitches of the third world war would only make it to the second page��" Daniel muttered while shaking his head.

    Humans never ceased to amaze him. And now that he fully knew how he wasn''t the same kind of human as all those who were born before his original death, he found it all the easier to detach himself from the rest of the world''s poption.

    "Sir Elyon," Daniel''s new secretary entered his office with a tray in her hand.

    She was a normal human. A mere mortal that would die within less than fifty years from now.

    And yet��

    With her two master''s degrees and one doctor''s degree, all in the STEM fields, she was only qualified to work as a secretary in Daniel''s newpany.

    The middle-aged woman didn''t seem to mind her role, though.

    She put down the tray on the small stool beside Daniel''s main table before moving the cup of hot coffee made out of freshly ground Sumatran beans and a te of non-sugar, wheat cookies directly onto Daniel''s desk.

    A disaster in the eyes of the modernmunists who called themselves the woke generation. The absolute degradation of such a sessful career woman.

    And nothing less but a dream job for the woman herself.

    The pay that Daniel offered to his selected few employees was just that damn good.

    "The war is finallying to an end," Daniel muttered, giving his voice just enough attention to keep its new tone.

    Whenever he would change his identity, he would pull at the stops. Not a single element of his original self or former sub-self would be left the same. And at least three hundred years would have to pass before Daniel would use the traits of his past incarnations.

    This time, however, he was in the safe. The persona he was using appeared only a few times during the history of mankind�� Yet not even a single proper recount of their looks, quirks, and talents would be saved for historians to discoverter.

    "Is Sir interested in the war news?" the secretary whose name Daniel didn''t even remember asked. "I could bring a war-oriented paper if so Sir Elyon desires," she offered.

    "Nah, I''m good," Daniel simply waved his hand away. "I just didn''t expect the fighting tost that long, now that the oue is clear to everyone."

    The war officially didn''t end. There were still seven different fronts where bloody fighting continued between sides who threw bodies at the enemy as if there was no tomorrow.

    And three of such fronts all coincidentally happened to be all around the site Daniel''s former allies nuked.

    ''They turned really desperate when I started messing their ns up,'' Daniel thought, keeping his thoughts to himself this time.

    He wasn''t going to take the risk of randomly muttering some clues that could lead Patric or Alice toward his new identity.

    ''No. It''s for the best for them to think I''m dead,'' Daniel thought.

    He could only vaguely recall what he felt when he was shot andter brought back from death by his teacher''s spell.

    The five years that passed ever since were too busy for Daniel to care about the past.

    From setting up a small startup as someone without a valid identity, through fighting on the battlefield known asmerce all the way to the point where he had to checkmate the office of the new world order to give hispany a free military pass, allowing him to stop his personnel from getting drafted...

    While everyone was busying themselves with the biggest conflict in recorded history, Daniel toiled away in the shadows.

    Bit by bit, he turned his small start-up into a respectable techpany. And exactly on the two years anniversary of his assumed death, Theo started the caricature of revenge.

    First, he struck at thepanies that unknowingly backed up Patric''s war efforts.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Within a year, not a single one of them was left, all either forced into bankruptcy or absorbed into Daniel''s own firm.

    On the third anniversary of his death, Daniel finally reached his first goal of turning his smallpany into a tech giant that could rival the established household names.

    From there on, he could pick the path of smooth sailing where just by throwing money around he could mess up everyst n that the traitors would cook up.

    But Daniel picked the thorny path of not stopping the development.

    Themercial war between his Sigmapany and the giants like Guugle or Applysted for one and a half years. Mopping up the remains and setting everything back up once the unofficial truce was finally signed took another six months.

    And just like that, Daniel arrived at the fifth anniversary of his death, right as all of his ns were finally about to bear fruit.

    In the process of forging the truce with the other tech giants, Daniel simply gave up several fields of technology, even going as far as selling revolutionary schematics to his former enemies, just to keep them at bay.

    A foolish move. The fact that not a single one of his investors spared from shouting in the emails Daniel kept on receiving even today.

    But a decision necessary for Daniel to finally move to the second phase of his ns.

    ''My fresh consciousness should be reaching its maturity about now,'' Daniel thought once his secretary left the room. ''So there is nothing left for me to wait for,'' he decided before reaching out and pressing a button on his table.

    "Hello, Peter?" Daniel called.

    "Sir Elyon, what''s up?" Peter, the head of the HR department of Daniel''s Sigmapany replied right away.

    "Do you have the resume that I sent you?" Daniel asked in the Alexander the Gre�� Elyon''s voice.

    "That''s right, sir."

    "How long it will take you to get it through all the systems?"

    "About an hour, sir," Peter replied with confidence.

    "Let''s make it exactly an hour, okay?"

    "Yes, sir!"

    Daniel raised his finger from the inte before moving his hand towards the small holophone hispany conquered the market with.

    It was a device devoid of any real insides, with its entire technology relying on a connection to the device that currently three great world powers were fighting for.

    A device that Daniel locked for anyone else to use the second he connected it to his mind.

    And with the use of this simplistic device, Daniel called out the one and only number that not a single soul in thepany knew about.

    "Bart here," the voice on the other side of the phone paid no attention to the formalities at all.

    "You have exactly an hour," Daniel revealed.

    "It will be done," Bart replied without any hesitation.

    The hesitation came a bitter.

    "But man�� are you sure?" Bart asked in a voice unfit for a hardened mercenary who went through the two years of the early ughter of the world war. "Isn''t what you ordered�� an overkill? For but a simple, meaningless boy?"

    Daniel smiled.

    ''I''m sure I will hate myself for this once I regain all my memories,'' he thought.

    "Yes," Daniel then spoke in a calm tone.

    A voice that someone would normally use to order groceries or a takeaway.

    "I''m sure."

 Chapter 485 Waking Up

    I slowly opened my eyes.

    The room was still dark, implying that the sun has yet to rise above the horizon. Yet, the strange, fresh taste of the air signaled that it was only a matter of time before the new day would bring all sorts of new challenges.

    I blinked my eyes a few times before releasing my breath and rxing a little.

    ''This feeling��'' I thought, clenching my jaws as I desperately reached out to my short-term memory, hoping to recover whatever I was dreaming about.

    I could feel that it was important. More important than nearly anything that I''ve learned in the recent past. And yet, as if there was an active effort of some sort of mental being, I couldn''t break past the barrier of my dizziness to ess whatever I dreamed about.

    "Hmm��" Mia released a small moan as she cuddled up to my arm.

    She had her eyes closed. Her breath was stable. There was absolutely no sign of her waking up.

    But something told me it was just an act.

    "Are you up?" I asked, moving my hand to caress the delicate skin of her back.

    "Mhmm��" Mia made a small noise. She then rubbed her face against the side of my army for a second before twisting her body and raising up on her elbows.

    The sheets that we were covered with gently slid down her back, revealing the full curves of her top half.

    Thankfully, after everything that we went through in the past, I somehow managed to keep my eyes away from her chest, opting to look at her lovely face.

    And it quickly turned out to be a great choice on my end, even if it originally was born out of mere courtesy.

    Mia''s slightly messy hair, her drowsy expression hiding behind her half-opened eyes�� Even the way her lips curved up a little when sheid her eyes on me��

    ''How can she be so damn seductive even when she''s half awake?'' I asked myself, baffled by the girl''s ability to get a rinse out of me so effortlessly.

    "More or less," Mia whispered after a while.

    She reached out with her hand to my face, caressing my right cheek with just the tips of her fingers as she took her time to cast her drowsiness away.

    "Is it time to wake up already?" she then asked with a hint of protest at the very depth of her voice.

    "It''s not, don''t worry," I quickly replied.

    And I didn''t lie. I never set any schedule for ourselves or the cultivators from the other world that we decided to both help and make use of. It didn''t matter when one would sleep or wake up as long as theypleted a fair share of work.

    "I just thought you weren''t sleeping anyway," I admitted, raising my right arm to lock Mia''s hand between my cheeks and my fingers. "Did something happen?" I then asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I woke up because of just how insanely exciting my dream was. I couldn''t remember even a single detail of what it entailed, but I was sure just how groundbreaking it would be if I could properly recall it.

    Still, that was only a proper reason for me to wake up prematurely. On the other hand, unless she had some sort of a nightmare on her own, I saw no reason for Mia to be up so early as well.

    "I��" the girl hesitated for a second, even going as far as to avert her eyes as the blush of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks. "I somehow sensed that you weren''t okay��"

    My heart started to melt again.

    "Just who is teaching you those lines?" A whisper of agony left my lips as I removed my hand from above Mia''s fingers and brought it to my chest to clutch at my heart.

    "Huh?" Mia twitched a little. "What do you mean?" she then asked as she rose up even higher on her hands�� only to let her upper body fall right on top of my chest, giving her the perfect angle to snuggle up her head right below my chin.

    ''And now this��'' I thought, taking in a deep breath to rein my desires in when I felt Mia''s soft peaks tten against my naked chest with two, slightly harder points on those peaks poking right between my upper ribs.

    As if reading my mind, Mia raised the knee of her left leg, bringing it right above my crotch. And by doing so, she obviously made a note of the state of my pants.

    A small, satisfied smile grew up on her lips as she kept her knee over my tent for a moment.

    "Do you want to have a go?" Mia asked casually, proving that the times when she would be shy about getting intimate were long over.

    "Isn''t it a bit too early for this kind of fun?" I countered, perfectly capable to rein in myself while my pants were just a natural state a healthy, young adult male like me would wake up with.

    As long as my morning wood didn''t change into a properly pitched tent, I still had a shot at reining in my desires and keeping our cuddle time for a little bit longer.

    "If you say so," Mia whispered in response, raising her knee just high enough to stop rubbing it against my tent. "So?" she then asked, "what happened?"

    Having my question from earlier turned right back at me, I could only release a long sigh.

    "To be frank, I wish to know myself," I admitted. "I just had an insane dream, a dream that held enough information to answer a huge part of the questions that I have about my origins��"

    "But you can''t remember it," Mia finished my exnation for me.

    I twitched, unprepared for this turn of events.

    "How did you know?" I couldn''t help but ask.

    "What would make you so startled, puzzled, if not that?" Mia countered with another question, once again pushing her upper body up�� only to change the position of her hands that she then cupped over my chest before resting her chin on top. "If you had a bad dream, you would be distraught. If it was somethingcking importance, you wouldn''t care. But you were just slightly startled," she exined her train of thought.

    "You are right on the money," I admitted before reaching out with my right hand, moving Mia''s hair out of her forehead only to lean up and forward and ce a gentle kiss on top. "Despite feeling how it could change our lives, I cannot recall a single damn detail of what I''ve dreamed about!"

 Chapter 486 Change Of Mind

    "Well, I''m quite sure that whatever I dreamt about was of paramount importance," I sighed. Then, rather than despairing over the lost opportunity, I shrugged my shoulders and rolled my eyes. "Well, there is no point despairing over it. If I can''t remember it, no amount of mental struggle will change it," I decided out loud.

    One could either remember their dream or not. There was no in-between as human memory would work differently when asleep than how it would act when awake.

    During one''s conscious period, one would store things in their temporary memory before allowing their instincts to sort all the memories and extract those valuable enough to keep them in the long-term memory.

    When it came to dreaming, though, unless one practices certain techniques to reim their consciousness even while asleep�� Then everything about the dream would be stored within the short-term memory.

    Or in other words, unless I made an active effort, first thing after waking up, to remember as much as I still could��

    Well, then I would end up just like I did in reality, with nothing more but a fleeting feeling of how insanely important the content of that dream was.

    Sadly, now that it was gone, there was no use trying to bring it back.

    "That''s quite the happy-go-lucky approach, isn''t it?" Mia pointed out with a small smile.

    "Well, rather than trying my hardest to recall something I know I can''t, I would rather focus my efforts on what I actually can do," I exined my stance.

    If it was that easy to recover memories discarded from short-term memory, it wouldn''t fill its purpose well in the first ce. And so, rather than putting holes into a system that worked really well, I decided to just ept the loss and move on.

    "Speaking of doing stuff," Mia pulled herself up, shing her chest right into my eyes for a second it took her to grab her robe and start putting it on. "What are your ns for today?"

    "That''s�� a good question," I replied softly and with some hesitation.

    Maybe it was the influence of the dream or maybe it was just a random idea that I''d got during the night�� But there was a certain question stuck in my mind when it came to the tasks on hand.

    "You remember how I talked a lot about the�� earth,st night?" I suddenly asked.

    Just in case, I didn''t use words like another world, another timeline or another reality.

    While there was no risk of someone capable of eavesdropping on me here, I still disliked the idea of just outright speaking about that stuff.

    Still, for Mia''s reference, just using the word "earth" as a handle for the topic would suffice.

    "Yeah, I do," Mia nodded her head, nearly done dressing up. She wrapped two pieces of thick material around her waist, turning the long piece of cloth into some sort of a belt.

    ''I need to get us new clothes,'' I thought upon noticing Mia''s strange belt.

    She didn''t use it to hold her clothes in ce, not yet. They were damaged, but not destroyed to the point of needing support essories just to hold them together.

    No, Mia used those pieces of cloth to cover the holes in her robes, keeping even the tiniest details of her body only for my eyes to see.

    "What about it?" Mia asked, turning over once she finished wrapping up the two pieces of cloth right on top of her abdomen.

    "I realized that a lot of my ns and ideas were born on earth and thus suited for the world that''s not here," I admitted.

    While there were some ideas that could be universally applied, other things had to be addressed all on their own.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    I could apply some kind of knowledge and ideas while there was no point in adapting others.

    Because no matter how ingenious the ideas from Earth could be, they were all designed for earthy rules!

    "I thought a bit about how we should go around growing this ce," I revealed my thoughts as I sat down on the edge of the bed. "But no matter how much I thought, I could only see a single path."

    This time, I turned silent.

    I could just keep on going and reveal what I believed to be the only way to make developing this abandoned city possible. But out of curiosity, I ended up testing Mia a little to see if she woulde up with the same answer as I did.

    In the end, while I found a way around that already, following what I nned would force me to ept a pretty damn hefty cost. And right now, my hopes were that Mia could maybe figure out something that wouldn''te at this kind of a steep prize.

    Mia sat down by my side before bringing her hand to her chin. Her fingers then massaged it for a moment before she turned to look me straight in the face.

    "The only way to keep going�� is to abandon this ce, right?" she then suggested.

    ''So she didn''t see any other path,'' I thought, disappointed.

    I wasn''t angry at the girl for not meeting my expectations. Instead, I was simply saddened because, in a sense, her answer proved she was thinking in the same way I did.

    If I didn''t want to lose my freedom, leaving this town and all the people that we brought here was inevitable. After all, just like thatst fight with the attackers proved, if I wanted to keep this ce safe, I had to remain here at all times.

    "I realized that I put too much focus on trying to adapt things from Earth into this ce. What I didn''t pay enough attention to, though, were the solutions people of this ce already had."

    Instead of a democracy, autocracy, or any other system of government that I knew from my original life, the best choice for me right now was to be a patriarch.

    The most important figure in the entire sect; one tasked with keeping the sect safe and prosperous in exchange for his status.

    So yeah, if I wanted this town to prosper�� I had to be its patriarch. Or, in other, less ttering words, I had to give up on my freedom and be an eternal guardian of this ce.

    "Well, I quite enjoy spending my days in here with you by my side," I finally spoke out, quicklying to ept the reality.

    If it was my freedom that I would have to give up, give up for the rest of my life�� I would likely refuse. But giving it up temporarily?

    There was no problem whatsoever!

    Still, if I wanted to free myself from the shackle I was now considering to burden myself with�� I had no other choice but to focus on grooming people that could rece meter on. And while the formation that I crafted downstairs was the first step on that road��

    Now that I decided to take care of this ce properly, just the mundane methods I originally intended to use wouldn''t cut it!

    No.

    If I wanted to turn this ce into an oasis of civilization in the middle of the crumbling world, I had to hurry up and create at least a few powerful allies.

    And it just so happened that I had a nearly endless supply of the power that already proved to be far more effective than anything anyone cultivated in this world!

 Chapter 487 We Shall Become Terrors Ourselves!

    We woke up super early. With no technology anywhere around to make an rm, there was hardly any other choice for us but to wake up with the first shine of the sun that would warm us up through the cracks in the building.

    Still.

    We spent quite some time talking and cuddling. Then, we didn''t hurry up while dressing up at all. And yet, by the time we walked out of our room and then our building, it was still early in the morning.

    ''It''s early in the morning but everyone is already on their feet,'' I thought when I saw just how busy the outside of the former auction house was.

    It wasn''t all that long since this town was attacked by those otherwordly hunters, leading to the death of several of the people I wanted to protect.

    But right now, if one of the town''s former residents were to return, they wouldn''t be able to tell that anything out of the ordinary happened here. After all, how could they discern the destruction caused by those mana monsters from the marks left by the fighting between humans?

    "I was ready for a huge number of them to be already out hunting," I muttered, only to feel Mia''s hand squeeze my fingers.

    "After what happened, I think they are quite wary of going into the wild," she pointed out.

    The only reason why people died in this city even after we resettled it was due to me leaving it behind to go on a hunt with Mia. Now that I returned, though, and after I showcased how I was willing to go far to defend this ce, people started to change what they associated safety with from the city itself to my presence.

    "Well, that works for us," I said before stepping into the most crowded area anding to a stop. "Everyone!" I then shouted before waiting for a few moments for people to stop what they were doing and turn their eyes toward me. "I need you all to gather up at the main hall!"

    I didn''t waste my time after uttering this order, turning around right away and heading back to the building we just left.

    Between speaking to everyone out in the open and doing so in the confined area of the building, the second option was simply all that more practical.

    After all, I was about to fire those people up quite a bit before revealing my true intentions!

    "So, what''s the n?" Mia asked in a small voice as we walked back the way we came from.

    "Showcase what my formation can do. Then agitate them by denouncing my willingness to use it as nned before showing them a new way of how things will work from now on."

    Hearing my answer, Mia raised her eyes and stared at the side of my face for a while.

    Yet, even though she couldn''t know the details of the n in my head, she only ended up shrugging her shoulders before fixing her grasp on my hand and then following me by my side in silence.

    "You are not going to ask for details?" I asked, puzzled by how she didn''t push any deeper into the answer that she had no right to properly understand.

    "And what''s the point of doing that?" Mia asked, raising her head only to show a face of total bewilderment. "It''s not like you are going to keep it a secret for long. So, rather than having you repeat yourself," she smiled before taking a step closer and cuddling herself to my arm, "I can just wait a bit for you to exin it all to everyone."

    Dang.

    Looking at this particr situation from a wider perspective, Mia''s decision to just sit tight and wait was pretty rational. Yet, for some strange reason, it only further served to cement her ce in my heart.

    After all, not bothering to inquire about my ns meant that she put all of her faith in me, trusting that whatever arrangement I had in mind would align with her own ideas and wishes!

    ''Well, I guess that makes sense,'' I breathed out a small sigh right as we entered the main hall of the former auction house. ''There is no way I would do anything that would make her sad, after all!''

    I stepped over the patch of fresh wood that covered up the entrance to whatever was hidden below the floor of the auction house''s main auctioning room that we remodeled into the main hall.

    Even though it wasn''t long since we discovered this ce, I, quite honestly, couldn''t care less about it.

    Until the day it would open all on its own to reveal what was inside, I''d already decided to just leave it be.

    We had enough problems to deal with on our hands already, so there was no point in splitting my attention even further.

    The people slowly filled up the main hall.

    With how I didn''t even remember the exact number of the settlers we had in the city right now, I didn''t even bother to count them up. What was I supposed topare the number of people in the hall to, without knowing what was the total number of people within the city?

    Rather than counting the cultivators, I simply waited until a whole minute passed before someone new came in.

    "Everyone, thank you for gathering here," I called out when I decided it was high time to break the news to everyone. "Today, I want to reveal to you the one thing that I used to buy your loyalty," I revealed�� only to take two steps to the side.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    And there it was.

    Project that I spent about half an hourpleting before adding several more hours of hard work just to limit what it was capable of. A cultivation formation that allowed anyone to make far more efficient use of any of the resources they were in possession of.

    "Just like I announced when we first decided how things will work here, this formation can multiply the effects of the cultivation resources. If you could consume the energy of a spirit stone by cultivating it for an hour, you could either achieve the same results by cultivating for a mere minute inside of it or spend an hour absorbing far more energy than you would normally be able to suck out of said stone."

    As proud as I was of my work, there was no way I could make it break thews of physics. Thosews might be different than what I knew about from my past life, but they werews nheless.

    As such, the formation itself couldn''t magically produce more energy from the limited amount within the resource used to fuel it. Just like I revealed to everyone, it could speed up the process by sucking the resource dry, cleaning the energy, and then making it far easier to absorb. Alternatively, it could raise the efficiency of using the energy from the said resource.

    In other words, while one using the formation to get greater benefits from the same amount of resources could believe it added on to the energy of the resource�� just like with the speeding up process, it simply cleaned it from impurities before turning it into a slow but steady nourishment that was far easier for cultivators to properly absorb.

    "The truth is, I''ve limited what this formation is capable of just so I could slowly raise its ability, constantly proving how necessary I was to the growth of this ce."

    Revealing this truth went against everything that I had in mind whening up with the idea for this small ploy in the first ce.

    Yet, I didn''t feel bad doing so. I didn''t feel bad when Mia gave me a weirded-out stare, confused by what I was talking about out loud. I didn''t feel bad when my words easily agitated the gathered cultivators either.

    "By slowly raising the ability of this formation I wanted you guys to slowly get used to its benefit. If I were to instantly allow you the use of what this formation is truly capable of, I''m worried some of you wouldn''t be able to survive the pressure."

    This time, my words changed.

    Rather than justifying my modifications to the formation with my own self-interest, I made it look as if I was worried about those who were supposed to be using it.

    My words were a sprinkle of water added to the fires that I''d started with my own words just a moment earlier.

    But now, it was time for me to fan the mes again.

    "It was my n to let everyone grow at a steady pace while using said growth as an incentive to keep you all working hard," I revealed the ultimate reason, the ultimate scheme I created for turning this run-down and destroyed town into a new center of human civilization.

    "But what happened recently made me change my mind," I shouted and put a huge grin on my face. "After the invasion of those fuckers, I realized that this world won''t allow us to just grow in peace," I announced with a shake of my head.

    "And that''s why," I raised my foot, "this formation," I kept my knee up while staring down at the crowd gathered below the scene, "this formation is no longer necessary!"

    I stomped my foot down, easily breaking the wood that I used as the canvas for the formation and disturbing the peaceful harmony between the stones used as the cornerstones of the array.

    There was no fuel within the formation�� but that didn''t mean it was free of energy. Every stone, every crystal that I''ve used to create it had some lingering energy in it. The energy that I infused in those stones myself in order to make the activation of the formation that much smoother.

    And now, all of this energy suddenly released, only serving to further mess up my creation.

    Just like that, with a single stomp, the formation that was to be the foundation of the society within this city ceased to exist.

    Everyone below the stage froze. Only a few of them got their chance to experience the blessings of this formation�� but everyone was already aware of just how insane it was.

    And now, without even a shred of hesitation, I fucked it all up.

    ''It''s only a matter of time before their shock turns into anger which will then fuel them to riot,'' I thought, a small smirk dancing in the corner of my lips.

    "I''ve changed my mind because this world won''t allow us the peace necessary to make this arrangement work!" I shouted right before the anger of the crowd could grow beyond what I could control with my words alone. "This world won''t give us the chance to let everyone grow in peace!" I raised my voice to muffle the moral cries of anti-elitism that my soul raised.

    "That''s why, I''m going to pick the best out of you and do everything in my power to raise your strength instead!" I announced, finally revealing that I didn''t gather everyone just to take a piss on their hopes of regaining the strength they lost along with the copse of their old world.

    "If we want to rebel against the horrors of this world, we have no other choice but to be horrors ourselves!" I screamed out, staring out into the distance and breathing heavily.

    For a moment, I allowed my outcry to linger in the hall, before using my slow, steady breathing to seemingly calm myself down.

    "Only terrors can fight against terrors. But to be terrors, I don''t need those who are just willing," I exined in a strangely calm andposed tone. "I need those who boast the best talent among you and are willing to use it to defend this ce from monsters," I put a short pause while darkening my expression, "even if theye hidden in the flesh of men."

 Chapter 488 The Most Efficient Way Of Becoming Monsters

    ?

    "We have no other choice but to be monsters ourselves!"

    Such a high and mighty phrase. Mere step away from the cringe.

    But cringe was a concept developed in the modern world when the use of bombastic phases saturated.

    In this world, speeches like the one I just gave were still treated seriously.

    ''At least I got through the worst part,'' I thought, putting my focus back on the situation.

    I couldn''t be drowning down in my thoughts while in the middle of everyone''s attention, could I?

    "As much as you guys might hate it, right now, we need to all step up our game."

    I spread out my arms open before giving the crowd a small, troubled smile.

    "I know that all of you would like nothing more than to recover your powers. But that will have to wait. Right now, I need all of you to do what you are best at." I took a step forward only to stand down right away.

    All my movements were just a part of the act, of the role that I had to y to steer the situation in the direction I desired.

    "Only those who are extremely talented in cultivation and battle will receive the ability to grow back to their full potential," I announced before the crowd of cultivators below could properly digest my words.

    Then, I smiled.

    "I know it sounds bad. What can I offer to those who won''t be picked as the cream of the top, then?" I didn''t hesitate when pointing out an inconsistency in my n.

    There was not a single real reason that bound all those cultivators to me.

    I was their benefactor because I saved their lives when anyone else wouldn''t go the extra mile?

    It sounded cute, but no. When the pushes to shove, people follow their own best interests.

    And for all those cultivators gathered below me, their world just came to an end with them dropped to a foreign world, doomed to wander it in the form of monstrous mana abomination.

    For all this bunch, the push just came to a shove.

    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but you''ve all lost quite a huge chunk of your cultivation. But have any of you asked��" I paused for a second, finally giving the listeners some time to rest.

    While I intended to draw their attention from one point to another, I kept the pressure up.

    But now that I directed the flow in the way I wanted, I had to release the reins of control.

    I sowed the seed of thought in the crowd, now was the time to let it blossom on its own.

    "Have any of you asked, howe you''ve all ended up around the third and fourth cultivation stages?"

    This question could have several different answers.

    From the logical point of view, only those above a certain mark could perform the technique that saved their lives at the cost of turning into mana monsters. I could even guess that those who were too powerful wouldn''t be able to slip through the dimensional gaps.

    That assumption left only a narrow spectrum of cultivators that could survive the apocalypse. And the same, narrow spectrum of power appeared when all of them lost around the same portion of their cultivation.

    But there could be other exnations.

    Maybe passing through the barrier between the reflections of the world equalized everyone to the same level of strength?

    Or maybe there was another phenomenon that I simply didn''t know about and thus couldn''t take into ount?

    ''The world is surely full of mysteries��'' I thought while raising my eyes to the sky.

    Then, I waited for a fewteen seconds before lowering my eyes back on the cultivator.

    "Tell me, do we have any craftsmen that were of high rank before the copse of your world?" <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    This was the ultimate direction that I guided this entire event too.

    A small detail came to my mind while I was giving out my speech.

    Sure, we need to be horrors to fight off the horrors foreign. But what did this mean exactly?

    The answer I found out, was making the most of what we had on hand. And given how most of the gathered cultivators appeared to be human��

    "I used to be an eleventh-rank cksmith," a strangely young old man stepped forth while raising his hand. His facial features were extremely young, yet his stature gave off this old uncle feeling.

    "I''ve been a ninth-rank sculptor and seventh-rank carpenter," another cultivator came forward.

    For now, they were curious about the direction I was taking this entire meeting in rather than supportive of the idea itself.

    And soon, at least ten different people stepped forth, volunteering to answer.

    "And how many fighters of around rank tenth do we have here?" I asked while raising my eyes from the volunteers back into the crowd.

    Contrary to what I thought would happen, quite a few cultivators raised their hands.

    The highest rank craftsman was a novice ascended herbalist with his side job matching the level of his cultivation. In other words, a rank higher than the cksmith that raised his voice first.

    On the contrary, there were three novice ascended who proimed to be fighters. Quite a few of the eleventh and tenth former rankers too.

    But in total, there were only about twice as many fighters capable of matching the average level of the craftsmen.

    "One cksmith monster can turn into monsters all those who wield his weapons," I shouted through the crowd. "One monstrous carpenter can change an entire unit of archers into monsters!" I shouted, raising my voice even higher.

    Then, I tensed up my face to make it look as if I blushed, only to avert my eyes and look away.

    "And he will make you an amazing bed at a different time��" I added in a conspirational tone.

    Someughs rose above the crowd from the selected few who acknowledged my acting efforts.

    "To turn a single warrior from our ranks into who they were before the apocalypse, we will need a massive amount of resources," I stated the obvious.

    There was no avoiding that fact, even when abusing my formations.

    Sure, cultivating within my formation was iparably better than using the methods of the locals�� But it didn''t break anyws of math.

    The amount of energy used as a fuel didn''t increase or grow in any other way.

    My formations simply made absolutely perfect use of it, rather than wasting the majority of the resources by using lousy techniques or following the wrong advice.

    But the same principle didn''t apply to craftsmen.

    Their skills were in their hands, or conversely in any other body part that they used to practice their craft. And if the only thing that theycked right now was the energy they used to freely wield��

    Then wasn''t this something that my formation could fix while providing the town with a much greater boost than a couple of fighters that I could groom in a different scenario?

    "From today on, we are changing how things work around here," I announced, finally ready to drop the proper news.

    The rambly time I spent on my announcements was all in preparation for this moment.

    "Everyone will be assigned a job over the next three days. It will depend on your talents, the town''s need, and only then your own wishes or desires." I announced.

    In theory, the concrete reduction of the people''s quality of life should be the shpoint of any unrest. But now, with everyone tickled by my propaganda, they were gobbling it all up.

    "Only by doing our best can we resist the decay of this world," I concluded my lengthy speech with a sigh. "Because I hope you don''t want to lose this world as well!"

 Chapter 489 What Does A Craftsman Need

    ?

    When stretching the means of the town to the limit and with as many formations as I could set up with what I had on hand, I could foster the growth of fifteen warriors at once.

    This kind of force wouldn''t be anywhere near enough to contend with the dangers of this new, changed world.

    So, I had no other choice but to empower everyone by focusing on craftsmanship instead.

    "I was under the assumption that you wanted to create an army," Mia said once I removed myself from the stage and left back for our room.

    I looked down to my side, only to be captured by Mia''s deep eyes.

    She wasn''t out to judge or demand answers.

    The sparking curiosity in her eyes was what prompted her question.

    "Because that''s what I wanted to do at first too," I admitted with a sigh. Then, I shook my head, allowing myself to show just how helpless I felt.

    I took in a deep breath and turned silent for a moment.

    "There is no way for them to fight against those mana monsters as equals," I pointed out a few momentster. "I can''t afford to be humble. It will stop me from properly evaluating the situation and our options," I added before stopping in my tracks and turning to face my girl.

    She looked at me earnestly, long used to my proactive quirks.

    It was such a random moment, but I somehow ended up frozen by the natural, everyday beauty that I should''ve long gotten used to.

    "Mia, we are stronger," I said. Then, a slight chuckle shook my lips. "We are built differently," I added, even though Mia wouldn''t catch the joke.

    Then, I sighed.

    "I''m not trying to put all those cultivators down, but they are unlikely to reach the same heights that we did."

    "You mean, that you reached," Mia finally spoke after giving me some time to borate on my thoughts. "I''m still far from your level��" she added while pushing forward a bit.

    Mia fell on top of my chest, resting her hands t on it whileying down her ear right atop my heart.

    For how innocent and simply wholesome this scene looked and felt, a predatory glint in her eyes that Mia tried to hide gave away her real intentions.

    ''This girl��'' I thought, wrapping my hands around her arms for a moment.

    The hug sadly didn''tst for long. For how much we might desire each other, we still had a lot of things to do.

    Rallying up all the cultivators was just the first step, after all.

    "You see, when ites to the army, I know of a good saying," I said as I let the girl out of my arms before picking up the pace. "An army is something like an ugly, festering cyst on a healthy body."

    I took a short break to clear my throat and take in a good, proper breath.

    This story wasn''t mine. I wasn''t smart enough toe up with something like this.

    In other words, it wasn''t the fruit of my intelligence. But as it was something I''ve read and learned, it was a result of my knowledge instead.

    "This cyst is ugly, causes difort to its host, and always is a source of problems," I continued to borate.

    Out of habit, as my right hand swung in the air, it soughtpanionship. And before I could even notice, I grabbed Mia''s hand as I continued to speak.

    "The thing is, it''s this cyst that scares away all the dangers and potential predators."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    All social interactions worked in the same way between the worlds. Everything had a cause and effect, leading to astonishingly repetitive patterns even between the worlds that should have nothing to do with each other.

    Just like a gesture of bowing or shaking one''s hand.

    They both came from the natural physical disposition of humans. Shaking a hand or even waving was a gesture to reveal theck of the weapon. A universal sign of rtive trust orck of bad intentions.

    Bowing, on the other hand, was a gesture of submission, something born out of the animistic reflexes of human ancestors.

    In other words, everything that worked back on Earth likely would work out in this world as well, especially when adjusted for local customs.

    "Normally, one needs to keep the bnce. As long as the host continues to grow stronger, so can the cyst," I pointed out, leading the topic toward the very foundation of my idea.

    "So, you want to improve our means of production first before focusing on improving our fighting power?" Mia easily guessed the intention behind my lecture.

    "That''s right," I nodded.

    As much as I didn''t want to admit it, Mia was just the perfect listener.

    She listened to every word that I said, paid attention to every detail. And she then used all of what she learned to put forward educated guesses, only to further nail down the point of how attentive she was.

    Somehow, over the course of thest few moments, our simple hand-holding transformed into Mia hanging down my arm.

    It was a natural evolution of all the small movements we made as we walked side by side, leading to the inevitable oue.

    But I couldn''t reallyin.

    "I want to use those guests to restore the city, not to turn them into a mercenary band," I summed up the entire topic in a single sentence.

    Just as I did, we arrived back at our room.

    It was in the same, slightly rundown state, where theplex and advanced architecture existed side by side with holes in the walls and burned-out parts of the floor.

    Still, it was big andfortable enough to serve not only as my bedroom but also as my office.

    "So, what are you going to do now?" Mia asked, letting go of my arm only to chase ahead, cleaning a small, handheld table before bringing it to the bed.

    Following Mia''s unspoken suggestion, I grabbed a waterskin that I''d left in the room in advance before heading off to our resting ce.

    Yet, rather than getting under the sheets or starting to get frisky, I allowed Mia to pin me down to the bed with the table��

    Only to then have her bring a stack of clean paper, a quill, and a long, elegant feather.

    "I made sure to remember all the craftsmen that came forward," I answered while tapping the end of the feather against my mouth.

    Then, I took it for a dip in ink, shook the spare droplets off, and brought it back over the first sheet of paper.

    "I need to design formations that will allow them to regain their crafting ability," I exined�� Only to end up staring at the end of my writing device, unable to move it down to ce the first letter.

    Now that I sat down to n it out�� what exactly did those craftsmen need to once more pick up their tools and craft high-ranking wonders?

    What kind of formation does a herbalist need to mix his herbs? What sort of tools did a cksmith need to produce high-quality weapons? What sort of help did a carpenter need to craft divine bows?

    "You know what, could you maybe call Levi and all the other craftsmen?" I asked while raising my eyes to my girl. "I have an idea on how to bite it, but I will need to consult with them for a bit."

 Chapter 490 Return Of The Arcana

    "The thing I will need the most, save for the standard resources like coal, iron, and other ore, is a formation that will infuse the fires with spiritual energy."

    I listened in to the request before noting a few words down on my paper.

    "What do you mean by infusing the fires?" I asked while raising my eyes from my small desk and throwing a nce at the cksmith.

    After a short wait after asking Mia to fetch the craftsmen, people started to gather in our room.

    In the end, there was a total of seventeen craftsmen came forward, with only twelve of them reaching a high rank before the apocalypse.

    Still, it didn''t matter that we only had a single cook of a measly fifth level as it was better to have one than to not have even a single one at all.

    "I''m exining it to the best of my ability," the cksmith bowed. "When smithing, I would usually use my spiritual power to call forth the mes. Infusing energy into mes is the only way of substituting my own fires that I can think of," he exined.

    Such was the case with most of the craftsmen. Just like I expected, their skills were in their hands, legs, and brains. The only element missing was the cultivation they needed to support the craftsmanship of the level they were used to.

    "So a mana-born mes��" I muttered while noting down a few more words.

    "I guess it''s my turn, now," Levi said as he moved from the back of the small crowd to the edge of my bed. "What do you want me to do?"

    Levi crossed his arms on his chest, clearly expecting something from the summons.

    "Master, I''m sorry if it will sound bad, but I want you to impart the art of arcane craftsmanship on everyone gathered here," I stated.

    This arcana technique was what gave me my first serious boost. Even before I could truly abuse the benefits of having a system, my arcana spear carried me through most of the trouble.

    If not for me simply outgrowing its potential, I would still happily use it�� or rather, I would spare some time to make a recement.

    Sadly, while my cultivation soared, my understanding of the arcana arts stagnated a lot. Even if I were to infuse all that I learned and figured out, the results would still fare around third or maybe fourth rank.

    In other words, my arcana was no better than what all the other cultivators could do without the support of my formation.

    Sadly enough, even if I were to create a formation just for crafting arcane pieces�� Icked the skill necessary to do so.

    But the same couldn''t be said about my master, the one who taught me arcane craftsmanship in the first ce.

    "I know that it might feel like I''m ripping your secrets away," I admitted.

    Arcane crafting was what my master bestowed upon me out of his own, unadulterated will. It was one of the aces he had hidden in his sleeve, a technique he would obviously rather prevent from spreading.

    And quite justifiably, Levi''s face soured when he heard my request. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I know how it sounds," I added, "I really do!"

    I raised my hands as if to show that my intentions were clear.

    "But I also said that we can no longer hold back at all."

    I turned silent.

    Just like I said, I wasn''t going to hold back when ites to crafting formations. I decided not to leverage my skills to take advantage of those who I invited to rebuild the city with me.

    As such, it was a rule that I hoped my closest ally besides Mia to follow through with the same mindset.

    "I can only craft arcane weapons," Levi said.

    From the looks of things, he gave up on arguing on the point of sharing his knowledge, opting to act as if it was exclusive to only certain kinds of studies.

    "You can''t expect me to trante what I know for civilian use," Levi said while spreading his arms open as if to show he had nothing to hide. "Even then, my understanding of the arcane art only ever reached the sixth level," he added. "So I hope you won''t let your expectations grow too much."

    My lips formed a small smile.

    "Still, I would like you to try to pass on the arcane concepts to all our friends here," I requested again, in spite of all Levi said. "If this knowledge will let them craft better things, you will be everyone''s benefactor!"

    Contrary to normal crafting, arcane arts involved infusing the crafted item with spiritual energy right off the bat. In a sense, the arcane arts were the seed that grew into a passion for formations in me.

    In theory, the craftsmanship of higher levels involved the use of spiritual energy as well�� but it was only something that came as a boon of one''s cultivation rank. Contrary to normal crafting, arcane arts involved spiritual energy from the very beginning.

    And contrary to the normal arts that kept getting stronger and easier to practice the further one''s cultivation went, arcane arts only ever grew increasingly harder to perform.

    It was one thing to infuse a wooden spear with a rank of one or two arcana. But just like when normal crafts started to involve spiritual energy in the process, the demand for mana in the arcana of the same level grew exponentially.

    If a normal sword of a ninth rank could bring destruction upon huge swaths ofnd, then an arcana weapon of the same level would be considered a national treasure.

    "I didn''t expect you were only on that level," I admitted, toote to stop my reflex response.

    "Listen, brat��" Levi fired up a little, only to calm down right away. He sighed and shook his head. "There are many hard things to achieve in this world. But breaking past the bottleneck of the sixth rank of arcana weaponsmith��"

    Levi shook his head again.

    "Let''s just say that I managed to be a Royal but I''m sane enough not to even attempt bing a seventh-rank arcane weaponsmith!"

 Chapter 491 Mainframe

    ?

    "So?" Mia sat down on the edge of the bed and rested her head on my shoulder. "Did it go as you hoped it would?" she asked as she took a nce at what I''d written during the meeting.

    "More or less," I replied with a small smile as I tapped the inked end of the feather against the corner of my mouth.

    For some reason, this tiny motion made it easier for me to think. And if getting my mouth dirty with ink was the price of figuring everything out, then I was more than d to pay it!

    "How do you n to provide for all of their demands, then?" Mia asked while moving around for a bit to find the mostfortable spot on my side.

    "I will start with��" I paused for a second as I moved the papers around in search of the blueprint that I prepared in advance. "I will start with this thing. It will serve as the literal heart of the entireplex."

    The picture depicted a rtively simple formation that was brought to its limit by scaling it up.

    Just like the formation I destroyed roughly three hours prior, it served to transform the fuel inside of it into pure energy. It had all the elements necessary to purify and then condense the spiritual energy to a form that was essentially way too potent for any human to handle.

    In a sense, if all my previous formations were like small zapping toys, then right now I was nning out a proper electric outlet.

    "I made it so that it can split the energy output into twenty different lines. There is even an automatic priority forwarding so that if one of the lines uses more than the others, the formation will adjust itself to match the demand," I exined while hovering my fingers over different parts of the formation.

    And in a sense, it was one hell of a behemoth.

    What would be a single formation stone in the old arrays of mine, now would be a formation in its own right.

    Every set of formation stones that would make up a single function now turned into aplex array all on its own.

    From a brief look, what I''ve painted was way tooplex for any human to ever prepare andy down. Only upon a closer inspection would one realize that everything�� was just one big repetition of the exact same pattern!

    In a sense, I only needed toy down one, quite ordinary formation before turning it into a seed of a fractal, multiplying it enough times to achieve the necessary power.

    "Constructing this thing will take me at least a few days of good work," I muttered, only now realizing the consequences of my ambitious n.

    But this was the easiest way to achieve what I wanted.

    "Isn''t it going to be pretty huge?" Mia pointed out the obvious problem with such a massive andplex design. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Yes, it will be," I admitted right away. "That''s why everything will start when we will demolish the already destroyed parts of town to build a production center there instead."

    In theory, bunching all the craft-rted buildings into a single area was an extremely bad idea. As wood was the mostmon building resource that we had on hand, a single fire could wipe out the entire thing in one fell swoop.

    But I had no other choice but to take this risk, as there was a limit to how far the energy from the main formation could travel before dispersing.

    "Maybe I could fix it by building transformation stations?" I thought out loud only to then shake my head. "No, I already have enough work on my hands. No use risking a few more days just to test something."

    The idea of using electricity when thinking about magic could only get me so far. And the principles that warranted the use of transformation stations when it came to electricity didn''t necessarily apply to moving magic energy.

    "I guess we really have no other choice but to build it all in a single ce��" I muttered, slightly dissatisfied by the concept.

    Still, it was the cheapest, quickest, and most straightforward way to kickstart the productivity of all the craftsmen. And for now, a singleplex had to suffice for that task.

    "So we will throw fuel to a single building in the middle, the one that will shield the main formation from the elements. Then, we will set up workshops all around the ce with secondary formations��" Mia whispered in a soft voice, taking on my quirk of speaking her thoughts out loud.

    "You said that just this main formation�� Wait, that''s a pretty long thing to say, isn''t it?" Mia suddenly pointed out. "We should think of a good name for it," she suggested.

    "You are right," I nodded my head as a certain name popped up in my thoughts. "But can you continue where you left off?"

    I was amazed by how easily Mia managed to connect the dots and figure out the purpose of my concept.

    On one hand, it was in for everyone to see from how I nned the structure of the main formation. With twenty possible outlets for the mana to flow, Mia could guess that I intended to connect quite a lot of things to the main formation. And from there, arriving at the conclusion she did was a pretty easy job.

    Still, this line of thinking was easy only for someone who saw it before. And to my knowledge, Mia never lived in an early-industrial society where such schemes could take ce!

    "You will connect all the workshops to the main form so that you only need to maintain a single array," Mia kept going, only to twist her lips after speaking up. "No, this doesn''t sound right," she muttered, unsatisfied with the name she came up with on the spot and even used already.

    "In this way, by connecting everything to the mainframe, we will only need formations to repurpose the use of the energy rather than an entirely autonomous system for each and every workshop!"

 Chapter 492 Industrial-Style Processing

    ?

    "nning is all fun and nice, but when ites to putting those ns into motion��"

    Before I could control myself, a few words ofint escaped from my mouth.

    I was sitting in a rundown shed with nothing but an entire pile of various stones and pebbles to my left and several sets of engraving tools to my right.

    There were quite a few precious stones and crystals mixed into the pile, giving me the ability to use better-quality materials for the more crucial or more vulnerable parts of the formation.

    Still, the bulk of the job was all about engraving simple runes into ordinary rocks while hoping that they wouldn''t break.

    Instead of doing things the way I always did them of going one stone after the other while working my way through the magical circuit in my head, right now��

    Right now, I attempted a more industrial way of processing.

    "Runes, runes, runes��" I muttered as I repeated the same series of steps for the thousandth time.

    Pick a stone, carve three runes on it, and put it aside. Pick a stone, carve the same three runes on it, and put it aside. Pick a stone��

    Instead of the blueprints for both the mainframe and each of the formations requested by the craftsmen, I had a single sheet of paper with a list of stones that I had to prepare.

    ''It''s all because I overachieved with the mainframe,'' I thought while holding back my groan.

    ''And I thought that I would never be stuck with a simple, menial job in this world��''

    Comints kept oning to my head, filling every second of my time in the shed with mental torture.

    And yet, my fingers kept on moving. My mana kept on flowing, allowing me to infuse all the stones with a tiny bit of energy as I carved them out.

    "And��" I muttered as my carving knife repeated the same set of motions for thest time in thest two hours. "Thest one��" I sighed when I ced thest runic stone of its kind aside.

    My eyes moved to the side, allowing me to nce at the list of necessary stones for all my projects.

    Boom!

    A loud noise came from the outside of the shed.

    ''It seems Mia''s working hard too,'' I thought.

    Upon finalizing thest few details of my scheme, we didn''t waste time idling around. Instead, Mia got to the job of clearing the area for the construction of the production zone while I retreated into the shed to do my part.

    ''It''s all because of that damn mainframe!''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The blueprint for the heart of the production was simply tooplex for me to craft the necessary stones just by looking at the blueprint. And it was a lot better to craft all the necessary ones in one sitting.

    Since most of the formation stones were created from ordinary rocks, I had to really focus to make the most out of their limited quality. As such, two stones that I made one after the other would keep the same general quality, while the two stones that I would create while taking a break in between could vary.

    And as minor as it was, my attention to the details right now would pay off with much easier maintenance of the thing down the line.

    "Let''s keep going," I muttered to myself while picking up the feather and dipping its sharpened end into the small bottle of scavenged ink. Then, with a single swipe of my hand, I crossed out the piece that I''d finished manufacturing.

    "Next is�� this one," I whispered while tracing my finger down and taking a look at the next position in the list. "A condensing stone, huh?"

    I fixed my posture and sat upright on a small bench. I then pulled my hands out in front of me before stretching my fingers and my wrists for a while. Then, I picked the tools again before taking a stone from the right, engraving it with four runes this time, and then letting it fall down on another pile. I picked the stone��

    Knock, knock, knock!

    What seemed like an eternity and a measly quarter of the pile of stonester, the sound of knocking woke me up from my daze.

    "Come on in!" I called while wondering what kind of sect patriarch would be ever seen buried to his belt in crafting materials.

    "How are you doing?" Levi asked as he came in with a tter of simple food in his hand. On the other, he held a sizeable cup filled with something bubbly.

    "I want to die," I admitted before taking a quick look around the shed.

    The stones that I created over the past few hours were worth a small fortune already.

    Sadly, the global market has now crumbled into pieces. And right now, all those stones would insteady the foundation for the processing nt that I hoped to use to revive the economy of not only the city but also all the othermunities of survivors around.

    Yes,munities of survivors.

    Despite how bleak the situation looked to be, I had no doubt that the majority of people managed to somehow survive.

    With the mana abominations being attracted to the bordends, as long as one survived the moment of invasion and the massacre that followed, their chances would only continue to grow with each passing second.

    Those people would be struggling to provide the basic necessities for themselves, making them the best possible customers for a budging economy I was trying to create.

    Desperate enough to do all kinds of jobs and more than happy to buy anything that my future industry would produce.

    "Keep up the good work," Levi said with an irritating smile, clearly happy to see his former student swarmed with work.

    "Oh, I will," I said, putting up a bright smile on my face that contracted with my words from before. "After all, once I''m done, I will be going back to the bed warmed up by my wife, while you will be alone, rotting all on your own!"

 Chapter 493 An Evening Of Life

    ?

    "Argh��" I muttered once I finally got to drop down on my bed.

    Back when I moved out of it in the morning, I didn''t expect that the entire day would turn so damn busy and hectic.

    It was all supposed to be just the first step of freeing me and Mia from the burdens of managing the town and dealing with everything ourselves�� but it ended up with the two of us managing the town all on our own and doing most of the now increased workload by, yeah, you guessed it right, our damn fucking selves!

    "Now, now��" Mia patted my shoulders only to push me down on the bed and then leave for the depths of the room. "It wasn''t all that bad, was it?" she suggested, busying herself with looking through the shelves of the kitchen area of the room. "You want something sweet or rather sour?" she asked, seamlessly changing the topic from what happened during the day to what I would like to eat.

    "Something sour, please. Eating sweets for the night won''t do us any good," I replied, only to turn around on the bed and dig my face into one of the makeshift pillows that one of the craftsmen prepared.

    "AAARGH��."

    Another moan of exhaustion, pain, and boredom sank into the pillow.

    My fingers and wrist were hurting like hell. They felt as if I was jacking off for the entire day while writing math exercises with my other hand. And in fact, when considering what motions it took to inscribe a rune onto a stone, this kind of simplification wasn''t that far detached from the truth.

    After all, I did indeed move my right hand up and down when carving delicate lines into the stones and used my other hand to track both the patterns and the number of stones of each specific pattern that I''ve made.

    "Still, we did quite a lot today," Mia pointed out while she stocked several different items on the small countertop before proceeding to cut and mix them like some sort of high-level alchemist. "I''ve heard you managed toplete all of the basic stones for that formation of yours," she pointed out only to turn her head and grace me with a beautiful smile. "Good work today!"

    ''Ahhh��.''

    A soul-born sigh of bliss coursed through my spirit.

    Good work today. Such a simple, three words long sentence that held such an astonishing power I needed to use such two times just to begin to approach its might.

    With those three simple words, Mia managed to offset all the trauma of spending ten damn hours straight in the shed doing nothing but inscribing runes upon the stones.

    "I''ve heard you did quite a lot yourself," I spoke as I turned on my back so that I could look at Mia properly.

    Even her just moving around in the kitchen while she whipped out something for us to eat was an art in my eyes.

    The gentle way in which her robes swayed, the delicate lines of her bodyline that kept on teasing my imaginary, a slight smile or wink she would treat me with whenever she noticed my stare��

    ''I guess that''s what it means to have a wife,'' I thought.

    Just a few moments of watching Mia was enough to pour more fuel into my muscles.

    Unable to contain myself, I moved over to the edge of the bed before tripping forward. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Being the cultivator of a level more or lessparable to royals, something as silly as tripping was far beyond my ability to do�� But whenever in private with Mia, my entire self somehow reverted back to the average, normal human that I was before appearing in this world.

    It was as if this girl created a zone around herself that when unperturbed by anyone else, deprived me of all my powers and rationality alike.

    Powered by my desire, I closed the gap between us in just a few steps, approaching Mia from behind only to throw my hands forward and wrap my arms around her shoulders.

    "Huh? Wait!" Mia protested lightly as her body shook. Then, her face darkened a little. "No! Bad Arthy!" she scolded me down while whipping her delicate fingers against one of my hands embracing her. "I''m cooking right now! Go back to the bed and wait for me!"

    I froze.

    It was the first time Mia to scold me like that�� But howe I enjoyed it?

    Was it the excitement of learning a new part of her? Or maybe the joy of seeing how she finally managed to ovee her reservations and drop the unnecessary respect that she had towards me due to how our rtionship began?

    Or maybe I was simply a masochist who just found out he liked to be treated roughly?

    ''I better not think about it too hard,'' I thought, my own face darkening a little as I obeyed Mia''smands and retreated back to the bed.

    "Oh, don''t sulk so much," Mia rolled her eyes�� but her face softened as she spoke.

    ''Did she misinterpret my expression or something?'' I thought, caught off guard by the sudden fluctuation of emotion in my love''s voice.

    With a few more moves of her hands, Mia finished whatever she was preparing and put everything on a simple, wooden te. Then, she went right back to the bed where she sat on the edge and ced the tter down by her side.

    "To answer your question from before, yeah," she said as she grabbed one piece of what turned out to be chunks of bread smeared with what smelled like herbal butter and dipped in some sort of a slightly thicker, meaty sauce.

    "We managed to clear��" Mia paused as she stuffed her mouth with the piece before using one of her fingers to catch a stray drop of gravy that slid down the corner of her mouth. "We managed to clear the entire area and even started to build the foundation for the mainframe," she borated a little before wiping her hands clean and turning to face me right as I reached out for a piece.

    "Now,y down on your stomach and close your eyes," Mia ordered.

    My eyebrows moved up. Once again, this damn girl managed to take me by surprise!

    Still, powered by my newly found si�� no, my newly found fascination in Mia''s new side, I obeyed Mia''s orders andy down t on my stomach.

    "Why do you need me to do that?" I then asked while turning my head to take a peek at the girl.

    "I didn''t even need to touch you to see how tense your back is," Mia said as she grabbed the edges of her robe before pulling its outer part off, leaving only a few pieces of cloth to cover the most secretive parts of her body. "So, I want to try massaging your back!"

 Chapter 494 King Of The World

    ?

    "Haaa��." A long moan escaped from my mouth when Mia pressed down on my muscles.

    She used the inner side of her palms to knead my back. One by one, the tense spots that I got after hunching in the same position for an entire day, disappeared.

    "What a bliss��" I praised Mia''s efforts out loud, just to make sure she knew how much I appreciated her help.

    "Is it?" Mia asked with a cheeky smile as she put even more weight in her hands, now pushing against my sore, tired muscles with the strength of her entire body. "I''m d to hear it," she added as she allowed her hands to slide up my back and leaned down, ultimatelyying down on top of my back.

    ''Ugh��'' this moan I managed to rein in, preventing my lips from letting it escape.

    It was a different kind of bliss, to have Mia hug herself into my back, to feel her steady breath caress my earlobe��

    "You really are all tensed up," Mia added after a moment, a hint of worry taking over her voice. Her hands ran up and down my sides, as she searched for any further spots that needed some help to rx.

    "I forgot how it is to work my ass off," Iughed, more than willing to acknowledge the reason behind my current state.

    My task wasn''t all that difficult. It didn''t make me use my head much or reach the limits of my strength and endurance. It was simply��

    It was boring and repetitive. And what was even worse, this kind of stationary position and long hours went directly against everything that I did in this life of mine so far.

    I was always chasing to save my ass from the current problem. Always striving to build a future where I could enjoy my time with Mia in peace and without a single worry.

    For how simple of a man I was, I had no desire for greater things. Just having Mia by my side as I spent the rest of my days spoiling her was all I wanted�� But as it turned out, whenever I reached a point where I appeared to get closer to fulfilling this desire, things would only grow bigger, more serious�� and more dangerous.

    Mia''s hands continued to knead different parts of my body, never ceasing to provide physicalfort whenever my mental turmoil intensified.

    "I might be sore, but I''m extremely satisfied with where we are right now," I said before I could even realize what my lips were doing.

    Mia''s movements stopped.

    "How so?" she asked, leaning back as she sat down an inch above my hips. Her hands moved down, only to rest on my back, slightly above where Mia sat down.

    "If things work out as I think they will, we will be able to gain one hell of an advantage at practically no cost," I revealed.

    Mia''s massage somehow put me in a weird kind of mood where I could no longer care to keep things to myself.

    It''s not like I was keeping secrets from Mia and only now found myself pressed to reveal them.

    No.

    Those were but my thoughts, my take on everything that was going on around me. And until they took a concrete form backed by evidence or further clues, I simply saw no point rambling around weird theories.

    "Sure, there might be some mana monstersing for us as we speak," I admitted. "But they are all heading to the same ce. And knowing how instincts work, they take the direct path toward their goal. Or in other words," I raised my head from the pillow and pushed my arms forward. Then, I rested my chin in the small cup I made with my hands. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As if tired of sitting on my ass, Mia leaned down and once again pressed herself against the entire surface of my back. This time, however, once her lips got close to my ear, she went for it.

    "There is a huge chance, we just found ourselves in the window of time when no danger ising," I summarised my thoughts. "We can grow as much as we want for as long as we can, so that when an enemy will shop up��"

    I pursed my lips.

    A sudden thought of realization shut my mouth.

    ''Isn''t it all just my paranoia?'' I thought, petrified by the realizations brought by this idea.

    What if the only reason why I couldn''t enjoy my days with Mia in peace�� Was it because in my drive to outgrow any and all danger, I ended up inviting it into our life in the first ce?

    My entire body tensed up.

    Mia, sensing the strange reaction, twitched a little.

    ''No, that doesn''t make any sense,'' I thought, dispelling the intrusive thought. ''In the grand scheme of things, I was mostly just chasing after Mia while fighting off those who wished to keep us apart!''

    I decided not to take all my former efforts lightly.

    Everything that I did to get the two of us so far was always centered around the idea of keeping Mia safe by my side. And more often than not, the dangers from the past were initiated by those who sought trouble with me, not the other way around!

    Startled by all the thoughts shing in my head, I moved my arms down, grabbing at Mia''s thighs.

    "Huh?" Mia gave out a small moan, slightly surprised by the sudden touch.

    Still, rather than just coping a feel, I held Mia''s thighs to keep her in ce as I rolled around, turning on my back.

    Now, only twoyers of cloth separated our genitals and Mia ended up sitting right on top of my crotch. The position, as unintended as it was, screamed for what would likely happen next��

    As if.

    "Right now, we have the best opportunity possible to grow stranger than anything fate could throw at us," I said as I released Mia''s legs and moved my arms up only, wrapping them behind the delicate girl''s back. "But it''s also the time when we can finally enjoy our time together," I whispered as I brought my arms down and pulled Mia into a deep hug.

    She was a bombshell, sure. A woman so damn alluring that my body was getting ready whenever I caught a mere nce of her. A beauty that had no right to exist in my world.

    An owner of the body that men wouldn''t just kill but would wage continental wars for.

    And yet, just hugging her after she gave me a caring massage, made me feel like I was the king of the entire world.

 Chapter 495 Nightly Intermission (Not Really R18, Just Wholesome)

    ?

    I slowly opened my eyes right in the middle of the night.

    ''It''s pretty unusual for me to wake up like that,'' I thought, staring at the roof of the room riddled with holes that allowed me to peek into the ruins of the room above.

    Even after all the time I spent in the town, even the building that was repurposed and used the most in the entire town was in such a state.

    ''There is way too much stuff to do and way too little hands toplete it, huh?'' I thought, trying not to move at all so as to not alert Mia.

    ''Right, Mia��'' I thought, gently moving my head to the side, to where my love rested her head on my arm and slept soundly.

    ''I know I must be repeating myself for the thousandth time�� But just how in all hell did I end up with such a beauty snuggling up to my arm?''

    The question was a bit moreplex than it appeared to be on the surface. On one side, it was about how fate brought me and Mia together. But its other meaning was far more straightforward and practical.

    How did Mia end up in her skimpy nightwear when thest I saw her she was wearing her inner robes?

    ''Oh right, I fell asleep during her massage,'' I recalled, only for a wave of a pleasant rxation to travel from the very tip of my head to the very bottom of the soles of my feet.

    My body was rxed far further than I couldmand it to be on my own. It was all a result of Mia''s working hard to remove all the tension from my muscles, even though she had to be as tired yesterday night as I was if not more.

    ''She''s so damn lovely,'' I thought, unable to stop my hand from reaching out andnding down on the indent of Mia''s waist. Then, prompted by nothing but affection, I moved my hand up and down, caressing the side of the girl''s body.

    Thankfully, my actions were too natural and slight to wake Mia up, allowing me to enjoy the peaceful moment for a little bit longer without anyone judging me for it.

    "I really am a lucky man," I muttered as I pulled both my eyes and my hand up, moving on from just caressing Mia''s side�� to pulling her a bit closer into an embrace.

    "Mhmmm��" Still asleep, Mia obediently surrendered herself to my initiative, slightly adjusting her position to better fit into the cradle of my arms.

    ''Sofy��''

    My mind nearly melted when the natural, slightly sweet scent of Mia''s body filled my nose along with all the pheromones her perfectly sexy body produced.

    Her hair brushed against the upper side of my palm of the hand I ced at the back of her head to keep her face near my chest. Her breath struck me right in the sr plexus, threatening to drown my heart with its gentle warmth.

    And her softness��

    Laying down in bed with Mia in my arms, I felt like every inch of my body was sinking into her, pulled by some invisible force that threatened tobine the two of us into a single being.

    "Hmmm��" Mia released another sleepy moan before her eyelids slightly moved up.

    For the moment, sheid in peace, taking some time to figure out what was going on. Then, as she properly opened her eyes and leaned her head to the back, she looked directly into my eyes.

    "Don''t worry, it''s nothing," I said, moving my hand from the back of her head to caress her exposed cheek.

    Once again falling right into the mood of my actions, Mia reached out with her own hand and ced it on top of mine. And with my hand locked in ce by her delicate fingers, Mia started to move her head around, rubbing her cheek against the inner palm of my hand.

    "Mhmm��" a moan of acknowledgmentter, Mia used her hands to grab at my shoulders before pushing herself up the bed. Soon, our faces reached the same level, allowing her to steal a quick peck from my lips.

    Then, as if nothing had happened, she pulled herself even a bit higher, only move her hands and wrap them behind the back of my hand. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''I can already see where this is��''

    Before I could even finish my thought, Mia tightened her arms, pulling my head directly into her chest.

    She was still in her nightwear which now turned into a soft and extremely thin barrier that only pretended to keep my face from pressing directly against her boobs.

    ''This is nice too,'' I thought.

    Even though it only applied to my head, having Mia wrapped all over it��

    It felt safe.

    Just this.

    As if her bosom was the safe heaven that all the men searched for in their troubled lives.

    A silent ce where the only sound was her heartbeat, the only warmth came from her skin and the only pillow came in the form of her soft tits.

    Tits?

    No. In our current position, it felt wrong to even call her breasts such a vulgar word.

    I took in a deep breath, inhaling her delicate scent all the way to the bottom of my lungs and then holding it in like a puff of smoke.

    Even though I already challenged the limits of mortality with how far I went on the cultivation and mage''s paths�� there was still a limit to how much I could hold my breath without feeling an increasingly annoying sense of difort and wrongness. Yet, when I opened my mouth and allowed my used-up breath to escape��

    Mia''s body wiggled a little as a hint of her giggle reached my ears.

    "It tickles!" she whispered through her gentleughter.

    ''Shit, now I really woke her up,'' I cursed.

    Now that our workload increased beyond any reason, getting a good night of sleep should be one of our priorities! Yet, knowing how much I loved to spend quality time with her in the past��

    Rather than pulling on my head to pull it back, Mia pushed her upper body to the back before looking down at my face with a gentle�� yet expecting smile.

    "I wasn''t��" I attempted to exin that I didn''t wake her up just to have some fun with her.

    Sadly, the boner in my pants that she could easily feel rubbing against her legs made it extremely easy for Mia to misunderstand the situation and all the harder for me to properly exin it.

    "Well, whatever," I changed my mind, finally allowing my hands to get a bit more active by reaching out for Mia''s sides before pulling her back and taking a dive with my face back into her breasts.

    This time, with my arms locked behind her back and my hands already roaming all over her behind, I tightened my hug before audibly taking in a massive breath.

    "Do I smell?" Mia asked, suddenly worried.

    "You smell lovely," I replied, kissing the point right between her breasts before pulling my head up and reaching out for her lips. "And I will always be here to smell you up some more."

 Chapter 496 Through The Clothes (R18)

    ?

    Our lips connected.

    Just like practically every possible thing that we could do with each other, it was something that we were already used to. And yet, even though it wasn''t the first, the second, or the hundredth kiss that we shared, it felt, like always, special.

    Mia''s lips instantly reacted to my movements. They moved apart when pushed open, only to copse back on my bottom lip when my own mouth climbed up.

    The delicate sensation of the softness of Mia''s mouth was something that I could only ever feel with my own lips. And this sensation alone was more than enough to get me insanely excited.

    And yet��

    And yet, Mia decided that just kissing wasn''t enough. Not now. Not after everything that we did together.

    "Come here," she whispered while wrapping her hands around my neck and pulling herself closer to me. Soon, her tongue snuck between my lips and rubbed against my own, inviting it to invade her mouth in exchange.

    Before I could even realize it, I was already half sitting on the bed with Mia mounting me from above. With nothing but her nightwear to protect her charms, she pressed her delicious body against my chest, allowing the skin of my chest to experience every nook and cranny of her bust and stomach.

    "You are so soft," I whispered between our kisses while grabbing down at her waist.

    "You are the only one who could ever experience my softness."

    Rather than getting embarrassed by my words, Mia fully epted them and then turned them against me. Or against my own sanity, adding fuel to my excitement instead?

    With my mind clouded by the taste of her lips, it was hard for me to figure out what was the proper way of addressing Mia''s reply.

    "Haaa��" I released a long sigh after a particrly long kiss that nearly brought me to the edge of how long I could go without a proper breath.

    Surprisingly enough, it was easy for me to go for several tens of minutes without a fresh breath�� but only if I expelled the air that I''d already inhaled.

    ''From what I remember, it''s not theck of oxygen that drives people to breathe out, but the overabundance of carbon dioxide,'' I thought when the softness of Mia''s lips made my thoughts scramble and move in the weirdest directions.

    "You are getting all heated up," Mia pointed out in a tiny voice with a sly expression on her face.

    Her eyes were brimming with lust, proving that she desired me just as much as I desired her.

    "How could I not?" I asked, only to push my head forth and grasp Mia''s lips with my mouth yet again.

    Strangely, getting intimate with her was the only thing that I could repeat forever and never grow used to. No matter how much we kissed, every time our lips pressed against each other, every time that our tongues mingles, it was a fresh and new feeling.

    "I will take your boner for apliment, then," Mia chuckled a little before raising her chin up a bit and reaching for my forehead with her lips.

    And if it wasn''t enough, she also made sure to grind her hips down against my crotch, as if hoping that my dick would pop out of my undergarments all on its own and then ovee the defenses of her nightwear only to end up finding the right spot to press in order to get inside of her.

    In theory, all that was left for me was to reach down and pull both mine and Mia''s clothes aside before testing out whether I was longer than Mia was deeper��

    But no.

    It was still way too early for that. If I were to go in for the kill right now, neither of us could be fully satisfied with what woulde.

    If there were any, then this was the one downside of fucking around with Mia as if we were rabbits in the past. Just simply, casual intercourse was no longer enough to let us reach the peak of excitement that we sought in every moment of intimacy we could afford.

    "Would you be as kind as to take care of it, then?" I asked, raising my hand to caress her face rather than lowering it to get a feel of her ass.

    Looking up, I couldn''t get enough of the bright smile that flowered on Mia''s face. And seeing her happy expression�� My dick throbbed harder than when we were kissing!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''I really am simp through and through,'' I thought, feeling no shame in that fact whatsoever.

    It was one thing to simp for some moronic girl that exposed herself on the wrong side of the screen. Yet, when it came to Mia��

    When it came to the girl who so fully devoted her entire being to me, could my reciprocating attitude towards her even be called simping?

    ''Well, regardless of how it''s called��'' I thought, right as Mia started to slide down my upper body, clearly eager to fulfill my request.

    But I wasn''t going to let her make me feel good.

    No.

    How could I let her work and enjoy the pleasure she gave me without giving anything back?

    "Not so fast!" I called, grabbing Mia by her ass in the middle of her slide down, only to pull it to the side and then towards my face.

    In the time that Mia only managed to release a small moan of surprise, I already turned her entire body around, bringing her crotch directly above my head. When it came to positioning her head above my own pants��

    Well, Mia would surely take care of it herself!

    Expecting to feel Mia''s hands grab at my pants at any time, I focused my attention on the sweet garden before my eyes.

    Her pussy was still covered by the thin fabric of her nightwear�� but to my eyes, that was no obstacle at all.

    ''Ah!''

    I felt Mia grab at the edge of my underpants. So, unwilling to let her get ahead, I secured my hold over her ass before pulling my head up and smacking my lips against her still-clothed crotch.

    "Ah!" Mia released a sweet moan, clearly not expecting the assault to precede me undressing her.

    Her hands froze for a bit when I ran my tongue from the very bottom of her pussy down to her clit.

    Strangely enough, it appeared that rather than dulling the sensation, the thin cloth of her nightwear only served to make the girl more sensitive.

    Her entire body twitched. The muscles in her thighs vibrated, struggling to keep her hips up when everyst atom of her body desired to just give in to the pleasure and rxation.

    "So you can do it like that too��" Mia whispered in a tired voice, giving up on the idea of taking my underpants down. Following my example, she moved her hand on top of my nightwear, moving her fingers up and down as she gently caressed the bulge of my dick.

    I gave Mia''s sweet pussy another lick.

    ''If I''m not mistaken��'' I thought, taken aback for a second.

    Her nightwear was already wet from how I licked it already�� but now that I did it again, I couldn''t help but believe that it was slightly wetter than it should already be!

    ''Normally it would take a bit longer,'' I thought while making sure this realization wouldn''t stop me from keeping my tongue and lips busy.

    "Yes, I''m already excited," Mia admitted out loud, somehow reading through the observations I made in my mind. Then, she pushed her fingers deeper into my pants, grabbing at my dick through the cloth.

    "But so are you," she added, only to wrap her sweet lips that I was busy kissing just a moment ago around the very top of my cloth-d dick.

 Chapter 497 Mias Worry (R18)

    ?

    ''I wonder if this already etches into the realm of edging,'' I thought while trying to not let the pleasure get too much into my head.

    Sure, both Mia''s lips and her fingers were blocked by the texture of my rtively light nightwear. The same could be applied to how Mia felt about my own actions. And yet, this slightcking, the desire to feel her flesh and skin directly��

    This unfulfilled desire somehow managed to get me even more excited, feeding into my anticipation of how I would feel once we would finally cast aside the barrier of clothes.

    "Hey��" Mia raised her mouth from my cloth-d dick. Yet, she didn''t stop there.

    First, she rested her hands on my thighs before prompting her upper body up. Then, as if she wanted to put a stop to my own tongue too, she pulled her hips towards my chest, just far away from my face to make it impossible for my mouth to reach her sweet ce.

    "Something wrong?" I asked.

    It was pretty damn unusual for Mia to put a stop to our y! And as something rare, it instantly made my attention spike, worried that there was something wrong that I didn''t notice.

    "Ah, no, there''s nothing wrong," Mia quickly dispelled my worries. She then rose up even higher, now fully sitting down on the upper part of my chest. "I just got this thought��"

    ''She really learned how to be dramatic well,'' I thought while waiting for the girl to borate on the thought that prompted her to stop.

    "You see, I don''t know if it works the same way for you, but having you pleasure me through my clothes��" Mia''s voice dimmed, turning weaker with each word she said once she noticed just how embarrassing it was to speak out loud about sex, even if it wasn''t anything new for us at this point.

    "It has this distinct taste of expectation, doesn''t it?" I suggested, more than happy to share how I felt about the entire thing.

    Sure, it started as just a random idea that I wanted to test out�� but there was no denying how much I enjoyed it.

    Or rather, how effective it was at building anticipation for what was toe.

    "It feels great for me too and I just can''t wait for us to move on," Mia chuckled, agreeing with my interpretation of our small y. "But it''s not what I meant," she said with a gentle shake of her head that turned her long hair into a storm.

    "What is it, then?" I asked. Since it was now clear that Mia wanted to put a stop to our intimacy, I stopped my attempts at somehow reaching her ass with my mouth and satisfied myself by just reaching out andying my hands down on her stomach.

    From there, with just a single move of my hands��

    "It feels strangely nice to do it through the clothes, doesn''t it?" Mia asked again, even though she raised exactly the same point just in different wording a mere moment ago.

    "It sure does," I admitted while gently digging my fingers into her waist as I opted to go for a light massage.

    Sure, the ability to slide my hands down, sneak them under her clothes, and touch her directly�� It was pretty damn tempting! Still, seeing how she was pretty serious about the topic she wanted to raise, I opted not to do it just yet.

    "Then why didn''t you suggest it back when we couldn''t really sleep together?" Mia asked while looking back and down over her shoulder.

    By doing so, she inevitably caught my stare locked on her shapely ass. And as if to not let my hopes down, she pushed it just a tiny bit to the back while moving her upper body down.

    In reality, the position of her hips on top of my chest didn''t change. It was still just an inch too far for my lips to reach her pussy�� But now that she leaned a bit, the sight right before my sore eyes became all the better.

    "And why would I suggest it back then?" I asked while trying my utmost to tear my eyes away from the hint of her pussy that Mia nearly shoved into my face.

    "I mean, we couldn''t do it back then because direct intimacy was too much for me to handle, isn''t that right?" Mia asked while clearly enjoying just what kind of insane effect her beauty had on me.

    She could clearly see my intense stare. She could see how I couldn''t move my eyes away from her ass. And she could most likely feel how my fingers, although still massaging her waist, were already gravitating towards the ce between her legs. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Even now I can feel the energy seeping into me," Mia continued her exnation by turning her head back to the front and reaching out with her hand to gently grab at the bulge of my dick. "Those clothes of yours are thing�� but they are not made from some extremely high-quality fabric."

    ''What is she trying to point out?'' I asked myself, eager to figure out the way Mia thought right now.

    Yet, right as I managed to put my lust aside and actually focus on the topic, Mia strangely turned silent.

    Unwilling to let her suffer through even the tiniest mental hardship alone, I opted against escting our intimacy and used my hands to grab at her waist before pushing her down my chest.

    Once Mia''s hips rested roughly on my abdomen, I pushed myself up, all the way to the point where I pressed myself against Mia''s back. At the same time, rather than just holding her by her waist, I pushed my hands deeper and locked them around the girl''s stomach, enclosing her in a tight embrace.

    "I can tell that you are worried about something," I whispered while hugging the girl from the back. "You know I''m here for you, so why not just tell me what is it?"

    Even now, Mia''s delicate fragrance was making my mind go mad.

    We changed position to one much less stimting�� but my boner didn''t go away. And now, Mia''s crotch inevitably rubbed against it, preventing it from going down even as I opted to focus on the topic instead.

    "I''m doing my absolute best to grow stronger, you know?" Mia whispered in a feeble voice a few momentster. And from the way she uttered those words, I could tell just how hard it was for her to speak about it.

    Yet, rather than interrupting her with encouragement, I simply tightened my embrace while hiding my face in the corner between her neck and her shoulder.

    "But I can still tell that sooner orter, you will once again grow too strong for me to handle your power," Mia finally revealed the source of her worries. "So��" she then hesitated. "I can live without being the strongest. I can even handle not being your match. But after everything that we did��"

    Mia turned silent. Yet, too worried about breaking her flow, I simply waited for her to gather her thoughts while doing my best to send as much encouragement as I could just by hugging her.

    Yet, to my slight surprise, rather than just enjoying the hug, Mia actually moved up!

    The second our bodies parted, I felt an insane pull towards her, the desire to grab at her waist and pull her back towards me, never to let her go again.

    Yet, before I could put my thoughts into action, Mia simply turned around and dropped right back on myp. This time, however, she was facing me directly.

    "But after all we did, I don''t think I can live without your warmth," she revealed before pressing herself even closer to me and reaching for my mouth with her sweet, delicate lips.

    ''Uff, there goes my worry,'' I thought, allowing myself to enjoy the kiss for a short while.

    Yet, once again, Mia proved that she didn''t really mind taking charge of things.

    "I know that your rise is inevitable, so I''m already looking for ways that will allow me to either catch up or at least satisfy your desires," she whispered once she pulled out from the kiss.

    "Wai��"

    Mia didn''t allow me to utter even a single word. As soon as I pulled my mouth open to speak, she attacked once again, filling my mouth with her tongue and passion.

    Then, when my mind went slightly numb due to how insane it felt for her to be so damn aggressive, I felt her hand reaching down only to pull both her nightwear aside before freeing my dick from the confines of my pants.

    "That''s why," Mia muttered as she raised both her eyes and pressed them against both sides of my face, locking it in ce. Then, with just the skillful movement of her hips alone, she led the tip of my dick right towards the entrance of her pussy.

    "That''s why, I''m going to let you enjoy me as much as I can, for as long as I can," she announced, before dropping her hips down and finally putting my dick back to where it belonged.

 Chapter 498 Im Ready (R18)

    ?

    My mind went nk.

    Kept on the edge for quite a while, when the promise of the moment finally came true, it still managed to catch me with my guard and pants down.

    Mia''s soft tightness wrapped around every tiniest part of my dick, squeezing it as she dropped her hips down.

    Her insides coiled around my junior, threatening to suck all its juices out.

    "Haaa��" Mia breathed out a lungful of air, right in my face from a mere inch away.

    The taste and warmth of her breath basked my head, filled my nostrils, and warmed up my cheeks.

    All the while her soft folds desperately tightened around me down there, showcasing just how much Mia desired me herself.

    "This is��" I muttered, struggling to get a single word out of me. My hands frantically grasped at the girl''s slim waist, and my fingers dug deep into her soft and delicate flesh.

    "I can''t hold��" I squeezed out the warning between my tightened lips.

    After all the teasing we did beforehand, I could barelyst a single move right now!

    Mia suddenly grasped my head between her head. She then leaned in, stopping only a hair width away from my face.

    "It''s okay," she whispered in an extremely profound voice.

    It was as if an entirely new world opened up in the depth of her eyes that were looking right into my soul.

    Mia''s pussy tightened beyond any reason, her entire body working in tandem to push all my buttons. Her insides twisted and coiled, massaging every inch of my dick and rubbing Mia''s hot and slimy liquids in it.

    "This is the benefit of settling down," she breathed out, raising her right hand from my cheek to push away a strand of hair that dropped on my face. She then slid the inner side of her fingers across my forehead, wiping it clean from all the sweat. "Now that we are going to stay here," Mia kept on whispering right into my face while gently holding it in ce with just the tips of her fingers.

    For some reason, however, I felt as if I was locked by unbreakable chains.

    "I believe I''m ready," Mia whispered, her voice starting to break.

    Then, she moved her head to the side, no longer able to bare the shame while looking down at my face.

    Her head moved past my ear, resting in the corner between my neck and my shoulder. Her hands moved down and snuck underneath my arms, only to lock behind my back.

    With my dick locking her in ce from the front, Mia moved her legs around my hips and locked them too.

    She then squeezed my entire body with all her might. And as her insides twisted my dick in her boiling-hot insides, her breath struck my ear, bringing me all the way to the edge.

    "I want to bear your child," Mia whispered right into my ear. Then, she pulled her tongue out and ran its tip across my earlobe. "So cum in me lots, m''kay?"

    I was long since bncing on the edge.

    Every tiniest of Mia''s actions, twists, or moves only pushed my mind deeper into the pleasure-filled abyss.

    And with her clear demand to get impregnated, my senses went haywire.

    "Fuck!" I breathed out, my hands shooting down and digging deep into Mia''s soft ass.

    Her entire body wrapped tightly around my flesh.

    And with one, swift move, I rocked the two of us up, standing up on the bed.

    "Mia��" I spoke out, suddenly freezing right when I stood up and held my love up by her ass while the very gravity continued to impale her deeper on my dick. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    I removed one of my hands from the girl''s ass, raising it up and driving my fingers across the sea of Mia''s long hair. Then, after tracing it all the way to her head, I snuck my fingers across her scalp, gathering her hair at its very base in my hand.

    "Can I look at your face?" I asked, moving my other hand up to hold her by her waist instead. The lock of her hands and legs was more than enough to keep her tightly impaled on my dick.

    Then, I gently pulled at her hair, more to help her pull her head to the back than to force her.

    It took a moment, but Mia reluctantly pulled her head back and allowed me to gaze upon her beauty.

    "I''m sorry, but I really wanted to look you in the eyes while saying it," I whispered, this time putting my face right across hers.

    My dick throbbed, the cum boiling in it held back only by the utmost effort of my will.

    Mia''s face was covered in furious red.

    Even after all we''ve done, boldly asking to be impregnated was still a bit too much for Mia to shamelessly say.

    "You know," before I could speak, Mia gently parted her lips and started to speak, only to lean in and nt a gentle kiss on my face between every third and fourth word. "Back when I was first assigned to you, I''ve never expected things to end this way," she spoke.

    The expression in her eyes made it clear.

    Right now, Mia was baring herself open before me.

    She looked down into my eyes with pure fascination and shock, something I''ve only ever seen in my previous life in a short movie of a girl being drugged before the operation and acting all shocked when the boyfriend she forgot about teased her a bit.

    The pure, unadulterated joy and fulfillment shed in her eyes as she licked her lips while looking down at mine.

    "Mia��" I whispered, shocked by the intimate beauty blinding my eyes from such a dangerously close distance. And with her body wrapped all around mine and her pussy greedily gulping down every drop of precum that I failed to hold back��?

    "I want you to bear my children," I whispered while staring right into Mia''s deep eyes.

    The look of pure, unadulterated joy on the girl''s face exploded and twisted her lips into a near feral smile.

    "Yes!" Mia called out before closing her eyes and reaching out with her lips for my mouth.

    She nted a fet, moist kiss on my lips before pulling out for a second and leaving a strand of saliva hanging between our mouths.

    "And I want to fill you up while looking at your face," I added another bold request.

    The happiness on Mia''s face was slowly reaching the limits of sanity.

    And this time, rather than replying, she leaned in again before pushing her greedy tongue into my mouth.

    ''I guess I can only oblige now,'' I thought, lifting the restraints of my lust.

    The second it started to act, I bent my knees and lost bnce on purpose, dropping down with Mia on the bed and pinning her down below me.

    Then, right as my mind started to fry and the cum in my balls started to boil, I used the momentum of the drop to push myself even deeper inside.

    Mia''s thighs desperately mped down on my hips, holding me in ce while her pussy coiled and twisted.

    Unable to bear it any longer, I unleashed all of my desire into the girl while pressing myself down on her with all my might.

    Pinned down, Mia hid her face into the corner of my neck and shoulder, gasping for breath while her pussy wrought everyst drop of the cum from my balls while her womb greedily gulped it all down.

 Chapter 499 Pro-Creation (Part1)(R18)

    ?

    "Haaa��"

    A long sigh escaped from my mouth.

    Long over were the times when we would awkwardly seek what brings pleasure to the other. The times for us to grind our own approach down to better fit the other person have long since passed.

    Now, we knew each other perfectly.

    I knew that holding Mia by her waist made her both feel protected and also give a boost to her excitement. Hugging her closely or caressing her back would invoke a burst of affection while kissing and manhandling her would add fuel to the fires of her lust.

    On the other hand, Mia knew that ying around with my ears would make my mind go nk. Getting all over and cuddly would surprisingly breathe new life into my hips even after I would grow tired.

    We both knew what buttons to press and what actions to avoid with each other.

    As such, when I came��

    I came hard.

    My fingers sank into Mia''s flesh. My hips rocked up�� And the long-building pressure in my balls finally overcame the mental barriers that held my lust back.

    With onest jerk of my entire body, I released the stream of sperm directly into Mia''s insides, injecting her full of seed.

    "Aaaah!!!" Taking in the air, Mia moaned.

    She shot her head to the back while at the same time holding me down with her hands, as if worried that in a moment of carelessness, she could just fly away.

    Her body tensed up while her pussy continued to twitch, greedily gulping down every tiniest drop of my cum.

    "Haaa��" we were both exhausted, too tired, and immersed in the moment to even speak.

    Instinctively, our bodies sought each other, falling into an even deeper hug.

    A first ray of the new day''s light shot through the holes in the ceiling and cast a light ray that then danced on Mia''s back. It oscited from one drop of sweat on Mia''s back to the other, flickering whenever a cloud would pass.

    "I''m spent��" I muttered, hanging to Mia''s waist just to keep myself anchored to the world.

    Getting intimate with her was always a special event. We could screw like rabbits for years, and yet, each and every time we would go down would be a moment out of my life that I would remember forever.

    ''I asked this a thousand times but I will ask this again,'' I thought, immersing myself in the joy of hugging Mia''s feeble body.

    Now that we''ve bothe, she appeared even more delicate than before.

    The desire to just hold her and keep her safe from the rest of the world burst out in my abdomen, causing me to move my hands from Mia''s waist and lock them behind her back instead.

    "Everything''s all right?"

    Mia rxed her thighs, gently plopping down on myp.

    She didn''t really care how my dick was still inside of her, stopping all of my cum from flowing out.

    Still, rather than hugging, Mia locked her hands behind my neck before hanging herself to the back, allowing me to nce down at the two mountains of her springy bosom.

    ''She will be feeding my kid with those��'' I thought, awed by Mia''s presence so much I forgot to keep her in a hug. Instead, I allowed one of my hands to move up and then drop on the girl''s chest.

    This time, however, it wasn''t another act to the nightly y.

    No. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Rather than fondling her boob, I simply caressed it, awed by the perfect beauty of this small part of my beloved.

    My hand supported it from the bottom as if to check the weight of Mia''s breast. Then, I swiped my hand across it, feeling Mia''s mound in its entirety. Then, my fingers pinched at the nipple only for my eyes to move up and look right into Mia''s face.

    "You will be feeding our kid with those," I whispered.

    Still physically and spiritually connected, I looked deep into the girl''s eyes.

    Past the physical barrier, deeper than just the color of her eyes.

    Mia didn''t hold her stare back either, sinking into this spiritualmunion with me.

    My hand moved down from Mia''s boob and rested upon her slim stomach.

    I caressed her tummy with the inner palm of my hand for a while.

    "Here, my kid will grow," I muttered, something strange welling up inside of me.

    I looked up again.

    This time, however, Mia''s eyes already started to change.

    It was hard to describe how they changed. Or if they changed at all.

    But the look in Mia''s eyes changed for sure. And with my every word, it grew even deeper.

    Mia''s hips twitched, sending a fresh wave of pleasure up my strained hips. Against all odds, my dick reacted, jerking up and down as it started to suck in the blood, ready to perform again.

    Locked on each other stare, we simply remained in ce, in this strange state between lust, affection, and extreme desire for procreation.

    Mia didn''t really move much, save for some asional twitching.

    I didn''t move much either, with the exception of when my muscles would randomly twitch.

    We didn''t fuck at all, and yet, with just those minuscule actions, our bodies led us to another climax. Once again, the content of my balls burst forth. But as there was no more space in Mia''s womb, the sperm at first pressed at my dick, and when unable to push it out, it started to squeeze between my dick and Mia''s insides.

    But I couldn''t care less about any of that.

    In this moment of strange, world-induced union, not only our bodies twisted�� Bo so did our mana.

    In an uncontroble feat of higher creation, our energies started to swirl and then follow an extremely refined path.

    A path that I never noticed before. A path that I wouldn''t even consider to be possible.

    If the cultivation paths that I''ve worked on up until now were like a schematic of a simple electrical system, then the paths that I could feel forming within me right now��

    They were like a perfect quantum description of every atom within a system, where all kinds of mechanical, electromaic, gravitational, and magical forces all worked in tandem to bring forth��

    Bring forth what?

    That, I couldn''t know.

    But with this peculiar pathing to be as a creation from my and Mia''s path uniting and then merging on the outside, I could be sure of one damn thing.

    Whatever woulde out of this strange event would be far beyond anything that I could even attempt to figure out on my own!"

 Chapter 500 Pro-Creation (Part 2)(R18)

    ?

    "Ah��"

    Mia screamed out in shock. She pulled her head back. All of her muscles tensed up, making her wrap herself all around me tighter than ever before.

    My own head suddenly went bad, filling with feelings and sensations I could''ve not experienced.

    For but an instant, I felt everything about Mia''s body just as well as I could feel my own. I could feel my dick in her�� and all the pleasure that having it scrap against her insides brought the girl.

    And judging from Mia''s reaction, the full range of my own pleasure, desire, and affection filled her mind as well.

    This strange weave of both of our mana flows that connected and then entangled�� It was soplex, so fine in its foundations, that it apparently connected our minds together!

    "Arty!"

    A bout of fear filled Mia''s soul, only to resonate with my own soul.

    I felt my�� no, it was her head that moved. Fueled by the fear I could feel, Mia''s head rocked forth as she sought my lips, seeking assurance in a kiss.

    My hips jerked up.

    ''So lovely,'' a sense of adoration filled my mind�� and likely struck Mia as well.

    In this chaotic moment, we all shared our feelings, thoughts, and deepest sensations. As such, there was no use hiding anything, as a mere attempt at doing so would only cause the matter toe up at the top of our shared mind.

    Responding to Mia''s wish that I felt, I grabbed her closer and pulled her head, aggressively assaulting her lips.

    Zink!

    As if some yful god turned up the sensitivity of the spell, the second our lips pressed, everything increased by tenfold.

    Now, Mia''s feelings weren''t something that I could just feel, something that I was aware of.

    Now, Mia''s feelings simply became mine.

    As if we turned into a single organism that instantly reacted to its needs and desires, we now moved in tandem, in perfect symphony.

    Despite how Mia''s cultivation still didn''t allow her to be well through a sustained influx of energy from my cum, it didn''t matter to her so deeply it instantly voided all the worries that could be born in my heart.

    My sperm from before now turned to a lubricant that made Mia''s pussy an even better fit for our bodies to connect and lock together.

    At this moment, there was no sense of me or her. It was only us.

    Connected in the shared sea of consciousness, instantly responding to everything that as much has only ever shed in our minds.

    Mia epted every sort of desire burning in my heart, moving her hips to make her pussy act in a way I only ever could experience with my hand before. My own dick reacted to Mia''s wishes too, tensing up and standing at attention even mid-move, just to press against the part of the girl''s insides that felt particrly good.

    My hands sought all the points that the girl wanted me to caress right now, constantly moving all over her body.

    The mostplex thought that I could form in my current, messy state of mind, was how her reactions to my dick and hands made her even more adorable, squirming while holding me in a tight embrace�� This only served to fuel Mia''s desire to be touched even more, making her even more adorable, both in the flesh and in the soul, which closed the virtuous cycle of affection.

    Bit by bit, even though we did absolutely everything that we could to provide for all the desires that burned in our hearts, our passion only even kept on growing.

    It was as if the fire inside of us couldn''t be stopped, forever seeking to grow until it would consume the two of us.

    Somewhat vaguely, I could sense my cultivation starting to merge with Mia''s.

    The second I realized it, the girl noticed it herself. And although we both went through a bout of fear of what it could mean��

    In a mere second, we both came to ept whatever was happening.

    It just felt right to merge on every possible level, even if it would lead to some sort of disaster and ultimately the end of our lives.

    After all, if we could be so closely connected, then what else could ever matter in the world?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Suddenly, a thought surfaced. A mere memory that could note from this world.

    And in it��

    Our bodies froze.

    As if the floodgates have burst open, a memory of a single photograph from my former life led to the tsunami of all the thoughts that were connected with it.

    Mia didn''t even need to ask. She simply felt the desire to know more, eager to indulge herself in me even further. And the second I felt it, my thoughts innocently responded, flooding her brain with all sorts of pictures, knowledge, and facts.

    I experienced this flood as well, noticing how Mia seemed to instantly absorb and digest all of the information flowing into her as if it was all part of her own life as well.

    This thought, served to create another logical tangent of thoughts that all filled our shared consciousness, giving Mia a precise and detailed insight into everything that was rted to the original thought.

    "Mwah!"

    Suddenly, the connection weakened by a massive margin.

    I could still feel the echo of Mia''s everything�� but now it was all dulled down.

    After experiencing the full connection for what had to be like a mere moment in reality, my mind was no longer numbed by this partial one.

    "We need to stop��" Mia managed to breathe heavily out.

    She was horny out of her mind, eager to devour everyst bit of cum that my body could produce. She was deadset on having my seed blossom in her womb, regardless of how impossible of a feat it would be for cultivators like us��

    And I felt all of that. And despite all of those feelings of hers, she still managed to rein herself in.

    "We will be out of our minds if we keep at it," the girl struggled to speak, clearly forcing her lips to move over just transmitting her thoughts over our weakened connection. "If an attackes�� Or if this will lead us down a wrong path��"

    I scoured my mind, trying to make sense of the situation.

    Now that Mia took the struggle to voice her worries, I just couldn''t think about anything else but solving them.

    And in a mere instant, a set of thoughts went back and forth between the two of us.

    "Master!"

    I called out with my mana, somehow borrowing theplexity of the energy structure connecting our cultivation to reach out through the walls, through all the distance that separated me from Levi.

    And from the sound of someone jumping up and hitting his head with something, my call seeded.

    ''Now then,'' I thought, reaching down and grabbing the sheets from under my ass before throwing them in the air and ultimately pulling them down to cover our bodies.

    A mere momentter, Levi burst into the room, ready to ward off any invader who dared to invade the two of us in our private time.

    He stopped across the rubble of the doors that he broke during his entrance�� and froze.

    "Where?!" the royal called out, all ready to unleash his full power to squash any damn bug that managed to infiltrate the city.

    "Levi, that''s not it," I replied in a low voice while making sure Mia''s entire body was now perfectly hidden under rtively loose sheets.

    And just like before, all of my sense of jealousy, unwillingness to let anyone get even a single idea of how Mia looked like�� It all resounded within her mind as well.

    "I kinda need you to stand guard and make sure no one will bother us for�� heavens only know how long," I exined with a troubled smile.

    Levi looked up at my face and then down to a huge lump below the sheets that I was covering my chest with.

    At first, a look of bother appeared on his face. And then, as he raised his eyes back to look at me, his face froze in astonishment.

 Chapter 501 Pro-Creation (Part 3)(R18)

    ?

    When I called for Levi, I expected him to put up a guard or two, maybe patrol the city''s streets on his own.

    But what I failed to predict, was his reaction to my words�� A reaction that indicated there was a deeper meaning behind what I said that I myself was not aware of!

    "Just give me a minute, I will be right back!" Levi shouted before rushing deeper into the building, leaving behind nothing but the rubble that used to be the door to our room.

    "Damn, that''s kinda annoying," I muttered, pressing my lips together as I looked at the gaping hole where the doors used to be, making it pretty damn easy for anyone randomly passing through the corridor to peek into our room.

    At the bottom of my heart, I knew that such a thing wouldn''t happen. No one was dumb enough to parade around the deserted part of the building when they knew that''s where I made my love nest, especially dead in the middle of the night!

    Still, knowing that people might be looking gave birth to a spark of possessiveness that set my soul aze.

    "It''s okay," Mia whispered, using the connection between our cultivation to pass on what she meant rather than hoping for her feeble voice to reach my ears from underneath the sheets.

    And Mia''s intent and the reasoning behind her attempt all transmitted directly to my brain along with the message she wanted to convey.

    Mia climbed up a little, pushing her back against the sheets I was covering her with so that her head would poke out right above my chest.

    And seeing her gentle, caring, and soothing smile��

    My brain went haywire yet again, making my insides melt in the ocean of affection I felt toward the delicate girl wrapped in my arms.

    "I�� I understand, but I do not agree," I replied to the deep message that Mia transmitted solely through our link.

    Right now, she craved me so damn much that she couldn''t care less about whether or not someone else saw her. Yet, she remained hidden under the sheets out of sheer consideration for how having others see her would make me feel��

    Which she could tell without even probing all that deep into my soul!

    I understood Mia''s desire to just leave everything to Levi and keep on going. Feeling her warmth pressed tightly against my body, feeling her warm breath tickle the skin of my chest�� It would suffice to say I was more than ready to pick up the pace.

    But Levi''s face was somehow stuck in my mind, the sense of absolute astonishment and shock�� A face that I''ve never seen the man make before. And when it came to the strongest person that I knew about, this wasn''t all that small of a deal!

    And while Mia was willing to tolerate the idea of someone''s eyes falling on us while we were busying ourselves with each other, I simply couldn''t agree with it.

    No.

    Mia''s beauty was all mine and only mine to adore!

    "Hehe��" Sensing the burst of my devotion, Mia giggled a little only to rx her limbs and make her upper body fall down on me as she rubbed her face into my chest.

    "I''ming!"

    Right as the cuteness of my woman was about to make me give up on restraint, ignore my own doubts, and pick up the pace, Levi''s voice came like a bucket of cold, sobering water.

    Thump.

    After crashing into the side of the corridor, Levi ran up roughly halfway up to the ruined doors before stopping and turning his back towards our room.

    "I''ve set the guards all over the ce. No one will disturb you, no one will be able to attack you. Now, take as long as you need and just focus on each other," Levi ordered in the very same tone he used all the way back when he was but a pathfinder who decided to lend his help and tutorship to a young cultivator lost in worldly schemes.

    "Levi, what the heck is going on?" I couldn''t hold my curiosity back any longer. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Not when my former master was making a face like this.

    "I''m aware just how curious you have to be, be the less you know about what''s going on the better!" Levi cut my request short before starting to walk down the corridor. "I''ve set up a barrier all around your room that will block any and all from seeing, hearing, or perceiving anything that happens within. So, take your time and just enjoy yourself to the fullest!"

    "Wait!" I called out�� Only for Levi''s actions to speak for themselves, when I sensed my voice strike some sort of blockade before turning into a uniform noise that near instantly faded away.

    "I guess he can''t hear me��" I then muttered, heaving a deep sigh once I confirmed the position and validity of the barrier.

    And then, with my mind already inching towards the detective mode necessary to solve this mystery, I felt a sudden bout of emotion from Mia before her fists struck lightly against my chest.

    "No more thinking," she spoke, climbing a bit up myp before raising her upper body and allowing the sheets to fall down her shoulders, exposing the beauty of her nakedness in its full glory.

    The instant Mia revealed herself, my lust for her flesh exploded, only to resonate with Mia''s own desire for me. Struck in the loop of feeling each other''s lust and having it reinforce our own neediness, we both swayed.

    My head fell down, its back pressing deeply into the pillows. Mia''s body slumped down, forcing her to shoot her hands forth and rest them on my shoulders.

    Looking up, I was struck with yet another form of Mia''s beauty.

    Mounted on the bed and pinned down to it by her weight, I now stared right into Mia''s deep eyes while her long hair fell down and seemingly cut away the rest of the world.

    For a mere moment, the world ceased to be, reced just by Mia''s huge eyes, her tiny, slightly perky nose, her adorable, full lips, the chin that begged to be grabbed to pull her into a kiss��

    I didn''t even raise my hand.

    Just my desire to connect our lips acted like a hammer to Mia''s back, pressing her down as she wrapped her hands around my head and pulled my face up.

    ''Haaa��.''

    At this point, it wasn''t anything new.

    A simple fact of having Mia press her soft, supple lips against mine, the sensation of our movements synchronizing and turning into a passionate dance, the taste of our saliva mixing together��

    I''ve experienced all of this, many times over.

    But that didn''t make it any less special.

    With my brain filled with nothing but my adorable girl seeking more and more intense cuddles and affection, I gave up on all the rationale, diving head-first into the bottomless pit of my desire for her.

    ��?��m My hands moved up, grabbing at the girl''s waist.

    "Haaa��." Mia released a long, moist breath, covering my face with the warmth of her insides the very second our lips parted.

    I could feel Mia''s muscles shifting under the touch of my hands as she alternated between tensing up as if there was no tomorrow only to then rx as if the tomorrow didn''t matter anymore.

    And in this moment of pure desire, all the thoughts about the strange cultivation link that connected us vanished from my head, reced with Mia, Mia, and a little bit more of Mia.

    Which, by no means, meant this link ceased to be.

 Chapter 502 Taking The Power Back (R18)(1/2)

    ?

    I couldn''t tell for how long we ended up going at it.

    At first, we took things slow, as if still worried about the presence of the people nearby. Yet, as our lust started to grow and chase away all the unnecessary thoughts, I quickly stopped minding the potential onlookers and fully focused on the beauty and affection cuddling in my arms.

    It felt weird.

    It felt weird to keep on receiving satisfaction and only have my lust keep on growing.

    It was weird how Mia managed to easily get herself ustomed to the constant flow of my energy, regardless of how much she struggled to ept it before.

    It was, without even a shred of doubt, weird, how our senses seemed to connect, allowing us to share our experiences with each other on the go.

    But while cuddled up in Mia''s embrace, having her hands pull my head into the soft cushion of her chest�� I simply couldn''t care less.

    "How do you want to do it next?" I asked as the two of us fell down onto our sheets, too exhausted for the moment to keep on going, despite the fire consuming both mine but also Mia''s crotch.

    "And how would you like to take me?" Mia asked, snuggling around for a bit before pressing her back against my chest as she fitted herself to be the small spoon within my embrace.

    "Forever and ever, in ways that you will find most pleasurable," I whispered my response, how useless as it was, into Mia''s ear.

    I truly went a long way.

    From a horny teen who pretended to have some morals only to end up falling for Mia''s charms as soon as the temptation grew a tiny bit stronger. Through a man who actively sought to pleasure me while with her, then all the way through the time when I couldn''t even think about her without my entire body freezing as it remembered the horrors of having that ball of fat force itself upon me��

    My body shrugged.

    I myself already grew more or less immune to the memories of what happened. I had enough time to work it out,ter reinforced by all the love and affection Mia showered me with whenever she had the chance.

    That''s why when the memories of that time resurfaced as a result of my stray thoughts randomly wandering my mind�� I didn''t really mind it, as I was already used to it.

    But the same couldn''t be said about Mia.

    "Ugh��" the girl twitched ufortably, obviously distraught by what she saw through our link. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Without a word, she turned herself around to face me before reaching out with one of her hands that she then rested on my cheek.

    "What I saw just now��" Mia whispered while tears started to squeeze out of the corners of her eyes. "Is that true?" she asked, bringing her face even closer while enclosing my head within the soft embrace of her hands as if to stop me from looking away and thus nonverbally changing the topic.

    "Depend��" I spoke out right away, only to cut my words when I realized just how wrong it was to shy away from this topic.

    Just like there were things that Mia went through in the past, there were things that happened to me without her prior knowledge. And while she was aware that something happened back then��

    Today was likely the first time when she realized the full scope of the trauma that I went through.

    "It''s okay��" Mia whispered, most likely feeling how just touching this topic in my mind was enough to tear the scab of my mental wounds, tearing them open anew. "I''m here for you," she added, breathing her words right in my face before her lips nted a gentle kiss right on the middle of my forehead.

    I sensed something slightly mischievous through our connection�� Only to have Mia suddenly start showering every bit of my face with wet, sloppy kisses, as if trying to suck out all the tears that once sunk into the skin of my face.

    "Back then, that whore robbed you out of power," Mia softly spoke in between the many kisses that she continued to shower me with.

    Somehow, while sinking into the gentle pleasure Mia''s lips provided, I ended up lying down on my back while having Mia mount me from the top, just like when we were when themotion started.

    "They robbed you of the ability to decide. They tricked you as they knew they couldn''t really deal with you fair and square."

    Rather than whispering sweet nothingness, Mia kept on whispering what I only considered to be amasculine excuses, mere attempts at distancing myself from the responsibility of working through what happened.

    "I know just how strong you are," Mia whispered, her fingers dancing on my chest. "But this time, it''s not about me knowing this," she added, her knee moving up as she started to rub her thigh against the area of my crotch��

    Only to suddenly raise up and move to the side of the bed, dismounting me only to fall on all fours before pressing her chest against the bedsheets and pulling her hips up, presenting me with the heart-like shape of her shapely bottom in its full disy.

    "Right now, it''s about you showing me your power," Mia spoke, this time in a slightly louder whisper to ount for the muffling effect of the pillow she pressed her face into.

    "I want you to take me as hard as you desire, to mind not my pleasure or needs, and just release yourself through the pleasure," Mia requested, only to pull one of her hands out to the back, reaching for her crotch before hooking her finger against the outer lip of her pussy and then using it to spread herself open.

    "I''m fine with whatever you will do with me, so by taking me," Mia turned her head so that it would be the side of her face resting on the pillow, freeing her mouth to speak properly and her eyes to nce over at my blush-covered face. "So by taking me, I want you to take back the power you lost back then."

 Chapter 503 Buried Past (Slightly R18)

    ?

    "Argh!"

    A bestial moan escaped from my lips.

    A strange, foreign-like energy suddenly exploded in my loins outwards, filling my entire body with power I didn''t know I had.

    Unable to suppress my desires now that Mia kept on edging me for so long, I jumped up�� Only to reach out and grab Mia by her waist.

    Then, with one, swift and well-practiced move, I pulled my crotch towards Mia''s exposed parts before pressing the tip of my hardness against the invitingly twitching outer folds of her sweetest ce.

    ''How could I ever be rough with her?'' I suddenly asked myself, quelling the bestial desire to just jerk my hips forward and force my dick as deep down Mia''s insides as I could. ''How could I ever as much as risk a single strand of hair falling down her face? How could I ever cause her pain?!''

    With the insane amount of lust filling every cell of blood in my veins, I was holding myself back by just the thinnest strand of willpower.

    "Arthy��" Mia called out pleadingly, moving her fingers from spreading herself open to grabbing at the shaft of my dick, keeping it in ce as she pushed her hips to the back, practically nailing herself on me.

    I could sense her desire�� but not only the desire to feel good with me for yet another time.

    No, this was something deeper.

    I leaned forward and rested myself against Mia''s back, pinning her down to the bed while inserting only the very tip of my dick, just to keep it in the correct position.

    By getting closer to her skin, I could sense our connection growing stronger.

    I had no clue what sort of principle was behind this entire quirk, but right now I simply couldn''t be bothered toin or think much about it.

    ''Just what is it?'' I asked myself, fully aware Mia would notice my curiosity.

    And I was right. But rather than trying to cover the insides of her soul and hide them from my perception, the very second Mia noticed my curiosity, she opened herself up instead, inviting me into her heart and then joining me in my efforts to uncover that peculiar feeling.

    We dug deeper, past the overwhelmingly massive ocean of ourbined lust. Past all the affection,fort stemming from the warmth of the other, friendship, and camaraderie we developed over time��

    We moved deeper, past all that was ordinary and usual, even past all the things that we had different opinions on.

    Sometime during this strange, mental drift, I pushed my hips forward, instinctively figuring out that it wasn''t about how close I was to Mia''s skin that influenced the strength of our connection.

    It was all about how close the tip of my dick was away from her womb.

    I pushed my hips forward, not to rub my dick against Mia''s insides, but to enter an even deeper level of connection, making our mystery-solving endeavor all the easier.

    And then, just like that, we found it.

    A tiny yet extremely condensed seed of self-doubt, self-loathing, and regret, all bundled up with some memories I couldn''t recognize or ce within the timeline starting with the moment we met for the first time.

    The thing hidden at the very bottom of Mia''s affection towards me was perfectly mixed with what constituted the core element of her soul.

    And just like with my background as a reincarnator, while I never heard what happened to Mia to be a ve in the first ce from her lips, I was more than capable of guessing the general outline of the story.

    Still, rather than trying to learn more about things Mia has yet to growfortable enough to share with me on her own, I was actually more interested in uncovering just what was this strange guilt that made Mia affectionate and subservient to me.

    But when we finally touched this hidden emotion, Mia''s body suddenly tensed all over.

    "I remember now��" A single, three words long sentence escaped from her lips before her soul exploded in mes.

    "NOOOOOOOO!" a cry of an unknown voice reached my ears.

    My back exploded with a searing pain when a burning log pinned me down to the ground.

    My mouth filled with blood when a spear pierced through my calf only for a sword to dig right into my heart.

    I opened up my mouth to scream out from the pain, only for my perspective to change, moving me a few meters to the side�� Only for a massive barbarian to swing its hammer and crush my head with it, sending me to yet another body.

    ''It''s not real,'' I told myself, trying my absolute best to fight off this weird illusion.

    It was ufortable and unpleasant, but I couldn''t feel any threat from any of the dangers within. Still, I was in the perfect hurry to free myself from this strange world of lies.

    After all, I was a mere spectator here. And I had to find a way to help Mia, who was likely the source of this illusion.

    ''Wait, so it''s not about finding a way out, but��''

    Before I could even fully form my thought, my vision changed yet again.

    This time I felt the stinging pain of several arrows drilling holes in my back while I crawled on all fours towards a burning shed at the edge of the small vige.

    There was nothing else in this world. Just pain, more pain�� and the burning shed.

    The burning shed now spewed out four huge figures and another, smaller one, thrown over the shoulder of the biggest of the shadows.

    "MIA!" a scream escaped from my mouth only for my entire body to suddenly light itself on fire.

    The metal of the arrowheads melted down, sealing the wounds those des created. The wood of the arrow burned away in a mere instant as a raging storm of fire wrapped itself around my entire body.

    My clothes vanished in a mere moment, just like all the hair all over my body.

    But the shed still stood. And so did the four figures I saw escaping from my burning house.

    "MIA!" I shouted again, rushing forward in an uncoordinated charge, acting more like a wild beast than a human.

    In theory, I had no business standing up to those damned cultivators. I could feel how every second of keeping those strange fires was sapping the veryst few bits of the strength still left in me.

    But I couldn''t care less.

    The burning shed and the four figures in front of it were all that I cared about.

    The burning shed and the three shadows.

    The fire consuming my house and two opponents still daring to stand in front of it.

    The screams as thest of the cultivators desperately begged for mercy apanied me before I stomped his head to the ground, instantly frying the brains that spilled out from underneath the hell of my shoes.

    "Mia��"

    The fires that cloaked my body died off, deprived of the fuel necessary to keep them up.

    I looked down at the messy and teary face of my dearest daughter. The kid that I gave up everything I ever valued before just to give her a chance at a better, more peaceful life.

    "Mommy��" Mia cried a little, reaching out with her bloodied hands and grabbing onto my breasts as she tried to pull herself into my arms.

    But I no longer had any strength left to embrace her.

    My body was dead. It was only my soul that stubbornly refused to let it go yet.

    "Remember me, dearest," I somehow broke past the barrier of death, forcing my hands up and bringing Mia into onest embrace I could offer her. "Remember to be kind, especially to those whom the world refused its kindness," the words flew out of my mouth even without my intention or action.

    My mouth moved on its own, simply replicating the scenes of Mia''s forgotten past that she ended up buried deep down at the bottom of her soul.

    "And remember, dearest," my voice turned into nothing more but a fleeting whisper. "Love, if you want to be loved. Be kind if you wish to rely on the kindness of others."

    I took a breath, knowing full well it would be myst.

    "And don''t you ever let go of what will bring you happiness."

 Chapter 504 The Day I Died For The First Time

    ?

    When I came to be, I found myself in the very same position that I was right when I started mounting Mia from behind.

    Tensed up from everything I just saw, I only managed to bring my eyes down��

    Just in time to see Mia''s sweaty back, to see her skin vibrate to the rapid rhythm of her heart, to see her entire body tremble��

    "I''m here with you," I whispered, leaning down, pushing my hips forth, and then wrapping my hands underneath Mia''s stomach, effectively hugging her with my entire body from behind.

    No longer satisfied with having Mia offer everything she had to me, I tightened my hold over her waist before suddenly pulling to the back, forcing the girl off her pillows that hid her face and up on myp.

    "Are you alright?"

    Even though I knew the answer to this question, I still needed to hear Mia''s response.

    I didn''t know for sure whether she saw the exact same thing that I did, even when disregarding the difference of perspective. I didn''t know if she saw anything at all, but from the slight trembling of her body in my arms, I could tell that she, at the very least, saw something.

    I didn''t im everything would be okay. I didn''t tell her to calm down.

    No. I wasn''t going to just help Mia mute the feelings connected to what just urred. Rather than offering those empty words offort, I wanted to first know how Mia was dealing with it and only then if there was not only a way but also a need for me to help out.

    "How could I forget all of this?" Mia whispered after a few moments.

    Even without looking, I could tell her face was covered with tears as she most likely recalled the figure of who I could only assume to be her mother.

    And the further trembling of her body only proved that what she saw was pretty much along the lines of what I experienced myself.

    "Did you see it all?" Mia asked, ignoring my question as she posed one of her own.

    It was a pretty normal question, to ask if I also experienced what she did. And a question Mia instantly learned the answer to, given how we were still connected through our souls or something.

    "I did, but from the perspective of others," I exined to the best of my ability. "Rather than see how your mother rescued you with thest of her life, what I saw were thest moments of your mother instead."

    Mia sharply turned her head. She did it so strongly, she nearly twisted on myp only to then make me worry when her neck made a sound it wasn''t supposed to.

    "Not from my view but�� hers?"

    Mia couldn''t even form her questions properly. But I could easily tell what she really wanted to know.

    "It seems I was shifting from perspective to perspective, jumping from one body to another whenever my current point of view would die," I exined, making sure not to call those people neighbors, friends, or family.

    At this stage, doing so would force Mia to realize that this memory wasn''t about the death of her mother.

    It was a memory of the annihtion of her entire, peaceful n!

    "At the end, I was stuck in the perspective of a woman who killed the people by the shack, rescuing the younger you from their hands," I concluded my report.

    "Can you��" Mia hesitated.

    Not because she was worried about my reaction, but because�� she wasn''t sure whether she herself was ready to hear the answer she desired.

    "Can you tell me what she fell in herst moments?" Mia asked in a low, silent voice, merely loud enough for my ears to catch it.

    "Oh, there was only one thing that she was feeling back then. Something different�� but also the same as how I feel about you," I spoke, keeping the mystery for a moment while already dropping the hints that made the answer obvious.

    "Mia," I whispered into the girl''s ear while tightening my embrace. Then, with a new and daring n hatching in my mind, I used my hold over Mia''s waist to pull her body down, forcing my dick even deeper inside of her.

    "Ahaah!" Mia opened her mouth wide as a loud moan escaped from her lips�� Only for me to lean forward, and by sneaking over Mia''s shoulders, seal her mouth with my lips.

    With my dick reaching the very depths of Mia''s insides, poking at the entrance of her womb, with my lips sealing her mouth, my hands keeping her safe and warm and my mind drowning her in extreme affection, I invited Mia right into the very core of my soul��

    To the memories I packed up and sealed away, to never sin by thinking about the home I''ve lost.

    I always considered being homesick after my original world was as naive as it was insulting.

    The only reason for me to fantasize about my old home would be a hidden desire to actually return there. And doing so would be no different than a betrayal of all the love that Mia showered me with.

    No.

    Living my life in this world, I no longer had any irrational desire to abandon the life I''d built for the sake of returning to the ce that actively sought to remove my existence.

    ''And judging how they actually killed me, it seems I got to live in the worst period possible for my nation,'' I thought, using the memories and feelings connected to my old world to navigate through my soul, all the way to the package containing the memories from right before my death.

    The memories that I could now freely recall and inspect to solve several questions I had about the events of that important day. The memories that I was too scared to touch thus far.

    And just like Mia before, I invited my woman to explore this bundle, more than ready to let her experience what life in my old world was like, even if it came at the cost of my nostalgia rekindling.

    "Just like you exposed yourself at your weakest to me, I want to do the same," I whispered, struggling to maintain both my normal consciousness and the vignce necessary to observe how the situation changed.

    "So please,e and join me to explore the day I died for the first time."

 Chapter 505 Memories that I never knew I had (r18)

    Chapter 505 Memories that I never knew I had (r18)

    It felt weird. Insanely weird. To see thest day of my life on earth as some sort of a thought-ghost floating in the nothingness with Mia''s ghost by my side.

    And it felt all the more weird with how our bodies moved even without our direct control, acting just on instincts and feedback from our connection alone to amodate our most wicked and depraved desires.

    So, while our bodies continued to cuddle and shower each other with kisses and hugs, my consciousness mixed with Mia''s as the two of us watched how I stood in front of the university''s gate, desperately looking for my number on the list disying those who got epted.

    "It''s not there��"

    My own voice sounded in the strange space we were in, only for all the emotions of shock, disbelief, and refusal to follow.

    Yet, despite how the worst part of my old life was ying out right in front of our eyes, Mia didn''t really pay attention to it.

    And in all honesty, I couldn''t me her.

    After all, it was the very first time when she could experience the sight of my former world with her own two�� ghost eyes?

    "What a magnificent ce," Mia''s thoughts reached my consciousness the very moment she produced them.

    "When looking at it from the outside, it certainly is," I replied with a thought of my own.

    And the events of myst day in the former world continued to y out.

    I watched how my former self turned around and left as I gave up on my dream of getting into this university. And Mia watched how cars moved through the wide, open roads. How crowds walked on the wide sidewalks. How the local shops bustled with merchandise she never saw before.

    ''She''s so cute,'' I couldn''t help but thought to myself, only to feel a sudden bout of pleasure when Mia''s body reacted to this thought the very second I produced it by tensing up all over my junior.

    "Stop it," Mia protested while shooting her ghost presence of consciousness through my own in a futile imitation of poking my side. "I don''t want to lose even the slightest detail of this ce!''

    Out of nowhere, I felt some sort of strange pressure weigh down on my heart.

    It felt weird to see Mia so amazed by the modern world�� while personally knowing the dark side of it.

    Yet, regardless of how I felt about it, the memory continued.

    I saw myself going back to my apartment, with all the light of hope and ambition now gone from my old self''s eyes.

    I saw myself stumped by how the damn lift was broken, forcing me to take the stairs instead.

    I saw myself receiving the message from the Sigma Corporation that reignited the hope in my former self''s soul�� Only to be met with my assant who threw me down the stairs.

    And then, just for a good measure, someone mmed a damn rocket into the side of the building, sealing my fate in case I could somehow survive that fall.

    ''And that''s how things went,'' I thought, ready for the projection to vanish��

    But it did not.

    And to my endless surprise, the memory kept on going.

    ''Is it because my consciousness still lingered?'' I thought, only for both my body in the real world and my soul in this dream world to freeze, when I realized a certain inconsistency.

    The rocket that struck the side of the building��

    It didn''t explode. The ce it struck didn''t crumble, as if someone cut out a hole in it in advance before filling it with paper mache.

    And what was the most shocking, was how my assant didn''t seem to be surprised by that damn rocket whatsoever!

    ''What the hell is going on?!'' I started to freak out.

    How in all hell could I see those things if I was supposed to be dead by now?

    Sensing the turmoil in my soul, Mia''s body slowed down its movements. Instead, she simply turned around toy on her back before wrapping her soft legs and hands around me and locking me in her affectionate embrace.

    "What the hell are you standing around for now?!" a new, strangely familiar voice filled the scene as several people suddenly burst into the scene. "Stabilize him, right fucking now!"

    I found out where the voice wasing from, or rather, whose voice it was.

    And if I was surprised that my memories didn''t conclude, then when I saw the face of the owner of that voice��

    ''How can this be?'' I thought, the shock nearly causing my soul to copse on itself.

    In fact, if not for Mia and how she rushed to support and stabilize my mentality with her own soul, I could have pretty much lost myself just by watching the events proceed.

    And it was all because I already knew who was the man who scolded my assant.

    I could still remember seeing both his name and his face on the letter which brought back some hope in thest few moments of my former life.

    The CEO of the Sigma corporation, the genius who introduced the technology that changed the world. And the man who offered me a job, right before one of his underlings sent me tumbling to my death.

    And right now, he was mming some sort of needles all over my body while one of hisckeys pushed a long tube down my throat while another one covered my face with some sort of helmet.

    "In three!" one of the technicians called out, pushing all of the others to work even harder.

    "Two!"

    "One!"

    A blinding sh of light nearly seared my soul�� only for the memory to finallye to an end, expelling my and Mia''s soul out of this strange, dreamlike world and forcing us back into reality.

    "Ah, aha, ahahahaha��." A dry, maddenedugh escaped from my lips.

    My mind was in one hell of a mess. I couldn''t even tell what my name was anymore.

    "Arty!" Mia called me out�� but her voice came from an extremely far away, muffled as if having to traverse all sorts of obstacles just to reach my ears�� even though her lips were right by my ears. "Wake up, Arthy!" Mia''s voice grew increasingly desperate, and her hug tightened as she tried to lock me in ce with her own flesh.

    "Mia��" my consciousness wavered. Whatever it was that was pulling me down into the abyss�� suddenly stopped, as if wounded by the mere thought of something as bright as Mia in my heart.

    I took a deep breath.

    ''That''s right, whatever happened in the past, it doesn''t matter anymore,'' I thought, feeling as if one hell of a mental burden suddenly lifted from my shoulders, allowing me to, for the first time, experience my life in this new world without the desperation that filled my former life.

    "Arty! Come back to me! Please, I beg of you!" Mia''s voice grew stronger, right when my soul ignited with endless fury once I recognized just how desperate and terrified Mia had to be to produce such fragile and desperate shouts.

    I could feel her body squeezing me down as she rolled on the bed and mounted me as if hoping that she could root me in ce with her weight alone.

    ''Mia��'' I thought, weakened by all the things that I went through just now�� But also strengthened by the power of her desire and affection.

    My consciousness surged, like a diver who ran out of oxygen and rushed for the surface. Bit by bit, I regained the rity of my thoughts, all the way to the point when I suddenly took in one hell of a massive breath�� and once again anchored myself in reality.

    "Mia��" A weak whisper escaped from my mouth as I allowed my breath to fuel my body once again. "Mia��" my voice grew slightly stronger. "MIA!" I shouted from the bottom of my lungs.

    My body jerked forth, instantly moving up with Mia on myp only to roll even further forward, pushing her down on the bed before pinning her down with my own weight.

    "Arty!"

    All the desperation and horror vanished from Mia''s voice, reced by the endless gratitude and affection that struck my soul like a wave.

    And through this wave, for but a single instant, I finally realized what was the purpose of the strange connection of mana that allowed all of our recent exploits.

    "Mia!" I shouted once again, desperately pressing my body down as if trying to merge with Mia''s flesh. "I''m sorry. I will never leave you again, I swear!" I uttered whatever came to my mind at the moment, desperate to convey the meaning and strength of my feeling, while forgetting how all of them were instantly tranted through our connection anyway.

    "I will never leave you or our kid again, I swear," I muttered, only for my hips to start rocking again when the realization from before turned into the strongest wave of lust I''ve ever experienced in both of my lives.

    "Our kid?" despite instantly knowing all that I thought and felt, Mia still failed to process them on the spot.

    "Yeah, our kid," I muttered, digging my fingers into the soft skin of her ass as I sped up the pace at which I rocked my hips. "The kid that I''m going to make you bear�� right now!" I whispered into her ear, right as my body tensed up for thest time, right as my hand grasped at her ass even harder than before to keep it in ce��

    Right as my balls emptied out for the veryst time, ejecting everyst drop of my seed directly into Mia''s womb.

    And right as all the strength left my body, causing me to drop down and near instantly fall asleep in Mia''s soft and loving embrace.

 Chapter 506 Rapid changes (r18?)

    Chapter 506 Rapid changes (r18?)

    I slowly opened my eyes.

    The sense of sluggishness filled every fiber of my being, as the mere memory of what happenedst night was enough to overflow my soul with a sense of immense satisfaction.

    Just a memory of it��

    I blinked my eyes a few times, ridding my mind of those useless thoughts before rolling over to my side and looking at Mia.

    My hand moved before I could think about it, reaching out for my sweetheart''s face and gently caressing her cheek.

    ''She looks tired, really tired,'' I thought, despite how just a bit of my touch was enough to put a calming smile on Mia''s unconscious face.

    Yet, as my fingers continued to dance on Mia''s cheek, I couldn''t help but notice�� That there was something wrong with her.

    Prompted by the sudden burst of worry, I grabbed the sheet that covered her body and pulled it down in a single move�� Only to see that Mia''s once plump and squishy body was now showing the first signs of malnutrition!

    ''What the hell��'' My thoughts went astray.

    While Mia, being a woman, clearly wouldn''t mind losing a few kilos regardless of what I thought about it, the overnight change that I now noticed was simply too much!

    I gritted my teeth and moved my hand to my love''s shoulder, gently rocking it to pull her out of her dreams.

    she could even open her mouth.

    Yet, as my eyes, prompted by her words, moved towards her "I-I''m hunnngryyy��" Mia released a long, whinyint before she could even open her mouth.

    Yet, as my eyes, prompted by her words, moved towards her stomach�� My entire body, soul, and mind froze.

    ''Could it be��'' Suddenly scared of the idea that appeared in my head, I struggled to move.

    Because there was one part of Mia''s body that was slightly bigger than it used to be.

    And it was her stomach.

    ''What the hell��''

    My eyes opened wide.

    Even though it was never a topic I was interested in given my solitary life back in the modern world�� There was no way that Mia''s stomach could grow so much overnight! Yet, as I once again took a look at all the other parts of her flesh that seemed to recede��

    ''Could it be��?'' I gulped my saliva down before rocking Mia''s shoulder again.

    "Food!" Mia uttered a small cry before she finally blinked her eyes a few times and then properly opened them up.

    Prompted by nothing but her instincts, she climbed up the bed a little before seating herself on myp and cuddling up to my chest.

    "I''m hungry��" she thenined in a weak voice, only for her eyelids to start weighing down on her eyes.

    "Levi!" I called out in a normal voice while reaching out and pulling up the sheet to cover the fragile beauty only I was allowed to see.

    Mia couldn''t care less, though, as she pushed her legs to the sides of my waist and started to rub her already moist crotch about my soft junior.

    "Is it over?" Levi asked as he calmly broke through the visual and sound barriers I set up yesterday and walked into the room.

    His eyes darted towards the cuddled ball of affection on the bed, with only Mia''s and my heads peeking out of the sheets that I used to cover the two of us.

    Yet, even with this much visual protection, judging from how shapes moved underneath the sheet, it wouldn''t take the genius to guess what was going on beyond the area where his eyes were allowed to peer.

    "Food, we need food. As much of it as you can bring and in all the variety you cane up with," I ordered while feeling how Mia''s persistent sumata finally started to bear fruit and force blood to flow down my crotch and fill the membrane of my loyal junior.

    "Arthy��" Mia whispered in a half-awake voice, raising her hips just high enough to make the tip of my dick slide down in ce, before decisively pushing them down and filling her insides with my fresh, morning wood.

    "Haaa��" A look of bliss andfort appeared on my dearest'' face. And before I could even think about doing anything, my mana rushed through my body, flooding Mia''s flesh.

    And it was only at this moment that I finally realized and epted what was going on.

    The reduction of Mia''s body mass was all because there was now a parasite�� or rather, a new life growing inside of her. And the change to Mia''s figure was so drastic simply because the rate of growth of our kid�� was too unprecedented to be something that I could anticipate.

    But the change wasn''t only physical.

    Right now, as my mana flew into Mia''s flesh and filled her energy-starved cultivation, the life inside of her belly greedilytched onto the flow, gulping my mana down as if there was no tomorrow.

    ''��''

    My thoughts were empty.

    Between the pleasure of Mia jumping up and down on myp, the shock of realizing that I actually managed to get her pregnant and the disbelief at the rate at which our kid grew��

    "A-arthy��?" Mia muttered as she raised her hand and wiped thest bit of sleepiness from her eyes, finallying back to her senses.

    She blinked her eyes a few times before fully opening them up, only to look around and see what was actually going on.

    "Why am I so�� hungry?" Mia asked in a confused tone.

    ''So it''s perfectly normal for her to wake up and realize we are getting frisky?'' I couldn''t help but smile at the thought of that.

    Without a word, I pushed my hands beyond her sides before coiling them together and locking them behind her back, all to pull her along as I fell back on the bed and squeezed her into a warm, protective hug.

    "Mia, dearest, there''s something that I need you to realize," I whispered while struggling to maintainposure myself.

    "The food is noting?" Mia asked, her eyes opened wide as sadness mixed with disappointment and regret filled her deep, wide eyes that I loved to drown in.

    Instead of answering, I moved one of my hands down to her ass before pushing her hips down. At the same time, I used my other hand to reach for her head, pulling it in for one heck of a long and sloppy kiss.

    "Haaa��" Mia''s eyes turned cloudy as she allowed her lust to once again fill her mind. Her entire body turned softer than before as if she wanted to make herself into a mold for me to shape to my own desires.

    "I think I know why you are so hungry. And the food ising," I quickly resolved Mia''s greatest problem of the moment. Then, despite how much I wanted to just stay on my back and enjoy the ride, I pushed my upper body up from the bed before fixing the sheets that threatened to fall down Mia''s back.

    "It looks like yesterday, we were sessful," I uttered, not sure what kind of face I was supposed to make right now.

    I was happy. Beyond happy. I was ecstatic!

    There were hardly any words that could describe the immense joy and satisfaction that filled every fiber of my being.

    Yet, rather than simply enjoying myself, I felt pressed to let Mia in on the fun.

    Mia pursed her lips. She then put her hands on my shoulders before pushing herself off a bit, all for the sake of looking me directly into my eyes.

    "You are not making any sense," she muttered aint with a cute look of fake anger blossoming on her face. "Just tell me what''s going on," she then demanded.

    I took a deep breath�� before reaching out and grabbing Mia''s hand, only to bring it down and ce it on her slightly bulging stomach.

    "I''m not really sure how it could happen so quickly," I admitted before shaking my head, letting go of Mia''s hand, and then wrapping my hands around her shoulders as I pulled her into the tightest hug I could perform without hurting her. "But I''m going to do my very best to be the best father our kid could ever hope for."

    Seconds trickled by. Mia''s body tensed up as the realization slowly started to blossom in her mind.

    And the face of pure fulfillment that she made, made all my yesterday efforts more than worth it!

 Chapter 507 Inborn cultivator

    Chapter 507 Inborn cultivator

    Tears appeared in the corners of Mia''s sweet eyes, only to then flow down her cheeks as she slowly started to ept the new situation.

    "I�� I''m��" Mia muttered, lowering her own hands to her stomach before gently caressing it with an affection only a mother could show.

    "That''s what it looks like," I chimed in, reaching out and covering Mia''s delicate hands with my own.

    For a long while, we simply stared at each other, each of us struggling to figure out what sort of emotion we were supposed to feel.

    Ultimately, it would be Mia who broke the silence, or rather, Mia''s stomach.

    Hearing her stomach growl and even shift a little under my fingertips, I forced myself out of my daze and looked toward the doors.

    ''Just where the hell is��''

    "I''m here!" Levi burst into the room with a massive tter filled with all kinds of food. He danced on the floor, desperately avoiding any sort of obstacles and potentially slippery areas, only to ce the te down on the bed and bow towards the two of us.

    "I''m sure you guys are confused, for what happened is an event that only a selected few among royals ever heard about," he spoke, courtly lowering his eyes even though Mia was now properly covered in the sheets.

    Still, to avoid invoking my ire for no apparent reason, he opted to back off and even turn around before taking a seat with his back towards us.

    "So you are finally going to exin what the hell is going on?" I asked, unable to help myself but turning slightly hostile.

    Any matter that concerned Mia or her health would be of utmost importance to me. And as happy as I was to get her pregnant with my child�� Having it grow so much over just a single night had to be pretty damn dangerous!

    "First thing first, I need to exin a few things that only royals were ever allowed to learn," Levi spoke before breathing out a deep sigh.

    At the same time, not wanting to waste time, I snuck out of the sheets before making sure only Mia''s head peaked out of the cloth. Then, rather than letting her expose her, even with Levi looking away, I simply traced what type of food attracted her eyes before grabbing it and raising it to her mouth.

    "It''s okay, let me help," I whispered while fixing my position so that Mia could rest her back against my chest and get allfortable while I slowly fed her whatever I believed would suit her tastes the most.

    "First, it''s a matter concerning the disaster you all saw happening. And as bad as it might sound for me to say it right now, this disaster is exactly what the royals were oppressing everyone to prevent."

    My body froze. With Mia all over myp, I could easily tell that she reacted the same, even going as far as to stop munching down on what she already bit away.

    "But it didn''t work," I pointed out, recalling all the times when I faced the mana monsters.

    ''I could forgive them abusing their influence if there was a real reason�� but now that the world itself proved there was none��''

    "And that''s where you are wrong," Levi sighed. "The only reason that we are the ones living in our original world rather than invading the world of those whom we saved as mana monsters ourselves�� is because of the massive limits that the Royals put on everyone."

    I squinted my eyes, dissecting Levi''s words to pull out the most important pieces of information from them.

    And after giving it a moment of thought, I could easily figure out a way for his words to make sense.

    "Do you want to say that using magic or even just cultivation puts a strain on the world or something?" I asked, eager to confirm my hypothesis while moving my hand down to pick another piece of juicy, grilled meat before raising it up to Mia''s lips.

    Either out of howfortable she felt around me or maybe just due to how focused she was on the story, Mia failed to aim at her mouth and ended up nearly biting at my finger. And while she quickly corrected her mistakes and massaged the ce she nearly bit with her tongue, when she moved on to lick all the gravy left on my fingers��

    "The thing is, this world used to be unified. But the ancient ones, fearing some sort of a disaster that we cannot even imagine now, split it between dimensions. And judging how the other dimension fell apart, they were more liberal with using the spiritual energy that kept the barrier up."

    I squinted my eyes even further. Because if what Levi said were to be true��

    Then just how old was this ancient civilization supposed to be? And just how damn powerful at that, if they were actually capable of splitting reality itself into two and then separating it in different dimensions!

    But on second thought��

    ''The mana engine I''m using might be a primitive version of the magic of those ancient people,'' I noticed, realizing that what I considered to be supreme mana maniption might very well turn out to be the very original way of handling it.

    What I considered to be a step beyond the limitations of the human body, could very well be the very lowest point for those ancient people as they set on on the path of magic and cultivation!

    "But what does it all have to do with me and Mia?" I asked, pushing my curiosity aside and trying to get Levi back on the topic.

    It was great and all to learn more about the secrets of this world that were hidden in the long-forgotten past�� But Mia''s safety and her ability to properly grow our child in her belly were far more important than some great feats achieved by people who didn''t leave even ashes behind as their legacy!

    "The thing is, what happened to you two is a phenomenon called an inborn-cultivation. Or, in other words, for the first time in thousands of years, there will be a child born with the truest form of cultivation that can exist in the world."

    Levi took a deep breath before hanging his head to the back and turning his eyes towards the ceiling.

    to that end, Miss Mia needs to keep on eating nutritious foods to support the growth of your child, while you need to ensure her "The downside of it is, he will grow fast. Far sooner and quicker than any other human," Levi lowered his head and closed his eyes before turning around and directing his face to where he could recall our heads were.

    Just a small gesture aimed at showing how he himself felt about the news.

    "By the time a week passes, your child shall be ready to be born. But to that end, Miss Mia needs to keep on eating nutritious foods to support the growth of your child, while you need to ensure her energy reserves never run too low, as an inborn cultivator were said to parasite on the cultivation of their mothers."

    I took in a deep breath before squeezing my arms around Mia''s shoulders, keeping her in a protective embrace while reaching out and sneaking my hand under the sheets, all just to caress her slightly bulging belly.

    "This won''t be an issue," I imed with perfect confidence. "For I will feed her all the foods she might want and make sure she never runs out of mana."

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